When Beker isn’t globetrotting for FashionTelevision or covering fashion runways for magazines like FT, she’s at home in Toronto. The call for more retail explorations beckons and Beker answers. She does admit she has a thing for shoes, so Davids on Bloor Street and their huge selection of Christian Louboutin shoes (the best in Canada) is a big draw. She may swing by Celebration Shoes in nearby Yorkville. Beker loves owner Carma Saunderson’s funky, hand-dyed creations.

Beker’s must-visit Canadian design talents in the city include long-time favourites like Brian Bailey (famous for chic dresses and suits), Comrags (“edgy, but not in a harsh dramatic way”), Mirabelli (“beautiful cuts and interesting fabrics”) and Shan, a hugely successful swimwear label. Maybe less known, but equally talented, are designers such as Kingi Carpenter of Peach Berserk (fun and whimsical), Ross Mayer (a whiz with evening wear) and Zenobia (for timeless separates).

Beker finds herself in Montréal quite often. In search of the perfect pair of shoes, she heads for Rosenstein Paris on rue de la Montagne, then on to Denis Gagnon’s new flagship store on rue St. Paul. If she’s looking for cool gifts, then a stop at the gift ship at Musée des Beaux Arts is in order.

She once lived in Newfoundland so it’s a province that is near and dear to Beker. “I love Water Street in St. John’s,” she says. “There are some great stores along that stretch and some tucked away on the side streets too.” Even in tiny towns like Woody Point, she finds what she dubs “Canadian exotica” in little gift shops like Aunt Jane’s.

In the west, Beker has her go-to favourites. In Winnipeg, Julie Pederson is a designer that has caught her attention and a portion of her fashion budget. Pederson designs funky “muckies” or mukluks that have earned a celebrity clientele that includes Britney Spears and Katy Perry. Beker owns three pairs.

In Calgary, Beker makes a point of stopping at Paul Hardy Design in Kensington Village. “He has great, gorgeous accessories!” The village also features unique clothing from Eleven: Eleven and James and Dickson Clothiers.

Vancouver’s Gastown is the place for window shopping, according to Beker. And in Victoria, a boutique like Nushin with international and Canadian designers, has her reaching for her credit card.

Article courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission Media Centre.

Writers Bio: Michele Sponagle (m.sponagle@sympatico.ca) is a travel writer based in Paris, ON, who has sampled hotel beds in more than 50 countries.

Back then, a 50-year-old employed person could expect to work another 12.5 years before retiring from the daily grind. Today, that same 50-year-old worker could expect another 16 years of employment. There has been a corresponding increase in the employment rate of Canadians aged 55 and older during this time period. StatsCan says that 34 per cent of Canadians aged 55 and older were employed in 2010, compared to just 22 per cent in 1996.

Self-employed Toronto businesswoman Adina Lebo is one of the many people in this age group who still embrace going into work every day. Lebo, 62, actually retired this past spring, but reversed course when she realized she wasn’t ready to leave the office for good.

“Sixty is the new 40,” Lebo said.

“And I have so much energy. I love working, I love contributing to society and it’s not time to slow down.”

There could also be economic factors driving older Canadians to keep working longer than they did in the past. A new Royal Bank of Canada survey says that 57 per cent of Canadians do not set aside money for emergencies, suggesting that many future retirees end up facing unforeseen expenses that delay their long-term plans.

While it might be expected that a longer working life would imply a shorter retirement, StatsCan says that men and women leaving the work force today are spending as much time in their post-career life as many of their predecessors did. For example, in 1977, a 50-year-old man could expect to spend 45 per cent of his remaining years on Earth in retirement. Today, that same person would expect to be retired for 48 per cent the years ahead of him.

For women, the proportional length of retirement has stood basically unchanged. In 2008, a 50-year-old woman would expect to spend 55 per cent of her remaining life in retirement, which StatsCan says was almost the same 1977.

Lebo said she has many friends who have sought out new opportunities and experiences since they entered retirement.

“It’s just a time to expand and go somewhere new and do something different,” Lebo said.

The index suggests the middle class, in particular, is eroding. ”There are some very, very troubling signs,” Romanow said in an interview.

“I think if we continue on this trajectory we’re going to have bigger and bigger disparities. You can never build a solid political, social and economic community with wide disparities.”

The Canadian Index of Wellbeing is meant to be GDP’s alter ego, measuring the quality of life in society in ways gross domestic product does not. The index has been years in the making, pulling together 64 indicators to track progress in areas such as community spirit, education, health, environment, leisure and democratic engagement. While GDP measures what companies and government produce, the wellbeing index measures how Canada and its people are faring. It shows that between 1994 and 2008, wellbeing improved by just 11 per cent. The economy over that period grew by 31 per cent.

So while investment and corporate activity were ticking along at a decent pace, Canadian households saw only minor improvements in their lifestyle. ”The divergence in the (index of wellbeing) and GDP tells us emphatically that we have not been making the right investments in our people and in our communities. And we have not been doing it for a long time,” the report on the index says.

The index’s subcomponents show that quality of life actually deteriorated over that time frame in areas such as the environment, leisure and culture, and time use. Researchers noted that metal reserves are at rock-bottom, species abundance has declined, greenhouse-gas emissions have soared, and ground ozone has risen. When it comes to leisure, Canadians are working out more and taking longer vacations, but they spend less time engaged in arts and culture. Health care saw a slight gain — we’re smoking less and getting our flu shots, but diabetes and depression were on the rise. Wealthier people had better health status.

Living standards rose 26.4 per cent, but at the expense of income inequality. The rich took the lion’s share.

While parents are reading more to their young children and signing them up for all sorts of classes, kids are also spending more time in front of screens. And seniors are seeing less of their families. In other words, a typical household is now working harder and longer to keep on track financially, at the expense of having free time with family and friends, enjoying arts and culture, and volunteering.

“Many Canadians are simply too caught up in a time crunch to enjoy leisure and culture activities in the company of friends and family. The question raised by the results of this domain: Is that progress?” the study asks.

On the positive side, the index also revealed that Canadians feel safer than in the 1990s, and feel a stronger sense of belonging to their community. The “community vitality” index rose 20.7 per cent over the 15 years.

Education has improved, especially with university graduation rates soaring. But our international rating has declined in literacy, math and science.

While Romanow, the former NDP premier of Saskatchewan, is the face of the new index, he says the work put into the index is far from political or ideological. Rather, the data is taken from Statistics Canada and elsewhere, collected and crunched by a wide variety experts in their field. The work is recognized by the Organization for Economic Co-operation as leading edge.

The policy prescriptions, however, point to failures at every level of government over the past couple of decades, Romanow says — adding that he, too, carries some of the blame. ”We all wear some of this.”

Instead of focusing on redistributing wealth and building programs that improve quality of life for Canadians, governments are obsessed with juicing GDP, he said.

The result has been to whittle away at the vibrancy of the middle class, and undermine core Canadian values that encourage individual effort, in part, through redistribution of wealth, Romanow said.

“I think this is a yellow light. A cautionary light,” he added. “We want to be able to make sure that … our societal values are not diminished here.”

The province had previously announced it would participate in the federal government’s clinical trials on the procedure proponents call “liberation therapy.”

The therapy is based on the idea that collapsed veins in the necks of some MS patients hinder blood flow from the brain. Doctors inflate tiny balloons inside the veins to open them up again.

Many patients who suffer impaired mobility, spasms and vision problems say the treatments help their symptoms. But many doctors say MS is an autoimmune disease, not a vascular problem, and have noted that any apparent improvements don’t last.

The provincial government was originally planning to spend $5 million on clinical trials done in Saskatchewan, which has a higher MS rate than the Canadian average. However, the province failed to approve the only applicant and decided to work with Ottawa instead.

It says it’s still supporting the federal effort. However, the province was worried about how long that would take to get going.

It’s now working with a research team led by Dr. Gary Siskin, a vascular and interventional radiologist at Albany Medical Centre. The protocols are still being worked out, but it’s hoped the first Saskatchewan patients will be heading to Albany early in the new year.

Read more about CCSVI in Canada

Even the stronger loonie hasn’t been able to overcome obstacles that include import tariffs ranging as high as 18 per cent, a number of higher fixed costs and, admittedly, the fact that retailers in Canada can simply get away with charging more.

“The people who should win from a stronger Canadian dollar are consumers,” said BMO’s deputy chief economist, Douglas Porter. “They don’t feel that way.”

“We have been above parity for basically all of 2011 and when you get to those levels it makes the price comparisons very straightforward and it’s frustrating for consumers,” said Porter, who has been tracking price differences between the two countries since the loonie soared in 2007.

Hockey parents have noticed that equipment is cheaper in the United States and some are finding ways to bring it back to Canada unnoticed.

“It depends on the equipment, but it can vary from 20 per cent to 45 per cent cheaper in the U.S.,” said one parent. “When you get into the high-quality products, the price difference is higher.”

Some U.S. retailers such as Hollister, the California surfer clothes chain, are upfront about advertising their two-tiered policy, listing both Canadian and U.S. prices on their price tags.

Others, like American fashion retailer J. Crew, charge an average of about 15 per cent more in Canada compared with its U.S. stores and website. A Senate committee plans to study the price gap, a process that will take time and could run into 2012, which would miss the holiday shopping season.

Tariffs on most goods between Canada, the United States and Mexico were phased out under trade deals signed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. But there are still import duties paid on some goods not covered by these trade agreements as well as a range of clothing and sporting goods that come into Canada from Asia, Europe, South America and other countries.

There’s also the cost of doing business in Canada, which adds to the price of goods — from bilingual labelling to transportation, payroll taxes and real estate, said marketing professor Ken Wong of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.

“The other part of it is quite simply what the market will bear,” Wong added.

“So, to a certain extent, there is an element of artificial inflation of some Canadian prices. From a consumer perspective, you could say it is gouging. From a manufacturer’s perspective, I would guess you see it as smart business.”

Cotton clothing such as T-shirts and track suits, women’s and girl’s ski jackets and overcoats, pillows, cotton bras, towels and bed linen face import duties of between 14 and 18 per cent, according to the Retail Council of Canada.

These items aren’t out of the ordinary, said Anne Kothawala, a spokeswoman for the council, which would like to see the tariffs removed.

“Clothing and sporting equipment are the particularly egregious areas,” she said.

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has conceded that removing such tariffs might be one way the government could help, but he wants the Senate committee to take a thorough look at the whole issue.

A bright spot for Canadians is consumer electronics, such as TVs and laptops, because the price difference between the two countries usually isn’t significant, according to Christopher Bennett, spokesman for Best Buy Canada and Future Shop.

“It could be $50 more or it could be $50 less in Canada or the U.S.,” Bennett said.

Technology is getting cheaper and being mass produced and is resulting in ever lower prices, he said from Vancouver.

“The up and downs every month of the dollar in the U.S. or Canada won’t drive your excitement,” Bennett said of consumers buying consumer electronics.

Meanwhile, Kothawala said there was “no question” Canadians would see a reduction in prices if import tariffs were removed.

“However, because of the time lag in the supply chain and the time it takes to place an order for products, that will not be able to happen overnight,” she said.

Kothawala also noted that Canada retailers are typically charged more by multinational suppliers than their U.S. counterparts, making goods more expensive.

And, she added that Canadians shouldn’t expect to see absolute parity on consumer goods even if tariffs are removed.

“Our fixed costs are in Canadian dollars — they’re not coming down because the Canadian dollar has gone up,” she said.

Recover from summer: Following the busy summer driving season and numerous road trips, your tires may be a little tired. A study conducted by Hankook Tire America Corp found that 70 percent of North Americans planned to take a road trip this past summer, with the average North American logging approximately 725 miles on their vehicle. With increased wear and tear on your tires as a result of summer trips, the tread depth may not be what it used to be. Tires with unsatisfactory tread depth decrease the tire’s traction in various road conditions and can potentially put you and your passengers at risk. Tires must be replaced when the tread is worn down to 2/32 of an inch. You can easily check your tires’ tread once a month by using the quarter test – place a quarter, head down into the tread of the tire. If George Washington’s entire head is showing, your tread is too low.

Air ‘em up: Did you know tire pressure changes as the outdoor temperature does? For every 10 degree change in temperature, your tires lose or gain 1 to 2 pounds of pressure, meaning as the hot summer weather gives way to a cooler fall, your tires will be losing air pressure. Add foliage, rain and slick driving conditions to the mix and it is even more essential to have the right tire pressure. Proper inflation maintains an even contact pressure of the tread to the road offering the performance the tire was designed to provide, while at the same time helping to prevent uneven wear. Proper inflation also reduces rolling resistance and quickly discharges heat that is generated. The correct tire inflation pressure for your vehicle can be found in the vehicle’s owner’s manual. While correct tire inflation is key to performance, it is also important to remember to not overinflate your tires. When tires are overinflated, they are more susceptible to road hazards and damage.

Be safe…and save: The fall season means school is back in full swing. With that comes the ritual of shuttling kids to school, extracurricular activities, sports practice and school events adding mileage to the everyday routine. Trips to college homecoming festivities, football games and Thanksgiving gatherings can also translate into some serious mileage on your vehicle’s tires. If you’re ready to replace your tires, choose an all-season tire which decrease rolling resistance creating a smooth, quiet ride in all-season conditions. By minimizing wasted energy and improving fuel efficiency, lower rolling resistance tires can save you gas and money, while keeping the kids safe.

A little tire care can go a long way to keeping you and your vehicle safe on the road this fall.

Article via ARA Content

Watch for the hot pink Cupcake Diner on wheels, parked in the downtown core of the city as well as at special events. Owner Natalie Ravoi tapped into her love of baking and took it to the streets, literally, and created Canada’s first mobile cupcake shop. She bakes gourmet cupcakes daily with a retro twist.

People line up for varieties like caramel apple pie, chocolate and peanut butter, the 1950s Classic (à la Hostess cupcakes), lemon meringue and raspberry white chocolate. Plus she offers gluten-free and vegan variations, too.

But before diving into dessert, there’s heartier fare to be had. You can’t miss Canada’s only grilled cheese food truck. Look for the gorilla. It’s a sign that you’ve found Gorilla Cheese, owned by Graeme Smith and Scott Austin.

Smith went to Liaison College to become a professional chef and Austin is a grass roots foodie himself. They came up with the idea for a grilled cheese truck, a perfect fit for comfort-food craving urbanites. These aren’t just any garden-variety sandwiches, but gourmet, grilled-to-order ones, made with real cheese from Jensen’s, an Ontario cheese maker based in Simcoe. They’re gooey and wonderful, served alongside tomato soup and baked beans, all made from scratch.

Roving the area called the Golden Horseshoe, stretching from Toronto to Niagara Falls, is El Gastronomo Vagabundo. It’s a joint Australia-Canada project, thanks to its owners Tamara Jensen and Adam Hynam-Smith, a professionally trained chef from Down Under.

They have been serving up tantalizing mobile eats, like heirloom tomato and watermelon salad, Asian specialties, and gourmet tacos like Thai coconut red curry and tempura salmon. Ingredients are sourced from small local producers, making this a true grass-roots operation. To catch El Gastro on the move, follow them on Twitter or Facebook. You’ll likely spot them at Flat Rock

Cellars winery in Jordan on the weekend or the St. Catharines farmer’s market.

Article courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission Media Centre

Writers Bio: Michele Sponagle (m.sponagle@sympatico.ca) is a travel writer based in Paris, ON, who has sampled hotel beds in more than 50 countries.

“People form an emotional connection with colour and there is something very personal to buyers about the hue of their cars,” says Susan Swek, Ford Motor Company’s chief designer, Colour and Materials. “Our internal research shows up to 40 per cent of car buyers say they would walk out of a dealership if they couldn’t buy a car in the colour they wanted.”

Below she provides some specific attributes associated to the top five colour choices in Canada, and shares insight as to what that communicates about the car, and, by extension, the driver inside:

• Silver - “Since silver and grey are technical colours, they communicate a sense of aspiration and at times, an embrace of futurism.”
• Black - “Overall black communicates strength, aspiration and a respect for the classic and the elegant.”
• Blue - “Darker blue is perceived as more traditional. However, a bright or light blue is the opposite and is seen as the least ‘classic’ of the other colour groups.”
• Red - “A colour which screams sporty and energetic but in certain shades can also be associated with distinction.”
• White - “White is clean and modern. Premium specialty whites (also known as ‘tri-coat whites’) are also associated with luxury and ‘premium-ness’.”

Though we tend to think of the younger generation as the risk-takers, the propensity to choose an unconventional colour (one outside of the top eight listed) actually increases with age (20% for 65+ versus 5% for 18-34).  Moreover, the likelihood of choosing red steadily increases while the likelihood of choosing black steadily decreases as the population gets older. Men are much more likely to choose black (20.4% versus 12.9%), while women are much more likely to choose red (13.8% versus 8.9%). Canadians making $80K+ per year (19%) are more likely to select black, when compared to those making less than $40K per year (11%).  Single individuals are also more likely to choose black (27% versus 13% among those who are married).

What Do Colours Say About Canadians?

“Colour is a simple way to allow people to add a personal touch to their lives,” explains Swek. “It’s something that speaks to them and expresses a little bit of their personality.”   While overall Canadians play it safe, each region demonstrates specific preferences that stand out from the crowd.

• Residents of Atlantic Canada have a surprisingly high amount of gold-coloured cars (8.4%) and also have the country’s highest instances of red cars (18.4%).
• Albertans have the highest preference for blue cars in the country (16%), followed closely by Quebecers (15.4%).
• Drivers in Quebec are also most likely to choose an unconventional colour, one not listed in the top eight (12.8%).
• Ontarians have the greatest percentage of black cars in the country (17.1%) and are least likely to covet a blue one (12.9%).
• Though drivers in British Columbia have an above average love of green coloured cars (8.3%), residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan are the ‘greenest’ (9.9%).   Residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan also have the highest preference for white (14.2%).

