AWARDS AND ENDORSEMENTS
2010
Community Award for Community Building
Presented by Tri-Pride at the annual Festival to celebrate the LGBTTQQII communities and allies in Waterloo Region.
2006
Programming Certificate of Achievement for “Womyn’s Issues”
Presented by CKMS 100.3 at the Sonic Boom Awards
2005
Award of Recognition as a host of the One-Tonne Challenge
Presented by Together 4 Health Coalition of the Waterloo Region
2002
Investing in Communities
Presented by the Province of Ontario and The Ontario Trillium Foundation
1999
YMCA Canada Peace Medal as Peacemaker
Presented by the YMCA of Kitchener-Waterloo
1989
Waste Management Award
Presented by the Regional Municipality of Waterloo
ENDORSEMENTS
In 2010, we asked a number of WPIRG alumni and supporters to speak to their experiences with WPIRG and the OPIRG network. Read on to see what they have to say about WPIRG’s contributions to social and environmental justice work in local and international contexts.
David Suzuki
I first encountered PIRGs about twenty years ago after Ralph Nader had made a swing through Ontario. Over the years since, I have from time to time encountered PIRG groups on different campuses. They have always been most impressive, staffed by hardworking people who are well informed and deeply committed to important social, economic and environmental issues. I do not have any hesitation in saying that PIRGs are outstanding examples of how students can get involved in dealing with important issues of our time. – David Suzuki , Dec-2004
Stephen Lewis
Over the course of 30 years, a great contribution has been made and should be sustained. A campus that has a Public Interest Research Group on it, and that supports it, and that gets involved in it, is a campus that has its priorities in the right place. – Stephen Lewis , Nov-2003
Maude Barlow
WPIRG, like the other PIRGs across North America, have been the backbone of a progressive student movement. To lose the WPIRG at this crucial time in history would be a tragedy. In the name of democracy, academic freedom and intellectual challenge, support your WPIRG now! – Maude Barlow, Council of Canadians , Dec-2004
Andrew Telegdi
WPIRG has been an advocate for social justice in our community and Canada for the past thirty years. As one of the people responsible for starting WPIRG, I consider it as one of the highlights of my term as president of the Federation of Students from 1973-1975. The voluntary fee paid by students is critical for the survival of this organization. At a time of increasing corporate and media concentration, it is important that we have organizations such as WPIRG to advocate on behalf of the public good. – Andrew Telegdi, Member of Parliament, Jan-2005
David Seljak
WPIRG is a University of Waterloo institution. Every couple of years it comes under attack by conservatively-minded students with an ideological axe to grind. These students are out of touch with UW students who benefit both directly and indirectly from WPIRG’s many services. WPIRG serves all students as an information centre, a gathering place, and an organizational network. Unlike its opponents, it imposes no ideology on UW students. It is hard to imagine a more student-centred and student-driven organization. I have often worked with WPIRG to present lectures and other educational events to students and members of the UW community. So I know that WPIRG works — and it works for students! – David Seljak, Director, St. Jerome’s Centre for Catholic Experience, St. Jerome’s University
Alistair Neill
For me WPIRG brought real issues to life in the campus community through a diversity of events and action groups (Action Theatre, KW Food Action, WPIRG Radio, Food not Bombs, Board of Directors, Public Interest School) where I learned a lot about how to work with others and come to group consensus decisions. Since 1999, WPIRG has helped make me what i am today, an improved communicator, facilitator and people person. The support provided by WPIRG for student initiatives is unquestionable and it gave me the confidence to create a traveling performance about water issues: the Cirque du Lake Water Cycle Circus (www.cirquedulake.ca). I have just finished a 24 minute video about the performance tour and without the helpful support of WPIRG I wouldn’t have been able to receive a grant from the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund. WPIRG is a place of learning and inspiration. – Alistair Neill Stewart, UW Environment & Resource Studies 2003
Elizabeth Zajc
WPIRG and PIRGs in general are great campus organizations that should be supported and maintained. WPIRG brings awareness of important environmental and social justice issues that would otherwise be largely ignored on campus. I also think that PIRGs, unlike a lot of other campus clubs, brings a unique opportunity to outreach to the community. I think that WPIRG enriches the campus experience for a number of students. It works on critical issues that are much greater than campus life that are critically important to our world today. I think that the campus should continue to support this organization. – Elizabeth Zajc, UW Environment & Resource Studies
Janet Yip
WPIRG provides an excellent balance to my often stressful engineering workload. It introduced me to issues and opportunities outside of academics and my involvement has ranged from delivering bread for Food Not Bombs to working with our neighbouring Laurier students on anti-war initiatives. – Janet Yip, UW Alumnus, Electrical Engineering
Jonathan R. Schmidt
As fourth year Geography and Peace and Conflict Studies student I have appreciated WPIRG’s presence on campus. I have participated in workshops they have put on dealing with issues of peace and racism. I also enjoy have a social voice on our generally conservative campus. WPIRG deserves the support of every student at UW, even if they do not agree with their stance on some of the issues, they should at least appreciate that issues are being raised around campus because of WPIRG’s continued presence. I totally support that students should continue to pay a small, very small portion of their tuition fees to raising awareness of global and local issues of poverty, racism, peace and justice, and much more.Thank for the opportunity to listen to many wonderful speakers, attend some informative workshops and always being faced with a new challenge. – Jonathan R. Schmidt, UW Alumnus, Peace and Conflict Studies.
