Spring 2020

NEWS/POLITICS/FOOD/ARTS/SPORTS/FASHION/LIFESTYLE $4.95

SPRING 2020

Founder and CEO of Spartan Bioscience

SPARTAN BIOSCIENCE DR. PAUL LEM HUAWEI CANADA

STORIES OF CONNECTION IN THE AGE LOCKDOWNS

OTTAWA CATHOLIC TEACHERS

A PASSION FOR EDUCATION

ottawalife.com

Spring Fashion * Fredericksburg, Texas * Door County, Wisconsin * The Loire Valley, France

Do we really need all these pipelines are an important part of Canada’s energy future.

Oil and natural gas – and the pipelines that move them – are important parts of Canada’s energy future.

To see how, visit: SHAREDFUTURE.CA/ENERGYFUTURE

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PHOTO: WILL KIRK

SPRING 2020 VOLUME 22

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NUMBER 2

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PHOTO: KAREN TEMPLE

PHOTO: SEAN SISK PHOTOGRAPHY

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contents Anatomy of an accident

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National Capital Commission obstinance continues as they refuse to take responsibility for a preventable accident on their property in the Byward Market.

As we wait for that case to head to civil court, we bring you the story of the victims first-person account of his care at The Ottawa Hospital after the accident.

The inventor

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Paul Lem, M.D., is a graduate of the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine and the founder and CEO of Spartan Bioscience. His invention, the Spartan Cube, is the world’s smallest DNA analyzer and provides COVID-19 test results with unprecedented speed and accuracy. Oh, and did we mention, he is brilliant!

A passion for teaching

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Ottawa Catholic High School teacher Alyson Reid-Larade is passionate about promoting both the physical and mental health of students.

Harvey Bischof, President of the Ontario Secondary Teachers’ Federation

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In an OLM exclusive interview Harvey Bischof, says he is proud of the province’s education system and lays out what he believes must happen to make sure it continues to rank as one of the top education systems in the world.

Travel

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We have three destinations for you to choose from: Door County — the sweetest little American town on Lake Michigan; Fredericksburg — Everything you’d expect in Texas and nothing like it at all; and The Loire Valley — Medieval cities, vineyards, forests, and delicious food.

columns

Publisher’s message .............................. 4 Best picks ............................................ 6 Review: Toxic Beauty ............................. 11 Homes ............................................... 13 In search of style ................................... 14 Opinion: This cannot happen again.......... 2 1 Smart Agriculture is a smart choice for all, not just for farmers ....................... 26 Opinion: The importance of universal medicare................................. 27 Health: Fighting the bureaucracy .............. 29 Opinion: Look the other way ................... 33 Travel: Darling Door County .................... 34 Travel: Fredericksburg, Texas .................. 36 Travel: The Loire Valley .......................... 40 Opinion: Ottawa needs a poverty reduction strategy........................ 46

series

National Capital Commission ................... 9 Canada/China Friendship ...................... 19 Students First ....................................... 22 Technology/the future is now................... 24 Energy ................................................ 32 Canada’s Public Service ........................ 44

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From graphic polka dots to the colour of 2020, Alexandra Gunn has your official guide to spring’s top fashion trends.

publisher’s message by Dan Donovan

THE SHAMEFUL BEHAVIOUR OF

Canada’s greedy banks "The man who has won millions at the cost of his conscience is a failure." -

anada’s banking sector is an oligopoly consisting of six C large banks (‘The Big 6’) who control an overwhelming proportion of the banking business across the country. They

gouged out record profits of more than $46 billion in 2019 – the tenth year in a row, and more than doubled their 2010 profits in part by firing thousands of people, shifting jobs overseas (or using temporary foreign workers), cutting services, and hiking fees and credit card interest rates even as the Bank of Canada’s prime rate dropped to record low levels.

B.C. FORBES

structured these ‘deferrals’ assures that interest accrued from each deferred payment will be added back into the principal balance of the mortgage. Essentially, the bank is loaning customers the amount that they would have paid in interest during the deferral period and will then charge them back the interest on that loan as well. Customers will end up worse off in the end paying interest . . . on the interest, plus the loan itself. Cynically, the banks will then increase many of their customers' payments at the next mortgage renewal cycle due to the increase in mortgage balance, which the banks facilitated through this opprobrious policy in the first place.

The Big 6 Banks paid their CEOs a gluttoness $75 million, in 2019, in salary and bonuses. Toronto-Dominion Canada Typically, The Canadian Bankers Association, who never miss Trust CEO, Bharat Masrani, received the highest overall pay an opportunity to live up to the old Brian Mulroney adage for the 12 months ended October 1, 2018 raking in $15.3 that “there is no whore like an old whore”, put out a release million in total compensation on profits of over $11.7 billion. to justify this avarice saying “Customers should understand Royal Bank of Canada CEO, Dave McKay, took home $14.5 that [a deferral] is not mortgage forgiveness. Mortgage million on approximate profits of deferral means that payments $12.9 billion. Bank of Montreal are skipped for a defined period Canada’s Big 6 Banks mortgage CEO, Darryl White, was paid $10.1 of time, during which interest million on profits of approximately which would otherwise be part deferral programs are all similar $5.8 billion, while Canadian of the deferred payments is added and specifically designed Imperial Bank of Commerce CEO, to the outstanding balance of the Victor Dodig, pulled in $10 million mortgage.” In short, the behaviour to ensure they lose no money on profits of approximately 18.6 of the Big 6 Banks and their in the short term, and in fact make CEO’s is organized loan sharking billion. Bank of Nova Scotia CEO, Brian Porter, raked in $13.3 million profits while royally screwing over and kleptocracy. It is a modern on profits of $8.8 billion while day version of ‘let them eat cake’. consumers who will end up paying All six CEOs should be put on a Louis Vachon, President and CEO of National Bank of Canada, was stage and publicly shamed for their more to them in the longer run. remitted 8.1 million on profits of gluttony and cupidity. $2.3 billion.

Contrast this behaviour with that of the small but mighty It’s no surprise to find that these corporately cuddled, Vancity Bank, a values-based financial cooperative with more entitled, overpaid administrators of an oligopolistic entity than 534,886 member-owners and the only bank in Canada have completely failed in their response to the COVID-19 with a meritorious response for its customers’ needs regarding crisis, the Black Swan event that is proving to be the worst COVID19.Vancity is providing personal and business creditglobal calamity of our lifetime. Only after some prodding by card-holders who need to defer a payment due to the impacts the government did the tone-deaf potentates running the Big of the COVID-19 pandemic. These payment deferrals are 6 Banks announce temporary mortgage and loan deferrals for up to six months at a zero-per-cent interest rate. Vancity and cuts to some credit cards and fees, for some of their instituted this policy on their own. Only after media reports customers. A review by Ottawa Life Magazine, the CBC, other and some pressure from the government did the Big 6 Banks media companies and Democracy Watch shows it’s all smoke agree to cut their credit card rates by 50 per cent in the short and mirrors — a cynical ploy designed to further enrich the term.The problem is that they are already charging outrageous banks in a crisis at the expense of an exasperated citizenry. interest rates to most customers that are on average between 18 and 30 per cent. They will offer ‘customers’ six months of Canada’s Big 6 Banks mortgage deferral programs are all deferral payments on credit cards. When customers resume similar and specifically designed to ensure they lose no their payments after 6 months, their first minimum payment money in the short term, and in fact make profits while will be all the interest they have accumulated over the sixroyally screwing over consumers who will end up paying month period plus fees and additional percentages where more to them in the longer run. The manner in which they applicable.You’d get a better deal from Tony Soprano.

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It’s not just mortgage payers and credit card holders that the Big 6 Banks are stiffing. Incredulously, they have used the crisis to find new ways to not help smaller enterprises. There have been dozens of reports of small business owners who have gone to their banks to access the federal government’s COVID-19 $40-billion business credit availability program (BCAP) and have been refused, even though Export Development Canada (EDC) which leads the program, say they should qualify. EDC said the fastest and easiest way to extend credit to a large number of companies during the pandemic was through the banks, which have existing relationships with companies. But since the money is being delivered through those banks, each financial institution can follow its own criteria and decide which businesses are eligible. This taxpayer money was made available by the federal government for the banks to distribute to assist small businesses during the pandemic and 80 per cent of the loans are backed by the federal government.

the abuse has become so extreme that Canadian banks are actually allowed to charge their customers fees for depositing money into their accounts. They are also allowed to charge e-transfer fees to customers, even though they own the e-transfer companies that make the transfers.

New legislation should require banks to immediately cut all interest rates and fees now for credit cards to zero for six months, following the Vancity policy; they should also be required to cut loan payments for the same period for those requiring the help; the Big 6 Banks should be required to disclose detailed profit reports after fully independent audits by a Parliamentary approved auditor and be legislated to keep rates and fees at reasonably low levels in the future; this reform should include new laws to completely separate the Big 6 Banks from insideous relationship with credit agencies, especially Equifax.

Instead of esnuring the money goes to the ‘smaller businesses’ To further stem the abuse, legislation should empower it was created for, Scotiabank and the others are redirecting consumers and increase consumer protection by creating a this taxpayers-backed money and making it available to their federally funded independent, consumer-run bank watchdog larger commercial clients who generally have revenues of group (as recommended by MPs and senators in 1998). over $15,000,000 and borrowing requirements in excess Parliament should require banks to disclose approval rates of $1,000,000-$3,000,000 (depending on the industry). for credit, loans and accounts by neighbourhood and type François Bruneau, president of of borrower, and require corrective DFC Woodworks in Kemptville actions with steep fines by any There have been dozens of whose successful company has been bank that discriminates. It should building deck chairs in Kemptville be made illegal for predatory payreports of small business owners and exporting them around the day loan companies to operate who have gone to their banks to world for forty years, applied to in Canada and the interest rates the program and was refused. The and fees they charge should be access the federal government’s pandemic has temporarily shut capped and reviewed annually by a COVID-19 $40-billion business down his company at the busiest watchdog. Consumers should have time of year and slashed sales by 75 access to basic banking at Canada credit availability program (BCAP) per cent. He is losing hundreds of Post outlets for things like certified and have been refused, even though funds and financial transfers. thousands of dollars a month and has had to lay off seven employees. Export Development Canada (EDC) An EDC representative told him New legislation should include strict which leads the program, he should be eligible for the loan provisions around bank executive guarantee program. Scotiabank pay. Competition in real business say they should qualify. advised him he didn't meet the has a way of self-regulating salaries. conditions to apply. He told the However, the Big 6 bank oligopoly CBC that “I just found out that small business clients will has proven that the CEO’s have used the federal protections not be eligible for the EDC BCAP program, it will only afforded the banks to enrich themselves at the expense of be extended to commercial banking clients.” In response to customers. Canada’s Big 6 Banks should be required to reports of this case in the media, Scotiabank communications pay their fair share of taxes now, and in the future. New manager Caitlyn Veiga said “As Canadian businesses continue legislation should close all the loopholes the Big 6 Banks to feel the impact of COVID-19, Scotiabank is committed so cleverly exploit with the CBA and other lobbyists. The to standing by our clients to support them through these role of these lobbyists in influencing services fees and bank challenging and uncertain times”. How is that for Orwellian privileges must also be curtailed. Finally, new legislation doublespeak? (In non-banking English parlance that means must strengthen enforcement measures and penalties to we are not loaning you the dough!) More than enough ensure banks, and other financial institutions, serve everyone reason there to have a Parliamentary inquiry into the Big 6 fairly and well at fair prices. As Duff Conacher, co-founder Banks and their practices. of Democracy Watch says, “Because the big banks control more than 90 per cent of the banking market in Canada It is imperative that Parliament take extraordinary measures they can hike fees and interest rates whenever they want, now to pass new bank reform legislation that includes making and treat customers however they want, and so the federal the Canadian banking system competitive and letting foreign government must finally make key changes to protect 30 banks in to ensure more access to capital and a reduction million bank customers from gouging and abuse during this in service charges for clients. Under the current oligopoly, crisis, and into the future.” n 5 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

best picks

The Patty Queen comes to the Capital

More than just a beautiful scarf

Nimi Nanji-Simard is an entrepreneur with a global vision who is making gorgeous fashion accessories while supporting important causes. Her scarves are so much more than a piece of fabric, they are fashion with a cause. Her most recent scarf, Do you See Me Now, focuses on the missing and murdered wormen from around the world. With every purchase, Nanji-Simard donates 30 per cent of the profits to a charity of your choice. View more of Nanji-Simard’s designs at niminimi.ca

Carolyn Simon’s vegan Jamaican patties are reminiscent of the ones she ate while growing up in Toronto. Her company, Choose Life Foods, makes vegan Jamaican patties featuring natural, fair-trade, sustainably sourced ingredients wrapped in a delicious flaky crust — No refined sugars or trans fats.

Choose Life Foods’ patties are available in select health food stores in Ottawa including: Herb & Spice, Rainbow Foods, Nature’s Buzz, Ottawa Organics & Natural Foods and Whole Foods Lansdowne. chooselifefoods.com

It's time to get re-acquainted with Wonderbra

Even if you have never owned a Wonderbra, you must know the brand. Wonderbra is to bras as Kleenex is to tissues! We all get complacent and out of habit purchase the same old bra but did you know, three out of four women are wearing the wrong size bra?

Get out, get measured and buy yourself a new bra. If click shopping is your thing, visit Wonderbra’s online sizing guide before you buy. wonderbra.ca/shop/en

Green and Blacks Chocolate

Green & Black has partnered with wine expert Angela Aiello to pair chocolate and wine.

No matter your taste, Green & Black’s has a chocolate and wine pairing to satisfy all palates. For Green & Black’s Organic White, try a glass of fruity and bold Pinot Noir to elevate the chocolate’s pure, sweet and creamy notes.

If you are feeling a little more bold, try Green & Black’s Organic dark chocolate Toffee with an aged Bordeaux-inspired Cabernet Sauvignon blend to elevate the chocolate’s wonderful treacly and savoury flavours. For their sea salt chocolate, try a sweet glass of Riesling. If you want something classic try their Organic Milk Chocolate bar with a glass of bubbly. greenandblacks.co.uk

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Fressy Bessie’s Ice Lollies: Fruit is nature’s candy!

With no artificial sugars, preservatives and additives, Ice Lollies are made with allnatural fruits and vegetables. Ice Lollies are a frozen treat that are a healthy alternative to ice cream and popsicles. Jackie Kwitko first starting making the vegan, gluten free, and organic Ice Lollies for her own daughter.

Parents can feel good knowing that they are giving their children a treat that tastes as good it is for them. fressybessie.com

Bulldog Skincare Only for men, eh? Pity!

You might know Bulldog’s environmentally friendly Original Bamboo Razors but did you know that the British-based company takes their commitment to the environment one giant leap further? Not only is their line of men’s skin and hair care products fully vegan, they are also using sustainably sourced sugar cane plastic, instead of plastics made from fossil fuels, to package their products. If this isn’t enough, their products are also very competitively priced and they don’t test on animals. Give them a try! bulldogskincare.com

Elevate your after five with RÄNDA VOO

RÄNDA VOO’s stylish and exclusive business

publisher/managing editor Dan Donovan

socials are monthly events that bring together like-minded, high-achieving professionals from across Ottawa’s business community to learn, engage, and unwind in a relaxed, upscale social venue. The socials enable you to keep current with the many dynamic things happening within the business community and with professionals and leaders in the region.

These popular soirees are held at some of Ottawa’s most popular venues. randavooevents.com

art director & web editor Karen Temple director of operations Maria Alejandra Gamboa social media manager Kat Walcott cover photo by Sean Sisk Photography make-up: Corey J. Stone photographers Marc Bennet, Robbyn Dodd, Will Kirk, Blake Mistich, NOAA, Sean Sisk Photography, Mike Stillwell, Karen Temple, Kat Walcott video Berrin Sun fashion editor Alexandra Gunn accounts Joe Colas C.G.A bookkeeper Joan MacLean

Peak Property window cleaning – Let the sunshine in!

contributing writers Melanie Bechard, Adele Blair,

Chris Bloomer, Michael R Bussière, Dan Donovan, Mckenzie Donovan,Vincent Guyonnet, Alexandra Gunn, Thara Kumar, Cong Peiwu, Walter Robinson, Karen Temple, Hilary Thomson, Kat Walcott

Spring has sprung and many Ottawa residents have turned their attention to cleaning.

