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If you’re trying to wear too many hats, you don’t have enough heads. Trust me.

Volume XLV, Issue 3

chronicle.durhamcollege.ca

– See page 20

February 11 - March 23, 2020

'I get to play music'

Stories of Durham musicians, venues. See pages 7-12, 16-24 Photograph by Melanie Lennon

DC basketball is a family affair

page 27 Photograph by Brandon Wright

Celebrating Black history page 3 Photograph by Tracey Bowers-Lee

A hip venue in Oshawa

page 17 Photograph by Al Fournier

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The Chronicle

February 11 - March 23, 2020

Community

chronicle.durhamcollege.ca

Photograph by Brittany Hebelka

Sarah Leveille continues to play guitar despite her dystonia, a neurological disorder that causes intense cramping and involuntary shaking.

The power of positivity helps when dealing with dystonia Port Perry resident overcame more than dystonia Brittany Hebelka

The Chronicle “ People used to not want to pick up a guitar when I was around, I used to be that good,” Sarah Leveille said as she picked up her guitar and her hands shook.

Something that used to be so simple has become so difficult.

Leveille, 30, found out she had dystonia when she was in fourth grade and experienced uncontrollable shaking in her left hand. She had no idea what was happening to her body.

She went to doctors many times starting in fifth grade. Finally when she was 15, she had a CT scan.

Dystonia cannot be detected by a CT scan and receiving a proper diagnosis can be difficult.

“Nobody wants to believe you’re actually sick,” Leveille said.

The effects of dystonia include cramping, constant pain from muscles never relaxing and possi-

bly death due to an uncontrollable seizure the dystonia community has coined as a ‘dystonic storm’.

“I experienced one after giving birth to my daughter, I fell to the floor and my whole body contorted,” Leveille explained.

Her jaw contorted and spine curled upwards, she felt helpless lying on the floor as her whole body seized.

She described the pain as nothing she had ever felt before.

Dystonia is a neurological disorder, similar to Parkinson’s. It is what happens when the part of your brain that usually tells your body to relax no longer works properly. While almost everyone in Canada knows what Parkinson’s is, not many have ever heard of dystonia. While there are over 100, 000 people living with Parkinson’s, according to Dystonia Canada, 50,000 people suffer from the movement disorder in Canada.

While there is no cure, there are various therapies to ease the effects.

Nick, Leveille’s husband, said there are a lot of patients who use botulinum toxin (botox) as a treatment. Botox helps by easing the pain in the muscles and creating more support.

“There’s some people that actually inject botox into their muscle to ease the tremor,” Leveille’s husband said.

Leveille says she used to get bul-

Nobody wants to believe you're actually sick. lied a lot, by not only students but teachers as well. The disease was so foreign people did not understand what was happening to her.

“I used to not be able to finish a five kilometre walk,” Leveille said.

“But last year I completed Chuck’s Run in 35 minutes.”

Chuck’s Run run is dedicated to a young boy who passed away from dystonia.

The run takes place in Toronto’s High Park, and the end goal is to raise money for the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation.

Leveille was an ambassador for the run last year on June 2.

Leveille spoke publicly about her battle with dystonia and how she was able to overcome some of the hardships that came with it.

Speaking in public used to be extremely difficult for Leveille and if she had to be an ambassador ten years ago, her anxieties would

have gotten the best of her.

Leveille said she doesn’t let the negativity take her over and continues to say “she has a lot to live for.”

Before she was 18, she struggled with drug abuse and parents who did not support her the way she needed. She said drugs like cocaine and ecstasy helped balance out her shakes in a way that prescription drugs did not. She continued using until the drugs had the opposite effect, causing the shakes to worsen and the anxieties to become unbearable.

“It started in one hand then slowly it went to my other one,” Leveille said.

By the time Leveille was 19, she had dealt with drug addiction.

The addiction had then left her riddled with anxieties and agoraphobia.

“Every time I stepped outside, I had a panic attack,” Leveille said.

But through the years, she has fought hard to get where she is now.

“Seeing the progress and fight she has in her is motivating,” Levielle’s husband said.

She maintains a healthy lifestyle and has discovered marijuana is the one thing that truly eases her pain and anxieties in a natural way.

Marijuana does not trigger any other urges for Leveille.

Leveille said, “I don’t even

drink anymore.”

She said she’s a homebody and likes to hang out with her daughter and husband. Being home is also a comfortable place for her to practice day to day things like eating soup or put on makeup.

To put makeup on, she has to put whatever she’s applying in her right hand and then balance it with the left. She then has to lean over and place both hands up against the mirror to stabilize the action.

When she eats soup, she holds the spoon with the right and stabilizes with the left. There are still some tremors but they are noticeably less intense when both hands are involved.

Leveille and her husband said they laugh and make jokes about it all now. “It’s important to be positive and just enjoy life as it comes,” Leveille said.

After 15 years, she’s mustered up the courage to pick up the guitar again and is teaching herself little songs and riffs, like “Smoke on The Water”. She is still finding ways that are comfortable enough for her to play.

While playing music is still extremely emotional for her, she fights through the emotion to do something that brings her so much joy.

Leveille’s husband said that one day they are going to start a band.

“Whenever she is ready,” he adds.

Campus/Community

chronicle.durhamcollege.ca

February 11 - March 23, 2020

The Chronicle

3

Black history is Canadian history

Tracey Bowers-Lee The Chronicle

Many Black Canadians feel one month is not enough to tell their history - believing it needs to be intertwined with all history.

Camille Dundas, the editorin-chief of the online magazine ByBlacks.com, says she gets more requests to speak during February than the entire year.

“It’s like we’re Black 365 days, so hey let’s talk about it on Tuesday,” says Dundas, who was at the Durham Regional Police Services Black History Month launch Jan. 28.

“In March,” adds Celina Caesar-Chavannes former Whitby MP and Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Caesar-Chavannes says Black people don’t have the luxury of having Black history end in February.

“If that was the case we would never be in spaces, we would never occupy spaces and then reach out and pull others into those spaces,” says Caesar-Chavannes.

“That is living our ancestral wildest dreams. That is why we are here. We are constantly teaching even when it’s not our children.”

She says when people ask her ‘so where’s our history month?’

She says she tells them, “well, that happens from Grade 1 through 12.” Dundas says she would, and most Blacks would, “gladly” give up Black History Month if they taught Black history throughout the schools.

She says there needs to be inclusion and fairness about Black history or Black people will never move forward.

Kike Ojo-Thompson of the Kojo Institute works to create solutions around equality at an institutional and systemic level. She also joined Caesar-Chavannes and Dundas as panel guests at the launch.

She says she wouldn’t give Black History Month back.

“At least we have the month because if you come from a space or home where it’s not a conversation at least this happens. It’s like we have Women’s Day,” says Ojo-Thompson. “I’m sure it’s an easy argument for why we have Women’s Day. So that same argument is why we have Black History Month.”

A former teacher in the Peel District School Board, Ojo-Thompson says kids aren’t being taught about Black history.

“We teach your children not one thing, not one single, solitary thing about the second largest land mass on the planet, and that is the continent of Africa,” says Ojo-Thompson.

“We teach them absolutely nothing. We should be enraged and not just Black people, white people, you should be enraged your children think Africa is a country. You should be disturbed.”

Ojo-Thompson says a month can’t take care of systemic racism but says the reason a month like this is given to communities is about equity.

“Which community, which

Photograph by Tracey Bowers-Lee

(From left) Camille Dundas, Kike Ojo-Thompson, Celina Caesar-Chavannes at the launch of DRPS Black History Month on Jan. 28. youth know their history? Not ours, not here. Anything that I know, happened later in life or through my parents with intentionality,” says Ojo-Thompson.

“A white child’s parents don’t have to have intentionality for them to know their heritage or their roots or feel rooted.”

She also says on the slight chance Black history is shared; it is often not represented accurately.

Ojo-Thompson also explains the powers of unexamined racism and spoke about personal experience. “To be black is to have a lifetime of experiences, a realization of how you are being taken up,”

says Ojo-Thompson.

She says while she was a student at McMaster University she faced racism while walking to class. “I am alone, not with a posse or a gang.

I am wearing my hoodie, but the hood was not up. I’m wearing a McMaster backpack. And yet when I stopped at a stop sign and a white woman pulled up beside me to stop at the stop sign,” says Ojo-Thompson. “When she noticed me, she rushed to lock her door in fright. Am I scary?”

She says she had to realize it really wasn’t personal, it is about the ideas people have about Black people and surround no matter

what space they are in.

Ojo-Thompson, Dundas and Caesar-Chavannes agree if there was equity within the system then Black History Month wouldn’t be a subject of any discussions.

Ojo-Thompson says whenever she gets an opportunity to speak, she is happy to speak “truth to power.

“I'm doing it for people that look like me because I know we don't get to hear it often. It's to the point where you start to feel like you're crazy,” she says. “You start to feel maybe it's me, this experience because you're not hearing our truth on microphones anywhere.”

Nye may spark more speakers at Ontario Tech Melanie Lennon The Chronicle

Science ruled during guest speaker Bill Nye the Science Guy’s event at Ontario Tech University.

The beloved star spoke with an audience of approximately 1,500 people on Jan. 20.

The event, sponsored by Oshawa Power and Utilities Corp. and Ontario Power Generation, took place in the form of a moderated Q and A, and ran almost two hours.

Nye discussed a range topics, from climate change and women in science, to vaccines and space exploration, according to Ontario Tech Student Union (OTSU) President Owen Davis.

The event was undeniably successful and Davis says this is the “first of many” to come.

Davis says the union would like to bring in guest speakers at least once a year.

OTSU is aiming towards steering away from concert-based events, according to Davis.

He says the union hopes to book more guest speakers who inspire the students academically.

“What educational experience does a student really get from [a concert]?” Davis says. “So, we were hoping to kind of bring in somebody who is actually on

that educational and academic side since…the university’s a tech school.”

Davis says they already have an “idealist” guest speaker in mind, but he can’t release that information just yet.

He says the union sends out student engagement surveys every year.

On it, they asked students which guest speaker they’d like to have at the university.

He says the students were very clear about who they wanted to see, and are still very vocal about which people they want to hear from moving forward.

Davis says OTSU is definitely listening. “The only reason why I could do this is because all the students are engaged,” he smiles.

“So, it's just, we're happy to keep doing this for our students… because realistically, it’s not my dream to bring him here. It’s everybody’s.”

Davis says audience members began lining up two and a half hours before Nye's show, forming a line that stretched all the way from Ontario Tech’s main gym to Durham College’s computer learning commons.

“We are extremely happy and proud. It’s the largest event the university’s ever seen and largest name to come to the institution,”

Courtesy of Ontario Tech Student Union

Bill Nye the Science Guy speaking to students at Ontario Tech University on Jan. 20. he says. “I’ve had some people tell me that it’s on par and to the same level as when the student association brought in Avicii and The Chainsmokers.”

The OTSU started promoting

Nye's appearance in October of last year. Davis says the booking process was smooth and straightforward.

“You just contact the agent, you offer the money, then you say

yes or no.

And then we negotiate, obviously,” he explains.

“It's no different than when we're booking concert artists.

It's no harder, no easier.”

4

The Chronicle

February 11 - March 23, 2020

chronicle.durhamcollege.ca

Editorial

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

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

DCSI: The student union's ugly truth Childhood icon Bill Nye the Science Guy made a guest appearance at Ontario Tech University on Jan. 20, thanks to the Ontario Tech Student Union (OTSU).

What has Durham College Students Inc. (DSCI) done recently?

Handed out popcorn in the Pit ... again.

Through their lack of professionalism, transparency and efficient spending, DCSI is, by far, inferior to OTSU. In their most up-to-date operational plan from the 2017-2018 school year, DCSI claims transparent communication is one of their most important values. Yet, this isn’t accurately displayed.

In 2020, an online presence is one of the most efficient ways to communicate with college students.

