Durham Chronicle issue #14 March 20, 2017

I would just love it, if you actually knew that I wasn't a guy.

- See pages 8-9 Volume XLIV, Issue 14

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March 21 - 27, 2017

Honouring Canadian heroes page 3 Photograph by Barbara Howe

Out on the ice

pages 40-41 Photograph by Darren Jackinsky / Blue Fish Studios

Living with scoliosis

WANTED: More women in politics

page 24 Photograph by Euvilla Thomas

page 7 Photograph by Frank Katradis

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Community

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Vimy Ridge 100 years later Barbara Howe The Chronicle

Students from across Durham Region are preparing for a trip of a lifetime to honour the Canadian men who died for their country in France 100 years ago.

Approximately 1,000 high school students from the across the region will travel to Vimy Ridge next month to take part in a ‘Pilgrimage of Remembrance,’ which will culminate in a ceremony at the Vimy Ridge Memorial on April 9.

Dave Robinson, national advisor and coordinator for EF Educational Tours, addressed approximately 200 participating students from four of the Durham Catholic District School Board schools at Father Leo J. Austin secondary school March 7.

“The things you are going to experience are going to change your life on this tour,” said Robinson.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge took place on April 9, 1917 during the First World War. It is regarded as the turning point in Canadian history.

Four Canadian divisions fought together as a unified force for the first time and defeated the German forces.

Though the battle claimed the lives of 3,598 Canadian soldiers, it is often regarded as a defining moment for Canada, according to the Vimy Foundation.

Robinson, who has led tours to Vimy since the 90th anniversary said there will be approximately 9,000 students, teachers and

Photograph by Barbara Howe

Taylor Chamberlain, a Grade 10 student from Monsignor John Pereyma Secondary School in Oshawa, is excited to be making the trip to Vimy Ridge. chaperones travelling to Arras, France representing every Canadian province and territory, but the Durham contingent is the largest.

Taylor Chamberlain, a Grade 10 student from Monsignor John Pereyma Catholic Secondary School in Oshawa said she was excited to be travelling on a plane for the first time, and was looking forward to seeing the battlefields and finding out more about the war where her ancestor, Horace Macdonald, fought.

“My great-grandfather was in the Vimy war and he survived it.

He was a sniper and he was shot in the back. He was about 22-yearsold.”

Topher Malkin, a history teacher at All Saints Secondary School in Whitby, will lead a group of 42 students, adults and chaperones on a trip which will take in Amsterdam, Paris and London. He said the trip will be an emotional experience for the students.

“The trip ties the experiences of Canadian history students and helps create a direct link between their experience in the 21st century with the experiences of young Canadian boys who, 100-years

ago, were living in trenches and fighting for their lives and making the ultimate sacrifice to fight for king and country,” said Malkin in a telephone interview.

Malkin has led trips to Vimy on previous anniversaries and said it is hard to evaluate the life experience for the students.

“Every student who has gone has told me after it was an experience they will never forget,” said Malkin. “I don’t think anyone who has been on this trip comes back without a positive experience.”

Malkin said the students from

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All Saints have each researched a soldier who died at Vimy Ridge and a member of the armed forces who died in the Second World War during the Invasion of Normandy.

They will lay a small poppy cross and memorial maple leaf at the headstone of their assigned soldier at the cemeteries which will symbolically fulfil their pledge to remember the fallen Canadians.

The students will travel in different groups and experience various parts of Europe from April 3 – 14.

But, they will all converge at the Vimy Memorial on April 9 for the memorial celebration which will be attended by members of the British Royal Family, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Governor General David Johnston, and the leaders of France, Belgium, and the U.K. Security will be tight and all students have been vetted by Veterans Affairs Canada to obtain their ticket to the event.

Also accompanying the Durham delegation will be Oshawa City Councilor Bob Chapman and the Durham Regional Police Pipes and Drums Band.

Robinson said the town of Arras has been planning the celebrations for April 9 for at least 10 years and they have some spectacular things planned.

He told the students they will have the opportunity to experience virtual life in the trenches through 3D goggles in an indoor exhibition hall.

Additionally, there will be exhibits from the Hamilton Signal Corp, and the Invictus Games.

Driving under the influence is an accelerating issue Logan Caswell The Chronicle

It was the night before her high school prom. Rowen Reid of Ajax made the final preparations for the big night. But first, she had to drive a car home from her grandparents.

What could go wrong?

May 28, 2014. According to Reid, the skies were clear with some clouds floating around here and there. She stopped, waiting to turn left on Salem and Taunton Road in Ajax.

As she turned, a large car ran the light and plowed into Reid’s vehicle head on.

The impact left the 18-year-old with a fractured sternum and a fracture to a bone in her arm so severe it punctured her skin.

The driver of the other vehicle had been drinking. His girlfriend owned the car but let her boyfriend drive it with a suspended license.

After the collision, he tried to switch seats with her.

While he tried to escape charges, Reid laid in a hospital bed.

“I was taken to hospital where I had to have surgery on my arm and have two plates permanently placed in my arm,” she says. “Of course I missed my prom.”

Impaired driving charges have bounced up and down since 2012 with Durham Region’s highest totals coming in 2016. According to Durham Regional Police (DRPS), 809 impaired driving charges were handed out in 2015 compared to 908 in 2016.

DRPS conducted its annual Festive Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (R.I.D.E.) campaign over the holiday season. Over a seven-week period, 99 motorists were charged with drinking and driving, 19 less than last year.

Over that span, almost no young people aged between 18-22 were charged with the offense according to the Durham Regional Police.

Dave Selby, director of corporate communications for DRPS, is satisfied with the progress of the program.

“We were quite happy that anyone in the category between 18-22 weren’t caught,” he says. “Kids in

that generation got the message and realize it’s not something you do. It used to be one of our biggest categories so that’s an improvement.”

Selby says younger millennial drivers had more exposure to anti-drinking and driving messages.

He says the biggest problem now isn’t them. “We found that we were catching those aged 25, 26 all the way up to middle aged adults on a fairly regular basis,” says Selby.

Now more testing for impaired driving could be on the way. With the legalization of marijuana looming, police forces will potentially have more help on the road.

“The federal government wants to supply police the tools to properly scientifically measure drug and not just alcohol,” says Selby. “We’d like to have something in place before the legislation being enacted in terms of decimalizing smaller quantities.”

Several new devices are currently being tested in Europe that agencies such as DRPS hope to take advantage of.

Danielle Oliveria, chapter administrative assistant at MADD

Photograph courtesy of Blair Qualey

A highway patrol officer stops a motorist for impaired driving.

Durham Region, is frustrated. She has also seen a change in impaired driving and not for the good.

“You’ll notice over the last year more people have been driving impaired,” she says. “I’d like to say our numbers are decreasing, but we can’t right now.”

Oliveria says detecting impaired driving is huge reason why charges are up from recent years.For some, such as Rowen Reid, MADD can be useful for telling stories, especially for people like her who have been affected but haven’t seen justice.

“The police were going to charge

him with drinking and driving but he just made the legal limit and was only charged for driving with a suspended license,” says Reid. “I still deal with effects from the accident today.”

Now, more than two years later, Reid has accepted what happened and hopes more people watch what they consume before driving a vehicle.

“Make sure you’re an advocate for yourself and those around for not driving under the influence,” says Reid. “People need to realize it’s not OK.”

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March 21 - 27, 2017

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Editorial

PUBLISHER: Greg Murphy EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Brian Legree AD MANAGER: Dawn Salter

CONTACT US NEWSROOM: brian.legree@durhamcollege.ca ADVERTISING: dawn.salter@durhamcollege.ca

Cartoon by Toby VanWeston

Procedure is path to refuge Asylum seekers from Turkey, Syria, and Yemen are trekking through the cold to cross the Manitoba and Quebec borders in search of a better life in Canada because of the current political climate in Trump’s America.

Here in Oshawa, we do not see any strain on the system. As a result, people may think Canada should offer asylum to those who seek it.

But the number of asylum seekers will likely rise as the temperature warms up.

This influx will have long-term effects, which might not be beneficial to all. Those seeking a better life need to follow procedures.

Asylum seekers are looking for international protection. Their refugee status is undetermined, but

they can claim refugee protection on Canadian soil.

The government of Canada will protect those who are fleeing injustice or cruel and unusual punishment.

Since January, more than 1,000 asylum seekers filed claims of refugee status at the Quebec and U.S. borders, and more than 100 have filed claims at the Manitoba border, according to Stephanie Levitz of the Canadian Press.

Although it’s a criminal offence to cross borders illegally, there are no charges until refugee claims are processed, according to Karen Pauls of CBC News.

Since Jan., RCMP officers have caught more than 2,000 asylum seekers crossing illegally into the country.

EDITORS: Jenn Amaro, James Bauman, Logan Caswell, Rebecca Calzavara, Sharena Clendening, Dean Daley, Alexander Debets, Travis Fortnum, Tyler Hodgkinson, Barbara Howe, Noor Ibrahim, James Jackson, Christopher Jones, Frank Katradis, Daniel Koehler, Angela Lavallee, Laura Metcalfe, Tommy Morais, Joshua Nelson, Nicole O'Brien, Samuel Odrowski, Devarsh Oza, Trusha Patel, Matthew Pellerin, Asim Pervez, Alex Ross Emily Saxby, Tyler Searle, Jessica Stoiku, Euvilla Thomas, Toby VanWeston, Kayano Waite, Brandi Washington, Michael Welsh, Jared Williams, Erin Williams.

Publisher: Greg Murphy

Right now, according to Citizen and Immigration Canada, there are approximately 60,000 asylum claimants awaiting a decision on their claim. The average hearing will take place in 19 months.

According to Bill Redekop of Winnipeg Free Press, 65 per cent of asylum claims are approved in Canada. This is more than half of the applications.

The problem is the length of time for processing. A backgrounder on the challenges faced by Canada’s asylum system, which appears on the Government of Canada website, says it takes four and a half years from the time a claim is made until a rejected claimant is removed.

This is not factoring in wait times for the current influx. There are

15,000 claimants in the process of being deported from Canada.

There are, however, approximately 38,000 asylum seekers who are unaccounted for and subject to an immigration warrant.

Rejected applicants run the risk of being detained by the government, or deported. For Canada Border Services Agency, this can cost anywhere from approximately $1,500, or $15,000, if the deportation is escorted, according to Pauls.

The influx of asylum seekers will cause a strain on existing social services. While waiting, they can live and work in Canada and have access to a range of social benefits.

According to lawyer Mark Benton, asylum seekers are overloading the refugee system. Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister has called

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.

Editor-In-Chief: Brian Legree

Advertising Production Manager: Kevan F. Drinkwalter

Features editor: Teresa Goff

Photography Editor: Al Fournier

on the federal government to act more on the recent influx. Pallister has asked the Trudeau government to help fund health care coverage, temporary housing, and employment income assistance, direct employment and labour market supports.

With political leaders closing borders in countries such as France, the Netherlands, and the United States, Canada needs to lead with open arms. This requires process as much as it does empathy. If Canadians figure this out, the rest of the world may follow.

Jessica Stoiku with files from: Laura Metcalfe Euvilla Thomas Logan Caswell

PRODUCTION ARTISTS: Brandon Agnew, Justin Bates, Zach Beauparlant, Kayla Cook, Nathalie Desrochers, Charlotte Edwards, Yannick Green, Madeline Grixti, Stephanie Hanna, Lijo Joseph, Sarah Judge, Shannon Lazo, Megan Mcdonald, Ashley Mcgregor, Josh Mcgurk, Katie Miskelly, Louisa Molloy, Jasmine Ohprecio, Alex Powdar, Olivia Randall-Norris, Kaela Richardson, Madeleine Riley, Alex Royer, Spencer Stevens, Rachel Thompson, Geroge Tsalavoutas, Alexandra Weekes, Cameron Westlake.

MEDIA REPS: Rachel Alexander, Angela Bahnesli, Sarah Bhatti, Anokhi Bhavsar, Steven Brundage, Chanel Castella, Brandon Clark, Scott Cowling, Leanne Howorth, Bryce Isaacs, Erin Jones, Natasha Kowo, Samantha Mallia, Alyssa Matthew, Alexandra Rich, Bethany Seaton, Kristian Seepersad, Georgina Tsoutsos, Marisa Turpin, Rachel Wendt, Travis Yule.

Ad Manager: Dawn Salter

Technical Production: Keir Broadfoot

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Opinion

Canadians will stand together in support of a diverse country

Trudeau acknowledges and emTrudeau won't braces that fact.

Kevin In October 2016, Trudeau anlet Canada nounced January would be TamSteinbach il Heritage month, and October change, or lose both Islamic and Hindu Heritage month. And let’s not forget Toronour trade with in December last year. to’s Caribbean Carnival Parade That is 11 million more than every summer. the states In one of the greatest Canadian moments, a vigil was held in Quebec for the mass shooting at a mosque in Quebec City which left six people dead.

Canadians came together in support of the grieving families and showed the victims and the families they are part of this country.

Now as a people, Canadians should stand as a united front to the world, stand behind the Prime Minister and reach out to the countries alienated by President Donald Trump.

The reality of Trudeau cooperating with Trump would make a lot of people grimace.

The Prime Minister represents Canada and its people on a global scale and according to a poll from the Nanos Research group, which surveyed 1,000 Canadians between Dec. 16 and Dec. 19 in 2016, 75 per cent of Canadians want Trudeau to stand up to Trump.

However, the PM also needs to look out for the best interests in Canada.

The U.S. is Canada’s biggest trade partner. Statistics Canada shows the goods exported to the U.S. were over 34 million dollars

Canada’s exports to the European Union, the second largest trading partner.

On the other side, Canada is only the second biggest trade partner of the U.S. since 2015. Our dependency on them is higher than their dependency on us.

Trudeau’s decision to not stand up to Trump is a necessary evil and Canadians should grant the Prime Minister some understanding and support.

But as a people, Canadians can do so much more than simply support. Being Canadian means more than just enjoying maple syrup, bacon, or poutine.

It’s more than being a fan of hockey and more than enjoying a warm cup of Tim Horton’s coffee in the morning while munching on some Timbits.

Canada is a blend of cultures and languages coming together as one, while sharing diversity.

Many Canadians can track their ancestry from somewhere else in this world.

So as Canadians they hold on to two identities: the Canadian one right now and the one from wherever they came from, including traditions, habits and languages.

The Prime Minister took steps to accept Canada’s diversity and unite it. Announcing the heritage months allows Canada to have more opportunities to bring diversity together.

In reaching out to others and embracing diversity as part of Canadian culture and identity, Trudeau is not the only one to do so.

Some educational institutions do too.

Lakehead University and the University of Winnipeg made the change for students to require a three-credit course on Aboriginal Culture and History to graduate, to better help graduates communicate and work with the aboriginal population there.

Canada should continue being so progressive.

Canadians should support and unite behind their Prime Minister and be an example to the world.

Canadians can support the country by embracing their culture and unite with other cultures in Canada.

Stand behind the Prime Minister. Trudeau is dealing with Trump for the sake of Canada’s trade with the U.S.

Athletes are overpaid In the last NBA off-season, players such as Mike Conley have signed some of the biggest contracts in NBA history.

There are hundreds of millions of people who are homeless but millions of dollars are being given to these athletes for putting a ball into a basket.

Basketball players should be given a large amount of money as they are the best in the world at what they do.

But making eight figures in a single season? Nine figure contracts?

That is outrageous.

Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley currently has the biggest contract in the NBA, which is actually the biggest contract in NBA history: $153 million dollars over 5 years.

Conley is not even a top-five player at his position.

Overall he is ranked 36th in the league in points per game at 19.2 a game and 18th in assist at 6.2 a game.

It is reminiscent of rapper Jay Z’s lyrics “Would you rather be underpaid or overrated?”

Under the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), Golden State Warriors star point guard, Stephen Curry, could reportedly earn over $200 million over a span of five years. Just outrageous.

The CBA is an agreement between the league and the players with a list of rules about salary cap, tax arrangement, free agency, anti-drug agreement, NBA Developmental League, rookie salary scales and minimum annual salary scales.

According to therichest.com, former President Barack Obama earned $400,000 annually while

Asim Pervez in office.

With other bonuses like an expense account, a travel account and an entertainment budget, that totals up to approximately $670,000 annually.

Not bad at all. But compared to NBA players, that number is dwarfed.

Four hundred forty-four NBA players are going to make more than $670,000 this season alone.

The highest earner in 2016-2017 is Cleveland Cavaliers superstar forward LeBron James. He will make just under $31 million this season.

According to the buisnessinsider. com, doctors make anywhere from $204,000 to $443,000 annually, depending what type of doctor they are. This isn’t a bad amount by any means.

But these people help change and save lives. Someone may need a lifesaving operation, and a whole family could be depending on that doctor to help save a life.

That being said, being an NBA player is not easy either. Not just anyone can make it. But what is really more important? Saving a life? Or putting a ball in hoop?

Health before wealth.

So ask yourself, should athletes really have nine figure contracts?

Should they really be making eight figures in a single season? Should people who impact people’s lives and help save lives make more money?

Or are athletes just really overpaid?

Employees taking a backseat to cleavage in restaurants Ever since the introduction of Hooters in 1983, skimpy outfits on female servers have been the norm.

Just last year, a restaurant called Bombshells, which boasts servers in military style crop tops and miniskirts, announced a plan to whip out 100 new locations across the United States.

But this isn’t just happening south of the border.

Restaurants in Canada have been increasingly adopting the ‘sex sells’ phenomenon since the start of 2012.

Chains such as Moxies, Hooters, and the Tilted Kilt, coined breastaurants, require their female staff to wear scanty uniforms such as miniskirts, heels, and cleavage-bearing tops as part of the restaurants’ image or brand.

Other chains such as Jack Astor’s require female staff to wear Lulu Lemon tennis skirts (priced at $74), three pieces of jewellery, and make-

Noor Ibrahim up. Some, such as The Keg, even provide servers with a uniform including a built in push-up bra.

The objectification of women through the food industry is a lazy sales gimmick to cover up the shortcomings of eateries while still managing to take a step backwards in gender-equality and ten steps forward in the exploitation of income-driven youth.

Some may argue big breasts and butts are part of advertisements everywhere. Selling sex is an archaic concept. What makes breastaurants any different?

Breastaurants use their staff’s looks and sexual appeal to cover up for the shortcomings of the res-

taurant.

According to a 2017 Financial Post article by Hollie Shaw, full-service restaurants in Canada have been taking losses for the past year, and the drops are expected to continue.

For that reason, restaurants might have turned to marketing their own staff as a desperate plot to amp up their customers. However, the objectification of female bodies in the work force takes a toll on their mental health.

According to a 2015 Business Insider study, all the waitresses interviewed at an unnamed breastaurant experienced feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, and degradation.

Fans of breastaurants might also argue in order for women to be exploited, they’d have to have been forced into the job. But these women applied for the jobs themselves, so they must be happy and

willing to work, right? Satisfaction may not always be the case.

In a 2016 interview with CBC, chief commissioner of Ontario Human Rights Commissions Renu Mandhane said people working at breastaurants, often times students trying to make rent or pay off university fees, are “fairly precarious.”

These restaurants are manipulating the desperation of young women to survive and get income knowing well enough that making top dollar would take a front seat to being objectified.

That same incentive leads youth every single year to the silver pole at strip clubs.

If most of these women are desperate to pay rent, why would they quit their job when they’re presented with an uncomfortable uniform?

When working at a breastaurant can make you up to $700 a night, many youth battling precarious

employment may think a mini skirt isn’t worth losing income.

So why isn’t there a flood of complaints from servers? The process of filing a human rights complaint against an employer is so time consuming that it takes years to present a resolution. The simplest option would be to quit your job.

Breastaurants are a breeding ground for mental health issues amongst workers.

They normalize sexually-objectifying environments that we have been combatting for years and give the impression that workers are content. Breastaurants have no place in a country trying to end both the wage gap and sexism in the workforce.

If the breastaurant industry continues to thrive on the objectification and manipulation of its female staff, we might as well be teaching young girls to incorporate their cup size onto their resume.

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Year in Review

Editorial cartoons by Toby VanWeston September 2016-March 2017

Opinion

Campus

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7

Scoliosis: Face of hope

but isolation mainly has negative effects on people.

“When you isolate yourself, you’re ultimately reducing the amount of resources you have to support you,” says Bosomworth.

“People are very social. When a social person begins to isolate themselves they’re taking away, perhaps, some of their coping tools. Such as going out, laughing with friends, or doing something of interest to them. Skiing, bowling, that kind of stuff. They could start taking away the things that bring them pleasure or peace, or they could be reducing their coping tools, and once they start reducing those coping tools, then you’re not as effectively dealing with… you’re not giving yourself the good feelings that you used to get.”

For Carroll, things got worse.

Ten months being told her first surgery was the only one she needed, a rod broke in her back. A very rare circumstance. Her doctors at the time were unsure of their next this’. So now they have a place to move. As a precaution, Carroll had belong.” a second surgery in November of “I felt happy,” says Carroll. “Be2015 to remove all hardware in cause I was always so ashamed of her back. She also went through the fact that I had scoliosis and that bone grafts, had two of her ribs I had gone through this. I had no removed, and she received bones one to talk to. It was very foreign to donated from donors to help re- me. So when all these girls started build her back. to come to me it was cool to kind This was supposed to be a final of connect with a community that’s solution. That wasn’t the case. going through the same thing “In August, I learned that that you’re going through. I’ve never surgery unfortunately failed as had that before, so that was a really well.” she says. “The bone graph comforting feeling.” isn’t holding up and my spine is There is more good news. Accurving again.” cording to Dr. Antony, scoliosis will Currently, Carroll is looking not curve one’s spine forever. into a potential third surgery. She “The one thing to note about was actually booked to meet with scoliosis, idiopathic scoliosis, is neurosurgeon Dr. Mohammed that it stops the progression of the Shamji to help fix her spine. How- disease as you reach maturity,” ever, that meeting ended before it Antony says. began.

