Actress Glenn Close arrives for the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Feb. 26, 2012, in Hollywood, Calif. Close, also known for her mental health advocacy, will be a keynote speaker at an international conference on reducing stigma surrounding mental illness to be held in Ottawa in June. (Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images)

Award-winning actress Glenn Close will be a keynote speaker at an international conference on reducing stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness being held in Ottawa June 4–6.

The 5th International Stigma Conference—Together Against Stigma: Changing How We See Mental Illness—will bring together mental health researchers, policy makers, and service users from around the world.

That there is mental illness in my family puts us squarely at the heart of the global human family.—Glenn Close

In 2009, Close helped launch Bring Change 2 Mind, a U.S. based anti-stigma organization that works to remove misconceptions about mental illness.

Close’s younger sister, Jessie, and Jessie’s son, Calen, both live with mental illness. Fifty-six-year-old Jessie was diagnosed as bipolar at age 47. The illness began when she was a teenager but went years undiagnosed. Calen suffers from schizophrenia.

Jessie and Calen will also be guest speakers at the conference.

“That there is mental illness in my family puts us squarely at the heart of the global human family,” said Close in a press release.

“I am honoured to be a part of this year’s International Stigma Conference and am thrilled to also be celebrating the formation of Bring Change 2 Mind’s distinguished Advisory Council, who will aid us in translating the science of stigma and discrimination into powerful, informed messaging.”

Close, who has received six Oscar nominations, three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and three Tony Awards, is also known for her role as a mental health advocate.

This year she received the National Association of Broadcasters Educational Foundation’s Leadership Award for her work with Bring Change 2 Mind.

The Stigma Conference is hosted by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) and the World Psychiatric Association Scientific Section on Stigma and Mental Illness.

In welcoming Close to the conference, Micheal Pietrus, director of MHCC’s anti-stigma initiative Opening Minds, noted that “her commitment to fighting stigma and removing misconceptions about mental illness is inspiring to us all.”

Opening Minds is the largest systematic effort to reduce the stigma of mental illness in Canadian history, according to the MHCC.

The initiative is working to evaluate anti-stigma programs across Canada to determine their effectiveness at changing negative attitudes and behaviours related to mental illnesses. The successful programs are being replicated elsewhere in the country.

To decrease stigma, Opening Minds is also working with journalism schools and the media to identify myths and misconceptions associated with mental illness.

More than seven million Canadians will experience a mental health problem this year.

According to the MHCC, researchers have found that stigma is a major barrier preventing more than two-thirds of people with mental illnesses from seeking help, and “Many people living with a mental illness say the stigma they face is often worse than the illness itself.”

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File photo of Wildrose leader Danielle Smith. Smith says the decision of Alberta’s culture minister to cancel the Shen Yun Performing Arts shows after the local hosting organization went public about unprofessional treatment at the hands of Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium management is an example of PC “bullying.” (Dave Cournoyer/Wikimedia Commons)

In their first session as the official opposition, the Wildrose Party took the Tories to task in the Alberta legislature Monday, calling the cancellation of future Shen Yun Performing Arts shows in the province an act of “bullying.”

Shen Yun, a New York-based classical Chinese dance company that performs around the world each year, has been coming to Alberta since 2007. The group was slated to perform at both the Northern and Southern Alberta Jubilee auditoria in 2013.

However, Culture Minister Heather Klimchuk abruptly cancelled future performances at both venues after the local presenters went public with concerns of “professional misconduct” at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary.

“It’s another classic example of ‘keep your mouth shut, otherwise we’re going to punish you.’ … This is not setting the proper tone for a brand new government,” said Wildrose leader Danielle Smith at a press conference on Monday.

“It’s a bullying issue.”

Culture Critic Blake Pederson called on Klimchuk in Parliament on Monday to apologize to the Falun Dafa Association, which presents Shen Yun in both cities, and reinstate the 2013 shows.

“The culture minister’s rash cancellation of next year’s performances means Shen Yun will have no venue large enough to accommodate it and effectively bans Shen Yun’s world class performances from Alberta,” said Blake.

In response, Klimchuk called the dispute a “contractual issue” and a “safety issue”—referring to a safety net placed over the Shen Yun orchestra pit that was demanded by Southern Alberta Jubilee management.

There was no net installed at the Northern Alberta venue, however, or at any other venue the show performs at around the world. The net was also not listed in the contract between the Calgary venue and organizers.

However, for the first time, Klimchuk said she will ask her officials to meet with the Calgary Falun Dafa Association to see whether the issue can be resolved. Premier Alison Redford echoed Klimchuk’s stance.

“This is an issue with respect to whether or not netting should be up around a stage and the management of the auditoriums believe that to be the case. … That is the primary concern and it is the only issue that it is going on,” Redford said.

Safety Claims a Red Herring‘

The Calgary Falun Dafa Association cried foul at a press conference after the legislative session, saying the safety claims were a red herring, and wondered why the Minister has only now agreed to a meeting, after repeated requests were ignored.

“We are disappointed that the minister has been mis-portraying that this is an issue solely about safety and a contractual issue, making the suggestion that the government is pro safety and our organization is weak in regards to safety. That’s really untrue. We are talking about professionals who are trained in the highest form of their art and certainly safety at all the performances is an important part of their work,” said spokesperson Jenny Yang.

“Unfortunately the minister’s office and the auditoria have been completely unwilling to discuss any remedies, and are rather disrespectful in that process. … It is that behaviour and that attitude which is not isolated to the net but has become the norm of how the ministry and the auditoria management are dealing with Shen Yun.”

Yang said the problems at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium started in 2010, and reached a peak in 2012 when a technical mistake by Jubilee staff caused a major lighting error during the performance. In addition, the door to a makeshift change room for Shen Yun’s female performers was accidentally opened by a male staff member, exposing the young women as they undressed to other male staff.

Yang says when these concerns were raised with Jubilee staff they were met with dismissal, condescension, or laughter.

In a letter to Klimchuk earlier this month, Winnipeg-based human rights lawyer David Matas said the use of the net was first imposed by the Calgary Jubilee’s management in 2010, even though no reference was made in the contract to any such net.

“This has been so even though liability waivers were offered and performers held personal injury insurance. There would have been no liability for the theatre in case of injury due to absence of a net,” he wrote.

Chinese Regime Pressure

The Falun Dafa Associations of Calgary and Edmonton have also raised concerns that the cancellation of the 2013 shows is a result of pressure from the Chinese Communist regime ahead of Redford’s trip to China next month.

The regime has repeatedly tried to stop Shen Yun from performing in Alberta and at many other venues around the world due to Shen Yun’s mission to revive traditional Chinese culture, which has been systematically destroyed in China to make way for communist rhetoric.

In 2010, Southern Alberta Jubilee management told the local presenters that they had indeed received letters and phone calls, presumably from the Chinese regime, that were clearly meant to create animosity towards the hosting organization with the ultimate aim of cancelling the shows.

Yang says the Falun Dafa Association’s original demands were simply to have the net removed from the orchestra, as it made the performers feel as if they were “performing in a cage,” and to ask for improved relations at the Southern Alberta venue.

Opposition House Leader Rob Anderson presented a petition to the legislative assembly on Monday and Tuesday with 6,000 signatures from Albertans, calling on Klimchuk to reinstate future Shen Yun shows.

A cyclist prepares to ride on a portion of the Trans Canada Trail near Grand Forks, B.C. (Anke Aussendorf/Wikimedia Commons)

The idea for a trail that runs across the country from coast to coast to coast was hatched in 1992 as a unique way to celebrate Canada’s 125th year since Confederation.

Twenty years later, the Trans Canada Trail is 73 percent completed, thanks to the hard work and dedication of thousands of Canadians—many of them volunteers.

When completed, it will stretch 22,500 kilometres from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic Oceans, through every province and territory, making it the world’s longest network of trails.

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the beginning of the ambitious project, which is made up of close to 400 individual trails, all with their own unique features.

The goal is to connect the trail as a continuous route by 2017, Canada’s 150th anniversary. That means 6,500 kilometres have yet to be built—much of it in unpopulated areas with difficult terrain.

But it’s a challenge Trans Canada Trail president and CEO Deborah Apps says can be met, given the gusto with which the project has been embraced so far.

“This is the largest volunteer initiative in Canada’s history, because there have been so many people on the ground working in support of this project over the last 20 years,” says Apps.

“We’re challenged with some pretty tough terrain right now and that will be our challenge for the next five years, but we have great volunteers and we are really seeing a lot of very positive community support.”

Apps says she envisions the trail being used to connect families and communities, and enrich the lives and wellbeing of all Canadians. From cross-country skiing in the winter to horseback riding in the summer, the trail can be used in an endless variety of ways.

“It’s all about health and well-being—the physical and spiritual,” she says.

“Eighty percent of Canadians live within 30 minutes of the trail, so if you think about it that way … it’s absolutely very positive for communities.”

From Horseback Riding to Snowshoeing

A view of the Trans Canada Trail at Silver Springs Park in East St. Paul, Manitoba. When the trail is completed it will be the longest recreational network in the world. (Van Whitehead/Wikipedia)

The trail’s “Greenways Vision” promotes non-motorized uses of the network, mainly designed for hikers/walkers, cyclists, horseback riders, and canoeists/kayakers in summer, and cross country skiers, snowshoers, and snowmobilers (on select portions) in winter.

The Trans Canada Trail website has maps that guide users to their nearest piece of the trail, and provides details on what kind of terrain and features to expect.

“Is this a good equestrian trail? Is it good for cycling? Is it paved? Gravel? Will I be able to pull my children behind in a chariot? All of those things are available for visitors to the website to understand the kind of experience they’re going to get on the trail,” says Apps.

The trail is funded by corporations, all levels of government, and through public donations. It will take approximately $100 million to finish the remaining portion.

Over the past 20 years, more than 125,000 Canadians have donated towards building the trail and anyone can sponsor a portion for as little as $5. Apps says the organization is trying to decide how to recognize those who have contributed to the trail.

“There are hundreds of thousands of Canadians, maybe millions [involved], and so we have to come up with a plan where we will recognize how people have given and what they’ve given.”

She says both Canadians and tourists from around the world are already planning to use the trail in creative ways.

One family is planning to travel a different portion of the trail every year, and another is organizing a “cousvention,” where cousins from different areas of Canada plan to meet along the trail.

“It’s starting to really take root in people’s psyche about what they can experience on the trail and what it can be used for,” she says. “There are portions of the trail that deliver a remarkable experience.”

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Canada’s legal system needs to be aware of the global scope of persecution of vulnerable groups like Falun Gong to maintain its integrity and inspire action on international human rights justice issues, Matas said.

Matas analyzed five court cases and one tribunal to show how the legal system has failed to grasp the global nature of the persecution of Falun Gong being pursued by the Chinese regime, which Matas noted, is a foreign repressive state.

Proxy Legal Repression

While key perpetrators of the widespread imprisonment, torture, and killing of Falun Gong adherents do not acknowledge lawsuits filed against them in courts around the world, Matas said they do defend themselves through a proxy, the All China Lawyers Association (ACLA).

He described two cases of torture victims suing their perpetrators. In one, the plaintiff sued former Chinese head of state Jiang Zemin who orchestrated the persecution of Falun Gong. In the second, the plaintiff, a Toronto resident, took action against the now-disgraced Chinese official Bo Xilai, then minister of commerce and former head of Liaoning Province.

Bo rose to prominence under Jiang for his role in conducting a brutal repression and widespread torture of practitioners, which included the plaintiff.

While none of the accused contested the cases, the ACLA was granted intervener status as friend of the court to argue immunity for the accused.

Unlike the Canadian Bar Association, ACLA is directly controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and in China it is used by the CCP to stop lawyers from representing Falun Gong practitioners, thus directly participating in the persecution of Falun Gong.

It is completely wrong for Canadian courts to allow the ACLA, which denies justice to victims in China, to interfere in cases in Canada, Matas said. Allowing ACLA to intervene in Canadian courts means the courts are willing to turn a blind eye to its complicity in the persecution.

By so doing, Matas said any confidence that the courts will mete out justice is correspondingly decreased.

Oppression Extends to Canada

While the persecution of Falun Gong is intense and fatal in China, the Chinese regime finds several ways to attack adherents in Canada as well.

Matas described how the regime exports the slander used in China to demonize and thus justify the murder of Falun Gong adherents.

One of the most notable cases in recent years is that of Crescent Chau, the publisher of La Presse Chinoise, a Montreal-based Chinese-language newspaper that regularly publishes some 4,000 copies that sell for 60 cents each in Montreal, with a few hundred in Ottawa.

Starting in late 2001, Chau started to print runs of up to 100,0000 copies of 32-page special editions distributed nationwide for free, devoid of any ads or news. All 32 pages were packed with articles attacking the founder of Falun Gong and vilifying Falun Gong adherents with fabrications of bizarre practices like bestiality and vampirism.

At the time, The Epoch Times published articles that examined Chau’s actions and the Chinese regime’s repression of Falun Gong. The articles noted Chau’s actions revealed he was acting as an agent of the regime.

The articles also reported on Chau’s business connections to questionable characters and quoted Chen Yonglin, a former high-ranking Chinese diplomat who had defected to Australia, who suggested that Chau’s paper was serving as a propaganda tool for the CCP in Canada.

Chau said he wanted to eliminate Falun Gong yet stated he had neither spoken with Falun Gong adherents for the contents of the special edition nor read the Falun Gong teachings.

Chau was sued for defamation by 232 Falun Gong practitioners before the Quebec Superior Court and the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal concluded that the accusations of criminal behaviour, levied without any proof, were defamatory, but that they did not result in personal damages to individual plaintiffs.