Around the Globe

The colours that vehicle buyers choose is important information for Ford, which analyzes sales data to identify buying patterns and to better understand unique consumer preferences by region.

According the poll, silver is also the most popular vehicle colour around the globe. When looking at individual nations, Ford learned that nearly half of all vehicles sold in Turkey are white. French and Italian motorists like cream-coloured vehicles. Black is the colour of choice for most drivers in Norway, Portugal, Germany and Russia. Only one country in Europe has a top colour other than white, black or silver: The Czech Republic chooses blue.

So, the first question you must ask yourself is, Do I need a financial plan? The simple answer is yes if you have an income, a family (or the hopes of one), dreams of a comfortable retirement, and any of the dozens of other financially-rooted reasons that are unique to you.

The next question is, What are the elements of a sound financial plan? There are two answers to that question: the general and the specific.

In general, every financial plan should include: investment planning, cash flow planning, education planning, estate planning, insurance planning, retirement planning, and income tax planning.

The key to a successful financial plan is making sure that each of those elements is made specific to you and your needs and to do that, a competent professional advisor will take you through this six step planning process:

1. Goal setting – to determine and prioritize your goals and concerns.
2. Data gathering – assembling the relevant financial information to understand your current financial situation.
3. Financial analysis – using your current and projected financial situation to identify and answer questions like: “How much tax must I pay?” How can my taxes be reduced?”  Will I have enough income to cover my expenses during retirement?” “How can I better meet my income needs?” “How can I protect my family and income if I should become disabled or die unexpectedly?”
4. Plan formulation and recommendations – discussing, reviewing and deciding on various alternatives and solutions for achieving your financial goals and improving your overall financial life.
5. Plan implementation – providing you with a written report summarizing the steps you need to take to make your plan work.
6. Monitoring and plan review – financial planning is not a one-time event. You should review your plan at least annually or when major life events occur.

Comprehensive financial planning is complex and necessary. To be sure you get exactly the right one for your situation, it’s a good idea to put a professional advisor on your financial team an advisor with the qualifications, tools and track record you can count on to develop a personalized financial plan that will the job for you  today and tomorrow.

Writers Bio: This column, written and published by Investors Group Financial Services Inc. (in Québec a Financial Services Firm), presents general information only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell any investments. Contact a financial advisor for specific advice about your circumstances.

For more information on this topic please contact Shannon Walker, CFP at 1-888-291-7024 or Shannon.walker@investorsgroup.com.

Long-distance job hunts bring with them a special set of requirements that can seem daunting at first, but aren’t all that much worse than a regular job search. With a little planning, you can conduct a long-distance job search that will land you a job in any city you want.

Choose locations

Hunting for a job in a single city is difficult. Hunting for one in all the provinces is virtually impossible. Rather than approach your job search as a nationwide Easter egg hunt, decide what cities you want to focus on. Although you might be open to any location that will offer you a job, you should make a list of five or 10 cities where you can see yourself working.

Know the job market

When you’re looking at potential locations for your job search, do some research on the local economy. Not all cities offer the same opportunities. Although you know that local unemployment rates differ from city to city, remember that industry vitality is just as diverse. One city might have a low unemployment rate, but your industry isn’t necessarily enjoying the same boom. Look at data from Stats Can and peruse online newspapers for localized information.

Use your network

The glory of social media is that networks aren’t confined by geography anymore. Look at your Facebook friends and you probably know people other provinces. Use your contacts from all of your social media profiles to publicize your job search and ask for any information that could guide you toward the right opportunity. When it comes to job hunting, you can’t ever have too many people looking for jobs on your behalf.

Brush up on your phone skills

Phone interviews typically come before any in-person interview, but the likelihood of them increases greatly when you’re searching long distance. In most cases, employers won’t expect you to fly out for a first-round interview, so a phone interview is most common, and you shouldn’t take it lightly. Practice speaking at a calm pace, be certain your phone signal is strong and do a few dry runs with a friend.

Perhaps most importantly, job seekers are often afraid to appear impolite when interviewers call and say, “Sure, I can talk right now.” If you are caught off guard or if you are in the middle of feeding your children and doing laundry, you can be honest. Even if you ask for 15 minutes to go to a quieter room, you want to create the best setting for your interview.

Decide if you’ll travel for an interview

Sometimes you’ll get to a second or third round of interviews when the employer wants to meet you in person. Sometimes the company pays for travel, but other times they don’t. Set a few ground rules for yourself in order to determine what opportunities you consider worth your time and money. Also, if asked to travel, find out as much information as possible about so that you can make the arrangements that work best for you. See what dates are available (so you can book the most affordable flight) and how long the process takes (so you know if you can fly home that day and save hotel fare). You want to know as much as possible beforehand so you can make the most informed decision possible.

Travel

Relocating for a job is a big move that can pay off for your career, but it can also require sacrifices. Leaving behind your friends, paying for the move, and spending the time on the move itself all require a lot of energy. You want to be certain the city you’re moving to is worth it, so if you haven’t visited in a while or ever, find a way to visit before you move. Not only will you find out if the culture is right for you, but you will also get a better idea of the layout. You could realize that you should extend your job search to nearby suburbs or towns, which can open up a new set of possibilities.

Know your own relocation plan

The most important part of your long-distance job search is having a flexible game plan. Without a job offer, you might not have a definitive move date, but you should have an idea of what is possible in case you get an offer. Employers know you’re not a local candidate, so they will want to know how soon you can start and when you plan to be in the city.

If you get an offer and then say you need time to put your house on the market, find a good school for your children, and decide where you want to live, you’ll probably lose out on the opportunity. Most employers understand the complexity of a long-distance job search, but they don’t have six months to wait for you, either. A flexible plan allows you and the employer to negotiate a mutually agreeable start date while also showing that you’re serious about relocating.

Writers Bio: Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Click here to view the latest jobs across Canada

No one has ever captured a vineyard’s magic in words, or music, or even pictures.  Vineyards are amazing places that have entranced people for centuries. Poets have written wistful and profound verses about them. This is my backyard, The County…a more serene and gentler Canadian version of Ptown.

Here I am already at Keint-He Winery with Bryan Rogers. Every bottle of wine is personally made by the winemaker and only 100% hillier grapes.  It’s going to be a Pinot morning! There is a philosophy of producing wine in the traditional Burgundian methodology and adhering to organic vineyard practices. With 30 acres of high density, 90% being Pinot Noir, although less fruit is produced, the sacrifice gives rise to “intense flavour”. So should I try the Foxtail, Little Creek Classic or Little Creek Benway…I think there is a water theme evolving. The pinots are vegan fruit, unfined, unfiltered and barrel aged, they are not rushed. It is to reproduce the methodology and understand the wine as a new world classic experience. The setting with the use of stone and the wood is reminiscent of a “voyageur” rustic building. But what’s this…an 08 Nord Pineaux Sauvage…a botrytis affected wine, “Noble Rot”. What a find! What next?  What sets Keint-He apart further is that they are one winery with three distinct vineyards, each possessing its own unique terroir.  Time to head due west for all of 1 minute!

I see banners! Bright colours! Time for a fiesta, really in the County? It’s Sandbanks Winery, a light airy…time to seize the day with that French saying “Joie de vivre”! Wine is fun and is paired with life, imagine that!  Well I guess since Sandbanks started in the kitchen, the feel is relaxing…a glass of wine, some cheese and outdoors you go to just kick back. It makes the heart feel good! It is a fruit forward experience with the goal being to offer wine for good value and fair trade. Here there are wines for everyone and that are easy to pair with food. Two 100% County ones strike me: a Baco Reserve 09 aged for 18 months in American oaks, fruity, intense, juicy, juicy, juicy, as one of my art teachers used to say! And the Mouton Noir (Black Sheep, LOL) a Marechal Foch…I can taste the dirt, the terroir, the earth…and that is a good thing. I’m feeling the love! Sandbanks Estate Winery is a family owned winery situated along the picturesque shores of Lake Ontario, in the heart of beautiful Prince Edward County.   Catherine Langlois invites you to enjoy wine tasting in their charming boutique, explore the estate or sit back and relax in their inviting vineyard setting, but it ‘s time to go.

Going north on hwy 33, The Loyalist Parkway, I see the sign Harwood Estates Vineyards. That took 3 minutes. Going through the three vineyards that are tended by hand, I come upon a domed metal clad galvanized steel structure. The tasting room is the winery; you are surrounded by all that equipment while sipping Pinot Noir, Pinot St. Laurent or Pinot Gris. By the way, these are owners Kerry Wicks and John Rode’s favourites. Although wine is alone without food, so they say… the Friends Rose with its strawberry pallet is vivacious, all by itself! If I may digress, last time I was here at an evening BBQ I cultivated an affinity to the Gewürztraminer 2009. I was drawn to it exotic taste. Harwoods Gewürztraminer 2009 is elegant, perfumy wine, showing classic rose petal notes and the classic Hillier minerality. But then there is the Pinot Gris 2009 a crisp, clean white wine, with a hint of grapefruit, best served well-chilled. Every Harwood visit is a winery tour. Time to scoot across a back road up to Closson Road, over hill and over dale.

How I love that old split rail wooden fencing zig-zaging by the side of the country lane guiding me to The Grange of Prince Edward Vineyard Estate and Winery. Like most in The County, it is a family-run agri-business. For Caroline Granger it is all about balance and authenticity…grown and bottled on the farm. With 60 acres under vine, the farm is home to 6 distinct vineyard blocks and 7 varieties of grapes to make it one of the larger vineyards in Canada and one of my neighbours. The place is a dichotomy…a winery with all the new fandangled equipment set amidst a farm operating for over 207 years housed in a hand honed beam barn built 1826. I feel like I am coming home for thanks giving. The wines are likened to an orchestra finding perfect balance, perfect pitch and the perfect arrangement but always searching for constant improvement. The wines are divided into 2 categories. Trumpour’s Mill is the more affordable line. If you are looking to explore and experiment discover GPE, the smaller production series of sexy wines-smaller lot processed and hand sorted. Boy, that sounds like a lot work! On a general note, the whites are peachy with a bit of lime and grapefruit but the reds…wait for it…are warmed sweet beet root with earthiness. Although the cabernet franc is the good child and more noble grape, it is the 07 Diana Block Pinot Noir that is best and only getting better! And they have a sparkling…how I love those bubbles! Sorry I get carried away when it comes to those little bubbles!

Continuing on my Hillier Horn Trip- Huff Estates Winery. A modern monolithic facility created by Lanny Huff with one thing in mind, producing high quality wines. Check this out, there is a moat-surrounded patio and a heli-pad. So here I run into Fred Picard and we chat about the experience of farming. How does one relate the grapes into the wine? There are several factors at play: the terroir, the micro climate, the taste of the grape, the knowledge, the research, the challenge…all this to know how to transfer the essence of the grape into a bottle. And be consistent year over year. In this way you should be able to recognize what you drink, “the cepage” and there should be NO surprises…here is that balance thing again!   His philosophy is to be true to the earth and you are given one chance to take everything nature has given you to a simple way with some chemistry, bottle it! On a lighter note it is about learning and having fun so…here’s to the 08 Chardonay vintage barrel aged and the 2010 pinot gris that are chalked full of fruit and underlying floral notes. And OMG…they have sparkling!

Next, heading towards Picton, I am off to see Geoff Webb at the Black Prince Winery. Just outside of town, The Prince is a ten acre vineyard that grows Chardonnay, Cab Franc and some hybrids.  One of the pioneering wineries of the local scene, The Black Prince Winery is a very co-operative character – over the last 10 years helping launch 4 new wineries here. Since 2002 Black Prince Winery has sourced local grapes and continues to work with many local growers exclusively. The ultimate in “local” is the Prince’s Chardonnay Terroir Elite – the first County wine to be aged in local County oak barrels.  Watch for the awesome 2010 vintage to be released soon – without a doubt the best vintage yet.  And guess what’s coming? A very exciting Merlot and Cabernet Franc Reserve along with the Chardonnay, all aged in local Prince Edward County oak barrels, of course. Plus there is one of the largest selections of wines all under one roof.  As per Geoff, One Winery – Many Terroir, The Prince will bring a smile to your lips! Time to turn around and head home.

Back into the truck, last but not least here is a toast to owner’s Sally and Rob Peck of Sugarbush Vineyards which just happens to be on my way home. Theirs is the garagiste winery of Prince Edward County. Garagiste:\GA-razh-EEST\ n. fr.  A passionate winemaker who creates limited production premium wine in a garage-sized winery, specializing in small lot, artisanal wines made entirely from our estate-grown grapes.  Don’t you just love it! All of their vintages are produced entirely from grapes hand harvested from their vineyard.  The Riesling/Gewürztraminer although only 20% Gewürz, the silky Gewürztraminer viscosity pushes through a beautiful floral nose and here is the fruit- pear, grapefruit and a twist of lemon finish.  The un-oaked Chardonnay tantalizes the nose and the palette. So what can I say, Prince Edward County soils add a fantastic minerality and finesse to the wine.

It’s been a long day…my Hillier Horn Trip has been a success. I’ve tasted, sampled the “terroir” and even gotten a bit of that famous Hillier clay loam on my boots. The gps is set for home and up Chase Road I go! So all I need now … is a glass of wine. LOL!

Writers Bio: Michael and Dean of  f a d: funktional art and design  have created Out in The County to provide recommendations for the gay and lesbian (GL) traveler on GL-owned and GL-friendly businesses when visiting one of the most beautiful places in Canada: Prince Edward County.  Our objective is to promote GL-lifestyle tourism.

Visit www.outinthecounty.com today as well consider joining Out in The County on Facebook and Twitter

The latest Statistics Canada figures show smoking rates are fairly stable. In 2010, 20.8 per cent of Canadians aged 12 and over — about six million people — were smokers. Five years ago, there were 5.9 million smokers or 22 per cent of the population. In 2003, 23 per cent of Canadians aged 12 or older, smoked.

Canadian smokers at a glance

• People age 18 to 34 form the highest proportion of smokers, at 28 per cent.
• More men than women smoke. In 2010, 24.2 per cent of males and 17.4 per cent of females smoked. That’s a jump from the 22.6 per cent of men who smoked a year earlier — and about the same as the rate in 2008. The percentage of women who smoked in 2010 remained about the same in 2010 and 2009, but was down significantly from the 18.5 per cent who smoked in 2008.
• In 2009, smoking rates were lowest in British Columbia and Ontario, at 16 per cent and 18.6 per cent. That compares to 20.5 per cent and 24.5 per cent in those provinces in 2000.
• Smoking rates in the territories are high: 35.5 per cent in Yukon, 35.7 per cent in Northwest Territories and 61.3 per cent in Nunavut. Smoking rates rose in Nunavut and Yukon in the first decade of this century.
• Overall, the percentage of Canadians over the age of 12 fell by 22 per cent between 2000 and 2009.

Smoking facts and figures

• The lowest smoking rates are among youths aged 12-15 (three per cent) and seniors (9.6 per cent).
• Almost 60 per cent of senior non-smokers are former smokers. Just under 11 per cent of non-smokers between the ages of 12 and 19 are former smokers.
• In 2009, just over 50 per cent of people between the ages of 20 and 24 had never smoked.
• In 2001, 73 per cent of youth said they never smoked cigarettes. In 2005, the percentage rose to 82 per cent. This finding is key because most smokers start before age 18, and research shows that it is rare for adults to take up smoking.
• Non-smokers are exposed to less second-hand smoke. On the whole, non-smokers are exposed to smoke to a lesser extent. The rate of second-hand smoke exposure has traditionally been highest among 12-19 year olds. In 2010, about 15 per cent of them were exposed to second-hand smoke in the home. That’s down significantly from the 23 per cent who were exposed in 2003.
• More homes are smoke-free. More and more households are banning smoking from their homes. In 2005, 64 per cent of people 12 and older lived in a smoke-free household, up from 57 per cent in 2003.
• More workplaces are smoke-free. Between 2001 and 2003, the percentage of Canadians who had a smoking ban at work rose from 62 per cent to 67 per cent. In 2005, this rose to 68 per cent.
• Smoking bans, at home or at work, reduced the amount of cigarettes smoked. Of employed Canadians aged 15 to 75, the average number of cigarettes smoked was related to smoking bans:

Source: Statistics Canada: Canadian Community Health Survey 2005, 2011

Traditional mortgage life insurance can be conveniently obtained from your lender as part of your overall mortgage ‘package’. The premium is added to your monthly mortgage payment.

• The policy has no cash value and the benefits are paid directly to the lender.
• Your lender owns the policy. If you decide to change your lending institution to get a better mortgage rate or move to a new home, you have to re-qualify medically for new protection, potentially at higher premiums.
• Your coverage ends when the mortgage is paid off.
• Although it is unlikely, the fact remains that the insurance company that underwrites the policy could change the rate structure or cancel coverage as a whole.

Personal life insurance is all yours. You own the policy and it insures you, not the mortgage. You decide on the type of policy that’s best for you – either term or permanent insurance – and you choose the beneficiaries who can use the funds any way they wish – to pay off the mortgage, provide an income, or cover immediate expenses.

• Your coverage isn’t reduced by a declining mortgage balance – so your beneficiaries stay protected. Any benefit payout in excess of the amount owing on the mortgage is available for use by your beneficiary.
• If you choose term insurance, you can convert it to permanent insurance at a time suitable to you.
• Your coverage goes everywhere with you – from home to home, mortgage to mortgage – and you can reduce the amount of coverage any time you want.
• It’s your plan — with the options, features and premiums that fit your needs and budget. And you can add disability and critical illness insurance that can include the benefit of waiving your premiums should you become disabled, providing the money to continue making mortgage payments, or paying your medical expenses.