Ottawa’s Peak Property has over a decade of experience providing window cleaning services to residential and commercial customers throughout the capital region. It’s worth giving them a call so you’ll be able to enjoy unobstructed views . . . and let the sunshine in! They also offer quality exterior home cleaning services, including siding and gutter cleaning and rejuvenation. peakproperty.ca

web contributors Susan Alsembach, Adele Blair, Mikaila Cober, Sofia Donato, Maria Alejandra Gamboa, Dave Gross, Jennifer Hartley, Owen Maxwell, Rusel Olsen, Mona Staples, Kat Walcott, Keith Whittier social media Kat Walcott student intern Rusel Olsen, Mikaila Cober corporate advisor J. Paul Harquail,

Charles Franklin corporate counsel Paul Champagne editor in memoriam Harvey F. Chartrand advertising information

For information on advertising rates, visit www.ottawalife.com call (613) 688-LIFE (5433) or e-mail info@ottawalife.com

SERVICING FINE ART We service artists, collectors, galleries and museums.

Specializing in Fine Art framing, installation, crating and Conservation services.

Canadian Publication Mail Product Sales Agreement #1199056.

Ottawa Life Magazine, 301 Metcalfe St. Lower Level, Ottawa. Ontario K2P 1R9 tel: (613) 688-5433 fax: (613) 688 -1994 e-mail: info@ottawalife.com Web site: www.ottawalife.com Follow us on Twitter: @ottawalifers On Instagram: ottawalifemag Like us at www.Facebook.com/ OttawaLifeMagazine Ottawa Life is listed in Canadian Advertising Rates & Data (CARD).

Ottawa Life subscription rates: one year $48, includes postage, plus HST (four issues). Two years $85, includes postage, plus HST (eight issues).

Add $20 per year for postage outside Canada.

Subscriber service is 613-688-LIFE (5433) Ottawa Life Magazine is printed in Canada on recycled paper.

UR OUT O CHECK !

EBSITE NEW W

160 Elm Street, Ottawa Ontario, Canada K1R 6N5

t: 613.232.7146 www.patrickgordonframing.ca

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Odell's Fall

From one of the most esteemed entertainment tax attorneys in the world and the bestselling author of Breakdown comes a heart-pounding, never predictable murder-mystery inspired by Shakespeare’s tragedy, Othello. Norman Bacal’s latest novel, Odell’s Fall, examines the lengths partners at a leading Manhattan law firm will go to in the quest for success and love. Bacal’s fiction debut features successful African-American attorney, Odell Moore, along with his scheming colleague, Jackson Sherman, who share boardroom success at the risk of marital bliss. normanbacal.com amazon.ca

Up Pants

Montreal-based UP! have taken the fashion world by storm with their super trendy bottoms that are made to fit all women comfortably. The spring and summer 2020 collection is loaded with fashionable pants and skirts with a sun-kissed vibe that make you feel confident and free. With airy prints, fun tropical patterns, soft pastel florals and delicate neutrals, UP!’s new line has the perfect designs that work both at the office or for a night out on the town. Longtime fans of North America’s most popular pull-on pants will also enjoy rediscovering their playful side this season with UP! — A brand designed to empower women and make them feel confident in who they are. uppants.com

EMMA: Europe’s most award-winning bed-in-a-box The Emma matress is shipped directly to your doorstep in an easy-to-manoeuvre box. Once opened, it takes only minutes to remove the plastic wrap, then stand back and watch your matress expanded.

The EMMA's super comfortable Airgocell® foam layer distributes pressure evenly allowing the mattress to adapt to your body’s contours without disturbing your partner.

The Emma allows air to flow freely through the mattress keeping you comfortably cool while asleep. Delivery is free and the 100-night trial lets you return it for free and get a full refund. There are no hidden fees. emma-mattress.ca

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Nordgreen Watches

With their rounded edges and subtle hourly marks Demark’s Nordgreen watches adhere to the ethos of Scandinavian minimalist design: heritage, simplicity, functionality, balance, and sustainability. The watches that are glitzy enough to stand out on your wrist yet understated enough as to not overpower your wardrobe. The watches are customizable to effortlessly match your every look. Pick a style, select the dial colour (except on the Philosopher range), and then choose one or more straps.

Buying a variety of watch straps allows you the flexibility to switch up the look. And, it is so easy to do — no tools are required.

With every purchase Nordgreen donates to one of three causes.

Track the charitable donation from your purchase by keying in your watch’s serial number at nordgreen.com

Tetley Cold Infusions: a simple and natural way to add a hint of flavour to your water.

Even though water is the #1 recommended beverage according to the Canada Food Guide, getting in your eight glasses a day can sometimes be a challenge. Tetley is on a mission to make staying hydrated easier - and more fun - with the launch of Cold Infusions: all-natural herbal tea water enhancers.

Available in three flavours, Tetley Cold Infusions are caffeine-free and sugar-free.

Simply drop one into a water bottle (or glass or pitcher of cold water), shake, stir or let it brew for 10 minutes for tasty, lightly flavoured water. Enjoy a hint of delicious flavour with no mess or fuss. Available at major retailers across Canada at a suggested price of $4.49 for a box of 12 infusers. tetley.ca

PHOTO: KAREN TEMPLE

NCC series by Michael R. Bussière

Anatomy of an accident A first-person account of patient-centred care at The Ottawa Hospital a cour Jeanne-d’Arc Court is a LByWard charming place tucked away in the market.There are two entrance

alleys off of York Street and one off Clarence. The site was renovated in 2006 according to a National Capital Commission call for tenders. A stone block the size of a shoebox was installed in the middle of the narrow alleys, 7.5 feet in from the York Street sidewalk.

I was feeling like a million bucks one sunny August morning in 2016 when I walked into the alley from the east.

Within 3 paces, 1.3 seconds, I tripped on the block and slammed onto the stone surface. The right side of my body from my shoulder to my foot was immobilized with pain. I yelled for help and struggled to access my cell. I called 911 while a passer-by stayed with me until a paramedic arrived by bike within 2 minutes and an ambulance pulled up moments later. The passer-by returned with the phone number of the property manager. He conveyed that the store where he retrieved the number reported that people tripped over the block all the time and that walking tours warn tourists about it.

Two men lifted me onto a gurney and into the ambulance. They were good-natured professionals who took my vital signs and administered pain medication. I asked them to remove my shoes. We proceeded to the Civic emergency ward with

no siren and arrived within about 10 minutes. The ward was packed. By this time, my arm and hand were swollen and my right side from my ribs to my ankle was very tender. I was examined within minutes and was wheeled to the medical imaging department.

Early that afternoon, a team sedated me and performed what they called a reduction, a procedure meant to put things back into place to reduce trauma to the bones and tissue. They were thorough in explaining what they were doing and what was going to happen next. It took about 30 minutes, after which I was admitted to the orthopedic ward and placed in a

s The alley entrance as seen approaching from the east.

room with two other men. My teeth started to chatter and I broke into a shivering sweat as I was helped on to the bed. I was wrapped in blankets and the waiting began.

Each day started with a visit by an orthopedic team of kind, goodnatured professionals including interns; impressive individuals, each and every one of them. They assured me that I would undergo surgery to repair what was described as “a bloody mess” in my right arm, meaning multiple breaks, a dislocation, and a torn ligament. There was to be no treatment to the bruised ribs or sprained ankle. Waiting for surgery means no food or liquids. An excellent team on the ward floor checked in with me regularly and demonstrated the kindness of a saint and the patience of Job. The problem, I was told every morning, was a shortage of operating rooms.

Emergencies in which there was a threat to life or limb got priority.

All I could do was lie there and wait. I discouraged visitors not knowing what would happen hour to hour.

The guy in one of the beds behind a curtain had a voice that would have passed for John Goodman. He had been flown in from a construction job in Perth prior to my arrival. Scaffolding had collapsed underneath him and he broke both of his legs in multiple locations. During my 9 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

wait, he had two 12-hour sessions in the operating room, one for each leg.

He experienced incredible pain during his recovery. Staff faithfully attended to him constantly and arranged for him to be transferred to a long-term care facility for rehabilitation. I was getting more and more uncomfortable, although neither life nor limb were at risk. I was patient with the care team every morning who continued to assure me I would soon be treated.

On day three, a very kind woman from the Catholic Chaplaincy visited me and offered me Communion, which I accepted with a friend who had dropped in. I sobbed uncontrollably thinking about that moronic stone block, and the setbacks the accident would cause. I thought about my mum who died at the General from nonhodgkins lymphoma, and about my ruined paddling trip. I wondered if I would ever portage again. I was not a happy camper.

At about 17h30 on day four, a nurse that I had not met before dropped in to see me. When I told her how long I had been waiting, she insisted that I be much more assertive the next morning. She told me that it doesn't pay to be nice, and that she was giving me that little tip 30 minutes prior to her retirement at 18h00 that evening. The next day I got pushy, and told the very nice team that it was time for healing.

That was morning five and I was put in the queue for that afternoon, provided no emergencies bumped me.

New x-rays and CT scans were ordered and I was finally taken downstairs in the early afternoon. As I waited in the hall to enter the operating room, an intern came to tell me that my wait was to be extended by a few hours as the room was missing a piece of equipment that needed to be borrowed from the General campus. My heart sank and I began to blubber like a child. Upstairs I went and downstairs again later in that afternoon.

My surgeon was Dr. Karl-Andre Lalonde, a very nice fellow from eastern Ontario whom I had met over the course of my wait time. He was 10 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

Post-surgery x-ray showing 12 screws and two plates.

reassuring, comforting, and everything you would want from a doctor before having that weird mask placed over your nose. In fact, everybody in the hightech operating room was exemplary. I awoke at about 23h00 that night to a friendly voice who offered me an apple

The next day (the fifth day waiting without food for surgery) I got pushy, and told the very nice team that it was time for healing. That was morning five and I was put in the queue for that afternoon, provided no emergencies bumped me. juice and arranged for me to return to my room, where I lay awake for most of the night. I was famished and a very sweet staffer retrieved a little something for me.

On morning six, the tray lady finally appeared with the first meal I’d seen in six days. She left it on a chair out of my reach because my table was cluttered.

When I asked her to please clear it, she told me that if she did it for me, she would have to do it for everybody.

Then she walked out.

It was the one and only negative staff encounter I had during my entire experience with the various branches of the Ottawa Hospital over what is now 3.5 years. A man walked in a few minutes later, cleared my table, placed

my meal on it, and sat down to have a friendly conversation with me. He was Dr. Lalonde. He was pleased with how things went during the 6-hour surgery and he laid out the details of the followup surgery, scans, and physiotherapy.

The discharge procedures were quick and efficient. A few shots, prescriptions, referrals, plus a freshening up by a nice fellow who was about to enjoy a vacation with a great weather forecast. I bemoaned the fact that I would not be in Algonquin in a canoe. Honestly, I don’t know how they do it, how they maintain such a positive and kind disposition under such pressure, lunch lady Doris aside, when resources are stretched to the limit.

To date, my follow-ups have involved multiple scans, a dozen physiotherapy sessions and day surgery at the Riverside. Complications necessitated seeking and acquiring a CT scan cancellation to jump the waiting list which was over a year behind schedule, and a cancellation to see Dr. Lalonde who referred me to another orthopedic surgeon at the General whose wait time is 3 to 18 months.

Regarding the stumbling block back in the Market, an investigation revealed that (at least) three people prior to me had also been injured. After one accident involving a woman carrying a box who crashed onto the stone floor, the top of the block was painted yellow.

The block was replaced by something much more visible more than a year after notification of my accident n

review by Michael R. Bussière

Toxic Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder casual tour around a high-end A mall like the Rideau Centre reveals the scale of the cosmetics

lawyers, regulators and victims, explore the links between off-the-shelf products and hormonal disruption in baby boys, industry in the western world. A 2018 developmental delays, low sperm count, market projection anticipated that total infertility, cancer, diabetes, obesity and sales of beauty and skin-care protects, skin disease. The film incorporates overwhelmingly targeting women, two documentary narratives to further would top a staggering $C20 billion in Ellis draws upon an impressive roster of humanize the case against what Ellis Canada alone in 2020. Mac, Sephora, experts to build her case, and a terrifying calls “Big Cosmetics”. One is a set of Nordstroms, Kiehl’s, The Body Shop, storyline derived from decades of news class-action lawsuits, ongoing in the and the latest addition, Aesop, are all reports dating back to 1982, when US and another allowed to proceed signifiers of a huge effort to get women world-renowned epidemiologist, Dr. by the Québec Superior Court in to paint their faces, nails, and hair to Daniel Cramer, linked Johnson & 2018, alleging damages by Johnson and an extent never before seen off the Johnson’s baby powder to ovarian Johnson. Ellis sums up the concern Broadway stage, all while fighting the cancer. J&J ignored the evidence. In by asking, “If the most trusted brand appearance of ageing. Somehow, the in the world could cause cancer, appearance-faking process has been what other products are we using linked to women’s empowerment. daily that could cause harm?” The If the most trusted brand in An award-winning film by writer/ second, and even more shocking the world could cause cancer, director Phyliss Ellis exposes an aspect to the film is bravely even more sinister side to the whole what other products are we using daily expressed by an experiment manipulative affair. conducted by Boston University that could cause harm? medical student Mymy Nguyen, Toxic Beauty is Ellis’s documentary who applies over 27 products exposé about the hidden health while scientists monitor the impact. risks of applying a loosely-regulated, Think Morgan Spurlock’s 2004 ever-growing catalogue of products film Super Size Me! 2004, UK scientist Dr. Philippa Darbre to one’s epidermis, the evolutionary found parabens, a chemical preservative purpose of which is to protect the body Perhaps the most important issue in the in many cosmetics, in breast tissue. In from infections and environmental film is posed by scientist Dr. Ami Zota 2018, the American National Institute pathogens. Canada’s Food and Drugs who suggests changing “these beauty of Health examined the association Act defines a cosmetic as "any between “usage patterns of beauty, hair, norms so women don’t have to choose substance or mixture of substances, and skin-related personal care products between their health and trying to look manufactured, sold or represented for beautiful according to these arbitrary and breast cancer.” "Moderate" and use in cleansing, improving or altering standards.” It seems that every decade "frequent" users of both beauty and the complexion, skin, hair or teeth and since David Bowie first donned, then skin care products had increased risk of includes deodorants and perfumes." dropped, theatrical make-up in the breast cancer relative to "infrequent" Regulations require warnings about any early 1970s, fashionistas predict that users. The study did not draw specific product that may cause skin irritation men will embrace cosmetics. It has links to chemicals, and did not consider or inflammation, and chemicals such never happened, and God forbid it ever correlated behaviours, but it did sound as mercury or its salts and chloroform will. The dangers, the falsehood, and some pretty loud alarm bells. are prohibited from what must be a the environmental and health impacts displayed ingredients list.The American as articulated by Ellis’s brilliant film Ellis’s interviewees, among them industry is entirely self-regulating. Ellis exceptionally knowledgeable scientists, need to be curtailed, not expanded n argues that this falls far short of what new scientific evidence is revealing to be a cesspool of toxic health threats.

Her film poses the question: “Are cosmetics and personal care products making us sick?”

11 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

A.J. Casson, Frood Lake at Willisville, 1963, oil on canvas, 114.3 x 91.4 cm. Firestone Collection of Canadian Art, Ottawa Art Gallery.

Donated to the City of Ottawa by the Ontario Heritage Foundation.

(RE)COLLECTING THE GROUP OF SEVEN A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION January 18, 2020 to January 10, 2021 A new installation of artworks that celebrates the centennial of the Group of Seven, featuring highlights from the Firestone Collection of Canadian Art.

