Chronicle 16 17 issue 12

I'm not going to let Justin Trudeau have the monopoly on optimism.

Volume XLIV, Issue 12

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- See page 9

March 7 - 13, 2017

page 30

Photograph courtesy of Scott Dennis

Nothing blue about this rodeo

page 23 Photograph by Dan Koehler

50 years, 50 guitars

page 19 Photograph by Travis Fortnum

pages 6 - 7

IIlustration by Alex Ross

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The Chronicle March 7 - 13, 2017

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KCAB FRONT of the

DC journalism students look at Durham College and UOIT, and beyond, by the numbers and with their cameras

Photograph by Toby VanWeston

Wacky winter weather

Photograph by Michael Welsh

What once was white and fluffy, seen coating a Durham Regional Police Services car on campus (left) quickly became a wet mess for DC Police Foundations student Ashli Walters to splash through (right). The past few weeks have seen record temps for this time of year, bringing (we hope) winter to a wet end.

What they're saying inside the Chronicle "It wasn't really if there was any risk, it was 'how is this going to work out?' And it worked out pretty damn good."

Community - pg. 17 "I was digging through my parents old collection, took out the old record player and I began collecting records."

Entertainment - pg. 23 "He was like a dog with a bone when he would lose possesion of the puck."

Sports - pg. 29 Interact with the Chronicle team, now on Snapchat! Our username is: thechronicledc Photograph by Sharena Clendening

Watch it, Bozo!

Andre Deans, a student in DC's School of Business, IT & Management, squares up against the bookstore's Bozo the Clown inflatable punching bag.

Point your Snapchat camera at this SnapCode and tap the screen!

Campus

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The Chronicle

March 7 - 13, 2017

3

Student surveys help improve schools Jessica Stoiku The Chronicle

Each year, college students have the opportunity for their voices to be heard about their school experience.

For more than 15 years, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been implemented in the college system.

The KPIs are issued by the Ontario government as an accountability measure and according to Colleges Ontario they cover five areas: student satisfaction, graduate satisfaction, employer satisfaction, employment rate and graduation rate.

Debbie McKee Demczyk, director of research services, innovation and entrepreneurship at Durham College (DC), believes the survey is a great opportunity to connect with students to see what’s working well, what areas are satifying and what improvements need to be made.

Every February full-time students fill out the student satisfaction surveys, which includes 11 sections and 82 total questions. The questions reflect the student experience as a whole. It allows students to pro-

Photograph by Jessica Stoiku

Debbie McKee Demczyk, director of research services, innovation and entrepreneurship at DC, believes the KPI survey is a great opportunity to connect with students. vide feedback on what they love or what can be improved about the college, their programs and teachers, and the facilities and services.

An example of a change made due to high demand on the surveys, according to McKee Demczyk,

was the construction of a health and wellness centre. At the time, the KPIs indicated the students weren’t happy with the facilities on campus.

Second-year digital video production student, Crys Aldcroft,

believes the KPIs are necessary.

“It gives them a general idea how [the school] is doing or where they need to make improvements,” says Aldcroft.

He believes the delivery method of the surveys is good, but needs to

be altered.

“There’s a lot of redundant stuff in the KPI surveys, and it gets to the point where students are scribbling in stuff to get it done,” he says.

Although applying to DC was factored by its proximity and costs compared to other schools, Aldcroft says it has a good reputation for what he hopes to take away from his program.

According to results from the 2015 KPI surveys, the average quality of the learning experience from each program at DC is 78 per cent.

“We find the feedback very helpful. When we get the results back, we take the data by each program and create reports. The comments are used for action planning, so they’re taken very seriously,” says McKee Demczyk.

Based off the results from the latest KPI surveys, faculty members start working on an action plan in May and June for each program and its curriculum.

“If I were a final year student doing a KPI survey I would see it as an opportunity for the next generation to see improvements,” McKee Demczyk says.

'Tis the season for a cuffing mate

Nicole O'Brien The Chronicle

Temperatures may be rising to the double digits, but don’t kid yourself Canada: the winter season isn’t quite over, which means we are still in cuffing season. No, this isn’t a new S&M trend involving handcuffs.

The Urban Dictionary defines “cuffing” as a certain part of the year when “people who would rather be single or promiscuous find themselves, along with the rest of the world, desiring to be tied down by a serious relationship.”

Though Laurie Rudder, a second-year student at Durham College has been in a relationship for almost two years, she says her friends always talk about their desire to be tied down to a relationship when it is cold.

“A lot of my girlfriends say they find themselves wanting a boyfriend in the winter,” Rudder, who is 19, says.

So in plain terms, you find a mate for the fall and winter months because it is too cold to do anything other than stay inside and cuddle.

This isn’t Valentine’s Day. This is cuffing season.

Many might want to call this a millennial phenomenon, but it has been around a lot longer than most think.

According to Charles Darwin’s survival of the fittest theory, individuals with maladaptive behaviours - like walking around alone in the dead of winter - were less likely to survive in the cold and have kids, so their genes didn’t pass on to the next generation.

If you extend Darwin’s theory, it points to an evolutionary history in which people who coupled up in the winter had better survival rates.

And as a result, more babies.

According to Nicole McCance, a Toronto-based psychologist and relationship expert, cuffing season comes around every year.

“I think it’s innately human to want to curl up and kind of hibernate with somebody,” says McCance, who has been working with clients for ten years. “Animals do it too, so it kind of makes sense to me why we do it.”

Although humans do not have a mating season like other species, the colder temperatures do affect how we mate. When the temperature drops, we attend fewer events, therefore we see fewer people.

This limits our dating and sex pools and, during those cold months, encourages the strong human desire to hook up with anything that moves.

Other than sex, cuffing season involves many indoor activities, like “Netflix and chill,” which became a prominent staple of cuffing season as of 2015.

Often associated with millennials, “Netflix and chill” is a date to watch a movie or television show in privacy. The subtext is sex.

There is even an app for it.

TikiTalk was created in 2015.

Users can click a button that will send a message reading “Netflix and chill?” to another user and if they accept, it opens up a chat.

TikiTalk plays a role in cuffing season but so do dating apps like Tinder and Plenty of Fish.

According to a report on Tin-

Screenshot by Nicole O'Brien

The Urban Dictionary defines cuffing season.

der’s website, cold weather brings them the most business.

During a bad snowstorm, the app can see up to 10 million matches in the areas badly affected.

OkCupid, an online dating site, reported a 34 per cent increase in exchanged messages during bad weather.

Laurie Rudder says these dating apps may have a bigger part in this phenomenon than they thought.

“It’s a millennial trend because in a way maybe things like Tinder,” she says. “Young people think of relationships are more disposable sometimes, like they can easily find another.”

But how does this vary by gender? In 2015, Hinge, a dating app that uses a “romance graph” to pair users with friends of friends who fit your style, polled 1,000 active users and asked which months they are most interested in a casual hookup, date or relationship.

The survey found men are 15 per cent more likely to be looking for something serious in the winter than in any other season. Women are only 5 per cent more interested in a relationship during those cold months.

In the spring and summer, men

are 11 per cent less likely to want to settle down, whereas women are 5 per cent less likely. We’ve all heard of a summer fling.

Rudder says her female friends are more likely to stay away from commitment in the warmer months. “They want to be single to party in the summer,” Rudder says.

So how does one cuff onto another?

McCance, who holds multiple degrees including an MA in Counselling Psychology from the University of Toronto, says communication is vital when it comes to cuffing.

“It’s really key to share your expectations and be really clear that this is short term,” McCance says.

Hayley Hertner, a first-year Emergency Services student, says she think this concept is ridiculous.

“I don’t understand why this is a thing,” Hertner says. Though Hertner admits she has heard of this trend, she doesn’t believe in the cuff.“I think it’s more of an aspiration or a joke,” she says.

The internet is filled with memes of cuffing season. Game of Thrones character, Eddard Stark, warns us that “winter is coming” and he wants us to “brace ourselves, cuffing season is coming.” And then

there’s the famous Liam Neeson scene from the 2008 film Taken that reads “I will look for you, I will find you, and I will cuff you!!!”

These memes are all over our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook just to remind us how serious the thirst is for human companionship around this time of year. But like winter, soon that thirst will thaw out.

The big question at that point is: after the thaw, when you find yourself “stuck” with the person you’ve been with for a few months, what’s next?

McCance, whose relationship expertise has been featured on shows like The Social, Global News, and City TV, says it is important to keep in mind those looking for a cuff are often just suppressing their loneliness.

“These people are not looking for the one or their soul mate,” McCance says. Maybe you are both in this for the long haul or maybe you both want to end things before the summer season begins.

But with Valentine’s Day over, cuffing season is melting away as slowly as the stubborn pile of snow in your driveway.

With a warm weather comes a new sex cycle: a summer fling.

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

March 7 - 13, 2017

chronicle.durhamcollege.ca

Editorial

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

Cartoon by Toby VanWeston

Gender identity discrimination ends if Bill C-16 passes The negativity faced by Canadians who identify as transgender, or as any gender they were not assigned at birth, is a form of discrimination we must all agree to tolerate no longer.

Bill C-16, now before the Senate, looks to protect Canadians from discrimination based on their gender identity or expression.

Passing the bill would mean making amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act to add gender identity and gender expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination.

As well, it would amend the Criminal Code to add protection against hate propaganda. And it’s about time.

Those who oppose the bill state that it’s flawed.

They say that the desire for inclu-

siveness has led us to handle each other too delicately. But, is showing respect to anyone ever too much to ask?

The Canadian Human Rights Act already protects citizens from discrimination on 11 grounds: race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, disability and even any past convictions, once they’ve been pardoned.

With a list this long, how can one’s gender identity/expression not already be protected, let alone up for debate?

This matter has become a sort of a political left vs. right debate. But it doesn’t have to be a dividing issue.

Human rights are for all. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, associated with the United Nations, states in Article One, “All

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

human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Therefore the treatment of anyone, especially in a country that has been active in the United Nations since its founding in 1945, should not be a topic of ongoing debate.

In a piece in the National Observer posted last October, Meghan Murphy writes, “There is no scientific foundation for the idea that sex is defined by a ‘feeling’ or by superficial choice.”

This is not true.

Science has proven differences between the male and female brain, and in 2013 psychobiologist Antonio Guillamon and neuropsychologist Carme Junqué Plaja led a team of Spanish investigators in a study that used MRI to examine the brain of transgender subjects.

The team studied 24 female-

to-male subjects and 18 male-tofemale before and after hormone treatments. The result showed that even before treatment, the brain structure of the trans subjects shared more similarities with that of the brains of the gender they “felt” than the gender assigned to them at birth.

Leslie P. Henderson is a professor of physiology and neurobiology at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine.

She holds a PhD from Stanford University and has spent over 20 years studying sex-specific differences in the brain.

In an online piece published earlier last year, Henderson explicitly states, “It has to do with the biology of your brain.” Mic drop.

Transphobia and intolerance has no place in modern society.

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

Canada already offers federal legal protection for many marginalized groups of people: protection that ensures equal opportunity.

To express an interest in denying equal opportunity to anyone is an affront to human nature and a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Enough of the stigma surrounding acceptance. Enough of the argument that wanting to allow others to live their lives how they’re comfortable is somehow weakening us as a species.

If passed, Bill C-16 will put an end to the discrimination faced by Canadians based on gender identity or expression.

There is no sensible reason to stand in its way.

Travis Fortnum

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

5

Smartphones ruling childhood

Children need to start using less technology

In the last decade, a lot has changed. The first iPhone came out in 2007 and the iPhone 8 is now in the making. That is 12 new iPhones over the last 10 years.

Over 1.8 billion people own or use smartphones on a daily basis and check their screens about 150 times a day.

PyschCentral did a study in Britain on children and parents who own a smartphone. The research showed 56 per cent of children between the ages of 10-13 own their own smartphone and 25 per cent of children between the ages of 2-5 also own a smartphone.

Having technology at a young age can ruin childhoods because using a smartphone for entertainment means children are not only losing relationships with parents, they have a greater risk of being cyberbullied and have a higher risk of obesity.

Technology is taking over childhoods and parents are to blame.

It is important for parents to know the effects a smartphone can have on childhood.

Children are not getting the faceto-face interactions they need to gain knowledge and learn.

Rebecca Calzavara If children rely on a smartphone for everything, it will be hard for them to learn in any type of atmosphere.

This includes making decisions, developing visual acuity and multitasking.

Parents are missing the big picture when it comes to their children having a smartphone.

Although technology occupies children they need to have imagination and also need to be able to go outside and play.

These parents are the first generation parents in the age of iEverything.

The relationship between parents and thier children start to lessen because there is a smartphone in the way.

There is less bonding going on between parents and children, although parents can play with their children on their smartphones for a way to bond. But that doesn't teach a child how to use a smartphone responsibily.

Children with smartphones can have a greater risk of being cyber bullied or being the bully. Technology is making it hard for children to communicate to other children and building friendships because

they are stuck behind a screen.

This affects a child’s self-worth.

Self-worth is not determined by how many likes, shares or retweets one gets on something but rather how one thinks of themselves and loves themselves.

Soon enough we are going to turn into the people in the movie Wall-E. The humans live on a ship and are all fat and living in chairs.

Those chairs have a screen in front of them so they can talk to people and watch TV. Also, their food supply is provided in cups. Without children going outside to play because they are too occupied on a smartphone, children run the risk of becoming obese.

Basketballs, bicycles, and baby dolls are now replaced with tablets and smartphones.

Technology is just going to develop more and more over the years but children shouldn’t have to deal with the side effects at such a young age.

Technology has invaded and occupied our lives and it isn’t leaving anytime soon. It’s not a bad thing to have technology around a child but it should be introduced at an age when kids can self-regulate.

The best way to solve this probPhotograph by Jenn Amaro lem is to not give your child a smartphone at a young age.

Brothers Chad (left) and Ty Martin rplay on their phones.

Rather than denying your child something, not giving a cell phone will help prevent bullying behind a ents and children. learn with an imagination of their screen, build a bond between parAs a result, children will growand own.

Sufferers of PTSD need to be treated properly Employees who struggle from trauma need support from their workplace Norman Traversy, a former firefighter from Mississauga, says a sign with the words “Caged Animal” was left above his “cubicle” after he was diagnosed with PTSD, according to an article in the National Post dated Jan. 22, 2017.

People suffering from PTSD need to feel they are not alone and they certainly need to feel support from their workplace.