James Herman
I understand that some at the University are questioning WPIRG’s value. As a local resident and one who’s tax dollars go to support every student at Ontario’s many universities I feel that WPIRG is one of the most valuable benefits of my tax dollars at work. As far back as the late 1970′s I was involved in projects regarding the food industry and international issues where WPIRG helped with its resources. Their value as a tool for knowledge and education in the community has never dimmed. I use information from WPIRG to this day to help me to understand the world around us and to help me make my community a better place for all to live and work here.A University must contribute in a meaningful way to the community it serves. Support for WPIRG from the “WPIRG fee” is a very special and important way that those at the University of Waterloo can give back to the community. Please continue to be generous to all of us through WPIRG. We will all be better for it. – James Herman, Waterloo Citizen
Jen Niece
In today’s highly competitive job market, I am watching my friends with master’s degrees getting turned down for jobs. It is always a “catch 22″ story where you can’t get work without experience, but you can’t get experience without work. I went through UW’s co-op program, but the jobs available either did not really relate to my particular career goals (you always find out what you DON’T want to do), or did not provide enough responsibility to impress future employers. For me, WPIRG provided a forum to get involved in the community and work on issues that really mattered to me. Because WPIRG activities are designed and run by students, it is the students who develop technical knowledge, and organizational, planning, and communication skills, with roles of responsibility for projects higher than they would achieve in any entry-level job when leaving university.WPIRG got me involved in the community where I was developing partnerships with other organizations, making presentations to city councils and chambers of commerce, and learning first hand about provincial regulatory processes that are essential in my field of work (urban planning and environmental assessment). All of these experiences were key to getting and succeeding in my first “real” job, (working for a national lobby group for municipal government). We are in an era of decreasing faith in politicians to represent their constituents; knowledge of public processes beyond the ballot box have empowered me to continue being an active part of my community, supporting efforts that I see as important, rather than being a community member simply by default of where I live. – Jen Niece, UW ERS 2000
Robin Chauhan
My experience with WPIRG has been fantastic. Its got a friendly and supportive atmosphere, but also really effective with helping you get things done. As part of the WPIRG Internet Collective, I’ve been focusing on a project involving facilitating public carpooling over the Internet. Being a WPIRG project, all sorts of doors were opened to us. With WPIRG we’ve taken this from its start as a concept, to a working prototype, and now to a successful permanent (and free!) service. Thousands of commuters across Canada have already used it to reduce pollution and save costs by simply sharing their ride. WPIRG really helped me make the kind of impact I used to dream about. The great thing about having WPIRG at UW is that it helps provide the kind of continuity and networking you need to nurture longer term public interest projects. Oh and if you want to try the site, it’s at carpooltool.com. You never know, it might be handy for commuting to your co-op job. – Robin Chauhan, UW Alumnus, Computer Engineering
Christine Clarke
Studying at university really opened my eyes to a lot of social and environmental issues with which I was previously unaware. But, while academic study is important, solely learning from textbooks places students in the position of passive witnesses. With an organization like WPIRG they are given the opportunity to put that knowledge into action. My first exposure with WPIRG was through the Iced in Black: Canadian Black Experiences on Film Festival, which gave voice to black independent filmmakers and the black Canadian experience. This festival later went on to premiere in 7 cities across Canada. – Christine Clarke, UW Honours Arts, Rhetoric and Professional Writing, 2004
Heather Majaury
CKMS, Radio Waterloo proudly endorses the work of the Waterloo Public Interest Research Group (WPIRG). We believe the student experience is enriched by the presence of this organization on the University of Waterloo. It would be a great loss if this resource were erased from campus life when the cost of its continued operations is so small.It is our understanding that WPIRG is open to all students taking an interest in civic participation and responsibility. WPIRG is part of a much larger network of people all over the province who care deeply for their communities and desire to make the world a better place to live in. Joining WPIRG and getting actively involved in efforts to effect positive social change, or benefitting from the public education aspects of this organization, is part of the well-rounded experience that we feel the University of Waterloo wishes their students to benefit from. CKMS has in the past, and intends to continue to provide broadcast time for members of WPIRG to continue to educate students and the general public about various topics that relate to all matter of issues of public concern both on campus, in the wider community, and around the world. WPIRG is one organization that builds bridges, encourages critical thinking, and brings diverse people together in positive ways which are constructive and thought-provoking. The question that should be asked in this upcoming referendum is not whether students should vote to eliminate the WPIRG fee but rather ‘Can students afford not to have WPIRG on their campus?’!” – Heather Majaury, Station Manager, CKMS (Radio Waterloo) , Nov-2004