Presented by 12 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

Ottawa Art Gallery | 50 Mackenzie King Bridge, Ottawa, ON | oaggao.ca

homes by OLM Staff

A DEHUMIDIFIER IS

the appliance you didn’t know you need hen moving into a home, some W appliances we know we need — think your fridge and range, perhaps

a microwave, a washer and dryer if you have laundry facilities — and others we don’t think about right away — until we need them.

The dehumidifier is a perfect example of the latter. A necessity to keep your home comfortable and dry, a dehumidifier also protects against the growth of mold and mildew. Yet for all that work, it’s often not until some moisture appears that homeowners think to pick up one.

Flooding: Whether from a leaky pipe or a crack in the foundation that spills water into the basement during the spring thaw and heavy rains, a dehumidifier is a vital tool to help keep your basement — and all of your belongings — dry Finished Basement: Renovating and finishing a basement is a significant expense. The last thing you want is mold growing behind the baseboards or walls because of the dampness that settles into your home’s foundation. A dehumidifier will pull that excess moisture out of the air and protect your investment.

“Whether you have a bad leak, or just have muggy, musty spaces, a dehumidifier will make your home more comfortable and healthier,” says Meaghan Wilkinson, Director of Marketing at Hisense Canada.

“Homeowners need a dehumidifier more than they know, and often don’t know how bad they need one until they turn one on and feel the difference.”

Homeowners need a dehumidifier more than they know, and often don’t know how bad they need one until they turn one on and feel the difference.

The list of benefits of dehumidifiers is long: they create a pleasant living space (especially for people living with allergies), remove musty odours, control the growth of mildew and mold, reduce condensation, protect furniture and home electronics from moisture and inhibit the growth of dust mites. And with a range of applications, it is like the multi-tool of home appliances.You can use a dehumidifier for:

Protection: Water may be a necessity of life, but it can also be incredibly damaging. Whether you have a rec room with a big TV and home theatre equipment, a music room stocked with instruments or an unfinished space you use for storage — seasonal decorations, tools, family items (like photo albums) — a dehumidifier will add a layer of protection from the

harm excess moisture can cause to sensitive electronics and precious keepsakes.

Basement Bedroom: Getting into a bed that feels damp is icky, but it is a common problem in a basement bedroom. Removing that humid air from the room will make for a more comfortable and peaceful night’s rest.

Bathroom: Exhaust fans do great work to prevent the build-up of condensation in a bathroom, especially when enjoying a hot shower. But what if you have a bathroom without a fan? A dehumidifier does the exact same work, will help stop fogging of mirrors and prevent the growth of mildew from condensation settling on the walls and ceiling.

Cottage Opening: Most cottages sit dormant for a long winter, and when spring rolls around they can smell quite musty. A dehumidifier quite literally clears the air during cottage opening season.

Hisense has a range of dehumidifiers with capacity to hold between 14 and 33 litres of water and can cover an area up to 1,500 square feet. Look for them in store and online at Lowe’s, Rona and Reno Depot n hisense-canada.com 13 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

in search of style by Alexandra Gunn

The spring/summer 2020 runways had a myriad of striking collections, with truly something for every taste — classic colours, polka dot prints and bright hues were notable themes. The new season offers an opportunity for a wardrobe refresh. Whether you’re looking to add some colour to what you wear or simply want to try something new, this selection of enduring trends will carry you through the summer months and beyond.

Follow Alex on Twitter: @AlexandraGunn

t

4

Grecian Straw Tote Bag $34.99 • Marshalls

SPOT ON SPRING t

Polka dot vversized skirt $29.99 • Winners

Spotty creations featured prominently on the runway, with designers playing with interesting silhouettes and dots of various colours and sizes.

Polka dot top with oversized tie neck

t

$34.99 • Winners

MICHAEL KORS

14 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

ELLIE TAHARI

VALENTINO

There is nothing run of the mill about polka dots — it’s all about being bold. Playful dots appeared on pretty tulle gowns from Carolina Herrera, resembled a checkerboard print at Zero Maria + Cornejo, while Gucci and Marc Jacobs gave us oversized dots in interesting colourways. Balmain and Elie Tahari included spotted offerings in the form of matching twopieces. Looking to incorporate this trend your day-today dressing? A statement skirt or a printed top will lift even the most somber of separates!

MOSCHINO

CAROLINA HERRERA

TORY BURCH

Pantone Colour of 2020: Classic Blue

For over 20 years, Pantone’s Colour of the Year has influenced purchasing decisions in multiple industries.

You'll see their colour choice continuously popping up in fashion and home design throughout the year. The colour for 2020, instills calm, confidence, and connection.

‘Classic Blue’ highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.

The spring/summer runways paid homage to the bold hue, symbolizing the industry’s desire for creativity and possibility. This universal favourite flows seamlessly between seasons.

Pantone Blue polka dot wrap dress $39.99 • Marshalls

Work from home deep pink boyfriend

t

However you choose to wear it, plan to add Classic Blue to your 2020 wardrobe colour palette.

t

blazer $49.99 • Winners

Work from Home Fashion

PHOTO: J-KEELY BRITO

Over time, we know that we should dress for the job that we want, but is it possible to still do that from the comforts of our home? While we may be tempted to stay in pajamas all day, for productivity sake, getting dressed in the morning prepares us for what’s ahead. The solution is to get dressed in an outfit that finds a balance between workwear and lounge wear. A pair of black leggings and a t-shirt is a versatile and comfortable option for quickly getting your day started. If you’re required to appear over video conference, you’ll want to spend a bit of extra time so that you don’t appear to have just rolled out of bed (even if you have). Put a brightly coloured blazer on overtop of your leggings and t-shirt, add some colour with lipstick, and brush through some dry shampoo for a put together look.

15 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

Dr. Paul Lem

Spartan Bioscience:The

y now you’ve probably already B heard of COVID-19 but you may have missed a March 31st

announcement about a $73 million investment by the federal government in an Ottawa company called Spartan Bioscience.

cover by Michael Bussiere

History may record that date as a major turning point in the global fight against the pandemic. Spartan is about to live up to its name, as declared by its website: Spartan /'sparten/ adj. & n.

• adj. 1 of or relating to Sparta in ancient Greece. 2 possessing the qualities of courage, endurance, stern frugality, etc, associated with Sparta.

Spartan Bioscience is a Canadian company with headquarters on Baseline Road. Its products are currently in use by such organizations as the U.S.Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the New

16 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

York State Department of Health, and The Mayo Clinic. Spartan research has been published in prestigious medical journals like The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine.

Spartan technology has regulatory approvals worldwide, including FDA 510(k), European CE IVD Mark, and Health Canada. It was a world leader in portable DNA testing long before COVID-19 swept the globe, so its signature product was primed for adaptation to the front-line fight.

The Spartan Cube is a fully integrated DNA collection, extraction, and analysis device with an intuitive interface that is simple to operate. It’s the world’s smallest DNA analyzer, the size of a coffee cup in fact, and provides results with unprecedented speed and accuracy in applications ranging PHOTOS: SEAN SISK PHOTOGRAPHY

from infectious disease and precision medicine to food and water safety testing. Paul Lem, M.D., is a graduate of the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine and the founder and CEO of Spartan Bioscience.

“It was always my dream since I was a little kid to be an inventor,” Paul recalls, “but my parents suggested I’d probably starve, so they encouraged me to get my

of carriers are asymptomatic and can shed the virus every which way without knowing it; hence, social distancing.

South Korea grasped this very early on and implemented widespread mass testing.As Spartan ramps up production capacity, so too will testing capacity expand in Canada. The automated test can be operated by non-lab personnel in such facilities as airports and border crossings. Deployment in doctors’

superhero of DNA testing medical degree.” It was fortuitous advice that has come to fruition in the work of Spartan, in spite of Paul winning the uOttawa grad award for skipping the most classes. “Whenever I would go through the microbiology lab at the Ottawa Hospital,” he admits, “I’d be more interested in inventing new ways of DNA testing, so I’d skip out.” It’s has always sparked his imagination from way back when in his high school days and the Canada-Wide Science Fair.

Spartan started up in 2005 with the vision of developing portable DNA analyzers. Over 200 companies have been working in the same space along a trend line that takes the process out of the lab and into pharmacies, doctors’ offices, and eventually into the home.

Blood glucose meters and home pregnancy tests are a common version of what once required a trip to the doctor.

Spartan’s products have been in use since the early days of the company.

“One of our commercial tests is what’s called a precision medicine test,” Paul explains.“How do you choose the right drug for a patient? It’s how cardiologists determine medication for heart attack patients based on their specific genetics.”

Legionella bacterial contamination can decimate a water system in buildings.

It too is an application for Spartan innovation and can save lives on a mass scale. Customers include the CDC and plenty of Fortune 500 companies.

Rapid testing is priority one in a pandemic world. The complexities of COVID-19 mean roughly 50 per cent

offices, pharmacies, and clinics will relieve the pressure on labs. Plug the Cube into the wall and it should do one test at a time for years, requiring no more than a simple swab, the push of a button, and a short wait time. This is particularly consequential for smaller and remote communities where lab tests mean long wait times.

Spartan’s history of innovation, research and development is built on solid credentials. “Build up the expertise of our staff, get to know the process of getting regulatory approval, manage the complexities of ISO 13485 approval for medical devices, manufacturing facilities for medical grade devices,”

The Spartan Cube is a fully integrated DNA collection, extraction, and analysis device with an intuitive interface that is simple to operate.

It’s the world’s smallest DNA analyzer, the size of a coffee cup.

as Paul describes, and you have the prescribed requirements for a company poised to pivot into service in Canada’s battle with COVID-19. “The last three weeks have been like nothing else in my entire life,” Paul says with 17 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

amazement in his voice. The company was already tracking the global spread for several months. The CDC in the US published a validated COVID-19 report, “and then we started realizing we should adapt this test to our device because they validated it on over 2,000 respiratory samples.”

On March 20th, the federal government issued a call to action to the country’s manufacturers to re-tool their products and re-orient their expertise and capabilities to produce medical supplies.

Spartan’s research was already supported by the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program. . . On April 13th, Spartan Bioscience received Health Canada approval and prepared to swiftly ship Cubes to its federal and provincial government partners.

Over 3,000 Canadian companies stepped up in the spirit of national cooperation. It was a prescient move, in light of what would be a blurry-eyed tweet by President Trump threatening Canada with a 3-M mask embargo. It was the pivotal moment for Spartan, as Paul describes it: “That’s when the government reached out. I have to give a lot of credit to Prime Minister Trudeau, and Minister Navdeep Bains.

They highlighted us. They told their staff to work with us very quickly, and then we got contracts in place at lightning speed.”

Sean Tomalty is Spartan’s Chief Operating Officer, an engineer and MBA with 30 years of experience in operations and manufacturing at companies like Abbott Point of Care, where he was Plant Director of a 500,000 square-foot medical device manufacturing facility here in Ottawa that produced the i-STAT® portable clinical analyzer and 35 million test cartridges annually. Production agility was required, and Tomalty was the man to deliver it. “We said, Sean, ok, take all those plans you’ve been developing and let’s start executing them,” Paul recalls.

“We also had Nick Noreau, our Chief Revenue Officer, and he had expertise in how to efficiently implement contracts with the government.”

Spartan’s moment had arrived, and for Paul Lem, it felt like they had been preparing for it for 14 years. “Myself and our team were very impressed with the government. From the time Prime Minister Trudeau made the announcement on March 20th, in less than a week we had a contract in place!

That allowed us to start scaling up immediately. They assigned the most senior people in the government to work with us. What was that quote by Louis Pasteur?” Paul muses. “Fortune favours the prepared mind.”

Spartan Bioscience signed a procurement agreement, and filed a submission for its Cube to be reviewed

by Health Canada, on an expedited basis, and by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Spartan’s research was already supported by the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program, on top

18 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

of which the government awarded a contract to accelerate and adapt Spartan’s innovative work to rapid COVID‑19 diagnostic testing. On April 13th, Spartan Bioscience received Health Canada approval and prepared to swiftly ship Cubes to its federal and provincial government partners.

Provinces were already lining up. On March 30th, Ontario had its largest single-day increase of new COVID-19 cases to date. It changed the priority of who gets tested, as did other provinces facing similar jumps in numbers.

Ontario shifted its strategy by increasing testing across a broader segment of the population, but required the means to accomplish this rapidly and effectively.

Spartan’s Cube was just what the doctor ordered, to a total of nearly 1 million test kits that were still awaiting approval from Health Canada.

There’s that old joke about how to empty a swimming pool full of Canadians on a hot July day.You just tell us to get out of the pool. Compliance, it seems, is part of our national DNA regardless of language or ethnicity.

It appears to be built right in to the Dominion spirit of “peace, order, and good government.” We look south on CNN, shudder, and try to do things properly. Politicians have even realized that, to their collective credit, nobody wants to see partisan shenanigans.

Paul Lem appreciates the difference in the made-in-Canada approach and the impact his end-to-end, made-inOttawa device will have in the fight against COVID-19.

“We are grateful to the Government of Canada for working closely with us to expedite the review and approval process,” said Lem in a press statement.

“We are ready to start shipping our portable COVID-19 test to the federal and provincial governments, and to make them widely available to Canadians. There is an urgent unmet need for rapid COVID-19 testing, and as a proudly Canadian company, we are excited that our technology will be an important part of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.”

Canada will soon be grateful to the brilliant team at Spartan Bioscience n

canada-china friendship series by Cong Peiwu

Help each other in adversity to build a community of common health for mankind he COVID-19 pandemic is T spreading all over the world.

In today’s era of deep global interconnection, no country can stay immune to the pandemic. Therefore, it is the shared responsibility of the international community to protect the health and well-being of mankind. G20 leaders recently held their first G20 Extraordinary Virtual Leaders’ Summit in history, the first ever to discuss the cooperation in dealing with the pandemic.

Canada plays an important role in G20 affairs. During my first post in Canada at the beginning of this century, I had the honor to witness the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting held in Canada.

At the G20 Extraordinary Virtual Leaders’ Summit on COVID-19, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that countries should unite to combat the pandemic and offer assistance to more vulnerable countries. In fact, at the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward significant initiatives on the international community’s cooperation to fight against the disease, including helping developing countries with fragile public health systems to improve their response capabilities, which sparked positive international resonance.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, China, upholding the notion of a community with a shared future for mankind, has adopted the most comprehensive, strict and thorough prevention and control measures to control the spread of the pandemic in the PHOTO: PEXEL

country, which has not only protected the lives and health of its people but also won precious time for the world’s fight against the virus. China has actively shared epidemic information

China has actively shared epidemic information and anti-epidemic experience with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other countries and held expert video conferences with more than 150 countries including Canada. and anti-epidemic experience with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other countries and held expert video conferences with more than 150 countries including Canada and international organizations including Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), European Union (EU), African Union (AU), Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

China has also been actively cooperating with other countries, including Canada, to carry out epidemic-related scientific research.

The Chinese people have always advocated mutual help in adversity and reciprocation for kindness. At the most challenging moment in our fight against the outbreak, China received assistance and help from many members of the global community.

Such expressions of friendship will always be remembered and cherished by the Chinese people. The Chinese side feels the same way when other countries suffer from the disease.

Despite the still arduous prevention and control tasks at home, the Chinese side actively provides support to other countries.

The Chinese government has provided or is providing emergency assistance to about 130 countries and international and regional organizations, including WHO and the AU, and has been delivering the medical supplies successively. China is prepared to deliver aid to Canada. The Chinese government has also donated 20 million US dollars to the WHO. China’s local governments, enterprises, and non-governmental organizations also extend a helping hand to countries severely suffering from the epidemic.

China has also sent teams of medical experts on the COVID-19 pandemic other countries, including Italy, Iraq, Serbia, etc.

19 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

At the critical moment of the fight against the disease in various countries, a handful of politicians in some countries insisted on calling the novel coronavirus “Chinese Virus” and “Wuhan Virus” for ulterior motives, to which the Chinese side is firmly opposed. The source of novel coronavirus is a complex scientific issue, which should rely on professional views from the science community.

