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Region of Waterloo employee newsletter
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Commuterstops in Ontario!Waterloo Region
commuters took thetop spot in Ontarioand second place inCanada during the
12th AnnualCommuter Challenge.The local challenge is
organized andpromoted by staff at
the Region.
Happy cyclistsenjoy the Biketo Work Break-fast put on byTravelWisestaff as part ofthe CommuterChallenge
Day of Pink
Fill up this summerfor free!
Region launches itsnew website
EMPLOYEENEWSLETTER
Save a Vacation Day – You Don’tWant to Miss Out!Sunnyside Foundation GolfTournament Monday, Sept. 12, 2011Conestoga Golf & Country Club Shot Gun Start - noon$135 per golfer – includes lunch,buffet dinner, cart, green fees, golfergift, after golf massage, silent/liveauction, raffle and $35 donationreceipt. To register, email Brenda Schmidt [email protected]
Live Music Sundays at WaterlooRegion Museum
Enjoy live music Sunday afternoons onthe Waterloo Region Museum patio inJune, July and August from 1 to 3 p.m. Stroll through the picturesque DoonHeritage Village, then enjoy live musicon a beautiful outdoor patio, all for the price of admission! Come rain or shine. Musicians will perform in the museumbuilding if it rains. July 17 - Juneyt Yetkiner
(Flamenco/Classical Acoustic Guitar)July 24 - Mary Humphreys & Anahata
(British Isles Folk Duo)July 31 - Erick Traplin (Children’s Performer)August 7 - Paul MacLeod (Indie Folk Singer/Songwriter) August 14 - Tom Nunn & Norm Tellier (Bluegrass Band)August 21 - Waterstreet Blues Band (Blues Band)August 28 - Ian Bell & Geoff Somers (Traditional Folk
Singer/Songwriters) Visit waterlooregionmuseum.com for details
or call 519-748-1914.
Staff from Corporate Resources help celebrate WalterGaspirini’s retirement by wearing the W with pride.
Rebecca, Sheri, Marie, Tori, Mary, Julie and MaryLouiseenjoying a spot of tea at the Royal Wedding Tea Party at
99 Regina St. S.
Mark YourCalendars
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Christine Kliewer, Coordinator of Customer Service forMobilityPLUS was awarded the Extend-A-Family WaterlooRegion inclusion award. The Honourable David C. Onley,Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, presented the award toChristine at a ceremony in June for her efforts to ensurethat everyone has access to transportation in ourcommunity. Congratulations, Christine!
What do you consider the biggestchallenge in your job? What is themost rewarding?
The biggest challenge in my position isto always be flexible and able tomanage frequent interruptions.Because we are always on the publicdesk in the library, it is alwaysimportant to remember that servicecomes first. Often deskwork isinterrupted and staff on the desk mustbe flexible to shift gears and assist ourlibrary patrons with their needs andrequests. Service at the desk is alwaysthe priority.However, the most rewarding part ofmy job is actually working with thepublic and helping to meet their needs.There is always a sense ofaccomplishment and pride when weassist people with their requests.Often patrons will also share theirappreciation for our assistance. I trulyfeel that we make a difference inpeople's lives at the library. The libraryis also a real community space and Ifind it rewarding to be a part of thegrowing community of Ayr.
What personal skills are essentialto the work you do?
I think communication skills areessential to the work I do – both interms of assisting our library patronsand with fellow employees. We dealwith the full spectrum of peoplecoming in to the library and it is
essential that we fully understand theirrequests and respond appropriately.As all staff at the Ayr Library work parttime, it is also critical for us to haveeffective internal communications inorder to keep up to date with the manynew and exciting things going on inthe library.
What do you do to relax after along day?
I have a passion for dance and I enjoytaking dance classes and teachingdance whenever I can. Surprisinglyafter a long day, this clears my mind,relaxes me, gives me more energy andkeeps me on my toes!
What is your favourite meal?
