The Converged Citizen - April 16, 2015.

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NEWS

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APRIL 16, 2015

'Traction' gained against new sex education Managing David Dyck Converged Citizen Staff

Photo by David Dyck A girl holds a sign protesting the new sex education curriculum at the rally in Essex on North Talbot Road April 8.

Under the slogan "Our kids, our choice, one size does not fit all," more than 100 parents rallied against the new Ontario sexual education curriculum on, April 8.

Standing outside the Eye on Video store on North Talbot Road in Essex, parents held signs while they listened to guest speakers protest what they said was an “invasion of the private home, parental responsibilities and the innocence of children.”

John Azzopardi, who organized the rally as well as a previous rally held in Windsor on April 4, said he started the protest series after a friend sent him more than 200 pages detailing the new curriculum. Azzopardi said he had a hard time going to sleep that night after reading some of the "graphic imagery" that was in it.

"I think they're going to open the minds of young children to areas most par-

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Complaints continue to plague local transit Blake Wilson Converged Citizen Staff A number of complaints by passengers over the last few years has put Transit Windsor bus service in the driver’s hot seat.

Complaints about buses arriving late or showing up too early, passengers being hit by bus doors and knocked to the ground, arms and heads being locked between them, grumpy and impatient bus drivers and overcrowding have all added

to the negative image.

According to Transit Windsor, in 2009 the number of complaints was 750. By 2013 the number had increased to 1,050. Although the number of complaints has increased substantially, it still seems to be on the low end considering Transit Windsor services over six million passengers per year.

In 2015, the number of complaints has risen above 5,000 since January, half of which are about bus drivers.

Transit Windsor spokesman Pat Delmore said he and his staff will be looking into the complaints to determine where improvements can be made.

Rahma Ismail, 26, a recent graduate from the University of Windsor, said over crowded buses is her one pet peeve.

“Sometimes the bus is very crowded. I would like to see bigger buses, maybe like the two-story buses for the peak times and maybe an increase in the number of buses, espe-

cially in the winter,” Ismail said.

Ismail also said when riding the bus she sometimes has to deal with attitudes.

“The bus drivers are sometimes rude, but so are some of the passengers. That’s just life,” said Ismail.

Annette Roberts, 64, said she rides the bus six days a week and has never had a negative experience.

“Most of the time drivers and passengers are respectful. I’ve

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your money Caleb Workman Converged Citizen Staff

Many young people say they struggle with finances due to the expenses they encounter, especially as students.

The word budget is an intimidating word and many seem to think of it as a restriction rather than a freedom.

Students who do implement budgets say it helps immensely and even helps them free up extra money at the end of the month to spend.

A second year computer science student at the University of Waterloo says an app helps him keep his money in check.

“I use the budgeting app Mint to help me keep track of where most of my money is going, allowing me to make adjustments to my habits accordingly,” said Travis VanBelle. “I also find that keeping spreadsheets is useful for approximating my future balances based on past expenses. By staying on top of things and being informed about my purchasing habits I’m never surprised or worried by my expenses.”

VanBelle currently lives away from home and works at a job paying him above minimum wage. He said he makes between $15 and $20 an hour.

He also said he started learning to balance his money when he started working.

“Once I started having an income from work and expenses like groceries and transportation, I knew I had to keep track of everything,” said VanBelle. “I knew that being informed about my habits was an important first step to begin

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CONVERGED CITIZEN2

NEWS

APRIL 16, 2015

BMO employees give advice on budgeting Kenneth Pastushyn Converged Citizen Staff Not being disciplined and not having goals are two big reasons why people struggle with budgets.

That was the general consensus at the Bank of Montreal booth inside the former Rona store at this year’s Windsor Home and Garden Show.

Kristi Webb, an assistant branch manager for BMO, suggested sitting down with a financial planner or going online and using the tools

FROM PAGE 1 ents feel that they should not be exposed to at this point," said Azzopardi.

Another speaker, Gregory Moore, a father of four boys, said he found it ironic that he could not bring himself to describe some of the particular "graphic images" in front of a crowd that included children, where as in a few months teachers will have to talk to them about it.

In Moore's speech he addressed what he said was the need to let "parents be parents."

This curriculum, according to Azzopardi, is an undermining of parents' ability to fulfill their roles.

"By implementing this curriculum, in essence, I feel they're telling us that you as parents are not capable of

offered by any financial institution.

“Honestly, a lot of my clients don’t have formal budgets,” said Alec Lauziere, a BMO financial services manager.

“Step one is putting it all together.”

Lauziere said step two would be to track the budget for a few months to get a better picture of how you are spending your money.

“It’s tough to budget if you don’t know what you spending your money on,” said Lauziere.

He said one way is to write out goals and expenses, then review the expenses. Most people’s income is fixed but their expenses are variable.

“Itemize line by line on what you are spending,” said Ken Broadbent of BMO Private Banking. “If you don’t do it on a regular basis, you can get away from it.”

Broadbent also suggested reviewing financial statement, keeping receipts and said it is much easier to spend more money on entertainment instead of paying bills.

“It may require some lifestyle changes,” said Jim Inglis, a regional vice president of personal banking at BMO. He also said "try to pay yourself first” by putting some money in an emergency fund.

“Young people need to budget for a rainy day so they don’t jump to credit cards,” said Lauziere.

A budget is especially important in a marriage situation.

“There has to be a meeting of the minds or it may not work as well if you were only sin-

gle,” said Inglis.

One reason why so many people don’t have a budget is because they are afraid.

“People are fearful of creating a budget because it might clue them into the realities of spending,” said Broadbent.

If someone is afraid of starting a budget, they can go to a bank for a review.

“The bank tries to help people figure things out,” said Teresa Tessier, a branch manager for BMO. “Once they figure things out, it’s a little bit easier.”

teaching our children about sex education," said Azzopardi.

Moore said he does not want a stranger teaching his children about "sex, or homosexuality, or anal sex, or oral sex." This is something he said parents are best qualified for.

"I believe they have intimate knowledge of their children," said Moore. "There's a disadvantage the teachers have, trying to teach sex education to someone they don't have any intimate knowledge of, they don't know the maturity level of."

Moore also said he "did not buy the false narrative" that parents were neglecting to teach their children about sex.

He said there may be some Grand Theft Auto parents out there who let the TV raise

their children, but most parents do care. He referred to the turnout and said "parents are not the problem, they are the solution."

In November. 2014, around 4,000 Ontario parents were asked by the Ministry of Education to participate in a survey reviewing the curriculum and offer their input about who they believe are “trusted sources for health information” However, Azzopardi said he felt parents were hardly consulted about the instituting of the curriculum. He said he had only one parent at the last rally who said they were consulted about the creation of the curriculum and the questionnaire that was given was “vague.”

Ron Nelson, a parent who was also one of the speakers, agreed with the parental

under-representation.

"They did not even consider the parental input. To have any kind of opposing view was not really considered broad enough," said Nelson.

"There were those who were polled supposedly, who knows who they were. I just think there should have been more of a provincial wide opinion poll."

Along with silencing opinions, Diana Cornell, the fourth speaker, said the government may also be trying to unify all of Ontario under one belief system.

"It's getting closer to a 'one size fits all' and then they don't have to deal with all the

different cultures, religions and issues the government has to deal with currently," said Cornell. "And that will never go away. We won't allow it to go away. They cannot take that away from us."

With their fighting against the curriculum, Azzopardi said he feels they have gained some traction already.

"I really believe this has started a ground-swell. We got some feedback as far as Toronto on how they were happy Essex County has finally stepped up publicly," said Azzopardi.

Azzopardi plans to hold another rally at Charles Clark Square April 14.

MEDIAPLEX CONVERGED TEAM

Extended city transit meets mixed feeling Alexandra Latremouille Converged Citizen Staff Not all residents of Windsor and Essex County have demonstrated a desire for a regional transit system, according to Amherstburg’s mayor.

The proposed service is expected to expand east to Tecumseh and Lakeshore and west to Lasalle and Amherstburg. Although it will be available to everyone, Amherstburg Mayor Aldo DiCarlo said he believes certain demographics will benefit more than others.

“From what I’ve heard, opinions about it are mixed,” said DiCarlo. “The people who I imagine would benefit

from it are students, seniors and people who live in the county, but who don’t have their own car.”

Transit Windsor services about six million riders annually, about half of whom are students and seniors. This is partly because these people are able to get concession fares, allowing them to pay less for their passes. Nothing has been mentioned about the expanded system cancelling this service.

