Flying above the law More stringent drone regulations coming. Page 2 MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2017
SPOKE
A LEARNING NEWSROOM FOR JOURNALISM STUDENTS
CONESTOGA COLLEGE, KITCHENER, ONT.
WWW.SPOKEONLINE.COM
Ninety days and nights Cambridge man shows solidarity with the homeless. Page 5 48TH YEAR — NO. 7
Taking the plunge for a good cause BY SHARON SAMUEL
PHOTO BY JOY STRUTHERS
Lyn McGinnis is a gender-variant bisexual who says it is vital that LGBTQ people are visible so people can make an emotional connection with them. McGinnis took part in the Human Library event at Conestoga’s LRC Feb. 14.
Human books share their stories BY JOY STRUTHERS
At Conestoga’s fifth annual Human Library, “human books” talked about their experiences and answered questions from their “readers.” This unique event was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2000 to promote dialogue, reduce prejudices and encourage understanding. At Conestoga, this interactive form of storytelling was held by the Student Life department on Feb. 14 in the Library Resource Centre. Six people volunteered to be human books and speak with students who signed up to talk to them. Each human book was seated at a table with a timer, brochures and even a suggested list of questions for them. A book cover was designed with their picture and name on it and put on a hard-cover book which stood on their table. Staff and volunteers encouraged students to reach out to the human books in order to learn from their unique experiences. Student Life programmer Chrissy Orlowski said, “It can be very impactful to meet with someone face to face and learn from them.” The books ranged from survivors of sexual assault to an international student who struggled with feelings of isolation. There was a student
with learning disabilities, one who overcame addiction, and a person who identifies with a gender and sexuality that varies from the norm. Lyn McGinnis is a gendervariant bisexual, but also likes the term gender-queer. “I’m not in the binary,” McGinnis said. “I’m somewhere in between.” McGinnis, 61, said they are bisexual because it is a term people understand, but really feels more polysexual, which means they are potentially attracted to either gender, or people who are also gendervariant. “Just for me, if you’ve got skin on, I’m good,” McGinnis said. McGinnis added, “I was born this way, and this is who I am. I feel fully like all aspects of who I am are on the table. It took a long time to get to that point. McGinnis took part in the Human Library because “it is vitally important that LGBTQ people are visible and that people get to know them and talk to them and learn.” All of the books at the Human Library wanted to share their stories. Sometimes sharing is what got them through their own rough periods. Jake Reay, a Conestoga social service worker student, came back to school after many years of struggling with addiction. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
Is there any better way to contribute to a charity than jumping into cold water on a cold day? Conestoga Students Inc. hosted the 36th annual Polar Plunge on Feb. 17 outside the Doon campus cafeteria. The initiative raises money each year for a charity. “Every year all the proceeds that are raised from our polar plungers, the people who are participating, go to a charity that we pick,” said Cameron Jones, president of CSI. “This year we are doing Nutrition for Learning, which is great. It’s in Waterloo.” CSI was hoping the 2017 event would raise $2,500, but they far exceeded that amount, with plungers bringing in approximately $15,000. Participants raised the money by asking people to sponsor them, and in turn, promised to jump into a pool of frigid water, some in costume. “It’s just up to them, to raise as much as they can,” Jones said. “I mean, if they want to give $5 or $10 it’s fine. That’s amazing and it’s still a great contribution.” The costumes vary every year and come from the participants’ own creativity, he said. “You can be anything that you want. You can be in your regular clothes or you can be wearing something that you wear to class,” he said. “Whatever you want, it doesn’t matter, it can even be Queen Elsa from Frozen.” Local TV and radio stations covered the event and CTV reporter Lyndsay Morrison and 107.5 Dave Rocks on-air personalities Jessie David and Darryl Law participated in the plunge. “It’s good to have her and other local celebrities coming in and wrapping the event,” said Jones. Kimberly Carlon, a first-year environmental engineering applications student at Conestoga College’s Cambridge campus, took the plunge. She is also an event staff member at CSI and said she was terrified of how cold the water was going
PHOTO BY MEGHAN WEATHERALL
Brittany Greig, a CSI board of director, joined in the fun and took the plunge at CSI’s 36th annual Polar Plunge Feb. 17. For additional photos, see Page 4. to be. After her jump, she said the day was beautiful and it wasn’t that bad. “The jump was very cold and I cheated a little bit. I
dipped my toe in, which did not prepare me at all,” said Carlon. “But, overall, it’s for a good cause, so I can’t complain.”
