Happy Wednesday friends!
Happy April Fools' Day. Tonight's also a Full Pink Moon at 10:12 p.m. (it won't actually turn pink, the name comes from wild ground phlox blooming this time of year). Tonight's also the first night of Passover, Good Friday is Friday, Easter is Sunday. One week, a lot going on.
Oh and Saturday? Apparently International Pillow Fight Day is a thing. Like, a real thing. Since 2008, grown adults in cities like London, New York, Hong Kong, and Toronto have been showing up to parks and town squares with pillows and just going at it. I’m imagining thousands of people on the streets with a pillow. That’s crazy
euronews.com
Let’s get rolling into today’s edition
SOME GOOD NEWS
Ontario budget drops hint at possible Cambridge-Guelph GO train rail corridor. info
Don’t know what to do with the old green bin? The city says slap a yellow yard waste sticker on it and reuse it. Or drop it off at recycling events starting in April. info
Starting April 1, GRT riders can get free bus rides to GO bus stops in Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo. info
Ontario just dropped its annual list of public sector workers earning over $100K. Locally, the top earner took home $650,000. Here's who made the list in Waterloo Region. info
Canstruction at Conestoga Mall collected 22,522 pounds of food and raised over $35,000 for the Food Bank of Waterloo Region. That's nearly 90,000 meals for local families. info
The Region of Waterloo handed out $265,000 in arts funding to 37 local artists and organizations. Applications for 2026 funding are open now until April 30. info
A local gardener shares tips on starting your seeds indoors this spring info
NEW FRIENDS
I've been thinking about something.
Every week I write about the people, places, and things that make KW worth paying attention to. But there's one thing a newsletter can't do: pull up a chair and pass the bread.
So let's fix that.
I'm thinking launching a Grandriver Digest Dinner Club. Once a month, we pick a local restaurant, grab a long table, and eat together. That's it. No presentations. No networking. Just good food and the kind of conversation that happens when people who love where they live sit down together.
Here's how it works: when we lock in a date and restaurant, there'll be a small reservation fee to hold your spot. Nothing crazy. Just enough so the restaurant knows we're serious and nobody ghosts a table. You'll still pay for your own meal, the fee just keeps things legit.
You in to meet new people?
Got a spot you think we should hit first? Reply and tell me. Bonus points if it's somewhere most people haven't tried yet.
Let's eat.
OUT THERE
SIGHTING: Tundra swans, I saw them in waterloo last week!
Fun fact: Each tundra swan has a unique yellow patch near its eye on the bill, almost like a fingerprint scientists can use to identify individuals.
PETS: Miller the dog, Moon the cat, Macchiato & Espresso the guinea pigs
HOUSE OF THE WEEK: Most expensive house ever listed in Guelph (view)
ROOTED IN THE REGION
Source: GuelphToday
Our neighbour from Guelph, a handyman who taught himself plumbing through YouTube is turning his side hustle into something bigger. Jesse Guite is launching the Safe Homes Project, a non-profit offering free essential repairs for seniors and low-income families. Think grab bars, loose railings, leaky pipes. He's looking for board members, volunteers, and local business sponsors to help get it going. Reach out at [email protected].
New Work: City of Waterloo hires grass cutter for seniors
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE BUDGET
Ontario just dropped its 2026 budget. Here's what actually matters for KW.
Some wins worth knowing about:
No HST on new home purchases for the next year. The thinking is more people buy new builds, more supply hits the market, and prices cool off for everyone. We'll see.
$31 billion over the next decade for highway and transit projects, including that Highway 7 expansion we've all been waiting on.
Small business tax cut drops from 3.2% to 2.2% in July. If you know someone running a business, this one's for them.
$300 million for rec infrastructure. RIM Park upgrades and a new Westside rec facility could actually happen now.
What's not in there:
Zero new funding for mental health, addiction, or supportive housing operations. Both the Kitchener and Waterloo mayors called this out. If you've walked through downtown lately, you know why that stings.
No fix for how cities get funded. Property taxes were never designed to cover everything municipalities handle now. That conversation still isn't happening.
Source: CBC news
CONTRIBUTE TO GRANDRIVER DIGEST
Grandriver Digest is 100% free to read, independently owned, and locally operated (written by me).
Your contributions goes towards keeping this newsletter running so we can have more fun and build community.
Thank you for your support.
EH & ADVENTURES
got an event to share? SUBMIT EVENT
EASTER EGG HUNTS at:
THURS APRIL 2
Live Music: Abbamania with Night Fever, note-for-note recreations of all the ABBA and Bee Gees hits with studio musicians and singers, 7:30pm, River Run Centre, Guelph Book
Live Music: Romeo Sex Fighter, Kitchener's favourite whimsical scamps return for another night of musical hijinx (19+), 8pm, Dallas Nightclub, Kitchener Book
FRI APRIL 3
Classical: Bach Mass in B Minor, Grand Philharmonic Choir with soloists and the KW Symphony perform the iconic Good Friday masterwork, 7:30pm, Centre In The Square, Kitchener Book
Live Music: Aysanabee Timelines Tour, multi Juno Award-winning Indigenous (Oji-Cree) singer-songwriter blending indie-folk, alt and rock, 7pm, The Boathouse, Kitchener Book
Live Music: Adam James, live jazz at the intimate Huether Hotel venue, 8pm, The Jazz Room, Waterloo Book
Theatre: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - The Broadway Musical, Playful Fox Productions brings Wonka's world of pure imagination to life with Oompa Loompas, chocolate waterfalls and the great glass elevator (all ages), 7pm, The Registry Theatre, Kitchener Book
SAT APRIL 4
Comedy: Girl Night On Tour, all-women stand-up comedy showcase featuring acts from across Ontario plus the famous Secrets Auction (18+), 8pm, Camellia Bake Shop, Waterloo Book
Family: Easter Egg-spress, heritage train ride with an Easter egg hunt, visit from the Easter Bunny and scenic trip over the historic trestle bridge (all ages), 10am and 12pm, Waterloo Central Railway, St. Jacobs Book
Experience: The Time Lock Murders, interactive murder mystery dinner theatre with a three-act whodunit woven between dinner courses, set around a mysterious 100-year-old Galt time capsule, 6:30pm, EVO Kitchen & Bar, Cambridge Book
Live Music: Doug Wilde's Wilderness Ensemble, live jazz at the intimate Huether Hotel venue, 8pm, The Jazz Room, Waterloo Book
Theatre: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - The Broadway Musical, Playful Fox Productions brings Wonka's world of pure imagination to life with Oompa Loompas, chocolate waterfalls and the great glass elevator (all ages), 2pm, The Registry Theatre, Kitchener Book
TUE APRIL 7
Live Music: KW Symphony String Quintet at The Boathouse, an intimate popup performance with beer, burgers and beautiful classical music, 6:30pm, The Boathouse, Kitchener Book
That’s it for this week.
How did you like today’s newsletter?
📩 Was this forwarded to you? Sign up to get it
