20141223_ca_halifax by Metro Canada

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

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HALIFAX NEWS WORTH SHARING.

Union: Hire more firefighters, don’t close stations The fire service is proposing closing the stations on Lady Hammond Road, King Street and PAGE 4 Patton Road

Team Canada names captain, boasts whiz-kid with character Home team — which includes former Mooseheads goalie Zach Fucale — hands Ottawa Senators rookie Curtis Lazar the ‘C’ and talks up phenom Connor McDavid ahead of World Juniors PAGES 24 & 26

Expressway in the cards Burnside. Long-awaited Quoted third route could badly needed in the become reality this year “It’s metro area.” RUTH DAVENPORT

ruth.davenport@metronews.ca

It seems 2015 could be the year construction finally actually begins on the Burnside Connector, according to one of the province’s chief engineers. “Every year we’ve been hoping to for a couple of years now,” said Bruce Fitzner of the Department of Transportation. Fitzner said if negotiations with the federal government over land and funding unroll smoothly, the long-awaited Highway 107 extension could get off the ground this summer. The project is included on the 2015-16 Highway Plan released by the province Monday. It’s been included on similar plans since 2013, held up by negotiations over land acquisitions and other bureaucratic manoeuverings.

Bruce Fitzner about the Burnside Expressway

One element that will get underway this summer is the construction of a roundabout at Burnside Drive and Akerley Boulevard, something the province agreed to as part of a land deal with HRM. Coun. Darren Fisher, whose district includes the Burnside Park, called that “exciting,” and said he’s keen to see the rest of the project move into Phase One. “We’re getting very residential along that highway,” he said. “If … we’re going to let people live there, we need to move cars through there faster. We need that alternative entrance.” The Liberal government has identified the Burnside Expressway as one of its top priorities, and Fitzner said he’s optimistic it won’t be delayed another year.

METRO’S BEST (OF 2014)

Jacob Hoggard of Hedley jumps in the air while performing for an adoring crowd during the band’s stop in Halifax at the Scotiabank Centre last March. Go inside to pages 6 and 7 to catch some more of our favourite Halifax photos of the year, and check online at metronews.ca/halifax for more. JEFF HARPER/METRO

HALIFAX

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

News release

Dalhousie dentistry clinics closing until Jan. 12 over Facebook scandal

Russ Daye speaks to reporters on Monday about fires at St. Andrew’s United Church in Halifax earlier this year that caused more than $700,000 in damage. JEFF HARPER/METRO

‘Sense of injustice’: Still no leads in church arson Church blaze. St. Andrew’s United lead minister joins police in asking public to help solve the case HALEY RYAN

haley.ryan@metronews.ca

More than five months after a serious fire caused heavy damage to a Halifax church and its hall, the lead minister is asking for anyone with information to come forward to end a “sense of injustice” around the case. Russ Daye took reporters through St. Andrew’s United Church on Monday to view the reconstruction process to the main sanctuary and church hall, which he estimated to

Quoted

“We know there’ll be more alarms, we know there’ll be more motion sensors.” Russ Daye, lead minister, about increased security at St. Andrew’s

total $700,000 so far but will keep going up. No charges have been laid yet and Halifax Regional Police are also asking for the public’s help. “It’s disconcerting. There’s still some anxiety,” Daye said. “It hurt so many people simultaneously. There’s a sense of injustice that lingers around that.” In May, a fire caused $10,000 in damages just outside the main administration office in the hall, Daye said. That was followed by the July 10 blaze in which three fires were lit on a grand piano in the

church, the relocated administration office in the lower part of the hall where all their records burned up, and the Little Ladybug’s Childcare Centre in the same corridor. Daye said a big issue was smoke damage and soot throughout the church, where they used 40-foot scaffolding to clean the ceiling and walls. They also brought in experts to restore the stained glass windows. The piano had to be replaced with a new one worth “tens of thousands” of dollars. Insurance has covered the majority of the costs, Daye said.

Although the congregation had to worship at the First Baptist Church until late November, Daye said the “hardest part to absorb” was how roughly 250 homeless or low-income residents missed out on free Sunday night meals for weeks as the hall was reconstructed. Police spokesman Const. Pierre Bourdages said the fires are connected, and a woman was spotted leaving the church July 10 just before emergency responders arrived. “These two fires have impacted this congregation and this sanctuary in an enormous way,” Bourdages said. A woman formerly employed by the church was arrested in mid-July and faces fraud charges after more than $400,000 went missing, but Bourdages said they have found no “link” between that and the arson incidents.

NEWS

Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Dentistry has closed its public dental clinics for the next three weeks. On Monday, the university stated the clinics will be closed until Jan. 12 and affected patients will be contacted to reschedule appointments. According to a release, the closing of the clinics is one of many steps being taken so patients, students, faculty and staff can return to classes and the clinics in a “safe and supportive environment.” The move comes less than a week after university president Richard Florizone said they were proceeding with a restorative justice process to resolve complaints about sexually violent comments made about women and specific female classmates by 13, fourth-year male dentistry students in a Facebook group. The activity of a few students in the program is “not representative or reflective of the values of the Faculty of Dentistry,” the release said. “Comments expressed on Facebook are deeply offensive, degrading to women and completely unacceptable. Our community has been rocked by these postings,” the release said. The Faculty of Dentistry and School of Dental Hygiene says they are now working on a plan for classes and dental clinics for the remainder of the term. HALEY RYAN/METRO

HALIFAX

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Court. Video decision due for suspended paramedic A suspended Nova Scotia paramedic accused of sexually assaulting a senior citizen will find out Tuesday whether comments he made to police officers during a videotaped statement will be permissible at trial. James Duncan Keats, a 49-year-old from Kentville, stands accused of two counts of sexual assault and two counts of breach of trust based on allegations put forth by a 72-yearold Mount Uniacke woman. The woman alleges Keats sexually assaulted her twice — once in her home, and once in the back of an ambulance. A voir dire hearing began on Oct. 3 to allow the judge the chance to determine whether comments made by Keats to East Hants RCMP officers after his arrest would be allowed during trial. Two videotaped statements from May 2013, following his arrest, were presented during the voir dire hearing.

James Duncan Keats hants journal

Keats denied any wrongdoing in the first interrogation, which lasted several hours. However, shortly afterward, he asked to speak with the investigators to share his side of the story. During that second interview, Keats said he understood he was talking to the police on his own free will. He described what happened in the bedroom with his patient and alleged she made an advance and began touching his groin. Keats told the police he was “not some sick predator” as he described the events that day. The trial resumes in March. Hants Journal

Crime. Seven face charges after women assaulted Seven people have been charged after three women were allegedly assaulted and threatened with knives in Dartmouth. Halifax Regional Police were called to a business in the 700 block of Windmill Road around 9 p.m. on Sunday. One of the victims told police she and her friends were assaulted and threatened with knives at the business by a large group of people. According to a release from police, several suspects were seen fleeing from the area and officers took six people into custody — three men, one woman, a male youth and a feCourt

Sentencing delayed for man in murder case A Glace Bay man was due to be sentenced Monday on an accessory to murder charge but the matter has been adjourned until January. Robert Edwin Matheson, 50, entered his guilty plea during a Supreme Court appearance in September. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to attend to court. Matheson, who continues

Targeted attack

Halifax Regional Police spokesman Const. Pierre Bourdages said the incident wasn’t random and it stemmed from a previous dispute.

male youth. On Monday, police said charges including assault, assault with a weapon, robbery and forcible confinement were laid against seven people — two men, one woman, three male youths and one female youth. Philip Croucher/metro

to be on remand, will now be sentenced Jan. 14. Lawyers involved with the case told Justice Patrick Murray they needed some more time to present additional case law to the court Matheson pleaded guilty to helping Thomas Ted Barrett, 39, and Morgan James MacNeil, 23, both of Glace Bay, dispose of the body of 21-year-old Laura Catherine Jessome of Bras d’Or. Both Barrett and MacNeil are facing a charge of seconddegree murder. Jessome’s body was found in May 2012 in Marion Bridge. Cape Breton Post

Pedestrians cross the road last week in front of Fire Station 13 on King Street in Dartmouth. Jeff Harper/Metro

Fill staff vacancies, don’t close fire stations: Union Firefighting. Deputy chief says new technology will ensure closest truck to the scene gets the call The union representing Halifax firefighters is calling on the city to fill more than a dozen vacant positions rather than closing three stations. The fire service is proposing closing the stations on Lady Hammond Road, King Street and Patton Road, saying it would eliminate overlapping coverage and still provide fire service within the standard five-minute response time.

Quoted

“Proper fire protection comes at a cost and we can’t cut that cost or shrink away from that.” Halifax Professional Firefighters president Jim Gates

But Jim Gates of Halifax Professional Firefighters said Monday data from calls suggest total response times could climb to more than seven minutes if the three stations are closed. “If I’m the officer in charge and I arrive in eight or nine minutes ... I’m not putting firefighters inside the building,” he said. Deputy Chief Roy Hollett said that would be true if every fire crew was in the fire hall in question around the clock,

but he said that’s not the case — and in those events, division commanders will move trucks strategically around the city to ensure coverage at all times. He said the fire service is investing in technology that will allow dispatchers to send calls to whatever crew is actually closest to the scene of the emergency. “What we’re trying to say is, don’t focus on the buildings,” he said. “It’s the fire apparatus, the aerials, the engines that we

want to get to the scene.” Gates said the argument around closing three stations highlights a larger staffing issue, saying 17 firefighter positions currently sit vacant. Although it could cost between $4 million and $5 million to staff those positions, he said, citizens and the city should consider it an investment in a fire service that hasn’t grown in 20 years. Hollett said spending money on new hires should be a last step after existing resources are put to the best use. “We’re closing those stations to make better use of existing officers and avoid the overlap, which is an overuse and overkill of resources,” he said. Ruth Davenport/metro

Bundle of cash discovered in parking lot

Police are seeking the owner of cash lost at the Quinpool Centre parking lot. Colorbox.com

Anyone who lost track of a substantial chunk of change over the weekend should check in with Halifax Regional Police. Const. Pierre Bourdages said someone dropped an item in the parking lot of the Quinpool Centre on Friday, which contained cash. “It’s possibly someone’s rent, it could be someone’s holiday cash, it could be a number of things,” said Bourdages Monday. “But there is someone that’s missing a large amount

Get in touch

Anyone with information about the money, or anyone who believes it may belong to them, is asked to contact police at 490-5016.

of money.” Staff at the centre held the item over the weekend and turned it over to police on Sunday when no one had come for-

ward to claim it. Bourdages said the item doesn’t contain anything that would identify the owner. No specifics on it or the cash inside will be released to the public as it’s information that only the rightful owner will have — and they will be asked to provide those specifics to police to get it all back. Bourdages said police don’t believe the money was obtained illicitly. Ruth Davenport/metro

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Capital spending plan 8% lower in province Infrastructure. At $490M, capital budget smallest in seven years The Nova Scotia government released a slimmeddown capital spending plan Monday, saying it intends to spend $490 million on highways, schools, hospitals and equipment in 2015-16 — the smallest capital budget in seven years. As usual, almost 70 per cent of that money will be spent on highways, buildings and land. The remainder will be split between grants for regional health authorities, information technology, vehicles and a contingency fund. The total amount represents an eight per cent reduction compared to last year’s plan and is smaller than every other capital plan since 2008-09. The reduction in planned spending has been spread fairly evenly

among all departments, government officials said. Finance Minister Diana Whalen said capital spending rocketed up to about $800 million in 2009-10 when the federal and provincial governments started spending heavily on infrastructure to stimulate the economy as a global recession took hold. “We are coming back into line,” she told a news conference. “We need to bring our spending into line with our resources and what’s affordable for Nova Scotia.” However, at $490 million, the capital budget is still above pre-recession levels of $300 million to $400 million. Government officials said this latest round of spending is expected to add about $90 million to the province’s $14 billion accumulated debt, now at a record high. Whalen said it would be unwise to simply slash capital spending to pre-recession levels. “That means that we’d be

Quoted

“We need to bring our spending into line with our resources and what’s affordable for Nova Scotia.” Finance Minister Diana Whalen

Finance Minister Diana Whalen is shown in this file photo. Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press

ignoring things that need to be repaired, and we would ultimately end (up) paying more,” she said. “We have to be prudent in maintaining the infrastructure.” Tim Houston, the finance critic for the Progressive

Conservative party, said the government must do a better job of reining in operating expenses. “They’re starting to show some spending restraint,” he said. “At the same time, departmental spending is

higher than ever and we’re running a deficit of over $200 million ... If they could get control of departmental spending, there would be more money for capital spending.” The Canadian PRess

HALIFAX

Five-year plan

Twinning coming to part of Highway 103 The province released Monday a five-year highway improvement plan for repairing and maintaining the province’s 23,000 kilometres of roads and 4,100 bridges. That document doesn’t include a cost estimate for the next five years, but it confirms the province will spend $220 million on highways and bridges in 2015-16. A Transport official said a 20-kilometre section of Highway 103 west of Halifax, between exits 5 and 6, is carrying enough daily traffic to justify twinning the highway at an estimated cost of $3 million per kilometre, though one option could be putting in additional passing lanes. However, the five-year plan doesn’t include any details about twinning, even though the Liberals pledged during the 2013 election campaign to do something about dangerous stretches of the highway. Finance Minister Diana Whalen said work is underway on an interchange near Ingramport and the plan is to get the federal government to share part of the costs of improving highway safety once a provincial study has been completed in the months ahead. A similar study on Highway 104 is expected to be completed in February. The Canadian Press

HALIFAX

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

As 2014 goes out of focus, we take a moment to reflect on some key photographic moments of the year. Halifax received a lot of new things, most notably a stunning library with amazing new views and another ferry that was named after one of our fallen soldiers. There were a lot of court cases â&#x20AC;&#x201D; readers were shocked to see Victoria Henneberry smiling to the media when she arrived in court to face murder charges. One of our photojournalism interns also snapped a key moment in the Lyle Howe case, moments after he was found guilty of sexual assault. You can find even more of our favourite photos online at metronews.ca. Jeff Harper

halifax@metronews.ca

New library. Not a home for dusty tomes Bruce Gorman, director of Central Library and Regional Services, gives Metro a tour of the soonto-be-opened Halifax Central Library in November.

Miracle baby. Life reclaimed

Robin Cyr visits her newborn daughter at the IWK Health Centre. The pair made headlines in March when the baby was declared dead after about 25 minutes, but spontaneously started breathing again.

1 3

2 Picture this: A look back at 2014

Saunders murder case. Accused smiles for the camera

Victoria Henneberry smiles as she arrives at Halifax provincial court in February to face a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Loretta Saunders. Her look drew the ire of many online readers.

Howe sexual-assault case. When it all comes crashing down

Photojournalism intern Patrick McKenna captured the moment just after high-profile lawyer Lyle Howe was found guilty of sexual assault last May.

Christopher Stannix ferry. Memories drift on wind and wave

Balloons are released during the official launch of the new Christopher Stannix ferry last May in Halifax.

HALIFAX

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Cowabunga on Cow Bay. Wind whips up big waves A surfer catches a wave in Cow Bay in November. Winds of more than 40 kilometres per hour helped whip up the surf, bringing waves between seven and 11 feet high.

Kangaroo Jack. Jumping up and down in excitement

Jack the Red Kangaroo checks out some of his visitors at the Museum of Natural History during his visit to Halifax over March break.

Portland Place fire. Surveying the devastation Firefighters check for hot spots at a commercial structure on Portland Place in May, the day after a massive fire reduced the building to rubble.

HALIFAX

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

‘A rainy, wet, windy Christmas’ A soggy holiday. Over 50 millimetres of downpour could be headed our way on Thursday, according to Environment Canada Helen pike

helen.pike@metronews.ca

It’s time to say “snow long” to our last hope for a white Christmas, Halifax. Environment Canada is calling for heavy rainfall and strong winds building over Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day, according to a special weather statement released Monday. “We’re looking at a rainy, wet, windy Christmas,” said meteorologist Linda Libby. Libby said the rain will likely start about mid-afternoon on Wednesday as light rain showers, before becoming heavier as it moves towards midnight. It should continue as heavy rain on Thursday, it will lighten in

Quoted

“It looks like more of a rain and wind event.” Linda Libby, Environment Canada meteorologist

the afternoon and end just before midnight. The most rain will likely fall along the southern coast of the province and the Halifax area, Libby said, with more than 50 millimetres in many locations. Winds are expected to gust with “moderate to strong” force, she said, peaking in the early hours of Christmas Day when “hopefully” many people won’t be up and about, although winds are expected to go up and down throughout Christmas Day. The weather system bringing all this rain is quite large, Libby said, the centre of which is tracking out of the United States and into the Great Lakes and central Quebec. A trough is extending southeast, Libby said, and will rotate up over the Maritimes. “If it did the same thing

with snow and wind, we certainly would be remembering this Christmas,” Libby said. “Hopefully it doesn’t cause any serious problems for anybody in their travels.” But will the North Pole team of Santa Claus and his reindeer have a hard time battling the heavy winds Christmas Eve? “They’re weather conscious there, so they think before they leave,” Libby said. It will likely be a rainfall event for a “good portion” of the Maritimes including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and southern New Brunswick, Libby said, but northern New Brunswick could see mixed snow and ice pellets. Libby said the highest tides of the year are also expected Tuesday before the rain hits, and the weather statement said strong onshore winds could bring “elevated coastal water levels” and high waves.

A pedestrian passes under the Chebucto Road Rail bridge during a rainstorm last year. Jeff Harper/Metro

Pro-Line adding world junior Day-care workers subject to hockey championship games tighter criminal record checks Not only can you now cheer for Team Canada at the world junior hockey championships, you can also make — or lose — money watching them, too. The Atlantic Lottery Corporation announced on Monday that for the first time ever, they are offering sports wagering through Pro-Line on the World Junior Hockey

Wager on Wednesday

According to the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, wagering on tournament games will begin on Wednesday.

Championship that begin on Boxing Day in Montreal and Toronto.