DCSI is undeniably lacking in this department.

Instagram and Facebook appear to be their go-to platforms to engage with students and notify the campus of upcoming events.

However, both accounts are only updated a few times a month.

DCSI also has Twitter but they appear to use this site the least.

Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are arguably three of the most used social media platforms today.

For DCSI to irregularly post on each, shows insufficient effort to communicate with the students on those sites.

OTSU uses the same platforms but with far more consistency. The student union uses all three equally and updates each on a day-to-day basis.

Their official website also proves to be a reliable source. The site is easy to navigate, and provides students with organized and upto-date information on fees and upcoming events.

Similar to OTSU, DCSI separates the content on their website through tabs. However, the information within each section is outdated.

Therefore, DCSI’s website is lacking relevant information students want and need.

The 'events' tab on their landin

Cartoon by Melanie Lennon

page simply says, “More events are on the way! Please visit again for more details!”

Not only that, the union hasn’t posted anything under their “news” tab since April, 2019.

The only thing that is up to date on their website is their 2019-2020 budget, which isn’t exactly easy to locate.

In The Chronicle’s attempts to obtain this year’s budget, since it’s practically hidden on their site, we were faced with many obstacles.

Those obstacles? Weeks of follow-ups, new contacts, and an ultimatum.

After initially reaching out to Natalie Bartley, executive chairperson and chief elected officer, we were passed along to various people within the union.

It wasn’t until two weeks later that we received a vague answer in the form of a link from DCSI’s General Manager Faris Lehn.

After a bit of confusion on our behalf, we contacted Lehn again, saying we needed a clear answer as the information on their website is unclear.

He then responded with, “We are an open book and here to support.” A statement DCSI struggled to demonstrate based on our experience. OTSU, however, is an open book. Their yearly budget is easy to locate and understand.

After comparing the two union’s fees, it is clear they operate with considerably different financial plans.

According to their 2019-2020 budgets, OTSU performs with a

revenue of approximately $3.9 million, whereas DCSI operates with approximately $5.6 million.

Despite having close to $2 million more than their campus counterparts, DCSI has a track record of not delivering to student’s expectations, as evidenced through their underwhelming events calendar.

Hand-delivering popcorn and pizza a few times a week isn’t the most thrilling method of student engagement, especially when the food isn’t even free.

Many students are drawn to the idea of a complimentary snack, but aren’t always aware they’re the ones funding it. A Durham College (DC) student waiting in line for “free” popcorn said DCSI is unclear about what they’re doing to represent the students.

Melanie Lennon Brandon Wright

PRODUCTION ARTISTS: Audrey Bangala, Nikita Beharry, Shikhar Bhugra, Lance Bucknor, Christian Buraga, Frankie Cavallari, Alxya Crain, Alex Conti, Roxette Diosina, Alecia Forgeard, Sam Kabungu, Adnan Lalji, Mat Lavigne, Lydia MacGillivray, Eyuel Markos, Harry Moir, Breanna Nowen, Nic Orgias, Matthew Phinn, Abigail Reynolds, Pietro Sales, Teresa Serio, Lana Sheppard, Janette Sigua, Akash Singhal, Jordan Stojanovic, Aaron Uduwelagedara, Amanda Wilson, Donte Young

EDITORS: Emily Barnes, Brandon Beharry, William Black, Tracey Bowers, Fiona Campbell, Jeremy Corrivault-Luxton, Liam David, John Elambo, Ryan Hahn, Brittany Hebelka, Melanie Lennon, Marcus Levy-Ash, Courtney McClure, Soyra Mokashi, Dennis Price, Piri Sinnathurai, Tara Sottile, Marc Stuemple, Brandon Wright.

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.

Publisher: Greg Murphy

“I've received an email from [DCSI] one time asking me to join them, but yeah, I don't really know what they do,” she said.

When told the popcorn isn’t free, multiple students said they would rather DCSI put the money towards something else.

With $125,000 of their budget going towards events on campus, it’s fair to assume DCSI has big plans for DC students. So, how come so many students don’t even know the school has a union?

OTSU devotes $167,500 of their budget towards bettering their campus life. With those fees, the union has put on concerts, fairs and, most recently, brought in guest speaker Bill Nye. Tickets for this event ranged from $25 to $40 and brought in an audience of approximately 1,500 people.

With fairly similar budgets for this category, why can OTSU arrange memorable, high traffic events and all DCSI can do is hand out food?

Students want their voices heard by the people elected to represent them.

OTSU President Owen Davis said he makes sure of this. He said the student union regularly sends out satisfaction surveys to develop a better understanding of what the students want.

“The only reason why I could do this is because all the students are engaged,” he said.

“We're happy to keep doing this for our students.”

It’s quite clear there’s a communication barrier between DCSI and the students.

DCSI proves themselves to be inferior to their campus counterparts through their failure to update the student union’s online platforms, their lack of efficient spending and underwhelming events.

With DSCI's election process beginning Feb. 20, it’s the perfect time to make a change.

Let your voice be heard.

ACCOUNT REPS: AJashandeep Kaur, Jodbhir, Taranpreet Kaur, Angela Canales, Bradley Cea, Tanjima Chowdhury, Madelyn Clark, Nicole Constable, Mary-Jane Cosburn, Jackie Hartman, Ashimita Mehta, Lauryn Mills, Navneet Randhawa, Cassidy Rochford-Seager, Claire Smith, Charmi Soni, Jessica Thompson, Emily Wilkinson

Editor-In-Chief: Brian Legree Editor: Danielle Harder Features editor: Teresa Goff

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Photography Editor: Al Fournier

Ad Manager: Dawn Salter

Technical Production: Keir Broadfoot

chronicle.durhamcollege.ca

February 11 - March 23, 2020

The Chronicle

5

Opinion

The YouTube beauty community is toxic Girls and women should not have to wear makeup to feel like they’re worth something.

There is a rise in popularity of YouTube and social media influencers — mainly on Instagram.

“See: pretty coffee, pretty girl, cute cat, beach trip.

It’s all like that. Everyone looks like they’re having the best day ever, all the time,” says Sasha, 16, as she scrolls through her Instagram feed.

This quote was written in an article on Child Mind Institute’s website by Content Engagement Specialist Rae Jacobson. The article talked about social media and its effect on teenager’s mental health.

The article says many teens put up a facade of a “perfect” life on

Courtney McClure

their Instagram feed. According to Jacobson, this often masks signs of mental illness.

In the article, Jacobson grants the merits of society and the media’s portrayal of beauty, reassuring readers that the models displayed on the pages of magazines are “just that: models.”

“My issue lies in the fact that society has normalized makeup as a natural feature of being a woman and continually stigmatizes make-

up-free women,” writes Sarah Greenwald in 2015 article for FEM magazine.

Makeup itself isn’t a threat, the stigma that people who don’t wear makeup are ugly is what society needs to abolish.

In 2018, beauty vlogger Em Ford created a video titled “Redefine Pretty.”

This was a sequel to earlier video she made called “You Look Disgusting.”

In “Redefine Pretty” she asked a few girls to describe their version of the ideal woman. Each of the girls said various forms of thin, Instagram model or white woman.

“In the media, that’s what’s presented to you, so you just take it,” said one of the unnamed girls.

By creating these videos, influencers are giving teenagers, and in some cases young children, an unrealistic standard of what it means to be beautiful and comfortable in your own skin.

Tiffany Yabsley was a 15-yearold tennis player back in 2016.

During an interview conducted in that same year by Carina Tedesco from We News, an online news source tackling issues woman face, Yabsley said she feels judged without makeup on —even during a tennis match. According to the article, Yabsley said she feels judged when she isn’t wearing makeup.

“This is why I put on makeup before matches. I don’t want to be judged by the people watching or by my opponents,” she said.

Although there are downsides to the beauty community, there are also upsides as well, such as, entertainment from watching makeup tutorials, gaining a useful skill and having fun in general.

In 2019, freelance writer and feminist, Aysha Qamar writes, “Sometimes, I just want to do my makeup really well, whether or not I’m going somewhere.”

It can be fun for girls to experiment with the different colours available to palette. According to the Patriot Post, “You can have a new look every day.”

Although it may be unintentional, YouTubers are contributing to toxic beauty standards among girls and women.

And that is ugly.

Durham Lords women's basketball will win the OCAA title Really talented teams on both ends of the floor has been shining all season long.

In 2020, the Durham Lords Women's basketball team is going to win the championship for the first time since the 1996-1997 season.

The Lords are on a seven game winning streak and are one game back from the first seed Algonquin Thunder.

Kendra Oliver is having a breakout season and is fifth in scoring in the entire league. She is averaging 19 points and 13 rebounds a game as a freshman.

Kendra deserves to be the most valuable player (MVP) of the

Jeremy Corrivault

OCAA . She always shows up in the big games and carries the Lords to wins.

Nobody in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) can guard Kendra, whose sister, Sierra Oliver, also plays on the team.

With the good supporting cast surrounding her, the Lords will be able to win the OCAA champion-

ship . She is an opponents nightmare to defend as she can shoot the 3 ball, post up, mid range and makes her free throws. She's also a really good rebounder and defender.

The Lords have a lot of talent and a good coaching staff, many of whom have been in the spotlight before. Head Coach Heather Lafontaine has over 40 years of coaching experience and that will help the team a lot during the playoff stretch.

Andrea Zulich is a veteran who helps mentor the younger teammates. She has four years of experience playing university basketball. She is a great shooter

and a good ball handler. She is always focused and makes the right basketball decisions.

Emily Glendinning, is having a good season averaging 15 points a game.

She is a big factor for the Lords as she is the team's second leading scorer. She can shoot the ball very well and can finish around the rim.

The Lords have fun on the court together and are a nicely organized team.

The Lords' defence has been very good this season as they have only allowed their opponents to 55 points a game. They rotate well on the ball and have good communi-

cation. They can play either manto-man or zone, both are efficient for them as they lock down their opponents.

The Lords score an average of 71 points a game. They have a deadly offense where everybody knows their role.

With the season winding down (at the Chronicle's deadline) the Lords look like they will have home court advantage for the cross-over playoff game. They are a really talented team on both ends of the floor and have been shining all season long.

The Lords are a hard-working and well-rounded team and will win the OCAA championship.

Meghan was raised differently from Harry.

She has given up a lot to be with Harry and changed her life to fit into the royal box yet she is still treated as a second-class member. British media has nit-picked at everything Meghan does.

The couple is treated differently from Harry’s brother William and his wife Kate.

Kate is Britain’s princess and Meghan is portrayed as an outsider they refuse to let in.

On the day William married Kate, the headlines were more about Kate’s dress and less about the traditional royal ceremony taking place.

Describing Kate’s dress as being timeless, wrote UK’s Daily Mail.

On Meghan and Harry’s wedding day, the paper wrote about the attendees and the multi-cultural themed ceremony.

Later, when Meghan sought guidance from Kate on how to deal with the pressures of dealing with outside criticism, author and former royal correspondent Phil Dampier told the Express, “[Kate] has told Meghan that every royal – including herself – goes through a bad patch with the press but the important thing is to learn by mistakes, move on and get through it.”

The problem is, Kate has never been criticized for being white and she does not have to bring up a young black (or biracial) child.

Despite the friction, the couples have kept their composure and attended events, but the tension was brought up again when Harry and Meghan began breaking away from traditional expectations.

A notable example of this was when Meghan missed the Queen’s birthday celebration last year to support her best friend, Venus Williams, at the U.S. Open.

The couple spent Thanksgiving with Meghan’s mother in the U.S. and she came along with them for Christmas and spent it on Vancouver Island. In the past, they have spent the holidays with the rest of the Royals at Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, northeast of London.

They have chosen to define what they want family to look like for themselves and for Archie.

Their decision to be independent includes repaying 2.4 million pounds ($3.1 million) in taxpayers’ money spent renovating their home, Frogmore Cottage.