WHO is explicitly opposed to linking any virus with specific countries and regions, which is also a broad consensus of the international community. It is for this reason that WHO named this virus “COVID-19”. Facts have shown that stigmatization cannot stop the spread of the virus, but will only aggravate racial discrimination, xenophobia, and even lead to violent crime. This “political virus” is just as harmful as the novel coronavirus.

Some people accused China of concealing information about the outbreak and making data opaque.

Such claims are groundless. The

Chinese side has kept the international community updated on the pandemic in the spirit of openness, transparency, and responsibility. The timeline for the Chinese side's handling of the pandemic is very clear.

On December 27, 2019, Zhang Jixian, Director of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese & Western Medicine, first reported three suspicious cases she received. On December 29, relevant centers for disease control and prevention and hospitals in Wuhan and other parts of Hubei conducted an epidemiological survey.

On December 30, Wuhan Municipal Health Commission issued an “urgent notice on the treatment of pneumonia of unknown cause”. On December 31, the expert team of the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China arrived in Wuhan to conduct an on-site investigation. On January 3, the Chinese side began to inform the international community of epidemic information. On January

8, the pathogen of the epidemic was preliminarily determined. On January 11, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention uploaded five novel coronavirus genome sequences to the website and shared data with the world and WHO. On January 23, the Chinese government closed passages leaving Wuhan. The above measures from the Chinese side sent a clear message to the outside world.

The history of human civilization is also a history of struggle against disease.

The new coronavirus is neither the first pandemic nor will it be the last.

In the face of the pandemic, mankind shares a shared destiny, and countries around the globe should abandon prejudice, stop finger-pointing, set aside differences, work together to overcome difficulties, and build a community of common health for mankind. I am convinced that mankind will defeat the COVID-19 pandemic n Cong Peiwu is the Chinese Ambassador to Canada

HUAWEI P30 Series-Print-3.3x4.75-A.pdf

You belong here

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Discover a healthy community and a sense of belonging at the Y! JoiN todAY! ymcaywca.ca 20 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region

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2019-10-03

4:58 PM

opinion by Walter Robinson

Mistakes have been made. Lessons must be learned. This cannot happen again.

the ecoCOVID-19 combines nomic shocks of the Spanish Flu, the ‘Dirty Thirties’ and World War II all into one. The impact on people’s lives, the global economy and society will echo for generations.

Despite 20 years of worldwide disease outbreaks - SARS, H1N1, MERS, Zika – we and our leaders in politics, public service, business and labour were too wrapped up in a Cassandrian world view to see, acknowledge and prepare for the axiomatic truth: this pandemic was coming.

Just watch the 4 minute-2 second clip of President George W. Bush on YouTube from November 2005 at the U.S. National Institutes of Health: his 3-point plan was not followed by any government and his predictions applied to our current state are, prophetic.

Ah life, where evolution abhors arrogance and reality humbles hubris, sans exception.

So, even as health professionals and poorly paid essential services workers risk their lives, politicians and civil servants unveil sweeping support programs, public health issues daily directives, and scientists race to validate antiviral treatments and create a vaccine, we must turn our thoughts to this Fall or Winter and lay the groundwork for the unavoidable ‘come to you-knowwho’ conversation.

Mistakes have been made. Lessons must be learned. This cannot happen again.

A Royal Commission must be established with a clear, non-partisan, non-backside covering mandate: prepare Canada for the next, inevitable, global pandemic.

A growing erosion of trust is evident in daily news coverage and the conversations on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn which are the proxies for coffee shop, water cooler and dinner party chatter now so absent from daily life. What started as a “we’re good, #InThisTogether” chorus has been supplanted by a “what else will they — aka some top-level government and health officials — change/get wrong next” malaise.

Consider the record of public health and elected officials since lateJanuary about the low risk of disease transmission, repeated assurances that stockpiles of PPE were flush, the supposed folly of closing our borders, and outright dismissal of those who asked if we should wear masks in public.

Part of this is due to an over-reliance on the guidance of the WHO, which fostered early timidity in public health declarations and further fueled the political incrementalism that has driven our body politic, with a shortlist of policy exceptions, since the days of Mackenzie King.

Let’s be blunt: our democracy is too driven by dissent over small stuff, by debate of short-term policy minutiae, and by decisions to confer advantage in the next election instead cultivating the ambition of the next generation.

Post COVID-19 we cannot tolerate a return to this superficial, spiteful and splenetic inertia in parliamentary affairs.

To leave this existential ‘come to youknow-who’ exercise to the theatre of Question Period and charade of parliamentary committees would be inadequate and irresponsible. A Royal Commission must be established with a clear, non-partisan, non-backside covering mandate: prepare Canada for the next, inevitable, global pandemic.

Its lines of inquiry should be simple and straightforward: What did we get right? Where, when and why did we go wrong? And how do we guarantee we will be 100 times better next time?

All orders of government along with leaders from business, labour, healthcare, academia, and NGOs should be invited – and if need be, compelled – to testify.

As well, governments must open the proverbial kimono. Absent real and legitimate national security concerns, Access to/Freedom of Information obstacles for document production and 20-year prohibitions on revealing Cabinet memoranda, minutes and decisions must be lifted as a rule, not an exception. continued >> page 23 21 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

students first series by Hilary Thomson

Alyson Reid-Larade — A passion for education lyson Reid-Larade never thought A she would become a teacher.

In fact, if someone would have told

teaching. On a whim she decided to apply to all three programs. “I made a little deal with fate that I needed to go where I was meant to be,” she says “I said I will accept the first one and if I don’t get into any of them I am creating a backpacking trip to Europe.”

her when she was a teenager that she would end up dedicating her life to teaching, she wouldn’t have believed them. “If anybody told me back then that I would become [a teacher] I just would have laughed,” she says, even (Alyson Reid-Larade) wants though teaching has now been her passion for 21 years. to help educators and parents see Reid-Larade began her professional career as a kinesiologist in Toronto.

She was always fascinated by the brain and body and therefore kinesiology seemed like the perfect fit. However, teaching slowly began to trickle into her life without her even realizing it. As part of her job she used to educate adults with sports or motor vehicle accident injuries about the healing process and how the pain cycle worked. “They were always telling me about how I was really good at explaining how their body functioned and healed,” she says.

After a couple of years working as a kinesiologist, Reid-Larade reached a crossroads. She was either going to continue in the healthcare field and become a chiropractor or a physiotherapist or try her hand at

22 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

a different side of teenage behaviour so they can respond effectively and aid with the learning process.

Within a few weeks she received her acceptance into teacher’s college in Ottawa. She accepted on the spot and never looked back. lyson Reid-Larade did her practicums in Ottawa and loved the city so much that she never left.

Over her career she has taught science, biology and physical education at St Peter and St Francis Xavier High Schools and currently teaches outdoor education and health for life. For the past three years she has also been working in special education.“I wanted to be able to work more closely with

ABOVE: Alyson Reid-Larade is passionate about promoting both the physical and mental health of students.

the students who struggle with school and struggle with the learning process,” she says. “[I want to] help them to find their strengths.”

Reid-Larade is very passionate about promoting both mental and physical health for her students. She loves nature and has taken many students on overnight camping trips. She has even taken school groups to Costa Rica three times. “I think negative stress is an indoor illness and when kids are given the opportunity to challenge themselves outside, they grow in all sorts of wonderful ways,” she says.

Reid-Larade has continued her early passion for physiology and the human brain. She worked with a neurosurgeon from CHEO to help coaches and PE teachers make sense of new research into concussions when‘Return-to-Play’ protocols were being introduced. She has also been studying the neuroscience and psychology of the developing brain with the Neufeld Institute for many years. She is passionate about getting students, parents and other teachers to

understand the teenage brain and what might stop them from fully engaging at school. She wants to help educators and parents see a different side of teenage behaviour so they can respond effectively and aid with the learning process. She also wants teenagers to understand how their brain is developing and how their emotions fit in. “When I talk about this kind of stuff it’s amazing,” she says. “I could have a crowd of 200 students in front of me and you could hear a pin drop.”

Mental health is something ReidLarade talks about regularly with her students and she has even written a book on self-esteem called How To Be Your Own Hero: A Teenager’s Toolkit for Building Self-Esteem. The book focuses on the way self-esteem affects decision making regarding drugs and alcohol, relationships and sexuality, nutrition and personal safety. “It’s a lot of what is going on inside that is driving what we are seeing on the outside,” she says.

Reid-Larade also has a website and blog (www.byoh.ca) where she writes about education, self-esteem and teenage mental health.

Reid-Larade says that throughout her teaching career she has learned the value of the student-teacher connection and how it is even more important than simply focusing on the curriculum.

“The curriculum is important, but it doesn’t need to be a constant struggle to deliver it. If you’ve connected with [the students] and you’re passionate about your subject they can’t help but be passionate, about learning it too,” she says.

In 2015, Reid-Larade was a recipient of the National Capital Educator award, though she is adamant she is just one of many amazing teachers that are making a difference in students’ lives every day. She also believes that teenagers are wonderful and often don’t get the credit they deserve. “Teenagers are an amazing group of citizens,” she says. “They’re looking for guidance, looking for assistance and looking for role models.” Reid-Larade says she sees teachers stepping up to the task daily, making a significant impact in the lives of their students. “I am inspired by the people I work with every day and I hope to do the same for them n

This can not happen again >> from page 21

An unwavering commitment to, and culture of, candor, brutal honesty and factual transparency must permeate this exercise. Yes, incomplete and conflicting data, policy missteps, program mistakes and audit/control problems will be unearthed. Such is the reality for any entity – public or private – facing a mammoth crisis. However, recriminations and blame must be eschewed as best as possible. This is about forward-looking policy choices, not rearview mirror partisan political payback.

Moreover, we will also learn how federal departments quickly assessed hundreds of regulations and relaxed those that could have suspended the flow of essential medicines and other medical goods. How provincial governments worked with the legal and accounting professions to ensure contracts could be virtually executed to support physical distancing. How cities relaxed noise and traffic by-laws to enable 7/24 grocery store deliveries or allow full-day on-street parking as we worked at home.

Countless commendable examples of regulatory speed and innovation will come to light.We should make as many of these changes permanent where practical.

This Royal Commission must be a series of recommendations for immediate action and ongoing implementation across all Canadian sectors – government, business, labour, NGOs etc. – to fully respond to the “How do we prepare for next time” question.

Canadian businesses have responded in many ways from retooling factories to personal financing extensions. But they too must also be honest about where their business continuity plans lacked foresight and completeness to respond to this pandemic. As a consequence, they need to commit to onshoring supply chains for vital materials and components where possible – or be regulated to do so – and build in product and raw material redundancies.

In turn, industry must be clear where these new costs can be absorbed and when they will be passed through to us in terms of higher prices.

Bottom line:This Royal Commission must be a series of recommendations for immediate action and ongoing implementation across all Canadian sectors – government, business, labour, NGOs etc. – to fully respond to the “How do we prepare for next time” question.

Since World War II, we’ve scattered scare public dollars across too many programs, failed industrial subsidies, political pet projects and spurious tax credit schemes. The cumulative effect of this 75-year escapade in being all things to all people left the cupboard bare in terms national disease surveillance, adequate PPE and supplies for health professionals, leaving at least 1.5 million seniors in poverty or with an appalling lack dignity in their daily care, an economy hostage to global supply chains, and the laundry list goes on.

Let’s show courage and have this discussion, set out broad and inclusive parameters with a deliberate yet ambitious timeline, and resolve to see it through. In the end, we must embrace its recommendations with humility, and act upon them decisively so we can say to ourselves and future generations, never again. #InThisTogether n 23 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

technology/the future is now by Michael R. Bussière

STORIES OF CONNECTION

in the age of lockdowns

A

t no time since the advent of the World Wide Web have our lives been so virtual. This was true before a global pandemic

forced entire countries indoors and pushed Internet traffic to the limits of network tolerance.

Telework and online grocery shopping have gone from optional for some to being the new norms for most of the population. Entire curricula are being adapted to online learning.

Countless studies are likely underway to determine the effects on everything from office productivity to carbon emissions.

the connection that technology brings is even more important to maintain and build upon,” says Chris Pereira, Senior Director of Public Affairs for Huawei Canada. “People are finding creative ways to solve problems while working and studying from home, and I expect we will see exciting new developments and ways of collaborating remotely in the future.” Pereira is spot on in his faith in the power of human ingenuity, especially when we’re all bored out of our minds!

If the COVID-19 era is proving anything, it’s that people are applying a lot of creativity when self-isolated and can do just about anything at a distance over networks; especially, it seems, reach out and express themselves.

The performing arts have long been incubators for virtual communities of collaboration and discovery.

In any analysis, it is the stifling of our The Berlin Philharmonic Digital sense of connectedness that is felt Concert Hall was one of the first most deeply as we look for any way channels to deliver sophisticated live to bridge the confines of social events to a global audience. The distancing. Companies who National Arts Centre delivers Huawei Canada is looking are in the connection business masterclasses over video networks believe the prototypes for human beginning with the tutelage of to leverage those early experiments embodiment over distance are former music director Pinchas with a new initiative based on emerging on a scale never before Zuckerman, but, for various seen or possible. “At a time when reasons, has never fully embraced its revolutionary new P40 Pro and we are all physically separated to the full potential of its fantastic P40 Pro+ smartphones. reduce the impact of COVID-19, connectivity and infrastructure.

24 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

A 2008 musical experiment between uOttawa and Banff Centre on broadband.

Performers from the famous to the lesser known have been delighting sequestered audiences independently and from the confines of their studios in a viral show of adaptation and generosity in challenging times.

Canadian research began exploring virtual stages and classrooms a couple of decades ago during the Paleozoic epoch of the Internet. Huawei Canada is looking to leverage those early experiments with a new initiative based on its revolutionary new P40 Pro and P40 Pro+ smartphones.

The P40 series is equipped with what Huawei calls a quad-curve overflow display described as being “inspired by the art of motion,” an interesting metaphor for a device awaiting creative exploration by Canadian students. “The display takes on a curved edge on all four sides, creating a shape that is reminiscent of water on the cusp of overflowing from the rim of a filled cup.” The streamlined, near borderless device packs a technological wallop as well, with a camera system that would impress even the most orthodox DSLR photographer.

Huawei collaborated with Leica to introduce its advanced Ultra Vision triple-camera, quad-camera and pentacamera configurations, delivering stunning images with ultra wideangle, wide-angle and telephoto lenses.

The 40MP Ultra-Wide Cine Camera enables exceptional video capture and streaming quality.

The Huawei P40 Pro is a photographic powerhouse.

There’s no better way to demonstrate the power of a creative technology than to put it into the hands of a bunch of housebound kids, and that’s exactly what Huawei has in mind with a COVID-19 competition of storytelling.

“We hope that this competition will encourage young people to tell stories of connection with their phones, and build new connections at a time when

staying in touch is more important than ever,” says Christy Yao, Huawei Canada’s media manager overseeing the upcoming competition.

Canadian research mentioned earlier began from the premise that Canada is a great testbed for this kind of activity, we being remote from one another and accustomed to the isolating effect of long winters, factors recognized by Chris Pereira. “Canada is a great place to demonstrate the future possibilities of remote work and study,” the Ottawa-based Pereira believes.“Canada

events mean inspiring stories about making connections in lockdowns will be all the more authentic.

3. Keep it fun and start simple. Plan a series of small events that move from simple to more complex scenarios.

Posting videos is an excellent start, but move into live streaming events as everyone becomes more comfortable. Try comedy improv, musical performances, anything that gets students participating and sharing with genuine enthusiasm, and with one another over distance.

Nature seems to have provided us with the opportunity to do things differently.

If telework is successful, will it lead to an ongoing embrace of the practice as a means to reduce traffic congestion, carbon emissions, and personal stress? faces unique challenges in Internet connection and coverage. We have a very small population spread across enormous geographical distances.