Regardless of how popular the current bus service might be with some demographics, not everyone feels an expanded one is in high demand.

Enrico DeCecco, the junior planner for the Town of Tecumseh, said he does not

believe enough people in the county will use it.

“It’s always good to have transit, but it needs to be feasible, cost-effective and it needs to service a large amount of people,” said DeCecco. “I think that might be an issue. You don’t want to have a bus drive a half-hour out into the county to pick up three people. There needs to be the demand, right?”

DeCecco also said no one from Tecumseh has approached him or town council demanding the system be expanded. This is primarily because Tecumseh already has an independent bus system which services

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Managing Editors

Senior Associate Managing Editors Sports Editors

Ashley Ann Mentley Michael Hugall

Caleb Workman Mark Brown

Christian Bouchard Jordan Caschera

Production Editors

Production Team

Entertainment Editor

Josh Teixeira Naureen Ahmed

Kameron Chaussee Kristine Klein Cassie Malynowskyj

Allanah Wills

Photo Editor Photo Team Copy Editors Anthony Sheardown Tyler Boissonneault

Abass Wali Eugenio Mendoza

Samantha Wigfield Julia Poehlman Rhiannon Lotze

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NEWS

CONVERGED CITIZEN3 APRIL16, 2015

Students raise awareness for autism Caleb Workman Converged Citizen Staff

Students at a local elementart school recently held an assembly to help people understand autism.

“Inside, I’m just like you,” is a new motto adopted by Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School after the recent World Autism Awareness Day. Some students in the school created a video to show how, inside, people with autism do not differ from everyone else.

The project was led by Grade 7 teacher, Robert Ferranti and his class.

“We were talking about World Autism Day probably about a month and a half ago and I’ve done things in the past with World Autism Day because it is something near and dear to my heart,” said Ferranti. “My son, Jack, has

autism and he once attended this school, so we used to do fundraisers all the time and I thought now that I have a class of my own it would be a good idea to revisit that and have another fundraiser.”

The video was featured at an assembly held by the class, and they also sold bracelets with all proceeds going to support autism awareness.

Ferranti said the long hours spent in class planning everything taught the kids more than the curriculum ever could.

“The amount of compassion and empathy that was displayed by these kids was heartwarming,” said Ferranti.

“Communication between students and people with autism is an example of the by-products from these kinds of assemblies and campaigns.”

Ferranti said through the experience and the video, the

students and those watching it really get the sense that people with autism are not different.

Grade 7 student Keon Shoushak was a speaker at the assembly and shared facts about autism.

“Autism is just a hard way of communicating with someone and that’s the only real difference,” said Shoushak. “They can’t get their words across the same way and they have a hard time expressing themselves but everything else is the same.”

Shoushak said he learned he has to be more cautious in the way he interprets people.

“You can’t make judgments too quickly on people because it can offend them or their families because you don’t know and you can’t always just assume that you know,” said Shoushak.

Another Grade 7 student,

Olivia Lutfallah, said she was in charge of putting the video together.

“I think it was important that the kids understood others with autism are just like us and they’re no different except that they have trouble communicating with us,” said Lutfallah.

“This whole experience has changed my outlook on everything. I see them a whole different way now.”

One Holy Cross educational assistant, Tracey Heavens, said awareness about this topic means everything to individuals with autism.

“It helps integrate the students with autism into other classes where the students can know and learn more about what they go through and how they learn and think,” said Heavens. “They also learn what autism is and how it is

different for each child.”

Heavens said the students at Holy Cross are very compassionate towards students with autism and always make them feel wanted and welcome.

“It’s gotten to the point where we don’t have to tell the students to include them anymore, they are already on it and ready to include them,” said Heavens. “Sometimes they even fight over them.”

Heavens said their hope is the students will continue these practices in high school and beyond.

At the assembly students took out their bracelets which glowed and held them up for a minute to illuminate the dark room blue.

The school would like the community to remember, “Not only are people with autism just like us but inside, we are just like them.”

Hospitality education growing in high schools Ashley Ann Mentley Converged Citizen Staff The French Catholic School Board’s planned investment into an updated hospitality and tourism program at L’Essor High School has both industry professionals and school board officials excited about the changes.

The school board plans to invest more than $275,000 into modern teaching facilities that will be used to encourage interest in hospitality and tourism classes offered at the high school level. After reviewing the facilities, doing research and polling students, it was determined that the hospitality industry was one that would benefit from investment and expansion.

“What came up was specifically [interest in] hospitality and tourism in a fair amount of students,” said Joseph Picard, director of education for the Conseil Scolaire Catholique Providence in Southwestern Ontario. “When we looked at this, specifically with L’Essor, we had to modernize our areas there, make them better adapted to what currently goes on in order

to train students and hopefully prepare them for the work force or for college studies.”

Planned for completion in the fall of 2015, the renovations will consist largely of changes in the food preparation areas. The cooking rooms, which Picard described as being dated, will have all new stainless steel appliances installed.

The rooms will also be updated to reflect changes in technology and the fact that a large amount of teaching now involves the use of tablets.

The changes happening at the high school level have caught the attention of Lorna McCormack, chair of the School of Media, Art and Design at St. Clair College. McCormack oversees both the tourism and the hospitality programs at the college. She said she hoped, and is optimistic, the changes will help students consider these courses as serious career options.

“People view [hospitality] sometimes as a fall back career or profession, but it’s not,” she said. “We’ve had students go on to absolutely brilliant careers around the world.”

Photo by Tyler Boissanneault Debbie LaSelva, coordinator of tourism and travel at St. Clair College, works in her office at the MediaPlex in Windsor on April 20.

Ken Reynolds, coordinator With almost 20 wineries in of the Hospitality the area, Workforce Management Hotel & WindsorEssex listed hospiRestaurant programs at the tality as one of its 10 most college agreed and said this promising sectors in the is an excellent opportunity region. Picard said this is because hospitality and one of the factors they took tourism are some of the into consideration when biggest industries right now evaluating L’Essor and he is in Windsor Essex County. confident it will be benefi“It’s a growing field, just cial to the students and the the demographics favour community. it,” Reynolds said. “The “Already, I’ve been confact that you have an aging tacted by a few people in population with a little bit the tourism and hospitality more time and money than industry, even at the provinprevious generations might cial level, who want to have had and they’re going work with us, collaborativeto spend it on good restau- ly, and see what can be done rant meals, travel and to prepare students for the resorts and things like that.” future,” Picard said.

Tourism professionals are also looking forward to the changes, especially since they are happening from within the French school board.

“A good majority of our students come from our catchment area, which is Windsor Essex,” said Debbie LaSelva, coordinator of tourism and travel at St. Clair College. LaSelva graduated from the program in 1979 and has been working in the industry ever since. “This program is ideal for bilingual students because if you want to work in tourism in Canada – having the second language – those are the students that will get the jobs.”

Both McCormack and Reynolds agreed that having students not only with previous education in the industry, but who are also fluent in French, will be a great benefit to the industry.

“That’s what the French culture is known for, its food and its wine,” said McCormack.

“It’s also really going to help tourism and hospitality together becoming huge economic generators in Windsor Essex County.”

FEATURE

CONVERGED CITIZEN4 April 16, 2015

Windsor thrift shop gives back Mark Brown Converged Citizen Staff

A thrift shop on the edge of Windsor’s downtown core is providing not only bargains but also a place where everyone in the community feels welcome.

The Meetinghouse, located near the old Windsor Arena, was conceived not only as a place where Windsorites could gather but also as a fundraising enterprise, according to its owner, Ken Lori.

“I wanted to establish a nonprofit to launch and establish a recreation centre for teenagers and I wanted it to be self-sustaining,” said Lori, 44.

“So I thought a thrift store and a café would be a great model to generate revenue and also engage the community.”

Lori, who graduated from the University of Windsor with a degree in social work, had previously worked with youth in Portland, Oregon and wanted to continue that work in his hometown.

“Youth struggle with all kinds of issues,” Lori said.

“Anything from identity to depression and suicidal

thoughts, to gang-related issues. In all neighbourhoods, rich or poor, you need a recreation centre. Windsor doesn’t have a recreation centre that is centrally located for lowincome youth, let alone highincome youth. So it’s extremely important to engage youth after school as well as before school.”

Lori acknowledges he still has a long way to go to making the centre a reality.