By doing this, the couple shows determination to limit the public’s examination of their every move.

If the public is funding your lifestyle, they seem to think they can

have an input.

British media has not made it easy for them to feel secure in this regard.

Fueling this insecurity is Meghan’s estranged father who is testifying against his daughter and son-in-law, in a lawsuit they filed against a British Newspaper.

Harry has voiced his concern regarding the similarities in how British media treats Meghan and how they treated his mother.

While in Africa last October, he spoke of the festering wound his mother’s death left.

At an AIDS charity gala in Britain, he explained his decision to have his family step back from the royal life he has always known.

“When I lost my mother 23 years ago, [Britain] took me under your wing. You looked out for me for a long time, but the media is a powerful force,” he said.

“I would step my family back from all I have ever known, to take a step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life.”

Seeing what the press and negative opinions from the public are doing to his wife while experiencing the post-traumatic stress of what happened to his mother, it makes perfect sense Harry wants his family to be left alone.

Meghan, Harry are re-defining royalty with their own rules Even before becoming a couple, Meghan and Harry have played by their own rules.

The Duke and Duchess’ decision to take a step back from the monarchy is right for their mental well-being and their plan to chart a more peaceful path for themselves.

British media has taken a toll on the livelihood of both Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

“I think being part of this family, in this role, in this job, every single time I see a camera, every single time I hear a click, every single time I see a flash it takes me straight back,” Prince Harry explained to Tom Bradby in an ITV documentary. “In that respect, it's the worst reminder of her life (his mother Diana) as opposed to the best.”

Later, in a written statement, Harry wrote, "I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces."

Even before becoming a couple, Meghan and Harry have played by their own rules.

Now, as a married couple and parents to their son Archie, they are unconventional.

Traditionally, royals don’t marry outside their circle, so when

Tracey BowersLee Harry started dating a black, nonBrit, American divorcee, the scrutiny began.

Before the couple were married in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, the British tabloids and news did not make life easy for Meghan.

The press racially tormented her at every turn. The Daily Mail ran an article headlined, “Harry’s girl is (almost) straight outta Compton: Gang-scarred home of her mother revealed – so will he be dropping by for tea?”

Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, lives in a house she inherited from her father in 2011. Her home is located in one of the wealthiest African American communities in California.

Far from “gang-scarred” neighbourhood. In hopes of keeping their family protected, Harry and Meghan have made the choice to secure their desired life.

Harry decided to move his family to a place they both cherish, to Canada where they first met.

6

The Chronicle

February 11 - March 23, 2020

chronicle.durhamcollege.ca

Community

Photograph by Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA)

Flooding occurs in Oshawa Creek at Thomas Street, Oshawa.

Oshawa flooding possible due to climate change CLOCA advises people to be careful about where they purchase their homes Soyra Mokashi The Chronicle

Lucy Benham stands amidst a dreary backdrop of dark clouds, closely-knit buildings and flood water swaying around her ankles.

A yellow Camaro is parked beside her, its tires sitting calmly in the same water that seems to be rising with every moment. The slow but steady rise continues until the water reaches past her shoulders and climbs further, submerging her and everything else around her.

The screen fades to black.

Benham, senior resource engineer at Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA), is in charge of flood hazard protection which involves monitoring water levels around the City of Oshawa.

Painted above are a few moments from a flood simulation video narrated by Benham. The video illustrates a potential threat and serves as a premonition of what could occur in the case of a severe flooding in Durham Region.

CLOCA’s core mandate is to undertake watershed-based programs to protect people and property from flooding and other

natural hazards, and to conserve natural resources.

The institution is funded by the Region of Durham, which uses one per cent of its entire budget to fund a total of five conservations in its jurisdiction.

Benham says with sea levels rising around the planet, a couple of inches may not seem like much but affects a number of other factors, such as floods and flood lines.

According to the Specialists in Energy, Nuclear and Environmental Sciences report (SENES), climate change models are showing an increase in yearly temperature. SENES is a Canadian organization that provides environmental consulting, engineering and services.

Eighteen of the nineteen hottest years have happened since 2001: hottest of all have been the last five years. If this continues, it will cause a number of chain reactions on the earth’s weather patterns, oceans, flora and fauna such as the melting of permafrost, which will cause glaciers, rivers and other water bodies to disappear. In turn, landslides will occur in mountainous regions.

“What we’re doing is thickening our atmospheric blanket with all these green-house gases that we are dumping into the atmosphere…To the tune of a 100 million tons of man-made global pollution daily,” says Ginny Colling, climate activist and retired journalism professor. “That atmospheric blanket warms up the planet and that’s where we’re at right now.”

This means there’s going to be less snowfall but more precipitation. So, there’s a potential that we will see more flooding.

“The recurrence of an event that previously would occur once in 100 years or have a one per cent chance of taking place in any given year may go up,” says Benham.

While the frequency of severe floods could rise, the risk of houses situated in these areas being flooded and destroyed rises as well.

While the possibility of a 100-year flood is alarming enough, the real problem lies in the fact that most people are not aware their house falls on a flood line. People are not aware of the potential threat they are facing.

Sea level rise is another direct impact of climate change, with coastal areas being most at risk.

They are rising due to two main reasons linked to global warming – melting glaciers and ice sheets adding water to oceans and the expansion of seawater when it gets warmer.

Average sea levels have swelled over nine inches since 1980. For example, coastal areas flooded 2.1 days per year from 1956 to 1960. This shot up to 11.8 days per year between 2006 and 2010, according to a study titled ‘Earth’s Future’ by William.V.Sweet and Joseph Park.

National Geographic says forty per cent of Jakarta, Indonesia, which is home to 30 million people, already lies below sea level. By 2050, 17 per cent of Bangladesh is expected to flood, displacing 18 million people.

The closer the areas are to the sea, the higher the risk lies. Moreover, houses that lie on the flood lines have additional hazards.

“There’s a risk that at some point the house may become flooded and sustain flood dam-

age,” says Benham. “It also makes it a little bit more tricky if you want to make an addition to your house or do some changes.”

CLOCA regularly monitors water quality and levels around the flood zones.

“Our first step is to delineate the floodlines so we know where they are,” says Benham.

Any houses within those areas are identified as flood damage centres.

According to Benham, a floodrisk assessment ranks the highest-risk flood damage centre to the lowest-risk in all of CLOCA’S jurisdiction. “By identifying our flood damage centres, we pinpoint where possible future improvements can be made.”

In addition, CLOCA also monitors extreme conditions including rain forecast. Benham says they are constantly looking at how the future forecasts will affect conditions on ground.

“If we feel that there’s a potential for flooding, we send out messages,” she says. “Those messages go to the media, to our municipal partners, the region of Durham, emergency services, police services, and schools as well. It’s just trying to give some early warning of possible flooding.”

The conservation also works with government authorities, such as City of Oshawa, to help manage watershed resources in areas under its jurisdiction. Oshawa is one of its municipal partners.

“The City of Oshawa has done a good job in the last ten years to work collaboratively…they get floodplain maps into zoning as well as the official plan,” says Patricia Lowe, director of commun-

ity engagement at CLOCA. A big storm like Hurricane Hazel would give approximately a day to five days warning but thunderstorms are harder to predict as they can occur really quickly, and anywhere over the watershed. Hurricane Hazel, which took place in 1954, is the deadliest storm to occur in Canada, costing the country a death toll of 81 people and $137,552,400 in damages, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia.

Benham says one of the best ways home-owners can get informed is to enquire with their office about the property when they are purchasing it. CLOCA can provide them with a map outlining the relevant flood lines.

The service is free of charge.

CLOCA reviews development applications, looking for flood hazards, erosion hazards and storm water management to ensure the development meets their guidelines.

“We are working towards getting the flood lines online and available but have some concerns with how that information is interpreted,” she says. “If someone comes here and obtains the map, we can talk to them and explain what that means and how to apply it to their property.”

A good real-estate agent would be aware of these details as well and would be able to do that work for their clients, if asked.

“I’d encourage home-owners to be aware if they’re in a flood plain. Even if they’re not, flooding can still occur. It’s important to be aware where your property is located, what risks it could have and what measures to take to protect themselves,” says Benham.

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Courtesy of Kevin Comeau

Kevin Comeau (left) and Cody Bowles make up the rock duo, Crown Lands.

Crown Lands bringing awareness to Indigenous issues Dennis B. Price The Chronicle

Since the formation of Crown Lands in 2015, the focus of the band's message hasn't faltered.

Through their music, educating and bringing awareness to Indigenous issues continues to be a goal for the rock duo.

Guitarist, bassist, and keyboardist, Kevin Comeau, 25, says one motivation behind the band's message has to do with the heritage of lead singer and drummer, Cody Bowles, 25.

"Cody is half Indigenous, he's half Mi’kmaq," says Comeau.

"We just want to bring awareness at the very least to the fact that Indigenous people across the country are still fighting to be treated equally."

That commitment can even be seen in the band's name, the crown lands (government lands) is where you can find Indigenous reserves in Canada, says Comeau.

"Canada was founded on genocide and people are not really taught that in public education," says Comeau. "I didn't even know that until I was much older."

Comeau adds 113 of these native reserves are in a water crisis and have mercury in their drinking water, which he finds unacceptable. He hopes that anyone listening to the band's music feels inspired to do the right thing, not only for themselves but for the people around them.

For anyone who has never lis-

tened to Crown Lands, Comeau recommends any new listener give Mountain a listen. That tune is about residential schools and colonization.

Even though Crown Lands has been around for almost five years, Bowles and Comeau have only known each other since they were 19.

Comeau first met Bowles during his year-long break from the classical music program he was taking at the University of Western Ontario. He had been touring in California with a reggae band and decided to come back home to Whitby to visit family.

Comeau's friend was auditioning for Bowles's band and Comeau went with his friend to the audition. Comeau went because he heard Bowles - like him - was a huge Rush fan.

They immediately hit it off and kept in contact. One day in August, 2015 that connection led to the formation of Crown Lands.

Comeau wanted the band to capture its spirit while doing right by its biggest musical inspirations like Rush and Led Zeppelin.

The Oshawa rock duo has taken the music world outside of Oshawa by storm. Oshawa Music Awards organizer, William McGuirk, 54, says the rock duo's popularity in the music scene outside of Oshawa is a little surprising.

"Yeah... it is actually and not because of their sound or their show, but just it's been so fast,"

says McGuirk. "They're playing with big names and there is a lot of interest in them, you know for bands around here that doesn't happen too often."

Those big names Crown Lands has performed with include Protest The Hero, Coheed and Cambria, The Lazys, Primus and former White Stripes' guitarist and vocalist, Jack White.

McGuirk says Crown Lands is a throwback to the 1970s – minus

the rock and roll lifestyle – as they come off more as a straightedge rock and roll band.

Comeau revealed they are currently working on a new album in Ohio, adding it's inspired by Jack White.

"We toured with Jack White last year and so this new album that we are going to be putting out has a lot of his kind of 'swagger' on it," says Comeau. "He definitely inspired us a lot with the way he

writes and plays music."

The new album will feature one song that Comeau graciously talked about, it focuses on the missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada. This is a topic both Bowles and Comeau wanted to highlight in the new album.

At this time there is no formal release date on the Crown Lands' next album, but Comeau says the plan is to have it out sometime this spring.

Photogrpah by Dennis B. Price

Oshawa Music Awards organizer and Kops Records employee, William McGuirk, holding up Crown Lands’ second EP, Rise over Sun.

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February 11 - March 23, 2020

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Oshawa Music Hall delivers acts for all Owners say 'we'd like to think of this place as Durham Region's 'Cheers'.'

Tracey Bowers-Lee The Chronicle

A Whitby couple has brought back some refinement to the Oshawa entertainment scene.

Ed and Maggie Maybee are in their fifth year as owners of The Music Hall and say the business is thriving.

