Cannabis book for kids....4 Inside look An exclusive interview with the author and illustrator of a provocative and educational children’s book on marijuana.
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study tips.................................3 How to survive the exam season
The Mo’s gotta go.....................5 Shave that stache!
theLY oice DAI
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November 30, 2011 • Vol. 44 no. 10 • vancouver, b.c.
Students want council gutted Pipelines Kwantlen Student Association accused of mismanaging funds By PATRICK JOHNSTON
K
wantlen University’s Student Association’s executive board is being accused of corruption, and a student opposition group is demanding some of its members be dismissed. In a controversy dating back six years, the opposition group is accusing current board members of mismanaging association legal funds and of trying to hide connections to former KSA directors. The group has asked the association to hold a special general meeting this afternoon at Kwantlen’s Surrey campus. They want the right to vote for the removal of 13 KSA council members. If those members are removed, the group will also ask for interim members to be appointed. Those members would maintain KSA
operations until elections in January. Speaking for the opposition group, Reena Bali said, “The bigger purpose [of the meeting] is to unite students in asking for accountability.” Bali served three and a half terms on council before losing in the 2011 election. The KSA’s director of finance, Nina Sandhu, said the association’s bylaws state a meeting must be called within 21 days of the filing of a petition. The council has announced a special general meeting for Dec. 5. Sandhu said according to legal advice given to the council, it is obliged to announce a meeting within 21 days, but not hold one. Bali disagreed and said that in the past when a meeting was called, a meeting was held, not merely announced. When asked if her actions were prompted by her electoral defeat, Bali said the 2011 elec-
tion’s chief returning officer Fred Schiffner called it “the worst election he’s seen there.” The current controversy dates back to 2008 when former KSA director of finance, Aaron Takhar, was a defendant in a B.C. Supreme Court civil suit filed by the KSA. The suit alleged Takhar and other former directors and staff had mismanaged more than $2 million in student fees. Earlier this year the court agreed, and delivered a default judgment against them. None of the defendants appeared in court. The current council settled with Takhar and his associates in October, with no financial costs to either side. At the time, KSA President Harman Bassi said in a statement that council had already spent $800,000 in legal fees and there was little chance they would be able “to recoup the monies that went into it.”
RUMAN KANG photo
Protesters say the continued development of condos in the Downtown Eastside is reducing the housing available for low-income people.
Fewer emergency shelters available this winter Province claims homeless are finding established housing so fewer shelters are needed By RUMAN KANG
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he B.C. government has decided it will be funding fewer seasonal shelters in Vancouver this winter. The province is saying there is less demand for the emergency shelters as more homeless people are finding permanent year-round housing. “The province believes that the opening of 309 apartments in three new buildings in the City of Vancouver has reduced the need for the 160 Winter Response spaces to be added to the shelter resources in the City of Vancouver,” said Sandra Steilo, housing ministry spokeswoman in an email. The announcement comes a day after a press conference given by housPrinted on recycled paper
ing minister Rich Coleman and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson where they announced construction of supportive housing project for individuals who are HIV-positive. Following the press conference, Robertson said the province wasn’t acting fast enough to meet shelter demands. “At this point, we don’t have a commitment of any funding for the winter shelters. We’ve still got people outside with winter hitting us and we need more capacity….” said Robertson. For the past two years the province has provided about $3 million in funding to pay for the operating costs of four shelters providing 160 spaces at buildings owned or leased by the City of Vancouver in neighbourhoods out-
side of the Downtown Eastside. This year the government will provide funding to the Homeless Emergency Action Team to provide 340 extra temporary beds during the winter season instead. HEAT is an initiative put together by the city, provincial government, and private sector provides temporary shelters, which are opened when the temperatures are deemed cold enough to cause death. PIVOT Legal Society Lawyer Doug King is surprised with the province’s logic, “It seems they don’t really understand the dynamics of homelessness. To say that a shelter and a supportive housing unit can be exchanged one for the other shows misunderstanding.”
HOUSING shelters
550 temporary shelter beds
47 permanent shelter beds
1,820 supportive housing units
In total there are 2,417 different types of housing units within Vancouver Source: City of Vancouver
a danger for B.C.
Transporting oil to north coast poses extreme risk, say environmental groups By CARLY WIGNES
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he costs of a proposed pipeline from Alberta to Kitimat would be unacceptably high, according to a report released yesterday by three prominent environmental groups. In a report called Pipeline and Tanker Trouble, the groups say the social, economic and environmental costs of transporting raw tar sands crude oil would far outweigh the benefits. A special presentation on the proposed pipeline will be made at the Rio Theatre on Thursday, Dec. 1. One of the featured speakers will be author and activist Naomi Klein. Enbridge Inc., the pipeline’s backer, was unavailable for comment, but it states on its website that the project would provide years of long-term employment and billions of dollars in tax revenues for Canadian governments. But Nathan Lemphers, a senior analyst with the Pembina Institute, said in a teleconference Tuesday that Enbridge has failed to outline potential costs to the salmon fishery. “A lot of government agencies throughout the world do a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether or not a project is in the public interest, but Enbridge clearly has done just a benefit assessment,” Lemphers said. “Enbridge is simply stating all the benefits without stating any of the costs.” Katie Terhune, an energy campaign manager at Living Oceans Society, said the pipeline would bring an average of 220 supertankers to B.C.’s north coast. “One mistake in navigations and we could have a catastrophe in one of the most beautiful places on earth,” Terhune said. “There really is no safe and risk-free way to get tar sands oil, pipelines and supertankers across British Columbia’s ecosystems,” said Susan CaseyLefkowitz of the National Resource Defence Council. “The benefit really stays with the major oil companies who are extracting from the tar sands and all the risk is then born by the communities and the ecosystems in British Columbia.” Gerald Amos, a member of the Haisla First Nation and a long-time campaigner on behalf of First Nations rights, said the project brings a threat to his community. “If push comes to shove and this project is given the go-ahead, I’m prepared to do as others have done before me in our communities and stand on the line to prevent any machinery from moving onto a site that the company wishes to use in our territory.”