Marcia Ruby
WPIRG is a student-funded, student-driven organization that UW has been fortunate enough to have on campus since 1973. It’s a testament to UW’s social leadership – the first PIRG was established just three years earlier in the United States. Now with over 100 PIRGs in the US and 21 in Canada, there exists a learning ground and network that far surpasses what one single PIRG could hope to accomplish.The benefits from hard-working WPIRG student volunteers reach far past the UW student population. On-campus NGOs (like Alternatives Journal), Kitchener and Waterloo community organizations and the greater Waterloo Region have all benefited from the helping and learning hands of WPIRG student volunteers. Alternatives has appreciated the long-time support and resources from WPIRG – from co-organizing events to providing keen and capable students who often volunteer or intern at the Alternatives campus office. University life tends to be insular and self-contained, and students are often criticized for living within that privileged bubble that is campus life. WPIRG takes students out of the bubble, and into the world. WPIRG’s office provides opportunities for students to research, educate and take action on environmental and social justice issues. This kind of community involvement cannot be taught in the classroom alone – there is no replacement for learning by example and learning by doing. WPIRG generates the biggest bang for the buck that supports it, especially considering that the fee is only $4.75 per term per full-time undergrad student. – Marcia Ruby, Production Coordinator, Alternatives Journal, Nov-2004
Randy Ulch
For three years, Grand River IMPACT (Indymedia) published a regular newspaper, Blind Spot, which highlighted issues of social and environmental concern in Waterloo Region, and around the world.This probably wouldn’t have been possible without WPIRG, who provided financial and organizational support for producing our paper — everything from scanning pictures , collecting community events and articles with help from their web server, and coordinating distribution of papers through their office. Their resource support made what looked like an impossibly large project an achievable one.. – Randy Ulch, Publisher, Blind Spot (Indymedia paper), Jan-2005
Susan Sauve
In my second year at U of W, some 20 years ago now, I was broke, like hungry broke, and didn’t understand what WPIRG did and wanted a refund for that portion of my tuition. Then, a friend started volunteering at WPIRG and I was amazed at what he said went on there. Next thing I knew, I was volunteering there, and the friends that I still have from University, I met at WPIRG. When I started working after graduation, I was amazed to find that the skills I picked up at WPIRG were the ones that got me the jobs I wanted, giving me the competitive edge over others with similar educational backgrounds. Now today, after 16 years working in the environmental field, I still use the resources available at WPIRG. Including WPIRG in your tuition is one way to make the working world a better place when you get there. – Susan Sauve, Sustainable Transporation Planner, City of Peterborough
Michael Parkinson
As an active and contributing member of the local community, I can say with confidence that volunteers with WPIRG have made a positive and lasting contribution to the quality of life in Waterloo Region. The effects of this good work are not always measureable, but rest assured the impacts are felt in areas such as land use and transportation planning, anti-racism work, health and health determinants, capacity building in neighbourhoods, protection of migrant workers, and of course, a lot of excellent research and education. WPIRG’s ongoing contribution to improve the quality of campus and community life has made UW and the Region a recognized leader in Canada. WPIRG is primarily volunteer- and student-run — this is the way it should be — but it would likely cease to exist without good staff support. WPIRG has been a contributing member of the UW campus and KW community for decades, and it is my hope that this good work will continue to be supported for many years to come. The quality of life of all persons, irrespective of political affiliation, depends on it. – Michael Parkinson, House of Friendship Food Hamper Program
Lucia Harrison
The mandate of the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre is to break down the barriers to full participation of new Canadians in the Kitchener-Waterloo community and surrounding areas. Over the years, we have partnered many times with WPIRG on projects that worked towards our common goals.Having student volunteers from WPIRG, involved in these projects has ensured that our committees included the voices of students the needs of students, and helped create bridges between the university and our diverse population. Everyone benefits when people are empowered to become active participants in their community. We value WPIRG’s role on campus toward this end. – Lucia Harrison, Project Coordinator, Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre
