November 10, 2006

Transcription

November 10, 2006

http://www.newsatniagara.com
Nov. 10, 2006
See pg. 11 for Remembrance Day insert
Volume 37, Issue 2
The Best Way To Connect With Niagara
See pg. 24
Generations of Sacrifice
Lincoln and Welland Regiment Royal Army Cadet Warrant Officer
James Joyce stands vigil during the Nov. 5 Remembrance Day wreathlaying ceremony at Centennial Park in Fenwick. See pages 11 to 18
for more Remembrance Day coverage.
Photo by Shawn Taylor
Your U>Pass vote needed
By NATE LASOVICH
Staff Writer
The wheels on the bus go round
and round, and now at a lower cost
for students.
Niagara
College’s
Student
Administrative Council (SAC) is
asking students to come out and
vote during the U>Pass referendum
from Nov. 13 to Nov. 17.
Voting will take place at polling
stations at each campus, or online
through the student portal. Information and referendum terms are available at http://www.ncsac.ca and
http://www.myspace.com/ncsac.
An information session will also
be held on Nov. 13 at 12:30 p.m.
in the Secord Room at the Welland
campus and at 1:30 p.m. in the
Yerich Auditorium at the Niagaraon-the-Lake campus.
All students enrolled in classes
that include an activity fee will also
be charged for the U>Pass, at a rate
of $15 per month or $60 per term.
It can save students up to $750 per
term off regular transportation
charges.
Additional savings come at tax
time when expired transit passes or
receipts make users eligible for a tax
credit on their income tax return.
“It would mean dramatic savings
for students,” says Elsie Vrugteveen,
Niagara-on-the-Lake campus SAC
president.
“It connects five cities for one
fare.” The cities are Welland, Niagara Falls, Thorold, St. Catharines
and Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Students with classes starting in
September would be charged the
fee for the full academic year, while
January start students would only
be charged for the second term.
The U>Pass is a universal bus
pass that will connect the Welland
campus and the Niagara-on-theLake campus and make interregional transportation better.
Implementation will mean a new
campus connection route between
Niagara-on-the-Lake and Welland
during peak hours, as well as 14
new trips between Niagara Falls
and Niagara-on-the-Lake, eight new
trips between Welland and Brock,
five new trips between Niagara-onthe-Lake and Brock, and three new
trips between Niagara-on-the-Lake
and St. Catharines.
Among these new trips will be
evening and weekend trips making
residence living easier.
Students get unlimited ridership
on any transit route throughout
the three systems: St. Catharines,
Niagara Falls and Welland.
For more information regarding
the U>Pass referendum, please visit
www.ncsac.ca.
COMMENTARY
We remember
By LESLEY SMITH
Columnist
We live through Nov. 11 every year saying we
remember, but do we really?
The reality is few of us have been exposed to
war and have no experiences to remember. For
me, that has changed.
In June of 2004 I travelled to France with a
group of students, parents and teachers from my
high school to attend the Commemorative Ceremonies for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day as well as to visit important sites of war memorials and cemeteries. I could not have guessed
the impact it would have.
In Hendecourt-les-Cagnicourt, a small town of 300 residents,
Dominion Cemetery is located half a kilometre into a field. Now
an unassuming farmer’s field, this is the area where more than 200
Canadians fought and were buried during the First World War.
Getting off the bus, we saw the vivid red of poppies sprinkled
among the vast field around us.
It was fitting to see the prominent symbol we use for remembrance,
since it was what happened next that began to change the way I
viewed Remembrance Day.
Page 2, news@niagara, Nov. 10, 2006
$3.5 million Tech Centre ‘dream come true’
M. Flaherty, who recognized
Niagara College as a leader in the
technology field.
Boyd De Waard, president of
Bosch Rexroth Canada Corp.,
was also in attendance as one
of the major contributors to the
project. De Waard confirmed how
this new facility would help the
“long-term health of the industry.”
He described how people in
Chair of the Technology Skills
Centre Kevin Hewitt (left) and
College President Dan Patterson
unveil a plaque during the official
opening of the Technology
Centre
in
recognition
of
those whose financial support
made the project possible.
Photos by
Marcus Youngren
our response to this need. It allows
for a collaborative approach to
technology that mirrors industry.”
Dean of Technology Christine
Bradaric-Baus was also present
and described the new centre as
“an indication of the college’s
commitment
to
engineering
programs.” She also acknowledged
the level of work that went into
the completion of the project.
She stated the project took 2 1/2
years to complete with a team
consisting of all 50 staff members
in the Technology division,
as well as outside contractors.
Bradaric-Baus adds, “The centre
will provide the students with
the problem-solving skills they
need today to become innovators
tomorrow.”
Welland
Mayor
Damian
Goulbourne declared it to be
a “proud moment for Niagara
College, the City of Welland and
the Niagara region.” Goulbourne
discussed how the manufacturing
industry drives the Niagara
region and how Niagara College
is to be credited for its response
to the industry. The mayor also
reminisced on his recent visit to
Ottawa, where he met with the
Minister of Finance
James
Colleges seek more funding
By ROBYN HOPPER
Staff Writer
Niagara College’s balanced budget won’t last long.
Dan Patterson, Niagara College president, says this
year the college has a balanced budget, but each year
it is increasingly difficult, given the amount of funding
received from the provincial government.
“The reality is that the level of funding makes most
colleges struggle just to keep pace with the rate of
inflation.”
He says the college can make its budget work for
now, but it will need additional and significant funding
next year to sustain the increase in investments the
college has made, “particularly in hiring new faculty
and staff over the past few years.”
“Unfortunately, the reality for all colleges today is
that we are simply struggling to stay afloat.”
The provincial government recently instituted
Reaching Higher: The McGuinty Government Plan
for Post-secondary Education. This action plan for
colleges and universities highlights a $6.2 billion
cumulative investment by 2009-2010.
Ontario colleges are ranked 10th out of the 10
provinces in receiving per capita revenue. In other
words, Ontario receives the least amount of funding
for post-secondary education of all provinces.
The average amount spent on a college education is
more than $9,000 a student in other provinces, but in
Ontario, it is only $7,500 a student, Patterson adds.
Not only are Ontario colleges lacking funding for
students, faculty and staff, but they are also missing
funding for the college structures themselves.
Ontario colleges are about to celebrate 40 years of
being in existence. This means most college buildings
are reaching middle age. “A number of major buildings
are in desperate need of refurbishing and upgrading,”
says Patterson, in a telephone interview.
Many college buildings suffer from deferred
maintenance because colleges have lacked the
resources to keep these buildings in “top-notch
shape.”
“The college system has been lobbying the
government and asking for private sector contributions
to help address our capital needs.”
Niagara College is embarking on a master plan for
the Welland campus.
Patterson explains, “Master planning tries to
identify all the current and future assets of the college
and connect them to current and future program
requirements. We are currently gathering information
and consulting with Student Administrative Council
representatives and other groups to get their input into
what they envision to be the best physical plans for the
Welland campus.”
The Mackenzie building is “flagged as a priority” as
is the review of it and what is possible if the college is
able to secure financial support to replace the facility.
“The issue of costs and timelines and what elements
would be included in a new building are still at the
early stages of development,” he says.
Patterson says the provincial government through
its Reaching Higher plan has begun to address the
shortfalls in post-secondary education funding.
“The challenge has been that the colleges have
experienced chronic under-funding in the past 15
years. This does affect quality, and our goal is to
continue to point out to the government that the recent
increases in funding are a good beginning, but more
needs to be done.”
He says that in today’s “knowledge economy”
a college education is more important than ever.
The provincial government needs to recognize the
increasingly important role that society is giving to a
college education and “to reinvest provincial monies
towards colleges as a reinvestment in the future.”
the industry will be looking to
Niagara College students for the
future of their companies.
He discussed how businesses
need to take a more active role in
schools “Businesses need to be
more involved in school projects
and curriculum development.”
He also expressed his confidence
in the college and its ability to
produce students who will be
able to rise to the challenges the
industry sets.
All of those who invested in
the project were thanked and
recognized.
Bosch
Rexroth
Canada Corp., the City of
Welland, Niagara College Student
Administrative Council Inc., the
Regional Municipality of Niagara
and Walker Industries Holdings
Ltd. w e r e a l l h o n o u r e d
as
P r e s i d e n t ’s
Circle
members, with donations
of $100,000 or more.
John Deere Foundation of
Canada and Lincoln Fabrics
Ltd. were also recognized as
benefactors having invested
$50,000 or more. The Royal
Bank of Canada Foundation was
credited as a patron for donating
$25,000 or more.
“Niagara College will now
be able to have a cutting-edge
technology
building,
which
demonstrates
the
college’s
commitment
to
technology
programs,” stated Patterson. “The
project allows for the consolidation
of all of the college’s technology
programs at the Welland campus.
This consolidation, combined
with the equipment and facilities
upgrades, provides opportunities
for cross-disciplinary interaction
between programs and the shared
use of equipment and technology
that mirrors industry.”
Niagara College offers 18
technology post-secondary and
apprenticeship programs in the
areas of computers, construction,
electrical, electronics, mechanical,
motive power, photonics and
welding.
“With the quality of the
facilities, leading-edge technology
and a top-notch teaching team,
we (Niagara College) are well
positioned to be a leader in
technology in the college system,”
stated Patterson.
Peer Tutors
Have an 80% average or better?
Want to help others?
Need extra cash?
Visit the office at your campus
to apply to be a Peer Tutor!
62171440
By MARCUS YOUNGREN
Staff Writer
Niagara
College’s
official
opening of the Niagara Technology
Skills Centre at its Welland campus
was held on Nov. 2.
Donors and industry partners
were honoured for the parts they
played in the development.
The project represents a total
investment of $3.5 million, of
which $1 million was raised
through the Advanced Technology
Campaign, drawing the support
of industry, the City of Welland,
Region of Niagara and Niagara
College students.
The new Technology Centre is
a 929-square-metre expansion of
the original building that consists
of high-tech classrooms and labs,
including laser machining, a
Programmable Logic Controller,
metrology, engineering materials
and robotics labs.
On hand to commemorate this
event was college President Dan
Patterson, who described the new
centre as a “dream come true.”
He stated the centre provides
the students with the skills and
knowledge they require for the
best jobs in the industry. The
college also recognized support
from the students themselves, who
invested $250,000, a testament
to the students’ dedication and
commitment to the college.
“With this, students emphasize
that they want to graduate from
the best college,” said Patterson.
“Employers have told us that they
require technology graduates who
are broadly skilled and who have
been exposed to a diverse range of
disciplines. This project represents
REWARD
8 /hr
$ 50
Welland Campus:
SE 102A
905-735-2211,
Ext. 7769
NL Campus:
W103
905-641-2252,
Ext. 4179
news@niagara, Nov. 10, 2006, Page 3
‘Something for everyone’
Niagara College Job Coach Nathan Brown listens to Meghan Clark,
consultant for graduate and co-operative education, at the Welland
campus Job Centre.
Photo by Jason Petznick
Job Centre connects
By JENNIFER DESCHAMPS
Staff Writer
Two
organizations
are
working together as one to meet
the needs of both employers and
job seekers.
Since the relocation of
Niagara College’s St. Catharines
Job Connect program from the
Niagara-on-the-Lake campus to
the Employment Help Centre,
on July 15, job seekers of all
ages have been able to find
everything they need at one
site. “Niagara College and the
St. Catharines Job Centre have
enjoyed a strong partnership for
several years, and the co-location
of these organizations will result
in an increased capacity to serve
both individual job seekers
and employers alike,” said
Mike Bauer, Niagara College’s
manager of Youth Employment
Services, in a press release.
Providing
unemployed
individuals with the skills and
strategies they need to find a
job and succeed in the labour
force is the main objective of the
program. Job Connect, funded
by the Ministry of Training
Colleges and Universities, also
assists employers with the use
of wage subsidies to cover the
costs of training individuals
hired through the program.
For more than 20 years, Niagara
College has provided youth
between the ages of 16 and 24
with job training and placement
in the community, while the
St. Catharines Employment
Help Centre has delivered the
Job Connect program to adults
25 and older. With these two
agencies now in one location,
not only is the spot accessible
to job seekers, but also a vital
resource for employers looking
to hire. According to the Job
Connect website, http://www.
jobs.niagarac.on.ca/jobconnect/,
the program finds employment
for 1,820 people annually and
assists over 300 employers.
The St. Catharines Employment Help Centre, 122
Queenston St., is open weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and
the services are free. To make an
appointment,
call
Niagara
College Job Connect at 905684-4881 or the St. Catharines
Employment Help Centre at
905-685-1353.
Counselling sessions available
By LESLEY SMITH
Staff Writer
They’re here for you.
The Niagara College Counselling
Services offer counselling sessions,
workshops and an online newsletter
to students.
Jocelyne Briggs, a counsellor at
Niagara for 25 years, says she thinks
many students take advantage
of the counselling services for
academic, personal, financial and
career-related help.
Briggs says the services are
important within the college
system to help students achieve
their goals and to make a positive
experience for them. She notes
that if the resources aren’t here to
help the students, staff will help
students contact outside resources
and agencies.
Coming in for an appointment
with counsellors is not the only
way students can go about seeking
assistance. The department has a
website through the college site
at
http://wwww.niagarac.on.ca/
studying/counselling/ and includes
a monthly newsletter.
Free workshops are also being
held at both campuses. The website
includes the dates and locations of
these. Workshop topics include
Running Out of Money?, Improve
Your Study Skills, Rescue 911
– Messages of Suicide, Stressed?
Anxious? and others.
“It’s our way of reaching more
students and providing more
information for students who may
or may not come into counselling
individually,” says Briggs.
Services are available weekdays
from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at
the Welland and Niagara-on-theLake campuses.
Evening hours, until 7:30 p.m.,
are available on Tuesdays for
the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus
and Wednesdays at the Welland
campus.
To make an appointment call
905-735-2211 ext. 7778 (Welland
campus) or 905-641-2252 ext. 4409
(Niagara-on-the-Lake campus).
By JASON PETZNICK
Staff Writer
Stress: a state of mental or
emotional strain.
This is the definition given by
the Oxford Dictionary of Current
English. Stress is a problem that
many post-secondary students are
familiar with, but there are some
quick solutions.
Two offices at Niagara College
provide students with all the help
they need. The Peer Services office
and the Job Centre have offices at
the college’s Welland campus in the
Secord wing and at the college’s
Niagara-on-the-Lake
campus.
These offices provide many
services that can help students who
are stressed about schoolwork or
finances.
The Peer Services office provides
note takers, scribes and proctors to
registered students with disabilities,
but one of its main services is peer
tutoring.
Peer Services Assistant Josie
Tremonte says students who make
use of peer tutoring can see their
grades, as well as their confidence
at school, improve. She says she
has also seen students stick with
their programs because they are no
longer struggling with the course
content.
One of the reasons peer tutoring is
successful, according to Tremonte,
is that “tutors have different
learning techniques and can pass
those on [to the learners].”
Tutors are carefully selected.
Prospective tutors must have a
minimum grade of 80 per cent in
the course they are tutoring, must
have a passing grade in 70 per cent
of their courses, must be a full-time
student and must have an interest
in helping others, says Tremonte.
She says that as learners see
their grades go up, tutors notice
the same trend because they are
reinforcing their own knowledge of
the subject. Tutors are paid $8.50
per hour and can use Peer Services
as a reference on their resumé.
“[Tutoring] always looks great
on a resumé,” says Tremonte.
The Job Centre is another place
to go if you are lacking the funds to
pay for school. You can call or fax
local and long distance numbers of
employers, use the office computers
for Internet job searches, talk to one
of the job coaches or consultants, set
up mock interviews and photocopy
your resumé, all free of charge.
Meghan
Clark,
consultant
for graduate and co-operative
education, says the Job Centre
provides
“something
for
everybody.”
The first person you will meet
upon entering the Job Centre will
most likely be a job coach. These
coaches are students who have
been trained to critique resumés,
perform job searches and perform
mock interviews says, Clark.
The Job Centre doesn’t stop
working for students after they
graduate either.
“Once you’re a graduate you’re
always part of the family,” says
Clark. Grads are invited to schedule
appointments and e-mail their
resumés in for critique, says Clark.
These services are available for
students so they can not only be
successful and but also put stress
to rest.
Don’t cram for your exams
By KATELYN GALER
Staff Writer
With those dreadful midterms over, Christmas
exams are just around the corner.
An already stressful time, exams are often timeconsuming and sleep depriving. Nevertheless, they
are mandatory.
There are ways of preparing yourself for these exams
without cramming and pulling all-nighters, however.
Experienced students and teachers are dishing out
their best-kept study secrets.
Sarah Hogg, 21, is a psychology major at Brock
University in St. Catharines. She says the best way
to study for exams is to start early, leaving yourself
plenty of time to consult professors and other resources
when you have questions. “I also
make flash cards and get someone
to quiz me until I know all of the
cards by memory.”
Leaving all studying until the
last minute will cause unwanted
stress and call for cramming.
“I like to study with a buddy if I
can because usually one of us will
know the answers to a question,”
says Hogg. She also says it is
good practice to teach someone about a topic because
it helps not only the receiver of the information, but
also the giver.
Everyone learns differently. Once you figures out
by what method you learn best, you should study by
that means. For example, you may be a photographic
learner and remember things more easily by charts
and graphs, or you might find you remember more by
writing things out over and over again.
Some students record notes orally and then play the
tapes back to themselves.
All of these ways are a fine approach to studying.
Amanda Kennedy, 19, a sport management student
at Brock University, says she likes to use all three
methods.
“It’s important not to get bored, or you might want
to quit early. I try to study in many different ways.”
She also says taking breaks is important. “I like
to take walks or go to the gym.” Kennedy says the
Internet also distracts her easily, so she makes sure
that instant messaging and LimeWire are turned off
when she’s studying on the computer.
Although listening to your favourite music might
put you in a good mood, if you choose classical works
you are surely in for a higher grade.
Studies have shown the different levels, rhythms
and melodies within classical music help your brain to
remember more things at once.
Therefore, when you hit the books, turn down the
Metallica and turn up the Mozart. Serge Grabtchak, a
photonics teacher at Niagara College, says he notices
students who come to every class are more likely to
do better. What a concept! He says, “Reading the
textbook to prepare for exams is essential.”
Textbooks can be a very significant source of
information; even a dictionary can be your best friend.
Sarah Reeder, a Niagara College student studying
nursing, says she likes to find old exams and practice
on them. “You just have to go to the library and look
them up. Usually the exams are
pretty similar to the previous
year’s.”
Jena Wayda, a police
foundations graduate at Mohawk
College in Hamilton, says she
always has something special in
mind for the end of exams.
“My roommates and I plan to
go out the after the last day of
exams. It gives me something
extra to look forward to, like a reward.”
To be motivated in other ways, look up the
scholarships and bursaries available to students with
outstanding achievement in their classes.
Ellie Hogg, 20, a biology major at Brock University,
says that highlighting key points in her textbook that
correspond with her notes during the semester helps
her prepare for exams.
“I try to keep really good notes so I’m not scrambling
in the days leading up to one.”
She says she also gets together with classmates in
groups so that everyone can share their notes in case
they missed a lecture or two.
A typical problem when it comes to studying is
procrastination.
You may decide that you need to clean your room,
do your laundry and eat a three-course meal before
you get down to work.
Procrastination is difficult to avoid, but try to be
aware of it and think of the long-term effects it will
have on your studying and grades.
Last, although McDonald’s food may seem tempting,
quick and easy, strive to eat healthful foods that will
give you energy, including a good breakfast.
‘Textbooks can be a
very significant source
of information; even a
dictionary can be your
best friend.’
Frank’s Hot Sauce student’s secret ingredient
Pat Kennedy creates marvelous mouth-watering meals
BY STEPHEN BOSCARIOL
Staff Writer
“Pass me the Frank’s,” says Police Foundations
program student Pat Kennedy.
