Chronicle 15 16 issue 07

Volume XLIII, Issue 7

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This is a disaster for students, both institutions and the broader community.

December 1-7, 2015

- See U-Pass, page 3

All shook up page 21 Photograph by Logan Caswell

Durham's shooting star

page 24 Photograph by Jordan Edmonds

Cheers to beer at DC

Santa Claus is coming to town page 3 Photograph by Taylor Waines

page 2 Photograph by Taylor Waines

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December 1-7, 2015

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Rhymes, chimes and Christmas spirit

The 111th Annual Toronto Santa Claus Parade attracted thousands of spectators for a colourful display.

Photographs by Taylor Waines

News

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December 1-7, 2015

The Chronicle

DC, UOIT students battle U-Pass price hike

Alyssa Bugg The Chronicle

The DC-UOIT Student Association (SA) is hoping to pack three buses of students to head to the Durham Regional Headquarters to show support for the SA’s opposition of the proposed U-Pass increase.

The decision, which rests in the hands of the Durham Region Transit (DRT) Executive Committee, details plans to increase the cost of the U-Pass by 25 per cent over the next two years.

“This is a disaster for students, both institutions and the broader community,” said vice-president of College Affairs for the SA, Mike Guerard. “The U-Pass is a vital tool in recruiting students to both Durham College and UOIT as many schools in the area do not have such a program. More importantly, for those students who do not drive it provides them with a cheaper way to travel to and from school as well as work.”

Shaival Shah, a second-year biological science student at UOIT, agrees and says this may have a negative impact on students’ decision of whether to come to the uni-

Photograph by Alyssa Bugg

Students at Durham College and UOIT boarding a DRT bus headed to downtown Oshawa. versities and college.

“I think [the increase] is a bad idea because a lot of students don’t even really use the pass, they use it to travel very small distances,” said Shah. “If they increase the

The sweetest kind of research

Bringing the art of craft beer to DC Taylor Waines The Chronicle

Imagine a job where you can do research and drink beer at the same time, Chris Gillis has that job.

A master at his craft, Gillis is the Manager of Applied Research Business Development at Durham College’s (DC) Whitby Campus.

Gillis shared his plans for a craft brewing institute at the Whitby Fall Research Showcase on Nov. 23.

“So many of you are probably wondering OK, so how did this guy get tasting beer in his job description,” Gillis joked.

Two years prior to getting this title, a colleague suggested applying to a federal research grant to pursue craft brewing at Durham College.

At the time, craft brewing was growing at 35 per cent per year and accounting for 30 per cent of the jobs in that sector. This makes craft

beer the fastest growing segment in the LCBO’s beer category, according to Ontario Craft Brewers.

As the industry continues to grow, it opens many job opportunities for students, Gillis said.

The school received the grant and purchased brewing equipment for crafting beer and cider. Gillis has since spoken with the Siebel Institute of Technology and is brewing up a partnership to create an Ontario Beverage Institute at DC’s Whitby campus.

“We have about 25 million in private sector funding already going into this,” Gillis said. The institute will be a 60, 000 sq. ft., three-storey building which will include a full brewery in the bottom.

Gillis said they are currently talking to local breweries in the area to make a mutual agreement.

Hoping to have the pilot brew line operational by early December, Gillis plans to work with local breweries to offer recipe development.

Along with the breweries Gillis said they will work to integrate the agriculture business and the Centre for Food by using and processing local raw ingredients.

price there’s really no point, because it’s just a waste of money for a lot more students and that would be a negative aspect for a lot of students coming to the university [and college], realizing they’re paying $125

for something they probably aren’t using.”

As part of their school fees, fulltime students at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), Durham College and

Trent University Durham currently pay $103 per semester for their U-Pass. If the proposed increase is approved, U-Pass fees will increase to $120 for the Fall 2016 semester and according to an SA-issued press release, will increase again to $135 for in the Summer 2017 semester.

According to Guerard, the cost of the U-Pass is partially funded by Durham Region, who decides how much money they will pay and the students are left with students paying the remainder.

Students are currently unable to opt out of the U-Pass fees, according to the SA. The DRT Executive Committee’s meeting to discuss the proposed increase takes place Dec. 2 at the Durham Regional Headquarters, 605 Rossland Road E. in Whitby at 1:30 p.m. The buses the SA has organized will be at the north Oshawa, downtown and Whitby campuses and will leave at noon to travel to the meeting.

If the committee decides to pass the motion to increase the cost of the U-Pass, the decision will then be passed on to the Finance and Administration Committee, and then on to Regional Council, which will make the final decision.

Photograph by Taylor Waines

Mike Aylward operating brewery equipment Durham College's Whitby campus.

“We see this as an area of growth to have different labs starting to do this sort of work for the industry so again there will also be jobs for our students in that area,” Gillis said.

Construction is projected to start by the fall of 2016 and Gillis hopes to open the doors by early 2017.

Once the brewing process has begun, Gillis wants to serve the brews at Bistro 67. So students can still get a taste of the campus-grown

beer. Unfortunately, Gillis said the title ‘head taster’ has been given to DC President Don Lovisa himself.

The craft brewing institute was just one of five on going projects presented at the showcase. Other faculty spoke about the importance of ethno-cultural vegetables, coldframe technology, pest management, and smart houses.

Since introducing the Applied Research Department in 2009,

Durham College ranks 36th of the top 50 research colleges in Canada, and has ranked in the top 50 for the past four years.

Lovisa said the event allows DC to connect with the community by collaborating to bring their visions together.

The goal is “to help us thrive as a college but also to help entrepreneurs and business people bring their ideas to life,” Lovisa said.

not been announced yet, but will be released to the public in the coming weeks. The government has put a ban on the grocery chains from announcing their success in the bidding process until it concludes in December.

While the small grocers that will be selling beer aren’t known yet, the Wynne government did announce the breakdown for the grocery stores that will become a retailer in the next few weeks.

Of the 60 contracts, the majority of them will go to retailers in the Greater Toronto Area, 25 licenses will be given to retailers in this area.

The rest of the breakdown includes 16 in the western part of the province, 13 in the east, and six will be in the northern region.

By 2017 the government hopes to have 150 supermarkets with licences to sell beer, and eventually raise that number to 450 of 1,500 Ontario grocery stores according

to statements on the Ontario government website.

While the process of buying beer has become easier for people, the prices have also gone up as the government has also announced increases in prices for certain quantities of beer.

The price is going up by three cents per litre, or 25 cents per 24 pack. This increase is this first of four that will happen over the next three years.

Beer slated to flow into Ontario's grocery stores

Sean Heeger The Chronicle

Fear not beer lovers, your favourite drink is coming to a grocery store near you sooner than you think, however, the number of stores in Durham Region is still unknown.

Ontario’s Liberal government recently announced the newest development in its changes to beer laws that allow grocery stores to sell six packs of beer.

Up to 60 stores will be allowed to sell beer by as late as the end of December. Of those 60 stores, 48 will belong to chain stores across the province.

The Liberals announced that 13 major retailers have won the bid for licenses to distribute beer starting as early as next month. Some of the major retailers include Loblaws, Wal-Mart, Sobeys and Metro.

The smaller independent retailers that will get 12 licenced stores have

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December 1-7, 2015

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Word of the year...not a word?

Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year for 2015 is not a word, but an emoji. More specifically, it is the “Face with Tears of Joy” emoji. Oxford stated on its blog that the emoji was chosen as the “word” which best reflected the ethos, mood, and occupations of 2015. This is the first time ever the word of the year has been a pictograph and not only should it be the last time, this decision should never have been made.

According to Oxford Dictionaries, an emoji is a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication – it is not a word. Oxford themselves defines “word” as a single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing, used with others (or sometimes alone) to form a sentence a typically shown with a space on either side when written or printed. It is something that someone says or writes, a remark or piece of information. It is not something that involves colour because colour is for pictures. A picture is a painting or a drawing, a photograph, a portrait, even an

image on a television screen, according to Oxford. It does, in no way, qualify as a word.

Emojis have been around since the late 1990’s but their use increased largely in 2015.

According to Oxford Dictionaries’ blog, the company partnered with the mobile technology business Swiftkey and discovered the “Face with Tears of Joy” emoji was the most used emoji world wide in 2015. They discovered the emoji made up 20 per cent of all emojis used in the UK and 17 per cent of those in the United States. Love them or hate them, it seems like almost everyone is using them.

The English language is known for evolving over time – we all had to read Shakespeare at one point – but this isn’t the first time an argument has been made against the changing of language.

As an Elizabethan, Shakespeare would have mocked the Victorians the same way society is split over the technological influence on language today. Words on the Word of the Year shortlist

EDITORS: Deen Albertini, Sachin Bahal, Andrew Brennan, Alyssa Bugg, Ryan Burden, Logan Caswell, Megan Chase, Bill Christou, Michael Clark, David Conti, Alexander Costa, Jordan Edmonds, Alyssa Erwin, Michael Fletcher, Jordyn Gitlin, Sean Heeger, Kyle Johnson, Shane O’Neill, Mariah Pardy, Sherise Peart-Kent, Reba Pennell, Remona Maria Pillai, Cameron Popwell, Taylor Prest, Cody Quinney, Amanda Ramlal, Tabitha Reddekop, Christopher Rego, Alexander Ross, Justin Stewart, Marina Tyszkiewicz, Sandhya Visvanathan, Taylor Waines.

included ad blocker, Brexit, Dark Web, on fleek, lumbersexual, refugee, sharing economy and they (singular). Words like, lol, brb, and selfie have been added to Oxford English Dictionaries over the past few years. Both of these events confirm that the English language is, yet again, evolving.

Emojis are an evolutionary progression of communication in the modern age and have been embraced as the new form of expression – one that also crosses language barriers.

An emoji is a small digital image or emotion in electronic communication and is similar to the English word emoticon.

While the resemblance is entirely coincidental, it has helped with the memorability and rise in use of emojis. Their most notable use has been from celebrities and brands, alongside everyone else. Emojis have been embraced globally and only show signs of increased usage for the foreseeable future, according to Oxford’s blog.