I love any kind of curry and make it asoften as possible. My husband and Ilove to experiment with spices.
What is your favourite holiday and why?
My favourite holiday would be theVictoria Day long weekend. I love May24th even though it can sometimes becold and rainy because it alwaysmarks the beginning of trailer seasonfor my family and our first weekend upnorth at the beach. We have a trailerjust north of Sauble Beach in Red Bay.
If you could travel to one place, where would you go?
I would have to say Italy. I love art,culture and history and Italy isbrimming with this!
Staff Spotlight
Michele Hopkins
Michele is the Supervisor
of the Ayr Branch of the
Region of Waterloo Library.
She lives in Cambridge with her
husband Dennis and their children
Tristan, 12, Leila, 6, and Iris, 3.
They have three dogs as well,
so it is a busy household!
3
Regional Employees Volunteer on Camp DayEmployees from Information Technology Services (ITS) and Transportation
Planning rallied their coworkers and headed over on their lunchhour to volunteer at Tim Hortons for Camp Day on June 1. Fiveemployees collectively raised $69.36 to help kids go to camp.“We had a great time helping the staff serve coffee, toss icecream and make smoothies!” said David Trinh from ITS. “We allfelt really good about helping underprivileged children attendsummer camp this year.”
Staff Spotlight
Tanya Postma
Tanya is the new
Supervisor of Administration for
Design and Construction.
She lives in Kitchener with her
spouse, Jeremy, two children,
Jenna, 11, and Aidan, seven,
and two step-children,
Austin, eight, and Wyatt, six.
What do you consider thebiggest challenge in your job?What is the most rewarding?This is a new position to the Region,which is a challenge in itself, as thereis no previous position to assumeduties from. On the flip side that makesthe position rewarding, as I have theopportunity to create a role that will bea great addition to the Division.
What personal skills areessential to the work you do?Interpersonal skills, organizationalskills, and knowledge of theengineering environment, which helpsa lot!
What do you do to relax after along day?I spend time with my family, and at thevery end of the day when all the kidsare in bed, I like to just sit quietly withJeremy and talk about our day andwatch a little TV. When the kids are
not around I go to a cardio kick boxingclass and play slo-pitch.
What is your favourite meal?I love Indonesian food, it is full of greatflavours. I also enjoy seafood,especially lobster!
What is your favourite holidayand why?My favourite holiday is going to theOuter Banks in North Carolina with thefamily. We rent a beach house andplay in the surf and sand, and justrelax in the sun. I also enjoy winterholidays to sunny destinations and it’sjust Jeremy and I.
If you could travel to one place,where would you go?I don’t think I could narrow it down tojust one place – I love to travel, but, Iwould love to take my family toHolland to meet my aunts, uncles, andcousins.
Do you know someone who would like to be spotlighted? Do you havesuggestions for new Spotlight questions? Email your ideas to
Are you on board? The Region ofWaterloo Employment and IncomeSupport (E&IS) department as well asChildcare Subsidy have already set sailon a provincial staff developmentinitiative known as SupportiveApproaches through InnovativeLearning (SAIL). So far, the Region hashad a successful SAIL launch andemployees have completed the firsttwo of five modules charted for 2011.For those new to the voyage, SAIL is
the professional development programfor Ontario Works staff. It strives torecognize and build on existing staffcompetencies to help our clientsachieve their goals and objectives.SAIL incorporates coaching conceptssuch as communication skills,intervention skills and problem-solvingtechniques and addresses manyemployability issues facing citizenstoday.This initiative is co-ordinated by adedicated group of representativesfrom all areas of E&IS staff andChildcare Subsidy. The committeemeets regularly to plan SAIL eventsand promotions, and to make sure eachtraining session allows for themaximum learning potential of allparticipants. Sparked by the desire tohave each session flow smoothly, the
committee has arranged for onecommittee member to attend eachsession as an assistant to thefacilitator, in addition to attending asparticipants. Smaller projects, such asthe development of a SAIL electronicresource, are managed by sub-groups.The committee also meets forevaluative purposes and to determinestrategies to keep the wind in ourSAILs in the workplace. Look for moregood things on the horizon from SAILand from the SAIL committee.
in the Region ofWaterloo
ing
This year was the most successfulyear yet for the Annual Food Drive!Participants included Children’sServices, Sunnyside Home,Employment and Income Support,Public Health, Crime Prevention andHousing.
