Ottawa Star - Volume 1 Issue 12

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Ottawa Star www.OttawaStar.com • December 5, 2013 • Volume 1, Issue 12

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Feeling social?

Feds look to keep close eye on tweets, Facebook posts, YouTube

By Steve Rennie, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA—Big Brother is watching you—on just about every social-media platform you can imagine.

Tweets, public Facebook posts and YouTube videos could soon be subject to round-the-clock scrutiny by the federal government, a procurement document posted last week by Public Works and Government Services Canada suggests.

Welcome to media monitoring in the 21st century, when simply leafing through a stack of newspapers in the morning is about as antiquated as, well, newspapers.

The federal government is seeking a firm that “continuously monitors social media content on a daily basis in near real time and (can) provide web-based, online media metrics and reporting capabilities.’’

That includes combing through “blogs, microblogs, social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter, forums and message boards, traditional news websites and comment sections, media sharing websites (videos, photos and user-generated content websites including YouTube).’’

Pianist Laia Martin. Story Page xx. AP Photo/Manu Fernandez

Your fellow Americans aren’t so trusting

Continued on page 5

Harvard study: Canada’s snubbing of asylum seekers spurs human smuggling

Faith in one another at lowest level in 4 decades

By Connie Cass, The Associated Press

W

ASHINGTON—You can take our word for it. Americans don’t trust each other anymore.

We’re not talking about the loss of

faith in big institutions such as the government, the church or Wall Street, which fluctuates with events. For four decades, a gut-level ingredient of democracy—trust in the other fellow— has been quietly draining away.

These days, only one-third of Americans say most people can be trusted. Half felt that way in 1972, when the General Social Survey first asked the question.

Continued on page 13

By Lee-Anne Goodman, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA—A new Harvard Law School study, entitled Bordering on Failure, paints a scathing portrait of Canada as a country that’s increasingly slamming its doors on asylum-seekers and thereby unwittingly contributing to the human smuggling crisis.

The report by the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic, obtained by The Canadian Press, accuses Ottawa of making it so difficult for refugees to claim asylum that it’s pushing them into the hands of human smugglers, a state of affairs that sometimes puts lives at risk.

“Canada for many years really did extend meaningful protection to asylum-seekers and that’s something to be very proud of, something to live up to,’’ said Efrat Arbel, one of the report’s authors.

Indeed, the report says, Canada served as an example to the United States in the 1980s.

The Canadian border is now being “systematically closed to asylum-seekers,’’ she said, alleging it’s a situaContinued on page 11

3D printing set to disrupt the housing industry A 2,500-sq.ft. house can be built in as little as 20 hours

By Stephen Murgatroyd

EDMONTON, Troy Media—The word “innovation” gets overused.

I know, I have been writing about innovation for over 30 years and have had responsibility for drafting policies, strategies and structures all linked to making innovation happen.

I have also led innovation skills work-

shops and leadership development workshops focused on innovation.

True breakthrough disruptive innovation rarely happens. The internet is a breakthrough innovation which has disrupted a great many sectors of industry—publishing, movies, radio, music, travel, banking to name just a few. Synthetic biology will also Continued on page 14

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Ottawa Star • December 5, 2013

The Joy of Being Lebanese

By Samantha Ammoun

What is it to be Lebanese?

In the eyes of many, it is about the food, the Phoenician writings and their discoveries. To some, being Lebanese is holding a last name that has been passed on for centuries, or it is simply about the constant turmoil and the unending conflicts over religion, borders and resources.

To some, being Lebanese is about the ability to speak an oriental language, making you superior come job applications, and to some, it is living behind the legacy of successful entre-

preneurs and businessman.

To be Lebanese, a country of almost 4.5 million people and over 10 million beyond its borders, is and will remain a profound question. A country described by writers such as Gibran Khalil Gibran as the land filled with promise and beauty beyond imagination. A country that has lived pain beyond measure yet does not ever close its eyes when it comes time to celebrate.

The Lebanese Culture Club (LCC), an active club at both the University of Ottawa and now recently at Carleton University, united hundreds of the young Lebanese com-

munity to celebrate Lebanon’s 70th Independence Day at the El Mazaj Restaurant on Friday, Nov. 22.

From belly dancers to a swarm of young Lebanese pounding their feet to the ground as they danced the traditional Dabke, it was an evening filled with all that is Lebanese entertainment as the restaurant offered a delicious Lebanese feast.

“We hope that the LCC was able to offer an evening that reminded the Lebanese community of their roots and that helped them engage with others that they might not have had the chance to meet,” said

Ottawa wedding planner next Mr. Dubai?

Ellen O’Connor

A fellow Ottawan is asking for the support of his friends and family back home as he competes in a talent and beauty contest in the United Arab Emirates that will land one young man the title of Mr. Dubai 2013.

24-year-old Koussei Kurbaj, who was born and raised in Dubai and moved to Ottawa in 2008 with his family, packed his bags and left to Dubai three weeks ago to represent Ottawa and Canada in the six-week long Mr. Dubai competition.

Kurbaj was on a trip to Dubai visiting a friend when he submitted an application. Out of the hundreds of men that applied, he was one of 20 selected.

Since he’s been in Dubai, Kurbaj has been maintaining a strict diet and workout regimen, meeting with sponsors and agencies and preparing for the final three weeks of the competition when he’ll walk in a runway show and perform a stand-up comedy routine before the finals on December 13.

The winner will receive the title of Mr. Dubai, a $20,000 cash prize, as well as possible job and travel opportunities. While there is a panel of judges to decide the winner, a lot of the decision is based

Koussei Kurbaj Photo: SM Team

on the popularity of the contestant as seen on their Facebook page.

“It’s not about the money,” said Kurbaj. “It’s about the agencies that are going to sponsor me. There are lots of jobs that might show up, such as modelling for an agency or a clothing brand.”

He added that making his name known will help his business endeavours as he strives to brand himself, before branding a business in the future.

Kurbaj holds a degree in business administration from Algonquin College as well as a degree in Entrepreneurship Speciality Management and Business Development from Davenport University in Michigan. He formed a joint venture with Indian steel manufacturers and is launching another online business.

Kurbaj also works as a private wedding planner and a choreographer and is inspired by the traditional Syrian and Lebanese folkloric dancing and customs.

“Planning a wedding and meeting with new people every week, and being a choreographer, teaching dance or dancing in festivals helped a lot when I came here,” he said. “My personality really fit the competition.”

Kurbaj said he hopes to win so that he can represent Ottawa and share where he comes from with the world. To show your support, you can visit and “like” his Facebook page facebook.com/ Mrdubai2013kk.

The Lebanese Culture Club

Photo: Samantha Ammoun

Nadim El Choufani, president of the LCC Club at Carleton University.

The LCC has been active since 1988 and has made it their tradition to host an event that marks Independence Day.

“The numbers today surprised us, now that we know we have all these people supporting us, next time we are hoping that we can host it in a bigger venue,” said Laudy Hoyek, president of the Ottawa U club.

A tea tasting experience like no other

Tea lovers browse the booth of Jean LaRochelle, co-owner of World of Tea in Westboro, at the Ottawa Tea Festival. Photo: Samantha Ammoun

By Samantha Ammoun

Ottawa—Kimicha Tea invited Ottawans young and old to taste and experience the exceptional aromas of dozens of tea producers and an array of artisanal food producers from around the world at the Ottawa Tea Festival on Nov 23.

Visitors had the opportunity to taste all kinds of teas that filled the room, enjoy Indian Dance performances and Japanese Tea Ceremonies, and browse over 35 booths from different embassies including Indonesia and Nepal, as well as booths selling chocolate, tea pots, pans, and of course tea.

“I travel a lot to the different tea regions of the world and I wanted to share part of my experience with the world,” said Kimiko Uriu from Kimiko Tea and founder of the Ottawa Tea Festival. “I noticed that culture and tea are so closely linked and that’s kind of where the idea came from and it’s exciting to see the growth of the festival. So many tea lovers, performances, people from all over Canada are here to experience the event.”

Not only could tea lovers sample hundreds of teas, but they also had the chance to speak with the tea discoverers about what

tastes best, what to blend their tea with and what antioxidants can be found in some teas.

Jean LaRochelle, certified tea taster and co-owner of World of Tea present at the festival, travels to Asia every spring to seek out some of his richest and finest teas.

His boutique in Westboro specializes in teas of terroir meaning teas that reflect the land, people and their traditions. He and his wife travel to the top tea-producing regions in India, Nepal, China, Taiwan and Japan.

“I go to the Southern part of Yunan, among other places, and you have the name of a tea which has the name of a mountain there, you can even look them up on a map.

I travel to some of these locations by horse, from a city to another,” said LaRochelle.

Jin Jun Mei Tongmu Mountain, a black tea that is smooth in taste, was found 1000 meters above ground taking one’s tasting experience to a completely different level.

Uriu said in a world of tea and coffee to go, an event like the Tea Festival helps to rekindle the joy in having a warm cup of tea.

“I like to take the time to make a cup of tea, relax and taste what you’re drinking and eating, and I think our festival is just about that.”

Community

Ottawa Star • December 5, 2013

Copts in Ottawa – A profile

By Ayman Sabet

Derived from the Greek word “Aeghyptios” which means Egypt, “Copts” started settling in Ottawa many decades ago, or, more precisely, towards the mid 1960s. The initial 10 to 15 families have now increased to more than 5,000 persons, a great number of whom having been born in Canada and given Canadian names.

Anti-Coptic violence during the past 40 years drove the largest Christian group in the Middle East to seek refuge in North America where they could feel secure and safe.