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news & features
Editor Khethiwe rudd
The Voice, Wednesday November 30, 2011
Province done talking with teachers Government is stopping the negotiation of class sizes with the BC Teachers’ Federation By DEVON MACKENZIE
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egotiations between the BC Teachers’ Federation and the provincial government have halted. The BCTF found out on Monday that the provincial government was breaking off talks between them in regards to class size and composition, also known as Bills 27 and 28. BCTF president Susan Lambert reacted to the situation yesterday, saying that there’s not much the federation can do at this point but continue to
fight for what is in B.C. teachers’ best interests. “We don’t have many options,” said Lambert, “but we will be talking as loudly as we can to clarify our analysis of what [these talks] mean for us.” Lambert says she hoping for the best in future negotiations and calls the BCTF’s ability to even challenge the constitutionality of Bills 27 and 28 “a substantive win” for the federation. Lambert said the next step is that the two groups will go into corrective legislation sometime in mid-February and come to a compromise but she was
unsure of what the outcome may be for the federation. Vancouver School Board trustee Mike Lombardi said he is disappointed that the resolution of the issues is taking so long and hopes things can resume quickly. “For our teachers this means that we have to wait that much longer to get more resources into our schools,” Lombardi said. “We have to encourage both parties to get back to the table.” The Voice contacted B.C. Education Minister George Abbott for comment on the situation but he failed to reply
by press time. In a statement released Monday night, Abbott said he was “extremely disappointed that talks have broken down,” between the two groups. The provincial government instituted Bills 27 and 28 in 2002, that affected things like class-size maximums, class composition, special needs support and the hours of instruction in a school year during Christy Clark’s time as education minister. The provincial government has a court-ordered mandate to prepare legislation that replaces Bill 27 and 28 by April 2012.
GOV’T
demands 1 2
remove caps on class sizes
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remove caps on how many special needs kids there are in a classroom Employer decides how many teachers work at each school and what they do
Grants cheer pet charities City of Vancouver gives money to most animal organizations that ask By ALEXANDRA GRANT
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ome animal welfare organizations breathed a sigh of relief yesterday when Vancouver passed grants to fund them. Tom Hammel, the chief licence inspector for the City of Vancouver, said the city has a $10,000 budget that can be allocated to organizations based on how much they help the city and the amount of money asked for. “Anything outside of dogs is difficult for us to take care of, so these agencies all provide us with some level of support in terms of taking on animals or caring for them, which helps the city directly,” said Hammel. Robin Fiorese, the communications director of Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary, said their $1,200 grant is an important part of the organization’s income. “Any little bit helps,” said Fiorese. The Small Animal Rescue Society of BC received a $7,400 grant, the largest amount out of those given. Lisa Hutcheon, the spokesperson for the organization, said the grant would go towards various costs including spaying and neutering rabbits. “Getting money in support of animals is rare and few and far in between,” so “we’re just thrilled to get [any money],” said Hutcheon. HugABull, a non-profit organization aimed at rescuing, rehabilitating and educating the public about pitbulls, was the only organization to not receive even partial funding for its requested grant proposal. Hammel said HugABull has been funded in the past but the SPCA this year has a similar bite program. April Fahr, the director of communications at HugABull, said the organization wasn’t aware that the overlap would affect their grant request and it shouldn’t have.
Donna Toews of Small Animal Rescue holds a bunny at the 2011 Petnerships Event in Vancouver. Vancouver recently gave the organization a $7,400 grant that goes towards spaying and neutering rabbits. Photo courtesy of Small Animal Rescue
B.C. deficit means more taxes and less services With a provincial debt of $3 billion, money must be cut or raised somehow say experts
By MORNA CASSIDY
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he province’s $3.1 billion deficit will lead to higher taxes or cut services say experts. In yesterday’s second quarterly report, the minister of finance, Kevin Falcon, revealed that the budget shortfall has increased by $313 million from just three months ago. Falcon blames international events, a decrease in revenues from income and corporate taxes and the $1.3 billion owed to Ottawa for re-implementing
the provincial sales tax. Falcon said the government may need to find $700 million in cuts or added revenues. “The government budget runs just like any household runs its budget, there is income and there are expenses, if the expenses out run the income then cuts or increases need to be made,” said Lanny Zrill, Langara College economics instructor. “The HST pay back to Ottawa is a significant chunk of the deficit... it would be incredibly ironic if the PST rate increases to help reduce this defi-
cit,” said Zrill. But following the tax referendum in August, Premier Christy Clark said in a press conference that B.C. is returning to the same version of PST. Zrill, however, is not certain that promise can be kept. “The government has two choices here, to cut back on expenses or try to increase revenues, and essentially it comes down to cutting services or raising taxes.” Falcon’s report also indicated that the government would not know until mid-January, if they can maintain pro-
jections for a balanced budget for 20132014, which is a legally binding date set by the liberals. “The government needs to look at all the areas of spending and subject them to a hard review,” said Charles Lammam, senior policy analyst at the Fraser Institute. “We don’t want to go down the same road from the late 80s and early 90s, when the deficit strategy was to restrain spending and hope revenue will catch-up, which never materialized,” said Lammam.
Campus news
Editor ANNE WATSON
The Voice, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011
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Boom in ESL students puts college in a squeeze The premier wants more international students, but Langara does not have the room to accomodate them By JENNIFER FONG
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he province may be preparing for an influx of international students, but Langara isn’t prepared to handle them. Premier Christy Clark hopes to increase the number of international students by over 50 per cent in the next four years. The province already has over 94,000 international students, each bringing in an estimated $50,000 to the economy. A recent agreement will bring 2,500 students from China. “We’re going to need more space,” said Gordon McNeil, Langara’s director of international education. “At the moment we’re full, but we’re not the only ones.” McNeil said the news was “a surprise in the sense that there was a time frame and it was sizeable.” Langara currently has 1100 international students, including part-time students. “The reason we have so many students is we’ve worked hard to try and put things in place that are attractive to the students,” McNeil said. He said Langara could only accommodate 900 full-time international students and students have been turned away due to space constraints. Langara has the biggest homestay program in the country and what McNeil says is one of the best ESL programs in the world. Langara also provides support for these students, including workshops and programs such as Langara PLUS. McNeil said Langara hasn’t yet decided how it will react to the boom of international students, but he believes Langara could find a way to accommodate them. “What’s going to be exciting about that is, you don’t know how we’re going to get there,” he said. “I say we can do it, but at the moment, it’s too early to say how.” Not all colleges are unprepared for the incoming students. “It’s great because our school revolves solely in international students,” said David Shin, student councilor at Canadian College. “The best scenario is we get a certain portion [of the 2500].”