This year, the Food Drive was heldApril 4 to 15, starting with a Kick-offEvent held in several locations, of a“Donation Only” Chilli Lunch and BakeSale. The Kick Off included raffles witha variety of prizes, including dinner foreight by a local renowned chef, gift
baskets of chocolates and other divineitems! Following the Kick Off, a varietyof events took place, including foodcollections of “Healthy NonPerishable Food Items, “Donate to theFood Bank and Dress Casually Days”,as well as special departmentalchallenges! As a result of all of theseefforts, the group raised $5,187.60 incash donations, and a whopping 2,038pounds of food for the Food Bank ofWaterloo Region and the CambridgeFood Bank.
Food Drive Volunteers were invited to
a Wrap-Up Pizza Luncheon on April 15,where thanks, congratulations andcertificates were handed out for a jobwell done. Co-Chairs RoxannePendergast and Denyse Loehndorfwould like to express their thanks toall who volunteered their time andhard work, and to all Regionalemployees who so generouslyparticipated in all events.Collaboration! Innovation! Once again,our Regional values are reflected ineverything we do!! Thanks everyone…and see you next year!!
2011 Annual Food Drive
50/50 Draw Winner Gwenanne Jorgenson from The Food Bank of Waterloo Region presents a$2,444 cheque to Joan Crocker from Housing. Joan was the winner of thisyear’s 50/50 draw, which raised $2,444 for the Food Bank of WaterlooRegion and the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank. Special thanks goes toWater Services, Healthy Returns Program, Edith MacIntosh Children’sCentre, Waste Management, Public Health, McPhail’s (King Street,Waterloo), CarryOn Comics (King Street, Waterloo), Ontario Seed Co.(Phillip Street, Waterloo), OW Sports (King Street, Waterloo), State of theArts Supplies (King Street, Waterloo) and Iain MacNeill from SocialServices for donating additional prizes. A big thank you also goes toCorporate Publishing for donating their services for printing tickets and toall of our ticket sellers. Thank you to all who participated!
We value INNOVATION. Therefore, theRegion of Waterloo would like to tapinto your creative ideas and/orsolutions to help with 2012 Budgetchallenges.Do you have suggestions for processimprovements, cost reductions orrevenue increases? Employees from alllevels and departments areencouraged to participate and no ideais too small. Perhaps you see a way toimprove service in your area or work
more efficiently. There could be a wayto use fewer supplies, shorten aprocess or purchase in bulk to savecosts. These are changes we can allbenefit from.How it WorksSuggestions can be sent directly(through interoffice mail or email) tothe Budget Manager in the [email protected]. If youwant to follow up on your idea, simply
provide Finance your name when youcall to inquire.Suggestions should be presented in apositive, constructive way, in as muchdetail as possible, using the formbelow.Thanks in advance for all your creativeideas and for helping to make adifference every day.Please contact Peter Holling at ext.4705 with anyquestions.