Carroll, who turns 19 in April, Dr. Shamji was charged with wants to let others know just bekilling his wife in December of cause her surgeries didn’t work out 2016. Carroll is still waiting to see they shouldn’t be discouraged. She another doctor. still regards a full spinal fusion to Carroll has taken her story to so- be a life-changing surgery and can cial media outlets. It’s been over a be very beneficial for those who year. Ever since then young women need it. from all around the world who also “Just because this happened have scoliosis have gotten into con- doesn’t mean it will happen to you,” tact with her. she says.

Carroll admits she was nervous at “Bad things happen in life, that’s first, hoping not to give the wrong a part of life. You just got to live advice. But as time progressed she with it, and move on.” felt more comfortable talking to the women who contacted her.

“They started to DM (direct message) me though Instagram and Facebook asking me questions, saying they were going through the same process,” she says. “They either had a failed surgery or their first surgery, and they just had so many questions for me. It just felt really good trying to help them out and explain to them that if you do take care of your body and do this right this can be a life changing thing.”

Bosomworth believes that this is a really positive thing for all these girls, including Carroll.

Photograph provided by Melissa Carroll “By increasing her network of people though social media… that’s An X-ray of Melissa Carroll reaching out to other people,” says once the rods were removed Bosomworth. “And by sharing her from her spine. story, she’s also letting other people know that ‘hey, you’re not alone in

It was so overwhelming for me that I had a hard time going to school, really connecting with people, because I felt like I was different.

Photograph by Frank Katradis

Melissa Carroll, who has gone through two surgeries to try and fix her spine, is happy to help other girls facing scoliosis.

Frank Katradis The Chronicle

When Melissa Carroll was only twelve years old she was given a diagnosis that would change her life. She was told she had scoliosis.

According to mayoclinic.org, scoliosis is a sidewayas curvature of the spine. Something that is more common in women than men.

It has been noted that cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy can cause the disease, but for the majority of patients suffering from scoliosis the cause remains unknown.

It happens mainly during growth spurts. Many cases do not require treatment.

However, that wasn’t the case for Carroll.

Her spine formed in the shape of the letter “S” with a 56 degree curve. As time progressed, Carroll faced many issues.

“A lot of my problems regarded around my legs, and my spine obviously,” she says. “I was just very uncomfortable a lot of the time. I couldn’t walk for long distances, I couldn’t sit for long periods of time, my right leg would go numb pretty much the majority of the time. I just had a lot of problems doing anything physical, it just impacted me pretty severely.”

Dr. Nicholas Antony, a chiropractor at the Campus Health Centre, and adjunct professor for the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Sciences for the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), has had many patients come to him with similar issues from scoliosis.

“Typically, what I see, in terms of complaints is that as a result of the curvature, muscles are tight joints are sore,” says Antony. “And with prolonged postures which typical-

Photograph provided by Melissa Carroll

An X-ray of Melissa Carroll, showing the two metal rods that were fused to her spine.

ly aggravate people in general, it will make people that have scoliosis more prone to muscle tightness, sprains, strains with more repetitive or prolonged sitting.”

“It impacted how I grew up and who I became,” says Carroll. “I was so young when I first found out that I had it and it was such a quick process to me learning you have this disorder and just straight to ‘I need to have a spine surgery’. It was so overwhelming for me that I had a hard time going to school, really connecting with people, because I felt like I was different, I felt there was something severely different about me versus others.”

Carroll had her first surgery September 30, 2013. She had a full spinal fusion, which is the procedure of permanently joining two or more vertebrate to form one solid bone with no space in between, according to Healthline.com.Carroll had two titanium rods surgically placed alongside her spine with eight bolts and six screws to help keep it straight. The surgery didn’t just affect Carroll physically though. It also impacted her mentally.

“I was always active, I always played sports, I was a very sociable person,” she says. “I loved to be out and about with people, and after my first surgery I physically couldn’t go out just because I couldn’t do anything. I lost everything that kinda gave me joy in life.”

Not able to do much, and feeling different from others, Carroll began to isolate herself.

Melissa Bosomworth, a life coach for Durham College’s Access and Support Centre (ASC), says mental health for everyone is different,

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March 21 - 27, 2017

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Community

Misgendering, a not so silent killer Dean Daley The Chronicle

Photograph by Jessica Stoiku

Sid MacIsaac, a gender non-conforming youth from Oshawa.

Photograph by Michiko Bown-Kai

Michiko Bown-Kai, a genderqueer individual living in Toronto, is from Whitby.

Photograph provided by Drew Dennis

Drew Dennis identifies as a non-binary individual and lives in B.C.

Insects, trees and people congregate at a PFLAG camp tucked inside the Durham Regional Forest near Uxbridge. This camp welcomes people no matter what race, gender or sexual orientation they are. You’re supposed to feel accepted.

However, even with all the support, Sid MacIsaac still felt uncomfortable. Miserable. Misplaced.

Misgendered.

Diana tries to make MacIsaac feel more feminine. She says people weren’t judging.

MacIsaac is a gender non conforming individual.

Gender non conforming (or non-binary), refers to people who do not follow other people’s ideas or stereotypes about how they should look or act based on the female or male sex they were assigned at birth.

Sid prefers “they, them and their” as opposed to “he, him and his”.

In 2015, the singular ‘they’ became widely accepted as a gender-neutral pronoun. “They” was the American Dialect Society’s (ADS) word of the year. According to ADS’ website, “They was recognized by the society for its emerging use as a pronoun to refer to a known person, often as a conscious choice by a person rejecting the traditional gender binary of he and she.”

In a clearing in the woods, MacIsaac slumps over, breathing shallowly while a friend, Diana, rests her hand on MacIsaac’s back in an attempt at reassurance.Kevin, the director of the camp, walks towards Sid and Diana. He notices Sid is having an anxiety attack.

“Sid you’re a great guy and any person would be lucky to know a dude like you,” says Kevin.

With each word, the anxiety worsens. Any help Diana is providing becomes useless.

“He was a gay guy hosting this gender variance, sexuality variant camp for a whole week and it was him out of all people who made me feel like shit,” says MacIsaac.

This experience is called misgendering.

According to the Oxford dictionary, to misgender someone is to refer to someone, especially a transgender person, using a word, especially a pronoun or form of address, that does not correctly reflect the gender with which they identify.

David Moulton, registered therapist and Canadian certified counsellor, says misgendering comes in two forms: intentional and unintentional.

Intentional misgendering is when a person knowingly refers to another individual by the wrong gender. For example, if a person would like to be called he but another person refuses and calls the individual a she.

Unintentional misgendering happens mostly by accident. For example, going to a Wal-Mart and referring to the cashier by “Sir” but really, her gender is female.

Almost every individual whose gender does not match their assigned sex at birth person has been misgendered either intentionally or

by accident.

Although MacIsaac was misgendered and can look at his past and grow from it, other misgendered individuals like Kyler Prescott cannot.

Kyler Prescott was a Southern California transgender teenager who was nearly 15-years-old when he died by suicide in May 2015, due to intentional misgendering by medical professionals.

Prescott was admitted to the hospital in San Diego Calif. for suicidal ideations and self-mutilation. Prescott was born a female but realized his assigned gender at birth didn’t reflect who he truly was.

While at the hospital, his parents requested the nurses call him Kyler.

They didn’t comply. Six weeks later, Kyler died by suicide.

According to Moulton, people can react differently when misgendered. But they often feel dysphoria about their bodies.

Gender dysphoria occurs when there is a conflict between assigned gender at birth and the gender an individual identifies with. According to the American Psychiatric Association, people who experience gender dysphoria are very uncomfortable not only with their gender assigned at birth but also with their body.

According to Moulton, misgendering causes anxiety and it can cause an individual to be in distress.

Misgendering can slowly chip away, and in some cases, Moulton says misgendering can lead to suicide.

As many as “77 per cent of trans respondents in an Ontario-based survey had seriously considered suicide and 45 per cent attempted suicide,” according to the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Bown-Kai felt inside.

Intentionally misgendering someone during their transition may be a sign of transphobia, says Moulton.

A transition can happen in more than one way.

Clinical transition occurs when someone surgically starts the procedures to change their gender. A social transition happens when an individual requests people start referring to them using a preferred gender.

According to Moulton, misgendering someone going through their transition has a very negative effect.

Moulton says it’s deliberately disrespectful and undermines the new self the individual in transition is building. It also can be discouraging and can lead someone to believe they shouldn’t transition.

Although unintentional misgendering may not be as hateful as intentional misgendering, it can be hurtful all the same.

MacIsaac says unintentional misgendering is very hurtful and can be tiring, especially when first trying to come to terms with identity. When people assume Sid was male, it would make Sid feel dysphoric because feeling male was uncomfortable.

Early on, Sid identified as female and would wear dresses, skirts, and makeup. Sid says this was an attempt to escape masculinity and embrace femininity.

Although Sid doesn’t feel right as a female and feels best as a non-conforming/non-binary identity, being unintentionally misgendered, as an individual who was born as a male, is still bothersome.

When people see Sid, often they notice the clothing or hear Sid’s

I would just love it, if you knew that I wasn’t actually a guy.

Moulton says intentional misgendering can be very hurtful and can have a large impact on an individual.

Michiko Bown-Kai is a genderqueer individual living in Toronto.

Genderqueer is an umbrella term for people whose identity does not conform with either male or female.

Bown-Kai had many unfavourable experiences when first coming out as genderqueer.

People who knew Bown-Kai for a long time would say things like, “You’re so feminine why can’t I use she and her pronouns?”

The problem was Bown-Kai, who prefers to use “they” rather than “she”, felt others were trying to give their opinion on Bown-Kai’s personal identity. “In the moment that I was coming out to them and that’s where the hurt was done,” says Bown-Kai. According to Bown-Kai, it was as if people were deciding their opinions were more important than how

deep voice and assume Sid is male.

This leads to the use of masculine descriptors such as “dude” or “sir”.

“I would just love it,” says Sid, “if you knew that I wasn’t actually a guy.”

Bown-Kai, the Torontonian who moved from Whitby, also faces similar experiences of being unintentionally misgendered.

The unintentional misgendering makes Bown-Kai feel invisible. “It’s every person you talk to, it’s every time you go outside, it’s every conversation happening in the media about what it means to be a male or woman, it’s all those things that piled up very quickly,” says BownKai. “For me the struggle wasn’t necessarily that it happened once in awhile, it’s that it happened consistently.”

Drew Dennis is the co-founder of TransFocus consulting, a consulting group that helps companies become more trans friendly.

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Community

The green behind garbage Dan Koehler The Chronicle

On a cold winter Sunday afternoon, a tall, long-haired man sorts through recycling bins in front of houses across Whitby, Oshawa, and Courtice.

William, a retiree from the Oshawa General Motors plant who started working there in the 1970s and retired in 2005, has been collecting empty bottles and cans since 2007. He got the idea after seeing others do the same.

“For kicks, I said to the wife, 'I’m taking the van out just to see what’s out there',” William says. “I came back with maybe half a van load, and then once you start adding it up you’re thinking ‘holy crap this is good money’.”

While many see collecting recyclables or trash for money as a small-time hobby to help with the bills, in reality there is a big business behind the idea.

In the grungy industrial area of South Whitby, metal clashes and scrapes as customers drop off scrap metal and old electronics.

Art Northcott, owner and general manager of ANJ Recycling in Whitby, also makes a buck from other people’s waste, just on a bigger scale. He started his business after collecting scrap on the side while working for a different recycling company.

“When I was in steel, I used to watch people come in and make money and I’m going, ‘I could do that’,” Northcott says. “I drove around picking up scrap, saved my money, and opened it up.”

Northcott opened his business in 2007. He hasn’t looked back since.

While both Northcott and William help reduce the amount of waste that ends up in a landfill, both the federal and provincial government need to implement more initiatives to reduce waste that makes its way to a landfill.

According to the Region of Durham’s annual Waste Management Report, in 2014 the region diverted 55 per cent of collected waste from landfills, an increase of 22 per cent since 2004. The region also made $5.3 million in revenue from the sale of blue box recyclables.

According to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, from May 2008 to May 2009, a year after the bottle return program came back, 259 million wine and spirit containers were returned for a refund. Of

Photograph by Dan Koehler

Art Northcott, owner and general manager of ANJ Recycling, standing behind his receiving desk where customers bring in scrap electronics and metal. that number, 145 thousand tonnes of glass was recycled rather than being dumped in a landfill.

South of the border, the industry is even bigger. According to IBISworld.com, the American scrap metal industry alone provides over 34 thousand jobs and brings in $36 billion in revenue annually.

In recent years, more and more governments have put in place rules to try to increase recycling numbers and lower waste numbers.

Durham Region has both a roadside compost and yard waste program. In 2014 the region collected 27,007 tonnes of organic material for compost, and 32,123 tonnes of yard-waste. They are now looking into a clear bag policy for garbage.

Ontario even had an Environmental Handling Fee (EHF) introduced in 2014. This is essentially a tax when purchasing electronics, but the money does come back to the public… sort of. The fee reflects the cost to responsibly recycle electronics rather than the e-waste going to a landfill.

The fee is part of the Ontario

Photograph by Dan Koehler

Employees of ANJ Recycling taking apart scrap before sorting it.

Electronic Stewardship (OES).

The government pays for the electronics from a processor such as Greentec, the company the DC Sustainability office works with through their program. The processor breaks down and takes apart the electronics to extract precious metals. A processor buys e-waste from a generator, such as Northcott, who buys the electronics as scrap from the public, still in its original form, completing the cycle.

Tanya Roberts, Sustainability Coordinator for Durham College, says since we’ve extracted so much from the earth through mines and put it into electronics, now we can start extracting from e-waste.

“Now we have above-ground mines which are these processing plants,” she says.

Northcott says in the past copper was the scrap metal with the best return but now electronics have taken over.

“It’s definitely changing, people are going green,” Northcott says.

Roberts receives equipment from IT and what can’t be re-sold as used is sold as e-waste to Greentec, who is paid by the government with the money from the OES program.

“People probably aren’t even aware of how much of a lucrative business (e-waste) that has been and is becoming,” Roberts says.

“Electronics, we recycle probably 2 million pounds of per year, it’s kind of our bread and butter,” says Northcott.

In a perfect world, Roberts says the government would offer incentives to everyday people for recycling, but in reality that won’t happen.

“The government isn’t going to offer those incentives unless there’s value,” says Roberts.

William on the other hand, gets his scrap a little differently. He either uses a van, or a bicycle he equipped with a low horse-power motor. He hauls a child’s wagon that he rigged up behind the bike to carry the empty bottles and cans.

He says the main reason for doing what he does is due to the rising cost of bills.

“The one thing that’s killing middle class and lower that have a house is hydro,” William says. “My wife just smokes when she opens up the hydro bill each month.”

When William retired from GM, his income dropped nearly 300 per cent. Like many in his situation, his kids, both in their early 20s, still live at home. With two kids at home, one looking for work after finishing post-secondary and another saving for a house, his GM pension wasn’t cutting it.

“I just used it to help supplement my pension,” William says. “I realized it was a pretty good thing to do.”

Roberts has been watching people collect bottles the same way William does for years outside her home. She thinks collecting bottles is a great idea, and has seen it come a long way over the years.

“It (collecting bottles) has definitely evolved,” she says. “There are a lot of opportunities from the government for rebates.”

At age 67, William’s health is limiting his ability to collect empties.

“This year hasn’t been a good healthy year for me, this will probably be my last year doing it,” he says.

For Northcott, 2017 is looking to be a big year. He is opening up a new location in Courtice that is twice the size of his current loca-

tion. Unlike his current location, the new place will be equipped to take in steel, something he’s never been able to buy.

“When we open the new location we’re gonna have 5 or 6 more guys,” he says. “We’re hoping summer, July or August.”

Northcott says he doesn’t want his business to get too big.

“I don’t want to get too big.

When you get too big you get too many headaches,” he says.

He is hoping to pass the business on to his son when he retires, who is already part owner.

Even with people and businesses like William and ANJ Recycling, Canada still has a lot of work to do to catch up to countries such as Germany, a powerhouse when it comes to clean energy and recycling.

According to GB Resources Group and wefuturecycle.com, 80 per cent of waste is recycled in Germany, while 80 per cent of waste in Canada goes to a landfill.

Like Germany, Canada needs to make it worth the public’s while to recycle. More incentives need to be made towards recycling, both private and commercial, which will lead to the already lucrative waste market increasing even more.

If you live in Whitby, Oshawa, or Courtice North of Highway 2, chances are you have heard the putter of William’s makeshift motorcycle cruising down your street.

Where there is waste there is opportunity. In a never-ending world of garbage, one man’s trash really can be another man’s treasure.

(Since what William does is illegal under City by-law, only his first name can be used.)

Campus

The Chronicle

Help save our planet Toby VanWeston The Chronicle

Global warming is one of the greatest concerns facing our generation today. It’s not a matter of debate anymore, it is a fact.

The Earth is heating up. 2016 was the warmest recorded year on the planet. Modern recordkeeping began in 1880. Data collected by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) show that the Earth’s surface temperature was warmer last year than ever before. This is part of a trend, one that is happening very quickly. Last year was the third year in a row to set new records for global average surface temperatures.

The changes in environment are largely due to increased carbon dioxide, and other man-made emissions to the planet’s atmosphere.

The key to solving this problem is to make changes in how our society interacts with the environment.

Perhaps just as crucial, however, is the need to instill awareness and passion in the next generation.

“Do little kids need to know about global warming and climate change? No, not a chance. What they need to do is love the earth,” says Jacob Rodenburg, instructor for Environmental Science for Teacher Education at Trent University in Peterborough. “So instead of waiting until they’re adults, and then hitting them with these massive problems, teach them to be advocates and ambassadors while they’re growing up.”

Rodenburg is also the Executive Director of Camp Kawartha, a notfor-profit organization that teaches environmental education to youth.

The main camp is located on Clear Lake, and an Environment Centre is located at Trent University.

The camp’s focus is to foster stewards, which Rodenburg defines as “people who care for each other and care for the land”.

Rodenburg found a lot of the problems about environment-

chronicle.durhamcollege.ca

al education over the years was “issues-based.” He found children, the future protectors of the environment, did not respond to this kind of approach.

“There’s a term for it, it’s called ‘Eco-phobia’. If we’re not careful, and you keep dumping these ideas into kid’s heads without giving them tools and a sense of hope, you do them a disservice,” explains Rodenburg. “In fact, you scare them into apathy.”

With Camp Kawartha, Rodenburg sought to find a different way to get children interested and passionate about protecting the environment.

“We see environmental education and stewardship very much about building hope, and empowering and inspiring,” says Rodenburg.

The camp sees about 10,000 people come through each year.

Camp Kawartha focuses on teaching children through experiences, games, activities, science projects, and art. It offers traditional day and overnight summer camps. The outdoor education centre provides programs for elementary and secondary students. The Environmental Education Centre located at Trent is “one of Canada’s most sustainable buildings” and provides environmental education training for future teachers.

Rodenburg believes kids should be fostered to be stewards as early as possible. This means naturalizing schoolyards, creating more nature-rich cities, having access to green spaces, and the chance to care and tend to space.

The hope is that creating passionate children will lead to passionate adults.

Tanya Roberts is the Sustainability Coordinator for Durham College. Roberts increases environmental programs and initiatives on campus, improving campus operations. She also works on projects with students to make the college “greener”.

Eric Lacina is one such student.

Photograph by Toby VanWeston

Eric Lacina, Environmental Technology student, poses with a #muglife mug, an initiative he helped start.

March 21 - 27, 2017

11

Lacina is in the Environmental Technology program, and a member of the Student Green Team at Durham College.

One project the Green Team has found success with recently has been the #muglife campaign, an awareness campaign to reduce disposable coffee cups by offering reusable mugs. So far the campaign has received well over 100 pledges from Durham College and UOIT. Lacina says every little bit of recycling makes a difference, and reduces the amount of waste that simply sits in the open.

Research from POLOS ONE, a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal published by the Public Library of Science (PLOS), reveals startling statistics about land-waste.

According to research conducted in 2014, there are more than five trillion plastic pieces floating in the world’s oceans, weighing over 250,000 tons.

Photograph by Toby VanWeston “E-waste always ends up in landfill. And it just sits there. It Tanya Roberts, Sustainability Coordinator for Durham College, doesn’t do anything. So if we are holds a #muglife mug, one of DC's Living Green projects. diverting to e-waste programs, we’re reducing the need for it being shipped over to China,” says last 35 years. In fact, 16 of the reducing water, turning lights off Lacina. “[There’s documentaries 17 warmest years recorded have in rooms, unplugging your devices about it] and it’s actually horren- taken place since 2001. Eight of when they are fully charged, and dous to see three-year olds digging the twelve months in 2016 were the being mindful of the products you through piles of copper-wire.” warmest recorded in history. Janu- buy. Recycling and using re-usable ary through September (excluding packaging goes a long way to reJune), all set records ducing waste. .