Paul Roufail’s story of a distinguished career in pharmaceutical sciences goes back to the early ‘60s when he finished his PhD studies in Pharmacology, in Switzerland. From there he was recruited by a large pharmaceutical company in Montreal, QC where he worked as senior research pharmacist.

After three years in Industry, he went to academics, and accepted a teaching position at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS. Mr. Roufail, who is also a deacon at St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church, joined Health Canada in Ottawa where he spent 35 years in research and administrative positions related to approving new medications to assure their safety and efficacy before marketing.

The second wave of Coptic immigrants to Canada had another face - the new “computer” generation. Having a successful high-tech career, Hany Guirguis, a mechanical engineer, began his career in 1988 and has worked in robotics for more than 15 years in Ottawa. In 1999, he founded EOD Performance Inc. and as president, negotiated the sale transaction with Allen-Vanguard Corporation in March 2004.

As part of the integration plan, Mr. Guirguis was appointed Chief Development Engineer of Allen-Vanguard Corporation in December 2004. In this role, the Coptic engineer was responsible for all that company’s research and development in North America including new product development and sustaining and evolving existing product lines.

For others, the land of Maple Syrup was their destination to express and practice freely their spiritual beliefs.

“Being a Coptic Christian in the land of immigration (the Western world), as opposed to being a Copt in Egypt is a blessing and a humbling experience,” said 23-yearold Sami Botros, who has graduated from Teachers College. “As a Copt in Canada, I am able to practice freely my religion without the anxiety of the repercussions, should Continued on page 4

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 3

Ottawa Inuit children “Growing Up Great” with afterschool program

By Ellen O’Connor

Ottawa is home to a large number of ethnic communities that are ever-growing and diversifying our landscape. Although a minority, the close-knit Inuit community is one that has found a place for itself here in the Capital with the support of agencies like the Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre.

“When I first moved here, there were about 400 of us and now it’s grown

to 2,000,” said Lynda Brown, director of programs at the OICC, an agency based out of Vanier.

The OICC is a leader in the Inuit community as it provides a variety of programs and services for everyone, from early years to elders. With half of the population under the age of 25, there is an increasing need for youth-oriented programs that support and teach Inuit culture and community.

Tukimut, which means “growing up great” is an OICC after-school program funded by United Way and The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport that has grown in success over the past five years.

“We are not actually neighbourhood-based, which is different from most afterschool programs,” said Brown. “We are culturally-based so our youth come from all around Ottawa.”

Continued on page 4

Community

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Confronting diabetes and winning: Ruhina’s story

By Janet Allingham RN Ruhina Bhalloo credits a local diabetes support group with saving her life. Describing herself as “coming from Kenya, but with roots in Pakistan”, she arrived in Canada at the age of 35. Initially,

she continued to eat the high fat, starchy foods she had eaten back home. However, her lifestyle did change in one important way.

Suburban living meant she had to drive everywhere, so she didn’t get much regular exercise.

Risk of diabetes is greater for people who are obese, older than 40, have lower incomes, or a family history of the disease. Newcomers from South Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa also have high rates of this disease. Dr. Parmjit Sohal, writes

in the Canadian Journal of Diabetes (2006) that “South Asians, the fastest growing immigrant population and the second largest visible minority in Canada, are 3 to 5 times more likely to have diabetes than the white population”.

At the age of 55, Ruhina’s lifestyle caught up with her. She was diagnosed as “pre diabetic”.

This meant that her blood sugar levels were raised, but not as high as in Type 2 diabetes. Despite losing some weight, she eventually became diabetic, and had to

Ottawa Star • December 5, 2013 take medication by mouth. Still, however, she did not have good control of her blood sugar levels.

Ruhina’a breakthrough came after she attended a few meetings of the local South Asian Support Group, run by the Canadian Diabetic Association. Here she learned how serious diabetes is, and how others had confronted, and managed the disease through lifestyle changes. Specifically, she learned to control her blood sugar levels through food choices, portion size, and regular exercise.

In her own words, Ruhina sums up what she has learned through her diabetic journey: “Food is the culprit, both in terms of what you eat and how large the portions are. What good is medi-

cation if you don’t eat healthy?”

She has learned to eliminate foods that raise her blood sugar, and now substitutes more complex carbohydrates like beans, lentils, and whole grains. She also encourages everyone, especially diabetics, to go outside and get a little exercise. Now on insulin, having made dietary changes, and getting regular exercise, she feels she is in control of her diabetes.

Awareness is key to both prevention and good management of diabetes. For more information, you may visit the Diabetes Education Program of Ottawa’s website: www.diabeteseducation.ca.

Janet Allingham practices as a nurse/lactation consultant and writes on health issues.

Copts in Largest South Asian show in Ottawa brings wedding bliss Ottawa – A profile

By Ellen O’Connor

Continued from page 3

I be in Egypt. In other words, Copts in Canada are blessed and fortunate enough to be able to practice Christianity, and to not fret the persecution and discrimination that is ever-present in Egypt.”

According to Daniel Abdalla, ever since the two Revolutions took place in Egypt almost two years ago, both transition periods have been uneasy for the Coptic Christians. But Morsi’s ouster in the second revolution negatively affected the Copts the most.

“The supporters of Morsi attacked businesses and homes of Copts, and attacked St. Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo. Living in Canada has proven to be a safe haven for my family, as well as for the hundreds of other families fleeing from Egypt,” explained Mr. Abdalla who added that the Coptic Church has retained, both its culture and traditions.

During March and April 1977, His Holiness the late Pope Shenouda III made his first pastoral visit to the Coptic communities in the U.S. and Canada.

Divine liturgies are celebrated in English, Coptic and Arabic. On religious feasts, such as the Feasts of Nativity and Resurrection, the church youth routinely presents plays adapted from productions of the mother church in Egypt.

Brides- and grooms-to-be, along with their family and friends, had a case of wedding fever on Nov. 24 as they prepared for the big day at the 5th annual Ottawa Suhaag Show.

Held at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre, the South Asian wedding show was organized by Suhaag and Mirch Masala Radio. It brought out 2,000 people throughout the course of the day to watch fashion shows, try samples of Indian food, and browse 40 different vendors that covered entertainment, lifestyle, photography, decor and fashion.

“From the audience we’ve heard they love the idea of having more diverse vendors and that’s why it’s been our best show to date because you see a little bit of everything,” said Sanjay Agnihotri, co-founder of the Suhaag Show and Suhaag Magazine.

Getting its start in Toronto in 1997, the Suhaag show is the longest-running and largest

A model at the Ottawa Suhaag Show Photo: Michael Power

South Asian wedding show in North America and a one-stop destination for brides and grooms as they plan for their dream wedding.

“The Ottawa show started off by bringing in Toronto vendors to kick-start the show and to get the Ottawa community excited,” said Agnihotri. “Over the last five years, we have decreased the number of Toronto vendors and

have seen more interaction and involvement with the Ottawa and Montreal vendors.”

“I think it’s just a matter of establishing roots and the community believing in it and seeing a need for it.”

Some of the Ottawa vendors included Host India, East India Company, Al-Nisa, Mush Fiq Arts, Starfish, and Design & Decor.

The two fashion shows throughout the afternoon featured models wearing clothing from HR Collections, a designer boutique from Markham, Ont. run by Hina Rizvi that sells casual, formal and wedding dresses. This was their first time at the Ottawa Suhaag Show.

Al-Nisa, a Kanata-based beauty salon also provided clothing as well as hair and makeup for the models. Led by Nargis Yousuf, Al-Nisa specializes in Western and Eastern, bridal, casual, and runway make-up and hair, as well as spa treatments, henna, and wedding day or pre-wedding day bridal packages.

Ottawa Inuit children “Growing Up Great” with afterschool program Continued from page 3

While they usually aim for 20 children, this year they have a record number of 36 children, ages six to 13, registered for Tukimut.

The program is held three nights a week, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and to ensure all children have access the OICC provides full transportation.

Tukimut is built on a foundation of six components: culture and language, social support, education, health promotion, nutrition and parent/guardian involvement.

Children in the after-school program work

on homework, learn about healthy eating and participate in physical activity.

Every Monday night, elders do activities with the children such as story-telling and lighting the Quilliq, a traditional lamp.

Children also learn throat singing, do crafts and learn the syllabic alphabet in the language program, Uqausivut.

“We know we’ve been successful because we’ve had kids who have grown up here, and went up North and said, ‘I know this, and this, and this!’” said Brown, whose own son had the opportunity to travel to the

North for a summer when he was 12.

The OICC recently purchased a neighbouring building with money donated by the TD Bank. While it is currently being used as office space, they are looking for funding so they can provide more youth services in the future.

“We’re really strong in providing services for our early years, and we’ve increased services for the seven to 12 age category,” said Brown. “We realized once they start leaving our Tukimut program, there wasn’t much else out there for them, so we are now expanding and looking into doing more services for the 14 plus category.”

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Ottawa Star • December 5, 2013

By Jennifer Ditchburn, The Canadian Press

O

TTAWA—A Conservative MP is set to introduce a bill that would give party caucuses significant powers—including the ability to vote out their leader.

Michael Chong has been working on the private member’s bill for years, and has become a standard-bearer for rebalancing the power between the Prime Minister’s Office and Parliament.

His proposed legislation would also give party riding associations the ultimate say in electoral nominations, removing the leader’s signature from the equation for the first time since 1970.

But the measures that focus on MPs are the most likely to stir debate in the House of Commons, particularly at a time when the power of the executive is in the spotlight.

Details of how Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s staff allegedly tried to manipulate a Senate committee report and an independent audit were laid out in an RCMP affidavit filed recently in court.