NEWS
Page 2 s SPOKE
Now deep thoughts ... with Conestoga College
Monday, March 6, 2017
FILBERT CARTOONS
Random questions answered by random students
If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?
“I would roam around everywhere.” Meeral Kalariya, first-year clinical and critical care nursing
“I would go about tickling people.”
Shalini Joshi, first-year clinical and critical care nursing
“I would go to a sushi restaurant and eat everything.” Khoi Hoang, second-year biotechnology
“I would beat up all my friends for teasing me.” Sravanthi Boggiti, first-year computer applications security
“I would like to ride in all the fancy cars around me.”
Kunal Kapadia, first-year computer application security
“I would probably just jump on a plane to Australia right away.” Jocelyn Schurr, second-year bachelor of science in nursing
Smile Conestoga, you could be our next respondent!
Drone sales are sky high BY BRANDY FULTON
The future is here! And although we do not have flying cars or teleportation, we have drones that range from the size of a bee to a jumbo jet. They can be controlled from the ground through an app on your phone or a remote that comes with the drone. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), better known as drones, were originally used as military aircraft in areas that were too difficult or risky to send in military personnel. However, the use of these robots has now expanded into commercial use. “We have definitely seen a spike in production and sales of drones,” said Adam Voss, an employee at Areyon Labs Inc. in Waterloo, a company that builds and provides drones to companies around the world. “We see a lot of young adults buying them, planning to use them for some sort of project.” In Canada and the U.S., the popularity of commercial drones has skyrocketed. By 2015 it was estimated that there were nearly one million drones sold solely for commercial use. They are being used for videography, photography, scene investigations and searches. Emergency responders use drones for house fires to see above the flames, and to search for lost children and people in forests. The camera that is often installed on the UAV helps them search from a bird’s eye view. However, critics of the drones are concerned about the UAV returning to its original destructive start. The first pilotless aircraft was built during the First World War and was used as aerial torpedoes. Lady Gaga’s halftime performance at the Super Bowl was pre-recorded because drones are not allowed within 100 metres of the field due to the chance of terrorist activity. “It’s the new trend,” said Voss. “Like everything else,
PHOTO BY BRANDY FULTON
The Phantom 3 drone is a medium-sized drone capable of 360 degree video. However, the battery only lasts 25 minutes. Using GPS co-ordinates, the drone will return to the user once the battery reaches a certain level. this is the new cool technology that will probably be replaced by next year.” Prices for personal drones range from $50 to $2,000. Most come with a camera. But like most technology, these drones aren’t perfect. The drones’ batteries are the biggest problem. As the drone gets bigger, the battery life gets shorter. The DJI Phantom 4 drone is a medium-sized machine with a battery that only lasts 25 minutes. Although the drone is programmed to return to its GPS locked co-ordinates when the battery reaches a certain level, this leaves users with a short usage time and constant battery charges. And that is not the only problem. Wind plays havoc when flying drones. Due to the size of these mini machines, wind can easily catch the drone and carry it miles away from the user. Another annoyance is, depending on the drone, the controls are backwards, meaning you must push the joystick right to go left and forward to go backward. For a first-time flyer this can be confusing. “Most people think that flying a drone is easy,” said Joe