Langara mathematics and statistics instructor Dave Lidstone helps arts and sciences student Zohra Moshta work through a math problem. ALANNA HARDINGE-ROONEY photo
Sleep and keeping healthy are keys to good studying Taking frequent walks and staying away from energy drinks can keep a student more focused when cramming throughout the exam By ALANNA HARDINGE-ROONEY
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he holiday season may be upon us, but with project deadlines and final exams looming, students at Langara aren’t in vacation mode just yet. “It’s evident that many [students] are feeling pretty stressed out,” said Dave Lidstone, a math and statistics instructor at Langara who devotes a portion of his time to tutoring students in the department’s learning centre. “Everybody in academia feels the crunch as the term finishes up.” Lidstone had plenty of advice for what students should – and shouldn’t – do as they prepare for exams. “Take good care of your health,” he said. “Breaks through walking, good sleep patterns, these are the things that are going to benefit you – not energy drinks.” According to Lidstone, the best way
to regain your focus during a long study session is through exercise. “If you’re not focusing, then you’re not using your time wisely, so use your time doing something else. Exercise is the best cure-all,” he said. Lidstone said that social media can be used to both the benefit and detriment of students. While distractions need to be minimized, he pointed out that social media enables students to exchange ideas freely and easily. “If students can use social media constructively, then that’s good,” he said. “But I do think that generally the kinds of mental exercises, the kind of conceptual exercises we’re asking of students now” cannot be captured in tweets, “we need bigger thoughts.” Though arts and sciences student Deirdre Buryk agreed that cellphones and Facebook can cause problems for well-intentioned studiers, she argued they’re symptomatic of the bigger
problem of stress. “It’s 100 per cent the fear and the stress,” she said. “Just that feeling of being overwhelmed.” Buryk said one of her best study strategies is working with a partner and teaching them what she’s learned. “That way you just know it so much better,” she said. Psychology student Leesa Garnett said she’s feeling nervous going into final exams, but is confident her study strategies will pay off. “I’m visual, so writing out my notes, like re-writing them or putting them on cue cards, that helps me,” she said. “I use colour so that when I’m actually in an exam I can picture the page and the words and remember it all.” Garnett said the worst thing students can do this time of year is to procrastinate. “Leaving it to the last minute or staying up all night to do it is all bad,” said Garnett.
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Breaks through walking, good sleep patterns, these are the things that are going to benefit you Dave Lidstone
Debt workshop helps students manage money Financial aid services wants to educate people on budgeting and loans By EMMA CRAWFORD
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EMMA CRAWFORD photo
Students don’t always know how to manage their money
he Financial Aid office is holding monthly workshops to help educate people on managing their student loan debt. Katrina Iuvancigh from Langara’s financial aid office said students are often unaware of how much impact debt repayment will have once school is finished. “It can be a surprise,” Iuvancigh said. The workshop, which includes a free lunch, explains the basics of student
loans and emphasizes provincial and federal government programs available to help students with repayments. Details can be found at canlearn.ca for federal loans and studentaidbc.ca for provincial loans. Balbina Olkiewicz, a women’s studies student, said she registered for the seminar because she hopes to get a better understanding of how she can manage her debt in the future. “I have a student loan and I want to be more informed of my options,” Olkiewicz said. “There are so many resources but it doesn’t filter to the students.” Other topics covered include putting a budget together and coming up with ways to cut spending. Iuvancigh said being unaware of how
much it costs to repay debt is not exclusive to students. “Canadians in general spend more than they earn,” she said. “If you need to charge it, you probably can’t afford it.” Students were presented with different ways to lessen debt, such as bursaries, scholarships and SWAP, an oncampus work program available to full-time Langara students. The seminar outlined the consequences of having a bad credit rating and explained how anyone can get a copy of their credit report, which is free by mail from Equifax and Transunion. The next workshop will be held in January and students can call the financial aid department at (604)323-5456 to sign up.
LOAN
repayment government programs Extended Amortization B.C. Principle Deferment B.C. Interest Relief Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) Permanent Disability Benefits B.C. Loan Forgiveness B.C. Loan Reduction Source: Langara Financial Aid Services
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The Voice, Novemeber 30, 2011
Editor Jared gnam
entertainment Craft show offers One of a Kind gifts
It’s Just a Plant is a picture book about marijuana for children written and illustrated by the same illustrator of the book Go the Fuck to Sleep
From hand-crafted candy bars to live ballet shows, there are many reasons to check out the fourth annual one-of-a-kind show
Photos courtesy of Ricardo Cortés
A Cannabis book for kids F
By MORNA CASSIDY
Brooklyn-based author stirring the pot with marijuana picture book
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I thought that a children’s book would be a completely new way to approach the topic. RICARDO CORTÉS
By Shawn Gill
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alking to kids about marijuana can be a “tricky” issue, says author Ricardo Cortés who recently published a third updated version of his controversial marijuana-education children’s book: It’s Just a Plant. The book is designed to help parents explain their pot use to their kids and to educate them about social issues around marijuana’s criminalization. “There are thousands of parents who use [marijuana] and find it difficult to talk to their kids about it,” said Cortés in a phone interview from his home in Brooklyn, New York. “It’s obviously not the traditional children’s literature style but I also think that a lot of the best children’s literature came across at first as bucking the traditions,” said Cortés. The colour-rich pages tell the story of a little girl named Jackie who one night wanders into her parent’s room to discover them smoking a joint. Beyond helping pot-smoking parents explain themselves to their children Cortés hopes his book will help to
combat the “fear-based” approach to drug education popular among authorities in North America. “I’m coming from a side of not being impressed with the 50-plus year drug war and the same old waste of law enforcement resources,” said Cortés. The next day Jackie and her mom cycle around town, visiting a vegetable farmer — who also grows marijuana — a doctor and a police officer. Each character adds to Jackie’s understanding of how marijuana impacts her family and is viewed by the community. The reader is left with the distinct impression that the entire neighbourhood, including the cops, gets high on a nightly basis. “Education will get people to make distinctions between the different drugs. What to use and what to avoid,” said Cortés . When the first edition was published in 2005, it immediately became a light-
ening rod for controversy. Many American conservatives including Bill O’Reilly and an Indiana congressman blasted the book for promoting marijuana use amongst children. “I thought that a children’s book would be a completely new way to approach the topic. Obviously, it would upset some people and get them to start talking,” said the Boston native. By the end of the book Jackie has learned that marijuana is a relatively harmless recreational drug for grown ups that has been unfairly criminalized by the authorities. At dinner, Jackie announces to her parents, “When I grow up […] I am going to work to make all the laws fair.” Due in part to the American right’s uproar against Cortés’ book, the first and second editions quickly sold out. Subsequently, copies of the first edition sold on Ebay for up to $1,000 USD. The book is availble for $20 online.
