February 2010 Archives

The WPL board writes that it is committed to delivering the best possible library service to this community and uses that as the gauge for all decisions.

When you examine the attendance for WPL Board meetings in 2009, there was a lot of absenteeism. There were 9 meetings during the year and one member missed 5. Another missed 4 and 4 others missed 3 meetings. At one meeting, 4 Board members were absent while 2 others were present by teleconference. And 2008 wasn’t much better. There were 10 meetings that year. Ian MacLean the Councillor missed 6 meetings (3 in a row) and another missed 4. Two missed 3 apiece and 4 others missed 2. Most Board Chairs and CEOs I know would be more than a little upset with this kind of track record.

Quite a track record for a board committed to delivering the best possible library service to the community and looking out for the best library interests of the citizens of Waterloo. This is a board struggling for months “with the direction that the library is currently undertaking and the plan it is currently undertaking”? It seems to me that only those that attend regularly actually want to continue that plan and that Ms Matyas was fired for not enthusiastically implementing the hidden agenda of the active board members.

The Waterloo Chronicle reports Jackson said “we do not believe we would have been able to execute the plan that we collectively have decided is the future of the community.” Community is not qualified by the word “library”. Interesting words coming from the man who wants to amalgamate Waterloo with Kitchener. I don’t believe WPLB should be deciding the future of Waterloo on its own; it should stick to planning for the library needs of Waterloo with full input from the citizens of Waterloo. Is Jackson’s plan really in the best interests of Waterloo Public Library users and Waterloo taxpayers?

I have volunteered on and off at Hespeler Minor Hockey Association for the last 15 years. I had heard about how fantastic the Valentine Dance the Hespeler Hockey Moms put on and about four years ago my wife and I started to experience the phenomenon…..

Every year the dance is sold out and simply a fantastic party time. The Beehive Room at the arena is a large sterile room but during the Valentine Dance it becomes a place to have fun and loose your mind. The age of the people attending range from in their mid 20s to mid 50s.

It starts at 8pm but nobody really comes to 9:30pm and then the insanity starts. Everyone and I mean all 450 people that come through the door are there for one reason only……. to have a good time. The DJ is incredible and the dance floor is jammed all night. It is almost like its the only night out all year for the attendees and they intend to have a no holds barred endless party.

There are also tons of door prizes and silent auction gifts, but by wife Debra and I are having so much fun I forget to bid on stuff and forget where my tickets are for the door prizes. Interestingly I do not forget where the liquor tickets are.

I do know one person to thank for putting on the dance for at least the last few years. Her name is Sony Cress and she does an amazing job of organizing the dance along with the other Hockey Moms.

My wife and I were among the first to leave. We left through the side door at about half past midnight. We had danced almost all night and were exhausted.

There was about 5 people outside the door having a cigarette. The people were friendly and smiled. As I walked by I heard one person say, “They can’t be the from Hespeler if they are leaving this early.” My wife and I laughed and went home thankful we are again part of the yearly phenomenon known as the Hespeler Minor Hockey Valentine Dance.

I would like to add my voice to those questioning the dismissal of the Waterloo Public Library’s Chief Librarian, Cathy Matyas. I’ve been watching/reading all the news I can get on the issue. I can’t think, in all my over 40-year involvement with Ontario public libraries, 22 years employed by the provincial ministry administering the Public Libraries Act, of a similar “firing without cause.”

Mayor Halloran has confirmed the over-125-year principle in Ontario that public library boards, though municipal bodies, are separate and arm’s-length from the municipal council, when questioned on the firing. However just recently Mayor Halloran said cash to cover a hiring consultant and perhaps some of the compensation in lieu of notice will come from a city reserve fund. This is enabling the library board in its decision.

I am puzzled by Jackson summarily firing Matyas after having served as chair for seven years and having had no problems with her, apparently, in all those years. Why fire the chief librarian just before he himself goes? The firing and its substantial cost becomes his legacy to the library. Could it be a personal issue over the powers of the chair versus the powers of the chief librarian? The Public Libraries Act states that the chief librarian has general supervision over and direction of the operations of the library and its staff, not the chair.