Not surprisingly, the warm tem“Especially in this area, we priperature patterns have bled into marily run off nuclear. But once 2017 as well. Records have already you go past nuclear, everything been set this year. is taken up by natural gas,” says This affects our population in Lacina. “So if we can reduce our ways you might not realize. energy use to that baseline of nuThe warm temperature does not clear, we won’t have to use natural necessarily translate to tranquil gas.” weather. Weather patterns have Roberts says one of the simplest fluctuated drastically. Days have and most important things people ranged from record warm to freez- can do to help the environment is to ing in the span of a single week. stay connected to it. By doing this, On February 6, Environment she says you realize how dependant Canada issued a weather statement you are on it. warning snow, rain and freezing “Get outside, stay connected rain for Toronto. On February 7, to nature so that you realize that This is something Roberts has thousands were left without power you’re dependant. Your water personal experience witnessing. after the freezing rain hit the city. doesn’t just come from a tap. Your Ten years ago, she volunteered in By February 18, the city was set- air isn’t just clean because your Guatemala City, and saw first-hand ting record high temperatures. The house is clean,” says Roberts. “It’s the effects of mishandled e-waste. 18th saw temperatures hitting 11.9 all inter-connected. Stay connected “There were all these families Celsius, breaking 2011’s record of to that external life.” built up around the landfill. The 10.8 Celsius. Spring-like weather “Also, maintain an understandmen went and collected materials, continued for the rest of the week- ing of where things come from. and built tin shacks that didn’t even end.

And what happens to your waste. have air-holes, and they were cookThis fluctuation has an adverse No one just comes by with a magic ing in them,” says Roberts. effect on our food as well. wand and it just disappears,” adds This left a strong impression on “Crops are losing their entire Lacina. her, and Roberts encourages stu- production because of weather. It’s Despite all the challenges of fadents to volunteer if possible. on a cusp. [Depending] if there’s cing the problem and the neces“It opened up my eyes to the en- another couple of good rainfalls, sary work ahead, Jacob Rodenvironment,” says Roberts. “Young you can have the best season ever. burg, Executive Director of Camp people: get out and volunteer over- But if you don’t get that, you’ll have Kawartha, remains hopeful that seas. See the world.” to pull your crops altogether,” ex- this is a struggle that can be overStudents should get out and ex- plains Roberts. come. plore the world now, because it is According to Environment Can“Nature is extremely resilient, changing at an alarming rate. ada, Toronto only had 48.8 hours and it will bounce back. The efNASA data shows globally-aver- of sunlight in the month of January. fects that we’re causing, eventually age temperatures were 1.78 degrees That’s only slightly more than half will heal. I have every hope that Fahrenheit (0.99 degrees Celsius) the seasonal average of 85. This is somehow, someway, people can warmer than the mid-20th century attributed to the rising temper- learn to live in more balance,” says mean. Furthermore, the planet’s ature, as warmer weather produces Rodenburg. average surface temperature has cloudier days. Environment CanTo Rodenburg, this begins with risen about 2.0 degrees Fahrenheit ada recorded this January as the education.

(1.1 degrees Celsius) since the late fourth warmest in over 80 years.

“Instead of thinking about what 19th century.

Roberts explains there are a lot kind of world we want to leave for Temperature is rising at a fast of simple things that everyone can our kids, we should think about rate. Most of the warmest tem- do in their day-to-day life to help what kind of kids we want to leave peratures have taken place in the the environment. These range from to the world,” says Rodenburg.

Stay connected to nature so that you realize that you're dependant.

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March 21 - 27, 2017

Community

chronicle.durhamcollege.ca

Photograph courtesy of Colleen Scala Ferguson

Colleen Scala Ferguson fostered 19 kittens in the summer, and adopted two of them, Harvey (left) and Oreo.

The danger of 'no kill' shelters Trusha Patel The Chronicle

Before Colleen Scala Ferguson had children, she used to foster animals for the Toronto Humane Society.

She stopped once she got pregnant with her first child, because handling kitty litter while carrying a baby wasn’t a safe option. Her kids are now ages 17 and 13, and both are very interested in animals. To fulfill her daughter’s wish, Ferguson fostered 19 kittens in the past summer, and recently adopted two of them from the Durham Humane Society.

According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), thousands of abandoned, neglected and abused animals are brought into animal shelters around the world.

Based on the 2015 shelter statistics from the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS), there was an intake of 139,433 animals around the country.

In order to reduce or end the cycle of animal births, homelessness and deaths, the root cause must be addressed.

According to PETA, runaway animal birth rate is the source of

the huge number of animals in shelters.

Danielle Johnson, the manager in the Humane Society of Durham Region says the birth rate is definitely contributing to the homelessness and deaths of animals.

“When unaltered animals are allowed to roam at large, such as stray cats and such like that, it definitely contributes to the increase of the shelter population, especially in the spring and summer months in this area dealing with cats and kittens,” says Johnson.

The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies statistics show 2,022 animals were born in shelters in Canada in 2015.

That is almost six animals per day.

Caring for animals begins at home. Most people in Canada have good access to veterinary care, and according to the World Animal Protection organization, the best way to keep pets healthy is by consistently meeting their needs.

Johnson, who works with animals on a daily basis, says, “The best way to keep an animal healthy is to keep them in their environment, take them to the veterinarian regularly, feed them a good quality

diet, give them a lot of enrichment and love that they need, proper exercise.”

A past foster parent to many kittens, Ferguson currently has five cats and one dog.

She makes sure her pets’ diet is healthy and the vet appointments are regular.

Stacey Dickson, an animal care attendant at Oshawa Animal Services, sees animals surrendered everyday.

“If people might have to give up their animal, it might be because of allergies, if their kids are allergic, or if they are moving, unfortunately, and they can’t take the animal with

We wait until they're better before we adopt them out.

While adopted animals receive the care they need, there are many others who tolerate a lot of negativity.

In Canada and around the world, many pets suffer from inadequate care, abuse, neglect, and abandonment.

According to the CFHS statistics, there were 5,604 cases of abuse and 36,698 animals surrendered by their guardians.

them,” says Dickson.

Johnson, who works with animals who have been surrendered by their owners’, says there has been many situations animals have been rescued from. “(They have been) rescued from neglect cases, so just severe neglect, not being offered the necessities of life, without access to food and water, without access to proper medical care,” Johnson says.

“We deal with different kind of animal abandonment, and stray animals, and we’ve had animals tied up to our front door abandoned outside of our shelter.”

According to Johnson, the local municipal animal services shelters or animal control typically takes care of animals found roaming at large.

The Humane Society of Durham Region exists to take on animals surrendered by their owners.

Oshawa Animal Services also takes care of animals on the loose.

“There was this dog that came in, and he must’ve been outside for months, because he came in covered in maggots and could barely walk and was in so much pain,” says Dickson.

The animal care attendants got the dog shaved and it was as if he was a completely new dog. “He was happy,” says Dickson.

According to the Ontario SPCA, there are more than 18,000 cases of animal cruelty and/or abuse reported in a year.

For the Humane Society of Durham Region, the length of stay for an animal depends on the animal itself.

Continued on page 13

Community From page 12 “Some animals come in and go out on the same day, some animals require medical procedures or behaviour modification and are here for a little bit longer, so it definitely varies,” says Johnson.

For Oshawa Animal Services, however, shelter animals have to stay in the shelter for 72 hours before they are put up for adoption.

“That’s how much time the owner has to come forward and find them,” says Dickson, one of the many animal care attendants who care and nurture the animals in the shelter.

Johnson, who manages the shelter operations, says, the Humane Society of Durham Region does not determine if an animal is unadoptable or not.

“We try to do our best to find a home for every animal," says Johnson.

"In cases where there are severe medical issues, that’s something (to be) discussed with a veterinarian, we have one in the staff and a decision is made about their quality of life and what’s humane for them.”

Dickson says if a really sick animal comes in the shelter, the animal care attendants take it to the vet and, get the proper medication, which may or may not include surgery.

“We wait until they’re better before we adopt them out,” she says.

Not all animal shelters are the same.

While there are open-admission facilities staffed with professional caring people, there are also “nokill” or “turn-away” shelters that refuse animals deemed unadoptable.

According to PETA, the results of “no-kill” are often worse than a peaceful death through euthanasia.

When shelters give in to the pressure of “no-kill,” there are various consequences.

Though some shelters refuse to euthanize animals once they have

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March 21 - 27, 2017

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13

Photograph courtesy of Colleen Scala Ferguson

Harvey (left) and Oreo are two of the 19 kittens Colleen fostered. They were later adopted by Colleen.

reached their capacity, animals still die, but in pain.

Euthanizing animals brings a peaceful death in a caring person’s arms.

According to the CFHS statistics, euthanasia in shelters was 20,977 with 1,890 animals being healthy, 10,912 being unhealthy or untreatable, and 4,042 being owner-requested.

Johnson, who works in a no-kill shelter, says, “The only time we euthanize as a last resort when the animal is suffering or their quality of life is diminished.”

According to PETA, animals can begin to deteriorate psycho-

logically and become withdrawn, depressed, aggressive or anxious after as little as two weeks in a traditional shelter.

Even if these animals are adopted, there are chances they may be returned because of behavioural issues.

“Sometimes animals are adopted out and returned just because it doesn’t work out in their home or it’s not a good fit, it’s more than they thought it could handle,” says Johnson.

Dickson says animals being returned due to behavioural issues happens at the Oshawa Animal Services but not often.

“When that happens we try and find a behaviouralist who will work with the animal,” says Dickson.

Homeless animals are also found, tortured and killed by abusers and hoarders, who aren’t screened, according to PETA. To increase the “save” rates, some shelters promote animal abandonment.

According to PETA, not only are these abandoned animals at risk of infection, disease, starvation, being hit by cars, attacked by dogs and wildlife, and abused by cruel people, but also the ones who survive can eventually repro-

Photograph courtesy of Colleen Scala Ferguson

Colleen's daughter, Tessa, plays with kittens Marbles (left), Patches (middle), Speckles (right), and Shady (top).

duce, resulting in more homeless animals.

For the Humane Society of Durham Region, Johnson says it depends on the capacity of their shelter.

“We function as a no-kill shelter, so we only have a certain capacity for care, and we do not euthanize for length of stay or lack of space in our shelter," says Johnson.

"So we often will provide other resources for people who are looking to surrender an animal if it’s something that could wait."

All in all, the Humane Society of Durham Region works with everybody to come up with a solution for every animal.

PETA says profiteers that breed and trade animals for money are succeeding, because the voice of animal rights is being weakened and good activists are misled into attacking each other rather than the ones who make money off of pet shops, breeders, and phony rescues.

Ferguson, who has adopted many animals, says all her cats except her Bengal have been rescues.

“I just believe that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with shelter cats or humane society cats at all, and they just need a home, and if you love animals why not just get an animal from a place where they can get out of the cages,” says Ferguson.

Ferguson has five cats and one dog.

People working together to strike at the root cause, which is the high birth rate, can wipe out animal homelessness.

According to PETA, laws that have been proved effective in reducing unplanned births and shelter intakes, and developing a free or low-cost sterilization program in communities can help stop animal homelessness before it even begins.

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March 21 - 27, 2017

Blogging is BIG Laura Metcalfe The Chronicle

Kjerstin Gruys was a recovering anorexic. She had had body image issues since she was a teenager. Her perception of herself was based on what she saw in the mirror; if she thought she was fat, then she must be ugly. Gruys decided to avoid mirrors for a year. When her colleagues found out about her experiment they suggested starting a blog, which became the book, Mirror, Mirror Off the Wall.

“I didn’t know anything about blogging…” writes Gruys. “Other than that it was something other people did, specifically other people who not only had mad computer skills, but also capable of writing something almost every day that was interesting enough or funny enough that other people actually wanted to read it.”

Gruys gained thousands of followers through her blog.

The Internet has created a global community. With billions of users, people with common interests can come together to share stories, pictures, and videos.

Blogging is a simple concept but there is a lot of work to create a simple blog post. Blogging is journaling online, which can include text and pictures but there is more to this simple explanation. There is also a matter of finding a website to post blogs that match your brand and style.

According to activeblogs.com, a blog marketing company, 81 per cent of U.S. consumers trust information they find on blogs Blogging can be done for fun, to promote a business, or help make money for a blogger through endorsements.

Where To Go

Blogging can be an amazing way to connect to people but first you need to know how you are going to reach those people.

You need to create the blog itself.

Many sites provide free templates for blogging. Wordpress, Wix, Weebly, and Blogger are free and widely used by people and companies.

These blogging hosts are user-friendly so even if a blogger is not fluent in computer coding they can still write text and post photos and videos online. When choosing a blog template, it’s important to remember updating your blog is essential to the success of the blog. Choose a site that is easy to use. Know how to upload and post media. Ensure the blog is easy to navigate and looks inviting to the intended audience.

“A Beginner’s Guide to starting a blog”,on bloggingbasics101.com, is the most viewed content on the website, with “Choosing a Blogging Platform” being second.

Doing it as a Hobby

There are millions of people

who just want to get online and share their interests with a global community. They blog as a hobby, not for money.

“Blogging successfully is a lot of work,” says Mark Mueller, a chef and blogger for Earth, Food and Fire, who lives and works in Prince Edward Island. Mueller’s blog profiles the food he creates, the cooking books he recommends, and cooking and catering he provides.

A great way to start blogging is to do it as a hobby. This means connecting with people who have common interests. There is no pressure to advertise or have endorsements.

Hazel Ejercito, a photography student at Durham College, has a blog called Pathway to my Dreams, which showcases her photography and journalistic work. Ejercito says school makes it difficult for her to update and maintain her blog on a regular basis but the goal of any blogger is to get followers looking at your blog, so you need to have regularly updated content that is original and enticing to the reader.

“You have to constantly be doing research, writing the posts in a creative way that will entice new readers and keep those that are regular readers,” says Jessica Duenas-Chan, a web designer who lives and works in Toronto.

When writing a post, it is important to know what you are talking about. Chan has written for and managed a blog for a tech agency and says she takes days to do research on the newest technology to figure out how to gear her text and visuals to her audience.

Writing the post is only half the job. There is also promoting the post by providing links through Facebook and Twitter.

Chan says the most important thing about blogging for fun is to write about something you are passionate about.

Mueller has expanded on his blog Earth, Food, and Fire blog because he has a passion for growing his own food. “Adding the gardening aspect to the blog was inspired by my own love for gardening, and being able to grow,” says Mueller.

Although he does make money from his catering services, he blogs to keep his name out there and attract clients to his cooking services. Mueller has designed his blog so there is an opportunity to expand his services in the future.

Blog For Business

While Mueller is blogging to promote his business, Jessica Duenas-Chan uses a company blog to help sell products. Jessica Duenas-Chan is digital coordinator for Chive Inc. She works to make the products on Chive’s website appealing to customers.

“It wasn’t until I started study-

chronicle.durhamcollege.ca

Campus

Photograph by Laura Metcalfe

Second-year photography student Hazel Ejercito displaying her blog Pathway to my Dreams.

ing marketing that I realized how much it was used as a marketing tool,” says Chan. Blogging can be a lucrative business, if you know how to promote and if businesses stay up to on top of updating.

According to activeblog.com, a blog marketing company, 61 per cent of U.S. consumers have made a purchase based on a blog recommendation.

Chris Breikss, a writer for 6smarketing.com, an agency specializing in digital marketing, 93 per cent of Canadians go online for product information. This can come from blog recommendations.

“I am essentially working on the blog every single day, promoting it on social media, writing a new blog post, and taking pictures and learning how to become a better photographer,” says Mueller. Although he is a chef, he has learned to take pictures to post on his blog.

Working on a blog can take a lot more work than just researching and writing the blog, it can mean producing the product as well. This is what Helen Wilkinson, creator of the blog Helen’s Closet does.

“My blog is quite involved because not only do I have to write a post, I have to sew the garment for the post and photograph it and edit the photos. I consider all the steps involved in this ‘working on my blog’,” says Helen Wilkinson whose blog not only showcases clothing she has created herself but also sells her patterns.

Wilkinson has been posting on her blog twice a week for more than a year and a half. She is very active in the sewing community and appeals to those who like independent patterns and seller.

Like most successful bloggers, she also uses social media to boost her blogging presence, she maintains a page on Facebook for her blog.

Sophie Bernazzai, a writer for Hubspot.com, says that 76 per cent of total Internet usage is spent on Facebook. This means people spend almost a quarter of their time on social media where they can find a blog recommendation and then make a purchase. This can only happen if people and businesses invest the time to create new content and promote the blog posts.

A company or blogger needs to do their research about their target audience as well. According to activeblog.com, 90 per cent of consumers find custom content useful, so it is vital to make any product information relatable and interesting to the audience your blog attracts.

Chan says content is the most important thing for a blog. “Without content, there is no blog,” she says. Although some people might look at the design or marketing of a page the first visit, it is the content of the blog that brings people back time after time.

Vlogging

For those people who feel words aren’t enough to express themselves, there is also vlogging.

This is blogging but on video.

YouTube is a website full of people who vlog about interests or teach people through tutorials.

Jacqueline Mackle, a student at Durham College, has a vlog called Jacqueline Sage, which details her everyday life, her interactions with her family, and her pets. She also sings occasionally on her vlog and hopes to make her channel a portfolio piece in the future.

Melody McKinnon, a writer

for canadiansinternet.com, an online business magazine, says 49 per cent of Canadians visit YouTube at least twice a week. This means it is important for vloggers to make sure their content is being updated on a consistent basis.

In addition to this, 71 per cent of those surveyed visited Facebook at least twice a week. Vlogging is a great way to attract followers but just like blogging, it needs to be promoted through other social media to be a successful venture.

With so many blogs on the Internet, it would be safe to assume blogging must be easy. This, however, is not the case. Blogging takes an incredible amount of effort.

There needs to be a template, which is easy to use and update.

Decisions need to be made about who the target audience is so posts, videos, and pictures can be catered to the intended audience.

In some cases, like Helen Wilkinson’s blog Helen’s Closet, the product needs to be made in order for a blog post and picture to be created.

Mark Mueller, the chef who created his blog Earth, Food and Fire, learned basics of photography to be able to take pictures of the food he created to post on his blog.

As Kjerstin Gruys discovered, blogging can be a source of encouragement. She often put polls on her blog to allow her followers to voice their opinions about style decisions. Gruys didn’t think she could be entertaining on a consistent basis. She thought wrong.

Gruys made it through her year without mirrors. She still maintains her blog ayearwithoutmirrors.com, which has more than a million views.

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Revitalization of the Mississauga language is vital for survival Angela Lavallee The Chronicle

It’s the night of the weekly language class at the Suswaaning Endaajig (Indigenous Centre), a quaint area for students at Durham College to go and learn Ojibwa. Cassie Dillon is raring to go.

The first-year health promotion student says her native language is Mohawk. She speaks a bit of her native language but she’s taking the online Anishinaabemowin (Native language) with Isadore Toulouse, a fluent speaker from Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation community located on the Manitoulin Island.

Isadore Toulouse has developed an online platform to teach Ojibwa to anyone who wants to learn.

“I’ve learned a lot just in a few weeks taking Isadore’s class. Mohawk is a difficult language to learn, it’s nothing like learning Ojibwa. He's dedicated to the langugae. I love his teachings,” says Dillon, who has been in the class for the three weeks.

The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation in the Durham Region is one of many First Nations dedicated to bringing the Mississauga language (Ojibwa) back to the community. According to the Scugog Island First Nations’ mandate, elders are committed to teaching community members the language of their ancestors.

Laura Colwell, education advisor at Scugog, says the First Nation has limited fluent speakers but still offers evening classes. “We only have a few elders who speak the

language. We lost a fluent speaker not that long ago,” says Colwell.

Many strategies are suggested in They Came For The Children, a 120page document from the final report put out by Truth and Reconciliation Commission(TRC) is an outline of what life was like in residential schools.

The report details Indigenous children who faced language loss the minute they arrived at the residential schools.

Upwards of 150,000 Indigenous children were affected by language and cultural loss, stripped of their identity and ripped away from their families and loved ones, according to Murray Sinclair, chair of the TRC. “You are no longer allowed to speak your language, if you do, you will be severely punished. From this day forward you must speak only English,” according to the final report from the TRC. Over time, children lost their language due to the lack of use after being placed with English-speaking foster parents.

Throughout the five-year inquiry that took endless hours and hundreds of personal testimony, the three-member panel making up the TRC (Murray Sinclair, Commissioner Chief Wilton Littlechild, and Marie Wilson) compiled the information and determined Indigenous children of survivors in Canada and in Ontario did not want to speak their language or forgot it all together.

As a result, the survivors did not teach their children the language.

Photograph by Angela Lavallee

The Mississauga word for painted turtle.

The TRC determined the residential school era was the main reason Indigenous people lost their language.

When children came home, some after a ten-year absence, they could no longer communicate with their parents, grandparents, or other relatives.

According to Chief Phyllis Williams of Curve Lake First Nation, she and others had safe speaking areas in non-native schools where they would speak the Mississauga language.

Curve Lake First Nation is determined to revitalize the Mississauga language and according to Louise Musgrave, manager of education for Curve Lake First Nation, the community is eager to get started.

Her department is involved with planning and strategies such as social gatherings where community members will speak only Ojibwa.