Langara’s most hated celebs for 2011 “ With Nickelback receiving boos even before the Grey Cup kicked off, The Voice wanted to find out other celebrities that draw the ire of students
ity,” said fine arts student Jasmine Stotz, 21. “He’s a commodity instead of an artist.” “He shouldn’t be as famous as he is,” agreed fter Nickelback was heckled at the Grey Cup, Jessica Mok, 20, also in fine arts. The Voice wondered: which other celebrities Arts and science student Clarice Chan, 19, do we love to hate? doesn’t like “all the fuss” over Bieber, “but I do like Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, and Justin his songs.” Bieber topped Langara students’ lists. Miley Cyrus annoys Chelsea Pellerin, 19. “I don’t feel as though [Bieber] has any creativ“She tries to be so cool, she says she’s a stoner, then she’s says she’s not a stoner, it’s like, just pick what you are,” said Pellerin. Arts and science student Sandra Hodge, 25, is disgusted that Cyrus has become a bad role model for young girls. “All of a sudden, overnight, she turns into this trashy prostitute and then all these 14-year-old girls decide to dress provocatively and be trashy,” said Hodge. “I really can’t stand that.” Engineering student Mike Vena, 25, had more tolerance for a celebrity who has never tried to act like a good role model. “I just can’t hate Charlie Sheen,” said Grammy Vena. “He never pretended to be good.” AwardStudents were united in their disgust for Kim Kardashian and the entire Karwinning band dashian family. Nickelback “They do nothing,” said Mika Collins, often receives 21. “And [Kim Kardashian] got married criticim for money.” for being “Her voice is really annoying,” said overplayed and criminal justice student Trisha Tan, 19. unoriginal The last celebrity Enrico Niedo can remember hating is Courtney Love. Photo courtesy of The 24-year-old nursing student says FACEBOOK.COM he’s “opted out” of popular culture since he doesn’t have cable any more. By Jen St. Denis
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Justin Bieber
ADAM SUNDANA photo
KIM KARDASHIAN
GLENN FRANCIS photo
MILEY CYRUS
ANGELA GEORGE photo
I don’t feel as though he has any creativity. He’s a commodity instead of an artist JASMINE STOTZ Fine arts student
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Let’s just say she slept her way through fame, through a video TRISHA TAN Criminal justice student
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or people looking for crafty holiday gift options, the fourth annual One of a Kind Show and Sale arrives in Vancouver on Dec. 8. Running for four days the show features the work of over 300 artisans with products ranging from fashion and jewelry to chocolate and preserves. The brainchild of three artisan friends Steven Levy, Martin Rumack and June Bibby, who in 1975 couldn’t find a place to sell their art in the lead up to the holidays, pulled together to create their own temporary venue. The concept has been running since then and is one of the largest artisan markets in North America, with host events in Toronto, Chicago as well as Vancouver. The show is best known for offering holiday shoppers unique gift ideas in a single venue. One such wish-list item is the delectable treats created by Mink Chocolates. Marc Leiberman opened his chocolate concept café in 2006, where the only things on the menu are coffee and chocolate related. He has since expanded to add a second location and online business and is the only chocolatier in Canada to specialize in handcrafted ganache-filled chocolate bars. “I wanted to take those soft flavours you see in other chocolate stores who offer mostly truffles and put them into a more portable form,” said Leiberman. For his first time participation in the One of a Kind Show and Sale, Leiberman partnered with the design formation program at Langara College to create a unique space for his booth at the show. “The students at Langara did an amazing job with the booth and I’m very excited to see the reaction from everyone at the show, ” he said. Mink chocolate started as a passion project for the second-time entrepreneur with a sweet tooth. “I’m the guy with my hand in the bowl,” says Leiberman. “Chocolate is my passion, some guys smoke, some like hockey, for me it’s chocolate.” Mink’s 34 gourmet bars flavours include, Open in Case of Emergency, mint and bourbon; Mermaid’s Choice, burnt caramel with fleur de sel and a hint of rosemary; and Hot Chocolate with chipotle pepper. The One of a Kind Show runs from Dec. 8 to 11 and will also feature live performances by Goh Ballet, fashion shows and onsite childcare and giftwrapping. Admission to the event can be purchased in advance for $10 on the event website. Tickets at the door are $12, students and seniors pay $6.50 and children under 12 are free. For more information go to www.oneofakindvancouver.com.
