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SUMMER 2018
OH CANNABIS
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Davina Pearl IS A REAL GEM
Get Sidified
OTTAWA BUSINESS WOMEN AND THE ARISTOCRAT OF SCENT GET TOGETHER TO SUPPORT THE CROHN’S AND COLITIS FOUNDATION THE REAL
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SUMMER 2018 VOLUME 20
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NUMBER 3
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Recognized for his “fabulous” appearances as the host of Get Sidified, Sid Cratzbarg is the man about town. Eleven years ago, he was in a fight for his life. Every year he hosts the Get Sidified (Crohn’s and Colitis) Gala to raise money for the disease that almost killed him . . . .find out who’s helping him in this important task!
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PHOTO: SEAN SISK PHOTOGRAPHY
OPIOID series
contents
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Dr. Carlos Lalonde is the Chief of Psychiatry for Corporate Services at Homewood Health. Dr. Terry Lake is the former B.C. Health Minister who moved to Ottawa last year to join the local rising star in medical marijuana production Hydropothecary Corp. Both Lalonde and Lake are experts in Canada’s battle to fight the scourge of opioids.
Faith
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Ottawa-based think tank Cardus has released a report showing a doubling of the number of middle-aged Canadians choosing to cohabitate rather than marry. Report author Peter Jon Mitchell says that the “not tying the knot” social trend carries risks for society.
National pharmacare — now!
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Keith Newman is a board member with the Canadian Health Coalition and he says that a National Pharmacare Plan will improve health and reduce costs. So, what are we waiting for?
Pipelines and people
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CEPA says building pipelines and protecting the environment are compatible. Integrity First program focuses on improvement, accountability, transparency and ultimately, public acceptance of pipelines.
China emerges
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G7 countries bicker and fight and impose trade sanctions on each other while China is humming along, leading the world’s largest infrastructure project — the $5-trillion Belt and Road (Silk Road) initiative. As U.S. President Donald Trump lashes out at his other allies, China builds bridges with its win-win strategy while encouraging the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and other nations to embrace free trade and multilateralism.
It's easy to love Turkey
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Ballooning in Cappadocia, visiting historic Ephesus, dining out in Alacati or visiting the sites and beaches near Izmir should be on every traveler’s bucket list.
columns
Publisher’s message ...................................... 4 Best picks .................................................... 5 Around town: Davina Pearl ........................... 8 In search of style ........................................ 9 Savvy Selections .......................................... 10 Gallery: Anna Williams ............................... 12 Life after addiction ....................................... 19 Fighting the tide of opioids .......................... 20 DC Canada Education Publishing ............ 43 Saint Paul University ..................................... 44 Opinion: Greg Vezina ............................... 46
series
Health/A Second Chance at Life .............. 15 Faith in Canada .................................... 24 Pharmacare ......................................... 27 Pipelines, people & progress .................... 28 Oh Cannabis ......................................... 29 Canada/China Friendship ....................... 38
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message by Mckenzie Donovan
Sir John A: To be or not to be
T
he Sir John A. Macdonald statue in Victoria was removed recently to the dismay of most Canadians. It was yet another attempt of virtue signaling by the far left, this time led by the very patronizing mayor of this B.C. city, Lisa Helps. Helps is a pro at this kind of thing. First, after narrowly winning the mayoralty race in 2014, Helps refused to take the traditional oath of allegiance because, in her view, Victoria rose on the ancestral lands of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations and that wasn’t recognized in the traditional pledge. She is now discarding Sir John A. in the same manner. It’s all outrage and bluster, instead of a calm, middle path that would accommodate both traditionalists and Indigenous peoples in the case of the oath, and both the proper historical context and a learning moment in the case of the Sir John A. statue. This is not the first time Sir John A. has been the target of revisionist history by politicians trying to stain the legacy of our founding father. The statue debacle in Canada follows the removal of Confederate statues across the southern United States in the wake of the Charlottesville,Va. incident, in 2017. The removal of statues of Robert E. Lee and Nathan Bedford Forest was long overdue. Unlike Sir John A., the Confederacy was a true evil in history; fighting to uphold the institution of slavery. It makes sense that Americans took them down. As well, most were erected in the decades after the Civil War by neo-confederates whose goal was to frighten the newly emancipated African-American population. Sir John A. Macdonald though was not a Confederate, a genocidal dictator or a criminal of any variety. Our first prime minister was responsible for the Confederation of Canada, the expansion of the country from coast to coast through the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway and for defending our sovereignty from American expansionism. Macdonald was many things — a complex man, a troubled man — but he was a great man in the scope of history. His policies towards Indigenous peoples were at times troubling and that needs to be recognized in the context of the day, including in the historical literature and today’s education curriculum. There can be a learning moment for future generations if Canadians can discuss Sir John A. in a meaningful and relevant way.Yes, he was part of a system that created the residential schools and bears some responsibility for the death of Louis Riel. Macdonald was not a man of today's standard but of his own times. Like many great leaders, he was flawed. However, just tossing him out to accommodate a current whiff of political correctness is counterproductive. Where do we draw the line? The last residential school closed in 1996, which means that every Canadian prime minister up until Paul Martin was complicit in the system. Do we take down statues of Mackenzie King who helped to defeat fascism in World War II or Pierre Trudeau who created the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, or even Lester B. Pearson the first Canadian to win the Nobel Peace Prize? Sir Winston Churchill helped save the world in World War II, yet he also allowed famine to ravage India and helped to partition and destroy Ireland’s economy in the 1920s. Those were different times and Churchill’s legacy goes beyond his wrongdoings. Would we ever compare Churchill to Hitler or Stalin? Imagine, though, that some have the audacity to suggest that Sir John A. Macdonald is in the same category as some of history’s most diabolical figures. This is just simpleton thinking that does not help, in the least, advance our relationship with Indigenous peoples today We must not erase our own history simply because it is sometimes difficult. We must confront it intelligently, make peace with it, learn from it and reconcile the past with those it affected n 4 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
publisher/managing editor
Dan Donovan copy editor Dave Gross art director Karen Temple director of operations Maria Alejandra Gamboa web editor/features writer Tori McNeely cover
Sean Sisk Photography: siskphoto.ca Make up: CoreyJStone.com Thank you to Mizrahi Developments for the use of the 1451 Wellington Street Presentation Gallery. The perfect shoot location! photographers Ping Hu, Stacey Newman, Sean Sisk Photography, Karen Temple video Brittany and Amanda van Frankfoort fashion editor Alexandra Gunn accounts Joe Colas C.G.A bookkeeper Joan Hamilton contributing writers Anne Dion, Dan Donovan,
Mckenzie Donovan, Milton Frieson, Alexandra Gunn, Anna Jonas, Jonathan Marshall, Tori McNeely, Keith Newman, Julie Paquette, Debbie Trenholm, Peter Stockland, Greg Vezina web contributors Anne-Marie Brugger, Anne Dion, Maria Alejandra Gamboa, Dave Gross, Andre Gagne, Jennifer Hartley, Don Maclean, Alex Mazur, Owen Maxwell, Isabel Payne, Mona Staples, Kat Walcott, Keith Whittier social media manager Kat Walcott social media Anne Dion, Anna Jonas, Kat Walcott student intern Sophie O’Reilly corporate advisor J. Paul Harquail, Charles Franklin, Dennis Mills 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 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 $50.00, includes postage, plus HST (six issues). Two years $80.00, includes postage, plus HST (12 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.
best picks
BlackBerry is Back This year, BlackBerry Mobile launched its exceptionally well-designed BlackBerry Key2. With an improved keyboard, increased speed key and impressive battery, the device was designed for doing more on the go. Its profile is striking and the performance is excellent too. The company focused on improving areas of criticism from the first phone, especially with regards to performance. The new device has a beefier Snapdragon 660 platform along with 6GB of RAM in every model. It enables an ample 64 or 128GB of storage. Powered by Android, you can do more on your Blackberry with one single charge as the Key2 has a battery life of up to two days.
Luxury In Lake Placid Mirror Lake Resort and Spa is conveniently located only three hours from Ottawa. Lake Placid’s Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa is a time-honoured, luxury lakefront resort. Mirror Lake Inn offers guests an authentic Adirondack experience, world-class cuisine and aweinspiring views. The inn is a recent recipient of the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award of
Tea Time In The Capital One of the world’s oldest and most richly-flavoured tea is at last available in Canada. Kusmi Tea began in Russia in 1867 and is now sold worldwide, with 85 boutiques in 35 countries and a selection of 100 different tea blends. This summer, Kusmi Tea opened its doors
Excellence for the 34th consecutive year. In Lake Placid, the inn holds the No. 1 spot for lodging, fine dining and spa, according to the latest rankings on TripAdvisor. No matter the season, Lake Placid’s Mirror Lake Inn is the i deal destination with a great number of fun things to do. mirrorlakeinn.com
in the Rideau Centre. With every kind of tea you can imagine and flavours from around the world, tea lovers are tripping over each other to try this storied brand. Try the famous Bouquet de Fleurs (the favourite flavour of tzar Alexander II) or steep some of their new Wellness Blend collection. ca-en.kusmitea.com
Relocations The final book in the Uzun Ali trilogy, Relocations is a historical fiction written by Canadian professor and Turko-Cypriate expat, Ozay Mehmet. The gripping story follows the life of two star-crossed lovers — a Turkish man name Yusuf and his Armenian lover, Tamara — at a crux in the road of history. The story is set to the backdrop of the incredible journeys they both face while the decline of the Ottaman empire and WWI occur and the different life changes both chararaters must survive for other reasons than their ethnicity and faith. The tale is one of vast journeys, tragedy and restitution. //books.google.ca/
Drink Coffee, ReDuce, ReUse Nepresso has partnered with Canada Post to launch the Red Bag Capsule Recylcling Solution. Best part — it's free. Get your bag from Nespresso Canada, fill it with used Nespresso aluminm capsules and drop it in your local mail box for shipping to a recycling centre where the coffee grounds are separated from the capsule. The grounds become compost while the aluminium is repurposed into products like the limitededition Carna d’Ache 849 Nepresso ballpoint pen and the Victonox limited edition Original Swss Army Knife. Enjoy Nespresso's newest Creatista Uno or the Lattissima One machine. nesspresso.com/ca/recycling
books?isbn=1842902539 5 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
VG5 BlueTooth Speaker The powerful Soundcat VG5 Bluetooth speaker with its six inch subwoofers is a premium device with clear, amplified sound that is made for people who are serious about their music. It's large, but still portable, splash-resistant design makes it perfect for the backyard or the dock. The VG5 has a capacitive touch keypad and fuel gauge LED array that may sound complicated but makes it simple to use. Pair two VG5 together for twice the volume! gosoundcast.com
OneEleven opening doors for Ottawa’s tech community A promising new hub for hi-tech start-ups is blossoming in the heart of Ottawa’s downtown, and lighting a beacon for companies that have an eye towards rapid development. OneEleven, a global scaleup hub designed to grow businesses in the technology sector opened its doors to the city in mid-July, providing support for up to 15 start-ups. Heading up the office in Canada’s capital is local Ottawa entrepreneur, Brad Forsyth who has 30 years of experience in business development and start-up consultation in the National Capital Region. Membership in OneEleven’s hub involves engagement with the peer community — hence the open concept workspaces — and simultaneous learning and teaching with other groups that share its creative environment. “They have to have product market fit, this phase where they know the product they have existing (not the one they’re promising) is good enough that they can make sales with it,” said Forsyth. OneEleven hopes that within a year, the space will be at capacity for their Class A start-up clients, with more floors opening to meet demand. oneeleven.com
ON THE OTTAWA RIVER DAY TRIPS AND OVERNIGHT PACKAGES 1-800-461-7238 6 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
PHOTO: SCOURTESY ONEELEVEN
best picks
The Big and Beautiful LG G6
OLM's Maria Gamboa spent some time getting to know LG’s flagship phone, the LG G6. The LG G6 is a classy-looking phone and its large 5.7 inch, 18:9 FullVision display fits in your hand comfortably. That’s a lot of real estate but the sculpted aluminum body with its rounded corners and narrow bezels is so sleek that it feels effortless. You can take big photos too. The unique 125 wide-angle rear lens takes dual 13-megapixel pics and videos allowing you to get more in every shot. The camera has many shooting modes including the wideangle front lens’ auto-shot and auto-gesture feature that snaps a photo once a face is detected. The new scrollable gallery makes viewing your camera roll easier. With 32GB of on board storage and an option for up to an added 2TB MicroSD expansion there is room for all of your selfies. The all-day 3,300mAh battery is fantastic. The enhanced Doze mode uses as little battery as possible and, with average use, lasts up to two days on a full charge. Google’s Android Nougat operating system has been optimized to take advantage of the extended screen while Google Assistant answers your voice-activated commands and questions. When it comes to apps, the G6 has all the essential default apps as well as split-screen multi-tasking — very practical! In addition, there is a very handy Smart Cleaning app that helps get rid of any junk bogging down your phone. There are a few added features such as three default home screen styles to choose from. I prefered the traditional home screen with an app drawer. I also like the Smart Settings that let you set your mobile to behave in a certain way when you're at home, away, or say, when you plug in a pair of earphones. You’ll love what the extra screen length does for the keyboard. The LG G6 has a numbers row, and predictive text row switched on, along with the virtual home, back, and multitasking buttons. The keyboard takes the half of the screen making it visible and clear while being simple and efficient. The fingerprint scanner which doubles as a power button is located on the back of the phone. It's easy to use and enhances the phone’s look from the front. It is an elegant and sophisticated mobile that is also practical. It's waterproof shell, that resists up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes, is a lifesaver of a feature. I love the LG G6. It has raised the bar for Smartphones. www.lg.com
Watt For Watt:
bringing the energy The Watt For Watt Initiative founded by Switch Energy was launched this past June. The goal of the project is to divert resources to the ‘rising billion’ people on Earth without a source of reliable energy. In partnership with Demand Renewables, Focus Forward for Indigenous Youth, the Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-operative and CanSIA, the initiative pledges to donate a percentage of its sales towards communities facing energy poverty. Their first collaborative project involves the construction of the Wiikwemkoong Greenhouse for Change, a studentmaintained building that will create renewable energy and educate youths on the power of independent energy production. “Our main focus is to end energy poverty in our generation,” said Daniel Edwards, vice-president operations at Watt For Watt. The students will be taught sustainable energy production in the greenhouse and will offer insights on how energy fuels the rest of the community. Watt For Watt’s premier partner, Demand Renewables, helped bring the Wiikwemkoong greenhouse project to fruition. One of the leading alternative energy brands in Canada, Demand Renewables understands the importance of giving back to disadvantaged groups. “We believe that reinvesting into alternative energy will benefit communities in this country and elsewhere in the world,” said CEO, Peter Basso. This project is the first of many for the Watt For Watt initiative and proves that no community is too small to make a difference in energy, so long as others join to make a brighter future a reality. maketheswitch.ca
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around town by Tori McNeely
Davina Pearl Davina Pearl Groups and the Power of Live Music
and the power of live music out what makes you distinct Figure and go for it. That is the advice Ottawa-based saxophone player Davina Pearl would offer to someone considering a career in music. It is also precisely the philosophy that she has followed as she made her way from musician to bandleader. At age 11, Davina Pearl picked up her first instrument. At age 16, she started giving lessons. At age 17, she played her first restaurant gig. Nothing topped the feeling of playing in a band. “Most musicians just love to play and don’t want to deal with any of the peripheral demands, especially when it comes to self-promotion. I was certainly one of them,” said Pearl. “But at one point a little light went on, and I realized I just needed to get over myself and get out there.” Now Ottawa’s highly skilled and versatile saxophone player is leading 8 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
her own groups. In 2014, Davina Pearl Groups was born out of Pearl’s passion for live music and her desire to help people take their event to the next level: Live music, tailored just for you. That is the promise that Davina Pearl Groups makes to clients. Elegant, engaging, tasteful and perfectly suited to the occasion. Never too loud is feedback they consistently get from clients. Davina is committed to making each of her events a standout. She delves into the details, both practical and artistic, working closely with each client to determine what type of group would work best for their particular event.
long, I realized that I could put that knowledge and experience to good use for anyone who finds themselves in that position. I’ve witnessed it over-andover again, and my clients will attest, how live music can elevate an event from pleasant, to totally breathtaking.” If emotions have sound, that sound is music. Pearl’s passion for playing live stems from the emotional connection that music builds between everyone gathered in the performance space, be they members of the band, or the audience. “The power of live music brings people together, makes them feel connected. And creates a sense of occasion.