That ruling overturned the lower Quebec Superior Court that gave credence to the defamation. The lower court had earlier held that it was not able “to come to the conclusion that contents of the impugned particles … are false, grossly inaccurate, published to incite hatred and derision in Canada or persecution in the People’s Republic of China.”

Although the lower court was overruled, Matas said the fact that a Quebec Superior Court judge would give credence to CCP propaganda against Falun Gong is troubling.

“What happens in court has a significant impact outside of court and beyond the judgment,” he said. “A poor judgment—the wrong result for the wrong reason—misleads the public.”

Discrimination Against Falun Gong in Canada

In the above case, although the Court of Appeal ruled that Chau’s act was illegal, no punishment was given and Chau subsequently repeated the crime. It’s part of a pattern Matas described of courts and tribunals failing to understand the nature of what is happening.

In 2010, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ruled that Falun Gong is a protected creed under the Ontario Human Rights code. That ruling came in a case where the Ottawa Chinese Seniors Association discriminated against Daiming Huang, an elderly female Falun Gong adherent who was expelled from the association for her belief.

During the hearing, Matas noted that ample evidence detailed how the seniors association was following the Chinese communist regime’s anti-Falun Gong policy and how the expulsion of Huang was instigated by the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa. Yet the decision made no finding on the aspect of the extension of the persecution of Falun Gong to Canada.

Matas was uncertain whether justice had been served, despite Huang’s win. To judge the system, he said one must look at the process as a whole rather than just the outcome.

Because the tribunal made no finding on the global pattern of persecution, the decision was limited in impact and has much less relevance than it could on the global campaign the Chinese regime is carrying out against Falun Gong.

General Problem; Solutions

Some cases do have landmark implications, delineating the line between regular criminal activity and activity that is part of a broader coordinated effort at repression.

Chau’s lawsuit against The Epoch Times is one example. While the defamation finding that Falun Gong adherents won against him was limited, a better result came from Chau’s attempt to sue The Epoch Times.

Chau tried to sue The Epoch Times for libel for describing him as an agent of the CCP. He lost, and the court asserted he was indeed acting as an agent of the regime. The ruling set a precedent that can help other courts understand the nature of actions taking place in Canada.

However, such findings are limited, noted Matas.

“Sometimes you get a good judgment; that doesn’t remove the general problem I was trying to identify, which is a general lack of awareness of what’s going on in China,” he said.

“I think when we’re dealing with specialized tribunals we have to make sure they get the specialized knowledge they need.”

It can be difficult for courts and tribunals to understand the scope of repression in China, he noted.

In order to maintain its integrity, the Canadian legal system has to become more familiar with the global nature of the CCP’s oppression of Falun Gong and its practitioners, Matas said, adding that currently, the system falls short.

“That system doesn’t work that well with these types of cases because there’s just too much contextual background information that the courts need to deal with.”

By issuing limited judgments, courts fail to define the parameters of what is happening accurately, which does little to prevent future acts of persecution.

Matas said the CCP’s oppression of Falun Gong has impacted the Canadian justice system by weakening it, making it less credible, and showing it to be “ill-informed and gullible.”

“We need to get our system organized so that victims abroad who come to Canada can get justice here.”

The conference at which Matas spoke ran two days and included experts from across Canada who spoke on a wide range of topics dealing with the 30th anniversary of the repatriation of the Canadian Constitution. Speakers also discussed both teaching and learning the law in Canada and elsewhere.

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) has accused Sino-Forest Corp. of one of the largest frauds ever carried out on the Canadian stock market.

On Tuesday, the OSC published a 33-page report detailing the “Standing Timber Fraud” that the Chinese commercial forest operator allegedly carried out on unsuspecting investors.

The OSC is alleging that Sino-Forest carried out a massive scheme to make its business look much larger and more profitable than it was in order to defraud investors on the TSX.

From February 2003 until October 2010, Sino-Forest raised approximately $3.0 billion in cash from the issuance of equity and debt securities to investors, noted the report.

“From June 30, 2006, to March 31, 2011, Sino-Forest’s share price grew from $5.75 (Can) to $25.30 (Can), an increase of 340 percent,” the report said.

The OSC alleged that the company had undisclosed control over suppliers, authorized intermediaries, and other companies that were used to create a “dishonest process of creating deceitful purchase contracts and sales contracts.”

After a wildly successful run on the TSX, the company’s fortunes began to turn after a report by research firm Muddy Waters claimed the company had exaggerated its assets. The TSX delisted Sino-Forest on May 9, 2012.

The BC Fruit Growers’ Association says approval of a GM apple could cause consumer backlash and harm the industry for conventional growers as well as potentially contaminate organic orchards. (Cat Rooney/The Epoch Times)

A biotech company’s bid to market a genetically modified apple that doesn’t brown when sliced is prompting concern among conventional and organic fruit growers in B.C.’s Okanagan.

Last month, Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF) submitted a request to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for approval of its Arctic Apple, which has been genetically engineered to keep its colour when cut.

There are certain foods that are considered to be pure and one of them is apples. We don’t want to put that at risk. Glen Lucas, BC Fruit Growers’ Association

Glen Lucas, general manager of the BC Fruit Growers’ Association, says if approved, the GM fruit could be devastating for both conventional and organic apple growers.

“There are certain foods that are considered to be pure and one of them is apples,” he says. “We don’t want to put that at risk.”

He notes that consumer backlash to the apple could damage market share for conventional growers. Organic farmers are particularly concerned because if their apples are contaminated by the GM variety, such as through pollen transferred by bees, they could lose their organic certification.

“We would like the government to provide assurance and indemnity or a guarantee that there would not be a market impact from introducing this new technology,” Lucas says.

“We have not, in our view, received adequate assurances that organic producers would not be impacted, or if they are impacted, be compensated by government.”

The Arctic Apple is primarily designed for fast food restaurants and other food service companies that use pre-cut apples.

A biotech company’s bid to market a genetically modified apple that doesn’t brown when sliced is prompting concern among conventional and organic fruit growers in B.C.’s Okanagan. (Cat Rooney/The Epoch Times)

The technology was first developed in Australia and later licensed by Okanagan Specialty Fruits, which says the non-browning fruit can be beneficial to producers, retailers, and consumers due to its longevity.

Although resistance among consumers to GM foods remains high, OSF says each Arctic Apple will be labelled so that consumers can distinguish it as a GM product.

OSF also maintains the likelihood of other apple orchards becoming contaminated is “inherently very low,” according to its website.

“Apples aren’t like row crops. First, apple trees aren’t “weedy”—that is, they don’t tend to escape farms and grow in the wild like some other crops. Second, apple blossoms are pollinated by bees, not by the wind. So the risk of “gene flow” by traveling pollen is inherently very low for apples compared to other crops,” the website reads.

“On the outside chance that cross-pollination with Arctic Apples does occur, genes from the Arctic Apple parent will be present only in some of the resulting apples’ seeds—not in the fruits’ skin or flesh.”

Rigorous Testing

OSF president Neal Carter, a fruit grower with a background in bioresource engineering, has said the fruit is among “the most tested apples on the planet.”

But Lucas says this does little to comfort apple growers who are worried about seed contamination and losing their organic certification.

“What happens if their seed is contaminated? And what level of contamination puts the [organic] certification at risk? That’s the open question,” he says, adding that organic farmers may have to bear extra costs to test their seeds for GM contamination.

Last week, the New Democrats called on the provincial government to defend the B.C. fruit industry by working with the federal government to keep the province free of genetically modified fruit.

“The B.C. tree fruit industry produces healthy products that are world famous for flavour and purity. Growers are concerned that this marketing advantage will be undermined if the introduction of genetically modified fruit is allowed to go forward,” said Lana Popham, New Democrat critic for agriculture.

Last year, the BC Fruit Growers’ Association passed a resolution against the introduction of all GM fruit, stating concerns about consumer backlash and the difficulty of protecting organic growers from contamination.

OSF applied for approval of the new apple from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2010. The apple has not yet been approved anywhere in the world.

He said that in Canada, there will be a public comment period on the company’s request for approval to the CFIA through mid-June.

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Over a quarter of children in Ontario are obese or overweight. (John Moore/Getty Images)

The Ontario government has created a panel to make recommendations on how to cut child obesity by 20 percent, a goal set by the Ministry of Health to be met over the next five years. 

The panel, dubbed the Healthy Kids Panel, is co-chaired by Alex Munter, CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, and Kelly Murumets, CEO of ParticipACTION.

“Childhood obesity is a global epidemic,” Murumets said.

In Canada, obesity among children between 2 and 17 rose from 15 percent in 1979 to 26 percent in 2004; in Ontario, over a quarter of children are obese or overweight.

Childhood obesity is a global epidemic. — Kelly Murumets, Healthy Kids Panel

Murumets said the panel has been given an important task to make the province healthier.

“I think it’s the Ontario government standing up and saying ‘Listen, we have a crisis here in our own province.’”

Announced last week by provincial Health Minister Deb Matthews, the panel consists of 17 accomplished experts from different sectors including health care and public health, food retail and manufacturing, education, and academia, among others.

The blue-ribbon panel will come up with recommendations and suggestions for the minister, with the first set of recommendations due by the end of this year.

“[The recommendations] need to be hard-hitting, meaningful, fiscally feasible, implementable,” Murumets said.

“[W]e owe it to our kids to give them the best possible start in life—and that includes good health,” she said. 

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Jenny Yang, a spokesperson for the Falun Dafa Association of Calgary, says Alberta Culture Minister Heather Klimchuk’s decision to cancel Shen Yun’s shows in Alberta was in retaliation for going public with concerns. (Epoch Times File Photo)

Alberta Premier Alison Redford needs to rein in Culture Minister Heather Klimchuk after the latter’s “iron-fisted” response to public criticism, says a Calgary group.

Klimchuk cancelled all Alberta bookings of Shen Yun Performing Arts after the Calgary presenters of Shen Yun went public over ongoing difficulties with the management of the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.

While there were no issues at all with shows at the Northern Alberta Jubliee Auditorium in Edmonton, Klimchuk cancelled bookings there as well. When asked about the decision, she offered little explanation before changing the topic.

“When the letter went out, cancelling the shows, I knew that I had to kind of do that,” she said in explanation for cancelling the Edmonton shows. She later said she cancelled the shows to be “consistent.”

Klimchuk neglected to inform the hosts of the Edmonton shows of her decision to cancel their bookings.

On several occasions, management has encouraged us to cancel our show, and the minister has now taken that step herself.

—Shar Chen

While the Calgary shows are hosted by the Falun Dafa Association of Calgary, the Edmonton shows are hosted by the Falun Dafa Association of Edmonton, two separate organizations with different personnel.

Shar Chen, a representative for the Edmonton association, said she was taken aback when she heard indirectly their show dates at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton had been cancelled.

“We felt very shocked because first of all, we had no issue with the Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton. They cancelled our dates without contacting us directly. They put it in a letter to the Calgary association,” said Chen.

In that letter, Klimchuk said she was unwilling to resolve the issue because the groups went to press with their concerns and alleged they had not attempted to contact her office or Katherine Huising, the director of the auditoria.

We are calling on Premier Alison Redford to show that the Alberta government will not similarly give in to foreign influence.

—Jenny Yang

In the same letter, however, Klimchuk said she reviewed all communication between her office and the group, which had attempted to contact her office over a dozen times.

In an interview with The Epoch Times after writing the letter, Klimchuk suggested she was unaware of the ongoing issues because she was not minister before October last year. She said, however, that she had asked her assistant deputy minister (ADM) to investigate.

Jenny Yang, spokesperson for the Falun Dafa Association of Calgary, said the ADM’s office had contacted her and said a meeting would be arranged, but her subsequent efforts to contact the ADM’s office to set up that meeting were ignored.

Pressure from Chinese Consulate

Yang said Klimchuk’s decision to cancel the shows is clearly retaliation for going to the press with concerns about a string of issues at the Calgary auditorium, and that it raises serious questions about whose interest the minister is serving.

“Minister Klimchuck’s conduct makes less convincing her assertion that there is ‘no linkage whatsoever’ between her actions and pressure received from the Chinese consulate in Calgary,” said Yang, referring to Klimchuck’s comments that pressure from the Chinese consulate had no impact in her decision.

Yang said that they heard from Huising in 2009 that the minister’s office had received pressure to cancel Shen Yun. Since then, Yang said the treatment by management at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium towards Shen Yun and the Calgary association has “rapidly deteriorated.”

“On several occasions, management has encouraged us to cancel our show, and the minister has now taken that step herself,” Yang said.

The position the minister has taken, Yang added, is not reflective of someone who wants to resolve the issue in the interest of the public and all stakeholders.

“Actually this is exactly what the Chinese consulate wants,” she said.

The Chinese consulate in Calgary has a history of interference in the province, including its widely covered efforts to interfere in Travel Alberta’s plan to sponsor Shen Yun in 2008.

In an email obtained by the Canadian Press, an official from Travel Alberta said the agency was forced to cancel plans to support Shen Yun after pressure from the Chinese consulate in Calgary.

Yang wants to be certain the same is not happening again.

“We are calling on Premier Alison Redford to show that the Alberta government will not similarly give in to foreign influence and is committed to resolving this issue in the interest of Albertans and the province,” she said.

When approached for a response, a spokesperson from Redford’s office distanced the premier from the decision and deferred questions to Minister Klimchuk, saying Klimchuk alone had made the decision to cancel the shows and was responsible for the file.

Deteriorating Professionalism

Problems for Shen Yun and the Calgary hosts began in 2010 when Shen Yun managers noted deteriorating professionalism from the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium management.