“The elders who are fluent are the knowledge keepers for the community, they hold the Mississauga language and dialect that reflects the culture of Curve Lake First Nation,” says Musgrave.

Anne Taylor, cultural archivist for Curve Lake First Nation, says the close proximity to Peterborough also contributed to language loss.

“Over the last 30-40 years many have sought employment in the city,” she wrote in an email. According to Taylor, there are fewer than 60 fluent speakers in Curve Lake.

But it’s not just classes trying to bring back Indigenous languages.

Darrick Baxter of Ogoki Learning developed an App, released in 2013.

The Ojibway App allows users to listen to the word or phrases.

Another App by the same developer allows users to point the phone, take a picture, and have it transcribed into Indigenous languages.

Dave Mowat of Alderville First Nation and Consultation of Lands and Membership supervisor for Scugog Island First Nation, says it's hard to find a fluent speaker on his reserve.

“There are a few young people who speak a bit of the Ojibwa language, but I wouldn’t say they are fluent,” says Mowat.

According to Mowat, Alderville First Nation suffered immense loss

of value for the Mississauga language, starting in the mid 1800s.

In some schools in Ontario, there are Indigenous language classes for students who want to learn the language.

The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board (KPRDSB) has put out a call for speakers at any level to teach youth the Mississauga language.

Roseneath Public School near Alderville First Nation has offered language classes for close to a decade.

According to the Board, there are currently four elementary schools in the area, two high schools and evening classes offered in the City of Peterborough.

Back at Durham College, Cassie attends classes in the Simcoe Building every Monday.

Although Isadore’s class does not include her Mohawk language, Cassie can still learn Ojibwa at Durham College, and her own language as well.

She will have two Indigenous languages to pass onto future generations.

Carion Fenn: Helping those who need it the most Logan Caswell

The Chronicle Just over two-years ago, Carion Fenn was involved in a car accident that left her her with several rare conditions such as cigurmilia cure malformation, cervical dystonia and tissue damage.

“I experienced a world that I didn’t know existed,” says Fenn. “I decided to do something about it.”

So she founded the Carion Fenn Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps people with rare diseases such as Syringomyelia, Chiari malformation, epilepsy and many more.

The foundation holds a support group meeting every second Thursday at Ajax Public Library, so people can come together and learn new coping mechanisms for pain and feel firsthand what other people are going through on a daily basis.

“We’ve seen over 30 conditions over the last year,” says Fenn. “We see people come as far as five-hours away to be a part of our meetings.”

People also have the option to Skype into the meeting and sev-

Photograph by Logan Caswell

Carion Fenn is founder of a non-profit organization that helps people with rare diseases. eral already do across the world.

“We have people that join us internationally and all around Canada,” says Fenn. “It allows us to support each other no matter where you

are.”

Darlene Dawson has attended these meetings for the past four months after Fenn commented on her husband’s walking cane at a

local Walmart. She battles fibromyalgia and degenerative arthritis, and deals with chronic pain from a car accident.

Her husband, who attends the

meetings with her, also deals with daily chronic knee pain from the same accident.

“We found out about the foundation and haven’t missed a meeting since,” says Dawson. “I find it helps because I get to see other people who also live in pain. "It’s nice knowing you’re not the only one.”

The support doesn’t stop there.

Mental health forums are also offered through the foundation, which Fenn says will be registered as a full-time charity soon.

Although Fenn is happy with the progress of her group, she hopes more people realize it’s OK to talk about what they’re going through.

“There’s so many people in our community that are suffering in silence, not going out, not communicating with others.

"We want them to feel accepted and that you’re not alone,” says Fenn. “It’s important to know what works for you.”

Fenn has won numerous community awards such as the Ajax Civic Award, the Patti Dawson Award, Town of Ajax Accessibility Award, and many more.

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The shock of hydro bills Sam Odrowski The Chronicle

As the cost to produce hydro reaches record lows, Ontarians are paying more than they ever have on their hydro bills. The Liberal government has been under fire lately due to rising hydro bills, especially in rural communities. The causes range from an oversupply of power, global adjustment fees, over paying for green energy, and privatization of Hydro One. Ontario currently has to produce a certain amount of power each day to meet the demand of consumers.

According to Gridwatch, an iPhone app that tracks how much energy is created in Ontario, how much is exported, and how much of each type of energy is used shows that Ontario produces between 15,000 and 20,000 Megawatts (MW). To avoid power outages, more electricity is created than the amount needed and the excess energy is sold to Canada’s neighbouring states south of the border at rates lower than the cost of production.

“There is a fine balance between making sure we have enough power and not too much,” says press secretary to the minister of energy, Colin Nekolaichuk.

According to Nekolaichuk, Ontario has contracts with the United States and has sold around $200 to $300-million worth of extra energy in 2015.

The money lost through the existing contracts with the U.S is paid for by ratepayers in the “global adjustment” line of their bill.

Daniel Hoornweg, the associate professor and research chair in Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science, says the “global adjustment” fee is where electricity consumers pay for the costs to run and keep the system going.

“It’s an attempt to capture the long-term costs of maintaining and fixing the energy supply’s infrastructure. As well as the cost of building a new plant.” Says Hoornweg.

Bonnie Lysk, the auditor general, concluded in the 2015 Annual Report that ratepayers paid an extra $37-billion more than what was needed from 2006 to 2014 through the “global adjustment” part of their bill.

She also found electricity consumers will pay an additional $133-billion by 2032, due to the global adjustment line on the hydro bill.

Lysk has criticized the government in the past for signing overly generous contracts, especially when the big push for green energy came in 2009.

Although, In 2013 the provincial government took a small step in the right direction when they renegotiated its green energy contract with Samsung and managed to save Ontario $3.7-billion.

Even after the renegotiations Lysk found in 2014, Ontario still pays twice the market price for solar energy and three and a half times the price for wind energy.

Photograph by Sam Odrowski

Premier Kathleen Wynne visits Durham College and UOIT to speak with students.

The Provincial government has not since renegotiated any of their generous contracts with green energy companies. Nekolaichuk says the costs will drop over time.

“As the technology matures, the price of wind and solar will continue to go down,” Nekolaichuk says. The hydro bills customers receive in Ontario look different than the simple two line ones received in other provinces, such as Quebec and Manitoba.

from the same pole, so the price of distribution for them will be significantly cheaper.

The third part of the bill is the previously mentioned “global adjustment” fee.

A month’s use of electricity in a rural residential home amounts to about 1,000 Kilowatts per hour (kWh) of electricity. Ontarians pay a whopping $239.23 for every 1,000 kWh which is almost three times as much as what people pay

There is a fine balance between making sure we have enough power and not too much.

In Ontario our hydro bills consist of an energy charge, line loss charge, basic monthly charge, regulatory charge, delivery charge, and meter charge.

Even though Quebec and Manitoba have a different structured bill than Ontario, there are still three sections that make it up.

The first section is the cost to produce the electricity.

The second part of the bill is the cost of distributing it, getting it from the plant to the consumer.

Ratepayers in rural areas pay more in this part of the bill because in a rural area it may take 50 hydro poles to get to one residence. However, in urban areas, 500 people might all be getting their energy

in Quebec where it is only costs $89.62 per 1000 KwH. Quebec pays so much less on their electricity bill compared to Ontario because they get most of their energy from hydro which is at record lows, only costing 2 cents a kWh. Whereas Ontario gets most of its energy from nuclear plants, costing almost 7 cents a kWh. Part of the increasing cost of our hydro bills comes from smart meters. Smart meters charge consumers more money to use electricity during peak hours to avoid overloading the system.

If all Ontarians did their laundry at the exact same time, we would see a power outage. Smart meters were created to avoid this problem

by charging consumers less when they use energy during off-peak hours.

“The reason that structure exists is to incentivise people to use power at different times of the day. Which means that were not putting such a strain on the system and we don’t have to build more capacity because of it,” Nekolaichuk says.

A provincial decision that is costing the government hundreds of millions in the long run is the privatization of Hydro One. Hydro One is already over 40 per cent sold to the private sector and is set to reach 60 per cent by the end of Wynne’s term in 2018.

In 2015, Hydro One reported $1.22-billion in regulated earnings before financing charges and income tax. Since privatization, the government loses 40 per cent of the earnings that otherwise would have gone to them. This amounts to almost $500-million in earnings that once went to the government, now goes to private sector.

Premier Kathleen Wynne stands by her choice to sell off a total of 60 per cent of Hydro One to the private sector. “The reality is that we have to invest in infrastructure,” she said during a visit to Durham College in February.

Wynne says they needed money to fund public transit projects and build new infrastructure. “The broadening of the ownership of Hydro One was to give us access to 4, 5-billion dollars to pay off debt in the electricity sector and that 4-billion dollars we can invest in transit,” said Wynne.

According to the premier, the one-time cash payout was more valuable than the hundreds of

millions of dollars that used to be generated by Hydro One. Oversupplying power, overpaying for green energy, and privatizing hydro are some of the reasons ratepayer’s bills are consistently increasing.

Nekolaichuk says, “It’s not that we’re really more expensive compared to anyone else, it’s because we’re more expensive than we used to be. But those prices were kept artificially low by rate freezes and other policies that previous governments had engaged in, as well as a lack of investment in the system.”

Prices will continue to climb until the summertime when Ontarians will see a 17 per cent on average drop in their hydro bill on top of the 8 per cent rebate that went into effect in January. There has also been a 50 per cent increase in rebate programs for low income households which was recently announced by the provincial government. The rebates should save low income households about $35 to $60 a month, costing taxpayers $2.5-billion over the next three years.

Rebate programs are good for helping families in the short-term but to fix Ontario’s skyrocketing electricity bills long-term, the provincial government needs to address the root of the problem.

To lower hydro bills long term, the Liberals must renegotiate contracts, freeze the privatization of Hydro One, and adjust the costs that are absorbed by ratepayers through the global adjustment fee.

Until the government begins to work on these issues, skyrocketing electricity bills for Ontarians should come as no shock.

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No more hiding the weed Erin Williams The Chronicle

It started with muscles, then bones, then chronic back pain. He didn’t want to get out of bed or do anything physical at all. Brian Arsenault had appointments with many doctors and specialists who referred him to physio therapy sessions. He was taking three different types of painkillers. Eventually, the pills weren’t working anymore and his doctor prescribed morphine. Every day was a painful fog. Arsenault could no longer work and had to walk away from his job after 20 plus years.

Arsenault lives in a Hampton, north of Durham Region. He was tired of taking medication after medication and wanted to try something more natural to help. He went to herbal and vitamin shops, desperate for anything that might help take away his pain.

Finally, Arsenault went to a place called Canadian Cannabis Clinic in Whitby. There, he met with the customer service representatives who walked him through the procedure of applying for a card from the government that would allow him to smoke marijuana legally to

help take away his pain.

“I was hooked on pain pills.

Nothing took the pain away. The more I took, the more I needed to take,” said Arsenault. “I was ready to try anything and I couldn’t believe how fast and how incredible cannabis took away the pain and allowed me to function better than I have in a long long time.”

The representatives at the cannabis clinic spoke with Arsenault’s doctor, filling out paperwork, and discussing the intensity and levels of his pain. After only a few visits, phone calls and signatures, Arsenault received a legal medicinal card.

According to Dr. Barry Waisglass from the Canadian Cannabis Clinic, obtaining a medicinal card may not work the same as Arsenault’s case.

“For medical cannabis there are two requirements; a condition exists for it to be reasonable for a doctor to prescribe medical cannabis, and that allopathic treatments have been exhausted before using medical cannabis as per Health Canada’s regulations,” said Dr. Waisglass.

Marjiuana is already being approved for medical uses in Canada.

So what happens when the government approves the legislation for recreational use in Canada?

In 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented the legalization of marijuana in his campaign and within the Liberal Party platform.

The Liberal website explains how the party will remove marijuana consumption and possession from the Criminal Code and they will add new, stronger laws concerning distribution to minors and driving under the influence.

According to their website, The Liberals want to “legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana.”

According to the Government of Canada, the expected date isn’t until late 2018 or early 2019 to open up the market for recreational marijuana use, and will allow everyone in Canada over the age of 18 to purchase pot from a variety of producers and retails.

Not only does this have some parents concerned, but also Detective Constable Leon Miklos of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

Miklos worked in the organized crime department for over five years and has seen first-hand how marijuana can affect our youth.

“Girl’s brains develop faster at a

young age over males. Males who start to smoke between the ages of 13 to 15, can experience long-time, life-long effects from smoking. At that age, their brains are developing and it is proven to be a problem,” said Miklos.

Detective Miklos understands the concerns of parents when it comes to the subject of legalization.

“Same thing with prescription medication. They aren’t getting it off the streets, they are getting it from their medicine cabinets and friend’s cabinets. Same can be true with marijuana.

Marijuana, illegal now, is still easy to access so, even more so when legalized,” said Miklos.

Regulating legal marijuana appears to be the biggest issue, keeping it away from those who are under age while also regulating the laws when it comes to driving under the influence (DUI).

Criminal lawyer, Jason Baxter of XCopper thinks we need a more developed device to properly measure the intake and amount of cannabis or level of tetrahydrocannainol (THC) in a person’s blood.

“I think part of the reason it hasn’t been legalized yet is because there is no device that can accur-

ately measure how much is in your system or to properly measure for a DUI,” says Baxter. “The government is working on it, they have ideas, but nothing set in stone or proven to be affective. No one processes THC the same so it becomes hard to measure.”

Until this device is approved and can accurately measure marijuana in the bloodstream, medicinal card holders like Brian Arsenault, are the only people who can legally smoke pot in Canada.

Arsenault can now do household chores and work outside. He is still attending his physio therapy, hoping it will help him return to work one day.

“I am still working on my degenerative disc disorder in my back but the amount of pain I am in now compared to before, is out of this world.

I finally have some relief, which has improved my life drastically,” said Arsenault.

Though marijuana is proven to help medically, it is also proven to affect brain development in young teens. Marijuana is around, whether legal or illegal. For now, we are dealing with the good and the bad as it comes.

The real reason behind migraines

Devarsh Oza The Chronicle

“Imagine a pain hits your head. It is like someone is beating the skin in your head with a stick. It’s terrible, I don’t even want to imagine,” says Trishala Amin as she describes migraine pain in her own words.

Amin is an international student from Gujarat, India. Amin says she gets migraines frequently, sometimes twice a week.

Amin is not the only person who suffers with migraine. According to the Ontario Migraine Clinic, an award-winning clinic from Toronto, one in four households in Canada are affected from migraine.

That is more than three million households. Migraine also costs the Canadian work force seven million workdays each year. According to Migraine Research Foundation, a non-profit organization, migraine is the third most prevalent illness around the world.

According to National Migraine Centre, a non-profit migraine association, migraine is a neurological disorder linked with dilation and constriction of blood vessels in the head. Some researchers also believe that migraine is a genealogical problem. Many people cannot recognize the difference between migraine headaches and other headaches. Teresa Engelage, a nurse at the Campus Health Centre at Durham College, says migraine headaches are different than other headaches in many ways.

“Migraine often comes with aura, where you have sensitivity with lights and in your vision. Migraines will be accompanied with nausea and vomiting, a normal

Photograph by Devarsh Oza

Vijay Pandya is the pharmacist manager at Lovell Drugs on campus.

headache will not have them,” says Engelage. Aura is one of the most common symptoms of migraines, but in many cases migraine comes without any indications. According to the Migraine Trust, a UK based migraine research centre, migraine headaches can be divided into two different sections based on the symptoms they show.

Migraine with aura often shows zigzag patterns in vision. It also comes with certain hearing and smelling sensitivities. Migraine without aura does not indicate any symptom prior to the headaches.

According to the Migraine Trust, most people get migraine without aura, so they do not feel any symptom before the migraine headache.

Many people do not take migraine very seriously, as the belief is that migraines are very common. Dr. Pierre Côté, a migraine and headache expert from the University of

Ontario Institute of Technology, says it can be a big mistake not to take migraines seriously. Côté says migraine can cause a person to develop certain disabilities. In fact, according to Migraine Research Foundation, migraine is the sixth most disabling illness in the world.

“People with migraine cannot really function at their work or school, enjoy with their friends or their family. Migraine causes disabilities to participating into the daily routine,” says Dr. Côté. But taking migraines seriously does not always mean visiting a doctor.

According to Teresa Engelage, it is not always a necessity to see a doctor for every migraine attack, but if migraines occur very often, then it is better to see a doctor.

“If migraines are occurring very often then you should immediately see your doctor, as you could have a problem in your brain. In cases

of frequent migraines, your family doctor can send you to a neurologist for some tests such as Cat Scan or MRI,” says Engelage.

Medication for migraine is available in the drug store. Many people take painkillers such as Advil and Tylenol when they get migraines.

But Dr. Pierre Côté says those painkillers do not cure migraines.

The drugs used to prevent migraines are anticonvulsants, antidepressants, antihistamines, beta-blockers, botulinum toxins, calcium channel blockers and histamines.

But, those medicine also have side effects. The side effects could include acidity and other digestive problems as well as fatigue. In some cases, migraine could lead to several heart problems, such as increased or decreased heartbeats.

Many people, including Trishala Amin, are switching their pharmaceutical medication to other alternatives such as Ayurveda, Acupuncture and other herbal medications.

Amin visits an Ayurvedic clinic in Mississauga for her migraines.

Ayurveda is ancient Indian herbal medication, which is older than Greek and Roman civilizations.

According to Mattwinder Singh Phull, an Ayurvedic doctor from Ontario Ayurvedic Centre in Mississauga, Ayurveda treats the patients, based on three doshas. Doshas are the roots of every illness.

“There are three doshas, Vata related to gastric problems, Kapha related to problems such as cold and fevers, and Pitta related to problems such as acidity and migraines,” says Dr. Phull.

Phull also says migraine attacks

could be caused by smoking or consuming alcohol, hormonal changes, stress, over-consumptions of meat and spicy food. Some of the basic treatments include herbal pastes called Shirolepa, herbal liquids called Shiro Dhara, herbal oils called Taila Dharaa. Ayurvedic doctors also use Indian herbs such as Yastimadhu, Sariva, Hareetaki, Amala, Mallika and Aloe Vera.

The patients also have to follow certain restrictions. For example, fasting, consuming potatoes, garlic, onion, egg, fish, meat and alcohol are strictly restricted during the medication.

According to Dr. Phull, Ayurveda can permanently cure the disease, without any side effects.

“We treat all condition of migraine in Ayurveda. Our success rate is also very good. More than 90 per cent people have good results,” says Phull. According to Health Canada, 71 per cent of Canadians are taking natural medication, and 12 per cent people said they had unwanted side effects.

Apart from Ayurveda, Acupuncture and Acupressure are also alternative treatments.

They both were invented in China, and are based on yin and yang therapy. According to Chinese traditions, yin and yang are two halves of the complete wholeness. Any imbalance of yin and yang inside the body can lead to several problems.

Acupuncture therapy balances yin and yang with the help of needles.

The needles are injected into different parts of the feet and hands to cure different diseases by balancing the yin and yang.

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Caring for someone who has Alzheimer's in Durham Region Jenn Amaro The Chronicle

Cheryl Mina recalls when she first noticed her mother’s disease. It started with nightly phone calls.

Mina’s mother started repeating herself quite frequently. “She would tell me over and over again about her trip to the grocery store that afternoon,” says Mina.

Initially, Mina convinced herself her mother was merely getting old, and there was no reason to concern herself over a little repetition.

But the problem continued.

Her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2011. At the time, she lived with her husband in Toronto, and she was well taken care of. She and her husband went grocery shopping together, attended church every Sunday, and kept to a fairly regular routine. Her disease progressed slowly, but she relied on her husband’s aid.

In December of 2011, her husband was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis. Two months later he died – and everything changed.

During his hospital stay, Mina’s sister, Karen Deschenes, moved in with her mother in Toronto. “I knew she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s but I didn’t think it affected her that much until I was her sole caregiver,” says Deschenes.

Deschenes says her mother wouldn’t remember to take her medication unless it was handed to her directly.

If they went out to the grocery store, a familiar routine, she wouldn’t be able to find her way home on her own.

They knew as a family she could not live by herself. “I was so afraid of her thinking of going for a walk, and getting lost,” says Mina. “None of us lived close by.”

It was time to make a decision.

Mina’s lifestyle was the only one that could accommodate this change. With a spare bedroom and flexible work hours, the decision was made to bring her mother into her home and care for her herself.

The last five years of living with someone with Alzheimer’s has put much strain on the family, but options are limited for these circumstances.

According to Statistics Canada, almost 400,000 Canadians are living with Alzheimer’s. It is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, and the number of diagnoses go up every year. Families have to decide how to care for a loved one who is living with Alzheimer’s. The decline in mental function affects the way people with the disease do daily tasks. It affects their memory, their ability to focus, social behaviour and communication skills.

When the disease progresses, and those living with Alzheimer’s can no longer care for themselves.

There are three options with how to deal with it.

There is formal assistance, where

Mary Doiron, the mother of Cheryl Mina and Karen Deschenes, sits in her room at Cheryl's home. trained staff come to the patients’ home as regularly as needed to provide services, such as prepare meals, give medication and bathe the patients.

There is informal assistance where a spouse, child, grandchild etc. becomes the caregiver.

Finally, there is long-term facility care where patients live full-time in a care facility with 24-hour staff and programs.