“It’s still in view but it’s not the immediate goal,” said Lori. “The immediate goal is to connect with the community as well as begin to generate revenue and also to notify the community that we exist so that they can drop off for donations.”

The shop provides the usual assortment of secondhand clothing for men, women and children as well as merchandise ranging from home furnishings to electronics. Lori says the store also provides many opportunities for people to meet socially.

“We host everything from political town hall meetings for candidates for city council to weekly music jams on Fridays,” said Lori. “We’ve

also had concerts with eclectic bands, movie nights every Thursday and chess club on Wednesdays.”

The programs at the Meetinghouse are made possivolunteers. through ble Cheryl Durning became involved after answering a Kijiji ad.

“I was unemployed at the time and I was looking to volunteer. I liked his cause,” said Durning, a full-time electrical techniques student at St. Clair College.

Relaxing with other volunteers on a Friday at the Meetinghouse with jazz playing in the background, Durning says she was drawn to the homey atmosphere and has been willing to help with anything.

“I’m sort of a Jill-of-alltrades here, so I’ll do sales for them, I’ll fix something, I’ll paint something, I’ll hang clothes, I’ll do pickups of furniture,” said Durning.

Another volunteer, Patrick been has Sutherland, impressed with the way the shop has found its niche in the neighbourhood. Helping with the chess club, he recalls one time the game drew in some-

Photo by Mark Brown Ken Lori, owner of the Meetinghouse (seated, front), socializes with volunteers during a potluck supper at the thrift shop in Windsor, April 3. one passing on the street.

“I was just sitting on the couch, the chess set was set up and some guy came in with a bag. It looked like he was homeless. He came in and kicked my butt in 10 minutes,” Sutherland said.

Sutherland said he is convinced that the Meetinghouse has accomplished one of its goals.

“This place is going to offer spiritual sanctuary for people and it has for me as well,” said Sutherland.

The Meetinghouse’s Facebook page provides a detailed description of the events and programs hosted there, including art and baking classes. The shop is located at 620 Glengarry Ave at Wyandotte Street East.

Maple syrup farmers pleased with production Julia Poehlman Converged Citizen Staff Harvesting maple sap depends on the weather and one Ontario farmer is pleased with this year’s production.

Ontario produces more than one million litres of maple syrup per year and it all depends on warm days and cold nights.

In early spring temperatures rise above freezing during the day and drop below freezing at night.

This temperature variation causes the flow of sap in maple trees. The sap flow can begin in February and continue through April.

Earl Elgie is a farmer from Dresden, Ont. and has been farming since 1979. He said this year’s harvest has been good for him, even though the weather might not have been great for people.

“It’s been an average production year. That’s one of the

wonders of making maple syrup, you never know how the year is going to turn out until you are done,” said Elgie.

With farmers having such a strong dependence on weather conditions, there is always a possibility of having a poor harvest. Elgie said there have been some reduced harvesting seasons.

“There have been some seasons where it gets warm all of a sudden and the sap quit flowing. That would be the main reason why we don’t get a big crop,” said Elgie.

“Mother Nature dictates how much sap is going to flow.”

So far this year the Elgies have made around 450 litres of maple syrup. Elgie’s wife, Nancy, said the number of litres they make is always changing.

“It varies from year to year depending on how much we get,” said Nancy. “We sell on average 350-400 litres.”

Elgie said a tree can produce roughly 40-50 litres of sap.

He also said it takes about 50 units of sap to make a gallon of syrup and it takes 15 litres of sap three hours to boil.

“On our operation, because we have soft maple and hard maple, the different trees have different sugar contents. We will probably take 50 units of sap whether it is 50 litres or gallons to make a gallon of syrup,” said Elgie.

Elgie said the difference between the soft and hard maple trees is the sugar content.

“You can tell by the look of the tree, but the sap of the hard maple are traditionally called sugar maple,” said Elgie.

“They have probably twice the sugar content in their sap as soft maple, as a general rule.”

Elgie said making maple Photo by Julia Poehlman syrup is a lot of hard work and Earl Elgie adjusts the evaporator in his sugar shack in Dresden, can take up most of his time, March 17. The evaporator is boiling the sap down to a thick, but most of all he said it dense liquid which will eventually be bottled as maple syrup. depends on the effects of the weather.

FEATURE

CONVERGED CITIZEN5 APRIL 16,2015

Technology helps improve awareness in teens Eugenio Mendoza Converged Citizen Staff

Some high school students say having access to the Internet has allowed them to be more aware of viruses and diseases.

Medical officials said the age of technology has caused people to be more knowledgeable than ever about influenza, sexually transmitted diseases and other illnesses.

Dr. Marinelle Quim, a pediatric specialist, said she has seen teens having more knowledge about diseases and prevention.

“I find that teenagers

often times know more about illnesses than their own parents,” Quim said.

“We’ve made a lot of progress in learning more about how our body works within the last 20 years and because of the Internet.

Kids have access to pretty much all of it.”

Quim said the consistent developments in technology have changed the way people learn.

“I can, with all honesty, say I didn’t know as much about things like AIDS, diabetes or even cancer when I was in high school.

At that time I was studying by renting out books from the library. I spent hours in

there and now kids don’t even have to leave their room,” said Quim. “Having the Internet and mobile devices literally gives them endless possibilities in the palm of their hand.”

Marc Valdez, 16, a student at Paramus High School, said learning about diseases in school has made him much more precautious.

“I think a lot of high school students know a good amount about viruses, especially with the whole Ebola thing. It made me want to be way more cautious about my health,” said Valdez. Especially seeing on the Internet what

Robotics tournament grows in Windsor Kenneth Pastushyn Converged Citizen Staff

The second annual WindsorEssex Great Lakes FIRST Robotics Regional competition took place at the University of Windsor’s St. Denis Centre.

There are seven regional robotics tournaments in Canada and Windsor’s is the largest. Around fifty teams competed, mostly from across Ontario, plus a few from Michigan, New York and California.

“Remarkable growth,” said Irek Kusmierczyk, director of youth programs and robotics at the Windsor-Essex Tech Alliance. “Two years ago we had only one area high school team competing and how we have 14.”

Strategic partnerships help robotics grow locally and Valiant Corporations is the largest in the area, according to Kusmierczyk.

“We try to promote people getting involved in robotics because we use a lot of them,” said Mike Ouellette, the skilled trades training coordinator at Valiant. “It’s great to see young people interested in robotics and as they get older, it motivates them and gives them direction.”

Valiant also sponsors the Belle River High School Automatons robotics team.

“Valiant helps a lot. They

support us with materials and mentors that come out to school every night,” said Mike Lokun, head manufacturing shop teacher and head coach at the high school. “We initiate a project to teach kids how to design, control and manufacture a robot while simultaneously trying to build a business and gaining sponsorship.

We spend a whole lot of hours putting it all together.”

Every Robotics team in the competition has only six weeks to build a robot. During this time period the students at the high school sometimes work until 10 p.m. and come to school on Saturdays.

Lokun and his assistant shop teacher and coach, Ray Auger, teach all of the students the use of machinery in the shop.

The mentors from Valiant help the students with the design and controls. Valiant also opens up their factories to students, allowing them to build their robots on the factory floor.

“These students are building a 120-pound robot and in the background is a sea of industrial robots,” said Kusmierczyk. “It brings industry and the classroom together which makes it phenomenal.”

What started out as a 25 student pilot project is now a 75 student program for entry level robotics at Valiant. Also being offered is a 46-week

robotics training program which students can apply for right out of high school.

“We have about 150 students and we hired about 130,” said Danielle Gignac, director of human resources at Valiant.

“We train them and they work in different capacities.”

This is the first competition of the year for Lokun and the Automatons. They said if they could afford it they would like to travel to more competitions.

Right now, the Automatons are trying to raise money for a trip to compete in the world championships being held in St. Louis.

“We are fortunate to be invited to participate in the world championship. It’s our first time and the kids are excited,” said Lokun. “We probably won’t win but we will enjoy the experience and give it the old college try.”

Many of Lokun’s students go on to college for trade programs and a few received engineering scholarships for McMaster and Waterloo universities.

According to Lokun whether the students go to college, university, or the work force, they learn a tremendous amount which will help them in any one of these areas.

“If they could build a robot in six weeks, imagine what they can do when they get out in the real world,” said Kusmierczyk.

happens to people that have cancer and infections, it makes you want to take care of yourself. There are posters everywhere you turn at my school telling you to practice safe sex or not to smoke.”

Valdez said with all the commercials and advertisements it is hard for people to be uninformed.