The firing isn’t illegal, but in my opinion not to provide, at the very least, Cathy herself, with a reason, is morally wrong. No matter what an employee does, you don’t fire them without warning or giving them a chance to improve or come around. After seven very successful years, Cathy Matyas deserves a good reason if the board is going to fire her. The library board also needs to show staff and Waterloo taxpayers how this firing and new direction is in their best interests

I agree with Kim Jernigan: I too am “hoping it is not too late for the library board to revisit this ill-considered decision” and reinstate Cathy Matyas. Mayor Halloran also has some reconsidering to do. Undertaking to fund the search for a new chief librarian and pay what is likely to be substantial compensation in lieu of notice from municipal reserve funds implies tacit approval of and support for the library board’s decision.

Tyrone t (56 King St. N. Waterloo) is one fine restaurant. I have been there for lunch and dinner. The decor is chic, modern and roomy. A stage or DJ station splits the bar/lounge area from the dining area; the music being played at both visits was not too loud and was very pleasant. One of the owners is the former franchise holder of Kitchener's Rude Native restaurant; the food at Tyrone t is better than at Rude Native. I think Tyrone t is as good as King Street Trio on University. Friday, February 5th dinner we started with T's signature salad - maple/sesame Dijon vinaigrette on tossed mixed greens topped with blue cheese & toasted pecans - the greens fresh and the flavour combination appealing; the pecans added a crisp note. A very pleasant beginning to the meal. My wife had a 6 oz Angus tenderloin grilled exactly the way she requested, served with a Shiraz dark jus sauce and very good (though not as good as New York fries) thin cut fries. I had the schnitzel stack - herbed breaded stack of pork cutlets layered with melted Oka, served over purple braised preserved cabbage and spatzli. Tyrone t's schnitzel has my vote for the best in the Region. We finished with a chai-flavoured creme brule (the chef creates a daily special creme brule). It was very good, though not as good as the creme brule at the Oban Inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The way the wine list was laid out, grouping the lighter and heavier wines, helped in making a choice. The selection of wines was good, but a wider choice of light beers would have been appreciated. The service was friendly and efficient. The bill, not including tip but including a Waterloo Dark and a 9-oz Mount Oakden Shiraz, was just a few cents over $75.00. Very reasonable.

It happened on September 8 2007. It was a beautiful fall day. Anyone that knows me, knows I love to go for bike rides especially in Puslinch Township. So it was that Saturday in September I went for my 30km ride. I missed an event that still makes me wonder what the heck happened.

When I returned home a friend of mine, who came to visit while I was away on my ride, was real excited about what he videotaped on the other side of the Mill Pond in the Hespeler part of Cambridge Ontario. He and two young girls claimed they saw an alien. You see the park where he filmed the video is out back of our house.

Now I thought this was pretty funny, so I watched the short video clip on his camera and had to admit something was up. It was loaded on You Tube and the Hespeler News website and 2 years later over 54,000 people have viewed it and 172 people have commented on the video.

I really don’t know what to think about the whole issue as my friend has moved away and will not talk about that day. What I can say is I absolutely love the comments people have made about the video. I have burst out laughing reading them. Enjoy the video and comments it certainly makes for interesting conversation.

Here is the first edition of the Carnival of Waterloo-Wellington Blogs, a (I hope) monthly event where we trawl some interesting links from interesting bloggers blogging about or from inside the region. Without further ado, here is what we’re talking about:

• Regional Councillor Jane Mitchell loves the new Waterloo museum. I agree that the building is striking, and I would like to pay it a visit.
• Urbanity is talking about Kitchener-Waterloo amalgamation.
• At Home on Hespeler remembers the freedom of music and the vinyl LP.
• Right of Centre Ice considers the supreme court ruling on the constitutional rights of Omar Khadr.
• Record blogger Take the Lane considers the rash of pedestrian deaths in Toronto and how to stand out while crossing the street.
• The blog 59 Carden Street looks into the funding dispute between the City of Guelph and Wellington County.
• More great photography from an Insider’s Guide to Waterloo Region.

As always, to hear the latest from our local bloggers, consult this web page. If you have a local blog and would like to be added to the list, please don’t hesitate to contact us.