In Durham Region, there are 19 care facilities, with over 2,700 beds, and according to officials at each location, every facility has a waitlist.

This waitlist and the progression of the disease make it difficult for families to plan.

According to Dr. Judes Poirier, a molecular neurobiologist at the Douglas Mental Health University, long-term care facilities offer the best support for people with Alzheimer’s. They have properly trained staff to stimulate the patients’ brain and the patients are properly cared for and have 24hour care.

While long-term care facilities are the best option for the patients, they are not always available when needed.

According to Rhonda Thompson, a Family Support Coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Society of Durham Region, anyone living with Alzheimer’s needs to have doctor’s referral to live in a facility, and if someone applied to one without a doctor’s requisition, full-time care is difficult.

Thompson says without a crisis or requisition the wait can be upwards to eight years before securing a place in a long-term facility.

She also says retirement homes are an option for early stages, but are not best-suited for Alzheimer’s or

dementia.

When the disease progresses to a more severe state, a long-term facility is much more appropriate.

If there is a crisis in the family, Thompson says the person living with Alzheimer’s will make it to the top of the waitlist, however, the family will not have a choice where in the province their lovedone will be placed. They will be placed wherever there is space until a place opens locally. It is nearly impossible to determine when that will happen.

Long-term care facilities accept their patients based on need, not when they applied.

It comes down to a wait and see for how the disease progresses.

Therefore, in-home care or family caregivers is a common step during the progression of Alzheimer’s.

This is usually done between the diagnosis and when there is an available bed in long-term care, says Thompson.

Mina says there are times when the need to be home is wearing on her. Because of her mother’s progression, she hasn’t spent a night out of her house in a couple years.

Her mother would get too confused if she stayed at someone else’s home for a night.

“She gets lost in her own home.

She can’t always find the bathroom, she doesn’t know where her bedroom is at night,” says Mina. “I have to get her changed every day, make her breakfast, lunch and dinner, shower her, comb her hair. She developed habits in the house, her most recent activity is emptying her dresser drawers onto the floor. I come home every day to her entire wardrobe spread out, I put them back into her drawers, and ten minutes later she’s got them back out again – she’s a full-time job.”

Some families are fortunate enough to have someone able to dedicate this amount of time to a family member. But not all.

Some families choose formal assistance. Deschenes considered this option when they knew it was time for their mother to move somewhere. Deschenes thought she could continue her daily activities and have someone care for her mother during the day. However, when they looked into the cost of formal assistance, and the idea of someone being inside her home every day while she wasn’t there, the idea became uncomfortable.

Deschenes appreciates all her sister has sacrificed to take care of their mother. Unfortunately, the sisters live hours apart, and Deschenes doesn’t get to see her mother as often as she would like. “I don’t drive, and only get to see my mom once every couple months. Each time I see her, I see the progression of her disease. It’s disheartening.”

Mina, however, notices the overall decline of her mother’s mental state, but doesn’t see the drastic changes because she is with her all the time.

The Alzheimer’s Society of Durham Region offers support programs for people in Mina’s situation. Thompson says programs run throughout the year, and benefit both the one living with Alzheimer’s and the caregivers. There are numerous educational services, as well as support groups where anyone can discuss what they are going through, and how they cope with a loved-one with Alzheimer’s.

The programs discuss strategies on how to deal with new development and what is to be expected while caring for someone living with Azheimer’s.

Photograph by Jenn Amaro

Dr. Poirier says violence comes with the later stages of Alzheimer’s.

This is one of Mina’s fears. “I’m okay with being a full-time caregiver right now, but eventually it will be out of my control. Long-term care facilities are a good option, but you just never know when there’s going to be an opening.”

Their plan right now is to get their mother registered with a longterm care facility in Durham Region, and start the waiting game.

This is the struggle of the waitlist. The progression of the disease is unpredictable, according to Dr. Poirier. Everyone progresses at their own rate. Mina says, according to her mother’s doctors, her mother has progressed quickly.

Due to so much change in her life, her mind was not able to process it, and it sped the deterioration of her mental capability.

Deschenes says every time she visits her mom, she tries to get as much out of the visit as she can.

There are good visits when her mom knows what she is talking about and other visits when Deschenes says her mother is in a different world staring, off into space.

“It’s hard to watch the deterioration, but I’m taking everything one step at a time,” she says.

Deschenes and Mina have grown closer since the diagnoses. They both attend support groups, and online chats make them feel they’re not alone.

The sisters rely on each other for support and know that between the two of them, they are doing all they can for their mother.

Mina says, “You just never know when things are going to get worse, but for now, my mom is my mom, I love her and she tucked me in at night when I was child, and I’ll do it for her as long as she needs.”

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Speaking tour brings Aboriginal military mentor to DC Matthew Pellerin The Chronicle

Durham College recently played host to a Canadian role model.

Warrant Officer Sheldon Quinn stopped by to speak to guests at Suswaaning Endaajig, DC’s Aboriginal Centre.

The event left the formality of military life at the door, with Quinn and the event guests positioned in a traditional Aboriginal speaking circle. The circle represents equality and respect for everyone gathered.

Peace and harmony is something

Quinn doesn’t take for granted. He has served in both Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia. During the latter, Quinn found himself in an encounter where a Croatian soldier pointed an gun at the vehicle he was riding in, which had guns of its own pointed back, all during what should have been a routine stop.

“It was the epitome of a Mexican standoff,” says Quinn.

In Afghanistan Quinn was made a section commander – a combat role which put 10 other soldiers under his command. He takes pride and solace in the fact he brought all

of those soldiers home alive.

Quinn is now a member of the Defence Aboriginal Advisory Group. The DAAG advises the Canadian Armed Forces on all matters pertaining to Indigenous affairs. According to a recent report released by the DAAG, aboriginal troops face racism in the Armed Forces. The report alleged harassment, derogatory name-calling and higher-ups not allowing soldiers to attend sacred ceremonies. “[The Armed Forces] does mirror Canadian society,” says Quinn.

“It is a systemic problem that we

have to deal with, and the sooner that we start dealing with it, the better it will be.”

With the backing of the Armed Forces, Quinn started his one-man speaking tour, to address issues such as racism.

His outreach doesn’t end there.

He was previously involved as an instructor in the Bold Eagle Program, which provides indigenous youth with a taste of military life.

The paid annual program takes place in Alberta and even provides participants with secondary school credits. About 60 percent of the

men and women who complete the Bold Eagle program eventually join either the reserves or regular forces.

The program doesn’t simply act as a drill camp, but rather includes mentoring and counseling from elders as well as character building. “[After Bold Eagle] they become pillars of their communities and that’s awesome to see,” says Quinn.

After 27 years of service, Quinn says duty keeps him in the Forces.

“Pride and duty,” he says. “It’s not that I’m a warmonger, it’s the pride that I came back with [after military tours.]”

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Photograph by Dan Koehler

Krishnanan Thanpremkumar, VP of the Indian Student Association, posing after finishing his matches during the first day of the ISA's cricket tournament.

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Equality needed in politics Euvilla Thomas The Chronicle

The death of councillor and former mayor of Oshawa, Nancy Diamond, was met with sadness. She was a philanthropist, an activist and instrumental in her community.

“To understand Nancy’s passing, you need to understand how she lived, and her passion for her community and family,” says the current mayor of Oshawa, John Henry, who describes her as a passionate woman.

Diamond was one of few women able to stand the test of time in the political field, not only in Durham Region but across Canada. She was the longest serving mayor in Oshawa, and was in politics for about two decades.

But she is not alone. Durham Region has seen a number of women in political roles, including Amy McQuaid-England, Christine Elliott, Celina Caesar-Chavannes and Jennifer French. But they are not representative of women in politics in general.

Over the years, Canada has seen more female politicians, but that number has not increased by a wide margin. In the 2010 municipal election in Toronto, 15 females won seats out of the 45 available.

Today, in 2017, women still only make 25 per cent of the political arena in Durham Region.

That’s partly because female politicians are often treated more harshly than their male counterparts, says Alyson King, a political science professor at UOIT. King says things need to change.

Photograph courtesy of DurhamRegion.com

The late former mayor of Oshawa Nancy Diamond.

“Women are being attacked, so whether you are a Liberal, a Conservative or NDP, women seem to be under attack for being outspoken and stating their political views, and the attacks are different from what men experience,” she says.

According to King, men are attacked on what they say and do, but women are criticized personally, and the type of violence that’s threatened against them is often sexual in nature. This kind of things has been going on for years and it is a much more virulent attack, says King.

Looking back on the history of female politicians, Agnes MacPhail from Ontario was the first woman to be elected to the House of Commons in 1919. In 1921, Mary Ellen Smith was elected as the first female cabinet minister in the province of British Columbia.

From 1919 to now, we have seen more female politicians, but not much has changed says King, even though it might be better than 50 years ago.

“You would think that women would have broken that glass ceiling. Even in Canada, where life is pretty good, we are still fighting that fight for real equality for women,” she says.

According to King, women too often have to take on the male persona to make it in politics.

“For women to survive in that kind of environment, they have to become like men in a way, and we have a history of this, if you think back to when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister of Britain,” she says. Thatcher was known to have ruled as a ‘man’ would.

King says she is saddened and

Campus

Photograph by Euvilla Thomas

Toritse Ikomi is the VP of equity in the SA’s office.

disappointed that women are still fighting the same fight in 2017. She says until changes are made, some women are not going to want to become part of this field.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the first prime minster to have a gender balanced cabinet. King hopes to see Canada elect its own female prime minister one day.

Mayor John Henry also hopes for a better future for women so his daughters can have equal opportu-

nities as men would when it comes to politics.

“I have two daughters so I hope the world have changed. I hope the days of old where people weren’t given equal opportunities are gone, especially in this country, Canada,” he says.

But for now he just misses his friend, Nancy Diamond.

“Every time I see a reddish convertible going down the road, I will think about Nancy,” he says.

Homeless problem bigger than you think Euvilla Thomas and Laura Metcalfe The Chronicle

Four walls, a warm bed, and food on the table. This might be the norm for many, but for June Maillet this luxury was almost unattainable in 1990.

At 14, she was homeless, kicked out of the house and on her own.

“It’s a little scary,” says Maillet.

“My typical day would just be wandering. To be honest, I did a lot of walking, trying to find where my next meal was going to be.”

Now 41, she has moved on. She’s now a to being a mom to three kids but will never forget some of the low points of her life. Though her experience might be sad and tragic, especially for a young woman, Maillet is not unique. She is one of hundreds of young people who have been homeless in Durham Region – then and now.

The Homeless Hub, a website that shares data and research on homelessness, shows there are more than 700 people dealing with homelessness in the area right now.

There is a desperate need for beds and emergency shelters locally.

According to a report by the Re-

gion of Durham, there has been an increase in the use of emergency shelters in recent years. The length of stay has increased from 20 days in 2012 to 35 days in 2013. There are three emergency shelters in the Durham Region, and combined they make up to about 93 beds in total.

More beds may help get more young people off the streets, a situation which would have helped Maillet a great deal.

“I was sleeping in a park one night and got picked up by two men and they were like ‘We can’t just leave you here,’ so they took me back to their place and that wasn’t too safe for me but I didn’t know what else to do, I was young,” says Maillet, thinking back to those days when she was out on the streets with not even a bed to lay her head on.

But some emergency shelters, such as Cornerstone says the number of beds available now has risen significantly from when it opened 50 years ago.

“We started with a house of six beds, right now we are at 40 beds,” says managing director of Cornerstone, Robert Brglez.

The Cornerstone Community

Photograph by Laura Metcalfe

Cornerstone Community Association Durham shelter director Robert Brglez and manager Sarah Johnson pose in front of their mission statement.

Association Durham is an emergency shelter in Oshawa that serves men for a period of time. Brglez said the shelter is not a place to stay but a place to transition with help toward a better opportunity. People get help finding new job opportunities and affordable housing.

“Shelters need to lead to something else,” he says.

He said the homeless situation is different in Oshawa than Toronto.

Here the homeless people are most often not on the streets, a problem which Brglez has coined the “hidden homeless.”

According to a report by Human Resources and Social Development

Canada, households are spending more than half of their income on rent.

At the same time, another report from the region shows the unemployment rate in the Durham Region at about 7.8 percent. On top of this, homeless people often also face mental health issues.

“Mental health is a contributing factor to homelessness,” says Sarah Johnson, shelter manager at Cornerstone. She says 50 to 60 per cent of the people using homeless services have self-disclosed mental health issues.

And Maillet is no exception.

“I’ve been told I have come a long

way. I’m bipolar,” she says. She says she was also a drug addict but this is not a part of her life anymore.

There are many others like her out there waiting for that lifechanging moment. Maillet says she didn’t have any parental guidance at the time but she’s now at a more stable period in her life.

She is a peer support worker at the Canadian Mental Health Association and living at home with her husband and family.

Today, she is optimistic of the future.

“I’m working at getting myself on my feet and growing as person,” she says.

Community

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March 21 - 27, 2017

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Mental illness is not forever (Editor’s Note: The individual profiled in this story initially agreed to give her full name to The Chronicle but just prior to publication asked if we could protect her anonymity. The Chronicle has agreed to do that and is now referring to the individual as Jennifer.)

Rebecca Calzavara The Chronicle

Jennifer’s biological father was abusive. Her mother separated from her father when she was 7 so that she and her sister didn’t grow up to hate him.

When Jennifer was 16, she was rebellious towards her mother and her stepfather. She felt her mother gave his kids more attention. She felt neglected.

It came to a point when Jennifer gained so much anger and aggression towards men in her life that she hit her stepfather and ran away. She moved in with her father at 16. He convinced her he had changed… but he was worse. She felt like a prisoner in his home.

According to the Durham Region Health Department, there are certain times in our lives when our mental health may be more vulnerable. These times are known as “transitions” or a “life event.”

Transitions include graduating school, moving out or even getting pregnant.

Life events include experiencing loss, death of a loved one or experiencing/witnessing abuse.

Mental illness is defined as a wide range of mental health conditions that affect your mood, thinking and behaviour. According to DepressionHurt.ca, about 1 in 10 Canadians will experience an episode of major depressive disorder during their life time. Depression is a widespread medical condition.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, anxiety disorder affects about 12 per cent of Canadians.

There is a wide range of mental illnesses. Adults are susceptible to some and children are susceptible to others. For adults, some illnesses include but are not limited to anxiety disorder, depression, eating disorder, bipolar disorder and panic disorder. For children, some illnesses include autism, reading disorder, stuttering and many more.

After moving back, Jennifer developed panic attacks because of her father. She would hyperventilate. Her body would go instantly numb and tingly. She would go unconscious and wake up on her bedroom floor with the door locked and no way out.

Jennifer needed help but didn’t know where to turn.

Megan Van Massenhoven is the Outreach Coordinator for Good2Talk, which is a help line for post secondary students.

The 24/7 helpline also accepts calls from anyone who calls with a problem.

Van Massenhoven says Thursdays and Fridays between 8 p.m. and 12 a.m. are the most common times for people to call for some guidance or help.

“We offer professional counselling on the line, it is completely

Cartoon by Toby VanWeston

Chronicle cartoonist Toby VanWeston depicts the emotions surrounding anxiety and depression. anonymous,” Van Massenhoven explains.

Good2Talk was created in 2013 in response to a ‘mental health crisis’ on campuses. According to MacLean’s, in 2012 Ryerson University in Toronto saw a 200 per cent increase in demand from students in crisis situations.

Good2Talk was created to help any student in a crisis situation on campus. Since it started four years ago, they have had a total of 60,000 calls to-date.

Good2Talk would have helped Jennifer.

“Really I was suffering and rotting on the inside and nobody understood. Nobody listened to my cry for help. It was affecting my health. I was scared and so alone,” Jennifer explains.

Last year, a Canadian Reference Group study was done on students to see what factors affected post-secondary students: 42.2 per cent of students said stress affects their studies, 32.5 per cent of students said it is anxiety and 20.9 per cent of students said depression.

There are many ways to help with anxiety, depression and stress.

Margaret Wehrenberg’s book The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques, describes 10 techniques to help with anxiety.

The number one technique is to change your intake. Your body has to process whatever you take in.

Changing intake includes stopping alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, sugar and sweeteners.

“Taking charge of the things that make your body anxious is not always easy, but it is always productive,” Wehrenberg writes.

Other techniques are as simple as breathing, practicing mindfulness and relaxing or as hard as containing your worries, talking yourself into changing behaviour

and stopping anxious thoughts.

Taking charge of your body can be difficult, according to Wehrenberg.

Some people choose avoidance and some flee, like Jennifer.

After living with her father for a couple of years, Jennifer ran away.

But this time, to live with a boyfriend.

His name was Trevor. His family took her in and loved her like one of their own. It was exactly what she wanted.

Trevor found a job on an oil rig making really good money. They were well-off. Until he got laid off.

He went off the deep end, became an alcoholic and took whatever pill he could get his hands on.

Months later he hit rock bottom.

He drove his brand new car off a cliff, drinking and driving.

“My first instinct was to run, so I did. That’s what I do when ever things get dark…I run,” Jennifer says.

Wendy Stanyon, Faculty of Heath Sciences at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), gives insight into how someone can cope with a mental illness. She explains anxiety and depression are like the chicken and the egg; anxiety turns into depression at some point.

Jennifer, now 18, is at the airport with $100 in her pocket with her whole life jam packed in one suit case. She is on her way to Alberta. It is December 24th. Another Christmas alone.

“I moved here because no one could hurt me in a place where no one knew me,” Jennifer says.

But Jennifer didn’t need isolation. She needed help.

Stanyon explains you don’t need to be an expert to be able to help someone with anxiety or depression.

“Can you just listen? Not with

the intent of responding. Just to listen to hear the message,” Stanyon says.

That’s what Jennifer needed. But she felt she wasn’t good enough.

“I know it sounds like a pity party,” Jennifer explains, “…my self esteem was taken from me because of my father.”

Jennifer got a job in Alberta and made a lot of friends but at the end of the day she would cry herself to sleep because she still felt like she was in a dark cold place.

She felt unwanted. Ugly. That no one truly cared about her.

Jennifer started to develop depression. Started getting suicidal thoughts. As soon as those thoughts happened, her depression got a million times worse.

Stanyon says when she started at UOIT in 2003, no one would talk about mental illness, but now people are much more open. Stanyon is trying to raise awareness about mental illness with mindfulness strategies.

“Mindfulness is what could eventually save the world as we move forward,” Stanyon explains.

Jennifer did not use mindfulness.

She confined herself in her room and looked at four walls for days.

She searched on the Internet for “the quickest way to die”.

“This mental illness is like having a monster in your brain that makes you think life isn’t worth it and that you’re just simply worthless,” Jennifer says.

One night, Jennifer drank two bottles of wine. She started to get flashbacks of what happened to her. She started to blame herself for everything. Started telling herself that it was her fault. She hated herself so much that night that… she overdosed.

She was on life support for two weeks. Despite the new friends she

had made, no one came to visit.

Stanyon says our thoughts get the better of us.

“Some days are going to be bad days. It doesn’t have to mean it’s going to go on forever and ever.

Just take care of yourself that day,” Stanyon explains.

Sometimes that can be hard.

“I just wanted to scream.” Jennifer says. “I was so mad that I woke up to the same emptiness and sadness in my heart. It felt like I needed to vomit but I didn’t have a mouth. My heart was in my throat.”

Those two weeks in the hospital were lonely. Jennifer almost passed away twice because of heart failure.

“It made me realize that there was no good in living in the past,” Jennifer explains.

Walking out of that hospital, Jennifer felt reborn again.

Today, Jennifer is grateful she defeated the great darkness and horror of depression. She now understands and notices cries for help.

“We need to help people to know how to manage the messiness of life,” Stanyon explains.

Mental illness isn’t forever. There are so many ways to find help.

“I know the agonizing isolation feeling, the feeling of being chained under water and having the key, but keeping it in my pocket. The feeling of never seeing sunshine and accepting to live in the rain.

Learning to live in hell because you can’t get out of it. The feeling of being embarrassed with myself and having so much self hate. The feeling of not being able to sleep and having to live with myself longer instead of being in a dream where reality doesn’t exist,” Jennifer says.

“People should never have the feeling of guilt for being born into this world. We all matter. Listen for someone’s cry for help.”

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Feeding Durham's hungry

Community

one mouth at a time Alex Debets and Nicole O’Brien The Chronicle

Here’s some food for thought: one out of 10 families in the Durham Region is food insecure.

People such as Oshawa residents Peter and Gloria, who, though may never go hungry, regularly use food banks and visit soup kitchens on a daily basis.

They have a tough time making ends meet because they live on social assistance from the province.

“I’ve been coming here for about ten years,” says Peter. “We like it here.”

According to the Durham Region Health, food insecurity is defined as “not having access to enough safe and nutritious food due to lack of money.” Families are often worried about running out of food, so settle for lower quality foods, and eat less to save money.

These aren’t just people who visit food banks and soup kitchens. Food insecurity can happen to anyone.

According to the health region, those most affected by food insecurity are single parents with children under age 18, people on Ontario Works, people on Ontario Disability Support program, seniors living on old age pension, and college and university students.

Don Macleod, president and chair of Back Door Mission, says food insecurity is a big problem in the area.

“On a typical day, we have about 10 to 15 people looking for small parcels of food,” says Mac-

leod.

Backdoor Mission in Oshawa works to relieve the stresses of poverty within economically deprived pockets of the city.