During performances this April, a severe technical malfunction marred one show, while a male stage crew member opened a loading dock door that was acting as a wall for a changing room, exposing the young women changing inside to several male crew members.

“When confronted over these and other lapses, auditorium management was condescending and unapologetic. For several years, the theatre has also refused to compromise on the placement of an intrusive orchestra pit safety net that impedes the performance,” a statement by the Calgary association says.

Klimchuk has deflected concerns raised by the groups by framing the issue as solely about safety and disagreement about the presence of a net over the orchestra pit.

While Calgary’s Jubilee has had a net since 2010, Edmonton’s has not, despite insistence that the net in Calgary was a non-negotiable and essential safety feature. Klimchuk said the Edmonton Jubilee will now be getting a net as well.

“The safety net is being installed as we speak,” said Klimchuk Friday.

Both the Calgary and Edmonton associations say no other venues in Alberta have the proper stage conditions for Shen Yun to perform.

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A task force says all Ontario long-term care homes should make prevention of abuse and neglect their topmost priority and asks the provincial government to take action along with the long-term care sector to improve the system.

The Long-Term Care Task Force on Resident Care and Safety was formed last year in response to media reports of elderly abuse and neglect in retirement homes. It released its action plan last week consisting of 18 recommendations to improve the quality of care for residents.

The recommendations include 11 actions for the long-term care sector to implement. They include establishing a quality committee, identifying indicators of abuse and neglect, regularly assessing staff competency in recognizing and preventing abuse, and others.

The report also calls for long-term care homes in the province to declare “the prevention of abuse and neglect and zero tolerance as their number one priority over the next year and a top priority in years to follow.”

The report further outlines a number of areas for the government to take leadership on. They include taking initiative to strengthen staff capacity, taking action to support residents with specialized needs, and revisiting legislative requirements and processes that “detract from resident care,” among others.

The task force is independent of the government and is made up of different stakeholders in the long-term care sector including medical professionals, personal support workers, unions, and long-term care provider associations, among others.

The external chair of the task force is Dr. Gail Donner, former dean of the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto.

The report involved nearly 2,000 individuals and groups and meetings with over 40 subject matter and industry experts.

The initiative is part of the province’s Action Plan for Health Care and is meant to allow more seniors to live at home to free up hospitals and long-term care facilities.

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NDP leader Thomas Mulcair’s recent comments that the Canadian economy is suffering from Dutch disease has sparked national debate about the role of oil in the economy. (Matthew Little/The Epoch Times)

What happens when the good times in Alberta’s oil sands end?

Canada’s rare combination of natural resources and a highly developed economy puts it in a unique position, with benefits, but also risks, such as those recently raised by NDP leader Thomas Mulcair.

How much the government can do to steer the private sector and how effective those policies are is widely debated among economists.

With Conservative economic policy rapidly coming to fruition, Mulcair will have until 2015 to wait and see how the economy pans out under Tory guidance.

Until then, he will make the NDP’s case on various fronts and has already started to frame the debate with his most recent assertion that Canada suffers from Dutch disease, an affliction loosely defined as a booming resource sector—in Canada’s case oil—that pushes the dollar too high for manufacturers to sell their goods abroad.

Mulcair had made the claim before winning the NDP leadership, but to much less fanfare than his comments earlier this month during a CBC interview. His remarks have spurred national debate in the media over the role of the oil sands in Canada’s national economy.

Mulcair asserts the oil sands are effectively gutting manufacturing because oil producers don’t pay the cost of dumping the pollution they create.

Mulcair is, in part, resting on solid economic theory borne out by historical example. At least three studies have found that Canada’s oil dollar is hurting manufacturers, but there are disparate estimates about how much.

One study commissioned by the government estimates that between 33 and 39 percent of manufacturing job losses were due to a rising loonie between 2002 and 2007.

But a high dollar is far from the only challenge facing Canada’s non-oil exporters.

Technological innovation can make global leaders like Research in Motion irrelevant in short order, and revolutions in transportation and communication have created a global economy where Canadian firms have to face off against competitors an ocean away.

Disparate Approaches

There are two broad ways to deal with those challenges, and the NDP and Conservatives stand on either side.

The Tories ascribe to the idea that the best thing for the government to do is set the right conditions for business to prosper, mainly by getting out of the way so the market can quickly adapt to changing circumstances.

Lower taxes, simpler regulations, and free trade deals that make Canada an attractive place to base operations are the hallmarks of Tory economic strategy.

The NDP generally disagree with this approach. While it is not yet known where exactly Mulcair would lead the NDP policy-wise, from the positions he has taken so far it’s clear he objects to major planks of the Tories’ economic platform.

Economists who strongly favour government intervention believe the government should employ almost any lever it can to support domestic companies, using everything from tariffs to national procurement and direct investment to foster their growth.

Mulcair’s cap and trade plan to make oil producers cover the environmental cost of emissions does not quite fall into that category. While it would raise the cost of oil production and slow the sector—possibly bringing down the value of the loonie to the benefit of manufacturers—it’s a fairly free-market approach.

Beyond some specific points, like the NDP’s objection to Conservative corporate tax cuts, it is unclear how much the NDP would diverge from the direction set by the Tories. However, Mulcair’s policies on the oil sands are in line with those recommended by economist Jim Stanford, who works for Canadian Auto Workers.

Stanford has written about Dutch disease and has been called by the NDP to testify at committee.
He says the government needs to take a more hands-on approach to manage the broader economy.

“I think we have to learn from the experience of other countries that have successfully nurtured home-grown but globally oriented companies,” he says.

He points to Germany, S. Korea, and Japan as examples and cites research by Carleton University’s Daniel Poon that scrutinized how Korea, Japan, and Taiwan developed their economies in relatively short order.

Rather than taking a hands-off approach, Poon’s research detailed how each nation leveraged a combination of polices—from controlling the value of their currency to blocking foreign competitors—to nurture domestic firms. Targeted investments and favourable domestic procurement polices also helped those countries build globally competitive brands.

(Modern free trade deals and membership in the World Trade Organization now limit some of those approaches.)

Canada needs to nurture those same value-added sectors, argues Stanford, because resource markets are notably volatile.

“You can go from feast to famine very very quickly,” he notes.

Comparative Advantage

But some economists argue that Canadian companies have yet to find their footing, and by lowering trade barriers and providing favourable conditions, the Tories have prepared businesses to find their niche and compete internationally.

“It is all about comparative advantage,” says economist Werner Antweiler.

Canadian companies need the rigours of international competition, rather than protection, to spur them to innovate, says Antweiler, the chair in International Trade Policy at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business.

“If we allow ourselves to compete in the world market, we allow ourselves to be competitive and productive,” he says. “The idea is you start to specialize where you have a comparative advantage.”
In other words, Canada can’t be the best at everything, but it can outperform other countries in some sectors.

There is wide disagreement about how much the government should participate to foster that kind of innovation. Canada has a well-educated work force and reasonable investment in research and development, but companies do little to innovate themselves.

A panel convened by the government to investigate that issue recommended in 2011 that the government simplify a system of tax credits for R&D and use domestic procurement to spur Canadian companies to innovate.

The Jenkins panel, as it was informally known, also recommended the National Research Council link with universities and business to foster innovation.

Industry Minister Christian Paradis re-affirmed the government’s commitment to those recommendations at the Bloomberg Canada Economic Summit on May 8.

With Mulcair talking about Dutch disease as leader of the NDP, that debate is about to enter the House of Commons.

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This file photo shows a worker installing a Sinopec logo at a new Sinopec station in Beijing. Green Party leader Elizabeth May says China’s large stake in Alberta oil is putting Canadian national security at risk. (Teh Eng Koon/AFP/Getty Images)

As foreign ownership of the Alberta oil sands increases, the leader of the federal Green Party warns that China’s large—and rapidly growing—stake in Alberta oil is putting Canadian national security at risk.

In a period of 18 months between 2009 and 2011, Chinese state-owned companies invested $15 billion in the oil sands, according to a study sponsored by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE).

Green leader Elizabeth May says this is cause for alarm because these companies are owned by the Chinese Communist Party, and the more Beijing controls Canada’s natural resources, the more influence it can exert on federal policies.

“There’s really no separation between the Chinese Communist government and their capitalist enterprises—they’re the same thing. In that light there are concerns with national security,” she said in an interview.

“This is the kind of concern that should be reviewed in advance of Chinese investments.”

In recent years Chinese companies have been aggressively investing in Canada’s natural resources, especially the oil patch.

Since 2010, notable investments include a $1.25 billion share of Penn West Petroleum by the China Investment Corporation, and the purchasing by Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation of Opti Canada for $2.34 billion.

Sinopec recently took over Daylight Energy Ltd. for $2.2-billion, and Petro-China became the owner and manager of the MacKay River oil sands project to the tune of $1.9 billion.

In the largest deal to date, state-owned Sinopec Corp. purchased a $4.65-billion piece of Syncrude in 2010, securing a 9 percent stake in the company.

Sinopec, which is also a partner in Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Project, has a long history of major scandals involving allegations of corruption, human rights violations, and environmental pollution. It is also known to enthusiastically engage in business with oppressive regimes around the world.

May said the 9 percent share is enough for Sinopec to get a seat on the Syncrude board, which gives them veto power and an ability to indirectly represent the interests of the Chinese regime.

“It gives the Chinese government quite a significant level of control over decisions that should be made by Canadians and the Canadian national interest,” she said.

“It’s not a company where the corporate behaviour would suggest that Canadian norms will be observed.”

A recent shareholder analysis released by environmental group ForestEthics Advocacy shows that close to three-quarters of oil sands production is now foreign-owned.

According to Statistics Canada, the oil and gas sector in Canada has nearly double the amount of foreign investment compared to the national average. In addition, over half (51.1 percent) of all oil and gas operating revenue in Canada goes to foreign entities.

Other Sectors

Chinese state-owned companies are gaining a foothold in other sectors as well.

Bell and Telus recently signed contracts with massive Chinese tech firm Huawei, raising fears that the deal could compromise the security of Canadian communication systems, making them vulnerable to espionage.

Australia and the U.S. have both blocked the Chinese firm from telecom projects due to security concerns.

And on Monday, Chinese company Wanda Group announced it will buy AMC—the second-largest theatre chain in North America—for $2.6 billion. The acquisition is being seen as part of the Chinese regime’s efforts to expand its global influence through soft power.

Headquartered in Dalian, Wanda is a subsidiary of China National United Oil Corporation Co. Ltd., according to Bloomberg Businessweek. AMC has hundreds of multiplexes in Canada and the U.S.

Given the increasing Chinese investment in Canada, especially in the oil sands, May wonders why she is the only MP questioning the associated risks. She says a strict screening process to review foreign investment in Canada is urgently needed to protect the national interest.

“We really need to have had, in the Investment Canada Act, a proper, consistent national security screen before foreign investments from any country are made in Canada,” she said.

“Prime Minister Harper explicitly refused—in 2009 when amending the Investment Canada Act—to include a clear, criteria-based definition of national security or to include a national security review.”

May also questions the decision to aggressively market oil resources to Asia while roughly half of Canada continues to rely on imported oil from world markets such as Saudi Arabia, Africa, and Venezuela.

“Eastern Canadians are buying oil at world prices while Canada is exporting most of its oil to the U.S. at lower prices. So we’re buying high and selling low. There are many layers on which our current approach to oil is devoid of any notion of the national interest,” she said.

“It’s selling out our resources to a foreign power that will remain under their control.”

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The National Energy Board says gas prices are expected to remain between $1.20 and $1.35 per litre across Canada. (Photos.com)

Canadians can expect to pay similar prices for gasoline this summer as last year, according to a National Energy Board forecast.

The price of gas is projected to average between $1.20 and $1.35 per litre across Canada based on an expectation that the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) index will average around US$100 per barrel.

Darcy Johnson, a market analyst with federal regulator the National Energy Board (NEB), says prices will vary from province to province based on provincial taxes as well as the price of crude oil used by the refineries supplying the fuel.

Fuel products in some markets, such as in eastern Canada, rely on world crude oil price benchmarks whereas other markets, such as Alberta and southwestern Ontario, are based on the WTI index.

The WTI price is expected to remain at a discount compared to world benchmarks because of supply and demand imbalances and “pipeline bottlenecks” due to land-locked refineries, the NEB says.

“The supply comes from inland North America, either from Alberta, Saskatchewan, North Dakota, or Texas, and most of it will feed down into central North America,” explains Johnson. “But the demand is actually on the coastline, so … the pipeline bottlenecks getting that crude oil to the coast.”

Prices of natural gas are also expected to remain at their lowest level in a decade at US$2-3 per MMBtu due to record levels of natural gas in storage this spring.

NEB market analyst Bryce van Sluys says the high amount of storage results from the warmer weather experienced all over North America this past winter, lowering demand for fuel during the season.

The low prices are expected to raise the use of natural gas in the market.

“[Based on] basic supply and demand, if the price is low enough people are going to find a way to take advantage of that,” says van Sluys.

One possible area that can see more use of natural gas is the electric power generation sector in the U.S., he says.

According to the NEB, electricity market prices are also lower than average this summer, though some provinces are paying higher prices because of regulated and contracted generation.

The provinces experiencing increases include Nova Scotia, Ontario, BC, and Manitoba, according to NEB market analyst Natalia Lis.

Lis says the increase is 10.4 percent in Nova Scotia, between 5 and 8 percent in Ontario, 3.9 percent in British Columbia, and 2 percent in Manitoba.

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Youth interested in learning more about careers in the construction industry attend last year's B.O.L.T. Day of Discovery.

TORONTO—Ontario’s labour shortage has been of growing concern to government. The lack of skilled workers is being felt in all industries, including the construction industry.

