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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, M ay 9, 20 19 | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editorial@waterloochronicle.ca facebook.com/waterloochronicle @wlchronicle WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira nparreira@metroland.com Regional Director of Media Heather Dunbar hdunbar@starmetrolandmedia.com Sales Lead/Advertising Representative Michelle Stevens ext. 795062 Advertising Representatives Cassandra Dellow ext. 795066 Jan Bodanka ext. 795072 Delia Medina ext. 795065 Regional Editor Mike Wilson Reporters Adam Jackson Bill Jackson Namish Modi CONTACT US Waterloo Chronicle 475 Thompson Dr. Cambridge, ON N1T 2K8 Phone: 519-886-2830 Fax: 519-623-9155 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail customerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000 OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA EDITORIAL LETTERS & COMMENTARY Two buildings that were going to either sit vacant or be used by small businesses will now be a one-of-a-kind creative hub in uptown Waterloo. The project will house as many as 15 artists from the region, giving them studio space at cost (i.e. taxes, main- tenance, etc) and with other sponsors jumping on board, there is an incubator program that will help newer art- ists. Scott Higgins, president of HIP Developments, got the ball rolling when he bought the two properties, which were formerly retail stores. The site will eventually be redeveloped two to five years from now. It's a model that should be replicated by all local de- velopers. If you have the space and it's going to be sitting vacant, put it to good use. As property values continue to soar, both residential- ly and commercially, there's even more need for space, as organizations, people and small businesses try to get on their feet. As Higgins pointed out in an interview with reporter Adam Jackson, it's not just being charitable - it makes good business sense as well. The healthier the communi- ty (health can be defined in so many ways, from cultur- ally to physical), the more demand there will be for property, therefore the more money can be made by developers. But real estate developers have to be part of the solu- tion to make that happen. They need to be in our com- munities, forming partnerships and helping to create beautiful communities that flow and complement one another, rather than money-making silos. As we look forward to the redevelopment of the for- mer Schneiders factory site in the Mill-Courtland neigh- bourhood of Kitchener, the same needs to be kept in mind with Auburn Developments, the developer in charge of the vision for that site. Auburn has a responsi- bility to residents of the area to make sure that all con- struction has as little of an effect as possible on the neighbourhood. While there is no opportunity to use the factory in the interim - it's mostly demolished - there is still an opportunity for something that would socially benefit the neighbourhood. Be it an updated community centre or public park space that's accessible to the extremely diverse neighbourhood surrounding it, Auburn must give back to the area. According to project plans at www.schneiderredeve- lopment.com, there are at least plans for public access parkland. The exact details of the Schneiders redevelopment site plan aren't yet known, but on those 27 acres is a boatload of opportunity. Yes, that area of Kitchener could use a grocery store, sure, it could use a restaurant or two. But Auburn needs to look at the big picture when developing these proper- ties - this may be the only chance we have to truly shape this neighbourhood. DEVELOPERS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY FOR SOCIAL CHANGE SAFE INJECTION SITES ARE NOT THE ANSWER Re: Cambridge council stubbornness comes at a cost - human life Dear editor, Regarding your recent editorial: As a longtime resident of downtown Galt, I have watched the deterio- ration of this area due to the influx of homeless/ drug addicts. I know first hand what happens here because I live it. These people bring noth- ing to our community ex- cept their dirty needles and crime. There are countless sto- ries of break-ins to resi- dences. They defecate in our parks and urinate on buildings. They steal from businesses. They shoot up in local business wash- rooms. I personally saw a man receiving oral sex in an open area in broad day- light! I had an addict on my front porch trying to get in- to my house at 4 a.m. All of these events are directly linked to the drug addicts. And you want to provide these degenerates with a place to shoot up their ille- gal drugs and set them loose into our neighbour- hood to do God knows what. It's already bad enough here. Enabling these peo- ple is not the answer. And the people who are short sighted are the ones who can't see that the injec- tion sites are not the an- swer! KELLY GRECO, GALT ABORTION ISN'T OK BECAUSE ONE PERSON SAYS IT IS Re: Anti-abortion ads re- moved from Grand River Transit buses Dear editor, I was very disappointed to see Lyndsey Butcher's opinion was given full cred- it without any scientific ev- idence. Abortion isn't OK just because she says it is. Jane Richard has been dedicated to the Right-to- Life for many years. She supports women who don't want to abort but also tries to help those who have been hurt by having an abortion. An abortion is a major life-changing event for the baby and the mom. Sol- diers suffer PTSD after war. Why do you think wom- en wouldn't suffer after killing a baby? Babies bring much love. Don't try to belittle one of life's beautiful miracles. CECILIA CAESAR, WATERLOO Please keep our community clean!