Today is June 20 2017. What’s new in Kitchener Waterloo?

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You only turn 150 years old once

More than 60,000 people are expected to join the free Canada Day celebration on July 1. It kicks off at 4 p.m. and wraps up with a fireworks display at dusk. There will be a vintage warplane flyover and food trucks and activities for the kids.

You want a piece of this?

Silicon Valley venture capital firms no longer think twice about jumping on a plane to Toronto, Waterloo, Montreal or Vancouver to invest in Canadian startups. Google, Microsoft Corp. and Uber Technologies Inc. are all building artificial intelligence research teams in Canada, reversing some of the brain drain in what could potentially become the most important field of tech ever.

Hiding in the bushes

From May to September Waterloo Region’s parks and trails are patrolled by officers on Zero motorcycles which are much quieter than the trail bikes they used to use. Hidden campsites, bush parties, vandalism and off leash dogs are what they mostly find.

More teachers. More students. More money

Waterloo Region school boards will hire 169 more teachers this year to help handle 2042 new students. Smaller class size, more french immersion as well as salary increases for teachers are all part of the spending increases.

Shine on you crazy diamonds

Two neighbourhoods are getting all nimby about the city’s plans to put baseball diamonds in their parks. Residents of Eastbridge and Laurelwood are calling ‘foul’.

Art for art’s sake

Mysterious little boxes of trinkets have been popping up in the Uptown Waterloo neighbourhood recently. It is the work of a local artist. They’re meant to amuse, entertain, disrupt and provoke thought. Ahh yez.

Waiting for that train

The second LRT rail car has been delayed. The first was delivered in February. The second might be here in September. There will be 14 in total.