She tries to be so cool. At first she says she’s a stoner, then she says she’s not a stoner CHELSEA PELLIN Arts and science student
Photo courtesy of One of a Kind Vancouver
The fourth annual One of of a Kind Show kicks off Thursday, Dec. 8.
lifestyles
Editor NATALIE CAMERON
The Voice, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011
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Study tips for stress-free tests Final exams at Langara College run throughout the first half of December and students have their own ways to deal with the tension By MATT HYNDMAN
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s the temperatures sink and stress levels spike ahead of the December exam period, Langara students are doing their best to manage their own mental health. “Stress leads to an increase in the body’s arousal,” said Jennifer Poole, the department chair of psychology. “The result is impaired concentration and decreased sleep.” She said stress can affect a person’s emotions and anxiety, and even leave students more prone to sickness. Priya Joshi has four science finals. Her strategy to cope with stress is to break up studying with lots of breaks. “I like to go for short walks,” she said. That’s a successful strategy, Poole says. “You’re more likely to remember things if you break studying up into short portions.” Joshi also finds listening to music
while she studies keeps her calm. “I listen to different kinds of music. Rap, sometimes classical. It’s soothing.” Emily Johnson, an arts and science student, also uses tunes to manage her stress level. “I listen to classical music while I’m studying, and then just rock out when I’m done.” Poole said music can have its merits, but it depends on the individual. “Research has shown gender differences. For females it can serve as a distraction. If it relaxes you it’s fine but it doesn’t work for everybody.” Some cases are slightly more complex. “I don’t feel it but I’ve been told I’m suffering from stress,” Langara student Jeremy Weaver said. “I’ve been having dreams of waking up and getting ready for school, then I really wake up and have to do it all over again.” He finds the cafeteria can be too loud
for studying. Paradoxically, he finds the library too quiet to focus. “I usually get here at 9 a.m. and leave at 6 or 7 p.m.” He balances that by getting extra sleep at night. “Get lots of sleep,” Poole said. She said sleep allows the brain to consolidate information and it improves memory. Poole also said socializing can reduce stress. “It’s better to close yourself in and study,” she said, “but it’s good if you can do some peer collaboration.” Poole said to plan ahead of time to minimize anxiety during the process. That includes setting a goal to look forward to at the end of the exam period. Joshi, Johnson and Weaver are all planning to relax or hang out with friends once finals end. “When it’s all done, I’m going to watch movies and eat excess amounts of chocolate,” Johnson said.
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stress tips
Break up studying into short portions
Get lots of sleep
Socializing with peers
Plan a study schedule before exams begin
Have a reward or goal for when exams are over
Begin to prepare early Source: Jennifer Poole,
psychology department chair
Image courtesy of Vancouver Humane Society
Send holiday greetings and support a good cause Charity Christmas cards send seasonal joy, while raising awareness of societies and their work By PATRICK JOHNSTON
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Photo courtesy THORSTEN PHOTOGRAPHY
From left: Tim Whitehead, Paul Naka, Jake McCallum and Nick Toews. Men’s basketball coaches teamed up to raise money for Movember.
Movember ends, goodbye facial hair The last day of November marks the end of the campaign to raise money and awareness of prostate cancer
By LYNDA CHAPPLE
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hould all those men who have taken the time to grow and groom moustaches shave them off now that it is the last day of the Movember campaign? Movember, which started in Melbourne in 2003, has been running worldwide through the month of November and men everywhere have let their moustaches grow-out to bring awareness, education, survivorship and research for prostate cancer, a disease that inflicts one in seven Canadian men. “I think it’s a great month to raise awareness for men’s health and prostate cancer,” said Brent Day, a human kinetics instructor at Langara, “Its nice
to see that there are a lot of people who participate in it and interested in it.” Day is part of a Movember team called the ‘Ridin Dirty’ along with Jake McCallum, head of Langara’s athletic department. They have raised around $2,000 through the website and dona- CAMERON COREA tions raised at Sat- Student raising urday nights Fal- money for Movember cons basketball game. They make it easy to get donations online,” McCallum said of the Movember website which has generated
around $32 million in Canada for this years campaign. McCallum said their team composed of four coaching staff plus six friends will all shave it off as Movember comes to a close. “Overall it is a fun thing to be a part of and it seems to put a smile on people’s faces when they see you with your moustache and how different you look with it,” said Day. Cameron Corea, a third-year geography student has raised $250 by placing a donation jar beside the tip jar at Mahony and Sons, where he works. “Tomorrow I will have a last run with a clean shave and display it for the last day of November and then get rid of it, a lot of people are telling me it has to go,” said Corea.
ith the season of giving quickly approaching, helping out by writing ‘hi’ is more realistic than you might think. Writing and sending greeting cards at Christmas time is a long-standing tradition for many Canadians and many charities sell cards at this time of year as a fundraiser. UNICEF’s cards have some recognition locally, but they aren’t the only charity selling cards. Debra Probert of the Vancouver Humane Society said cards are good for raising awareness of the society and its cause. This is the third year the society has produced Christmas cards. The first year there was only one card image, which featured a chicken. “People don’t think chickens are cute,” she said. In the last two years, switching to cards featuring dogs and cats has been a popular decision, she said. Using a local designer and print shop, the society produced 4,000 cards last year. Bruce Martin’s company CharityCards.ca has been producing cards for the Children’s Wish Foundation for 11 years. “We have an amazing collection of artists,” Martin said by phone. He said other, larger companies sell their cards purely for profit and have little interest in helping charities, so consumers should feel good using cards produced by his company. It’s good business supplying cards for charities and the charities are able to raise awareness for themselves, while artists get a higher profile for their work. “It’s a win-win connecting with a charity,” he said. When buying Christmas cards, Fine Arts student Daniel Telado said he usually buys them at the dollar store. “I would buy UNICEF cards if I knew where to find them,” he said. IKEA and Pier One are big supporters of UNICEF and their cards are UNICEF cards found in both reonline at tailers’ stores, said unicef.com.au Louise Hornby, the former co-ordina A list of locations tor of their greetfor the Vancouver ing card campaign. Humane Society cards is available However, “the online at vancouwriting has been verhumanesociety. on the wall for bc.ca many years, people just don’t send CharityCards.ca cards like they used to,” she said. Source: World Wide Web
WHERE
to find them
viewpoints
Editor Derek Bedry
The Voice, Wednesday, November 30, 2011
MLA welfare dare treats the symptom, not cause
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the oice The Voice is published by Langara College’s journalism department. Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student government and administration.