The fact is more and more people are suffering from PTSD due to their professions: first responders, veterans of war, doctors and nurses,

Joshua Nelson all who in their daily lives witness the unthinkable.

One thing is for certain, with an increased risk for PTSD within these professions, a workplace strategy is needed to help support people tormented by this illness.

To effectively implement a workplace strategy for people with PTSD, a look at the disorder and its triggers is necessary.

PTSD is considered a mental illness, which is often caused by the exposure to a traumatic event or series of traumatic events involving death or the risk of death; these may include accidents, war, basic life and safety threats.

These traumatic events are most often unexpected, rendering the person experiencing them powerless to prevent them.

Symptoms for many PTSD victims are the constant reminders of the trauma through flashbacks, nightmares and a sense of re-living the experience over and over again.

This is why first responders, military personnel and others are at a higher risk for experiencing PTSD in the workplace.

They are constantly exposed to trauma, ultimately making their job unsafe, yet they cannot refuse “unsafe work” the way others can.

Since 2014, there has been a staggering 183 suicides by Canadian military and public safety workers, according to Vince Savoia, founder of Tema Conter Memorial Trust.

And the start of 2017 has seen three first responders and one veteran take their own lives from the disorder.

The numbers don’t lie. There needs to be a strategy within the workplace to combat this illness and help these individuals cope without feeling a stigma against them.

An announcement on April 5,

2016, by the Ministry of Labour (MOL) stated that the provincial legislature passed Bill 163, the Supporting Ontario’s First Responders Act (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder).

This bill no longer requires first responders to prove they have acquired PTSD from their profession in order to receive compensation benefits from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Broad (WSIB).

They must receive, however, a PTSD diagnosis from a psychiatrist or psychologist in order for entitlement.

Ontario is the third province to enact such a bill with the other two provinces being Manitoba and Alberta.

Although Manitoba made amendments to their bill on Jan. 5, 2017 to include PTSD in all professions.

This is a step in the right direction, however, there needs to be a national adoption of this act and it needs to include all professions at a high risk for PTSD. Another step in the right direc-

tion is British Columbia MP, Todd Doherty’s introduction of a private member’s bill (Bill C-211) that would see guidelines, treatment and management established to track the disorder, as well as, educational resources for health care providers.

Bill C-211 held its second reading on February 9, 2017. The outcome requires the Minister of Health to meet with the Minister of National Defense, Minister of Veterans Affairs and representatives from the health and medical fields to develop a “federal framework” to diagnosis and treat PTSD. There needs to be a workplace strategy for PTSD, absolutely, and part of that strategy needs to be that these individuals can come forward openly within the workplace and not feel ashamed or guilt ridden because of the stigma that exists.

Empathy and compassion can go along way in how PTSD is view and ultimately in how it is dealt with in the workplace.

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March 7 - 13, 2017

chronicle.durhamcollege.ca

Innovation

NEW ideas, FRESH faces Wearable tech grew not out of necessity but innovation

Two million electric cars will be on roads by the end of 2016

The Chronicle profiles the innovators and creative minds in Durham

Tyler Searle The Chronicle

Innovation is often the cornerstone of the technological industry.

The act of creating something new, or improving greatly on what already exists, has allowed companies to invent unique and convenient ways to improve our day to day lives.

Over the last few years, the Durham Region has seen a massive spike in innovation from a variety of sources.

Connected companies Nerd Block and ShirtPunch specialize in T-shirts and loot boxes based around popular culture, while General Motors Canada has made several announcements for upcoming

electric cars in the next few years.

But innovation is not solely limited to products and services. It can also be used as a way of advertisement. Durham College professors have begun researching the different methods marketers reach their intended audience in our growing technological world.

But at the centre of innovation is adaptation. The world is changing based on society and people’s opinions. Industries must evolve to service consumer demands and requirements. This is crucial to web design, the professional skill of designing and maintaining websites.

The brothers John and Howard Russell also understands this, and changed the operations of their company, RBRO Solutions, to

accommodate the needs of their clients.

Additionally, innovation in wearable technology has resulted in a spike in social media use.

The Chronicle has collected stories of Durham Region-based organizations and how each innovates in their respective field.

Whether it’s by creating unique products and services, providing new jobs, or new ways to use developing technology to improve our lives, these companies plan to evolve and expand the Durham Region in the coming years.

Visit www.chronicle.durhamcollege.ca for the full innovation stories, interviews, photos and more.

Meet the Chronicle's innovation team Series Producers: Nicole O’Brien and Tommy Morais Fact Checker: Sam Odrowski Copy Editors: Barbara Howe and Jessica Stoiku

Banner and branding: Alex Ross Layout Design: Tommy Morais and Tyler Searle Online Design and Support: Dan Labecki

Brand partnerships include Star Wars and Marvel

47 per cent of Canadian employees are unhappy with their jobs

GM Oshawa leads the way in tech Barbara Howe Michael Welsh and Logan Caswell The Chronicle

Photograph by Barbara Howe

The 2017 Buick Enclave. Stay in touch on the road with OnStar Buick IntellilLnk5, which connects you to your friends, family and music hands-free.

Advancing technology such as driverless cars, electrification and connectivity in the auto industry is becoming more prevalent.

In order to expand their reach and apply industry standards, General Motors Canada (GMC) recently announced major investments in innovation technology and engineering based in their Oshawa plant and all over Southern Ontario.

GMC is eligible for funding of more than $200 million from the federal and Ontario Governments after agreeing to invest $500 million in its plants in Oshawa and St. Catharines.

The funding will come from the federal government’s Automotive Innovation Fund and Ontario’s

Jobs and Prosperity Fund.

But it's not just about funding.

GMC Oshawa has a rich history of innovation, and the automaker continues to refine its forward-thinking legacy by implementing 21st century technology into its latest models.

In the same way, the company recognizes the importance of local technology schools and universities which produce quality and technically astute employees.

Innovation is the introduction of something new.A new idea. A new method. A new device.So what does that mean for General Motors?

Want to know more?

Check out chronicle.durhamcollege.ca for history of the relationship between the city of Oshawa and the auto industry, as well as video interviews with Craig Campbell, the retail-training manager of GM Product Plus.

Innovation

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March 7 - 13, 2017

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7

Goods for geeks

Travis Fortnum Nicole O’Brien Alex Debets and Tyler Hodgkinson The Chronicle

After graduating in 2004 from the Advertising program at Durham College, Russ Montague discovered a way to combine and adapt his love for pop culture and work.

His own experience with iconic companies like MuchMusic, MTV Canada, and Universal Studios has combined to create two entrepreneurial endeavours, (ShirtPunch and Nerd Block), making him the ultimate geek-culture staple.

In 2011, Montague founded the 24-hour flash retail website Shirt-

Punch. The site offers customers in 96 countries the opportunity to purchase a newly designed T-shirt.

Each shirt is available for 24 hours only, increasing the exclusivity of the product.

ShirtPunch has seen celebrity endorsements from known nerd-culture figures like Kevin Smith, Stan Lee and Ricky Gervais. The company has also partnered up with shows like Game of Thrones and Doctor Who. In 2013, Montague expanded his entrepreneurial muscle again and launched Nerd Block. This is a subscription-box company. Consumers sign up for a monthly mystery geek package delivered right to their door. The box is filled with

toys and collectibles and a custom, limited edition T-shirt.

Brand partnerships include Star Wars and Marvel. Every box is custom, so there is something for everyone.

While the subscription box industry is still fresh on the scene, it’s growing rapidly.

Today, a simple Google search can lead shoppers to a subscription box service for anything you can think of, from hot makeup products to trendy pet toys.

Montague says he must keep innovating both his companies to Photograph by Travis Fortnum stay relevant in this popular online industry.

Russ Montague, the founder of Nerd Block.

So how does Montague stay current in this growing industry?

Technology moves from the home to wrists Jessica Stoiku Matt Pellerin James Bauman and Erin Williams The Chronicle

Photograph by Noor Ibrahim

Jason Atkins posing in front of the 360 Insight's commitment wall in the Whitby office.

Doing a 360 on work-life balance

Noor Ibrahim Brandi Washington and Frank Katradis The Chronicle

Jason Atkins was CEO to a $20 million company. When Atkins f lew home to Whitby one day, he realized being successful at work doesn’t always amount to being happy at home.

Upon greeting him, his own daughter called him "uncle."

"I realized that I suck at being a father but I'm really good at business," says Atkins. "Fifty per cent of my life was awesome. I was crushing it. Fifty per cent sucked.

You think that you're doing the right stuff. But I realized that one

of the balls in life is family, and I dropped it."

At that moment, Atkins vowed to change his life.

He quit his job the next day and leased an office space eight minutes away from his house.

Today, that office is 360 Insights: a rebate and incentive management company that has revolutionized how big name brands use their money.

Atkins didn't want employees to have to sacrifice half their lives in order to make an income, and 360 Insights was that vision for Durham Region.

"I talk to so many people that hate their jobs. When we interview people, they talk about how much

No longer the trinkets of geeks, athletes, and weekend warriors, wearable technology became a facet of daily life for 102 million new adopters in 2016.

A global phenomenon that has drawn the eye of innovators and university professors alike, wearable technology is an industry on the upswing.

Encompassing smartwatches, fitness and activity trackers, virtual reality devices and more, wearable technology serves many purposes.

The draw of these devices is tied to basic human desires such as health, fitness, and the need to remain

connected.

With 102 million new adopters of wearable technology this year alone, the numbers speak for themselves.

But what the numbers don’t represent are the concrete benefits these devices bring to user’s lives: easing communication, making us more self-aware, providing entertainment, making us healthier, and safer.

Wearable technology fuels our most basic human desires.

Our Chronicle reporters spoke to Dr. Isabel Pederson, the director of the Decimal Lab at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, who says as the industry grows, evolves and reaches more users, wearable technology will not only become more prevalent, but also more accessible.

they hate going to work. That's not what I want anywhere," says Atkins.

But how pressing is this issue that Atkins is working to change?

According to a 2016 survey by Hays Canada, 47 per cent of Canadian employees are unhappy with their jobs.

Almost 90 per cent of those interviewed stated that feeling like they belong in a workplace took a backseat in comparison to their salary.

How happy are you at your job?

Photograph by Jessica Stoiku Our Chronicle reporters sat down with Atkins to discuss how his company is changing the way people Professor Dr. Isabel Pederson working at the Decimal see their jobs right here in Durham Lab at UOIT's downtown Oshawa campus.

College.

8

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March 7 - 13, 2017

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Community

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9

Local MP bids to lead Tories Barbara Howe and Jessica Stoiku The Chronicle

About 80 party members and friends gave up their Saturday afternoon by the fire and trekked through snow banks in frigid temperatures to listen to Erin O’Toole, a contender in the Conservative leadership election.

The crowd heard the Durham MP speak about a Conservative party with a “fresh new vision” at a meet-and-greet at The Venue bar in downtown Peterborough.

“I am not going to let Justin Trudeau have the monopoly on optimism,” declared O’Toole Feb. 11.

The Bowmanville resident threw his hat into the ring last October to succeed interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose, who took on the role after Stephen Harper resigned as leader.

According to O’Toole, the Tories lost to Justin Trudeau and the Liberals because the party was perceived as negative and meanspirited.

O’Toole said since the Liberals took office a year ago, a budget surplus of $1 million has turned into a deficit of more than $30 billion.

“We will start telling a positive vision that we have for the country, which begins with jobs… and lower taxes in supporting businesses, not hindering them,” said O’Toole. “And if we’re painting that positive image, people will come back.”

Since O’Toole announced his candidacy, the leadership podium has become crowded, with 14 hopefuls vying for the job.

The most prominent contender, TV personality and businessman Kevin O’Leary, joined the race in January. O’Leary is the front-runner, according to a Forum Research poll which indicated he led by 27 per cent.

But Paul Adams, associate professor of journalism and communications at Carleton University with expertise in Canadian politics and polling, believes the

Photograph by Barbara Howe

Erin O'Toole speaking with party supporters of his vision as leader at The Venue in downtown Peterborough. polling is flawed.

“It’s a ranked ballot,” said Adams. “If O’Leary got, let’s say 27 per cent… he wouldn’t win on that. He would need to collect votes from other candidates who dropped off the ballot.”

With no political experience, O’Leary’s candidacy bears some resemblance to Donald Trump’s emergence in the 2015 Republican leadership race south of the border.

However, O’Toole said he is not concerned about O’Leary’s presence in the “He’s a lifelong Liberal and contributed to the Liberal Party in Durham. Most of his positions, including his support for a carbon tax, are Liberal positions,” said O’Toole of O’Leary. “You can be a celebrity, but you should be a Conservative if you’re running to lead the Conservatives.”

According to Melanie Paradis, O’Toole’s communications director, the leadership will not be won on the first ballot.

“It will likely take several rounds for one candidate to get 50 per cent of the vote,” Paradis said.

The leadership process is far from straightforward. In each round, the person with the fewest number of votes is eliminated.

The ultimate winner could emerge by gathering votes from candidates who are ousted from the race.

According to Paradis, this may work in O’Toole’s favour if he is the second-choice contender on ballots endorsing an eliminated candidate.

“It’s complicated math, but Erin is very well-positioned,” said Paradis.

This scenario is not unprecedented. In 1976, Joe Clark was trail-

Photograph by Barbara Howe

Erin O'Toole (right) speaking with Bob Prentice at The Venue in downtown Peterborough.

ing in third place before emerging victorious as Conservative leader.

O’Toole has credentials which stand him in good stead to win the race, and potentially become prime minister.

I am not going to let Justin Trudeau have the monopoly on optimism.

First elected in 2012 in a byelection, O’Toole held the position of parliamentary secretary for the minister of international affairs and helped negotiate trade agreements between Canada and the U.K. as well as South Korea.

Re-elected in the general election of 2015, he held a cabinet post in the Harper administration as veterans affairs minister.

Former Peterborough MPP Gary Stewart supports O’Toole and attended the meet-and-greet event.

“He’s got military experience, political experience…[is] a family man, [has] a great background and [has] an excellent chance,” said Stewart.

Jim Birchall, a former Conservative supporter, said despite his values now lining up with the Green Party, he is still interested in O’Toole’s election campaign.

“I want Erin O’Toole to get in, based on his experience and education, he’s the right man for the job,” said Birchall. “O’Leary’s not really prime ministerial. We don’t want another Trump. [O’Toole’s] got the right stuff.”