From solo piano or harp, to cocktail trio, to string quartet, to dance band, Davina will call on her finest musicians to ensure clients receive the best musical option available.
“It’s about telling a story, and staying true to it from beginning to end, in order to move people and allow them to connect to themselves and each other,” said Pearl.
“If you’re planning an event, you are thinking about all the details, the venue, the catering, the flowers – it’s already overwhelming. I’ve been working in bands, and organizing bands for so
Davina Pearl Groups will absolutely make you believe in the power of live music n davinapearl.net
in search of style by Alexandra Gunn
Style
Congrats, you’re pregnant! Your challenge for the next nine months is dressing a growing baby bump without sourcing an entirely new wardrobe. Seems simple, right? However, the day-to-day effort of pulling together items you already own while ensuring the outfit is comfortable can be a challenge. The desire to appear pulled together and stylish can seem overwhelming — but pregnancy is an opportunity to break all of the fashion “rules” around body shape. Some might be drawn to form fitting clothing such as stripes to accentuate their bump while others might prefer to cover up the growing the bump.The good news is that there is no set ‘look’ so have fun . . . The possibilities are endless. With two pregnancies under my belt, here’s what I have learned:
Follow Alex on Twitter: @AlexandraGunn
TIPS
PHOTO:PING HU
MATERNITY
1. Plan ahead.
2. Create a space in your closet for maternity clothes. 3. Watch how celebrity bloggers tackle pregnancy style — even the most fashionable struggle to dress a body shape that changes daily. 4. Don't forget to plan ahead for the nursing stage!
Jessica Alba
Malin Akerman
Megan Fox
Nicky Hilton
t Topshop
t Aritzia’s TNA
Atmosphere leggings $60 I’ve been living in high-waisted TNA leggings from Aritzia. I’d recommend buying a few pairs and expect to wear them throughout your pregnancy and afterwards as you return to your pre-baby shape.
Winners Blush u Pink Kimono $24.99 Maintaining a professional look can be achieved with a belted wrap top or a blazer which can be unbuttoned as required.
Olivia Wilde
Maternity Jeans available at the Bay
Whether you opt for a pair that sits below your bump or well above, jeans will remain the foundation of your maternity look.
la Vie en Rose_$44.95 u With one-hand release clips for nursing, the new la Vie en Rose collection of bras feature comfort and softness.
Winners u Palm Leaf Jacket $129.99
Blazers, trench coats and jackets of all sorts are an easy way to update your wardrobe as most toppers will fit . . . even if they don't zip or button shut!
t Canada Goose Hat $125
t 7AM Enfant Feminist Backback $78
>>Maternity Must Haves
>>>>>> Pregnancy Must Haves
Chrissy Teigen
Staying shaded during pregnancy is key to not overheating but also to avoid the dreaded sun spots and sunburn that is more likely to occur during pregnancy.
Being hands free is essential and this backpack offers pockets for bottles, a laptop compartment and a padded changing pad.
t Boob Design,
Simone ShortSleeved Dress $72.50
Boob Design offers the most innovative solutions for nursing and timeless fashion that can be worn during multiple pregnancies. Available at Fab Baby Gear. 9 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
savvy selections by Debbie Trenholm
PHOTOS: SAVVY COMPANY
Clink & Drink Pink
When the temperatures are rising, I think the best way to cool down is with a glass of Rosé wine. Crisp, dry & refreshing, with loads of floral aromatics & ripe juicy tastes that makes one glass turn into two…then a few more!
osé wines are perfect for this time R of the year for many reasons – quenches your thirst, easy to drink, low-ish in alcohol (usually 11-12 per cent) and pairs with many summertime foods – especially picnic fare. Unlike other styles of wine, Rosés can be made with any grapes – a single variety or a blend of many. Winemakers have the liberty to use anything from the vineyard to craft a Rosé wine like an artist creating a masterpiece.
Every spring, I round up our team of Sommeliers to sample just-released Rosé wines made throughout Ontario. Usually there are 50 bottles on the table of varying hues of pink made from Shiraz, Gamay, Pinot Noir and Merlot grapes. There are blends with a splash of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio too. It is really safe to say that every Rosé is an expression of the winemaker’s talent. How is Rosé wine made?
from the juice and allow it to ferment into alcohol in a stainless steel tank. I have yet to come across a Rosé wine that has been barrel aged.
Rosé is the fastest growing wine style in Australia . . . and at our Savvy Taste & Buy event this past April, of the top five wines ordered, three were Rosé.
All total, Rosé wine takes a few months to make from harvest to bottling. Whereas red wine takes a few years. Aside: red wine goes through the exactly same winemaking process, yet, the skins are left in the juice for several weeks to extract the full amount of red pigment into the wine.
Go into the LCBO and the shelves will be stocked high of Rose wines from all over the world. If you are wondering where to start — try one from Tavel region in France. The wineries in this small wine region near Provence exclusively make Rosé wines.
According to Bloomberg News, Rosé has surpassed red wine in popularity in France (it’s been outselling white wine since 2008). In the US, sales soared 41 per centin 2015, meanwhile,
TIPS FROM THE PRO 1 Rosé wines do not get better with age. Rule of thumb: drink before Christmas the year that you bought the wine.
It’s all in the skins. The majority of grapes used in winemaking have a white flesh, so when crushed, the grape juice is white. The grape skins of red grape varieties – Merlot, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc etc – contain a red pigment. After the grapes have been crushed and the juice is collected, the winemaker keeps the skins in with the juice for a few hours or couple of days in order to achieve the colour that they want for the wine.
2 Typically Rosé wines come in a clear bottle so you can enjoy the colour before opening the bottle. Don’t leave on the counter, rather in a cool dark place like in your fridge.
The next step is to separate the skins
5 Price points are usually $15 - 30
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3 Chill in the fridge for 20-30 mins before serving….as the Rosé wine warms up, notice how the taste changes too. 4 Rosés are not all sweet wines – trust us. Pink Zinfandel from California or those called ‘blush’ are often sweeter.
Considered the benchmark for many winemakers, a Tavel Rosé is bone dry, crisp with zippy acidity. From there, explore Rosé from every corner of the wine world. Be sure to sample some from our own backyard too. At Savvy Company, we showcase Canadian wines, here are some that you should be on the lookout for this summer: 13th Street Winery Burger Blend Rosé VQA 2017 $14.95, Twenty Valley (Niagara Escarpment) This off-dry Rosé combines 4 red grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Pinot Noir. Beautiful, summery notes of strawberries and orange with a hint of red cherry with bracing acidity and it’s that sweet and sour affect that real makes this wine a pleaser. Try this with a chilled cucumber soup, or as the name suggests…anything from the BBQ.
Colchester Ridge Estate Winery ‘Red Sky at Night’ Rosé VQA 2017 $16.95, Lake Erie North Shore Made with 100% Merlot grapes grown in the southernmost wine region of Canada. Looks light red more than pink in your glass, there are loads of ripe wild strawberry and strawberry jam aromas and flavours. Stunning! BBQed chicken, rainbow trout or a feast of ribs! Casa-Dea Estates Winery Dea Cuvée Sparkling VQA 2015 $21.95, Prince Edward County Casa-Dea’s winemaker Paul Battilana was originally trained as a butcher, before he made the leap to winemaking after his curiosity transformed his career. And the wine industry is taking note as he was recently named by MacLean’s Magazine ‘one of the Canadian winemakers to watch’. Pretty in the glass, this sparkling wine is refreshing, bright, and reminds us of summer…all throughout the year. Light aromas of strawberry and juicy peaches, the acidity of this wine makes is perfect to start any occasion.
Pondview Estate Winery Cabernet Franc Rosé VQA 2016 $16.95, Four Mile Creek (Niagara-onthe-Lake) Old World-style in pale peach flecked with bright orange. A nostalgic bouquet brings midway cotton candy and candied apples to mind. The wine’s high acid produces a lively ‘spritz’ effect on the palate, with flavours of mango, passionfruit and white pepper, and lingering herbs on the finish. Uncork when you have grilled Italian sausages, a picnic or Fish Tacos. Westcott Vineyards Delphine Rosé VQA 2017 $16.95, Twenty Valley (Niagara) Last year, this Rosé it sold out in three weeks, so the Westcott family made sure that they made plenty more this year to last all summer. Crafted using a blend of Cabernet Franc and “just a little” Pinot Noir. Dry with notes of raspberry and strawberry with a zippy lemony acidity. Enjoy I the sunshine or bring on the artisan cheese board!
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Here’s to summer full of the coolest drink in hand – Rosé! savvy.ca
“A remarkable book about the POWER OF STORIES, LOVE, HUMAN INNOVATION, and the critical need for the world to leap forward in a post-truth era.” — Rebecca Foon, planner, Juno Award Winning Cellist,and cofounder of Pathway to Paris
ISBN 978-1-7750904-0-3 Paperback $29.95 eBook $14.95
The Wooden Button Studio
Connection. An active lifestyle. Balance. It starts here, with you, at the Y.
Join today! ymcaywca.ca 11 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
gallery by Anna Jonas
A Maker By Trade Anna Williams seems to always making something. Be it an art piece or a house project, this artist has always loved using her hands to shape her narratives. “I am a maker,” she said. “Once you start making objects, you get sucked into making multiples, and once you start making multiple installations, it becomes an addiction.” Williams grew up with creativity and art making as a fundamental part of her everyday life. Her mother is a potter and gardener “who brings an immense amount of research, thought, precision, and love to her work,” said Anna.
Even when it came to holiday gingerbread houses, Williams and her siblings didn’t follow a standard, preferring to flex their creativity and imagination. Instead of using kits with cut-out shapes and hoping for the best, they created concept drawings, blueprints and cardboard patterns that were laid out on the rolled-out dough. That after mixing and testing the perfect icing cement with which to carefully assemble their structure. One year, Anna’s brother made an eight-story Japanese pagoda.The family wasn’t surprised when he went on to study architecture.
Canada House • CAST RESIN, BRONZE, AUDIO COMPONENT • LIFE-SIZED • 2017
ABOVE: Anna is pictured installing the life-sized replica of a beaver dam, called Canada House. It represents society’s disconnection with nature and the natural balance of its environment. Modeled on a lodge that was abandoned near her parents’ cottage, Anna dismantled it and spent a year and a half mold-making and casting the 700 original branches to create clear twin versions which recreate the scene. Accompanied by a natural soundtrack recorded at the site of the original lodge, the sudden slap of the beaver’s tail represents a warning that you have disturbed the natural environment. The strong bronze of the beavers is a stark contrast to the fragile resin.
“The beavers stand in for us—so confident in their permanence
Anna’s mother considered her studio “hallowed ground” which she generously shared with her children.
that they build their home out of glass, unhindered by the warnings
“She taught us that creativity comes in many different forms — be it quixotic and fleeting, or at the end of months of labour, in an artist’s studio, a meal made with care, or the striations on a seedpod. She taught us that the success of final product is determined by the amount of preparation, precision and labour you put in — essentially that art making is a practice, not a lightning strike.”
Williams herself ended up at Mount Allison University, where she finished the BFA program.
That rubbed off on her kids, who have brought their own special care to everything they do. 12 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
echoing in the distance.”
However, she didn’t maintain she wanted to be an artist, despite the early signs, and the education. But after becoming a commercial pilot and starting in on a science degree,Anna discovered that she missed making art. By her senior year at school, she had begun to develop the work that has since morphed into her current series. Setting up her studio in Ottawa after
graduation, she began working with the L.A. Pai Gallery which flourished into a supportive and nurturing partnership. It was there she had her first solo show. Specializing in objects, installations, drawings and public commissions, this artist enjoys nothing more than hiding in her studio to get deeply into a project. Her favourite work revolves around animals. “I am endlessly interested in what they have to say in the wild and PHOTO: SEAN SISK PHOTOGRAPHY
in my practice,” she said. Her garage-turned-renovated-studio is described as ‘chaos.’ “It looks like a plant owner got asked by a carpenter if they could store piles of wood and parts of broken furniture in the shop and then some animals got in and started building nests and dragging in more detritus, dried plants, leaves and sticks.” Williams real inspiration is her mother. “She instilled in me a love and wonder on the natural world, of nature as the greatest designer, of the importance of beauty, elegance, and form and that held within those things is an inalienable truth of the raw, hard, fragile and competitive existence of life in nature.
Heap • CAST BRONZE • ongoing
“In all my works, I am trying to tell that story — to create that duality to draw viewers in with beauty and wonder and then to offer a deeper truth, a harshness of existence.”