Wilson, of St. Catharines, an avid drone controller for the Niagara Ontario Genealogy Society. “In reality, to do it takes a lot of experience and learning from your mistakes.” Wilson said the first time he flew a drone the wind caught it and, due to his inexperience, it slammed into the ground, breaking the mount for the camera. It missed a rock by only a few inches. “I believe there needs to be regulations for non-personal use,” said Wilson. “But I also believe that most pleasure drones should be limited to within 50 feet of the operator.” Transport Canada has a number of dos and don’ts for the flying of drones, however, the agency does not go into depth for personal and nonpersonal use. In an executive summary for stakeholders issued in June 2016, the agency said it was continuing to seek an approach to safely integrate the UAVs into the airspace. In particular, they are looking at an age minimum for flying, pilot permits for small UAVs and requiring liability insurance for all UAV users. Currently there is only a permit required for organizational use of drones. According to Wilson, this permit took over 20 days to obtain. Drones are not permitted to fly close to airports, military bases and prisons. Recently in Quebec, prison guards were stopping up to 10 drones a week that were trying to bring prisoners drugs, cellphones, weapons and alcohol. An employee at the Waterloo International Airport said drones are not a major issue there, so they have not been worried about interference. The regulations, which state simply that drones are not to fly in the regulated airspace for planes, are in place for the Waterloo airport. They have yet to experience a drone in the area so they are unsure of how they would take an UAV down if needed.
NEWS
Monday, March 6, 2017
SPOKE s Page 3
Region lacks affordable housing
BY ROLAND FLEMING
Natasha Carter, who has been smoking marijuana since she was 12 and cigarettes since she was 14, can finally say she is done with them. The former Kitchener resident is now 25, which means that these substances were a part of her life for more than a decade. While fierce willpower and determination have played a part in her continuing abstinence from these substances, having her own space to live has been a big contributing factor. Carter also struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from a traumatic past, and has experienced homelessness on and off for about four years. She has been on her own since she was 15 and first experienced homelessness at the age of 21. She has lived in shelters, in stairwells, and on too many couches too count. She has made homes in a truck trailer and even a tent in the forest. She has been sick, she’s been beaten and she has had dozens and dozens of stitches. “I don’t know how I’m alive half the time. I’ve dodged a lot of bullets and I’ve ignored a lot of impulses when it came to taking my own life,” she said. Despite this Carter sees a better future. She often dreams of running her own café one day, because she enjoys coming up with all kinds of unique concoctions in the kitchen. She has even considered culinary school. She has also contemplated becoming a social worker, to be the kind of worker who would really help others move forward in life; the kind of person she so desperately needed but never seemed to find. But Carter’s biggest passion, one of the only things that has remained constant in her life throughout the turmoil, is her music. Listening to her lyrics, it’s clear that a lack of intelligence is certainly not what has kept her down in life. The musician has invested countless hours in developing herself as a rapper. She has written dozens of songs, and now even makes her own beats. She has performed countless times at open mics across the region and at times made some income through busking. She is currently working on finishing her first album that will be entirely made up of original songs and original beats, hoping sales will be a source of income. But all of these dreams and possibilities hinge on her having stability, and without having a reliable place to live,
PHOTO BY ROLAND FLEMING
Former Kitchener resident Natasha Carter lays inside a truck’s trailer, one of the many places she found shelter in during her time on the streets. She has been in shelters, slept in stairwells, and even in a tent in the forest as she struggled to find an affordable place to live. stability just doesn’t seem possible. Research shows overwhelmingly that affordable and supportive housing is necessary in moving our poor and marginalized citizens forward in life. There is a lot of evidence from cities that funding affordable and supportive housing saves money in other areas such as health and police services. From 2009 to 2013 a research effort conducted in five major Canadian cities called At Home/Chez Soi that involved over 2,000 participants demonstrated that a housing first approach to homelessness was both a more economical and more effective approach. Yet there remains a significant lack of housing here in Waterloo Region. Carter discovered this when she first tried to apply for affordable housing. “I can tell you that when I did live in the region and I applied for housing they told me it would be a six-year wait … unless I had a child,” said Carter. According to a report on housing in Waterloo Region published in 2011, wait times like these were common. The report suggested there were a little over 10,000 affordable housing units in the region with a wait list of almost 3,000. Affordable housing is housing that is subsidized and as such can be rented out at below market value. The report also said expected wait times for a single, non-senior person were between four and six years. The situation is now even worse, with wait times for