Kennedy is in his second year at Niagara College,
one of many college students responsible for preparing
self-cooked meals.
“Whatever we have in the house, I can turn into a
fiesta of great food.”
In a house full of male testosterone, Kennedy finds
himself cooking for not only himself, but also his five
roommates.
“At least once a night I’ll get up and take a look
around for something to make,” says Kennedy.
“Pat’s fiestas are legendary at our house,” says
Niagara College broadcasting student Jory Lions.
“The guy turns nothing into a delicious display of food
that I can actually eat.”
“It’s not all that tough to do, but I guess when you’re
in school, making food isn’t the first thought on your
mind,” says Kennedy. “I just like to make a meal that
everyone can enjoy!”
Kennedy doesn’t have a secret to his house-favourite
meals, such as his triple-decker tortilla chips or his
mouth-watering Mr. Noodle bowls.
“Lots of hot sauce. Frank’s Hot Sauce is the best,
has a good flavour and gives everything an extra
kick.”
“Pat’s steamed hot dogs are probably the best dogs
I’ve ever had,” says Niagara College Law and Security
Administration student Kevin Ramsbottom.
“When you get home from a long day at school or a
long night of partying, then one of those steamed hot
dogs just hits the spot.”
Kennedy has his own techniques for making
his dishes.
“For the steamed hot dogs, all I do is put a boiling
pot of hot water on the stove element, crank it up to
max and throw a couple of dogs and buns in a strainer.
Then I put the strainer over the boiling pot and wait,”
says Kennedy.
“I guess you can say that I’ve learned the art of
cooking just from living away from home. I never made
anything before I came to college,” says Kennedy.
“It’s fun throwing food together with the hope it’ll
taste good.”
With a long year still ahead and many more meals
to make, Kennedy has one last word of advice to
those who are in his situation and need to cook for
themselves:
“The hot sauce, it’s all about the hot sauce!”
Second-year Police Foundations program student Pat Kennedy
slaves over a hot stove.
Photo by Stephen Boscariol
ACE Niagara will host
Boston Pizza sponsors Niagara athletes
wine, cheese social Nov. 21
By MIRA NASSER
Staff Writer
ACE Niagara will be hosting its annual wine and cheese networking
social on Nov. 21 at the college’s Niagara-on-the-Lake campus.
The event will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Corporate
Training Centre, in the West wing beside the president’s office. All
proceeds will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.
All 110 tickets for the event have been sold at $5 each. The ticket
includes two cups of wine and food from around the world cooked by
students in the Business Administration – International Business
program.
Fair Trade Niagara will also be launching some of its new products
imported from international villages.
ACE (Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship) is a non-profit
organization that encourages Canadian university and college students
to create bright futures for themselves and their communities through
their entrepreneurship skills.
This is the third year ACE Niagara has held a fundraiser. Last year’s
event raised $500 for the Red Cross.
To learn more about ACE Niagara and its events, visit the website
http://www.aceniagara.com.
By KEITH LAING
Staff Writer
The recipe for a championship
athlete starts with the right sauce.
Boston Pizza, at 934 Niagara
St. in Welland, has agreed to a
sponsorship deal with the Niagara
College Athletic Department.
The restaurant, which opened
in April of 2006 under owner/
manager Trevor Sainsbury, will
provide a five per cent rebate on all
receipts returned at the end of
each month.
Both food and beverages will be
included in the rebate, which will
assist the Scholarship program
for athletics and academics. Drop
boxes are located around the
campuses.
Sainsbury, who also owns a
franchise in Grimsby, Ont., says
Niagara College students have been
Molson promotes alcohol awareness
By ANDREA DYER
Staff Writer
Molson Canada is joining forces with 170
university and college campuses across Canada
to launch an alcohol-awareness program set to
reach about one million students and half a
million parents this year.
Dedicated to positive student life and healthy
decision-making, the Student Life
Education Company and Bacchus
Canada will deliver Molson
Canada’s Responsible Use
program on campuses around the
nation for the next four months.
The program’s campaign will
distribute kits including a DVD, posters,
podcasts and other promotional materials free
of charge to students wishing to educate
themselves about drinking and healthy
choices.
Vouchers called Taxi Dollars, valid in 500
cities and towns across Canada, will be
distributed as an alternative to driving under the
influence.
“University is a time when many students
develop drinking habits that can affect the rest of
their lives,” says Molson Canada’s
Vice-President of Government and Public
Affairs Ferg Devins, in an e-mail.
“Through education, sponsorships and
responsible use messaging, Molson Canada is
proud to play our part in
encouraging the
responsible and moderate use
of alcohol.”
While 5-0 taxis in St.
Catharines are participating,
cabs in Welland have not
confirmed their participation in the Taxi Dolars
program. Since the main component of the campaign kits are the Taxi Dollar vouchers, Niagara
College After Hours Bar Manger
Jeremy Robillard says the campaign kits will not
be ordered for the Welland campus.
For more information about Taxi Dollars and
participating cab companies,
visit http://www.taxidollars.com.
regular patrons of the restaurant
since its opening.
“I can tell that there are lots of
students just by looking at the
crowds that come in.”
As for an increase of business
since the sponsorship, Sainsbury
says there hasn’t been much to
talk about.
“It hasn’t really gotten any
busier since school’s been back.
I just find we’re busy on different
days of the week.”
The Boston Pizza franchise offers
an appetizing menu, covering
Italian favourites like pizza and
pasta but also incorporating
sandwiches, chicken and rib
entrees.
It also takes the healthy lifestyles
of athletes into consideration,
providing choices on the menu that
favour wholesome eating habits.
“While the regular menu may
not be designed for the highperformance athlete, we do have
a special healthier menu,” says
Sainsbury.
Dishes such as Californian Pizza
and Peppered Chicken ‘n Veggies
can be found in the delicious
alternatives section of the menu
and won’t make you feel guilty
about eating out.
Also a sponsor of Welland Minor
Hockey and various men’s leagues
sports, Sainsbury says he is glad to
be able to assist the college.
Boston Pizza will also be
sponsoring Niagara College’s
male and female athlete of the
week as well as supplying dinner
vouchers to be used as prizes in
the spectator skills competitions
held at half-time.
62174009
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PROCRASTINATORS
UNITE!
Stop the vicious cycle…
• Mon. Nov. 13, 2006
1:30 - 2:30pm
N.O.T.L. Campus • Room E310
Counselling Services
We’re Here To Help!
e
t
o
Municipal Elections
V2006
St. Catharines
Mayoral Race
Ward 6 - Port Dalhousie
• Tim Atherton
• Susan Bassett
• Mark Klimchuk
• Richard Martinelli
• David Prentice
• Norm St. George
• Len Stack
• Bruce Williamson
Ward 5 - Grantham
• Dawn Dodge
• Brian Dorsey
• Laura Ip
• Bill Phillips
• Salvatore Sorrento
• Mike Sullivan
• Tony Tullo
Marilyn C. Bodogh
Occupation: Writer/broadcaster
Bodogh is a champion curler who brought home two gold medals
in 1986 and 1996 for Canada.
My top issue is: Putting $100 million in new investment and new
economic development opportunities.
Sue Erskine
Occupation: Deputy Mayor last three years.
It has been my honour to serve the last six years on council, the
last three as deputy mayor.
My top issue is: Control expenditures - value for tax dollars.
Ward 3 - St. George’s
• Darren Platakis
• Peter Secord
• Greg Washuta
Ward 4 - St.
Patrick’s
• John Bacher
• Bill Buckle
• Matthew Cutler
• Mark Elliot
• Heather Foss
• Charles Gervais
• Milica Kovacevich
Preston Haskell
Occupation: Businessman, artist, author, for 37 years
Twice named Canadian Professional Photographer of the Year.
Founded the Niagara Institute of Photography in 1992.
My top issue is: Fight tax increase.
Brian McMullan
Ward 2 - St. Andrew’s
• Cameron Donevan
• Andrew Gill
• Joseph Kushner
• Wayne Sadlak
Occupation: Grantham Ward - City Council
Helped implement what we know today as the blue box recycling
program.
My top issue: Create an open, accountable City Hall.
Gary Robbins
Ward 1 - Merritton
• Jeff Burch
• Robbie Roberta Craine
• Sheila Morra
• Jennifer Jennie Stevens
Rob Welch
Occupation: Lawyer
Three-term Regional Councillor, Regional Municipality of Niagara,
representing St. Catharines 1985-1994.
My top issue: Growth for downtown sector
Occupation: Self-employed movie actor, stuntman, wrestler and
bodyguard, motivational speaker to schools.
Known as the tallest man in Canada at 7’5”, Gary is an active
member of Civil Air Search and Rescue Niagara and appeared as Emad Zawady
a stuntman on the X-files.
Occupation: Nurse
My top issue: Move forward with the new hospital system.
The Co/founder of St. Catharines Orthodox Church, a former ship
captain, and human rights activist.
Jackie Phelan
My top issue: Freeze property taxes for next three years.
Occupation: Walker Industries employee
Phelan was invited by the Association of Municipalities of
St. Catharines election night: Monday, Nov. 13
Ontario to travel across the province to orient newly elected
For more info: www.stcatharines.ca
councillors to municipal politics.
My top issue: Attract sustainable jobs and careers.
Welland election night: Monday, Nov. 13
Ward 1 - (two to be elected)
• Rick Alakas
• Brigitte Chiki
• John Tryfiak
• Leo Van Vliet
• Cam Wilson
• Stephen Yari
• David Alexander
• Pat Chiocchio
• Mary Ann Grimaldi
• John MacLellan
For more info: www.city.welland.on.ca
Welland Mayoral Race
Dan Fortier
Occupation: Account Representative
Municipal Councillor for the last nine years, served and
cared for the City of Welland and its citizens.
My top issue: Economic development.
Damian Goulbourne — Current Mayor
• Frank Campion
• Venanzio Aʼddario
• Ray DiMartile
• Joe McDonald
• Hank Nikitczuk
• Barry Sharpe
• Dan Beaudoin
• Gerry Bisson
• Mark Dzugan
• Rocky Letourneau
• Tom Lunardon
• David Maxwell Muise
• Crystal Parsons
Occupation: Current mayor of Welland/ Niagara College
Tourism Development (Graduate Certificate) professor
Goulbourne began his political career as mayor of the
City of Welland on Dec. 1, 2003. He has been a professor
at Niagara College since 1999.
My top issue: Continue to invest in infrastructure with a
renewed focus on roads and recreation projects.
John Watt
Occupation: Self-employed
He’ll forsake his love and his music to run for mayor
of Welland.
My top issue: Dealing with the secret society of crime.
Ward 3 - (three to be elected)
• Mike Beaudoin
• Mike Belcastro
• Frank Degazio
• Jim Gillap
• Paul Grenier
• George Kouros
• David Treppiedi
• Toni Eybel
• Earl Lunn
• Jim Larouche
• Sandy OʼDell
• Terry Wintle
Occupation: Small business owner
An active participant in local issues, he has learned
first hand the concerns and difficulties facing ordinary
people.
My top issue: Real change at City Hall.
John Mastroianni
Occupation: Retired principal
He is co-chair of the Niagara Food Festival and served
Welland City Council for two terms.
My top issue: Industrial development.
Pagination by Ryan McLean
John R. Parisee
HBC gives generous donation
Hudson’s Bay Company presented a donation of $5,000 to St. Catharines General Hospital at the
Zeller’s grand opening in the Seaway Mall on Niagara Street in Welland, on Sept. 23.
Photo by Jennifer Deschamps
Reference site gives new opportunities
By DARYL BARNHART
Staff Writer
Future Office Administration
– Executive program graduate
Robyn Monteleone says she knows
a job reference means as much as a
diploma, and a recently graduated
student has to get the best reference
possible.
She says she knows the Internet
makes finding large amounts of
information about any individual
easier than ever before by mixing a
combination of Google, blogs and
Facebook.
“I’m not even sure what could be
out there,” the 19-year-old Niagara
College student said. “I’ve been
online since the late ‘90s. Who
knows what people could find if
they looked?”
Monteleone said that people
should be concerned about what
they post online and how it could
affect their career chances.
This means the comments posted
on myspace.com or the videos an
individual creates and uploads on
youtube.com can be unearthed and
possibly made to work against an
applicant.
However, the new online resource
Repvine.com exists to help you
collect meaningful information
about yourself, help increase your
chances of receiving an excellent
online reference and disallow job
recruiters from making incorrect
inferences.
“The web is a great equalizer,
allowing people and companies
of all sizes to coexist on equal
footing,” said Hagai Yardeny,
RepVine’s creator, in a press
release.
“Sites like Google make it
incredibly easy to find information
of all types, but it’s a double-edged
sword. Once information is out
on the web, it almost never goes
away,” he added.
RepVine works around the
online-community
philosophy,
basing itself on networking.
Members can post commentary
on themselves and collect positive
comments from other members.
Alternatively, people are able to
see where other RepVine members
agree or disagree with the current
comments on one’s profile.
According
to
RepVine’s
website, the service broadens and
strengthens the referral process by
taking one of the most important
business exercises, getting and
giving a reference, and puts it
online for public viewing.
This means that people do not
have to wait for when references
are needed, nor do they have to
limit themselves to just two or
three references.
When told about RepVine.com
and what it offers, Monteleone said
she would be interested in the RepVine services when she applies for
her co-op and then for entry-level
positions after graduation in 2008.
“I have never heard of anything
like this,” she said. “I think it
could be very valuable, especially
to people with little or no
experience.”
While
RepVine’s
services
are being most heavily used by
entry-level job seekers, the site
is also a favourite of freelancers,
consultants,
professional
net
workers and even the online dating
community.
RepVine is on the Internet at
http://www.repvine.com.
Welland installs new traffic lights
By JULIANNE VAN DYK
Staff Writer
If you are taking a way to school that would bring
you to Woodlawn Road near Niagara College in
Welland, you might have noticed the new traffic
lights at Woodlawn and Champlain roads.
The lights, approved by Welland’s Public Works
Committee and Council, were installed in August.
The need was supported by standards set for
pedestrian traffic.
Traffic Operations Technician Nick Rosati says,
“Eventually Woodlawn Road will turn into four
lanes (of vehicle traffic)” and that could cause
problems for residents and pedestrians.
Pedestrian traffic is heavy because of the college’s
campus on Woodlawn and the YMCA beside it.
Rosati says the lights were operational on Aug.
8 and they have had “about the same amount” of
problems as any normal traffic light.
For traffic lights, in general, he says, “We get
calls every day.”
An incident he recalls as an example is that he
received an e-mail from the mayor that the lights
were not operating as they should.
The drivers on Champlain were sitting at the
lights too long while the drivers on Woodlawn had
much more time. He says it was just a simple timing
change and the problem was solved.
Workshop offers tips
for saving money
By LESLEY SMITH
Staff Writer
At the end of the money, I always
have a month left. Now what?
That is how the college’s
counselling services’ workshop
called Running Out of Money?
began. Money woes are something
college
students
everywhere
experience.
The workshop was held on Oct.
23 in the meeting room of the
Student Administrative Council
building of the Welland campus.
Tips
were
offered
to
students experiencing financial
complications from debt and to
students looking to pick up tips
for the future because, no matter
how you look at it, college is an
expensive investment.
Scarborough’s
Centennial
College’s website says, “As a
general guideline, single students
living on their own can expect to
spend about $9,500 per academic
year on living expenses, tuition,
books and supplies.”
The
Canadian
Bankers
Association’s (CBA) website, at
http://www.yourmoney.cba.ca/,
offers a way to calculate how much
money a student will need for the
school year.
School costs, however, are not all
that students are spending money
on. The workshop’s PowerPoint
presentation also pointed to
students being unable to decide
between need and want, addictions
and indulging in hobbies.
“Every time you spend money
on something, it’s a choice,” said
Niagara counsellor Erik Madsen at
the workshop, adding you have to
consider the impact your spending
will have on everything else.
“You’d be surprised where your
money is going sometimes,” said
Madsen.
Warning signs of financial trouble include cutting spending on
important things such as food, bor-
rowing money from others, failing
to pay bills on time and working
long hours or multiple jobs.
“The earlier you deal with it,
the easier the solutions are,” said
Madsen. Possible solutions he
gave included planning ahead and
having a budget.
In his book, The Debt-Free
Graduate, Murray Baker writes
that students should “look at what
your major expenses are going to
be.” He says students should come
up with an estimate and even overestimate those expenses.
Changes in family circumstances
and emergencies are possible issues
that consume money a student can’t
plan for.
Baker suggests planning “for the
money you will need and when you
will need it” to be sure you will
have the money to spend.
Credit Counselling of Regional
Niagara’s (CCRN) Money Basics,
a Guide to Personal Finances, says,
“Good money management begins
with goal setting. Goals give you
direction.”
The guide suggests that spending
time, not money, can help you stay
out of debt.
“People can very often avoid
unnecessary financial hardship if
they spend a little bit of time and
set up a proper budget.” says the
guide
The CBA website also includes
tips on how to budget. The main
message of the workshop was to
not be afraid or wait to seek help.
“A lot of times we are lazy, and
that’s one of the problems,” said
Madsen.
Appointments with CCRN can
be made by calling 905-684-9401
or 1-800-663-3973.
Appointments with the college’s
counselling services can be made
by calling 905-735-2211 ext. 7778
(Welland campus) or 905-6412252 ext. 4409 (Niagara-on-theLake campus).
62174012
ExamsBe Prepared…Get
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IMPROVE YOUR
STUDY SKILLS
• Mon. Nov. 13, 2006
12:30 - 1:30pm
Welland Campus • Meeting Room - SAC Building
• Mon. Nov. 20, 2006
1:30 - 2:30pm
N.O.T.L. Campus • Room E310
Niagara receiving award Trivia party at college
for industry research
By JENNIFER
DESCHAMPS
Staff Writer
The Ontario Ministry of
Research and Innovation is
awarding $3.5 million to 10
colleges under the Ontario
Research Commercialization
Program (ORCP).
This is the first time an award
has been presented to colleges
for the purpose of funding
industry-focused
research
and commercialization.
“ORCP supports working
partnerships between companies and Ontario researchers
to help speed the development process and give each
partner a competitive advantage,” says a ministry news
release.
These collaborations allow small- and medium-sized
companies quicker access to
intellectual property and provide Ontario’s top researchers
with the latest sophisticated
equipment and research tools
within institutions, according
to the news release.
“Niagara College takes
great pride in making a strong
contribution to the economic
health of Niagara by helping
the region’s business and
industry develop and maintain
a competitive edge,” says
President Dan Patterson, in a
college press release.
“With this investment by
the province, and through this
unique partnership with other
colleges, we look forward to
helping Ontario business and
industry to compete with the
world.”
Ten schools form the College Network for Industrial
Innovation (CNII), an organization that combines its
knowledge and resources for
research and commercialization activities. This union of
colleges comprises Algonquin, Centennial, Conestoga,
Fanshawe, George Brown,
Humber, Niagara, Seneca,
Sheridan and St. Clair.
The focus of research done
by the CNII is on “incremental
innovation.” It is mainly
industry-driven,
assessing
products and services related
to the challenges faced by
business.
The CNII helps smaller
companies in Ontario become
competitive and uphold that
competitiveness within the
market. They help industry
evaluate its needs using
CNII tools and techniques,
conduct research for product
development in order to
transfer technology to the
industry, and provide access
to equipment and specialized
knowledge.
An Industry Strategy Board
of industry leaders governs
the CNII and is responsible
for keeping the focus.
According to the press release, support for the network
will be provided by Industrial
Innovation Centres within
college research offices.
Niagara College is a
specialized resource for
hospitality and tourism, as
well as viticulture and agribusiness.
Simcoe elevator repaired and ready
By KRIS DUBE
Staff Writer
The elevator in the Simcoe
building at the Welland
campus is better than it has
ever been.
