The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

© OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA JOURNALISTS HONOURED AT INDUSTRY AWARDS CEREMONY THANK A © COMMUNITY 3 = JOURNALIST FOR 8 THEIR MEANINGFUL i ? WORK; IT WILL MEAN MORE THAN ANY AWARD EVER COULD, WRITES ROBYN WILKINSON It's about trust. Our rela- tionship with our readers is built on transparency, hon- esty a and integrity. As such, trust ae to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This article is part of that project. ‘community journalists will tell you they don't do what they do for the pay- cheque or the glory. While it would certainly bea plus, it's not what motivates most of us to tell the stories ishes and nine honourable mentions, including our very own Bill Jackson of the Waterloo Chronicle, who received two second- place finishes for his re- porting on diversity and for his writing in the best ROBYN WILKINSON sports and recreation news Column category. of the communities we and. websites ‘I oversee in serve. Waterloo Region and Which is why when our Guelph, the Cambridge team members and col- ‘imes received a first-place leagues are recognizedand finish for best front page awarded for their dedica- tion, hard work and exper- tise in their craft, it is an honour worth celebrating. Metroland Media com- munity newspapers and journalists were celebrated earlier this month at the annual Ontario Communi- ty Newspapers Associa- tion's Better Newspapers Competition. Our journalists came home with 20 first-place finishes, 24 second-place finishes, 26 third-place fin- featuring a story and stel- ‘o by Bill Doucet, unity web- raeme Mc- Naughton received an ho- nourable mention in the feature writing category for his investigation into a University of Guelph pro- fessor. the Tbigawards to cele- brate across Metroland cluded Leremy Grimaldi in in York Region winning re- porter of the year, Graham Paine in Halton winning photographer of the year, and first-place awards for best spot news and news photo for Bracebridge Ex- aminer reporter Mary Beth Hartill, who sadly died re- cently shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. read more about the list of award win- ners listed and judges' com- ments on the OCNA web- fe. And while many report- ers and their work were recognized during the cere- mony, there are far more not named who press for- ward, nose to the ground every day to keep commu- nities informed, and those working quietly behind the scenes who are equally de- serving of praise. So, the next time you read a story ina newspaper or online, remember there is a person behind the by- line who took the time to in- vestigate, nr under- stand, and rey If the piece resonated with you, made you laugh, made you angry, simply made you think, consider reaching out to the author and sharing your thoughts. Your feedback can make world of difference to them. It'sjust one way of show- ing i atraaa for local community yurnalism and the meaningful work journalists provide. Your simple gesture g acknowledging tl forts can mean nore ethan any award ever could. Robyn Wilkinson is the managing editor of Met- roland Community Brands in Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and New Hamburg and is a mem the Metroland's trust commit- We welcome your ques- tions and value your com- ments. Email our trust committee at trust@met- roland.com. This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metrolant ia 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 wri Council, Suite 20), to Nanae St, Toronto, Phone: M6. 3A! 981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca nne | Aocna “Saat | Canada editorial@waterloochronicle.ca facebook. .com/waterloochronicle @wichronicl WHO WE ARE Publisher and Vice President, Content, Community and Operations Dana Robbins Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira HOW PARTNERSHIPS CAN HELP END THE HOUSING CRISIS Being an elected official sounds terrible to me. The premise isn’t so bad. The promise to re- present your community’s community is mercil And with so many opinions ling any issue, no think our local cities de- serve praise for going be- yond simply PHILIP MILLS Column and Kitchener promising 16,000 and 35,000, respec- ively. This is a massive com- homes. And consider the fact that our cities don’t ac- tually build houses. ing the housing crisis in our community and pat § ting a number on FA they will do about it. “Col 8 Cambridge $ 19,000 homes and Waterloo ES bigger than just a number, though. These are commit- ents to partnership and collective effort. These are commitments to do things differently. Why? Because when the old way isn’t working, we are often forced to consider a new way. In 2021, around 6,000 new units were built in Wa- terloo Region, one of the best years recorded. Prior to that, the 10-year average for new units built i region was 4,208. ‘ae ing the larger number of 6,000 new units per year, the numbers don’t add up to 70,000 new homes by 2031. This commitment is a lot more homes than has ever been built locally per ar. So how do we build more than we ever have and fulfil our target? We’ve gone down this road at Habitat for Human- ity. We’ve been wrestling with how to do more for years now. As the need be- more pronounced, we knew we needed to change how we did things. But how? Our new Shantz Hill Towns project, in partner- ship with Activa, sives u us some answers. There amazing developers i in this region who care deeply about our community. Ac- tiva is one of them. This pi ership means that we will build more units faster together than we can o! m. And doesn’t that sound ike what we need to get to 70,000 homes? We get to 70,000 by doing ‘ Aires we do it with Unexpected Leeda with shared goals and visions. Partner- ships that allow all parties to do what they do best. Maximize our collective strengths so the result is greater than the sum of the parts. Each bringing their expertise and content knowledge to the project. Activa is an exceptional builder, and Habitat Water- loo Region knows how to do affordable housing. Partnered, we are greater than the sum or our parts. Let’s not forget the tre- mendous support received from the City Cambridge, they’ve been on our side, because they see the need for housing in their city. Seventy-the homes isa huge: smanber of ities cannot achie' on their own. But the cities partnered with not-for- profits and the private sec- tor are a powerful engine for social change. That is how we get to a transfor- mative solution. That is how we end a housing cri- sis. Philip Mills is the CEO, Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region Jan Bodanka, Matt Miller, Lisa Humphreys, Cassandra Dellow Managing Editor Robyn Wilkinson ‘Online Editor Loraine Centeno Ned Bekavac Reporter Bill Jackson Director Creative Services Paul Gostlin CONTACT US faterloo Chronicle 219 Labrador Dr. Suite 203, Waterloo, On., N2K aus Phone: 519-% 886-2: Web: www. wattoocronc.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 er condense or reject let ed 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. Accrédité Accredited.