Your home is your family’s protective nest – it makes sense to protect it (and your family) with life insurance. Your professional advisor can help you get the right protection that blends with your overall financial life.

This column, written and published by Investors Group Financial Services Inc.(in Québec  – a Financial Services Firm), presents general information only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell any investments. 

For more information on this topic please contact Shannon Walker, Financial Consultant, CFP at  1-888-291-7024  or shannon.walker@investorsgroup.com. 

Insurance products and services are distributed by I.G. Insurance Services Inc. (in Québec  – a Financial Services Firm). Insurance licence sponsored by The Great-West Life Assurance Company outside of Québec .

Hectic-free hosting: Let’s face it – planning and hosting an event can be stressful. But no one expects you to be Martha Stewart, so embrace the craziness of entertaining and enlist help from your friends. Your guests will feel more comfortable if they get to be a part of the preparation.

Consider these tips for hectic-free hosting, and allow the stress to turn into laughter so you can enjoy the party too. 

*Do your homework. Line up the menu early so you have time to do your grocery shopping, baking and set-up prior to the day of the party. The last thing you need is a tray of burnt cookies one hour before guests arrive.

*Pot-luck parties are a great way to divvy up preparation and shorten the length of your to-do list. The vibe will feel more casual and guests will get to enjoy a unique variety of dishes on the table.

*Set the mood with some easy decorations and a killer playlist, and get input from your hippest Facebook friends. They can help you choose between inflatable palm trees and mini tiki torches, and Lady Gaga or Dave Matthews Band. Everyone wins.

*Show up in style: A guest’s job is typically to make themselves comfortable and have a great time. But there are some unspoken rules to keep in mind to be a gracious guest at this summer’s hottest parties.

*Don’t show up empty-handed or without a smile. Whether you’re bringing a dish to contribute to the barbecue, a gift for the birthday boy or a small token of appreciation for the host, bring something. Personalize your present at Bing.com where you can see what the recipient “likes” best on Facebook, guaranteeing that you’ll impress with your gift selection. You’ll feel so confident with your perfectly wrapped choice; you won’t even need to include a gift receipt. Most importantly, remember that you are at a party – enjoy yourself and let it show.

*Planning to attend with a plus-one? Always be sure to give the host a heads-up. Unexpected party guests can cause awkward conversations and unnecessary stress for the party planner.

*Get out of town: Sometimes the best summer events are nowhere near your home town, and weekend getaways are what summer is all about. The days are longer, the temperature is warmer and it’s not unheard of to sneak away from your desk a little early on a Friday afternoon. Now’s the time to embrace your summer travel wishes, so consider these tips to get out of town before summer’s end.

*Pack light. Chances are, wherever you’re headed, it’s going to be warm. Plan to live in your swimsuit, some jean shorts and a few stylish tank tops. The last thing you need to worry about while vacationing at the beach is how you’re going to lug a giant suitcase up three flights of stairs. All you need to have fun is good company and good weather, so leave the closet at home.

*If steep prices have been keeping you on travel lockdown, break free. Opt for a road trip if your destination is close enough. It’ll save you money and provide a great opportunity to belt out your favorite tunes on the road with your closest friends. If driving is not an option, search for flights on Bing and “like” your desired route to receive notifications of great airfare deals to that city directly in your Facebook feed. What’s more, you can find a free place to stay with the Friends Who Live Here feature – Bing will show you which of your friends live in the cities you’re traveling to so you can save your hotel money and catch up with old friends.

*Once you’ve arrived, unplug from status updates, Tweets and text messages. Be present and enjoy the time spent away from real-time updates. Put down the phone and relax – you’re on summer vacation.

Original content via ARAContent

In contrast, the data reveals that adults are sedentary for an average of 9.5 hours each day while children and youth spend 8.6 hours engaged in sedentary activities such as watching television.

The results are based on data gathered in a survey of the physical activity patterns of Canadian adults and kids.

StatsCan divided its findings into two reports: One addressing physical activity in Canadian adults between the ages of 20 and 79, and the other examining young people between 6 and 19-years-old.

Unlike previous research that was based on the activity levels reported by the subjects themselves, this survey is the first to measure activity directly using a small device akin to a sophisticated pedometer worn on the subject’s hip for seven days.

Researchers could therefore sidestep the misreporting that commonly plagues such surveys, because the accelerometers recorded participants’ actual movements. It also meant the study could accurately parse the time spent in light, moderate and vigorous intensity movement, as well as the moments spent simply sedentary.

Other highlights from the survey include:

• Just over half of all adults accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity one day a week, but only 5 per cent of adults manage to accumulate the recommended 150 minutes by week’s end.
• On average, adult men take about 9,500 steps a day, compared with 8,400 for women. Among older adults aged 60 to 79, men average 7,900 steps each day, while women average 7,000. Boys average 12,100 steps per day compared with 10,300 for girls.
• While just 7 per cent of children and youth accumulate 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on at least six days a week, the number who rack up 30 minutes climbs to 29 per cent of boys and 21 per cent of girls. More than 8o per cent of boys and 70 per cent of girls manage to squeeze in 30 minutes of activity three days a week.

As a University of Ottawa pediatrics professor actively involved in healthy, active-living initiatives, Dr. Mark Tremblay was one of the senior investigators who gathered the survey data.

When asked to weigh the results, Tremblay said they don’t look good.

“The only good news out of this story is that for the first time we have a very robust, very accurate measure of a representative sample of Canadians’ movement behaviours, and that’s pretty much where the good news ends,” Dr. Tremblay said.

Pointing to what he called the survey’s most troubling finding, Tremblay said it’s clear too many Canadians are spending too much time sitting around.

“Perhaps the most astounding finding is that between 60 and 70 per cent of our waking time is spent being completely sedentary, and clearly that’s not something that’s kept this species alive, fit and active throughout history,” he said.

Sedentary lifestyles are linked to at least two dozen ailments ranging from diabetes to heart disease and osteoporosis.

ParticipAction president Kelly Murumets says Canadians need to get moving, and encourage their children to be more physically active too.

“It is urgent that all Canadians take action so that we can reverse this dangerous, societal trend,” she said in a statement.

“Parents, the private sector, government, schools and the community at large are all partners in this complex task. Bottom line is that we need to inspire and support our children by being good role models and leading active, healthy lifestyles.”

Road trips are a rite of passage for young men everywhere, but college dudes shouldn’t be the only ones who get to enjoy this uniquely North American kind of adventure. If skinny neckties and big hair were in style the last time you took a road trip with your buds, it may be time to toss a duffel in the truck bed, round up your amigos and hit the highway. A few practical measures can help ensure your more mature road trip is still fun and works for everyone:

Packing it in

Your days of cramming six guys and all their gear into a barely drivable, high-mileage sub-compact are probably over. A reliable yet fun-to-drive pickup is perfect for your grown-up road trip with the guys. And since your stuff is probably going to be worth more than what you toted around during your college days, be sure to protect it. A lockable roll-up cover, like the tonneau cover will keep your belongings protected from the elements – including criminal elements – while you’re on the road. Plus, a truck bed cover can help improve your vehicle’s gas mileage.

As for what to pack, be sure to include an emergency roadside kit, first aid kit and any medications that you regularly need. Bring along a GPS device and your trusty mobile phone so you can stay on track and in touch. You might also consider a set of dressier clothes if your dining tastes have matured since your fast-food days.

Finely tuned machines

In the old days, you might have motored through the night with just a few hours of sleep and several cups of coffee to keep you going – and that was part of the thrill. These days, however, you probably appreciate a more relaxed pace, which includes sleeping well and eating right. Keeping yourself “well tuned” can help ensure you enjoy your road trip as much as possible.

You’ll also want to make sure your vehicle is in top condition. It’s a good idea to change the oil, and check the tire pressure and coolant system before you get on the road. If your vehicle is due for some routine maintenance, have it done before you start your trip.

Have a plan, man

How many road trips of your youth ended up at a destination other than the one you had in mind when you started out? Meandering can be fun, but having a plan can be rewarding too. Your taste in destinations has probably matured, so consult with your traveling partners and consider spots that appeal to your current interests and finances.

Use a GPS or online resource to pre-plan your route and make sure the people you love know where you’ll be along the way.

The mechanics of your mature road trip may be a world away from the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants style you favored in your college days. But a road trip can be a great way to relax and reconnect with friends no matter what stage you’re at in life.

Original article ARAContent

“Once the weather warms up, people start to hit the roads more frequently and for longer periods of time,” says Rob Stravitz, vice president of marketing for Valvoline Oil.

Stravitz advises travelers to start with small steps like parking in the shade and keeping a regular oil change schedule. “Increasing your vehicle’s fuel economy can be as simple as finding a garage instead of parking in the hot sun,” Stravitz says. “You can also save up to $140 a year on fuel by simply getting a full service oil change regularly. It’s small steps like this that can pay large dividends to your wallet in the long run.”

Here are five tips and tricks to keep top-of-mind before embarking on your next summer cruise.

Take control of your cruise and don’t idle
Utilizing cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed, which in most cases improves your fuel economy. It also requires less gas to turn a vehicle back on than to let it idle when you stop for a quick break.

Change your oil regularly and use the right grade
Regular oil changes can increase your fuel efficiency. Couple regular changes with the proper grade motor oil and you can increase your fuel economy by 2 percent or more while keeping your vehicle running smoothly. While you’re at it, choose a motor oil that’s better for the environment.

Inflate and rotate
Accurately inflated tires are safer and can increase gas mileage by more than 3 percent, according to the Department of Energy. Proper air pressure coupled with regularly rotating the tires also improves handling and extends the life of your tires by maximizing tread wear.

Clean your fuel system
Your entire fuel system can get dirty with deposits over time. A couple of ways to know if your fuel system is unclean is if your engine hesitates during acceleration or idles roughly.

Go for the shade … or the garage
The sun zaps fuel from your gas tank. Parking in the shade or garage will lessen the amount of evaporative emissions with the added benefit of adding a little change to your pocket.

As the weather continues to improve and more drivers find respite on the road, it’s essential to ensure your vehicle is in top shape from motor oil to muffler.

Original article ARAContent.

Three-dimensional entertainment is the hottest trend, both at home and in theaters, and it doesn’t show signs of abating any time soon. If you’ve already decided to make the commitment to a 3-D TV, it probably makes sense to create an optimum viewing environment so you can get the most enjoyment out of your investment.

Whether you’re creating a 3-D home theater from scratch or upgrading an existing home theater to 3-D, you should keep a few considerations in mind. The home entertainment furnishing and accessories experts at Sanus offer some advice for your 3-D home theater:

Bigger is better

While advances in high-definition viewing mean you can now get a great image on virtually any size set, when it comes to 3-D viewing a larger screen will provide optimum enjoyment. Choose the largest screen you can afford and that you have space for. You’ll also need to arrange seating to allow more distance between the larger 3-D TV and your eyes, to help minimize eye strain. Sanus recommends positioning a TV so your eyes are level with the middle of the screen. For most people, this is between 40 and 60 inches off the ground.

A wall mount that provides a full range of motion, like the VLF311 Super Slim, will make it easier to achieve the proper distance and viewing angle for your 3-D TV. Plus, wall mounting a flat screen more closely evokes the movie theater experience.

Dark is desirable

Minimizing light is important for any home theater, but even more so for 3-D viewing. No matter how good your 3-D set is, if the room is too bright your enjoyment of the images will suffer; 3-D images are significantly less bright than 2-D ones. If you’re lucky enough to have a dedicated home theater room, paint the walls in dark colors. Use carpeting to eliminate reflection off floors, and room-darkening blinds or drapes to cover windows.

Be aware of items in the room that might create reflections such as glass or lights near the screen. Move items away from the screen that might distract your vision. For example, if you choose to wall mount your 3-D TV above a fireplace, remove everything from the mantel beneath it and cover the glass fireplace screen with something nonreflective.

Functional furnishings

After spending the money on a 3-D TV, it would really drag down your home theater experience to have components like your 3-D Blu-ray player sitting on the floor. Furnishings made to house components not only create a neat, orderly environment, they can help protect and preserve expensive electronic equipment.

You can find a wide variety of home theater furniture, from speaker stands to devices that mount components on the wall, at sanus. Finally, don’t forget to include a dedicated place to store and charge your 3-D glasses. These costly, delicate devices are essential for 3-D viewing, and it will be more cost-effective in the long run to spend a little bit of money creating a safe spot in which to house them, than it will be to keep replacing lost or damaged ones.

Original article ARAContent

Highlights of the makeover include a playful Rubik’s Cube entrance (think Toronto’s ROM Crystal for kids) and 12 new galleries based on the theme of building blocks. Each play zone offers learn-while-you-play opportunities such as a table that simulates an earthquake, complete with tumbling blocks. Many also offer Prairie-inspired experiences such as stepping inside a giant Milk Machine cow to learn about modern dairy farming or chilling out in a reading cocoon within a peaceful faux marsh. The ultramodern Arts & Exhibition Centre will host the latest in travelling exhibits, performers and theatre productions.

Although the museum promotes a love of learning, there will be plenty of opportunities to get silly. A much-anticipated play zone is Lasagna Lookout, a pasta-themed structure where visitors can dodge meatballs and crawl through a fettuccine tunnel.

Outdoors, kids can go wild at the nearby Variety Heritage Adventure Park, opening this summer. Situated on lands once occupied by Fort Gibraltar, a North West Company trading post, this new Parks Canada site offers birch bark canoes, splash pads, York boats and other interactive play structures designed to bring Manitoba’s heritage to life.

All these renovations won’t disrupt the museum’s winning formula of imagination and make-believe. The beloved CN diesel locomotive No. 9161 and vintage passenger coach will continue to be the heart of the museum, letting visitors journey to wherever their imagination wants to go.

www.travelmanitoba.com

Article courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission Media Centre

Writers Bio: Michele Peterson – I am a columnist for Fifty-five Plus magazine, Ontario’s leading publication for older active adults and author the Daytripper as well as Travel Bug columns (news on Canadian, Ontario and international destinations)with readers in Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto. I am also a frequent contributor to Buffalo area publications such as the Buffalo News, Buffalo Spree as well as the Toronto Star, Via, Dreamscapes, Air Canada onAir, the Globe and Mail, Spa Life and 2: Couples Magazine and others as well as the Manitoba section of the Travel Industry Guide to Canada. My focus is eco-destinations, culinary, outdoor adventure such as canoeing, hiking and cycling, as well as spas.

The Right Cut: Starting off with a quality steak is the first step. You don’t have to spend a fortune, but you do want the best you can get for what you can afford. Talk to a butcher or visit a farmer’s market and take advantage of their knowledge.

Ready For The Heat: Let the meat come to room temperature and then rub it with olive oil. If you’re using a less-tender cut, you can marinate it ahead of time to tenderize the meat. Many cooks prefer to save the seasoning until the meat has cooked, while other lightly season before it hits the grill.

Grill Time: Get the barbecue very hot with the lid closed, but cook the steak with the lid open. When the barbecue is hot, put the steaks on. A quarter-turn after a few minutes will result in attractive cross-hatched grill marks. Flip only once during cooking, when the grill-side of the meat is about 75% cooked. This is usually when juices begin to bubble up on the red top. With experience, you’ll learn when a steak is reaching your desired level of doneness, but a meat thermometer can help until you get there.

Rest Period: Once your steak is nearly done, remove from the grill and tent with foil. Let it rest for five minutes so juices are reabsorbed into the meat. Serve and enjoy.

Original article via newscanada.com

Not sure whether to list your former boss? Here, human resources experts weigh in on what to do if you think you’ll get a less than stellar reference from your boss:

Check it out

Knowing your company’s policy about the kind of things a reference can include is important. There’s a chance that your boss or HR department will only be able to verify your title and dates of employment, but won’t be able to speak to the quality of your work, says Ann Dunkin, the operations manager at Attorney Resource Inc. On the other hand, if you’ve heard your boss give a negative reference before, then it’s definitely a good idea to skip him or her as a reference. Whatever your hunch, it may be worth digging deeper into the kind of reference you’ll actually get. “Listing your former boss as a reference gives you points right off the bat, even before anyone makes a single reference call,” Posti says.

Have a ‘closure’ conversation

Even if you didn’t see eye to eye, speaking to your ex-boss ahead of time can help you get favourable results, Posti says. “Start the conversation by saying that you realize that you two did not always agree, but that it was business, nothing personal, and you hope you can both put it behind you,” he says. “Having a closure conversation like that frees you up to ask your former boss what he or she plans to say about you in reference checks.” Casually using this time to hint at the kinds of questions he or she may be asked about your candidacy is important. Remember, even if you weren’t a fit for your former position, you can still be a fit for your future position.

Find a replacement from the firm

There are some companies that absolutely require a reference from your most recent employer. And even at companies that don’t have this is a requirement, having someone from your very last job can create a sense of transparency that could set you apart from the competition. That said, you can circumvent your former boss by asking a peer or another manager to weigh in on your behalf, Dunkin says. Check to see “if there is someone else in your former employer’s organization who observed you and your work product, perhaps they would be willing to serve as a reference,” says Dunkin who often deals with personnel issues. A peer who observed you on the job can also provide a reference if needed.

Provide other high-quality references

If you really can’t use your boss as a reference, be sure that the other references provided are of high calibre and can really speak about you as an outstanding candidate. “Provide several other notable references, which would make it less apparent you have skipped over your last boss,” explains Posti. Since many companies ask for two or three references, this can be a simple solution and help you avoid listing your previous manager.

