Cambridge MPP Brian Riddell announces organizations set to benefit from $412,600 from the province's Ontario Trillium Foundation

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Three local non-profit organizations will share $412,600 from the province's Ontario Trillium Foundation to support community programming in Cambridge, help youth in Cambridge feel more connected, and provide healing and community programs for the Indigenous community.

Cambridge MPP Brian Riddell announced the funding Friday when he welcomed YWCA Cambridge CEO Kim Decker, YMCA of Three Rivers CEO Mike Ennis, YMCA director of philanthropy Christine McIntyre-Royston and YWCA director of programming Kate Taylor to his office.

YMCA of Three Rivers is receiving $174,500, YWCA Cambridge is receiving $199,200 and Crow Shield Lodge will receive $38,900.

“These funds are crucial in allowing these organizations to carry out important work they do for people in our community,” Riddell said. "YW and YMCA Cambridge and Crow Shield Lodge enrich the lives our our residents while playing an important role in the building of a prosperous and strong Ontario."

YWCA Cambridge will use its funding to develop and test new programs to meet the changing needs of cisgender and transgender girls, gender-diverse and two-spirit youth.

Taylor said as the YWCA continues to see increased need among youth in Cambridge and North Dumfries, the organization is planning a year-one "landscape scan" to identify gaps by assessing feedback from participants, parents, caregivers and child and youth workers. In the second year, the YWCA will pilot some of those programs.

Decker said the biggest impetus behind the desire to develop new programs was the Children and Youth Planning Table's recent findings.

"Specifically around how disconnected youth in Cambridge feel," she said.

Gender-based violence, bullying, isolation and mental health challenges are soaring, she said.

Crow Shield Lodge will use its funding to create a strategic plan to ensure it can continue to provide healing and community programs to local urban Indigenous populations and allies.

"Crow Shield Lodge has been on a journey for several years supporting the Urban Indigenous community in their healing and cultural reconnection through experiences on the land," said Clarence Cachagee, ED Crow Shield Lodge, in a press release.

"In addition to this, we have been walking with all communities locally on a path of learning and peace. Our work has seen many beautiful relationships grow and we see every day the positive impact this has. With this funding, we can dream, envision and plan a sustainable way to continue this work in the Region that will benefit the ones after us and honour those who went before us."

The YMCA funding will be used to establish a major and planned gift strategy to develop its revenue potential and build capacity to support its mission-driven work.

Mike Ennis, CEO YMCA of Three Rivers, thanks the Trillium Foundation for its "incredible support" for their programs and the partnerships it continues to work on and develop with the YWCA and Crow Shield Lodge.

"That's really what needs to happen in the community now. For partners to work together for what's best for happening in the community and nothing has shown us that more than the pandemic," he said. "The pandemic showed all of us how important all the services are that we provide."

The YMCA will use the funding to diversify and grow its fundraising program so they can continue to provide programs and services "that inspire individuals to reach their full potential today and into the future,” Ennis said.

On the cusp of realizing a lifelong dream, Canadian Theo Johnson’s path to the National Football League (NFL) is a story of hardship and triumph.

Johnson is one of the top tight end prospects coming into this week’s NFL Draft. The 23-year-old is coming off his fourth NCAA season at Penn State, but before excelling in the sport of football Johnson was first introduced to the game in Cambridge, Ont.

Johnson grew up with his mother Amy and five brothers. At a young age the family endured a stretch of domestic violence at the hands of Theo’s father.

After her separation, Amy signed the boys up in different recreational activities. For Theo, his outlet was football.

“It was obvious the kid loved football,” said Steve Amis, past president of the Cambridge Minor Football Association. “The whole family was tight-knit.”

Theo played for the Cambridge Wolverines, bouncing between multiple positions.

“He was a bigger kid for sure,” Amis told CTV News. “Always the first kid on the field, didn’t want to ever come off the field.”

Theo continued his football journey in Windsor after Amy was accepted into law school at the University of Windsor.

“Two law schools basically laughed her out of their offices and said 'sorry you have six children, you want to go to law school, don't waste our time,’” TSN football insider Dave Naylor told CTV News. “The third [school] said 'yes' and she was going to make that opportunity pay."

Amy went on to become a family lawyer and founded her own firm.

"Amy Johnson on her own is a story,” Naylor said. “If she never had a son who played football, her family story, her personal story is still a story worth telling.”

Theo went on to play at Holy Names High School in Windsor before moving on to Penn State. With this week’s draft opening in Detroit, some NFL scouts project Johnson to be one of the top prospects at his position.

“You see a player who has all the tools,” said Naylor. “He has speed, he has the athleticism, he has the strength, he has the hands, and he has the blocking. We think he’s going to be in that mix in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.”