Choosing an emoji over a word

shows the overall decline in society’s intellect. An emoji can be compared to ancient hieroglyphics used by the Egyptians for almost 4,000 years. The last inscription was written in the 5th century A.D. This is an example of how our society is collectively regressing. Some scientists refer to regression as “reverse Darwinism.”

It makes sense, since Darwinism is the survival of the fittest with the most prominent of genes being passed on from one generation to the next. According to Statistics Canada, developmental delay is the most common disability in children aged zero to four. While Darwin’s theories make no moral conclusion, this will lead to the failure of our society.

It’s ironic that the dialect being used to discuss the validity of Word of the Year was once itself the source of controversy.

While technology may cause us to shorten and quicken our communication and conversation, it can be seen as streamlining the process. If you can get to the point

in 140 characters or less, why not?

Four letters can now communicate a thought and abbreviations are seen as a product of a world moving faster now than ever before. It’s important that our efficiency and speed of communication not fall behind.

The word of the year should be just that – a word. This is infuriating on multiple levels; not only is an emoji a picture, but it shows society’s overall intellectual decline.

While for some the choice of an emoji as Word of the Year marked the beginning of a new digital communication era, others see it as marking the end of Western civilization.

An artistic ability to write down the Word of the Year seems ludicrous. It completely negates the award itself and shows the decline in our evolutionary process. Have we become so primitive in our means of communication that we can’t be bothered to write out a word?

Megan Chase

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The Chronicle is published by the Durham College School of Media, Art and Design, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 7L7, 7212000 Ext. 3068, as a training vehicle for students enrolled in Journalism and Advertising courses and as a campus news medium. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the college administration or the board of governors. The Chronicle is a member of the Ontario Community Newspapers Association.

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December 1-7, 2015

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India's economy making progress Stability is the country's main focus Sandhya Visavanathan George Bernard Shaw once said, “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” India has finally progressed from a slow moving economy to a nation with a solid infrastructure that supports growth.

With globalization and urbanization, India has now got out of its comfort zone and is taking ownership to build a better world in conjunction with other nations. Previously, the focus was more on what India would gain out of a contract but now the focus deals more with how India will affect the world.

After a decade of the Congress Party’s government, the Indian people elected the opposition, Bhartiya Janta Party. BJP’s leader Narendra Modi promised change and found a new direction for a better India.

He was elected in March of 2014.

As soon as he was elected, Modi travelled to Canada and the U.S. His goal was to change India externally by making foreign international alliances. These changes promised something beyond agriculture and defense, previously supported by the Congress.

Though Narender Modi for his Prime Ministerial candidature speech didn’t mention foreign policies, he emphasised ‘Illegal immigration,’ a concern of citizens in both India and Bangladesh. In 2014, Bangladeshis entered Assam

and other states within India illegally. The illegal immigrants have been moving to the south of India, to find work as unskilled labourers.

Most of the Bangladeshis are Muslim but India wants a mixed culture of Hindus and Muslims. Illegal immigration upsets this balance.

Being the first Post-Independence-born Prime Minister of India, Modi has a different perspective.

He asked the External Affairs Ministry to focus more on trade deals and investments instead of geopolitical initiatives, such as illegal immigration.

This change in focus from internal relations to external is what has changed India. The Bhartiya Janta Party outlined three main agendas to help improve foreign affairs.

One example is improving relations with immediate neighbours to bring peace and tranquility to help development in South Asia.

Modi also promised to introduce a concept called ‘Para diplomacy.’

This means each state and city in India would have the liberty for special relations with countries or federal states or even cities of their interest. Modi also wants to bring in bilateral relations between different countries like in Europe.

When Narender Modi got elected, he planned to visit the United States of America and Canada to improve relations. The trip to Canada resulted in a contract worth $1.6 billion and focused on a wide range of sectors, including aerospace and defence, education, energy, mining, infrastructure, sustainable technologies, information and communications technology.

This change in government has brought a positive change to the world. The message has been put out there for the whole world to know and appreciate that with the election of Narender Modi peace and economic stability is India’s main focus. Let’s hope that this will make our world a better place to live.

Photograph by Jennifer Lavery

A Durham Region Transit Bus pulls out of Durham College.

Durham transit in need of fixing Durham Region Transit – whenever you hear those words they are usually accompanied by multiple groans from frustrated passengers.

The DRT has a reputation for being a transit system with a lot of issues.

This may be why 66 per cent of the entire region chooses to drive, instead of taking public transportation, according to a survey, conducted by Durham Region and IBI Group in 2011. The same survey says only 4 per cent of residents use local transit buses or GO buses as their method of travel.

With 49 different regional bus routes, it seems transit would be the more popular option for residents, but many flaws in the system have made the DRT the least effective form of transportation in Durham Region. Durham Region Transit system will continue to be in a state of disrepair if not taken under review soon.

Residents’ opinions on transit services were mixed when Durham Region conducted the 2011 survey.

Within the TMP, 48 per cent of survey respondents said they were satisfied with transit services within Durham Region, while only 27 per cent were not. The survey also shows that Whitby is the most unsatisfied. It reveals the DRT is not meeting municipality expectations.

Over ninety per cent of youth, aged 18 to 24, said that improving transit services was important to them.

The TMP survey concludes with

the fact that local transit remains the top concern for Durham Region residents. Considering that public transportation is an issue for residents, very little seems to be happening towards fixing the weaknesses in the system.

The DRT has a few positive aspects on its side, like the voiced announcements of upcoming stops and their PRESTO pass, which gives riders discounted fare rates. There is also the UPASS, which is a bus pass accessible to Durham College and UOIT students that they can use on any transit bus in the Durham Region. However, there are more cons than pros. DRT buses are rarely on time. They are often full, especially during the early morning rush hour, which doesn’t accommodate the number of workers and students relying on public transportation.

Taking public transportation is cheaper per year than owning and driving a car, yet taking your car to and from work and school is the most popular option in Durham Region. Taking public transit 5 days a week for 12 months, to and from your destination, will cost ap-

proximately $1,260 a year. This is based on current fare rates and does not include special services like the student UPASS or the PRESTO card offered by the DRT. During rush hour, buses cannot accommodate for the number of commuters trying to get onto a bus.

The 915 Taunton starts at the Ajax Go Station and, at peak periods, fills up right away. The 910 Campus Connect and the 401 Simcoe are also affected with large ridership numbers. Cities like Ottawa have the advantage of buses that are double in size. The DRT should consider the number of seats available on a bus then think about investing in larger buses.

In 2003, Durham Region implemented a Transportation Master Plan (TMP) to keep an eye on and improve the regional transit system. Twelve years later, the region has only been able to complete one third of their recommended actions.

Work is ongoing on most of the remaining items.

If Durham Region Transit wants to get back on the good side of their passengers, they are going to need to fix the flaws in their system. They need to accommodate for the large amount of passengers at peak periods, especially during morning and evening times. Public transportation is better for the environment but no one wants to deal with lazy transit. If no one speaks up, nothing will change.

who are vegetarians, but this is not new. Yes, India has seen a few small scale issues pertaining to eating meat, but extreme steps have not been taken til recently. One cannot help but point out the fact that Indians are being pitted against each other by Modi. They are being turned against each other in the name of religion.

Every religion in India has its own rules and regulations. The Muslims don’t eat pork because it goes against their religion. The Jains don’t prefer eating root vegetables. The Hindus don’t eat beef and the Brahmans don’t eat meat at all. But the country has still managed to live in harmony. Indian politicians have always been accused of

instigating the public and trying to follow a divide and rule policy, but the beef ban is an example of how the Modi government is dividing the nation in the name of religion.

Jammu Kashmir is the biggest Muslim state in India, but its assembly was not spared either. Abdul Rashid Sheik, an independent MLA, was seen showing his opposition on the beef ban by holding a beef party. Sheik said he would hold a thousand more. His speech at the assembly was stopped midway when members of Modi’s party attacked him physically.

If that wasn’t enough, the chief Minister of India’s state Haryana stated Muslims should stop eating beef if they want to live in India.

When did politicians get the authority to decide who stays in a country?

If the government keeps instigating the public and trying to divide people based on religion, it will not be long til we see people killing each other based on personal likes and dislikes.

The people need to let Mr. Narendra Modi know that he may have run Gujrat and made it a no meat-no alcohol state, but now he is running a country: a nation where there is a large cultural diversity - a cultural diversity that makes it ‘Incredible India.’ This diversity has been affected due to the political agendas that come with different political parties. And that is not right.

Jennifer Lavery

Beef ban causes serious divide in India “Mari nakho-mari nakho!” (Kill him, kill him!) shouted the crowd in a village around India’s capital Delhi, while they dragged a 50year-old Muslim man out of his house and beat him to death. Why? They assumed he ate beef.

Not only did the Muslim farmer lose his life, his son was critically injured.

It’s been almost a year since India elected Mr. Narendra Modi to be Prime Minister. He has been a pillar for India’s state Gujrat for several years, helping it become a hi-tech and well-developed state. But as the year has been passing, India is slowly turning over a new leaf, under a new leader but not in a good way.

While Modi has been going around

Remona Pillai the world trying to spread good relations and build a more ‘Digital India’, he has also been intentionally or unintentionally destroying its harmony and peace. Under Modi’s leadership, banning anything and everything has become a sort of trend. It started off with the ban of the documentary, ‘India’s daughter’, which described and analyzed the Delhi gang rape case in detail. Now Modi has moved on to beef.

India has a majority of Hindus,

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December 1-7, 2015

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The endless costs of mobile gaming Alyssa Erwin The Chronicle

Imagine reading a book that is missing the last few chapters, or watching a movie that ends at the climax. It would seem like a waste of your time.

Now imagine you are playing a game and the only way to advance to the next level is by buying an ingame currency using your credit card. Without being able to advance to the next level, the game would seem as unsatisfying as an unfinished book or movie with no resolution.