Michael Sebastian, 15, a student at Teaneck High School, said caring for his parents has forced him to know a lot about how to treat diseases.

“My parents are really old and my dad has Alzheimer’s so I’ve always had to help him keep track

of his medicine. We have a nurse that comes but a lot of times it’s just me and my mom,” said Sebastian.

“Not everybody knows as much about illnesses as well as I do. Most people don’t have a dad with Alzheimer ’s but for the most part I think teenagers know a good amount about how to stay healthy.”

According to a study done by the University of Michigan, the amount of teens who smoke has decreased from 23 per cent in 2000, to eight per cent in 2014. Many credit continually growing anti-smoking campaigns for these results.

YMCA upcoming summer fun Abass Wali Converged Citizen Staff Although Windsorites will soon be spending time outside during the spring and summer months, there are benefits to keeping their YMCA memberships handy.

The YMCA offers many programs to its members, ranging from workout groups to daycare and activities for children. The YMCA has activities and programs for all people who want to live a healthy life.

“Having a membership means investing in your health and caring about where your health will be in the future. We offer many programs that help aid those who want to lose weight or simply just be healthy in their lives,” said YMCA manager, Denis Giles.

Due to the opening of the new Windsor International Aquatic and Training Centre, the pool at the

Victoria Avenue. The location was closed last year.

“For us to keep the pool open for many years, repairs would be needed to the pool. Repairs can be a high price which we would prefer to invest into a new building where we are able to grow. There is no plan to open the Victoria Avenue pool again,” said Giles.

He also said although some families may have some financial troubles becoming YMCA members, there are programs to ensure families of all incomes can participate.

“Our most popular program is our Teen Night on Fridays. We are open to the public (with photo ID presented) for 13+ years to come in for open gymnasium, which is mostly basketball,” said Sandra Sharifi, one of the daycare employee.

The YMCA manager says by having a YMCA membership, everyone can enjoy their time and live a healthy lifestyle.

FEATURE

CONVERGED CITIZEN6 APRIL 16, 2015

Selfie Sticks face scrutiny and solidarity Double headliner sells out show Johnathan Hutton Converged Citizen Staff

The new device called the Selfie Stick has been getting mixed reactions in 2015.

From being on the holiday bestseller list in the United States last December, to now being on the banned items list for Walt Disney World and more than 46 museums and galleries world wide, the Selfie Stick has been under fire.

Despite all the recent negative publicity, several Windsorites would still consider buying one.

“I think it’s a pretty good idea, it actually gives you a wider angle when taking a photo and it makes it easier for you to take a selfie,” said Sahil Kaler, a biology student at the University of Windsor. “ I don’t own one but hopefully I will soon.”

Galleries across the world have banned the Selfie Stick for many different reasons, most of them due to security concerns. The Colosseum in Rome has banned them because they are afraid they will damage the architecture of the facility. The National Gallery of London also banned them because they can be used to “violate indi-

vidual privacy.”

Srimoyee Mitra is the curator of contemporary art at the Art Gallery of Windsor.

Although Selfie Sticks are currently not banned from the art gallery she said there are definitely a few concerns with photography using Selfie Sticks and in general within the gallery.

“I imagine some of the problems with the Selfie Stick would relate to security and conservation issues within a gallery,” said Mitra.

“You have a camera on a metal pole. What happens if it falls? What is it falling on?

If we were standing in front of a display case and someone was taking a photograph, what happens if it falls through the glass?”

Mitra said although the gallery is for the public, their main goal is to preserve the artwork.

“We, as a gallery and a museum, have the responsibility to take care of the work here,” said Mitra. “I think that museums and galleries have to think about how they can reconfigure the spaces to be able to respond to the demand of the audience (to take photos in galleries) but also at the same time find a way for the work not to be

damaged.”

According to the Daily Mail Newspaper in the UK, there are more than 17 million selfies being uploaded each week in the United Kingdom and 93 million selfies being uploaded world wide each day. The trend has been responsible for the development of many social apps such as Snapchat or Instagram. However, several people view it as a form of expression they can instantly share with the world.

“I truly believe that selfies have become part of a lot of our daily lives,” said Emily Harris, 21. Harris currently works at a tanning salon in Amherstburg and will be attending a hairstyling program in September. She said she takes selfies when she feels confident about herself.

“I want the world to see my smile,” said Harris. “So they smile because they saw mine. It’s opening up your joy to the world. Selfies are to describe the moments of the day that make you happy.”

Harris currently does not own a Selfie Stick but, like Kaler, she plans on purchasing one in the near future and hopes to use it while skydiving.

Employers overlooking students for summer jobs Kristine Klein Converged Citizen Staff Some students are complaining that it has become very difficult to find summer jobs because employers are not taking them seriously when they apply for summer work.

Some college and university students have been searching for part time and full time summer jobs in Windsor.

They say there might be more to why it is difficult to find a job other than the high unemployment rates in the city.

Melina Hayik, 23, is finding it difficult to find a summer job.

“I feel like companies and businesses don’t take students very seriously to hire for the summer because they know right after the summer we get too busy with school and will quit or just do part time so they don’t see a reason in hiring you,” said Hayik.

Some students agree that not many employers will hire students who are just looking for summer jobs and who may not be reliable when school starts again.

“Employers look for people who are available to make their company money and, as sad as it is to say, money makes the economy go round and in today’s economy people can’t afford to risk hiring a part time student that can’t show up because they have assignments and homework to do,” said 21-year-old St. Clair College student Cody Sorell.

The students said they believe this has become a real issue in Windsor and it needs to be addressed.

“We desperately need to target unemployment in young people because without a strategy, we face kids like me being a burden on the welfare system,” said Taylor Smith, 21, who studies pre-health at

St. Clair College.

“We’re competing with unemployed adults and graduates as well who can commit more than three to four months to a position. I’ve found the job market for us youngsters with little experience to be brutal,” said Smith.

According to Smith most employers took candidates who were not returning to school in September or those who weren’t students at all.

“I think there are a lot of summer job opportunities if you know the right people and have the advantage of being in a youth program like New Beginnings,” said Smith.

There are youth employment services in WindsorEssex such as St. Clair College Youth Employment Services, Career Centre for Education, University of Windsor and New Beginnings Summer Jobs for Youth Program.

Kaylee Campbell Converged Citizen Staff Tickets sold out well in advance for the double headlining show featuring La Dispute, Title Fight and special guests, The Hotelier, at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, Mich. last Friday.

La Dispute is a post-hardcore band originally from Grand Rapids, Mich. The band headlined the tour alongside Title Fight, a melodic hardcore band from Kingston, Pa. Both bands were touring to celebrate their most recent album releases which both came out within the six months. Opening the concert was pop punk group The Hotelier from Worcester, Mass.

The Crofoot Ballroom, which served as the venue, has standing capacity for up to 1100 people and all three bands performed for a sold-out show. Patrons circled the building for hours waiting for doors to open at 6:30 p.m.

The concert was general admission with standing room only and tickets sold for $25 in advance.

“It’s worth waiting for a show like this,” said Adam Bouliane, 24. Bouliane is a Windsorite who frequently

travels across the border to attend concerts. “I’ve been waiting for a tour like this for years and you don’t want to miss an opportunity to get to see bands like this.”

Even with the lack of breathing room in the packed venue, the crowd held nothing back when the bands took the stage.

“There’s nothing like playing in Michigan,” La Dispute said as they closed the show. The band was established in 2004 and is celebrating their third fulllength studio album. They claim to owe it all to their humble Michigan roots.

Although the concert took place in Pontiac, the crowd was mostly from surrounding Michigan cities with a large number of Windsorites in attendance.

Since 1990, attendance at concerts in North America has more than doubled.

According to The Statistics Portal, this trend will continue moving forward in 2015. Windsorites habitually cross into the United States for concerts due to a lack of touring in their area.

Since Saturday, La Dispute has moved on to the European leg of their tour.

Beach Grove to host Lawrence Hill Michael Hugall Converged Citizen Staff

The Pelee Island Bird Observatory and best-selling author Margaret Atwood are hosting an evening with Lawrence Hill, May 6.

The reception at Beach Grove Golf and Country Club is scheduled for 6 p.m. with dinner to follow at 7 p.m. There will be a silent auction and books for sale.

Hill is best known for his work with the 2007 novel “The Book of Negroes” which has been adapted by CBC into a six-part series and has won international awards including The Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. He also volunteers with Crossroads international, Book Clubs for Inmates and other charitable causes.

