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7 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,F ebruary 6,2020 w aterloochronicle.ca EMMANUEL UNITED CHURCH Corner of Bridgeport & Albert www.emmanueluc.ca Worship Service 10am Sunday School provided WORSHIP WITH US To advertise your services contact Matt Miller at 519-623-7395 ext. 795088 or mmiller@cambridgetimes.ca AWARD WINNING CLINIC | Doctor of Audiology • 550 Fennell Ave. E. Unit 16 B, Hamilton 289-768-6167 • 723 Rymal Rd.W. Unit 500 , Hamilton 289-768-8971 • 570 University Ave. E. Unit 905,Waterloo 888-907-1436 • 350 Conestoga Blvd. Unit B3, Cambridge 888-737-9976 • 168 Barton St.Unit 3, Stoney Creek 289-203-3256 • 1144Wilson St.W. Unit D203,Ancaster 289-203-3195 Auburn and Mountain Hearing Centres have developed a Tinnitus Assessment Protocol which incorporates Subjective Tinnitus Scales;Audiometric Testing, and patient interviews.A treatment plan is established on the basis of the individual test results and specific goals of the patient. If you suffer from annoying, troublesome ringing or buzzing in your ears, call our clinic and ask for a comprehensive tinnitus assessment. SUFFERING FROM TINNITUS? WE CAN HELP! BOOKYOURAPPOINTMENTTODAY! Certified Lyric provider • www.auburnmountainhearing.com 519.658.9025 | www.grahams.ca | free in-home consultation 11 Queen street east, cambridge let us help You love Your home Kitchen and Bathroom Renovations • WindowTreatments • Flooring • Countertops • Hardware • Fixtures • Painting • Interior DesignLife is full of difficult conversations, most of them very personal. Perhaps it's time for an aging parent to move out of their home and into retire- ment care or, at the other end of the family spectrum, maybe the time has come for an adult child to move out of their room and into the full-time workforce and an apartment of their own. There's a different kind of difficult conversation happening right now in Kitchener as our commu- nity comes to terms with the idea that the days of the Kitchener Memorial Audi- torium may be numbered. It's not just that the are- na stands as a monument to the city's war dead. It's also that, since its opening in 1951, "the Aud" is home to scores of memories for many of us. We remember our first visits, the big wins for the Kitchener Rangers, and perhaps even a concert or two. We also know that, as the arena approaches its 70th anniversary, it hides its age remarkably well. Having made multiple trips around the Ontario Hockey League, I can as- sure you that Kitchener's Memorial Auditorium re- mains the league's best venue for hockey. No, it doesn't have the wide con- courses and creature com- forts of the newest arenas, but it does have character and charm. When you're at the Aud, you know you're in a hockey rink. That said, large sports venues are for so much more than just sports in this modern world and the truth is that we've fallen be- hind. When it was built in 1951, the Kitchener Memo- rial Auditorium was the third largest venue of its kind in Ontario. Today, nearby facilities in London and Hamilton dwarf the Aud and shiny new buildings in Windsor and St. Catharines are more attractive to modern- day entertainers for con- certs and other events. As a community of more than 600,000 people, we deserve better. We deserve the economic benefits of more tourna- ments, more concerts, more conventions, and more trade shows. And we de- serve the kind of world-class facility that allows us to at- tend these events without leaving the region to do so. Of course, none of this means the road to a new fa- cility will be a smooth one. Kitchener mayor Berry Vrbanovic says he hopes to have "the location ques- tion" resolved by the end of this term of council or ear- ly in the next. That means in three to five, Vrbanovic believes we can have a site chosen. That alone will be a challenge. There will no doubt be a contingent that wants to see the facility remain on the existing footprint on East Avenue while others will argue for something more rooted in Kitchener's core or something with easy highway access. And then there's the price tag -- which will surely reach $150 million -- and the vigorous debate which will surround that. I'm certain the outcome will be a big, bold -- and necessary -- project for the community. Nostalgia has no place at the table. But considering the magnitude of the task at hand, I'd guess it's going to be more than a decade be- fore a new building is ready, perhaps even 15 years. Which leaves us plenty of time to say goodbye. Columnist Mike Far- well is a broadcaster, MC and advocate. Follow him on Twitter @farwell_WR or connect with him via Mike.Farwell@rci.rog- ers.com. BIG CHALLENGES AHEAD TO REPLACE THE AUD "We deserve the economic benefits of more tournaments, more concerts, more conventions, and more trade shows," says Mike Farwell. David Bebee, Waterloo Region Record OPINION COULD BE QUITE A WHILE BEFORE NEW FACILITY GETS BUILT, WRITES MIKE FARWELL MIKE FARWELL Column