Conservative sources familiar with Chong’s bill say it’s not a direct reaction to what’s currently in the news, and wouldn’t even come into effect until after the next election. Chong had been forced to introduce the bill or risk losing his place in the order of Commons consideration. When asked about the bill, Chong said, “I’m going to wait until the bill is introduced in the House before providing public comment.’’

One measure would entrench in the Parliament of Canada Act that the different Commons caucuses—also referred to as parliamentary parties—have the power to trigger a leadership review vote, as long as 15 per cent of the caucus applies in writing for one.

After that, a simple majority of MPs, 50 per cent plus one, could vote to turf the leader and have a leadership race. Members of Australia’s Labour party caucus recently used that power to eject leader Julia Gillard, at the time the prime minister. Conservative MPs in Britain have the same power.

In the case of Chong’s bill, the power would be restricted to the House of Commons caucus, and not the larger national caucus that includes senators.

Theoretically, the MPs would be cautious about how they vote because of their new, closer relationship to the riding associations that helped send them to Ottawa. The idea would also be to make political engagement more attractive to Canadians, with the knowledge they have more power at the grassroots level.

Commons caucuses would also have the right to elect their own chairs and to call for a review of an MP, as well as to eject or readmit them. Right now, it is the prerogative of the leader alone—as Harper showed this year when MP Dean Del Mastro was shown the door after being charged under the Canada Elections Act. Chong’s bill is expected to be introduced Dec 5, and would potentially see second reading debate in February or March.

Feds look to keep close eye on social media Continued from page 1

The contractor is also being asked to keep tabs on English- and French-language Internet news sites and blogs.

The document specifies that the contractor must be able to provide the service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Part of the job will be to gauge the sentiment and tone of posts and to determine their reach.

The social-media monitoring service must also come with the ability to filter searches by country, language and key words.

Digital public affairs analyst Mark Blevis of FullDuplex.ca said it’s not unusual that a government would want to know what people are saying, although he concedes some might find that thought disconcerting.

“On one level, there is a creepiness factor to this,’’ Blevis said in an interview.

“But then on another level, it’s open data, it’s open information. If it’s publicly

accessible, why should the government have any less privilege accessing it than anyone else in the public eye?

“What they do with it is going to be the big question.’’

Social media can act as an “early warning system’’ to alert authorities to major disasters, Blevis said, just as it can be used to track public opinion.

“It depends on the intent. Is it creepy?

Yeah, for the vast majority of the public it will seem creepy because the sense is the government is looking over their shoulder,’’ he said. “But another part of me feels that this is a recognition that this where the conversations are happening now, and they’re happening in plain view.’’

Public Works said that while previous media monitoring work did involve social media, the technology has evolved to the point where a contractor who specializes in social media is necessary.

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 5

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PAGE 6 • www.OttawaStar.com

Opinion

Faith-based charity helps you enjoy a debt-free Christmas

Editorial

Merry Christmas sounds more joyful than Seasons Greetings!

“You better not pout, You better not cry, I’m telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town!

I

strongly feel the idea to strip the greetings, “Merry Christmas” and replacing them with the generic, “Season’s Greetings,” “Happy Holidays”, to be insensible, absurd and stupid.

It is taking political correctness that trumps over common sense and logic too far. It is depriving Christmas of all its joys, magic and festivity and rendering it dull, drab and lifeless.

As my friend, who is Muslim beautifully summed up, “We love Christmas and celebrate it, as a time of joy and happiness. For us it’s not so much a religious occasion but a wonderful tradition that is so warm and welcoming”.

The horrible mess that is being created in Quebec in the name of secularism is killing the societal joys that people of different faiths enjoyed and celebrated together.

Belief in god or being Christian is absolutely not a prerequisite for enjoying the Christmas season. It is, as someone rightly said, “the only time in the year when the entire world has this shared experience of peace and hope for the future.”

I am a Hindu and it is common among many of my Indian Hindu

friends living in Canada to deck their home and decorate the Christmas tree; “do the whole Santa thing” for their kids.

Just like we celebrate Diwali―a Hindu festival of lights―by sharing sweets, lighting firecrackers and doing activities at temple, we celebrate Christmas by decorating trees, waiting for Santa and giving gifts. The children eagerly look forward to enjoying Christmas as much as they revel in celebrating Diwali. Participating in celebrations outside of one’s own heritage has added benefits for children in that it helps them become part of two cultures.

Mainly, I have found the spirit of Christmas brings out the best in us; leading us to greet strangers with a smile, give more to charity, be kinder to strangers, and more willing to be tolerant with others.

That’s why I love Christmas - a festival which transcends the barriers of race, religion, language and hope that it will become a truly global, secular celebration of humanity’s capacity for love.

From all of us at Ottawa Star we wish you and your family Merry Christmas, and a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year. As we take our break, we look forward to starting 2014 with each member of our team, ready, rejuvenated and committed to the next step in enlightening and entertaining you.

Editorial by Sangeetha Arya

Ottawa Star 303 Moodie Dr, Suite 400, Ottawa, ON K2H 9R4 • 613.627.3869

Every effort is made by the Ottawa Star to ensure that information published is accurate. The Ottawa Star reserves the right to report unsolicited material being sent through to the publication. Reproduction in whole or in part of this publication is strictly prohibited without prior consent of the publisher.

Ottawa Star • December 5, 2013

By Jane Harris-Zsovan

C

ALGARY, Troy Media—Scary reading, indeed! The Royal Bank of Canada’s November Canadian Consumer Outlook predicts that the average Canadian will spend $1,192.50 celebrating the holidays this year. Since most of us don’t put money away to pay for presents, we can wind up paying for holiday gifts with credit cards.

In October, TransUnion, which monitors consumer credit, released a Google Consumer survey of Canadians in which 64.6 per cent of participants who plan to buy Christmas gifts this year admitted that they haven’t saved any money for their annual gift-buying blitz.

It’s enough to quash the Christmas spirit.

Even when you aren’t struggling financially, images of January credit card bills dancing in your heads can turn any of us into 21st century Scrooges. But don’t skip your December celebration. Let’s recapture it!

It’s time to put away you frowns along with our credit cards because you don’t need to bury yourself in debt to make Christmas 2013 memorable.

Instead of focusing on the price tag of the gifts you give or receive, remember what your grandma told you: “It’s the thought that counts.”

Put those credit cards away, purchase or make what you can afford, and make people - including you - the focus of your holiday celebration.

This year, many of Canadians are dealing with the aftermath of massive disasters such as the Alberta floods and the Lac Megantic explosion. Many more are rebuilding after private disasters, such as job loss or illness, loss of a loved one.

Are you one of them? Are you thinking that you can’t afford Christmas?

Upheavals in our lives not only drain our wallets; they tempt us to think we have nothing left to celebrate. Negative thinking won’t make us richer, but hope might.

Creating happier memories, resting, and re-connecting to family, friends, coworkers and the greater community; help

Publisher: Chandrakanth Arya Chief Editor: Sangeetha Arya Editor: Ellen O’Connor

Production: Benoit Deneault Joey Sabourin Editorial Contact Editor@OttawaStar.com

us look beyond the grind of living. Celebrations are especially important when we weather grief, illness, job loss, debt or broken relationships—when money is often tight, when we don’t feel like giving or receiving gifts, and when we are tempted to hide away in our misery.

“There’s a life to be enjoyed. For us at CAP Canada, the focus is on helping people who are overwhelmed make healthy Christmas choices. One of the things that we have done is highlight ways of celebrating with family, friends, festivals, and embracing community,” says Will Maclaughlin, development manager at CAP Canada.

New to Canada, CAP is a faith based charity that has had considerable success in raising people out of poverty in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. The rising debt levels among Canadians have prompted Christians Against Poverty to train teams of volunteers to help struggling Canadians find financial solutions that eliminate our reliance on credit cards.

Unlike many debt counselling organizations, CAP focuses on more than the client’s finances. In addition to coaching clients on financial literacy and developing a plan to pay off debt; CAP volunteers visit clients at home, ensuring that the heat and electricity are on and that there is food in the fridge. They even bring bags of groceries to struggling individuals or families.

“Our most difficult cases are because of illness, job loss, or relationships have broken down. These are sad and difficult stories, and it can be incredibly difficult to get the help and support. Finding support is what Christmas is all about,” says MacLaughlin.

The holiday season reminds us that we do not have to bear hard times alone. It gives us a chance to look beyond that stack of bills as we re-build and make new connections with people.

So, leave those credit cards at home when you go Christmas shopping.

Your spouse would rather have a dollar store trinket you can afford, than watch you stress over how to pay January bills. Your kids would rather have laughter around the dinner table than listen to you complain about how much you spent on their presents.

A debt free Christmas - that’s worth celebrating.

Jane Harris-Zsovan is a columnist at Troy Media. She offers her readers practical money advice for the real world. www.troymedia.com

Sales: Michael Power mpower@OttawaStar.com 613.627.3869 Distribution COMET 2000 Printed by: Winchester Print & Stationery www.winchesterprint.com

Ottawa Star • December 5, 2013

Opinion

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 7

Americans unhappy with both Republicans and Democrats, with year to go before election

By Steven R. Hurst, The Associated Press

W

ASHINGTON—Americans are deeply unhappy with Congress and President Barack Obama, and there’s no quick fix in sight.

The cause: political mistakes on both sides of the bitter partisan divide. The effect: an uncertain outcome in next year’s congressional elections.

Will the Republicans hold the House of Representatives? Can they take majority control from Democrats in the Senate? Both parties are weakened, and Obama’s popularity is sinking.

The Republican party is at war within, with its tea party-aligned minority having set an agenda that sent party approval sinking. Conservative ideologues insist on dramatic measures to shrink government and slash taxes. Many of their proposals are at odds with what the majority of Americans want, but the rhetoric plays well in conservative congressional districts.