The venue on King Street in the downtown core has hosted acts like Classified, Nelly, LMFAO, the Headstones, Dave Evans of AC/ DC, Glorious Sons, Gord Bamford, I Mother Earth, 54-40, Mob Deep and many more.

Ed, 49, and Maggie, 41, are enthusiastic about the future.

“Some of the bands we have on hold date for I can’t even mention.

Some of the acts we have in the works right now I can’t wait,” Ed says, with a glint of excitement in his eyes.

“Some of the acts we’ve had come through this building, we look at each other and can’t believe we actually booked them.”

They believe the reason for their success is hard work, communication, listening to what the other has to say and knowing what their roles are in the business.

“She’ll stay focused on her projects and I stay focused on my projects, but we will run ideas by each other,” Ed says.

He explains there are many moving parts to produce an event and

Photograph by Tracey Bowers-Lee

A crowd gathers inside The Oshawa Music Hall for a J-Soul concert on Jan. 15, 2020. they all have to be organized.

“We have radio, you have promoters, you have tickets, you have bar, you have staff, you have cleaning staff, you have security, sound techs, you have the managers of the band and then you have the band as well that reaches out.”

Maggie runs the business from home, looking after the social media, answering radio station issues, promotions, emails, orders and bookings.She also takes care of their blended family of six.

“I have two (Dawson, 17 and Julianna, 12) and he has two (Kaitlin, 24 and Eric, 20) and we have none together,” says Maggie.

“We have three kids who live at home and my daughter is 24

(Kaitlin), she lives on her own.

She chooses to do so because our house is a zoo, but she lives locally,” says Ed. Ed works on site, looking after all building issues, the maintenance of the facilities and staffing.

“I come in, I wear a headset and I’m on my phone, I do my emails, I have a laptop and a computer going at the same time. I’ll be sending emails back and forth. I’ll work through the day multi-tasking,” says Ed. He says the music industry is cutthroat and it’s hard to find trustful people, but over the years they have surrounded themselves with a reliable team.

The Music Hall is the only venue

of its kind in Durham Region.

The building itself has been an entertainment staple in downtown Oshawa for more than 70 years.

“The reason we kept the name ‘The Music Hall’ is because we didn't want to be prejudiced against any genre.

If you look at our calendar, we have everything from hip-hop, to rock, to country, to Punjabi, to club nights,” says Ed. He says there is no specific entertainment scene in Durham Region and there aren’t many venues but there are still people looking for a night out.

There are also artists looking for local stages to showcase their talents and most small venues can’t

stay afloat. They eventually close down, he says. The Music Hall has been a staple in downtown Oshawa for 75 years. It was first the Biltmore Theatre and for a period of time, The Big Sexy night club.

It has been many different establishments, had different names and owners.

“There are three entertainment locations downtown that are the bigger entertainment venues and have been around for some time.

There is us, the beautiful location across the road, the Regent Theatre and the Atria,” says Ed. He says all three venues attract a different kind of crowd and have a place in the community.

The Regent Theatre is a location for an older demographic who like to sit down and watch a show.

Whereas The Music Hall is more of a stand up “in your face, have a good time, dance in front of the bands, meet the band,” type of location.

“We are the only facility east of Toronto that offers this type of entertainment.”

Maggie says owning The Music Hall was not something they planned. “It definitely happened to us,” says Maggie.

She says while Ed was doing some construction at the home of the previous owner of the nightclub, the owner told him she thought he and Maggie would do a great job running The Music Hall.

“She admires Ed’s craftsmanship and his work ethic,” says Maggie.

Two months later, Ed and Maggie had their first show, called 12 Bars, and it sold out.

They are grateful and want to build The Music Hall into a place people can come, take in a show and have a night on the town.

“We’d like to think of this place as Durham Region’s ‘Cheers’,” says Ed, referring to the 1980s TV show about a popular bar where friends gathered and “everybody knows your name.”

Photograph by Tracey Bowers-Lee

J-Soul performing the song 'Slow Wine' at The Oshawa Music Hall.

Photograph by Tracey Bowers-Lee

Ed and Maggie Maybee at The Oshawa Music Hall.

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Wooly on live local music

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Whitby band says Durham scene is 'severely hurting' Fiona Campbell The Chronicle

It's ironic Whitby band Wooly has an upcoming show at the Oshawa Music Hall.

To say the least, the art-folk ensemble isn't too fond of the current state of the live local music scene.

"I feel like right now the Durham music scene is severely hurting," says 23-year-old Chris Caceres, a guitarist with the band.

Caceres, along with Jonah Kissoon, 22, and Amika Vie, 24, started the band in spring, 2017 but had collaborated on music long before that.

"We all went to the same high school (Sinclair Secondary School), and that's where we started playing together," says Kissoon, a guitarist and vocalist.

The band started playing shows as "Wooly" after releasing their EP 'Time to Grow' in June, 2018.

They have played more than 40 live shows since.

"I would really like to think of ourselves as a Durham Region band, I think there's so much good music in Durham Region," says Caceres.

However, the band says there is a lack of local opportunities for them to play.

"We probably do more stuff outside of Durham (region) be-

Photograph by Fiona Campbell

Wooly’s first EP 'Time to Grow' on Apple music.

cause there's not that much to do in Durham and it's hard to get people to come out," says Kissoon.

There are not many music venues and little money going into the local music scene, according to the band.

Wooly says it's clear cities like London, Ontario actually invest in their music scene.

"There was this dude specifically in charge of organizing mu-

sical things for the city council (in London), I don't know if we have that here in Oshawa," says Kissoon.

"We definitely play bigger crowds in London than we do in Oshawa," Caceres says.

Criticism of the local scene aside, the band says they enjoy playing locally when they can and wish there was more opportunity for artists in Whitby and Oshawa.

"It feels like people would rather go to Toronto to see shows which sort of makes sense, but at the same time it doesn't...I think wouldn't people want to see more music locally?," Caceres asks.

The band says they haven't given up on the Oshawa scene, though.

"We want to do more shows and events at Kops record shop in Oshawa this year," says Kissoon.

"Our goals for 2020 are to just keep playing shows and keep making new music," he also says.

Wooly announces all their upcoming shows on their website woolyband.ca.

"We try to keep it (the website) updated" says Kissoon.

Keep an eye out for Wooly at Oshawa Music Hall Feb. 27, when they play with the Birds of Bellwoods.

Screen capture: by Fiona Campbell

Wooly's website, woolyband.ca. Updates, shows and photos are posted there.

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Photo credit: Courtesy Concertaholics.com

Mick Jagger (left) and Keith Richards perform at the CNIB benefit concert in Oshawa, 1979.

The day the Rolling Stones played in Oshawa How the Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards relationship with heroin led to Blind Date in Oshawa Soyra Mokashi The Chronicle

Thousands of young men and women flock to the Oshawa Civic Auditorium hours before the schedule printed on their tickets.

Before long, the venue starts to fill up but the lineup only seems to be getting longer. A haze of smoke surrounds the arena, as around 5,000 fans clamour to get a good glimpse of the stage.

Time passes as the crowd continues to breathe in a palpable mixture of excitement and impatience before Saturday Night Live and Blues Brother star, John Belushi, along with Cliff Lorrimer, a blind DJ are on stage to emcee one of Oshawa’s most iconic concerts

of all time.

Belushi’s banter is brought to a halt after introducing the evening’s main act – The Rolling Stones.

The band emerges under a spotlight and countless sets of eyes. The crowd goes wild.

On April 22, 1979, The Rolling Stones and their opening act, The New Barbarians, played two benefit concerts called ‘Blind Date’ for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) in Oshawa. The concerts were guitarist Richards’ sentence for his conviction on heroin charges after being arrested at the Harbour Castle Hilton in Toronto in 1977.

During his sentencing in 1978, the Crown suggested a jail term of six to 12 months, but Richards’ lawyer Austin Cooper argued against it, saying prison was necessary only to kick his drug habit or prevent him from committing crime. He added that his client was rich enough to fund his habit without stealing, and was also receiving treatment, which defeated the purpose of a jail term.

“It kind of gave the general public the idea that there are really two laws,” says Eric Alper, music commentator and publicist.

“There’s one for the rich and the wealthy, and there’s one for everybody else.”

His argument was effective and Judge Lloyd Graburn ended up sentencing Richards to a benefit concert for CNIB that was to take place within six months.

“There’s no reason to put a Keith Richards in prison,” Alper adds. “You can’t make an example of it so they did exactly what you would hope a judge would do, and if he cleaned up his act, then everybody wins.”

The concert was held in Oshawa because venues in Toronto were not available.

While one portion of the tickets was set aside for the blind, the other was sold to the public.

Tickets went on sale months before the event. This was well before the internet and Oshawa saw thousands of fans lining up for days just to get a hold of a ticket.

The concert sold out in no time, sending many home empty-handed.

“In 1978, the Stones were earning their keep and proving to the world that they truly were the greatest rock and roll band,” says Alper. “Many boomers of that generation grew up on their music and they were as big of a celebrity as you can be.”

Then 20-year-old Donna Legree and her now-husband Dave Sheridan didn’t have tickets to the show.

They were at home, watching

a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game.

Shortly before the evening show, the two Oshawa residents received a phone call from a friend who was a police officer and had acquired a couple of extra tickets. He asked the couple what they would rather do – go to the Stones’ concert or watch the game.

“It didn’t take us too long to make a decision,” Dave says.

“Within 15 minutes, we were at the Civic Auditorium.”

“We actually went through the long line that was lined up all the way around the arena. We cut through, went up the steps and got let in through the side door for free,” he chuckles.

The highlight of the evening for Dave was the “electric” atmosphere and the moment the Stones came on stage as the whole arena erupted into excitement.

For Donna, the highlight was just being there after not expecting to be there.

“The Stones, right in your own backyard and for free…that doesn’t happen,” she says. “Usually, if you want see any big group, you’ve got to get in your car or plane or train and travel somewhere.”

Most of the audience wasn’t so lucky.

Rob Sweeney, a diehard Stones

fan, had waited in line with friends from about 7 p.m. on a Saturday night till Monday morning, when the tickets went on sale.

“It was just one big party from Saturday night to Monday morning,” Sweeney says.

His long wait paid off as he got to choose seats close to the stage.

“John Belushi, who looked like he was well on his way, came up and exchanged a few words with me,” he recalls. “He even got up on the bench and gave my sister a kiss! Everybody was having a good time.”

At one point, Sweeney says he was offered $100 for his used ticket. He had initially bought the ticket for $15.

“Being there and now being part of something you’re never going to forget…it’s just great,” he says. “It’s historical. I’ve been to a lot of concerts, but that one’s very special.

According to Alper, the event set the tone for court systems realizing there are other, more efficient ways to dole our punishments.

“The Rolling Stones are still one of the biggest bands of all time and those years in Oshawa and Toronto will forever be embedded in rock and roll history books as the place where Keith Richards finally got his act together,” he says.

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PAINT IT BACK: THE STORY OF THE STONES IN OSHAWA

The Chronicle

11

(Clockwise from top) Keith Richards performs at the Oshawa Civic Auditorium in 1979; Donna and Dave Sheridan scored free tickets to the show; Rob Sweeney waited in line three days to get tickets to the show; Richards and his lawyer leave a Toronto court after he was convicted for possession of Heroin in 1978.

Bottom right photos by Soyra Mokashi; top photo courtesy Concertaholics.com; bottom left photo courtesy Toronto Public Library.

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Photograph by TorontoGuy79

One of three Boots and Hearts festivals held from 2012 to 2014.

Looking at Mosport's musical memories

Racetrack hosts festivals with bands like The Cure and Bush Brittany Hebelka The Chronicle

Mosport is known best for revving engines, burning rubber and checkered flags - all part of big time auto racing.

But over the years, Mosport Park, now known as Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), has been a venue that has created some incredible musical memories.

Located in Bowmanville, Ont., CTMP starting holding festivals in 1970. The 500-acre venue held events like Strawberry Fields, Vans Warped Tour, Boots and Hearts, Heatwave Music Festival and Edenfest.