S
urrey NDP MLA Jagrup Brar has accepted a challenge to live on welfare for a month. He’s the only MLA to take up the challenge, posed five months ago by poverty advocacy group Raise the Rates. It’s a pity that no other MLA has accepted the offer. While it may be seen as a publicity stunt, it’s a graphic illustration of just how hard it is to live on $610 a month in one of Canada’s most expensive cities. Too often, middle-class British ColumbiJen St. Denis ans have an “it could never happen to me” attitude towards people on welfare. It’s perhaps a sad statement that we need to experience poverty through an MLA’s artificial experience in order to be able to relate to real poor people. The challenge replicates one undertaken by NDP MLA Emory Barnes 25 years ago, in 1986. Barnes came out of that challenge 30 pounds lighter and with a bad case of bronchitis. After the experience, he advocated doubling the welfare rate. Not much has changed 25 years later. In the 1990’s, the NDP government cut welfare rates, leading the Social Planning and Research Council of B.C. to warn that welfare “covered only 65% of minimum living costs.” The Liberal government cut welfare again in 2002 and tightened eligibility rules. British Columbia has the highest child poverty rate of any province, according to the First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition. B.C. has had this dubious distinction for the past eight years. Food banks are busier than ever. Since 2008, the number of people relying on food banks has increased 26 per cent. Many food bank users are families with children and the working poor. And the back-and-forth between the province and the City of Vancouver about funding for emergency cold weather shelters continues. Hopefully Brar’s experience will shine a light on poverty. It’s time for British Columbians to stop seeing the poor as just one more intractable problem, and start seeing them as our neighbours.
OPINION
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Wards more accountable
P
oliticians in Vancouver should be more accountable to the citizens who elect them.
No matter what side of the issues you’re on – if you’re for or against more bike lanes, think needy deserve a higher welfare allowance or should just get a job, believe in a commitment to reducing carbon emissions or reserve your right to drive an ostentatious, gas-guzzling vehicle – chances are the municipal government has ticked you off. And if you’re a particularly vocal citizen, you’ve been frustrated by having to find your way through a labyrinth of bureaucracy looking for the appropriate authority to make a complaint that ultimately fell on deaf ears. That’s because Vancouver is the last major city in Canada with an at-large electoral system, meaning derek bedry politicians are elected city-wide and don’t represent a neighbourhood constituency, as is the case in a ward system such as Calgary’s. Many proponents of bringing the ward system to Vancouver have tried to make a racial issue out of it. In the 2008 municipal election,
OPINION
Vision Vancouver’s only unsuccessful candidate Kashmir Dhaliwal considered suing the city because he believed the system discriminated against South Asian names. Lawyer Jason Gratl responded by telling the Georgia Straight that a lawsuit would have to prove that the candidate’s nonelection was a result of a system that actually empowered racist preferences, and not that the candidate simply didn’t suit enough voters’ political inclinations. Opponents of wards say that if the problem is racial division in Vancouver, drawing political lines around neighbourhoods based partly on ethnic makeup would only ghettoize the voting process and entrench the alienation some groups already feel. This argument doesn’t really make any sense. Vancouver is so diverse that even in a neighbourhood occupied predominantly by people of a particular ethnicity, any elected representative would still have to be accountable to a veritable rainbow of constituents – who now know exactly who to email if they have a complaint, and exactly what community to mobilize if that representative isn’t doing his or her job and needs to be replaced. Vision Vancouver has repeatedly said they are in favour of a more fair electoral system, including wards
and single transferrable votes, but usually follows such statements by pointing out that they have set up special community plans or citizen advisory boards that function the same way. These are catch-all Band-Aids meant to mimic the results of actual reform. The problematic implication is that as long as you continue to elect Vision Vancouver representatives under the existing electoral system, everything will be fine, and the government will respond to your demands for change by creating more committees to govern them. Even with a ward system, Vision representatives would be preferred all over the city, according to a breakdown found on city politics beat reporter Frances Bula’s blog. Vision’s platform is green, socially conscious, and appeals to a majority of Vancouverites’ values. But when there’s a problem they don’t feel qualified to address, it seems they just set up a committee and then throw money at it. Instead, Vancouver should insist on politicians who can address individual concerns directly and with a straight answer, who are empowered by and responsible for the needs of a smaller constituency instead of trying to be all things for all people.
No to Kyoto = Yes to realistic fixes I
t’s no surprise that Canada plans to pull out of the Kyoto Accord at the end of December. In 2002, state leaders were asked whether or not they would ratify their participation in the protocol. Shortly after Chretien publicly voiced a commitment to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by six per cent from 1990 levels, President Bush refused to follow suit. Since then, Canada has been indifferent towards its initial agreement. In 2006, Canadians elected a minority Conservative government whose platform proposed a “madein-Canada” plan to replace “ambitious international treaties” signed by the Liberals.
Accordingly, the environment has never topped the agenda of the current federal government – a government that has no intention of making good on previous government’s promises. Experts suggested early on that the Kyoto Protocol could not succeed without U.S. participation. carly wignes And certainly, the lack of a U.S. presence reduces the incentive for Canadian leaders to make any effort to reach targets. The influence of the U.S. and its
OPINION
multi-trillion dollar economy is a powerful force upon Canadian policy makers. Often, the latter are more concerned about how their American counterparts will react than will the rest of the world. So it’s understandable that Environment Minister Peter Kent plans to argue in favour of a new agreement, even though Canada’s failed promise will leave an embarrassing black mark on the country’s international reputation. At this point, we ought to be pleased rather than surprised at the decision. Canadian leaders no longer have to pretend to be working towards goals they were unlikely ever to accomplish in the first place.
