Candidate for Kitchener Ward 10 Councillor
User experience & accessibility & moderation support for @projectmushroom@projectmushroom.social
Today is World Day Against Trafficking In Persons. In our community, human trafficking occurs at almost three times the national rate, and many more cases go unreported.
Social isolation and systemic marginalization can increase someone’s vulnerability to exploitation. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the “What are the warning signs” and “What can you do” sections on SASC’s site: https://www.sascwr.org/ahtp.html
Thanks to everyone who came out to our Community Conversation on housing last week. It was a great chance to have some more in-depth discussions and connect the dots between affordability, liveable neighbourhoods, and sustainable development.
#kitchener #housing #wrpoli #rentals #infill #missingmiddle #urbanforest
Afrovibes lit up downtown with high energy and international talent! What a night 🪩 This is an example of a grassroots event that saw a need for greater presence of afrobeats music in our community. Four years later, it’s going strong and an important part of our summer festival lineup. Congratulations to Peter and the organizing team 👏
With today’s Kitchener Takes The Stage event, the city has announced its intention to become an “emerging music city”.
We deserve a city where artists can afford to live, find studio space, and build their fan base at every stage of their career.
Our team spent today door-knocking in a downtown high-rise, where many neighbours mentioned that they love Kitchener for its plethora of events and festivals.
So of course I had to swing by the KW Palestine Festival this afternoon to enjoy some of the best maamoul date cookies I’ve ever tasted 😋
July 26-31, #Kitchener!
Do you forage in the city? Would you like to see more edible plants in parks, along city streets, and in public flowerbeds? #eatlocal #foraging #urbanharvest #kitchener #wrpoli https://m.youtube.com/shorts/qcFjI5NLpNU
The cherry blossoms in Cherry Park are one of my favourite hidden gems in this city. I love how the neighbourhood association leans all the way in to the theme with their annual Cherry Festival! Thank you to all the volunteers who make this happen, and the community organizations who show up to make it a memorable experience 🍒 #Kitchener
Climate adaptation in 2026 looks like taking a heat exhaustion-induced nap after work beside my struggling a/c unit, waiting until the outside temperature turns from sweltering to just hot, and soaking in the nighttime city.
It’s 10pm and a roofer is working above King Street. I can still smell the humidity. Karaoke music wafts from an open window. A family with children gather around a public art piece to take selfies, illuminated by street lamps. I find a quiet parkette to read a book. #dlws
Join us for a casual drop-in discussion. Meet new neighbours and speak directly with me about the issues that are important to you!
Time: 6-8pm, Wednesday July 15
Location: 55 Duke Street West, Kitchener
Focus topic: housing (but we can chat about other things too)
RSVP at samnabi.ca 😁
Highlights from door-knocking in the Central Frederick neighbourhood today:
1) Magnolia tree in full bloom 🌸
2) A mossy front lawn 🌱
3) Little libraries 📕
4) Gentle density (there are 12 homes in this picture) 🏡
Last week in the community:
SPECTRUM celebrated its launch of the Rainbow Pages directory, Willow River Community Land Trust held its launch event in the city hall rotunda,
40 neighbours joined me for a Jane’s Walk, and we danced the night away at Under The Bridge!
I’ve seen the same issues happening in #Kitchener #Waterloo. @ctvnews@flipboard.com
We’re having a party and you’re invited ⚡️ Let’s kick off my campaign for Ward 10 Councillor with local music and poetry, refreshments, and discussions with community organizers. RSVP at samnabi.ca — I hope to see you there!
This is #solarPunk 👏 @teacherbuknoy@masto.ai
Today is Red Dress Day.
The MMIWG report calls on all governments to, among other things, “support the establishment and long-term sustainable funding of Indigenous-led low-barrier shelters, safe spaces, transition homes, second-stage housing, and services for [those] who are homeless, near homeless, dealing with food insecurity, or in poverty, …”
These are the responsibilities that come with a commitment to reconciliation. #NoMoreStolenSisters #RedDressDay
What a start to the campaign! Josh, Yulia, and I spent our Sunday knocking on doors and talking with neighbours in the Olde Berlin Town neighbourhood. We heard about the need for traffic calming, affordable housing access, support for local arts organizations, and much more.
I am committed to reaching every corner of Ward 10 and having those valuable face-to-face conversations. We know social media can be an echo chamber. It’s so important for us to go reach people where they’re at.
It’s official — I’m running to be your #Kitchener ward 10 councillor! It’s day one of the campaign and I feel great. Thank you to everyone who has offered advice and support as I consider this decision to serve my community in a new way :)
More to come!
It’s official — I’m running to be your #Kitchener ward 10 councillor! It’s day one of the campaign and I feel great. Thank you to everyone who has offered advice and support as I consider this decision to serve my community in a new way :)
More to come!
Tonight, #Wilmot neighbours gathered to share their experiences of water shortages and quality issues due to the Region’s over-pumping in Wilmot Centre well field. Our local agriculture can’t function without reliable water supply. This is no way to solve the water crisis. The Region of Waterloo ought to publish the data from its monitoring wells & ensure adequate emergency water access when neighbours report well interference.
Today, Kitchener Council considers the second draft of the new official plan. I was part of a Community Working Group that consulted with staff for more than a year. It’s a plan that opens up neighbourhoods to diversity of new housing and mixed uses, plus new growth areas outside of downtown.
I’m proud to have played a small part in this version of the official plan. We need more affordable housing, fewer food deserts, and connected green spaces. This plan moves us in that direction.
Concerts at Queen Street Commons again. Nature is healing.
Well done on this gut punch of an album release show, A Horse Named Friday 🐴
The big music streaming platforms are so dominant and so boring. It’s like they actively dissuade deep exploration of new music.
I’d love to see a platform that integrates deeply to the media and live music ecosystem. I want playlists of:
- what has been played lately on college radio in my area
- music festival lineups
- songs from different artists with the same musician/production credits
Three quick ideas. It’s easy not to be boring!
@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io @nham I hope the songs live up to the name!
My new EP, Plausible Deniability as a Service, is out now on every platform except Spotify. #HipHop #RnB #NowPlaying #Music
https://mirlo.space/samnabi/release/plausible-deniability-as-a-service @mirlo@musician.social
https://samnabi.bandcamp.com/album/plausible-deniability-as-a-service
The Central Frederick neighbourhood is full of magic - neighbours are always finding ways to bring whimsy and joy to their front yards.
It was lovely to join Laura from Central Fredrick Neighbourhood Association for a walk. We saw excellent examples of missing middle housing :)
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@mstdn.social’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 :)
At Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery’s 70th anniversary event last week, I was taken by Monica Tap’s larger-than-life landscape “Road to Lily Dale I”. In a decentralized region such as ours, with few unifying symbols, the Grand River shows up as something that links us all.
Plus photos of some of the incredible public art in my neighbourhood.
Public art and publicly accessible galleries are not just a nice-to-have in #WaterlooRegion, they are part of what makes a neighbourhood worth living in.