Original article by Alina Dizik, Special to CareerBuilder

Search for your perfect job or career – visit the Careerbuilder website

The study also found that “no serious toxicities and only minimal changes in health-related quality of life” occurred in women taking exemestane. The findings were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine

The trial was funded by the Canadian Cancer Society and led by Canada’s NCIC Clinical Trials Group, and was known to participants as “ExCel” in reference to the use of exemestane.

Dr. Michael Wosnick, the Canadian Cancer Society’s vice-president of research, said the results were extremely exciting because they had the potential to impact thousands of women.

“We know that breast cancer takes a tremendous toll on Canadian women and their families. The results of this study offer an important new option to prevent this devastating disease in women who are at higher risk for it,”

Wosnick said that as remarkable as the result was, it was also exciting to note that there were very few side effects aside from possible hot flashes, fatigue and joint pain.

“More importantly are the side effects that were not (found), which are cardiovascular effects, fractures and some other serious effects that come with the older class of drugs,” Wosnick said.

The findings were the result of a massive international clinical trial, which included close to 250 Canadian women from 13 cities, including Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. The randomized, double-blind, phase three clinical trial involved 4,560 women throughout the U.S., Canada, France and Spain over a five-year period.

Exemestane works by limiting the ability of an enzyme called aromatase to convert hormones into estrogen — which many breast cancers rely on to grow. Wosnick says that while previous drugs were able limit the amount of estrogen in the body, exemestane ostensibly cut off the supply route at the source.

Wosniak said exemestane was already in use in thousands of women who have previously had breast cancer and are trying to prevent a recurrence.

“The logical thinking was that if a compound like this can reduce the recurrence of breast cancer, probably it can reduce the occurrence of breast cancer in the first place. That is what this new study in fact shows.”

In a release issued by the Canadian Cancer Society, Vi Siemens said she and her three sisters decided to participate in the trial because their mother and two aunts had died of breast cancer. With breast cancer running in their family, the Siemens sisters are at an increased risk of developing it themselves.

“All you have to do is look to the left or the right. Everybody knows somebody who’s had breast cancer in their family. Somebody has to test these drugs,” Siemens said. “You’re thinking about the next generation. You’d like to do something more than in just your own corner.”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women. The Canadian Cancer Society estimates that in 2011, 23,400 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,100 will die of it.

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Website

The OECD launched the “better life index” which allows comparisons between the member countries that go beyond the traditional economic measures, such as gross domestic product.

“Canada performs exceptionally well in measures of well-being,” the agency said, citing statistics such as:

• Nearly four out of five Canadians are satisfied with their lives, compared with three out of five for the OECD as a whole.
• Average Canadian household income of $27,015 US in 2008, more than $4,700 above the OECD average.
• Nearly 72 per cent of Canadians 15 to 64 have a paid job, above the OECD average of 65 per cent.
• Canadians work 40 hours less per year than the OECD average.
• About 87 per cent of Canadians have the equivalent of a high-school diploma, much higher than the OECD average of 73 per cent.
• Life expectancy in Canada is 80.7 years, a year above the OECD average.
• The level of atmospheric PM10, tiny particles that are small enough to damage the lungs, is 15 micrograms per cubic metre, lower than the OECD average of 22.

But in terms of voter turnout, “a measure of public trust in government and of citizens’ participation in the political process,” Canada ranks at 60 per cent, below the OECD average of 72 per cent.

Canada’s rankings are based on assigning an equal weight to each of 11 topics. But using the OECD’s interactive index, individuals can adjust the weight of the topics and create their own index. The 11 items are housing, income, jobs, community, education, environment, governance, health, life satisfaction, safety and work-life balance.

The index “has extraordinary potential to help us deliver better policies for better lives,” said OECD secretary general Angel Gurría.

It’s part of an OECD plan to measure well-being and progress. The organization includes many European countries, the U.S., Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.

For more information click here to view the “Better life index”

The Happiness Monitor canvassed 5,000 Canadians 16 years and older. Respondents were asked about all things “happiness” including social networks, active living, work and the influence of Canadian icons and landscapes in their lives. Results showed more than half of Canadians believe they are happier than the average person. The number-one contributing factor to personal happiness is family or a significant other at 71 per cent.

The Happiness Monitor Highlights

Go Canada Go! Canada’s gold medal win in men’s hockey at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games was the happiest national sporting event for almost half of the country (47 per cent).  The 1972 Canada vs. USSR series was a distant second at 17 per cent.

Natural wonders….

Drawn to the vast landscape of astonishing natural and rugged beauty, close to one third of Canadians (32 per cent) say that the Rockies in Banff, Alberta, make them the happiest.

• The runners up? The dance of the Northern Lights, which light up 26 per cent of the population, and Niagara Falls, a popular tourist destination and source of natural happiness for 15 per cent of the country.
• The rugged Rocky Mountains are a popular source of scenic happiness amongst men and older citizens, while women and younger Canadians were more likely to cite the Northern Lights.
• Third-generation Canadians, also partial to the Northern Lights, were less likely to choose the thundering waters of Niagara Falls as the natural phenomenon that makes them the happiest.
• The Falls scored big points with Canadian parents, who cited this natural wonder most often.

Happiness is a helping hand.

Whether by giving time or money, nearly half of Canadians (49 per cent) say that they feel happy when they support charitable causes, with 14 per cent saying it makes them extremely happy.

• In the spirit of giving, almost six in ten Canadians (59 per cent) currently volunteer with charities or give their time/money to show their support.
• Canada’s top causes include providing more food & nutrition opportunities to disadvantaged children (29 per cent), helping and protecting animals (20 per cent) and protecting the environment (17 per cent).
• Volunteering occurs most often amongst first-generation Canadians, females, and citizens who are older than 25. Self-described as “equally happy as” or “happier than” the average person, these Canadians, who are currently helping others, gave themselves a high score both now and five years down the road.

How happy are Canadians?

Canadians were asked to rank their current “life right now” on a ten-step ladder, with the top rung representing the “best possible life” and the bottom rung representing the “worst possible life”. On average Canadians scored their “life right now” a 6.7 out of 10. When asked to imagine life five years from now, this number jumped to a score of 7.5 out of 10.

Those most likely to put themselves on steps eight, nine and 10 include residents of Quebec, Canadians over 65, married couples, university graduates and those who consider their health to be good or average.

In fact, those more likely to consider themselves happier than the average person are boomers over 65, first-generation Canadians and those earning more than $35,000 a year. However, looking ahead five years, young Canadians are most likely to put themselves on steps eight, nine and 10, suggesting that youthful optimism or a tendency to expect the best (or at least a favourable outcome) is alive and well in our next generation of leaders.

What makes Canadians happy?

It is moments and scenes far away from the “hustle and bustle” of daily social and professional lives that heighten feelings of happiness among Canadians. The top three “happy places” include a camp fire at the cottage or cabin, hanging out at home and reading a book, while lakes, oceans and mountains rank among our favourite scenery.

Family and friends are also key contributors to Canadians’ happiness with nearly all respondents citing family dinners as an activity that brings them happiness. When it comes to friends, slightly less than half of the population say their network consists of less than 10 friends.  Interestingly, those who say they are happier than the average person are more likely to have more friends in their network and as a network of friends decreases, so too does an individual’s score on the “best possible life right now ladder.”

Who is the happiest?

What makes Canadians happy varies from coast to coast, as well as between genders, generations and geographic locations. Their own provinces aside, Canadians generally believe that British Columbia is the happiest province. Comparatively, Quebec residents are one of the happiest groups in the country when measured against the national average.

Contents of this issue:

Discover the whale route in Quebec, visit La Main, the soul of Montreal, Deepshikha Brar makes waves in Calgary, Meet the Mayor of Ville de Gatineau, fancy investing in Cheese? We also have 10 simple tips for success in finding a job. We spoke with singer and songwriter Marie-Jo Therio about her new English album. Stephen Draper provides his real life story about the highs and lows of moving to Canada. Plus much muchmor…..enjoy

Read The Online Digital Version:

Download A PDF Version:

Subscribe To Future Free Issues:

The Canadian Black Book “Best Retained Value Awards” were introduced in 2006. Retained value is a strong indicator for how a vehicle may perform in the future. For consumers, selecting a vehicle with a high retained value (lower depreciation rate) will reduce their overall cost-of-ownership.

New this year is the naming of not only the #1 picks…but also includes the first two runners-up in each category.

The 2011 Canadian Black Book “Best Retained Value Award” winners are:

As they did in 2010, Toyota and Lexus combined scored the most winners, earning six number one spots. Volkswagen increased its number of first-place finishes to three. New to the winner’s circle are Volvo with two awards, along with Jaguar and Jeep winning one each.

“Depreciation is the largest expense associated with vehicle ownership and for six years these awards have helped buyers identify which vehicles depreciate the least,” says Kathy Ward, CEO of Canadian Black Book. “Consumers want as much information as they can get when buying or selling a vehicle. These awards along with the vehicle future value tool on CanadianBlackBook.com, help consumers make smart vehicle purchase decisions.”

“This year’s awards are particularly exciting given the new winners in several categories,” says Larry Shred, president of Canadian Black Book. “Some of the old-faithfuls have returned, reinforcing the strength of their brands through thick-and-thin, while other new winners motivate everyone to keep up their game. This raises the bar for our entire industry and ultimately, it is the consumers who win.”

So if you are feeling a little adventurous then here are some suggestions to wet your taste buds.

Famous People Players, Toronto, ON

If you want to experience something a little different for the whole family to enjoy then this dinner theatre show could be for you. You will enjoy a fabulous three-course dinner followed by a spectacular black light theatre show combining music, dance and amazing special effect. Round off the event with dessert and coffee. Famous People Players has a special Achievement Program and employs staff with disabilities encouraging them to fulfill their dreams and integrate into society.

O’Noir, Toronto, ON & Montreal, QC

This is a gourmet restaurant with a difference, a big difference. You eat in complete darkness, yes really. The idea behind this is that diners get to know what it is like to be blind and rely on other senses. It is also worth knowing that all the wait staff are blind. If you have no sight then food tastes better as your other senses are heightened. It is not unusual for guests to lose cutlery or to spill food, but it is all part of the charm of this restaurant. Five percent of O’Noir’s profits are donated to local associations that serve the blind and visually impaired community.

Alberta Prairie Railway Excursions, Stettler, AB

Why not combine the experience of a real steam or diesel train with your meal? You will find different adventures throughout the year such as murder mystery, teddy bear specials, dinner theatre etc. You may also be part of a hold up if the outlaw “Reynolds Raiders” decides to raid the train, bringing it to a sudden stop. If he does, be prepared for a gun battle. All experiences include a full curse buffet meal as well as stunning scenery and of course entertainment.

Medieval Times, Toronto, ON

Now famous all over North America this experience is not just a dinner but a complete show. You will be transported back to the 11th century to enjoy King Philippe’s massive four-course feast followed by fabulous displays by Andalusian stallions. You can then experience the excitement of the Knights of the Realm completing in games on horseback and of course jousting and general rivalry ensues.

Oxford Express, Sherbrooke, QC

This tourist train can offer you a unique dining experience whist taking in the sights of the area. You can choose to have  a simple meal on board – perhaps brunch or dinner. Or you can go for the whole experience and include an overnight stay at a hotel in one of the stop-over locations.

Buzzards Restaurant & Bar, Calgary, AB

Although for most of the year this restaurant is a great casual dining steak house, for 10 days every year a little something different is on the menu. During the Calgary Stampede it is home to the Testicle Festival, yes you did read that right! During this time you can delight in Prairie Oysters (calve’s testicles) maybe with a little pasta or perhaps you prefer fries? Or you might want to try the Great Balls O’Fire instead. If you do manage to digest one of these delicacies you will get a certificate to prove it.

Flying Saucer Restaurant, Niagara Falls, ON

For out-of-this-world food why not try this unusual eatery? Specializing in all-day breakfasts you cannot miss this establishment as it looks like exactly what you would expect. At night it lights up and resembles something out of Close Encounters. If breakfast isn’t your thing then you can also enjoy steak, seafood, pasta etc.

The Great Viking Feast, Leifsburdir, NL

Why not partake in a Viking lunch or dinner or go for the full monty: The Great Viking Feast Dinner Theatre. You will get an insight into Viking life with lots of fun and frolics along with great food. It is also worth noting that this is the only sod covered restaurant in North America.

Ric’s Grill Watertower Restaurant Lethbridge, AB

This old water tower has been converted into a high quality steakhouse restaurant. Eat your meal whilst enjoying great views over the city. Certainly something a little different eh?

When asked about their favourite kissing memory 1 in 2 East Coasters (47 per cent) claimed it was with their current partners.  Only 27 per cent of British Columbians claimed that their favourite kissing memory is with their current partner.

As they age, Canadians tend to feel better about their romantic past.  One in two students (48 per cent) have admitted to regretting a kiss with somebody while only 19 per cent of retirees have regretted a kiss.

• Canadian women are twice as likely to spill the beans about a bad kisser than men.
• Canadians are traditional when it comes to making the first move on a date. Almost half of Canadians (45%) believe that women should not make the first move.
• Albertans are three times more likely to hide the fact that they kissed somebody out of embarrassment than East Coasters.

Albertans (52 per cent) are most likely to confess a clandestine kiss with an ex to their current partner.

• British Columbians and the Atlantic provinces are second in line at 47 per cent.
• Least likely to confess are Manitobans and Saskatchewanians at a mere 34 per cent.
• Ontarians came out at 43 per cent and Quebecois at 40 per cent while the National average is 44 per cent.

One in five East Coast residents have kissed somebody off limits such a friend’s significant other or spouse. Only one in ten Quebecois have done the same.

Inter-office relationships are most prominent in British Columbia where 31 per cent of British Columbians have admitted to kissing a co-worker. In order of rank the following regions have admitted the same:

• Ontario – 28 per cent
• Manitoba/Saskatchewan – 27 per cent
• Quebec – 25 per cent
• Alberta – 19 per cent
• Atlantic Provinces – 17 per cent
• National Average – 1 in 5 (26 per cent)
• British Columbians (30 per cent) are twice as likely to spill the beans about a bad kisser than Ontarians and Albertans (14 per cent).

The stereotype holds true, Canadians are very nice.   When faced with a bad kisser only 7 per cent of Canadians said they would stop the relationship in its tracks while the majority of people said that a kiss does not affect their opinion of potential partners.

In keeping with the “je ne sais quoi” – when faced with a bad kisser the Quebecois are most likely to give him/her a lesson. How kind!

More survey results and much more can be found at www.patentyourkiss.com. Visitors are encouraged to submit their own kissing style and vote on their favourites.

Spice it up

Torontonian Iron Chef Sasi Meechai-Lim has hosted the likes of Kate Moss, John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson at her Cabbagetown restaurant, Mengrai Thai. Every Sunday, she shares her spicy secrets at “Kitchen Romance for Couples” cooking classes (private lessons are available by reservation). As well as learning to blend and harmonize flavors by making dishes like succulent grilled beef salad, sweet lemongrass and chicken soup, and snuggle-inducing pad Thai (packed to take home), couples pick up expert tips on wine pairing. The last part of the three-hour experience involves sitting back and unwinding by candlelight over a paired tasting menu of Chef Sasi’s exquisitely presented signature dishes.

For the love of wine

Architecture lovers will get a kick out of Niagara’s Jack Diamond-designed Southbrook Vineyards pavilion. Animal lovers will adore the sweet sheep grazing placidly among the biodynamic vineyard’s vines. And all lovers will be charmed by Southbrook’s limited-edition Poetica wines: Each year that the vintage truly excels, one white and/or one red is bottled under the Poetica name, and is then assigned an individual poem on its label, penned by a renowned Canadian poet. Couples can book an exclusive tasting session from a decade’s worth of Poetica wines, and afterwards shop for their favorites in the high-design boutique. And if you’re lucky, you can also get your hands on one of the 200 blankets woven each year from the resident sheep’s wool – perfect for post-tipple snuggling.

Some like it hot:

Warm up your hands (and hearts) at Soma Chocolatemaker’s hot chocolate bar. As you sip from a steaming mug, you can peer through the glass wall into the “chocolate lab,” where all kinds of cocoa beans, from feral Bolivian to organic Costa Rican, are transformed into inventive chocolate barks, gelatos and micro-batch bars. Sampling is encouraged. The liquid elixirs at the bar include Mayan Hot Chocolate, made from dark Venezuelan chocolate, cinnamon, Australian ginger, chili peppers, orange peel, Madagascar vanilla and a secret blend of spices, and Bicerin, made with milky Italian hazelnut chocolate and a shot of espresso – sure to boost energy and libido. Can’t decide which to try? Take home an elixir gift box stocked with four Soma flavors and extend your Valentine’s break well into spring.

Highlights

• Pure Spirits Oyster House, 55 Mill St., Toronto, 416-361-5859 purespirits.ca
• Mengrai Thai, 82 Ontario St., Toronto, 416-546-0331 mengraithai.com
• Southbrook Vineyards, 581 Niagara Stone Rd., RR4, Niagara-on-the-Lake, 1-888-581-1581 southbrook.com
• Soma Chocolatemaker, 55 Mill St., Bldg. 48, Toronto, 416-815-7662 somachocolate.com
• Ontario Tourism, 1-800-ONTARIO  1-800-668-2746    www.ontariotravel.net

Article courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission Media Centre

Writers Bio: Valerie Howes As the senior editor of Pure Canada, I’m on the lookout for stories about new and interesting lodgings, restaurants, spas, events, packages and experiences. Pure Canada is the Canadian Tourism Commission’s unique travel-lifestyle magazine. It is published by Spafax Canada Inc., publisher of enRoute, Air Canada’s award-winning inflight magazine. We represent Canada and it is our mission to take our readers on a sensory journey. Pure Canada is an invitation to the reader to discover Canada and experience it in a whole new way – it is an invitation to explorers.