At 44, O’Toole is a year younger than Justin Trudeau. He is a proven communicator and speaks French adequately, if not fluently.

He has ties with Atlantic Canada; he went to Dalhousie University in Halifax and was stationed in Nova Scotia as a helicopter pilot in the military.

O’Toole needs the support of party members from across the country to sway the Conservatives to elect him as the man to take over the reins in the next general election.

According to Paradis, O’Toole now has the backing of 19 MPs from across Canada, seven former MPs and one former leadership contender, Winnipeg MP Dr. Daniel Lindsay.

“In the past few weeks, more MPs have endorsed Erin from Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. He has the majority of Manitoba’s MPs supporting him as well,” said Paradis.

The success in the leadership race may depend on the candidates’ campaign fundraising successes.

Latest figures from Elections Canada, published in January, show O’Toole standing as the fourth highest fundraiser, behind Quebec MP Maxime Bernier, Ontario MP Kellie Leitch and Saskachewan MP Andrew Scheer.

The competition may become stiffer with millionaire O’Leary now in contention.

In the meantime, O’Toole is busy gaining support on his cross-country campaign as he nears the final vote on May 27.

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March 7 - 13, 2017

The church welcomes any student from any religion with open arms.

Campus Church is calling for you Church welcomes students of all faiths at its weekly worship services Sharena Clendening The Chronicle

Being a student can be difficult, with financial challenges, a school course load, social life and mental health to be concerned about.

The Campus Church - Refresh (CCR) is a place students in hard times can go and be surrounded by other students who are struggling with similar things.

Campus church has been around for roughly 10 years; since University of Ontario Institute of Technology opened its doors, said Naomi Laserna, current worship director at CCR. This group is not just a Durham College or UOIT club but it is a part of a bigger organization called Power to Change. Power to Change connects students all over Ontario, Canada and the world. It began in 1951 at UCLA by founders Bill and Vonette Bright.

It was called campus crusade, when the program was all over the United States. By 1968 there were more than 60 Power to Change programs at colleges and universities across Canada.

The organization is a group of people who believe in Christ, who want to spread the word of the Lord and help students find their way through Christ.

“On average we get around 30 students each week, and we spend our time socializing, singing songs and each week we bring a new speaker to address issues that students face and relate it back to the Bible,” says Laserna.

The main thing that they try to get across is that it is not a place for only Christians, it is open to anyone from any religion who can come and feel welcome in a safe place of worship.

During their last gathering on Dec. 2 they brought in speaker Douglas McIntosh. He enhanced the thought and meaning of spiritual lostness.

It not only brought up a lot of reflection for students but also a lot of personal discussion within the room.

During Laserna’s first year, she didn’t really know what clubs she would want to join. UOIT held a ‘get involved fair’ and Laserna noticed that Campus Church had a booth. She then noticed a face that she knew very well.

She talked to her friend who was part of the Campus Church and learned about it. From that moment she has been an active member within the club.

“I had no idea a place like this existed with these people who are so welcoming and nice,” said Laserna.

She felt that she could be part of their community, she went to a worship service and enjoyed how much she could grow and learn about faith and the Bible in a safe environment.

Campus Church – Refresh meetings are held Fridays at 6:45 p.m. in room SW109. Bible studies are held Monday to Thursday from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. in room C309.

Both these services are free of charge.

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Photograph provided by Campus Church

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Photograph provided by the City of Oshawa

An aerial view of the Oshawa waterfront and the marina (highlighted by the box).

Oshawa marina: Lost at sea?

The City of Oshawa searches for investors to help re-open its marina Travis Fortnum and Tyler Searle The Chronicle

Boating enthusiasts in the Oshawa area are left floating, as the city continues to secure an investor to reopen the marina, which originally closed in 2002.

The city has set a March 8 dead-

line for parties to express their interest.

“Oshawa harbour is, without a doubt, the best small boat harbour on the north shore,” says Robert Kreasul, commodore at the marina in the 1970s. “It can support over 300 recreation boaters, if only the politicians get off their asses and get it done.”

Kreasul now keeps his boat in Port Darlington.

Although blaming city officials seems to be a popular outlet for frustration, a team of officials set forward a marketing plan in December to try and reel in investors due to the high price tag of getting the marina up and running.

A price tag that city reports estimate could be as high $1 million.

“I think it is fair to say it’s a large capital expenditure,” says Warren Munro, the City of Oshawa’s director of planning. “It’s in the city’s

best interest to go back into the market and find someone who is willing to work with us and find a partnership.”

The marina, which sits on 20 acres of land, is located off Harbour Road, east of Lakeview Park, is currently vacant but once was home to a bustling boating community.

When it was announced in May 2002 that boat owners would have to abandon ship, many relocated their vessels to marinas in Whitby, Pickering and other ports throughout the GTA. According to media reports, the industrial nature of the Oshawa harbourfront is among issues blamed for the port’s neglect.

This factored into environmental concerns which forced the closure of the original location.

In 1966 the Oshawa Harbour Commission (OHC) owned the

land, where a thriving marina and yacht club operated.Its closure in 2002 was credited to environmental and financial concerns.

Soon after, the land was no longer property of the OHC, and was overseen by the federal government.

Years passed, and issues such as an ammonia contamination in the groundwater made reopening seem like a far-off dream.

Ottawa was set to hand the lands back to the city when the ammonia issue arose in 2010.

This delayed the city taking ownership, and therefore the hopes of a once again seaworthy marina.

While the ammonia was not harmful to humans, it was to marine life, calling for a massive environmental cleanup, according to media reports.

In 2010, the city had hopes a private investor would assist with the

cleanup, as well as the development of the land.

The city finally took ownership of the land in 2014.

When the March 8 deadline hits, the team in charge will take the received offers to council, says Dave Lyon, manager of purchasing and support services for the city.

“If there is sufficient interest in the market, council may direct staff to go back out with a more formal bid document with the intent of forming a binding contract,” Lyon says.

“So at that point we would go back out and that could be several months because there’s much more detail. It all depends on what we get back for responses and what interest there is in the marketplace.”

The date when local boaters will be able to set sail from within city limits, remains unknown. Munro says it depends on the investors.

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The Islamic Centre of Oshawa.

March 7 - 13, 2017

Photograph by Tommy Morais

Islamic faith strong after mosque shootings Tommy Morais The Chronicle

“I have been in Canada for over 18 years,” says Zaihan Rashid, outreach coordinator for the Islamic Centre of Oshawa. “This isn’t Canada.”

On Jan. 29, police say a 27-year old man walked into a prayer room at the Centre Culturel Islamique Québec armed with a gun. Alexandre Bissonnette has been charged after six Muslims were killed and another 19 injured during their evening prayers.

The Quebec mosque shooting is another reminder that Islamphobia is real.

“Many Muslims in the local community and outside have been shocked by what happened,” explains Rashid in reaction to the events.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims reported 63 incidents of hate crimes towards Muslims in 2016. The figures went up from 59 in 2015, 23 in 2014 and 12 in 2013.

Islamaphobia also affects Durham Region. Last year, one of the Islamic Centre’s windows was vandalized causing more than $10,000 in damage.

“I have observed a distrust of Muslim in Canada over the last two-to-three years,” says Rashid.

“The factor of fear and perhaps ignorance compound together by exposure to media.”

Following the Quebec incident, the region of Durham has shown much support for its local Muslim community and mosques, he says.

“The support comes from everywhere,” says Rashid.

Many have sent sympathy cards to the Oshawa mosque and called since the events, he says. Local residents have also stopped him on the streets.

“I was walking and I was stopped by a lady. She said, ‘I just want you to know that we are horrified by what happened in Quebec City’,” he recalls.

A vigil was held at the Islamic Centre of Oshawa on Feb. 1 in remembrance of those who died in Quebec. Many came to show support, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

“It’s very touching you see things

like that, no matter how much anybody feels the effects of Islamophobia in this country whatever shape or form,” Rashid says. “That shows the country’s literal complete rejection of this message of hate that the person who did what they did was trying to perpetrate. The voice of peace and joining as opposed to separating is much stronger.”

Durham Region Police Services were quick to show support to the local Muslim community after hearing the news.

“Any time that a major event like that happens there’s a major ripple effect across Canada,” says David Selby of the DRPS Corporate Communications unit. “What you find in most jurisdictions is the police then immediately reaches to the people and their community that are most affected by that news.”

Selby says police patrols around mosques was increased following the Quebec shooting.

“When that information broke we immediately reached out to a lot of our Muslim partners that we work with on a regular basis just to make sure that they’re aware of what happened [and say] that we support them and that we have increased patrol around mosques,” he says.

Durham College president Don Lovisa shared his feelings with students and faculty members.

“At DC, we take immense pride in being a welcoming place where we are all respected for the unique identities that each of us brings to campus. As an organization, we strive to provide a safe environment where diversity is embraced and everyone is treated with dignity.

Our commitment to these values will not waver, particularly in the face of attacks that are designed to target and frighten members of our community,” Lovisa says, in a statement.

The faith Durham’s Muslim community remains strong after the attack, says Rashid.

“Before we make any distinction between different faiths, I try to point that we are all human beings in our reactions first,” says Rashid.

“Our belief as Muslims is that there is not going to be an explanation for every single thing. Therefore, we have to accept that some of the events are not going to be under our control.”

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Photograph by Travis Fortnum

Durham Region Police investigate a homicide at 5270 Simcoe Street North on Jan. 23.

Is crime rising in Durham?

Tommy Morais and Toby VanWeston The Chronicle

Durham Region may be on pace to have a record number of murders in 2017.

In the first six weeks of 2017, there have already been four murders. In all of 2016, the Durham Region Police Services (DRPS) recorded four homicides.

David Selby of the DRPS Corporate Communications Unit says murder rates have been consistent for the last 20 years. The worst year for murders in Durham Region was 1991, a year where the DRPS recorded 12 homicides.

“There’s four recorded homicides for Durham Region in 2016.

A normal year for Durham would be four to six,” says Selby. “There’s been many years where we had one or two, and then there’s years where we’ve had six or seven.”

There were four homicides last year, an amount Selby explains is average for a one-year period in Durham.

In Toronto there were 69 homicides in 2016. The Toronto Star reported there have been six murders in Toronto alone since the beginning of 2017.

Although the overall crime rate in Durham Region has been decreasing steadily for years, 2016 was a different story, explains Selby. It marked the first increase in crime the DRPS saw in nearly a decade.

“Crime actually increased in

Photograph by Toby VanWeston

A Durham Region Police cruiser parked at Durham College.

Durham in 2016, this is the first increase we’ve seen in major crime categories since 2008,” says Selby.

There are three major crime categories: crimes against person, crimes against property and other Criminal Code violations. In 2016 there was a slight increase in all three categories for Durham. The category which saw the highest increase was crime against person.

“Crime against a person went up 9.2 per cent in 2016 compared to 2015. Other Criminal Codes went up 1.2 per cent in 2016. Property

crime went up 8.3 per cent,” says Selby.

Selby says that there is no way to explain why there was a rise.

“The chief made a presentation to regional council a couple weeks ago. We don’t know if this is a blip or if this is a new trend going slowly upward. It’s impossible to say,” says Selby.

In the four years before 2016, there was a noticeable drop in reported or known violations. In 2011, there were roughly 27,000 Criminal Code violations (minus

traffic) reported. In 2015, there were roughly 24,500 violations reported.

Selby says the drop is a trend that has been observed regularly for eight years.

“Generally speaking, crime in Durham Region has consistently gone down for many, many years,” explains Selby. “Over the last eight years in Durham all crime categories have gone down.”

This is a widespread tendency that is not limited to Durham Region, he says.

“It’s a general trend that you’re seeing in other municipalities in Ontario. It’s a trend that you also see in a lot of jurisdictions in Canada as well as the U.S.” But there was a spike in crime in 2016.

Not all criminal violations saw an increase, however. The number of drug violations went down this past year. There were 1,254 incidences registered in 2016. By contrast, in 2015 saw1,448 such incidents. Between 2015 and 2016, that’s a 13 per cent drop.

The most common crime in Durham is theft.

“Crimes against property is the biggest. Probably, number one is theft,” says Selby.

In 2016, there were 3,859 incidents of theft. In 2015 there were 3,609. That’s a seven per cent increase.

It’s hard to determine if the sudden rise of criminal activity in Durham Region over the last year is a trend that will continue or simply a statistical anomaly.

Crime continues to evolve. There are crimes today that are common which weren’t conceivable even a decade ago. This makes predicting patterns difficult for the police, according to Selby.

“The nature of crime changes on a regular basis. What was really big in crime ten years ago hardly even happens now. Some of the stuff that we’re dealing with now didn’t exist ten years ago,” says Selby. “We used to have a lot more bank robberies. Now’s there more what you call white-collar crime.”

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Photograph by Frank Katradis

Dr. Pietro-Luciano Buono of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.

Numbers add up for UOIT prof This is one in a series of conversations with faculty experts at UOIT and Durham College Frank Katradis The Chronicle

Associate professor Dr. Pietro-Luciano Buono of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology is an expert in mathematics, but not your standard times tables. According to Dr. Buono’s profile he focuses more on the development of innovative mathematical tools to build and analyze mathematical models of complex spatiotemporal phenomenon.

The Chronicle interviewed him on what he does and how he does it.

Could you tell us what you do and how you do it?

Research wise, I explore what are called dynamical systems.

Those are all kind of mathematical equations that describe anything dynamic, anything that changes in time. It could be fluids, it could be population dynamics, it could be infectious diseases and how they evolve in time. So, these equations there’s a theoretical part to them, just study that part on their own,

and then there are these equations that are attached to some type of engineering phenomena. It’s everywhere. Even in social sciences they use these equations. So I’m in the middle where I study the theoretical parts sometimes, and sometimes I deal with the scientific or engineering side.

What makes the topic of your research relevant?

History. I mean, studying differential equations dates back to Newton. He’s the first one who started studying differential equations. In this case what he was interested in was the motion of planets.

Essentially the first questions that dealt with differential equations or dynamical systems have to do with celestial mechanics. So for hundreds of years that was the most important question. Why is Mars where it is? Why is the moon going around the earth? These are things people figured out in the 18th, 19th century. Afterwards, physicists started to look at other problems for biology using differ-

ential equations.

How and when did you get interested in this area of expertise?

I grew up in Quebec. We have a school there that’s between high school and university and that’s where you do a lot of your common science and maths before you go to university. It was my second calculus course.