Unfortunately, more games and phone apps are requiring the user to make in-game purchases known as micro transactions. Micro transactions are the reason a $20 game can end up costing you $1,200 in just a few years.

Duncan Fisher, an avid console gamer says, “with video game prices being as they are, I find it ridiculous that we’re required to pay so much extra for content that a decade ago would have been included in the original game.”

Many video games for consoles such as Play Station 4 and Xbox cost around $80, having to pay extra charges to advance in the game is misleading to consumers.

Game packaging includes no disclaimers or fine print saying that players may be required to spend additional money on the games including advancements and online membership.

Many console games now require gamers to have a membership with their console in order to even run the game. These memberships cost between $50 - 60 annually.

Even the wealthiest people on Earth seem to have a problem with the false advertising of a “free-toplay” game. iPhone games designed for young children including Angry Birds, Bakery Story, and Candy Crush, include micro transactions which can be tempting to children.

Despite being worth over $100 million, Kanye West, father of North West, who is two years old, took to Twitter to express his hate for micro transactions in kid’s games.

West tweets, “If a game is made for a 2 year old, just allow them to have fun and give the parents a break for Christ sake.” However, West’s complaint seems to be hypocritical as his wife, Kim Kardashian, made over $200 million from in-app purchases on her own app, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, an app in which players simulate her lifestyle.

Unfortunately, many developers cannot afford to give their creations away therefore they resort to micro transactions to support further development of the game. “Games have become easy to download for free, illegally,” says Jeff Snow, who has had experience developing games.

Snow says a major reason for micro transactions is simple greed.

“Developers know enough people will spend a lot of money for cosmetic upgrades, extra lives, etc.”

Snow says that micro transactions become the number one revenue source for game developers these days.

According the SuperDataResearch, the approximate 23 million available console games in the United States and Canada

Refugees may be coming to Oshawa

Deen Albertini The Chronicle

Derek Giberson wants to bring 100 Syrian refugees to Oshawa. Giberson is the founder of the Oshawa Syrian Refugee Alliance (OSRA).

The Canadian government is bringing 25,000 refugees from Syria because the ongoing war there has displaced millions of people.

Giberson is uniting religious organizations and companies who are willing to help Syrian refugees come to Oshawa. Some of these religious organizations and companies are the Oshawa Islamic Centre, The United Church, YMCA, and Oshawa Kicks.

Giberson went to Oshawa City Council to seek support for OSRA on Nov. 9. Some members of the city council such as Coun. Nester Pidwerbecki, raised concerns about Giberson’s appeal for support.

Coun. Pidwerbecki thinks Giberson should slow down in wanting to implement his ideas before the federal government finalizes a formal plan to bring Syrian refugees to Canada. “I think one area we might disagree on is that I think there are things we can and should be doing regardless of what type of program we end up with on the

other side of that cabinet sub-committee conversation. It is not going to stop us to build those community linkages,” said Giberson. During the city council committee meeting, Giberson said his goal is to get council to give him a declaration supporting the OSRA effort. Giberson said another reason why he brought his case to the council was to establish a positive environment for the refugees. Coun. Bob Chapman is concerned a declaration of support might bind the city financially.

Giberson responded by saying that proper wording of a decleration can avoid any financial obligation from the city.

Coun. Chapman said that one of his main concerns is that by supporting the OSRA initiative the city will be taking on responsibilities the OSRA was created to handle.

Giberson assured the councillor that he understands his concern but responsibilities will not be passed around because of the way the program works. After the city council committee meeting on Nov. 9, Coun. Amy England sent Giberson an email indicating that the issue of supporting OSRA will be referred to the next city council meeting on Nov.30, after The Chronicle deadline.

Photograph by Alyssa Erwin

Microtransactions may end up costing you a lot in the long run. made over $350 million in micro transaction purchases, which is a fraction of the amount that a single online PC game, such as League of Legends (LoL) can make.

LoL has been a popular free-toplay game since 2009. With over 27-million-players a day, according to Forbes, LoL has become one of the most popular online games available and the best part about it is that it’s free to play. LoL has two forms of in-game currency, influence points (IP) and Riot points (RP). IP are earned in-game through doing well in matches while RP are bought with real life money.

Both of these currencies can get players similar perks, however, IP takes a lot of time to earn, and can be quite difficult. Therefore, players resort to purchasing pre-paid game cards.

These pre-paid game cards are

available for $10, $25, or $50 and are redeemed online for RP. While some people may believe that spending real life money on a free-to-play game just isn’t worth it, especially when you can earn the same value of points, the companies pull you in by offering special perks that can only be bought using money from your non-virtual pocket.

For example, LoL players can buy different skins, or costumes, for their champions. However, these skins can only be purchased with RP. Therefore, these skins are nearly impossible to obtain by players who do not wish to spend money on the game unless gifted by the game or by other players.

LoL ranked number 2 of 10 in the list of the top-ten online games, based on free-to-play earnings worldwide conducted by SuperData

Research in 2013. In that year, the online game made over $624 million through micro transactions. It was runner-up to CrossFire, which produced revenue of $957 million that same year. Video games are getting more expensive whether it is the initial price or the cost of all the separate micro transactions.

This false advertising gives the impression that game developers are fuelled by greed, according to Snow and Fisher. While some avid game and app-goers may feel cheated by the fine print to what they believe is a free game, micro transactions can help keep games and apps at a low initial price.

While you wouldn’t buy a book that was left unfinished, or a movie with no ending, millions of gamers continue to buy games that require additional payments to complete the story.

Campus

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December 1-7, 2015

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From home to post-secondary Tabitha Reddekop The Chronicle

When Amy Herron, a grade 12 honour student, applied to the kinesiology program at UOIT, she was confident she would get in. As time went on and she still hadn’t heard back from the school, she began to worry. “I was worried they lost my application,” she says. “A lot of my friends were applying to UOIT the year I did and a lot of them were hearing back from their individual programs…I hadn’t received anything.” When Herron called UOIT, she found out her application hadn’t been approved because her biology and chemistry credits didn’t meet the school standards. This is because she used a homeschool science curriculum for those grade 12 credits. Herron, along with around 20,000 other Ontario children are homeschooled, according to the Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents (OFTP) and many graduate without an official high school transcript. This leaves some graduates, such as Herron, with unofficial credits that haven’t been approved by the Ontario School Board. Not having a high school transcript in the past made it difficult for homeschoolers to apply to college and university. Now because of the increased awareness and popularity of homeschooling, many homeschoolers can attend and do well at most Ontario post-secondary schools.

However, early preparation not only makes the process easier, it is the key to success.

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increases in popularity, more homeschool graduates will be seeking admittance to college. In the past, most colleges and universities didn’t have admissions policies for homeschoolers, which made it difficult to integrate them into the post-secondary school system once they graduated. But thanks to work done by the OFTP, many colleges and universities in Ontario have policies specifically for homeschoolers.

OFTP list 23 Ontario universities and colleges that have been known to accept homeschoolers – UOIT is one of them.

Transcripts When Herron applied to UOIT in 2012, she had taken most of her courses through the Virtual Learning Centre, an online school that is accepted by the university since it is run through the Kawartha Lakes School Board. But she took three other classes through other homeschool programs, including two science classes through Apologia and an English program run through Tree of Life, which allows students to send in work to be marked throughout a semester. Herron says because she had a good track record with Tree of Life, they added the grades her parents had given her for the science courses to the transcript they sent to UOIT. When she visited a UOIT open house that past fall, Herron says she was reassured being homeschooled wouldn’t be a barrier. “We just proceeded as if it was all good,” she says. But it turns out, the homeschool courses she was doing couldn’t be accepted because A growing group the school needed more proof when Homeschooling was once thought it came to math or science based as an extreme measure, usually programs. done for religious reasons or by backcountry dirt roaders that didn’t Admissions have a school nearby. The number Joe Stokes, an associate registrar of homeschoolers has increased at UOIT says the university has by 29 per cent from 2006 to 2012, been accepting homeschool students according to the Fraser Institute. since the school opened in 2002, The Homeschooling in Canada but there are certain requirements Report, released by the Institute in homeschoolers must meet. “When 2015, attributes this to more par- you are looking at a program, like ents wanting to provide individual engineering, we need to make sure education to their children. This is your math and science is up to calto help kids learn at their own pace, iber to set you up for success.” He get ahead of the curve and focus says the school reviews transcripts on behavioral problems or special outside of the traditional Ontario needs, along with the usual faith- secondary schools, even parent writbased reasons. As homeschooling ten transcripts, but it usually comes

Photograph by Tabitha Reddekop

Joan Gilmore homeschooling her daughter, Anne Gilmore.

Photograph by Tabitha Reddekop

Amy Herron is a life-long homeschooler who, despite some difficulty, went to UOIT in 2012. down to the applicant taking SATs to prove they understand the content. “We review them but because there is such a variety of curriculum out there and they vary from delivery mode to delivery mode, we also ask for a test.” The two ways to make sure a student can handle the program is by an SAT score or by taking the class again through VLC or a similar program.

as an associate registrar at UOIT for over 12 years. But sometimes they do even better. Homeschoolers are six per cent more likely to get a university bachelor degree than their public school peers, according to a General Social Survey in 2006. Herron, a life-long homeschooler before attending UOIT, thinks this is because being homeschooled teaches you independence.

“It (homeschooling) taught you to Making the deadline learn on your own and think for Partway through February, yourself,” she says.

Herron chose to take biology and chemistry again through VLC and Starting young another accredited program. “I was Independence is what keeps Joan extremely panicked at that point. It was just getting too close to the end to make it in to that year,” she says.

Her mother, Deb Herron, says her daughter was determined to make the deadline. “I’ve never seen someone work so hard in their life, but she had the mindset she was going to university in the fall.” And she did.

Planning ahead Getting into college or university is a problem many homeschool parents worry about, but Judith Hyland, a homeschool mom for 20 years and an area representative for OFTP, says she started planning when her son, Joseph Hyland, reached grade 11. “If there is any pre-requisite he needs, we would have a year to get those,” says his mother. They ended up going to their local school and talking to the school board about their situation.