Joe Mancini
Over 22 years, The Working Centre and WPIRG have worked closely together, often linking downtown Kitchener with the University of Waterloo campus. Over the years the two organizations have cooperated on numerous projects such as a community economic development conference, the setting up of a local currency called Barterworks, establishing Recycle Cycles as a self-sustaining community project, and initiatives on the environment through the clean air committee.Recycle Cycles, located at the Working Centre in downtown Kitchener, is a project that was started and supported by WPIRG for its first seven years. In 2000, Recycle Cycles moved into its present space in the Working Centre’s 43 Queen location. Today, this community bike shop accepts donations of used bicycles, which are then repaired by a team of volunteers and sold at affordable prices. We also have public days on which people can use the tools and space here to work on their own bikes. We offer a Recycle Cycle Bike Camps while also using the shop to focus on providing affordable transportation, and encouraging bike use as an alternative to cars, and providing access to tools. This valuable community resource was initiated by WPIRG students looking for a concrete way to effect environmental change. It is an excellent example of community and university student cooperation facilitated by WPIRG. Barterworks, a community currency project has operated out of the Working Centre for the past ten years. Much of the energy to start this initiative came from WPIRG students who were looking for ways to help people earn money when they did not have a job or when they wanted to find local producers and products. WPIRG provided BarterWorks with artistic and technical support as well as student enthusiasm. Today, the 200 member bartering system thrives in downtown Kitchener. WPIRG plays a special role at the University nurturing creative ideas and linking them into the community. This is an important function that helps make our community better. We look forward to many more years of working together. – Joe Mancini, Executive Director, The Working Centre
Marty Schreiter
The Waterloo Public Interest Research Group forms the foundation both in terms of University & Community life as a critical think tank in today’s challenging life. Most importantly, it has set out a public interest agenda that brings together important Charter & Human Rights Values.I believe WPIRG is an effective use of student resources in building a university culture that supports tolerance, helps eliminate discrimination and generates a healthy student community. The Kitchener Downtown Business Association partnered with WPIRG in establishing an Anti-Racism Conference and would welcome another project in Kitchener Downtown. On behalf of the KDBA, we fully support the Waterloo Public Interest Research Group and trust that this upcoming referendum will support this important work. – Marty Schreiter, Manager, Kitchener Downtown Business Association
Ryan Kennedy
I had a very rich and active experience at UW that included an international exchange, co-op, volunteering at the radio station, working as a Don at St. Paul’s and the Village and also volunteering with WPIRG. Without question the place I grew the most and gained the most personally was at WPIRG. Over the years volunteering with WPIRG, I learned about addressing and challenging racism and other forms of oppression. I volunteered with an action group that looked at the issue of sweat shops and worked with upper administration at UW to help move the issue forward to having sweat-free merchandise at UW retail outlets.I performed with an acting troupe called WPIRG Theatre and we wrote plays for schools on protecting water, air quality and safe cycling. I organized events like speaker series — and was on the Board in 1999 when we were nominated and awarded the YMCA Canada Peace Medal for our speaker series entitled Waging Peace in the 21st Century. I met and worked with people across the campus, the community and sometimes the world. As a Board member with WPIRG, I also learned a lot about the Ontario Corporations Act, reading financial statements and how to function in a consensus-style meeting. These skills have helped me now, as I volunteer on numerous charitable boards in the community. WPIRG has helped me be a productive and effective volunteer and an educated citizen. Those are the ultimate goals of PIRGs — to empower people with the skills to make a difference. – Ryan Kennedy, Health Dept., Waterloo Region (WPIRG Volunteer 1997-2001)
Marc Xuereb
I still apply the training I received as a working group member at WPIRG when I was a student in my work at Region of Waterloo Public Health today. As a health promotion professional, I’m keenly aware that citizens need to be empowered to take control of the issues that affect their health, like adequate housing or safe streets. WPIRG’s training gave me the skills to build people’s capacity to organize in their communities to achieve better health for all. I refer to WPIRG’s resources in my work regularly: they’re an excellent support for citizens, not just students. – Marc Xuereb, Health Dept, Waterloo Region, and class of ’93
Joel Klassen