Using their tactical power, tea party members last month pushed reluctant House leaders into a politically costly budget battle with Senate Democrats, triggering a government shutdown. They also threatened to force the U.S. into default on its debt, a move meant to hurt Obama’s health care overhaul and force further budget-tightening for Americans. The effort failed under a wave of public disgust.

When the shutdown ended, the Gallup polling organization showed Congress had a 9 per cent public approval rating.

For a couple weeks, Obama and the Democrats were riding high. Then came the Obama administration’s troubled launch of his all-important health care overhaul, with a web portal that didn’t work and that still struggles to handle the volume of Americans trying to sign up for newly mandated coverage.

Obama’s approval rating has sunk to a new low of 37 per cent, just two points above former President George W. Bush’s approval rating in his fifth year in office, according to a CBS television poll.

A new CNN/ORC poll found 53 per cent of Americans now say they don’t believe Obama is “honest and trustworthy.’’

Some congressional Democrats, fearful of the party’s re-election prospects, are starting to distance themselves from Obama, even recently joining Republicans in voting for measures to weaken the health care law.

Adding to the fiasco, millions of people received notifications that their health insurance policies would be cancelled because the plans did not meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.

That went against one of Obama’s key selling points of the law: that Americans who were happy with their insurance would be able to keep it. While those losing current coverage are only a slice of the 5 per cent of the Americans who buy health insurance in the private market, Obama was caught making a promise he knew he could not keep.

Obama was forced to order the cancelled policies re-instated for a year, even though the move could seriously damage the delicately balanced funding for the costly overhaul.

It’s hard to say which political party will look worse to Americans in elections next year.

James Riddlesperger, a political scientist at Texas Christian University, said the most recent trouble -over health care - is the one most likely to stick in voters’ minds. The CBS poll showed that just 31 per cent of Americans now support the Obama overhaul, down 12 percentage points from a month earlier.

The Obamacare rollout mess was a political gift for Republicans, who have been determined to destroy the health care law since it was adopted in 2010, when Democrats held the majority in both chambers of Congress.

Since the Republicans regained control in the House, they have taken more than 40 largely symbolic votes to rescind the program. After the shutdown disaster, the anti-Obamacare campaign briefly seemed doomed. Now, the website woes and insurance cancellation notices have ensured that health care will be a tough issue for Democrats during the congressional elections.

Still working in favour of the Democrats is an ideological war for the soul of the Republican party that traces back decades. Some students of American politics say the disillusionment fueling the tea party dates to the 1980s presidency of

conservative hero Ronald Reagan.

David Ryden, political science professor at Hope College, said Reagan had ``great rhetorical success in setting the table for smaller government.’’ But “tangible evidence was pretty marginal’’ that the government was shrinking, fostering deep disappointment within the hard right-wing, he said. After George W. Bush’s eight-year presidency, many conservatives thought, “This guy did as much to expand the reach of government as anyone,’’ Ryden said.

The tea party sprang to life as a named entity after Obama’s 2008 victory, with the health care law becoming emblematic of their fight to limit the government’s social and economic role. Tea party loyalists also remain determined to block immigration reform and press for cuts in the government program that provides food assistance for the poor.

That puts the Republican Party in a quandary. Republican leaders are concerned that the tea partiers are alienating independent voters and other key groups, particularly Hispanics who favour immigration reform. But some mainstream Republicans are fearful of angering the party’s conservative base by pushing back against the tea party..

Amid the malaise, a recent Gallup poll found that 60 per cent of Americans believe the country needs a third party.

That number is driven by the opinions of independent voters, but large percentages of Republicans and Democrats agree.

About 5% of Canada’s children live in actual poverty

By Christopher Sarlo

N

ORTH BAY, Troy Media—Every year around this time there’s a flurry of studies, reports and media stories about the state of poverty in Canada, especially child poverty. We are told that as many as one-seventh of Canada’s kids live in poverty. And the accompanying descriptions of the predicament of those children paint a picture of hunger and of serious deprivation.

But is it true that roughly 15 per cent of children live in households that are too poor to afford the basic needs? Is it the case that these children are “wasting away” and have to “read or write or think on an empty stomach” as Ed Broadbent famously stated in his November 24, 1989 House of Commons speech on child poverty?

Fortunately, it is not the case. The measure used to find that 15 per cent of our children are “poor” is a relative measure. A relative measure can only tell us how many households are “less well off

than average” and does not purport to reveal anything about hunger or other kinds of real deprivation. Relative measures can arguably speak to the condition of “lowincome” but not poverty. Statistics Canada has been consistently clear on this distinction, even though it appears to be lost on most users of low-income measures.

When we measure actual poverty, defined as a predicament of real deprivation (sometimes referred to as “absolute” poverty), we find that about 5 per cent of Canada’s children live in households with reported incomes that are insufficient to cover all of the basic needs. Children in these households are at risk of being hungry, ill-housed and deprived of other necessities. While this can be viewed as good news when compared to the alarming (but misleading) statistics using relative measures, it is tragic that we have five per cent of our children in this apparent state of real deprivation. This is not acceptable.

Let’s be clear. Living in poverty is not about being deprived of an iPad, the cool-

est Nike sneakers or dinners out at restaurants. It is about not having enough food to eat and perhaps having to go to a soup kitchen or food bank. When you are poor, you often cannot afford to replace worn out clothing or meet personal hygiene needs.

When you are poor, you are likely to live in inadequate and often unsafe accommodation. Being poor is unhealthy. There is a heightened sense of urgency and desperation about living in poverty that is simply not the case with those above the poverty line. If we include, as poor, those whose deprivation is merely relative in kind, we risk trivializing the predicament of the poor.

In 1995, the United Nations sponsored a world summit on social development in Copenhagen. That summit, which focused attention on poverty in both developed and developing nations, ended with a declaration which committed signatory nations to both measure and eradicate absolute poverty. Canada and all of the other developed nations signed on to that declaration.

Regrettably, there has been virtually no follow-up relating to the commitments made at Copenhagen. As far as I am aware, there has been no action taken by successive governments. And the media seems to have buried this.

If it was a good idea in 1995 to measure and strive to eliminate absolute poverty, what changed to make it a bad idea?

If absolute poverty relates to hunger, inadequate housing, and serious deprivation, why would those most closely associated with poverty (politicians, reporters, academics, and, especially, social activists) not want to measure the true incidence of this problem? And why would they not want to eliminate it? Looked at from the perspective of poor people, it seems scandalous that these commitments remain both unfulfilled and hidden.

Christopher Sarlo is a professor of economics at Nipissing University and Fraser Institute senior fellow. He is the author of Poverty: Where Do We Draw the Line? available at www.fraserinstitute. org. Article courtresy www.troymedia.com

PAGE 8 • www.OttawaStar.com

Entertainment

Ottawa Star • December 5, 2013

Spain court acquits pianist accused of noise pollution, psychological damage to neighbour The Associated Press

MADRID, Spain—A Spanish court has acquitted a 28-year-old concert pianist on charges of causing noise pollution and psychological damage to a neighbour.

The court in northeastern Girona absolved professional pianist Laia Martin and her parents of both charges, accord-

ing to a written ruling issued Nov 26.

The trial this month caused a storm of ridicule and disbelief when prosecutors sought a sentence of seven years.

They later reduced this to 20 months.

Martin’s neighbour, Sonia Bonsom, complained the pianist practiced five days a week for eight hours at a time between 2003 and 2007 in an apartment building in

the nearby town of Puigcerda. Bonsom told the court she now hated pianos so much she can’t even stand to see them in movies.

The court said it found Bonsom’s claims unreliable and exaggerated. It said there was no proof that Martin’s playing surpassed the 30-decibel limit laid down for musical instruments in the town—as the prosecution claimed—or that the

playing was the direct cause of Bonsom’s problems.

Martin’s parents were attached to the case when they carried out soundproofing work twice, but this failed to quell Bonsom’s complaints.

A normal conversation produces 5560 decibels, with noise in a typical Spanish bar reaching 65-70 decibels.

Maine woman uses sign language, dance, to bring music to life for the deaf PORTLAND, Maine—Holly Maniatty creates music – for the deaf.

Teaming American Sign Language with dance moves and body language, she brings musical performances alive for those who can’t hear. Her clients are a who’s who of rock, pop and hip-hop: Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Mumford and Sons, Jay-Z, Billy Joel, Marilyn Manson, U2, Beastie Boys and Wu-Tang Clan, to name a few.

Along the way, videos of her fast-motion, helter-skelter signing have become popular online. There’s the video of Springsteen jumping down from the stage at the New Orleans Jazz Fest and joining Maniatty and another interpreter. There, he dances and signs to “Dancing in the Dark.”

“Deaf people were commenting, ‘Oh, the Boss knows he has deaf fans.

That’s awesome,”’ she said. “When artists connect with their interpreters, they also connect with their deaf fans.”

In another video, rap artist Killer Mike approaches Maniatty in front of the stage after noticing her animated signing.

“I’ve never seen that before,” he says to her before challenging her to sign a profane phrase, which she does wholeheartedly as the crowd hoots and hollers.

At a Wu-Tang performance, Method Man took notice of her signing, came down from the stage and joined her.

“He said, ‘That’s dope,’ and gave

me a hug and a fist pump,” she said.

Last month, she found herself at New England’s largest drag queen show, signing as performers from all over sashayed down the runway and lip-synched to booming music.

Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin, who’s deaf, took to Twitter this year when she saw a video of Maniatty performing at the Wu-Tang show: “Wu tang interpreter is rapping in sign BIG time!!”