I started doing that and thought, ‘this is really a lot of fun. It’s really interesting and I’d like to do more of that.’ I had a real inspiring prof.

That helped me say, ‘OK, maybe I should do more of that’. Maybe I should go to university, maybe I should get (my) master’s, maybe I go to grad school and maybe I’ll get my PhD. It’s always one step at a time. I still like it? Good.

at the University of Montreal. Then I did my PhD in Houston, Texas for four years. Then I was in Ottawa for one year as a post-doctoral researcher. Then a year-and-a-half in England at the University of Warwick, half a year at Brill College in London, three-and-a half-years back in Montreal. Then I ended up here.

Who inspired you along the way to where you are today?

My teachers. I had several profs at the University of Montreal that really inspired. When I was getting my master’s, there was this speaker from Houston. He gave a talk and usually talks are 50 minutes, but this one was two-and-a-half hours and at the end of it I was like, ‘Already?’, and that’s when I knew that was a sign.

How did you start from Quebec, and end up in Oshawa?

What projects have you been involved with recently?

Like a pinball machine. I grew up in Montreal. I did all my studies there until I did my master’s degree

I’ve been working with a colleague at San Diego State University on engineering-based problems

where they are trying to increase the sensitivity of devices.

What is the most important thing in this field that you think people should know?

They should know there are lots of things we take for granted that are based on people understanding these very fundamental mathematical equations. It took years and years of grinding.

What is your favourite part about the research you do?

Talking to people. Doing research with someone. A lot of it is just chatting. Math you get it right or wrong, but the process of getting to the calculation that is the last step. There is a lot of talking.

What is the toughest challenge you’ve faced so far in your research?

Securing a job. A permanent job I would say.

This has been edited for length, style and clarity.

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The importance of art in activism Trusha Patel The Chronicle

In Black Lives Matter protests in downtown Toronto, art has played a major role in voicing out opinions.

That message was delivered as the Durham Black Educators’ Network presented an event on Feb. 23, in which the important work of black artists and activists in Ontario was recognized.

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG) welcomed Black Lives Matter Toronto and The Durham Black Artists Collective.

They gave talks about the role of art in the activist and social justice movement.

Alexandra Williams, one of the co-founders of Black Lives Matter Toronto, says art is a focal point of revolution and revolution is a focal point of art.

“A lot of times, there is a lot of focus on what we do, in terms of our action and not on what those actions mean,” said Williams.

According to Williams, the Black Lives Matter Toronto (BLM–TO) organization is a platform on which black communities across Toronto can protest against all forms of anti-black racism, liberate blackness, support black healing, acknowledge black existence, and create freedom to love and self-determine.

Williams says BLM–TO con-

nects and works with black communities and black-centric networks to dismantle all forms of violence, oppression and brutality against African, Caribbean and black people in Toronto.

Williams said BLM-TO base the art in their protests on the Art Activism journal which states that art adds energy to advocacy and reaches people on emotional levels conveying what cannot be said with facts.

She said artists and intellectuals have been using different forms of art to shine the light on the bigger problem and to get other people to join the fight.

According to Williams, there are many forms of art including banners, posters, photos, graffiti, painting and more.

An example would be the BLMTO protest against the Special Investigations Unit, which happened on Aug. 24 of last year.

Williams says Toronto Mayor John Tory said he had not and did not have time to read the SIU report and had no idea they existed, which stated the SIU would not lay charges on a Toronto police officer who shot a mentally ill black man.

“Naturally, we (BLM–TO) got upset, and we decided we needed to do something,” said Williams.

The protestors printed out large versions of the reports and went into the chambers of City Hall

Photograph by Trusha Patel

Alexandra Williams gives a presentation at the RMG on why art is important and used to voice out opinions in protests. where Mayor Tory was present.

“We literally attached them (the posters of the reports) to our bod-

ies, and went to City Hall,” said Williams on how she and the other protestors decided to bring the re-

port to Mayor John Tory themselves since he did not have time to read it.

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Don't exclude inclusivity

Employing special needs workers can enhance the bottom line for business Barbara Howe The Chronicle

A happy hum emanates from the Tim Hortons at Neilson and Ellesmere in Scarborough, a multi-cultural area where West-Indians happily brush shoulders with residents from South-East Asia. A whitehaired senior enjoys her coffee and bagel, while fresh-faced students, plugged into their smartphones, balance lunch-trays with the expertise of Parisian waiters. A tall gentleman, wearing a bright green golf shirt under his jacket and a felt Tyrolean hat, settles down next to the window with a piping-hot bowl of soup which will soon warm his bones, and melt away thoughts of the frigid snowbanks which outline the streets outside.

Amongst this harmonious ballet of lunchtime maneuvers, a short figure dressed in a red Roll Up The Rim T-shirt quietly weaves around the dining room. Tables are wiped.

Trays and coffee cups are cleared.

Carl Sparling, “the mighty Mr. Clean,” is hard at work. Sparling is one of Mark Wafer’s best workers.

Even though Sparling has Down syndrome.

Twenty-one years ago, the odds of a disabled person entering the workforce were even more limited than today. That was when Sparling graduated high school. He remembered knocking on doors, cold-calling on businesses who had no interest in hiring him.

Despite his difficulties, and with the help of guidance counsellors, Sparling was introduced to Wafer who owned a Tim Hortons franchise. Wafer, who has been hearing-impaired since birth, took a leap of faith and gave Sparling a chance. He not only hired him, but paved the way for hundreds of other people with disabilities to make a change in their lives.

Wafer now owns seven coffee-shop franchises in the east-end of the city. Since hiring Sparling, he has employed people with disabilities in every department, including management. The difference his employees with special needs feel after landing a job is like “night and day,” Wafer says.

Wafer believes employing an under-utilized sector of society makes a difference in the workplace by enhancing the bottom-line for businesses and increasing both the commercial and the employee’s productivity.

There are more than 1.85 million people with disabilities living in Ontario, that’s 15 per cent of the population, according to People Ac-

Photograph by Barbara Howe

Clint Sparling works at a Tim Hortons restaurant at Neilson and Ellesmere in Scarborough.

cess, a division of Excellence Canada (formally the National Quality Institute) which raises awareness about the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.

That translates to over 40,000 in the Whitby-Oshawa area alone. Of these, 50 per cent are not working.

This is despite them being capable, educated and willing to work, according to In Unison 2000.

But people like Wafer intend to change this attitude by spreading the message of his success to employers and community groups.

“The way society looks at people with a disability, I call it the Jerry Lewis Syndrome,” says Wafer, referring to the American veteran comedian who, until recently, hosted a long-running annual fundraising telethon for children with disabilities.

“Jerry taught everybody to look at people with disabilities as objects of pity,” says Wafer. “What we are trying to do is look at people with disabilities as contributors to business, contributors to society. It’s a paradigm shift to go from one of pity to being a contributor.”

Those people with disabilities who are employed are often under-utilized relative to their education and skill level. They reflect the diversity of society. They are of all ages, genders, ethnicity, education and income levels.

Wafer says people with disabilities live in a perpetual state of economic depression with an unemployment rate of 70 per cent.

That’s almost three-times the rate of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Why is this?

John Draper is the founder of Together We Rock!, a socially responsible business with a mission to champion leadership and create accessible and inclusive communities. Draper, who himself has cerebral palsy, communicates with the help of a speech synthesizer and an interpreter who is also his

attendant. Draper says employers give various reasons for not hiring people with disabilities. These reasons include negative stereotypes, lack of awareness, fear of risk and cost of accommodations.

Tim Hortons owner, Wafer, says hiring people with disabilities makes economic sense, despite employers and HR departments who think a person with a disability will be slower and less productive.

Today, 46 out of the 250 people he employs have a disability. He says the absenteeism rate for his workers with a disability is 85 per cent lower than the 200 people without a disability.

average employee. They are loyal and have significant purchasing power, especially when their family and friends are brought into the equation.

“When we talk to employers and show them how inclusion enhances the bottom line, it makes a big difference,” Wafer says.

Back at Tim Hortons on the corner of Neilson and Ellesmere, 44-year-old Sparling is a proven example of Wafer’s philosophy.

Sparling has worked for Wafer since he left high school at four different locations for 22-years.

He is married and saved up for a deposit on his own condo with his

What we are trying to do is look at people with disabilities as contributors.

“Those who are in business understand there is a dollar figure attached to that,” says Wafer. “Absenteeism is expensive.”

Wafer is the envy of other Tim Hortons franchisees in the area. He continuously out-performs them in both revenue and profitability.

“I out-perform because I am an inclusive employer,” said Wafer.

“The economic case for inclusion is clear and obvious.”

Wafer says there are many myths which need to be dispelled before potential employers step-up to hire someone with special needs. He says he’s never paid out a Workers Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) claim for any of his disabled employees, and their average tenure is significantly higher than the

wages. He loves his job and can be found between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. cleaning tables, changing the garbage or operating the dishwasher behind the scenes. He thinks other employers should think about taking on people with special needs.

“You should give it a try and if it works out, it will be OK,” says Sparling.

Wafer never thought it was a risk to take Sparling on.

“It wasn’t really if there was any risk, it was, ‘how is this going to work out?’” says Wafer “And it worked out pretty damn good.”

Wafer says you cannot underestimate the importance of inclusive workplaces for all concerned, but especially for the workers who take

pride in their work and become contributing members of society by paying taxes.

“It changes their lives, [when] they get a pay-cheque,” says Wafer.

“They can now live a full life.”

The missing piece in the puzzle, which may be the hardest to crack, is the shift in mindset.

“The greatest barrier a person with a disability faces to get into the workplace is attitude,” says Wafer, referring to the attitude of employers and the attitude of society.

In a world bombarded with inclusion-rights for every other minority group, the concept of a workforce which includes Ontario’s largest minority population, ahead of the South-Asian, Chinese and Black communities, has been overlooked.

Wafer hopes his mission to convert the business community to open their minds and hearts to this untapped source of workers may solve some of Ontario’s future employment needs, as well as increasing workers’ loyalty and satisfaction.

Sparling proves there is a huge return on disability, and is happy as long as he is up to his elbows in work.

“Without work, I’ve got nothing,” he says.

Sparling goes back to his work.

He clears the soup bowl from the table, as the tall gentleman shrugs on his jacket and dons his Alpine hat in anticipation of the cold blast of air outside. He wipes down the table in front of the white-haired lady as she dusts the crumbs from her chin with her napkin. The students, still zoned-out and plugged into their phones, don’t notice Sparling pick up the stray wrappings from their spot as they haul their backpacks onto their shoulders and head to the door. The mighty Mr. Clean still has an hour of work until his shift ends.

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Active students

Photograph by Dan Koehler

A student enjoying public skating at the Campus Ice Centre.

Students can skate for only $2.

Photograph by Sharena Clendening

A member of the DC/UOIT Indian Student Association playing cricket at the Campus Fieldhouse.

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Campus

Campus

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March 7 - 13, 2017

50 guitars strumming for DC's 50th anniversary

Travis Fortnum The Chronicle

Durham College (DC) president Don Lovisa is stirring up social media interest with the latest celebration of the school’s 50th anniversary.

50 DC students, staff and alumni strummed their guitars in unison on the staircase inside the Student Services Building, where the video was shot.

Dubbed ‘50 Guitars for 50 Years’, the event was planned earlier this year, with the finished project at almost 800 views on YouTube.

“I was just sitting somewhere someday,” Lovisa says, “plunking away at my guitar and I thought ‘you know, it would be kind of cool if we got 50 guitar players together to celebrate 50 years’, so I threw it out to my staff.”

The next step was picking a selection of songs that would not only represent the school well, but also garner an interest online.

Suzanne Chasse, who sings in a staff band in which Lovisa plays guitar, brought forward an original song by local musician and DC employee Justin Lant.

“She gave it to me and said ‘here, listen to this’,” says Lovisa.

“It’s a great song," he says.

"It takes some of our values and

our mission and all that and puts it into a song.”

On top of performing with local band 20 Amp Soundchild, Lant also helps run the grounds department at DC.

Even though we've never met each other, there's so much community.

He says the whole experience is just a step outside the norm.

“I’ve done this a lot,” he says.

“Been doing music for a while so I’m more comfortable here than outside. “[It’s] especially weird since I’m usually here cutting down trees and stuff,” he says.

“Not exactly playing guitar or writing songs for the school.”

Once they secured Lant’s song A Lesson Learned in Time, Lovisa says the planning committee wanted a second song that is recognizable, but easy for guitarists of all skill levels.

“We thought ‘well, Ahead by A Century, a half century in our case,” Lovisa says.

“It’s just a good, positive song and easy to play.”

Armed with an original song and a Canadian classic, Lovisa and staff sent out a note calling for students, staff and alumni with any level of skill with the guitar to express an interest in taking part.

Ashley Paddenburg was one of the students who signed up.

“I was really excited about the opportunity,” she says.

“Student life can be very busy but the idea of getting together with this many musicians on campus was super exciting to me.”

When Paddenburg and the other guitarists arrived in the SSB, there was a buzz of excitement in the air.

“Even though we’ve never met each other there’s so much community,” she says, “sharing our tuners and things, talking about our guitars.”

Together the guitarists played through each song twice, before recording a third run for the published video.

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Photograph by Travis Fortnum

50 DC students, staff and alumni strummed their guitars on the staircase in the SSB.

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Opinion

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It's the wrong story, John Tory The Gardiner and DVP have been free since 1960, and Toronto should be keeping it that way According to a report by the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), the 401 near Toronto is the most congested stretch of highway in Canada, and the ninth most congested in all of North America.

The problem is, according to the Region of Durham, around 30 per cent of Durham Region residents commute to Toronto each day.

Now the mayor of Toronto, John Tory, wants to make this commute even more stressful.

In December 2016 he received nearly full support from Toronto city council to implement tolling on the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway, two extremely

vital roads for commuters and anyone travelling into the heart of Toronto.

When he was first elected he referred to road tolls as highway robbery and now he supports them.

He says it’s the best thing for Torontonians, and it helps pay for Toronto’s 33 billion dollars worth of unfunded projects.

But what about the 30 per cent of Durham Region residents who commute to Toronto daily?This toll would not affect those who do not use the DVP or Gardiner, and most of those people happen to live in Toronto.

This is Tory’s way of getting

Dan Koehler non-Toronto residents to pay for Toronto’s deficit. But why not just raise Toronto’s property tax?

Tory promised upon election to freeze property tax, or keep it under the inflation rate.

He is doing whatever it takes to act on one promise without breaking another, and he’s trying to do it with Durham Region money.