As you study your home, with both its quirks and its positive attributes, keep a running checklist of the charming features you’d like to preserve as well as areas that need improvement to make them more livable and acceptable to buyers who come to preview your home. Often in interior design, the focus is on the right fabric, the perfect wall treatment, the show-stopping piece of art and while these elements are important in beautifying a home, sometimes a space needs to be reworked and renovated.

The kitchen, being one of the most important architectural elements in a home is worth investing in making it a premiere space. If you can invest in some architectural updating and rearrange your walls, create one large room to encompass your kitchen as well as the family room. By creating this big family space, everyone can be comfortable and “hang out” together and even sit with you while you cook. In a traditionally designed older home, you may have to consider amalgamating existing smaller rooms such as the pantry or side sunroom or porch area.  Traditional lines don’t fit more modern furniture styles or don’t fit in current trends such as a main floor laundry room or mudroom and ample lighting opportunities.

The key to kitchen design is to treat it like a beautiful room rather than a utilitarian space.  It needs be be a place you love to work in and people love to hang out here with you. Design a space for the refrigerator, shelving, the stove and plenty of cupboard space. Modern fridges and stoves fit into the cupboard design so that they become part of the architectural features.

The  photo above is an example of a centrally located kitchen with open views to dining and living rooms as well as adjacent dining nook and sunroom. The kitchen is seen as soon as you enter the double front doors and remove your coats in the front foyer. The cook can be greeting guests as they enter the warm and inviting home as she tends to her menu at work. The kitchen area is raised next to a sunken living area, and a few steps down to the entry foyer.  The raised kitchen makes it even more central and visually dominant to the home’s layout.

The gleaming granite counter tops and Florida ceiling lights create a bright atmosphere. An open ended work space with island counters allow traffic to flow through this area to all parts of the home. A neutral colour palette with earthy architectural materials such a dark granite counters, rugged brickwork around the built-in appliances and light hughes of maple wood cabinets make this space inviting, and cozy even if it is open-concept and airy. The result is pure bliss for a family who often entertains as well as gathers and relaxes in this combination family/kitchen area. This kitchen is found in a log home estate available for sale for $850,000 in Marmora, Ontario.

Astrid Hood

If you have any questions about locating properties in Ontario please feel free to contact our realty expert Astrid Hood of Remax Eastern Realty Inc., Brokerage at astridhood@remax.net or by toll free at 1-800-567-4546

Follow Astrid on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/AstridHoodRemax
Visit Astrid’s Facebook page: http://facebook.com/AstridHood

In contrast to the historic Great Wall, which is quite expansive, their knowledge of China was very narrow in scope. That all changed, however, when they joined the Chimo Chinese Club in December. Through the club, the three students at Chimo Elementary School in Smiths Falls, Ont. and seven other members of the student body in Grades 4 to 8 expanded their linguistic and cultural horizons with regards to the world’s most populous country.

The club was organized by Ming Shan Gu. A teacher in China for 13 years, she, her husband Chuangwei Mu and their daughter Ivy left their homeland in the fall of 2003 to begin a new life in Canada. Having made their home in Smiths Falls since 2008, Ming says she started the club to let local youth know about her native China and that it is much more than what they read on the Internet.

“We moved from China, we came here, we like this place,” she states. “If we could do something to make life more interesting, we would like to share the culture (of China) and let people know more about other countries.”

That is what the Chimo Chinese Club is all about. For 90 minutes on four Wednesday evenings in December, Ming, with the assistance of Chuangwei, treated club members to a taste of her homeland, culinary and otherwise. In addition to sampling pork dumplings which they helped to prepare, the students received a lesson in the traditional Chinese paper art of paper folding, paper cutting and calligraphy. Likewise, they were introduced to the Mandarin language, learning how to say phrases likes Happy New Year, Merry Christmas, as well as how to greet someone and apologize.

Given the fact that learning a new language is not an easy feat, Ming was amazed at the progress of the students in developing conversational skills in Mandarin.

“They caught on just great,” she says smiling. “I was impressed. I think younger children really have the capability to learn a new language.”

For Selena, Ami and Avery, the club has been a great learning opportunity, not only from a linguistic point of view. They also have enjoyed learning how to count from one to 999 in Mandarin and how to write the numbers from one to 10 using characters.

“It was easy because of Ming,” Ami, a Grade 6 student at Chimo, notes. “If we didn’t understand something, she would explain it. She is really good at explaining how it works.”

That included demonstrating to the students the use of the traditional Chinese brush, ink and inkstone to write words, characters and draw. The youths participating in the club were fascinated by the process.

“It was really cool,” Ami remarked. “It is really fun to write with. You are painting but writing at the same time.”

Club highlights

Doing the ink painting and drawing was so much fun for Ami that it was her favourite activity of the club. The same was true for Avery who is in Grade 5 at Chimo. Of course, making the dumplings was also popular with her.

“Making dumplings was really fun,” she said. “It was a hands-on activity….We got creative and folded them in all different ways.”

Preparing the dumplings and getting to eat them after they were cooked was likewise a highlight for Selena, a Grade 6 student.

“I have never really tried or made dumplings,” she commented. “It was really new to me. They tasted good.”

In organizing the club for the students, Ming says she just wanted “to tell them the real China.” Based on the response from those who participated, she obviously had a captive audience.

“It was amazing,” she says of the response. “I am impressed with the kids’ progress – their ability to absorb a different culture’s information. Every class, when I finish, they don’t want to go home.”

The club, which was free other than the cost of supplies, was an educational experience that Ami, Selena and Avery would like to repeat. That’s why they are thrilled by the news that Ming is considering starting up a second club in February at the school. She has indicated that, if there is sufficient interest, she would like to continue the club at Chimo, with students from other area schools being invited to participate as well.

“If they are doing it at the school, I would definitely sign up,” says Avery. “Just to see Ming again and have another wonderful experience with her.”

And she, Ami and Selena would certainly recommend the club to others.

“I would tell them to sign up,” says Selena. “It is a lot of fun. You get to learn stuff and make more origami things.

Avery agrees. “You get to know a whole bunch of stuff about China,” she remarked. “Later on in life, if you go there, you will get to use your knowledge.”

In May 2010, a delegation of Chinese educators visited Chimo. School principal Daryl Kelly views the club as “a nice opportunity to continue the cultural focus with our Chinese community and for the children to have an opportunity to learn more about another culture.”

“It is always wonderful to have additional opportunities for different kinds of learning happening in our school,” Daryl says.

The feedback Ming has received from the recent club has been so positive that she has had several inquiries asking her to hold a class on Chinese cooking for adults. She is seriously considering doing so, perhaps as early as February. If she does proceed and the class is held at Chimo, she plans to donate any proceeds back to the school.

“I really appreciate the school’s support,” she says, noting that the school has offered the facility free of charge for the club and Daryl and teacher Karen Donovan have been very supportive of the initiative. “I would like to support the school as well.”

Other cultural endeavours

Every kid can have the opportunity to experience other cultures

Ming is passionate about sharing the culture and language of her homeland with others. As principal of the Eastern Ontario Wenbo Language School, which is affiliated with the International Language Program of the Ottawa French Catholic School Board, she is currently offering a Chinese Mandarin Language and Culture Program on Saturday mornings at Académie catholique Ange-Gabriel in Brockville. Currently 75 students from throughout the Brockville area, including Mallorytown, Lyn and Gananoque, are enrolled in the classes, which are open to children ages four to 14. There is an adult class as well.

From March to June 2010, a similar program was offered on Saturdays at Sainte Marguerite Bourgeoys School in Merrickville to children in the same age group. Likewise, Ming held a Chinese summer camp at Académie catholique Ange-Gabriel in July 2010. The camp was so successful she plans to repeat it this summer. If it is feasible, she would also like to have a summer camp in Smiths Falls.

“I try to deliver the message that every kid can have the opportunity to experience other cultures, even for small town kids,” she says as she talks about her motivation for these endeavours. In the fall of 2010, Ming’s husband Chuangwei was part of an education delegation that travelled to Zhengzhou, China. The trip culminated in the signing on Oct. 22 of a sister school board agreement between the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) and Zhengzhou Municipal Education Bureau (MEB).

As part of the agreement to enhance the educational and cultural exchange between the two and share education resources, the UCDSB will organize summer and winter camps for students of Zhengzhou MEB and, accordingly, students from the UCDSB will be invited to Zhengzhou for a cultural exchange.

Likewise, under the agreement, students from Zhengzhou No. 9 High School will have the opportunity to complete their secondary school education with the UCDSB. Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute (SFDCI) is one of seven high schools within the UCDSB that can accept international students. Currently more than 70 students from Zhengzhou are attending classes at SFDCI and in Brockville. Upon graduating, they will be granted an Ontario Secondary School Diploma, as well as one from their homeland.

Already, 31 students have been recruited by the Chinese school to come to Canada. Chuangwei will be among those going to China in March to recruit additional students.

Having students from China attend SFDCI is “just another connection” between the two countries, says Daryl Kelly. And the Chimo principal believes the Chimo Chinese Club helps to further that connection.

“It’s another opportunity for awareness of how students in different countries grow up and live their lives,” she states.

Highlighting how Ming “certainly brings a real passion to sharing her culture, Daryl thinks that passion is infectious, in terms of the students in the club.

“I think she instills a feeling of pride in our children as they share their Canadian culture and family culture,” she commented.

Further information on the Chimo Chinese Club and other cultural initiatives in which Ming is involved can be obtained by contacting her by phone at 613-283-5044 or by email at e.owls2010@gmail.com.

Sister Cities

The Town of Smiths Falls has a close relationship with one of China largest urban centres, Xiangfan City (recently renamed Xiangyang). The two became “Sister Cities” on Oct. 18, 2009 in Smiths Falls with the signing of an agreement by Smiths Falls Mayor Dennis Staples and Zhi Liang Tang, Chairman of Standing Committees of the People’s Congress of Xiangfan City, Hubei Province, China.

The proclamation stated that, “as sister cities, the council and the city assembly pledge that they will encourage regular, ongoing communication and co- operation on economic/business trade; culture; education; science and technology; health and well being; tourism and will promote collaborative development in both cities.”

A historical and cultural city in the southwest region of Hubei Province, Xiangyang has a population of 5.8 million people and is considered a major industrial hub.

“The Town of Smiths Falls has a Sister-City Agreement with the City of Xiangyang, China and has signed two formal agreements and six additional MOU’s that will see collaboration on tourism, arts and culture, commerce, investment, education and external affairs,” says Bob Cheetham, the Economic Development Manager for Smiths Falls.

Anyone interested in learning more about Smiths Falls and what the town has to offer newcomers to Canada is encouraged to visit the website www.immigratetosmithsfalls.ca.

“I thought that was really extraordinary,” says Maggie Jacques, special collections librarian at the Petawawa Public Library, who helped place the 20-year-old interview online. It was part of a collection of interviews with city’s early residents. When it comes to online research, she notes, “You never know where it will take you.”

Our Ontario is partnering with more than 30 public libraries and 20 other community organizations from across Ontario

The audiocassette recording was digitized thanks to a two-year project coordinated by Knowledge Ontario (KO), a provincial not-for-profit collaborative. The Community Digitization Project (CDP) is an extension of KO’s Our Ontario service, which provides the tools and support for Ontarians to create and display digital content for online discovery.

Genealogists are not alone in benefiting from the CDP, which already has created more than 36,000 digital files of everything from 19th-century photographs to old diaries. In Prescott-Russell, a largely francophone area east of Ottawa, the OPP used heritage photos from the collection for their annual calendar.

The CDP has also created something of an information avalanche for participating institutions. Jacques notes that patrons who see staff digitizing materials with scanners, cameras and other equipment often ask how they can contribute.

CDP partners often run “digitization days” to encourage residents to bring in family materials and collections from their basements and attics (the materials are later returned to their owners). People respond in droves, often revealing lost treasures. In Tweed, a small town north of Belleville, residents who heard about the CDP contributed images and documents about Sulphide, a mining ghost town.

Loren Fantin, project manager for Our Ontario, delights in the program’s popularity. “We work hard to ensure that we make Our Ontario tools and services accessible and easy to use for both novices and expert users. It’s terrific to bring Ontario communities on board so they can share and tell our stories to a wide audience.”

Our Ontario is partnering with more than 30 public libraries and 20 other community organizations from across Ontario to implement the CDP. Funded through a $15-million grant to Southern Ontario Library Services and Ontario Library Services North from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture, CDP partners are provided with valuable equipment, staff and training, at no cost to the participating institutions. “I’m very thankful to Knowledge Ontario for supporting us,” says Jacques.

Organizations participating in the project stretch across almost 1,500 kilometres of the province. They include libraries and museums with large archives; single-person libraries, such as the Head, Clara and Maria Public Library, north of Algonquin Park; Franco-Ontarian community organizations like the West Nipissing Public Library, near North Bay; and a First Nations library, the Kanhiote Tyendinaga Territory Public Library near Deseronto.

Communities all over Ontario are excited to tell their stories. Find them here.

Nina Callaway, a writer and event planner who has guided many couples through the process of wedding planning, has developed tips for avoiding outdoor wedding pitfalls.

Some of her advice includes:

• Make sure your guests will be comfortable by providing shade umbrellas, or awnings.  Have bottles of water available or hand out paper fans for those hot days. The climate during June in Ontario is usually moderate and usually not too hot or too cold during midday.  But it is wise to be prepared for all possibilities.
• Have a back-up plan in case it rains. A sturdy tent that will withstand a windy rainstorm will also be welcomed on a sunny hot day when guests look for shade. If there is no tent, an indoor back up location is a good plan to scoot the tables and chairs indoors during a sudden downpour.
• Plan for wind. Many light summery fabrics will end up floating like billowing parachutes and loose hair will find its own unkempt setting.  Nina suggests women plan a style that won’t leave you looking like Cousin It! Men in the wedding party should use pomade or other styling product.
• 

  Wedding party under archway

  Look into a sound system. If your wedding will incorporate a guest list and rows of seating, the group gathered will most likely not be within ear-shot of the ceremonial reciting. The great outdoors has a way of absorbing and losing sounds.  And if there is a backdrop of lapping waves, or wind rustling through the trees, voices will end up being drowned out.

• Enhance the outdoor beauty with decorating and landscaping. Visit the site a week before your wedding to make sure the grass is mown, the ground raked, and the flowers have bloomed.  Other decorations you may want to consider include an arch or trellis to focus the ceremony and frame the bride and groom as they say their vows; strings of lights or lanterns in the trees; luminarias; torches; or farolitas. Control pesky flying things with citronella candles or a bug zapper.
• Consider how the caterer will serve the wedding dinner outside. A sit-down dinner with table cloths and centre pieces create an elegant atmosphere in the out-of-doors.  Be sure there are foods that are compatible to being served outdoors. Have plenty of ice and water around as well. For a fancy cocktail, why not serve a classic mint julep or a mojito? The mint will refresh and cool your guests.
• 

  Attractive table settings

  Find that special location that has the scenic Ontario backdrop you will cherish as it is captured in your wedding photo album forever. There are city and Provincial parks that may need a permit for wedding photography, as well as there are banquet halls and resorts with outdoor gardens especially designed for your special day.

The property where these wedding photos were captured is located in Marmora, Ontario and is available for sale for $850,000.

Astrid Hood

If you have any questions about locating properties in Ontario please feel free to contact our realty expert Astrid Hood of Remax Eastern Realty Inc., Brokerage at astridhood@remax.net or by toll free at 1-800-567-4546

Follow Astrid on TWITTER:  http://twitter.com/AstridHoodRemax

Visit Astrid’s Facebook page: http://facebook.com/AstridHood

There are currently around 56,000 cadets throughout Canada.

The Canadian Cadet Organization (CCO) allows young Canadians aged between 12 and 18 years to participate in organized activities which are both challenging and rewarding in a properly supervised environment. There are currently around 56,000 cadets throughout Canada.

There are three units to the cadets: Sea, Air and Army. Cadets can join any unit and take part in local, regional and national activities. As a cadet you are encouraged to be an active member of the community and learn skills such as leadership, teamwork, citizenship and fitness. In turn you will gain self confidence, decision making skills and gain physical fitness. Through the program young cadets learn about the Canadian Forces although there is no expectation to join the military, nor are the cadets part of the Canadian Forces.

The CCO is open to both young men and women (aged 12-18) from all across Canada and from all levels of society. The Department of National Defense incurs all costs, so there are no costs to join, no fees and no cost for the uniforms or the training. So this makes the cadets an ideal solution for families on a budget who still want to participate in such activities.

Training:

During the school academic year (September – June) cadets take part in weekly training, one night per week. There may also be the option of weekend training depending on the unit chosen.

During the summer you will be able to take part at one of the 28 summer training centres located across Canada. Depending upon which element you choose to join, you may participate in rappelling, adventure training or survival exercises for Army

Cadets, flying and gliding exercises for Air Cadets, and navigation and seamanship activities for Sea Cadets. All cadets are also provided with the opportunity to participate in marksmanship and biathlon competitions, map and compass exercises, as well as drill. Other activities focus on developing leadership, self-discipline and citizenship skills, including the Cadet Harassment and Abuse Prevention Program (CHAP).

Through CHAP, cadets are sensitized to the various forms of harassment and abuse, and their effects. Method of instruction, public speaking and healthy living courses are also practical components of the regular Cadet Program. Furthermore, cadets frequently enjoy sports, environmental challenges, and music instruction (pipes and drums, or band). Each cadet also participates in a minimum of three field exercises per year.