“They came to the table saying, ‘what can we do to help you earn a diploma?’” He graduated after taking several extra courses during the summer and is now in a competitive engineering program at Carleton University. “He has no problems.

He is not in anyway out of place there,” says Hyland’s mother. “I am proud of him.”

Doing well Her son is not the only homeschool student doing well. Most homeschool students flourish in the university and college system.

“Often those students (homeschoolers) perform just as well as everyone else,” says Stokes, who has worked

there is no place to indicate you are homeschooled. “The sooner we have your documentation, the sooner we can make a decision on a file.”

Continuing to grow Early preparation may be necessary for post-secondary admittance, but it doesn’t deter people from homeschooling. The average annual growth of homeschoolers in the Canadian population is currently five per cent. By contrast, in recent years, public school enrollment has been down by just over two per cent. If these trends con-

They came to the table saying 'what can we do to help you earn a diploma?'

Gilmore homeschooling her two kids in grade 4 and grade 6. “The kids have no interest in getting up early and being on a schedule,” she says with a laugh. She says they will continue to homeschool as long as the kids want to, even through high school. She says she isn’t worried about their future education because she thinks Ontario is a good place to homeschool. "There is no fear," she says.“We have so many examples of people who have gone through homeschool and had success."

Preparation is key Despite Herron’s experience, Ontario can be a great place to homeschool, if you are prepared. Herron advises homeschoolers to be proactive in approaching the post-secondary school. “If you are not in a traditional school setting, you have to ask a lot of questions,” she says.

Stokes agrees. “The big thing is to contact us (UOIT) early and let us know that you are homeschooled.”

He says students often apply, but

tinue, more homeschoolers will be applying to colleges and universities in the coming years. Though homeschoolers receive widespread acceptance from most Ontario post-secondary schools, there is always room for improvement. Only half of the colleges and universities have web pages that outline the school’s requirements for homeschool admissions. Increasing the amount of information available for homeschoolers considering going to college or university will help these students navigate the journey through the school system.

Success story Even though Herron had difficulty getting in, she along with other homeschoolers, did well in university. Herron graduated from UOIT with a GPA of 3.68 out of 4.00. “I think that the work I put in to get into university was well worth it,” she says. She is now attending is the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and expects to graduate in 2019.

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'Field-to-fork' goes global Shane O’Neill The Chronicle

The Centre for Food at Durham College’s Whitby Campus is blossoming as an industry leader in experimental education and Bistro ’67 is the centre-piece. Opened in 2013, Bistro ’67 is home to the college’s culinary arts and event management programs.

Last year, the college began to hold multi-course dinners hosted by local celebrity chef, Jamie Kennedy.

Designed to promote the restaurant to local residents, these dinners are also a way for the college to showcase the concept of “field-to-fork”, an idea that the restaurant industry can both incorporate and thrive on the locally grown and sourced ingredients.

In 2013, Durham International and the Centre for Food were awarded a contract to share the college’s experience and expertise in culinary arts and gastronomy with the Experimental Centre for Vocational Training, or CEFOP, a technical and vocational college in Trujillo, Peru. The goal is to help update and develop the curriculum at CEFOP and to enhance Durham’s exposure to diverse cultures and communities. In October, a delegation from Peru toured Durham’s Whitby and Oshawa campuses, meeting with faculty and sharing ideas on programs and services.

For the college, “field-to-fork” is an idea on the cutting edge of education and development. While still very much an experiment, both faculty and administration are keen to develop the concept further as a way to benefit not only students, but the local economy in Durham Region as well.

Dave Hawey, Chair of the CFF, explains that the concept integrates nearly every program offered at Durham, “From food and farming, horticulture, pharmaceuticals, food processing all the way through culinary, baking, and events and hospitality,” he says. “We ingrain

the whole idea and concept and principals of field-to-fork and culinary tourism and everything that we can offer to build a local and sustainable environment, right here in the CFF.” With the guidance of Chef Kennedy, an established leader in the “field-to-fork” concept, the Centre for Food integrated every step of the food production process into their culinary arts and event management programs with Bistro ’67 as its centrepiece.

But why “field-to-fork”, you might ask. Durham College is an established technical college that has been training horticulturalists and event managers for almost 50 years.

According to its Mission and Values Statement, Durham College is built on the idea of providing a dynamic and supportive learning environment by offering new opportunities to learn advanced skills in new technologies and capitalizing on the experiences and expertise of the staff and faculty.

How does Durham accomplish this as an institution? Durham College partners with many different businesses, schools and organizations from across Durham Region every year. In 2015, Durham has expanded its partnerships across continents and oceans.

Over the past two years, Durham College has been working together with Colleges and Institutions Canada, CICan, an association of colleges that works to facilitate and secure funding for its member colleges and technical schools in Canada to find and develop partnerships with institutions from around the globe.

It is through Durham’s relationship with CICan and funding from Global Affairs Canada, formerly the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), that the College can work with CEFOP and develop relationships with other institutions and programs from around the world.

Like Durham, CEFOP is a pub-

Photograph by Shane O'Neill

Durham College President Don Lovisa (left, standing) and International Specialist Katie Boone (left, sitting) welcome delegates from a college in Peru, (from left) Monica Rubinos, Alcides Malpica, Luis Alore and Patricia Gonzales.

lically-funded institution designed to train and educate the next generation of the workforce and create opportunities that benefit both students and communities. Administrators and faculty from both are keen share practices and ideas with like-minded and established institutions.

Don Lovisa, President of Durham College, believes that international partnerships, like the one with CEFOP, are important because of the global nature of the world in 2015.

Opportunities to bring the world to Durham students and faculty, and the send them out into the world, creates an opportunity to share best practices and to learn from each other and enhance the experience at all institutions.

For CEFOP, the partnership with Durham College is an opportunity to build a program that engages the

community and develops the local culinary and hospitality industry.

That’s where Durham’s Centre For Food can help. Opened in 2013, the CFF is founded on the concept of “field-to-fork”, an idea that local food and agriculture can feed local mouths.

“We’ve set strong goals around sustainability and sustainable agricultural practices,” says Lovisa. “It’s about getting food closer to home.

It’s about nutrition and health programs. It’s very core to what we believe in.”

Monica Rubinos, Vice-President of Academics with CEFOP, chose to partner with Durham because of the CFF and its reputation as a leader in the “field-to-fork” concept. CEFOP hopes to mirror the structure of Durham and the CFF as they grow their culinary and hospitality program. The idea of incor-

porating agriculture, to the point of production and post-production for their new culinary program and existing horticulture program can be a game-changer for a traditionally rural country like Peru with a predominantly agricultural economy.

The “field-to-fork” concept is part of Durham’s vision for the future and central to the college’s commitment to sustainability. Food security and food safety are important issues for Durham Region and Canadian communities today, and Durham is leading the way to securing them.

The match between Durham College and CEFOP is more than one of convenience, by sharing ideas and practices around concepts such as sustainability and education, communities in both Peru and Canada can grow into a more secure and nutritional future.

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Assisting students with disabilities Deen Albertini

The Chronicle

Every year more than a thousand students register with the Access and Support Centre at Durham College. The Access and Support Centre helps students with learning disabilities gain access to tools that assist with their education.

The Accessibility Coordinating Committee (ACC), which contains members of the Access and Support Center, was developed to brain storm ideas on how to make the lives of people living with disabilities better. The ACC committee includes Sandy Odrowski, curriculum specialist; Merri Kim Oliver, Vice President, student affairs, and faculty members from Durham College’s marketing program, IT, Student Association, and communications department.

ACC is trying to raise awareness on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and its use with text to speech software. Text to speech software is ideal for reading websites, note-taking applications and Microsoft Word.

“We have a few different programs for text to speech. The main program is Read & Write, which works with both Mac and Windows.

It provides tools for reading text aloud, spelling support, dictionary and vocabulary building, as well as tools to help students study,” said Andrea Bell, Assistive Technologist at Durham College.

Bell added she has seen many students improve their reading comprehension because of text to speech software.

"Depending on the student, comprehension may be improved because they are now able to hear the words and understand their meaning, instead of guessing the word and putting it in the wrong context,” said Bell.

Durham has been using UDL for many years and Odrowski believes text to speech has benefits to student success .

“The use of UDL in the classroom helps students by giving them converted handouts given by professors into documents that can easily be read by text to speech software, “said Odrowski.

Odrowski adds that including the use of UDL many faculty members have mentioned they are posting their content including instructor notes, Power Points, and links to videos in DC Connect to help students gain better access to their information. According to Oliver, there are many practical reasons why teachers should implement UDL in their classrooms.

“When teachers and faculty develop their curricula based on UDL principles they ensure that their material is accessible to as wide a range of learning styles and abilities as possible. When the delivery of curricula results is more easily understood students are more engaged in the learning and the professor is less likely to have to repeat material,” said Oliver.

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An auction to believe in Sean Heeger The Chronicle

Spider Jones, a public speaker and former radio host, is a man who always has fun and eventful times surrounding him.

The good times continued at Jones’ latest event held by his charity Believe to Achieve.

The third Charity Art Auction was the “most entertaining to date” thanks to musical guests, Star Wars, and even boxing with Toronto’s mayor. This event was held on November 14, at Artworld Fine Art Gallery in Toronto.

It allowed people to buy one of a kind artwork donated by many up and coming artists and photographers who were on hand to meet and greet with the hundreds of people who turned out, including Toronto mayor John Tory.

“I know events like this are fantastic because people at Believe to Achieve are making a big difference in the lives of a lot of kids in this city, and making sure this city stays as great as it is,” said Tory.

The Believe to Achieve charity,

which aims to keep at risk youth off the streets and away from gangs, has been run by former radio host and golden glove boxer Charles “Spider” Jones since its inception in 2006.

Jones and his wife Jackie have been extremely proud to run this organization, that according to Jones, “changes the lives of so many children on a daily basis.”

Doing this is something that is extremely close to both of their hearts as 69 year-old Jones was a troubled youth who had a number of run-ins with the law and spent more than 10 years in juvenile and prison correctional facilities for crimes like robbery, and other gang-related offences.