According to a 2014 article by the Toronto Star, Toronto homeowners pay an average of 1,100 dollars less than Greater-Toronto-Area (GTA) home-owners.

Even with lower taxes in Toronto compared to higher in the GTA, Tory still wants GTA residents to pay for Toronto’s projects through a road toll.

One project in particular he wants money for is the new transit system.

GTA residents, especially those in the 905, already have enough things to pay for without more road tolls.

A new extension of the electronically tolled 407 opened in late 2016 and recently started tolling on February 1.

It also coincided with the opening and tolling of the new 412 in Pickering. Both of these options makes it easier for residents living in the northern parts of Durham Region to get to the 401 or Toronto, and in this case a toll isn’t a bad idea.

It keeps the congestion balanced between regional roads, which have higher speed limits and there are more of, and the 407/412.

This isn’t the case with the DVP and Gardiner though. Both of these roads are main arteries into downtown Toronto and if a driver wants to avoid a toll, it could end

up taking them much longer to get into the downtown core.

They will have to take smaller, lower speed-limit residential roads.

According to Google Maps, it takes 19 minutes to get from the intersection of Sheppard Avenue E and Victoria Park Avenue in Scarborough to the entertainment district in Toronto.

If drivers want to avoid the proposed tolls, it could take 40 minutes to make it to the same destination.

Not only will this cause major delays, it could cause people to look for work elsewhere than Toronto.

More and more businesses may move to the GTA and Tory’s proposed tolls could end up costing him more than he thinks.

A loss of businesses and workers in Toronto could end up costing Tory and the city much more than the toll revenue they would bring in from the DVP and Gardiner.

These roads have been free to use since they opened in the early 1960s, let’s keep them that way.

Eating raw meat, how harmful can it be?

Eating raw meat is a risk, but one you can take if you believe it's going to be worth it

In a recent MUNCHIES article, a trolling Facebook user posted a picture of her medium rare chicken strips to represent her New Year’s resolution of clean eating.

Naturally, the comments for the photo were littered with reactions like, “I hope you didn’t eat that,” and “Does the term salmonella ring a bell?!?! Wtf!” All trolling aside, this attention seeking stunt did spark discussion about whether eating raw meat can be harmful.

Eating any kind of raw meat is

not only disgusting but a serious health hazard.

Ingesting any type of raw beef, pork, or chicken may put you at risk for foodborne illnesses like E. coli and salmonella poisoning, which will lead to extreme illness and could potentially be fatal.

According to Public Health Canada, the consumption of raw and undercooked red meat like beef and other game contain bacteria, called Escherichia coli, commonly found in intestines in humans and animals.

Jared Williams A large number of E. coli strains are harmless, although some strains like E. coli 0157:H7 have a tendency to make humans violently ill.

Carnivores might argue their beloved crudo, tartar and carpaccio plates stand the test against undercooked naysayers because of nonheat acidic cooking methods, but the truth is heatless cooking still puts you at risk for life-halting food poisoning.

For many meat lovers, pork is a heavenly bacon pleasure. But if not thoroughly cooked, the results from eating that tasty piggy can take a turn for the worst. Eating under-

cooked pork comes with the risk of obtaining a worm parasite called trichinella spiralis.

When eaten, this worm can cause trichinosis, which can lead to symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, intense muscle pain and kidney failure.So eating raw bacon is a risk you can take if you think it’s worth it.

Many people think a Japanese dish called sashimi is worth it. In Japanese, sashimi breaks into two words – ‘sashi’ meaning pierce and ‘mi’ meaning meat.

In other words, sashimi is the practice of preparing and eating fresh raw fish or meat. This includes pork, horse, deer, and chicken. Yes, chicken.

Commonly found in raw or undercooked poultry, food contaminated with salmonella smells, looks and tastes completely normal.

There are more than 2,600 species

of salmonella.

Last year, Ontario had 63 reported cases of salmonella foodborne illnesses. Some symptoms include abdominal cramps, headaches, chills and vomiting. Salmonella poisoning is usually found in even partially cooked chicken.

Chickens are often covered in grim diseases such as campylobacter and E. coli. They just happen to taste good.

The idea of medium rare chicken strips in the name of ‘clean eating’ is idiotic and stomach turning.

To eat or not to eat raw meat – if that is the question, the answer is no. If you’re looking for a faster trip to the toilet or worse, the hospital, feast away.

So the next time you want to order that steak blue rare, or cut into a pink pork chop, you may want to consider whether the risk outweighs the bloody benefits.

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Entertainment

Blue Rodeo still a hit in the region Canadian folk-rock band returns to Oshawa Dan Koehler The Chronicle

Blue collar met the rodeo on Feb. 11 as five time Juno winners Blue Rodeo brought down the house in Oshawa.

The platinum-selling Canadian group, who were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2012, performed hits like Til I Am Myself Again, Try, and Lost Together in front of a jam-packed Tribute Communities Centre.

“Is this Saturday night?” said co-vocalist and guitarist Jim Cuddy at the start of the show to get the crowd excited. “The train is in the station, you people are really awesome.”

This was the band’s fourth time in four years playing at the Tribute Communities Centre, formerly known as the GM Centre. This time they were supported by fellow Toronto country-rockers The

Sadies, who opened for the band for the duration of the tour.

Blue Rodeo started out of Toronto in 1984. They released their first album, Outskirts, in 1987 and signed to Warner Music soon after. Since then they have released 14 studio albums alongside numerous live and collaboration records.

They gently mix country, rock, folk, and bluegrass to create one of the most iconic sounds in Canadian music. The vocal duties are shared by both Cuddy and guitarist Greg Keelor, creating a unique balance.

“To me they’re the Canadian Eagles,” said Daniel Bramham, a 20-year Blue Rodeo fan at the show who has seen the band six times.

“Their music is just comfortable, you can play it amongst all genres of people.”

The band is currently on tour in support of its latest album 1000 Arms. Cuddy got the inspiration for the name of the album from a podcast he had been listening to.

“The podcast was about allowing your community to help you,” said Cuddy in a quote from the band’s website. “When we were going over titles, we were thinking about our musical community, what it means to us and how much we would do for each other. That was what we were thinking about the most, so it

Photograph by Dan Koehler

Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo harmonizing at the Tribute Communities Centre.

seemed like an appropriate title.”

Blue Rodeo stayed true to its sense of community.

Every ticket sold on the tour came with a free digital download of the album, similar to their 2013 tour where every ticket sale came with a hard-copy of the album In Our Nature.

The 12-track album 1000 Arms was recorded at Woodshed Studios in Toronto.

The band opened the studio in 2001 for themselves and it has since been used by artists such as Bruce Cockburn and Feist.

Bill Langlois, an Oshawa resident and fan seeing the band for

the first time, says it’s the poetry in their music that has kept them going for over 30 years.

“Their lyrics are very strong, that’s what I appreciate most about the band,” he said.

Blue Rodeo and The Sadies wrapped up the 1000 Arms tour in Kitchener on Feb. 28.

The beat goes on at Oshawa CD/Vinyl expo Tommy Morais The Chronicle

Display the vinyl and they will come.

Hundreds of music collectors and enthusiasts flock to the Oshawa CD/Vinyl expo at the LVIV Hall & Pavillion in search for bargains and rarities every February and November.

For $3, fans have access to record store stock from all over Ontario.

Rare, old and new.

Mike Reynolds is one of them.

He received his first record, Queen’s A Day at the Races, when he was 13-years old. From Queen, his love of vinyl and music grew.

Reynolds, now 46, once possessed a large collection of records, but parted ways with most of it once his kids were born.

“I bought lots and lots then got away from it for a while, I set everything aside. At one point I’ve had about 2,500, about 250 now maybe,” he says.

The love for vinyl is now something he shares with his kids - who are all grown-up.

“I brought my kids into back into it and they just love it too. For Christmas I bought my daughter a turntable and some speakers. My son has his own collection too.”

A record's only worth what someone is willing to pay...

Reynolds took a few treasures home from the expo.

“Just some old stuff. A couple Pink Floyd reissues, old Iron Maiden and Tragically Hip,” he says, showing off his new finds.

John Ashley is used to carrying around crates of vinyl and bargaining with collectors like Reynolds.

Ashley is the owner of Galaxy Records, a record shop based out of Lasalle, Windsor. He exhibits merchandise at vinyl shows and expos all over Ontario and serves as the promoter of Windsor’s own record show. This marked his fourth time working the Oshawa event.

Photograph by Tommy Morais

Vinyl shoppers at the Oshawa CD/Vinyl expo.

“I keep the vinyl tradition alive.

I’ve seen everything from five-yearolds to 85-year-olds, it’s all over the map,” says John Ashley.

Ashley speaks of renewed enthusiasm in the physical format, especially vinyl, from both kids and adults and the role played by the

internet in this apparent revival.

“I think kids today just love records as much as we do and it’s fabulous. They’re very knowledgeable and I think the internet and all those social media sites have allowed people research we didn’t have when we were kids. It’s

allowed you to see what’s in a store in Belgium.”

Many attendees of the show weren’t born when vinyl was at the peak of its popularity. Like Adam Gagnon, a 20-year-old from Courtice who first discovered vinyl in his parents’ basement.

“I was digging through my parents old collection, took out the old record player and I began collecting different records,” he says.

The young record collector has been building up a collection of his own through vinyl expos and trades with friends.

“I’ve been collecting for a couple years now. I always come and browse around and pick up something that I’ve been looking for a long time that’s hard to come by.”

Gagnon walked away from the show with Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan and Rolling Stones records under his arm.

The occasional CD and tape was also on display, but to a far lesser extent than vinyl.

Records at the event ranged from dollar bin deals to rarities that sold for nearly $50.

From Ashley’s point of view, a record’s true value is only measured by the customer’s wallet.

“A record’s only worth what someone's willing to pay for it.”

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Entertainment

Music Reviews Indie band takes fan on an emotional ride Jessica Stoiku

The hard plastic is cold in your hands. You pop the lid and pull the Lumineers’ 2016 album Cleopatra, out and slide it into the CD player. The kick drum and dulcet vocals to the first track, “Sleep On The Floor,” spill into the car. Your adventure begins.

Whether it’s a five-minute trip to the grocery store, or a spur of the moment road trip out of town, The Lumineers need to go along for the ride.

Comprised of songwriters Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites and accompanied by cellist and backing vocalist Neyla Pekarek, the folk trio emerged in 2012 with music reminiscent of a journey one has yet to take.

This new album has the same acoustic vibe as their self-titled 2012 release. After four years in the making, the album was well received with its number one debut single “Ophelia” hitting the Billboard 200 charts, and the album itself selling about 125,000 copies in its first week, according to Rolling Stone Magazine.

The Lumineers took their time crafting Cleopatra. With six months of song writing in their hometown of Denver, Colorado and two straight months of recording in studio, each lyric and note is

deliberate and captures fans with the strong storyline.

This album is an assortment of snippets from voice memos recorded during their three-year tour from the first album. According to Schultz, in an interview with The Aquarian Weekly, the songs were inspired by strangers they met, as well as the trio’s own life experiences.

I was Cleopatra, I was young and an actress.

Photograph by Jessica Stoiku

The cover of the Lumineers new album features and elegant depiction of Cleopatra.

Schultz and Fraites’s storytelling allows fans to make their own personal connections with the characters from each song, as it did with the songwriters themselves.

Cleopatra tells a story that carries through from one song to the next. According to Schultz, a couple songs from the album follow a character he met whose love story echoes in the lyrics of the album-titled single “Cleopatra” and “Sleep On The Floor”.

By placing himself in the roles of the characters he sings about, Schultz tells each story with an emotion so raw it touches your

heart.

Schutlz sings about a young girl losing out on the love of her life in the midst of grieving the death of her father.

“I was Cleopatra, I was young and an actress When you knelt by my mattress, and asked for my hand But I was sad you asked it, as I laid in a black dress With my father in a casket, I had no plans.”

Schultz and Fraites have been writing music together for more than 10 years and are now in their

early thirties.

Starting their music career late in the game has allowed their life experiences to shape their sound into what it is today.

In their song “Long Way From Home”, Schultz sings of the battle his father lost to cancer many years ago.

“Held on to hope like a noose, like a rope God and medicine take no mercy on him Poisoned his blood, and burned out his throat Enough is enough, he’s a long

way from home.”

The desperation stressed through Schultz’s wavering vocals and somber guitar strings is felt through the suffering his father faced from his illness.

Fans can connect with the music’s insight and emotional maturity even if they don’t share the same experiences with the musicians themselves.

From the first song to the very last, Cleopatra takes you on an emotional journey no seatbelt can protect you from.

said it has been tremendously difficult to go forward preforming without Phife.

“It’s cathartic… it’s healthy to be able to go through it like [this], but you’re watching a band in grieving,” Q-Tip said.

It was a huge shock too for fans, especially when they heard a new Tribe album was planned for release. The Documentary Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest gave the audience more insight on the amount of friction the group was dealing with internally.

The album’s first single and second song is “We The People”.

In the opening scene of the music video, Q-Tip comes into view in front of more than a dozen microphones rapping the lyrics to the masses like a speech. In the video, people throughout the streets of New York discover then begin to follow microphone cables to the voice’s location.

The songs “Dis Generation” and “Kids” seem to be crafted for the ears of the Millennial generation.

“Dis Generation” features Busta Ryhmes. In it, Q-Tip raps, “Talk to Joey, Earl, Kendrick

and Cole/ gatekeepers of flow/ they are extensions of instinctual soul…” The song celebrates the young and talented individuals of this generation while passing the torch of hip-hop to the next.

A record like “Kids”, featuring André 3000, was made to tell Millennials that even the grownup authority figures giving kids a hard time today, were once the kids of the past. Q-tip paints the picture of the generational gap with lyrics like, “So when they questioning you bout who or who you ain’t boning/ complaining that you always moaning/ never saying good morning/ storming out the house/ and slamming doors like you pay the bills/ they been through it too though/ they were kids like you though…”

A Tribe Called Quest’s music is driven by lyrics, unlike a lot of today’s music, which is driven by melody. We Got It From Here… proves hip-hop isn’t dead, but was simply taking a nap.

If you want to be reminded of the ‘golden-age’ of hip-hop without digging in local record store crates, have a listen to We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service.

Back to hip-hop basics with A Tribe Called Quest Jared Williams

After 18 years of silence, A Tribe Called Quest gives the last installment of their legendary career entitled We Got It From Here…

Thank You 4 Your Service.