“World junior hockey draws a lot of Atlantic Canadian viewers and fans. Through Atlantic Lottery we’re able to add to the excitement by offering it among our other Pro-Line offerings for those interested in placing wagers,” Scott Eagles, senior product manager, sports, said in a release. metro

Nova Scotia’s government has brought in new regulations that increase its authority to ensure child-care staff have received criminal record checks before they’re allowed to work with children. Provincial spokesman Gary Andrea says under the old rules, a staff person whose check had lapsed

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could continue to work for up to 90 days before they had to comply. He said under the new rules, no person who lacks the criminal record check will be allowed to continue working in a child care facility until the record is brought up to date. In addition, the criminal-record check will be

replaced by the vulnerablesector check in June 2015, and must be renewed every five years. The vulnerable sector check goes beyond the criminal record check, to include a search of the pardoned sex offender database. The new rules come into force as of Tuesday. the canadian press

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HALIFAX

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Nova Scotia Power warns customers about phone scam involving fake representative Nova Scotia Power is warning customers about a telephone scam in which a caller poses as a representative of the company and demands money via prepaid credit cards. In the scam, the caller states that the customer’s account is in arrears and the person must immediately pay the balance owing

Nova Scotia RCMP Sgt. Craig Smith has written a second edition of his book You Had Better Be White By 6 A.M. Yarmouth Vanguard

RCMP racial diversity at heart of book You Had Better Be White By 6 A.M., second edition. Officer examines successes, missteps and path forward for organization Craig Smith doesn’t give up on things. Not when he thinks it is important. And definitely not when he feels it is information that needs to be shared. He spent five years compiling information for his book You Had Better Be White By 6 A.M. And then he spent another seven years gathering the latest information to include in the second edition of the book, which is now out in print. Asked what his goals are of this second book, the veteran RCMP officer in Nova Scotia says he wants to pay homage to those individuals — “those early trailblazers” — who opened the doors for African-Canadians such as him to become part of the RCMP organization. When he wrote the first edition of the book, Smith had said he’d revisit where things were in 20 years’ time. But that seemed too far away, he says. “This one looks at the last seven years. What things have happened within the RCMP, what advancements have been undertaken and in some cases what missteps

... we’ve taken as well,” he says, as well as examining where there is potential for added growth within the organization. The timing of his book, while coincidental, is interesting, given recent events that happening in the United States following a grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in the shooting death of black teenager Michael Brown. That incident led to widespread protests, as did another incident in which an unarmed black man died after a white police officer reportedly put him in a chokehold. Both incidents have led to public protests in recent months. “Looking at things that have happened in Ferguson, you still see the disconnect, to a large degree, between the black community and law enforcement,” says Smith. Still, the RCMP sergeant hopes young people will look at policing as a viable career option. He also hopes the information contained in the book helps to educate the RCMP. Yarmouth Vanguard

The next generation

“What are we doing as an organization to make sure that we’re molding and shaping the next group of racially visible leaders in the organization?” RCMP Sgt. Craig Smith

or the power will be disconnected. The caller directs the person to buy a prepaid credit card and then phone a 1-888 number to make payment. “These calls are not from Nova Scotia Power,” media spokeswoman Beverley Ware says in a news release. “Nova Scotia Power does not ask for payment via pre-

paid credit cards.” Halifax Regional Police and the Canadian AntiFraud Centre have been alerted to the situation, she said, and any customers who are suspicious about a request for payment are urged to call N.S. Power’s Customer Care Centre at 1-800-428-6230. Transcontinental Media

Don’t be fooled

Ware added the power corporation works regularly with customers who owe on their accounts and “disconnection is the last resort after all other options to provide a payment schedule have been pursued.”

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DECEMBER 23

CANADA

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Election. Justin Trudeau promises to be accessible Justin Trudeau is promising to scrap Stephen Harper’s brand of message discipline if he becomes prime minister, giving more freedom to bureaucrats, ditching the scripts for cabinet ministers and making them and himself more accessible to journalists. The Liberal leader says Harper’s penchant for strictly controlling the flow of information — and the select few who are allowed to sparingly dispense it — has led to an opaque, secretive government that is cut off from the citizens it’s supposed to be serving. A spokesman for Harper thoroughly rejected Trudeau’s assertions. However Harper’s approach to communications makes for bad decisions and an unhealthy democracy, Trudeau said in a year-end interview that included his most thorough comments to date on what kind of standards he would set for communications. “First of all, it breaks down the kind of trust that should exist between citizens and their government, whether it’s through blocking access to information, an unwillingness to actually share data or evidence Alleged radicalization

Terrorism-related arrest in Montreal The father of an allegedly radicalized man who faces a terrorism-related charge will testify at his son’s bail hearing in Montreal on Tuesday. Jeffrey Labelle’s father is expected to ask the court to release his 21-year-old son into his custody. Montreal police say Labelle’s family tipped them off last week that he had become radicalized. They searched his home

Canadian teacher jailed in Indonesia set to start trial Police officers escort child sexual abuse suspect Zainal Abidin, centre, before his trial on Monday at South Jakarta District Court in Jakarta, Indonesia. An Indonesian court has sentenced five janitors to up to eight years in prison over the rape of a kindergartner at a prestigious international school in Indonesia. The janitors’ sentences were delivered the day before Canadian teacher Neil Bantleman’s trial was set to begin in Jakarta. Bantleman, who is also accused of sexually abusing students at the same school, said he finds the janitors’ sentence “devastating,” according to his family. He has been in custody since July and has maintained his innocence.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau The Canadian press

justifying various decisions, reliance on talking points,” he said. “(It’s) not really that citizens don’t trust their government but that we have a government that doesn’t trust its citizens, which is something that really makes it difficult to have a government that is truly serving the interests of its citizens.” Moreover, Trudeau said Harper’s approach “actually leads to poorer decision-making and an inability to solve the very big challenges that we’re facing.” The Canadian press on Friday and say they found a map that showed the coordinates of four different police stations. Police say no direct threats were made and that they arrested Labelle as a “preventive” measure. Labelle was charged under a Criminal Code provision that allows for the arrest of someone who “commits an act that, in all the circumstances, is likely to cause a reasonable apprehension that terrorist activity is occurring or will occur, without believing that such activity is occurring or will occur.” The Canadian press

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Photo: Tatan Syuflana/The Canadian Press Text: The Canadian Press

Releasing electronic data may ‘create havoc’: Minister Fear of falsification. Minister Tony Clement says that some electronic data could be altered if released The Conservative cabinet minister responsible for freedom of information says some federal data cannot be released to the public in electronic format because people might alter it and spread falsehoods. There’s a fear people could “create havoc” by changing the statistical information, said Treasury Board president Tony Clement. Federal agencies hold a vast

array of data on everything from immigrants held in detention to use of force by RCMP officers. Some researchers have requested data kept in electronic format, only to receive it as a paper printout. That makes it virtually impossible for the recipient to sort and filter the data to identify patterns and trends. The Access to Information Act says federal agencies must provide timely access to records in the format requested. Fred Vallance-Jones, who teaches journalism at the University of King’s College in Halifax, said Clement’s stance effectively violates the rights of requesters. Vallance-Jones, an associate professor, led a 2014

Quoted

“That’s the balancing act that we have to have, that certain files, you don’t want the ability to create havoc by making it changeable online.” Treasury Board president Tony Clement, the minister responsible for freedom of information.

freedom-of-information audit for Newspapers Canada that yielded inconsistent responses to requests for data from federal agencies. The replies included paper only, PDF image files, and data

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in electronic format. Clement’s concern about data manipulation is “specious” because, technically speaking, any federal document could be falsified by someone with ill intent, Vallance-Jones said. Clement has championed growth of the government’s online data portal, encouraging federal agencies to disclose data in easily sortable formats. However, some data sets cannot be released in a spreadsheet or similar electronic format, Clement said. “What you don’t want is to create a file that can be in some way manipulated and altered, and thereby creating a situation of false information,” Clement said. The Canadian Press

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metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Immigration. Toronto group aiming to speed up application process Gilbert Ngabo

Metro in Toronto

A Toronto group is leading an effort to speed up immigration applications and put a moratorium on deportations for people with ties to three Western African countries battling Ebola. About 200 people from across Canada signed a petition calling on swift action on applications for people from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The petition was sent last month to Minister of Immigration Chris Alexander. It specifically mentions permanent resident applications for spouses and common-law partners along with the renewal of things like work permits. “It’s a lot of suffering for people whose spouses are left in this whole Ebola crisis as they wait for the papers to come through,” said AmadouBarry. Barry helped led the effort

with other Guineans living in Toronto. They’re part of a group called the Citizen Action Commission. The petition also asks that Canada waive fees for immigration services and start processing visa applications, which were frozen because of Ebola concerns. Barry, who still has family in Guinea, said the economy in West African countries affected by the outbreak has been at a standstill. “If some of our people here are not allowed to work and bring help back home, the situation will be even more catastrophic,” he said. The number of Ebola cases confirmed so far is nearing 20,000 with a death toll upwards of 7,000, according to the World Health Organization. Immigration Canada still advises travellers to avoid nonessential travels to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Calls to the immigration ministry were not immediately returned.

Egyptian-Canadian highlights inner workings of Al Jazeera Precarious situation. Al Jazeera English acting bureau chief was concerned about the organization’s legal standing

Mohammed Fahmy is pictured in a Cairo courtrrom on March 31, 2014. Fahmy, an Egyptian-Canadian journalist who has spent the last year in a Cairo prison, sounded the alarm about his network’s approach to Egypt’s precarious security situation months before he and his colleagues were arrested. Heba Elkholy/El Shorouk/The canadian press

An Egyptian-Canadian journalist who has spent the last year in a Cairo prison sounded the alarm about his network’s approach to Egypt’s precarious security situation prior to his and his colleagues’ arrest. Mohamed Fahmy had taken over as acting bureau chief in Cairo for Qatar-based satellite news broadcaster Al Jazeera English in September 2013 when he raised the issue with his bosses. At the time, Al Jazeera’s Arabic channel — Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr — had been barred from broadcasting in Egypt after authorities claimed it was biased towards supporters of the country’s ousted former president and accused it of

harming national security. The Al Jazeera English service was still operating from within the country, although out of a hotel and not its offices, but its legal status was unclear, Fahmy noted. “I have met with the whole team yesterday on my first day and I am impressed with their attitude and energy considering the pressure they have been dealing with lately on the ground,” he wrote in an email to executives at Al Jazeera in Doha, Qatar’s capital. “However, the staff is very concerned where Al Jazeera stands legally and I would like to be able to comfort them at some point regarding their security and well-being.” Fahmy and his colleagues have denied all charges against them, saying they were just doing their jobs but after a trial which was denounced by critics as a sham, the trio were found guilty. Fahmy and Greste were sentenced to seven years in prison, while Mohamed was sentenced to 10 years. The Canadian Press

14 Nigeria

Car bomb kills at least 20, injures 60 A car bomb exploded Monday at a bus station in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Gombe, killing at least 20 people and injuring another 60, said rescue workers. At least 20 people were “burned beyond recognition by the bomb explosion,” and another 60 were hospital-

WORLD

ized, said Red Cross official Abubakar Yakubu. The explosion came in the early hours when the station was crowded with holiday travellers, said Deputy Superintendent Fwaje Atajiri. Atajiri would not speculate over who was responsible though the attack bears all the hallmarks of Nigeria’s homegrown Islamic extremist group, Boko Haram. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Lethal injection

Arizona to change execution drugs Arizona officials said Monday they are changing the drugs they use in executions after an inmate in July gasped repeatedly over the course of nearly two hours while being put to death. Arizona no longer will use the combination of midazolam, a sedative, and hydro-

morphone, a pain killer, according to a letter to Gov. Jan Brewer from Department of Corrections Director Charles Ryan. The move comes as states have been scrambling to find new combinations of lethal drugs after European pharmaceutical companies restricted their distribution. Several prolonged executions this year have sparked debate over lethal injections in particular and executions in general. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Oklahoma

Federal judge upholds lethal injection protocol Oklahoma’s lethal injection protocols are constitutional and the state can proceed with the scheduled executions of four death row inmates early next year, a federal judge ruled on Monday.

U.S. District Judge Stephen Friot denied a request for a preliminary injunction that was requested by a group of 21 Oklahoma death row inmates who argued the use of the sedative midazolam as the first drug in a three-drug combination the state administers risks subjecting them to unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Halt debate until after funerals, N.Y. mayor says Two officers killed. Shot inside patrol car New York’s mayor called on Monday for protests and political debate to pause until after funerals are held for the two officers who were shot and killed inside their patrol car this weekend by a man vowing retaliation for the deaths of black men at the hands of white police. The killings came at a time when police nationwide are being criticized following Eric Garner’s death in a New York officer’s chokehold and 18-year-old Michael Brown’s fatal shooting in Ferguson, Mo. Protests erupted in recent weeks after grand juries declined to charge the officers involved. On Monday, a prosecutor said a white Milwaukee police officer who was fired after he fatally shot a mentally ill black man in April won’t face criminal charges. “I think it’s important that regardless of people’s viewpoints that everyone step back,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a speech at the Police

Quoted

“I think it’s a time for everyone to put aside political debates, put aside protests, put aside all of the things that we will talk about in all due time.” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

Athletic League. “I think it’s a time for everyone to put aside political debates, put aside protests, put aside all of the things that we will talk about in all due time.” Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were ambushed Saturday by a 28-year-old who wrote an Instagram post that he would put “wings on pigs.” The suspect, Ishmaaiyl Brinsley, was black; the slain New York Police Department officers were Hispanic and Asian. De Blasio said it was time to focus on the officers’ grieving families; he and Police Commissioner William Bratton met with them Monday. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Glasgow garbage truck crashes into, kills six pedestrians Emergency services attend the scene in George Square in Glasgow, Scotland, after six people were killed and several others injured when a garbage truck crashed into a group of pedestrians downtown Monday. The truck hit a number of pedestrians as it veered out of control along a crowded road in the city centre, Supt. Stewart Carle of Police Scotland said. Danny Lawson/the associated press

North Korea. Country’s online access crippled North Korea experienced sweeping and progressively worse Internet outages extending into Monday, with one computer expert saying the country’s online access is “totally down.” The White House and the State Department declined to say whether the U.S. government was responsible. President Barack Obama said Friday the U.S. govern-

ment expected to respond to the hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., which he described as an expensive act of “cyber vandalism” that he blamed on North Korea. Obama did not say how the U.S. might respond, and it was not immediately clear if the Internet connectivity problems represented the retribution. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Agenda. UN to address N. Korea’s human rights The UN Security Council placed North Korea’s human rights situation on its agenda Monday, a groundbreaking step toward holding the nuclear-armed but poor country and leader Kim Jong Un accountable for alleged crimes against humanity. This appears to be the first time that any country’s human rights situation has been

scheduled for ongoing debate by the UN’s most powerful body. China and Russia protested the move, the boldest effort yet to confront Pyongyang over the issue. An angry North Korea, now on the defensive against a U.S. accusation of hacking, has said it would refuse to recognize Monday’s meeting. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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‘In the Grip of the Law.’ The man, convicted in string of Baghdad car bombings, began weeping as cameras rolled

Haider Ali Motar was convicted of terrorism charges about a month ago for helping to carry out a string of Baghdad car bombings on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Now, the 21-year old is a reluctant cast member in a popular reality TV show. “In the Grip of the Law,” brings convicted terrorists faceto-face with victims in surreal encounters and celebrates the country’s beleaguered security forces. The show, produced by state-run Iraqiyya TV, is among dozens of programs, cartoons and musical public service announcements aimed at shoring up support for the troops after

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their humiliating defeat last summer at the hands of ISIL, which now controls about a third of the country. On a chilly, overcast day last week, the crew arrived at the scene of one of the attacks for which Motar was convicted, with a heavily armed escort in eight military pick-up trucks and Humvees. Passing cars clogged the road to watch the drama unfold, but were quickly shooed away by soldiers. After being pulled from an armoured vehicle, a shackled Motar found himself face-toface with the seething relatives of the victims of the attack. “Give him to me — I’ll tear him to pieces,” one of the relatives roared from behind a barrier. Once the cameras were rolling, the show’s host Ahmed Hassan quizzed the shackled prisoner. When Motar was confronted by one of the victims, a young man in a wheelchair who lost his father in one of the attacks, the convict began weeping, as the cameras rolled. In this photo taken on Dec. 16, 2014, Haider Ali Motar, right, performs a scene from “In the Grip of the Law,” a reality show produced by Iraqi state TV in Baghdad, Iraq. Motar was convicted of terrorism charges about a month ago for helping to carry out a string of Baghdad car bombings on behalf of ISIL. Hadi Mizban/The Associated press

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U.S. Industry spearheads drone safety campaign Alarmed by increasing encounters between small drones and manned aircraft, drone industry officials said Monday they are teaming up with the U.S. government and model aircraft hobbyists to launch a safety campaign. The campaign includes a website — www.knowbeforeyoufly.com — which advises both recreational and commercial drone operators of FAA regulations and how to fly their unmanned aircraft safely. The campaign was announced by Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and the Small UAV Coalition, both industry trade groups, and the Academy of Model Aeronautics, which represents model airTree, menorah, lights

Tweets control holiday display Twitter users anywhere in the world can control the lights on a holiday display in New Jersey. Tweets will turn on a 9-foot Christmas tree, menorah and over 1,000 LED lights at Oxford Communications in Lambertville and also turn them off. The company says it designed the display with the intention to help charities, towns and businesses to develop awareness and fundraising campaigns. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Quoted

“In just a few days, kids old and young will unwrap presents, and many of them — maybe tens of thousands — will have unmanned aircraft.” Michael Toscano, president of the unmanned vehicle association, said in a conference call with reporters

craft hobbyists, in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration. Retailers say small drones, which are indistinguishable from today’s more sophisticated model aircraft, are selling well this Christmas. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Mom turns bed-wetting problem into a business Ottawa. Mother of two invented environmentally-friendly pad that will soon be available on Amazon JOE LOFARO

Metro in Ottawa

An Ottawa mom may have the answer to every new parent’s prayers. Louise Miner invented the Rip n Go, a detachable, waterproof, machine-washable absorbent pad that prevents kids from soaking the bed overnight if they wet. The environmentallyfriendly product is already available for purchase at select Ottawa stores, but it may soon be more widely available as Miner’s business is gearing up for wider distribution with retailers such as Amazon. Miner, a mother of two from the Ottawa suburb of Orleans, came up with the idea after her second child had bed wetting problems. She said her very tired husband one night put a towel down in their daughter’s crib to keep it dry, but then she thought there must be a better and safer way. That’s when she designed the Rip n Go, whose best feature is the Velcro seal which keeps the padded sheet in

Louise Miner says her Rip n Go is removable with just one hand and it helps keep her two-year-old’s bed dry at night. Joe Lofaro/Metro

place during sleep. A parent can rip then pad off with one hand and replace it with the fresh one without having to lift the mattress to change soiled bed sheets. “At three o’clock in the morning, it’s the last thing you want (to do),” said Miner. “It was a huge lifesaver. I wasn’t worrying because of something he might do because of his sleep deprivation.” The new company received mentorship support from In-

vest Ottawa, an economic development agency that helps local startups. Miner also developed a version for kids aged three to nine years old which comes with matching bedding and pillow case. There is also an adult version with a fitted sheet that remains in place with elastics under the mattress, so only the top pad needs to be replaced. Miner hails the potty train-

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metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

VOICES

XMAS CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY It’s almost Christmas, and you probably forgot to mail out those cards again, which means right about now your friends are probably getting dancing elves in their inbox PAUL SULLIVAN

readers@metronews.ca

It’s that time of year again. You know, when you think about sending Christmas cards to friends and loved ones, but as one Canada Post deadline after another sails by, they stay in the box until next year, and they won’t get sent then, either. I’m not exactly sure what keeps them in the box. There are plenty of reasons, even without inertia. And inertia’s good enough. Someone should start Inertia Anonymous. But Christmas cards are hard work. First, you have to buy them, with all the decisions that implies. Should they say Merry Christmas and offend friends who aren’t Christian, or Happy Holidays and underwhelm everyone, including the non-Christians? Should they be tasteful or should you go all Thomas Kinkaid, opting for fantasy frost and cozy kitsch and damn the torpedoes?

Should each purchase benefit the world’s children? Should the cards be made of 100 per cent re-chewed pulp? OK, we’ve got the cards. Now we have to find actual addresses that require something called “postal codes.” Then we have to decide if we’re going to subject everyone to the annual State of Christmas address or just write a cheery greeting followed by the appropriate number of xs and os. (Signing XXXOOO on the bank manager’s card is obvious and embarrassing). Unless all three of your children gradu-

ated this year from Harvard Medical School, you’ll be hard-pressed to keep up with the competition, so it’s wise just to jot a thoughtful note, such as: “It’s been a long time since we got together. Are you still alive?” Once you’ve addressed and written the cards, next come the stamps. If you’ve been out of the snail-mail slow lane for a while, you’re in for a shock: The price of stamps has gone up to a buck apiece. This is a million per cent increase over last year, when it cost 63 cents. If you send out 20 cards, which you will do according to a Canada Post poll, that’s $20 bucks for just being thoughtful. Of course, the deadline for getting the cards delivered by Christmas expired in

October, which means you and your friends will be exchanging face-saving Christmas cards well into April. It’s enough to make you give up and send images of creepy dancing elves to all your virtual acquaintances via email, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and various other stress-inducing electronic bombardments. But despite all the nonsense that goes with the cardboard artifacts, Britons send a billion a year, Americans 1.4 billion. And while that number is down from 1.9 billion in 2009, the generation known as Millennials have shown a heart-warming tendency to include Christmas cards along with vinyl records, robust facial hair and artisanal this or that in their quest for the lost authenticity of the ancients. So I will persevere. Starting with the box I bought in 2009, I pledge to send out cards in time for Christmas 2015. H0H 0H0!