“I was bad news when I was younger,” said Jones. “If it wasn’t for people like my wife Jackie I wouldn’t have gotten my act together.”

Since putting his life on the right path Jones became a boxer who was inducted into the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame, and a radio host for over 20 years on a number of stations, including becoming a staple on the Toronto station Newstalk

1010 AM. This year the art auction raised over $10,000 from both the artwork and raffle prizes which included a prize donated by Roger Christian, the original art director of Star Wars and man who created the iconic Light Sabre.

While no futuristic swords were up for auction, Christian was on hand to donate an autographed photograph of George Lucas on the Star Wars set from his own collection that brought in more than $500.

His donation was the biggest money-maker among items that included signed boxing gloves from a “live fight” between Jones and Tory.

All money went towards the organization that helps students including some in Durham Region.

Jones gives talks to schools on the dangers of falling in with the wrong crowd, and also gives youth across the region an open invitation to the Believe to Achieve drop-in centre to Photograph by Sean Heeger make friends and better decisions.

For more information on Believe Spider Jones (left) and Toronto Mayor John Tory share to Achieve visit: www.believe- laughs at the third annual Charity Art Auction. toachieve.ca

DC J-students help Participation House mark 40 years Amanda Ramlal The Chronicle

Success stories are meant to be shared. The journalism students at Durham College (DC) and the Participation House Project (PH) of Durham Region worked together to create a book to celebrate Participation House’s 40th anniversary and share the stories of the people they’ve helped.

PH is a non-profit organization located in Whitby. They provide service for people of all ages that have any physical or developmental disabilities. Michelle Marshall, the executive director at PH, got in contact with journalism professor Danielle Harder in late spring to get students who were willing to create a book for PH to raise awareness towards the success stories of whom she calls “Heroes and Champions.”

These are people facing individual, systemic or societal challenges. Some individuals have Down syndrome, cerebral palsy or have had a stroke that changed their life forever.

“At the end of the day we exist to support people,” says Marshall.

“We felt the best way to celebrate our 40 years was to tell the stories of the heroes and champions that we’ve come across.”

To give titles to the inspiring individuals talked about in the book, Marshall looked up definitions to help. A hero is someone we tend to look up to, we are in awe of or someone we appreciate. The person is remarkable in someway. A champion is similar to a hero, but is sometimes more like a cheerleader. They are encouraging and are often looked to for help or advice by heroes.

Marshall describes the book as a compilation of silent victories that have happened in our community that people might not be able to

fully understand, appreciate or acknowledge. One story in the book shares how an active individual with cerebral palsy was determined to find independence when it came to public transit.

The book was completed over the summer and one of the biggest challenge’s students and PH faced during this project was finding the time to sit down and talk with each other to get interviews completed.

Marshall says she really appreciates the students for taking the time out of their summer breaks to carry out interviews. But they were still able to accomplish a lot in a short period of time.

Karen Edwards is a third year Journalism-Broadcast and Print student at DC and says one challenge she faced was since readers weren’t able to really see who Edwards’ story is about she let the individual’s personality show through by painting a picture with her writing.

“She was so outgoing and excited to speak to me, that’s not something you always get in journalism,” says Edwards.

Alyssa Erwin is a first year Journalism-Web and Print student who also participated in writing the stories.

“I thought, ‘what better way to help someone than to tell their story’, especially for those who cannot tell their own,” she says.

Erwin says this project was eye-opening for her and she feels that people take a lot for granted without realizing how fortunate we are.

Marshall says this book will be able to touch readers in different ways. The people who are written about get to appreciate what they’ve accomplished in life. Employees at PH will feel proud of what they’ve done to help their heroes and the general public will really get to

understand the complexity of the work that PH does. Marshall says after reading these success stories it will help readers appreciate the value of what challenges people with disabilities face and overcome and possibly give a reality check for the simple things we take for granted.

Everyone’s story deserves to be heard. Participation House reminds us to celebrate every one and appreciate the journeys we go through in life. PH welcomes the community to celebrate its 40th anniversary together at the Abilities Centre theatre room on Wednesday, De-

cember 9th. The event takes place from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. at 55 Gordon Street, Whitby where the book will be released to the public.

Books are available upon request by contacting Christine Dubyk at PH’s administrative office, 905579-5267 ext. 203.

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Chief Administrative Officer Tony Prevedel called the emergency planning. meeting a huge success.

Planning for a twister Cameron Popwell

The Chronicle

A tornado has touched down in Pickering. Not really, although this was the focus of the mock emergency planning meeting held recently by city officials. Chief Administrative Officer Tony Prevedel called the meeting “a huge success”.

The Emergency Operations Centre drill was organized by Prevedel in tandem with Pickering fire and law enforcement officials. During the meeting, a mock scenario was run in which Pickering was the site of a tornado. Hypothetical incidents were considered (infrastructural damage, road closures, medical emergencies) and emergency service officials would “organize” emergency medical transports, police, and fire response in order to maintain the situation as it developed.

“We improve every year, as expected. Our response times get quicker, more efficient, and ultimately we become more and more ready for when an emergency actually does occur,” Prevedel said.

The most recent instance of a legitimate Emergency Operations Centre being set up was during the ice storm that hit Ontario in 2013, according to Prevedel. During this time, a state of emergency was not declared, however it did have officials organizing crews to help citizens with getting through the dangerous road conditions.

As the drill went on, information was released to a gathering of mock media by Deputy Fire Chief Jason Yoshida, who provided “updates” on the situation’s development regarding additional road closures, potential evacuations, and risks faced by emergency crews as complications occurred.

The meeting concluded with Yoshida announcing that the situation was under control and that the worst of the damage had already occurred, citizens affected by the incident being brought to safer locations, and damaged roadways blocked off by police.

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DC grad breaks national 'whore' story Alyssa Bugg

Photograph by Cameron Popwell

December 1-7, 2015

Durham College journalism graduate, Mickey Djuric, has received an overwhelming amount of support following her politically-charged decision to resign from her position with the Moose Jaw Times-Herald newspaper in Saskatchewan.

Djuric stepped down after management made the decision not to publish her video where local Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski gave a speech on the night of the federal election, in which he allegedly called an NDP candidate ‘an NDP whore’.

“When I made this decision I received a ton of support, a ton of emails from people in the community,” said Djuric. “People come up to me in the grocery store and thank me for what I did. That means a lot to me that I did this community proud.”

Djuric covered the Oct. 19 election for the Times-Herald for

Photograph courtesy Mickey Djuric

Durham College journalism grad Mickey Djuric.

Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan, a new riding in the area. While at the election, Djuric was videotaping, recording and live-tweeting and when the alleged ‘NDP whore’ comment came up, she was distracted and didn’t take much note of it.

Following the election, Djuric went on vacation for two weeks.

Once she returned to work, she prepared the video for publishing so the community could meet their new MP. She began editing the

video and had the sound running in the background.

“When the part came up in the video where he said ‘NDP whore’ I gasped and remembered back to when I heard him say that on election night,” said Djuric, who graduated from Durham in 2012.

Djuric asked a few people to listen to the video and after them unanimously confirming what she had heard, she brought the story to her managing editor.

“I said, ‘I’m hearing whore, but the public is really going to be the jury on this because they’re who holds us accountable and we have to give them the opportunity. We can’t just control their opinions by us silencing [the video],’” said Djuric.

After sending the video to Lukiwski and him claiming he had said ‘horde’, not ‘whore’, Times-Herald management made the decision to hold the video. Djuric then approached upper management and after being told the story would never run, it was the last straw for her and she made the decision to

resign from the Times-Herald.

“I realized then that TC [Transcontinental Media] is not interested in keeping the community informed,” said Djuric.

An editorial published on the Times-Herald website says, “the reporter involved was told that our investigation would remain open pending other information she could gather, including witnesses who may come forward. That was where the matter was left. It was not killed and there was no censorship.

There was a potential story, but one that needed more information before we were comfortable moving forward with it.”

According to Djuric, it is well known throughout the community that the Times-Herald has a culture of not publishing things that will offend and on Djuric’s end, this meant many important story ideas turned down. Although Djuric plans to come back home to Toronto in the coming weeks, she preferred not to comment whether she has received offers for future positions.

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Halal meat now available on campus Marina Tyszkiewicz The Chronicle

What better way for the Student Association (SA) to show Durham College and UOIT students their appreciation than by cooking students up a free meal? The Student Association hosted a food event to thank students for their support, and to celebrate their success of substituting some items on E.P. Taylor’s menu with certified halal meats.

Siraj Syed is the Vice President of University Affairs the Student Association at Durham College and UOIT. He helped host the event, and marked it as an important change on campus.

“The purpose was to tell the students that we appreciate them and to let them know that we have, at the SA, taken on the initiative this year to be one of the first student associations in North America to go authentically halal.”

The event was hosted outside of E.P. Taylor’s on Oct, 24. There, students were offered free bagels, halal nuggets and burgers being served up under a large blue tent with the Maple Leaf Logo, which read ‘hand slaughtered halal meat’.

The event started at 12 p.m., and went on until at 5 p.m. During that time the SA served food to more then 600 students and handed out a 1,000 water bottles.

E.P. Taylor’s had been serving Maple Lodge halal products for sometime, until the Student Asociation did some digging and discovered the halal meat wasn’t meeting the ritualistic standards.

“We were a little iffy on them,” says Syed. He says Maple Lodge relied on mechanically slaughtering animals, and had minimal oversight to verify that some religious standards were being met.

“We had some questions with regards to their authenticity, their process, how they were being governed and who was checking that they were authentically halal,” says Syed.

In Arabic, Halal means permissible, it is an Islamic ritual, which involves ensuring an animal is alive and healthy, before its throat is cut by a sharp blade severing the carotid artery, jugular vein and windpipe in one cut. Allah (God’s) name must be announced at the time of slaughter and the animal must be hanged to allow the blood to drain.