PHOTO BY ROLAND FLEMING
Carter records a track for the rap album she has been working on for the past year. single non-seniors being six years or longer. Even for families, the minimum wait time is three years. “We should be getting more low-income housing for single individual people,” said Carter. Carter, whose PTSD could qualify her for supportive housing for mental health, would experience long wait times for this kind of housing as well. Supportive housing is also subsidized to make it more affordable but comes with the added benefit of providing support to the specific needs of the residents. But for Carter, access to this kind of housing would have hinged on a proper diagnosis which is often difficult for those with mental illness to obtain. Bruce Sweet, the reverend at Emmanuel United Church in Waterloo, and church member Karen Dixon have noticed the lack of help for those in situations similar to Carter’s. “Supportive housing is
hard to find in KitchenerWaterloo,” said Sweet. Sweet, Dixon and others at the church have been working alongside the greater community to repurpose a building on their property as a dry house for women. “Women who are recovering from addictions, after they have finished treatment, frequently do not have a place to live,” said Dixon. Emmanuel United offers a drop-in centre three afternoons a week, called the Bridgeport Café, for the homeless or marginally housed. Sweet and Dixon know firsthand the difficulty for many visitors in finding adequate housing. “We had a couple guys here who were sleeping in tents, some people were in boarding houses … which usually turns out not to be any good because their stuff gets stolen all the time,” said Sweet, who has tried to help people find places to live.
“I took a few people around to look at some rooms that were for rent … there’s really not much out there … it’s also difficult when they have to have first and last month’s rent.” The decision to turn the building into a dry house for women was made due to the fact that no such housing existed in the region. There were two dry houses for men but none for women. Carter has lived in Waterloo Region for most of her life and although she has thought about and attempted to quit her addictions many times over the last few years, her struggle has been focused on mere survival most of the time. “You cannot fix any ills that people have, mental illness or addiction, without some form of supportive housing, a roof over their head,” said Dixon. Most of the places where Carter could afford to stay, or where people would let her stay temporarily, only made the challenge of quitting even more difficult, and were not ideal for someone struggling with PTSD. Carter said spending time in shelters often causes more harm than good. “You have all these people with all these problems in one place … what will it help you if you’re a drug addict and you go and stay with all these drug addicts”? Another issue she said is others who don’t have addictions, such as the mentally ill, may meet drug addicts in the shelter and end up trying drugs for the first time. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
NEWS
Page 4 s SPOKE
Monday, March 6, 2017
Polar Plunge a chilling success PHOTOS BY MEGHAN WEATHERALL
Clockwise from top left: Brittany Greig, a CSI board of director, stands nervously before taking the plunge at CSI’s Polar Plunge on Feb. 17; Victoria Culver, a first-year Conestoga bachelor of environmental public health student, braved the chilly temperature; Conestoga’s mascot pretended that he was going to jump in; Cameron Jones, CSI president, welcomed the crowd to the event; Judges and attendees sit out of range of the splash zone; and Kimberly Carlon, a first-year Conestoga environmental engineering applications student, is shown after her plunge into the pool of frigid water.