Surviving your family: Booze, Ativan and other tips REBECCA KOHLER

Few win the next-of-kin lottery

readers@metronews.ca

Oh man, it’s that time of year again: Christmas! Or Hanukkah! Or what ever word it is you use to define “awkward family gathering.” Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas and, for the most part, I love my family. But there’s a reason that when I prepare myself a festive beverage people often ask, “Did you want some eggnog in that bourbon?” I need that drink to aid in the circumnavigation of uncomfortable questions, buried family tensions and the fact that I’m now wearing a feather boa because my Aunt Lois thought it was, “Perfect for me.” I’m not saying drinking is the answer. Ativan helps too. But if substances aren’t your thing, there are other ways to help yourself through the labyrinth of emotional grenades that Christmas day can bring. For instance, if you’re a woman, you may be asked a lot of questions about your womb.

If you have a perfect family with no bad breath or passive-aggressive mothers, then I want you to know how lucky you are. What’s it doing? What’s it thinking? It must be so dusty in there! First, you need to let these questions/comments roll off your back as if it were covered in baby oil (an oil you’d know more about if you had a baby!). Remember, it’s a common misconception that all women want/can have babies and your family member is just trying to tap into some common ground. They don’t know that you have reproductive issues, or you’re single or that you’d rather eat out of a garbage can than have a kid, so don’t get mad or uncomfortable, just deflect. Make a joke like, “My womb is thinking what my stomach’s thinking: Where’s the turkey?!” Everyone will laugh and you’ll distract prying eyes from the

fact that you cry yourself to sleep every night with your cat. Then there’s always the “How’s work?” question. This one can really be a stinker. Maybe you don’t like your job, or your job (in the eyes of others) is subpar, or maybe — and this is where family gatherings are really tricky — maybe your job is amazing and you’re a millionaire and you just got a promotion, but the cousin who asked you about it is on disability because he got his finger stuck in the fryer at McDonald’s. This is a no-win situation. You don’t want to rub success in the nose of the unsuccessful and yet any failure you admit to will be gobbled up by your bitter relatives like a fried schadenfreude hors d’oeuvre. So what to do? You can try something like, “The best part about work is that we’re not there right now. Am I right, Cousin Jimmy?” and then pat him on the back. If he persists, feign stomach cramps and run to the bathroom. Diarrhea shuts everyone up. And then there’s just the family. Your great aunt with the breath that smells like a dilapidat-

ed tuna factory. Your weird uncle who always tries to kiss you a little too close to the mouth. There are the nieces and nephews who are so cute for twenty minutes and then you wish you had some Ambien For Kids. The combination of turkey and wine have left you with the inability to move, yet you’re stuck on the couch beside your mother who won’t stop commenting on how “Round your face is looking.” By the way, if you have a perfect family with no bad breath or passive-aggressive mothers, then I want you to know how lucky you are. Go to your holiday gatherings and hug your family extra tight, because you must have won the next-of-kin lottery. I’ll bet you have perfect teeth too. How nice for you. For the rest of us, the question is: Why do we do this? Is it for the gifts? The food? Is it for Jesus? Well, call me a sap, but I think it’s for love. Because while all of this sounds awful, and all the people I’m going to see make me want to book an emergency appointment with my therapist, I love them. Does that make love sound gross and weird? Yes! And I wouldn’t have it any other way. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!

Star Media Group President John Cruickshank • Vice-President & Group Publisher, Metro Eastern Canada Greg Lutes • Vice-President & Editor-in-Chief, Metro English Canada Cathrin Bradbury • National Deputy Editor Fernando Carneiro • National Deputy Editor, Digital Quin Parker • Managing Editor, Halifax Philip Croucher • Managing Editor, Features Amber Shortt • Managing Editor, Canada, World, Business Matt LaForge • Managing Editor, Life & Entertainment Dean Lisk • Regional Sales Director, Metro Eastern Canada Dianne Curran • Distribution Manager April Doucette • Vice President, Content & Sales Solutions Tracy Day • Vice-President, Sales Mark Finney • Vice-President, Finance Phil Jameson • METRO HALIFAX • 3260 Barrington St., Unit 102, Halifax NS B3K 0B5 • Telephone: 902-444-4444 • Fax: 902-422-5610 • Advertising: 902-421-5824 • adinfohalifax@metronews.ca • Distribution: halifax_distribution@metronews.ca • News tips: halifax@metronews.ca • Letters to the Editor: halifaxletters@metronews.ca

GOSSIP

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Clooney heads Downton for Christmas

Gossip

NED EHRBAR

Remember all that talk about George Clooney making an appearance on Downton Abbey? Well, the moment has arrived. Clooney gets in on the action for the series’ Christmas comedy bit made for the ITV network’s annual charity drive, featuring the hit British show getting the It’s a Wonderful Life treatment as Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) frets about how he’s ruined the family finances. Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna

SCENE

METRO’S TAKE ON THE WORLD OF CELEBRITIES

Lumley plays his guardian angel, and Clooney pops up as George Oceans Gravity, Marquess of Hollywood, the PDA-happy guy Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) ended up with since Lord Grantham had never been born. Let’s just say he might’ve been onto something.

A plot twist involving prosthetics sees Pitt pounce on the Hannibal exit

Mel B

ALL PHOTOS GETTY IMAGES

Issues with mom may have led Mel B to mix meds: Source Whoa. So last week, former Spice Girl Mel B (real name Melanie Brown) missed a taping of the British version of X Factor after heading to the hospital because of stomach pains. But now it turns out that was a bit of a fib. A source tell Radar Online that Brown “was hospitalized

because she mixed tranquilizers, including Xanax, with alcohol. It was absolutely accidental and not intentional. She wasn’t suicidal, but the pressure of being back in London brought a lot of unresolved issues to the surface concerning being estranged from her mother, Andrea,

and the rest of her family.” Dang, source, ease off with the oversharing. You could’ve just left it at “not intentional.” Brown has reportedly been holed up in a London hotel with her daughters since leaving the hospital and has been cleared by doctors to return to the U.S.

Sheen’s show gets shelved as 100th episode hits the screen Last night’s Anger Management finale, it turns out, was the series finale. Charlie Sheen’s post-Two and a Half Men project is all done, as cast and crew were informed late last week by FX and Lionsgate that the show would not be renewed. “I am beyond proud of what we accomplished over the course of 100 episodes,” Sheen says in a statement. “We created something uniquely special with some of the most talented individuals I have ever had the privilege to work with. My sincere thanks to all for their unwavering love and

Charlie Sheen

support. Here’s to the next chapter.” The network brass ap-

parently informed the team Friday, ahead of Monday’s 100th episode debut, which certainly put a damper on the celebrations. The series was kicked off in a unique manner, with Sheen orchestrating a deal with the network where he made 10 episodes and if they liked them, they had to order a minimum of 90 more, instantly triggering a syndication deal and resulting in an often draining production schedule for those involved. Up next for Sheen? Reprising his Ferris Bueller’s Day Off character for a cameo on The Goldbergs.

Michael Pitt is apparently all done with Hannibal and won’t be returning for the show’s third season, but that doesn’t mark the end of his character, meat-packing magnate Mason Verger. Pitt will be replaced by Across the Universe star Joe Anderson, and hopefully fans won’t notice the difference. I mean, he ended Season 2 doing some pretty grisly things to his own face, meaning lots of stomach-turning prosthetics, so it just might work. Sources say Pitt made the decision to leave the show, probably seeing his character’s intense facial mutilation as the perfect opportunity to do so. Oh, and

Michael Pitt

Anderson posted a pretty alarming photo of himself in full Verger makeup on the character’s Instagram account, so now we kind of see Pitt’s point.

Cox loved Beyoncé’s Christmas card like XO Orange is the New Black star Laverne Cox totally wins the relatability award this year for her perfectly measured and understandable reaction to receiving a Christmas card from Beyoncé. I mean, it’s a Christmas card from Beyoncé. Cox posted a shot of the signature to Instagram, explaining, “So when I opened this holiday card a few days ago and read ‘Love Beyoncé,’ I literally fell to the floor. I was on the floor of my apartment.

I have witnesses.” Don’t worry, we believe you. She also writes, “Thanks Bey for the gift” and includes an image of a sweatshirt emblazoned with Cake by the Pound. It’s unclear whether the item is said gift — I mean, it would make sense, right? — but the important thing is I would like to know more about this cake by the pound policy. Where do I sign up? Laverne Cox

MUSIC

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Sick of all the Christmas tunes that have been playing since November? Give your ears a break and take in these three tracks instead

Steven Tyler, right, and Joe Perry of Aerosmith openly fight with each other, but keep working together. afp file

Same Old Song and Dance for Aerosmith Feuds and music. Singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry stick together despite their ongoing tensions The rock music world is notorious for its bickering, but Aerosmith belongs to another category altogether — a band with constant and open tensions that has nonetheless managed to stay together. The friction between guitarist Joe Perry and singer Steven Tyler shows no signs of mellowing with age, with the two Boston rockers both releasing tell-all books that portray each other in a less than flattering light. Since his memoir Rocks came out in October, Perry says he has only exchanged text messages with his bandmate of 40 years. “It kind of bounced back and forth a bit. He got about a third of the way through the book and said he liked it, and then I didn’t hear from him, but obviously he finished it,” Perry told AFP. Perry said he had fully expected Tyler, who criticized his bandmate in his own book in 2011, to take exception to parts of the memoir that portray the singer as controlling and self-promoting. Among the allegations, Perry says that Tyler used to make a habit of stealing, and that several years ago he quietly tried out — unsuccessfully

Walk This Way

Aerosmith enjoyed a career renaissance starting in the mid-1980s with songs such as Janie’s Got a Gun, Love in an Elevator and Dude (Looks Like a Lady). The resurgence started through a then unlikely source — the 1986 collaboration Walk this Way with Run-DMC, one of the earliest hip-hop groups to enjoy mainstream success. Perry said that the famed producer Rick Rubin persuaded Run-DMC to work with the hard rockers after initial hesitation. “They weren’t jumping up and down about this,” Perry said of Run-DMC. “They were keen to be getting away from electric guitars, and they were working with a whole different paradigm.”

— to sing for a reunited Led Zeppelin. Perry said he knew from the first time they met that he and Tyler had differences, but that they had found a way to work together after splitting in the late 1970s. “We had to figure out a new dynamic instead of just fighting all the time, to put the personal stuff aside, and let our differences as far as the music go work for us, instead of being a point of contention,” Perry said. Perry isn’t sure whether he

and Tyler will ever talk about the guitarist’s book. But, Perry said, he expects it will be “business as usual” the next time they meet. In one difference, Perry said that he never took up the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle when it came to sex. In the book, he recounts once watching Aerosmith’s merchandise vendor pour whiskey over a body part he had christened Mr. Important in an unscientific bid to prevent venereal disease. Perry, raised in a small town in Massachusetts, said he generally stayed with one woman at a time. “That’s what I saw when I was growing up and it just seemed natural to me. I didn’t really have this need to prove myself, to bring more notches to my pistol so to speak,” he said. “I was the odd man out because I wasn’t into that kind of lifestyle. But I was always a loner anyway, so it didn’t bother me much.” Perry returns to his family roots on a new solo EP of Christmas songs, performing holiday classics that he enjoyed as a child. Johnny Depp lent him a studio to record Joe Perry’s Merry Christmas and wound up joining on rhythm guitar for a version of Chuck Berry’s Run Run Rudolph. Perry said that Depp “really added some flavour” both artistically and by allowing a live recording of the song, as Perry would otherwise have played both guitar parts and mixed them. AFP

Birth in Reverse/ St. Vincent

Lampshades on Fire/ Modest Mouse

Year-end “best-of” lists keep mentioning St. Vincent’s self-titled fourth album. This track was released as the first single last December, but given that the album is up for a Grammy, it’s getting a new push.

It’s been eight years since the last Modest Mouse record. Put another way, when the last album was released, the iPhone didn’t exist. Strangers to Ourselves will be out on March 3.

sound check

Alan Cross scene@metronews.ca

Sea People/ Sea People It’s something of a niche market, but this Philadelphia band specializes in punkrock versions of songs we hear on South Park. Remember the episode where Cartman discovered that Sea People were just brine shrimp?

Bruno

Domestic Short Hair Five-year-old Bruno has been living stray for longer than he should have. How very fortunate for him that an observant resident rescued him, providing a loving foster home. For a note of distinction, Bruno is polydactyl and has comically large paws, which add to his appeal. Bruno responds immediately when visitors stop by his kennel and is a seemingly intelligent and compelling fellow who is both interactive and outgoing. Bruno has a presence that cat lovers will certainly appreciate. All he lacks is a forever home to call his own…. Could it yours?

For more information on Bruno and other adoptable furry friends, visit www.pas.spcans.ca or contact the Nova Scotia SPCA Provincial Animal Shelter at 902-468-7877 or info@pas.spcans.ca BROUGHT TO YOU BY: 5686 Spring Garden Rd. 278 Lacewood Dr. 96 Tacoma Dr. 75 Peakview Way 961 Bedford Hwy. 752 Sackville Dr. Fall River

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Provincial Animal Shelter

METRO IS A PROUD SUPPORTER OF ADOPT AN ANIMAL WITH THE SPCA

music

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

The women ruled in 2014 The year 2014 solidified something that’s been clear for a few years now: When it comes to pop music, the ladies are killing it. Sure, the men put in a good showing, but when you turn on the radio (or browse through a music streaming service), you’re going to hear a lot of females. Here are the women who rocked the pop music world this year Lisa Weidenfeld and Emily Laurence scene@metronews.ca

Ariana Grande

All photos getty images

Beyoncé Technically, her album came out in December 2013, but it was one of the biggest hits of 2014, giving us all a chance to say “surfbort” to each other and worship at the throne of Queen B. Plus, her new cover of her own Crazy in Love turned the 50 Shades of Grey trailer into something genuinely steamy.

Tove Lo Sometimes, singing about sex clubs and getting high can pay off. It did for Swedish singer Tove Lo, who broke it big in the States this year with her song, Habits (Stay High), which reached No. 3 on the Billboard charts.

It was impossible to escape this pint-sized popstar this year. Her album My Everything generated three top tracks: Problem (featuring Iggy Azalea), Break Free (featuring Zedd) and Love Me Harder (featuring The Weeknd), Grande by far proved that her Nickelodeon days are forever behind her.

Miranda Lambert

Taylor Swift Taylor Swift’s reign continued this year with the mega success of her first strictly pop album, 1989. It debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and her Shake It Off video is one of the most-watched of the year, with more than 356 million views. Her album, plus a massive stadium tour and endorsements helped the 22-year-old earn a cool $57 million this year.

Being honoured as CMT’s artist of the year wasn’t the only accolade Miranda Lambert racked up this year. She is also nominated for four Grammys. If she wins, it will be her first time taking one home since 2010. But don’t call it a country comeback — her fans have long been supportive of Mrs. Blake Shelton.

Lorde Eighteen-year-old Lorde went from singer to producer this year, by curating The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 soundtrack. Including artists such as CHVRCHES and The Chemical Brothers, as well as releasing her own song Flicker Beat, got her respect from critics and teen fans alike.

Five guys who also had pretty good years The year wasn’t all Beyoncé and Iggy Azalea songs. Women may have dominated the music scene, but a few good men had their share of success, too. Here are the top five: Childish Gambino What started as a cult following transformed into mass appeal this year for rapper (and Community actor) Childish Gambino, who got a Grammy nod for his song, 3005. Nick Jonas This was the year Nick Jonas officially became a man — at least in the public’s eye. Unlike brother Joe Jonas (whose solo career flopped) Nick is garnering success with his hit Jealous, which reached No. 8 on Billboard and generated 14 million views on YouTube. Pharrell If Happy seems like the most-played song of the year, it was. It held the top spot on the charts longer than any other song this year. No wonder he’s up for four Grammys.

Charli XCX

Iggy Azalea

St. Vincent

The Dec. 14 SNL musical guest has been around for a few years, penning 2012’s megahit I Love It for Icona Pop. But this year saw her break through on her own, with Boom Clap on the Fault in Our Stars soundtrack — a must-have for bookish teens everywhere.

The Florida-by-way-of-Australia rapper had one of the biggest breakthrough years in memory, teaming up with Charli XCX for Fancy and Ariana Grande for Problem. She also claimed a piece of history: She’s the only act other than the Beatles to have her first two Billboard hits rank 1 and 2.

Singer St. Vincent has come a long way from her time as a member of the Polyphonic Spree. After her much-loved teamup with David Byrne in 2012, she came back with 2014’s eponymously titled St. Vincent, perhaps her biggest success yet. The album ended up with a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album.

Nicki Minaj If you’ve gotten Anaconda out of your head even once since you first heard it, we’d be surprised. Minaj scored another huge hit with this track, as well as garnering tons of hits for the sexy/ funny music video costarring Drake. The video set a Vevo record for the most views in its first 24 hours online, with 19.6 million hits.

Sam Smith

getty images

Sam Smith Sam Smith was another of 2014’s newly minted stars, with his heartbreaker Stay with Me filling the Adeleshaped hole in our hearts (for now). Just how successful is he? He popped up in pictures from Taylor Swift’s 25th birthday party alongside Jay Z, Beyoncé, and the rest of Swift’s posse. Ed Sheeran The British crooner can do no wrong these days. 2014 saw him release both Sing and Thinking Out Loud, as well as contribute to the Fault in Our Stars soundtrack and win an MTV Video Music Award for the video for Sing. metro

HEALTH

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Let’s all eat, drink and be healthy Tips. How to enjoy all the yuletide offerings without paying for it in the New Year

LIFE

There will be a lot of overeating over the holidays. There are all those high-cal foods that family traditions link to holiday celebrations. Eggnog (cream plus eggs plus sugar plus alcohol). Mashed potatoes whipped with cream cheese and plenty of butter. Gravy. So much gravy. Given that the holidays are a season of excess and traditional holiday foods are highly calorific, we asked dietary experts how to contain the damage. Specifically: If there is one thing to cut out to make the feasting less excessive, what should it be? Surprisingly, several of our experts did not advise eliminating a particular food. And a number didn’t even frown on the idea of seasonal indulgence. But they did offer some suggestions to contain the calories. “I’d say that if overeating is ever allowed, that it is allowed for the major festivities that occur a few times a year — provided food intake is controlled the rest of the time,” says Thomas Wolever, a professor in University of Toronto’s department of nutritional sciences. Wolever says overeating by 2,500 calories — in other words, doubling an average daily intake — on three days a year can be offset by cutting back 20 calories per day for the other 362 days. Len Piche suggests focusing on portions and finding lowcalorie options. Savour foods slowly, using smaller servings on smaller plates to help limit the cal-

When you sit down for Christmas dinner, there’s a few easy ways to keep it healthy. ISTOCK

ories, says Piche, a nutrition professor at Western University’s Brescia University College. Drink water before a meal. Don’t skip breakfast or lunch to focus on a big dinner. “Trying to ‘save yourself’ for big meals by skipping meals earlier in the day might backfire. You may develop a ravenous appetite and end up eating more calories than you normally would,” Piche says. Rena Mendelson, a professor of nutrition at Ryerson University in Toronto, also offers some tips that might help you control your calorie intake better at a big holiday meal. “Before you go to a holiday party, have a bowl of soup and avoid any of the pre-meal treats as they tend to be very high in calories,” she says.