Along with serving food three times a week, the mission gives out food tickets for St. Vincent’s Kitchen, located in Oshawa, twice a week.

Macleod says the meal tickets are great, but a lack of transportation is a major problem.

“I have a number of people asking me for bus tickets,” he says. “A lot of them walk everywhere.”

Other causes of food insecurity include low income, low education and lack of food skills.

Macleod says understanding what is and what isn’t nutritious food is a whole other issue on its own.

“The thing that concerns me is not so much that people are lacking food to eat, though there are certainly people that are hungry,” Macleod says. “It’s what they are eating.”

Healthy eating and food insecurity are dependent on being able to find and purchase healthy food.

But healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, cost significantly more than unhealthy foods such as canned goods and Kraft dinner.

For example, at Walmart, a small bag of baby carrots can cost around $1.67. Compare that to a box of Kraft dinner for $1.27, which is a basically a meal in a box.

According to a 2013 study by Harvard School of Public Health, a healthy diet can cost about $1.50 more per day than an unhealthy one.

This doesn’t seem like a lot at first glance, but that adds up to about $2,000 on the average family of four’s grocery bill.

Those suffering from food insecurity may chose the lower quality food over the expensive healthy food because it still fills them up and costs less.

Food insecurity is also linked to household income. When people make less, people do not have enough money to pay for rent, bills and food.

Oshawa residents Edward and Barbara use the Back Door Mission weekly. They finally found a place to live after being shut down multiple times by landlords.

“I’ve been turned down because I have children. I have been turned down because I am not working,” Eric said. “And trying to find a place to live is really hard, the prices are very very high.”

Macelod says this adds even more challenges to already stretched families.

“Part of the reason why housing is such a problem is that it’s kind of a base thing,” he says. “You need to have some place to live before you can work on other things like getting a job and eating well.”

According to a 2016 Durham Region Health report, it costs $837 a month to feed a family of four in Durham.

The average Ontario income in 2016 was about $7,448 per month. And the average rent rate is $1,203. So how much is left over at the end of the month?

For the average family of four, this may not be an issue since it works out to about $5,408.

Those on Ontario Works, more

Deschamps said he turned to online vegan communities to learn more about the best way to maintain a balanced diet.

“When I started nine years ago, veganism was a lot less popular than it is now. It was a lot more difficult to find people who were interested in the same ideas. So it was mostly online for me,” Deschamps says.

Nutritionist for the Durham College and UOIT Campus Health and Wellness Centre, Sylvia Emmorey, says to go from eating your typical diet to being vegan overnight is something she would never suggest. “That’s why I work with people one-on-one to help guide through that change slowly. That would be too dramatic of a change to vegan.”

Some of the harms which can come from making an abrupt change to veganism can be a disproportion of meals with fillers such as bread, rice and potatoes leading to craving, increased appetite, mood imbalances and headaches.

People get energy from carbohydrates. Sometimes when people choose to go vegan or even vegetarian, they’ll just cut out all pro-

teins in their diet and increase the carbs. This major change can throw a person’s energy balance off. A although we gain a small amount of energy from proteins, their main purpose is to repair and rebuild the body.

“Some of the things you may see with a person that is deficient

Photograph by Alex Debets

Don Macleod, president and chair of the Back Door Mission and Lianne McDonald, program coordinator, serve food to many people everyday. commonly known as welfare, aren’t so lucky.

According to Durham Region Health, the average Ontario Works income is $1,227 per month. After paying rent and grocery bills, those on welfare are left with only $187.

Not having financial access to a healthy diet can lead to a whole set of health problems. At any age, poor nutrition puts people at greater risk for chronic disease, infection and lowered immunity. According to Health Canada, those suffering from food insecurity report higher rates of depression, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and hypertension.

These problems can cost more money and more time for those already financially strained, according to the local health region. As a result, the cycle of food insecurity and poor health is a difficult one to break, resulting in expensive

costs to the Ontario health care system.

The healthcare system cost the province $2.9 billion in 2008, according to Durham Region Health.

There are options available via the regional government to assist families and social service groups in promoting food security in Durham.

These tools include lists of food resources in the region, such as food banks and breakfast clubs.

Others can directly assist through donations to non-profits such as Feed the Need and Back Door Mission or volunteer their own time at a soup kitchen.

Meanwhile, for Peter and Gloria, next week will be the same as this week: another trip to the food bank.

(Note: We have changed the names of the families involved to protect their privacy.)

all those new to the vegan diet. “If you’re strictly vegan, you probably have to supplement unless you’re getting enough beans, legumes, nuts and seeds. It [can be a challenge] – to [maintain] properly,” she says.

According to Emmorey, we don’t need a ton of meat sources in our diets.

In fact, we don’t actually require dairy in our diets. Inherited from generations before us is the idea we need milk and other dairy products as our leading source of calcium.

“It’s been proven that we’re not actually utilizing the calcium properly from the forms of dairy that are available to us. We are one of the only countries that consumes milk [which can result in] such a high risk of osteoporosis,” says Emmorey.

Going vegan may resemble traits of a fad. “It is popular and it is a little bit trendy [today],” Emmorey says. “It is a legitimate diet. If done properly it can be really helpful.”

But becoming vegan isn’t just a matter of picking up a carton of soy milk and attending your local animal abuse rally.

Kimberly Dixon, 39, tried the vegan lifestyle out but eventually went back to eating red meat for a number of reasons. She found it tricky to maintain an iron-enriched diet. Also as a parent, Dixon couldn’t help but think about the added hormones in our meat products and the effect they could have on her children’s growing minds.

“Maybe [eating meat] explains why so many intolerances are relevant…” Dixon says. “Where did they all come from? It used to be peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”

“Truth be told, I never [reached the point of ] a true vegan. I didn’t cut out dairy or eggs,” Dixon says.

But she did feel like it was a cleaner way of eating.

In the long run, the vegan diet is more than a trendy lifestyle.

There are a number of positive health benefits. Since becoming vegan at age 14, Deschamps has seen some benefits like experiencing more energy and maintaining a healthy body weight.

The only advice Deschamps has for people interested in the vegan lifestyle is to make sure they eat as much variety as possible.

Less meat and more veggies to live a healthy life Jared Williams The Chronicle

Nathan Deschamps, 23, has been a vegan for 9 years.

At 14-years-old, Deschamps decided he was done with eating meat. After watching a documentary which showed the poor conditions animals in factory farms were kept in influenced him to eat less meat.

“I always had an idea of what was going on but actually seeing it [for myself ],” says Deschamps, “is what inspired me to go vegan.”

In recent years, nearly 33 per cent of Canadians have chosen veganism as a healthier alternative. And with today’s foods being loaded with preservatives, some of which found are in household products like sodium cyclamate and triacetin, although vegan dieting is gaining in popularity.

This healthier way of eating can result in long-term benefits.

In the first few months of his switch to veganism, Deschamps says he found it difficult figuring out the boundaries of a vegan diet.

But as time went on, he became more aware of what nutrients are required for a healthy diet.

If done properly, it can be really helpful.

in protein can be fatigue, hair loss, and slow wound repair,” Emmorey says.

The main potential deficiencies that can happen over time are vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Supplements like B12 vitamins and iron pills are recommended to

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DC celebrating 50 years

Photograph by Travis Fortnum

Guitarists playing to celebrate Durham College's 50 amazing years.

Fifty guitars my guitar and thought, you know “I guess I was plunking away on

to celebrate 50 years Alex Debets The Chronicle

Durham College has “been in town, for a half a century now,” as the lyrics of a new song written for the school’s 50th anniversary suggest.

Fifty Durham College students, faculty, and alumni filled the Student Services Building to celebrate fifty years of the school, armed with acoustic guitars, and sheet music for “A Lesson Learned in Time”,

by Justin Lant, and “Ahead by a Century” by The Tragically Hip.

what would be cool? To bring together fifty guitar players for fifty years,” says Lovisa. That’s how it began, but not how it finished. After pitching the idea to his staff, the call was sent out. An email went to all DCmail email addresses. “Don Lovisa wants YOU to join him,” was the opening line.

Lovisa knew “A Lesson Learned in Time” would be a good fit for the 50 guitars.

“It’s a great song,” says Lovisa.

“It takes of our value, and our mission and all that and puts it into a song.”

Lovisa refers to lyrics such as “no bias here, equality we share,” and “no boundaries the rules are fair,” are what Lovisa is referring to.

One of the guitar players, Ashley Paddenberg, says she was super excited to participate.

There's so much community there that's so nice.

The event was one of many being put on by the school to celebrate the anniversary but, there was something different this time with the song, “A Lesson Learned In Time.”

Written by Justin Lant, an employee of the grounds department and member of 20 Amp Soundchild, the song goes into the school’s history and the values.

Lant was inspired by the anniversary, and decided to write a song.

“It was obviously inspired by the 50th anniversary,” says Lant. “So we just went by the general vibe behind like the mentality of the half century.”

Durham College president Don Lovisa, who came up with the fifty guitars idea, was there with guitar in hand and ready to play.

“When they put out the posting online, I was really excited about the opportunity to play guitar,” says Paddenberg. “Student life can be very busy.” She is in the Operations bridge program, and says she has played guitar “badly” for 10 years.

Paddenberg says this event built a sense of community, even though most people playing hadn’t met each other before.

“There’s so much community there that’s so nice,” she says. “You know, sharing our tuners and things and talking about our guitars and participating with the school.”

The school continues to host 50 year events, including the Epic Mac ‘n event at the Centre for Food in April and exam stress relief week in April.

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Campus

Photograph by Kayano Waite

Rob Nokes at work in the welding department at Durham College (centre), and in his office (bottom right).

Piecing together a legacy at DC Rob Nokes teaches welding at Durham

Kayano Waite The Chronicle

Rob Nokes, mechanical technologist, is a Durham Region native.

The husband and father of two has lived many years between Oshawa and Whitby. Through that time, he has seen many changes with how technology is used and taught at Durham College (DC). I was able to talk to him about his upbringing, as well as his thoughts on the state of welding at DC. Tell me about yourself. Where were you born?

Well, I was born in Oshawa, I married in 1986. We bought a house in Oshawa. Oshawa, we lived there for about nine years.

And then I moved back to Whitby.

When did you get into welding?

I started welding in high school.

Took all trades in high school really.

I won the Grade 12 Welding Award in 1981. I came to Durham College, took the welder fitter program.

I didn’t get a job right out of the gate, but I eventually got a maintenance welding job. I worked in the trucking, maintenance side up until 2002 when I started working at the college.

It would be easy to say this (tech) was something you knew could see yourself doing.?

Yeah, I enjoy the welding aspect of making stuff, designing stuff.

Have you seen a growth or decline in the amount of people wanting to learn about the trades, specifically welding?

We definitely have had an increase of students wanting to take welding. We started the one-year techniques programs about three, four years ago. This year is the start

of the two-year program.

What’s different now, over years past, in high school when people took the trades, you would take it in Grade 12 and then you would come to college to learn the advance stuff.

We’re now getting students that haven’t stepped into a shop during high school and are now realizing that trades can lead to a really good career path. But they’re coming here with no experience.

What would you change with the school board in terms of making it more accessible for students to learn more about the trades?

People have finally realized that computers are not going to control and do everything, we need people who can work with their hands. I know some schools are bringing trades back. The sooner you start into it at the high school level, the better for when you come to college.

The OYAP (Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program) which you can get into at high school is really good. That’s a great starting place.

What are some misconcep-

tions about working in the trades?

I think people think it’s easy. It’s hot. It’s dirty sometimes. You’re gonna get scrapes. For some reason, some guidance counselors are telling people “you’re gonna make a fortune.” Not out of the gate. If you’re gonna make a lot of money, you’re gonna work hard.

What’s the toughest challenge in your field?

A lot of the times, in the real world, something we don’t stress is the time constraints. You’re pushed and pushed to get a job done faster and faster, because time is money.

Sometimes at the college we don’t emphasize that enough. That’s the reality.

What current projects are you working on?

Right now, we finished just getting 20 new welding machines in the shop, that was a big project we had running.

That required making some kind of cart to hold them hold them all,

figure out the wiring get them hooked up, get them tested. We got a third shop coming so definitely there’ll be some more projects we've got coming.

What’s the most important thing in your field people should be aware of?

(For the welding field) When you see someone who does good work, appreciate them. Don’t always go by someone telling you how good they are. You can tell by just watching them work and looking at their finished product.

What’s your favourite thing about working at Durham College?

Because I like to fabricate and design stuff, I get to design stuff for this entire building. I feel good when I walk around the school and I can look around the shop and see things that I’ve designed and built and installed in the shop. People talk about legacies. I walk around and I see my legacies already.

This interview was edited for style, length and clarity.

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Goodbye from the journalism students

Photograph by Jim Ferr

The second-year journalism students pose for a group photo with their professors. The students create and produce The Chronicle each week, along with The Chronicle website and Riot Radio show. Absent students are included in the top left of the photo.

Thank you from the advertising reps

Photograph by Jim Ferr

Sales reps from the advertising program pose with their professor. The reps are in charge of finding advertisers and placing them in the paper each week.

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Community

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New Saks store in Pickering

Photograph by Nicole O'Brien

Kim Howchin was the first to sign up for the new emails for Saks Off 5th store at Pickering Town Centre.

Nicole O'Brien The Chronicle

One year after entering the Canadian market, Saks Off 5th has opened a new store at the Pickering Town Centre.

Customers lined up to see the unveiling of the new 30,000 square foot store on earlier this month.

The store offers a mix of designer fashion, accessories and footwear for men, women and children.

in Brampton opened on the same day as the Pickering store.

“There hasn’t been many new stores in the PTC so I am happy to have another shopping option,” said Pickering resident Kaitlin Brown.

As part of the Hudson's Bay Company brand portfolio, Saks Off 5th has 117 stores globally and an e-commerce division, saksoff5th. com. Since entering the Canadian retail market last March, locations are popping up around the country.

Typically Saks Fifth Avenue is a higher end store.

But it’s not your average store.

With brands such as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and BCBG, the average sweater can cost up to $500.

Jeans can cost anywhere from $100 to $300, and a pair of high heel shoes can be a pretty penny, running anywhere from $20 to more than $300. Customers such as Louise Antle were buzzing in the grand opening line up, hoping to find something new.

“Standing outside in the line, I was anticipating good deals,” said Antle. “But looking at the price tags, it is pricey.”

Lorna Murphy, a Saks marketing director, is “thrilled” to welcome Saks Off 5th.

"Shoppers can look forward to off-the-runway trends, exceptional service, and savings on more than 800 of the biggest names in fashion,” she said in a statement.

The store is one of two Saks Off 5th locations to open in the Toronto area this year. The second location

Pickering resident and frequent PTC shopper Kym Howchin attended the grand opening. She said she knew the Saks brand from numerous shopping trips to the U.S. “I was excited to see what they have. I’ve been to Saks Off 5th Ave at other locations so it was cool that it was coming to Pickering,” Howchin said. From Edmonton, Alta., to Vaughan, Ont., the retailer plans to operate up to 25 Canadian locations by the end of the decade.

Howchin thinks the new addition to the Pickering Town Centre will benefit the mall and the city as a whole.

“From looking around and seeing the prices, typically Saks Fifth Avenue is a higher end store, but this is sort of the outlet so the prices I think are pretty reasonable,” Howchin says.

There are no plans for an Oshawa location, but stores are set to open next in Quebec City, Winnipeg, and Montreal by 2018.

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Entertainment

Karaoke event for U.S. trip Erin Williams The Chronicle

The Public Relations program at Durham College were getting their tune on by holding a charity karaoke event this month.

Local residents and DC students got out and got up to sing their hearts out at Whiskey John’s Bar and Grill in Oshawa.

Melanie Richard is a PR student and organized the event. She says karaoke is the best choice for all ages.

“My group mates thought it would be great do karaoke. Because everybody loves to sing. It’s a kid friendly event,” says Richards.

Melissa Neill and her daughter Becca, had no fear of getting up on stage at the event.

“I like singing [songs from] Frozen and Katy Perry,” says Becca.

“I also like being a back-up dancer when other people sing.”

Her mother enjoyed singing some older rock songs from bands like Aerosmith and Heart.

“It runs in the family, all of us love to sing. She is my little rockstar,” says McNeill.

Michael Valenti was the karaoke DJ for the night.

He worked approximately eight hours to support the event and play the requested songs.

He says it was a long night but he was happy to do something different.

“I get to play songs that I normally don’t get to. It’s also for char-

Photograph by Erin Williams

PR student, Melanie Richard, organized the charity karaoke event.

ity and to support local Durham College students so, how could I not want to be a part of it?” says

Valenti.

Not only is this event for fun, but it’s also part of the Public Relations

program.

The event raised money for a charity of a student’s choice, while

also learning about fundraising hands-on.

Students of the program learn about fundraising and campaigning, and needed to plan an event as part of their course.

“In our careers later on, we do need to have experience and practice these skills,” says Richards.

“We are expected to fundraise basically from the beginning right until the ends. Setting it up, getting sponsors, and then fundraising.”

Richard hopes to raise more than enough money for charity and the class development trip to Chicago on March 30.

“We are going there, have a blast for three days, and learn more about how the states do it different from Canada. The only thing we pay for is our flights. We are going to talk to their social media and their public relations teams.”

Richard says social media aspect is a big part of fundraising now.

She was glad to find a venue like Whiskey John’s to hold the event and shared the event on social media while fundraising in person at Durham College.

Richard says the team will likely choose Sick Kids Hospital for their charity of choice, but it is a team decision and it hasn’t fully been decided yet.

She also says they hit their goal by raising more than $1,600 and will continue to raise even more towards their trip to the United States.

Bounce back with mix tunes Asim Pervez The Chronicle

In December of 2016, Detroit rapper Big Sean announced via Twitter that he was releasing an album titled I Decided in February.

This kept hip-hop fans anxiously waiting to see what he did this time around. Sean is known for his unique flows and his clever punch lines. And, of course, he delivered on his album.

The album’s production is a mixture of new school bouncy trap records, as well as a soulful smooth sound.

The album features Jeremih, fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, Jhene Aiko, The-Dream, Migos and more.

The album starts off with a skit, a haunting voice of elderly man talking to God about all his regrets, underscored by atmospheric music.

The skit spills perfectly into the first song, “Light” which features Jeremih. The song has an inspirational feeling to it as Sean touches on subject like racial discrimination.

“Light” has a very smooth vibe,

with no drums at all. It’s one of those songs where you can just lie in bed and stare at the ceiling, embrace the music and just listen.

“Light” samples Eddie Kendrick’s “Intimate Friends”, which was also sampled in Alicia Keys’ “Unbreakable” and Snoop Dogg’s “Another’s Summer.”

The second song on the album, “Bounce Back,” is the biggest hit. If you are an athlete, you have this song on your playlist for sure. The track is about bouncing back from a loss. The chorus goes, “Last night took an L but tonight I bounce back.”

With production from star producer Metro Boomin and a sample from Sufjan Stevens, “All for Myself,” the song has a chill vibe with hard-hitting groovy drums and bouncy 808 basslines.

This is definitely a song you would hear at a party, or a song you would listen to while driving around with your friends.

The rest of the album includes a mixture of relaxed laid-back tracks as well as fast- paced hype tracks.

Sean continued the tradition of making a song dedicated to a loved

one.

On his last album “Dark Sky Paradise”, he dedicated the song “One Man Can Change the World” to his grandmother.

On this album, he dedicated track number 12 “Inspire Me” to his mother.

In an interview with the Power 105.1 FM, a radio station in New York City, Sean says when he played the song for his mother, it brought tears to her eyes.

Sean is no stranger to music that touches people, as he grew up in a “Motown household.” Motown is associated with soulful music and the blues.

Speaking of inspiration, most rappers may go back and say they were inspired by other rappers like Tupac, Biggie or Jay Z. But in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Big Sean gave credit to classic Motown singers like Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, as well as The Temptations. Sean’s goal with this album, to uplift and inspire people.

“People who can be inspired by it. That’s who I am doing it for,” he said in Entertainment Weekly.

Screenshot by Asim Pervez

'Bounce Back' is the second song in the I Decided album, and a big hit.

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Photograph courtesy of Columbia Records/Sony Music

The cover for Beyoncé's visual album Lemonade.

Where is Bey's crown?

During this year’s Grammys, a notso-expected record stole Album of the Year. Social media lit on fire.

According to Twitter Data, Queen Bey, also known as Beyoncé, was the most tweeted about star of the night. Why you ask?

Brandi Washington

A black artist losing to a white artist, specifically for Album of the Year, seems to be a never-ending issue at the Grammys. For some reason, urban artists never seem to achieve this award.

Beyoncé has respectively earned 22 Grammys to date. But never Album of the Year.

Just two years ago, Beyoncé’s selftitled visual album, lost to Beck’s Morning Phase. Kanye almost pulled a MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) moment when he heard Beyoncé lost to Beck.

For those who are unfamiliar, in 2009 Beyoncé lost the Best Female Video award to Taylor Swift. West strolled on stage and said “Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!”

Fast forward to the 2015 Grammys, West approached the stage but as he went for the mic, he jokingly walked back to his seat. This was to show he thought Beyoncé should have won, as opposed to Beck.

That moment was epic and gave

the audience a good laugh. But what isn’t funny is black artists’ work not being publicly recognized

by The Recording Academy.