PHOTO BY SHARON SAMUEL
NEWS
Monday, March 6, 2017
Humans become books for a day
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“I told anyone who would listen that I was an addict and I was in recovery,” Reay said. “This is my fourth Human Library I believe,” he added. Reay was 17 when he dropped out of high school and had been doing drugs for some time. “I was using drugs heavily and really it wasn’t anything more than daily excessive marijuana use and compressed pills (such as ecstasy) on the weekend,” he said. His drug habit worsened and he worked just to feed his addiction. He was using cocaine and alcohol regularly. He became very unhappy with the state of his life and realized he wanted more. He didn’t want to self-medicate
for his depression. “I would much rather deal with it in a proactive sense then try to mask it with drugs and alcohol,” Reay said. When he came back to school he also tried to repair his personal relationships. He found that people were willing to listen to him and accept him. “Owning it is a huge part of it,” he said. “It’s a part of who you were but it’s not who you are. You don’t have to be stuck in that place in your life if you don’t want to be.” For some, they have no choice. Conestoga recreation and leisure services student Andrew Dron can’t escape his situation. Dron has a learning disability called processing speed disorder.
“Think of a highway,” he said. “The highway is my brain, but this highway is different from any other. It has a few roadblocks and traffic jams.” It takes Dron a bit longer to think, read and process information. It’s an invisible learning disability but it sometimes becomes evident when he speaks. “It takes me longer to talk and get the information out. Sometimes I think what I’m saying sounds right but it actually isn’t,” he said. Dron works part time as a child and youth worker and goes to school only part time due to his disability. He also struggles with personal relationships in his life and his daily interactions with his father.
Ninety days in a tent for the homeless
BY DEEANNA ROLLINS
“It’s nice to see people starting to feel,” said Susan Muscutt, Paul Tavares’ girlfriend, who runs the Facebook page for the 90 Days & Nights in the Cold campaign that Tavares started on Feb. 6. One entire month has gone by and Tavares is still going strong. He has slept in a tent for 28 nights now in the wind, rain and snow all by himself, and has 62 nights to go. Tavares, who was briefly homeless five years ago, started the campaign as a way to raise awareness and open the community’s eyes to the struggles that the homeless face every single day. He never thought it would become as big as it has. He also requested monetary donations as well as anything else that could help the homeless, such as clothing, toys and food. In the first week of Tavares’ 90-day journey, the donations came pouring in. A shipping container was given to him to hold donations, and after only three days it was full for the first (of many) times. The idea of this campaign came to him after he read an article in The Cambridge Times about the increase in people seeking shelter in early December. The Bridges, a homeless shelter in Cambridge, at one point before the holidays housed over 100 people overnight, a number that included seven families with children. “After I read that article, I had this vision of myself doing what I did five years ago without a choice,” said Tavares, speaking about
PHOTO BY DEEANNA ROLLINS
Paul Tavares stands outside his tent, which has been his home for the last 28 days and will be for the next 62 days. His campaign, 90 Days & Nights in the Cold, will run until May 6. If you wish to visit or donate to Tavares, his tent is beside the Shoppers Drug Mart on Water Street in Cambridge. Visit @90daysandnights on Facebook for more information. homelessness. “But this time, I’d be doing it right in the public eye, for everyone to see.” And he had the perfect place – the Shoppers Drug Mart on Water Street in Cambridge, right across the street from The Bridges – he just had to get permission. One month after his vision, he was finally given the OK to pop his tent, and the next day, Feb. 6, he did just that. “Before, when I was briefly homeless, I hid from the public. I didn’t want people to see me, this time is different,” he said. He may have hidden from the public eye, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t be seen. “There’s two categories of people, the people who see it, and the people who don’t want to see it,” he said. “It’s almost worse when people see it and choose not to do anything.” Ryan Hall, owner of Canadian
Hitches, which donated the shipping container, said, “Everybody in the city should be doing something for him and the homeless, there’s no reason not to.” The amount of support from everyone in the community, from people bringing soup and food to Tavares, to a five-year-old boy bringing jackets for women and men in the shelters, has been overwhelming and heartwarming,” said Muscutt. “He has this big, beautiful heart,” she said. “All he wants to do is help others.” And he is endlessly encouraging people to help while continuously opening their eyes day in and day out. He wants people to help fix the cause of homelessness, rather than judge people who are homeless, hungry and hurting.