Johnson’s talents bringing him closer to the game’s brightest stage. While his family’s success story stretches so far beyond the football field.

"I think a lot of the emotion of that family is going to be released when Theo Johnson is selected in the NFL Draft,” Naylor said. “[This is] on a very short list of the most incredible stories I’ve ever heard."

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A Cambridge pizza restaurant got a temporary makeover this week, turning into a fictitious donut shop as part of a film production.

Although not officially confirmed, the project is widely believed to be the Amazon TV series “Reacher,” which has filmed in the city before.

“It's kind of weird, but super cool at the same time,” said Andrea Theophanous, owner of Cyprianna's Pizzeria, which was turned into “Dinky’s Joe and Go” for the shoot. “My kids are all excited about it. We took a bunch of pictures yesterday.”

“I was approached last year or they mentioned that they were looking at a spot around here for to do a scene for a really popular show for Amazon.”

Theophanous said while the negotiations took a while, the total makeover of her Queen Street storefront was very quick.

Crews arrived Tuesday morning and had the place looking like a New England coffee and donut spot by 2 p.m. Filming started Wednesday morning and was expected to last until 8 p.m.

Nearby businesses were happy to see action in their neighbourhood.

“I’m a big fan,” said David Mandryk of Hespeler Physiotherapy. “Hopefully [I] get a selfie.”

Filming will move to a different location in Hespeler Thursday.

What else has been filmed in Cambridge?

Cambridge has played host to several major productions over the past several years including The Handmaid’s Tale, The Queen’s Gambit, American Gods and Murdoch Mysteries.

In 2022, Richard Gere left quite an impression on a Galt pizza shop owner when he stopped in for a meal and a cup of tea while filming nearby.

“There's lots of nice old architecture here, and actually a lot of really interesting places,” said Robin Steed with the Hespeler Village BIA.

Despite the temporary impacts on traffic, film projects are a big boost for the community.

“The people come to see what's going on and they'll sort of spill out into the local restaurants, cafes and stuff,” Steed said.

It’s also a reason for Cambridge residents to get excited about their hometown.

“It also just brings attention to Hespeler,” Steed said. “Not everybody knows the place and so brings up visibility.”

According to the city, other exciting projects could be on the way this summer, but there’s nothing to announce yet.

Hello, Hola, and Bonjour: Two new interactive artworks welcome visitors to the Gaslight District in Cambridge, Ontario. Montreal-based art and design studio Daily tous les jours has turned day-to-day actions like footsteps and speaking into art with their installations Hello Hello and River Lines.

The Gaslight District is a previously uninhabited riverside neighborhood in Galt, revitalized by local developer HIP Development. The district’s name is an ode to its industrial past and a reference to the Galt Gas Light Company whose gas lamps illuminated the city’s streets in the 19th century. Though the region previously housed industrial ventures, it now focuses on technology and is also home to the University of Waterloo.

The public space is on the site of a 19th-century foundry, now turned into a gathering space for community members since its opening in July of last year. To cultivate a sense of community where there was none is no easy task, however, in the case of the Gaslight District all it took was a greeting.

“The first step to community building is saying “hello”, and yet with society’s shift to online interaction, we are forgetting how important it is to greet each other and connect in person,” Daily tous les jours cofounders Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat said in a project description.

At the district’s entrance stands Hello Hello, an approximately 42-foot-tall luminescent arch. The illuminated rods nearly perfectly frame the sculpted facade of the building directly behind the installation. The building’s glazing reflects light and relays the movement of clouds. At its base, Hello Hello hosts three microphones, inviting visitors and passersby to deliver a welcoming message. As these sounds transmit through the arch, colorful lights follow. The designers have likened this audiovisual experience to a game of Telephone, wherein participants pass along a message to other players with the message eventually changing by the time it reaches the last person. When multiple voices are spoken into the installation at once it results in a harmonic tone.

The other interactive installation focused on movement rather than voice is situated at the entrance of the district’s open plaza venue. River Lines is an “interactive musical pavement” with embedded circular sensors installed in front of a large screen. When visitors step on the board laid over the pavement sensors light up to produce a harmonious melody. As participants move around the board, their actions are tracked on the screen, which offers suggestions on where to set their feet next.

Insisting on the importance of social interactions to harness local pride, the Gaslight District’s new artworks generate a collaborative gathering space through myriad sensory experiences. Scott Higgins, President of HIP Developments, said, “using music, light, and imagination, Hello Hello and River Lines play an integral role in the revitalization and revival of the district, transforming it into a place of social interaction and play for urban dwellers.”