In 2009, Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III lost to Robert Plant & Alison Krauss’ Raising Sand. And in 2010, I Am... Sasha Fierce by Beyoncé lost to Taylor Swift’s Fearless. In 2016, Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly lost to Taylor Swift’s 1989.

The list goes on. Even Adele begged the question at this year’s Grammy Awards.

“What the f**k does she have to do to win Album of the Year?”

Adele asked.

It is an ongoing recurrence that the Grammy voters have not chosen a black artist over the past ten years to win this prestigious award.

This year created the most uproar on social media, as Queen Bey’s triumphant album Lemonade lost to Adele’s 25.

Before April 2016, lemonade was just a popular drink. Today, Lemonade is Beyoncé’s most popular album. On April 23, 2016 Beyoncé’s visual album was released after her three-year musical hiatus and left the Beyhive (Beyoncé’s fans) in absolute shock. It also created controversy.

Beyoncé sings the line, “He only want me when I’m not there, he better call Becky with the good hair” in the song Sorry. This sparked allegations of troubles in her marriage to Jay-Z. Was Jay-Z unfaithful? Who was the other woman? When did this happen?

Photograph courtesy of Columbia Records/Sony Music

A still from Beyoncé's Lemonade.

The cheating scandal was never confirmed, but what it did do was create an impact. It made the record more relatable for woman and men who have been cheated on.

Along with controversy, the album also had an empowering visual aspect, which brought racial injustice to light.

Formation, the last track off Lemonade, displayed Beyoncé floating on a police car in the water. This was not an anti-police act. Beyoncé was trying to bring awareness to police violence and murders towards black Americans.

Beyoncé brought the mothers of Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Oscar

Grant and Travon Martin into the Lemonade visual. They hold photos of their sons who died – all victims of police brutality. Later that year, she brought all the mothers to the MTV VMA Awards white carpet.

This made the bigger picture come full circle, showing Beyoncé’s appreciation towards these mothers.

Queen Bey tells other stories throughout her album. She opens up to her fans, which she normally does not do.

The album includes moments from her childhood, private moments with her daughter Blue Ivy Carter, Beyoncé’s pregnancy, her mother Tina Knowles and she and

Jay-Z getting matching tattoos.

This album’s visual concepts showcased eleven emotional chapters, including intuition, denial, anger, apathy, emptiness, accountability, reformation, forgiveness, resurrection, hope and redemption.

These eleven feelings tell the perfect story for Lemonade. Beyoncé took lemons and made a historical impact on pop culture.The journey of infidelity, the impact of injustice and the art of bittersweet moments all in one complete package go along with a triumphant record.

Lemonade's lack of recognition means other loss for great quality art.

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Wrestling for a dream

Former DC student chases job with WWE Tyler Hodgkinson The Chronicle

“I was one of the Rosebuds,” Divya Chand says, as she remembers being an extra standing in front of more than 16,000 screaming fans on a WWE stage. “And it was all on my 20th birthday.”

She was dressed in a fairy costume alongside others as part as a colourful entourage for wrestler Adam Rose. It wasn’t the first time she was in Montreal – in fact, she has been to the city to see wrestling events in the past - but it was the first time Chand was performing in front of millions watching at home.

Chand’s opportunity to be part of the WWE production for one night was “one of the best experiences” of her life, because for the GTA-native, wrestling full-time in the big league is a childhood dream she will never stop chasing.

According to a study in the academic journal Social Forces, only six per cent of adults achieve their childhood dream career. But for many who have accomplished their goals, the struggles and obstacles were all part of the journey.

Through determination and unbridled passion, chasing a dream can lead to personal victories, advantageous relationships, once-ina-lifetime experiences, and opportunities to inspire others.

In the past 20 years, many notable Ontario-based wrestlers have made a name for themselves worldwide. This list includes the WWE Hall of Famers Trish Stratus and Edge, his longtime tag-team partner Christian, and WWE title holder Anthony Carelli, known at the company as Santino Marella.

It’s under Carelli’s guidance at Battle Arts Academy in Mississauga that Chand – or Aria “Wild” Sapphire in the ring - now currently

trains. Her instructor teaches how to take body slams and piledrivers, but also encourages students to find the will within.

“It is up to one’s self to ultimately become successful. You must adopt the ‘I can make it happen’ attitude, believe in yourself, and be willing to work harder than anyone else,” Carelli says.

At only 21-years old, it’s already been a long journey for Chand, who’s love for wrestling began at an early age. Along with her brothers, the young girl from Markham, Ont. became fixated on WWF’s (now WWE) grungy, no-holdsbarred Attitude Era. Themes of violence, sex and drugs were fair game in the late 1990s, but Chand doesn’t think it affected her upbringing.

“I loved wrestling, but I still had that girly side to me,” Chand says.

“I liked Barbies, and tea parties with Hulk Hogan.”

It was as a child her aspirations of being a wrestler were realized, but her parents were against her entering anything combat related.

Instead, they agreed to acting classes. At 12-years old, Chand began to attend seminars about commercials, TV beauty segments, and runway work.

Her adoration for the wrestling industry carried over into her high school years. However, a weight issue took a toll on the teenager not only physically, but mentally.

“I gained a lot of weight and suffered from eating disorders and anemia,” she says. “I hated it because I wanted to wrestle, but I had this outer layer of me that I couldn’t get rid of.”

Chand decided to get a personal trainer in her final year of school.

From there, her wrestling career began when she signed up to train at Squared Circle in Toronto. The school was at Jane St. and Finch Ave. W, a Toronto area with a history of violence. Yet in this building, combat was a way of keeping out of trouble.

In conjunction with her training, Chand also realized her love for helping others. For the then19-year old, Durham College’s

Photograph by Tyler Hodgkinson

Divya Chand (right) with trainer Yuki Ishikawa.

Divya Chand entering the ring before a match in Japan.

Child and Youth Worker (CYW) program seemed like the perfect fit.

But sacrifices needed to be made to achieve her childhood dream.

Leaving the program was only the first step.

“CYWs do extraordinary things for youth, are on call 24/7, and are always there for the children that need them. But I couldn’t be there, and I felt that it’s unfair for those kids,” Chand says.

Chand will be returning to the school for something related to youth services in future, but is currently focused on her wrestling career and making it to the WWE. Deep in the grind at Battle Arts Academy, Chand also learns from a legendary Japanese trainer named Yuki Ishikawa.

Academy owner Carelli was a student of Ishawaka while in Japan, and when an injury forced the wrestler to retire, he opened a training facility in his hometown of Mississauga. A job offer was extended to his former mentor, and was accepted.

Together, the instructors teach two different styles. Carelli has a greater grasp on American style wrestling, while Ishikawa instills traditional Japanese form. For someone like Chand, the lessons she learns from her instructors are immeasurable.

According to Carelli, Chand’s wrestling ability has improved since she arrived at the academy.

He says she has a “much better

understanding of the psychological aspects of professional wrestling – the storytelling component.”

I liked Barbies, and tea parties with Hulk Hogan.

He also believes that the way she presents herself in and out of the ring is impressive, saying “she’s very confident and not afraid to perform in front of large groups of people.”

Ishikawa mirrors Carelli’s sentiment and believes Chand is a positive role model for others because of her ability to absorb information.

“She understands my thinking and has a good personality. She can be a leader at Battle Arts,” Ishikawa declares.

But kinds words don’t create success stories - personal effort does.

Chand was sent to acquire new fighting styles in dojos in Japan where she stayed for three months, and when she was finished in Asia,

Photograph courtesy of Divya Chand

she migrated to England for five months to once again learn new techniques.

Chand left behind most of her family and friends in Canada, all in the name of achieving her dream.

She says the sacrifices were hard to make, but well worth it.

In fact, her hard work and determination paid off when Carelli called her less than a month after her tours asking if she was interested in an on-screen extra role on WWE Raw. The answer was a quick yes.

Chand’s moment had arrived.

She was standing face-to-face with William Regal, a WWE legend and talent scout. After showing off her mic skills and physical attributes, Regal complimented her on her effort and suggested that if she continues on the path she is currently on, that she may have a future with company.

Chand’s goal of being a professional wrestler in the WWE is twofold; she wants to fulfill a childhood dream, but also wants to inspire others – especially children – to be whatever they want.

The young fighter has already encountered a variety of obstacles in her life, but wants people to know that if she can utilize her passion and achieve her success, so can they.

“I want to teach people that everything will be OK. No matter how tough situations feel, you can overcome anything.”

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Sports

The NHL needs more soul

Canada's biggest sport has always lacked racial diversity on the ice

Comments like this are not unheard of for black hockey players, especially in the NHL. Soul on Ice: Past, Present & Future is a documentary focused on the role of black Canadians in the NHL. Oshawa Public Library hosted a free showing of Soul on Ice in late February.

The film is about the history of black Canadians and their influence on the game of hockey.

Starting with the history of black Nova Scotians, to the startup of the NHL, to modern day initiatives such as Hockey is for Everyone, an initiative focused on inclusivity

in the game.

Damon Kwame Mason is the director of Soul on Ice. He was born in Toronto, and has been active in the entertainment industry since 1996, working between Ontario and Alberta, where he was an announcer for FLOW 93.5 and KISS 92.5.

A lifelong fan of hockey, Mason got into contact with several professional hockey players in Edmonton during his time in Alberta. He questioned the lack of black hockey players in the league and wanted to look more into the lack of diversity.

Mason felt it was his duty to tell this story, feeling the history behind

the game needed to be preserved.

“I took a leap of faith, sold my condo and invested all my money and time into this, and well, here we are.”

It took more than three years to complete, yet Mason feels there are still many stories revolving around hockey, such as women’s history with the game.

Mason often went to Bernice Carnegie for support during production. She has a deep connection to hockey.

She is the co-founder and executive director of the Herbert H. Carnegie Future Aces Foundation, named after her father Herb.

Herb Carnegie was one of many players interviewed for the film.

He was born in 1919 in Toronto.

Though never a member of the NHL, Carnegie made a name for himself as a member of the Black Aces, the first all-black line in hockey at the time.

After retiring from hockey in 1954, Herb created the Future Aces Hockey School in 1955, the first hockey school in Canada, according to his daughter.

His last recorded interview was for this film. He died at the age of 92, nine days after being interviewed.

“I’ve seen the film several times, and every time I break down,” says Bernice.

She says while hockey is still seen a white man’s game, she believes the league is making inroads to be inclusive.

And Bernice looks at Mason’s work ethic to produce his film as an example for younger people to achieve their goals.

“If you have the heart and soul to want to do something,” she says.

“You should carry it as far as you possibly can.”

Bernice says finding financial or personal support may be difficult but having a passion for the sport is key to success.

“That was the spirit my father had, that he never gave up on anything in his life, and as a result accomplished so much.”

Johnson says the problems he has had with his race have decreased with age and time.

Now, he is focused on the game itself and growing with the Ridgebacks.

“With us evolving and the culture of our team, I would like to look at myself as one of these leaders for our team,” Johnson says. “In the next couple of years I’d hopefully like to bring this team to a championship.”

ed to play.

“I made an application for my SA (event application), and they said OK I can have one (tournament),” said Krishnanan Thanpremkumar, vice-president of the ISA and a second-year student in the protection, security, and investigation program at DC. “This is the first year we are doing a tournament by the students, not the school.”

Each team paid $35 to enter the tournament, compared to the $20 dollars per student that the SA charged for intramurals.

Awards were given to the winning team, as well as trophies for best batsman, best bowler, and most valuable player.

“We went out of our way and pitched our own money in for cups (trophies),” said Narmata Jeyachandran, a member of the ISA and scorekeeper for the tour-

nament. “We give best bowler and best batsman $50 gift cards.”

student who has played cricket for more than 10 years, says the game is very competitive and teamwork is crucial.

“You need to coordinate with your team and be together with the team,” he said. “This game gives you life lessons.”

Cricket shares similarities with baseball, but is still very different in its own unique way. It is a less forgiving game than other sports, says Thajipkumar.

“If you play soccer you can lose a goal in the first half but make it back in the second half. Cricket is not like that,” Thajipkumar said.

“From beginning to end, you need to play properly.”

The ISA has become an important part of student life for its members. Thanpremkumar says most of the players in the tournament are international students, with the exception of two.

“We started the ISA to make a change for Indian students, and that’s what we’re doing,” said Jeyachandran.

Although the ISA has been around for a few years, this year they are trying to put themselves out there more, Jeyachandran said. On March 9 the ISA hosted Mother Language Day at the UA auditorium to celebrate the many languages of India.

“There’s more than 50 states in India and every state has its own language,” said Camran Nazir, a player in the tournament and member of the ISA. Jeyachandran hopes to grow the ISA even more next year by hosting more events.

“The ISA helps Indian students get their opportunity and get their values and beliefs out,” she said.

“We want to show everyone, ‘hey, we’re here too’.”

Kayano Waite The Chronicle

Watching a hockey game, you may notice many things: crowds of devoted fans, colourful jerseys - and white faces.

While hockey is seen by many as Canada’s sport, it still lacks diversity.

There are currently 30 black hockey players in the NHL, only five percent of the league.

Malik Johnson is one of few black players on the UOIT Ridgeback men’s hockey team. The first year Criminology and Legal Studies student plays left wing for the Ridgebacks.

Growing up in Montreal, he shared a love for hockey with his father and brother, yet he and his family are Edmonton Oilers fans.

He says he looked up to black hockey players such as Georges Laraque and Mike Grier. “My dad would give us those jerseys to make us not feel like an outsider in hockey,” says Johnson.

He played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. During his younger years though, He says he faced discrimination.

“There would come to a lot of situations where there’s racial remarks,” said Johnson. “But I just fought through it and just put it aside.”

Photograph by Kayano Waite

Soul on Ice: Past, Present and Future director, Damon Kwame Mason , poses next to a poster for his film.

Indian students host their own cricket tournament ISA took things into its own hands

Dan Koehler The Chronicle

Cheering and yelling filled the Campus Fieldhouse when the Indian Student Association (ISA) held its first ever student-run cricket tournament.

Six teams took part in the competition March 8, and the top teams played their finals March 15.

The tournament had to be run by the ISA after the Student Association (SA) cancelled intramurals after not enough teams signed up.

But cancelling intramurals didn’t change the fact students still want-

This game gives you life lessons.

Jeyachandran, who will take over running the tournament next year for Thanpremkumar after he graduates, says cricket means the world to the players.

“To some of these guys, cricket is their everything,” she said. “One of these guys had a mid-term and he skipped it just to play cricket.”

Nitharsan Thajipkumar, a UOIT

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Changing concussion culture Christopher Jones The Chronicle

Can you imagine being absolutely fine one moment, and then suddenly completely off the next? Can you imagine what it would be like to be an athlete on top of the world only for it to come crashing down around you? To be leading the American Hockey League (AHL) in goals one second, only to sometimes need help up the stairs the next?

That’s what happened to former UOIT men’s hockey coach, Craig Fisher. He was the coach of the Ridgebacks from 2010-2012.

On Nov. 12, 1999, Fisher suffered his third concussion when he took a knee to the head only to immediately fall again, hitting his head on the ice while playing for the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Since that incident, Fisher has also taken a puck to the head while coaching the Whitby Fury of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL).

Fisher is still dealing with the symptoms to this day, which is why he felt the need to step aside as coach of the Ridgebacks.

But what does Fisher have exactly? He has a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) that has had lingering effects for almost two decades.

Fisher developed his TBI due to the three concussions he received throughout his hockey career.

Today, Fisher isn’t coaching anymore, but he’s taken on an advisory role for the UOIT athletics program.

“I have always been involved in counselling hockey players with TBI as it can really help to talk to someone who has lived through and is continuing to live through a brain injury,” says Fisher. “I continue to do this with both UOIT players and players from other leagues who contact me.”

According to Fisher, the difference in the level of understanding

Photograph by Christopher Jones

Former NHL player and Ridgebacks men's hockey coach, Craig Fisher, still works at UOIT as an Athletics Coordinator. of concussions is immense.

“I was hurt in 1999 which was the very beginning of the new ‘concussion era’ in hockey,” Fisher says. “Before then, players were not aware of this issue - it really still was the ‘got your bell rung and go back out there’ era.”

Fisher isn’t the only one working with players who suffer from concussion symptoms. Jeff Watson, a strength and conditioning coach at UOIT says, “Virtually once they’re diagnosed with a concussion, the next thing to do is to wait until

Photograph by Christopher Jones

Athletic therapist, Saul Behrman, sits in his office.

they’re symptom free for anything.

So they have to be symptom free in just daily active living, and then once they can pass that test, then we put them through a little bit of a stress test.”

Watson says the stress test is when they get the athletes heart rate up. If any symptoms come up, they have to restart and wait until the athlete is completely symptom free once again.

Watson also says those in the athletic therapy department, such as Saul Behrman, would work closer with athletes.

Behrman is one of the main athletic therapists at UOIT, and he says that there are a few parts to UOIT’s concussion protocol. The first is recognition. This simply means recognizing the symptoms in athletes while they are in practice or competing.

“A lot of the studies are showing that the faster you recognize the concussions and get them into the protocol the better and faster their return to play is,” says Behrman.

After recognizing the symptoms, the athlete is put through testing.

The SCAT3 test is the standard concussion assessment tool. It tests things ranging from memory and balance to sensitivity to light. Ultimately, this is to determine if the athlete is experiencing something out of the ordinary.

After the SCAT3 tests, Behrman and the rest of the Athletic Therapy department bring athletes into the clinic to use tools such as Impact, which, according to Behrman, helps test their reaction time and memory while comparing the results to how they were before the

concussion.

Behrman also says the Athletic Therapy department gives the athletes advice on how to deal with their symptoms. “Things like initially cognitive rest and not using their cell phone or their computers.

There’s a lot of instruction that we give them on how to rest in the goal of decreasing their symptoms,” says Behrman, who starts athletes into their return to play protocol.

“Basically there’s a number depending on how the patient presents. We may differ the types of treatment we do. There’s manual therapy in the clinic if some of their symptoms are related to neck problems. And there’s visual testing we can do, and there’s exercise based therapy that we can give to help with symptoms.”

The return to learn protocol has athletes attend class and do some school work in order to make sure that cognitively no symptoms flare up. If all goes well, the athlete can be reintroduced into class. Athletic Therapists also work with the accommodations department at Durham or UOIT if the athlete needs any accommodations for their schoolwork.

In order to get the athlete back onto the field, Behrman says, “We have a graded return to play. What we do is we take someone who’s returning from a concussion and once their scores have returned to baseline levels and their symptoms have decreased, we would start to introduce a graded return to play.”

A graded return to play, according to Behrman, means starting at a lighter level of activity and seeing how the athlete responds to that.

This could mean something like a 20-minute bike ride. If they pass that, then the athlete has to do some more strenuous exercise and Behrman keeps track of their heart rate and blood pressure.

From there, the athlete may be introduced into some sport specific drills. “If they’re a basketball player [that means] having them do some specific drills related to basketball,” says Behrman.

Behrman also says between all of these phases, the athletic therapists are leaving 24 hours to continue monitoring the athlete. If the athlete continues to progress well, then the athlete is introduced into non-contact practice, then to a contact practice and then back into play, according to Behrman.

“The difference [in concussion protocol] is immense as there is such a greater level of understanding about the long and short-term effects of traumatic brain issue,” said Fisher.

Concussions protocol at UOIT gives athletes who suffer from a head injury a chance to one day play again, which is something many athletes, such as Fisher, did not used to have.

After almost 20 years, Craig Fisher still has moments when his Traumatic Brain Injury affects him. He still sometimes has trouble getting up the stairs on his own. For Fisher, the room is still sometimes spinning.

“All and all, the culture of [sports] has made real progress in raising awareness of this issue.

Hopefully the next step will be better support and protection for all players,” says Fisher.

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Baseball stadiums worth

The MLB has some of the best stadiums in the world

The inside of the ballpark was designed with the whole family in mind. There is a ferris wheel and carousel for kids to enjoy, a giant water feature in centre field that celebrates Tigers’ homeruns and other moments in the game. For the adults, there is a beer garden on the main concourse and a brew house on the second deck.

Fans can also check out the Walk of Fame. It has statues and plaques of Tigers’ legends going all the way back to the 1800’s.

Michael Welsh The Chronicle

The fresh cut grass, the bleachers, a stadium dog, a cold beer and of course some great baseball. There’s nothing quite like a day at the ballpark. The Rogers Centre is a great venue for people living in the GTA to cheer on their hometown Blue Jays, but with 30 MLB teams, the league has so much more to offer.

So this summer, why not pack up the car with a few friends and hit the road to one of the many gorgeous and historic ballparks within a day’s drive of Toronto.

Baseball is the ultimate family game, with roots that go back almost 200 years. Baseball historian and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, William Humber, says the game’s deep, traditional roots are what make it attractive to so many different types of people.

“People are able to trace their love of the game back many generations,” says Humber. “I have grandchildren now that are fourth generations fans of the game.”

Humber is a published author who has written multiple books about sports in Canada, particularly baseball. He also teaches a course at Seneca College called Baseball Spring Training for Fans.

He recommends his students visit other stadiums, besides the Rogers Centre.

One of the problems with getting young people to visit baseball stadiums is that the game does not have the same appeal for young people as it used to.

According to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, the MLB has the oldest fans of any major sport.

Many people believe the slow pace of the game turns young people away, however Humber believes this isn’t true.