The 33-year-old Maniatty, who lives outside Portland, learned sign language while studying it at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. She decided to make a living of it despite counsellors’ advice against it.

She works for a company that connects deaf people with other people over videophones that are connected online to computers or TVs. But from mid-April to mid-September, she travels for paid gigs interpreting all types of music – hiphop, rock, jazz, country, gospel, rap.

It’s hard work. To prepare for concerts and festivals, Maniatty studies the musicians for whom she’ll be signing. She learns their lyrics, their dialect, their every move.

Jay-Z, for instance, is open and boisterous on stage, while Eminem slouches and drops one of his shoulders.

“As much as you’re able to study those movements and incorporate them into your interpretation,” she said, “you really breathe that artist in, and it’s more authentic for people.”

vanced age, saying medical attendants will be present during the show, which has the working title “One down, five to go.”

That’s in reference to the sixth member, Graham Chapman, who died of cancer in 1989.

The Pythons said the London show will include animation, material that had never been performed live before, and some of their best-loved sketches

—including the “dead parrot” and the “crunchy frog” skits from their heyday.

The group had its first big success with the Monty Python’s Flying Circus TV show, which ran from 1969 until 1974, winning fans around the world with its bizarre sketches.

The Pythons last performed together in Los Angeles in 1980, and last appeared on a U.K. stage 40 years ago.

By Clarke Canfield, The Associated Press

A Vancouver police officer stands by as actors dressed as North Korean soldiers take a break during filming of the movie “The Interview” at Robson Square in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday November 29, 2013. The square has been transformed into a North Korea set complete with North Korea statues and soldiers. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

Monty Python comedy troupe announces plans reunion show in London in July

By Sylvia Hui, The Associated Press

LONDON—And now for something completely different: A comeback show from the Monty Python gang, reuniting some four decades since they last performed on a British stage.

The veteran comedy group said last week they are staging a one-off show at London’s O2 arena in July, which they promised will include “a little comedy, a lot of pathos, some music and a tiny bit of ancient sex.”

Terry Gilliam joked that the five surviving Pythons—Terry Jones, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle and himself—decided to do the show “to try to remind ourselves that we are funny and important and famous.”

“The important thing is we are going to be in front of 15,000 people all listening to every word we say, unlike our home life which is lonely and sad,” he told The Associated Press.

Group shot of the Monty Python crew in 1969 Photo: Wikipedia

“That is the only reason we’re doing the show, because we’ve all become so depressed over the years that our wives don’t find us interesting, our children don’t even laugh at us anymore.”

The five delighted reporters with gags and jokes, sitting behind the wrong name cards and answering questions addressed to another member. They also made plenty of references to their ad-

Entertainment

Ottawa Star • December 5, 2013

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 9

The Great Hollywood Memorabilia Auction

By Fred Donnelly

R

OTHESAY, NB, Troy Media— What’s the power of popular culture in our world today? Some indications of that may be gained from the recent auction of 309 lots of Hollywood memorabilia in New York City. A joint effort of Turner Classic Movies and Bonhams, the prestigious British-based auction house, the value of its total sales was about US$ 6 million (all prices in U.S. dollars).

Almost all items on the block were in the New York salesroom but bidders in that location had competition from others online, on the phone and at a Los Angeles venue. Hundreds of people participated and it took about five hours to get through the entire sale.

The type of things on offer ranged from photos, to scripts, to storyboards, to costumes and movie props of every description. As might be expected sale prices for these items were high but often displayed no discernible pattern.

In the costumes lots, Broderick Crawford’s suit from Born Yesterday (1950) sold for $2,250 but Vivien Leigh’s rather nondescript raincoat from Waterloo Bridge (1940) went for $27,500.

A pair of Laurel and Hardy Derby hats fetched $18,750 while Charlton Heston’s robe from Ben Hur (1959) was bought for $17,500. Meanwhile, a number of costume lots went unsold but Peter Fonda’s psychedelic shirt from Easy Rider (1969) attracted a buyer at $13,750. A gorilla soldier’s costume from The Planet of the Apes (1968) could be a cute but expensive Halloween outfit at $9,375.

I was interested to note the sale prices for two basically identical items. These were the raggedy convict uniforms worn

by Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen in the movie Papillon (1973). Hoffman’s went for $11,250 and McQueen’s for $15,000, perhaps reflecting their relative star power.

Some buyers were prepared to pay a lot for old movie posters, including $25,000 for a French language one for the Maltese Falcon (1941). Photographs usually went for less but there were some interesting results. A signed photo of Marilyn Monroe and her husband baseball legend Joe DiMaggio sold for $4,375 but a signed photo of Monroe and her other husband playwright Arthur Miller went for $12,500.

Scripts and screenplays are sometimes of great historical importance for our understanding of the cinema. Five sales attracted my attention: Hal Wallis’ working copy of the script for Casa-

Maltese Falcon black statuette.

Source: Bonhams/Troy Media

Driver Helmet.

blanca (1942) at $68,750, Francis Ford Coppola’s annotated screenplay for The Godfather (1972) at $22,500, the third revised screenplay of Citizen Kane (1941) at $35,000, John Huston’s copy of the screenplay for Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) for $21,250 and the final script for The Maltese Falcon at $27,500.

There were some bargains to be had in this area as the screenplay for the 1925 silent version of Ben Hur attracted a buyer at just $1,250. Others in this category had modest sale prices: All the President’s Men (1976), $812, The Song

Source: Bonhams/Troy Media

of Bernadette (1943), $1,000 and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), $875.

Movie props were also popular and I must admit I have no idea what the purchasers do with these things: Kevin Costner’s saddle from Dances with Wolves (1990) for $4,375, the Nautilus Diver’s helmet from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) at $81,250, the Riddler’s cane from Batman Forever (1995) at $9,375 and a can of Solyent Green, the cannibalistic foodstuff from the 1973 Charlton Heston movie of the same name for $2,250.

Two big ticket auction items were movie props from films of the late Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957). In the final scene of Casablanca there is a big, darkcoloured car, a 1940 Buick Phaeton, and it sold at this auction for $461,000. Then the title prop of the famous film, the actual Maltese Falcon black statuette, went on the block with no online bidding permitted. It sold in the New York salesroom for a staggering $4,085,000.

What can we make off all this? I think there is something at work here that is beyond the desire of mere speculators and dealers to profit from an auction.

Hollywood produces and sells “What Dreams are Made of ” (the phrase comes from the last line of The Maltese Falcon) and we as consumers of its popular cultural output want to be physically in touch with our screen idols. For most of us these Hollywood artifacts possess some kind of magic, they are the equivalent of our ancestors’ holy relics so faithfully adored in past and more spiritual times.

Fred Donnelly was only an online observer and not a bidder in the “What Dreams Are Made Of ” auction of November 25, 2013. www.troymedia.com

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Ottawa Star • December 5, 2013

Rob Ford Ontario Libs, NDP warn “right to work will ‘catch bill” would kill jobs, lower wages for all hisself’

By Keith Leslie, The Canadian Press

says Florida sheriff who charged local mayor

By Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press

TORONTO—An American sheriff who has just charged a town mayor with drug offences said Wednesday it’s a head-scratcher why the continent’s most notorious crack smoker, Rob Ford, is still in office.

Gordon Smith, a self-described politically incorrect sheriff from Bradford County in Florida, said he’s watched the Ford situation unfold with amazement.

“He’s so flamboyant, he’s out there, he’s kind of smearing it in Torontonians faces, saying, ‘What are you going to do?’’’ Smith told The Canadian Press from Starke, Fla. “He is the face of Toronto, and that’s all you see plastered in the news media and people are going, ‘What the heck?’’’

In a statement announcing Nov 25 arrest of Mayor Barry Moore of Hampton, Fla., population 500, Smith said he wouldn’t put up with illicit drug activity, regardless of who is involved.

“This isn’t Toronto,’’ he said.

“We will not tolerate illegal drug activity in my jurisdiction by anyone, to include our elected officials.’’

Investigators in Toronto have said they had recovered a video that apparently shows Ford smoking crack cocaine, but said they didn’t have enough evidence to warrant an arrest.

Chief Bill Blair has said Ford received no special treatment, and police would charge him if there were reasonable and probable grounds to do so.

Smith said he sympathized with Blair.

“I truly believe if they had enough to put (Ford) in jail, they would already have him in jail,’’ Smith said.

Still, the sheriff said he believed it was only a matter of time before Ford, who has admitted to buying illegal drugs and smoking crack cocaine in a drunken stupor, is charged or ousted. “A guy like that, he’ll catch hisself,’’ he said.

On Monday, Florida police charged Moore with possessing and selling Oxycodone, the first arrest of an elected official under Smith’s watch.

Police had video and audio recordings to back the arrest, said Smith, who agreed the Ford “crack video’’ would by itself not be enough in his state for charges.

Smith said the mayor should quit.

“In a case like that that’s so outrageous, so demeaning, and he represents the populace of Toronto, he’s just got to do the right thing,’’ Smith said.

“Be a man, do the right thing and move on with life.’’

T

ORONTO—The Liberals and New Democrats went on the attack, warning a Progressive Conservative proposal to make Ontario a so-called “right-to-work’’ province, would kill jobs, not create them.

The Official Opposition wants to change labour laws so employees in unionized workplaces are no longer compelled to pay dues even if they don’t join the union.

“Ontario is one of the only places in the world where people have to be forced to join a union in order to take employment, and that’s wrong,’’ said PC labour critic Monte McNaughton.

“We need to modernize our labour laws and that starts with giving workers a choice, and it’s simple: do they want to join a union and pay union dues or not.’’

McNaughton claimed making Ontario a “right-to-work’’ province would create tens of thousands of jobs.