SPOKE s Page 5
“He is still trying to grasp how I learn differently,” said Dron. Sometimes they argue and don’t talk for a few days. “It’s hard to tell people,” he said. “I don’t know how they are going to react and I don’t know if they are going to tell anybody.” He was bullied a lot when he was younger, not just by his peers, but by teachers as well. “I’ve been bullied since Grade 7,” he said. “I was getting beat up once and the teacher laughed. It was definitely rough growing up.” Now when Dron sees people being bullied he steps in. He wants to make a difference. “If I could be a human book for the rest of my life and get people to know and understand me better I definitely would,”
he said. “I would like to help people get through struggles.” Dron dreams of being an entertainer and making people laugh. Orlowski smiles when she talks about the Respect Campaign. Events like the Human Library are a part of this campaign and can make a real difference in people’s perceptions of others. “It’s also a really good experience for the human books themselves, to be able to … share their story in a respectful and safe environment, because some of them might still be working through some of the challenges they face,” she said. “It’s a really powerful event with a lot of emotional acceptance and understanding,” Orlowski said.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
Ultimately many will abandon the process before it is ever completed. This is precisely the reason why Carter has never been on ODSP. Carter’s frustrations with trying to survive in the region led her to the faraway town of Pembroke, Ont. where she was able to afford a place of her own in which she had enough distance from negative influences to make her first steps toward recovery. In a few short months of having her own place, she got the supports she needed established. She connected with a good social worker and a counsellor. Using that forward momentum and stability, she was able to quit smoking, and not long after marijuana. Despite finally having a stable place to live, Carter wishes she could move back to K-W where she could pursue schooling, where there are many outlets for her to share her music. Carter and others like her can only hope that more housing initiatives will be funded, that someday Waterloo Region will provide the spaces those with mental illnesses desperately need. “There are all kinds of cities that have eliminated homelessness … this is within our realm of possibility, particularly in the KitchenerWaterloo area. We’re a very rich area,” said Dixon. Petitioning the government could help make that happen, but another way might be just making more people aware of the situation. “I think if they did know about it, and there’s something they could do, then people would do it,” said Sweet.
Affordable housing hard to come by
“A lot of people who haven’t even struggled with drugs, they will actually accidentally do drugs, or feel pressured or depressed enough to try them,” Carter said, adding that police would come to the shelter sometimes 10 times a day. For Carter and others whose mental illnesses make living with others difficult, the simple math of their situation works against them. Ontario Works currently gives a maximum monthly allowance of just over $700 a month. A report published on housing stability for Waterloo Region in 2016 stated that the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment was $850 a month. For Carter, her only other options were to apply for disability benefits, or leave the region to find somewhere more affordable. While the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) doesn’t offer much more than Ontario Works, it would have at least made having her own space possible. On ODSP she would receive approximately $1,100 a month in benefits. But getting on ODSP is not a simple or quick process. And again, the mentally ill are often left behind when it comes to receiving support. For many, the very mental illness that would qualify them for receiving benefits, actually prevents them from completing the process of applying for ODSP, which involves being diagnosed, filling out paperwork, and waiting weeks or months to receive a reply. Even after receiving a reply, more information may be requested.