Tickets for the event are $125 with complimentary Point Pelee Wine for each table.

FEATURE

Flying phobia takes off

CONVERGED CITIZEN7 APRIL 16,2015

Insurance expensive for under 25 Anthony Sheardown Converged Citizen Staff

Photo by Jordan Caschera Ryan Brown holds his first plane ticket on April 5, 2015. Brown flew for the first time despite his fear of flying.

Jordan Caschera Converged Citizen Staff In the aftermath of a string of high prolfile aircraft accidents many first time and frequent flyers are saying their fear of flight is growing.

Flying has become increasingly scary to some people after multiple aircraft incidents in the past year. With the disappearance and crash of two Malaysian Airlines aircrafts, a Delta AirLines flight skidding off the runway, a TransAsia Airways flight that crashed shortly after takeoff in a river and most recently the Germanwings flight crashing into the French alps and an Air Canada flight crash landing in Halifax during bad weather, many flyers are getting nervous.

Ryan Brown, 23, says people have a reasonable argument to be worried about getting on a plane.

Brown said his first time on a plane was last year on a four hour flight from Toronto to Montego Bay, Jamaica. He said the fear has stopped him from flying in the past but there is a reason for it.

“In a car you are the master of your own destiny and in control of all around you. But on a plane someone you don’t even know is flying, which makes you feel out of control,” said Brown. He said phobias like his are fuelled by incidents such as the Germanwings copilot deliberately crashing his plane.

According to the International Air Transport Association, 80 per cent of aircraft accidents are caused by human error, a statistic that only adds to the fear.

Brown said regardless of the

statistics saying flying is safe, it will still be tough to fly.

“Now more than ever it’s a growing fear, learning that a pilot was depressed and was told not to fly but did so anyway…it scares me,” said Brown.

He said the Germanwings pilot may have been a rare case but pilots need to be held responsible.

Brad Saunders, a military pilot of 25 years says planes are safe.

“As a pilot everything is my responsibility when it comes to safety. It all has to be dealt with the utmost importance from dealing with the weather, to talking to the tower,” said Masse. He said the most important aspect of safety is the human factor, adding that pilot error is the leading cause of accidents.

“That is generally the weakest link and the most preventable when it comes to accidents or close calls,” said Masse.

According to Masse the more you fly, the easier it becomes.

Frequent flyer, Kris Bulley, 24, said flying shouldn’t stop people from seeing the world.

“If you let fears and phobias get in the way, how can you live your life?” said Bulley. He said the best part of flying is your destination and to him traveling overrides the fear of flight.

“It’s our first instinct to be scared about being 35,000 feet in the air,” said Bulley. “The amount of fatalities from cars is way worse than airplanes but people don’t see this statistic in the news.”

According to Transport Canada, in 2010 car accidents caused 2,126 more deaths than flying.

Many young people in Ontario say insurance companies are unfair in their pricing for people under the age of 25.

For young people insurance prices are approximately $200-$300 per month. The price fluctuates and can reach $500 or $600 a month depending on the car they drive and their driving record.

“The price of insurance is 100 per cent unreasonable.

Insurance should start low and go down from there and should only go up if you have driving tickets or charges,” said Bobby Rollo, a 20-year-old Windsorite.

Rollo has had his own car for a year and a half and his insurance went down 10 per cent when he got his full G license. His insurance is $210 per month under his mother’s name.

“Nobody should be pun-

ished with an outrageous insurance rate for being young,” said Rollo.

Insurance companies never pay or give any of the money back even if the person has never been in an accident and this upsets some citizens.

“I think insurance is too high and they will never return any of the money you pay into it no matter if you’re in an accident or not,” said Ben Orlando, 21. Orlando has been driving since he was 18 and has had his own car for two years. He pays $350 per month for insurance.

Orlando said he thinks the price of insurance should go down.

“It’s getting harder and harder for middle class people to pay for a car, let alone gas or insurance,” said Orlando.

The cost of insurance can affect the way people live and what they have the opportunity to do because of money.

“It affects me by not being

able to do other simple things I want in a month. It definitely stresses me out because I can’t afford simple things I want or need because I know that I have to pay the insurance bill next month and have to save the money for it,” said Orlando.

At many insurance companies, men pay more than women do. in 2008 males ages 16 to 19.were involved in 10,227 car accidents and women of the same ages where involved in 4,108.

“It is terribly discriminatory. Females pay less just because it’s assumed they are good drivers and men are reckless. We are penalized for the mistakes we may not have even made yet. Ontario insurance is too high all around, and unfair,” said Josh Cook a 20-year-old Windsorite.

Ontario has the highest auto-insurance rates in Canada which 45 per cent more than Alberta which is the second most costly.

Easter Eggs-travaganza hits Devonshire Mall Melissa Amiouni Converged Citizen Staff Young ‘Ninjas’ battling cancer met the Easter bunny and demonstrated their skills at a special event in Devonshire Mall on easter weekend.

Many family, friends and children went to the Easter Eggs-travaganza Saturday morning to have some Easter fun. It featured entertainment, face painting and pictures with the Easter bunny.

Ron Bocchini, a grandfather of eight, said he came to the mall to spend time with his grandchildren.

“I haven’t seen them all week so I thought it would be a great opportunity to bring my grandchildren and be with them for the weekend and it looks like they’re having a great time,” said Bocchini.

Other than the face painting, Bocchini said he and his family also enjoyed the Kids Beating Cancer-In Honour of the Ones We Love entertainment.

Melissa Muscedere, a volunteer coordinator with the Kids Beating Cancer Honourable Ninjas program, said many of the children in the program are

Photo by Melissa Amiouni Ron Bocchini’s grandchildren pose for a photo after face painting during the Eggs-travaganza event at Devonshire Mall in Windsor on April 4. battling cancer or have other chronic illnesses but it also allows their siblings to be part of the program.

The Honourable Ninjas is a program for children battling cancer who are taught therapeutic martial arts. They took the stage Saturday and demonstrated what they are learning in class.

Muscedere said she believes it was a great opportunity to perform in front of a crowd.

The outcome of the program can show people what the children have been learning.

“A lot of the kids that started with the program wouldn’t separate with their parents, but now they’re starting to gain trust in us, work with us and allow us to teach them and they’re kind of coming out of their shell and learning more,” Muscedere said. “The program is great it teaches them selfesteem, team building skills and they’re making friendships at the same time.”

Weekly classes are held Monday nights in the auditorium at Windsor Regional Hospital.

FEATURE

Local Tigers fans flock to Detroit for Opening Day

CONVERGED CITIZEN8 Spring into new trends APRIL 16, 2015

Allanah Wills and Ashley Ann Mentley Converged Citizen Staff

Photo by Ryan Adams Joshua Marentette, 24, waits on the steps of a friends home, preparing for the Detroit Tigers Opening Day celebrations on April 6 in downtown Detroit.

Ryan Adams Converged Citizen Staff Thousands of Windsorites ventured over the WindsorDetroit border to catch the Detroit Tigers’ 2015 Opening Day celebration.

Travis Bondy, 24, a Detroit Tigers fan for as long as he can remember, can still recall going to games at the old Tiger Stadium when he was just a child.

“Opening day is the best day of the year,” said Bondy.

He, along with some friends, arrived early to the big day to celebrate another Major League Baseball season in Detroit.

“We got into Detroit by 9 a.m. and we were still late to the party,” said Bondy, who was a former baseball player himself. “The amount of energy billowing out of every parking lot and bar across the city is incredible.”

The Tigers missed out on winning the World Series for the fourth straight year last season, despite division crowns in each of those years.

But Joshua Marentette, 24, said he sees a brighter future for this new squad.

“A new season means a clean slate and the potential for anything to happen. I predict another division

championship because that’s what the Tigers do,” said the University of Windsor grad.

“Though the rotation is a bit scary, I am excited about the offense and pleased with the team’s defense for this year.”

With the Detroit Downtown Development Authority approving the financing of the proposed downtown Detroit mega complex last year, Marentette said the city is on the right track to accomplishing greatness.

“There is so much business that can be created or can grow because of the arenas,” said Marentette.

“I think for a city that is in need of a big push to get anywhere close back to its glory days, this arena is a very, very good step towards all that.”

Bondy further explained just how exciting the atmosphere was in Detroit.

“Opening day in Detroit is something else, it’s tough to describe. The atmosphere is incredible, it’s electric. I couldn’t imagine how many people were packed into downtown Detroit today.”