Leda and the Swan • CAST RESIN, CAST BRONZE, PAINT, ANTIQUE AXE, RECLAIMED WOOD • 5' x 2' • 2018
While Williams uses a variety of different materials in her work — ranging from bronze to ceramic, glass to wood and lead to resin —bronze is the main cornerstone to which all the other materials respond. An important conceptual choice, it inserts notions of tradition, value and hierarchy associated with the medium, into the narrative. “In order to amplify the tension within artworks, I use the other materials to create juxtapositions that bring into question the assignation of value, hierarchy, strength, femininity, and permanence within the artwork. “This creates a contradiction between the material and the content . . . pushing the material to take on its own role within the larger work, while providing a point of access for the viewer.” Her work is available on her website and at the L.A. Pai Gallery. However, you might have already seen her piece Canada House as part of the installation at the inaugural exhibition for the new Ottawa Art Gallery, or on the cover of our last issue of Ottawa Life. Anna recently received the inaugural John Fluevog Artist Grant where the funding is contributing to her current
“In order to amplify the tension within artworks, I use the other materials to create juxtapositions that bring into question the assignation of value, hierarchy, strength, project. Entitled Heap, it consists of 750 oak leaves (the artist collected last fall) dripped with wax and then cast in bronze and compiled into a pile resembling those one would jump into as a kid.
femininity, and permanence within the artwork.”
“It explores the duality of memory and childhood, the pleasure and the pain.” Her hope is that her art creates a moment of pause where contemplation of, and connection to the natural world takes hold. “I hope that . . . (it helps) acknowledge that we all have different paths, animal or human, different stories and different struggles . . . but to consider that each tree longs to be a forest.”n annawilliams.ca 13 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
OTTAWA ART GALLERY GALERIE D’ART D’OTTAWA
OTTAWA’S NEW HOME FOR THE ARTS VOTRE NOUVEAU FOYER POUR LES ARTS
OAGGAO.CA
Photos : Adrien Williams and/et Lindsay Ralph
second chance at life/health series by OLM staff
Homewood Health —
Ottawa Life speaks high quality care with Homewood chief
Homewood Health is one of Canada’s largest and leading facilities for medical treatment of mental health and addiction disorders. With over 4,500 employees and clinical experts, they provide mental health and addiction services to help Canadians across the country live healthier, more productive and more fulfilling lives. Their services includes organizational wellness, employee and family assistance programs, assessments, outpatient and inpatient treatment, recovery management, return to work and family support services customized to meet the needs of individuals and organizations. Ottawa Life Magazine interviewed Dr. Carlos Lalonde, the Chief of Psychiatry for Corporate Services at Homewood Health. OTTAWA LIFE MAGAZINE: Dr. Carlos Lalonde, as the Chief of Psychiatry for Corporate Services at Homewood Health, could you tell us a little bit about your position and role?
Health Centre.
DR. CARLOS LALONDE: Day-to-day,
DR. LALONDE: I completed my postgraduate psychiatry training at McMaster. I was very fortunate to have had an opportunity during my residency to complete an elective rotation at the Homewood Health Centre. During this experience, I was extremely impressed by the high quality of care that patients were receiving, the expertise of the doctors and interdisciplinary staff, and the overall welcoming nature of the treatment teams, the leadership and the facility itself. It was very different from what I had previously experienced in the larger academic centres.
I run the clinical practice and treat patients at one of our facilities called The Residence at Homewood and I am also part of the leadership team for our national network of Homewood Clinics and our new Western facility that is currently in development. I am also very much involved in education. I am an assistant professor at McMaster University and serve as the Regional Education Leader for the Psychiatry Residency training program at McMaster.
OLM: How long have you worked at Homewood?
I have worked at Homewood since 2010 when I started out at the Homewood PHOTO: STACEY NEWMAN
OLM: Why did you decide to work with Homewood Health? What speaks to you about its program?
The history of the organization and their connection to research based best-practices was also a major factor in deciding to work with Homewood.
I also fell in love with the city of Guelph and at that point I knew that taking a position at Homewood was the right decision for me, both professionally and personally. OL: There is no question that opioid addiction is not a new issue, but it has recently become more widespread than ever. What impact do you think this issue is having on our society? What do you think is the main cause? DR. LALONDE: The impact of opiate and other types of addictions are monumental.
Of course, addiction can affect the individual by reducing their quality of life and their productivity at work, school and at home, and increasing risk of major mental health issues and the development of serious physical complications or death. That person, though, does not suffer in isolation and we know that addiction has a dramatic impact on families, friends and other loved ones in addition to the societal impact in terms of financial costs associated with sick time, disability, crime and other areas including opiate monitoring and treatment. It is extremely difficult to nail down a specific “main cause” for the rates of opiate and other addictions, but we know that the rise in opiate-related deaths by overdose, is likely directly related to the influx and availability of fentanyl. 15 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
16 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
A very large percentage of the opiates available on the streets such as “Oxys” are being cut with varying amounts of fentanyl or sometimes Carfentanyl which is far more potent and lethal. People generally do not know what they are ingesting and are often dying because of it. In terms of the opiate addiction rates in general, I would say that there are many factors that contribute including easy accessibility of opiates on the street, the history of and continued overprescription of opiates by physicians, the redistribution of prescribed opiates by patients, and the overall lack of readily available treatment resources. Also, untreated or undertreated concurrent addictions or those combined with mental illness could be factors. In addition, the stigma associated with having an addiction might prevent someone from accessing the muchneeded supports. OLM: Homewood Health is one of the premier mental health and addiction programs in Canada. What makes it different from other programs? What makes it stand out?
western facility. Not to mention our national employee assistant programs for mental health and addiction. With this continuum of resources, we can offer a variety of treatment options ranging from regular or intensive outpatient treatment to an inpatient admission – something no one else in Canada can provide. We also can provide consultations, monitoring and follow-up in any community in Canada when you factor in our network of therapists and access to videoconferencing or telemedicine services. OLM: What is the philosophy behind Homewood Health's treatment? I know it's based on the abstinence model. Can you tell us more about that?
SOME PEOPLE WITH ABUSE OR MISUSE ISSUES MAY BE SUITABLE FOR A HARM REDUCTION APPROACH, FOR THOSE WHO ARE TRULY DEPENDENT ABSTINENCE IS THE MOST EVIDENCE-BASED, PROVEN APPROACH.
DR. LALONDE: Homewood
Health has a very long history of treatment excellence and the Homewood Health Centre has been leading mental health and addiction treatment in Canada for over 135 years. We are a designated teaching site for the McMaster Medical School and Residency Training programs and have a very close affiliation with the Homewood Research Institute. Our programs are medically based and physician-led and we have more than 20 sub-specialty addiction physicians and psychiatrists. Something that sets Homewood apart is our evidence-based treatment philosophy that extends beyond the Health Centre for Homewood, and into other facilities of ours such at The Residence, Homewood 360dtx, The Homewood Clinics and our new
DR. LALONDE: We offer a bio-psychosocial-spiritual model of care for people suffering from a variety of addictions and mental health issues. Traditionally, in terms of our addictions program, we offer treatment to those who are committed to working towards abstinence.
That being said, at our in-patient facilities we work with people where they are at and help taper them off of various medications and continue or commence Opiate Replacement Therapy with methadone or buprenorphine. Going beyond the Smoke Free Ontario initiative, Homewood facilities are now a designated tobacco-free facility as well, so if you are being admitted to our in-patient programs, you need to
be prepared to abstain from tobacco as well. In addition to the physical health benefits, there is also evidence to support that stopping smoking can significantly improve success rates in abstaining from opiates, alcohol or other substances. OLM: Why does Homewood Health believe that the abstinence model is the best way to approach this issue and the most effective form of treatment? DR.
LALONDE: There is ample evidence that complete abstinence is the ideal in terms of minimizing the negative physical and mental health complications of ongoing drug use.
With respect to our inpatient addictions programs, we have been an abstinence-based model that encourages participation in 12-step or similar programming. That being said, we know that for people that have a severe opiate addiction, the use of Opiate Replacement Therapy (ORT) is an effective and safer option for some cases and we do continue and sometimes start ORT during an inpatient-addictions stay. We really try to work with people where they are at and we also recognize that importance and need for certain harm reduction strategies and initiatives through other community agencies for those people that are not able or willing to engage in an abstinencebased approach. In terms of harm reduction verses abstinence, it’s also important to distinguish the difference between those that have a substance abuse or misuse issue versus an addiction or dependence — with addiction, you have a medical condition, a brain disease. And although some people with abuse or misuse issues may be suitable for a harm reduction approach, for those who are truly dependent abstinence is the most evidence-based, proven approach. OLM: What are some of the strategies that you use at Homewood Health to 17 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
Homewood Chief >> from page 17
increase success for your clients? DR. LALONDE: In addition to helping
people develop the skills necessary to deal with their main addiction, we also offer other evidence-based treatments in areas including mindfulness, Cognitive and Dialectical Behavioral Therapies, grief and loss, and other therapies. We identify and treat co-occurring addictions, and concurrent mood or anxiety disorders as we know this can improve success rates and quality of life. Co-occurring or concurrent conditions simply means that someone might be suffering from multiple conditions at once, including mental health and addictions. We also provide guidance and support to families and do our best to connect our patients with adequate aftercare support in their home communities. We also strongly encourage ongoing frequent attendance at 12-step or similar groups with a sponsor to have that additional layer of support particularly during the initial months back at home. Local patients graduating from our inpatient addictions program also attend one year of relapse prevention groups on a weekly basis through our “Phase 3” program.
OLM: At Homewood Health, you offer inpatient treatment, clinics and recovery management, among others. Why do you think that these are the most effective forms of treatment? DR. LALONDE: At Homewood, we offer
a true continuum of mental health and addictions services available across Canada. With this approach, we are able to offer everything from acute inpatient care to outpatient groups or individual sessions at our clinics to counseling services though our employee assistance programs.
18 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
Through our network of therapists across Canada and our ability to utilize advances in telemedicine options we are able to extend our services to even the smallest of communities. OLM: The Ontario health ministry recently pledged $222 million in the next three years to fight addiction and overdose. Ontario is also spending $15 million to improve the prescription of opioids and train health-care providers to manage pain in a way that could stem addiction to powerful painkillers. How does Homewood Health feel about this? Is this enough to be effective? What else do you think could be done, if anything? DR. LALONDE: The investment is good,
but it’s not enough.
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND
options. This starts with educating practicing physicians as well as medical students and resident physicians early on and maybe we move to include this education a mandatory part of everyone’s training. The same goes for treatment of other concurrent mood and anxiety disorders. The more we do to address other underlying conditions in addition the core addiction itself, the better the outcomes will be. Right now, the crisis we’re seeing in Ontario is just the tip of the iceberg. Ontario is in a position to learn from other western provinces that were impacted by this crisis before us. We need to learn from their experience and look at what are they doing that’s working or not working and incorporate that knowledge into our plan.
HOW DO WE WORK AS A COUNTRY TO ADDRESS THIS ONGOING ISSUE IN A WAY THAT WILL RESULT IN LONGER-TERM, SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS.
There needs to be an ongoing commitment to funding and programs that have significant long-term impact. There will be ongoing need for more inpatient funded beds, more intensive outpatient addictions support, continued monitoring of prescribing practices of opiates, more research on treatment, prevention efforts and harsher consequences for those importing and trafficking opiates. There is no silver bullet solution – it’s a complicated issue. When you look at that specific group of people that have concurrent pain and opiate addiction, we need to do a better job from the beginning at addressing their pain with non-opiate medications and other evidencebased non-pharmaceutical treatment
We need to understand how do we work as a country to address this ongoing issue in a way that will result in longer-term, sustainable success. OLM: What are Homewood Health's goals for the future - both short term and long term? DR. LALONDE: To continue being the leader in the delivery of mental health, addiction and trauma treatment across Canada. We want to assist Canadians in letting go of the stigma that is attached to getting help for mental health conditions and addictions while at the same introducing them to the many options available to them that allow access to appropriate, professional treatment that meets their clinical and lifestyle needs.
In fall of this year, we’re opening our newest inpatient facility on Vancouver Island to address the high needs for treatment help on the west coast. We’re working very closely with the local First Nations as well as partners in the health care community in developing programing suited for the region n
second chance at life/health series by Anna Jonas
Life after addiction:
maintaining sobriety for the long haul
with addiction is a continuous Living and uphill battle. Its challenges extend to almost every aspect of a person’s life, taking a toll that is not only physical, but also psychological. “When you have an individual that struggles with addiction, you look at a situation in which mentally, spiritually, emotionally, financially, socially and culturally there’s going to be a negative impact on their life,” said Todd Ware, addictions counsellor with Homewood Clinics. The primary drivers of drugs and alcohol, can lead to unmanageability in every area of a person’s life. This can include: an inability to have social connections; fractured relationships in the family; a struggle to achieve career goals and aspirations; and achieving post-secondary education or other kinds of training. Addiction can also cause a significant reduction in extracurricular activities or the pursuit of things they enjoy. Not only is there the constant risk of overdose, chronic disease, car accidents and police involvement, but you also have the challenges that come with treatment. Transitioning into an addiction-free life can come with a minefield of obstacles and, while frightening, the good news
GETTING HELP IS JUST THE BEGINNING IN THE LONG BUT HOPEFULLY REWARDING PROCESS OF RECOVERY.
is they often can be overcome. Ware said the greatest challenge to an individual during treatment is changing deeply ingrained coping mechanisms. “First and foremost, you’re often asking somebody to modify behaviour that they have been accustomed to for a long time. As unhealthy as the behaviour may be associated with the addiction, you’re asking somebody to give up something that they’ve practiced for what could be a couple of years or could be 15 (or more) years of their life. So that can often lead to a lot of fear for an individual.” Tom Foster, clinical social worker, therapist and interim director with the Vancouver Homewood clinics, believes one of the challenges is “finding the right solution that works for the individual.” Everyone is different and what works for some might not work for others. The hard-fought battle with addiction doesn’t end after treatment. Getting help is just the beginning in the long but hopefully rewarding process of recovery. It takes courage, time and
support to maintain sobriety long term. Ware said one of the greatest challenges in terms of aftercare from the treatment process, especially in an abstinencebased lifestyle, is the reintegration of the person back into his or her usual environment. “When you leave that treatment program, if you’re going back into the same environment or a family context in which other people are substance users, if you’re in a relationship where the individual is not willing to look at their own drug and alcohol use or you’re going back into a work environment that wasn’t healthy for you to begin with, those are a lot of the things that are quite difficult for somebody that struggles with an addiction to deal with.” According to Foster, another challenge is“dealing with emotional dysregulation without the use of a substance or behaviour,” which can lead to feelings of emptiness and detachment. There are a number of points individuals should keep in mind once treatment has ended and the transition into addiction-free life begins. Foster said that they can expect to hone in on “emotional self-regulation and building healthy relationships, as well as diversifying interests and activities to continued>> page 21 19 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
second chance at life/health series by Anne Dion
Fighting the tide of opioids A conversation with former B.C. Health Minister, Dr. Terry Lake
were to shut those down, my fear is that we would see a drastic increase in the number of people dying from overdoses, and that would be a tragedy.”