COMMENTARY
Page 6 s SPOKE
Monday, March 6, 2017
Dolphin hunt must end BY MEGHAN WEATHERALL
Another year, another slaughter as Taiji, Japan refuses to put an end to the annual dolphin hunt. This massacre has been going on for years and sparked the documentary The Cove. The film, created by Ric O’Barry, follows the annual gathering of fishermen who herd dolphins into an isolated cove by confusing the animal’s sonar communication. Once the dolphins are trapped, fishermen round them up into a net or cage that is secured to the side of their boat. Female dolphins that seem to be healthy, young enough to have babies and meet the unofficial scale of being attractive are sold to zoos and aquariums. Forty per cent are sold to businesses in Japan, the rest are shipped to places like China and the Middle East. Since 2010, the number of dolphins killed is estimated to be close to 5,000. The dead dolphins are sold at a market as meat, sometimes labeled as whale meat. Approximately 750 dolphins have been sold to aquariums and zoos. The open hunt lasts from September to March. Due to the popularity of this hunt, dolphins that call the waters of Japan their home are becoming endangered. The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums said that if Japanese dolphin sellers continue to use dolphins taken from the North Pacific Ocean off the town of Taiji, they will lose their partnership with the association. What is happening to these dolphins is the same as when SeaWorld captured its first orca. Fisherman would use boats to force orcas inland before using rope to capture them in a makeshift net. Whales unsuitable as exhibit pieces would be sent to market to be killed. The first two whales taken from the ocean didn’t even live a full year. Wanda, the first orca taken from the wild in 1961, is believed to have committed suicide. She had only been in her enclosure for three days. The practice of keeping whales and dolphins anywhere but the ocean must stop. Life spans are drastically lowered. Mothers and sons, and fathers and daughters, are being inbred and the animals’ health is suffering. They should not be put on display for our amusement. Celebrities and organizations continue to urge Taiji authorities to end this brutal killing. Canadians must urge our government to add its voice to this list and to promote a ban on taking marine animals from our oceans. The views herein represent the position of the newspaper, not necessarily the author.
Letters are welcome Spoke welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be signed and include the name and telephone number of the writer. Writers will be contacted for verification. No unsigned letters will be published. Letters should be no longer
than 500 words. Spoke reserves the right to edit any letter for publication. Address correspondence to: The Editor, Spoke, 299 Doon Valley Dr., Room 1C30, Kitchener, Ont., N2G 4M4
Trump should have to play by his own rules.
We need to hold Trudeau accountable Who has great hair, a killer smile and approved the Kinder Morgan and Line 3 tarsands pipelines? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to be the climate leader Canadians wanted and instead CTV reported that in northern Alberta an estimated 380,000 litres of light petroleum spilled in June 2016. And in January 200,000 litres of oil spilled in Saskatchewan. Although it is the provinces’ responsibility to clean up the mess, it is the federal government’s job to have the proper restrictions and regulations set up for the use of oil pipelines, or in a better world, provide greener alternatives. Part of the problem is Canadian politics are being overshadowed. It’s easy to forget to keep an eye on our government because of all the craziness happening south of the border. U.S. President Donald Trump is in every newspaper, on every TV screen and all over social media. We have been so distracted we have forgotten about those who are suffering the conse-
Wendy Huenul-Valdes Opinion
quences. Canada’s aboriginal communities are the ones who are dealing with their water being polluted and their land being taken for the building of pipelines. Farmers in Saskatchewan have to deal with contamination in their fields. Canada’s image of being an environmentally conscious country is being tarnished. I remember feeling proud once upon a time to be living in a country that kept its lush forests and beautiful scenery safe. That pride has long gone and has been replaced with an overwhelming anger toward our leaders. It is not enough to just elect a leader who promised us pretty pictures, we must hold him accountable and remind him every step of the way what it is that we
want. Our focus on American politics needs to be reverted to our backyards because we have a myriad of people fighting for their rights and for our land. It is important for those of us who live in cities to support Canadians out west.
“
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to be the climate leader Canadians wanted ...
”
We have to keep informed and stay aware of what our own Prince Charming is approving here at home. Trudeau went to the Paris climate summit and promised that Canada was “back.” However, a year later he approved new oil sands and fracking infrastructure. It only takes one environmental science course to know that in just those actions Canada is no longer able to proudly claim that “we’re back” because no, we’re not. We just took a big step back.