For some Ontario residents, these festivals created some of their fondest memories to date.

Port Perry resident, Jennifer Tuttle, who attended Edenfest, July 1214, 1996, describes the atmosphere as “electric.”

“Edenfest was the best outdoor

Photograph by TorontoGuy79

Mosport a.k.a. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during one of its many races.

concert I have ever been to, the festival was over three days and our group stayed the entire weekend.

The atmosphere was electric,” said Tuttle.

Edenfest featured groups like The Tragically Hip, The Goo Goo Dolls, Bush and The Cure.

“I got to see my favourite band play, which is Bush. My girlfriend and I also got trapped in the mosh pit while the Tragically Hip was playing, it was so tight we could barely move,” Tuttle said.

On July 27th of the same year, Vans Warped Tour made a stop at the track. Warped Tour was known for its strong punk and alternative presence.

Bands like NOFX, Lagwagon, Pennywise, Reel Big Fish and The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones played.

Burlington resident, Blair Doucette, attended Warped Tour while just 13-years-old.

“I was really young and had to beg my stepmom to drive my friend Bubba and I all the way to Mosport from Oakville.”

For Doucette, it was a cool experience getting to see some of his favourite bands at a young age. He said some of the bands were still setting up when he and his friend arrived.

“We show up and they are still setting up the sound system and stage, it was was a massive place for an event that big. I remember walking for what seemed like forever from the entrance, we couldn’t see the stage just hear the sound checks.”

While both festivals were extremely different, one thing both Tuttle and Doucette can agree upon is they spent a lot of hardearned cash on band merchandise.

Through the years, Mosport has been home to plenty of musical talents and fun times.

Heatwave was staged Aug. 23, 1980 and a crowd estimated at more than 60,000 turned out to see acts like the B-52s, Talking Heads, The Pretenders and Elvis Costello.

The last festival Mosport hosted was Boots and Hearts, a country-themed concert.

Boots and Hearts was at Mosport for three consecutive years starting in 2012 and ending in 2014. Stars like Carrie Underwood, Kid Rock, Alabama, Rascal Flatts, Toby Keith and Jason Aldean are among those who played at Mosport.

The festival has now moved to Oro-Medonte, Ont. While both Doucette and Tuttle took a trip down memory lane, it is clear they made some amazing memories from the venue.

“I feel very privileged to have attended, they never did have another one,” said Tuttle.

It is unknown if CTMP will have another big music festival like its predecessor, Mosport. For now, the festivals live in the memories of the fans who attended.

Lately, CTMP has been sticking to its original roots of racing and cars.

The most recent festival they had was BMW Fest, a festival for cars – not music.

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February 11 - March 23, 2020

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13

Whitby residents oppose seven-storey building One group of residents taking their concerns straight to council

There are very few walk-ins in Whitby. The impact on them is going to be major.

Cameron Andrews Chronicle Reporter

Whitby residents are speaking out against a proposed seven-storey condo building just north of the downtown core. Several residents appeared at a public meeting at Town Hall Jan. 13 to express concern about the plan. Under current zoning, buildings in this area of Whitby can only be a maximum of three storeys. Whitby Brock Estates Inc. wants to build the condo on the east side of Brock Street North, just south of Chestnut Street East. The building would have 119 residential units and 164 parking spaces in a two-level underground parking lot and 10 visitor parking spaces on the outside of the building. John Dolstra, a former Whitby councillor who lives a few blocks away on Regency Crescent, says “we don’t need this kind of de-

Photograph by Cameron Andrews

Residents who live in the Brock-Chestnut area of Whitby appeared at a Town public meeting recently to express their concerns about a proposed seven-storey condo project.

velopment.” The proposed building would be in close proximity to the Durham Full Gospel Church.

If approved, the construction would bring some huge changes

to the street. Residents fear, if this project is approved, it would ultimately allow more of these apartment buildings to be built in the area. The property in question

would require four of the five houses between the adjacent plaza and the church to be demolished. Wendall Perry of 123 Chestnut Street East says the building is too much

for the area.

"Whitby can't handle what they are asking for." Another concern of the residents is how traffic patterns will be affected in the area. Perry added if the building is approved, privacy would be impacted for residents. “We are going to lose our privacy, they are going to look down on us,” he says. Another concern of area residents is the local impact on healthcare. Tina Powers, who has lived at 110 Chestnut Street East for 40 years. No plans have been approved by the Town as of today. All comments will be considered by the Town as part of its review and it will be brought back to the councillors and mayor at an unknown future date.

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Community

Photograph by Ryan Hahn

Oshawa city councillor Derek Giberson plays the piano at Simcoe Street United Church.

Oshawa councillor plays that funky music Ryan Hahn The Chronicle

After 18 months as a rookie on Oshawa city council, Derek Giberson is comfortable discussing the political agenda. When he leaves city hall, he works on his musical agenda.

Giberson, 39, is the Ward 4 councillor who spends his time away from the council chambers with his band, the Professors of Funk, as well as organizing musical events in the city.

Giberson, a Durham College journalism graduate, is the keyboardist and founder of the band.

He chose the keyboards because he found them to be a challenge to learn.

"You find the thing that fits you best and the one you seem to

have the hunger to drive yourself to keep playing and get better at," said Giberson.

He took keyboard lessons at a young age and had the desire to continue to get better.

Prior to the creation of the Professors of Funk, several musicians performed together with some regularity, Giberson says.

Ultimately, they decided to formalize things, creating the Professors, playing soul-funk and R&B music.

The first version of his band started as a group of rotating players with people he worked with from Toronto and Oshawa.

When the Moustache Club opened in downtown Oshawa in 2013, Giberson and his band were asked to play monthly shows there.

This was the moment he decid-

ed it was time to go official with his own band and have permanent members.

"Let's just go full bore and start the nine-piece band," said Giberson.

One of their bigger annual shows also has a charitable bent.

Beginning in 2014, they decided to mix together some of their own music and Christmas music at Simcoe Street United Church for a good cause.

In the first year, 100 people attended and raised $1,500 for the Back Door Mission, a group formed in Oshawa to help people living in poverty, feeding them, giving them clothes and a warm place to stay.

Thanks to word of mouth, the Christmas show has grown every year.

The 2019 concert attracted 800 people and raised more than $21,000 for Back Door.

"It's allowed us to expand the work that's done at the mission and open up a new pool of volunteers," said Giberson, who is now the president of the mission.

The concert also brings in many other donations like food and clothing.

Giberson's involvement in music in Oshawa also includes the Crossing Point Festival.

It started in July, 2018, shows off Canadian artists and is held in Memorial Park in downtown Oshawa. Giberson says the name of the festival - Crossing Point – reflects the genres of music presented, like hip-hop, country, soul and R&B. "Crossing Point’s core theme

musically is to have this meeting and this crossing point of all these genres of music," said Giberson.

Giberson's main reason for starting the festival?

"Well, we don't really have one (a festival)," he said.

He also found from his time going to other festivals there were things he could take from them and add to Crossing Point.

"The goal of Crossing Point Festival is not to be enormous - we don't want to have 30,000 people attend, that's not the goal. I feel when something becomes that big it is lost," said Giberson.

The hope, Giberson said, is to be at a comfortable size so people can come and enjoy the festival and continue to discover new artists.

Photograph by Ryan Hahn

Simcoe Street United Church in Oshawa.

Photograph by Ryan Hahn

Memorial Park in downtown Oshawa is home to Crossing Point festival.

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TCC welcomes global music stars Brandon Wright The Chronicle

Concerts featuring superstar acts like KISS, The Tragically Hip, Mötley Crüe and Elton John are typically associated with Toronto.

However, since late 2006, Oshawa's Tribute Communities Centre (TCC) has hosted many big-name shows and is gaining notoriety as one of the most successful and attractive concert venues east of Toronto.

Formerly known as the General Motors Centre, the TCC was built to replace an aging Civic Auditorium.

In addition to being the home arena to the Oshawa Generals, the 5,500-seat arena located at 99 Athol St., also acts as Durham Region’s largest concert venue.

Al Fournier, in his mid-50s, is a retired photography professor from Little Britain and has been to more than 100 concerts at the TCC. He has a clear front-runner for the top concert at the arena.

“KISS,” Fournier said with a smile. “I was surprised they came to Oshawa, but I was very glad they did. The pyro and overall sound made for a very entertaining show.”

KISS played in front of more than 6,100 people at the TCC on Oct. 7, 2009.

Fournier, who taught at Durham College for more than 20 years, retired last year but still takes in concerts at the TCC and many venues around downtown Oshawa.

“Being able to get media access at big shows like the Tragically Hip, the Barenaked Ladies and John Fogerty, and shooting photos from the pit are my greatest memories,” Fournier said. “Being so close to bands and coming out with a shot no one else has is always great.”

Nikki Gallant, 39, from Whitby, has been to more than 10 concerts at the TCC and has never been disappointed.

“I love going to concerts [at

Photograph by Al Fournier

Elton John at his sold-out Oshawa show on Sept. 9, 2011. the TCC] because it’s like a giant family of 6,000 people in an arena singing along to the same band you are,” Gallant said.

Gallant said she chooses the TCC over bigger venues in Toronto every chance she can.

“It’s really important to have the TCC in downtown Oshawa because a lot of people can’t always get to downtown Toronto,” Gallant said.

“I will go to Oshawa shows before anywhere else, hands-down.”

Gallant will often take in the concerts with her mother, boyfriend or closest friends.

Kim MacLean, 51, saw Elton John perform on Sept. 9, 2011, with her sister Deb, 64, and her niece Sandi, 44.

The family was just three of the

more than 7,600 people in attendance, according to TCC general manager Vince Vella.

“Having Elton John set the stage for the future of the venue,” Vella said in an email.

Having Elton John set the stage for the future of the venue.

MacLean said the concert was extremely memorable.

“That tour was just him, his piano and no other instruments,” MacLean said.

“He played a lot of songs that I wasn't familiar with, but I remember the sound was still awesome.”

She added Elton John spent time talking about his husband being from Ontario and the importance of family.

“He talked about how he enjoyed being here with some of his husband's family in attendance,” MacLean said.

The MacLean family is no stranger to big concerts in Oshawa.

Kim’s mother, Jean Scott, was an employee at the old Civic Auditorium when Keith Richards and the Rolling Stones played there in

Photograph by Al Fournier

Gord Downie during Tragically Hip's concert on Feb. 9, 2012.

1979.

“At the time, my mom was the most popular mom in the neighbourhood,” MacLean said.

The TCC has a record of bringing in concerts appealing to fans of many different genres.

Other notable musicians and bands to perform at the TCC are Gordon Lightfoot, Hedley, Bob Dylan, The Arkells, Selena Gomez and Dierks Bentley.

The next concert at the TCC is country artist Kane Brown March 20.

While not having the downtown Toronto aesthetics or population to draw people inside, the TCC uses its ability to bring the community together to sell out shows with the top talent of the music business.

Photograph by Al Fournier

The Barenaked Ladies playing in Oshawa on Feb. 3, 2014.

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Jack de Keyzer keeps Durham's blues scene alive Melanie Lennon The Chronicle

Clarington-based guitarist and singer-songwriter Jack de Keyzer always had the love of music in him.

Growing up in London, England during the 1950s, the award-winning artist was surrounded by music. He says the first musician who stood out to him as a child was Cliff Richard from UK-based rock group, The Shadows.

“I remember when I was about six or seven, my mom took me to see this movie called The Young Ones, which was a Cliff Richard movie,” he says. “At the end of it, I said, you know, ‘Mom, can we watch it again?’”

Yet, it was only after The Beatles formed that de Keyzer decided he wanted to be a musician. He says songs like ‘Please Please Me’ and ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ really “clinched the deal” for him.

He says his family moved to Hamilton, Ont. around 1964.

This was when he got his first guitar.