I remember a few years ago, a man was going to come speak in Kitchener about how violent Islam and Muslim people are. A lot of people thought that a message like that should not go unchallenged in this city, and WPIRG helped to bring people together, and provided space for people to meet as we prepared to say that Kitchener/Waterloo doesn’t welcome a message of hatred.A large group of people, both from the community and from campus, from a variety of faith traditions including Muslim, Jewish, and Christian, gathered peacefully outside the hotel where the speech was being given, and conveyed our message. Thank you for being willing to respond, WPIRG! – Joel Klassen, Christian Peacemaker Teams
Mary Jane Patterson
REEP (Residential Energy Efficiency Project) and WPIRG have collaborated on a number of projects in the past that we are co-sponsors of, such as the Solar Public Forum and the CREW Speakers Series. We are now working together as members of a community coalition that has made a successful bid for the One Tonne Community Challenge, bringing federal money into our community to spur action on reducing the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Hats off to Daryl Novak of WPIRG, who spearheaded the bringing together of the coalition members, and wrote the successful proposal. In doing so, WPIRG has managed to bring resources to Waterloo Region that will unite efforts by the university’s own Sustainability Project and the WPIRG-developed CarpoolTool with those of many other community and municipal government groups. This is something various groups have tried to do in the past but were unable to because of time and financial constraints.WPIRG’s efforts mean that Waterloo Region now has a dedicated coordinator to bring together energy and water conservation initiatives, addressing transportation, waste, residential and commercial sectors. The result will be a cohesive “shopping basket” of choices for citizens wishing to save money, improve their community’s health and sustainability, and reduce their own carbon emissions by one tonne or more. WPIRG has thereby increased our community’s capacity and strengthened the ties between the University of Waterloo and the community it serves. As an employer of over 50 UW co-op students over the past 5 years, many of whom were active in WPIRG, REEP is proud to partner with WPIRG on this initiative, and we look forward to more partnerships in future. – Mary Jane Patterson, Residential Energy Efficiency Project (REEP)
CREW is a local citizens’ group with the goal of making renewable energy more accessible to all of us in Waterloo Region. We have a number of members who are connected with the university as either students, faculty or staff, and many more from the broader community. Our fledgling group has benefited from WPIRG’s support in several ways. Raj Gill of WPIRG volunteered her time to CREW meetings for several weeks in a row to help CREW members improve our skills in group facilitation and running meetings. This has greatly improved our own capacity as an organization. WPIRG has also supported our first ventures as a citizens’ group. We are currently partnered with the Kitchener Public Library to present a series of public presentations on renewable energy. Speakers and audience are a mixture of university professors and students, as well as many people from the broader public. We are grateful for WPIRG’s sponsorship of this event, and for WPIRG’s support in the form of publicity through email and posters on campus.CREW was also a sponsor of our Solar Public Forum, held in conjunction with the Solar Energy Society of Canada’s annual conference at the University of Waterloo in August of this year. WPIRG helped to publicize the event, and provided support in putting it on. The end result was a far greater audience that we could have hoped for, 275 people in all, who came to hear university professors explain the science and future prospects of solar energy. It was a great example of the university coming to the people, and the people wanting to hear. It seems vitally important for all of us to forge these links between the university and the broader community in which it exists, and WPIRG’s involvement in university-community linked undertakings such as CREW help to do just that. –Mary Jane Patterson, Community Renewable Energy Works (CREW)
Kate Busse
The People’s Car Co-op (PCC) is a local non-profit car-sharing organization, the first of its kind in Ontario. It was established in 1998, and since then car sharing organizations have been established in many other Canadian cities.PCC was founded by several former WPIRG volunteers. It was through WPIRG volunteer and Board training that they gained some of the skills and confidence necessary to undertake this project. Since then other WPIRG volunteers and past volunteers have joined PCC. However, more importantly, many community residents previously un-associated with WPIRG have come to join PCC and benefit from the service that it provides – currently PCC has over 100 community residents as members and is continuing to expand. Given that people who car share tend to drive less, and given the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, PCC has developed into a valuable community resource here in K-W. Since 1998, WPIRG volunteers have continued to provide PCC with valuable computer, social marketing, and proposal writing skills in order to assist PCC in its ongoing activities and future development. PCC welcomes the involvement of WPIRG volunteers and looks forward to continued support and partnership development with WPIRG. – Kate Busse, Manager, People’s Car Co-op (Kitchener-Waterloo)