The Detroit Tigers started the 2015 season by not allowing a run in their first 24 innings, a first in the franchise’s history.

The weather is slowly but surely warming up and that can only mean one thing, spring fashion.

New York Fashion Week just wrapped up and here is a glimpse of the trends you’ll be seeing the most of this season.

HAIR: The classic braid is back this year, but now it’s all about making it loose and messy. The less perfect it looks, the better.

Another big trend is the natural, air dried wave.

We’re moving further away from perfect curls and heading towards more of a relaxed looking wave.

The best way of achieving both of these waves is by using mousse. First, start by scrunching it into the bottom and then working your way up. If you’re looking for extra volume, use the diffusing attachment on your blow dryer.

CLOTHING: Last year was all about the ‘90s but this year, it’s all about fringe and flare typical of the 1970s. Fashion inspiration from this decade dominated the runways and is all about variety, having fun and being bold.

To rock this trend, start with eye-catching patterns. For a hippie look, pair a blouse with widelegged denim. For a truly ‘70s look, one of this year ’s biggest trends is fringe. From purses to skirts, it can be worn in a variety of ways.

MAKEUP: A trend that has crossed over from winter to spring is the dark lip. Strong plum and berry shades are still in which makes it easy to transfer from your winter to sum-

FROM PAGE 2 about 30,000 people annually.

In spite of this, one Tecumseh resident said she thinks the town woul benefit from a regional transit system.

“I think [Transit Windsor expanding into Tecumseh] is a

Photo courtesy of www.harpersbazaar.com mer look. Other popular trends are a basic neutral eye, using tan and beige shades with minimal eye liner, which goes perfectly with the natural looking hairstyles we are seeing this spring. For a little more colour, blue eye shadow is back.

NAILS: This year’s nail trend is called the negative

space manicure. It takes the cut-outs from your clothes to your nails. A popular technique used to achieve this look is placing a thin piece of tape on a bare nail, painting over it and then removing it.

With all these trends, spring 2015 is looking to be full of colour, excitement and variety.

fantastic idea,” said Sarah Wilder, a local stay-at-home mother. “If I was given a list, I could tell you what I feel is important in our community.

Speaking singularly for this issue, I think it’s a good thing for a movement between the two communities.”

Regarding how the new sys-

tem might be developed and financed, both DiCarlo and DeCecco said nothing has been formally discussed.

According to DiCarlo, the movement is still in its infancy and is mainly being driven

by Windsor Councillor Bill Marra who has not finalized any details.

HEALTH

CONVERGED CITIZEN9 APRIL 16,2015

Canada and Windsor vaccination rates too low Rhiannon Lotze Converged Citizen Staff

Many experts say Canada’s measles vaccination rates are too low amongst minors to prevent outbreaks of the disease from spreading.

According to the Oxford Vaccine Group 95 per cent of a population must be immunized against a certain illness to prevent it from spreading. A study conducted in 2011 by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, however, found that only 86.9 per cent of Canadians aged 17 and under were up to date on their measles vaccines.

Around 7.5 million Canadians are aged 17 and under, meaning that 975,000

are susceptible to contracting the highly contagious measles disease.

So far in 2015 there have been 159 cases of measles confirmed in Canada, with the majority found in Quebec.

Two more were confirmed in high school students in Vancouver, on April 2.

Measles is spread through coughing and sneezing and is characterized by a high fever, sore eyes, white spots inside the mouth and eventually a red rash on the skin. While anyone can contract the illness, there are certain demographics that are more likely to become sick.

“Most at risk would be those who can’t be vaccinated, so the very, very young or those who don’t get the vaccines,”

said Dana Boyd. Boyd is an employee of the Windsor Essex County Health Unit and also said more information about the measles can be found on the WECHU website.

Despite the risk of contracting measles if a person is not protected, some people choose not to be vaccinated or have their children vaccinated.

Reasons for this decision include religion and fears of side effects they believe result from vaccines, such as autism.

“Natural immunity is designed to take on and withstand any incoming infections which threaten your survival,” said Joel Lord, founder of the Vaccine Resistance Movement. “The body can only do this when it is natural-

ly, gradually exposed to disease and infectious agents lurking in the environment.”

Lord also said his Vaccine Resistance Movement “has upwards of 20,000 members around the world and it’s growing exponentially all the time.”

As a mother of two, Heather Brown said she is wary of vaccines and feels the vaccine schedule made by the Canadian government should be more personalized to each individual.

“Many diseases have been eradicated in our lifetime but there should be an individualized approach taken with vaccine schedules. A one-sizefits-all approach doesn’t work for everyone,” said Brown.

“If the MMR vaccine was

three separate vaccines, I would consider it for my children. This is not currently offered in Canada.”

Even though there are several reasons people choose not to vaccinate, there are also many in favour.

“I feel [vaccines] are important to help prevent another outbreak. Science and medicine have been able to do amazing things,” Lorra Gallagher, 21, said. Gallagher is a mother of one and both she and her eight-month-old son have been vaccinated.

According to a statement made by the WECHU earlier in the year, Windsor’s measles vaccination rate is at 82 per cent and that is not enough to prevent an outbreak from spreading.

Tanning beds Remington Park cancer cluster banned Naureen Ahmed Converged Citizen Staff

Albert Toth Converged Citizen Staff With summer quickly approaching many people are heading to tanning salons, but others are asking if it’s worth the possible risks of skin cancer.

Saskatchewan has just banned minors under the age of 18 from using tanning beds and it is required by law to check identification. Experts believe the false UV rays affect the skin and may be a cause of skin cancer. Ontario has banned the use of tanning beds by minors as well.

Businesses don’t seem to mind although they will lose some business.

Aaron Moore, a 19 year old electrical techniques student at St. Clair College, goes tanning twice during the month of April each year to prepare for the summer. “I never actually got to go when I was younger than 18. My parents wouldn’t let me but plenty of girls I know did it. For me it looks beneficial and maybe it causes cancer but what doesn’t these days?” said Moore. “I mean if it happens

that sucks and it’s a possibility but it’s possible for anyone, you can get skin cancer from the sun for goodness sake.”

Many young people don’t seem to care about the possibility of cancer from tanning beds. Some businesses are not worried that they will lose customers even with the Ontario restriction on tanning beds. Lauren Savoni, who works for Darkside Tanning, said they rarely have customers who are under 18.

“Most of our customers are 22 to 26 years old. I understand that skin cancer is a possibility but I wouldn’t allow that to stop me from tanning, I’m going to live my life to the fullest and being tan makes me feel great!” said Savoni.

Savoni said she tans regularly and although it is possible skin cancer can come from the beds she finds it to be relaxing and has never personally known anyone who has used tanning beds to be affected by skin cancer.

For now 18 year olds will be tanning the old fashioned way under the sun.

Residents living in Remington Park are concerned about a reported cancer cluster in their area.

According to the Windsor Essex County Health Unit, the definition of a cancer cluster is “A greater-thanexpected number of cancer cases that occurs within a group of people in a geographic area over a period of time.”

Michael Janisse, spokesperson for the Windsor Essex County Health Unit, said lung cancer in Remington Park is significantly higher than in Windsor-Essex and in the province.

“These residents were diagnosed with cancer that began in the lungs as opposed to beginning somewhere else in the body and spreading to the lungs,” said Janisse. “This type of cancer over this time period among residents of this geographic location was statistically significant, when compared to provincial and Windsor-Essex County averages.”

The April 2014 report stems from Cancer Care Ontario numbers that show Remington Park had 24 new incidents of lung cancer between 2000 and 2009.

The 24 new cases work out to 109.9 cases per 100,000

population, compared to 59.7 for Windsor and 52.5 for Ontario.

According to the report the neighbourhood is defined as the area bordered by Howard Avenue, South Pacific Avenue, Parent Avenue and Grand Marais Boulevard.

On April 8 the WECHU launched an online investigation into a possible cancer cluster in Remington Park.

The purpose of the online tool is to ask respondents about their history, including exposure to possible carcinogens such as smoking, radon gas and more.

“This will help the investigators to narrow down causes that may have been around 30 years ago,” said Janisse.

Alice Lea, a resident of Remington Park for more than 30 years, is worried because her mother died from lung cancer in 1999 and her father is still fighting the same disease.

“I am certain there is something in this area,” said

Lea. “Now I am worried about myself.”