“I got some books and kind of taught myself,” he says. “As I started playing with better musicians, the circumference got larger. Then I started playing with musicians from Hamilton and then eventually musicians from all over the world.” de Keyzer established a name for himself while playing guitar for numerous bands and musicians, including King Biscuit, Ronnie Hawkins, Robert Gordon and, most notably, the 1980s-rockabilly band, The Bopcats.

“We were kind of like Canada’s version of the Stray Cats and we played all across Canada. We put out several albums and that’s when I started writing songs,” he explains.

Photograph by Melanie Lennon

Blues musician Jack de Keyzer plays guitar in his living room in Courtice, Ont. In 1989, de Keyzer began his solo career. He says the transition from band member to band leader wasn’t easy.

“I would say the toughest part was not losing my voice as being the singer, and building up the strength and confidence to be able to get out there and sing every night,” says de Keyzer. “Also, to hold the crowd’s attention, you

know. You don’t realize when you’re just playing guitar that there’s an audience out there that wants to be entertained.”

With more than 30 years as a frontman, the 65-year-old has developed a firm understanding of what the role entails.

He says other artists may dance around to hold the crowd’s attention, but his approach is much

simpler.

“My tactic is music,” he says with a shrug. “I always admired Eric Clapton because to me it was like one of the top guitarist stars in the world and the guy never was flashy, never jumped around…So, I sort of thought if, you know, as long as I keep practising and be as good as I can, hopefully that will engage the audience.”

Photograph by Melanie Lennon

Award-winning artist, Jack de Keyzer.

In his solo career, de Keyzer has released 12 albums.

He won a Juno Award in 2003 and 2010 for Blues Album of the Year. He’s also received seven Maple Blues Awards and two Music Express Canada Awards. de Keyzer says there’s been a number of standout moments in his career.

“The first time I played, there was a big stage in Toronto called Ontario Place Forum…and I played there, which was pretty amazing because I’d seen so many of my heroes play there,” he pauses, sorting through his memories.

“There was another time when we were playing at this club on Bloor Street…and I had my eyes closed,” he grins. “All of a sudden, I felt like something was going on and I opened my eyes and there was a woman in a leather bikini with a studded leash holding a tiger. I don’t think they would get away with that today.” de Keyzer says other standout moments include playing alongside “heroes” Etta James, Bo Diddley and Otis Rush.

However, not every moment of his career has been eventful, but one thing always keeps him going.

“Well the music, you know,” he smiles.

“There’s always a point where you’re driving and you know, there’s ice and snow or it’s far and…something clicks in my head that I get to play music.”

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Photograph courtesy of The Regent Theatre

Not much has changed on the inside of the theatre. The stage is used for concerts and other performances.

The Regent

survives, thrives

for students, music Courtney McClure The Chronicle

Oshawa's Regent Theatre is a survivor.

After opening as a silent movie house in 1919 it has transitioned to its current status as both an Ontario Tech University lecture hall by day and concert theatre by night.

The Regent was a mainstay in Oshawa, screening silent movies, until Famous Players closed its doors in 1989 after suffering from financial struggles.

In the 1990s the Regent was transformed into a night club, but it didn't attract much attention.

After the night club closed in 1999, a developer bought the property and scheduled for the building to be demolished.

A week before the demolition date the city council of Oshawa stepped in and bought the building, says Kevin Arbour, the general manager of the theatre.

He has been working there since October 2010.

The city "ran out of money", so they found a “promoter”, says Arbour to buy the building.

The promoter was only able to host a few concerts before the city had to buy it back because he didn’t have enough money to fund it anymore.

The theatre was then bought

by Ontario Tech University (previously the University of Ontario Institute of Technology) in 2009.

Today, it doubles as a lecture hall for students of the university, while still running as a theatre.

“They saved the place and got it ready for students,” Arbour says.

The theatre hosts a variety of concerts, many tribute performers.

For example, this year is the fourth year in a row that the Re-

So, the university has put a lot of money in. gent has hosted tribute concerts like Abbamania and Night Fever.

Other notable performances Photograph courtesy of The Regent Theatre hosted at the Regent last year were Canadian folk and country music The Regent Theatre has changed since it was first opened. (Date of photo unknown) artist Valdy, rock band Prism and Ian Thomas.

When the university bought the theatre, it was an empty hall with no curtains on the stage, no elevator to the second f loor and no ticket office by the main entrance.

“So, the university has put a lot of money in… but it’s still a work in progress,” says Arbour.

The university bought the theatre because they wanted to move their social science division downtown, he says.

He says that it cost the university $3-4 million to get the theatre ready for occupancy. Ontario Tech also built a park - called Victoria Street Park - next to the theatre.

It’s a small area with chairs and trees with a walkway.

According to Arbour, the Regent Theatre sometimes holds events on Victoria Street, such as Photograph by Courtney McClure a classic car show.

Among the acts scheduled to appear later this year are Glass Tiger One of many violinists in orchestra during a practice session at the Regent Theatre in Oshawa. and The Stampeders.

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Photograph by Tara Sottile

Jeff Dalziel is animated as he makes a point with his Music Business Management class at Durham College.

Failing '1,000 times' leads to awards DC professor is a notable music producer Tara Sottile The Chronicle

Growing up, two time award-winning music producer Jeff Dalziel was surrounded by music.

Dalziel found passion through his father who was a musician in a band and then moved into music management.

“I was always surrounded by artists and stuff at our house.

That’s what the cool kids did, sort of learn how to play piano, guitar and drums. I was a kid and just kept at it. Luckily I turned it into a job,” Dalziel says.

Being a music producer wasn’t always in the books for him. It all kind of happened by accident, since he was more technologically-driven.

“I was privy to that whole new computer thing before most people so I’ve been making music on computers before there was even a Mac,” he says.

Dalziel worked in film and TV, but in the end he went back to his first love – music. His work and experience in music led him to becoming a professor at Durham College in the Music Business

Management program.

“I like to get back and have a break and come and just try to help the new generation, it’s kind of awesome,” he adds.

He was awarded Producer of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) and the Country Music Association of Ontario, both in 2018.

“The second time I won, we were convinced that there was not a chance of winning this year.

It’s the first time that the award has gone to a producer that has produced an independent artist,” says Dalziel, who has worked with Nelly Furtado, Lights and won his CCMA award with Washboard Union.

What he wants students to know is artists don’t necessarily have to be signed by a record label.

He also wants musicians and artists to know to keep going with their passion and to do everything they can to make music.

Dalziel explains he’s only as good as the artists he produces.

“I tell people, anyone can be a producer. You just have to fail 1,000 times and that’s pretty much it. So I don’t think I’m any better than anybody I know,” he adds.

He believes a good producer is someone who’s experienced, has made mistakes in the past and is able to learn from them.

Dalziel doesn’t just produce country music, he’s worked in many different genres. He says

Photograph by Tara Sottile

Music producer and Durham College professor Jeff Dalziel teaches his music business class.

country is the flavour of the month to some degree and people are spending a lot of time and money in that area.

“When it switches and comes back to rock I have just as much history so it’s obvious that being a multi-genre producer is certainly helpful,” he explains.

Dalziel doesn’t have a favourite style to produce. He prides himself on enjoying the end product

regardless of the genre.

“It’s still music for me, which I try to pass on to other producers and other people in the industry.

I try to teach producers and other music industry people that you aren’t in high school anymore, so you can’t be cliquey,” Dalziel says.

He wants other producers to know that if you want to create revenue for yourself, you need to be able to move around and at

least try different genres.

One piece of advice Dalziel offers is artists can’t take on all the work themselves.

They need to find people to help them. For example, he says artists should seek assistance with social media channels to offload some of the work.

“If you’re trying to wear too many hats, you don’t have enough heads. Trust me,” Dalziel says.

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Chastity grows from Whitby to stages in London, Paris

Tara Sottile

The Chronicle Growing up in Whitby and being an aspiring musician presented challenges for Brandon Williams, the lead singer and main songwriter for the band Chastity.

Growing up in a town of 137,000 with what Williams refers to as a community with no arts scene – makes it difficult to grow as a musician, especially if you’re wanting to do something different.

“I feel like it’s swimming upstream. It’s quite a monocultural town, so if you’re going to do something outside that culture you have to embolden yourself a little bit,” Williams says.

The group played its first show in 2015 and features four or five members, depending on the gig.

Williams found an interest in music because he grew up playing brass instruments as a kid.

In sixth grade, he discovered music more suited to his poppunk taste and realized he would be able to convert it into something that people could be passionate about.

“People can get invested and they’re able to express themselves with music and because of that I was able to get into music,” he says.

For Williams, one of the most difficult things about pursuing a music career is being away from home.

Lead singer for Chastity, Brandon Williams.

And Chastity will be away from home plenty this year.

The band is currently on tour

in southern Ontario.

From there, Chastity heads out on an extensive three-month tour

Photograph by Amanda Fotes

through Europe and the United States, including shows in London, Paris, Milan and Barcelona,

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before ending the tour in Los Angeles and Chicago.

For Williams, one of the best things about going on tour is being able to see and meet so many people.

“I think we just feel grateful and wide-eyed that there’s people who are willing to come see it live.

It’s a great way to connect with people and meet new people,” he adds.

When it comes to writing songs, Williams takes inspiration from many different places.

“My notes folder on my phone is filled with ideas – little oneliners or even two-liners to make them rhyme. If I hear someone say something unusual or something that sticks out in person I’ll spin it into a lyric idea,” he explains.

Williams says any aspiring musician should remember they’re not alone, and just to keep swimming upstream.

“Do it from a place that is not like for the glory for yourself.

Great songwriters write for an audience of one, so I think find that one,” Williams says.

“I think it’ll make you feel purpose and give you perspective on songwriting.”

Williams sums up his fiveyears of making music with Chastity: “I think the industry can be really wild and dark sometimes, and I think having to figure it out can be difficult.”

Oshawa school friends band together to make music Tara Sottile The Chronicle

The decision of starting a band came easy for a group of school friends.

The four members of Oshawa rock band Judgement – Evangelos Aivaliotis, Ryley Robertson, James Hack and Cameron Smith –started what used to be called ‘Poor Judgement’ about two years ago out of Maxwell Heights Secondary School.

“We’ve been friends since public school and we went to the same high school together. Music is something that myself, Evangelos and James have done for like our whole lives,” says the 23-year-old Robertson.

“Cameron has always been huge into music. He picked up bass for the purpose of our band about a year and a half ago.”

The group changed its name to Judgement from Poor Judgement after a year of growth as a band.

“We’ve just matured, grown musically, individually, and together as an entirety. We felt that Judgement was a little bit more appropriate going forward with our message,” says the 22-year-old Aivaliotis.

Aivaliotis, who is the lead singer, often writes the lyrics for all

Judgement practising at the Rehearsal Factory in Oshawa.

their songs.

He says he finds inspiration from multiple places.

“First, it was about relationships, and then it was a lot of mental health-based. There’s a song

Photograph by Tara Sottile

about domestic violence, which really I haven’t gone through but I just researched a lot about it as I

was writing the song,” he says.

“I took words that people would say or feelings that they would feel –I’m pretty good at putting myself in other people’s shoes, which is like a huge part of how I write as well.”

For Judgement, 2020 is going to be a big year.

They plan to release a record they recorded last May. Band members say they have some radio interviews coming up, including one at Riot Radio at Durham College, and some shows coming up in February.

Their plans for next couple of years are to increase branding and expand recognition.

The band has been trying different musical styles since they started, and are still trying to distinguish their key sound.

“We kind of decided to go with a more mature sound, we transferred from pop-punk to post-hardcore, more emo sound and hard rock,” Aivaliotis says.

Judgement is headlining a mental health awareness-themed show at Oshawa Music Hall Feb. 1.

“All the proceeds go to the Canadian Mental Health Association. Mental health is something we write on, speak on and all believe in so it’s a big night for us,” Robertson explains.

