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9| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,M ay 24,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca April 2013. We called it Poop-Gate. It was the mo- ment that Coun. Mark Whaley congratulated Cambridge for being the new home of the proposed regional biosolids plant. "Congratulations to Cambridge," Whaley said, in council chambers. "It's going to be a great asset to the community." Jaws dropped around our council table, as we processed the potential fallout of those words. The people of Cam- bridge were apoplectic. Community meetings bub- bled over. Letters to the ed- itor were full of anger, of- ten directed at Waterloo. The resentment stands, to- day. That biosolids project - then identified as a key component of the region's waste strategy - stumbled, as elected officials across the community dealt with the fury ignited in the com- munity. Four years later, we still transport the bulk of our biosolids waste - your poop - to other communities, where they process it. And from what I understand, we will continue to do so, as the region has opted for a different plan that in- volves adding storage ca- pacity to our existing land- fill sites, with an eye to dealing with our poop sometime in the future. Out of sight, out of mind. Not our problem. Fast forward to 2018. The Region of Waterloo is working to solve the safe injection site (SIS) puzzle in our community. Our local first-tier mu- nicipalities are wrestling with the conversation, as they try to manage the placement of these harm reduction sites. Cambridge enacted a bylaw that effectively pro- hibits the Region from plopping an SIS into any of their core areas of Galt, Preston or Hespeler. Kitchener followed suit, with a request that all three urban cities be in the mix for site evaluation and that certain parts of their downtown be exempt from consideration. Waterloo dealt with this file last week. They ex- pressed an openness to have an SIS in Waterloo. Mayor Jaworsky's com- ments were clear: "This is an opportunity to save lives in our community." However, council's will- ingness came with a big ca- veat: They will only sup- port a SIS location in Wa- terloo if the "data" does. It was a clever motion, craft- ed to enable politicians to look empathetic, while carrying a high level of confidence that any quan- titative data will likely ab- solve Waterloo of responsi- bility. This is a short-sighted move. This is a fast-mov- ing health-care issue, that requires our most ardent attention. We are at the be- ginning of this crisis, not the peak or the end. Any decision that is made to- day, may be irrelevant to- morrow. I encourage Wa- terloo to keep the door open, for a conversation that goes beyond data sets. In the meantime, out of sight, out of mind. Not our problem. - Karen Scian is the co- founder of the Talent Business Solutions, an educator and a community advocate. She is also chair of the Waterloo Public Library Board. You can email her at beinscian@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @karenscian. OPINION Out of sight, out of mind not good for local politics We can't just bury our heads in the sand on these important issues, says Karen Scian KAREN SCIAN Column Armed with an old acoustic guitar, a busker named Brian Vanderstoep captured my attention - and some of my pocket change, though he never overtly asked me for mon- ey - recently at the High- land Market Place plaza on Ira Needles Boulevard. "I've been busking since I was 22 and I play all around, I've travelled ev- erywhere between Montre- al and Vancouver Island," said Vanderstoep, 28, and decked out in ripped jeans, a black hoodie and ragged grey vest. "When I was 12 I got a lot of Christmas money and I did a bunch of chores and bought my first guitar and have been playing it every- day since. My first guitar teacher was a guy named Bob Springer, he was a re- ally rad dude, and then in high school Joe Salema taught me at Jacob Hespel- er (Secondary School), and he was one of the best gui- tar teachers I've had. I also play the fiddle." Vanderstoep squinted as the morning sun reflect- ed off the windows of So- beys as he shared with me some of his musical influ- ences. "I listen to a lot of punk rock and a lot of old folk and old blues, like Lead Belly," he said as a passer- by tossed a toonie into his black guitar case. "I really like Louis Armstrong, I used to be really into Nir- vana. Sometimes you just blindly buy a record for the cover, like Black Sabbath's first album and it turns out to be something incredible. And lately, I've been listen- ing to The Melvins, a bit of Descendants, and I'm real- ly digging the Dead Milk- men." "When I was six, I heard Sublime through a fuzzy music station and I knew right then and there that I wanted to play music." Vanderstoep told me he believes music is "the elixir of life," and a powerful lan- guage that connects people to one another. "I've noticed how busk- ing in different locations brings out different music in me, depending on where I am and who is around me, because we all have this similar thing where we're all connected," he said. "For example, just some- one walking by can totally change what I'm playing and how I'm playing, and I believe this is all happen- ing on a subconscious level through vibrations." In the bustle of our daily lives, most of us rush past buskers, sometimes throw- ing some spare change into a guitar case, but rarely stopping to listen. But if we take the time not only to lis- ten, but to watch how the presence of live music af- fects people and their sur- roundings, the connected- ness that Vanderstoep de- scribes becomes evident. Next time you see a busker, I suggest you take a moment, truly listen, and watch for moments of that connectedness. And maybe strike up a conversation with the performer be- tween songs. You might learn some- thing interesting about the performer, and perhaps about yourself too. - Marshall Ward is a freelance writer and artist. Email is welcome at mar- shall_ward@hotmail.com. Stop and listen to the music A busker can reveal the connection between all of us, says Marshall Ward MARSHALL WARD Column Push politicians on accessibility to life-saving medication As grandparents to a granddaughter affected by cystic fibrosis, d we urge all publications to bring this important issue about ac- cessibility to medication to all politicians. This particular medica- tion, Orkambi, won't help our granddaughter at this time but we don't know about future ones under development that may help her resolve her CF condi- tions. Why deny anyone who can benefit from a life- saving drug just due to cost. Orkambi has been ap- proved by Health Canada to significantly improve lung function andhealth of cystic fibrosis patients. If it is one of your or their fami- ly members so afflicted we know a much different light would be shone on this denial of a drug just due to cost. Let's get behind long de- layed government policies & get this drug made avail- able at a reasonable cost so these kids can live a more normal life. Norman and Barbara Bond Kitchener • LETTERS & COMMENTARY • l MORE ONLINE See all our published letters to the editor online at waterloochronicle.ca Next time you see a busker, I suggest you take a moment, truly listen, and watch for moments of that connectedness. Please keep our community clean! Newsletter Sign up for our newsletter at waterloochronicle.ca/newsletter