Go ahead and indulge

“A weight management program will not be set back by indulging a few times a year — provided discipline is maintained most of the time.” Thomas Wolever, a professor in University of Toronto’s department of nutritional sciences

“Eat the main meal and have enough to feel satisfied but not overfed. This may help to limit the dessert course... .” Watch your liquid calories, suggests Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, a professor of obesity medicine at the University of Ottawa. “If I were to pick one thing to ditch, it would be the sweet stuff as many a home has the tradition of sugary soda for festive meals,” he says. One dietary expert did recommend a food item to cut. And Dr. David Jenkins acknow-

ledges his nomination may qualify him for the role of the Grinch. Jenkins suggests cutting whatever the main meat dish is in your holiday dinner. It’s not that Jenkins thinks it’s the least healthy. It’s that pulling out the linchpin, so to speak, would fundamentally change our approach to the meal. He thinks with the planet’s expanding population, climate change and the obesity epidemic, it’s time to start thinking about eating in a more sustainable way.

“It would be a radical change in the ‘sit-down-andgorge’ concept that’s the centre of Christmas,” says Jenkins, a researcher at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital who studies the effects on cholesterol and health of eating more plant-based foods and fewer processed food products. “It forces people to think about other options,” he says of his recommendation. “They may think, hopefully, of more environmentally friendly options. They may think of more plant-based diets. “They may, in fact, forgo a large meal and do some snowboarding. ... I think that we’ve got to start thinking about other things at Christmas than sitting down and getting comfort food.” THE CANADIAN PRESS

How ibuprofen may extend your life

The lifespan of the species in the study, which used ibuprofen, increased by 15 per cent. APF

An over-the-counter painrelieving and fever-reducing drug could lead to a longer and healthier life for many species and possibly humans, too, according to a new study at Texas A&M University (TAMU). “We first used baker’s yeast, which is an established aging model, and noticed that the yeast treated with ibuprofen lived longer,” says lead author Dr. Michael Polymenis, a biochemist at TAMU’s AgriLife Research station, “Then we tried the same process with worms and flies and saw the same ex-

tended lifespan. Plus, these organisms not only lived longer, but also appeared healthy.” The yeast, worms and flies were treated with ibuprofen at doses proportionally comparable to the recommended dose for humans and increased their lifespan by 15 per cent. If human lifespans increased by that amount, it would add an extra dozen years of healthy living, according to Dr. Polymenis, who says his experiments on worms indicate good health would be part of the package. Measurements

of worms’ thrashing and the pumping movements they made while swallowing under treatment indicated they were thriving in their extra years and not suffering. Over the course of the threeyear study, Dr. Polymenis observed that ibuprofen hinders the ability of yeast cells to pick up an essential amino acid found in every cell of every organism called tryptophan. Less tryptophan being dissolved into yeast appears to make a difference, but Dr. Polymenis said he isn’t sure why.

Drugs other than ibuprofen are working, too, according to Dr. Brian Kennedy, the president and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California, who collaborated with Dr. Polymenis. “Our institute is interested in finding out why people get sick when they get old,” says Dr. Kennedy. “We think that by understanding those processes, we can intervene and find ways to extend human health span, keeping people healthier longer and slowing down aging. AFP

FOOD

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Get ready for the main holiday event Roast Turkey with Caramelized Onion and Thyme Jus. If you’re looking for a new flavour for the big bird, try this combo

Ingredients • 2 tbsp (25 ml) canola oil • 2 large onions, peeled and cut in thin wedges • 10 cloves garlic, peeled • 4 each sprigs sage and thyme • 2 tsp (10 ml) salt • 1-1/2 tsp (7 ml) freshly ground black pepper • 2/3 cup (150 ml) PC Country Churned Butter - Unsalted, softened • 1 tbsp (15 ml) each chopped fresh sage and thyme • 1 tbsp (15 ml) finely chopped garlic • 1 tbsp (15 ml) Dijon mustard • 1 PC Free From Whole Turkey, about 6.2 kg, thawed • 1/4 cup (50 ml) dry white wine • 2 tbsp (25 ml) all-purpose flour

Check the label of your bird for weight to calculate roasting time properly. Cooking the bird unstuffed gives you control over the moistness of the breast. To be safe when cooking a stuffed bird, get the centre of the stuffing to 165 F (74 C), or you might end up with overcooked white meat.

1. Preheat oven (10 to 20 minutes) to 325 F (160 C).

2. In large frying pan, heat oil

glass measuring cup; let stand a minute to allow the fat to rise to the top. Discard solids in sieve. Spoon as much of the fat away from strained drippings as possible.

over medium-high; cook onions, whole garlic cloves, thyme and sage sprigs, and half each of the salt and pepper for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, or until onions are golden and softened. Transfer to plate; cool.

In bowl using a wooden spoon, cream together butter, chopped sage and thyme, chopped garlic, and remaining salt and pepper. Transfer 2 tbsp (25 ml) of mixture to a small bowl; set aside. Stir Dijon into remaining mixture.

Remove turkey neck and place in bottom of roasting pan. Pat turkey very dry inside and out with paper towel. Brush entire surface of turkey with Dijon herb butter, placing some under skin of breast as well.

This recipe serves 15. president’s choice

Place one-third of onion mixture into cavity of bird. Truss bird to tuck in legs and wings. Place turkey directly in roasting pan, breast side up, and arrange remaining onion mixture in pan around bird. Cover loosely

with foil.

5. Place roasting pan in bottom

third of oven. Roast for 20 minutes. Add 2 cups (500 ml) water to the pan. Roast for 18 minutes per lb (500 g) or until meat

thermometer inserted at thickest part of thigh reads 185 F (85 C). Remove foil for last halfhour of cooking to allow skin to brown and crisp. Remove from oven. Carefully transfer turkey to a wire rack set over

a rimmed baking sheet. Tent with foil. Let stand for 20 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, remove neck from pan and set aside. Carefully strain pan juices into a large

Set roasting pan over medium heat. Pour in wine; whisk briskly to get up browned bits on bottom of pan. Once reduced by half, return strained juices and neck to roasting pan. Add juices from under turkey and bring to a simmer. Stir flour into the reserved herb butter; a bit at a time, whisk into simmering turkey jus. Once all butter is whisked into jus, simmer for 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened. Discard neck. Strain again if needed. Pour into a gravy boat and serve alongside carved turkey. President’s Choice

Give leftovers new life Ingredients Salad • 1/2 head napa cabbage, thinly sliced • 2 scallions, chopped • 1 medium carrot, grated (about 3/4 cup) • 2 cups cubed cooked turkey (or chicken) • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro • 1 oz low-fat baked tortilla chips, lightly crushed • 1/4 cup chopped peanuts Dressing • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard • 2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce • 2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar • Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tbsp) • 1 tsp hot sauce • 3 tbsp vegetable oil • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

In this Turkey and Napa Cabbage Salad with Lime-ginger Vinaigrette, I take the taste buds someplace decidedly unChristmas-y. I lean toward the antifeast by making a salad with crunchy veggies. Also, I completely change the flavour profile by bringing in ginger and lime, which feels more Asian-inspired.

1. In a serving bowl, layer the cabbage, scallions, carrot, turkey, cilantro, tortilla chips and peanuts. Set aside. 2. To make the dressing, in a small bowl whisk together the mustard, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice and hot sauce until smooth. Add a tablespoon or 2 of water if too thick. Slowly whisk in the

Serves four. matthew mead/ ap

oil until well-blended and the dressing is uniform. Add the ginger and whisk until incorporated. When ready to serve, drizzle the dressing over the salad, then toss well. The Associated Press/Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian, an expert on healthy eating on a budget and author of Supermarket Healthy

SPORTS

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

NHL mumps outbreak

Penguins sit out two more players

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Premier League

Terry scores in 2-0 win over Stoke John Terry scored his first league goal of the season to help Chelsea beat Stoke 2-0 Monday and restore its three-point lead atop the Premier League. Terry put his side ahead in just the second minute with a powerful header from a corner, and Cesc Fabregas doubled the lead in the 78th to make sure Chelsea re-established the gap on second-place Manchester City. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Transfer

Henry cleared for West Ham move Doneil Henry is about to join the select list of Canadians to play in England’s Premier League. The 21-year-old former Toronto FC defender from Brampton, Ont., had his work permit approved Monday, paving the way for a move to West Ham United. “Absolutely fantastic news for Doneil,” said former Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen, who recommended henry to West Ham boss Sam Allardyce. THE CANADIAN PRESS

NBA

“There could be an argument, and a strong argument, to starting our season later.” ABC’s NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy explaining that starting the NBA season on Christmas Day would “avoid a lot of the NFL and college football season.” Football is quiet on Christmas, so the NBA loads up with a five-game schedule.

Capitals stretch point streak to nine games Capitals defenceman Brooks Orpik, left, drives Senators forward Erik Condra into the boards on Monday night in Washington. Braden Holtby made 38 saves, Jay Beagle and Nicklas Backstrom scored second-period goals, and the Capitals extended their point streak to nine games with a 2-1 win. Washington has won three in a row and is 7-0-2 in its past nine games. ALEX BRANDON/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bulls run wild over Raps in 4th quarter NBA. Chicago scores franchise-record 49 points in final frame to snap Toronto’s 6-game winning streak

On Monday

129 120 Bulls

It was a night that gave Dwane Casey a chance to say “I told you so” and a night he can use as a learning opportunity as the NBA season goes on and on and on. The Raptors coach can point to the repeated times he’s said that his team has been playing with fire with a modicum of attention to defence and toss a game here out as prime example. Playing the style that might beat bad teams but get you beaten by good ones, the Raptors coughed up a 129-120 decision to the Chicago Bulls, heading off into the Christmas break with much to contemplate. The Bulls shot 54 per cent

Bulls guard Derrick Rose shoots over Raptors Amir Johnson, right, and Terrence Ross on Monday in Chicago. CHARLES REX ARBOGAST/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

from the field, the Raptors fouled too often and didn’t rebound particularly well and their six-game winning streak was snapped by a legitimately bad defensive effort. Chicago’s outstanding

backcourt of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler dominated, Rose had 15 of his 29 points in a wondrous fourth quarter while Butler had 27 to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds. The Bulls set a fran-

Raptors

chise record with 49 points in the fourth quarter. Kyle Lowry tried to match Rose’s output, finishing with 34 points but he and his teammates just couldn’t string together enough defensive stops to hold off the Bulls. Jonas Valanciunas, on a night when he set a careerhigh with 18 field goal attempts, had 20 points for Toronto and Terrence Ross had 17. The Raptor bench, however, struggled. Patrick Patterson had 12 points and Lou Williams 12 but Greivis Vasquez was ineffective, missing six of the seven shots he took. TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE

SPORTS

The Pittsburgh Penguins just can’t seem to shake off the mumps. Backup goaltender Thomas Greiss and forwards Brandon Sutter and Steve Downie were sent home on Monday to undergo testing for the virus. Teammates Sidney Crosby, Beau Bennett and Olli Maatta have already dealt with the illness, which has affected more than a dozen players across the league over the past month.

SPORTS

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Sens rookie Lazar named captain of Canadian juniors ‘Very honoured”. B.C. centre regarded as an upbeat competitor Curtis Lazar has every reason to be smiling. The always good-humoured Ottawa Senators rookie on Monday was named captain of Canada’s junior hockey team for the upcoming world championship in Toronto and Montreal. “I’m very honoured to have this opportunity, and I’m going to take full advantage of it and go out there and play hard for my country,” Lazar told reporters at a hockey charity event in Montreal. “I know there’s a lot of responsibility that comes Quoted

“They’re great young men, they want to win, they’re great hockey players and they want to make a difference. This is what you need in your leadership group.” Team Canada head coach Benoit Groulx on captain Curtis Lazar and alternates Connor McDavid and Sam Reinhart

along with this, but I’m just going to try to take it in stride and be myself.” Canada’s coaching staff gave Lazar the news Monday morning, shortly after the team arrived in Montreal from Ottawa, where Canada beat Sweden 5-2 in an exhibition game on Sunday. True to character, the Salmon Arm, B.C., native was grinning from ear to ear when he was told. “As usual, I was smiling,” said the 19-year-old, who was drafted 17th overall by the Senators in 2013. “It’s pretty cool. I didn’t know it was coming. Anyone could have it. I’m very honoured that my peers and my coaching staff think very highly of me. “I’m a pretty positive guy for the most part. I’m always smiling and trying to keep the guys light. I like to lead by example. I really focus on little details, and I think that goes a long way. “I want unity within the dressing room. Regardless of where you’re from in Canada, we’re part of a team now. No one is bigger than the team.” Lazar, who has a goal and six assists in 27 games with Ottawa this season, was lent to Canada by the Senators last week. He is one of seven returning players from last year’s tournament in Malmo, Sweden, where Canada finished fourth. One year later, Lazar is

Curtis Lazar speaks during a team availability in Montreal, Monday. Lazar has been named captain of Canada’s national junior hockey team. Graham Hughes/The Canadian PRess

thinking of redemption. “I was disappointed with how we played last year and the result we got,” he said, looking back on Canada’s semifinal loss against Finland,

and the defeat to Russia in the bronze-medal game. “Second chances don’t come around too often. We’re fortunate to have this chance.” Connor McDavid of the Erie

Otters and Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice will serve as alternate captains for the tournament, which officially gets underway on Dec. 26. McDavid and Reinhart also

represented Canada at the 2014 junior championship and were teammates at the 2013 under-18 world championship, where the Canadians won the gold medal. The Canadian Press

Next big thing gets top marks for his character

According to some hockey insiders, Connor McDavid’s skills are matched only by his character. David van dyke/metro in toronto

Will Connor McDavid be better than Sidney Crosby? Could he possibly be better than Wayne Gretzky? While the hockey world is having that debate now with the world junior hockey championship coming up, these questions weren’t what preoccupied Mark Seidel two years ago in Drummondville, Que. The veteran scout was entranced by the coming and goings of a 15-year-old McDavid playing at the world under-17s. Anyone and his grandmother could see how special McDavid’s on-ice talents were, but it wasn’t what he did on the ice that had Seidel transfixed. It was off the ice where McDavid’s stature grew in the scout’s eyes — how the phe-

nom interacted with young fans, some in wheelchairs. “Body language is a big thing with me,” says Seidel, a talent evaluator for nearly two decades. “I like to see how people interact to see if they’re legit or whether they’re coached up, or what they are like when the cameras are off.” What he saw from McDavid, who was talking and playing with developmentally delayed kids, impressed him. “You could see he genuinely enjoyed interacting with young kids,” Seidel adds. “He was just a guy. He wasn’t looking for cameras. You got the sense that he really enjoyed being there. He wasn’t doing it because he thought he should or it was his duty. It was just

Earning respect

As for that November fight that left McDavid with a broken hand, well, the antifighting crowd didn’t like it, but within hockey circles it earned the Otters star high marks. • “He’s a guy that will solve his own problems,” talent evaluator Mark Seidel says. “He’s not looking at the bench for help. He’s not a self-entitled kid.”

the right thing to do.” That, more than his play, is the story of McDavid. Sure, the 17-year-old for-

ward will be the centrepiece of Canada’s offence at the world juniors, starting Boxing Day in Montreal and Toronto. Sure, he’ll likely be the No. 1 pick for some lucky NHL team, a face of the franchise and cornerstone to build on. But it’s the combination of hockey skill and character — unselfish, humble — that draws comparisons to Crosby and even Gretzky. “I’ve had a lot of players with a lot of ability that I wish had more character,” says Sherry Bassin, GM and owner of McDavid’s OHL club, the Erie Otters, “and I’ve had a lot of players with a lot of character that I wish had more ability. You put them both together, you get Connor McDavid.” Torstar News sErvice

SPORTS

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

You’ll be inundated with coverage of the Connor McDavids, Jack Eichels and Curtis Lazars of the world juniors for the next couple weeks, but who should you watch for when the best of the best aren’t on the ice? Here a few up-and-comers you might want to keep an eye on when the tournament starts Boxing Day. Metro in Vancouver

STEVE RUSSELL/TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE

Max Domi, forward, Canada Max Domi, like his father Tie, isn’t the biggest guy on the ice. But he’s possessed an ability to produce offensively throughout his entire junior hockey career with the London Knights. He’s also formed instant chemistry playing on a line with Anthony Duclair, who has appeared in 18 games for the NHL’s New York Rangers this season. Early in the pretournament games, those two players have arguably been Canada’s best up front.

The Swiss may not garner much attention in this tournament. But they do have a defenceman with NHL experience in Mirco Mueller, who has played in 24 games with the San Jose Sharks. Like his team, Mueller, taken 18th overall in 2013, might not be as well-known because of the country he plays for, and there’s plenty more talent in this tournament. He’s had international experience before, with three points in five games at a U-18 competition.

Kasperi Kapanen, forward, Finland

Drafted 22nd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in June’s NHL draft, Kasperi Kapanen, the son of former NHL forward Sami Kapanen, has represented Finland before on the international stage, but never in the world junior championship. He missed that opportunity in 2014 due to injury. The Finns are the defending gold-medal champs, but are expected to be led offensively by Kapanen, who is having a breakout year BRUCE BENNETT/ in SM liiga.

Dark-horse players to watch at the WJC

GETTY IMAGES

NATHAN DENETTE/THE CANADIAN PRESS

Mirco Mueller, defenceman, Switzerland

CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES

CAM TUCKER

Thatcher Demko, goalie, United States

Thatcher Demko didn’t get the chance to play in a game for the U.S. junior team in last year’s competition, but he could certainly challenge for the starting role in 2015. Drafted in the second round by the Vancouver Canucks, he stopped all 14 shots faced in the opening half of the first pre-tournament game for the Americans. Many eyes will be on Jack Eichel, who could go first overall next June. Strong S trong goaltending could make the U.S. a golden contender.

Ilya Sorokin, goalie, Russia Not sure if he counts as an unknown figure in this tournament after the pre-tournament performance he had against Team Canada, but Russian goalie Ilya Sorokin joined the Russian camp from the KHL. Drafted in the third round by the New York Islanders, he was not among the goaltenders for Russia at last year’s tournament. Though if he plays like he did in a 52-save effort against Canada last week, it will be difficult to beat the Russians.

BRUCE BENNETT/ GETTY IMAGES

PLAY

metronews.ca Tuesday, December 23, 2014

AUGMENTED REALITY

Crossword: Canada Across and Down by Kelly Ann Buchanan

Stuck on 12 Across? Scan this image with your → See the full Metro News app for today’s instructions crossword and Sudoku answers. on Metro’s It’s OK. No one’s watching. Voices page.

Horoscopes by Sally Brompton

Aries

March 21 - April 20 Saturn’s influence over the next few days will encourage you to think before you act. If you are going to be ruthless, be ruthless with yourself.

Taurus

April 21 - May 21 Try not to scatter your energy in too many directions because it’s unlikely you will be able to maintain the pace. Focus on the one thing that matters most to you.

Gemini

May 22 - June 21 The changes that take place over the next few days will work in your favour in the long term. If you take a risk it may well pay off but don’t expect instant profit or pleasure.

Cancer

June 22 - July 23 If someone tries to interfere in your personal affairs you must let them know you’re not having it. Sometimes you have to act tough from the start and this is one of those times.

Leo

July 24 - Aug. 23 A breakthrough is about to occur. Your rivals may say you have been lucky but you just worked harder than they did.

Virgo

Aug. 24 - Sept. 23 There is so much you want to accomplish but if you are smart you will set realistic goals, both for this week and for the new year. Take each day as it comes.