David Roewade
Over the past 3 years I have worked closely with WPIRG and their staff on numerous environmental projects. In this partnership, we have secured and administered approximately $200,000 for various community-based social marketing campaigns and public education initiatives.These projects have involved multi-stakeholder partnerships with a wide array of organizations from the commercial, governmental and non-profit sector. Within these partnerships, WPIRG and their staff have made an important contribution in achieving consensus and in community capacity building. I have specifically appreciated their efforts towards making these projects community-friendly in that an individual from the general public can be empowered by their participation and contribute towards the environmental and community development goals of the projects. This is an invaluable contribution to Waterloo Region as both community and environmental health can never be truly successful and sustained as a top-down responsibility. WPIRG has helped enable many citizens to have meaningful participation in our projects. Their willingness to take on tasks and offer time, energy and creativity has been laudable throughout this partnership and has demonstrated to me that they are an exceptional organizational and corporate citizen of our community. I sincerely hope to be able to work with them in the near future as we continue with this mutually beneficial partnership. – David Roewade, Public Health Planner (Environments), Waterloo Region
Chris Buhler
When I was a student at UW, I used the facilities of WPIRG often for various essays that I wrote. WPIRG not only had the materials, but staff people there kept up with new publications that one would be unlikely to find in libraries. I also have relied on WPIRG for information on events that are taking place in the community. It is one of the few places in K-W where once can find alternative voices that challenge the mainstream media perspectives. I believe that most students would support WPIRG if they knew what it was, and what happened there. – Chris Buhler, UW Alumnus
Lori Strothard
Since its founding in 1998, the Citizens’ Advisory Committee on Air Quality for Waterloo Region (CACAQ) has benefited immensely from the involvement of WPIRG volunteers. Whether helping with the initial development of CACAQ’s mission statement, to launching community health initiatives such as the Idling Reduction Education Campaign, to partnering on community projects such as the Citizens’ Commitment to Cleaner Air, WPIRG volunteers and staff have contributed their time as well as research and computer skills to help us improve air quality in Waterloo Region, a benefit that we can all share.CACAQ is also working together with WPIRG – and a host of other community groups and municipal representatives – to help promote the local campaign of the One-Tonne Challenge. Through this, WPIRG volunteers and staff are once again demonstrating their dedication to improving the health and well-being of our community. WPIRG provides a valuable opportunity for students to interact with the local community, allowing them to put into action classroom learning and to gain valuable volunteer experience and training. Given this, we look forward to future participation of WPIRG volunteers. – Lori Strothard, Chair, Citizen’s Advisory Committee on Air Quality (Waterloo Region)
Judy Greenwood-Speers
Before I ever joined any political party, I ran as a City/Regional Councillor in Waterloo in ’97. Early in the election, I was asked what I thought of the proposed plans for the ‘new highway 7′ as well as bike lanes on Columbia St. as it was being renovated by Michael Parkinson who was with WPIRG. My answer to the latter was quick and simple, of course there should be bike lanes on the street, including targeting the perimeter major streets near the University (there weren’t even bike lanes on University!). The former question was more challenging as I had little concrete info on the topic. WPIRG immediately offered me access to the McCormick Rankin reports and proposals. The problem and solutions were soon well understood by me and clear as a bell, improve inter-city transit options and widening of the existing highway 7 to 5 lanes. It soon became very apparent that this was not going to be an easy exercise in democracy or process. Together many of us banded together to form HALT7 (highway 7 Alternatives) and successfully launch an organized resistance that has to this date not only helped to realign the proposed roadway away from most of the wetlands, but has partially derailed the process to the point that the southern connection route of existing back roads south of highway 7 and north of highway24, now seems to be taking on more momentum than the 4 lane controlled access road that would also have flattened the Hindu temple in its path. It has been an honour and a privilege to work with the various people at WPIRG and the value to both the students and the community cannot be short-changed. As an Alumnus of U of W, it has been a a point of honour to know that U of W was the first of the PIRGs to be set up and should always remain as a learning tool and resource for the students there to learn how to effect positive change and channel their talents. Saving what is left of the Waterloo Moraine is the next great challenge. – Judy Greenwood-Speers, Class of ’92, Co-founder of HALT7 and 7 Generations Network