William Nathan, another resident of Remington Park, said many of the people who used to live in the neighbourhood cite the nearby Zalev Brothers metal recycling yard as their prime suspect for lung cancer.

A number of Remington Park residents who were diagnosed with cancer say they are certain that pollution is the primary cause of their disease, according to Nathan.

“They believe Remington Park has been plagued with cancer for decades because of a surrounding stew of toxic problems,” said Nathan.

“They think it’s not just about lung cancer, either, nor just between 2000 and 2009.”

“We are conducting a preliminary investigation at this time prior to the actual investigation,” said Janisse. “We have also just updated our website and are holding a meeting on Wednesday, April 29 at the Optimist Community Centre.”

HEALTH

CONVERGED CITIZEN10 APRIL 16,2015

The ‘Jolie effect’ on cancer screenings

Photo by Allanah Wills The Windsor Regional Cancer Centre on Kildare Road on April 9.

Allanah Wills Converged Citizen Staff Health care officials in Windsor are seeing a spike in cancer screenings and it is being attributed to Angelina Jolie.

The 39-year-old American actress and U.N. ambassador made the decision late last month to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.

She made the choice after

testing showed she carried BRCA1, a gene mutation that greatly increases the risk of developing ovarian cancer.

The preventative surgery will place her into menopause and comes in addition to her 2013 double mastectomy.

“We all have BRCA1 genes, they serve an important role in certain tissues of our bodies. In these tissues, the BRCA1 gene produce proteins known as ‘tumour suppressors,’” said Veronica

Bryksa, the genetic counsellor at Windsor Regional Cancer Centre. “People who have ‘mutations’ in their BRCA1 genes have an alteration in the genetic sequence that the body uses to produce the tumour suppressors and hence the tumour suppressors do not function at an optimal level.”

Jolie admitted to having the surgery in a New York Times op-ed piece, saying she wanted other women at risk to know about their options. The health promotion co-ordinator at the cancer centre, Amanda Clarke, said she believes it is great for a celebrity like Jolie to talk about their experiences.

“Jolie sheds a light on cancer screenings in general and the importance of women’s informed choice,” said Clarke. “By bringing attention to this, other women start to reflect and think about their family history and if they’re at risk for that gene as well.”

Jolie’s family history and risk of developing cancer is higher than that of an average person. She lost her mother, aunt and grandmother to cancer and, with the BRCA1

mutation, has a 50 per cent chance of developing ovarian cancer compared to the 1.4 per cent chance of a woman without it.

“Most people undertake testing because if they know they are at high risk for certain cancers. We are able to provide surgical recommendations or medical surveillance to help find the cancers early, or help reduce the likelihood it will occur in the first place,” said Bryksa.

Many hospitals across Canada have dubbed it the “Jolie effect,” causing almost double the number of women to participate in genetic testing. According to Bryksa, the cancer centre in Windsor has also seen a spike.

“When Angelina Jolie first came forward with her news about having undergone a mastectomy in May 2013, we did indeed see an increase in referral volumes, so I anticipate a similar pattern will reveal itself this time around.”

Although Jolie’s announcement sheds light on the importance of cancer screenings, she wants women to know there are other alternatives to surgery.

“A positive BRCA test does not mean a leap to surgery,” Jolie wrote in her op-ed piece. “There are other options. It is possible to take control and tackle head on, any health issue.”

Even with the increase in screenings, Bryksa warns people to be cautious when reading about Jolie’s rare cancer journey.

“It is important for people with media exposure to share their experiences because it helps increase awareness about hereditary cancer.

Conversely, many people may see the story and jump to conclusions about their own surgical options and their own risks,” said Bryksa. “I think that it is a large responsibility for celebrities, as well as medical providers, to ensure that there is accurate information being provided to patients regarding this issue.”

And according to Clarke, “Angelina Jolie is just one individual in a much larger group of women.”

More information about genetic testing and cancer screening in Windsor can be found at www.wrcc.on.ca, or by calling 519-253-5253.

Pathological Internet use becoming a growing concern Samantha Wigfield Converged Citizen Staff As many studies have shown, the Internet may be causing people more harm than good.

Social media like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr are all platforms for people to connect and share their lives with others.

While on the surface, the Internet appears to be a good thing, a report published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, revealed teenagers and young adults who

FROM MONEY PAGE 1 saving money.”

VanBelle said he is very fortunate to be working in a job which covers more than his expenses and he has a very easy time adjusting when he needs to make purchases off the budget templates he has set up. Generally, VanBelle said he spends around $700 a month on

are on the Internet too much are far more likely to be diagnosed with depression than those who use it within reason.

During the study, more than 1,000 Chinese teenagers were studied regarding their Internet usage and current mental health.

Those with an Internet addiction were 250 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with depression nine months later.

Cheryl Poupard, a single mother of two in Windsor, said she has concerns about her children using the Internet too much.

“I think using the Internet is okay for an hour or two a day, but any more than that isn’t good,” Poupard said. “Children should be playing outside or doing something else, not on a computer or an iPad. Even watching TV too much is bad.”

While many young people are addicted to the Internet, websites such as 7 Cups of Tea are there for those who need help. It is an emotional support service provided online with trained “listeners” to provide someone to talk to without judgement or

opinion.

A 30-year-old woman going by the username brightSpace49 is a listener on 7 Cups of Tea and said in the training provided they are not supposed to give advice, but to just listen and help people through their issues.

“I don’t think many of these people want to be judged or ridiculed. And it’s nice to get outside perspective from someone who doesn’t personally know you. I bet many people feel like they don’t have anyone

expenses.

Steven Arseneault, a customer service representative at TD Canada Trust, said there are many ways to start budgets for students.

“There are many tools online that can help students create a budget, as well as apps on phones,” said Arseneault. “Many banks also will help students with

their financing if they come in and ask for help making a plan.”

According to Arseneault, even just implementing a mental budget can help as long as you stick to it.

If you’re a student looking for help to implement a budget you can visit your local bank branch or go online to www.fcac-acfc.gc.ca.

FROM TRANSIT PAGE 1 have had some awesome bus drivers,” said Roberts.

“I think that the issue is more buses, that would be beneficial because sometimes you have to wait.”

According to a statement by city councillor Bill Marra, Transit Windsor

close enough to them they can talk too, or maybe they don’t trust anyone,” brightSpace49 said. “So these people go on the Internet to escape the reality of life and to just talk to someone.

Maybe they’re just lonely.”

More than two hours of Internet usage is called “pathological Internet use” and it is thought to cause other problems aside from depression. These include poor physical health, aggressive behavioural issues, physiological disorders and relationship problems. will be introducing new smart bus technology. The new system will allow supervisors to know the location of every bus using global positioning.

This is designed to improve services for passengers and lead to a reduction in the number of complaints.

ENTERTAINMENT

CONVERGED CITIZEN 11 APRIL 16, 2015

University Singers bring sounds of spring Kameron Chaussee Converged Citizen Staff

“One, two! One, two!

And through and through! The vorpal blade went snickersnack! He left it dead, and with its head, he went galumphing back!” – Jabberwocky More than 30 voices rose in unison in the Assumption Church auditorium Wednesday night during the University Singers’ Spring Choral Celebration Concert.

There, a small audience was treated to a selection of choral music, Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, to a musical adaptation of Lewis Carrol’s Jabberwocky and Cy Coleman’s Rhythm of Life.

The University Singers are an ensemble group associated with the School of Music at the University of Windsor. It is a graded ensemble open to all students at the university, worth a half credit per semester.

“It’s amazing to get up and sing. You emotionally bond

in that time. So, we sang with the symphony [for Joan of Arc] two weeks ago and then we had to learn this program.

And of course we spent a lot of the time on the symphony’s repertoire.”

The Singers’ energetic performance garnered applause after each piece. They opened with Fauré’s Requiem OP.48, supported by a violin, piano, and organ throughout. Once this segment was complete the audience was treated to a selection of unrelated music, beginning with Healey Williams’ hymn Rise Up, My Love and leading up to the Jabberwocky and Rhythm of Photo by Kameron Chaussee Life.

“They did better tonight in Professor Richard Householder leads the University Singers during their choral rendition the performance of all of of Jabberwocky. The Spring Choral Concert was held in Assumption Hall on April 8. those pieces than they did in the rehearsals, which after all with the people you sing Christmas and a couple Wednesday’s performance.

