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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, Ju ne 24 ,2 02 1 | 6 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 70 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 Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira Regional Director of Media Heather Dunbar Advertising Representatives Fran Hendry, Katrina Anderson, Jan Bodanka, Matt Miller, Lisa Humphreys, Cassandra Dellow, Zaid Shahabuddin, Managing Editor Robyn Wilkinson Online Editor Adam Jackson Reporters Bill Jackson CONTACT US Waterloo Chronicle 475 Thompson Dr., Units 1-4 Cambridge, ON N1T 2K7 Phone: 519-886-2830 Fax: 519-623-9155 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at waterloochronicle.ca 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 HUMANS ARE NOT BORN WITH HATE IN THEIR HEARTS As people grow they are subjected to ideologies both good and bad from their parents, teachers, friends, media, websites and other online plat- forms. Unfortunately, any one of these influences can turn a loving heart into one of distrust, suspicion and hate. These feelings can grow and fester despite positive thoughts and beliefs of loved ones in an individu- al's life. When too much nega- tive messaging bombards some people's minds they head down a path of hate, violence and murder. It's such a travesty that a 20-year-old, barely an adult, appears to be so bad- ly damaged by hateful mes- saging that he allegedly felt he had to run down five in- nocent people out for a walk. My heart goes out to the Muslim community in the wake of this tragedy. DAVE BROWN, WATERLOO IT'S TIME WE FACED OUR UGLY PAST Our family have been settlers in this country for a long time. I am the fifth James Moore and we know that the first James Moore was a companion of Egerton Ryerson in their youth. There is a published sto- ry of the two of them that has the mythical value of a George Washington and the proverbial cherry tree. Ryerson appears sage- like and generous in the tale with my ancestor. Egerton's buddy, our James Moore, is buried be- side Egerton's father down by Simcoe. We've relished the leg- end in our family ever since I can remember. So how do I feel about the statue's smashed-in, desecrated head mounted on a pike outside Caledo- nia? I say it's time. It's time we faced all our ugly past. It's time we let go of manufactured mytholo- gy that serves to hide the crimes, old and new. If some emotion- charged, symbolic actions are helpful to the injured Indigenous people to pro- cess their anger and their grief then I understand and accept this action. Soon, it will be time to think about the future. We can change but we cannot deny or try to forget the past if we want our futures together to flourish. JAY MOORE, WATERLOO LETTERS & COMMENTARY It's about trust. Our rela- tionship with our readers is built on transparency, hon- esty and integrity. As such, we have launched a trust initiative to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This article is part of that project. In a year bookended by the murder of George Floyd, a Black man killed by police in the United States, and the discovery of the unmarked graves of 215 children on the site of the former Kamloops residen- tial school, may we never again deny the existence of systemic racism. One year ago, I joined editorial leaders in endors- ing seven calls to action from the Canadian Jour- nalists of Colour (CJOC) and Canadian Association of Black Journalists (CABJ), found here: www.cjoc.net/white-paper. We invited Metroland's journalists, including those at this newspaper, to join us in this endeavour. More than 25 per cent of the team volunteered to join committees to help us map our path forward. In the months since, our journal- ists have participated in workshops, planning and discussions around our own biases, and about con- sciously listening to, and giving voice to, a broader audience. Our parent company, Torstar, has completed its first internal, voluntary demographics survey. Those results will be used as a baseline against which we will monitor our prog- ress in building a more di- verse workforce. We are redrawing re- cruitment, hiring and de- velopment practices that have historically limited diversity at all levels. Year to date, 62 per cent of all newly-hired journalists in Metroland have furthered our goal for a more diverse workforce. We are establishing leadership training and mentorship programs to provide diverse staff an op- portunity for development and advancement. We have established a province-wide community council to advise us on im- proving diversity and in- clusion in our content. To assist students from diverse and under-re- presented backgrounds in gaining experience in our newsrooms as part of their scholastic requirements, we have reshaped our aca- demic placement process. Each newsroom will host at least one student each year. We have launched a summer internship pro- gram for BIPOC journal- ists who are new to the in- dustry. We have an obligation to educate ourselves, to fight racism, to raise up those who do not have ready ac- cess to a platform through which their voice can be heard. We are committed to making a difference. Joanne Burghardt is the director of community engagement for Metroland. We welcome your questions and value your comments. Email our trust committee at trust@metroland.com. WE COMMITTED TO DO BETTER: HOW ARE WE DOING? OUR OBLIGATION IS TO RAISE UP THOSE WHO LACK A PLATFORM FOR THEIR VOICES TO BE HEARD, WRITES JOANNE BURGHARDT JOANNE BURGHARDT Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA