Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Previous | Next

• Today, Waterloo remembers
• Caring for Canadian veterans
• Waterloo International celebrates the career of Yvonne Gostel

• Reminder: submit your Teaching Innovation Incubator project proposal by December 1

• Tuesday's notes

Today, Waterloo remembers

Today the Waterloo community will join the rest of the country in pausing to remember Canada's war dead.

The official date of the Remembrance Day commemoration is always November 11, the anniversary of the day in 1918 when the guns fell silent at the end of the First World War. 

"We share a moment of silence to honour all veterans and reflect on the toll of war and conflict," wrote President Vivek Goel in a Veteran's Week blog post published on Friday. "It is a solemn day, and for some it is a deeply personal time to mourn family members lost or forever changed by conflict. For others, it is a time to reflect on the peace and freedom we enjoy today because the generations before us chose courage over comfort and hope over fear. I invite everyone in our community to show appreciation to those who have served by wearing a poppy and pausing for a moment of silence at 11:00 a.m. on November 11."

Read the President's full statement

On campus, the MultiFaith Spirituality Resource Team (formerly the UW Chaplains), in partnership with Indigenous Knowledge Keeper Myeengun Henry, will be hosting a Remembrance Day event in the Student Life Centre Great Hall beginning at 11:00 a.m. 

Myeengun Henry will lead the ceremony, which will include the singing of the national anthem, the playing of the Last Post and Rouse/Reveille, two minutes of silence at 11:11 a.m., an act of remembrance and benediction. In accordance with the University's flag-lowering guidelines, flags across the University of Waterloo will be at half-mast today to mark Remembrance Day.

Local ceremonies

The Royal Canadian Legion in Waterloo will hold a ceremony that begins with a parade at 10:15 a.m. at Regina and Bridgeport, with the ceremony taking place at the Waterloo Cenotaph on Regina Street at 10:30 a.m.

Kitchener's parade, also organized by the Royal Canadian Legion, will start on Ontario Street at 10:30 a.m. and end at the cenotaph on Duke Street, with the remembrance service beginning at 10:45 a.m.

In Cambridge, the Preston, Hespeler, and Galt branches of the Royal Canadian Legion will be hosting ceremonies, and in Galt, the parade begins at 9:45 a.m. at the Galt Legion, with a service at 10:00 a.m. at the Queen's Square cenotaph.

In Stratford, wreaths will be laid at the cenotaph at 10:00 a.m., with a parade from the Stratford Armoury to the cenotaph concluding at 10:30 a.m. in time for the formal ceremony.

Check the CBC Kitchener-Waterloo website for full details.

Caring for Canadian veterans

By Melanie Madzarac. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

Career paths can often stem from unexpected moments. For Sarah Fallis (PharmD ’23) witnessing her grandmother’s care at a number of Toronto hospitals as a child inspired her to pursue a career in pharmacy. Today, Fallis works as a pharmacist in Sunnybrook’s Veterans Program – Canada’s largest veterans care facility, to provide compassionate care to those who served in World War II and the Korean War. 

“Words can’t describe how special it is to help our Veterans,” Fallis says. “Sunnybrook is equipped with the services to give them the best quality of life. It gives me a profound sense of purpose to have relationships with these residents and to help optimize their medications so they can enjoy their time at Sunnybrook with minimal discomfort.” 

Falli’s pharmacy journey began when she saw her grandmother receive exceptional care at Sunnybrook following a car accident. “Sunnybrook left a lasting impression on my family and I,” she says. “Since then, I had always seen Sunnybrook as a place of patient-centered care and envisioned how meaningful it would be to build a career there for myself one day.” 

Inspired by these events, Fallis chose to attend the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy, drawn to its strong focus on experiential learning opportunities. 

“As much as we learn in the classroom, it’s so valuable to go into the workplace and apply our knowledge and skills. I wouldn’t be the health care provider I am today without my Waterloo Pharmacy co-op work terms and patient care rotations experiences,” Fallis says.

After earning her Doctor of Pharmacy, Fallis joined Sunnybrook as dialysis pharmacist in their nephrology outpatient clinic. Fallis also had the opportunity to work at the Multi-Care Kidney Clinic during her second co-op work term, opening her eyes to the crucial role of the pharmacist in nephrology. In her first year, her work focused on treating patients undergoing hemodialysis and learning from her mentors — an experience that helped her grow as a clinician. 

Seven months later, Fallis transitioned to the Veteran Centre, where she now provides patient care as a clinical pharmacist to Veterans. Sunnybrook’s Veterans Program is the largest facility of its kind in Canada, home to just under 200 Veterans, of which 50 are 100 years-of-age or older. The program, supported by Veterans Affairs Canada, emphasizes holistic care by engaging residents through music and art therapy, recreational opportunities, woodshop projects, supervised trips and more. 