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Community

Photograph by Emily Barnes

Frank Zochodne (left) and Don Niblett (right) play alongside their friend Joanne (centre).

Simcoe Blues & Jazz is a 'very music-friendly location'

It's 'the perfect spot' for live music in Oshawa Emily Barnes The Chronicle

Oshawa's Simcoe Blues & Jazz bar is "home" to many music fans for the past 10 years. It's at the corner of Sunset Drive and Simcoe Street and it's where people of all ages come to enjoy musical talent.

The bar itself is decked out in records, posters and lights covering the walls. Different musicians are on display - Wayne Newton, Bay City Rollers, Buddy Guy, to name a few.

The Blues & Jazz bar is a venue for live music and hosts many events, mostly organized by loyal customers. The bar has featured prominent local talent, including Gary Cain Band, Jake Morris and The Side Street Band, Denise Colterman and more.

Frank Zochodne and Don Niblett are two of the devoted customers at the venue. They have been playing at the bar for 10 years.

Niblett has organized Wood Shed Night since 2009, an evening where musicians have the opportunity to experiment with their instruments on stage.

"We encourage people to try new stuff, you know, don't be

Photograph by Emily Barnes

A framed Simcoe Blues & Jazz poster.

afraid," says Niblett. "We take people of all levels...as long as you want to get up here and try."

According to Zochodne, a musician himself, the venue is also "the perfect spot" for live music.

"When you get in here you realize - this is the perfect place sound-wise," he says. "The sound carries and travels well, it's a very music-friendly location."

While Simcoe Blues & Jazz is one of the last of musical venues where people can see live music in Osh-

awa, but the music community is very large and very much alive.

"We're looking for a place to come and play, (and) a place where people would listen," says Niblett.

Another newer event was started at the bar by Gary Forster, who has been coming to the Simcoe Blues & Jazz for seven years.

The retired Oshawa resident holds a fundraiser on his birthday, where he gets the friends and bar customers to donate money or sponsor hungry children in Dur-

ham Region.

"For my birthday the last two years, I hosted a big entertainment party where I raise money for Food Bank, Settlement House and Simcoe Hall," says Forster.

Forster says he was a troubled kid and decided to turn his life around and now tries to do the same for others.

"I'm very thankful for where I'm at," he says. "I've got some good friends that I met here accidentally, I was unemployed at the

time and decided to come here and make a fool of myself."

The bar is still struggling financially to keep its doors open, according to Jesse Smith, a waitress who has worked at Simcoe Blues & Jazz for several years.

"The reason that people come here is for the music and the atmosphere, we're a tight-knit family, but very open and welcoming to newcomers... it's a hidden gem," says Smith."We take care of each other here."

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Photograph by Allan Fournier

Leah Daniels performing in her hometown of Uxbridge, Ont. at the Uxbridge Canada Day Celebrations.

Uxbridge's Leah Daniels an independent star Piri Sinn

The Chronicle Leah Daniels developed her love for music early on in her life, where she has fond memories of having jam sessions with her brothers at family get-togethers.

Daniels, 32, is an award-winning country music singer who grew up and still resides in Uxbridge, Ont. which she describes as an “artsy” town where she was able to partake in choirs, musicals and theatres.

“Uxbridge was the perfect spot because there were so many things to do in the arts and I definitely took advantage of that,” she says.

Before becoming a full-time musician, Daniels attended Sheridan College in 2005 for one year in the Musical Theatre program before moving on to study Voice at Humber College for another year. Daniels says choosing to continue her schooling was an important step in her career.

“We had class from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., then rehearsals,” she says.

“It was really intense.”

Looking back, she has no regrets about her time in school.

“School is so important because of the people that you meet,” she says.

“I’m glad I did both because the main thing I got from it was the connections.”

However, there was no course on how to become a professional singer.

“I enjoyed both but I was so eager to get out and record an album and perform and I felt like school was holding me back.”

After deciding to move on from school in 2007, Daniels says her

Photograph by Allan Fournier

Country music artist Leah Daniels performing at Uxbridge Hitfest in 2018.

parents were very supportive of her decision.

“My dad made me write out a plan of some of my goals for that year and every other week he’d check in with me to see my progress.”

In 2010, Daniels was nominated and won ‘Country Artist of

The Year’ at the Durham Region Music Awards.

This was the first of three times she would be rewarded for her music.

In 2015, Daniels was named ‘Rising Star of the Year’ at the Canadian Music Association of Ontario and in 2016 she was

chosen as the ‘Female Artist of the Year’ at the Canadian Radio Music Awards.

Despite some early success and interest from major labels, Daniels decided to stay as an independent artist.

Being an independent artist has its challenges but over time,

Daniels says she has learned a lot from it.

“I’ve been able to be involved in every decision process and learned about each side of the industry.”

Having friends who have gone through the major label system and seeing the challenges they have faced also proved the decision she made was a wise one.

“I’m happy I never did sign because now I am able to maintain control over everything,” she says.

Although artists can be successful as an independent act, they still need help from others.

One major breakthrough that changed the trajectory of Daniels’ career was when she was introduced to Canadian songwriter and record producer Sam Ellis through a friend.

“Sam really helped guide and mentor me through the next phase of my career.”

Meeting Ellis, who has worked with other country acts such as Kane Brown, Hunter Hayes and Thomas Rhett, helped Daniels gain more confidence in her writing abilities and also garner connections to other artists in the music business.

Ellis also produced her first studio album, “What It Feels Like.“ Daniels has big aspirations for the upcoming year.

She is set to release a music video for the title track of her 2018 album, “The Story.”

“I want to do a video for each song,” she says. “It’s one thing to put an album out but I kind of need to put out a visual to give it more meaning.”

She adds that she wants to get back to writing and hopefully release more music.

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Community

Photograph courtesy of Trisha Dingwell

Out Of My League headlines the metal showcase for 2016 Reel Music Festival at the Wasted Space in Oshawa.

DC students earn their stripes at Oshawa Music Week 'Music Week is the first time you get a sense of that understanding.'

Brandon Beharry The Chronicle

Every spring hundreds of music fans gather across Oshawa to celebrate music.

Oshawa Music Week, formerly known as Reel Music Festival, is the annual event put on by Durham College’s Music Business Management (MBM) program to help students gain their stripes in the industry.

The six-day celebration strives to develop, grow, support, and unite the music community within the city of Oshawa and throughout the Durham Region with a mix of live entertainment and educational panels and activities.

What makes the event most notable though, is the chance that it grants budding music entrepreneurs of running a large-scale event with a budget.

“We had a 3000$ budget,

which isn’t a lot if i’m being honest,” says MBM grad Matt Layne, 23. “But it was a great learning opportunity to get your feet wet into the idea of an event with a bit of money behind it.”

Since graduating from MBM Layne has gone on to work for JMA talent and has booked bands such as Spoons, Crown Lands and Helix.

“When I did Reel in 2016 I was one of the showcase coordinators,” says Layne. “Myself and another individual were in charge of organizing a team of people doing genre showcases and splitting up the budget as fairly as we can.”

The metal showcase that Layne took a hold of that year was a sold out show and featured popular local bands at the time such as Out Of My League, Kraign and Insurrection.

Layne attributes some of his success now to the skills he developed that week.

“It gave me perspective. It gave me an introduction to what the industry actually is,” says Layne. “The reality is when you're in a program like music business management it gives you the fundamentals but it doesn't show you and give you a real understanding, Music Week is the first time you get a sense of that understanding.”

While live music is always the heart of any music festival, the MBM students also host educational panels and competitions for festival-goers to indulge in between shows. These activities separate Music Week from other festivals and are what make the event unique and more of an overall celebration of the music industry.

MBM program director, Marni Thornton, recognizes how valuable an experience participating in Oshawa Music Festival is for students.

Thornton says that the most rewarding aspect of it all is students realizing that as intimidating the industry can be, that they can still achieve success in it.

“I think it’s empowering,” says Thornton. “Students feel like they brought everything they could to the table and that they were successful in a way that they couldn’t imagine.”

Thornton says that the skills the students develop are transferrable into other fields. So it's possible for students to still be successful with what they learn elsewhere.

This year’s festival kicks off with the “Our Lips are Synced” lip sync battle on April 2nd at Oshawa’s LVIV Hall and ends on April 6th with an award show at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

Photograph courtesy of Nicole Keiwan

MBM Graduate Matt Layne, 23.

Arts

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One of Canada's most notable music journalists

25

Melanie Lennon The Chronicle

One of Canada’s most notable music journalists is teaming up with Durham College’s (DC) advertising students. The students are revamping a website award-winning journalist Karen Bliss dubs 'anti-tabloid', called Samaritan Mag. Bliss, who says she doesn't "tell" her age, has been working in the industry for approximately 30 years, with stories published in Rolling Stone, Billboard, NME, Time, Canadian Musician and many more.

Bliss is from London, England, but moved to Toronto at age nine where her career kicked off years later. She says Canadian singer-songwriter Corey Hart is one of the reasons she became a music journalist. After attending his show at Toronto’s El Mocambo in the 1980s, “teeny bopper” Bliss noticed the lack of reviews for his concert and called the Toronto Star to complain.

“They said, ‘Oh, write a letter to the editor.’ So, I wrote something which they didn't print, but I used that to get my first writing gig,” she says. “I told [Hart] that story years and years later, and we've actually become pretty good friends.”

She’s always been a huge fan of music and, as someone who “has no talent in that area,” Bliss says she saw journalism as a way to

My dream gigs were always Billboard and Rolling Stone.

Courtesy of Karen Bliss

Canadian correspondent for Billboard, Karen Bliss.

get involved. “I started [writing] between high school and going to university,” she says. “I started writing for some local publications, and then I went to the University of Toronto and I did a double major in English and Music History.”

As a student, Bliss says she got involved with a radio show at

CIUT, the University of Toronto's radio station, and acted as the rock editor of the school's Varsity newspaper.

“I took it really seriously.”

Bliss has been a freelancer in the industry from the start of her career. She says one of the first publications she worked with was Canada's former music industry

trade paper, The Record.

“While I would write for The Record every week and I had an indie column, I was also juggling writing for music magazines, or say, writing about music for fashion magazines or for film publications.”

In 2000, she became the Canadian correspondent for Rolling

Stone, and held that position for 13 years. Bliss now fulfills the same role for Billboard.

“My dream gigs were always Billboard and Rolling Stone,” she says.

Bliss has interviewed many artists over the years, from Eminem, Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger, to Shania Twain, Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain. “I don't get starstruck because they're just people,” she says matter-of-factly.

“Very creative people.”

Bliss is hoping to add to her list of interviewees. She says, through the help of the students at DC, her online magazine - which highlights good deeds and charitable acts - should gain more traffic.

“I'd love it to be bigger…I'd like to get more support and more interest in that and more interviews for it,” she expresses. “Especially the musicians that have their own foundations and are really dedicated to a cause.”

Oshawa boutique offers handmade custom clothing I don't care what size you are.

I want you to be happy and have something that fits you well.

Soyra Mokashi The Chronicle

Spools of thread are stacked neatly along shelves, rolls of fabric lay near paper patterns in the form of little shirts and skirts, and a red mannequin stands silently under colourful portraits. The hum of a sewing machine brings it all together.

The scene above is a regular morning at Bewitching Stitchery.

Located in downtown Oshawa, Bewitching Stitchery is a local boutique owned by Christie McBride that offers custom clothing for anyone, including those with special requirements.

Accessibility clothing is a prominent part of her venture.

Some garments include swimwear for transgender children, a dress with special zipper access for children with medical tubes in their stomach and a shirt with snaps on the side for someone in a body cast.

“What I've been told by the

parents is the only place you can buy transgender underwear for kids locally is a sex shop in Toronto. That’s not somewhere you're going to want to take your kid,” she explained.

“So here, they have the privacy to do a proper fitting, take a look at the materials and see what makes them happy.”