Despite these challenges, Canada has one of the highest-quality networks in the world, and Canada should continue to build upon its strengths.”

Here’s how the research can inform Huawei’s student competition.

1. Find your champions. Teachers are busy people at the best of times, and they are now dealing with an unprecedented challenge. Not all teachers are ready to embrace more technology in the classroom.

Finding champions will help you get this rolling.

2. Fit your competition into the curriculum. That will make it easier for teachers to embrace the opportunity. Storytelling can mean anything from history to cultural studies and expression. Current

4. Evaluate the outcomes with academic rigor and share your insights. There are going to be plenty of questions that will arise during this very strange time, for instance: How is the teacher/ student relationship potentially altered through a wider range of experiences, facilities, and creative possibilities?

How does technology support the achievement of consensus among groups of people over distance?

Can it provide a place where every student feels included and valued, and every teacher has greater support?

Nature seems to have provided us with the opportunity to do things differently. If telework is successful, will it lead to an ongoing embrace of the practice as a means to reduce traffic congestion, carbon emissions, and personal stress? Will blended virtual learning environments (versus passive, unsupervised e-learning) lead to a more engaging classroom? Will virtual worlds vie for attention with board games or playing catch in the back yard? Let’s hope so.

Chris Pereira is proud to say that, “Canada will come out of this crisis stronger and better connected than it has ever been before, and a fast and reliable Internet is critical to achieving that. Our country is what connects us. Technology is what keeps us connected.” The most important thing is to try it and find out, so be sure and answer the phone. It may be Huawei calling with an idea! n 25 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

technology/the future is now/opinion by Vincent Guyonnet

SMART AGRICULTURE

is a smart choice for all, not just for farmers sparing more natural resources. On a global basis, the challenge is huge as we must contemplate how to feed an additional two billion people by 2050 while arable area will likely grow only by 5% according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Canada has a great role to play in this “Feed the world” challenge!

The Canadian Agriculture sector, in addition to being a vibrant sector feeding local communities, plays an important role on a global basis. Canada is the 5th largest agricultural exporter in the world. In addition to maple syrup, a true Canadian brand, Canada is also the world's largest exporter of flaxseed, pulses, oats and durum wheat and canola. Consider that 90% of the production of canola, a great Canadian success story, is exported as canola seeds, canola oil or as an ingredient for livestock feeds. But the production of this cash crop like that of many other agricultural products is not without its challenges. Farmers around the country are facing more and more the pressure to produce more with less, reducing the use of pesticides, antibiotics and other tools currently available. But they are not without options as the digitalization of agriculture, also referred to as smart agriculture, provides some valuable relief.

Today, farmers diligently collect data from their fields, crops, trees and animals to monitor their progress and 26 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

ensure the wellbeing of both animals, plants and the land. But in many cases, the data collection still relies on observations and manual recording, making the computation and analysis of the data more cumbersome.

Data collected represent a wealth of information currently underutilized by farmers. Changes are needed as the average farm will generate 4.1 million data points by 2050 through the use of wireless sensors and other internet of things (IoT) devices. Smart Agriculture is defined for its use of Big Data to develop models that drive the best decisions in terms of the amount of water, seeds or fertilizers to be applied to a minute section of a field or of the amount of feed to provide a dairy cow.

Artificial vision, one of the great applications derived from artificial intelligence (AI), offers tremendous opportunities throughout the food value chain. In the fields, AI combined with drone and other automated vehicle technologies has been applied for the detection and identification of weeds, insects and other pests to allow farmers to time perfectly their intervention to control these problems, saving some valuable time, efforts and resources.

Through its analytical power to detect trends, AI assists farmers to identify the ideal time to provide treatments to fields while reducing the impact on bees who play such a great role as pollinators. Smarter agriculture is all about optimizing the use of resources to ensure the best results with the least impact on the planet. Off the farms, Artificial vision is used now to grade at record speed agricultural products like

apples, meat or eggs, ensuring that only top-quality products reach the shelves at retail.

Through the use of remote sensors, GPS and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices, AI is also used to identify the specific needs to improve the fertility of soils, predict production yield and optimal time for harvest. A local partnership with Huawei Canada in Southern Ontario recently helped the Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery to improve its yield and reduce its costs by providing advance warning about the health of its plants and prevent diseases.

“Reliable high-speed Internet and the smart solutions that strong digital infrastructure enables will help Canada’s economy recover and thrive through the current crisis and COVID-19.

Smart agriculture will be a big part of that,” says Chris Pereira, Senior Director of Public Affairs at Huawei Canada. AI is also assisting researchers to fast-track the selection of the most productive and drought-resistant plants to help us adapt to climate change. AI is used to train machines to calculate at record speed the number of flowers on a picture and facilitates the optimum selection of plants for breeding purposes.

Another application developed by Huawei Technologies helps farmers monitor closely the reproductive cycle of cows and improve the conception rate and boosts productivity by about 7 per cent.1 There are so many options for Smart Agriculture that our only limitation

1: See https://www.huawei.com/ca/about-huawei/publications/communicate/84/new-cash-cow-in-dairy-field

PHOTO: WILL KIRK, UNSPLASH

anada along with the rest of the C world is facing the challenge of feeding a growing population while

at this time is really our ability to invest sufficient resources in this area.

Unlike fields like communications, banking or the retail sector, the digital transformation of agriculture has been lagging behind. We need more research in Smart Agriculture and more collaboration between academia, government and the private sector to leverage from the strengths and expertise that each party will bring to the table.

The biggest value of Artificial Intelligence to agriculture is the analysis of real time data to make predictions and assist farmers in their day to day operations. But the large amount of data on weather, temperature, moisture, the presence of insects and other pests collected via remote sensors requires huge computational analytical capabilities available mostly through remote servers and Cloud computing.

It is therefore critical for farming communities to have access to the best possible digital network to handle quickly this continuous flow of data.

So, in addition to investing to develop Smart Agriculture applications, we must also invest to improve our rural connectivity. Data is of great value only if it can be analyzed quickly and used to decide on the best immediate course of action.

Connecting rural and remote communities has been a core competency of Huawei, from its roots in China through the development of wireless networks on the African continent over the past 2 decades to connecting remote communities in the Canadian great North for the past 10 years. Combined with its world leading research, technology and solutions, a company like Huawei Canada can assist us to ensure that all the smart agriculture applications developed in Canada will actually be applied in Canada. If we can accelerate the implementation of Smart Agriculture in Canada, we will produce more food with less impact on our environment – and in the end, everybody wins! n Vincent Guyonnet is the Managing Director of FFI Consulting, a firm dedicated to maximizing the role of animal source foods to human nutrition and food security, including the use of new digital technologies.

opinion by Thara Kumar and Melanie Bechard

COVID-19 crisis lays bare the importance of universal medicare hile governments, health care W workers and the Canadian public are uniting to take on the COVID-19 pandemic, some critics have seen this as an opportunity to capitalize on public fear and promote a profit-driven health care system over Canadian medicare.

Would Canada, as some claim, really have been better prepared for a pandemic in a health system where care would be delivered to those who can afford to pay for it, rather than based on need?

Let’s look at the evidence.

No country could have been fully prepared for a crisis of this scale – indeed, no country has been. No country in the world has an “on demand” health care system with limitless capacity. That would mean building empty “rainy day” hospital beds and stockpiling unused ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) for decades, in the event they would be needed some day.

But Canada’s single-payer health system has allowed us to impressively ramp up our “surge capacity” to expand in a time of crisis – while still ensuring universal access.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

In a matter of just weeks, Canadian hospitals have increased staffing for critically ill patients, reduced inpatient loads by 30-40 per cent to make room for a surge of COVID-19 admissions, and bolstered our supply of PPE and ventilators.

These measures were taken so that every patient who requires hospital care for COVID-19, or for any other medical emergency, can continue to access the highest quality of care possible, no matter who they are or what they earn.

Our health care system is not traded on the stock exchange.

Fans of the American health system praise it for having lower average hospital occupancies of 64 per cent, leaving lots of room for surge capacity in a crisis. But what they fail to recognize is that these half-empty hospitals are a result of the most expensive profitdriven health care system in the world, in which hospitals are all competing to attract “customers,” over-selling tests and treatments just to keep themselves in business.

Tragically, those empty hospital beds are of no use to the roughly 30 million 27 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

uninsured Americans with no access to care, or the millions of under-insured Americans who risk financial ruin if they seek care or choosing between paying crippling hospital bills or having a roof over their heads.

This is even more concerning in a viral pandemic where those with no access to medical care can put the rest of the community at risk.

Health care profiteers persistently and intentionally conflate health care “delivery” with health care “financing.”

Canada does not outlaw private forprofit delivery of health care. There is no monopoly on health care delivery.

What Canada does not allow is private payment – whether out-of-pocket or through private insurance -- for care already covered by our provincial plans.

Physicians can’t bill the government for publicly insured medical services and charge patients extra money on top of that.

Having just one payer in each province means we don’t waste money on paying

28 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

overhead to private insurers, like in the U.S. model.

COVID-19 should not be exploited to make the case for a private pay health care system. In fact, the reverse should ring true. Now is a good time to think about expanding our universal health system.

As hundreds of thousands of Canadians face job loss as a result of this crisis, it highlights the need for more publicly funded health care to keep our citizens safe and healthy. Many Canadians will face financial struggles through this crisis and may also lose their job-linked extended health benefits.

They will not lose their access to physician and hospital care, but a loss of work-related health benefits will have a huge impact on their ability to access prescription medications and dental care.

Of course, our health system is not perfectly prepared for a pandemic.

When this COVID-19 crisis ends, we

will have an opportunity to reflect on the challenges our health care system faced and take steps to adapt for the future. Creative solutions that have come out of this pandemic, such as the widespread use of telemedicine and novel triage systems, might be continued to improve access to care.

But one thing that should not change is our commitment to equitable access to health care for everyone in Canada.

This is no time for greedy profiteers to be distracting us from saving lives.

As front-line health care workers, we will continue to show up every day, throughout this pandemic and beyond, to protect our human right to health care. We are counting on everyone to do the same n

Dr. Thara Kumar is an Emergency Room physician based in Red Deer, Alberta. Dr. Melanie Bechard is a fellow in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Both are members of the Board of Directors at Canadian Doctors for Medicare.

health by Michael R. Bussière

Fighting the bureaucracy for one’s life

hris MacLeod is on a personal C and political mission. The Toronto lawyer bears a dubious and

extraordinary badge of honour, being a man with a childhood disease, cystic fibrosis (CF), who has survived to the age of 50. MacLeod is caught between a bureaucratic rock and a hard place that he is fighting to correct while fighting for his life. At issue is a recently adopted drug price control regime whose intentions have backfired and left thousands of Canadians like MacLeod without innovative medications that are readily available in other jurisdictions.

To this end, MacLeod has founded and chairs the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Treatment Society for which he campaigns diligently, most recently as a panelist at an event hosted by The Economic Club of Canada.

Chris appeared healthy as he introduced himself to the room, with the caveat that he is on “one of these drugs that is costly, but life-saving.” Chris received his drugs through a compassionate access program; others have not been so fortunate. Therein lies the issue for MacLeod and thousands of Canadians who are fighting rare diseases.

Significant advancements in drug therapies are keeping people like Chris alive and are readily available in other countries, but bureaucratic autocracy has hampered access by trying to force prices to an untenably low level here at home. “The regulations as currently put forward are devastating for people with cystic fibrosis,” Chris explains.

The drug Trikafta is one of a set of four CF treatments that are game changers, but Chris recalls the saying from the

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

A recently adopted drug price control regime whose intentions have backfired and left thousands of Canadians...without innovative medications that are readily available in other jurisdictions.

1980s that sums up the situation, what he describes as the nine scariest words in the English language:“I’m here from the government. I’m here to help.”

Drug companies and provincial governments already face deterrents when it comes to bringing new and expensive drugs to Canada. The costs involved in becoming certified by Health Canada may be so high relative to such a small number of patients as to discourage new applications for deployment in our medical system.

The same effort brings the same drug into the US market with its tenfold population. Canada’s public system often covers the cost and governments need to be mindful of budgets. In a further consequence, drug companies that do not bring their products to Canada will not support research here either. The overall situation has been exasperated by The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB), a little-known, independent agency charged with ensuring drug prices “are not excessive”.

PMPRB made recommendations to former federal health minister Jane Philpott to implement a policy change that would, with all good intentions,

dramatically slash the price of costly drugs by up to 75 per cent. Problem is, companies patent drugs for 20 years when they’ve formulated the idea, typically 10 years before it comes to market. That leaves 10 years on the market before generic versions can compete, initially at 25 per cent below patented pricing with the first supplier, followed by a drop to 50 per cent with the second supplier, and 75 per cent with the third. That’s the way competitive forces work. Forcing dramatic price reductions on drug companies during the patent period is about as discouraging a public policy and one could devise. The numbers bear the evidence.

Clinical trials registered with Health Canada since the implementation of the more stringent controls fell by almost 60 per cent when compared with the same period in the preceding four years. A similar drop was not noted in the US. Furthermore, 49 per cent of new drug applications were approved in Canada between 2015 and 2018. That number fell to 15.6 per cent in 2019. Canada represents 2 per cent of the world’s drug market. Our influence over the free market of drug development and public deployment is negligible.

The negative impact has been felt most deeply by those rare individuals with rare diseases like CF, and so, Chris MacLeod battles on against a one-sizefits-all for all new drugs approach. “It is critically important for patients to lobby on their own behalf,” he declares, “and it’s important to lobby the politicians because, in the end, they are making the decisions that will affect how long someone is going to live!”n 29 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

interview by Hilary Thomson

EDUCATION IN ONTARIO:

Where we are and where we need to go An interview with Harvey Bischof, President of the Ontario Secondary Teacherrs’ Federation (OSSTF)

Despite all the challenges the Ontario public education system has faced this year it is still regarded as one of the best in the world. According to data on student achievement from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, which ranks the quality, equity and efficiency of school systems, Ontario ranks seventh out of the organization’s 63 member countries across the globe.

Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) President, Harvey Bischof, says he is proud of the province’s education system and has experienced the impact it makes on the lives of children in Ontario first-hand. With many years of teaching and advocacy for public education in Ontario under his belt, Harvey has a lot to share when it comes to explaining the current state of system, it’s benefits and also what needs to happen to make sure it continues to rank as one of the top education systems in the world.

OLM: How would you describe education in Ontario?

Bischof: I have long described it as the great democratizer. It’s where we give kids their best opportunities at an equitable shot at success in the province. It is not perfect in any regard and we should always look to make improvements, but we shouldn’t ever loose sight of that fact that it is an excellent system that, for the most part, serves kids and the broader society extremely well.

OLM: What sets it apart from other provinces in Canada and countries around the world?

Bischof: What makes it stack up so well in the world is a number of things. One of the things is that there has been a focus on shrinking the gaps between kids at opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum and between kids who are new Canadians as compared to kids with families that have been here for generations. We’ve shrunk those achievement gaps very significantly and over the last decade and a half we’ve raised graduation rates by 20 per cent. There are that many more students prepared to move on to post secondary or to take up a skilled trades apprenticeship. That supports Ontario in a variety of ways but including economically where Ontario competes in the world on the basis of our high-quality graduates.The fact that we turn out so many of those is good for everyone.

30 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

OLM: Are there any areas where you feel the Ontario public education system falls short?

Bischof: A very significant area for me is there has been a move to inclusion of almost all students in regular classrooms without the necessary supports and without having fully thought through all of the implications. Absolutely, there were kids in the past who were improperly excluded from regular classrooms who just needed to appropriate supports in order to succeed in those classes. But what we have now is this move to inclusion without sufficient support. One of the by-products of that, and it’s not the sole cause of this, but we’re seeing a massive rise in violent incidents in our classrooms. Education workers and teachers both have been subject to physical and psychological trauma that arises from that. It has an affect on the students in the classroom as well who are witness to or potentially subject to these kinds of actions. There needs to be much more careful thought given to the appropriate supports required for inclusion in our classes.