Region of Waterloo Employee Suggestion Initiative – 2012 Budget
Now more than ever before people aregetting their information from theinternet. As a provider of many importantservices to the people of WaterlooRegion, we must all become more awareof this and ensure we provide easyaccess to our services and informationthrough our website. To help us all dothis better, the Region has launched anew website and several new sub-sites. The new website and sub-sites allfeature improved navigation and searchcapabilities. Users can follow our Regionnews items through an RSS feed, checkRegion events on various eventcalendars and share links directly totheir favourite social networking site.The organization of the site is basedaround our services and how variousaudiences and citizen groups may needto access our services. We must
organize and write our content in a waythat makes sense to the public, not toour internal needs and structure. Thegoal is to get people the information theyneed in the fewest clicks. A new governance structure, modelledafter the Region’s CommunicationsProtocol, is being developed. It willdetermine who can post new content,how the content should look and whocan approve new content. Be sure to getto know the staff in your area that can
post or approve content, so that you canget relevant information posted on thesite in a timely manner. More informationon this will be posted on the employeeportal.Be sure to check out all the new sites sothat you can find Region-relatedinformation for yourself and for thepeople we serve!Region of Waterloo main site –regionofwaterloo.caRegion of Waterloo Social Services site –regionofwaterloo.ca/socialservicesRegion of Waterloo Public Health site –regionofwaterloo.ca/phRegion of Waterloo Library -rwl.library.on.caRegion of Waterloo International Airport– waterlooairport.caGrand River Transit – grt.ca
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The Region launches its new website and sub-sites
Employee Suggestion Initiative - Budget 2012 Form Date of Submission ____________________________________ Name (optional) ________________________________________________________Suggested budget savings for Department/Division ________________________________Idea - State the idea in as much detail as possible and attach additional documentation if applicable.Why or how is this is an improvement over the current state?Would this proposal change or impact service?Financial saving. (Reduced expenditures or increased revenues…do you know how much can be saved?)Submit to: Budget Manager 150 Frederick 4th floor.Submit ideas by Sept. 15, 2011 for the 2012 budget. Questions? Call Peter Holling ext 4705.
When on the go this summer,remember to take your reusable bottlefilled with tap water. It’s clean, safe,and a great value for your money.There is no better way to quench yourthirst and this summer it will be evenmore convenient to get your tap wateron the go. The Region of Waterlooalong with the Municipal Tap WaterProviders are working hard to make iteasy to choose tap water with thesetwo programs.
Mobile tap water stationLook for the water wagon at outdoorevents this summer. The water wagonis a mobile drinking water station witheight spigots for filling your reusablewater bottle, eight water fountains andtwo dog dishes. Everything needed forthe entire family to enjoy a refreshingdrink. For more information on thewater wagon and event dates, visitonline at www.waterontap.ca.
Tap water refilling networkThe Blue W Program is coming toWaterloo Region. This tap waterrefilling network identifies localbusinesses and public facilities thatwill refill your reusable bottle with tap
water free of charge. Finding a Blue W location is easy:• Look for the Blue W sign posted instorefronts; or• Go to bluew.org to find the closestlocation using the online mapping tool(supports both computer and smartphone applications)Businesses that join this free programbenefit from promotional listings in thewebsite database and increasedwalk-in foot traffic. Other benefitsinclude positive recognition throughBlue W’s marketing efforts and beingidentified as a progressive,community-oriented business. For more information on Blue W, visitonline at www.bluew.org. The websiteincludes information on Blue W, theonline mapping tool and downloadablesmart phone applications. Businessesinterested in participating can alsoregister online.The Region of Waterloo and theMunicipal Tap Water Providers areworking hard to bring clean, safe tapwater to you. So the next time youleave home, remember your reusablebottle.
On Wednesday, May 25, 2011 the Waterloo Region CrimePrevention Council hosted its 33rd AnnualJustice Dinner. This year’s theme was“Creating Social Change” and featuredCanada’s youngest advocate for thehomeless and hungry, Hannah Taylor, 15,from The Ladybug Foundation. Over 400guests were entertained by the talentedlocal youth that make up KW Glee. Over$1,100 was raised for the Ladybug Foundation to further promote awarenessof and assist organizations that providefood and shelter to the homeless andhungry. To learn more about Hannah andher foundation, visitwww.ladybugfoundation.ca.
Fill up this summer for free!