Aside from accessibility clothing, McBride also offers ‘GrowWith-Me’ clothing which is designed to last a child years instead of months.

The 35-year-old entrepreneur learnt to sew from her grandmother when she was six.

“My grandmother was a seamstress in Germany before she moved here. I came along when my mom was only 17 so she went to work and I stayed with my grandmother,” said McBride. “I just used to sit and watch her sew, and I just picked it up.”

The mom of four always sewed items for friends and family.

In 2014, she decided to make

Photograph by Soyra Mokashi

Christine McBride sits in front of her workspace at her Oshawa studio.

it a commercial business. After years of working from home, McBride moved to an official studio last August.

“The biggest challenge for me when I was working at home was always setting up and taking down, trying to work around the kids," said McBride. "Here, I can set up a project and it stays up. It's a lot of time saved for me so I've been able to increase the amount of stuff I can make now.”

All of her products are handmade, sustainable and ethically-sourced. While it is a step in the right direction, McBride says

finding reliable sources for materials and supplies can be a challenge.

“I’m very picky. I only shop Canadian so that kind of limits where you can go,” McBride said.

“It's taken me a couple years to source which local shops across Canada are reliable, have the kind of stuff I need and I can afford to bring in.”

While her price points tend to be on the higher scale, McBride can also work according to one’s budget. “I come from a low-income family growing up so I'm very conscious of how much my

items cost,” she added. “I try to remain as affordable as possible for people.”

The studio is open 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. weekdays and by appointment on weekends. McBride’s products can also be found at pop-up markets and community events. “Everyone has the right to feel good.

I don't care if you're six-footsix, I don't care if you're threefoot-two…

I don't care what size you are,” McBride said. “I want you to be happy and have something that fits you well.”

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Sports

Reid takes reins of DC baseball Former Durham MVP takes over for Dempster Piri Sinnathurai The Chronicle

A former Durham Lords baseball MVP is returning to the school to take over as head coach of the team.

Darryl Reid has been named new skipper of the defending Canadian championship squad, replacing long-time head coach Sam Dempster, who retired after winning the national title.

Reid, 32, is a former player and assistant coach at Durham College (DC).

He has big spikes to fill.

Dempster spent 28 seasons at the helm and was the only baseball head coach the school has ever known until now.

Reid served as an assistant coach on Dempster’s staff in 2011.

Ironically, Durham also won the Canadian title that year, its firstever national championship.

That’s not the only time Reid

Photograph by Durham Athletics

Darryl Reid is the new head coach of the Durham Lords baseball program.

and Dempster have coached together.

In 2013, the duo were part of the coaching staff for team Great Britain at the World Baseball Classic.

For the past seven years, Reid has been the general manager of

the Toronto Mets, an elite travel baseball organization located in Scarborough, Ont. Reid brings with him a wealth of coaching and managing experience and credits Dempster with helping him grow as a coach.

“He’s the type of coach that

holds you accountable and I’ll continue to do that here,” he says.

Reid played with the Lords from 1997-2000 and was a standout player in the green and gold.

The Lords made it to the national championship in his second season and he capped off his final

year by receiving team MVP honours and being named DC’s athlete of the year.

Ken Babcock, Durham’s director of athletics, says he was thrilled to have Reid show interest in the position.

“It’s really exciting when you can find someone that’s one of your own that wants to come back to coach and carry on that tradition.”

Babcock adds Reid’s familiarity with the program was something that helped in the decision-making process.

“He’s not only a great person but a great baseball coach who understands the college system and the student-athlete life.”

During his time at DC, Reid says he learned a lot about the academic side of being a student-athlete.

“I remember going through what I thought was a crisis at the time but I managed to get myself organized and that’s the one thing I can help with these guys.”

One thing he hopes to do is mentor the newcomers of the team and help guide them through their first year on campus.

“Having them be successful on the field and in the classroom is what we really want.”

The baseball season begins in the fall of 2020.

Gamers bring it face-to-face on campus William Black The Chronicle

Playing video games online is a regular pastime for many gamers, but an Ontario Tech student is finding success staging face-to-face competitions on campus.

20-year-old first-year Commerce student Ryan Burton hosts weekly, monthly and regional Super Smash Brothers Ultimate tournaments.

Burton holds the events at the Durham College (DC) Esports Gaming Arena, allowing members of the gaming community to interact with people in person.

Many top players from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) compete in these tournaments, along with people who want to get into the local scene for the first time.

Burton says the tournaments are popular, noting one regional event called the Amuka Cup featured 150 competitors.

Prior to hosting events at the DC esports arena, Burton was hosting weekly tournaments in his dorm and hosting the larger monthly tournaments online.

“They were terrible,” says Burton. “We do have an online scene but I think more people do definitely prefer doing stuff in person.”

Burton had to move out of his residence in April, 2019 which was the same month the esports arena was opening up. Burton still wanted to host in-person tournaments for the community so he started hosting monthly Super Smash Brothers tournaments in May. “We’ve done one just about every month since,” says Burton.

The Smash Brothers community calls its weekly and monthly tournaments 'weeklies' and 'monthlies'. Burton says these are important for introducing people to Super Smash Brothers Ultimate in a competitive environment.

“Weeklies are outstanding because people can come and just play without any risk.

Having a weekly in your scene Photograph by William Black gives you the opportunity to go out, play some games, have that A group of students playing Super Smash Brothers Ultimate in one of the weekly tournaments. bracket experience, meet the people in your scene… All that experience is necessary," says Burton.

A regional tournament held Ticehurst, known by his handle "Monthlies are a lot more ser- at Durham's esports arena and Duwang, was also competing. cause there's more players, there’s ious though. They last a long time, organized by Burton had a prize Kim ended up coming in first locals, weeklies [and] having that they cost more money to go to, pool of $3,000 and featured top place. in your area lets you go offline and bigger venue. Usually, you’d want players from all around the GTA, “If you have no tournaments meet people." to go into a few weeklies first and including the number one play- nearby you…all you have is wifi, Weeklies were first held at the then the monthly." er in southern Ontario, Michael and that’s not going to get you esports arena but they are now To play in these tournaments it Kim, or as he is known by his on- anywhere," says Burton. ”I im- held at the student lounge every can range from $10 for weeklies to line handle, Riddles. A top player proved so much as a player when Thursday featuring singles and $55 for the regional tournament. from Washington state, Reyhan I came down to Durham, just be- doubles brackets at 6 p.m.

Sports

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February 11 - March 23, 2020

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DC women's basketball is a family affair

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Legacy continues in LaFontaine family Brandon Wright The Chronicle

From the family sofa to the Durham Lords’ sidelines, the LaFontaine family works together to bring basketball success to Durham College (DC).

Heather LaFontaine is the head coach of the women's basketball team and is joined on the Lords' coaching staff by her two sons, John, 29, and Danny, 27, along with daughter Kauri, 32, who also played for Durham as recently as 2014.

For the DC women's basketball team, success means approaching this season's playoffs with a nearperfect record.

The coaching bug starts with mom.

Born in Guelph, Heather has been coaching women’s basketball, mostly at the high school level, for more than 40 years in Durham Region. She attended the University of Toronto for physed and later went on to teach the same subject.

Heather started coaching basketball at Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic High School in Oshawa before moving to Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School in Whitby in 1992. She coached the Austin Wildcats for nearly twenty years.

Heather was also a guidance counsellor during her time as a coach.

While at Austin, Heather founded the Whitby Wildcats' basketball program, an affiliate of the

Photograph by Brandon Wright

DC Lords women's basketball coach Heather Lafontaine talking to her players.

Ontario Basketball Association.

“I enjoy the interaction with those young people, I love seeing them grow,” Heather says. “I've enjoyed doing and enjoy being a part of the Wildcats. I don't see it so much as just giving back to the community, I see it more as an opportunity to enrich my life as well.”

Heather created the Whitby Wildcats to provide young basketball players an opportunity to play. Heather’s children were a large part of why she started the program.

Predictably, Kauri's basketball career began with the Whitby Wildcats. “My mom started the program essentially for me and my siblings to have the opportunity to play,” Kauri says. “There are a lot of Wildcats out there that the pro-

gram had a pretty big impact on growing up and being a part of it at a young age was so amazing.”

While still with the Wildcats, Heather has been coaching the Durham Lords since 2013, winning her 100th collegiate game earlier this season.

“To be perfectly honest, I had no idea,” Heather says. “We're home after the game against Centennial and Kauri goes ‘you just won your 100th game,’ and I could only say ‘OK, it’s great I won 100 games, but what’s next?’.”

Heather says she is able to use her skills from her time as a guidance counsellor to help her players as athletes but also importantly as students.

“There are times where people come in and you know right away

that they haven’t had a good day for whatever reason,” Heather says. “Sometimes it is just the ability to say, ‘hey, you OK? How’s the day going? Come on, we’ll have some fun here now!’.”

Kauri says she has been influenced by the way her mom is coaching.

“I have always been so inspired by my mom and I am convinced my want to coach is because I watched her do it growing up,” Kauri says. “I have learned so much from her and continue to learn every practice and game.”

Before joining the Lords, Danny and John also coached lacrosse.

Kauri says their lacrosse backgrounds adds a variety of opinions, but they have been able to use their different coaching skills to the

Lords' advantage.

“Different opinions and how people see things on a bench aren't necessarily a bad thing,” Kauri says.

“If you aren't always willing to learn then coaching is not the right spot for you. With their lacrosse experience, they have some different drills and principles that we have been able to apply to basketball that has helped the team greatly.”

Heather says coaching with her children is something she looks forward to every day.

“When I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it 100 per cent and I have a passion for coaching,” Heather says.

“I think that attitude has spilled over to my children and that kind of passion motivates all of us.”

Ontario Tech hoops history! Teams win first games Men defeat Algoma

Women defeat Waterloo

Ryan Hahn The Chronicle

Tara Sottile

The crowd erupted as the final buzzer sounded. The Ontario Tech Ridgebacks had just made school basketball history – recording their first win. The team won a close game that came down to the buzzer with a 67-64 win over the Algoma Thunderbirds Monday afternoon in front of the home crowd.

It is the first win for the program after going 0-11 in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) regular season play, 0-16 overall.

“It means the world to us and it’s the first win in program history,” said an emotional AJ Cummings, who led the way to the victory with 24 points, five rebounds, and one assist.

“We’ve been fighting for that win and working hard every day and it just feels great right now,” said Cummings. Ridgebacks’ guard

The Ontario Tech Ridgebacks’ women’s basketball team has its historic first win. It came by a 77-70 margin over the Waterloo Warriors Feb. 1.

“They are very deserving of tonight’s win and I’m very proud of them. The first win is always the hardest, but now we’re looking forward to building on this win in the near future,” says head coach Christa Eniojukan.

This is Ontario Tech's first year of competition in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA).

The win over the 3-15 Warriors marks Eniojukan's first OUA coaching victory.

Before coaching for the Ridgebacks, she was Ontario Basketball’s U17 Team Ontario’s head coach from 2014 to 2017.

The Chronicle

Photograph by Ryan Hahn

Ontario Tech Ridgebacks' guard Graddy Kanku celebrating.

Graddy Kanku finished with 21 points and four steals. Head coach Greg Francis said his players made it tough on him at times during the last minute, but he said overall they played really well down the stretch and secured the victory.

“To win a game like that? There’s nothing better,” said Francis after getting doused with water in the

locker room after the game.

Francis watched on with a smile as his players celebrated the historic win in the locker room, adding he was pleased for them because he knows how hard they have been working.

“We needed something like this to keep our work ethic where it needs to be,” said Francis.

Photograph by Al Fournier

Hadeza Ismaila celebrating.

Before this historic win, the Ridgebacks were 0-20.

Ontario Tech athlete of the week Hadeza Ismaila and Dalyssa Fleurgin had 18 points each to lead the Ridgebacks.

“We knew the first win would come, especially after coming close a few times,” athletic director Scott Barker says.

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