In her role, Fallis collaborates with the diverse interprofessional team to help manage minor and chronic medical conditions such behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, chronic pain and urinary tract infections. Working closely with other healthcare professionals, the team ensures Veterans receive the best care, while living as independently as possible. 

“Working with such a unique interprofessional team is truly extraordinary. As a pharmacist, it is insightful to hear how Veterans are progressing in their recreational, art and spiritual activities” she says. “These insights are valuable in identifying if a resident is drowsy after initiating a new medication or their engagement and disposition has improved upon stopping a medication”. 

Fallis had the privilege of escorting and attending the 2024 Remembrance Day ceremony alongside Veterans from one of her assigned units. 

“As I stood next to the Veterans during the Canadian anthem and the reading of In Flanders Fields, I found it hard to hold back tears. The ceremony was incredibly moving, and it filled everyone in attendance with a profound sense of gratitude for the sacrifices made by our Veterans,” she says.

As she looks ahead, Fallis hopes to enhance her clinical practice at Sunnybrook’s Veteran Centre while pursuing teaching opportunities at Waterloo Pharmacy and participating in initiatives promoting sustainable health care. 

Waterloo International celebrates the career of Yvonne Gostel

A message from Waterloo International.

After 39 years of dedicated service to the University of Waterloo, Yvonne Gostel will be retiring on March 1, 2026.

Yvonne’s career has been marked by exceptional commitment, professionalism, and warmth. For the first 32 years, she served in the Office of Alumni Relations, fostering meaningful connections with Waterloo alumni around the world and representing the University with grace and enthusiasm.

Over the past eight years, Yvonne has been an invaluable member of Waterloo International and the Office of the Vice-President, Research and International, where she played a vital role in advancing the University’s internationalization efforts and supporting global partnerships. Her deep institutional knowledge, collaborative spirit, and unwavering dedication have left a lasting impact on colleagues and partners alike.

Please join us in celebrating Yvonne’s outstanding contributions and wishing her all the very best in her well-deserved retirement.

A drop-in reception will be held on Wednesday, December 10, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in OVPRI-3167. We invite you to share your photos, memories, or messages of congratulations with Ishari Waduwara-Jayabahu at ishari.waduwara-jayabahu@uwaterloo.ca by November 26 to be included in the celebration.

Reminder: submit your Teaching Innovation Incubator project proposal by December 1

A message from the Teaching Innovation Incubator.

With the second annual cohort on the horizon, the Teaching Innovation Incubator (TII) is inviting University of Waterloo faculty and staff to bring forward bold, collaborative ideas that can make a real difference in our classrooms and across campus. Six beta projects are preparing to graduate, and our inaugural cohort is deep in incubation; your project could be next in line.

Open call focus

We’re especially excited to hear from teams working at the intersection of pedagogy and practice—projects that make teaching more efficient and effective, or that test and scale innovations emerging from our EdTech Sandbox. That might look like a new academic program designed around experiential learning, a fresh approach to a large-enrolment course, an assessment model that better measures what matters, a creative use of educational technologies, or a societal innovation that enriches the learning environment for everyone. If your idea can move the needle on student learning or instructor experience at Waterloo, we want to see it.

Selected projects receive up to $20,000 for eligible expenses, plus the kind of wrap-around support that helps ideas thrive: dedicated project coordination, research and evaluation expertise, tailored resources, and access to the EdTech Sandbox.

If you’re still shaping your idea, take 20 minutes to watch the TII info session recording—it's a quick primer on funding, supports, eligibility, themes, and practical tips for a strong proposal. We also encourage you to connect with our team to talk through scope, fit, and next steps before you submit your project proposal.

Key details at a glance

• Applications are due December 1, 2025 (end of day – 11:59 p.m.);
• Proposals are reviewed by a cross-campus adjudication committee of faculty, staff, and students;
• Decisions will be announced January 2026; the new cohort begins Winter 2026.

Get ready to move from idea and impact upon joining the Incubator. Be sure to put the finishing touches on your proposal and submit it by December 1, 2025. Your innovation could be the next to help reimagine teaching and learning at Waterloo.

Tuesday's notes

"The Balsillie School of International Affairs is seeking inputs in a survey that seeks to collect data and analyse the gaps, challenges and priorities in Canada's tech sector policies," says a note from the BSIA. "The survey is designed to put together an informed analysis by drawing responses from the policy, industry and research communities. The BSIA is uniquely positioned as an academic institution connected with not just any one group of stakeholders, but a wide advocacy network comprising of industry, policy, think-tanks and research communities, that will benefit from this report. The first survey report is expected to be released in Winter 2026."

The survey's deadline has been extended to Monday, November 17, 2025.

"Thinking about grad school?" asks the Faculty of Mathematics. "Join us for a Math Graduate Information Session tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the M3 Atrium to learn about programs and admissions." Refreshments will be provided! To register, fill out the Math Graduate Studies Info Session Form.