Service
contractors
started working on it for one
day less than two months
ago providing upgrades,
which are becoming more
of a standard procedure for
public elevators.
Facilities Management
Supervisor Brad Barnhart
says that the elevator is “all
refurbished.”
From June 19 to Aug.
18 several improvements
were made, including new
controls, pistons, drive,
interior and exterior, says
Barnhart. These upgrades
aren’t the result of any
specific malfunction, but
it just “needed an upgrade.
We’ve had to work on it
before for different reasons
but have never had an
upgrade of this degree.”
Although the elevator
was out of service while the
bulk of Niagara’s student
population was out of the
classrooms saving money
for tuition, people were still
affected by this.
“We made sure it was wellpublicized,” says Barnhart.
College employees received
notices through e-mail; as
well, there was a notice on
the college website http://
www.niagarac.on.ca.
“Signs
were
posted
throughout the college also.
We never really received any
complaints,” says Barnhart.
The elevator is back in
service and is accessible
to anyone, including the
public who visit the Welland
campus for the dental clinic
on the third floor.
62148079
By NADINE WEBSTER
Staff Writer
Niagara College is calling all trivia buffs
to its third annual Trivial Pursuit Party at
the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus.
The event starts at 5 p.m. at the
Convocation Hall on Nov. 18. Winners will
be announced at 11 p.m.
Tickets are $25 a person, or $20 for
those with Niagara College student cards.
The game is played in teams of six to eight
people.
Players are subject to four gruelling
rounds, incorporating questions from the
real Trivial Pursuit home game.
“It’s a wide open event for students,
staff, other colleges and even politicians,”
says Rob Falconer, event co-ordinator for
the Centre for Community Leadership at
Niagara College.
The schedule of events includes a light
buffet by the Niagara Culinary Institute
(NCI) at 8 p.m. There will be a cash bar,
prizes to be won from a silent auction and a
50/50 draw, including hockey sticks signed
by Walter Gretzky, father of Wayne Gretzky,
and an iPod dock. Gamers will get a chance
to meet event emcees Jack Peets and Lori
Love from the 105.7 FM morning show,
and Danny Zzzz, hypnotist and “sleight-ofhand artist.”
For this year’s event, organizers have a
new way to deter cheaters. “Unfortunately,
we had quite a few cheaters last year.”
Cell phones, BlackBerries, Palm Pilots or
reference books are not permitted, and the
Cheater Police will be out with a roaming
camera.
“We’ll make an announcement at the
beginning of the competition. If the roaming
camera catches anyone, we’ll flash their
picture on display while a siren goes off,”
says Falconer.
Proceeds support the Niagara College
Foundation’s student financial assistance
Rob Falconer, event co-ordinator for
the Centre for Community Leadership
at Niagara College, will referee the
third annual Trivial Pursuit Party at the
Niagara-on-the-Lake campus.
Photo by Nadine Webster
programs.
“The goal for the event is to provide
scholarships and bursaries,” says Falconer.
“It’s a widely supported activity.” For every
dollar Niagara College raises, the Ontario
government will donate $1.67.
Sponsors include The Audio Loft, Sunburst Communications, Niagara this Week,
Johnson Insurance, and, of course, Hasbro,
the maker of the original Trivial Pursuit
game.
“Even though it’s for scholarships and
fundraising, it’s primarily a fun event.”
Organizers are reminding those wishing
to participate to register early, as seating is
limited and tables are on a first-come, firstserved basis.
For more information, or to register,
visit http://www.niagarac.on.ca or e-mail
[email protected].
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@NIAGARA
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Feel thankful for those brave soldiers
It is a day much like any other for most young
people.
On Nov. 11 we walk the halls at college, briefly
taking notice of garments adorned with bright red
flowers.
We pin these poppies onto our clothes as a
symbol of remembrance for those who have died
to protect our freedom in the First World War and
the conflicts that followed. We pause for a minute
of silence but often fail to see anything beyond this
gesture.
We want to remember but don’t know exactly
how. Youth feel removed from Remembrance
Day, an understandable response since most of our
parents were not around to experience world war.
We see how important the day is to our elders, yet
we can’t seem to feel connected to it.
Young people lack the ability to relate to the day
and thus tend to ignore it. We think that since we
were not involved in war, and cannot genuinely
“remember,” the day has no relevance for us.
What we fail to realize is the fact that we too
are affected by war because our way of life is a
direct result of these struggles. The key is to try to
understand why they were fighting and what they
were fighting for: the freedoms that we as Canadian
citizens take for granted.
The point is to feel thankful for what we have and
show appreciation for those who made it possible
through personal sacrifice. Youth waste so much
time and energy not “getting it” that they miss the
point altogether.
It is not about pretending to care or faking
feelings of grief for people we never knew. Rather,
it’s about taking a minute or two out of your day to
think about and be grateful for what you do have.
These people gave their lives so that we could live
in peace, so the least we could do is acknowledge
their courage and sacrifice.
In fact, Remembrance Day becomes more
significant with each passing year. At this point
we are verging on the transition from veterans
telling us what happened, to reading about it in
history books.
Veterans and victims of war did not need a
reminder of the atrocities because they witnessed
these events. Our generation needs this day more
than ever because it is all we have to remind us.
When you wear a poppy, sport it proudly,
keeping in mind the value of what it represents.
JENNIFER DESCHAMPS
Wear your poppy for veterans of war
Wear a poppy with pride, and respect the two
minutes of silence on Nov. 11 to remember those
who fought and died.
Whether you hear “In Flanders fields the poppies
blow between the crosses, row on row ...” or
bagpipes or guns blasting inside your head while
paying homage to the veterans, do not let your
mind stray from point.
We remember because we are thankful for those
who fought for our country.
In the First World War, Canada suffered more
than 60,000 casualties, so at the 11th hour, on
the 11th day, of the 11th month we Canadians
recognize the significance of the armistice signing
that resulted in peace.
It is difficult for our generation to relate to war,
but with history books as reference and a passion
for discovering where we came from and how
the world developed into what it is today, we will
participate in Remembrance Day with whatever
connection with war we ourselves have found.
Modern society gained rights and freedoms
evolving from war, although, in all honesty we
tend to forget this fact.
Therefore, this Remembrance Day, instead of
worrying about where the party is at this weekend
or how you’re going to finish the assignment
you’ve been putting off, take time out of your busy
life to respect the men and women who gave you
what you take for granted.
If you are given the opportunity to present a
wreath at your local Remembrance Day ceremony,
embrace it with enthusiasm and place the wreath
as a token of your respect for all those who are
or who have represented our country in a time of
war.
Remembrance Day should be a time to ponder
the present battles we face as a country, and the
future.
At this time we must also remember the Canadians
who have been deployed in Afghanistan. War is
still with us.
We must be aware of the current terror facing the
world because of North Korea’s nuclear warheads.
We have come into a new age of technology. Who
knows what weapons may be developed in the
future?
Although we have had this melting pot of
multiculturalism, we still cannot band together for
peace on earth, as clichéd as that sounds.
As John Mayer says, “We keep on waiting for
the world to change.”
CHRISTINE KENNEDY
@NIAGARA
NEWSCOLUMNS
Thankful for being alive
By ROSE SOMR
Columnist
Sometimes, a peaceful starlit
night can turn into a spinning,
sparking mess.
While bumping along in the back
of the ambulance, with the straps
holding me on the stretcher, I stop
to think of how lucky I am to be,
for the most part, unharmed.
I try to breathe in deeply, but the
pain in my chest feels as if someone
is stepping down on me. From the
cut on my shin a small amount of
blood trickles, but I barely notice.
I listen to the paramedic
chattering away, as she makes
light conversation. The ambulance
rolls on.
Not even an hour earlier, I was
riding smoothly down the highway
in a black Sunfire GT, laughing and
talking with my friends as I looked
up out of the window at the stars
and the bright moon guiding us
back home.
A sudden jerk jolted me out of
my thoughts, as I heard screaming
and wondered who was making all
that noise. I was, I realized, as we
collided with the highway divider.
In a matter of minutes, we’d got
a new perspective on life: we were
upside down. Now all of us were
screaming, the three of us shouting
obscenities and wondering what
had happened.
As I looked out from behind my
glasses, it all felt surreal, as if I
were watching a bad movie chase
scene in which a car had spun out
on the highway, in hot pursuit by
the police. I expected a friend to
nudge me in the ribs, hand me the
bowl of popcorn and say, “Wow,
what a wreck!”
The sparks flew as metal scraped
pavement, and the only sounds I
could hear were those of my friends
and me yelling.
In my mind, I envisioned a
Hollywood-calibre
explosion,
where the lucky characters would
narrowly escape the wreckage,
only to look on as their vehicles
became bonfires on the side of the
road.
Suddenly, we stopped spinning,
and for about 30 seconds, I sat,
frozen and clinging to my seatbelt
strap. Then Maggie’s voice snapped
me out of my shocked stillness.
“Rosie, come on! Get out now!”
I heard her yelling over again, so I
unclipped my seatbelt (no easy task
upside down), and maneuvered
myself out of the back seat and
through what remained of the front
passenger window.
As I clung to my best friend, and
our driver, Adam, I realized for the
first time that night how blessed I
was to be walking out of such an
accident.
With a stunned look on her
face, I could see that Maggie was
thinking the same thing. Someone
was looking out for all of us.
Red lights flashed nearby as the
ambulance came to a stop in front
of us.
I tried to breathe deeply, taking in
the night air, when I met resistance.
I walked, with my friends, to the
ambulance, and was immediately
told I was going to have to go to
the hospital.
Inside the ambulance, the
paramedic examined my bruises,
already spreading up from under
my skin, and dyeing it a purple-red
colour.
Hours later, once discovering
that there was no great threat for
my safety but that I was going to
feel like I was put through a vice,
I was able to make the nervous
journey back to Welland and, at
long last, sleep.
After a day filled with turkey
and giving thanks, I had wondered
exactly what I was thankful for. It
took a spun-out, flipped car in the
middle of a cold night in October,
until I knew: I was thankful for
being alive, for being able to see
my best friend again, my mother
again and my boyfriend again.
I was thankful for not having my
dreams ripped away from me with
one jerk of a steering wheel.
Moving on ... to the rest of our lives
By JASON PETZNICK
Columnist
Recently I realized what I’m
most afraid of.
It’s not that in just over six
months I have to decide what to
do with the rest of my life. I’m
perfectly content with the idea of
starting a career and settling down
to see what life has in store for me.
My biggest fear is that 16 months
ago I made the wrong choice about
what I wanted to do with the rest
of my life.
I’m a second-year JournalismPrint student at Niagara College.
I applied to college because I
didn’t want to spend the money on
university and I wanted to do more
hands-on work at school. I didn’t
consider the skilled trades at the
time because I didn’t know much
about them.
Now here I am, ready to grow up,
but with no future in mind. I want
to start a job once I leave school,
but I’m not sure I will be able to do
that because of the availability of
jobs in my field.
I could apply for different jobs,
but there are so many other people
who are educated specifically for
those jobs. The last thing I want is
to end up as one of those middleaged people working at some fast
food joint because they couldn’t
find a job in their field. The thought
of that terrifies me.
I want to start a family. I want
to support that family. I want to be
able to have kids and be there for
them, not having to bail on them
because I got pencilled into the
graveyard shift at Burger King.
If something like that happened,
I’d be letting myself down and
I’d be letting everyone around me
down. I know that I’m the kind of
person any employer would want
to have working for that person’s
company, but all the employer will
see is my resumé and maybe a copy
of my journalism diploma, if that
means anything to the employer.
Now you know where I’m
coming from. But this column isn’t
meant to inspire pity for me; it’s
meant to give hope to all of you.
What I came to realize was that
came to Niagara for a reason.
Since I’ve been here I have met
some of the most amazing people
on the planet: everyone I met in
residence last year, all the people
from the Niagara region I’ve
met, everyone from my program,
everyone from the varsity teams
here, my roommates this year
and my girlfriend. I have learned
and grown much in the last year
because of these people and there’s
a reason they’re all in my life.
If I had done anything differently
with my life, these people would
just be faces passing me on the
street, but instead I share great
memories with all of them.
However, had I not come to
Niagara and taken the program I’m
in, my life would be completely
different. There’s a reason I am
where I am in life, and there’s a
reason you reading this are where
you’re at too. Think of all the great
things in your life and imagine
how your life would be different if
you’d chosen a different school or
even a different program.
I know I will have to face these
issues eventually, but for now
I’m going to keep on making
memories with the people I was
meant to meet.
Let’s give them thanks
They are people of extreme wisdom.
They have seen more than others younger
than they are have. They give us their time,
love and joy. They are our grandparents.
When we were children, they spoil us
with sweets and toys. They shower us with
gifts and fun times. The most important
thing they give us as children, though, is
By KELLY ESSER their time. They play with us, talk to us and
teach us how to do things for ourselves.
Columnist
I remember that first time that I went out
on my grandpa’s boat and went down the river and out onto the bay.
It felt as if we were going out into the middle of nowhere.
I remember the times when they took my brother and me to the
animal farm.
As a teenager, my grandmother gave me her dish set for my future
home. They were her good dishes she had had for most of her life.
Out of all the grandchildren, she chose me. When I wanted a nice
hope chest to put them in, she offered hers to me to hold them safe.
When I didn’t think my grandparents could give me any more
than they already had, my grandfather, who knew how to blow
glass, made me a delicate glass ship for my 18th birthday. I cried
when I saw it because I knew it was made especially for me. It took
him almost a week to make it perfect, but he did it just for me. The
strands of glass are delicately suspended there in the air, making the
ship’s sails.
They tell us about what it was like “back in the day” when anything
cost only a nickel. They told us about how much easier getting a job
and supporting the family was.
When we least expect it, some of us lose those grandparents, those
people of extreme wisdom and love.
In July 2005, I lost one of those grandparents I loved. I lost my
grandfather who made me the glass ship. Although I wish I had had
more time with him, I know that he is at peace.
Every time we lose another one of our seniors, we lose a little bit
more of our country’s history. They are the ones who fought in the
world wars to keep us free. They are the ones who helped build and
shape our country.
As we age and as we start to understand our history, we should
learn to embrace and listen to our seniors. Be thankful for them.
Remember the toys, candy, time and love they gave to us, and
continue to do the same in the future.
Column Criteria
Journalists. including those in the Journalism-Print program
at Niagara College, are taught that their reporting must be
balanced, fair and as objective as possible. That rule must
also exist for columns written by reporters.
In columns, the feelings and opinions of reporters are welcome,
but balance, fairness and objectivity must never be disregarded
or treated lightly. Our columns, which are clearly identified
as such, do not reflect the opinions or feelings of the Niagara
College administration or the management of the
news@niagara. Columns reflect the opinion of only one person:
the writer.
Publishing Dates
2006–2007
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Phone: 905-732-2414 ext. 281
E-mail: [email protected]
@NIAGARA
NEWSCOLUMNS
Children’s morals at stake
Morals and values are vanishing.
person to have parents or people of authority who are
In today’s society, we do not place enough importance ethical.
on having personal integrity and morals.
This poses a huge problem for our world today.
Personal integrity needs to be instilled in children at No wonder so many young people are increasingly
a young age. I believe this is mainly the responsibility immoral and dishonest. Look at their role models.
of the child’s parents or guardians. We
You need only think about how much
hope this child will know right from
adultery, verbal and physical abuse and just
wrong, but we also hope they will
plain lying occur in many marriages.
choose right.
All of these instances are ethically and
I am not trying to say that we should
sometimes legally wrong.
raise perfect children who never do
Children learn from their parents’
anything wrong.
examples. If parents do things that are
We know everyone makes mistakes,
wrong, young children know no better than
but a lot of parents and guardians are By ROBYN HOPPER to do what they see or hear.
raising children with little or no personal
Therefore it is crucial for parents to hold
Columnist
morality.
high ethical standards, teach them to their
Since ethics are personally deterchildren, and live to those high ethical stanmined and personally enforced we hope someone will dards everyday.
not only do right when they are being watched but
How can we expect the young and middle-aged
more importantly and crucially that they will be ethi- generations to help create great and principled role
cal when they are not being watched.
models when all they know is corrupt government
Everyone struggles with ethical questions and leaders, immoral entertainers, dishonest reporters and,
situations every day and many don’t come with an most close to home, parents, relatives and friends who
easy answer or action.
are unreliable, deceitful and untrustworthy.
It is then when we consult our minds, hearts and
I am not cynical. I know that there are fine, moral
souls and make a moral choice.
and stand-up people.
Yes, I believe there are people who are simply
I also know they don’t get the recognition they
corrupt.
deserve, and we are in desperate need of countless
I believe if the very young are taught and guided to more of those kind of people.
follow a life of great morality that they are most likely
Our world needs a drastic shift, and it needs to start
to carry on that way throughout life.
with you and me. Next time you’re doing something
The only way for this to happen is for this young that ties a knot in your stomach, think twice.
Reality shows still the same as before
By SEAN MANCUSO
Columnist
I have been perusing my trusty
bedroom TV for a few nights now
and noticed there are a lot of shows
of the reality genre.
First, there is Survivor, which
probably could have ended three
series ago. How many times can
people possibly watch Survivor in
a “new” location?
It’s still the same: contestants
stuck on a deserted island, hosts
and camera crew staying in nice
hotels, eating delicious food.
The only show I watch regularly
is The Amazing Race. Yes, I
know, still the same as usual, but
the concept of contestants racing
around the world going to new
places no one has seen before is
quite neat. Although there was that
awful family edition – god forbid
they ever make one like that again
– with whiny kids crying about this
and that and overbearing parents.
That was not a good viewing
combination.
I’m not sure if this constitutes a
reality show, but still, what is Wife
Swap? I watched it for 20 minutes
and had to switch it, but I got the
jist of it. Wives swap families for
a week.
One family has super strict
parenting, and their kids are
like robots, and the other family
couldn’t care less about parenting
their children as they run amuck
through the house and beat on each
other, while the parents say, “I
don’t believe in punishment.” Just
awful, really.
I noticed that The Bachelor has
a new series, la-dee-da. This time
it takes place in Rome. Now I’ll
surely watch it. Not. I would love
to meet the person who came up
with this amazing idea.
Lots of famous musicians and
other icons have their own shows
now. Gene Simmons of KISS fame
has two, Rock School and Family
Jewels on Spike and Muchmusic.
Grammy-winning
songwriter
David Foster has a show about his
two stepsons, who do nothing but
spend all of his money on stupidity
and recklessness.
The Surreal Life with washed up
D-list actors had a good run for a
few seasons.
Supergroup has started now
with Ted Nugent and Sebastian
Bach leading a heavy metal group,
while the show focuses on the days
leading into the big performance.
Even Hulk Hogan has his own
show now. What is going on?
I would be content with cable
consisting of sports channels, a
weather channel, 24-hour Simpsons
and Family Guy channels, and
maybe a news channel, but that’s
just me.
Column Criteria
Journalists, including those in the Journalism-print program at Niagara College, are taught that
their reporting must be balanced, fair and as objective as possible. That rule must also exist for
columns written by reporters.
In columns, the feelings and opinions of reporters are welcome, but balance, fairness and
objectivity must never be disregarded or treated lightly. Our columns, which are clearly identified
as such, do not reflect the opinions or feelings of the Niagara College administration or the
management of the news@niagara.
Columns reflect the opinion of only one person: the writer.
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark out place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— John McCrae
Students losing tuition
money on gambling
By KEITH LAING
Columnist
There’s only one winner when sports gambling companies pillage
your bank account of every last penny, making you want to smash
your head against the wall until it looks like a grapefruit.
All joking aside, one thing is certain: nobody takes those signs
above restroom urinals seriously. The problem is that they make
the situation humorous. We’ve all laughed at that guy in the picture
who has clearly mortgaged his house, sold his kids and still not
taken a game down in years. These are actual people with serious,
debilitating problems.