ew numbers released by Health N Canada this summer show that we have a long way to go before shaking
the national opioid crisis. There were 3,987 opioid-related deaths in 2017, an increase of 34 per cent from 2016’s 2,978 deaths. 92 per cent of the deaths in 2017 were accidental, and 72 per cent involved fentanyl. Canada’s opioid crisis is a crisis of mental health, of stigma, of the over prescription of opiates, and of a toxic drug supply. The alarming rise in fatalities we’re seeing is in large part due to the unregulated presence of fentanyl in the blackmarket drug supply. When drug users take their usual dosage, this highly potent synthetic compound which is meant to be taken in much smaller quantities, proves fatal. British Colombia became proactive about the opioid crisis before Canada recognized it as a national issue. That 20 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
THE OPIOID CRISIS IS A MEDICAL ISSUE, NOT A CRIMINAL ISSUE.
province was the hardest-hit by deaths, which prompted the distribution of naloxone kits (containing a fentanyl reversal drug) and operating supervised consumption sites. Ottawa Life spoke with Dr. Terry Lake, the former B.C. Health Minister, about the crisis. Dr. Lake lead the initial fight against opioids in B.C. and was instrumental in declaring a state of national emergency in 2016. “We’ve been trying to sound the alarm in Ontario because we’ve got a new government that’s reviewing supervised consumption sites and overdose prevention sites” Lake explains. “If they
Dr. Lake moved to Ottawa last year to join the rising star in medical marijuana production. Hydropothecary Corp., the Gatineau-based company, has created a new brand called HEXO under which it’s recreational-use products will be released after the October 17th legalization date. Lake is now the Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility, and uses his background in politics to maintain the company’s environmentally and socially responsible business practices. There is preliminary evidence from the United States (in places where recreational cannabis is legal) that seems to indicate that cannabis plays a role in the general reduction of opioid use as well as alcohol addiction. A pilot program in Vancouver has been providing cannabis to people with opioid-dependence, and the BC Centre for Substance Use plans to formalize the study. “They hope to see if cannabis, instead of being a gateway drug as we’ve looked at it for many, many years, can be an exit drug.” says Lake. Like a growing number of Canadians, PHOTO: COURTESY HYDROPOTHECARY CORP
Lake believes that there is great potential in further research: “We need to know what it is in cannabis that’s working, because there are many different compounds in the plant. We need to pull those threads apart to find out what does what and how it can be used therapeutically to help people with opioid dependence.” “It’s going to take years for this research to be done, but Canada has this great opportunity because of our great interest in cannabis to do some world class research.” Cannabis research has not yet been given the time and funding that Dr. Lake envisions due to decades of stigma and the popular idea that cannabis lies at the beginning of a one-way street headed for hard drugs. “It requires people thinking differently than we’ve thought in the past” explains Lake. “But when we’re dealing with a crisis, we have to think differently.” Addiction is not a choice, but a chronic, relapsing illness. Much of what needs to be done in order to fight the tide of opioid-related deaths requires us to first change our mindset about mental health and drug use. “The opioid crisis is a medical issue, not a criminal issue.” Progress in the fight against opioid abuse has to come from many different directions. “People often think that there’s a light switch somewhere that you can turn off and on, which isn’t the case” begins Lake. Tackling the crisis means stemming the flow of opiates by addressing overprescription; it means decriminalizing drug use so that those in danger from fentanyl feel safe to come forward for treatment without being considered criminal; and it means providing a safe and regulated drug supply to people until they’re ready for treatment. Only with a multifaceted and compassionate approach will we see the kind of change Canada needs n Dr. Terry Lake is Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Hydropothecary Corp
Life after addiction>> from page 19
displace the time that was spent using.” This shifted focus can help them get their lives back on track. Those coming through treatment can also expect to feel gaps, since going into a treatment program is meant to modify life after treatment in an aftercare process with support that will result in success. “You’re looking at a situation where you’re saying you can’t participate in the lives of people that are actively using alcohol and drugs, which leads to a huge void in one’s life when it comes to a social context,” said Ware.
asking for help, something Homewood Health specializes in. “If you’re struggling with cravings or you have a relapse, you can reach out to try and get yourself back on track.” Family and loved ones also play an important role in the recovery process by providing that support system that those finishing treatment or aiming to maintain sobriety need to lean on.
THE WAY WE FILL THAT VOID (IS TO ENSURE) . . . THAT THEY’RE A MEMBER OF A 12-STEP PROGRAM OR ANOTHER ABSTINENCE-BASED COMMUNITY NETWORK THAT THEY CAN LEAN ON AND HAVE STRATEGIES TO BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH LIFE ON LIFE’S TERMS POST-
Though it’s often very difficult at times for people to clearly understand addiction, one thing that Ware believes is that its incredibly important for family members to be connected to resources and psychoeducational information about addiction, looking at what addiction is, what relapse looks like and what being a
TREATMENT. “The way we fill that void often, with somebody in aftercare, is making sure that they have a support means. support system in place, that they have counsellors and therapists that often “Often what we try to do is support can be provided through a place like families in understanding that when you Homewood Heath or another service, have an individual that struggles with or that they’re a member of a 12-step an addiction, you are not responsible program or another abstinence-based for their addiction - you’re responsible community network that they can to be loving and supportive and allow lean on and have strategies to be able them to be in the natural consequences to deal with life on life’s terms postof their addiction,” said Ware. treatment.” Foster agreed, suggesting that “setting When it comes to maintaining sobriety, clear boundaries, self-care and there’s no ‘one size fits all’ method. The detachment from the problem and not recovery process is unique to each the person” are ways that families can individual. “Find what works for you sustain their own mental health during . . . there is no cookie cutter approach,” the process of recovery. said Foster. However, if they ask for help, there Adjustments must be made as well. are ways in which you can support “The primary job for an individual their recovering, such as taking part leaving treatment should be recovery,” in a counselling or therapy process said Ware.“They are practising the tools or participating in one of a variety of and replicating the coaching supplied different support programs or family in treatment now in the real world education systems. “Psychoeducational and they’re learning that by trial and information about mental health and error. But they have to do that with the addiction is a great support for families support of a community. Homewood to increase their knowledge base,” said Health is good at that, connecting Ware.An abundance of this information people.” is available on the Homewood Health website n Ware also stresses the importance of an homewoodhealth.com open-door policy when it comes to 21 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
cover by Tori McNeely
AT O T TAWA’ S M O S T FA B U L O U S FA S H I O N G A L A F U N D R A I S E R
LEFT TO RIGHT: Nadia Amaral, Janet Wilson, Sid Cratzbarg, Manja Mackley, Dr.Tanya Bracanovich PHOTO: Sean Sisk Photography MAKEUP: Corey J. Stone 22 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
LOCATION: Mizrahi Developments’ 1451 Wellington Street Presentation Gallery
Sid Cratzbarg’s larger-than-life personality is a permanent fixture in Ottawa’s fashion landscape. For Sid, fashion transcends all ages. “There’s so much out there for young, small-size women but fashion designers needed to realize that women come in all shapes and sizes,” said Sid. That is why in 2007 he launched “Accessories by Sid,” a line that caters to the niche market of mature women. Sid has also continued to serve as a flamboyant leader in the industry, from hosting fashion segments on Rogers TV to launching exclusive scents for some of the top fragrance brands across Canada. As a result of his vibrant personality and notable expertise, Sid is no stranger to receiving requests for MC positions at local events. Sid is many things — but most importantly, an ambassador for Crohn’s and colitis. Crohn’s and colitis are inflammatory bowel diseases that affect nearly one in 150 Canadians by disrupting the body’s ability to digest food, absorb nutrition and eliminate waste in a healthy manner. Sid’s career in fashion was just starting out when he developed the disease. “I just wasn’t feeling right. For people who experience this disease, it is usually gradual. Everything came at once for me.” Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in
2008, Sid was making constant trips to the hospital. The symptoms worsened and - in 2009 – he had an emergency operation followed by an additional four months of recovery in hospital. For anyone who has heard Sid’s story, you would know that he is quick to credit Dr. Robin Boushey, one of the top colorectal surgeons from the OGI Clinic and a medical director at Colorectal Cancer Assessment Centre, with saving his life. Dr. Boushey visited Sid nearly every day during his recovery — even on Christmas day. “His understanding and compassion helped me face the journey.”
THIS YEAR, HE (SID CRATZBERG) HOPES TO RAISE ANOTHER $10,000 TARGETED FOR CROHN’S AND COLITIS CANADA’S MOST RECENT RESEARCH INITIATIVE, ‘MAKE IT STOP. FOR LIFE.’
Sid is now using his personal connection to the disease and passion for fashion to help make a difference. In collaboration with Dora Dalietos of Vis-à-Vis Events, Sid is proud to host the fourth annual Get Sidified Fashion Gala for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. “This event wouldn’t be possible without Dora’s help.”
During the past four years Sid has raised $50,000 for the cause. This year, he hopes to raise another $10,000 targeted for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s most recent research initiative, ‘Make it stop. For life.’ The Get Sidified Fashion Gala returns to the Sala San Marco Banquet & Conference Centre on Oct. 12. Gala attendees can expect food stations filled with hors d’oeuvres, signature cocktails, as well as a fabulous fashion show, a decadent dessert bar and a silent auction. Four local vendors of Sid’s choosing will showcase everything from jewelry, fragrance, hats and handbags. Women walking the runway will be wearing fashions from The Outskirts, evidence of Sid’s effort in supporting local fashion in Ottawa. “I am a believer that everyone should experience a beautiful night that is affordable. Dora and I want to remain true to this belief and ensure that everyone can enjoy themselves. And, we won’t change,” said Sid. Among those sponsoring the event are Dr. Tanya Bracanovich of Sparks Dental Clinic and Barrhaven’s Educara Montessori daycare centre. Sid has made it his mission to host this event to raise money for the disease that nearly took his life 12 years ago. “That’s why I do it — because of my story.” n
GALA MODELS JANET WILSON is a senior account director with Canada’s leading strategic communications consultancy, Hill + Knowlton Strategies. A long-time volunteer and journalist, Janet is the former editor of Luxe magazine and was the Ottawa Citizen’s style editor. DR.TANYA BRACANOVICH is the founder and owner of Ottawa's
Sparks Dental. Her success is the result of years of hard work and risk taking. She is the proud mother and is always looking for ways to give back to her community. NADIA AMARAL is a mom, involved citizen and entrepreneur who
is passionate about helping improve the quality of life for the elderly. Most recently, she completed her degree in denturism and is dedicated to excelling in her field, as she has done with her former business ventures. Former military vet MANJA MACKLEY is no stranger when it comes to fashion. Following her career in the military, Manja became the producer and organizer of her own fashion series in Ottawa called "Let's Be Fabulous" which aims to promote local, women-led boutiques. Having modeled from a very young age, it has always been her philosophy to empower, encourage and support women to look and feel their very best. 23 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
faith in canada by Peter Stockland
Tying the knot? Not Think tank Cardus has released a new report showing a doubling of the number of middle-aged Canadians choosing to cohabitate rather than marry. In an interview with Convivium publisher Peter Stockland, report author Peter Jon Mitchell warns this social trend carries risks for society Stockland: There’s fascinating data from Statistics Canada about shifts in marriage among middle-aged Canadians.What’s happening, and what drew your attention as a researcher?
Peter Jon Mitchell: There's been a dramatic increase in the portion of middle-aged Canadians who are living together. A few years ago, after the 2011 census, documentation coming from Stats Can noted that the fastest growing segment of the population choosing cohabitation were people in 50s. So, I began to wonder what's happening in middle age before that. After the 2016 census, I examined the data and it showed that there's been this dramatic increase if you look over the last 20 years, from about seven per cent of middle-aged Canadians aged 40 to 54, it’s now up to 14 per cent. There’s been a doubling since 1996. Stockland:What
they're in has been long term or if it's been a series. But essentially what there’s been is a loss of the marriage script, and the idea of marriage, among that age group. We always used to think about cohabitation being something among the young, maybe they were using it as a test drive for marriage later on, or maybe they were forgoing marriage altogether. But it certainly appears that a certain segment of the population is forgoing marriage and choosing these arrangements, whether it's a series of relationships or whether it's one long-term
relationship.
It doesn't bode well when marriage is not seen as a necessary or important thing to do, does it? Stockland:
PJM: I think it raises two big questions. One, it's something that's part of the larger narrative of the decline of marriage and attitudes around marriage.
might explain that?
Peter Jon Mitchell: My assumption was that perhaps these were middle-aged people who had divorced and then were getting into other relationships but choosing not to marry. When we actually looked at the history, the growth is largely due to Canadians that have never married. Stockland: So, they're either in cohabiting relationships where they’ve moved through a series of them over the course of their lives, or they’ve been in one cohabitation for several decades?
PJM: The census data is a snapshot, so it doesn't tell us exactly whether the current relationship 24 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
Certainly, it's another indicator among all the other indicators that marriage is not seen as important, that there's sort of a malaise around marriage and its importance in society. And that plays into the bigger changes that are happening in the Canadian family where even the people who marry are marrying later. We're having fewer children. We're having our children later. It gives us the bigger picture of how the Canadian family is changing, and that it has societal effects as well. And there may also be questions of how this influences people that are in those relationships, particularly as they start looking into their later years. So, for example, how does this impact financial planning for the
future or aspects of care? One of the questions we can ask is this: Do families that cohabitate and families that marry treat their money and their resources the same way? We know from research that there is a difference. Married couples tend to pool their money more often. They tend to make larger investments with that kind of leverage, that cooperation, whereas cohabitating couples are less likely to. So how might that affect financial planning into the retirement years? There was also a study in 2011 that suggested that cohabitating couples provide less care in the later years. That would be interesting to explore as well. What might this mean for those couples and also their extended family? Who steps in to care for who in the later years? Stockland: What needs to be done then to help people understand that the choice between cohabitation and marriage can have a real effect on their lives in the years when they need to be preparing for old age? PJM: Some work done by the Angus Reid Institute found that 54 per cent of middle-age men and 57 per cent of middle-age women agree with the statement that, "Marriage is simply not necessary." So, it's really reversing that attitude and helping people understand why marriage actually matters as an institution. Marriage brings together emotional intimacy, economic cooperation, all these different elements of life together in a permanent union and that's the purpose of it. And there's a great advantage to that. I think our other social institutions have a role to play in that, whether it's churches or places of worship that already place a value on marriage. I think it needs to be modeled as well n
faith in canada by OLM staff
CRFI Launch - Michael Van Pelt with guests
eligious and conscience freedom, R a basic right in Canada, has historically had a hand in forming a
typically pluralist Canadian society. Recently, the presence of faith in Canadian society has become increasingly marginalized in the public sphere.There is now an increasing need to make sure that Canadians have the chance to use their religious freedom. Non-partisan and faith-based think tank Cardus introduced their new core initiative, the Cardus Religious Freedom Institute (CRFI), yesterday afternoon. The registered charity focuses on promoting public conversation, independent research and thought-stimulating commentary.