Who are the Municipal Tap Water Providers?The Municipal Tap Water Providers(MTWP) include staff from theRegion ofWaterloo,the cities,thetownshipsand the Cityof Guelph.The group was created to promotemunicipal tap water as a safe, cost-effective, convenient andenvironmentally friendly choice andimprove access of tap waterthroughout the region.
Christiane Sadeler, Executive Director (CPC); KenSeiling, Regional Chair; Hannah Taylor, The LadybugFoundation; John Shewchuk, CPC Chair; Mike Farwell,Master of Ceremonies; Barbara Hill, Justice DinnerCommittee Chair
Justice Dinner – Creating Social Change
Keynote SpeakerHannah Taylor, 15,Founder of theLadybug Foundationwith her ladybugmascot
On June 15, Regional Council approved the Region’srapid transit project. It’s rare that Council has anopportunity to approve a project that is so closelylinked to so many elements of the Region’s vision. Ifwe take a look at the Region’s vision, the rapidtransit project addresses each of its main points:
Waterloo Region will be an inclusive, thriving andsustainable community committed to maintainingharmony between rural and urban areas and fosteringopportunities for current and future generations.
Implementing rapid transit will provide better transportationchoice for more members of our community; it willstrengthen our economy and help us to be more sustainableas a community, both financially and environmentally.
Rapid transit will help us to manage growth by attractingdevelopment to our downtowns rather than developing outinto the countryside, helping us to protect and preservevaluable farmland and environmentally sensitive areas.
This transformational project will provide opportunity now
and into the future by creating jobs, attracting newtalent, and ensuring a more livable community forgenerations to come.Here’s what some of our Regional Councillors hadto say at the Council meeting on June 15:“This is a long term vision of what our communitywill require to sustain itself.”
“Without a transformational decision regarding publictransit, the countryside line will continue to be pressured foreven more greenfield development.”“…it is time for all of us to gather our tools, come togetheras a community in the tradition of barn-raising and build thisinfrastructure, not for us but for our children, ourgrandchildren and great grandchildren.”It’s encouraging and inspiring to see the organization takesuch a significant step towards fulfilling the Region’s vision. Ilook forward to working with many of you as we implementthis transformational project.I hope you all have a safe, relaxing and enjoyable summer!
Do you have a question for Mike? Send it to [email protected]
The Region of Waterloo celebratedInternational Day of Pink on April 13.DayofPink is the International Dayagainst bullying, discrimination andhomophobia in schoolsand communities.Stories of the Pink actionfrom around the Region: ● The Tobacco and
Cancer Prevention Group wore pinkand ate pink treats. They alsoincluded a pink diversity activity bycutting out a shape thatrepresented themselves and wrotewords that were representative oftheir individuality – things they likeabout themselves, things that make
them different and things thatpeople have made fun of.They shared their shapesand hung them in theiroffices.
�● ISS North Team 6 of theSocial Services department,Council and AdministrativeServices, and the FinanceDepartment all wore pink anddecorated each of their work areas.
�● Crime Prevention Council hid pinktreats throughout 99 Regina for staffto find.
● Provincial Offences CourtAdministration Kitchener ate pinkpopcorn, Easter eggs and pinkbeverages with Day of Pink labelledcups.
● Child Care Subsidy celebrated
as a group as part of a staffmeeting and dressed up andfeasted on pink favourites.They included an activity intheir meeting by challenging
staff to list as many words usingthe word “diversity”. The winninggroup had 33 words in five minutes.
● The ISMP group at Public Healthwent all out. They set the mood withpink decorations, they had aPerfectly Pink Picnic Potluck full ofpink menu items – salmon, quinoacustard, lemonade, tuna Thai bites,pepper pinwheels, strawberryyogurt, garlic shrimp, pepperhummus and pitas and cookies –yum! They topped it off with a ThinkPink Olympics including a pink
relay, pink pincher portage andthe bunny chain.
DayofPink