Syed says using a mechanical process instead of a hand slaughter method means anim als can incur unnecessary suffering, which goes against halal principles. The SA decided to change its supplier and go with Maple Leaf. Syed says Maple Leaf formerly used mechanical slaughter for its halal products, but due to concerns they now use hand slaughter.

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To breed or not to breed?

The future of Toronto Zoo's pandas Marina Tyszkiewicz The Chronicle

They’re cute, they’re cuddly, they’re rare and endangered, and they’re being bred around the world to endure a life in captivity.

The Toronto Zoo recently announced the birth of two pandas: the first pandas to have been born in Canada.

The birth mother, Er Shun, arrived at the Toronto Zoo in March of 2013, with Da Mao, as loaner pandas from China’s captive breeding program.

The Toronto Zoo pays China one million dollars each year for the set of pandas. Despite our love for Pandas, we are their greatest predator.

People have poached them, destroyed their homes, and left them on the brink of extinction. As a means of repentance and as an attempt to preserve them, humanity poses the solution of breeding Pandas in human-run facilities. And zoos around the world want in.

Ruth Harkens exported the first live panda to America in 1936. In

1938, the panda died of pneumonia inside of Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo. For the next fifteen years, after the death of the first panda in America, 16 pandas were shipped to western zoos.

Due to poor accommodations and lack of expertise by caregivers, not one panda lived past the age of ten. The average life expectancy of a giant panda in the wild is 20 years.

Zoos are willing to breed pandas against expert advice, suggesting that captive breeding should be a last resort, while these programs subject Pandas to unnatural environments, which leaves them unable to engage in natural behaviours.

As a result, captive bred pandas are shuffled from zoo to zoo.

According to the Chinese government, the money generated from loaning pandas to zoos goes towards conservation and preservation programs in China.

The program’s goal is to replenish the bears and eventually reintroduce them into the wild.

The WWF suggests captive breeding programs should be a last resort not a substitute for the underlying causes of species extinction like habitat destruction.

There are 300 pandas that live in captivity and approximately 1,864 that live in the wild.

Rob Laidlaw is the Executive Director of Zoocheck. He says, “

If you look at the three to five hundred pandas that have been born into captivity in China, there is only one animal that has ever been released that has survived for any length of time.”

Researchers say they are still working with groups in China to determine strategies of how to introduce bred pandas into the wild.

The general consensus of the endangered animal welfare community, such as World Wild Life Fund and Zoocheck, is that the leading cause of animal extinction is due to habitat destruction.

Zoos often convey an image that they are strong supporters of conservation and preservation for wildlife, claiming to use revenues generated from public attendance to finance these commitments.

The Toronto Zoo’s vision statement reads “Canada’s national leader in saving wildlife to ensure the rich diversity of nature for future generations.”

According to a 2014 Globe and Mail article, the zoo spent $136,000 towards endangered species, which accounted for less than one per cent of its $53.5-million budget in 2013.

In China, half of the habitats belonging to wild pandas are still under threat, and are unprotected, creating uncertainty for the animal’s future as well as an unsecured habitat for bred pandas.

The Toronto Zoo spent $3 mil-

lion on renovations in order to provide adequate housing for the visiting pandas and annually spends $500,000 on food. This is the yearly cost of feeding all the other animals at the zoo combined, a total of over 5,000 animals.

George B. Schaller is the scientific director of the Bronx Zoo and author of The Last Panda. He says that zoos are part of the cause of near extinction of giant pandas because they haul these animals from one zoo to another to be exhibited.

Laidlaw says, “About ten per cent of the captive panda population is out-loaned to zoos around the world.”

He goes on to say that none of the pandas distributed across the zoos will ever be introduced to the wild.

Once Er Shun and Da Mao complete the duration of their Toronto visit in 2018, they will be sent to the Calgary Zoo for five years.

The fate of Toronto’s pandas is to continually ship them to zoos, without ever granting them the freedom of being in the wild.

Zoos know that cute babies generate public interest, and by extension profits. So zoos use breeding methods like artificial insemination.

When Er Shun arrived in Toronto with a male panda, she was artificially inseminated twice. For each cub that’s born zoos must pay China an additional annual host fee.

This amount is still to be negoti-

ated for the new twins, according to Maria Franke curator of mammals at the Toronto Zoo. Captive breeding offers a false promise of human abilities to save any species. We know that the root cause of extinction is habitat destruction, and researchers have yet to discover how or if they will be able to integrate bred pandas into their ancestry habitat.

In China, half of the habitats belonging to wild pandas are still under threat, and are unprotected, creating uncertainty for the animal’s future as well as an unsecured habitat for bred pandas. Yet, rather than solving the root of the issue, the focus continues to be on populating the animal regardless of their future.

This pushes the pandas into a cycle of redistribution. This works for the public, who like to see the animals at zoos. But breeding programs lead people to focus on the quantity of animals.

A growing number of endangered species is good, right? But the problem is this attitude distracts from strategies that can save the animals and their habitats.

As a result, these captive bred animals become souvenirs of our own mistakes. In which case, the custom Da Mao/Ed Shun stuffed panda at the Toronto Zoo that sells for $34.99 might be a more ethical bargain.

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Campus

Photograph by Megan Chase

Kelly Helmer (left) and Frank Rozsas volunteering at the DC Open House.

DC Open House opens minds Chris Rego The Chronicle

Ryan Cowen, a first year student in the Broadcasting for Contemporary Media course, came to the Durham College’s Open House year a ago not knowing if he wanted to do the culinary program or get involved in a sports-related field. Cowen came to the open house and found some information on the Broadcast for Contemporary Media program and he realized that he could use that love of sports to create a career.

“I came to the open house last year and at that time I was considering becoming a chef but then I found this program and I really enjoy it so far,” said Cowen.

Cowen loves his program so much that he decided to volunteer at the open house that took place on November 14. Cowen wanted to show potential students that DC is a great school that offers lots of options and can help with fulfilling goals.

Classrooms in the L-wing were filled with students, and at times packed in like tuna so much so that it was difficult to move from one end of the room to the other. Anna Rodrigues, a professor of Broadcast for Contemporary Media, was pleased with the turnout.

“Today we had the whole room full and it was so busy that people couldn’t get through to the back,” said Rodrigues.

The open house saw about 1,000 students visit and was praised as a huge success by volunteers and staff alike.

Those who choose to work and learn at DC like Karen Burnett, who works in the registrar’s office, came to see the positives and encourage potential students to attend here.

“Durham College is like a family in that we are close knit,” said Burnett There are two open houses a year, one in spring and the other in autumn.

These give the community and potential students the ability to get information on everything DC has to offer from housing to programs and careers.

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Students create Card Pocket Class project helps DC students get ready for business Jordyn Gitlin The Chronicle

Carrying around your keys, wallet and phone in your pockets and bag can be a little too much to juggle sometimes, however, a group of students have created a product to limit the amount you carry.

Students in the Entrepreneurship and Small Business program at Durham College had a semester-long project in the Entrepreneurship class where they had to come up with a product.Richard Owen, Taylor Melmer, Spenser Hauraney and Sean Brajac have created the Card Pocket. It is an adhesive sticker, made out of silicone that sticks to the back of your phone to hold your cards and cash.

The group of students had to come up with a product they could create for $300 or less to sell to the students.

We talked to students and found that there was a market.

“The main target is the college… once we talked to some students around the school, we found out that there was a market for it and then we purchased 200 of them to sell around the school,” Owen said.

The adhesive sticker can be taken off easily leaving no residue behind, nor will it take anything off with it, Owen said. For example, if you were to place it on your painted wall, the paint would not come off.

Peeling it off can be done two to

three times before it loses its ability to stick to other objects, Owen said.

The Card Pocket can carry four to five cards with some cash included.

However, the more cash you place in it, the fewer cards it will be able to hold. This pocket can be used in many ways, including sticking it to the back of your wallet to hold more

cards.You can stick it in your car to hold cards that have been lying around, Owen said.The Card Pocket includes two colours, black and white and will be sold Tuesdays until December 7 in the entrepreneur class in room C319 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The product is $5 each.

Student-created Card Pocket.

Campus

Photograph by Jordyn Gitlin

News

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Oshawa senior citizens zoom in on great shots Kyle Johnson

it began.

“It’s grown from just a few people to quite a production that it is now,” “I got lots of time. It’s a place for me says Adams. “The club grows I to get out and meet people and talk, otherwise I’d be sitting at home,” says Ron Meade, a retired senior citizen living in the Oshawa Senior Citizens Centre.

Meade is referring to the Oshawa Senior Citizens Centre Camera Club that he says he has enjoyed a great amount since he became a club member.

The Chronicle

It's grown from just a few people to quite a production now.

The club hosted a successful art salon at the Oshawa Senior Citizens Centre recently.

More than 50 senior citizens attended the event on November 19 to view the photographic artwork taken by members of the club.

These people consisted of approximately 30-40 club members and the rest were other senior citizens either interested in viewing the artwork or joining the club.

The event consisted of two 30-45 minute slideshows of several of the top photographs taken by each of the members of the club.

In between the two slideshows there was a 15-minute intermission where people at the event were provided with coffee and snacks and had the chance to walk around and socialize or view displayed, framed pictures taken by club members.

According to the manager of the club, Celeste Adams, the club has been around for about 15 years and has increased a great amount since

would say every year because there’s more opportunity and more welcoming. "Then they arrange for trips and travelling to certain places

to take pictures so it just grows to benefit everyone.” Any senior citizens living in Oshawa interested in joining the Oshawa Senior Citizens

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Centre Camera Club can visit the website and contact Celeste Adams for information on the next meeting time.

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Travelling in the off-season Getting away from the Canadian cold and enjoying the warm savings

Ryan Burden The Chronicle

Mid-terms are finally over, marking the half-way point of the semester for students. Two months have either flown or dragged by, depending on your program of choice, and many students may be reminiscing about the t-shirt weather we had not too long ago. Students may be watching the thermometer drop as fast as their marks did after mid-terms.

With being half-way through the semester, it’s time for students to get away and recharge for second semester. The best way to do that is to travel somewhere warm during off-season.