“I only took over the choir is the goal of musicians. They with. It’s such a gift to be able weeks ago we did Voices of to work with so many talent- Light, the aria for Joan of halfway through the semes- want to do better in the conter,” said Richard cert than they did in ed people twice a week,” said Arc,” Kennedy said. said The University Singers was Householder, professor emer- rehearsals,” Madeline Kennedy, a first year acting student at the uni- one of several local musical itus at the University of Householder.

Wednesday’s concert was versity. Kennedy said she has groups who contributed live Windsor. “They had another enjoyed singing in a choir her music to the recent showing conductor and she found it the final performance by the whole life and took the of Carl Dreyer’s La Passion necessary to go back to University Singers for this opportunity to join the de Jeanne d’Arc, or Joan of Toronto, so I took over in year. Next year the group will be led by a different conducUniversity Singers as an Arc, on March 28. This mid-stream, as it were.

“And we had not one but tor who will be selected by allowed only two weeks for extracurricular activity. to prepare for two major performances to do the end of the summer.

“We did a concert for them

Windsor gaming scene hopes to grow Tyler Boissonneault Converged Citizen Staff Windsor’s gaming community is hoping to continue to expand with the rise of more competitive and casual events in the city.

Windsorites no longer have to play video games strictly online if they want to play with other people. Several Facebook pages are being dedicated to hosting gatherings whether they are officially organized events such as No Man’s Lan, or just a gathering in someone’s basement.

Gamers who are already part of the community say they hope the events create exposure and encourage more people to join. Some of the main games played in the scene are games played across the globe such as Super Smash Bros, League of Legends, Dota and Hearthstone.

Shaun Byrne is a local gamer and the event organizer for the company eSport Gaming Events. The company hosts competitions for both Windsor’s competitive gaming scene and other towns throughout the province.

Byrne said for Windsor’s size, it is home to some of the largest gatherings in Ontario.

The company has had major events with 200 plus participants which takes place at the University of Windsor and St. Clair College multiple times per year. Byrne said he hopes the community continues to grow from these competitions as Windsor has a very welcoming gaming community.

“It is still very much a niche community that very few Windsorites really know about. However, from my involvement with communities across the province I can say that it is one of the least

toxic and most welcoming communities there is,” said Byrne.

Local livestreamer and YouTuber, Zachery McGinnis, said he gets involved in the scene to share his knowledge of the games he plays and to find trends in the local scene to help market his content. He said the biggest benefit for the local community is he does not have to fight anonymous abuse online that occurs when he livestreams and produces content for YouTube.

“Online you have plenty of ‘keyboard warriors’ as they’ve been dubbed, and it is this kind of person that makes it hard to have intelligent and respectful opinion-driven discussions on games without someone’s mother getting dragged into the equation,” said McGinnis.

McGinnis also pointed out the group has a more personal

feel. While he might not personally know their names, their credibility is on the line when they act crudely on a public forum for all to see.

McGinnis said this creates a healthier and friendlier forum.

Travis Briggs said he is just an average gamer but he is heavily involved in the online gaming community in Windsor. He said the online component is also what helps draw gamers to want to take part in the community as it is a comfortable environment for discussion. Briggs said for him it was a welcoming community from the

very beginning and when he runs into problems he knows they are there to help.

“If I need some gaming related advice, Facebook is usually the first place I turn to for answers,” said Briggs.

Many other gamers in the community also hope to host both casual and competitive gaming competitions to help newer players become more involved. They also hope to continue to grow the scene and continue to be the welcoming environment they’ve built up to this point.

SPORTS CONVERGED CITIZEN 12 Hickey receiving national attention APRIL 16, 2015

Christian Bouchard Converged Citizen Staff A local lacrosse player is having great success at the professional level.

Brett Hickey is the current leading goal scorer for the Toronto Rock. Born and raised in Windsor, the 24year-old forward started playing lacrosse at the age of four and has always had a knack for scoring goals.

Hickey is enjoying a great season in the National Lacrosse League with the Toronto Rock. Although the forward is enjoying a successful season, he said he owes much of his success to his mentors in his Junior B days.

At the age of 15 Hickey began his Junior B career with Windsor’s AKO Fratmen. In 146 games played, Hickey started showing signs of his talent scoring 181 goals and a total of 418 points.

Hickey went on to later be drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 NLL draft by the Washington Stealth and has since been signed to the Toronto Rock.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Hickey. “I’m trying to take it all in because as fast as it comes, as quick as it goes.”

Alixe Saliba, a Grade 11 student at Ecole Secondaire E.J. Lajeunesse, said seeing someone coming from Windsor and the same high school dominate at the professional level inspires him to continue getting better every day.

“It’s good to see a player of that calibre come out of Windsor,” said Saliba. “It definitely motivates you to play better. He’s not only a great athlete, but a great player.”

The Windsor native has recorded at least one point in every game this season and has scored in all but one as of April 10. Hickey is also currently tied for fourth most goals in the league at 36.

Although Hickey is one of the league’s top goal scorers, he does not think about chasing records. Hickey said he is focused on helping the Rock win games, calling himself “one of six.”

“Right now I’m just a guy helping my team out,” said Hickey. “There are

Photo by Martin Deland/Toronto Rock Toronto Rock forward Brett Hickey (11) scores a goal against Calgary Roughnecks goalie Frankie Scigliano (middle) on Saturday, January 31 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. guys who are doing much better than I am points wise. I’m having a good year scoring goals, but realistically it is about

winning championships and me finding ways to help.”

Hickey’s success on the floor has helped the Rock to a

current best record in the NLL with an 11-4 record, good enough to clinch a berth in this years playoffs with three weeks remaining.

Tiger’s roar brings Detroiters to their feet

Mark Brown Columnist No matter how many times Detroit has been to hell and back over the years, the city still has some great traditions that make it look good before an audience that spans North America. One of them is Opening Day. The first home game of the season for the Tigers has been an occasion in Detroit for over a century. Why? Because it’s a sign that spring has sprung.

It’s a new beginning…a clean slate…optimism for the sea-

son ahead. The Tigers are, after all, the boys of summer.

Once in a while, Opening Day delivers on its promise and the Tigers have a terrific season.

Other times, not so much. But each year, it’s the same, a chance for a new beginning.

The Tigers have kicked off their home seasons at three ballparks since 1901: Bennett Park, Navin Field (which became Briggs Stadium, then Tiger Stadium), and Comerica Park. At the turn of the previous century, fans came out early in their Sunday best and stayed late. Over the years, Opening Day became an allday street party in the Corktown neighbourhood, with bars opening early and staying open long after the final out was recorded. There were also tailgate parties and listening parties, as people without tickets gathered around a radio to hear the play-by-play of the action

happening within the hallowed walls of Tiger Stadium.

If Opening Day was a general indication that spring was here, the voice of Ernie Harwell was the specific indication.

Once the Tigers moved to Comerica Park, most of the action moved downtown, where I believe it belongs. The stores are open early, the streets are crowded with people wearing orange and blue, Grand Circus Park is jammed with music and merchandise booths, and welcome messages are displayed on the marquees of the grand theatres that dominate Woodward Avenue. The bars and restaurants continue to be jammed from sunrise until well after midnight. It’s gotten to the point where on Opening Day there are more people without tickets watching the game in the bars than the 45,030 inside the ballpark on Monday.

The most recent Opening Day I attended was in 2011.

On that day I passed through Corktown on the way downtown. The bars are still there – so are the tailgaters, even though Tiger Stadium is now “long gone.” My usual parking places for games had been unavailable for hours already, so I settled for a garage on Fort Street near Joe Louis Arena. I walked the one-kilometre distance to the stadium, even though the weather was chilly and still misty with rain.

Trekking to Campus Martius, then up Woodward Avenue, there were people coming in and out of the stores and restaurants with big smiles on their faces. The closer the stadium appeared, the more people there were, many of whom probably didn’t even have tickets to the game.

The Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 on that day in 2011. But I found myself

being entertained by watching grown men struggle to keep their footing as they climbed toward their seats. You could tell those were the people that had been out drinking since 7 a.m. There was a drunken clown in my row having a loud discussion with someone in front of him, comparing Austin Jackson to Curtis Granderson. But in the 6th inning, there was a guy two rows ahead of me who whirled around and threatened to beat the guy sitting behind him.

With the afterglow of Monday’s opener fading – the Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-0 – the one thing that will never fade is the memory of happy baseball fans carrying on a centuries-old tradition. With all due respect to Toronto Blue Jays fans, Tigers fans are unmatched for optimism and passion as the dawn of a new season arrives.