Builders complain that the shortage of skilled tradespeople reduces their capacity to produce needed housing in Toronto.

Many skilled tradespeople are in their 50s or older. Our immigration policy favours immigrants with academic credentials. Canadians, both new and old, push their children into white-collar work.
Given this scenario, as our cities grow, who will build homes and offices for all these educated workers?

Both the federal and provincial governments have put incentives in place to encourage youth to take up work in trades of all kinds, and offer attractive incentives to employers as well.

The federal government offers up to $4,000 if you begin and complete an apprenticeship in a trade. The Ontario government offers employers a tax credit of between 35 and 45 percent of an apprentice’s wages, and $1,000 scholarship for apprentices who have left school early and return in order to meet the academic requirements for apprenticeship.

Government incentives are helpful, but young people making career choices need to be welcomed by the industry that will employ them. They need to know the jobs are there, and that the jobs will lead to meaningful careers.

Tridel, one of Ontario’s largest builders, recognizes the need for industry leaders to actively encourage young people to explore construction careers.

In 2009, Tridel president Leo Del Zotto learned from members of the Children’s Aid Foundation about the needs of youth in care who lack the funds to continue their education after high school. That year, Tridel hosted a golf tournament that raised $25,000 for the foundation that was used to grant scholarships.

What came out of Tridel’s partnership with the Children’s Aid Foundation was a need for funding geared toward young people who don’t want to go to university but are interested in apprenticeship.

In 2010, Tridel introduced Building Opportunities for Life Today (B.O.L.T.). The focus was on creating awareness and raising funds for youth going into construction-related programs.

Expanding

Tridel has continued to offer scholarships to youth through the Children’s Aid Foundation, but they have also greatly expanded the program to include a broader range of youth.

Speak Out is a B.O.L.T. program that introduces students to careers in the construction industry. When partnered with the TDSB, speakers from the industry are brought into secondary schools to encourage youth to explore careers in everything from carpentry and masonry apprenticeships to architecture and design.

B.O.L.T. also offers Day of Discovery, a daylong event during which youth visit both a Tridel site under construction and the George Brown campus. This year it will be held on May 31 at George Brown College, Casa Loma Campus, and at Tridel’s Ventus Project.

Youth who connect with B.O.L.T. through any of the agencies and organization that are partners can finish a Day of Discovery and sign up for a two-week job shadowing program, though spaces are limited.

Interested participants can connect to college programs that lead to building-related careers.

Last year, B.O.L.T. scholarships were awarded to 10 George Brown students in construction-related programs. B.O.L.T. scholarships will be available to Humber College students this September.

By Fall of 2011, the B.O.L.T. program has grown so large the staff that had been working on it in their spare time realized they needed to hire someone full-time to administrate the program.

In 2011, Tridel made a big step, hiring Joanne Bin to coordinate B.O.L.T. full-time. And boy did it pay off. Last month, Tridel held the first annual Heart to Heart Casino Night, which raised an astounding $400,000.

“All the money that we raise goes to these programs,” says Bin proudly. “My salary and everything around B.O.L.T. is covered by Tridel. It’s not like this money is going to support overhead. It all goes to the kids.”

Making connections

Hammerheads received $150,000 from BMO through B.O.L.T. over the next five years. Hammerheads offers youth a 12-week overview of the construction trades, and is connected to unionized apprenticeships through members of the Central Ontario Building Trades.

Connecting youth with unionized work is a good idea. Unions provide job security, pensions, and opportunities to learn as you earn, all of which are attractive to young people who are hesitant to take out a student loan and want to know their career path will lead to a secure future.

“We’ll continue to work with Hammerheads to see how we can help them grow their program,” says Bin.

The George Brown College Foundation B.O.L.T. Scholarship received $100,000 during the Heart to Heart Casino Night, and an additional $150,000 over the next 10 years from CIBC. What will they do with all that money?

“We’ll probably be covering most of the tuition and we’ll probably do 10 [scholarships] each year,” Bin says.

Next up on Tridel’s B.O.L.T. agenda is an online auction starting in mid-June. Tridel will be auctioning off the furniture from their sales floor model suits to raise funds. You can bid online until July 26.

It seems there’s a lot going on, which is appropriate considering the GTA has one of North America’s most active housing markets. According to Bin, we’re hopefully going to see more programs like B.O.L.T.

“It’s the community, government, and industry working together,” she explains. “This is a great model for other industries.”  Well said.

For more information visit www.boltonline.org

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The courtyard of the Canary District Condos will not only provide access to shared outdoor space, but will also ensure that all units have abundant natural light.

The shovels hit the dirt last week and the excitement surrounding the West Don Lands’ Don River Park community brings us one step closer to the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games.

The area has been named the Canary District after the iconic Canary Restaurant building.

Since the Canary Restaurant closed in 2007, you’ve probably had time to forget the taste of the food and have become nostalgic about the loss of the historic restaurant for which the new district is named.

Don’t worry. They haven’t killed the Canary. It and the old Canadian National Railways office building will serve as the “western gateposts” to the district.

The west entrance to Front Street Promenade flanked by the historical Canadian National Railroad office building and the Canary Restaurant.

Adjacent to the 18-acre Don River Park currently under construction, the 8 buildings that will make up the Canary District will serve as the Pan American and Para Pan American Games’ Athlete’s Village, hosting approximately 10,000 athletes and officials.

Housing guests of the games has accelerated Toronto’s plans for the West Don Lands. When they wrap up, the area will be left with a carefully designed mixed-income, mixed-use community nestled around what will be Canada’s largest YMCA facility and surrounded by meticulously planned public green spaces.

Bayview will soon extend further south to meet Front and Mill streets, curling around Don River Park, which will be part of the “dry” park area. A “wet” area including a meadow or “urban prairie” will be located east of the park, sloping downward into a lowland meadow. Yes, that’s right, we’re getting meadows downtown.

Don River Park will eventually connect to the system of waterfront public spaces currently in progress as part of the ambitious and visionary work of Waterfront Toronto.

Residents will soon be serviced by the TTC with three streetcar stops planned along Cherry Street to start.

Completely new neighbourhood

If you have driven along the Gardiner Expressway lately, you’ve seen some of the shining new towers going up around the Distillery. What we can see right now is a fraction of what is planned for the area over the next 5–10 years.

For the uninitiated, there are a number of factors that contributed to the development of Toronto’s first completely new neighborhood in years.

The Greenbelt Act of 2005 quickly followed in 2006 by the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe means the farmlands and undeveloped areas around the GTA are pretty much off-limits.

These programs mandate an increase in urban density and public transportation for all the Horseshoe regions: Niagara, Hamilton, Guelph, Barrie, Orillia, Peterborough, and the GTA.

Brownfields Ontario reforms allow government to be very flexible, fast-tracking and simplifying procedures for projects planned on abandoned industrial areas like the West Don Lands. For a project with a tight timeline like the Pan Am Games Athlete’s Village, less red tape and more flexibility are beneficial.

Waterfront Toronto’s near complete construction of a massive flood protection landform, as well as the eventual naturalization of the Don River returning it to its original course, will eliminate flood risk. The landform allows the West Don Lands to be safely developed as well as providing flood protection for a big chunk of the financial district.

There are four West Don Lands neighborhoods in various stages of planning and development that will surround what is now the rather isolated Distillery District.

Continued on the next page … Collaborative design approach

Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaks with Defence Minister Peter Mackay and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird at the International Security Assistance Force meeting on Afghanistan during the NATO Summit in Chicago on Monday. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper confirmed Monday at the NATO summit in Chicago that Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan will come to an end once the current training mission concludes on March 31, 2014.

“For more than a decade, the brave men and women of our Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP, and many dedicated public servants and civilians have made enormous sacrifices to assist the Afghan people,” he said, according to a PMO release.

“Canada will honour its commitment and complete its current training mission but our country will not have any military mission in Afghanistan after March 2014.”

Canada will provide financial support to the Afghanistan National Security Forces to the tune of $110 million per year over three years from 2015 to 2017, joining a broad international coalition of NATO and non-NATO partners in supporting the ANSF.

“Canada plays an integral role in ensuring that Afghan National Security Forces are well-trained so they can assume full responsibility for their own national security,” Harper said.

“The support being announced today will help sustain these Forces by ensuring they are well-equipped beyond 2014.”

A Toronto-based environmental organization says triclosan, an anti-bacterial chemical found in a broad range of household items such as hand sanitizers and toothpaste, should be banned because of its risk to human health. (Omar Torres/AFP/Getty Images)

The organization that successfully advocated for a ban on BPA in baby bottles and phthalates in toys is now turning its attention to triclosan, an anti-bacterial chemical originally used medically but now found in hundreds of products.

Toronto-based Environmental Defence says the chemical is present in alarming levels in people’s bodies and the environment, and the time has come to ban it from household use.

Tests conducted by the group show widespread body pollution by triclosan in Canadian adults. Seven of eight people tested had the antibacterial chemical in their bodies at levels higher than those toxic to fish.

“[The] data show how widespread the chemical is in our bodies. So consumers should do what they can to avoid products that contain it,” said Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence.

Triclosan was first registered as a pesticide in 1969 and was initially used in medical settings as a surgical scrub.

But in the 1990s it began to be added to consumer products, and is now found in a broad range of household items such as hand sanitizers, toothpaste, cleaning supplies, and makeup, and is often the active ingredient in antibacterial products.

The chemical is known to be an endocrine disruptor—interfering with the human body’s natural hormones. Many endocrine disruptors have been linked to thyroid problems and cancer.

The Canadian Medical Association has also raised concerns about the chemical, due to fears its widespread use is contributing to antibiotic-resistant “superbugs.”

On March 30, Health Canada and Environment Canada published a preliminary assessment of triclosan on the Chemical Substances website. The assessment declared that triclosan can cause some harm to the environment—but not human health—at its current levels.

Environment Minister Peter Kent said in a news release that he would talk to industry players about voluntarily reducing the use of triclosan in their products.

Long-Term Exposure

But Smith said the issue needs to be taken more seriously and that triclosan must be avoided by all consumers due to its long-term presence in the environment.

“The danger with triclosan isn’t just the level of exposure, it’s also the length of time someone is exposed,” he said.

Since Triclosan is used in many consumer products, it is often washed down drains and goes on to pollute rivers and lakes. It is toxic to fish, amphibians, and algae, according to an Environmental Defence report titled “The Trouble with Triclosan.”

“Every time we wash our hands or brush our teeth with triclosan, more of this hormone-disrupting chemical goes down the drain. That’s bad news for people and bad news for the environment and why it’s time for a household ban,” said Smith.

In addition, it tends to break down in chlorinated water and sunlight, after which it can produce human carcinogens.

“Triclosan is now found in millions of people, as it is easily absorbed not only through the skin but also through the oral mucous membranes and GI tract,” the report says.

The federal government is currently holding a 60-day consultation period that invites industry, environmental groups, consumer groups, and other stakeholders to comment on its draft assessment of triclosan.

Consumers can check product ingredient lists for triclosan. However, some companies that use the chemical aren’t always required to list ingredients on certain products. Triclosan can also be referred to by the brand name Microban.

Conservative MP Rob Anders, seen here speaking at Falun Dafa Day celebrations on Parliament Hill on May 9, told The Epoch Times that most MPs are naive when it comes to the Chinese regime. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

PARLIAMENT HILL—Conservative MP Rob Anders is concerned that very few Members of Parliament seem to really understand the significance of events unfolding in China today or the true nature of the Chinese regime.

“China is so vast and nebulous that a lot of people, unless they are deeply concerned, have a hard time reading the tea leaves,” he said.

That is the best way to judge the regime—by their actions, not by the words of the leaders in one-on-one meetings. — MP Rob Anders

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that rules China is currently in the midst of unprecedented upheaval as allies of former Party leader Jiang Zemin come under censure. Those allies include former commerce minister Bo Xilai and security chief Zhou Yongkang, both of whom Epoch Times analysts predicted would fall.

Jiang promoted both Bo and Zhou for their zealous adherence to Jiang’s bloody crackdown on the Falun Gong spiritual practice.

Meanwhile, current Premier Wen Jiabao is making bold moves to bring China towards democracy, including a recent directive that will allow political parties to register in China.

A well-placed source revealed to The Epoch Times recently that key leaders in the Chinese regime have agreed to nationalize the military, strike a committee to form a constitution that would enshrine the right to form associations and political parties, and redress the Tiananmen Square massacre and crackdown on Falun Gong.

The agreement also said the CCP had completed its reign as China’s ruling party.

Those signals represent seismic shifts within the regime. Historically, the CCP is known for its ruthless grip on power, a grip cemented with millions of dead. Some estimates put the number of deaths caused by the CCP since it came to power at 65 to 80 million.

Click www.ept.ms/ccp-crisis to read about the most recent developments in the ongoing power struggle within the Chinese communist regime. In this special topic, we provide readers with the necessary context to understand the situation. Get the RSS feed. Get the new interactive Timeline of Events. Who are the Major Players?

‘Chequebook diplomacy’

As events rapidly unfold, many MPs in Canada remain unclear about the true nature of the Chinese regime. Anders said many of the experts who do understand China have a vested interest in the status quo, while others have been duped by the regime.

“They are people that go on five-star trips and get wined and dined and what have you,” he said.

“I think a lot of people get bought into the chequebook diplomacy. I think that China is very good at taking people over to China and Shanghai and giving them a stay at a five-star hotel, and introducing them to people that speak excellent English and take them out for a night on the town, and stroke their egos and offer them business deals.”

The problem is a lot of our people are naïve. MP Rob Anders.