Libra

Sept. 24 - Oct. 23 Don’t worry if others poke holes in your plans. You don’t need anyone’s permission to follow your dreams. Go it alone if you have to.

Scorpio

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22 Travel and social activities will be fun over the holidays but the ride won’t always be smooth. Plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time.

Sagittarius

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21 Saturn’s move into your sign marks the start of a two-year phase that will test you. The good news is you can handle whatever life throws at you.

Capricorn

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20 The tougher the task the more you like it but with Saturn moving into the most sensitive area of your chart those tasks won’t always be physical. Get your head together and everything else will fall into place.

Across 1. Canadian voicer of Rudolph in 1964 TV classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, __ Mae Richards (b.1921 - d.2010) 7. Big name in trucks 10. AOL exchanges 13. “Christmas Is Coming” bit: “Please put a penny in __ __ man’s hat.” 14. Hawaii’s Mauna __ 15. Orchestra instrument 17. #1-Across... King Moonracer is a what?: 2 wds. 19. Norway’s capital 20. Tic-__-Toe 21. Superlative suffix 22. More abundant 23. “__ we all?” 25. Cherry: French 26. Applied lightly 29. Shoelace-insertion spot 31. “Must Be Santa” part: “Who wears boots and _ __ of red...” 32. Singleton 33. Audi models 36. Far: 2 wds. 38. Crafty Christmas garland material 41. Ship’s stern 42. Taken: French 44. Level 45. Resident of The Buckeye State 48. Christmas sleigh

pullers 49. Actor Ed’s 51. Mr. Desman, Canadian singer 53. Category 54. Adjective’s friend 55. Bother 58. Speck

Yesterday’s Crossword

Down 1. Texter’s ‘incidentally’ 2. “_ __ the jackpot!!!” 3. Ms. Horne 4. Rustic place in the country: 2 wds.

Conceptis Sudoku by Dave Green

How to play Fill in the grid, so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1-9. There is no math involved.

Aquarius

Jan. 21 - Feb. 19 Don’t let others pressure you into accepting an offer you have no way of knowing is right for you. It could mean a lot more work for little return.

Yesterday’s Sudoku

Pisces

Feb. 20 - March 20 If you find it hard to discuss things in a civilized manner with certain people then the best thing to do is to stay out of their way.

59. Festive season exchange: 2 wds. 62. Fragrant flower 63. Wood sorrel 64. Evangeline’s home 65. Comedian Tina 66. Atop, in verse 67. Rents again

Online

See today’s answers at metronews.ca/answers

Your opinion

matters!

Share your opinion on ads that run in Metro by joining the RAM panel at metronews.ca/panel. Go to metronews.ca/panel and join today

5. ‘Percent’ suffix 6. Whirled in the water 7. Sparkle like tinsel 8. __ point 9. Tin 10. Ivory: French 11. Domain of

#17-Across, Island of __ __ 12. #1-Across... Toronto-born actor who is #46-Down’s voice, Paul __ 16. Legend 18. Mr. Dykstra 22. Faith [abbr.] 24. Network of nerves 25. Mackerel variety 26. Mr. Carvey 27. __ __ yet (So far) 28. Frosty the Snowman feature: 2 wds. 30. Slangy positives 32. Scot’s ‘odd’ 34. Christmas __ 35. Grads-to-be, briefly 37. Blood type, _ __. 39. Snow remover 40. Festival, as in Wintertime 43. To an extent: 3 wds. 46. As per #12Down... Elf who wants to be a dentist 47. Pique 48. Airplane garage 49. Culture medium 50. __ __ Christmas plates 52. Beach structure 54. Naughty or __ 56. Christmas carol: “Sleigh __” 57. Make a scarf 59. Gunk 60. Frozen pond surface 61. Tank filling

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HALIFAX

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

For auld lang syne. Resolve to ring in the new year right at one of the many shindigs going down on Dec. 31 HALEY RYAN

haley.ryan@metronews.ca

Thousands of people will flock to downtown Halifax for dancing, drinks and live music to celebrate the “last hurrah” of 2014, says one bar owner. While some clubs and dances cost a little bit more ticket-wise and promise a whole evening of entertainment, there are options closer to the cost of a regular night. “It’s definitely worth coming downtown for it because it is a

Chance of getting a cab

Remember to leave yourself time to catch a cab on the busiest night of the year, because calling one is not going to happen.

fun night out,” said Mike Campbell of The Carleton Bar & Grill. The Carleton will have bands like The True Love Rules (with Dave Marsh of Joel Plaskett Emergency) and The Navy Brats for $15 at the door, while the city is throwing a free party in Grand Parade with live music and fireworks. “New Year’s Eve can be a fun and festive time, but it shouldn’t cost you an arm and leg,” Campbell said. The Seahorse is celebrating the move to 2037 Gottingen

NEWS

Where to party like it’s 2015 Go ahead, wear your sunglasses at night on New Year’s Eve if you want to. ISTOCK

What’s open/closed

Make sure you stock up on your favourite hangover cure before Jan. 1 because most retail and grocery stores in Halifax will be closed New Year’s Day.

region will be closed for the day, as will government offices and banks.

• Grocery stores, malls and Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation outlets throughout the Halifax

• Drug stores such as Lawtons and Shoppers Drug Mart are open on Thursday. Metro Transit buses will be operating on their Sunday schedules on the day as well.

with Party Boots and Roxy and The Underground Soul Sound in the bottom floor, while the hits of the ’70s and ’80s will be upstairs in the Marquee Ballroom for Retro Night. A $10 ticket gets you into both bars. In the north end, $15 gets you into the Halifax Forum for the Time Traveller’s Ball featur-

ing a DJ dance, geeky drinks, a costume contest and games. Pacifico and The Argyle also have special New Year’s Eve dance parties on the go, while The Stubborn Goat is throwing it back to the 1920s with a Great Gatsby-themed party, prix-fixe dinner and dance for $75. The Olympic Community

• Many businesses are open regular hours on Dec. 31 and will resume them again Jan. 2. • Garbage will not be collected on New Year’s Day but on Jan. 3 instead. Check halifax.ca/recycle for an updated collection schedule.

Hall also features the The Mellotones and DJ Savory with tickets at $50. Halifax Transit is once again offering free and extended bus service on some routes and the Alderney ferry on Dec. 31 starting after 8 p.m. or so, but it’s best to check the full schedule at halifax.ca/transit for details.

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HALIFAX

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

HALIFAX 2015: ONE TO WATCH

A strong voice for Nova Scotia Interview. Poet El Jones on the importance of the arts and listening to everyone’s stories haley ryan

haley.ryan@metronews.ca

El Jones has a strong, steady voice built for carrying and coaxing stories from those who might not have “a seat at the table.” Jones, now in the last few months of her two-year position as Halifax poet laureate, said in December she has most enjoyed connecting with immigrants, sex workers, black Nova Scotians, homeless people, feminist groups and others through poetry because she brought the recognition of the city in a way she couldn’t have on her own. “It was a lot of those communities that didn’t necessarily have a seat at the table that were supporting me,” Jones said. Jones and her parents, from Trinidad and Wales, moved to Winnipeg when she was young. She eventually came to study at

Dalhousie University in 2002. Although she had written poetry before moving to Halifax, Jones said the local Word Iz Bond collective encouraged her first attempts at spoken word, which led to outreach projects and performing for groups who couldn’t afford to pay much, but stepped up when others called her work “too political.” “This isn’t a Winnipeg voice, this isn’t a Trinidad voice, this is a Nova Scotia voice,” said Jones, who doesn’t disclose her age, but jokingly conceded it’s “well under 40.” “Everything I say and do is entwined with a community that loved and supported me, and that made it possible for me when nobody else really wanted to hear me.” Jones, now an author and instructor at Acadia and Dalhousie universities, said spoken word is just a person standing on a street or stage, which makes it so valuable to those without resources. A prison inmate in Nova Scotia reached out to share his poetry, Jones said, then called in to the Youth Now Radio on CKDU and passed the phone to others who wanted to share their writing. It was a free, much-need-

Quoted

“It’s a community that gave me my voice.” El Jones

“There’s all this literature and voice and story going on in places that we don’t have access to if we don’t go there,” says El Jones. JEFF HARPER/metro

ed way for inmates to work through emotions and gain confidence through sharing their work, Jones said, which could inspire education and a

job when they go home. “That was so powerful in terms of what it really means to write to survive,” Jones said. “What it means for literature to

enter people’s lives.” Jones hopes the role of the poet laureate can change from honouring published poets to someone leading social change

through art. She’s recommending the position become open to storytellers — making room for Mi’kmaq elders — and a new youth poet laureate role. “There’s all this literature and voice and story going on in places that we don’t have access to if we don’t go there, and they so badly need to be brought out,” Jones said. These are the people who make her want to stay in Halifax, Jones said, but it seems like businesses and institutions don’t know how to invest in local people before they’re forced to take off for bigger cities. There’s the attitude that “unless you’ve been away, you’re not worth something,” she said. “There’s no reason why we … can’t invest in each other,” Jones said. “There’s nothing better, there’s no better people than what we have. It’s all here.”

HALIFAX 2015: TOP 3 INFLUENCERS UNDER 30 MacKinnon shoots and scores with hockey fans Could there be a new No. 1 favourite hailing from hockey-mad Cole Harbour? Sure, Nathan MacKinnon hasn’t come anywhere close to reaching the stardom level of Sidney Crosby, but the former Halifax Mooseheads forward is turning plenty of heads at home and in the NHL — highlighted by the 19-yearold capturing the league’s Calder Trophy as rookie of the year last season. It’s gotten to the point where there are as many people wearing Colorado Avalanche jerseys in Halifax as there are those sporting ones of Pittsburgh, as people root for their hometown boy. But with great success comes greater expectations, and so far MacKinnon’s

sophomore season in Colorado hasn’t lived up to the hype. He’s struggled to find his offensive flare and found himself riding the pine at times due to poor play. There’s no questioning MacKinnon’s talents and many will be watching in 2015 to see if he can regain the level of play expected of him. But regardless of whether he returns to form, one thing is certain: Halifax hockey fans will be there cheering him on. philip croucher/metro

East Coast Lifestyle founder looks south

Comics writer Kate Leth on a roll

It’s been nearly two years since Alex MacLean was selling hoodies on his mom’s front lawn in Halifax, and now the 22-year-old behind the wildly popular East Coast Lifestyle brand has set his sights stateside. MacLean, who created the brand for a project at Acadia University, said in a December interview it sometimes feels like it’s been 10 years since he began in March 2013, but it’s also been “very quick” with the clothes now in Pseudio and Below the Belt across Canada. “I’m really, really proud of it. I never would have thought it would get this far this quickly,” MacLean said. Much of East Coast Lifestyle’s marketing success is thanks to an active social media presence (the Facebook page has more than 200,000 likes), MacLean said,

Nearly two years ago, Marceline helped start Kate Leth on her own adventure. Leth, 26, originally went to NSCAD University for photography before working at the Strange Adventures comic shop in Halifax. She said her love of comics began as she explored titles in the store, and she started her own Kate or Die web comics. A break came about two years ago when Leth said she was asked to write the Adventure Time graphic novel Seeing Red, featuring the vampire Marceline and based on the popular cartoon of the same name. “I just kept getting writing jobs so that’s what I do now,” Leth said with a laugh in a December interview. Her other Adventure Time novel, Bitter Sweets,

and having celebrities like Ghostface Killah, Ed Sheeran, Sidney Crosby and many Boston Bruins wear the gear. The focus for 2015 is switching designs to appeal to eastern Americans in New York, Boston and Florida and getting the clothes into chains there, MacLean said, as well as representing Canada in April at the Global Student Entrepreneur Award in Washington, D.C. MacLean said he loves spreading awareness of Maritime culture and he hopes to live in Nova Scotia “forever.” haley ryan/Metro

was just released and Leth is now writing Edward Scissorhands, Fraggle Rock and Bravest Warriors. “I’m just really happy that they’re all so different and so fun,” she said. There are multiple projects “in the pipeline” that have yet to be announced but are coming out in the next year or two, Leth said, and she is planning some original material for next summer. She hopes to eventually work on animated shows, screenwriting and a book. haley ryan/Metro

HALIFAX

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

HALIFAX 2015: TRANSIT

Will better buses be on the agenda? Halifax Transit. This car-free reporter has high hopes for the upcoming redesign

By the numbers

312

conventional buses are now in operation.

haley ryan

haley.ryan@metronews.ca

The minutes tick by, but you keep checking the time as you crane your neck to see down the road a little further, searching for the lights of a city bus. As a Haligonian with no car who has waited on many a late bus and been forced to take a cab, arrived late at appointments, or missed a bus that came early, I am looking forward to covering the details on how the upcoming Halifax Transit network redesign will change how we get around the city. Staff are expected to come to the public for in-person and online consultation in January,

Access-A-Buses are now in operation.

There are more than 300 Halifax Transit buses that drive around the city. Jeff Harper/Metro

before the final recommendation comes to council in September. Transit director Eddie Robar has said the consultation will involve maps, locations, and

frequencies of services so anyone can compare the trip they make now to what they would have on the new one. Robar has also stated a transfer-based system (one

that involves shorter routes and multiple transfers per trip) isn’t compatible with all of Halifax’s population or geography, though it could be used in some areas.

As long as we get a design that improves the reliability of the bus schedule, hopefully including plans for a GPS system that allows you to track exactly where each bus is like in Ot-

tawa, that’s a huge step up. Having routes that better connect, and ones that don’t take roundabout ways through subdivisions to get to busy areas (try going from the Halifax peninsula to Bayers Lake in less than 45 minutes) would also be a welcome change. Speaking of connections, I’m also looking forward to covering improvements to greenways, bike lanes, and intersections as Halifax’s Active Transportation Priorities Plan rolls out over the next five years.

HALIFAX

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

HALIFAX 2015: COUNCIL

Is this the right year for an argument? Yes, probably several. Halifax is dealing with issues that will come to a head in 2015 RUTH DAVENPORT

ruth.davenport@metronews.ca

Maybe I’ve had one too many glasses of spiced rum, but I’m looking forward to covering City Hall and municipal affairs again in 2015. Halifax is grappling with an identity crisis and more than a few issues related to its growing pains, some of which I expect to reach some milestones in the next year. Being a city hall reporter can mean some long days and a lot of backaches, but it also gives me a front-row seat at council and committee meetings where decisions are made that affect the daily lives of Halifax residents.

Municipal bodies, which often include citizen representatives, debate everything from crosswalk safety measures to garbage collection rules to accessibility guidelines. There will be lesser debates over the next year, but the city is grappling with a few big issues — some practical and some that touch more on attitude and identity. On the practical side, we have some reckoning to do around the question of development, balancing heritage preservation, density, and good modern design. Key discussions are looming that will affect the balance of these three and ultimately shape the face that the city presents to the world. We also have to struggle with the dearth of immigrants and international students choosing Halifax as their home. Regional council recently voted to move ahead

Boxing Week

Quoted

“The city is grappling with a few big issues — some practical and some that touch more on attitude and identity.” Ruth Davenport, city hall reporter

with giving permanent residents the right to vote in municipal elections, and there’s more urgency from business leaders about the need for further incentives. I’m looking forward to hearing bright new ideas of substance that speak to some real soul searching about our attitudes towards “come from aways.” Then there’s traffic troubles, commuter rail, alternative energy, sexualized violence and crime. A lot of good conversations are underway in Halifax; I’m looking forward to seeing the next chapters unfold in 2015.

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CANADA

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

CANADA 2015: COURT We saw a lot of big names land in court this year, which means there will be a lot of courtroom drama to watch in 2015. These are some of the major criminal cases to keep an eye on, according to Canadian defence lawyer Daniel Brown.

5 jessica smith cross

jessica.smithcross@metronews.ca

Sandro Lisi

torstar file

Former Toronto mayor Rob Ford’s friend and driver Alexander (Sandro) Lisi is expected to be go on trial for charges of extortion, as well as trafficking in marijuana, possession of the proceeds of crime, possession of marijuana and conspiracy to commit an

indictable offence. Lisi is accused of extorting Liban Siyad and Mohamed Siad in attempts to get the first Ford crack video. There is no guarantee the public will get a chance to see the crack video in the course of the Lisi trial because it is possible it won’t be used as evidence, Brown said. Ford has been subpoenaed. “We can expect Rob Ford might come to court and testify, presuming he’s healthy enough to do so,” Brown said.

High profile court cases to watch

Jian Ghomeshi The case against former Q radio host Jian Ghomeshi will make its way through the court system and may go to trial in 2015, said Brown. Ghomeshi is charged with four counts of sexual assault and one the canadian press file count of “overcome resistance, choking” involving three victims. Details of the case will be made public in the new year, but the identity of two of the women accusing him of sexual assault will remain covered by a publication ban. The third, actress Lucy DeCoutere, requested to be named publicly.

James Forcillo

Dellen Millard

Justin Bieber

James Forcillo is charged with seconddegree murder and attempted murder in the July 2013 Toronto streetcar shooting death of Sammy Yatim. His trial will be a rare one — a police officer charged with murder. torstar file Yatim, 18, was allegedly holding a knife on an empty Dundas West streetcar when he was shot eight times. Cellphone video and surveillance video of the shooting have been seen by the public and spurred anti-police violence protests across the city.

Dellen Millard faces three counts of first-degree murder, including one for the death of Tim Bosma. Bosma went missing after leaving his Ancaster, Ont., home to take the truck he was selling on a test drive. His burned remains were later found on Millard’s farm. Mark Smitch is also charged in that homicide. Millard is also charged with first-degree murder in the death of his father and the death of Laura Babcock, a friend who went missing in June 2012.

Justin Bieber, accused of dangerous driving and assaulting a member of the paparazzi, could face a trial in Stratford, Ont., Brown said. Bieber himself has not made a court appearance in the case, disappointing the Beliebers who have been on hand to catch a glimpse. “If his case goes to trial, we can expect him there,” said Brown.

contributed

the associated press file

CANADA

Energy East opposition

Pipeline giant TransCanada Corp. is aiming to link up to 1.1 million barrels a day of Alberta crude to export terminals and refineries in Quebec and New Brunswick through its $12-billion Energy East pipeline. For about two thirds of the way, an existing segment of crossCanada natural gas pipe will be converted to oil service, with new pipe to be built through Quebec and New Brunswick. • The company filed its

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

Quoted

regulatory application to the National Energy Board in October. Once viewed as one of the more politically palatable proposals on the table, opposition is quickly mounting to Energy East.

“The locally affected communities are the ones where you’re most likely to find people who care about it, but are also in a position to see both the benefits and the potential risks.”

CANADA 2015: PIPELINES

Michael Cleland, Nexen executive in residence at the Canada West Foundation on some of the groups that have been vocal about potential pipelines

• The push-back has centred on anything from beluga habitat in Quebec’s St. Lawrence River to the impact of the pipe conversion on gas consumers in Central Canada.