Labour Minister Yasir Naqvi called the Tory plan an unconstitutional “job-killer,’’ and quoted U.S. President Barack Obama in describing it as “the right to work for less.’’

“If you look at the evidence on what the right-to-work-for-less has done across the United States, wages and benefits go down for all workers, unionized and non-union-

ized,’’ said Naqvi. “We have evidence that shows that health and safety laws are weakened, and also there is a net loss of jobs.’’

The New Democrats warned the proposal from PC Leader Tim Hudak would not help create jobs or boost the economy.

“The Conservatives are on a mission to crush organized labour in Ontario, and I think that is a big mistake,’’ said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

A videographer films paintings Margaret Sutherlands “Emperor Haute Couture” and Sharon Lafferty’s “Stephen Harper” (left) at a gallery at the Arts Court Thursday November 28, 2013 in Ottawa. Fourteen unofficial portraits of Stephen Harper were part of a three day showing at the Arts Court Gallery. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Young Quebec hacker gets probation Montreal hacker was 12 when he crippled provincial government websites

By Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press

MONTREAL—A Montreal hacker who was just 12 when he crippled several provincial government websites and shared information in exchange for video games has been sentenced to 18 months probation.

The 14-year-old pleaded guilty in October to attacks that occurred in 2012 at the height of Quebec’s student protests.

The group for which he acted, Anonymous, was particularly vocal against the then-Liberal government, particularly a law limiting the right to protest.

A series of attacks targeting government-related websites ensued under a campaign dubbed “Operation Quebec” in response to the law, which has since been repealed.

Other people were charged in addition to the young man, whose identity is protected under youth laws.

On Nov 27, the Crown and defence recommended the probation sentence.

“The drive to push down wages and to get rid of the labour movement is not the path to prosperity.’’

Naqvi said the Tories were far more interested in union bashing than in giving workers choice on union dues.McNaughton insisted the Tory caucus was united on the “right-to-work’’ bill, but the initiative was approved by only 53 per cent of party delegates at a policy conference in September.

The Crown also said $265,904.09 was incurred in financial losses by three parties: the Montreal police, its employee credit union and the Quebec Institute of Public Health.

In some cases, there were denialof-service attacks, rendering web pages unavailable. In other cases, home pages were altered and data seized and traded.

The boy’s lawyer said the attacks weren’t politically motivated and that his client wasn’t old enough to grasp just how much damage his actions could cause. The accused had earlier told the court his main motivation for trading data was to obtain video games.

Youth court Judge Michele Lefebvre agreed, saying the actions were not of a criminal but of a young man who couldn’t have known the extent of the consequences.

The sentence of 18 months includes limited access to Internet devices and 30 hours of community service, while he will be under supervision in the first six months. The boy must also enrol in a structured activity of his choosing.

Mountie returns red serge to RCMP

By The Canadian Press

FREDERICTON—A New Brunswick Mountie who has run afoul of a policy that says RCMP officers can’t smoke medicinal marijuana while in uniform has returned his red serge.

Cpl. Ron Francis arrived today at the RCMP headquarters in Fredericton after he said he was ordered to return the dress uniform.

Francis, who was accompanied by a Maliseet elder, wept as he delivered the red serge.

But he did not return a 20-year exemplary service medal he received, saying that was an honour he earned that cannot be taken away from him.

Reports say he was prescribed medicinal marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

The RCMP says its officers who are prescribed medicinal marijuana should not be in red serge or regular uniform while taking their medication.

The force says that would not portray the right message to the public.

Ottawa Star • December 5, 2013

Canada

Ontario paving the way for mandatory carbon monoxide detectors

By Maria Babbage, The Canadian Press

T

ORONTO—A family whose personal tragedy sparked a five-year battle to make carbon monoxide detectors mandatory in all Ontario homes hopes other provinces will soon follow suit.

The Hawkins Gignac Act—named after members of a Woodstock family who died from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2008—passed Wednesday, Nov 27, in the legislature, paving the way for CO alarms, like smoke detectors, to be used in all homes.

Former provincial police officer Laurie Hawkins, her husband Richard, their 14-year-old daughter Cassandra and 12-year-old son Jordan all died after a blocked chimney allowed carbon monoxide to seep into their home, which didn’t have a CO detector.

Carbon monoxide is colourless, odourless and tasteless, making it very difficult to detect. The new law will allow the fire code to be changed so that

Harvard study Continued from page 1

tion that’s grown increasingly dire under the federal Conservatives.

A spokesman for Immigration Minister Chris Alexander defended the government’s record in opening its doors to genuine refugees, pointing to a United Nations refugee agency report that ranked Canada at No. 1 in resettled refugee arrivals per capita in 2012.

“Canada welcomes one out of every 10 refugees resettled around the world, more than almost any other country in the world,’’ Alexis Pavlich said in an email.

“We are world leaders with respect to refugee protection. Recent reforms to Canada’s asylum system provide faster protection to genuine refugees, and crack down on human smugglers.’’

The study was particularly scornful of the Safe Third Country agreement, a Canada-U.S. deal implemented in 2004 in which both countries recognize one another as safe places for refugee claimants to seek protection.

It means Canada can turn back potential refugees at the Canada-U.S. border on the basis they must pursue their claims in America, the country where they first arrived.

But critics have long argued the U.S. is not always a safe country for people fleeing persecution, pointing out that more restrictive American regulations have meant that some claimants rejected by the U.S. were later accepted by Canada.

all homes are required to have CO detectors, said Progressive Conservative MPP Ernie Hardeman, who pushed for the changes for five years.

In a rare show of solidarity, all three parties in Ontario’s minority parliament agreed to pass his bill without a recorded vote.

It’s not yet known when the new law will take effect, but the legislation is expected to be presented for Royal Assent before Dec. 14.

Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of fatal poisonings in North America, according to the Canada Safety Council, an independent not-for-profit organization. In high concentrations, it can kill in minutes.

When inhaled, it inhibits the blood’s ability to absorb and transport oxygen throughout the body. Eventually, vital organs including the brain are deprived of oxygen and become damaged.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning range from nausea and headaches to more severe signs such as vomiting and unconsciousness.

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 11

Suicide rates among Canadian soldiers flat But PTSD’s expected to increase

By Terry Pedwell, The Canadian Press

The military doesn’t include suicides among reservists in the data, even though it keeps tabs on them, leading to speculation that the actual rates may be much higher.

While Canada continuously looks to other countries to see what programs they use to help reduce suicide rates, Jetly said many of those other countries look to Canada for examples of programs that work.

The Defence Department has not released suicide figures for last year, but the latest figures show that 22 full-time members took their own lives in 2011.

OTTAWA—Despite the suicides of three Afghan war veterans this week, a military psychiatrist says there has not been a recent increase in suicide rates among Canadian Forces members.

But the numbers of soldiers dealing with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder are expected to rise within the next decade as the stress of combat takes hold in those who have returned from the fighting in Afghanistan, Col. Rakesh Jetly said Nov 29.

That is a troubling prospect as the military grapples with the latest rash of suicides, which are shining a spotlight on the programs the military has available for dealing with cases of PTSD. Critics have also questioned how the Canadian Forces tracks suicides Social housing protesters rally in front of the prime minister’s office on Wellington Street in Ottawa on Noamong its members, and vember 27, 2013. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick whether the numbers paint an accurate picture.

World

PAGE 12 • www.OttawaStar.com

Ottawa Star • December 5, 2013

Though numbers are small, US officials concerned about Americans fighting in Syrian civil war

By Emery P. Dalesio, The Associated Press

R

ALEIGH, N.C.—Federal officials say Americans are joining the bloody civil war in Syria, raising the chances they could become radicalized by al-Qaida-linked militant groups and return to the U.S. as battle-hardened security risks.

The State Department says it has no estimates of how many Americans have taken up weapons to fight military units loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad in the

conflict that has killed more than 100,000 people over 2 1/2 years. Other estimates— from an arm of the British defence consultant IHS Jane’s and from experts at a non-profitthink-tank in London—put the number of Americans at a couple of dozen. The IHS group says al-Qaida-linked fighters number about 15,000, with total anti-Assad forces at 100,000 or more.

This year, at least three Americans have been charged with planning to fight beside Jabhat al-Nusrah—a radical Islamic organization that the U.S. considers a for-

Elephants at the Sonepur Mela on Nov.17, 2013 Photo: IANS

Elephants on parade India pumps new life into livestock fair sapped by ban on elephant trade

By Katy Daigle, The Associated Press

SONEPUR, India—Fortune-telling parrots. Elephants on parade. Trick ponies, rare songbirds and dancing girls behind barbed wire.

Hoping there is something for everyone at the Sonepur Mela, one of India’s largest annual livestock fairs, organizers admit they are struggling to revive a festival that has been sapped by a ban on elephant sales and changing economic realities.

In decades past, the festival drew hundreds of elephants—and hundreds of thousands of people hoping to watch the animals revered in India as an earthly incarnation of the Hindu god Ganesh bathe in the river or do tricks for a crowd.

But a 2003 ban on buying and selling elephants has left owners little reason to cart the heavy beasts to the fair. Buyers of other livestock now use cellphones and the Internet to make deals rather that trek out to this livestock market on the banks of the Ganges River in Bihar, one of India’s poorest states.

“This is our Indian heritage. This festival is unparalleled. We can’t let it go,’’ said Rahul, a local government official who goes by one name, running

down attractions that include an exotic bird market, traditional folk music concerts, hundreds of food stalls and eight caged stages featuring writhing girls in heavy makeup and sparkly spandex.