There are three units to the cadets: Sea, Air and Army

Over 23,000 cadets attend national and regional training every summer at one of the Canadian Forces-conducted Cadet Summer Training Centres (CSTC). Many of these programs include activities such as canoeing, camping, hiking, meteorology, sailing and mountain climbing. These courses last from two to six weeks depending on the speciality training chosen.

If you are doing especially well you may be chosen to take part in international exchanges. Every year a number of senior cadets are chosen on merit to travel to foreign locations such as the United Kingdom, Japan, France, United States, Singapore or Germany. During these exchanges you will be representing Canada and will take part in training and cultural activities with your foreign cadet counterparts.

Other specialized training is also offered for advanced cadets. These include marksmanship competitions both in Canada and nationally as well as parachute courses. Cadets who take part in summer training also receive a weekly training bonus – so you get paid for having fun! If you are 16 years or older and have reached a certain standard you can choose to become a Staff Cadet (course instructor) at one of the summer centres.

Visions and Objectives:

The three aims of the cadets is to:

• Develop leadership and good citizenship
• Promote physical fitness
• Stimulate an interest in the three elements of the Canadian Forces

Cadets core values are:

• Loyalty – the expression of our dedication to the ideals of the Cadet Movement and all its members
• Professionalism – the accomplishment of our tasks with pride and diligence
• Mutual Respect – the treatment of others with dignity and equality
• Integrity – the courage and commitment to exemplify trust, sincerity and honesty

Leadership: Through the cadet program you will learn how to be a fair and responsible leader, take responsibility for your actions and motivate your peers. These skills are not only useful in the cadets but also in all other aspects of your life.

Physical fitness: Being healthy and fit is important to all cadets and you will learn how to maintain a healthy lifestyle whilst participating in fun activities. By competing in individual or team events you will learn that sensible living, healthy eating and remaining active are all important factors to good health and fitness.

The Canadian Forces: Although the cadets are not part of the Canadian Forces you will learn skills that stimulate your interest in the sea, land and air activities of the Forces. You will learn the history of the Canadian Forces as well as skills such as self-discipline, teamwork, leadership and good citizenship.

Sea Cadets:

As you would expect the Sea Cadets activities revolve around naval pursuits. You will learn about sailing, seamanship, shipboard life, naval communications, boat repair, marine engineering and ship deployments. Additionally you will receive tall ship training and power boat handling.

Sea Cadet training is divided into four phases with an additional corps apprenticeship training option for senior cadets. The following subjects are part of the program:

• Bushcraft
• Citizenship
• Drill
• Marksmanship
• Physical Fitness
• Sailing
• Sea Cadet Routine
• Naval Knowledge
• Seamanship
• Leadership
• Instructional Techniques

During summer camps Sea Cadets learn sailing and seamanship activities along Canada’s coastline. Sea Cadets can earn a chance to participate in a national sailing regatta or to sail aboard a tall ship. Around 20% (11,000) of cadets are Sea Cadets with around 4,500 of those participating in sumer training.

There are four phases to the training offered in the Sea Cadets:

Phase 1: Introduction to the cadets, safe handling of a rifle, sailing, camping, sports and community activities. Completing this training is a prerequisite to going to a Summer Training Centre and for promotion to Able Cadet.

Phase 2: Advanced shooting, sailing, seamanship, camping, physical fitness, community activities and parade drill. Completing this training is a prerequisite to going to a Summer Training Centre on a Trade Group I course and for promotion to Leading Cadet.

Phase 3: Sailing theory, advanced rope handling, leadership skills and community activities. Completing this training is a prerequisite to going to a Summer Training Centre on a Trade Group II course and for promotion to Petty Officer Second Class.

Phase 4: In this phase you can become an instructor yourself. Completing this training is a prerequisite to going to a Summer Training Centre on a Trade Group III course or a Specialty course and for promotion to Petty Officer First Class.

There is then the option to pursue Phase 5 where you can lead groups on an outdoor adventure weekend, assist in supervising activities amongst many other opportunities.

Army Cadets:

The Army Cadets is the oldest of the cadets programs with around 35% of cadets belonging to it.

Through active outdoor pursuits like trekking, canoeing, rock climbing and survival training, Army Cadets gain valuable life skills, knowledge of themselves and an awareness of their environment. Army Cadets also learn about army traditions and participate in a variety of national and international expeditions that focus on adventure training, like whitewater rafting, horseback riding and canoeing.

Army Cadet training is divided into four star levels:

1. Green Star: During the first year you will get basic training in bushcraft, citizenship, drill, fundamental training, leadership, marksmanship, public speaking and map & compass.
2. Red Star: This level includes continued training in the Green Star activities as well as first aid knowledge.
3. Silver Star: At this level you will take on more responsibility, learn leadership skills and teach other cadets all you have learnt.
4. Gold Star: At this level you can become a leader at the cadet corps.

Air Cadets:

If you choose to join the Air Cadets you will have the opportunity to earn your civilian pilot licence as well as learn about the traditions of the Royal Canadian Air Force. You will also learn how to fly a glider, allowing you to pursue a career in flying or simply enjoy it as a hobby.

Air Cadet Training is divided into five proficiency levels, including on-the-job training for senior cadets. Some of the courses offered to Air Cadets at the local level are:

• Aircraft identification
• Aircrew survival
• Aeronautical facilities
• Physical fitness
• Drill
• Airframe Structure
• Effective speaking
• Marksmanship
• Principles of flight
• Radio communication
• Propulsion
• Navigation
• Meteorology

During the summer Air Cadets can attend summer training to gain flying and glider scholarships. The Air cadets has the largest proportion of cadets with 45%. Of those around 10,000 attend summer training.

Rewards:

By joining the cadets you will be rewarded with:

• sense of accomplishment
• recognition from your peers and mentors
• once-in-a-lifetime experiences
• life-long friends
• a chance to show case your talents and maturity
• self-confidence, self-discipline, self-esteem and increased self-awareness
• community involvement

So what are you waiting for? Join up now.

We moved to Brandon about eighteen months ago because my dad was offered a job here. He said the offer was too good to turn down so we all moved. When he first made this decision my mum was not very happy, as she liked Vancouver and had always lived there. She cried quite a lot back then, but we had only just lost my grandma, her mum, so the timing was not good for her.

Dad did ask us what we thought of the move and I said that I didn’t want to move because of missing all my friends and changing schools. Mary didn’t really want to move either but didn’t say that to dad.

Moving boxes

In the end, us kids didn’t really have much choice as mum and dad had already decided that we were going to move and that was it. This is why I wanted to tell my story, so that other kids in our situation can see what we went through and learn by it.

From the time that dad announced we were moving to when we actually did was about three months. It all happened really quickly and we were so busy we really didn’t have too much time to think about it all. Our house in Vancouver had been sold and we were going to be renting in Brandon until mum and dad could find a house to buy.

We moved during the summer break so that Mary and me could start new schools in September. I remember having a really hard time saying goodbye to all my friends and telling them they could all visit and that I would visit them not realizing how far away we would actually be. I have never been so unhappy in all my life, or scared.

On the day we finally left Vancouver we said goodbye to a few last friends and family. Saying goodbye to my grandpa was the worst thing as he was now all on his own. Mum was very upset and cried most of the way to the airport.

On the flight we were all very quiet and dad tried his best to cheer us up, but it didn’t really work. We landed in Winnipeg and had to drive for a couple of hours to reach Brandon. We didn’t have much stuff with us because all our furniture and big items were in storage until we could find a house.

When we arrived at our rented house we were quite surprised as it was actually quite nice. In Vancouver we lived in an apartment, which was really nice, but to have a whole house to ourselves was awesome. It was in a cul-d-sac, which meant that it was safe for us to play outside. When we arrived there were a few other kids playing basketball, they looked younger than me but similar age to Mary.

The first few days were spent getting to know the house and where everything was. My bedroom was bigger than my old room, which was good, but Mary’s was a bit smaller and she was not so happy. Mum had cheered up a bit as she really liked the house and also she was really busy so it kept her mind off everything. Dad had to start work the week after we moved,so it was up to mum and us to sort everything else out. Mum took us to see our new school, we couldn’t go in but it looked ok from the outside. It was much smaller than our old school, but a lot newer. The next few weeks were busy with dad working; mum making friends with the neighbours and me and Mary trying to make new friends. I met a girl who lived a few houses down and because we were the same age and would be going to the same school we seemed to get along well. Mary had made several friends, as most of the kids in our street were closer to her age than mine.

In September we started school and mum was more upset than we were. I think she was worried about suddenly being on her own most of the day. I was not looking forward to school, but my new mate Becky from down the road assured me it was a good school and that I would like it. She was right as I really enjoyed my first few days. I was a bit of a celebrity as I came from Vancouver and lots of people wanted to talk to me about coming from a big city. I even had to do a presentation to the rest of the class about my old life and how we came to move to Brandon.

When we had been here about two months, mum and dad started to look for a house to buy. Dad was getting on well in his job, we kids liked our school and had made friends and mum was feeling more settled. We all wanted to stay in the same area so we could keep our friends and stay at the same school.

One evening mum and dad said they had found a house they wanted us to see. It turned out to be in the cul-d-sac, which backed onto ours, so the location was great. When we went to see it, it was very similar to the house we were renting but had four bedrooms instead of three and best of all had a swimming pool in the garden. We had never had a swimming pool, so Mary and I were really keen to move to this house. After a few days mum told us we would be moving to the new house but that by the time we did it would be too cold to use the pool but that we could look forward to using it the following year.

We moved into the new house about three weeks before Christmas and all our furniture from Vancouver arrived. This was nice as it really felt like home with our own beds and sofa etc. Dad went out and got an enormous Christmas tree and we spent a couple of evenings decorating the house inside and out. Grandpa came to stay with us over Christmas and New Year and we all had a really great time, although mum and grandpa were sad sometimes when they remembered grandma. I also felt sad when I got a present from my best friend in Vancouver. It was a DVD of all my old friends sending me messages and I have to admit it made me remember how much I missed them all.

The winter weather was much colder and snowier than we had in Vancouver. We were used to snow because we did get it in Vancouver and we used to go skiing and skating in the winter, but we usually had to travel to see large amounts of it. In Manitoba we had it on our doorstep, literally. The cold was also a shock as we had rarely experienced really low temperatures and some days it was -20C and lower. Mary really hated it and sometimes refused to go outside although I cannot blame her. By the spring the weather was much warmer and more like our old winters in B.C.

The spring and summer have been pretty uneventful. We all seem to have settled in pretty well and Grandpa has visited a few times. In June we had a huge storm that was really exciting but also very scary. We are used to rain in Vancouver, but this was really, really heavy. We also had huge hail stones which damaged property and peoples cars. The rain also meant that a lot of the city was flooded and some of the streets looked more like rivers.

In July we all went to Yellowstone National Park for a holiday

In July we all went to Yellowstone National Park for a holiday. We drove to the park, or rather dad did as he said it would be more interesting than flying. As it was the land we drove through was quite boring, at least Mary and I thought so, but it was worth it. It took two days to drive there and we stopped off half way in a hotel, which was quite exciting for Mary and me as we had our own room. Dad told us off though for using the drinks from the room fridge. He said it would have been a lot cheaper from the vending machine in the hallway.

We had great weather and the sights at Yellowstone are stunning. We saw lots of geysers erupting including the famous Old Faithful. One area we went to was really smelly from the sulphur and it made it hard to breathe. I had always wanted to see the pool called Morning Glory after seeing a picture of it, but it was much smaller than I thought it would be although it was still very beautiful.

When we got back from Yellowstone we had two more weeks left of summer before we had to go back to school. It was the day before school when Mary fell over on the deck round our pool and broke her arm. She was outside with some friends and they were running around which mum had always warned us not to do when she slipped and fell. Mum was a few doors away chatting to a neighbour, so I ran round to fetch her. She nearly fainted when she saw Mary’s arm as it was a funny shape where the bone had broken. The neighbour that mum had been with took us all to the local hospital and after being seen by a doctor Mary had x-rays done. Fortunately they said it was a clean break and would mend without any surgery or pins etc. She had to have her arm put in plaster which after she got over all the initial shock and pain she thought rather cool. We went back to school a couple of weeks ago and after the first day the plaster cast Mary had was full of drawings and messages. She says she wants to keep it when it is removed, which should be in a few weeks time.

When I was first told about moving to Manitoba I was really worried and really did not want to go. I think if it had been up to us girls and mum we would never have left Vancouver. However, now I am glad we are here as I have just as many friends, I love school and I love the after schools activities. The weather has more extremes, as it is a lot colder in the winter and a lot hotter in the summer.

Our house is bigger than the apartment we had before and we have a garden, with a pool, which is excellent. Mum and dad are thinking of making our basement into a separate living area for grandpa. He is getting old now and cannot get about like he used to and of course he is on his own, so this might be a good idea.

Looking back, the move has been good and I don’t really regret it. I do still miss some of my old friends and I know mum misses some of hers, but she has new ones here just like I do. Dad seems to be enjoying his job and has been promoted so is earning more money.

This coming Christmas we are going to stay back in Vancouver so we are close to Grandpa, unless he is living with us by then. It will be nice to visit the old places again and possibly escape some of the harsher Brandon weather.

For other young people who are worried about moving I would say try not to worry too much. It is stressful and you will miss people, but it is also a big adventure. Also, if you are lucky like me you might also gain a swimming pool.

When we last spoke in early 2009, you were working on your second album. Now that it has been released what can you tell us about it?

My latest album titled “Blondes Prefer Gentlemen”

My latest album titled “Blondes Prefer Gentlemen” was released in July of 2010. I wrote and produced all the songs myself except for the one cover song “I Wanna Be Loved By You” first made famous by Betty Boop and later Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn Monroe was a bit of a theme behind this album. The title itself is a play on one of her famous films “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”. And of course the image of me on the cover of my new album was very inspired by the famous shot of Marilyn in her white dress, but instead I chose magenta for my dress – my favourite colour. I actually first released my cover of “I Wanna Be Loved By You” on Myspace on August 5^th, the 48^th anniversary of her death. I’m very proud and excited about my new material. I’ve had only amazing feedback about it so far and I’m still in the process of promoting it.

What else have you been doing since we last spoke?

I’ve been super busy dealing with lawyers and contracts and possible management deals. Also a couple of months after the release of my second album I released a music video to support one of my new songs. I produced and wrote the video myself. I also did most of the behind the scenes work for the video such as designing & building the sets and putting together my wardrobe. It was a lot of work and a very stressful experience. I had to go through many animators and editors to find the right ones to collaborate with. In the end I’m very satisfied with the results.

Are you planning a third album?

I still have hundreds of songs in my soul that have yet to be recorded & produced… so most definitely.

Who would you describe as your musical influences and why?

Well since my first love of music is in Classical and Opera, I would have to say the core of my music is influenced by Mozart and Puccini. Any other influences would have to be subconscious because I don’t purposely try to sound like anyone or be like anyone else.

What do you consider are the best and worst things about the music industry?

The music industry on the whole is very volatile. I’m not sure whether I love it or hate it. The internet has been the main cause for the drastic changes we’ve seen over the years in this industry and can be the best and the worst thing for an indie artist such as myself. I do know that I love making music, it is the fuel of my soul.

What is your favorite song of all time?

Madama Butterfly by Puccini

Who would you choose to collaborate writing a song with if you could chose anyone?

That’s a tough one. I love many artists and all sorts of genres of music. I might want to work with a style that’s very different than my own, so that there is a cool and unique merging of worlds like with Eminem. Or, I might want to collaborate with someone who I admire like Madonna. I think it might be fun to work with Marilyn Manson or even the Beastie Boys to create a bizarre concoction. But hands down, it would’ve been awesome to meld musical minds with John Lennon.

It is clear that music means everything to you, but if you weren’t a musician what would you be?

Dead!

I watched the video that accompanies your song “X’d My Mind.” How long did it take to make?

It took about 6 months from the start of the idea to when it was up and playing on YouTube. It took me about a month and a half months to prepare the sets and collect all the wardrobe and props, some of which I made myself. I also kept running into bad luck with some incompetent animators and editors, who wasted a couple of months of my time as well. The actual shooting took only 4 days and when the work actually began for the editing that only took one and a half weeks. The animation took about 2 weeks. The rest of the time was just other people screwing me around.

There are many songs and artists that I am very sure that everyone would be shocked about.

What song or artist would someone be surprised to find on your MP3 player?

I just quickly looked through my digital library of songs and couldn’t help but laugh. There are many songs and artists that I am very sure that everyone would be shocked about. I have everything from the expected electronica, alternative, gothic and punk rock, to the unexpected classical, country, hip hop, jazz and folk. Tibetan Buddhism Ritual Orchestra & Chants – that’s the one I’m picking to be the least expected in my collection.

Lets move away from music for a moment and talk about you. What one word would you use to describe yourself?

Enigma

What is the one thing that people would be most surprised to find out about you?

Haha there are many things about me that I’m sure would surprise people. I was an honour student for all my high school years. I was accepted into every University I applied for but turned them all down and decided to focus on the arts. Music was something I never studied in school; everything I learned was self-taught. I am a loner and don’t have many friends, but I prefer it that way I love being by myself.

What is the worst job you have had?

I guess every job has had their good and bad moments. I usually tended towards fields that I enjoyed, so there was always something that I liked, especially whatever I learned. When I was a teenager I worked in a kitchen preparing Tex/Mex cuisine, it was non-stop work and hot and dirty and the sous chef yelled at me all the time. He even threw a knife at me once because I refused to handle any meat. However, I did learn a lot of great things about cooking and now make one of the best vegan Caesar dressings ever.