Niagara College Police Foundations student Cory Damaren says
his gambling is “moderated.”
“I play about five nights a week, usually once on the weekend, but
only hockey and sometimes soccer.”
Damaren, 20, says, “It’s a problem because it’s addictive. It sucks
you into thinking you can win every time, but the only winners are
the companies.”
As for how much he’s lost, Damaren says that he’s about even.
“After my first win last week, I’m definitely even, if not up a little
bit.”
Patrick Kennedy, also in Police Foundations, has a slightly
different take on the situation. Kennedy says that it’s a wise idea for
students to get involved with sports gambling.
“All you need are the big wins. One win is all it takes to keep food
in your stomach for months.”
Kennedy, 20, says he plays “every day” and has still yet to win. “I’d
go right now, but there aren’t really any good games this week.”
Since there are no limits on how much one person can play, it’s
not uncommon for students to lose money they intended to have for
the entire year.
The popular sports gambling companies have a type of game that
allows players to wager as much or as little as they want, the odds
increasing by wagering on more games or on teams unlikely to win.
Help lines are posted in every restroom of the school, and the
Internet offers other sources for addiction help.
Locally, there is a Niagara Falls Gamblers Anonymous, with
meetings every other week. If interested, contact 905-351-1616.
REMEMBRANCE
In honour of the past,
present & future fallen
Photo by Shawn Taylor
November 11, 2006
Rare Victoria Crosses on display in St. Catharines
Kyle Akins, 20, of Owen Sound, Ont., reads up on the Victoria Crosses now on display at the St.
Catharines Museum at Lock 3 of the Welland Canal. The exhibit is showing until Sunday.
DND wants 6,400 new members
By MICHAEL SPECK
Staff Writer
The Canadian Armed Forces is
having no trouble recruiting new
members, despite an ongoing
mission in Afghanistan, according
to the Department of National
Defence (DND).
The 2006-07 goal of the
DND is to recruit 6,400 new
members into the regular armed
forces. Lieut. Adam Thomson,
spokesperson for the DND, says
he is confident that they will be
able to reach their goal.
“Recruitment is going quite
well,” says Thomson. “To our
understanding, Afghanistan hasn’t
negatively affected recruitment.”
Master Cpl. Brad Hart is the
reserve recruiter for the Forces’
Lincoln and Welland Regiment in
St. Catharines. He says he thinks
recruitment is on the increase.
“There is a definite interest
in joining the Forces for young
Canadians for lots of different
reasons,” says Hart.
There are many incentives in
joining the Forces, says Hart.
“If you join the reserve, you get
reimbursement for post-secondary
education, good pay and some
benefits.”
The Forces is the largest
employer in Canada. It hires over
10,000 people a year, says Sgt. Tim
Caudle of the Canadian Forces
Recruiting Group.
“Anybody from Canada with a
Grade 10 education can join. All
trades are open to anybody, but an
officer degree requires a bachelor’s
degree,” say Caudle.
College students also have
opportunities to serve their country
through the Forces, says Caudle.
“If a college student is taking
engineering, and he wants to be an
officer, there are certain exemptions
made based on grades.”
Caudle says there is unlimited
potential for growth in the Forces.
“Anyone in Canada can do
anything they want to do in the
Forces based on the commitment
they want to make.”
After joining the Forces, they go
to St. Jean, Que., to the Canadian
Forces Leadership and Recruit
School. For 13 weeks they are
taught vitals such as weapons
training, first aid and navigation.
“They learn how to walk, talk
and act military,” says Caudle.
After graduation, they go to
their training school of interest,
such as infantry soldier or medical
personnel.
Caudle says the average new
member is a young male, but for the
past few years the applicants have
been getting older. “Some people
always wanted to give back to their
country but couldn’t because of
family or career obligations. We
had a 50-year-old woman enrol a
couple of years ago who became
a clerk. She was sitting alone at
home, all her kids grown up. She
always wanted to join, so she got
up and did it.”
The Forces are always looking
for new people because of the size
of the organization.
“Our goal is to have 80,000
people in the Forces,” says
Caudle. “Right now we have about
65,000.”
Caudle says there is a chance
new members could be sent to Afghanistan. “It depends on which
trade you pick. Infantry, combat
arms and medics are needed in the
operation. A very small percentage
of the Forces are overseas. There
are about 2,500 regular and
reserve forces serving overseas
right now.”
Niagara College Programmer
Analyst (Co-op) program student
Cory Hagopian, 21, of St.
Catharines, says he was going to
join the Forces but didn’t because
of his brother.
“My brother joined before me
and stole my thunder. Everyone in
my family thought I was trying to
be like him.”
Hagopian says he wanted to join
because he loved the army as a
kid. “I loved wearing camouflage
clothing and headbands. I was
crazy. I wanted to die for Canada.”
You can apply to the Forces
online, in person or by mail. You
must be a Canadian citizen, be at
least 17 years old and have parental
consent and a Grade 10 education.
If eligible, applicants must take
an aptitude test and an interview
with a career counsellor before
being enrolled.
By JASON PETZNICK
Staff Writer
Two valuable pieces of Canada’s
history are in the Niagara region.
In 1856, 150 years ago, Queen
Victoria created a medal to be
awarded to those who showed
extreme
bravery,
daring, valour, selfsacrifice or devotion.
It was named the
Victoria Cross and
since its inception
only 1,351 have
been awarded, 94
being awarded to
Canadians.
Two of these
prestigious medals
were awarded to
soldiers with ties to the
Niagara region, and now,
for the first time,
the awards are on
display together and
in St. Catharines.
The St. Catharines
Museum at Lock 3 of
the Welland Canal is
home to these awards until
Nov. 12.
“This is a great honour,” said
Museum Curator Arden Phair, on
the museum’s website.
The Victoria Crosses belong to
Colonel Graham Thomson Lyall,
of Manchester, England, and
Lance- Corporal Frederick Fisher,
of St. Catharines.
Lyall gained ties to the Niagara
region when he immigrated to
Welland to work at the Canadian
Steels Foundries. He was awarded
the Victoria Cross for his actions
from Sept. 27, 1918, to Oct. 1,
1918. During this time he led
attacks that captured 10 field
guns, more than 25 machine guns
and nearly 140 prisoners. Lyall
died of a heart attack on Nov. 28,
1941. He is one of a small
number of recipients
who are veterans of
both world wars.
Fisher,
a
St.
Catharines native and
the first Canadian to
receive a Victoria Cross
during the First World
War, was recognized
for his actions in
1915. On April 22,
Fisher covered the
retreat of a field battery that
was taking close-range fire
from German infantry.
Fisher’s section was
under heavy fire while
they were providing
cover and lost four
of his six men. The
following day, Fisher
was shot dead while setting
up a machine gun to fire
upon the German trenches.
The museum’s website states
it is a rare occurrence to have
two actual medals on display, as
replicas are typically put out for
public viewing.
“To secure even one [Victoria
Cross] is remarkable. To get two
was more than we dreamed,”
said Phair.
The museum will be open daily
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Let’s not forget who fought
Continued from page 1
The first headstone I walked up to in the cemetery belonged to a
young man of my own age. The youthfulness of many of the men who
fought began to set in.
Signs leading up to the towering 27-metre columns at the Vimy
Monument urged visitors to maintain “Silence and Respect.” There
was no need for reminder.
The names of the 11,285 Canadians whose bodies were never found
in France during the First World War are carved into the structure.
Seeing the lists, instead of just the numbers, is enough to leave one
awestruck.
Opposite the monument is a field filled with a series of small valleys.
While at first I thought the landscape looked interesting, my opinion
changed when I found out the valleys were carved by explosions during
battles. Some of the ammunition remains alive.
The first ceremony our group attended was at Beny-sur-Mer. Maple
leafs are carved into 2,048 headstones at the Second World War
cemetery.
The ceremony at Beny-sur-Mer was the first opportunity we had
to be around war veterans. We watched as they walked through the
cemetery, stopping at headstones of some of those they had fought
alongside and perhaps those they had befriended. Though the day was
sunny and warm, there was a sadness hanging heavily in the air.
Ages, numbers, landscapes and names engraved in stone paled in
comparison to these real faces, for they were the faces of those who
went to war and lived to tell about it.
The experience of seeing the veterans at the next ceremony I attended
was much different.
Following speeches by former Prime Minister Paul Martin and Queen
Elizabeth II at Juno Beach, the veterans marched onto the beach where
nearly 1,000 Canadians were killed 60 years earlier, accompanied by
droning bagpipes.
What we have read in textbooks and seen in documentaries, these
men and women had witnessed first hand. The somber looks in their
eyes as they walked onto the beaches again made it obvious. They will
always remember.
A Day To Remember
Welland Legion honours vets
At Victoria Lawn Cemetery on Queenston Street in St. Catharines, hundreds of small Canadian
flags like this one proudly blow in the wind on the graves of the men and women who died in the
fight to protect our freedoms.
Photo by Riley Turpin
War vet says he wouldn’t do it over
By MARCUS YOUNGREN
Staff Writer
As a fresh pot of vegetable soup
brews on the stove, a man not eager
to discuss his participation in the
Second World War begins a trip
down memory lane.
John Rutkay, 82, of St. Catharines,
was part of the Merchant Marines
during that war. Originally from
Czechoslovakia, Rutkay moved
to Montreal at the age of 13 in
1937. Rutkay went to New York in
1942 and signed up as a Merchant
Marine. He initially joined the
Marines because he didn’t have
a good job and he wanted to do
something for his country.
Rutkay admits he might have
been a little naïve. “You never
know what you are getting into, but
you find out when you get there.”
As a young man, Rutkay says he
was looking for adventure. “I just
wanted to be out there.” He started
out as a deck hand sailing on lakes
and then moved to the ocean where
he was labeled an “able-bodied
seaman,” meaning he had to know
how to do everything on the ship.
Looking back, Rutkay remembers
people from all parts of the globe
serving with him.
“There was lots of Chinese,
Swedish, Norwegian and Danish
people on the ship. We called it an
international ship.” Rutkay says
the crew usually consisted of about
30 people.
He explains how they would set
sail in large convoys, accompanied
by destroyers, corvettes as well as
other merchant vessels. He asserts
the merchant sailors were only
armed with machine guns. “We
relied heavily on the other ships for
protection.” He remembers being
part of one convoy that went for
“miles and miles.”
Rutkay states he was attacked on
several occasions. “I was scared
shitless,” he remarks. Rutkay states
it was especially dangerous for
their ship to be attacked because of
the cargo they were hauling.
“We carried war material over,
and a lot of it was explosive.”
Rutkay reflects on how happy he
was just to unload all the cargo. “It
was a huge relief to finally get rid
of that stuff [cargo].”
Rutkay travelled to Scotland,
England, Iceland, Russia and the
U.S. while serving as a Marine. He
recalls how poor these countries
were during this period.
Rutkay was a smoker at this
time and would often buy cartons
of cigarettes for himself, but end
up giving them all away. “People
would offer to pay me, but I would
say no.”
The crew would always sleep
in the ship when docked. Rutkay
remembers rows of bunks where he
and his shipmates would sleep. He
adds the food was pretty good too.
“You didn’t have to starve there.”
Rutkay admits there were things
he didn’t like while sailing, but says
you have no choice when you’re on
a ship. “You can’t go no place.”
Rutkay served overseas for six
months. When he got back, he
immediately signed up for the
army. However, he was honourably
discharged after two days because
of an ear problem.
“The doctor said if I went back
over, any loud noise close to me
would permanently ruin my ear.”
Rutkay stayed in the Marines but
never went to the war zone again.
Rutkay says he doesn’t like how
some veterans think you owe them
something because they fought
in a war. He says that’s not how
it works.
“You go fighting for your own
self, fighting for yourself and your
family.”
He tries to forget about all the
things he saw and experienced
while in Europe. “I don’t want to
know about it. War is war, and it
doesn’t matter what you do.”
Rutkay says that war is a lot worse
now and is a different kind of war.
He asserts it’s more mechanical;
there are different guns and other
weapons.
“It’s a lot worse than before.”
He says now Canadian officers
are overseas and getting killed
trying to help people. “They are in
a country where they don’t know
what is going to happen next.”
He describes how a lot has
changed in war and in him. When
asked if he would go to war again
if he were still young, he replies,
“No, I’m a Christian now. I don’t
think I could do a lot of the things
I used to.”
He wishes he had been “saved”
when he was serving in the Marines.
“I wouldn’t have been so scared if I
knew then what I know now.”
Although Rutkay is trying to
forget what happened while he
was serving, he admits there was
no shortage of action during that
period of his life.
“That is one thing war will give
you: plenty of action.”
By RACHEL TATTERSALL
Staff Writer
The Royal Canadian Legion
is one small way of showing war
veterans we remember.
The Welland Legion, Branch 4,
has been on Morningstar Avenue
for about 40 years. Prior to this, it
was located on East Main Street
in 1926.
Dave Roberts, 68, of Welland, is
a volunteer and poppy co-chairman
at the Welland Legion. Roberts
says he helps organize the sales
and distributions of poppies in
the area. The Legion is all about
helping veterans who have been
through any war, such as the First
World War, the Second World
War, the Korean War and the
Gulf War.
He says the Legion also provides
bursaries for students and has a
public speaking campaign for
children.
The Legion receives poems and
posters made by local elementary
school children every year. “There’s
always about 5,000 poems and
pictures from Welland school kids
on these walls.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted
Police can be members, and
Legion members can sign in others
who want to join the festivities. It
is a social club for veterans, but on
weekends it also becomes a social
FREE
club for others, as when dances are
held on Saturday nights.
“Entertainment helps keep it
alive, but no smoking hurts the
Legions.”
“Vets are dying out,” says
Roberts, explaining there are only
14 left that come to this Legion
branch.
He says because they are losing
a lot of veterans, he thinks Legion
officials will soon let others be part
of what the Legion offers.
A remembrance parade was
held at Chippewa Park on Nov 5.
From Nov. 2 to Nov. 4 the poppy
campaign ran, and on Nov. 11 a
ceremony will be held outside the
Welland Legion to give thanks to
those who fought and those who
died in the wars.
Veterans, their families and
children from local elementary
schools will attend this ceremony.
“Last year there were about 380
kids here.”
Roberts says he doesn’t think
veterans are looked after well
enough in getting help with
home and health care, repairs and
independent living. He says they
should be “better taken care of and
given a bit more help.”
Veterans do appreciate having
the Legions for their social lives.
“The beer’s cheap and the
company’s good.”
62171595
Don’t forget our past
FLU CLINICS
AT BOTH
CAMPUSES
For further information on
the flu vaccine visit
www.regional.niagara.on.ca
Niagara Region Public Health is hosting a Free Community Flu Clinic
at the Welland Campus on Wednesday, November 15 from 9:00 am to
3:30 pm in the Mackenzie Building Gymnasium. First come, first served.
No appointment necessary!
Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus is holding a Free Clinic for staff
and students ONLY on Tuesday, November 28
from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Please bring your
Student or Staff Identification Card to the Health
Centre in room W105 to book your appintment,
or call (905) 641-2252 ext. 4449
for more information.
Remembrance Reflections
As mists lift off the forlorn field,
The scene around would make one yield,
Crosses lined up white and bare,
Reminding most, life is not fair,
Among the crosses poppies weave,
Amidst them stand the one who grieves.
Graves of Canadian
war veterans buried at
Victoria Lawn Cemetery
in St. Catharines are
marked by Canadian
flags on a cool October
afternoon.
Photo by
Shawn Taylor
The figure bent but full of grace,
A single tear upon the wizened face
The face with grief half covered by,
Hands that shake, thoughts asking, why?
The fact that many had to die,
Long days ago, the past gone by…
Out on the field around him flying,
The shots of guns and men lay dying,
Silent prayers, whispered pleas,
So far away and overseas,
Thoughts of family, friends, a wife,
Sometimes it’s just the simple things of life…
The Victoria Cross, 1914–15 Star
and Victory Medal of St. Catharines
native, Lance-Corporal Frederick
Fisher. These medals will be on
display at the St. Catharines Museum
at Lock 3 of the Welland Canal until
Sunday. The British War Medal (right
middle) belonged to Fisher’s brother,
Donald Fisher.
Photo by
Jason Petznick
The moment passed, back to this day,
The sun emerged, a golden ray,
A flutter of red had caught his eye,
Red maple leaf up flying high,
Its colours shining bright and true,
Reminding him of me and you…
A mural on the back
wall of the Welland
Royal Canadian
Legion building pays
tribute to veterans.
Photo by
Rachel Tattersall
To fight for country, not for fame,
Not for medal or a name,
To these men we owe so much,
Without them life would not be such.
A sacrifice so good and true,
Something not easy, hard to do.
A single tear falls in the row,
And many tears made poppies grow…
~ Julianne Van Dyk
Photo
Photo by
by Shawn
Shawn Taylor
Taylor
Page16, news@niagara, Nov. 10, 2006
November 11, 2006
Thinking of
others and
reflecting
on the past
By STEPHEN BOSCARIOL
Columnist
Death. Pain. Suffering.
These three words come to mind when
we think about Remembrance Day. It is a
time to reflect on the many men and women
who fought for us years ago.
Women lost husbands, husbands lost
wives, sons lost fathers, and fathers lost
sons. It was not a good time to be alive.
Everyone felt the effects of the war.
My family did not fight for Canada in the
First or Second World Wars; they had not
yet come to the country. However, the wars
did affect my family on a different level.
Picture an eight-year-old little girl
huddled in a corner of her family’s tiny
house with her older sister holding her close
and telling her in their native Italian tongue
that everything would be OK and that the
bombs that are going off 100 metres away
would not reach them. This would be a
nightmare for anyone, let alone a little girl
who was strong enough to overcome the
war, pack her belongings when she was in
her teens and move to Canada.
Imagine that you are a six-year-old boy
who has no money. You are running through
the streets of Cordenons, Italy, picking up
ammo, hoping to trade it with Nazi troops
for scraps of food for your little sister and
yourself.
Gun blasts go off over your head as you
run from body to body, checking every
pocket for loose rounds of ammunition.
When I was six, the most violence I
had seen was in an episode of the Ninja
Turtles.
Both my grandparents fled from Italy
during the First World War to start a new
life in Canada. Without those who fought,
my grandparents wouldn’t have come to this
country. My grandparents probably would
have never have lived to see the age of 10.
Many of you have family that did fight
in the war and maybe died in the war.
Stories of these awful times have been
told from generation to generation just as
my grandparents told me and I will tell my
children.
On Nov. 11, when you are sitting quietly,
think about those who were victims of these
horrible wars. Think of the innocent people
who lost lives sitting in their own homes.
Think of those little boys running the
streets because to them ammo was as good
as gold. Think of your family members
who were involved with keeping our world
free. Think of the men and women who
held weapons when words could not be
heard. Think about the death, the pain and
the suffering those wars caused everyone.
Just think.
A quiet reminder
Photo by Kristen Coughlar
Veteran puts life on the line
By TARA BRADY
Staff Writer
For some people, the Second World War
meant men committing acts of bravery, but
for others, it meant putting their lives on the
line for the unknown.
In June of 1942, Joseph Chiki, 83, of
Ridgeville, Ont., joined the army. With
three of his close friends, he was shipped
to Portage la Prairie, Man., for a five-month
training session.
“I was supposed to be home by Christmas,
but there was a big storm, so we couldn’t
make it back by boat.”
After his basic training was completed,
Chiki was sent to Camp Borden, in Barrie,
Ont., for advanced training with the
Armoured Corps.
Chiki began the war in Liverpool, England,
with the British Columbia Dragoons Fifth
Armoured Division, but was quickly
transported to Southern Italy to fight in the
Italian Campaign.
Before reaching Italy, German freighter
boats invaded the Mediterranean Sea in
Morocco and sank their boats and smuggled
Canadian soldiers to Algiers, Africa.