Some MPs The Epoch Times has spoken to have been uncomfortable talking about the unfolding events on the record; but few seem to have followed events closely. Some MPs who are closely involved in China seem relatively unaware of the abuses by the regime.

“The problem is a lot of our people are naive,” said Anders.

MPs offered great business deals that keep paying after they put up a bit of money don’t see themselves as bought, said Anders. Other officials approached by a woman a third their age don’t want to recognize that they are being offered favours, he said.

“They don’t want to see that for what it is. … They’re too proud to admit that they’ve been taken.”

Subtle Seduction

Anders compares the way MPs and others get seduced by officials of the Chinese regime to how Mackenzie King was seduced by Adolf Hitler after a visit to Nazi Germany in 1937.

“My sizing up of the man as I sat and talked with him was that he is really one who truly loves his fellow-men, and his country, and would make any sacrifice for their good,” King wrote about Hitler in his diary. The former PM wrote that Hitler appeared to be “a man of deep sincerity and a genuine patriot.”

“As I talked with him, I could not but think of Joan of Arc. He is distinctly a mystic,” wrote King.

Anders compared King’s comments to how Canadian officials and others have talked about Bo and other Chinese officials known for their brutality.

“It’s depressing. I am sure that on a one-on-one basis, the leaders of communist China, having risen to the positions that they have, they’re probably affable, they probably have people skills, they probably are well read and conversant on a variety of topics. So in that respect I am sure they may be interesting to have a discussion with,” he said.

“But when you judge the regime and what it has done, in terms of taking over other people’s territory, or in terms of gun boat diplomacy against their neighbours, or in terms of exporting revolution-like Maoist rebels to Nepal, or in terms of harvesting the organs of Falun Gong practitioners, or having the largest number of political executions in the world, and its massive system of jails and forced labour—that’s how the regime has to be judged.

“That is the best way to judge the regime—by their actions, not by the words of the leaders in one-on-one meetings.”

Regardless, he said Canada had a duty to support values like democracy and basic freedoms in China.

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B.C. plans to set aside a day for Family Day—a holiday in February that aims to give families a break in the long stretch between New Year’s Day and Easter. A recent survey suggests Canada has the fewest public holidays of any nation in the world. (Photos.com)

As B.C. ruminates on which day would be best to set aside for Family Day, a recent survey reveals that Canada has the fewest public holidays of any developed nation in the world.

The BC Liberals are holding online consultations from now until May 22 asking British Columbians to choose which day in February they prefer for Family Day—an annual holiday already celebrated in Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

Manitoba and P.E.I. also have statutory holidays on the third Monday in February, but they are not officially referred to as Family Day.

The new B.C. holiday, set to come into effect in February 2013, aims to provide a break for families during the long 94-day stretch between New Year’s Day and Easter.

As part of the consultation process, the government will hear from the tourism industry and the broader business sector as well as the general public on whether to have the holiday either on the second or third Monday in February.

Having Family Day on the second Monday would mean that British Columbians wouldn’t have to compete for vacation spots with neighbouring provinces and U.S. states that already have a long weekend on the third Monday. It would also mean B.C. businesses could capitalize on increased traffic over two holiday weekends.

Alternatively, the third Monday aligns the Family Day long weekend with other provinces and neighbouring U.S. states, making it easier for families in different jurisdictions to get together and for B.C. businesses that operate across Canada to plan.

Fewer Holidays in Canada

An extra holiday may be a welcome relief for many, as a recent survey suggests Canada has fewer government-mandated holidays than any developed country in the world.

Released in December by U.K.-based Mercer Consulting, the survey found that Canada has a total of 19 potential days off, including calendar holidays and minimum vacation requirements for full-time staff.

The United States, on the other hand, has 25 days, Australia has 30, and Western European countries come out on top with 34-38 days per year.

Of all the 62 nations surveyed, Canada ranked at the bottom, alongside countries such as the Philippines (20 days), China (21), and Thailand (22).

Wolfgang Seidl, head of health care consulting at Mercer, says more time off does not necessarily mean less revenue for businesses in the long run, and can actually translate into more balanced, productive staff.

“Companies recognize that a healthy, happy workforce is a productive one and this feeds directly into the bottom line.”

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Audiences members give a curtain-call standing ovation to Shen Yun performers at the Sunday evening performance at Calgary’s Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. (Jerry Wu/The Epoch Times)

EDMONTON—After the local hosts of a classical Chinese dance company raised complaints in the media about professional misconduct at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Alberta’s Minister of Culture and Community Services Heather Klimchuk responded by cancelling the group’s future performances at both province-operated Jubilee auditoriums.

Shen Yun Performing Arts has performed in Calgary each year since 2007. But after the Calgary Falun Dafa Association, which presents the performances there, went public on April 16 with ongoing complaints about how the performers were treated, Minister Klimchuk informed the group that it should look for other venues at which to perform.

“The Shen Yun Performing Arts show carries a tremendous reputation in our province; however I must request that you find other venues for future bookings, including your 2013 dates at the Northern and Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditoria, which have now been released,” she stated in a letter to the group.

We have been requesting a meeting with officials in the ministry for years to address our valid concerns but have been ignored. — Jenny Yang

Klimchuk said she was concerned that the presenters brought their complaints to the public.

However, Jenny Yang, a spokesperson for the presenting organization, said in a statement that going to the media was resorted to only after repeated requests for a meeting with someone from Alberta Culture failed.

“The Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium is a taxpayer-funded venue whose purpose is to serve the public and enrich the cultural experience of Albertans. When a world-class arts company feels that it can no longer perform in Calgary due solely to the conduct of auditorium management, we believe that is an issue in the public interest. We informed the media of the situation only after our repeated requests for meetings failed,” Yang said.

“That the Minister would act punitively against us for raising a public issue to the media is unbecoming of someone in her position. This is all the more true of performances in Edmonton, which are hosted by our sister organization, and where there are no complaints concerning the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.”

Problems began in 2010 when Shen Yun managers noted deteriorating professionalism from auditorium staff. During performances this April, a severe technical malfunction marred one show, while a male stage crew member opened a loading dock door that was acting as a wall for a changing room, exposing the young women changing inside to several male crew members.

“When confronted over these and other lapses, auditorium management was condescending and unapologetic. For several years, the theatre has also refused to compromise on the placement of an intrusive orchestra pit safety net that impedes the performance,” the statement says.

In a letter to the presenters, Klimchuk said she was not notified of problems, but the Calgary Falun Dafa Association says it requested a meeting with the Minister of Culture nearly a dozen times since 2010.

“The Government of Alberta should be accountable for what happened in the theatre. We have been requesting a meeting with officials in the ministry for years to address our valid concerns but have been ignored. We felt we had no choice but to raise these issues with the public,” said Yang.

“We are requesting that the Southern Jubilee Auditorium apologize to Shen Yun for the misconduct, invite them to return, and to remove the net over the orchestra pit for future performances,” she added.

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Police officers chase demonstrators during the G20 summit in Queen’s Park on June 26, 2010. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Police were ill-prepared for the G20 summit events and the protests that followed, Ontario’s civilian police watchdog that reviewed the conduct of police during the summit has found.

“What occurred over the course of the weekend resulted in the largest mass arrests in Canadian history,” Gerry McNeilly, head of Ontario’s Office of Independent Police Review Director, said in his report.

“These disturbances had a profound impact not only on the citizens of Toronto and Canada generally but on public confidence in the police as well.”

Security for the events in Toronto was provided by an Integrated Security Unit consisting of the RCMP, the Toronto Police Service, and the Canadian Forces, among others.

The G20 summit was held in Toronto in June 2010, following the G8 summit in Huntsville, Ontario. The combined security for both summits comprised Canada’s largest-ever domestic security operation, involving roughly 21,000 personnel.

McNeilly said the Toronto Police Service had “incomplete and inadequate” planning for the G20 security operation, and that it lacked experience in planning and executing operations of this scale.

He also said police used “excessive force” when making arrests in many instances, and that the Prisoner Processing Centre was “poorly planned, designed, and operated.” The lack of proper processes resulted in prisoners being lost within the system and prisoners not having their basic needs addressed due to inadequate staffing.

McNeilly noted, however, that given the short time police had for planning, “policing was generally carried out very well,” although improvements are needed.

Security had only six months to prepare for the G20, compared to most host cities that have two years.

Report Clears RCMP of Wrongdoing

In a separate report released this week, the RCMP watchdog concluded that the actions of the force during the G8 and G20 summits were “reasonable and appropriate.”

“The RCMP ably fulfilled its planning and operational responsibilities relating to security for this large-scale international event,” Ian McPhail, the Interim Chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, said in a statement.

The RCMP had the primary responsibility for the security of the summit and the protection of visiting foreign dignitaries.

McPhail said the RCMP had behaved properly in conducting its duties.

“Planning for both events was found to be thorough. The investigation did not reveal any instances of unreasonable use of force by RCMP members,” the commission said.

McPhail also cleared the RCMP of any wrongdoing in the so-called “kettling” incident, noting that although such tactics are not consistent with the RCMP’s policies and practices, the site was at the time under the control of the Toronto Police and the Ontario Provincial Police.

The kettling incident involved police boxing in of hundreds of people for hours in the rain in downtown Toronto on June 27, 2010.

“It is hoped that the issues identified throughout the planning process, during the Summits, and in the context of the Commission’s public interest investigation, will serve to enhance security for such events in the future,” McPhail said.

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Minister for Status of Women Rona Ambrose (C) is seen here with authors Aruna Papp (R) and Barbara Kay at the launch of their book titled “Unworthy Creature: A Punjabi Daughter’s Memoir of Honour, Shame and Love.” Minister Ambrose said she commends the authors for drawing attention to “acts of violence committed in the name of ‘honour’ with their new book.” “Aruna Papp demonstrates that the barbaric practices associated with ‘honour’-motivated violence have no place in Canada, and that we must reject them using clear language of freedom and equality,” she said in praising Papp for having the courage to speak out through her book. “I hope that my book will encourage community leaders from all countries where gendered inequities flourish to break the silence on, and the cycle of, honour-motivated abuse,” said Papp. (Status of Women Canada)

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A whistleblower watchdog is vowing to keep an eye on Alberta premier Alison Redford’s promise to introduce whistleblower legislation, and says success depends on the premier setting the right “tone” for her government.

After winning the provincial election and swearing in her new cabinet, Redford promised a sweeping review of laws—“taking the best examples from the world, including whistleblower legislation”—that would help Albertans access information about their government.

This week, the Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform (FAIR), an Ottawa-based charity that works to protect whistleblowers, wrote an open letter to the premier urging her to create strong laws to protect those who speak out about corruption or wrongdoing.

“The ultimate success of this initiative will lie mainly in your own hands, by setting the ‘tone from the top.’ Little will change unless your own actions as premier demonstrate that employees in Alberta are encouraged to report wrongdoing that threatens the public interest, and that your government will not tolerate any reprisals against them,” reads the letter.

David Hutton, executive director of FAIR, said in an interview that Alberta’s concentration of corporate power in the oil economy makes legislation to support whistleblowers even more important.

“I think it’s very appropriate, very valuable that Alberta would do this,” he said.

“We know that corporations don’t always act in the public interest. If there’s a choice between the public interest and making a buck, it’s pre-determined which way a corporation will go. In that kind of setting it’s doubly important that you have effective ways of ensuring that the corporations and the government that’s overseeing them are at least obeying their own laws and not engaging in misconduct or criminal acts.”

Canada Behind on Protection

Hutton said whistleblower protection across Canada has suffered “a history of decline” and is now decades behind other developed countries such as the U.S, the U.K., and Australia.

“Ten to fifteen years ago whistleblowers were in better shape than they are now because they had common law rights. They could go to court and sue their bosses if they were harassed. That’s not possible anymore. Those rights are being stripped away and the protection and immunity of higher-ups has been strengthened,” he said.

“It’s now virtually impossible to have any consequences against a politician or senior bureaucrat who’s done something wrong.”

Whistleblower protection began to decline after the tainted blood scandal of the mid-1980s—Canada’s worst-ever preventable public health disaster that led to 2,000 recipients of blood products contracting HIV, and another 30,000 transfusion recipients infected with hepatitis C.

Hutton said that after the scandal, laws were pushed through to protect politicians and bureaucrats from liability.

This, as well as a costly federal whistleblower protection system that has produced virtually no results since it was initiated in 2007, has contributed to Canada’s reputation internationally as the “Enron” of whistleblower protection, he said.

Alberta Controversies

Alberta has had its own share of whistleblower-related controversies, such as the case of northern Alberta physician John O’Connor.

O’Connor sounded the alarm in 2003 after finding increased cancer rates in the First Nations town of Fort Chipewyan, which he linked to environmental contamination from the nearby oil sands.

After speaking up, a complaint was lodged against O’Connor by Health Canada, which threatened to take away his medical license for “causing undue alarm,” and he became a victim of political persecution for the next five years.

After increasing public and media protests, O’Connor was eventually cleared of any misconduct and independent studies revealed his concerns were accurate—pollutants in the area were measured to be 50 times higher than normal.

Redford herself has come under fire for failing to carry through on a promise to complete a public investigation into Health Quality Council reports of a “culture of intimidation” and muzzling of doctors in the provincial health care system.

Accountability Tool

Hutton said Canada’s leaders need to understand the value of whistleblowers, not just to the public but to politicians and industry as well.

He said politicians can use whistleblowers to dig out problems in their departments and deal with them before a full-scale media scandal breaks. Or corporations can stop corruption and greed from destroying their companies from the inside, with possible repercussions for the public.