This New York native hiphop group formed in 1985. The group’s signature sound is jazz-infused rap music.

Despite an absence of nearly two decades from the hip-hop forefront, We Got It From Here manages to give fans who grew up with A Tribe Called Quest exactly what they want, while still sprinkling in contemporary twists for new listeners.

We Got It From Here… kicks off with the first track titled, “The Space Program”. Phife Dawg’s lyrical content is not only unifying but also makes the listener feel a part of the hip-hop revolution.

He sings, “It’s time to go left and not right/ gotta get it together

Photograph by Epic Records

A Tribe Called Quest's album cover for We Got It From Here...

Thank You For Your Service. forever/ gotta get it together for brothers/ gotta get it together for sister… for non-conformists and one hitter quitters/for Tyson types and Che Figures”.

Unfortunately, Phife Dawg whose real name is Malik Taylor died at age 45 from diabetes-re-

lated complications.

While in Los Angeles promoting the album, band members Q-Tip and Jarobi made a radio appearance on Power 106’s The Cruz Show, where they briefly spoke about losing Phife. At a recent SNL performance, Jarobi

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Games/Movies

Provided by Ubisoft

Ubisoft's newest hack and slash game For Honor.

For Honor is robust and inclusive New AAA title is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC Tyler Hodgkinson The Chronicle

Ubisoft Montreal’s latest release, For Honor, may be loud and violent, but the hack and slash title succeeds because of other reasons; the game’s combat mechanics are unique, multiplayer modes are varied, and its inclusion of female character models make it a progressive experience.

First revealed at Ubisoft’s E3 2015 press conference by eccentric game designer Jason VandenBerghe, the game’s concept of vikings, knights and samurais battling it out

against each other struck many as inimitable.

The difficult job of the developer is to live up to the hype their product has created, and Ubisoft Montreal’s latest effort does just that.

One of the game’s greatest strengths is its unmatched combat mechanics. The right stick is the central aspect to fighting, as it controls the orientation of the character’s weapon.

When defending, players must correlate the direction of the joystick with the trajectory of an opponent’s swing. Likewise, the stick is used to determine which way the

weapon will swing when attacking.

The controls are robust in nature, and pose a large learning curve. Fighting in For Honor is not an intuitive experience, but that’s what makes it an interesting play.

Although there are combos and parrying techniques similar to other fighting games, it’s the unique directional emphasis that makes the game feel fresh.

The combat is not wasted, and there are a variety of different multiplayer modes. There are duels, which can be 1v1, 2v2, or 4v4, in addition to Dominion, a capture-the-area style mode. For Honor is built to service many types of players.

For those who enjoy calculated combat, the one-on-one duel may be the best option, but for well-rounded players, Dominion is

likely the optimal choice. Because of its ability to successfully service multiple types of gamers, For Honor is breaking new ground in the industry.

The game is also one of the only titles with an emphasis on female inclusion. There aren’t just women in the game, they are an equal part of it. In fact, for every male character, there is a female loadout as well.

There are no other big releases in recent time that have accomplished this feat.

While the look of a character doesn’t always change the integrity of a game, For Honor’s female skins add a respectable element. More games should take note of Ubisoft’s effort to progress the industry.

For Honor is not without its problems, and an unrefined campaign may be its biggest issue. While the

alternate history theme feels like a fun battle royale in online multiplayer, the lack of story and character development makes the solo mode redundant.

There are no notable personalities. There are no notable events.

In fact, there is nothing notable about the mode at all.

Thankfully, the unnecessary campaign does not hinder the impact of the game’s other elements.

For Honor may offer a familiar violent tone, however, its strengths are less superficial.

The unique combat is robust and difficult. The multiplayer mode has variety.

Additionally, the inclusion of female character loadouts is refreshing and tolerant. For Honor has all the right elements, making it a progressive experience.

Opinion: It's time to pull the plug on 3D movies 3D movies are officially one step closer to being passé.

British news website Mirror just recently proclaimed the death of 3D in an article entitled 3D TV is officially dead: Sony and LG to drop support for 3D movies and TV shows this year.

The death of 3D television has been the subject of speculation by technology websites and publications for years. It appears we’ve reached the end of 3D, in the living room at least.

The death of 3D TV should come as no surprise. It was a gimmick: an overpriced ploy that fizzled out in seven short years.

Don’t even mention the glasses

Tommy Morais

that came with these atrocities.

Sony and LG were the only companies still manufacturing 3D Television, effectively putting an end to its short lifespan.

Moviegoers sometimes don’t have much of a say when it comes to 2D over 3D in the movie theatre, but the audience still dictates how it watches movies at home. 3D appears to be a no-go.

Oh, a movie is celebrating a

milestone? Quick, let’s put lipstick on it, call it 3D and charge extra.

When all else fails, a gimmick can boost sales. It’s an age-old tradition to have someone parade in a costume in front of establishment, hand out coupons in the hopes of attracting new clientele.

3D is the proverbial chicken in the costume and this chicken has stopped laying eggs. 3D has always been an easy way to make a buck, buck, buck.

Granted, movies like Marvel’s The Avengers have made spectacular use of 3D, a technology that saw its apogee with 2009’s epic sciencefiction film Avatar. Additionally, it can benefit some animated films.

When done well, 3D lands itself to incredible visuals. But for the most part, the movies using 3D don’t need it. Maybe there’s a scene or two where you see a glimpse of a third dimension but usually it’s nothing earth-shattering. This is especially true when it comes to movies like Titanic that have made a revamped return to the cinema.

Here, the appeal of 3D is superficial; it’s purely cosmetic.

There is one place where 3D will remain: the local cinema. Wearing 3D glasses at the movie theatre has become something of a tradition for moviegoers.

With that said, it's still a tradition that needs to die.

While opinions on 3D technology are split, feelings about movie ticket prices are not. The price of a general admission (ages 14-64) ticket at the local Cineplex currently stands at $12.50. A 3D ticket for the same movie is $15.50. It’s time to put an end to cheap 3D glasses and spend those extra dollars somewhere else, like the concession stand (although food prices is another arguement for another time).

The market will always be saturated with new, expensive and useless technology. But 3D is one trend that won’t be missed.

The death of 3D television was first, now let’s hope 3D at the Cineplex isn’t far behind.

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Book Reviews

Entertainment

Killing childhood innocence one swipe at a time Rebecca Calzavara The Chronicle

Anna Kendrick went from a “scrappy little nobody” to somebody who entertains on stage, on screen and now on paper. Before her name was in big flashing lights starring in films like Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Pitch Perfect, Twilight and Into the Woods, Anna Kendrick was very small, weird, loud and “ten per cent defiant.”

Scrappy Little Nobody is an amusing and enlightening autobiography written by the Academy Award-nominated actress and star of Pitch Perfect and Up in the Air. Kendrick takes you on an adventure inside her brain, sharing extraordinary stories and experiences about her life.

The story starts off in kindergarten. Scrappy Little Nobody continues through grade school to adulthood and reveals what Kendrick has learned. From growing up wanting to be an adult so badly to having to live in her car in Los Angeles just to get by, the stories reveal Kendrick before she became famous.

In fourth grade, Kendrick learned the secret to “female bonding: the sleepover.” It was the secret to making a steady group of friends, and it became a regular thing that happened on Fridays.

At the age of thirteen, Kendrick got her journal read by the most popular guy in her grade so she burned the pages in the bathroom sink. Kendrick then “resolved to

keep the crazy inside my head where it belonged. Forever. But here’s the thing about crazy: It. Wants. Out.” Throughout her memoir, Kendrick writes about her hero: her older brother Mike. “He’s responsible for at least sixty per cent” of her personality. Kendrick has idolized Mike since the day she was born. Kendrick writes about her experiences filming the movies for which she is known and brings you into the lives of the co-stars she has worked with like Zac Efron, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow and others.

Kendrick also writes about how she lost her virginity, her first break up and the first time she did drugs.

Despite her success on screen, Kendrick reveals herself as a person who is just trying to get through life.

Scrappy Little Nobody reaches a target audience of people ages 1925. Girls can relate to Kendrick through her break up experience and how she dealt with it.

Usually biographies are thought of as endless tales on one’s life, but Kendrick takes you on a laughing, and at one-point crying, road to the very end.

This is Anna Kendrick’s first written work of art. She bravely shares her life story to everyone around the world.

Overall, Scrappy Little Nobody is a well-written, witty biography that portrays Anna Kendrick for who she really is, not just who she plays in movies and musicals.

Photograph by Rebecca Calzavara

Electronic version of Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick.

Fast food industry is worth billions of dollars Find out how fast food owners became so powerful Laura Metcalfe The Chronicle

Photograph by Laura Metcalfe

Book cover for Fast Food Nation, a delicious potato treat.

Golden arches, a purple bell, a little red headed girl with pigtails, and an older gentleman with a black tie.

McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, and KFC. These are familiar fast food franchises all over the world. The fast food industry is worth billions of dollars. It started with a few men selling hot dogs out of a cart in California.

Eris Schlosser’s book, Fast Food Nation, gives readers an inside look into how these fast food giants became powerful and includes some of the controversy along the way.

Schlosser explains the American fast food industry has changed so much over the last 50 years.

There were once carhops: servers who would deliver order to cars on roller skates.

This later evolved into the drive-thru, according to Schlosser. People still didn’t have to get out of the car but carhops lost their jobs.

The aim of the fast food industry has been the fastest food for the cheapest price.

If this means cutting corners to keep labour cheap, it’s justifiable, according to Schlosser.

Cutting corners means safety has been compromised. Schlosser tells stories of employees suffering cuts, burns, and broken limbs.

Schlosser says the industry preys on the illegal immigrant population, ensuring injuries won’t be reported.

It also enables owners to pay their workers less and give little or no benefits.

Workers receive very little training to work dangerous machinery, resulting in injuries or disfiguration.

The fast food industry has also changed the labour landscape in countries with restaurants in Germany, India, and England.

Money is given to elected officials by fast food lobbyists and safety legislation is blocked at every opportunity, says Schlosser.

If the American government passed the many safety bills proposed before Congress, then government officials would lose millions of dollars from campaign funding, says Schlosser.

To implement safety standards, the cost for these companies would go up and could not be compensated without firing workers, according to Schlosser.

With all the injuries and illegal practices involved with the fast food industry, it makes the consumer wonder if the dollar menu is worth the cost to human lives and livelihood.

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Tackling gender dysphoria Dean Daley The Chronicle

Kim Fu’s novel, For Today I am a Boy tells the life story of Peter Huang.

Born in Fort Michel, a fictional Ontario town, Huang has three siblings of which he is the third born.

Peter’s father always wanted a boy and after two girls he almost lost hope.

When the boy he always wanted finally arrived, he wanted to name him Juan Chaun, which means ‘Powerful King’ in Cantonese.

However, Peter wasn’t the boy or ‘king’ his father expected.

For Today I am a Boy brings to life the psychological turmoil of a young boy who feels dysphoria about his own body.

The novel illustrates the struggles Peter goes through trying to live his life, while fighting his inner feelings about his body.

Kim Fu allows the reader into the mind of a young Peter who is uncomfortable with the idea of growing up and being a man.

As a child in kindergarten Peter’s asked to draw a picture of himself of what he wants to be when he grows up. He draws himself as a mother.

From the first chapter you’re invested in the lives of the characters: Adele the eldest sister who is described as beautiful and accepting, Helen the second daughter, who is studious and stern, Bonnie the youngest sister, Peter feels is his twin.

Even the lives of Peter’s strict father and quiet mother have an interesting storyline that compel the reader to read further.

For Today I am a Boy evokes emotions such as empathy and sympathy but also invokes a curiosity about Peter’s moves and thoughts.

At each stage of Peter’s life, we’re left wondering about his admiration for the people around him.

It is hard to know if he’ll tell his family about his thoughts and feelings, or if he’ll ever accept himself.

The insight Fu provides the reader is so much more than just the story of Peter Huang.

The novel allows the reader put themselves in the shoes of people such as Laverne Cox, Chaz Bono and Elliot Fletcher.

After reading the novel, there is

Photograph by Dean Daley

Book cover for For Today I Am a Boy by Kim Fu.

a newfound sense of empathy towards people who feel as if they’ve been misgendered.For Today I am A

Boy allows one to comprehend the inner turmoil that goes on in minds of those who feel trapped in their

body and long to find a way out.

It’s a heart-yanking tale that provokes thought and emotion.

It draws the reader in and refuses to let go until the very last word…

Audrey.

cia makes a comical pun of that popular moniker.

Dead North is the eighth book of the Exile Book of Anthology Series, featuring a total of 20 horror stories by different authors, each with a style and perspective that ranges from classic zombie survival to tales of tragedy, romance and hope.

Kicking off with Tyler Keevil’s “The Herd”, readers are introduced to the Great White North, quite literally. The story is placed in a tundra in the middle of winter.

The perspective is from the view of a hunter. Keevil describes the landscape as “stark and harsh” and compares it to a blank page.

He calls it “a map with no borders, no boundaries” in which anything is possible. “Here you are free to cross over,” writes Keevil, “to transgress.” The hunter must negotiate this “map of madness” alone.

Not only is the cold world empty of both life and humanity, the hunter is cold and empty as well: a man who will do anything to survive.

“Waiting for Jenny Rex” by Melissa Yuan-Ines is a heart-wrenching love story that focuses on the journalist Josh, who falls in love with Jenny Reed. Jenny Reed died from anorexia and returned as a zombie. Thinking that her undead state will grant her lots of attention, she

hopes to become a spokesperson for anorexia.

Yuan-Ines goes into deep detail on the intimacy and complicated feelings Josh and Jenny share. “I kissed her.

She kissed me back,” she writes.

The moment lasts long enough for Josh to “touch her cheek.” After which Jenny “turned away, like she always did.”

“Waiting for Jenny Rex” is an unlikely love story.

Yet this situation is the most relatable one in any relationship. Josh loves Jenny for who she is but Jenny can’t accept herself based on how she looks.

Anorexia haunted her in life and it haunts her in death. This touching short story has that popular undead touch with Yuan-Ives’ detailed description of Jenny’s skeletal appearance. But it also focuses on real issues and digs deep into emotions like love. Throughout this story one can’t help but root for Josh and Jenny.

Dead North is for those who love zombie pop culture but want something completely different.

The twenty short stories in Dead North takes the reader on a journey through Canada in ways that illustrate depths and heights of emotion, horror and mystery.