OLM: What needs to happen in Ontario to ensure the public education system is the best it can be?

Bischof: With recognition that we do have an excellent system I would say that there is still work to do. There are always improvements that can be made in curriculum

and in terms of pursuing evidence supported approaches to education. Teaching will always be partly an art because you are working with the multifaceted nature of human interaction. There will never be a flow chart that you can follow in all circumstances, but we have to have a good sense of what provides the best bets. Sometimes I think we’ve gotten caught in the pursuit of things that don’t have a sufficient evidence basis.

It also has to be prioritized as one of the most significant public services that this province provides. That service isn’t just provided to the students who are in our charge.

It is provided to the entire civic and economic life of the province and therefore it needs to be treated in that fashion.

It is the wrong place to look for short-term, short-sighted cost cutting approaches.

OLM: What challenges will we have to face in public

THE RIVER IS CALLING!

education in the coming years?

Bischof: Everything at this point is massively uncertain. We are in a period of global crisis which means that we will be facing fiscal challenges all around the world as a result of this pandemic that we’re only at the very front end of.

I hope that we do not loose sight of the investment value of education and we cannot start thinking of it as a mere expense. We have to recognize that the money we put into education turns on its investment.

We don’t yet have a deal [with the current government] and we will at some point have to address that but I’d say our immediate focus right now just has to be on mitigating the crisis and keeping people safe and then we can turn our attention elsewhere.

OLM: Any last thoughts?

Bischof: What I would add is that for the system to remain excellent collaboration is required between all levels involved in education. That includes government, the ministry of education, school boards and school board associations, but it absolutely also includes the education unions who are the legitimate voice of educators of all kinds. We cannot have education policy being made simply by government dictate that will undo the progress that we have made over the last decade and a half and we need to guard against that approach n

31 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

energy series by Chris Bloomer

CLIMATE CHANGE AND PIPELINES –

part of a Canadian solution he world needs energy and climate T change needs practical solutions.

The Canadian pipeline industry is

maintenance; state of the art leak detection and mitigation; and reducing emissions from liquids storage tanks.

Increasing world population with a growing global economy means that energy demand is rising. While renewable energy production is increasing, forecasts indicate that oil and natural gas will still provide most of the world’s energy in 2040. The Canadian Energy Pipeline Association’s (CEPA) members recognize a key challenge – reducing emissions while ensuring people around the world have access to reliable and affordable energy.

CEPA members also invest in technology and innovation, reducing emissions and improving practices that contribute to positive environmental outcomes. Some recent innovations include: • Using waste heat from compressors to generate electricity (TC Energy).

• New vapour recovery units at tanker loading facilities (Trans Mountain).

• Producing renewable natural gas from wood waste by-products (ATCO).

• Investing in low and no-carbon vehicles and transportation infrastructure (FortisBC).

an important part of how we meet those needs – and transition to a lower emission energy future.

Meeting that energy demand in an environmentally responsible way is something our industry takes pride in.

Canada is uniquely positioned to help displace higher emission energy sources with our abundant, cleaner burning natural gas. Natural gas will also help power the transition toward alternative energy options, such as electrification.

Electricity producers and consumers can count on natural gas as a back-up fuel for renewables, such as wind and solar, and to help meet power demands in any situation.

Energy needs to be transported to where demand is – and pipelines are the safest, most responsible way to move oil and natural gas. While pipelines account for only about one per cent of Canada’s emissions, we recognize the importance of making that number even smaller.

CEPA members have made, and continue to make, operational improvements to reduce emissions.

Examples include more efficient engines for pumps and compression; reducing methane emissions during 32 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

CEPA believes the following should be recognized in Canadian climate change policy:

• The dual objective of reducing GHG emissions while ensuring people and businesses around the world have access to reliable and affordable sources of energy.

• Pipelines are critical to meeting domestic and international demand for energy.

• As the global energy mix evolves, the need for Canada’s pipelines to safely transport energy products will remain.

• Enabling and encouraging collaboration, innovation and technology in the pipeline industry is critical to addressing climate change.

The lives of every Canadian are supported by oil and natural gas. Close to seven million Canadian households use natural gas as their main heating fuel. Oil and natural gas are primary fuels for all forms of transportation.

The Canadian energy industry also makes up approximately 11 per cent of Canada’s GDP (worth $230 billion) and employs more than 800,000 people

directly and indirectly. In 2018 alone, capital expenditures in Canada’s energy sector totalled $75 billion, creating billions in opportunities for thousands of local and Indigenous businesses.

Canadians also benefit from the tens of billions in government taxes and royalties paid by the energy industry that are used to fund social programs like health care and education. So, it is important that the pipeline network Canadians rely on remains among the best in the world.

To do so, industry must be able to operate efficiently, adapt to market changes and attract investment.Working with government and stakeholders is critical to ensure our industry remains competitive globally.

Canadian climate change policies should recognize that transporting Canadian energy to international and domestic markets is consistent with global climate goals. It is critical that Canada has the right balance of appropriate regulation, while allowing for job creation and economic growth.

CEPA members will continue to work with our stakeholders to develop and implement policy to address emissions reduction in a manner that is efficient, effective and economically viable while helping to drive clarity, certainty and predictability in the regulatory system.

Canada must remain competitive.

While alternative energy sources continue to grow, Canadians need reliable and affordable energy. A secure supply of responsibly-produced oil and natural gas, transported safely by pipelines, is vital as we transition towards a lower emission energy future – for us and the world n aboutpipelines.com PHOTO: NOAA, UNSPLASH

opinion by Adele Blair

Look the other way

care issues are regularly Lcareong-term at the forefront of Ontario health discussions. The Ontario Medical

Association, the Ontario Nurses Association, and the Ontario Personal Support Workers Association are screaming as if their hair is on fire, about the crisis.

Advocacy groups for the disabled, solicitous, concerned children of the elderly and outspoken suffering consumers of service themselves, are banning together and becoming vocal about the need for changes. Every politician seems compassionate and genuine, when seeking election, and promises to fight for better care for citizens who need long-term care.

And yet change for the better seems to be a long time coming no matter who the power leaders are at the top.

Every day social media sites like Advocates for Long-Term Care Reform in Ontario post stories of neglect, abuse and corruption. They are heart wrenching and bring tears to your eyes just thinking about such vulnerable people enduring such suffering while living in residences purportedly meant to meet their needs on the home stretch kindly and competently.

No one can possibly say we do not know about the problems in those residences. No one can say all kinds of us do not care about the pain and suffering experienced in them. But why PHOTO: PIXABAY

Every politician seems compassionate and genuine . . . . And yet change for the better seems to be a long time coming no matter who the power leaders are at the top. we have not been able to ameliorate them, under any government in my lifetime, is the question.

Should we look at our basic value system perhaps and how we raise our young to keep the status quo in place? Should we rethink the value of socializing everyone to not rock the boat, despite pain and anguish inflicted on the vulnerable, despite the abuse of workers, despite the frustration in every profession involved, and despite the very likely prospect of our own selves and loved ones having to end life, in one of these places we call a ‘home’?

When a toddlers take a $1 toy from a shelf at the ‘Buck or Two’, do we insist it be taken back, or do we look the other way? When a five year old steals a bag of jelly beans from his teacher’s desk, do we say that's normal for kids, and look the other way? Do we say ‘Right choice, son!’, to our fifth grader when he decides to not snitch to the teacher that his buddy cheated during a test? Do we see our teenager support a bully in his class, tell him

to say nothing or he may be the next target, and best he looks the other way?

Does a chaperoning teacher at a school dance, report students for drinking, smoking, or drug possession to his principal, and get only an apathetic look, no response and a turned back walking away that once belonged to a stellar inspiring teacher who vowed to make a difference? Does a young professional in the workplace see theft or corruption and get told to be a ‘team player’ and look the other way?

Is this what happens to our elected leaders, hell bent for leather to change the system when they idealistically decide to sacrifice their lives to public service, but learn quickly that survival often means they too, must often look the other way?

Is that the source of our problems? Are we starting in the cradles of the nation teaching our little ones to look the other way? Are we preparing them for an adult world that seems to value and support those who are good at looking the other way? Are these the values we truly want and is this the best way of looking at the world for our children, who will one day take over the reins of power?

‘How is that working for you?’ Dr. Phil McGraw would probably ask us.

‘Not too freakin’ good!’ most of us would have to admit. ‘Just not that freakin’ good!’

Perhaps our society should take a look at that, when we seek ways to escape the ever enlarging confusing concentric circles of the maze in which we run, characterized by the slowness of societal change, and paved with current hot button discussions, policies and practices about long-term care reform n 33 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

travel by Kat Walcott

Darling Door County: A peninsula of food & tradition

Nicknamed the “Thumb of Wisconsin,” Door County is a peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan that is home to some of the sweetest little towns in America. If you’re a foodie and lover of the great outdoors, the county’s scenic accommodations and abundance of restaurants, cheeseries, orchards and shops make for a perfect getaway.

Getting there

The most direct way to get to Door County is to fly to Appleton,Wisconsin, rent a car to drive the hour or so to Sturgeon Bay, the seat of Door County.

A car gives you the flexibility to travel between all the towns and villages within the county: Sister Bay, Ellison Bay and Egg Harbor.

If you prefer to drive, it takes 14 hours to get to Door County. En route, squeeze in some sightseeing with stops in Sudbury, Ontario and Green Bay,Wisconsin.

Beautiful & affordable accommodations

There are various privately-owned inns, motels and small resorts scattered across the county, but if you’re looking for something spacious, well suited for a family with some of the best views of Lake Michigan, book a stay at Glidden Lodge Beach Resort.

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The waterfront property is located in scenic Sturgeon Bay, the biggest town in the county. Pairing modern amenities with nature, the resort is surrounded by trees and is nestled away from the town centre, making it truly feel like a remote getaway.

Visitors have the choice between one, two- and three-bed units. With rates starting at $175 USD a night in the low season, it is good value. Hearing the waves as you fall asleep makes you feel like you’re by the ocean. In the morning, wake up to the stunning view of Lake Michigan.

Cheese & sweets in Sturgeon Bay

In Sturgeon Bay, drop by Renard’s

Cheese shop and deli. They produce some of the most-loved cheese in the state of Wisconsin. Renard’s offers over 150 types of cheese, but their assortment of aged cheddars — ranging from one- to 15-year-old — are especially popular. If you feel peckish order something from their deli menu.

All items are made fresh. I recommend Renard’s Signature Grilled Cheese, a perfectly pressed sandwich of spinach, bacon, provolone and pesto, with a side of coleslaw. Fun fact – did you know that, unlike here in Canada, cheese curds are yellow in Wisconsin? . . .

Make sure to grab a bag to go.

Looking for something sweet after all that savoury and salty cheese? Pick up some old-fashioned delicacies at Door County Candy. Located in the heart of Sturgeon Bay, this precious shop makes you feel like you’ve fallen asleep and ABOVE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The “graduating class” of Savory Spoon Cooking School. Glidden Lodge Beach Resort on Sturgeon Bay. Goats grazing on the roof of Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant and Bar. Door County Candy, in Sturgeon Bay.

woken up in Candyland. A Sturgeon Bay staple for over 20 years, Door County Candy is truly a family affair.

Expect to be greeted by owner Terry Ullman, or one of his kids, behind the counter whipping up their latest flavour of fudge or cooking up a batch of the shop’s famous kettle corn. With rows and rows of homemade chocolates, taffy, flavoured popcorn, ice cream and more, the shop is such a gem.

Scandinavian brunch in Sister Bay

For a fun brunch experience, travel 45 minutes northeast of Sturgeon Bay to beautiful Sister Bay. Here you’ll find the famous Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant and Bar. It has been a Door County staple for almost 70 years, and for very good reason.

The restaurant’s menu reflects the region’s significant Scandinavian population and features items such as Swedish meatballs and pancakes, pickled herring, Pyttipanna and much more. I recommend the Swedish Pancake Special; a serving of pancakes with a side of lingonberry jam, two eggs and your choice of meat (I choose the meatballs). To drink, order a glass of lingonberry juice–a staple Swedish beverage made from lingonberries, a fruit that grows exclusively in the boreal forest and Arctic tundra across the Northern Hemisphere.

In addition to the great food, Al Johnson’s is known for goats on their specially designed green roof. Yes, real life goats. The goats are out daily from spring through fall, so look up and give them a wave on your way out . . . It really doesn’t get any more unique than that.

Savour tart cherries in Fish Creek

Growing 8- to 15-million pounds of tart cherries annually, Door County is the fourth largest producer in America.

You can’t visit the area without getting a taste of this delicious super fruit.

Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery & Market, located in Fish Creek, is a prime spot to pick up various PHOTOS: KAT WALCOTT

The boil over during a fish boil at Rowleys Bay Restaurant. RIGHT: The cherry pit spitting pit at Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery & Market

cherry products and get a good sense of just how dynamic the fruit is. You will find cherry wines, cherry salsa and, my favourite, thirst-quenching, antioxidant-rich tart cherry juice.

Lautenbach’s also offers cherry picking and guided orchard tours for visitors who want to get up close and personal with these awesome fruits. After the tour, head out back to the “Cherry Pit Spit” — a game to see who can spit their cherry pit the furthest. Can you beat the state record of 48 feet?

Socialize over food in Ellison Bay

Take a cooking lesson at the Savory Spoon Cooking School in Ellison Bay. It is a great bonding experience for families. Run by chef Janice Thomas, the cooking school offers classes in a variety of cooking styles and for different skill levels. Thomas’ sweet and enthusiastic personality will have you feeling like a pro as she guides you through making a delicious meal with locally sourced, high-quality ingredients. In just a couple hours, our group produced a delicious lunch of cherry and pistachio crusted salmon, arugula salad, a blue cheese flan, and a cherry and plum tatin for dessert.

Wrap up your Door County adventure with an exciting fish boil. A culinary tradition in coastal Wisconsin, fish boils date back to the early days of Scandinavian settlement in the region.

They were an efficient way to feed a large crowd while bring the community

together to socialize. The meal consists of white fish, potatoes, onions and salt all thrown into a boiling pot of water on an outdoor fire. The event is led by a “boil master” who takes their job seriously.

There are various spots across the region that offer a fish boil, but Ellison Bay’s Rowleys Bay Restaurant is one of the most popular.The family-owned resort/restaurant hosts fish boils four days a week from spring to fall.The boil takes place on the property’s spacious front lawn where, after grabbing a drink at the bar, diners gather around while a storyteller recounts the history of the region The boil master knows exactly when to add all the ingredients to the pot, activating the exciting “boil over” – when the water and oil in the pot spills over into the fire and creates a huge flame. Rowleys’ fish boil also includes a full-scale buffet.

Make darling Door County part of your next getaway, you won’t be disappointed. It’s an absolute gem, and perhaps Wisconsin’s best kept secret! n visitwisconsin.com 35 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

Fredericksburg Everything you’d expect in Texas and nothing like it at all.

First settled in 1846 by Germans looking to escape the bondage of continental Europe, Fredericksburg is also famously home to Chester Nimitz, commander of the Pacific Fleet during the Second World War, and President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Texas White House”. The town of 10,000 has exceptional museums and attractions while maintaining a small town feel with a distinctly German sensibility.

Arriving at Fredericksburg via the San Antonio international airport, the first thing you notice is the German flag flying next to the American and Texan flags. The buildings are constructed of yellow stones that makes them look like they are straight out of the film 3:10 to Yuma, but there’s also a sense of elegance and a European, yet sill American, feel to the place.

For convenience stay at the Fredericksburg Inn & Suites, located two blocks from Main Street.

Everything in Fredericksburg proper is no more than 20-minutes on foot.

PHOTO: ROBBYN DODD

What makes Fredericksburg unique is just how German it is. Unlike other parts of the United States, this place has retained the culture of its founding citizens. If you want German food try Opa’s. It’s a cute little butcher shop that sells traditional German sausages, made in store, and stocks treats straight from Germany. If you want a German-style breakfast, the Old German Bakery & Restaurant with its very German chef serve German-style pancakes that will humble any appetite, along with American classics like biscuits and gravy.