“If you don’t provide an avenue for whistleblowers to blow the whistle, then two things happen. One is that the wrongdoing goes on and builds up into something massive, which will eventually bring a government down when it’s exposed. The other thing is that the whistleblowers themselves, because of being crushed in silence, have no choice but to leak to the media,” he said.

“It’s an accountability tool,” he added. “If whistleblowers are dealt with properly, you can get these things nipped in the bud.”

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A store owner in St. Thomas, Ontario, holds a pack of cigarettes on March 12. A study by the C. D. Howe Institute says the government needs to find an appropriate balance between taxes, restrictions, and controls on the illegal tobacco market when forming policies. (Geoff Robins/AFP/Getty Images)

Canada’s illicit tobacco market can be shrunk by investing more in the legal or enforcement pressures on suppliers which would result in raising the price of contraband cigarettes, says a study by the C. D. Howe Institute.

Authored by Concordia University economists Ian Irvine and William Sims for the think-tank, the study examines government efforts and tax policy on tobacco use and the effects on the choice between legal and illegal cigarettes.

Titled “A Taxing Dilemma: Assessing the Impact of Tax and Price Changes on the Tobacco Market,” the study considers different policy scenarios to shut out the illegal market, including reducing taxes on cigarettes and boosting the price of the illegal product through more crackdown.

The authors conclude that reducing taxes on cigarettes would not have a significant impact on curbing the illegal market. It would also result in a small increase in total tobacco consumption.

For lower prices on the legal product to be effective in reducing demand for the illegal market, tax reductions would have to be substantial, the authors argue. However, that would result in significantly lower tax revenues as well as increased overall consumption.

Raising legal and enforcement pressure on suppliers would drive up the cost of contraband cigarettes and thus lower demand for the illegal market.

“[T]he illegal market is destined to remain operative unless more intensified legal measures are enacted,” the report says.

The authors note that sales of contraband cigarettes in Canada constitute a sizable component of the tobacco market. The illegal trade is associated with a loss in tax revenue and an array of illicit activities that involve gangs and organized crime.

Policy Needs ‘Appropriate Balance’

The report says the steep tobacco tax increases in the early 2000s resulted in a growth in the illegal supply, which by 2008 accounted for one-third of the national market.

Increased policing and controls, however, lowered the market share of the illegal product to around 20 percent in 2010.

The report notes that it would be impractical and of limited value for provincial and federal authorities to act against illegal production on First Nation lands, citing the 1990 Oka Crisis that put the Mohawks and Quebec authorities in a violent confrontation.

“We emphasize that tax policy should be based not only on its impact on the total quantity of cigarettes purchased, but also on the social, legal, and enforcement costs associated with the illegal supply,” the report says.

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Immigration Minister Jason Kenney rose in the House of Commons Monday to mark the anniversary of the repeal of the Chinese Immigration Act 65 years ago. Kenney said the repeal of the Act, introduced in 1923 to prevent anyone from China from immigrating to Canada, “brought an end to generations of discrimination against people of Chinese origin.” “Chinese men who had already faced two decades of stigma remained separated from their families and were denied the rights of subjects of the Crown. This was unworthy of our country, considering that many of these men had helped unite the Dominion in building one of the most dangerous sections of the CPR through the Rockies,” he said. He paid tribute to Douglas Jung, who became the first Canadian MP of Asian and Chinese origin, and subsequently represented Canada at the United Nations. “On this 65th anniversary of the repeal of the Chinese Immigration Act, let us all call to mind those who overcame adversity to help build a Canada that is a nation of freedom, democracy, and equality of opportunity for all,” Kenney said. (Citizenship and Immigration Canada)

A study by the Toronto school board shows that students taking part in a nutritious breakfast program initiated in part by the board perform better in school. (Photos.com)

A recent study by the Toronto school board shows that morning meals are directly related to how students perform at school.

Conducted by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), the study evaluated the implementation of the Feeding Our Future pilot program, which provides nutritious breakfasts for all middle and secondary school students in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood, regardless of their ability to pay.

Evaluations done on the approximately 6,000 students in the participating four middle schools and three secondary schools show that students who eat a proper breakfast demonstrate an improved ability to stay on task, better behaviour and attitude, improved attendance, and were less likely to be suspended.

“This is tremendous work that highlights the importance of working with our provincial and municipal partners so that all students can succeed. We will do all we can to continue nutrition programs wherever it is needed,” Chris Bolton, chair of the TDSB, said in a statement.

According to the TDSB, almost all (97 percent) middle school (grades 6-8) students took part in the program, with 82 percent participating at least three days in a school week. The majority (85 percent) of secondary school students also took part in the program, with around 46 percent not missing more than three days in a school week.

The survey shows that 78 percent of students who had breakfast on most days were on track for graduation, compared to 61 percent of students who had breakfast only on few days or not at all.

Among secondary school students, those who had breakfast frequently were less likely to be suspended and more likely to attend school regularly.

Grade 7 and 8 students who had breakfast on most days exceeded provincial reading standards by a rate 10 percent higher than those who didn’t have breakfast.

Also, 75 percent of students who had breakfast on most school days rated their health as excellent or good compared to just 58 percent of those who had breakfast on two or fewer days.

The study recommends the pilot program, which was supposed to run for two years after its initiation in 2008 but has been maintained beyond the planned time, continue to provide nutritious fresh food to students.

“The new research affirms the fundamental importance of student nutrition programs and makes it clear that healthy food allows students to grow socially, emotionally, intellectually, and physically.”

Fifty-six percent of Canadian adults haven’t completed their last will and testament, according to a new survey. (Photos.com)

Do you have a will? If you answered no, you join the ranks of more than half of Canadian adults (56 percent) who haven’t completed their last will and testament, according to a new survey released by a Toronto insurance company.

In addition, 71 percent of Canadian adults also do not have a signed power of attorney, making them vulnerable in the event that an accident renders them incapacitated, says the survey, released by the Lawyers’ Professional Indemnity Company.

“The absence of a clear, signed will can become a divisive and contentious issue at a time when families are already experiencing grief, and can result in a range of complications, from belongings not going to the person they were intended for to court battles that cost thousands of dollars,” says Ray Leclair, LAWPRO’s acting VP of public affairs.

“Without proper powers of attorney in place, Canadians put at risk their ability to be properly cared for without delay or legal proceedings should they become incapacitated—for example through a major accident that impairs their ability to make decisions.”

The most common reasons the respondents cited for not completing their will? Believing they were still “too young,” not knowing how to get started, or viewing the process as too expensive.

Leclair says the process is not as expensive as many people think—usually a few hundred dollars or less—and can save huge costs down the road by avoiding the legal fees it would cost to sort out assets after the fact.

“This is especially important in today’s world in which we see more common-law relationships, blended families, and second or third marriages,” he says.

“A lawyer will provide guidance on how an individual’s circumstances could affect the disposal of assets in a will, and will reduce the risk of a breach of a technical requirement for a valid will or power of attorney.”

Consequences

The survey notes that many Canadians may not realize the consequences of foregoing a will until it is too late—which gives the government the power to divide their assets.

The laws differ between provinces, but a typical scenario, such as in Ontario, is that if a husband dies without a will, his wife gets the first $200,000 of the estate, and the remaining shares must be divided between the wife and children.

This could be a problem, for example, if the husband wanted his entire estate to go to his wife, or the children are too young. Before the age of 18 the inheritance is held by a trustee and could not be immediately accessed if, for example, it was needed to provide for the loss of income after an unexpected death.

Once the children become of age they are given the inheritance, but the question remains of how well an 18-year-old can manage a significantly large sum.

Wills Not Only for the Wealthy

A common misconception is that only the wealthy have an estate and need to prepare a will, says Jamie Golombek, managing director of tax and estate planning at CIBC Private Wealth Management.

“If you own investments, real estate, vehicles, or other personal effects, then you have an estate,” he said.

“A will is the most basic element of an estate plan that will ensure your assets are passed to your loved ones with minimal grief.”

Golombek says as the baby boomers head into retirement, the issue will become increasingly important.

“Given the mass amount of wealth this group has, the fact that nearly one-third of Baby Boomers are without any kind of will means they will not control who inherits their assets.”

Western Canadians More Likely to Have a Will

A similar poll, conducted for CBC by Harris/Decima, revealed that Western Canadian baby boomers are more likely to have prepared a will than easterners.

Adults in Alberta and B.C. were most likely have prepared for the worst, at 73 and 74 percent respectively.

Survivor and mother Karma Brown shares her inspiring story and at the event. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Time)

Fertile Future, a Canadian non-profit organization providing fertility preservation information and support services to cancer patients and oncology professionals, held its Evening of Hope fundraising initiative May 10 at Hart House in Toronto.

Proceeds from the silent auction sales go to Fertile Future. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

Supporters at the Evening of Hope event pose for a photo. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

Internationally acclaimed classical pianist Shoshana Telner performs at the event while Beckie DiLeo paints. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

(L-R) Shira Benson, Fay Weisberg from First Steps Fertility Clinic, and Andrew Weisberg attend the Evening of Hope event. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

Carl Laskin and Michelle Todgham from LifeQuest Clinic enjoy the Evening of Hope event. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

Josh McKie and Valerie Verheyen take part in the Evening of Hope. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

(L-R) Lynn van der Linde, president of Fertile Future, Jennifer Cookman, and Jessica Hacker, executive director of Fertile Future. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

People take part in the Evening of Hope at the Hart House. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

All smiles at the Evening of Hope event (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

Anatoly Dvorkin and Sara R. Cohen (Fertility Law Canada) take part in the Evening of Hope. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

The beginning of the Evening of Hope event. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

Supporters attend the Evening of Hope event. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

Supporters share a laugh at the Evening of Hope event. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

Some of the prizes put up for auction to support Fertile Future. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

Supporters take part in the Evening of Hope. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

Master of Ceremonies Anwar Knight (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

Starting this fall, Ontario commuters can expect a refund for their GO tickets if the trains are more than 15 minutes late.

The refund will be provided if the train is late for any reason except when caused by extreme weather, police investigations, accidents, and medical emergencies.

Making the announcement in the same week that GO Transit is entering its 45th year of service, the provincial government said the money-back guarantee is being implemented to provide better customer service for GO passengers.

“For the last 45 years, GO Transit has provided commuters in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area with safe, reliable public transit,” Bob Chirallei, minister of transportation and infrastructure, said in a statement.

The service carries around 62 million passengers per year—about75 percent by rail and the rest by bus.

Girls perform a Chinese ribbon dance at the Falun Dafa Day celebration on Parliament Hill May 9, 2012. (Matthew Little/The Epoch Times)

PARLIAMENT HILL, Ottawa—A celebration of ribbons and drums on Canada’s Parliament Hill Wednesday took place amidst a backdrop of political upheaval in China that has some MPs hopeful for brighter days in the Middle Kingdom.

Hundreds of Falun Dafa adherents gathered on Parliament Hill to mark Falun Dafa Day, an annual celebration of the public introduction of the meditation practice. Performances by dancers and musicians were punctuated by speeches from MPs and Senator Consiglio Di Nino, who spoke of their hope for an end to the crackdown on the group in China.

The Epoch Times asked several MPs from the Parliamentary Friends of Falun Gong what they thought of events unfolding in China today, where senior ranking party cadres have been ousted from the party with others expected to fall soon.

We should not allow economic considerations to trump human rights considerations.

—Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz

After congratulating the Falun Dafa adherents gathered on the hill, Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz told The Epoch Times that change may be underway in China, and widespread human rights abuses could be about to come to an end.

“It seems like the new leadership that is coming in may be addressing the situation. I think they realize how serious it is, how many lives are being lost. The torture, the detention that is taking place is not acceptable and I really think there is some hope that this will take place,” he said.

Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz told reporters at the event Wednesday that trade concerns should not trump human rights in dealings with China. (Matthew Little/The Epoch Times)

Breitkreuz said the international community had a duty to push the regime in the right direction.

 “We should not allow economic considerations to trump human rights considerations. Freedom, democracy, and human rights are more important than sometimes a dollar in our pocket. That would be my feeling and I also think that the people of China themselves feel that way.”

Unrest is in fact at record levels in China, a situation that prompted U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke to describe the political situation there as “very very delicate,” in a January interview with NPR.

Breitkreuz said calls within China for change should be echoed in other countries as well.

“I am sure we do not know the extent to which people in China themselves are trying to voice their concerns over what’s happening. I think we need to support them.”

Upheaval Signals Change

NDP veterans critic Peter Stoffer also said he’s hopeful that upheaval in China means change is coming.

NDP MVD Peter Stoffer expressed hope that upheaval in China means change is coming soon. (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

“Obviously with the corruption charges against [Bo Xilai], I think that’s unsettled the apple cart a bit there. If someone of that prominence could end up being charged in that regard, it shows you that there are some people within the government that are looking at corruption from a different point of view and saying ‘Come on folks, we can’t keep doing this.’”

Disgraced official Bo Xilai was once China’s commerce minister, beloved by Canada’s business community as a friend to Canadian companies wanting to access China.

But Bo was among the most brutal cadres at the highest ranks of the Chinese Communist Party. Once widely held as a leadership contender, Bo has since been put under investigation by the Party’s powerful disciplinary committee. Epoch Times analysts expect Bo’s ally, Chinese security chief Zhou Yongkang, will also be purged.

Stoffer said the upheaval marks a time for the international community to call on the Chinese regime to address human rights.

Diversity of belief would make China stronger, as it did Canada, he added.

“The strength of the diversity of a nation is its tolerance and acceptance of other people’s faiths and religions. That’s what made us strong.”

“Your true power comes when your people say ‘I respect you and want you as my representative,’ instead of the dictatorial approach where they say ‘I’m your representative and that’s it.’ So when they reach that epiphany, I believe then they will have a really wonderful society.”