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EDITORIAL STAFF THIS ISSUE: MANAGING EDITOR/ PAGE 6 Derek Bedry
PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Kyla Jonas
PAGE 2 Khethiwe Rudd
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PAGE 5 Natalie Cameron
PAGE 7 Brittany Lee
PAGE 8 Carlisle Richards
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news & features
Editor BRITTANY LEE
The Voice, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011
Vancouver lawyers to rally for increased legal aid funds After government ignores lawyers’ request to raise subsidies for legal aid, lawyers plan to gather at provincial courthouse today
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By ALEXANDRA GRANT
This crisis continues to hurt citizens day to day, and these are often people most in need of help. BENTLEY DOYLE Director of communications for the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia
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ocal lawyers asking for more legal aid funding have grown impatient and will be rallying today at 1 p.m. at the B.C. Provincial Court on Main Street. This rally for legal aid takes place a full month ahead of planned job action, due to the government’s lack of response to the lawyers’ request. Similar rallies will take place in Kamloops, Victoria and Penticton. “This crisis continues to hurt citizens day to day, and these are often people most in need of help from the legal profession,” said Bentley Doyle, the director of communications for the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia. TLABC is one of the organizations that have spearheaded the upcoming co-ordinated call for action by lawyers. In January, lawyers who do duty counsel work will refuse to perform these legal services for the first week of the month. Each month after that,
another week will be added, culminating to a full month in April. In supporting this battle for legal aid, the TLABC is joined by the B.C. Crown Counsel Association, their traditional opposition in court. “Our system is premised... upon two equal opposing advocates,” said Samiran Lakshman, the President of the BCCCA. “The system falls apart and justice is simply not done when one side has that representation and the other does not.” Lakshman added that the government’s cut to legal aid actually ends up being more costly for the government and taxpayers alike. “It makes no fiscal sense,” he said. “Stripping money out of legal aid costs the government money when it comes to the inefficiencies that result in the court system and it costs taxpayers money as a result of the lack of services.” Commissioner Leonard Doust, a senior lawyer in B.C., was the author of a report based on a public commission
on legal aid. His report said “our legal aid system is failing the people of British Columbia,” and that legal aid needs to be recognized as an essential public service. “We need the bar raised, essentially,” said Azool Jaffer-Jerar, the president of the TLABC. “If there’s more funds available to the legal aid system, then the bar can go up and more people can qualify to get that service... it improves the whole justice system.” Robyn Crisanti is the manager of communications at The Law Society of British Columbia, which is the governing body for the legal profession in the province. She said the law society is constantly trying to improve the legal aid system and that the law society has focused on improving access to legal services. “We just changed our rules recently to allow paralegals and articling students to offer legal services, the idea being that those services would be more affordable than dealing directly with a lawyer,” Crisanti said.
Events from last year’s Santa Claus Parade included marching bands, floats, a visit from Santa Claus, and the Vancouver Fire & Rescue services. Photos courtesy of ROGERS SANTA CLAUS PARADE
Santa Claus parade helps feed needy ITEMS
in demand
Canned meat/fish
Peanut butter
Bags of whole wheat pasta or rice
Pasta sauce
Canned fruit and vegetables
Cereal
Baby formula
Baby food Source: Greater Vancouver Food Bank
The annual Rogers Santa Claus Parade, which takes place this Sunday, aids in raising donations for Vancouver food banks By JENNIFER FONG
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ant to get on Santa’s nice list this year? Help feed Vancouver families by bringing food donations to the 8th annual Rogers Santa Claus Parade on Sunday Dec. 4. The parade is one of the largest fundraising events for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Since 2004, it has raised almost $100,000 and 63,500 pounds of food. “We’re greatly looking forward to the parade this year, as we are every year,” said Kay Thody, spokesperson
for the GVFB. The parade takes place at 1 p.m. and starts at West Georgia and Broughton Street. Each year the parade attracts a crowd of more than 300,000. This free event features floats, marching bands, dancers and an appearance from St. Nick himself. The GVFB will be accepting non-perishable food and monetary donations along the parade route and at two collection points. Thody said canned meat, fish, peanut butter, pasta, pasta sauces and baby formula are in high demand. The food bank feeds around 25,000 people a week, which Thody said hasn’t been easy to do in this economy. “This year’s definitely been tough,” she said. “Hunger is an issue that affects everybody.” “As long as we can assist people, we will,” Thody added.
“Cash donations are often of greatest benefit for the GVFB,” she said. “For every $1 we get, we’re able to turn that into $3 in purchasing power.” Last year, the food bank raised $5,000 and over 4,500 pounds of food through the parade. “We greatly appreciate their support in getting the word out and generate awareness of the issue of hunger in our community,” Thody said. Marina Guy, communications specialist for Rogers said, “We’re always looking for an opportunity to support a worthwhile organization.” “The Santa Claus parade has become a holiday tradition in our city,” Guy said. “It really is the kickoff to the Christmas season.” “It’s a great family event as well as a way to raise food and funds for the food bank,” Guy said.
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Students left in dark about new transit fare system TransLink’s new Compass fare system will prevent fare evasion and ensure smooth operation but it’s still unknown how U-Pass holders will be affected By DEVON MACKENZIE
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ransLink’s promised new fare system, Compass, is meant to help keep fare evaders at bay and transit flowing smoothly, but the cost of the project to U-Pass providers and users is still unknown. A new U-Pass system was set in place in September causing post-secondary institutions to shell out money in order to update dispensers at schools. With new changes on the way, the question is how much the next upgrade will cost institutions and students. “At this point we know very little,” said Langara’s U-Pass co-ordinator Raymond Yeung. “[The program] is still in the preliminary phases, so as TransLink knows more about how they’re going to progress with it, we’ll be kept up to date.” TransLink spokesperson Ken Hardie couldn’t be reached for comment on how the program may affect post-secondary institutions. The Voice also contacted other postsecondary institutions for comment but calls were not returned before press time. The new Compass system, which was unveiled in March, will include fare cards with built-in chip technology and fare gates to ensure only paying customers are allowed to board transit. The system is expected to be installed in transit stations over the fall and winter of 2012, when the pilot project will begin. According to their website, TransLink says the system should be fully operational by 2013. The U-Pass program was made province-wide in 2010 and is run in conjunction with post-secondary student unions, TransLink and the provincial government. Langara saw the province-wide program instituted in March 2011 when students voted 97 per cent in favour of dropping the Vancity U-Pass program and adopting the U-Pass B.C. program.
DEVON MACKENZIE photos
Students wait to board the bus outside Langara College. It’s not yet known how the new Compass fare system will affect student U-Passes.
sports
Editor Carlisle Richards
The Voice, Wednesday, november 30, 2011
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Fans choose Schneider over Luongo Canucks have a goalie controversy, but it’s clear whom their followers want By MARTIN WISSMATH
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PHOTO COURTESY OF WHISTLER BLACKCOMB
Thanks to unseasonably early snowfalls ski slopes like Whistler Blackcomb are hostings crowds of celebratory skiiers and snowboarders.