Protester Marija Brzev locked herself to a cement block with a bike lock on Nov. 20, 2014, as at least a dozen RCMP officers entered an anti-pipeline encampment in B.C. and started making arrests. Jennifer Gauthier/For Metro

Pipelines’ futures are uncertain ‘Social licence.’ Builders must go beyond obtaining the necessary permits

Once considered a rather hohum line of business, pipelines dominated much of the public discourse in 2014. In recent years, the debate has spread beyond the direct environmental impacts of putting steel in the ground into broader issues around anything from global climate change to First Nations rights. Although proposed projects from Alberta’s oilsands to the east, west and U.S. Gulf Coasts made some progress over the past year, their prospects remain far from certain. A near-halving in crude prices over the past six months has led to widespread belt-tightening in the oilpatch, calling into question future demand for new transport infrastructure. But that’s just one of the litany of challenges for pipeline builders seeking “so-

cial licence” to build their projects — measures that go beyond simply obtaining the necessary government permits. Enbridge, for example, has had a federal permit to build its multibillion-dollar Northern Gateway pipeline to the West Coast in-hand since the summer, subject to 209 conditions. But the pipeline has been met by considerable opposition and shovels are not going to hit the ground any time soon for the 525,000-barrel-per-day conduit that would connect oilsands crude to the West Coast port of Kitimat, B.C., and from there to energyhungry Asian markets. Rather, Enbridge has been “re-engaging” with B.C. First Nations along the route, many of which have been outspoken opponents of the project, with concerns that potential spills would destroy the water or land on which they rely. Pipelines have also been at the centre of a larger public debate about fighting climate change. The Canadian Press

CANADA

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

CANADA 2015: SEXUAL ASSAULT

Will talk translate into action? Conversation. If we don’t take action, we risk losing any progress we’ve made this year angela mullins

Metro in Toronto

Society is fickle. It always has been, in a way, but we see it more today than ever before. It used to take hours for news to spread across the country or around the globe, landing in your living room just in time for breakfast. Now, it spreads faster than a British Columbia wildfire during a drought. As a result, the conversations we have often change just as fast. Outrage about government scandals blends into chatter about the best new meme blends into more outrage about whatever’s What it takes

Victims need to continue coming forward with stories that turn enough stomachs to hold our attention spans.

captured our short attention spans. We are like kittens working the production line in a glitter factory. The conversation we had about sexual assault this year broke the modern-day mould. Sparked largely by accusations now-dethroned CBC Radio icon Jian Ghomeshi used power to parlay violence, Canada’s dialogue about what’s right and just plain wrong in the bedroom, workplace and everywhere else didn’t blend into anything else. It was, for months, at the forefront of intense political debates, casual coffeehouse conversations and, perhaps most importantly these days, social media. Hashtags like #BeenRapedNeverReported and #NoMore started trending on Twitter as a steady line of women stepped forward to declare they had been raped, felt up or treated like a sex toy. Could it be that after decades of hushed back-room whispers about body shapes and less-than-consensual one-night stands that we had turned a corner? Everyone hoped — and continues to hope — that’s the case. Given our past behaviour, however, it’s doubtful. Remember the throngs of Hollywood stars who stood

Jian Ghomeshi leaves College Park court with his lawyers in November. The case has sparked a national dialogue on sexual assault. Colin McConnell/Torstar News Service file

front and centre during the HIV/AIDS movement? How about all those moustaches proudly sprouted for Movember? Or the deaths of Michael Brown and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo? All were, at some point in the very recent past, issues pushed to the forefront of a communal march toward a

better world. But, unfortunately, the fervor has died. When was the last time you saw someone wearing an AIDS ribbon? Canada raised 45 per cent less for Movember this year than in 2013. The #BlackLivesMatter hashtag, synonymous with Brown’s death at the hands

of a Missouri police officer, is still being used, but it’s hardly trending. After being gunned down on Parliament Hill, Cirillo is now being remembered as only one of many stories of 2014.Our conversation about sexual assault risks the same fate unless it moves from talk to action in 2015.

Promises by political committees dedicated to the topic need to be fulfilled, promises of more support for victims need to become reality and victims need to continue coming forward with stories that turn enough stomachs to hold our attention spans — over and over again.

WORLD

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

WORLD 2015: INTERNET ACTIVISM

The tangled web we’ve woven E-politics. The Internet has come into its own as a force for social change, both good and bad, and in this new world we’ll all need to be brave MATT LAFORGE

matt.laforge@metronews.ca

Hackers calling themselves “Guardians of Peace” wreaked havoc on Sony Pictures in one of the most eye-opening of many recent instances of Internet-based activism. afp/getty images

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If 2013 was the year when, in light of the Edward Snowden disclosures, we finally reckoned with the true power of the Internet as wielded by governments and corporations, then 2014 was the year when, in light of the Woody Allen, Jian Ghomeshi and Bill Cosby affairs, GamerGate, and the anti-police-brutality protests — we reckoned with the true power of the Internet as wielded by civil society. (And then at year’s end, of course, along came government’s reply, in

the form of the Sony hacks, which the U.S. eventually confirmed were the work of North Korea.) The lessons we’ve learned have been profound, and the anxiety and uncertainty that remain will, I believe, lead to major social changes in 2015 and beyond. I don’t know what they’ll be but I guarantee they’re coming. Above all, what we’ll continue to come to grips with in the coming years is that the Internet can do more than merely supplement the processes of the brick-and-mortar world; it can supersede and even outright replace those processes. A government can spy on you planting a bug. A police officer thought to have committed an act of brutality can be identified, whether mistakenly or accurately, without his department releasing his name. A man can be accused of being a sexual criminal, and be condemned by wide consensus

— attaining a measure of social justice for victims and families — without the authorities trying, convicting or even arresting him. A major entertainment conglomerate can have its private documents made public and can be forced, under threat of violence, to bury a $42-million movie without anyone breaking into the company’s offices or so much as speaking to an employee. On some level, we’ve known for a while now that such things were possible. But there’s a difference between knowing something could happen and watching it happen. When the primacy of certain institutions — the criminal-justice system, for one — is no longer taken for granted, value systems are reopened for debate. It’s in periods of such flux that great progress stands to be made. The wide-open questions that face us heading into 2015: Who will progress and at whose cost?

WORLD

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

WORLD 2015: CLIMATE

Earth has an elephant in the room Climate change. Scientists’ warnings have never been more urgent and humanity’s response has never been less adequate MATT LAFORGE

matt.laforge@metronews.ca

For most of 2014, news stories reporting climate scientists’ findings about humanity’s ongoing punishment of Earth’s atmosphere, as well as their increasingly dire predictions about the severity of the damage on weather patterns, biodiversity and food supply that such punishment stands to inflict, appeared with the usual frequency (regular but not overwhelming). These stories also ap-

Climate change gets more urgent with every year that passes without serious action on the part of the world’s worst polluters. And there’s no reason to believe 2015 will be any different. kathy crane/ noaa/The Associated Press

peared in the usual media venues, and the comments from the carbon-counting eggheads bore the usual flavour of urgency (assertive

but polite, with a soupçon of held-out hope). But at a certain point in the year’s latter months the conversation heated up.

First, in September, came the annual report from the Global Carbon Project. Predictably depressing results: emissions reached record levels in 2013, having increased by 2.3 per cent in 2013. Canada and the U.S. remain two of the world’s worst percapita emitters. (The money quote, courtesy of one of the eggheads, was strikingly unequivocal: “There is no more time. It needs to be all hands on deck now.”) Then, in the year’s final weeks, another summit, this one in Lima, which itself was only a prelude to yet another summit next year in Paris, ended with the 190 participating countries agreeing to a set of emission-reduction pledges that nearly everyone characterized as craven and watered down. A few days after that, U.S. scientists released a report showing that the amount of vital sun-reflecting snow and

ice in the Arctic had reached record lows. Summation: Things Got worse than ever in 2014. Of course, the problem with saying that any one year’s climate-change news is the worst yet is that it opens one up to charges of recency bias: It only feels like things got worse than ever in 2014 because 2014 is the year we happened to have just finished living, and human memories are short. The problem with recency-bias charge, however, is that, because the causes of climate-change are cumulative, every successive year that doesn’t produce a concerted international counterattack is in fact and by definition the worst year in the history of the problem. This issue will not go away in 2015. Right up to the moment when we decide to do what’s required to make it better, it will only get worse.

Some of the culprits

The top carbon-dioxide-emitting countries, by worldwide rank, as of 2011, according to the U.S.’s Energy Information Agency. • 1. China: Total emissions (in millions of tonnes): 8,715.31 Per capita emissions (in tonnes): 6.52 • 2. United States: Total emissions: 5,490.63 Per capita emissions:17.62 • 3. Russia: Total emissions: 1,788.14 Per capita emissions: 12.55 • 4. India: Total emissions: 1,725.76 Per capita emissions: 1.45 • 9. Canada: Total emissions: 552.56 Per capita emissions: 16.24

Cubans hope future is brighter than the past The restoration of diplomatic ties between Cuba and the United States unleashed expectations of even more momentous changes on an island that often seems frozen in a past of classic cars and crumbling Art Deco buildings. Following the surprise announcement, many Cubans expressed hope that it will mean greater access to jobs

and the creature comforts taken for granted elsewhere, and lift a struggling socialist economy where staples like meat, cooking oil and toilet paper are often hard to come by. That yearning, however, was tempered with anxiety. Some fear a cultural onslaught, or that crime and drugs, both rare in Cuba, will become common along with

visitors from the U.S. There is also concern that the country will become just another Caribbean destination. That mix of optimism and concern was a common refrain among Cubans trying to digest the implications of such a seismic shift between the two Cold War rivals after more than half a century of bad blood. the associated press

A man sells beans inside a state-run market in Havana. Desmond Boylan/the associated press

WORLD

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

WHO WE SAID GOODBYE TO IN 2014

A list of some of the newsmakers who passed away this year.

Robin Williams, 63

Farley Mowat, 92

Maya Angelou, 86

Ariel Sharon, 85

Academy Award winner and comic supernova whose explosions of pop culture riffs and impressions dazzled audiences for decades. Aug. 11.

Master storyteller and tireless defender of nature and wildlife. He penned some 40 books, including Never Cry Wolf and The Boat Who Wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Float. May 7.

Author and poet who rose from poverty, segregation and violence to become a force on stage, screen and the printed page. May 28.

Israeli general and prime minister who was both admired and hated for his battlefield exploits and ambitions to reshape the Middle East. Jan. 11.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Philip Seymour Hoffman, 46 He won a best actor Oscar in 2006 for his portrayal of writer Truman Capote in Capote and created a gallery of other vivid characters, many of them slovenly comic figures. Feb. 2.

GETTY IMAGES

Mickey Rooney, 93 Pint-size actor and allaround talent whose 80year career spanned silent comedies, Shakespeare, Judy Garland musicals, Andy Hardy stardom, television and the Broadway theatre. April 6.

Alistair MacLeod, 77 Prairie-born author who won the 2001 IMPAC Dublin Literary Award with his only novel, No Great Mischief. April 20.

Mavis Gallant, 91 Montreal-born writer who carved out an international reputation as a master short-story author while living in Paris for decades. Feb. 18.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Shirley Temple, 85

Oscar de la Renta, 82

Dimpled, curly haired child star who sang, danced, sobbed and grinned her way into the hearts of Depression-era moviegoers. Feb. 10.

Worldly gentleman designer who shaped the wardrobe of socialites, first ladies and Hollywood stars for more than four decades. Oct. 20.

WORLD

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

Ben Bradlee, 93

Joan Rivers, 81

Hard-charging editor who guided The Washington Post through its Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Watergate scandal and invigorated its newsroom for more than two decades. Oct. 21.

Raucous, acid-tongued comedian who crashed the male-dominated realm of late-night talk shows and turned Hollywood red carpets into danger zones for badly dressed celebrities. Sept. 4.

Jean-Claude Duvalier, 63 He presided over what was widely acknowledged as a corrupt, brutal regime as the self-proclaimed “president for life” of Haiti until an uprising sent him into a 25-year exile. Oct. 4. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rubin (Hurricane) Carter, 76

Big Bank Hank, 57

Boxer whose wrongful murder conviction became an international symbol of racial injustice. April 20.

Member of the pioneering hip-hop group the Sugarhill Gang, responsible for one of the most popular rap songs of all time, Rapper’s Delight. Nov. 11.

Jim Flaherty, 64 The former Canadian finance minister was a fixture on the world financial stage who stepped down in March to return to the private sector. He was credited with helping get Canada back on track to a balanced budget following the 2008 financial crisis. April 10.

Co-founder of the seminal punk band the Ramones and last surviving member of the original group. July 11.

Casey Kasem, 82

She left her small-town Utah home as a teenager to become a model in Paris, then a top Hollywood stylist and finally a high-end fashion designer known as the longtime girlfriend of Mick Jagger. March 17.

Radio broadcaster with a cheerful manner and gentle voice who became the king of the Top 40 countdown with a syndicated show that ran for decades. June 15.

GETTY IMAGES

Lauren Bacall, 89

Olga Kotelko, 95

Pat Quinn, 71

Slinky, sultry-voiced actress who created on-screen magic with Humphrey Bogart in To Have and Have Not and The Big Sleep — and offscreen magic in one of Hollywood’s most storied marriages. Aug. 12.

One of Canada’s most accomplished track and field athletes with dozens of world records and medals to her credit, who passed away after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage. June 24.

Former NHL player, longtime coach and executive. He coached for the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Edmonton Oilers, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals twice. Nov. 23.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Maxine Cochran, 87

Bob Hoskins, 71 British actor whose varied career ranged from noir drama Mona Lisa to animated fantasy Who Framed Roger Rabbit. April 29.

Nova Scotia’s first female cabinet minister. In 1985, she was appointed transport minister under then-premier John Buchanan. July 8.

Knowlton Nash, 86

The beloved fiddler who sparked a renewed appreciation for traditional Cape Breton music and inspired a new generation of talent. He was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2001 when he was formally recognized with helping lead a Gaelic renaissance, both in Canada and abroad. Aug. 20.

Veteran CBC broadcaster best known as anchor of late evening news program The National from 1978 until his retirement in 1988. May 24.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Pat McDonagh, 80

Ralph Baer, 92

Award-winning Canadian designer whose legendary fashion career spanned more than half a century, after battling cancer. May 31.

Video game pioneer who created both the precursor to Pong and the electronic memory game Simon, and led the team that developed the first home video game console. Dec. 6. HIROSHI YODA/TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE

GETTY IMAGES

Buddy MacMaster, 89

THE CANADIAN PRESS

L’Wren Scott, 49

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Tommy Ramone, 65

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

VOICES HALIFAX 2015: NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

resolution revision In an effort to actually fulfil the promises he makes to himself, Stephen Kimber revamps his annual list with a pro-Halifax theme

Stephen KIMBER

Same old, same old

halifax@metronews.ca

I am good — one might even suggest excellent — at making New Year’s resolutions. Lose weight. Become fit. Clean out the accumulated mess in my basement and attic. The good news is I never need to waste precious post-Christmas, pre-New Year’s do-nothing hours contemplating what to include on my list for the upcoming year. I simply scan my old computer files: “New Year’s Resolutions 2014.” Or 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 ... all the way back to a time before Steve Jobs. The list doesn’t change, probably hasn’t since the year I scratched out my first Iwill-be-better compilation on the walls of the cave. Lose weight. Become fit. Clean out the accumulated mess ... Rinse and repeat. The problem is I am less good — one might even suggest abysmal — at keeping my resolutions. They rarely outlast the countdown to midnight, the singing of Auld Lang Syne, the morning after the night before. So this year I resolve not to resolve the same old. I resolve to come up with a list of new resolutions I will not ... er, will keep. 1. Buy local. It’s easy to get seduced by online deals and big-box prices that do nothing for our economy. We need to do

The good news is I never need to waste precious post-Christmas, preNew Year’s do-nothing hours contemplating what to include on my list for the upcoming year. I simply scan my old computer files: “New Year’s Resolutions 2014.” Or 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 ...

Inside our new Central Halifax Library on opening weekend in December. Jeff harper/metro

stuff for our own economy. Read the Ivany report. (Resolution to self: Stop referen-

cing the Ivany report every second column.) This will, of course, necessitate eat-

ing at local-source restaurants while drinking Nova Scotia beer and wine. Who knew keeping resolutions could be so easy? 2. Take the bus. I can and should walk to work. But if more of us took the bus more often, transit services might finally improve, and then we’d take the bus because we want to. 3. Enjoy the city. It amazes me whenever I show off my city to visitors what a wonderful place it is — and how rarely I take advantage of all it has to offer. 4. Hang out. At the new library. On the waterfront. In Point Pleasant Park. On Spring Garden Road. Will I actually keep any of these resolutions? I would like to think so. But I’ve been down this resolution road too many times before. I resolve not to worry about that. Happy new year!

New Year’s resolutions for newsmakers as imagined by Rebecca Kohler REBECCA KOHLER

readers@metronews.ca

People who participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge: This year, we resolve to donate to charity without being tagged by a friend on Facebook. And this year, we will actually donate money, not just a video of ourselves in that cute bikini we bought in Vegas. Don’t tell anyone, but we didn’t even put ice in the water. In fact we warmed it up and put lavender bath salts in it. We pretended it was cold, but it was actually really soothing. Jian Ghomeshi: This year, I resolve to start

a really cool radio show about arts and culture. My only guest will be my mom and we’ll broadcast from my childhood bedroom. If need be, I will relocate my studio to the Millhaven Institution.

Apple: Last year we released the iPhone 6, but that’s old news — let’s face it, it was old news five minutes after you bought it. (Sucker.) This year, we resolve to launch the iPhone 10 — we’ll release the 7, 8 and 9 quickly throughout the year but their batteries will only last for two months and we’ll make sure their screens smash faster than Humpty Dumpty’s skull. The iPhone 10 will be nicknamed the

iPhone Large and will be the size of an iPad Mini but so thin you won’t be able to see it. It will come with an app that eats money and can be purchased on layaway with your first-born child as down payment.

Ebola: In 2015, I resolve to do more travelling. I hear Iceland is gorgeous! Renée Zellweger: In 2015, I resolve to not change my face. I won’t get Botox, or chemical peels (maybe one) and I will love myself for who I am. It’s hard because the film industry makes me feel bad about myself, so I changed my face, but then they all made

fun of me so it’s like, “What?!” No, but seriously, I’ll just stick to moisturizer and maybe some Retin-A but no fillers. I mean, who am I, Meg Ryan?

Malala Yousafzai: I am honoured to have won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. I resolve this year to continue being one of the most inspirational people on the planet. Perhaps in 2015 I will try improving the world further by posting a no-makeup selfie. I can only hope to be so brave. Justin Bieber: 2015: Girls, peeing, mop-buckets, eggs, depositions, yo. Peace.

SCENE

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

SCENE 2015: BACK TO THE FUTURE

Back to the Future 2 year is nigh. 2015 will bring us into the movie’s future minus the DeLorean so let’s do some comparisons

Tiring online pranksters

What gives, Internet?

NED EHRBAR

Metro World News in Hollywood

It’s time, everybody. We’re finally reaching 2015, the future presented in the 1989 sequel Back to the Future II that was full of auto-drying jackets, freeze-dried pizza and hoverboards. So now is about as good a time as any to take stock and see how we’re doing with the technological advancements predicted in the film. Hoverboards It looked like we almost had this a year ago, but it turned out to be a Funny or Die hoax that Tony Hawk was in on. He’s back again saying for real he’s really tried one out, but we’re finding it hard to trust again. Besides, if Segways never really took off, what hope do hoverboards have? Flying cars Possibly the biggest gripe people today have about the future we were all promised. Way to continue that wave of

I think we would all like Marty’s hoverboard to arrive sooner than later. HANDOUT

disappointment, Back to the Future II. Food hydrators Still not sure exactly how this technology is supposed to rejuvenate and enlarge a hockey puck-sized frozen pizza, but that’s beside the point. The film apparently predicted that Black & Decker would still be the reigning kitchen gadget company of the future. Boy, were they wrong.

Giant in-wall video conferencing In the film, they basically combine giant home flatscreen TVs and Skype. They even had the foresight to predict the massive, industry-wide aspect ratio change to widescreen. Nike Air Mags Nike actually released a replica version of these totally boss high-tops in 2011, but they weren’t actually selflacing, so really what’s the point? We’re stilling bending

down to tie our shoes like our parents and grandparents. Flying automated news cameras This one’s not that far off, actually, given the rise of consumer-level remote-control drones and GoPro cameras. So good work, movie. Double neckties Thank God these never caught on. The less said about this bizarre fashion choice, the better.