Take a walk on the zombie side 20 horror stories written by different authors Kevin Steinbach The Chronicle

Canada is often called the Great White North. The anthology of Canadian zombie fiction, Dead North, edited by Silvia Moreno-Gar-

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Sports Snubbed from top 100 Hall of famer Hawerchuk left off the list of NHL's best 100 players

Chris Jones and Josh Nelson The Chronicle

The National Hockey League (NHL) recently celebrated its 100year history with a list of the top 100 players to ever play the game, but Oshawa’s Dale Hawerchuk, who is 19th in points in NHL history, was left off the list.

The list included players from each decade since the league’s inception, with the first 33 names released Jan. 1 for the Centennial Classic, and the rest Jan. 27th in conjunction with the 2016-17 allstar game.

Legends such as Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Martin Brodeur, Jean Beliveau and many others who truly made their mark on the league and revolutionized the game, all made the list.

But three players in the top-20 of all-time scoring, including Hawerchuk, were left off the list. Mark Recchi is 12th with 1,533 points, and Doug Gilmour who is 18th with 1,414 points, and Hawerchuk with 1,409 points were not included on the list.

Hawerchuk was born in Toronto, Ontario on April 4, 1963, but grew up in Oshawa.

Hawerchuk was quick to brush

Photograph courtesy of Ryan Pfeiffer, Oshawa This Week

Dale Hawerchuk watches the team he coaches, the Barrie Colts, play against his hometown team, the Oshawa Generals. off the list however, saying, “every guy [on the list] is a great player so there’s not much to argue with there…whether you’re included

Photograph by Ryan Pfeiffer, Oshawa This Week

Hawerchuk (right) laughs with another player at an Oldtimers Challenge.

there or not, they have their criteria they work with. It’s out of my control so there’s not much I can say about it.”

As a teenager Hawerchuk excelled among his peers.

“He was like a dog on a bone when he would lose possession of the puck. I use that term a lot, ‘dog on a bone’ until he got the puck back,” said Dave Sheridan, Hawerchuk’s former bantam coach and manager.

Hawerchuk also expressed core playmaking skills during this time that would lead him into being the leader and captain of the Winnipeg Jets.

“He was very unselfish as a teammate…he was a star player, but very unassuming and modest.

He wasn’t out there just looking for all the attention and he loved playing with his teammates,” said Sheridan.

Hawerchuk continued his play into junior with the Cornwall Royals of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for two seasons before being selected first overall by the Jets in the 1981 NHL entry draft. He scored 103 points in his first season and 183 in his second.

Hawerchuk continued his dominance in the NHL, ending his rookie season with 45 goals and 58 assists, totalling 103 points. He played nine seasons with the Winnipeg Jets’, earning more than 100

points in six of them and scoring 40 goals seven times.

His next destination was Buffalo, where he played five seasons recording a career high 80 assists in the 1992-93 season.

After a short stint in St. Louis, he finished his career with two more seasons in the Philadelphia Flyers’ organization before retiring in 1997.

Hawerchuk now coaches the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He has a 177-1449-10 record with the Colts since he started in 2010.

He played 1,188 games in the NHL, with 518 goals and 891 assists for 1,409 points in his career.

With numbers like these, it seemed as though Hawerchuk was almost guaranteed to get into the NHL top 100. However, Sheridan believes that there is a reason he didn’t make it.

“When I think of using those terms, unassuming and modest, I mean I think that kind of carried over to the NHL, and maybe that’s why he’s been kind of overlooked sometimes,” said Sheridan. “He wasn’t that real flashy player that was always talked up in the press like maybe a Subban (P.K. Subban), he always did his job.”

Hawerchuk played during an era of superstars such as Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy who both made the list, which may have had an

influence over the decision to not include Hawerchuk on the top 100.

Hawerchuk had a largely underrated career, being on one of the lesser known teams and never being a Stanley Cup champion, however his total points are impressive.

“When I saw that it was on, I was waiting to see, but still had a feeling, he had been slighted in his first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame…he wasn’t chosen, and there was a lot of chatter about that,” said Sheridan.

While there was controversy about all-time points leaders such as Hawerchuk, Gilmour and Recchi being overlooked, there was also three prolific goal scorers with more than 600 goals not on the list as well.

Jarome Iginla (618), Dino Ciccarelli (608) and Dave Andeychuk (640) were not on the NHL Top 100, despite being some of the few who passed the 600-goal plateau.

“They are great players, there’s 100 years, add it up, there’s one guy per year when you think about it, there’s a lot of great players that are there... there are a lot of great players that didn’t get on it, you know there’s only 100… for the guys that didn’t get on it, you know yeah, they would all like to get on it, but they’re not. So I don’t think they are going to lose a ton of sleep over it,” said Hawerchuk.

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Silver lining for Lords

Men's volleyball wins first OCAA medal since 2006 Chris Jones The Chronicle

They may not have savoured a golden moment, but the Durham Lords call it an “amazing” feeling to come away from the Ontario men’s college volleyball championship with silver medals.

The Lords advanced to the Ontario College Athletics Association (OCAA) championship and lost in the gold medal game to the host team, the Mohawk Mountaineers, in three straight sets, 25-20, 25-19, and 25-21.

The tournament was held in Hamilton, Ont. from Feb. 23-25.

To reach the finals, the Lords had to rally back after losing two sets to beat the Redeemer Royals 3-2 (25-21, 25-19, 25-18, 25-15, 1512) and the Fanshawe Falcons 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 27-25) in order to reach the gold medal game against Mohawk.

“It is an amazing feeling achieving silver at the OCAA championships,” said Lords middle blocker, Erik Janssen. “The entire team was elated since the victory we earned over Redeemer all the way through to the gold medal match.”

While the Lords lost in the gold medal match 3-0, it wasn’t all for naught. Durham earned a medal for the first time since 2006 when they also lost to Mohawk in the gold medal match.

“To be honest the first time I

Photograph courtesy of Scott Dennis

The men's volleyball team won silver at the OCAA championships to claim its first medal since 2006. heard that was in the change room when [head coach] George [Matsusaki] told us right after we had lost the gold medal match,” said setter John Pham.

During the season, the Lords went 16-2, which was a slight improvement over their record of 16-4 during the 2015-16 season.

Both of their losses this season came at the hands of the Georgian

Grizzlies, who went undefeated.

The Lords will now try to court success in the classroom.

“I think many of us are now directing our efforts towards academics,” said Janssen. “Personally, I will be focusing on school and training to get ready for next season, which will be my last.”

Janssen says that the team will be losing several key players, including

Braydon Rodgers, Mike Harper, Pham and Riley McAdams.

“The depth of our team is one of the reasons we were able to go as far as we did,” said Janssen. “Although we are losing players, many team members are ready to step into those positions.”

Pham believes that the team’s accomplishments this season will lead to “future prospects coming

to Durham because they recognize the potential this team has. The team still has a great core of guys to do a repeat and even accomplish better results than what we accomplished this year.”

Pham and company still believe that, despite all of the losses to the team’s roster after this season, there is still hope that the team can perform just as well next season.

Perfect season comes to end for women in finals

Lords win medal for the second time in three years

ways want to improve year in year out, you don’t want to become stagnant or anything,” said Clarke.

We did really well only losing five sets all year which is great.

Josh Nelson The Chronicle

The Durham Lords women’s volleyball team fell to the Humber Hawks in the championship game, winning a silver medal at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) tournament on Feb. 26.

The Lords were undefeated during the season with a 20-0 record going into the finals.

The finals were against Humber, a team that was also undefeated this season and who were chasing their 10th consecutive championship.

The Lords were in their second final in three years and looking to break the Hawks long running, ten season, championship streak.

“It was an unreal moment that will stay with me forever- knowing we had supporters all over watching, was amazing,” said Lucia Kalmeyer, the Lords’ right side hitter.

However, the Hawks had a different plan and swept Durham 2520, 25-12, and 25-18.

Durham managed to get some

Photograph courtesy of Scott Dennis

The women's volleyball team poses after winning silver at the OCAA championships.

redemption earlier in the playoffs however, beating the Fanshawe Falcons in the quarterfinals. Durham lost to Fanshawe, they played them in the bronze medal game in 2016, but the Lords got revenge sweeping them 3-0 by scores of 25-11, 25-23, and 25-16.

The Lords encountered the Ni-

agara Knights in the semi-final round for the second year in a row after losing to them in 2016. The Lords once again got redemption with a 3-1 victory. After winning the first two sets 25-20 and 25-17, Durham lost the third set 22-25 before closing out the victory with a 25-21 set win.

Tony Clarke, the Lords’ head coach, is optimistic for the future, but believes the team could still work on some things.

“We had a great season, we did really well, only losing five sets all year which is great. There’s always things to improve on, we could be better at the net blocking, you al-

After this season the team will be losing some key players such as OCAA all-star Allison Marshall, who had 12 kills in the finals, but Clarke is ready to recruit new players for the team.

“Recruiting is always busy, you have to get the best of the best, it’s hard to get good players to attend a college, a lot of them are university-bound which is unfortunate, it’s going to be busy, and we will be a young team next year,” said Clarke.

Even with the changes coming to the team Clarke is already planning ahead. “[We’re going to keep on] recruiting to maintain the success of the program [and] be provincially-recognized,” said Clarke.

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From Oshawa to Yale

U.S. college hockey, Canada style Josh Nelson The Chronicle

Oshawa’s Saroya Tinker has been granted the opportunity to attend one of most prestigious universities in the world by simply doing something she loves. “[Hockey’s] taken me to study at one of the greatest universities in the world… I think it’s been my positive pastime… and has allowed me to push myself to all the limits I want to get to,” said Tinker, a defenceman for the Yale Bulldogs women’s hockey team.

Born in Oshawa, Tinker 19, grew up playing sports.

I originally did dancing and gymnastics and then they said I was going to be to tall for gymnastics, so I decided to quit and play hockey,” said Tinker.

In high school, Tinker captained the Paul Dwyer Saints girl’s hockey team from grades 10 through 12.

Tinker’s accomplishments continued at the provincial level.

As assistant captain for the Durham West Junior Lightning in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League she helped lead her team to first place in the regular season and was second in points for the playoffs

with seven. Her team advanced to the final four before being knocked out in the bronze medal game.

Tinker’s passion for the game led her to be chosen to compete for Team Canada in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) under-18 Women’s World Cup of Hockey in St. Catharines, Ont. in January 8-15, 2016.

Tinker beat Russia and the Czech Republic en route to the final game where they fell to the United States, 3-2 in overtime.

Lisa Haley, head coach of the U18 women’s team, believes Tinker was a valuable asset to the team.

“As far as hockey goes I was impressed right away by Saroya’s athleticism… you could tell she was an athlete and not just a hockey player, and I think that that’s an important quality to have in this day and age, it lets you be pretty versatile in the things you can do as a hockey player,” said Haley.

Tinker is in her freshman year at Yale on a hockey scholarship. She has one goal and four assists in 30 games and the team has an overall record of 10-17-4.

Tinker believes her father, Harvel, is her biggest influence.

“He always wanted me to play.

He never pressured me to play but I knew that it was going to be something I loved to do, so I decided to do it and it’s been great ever since, he’s always pushed me, not put too much pressure on me, but pushed when I needed,” said Tinker.

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Photograph courtesy of Harvel Tinker

Saroya Tinker poses in her team Canada uniform.

TSN stats expert goes bar down with his first book A novel choice for fans looking to research the NHL in its centennial year Travis Fortnum The Chronicle

Photograph courtesy of Douglas & McIntyre

Of Myths and Sticks, the premier title by Kevin Gibson.

There are many beliefs as to why the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t seen the Stanley Cup in 50 years.

As Kevin Gibson writes, there are a number of well-thought-out conspiracy theories as to what curses are holding the team back.

Of Myths & Sticks is Gibson’s first book. It is the result of years of research and analysis of the game of hockey, on top of other sports.

A resident of Whitby, Gibson started teaching at Centennial College in 2015, where he teaches broadcast students some of the research skills he’s gained to compliment television and radio stories.

His publisher, Douglas & McIntyre, describes Gibson as “TSN’s one-man research, stats and information department.”

If his 10 years with the network aren’t enough proof, Of Myths & Sticks proves, if nothing else, the man knows hockey.

As the epic title implies, the book looks to set the record straight on some of the biggest myths that surround the game. It also delivers some facts and stats even the biggest puck fans might not know, like the fact Craig MacTarvish was the

last player to play without a helmet.

It also looks to settle a few scores.

Who had the first Stanley Cup hat trick in NHL history? Some say it was Toronto’s Alf Skinner in 1918, but consider this debate put to rest. Per Gibson’s research, Skinner only had two goals that game while Newsy Lalonde of the Montreal Canadiens net three goals on March 22, 1919.

Gibson writes in a voice readers might be used to hearing from a buddy while talking over a beer: a buddy who knows everything about hockey.

From an aesthetic standpoint, the book is as dedicated to the game as the players named within. The book’s cover art resembles a hockey card and even the blank leaves of the book are printed with a minimalistic pattern of hockey paraphernalia: skates, pucks, sticks and helmets.

Perhaps Of Myths & Sticks’ greatest feature is the well-thought-out and neatly organized ‘On This Date’ chapter.

Organized by month, Gibson has hand-picked a moment in hockey history for every single day of the year. Remarkably, even the summer months.

In a world where all hockey stat books seem to have fallen into a rut

of prioritizing historical education over reader amusement, Of Myths & Sticks is the blast of cool air that hits your face when you first step on the ice. A refreshing and welcome change.

It is the result of years of research and analysis of the game of hockey, on top of other sports.

This is the 100th year of the NHL. Hockey fans have no shortage of books to pick up: from John Scott’s A Guy Like Me to D’arcy Jenish’s in-depth The NHL: A Centennial History.

If you’re hoping to brush up on your knowledge of the game, look no further than Of Myths & Sticks.

If you can’t get enough Gibson, he can be heard as a regular on Mike Richards’ ‘In the Morning’ on TSN Radio 1050. He’s also a popular presence on Twitter @ TSNResearch.

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Sports

Dreams or realities?

Examining the road from house league to the NHL Logan Caswell and Alex Ross The Chronicle

Many boys growing up in Canada dream of becoming a great NHL hockey player but according to the book, Selling the Dream, by Jim Parcels and Ken Campbell, the odds of becoming a professional hockey player is low. Parcels and Campbell studied 30,000 players and only 39 ended up signing NHL contracts. Compared to winning the lottery, with a one in 14 million chance, these odds of 39 in 30,000 seems doable.