“We spent six weeks in Africa waiting
for equipment, stationed on the edge of the
Sierra Desert.”
When the equipment arrived, Chiki joined
forces with the Fifth Armoured Division and
First Infantry Division in Salerno, Italy, for
the Liberation of Casino.
“About 11,000 artillery pieces were lined
up when the United States and New Zealand
tried to take over Casino because it was
occupied by German troops. They failed to
invade the Germans, so they sent in Canadian
Joe Chiki, a Second World War
veteran, wears his commemorative
attire, honouring his service during the
war.
Photo by Tara Brady
troops. It was a big city, but when we were
finished, it was nothing.”
In 1943, Chiki spent the winter in South
Ortona: “Christmas in the mud.”
“The Germans were advertising Christmas
carols on loud speakers three or four miles
away, trying to make us homesick.”
Chiki recalls one cold evening in Italy
when he just about died from fright.
“We didn’t normally move locations at
night, but one night it was freezing and we
didn’t want to sleep outside, so we were
looking for a safe place to stay for the
night. I was behind a ditch watching for the
opposition and one of our soldiers tapped me
on the shoulder to tell me they found a place
to stay, but I thought it was our opponents. I
thought I would have died in battle instead.”
Chiki says that night they slept in a
mausoleum, with dead bodies surrounding
them in the walls and on the ground.
In 1944, Chiki joined the Canadian army in
North France to form the first Canadian army
for the invasion of France and Belgium.
In 1945, the Canadian army liberated
Holland. Chiki met his first wife in Holland
after the war.
“I was stuck in Holland, in Groningen,
because the centre of the city was bombed
out. We couldn’t remove our tanks because
Holland is full of canals and bridges that
wouldn’t hold a 40-ton tank.”
Chiki says his first wife’s brother came to
the soldiers looking to buy cigarettes from
them.
“Connie’s brother invited me for coffee at
their house, and I met her there. I asked her
to marry me before I left Holland. She didn’t
speak any English when I met her.”
Connie had to get her passport before she
came to Canada and went to school to learn
English. She moved to Canada in 1946.
“I had to sign papers to protect her and
get married to her within a month. We got
married on July 19, 1946.”
Chiki was discharged from the army in
February 1946.
“It [the war] wasn’t a holiday, that’s for
sure.”
A Day To Remember
From Dutch underground to Indonesia, veteran knows war
By KATELYN MUIR
Staff Writer
On Nov. 11 we dedicate a few
moments to remember the people
who have sacrificed to ensure our
futures.
Our elders have lived through
many historic events. They have
learned from the successes and
mistakes made over time and can
teach us a lot.
Geurt Jacobus Smink was born
in Harderwijk, Holland, on Oct.
26, 1927. He was the youngest of
four children. His father died when
he was three years old, leaving his
mother to raise their four children.
Germany invaded Holland on
May 10, 1940. This battle lasted
four days, putting Holland under German rule. Smink was 12
years old.
Smink says his oldest brother,
Harman, was involved with the
Dutch underground with a group
of 24 men.
“In 1924 there was a raid, and
many of that group was arrested
and put in jail. They were tried
and found guilty of spying. They
had no chance of defence because
the Germans were in charge.
They were all executed, and their
remains were sent to Germany.”
Smink says the family received
a last letter from Harman, saying
Basic training benefits in many ways
By KATELYN GALER
used to be a vegetarian, and
Staff Writer
also he started working out a lot
Shane McDonald, 22, of St. more.”
Catharines, has been a member
After basic training, McDonald
of the Lincoln and Welland says life seems much easier. “BaRegiment since January 2005.
sic training really helped me get
After completing his basic in shape, and now I’m addicted to
training two summers ago, working out.” He says the army
McDonald received his first benefits him in many ways; for
official rank as a private.
instance, he receives a bursary
A former college student, that goes towards his education
McDonald
attends
Brock every year.
University in St. Catharines and
McDonald has not signed a
studies philosophy. He grew up contract with the army and is
in Hamilton, but says he enjoys free to stop training whenever
living in the Niagara region with he wishes. After he completes
his four roommates.
his degree at Brock, he says he is
McDonald has completed considering a full-time position to
the course Army Tactical go overseas and put his training
Communication
Information into practice.
System (ATCIS) and is taking
“If I went full time, I would like
DP2A Infantry, an additional to pursue a career as a military
course to supplement his officer in the infantry.”
knowledge of machine guns and
He says his least favourite part
small arms. He
about the army
recently attained
is that occasionhis hunting licence
ally he is forced
and says he “can’t
to do things he
wait until turkey
doesn’t particuseason.”
larly want to
McDonald says
do, but in the
he wanted to join
end it makes
the army because
him a stronger
he didn’t want an
person.
average part-time
McDonald
job. “I wanted to
says his favoulearn
something
rite part is the
new and exciting
constant chaland try out a
lenge.
possible
career. Pte. Shane McDonald has his
“At the end of
I wanted to work mind set on going overseas. a training exerat a job that felt
cise, you always
Photo by Katelyn Galer
significant.”
feel like you’ve
M c D o n a l d ’s
accomplished
father, Norman, says he supports something. The reserves offer a
his son’s choice of work but flexible schedule, which works
doesn’t “want to see him go off to well with full-time school.”
war anytime soon.”
Although McDonald says
His mother, Donna, says ever he enjoys weekend retreats, it
since her son was little he showed always takes him a while to catch
a fascination with the army. “One up on his schoolwork afterwards.
Halloween he dressed-up as a sol- “It’s worth it.”
dier, and he loved it so much we
At one weekend retreat at
couldn’t get him to take the darn the C-coy Welland Armouries,
costume off.”
McDonald and his troop did an
Ben Soja, a friend of exercise called “icy poacher,”
McDonald’s, says he’s noticed a in which they shot at each other
big change in him since he joined with paint ball guns to simulate
the regiment. “For one, Shane a real war.
he would go to a better place
and he accepted it with peace in
his heart. The Smink family are
devout Christians.
“I was very young, but we knew
that our lives were in the Lord’s
hand,” Smink says.
“My sister’s fiancé was also a
prisoner of war, and it was a very
trying time.”
Smink says his mother would
hide in their house men who were
involved in the underground.
Houses in Holland are very small,
so doing so was very dangerous,
he says.
His mother once hid an important
underground worker who had fled
a German hospital and escaped
the German soldiers, Smink says.
The man had made it to a Roman
Catholic hospital where he was
hidden in the nuns’ quarters for a
few days. He then was brought to
Smink’s home, where he hid in
upstairs for a few days. Smink, in
his late teens at the time, was given
a gun and helped move the man
to a new safe location a few days
later. He was told that if he saw
any Germans he was to shoot them.
“This was very dangerous because
they were still looking for him [the
underground worker].”
“The big danger was that people
would talk. It was very dangerous
because the Germans made the
rule that if they found out they
would hand out stiff sentences,
even death.”
In 1944, at 17, Smink joined
the Marines. He trained in North
Carolina for two months, and he
also trained in Scotland. He left
for Indonesia in 1945.
Geurt Smink, 79, lived through
the Second World War and
served in Indonesia.
Photo by Katelyn Muir
Smink says the Dutch troops
were sent to Indonesia to free
the people from the Japanese.
Indonesia had been a Dutch colony
before Japan invaded.
“My family had mixed feelings
of me going to Indonesia. We felt
it was our duty to liberate the
Dutch people living there. They
were badly treated and lived in
camps. Many died there.”
“In Indonesia I was two years
on the front line. It is a beautiful
land. Sometimes we were afraid a
little once in a while but we were
young and that made it easier.”
The Marines were his first job,
Smink says. “I did like to be in
the Marines. I wanted to help end
the war.”
“Many of our Marines were
killed, and, of course, we did kill
some of them [the Japanese] too.”
Smink’s wife was the girl next
door, literally. Foekja (Florance)
Anna Broersma, nicknamed Kiki,
grew up down the street from
Smink.
Kiki also grew up the youngest
in her family of six children.
“I did live in the same street as
Geurt and, as far as I remember, I
always knew him.”
Kiki says she remembers her
father working in the distribution office where they got their
ration cards.
Expecting the war to end and
waiting to be liberated was always
the hope, Kiki says. “We knew our
lives were in God’s hand and He
was in control.”
Smink and Kiki corresponded
while he was serving in Indonesia. “I always liked him a lot,”
says Kiki.
“She also wrote me back to keep
me updated with everything from
our neighbourhood.”
The pair began to date when
Smink returned from Indonesia in
1948. They were engaged on Jan.
1, 1949, and married on March
28, 1951.
Almost immediately the Sminks
immigrated to Canada.
“I don’t think my parents
were too happy to see me go to
Canada,” Kiki says, “but so many
people left Holland and I think my
dad understood.”
Five children, 22 grandchildren
and 55 years of marriage later, the
Sminks are comfortably retired
and living in Hamilton.
Kiki
says
she
enjoys
volunteering at the Bible Thrift
Store with friends.
Smink says, “I like my retirement
job the best. I like to relax and
enjoyed doing woodwork and now
some painting, and, of course, my
flowers outside.”
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Casualties of War
S
o you go to war with a flag on your sleeve
Does that mean you will die for something you believe?
We’ve all seen it before this production of war
Same product on the shelf
Your local corner store
Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about
Big money big business it takes the same route
Strength in numbers no there’s just that one
Directing all his troops yet he knows not one
Some have families others are just young
Trying to protect their future so they don’t have to run
This is an evil that uses power to drive
The demons that attract souls to the dark side
A modern Darth Vadar sent as the eliminator
Treason is the crime if you’re guilty you’re a traitor
Maybe see you later, maybe we won’t
Kept in the mind so don’t mentally choke
T
hese men can all be victims
Casualties of war
If we don’t step back
Look at what we’re fighting for
The opposition has a plan for world domination
One against all
Let’s unite all nations
Those that choose to follow all that I ask
Have a pen and a pad and your mind to grasp
Whatever is leaked out by your words and thoughts
Just promise to stay tight lipped if you ever get caught
They will try and silence those that wish to oppose
Since they feel that a reputation you must uphold
As a citizen of this society who must remain in control
If the leaders are loose cannons, is that control?
Gun-toting Texans and right-wing elections
Maybe a socialist method could be a possible direction
Well maybe not these thoughts are endless
However can we not communicate a same level message?
Everyone takes and never gives back
Well these are my words, not right nor exact
N
ow it’s been left to the minds of young scholars
Will you choose to fight the fight or take the easy road
make dollars?
If the second is chosen your motion is frozen
History has proven your emotions not open
You’ve let it repeat itself since it always does
That’s the easiest plan it comes so natural
Don’t take my word for it, it’s all factual
It’s now or never let’s take a stand
And prove to those who rule it doesn’t take one man
It takes the mind of an unselfish one to sacrifice it all
Upon example of how we read about Christ
And how he’d fall
He gave himself to everyone the ultimate gift
Even thieves, murderers and those who chose to grift
So what will be your gift? And will you be remembered?
These are my words since I know no better
Photo by Robyn Hopper
By MICHAEL DACH
May-Clark-Seiler home a piece of history
By CHRISTINE KENNEDY
Staff Writer
“Unless we have it right in front of us, we tend to forget
history,” said Isabel Bachmann, program aide at the St. Catharines
Museum.
On Aug. 18 a ceremony was held to unveil a plaque and
commemorate Walnut Dale Farm, also known as the May-ClarkSeiler house.
The Georgian-style home was built around 1790 by William
May (1739–1827), a member of Major John Butler’s Company of
Rangers (Butler’s Rangers).
“We’ve lost the opportunity to present original settlers [of the
Niagara region] and Butler’s Rangers and the history they’ve
created after settling,” said 50-something-year-old Bachmann.
One member from each of the home-owning families unveiled
the commemorative plaque at the 45-minute ceremony, which
about 100 people attended including many dignitaries and family
members, said Bachmann.
The family-oriented event proceeded to the May cemetery,
where attendees spoke of May’s death. Later they went to the May
homestead for some old-fashioned cobbler.
“It was a social event. Many historians were interested because
this had been put off for a long time,” said Bachmann.
The home exchanged hands from the Mays to Colonel
John
Clark (1783–1862) and his wife Sara Adams in 1838,
This plaque commemorates the MayClark-Seiler home at 3 Sparkes St. in St. at which time they renamed the home Walnut Dale Farm.
Clark was a trader in Native goods, a farmer and a land speculator.
Catharines.
During
the War of 1812 he was in charge of the prisoners after the
Photo by Christine Kennedy
Battle of Lundy’s Lane and was captured at the Battle of Chippawa,
but escaped, said Clark’s diary.
Clark served four terms as member of Parliament. He was a
“strong supporter of the Welland Canal and one of his oldest friends
was Honourable William H. Merritt,” records Clark’s diary.
In the Sept. 29, 1830, edition of The Journal and Welland Canal
Intelligencer. Clark wrote, “To the Free and Independent Electors
of the County of Lincoln: ... Being sensibly aware that there are
persons among you better qualified for the distinguished station,
I feel not vain of success: yet I can yield to no man my honest
integrity of intention towards the protection of your rights, and
those of the constitution under which we have the happiness
to live.”
“Demolition was ordered in 1979, at which time Heritage St.
Catharines formulated plans for its move and restoration. It was
destroyed by arson in 1984 before the move could take place,”
reads the plaque erected by Heritage St. Catharines.
The home could never be reconstructed because only a concrete
slab remains, once the front step. Reconstruction of the entrance is
in the children’s section of the St. Catharines Museum in History
Hall, said Bachmann.
“Over the years, the family homestead became one [of] the oldest
houses in the district and the province, an achievement worthy of
William May’s great efforts to make a place for himself and his
family here in Niagara,” wrote Bachmann.
The latest owners of the property are Herman and Inge Seiler.
They’ve built their home adjacent to the old May homestead.
“Lovely old home, lovely old family,” said Bachmann.
U.S. sex offender paroled in Canada
where he has landed immigrant
status and where his wife and
three children reside. Under
the terms of his release, Watson
must regularly visit his probation
officer and receive counselling
in Buffalo.
An NRP officer was assigned
to conduct an investigation into
Watson’s background.
Bevan said, “We will
conduct a fair and impartial
investigation, based on section
810.1 of the Criminal Code of
Canada to determine whether
there is a strong fear on
reasonable grounds that Watson
will commit another sexual
offence.” If reasonable grounds
exist, Watson would enter into a
recognizance, for a period of up
to 12 months. Upon concluding
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their investigation they will then
meet with Niagara North Crown
Attorney James Ramsay and
give their recommendations.
If Watson is permitted to
remain in Canada, Bevan said he
will have no restrictions placed
upon him.
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VNov 13
62174019
62177314
By KRISTEN COUGHLAR
Staff Writer
An American sex offender
has been released from custody
in Canada after an immigration
hearing on Oct. 27.
Malcolm Watson, 35, was
detained at the Canadian border
on Oct. 25, returning from a
meeting with his probation
officer in Buffalo, N.Y.
Following the media circus
surrounding Watson’s arrival in
Canada, New York Prosecutor
Frank Clark says he will ask to
have Watson serve his probation
in Erie County, N.Y.
Since Watson’s arrival in
Canada, Det. Sgt. Paul Bevan,
of the Niagara Regional Police
(NRP) sexual assault unit, said
in a phone interview that the
number of calls from media he
has received is “easily over 20.
A lot of national newspapers. I
would certainly say it has had
the country’s attention.”
While Bevan said he hasn’t
personally
received
any
complaints from concerned
local residents, “that’s not to say
there haven’t been any. I’m sure
there have.”
Bevan responded to reports
that Watson is living in St.
Catharines. “It’s fair to say he
was living in the St. Catharines
area,” prior to being detained.
Watson, who has been making
headlines since his arrival
in Canada on Oct. 23, was
sentenced by a Cheektowaga
court to three years probation,
after pleading guilty to sexual
assault in the third degree and
endangering the welfare of
a minor.
The former Buffalo teacher
was arrested in April after he
was caught in a parked car with
a 15-year-old student.
An American citizen, Watson
asked the court to allow him to
serve his probation in Canada
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ATNIAGARA
NIAGARA
Guitarist ‘just loves to play’
By ADAM GAMBLE
Staff Writer
Not many of us can pick up a guitar and expect to belt out a
few chords from Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven. It takes
hours of hard work and dedication. A lot of people wish they
could play guitar simply to become popular or pick up girls.
Jeff Bond, 34, of Niagara Falls, says he “just loves to play.”
“I started playing guitar at age 16 and have been playing
for 18 years now,” says Bond. “You must practise, practise,
practise in order to become a good guitar player. You must
have proper studying habits and work hard at it. I went to
Mohawk College in Hamilton and then Brock University in
St. Catharines to study music theory. I wanted to learn as much
as I could about music.”
Bond says he first became interested in guitar because “a
few friends were playing at the time and it seemed so cool.”
He started taking lessons from Jonathan Earp.
“He was a great teacher and really helped me out a lot. My
earliest influences in guitar were Randy Rhodes, Jimi Hendrix
and Stevie Ray Vaughn. They are all great guitarists with their
own unique style. There are so many great guitarists out there.
Steve Vai, Leo Brouwer, Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton – they
are some of my favourites. They are very good at the technical
aspects of guitar.”
Bond has seen “hundreds of bands live.” He says he has Jeff Bond plays a few guitar tunes in his studio on Victoria
been to see “Pink Floyd, The Eagles, Judas Priest, Joe Satriani, Avenue in Niagara Falls.
Primus and tons more. Pearl Jam was probably the best concert
Photo by Riley Turpin
I’ve been too. They are just awesome live. I wish I could go
see Rush in concert. I haven’t seen them yet, but they are a were famous classical guitar players. It was an honour,” he
great band.”
says. Bond has also played in front of Paul Martin when he was
Bond says he has “played in a few local bands before, but finance minister and says he “felt he was a very preoccupied
nothing really came out of it. It was more for fun. I just wanted individual.”
to play. I write my own music from time to time and have tons
Once a year, Bond judges the local Battle of the Bands
of themes written down, and when I’m ready I might think competition at Optimist Park in Niagara Falls. He says, “I look
about recording my own CD. I have recorded for people in the for three basic principles: original song, contrast of material
past and really enjoyed it.”
and presentation. There are a lot of talented musicians in the
Bond has tried out to be a guitarist for the Red Hot Chili area. Unfortunately, most of the bands don’t stay together.”
Peppers. “A friend of mine who was working at a radio station
Bond says, “While I am not busy with my music, I enjoy
at the time hooked me up with the tryout. I went to Los Angeles building models, painting and watching football. [I’m a]
to a record studio, got up on stage, they recorded me playing big Eagles fan.” He enjoys these hobbies because he “sees
some stuff, but, unfortunately halfway through, one of my something other than music to ease the pain,” he laughs.” He
guitar strings broke. I kept playing but eventually I decided to also says he “loves watching Seinfeld. It’s hilarious.”
stop and tell them what happened. There were so many people
He says, “Music has always been my main love. I currently
there I didn’t have enough time to take another shot, but I own 20 guitars and my favourite one is my Ramirez classical
enjoyed the experience and getting to meet the band.”
guitar. I love classical guitar because it is difficult and
Bond says his most memorable moment was “playing in challenging to play and also very fulfilling.”
Quebec at Domain Forget in the concert hall in front of a pretty
Bond says he has been teaching for 11 years.
big audience. It was unbelievable!
“I currently have 65 students and work eight hours a day,
“I have entered probably 10 master classes where you six days a week. I love teaching because I get to do what I
perform in front of a famous instructor and they critique you enjoy all day long and I also learn from it. I try to be a fair,
in front of the audience. It’s a great experience, but can be nice guy to everyone, especially all my students. I think that’s
nerve wracking.”
very important.”
Bond has performed in front of Pepe Romero, who comes
Bond teaches guitar lessons at Bond School of Music on
from a famous family of guitarists. “His father and grandfather Victoria Avenue in Niagara Falls.