For several years running, online pranksters have been following a bizarre pattern of behaviour: Taking the image of Doc Brown’s upgraded DeLoreon dashboard from Back to the Future II, modifying it to show a different date and posting it online with the breathless caption, “Today is the day Marty McFly travelled in time to in the future!” Only it’s not. That day is Oct. 21, 2015. But that hasn’t stopped countless Photoshop-happy fiends from misleading people on Twitter and Facebook, starting in 2010. It happens on a surprisingly regular basis, and the coming year will likely only see more of such antics. The question remains, though: What’s the point? There’s really nothing to gain from duping people with this gag, and it gets disproved quicker and quicker each time. Yet still it persists. Our only guess is the reward is the pure, immature joy of manipulating others’ gullibility and willingness to retweet things.

SCENE

Marty!! Are we any closer to trying your hoverboard?

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metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

SCENE 2015: MOVIES

Films not to be missed We have to wait to see what indie and prestigious fare shake out of Sundance and the festival circuit, but you can mark your calendars with these now.

Ned Ehrbar

Metro World News in Hollywood

No other 2015 film really embodies the term “anticipated” quite like this one. The more bits of information J.J. Abrams lets out, the more secure we feel in its awesomeness. It’s going to be one crazy Christmas.

Jupiter Ascending. Feb. 6

It’s encouraging to know that after not nearly enough people gave Cloud Atlas a shot, Larry and Lana Wachowski aren’t playing it safe. Instead, they’re doubling down on the bizarre and grandiose science-fiction fare that they’re known for. Give Channing Tatum’s wolf ears a chance.

Spectre. Nov. 6.

The closer we get to the end of the year, the less convincing we need to get excited for big releases. Case in point: The next James Bond film, with Skyfall director Sam Mendes sticking around for another go. They’ve barely been filming a month and it’s due in theatres in November. You’ve got to at least admire the work ethic.

The Last Five Years. Feb. 19 While this musical starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan isn’t necessarily the best date movie — it chronicles a couple falling in and painfully out of love — it’s definitely a better Valentine’s Day choice than Fifty Shades of Gray.

Pan. July 24.

getty images

Again, some cautious optimism. But director Joe Wright has earned the benefit of the doubt with his spectacular and varied work on Pride and Prejudice, Atonement and Hannah. But still, a “Peter Pan origin story” sounds like a very cynical, Hollywood idea.

Jupiter Ascending, starring Mila Kunis, opens in theatres this February. handout

Avengers: Age of Ultron. May 1.

Inside Out. June 19.

Let’s face it, all these Marvel movies are cool and all — and 2014’s two entries were very, very cool — but it’s all fun and games until Joss Whedon returns to the scene with the studio’s flagship. Bonus points for James Spader voicing an evil killer robot. Even if you’re suffering from Superhero Movie Fatigue, at least make room for the cream of the crop.

Mad Max: Fury Road. May 15.

Anna Kendrick stars in the breakup movie The Last Five Years.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Dec. 18.

It’s been a pretty depressing few years of attempted revamps of ’80s action franchises — Total Recall and Robocop come painfully to mind, and yet another Terminator movie looks like the worst yet — but this? This gives us hope. Mostly because Road Warrior guru George Miller is behind the wheel. And because of that jaw-dropping trailer.

Chris Pratt stars in Jurassic World, opening next summer. the associated press

We’re not really sure what’s going on with this movie, and that’s part of what makes it so exciting. George Clooney, a young female protagonist and Brad Bird directing? Count us in. Let’s just hope co-writer and Lost alum Damon Lindelof doesn’t let us down.

This might be a terrible, terrible mistake, but we’re willing to be cautiously optimistic. For now, at least. Director Colin Trevorrow’s previous indie work gives us some hope, as does Chris Pratt on a motorcycle flanked by velociraptors. Come on, Pratt. Don’t let us down.

Tomorrowland. May 22.

Jurassic World. June 12.

Here’s all you need to know about Inside Out. It’s Pixar’s first original movie in years, and it’s about different personified emotions fighting each other for control of a young girl.

Pixar’s Inside Out is out in June. handout

Reality television. Casting woes Host reflects on casting “We’re once again short and shooting almost women. We find 30 seasons of Survivor on lippy, loudmouth weird Ned Ehrbar

Metro World News in Hollywood

You might find this hard to believe, but the 29th season of Survivor wraps up Wednesday. That’s right, the 29th. And host Jeff Probst’s thoughts are already firmly on the 30th, debuting next year. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. He’s actually already thinking beyond that. “I’m always amazed at how much time we spend on casting — months and months,” he says. “Every year it feels like we’re starting over and we’re once again even now, looking for Seasons 31 and 32.” And for those upcoming seasons — which, again, won’t be on the air for a good long while — Probst says they’re already facing some familiar problems with the casting process. “We’re once again short on w o m e n ,” he admits. “We can find

Survivor host Jeff Probst

guys all day, every day, but finding a woman who wants to do it, who wants to come out there and has the personality is tough.”

lippy, loudmouth weird guys all day, every day, but finding a woman who wants to do it, who wants to come out there and has the personality is tough.” You’d think that they’d have casting for the reality juggernaut down pat by now, but no, at least not according to Probst. “Here we are 30 seasons later and sometimes I feel like we still don’t quite know how to do it yet, and we still end up with people on the show that disappoint us,” he says. “I remember about Season 5 or 6, we had backto-back interviews with people, and one woman came in and told t h i s tragic

story of losing her husband in a car accident and how it impacted her life, and all of us were bored. And then the next guy came in and was saying, ‘I’m eating some chips downstairs and these potato chips I was looking at,’ and we’re on the floor laughing. Which guy got on the show? The potato chip guy.”

AS LOW AS

ON 2014 F-150

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While Probst may not have mastered the casting process for Survivor just yet, he has at least learned a few things about himself — even if he had to do it the hard way. “I continue to learn about my own nature through Survivor,” he says. “I had a really big life lesson when a bunch of friends came to visit the

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Vehicle(s) may be shown with optional equipment. Dealer may sell or lease for less. Limited time offers. Offers only valid at participating dealers. Retail offers may be cancelled or changed at any time without notice. See your Ford Dealer for complete details or call the Ford Customer Relationship Centre at 1-800-565-3673. For factory orders, a customer may either take advantage of eligible raincheckable Ford retail customer promotional incentives/offers available at the time of vehicle factory order or time of vehicle delivery, but not both or combinations thereof. Retail offers not combinable with any CPA/GPC or Daily Rental incentives, the Commercial Upfit Program or the Commercial Fleet Incentive Program (CFIP). ‡Until January 2, 2015, receive 0% APR purchase financing on new 2015 Escape models for up to 36 months, 2014 Edge models for up to 60 months, and 2014 Focus, C-MAX, F-150 (excluding Regular Cab XL 4x2 Value Leader and Raptor) and 2015 Fiesta and Fusion models for up to 72 months to qualified retail customers, on approved credit (OAC) from Ford Credit. Not all buyers will qualify for the lowest interest rate. Example: $25,000 purchase financed at 0% APR for 36/60/72 months, monthly payment is $694.44/ $416.66/ $347.22, cost of borrowing is $0 or APR of 0% and total to be repaid is $25,000. Down payment on purchase financing offers may be required based on approved credit from Ford Credit. ±Until January 2, 2015, receive $500/ $750/ $1,000/ $2,000/ $2,500/ $3,500/ $4,000/ $4,250/ $4,500/ $4,750/ $5,000/ $5,500/ $6,000/ $6,250/ $6,500/ $7,000/ $7,250/ $7,500/ $8,500/ $10,500 in Year-End Clearout Cash (Delivery Allowances) with the purchase or lease of a new 2015 Fusion/ 2014 Focus (excluding S Manual) and 2015 Explorer, F-150 Regular Cab XL 4x2 (Value Leader)/ 2014 C-MAX and 2015 Taurus (excluding SE), Expedition, Transit Connect, E-Series Cutaway, Transit/ 2014 F-150 Regular Cab XL 4x2 (Value Leader) and 2015 F-350 to F-550 Chassis Cabs/ 2014 Focus S Manual, Edge and 2015 Fiesta S/ 2015 F-150 Regular Cab (excluding XL 4x2)/ 2014 Fiesta, F-350 to F-550 Chassis Cabs/ 2014 Mustang V6 Coupe, Taurus SE, Escape, Explorer/ 2015 F-150 SuperCab and SuperCrew/ 2014 Fusion/ 2014 Transit Connect (excluding electric)/ 2014 E-Series, F-150 Regular Cab (excluding XL 4x2), F-150 SuperCrew 4x4 XLT 300A/ 2014 Flex, F-150 SuperCrew 4x2 5.0L and 4x4/ 2014 Taurus (excluding SE)/ 2014 Mustang V6 Premium, F-150 SuperCab/ 2015 F-250 to F-450 (excluding Chassis Cabs) Gas engine/ 2014 Expedition/ 2014 Mustang GT/ 2014 F-250 to F-450 (excluding Chassis Cabs) Gas engine and 2015 F-250 to F-450 (excluding Chassis Cabs) Diesel engine/ 2014 F-250 to F-450 (excluding Chassis Cabs) Diesel Engine -- all stripped chassis, cutaway body, F-150 Raptor, Medium Truck, and Mustang GT500 models excluded. Year-End Cash is not combinable with CPA, GPC, CFIP, Daily Rental Allowance and A/X/Z/D/F-Plan programs. Delivery allowances are not combinable with any fleet consumer incentives. For 2014 F-150 (excluding Regular Cab XL 4x2 Value Leader and Fx4 4x4) models, Year-End Clearout Cash amounts include $3,500 in “non-stackable cash” available to cash purchase customers and customers not financing or leasing through Ford Credit. “Non-stackable cash” is not combinable with Ford Credit purchase financing or lease rates. ♦Offer only valid from December 2, 2014 to January 2, 2015 (the “Offer Period”) to resident Canadians with an eligible Costco membership on or before November 30, 2014. Receive $750 towards the purchase or lease of a new 2014/2015 Ford Fiesta (excluding S), Focus (excluding S and BEV), C-MAX, and $1,000 towards all other Ford models (excluding GT500, GT350, 50th Anniversary Edition Mustang, Raptor, and Medium Truck) (each an “Eligible Vehicle”). Limit one (1) offer per Eligible Vehicle purchase or lease, up to a maximum of two (2) separate Eligible Vehicle sales per Costco Membership Number. Offer is transferable to persons domiciled with an eligible Costco member. Applicable taxes calculated before CAD$1,000 offer is deducted. ®: Registered trademark of Price Costco International, Inc. used under license. ɸOffer only valid from December 11, 2014 to January 2, 2015 (the “Program Period”) to Canadian resident customers. Receive $500 towards 2014/2015 Focus, Fiesta, or C-MAX, and $750 towards 2014 Mustang (excluding Shelby GT500) and F-150 (excluding Raptor), and 2014/2015 Fusion, Taurus, Edge, Flex, Explorer, Escape, Expedition, Transit Connect, E-Series, F-250 to F-550 (excluding Chassis Cabs), and F-350 to F-550 Chassis Cab models - all stripped chassis, cutaway body, and Medium Truck models excluded (each an “Eligible Model”) with the purchase, lease, or factory order (during the Program Period) of an Eligible Model. Limit one (1) incentive redemption per Eligible Model sale. Offer is not raincheckable. ҰUntil January 2, 2015, lease a new 2014 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew 4x4 (300A Package) for up to 24 months, and get 0% APR on approved credit (OAC) from Ford Credit. Not all buyers will qualify for the lowest APR payment. Lease a new 2014 F-150 XLT SuperCrew 4x4 (300A Package) with a value of $35,059 (after $2,575 down payment or equivalent trade-in, $5,500 Year-End Cash deducted, $3,700 Ford Credit Lease Cash deducted and including freight and air tax of $1,800) at 0% APR for up to 24 months with an optional buyout of $21,633, monthly payment is $299 (Comparison payments are for reference purposes only and are calculated as follows: the monthly payment is annualized (multiplied by 12) and then divided by the comparison period (26 for bi-weekly and 52 for weekly). For example, ($299 X 12) / 26 bi-weekly periods = $138), total lease obligation is $9,751, interest cost of leasing is $0 or 0% APR. Additional payments required for PPSA, registration, security deposit, NSF fees (where applicable), excess wear and tear, and late fees. Lease offer excludes options, Green Levy (if applicable), license, fuel fill charge, insurance, dealer PDI, PPSA (a maximum RDPRM fee of $44, if leased), administration fees, and any other applicable environmental charges/fees and taxes. Some conditions and mileage restriction of 40,000 km for 24 months applies. Excess kilometrage charges are 16¢ per km, plus applicable taxes. Excess kilometrage charges subject to change, see your local dealer for details. All prices are based on Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price. ΩFord Credit Lease Cash of $3,700 on the 2014 F-150 XLT SuperCrew 4X4 (300A Package) is only available when vehicle is leased with Ford Credit. *Purchase a new [2014] [F-150 XLT SuperCrew 4x4 (300A Package)/Escape S] for [$35,059/$21,499] (after Year-End Cash of [$5,500/$4,250] deducted). Taxes payable on full amount of purchase price [after] total manufacturer rebate has been deducted. Offers include charges for freight and air tax of [$1,750/$1,800] but exclude options, AC Tax, Green Levy (if applicable), license, fuel fill charge, insurance, dealer PDI, PPSA (if financed or leased) (a maximum RDPRM fee of $44, if leased), administration fees, and any other applicable environmental charges/fees and taxes. All prices are based on Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price. †F-Series is the best-selling pickup truck in Canada for 48 years in a row based on Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association statistical sales report up to 2013 and R. L. Polk vehicle registrations data up to June 2014. ^Based on 2007-2013 and YTD June 2014 R. L. Polk vehicle registrations data for Canada in the Large Premium Utility, Large Traditional Utility, Large Utility, Medium Premium Utility, Medium Utility, Small Premium Utility, and Small Utility segments. ©2014 Sirius Canada Inc. “SiriusXM”, the SiriusXM logo, channel names and logos are trademarks of SiriusXM Radio Inc. and are used under licence. ©2014 Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. All rights reserved.

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

scene 25

How Jeff Probst has ‘survived’ 29 TV seasons est friends said, ‘Probst, you’d be out so fast.’ And I was shocked, but I knew from Survivor that when a group of people tell you what they think of you, they’re right. And my friends said, ‘Your mouth. You’re too lippy. You find it funny, but a lot of other people would find it annoying and they would vote you out.’”

Available in most new Ford vehicles with 6-month pre-paid subscription

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metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

Surviving the Walking Dead mid-season hiatus NED EHRBAR

Metro World News in Hollywood

(Note: Spoiler alert!) We’re halfway through the fifth season of The Walking Dead, and the body count has been relatively low for the show, considering its history and the size of its cast. Sure, we just lost Beth in rather dramatic fashion, plus Bob earlier in the

season and a whole bunch of Terminus cannibals. But come on, this is the zombie apocalypse we’re talking about here. While we wait for the series’ return in February, let’s look at who has the best chance of making it to Season 6. We’re ranking the characters on a survival scale of one to 10, with one being practically already a Walker and 10 being safe and sound.

Daryl Dixon

L A V I V R SU S E C N A CH

Rick Grimes

Carl Grimes

Yeah, he’s not going anywhere any time soon, not since they reunited him with his baby in Season 5, but they haven’t given him much screen time at all with her or Carl so far. Unless the second half of the season is Grimesheavy, in which case maybe they’re building up to a shocking finale.

Oh, come on, the boy? He’s only just starting to come into his own, and his development as a hard-talking apocalypse survivor still has a lot of places to go. Still, if they really wanted to send Rick off the deep end …

Baby Judith

Michonne

What kind of a monster are you?

As much of a fan favourite as Daryl, and she’s taken too much of a backseat so far this season to kill off. Surely they wouldn’t do that to us.

The group needs its big, violence-averse teddy bear, and Rick needs a capable babysitter. While Tyreese is totally the type to take one for the team, he’s probably still got some time before he does.

Glenn Rhee The voice of reason and resident good guy can only stick around so long, and the cast is getting pretty crowded. Still, we’d expect to see Glenn and Maggie get some more quality screen time before one of them bites it.

Sasha

Abraham Ford

She’s really, really upset about Bob still — with good reason — and she’s been giving a lot of steely-eyed stares lately. We could see her going down in a blaze of heroic glory once the show comes back.

He’s been through the ringer with the revelation about Eugene being a big old liar, and we’ve gotten a lot of back story for him already this year, so he could be primed for a splashy exit by the end of the season.

Noah Father Gabriel

We’re honestly surprised he’s made it this far. Expect this character’s one note to be played to its logical conclusion before the finale.

Carol Peletier

Tyreese

Tara Chambler That sense of humour might just be what helps keep her around, as nobody else is making with the inappropriate wisecracks this group so sorely needs.

As much as Rick is the face of the show, Daryl is the heart — at least as far as diehard fans are concerned. If anyone’s going to make it all the way through this show alive, it’s him.

He’s pretty new, and he’s still got some mistakes to make up for — nobody touches Daryl’s crossbow! Does that mean a messy exit in the new year? He certainly needs some time to make good on Beth’s sacrifice for him.

Speaking of Daryl, so much work has gone into developing his boon companion Carol’s character from battered wife to basically Rambo that she might have seemed to be headed for a heroic but tragic death. But then they put a lot of effort into saving her life and rescuing her in the last few episodes, so that would just be mean at this point.

Maggie Greene We give her about the same odds as Glenn, but if it’s any consolation it will probably only be one or the other.

Rosita Espinosa

Eugene Porter

She’s gotten a fair amount of screen time in the first half of the season, and she’s kind of occupying the same emotional and character space as a few others, so consider her back to have a big target on it going forward.

He’s got to make up for that huge lie he got everyone to buy into, or at least he’s a great source of tension within the group. He’s a prime candidate.

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

LIFE 2015: HOROSCOPES

What the stars Aries (March 21 to April 20)

Taurus (April 21 to May 21)

Gemini (May 22 to June 21)

Is there something you have neglected to do? More to the point, is there someone you still need to resolve certain issues with? According to the planets there is, and 2015 is the year to sort it out once and for all. Saturn’s return to the relationship area of your chart in June will encourage you to do it. Jupiter in your fellow Earth sign of Virgo from Aug. 11 promises great things creatively and, yes, romantically, but only if you do something about all those emotional loose ends.

Venus and Mars, the relationship planets, join the sun in the most adventurous area of your chart on Feb. 20, so if you are in the market for love you won’t have to wait long to find it. Existing relationships will improve as well, especially if you make an effort to spice things up. Saturn in your opposite sign will bring challenges, especially in the closing months of 2015, but it will also bring opportunities to forge long-term alliances with serious people who balance your own carefree attitude to life.

Libra (Sept. 24 to Oct. 23)

Scorpio (Oct. 24 to Nov. 22)

Venus, your ruler, teams up with Mars in late February to create the perfect cosmic environment for love. If there is someone you want to get close to romantically, don’t wait for them to make the first move — spell it out and let them know you think the two of you together would make the perfect couple. Career-wise July is the best month to let employers and senior colleagues know you want a better deal, or you will seek pastures new. Make your demands when Mars links with Mercury on July 16 — it’s unlikely they will refuse you.

You have so many big ideas but you don’t seem to be doing much with them. Why is that? Most likely it has to do with the influence of Neptune in the most creative area of your chart. Neptune is the planet of imagination but also indecision, so you tend to chop and change for no good reason. Happily, the influence of go-getting Mars will help you to decide what to focus on in 2015. Set your sights high, but more importantly don’t change tack halfway through the year. Whatever you start, see it through to the end.