Stoffer said Chinese people are calling for change, and the regime should welcome it.

“Don’t be afraid of it. Don’t run away from it, don’t look at it as a threat, but embrace that change.”

Jailed for Free Speech

Liberal MP Judy Sgro spoke at a gathering on Parliament Hill Wednesday to celebrate Falun Dafa Day. (Matthew Little/The Epoch Times)

Liberal MP and Seniors, Pensions and Status of Women critic Judy Sgro said if the regime is serious about change, it should release its political prisoners.

“They’ve got people who are in jail for nothing more than talking in a public square about a peaceful movement. There are several that I know of, students who have been put in jail for nothing other than free speech. They weren’t saying anything against the government, they were just simply speaking out their mind about human rights.”

She said she was hopeful something was underway in China and Canadian officials had a duty to aggressively encourage it.

“They should be using whatever political strength we have. … If they want to continue to tiptoe around the violations of people’s human rights, China will continue to do whatever they want. I think that it is time Canada took a much stronger role on those issues.”

They’ve got people who are in jail for nothing more than talking in a public square about a peaceful movement.

—Liberal MP Judy Sgro

Sgro thinks Chinese participation in the world economy should require the recognition of groups like Falun Gong.

Green Party leader Elizabeth May said she was worried the Canadian government was wavering in its commitment to human rights in China.

“We mustn’t forget that as much as China plays a very significant and powerful role in the world, we must engage, we must always bear in mind that we don’t trade off human rights for selling oil,” she said.

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Click www.ept.ms/ccp-crisis to read about the most recent developments in the ongoing power struggle within the Chinese communist regime. In this special topic, we provide readers with the necessary context to understand the situation. Get the RSS feed. Get the Timeline of Events. Who are the Major Players?

A protestor stands in front of the condominium development project that the Musqueam Nation says will destroy an ancient village and burial site. (Courtesy Musqueam Band)

A B.C. First Nation is trying to preserve an ancient village and burial site that were part of what was once one of the largest pre-contact middens on Canada’s Pacific coast.

The Musqueam Nation and supporters have been protesting around the clock at the site of a large condominium development underway at the Marpole Midden, an ancient village site located at the southern tip of Vancouver.

The Musqueam say the 4,000-year-old midden represents a profound and rare link to their history, and is a sacred place of rest for their ancestors that should not be disturbed.

“It’s one of the last—if not the last—connection the Musqueam people have to their ancestors,” says Wade Grant, a council member with the Musqueam band.

“It’s important to the Musqueam now because the city of Vancouver has grown up so rapidly around us, there are no other real sites that actually connect us to who we are.”

The remains of an adult and two infants were unearthed at the site earlier this year, and the Musqueam say this provides further proof that the area is a rich historical treasure trove that needs to be protected.

Many tools, artifacts, and weapons were found in the area when it was first developed, which led to its designation as a Canadian Heritage site in 1933. It is recognized as one of the largest ancient village sites in North America.

Work is currently on hold at the site, located on the 1300 block of S.W. Marine Drive. Grant says band members will continue to protest at the site until a resolution is reached that protects the area from further development.

“Community members have said they’re planning to stay here until a resolution is found that ensures the archeological remains remain intact and are not removed,” he says.

“They are taking a stand and they are very upset right now.”

Alternative Offer

The Musqueam have offered to swap the condo development land, which belongs to a private owner, for a parcel of their own land, while covering some of the costs.

Grant says both the City of Vancouver and the developer, Century Holdings Ltd., have been willing to negotiate with the band and seem open to the land-swap, but provincial approval is needed.

“The Provincial Government hasn’t had much communication with the Musqueam people,” he says.

“We’ve never heard directly from the premier. We have heard from the minister in charge, who says that the province has no role in this issue, which we disagree with.”

Brennan Clarke, public affairs officer for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, says the government is working with the city and the Musqueam to find a solution.

“The site where the remains were found will not be disturbed until an archaeologist has completed intensive testing the vicinity to determine if there are additional remains in the area,” he wrote in an email, adding the province recently hired a consultant to work with the parties in finding a resolution.

Clarke also said the area has already been “heavily disturbed” and developed over the years, and that the province had issued permits to develop only a portion of the site.

He noted that by 1955, urban expansion had significantly altered the landscape of the Marpole Midden. The site was settled in the 1880s and has been redeveloped several times.

However, the portion slated for the proposed condo development remained undisturbed, according to an open letter from the Musqueam to Premier Christy Clark and Mayor Gregor Robertson.

City Supports Protection

City of Vancouver spokesperson Mairi Welman says that while burial sites and archeological sites fall under the jurisdiction of the provincial government, the city supports protecting the site.

“We support the rights of the Musqueam Nation to protect and respect a historical site,” she says. “It is our hope that the province takes a more assertive role in resolving this issue.”

The Musqueam are proposing building a park and memorial in the area of the site, in partnership with the province and city.

“Instead of a jumbled collection of rundown buildings and car lots, visitors would be greeted by a vision of an interpretative park … that would celebrate the Musqueam/Coast Salish heritage on whose land all of Metro Vancouver and surrounding cities are built,” the open letter says.

“The province has really made strides in the last decade to create a new relationship with First Nations based on mutual respect and recognition,” he says.

“However, we felt that respect should also be passed on not only to us living today but to those who have come before us. … This is Canadian history and B.C. history that needs to be preserved and protected as we move forward.”

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Prof. Keith Head, an expert on international trade at UBC, has researched the impact of distance on trade in services. (Courtesy Keith Head)

PARLIAMENT HILL—Canada’s free trade deal with the European Union charts new ground in an evolving global economy and could lead to a rewrite of NAFTA and other trade agreements, says one expert.

In the new world order, trade is fast and free, letting agile companies build transnational operations using the best and cheapest the world has to offer.

A revolution in transportation streamlined logistics and brought shipping costs down dramatically, making it cost-effective to produce products (or parts of products) in far-flung corners of the globe where labour was cheap and infrastructure mature.

Now, a revolution in communications promises to do the same with services—everything from architectural design to tech support. Many services are already delivered offshore, as Indian accents attest on calls to customer service, but barriers have kept others homebound.

As manufacturing jobs leave developed countries to bring much-needed wealth to impoverished nations, services continue to grow as a portion of the GDP, from 59.8 percent of GDP in 1980 to 66.8 percent in 2008.

Part of reason for that is the way technology has changed the way people work and play, and as a result, it’s time services were included in trade deals, said Werner Antweiler, the chair in international trade policy at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business.

“The Canada-EU free trade agreement has the potential to be a milestone by charting new territory. I think you kind of have to look at it as a new template for free trade agreements,” said Antweiler.

The Canada-EU free trade agreement has the potential to be a milestone by charting new territory. — Werner Antweiler, UBC Sauder School of Business

“Eventually, it may lead to us revisiting NAFTA too and actually bringing that into the 21st century because when it was concluded, it was focusing on the manufacturing sector.”

The government is counting on trade in services to be a huge portion of Canada’s gains from free trade with the European Union. Of the $12 billion a year the government expects Canada to gain from the deal, 45.5 percent will come from services, according to a joint study the two parties have done on the deal. In a request for details, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) clarified that those gains would come come from removing citizenship or residency requirements, and ownership and investment restrictions.

Services Better Face to Face

But even with an increase, free trade in services will not have the kind of dramatic impact seen on free trade in goods, said James Brander, an international trade expert also at the Sauder School of Business.

“Many services we consume are personal, getting a haircut, [retail] financial services, mechanic services, and so on. All these services are facilitated by being close to someone,” he noted

Although companies are taking advantage of technology to change some operations, the legal framework doesn’t really exist to support trade in services, said Brander.

Previous agreements like the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the legal backbone of the World Trade Organization, don’t really cover services, he said.

However, even with services included in future free trade agreements, one expert doubts trade in services with the EU can come anywhere close to the numbers Ottawa is hoping to see.

Prof. Keith Head, an expert on international trade at UBC, has researched the impact of distance on trade in services. Head notes that even with a trade agreement in place, entry regulations for many services are simply too high, like the professional requirements and accreditation needed to practice certain professions.

Doctors and other professionals driving taxi cabs, a favourite example of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, speak to the difficulty foreigners have practicing their professions in Canada.

DFAIT said those restrictions don’t apply to Canadian interests in the EU, namely in engineering, environmental services, business services, and information and communications technology.

There are also the practical limitations caused by working in vastly different time zones. Even with an EU trade agreement, U.S. firms are much better positioned to trade in services, Head noted.

“Many people imagine that because services can be delivered over the Internet, that therefore geography no longer matters and thus European firms would be on even footing with American service providers. But the research that I have done shows that distance affects services trade just as much as it affects goods trade,” he said.

“While you can do some things on the Internet, you end up needing to have lots of meetings to establish trust, to hash out difficult details, etc.”

Even in his own joint research with European counterparts, Head said he needs to travel to meet them and noted the difficulty of dealing with a nine-hour time difference.

While some services, like setting up reservations, can be done routinely, more complicated tasks require extensive collaboration.

“Things that require negotiation, agreement, coordination, like architecture and engineering, are going to tend to require a lot of face to face contact. The Europeans are going to have to come out to inspect the site and so on. So I am not seeing Europe making huge inroads on those areas.”

Despite the EU and U.S. having similar sized economies, Canada trades 10 times as much with U.S. and Head expects that will change little.

But according to the joint study mentioned above, if Canada can reduce the cost of trade in services by 10 percent, it could see service trade jump up to 35 percent. That is the amount that service trade increased between EU member states following their joining to form a single market. DFAIT says those cost savings will be made by removing trade barriers.

Of course, that sunshine figure doesn’t address the limitations raised by time zones, and EU member states are already deeply connected through the legislative power of the European Parliament.

The deal, formally titled the Canada-EU Trade Agreement, is in the final stages of negotiation. The government has said it expects it to be finalized this year.

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The Ontario Medical Association is saying the provincial government has “turned their back” on the province’s physicians by imposing cuts to some of the fees paid to doctors this week.

“The message from the McGuinty government to our medical graduates and doctors who might think of returning to Ontario is clear—we don’t value your input in our health care system,” Dr. Doug Weir, president of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), said in a statement.

Weir said the announced cuts mean that Ontario doctors will start considering moving out of the province.

Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Deb Matthews announced on Monday that the province is going ahead with cuts to some of the fees paid under the $11 billion Ontario Health Insurance Plan after failing to reach a deal with doctors.

“Our doctors are the best paid in Canada. Instead of another raise for doctors, we need a real wage freeze so we can invest in more home care,” Matthews said in a statement.

“To hold the line on doctor pay, we’re making changes to fees for physician services to reflect advances in technology and the latest medical evidence on what helps patients most.”

The government says introduction of new technology has reduced the time needed for certain procedures while the costs of the procedures have remained the same. Cataract surgery, for example, now could take as little as 15 minutes to perform, compared to two hours a few years back, and so the fee for this operation will be reduced from $441 to $397.75.

Among the planned cuts are reductions to the $88 million spent on self-referrals, under which a patient is sent back to the doctor’s practice for an additional procedure. With the new changes, payments for some diagnostic tests such as X-rays and ultrasounds will be cut in half if the same doctor orders and performs the test.

Fees will also be reduced for diagnostic radiology tests such as CT and MRI scans as well as eye injections for retinal diseases since technology has reduced the time required for these operations, the government says.

Doctors are also told to perform fewer echocardiograms, which have been found not to improve patient outcomes before routine non-cardiac surgery.

Ontario’s doctors earn an average of $385,000 per year, with over 400 making more than $1 million a year.

Negotiations between the OMA and the province for a new contract, which has lasted for weeks, reached an impasse on Sunday ahead of the government’s latest announcement on Monday.

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Pearson International Airport was voted the worst Canadian airport in an online poll. (Photos.com)

Toronto’s Lester Pearson International Airport was voted the worst airport in Canada in an online poll conducted by FlightNetwork.com.

In the poll, respondents were asked to name the best and worst airports in major cities in Canada, the U.S., and internationally.

In Canada, Pearson was ranked the worst airport with close to 37 percent of the votes, followed by Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport with around 19 percent, and the Edmonton International Airport with 12 percent.

Pearson was also ranked the worst Canadian airport in FlightNetwork.com’s 2010 survey with over 26 percent of the votes.

Internationally, among the 14 airports considered, Pearson was voted as the second worst airport after London’s Heathrow International.

The best Canadian airport according to the poll is the Vancouver International Airport with 35 percent of the votes.

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A Canadian Army soldier patrols the desert while a helicopter flies overhead on June 9, 2010, south of Kandahar, Afghanistan. The union representing some of the research staff in the mental health field of the Canadian Forces say the government is cutting some of the research jobs in mental health support. (Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

With newly released statistics showing a rise in the number of suicides in the Canadian Forces, the federal government has come under pressure over reports that the Department of National Defence is cutting the positions of some mental health professionals.

According to the union representing some of the affected professionals, the positions being targeted include experts performing research and providing policy advice in the mental health field to the government.

“We’re concerned that we have experts who are recognized around the world in this area, and we’re concerned any time that the government cuts this expertise,” says Gary Corbett, president and CEO of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC).

“We ask why, especially for a topic like this, a subject like this where it has a direct impact on our military people who are serving. … If you don’t do this work, it’s going to end up costing the taxpayers a lot more down the road.”

PIPSC says what prompted their concern was some employees receiving letters indicating their positions are being “affected,” and, after they sought further information, getting the impression that their jobs are being cut.

The Department of National Defence (DND) has so far neither confirmed nor denied whether the positions are to be cut.