Falls singer signed to Sony
By CODY MCGRAW
Staff Writer
After being part of 25 bands and countless ups and
downs, 21-year-old Matt Dell, of Niagara Falls, has
finally been signed to Sony.
At a Halloween party dressed as a turn-of-thecentury Vienna vampire, Dell exclaims with a smile,
“I never expected my stuff to be something a record
label would be interested in.”
Dell says he was discovered at Geoffrey Chapman
Models after he was told he was six inches under the
required height to be a model. He continues to say
he was asked to come back and do a photo shoot
after the people found out he was a musician.
“I played for a man and afterwards he told me he
was a representative for Sony. He asked me if I’d
even been to Toronto and if I could make a demo for
him.” Dell adds he is going to rewrite an album he
has already made in the process.
“My music is classified as pop/punk/acoustic/
emo, but my music doesn’t have a title.” He explains
that vocally and guitar wise he is similar to Story of
the Year, Armor For Sleep and Thrice, but asserts he
looks up to all artists.
“Whether it’s Jack Johnson or Jesse McCartney,
they’ve done something to make it where they are.”
Almost whispering, Dell says he has missed out
on a lot of things in his life.
“I’ve sacrificed money, jobs, friends and girlfriends
for music.”
Dell says he’s travelled the Niagara region in
bands and moved to Toronto for six months to join
another.
“I’ve played shows in front of one person, and
I’ve played shows for 730 people. I put my full heart
and soul into it, whether it’s one person or 100,000
people. You never know who [the fan] is or what he
is. A fan is everything to a musician. The fan keeps
you going.”
Dell proclaims it’s hard being in a band because
it’s hard “to find the right guys to be with.” He
suggests finding people one can get along with on
the road and create with is the key.
Even with the hardships, Dell says he wants to be
in a band more than he wants to be a solo artist.
“Some people say they have no reason to wake up
or be here tomorrow, but music shows them other
people go through the same thing, they’ve made it
and everything will be OK. “Twelve years ago my
brother died of a heart attack and my family has
been rocky ever since. Music was always there and I
want to have a song that someone can connect with
the way I did.”
“If you try and give 100 per cent, it will pay off,”
says Dell with a smile before stealthily disappearing
back into the party just as his vampire alter ego
would.
Olympic Island music festival heats up Toronto Island
By CODY MCGRAW
Staff Writer
A hot day brings hot bands to a summer
festival.
For the third year in a row, The Olympic
Island music festival, headlined and produced
by Broken Social Scene, brought hundreds
to Toronto Island on July 24. The event was
the first time the festival had sold out.
After an hour wait for a ferry, I arrived
in time to catch the first band, Raising the
Fawn. Most people attending were either
getting food or lying on the grass getting a
tan during the set. The members of the band
didn’t seem to mind because they still got a
warm reception from the audience who were
paying attention.
A half hour went by before Dinosaur Jr.
member J. Mascis took the stage with a few
members from Broken Social Scene to form
Broken Mascis Scene. Throughout the set,
the supergroup of sorts played songs from
the Dinosaur Jr. back catalogue. At first the
audience was tepid, but before long a fair
number of people were standing to listen to
this rare event.
It was obvious the members of Broken
Social Scene playing with Mascis were
in awe of his presence and guitar-playing
abilities. Listening was a treat for anyone
over the age of 25 and those who remember
Dinosaur Jr.
Singer/songstress Feist was next to play.
“I’ve had the flu for about three weeks,” she
says, after screwing up her first note on her
first song in her set. Wearing large sunglasses
and a sun hat, she continued on with little to
no trace of illness in her voice.
Encouraging people to sing along and
clap, she wooed the audience with her
sensual voice and personable demeanor. Her
most notable songs were Secret Heart and
audience favourite Mushaboom. Feist also
announced her new album will be in stores
in January 2007 before playing a “new track
that will still be new in six months when the
album is released.” She also joked, “If you
remember this song, you can tell your friends
you heard this song from a long time ago.”
England’s Bloc Party got the party started.
From the moment the members started
their first song, the audience was captivated
by their infectious form of Britpop and
danceable beats. With a huge smile on his
face the entire set, frontman Kele Okereke
clearly wasn’t lying when he said, “Toronto
is our favourite city to play.”
Banquet really got everyone moving in the
limited dance room, as did the band’s other
smash hit, Modern Romance, off the album
Silent Alarm. After a set that seemed to fly
by in seconds, the audience was left wanting
more and left anticipating the upcoming
album as the hot sun finally went down
behind them.
At about 8:30, Canada’s own indie rock
royalty, Broken Social Scene, finally took
the stage. Feist returned, as she is a band
member, to sing with Kevin Dean and Stars
singer Amy Millan.
Relying on newfound blog popularity, the
band played such favourites as Cause = Time,
Anthem for a Seventeen Year Old Girl and
Stars and Sons off the breakthrough album
You Forgot it in People. Called the band’s
“rock opera,” Almost Crimes was sung with
a special enthusiasm with Millan and Feist
dueting with Dean, and J. Mascis returning
to play guitar.
As Toronto Island’s curfew of 11 p.m.
drew near, the band members played their
final songs as audience members rushed to
the ferry in fear of having to wait hours for
another.
NOISE@
ATNIAGARA
NIAGARA
NEWS
Unsigned London band making name
By ANDREA DYER
Staff Writer
Unsigned,
unaided
and
currently uninfluenced by anyone,
London’s Shotgun Rules is a band
demonstrating independence.
Showcasing a down-to-earth personality, guitarist Ric Mattingley
talks in an e-mail interview about
the band’s journey, lifestyle choices
and the upcoming release of its first
full-length album.
While many bands are signed
and/or have distribution deals under
their belts, Shotgun Rules has only
its talent and drive to thank for its
success.
“We’ve booked our own tours,
hit the road, played the shows
and have somehow, all on our
own, attained quite a nice-sized
following,” says Mattingley. The
catchy riffs, emotionally charged
lyrics and energetic stage presence
of the band make it easy to see the
truth behind that.
Many bands are tapping into
influential standpoints with fans
by conveying religious values and
lifestyle choices either through their
music or personalities. Mattingley
says that he is vegan and supports a
no drugs, no alcohol consumption
lifestyle, but that lifestyle is a
personal choice and should not be
forced upon anyone by anyone,
bands included.
“Bands are very influential,
and people, without being forced
to, will check into things that
interest their favourite bands.
Ramming it into their faces is
no better than going door to
door trying to sell people on a
religion.”
He says in the past the band
has supported People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals
and displayed its pamphlets since
“it’s good to have ideas available
for people to learn.”
“It’s definitely important to be
positive role models.”
With the upcoming release of
the band’s full-length album fast
approaching, fans of Shotgun
Rules can expect an updated
taste of what the guys have to
offer fairly soon.
“We’re still trying to finish it up
and make sure it’s the best thing
we could possibly do ... I’m pretty
sure that if people don’t want to
make a mess, they’ll take their
pants off before listening to it.”
Tribe returns to Toronto
By JIM WHYTE
Staff Writer
The energy outside the Kool
Haus nightclub in Toronto on
Sept. 17 was nothing short of
electric: A Tribe Called Quest
(ATCQ) was back in the city,
ready to perform a live show
again after nearly 10 years.
Back in town for the 2K7 Sports
Bounce Tour, which toured 15
cities across the United States as
well as the solo Canadian show
in Toronto, ATCQ rocked the
stage for almost an hour and half,
performing 18 classics tracks from
all five of their albums.
The group consists of producer/
DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad,
lyricists Phife Dawg (born Malik
Taylor) and lead man Q-Tip
(Jonathon Davis). The band is
famous for its low-key style and
jazz-infused samples with witty,
positive and humourous wordplay.
ATCQ is considered one of the
most positive and influential hiphop groups of the 1990s, along
with the likes of De La Soul and
The Roots.
The New York City trio released
its masterpiece debut album
People’s Instinctive Travels and
the Paths of Rhythm in early
1990, heralding classics Can I
Kick It?, Youthful Explosion and
Bonita Applebum, which won fans
immediately.
In late 1991, ATCQ released a
second EP, The Low End Theory,
an album that solidified the group’s
potential. The album is full of
jazz-infused samples and funky
bass lines. ATCQ added acclaimed
jazz bassist Ron Carter, who most
notably had worked on two albums
with jazz great Miles Davis in the
early 1960s.
In 1993, Midnight Marauders
was released, and it was the band’s
most successful album in sales. It
was followed by 1996’s Beats,
Rhymes and Life and 1998’s
The Love Movement, two more
albums that were also close to
flawless. The Love Movement
had been categorized, however, by
some as an attempt to please a more
mainstream audience.
While ATCQ was on tour for The
Love Movement release in late
1998, the group announced that the
band would be breaking up after
the tour to pursue solo careers.
Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and Ali
Shaheed Muhammad all did their
share in solo projects throughout
the years that followed, although
the magic in their work was not
present as it was when the three
were together.
Having witnessed the Toronto
show first-hand, I feel ATCQ still
has what it takes. Although it
is a long shot, die-hard fans are
hoping this tour will bring ATCQ
back together for another studio
release.
I know I have my fingers
crossed.
Shotgun Rules entertains music fans at The End in Welland on Oct. 13 with Foxfight, Isalin, Farewell to
Freeway and Kincaide.
Photo by Andrea Dyer
Stoner-metal newcomers on rise
By KRIS DUBE
Staff Writer
There is an up-and-coming
stoner-metal band from Toronto
called Our Father. Both its live
show and its self-titled six-song
EP can fill a room with a thick and
lazy haze of smoke.
Our Father is a relatively
young band consisting of Dave
O’Connor, 20, Easton Lannaman,
19, Andreus Meret, 19, and Casey
Wolfman, 18.
The members have been playing
together for about two years as
Our Father. They were previously
called Pterodactyl with pretty
much the same line-up aside from
a different bass player. One song
that was written as Pterodactyl’s
made the transition to the library
of Our Father. All the other songs
that the band has crafted are
“exclusive to Our Father,” said
singer/guitarist Dave O’Connor.
Although Our Father is not
a hardcore or metal-core band,
a lot of the shows the band has
played have been for a crowd that
probably came out to see your
standard “fast part, breakdown,
and fast part, breakdown” formula
of metal and hardcore. Our Father
is still as heavy as a bag of pianos
but is refreshingly distinguishable
from other aggressive bands.
O’Connor describes the sound
as “a fury of driving metal riffs,
skull-crushing licks, in a haze of
droned-out robots.” O’Connor says
that the members are influenced
by bands such as Hot Snakes,
early Black Sabbath, Melvins, Part
Chimp, and High on Fire but don’t
find it necessary to model their
sound or image around the bands
that they listen to.
Many hardcore genre bands
have a difficult time understanding
the concept of trying new things
besides wearing a shirt of the band
they are touring with, or having
a singer that can’t come up with
his own style, and thus can only
borrow everything they like about
their favourite bands.
The focal point of Our
Father’s live show is the same
as most other bands, the front
man. O’Connor, who has also
played in other bands such as
Windchimes, Get Loose, and
Like You, is as energetic as the
Energizer Bunny on crack.
After their set at The End
Concert Lounge in Welland, on
Oct. 27, O’Connor said, “I nearly
busted my guitar off the ceiling a
couple of times.”
Listening to a band is how music
fans usually form an opinion about it,
while watching how a band performs
live is another way to build on that
opinion. Listening to Our Father’s
EP should certainly be followed up
by checking the band out the next
time it rolls into a town near you.
“We plan on having a full-length
album completed sometime in
the spring, since we are going to
start recording in the early winter
months,” said O’Connor. “The
songwriting process for us comes
easily and is readily available since
we all moved into the same house in
September. Instead of sitting around
watching TV as a household, we
write songs.”
Listen to the band’s songs by
checking out http://www.myspace.
com/ourfatherband.
The
Arts
Exploring the fear of New additions at
the dark through art rodman hall
By LAURA NARDUCCI
Staff Writer
A thick veil of a progressively
darker blue skin-like paper cuts
across the gallery in a gentle curve.
It towers 12 feet tall, stretching 45
feet in a gentle curve and forming
a figure eight. There is little
illumination in the room, and light
music plays, sending chills down
the viewer’s spine.
Depicted on the veil are inked,
winged, human-like creatures
hovering in a mass towards the
veil’s darkest part. A small opening
allows the viewer to step inside a
different world and walk through
the installation, exploring the
nightmares of a little girl.
This is the work of 48-yearold Taiwan-born Ed Pien. The
installation, called Tracing Night,
is being displayed at Rodman Hall
Arts Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres., St.
Catharines. Pien’s work will be
there until Dec. 30, 2007.
“To actually make the work took
about two months,” says Pien in an
e-mail interview.
“The work is a continuation of
my investigation into concepts of
fear: how we respond to fear, what
makes us afraid and how fear is
used as a motivating factor that
shapes who we are. This theme has
been an ongoing concern for about
12 years.”
The installation is created using
glassine paper and ink. Pien does
not use this combination for all his
work, only for his installations.
For other work he uses a type of
Japanese paper.
“I start off by translating small
drawings onto the glassine at the
scale that suits the installation.
After that, I start colouring and then
gluing the five-foot-wide sheets of
paper together. All the edges are
reinforced, so the paper doesn’t
tear as easily and the installation,
being stronger, can be re-used and
re-presented.”
Creating such a huge work with
such delicate materials is “both
easy and difficult.” To Pien, gluing
and wrinkling the glassine paper
is difficult but the wrinkling gives
the paper “a more skin-like quality,
allowing it to undulate and be
more resilient to the wear and tear
caused by viewers going through
the work.” Pien adds, “It is easy to
work with glassine because it takes
ink really well.”
Once exploring the images on the
outside of Tracing Night, the viewer
can enter the installation through a
small opening in the work.
“The entrance way is made
smaller to make people consciously
aware that they are about to enter
into a different kind of space. If
the entrance was made bigger,
The main wall of Ed Pien’s Tracing Night. The glassine veil
progressively changes from dark blue to light blue.
Photo by Laura Narducci
the viewer would become quite
consciously aware of the rest of
the gallery space and entering
wouldn’t be as big a deal. I also
wanted the viewer to work a bit, to
change their body position so they
can enter. It is something like Alice
in Wonderland.”
Once inside, the viewer is greeted
by a 12-foot-tall cylindrical piece
depicting a little girl and strange
creatures. Cut into this piece
are many tiny holes, only a few
centimetres wide, that the viewer
can look into.
“The peepholes consist of
layers and layers of hand-cut and
individually tinted papers. They are
suspended on sticks and separated
into intervals to give the illusion
they occupy the entire interior
space of the smallest red-purple
structure. Different creatures reside
in each hole and they represent the
possibilities of what awaits in the
night and darkness.”
After exploring this piece,
the viewer can walk down a
narrow passage to a second inner
installation. Hanging above is a
video projection that shows figures
transforming.
“The video projection deals
with a sense of transformation in
a time-based mode. It also helps
to convince the viewer to linger in
my work a bit longer. It is smaller
because it references the moon in
the night sky.”
During the experience, music
plays faintly in the background. Pien
says the music is not essential to the
work but he “likes the way it gets
into everything and everywhere.
The sound element also enhances
the mood that I am attempting to
convey and maintain.”
Darkness, night, wonder and fear
of the dark are the themes explored
in this piece. These are not Pien’s
main themes for all of his work
though. Pien says he explores
different scenarios that deal with
fear. One of the installations Pien
made “responded to people who
had actually encountered real
ghosts.”
Part of Pien’s inspiration for this
work came from Inuit artist Irene
Avaalaaqiaq.
“She inspired this piece because
I am interested in how she deals
with confronting fear, which is to
change herself into a wolf and run
away from danger or into a bird and
fly far away. It is the stories that she
tells that inspire me. Irene tends to
use repeated images. I also used a
similar, repeated motif, in the outer
layer of my work and it consists of
a flying human-like creature.”
Pien’s interest in art started when
he was in kindergarten. He came to
Canada from Taiwan when he was
11. “When I was young, paper was
scarce so I remember the very first
time colouring and it was a magical
experience.”
Art interests him because art is
about creating and making.
“I didn’t have a lot of toys so I
made them. One of my favourite
toys is an airplane I made from
a toothpaste box. The sense of
making and transforming common
elements into something poetic has
stayed with me since childhood.”
Pien says anything can be
inspirational, but he is interested
in “delving into the human
condition.”
Pien says he gets the most
inspiration from the “love of art
and trying to get a better sense of
myself in relation to the rest of the
world.”
By TARA BRADY
Staff Writer
It’s an art lover’s dream.
Rodman Hall Arts Centre, a
unique, historic mansion, nestled in
the cozy Twelve Mile Creek area in
St. Catharines, features the work of
regional, national and international
artists. Acquired from the Merritt
family in 1960, the mansion was
then revamped into an art gallery
with the help of estate donations.
Rodman Hall recently welcomed
Katharine Harvey’s Waterfall
as a showcase piece as part of a
new project. This entails artists
featuring their work in a niche
space for a year.
Gordon Hatt, curator of
Rodman Hall, an affiliate of Brock
University’s School of Fine and
Performing Arts, says he thinks this
space will be a good opportunity
for artists to work in different
mediums, whether their work is
simple or complex.
Harvey is a Toronto-based
artist whose inspiration for her
Waterfall piece is derived from
two significant themes, water
and store-front windows. In this
piece Harvey achieved a material
presence in the representation of
her unusual application of acrylic
medium. The other major theme of
work, the store-front window, was
developed as an ongoing series of
paintings that were initially inspired
by her interest in quirky displays
of merchandise in small store
windows. Store window paintings
also reflect an underwater world of
reflections and floating objects.
Hatt says Waterfall fills the niche
with transparent dollar-store objects
in a plethora of colours of blue and
green that appear to tumble down
the niche like a waterfall.
“Waterfall is supposed to evoke
the idea of a waterfall, with
cascades of junk and non-reusable
items to make it seem life-like.”
Another new attraction to
Rodman Hall is Ed Pien’s Tracing
Night. Pien’s artwork is a veil of
suspended glassine paper 45 feet
wide by 12 feet high.
Pien’s large-scale ink drawings
in this medium depict a girl
asleep, accompanied by images
that appear in her dream. Beyond
the suspended work, a large-scale
installation in the form of an
elongated figure eight is laid out on
a slight diagonal along the length
of the gallery. The outer layer of
the veil progresses from light to
dark blue. Pien overlaid silhouetted
images of winged, semi-human
creatures on the surfaces. Their
numbers multiply in a dense swarm
as they gather towards the darkened
end of the structure. Sound is used
to enhance the spatial quality of the
installation by activating the entire
gallery space.
Rodman Hall’s Forty-Five Years
of Collecting is composed of
donated and purchased pieces from
mostly Canadian artists, as well as
German expressionist paintings and
paintings derived from England.
There are 106 finest works on
display in the parlour of the home.
For more information on the
Rodman Hall Arts Centre, contact
Hatt at 905-684-2925 or e-mail
[email protected].
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
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Children’s Safety Village saves lives
Fun way for students to remember ‘Stop. Look. Think.’ when faced with emergency
By NADINE WEBSTER
Staff Writer
Walking through the front doors
of the Niagara Region Children’s
Safety Village on Woodlawn Road,
I am greeted by two smiling police
officers and Bob Wastle.
It is almost 3 p.m., just about
time to go home, but these three
haven’t lost their enthusiasm.
Wastle, interim executive director for Niagara Region Children’s
Safety Village, guides me through
the classrooms. According to the
village’s brochure, injuries are the
leading cause of death for children
one to 10 years of age. The aim is
to teach children “safety training
for life.”
The hexagon-shaped building’s
corridor is surrounded by classrooms and offices, the fire safety
class and the police and safety class
on the higher level and the paramedics’ room on the lower level.
Students
from
elementary
schools, along with their classroom
teachers, come to the village facing
Niagara College’s Child Care Centre at the Welland campus as part of
a field trip.