Sagittarius (Nov. 23 to Dec. 21)

You are rarely slow to assert yourself, either in your personal life or in your career, and both the solar eclipse on March 20 and the lunar eclipse on Sept. 28 suggest you will be even more active and ambitious than usual this year. That’s great — you are sure to go far — but don’t forget that even an ultra competitive Aries needs to recharge their batteries once in a while. Jupiter’s move into the well-being area of your chart on Aug. 11 will encourage you to take up some sort of relaxation or meditation technique. You will need it!

Mars in the domestic area of your chart from mid-January to mid-February will help you get your home life in order, and it’s important that you do so because later in the year your focus will be on more worldly matters — you certainly won’t have time for family dramas. Jupiter spotlights career issues from Aug. 11 onward and it’s quite possible that you will change jobs or even go back to school and study for a completely different line of work. It’s never too late to move in a new direction.

scene

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

29 Sally Brompton

halifax@metronews.ca

hold for you Leo (July 24 to Aug. 23)

Virgo (Aug. 24 to Sept. 23)

A family matter you thought had been amicably resolved will return to vex you this year — especially after Saturn moves back into the domestic area of your chart in June. This time there can be no half-measures — stamp your authority on the situation and insist that everyone follows your lead. You are nobody’s fool, and anyone who thinks they can manipulate your emotions is in for a rude awakening. Treat yourself to a vacation around the time of the lunar eclipse on Sept. 28 — you will have earned it.

The big news this year is the entry of Jupiter into your sign in August. Jupiter improves your lot on every level, but more importantly it widens your outlook on life, enabling you to see connections and possibilities where previously you could see only stumbling blocks and confusion. Mars in sympathetic Taurus from March 31 to May 12 is also an omen of bigger and better things to come, so start making plans and don’t let the past limit you in any way, shape or form. Think of 2015 as a new beginning, and don’t waste a single day of it.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 to Jan. 20)

Aquarius (Jan. 21 to Feb. 19)

Pisces (Feb. 20 to Mar. 20)

Capricorn may be cautious by nature but it is also a cardinal sign, and that means you always work toward a longterm goal. What happens between the solar eclipse on March 20 and the lunar eclipse on April 4 will bring into focus how successful you have been in turning your ambitions into concrete achievements, and you may decide on a top-to-bottom relaunch of your life. That may sound drastic but you don’t see the point in doing things on a small scale. The bigger you think and act, the more you will accomplish.

When your ruler Uranus squares up to power planet Pluto in mid-March, you will be thrust into a situation that demands a speedy and decisive response. If someone has been taking advantage of your trusting nature, you must deal with them ruthlessly because you need to let everyone know that you are not a soft touch. The remainder of 2015 will be plain sailing and come November, when Mars moves into the most adventurous area of your chart, you may even be sailing for distant shores. Life should always be an adventure.

Your self-assurance will increase this year — especially around the time of the solar eclipse on March 20, which only just falls in your birth sign but will still do wonders for your confidence. And that’s good because people will be depending on you. The year’s other solar eclipse on Sept. 13 suggests you will be called on to fill a leadership role, one in which you can use your intuition and compassion to bring together people who might otherwise waste time in needless competition. You sense it is time to leave the divisions of “us” and “them” behind.

Cancer (June 22 to July 23) Saturn in the wellbeing area of your chart means you need to pay more attention to your health — physical, mental and emotional. That may not sound like fun, but don’t worry because with Jupiter moving into one of the more outgoing areas of your chart in August, the second half of the year will bring plenty of social opportunities. What happens around the solar eclipse on Sept. 13 will remind you that it can be just as much fun to travel as to arrive, especially when you are in charge of the schedule.

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LIFE

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

LIFE

LIFE 2015: SOCIAL ETIQUETTE

If you didn’t do it in 2005, you shouldn’t do it now Bad behaviours. Internet culture has permeated our habits and changed how we treat each other — and not in a good way

Looking for a New Year’s resolution? OK, probably not. But you may have spent 2014 participating in one (or, let’s be honest, more) of these bad, or just sort-of-bad behaviours. So here’s what you might want to resolve to quit doing in 2015. Public Transit

KATE CARRAWAY For Metro

It’s time for a definitive ruling on public-transit behaviour — especially mid-winter, when we’re packed in more

than usual. Can we finally agree that it’s always inappropriate to do any kind of grooming on transit? The nail trimming obviously has to go (the fact that people do this at all will remain a mystery of my lifetime), but I’m also not thrilled to see hair being brushed or lips being glossed or, especially, perfume being applied. Similarly, eating food — I’m talking takeout, sandwiches, anything with a scent and a personality — is giving

your fellow passengers a sensory experience they didn’t ask for. Sneaking a quick facecheck via iPhone camera before arriving at your destination, or having a few bites of a granola bar, is permissible, but if you’re really givin’ ’er, rethink it. ‘Compliments’ Street harassment was a hotter-than-usual topic in 2014, in part thanks to that viral

video of a woman being catcalled as she walked around New York. It probably came as a surprise to some people (men and women alike) that while just saying “hello” to someone on the street might be done with good intentions, it’s not always taken that way (especially when it’s the 10th thing a stranger has said to you that day). It’s easy to forget that everyone is having their own individual experience, and

Consider what the performer would prefer: that you pay attention to the art they put their blood and sweat into, or that you play with your phone during their set? ISTOCK

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LIFE

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

imposing ourselves on that experience through unwanted conversation of any kind is straight-up rude. Let’s resolve to pay attention to other people’s signals, and not assume that everyone is up for a question, a compliment or even a “hi.” Posting With so many news stories unfolding in real time and being posted on social media, there’s a huge opportunity to do it wrong. Huge. Before posting your opinion — especially if you know less about that issue than other people in your social networks — take a beat and ask yourself if you really have anything to contribute. If not, maybe do something else, something positive, with the instinct to weigh in. Of course, we’re all entitled to post whatever we want on our own pages, but good etiquette involves always thinking about how we’re creating and affecting other people’s experiences. Not adding something to an existing online cacophony is an easy, subtle way to be polite.

Do you really need to add to the existing online cacophony? istock To post or not to post

“Before posting your opinion — especially if you know less about that issue than other people in your social networks — take a beat and ask yourself if you really have anything to contribute.”

Phone Etiquette In a movie theatre … My personal choice for No. 1 worst-ever phone-etiquette foul is using a phone, even just to look at it just for a second, in a movie theatre. Here’s the rule: It’s just fine to text, check Twitter, whatever, during the previews, but that thing better be off — off-off — before the feature starts. The glow of the screen is super-obvious in a dark theatre, not just to people behind you, but to everyone on either side, all the way to the back. The only time it’s OK to use your phone during a movie is if you’re in the very back row, and no one else is. Got it? Good. At a concert… It’s become common practice

in the age of smartphones, YouTube, Vine and Instagram to document the parts of life that weren’t considered particularly notable even a decade ago, or the parts of life that are really better in the moment, like concerts or stand-up sets. Taking one of a million grainy clips with terrible sound that end up on the Internet doesn’t really have a purpose, anyway, and it’s rude — to the performer, to the people you’re with and to the rest of the audience — to ignore what’s happening in real time. Consider which the performer would prefer: That you pay attention to the art they put their blood and sweat into, or that you play with

your phone during their set? On the street, or anywhere … Camera-phone culture means it’s become common practice to take photos of other people, semi-randomly and without asking. Which is crazy! Don’t take a picture without first asking if it’s cool, and definitely don’t post a picture of someone else on the Internet. That anyone would ever do this, without the other person’s permission, is evidence of how much Internet culture has permeated our habits when it comes to how we treat each other. When in doubt in 2015, think of what you might have done in 2005 — or 1995 — for guidance.

Your opinion

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LIFE

LIFE 2015: FOOD TRENDS

The REAL deal If Loblaws is doing it, you know it’s a trend that’s here to stay, Consumers are choosing foods that are good for their health — looks as though we are finally getting the message that what we do today affects our bodies and quality of life tomorrow. We don’t want to “treat” illness, we want to head it off at the pass. All President’s Choice products are being (or have been) reformulated to remove artificial colours and flavours ... let the food improvement competition begin!

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

Fermented friend

Keffir is the new Greek yogurt, for sure, but what else can you do (deliciously) to contribute to a healthy gut? Kimchi, sauerkraut and tempeh are all fermented foods that deliver other strains of probiotics and food to feed them with.

ways to boost your health Everything old is new again! As cultural disconnectedness grows, the search for comfort and cosy becomes more critical. Maybe that’s why these coming trends are so reminiscent of the past. Theresa Albert

myfriendinfood.com

Alternative protein Let’s face it, some of us find the gluten-free trend unappealing. But our high-carb, low-protein diets are killing us. Now protein is finding its way into everything, and perhaps the most comforting trend comes in the form of fresh pasta that is low-cal, high-fibre and high-protein — it’s sweeping us off our feet. Look for Skinny Pasta in the refrigerated section of your grocery store and never look back.

Your calf is grass Grass-fed is where it’s at. Full-on organic can be costprohibitive but we know the fat ratio (Omega 3:6:9) is in better balance when your animal is grass-fed. Not to mention the taste is more honest. With companies like Rolling Meadow rolling out grass-fed butter (tastes just like grandma’s), yogurt and milk, and Natural Life Choices serving up grass-fed hot dogs, burgers and sausages, you can really go whole hog with the grassy trend.

all photos istock

Rise of the humble sap The whole world is hugging the maple tree as it turns its back on sugar. This sweetener is showing up in everything from yogurt to doughnuts, in spreads and coffees — meaning the humble sap is taking its place in the limelight. Wear a smudge of it on your cheek with pride.

Theresa Albert is a Food Communications Specialist and Toronto Personal Nutritionist. She is @theresaalbert on twitter and found daily at myfriendinfood.com

SPORTS

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

Five reasons why. This holiday season, watch the daring Danes, the frustrated Swedes and cheer on Canada’s young guns KRISTEN LIPSCOMBE

kristen.lipscombe@metronews.ca

With hanging wreaths and wrapping presents comes another important holiday tradition — world juniors. Here are five reasons to watch the 2015 IIHF world junior championship, starting Boxing Day and concluding on Jan. 5: 5. Daring Denmark Denmark may not be the top team, but will be interesting to watch. The country has earned its way back into the world’s best junior tournament after winning gold in the 2014 IIHF U20 World Championship Division I Group. The daring Danes are serious about competing, and they used the World Junior A Challenge, held earlier this month in Kindersley, Sask., as a warm-up. It’s a family affair for head coach Olaf Eller, whose son Mads plays forward for him, and won the 2014 Memorial Cup with the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Team Canada players stretch at selection camp on Dec. 15 in St. Catharines, Ont. FRANK GUNN/THE CANADIAN PRESS

4. NHL star power Many junior-age NHL players jump at the chance to wear their country’s colours on the ice, and Canadian Anthony Duclair is no exception. The New York Rangers have released him so he can re-join Team Canada at the world juniors. Players such as Jonathan Drouin of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche are staying in the big leagues. 3. Swedish vengeance Sweden is sick of silver. After losing to the U.S. in the 2013

final and falling 3-2 in overtime to rivals Finland in last year’s championship game, nothing less than gold will do for the frustrated-with-secondplace Swedes. Perhaps more so for forward Jacob de la Rose and defenceman Robert Hägg, who represented their country at both of those world junior disappointments. They have a good chance of getting what they want. Both have also been improving in North America this season, de la Rose with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs and Hagg with the AHK’s Leigh Valley Phantoms. 2. Russian Wildcats Forward duo Ivan Barbashev

and Vladimir Tkachev aren’t just teammates on their country’s national junior team, they’re also former teammates on the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Yep, a couple of Russian kids have honed their skills together, in the middle of our Maritime provinces. Although Vladimir Tkachev was traded earlier this month to the Quebec Remparts, both like the QMJHL style of play and because of that experience, will be comfortable on the North American-sized ice surfaces in Toronto and Montreal. These two Q-league imports intend to improve on Russia’s two straight bronze

medals, and reclaim gold-medal bragging rights. 1. It’s at home! Hockey folks know that fans in the stands can become the all important “seventh player” on the ice for the home team, so Canada has a clear advantage this year, since the tournament is taking place in Montreal and Toronto. Whether you’re watching on your tablet or television, or seeing it unfold live at Bell Centre or Air Canada Centre, game action will be impacted by an awesome atmosphere, and your cheers for the red and white could make a difference on the road to gold.

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Team Canada celebrates winning gold at the 2009 world juniors in Ottawa, the last time Canada won the top under-20 prize. It was Canada’s fifth straight championship. tom hanson/the canadian press file

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2014-12-16

11:15 AM

Peaks and troughs. Five golden years preceded five goldless years so a turnaround is due Cam Tucker

cam.tucker@metronews.ca

For Canada, when it comes to winning gold at the IIHF world junior championship, it’s been feast or famine. The last time Canada won the under-20 tournament was 2009 in Ottawa. The late Pat Quinn was behind the bench. That capped off a run of five straight gold medals for the red and white, a feat the nation also celebrated in the mid-1990s. But since Ottawa, Canada’s world junior team has fallen on hard times. Five years without gold. No medals in each of the last two competitions. Break out the inevitable wisecracks about Canada needing a mass sum-

Details

Canada has been drawn into a tough Group A against the U.S., Finland, Slovakia and Germany in Montreal. Group B, played at Toronto’s ACC, consists of Russia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Denmark. Here’s a look at Canada’s group stage games: • Fri., Dec. 26 vs. Slovakia • Sat., Dec. 27 vs. Germany • Mon., Dec. 29, vs. Finland • Wed., Dec. 31, vs. U.S.

mit of brilliant minds and big names to cure what ails our game and restore the nation’s place in hockey greatness. This drought isn’t unprecedented, but you’d have to go all the way back to the early 1980s, the days of Soviet Union domination in hockey, when Canada had a run of two or more years of finishing without a medal. This year’s tournament,

starting Boxing Day, takes place in Toronto and Montreal — two of Canada’s largest, most historic hockey markets. There’s nowhere to hide. The pressure on Canada’s junior team has always been great. It will be greater this time around. The feeling has long been anything short of gold in this tournament is a failure. Maybe that’s unfair. It’s turned into a tradition for hockey fans coast to coast, tuning in during the holiday season, skipping work — sorry, “calling in sick” — to watch. The world juniors have long since been a staple on TSN, and since that network lost its NHL broadcast deal, this tournament is sure to garner more focus from a television aspect, especially because, well, Toronto. The last time Canada broke out of its gold-medal funk — back in 2005 — Sidney Crosby was on the team. The 2014-15 team has teenage phenom Connor McDavid. A sign, perhaps?

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Crossword: Canada Across and Down by Kelly Ann Buchanan

Stuck on 12 Across? Scan this image with your → See the full Metro News app for today’s instructions crossword and Sudoku answers. on Metro’s It’s OK. No one’s watching. Voices page.

Horoscopes by Sally Brompton

Aries

March 21 - April 20 You may be desperate to get things moving again but don’t jump the gun. You will get your chance to shine towards the end of this week.

Taurus

April 21 - May 21 You will have to deal with someone’s negative or emotional attitude over the next 24 hours. This is one of the best times of the year for you, so don’t let anyone spoil it.

Gemini

May 22 - June 21 You will be tempted to ignore a problem today in hopes that it will go away – and you are right to do so. This is one of those problems that is only a problem if you think it is a problem.

Cancer

June 22 - July 23 Be careful what you say today because if you are not clear about your meaning someone could take your words the wrong way. Polish up your communication skills. You will need them this week.

Leo

July 24 - Aug. 23 You have precious little to worry about but you may have to trick your mind into believing that is so. Focus only on good things over the next 24 hours.

Virgo

Aug. 24 - Sept. 23 Snap out of thinking this isn’t a great time of the year because some wonderful opportunities will come your way this week.

metronews.ca Monday, December 29, 2014

Libra

Sept. 24 - Oct. 23 Try not to dwell on negative news. The planets warn you are taking a situation far too seriously. If it does not bother the people it most affects then why should it bother you?

Scorpio

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22 This may be a confusing day on the work front as signals get jumbled. Ignore what others say you should do and follow your instincts instead.

Sagittarius

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21 Your logic circuits don’t appear to be functioning too well at the moment, so it might be wise to resist making any major decisions, especially where money matters are concerned.

Capricorn

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20 Something tells you this is not a good day to take chances, not least because you find it hard to separate fact from fiction. Give it a few days and you can take all the chances you want.

Across 1. December 26th: They draw customers to stores 6. 4 qts. 9. Comedian Drew 14. Hero of Upper Canada, Sir __ Brock (b.1769 - d.1812) 15. ‘Select’ suffix 16. Jane Eyre was her governess 17. Laboratory dish 18. Bargains: 2 wds. 20. Freelancer’s encl. 21. Move like a river 23. Pup’s protests! 24. Soap brand 25. __-aging cream 26. The __ _ (Nickname of Montreal’s 1976 Summer Olympics stadium) 29. Type of snake 31. Charity contributions 35. Hasn’t _ __ (Doesn’t realize) 37. Supplier for Wile E. Coyote 39. Nodful word 40. Boxing Day, to many: 2 wds. 44. Belonging to Sioux City’s li’l state 45. Nylons nick 46. Lifetime series, “Devious __” 47. US crash-investigating agcy. 49. Washer and __ 52. Sailboat part 53. Larger-than-life

55. Coat, as with plaster 57. Scottish comedian Mr. Ferguson 59. Adhere 60. Barenaked Ladies song: “Be My Yoko __” 63. Place to eat at the mall: 2 wds. 65. Lifeboat lowering crane

Dec. 24’s Crossword

67. Sidewalk artist’s tool 68. City of Brazil, with Paulo 69. Decree 70. Canadian rock band, __ Hatch 71. Always, fancy-style 72. Beverly Hills’ __ Drive

Down 1. Has the beverage bit-by-bit 2. “...or to take arms against _ __ of troubles...” - Hamlet 3. Behind 4. Head hearer 5. Movie genre 6. Richard Gere flick, “American __” (1980) 7. Profess

8. The Lion 9. Military trainee 10. George Clooney’s sister 11. Gather 12. Building extensions 13. Nod’s meaning 19. Go-getter 22. Quebec locale, __-Beauport 24. Fasten, as shoe-

Conceptis Sudoku by Dave Green

How to play Fill in the grid, so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1-9. There is no math involved.

Aquarius

Jan. 21 - Feb. 19 It’s possible you could read too much into a normal situation today but that’s better than pushing ahead with no thought for what could go wrong.

Dec. 24’s Sudoku

Pisces

Feb. 20 - March 20 You are worrying about something. It could be you are imagining things but more likely your inner voice is trying to tell you something important.

Online

See today’s answers at metronews.ca/answers

Your opinion

matters! Go to metronews.ca/panel and join today

Share your opinion on ads that run in Metro by joining the RAM panel at metronews.ca/panel.

laces: 2 wds. 25. Shoe prop, __ support 26. Drainage __ 27. Apple instant messaging application 28. Makeup kit item 30. Like oversized clothing 32. Actress Ms. Cornell 33. Honey drinks 34. Speak, archaically 36. Mini-albums, commonly 38. Street for Freddy 41. Canadian bookstore 42. Drug deal buster, commonly 43. Poetic foot 48. Mr. Bumble’s gig in Oliver Twist 50. Newspaper VIP 51. Sprinted 54. Fussy 56. Bovid bag 57. Small salmon 58. Horse hue 59. Highlands hillside 60. Roman love poet 61. Pleasant 62. “The Simpsons” bus driver 63. US broadcasting regulator 64. “What’s the __?” (Why bother) 66. Commotion