However, when you compare and contrast whether an NHL dream is achievable, evidence shows mental and physical abilities have an impact on the outcome. Logan Caswell believes pursuing a NHL dream is worth it. However, Alex Ross does not. The debate will include a look at the tolls taken on players’ bodies and minds, the cost of the game, the growth and resiliency of players and their backup plans.

Mental v. Physical LOGAN: Maintaining optimum mental and physical health are two of the biggest factors in achieving an NHL dream. Constant training and pressure helps benefit players as they continue their career. According to Mike Giroux, current head coach of the AAA Minor Midget Oshawa Jr. Generals, a player with a tough mental game often makes it to the next step.

“Mental health is one of the most important parts of the game right now,” says Giroux.

Giroux is due to retire this season, and has coached numerous former Ontario Hockey League (OHL) players including New York Islanders’ forward Josh Bailey.

AAA hockey players train five to six-days a week. Their schedules include dry land training, and

practice three times a week on and off the ice. According to Giroux, the rigorous and competitive schedule is important for these athletes to making the cut with teams like the OHL’s Oshawa Generals.

“You have to be completely committed to this,” says Giroux. “It’s hard for these kids to stay with the journey because at 15-16 [yearsold] they’re trying to be a normal teenager too.”

Despite the odds of making the cut, the rigorous mental and physical regiment required to even compete makes the journey to the NHL worth it.

ALEX: Some professionals are noticing the toll being too deeply involved in a sport takes on mental health. The players’ identity can be lost if they are separated from the sport. This happened with former NHL player Brian Lee, who broke down after he left the game due to a serious knee injury. It’s proof mental health is more important than any game.

Dr. Wendy Stanyon, an Associate Professor at the University of Ontario Institute Technology’s Faculty of Health Sciences, has been advocating for mental health awareness and enhancing mental health literacy for most of her academic career. According to Dr. Stanyon, staying focused on reality and keeping options open is key to maintaining a healthy mind. “If you get too fixated on part of your life as being representative of who you are, then if that part doesn’t work the way you’d hoped for… then your whole image of who you are takes a heavy toll,” says Dr. Stanyon.

While somebody is following their dream, they may experience opportunities just as good as their dream, and sometimes more achievable. Dr. Stanyon puts an emphasis on people keeping their options open in order not to get blinded by their own ambitions.

“I always try to remind people to

Photograph by Logan Caswell

Oshawa Generals forward Joe Manchurek cycles the puck behind the net against the Erie Otters. do what you love, engage in what you want, go after your goals, but stay open to the opportunities that might come along in life you don’t even anticipate,” says Dr. Stanyon.

Players need to keep their feet on the ground and their heads out of the clouds because there are thousands of other kids trying for the same spot.

LOGAN: Pursuing an NHL dream is worth it because it can challenge you not only physically but mentally as well. It prepares you to push your body in all situations and creates a beneficial lifestyle.

Jeff Watson, the head strength and conditioning coach for Durham College and University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), has trained numerous Canadian Hockey League athletes, as well as college and university students. Watson knows coaching any of his athletes the right way can help them pursue a professional career.

“A lot of it comes down to getting a snapshot of that person and

managing their lifestyle,” says Watson. “We spend a lot of time in the gym and make sure we push every athlete the right way. You need to know where athletes want to go so we can make them work towards that goal.”

Watson has been involved with training athletes for over a decade and believes regardless if you make it or not, maintaining a strong training program is critical for any athlete. “Every athlete hoping to get somewhere needs a strong training regimen,” says Watson.

Some might even make the NHL but even if they don’t, the training will have made the player a stronger athlete and better person. These traits will ensure success in life if not in the NHL. ALEX: In certain cases, a player’s body can get pushed beyond its limit when training and playing. Former NHL player Craig Fisher knows the difficultly that comes with pushing your body for the game.

Fisher suffered a severe concussion that ended his AHL career.

“I had a real massive one [concussion] when I was playing on Buffalo’s farm team and everything was from that one, that was a real huge one,” says Fisher. “Basically it was four concussions within like ten seconds. I got hit and then I was out, then my knee hit me, that was a big one, and hit the ice.”

Although Fisher says it was just a fluke he managed to get such a severe concussion from one hit, it has still been a big influencer in his ideals. “It was just sort of a perfect storm of bad luck, it wasn’t dirty, it wasn’t anything,” says Fisher.

Despite Fisher’s career, he still says that being at risk of such severe injuries makes the game not worth the risk. “Even if I was Wayne Gretzky, the greatest player on earth, it wasn’t worth it,” says Fisher.

Growth and Resiliency LOGAN: Most kids start practicing at a young age. As they get older, they train for hours a week and Continued on page 33

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Photograph by Chronicle supporter

Logan Caswell (left) and Alex Ross 'faceoff' against each other.

From page 32 balance high school, part-time jobs and off and on-ice training.

Jacob Traynor, a forward for the AAA Minor Midget Oshawa Jr. Generals, started skating at the age of five and works out everyday for at least an hour.

“Every kids’ dream is to play the highest level possible,” says Traynor.

“Hopefully with my draft year coming up I can go to the OHL.” Although getting drafted is still up in the air for Traynor, he knows by the end of the road he’ll be happy.

“Whether I go to the NHL or not, I’m still going to be satisfied with what I did,” says Traynor. “I’m interested to see how far I can go.”

Although maintaining your life off the ice can be challenging, it’ll help benefit players grow as they try and build lifestyles both on and off the ice.

Is the NHL dream worth it? bad for your health, in a 2013 TED Talk called “How to Make Stress Your Friend”, health psychologist Kelly Mcgonigal says stress is only harmful if you believe it is bad for you.

Pursuing any dream can be stressful but OHL players trying to make the final jump to the NHL now have more support.

Talk Today, a Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) program, aims to assist all 60 major junior hockey teams in the CHL to ensure every player has access to mental health support. CMHA was started three years ago because of the death by suicide of former OHL hockey player Terry Trafford.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Canadians between the ages of 10-24 which makes programs like Talk Today that much more important.

Mireille Huneault, Media Relations specialist at CMHA Durham, has seen this program grow over the last few years and is happy about the support players have been received from it.

“We teach them how to detect and prevent suicide,” says Huneault.

“The fact that people are talking about it more is a great start.”

Players are now receiving more support. Since Talk Today launched three years ago, more than 700 players have received services to better their mental state.

Organizations like CMHA provide mental health and primary care services for all residents, including athletes and their families.

This support is invaluable. It teaches athletes how to deal with stress and that life skill will help those athletes go far in life: potentially as far as the NHL.

ALEX: Forget the NHL. Many players in the minor leagues will never even see a spot on the draft list. Some parents continue to push their kids to play at the best level they can, while others show their kids alternative careers.

Mark Wells is the manager of the AAA Minor Midget Oshawa Jr. Generals. Wells has two sons who play hockey and he tries to give them as many options as possible for their future. “I’m a numbers guy, so I show them the statistics, how likely you are to proceed, what level you have to be at to be there,” says Wells.

Some might think telling your kids to give up on their dreams isn’t good parenting, but Wells has shown keeping your kids’ options open is important. Telling your kids to give up on their dream can keep them grounded and focused on multiple paths. “I try to give the kids that option,” says Wells.

“For the younger one, he might currently struggle with leaving,” Backup Plans says Wells. “The older one is in high school second year, and is aware of LOGAN: other options, school and things he Alex Yuill, a former first-roundcould be doing instead of hockey. So pick in the OHL draft now plays it’s probably more tangible for him.” university hockey for the Ontario University Association (OUA) LOGAN: UOIT Ridgebacks. Yuill agress he While stress is often considered may not make it to the NHL but

that doesn’t mean he, or any player pursuing their goals to the NHL, should stop playing.

“When you get drafted to the OHL you start thinking you have a chance to make it,” says Yuill.

“The way I look at it is that you have to keep working hard, keep pushing and making sure you’re having fun.”

Mike Robinson, a teammate of Yuill on the Ridgebacks, also played in the OHL for two years and shares the same positive thoughts.

“If you don’t get drafted and keep working hard, it’s not a big deal,” says Robinson. “Kids nowadays put a lot of pressure on themselves on getting drafted.”

Several players like Yuill and Robinson may not make it to the NHL. However, understanding the feeling of disappointment earlier rather than later can help benefit these athletes as they grow older.

ALEX: For some, hockey has been a part of their entire life and thinking about not playing the game can be difficult. Some OHL players face the reality they won’t get into the NHL and decide to go school to

begin pursuing a career outside of hockey.

Mike Robinson, a current student at UOIT playing for the Ridgebacks and also former OHL player for the Niagara IceDogs, has had to balance his school, hockey and mental health.

Robinson started playing hockey at age 6, so he has had a long time to develop time management skills: enough to help him in university.

Getting a scholarship is different from passing classes, and Robinson must hold a 2.7 GPA to secure his scholarship. “If I carry a 2.7 GPA for first and second semester, I receive about $4,000 per term,” says Robinson. “And the OHL covers the rest.”

Robinson says playing in the OHL is a lot different than the OUAA because there is the need to balance school work on top of the hockey season, especially to maintain the marks needed for a scholarship.

No matter how the day ends, if Robinson can keep his scholarship for hockey by doing well in school, he will have at least graduated from UOIT. “It’s different going to school because when you play in the OHL,

all you do is focus on hockey and now it’s a bit of both,” says Robinson. “It is kind of hard.”

Conclusion LOGAN: After evaluating the benefits of pursing an NHL dream, it becomes evident that although having the skill to make it to the NHL is critical, having strong mental and physical abilities is just as important.

Although the chances of making it all the way to the NHL are low, that doesn’t mean you should give up on your potential dream may it be in hockey or not.

ALEX: There are upsides to becoming a professional hockey player, but the odds are not in your favour.

Getting to a level where hockey becomes a career requires years of fighting against the odds to advance to the highest level.

The prospects need to balance a player’s mental and physical health.

Players need to keep their options open and always have a back-up plan for the inevitable cut.

“Playing hockey professionally is one of the best jobs you can have,” says former NHL player Craig Fisher.

“But nobody gets out in one piece.”

Photograph by Logan Caswell

Cameron Yuill of the UOIT Ridgebacks, dumps the puck against the Carleton Ravens.

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'Backs winless at OUAs But coach pleased with effort from inexperienced team Chris Jones The Chronicle

The UOIT Ridgebacks women’s curling team hosted the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championship and went winless in seven games in the tournament.

The Ridgebacks hosted the OUA curling championship at the Oshawa Golf and Curling Club from Feb. 16-17. While the Laurentian Voyageurs won the championship for the first time in their school’s history, the hometown Ridgebacks went 0-7.

The Ridgebacks started the tournament losing 10-3 against the Carleton Ravens. When they played the future champs, they lost 12-1.

UOIT coach Debbie Fischer knew however that her team did not perform well and attributed that to inexperience.

“Brittany Andrey, the skip, is a more experienced curler,” says Fischer.

“She has three newer curlers with her and one, the lead, that we just kind of taught to curl so that we could actually put a team in and compete so they finished at 0-7.

“It was great to see that Laurentian came through and won the gold,” said Fischer.

However, Fischer was quick to praise the inexperienced Ridge-

Photograph by Chris Jones

Hafsah Hoda, Emily Gordon and Kaitlyn Rose playing for UOIT's curling team. backs.

“They still played. They were in there trying to play the game, they took a game to an extra end, they took a couple other games right down to the last rock of the games,” she said. “But, Brittany curled well

to hold them into all the games.”

While the Ridgebacks were able to keep pace with teams such as the Western Mustangs (5-4 loss) and the Trent Excalibur (7-6 loss), they were beaten handily by teams such as Laurentian (12-1 loss), the

Lakehead Thunderwolves (9-1 loss), and the Laurier Golden Hawks (9-1 loss).The OUA Championship did not go as well for the hometown Ridgebacks as the Brock Invitational did in January.

While at Brock the Ridgebacks

beat the Western Mustangs 7-4 and the McMaster Marauders 7-2.

They had a record of 2-2 in that tournament.

The women’s curling team’s season has come to an end, now they look forward to next season.

Durham fans howl to be official 'pack' supporters

Rugby fans looking for status from Toronto team Tyler Hodgkinson The Chronicle

Two Durham Region rugby fans are howling for the Toronto WolfPack, and hope to encourage others to do the same on an official level.

Andrae McRae and John Butcher are currently in talks with the GTA-based team to make their assembly, The Wolves, the official supporters’ group.

If the deal is reached, it means The Wolves will be the promoted fan group for the professional team.

It is the inaugural season for the WolfPack, who is playing in League 1 in England, and the first time a Canadian team has been in the Rugby Football League.

The WolfPack play their first

home game on May 6 at Lamport Stadium.

Although the conversation between The Wolves and the team have quieted in recent weeks and a decision has yet to be made, both McRae and Butcher are optimistic that their hard work will pay off before the season starts.

“We will get that slot,” said McRae. “Nothing comes without hard work. Just stay steadfast, and [good] things will come.”

Both men have been big rugby fans their entire life.

Butcher said he wants to share his love for the sport with others because it’s a “beautiful” game.

“Besides the fact that it’s such a tactical game, the respect displayed on and off the field in this sport is incredible.”

The Wolves currently have 103 likes on Facebook. Part of the team’s plan to grow the group is to engage fans and non-fans of the sport through social media.

Additionally, the duo hopes the group’s enthusiasm will shine on the broadcasts of the games, and people will seek them out because of the lure of the atmosphere.

Admittedly, McRae said it is difficult to project how the season will play out.

“I obviously want them to win and succeed, but at the same time, if they dominate too much, it may go to their heads. Humility never does anyone wrong.”

Butcher is “incredibly hopeful” because the team has players with experience at high levels of rugby.”

This isn’t the first time the pair have made a supporters’ group.

McRae and Butcher currently run the Durham Red Army (DRA), a supporters’ group for the Major League Soccer team Toronto FC. The DRA has branded scarfs, jerseys, and weekly meetups long after the season ends.

The pair looks to apply their experience with the DRA to the Wolves, and become connected with the WolfPack on the ground level.

“If we do get the official supporters’ group status, it will be huge,” said Butcher.

“The backing of the club would lead to more exposure, and more die hard fans will reach out to us.

Fingers crossed!”

Photograph by Tyler Hodgkinson

Andrae McRae and John Butcher of The Wolves.

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