“When the Blue Jays became a good team the past couple of seasons it was largely young people go-

Wrigley Field - Chicago -Opened in 1914 -901 km from DC/UOIT -Blue Jays will be at Wrigley August 18-20

Photograph by Michael Welsh

PNC Park in Pittburgh is widely regarded as one of the best stadiums in baseball.

ing out to the games and enjoying the full experience,” Humber says.

“We like the speed it up tempo of other games but baseball has an endearing charm.”

The Blue Jays’ success has been a lot of fun to watch, but it has come at a cost for fans wanting to see a game live. Toronto had an average attendance of 41,000 last season, which was tops in the AL. Tickets sold out weeks in advance for much of the summer. Fans wanting to catch a game either had to plan a long time before going or had to pay much more on the second-hand market.

The narrative is likely to be the same this year should the Blue Jays enjoy similar success. Taking a drive to a foreign ballpark would give you a better chance at getting tickets for a reasonable price.

The success has also been very beneficial to youth baseball in the GTA. According to Howard Birnie, president of the Leaside Baseball Association, enrollment was up over 25 per cent in the summer of 2016 compared to 2015. Humber

Photograph courtesy of Michael Welsh

Baseball stadiums are an exciting experience for everyone.

says it’s no surprise baseball interest has spiked in the GTA at the same time the Blue Jays have fielded their most competitive team for the in over two decades.

“The Blue Jays are the benchmark for baseball in not just Toronto but all of Canada,” says Humber. “As the Jays improve, suddenly people are more aware of the game, particularly kids. They want to play it and watch.”

Interest in baseball as a whole continues to grow. Attendance across the league has never been higher. Fans flock from all around to have a full entertainment experience at the state of the art stadiums baseball has to offer. Every ballpark has unique features and provides its own atmosphere. Whether it be the history, framework, or attractions within the stadium, each of these parks is worth paying a visit to this summer.

Fans can enjoy some food and a beer while listening to live music and playing games before entering the stadium.

The 38,000-seat venue is the perfect mixture of old-time charm with all the modern amenities to create an exceptional fan experience.

Comerica Park - Detroit -Opened in 2000 -432 km from DC/UOIT -Blue Jays will be at Comerica July 14-16 Comerica Park is a centerpiece of the revival of downtown Detroit.

An area that was once avoided by many people has become an entertainment hub.

PNC Park - Pittsburgh -Opened in 2001 -575 km from DC/UOIT -Blue Jays do not play there this season PNC Park is home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and is widely regarded as one jewels in all of baseball. Built with a salute to classic stadiums like Fenway and Wrigley, it is a modern stadium that has a feel of an old-time ballpark. When PNC opened it was named the best stadium in the MLB by ESPN. The stadium is located along the Allegheny River with spectacular views of the downtown skyline from the outfield.

The stadium is easily accessible from the downtown core. From the Roberto Clemente Bridge you can see the arches which make the concourse of PNC so recognizable.

On game days, the bridge is closed off to cars and transformed into an interactive experience for fans.

Baseball has an endearing charm.

Wrigley Field is one of the most historic stadiums in all of sports.

With over 100 years of history, a visit to Wrigley is an experience of its own, a baseball game is just the cherry on top. The home of the 2016 World Series champion Cubs is known for its ivy outfield wall and scoreboard that is still operated by hand.

Unlike most major league teams, the Cubs play most of their games during the daytime, even on weekdays. The only time they play at night is for nationally televised broadcasts. Wrigley Field didn’t even add lights on the field until 1988. This is just another way the Cubs have stuck to the traditional roots of baseball.

Given the age of Wrigley, many people have been calling for a new stadium for decades. This idea is not usually met with agreement from those who love the history and feel of this classic park.

Wrigley is currently undergoing renovations of over $500 million to make the stadium more modern.

The renovations go beyond just the park though. The Cubs are working with business owners to revitalize the neighbourhood around the park with new restaurants, hotels and stores.

To get a truly unique experience unlike anywhere else, fans can watch the game from rooftop bleachers across the street. Since the 1980’s, building owners across the street from Wrigley have sold tickets that overlook the outfield wall and right into the stadium.

This is truly a one a kind way to watch a baseball game.

Fenway Park - Boston

The stadium is right beside Ford Field, home to the NFL’s Detroit Lions and right across the street from the soon-to-be-complete Little Caesar’s Arena, future home of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings and the NBA’s Pistons. Detroit will be the only city in North America to have an MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA team in its downtown core.

The area around the stadium is loaded with sports bars, including Cheli’s Bar, owned by former Red Wing Chris Chelios, located right across the street. The area is also full of sports stores and lots of parking for easy access to the stadium.

-Opened in 1912 -843 km from DC/UOIT -Blue Jays will be at Fenway July 17-20, September 4-6 and 25-27 The only stadium in baseball that could challenge Wrigley for its rich history is Fenway Park. The home of the Boston Red Sox has been used as much more than a baseball stadium in its more than 100 years.

The stadium is used to host special European soccer games, outdoor hockey games, NCAA football and is a popular concert venue.

Continued on page 39

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visiting this summer

39

Photograph by Michael Welsh

Wrigley Field is one of the most iconic and historic venues in all of sports.

Continued from page 38 Fenway has many unique features. The one red seat amongst the green outfield bleachers and “Pesky’s Pole” are a big part of Fenway’s history but no features at Fenway are more famous than the “Green Monster”. The 37-foot left field wall is unlike anything in all of baseball. It is a marvel for fans to look at, but a beast that outfielders must deal with every game.

Balls that would be a fly-out in any other stadium become homeruns when hit to left field at Fenway. Games in Boston are unpredictable due to the unique

dimensions of the field created by the “Green Monster” and the short wall in right field.

Like Wrigley, the age of Fenway has been a constant topic amongst fans. Over the past two decades, there have been multiple attempts by city officials and Red Sox management to build a new stadium.

Each time groups of fans who love the classic stadium manage to block the plans. Over the past ten years, Fenway has been under constant construction to ensure it remains structurally intact.

Every home game during the middle of the eighth inning fans

Photograph courtesy of Michael Welsh

Blue Jays fans always travel when Toronto plays in Boston.

sing the classic Neil Diamond song “Sweet Caroline.” No matter what the status of the game, the classic tradition is carried out and creates an atmosphere that can’t be matched.

Coca-Cola Field - Buffalo (Humber’s recommendation) -Opened in 1988 -225 km from DC/UOIT -Buffalo is Toronto’s minor league affiliate Coca-Cola Field is not home to a major league club. The Buffalo Bisons of Triple-A International League call it home. The Bisons are Toronto’s AAA team. This is a great trip fans could take in a day, for a reasonable price. The minor league stadium provides a much more intimate experience than a major league park.

The stadium was built in 1988 on hopes Buffalo would land an MLB expansion club. Coca-Cola Field currently has a capacity of less than 17,000 but has the potential to be expanded to over 40,000 by adding a second deck.

The stadium itself is nothing special. It is the overall experience that makes a trip to Coca-Cola Field worthwhile.

The most expensive ticket in the house is only $13.50 on a weekend game. For that price everybody has an opportunity to catch some great baseball in a great seat. Blue Jays fans may be extra interested in taking the trip while an injured big leaguer is doing their rehab

assignment. Players exit the stadium through a back parking lot that is open to the public making is easy for fans to get autographs and photos with the players.

This is a short drive for a good price. Fans can take this trip on a Saturday morning and be home for dinner. If you want to extend the trip, Cooperstown, NY is only a few hours away. Home to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown is a trip all baseball fans have to take.

There is nowhere on earth with more history and culture about the game.

Going to a baseball game is no longer just about cheering for the home team or watching your favourite player hit a homerun.

Fans pay for a full entertainment experience. Live music, interactive games and mascots racing around the field are all part of a day at the park.

This summer take a trip that you and your friends will remember for a long time. Ballparks aren’t just for baseball fans anymore. They are for anyone who is looking for entertainment, good food and a cold beer in the sun.

Photograph by Michael Welsh

Coca-Cola Field delivers the charm of a minor league park.

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Homophobia in hockey Putting discrimination in the penalty box

Photograph by Darren Jackinsky / Blue Fish Studios

Travis Fortnum The Chronicle

Brock McGillis, former OHL player and professional goalie, lived the typical ‘hockey bro’ lifestyle for years. It was a lie.

“I was the cocky hockey guy who was womanizing. I always had a different girlfriend,” McGillis says.

“But I’d go home at night when I was 18 or 19 in the OHL and I would break down crying and want to kill myself. I would suppress it.

I would say ‘no, no, no. You’re not gay,’ but the reality was that I am.”

McGillis was never out as a player. He remained closeted throughout his pro-hockey career in the OHL, OUAA, UHL and while playing professionally in Holland.

It wasn’t until last year he made headlines by coming out publicly.

McGillis’ story is an anomaly.

The stereotypical hockey player is usually hyper-masculine and as cold as the ice on which they spend so much time.

Locker room banter includes talk of womanizing, partying and insulting each other, calling friends and opposing players "fags" and feminizing them to get under their skin.

Examples include Dallas Stars’ captain Jamie Benn and forward Tyler Seguin attempting to joke about the Sedin twins on a Dallas radio station in 2015.

“Who knows what else they do together,” said Benn.

“Seriously,” Seguin added.

Benn publicly apologized later that year.

Another high-profile incident in 2011 saw Wayne Simmonds toss a homophobic slur at Sean Avery.

The language used in chirping and trash talk can be harmful to players like McGillis.

Recently, players and officials within the NHL have made efforts to shut down offensive trash talks.

As an organization, the NHL has taken steps towards LGBTQ

inclusion not seen by most in the world of professional sports.

February was officially dubbed Hockey is for Everyone Month.

The NHL partnered with the You Can Play organization to host a number of ‘Pride Night’ games.

This included logos for the NHL and its teams decked out in rainbow colours; as were players’ sticks, thanks to Pride Tape, a rainbow coloured hockey tape.

Even Brad Marchand, an elite offensive talent on the Boston Bruins, has done his best to make everyone feel safe in hockey.

On the ice, Marchand is one of the most controversial players in the game. Off the ice, he’s spent the last few months being vocal in support of the LGBTQ community.

Last December, a hockey fan took to Twitter to send some trash talk Marchand’s way.

Players will use anything to get under another player's skin.

“Put Chara’s d**k back in your mouth you f***ing f*g,” they tweeted at him.

Marchand responded by quoting the tweet for all to see. “This derogatory statement is offensive to so many people around the world [you’re] the kind of kid parents are ashamed of,” he said shutting down the hater.

“I think it’s cool that Marchand did that,” says McGillis, who now delivers presentations as an advocate for LGBTQ equality. “I think we can always use as many allies as we can get.”

In an interview with ESPN, Marchand says, “I want to stand up for what I believe in, and I don’t think it’s right when people say things or bash people because of their sexual orientation.”

He went on to say NHL players would accept a gay teammate “no question”.

But in the 100 years the NHL has been around, there has not been a single confirmed LGBTQ player from the nearly 6,000 to hit the ice.

TSN stats expert Kevin Gibson says the trash talk might be to blame.

“Players will use anything to

Photograph by Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images Screencap Tweeted by Brad Marchand

Brad Marchand during warmups before the Bruins February 11 game against the Vancouver Canucks. Marchand is using a stick decked out with Pride Tape.

get under another player’s skin,” Gibson says. “Mother jokes, sisters, wives. If there’s sexuality in question, I’m sure that type of language would be used.”

And it has been used, time and time again.

During the first round of the playoffs in April 2016, Andrew Shaw made headlines after angrily lashing out at an official using a homophobic slur.

After public outrage, Shaw issued a standard apology and was suspended for one game.

It’s not just members of the LGBTQ community this language affects. NHL players, like professional athletes in most sports, are looked up to as role models.

“You’re going to have a lot of kids going to games,” Gibson says, “they can hear what the players are saying on the ice. You don’t want the kids going to schools and using that language.”

With every game being televised and an increase in the popularity of ice level mic feeds, players need to be more careful with their words.

By partnering with You Can Play, the NHL has shown they are working to do just that.

You Can Play is a non-profit organization working to ensure the safety and inclusion of all people in sports.

“Our idea is that an athlete should be judged on their skill, their work ethic and their competitive spirit and not on their gender identity and/or sexual orientation,” says Chris Mosier, VP of Program Development and Community Relations.

Essentially: if you can play, you can play.

Mosier himself was the first out trans athlete to join a U.S. national team.

He had the chance to take part in the Hockey is for Everyone Month festivities, shooting the puck during a sold-out Blackhawks game.

Continued on page 41

Sports From page 40 “It was great because it wasn’t just LGBTQ athletes and fans in the stadium,” Mosier says. “While it was targeted towards the inclusion of all people, it was not specifically only LGBTQ night.”

Fans in attendance were just there to see a game.

“It was great for regular fans to get this information and see that hockey really is for everyone,” Mosier says.

“That the NHL is making a pointed effort to say ‘we appreciate our LGBTQ fans, and potentially athletes and coaches that might be out there, and you’re welcome here.’”

Though progress is being made, McGillis thinks the problem needs a bigger fix than a month.

“I think the NHL is trying to take some initiative, and organizations like You Can Play are working hard to change it,” he says.

However, for McGillis the issue is still very real. He believes part of the problem is those involved in the game aren’t looking at the issue from a grassroots level.

“We’re products of our environment. The language you hear in locker rooms starts at novice, tyke…” says McGillis.

“No one really knows what it means at that age, but they’re using it and then they get older and it’s habit. I work with athletes every day. Triple A, junior, professional hockey players that know I’m gay and still say it and then go ‘oh’.”

McGillis believes the players don’t always mean what they say in a malicious sense, but that it’s hard to break old habits.

“They’re recognizing and I think that’s half the battle, to get people to recognize that they’re using those words,” he says. “It’s the same thing with racist comments or sexist comments.”

McGillis says he’s known closeted players with a lot of potential who have left the game because of homophobic language.

These are not isolated incidents.

For players in this situation,

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You come into this world where nobody really cares if you're black, you're white, you're coloured, you're Muslim, you're Israeli, gay, straight or otherwise.

Photograph from Brock McGillis' Instagram

Brock McGillis (middle) works with players like Jake Burton (left) and Alex Rodrigue of the Sudbury Wolves, McGillis' former OHL team. leagues specifically geared towards members of the LGBTQ community exist. For instance, the Toronto Gay Hockey Association (TGHA) which has over 170 members, mak-

ing up 11 teams.

Advancements in inclusivity within the sport have begun to become apparent to those involved.

“As the league gets older and

older, you need new people to come in,” says Chris Murray, commissioner for the TGHA. “A lot of the younger crowd say my team that I’ve been playing with for 5-10

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years doesn’t care if I’m gay, so I’m just going to stay where I am.”

Murray calls it a utopian evolution. “You come to this world where nobody really cares if you’re black, you’re white, you’re coloured, you’re Muslim, you’re Israeli, gay, straight or otherwise,” says Murray.

“You’re just playing with the people you’ve always played with.”

The progress made in the past few years alone has brought the hockey world closer to being a safe place for the LGBTQ community than ever before.

Andrew Quinlan, a forward in the TGHA, says the league itself is more respectful than others he plays in.

“There’s less trash talking,” Quinlan says, “it definitely still gets heated on the ice, like in any hockey league, but there’s less trash talking and never any fights.”

While Quinlan himself has been fortunate enough to not face homophobia on the ice, he acknowledges the issue in the game today.

“I would be surprised to learn if other leagues, at least in Toronto, have the same sense of community that our hockey league has built. It goes beyond hockey.”

Homophobic trash talk players once used without a care is slowly becoming a rarity.

“It’s not as big of an issue today,” McGillis says. “Is there full equality? No. Society has shifted.

If sports don’t shift, then they’re falling behind, and they have.”

Now, McGillis stays involved in the game with current players doing off-ice training, on-ice skill development and in-season mentoring.

What advice would he offer to LGBTQ players?

“They need to learn to accept themselves,” he says.

“Before they start thinking about how it will affect their hockey or sports or life, they have to accept and love themselves and then from there, know that you’re strong. You can achieve greatness. You have it in you.”

Photograph by Darren Jackinsky / Blue Fish Studios

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Sports

The injury reserve 42

March 21 - 27, 2017

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Many athletes don't retire when they wish, they're forced to Joshua Nelson The Chronicle

When Sarah Kentish’s gymnastics career ended, it wasn’t in front of a large crowd of screaming fans cheering her on. It wasn’t a largescale retirement speech that would be remembered by millions, nor was it included in a heartfelt biography. In fact, the only person who knew was Kentish herself.

Kentish was stuck upside down on the balance beam. She couldn’t shift her sense of gravity to regain her balance and pull herself up.

Her coach wondered if she was goofing off or messing around.

This could not have been further from the truth.

“It was the strangest feeling, I wasn’t even sure what happened, one minute I was tumbling, the next minute I was frozen in time,” says Kentish.

Kentish suffers from what is known as a Kim Lesion, a progressive injury located in her shoulder, which tore on the beam. The injury involves a tear in the muscle located behind the shoulder socket. At anytime the shoulder can drop into a depression and simply dislocate resulting in pain and discomfort.

Not realizing the extent of her injury, Kentish continued performing her routines, causing her shoulder to become progressively more damaged. With her body seemingly failing her, questions arose. Was she pushing herself too hard? Not getting enough rest? Performing her routines wrong?

For many athletes like Kentish, the horrors of a career-ending injury can be unexpected and quick, forcing athletes to accept their fate and begin the road to recovery, even if that means never playing the sport they love ever again.

For an athlete, this can be devastating often prompting questions of, what if? But the first question that appears is, what happened?

Some injuries can be identified.

Others lie deep within the body and require X-rays or even surgery.

The second question is how did this happen? Many injuries can happen in an instant due to sudden stress on the body, like a broken bone or a concussion. Other injuries are ongoing and may affect someone for months or even years before the athlete takes notice. This was the case with Kentish.

The final and most important question athletes have is, what can I do about this injury? This question differs for everyone, as many athletes have varying degrees of severity to their injury.

Can we react to prevent injuries? Well, yes and no. Many injuries

Photograph by Joshua Nelson

Sarah Kentish's gymnastics career ended when she developed a Kim Lesion.

appear without warning and are usually due to stress of a play gone awry. Surgery is often required in these instances as athletes put more stress on their body than regular people.

According to Dr. Slade Shantz, an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in shoulder injuries, the severity of an injury can be the deciding factor as to whether or not surgery may be needed.

“The main thing for me is how peoples’ activities and daily living and how their quality of life is affected,” says Dr. Shantz, who works at The Shoulder Centre located at Rouge Valley Health System.

For Kentish, her injury was too severe to continue her gymnastics.

Her life altered forever. She would need constant physiotherapy to rehabilitate her injury.

“It was quite devastating for me, I worked really hard to do what I did and this one injury took the end of my career,” says Kentish, who started gymnastics when she was just 16 months old.

This experience for Kentish mirrors what a lot of athletes experience.

After the realization sets in, the

question then becomes, what are the options for recovery? Although surgery is an option, to most, it is their last resort.

“First I tried strengthening with a physiotherapist. That didn’t really work so I went to a surgeon who suggested I take cortisone shots and see if bringing the inflammation down would help heal my shoulder.

We tried. It didn’t work so ultimately surgery was my [last option],” says Kentish, who had her surgery on August 23, 2016.

Even if Kentish had the option to avoid surgery, simply working hard to regain what she once lost would be a daunting task.

To get the mobility or strength back after an injury can be a huge undertaking and it may never fully heal. Lori Karikari, a registered physiotherapist and the Vice President of Complete Performance Centre in Ajax, believes following certain steps is a requirement for injuries to heal.

“If it’s something really acute, often times there’s a lot of manual therapy and hands-on work initially, education about positions… as they move through the stages of healing… you get into the strength-

ening phase,” says Karikari, who has been a practicing physiotherapist since 2004.

Limitations need to be placed on athletes who have injuries, as is the case with Kentish.

“I was put immediately after surgery into a cast, which held my hand at a handshake position for eight weeks. I was then allowed to work with my arm but not anywhere past a 90 degree range, right now, months after surgery, I’m still not able to lift anything near five pounds using two hands,” says Kentish, who now goes for physiotherapy once a week.

Limitations like the ones placed on Kentish can hold someone back from a quick recovery. But after an injury is assessed and the verdict is given, the next step is always rehabilitation, and if pursued, physiotherapy. Physiotherapy is not mandatory, but can be chosen to further improve and heal an injury.

“Physiotherapy means going for a specific guided program by a physiotherapist and it can be really helpful, especially for motivation, and they have certain access to things like ultrasound and laser and electrical stimulation that pa-

tients just wouldn’t have at home,” says Dr. Shantz, who is interested in using technology to create a more patient oriented healthcare system.

According to an article by Sports Medicine and Science Council of Saskatchewan, physiotherapy is different from athletic therapy. Athletic therapy is really only available for athletes while physiotherapy is available for everyone, even those who do not participate in sports.

“As physios, we see patients who have unfortunately had an injury whether it be sport-related… or work-related, slip and falls, a variety of reasons,” says Karikari, who works with various professional athletes, including members of the Toronto Argonauts.

Athletes can only be so aware of their own bodies; an injury can happen extremely fast or be the result of something long-term. It’s the risk they take to do the sport they love.

“You have to take care of yourself first,” says Kentish, who had her surgery and subsequent rehabilitation in 2016. “You have to make sure you’re healthy or your sport will not progress, try to get yourself healed.”

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March 21 - 27, 2017

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March 21 - 27, 2017

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