SPOKE
IS PUBLISHED AND PRODUCED WEEKLY BY THE JOURNALISM STUDENTS OF CONESTOGA COLLEGE Editor: DeeAnna Rollins Assignment Editor: Robert Janes Advertising Manager: James Wells Spoke Online Editors: Scott Blinkhorn, Cassidy Foulds
Production Managers: Matthew Evangelista, Roland Fleming Photo Editors (print): Joy Struthers, Nicole Clark Photo Editors (online): Andrew Benney, Riley Linseman, Wendy Huenul-Valdes
Social Media Editors: Shafaq Parwez, Meghan Weatherall, Brandy Fulton Circulation Manager: Sharon Samuel Faculty Supervisor and Adviser: Christina Jonas
Spoke’s address is 299 Doon Valley Dr., Room 1C30, Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 4M4. Phone: 519-748-5220, ext. 3691, 3692, 3693, 3694 Fax: 519-748-3534 Email: spoke@conestogac.on.ca Website: www.spokeonline.com
The views and opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the views of Conestoga College. Spoke shall not be liable for any damages arising out of errors in advertising beyond the amount paid for the space. Letters to the editor are subject to acceptance or rejection and should be clearly written or typed; a MS Word file would be helpful. Letters must not contain any libellous statements.
FUN & GAMES
Page 7 SPOKE
Monday, March 6, 2017
Useless Facts
Oh Cliff!
horoscope Week of March 6, 2017
Aries
March 21 April 19 Expect to travel to a warm place soon as your partner will try to surprise you.
Taurus April 20 May 20
Jealousy will not yield anything. Strive for everything you want instead of being critical.
Gemini May 21 June 21
This will be a wonderful week to start everything that you have always been interested in.
Cancer June 22 July 22
The calendar will get all red with upcoming events. Plan accordingly.
Leo
July 23 August 22 Responsibilities might be overwhelming but they will be immensely rewarding in the long run.
Virgo
August 23 September 22 Spend some time with your family this week; it will do you good.
Pepsi originally contained pepsin, thus the name.
Libra
The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.
September 23 October 22 A change of environment will bring out the best in you. Make sure these newly-acquired qualities stay with you.
The “dot” over the letter “i” is called a tittle. Chinese crested dogs can get acne.
Scorpio
October 23 November 21 You have lost so much these past years. It is time to repent and be a better person.
Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
Sudoku Puzzle
Sagittarius November 22 December 21
Fill in the grid with digits in such a manner that every row, every column and every 3x3 box accommodates the digits 1-9, without repeating any.
Your health will start to get better if you distance yourself from negativity.
Capricorn December 22 January 19
Your ambitions will know no bounds. Unleash all your positive energy to achieve your goals.
Aquarius January 20 February 18
It is time to think about your future seriously. If you do not act now, it might be too late.
Pisces
February 19 March 20 Keep getting closer to your family. This will set a good example for your kids too.
Diodonna Winona dabbles in forces beyond mortal comprehension. She also enjoys people watching and coffee.
Word Search
Page 8 s SPOKE
NEWS
Monday, March 6, 2017
‘EDUTAINER’ EDUCATES TO END STIGMA
POWWOW BEATS THROUGH CONESTOGA There were many different types of aboriginal dancers at Conestoga College’s seventh annual powwow. Jingle, fancy and traditional were the women’s categories and fancy, grass and traditional were the men’s. They circled around the drummers who were positioned in the middle of the Conestoga Student Recreation Centre gymnasium. For video story, go to www.spokeonline.com. PHOTO BY NICOLE CLARK
PHOTO BY RILEY LINSEMAN
Paul Kennedy, an ‘edutainer’ at Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo, lays down with the zoo’s alligator, Ali, on Feb. 19 at Bingemans Centre. He was demonstrating how friendly the alligator really is in an attempt to end the stigma of them being dangerous creatures. Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo also tries to spread the word that zoos are better than people think. For video story, to go www.spokeonline. com.