Launch of Cardus Religious Freedom Institute couldn’t come at a better time subject across the country and beyond. The CRFI will be run by Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennett, one of the Nation’s strongest supporter of religious freedom, both domestically and internationally. An ordained deacon of the Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, he is the Program Director for Cardus Law at Cardus and has been with the think tank since 2016. The first Canadian ambassador for religious freedom and senior fellow for the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI)
THE FREEDOM TO PRACTICE ONE’S DEEPLY HELD RELIGIOUS
With current attitudes towards religious freedom and rights in Canada, Cardus believes that what’s missing now is an institute specifically committed to quality research,education,and outreach meant to provide support for various advocacy organizations with data and educational tools in order to create real change. Enter the CRFI, intended to fill the gap through research, outreach and training, engaging the public and institutions in a dialogue on the value of religious freedom.
in Washington will receive feedback and counsel from a multi-faith advisory board. He says the Institute couldn’t come at a better time in Canada’s social environment.
This new project is a national advocate for defending religious freedom in Canada, with the goals of educating about and raising awareness for the
“When Canadians are compelled to violate their consciences in order to participate in a public program like Canada Summer Jobs or regulators of
FAITH BOTH PUBLICLY AND PRIVATELY IS A FREEDOM THAT IMPLICITLY ADVANCES AND SUPPORTS A TRUE PLURALISM.
the legal profession can marginalize a faith-based university because the school’s religious beliefs, you know we’ve reached a new low in Canadian religious freedom,” says Bennett. “Respect for public faith has degraded so dramatically that we need to reeducate our public institutions about it.” Cardus Religious Freedom Institute will form many upcoming projects over the next three years. They will host four Symposia on Intersection of Religious and Civil Law, diving into the relationship between religious and civil law, how they interact with each other and their impact in a Canadian historical context. They will run a Religious Freedom Training Initiative composed of training sessions and events made to raise awareness and highlight the elements of religious freedom, as well as its role in democracy, in an effort to build a community of local leaders and show support for faith communities recently landed in Canada They will create the Cardus Advisory Council on Religious Freedom and Public Faith, becoming a resource and playing the roles of both a space to workshop ideas and promoters of the CRFI in various faith communities. They will make an investment in the next generation of faith leaders continued>> page 26
PHOTO: COURTES YCARDUS
25 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
faith in canada/op-ed by Milton Friesen
Cardus>> from page 25
Milton Friesen
A Ministry of Loneliness entails plenty of thought ince her January appointment as S the UK’s minister for loneliness, 2 Crouch has started work on a multi-
million dollar fund of anti-loneliness programs in Britain. That’s spurred some debate about whether Canada and others should follow suit. While social isolation deserves our attention, a new federal minister may not be the answer. A growing body of research appears to show a pattern of increasing loneliness in more Canadians. The link between chronic loneliness and decreased life expectancy or increased health care costs threatens to further strain the burden of public health systems and budgets. In January, Scientific American published a review article on social isolation that explains the different facets of chronic loneliness. The scholars there note that loneliness is complex and varies significantly at an individual level. The patterns within those dynamics provide clues about the nature of the strategies we’ll need to consider, including what role a government agency or ministry might or might not be able to provide.
solution fits the problem. Is a federal ministry the right tool to administer something that is very personal and individual in nature? Even with the most careful design and best intentions the gap between national bureaucracy and individual suffering from loneliness may be very difficult to bridge effectively. High-level additions to federal programs can draw attention to an issue, coordinate large, broad-based resources, and contribute to setting public resource priorities. Understood in this way, a Ministry of Loneliness could be effective. Understood as a solution to the problem, it will almost certainly fail. When we have mismatched problem-solution scales, the best we can hope for is that the helping hands won’t make the problem worse. To be sure, larger systems don’t necessarily lead to better results. Higher health care budgets don’t automatically make healthier citizens, more years of formal education don’t automatically lead to increased innovation, and larger police forces don’t lead directly to improved public safety.
We can scarcely decry an attempt to alleviate human misery in whatever form it shows up. We don’t, however, want to invest in failed solutions or approaches that may increase that misery. It has become increasingly clear and more widely known that social isolation is related to many serious health issues — serious enough to be among the leading threats to premature death in a population.
So would a federal effort to reduce chronic loneliness be the right scale of response? The Santa Fe Institute and other organizations dedicated to exploring complex systems – social and natural — have long understood that if we don’t understand the nature of a problem and the dynamics that contribute to it persisting, our institutional responses are just as likely to make the problem worse n
For those contemplating a Canadian ministry of loneliness, it is worth thinking about whether that particular
Milton Friesen is the Social Cities program director at think tank Cardus.
26 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
by expanding upon the new Faith in Canada 150 Millennial Network and hosting a semiannual roundtable made up of young faith leaders meant to help develop public faith of Canadian millennials. They will also grow faith community relations, both traditional and nontraditional members of the Institute’s constituency, creating opportunities for speaking, updates, research and meetups. In his address at the CRFI launch, The Golden Thread of Public Faith: An Historic Freedom, Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennett highlighted why the Institute is so dedicated to religious freedom and its necessity in today's society. “If a citizen does not enjoy the foundational freedom to live and exercise religious beliefs publicly, and to have this freedom vigorously defended by all of our public institutions, then we cannot build a truly pluralist and diverse society where difference is viewed in a positive light,” he says. “The freedom to practice one’s deeply held religious faith both publicly and privately is a freedom that implicitly advances and supports a true pluralism by protecting and continually upholding difference as something necessary for a genuine citizenship.” A goal of the Institute will be to research religious freedom issues in Canada to educate Canadians and enforce a national community of religious freedom promoters. “Central to the Institute’s work is the understanding that religious freedom is the fundamental right of all people, their communities, and their institutions to live out their most deeply held beliefs in both public and private contexts,” says Bennett n
pharmacare series by Keith Newman
National Pharmacare simply makes cents ill the federal government W establish a national public drug plan? Our universal system of health care now covers doctors and hospitals and we are rightly proud of it. It’s time to include prescription drugs. Every other high-income country with universal public health care provides drug coverage, and so should we. We labour under a patchwork of thousands of plans provided at work or by the provinces and territories, forcing millions of people to pay part or all the costs out of their own pockets. This patchwork is profoundly unfair. Millions of Canadians are left without the drugs they need because they can’t afford them. This includes the selfemployed, workers with no workplace plan, the unemployed, students and many people who can’t afford their co-pays. The human cost is appalling. People get sick, many are needlessly hospitalized, and some are forced to sell their homes to cover drug costs. We have U.S.-style drug coverage with U.S.-style results: it’s unfair, vastly over-priced and inefficient. Despite excluding about 10 per cent of the population, our patchwork is very expensive. We pay the second highest prices in the world for drugs; only the U.S. pays more. Why? Other countries bargain lower prices with the negotiating power of covering their whole population. Without this leverage it’s impossible to bargain effectively, so the
drug companies charge us top dollar. While the provinces have managed to achieve discounts recently by working together, we still remain far behind most other countries. Prices for both patented (brand name) and generic drugs are one-third higher in Canada than in France, Italy and the U.K. For generics, we pay twice as much as Sweden, and, astoundingly, nearly three times more than the Netherlands.
PRICES FOR BOTH PATENTED (BRAND NAME) AND GENERIC DRUGS ARE ONE-THIRD HIGHER IN CANADA THAN IN FRANCE, ITALY AND THE U.K.
Yet getting value for money is quite straightforward. The European countries doing the best job have a single-payer system covering everyone in the country. For Canada, that means a universal Pharmacare plan coordinated by the federal government in partnership with the provinces. We could bargain as one country and drug companies wanting access to our lucrative market would be required to submit competitive bids. The savings for Canada has been estimated at between $4 and $9 billion, depending on the nature of the plan. These large savings would come despite the inclusion of millions of previously excluded people receiving 61 million additional prescriptions every year. Doing the right thing would save us vast sums that could be
reinvested elsewhere. We waste money by paying insurance companies and benefit consultants to manage thousands of different workbased plans and for the profits they take to do it. When we go to the doctor or the hospital no insurance company is required, only our health card. It should be the same for drugs. We could save $2.5 billion by eliminating the work of these middlemen and the tax subsidies our governments give them. Every major national commission of enquiry has concluded the same thing: include drugs in our universal public health system. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health has been studying the issue and is expected to add its name to this list. In addition to tough bargaining for drug prices, a successful Pharmacare plan would ensure that drugs are provided free of charge like doctors and hospitals, require public management, only cover drugs that are safe and effective, and improve prescribing practices by providing unbiased information that is not influenced by drug companies. The expected opposition of pharmaceutical companies and the insurance industry has succeeded in preventing Pharmacare in the past. Now, it’s time to move forward with a national public drug plan that covers all Canadians. It will improve health and reduce costs n Keith Newman is a board member with the Canadian Health Coalition 27 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
pipelines, people & progress by CEPA
An industry united an industry, we realize the Aspipeline debate is a heated one. And we know that one of the keys to having Canadians accept major pipeline projects is through demonstrating that they truly are in the national interest, in terms of safe operation and environmental protection as well as through the contributions these projects make from coast to coast. That’s why nothing is more important to members of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) than the safety of those who live and work around pipelines, protecting the environment and ensuring that Canadians realize the social and economic benefits associated with these major infrastructure projects. Pipelines are an important part of our lives as we rely on them to supply energy needed to enable the high standard of living we have grown accustomed to in Canada. Canadians have the right to know what operators are doing to keep pipelines safe and communities protected. CEPA Integrity First® demonstrates the pipeline industry’s proactive commitment to Canadians in continuously improving conditions surrounding safety, environment and socio-economics. Integrity First brings together the transmission pipeline industry to share, measure and implement leading practices proactively. It focuses on continuous improvement and works to build Canadians’ trust and confidence in the industry’s ability to safely transport the oil and gas products we depend on. In the past, pipelines were constructed and operated without significant public involvement or attention. Public perception and expectations 28 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
have changed due to high-profile incidents, which brought international attention and increased scrutiny. Recognizing the industry’s need for change, CEPA began the journey of defining the path forward for what an industry vision that addresses safety, the environment and socio-economic benefits might look like. CEPA member companies and other industry stakeholders initiated a collaborative consultation process to ensure both individual companies and the industry were united in purpose, focused on collaboration, continuous improvement and achieving measurable safety improvements to help our industry regain public trust in the pipeline industry. Launched in 2012 to drive continuous improvement, Integrity First follows a plan-do-check-act model to continually improve companies’ systems and operations. It enables companies to assess their own systems in a consistent manner, providing a platform for comparison and improvement in the industry. No incident is acceptable and our industry’s commitment to Canadians is to work collectively to continuously improve industry safety and performance. Integrity First brings together the industry’s greatest minds and most influential leaders, all of whom have put competition aside to focus on defining, sharing and implementing leading practices capable of improving operational performance. Put simply: when it comes to safety and operational performance, CEPA members do not compete. Participation in is a mandatory
Integrity First requirement for
CEPA membership along with the understanding that our industry’s goal of reaching zero incidents will only be achieved by working together in the true spirit of collaboration. Only by committing to work together can we ensure our actions lead to measurable industry-wide improvements. One incident is everyone’s incident and one success is everyone’s success. First, priority areas are identified through internal and external research. Based on that research, CEPA members develop guidance documents, which help member companies assess their systems, processes and practices. Through that self-assessment, member companies identify areas of improvement and work together to share and implement leading practices, so industry sees overall improvement. A third-party then evaluates each member company’s self-assessment results for a specific priority and assesses the company’s adoption of Integrity First, helping to ensure a systematic approach. CEPA guides the participation of our members and facilitates our members coming together so they can respectfully challenge each other and constantly raise the bar on performance. The Canadian transmission pipeline industry can only be a world leader in safe operations if we continuously strive to exceed past performance, learn from collective experience and actively seek feedback on what we do. By working together through Integrity First, we can achieve improvement, accountability, transparency and ultimately — public acceptance n cepa.com/en
oh cannabis by Jonathan Marshall
SOMETHING IN THE AIR Cannabis. Pot. Grass. Weed. Marijuana. Whatever you call it, the leafy green plant is about to go public. For most Canadians, it was a complementary part of coming-ofage for someone to offer you a toke and then puff-puff-pass it on. More than a few took it further than that first joint, but whether you kept up the habit or not, the spectre of this forbidden plant lingered behind a veil of pop culture. Across generations, this token of rebellion refused to waver in the face of increasingly strict regulations and became both a symbol of freedom and a weapon in a war that has had unquestionable influence on the politics of this country. Cannabis is, colloquially, a drug. It is currently both contraband and medicine but come Oct. 17 we will witness one of the most infamous members of the botanical world turn from outlaw to household accessory. What Are We Smoking?
The term Cannabis refers to an entire genus of plants that is found worldwide but is believed to have originally sprouted from southern Asia. While botanists are debating exact divisions, the two primary species are Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica.The differences between the two are mainly PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
physical, with sativa growing taller and thinner and the indica variety a bushier and broader specimen. In all subspecies, cannabis retains several notable qualities that have made it a popular resource throughout history. Surprisingly, most cultures utilized this plant in textiles (such as paper, rope, and clothing) called hemp, as an alternative to wood, cotton, or other less durable materials. Of course, the better-known use for cannabis involves its psychoactive qualities. Unpollinated female plants produce flowers coated with chemical compounds, notably cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The varying levels of these cannabinoids are how healthcare experts and recreational users differentiate between strains and their effects on users. CBD induces a state of relaxation that includes lower blood pressure, reduced heart rate and drowsiness. Many individuals seek out cannabis strains with high CBD for anti-inflammatory and anxiety-related issues. THC is the better-known cannabinoid, which provokes a psychoactive reaction
that many users report as euphoria, neuroticism and mild hallucinogenic effects. Typically referred to as a ‘high,’ these properties are currently being researched to determine effectiveness in treating a multitude of psychological conditions and other brain-related illnesses. We can trace the impact of cannabis in medical, recreational and spiritual practices back thousands of years, but it is important to point out that the plant was not always as taboo as our culture has deemed it. Deep Roots
The origin story of cannabis is like other types of foraged herbs; as a treatment for minor complaints and overindulged in by those with access to large quantities. Due to its mind-altering capabilities, different international communities saw cannabis fall in and out of favour over the years, and it wasn’t until the early 20th century that Canada began cracking down. Technically, this isn’t the first time marijuana has been legal inside our 150 years as a nation. Thanks to racially motivated propaganda campaigns by Mackenzie King in 1911 in response to the pan-Asian riots in British Columbia, and pressure from the League of Nations in the 29 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
1930s, Canada moved to enact strict drug prohibition that led to severe penalties for use and possession of cannabis.