For a German-style lunch or dinner, Der Lindenbaum serves traditional dishes like schnitzel and currywurst, which rival Berlin for authenticity. The decor will make you forget you are in the U.S. For another unique German experience visit Das Peach Haus. Sitting on the outskirts of town, it is owned by Fischer & Wieser Specialty foods, a local, family-owned company that’s famous across the United States, Mexico and

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Canada for its sauces — the awardwinning Raspberry Chipotle sauce is fantastic! Das Peach Haus is Mark Wieser and Case Fisher's tribute to their earlier business producing jellies and preserves behind their family's peach orchard. The facility's Adventure Cooking School teaches Germanstyle cooking using Fischer & Wieser Specialty foods products. The classes are taught in a high-tech environment with a professional chef.

Another great spot for food is Otto’s German Bistro offers authentic German food like Schnitzel plus fusion-based cuisine, like a German gnocchi dish.

The food is excellent and the owners take immense pride in their German and vintage wine collection, on offer at affordable prices. They also make great German-style deserts like chocolate cake.

There are plenty of historical related activities in town.The Pioneer Museum, located right on the main street, is an excellent place to get acquainted with the unique and interesting history of the town. The masterpiece though is The National Museum of the of Pacific War, built it Fredericksburg because its native son, Chester Nimitz, led the American fleet during the war in Pacific (Second World War). It is a world-class institution and par none PHOTOS: VISITFREDERICKSBURGTX.COM

PHOTO: ROBBYN DODD

PHOTO: MIKE STILLWELL

travel by Mckenzie Donovan

in terms of excellence. The guides are incredibly knowledgeable and take great pride in their work. The museum is detailed enough for any historian to enjoy and yet the exhibits are so easy to grasp that it’s educational for those who know very little of the war. Inside the Museum there are Japanese tanks, float planes from the Imperial Japanese Navy, helmets, uniforms, weapons and other historical items, along with more patriotic items like the flag assembled

by American POWs after their long and brutal captivity in Japanese camps.

Two blocks down the street there’s another hanger of items including a full-sized PT boat similar to the one JFK served on during the war, and a Grumman Avenger bomber identical to the one George W. Bush senior flew during his war service. A few meters away, the museum has established a recreated battle ground for battle reenactments that the public can view for a small fee. The museum is one of the best military museums in the world, and definitely the most impressive in North America.

Just outside of town is Lyndon Johnson’s famous “Texas White House”. It is one spot that is a must-see for anyone travelling to Fredericksburg.A National Historic Park, it is also a working farm with cattle that descend from President Johnson’s herd. The residency has deep historical significance: Johnson would spend almost a quarter of his presidency here in Texas. You can see Johnson’s small jet plane and hanger, as well as the runway and secret service booth outside of the house. Johnson’s residence stands proudly and there is a garage with his famed Lincoln convertibles and amphibious car. It is also possible

PHOTO: MARC BENNET

to view the school Johnson attended as a child and the spot where he signed his first education bill. The Johnson family’s grave plot is on the property and one can pay their respects at LBJ’s and Lady Bird Johnson’s tombstones.

The park includes a living history site that shows what it was like for a turnof-the-century German American family during the First World War era.

Re-enactors are everywhere weaving yarn, baking cookies, and farming using only tools that existed 100 years ago.

Fredericksburg is also home to a large wine culture which is experiencing a renaissance. Becker Vineyard’s is a family-run estate that has a tasting room right on Main Street. If you like red wine their Ranger Hays blend is definitely worth trying but if white wine is more your style, the Viognier is wonderfully refreshing and flavourful.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The quaint Main Sreet of Fredericksburg, Texas.

The strong German influence makes Fredericksburg truly unique. Lyndon B. Johnson's Texas Whitehouse, including his jet, is just outside Fredericksburg. The Pacific Combat Zone is a battle re-enactment facility that simulates the Pacific battlefields.

The National Museum of the Pacific War is a six-acre site that includes a museum dedicated to Admiral Nimitz, the commander of the Pacific fleet. The Pioneer Museum is located right on Main Street. Celebrating 30 years, the Fredericksburg Food and Wine Festival takes place at the end of October.

Heath Sparkling Wines, located about five minutes outside of town, is also a good option. Serving multiple different sparkling wines in a modern tasting facility that feels like a sommelier training facility crossed with a James

PHOTO: MARC BENNET

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PHOTOS: FREDERICKSBURG CVB PHOTO: BLAKE MISTICH

Bond 007 set. The tasting sessions are informative and each wine is paired with an accompanying food. Right next door is the sister company, Grape Creek Vineyards. Their on-site restaurant, Stout’s Trattoria, has gourmet meals with complex flavours. The backdrop of vineyards is romantic and makes you feel like you are in Italy.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: There are many art galleries gracing Main Street Frederiksburg. With over 60-acres and 12 varieties of vines, Fredericksburg wineries are growing award-winning wines. The old-style saloon and country store in nearby Luckenback is famous for live country music.

If you want to relax after some exhausting wine tasting, Farm Haus Bistro at the Herb Farm is a good place for brunch, lunch or dinner. The Herb Farm also has well-furnished,adult-only cabins that make a great alternative to a typical hotel room, and are still within walking distance of Main Street. If you go, plan to take advantage of the 5000 square foot spa.

A close walk from the art district in town, just off the main street, is the Warehouse District, a shopping area full of unique antiques. Look at BlackChalk Home & Laundry imported goods like Moroccan rugs, silks scarves, and leather products. Carol Hicks Bolton Antiques offers some very unique pieces as well that you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere like Icons from the Orthodox Church and revolutionary-era French flags. Another shopping option worth checking out is Gathered and Good, a boutique vintage store, just down the street from the Fredericksburg Inn & Suites, that mixes antiques with upscale home furnishings. If all the shopping is making you feel hungry while, Bejas is a great spot on main street offering authentic Mexican chips, dips, burritos and a very tasty Cuban sandwich. If you’re looking for something sweet, the Pritzer Sweet Shop delivers both American cookies and German classics like chocolate cupcakes and sweet pretzels.

The art galleries in Fredericksburg are wonderful and have some truly lavish works. Frederick Remington-like paintings of the West and elegant bronze statues of cowboys riding broncos. The galleries take great pride is displaying local art. Gallery 330, Artisans — Texas Gallery, The Fredericksburg Good Art company, the RS Hannah Gallery, and the Insight Gallery all sit along Main Street, one can spend hours taking in the works.

About a kilometer down the street lies Studio Massaro, a new gallery in a small house run by namesake Catherine Massaro. The gallery offers funky, modern takes on western themes.

Massaro’s more diverse modern art portfolio is worth checking out.

The old-style saloon and country store, Luckenbach, Texas is a good place to go if you want to catch some country music. It’s worth a visit just to meet

Virgil who works in the store. With his suspenders and cowboy hat, he is my idea of the stereotypical Texan and he never misses an opportunity to crack a joke. Luckenbach is famous for being the hang out for Willy Nelson.

Today, the venue continues to host daily country shows, with a rustic bar to serve the audience and an open-air square-dancing hall with a large stage.

It really gives off the Texas vibe that is portrayed in movies and on television.

If you don’t want to venture outside of Fredericksburg to catch a show, dine while listening to music at the Western Edge Kitchen and Cocktails. Located on main street, it’s a very popular spot with the locals and you are guaranteed to see some country classics live.

Fredericksburg is an interesting place, overtly German while proudly Texan.

The main street is charming and feels like Munich in the Texas Hills.

With attractions like Luckenbach, the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Park nearby, the monumental National Museum of the Pacific War, great wine tasting sites and a great selection of restaurants and shops, there’s definitely something for everyone. Just Go . . .

Jetzt gehen! visitfredericksburgtx.com 39 OTTAWALIFE WINTER 2020

travel by Karen Temple

The Loire Valley

Medieval cities, vineyards, forests and delicious food The regional wines of the Loire Valley are celebrated around the world.

The food, including local cheese, charcuterie, and produce, is simple but spectacular while the vibe is laid-back in this valley of medieval cities that was once home to French kings.

There is a road in that begins in northern France and cuts east with a southern curve to it. It follows the Loire River on the ancient route between Lyon and Rome were the Romans once cultivated grapes, the Vikings and Barbarians invaded, and French kings built breathtaking castles.

Initially fortified dwellings, by the early Renaissance the castles became extravagant hunting lodges and homes for the kings and for the ministers who collected taxes on behalf of the monarch. Hunting, fishing, agriculture (and er . . . castle building) all thrived in this limestone-rich valley known as the ‘Garden of France’.

In the middle of the valley sits the city of Bourge, the capital of France during the 100-Years’ War (mid-15th century to mid-16th century). It likely made practical sense to set up shop here as the fortified wall around the city protected it from the Vikings who besieged it for 15 years before retreating. Incredibly, homes have been built right on top of the ancient wall and appear to mesh almost seamlessly with it.

Inside the wall, the architecture is simply spectacular. There is a combination of stately stone structures and timber40 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

topped ones that all appear to lean in different directions. In its day, Bourge was a big city. As a result of being home to the French government, no expense was spared on creating beautiful buildings. The most spectacular of all is the Gothic/Romanesque Cathedral St Etienne of Bourges. Completed in 1245 it is a wonderful example of flying buttresses and elaborate stone carvings. The stained-glass windows are three high; it is no wonder that the cathedral is a UNESO World Heritage Site. During the WWII the stainedglass was painstakingly removed and hidden away.

Not far away is the Chateau de Chambord. It was built at a time when King Francis I, was looking to signal the glory of the French court. He invited Leonardo da Vinci to help design the

structure. Although there is no paper record of his hand in the construction of Chambord, the castle was built three years after da Vinci’s arrival in the area and was like no other castle in Europe at the time. The double-helix staircase – imagine two intertwining DNAs – is simply amazing. The intricate and ornate towers on the roof are incredible too. When you are there, make sure to pay the extra fee for the HistoPads: an iPad with an app that brings many of the 60 rooms back to life as they were in medieval/early Renaissance times.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Steeped in history, Chinon is the birthplace of Richard the Lionheart. The stained glass windows of St. Etienne of Bourges fill the cathedral with magical coloured light. The city of Bourges has a long history that dates back to the Roman Empire.

The castle is a busy place. The simple price of parking allows visitors free range to the 800 hectare castle grounds where you can rent bikes, boats, bring your own lunch to picnic on the grounds or sit on the patio of the hotel Le Relais and lunch while gazing at the magnificence of the castle.

Roam the castle ground after the gates close and the crowds have left for the day by staying the night at the hotel Le Relais de Chambord. The beautiful, high-end hotel sits on the bank of the Cosson river, facing the castle. With 55 rooms, it is dwarfed by the enormous 440-room castle.

In the small town of Amboise there are two chateaus. One was the summer residence of kings, including Francis 1 and the other is Clos the Luce, more of a manor house, where DaVinci lived out his last few years. Clos de Luce gets very busy in tourist season but is a worthwhile visit to get a sense of the man and his machines, many of which have been reconstructed and can be found both in the bottom level and dotting the park land around the chateau. When you go, make sure you pop across the street for a light lunch or a coffee at Le M’aitre d’Art tea house.

Surprisingly, 86 per cent of the monuments in France are publicly owned. Most have been restored and are lovingly maintained by families such as the Laigneau family who own and operate Chateau du Rivau. The castle looks elegant despite its distinctive defensive features. At first glance, it is almost magical in appearance, like a Disney character might prance across the drawbridge at any moment.

It is renowned for having supplied horses to a young Joan of Arc who helped the French forces and King Charles VII during the 100-Years’ War against the British.

THIS PAGE • CLOCKWISE: The largest castle in the Loire Valley, Chambord also is the busiest. Each day, over 10,000 visitors flock to the castle grounds. An art installation of giant legs appear to run through the trees in the gardens of Chateau du Rivau. The Renaissance influence is seen in the architectural details at Domaine de Chaumon-sur-Loire. The tack room at Domaine de Chaumon-surLoire. A view of Chateau du Rivau and its period-correct vegetable garden.

An art historian (and a landscape architect), Patricia is passionate about supporting the arts. She curates an annual exhibition to showcase the work of 80 artists that is displayed in the halls and walls of the castle, and she commissions art that adds whimsy to the castle’s grounds and gardens.

The Laigneau’s believe passionately that du Rivau is living history that helps visitors comprehend the people and

the society of 15th century France.

Du Rivau is for those who love history, art, and nature and who like to take their time, literally smell the flower, marvel and the art, and sit at the café to enjoy a light meal made from produce grown in the castle’s period-accurate garden.

The castle’s barn has been completely restored and is available for rent as an

Since the 1990s Eric and Patricia Laigneau have lovingly restored the property which had descended into ruins brought on by 300 years of neglect – most of the time serving as a storage facility for hay. For over twenty years they invested in restoring the castle, the grounds, and, ultimately, the community.

PHOTOS: KAREN TEMPLE

41 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

When you go: Air France offers direct flights from Montreal-Pierre

Elliot Trudeau International Airport to Pari-Charles de Gaulle. Consider choosing Premium Economy that allows for two checked bags (23 kg each), 40 per cent extra cabin space, and priority check-in among other perks!

Touring the Loire Valley is best by car. Arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport, avoid Parisian traffic and take a TGV (high speed train) to the town of Tours where car rentals are widely available. There are many travel guide services for groups of all sizes. We toured the Loire Valley with the multi-lingual Mario from Val de Loire Travel.

Biking is also very popular in the Loire Valley. You will not cover as much ground but the 800 kms of routes are well marked and there are more than 500 bike-friendly accommodations along the route.

CLOCKWISE: Clos de Luce is the manor house where Leonardo DaVinci lived out his last years. The beautiful, tiny town of Chavignol is surrounded by vineyards.

Even on a cloudy day, Azay-le-rideau is simply beautiful.

event space. In addition, the family has renovated the second storey of the original stables and created seven beautifully appointed guest rooms, all of which look out over the courtyard and the castle itself.

Domaine de Chaumon-sur-Loire is a must see for art and garden lovers.

For the past 25 years, the garden hosts a themed competition selecting 25 candidates from 300 yearly submission, that are received from around the world. From February to April the winners prepare their gardens. The Domaine’s Centre for Arts and Nature also hold a annual art competition. Look for the original painted, sculpted, and photographed works as you take in the 32-hectare grounds. Six restaurants ranging from fine dining to tea rooms are scattered across the Domaine. You can easily spend a day here!

The castle of Domaine de Chaumonsur-Loire has a colourful history. It 42 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

graced the banks of the Loire river between Blois and Anjou for 500 years before Queen Catherine de Medici purchased it 1550. Three of her sons went on to become Kings of France (Francis II, Charles IX, Henri III). The castle’s last owner was sugar baronnesse Marie-Charlotte-Constance Say who was responsible for having the stables built. Equipped with running water, they were also decorated by Hermes.

Azay-le-rideau is a smaller, unfortified castle renowned for being one of the best examples of Renaissance architecture. This magical looking structure is surrounded on three sides by water. It has been restored as an example of noble living during the early Renaissance.

While you are in the Loire Valley, make sure to enjoy many long, lingering lunches while sipping some of the divine regional wines and cheese. The region literally lives by the 100-mile diet. Located across a canal, down a

dusty road – seemingly in the middle of nowhere, la Bete Noir, in Thauvenay, produces 800 Crottins de Chevignol each day. This is a rare raw-milk cheese that changes in texture and taste as it ages.

The hamlet of Chevignol is surrounded by vineyards. It is ground zero for Sancerre production. The Famille Bourgeois winery proudly boasts being in business for 19 generations, their Sancerre is available in the Vintages section of the LCBO. The family could be modern day chateau owners — certainly if they were in North America they would live in Kardashian-esque opulence. Instead, they appear to live simply, close to the land in this tiny, medieval town. This is the essence of the Loire Valley: while surrounded by the castles of former French kings one is reminded that it is the little things, like good food, fine wine, beautiful art, and good company that are the ingredients most important for a full and happy life n valdeloire-france.com https://ca.france.fr/en PHOTOS: KAREN TEMPLE

opinion by Michael Maidment

Ottawa needs a poverty reduction strategy

ood is arguably the most important F item to people. Most obviously, we need to eat to live, to survive, so why is the issue of food missing from the political conversation in Canada?