Are you a Mac or PC?

I wrote & produced my songs on a PC but mixed and mastered them on a Mac.

If your home was on fire, what one item (excluding family, pets and photos) would you grab as you left?

My external hard drives which contain all my music and video files…. and writings and poetry and song ideas… my soul basically.

What was the name of the last book you read or are currently reading?

I finished “Conversations with the Devil” by Jeff Rovin a couple months ago. It was a good read for fiction. I am currently reading “A War of Witches” By Timothy J.Knab, which is actually non-fictional writings on the research and travels of the author.

If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

Right now, it would be my location. I want to live in L.A. The music industry there is better suited for me. Toronto’s music scene is too conservative.

What are your plans for 2011 and going forward?

This year I plan on orchestrating a great live act and doing some live shows. I will also devote some effort into moving to L.A.

That sounds really interesting. Where are you planning on doing your shows?

I haven’t really thought all that through as yet since I do wish to move to L.A. but as I am still in Toronto at the moment, I guess I would have some shows here and maybe some neighboring cities.

And finally, if you had to be remembered for one thing. What would it be?

My words

Thank you Moonlyn, we really appreciate your candid answers and wish you lots of luck with your current album and future plans.

Thank you so much for your interest in me and for taking the time to interview me.

Find out more about Moonlyn via the following links:

Catch up on our original interview conducted during 2009.

Moonlyn has her own website at www.moonlyn.com, or you can check her out at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/moonlynmusic

MySpace: www.myspace.com/moonlynmusic

Twitter: www.twitter.com/moonlynmusic

In order to answer these questions we must look at the products that we are selecting as green and find out if indeed they really are. Questions we need to ask include:

When is “green” really “green”?

Where did the product come from?

Many people are misled when it comes to green or natural products. Just because you are buying a product made from natural, renewable wood doesn’t necessarily mean it is green.

Where was the wood grown? If it comes from Canada and is from a renewable source then we should be able to define it as green. However, if it comes from another country then you have to take into account things such as transportation. If wood is bought in from say Scandinavia, then although the raw product is green, the process of getting it to the end user is not. You must think about the road and air transport used to get it to its destination and factor this into the products overall green value.

How was the product produced?

If the product is made in a factory then it will have an impact on its green value. The longer the processing time the more energy is used. The machinery used also needs to be taken into account. Is the company fuel efficient, does it pollute, what type of transportation does it use? All these things should be considered if you really want to buy truly green products.

If a product is labeled recycled, how much of the product actually is? It may be as little as 10% or it could be the entire product.

Green energy efficient vehicles are currently all the rage. But again we must consider the whole picture. There is much controversy over whether so called green vehicles are really green. Again you need to take into account the manufacturing process of not just the vehicle itself, but the battery used to run it and the disposal of the vehicle components after use. The misconception is that an electric car is good for the environment, but ask yourself a question. Where does the electricity come from to charge the battery? Currently 70% of electricity comes from fossil fuels, hardly a advocate of green energy or non-pollutants.

Perhaps once alternative energy sources are used more widely and are proven to be green in themselves, then this in turn will make the use of electric vehicles more truly green and energy efficient.

How will you eventually dispose of the product?

When we first buy a product we are not always thinking ahead as to how we will dispose of it. Is the product recyclable? Is it biodegradable? If it is a product with a limited life cycle, how often will you need to replace it? A product with a five year lifespan that is biodegradable will have less impact on the environment than a product designed to last ten years but is not biodegradable or recyclable.

How are you going to dispose of that battery cell in your vehicle once it has exceeded its lifespan?

Summary

Green really is in the eyes of the beholder. Green to one person is not necessarily green to another. There are many things that need to be taken into account over and above the end product for us to consider it truly green.

Just because a product is labeled “green”, “eco” or “natural” it doesn’t necessarily mean very much. There are very few regulations in place relating to what can and cannot be classified in such ways.  Even the term recyclable doesn’t always mean what you think it does. Just because a product is able to be recycled, doesn’t necessarily mean it will be. This only happens if you dispose of it correctly and the company collecting it does actually have the processes in place to recycle into new products, or pass to a third party who can. Some things we think are recycled end up in land fills just the same.

So, maybe buying green isn’t as easy as we think it is, but hopefully new regulations and procedures will be introduced in the future so that we all know exactly what we are buying.

Although the United Kingdom is one of the top desired destinations for would-be migrants around the world, Gallup surveys in 2010 show one in three Britons say they would like to leave their country permanently if they had the opportunity. Britons, in fact, are among the most likely in the European Union to say they would like to move, sharing the top spot with Romanians.

Britons’ relatively high level of desire to migrate permanently cannot be attributed to the recent global economic crisis or the country’s own recession. The 33% who say they would like to move is the same now, as the United Kingdom emerges from its longest recession on record, as when it entered recession in 2008. This trend is similar to what Gallup observes worldwide: With some exceptions, people’s expressed desire to migrate did not decrease meaningfully in the downturn.

The profile of the United Kingdom’s potential migrants has not changed much either during that time. Like others worldwide, younger, working-age Britons and those with secondary or higher education are the most likely to say they would like to migrate. One in three or more with secondary educations (33%) or the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree or higher education (36%) say they would like to move if they had the chance.

Britons are most likely to want to relocate to Australia, Spain, the United States, and Canada. But before these countries start bracing for an influx of Britons or British businesses fret about losing their workforce, it’s important to qualify that Gallup’s findings reflect desire rather than intent or a migration rate. Among Britons who say they would like to migrate, 2% say they are planning to move in the next 12 months. This percentage is much lower than in many other places in the European Union.

Britons’ relatively high level of desire to migrate, however, suggests an underlying malaise among a sizable portion of the population. A closer look at those who would like to go reveals dissatisfaction with not only economic conditions, but also with conditions in local communities. Those who say they would like to migrate, for example, are more likely to be dissatisfied with their communities as places to live in general and with aspects of their local infrastructure such as the quality of the local schools and their roads and highways. They are also less likely to approve of their local leadership and trust their local police.

The daily wellbeing of Britons who express a desire to leave their country also tends to be slightly worse than that of those who would like to stay. Would-be migrants are more likely to report experiencing a lot of stress, worry, and anger the day before the survey, and are less likely to report experiencing a lot of enjoyment, feeling well-rested, or having the opportunity to learn something interesting.

Implications

The International Organization for Migration estimates that there were 214 million international migrants worldwide in 2010. The United Kingdom finds itself in a situation that many around the world do, with their young people and their educated the most likely to want to migrate. As Britons struggle to find solutions that keep the talent they need at home, Gallup data suggest some of the work will need to start in communities with leaders doing more to increase individual day-to-day wellbeing.

Goodbye 2010

Making The News

2010 Winter Olympics: Without a doubt the Winter Olympics has to be the number one story in Canada and indeed much of the world this year. Despite the tragic death of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili during training, the event was a huge success. Not only did Canada host a spectacular games they also won the most gold medals – 14 in all.

Russell Williams: Unfortunately one story which hit the headlines in Canada this year was the story about Russell Williams who whilst a Colonel in the Canadian Forces committed heinous acts of murder and sexual assault. He was convicted in October of the murders of Jessica Lloyd and Marie-France Comeau as well as several other crimes and was given two concurrent life sentences and stripped of his military rank.

G20: Another story hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons was the G20 summit held in Toronto in June. Rioters and protestors took to the streets and damage to property and police cars ensued. Many people were injured during the summit and allegations of police brutality and false imprisonment have followed.

Haiti Earthquake: The January earthquake in Haiti measured 7.0 and was followed by hundreds of aftershocks. The whole country was devastated but as the epicenter was close to the capital Port-au-Prince, this is where the most lives were lost. In total it is estimated that some 230,000 people died and over 300,000 were injured. Nearly a year later many of the residents of Haiti are living in tent cities hoping that their homes can eventually be rebuilt.

Icelandic Volcano: A volcano called Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland caused havoc when it began erupting in April. Vast plums of smoke and ash covered much of northern Europe bringing flights to a standstill for about a week. The volcano erupted for over a month and its ash cloud could be seen clearly from space. The eruption was officially declared over in October.

Entertainment

American Idol: Love it or hate it American Idol is a headline grabber and when Simon Cowell announced he was leaving Idol as a judge speculation mounted as to who would take over. Soon after Ellen DeGeneres also decided to quit. When the 10th season kicks off in 2011 it will have Steve Tyler of Aerosmith and Jennifer Lopez a judges alongside Randy Jackson.

Sandra Bullock: Actress Sandra bullock hit the headlines at the beginning of the year for all the right reasons. Her Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for her leading role in The Blind Side catapulted her into the limelight. But within weeks her private life was in turmoil as her husband Jesse James was found to have cheated on her and their marriage collapsed.She has since divorces James and adopted a baby called Louis.

Justin Bieber: 2010 has certainly been the year of the Bieber. Everywhere he goes this teenage pop idol is met by thousands of screaming girls. Originally from Stratford, Ontario the future looks rosy for this young star.

Oprah Winfrey: When Oprah announced she was quitting her daytime talk show after 25 years it caused uproar. She has since announced the start of her own network called OWN which launches Jan 1st 2011 an will feature shows “approved” by Oprah.

Electronics & Gadgets

Apple iPad: This gadget hit the stores this year amid fanfare and criticism, but has proved to be the most talked about gadget on the market. On its first day of release over 300,000 units were sold and since then over 13 million have found their way into people’s homes.

Kinect for Xbox 360: This new controller from Microsoft has taken computer games to a whole new level. No longer is there a need to hold controllers in your hand or use joysticks or special mats etc. Instead your body is the controller. No doubt there were lots of these on Christmas lists this year.

3D TV: Many manufacturers hit the stores with their 3D TV’s this year. Although sales have been slow mainly due to the initial cost it is expected that as costs decrease and more broadcasts and Blu-rays etc become available in 3D sales will increase.

Amazon Kindle 3G: The latest Kindle from Amazon has taken the e-reader market by storm. It does not try to be more than it is, a way to read books effortlessly and is very reasonably priced. Although other e-readers are available none have been taken to people’s hearts like the Kindle.

Apple iPhone 4: When the iPhone 4 was released people queued for days outside shops to be the first to have access to this much hyped device. Over 600,000 were sold on the first day and millions since, but it was not without controversy. Many people experienced reception problems, blaming it on the design. Apple refuted but later cured these issues and it has since gone on to be the phone everyone wants.

Hockey is a booming business in Canada with numerous leagues, teams, monuments, memorials and stores all dedicated to the game. Canadian leagues range from amateur leagues for children barely old enough to walk to the revered National Hockey League (NHL).

Whether it be an informal game of shinny on a backyard pond or the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Canadians embrace this game that makes the cold months of winter pass with a little more ease.

A Brief History of the Game

Hockey is a way of life for many Canadians

The origin of this game is widely contested; there is some evidence of hockey-like games conducted on ice throughout Europe between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, as well as claims that Windsor, Nova Scotia or Great Bear Lake in the Arctic are home to the first recorded instances of organized hockey. However, Kingston, Ontario was officially touted as the birthplace of ice hockey by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1943. This was primarily due to an account of a game between Queen’s University and the Royal Military College of Canada in 1886.

The groundwork for what is known as today’s game was laid in Montreal, Quebec in the late 1800s. The first recorded indoor game was played in this French-Canadian metropolis in 1875 at Victoria Skating Rink. Enthusiasm for the game burgeoned as the McGill University Hockey Club was formed in 1877 and the first ”World Championship” was held at the annual Winter Carnival in 1883.

In 1888, the Governor General of Canada, Lord Stanley of Preston, attended the Montreal Winter Carnival and was noted by newspapers to exude a great deal of exuberance for the sport. After noticing there was no official trophy for the winning team, Lord Stanley bought a bowl, which was titled the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup and later renamed the Stanley Cup. It was first awarded to an amateur team from Montreal in 1893 and thus began the longstanding tradition of the Stanley Cup. After a long season of high-intensity battles and four rounds of playoffs, the Stanley Cup is presented to the NHL’s reigning victors each year. While there are many individual trophies presented to players and coaching staff, the Stanley Cup, which was redesigned in 1963, remains the most coveted of prizes to be won.

The National Hockey League is Born
In 1917 the NHL was formed in Montreal, Quebec. Beginning with only four teams, the league expanded to 10 teams in its infancy, but was reduced to only six teams by 1942 due to devastation caused by the Great Depression and the second world war.

The NHL Lockout

In 2004, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced a lockout after unsuccessful contract negotiations between the National Hockey League Players’ Association and the NHL. The source of the 310 day lockout centred around a salary cap, which intended to limit the amount of money each team could spend on players’ salaries. The NHL became the first professional sports league to miss a full season. A collective bargaining agreement was eventually reached and play resumed for the 2005-2006 season with record attendance levels.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings remained the only six teams in the league for nearly a quarter of a century, resulting in the reference to these teams as the “Original Six.” In the 1960s, the league resumed expansion plans after taking notice of rumours that the Western Hockey League was considering declaring itself a professional league. For the first time since the 1920s, new teams were added and the number of teams continued to climb to the reach its present-day total of 30.

Ice Hockey At The Olympics

Sidney Crosby holds the 2010 Gold

Making its debut at the summer Olympics in 1920, men’s hockey was appropriately moved to the winter games in 1924. Winning six of the initial seven gold medals, Canadian teams excelled for the first decade, but suffered in years to come, because Olympic rules did not permit professional hockey players to participate. It wasn’t until 1988 that these skilled players were afforded the opportunity to play in the games and even then scheduling conflicts between the NHL and the Olympics were problematic. It was in 1998, for the Nagano Olympics, that the NHL first paused its schedule to allow the league’s elite to compete in the games.

Women’s Ice Hockey

In the 1890s Lord Stanley’s daughter, Lady Isobel was photographed playing hockey at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. Over a century later, women’s ice hockey is now rapidly gaining popularity throughout the world.

In recent years, the sport has made significant strides with the development of the National Women’s Hockey League in 1999, as well as its incorporation into the Olympic Games in 1998. For many years, Canadian and American teams dominated the sport at professional levels and were the only two teams to ever reach a women’s world championship final until 2006 when Sweden unsuccessfully attempted to take gold from the Canadian team in Italy.

The Hockey Hall of Fame

Dedicated to the history of the game, this sanctuary of hockey paraphernalia is located in Toronto, Ontario. The league’s ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup, spends half of the year displayed in the Great Hall of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Established in 1943, the Hockey Hall of Fame was originally located in Kingston, Ontario, but moved to Toronto and opened its first permanent location at Exhibition Place in 1961. Still at home in Canada’s largest city, the hall of fame is now located downtown and draws 300,000 visitors each year.

There are 15 exhibits, which provide information about the history of the game and its past players, as well as current statistics, teams and players. There are also interactive displays, such as the Source for Sports Shoot Out, which allows visitors to shoot a puck at a computer simulated version of goalie Eddie Belfour.

Canadian Hockey Heroes

Wayne Gretzky

Achieving celebrity status, Canada’s favourite hockey players have sprouted up all over the country, from small towns in Saskatchewan to major cities in Ontario. There is a long list of past and present Canadian-born hockey heroes, including but not limited to Maurice “The Rocket” Richard, Mark Messier, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Doug Harvey, Patrick Roy, Gordie Howe and most notably, Wayne Gretzky.

Born in Brantford, Ontario, Wayne Gretzky is nicknamed the “Great One” and is commonly considered the best hockey player of all time. The game’s only player to tally over 200 points in one season, Gretzky led the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup four times in the 1980s before a controversial trade to the Los Angeles Kings on August 9, 1988 sent him to the United States. An upsetting day for Canadians, the trade was highly criticized. The leader of the New Democratic Party at the time, Nelson Riis, even went so far as to demand the government stop the move.

There are numerous monuments honouring the hockey icon, including a statue that stands outside of Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta where the Oilers currently play. Additionally, one of Edmonton’s busiest streets, which passes by the Oilers’ arena, was renamed Wayne Gretzky Drive in October of 1999. In his hometown of Brantford, Ontario most of Park Road is now officially titled Wayne Gretzky Parkway.

Hockey Day In Canada

Commonly falling in mid-February, Hockey Day in Canada has become an unstoppable phenomenon since its inception in 2000. This unofficial holiday celebrates the “triple header” featuring all six Canadian teams in action, as well as the culture of hockey across Canada. Recently, due to the NHL schedules, the day often features American-Canadian match-ups.

In addition to broadcasting the NHL games, Hockey Day in Canada highlights various tournaments, leagues and hockey players across the country. Each year, infamous Canadian hockey broadcaster Don Cherry and his better-half, Ron Maclean, report from a different remote area of Canada to promote the hockey efforts of smaller communities. In the past, Hockey Day in Canada has featured all-night pick-up hockey games from Red Deer, Alberta and Windsor, Nova Scotia.

The Canadian NHL Teams

Over the years, some Canadian cities have mourned as their teams have relocated to larger American markets, while other parts of the country have feverishly fought for a franchise of their own. Today, there are six NHL teams in Canada: Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.

Vancouver Canucks
Joining the league in the 1970 expansion, the Canucks are one of two Canadian teams that have never won the coveted Stanley Cup. Advancing to the finals in 1982 and 1994, the franchise was unable to emerge victorious from either contest. The Canucks play at General Motors Place on Griffiths Way in downtown Vancouver near the waterfront.

Calgary Flames
After a stint in Atlanta, Georgia as the Atlanta Flames this team moved to Calgary in 1980 and in 1989 they acquired the Stanley Cup for the first time. In 2004, Calgary Flames fans erupted in manic excitement as the team made a historic, but unsuccessful bid for the hallowed prize. Cheering the team on as they made their way to the final game of the final round of the playoffs, the city came alive with elated fans who filled the Saddledome with a sea of red jerseys.