Few people today are aware that the first attempts to open up the cannabis conversation was started by former prime minister Pierre Trudeau.
Usage skyrocketed in the 1960s thanks to relaxed social customs, anti-establishment rhetoric, and the introduction of other, stronger psychoactive stimulants to the youth of North America. This unorganized movement saw decriminalization brought to the forefront of Canadian politics. Few are aware that the first attempts to open the cannabis conversation was started by former prime minister Pierre Trudeau. The Royal Commission of Inquiry in the Non-Medical Use of Drugs, now referred to as the Le Dain commission, was formed in response to the popularization of the drug in the growing Canadian middle-class that the Liberal Party was keen to appease. The research carried out by the Le Dain commission not only catered to academic and legal expertise but saw participation from “cultural experts”
such as John Lennon, Timothy Leary and Frank Zappa. In the end, a report was issued that was immediately labeled by policy analysts as “one of the most politically-explosive documents ever put before the government.” The Le Dain report recommended sweeping changes to the prohibition landscape, including full decriminalization of cannabis, further study into its health ramifications and independent provincial control concerning possession and use. This was more than a little provocative for the times, and despite the resources that were diverted to create this indepth analysis, the federal government did little to act on these conclusions. The percentage of users continued to grow, only instead of the friendly “flower-power” circles that were tillthen the wellsprings of pot distribution, gangs who saw the potential for fast and easy wealth began positioning themselves at the head of the table.
Cannabis Across Canada A province-by-province breakdown n Oct. 17, recreational cannabis will be legalized for O adult-use in Canada. While statistics show a promising step towards producing a safer product and a lowering of organized crime and overall drug use, the implementation of provincial legislation has been a difficult process. Provinces and territories are making decisions about how cannabis can be sold, where stores may be located, and how they must be operated. Provincial governments also must decide where cannabis can be used, as well as setting added requirements on personal cultivation. Medical cannabis will operate under different rules than recreational cannabis and will continue to be regulated by the federal government.
The laws and procedures surrounding medical cannabis will not change with the Oct. 17 legislation date. According to federal regulations, the maximum amount of dried cannabis an adult can legally carry in public is 30 grams. One rolled joint contains approximately half a gram. Possession limits for private homes vary according to province. In most of Canada, the same 30-gram limit applies to households. Alberta and New Brunswick, however, have no possession limits within private spaces. The number of houseplants permitted to be grown in a household (no matter the number of residents) at any time is limited to four, following federal regulations. However, some provinces have placed their own restrictions on this legislation: Houseplants are illegal in Quebec and Manitoba;
30 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018 PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
Criminal Control
During the past 20 years, there has been major progress towards legalization, but every step forward seemingly was hampered by the fact that cannabis has long-since been embedded in criminal enterprise. Classifying all avenues of cannabis production as illicit for the past century has led to a sophisticated system of organized crime that relies on coercive violence to achieve dominance in an industry that has demanded highstrung competition. As recently as last year, Statistics Canada reported that of the $5.7-billion industry, 90 per cent of all cannabis was purchased from illicit sources. This was 16 years after medical marijuana had been legalized. The deeply entrenched handle that illegal operations have on cannabis consumers has been nearly impossible to remove via traditional policing
efforts. Since Richard Nixon declared the War on Drugs, the abilities of law enforcement to keep up with local dealers, low-level gangs and cartels have been chronically mis-matched. There is always money to be made in supplying drugs to the general population, and the use of force by the criminal justice system further exacerbated the violence on both sides to secure the profits that come from cannabis sales. Unfortunately, another ramification of harsher punishments for cannabis means the Canada’s jails are often saturated with non-violent offenders. The Department of Justice claims that in 2016 more than half of reported drug offences were cannabis related, with more than 75 per cent of those charges for possession alone.
Going forward, each province will have specific protocols on regulation, and there will undoubtedly be fewer Canadians in jail because of cannabis.
Going forward, each province will have protocols on regulation, and there will undoubtedly be fewer Canadians in jail because of cannabis. However, what is unclear is what enforcement laws will look like.
those grown in Prince Edward Island must remain inaccessible to minors; and houseplants in British Colombia must remain out of public view. Each province has the authority to enact more specific rules and regulations for cannabis consumption and distribution. Where can you consume cannabis? Are edibles, oils and other products legal everywhere? Where and how will cannabis be sold in each province? How much power do municipalities have? Here is a province-by-province breakdown: Before Ontario’s latest provincial election, recreational marijuana was set to be sold only from governmentoperated stores and online sales. Our new premier, Doug Ford, is keen to introduce cannabis retailing to the private sector. His provincial government has begun consultations; focusing on the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, they hope that the existing infrastructure will allow the LCBO to take on marijuana sales come the fall. Once it is legalized, cannabis can only be used in the
indoor or outdoor spaces of private residences. It will be illegal in public spaces, workplaces and motor vehicles. Violations of these restrictions will result in a $1,000 fine for first offences, and $5,000 for subsequent offences. The Société Québécoise du Cannabis (SQC) will be the only one allowed to purchase cannabis from a producer, and will oversee selling, transporting and storing the product. Quebec is one of the few provinces where
growing cannabis for personal use will be illegal. Outside of public spaces, it will be illegal for an adult to possess any more than 150 grams of dried cannabis. Rules on where to smoke cannabis will mirror those which regulate where an individual may smoke tobacco. The Manitoba government has already announced that four private companies or consortiums have been given the okay to retail cannabis. Some of Manitoba’s specific regulations are yet to be determined, like where it will be legal and illegal to smoke. The legal drinking age is 18 yet the age of legal cannabis consumption will be 19+. Selling cannabis to someone who is impaired by alcohol or other substances is prohibited. Manitoba is also allowing municipalities to ban cannabis in their area. To do so, municipalities will need to hold a referendum. 31 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
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No stranger to the legal system, Parker had been arrested several times for possession, but the charges were always dropped for medical necessity. After his brush with the law in 1996, he decided enough was enough, and appealed to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Medical Practice
In 2000, the Ontario Court of Appeal’s ruling protecting Parker’s right to life, liberty and security of person opened the way to cannabis decriminalization.
Cannabis has been used in health care for millennia, though it wasn’t until the 21st century that medical marijuana found its way back into Canada. In 1996, Terrance Parker was arrested for cannabis cultivation, possession, and trafficking after his small-scale operation was discovered. Parker had been diagnosed with epilepsy when he was four years old, and despite several medical operations, the seizures he experienced only became worse as he entered adulthood. Doctors discovered that after he began smoking marijuana his condition saw signs of improvement.
Like Manitoba, Saskatchewan is letting cannabis enter the private sector, with a restricted number of licences issued during the first three years. So far, 51 cannabis retail permits have been granted. Cannabis may only be consumed in private residences, given that permission has also been granted by the landlord.
Brad Krayer Sales Consultant
613-594-5652
While it is important to reduce the black-market share of the cannabis industry and prevent youth access to pot (two major reasons for legalization, according to the Cannabis Act), what Canadians will need to see is reliable methods of policing for these laws to make sense.
Alberta Residents will be able to buy cannabis from retail stores and through government-run online sales. Children are not able to enter licensed cannabis stores and edibles will remain illegal to sell. Although residents can only buy or carry up to 30 grams, there will be no possession limit within private homes.Cannabis may not be within reach of anyone in a vehicle, and any driver with a blood-drug concentration of more than two nanograms of THC per millilitre of blood will face a licence suspension
A year later, the Marihuana for Medical Access Regulations were enacted, and certain patients were granted a licence to cultivate their own medical cannabis or receive it from a licenced grower. There was then a stronger push to research the medical attributes of cannabis. Its anti-inflammatory qualities and mild-to-chronic pain relief are — currently — the most common reasons for seeking a marijuana prescription.
and one year’s participation in Alberta’s Ignition Interlock Program. Smoking pot will be prohibited in British Columbia anywhere that children congregate, in cars and wherever tobacco is also banned. Like many of the other provinces, households will be allowed up to four houseplants, if they remain out of sight of the public. Landlords will also have the right to place restrictions on smoking and cultivation on their own property. Cannabis will be available in both government-run and privately-owned stores as well as online sales. The Yukon Liquor Corporation will handle the distribution and sale of cannabis. After Oct. 17, private cannabis retailers wishing to legally sell the product can apply for a licence through the Cannabis Licensing Board. Cannabis may only be in a vehicle if it is in a closed container and is inaccessible to all those in the vehicle.
Strains high in CBD are what relax epileptic symptoms (the kind that Parker experiences), while strains with elevated THC have seen use in psychiatry for bipolar disorder or related mood disorders. More study is needed to determine exactly how relevant the role of cannabis is for health care professionals. Since we are playing catch-up for the past 100 years of prohibition, we will likely see an influx of small- and largescale studies on how cannabis aids all sorts of conditions. A Friendly Future
What most Canadians are paying attention to is not the medical advancements, but rather the looming deadline for when you can pick up a few joints, edibles or oils and sit at home relaxing with the drug. Finishing what his father started, Justin Trudeau heralded marijuana legalization in his election campaign. Three years on from the federal win,
In the Northwest Territories those over the age of 19 can purchase cannabis from liquor stores and government-run online sales and may grow up to four houseplants per household. Cannabis will initially be sold through existing liquor stores, with the creation of cannabis-only stores possible in the future. Northwest Territories residents will be able to smoke on private property, as well as on trails, highways, roads and parks that are not in use for public events. Communities and landlords will have the power to create and enact restrictions in their own spaces. All sales in Nunavut, at least in 2018, will be online until physical stores can be established. Municipalities will have the authority to restrict use and to request temporary restrictions on sales; no municipality may ban cannabis all together. Smoking cannabis will be prohibited in the same areas where tobacco is restricted. It will also be
Trudeau announced that legalization would take effect in 2018, startling many who did not expect such a sudden transition. Regardless, these are exciting times. It will be interesting to see how a substance that has always existed behind the veil of “look the other way� will so suddenly enter the daylight. There are still many unanswered questions about how cannabis legalization will affect everyday lifestyles. The impact on criminal enterprise and the justice system, the self-prescribed medical users, use and testing at workplaces, and the multitude of industries that can safely market products using a plant previously that remains illegal in 99 per cent of the world.
(The) anti-inflammatory qualities and mild to chronic pain relief are at this time the most common reasons for seeking a marijuana prescription.
During this series, we’ll be investigating how Canada plans to navigate the landscape of legalization, and document how ordinary citizens and business owners are coming to grips with a future of responsible cannabis n
illegal to use cannabis in vehicles and wherever children are present. Edibles, as well as other products like oils, will be regulated later.
will apply within private residences, although all cannabis must be stowed securely and out of reach of minors within the home.
Those under the age of 19 found in possession of cannabis in Nova Scotia face a fine of $150, and anyone under the age of 18 found in possession of more than five grams will face criminal charges. Residents may use cannabis in their own homes, given that a landlord has not placed any restrictions on the property, and cannabis may not be used in vehicles. The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) will be the only authorized distributor of cannabis. While edibles will be legal to produce at home for personal use, they will not be available for legal sale.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation (NLC) will be responsible for the sale of cannabis, and will set prices, establish and maintain stores and issue licences. Cannabis will be available for purchase through privately-run storefronts and government-run online sales. Smoking will only be permitted on private property.
Cannabis will be available for purchase through the New Brunswick government-operated stores and online. No possession limits
In Prince Edward Island Cannabis will be sold through government-operated stores and online sales. Smoking will be permitted in private residences, but there will be some exceptions for public spaces. Houseplants must remain out of the reach of minors. by Anne Dione 33 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
A union for everyone Get to know us at unifor.org @Unifortheunion
34 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
oh cannabis by Jonathan Marshall
BLOCKStrain
Keeping the Cannabis Industry On Track t is an exciting time for cannabis Ipopping in Canada, with new companies up every week offering healthy and professionally produced stocks of the leafy green — a product that has for so long been as infamous as it is widespread.
With state-of-the-art g rowing techniques, these new competitors are looking to develop the perfect strains of cannabis. Now that there are so many options for Canadians, how can consumers trust what they are receiving is precisely what they need? Enter BLOCKStrain.
operated outside the law and without patents for newly invented strains that growers could pass off as something related. Even to this day, many consumers rely on the word of unlicenced producers who have an interest in veiling their plants identity.
information that outlines who owns what rights to which strains. This will make it easier for licenced producers to share newly developed strains for testing to be integrated into the blockchain and expedite their registration with regulatory bodies.
With BLOCKStrain, no person or corporation is the authority figure that consumers must take at face value.
The use of BLOCKStrain’s Internet of Things has already led to important insights and updates that the company feels will optimize operational efficiency and lead to clearer management of production businesses.
Robert Galarza,CEO of BLOCKStrain, says this is the axis point for an industry lacking in transparency across the board. “Growers don’t need to trust blockchain companies or even one another. They just need to trust the technology,” he said.
With nearly known 1,500 known cannabis strains available, investors want to know what they are investing in, It’s a platform that verifies the quality and unique genome of cannabis products, helping licenced producers stand out in the market while navigating the government’s registration system. BLOCKStrain has positioned itself as a leader in the industry due to its use of blockchain technology. BLOCKStrain identifies new breeds of cannabis, tracking their exact chemical makeup across the emerging Canadian market to ensure standardization. Their supply management platform works by testing individual strains of cannabis and then digitizing the genetic information into a blockchain — a record of data that can be used to prove the authenticity of prior transactions of information — meaning products associated with the blockchain ledger can be validated without physically having to be present. In its infancy, the cannabis industry PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
customers want to know what product they are paying for and patients deserve to understand what their medication contains. The beauty of BLOCKStrain is the platform keeps track of any changes that occur to the strain over time. If the grower alters the plant, the blockchain keeps a record of how the chemical compounds have changed alongside it. Their platform is easy to navigate. Recently, the company announced new features to the BLOCKStrain platform, further proving its commitment to partner transparency and cooperation. BLOCKStrain partners can log into a central database of shared strain
“We are committed to making the BLOCKStrain’s proprietary technology suite as intuitive and cohesive of an experience for both LPs and testing providers. The data collected will be accessible and actionable to distribution partners and customers,” said Galarza. “This continuous feedback loop will give our partners an edge in the expanding global marketplace.” There appears to be no shortage of companies looking to take advantage of the booming demand for cannabis in Canada, and despite the Oct. 17 deadline closing in, more businesses are laying claim to the title of “best-produced” or “highest-quality” plants and cannabisinfused products for consumption. We have come to expect a high level of scrutiny when it comes to our food, alcohol and medication that we use daily. It only makes sense for companies to proffer their goods while remaining openly transparent about what they are selling to Canadians. BLOCKStrain nullifies the concerns many will have about ‘what they are smoking’ and is strategically placed to become a pillar in the campaign for responsible cannabis use n blockstrain.io 35 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
oh cannabis by Anne Dion
HEXO: A new horizon of high quality
Poised to take on an emerging recreational market come October, Hydropothecary Corp., has sprouted a new branch called HEXO. With strict standards of production, uncompromising quality, and responsible business practices, HEXO is ready to take the new adult-use cannabis market by storm.