First on the tour is the police and
safety room. The room is brightly
lit and covered from floor to ceiling with colourful safety posters.
A life-sized working yellow traffic
light and a walk/don’t walk light
hang in the corner. Here, children
from Grade 1 through Grade 5
learn about bicycle safety with the
help of Elmer the Elephant.
The next stop is the fire safety
room, by far the class with the
most involvement from students.
As in the police and safety room,
it is brightly lit with many posters.
Grade 1 students sit on thick mats
while watching a puppet show put
on by firefighters.
Older students proceed to the Fire
Hazard Simulator, a remote-operated kind of dollhouse. It shows the
many hazards there may be in each
room, such as in the bathroom, in
the kitchen or on the stairs. The remote “turns on” a hazard, a radio
falling in the bathtub for example,
and the loud buzz sound even has
me jump back a few steps.
The door next to the simulator
leads to Sparky’s House. Sparky is
a well-known cartoon Dalmatian
in firefighter gear. The house looks
as though it’s a small apartment.
It has a fully functioning kitchen
with a sink and a stove. Students
identify the hazards in the room,
such as a fork stuck in an outlet
and electrical cords hanging off the
countertops.
A bedroom at the back of the
kitchen is outfitted with bunk beds.
Inside this room, a firefighter brings
the students in to see the rope ladder hanging outside the window.
Little do they know that a smoke
simulator is being activated in the
kitchen. As the room slowly fills
with “smoke,” the firefighter and
the students must find a way out.
Can they crawl beneath the smoke?
Is the door hot to the touch? Students then climb out to the rope
ladder, one-by-one.
It’s a fun way for students to remember the important steps when
they are faced with an emergency
situation, a kind of practice so they
can be prepared when a real-life
situation arises.
Fire prevention mascot Sparky
Photos by Nadine Webster
The case of eight-year-old
Gordie Weller is an important example of this. In June 2005, Weller
was home with his brother, 2, and
his stepfather while his mother
was at work. His stepfather fell
asleep, leaving some oil heating on
the stove. When smoke started to
fill the Welland apartment, Weller
woke his stepfather and his brother.
They got out of the building while
Weller knocked on residents’ doors
to warn them of the fire.
Weller said he credits his recent visit to the village where he
learned important lessons on fire
safety, including how to evacuate a
smoke-filled room.
“His quick actions helped to ensure that no one was hurt in this
fire. Gordie demonstrated extreme
determination and perseverance in
getting everyone out of the apartment building safely,” said Fire
Marshal Bernard Moyle.
Weller went on to receive a Fire
Safety Action Award from the Fire
Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council, The Young Heroes Award and
an educational bursary.
It’s stories like these that give
me goosebumps and give Wastle
the commitment to keep going.
“We prepare children how to
react when emergencies happen,”
he says.
The paramedics’ room on the
lower level for students Grade 6
and up teaches what Wastle calls
“first response reactions.”
“The first thing is 911, then,
depending on what the danger is,
what steps they can take.”
Each classroom has its own
outfit. In the fire safety room, a
complete firefighter outfit sits in
the corner. In each room, the classroom teacher puts on the gear from
boots to helmet. Wastle says this
is important for students to recognize police officers, firefighters
and paramedics as friends. He says
too many times, emergency crews
find children hiding in a corner, too
afraid to come out or even talk.
Wastle takes me outside, to a
small city built to children’s scale.
There is a tiny intersection, a tiny
Tim Hortons coffee shop and a
tiny Zehrs grocery store on the corner. There’s even a mini Niagara
College and a working railroad
crossing. Students drive miniature
battery-operated cars and bicycles
to put their newly acquired street
safety instructions into practice.
Each car carries the logo of the
company sponsoring it.
“It’s part of a fundraiser, an aid as
a community project,” says Wastle,
of the village.
The village opened in September
2003 thanks to funding and sponsors within the Niagara community.
Ronald McDonald Charities, CAA
and Zehrs are some of the company
sponsors, but funding also comes
from individuals who care about
children.
There is a plaque on the door
leading to Sparky’s House, in memory of Alice B. Redman Gooch,
who died in November 2004. Her
contribution of the Fire Hazard
Simulator is one that all children
see when they pass through the village. Upon her death, she left the
village another sizable donation.
The artwork, paintings on the
interior walls and even the decorating were all done by local high
school students.
Leaving the village, I wonder how
anyone could do so much damage
to such a helping organization.
Recent vandalisms at the village
are hard for everyone in the community to comprehend.
“There have been six incidences
over a period of three and a half
months,” says Wastle.
“The first few were minor, and
the police did not consider them (to
be) a major issue.”
That soon changed.
“Someone came in and broke
70 per cent of our windows. Nine
doors were bashed in. The police
estimated about $12,000 damage.
It was then considered a criminal
offence.”
Wastle says when the damage
was discovered on that Monday
morning, the first concern was the
children. The village decided to reschedule all classes for that week.
Nevertheless, Wastle hasn’t lost
his faith in the community. Welland
volunteer firefighters and their crew
came by to help with the clean up.
Volunteers from a window repair
company replaced half of the broken windows. Even students from
Niagara College’s Welland campus
got their hands dirty.
The year-old Student Initiative
Club, led by Jesse Edsall, a secondyear Police Foundations student,
wanted to do something to prevent
the vandalisms from happening in
the first place.
“We adopted it as one of our major commitments,” says Edsall.
“It’s really a tribute to the community,” says Wastle.
“I cannot stress enough the initiative the students had. They came
to us with a Watch program, and
it’s a fabulous idea. The students
really stepped up.”
Students from the Police Foundations program and the Law and
Security Administration program
organized a Volunteer Watch. The
students rotate spending evenings
at the village.
“It’s great. We needed a presence.
It’s as good as having a security
system, if not better,” says Wastle.
He urges anyone who sees anything suspicious at the village to
call the Niagara Regional Police at
905-688-4111 ext. 4330.
“The more eyes, the better it’s
going to be.”
For more information, visit
www.niagarasafetyvillage.on.ca.
FABULOUS FALL GIVEAWAY!
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Security and listen to “Niagara’s Hottest Mix”
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SPORTS
NEWS@
NIAGARA
On the road with Niagara Knights volleyball team
By JASON PETZNICK
Staff Writer
Living a double life isn’t easy.
In comparison with everyone
else, you must deal with twice
as many people, twice as much
responsibility and twice as much
drama. That’s not an easy task.
Recently I took this on. In
addition to my job as a reporter for
news@niagara, I am involved with
the men’s volleyball team here. On
Oct. 20 and Oct. 21, I was provided
with the perfect opportunity
to mesh my jobs. The men’s
volleyball team was travelling to
Durham College in Oshawa for
a tournament, so, along with my
volleyball stuff, I grabbed a digital
camera and notepad to record my
experiences.
Travel Time
The team is scheduled to leave
for Oshawa at 9:30 a.m. on Oct.
20. It’s raining and generally
depressing outside. Two rental vans
transport everyone on the trip. I’m
in the second van with Nic Marcuz,
Aaron McNutt, Brian Feron, Cody
Evers, Rick Regier and Assistant
Coach Brad Harrietha.
We’re barely off college property
when Feron, 19, of Thamesville,
Ont., whips out his Gameboy and
starts playing Blades of Steel. For
the rest of the trip, the Gameboy is
treated like the town bicycle as it
is passed between players and then
discarded for periods of time.
By the time we reach Oakville,
the boys have started into the
movie quotes. Most of them come
from the comedic classic Super
Troopers, but Marcuz, 20, of Port
Hope, Ont., comes up with great
lines from Tom Cruise’s Top Gun.
Meanwhile, Evers, 19, of
Chatham, Ont., is in the back
seat studying for his upcoming
midterms.
“It makes [school] tougher,” says
Evers, about the time commitment
involved with varsity sports.
Regg Miller, the team’s head
coach, tells players that schoolwork
comes before volleyball and
stresses the importance of time
management to his athletes.
We experience one weatherinduced hiccup before we get to
Oshawa when we are rear-ended by
a Jeep on the Gardiner Expressway.
There are no injuries and a minimal
amount of damage to the van so we
continue on to our destination.
Day 1
The 12 teams at the tournament
make up two pools of six. Our pool
includes the Cambrian Golden
Shield of Sudbury, the Durham
Lords of Oshawa, the Humber
Hawks of Etobicoke, the Nipissing
Lakers of North Bay, the Sheridan
Bruins of Oakville and us, the
Niagara Knights.
Our first match is against
Sheridan. The Knights come
out strong, scoring often and
dominating offensively to win the
first set 25-13. The second set is
much like the first. Niagara runs its
offence well and comes out on top
with 25-19.
An hour later the Knights face the
Humber Hawks. Humber finished
third in the Ontario College Athletic
Association’s (OCAA) central west
division last season with a record
of six wins and seven losses. The
Hawks prove to be more of a
challenge, but the Knights still win
both sets by scores of 25-14 and
25-18 respectively.
The Knights’ final match of the
day is against Nipissing, a strong
team with a well-rounded offence.
Despite its earlier wins, Niagara
seems to be missing something
during this game and lose the first
set 25-20 and the second 25-16.
“We started off [the day] well,
and then we fell apart,” says Rick
Regier, 20, of Zurich, Ont.
“We weren’t excited and we hit
a lot of balls out on our attacks,”
he says.
Niagara finishes the day with
two wins and one loss. Tomorrow
the team will finish the pool play,
but for now the members to check
into their hotel, get some food into
their stomachs and reflect on the
Nipissing game.
Hotel
We load the vans and head
for the hotel. All the players get
settled into their rooms, and dinner
reservations are made at the hotel’s
restaurant.
An all-you-can-eat pasta and
salad dinner is on the menu for
the night, but that doesn’t appeal
to everyone’s tastebuds. McNutt,
Feron, Kyle Akins, Troy Winch
and I have a hankering for another
Italian delicacy. We make our way
to the front desk and get the number
of the nearest pizza joint.
We find ourselves with some free
time, so Feron, Winch, Akins and I
don our bathing suits and head for
the pool.
Akins, 20, of Owen Sound, says
the best part of staying in hotels on
overnight trips is the amenities. It’s
nice to have a pool and restaurant
on site, says Akins. He says the
worst part is having to share beds
with his teammates.
A dip in the hot tub is followed
by a trip to the sauna and a jump
in the pool. The jump in the pool
turns into an intense competition
to see who can make the biggest
splash.
We cannonball into the pool with
reckless abandon until the session
is capped off with a synchronized
jump that draws applause from the
pool attendant.
Niagara Knights’ Kyle Akins (No. 13), Brian Feron (No. 4) and Tyler
McKaig (No. 11) put up a block against the Loyalist Lancers in their
final game at the tournament hosted by Durham College.
Day 2
Dawn breaks and the team heads
for the lobby to indulge in the
complimentary buffet breakfast.
We fill our stomachs, and the team
leaves for its first game of the day.
The Knights will have a tough
start, facing the hometown team,
Durham Lords.
The Lords finished last season
with a perfect record of 13 wins
and no losses. They captured first
place in the OCAA’s central east
division and finished second at the
OCAA championships. Niagara
runs into the same problems as
against Nipissing and winds up
losing both sets 25-16.
The Knights have three hours
until the next game, so we head
back to the hotel and check out.
The guys can’t seem to get out of
their slump as they lose both sets
of their final pool game against
Cambrian.
“We had a lapse in concentration,”
says Tyler McKaig, 21-year-old
setter, of Dresden, Ont.
The Knights finish with a record
of two wins and three losses,
placing fourth in pool “A.” They
will play one final game against the
Loyalist Lancers of Belleville, the
fourth place team from pool “B.”
The end of pool play marks the end
of Niagara’s slump too.
You can feel the change in energy
as soon as the game starts.
The Knights look like a different
team, crushing balls on offence
and playing solid defence. Niagara
ends the weekend on a high point,
defeating Loyalist two sets to one.
“Consistency
made
the
difference,” says Mat Poirier, a
first-year Business Administration
student, of Timmins, Ont.
“We learned what we have to
work on [this weekend],” says
McNutt, 20, of Ajax. He says that
seeing where other teams in the
league stand will help the Knights
progress to the point they need to be
to win.
Popularity
of
ball
hockey
grows
Rewarding your choices
Lifestyle changes
By ROSE SOMR
Staff Writer
We all know active living has
obvious health benefits. Now we
can win prizes, too.
Active Living Rewards is an
“innovative web-based program
designed to reward individuals for
including physical activity in their
daily lives.”
The joint project undertaken
by the Ontario College Athletic
Association and the Lifestyle
Information Network helps promote
physical activity and encourages
Canadians to lead a more healthful
and more active lifestyle.
The statistics show less than half
of all adults in Ontario meet the
minimum recommended guidelines
for active living, and obesity is on
the rise.
While
promoting
physical
fitness, the Active Living Rewards
program also offers rewards for
efforts made by college students.
Simply signing up on the website,
http://www.activelivingrewards.
ca, enters students to win prizes
such as an MP3 players, DVD
players and more.
Here at Niagara, there are plenty
of opportunities to start an active
lifestyle. Niagara offers a free
fitness room, to which you only
need to bring your student card and
be properly changed into workout
clothing. Also, there are a number
of intramural sports.
If you aren’t interested in
Niagara’s fitness opportunities, the
YMCA also offers a wide range
of workout equipment and has a
swimming pool. However, there
is a student fee required to join the
YMCA.
By ALEX EDDIE
Staff Writer
In rain, snow, moonlight or sunlight, the lights
above the ball hockey arenas are always on.
Students may have noticed the activity going on
at the college’s Welland campus arenas on a nightly
basis. The sport is ball hockey.
Played by all ages, ball hockey has grown more
popular over the years. Ball hockey rules are
basically the same as regular hockey. Players do not
skate, but run, so the rink is much smaller than a
regular hockey rink.
Ryan Bering, 20, a graduate of the Construction
Engineering Technology – Architecture program at
Niagara College, has been playing ball hockey for
three years.
“It isn’t what most people think. It’s actually
very competitive and can be pretty rough out there
sometimes,” says Bering.
His team, the Young Guns, went undefeated last
season and just came back from the provincial
championships in Barrie. With the number 21 on his
back, Bering plays left wing and is one of the stars
of the team.
They play no matter what the weather may be.
“We have played in rain, snow, and tonight it
looks like we’re going to be playing in hail,” says
Bering, as he looks out the window.
To join it costs $120 a season, and it is well worth
the price. The Ball Hockey International Association
is extensive. Bering says Welland is just a small part
of the sport.
“We have played teams from Barrie, Brantford
and even as far as Boston.”
It is open to anyone, men or women, and children
of all ages. Many of the youngsters who have started
playing ball hockey had never played a real hockey
game before, says Bering.
“It’s a great sport. Anyone can sign up, and if
you were ever held back from the skating aspect of
hockey as kid, then this is your chance to shine.”
If you have questions about ball hockey and are
interested in signing up visit the website at http://
www.ballhockeyinternational.com.
SPORTS
NEWS@
NIAGARA
Bishop comes off bench to lead Argos to East Finals
By JIM WHYTE
Staff Writer
The Toronto Argonauts have
advanced to the Canadian Football
League East Divisional final after
defeating the Winnipeg Blue
Bombers 31–27 Sunday afternoon
at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Trailing 27–17 midway through
the fourth quarter, Argos backup
quarterback
Michael
Bishop
replaced starter Damon Allen and
led the team to two consecutive
touchdown drives in less than two
minutes, taking the Argos to a
thrilling come-from-behind victory
in front of an announced crowd of
26,240.
In a bold move by head coach
Mike “Pinball” Clemons, Allen,
professional football’s all-time
leading passer, was removed after
he struggled to move the ball on
offence on consecutive drives after
the Blue Bombers took an early
fourth quarter lead.
“Coaches don’t win football
games – players do,” said Clemons,
in a press conference following the
Argonauts’ final practice Saturday.
It was Clemons’s decision,
however, to pull Allen in favour of
Bishop, which in fact changed the
pace of the entire game Sunday.
The coach’s decision paid off
immediately, as Bishop’s first pass,
and first play on offence, resulted in
a 68-yard touchdown strike to wide
receiver Arland Bruce, bringing the
Rogers Centre crowd to its feet.
Running back Charles Roberts
was un-stoppable for Winnipeg,
scoring two touchdowns and
rushing for 179 yards on 30 carries,
but it was his fumble in the fourth
quarter, which the Argos recovered,
that ultimately led to the winning
touchdown.
On the ensuing Argonaut drive,
Bishop found wide receiver R. Jay
Soward in the back of the end zone
for a 14-yard touchdown, to give
the Argos a 31–27 lead. They never
looked back.
The Blue Bombers made one
final drive to the Argos’ 31-yard
line with under a minute left in
the game, but quarterback Kevin
Glenn was intercepted by Argonaut
Orlondo Steinauer to seal the
victory.
Adam Rita, general manager
and vice-president of football
operations for the Argos, and
interim offensive co-ordinator,
cleared any speculation after the
game saying Allen was not injured
after he took a hit by Winnipeg’s
Doug Brown.
“We just felt that we needed a
change of pace, and Bishop stepped
up and performed well. The win is
lovely.”
Rita also said that Allen should
get the start against the Alouettes.
Noel Prefontaine, the Argonauts’
placekicker, said that Allen and
Bishop played well.
“Both of them did what they
needed to do in order for us to get
the victroy.”
Allen finished the game
completing 15 passes out of 28
for a total of 219 yards with one
interception and a touchdown,
while Bishop completed three out
of five passes, for 111 yards and
two touchdowns.
“Overall, I’m pretty excited
we were able to win the game,
and I’m glad we were able to do
this for the city of Toronto and
for the fans that came out here to
support us. I’m looking forward to
playing Montreal next week,” said
Prefontaine.
Pete Martin, colour analyst for
the Argonauts’ radio broadcasts
on AM640, said the game had an
unbelievable finish, but the Argos
were lucky.
“It was one of those games
where Winnipeg had the game,
but they made the late mistakes
and the Argos made them pay for
Blue Bombers’ defensive back Ike Charlton (No. 0) leaves the
field after Toronto ended Winnipeg’s season at the Rogers Centre
Sunday. Inset, Toronto’s head coach Mike Clemons addresses the
media Saturday. The Argos move on to face the Montreal Alouettes
in the East Divisional final this Sunday in Montreal.
Photos by Jim Whyte
it. Usually the team that makes the
final mistakes loses, and they did.”
The Argos move on to face the
Alouettes on Sunday at 1 p.m. at
Olympic Stadium in Montreal. In
a battle for first place in the last
week of regular season play, the
Alouettes defeated the Argonauts at
the Rogers Centre 24–20, allowing
them to clinch a first-round bye and
EAST DIVISIONAL FINAL
Ball hockey keeps you in shape
is allowed, but body checking is
not allowed.
“The refereeing is inconsistent,
let’s say, but they’re volunteers,
so you can’t really complain,”
said Usselman, 22, of West
McGillivray.
Each week most of the students
sign out hockey sticks to play, but
occasionally the equipment room
is lacking.
“The equipment is terrible.
Stock some more. We paid 40
bucks. Use it for equipment,”
said Scott Anderson, 21, a fourthyear Accounting student at Brock
University.
The teams have various motives
for attending each week.
“I grew up playing hockey. Love
the game. Love watching. Love
playing,” said Callie Hemsworth,
21, of Thunder Bay.
Anderson, of Inglewood, said, “I
can’t let my team down. If I don’t
show up, they’ll lose.”
The high spirits of the players
exuded from the benches as each
team cheered and shouted.
“It’s a friendly atmosphere and
an excellent spirit of competition,”
said Usselman.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
@
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
SUNDAY 1 P.M. ON CBC
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
62171235
By CHRISTINE KENNEDY
Staff Writer
Playing intramural sports is a
good way to stay in shape and get
involved with your school.