Off-season is a magical period of time between mid-September and late November in which travelling becomes extremely inexpensive.

Why stick around for the bitter winter of Canada when you could be enjoying a jerk chicken shawarma on the white sands of Jamaica?

Unfortunately, not many students are taking advantage of off-season travel.

Students may be interested, but I find they hardly travel at all while they’re in school, unless their parents are paying for it,” says travel agent Ariel Hartog. “It depends on where they go and what they are interested in.”

Resorts and hotels have a cap-

acity, like a quota, which they must fill weekly. When they are unable to fill their rooms with happy guests, they sell off their leftover rooms at a heavily discounted rate. These last-minute vacation deals can save you as much as 80 per cent off vacation packages, and sometimes even more. If you’re flexible and impulsive, a last-minute trip can cost as

to be higher due to this. Companies usually don’t like to lower the price if they feel that their product will sell well.”

Potential travellers must be cautious though. Off-season is usually due to a busy time of year, but sometimes it can be caused by poor weather conditions like partially cloudy skies, or worse, hurri-

Students may be interested, but I find they hardly travel at all while they’re in school, unless their parents are paying for it. little as $400 on Sell Off Vacations, a popular ticket sales website.

“June and September tend to be less expensive for most places due to students being in school still in June and students going back to school in September,” she says. “Fall and winter tend to be busy due to the cold and the holidays so prices tend

canes. It can be difficult to predict bad weather conditions, especially with the enumerable resorts and destinations to choose from – each with their own unique and varying weather patterns. Luckily for travellers, vacation advice is not hard to find, and can often even save you money. Getting some guidance on

your travel plans can be as easy as walking into any mall in the Durham Region and speaking to a trip advisor.

A better choice may be to choose a personal travel agent. A personal travel agent deals with you directly and will find the best deals for you and your family while taking a much lower commission than the public agents. They’re like family doctors, but they prescribe Piña Coladas and nachos by the pool instead of flu shots.

Travel agents are the unsung heroes of our generation – and that’s because everybody thinks they’re one. People often choose to bear the burden of travel planning on their own, which can be a risky and costly choice.

Anthony Ruggiero recently went on a completely stress-free honeymoon with the help of a travel agent.

“It was definitely easier with a travel agent. They set everything up for me, all I had to do was print the documents and go,” he said. “I’ve never [booked without a travel agent] before. I just researched places online that I liked and told them, they did the rest.”

Navigating the off-season and planning a vacation within it can be a difficult and rewarding process.

A travel agent could be your best friend through the process, but with enough research and preparation, it

isn’t impossible to find a great deal on the perfect getaway. Sometimes the best deals can be found without the help of a travel agent, but there is a catch. You have to be spontaneous.

The difference between the price of a last-minute off-season vacation can be hundreds of dollars. The Riu hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica, is regularly about $2000 per adult during on-season. During Off-Season, this gorgeous resort in the heart of Jamaica can be as low as $825.

Beyond weather conditions and availability, each destination has unique history, culture and things to do. Cuba, for example, went decades without any Americanisation, and is rich in Cuban history and very detached from our society.

Costa Rica, on the other hand, is considered one of the richest destinations for travellers- after all, its name is literally translated to the rich coast. The country’s wealth allows it to offer many exciting tours and activities, including the longest zip line in the southern hemisphere.

Each destination is unique, and a travel agent can help find something that suits your individual wants and needs. Expensive, luxurious trips can be reduced by hundreds of dollars with strategic planning and lots of research.

If you want to plant your butt on a beach without breaking the bank, now’s the time.

Entertainment

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Entertainment

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Can't help falling in love with Elvis Steve Michaels took to the General Motors Centre stage in Oshawa on Saturday, November 21, in his show 'Aloha', in front of a soldout crowd, performing Elvis's hit songs.

Photograph by Logan Caswell

Canadian music is taking over the world Sachin Bahal The Chronicle

The number of Canadian singers and bands with songs on the Billboard Top 100 chart has increased drastically since 2006. This is because people discover artists and music via sites like YouTube or apps like Vines. Some artists share their music online on their own website and allow people to download them for free.

Since being founded in 2005, YouTube has become a great way for media creators to get exposure.

“I use YouTube to find music,” says Tyler Nankishore, a first-year student in the computer programmer analyst program at Durham College.

“It’s pretty good and fairly updated.” YouTube has also become a way for aspiring singers to be discovered. One notable example is Justin Bieber.

He was noticed by Scott “Scooter” Braun, who has started the careers of Ariana Grande, Carly Rae Jepsen, Psy and The Wanted. Braun clicked on one of Bieber’s videos from 2007 by accident.

The video was of Bieber performing “So Sick” by Ne-Yo at a singing competition in Stratford, Ont. Bieber’s mother originally posted the video on YouTube for their family and friends to see.

Since then, Bieber’s videos have

It's the number one way people are discovering music. gained millions of views on YouTube. His music video for his song “Baby” became the second video on YouTube to hit a billion views on March 5th, 2014.

Justin Bieber isn’t the only musician to have launched his career via YouTube. Walk off the Earth from Burlington, Ont. is best known for performing covers of popular music in odd locations, like a van, while using some uncommon instruments, such as the ukulele.

They have been around since 2006 but they started to gain success after their cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know”. All five members of Walk of the Earth performed the song playing on one guitar.

The video went viral in early 2012 and gained 120 million views in the months after the video was released. The band was even invited to perform on Ellen DeGeneres’ TV show and she gifted them each a Fender guitars and amps.

Since then the band still records

and posts covers of hit songs as well as some original songs, such as Rule the World and Boomerang, to their YouTube channel. They have released 7 albums and 5 singles. Right now, Walk off the Earth is in the European leg of a world tour.

Canadian singers are not only being discovered through YouTube, they’re also being found via video sharing apps like Vine. That is the story for Shawn Mendes of Pickering, Ont. Mendes posted covers of popular songs starting in 2013.

His “Vines”, which are six-second videos, and his Vine profile soon gained millions of views and followers but he now has 4.4 million followers on Vine. Andrew Gertler of Island Records found Mendes’ Vine account in January 2014, Mendes soon signed a record deal with the label. Mendes became the youngest artist to debut in the top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100 in July 2014.

He also has released a full-length album, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album

chart and has also been an opening act for Taylor Swift on her latest 1989 world tour.

Word of mouth and offering your own music for free is another way for Canadian artists to gain some popularity.

That seemed to work for Abel Makkonen Tesfaye also known as by his stage name, The Weeknd.

It all started when Tesfaye secretly uploaded some of his songs on YouTube using his stage name in December 2010.

The songs gained attention online and through word of mouth. This caught the attention of Drake, the Toronto-based rapper.

Soon after, Drake started to help The Weeknd gain more attention and fans. Then in March of 2011, Tesfaye released the debut mixtape of The Weeknd, all nine songs on the mixtape were released for free on his website. House of Balloons soon gained critical acclaim. The Weeknd released two more mixtapes over the course of 2011, all of which he released for free.

This has helped grow his fan base.

Now bands like Walk Off the Earth are doing covers of The Weeknd’s songs, like “I Can’t Feel My Face”.

The WOTE cover, performed with Canadian musician Scott Helman, currently has 1.4 million views.

Times have changed over the past few years. Marni Thornton has worked in the music industry

for over 20 years, she has previously worked for SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) which is an organization that represents the Canadian performing rights of millions of Canadian and international music creators and publishers.

She now is a professor and program coordinator for the Music Business Management program at Durham College. Thornton says, “With changes in technology, it’s gone from radio and word of mouth which is still relevant depending on the demographic, to apps and streaming services or sites like YouTube, which of course is still most prevalent right now, it’s the number one way people are discovering music.”

Now anyone with a camera and an internet connection could possibly be the next big thing. It’s not just about making a demo and sending it to record producers and hoping for the best.

Success could be because of a video on YouTube, or a new type of social network platform or a free download.

It’s not just Canadian singers or bands being discovered through these methods; anyone can succeed in this new era of music distribution.

Canadians artists like Justin Bieber, Walk of the Earth, Shawn Mendes and The Weeknd embraced these new methods early.

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December 1-7, 2015

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Sports

Sports

Breaking records on the court Jordan Edmonds The Chronicle

A 19-year-old Durham College women’s basketball scoring record has been smashed.

Lindsay Panchan toppled the record for most points scored in a game by a Durham Lord with a staggering 41, as Durham beat Algonquin 66-64 on November 20th at the CRWC. Jenn Hevey held the previous high of 38 when she played against Georgian College in 1998.

“I’ve never been a record setter or holder, it’s very exciting,” Panchan said.

Panchan came close to breaking the record earlier in the season when Durham played George Brown as she put up 36 points.

Even after the game Panchan was unaware of the feat she had achieved until one of her friends told her.

“One of my friends told me that they thought I had broken the record when I was on the way back to our changing room, that’s when I

knew,” she said.

Panchan’s performance was even more special as it came in a big game.

Not only did the Lords serve up Algonquin’s first loss of the season, Durham beat them for the first time since 2007.

Panchan had a feeling before the game that the Lords would win.

“Algonquin came into our gym and went onto the middle of the court, they did their cheer on our logo, we had to win,” she said.

During the game, it was clear that Panchan was feeling it as shot after shot found its way into the net.

“A girl blocked one of my shots but it still went in, that gave me confidence and I knew I was going to have a good game,” she said.

The game plan for the team remained unchanged and was the same as most games, Panchan explained.

“I just found myself in good positions and driving to the net more,” she said.

Panchan currently sits in first place in the OCAA statistics in points per game and rebounds per

Photograph by Jordan Edmonds

Durham College basketball star Lindsay Panchan shows off her prowess in the sport. game with a 26.0 and 13.6 average respectively.

With her constant high-level performances, people may think that Panchan follows a routine for her games.

However, there are just a few

things that she tends to do before game time.

“The only thing I do regularly is drive to games but I play aggressive, head-banging music to get me pumped up,” she said.