Hydropothecary Corp. has been a certified producer of medical marijuana for five years. The company has provided high quality cannabis products to prescriptionholding patients across Canada during that time. Adam Miron and Sébastien St. Louis co-founded Hydropothecary Corp. in 2013 and have since built it into a strong example of Canadian innovation. Miron and St. Louis created a company that has helped scores of Canadian patients while maintaining a high standard of operation. Medical marijuana became legal in Canada in 2001 and is an asset for many who suffer from chronic pain. The drug is often prescribed to manage
Medical marijuana became legal in Canada in 2001 and is an invaluable asset in the lives of many people who suffer from chronic pain. 36 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
pain and nausea brought on by cancer treatments. Medical marijuana is also a popular treatment for arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Hydropothecary Corp. provides Canadians with naturally grown and rigorously tested legal marijuana and is now at the forefront of a new market. The company is showing its continued dedication to patients by keeping the name Hydropothecary attached to its existing products. Just as the legislation in place for medical marijuana will remain untouched come Oct. 17, so will Hydropothecary’s existing framework. Dr. Terry Lake, B.C.’s former health minister, moved to Ottawa last year to join Hydropothecary as HEXO’s VP of corporate and social responsibility. Lake’s job is to ensure the company follows through on environmental and social mandates. By focusing on reducing energy use, water use and waste, and by steering the company towards local organizations that support education, health and the environment, Dr. Lake will oversee HEXO’s responsible emergence into the new recreational market.
Dr. Lake spent two years as minister of the environment in British Columbia before taking on the health portfolio during the following four.
The two companies are working to produce non-alcoholic, cannabisinfused beverages following the Oct. 17 legalization date.
Lake spearheaded the province’s fight against the opioid crisis and was instrumental in raising the national alarm. Last year, the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) awarded Lake the National Public Health Hero Award for his leadership in declaring a national health emergency.
“There are a number of aspects that are really exiting (about the legalization of cannabis). Here in Canada, we’ve got the highest percentage of young people in the developed world using cannabis. But what they’re using is an uncontrolled, unregulated substance that’s being produced, in some cases, under very shady conditions.”
“I think the legalization of cannabis (and the research and development that it will bring) is going to be a very successful Canadian economic story — from a business point of view, from a technological point of view, and from a public health point of view as well,” said Dr. Lake. With so much public speculation about cannabis, its uses, and those who consume it, HEXO’s focus on transparency and education will have a big impact on cannabis’s future in Canada. When Dr. Lake first joined Hydropothecary last fall, there were about 50 employees. Now, the company employs more than 200 people, and is likely to employ close to 500 in another year. “It’s a steep growth curve, and it’s very exciting time to be in this industry,” said Dr. Lake. Hydropothecary Corp. is also undergoing a huge physical expansion to make room for HEXO.The company has gone from about 45,000-square feet to over 300,000-square feet of greenhouse space this year and is building another one-million square feet of space. Construction will be complete by the end of 2018 and the company hopes to be harvesting plants by mid-April next spring. Earlier this month, HEXO announced a partnership with Molson Coors Canada.
meaning that companies here will be at the forefront of development in terms of products. “As other countries come on board with legalization, we’ll have the expertise that we’ve developed here with Molson Coors, an iconic Canadian brand that’s been around for hundreds of years.” said Dr. Lake. Dr. Lake hopes to have a product that Canada can one day export around the world n
We’re moving into ABOVE: Hydropothecary Corp. cofounders, Adam Miron (LEFT) and Sébastien St. Louis.
Unregulated cannabis can contain pesticides or mold, and distributors are not required to reveal information like the concentration of their product. “We’re moving into a highly regulated market where consumers of cannabis will know exactly what they’re getting in terms of the levels of different cannabinoids, whether it’s THC or CBD. They’ll know that it’s free of pesticides and that it’s grown under very high quality conditions.”
a highly regulated market where consumers of cannabis will know exactly what they’re getting in terms of the levels of different cannabinoids.
HEXO’s standards of production and thoughtful business practices model a promising new way to approach industry — one that is responsible and sustainable. The company is also looking beyond the Canadian market to think globally. Canada is the only G7 country that is legalizing cannabis on a federal level, 37 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
canada-china friendship series by Dan Donovan
The Real China — The new Silk Road, XinJiang and religious freedom
ifferent from the descriptions in D narratives by Western analysts and media, China today is a complex, layered and at times contradictory country. However, the growth and infrastructure programs are all part of a vision of shared economic and social prosperity for all Chinese citizens. It isn’t perfect, but by any standard it is impressive. In 1978, China was an economically have-not country closed to the outside world and struggling to bring prosperity to its citizens. A mere four decades later, China is a global economic superpower because of policies that attracted foreign investment and technology, embraced free trade and multilateral institutions, allowed talented students to study overseas and encouraged large investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, education and research and development. The strategy resulted in an enormous increase in outbound investment and further enhanced economic ties between China and other countries. A downside of this plan was considerable environmental degradation and wealth inequality which has now become a focus of Chinese leaders. At the 19th Communist Party China National Congress in a year ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping laid 38 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
out an economic and social plan that affirmed a “new normal” of higher quality, but slower, economic growth, the institutionalization of an anticorruption campaign, improving relations between the central and provincial governments and addressing corporate and provincial debt in the country. Xi highlighted pollution reduction as a major goal, using the word “environment” in his speech more times than “economic.” XI also identified three hard-target objectives to achieve within a short period: the complete eradication of poverty in China by 2020; fully modernizing the entire nation by 2050; and making China a leading country in environmental practices and sustainability. These objectives seem attainable given that Chinese domestic growth is sailing along at 6.7 per cent and the trend is expected to continue. Growth is driven by massive investments in transportation, infrastructure, social and cultural institutions, the linking of major cities by high-speed rail and the creation of policies that encourage and support technological innovation. Add to this a stable and very predictable business environment for more than two decades and it becomes clear why China has become a magnet for foreign businesses. The Chinese are at
the forefront of the new global digital revolution bringing transformative changes in genetic sciences,new material technologies, artificial intelligence and health care. As the western countries of the G-7 flail about and bicker over trade, security and economic matters, China is using its clout to encourage BRICS (Brazil, Russian, India, China, South Africa) members and other countries to support global free trade and multilateralism. In 2013, China launched The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) or the Silk Road Economic Belt project, a $ five-trillion global infrastructure project focused mainly on transport and energy: roads, bridges, gas pipelines, ports, railways, and power plants that spans 60-plus countries across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa. Hailed by Xi as the “project of the century,” the plan fits into his bigger narrative that China is setting the example of globalization, filling the void left by the United States under Donald Trump’s “America First” policy and the economic uncertainty caused by bickering EU nations. Western China’s Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region is a major beneficiary of the BRI. Xinjiang has been a multi-ethnic populated region, and an inseparable part of China since the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCAD 24) when China became a unified multi-nationality country. It was at the centre of the ancient Silk Road that PHOTOS:DAN DONOVAN
connected Asia, Europe, and Africa. Through the Silk Road, grapes, walnuts, pomegranates, alfalfa, spices, herbs, peppers, precious stones, glass, horses, and other specialties as well as music, dance, astronomy, calendars and Christian, Buddhist, Islamic, and other cultures were introduced to the central plains from or through Xinjiang. Silk, lacquer ware, ironware, gunpowder, gold and silverware, porcelain, peach, pear, and other products including papermaking, smelting, water conservancy,gunpowder manufacturing were introduced to Xinjiang and to the West. The Silk Road and Xinjiang were a crucial channel for East-West business and trade exchanges and a bridge for cultural exchanges. Today, Xinjiang is once again playing a crucial role in the BRI West development strategy. It is a major base of energy and resources, agriculture and green energy (solar and wind power). It borders eight countries, has 17 A-class ports and two aviation destinations.The new Eurasian continental bridge cuts through Xinjiang, and a comprehensive transport network combining railways, highways, air routes and pipelines has been built, making Xinjiang the most convenient passage linking China and Eurasian countries. Xinjiang has 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities and several religions
including a large minority Muslim population from the Uygur ethnic group. The cornerstone of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC’s) ethnic policy is equality among all ethnic groups. This has been incorporated into the constitution and law of the People’s Republic of China. People from all ethnic groups have equal social status, enjoy equal rights and undertake equal obligations. China has considered itself a multinational country since ancient times and the current Chinese Communist government policy is based on the belief that historical evolution of its minorities has led to “the integrative pattern that all ethnic groups can live together in harmony, assimilate each other’s cultures, and be mutually dependent on each other economically.” The Chinese government sees the relationship between the Chinese nation and other ethnic groups as that between members of a big family who are all are co-creators of the modern Chinese nation. The government policy is to oppose all forms of national discrimination. However, there is also a belief that while ethnic minorities have their own customs and habits, some of their practices are intentionally or
The largest Islamic training institute in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region is the Islamic Theology Academy and Xinjiang University. It trains religious staff, including Imams for mosques. Students are taught that violence, separatism and terrorism are evil forces to be avoided. Lectures also include teachings on Chinese laws, the report of the 19th National Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and President Xi Jinping writings on “Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era . Students must take Mandarin (Putonghua) language courses, and pass a final exam before being deployed to mosques in other regions in Xinjiang. The institute also helps foreigners learn about China's ethnic and religious policies. The Xinjiang government also arranges annual charter flights for planned pilgrimages to take believers in Islam to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. During Ramadan local owners are free to choose whether to close or open halal restaurants. The CPC and Chinese government have also enacted a policy to encourage ethnic minorities to use and develop their own languages Bilingual policy is at the same time promoted to encourage all ethnic groups to use the national public common language.
unintentionally discriminatory. In those cases, the government can act when necessary to prohibit ethnic discrimination or to “strengthen national unity in the whole society and standardize policies and practices in various fields and industries, in a bid to effectively guarantee and legitimize rights and interests of ethnic minorities.” The Chinese have adopted policies that protect “the intangible cultural heritages on its territory” including scenic spots and historic sites, valuable cultural relics and other important historical and cultural heritages. Under Chinese law every citizen enjoys the freedom of religion. Politics and separate.
religious
beliefs
are
In Xinjiang there are six religions: Islam, Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism and Orthodox. Islam is the religion with the most ethnic religious groups (10) and believers (eight million). Mosques, churches, Buddhism and Taoism temples number 24,800. Religions in China are independent and have autonomy in their operations where normal religious activities are protected. However, because China is a secular state, no religion or religious leader may interfere with the administration, law, school education and social public education by using religion. Religions and religious schools must abide by the constitution when publishing religious books and journals, selling religious commodities and artwork, or when conducting international communication on religious aspects such as science and culture. Simply put, under the Chinese system, religions must work within the boundaries of the secular socialist society. In China today, the state has responsibilities to religion and religion has responsibilities to the state. It’s another part of President’s Xi’s ‘win-win’ philosophy n 39 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
Turkey
It is Easy to Love
Turkey’s historic and ancient Cappadocia region is situated on the rugged plateau north of the Taurus Mountains in east-central Anatolia, situated in the centre of present-day Turkey. A visit here guarantees an unforgettable visual and mystical journey. travel by Dan Donovan
Cappadocia is famous for its moonlike landscapes and unique geological features called fairy chimneys. These large, cone-like formations were created over time by erosion of the relatively soft volcanic ash that surrounds them. From the Byzantine and Islamic eras to the present, residents have literally dug into the towering limestone terrain to create dwellings, castles and entire underground cities. Today, builders are chiselling incredible homes, businesses and hotels into this stunning landscape.
40 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
Part of the joy of Cappadocia is taking it all in as you trek through the area. The locals are exceptionally friendly and welcoming. There is a beach-like, hipster vibe with the many adventure outfitter groups that offer everything from cycling and horseback adventures to guided tours and ballooning. The village of Uchisar is a popular spot where visitors can rent a scooter, bicycle or even an ATV to get around to the sites. If traveling to this region the best route is first contacting the friendly people at Travel Atelier Private Turkey Tours. They are the destination specialists in this region. Whether you are doing an individual, family or group tour, their guides provide exceptional assistance and recommendations that make for a memorable experience. Cappadocia’s lunar-like landscape makes it the most popular spot in the
world for ballooning. People come for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Strong Turkish coffee took the edge off the early morning chill as a professional balloon flight team prepared to launch.
PHOTO: DAN DONOVAN
As the sun began to rise, the burners on about 80 hot-air balloons started cranking and within minutes we were all airborne. The sky filled with a circus of multicoloured balloons each carrying up to 24 people. As we rose with the day the entire Cappadocia landscape lit up like a brilliant painting.
PHOTO: COURTESY GOTURKEYTOURISM
For the next hour we gently drifted over orchards and vineyards, fairy chimneys, and volcanic landscape. This breathtaking setting is entrancing when floating at 300 meters with an extraordinary 360-degree view but it's odd to be so far up in a basket and, yet, feel such a sense of calm. Our next stop was the historic town of Goreme. During the Roman period, persecuted Christians built homes in the rock formations and expanded the ancient caves into underground cities like Kaymakli and Derinkuyu that sheltered thousands of people. Cappadocia’s medieval residents also carved out churches and monasteries and decorated the walls with Byzantine frescoes.
As for accommodations, the remarkable five-star Argos Hotel is nestled neatly into the cliff side that overlooks Cappadocia’s fertile Pigeon Valley. As one of Turkey’s premiere boutique hotels, it was once a monastery before serving as lodging for the Silk Road
PHOTO: DAN DONOVAN
Some of the finest and largest collections are found inside the Göreme Open Air Museum (a World Heritage Site). The rock sites of Cappadocia and Göreme National Park are described by UNESCO as “one of the world’s most striking and largest cave-dwelling complexes.” caravans. Today, it continues to host visitors from far and away. Seki, the on-site restaurant, offers local cuisine like lamb shank, beef and duck with a modern twist that is a delight to the palate.