By theme, it was thought to be the largest elephant swap in the world, situated at the site of a mythological battle in which the Hindu god Vishnu helped an elephant defeat a crocodile.

Brisk trading saw elephants bought and sold by Indian loggers, army outfits and temple administrators.

This year, dozens of elephants still showed up, technically only for exhibition, although Rahul noted that “someone can still give an elephant as a gift.’’

About a dozen of them—chalked up with colorful decorations—galloped on Sunday for a lumbering race over a dusty track, lined by thousands of cheering spectators under a hazy winter sun.

Crowds filed past wire cages crammed with writhing puppies and emaciated pedigree dogs, looking for the healthiest and fluffiest of the motley bunch to take home.

Others sold cows, horses, birds or other animals sought today more as household pets than beasts of burden.

She, he or ‘ze?’

eign terrorist group—against Assad. The most recent case involves a Pakistani-born North Carolina man arrested on his way to Lebanon.

At a Senate homeland security committee hearing this month, Sen. Thomas Carper said: “We know that American citizens as well as Canadian and European nationals have taken up arms in Syria, in Yemen and in Somalia. The threat that these individuals could return home to carry out attacks is real and troubling.’’

In August, outgoing FBI Director Robert Mueller told ABC News that he was concerned about Americans fighting in Syria, specifically “the associations they will make and, secondly, the expertise they will develop, and whether or not they will utilize those associations, utilize that expertise, to undertake an attack on the homeland.’’

Current FBI Director James Comey said this month that he worried about Syria becoming a repeat of Afghanistan in the 1980s, after the Soviet invasion, with foreign fighters attracted there to train. The FBI refused to say whether it’s directed agents to increase efforts to stop Americans bound for Syria.

On US campuses, pronouns can be personal for students defying gender norms

By Lisa Leff, The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif.—The weekly meetings of Mouthing Off !, a group for students at Mills College in Oakland, California, who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, always start the same way.

Members take turns going around the room saying their names and the personal pronouns they want others to use when referring to them - she, he or something else.

On high school and college campuses and in certain political and social media circles, the growing visibility of a small, but semantically committed cadre of young people who self-identify as “genderqueer’’ is challenging anew the limits of Western comprehension and the English language.

Dominican Republic launches migrant children plan Amid fears thousands will lose citizenship

By Ezequiel Abiu Lopez, The Associated Press

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic—The Dominican Republic on Saturday launched a plan putting into motion a recent court ruling that could strip the citizenship of children born to migrants living there illegally.

The plan states that those affected by the ruling have 18 months to request Dominican citizenship starting in June 2014.

The plan, however, does not provide details on what kind of requirements or conditions should be met.

President Danilo Medina signed the plan days before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights holds a five-day hearing to receive complaints and testimony from those affected by the ruling.

The ruling states that those born in the Dominican Republic since 1929 to foreigners living illegally in the country are not automatically granted citizenship.

Human rights groups have decried the plan and the ruling, saying that an estimated 200,000 people could lose their citizenship, the majority of those of Haitian descent. The government maintains that

only some 24,000 would be affected.

The plan is contradictory, because it seeks to naturalize people who were already born in the Dominican Republic and do not have passports from another country, according to Joseph Cherubin, director of the local non-profit Sociocultural Movement for Haitian Workers.

“To naturalize someone, they need to have a foreign passport,’’ he said. “You can’t naturalize a Dominican.’’

The plan is being launched as 464 people have either been deported to Haiti or left the Dominican Republic voluntarily in the past week due to anti-Haitian sentiments following the murder of an elderly Dominican couple.

Dominican and Haitian officials were scheduled to discuss the court ruling on Nov 29, but the Dominican government cancelled the meeting after the Caribbean Community criticized the ruling and said it would defer a Dominican request to become a member of the trade bloc.

Dominican Presidential Minister Gustavo Montalvo had said the government felt Haiti violated an earlier agreement to prioritize bilateral dialogue in the case.

World

Ottawa Star • December 5, 2013

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 13

US advises its carriers to comply with China’s new air defence zone as Beijing sends jets

By Ian Mader, The Associated Press

B

EIJING—The United States advised U.S. carriers to comply with China’s demand that it be told of any flights passing through its new maritime air defence zone over the East China Sea, an area where Beijing said it launched two fighter planes to investigate a dozen American and Japanese reconnaissance and military flights.

It was the first time since proclaiming the zone on Nov. 23 that China said it sent planes there on the same day as foreign military flights, although it said it merely identified the foreign planes and took no further action.

China announced last week that all aircraft entering the zone—a maritime area between China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan—must notify Chinese authorities beforehand and that it would take unspecified defensive measures against those

that don’t comply. Neighboring countries and the U.S. have said they will not honour the new zone—believed aimed at claiming disputed territory—and have said it unnecessarily raises tensions.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement Nov 29 that the U.S. remained deeply concerned about China’s declared air identification zone.

But she said that it is advising U.S. air carriers abroad to comply with notification requirements issued by China.

The zone is seen primarily as China’s latest bid to bolster its claim over a string of uninhabited Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

Beijing has been ratcheting up its sovereignty claims since Tokyo’s nationalization of the islands last year.

The United States, Japan and South Korea all have said they sent military flights

into the zone over the past week without notifying China. Japanese commercial flights have continued unhindered—although

Camels rest during a weekly camel market in Birqash, Egypt. In a statement on Nov. 29, 2013 the World Health Organization said Qatari and Dutch scientists found three camels infected with MERS, a respiratory virus related to SARS, in a herd of 14 animals. Two men who both had contact with the camels later fell ill with MERS; both survived. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Your fellow Americans aren’t so trusting Continued from page 1

Forty years later, a record high of nearly two-thirds say “you can’t be too careful’’ in dealing with people.

An AP-GfK poll conducted last month found that Americans are suspicious of each other in everyday encounters. Less than one-third expressed a lot of trust in clerks who swipe their credit cards, drivers on the road, or people they meet when travelling.

“I’m leery of everybody,’’ said Bart Murawski, 27, of Albany, N.Y. “Caution is always a factor.’’

Does it matter that Americans are suspicious of one another? Yes, say worried political and social scientists. What’s known as “social trust’’ brings good things.

A society where it’s easier to compromise or make a deal. Where people are willing to work with those who are different from them for the common good. Where trust appears to promote economic growth.

Distrust, on the other hand, seems to encourage corruption. At the least, it diverts energy to counting change, drawing up 100-page legal contracts and building gated communities.

Even the rancour and gridlock in politics might stem from the effects of an increasingly distrustful citizenry, said April K. Clark, a Purdue University political scientist and public opinion researcher.

“It’s like the rules of the game,’’ Clark said. “When trust is low, the way we react and behave with each other becomes less civil.’’

There’s no easy fix.

In fact, some studies suggest it’s too late for most Americans alive today to become more trusting. That research says the basis for a person’s lifetime trust levels is set by his or her mid-twenties and unlikely to change, other than in some unifying crucible such as a world war.

People do get a little more trusting as they age. But beginning with the baby

Is It Time For A Second Opinion?

China has said its zone is not intended to have any effect on commercial flights not heading to China.

boomers, each generation has started off adulthood less trusting than those who came before them.

The best hope for creating a more trusting nation may be figuring out how to inspire today’s youth, perhaps united by their high-tech gadgets, to trust the way previous generations did in simpler times.

There’s no single explanation for Americans’ loss of trust. The best-known analysis comes from “Bowling Alone’’ author Robert Putnam’s nearly two decades of studying the United States’ declining “social capital,’’ including trust.

Putnam says Americans have abandoned their bowling leagues and Elks lodges to stay home and watch TV. Less socializing and fewer community meetings make people less trustful than the “long civic generation’’ that came of age during the Depression and World War II. University of Maryland Professor Eric Uslaner, who studies politics and trust, puts

the blame elsewhere: economic inequality.

Trust has declined as the gap between the nation’s rich and poor gapes ever wider, Uslaner says, and more and more Americans feel shut out. They’ve lost their sense of a shared fate. Tellingly, trust rises with wealth.

“People who believe the world is a good place and it’s going to get better and you can help make it better, they will be trusting,’’ Uslaner said. “If you believe it’s dark and driven by outside forces you can’t control, you will be a mistruster.’’

African-Americans consistently have expressed far less faith in “most people’’ than the white majority does. Racism, discrimination and a high rate of poverty destroy trust.

Nearly 8 in 10 African-Americans, in the 2012 survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago with principal funding from the National Science Foundation, felt that “you can’t be too careful.’’

That figure has held remarkably steady across the 25 GSS surveys since 1972.

The decline in the nation’s overall trust quotient was driven by changing attitudes among whites.

When the markets turn as volatile as they have been in recent years, even the most patient investors may come to question the wisdom of the investment plan that they’ve been following.

I would be pleased to provide you with a personal consultation and second opinion on your portfolio. Call me at 613 239-2881.

Patrick Brooks, Investment Advisor 50 O’Connor Street, Suite 800 Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2 patrick.brooks@cibc.ca

PAGE 14 • www.OttawaStar.com

Business

Ottawa Star • December 5, 2013

Customers crowd into the Apple Store in Toronto’s Eaton Centre on Friday November 29, 2013 as retailers offer cut price deals to lure business and kick start the seasonal shopping. The Canadian Press/Chris Young

How did it become Black Friday 24 modern, unique and fully appointed luxury garden suites on Stittsville Main Street.

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Its origins developed somewhat more organically in the U.S., as shoppers frequently began hunting for Christmas presents on the holiday Friday after Thanksgiving, in the midst of a multi-day festival of turkey, football and family time.

An American linguist has tracked down the phrase “Black Friday’’ to a half-century ago.