Panchan also enjoys watching

basketball the night before, and is a big fan of Chris Paul, LeBron James and the retired Allen Iverson.

The Lords will end the first half of the season on December 2nd, when they face the St. Lawrence Vikings in Kingston.

Top five sporting moments in Canadian history Jordan Edmonds The Chronicle

Canada is a proud sporting nation with a long history within sports.

Canada’s involvement in sports has created countless moments that are fondly remembered by many.

Olympic teams, teams based in Canada and Canadian sportsmen and women have all contributed to these moments. Gold medals, World Series success and incredible individual achievements. There are so many moments that will always be remembered. But which moments are the best of the best, what are the top five Canadian sporting moments of all time? From Nash inspiring Canadians to pursue an NBA career to the huge legacy that Terry Fox has left. All of these moments will be remembered for years to come. But maybe in 20 years this list could be completely different.

FIVE At number five is Steve Nash winning MVP in 2005. Nash became the first Canadian to win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, and still remains the only Canadian to do so. Representing his country in the NBA was always in the forefront of his mind from the very start. “ I am a huge believer in giving back and helping out in the community and the world,” said Nash, according to Brainyquote.com. Nash wanted to leave a legacy for aspiring Canadians wanting to reach the NBA. Aaron Wiseman, former Durham Lords men’s basketball player says, “Nash had a fantastic career and is a great role model for all aspiring young players, he does his

The goal heard around the world. own charity work and his career in the NBA will always be remembered.”

Nash started his career with the Phoenix Suns, and then went to the Dallas Mavericks. However, at the start of the 2004 season he went back to the Phoenix Suns as a free agent, and at the age of 30 looked to revive his career. In the same season, Nash played a huge part in the Suns making the playoffs and ultimately won the MVP award. The eight time all-star is also the only player under 6’6 to win multiple MVP awards, as he followed it up with a second award the following season. Nash is widely considered one of the best passers and shooters in NBA history, and was always known for his gritty performances.

The legacy he left and impact he made as a Canadian in the NBA is why he makes the top five.

FOUR Coming in at four is a hockey classic: the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and The Soviet Union. The eight game series was arranged to decide the best team in international hockey. Canada however, was the clear favourite in many sportswriters’ minds. After a surprising game one victory by The Soviet Union on Canadian soil, the Canadians won game two. This

was followed by a tie and two Soviet victories making it 3-1. At the brink of defeat, Canada won the final 3 games in Moscow to clinch the series with an epic final game.

The commentator at the time, Foster Hewitt, described the goal as “the goal heard around the world.” Millions of Canadians rejoiced at the victory as it made the whole nation come together.

Thirty-five years later, many still fondly remember the moment and the unity it caused. “It turned out to be more than just a hockey series. A lot of pride came into play, pride in yourself, pride in your team, pride in your country,” said Ed Johnston, according to 1972 summitseries. com. Johnston was a Canadian goaltender for the series. The memories caused by the series are why it is still one of the best Canadian sporting moments of all time.

THREE Swooping in at three is the Toronto Blue Jays’ 1993 World Series win.

The Blue Jays became the second expansion team to win back-toback titles after winning their first in 1992. The Jays won the series 4-2 against the Philadelphia Phillies and sealed it in fantastic style. Joe Carter’s game winning three run home run, sparked a frenzy of celebration and is only the second time

a series has been ended with a walkoff home run. The way this World Series was won is why it is one of the best Canadian sporting moments of all time, the back-to-back win, the walk-off home run and the fact that it was sealed on Canadian soil.

TWO Second on the list is another special hockey moment, this time a more recent one.

The 2010 Canadian Olympic gold medal win is one savoured by many. With the Winter Olympics being held in Vancouver, expectations were high for the Canadian hockey team. After finishing second in the group stages including a loss to the U.S.A., vengeance was always on the agenda for the team.

It just happened to be that this is exactly how things would play out, as Canada met the U.S.A. in the gold medal game.

With Canada in a commanding position at 2-0, the game looked to be going the right way. However, a goal from Zach Parise with 25 seconds left in the final period, would send the game into sudden death overtime. Sydney Crosby would be the hero scoring the goal and sending fans across the country into hysteria. Crosby’s goal is compared by many to the Paul Henderson goal in the 1972 Summit Series.

UOIT student, Mike Nafzinger says this about the goal, “I was ecstatic when Crosby scored that goal, it made me proud that we won gold on home soil.”

The Canadian Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium claims that two thirds of the Canadian population watched Crosby’s goal, making it the most-watched broadcast in

Canadian History. This along with the fact that the game was against the U.S., one of the biggest rivalries in sports, and that it was again on home soil are reasons why this is the second best moment in Canadian sporting history.

ONE Finally for the top moment in Canadian sporting history. Terry Fox is one of the most influential Canadians in not just sports but in recent history. In 1980, he went on a marathon across Canada (the Marathon of Hope), with a prosthetic leg in the hope to make money for cancer research. He has become not just a national icon, but a worldwide one after his fight with cancer led him to walk 3,339 miles over 143 days. His marathon journey ended, when cancer finally got the better of him and lead to his death in 1981, at the age of 22. According to the Terry Fox Foundation $650 million has been raised in his name. He was also named the 2nd greatest Canadian of all time on the 2004 show, The Greatest Canadian.

The annual Terry Fox run now takes place in over 60 countries, which shows the true extent of his work. This moment is top of the list because of the huge impact it has made not only to Canada but also worldwide. It shows the true dedication and grit that a person can have, which inspired the world.

Sports always create moments to remember. Nothing quite compares to the range of emotions that come with sports. The aspects that make a moment a truly great one are of course the stage, the rivalry, comebacks and so on, but the most important is the legacy it leaves.

Sports

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Player safety hits button

mentally. It was a scary moment, and I know that it could have turned out much worse,” says Gushue.

Michael Fletcher The Chronicle

At the Grand Slam of Curling Masters event on October 31st in Truro, N.S. Olympic gold medalist, Brad Gushue fell and hit his head on the ice.

Gushue suffered from concussion like symptoms, and required stitches above his right eye. This has led to talk about player safety in curling and if including new safety protocol is necessary.

Gushue’s fall came on the heels of an incident that resulted in a fatality at the Scarboro Golf and Country Club on October 13th.

72-year-old Barbara Weber lost her balance causing her to fall backwards and hit the back of her head off of the ice.The 15-year veteran of curling succumbed to her injuries a week later.

According to CTV News, many curling clubs across Canada have mandated players under the age of 12 must wear helmets when they are out on the ice.

Now there are rumblings of helmets being worn by elite level players.

“What happened to me, was no more than a fluke and I have never seen anything like this happen,” says Gushue, who competed in the Grand Slam of Curling Masters tournament at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa.

Gushue also says if Curling Canada mandates players to wear helmets on the ice at any level it should be welcomed by all players in the curling community.

“Wearing a helmet might not

People have a better chance of falling walking to their car in the winter than playing curling.

Four-time world champion Glenn Howard shares similar views as Gushue and says helmets should not be made mandatory.

Erin Flowers, director of public relations for Goldline, a company which makes protective wear for curlers, says curlers have access to many different options for protective wear.

“There are many different products offered by companies to help protect players heads in the event Photograph by Michael Fletcher of a fall,” says Flowers.

Brad Gushue, seen here competing recently at the General Motors Centre in Flowers says since there was a Oshawa, fell and hit his head off the ice at a curling tournament in Truro, N.S. fatality due to falling and after recently. His accident has brought player safety into the spotlight.

Gushue fell and hit his head, there has been an increased demand for protective wear from people playing look appealing for some people but on the ice, other players should though I am cleared to return to recreational curling to stay as safe if it helps other people feel safe while embrace that,” says Gushue.“Even play, I am not feeling 100 per cent as possible when they play.

Oshawa bids to host Canadian figure skating championships City hopes to land event for 2017

Cameron Popwell The Chronicle

If Oshawa is chosen to host the 2017 Canadian figure skating championships, it may lead to a significant economic windfall for the city, according to Bob Malcolmson, CEO and General Manager of the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce.

“There is a tourism multiplier that is affected by this sort of thing, these athletes will want to be staying somewhere, and local businesses will be seeing a positive influence

from the tourism as well,” says Malcolmson.

Oshawa City Council has approved a $120,000 bid to go towards hosting the event.the event until next year.

The funding is planned to go towards rental fees for the GM Centre, as well as paying Global Spectrum, the company hired by the city to operate and maintain the arena.

Councillor Bob Chapman believes that the championships will greatly benefit the city’s economy, in addition to it “bringing other such events to the city in the future.”

He added that the ongoing construction of a Holiday Inn in downtown Oshawa might serve to aid the city’s chances of being selected as host.

The GM Centre is also said to be a strong candidate for the cham-

pionships, as it possesses a training rink next-door to it, which competing athletes would likely be able to use, says Chapman.

Malcolmson expressed similar feelings towards the event, calling it “really great for future events.

Hopefully it would give people the impression of a return destination, the kind of place you’d want to come back to in the future.”

Earlier this year, the event was held in Kingston, Ontario attracting 500 participants and result in a $3.3 million economic impact to the city, according to Skate Canada.

The 2016 competition is in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which is expected to end up with $5 million as a result.

Photograph by Cameron Popwell The decision on which city will host the competition will be announced Oshawa is vying to host the 2017 Canadian figure in July of 2016, according to Skate skating championships at General Motors Centre.

Canada.

Upcoming DC, UOIT home games

Dec. 3 UOIT Men’s Hockey vs Toronto 7:30 p.m.

DC Men’s Volleyball vs Georgian 8 p.m.

DC Women’s Volleyball vs Georgian 6 p.m.

Dec. 4 UOIT Men’s Hockey vs Ryerson 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 30 UOIT Men’s Hockey vs Queen's 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 2-3 Women’s Volleyball Adidas Cup

Jan. 7 DC Men’s Volleyball vs Centennial 8 p.m.

DC Women’s Volleyball vs Centennial 6 p.m.

Jan. 9-10 UOIT Bonspiel Men’s and Women’s Curling Tournament

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