PIKNIK.SPOT PROVIDES LOCAL FOOD MAP

Piknik.spot is an online resource for those in Waterloo Region who want to eat locally and support small farmers, restaurants and other businesses. It provides a directory and map view of sources for locally grown or produced food. There are also listings of Community Supported Agriculture programs that help you support local farms.  

The website was created by Laurie Varga and Geoff Whittington, a married couple based in Waterloo Region. Varga said they were inspired on a drive down Northfield Drive in Waterloo, where they saw many Mennonite-owned farms with little social media presence.   

“We were both kind of excited, and I think that’s what kicked it off initially,” Varga said.   

“[W]e want people who either produce, resell or incorporate local food in their activities. For example, they got Eby Manor, they produce cheese and milk and what have you,” Whittington said.  “So, we’re going to include [businesses] that produce locally. Then we have businesses like the EcoCafe—they use the milk that Eby Manor produces…,” he said. New listings through the site are mostly acquired from Varga and Whittington driving around the region to look for new farms, finding businesses online and talking to people. However, users of the site can add their own listings that will be submitted for approval to be listed on the site.   

“Businesses can claim their locations. They can add more relevant details and manage their own location, things like products they offer, and they can also communicate with [followers]…,” Varga said.   

Varga is also a member of the advisory circle for a research project, Towards a Sustainable Food System for All, which focuses on food security and sovereignty in the region. Piknik.spot hopes that providing this directory will address these issues while also contributing to the local economy.   

“We are so lucky here in Waterloo to have this rich environment for food production and so many small local farms contributing to our economy,” Whittington said.   

CHANGES TO WASTE MANAGEMENT INSPIRE CRITIQUE

Waste management for the region received a massive overhaul this year. Starting in January 2026, the province rolled out a new blue box recycling program while the region switched to a cart-based garbage and organics collection system at the start of March. Both programs are designed with the intention of creating more efficiency and cost savings, yet both experienced several logistical issues during initial rollout sparking numerous complaints by residents.  

“As the Region of Waterloo launches this new carts-based curbside collection program, and new routes and trucks are being utilized, there were some delays today in collection. More trucks, including semi-automated trucks, are being brought in to support the first week of collection where all households are getting garbage collection,” a statement from the Region said.  

As of March, the Region is making a shift to a cart-based waste and organics collection system. The new system is meant to support issues primarily around staffing.   

“Specifically, challenges exist due to a limited labour pool as the work requires extensive physical labour, working in adverse condition due to nuisances, weather, type of work, and negative perceptions, and health and safety risks with on-going lifting of heavy waste materials, and slips, trips and falls from exiting and entering a truck,” a public notice for the Region said.   

Garbage and organic bins for residents have been replaced with carts and are now collected by trucks with mechanical arms, no longer requiring manual cart pick up.   

Olivia Kwok, Director of Waste Management at the Region of Waterloo, said several communities across the province have been using a cart-based system for years now.   

“People get used to the process. They like rolling the carts out at the curb. Keeps things really tidy. You don’t have to go out in the morning and see the bags all ripped up,” Kwok said.  

In 2023, the Ontario government handed over responsibility for the Province’s blue box (recycling) program to the non-profit, Circular Materials (CM). CM was founded by 17 of Canada’s major food, beverage and consumer products manufactures, restaurants and retailers such as Coca-Cola. The organization along with hundreds of other corporations will support paying for municipal recycling programs across the province, reducing the burden on tax payers.   

In Waterloo Region, CM has subcontracted Miller Waste to carry out recycling collection and has been managing the residential blue box program since March 2024.   

As the program rolled out, residents were provided with two extra blue bins as bin collection has switched to a biweekly schedule, opposite to garbage collection dates. This year, the recycling program in Ontario also expanded to include items such as toothpaste tubes, coffee cups and ice cream tubs.   

Residents initially expressed concerns regarding missed garbage and recycling pickups and confusion around what items can be recycled. Similar concerns are being expressed by residents in Ottawa, Guelph, Peel Region and Toronto.   

Yet some residents have expressed concerns that less frequent blue bin pickups will lead to more items ending up in trash bins, aided by the increased size of new garbage collection carts.  

Colleen James, regional Councillor and chair of the Sustainability, Infrastructure and Development committee, recognized an increase in resident complaints, particularly around delayed garbage collection.   

“It’s been, in some cases, 24 hours [since] they haven’t received pickup in their neighbourhood. The main message coming from me is we have to be patient. We’re delivering this service to 700,000 residents across three major municipal urban municipalities and then the townships. So that’s a big project launch. It’s huge,” James said.   

While the first week of the program rollout was rocky, the Region assures residents that the program will function more smoothly as residents and operators adjust to the new program.   

“This was a community effort, and I want to thank everyone who helped us adjust to the new service,” Kwok said.   

“We know that as residents get used to setting the carts out and operators get used to the new equipment and new routes, this process will be much smoother,” she said.   

Last weekend I took a ride from downtown to Williamsburg in the southwest end of #Kitchener. I’m starting to appreciate the network effects of trail investments: when our downtown cycling grid connects with the citywide trail system, we get exponential growth in usefulness.

On a related note: join me at @Calebdgm’s group bike ride for earth day on April 19th, it’s going to be a blast. A great excuse to dust off your bike from winter storage :)

#biketooter #cycling #WaterlooRegion