Ben Zimmer, who writes a language column for newspapers, said there’s evidence of Philadelphia police officers using the term to

gripe about all the downtown traffic from the deluge of shoppers.

Factory bosses also used it, he said, to complain about worker absenteeism the day after Thanksgiving. Zimmer said retailers initially resisted the term, and tried to rebrand it as “Big Friday.’’ But by the 1980s he said they gave up and started to embrace it, albeit with their own personal spin: that this was the day annual profits were made and balance sheets went “black.’’

—With files from the Canadian Press

3D printing set to disrupt the housing industry Continued from page 1

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be a disruptive breakthrough innovation, especially in terms of the treatment of dirty water, foods and energy.

At a recent conference I attended, I spent time exploring what three dimensional (3D) printing will do for the housing industry, You may be surprised to learn that two companies—one in London and one in Amsterdam—are racing to be the first to perfect a process for the printing of 3D houses. Giant 3D printers can build a 2,500-square-foot house in as little as 20 hours.

The Contour Crafting 3D printers could even do the electrical work, plumbing, tiling, finishing work and painting. The walls are hollow to save on materials and make them lighter, but their strength clocks in at about 10,000 psi – more than traditional housing walls. Contour Crafting will save 20 per cent to 25 per cent in construction financing and 25 per cent to 30 per cent in materials. The biggest savings would come in labour, where Contour Crafting would save 45 per cent to 55 per cent by using 3D printers instead of humans. There would also be fewer CO2 emissions and less energy used. You can see a presentation about below.

Just as I got my head around this, I met and spent time with a businessman seeking to commercialize what is being referred to as 4D printing. The new technology, as he explained, involves printing 3D objects that change after they’ve been printed—a self-assembly process whereby printed material forms itself into another shape after being subjected to an energy source, such as heat, electricity, light, sound, or being submerged in water. The concept draws inspiration from nature which has the ability to self-replicate and repair itself in response to external environmental conditions.

For example, products will use responsive fillers embedded within a hydrogel. This will open up new routes for producing the next generation of smart sensors, coatings, textiles, and structural components such as furniture that responds to changing moods or conditions (warmer colours in winter, cooler in summer).

So we have two technologies—3D and 4D printing—which could be disruptive and transformative for building, materials, technology, textiles and other sectors.

Stephen Murgatroyd is a consultant in innovative business and education practices with PhD in Psycology. www.troymedia.com

Ottawa Star • December 5, 2013

Business

www.OttawaStar.com • PAGE 15

The 10 most common lies heard at work Do you boast, conceal, falsify, omit, spread gossip, misinform, or cover-up embarrassing acts? Then you are probably a liar

By Carol Kinsey Goman

B

ERKELEY, CA, Troy Media—In the workplace, people fib, flatter, fabricate, prevaricate, equivocate, embellish, “take liberties with,” “bend,” or “stretch” the truth. They boast, conceal, falsify, omit, spread gossip, misinform, or cover-up embarrassing (perhaps even unethical) acts.

They lie in order to avoid accepting responsibility, to build status and power, to “protect” others from hearing a negative truth, to preserve a sense of autonomy, to keep their jobs, to get out of unwanted work, to get on the good side of the boss, to be perceived as “team players” when their main interest is self-interest.

Or they lie because they’re under pressure to perform and because “they lack the guts to tell the boss that what is being asked isn’t doable.”

Some people are better than others at lying. If you are creative, you are one of them. Not because creativity makes you more likely to be dishonest but because you’re probably good at convincing yourself of your own lies. If you have a charismatic or dominant personality (as many C-Suite executives do), you probably also have a special capacity to deceive—which doesn’t mean you lie more than others, it just suggests that when you do, you’re more skilled at it. If you’re an extravert you lie at a higher rate than introverts. If you are intelligent, you can think strategically and plan ahead like a good chess player—and you can better handle the “cognitive load” imposed by lying. If you are manipulative or overly concerned about the impression you are making on others you tell more lies.

If you are adept at reading body language, you are also adept at sensing when other people are getting suspicious. And if you have a good memory, you are less likely to be tripped up by your falsehoods.

Workplace lies run the gamut, from small, everyday lies to whoppers, from benign (even helpful) to destructive. Here

are the 10 major categories of lies with examples of each: 1. Social lies are the lubricant of workplace relationships. We couldn’t survive in business—or in society—without them.

With social or “white” lies, there is an implicit deal struck between the liar and the lieee: You won’t tell me the unvarnished truth, and I won’t scrutinize everything you say.

If I ask you how things are going, I don’t want to hear the story of your life.

Just say “fine,” and I’ll do the same.

2. Lies of exaggeration are the embellishments used when people try to appear more capable than they really are.

My husband’s an actor. If they need men on horseback for a scene, he’ll swear he’s an expert rider. He’s not.

3. Lies of omission are meant to mislead by leaving out a critical piece of information and letting the recipient draw the wrong conclusion.

The job candidate said he felt “stifled” in his previous job, so he left the organization.

He neglected to mention that he’d been fired.

4. Protective lies are often seen as an altruistic alternative to hurting someone’s feelings.

I complimented her on the presentation because I didn’t want her to be discouraged.

5. Defensive lies are an attempt to protect oneself or to avoid punishment.

It’s not my fault. No one told me that I was supposed to send out the agenda.

6. Blatant falsehoods are readily exposed by other sources or eventual outcomes. Because of that, the liar is viewed as unaware and out of touch.

Recently a senior leader was fired and it was announced as a “retirement.” That was a blatant and stupid lie, as we heard the truth from the person who was let go.

7. Destructive lies poison workplace relationships by destroying trust.

We were told it was a matter of cutting costs, and that if we just gave up a little the company would get back on

track. So we did. Only to find out that the top executives had given themselves salary increases and bonuses.

8. Malicious gossip is meant to undermine, harm, or destroy another person’s career.

When my colleague didn’t get the assignment, he spread the rumor that I was chosen because I took credit for other people’s ideas.

9. Small lies are readily forgiven or overlooked.

My manager gave out an earlier due date (for the completion of a proj-

Canada in top 10 easiest places to pay corporate taxes

By The Canadian Press

TORONTO—Canada has held on to its ranking among the top 10 easiest places in the world to pay corporate taxes, according to the latest ratings by PwC and the World Bank Group.

The joint study ranked Canada eighth for a second year in a row in a report released last month.

The United Arab Emirates was first overall, followed by Qatar and Saudi Arabia on the list of 189 countries.

The report ranked countries based on the number of tax payments per year, time taken to compile returns and submit payments and the total tax rate for a hypothetical small- to medium-sized business.

“Within North America, Canada maintains the lowest average total tax rate ranking largely due to its efforts to establish a tax-competitive and businessfriendly environment,” said Brad Sakich, PwC’s Canadian tax policy leader.

“Privately owned small businesses in Canada should take comfort – the rank-

Once flying high among currencies, loonie faces downgrade to 88 cents: bank

By Julian Beltrame, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA—The humbling of the once high-flying Canadian dollar has only just begun.

It’s been 10 months since the loonie last enjoyed parity status with the U.S. dollar, but analysts say Canadians should not expect a rebound any time soon. They forsee the currency falling through the 90-cent US floor.

U.S. investment banker Goldman Sachs is the latest financial house to sell the loonie

short, forecasting the currency to coast into the 88-cent range next year. That is an even gloomier outlook than the one issued by the TD Bank a few months ago, which predicted it near 90 cents by the close of 2013.

The loonie has lost about seven per cent in value from the beginning of the year and fundamentals point to further deterioration. The Goldman Sachs prediction would see the loonie falling another seven per cent.

Doug Porter, chief economist with the Bank of Montreal, believes 88 cents is a

ect) than was necessary. She knew some people would procrastinate and she wanted to make sure the work was done on schedule.

10. Big lies are almost never forgotten nor forgiven.

My boss assured me that my position was secure—then he accidentally copied me on an email about interviewing my replacement.

Troy Media columnist Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D. is an executive coach, consultant, and international keynote speaker. Article Courtesy: www.troymedia.com

reasonable target for the loonie next year, although he expects a bounce in 2015 if the Bank of Canada beats the U.S. central bank to the punch in starting a new tightening cycle on interest rates.

TD Bank chief economist Craig Alexander also expects the currency to continue weakening into next year as all the advantages that Canada once enjoyed over the U.S. have narrowed or reversed.

Economists have noted for years that, in terms of purchasing power, the loonie

ing demonstrates that Canadian government agencies support and encourage the creation of more such businesses.”

In addition to the total tax on its pretax profits, PwC ranked countries on the administrative burden companies face in filing their taxes.

The firm noted that Canada ranked highly due to cuts to corporate income taxes since 2001 and efforts to simplify the tax compliance aspects of running a business.

PwC said the typical small- to medium-sized company in Canada has eight tax payments to make a year, takes 131 hours to comply with its tax filings and pays a total tax rate of 24.3 per cent on its profits.

The global average of the 189 economies included in the survey was 26.7 payments a year, 268 hours to compile tax returns and make payments and a total tax rate of 43.1 per cent.

Canada ranked ahead of many of its direct competitors including the United Kingdom, which was 14th, and the United States at 64th. was never close to parity—a truer value was 85 to 90 cents.

The current $60-billion-plus annual deficit, including slowing capital flows into the country, was a key reason cited

by Goldman Sachs in its analysis.

But it’s good news as far as the Bank of Canada is concerned, says Alexander, as it has conceded that the strong dollar was at least part of the problem behind manufacturing’s declining profile in Canada.

“I think the Bank of Canada will be pleased because it will improve the export competitiveness and raises the probability of getting the transition of growth in the economy toward exports and investment that it has been calling for,’’ he said.

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