Tim Louis

We're back for another Facebook Live Town Hall this week! On Thursday, November 19 at 7:00 pm we will be discussing the impact COVID-19 has had on our local arts and culture sector. Special guests will be joining us for a great conversation, hope to see you there!

A weekly update from me...

Last week, Minister Guilbeault, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, joined representatives from organizations across Waterloo Region for a great discussion about the importance of arts in our communities. Thank you Steven Guilbeault and to all who attended!

As we wrap up Entrepreneurship Week, I want to celebrate and thank our local entrepreneurs for their hard work, innovative spirit, and resilience. Entrepreneurs make our communities more vibrant and welcoming places to call home from the smiling faces at your favourite cafe, to the mechanic running the auto repair shop on the other side of town, to the innovator who runs a local clean tech company. For this year's Global Entrepreneurship Week, we celebrate and thank entrepreneurs for their hard work, innovative spirit, and resilience. We will continue to do whatever it takes to help entrepreneurs and small business owners rebuild, adapt, and thrive for years into the future. #GEWS2020

The 2021 application period for the Celebrate Canada Program is now open! Canadian Heritage’s Celebrate Canada Program provides funding for large scale and community-based celebrations across the country. For the 2021 season, organizations have the added flexibility of applying for a virtual activity. Celebrate Canada is an annual eleven-day celebration that begins on June 21 with National Indigenous Peoples Day, continues with Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24), Canadian Mul...ticulturalism Day (June 27), and comes to a spectacular finish on Canada Day (July 1). The deadline to submit an application is November 21, 2020. For more information on this application, visit https://www.canada.ca//servi/funding/celebrate-canada.html. Please do not hesitate to contact my office with any questions.

I'm wearing blue for #NationalChildDay. In meeting with students from our local schools, I am endlessly inspired by their active participation in our lives and communities. This week, I also joined Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region for their #KidsTakeOver in recognition and celebration of National Child Day. We must continue to work towards a future full of hope, equality and prosperity for our children. We all have a part to play in leaving our country and our planet healthier, more inclusive and fair.

As the Government continues to protect and support Canadians through the pandemic, we must also lay the foundation for a better future, with cleaner air and healthier communities. Just like with COVID-19, ignoring the risks of climate change isn’t an option. Yesterday, we tabled legislation to hold the federal government to its commitment of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Net-zero is not just a plan for a healthier environment; it’s a plan to build a cleaner, more competitive economy.

Today I joined Raj Saini, Bardish Chagger and members of our community at the German war graves in Kitchener for the annual Volkstrauertag Service. 187 prisoners of war and other personnel from the First and Second World Wars are buried here. We do not forget their sacrifice.

It was a pleasure to join Raj Saini , Anita Anand , Gary Anandasangaree and Canadians across the country to celebrate Diwali virtually. To everyone celebrating, I wish you a Happy Diwali and Happy Bandi Chhor Divas.

This week I was proud to recognize the incredible work that the Kitchener-Conestoga Youth Council has done in the past few months. They have promoted blood donor drives, led discussions addressing climate change, reached out to and engaged with their peers and continue to work on new projects. Our youth of today are our leaders of tomorrow, and they have already made big changes in our community. I look forward to seeing how their hard work helps shape our future.