Vegetables and herbs are grown onsite to ensure the highest quality. The impeccable service and inspiring wines produced in the hotel winery make for very agreeable evenings. The province of Izmir is in western 41 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
Alcati
Along with being an upscale seaside resort, Alacati has established itself as one of the world’s top windsurfing destinations.
Anatolia, situated along the Aegean coast of Turkey. Many foreign visitors come here and visit Ephesus. The Cittur Tour guide is highly recommended — whose knowledge of the history, together with a friendly demeanour while sporting relationships with so many of the locals enriches the experience. The first stop is the seaside town of Ural — known for its wines, olives, figs and laid-back lifestyle. People are sociable, and the day is made complete with a visit to the shoreline coffee shops and restaurants. Driving down the Aegean Coast you arrive at Alacati, a storybook cobblestoned village with whitewashed homes, shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. Recommended is the boutique Beyevi Hotel. The owners are master hosts who provide comfortable rooms, a relaxed atmosphere and scrumptious breakfasts. Alacati is low-key and quiet during the day as people head to the nearby sandy beaches.
Along with being an upscale seaside resort, Alacati has established itself as one of the world’s top windsurfing destinations. At night it’s a different story as Alacati comes to life — the outdoor cafés and narrow streets fill with locals and tourists. Further down the stunning turquoise and cobalt blue Aegean Sea are the Roman ruins in the ancient city of Ephesus. Ephesus has a rich history and is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. Ranked among the greatest of archaeological sites worldwide, only 20 per cent of these ruins have been excavated. Ephesus was governed by the Greeks, Persians, Romans, Byzantine and, finally, the Ottoman Empire. At its apex in the second century A.D. nearly 300,000 people lived there, and it served as a key seaport that that traded goods from Asia to Greece, Italy and beyond. Its greatest claim to fame is the temple
GETTING THERE : uu Turkish Airlines flies direct to Istanbul from Toronto and Montreal. It has consistently been ranked as one of Europe’s best airlines. uu There are several ways to travel from Cappadocia to Izmir and Ephesus, but the most convenient way is to fly back to Istanbul and board another flight. It takes about half of a day, but domestic flights are cheap. uu When planning your next Turkish adventure be sure to visit Turkish Airlines, Travel Atelier and Cittur in order to make the most out of your time in Turkey. 42 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
PHOTOS: DAN DONOVAN
Alcati
to the goddess Artemis. One of the “seven wonders” of the ancient world, it is almost four times larger than the Parthenon in Athens. According to the New Testament, the Apostle Paul preached in Ephesus, prompting a riot led by silversmiths who crafted shrines to the goddess and feared for both their livelihoods and the future of the temple. A few columns are all that remain of the temple but walking through gives you a real sense of what it must have been like during those times. Plan to spend at least a half a day there and bring water because it’s hot. There are temples, skeletal remains and a 25,000-seat amphitheatre that recently played host to the Moscow continued>> page 45 Euphesus
profile by Anna Jonas
The other DC superheroes show some love for the North
ducation is a cornerstone in E building a child’s future and books serve as a tool to impart knowledge and understanding, making them an integral part of growth and development. DC Publishing is on a mission to bring that opportunity to the far corners of the country.
DC Canada Education Publishing is a small but mighty local children’s publisher based in Ottawa. The company’s writers, editors and illustrators collaborate to create awardwinning original educational children’s books, games, and songs for kids and their families at home or school in Canada and beyond. The publisher is teaming up with local businesses and individuals to help give kids across the nation equal access to a great education. Their goal? To send 100 packages within the next year containing a selection of DC educational books to schools in Northern Canada that would otherwise not have access to these resources due to lack of funding and remoteness. Many staff members at DC have either visited the north or taught in the area’s local schools and have seen firsthand the lack of learning materials in schools and its impact on the education of local children. They saw a need and decided to take matters into their own hands to do something about it. “Our motivation was to give something back,” says Mei Dang, Publishing
Director of DC Canada Education Publishing. “We want to show them that we care. One way to help is to show that we love them, so giving books to schools is one way.” “We want the kids to receive the material new and for it to be inspirational; we want them to have hope,” says Dang. “When kids have hope, the family has hope and it makes them want to get something for their future.” Each box is sent to a chosen school in the northern territories in the hope of inspiring them in their education and empowering them in their learning. Children and students at these schools might not otherwise have had access to materials like these. First Nations schools in these areas also face their own unique set of challenges. The gift box campaign supports Canadian authors, education in Northern communities and learning in languages, literacy, numeracy and other skills that are highly valued and necessary to prepare them for their future. It is a step in the right direction, aiming to begin levelling access to education and resources for children across the country and making sure all kids have not only the right, but also the ability to get the education they need, no matter where they live. For every $100 donated, DC provides a school in need with a box of books
holding a range of new educational resources valued at $200 dollars and will cover the cost of shipping. Sharing the cost in this way maximizes the ability to send as many resources as possible. DC is looking for sponsors and partners to be part of creating change and helping to make their dream a reality. “We can do some by ourselves, but we are small so we can’t do much,” says Dang. “We’re calling on other people to share the cost and contribute.” Businesses who participate in the program are recognized for their contribution by being promoted on DC Publishing’s website, with news of their collaboration shared with the schools impacted as well as the local media. Current sponsors include the Bank of Montreal Capital Center, Scotia Bank Ottawa Main and Kingston Community Credit Union, but DC is always looking for more people who want to get involved and make a difference. Want to get involved and help support the education of children in remote northern communities? Contribute to the cause by emailing DC Publishing, swinging by their offices on Metcalfe or visiting their website n dc-canada.ca 43 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
education by Julie Paquette
Rethinking democracy in the era of big data hristopher Wylie, the Canadian C whistleblower of the Facebook– Cambridge Analytica scandal, made
public the political data manipulation that happened during the 2016 United States presidential election. As far as we know, the data of more than 80-million account holders were collected to target electors and influence votes in favour of the Donald Trump campaign. This powerful data technology, as Wylie reported, would have also been used by the “Leave” camp during the Brexit campaign. People already lack trust in democratic institutions; this scandal is likely to reinforce this skepticism and can be presented as a threat to democracy. To recognize what this scandal reveals on a political scale, we must understand what these data represent and what ethical and political concerns they reveal.
We now have the capacity to collect and store a massive amount of data ‘forever.’ Technically, this means everything you do online can be collected, stored and analyzed to reveal patterns and to ‘personalize’ your web experience. As Viktor Mayer-Schönberger (professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at Oxford) highlights, this technology goes hand in hand with “the quest to quantify and understand the world.” Big Data (the name for this massive amount of data) is often understood as a duplication of the reality, as if A (the reality) equals A’ (the data collected). Even if we know this is only partially true (everything is not collected yet, and some data are corrupted), the belief in this equation has a perverse effect. In fact, A’ is tending to become A, which means our reality is becoming the collected data. By extension, there is no room for what
exists outside the Big Data world. If you do not participate online, you are, in a way, no longer part of this reality. Moreover, the amount of collected data is so large that if you are part of a minority, even if you participate, you are fading away in this massive flow of information. As highlighted by Antoinette Rouvroy in her work on algorithmic governmentality, what we used to call the ‘virtual’ no longer reflects the unfulfilled potential or the excess of possibility. The virtual is the data and is reduced to pure functionality. In addition, the collected data are not only quantifiable – they are valuable. As has been said many times, data is the oil of the 21st century, and our participation in these web platforms is making this digital economy highly profitable.
You can be the face of change! Saint Paul University (1848) is the founding college of the University of Ottawa, with which it has been federated since 1965. Bilingual and on a human scale, it offers programs in social communication, counselling and psychotherapy, canon law, public ethics, conflict studies, philosophy, human relations, and theology. 44 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
ustpaul.ca
Turkey>> from page 42
Some may say that this data can be used for the greater good, such as health research. For example, it has been shown to improve transplant matches.
the network from the bottom up.”
But as Cathy O’Neil points out in her book Weapons of Math Destruction, this can also increase inequality and threaten democracy.
A democratic process should include some basic principles, such as procedural fairness, accountability, division of power and autonomy, and be by the people, for the people.
In a way, we could say that Big Data is a pharmakon, a concept first developed by Plato, as it can denote both a poison and a cure.
Most of us would agree that democracy is something we should protect.
The algorithms that process these data are mostly opaque. We must remain on our guard. As Astra Taylor details in her book People’s Platform,“The more customized and user friendly our computers and mobile devices are, the more connected we are to an extensive and opaque circuit of machines that coordinates and keep tabs on our activities; everything is accessible and individualized, but only through companies that control
The trip wraps up in the city of Izmir on Turkey’s Aegean coast. Turkey’s third largest city was founded by the Greeks, taken over by the Romans and rebuilt by Alexander the Great before becoming part of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century.
Some might respond to the lack of confidence in our institutions by promoting an online democratic platform (liquid democracy), but often those who are in favour of this idea also defend the notion that a perfect democracy would be instant, direct and without mediation.
Ethical and political issues abound with Big Data:What is the value of our consent? Is accepting the terms and conditions (which, honestly, none of us look at) enough? Does the right to They also assume privacy still matter that 100 per cent THE MORE CUSTOMIZED AND and, if so, who participation is the USER FRIENDLY OUR COMPUTERS should protect ideal. AND MOBILE DEVICES ARE, that right (the THE MORE CONNECTED WE ARE state, corporations, We can ask: Aren’t individuals)? What we caught up in TO AN EXTENSIVE AND OPAQUE is the value of the A = A’ situation CIRCUIT OF MACHINES THAT privacy? Is it ethical mentioned above? COORDINATES AND KEEP TABS to make a profit If you saw the ON OUR ACTIVITIES. from it and, if so, movie The Circle, who should benefit you could already from that profit? Is have an idea of Big Data a threat to diversity? how dystopian this dream can be. Doesn’t the so-called personalization of the web experience also create an echo chamber where we are subjected to similar content, which could create a nasty feedback loop and render the very idea of pluralism obsolete? Also, shouldn’t those in power be accountable?
Philharmonic Orchestra, Jose Feliciano as well as Sting.
Euphesus
Today, it is one of Turkey’s most liberal cities and its expansive archaeological sites include the Roman Agora of Smyrna, now an open-air museum. The hilltop Kadifekale, or Velvet Castle, built during Alexander’s reign, overlooks the city. It is one of the most beautiful, cosmopolitan and modern seaside cities and has much to offer.
We must remember that a democratic process takes time and going against this very basic fact could risk undermining the importance of the discussion between people who do not think alike (at least at first glance).
Stay at the Park Inn by Radisson Izmir in the heart of the city. It’s just a block from the glorious seaside promenade called the Kordon that skirts the city with its shops, cafés, restaurants and bars.
Bringing Big Data into democracy, whether it is through Cambridge Analytica or through a liquid democracy platform, can be risky. Reflecting on the ethical and political concerns that any kind of digital democracy could raise might be the first step in protecting us from the worst of what democracy has engendered in the past.
Dinner is exceptional at the Konak Pier, an upscale market-type area that was once waterfront warehouses designed by Gustave Eiffel.
Never again n Julie Paquette is from the School of Public Ethics, Saint Paul University.
The Adabeyi Restaurant juts out to the water at the edge of the pier. It provides perfect sunset views that complement the smoked mackerel mezze platter and the bass fish main course served with the house specialty of mixed zucchini, yoghurt and walnut — a spectacular evening to close a wonderful trip n goturkeytoursim.com 45 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
opinion by Greg Vezina
Beware of false green prophet$
anada needs honest viable energy C and environmental policies based on science and economics, not based on political rhetoric, nonscience or nonsense.
Justin Trudeau’s proposed carbon tax is a clear example of this. That’s due to the delay in keeping his promise from 2016 to create a matching national clean fuel standard “based on life cycle analysis” billed as “the single biggest element of Canada's national emissions reduction plan.” There are at least seven major types of pollution caused in the life cycle of the production and utilization of energy: abiotic depletion; acidification; eutrophication; global warming; human toxicity; ozone layer depletion; and terrestrial ecotoxicity. The Trudeau Liberal’s proposed carbon tax applies to fossil fuels like coal, oil and bitumen, but exempts other forms of energy including natural gas used for power generation, which is worse during the 20- to 50-year time frame, and likely will so-called renewable fuels such as bio-fuels including those made from food crops, and biomass such as wood. The results of the recent Ontario election reflect the failure of the federal government to disclose the real cost of the carbon tax, how it will be used appropriately and in the public interest, the true life-cycle production and utilization of all forms of energy, or the facts regarding the real economic benefits of their energy and environmental policies. 46 OTTAWALIFE SUMMER 2018
The practice of letting politicians and civil servants make and implement policies that create winners false green prophet$ for their chosen technologies and multi-billion-dollar losers out of the rest of us has been proven wrong in every instance — confirmed by Ontario’s last two auditor generals. The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warn that growing crops to make ‘green’ biofuel harms the environment and drives up food prices. Furthermore, rather than combating the effects of global warming, it could make it worse. With one child under 10 dying from hunger and related diseases every five seconds (according to the UN), using food for fuel is actually a crime against humanity. This applies to other so-called renewable energy sources like wood biomass, shown as not being ‘carbon neutral’ at all because the immediate harm from releasing the carbon and the 50 years (or more) needed to grow trees to replace it makes it worse. Taxpayer subsidies, mandatory use laws and exemptions from carbon and life cycle taxes further increase the negative impacts of these pseudoscience-based policies. That’s why the user-pay life cycle clean fuel policy should have been fully formulated and implemented before any other steps were taken. We need to find ways as a country to
economically and sustainably develop and utilize our vast fossil fuel and renewable energy resources to our advantage, instead of exporting them for the benefit of others at huge discounts while unnecessarily increasing life-cycle environmental impacts. Bill Gates, whose multibillion-dollar Breakthrough Energy Coalition now targets carbon-free ammonia energy, indicates we should end all energy subsidies and spend our resources developing new and better technologies for all fossil and renewable energy production and use. Gates’ most read and recommended author, University of Winnipeg’s Dr. Vaclav Smil’s June 3, 2018, IEEE Spectrum article, A Critical Look at Claims for Green Technologies, is subtitled “Green technologies are not yet proved, affordable, or deployable — but even if they were, it would still take them generations to solve our environmental problems.” Alberta Premier Rachel Notley should join Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Ontario Premier Doug Ford in their legal challenge to Trudeau’s unjustified carbon tax-grab scheme using plans to implement realistic life cycle energy and environmental tax policies. We need a level playing field for energy, so consumers and industry can vote with their wallets in a true user-pay economy that doesn’t pass off the real costs onto anyone else n Greg Vezina is Chairman, Hydrofuel Inc. and leader of Ontario’s None of The Above Direct Democracy Party
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