Food is all around us. We work to “put food on our tables”. We spend time planning meals, shopping for and preparing food. We celebrate with food; from birthdays to wedding anniversaries and special occasions such as Easter, Christmas, and Eid. We even watch television shows about food.

Canada’s largest employer is food giant George Weston Ltd. and employs over 202,000 people. The list of Canada’s top 20 revenue generating companies contains five food-related organizations where food is a significant part of their revenues (Financial Post FP500 2018 Ranking). Also, according to the advertising industry, Canadians see nearly $160 billion worth of food and drink ads every year.

Yet, despite all our focus on food, over 4 million Canadians are food insecure (Proof 2017). According to Ottawa Public Health, an estimated 13.9 per cent of households do not have enough food. More than 55,000 people report not having enough food to eat, of which 39,078 people visit a food bank in Ottawa each month. Thousands more visit community meal programs to help fill the gap and 13,500 students receive breakfast every day through a school breakfast program.

The question is, how to solve the issue of hunger?

We know that we will not solve the issue of food insecurity by simply PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

A municipal strategy would provide valuable coordination of the non-profit sector and allow the sector to focus on key areas that make a measurable impact. opening more food banks. Once thought to be temporary, food banks are the “emergency room” of the social safety net. It’s an emergency when a family doesn’t have enough food to eat and providing food to that family is what’s needed. However, that food will not reduce the family’s food insecurity. Food insecurity is an income problem, a poverty problem, not a food problem. Therefore, if we want to reduce food insecurity, we first need to reduce poverty.

So how do we reduce poverty?

Basic income is a starting point. While the Ontario government scrapped the Basic Income Pilot, evidence still shows that a basic income is our best opportunity to significantly reduce poverty and food insecurity. Take the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCB) as an example. In Ontario, poverty among families with children has been reduced by 24 per cent since the benefit began.

The CCB is a form a basic income. It targets families living in poverty who have children. What’s interesting is that during the same period since the CCB began, single individuals without children – so no Canada Child Benefit – experienced a 24 per cent increase in poverty.

But what can we do here in the city of Ottawa?

We can start by creating a municipal poverty reduction strategy – although I should likely say “re-creating”. The community created a poverty reduction strategy in 2010, however following a municipal election that year, the strategy was scrapped. A municipal strategy would provide valuable coordination of the non-profit sector and allow the sector to focus on key areas that make a measurable impact. A local strategy would also allow the community to introduce new initiatives, like a series of tax clinics, similar to the ones offered in Hamilton by the Hamilton Roundtable on Poverty, as well as clinics to help people navigate the complex world of Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program.

These simple municipal programs could help people access much needed income already available to them.

So, what are we asking of our municipal leaders?

We need to draw from proven successes – like the Hamilton example, and create a local poverty reduction strategy. With record poverty, record food bank use, and record waitlists for affordable housing, there’s no better time than now.

It is time that our municipal leaders look into the cost of poverty and understand that doing nothing actually costs more than addressing the problem. It is time that they realized a healthy city – free from food insecurity and poverty – benefits us all n Michael Maidment is the Chief Executive Officer Ottawa of the Food Bank.

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public service series part II by Michael R. Bussière

Who exactly is the Government of Canada?

person in “Areal things inspires

touch with real terror in him,” is how one Canadian writer once described a bureaucratic administrator's worst nightmare in the modern era.

The current state of affairs is a long way from the formative days of the PS when holding a pen was qualification one. Imagine a city in which one could map the complexification of government by the rise of bureaucratic epicentres. We call it home.

Government boomed during World War II resulting in the erection of 18 temporary buildings constructed of white timbre all around central Ottawa.

Older residents may remember them at Elgin and Laurier, at Dow’s Lake, and on the sites of the current US Embassy and National Gallery.The last one stood until the 1980s as they were slowly replaced by Lego blocks like Riverside Heights, Tunney’s Pasture, and Place Vanier. Place du Portage transformed downtown Hull from Little Chicago into a brutalist utility. Place de Ville was the city’s first Mies knock-off; Place Ville Marie minus the sex appeal.They stand like filing cabinets, populated by swivel servants who scale mountains of policy papers a required 7.5 hours a day.

In simpler times, “The Government of Canada” meant the ruling party (that changed occasionally) and a professional civil service (that supports policy development, implementation, and continuity). With the growth of government came The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), The Professional Institute of the Public Service (PIPSC), and a bunch of others. Get a government job and bam(!), you’re in a union; unless you’re a contractor, in which case you work

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The old Canada Post headquarters in Ottawa

the same job, you can get canned without warning, and you have to pay for your own massages. The advent of unions also created the current schizoid culture that differentiates between “The Government” and “The Government”.

Unions are there to protect workers from, and negotiate with, “The Government” as employer. There’s been a lot of protection required lately.

It’s not clear from whom or what.

A recent Treasury Board Secretariat report on the state of 2,197 buildings owned by the Crown in the National Capital Region describes a stunning degree of neglect. 187 buildings are in critical condition and 409 are ranked as poor, totaling about 27 per cent overall. Only 31 per cent rank as being in good condition. Then, as if Soviet-era buildings aren’t bad enough, there was the little matter of bedbugs.

Government workers started noticing the little buggers in federal buildings in several cities; presumably not in beds, unless nap time was a stealthy contract clause.

PSAC immediately called upon “the government” to take action to ensure “that bed bugs won’t follow them home and impact their families,” meaning; Catherine McKenna in a hazmat suit giving everybody the once-over before they O-Train it outta there. These are shocking problems regarding the working conditions of thousands of

public servants, especially considering the properties are managed as per contracts awarded by, you guessed it, public servants. If ghetto plague and droopy ceilings weren’t bad enough, there is the whole Phoenix pay system debacle. Here’s the 411 for those of you not being overpaid, underpaid, or not paid at all.

Phoenix, like building deterioration, has occurred under two political watches. It all began in 2009 as part of what the Harper government called The Transformation of Pay Administration Initiative.The plan was that an automated payroll system would save taxpayers $70 million annually. All political parties concurred. IBM’s PeopleSoft software was selected to do the trick in a sole-source contract at a cost of $5.7 million.The whole thing would be run

by Public Services and Procurement Canada out of the new payroll HQ in Miramichi, New Brunswick. Phoenix would serve 101 departments and nearly 300,000 employees. Three Harper ministers oversaw various stages of implementation.

The Phoenix contract somehow ballooned to $185 million, leaving the Tories to look for cost-saving measures for their cost-saving measure. The solution was for public servants to assume responsibility for training from IBM, deviating from the recommended model. Carrie Bendzsa of IBM

confirmed that, "Responsibility for training design and execution was transferred to the Crown in March 2014.” Blame ping-ponged back and forth once serious problems emerged under the current government.

"There was a cost associated with training, and it was made clear to me that the Conservatives opted to go with the train-the-trainer model versus buying the IBM training approach. In this case, savings were prioritized before the project was fully implemented," said Liberal Judy Foote, the minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada at the time. By all accounts, Foote, an experienced and highly capable professional who genuinely took Phoenix to heart, never received warnings from either senior government managers nor from the independent report by Gartner Consulting that was dismissed by those officials. Throughout the early stages of the calamity, PIPSC President Debi Daviau never once blamed Foote, who always assumed full responsibility, as a good professional would.

Auditor General Michael Ferguson revealed the rot in May 2018,by which time about 80 per cent of 290,000 public servants were experiencing Phoenix grief. The Standing Senate Committee on National Finance labeled the whole f-up an “international embarrassment” Ferguson called it “an incomprehensible failure of project management and oversight.”

He blamed three unnamed senior managers, public service phantoms in a mysterious layer of government which is neither unionized nor politically accountable. “I think there may well be opportunities to improve the accountability regime,” opined the AG. “One of them is to look at the number of layers of executives and whether or not that number of layers facilitates the effective flow of information.”

All three no-names have since been shuffled or retired and given a sweet bonus, in spite of a dreamy $70 million a year in savings mutating into a repair bill that could top $2.2 billion by 2023. Add in the collective fiduciary nightmare of public servants and it’s enough to make your pinhead spin.

Ferguson summed up the outrage in polite, bureaucratic language. “We do need to look at the capacity of the Government of Canada for removals.”In other words, fire their asses! Gullibility and fear of culpability by two political parties collided with union agendas and shadowy bureaucratic agents to create a Rubik’s Cube of accountability.

Taxpayers are probably wondering why a professional public service that cannot keep the bedbugs from biting would it be trusted to implement a sophisticated payroll system.

Gullibility and fear of culpability by two political parties collided with union agendas and shadowy bureaucratic agents to create a Rubik’s Cube of accountability.

Taxpayers are probably wondering why a professional public service that cannot keep the bedbugs from biting would it be trusted to implement a sophisticated payroll system.

Where were unions when all of this was unfolding? PIPSC President Debi Daviau issued a rebuttal to the AG’s depiction of “an obedient public service fearful of making mistakes.”

“It’s true,” Daviau asserts, “numerous warnings about Phoenix and countless pleas not to proceed with it (including from PIPSC and other unions) went inexplicably unheeded.” If PSAC/ PIPSC members saw the train wreck coming, why would they not have thrown themselves in front of it by walking off the job right then and there to prevent thousands of their sisters and brothers from being royally screwed?

Daviau defended them, claiming they were still intimidated by Harper, three years after his defeat. So why, postfacto, has PSAC/PIPSC never once supported strike action, especially by members who have received no pay whatsoever under Phoenix?

An old beat cop investigating a crime would have said, “If it doesn’t make sense, it’s probably not the truth.”

Project management and procurement are perhaps the most front-facing roles of the public service. Build stuff, buy stuff.You’d think building stuff must be the more challenging of the two, given all of the stagnant or dead-end NCC botch jobs around town. This is the agency that spent $35 million to build a pavilion about Canada and The World, to the express objections of national museums whose own programming mandates were being trod upon. They insisted it was pointless. The business plan on this one obviously had as much professional expertise behind it as the concept itself.

Up went CATW’s new home on perhaps the most stunning piece of real estate in the city. They built it, right next to Rideau Falls, but nobody came. Really. Nobody. Ever.

NCC might has well have built a pay toilet on top of the Centennial Flame. It became a tool shed for years before being rented at $200k annually, meaning it will be paid for in the year 2195, give or take astro-inflation. Hands up if you think anyone was fired (moron that later…).

Ok, so then there’s procurement, no doubt a complex process that requires tremendous planning and analysis — but isn’t that what a professional public service does? Laurier’s civil service procured the inception of the Royal Canadian Navy. Mackenzie King’s wartime cabinet committee, led by C. D. Howe, expanded it into the 4th-largest navy in the world. The public service has a long tradition from which to learn the ancient bureaucratic craft of spending money.

So why have comedians been making jokes about military equipment since the great Dave Broadfoot got laughs out of Ronald Reagan and Alexander Haig with his, “The US now claims to have invented invisible weapons. Hell, that's all Canada's got!” zinger? Right in front of PE Trudeau no less, who probably wished he’d thought of that one himself.

Brian Mulroney became PM shortly after that state visit and was determined to croon his way into America’s heart.

Military procurement and free trade would surely go hand in hand. The 45 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

time had come to renew Canada’s maritime patrol and search and rescue helicopters, unquestionably near the top of the big-ticket item list and a purchase that would require the highest technical expertise. Home Depot lists 2,993 commodes on its website, down which procurement officers could flush tax dollars; but how many helicopters could there be to choose from? Granted, helicopters, like computers, are enormously complex machines, but that would only serve to diminish the number of options available for purchase.

when it came time to replace the 30year old McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet fighter jets.

development contracts to member states.That never happened, and Harper eventually scuppered the whole deal.

Canada and other countries had already signed on to the F-35 development consortium at the behest of the US Defence Department.The decision was driven by economics, not procurement.

Alan S. Williams was the Assistant Deputy Minister of National Defence who signed the original industrial participation agreement, who clarified that Canadian companies were allowed to compete for contracts within the program, and the Canadian Forces would receive insider information regarding the F-35 as a possible future replacement for the CF-18s. The

The Bureaucracy is the only continuity in government, in both the military and the broader public service.

Command and control flows from the top down in any hierarchical system, but information needs to flow both ways. Research flows up to where it is eventually supposed to coalesce into a top-level decision. It takes plenty of eyes and hours to analyze thousands of pages of documents, and plenty of brains to reduce it all down to the salient Two years into its first mandate, the points. But government procurement Mulroney government selected the seems to have become more about Augusta Westland EH-101 to replace risk avoidance versus communicating the ageing Sea Kings, which were sound logic. Any contractor who already showing signs of failure. The has ever been invited to develop It takes plenty of eyes price tag was $5.8 billion. Thing is, a concept with any government eight years later not a single EHdepartment or agency has likely and hours to analyze thousands 101 had been deployed, giving spent interminable hours with of pages of documents, and the opportunity for the incoming a half-a-dozen bureaucrats who Chrétien government to cancel would without warning pull the plenty of brains to reduce it all the order, at a cost of $500 million plug in the 11th hour. Silicon Valley down to the salient points. in fees. He couldn’t have done that has an obscene term for it: brain had the delivery schedule not been Live in Ottawa long enough But government procurement seems rape. permitted to move like the glaciers. and you’ll hear the horror stories.

The Chrétien government was successful in moving Canada away from a banana republican fiscal cliff and into the budgetary red, but military procurement didn’t exactly ramp up to supersonic speed.

28 CH-148 Cyclones from Sikorsky were ordered in 2004 by the Martin government. Technical issues delayed the arrival of the first 6 for another 11 years. The original delivery date was 2005. DND documents began questioning the overall suitability of the product, not surprising considering that the procurement was so overdue and the requirements so out of date.

What somebody failed to anticipate was that air crews were unable to begin training by the 2016 deadline because of a lack of trained technical and ground crew personnel.

In 2012, then Defence Minister Peter MacKay called it “the worst procurement in the history of Canada,” hyperbole aimed at the previous government from a man whose own government had already been in power for six years. Cocky MacKay stepped in his own pile of procurement manure 46 OTTAWALIFE SPRING 2020

to have become more about risk avoidance versus communicating sound logic.

Harper government proceeded with a memorandum of understanding in 2006 to further invest in the consortium, securing assurances that Canadian companies could bid on supply contracts. The RCAF had concluded that the as-yet-to-be developed F-35 would suit its needs and budget. That’s when the clown train crashed.

In June 2010, Peter MacKay announced the government would buy the F-35s.

90 minutes later, he said he’d goofed and announced there will be an open competition. Six weeks later, MacKay announced that Canada would purchase 65 F-35s for $9 billion. The all-in totals ballooned out of control.

In April 2012 Auditor-General John Ferguson revealed it would cost $25 billion including operating costs for the first 20 years alone, and $45 billion over the 30-year anticipated lifespan.

The original consortium deal was to bring major savings and lucrative

Scale a one-person contract fiasco up to the level of military procurement, add in what former AG Sheila Fraser identified as a tendency to contrive numbers that under-estimate and under-state costs, keep transparency at all levels as opaque as possible, and you get what the great Allan ‘Dr. Foth’ Fotheringham used to call “muddifying the fuzzification.”

David Perry of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute estimates that nearly 25 per cent of all money allocated by federal budgets for defence procurement annually goes unspent, due largely to bureaucratic clogs, outdated practices and competing factions within the military itself. It goes like this: Assemble a huge team to design a horse; end up with a donkey.

Cover your asses, create a void, fill in with convolution, defer to team two, and start again.

We’ve come a long way since the days when C. D. Howe led the total mobilization of all national resources to the war effort. We’ll all be speaking North Korean before that ever happens again n

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