Early winter helps ski resorts Vancouver is chillier than usual, and skiiers are hitting the slopes By ALANNA HARDINGE-ROONEY
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elow average temperatures in B.C. mean ski resorts are opening early, and prime conditions have many city dwellers heading for the hills. Eight resorts in the province opened ahead of schedule, including many mountains close to Vancouver. Whistler Blackcomb currently has a snow base of nine feet – 3.6 feet above average for this time of year – according to public relations coordinator Lauren Everest. “This is a La Nina winter for us, which means cooler than average temperatures and heavy precipitation,” said Everest. “Last year was also a La Nina winter, and it was our second snowiest season ever, so we’re hopeful for another epic winter season.”
Julie Matheson, who works at the Garibaldi Mountain Lift Company in Whistler Village, said snow was falling heavily on Tuesday. “It’s crazy right now. It was only supposed to be light snow, and the weather forecast still says it’s light snow, but it’s been really, really snowing for a really long time,” said Matheson, who has been skiing almost daily since Whistler Mountain opened Nov. 18. According to Everest, Whistler was able to open six days ahead of schedule thanks to “lucky” early season snow. Langara arts and sciences student Desmond Pollard said he can’t wait to take advantage of the snow over the holidays. “I’m going up on the 15th,” he said. “Super stoked.” The snow has business owners in Whistler rejoicing as well.
According to Monty Khandal, head of Canadian business operations for international skiwear company Descente, “The weather in Whistler has helped. More people are shopping for equipment at our stores.” By contrast, Khandal said it is 10 degrees in Montreal. “The weather there is killing business.” Everest said everyone should consider making Whistler part of their holiday plans. “It’s definitely worth the trip. There’s an incredible amount of terrain up here … and we’ve been having an epic season of snowfall so you won’t find skiing like this anywhere else.” The forecast for Whistler Blackcomb is for clear, dry weather from today through the weekend. However, freezing levels will be rising.
Ski Deals for Whistler Winter Lodging - Rates starting at $99 per night for 3-star lodging up to $158 for 5-star.
Film Festival Purchase a vacation package and gain access to the 2011 Whistler Film Festival for just $89 per night. Source: Whistlerblackcomb
he Vancouver Canucks are rolling and it’s not because of goalie Roberto Luongo. Head coach Alain Vigneault is riding the hot hand of backup Cory Schneider, and a lot of fans agree with the decision. Out of 20 students surveyed on campus, the opinion was unanimous: as long as Schneider plays like he did last week, he should play instead of Luongo. “If Schneider proves himself, then he proves himself,” said business student Jon Lee. “Luongo [also] has to prove himself.” Lee added that a lot of fans are still sore over Luongo’s shaky performance in the Stanley Cup final last year against the Boston Bruins. The Canucks’ starting netminder let in 12 goals in games 3 and 4 of the championship series, and another three goals in less than three minutes in the Game 6. The Canucks then lost the Cup in Game 7. Vancouver has had a rocky start this season, losing five of 12 games in October and dropping another three games earlier this month. Luongo has started in six of the Canucks’ nine losses this season. He’s also started in just seven of the team’s 13 wins. “As long as Schneider’s got a hot hand, they should keep playing him,” said Eli Rich, a first year Arts and Science student. “Lu[ongo] plays better when he plays a lot. We’ll see.” Schneider started for the Canucks in the last six games and has been impressive. He brought the Canucks to a season-high four-game winning streak at the end of their road trip on Sunday. “It’s simple common sense,” said Vancouver Sun sports reporter Elliott Pap. “If you’ve got a hot goaltender, you go with him.” Pap did say there has been a bit of a change in how Vigneault is dealing with Luongo this year compared to years in the past. “Vigneault is treating Luongo like other players,” he said. “He’s showing he’s not afraid to not play him.” Schneider was named the NHL’s second star of the week on Monday, with a 3-0-0 record, a 0.67 goals-against-average and a .978 save percentage for the week ending Nov. 27.
Lions believe Buono will retire After winning his fifth Grey Cup, the consensus is the 61-year-old coach is leaving the CFL sidelines By Daniel Palmer
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Ruman Kang photo f
Wally Buono didn’t reveal any retirement plans Monday
s the Grey Cup celebration winds down, the B.C. Lions are turning their attention to the possible departure of head coach Wally Buono. After five Grey Cup victories and being the winningest coach in CFL history, Buono, 61, has little more to achieve. The feeling among his players is that he is leaning toward retirement, however in his Monday press conference Buono still had not made a decision. “What I have to decide on is what I think is best for the organization,” Buono said. “But I also have to decide what’s best for me. I mean football is something that is in my blood. I’ve
been doing this now for close to 40 years, so I feel that as much as the decision’s going to be difficult either way, it’s got to be made for the right reasons.” Some Lions players have noticed sentimental behaviour from Buono that suggests he may be readying himself to step down as coach. Centre Angus Reid said Buono – who led the Lions back from 0-5 at the start of the season – made his first request for a team photo with the Grey Cup. “He’s never done things like that before. He requested that,” Reid told the Canadian Press. TSN SportsCentre correspondent Farhan Lalji believes Buono has already made up his mind but is likely conflicted about leaving the role. “I left yesterday [press conference] believing that the [Grey Cup] would be his last game,” said Lalji, who also coaches the New Westminster Hyacks
football team. “I’ve been coaching for 23 years. It’s not really something you can actually let go of on any given day. It’s always in your thoughts at some point.” If he does retire after 22 years of coaching in the CFL, Buono said he likely would remain as general manager until his contract expires in 2013. If that happens, Lalji said Buono may have to resist the urge to jump back in to coaching next season. “At least he’ll be still in football, he’s still going to be getting his fix on some level. So from that perspective it’s good. But when you’re that close to it, it’ll be really hard to not be coaching it.” Buono started his CFL coaching career shortly after retiring after 10 seasons with the Montreal Alouettes. Signing on as an assistant with the Calgary Stampeders. He was hired as coach and GM of the Lions in 2003.