Edmonton Oilers
Dominating the NHL in the 1980s, the Edmonton Oilers were home to some of the greatest players of all time, including Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. In their first season (1979-1980) the Edmonton Oilers made the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but ultimately lost the championship to the Philadelphia Flyers. Following that loss they would prove themselves to be fierce competitors winning five Stanley Cups in the 1980s. The Oilers’ prominent rival is the Calgary Flames with the contest between the two teams termed the Battle of Alberta.

Ottawa Senators
The original Ottawa Senators team was formed in 1883, but eventually floundered and was no longer a professional team by the 1930s. Returning to professional level ice hockey in the 1992-1993 season, the Ottawa Senators made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007, but were unable to topple the Anaheim Ducks.

Toronto Maple Leafs
One of the original six teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs is one of the most popular teams in the league despite its inability to win the Stanley Cup since their 1967 triumph over the Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs have battled fiercely against the Canadiens, as well as the Ottawa Senators, providing the league with some of the most heated battles and closely watched games. The Toronto Maple Leafs play at the Air Canada Centre, which is connected to Union Station on Bay Street in downtown Toronto.

Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are commonly referred to as the “Habs” derived from the French-nickname Les Habitants (inhabitants). This original six team has won more Stanley Cups than any other NHL team and is the last Canadian team to have claimed the cup with their victory over the Los Angeles Kings in 1993. The Canadiens play at the Bell Centre in downtown Montreal.

This was the first decline since the annual Survey of Household Spending was introduced in 1997. During 2009, the annual average rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index was 0.3%.

Personal taxes accounted for 20.2% of the average household’s budget in 2009, while shelter represented 19.8%, transportation 13.7% and food 10.2%. These shares were virtually unchanged from 2008.

Excluding personal taxes, spending on goods and services was down 0.7% in 2009 from 2008.

Average household spending declined in five provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario and Alberta. The largest declines occurred in Prince Edward Island (-3.1%), and in Alberta (-2.2%), where average spending was highest at $84,976. The largest increase was in Manitoba (+4.9%), largely the result of a 5.5% increase in spending on shelter and a 4.9% increase on transportation. Spending on other categories remained stable.

Less spending on discretionary items

Putting the squeeze on spending

Households reduced spending in 2009 on discretionary items or those that could be postponed, such as recreation and household furnishings.

One exception was spending for home repairs and maintenance, which increased 22% in 2009 over 2008. In large part, this was likely due to the federal government home renovation tax credit program.

The largest declines in spending were for recreation, which fell 5.5% to $3,840 on average. Lower spending on recreation vehicles led the decline in this category; for example, spending on snowmobiles fell 11%.

Declines were widespread in such areas as sports gear, computer equipment and photographic equipment. However, spending at movie theatres rose 8.7% to an average of $100 per household.

Spending on household furnishings and equipment fell 3.6% to an average of $1,900 per household. This decrease was largely the result of declines in spending for rugs, window coverings, art, antiques, and workshop tools. Spending for furniture and appliances remained steady.

Overall, spending for transportation remained virtually unchanged at $9,750 per household. The largest change in transportation was for leased automobiles, where spending fell 16%. Many major auto corporations halted leasing during the downturn in the fall of 2008 and did not resume until the fall of 2009.

Spending associated with moving, such as the hiring of movers, real estate commissions, appraisals and land transfer taxes all showed sharp declines.

Technological change continues to affect spending

Not all changes were associated with the economic downturn. Technological change continued to drive a number of long-term trends in spending.

Spending for cell phone services rose 13% to an average of $620, surpassing spending for landline telephone services for the first time. Spending for landline services fell 4.5% to $550.

Over 77% of households reported having at least one cell phone. The proportion of households with landline service declined to 89%, a level last seen in 1965.

Spending on audio players fell 38%, while it was down 9.2% on digital cameras. These declines occurred as more cell phones were capable of playing music and taking photos.

Spending on reading materials, such as newspapers and books, fell 8.3% to $230 per household, while average spending for Internet access grew 10% to $340 per household.

Home Internet access was reported by 78% of households in 2009, while 72% reported having a broadband connection, up from 67% in 2008.

Food, shelter, clothing account for over half of spending by lowest income households

52% went to food, shelter and clothing

The one-fifth of Canadian households with the lowest income spent an average of $23,860 in 2009. Of this, almost 52% went to food, shelter and clothing. Personal taxes represented 2.8% of their budget.

In contrast, the one-fifth of households with the highest income spent an average of $147,090. They allocated about 27% of their budgets to food, shelter and clothing, while 30% went to personal taxes. These proportions were similar to 2008.

The report “User Guide for the Survey of Household Spending,” 2009 (62F0026M2010006, free), which presents information about survey methodology, concepts, and data quality, is available online as part of the Household Expenditures Research Paper Series. From the Publications module, choose Publications by subject, then Income, pensions, spending and wealth, then Household spending and Savings and finally, Household Expenditures Research paper series.

Your Clothing

Many Canadians will tell you that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. In many ways this is true, as if you dress correctly for the weather conditions then you will fare better that someone who isn’t.

Layers are the key as weather can change quickly and without warning, so if you wear layers you can peel them off when the weather gets warmer or add layers as it gets colder.

If you are a visitor to Canada or perhaps this is your first winter here as a newcomer a good tip is to buy winter clothing when you are actually in Canada as the clothing here is made for the conditions experienced. If you buy a warm coat from say the UK, it might be OK for the odd day when the weather dips to -1°C, but will it cope when Canadian temperatures dip to -20°C? Many clothing and footwear items in Canada actually state the temperature they are made to cope with. They will also state if they are water and/or wind repellent.

Buy a coat that has a hood and can be secured tightly round the neck, make sure it is tightly woven to keep out the cold and that the fastening at the front has both a zipper and another fastening over the zipper such as buttons or Velcro to stop the wind entering the garment.

Go for layers of lightweight, loose fitting clothing as this will trap body heat and keep you warmer than a single thick layer. Always wear a hat, as much of your body heat is lost through your head. Gloves or mittens are also a must and many can be purchased in thin, lightweight fabrics that are also very warm, but allow more movement, such as Thinsulate™.

Footwear is another important consideration. You will need boots that are both warm and waterproof. Again many boots and shoes will show the temperature they are designed to withstand, some of them with quite frightening temperatures such as -60°C. A high-legged boot is a good idea for snow conditions and if you can tuck your pants into the top it is a bonus as it will stop you getting wet clothing.

Your Home

Preparing your home for winter is as important as preparing yourself. Make sure your roof is sound and all your plumbing is adequately protected.

A generator is often a good investment. There are several types of generator, ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. If you lose power in the winter, or indeed any time of the year you can switch to generator power. Depending on the size and type of generator purchased, this will keep anything electric going in your home from just a few lights and sockets to the whole house. Remember if you buy a house that has a well, you will have an electric well pump. This will fail if the power goes and you will have no water. A generator can keep the well pump going during a power outage enabling you to obtain water from the taps, flush toilets etc. The key things to keep going during a power outage are some sockets for items like kettles, lights, well pump, heating system and possibly the freezer.

An emergency kit is always advisable in the home containing things such as a flashlight, extra batteries, extra fuel for your generator, camping stove, water supply, medication etc. Make sure everyone in the family knows where things are kept and how to use the generator, although children should always be supervised. Make sure animals are well cared for and also have an ongoing food and water supply. In case you end up being house-bound for any length of time you should stock up on food and drink items that are non-perishable, such as canned food.

Your Vehicle

Make sure you vehicle is ready for the winter and if needed take it into the garage for a winter tune-up. Regularly check tire pressure, engine oil, wiper and washer fluid, antifreeze, battery etc.

Winter tires are also an important addition to your vehicle. These tires are made to cope with snow and ice and your car will perform better in these conditions if winter tires are fitted. Many Canadian vehicles are fitted with all-season tires, but these often do not provide enough traction during the winter. Some provinces, such as Quebec, require the fitting of winter tire by law. Book your tire change early in the season to avoid delays at the garage.

You can also purchase winter wiper blades, which are designed to cope with snow and ice better than regular wiper blades.

Make sure you have a “winter kit” in your vehicle at all times. This should include things such as snack bars, water, flashlight, batteries, warm blankets or sleeping bags, shovel, snow chains, ice scraper, toilet paper, cash, cell phone charger, maps etc. You should also make sure you have sufficient warm clothing in case you need to walk any distance. Also if you have children, make sure you have games or books in the car to keep them occupied.

Only drive in severe weather conditions if absolutely necessary and always let someone know your route and expected time of arrival, just in case. Make sure you have relevant phone numbers programmed in your cell phone in case of emergency.

Winter Conditions

Wind Chill Index

Wind chill is the temperature that your skin will feel regardless of the actual recorded temperature. For example if the actual temperature outside is -5°C, but the wind chill is -18°C, you will feel as cold as if it were actually -18°C.

For temperatures of 0 to -10°C you will simply need to wear warm clothing. For temperatures of between -10°C and -25°C there is a risk of hypothermia if exposed for long periods. -25°C to -45°C there is not only a risk of hypothermia but of frostbite too. In temperatures of -45°C to -59°C, exposed skin can freeze in minutes and for temperatures exceeding -60°C there is extreme danger when exposed for even a few seconds.

Canadian weather forecasts always include the wind chill factor and you should use this as a guide to how cold it will be and react accordingly.

Freezing Rain

This is snow that is super cooled as it falls and freezes on impact. This ice is very heavy and can build up on overhead cables, trees etc and cause then to fall creating dangerous conditions and power outages. Because the freezing rain hits the ground as a rain droplet it means that a thick layer of ice is formed, making for very dangerous driving conditions.

Blizzards

Blizzards are severe storms combining snow and high winds with very low visibility. These can be dangerous for both pedestrians and drivers due to both the poor visibility and drifting snow. Blizzards are typically classified as having winds in excess of 40 km/ph with snow or blowing snow and visibility of less than a kilometer for at least four hours.

Winter Related Conditions

Frostbite

Frostbite damages the body’s tissue during extreme cold. Wind chills of minus 20°C can cause frostbite in half an hour. Symptoms include loss of feeling and pale appearance to extremities such as fingers, toes, ears etc. Medical help is needed immediately symptoms are detected and the patient needs to be gradually warmed up with blankets or body heat from another person. Never rub the affected area as this can cause more damage.

Most people will recover from frostbite, although severe forms may result in loss of the affected area. The key is to warm the patient gradually and not expose them to sudden temperature increases.

Hypothermia

This is a condition caused when the body starts to loose heat quicker than it can make it. For most people a drop of 2°C on their normal temperature will induce hypothermia. Normal body temperature is 37°C.

Symptoms include shivering, cold, pale or blue skin, slurred speech, numbness and confusion, eventually leading to unconsciousness. Treatment is needed urgently and the patient needs to be kept as warm as possible.

Treatment depends on severity and can range from simply getting the patient out of the cold conditions and warming up to more severe cases that require hospitalization.

Cultural Differences

Canada is a vibrant and diverse country. Canadians are proud of their multicultural society.

Moving and adapting to new country, however, may be a very different and difficult experience for some newcomers. It is not uncommon to feel the following emotions:

• Uncomfortable
• Helpless
• Frustrated
• Frightened
• Insecure
• Unsure how to behave
• That your cultural beliefs and values are being challenged
• That things are not predictable

It is normal for people moving to a new country to experience stress during their first few months.

• Your first twelve months in Canada will be emotional and full of change. There will be many things to learn.
• You will face many challenges.
  • You may have to learn English/French or improve your language skills.
  • You may need more education or training.
  • You may have to take a first job or home that is less than you expected.
• There may be many differences between your old life and your new one.

Your feelings are normal. Every newcomer will experience them to various degrees.

Your family’s move to Canada may be more difficult than yours, particularly if they feel they had little control over the decision to move. They will probably experience the same feelings of discomfort, helplessness, and frustration as they adjust to living here. However, in some cases these feelings may be stronger.

For some children, any change can be traumatic; a move to a new country and culture even more so. Your children may be sad or angry about having to leave their school and friends. Your husband or wife may feel very lonely for friends and relatives. It is important to allow your family to communicate how they feel about living in their new home.

The Four Stages of Adapting to a New Country

The four stages of adapting to life in a new country are as follows:

Stage 1: Euphoria period – fascination period

Just before or shortly after arriving in Canada you may:

• Have high hopes and expectations;
• Feel this is a very exciting time;
• Feel everything is new and interesting;
• Feel very confident and can easily cope with problems and stress; and
• Tend to focus on similarities between your own culture and country.

Stage 2: Disenchantment – frustration or irritation and hostility

During the first six months you may:

• Have good and bad experiences;
• Feel very happy about the challenges you have overcome;
• Feel very frustrated, confused, and disappointed;
• Feel depressed about the difficulties you are experiencing;
• Feel very positive one day and very negative the next;
• Focus on the differences between yourself and Canadians;
• Miss your family and feel no connection to Canada;
• Have difficulty getting out of bed in the morning;
• Have difficulty sleeping;
• Have difficulty going to work or looking for work;
• Develop problems with your partner and children;
• Feel indifferent and want to withdraw from normal activities;
• Lose your appetite;
• Feel loneliness for your country and loved ones; and
• Feel guilty about leaving family members behind.

Stage 3: Gradual adjustment – or recovery

During this stage of your adjustment:

• You start to feel in better control of your life as you gain a better understanding of Canada and Canadians;
• You feel more confident in your language skills;
• You gradually get involved in the community;
• Your sense of humour returns;
• You have a better understanding of how to adapt to life in Canada; and
• You have a better sense of what to do to get what you want.

Stage 4: Acceptance – adjustment or acculturation

During this stage of your adjustment:

• You feel more comfortable in your new culture;
• You may have made some friends;
• You get more involved;
• You understand the new system better;
• You no longer regret having come to Canada;
• You may be studying, planning to return to school, or working at better jobs; and
• You generally feel content.

Ways to Integrate

Here are some ways you can integrate yourself into Canadian society:

• Get to know Canada, its people and places. Learn and discover as much as you can about the culture of your new community. Remain open to new ideas and experiences without compromising your own beliefs and attitudes.
• When in doubt, ask questions. Talk to Canadians about their country. Talk to other newcomers about their experiences in Canada.
• Use the support services available to you. It is important to discuss your feelings. Do not be embarrassed about seeking help. With timely and caring advice, you may be able to adjust more easily, and to enjoy life in Canada.

Learning How to Adapt/Adjust to a New Culture

• Do not expect too much from yourself. Settlement in a new country is a significant process. It is normal for every person living in a new culture (of every age, gender, or race) to experience stress.
• Understand that being aware of cultural differences is part of the process of adjusting to your new cultural environment.
• Explore and appreciate cultural differences. This can help you avoid misunderstandings, develop friendships more easily, and feel more comfortable.
• Remember that adjusting to a new culture takes time.
• Exercise regularly and get enough sleep to keep your energy levels high.
• Stay in touch with friends and family to avoid feeling isolated.
• Involve yourself in the community as a volunteer – this is a good way to meet people and to practice your English/French.
• Enroll in an English or French language class.
• Explore subjects that interest you (music, dance, art, learning a language, etc.).
• Think about your own culture and how it influences your attitudes and actions.
• Recognize the need to grieve losses. This may provide reassurance to those who are experiencing emotional distress.
• Find out about the help offered by Canadian settlement agencies.

Be sure to talk to your family about changes that will take place so they too can prepare themselves for the process of integrating into Canada.

Although adapting to a new country is difficult, remember that you and your family are not alone. Others have gone through this process and have successfully adjusted to living in Canada.

CCPA senior economist Armine Yalnizyan said the concentration of wealth for top-earning Canadians is staggering, with the richest citizens making consistent gains over almost everyone in the country over the decades.

“The higher up the ladder you go, the more colossal this glomming of wealth becomes,” Yalnizyan said in a recent interview.

Using data from income-tax forms, the CCPA reports that the top one per cent of earners doubled their share of total Canadian incomes from the 1970s to the 2007 tax year. During the same period, the top 0.1 per cent of earners tripled their own relative share. And the top 0.01 per cent of earners now make up more than four times what they did.

Yalnizyan said that many people in these privileged demographics have weathered the current recession in good stead because of their enormous wealth.

“Most Canadians are inching their way through recovery, trying to hang on to what they’ve got,” Yalnizyan writes in the study.

“But for some Canadians, things have never been so good.”

“The CCPA has concluded the wealth-consolidation trend is one that took root in the early 1980s but is now more pronounced than ever.

Prior to this sharp rise, a postwar trend had seen incomes become more equally distributed throughout the population. Analysts want to figure out why the trend has since gone the other way and if such a development is a cause for concern.

“It’s the best data we have on this issues,” said Andrew Sharpe, executive director of the Centre for the Study of Living Standards.

“The key issue is, what’s driving this?”

Yalnizyan’s study has concluded that today’s ultra-rich Canadians make their money from massive salaries — as opposed to the crème-de-la-crème of decades past, who tended to be entrepreneurs who made their fortunes from private businesses. These modern super-rich Canadians are typically those who run large companies and receive high levels of compensation.

Yalnizyan believes that income tax has not kept up with the higher earnings of today’s top earners, which has allowed them to make gains on other groups.

Researcher Peter Nicholson, who previously wrote his own analysis of an earlier version of the same tax data, said the trend is part of a larger cultural shift where corporate honchos are the “rock stars” of the modern era.

But he said there is no real consensus on why the trend has headed in the direction it has.

“At least you have to understand why this is happening. Is it fair, or is it a good thing?”