Intramural ball hockey at Brock
University in St. Catharines is
ending for the season. The students
have been playing every Tuesday
night for eight weeks.
“It’s fun. It allows you to
exercise, but also be competitive,”
said Charlotte Usselman, a fourthyear Brock University student in
the Kinesiology program.
Each team must have four
players and a goalie on the court at
all times; however, the ball hockey
teams are co-ed, so two of the
players must be female.
Asked what her favourite part
of playing is, Mary McKnight, a
fourth-year Physical Education
student, said, “Working up a good
healthy sweat.”
The games run for 45 minutes
and there are no slapshots allowed.
“I grew up playing ball hockey,
just going out and playing after
school with my best friends every
day,” said Pat Houston, 22, of
Whitby.
The referees rule by regular
hockey penalties and body contact
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host the East final.
The Argos are hoping to do
what the Alouettes did to them last
season: advance to the Grey Cup
with a win on the road.
The winner will face either the
Saskatchewan Roughriders or the
B.C. Lions in Winnipeg on Nov. 19
for a chance to take home the 94th
Grey Cup.
DRIVING ACADEMY
WELLAND
ST. CATHARINES
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62158152
Tournament helps children
By ANDREA BARRETT
and CHRISTINE KENNEDY
Staff Writers
Reigning champions Premiere Van
Lines continue its winning streak.
On Sept. 23 The St. Catharines
Standard presented the fifth annual
Power Play for Easter Seals, a
ball hockey tournament benefiting
Easter Seals in the Niagara region.
Janice Gardner-Spiece, 38,
district manager for Easter Seals,
co-ordinated the tournament,
which
raised
$12,000
for
local programs and services.
Easter Seals helps children
with disabilities to succeed, and
2007 marks its 85th anniversary.
The tournament accommodated
42 players ranging in age from 18 to
63 years, along with 25 volunteers.
Easter Seals Chair of Youth
Services Ryan Duemo is a firstyear Niagara College student
in the Child and Youth Worker
program at the Welland campus.
He was the regional Timmy in
1997 and the provincial Timmy in
2000, representing 22,000 youth.
Duemo, 19, of St. Catharines,
attended Leaders of Tomorrow,
a four-day conference on public
speaking and public relations,
after which he did two years of
speeches representing Easter Seals.
Duemo said he’s helped with
fundraisers and whatever else he
could. “I’m still doing it because I
love it.”
James Finney, a competitor in
the tournament, of St. Catharines,
played for the Honest Lawyer, his
employer.
Finney, 28, said, “I want to
support charities like Easter Seals.
We [The Honest Lawyer] like to be
a part of the community. It’s the way
we do it at The Honest Lawyer.”
This was his first year competing
in the tournament and he said,
Premiere Van Lines team members pose after winning their final
game with a 6-3 score. In the front row, from left, are Shawn
Donovan, Shane LaPorte and Brian Barres. In the back row, from
left, are Jason Gifford, Mike Watson and Collin Stachura.
Photo by Christine Kennedy
“Oh yes, we’ll be back next played for the Wormald Masse
year, and we’re gonna win it.” Keen Lopinski (WMKL) team,
Tammy Hough, second-year which made it to the finals
Niagara College student in the against Premiere Van Lines
Recreation and Leisure Services with a final score of six to three.
program at the Welland campus,
Teammates declared, “He’s a bird.”
was asked by her teacher to come
DiPietro said, “It’s a good
out and support a good cause. cause.” His favourite parts of the
“I feel it’s important to support day were “pizza and winning.”
anything. Easter Seals has good
Jason Gifford, 22, of St. Cathprograms and services,” said Hough. arines, has been in the tournament
Hough, 20, of Thorold, played the last three years playing for
goalie for the Power Glen team. the Premiere Van Lines team.
Phyl (Phyllis) Leclerc, 27,
Gifford
said,
“It’s
fun
of St. Catharines, said, “I think and we look forward to it
raising money is good for every year as a company.”
everything. It’s a good cause.”
Asked if he’ll return for a
Leclerc, a truck driver, fourth year, he said, “If we’re
competed for his first time allowed back, we’ll be back.”
in the tournament on the
Sponsors of the event included
Hertz team to help children Boston Pizza, Premiere Van
out and says he will take part Lines, The Standard, Walker
in the tournament next year. Industries and Pen Financial.
Stefano DiPietro, 24, of St.
A $100 gift certificate for the
Catharines, said, “Any time you Keg Fallsview was awarded
give to charity, it is a good cause.” to the top fundraiser, and each
DiPietro,
an
accountant, participant received a gift bag.
Students turned into automotive experts
a variety of part-time. Students
have access to all the equipment
they need, including transmissions
labs, engine labs, tire balancers,
emission
analyzers,
welding
equipment and much more.
The
building
has
an
underground exhaust system and
a fresh air system, which helps
maintain a healthy environment
for the building. The program
provides the students with all
the equipment and machines
they need to become the best
automotive technicians they can be.
The program obtains many of the
cars for students to work on through
companies such as Ford, Chrysler,
General Motors or local dealerships
for a “very reasonable price.”
Toth explains his commitment to
the students by “understanding the
levels of the students and adjusting
the training to meet their needs.”
He translates this commitment
into being able to train students
to become good technicians
and finally getting them a job.
He has lived in the Niagara
region his whole life and declares
his experience and familiarity
with the industry in the region will
help students with job placement.
Toth states there is a skills trade
shortage right now so “an enormous
opportunity” for graduates exists.
Niagara Rents provides
real estate solutions
for tenants, landlords
By JENNIFER DESCHAMPS
Staff Writer
Prospective
tenants
and
discontented landlords, look
no further.
Find the solution to all your real
estate needs on the informative, upto-date, and easy-to-use Niagara
Rents website.
Dennis Dashwood, of Welland,
says he started Niagara Rents after
becoming “fed up” with other
websites charging high prices and
producing little results.
“I was managing a student
house at the time and had to find
a way to have cheaper advertising
and more phone calls from
potential tenants.”
Dashwood says he decided
to start his own
website and allowed
neighbours to put
their rentals on it too.
Within a short period
of time, landlords
from all over Niagara
were asking to have
ads posted on the site.
Since launching in
early 2004, Niagara
Rents has grown, generating about
600 page views a day, mostly
between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
“I was very surprised at the
response we had in our first year.
I soon realized how much of a
demand there really was for housing
in Niagara,” says Dashwood, in an
e-mail interview.
“Being a former Niagara College
student, I have rented many places
and I understand what tenants are
looking for in a rental. And now
being a landlord, I know what
landlords are looking for in a
tenant. Those two things are what
make our website work.”
Niagara Rents is a small,
volunteer-based operation, with
four people in total, focused on
creating a site that is user friendly
and pleasant looking.
“We volunteered our time and
resources to make it happen and
still, to this day, every penny goes
right back into the costs of keeping
the site on the web.”
Dashwood says putting a website
online is easy, but getting people to
visit is the hard part. “I had spent
hours in research and hundreds of
dollars in advertising before the
website had even launched.”
Niagara Rents uses flyer
distribution, high search engine
placement
and
newspaper
advertising, along with word
of mouth to attract people to
the site.
Dashwood says he usually spends
about two hours a day answering emails from both landlords and tenants.
The site allows
landlords to list
apartments
with
minimal
fees
for hosting and
advertising. It also
has a section for
tenants to place
free wanted ads
explaining
what
they are looking
for. Dashwood says about 60
to 70 tenants a month use this
feature.
NiagaraRents.com is the ninth
most-visited real estate website
in Canada and ranks second place
for apartment rental websites,
according to Oval Creek, a company
that ranks real estate sites.
For further information, visit
http://www.niagararents.com.
Top 10
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2.
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3.
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6.
My Love
7.
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8.
Sexy Back
9.
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10.
Smack That
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- Yung Joc
62148918
By MARCUS YOUNGREN
Staff Writer
Entering the Motive Power
division of the Technology and
Skills Centre would bring butterflies
to any car fanatic. The room is
filled with high-tech equipment that
provides Niagara College students
with the means to fulfil their dreams.
Wayne Toth, 51, of Smithville,
is the co-ordinator of the Motive
Power program and is responsible
for turning his students into
automotive experts. He became coordinator in the middle of August.
Before working here at the
Welland campus, he was the
lead instructor for AC Delco
Canada. Prior to that he owned
a company called Toth Auto
Electric. Toth describes his goals
for the program as “continuing
to graduate top technicians and
having an organized curriculum.”
Toth describes the Welland
campus program as strong, but
adds, “It needs a little revamping.
If it didn’t I wouldn’t be here.”
There are about 270 students
enrolled
in
the
college’s
various automotive programs.
The program comprises four
full-time faculty members and
- Hinder
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- Ludacris (feat Pharrell)
FOR ALL YOUR FINANCIAL NEEDS
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1-800-224-7737
Branches:
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284 Killaly St. E.
Port Colborne, ON
L3K 1P3
Tel: 905-834-4811
Fax: 905-834-5821
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284 Geneva St.
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L2N 2E8
Tel: 905-937-7270
Fax: 905-937-7274
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6700 Morrison St.
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Skateboarders given new home in St. Catharines
By MICHAEL SPECK
Staff Writer
The outdoor St. Catharines
skatepark is a state-of-the-art sports
facility where skaters can come
and practice their unique skills and
exciting talents.
Opened last summer, the
skatepark has obstacles such as
quarter pipes, grind rails, staircase
sets and even a manual pad based
on a street in San Francisco.
“They incorporated parts of other
cities’ [features] that are popular
for skating into the skatepark,”
says Matt Dittrick, manager of
skateboard fashion and equipment
retailer West 49 in the Pen Center
in St. Catharines. “It’s one of a
kind, not your typical skatepark.”
“The skatepark is a safe area
designed for skateboarding. Now
people have a spot where they can
skateboard and socialize,” says
Cathy Moldenhaur, manager of
sports facilities for St. Catharines.
Paul Konwent, 19, of St.
Catharines, says the skatepark was
a major investment for the city.
“All St. Catharines needed was an
outdoor skatepark that was free,”
he says.
Konwent says he first started
skating when he was around
nine or 10 on a board he got for
Christmas. “I was inspired by my
older brother, who skated.”
Peter Rivest, 21, of St.
Catharines, who considers himself
an “expert” skater, started skating
in elementary school when he was
under 10 years old. “I did it just for
fun. I liked the feel of it,” he says.
“The skatepark in St. Catharines
is very decent. I think the concrete
could’ve been stretched out for
longer runways for the obstacles.”
Before the skatepark opened last
year, Rivest said he would skate in
public places.
“I would skate at the school, on
a parking curb. I would ollie over
sewers.”
Konwent says he also found
places to skate before the park
opened. “I would skate any
abandoned place where there is
maybe an old piece of metal. I
would make my own ramps and
rails and skate them in old parking
lots.”
Sometimes skating in certain
places would get him in trouble,
says Konwent. “My friends and I
were skating in an underground
parking lot and I got fined by the
security guards. The ticket was
$160 and I lost my board.”
Rivest said he also was fined
while skating in Toronto. “I got a
ticket for skating on the benches at
the Finch subway station. Security
fined me $130.”
“The skatepark gives people
a venue to skateboard,” says
Moldenhaur. “Now they don’t have
to skate at the library or courthouse
where security would come and
yell at them.”
Dittrick says the skatepark
has had a great impact on the
community. “Now we have a place
where all the kids can get together.
We need another one because it’s
always so busy.”
Moldenhaur says the skatepark
was built to get more people
interested in the sport. “I definitely
hope it has generated more interest
in the sport of skateboarding.”
Legion pays respect
A poppy flag blows in the wind at the Royal Canadian
Legion branch in Welland in the spirit of Remembrance
Day.
Photo by Rachel Tattersall
Paul Konwent, 19, of St. Catharines, catches some major air while performing a 360-degree Boneless
trick at the outdoor St. Catharines skatepark on Oct. 29.
Photo by Michael Speck
Dittrick says there has been a
greater interest in skateboarding
since the skatepark has opened. “I
definitely think it has become more
popular.”
The skatepark is not being used
to its full advantage, says Dittrick.
“The land around the skatepark
is all unfinished mud instead of
grass. There are no drainage, no
trees and no garbage cans. The
skatepark is supposed to look like
a park, not like a piece of cement in
the middle of the desert. If the city
doesn’t maintain the skatepark, in
a couple of years there won’t be a
skatepark.”
Rivest says maintenance needs
to be improved. “They should
definitely have garbage cans and
they should expand the length of
the flat ground concrete where it is
all just mud.”
Konwent says the skatepark is
poorly maintained. “They should
build an indoor skatepark that
would be easy to maintain.”
Moldenhaur says the next city
budget will include upgrades to the
skatepark. “The budget includes
grass, trees and benches for the
skatepark.”
Konwent says it is time for
skateboarding to expand as a
sport. “The new generation of
skateboarders should make up
their own tricks and make up new
obstacles to skate.”
Dittrick says the key to learning
skateboarding is persistence.
“Don’t give up. Skateboarding
isn’t easy, and wear a helmet.”
Port Colborne band rocks ‘Moe’s’ tavern
Bridge 21 Vocalist Justin Czerlau blew the crowd away during a show at Moe’s Tap and Wings on Oct. 26.
Photo by Nate Lasovich
Hitting
the road
By JASON PETZNICK
Staff Writer
2006 Durham College
Killer Instinct Cup
PETZNICK PHOTO
Living a double life is not an easy thing to do.
In comparison to everyone else you must deal with twice as many
people, twice as much responsibility and twice as much drama, not
an easy task.
Recently I took on the task of living a double life. In addition to my
job as a reporter for the news@niagara, I am involved with the men’s
volleyball team here at the school. On Oct. 20 and 21 I was provided
with the perfect opportunity to mesh my jobs together. The men’s
volleyball team was travelling to Durham College in Oshawa for a
tournament so along with my volleyball stuff I grabbed a camera and
notepad to record my experiences.
Rick Regier sharpens his
skills on ‘Blades.’
PETZNICK Photo
Travel Time
The team is scheduled to
leave for Oshawa at 9:30
a.m. on Oct. 20. It’s raining
and generally depressing
outside. Two rental vans
transport everyone on the
trip. I’m in the second van
with Nic Marcuz, Aaron
McNutt, Brian Feron,
Cody Evers, Rick Regier
and Assistant Coach Brad
Harrietha.
We’re barely off school
property when Feron,
19, of Thamesville, Ont.,
whips out his Gameboy
and starts playing Blades
of Steel. For the rest of
the trip the Gameboy
is treated like the town
bicycle as it is passed
between players and then
discarded for periods of
time.
By the time we reach
Oakville the boys have
started into the movie
quotes. Most of them
come from the comedic
classic Super Troopers,
but Marcuz, 20, of Port
Hope, Ont., comes up
with great lines from Tom
Cruise’s Top Gun.
Meanwhile, Evers, 19,
of Chatham, is in the
back seat studying for his
upcoming midterms.
“It
makes
[school]
tougher,” says Evers about
the time commitment
involved
with
varsity
sports.
Regg Miller, the team’s
head coach tells players
that schoolwork comes
before volleyball, and
stresses the importance
of time management to
his athletes.
We experience one
weather-induced hiccup
before we get to Oshawa,
when we are rear-ended
by a Jeep on the Gardiner
Expressway. There are
no injuries and a minimal
amount of damage to the
van so we continue on to
our destination.
‘What is the maximum amount of meat i
can possibly get on that?’
PETZNICK Photo
Day 1
There are 12 teams at the tournament,
making up two pools of six. Our pool
includes the Cambrian Golden Shield of
Sudbury, the Durham Lords of Oshawa,
the Humber Hawks of Etobicoke, the
Nipissing Lakers of North Bay, the
Sheridan Bruins of Oakville, and us, the
Niagara Knights.
Our first match is against Sheridan. The
Knights come out strong, scoring often
and dominating offensively to win the
first set 25-13. The second set is much
like the first; Niagara runs its offence well
and comes out on top 25-19.
An hour later the Knights face the
Humber Hawks. Humber finished third in
the Ontario College Athletic Association’s
(OCAA) central west division last season
with a record of six wins and seven
losses. The Hawks prove to be more of
a challenge, but the Knights still win
both sets by scores of 25-14 and 25-18
respectively.
The Knights’ final match of the day
is against Nipissing, a strong team
with a well-rounded offence. Despite
their earlier wins, Niagara seems to be
missing something during this game as
they lose the first set 25-20, and the
second 25-16.
“We started off [the day] well, and then
we fell apart,” says Rick Regier, 20, of
Zurich, Ont.
We weren’t excited and we hit a lot of
balls out on our attacks says Regier.
Niagara finishes the day with two wins
and one loss. Tomorrow they will finish
they’re pool play but for now they have
to check into their hotel, get some food
into their stomachs and reflect on the
Nipissing game.
Kevin Lewis goes O/T against Humber (top), it’s almost
as intense on the bench as it is in the game (middle), the
Knights take a little break on Friday.
PETZNICK Photos
Hotel
We load the vans and head for the
hotel. All the players get settled into their
rooms and dinner reservations are made
at the hotel’s restaurant.
An all-you-can-eat pasta and salad
dinner is on the menu for the night, but
that doesn’t appeal to everyone’s taste
buds. McNutt, Feron, Kyle Akins, Troy
Winch and myself have a hankering for
another Italian delicacy. We make our
way to the front desk and get the number
of the nearest pizza joint.
We find ourselves with some free time
so Feron, Winch, Akins and myself don
our bathing suits and head for the pool.
Akins, 20, of Owen Sounds, says the
best part of staying in hotels on overnight
trips is the amenities. It’s nice to have a
pool and restaurant on site says Akins.
He says the worst part is having to share
beds with his teammates.
A dip in the hot tub is followed by a trip
to the sauna and a jump in the pool. The
jump in the pool turns into an intense
competition to see who can make the
biggest splash. We cannonball into the
pool with reckless abandon until the
session is capped off with a synchronized
jump that draws applause from the pool
attendant.
Aaron Mcnutt, Kevin Lewis and Kyle Akins play leapfrog at the hotel.
PETZNICK Photo
Tyler McKaig tosses a set out to power.
PETZNICK Photo
Day 2
Dawn breaks and the team
heads for the lobby to indulge
in the complimentary, buffet
breakfast. Stomachs are filled
and the team leaves for their
first game of the day.
The Knights will have a tough
start to their day. They will face
the hometown Durham Lords.
The Lords finished
last season with a perfect
record of 13 wins and no losses.
They captured first place in the
OCAA’s central east division,
and finished second at the
OCAA championships. Niagara
runs into the same problems
they had against Nipissing and
wind up losing both sets 25-16.
The Knights have three hours until their next
game so we head back to the hotel and check
out.
The guys can’t seem to get themselves out of
the slump they’re in as they lose both sets of their
final pool game against Cambrian.
“We had a lapse in concentration,” says Tyler
McKaig, 21-year-old setter, of Dresden, Ont. He
says the team is still working their kinks out.
The Knights finish with a record of two wins
and three losses, placing them fourth in pool “A”.
They will play one final game against the Loyalist
Lancers of Belleville, the fourth place team from
pool “B”. The end of pool play marks the end of
Niagara’s slump too. You can feel the change in
energy as soon as the game starts. The Knights
look like a different team, crushing balls on
offence and playing solid defence. Niagara end
the weekend on a high point, defeating Loyalist
two sets to one.
“Consistency made the difference,” says Mat
Poirier, a first-year Business Administration
student, of Timmins, Ont.
“We learned what we have to work on [this
weekend],” says McNutt, 20, of Ajax. He says that
seeing where other teams in the league are at,
will help the Knights progress to the point they
need to be at to win.
Kyle Akins, Brian Feron and Tyler McKaig put up roofs as if they worked
at The Home Depot.
PETZNICK photo
Rick, not impressed I woke him up
PETZNICK Photo

November 10, 2006

Transcription

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