Responding to criticism over the reported cuts in the House of Commons last week, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the government is “committed to ensure that we provide the best possible support for members with mental or physical illness or injuries.”

“[W]hen compared to NATO allies, the Canadian Forces has the greatest ratio of mental health care workers to personnel,” MacKay said.

He added that a satellite detachment in Ottawa along with all its mental health provider positions is being moved to the Petawawa base so that it is closer to the soldiers and their families.

There are currently 378 full-time mental health professionals working with the Canadian Forces, MacKay added, and said the government is looking into hiring more people.

Corbett says it’s not clear where the government will be doing more hiring, but he says it’s important to retain the research specialists as they do important work in identifying what the problems are and providing expert advice.

According to PIPSC, the affected positions include the four-member Deployment Health Section that focuses on the monitoring of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and concussions, and another 8 out of 18 positions of researchers and epidemiologists who analyze mental health outcomes such as depression and suicide.

An injury surveillance and prevention trial at CFB Valcartier will also be closed as a result of the budget cuts, PIPSC says.

DND did not have anyone available for an interview by press time.

Increase in Suicides

Last week, the Ottawa Citizen reported on a leaked internal report that painted a bleak picture of war veterans being neglected by the mental health treatment system.

Statistics released by DND in late April shows that 19 members of the Canadian Forces committed suicide in 2011, a sharp increase compared to 12 in 2010 and 11 in 2009.

DND says each suicide death is investigated and the motivating factors leading to the event are examined, among other things.

The issue of suicide and PTSD is being discussed this week during a military police complaints hearing into complaints by the parents of Cpl. Stuart Langridge, who hanged himself in 2008.

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Students protest in Montreal on April 26. The Canadian Federation of Students is warning that student debt across Canada is reaching “dangerous levels.” (Rogerio Barbosa/AFP/GettyImages)

As Quebec student protestors mark their third straight month of taking a stand against proposed tuition hikes, the Canadian Federation of Students is warning that student debt across Canada is reaching “dangerous levels.”

This year, national student debt will reach $15 billion. However, this figure only accounts for loans doled out by the federal government. If provincial and private lenders are included, the actual student debt is billions more.

“In Canada we’re reaching pretty dangerous levels of student debt. It’s a huge burden to put on the youth of today,” says Roxanne Dubois, chair of the CFS, which represents half a million students. In addition, young people are facing an unemployment rate that’s double the rate of the overall population, she says.

It’s a huge burden to put on the youth of today. — Roxanne Dubois, Canadian Federation of Students

“We’re expecting [youth] to head out into the job market and try to contribute to the Canadian economy. It’s difficult to do that when you have so much debt upon graduation, and it gets even more difficult when the unemployment rate is so high.”

Dubois says tuition fees have increased at four times the rate of inflation in the past decade, in part due to massive education funding cuts by the federal government in the 1990s that have trickled down to students, making them ever more dependent on loans.

The average debt-load for Canadian graduates today is $27,000. Dubois says this kind of debt is not only scaring away students from impoverished backgrounds, but increasingly the middle class as well.

“The costs of post-secondary education have increased so much that it’s becoming inaccessible for a lot of people,” she says, adding students who are forced into large amounts of debt at an early age are likely to struggle with it for the rest of their lives.

“If you have a huge loan to pay then you’re going to have to pay it for a longer period of time and end up paying more because of interest rates. Relying heavily on student debt simply replicates the inequalities that education is supposed to alleviate.”

Protests Growing Worldwide

Quebec students began protesting after the Charest government proposed tuition hikes that would lead to a 75 percent increase over five years.

Although Quebec has some of the lowest tuition fees in the country due to a history of provincial subsidies and tuition controls, students have strongly opposed the increases in a larger boycott of what they say are neoliberal austerity measures and a capitalist agenda.

Students in several other countries have also taken to the streets in the past year to vent their dissatisfaction with rising education costs.

This week, talks between Quebec student groups and the Liberal government fell flat, as students rejected a deal aimed at lessening the effects of the tuition hike.

Students in several other countries have also taken to the streets in the past year to vent their dissatisfaction with rising education costs.

Protests have made headlines in Chile, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, and New Zealand, ranging from violent clashes with police to hunger strikes, sit-ins, and rallies.

Dubois says the increasing pressure on students will reach a breaking point, adding that making education inaccessible for many hits a core nerve and leads to cynicism among youth.

“I think that the breaking point here is whether or not we’re going to start building systems that are inclusive of everyone.”

Pigeons congregate on a traffic light in New York City. A wildlife centre director says controlling reproduction is a more humane and more effective way of reducing pigeon populations than current forms of pest control. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

The best way to manage pigeon problems in Canada is to put the birds on “pigeon birth control,” says the director of an Alberta wildlife centre.

Carol Kelly, the executive director of Medicine River Wildlife Centre in Red Deer, says OvoControl, a new form of pigeon feed that controls reproduction in pigeons, is both more humane and more effective than current forms of pest control.

“OvoControl is proactive in that it reduces the number of pigeons,” she says. “The pigeons eat it, they eat it for a certain period of time and it makes their eggs not viable. There’s no hormones involved.”

Pigeons are known to breed rapidly—usually six times a year, at two eggs per clutch. Since OvoControl interferes with egg hatchability, it stops new birds from hatching and the population naturally declines.

Field studies of the contraceptive have shown a reduction in pigeon populations of approximately 50 percent annually and up to 88 percent over 28 months. Once the pigeons are taken off the feed, normal reproductive cycles return after a few months.

Currently, pigeon problems in Canada are largely handled by pest-control companies, which frequently use poisons, sticky glue, steel barbs, nets, and other repellants that can solve the problem in the short term.

Field studies of the contraceptive have shown a reduction in pigeon populations of approximately 50 percent annually.

But Kelly says these methods do not address the fundamental problem, because pigeons can easily find alternative areas in a city to nest and breed, which ensures their populations are maintained.

“OvoControl is proactive in that it reduces the number of pigeons in a humane, gentle way,” she says.

In Red Deer, the city uses an anti-flocking agent to control pigeon populations. Kelly says that although she doesn’t know the ingredients of the agent, it can be very traumatic for pigeons that ingest it.

“It disturbs the birds. It makes them feel uncomfortable. We’ve already had two or three pigeons brought in to us just this week that were found shaking and seizuring on the ground,” she explains.

“Some people will say, ‘Who cares, they’re only pigeons?’ But it’s still an animal, it still makes them very vulnerable to predators, or being run over by cars, and it doesn’t solve the problem. It just sends them somewhere else to breed.”

Contraceptive Widely Used in the US

Kelly says OvoControl is being used across the U.S. and is “getting rave reviews” for its effectiveness. She believes the next step is for a Canadian city or town to partner with them to bring the product to Canada under a research permit.

Once the basic research shows the product’s effectiveness, it can be registered in Canada.

“[OvoControl] certainly has been widely adopted across the States so I see no reason why we can’t work towards helping to get it here,” she says.

Erick Wolf, CEO of California-based Innolytics, LLC, the company that produces OvoControl, says they receive regular inquiries from Canada and getting it into the country is now just a matter of “regulatory priorities.”

In its developing stages, the product was actually once used on resident Canada geese, but Wolf says the company gave up on this species because the control and management of Canada geese is “highly political.”

“I can only speak for the U.S., but the hunting community, especially the state regulatory agencies, are adamantly opposed to the contraception of any huntable wildlife,” he says.

“The business of hunting does not make any money permitting contraception … and much prefers to sell hunting licences.”

He says although cities may be tempted to try and kill off a large number of pigeons to immediately control the problem, the only long-term solution is to control the number of pigeons being born in the first place.

“In contrast, contracepting the flock actually represents a sustainable, long-term solution—a method to bring down the population of birds through attrition without having them breed back immediately.”

Trudy Perrow and two-month-old daughter Elizabeth (Liv), her “little miracle child,” in their Toronto home. (Kristina Skorbach/The Epoch Times)

Torontonians will have a chance to witness a blank canvass turn into beautiful art on stage at the Hart House this Thursday as artist Beckie DiLeo paints live to the inspiration of music performed by internationally acclaimed classical pianist Shoshana Telner.

The event, titled An Evening of Hope, is a fundraising initiative by Fertile Future, a Canadian non-profit organization that provides fertility preservation information and support services to cancer patients and oncology professionals.

According to Fertile Future, an estimated 10,000 young Canadians are diagnosed with cancer each year, and 8,000 of them survive. Cancer treatments or surgical procedures, however, can lessen the chances of fertility, which makes it important for cancer patients to get the right information at the right time, the organization says.

Board member Trudy Perrow, a cognitive behavioural therapist who specializes in treating chronic pain, is a survivor of ovarian cancer who found help from Fertility Future when she experienced challenges in finding out her fertility options after her diagnosis.

Perrow says that although it is a devastating time when people learn that they’re diagnosed with cancer, as they’re not even sure if they’re going to survive, getting the right information at the right time is critical.

In addition to the unique collaborative performance of visual and musical arts, Thursday’s event will also include wine and tasty food and will be followed by a silent auction featuring collectibles and artwork.

More information about the event is available at FertileFuture.ca/An-Evening-of-Hope.

Improve Home Improvement Centre (Courtesy of Improve)

Special Feature

When you are dealing with anything to do with housing in the Greater Toronto Area there is indeed strength in the numbers.

Toronto’s real estate market is experiencing another dizzying growth spurt. The housing market can’t keep up with the influx of new Canadians and foreign investors interested in storing their savings in the giant, cozy mattress that is the Canadian real estate market.

The rental vacancy rate is hovering around 1 percent and there are rumours renters have stooped to engaging in bidding wars on apartments downtown.

We’d build even more housing, but there’s a labour shortage and every inch of land counts.

However, no matter whether we build new homes, sell old ones, or rent out an apartment it’s inevitable: we must renovate and decorate.

Torontonians are renovation crazy. According to a 2010 Canada Mortgage and Housing Company survey, the GTA renovations market is worth $8.7 billion. Apparently, 91 percent of us are either currently renovating or planning to in the next five years.

Since 91 percent of you reading this already know what a headache renovation can be, one wonders why such a big industry hasn’t made the whole process more convenient for consumers.

Decorators, designers, and do-it-yourselfers are looking with hope toward a new location to be built at the intersection of Hwy 407 and Hwy 400.

Improve co-owner Oleg Chekhter poses in front of an artist’s rendition of what will soon be Canada’s largest home renovations show mall. (Courtesy of Improve )

Co-owner Oleg Chekhter, designers GHA (of Yorkdale Mall reknown), and builder Belrock are building something Asian and European consumers have had for years—a home renovations shopping mall. It will be called Improve.

Improve, according to Chekhter, is a pilot project. If the location in Toronto goes well when it opens in 2013, they’ll build in Calgary, Vancouver, and Montreal.

Canada loves malls because, let’s face it, it’s almost always cold, unless you we’re talking Vancouver where it always rains. We hate driving now too because of the price of gas.

I have heard there are some rare Canadians who like driving but dislike shopping (I believe they’re called men) and for them Improve will be a huge time-saver.

If you’re travelling with an interior decorator instead of your partner, you may be paying by the hour. Your dollar stretches a lot further when you no longer have to run around the city.

Plethora of Shops, Designer Showrooms

There will be over 300 shops, each competing with their neighbour for your attention. They can use unique designs and products, very competitive pricing, or both to earn business.

Instead of milling about online and hoping for the best, there will be many designer showrooms where you can see and feel the quality of the work, quickly finding a sense of style that resonates with your own.

One of the horrors of renovating using a big box store is the mind-numbing lack of originality and overall uniformity of the products available, from one giant corporate mega store to the next.

An area of great potential for Improve is original, one-of-a-kind, customized, and creative products and services.

It is encouraging that, along with the requisite kitchen design shops and high-end appliance stores already owning units, an art gallery, plaster molding company, and a fantastic stained glass company were among the first to buy in.

Chekhter says that as Improve evolves he will give over the role of curator to the consumer.

“Businesses that can do well are businesses that are offering great stuff,” he says. The right combination of products and services will evolve naturally from customers’ needs.

(Courtesy of Improve)

Improve is a welcome concept for consumers, but it may mean even more to the local building industry. Designers and builders will now have a single location to select materials and purchase in bulk because businesses at Improve that have the capacity can sell at both retail and wholesale prices.

The average consumer will also have room to negotiate. Considering that Southern Ontario’s “average” consumers are from all over the world, a place where you can negotiate adds an element of familiarity, a sort of ultra-modern, luxury bazaar.

The price has already moved from $300,000 a unit to $330,000, and may change considerably when the shovel hits the dirt in the next few months.

Part of the condo maintenance fee will be pooled together into a collective marketing fund which will add up to about a million dollars a year.

This is a huge savings for stores that are used to paying thousands of dollars a month in advertising they have difficulty tracking the results of. Once again, there is strength in numbers.

Rendering of Lindvest Properties’ B. Streets Condos located in the Annex at Bathurst and Bloor. (Courtesy of Lindvest Properties)

Special Feature

Is Toronto the best city to buy a condo in North America? At the very least, we have the best advertising agencies. This year they’ve done a world-class job of selling us as this continent’s best place to build a new nest.

In February, Canadian advertising agencies made big tracks at the U.S.-based National Home Builder’s Association Sales and Marketing Awards. Since the awards are called The Nationals, and all the judges are Americans, it’s nice to see Canadian companies getting so much love.

Toronto companies won thirteen of the forty-nine awards up for grabs. Canadian ad agencies seemed to dominate entire categories. For example, five of the six projects nominated in the Best Community Branding category were clients of Montana Steele. They won gold plus four silvers in a single category.

Canadian companies won Best Radio Commercial, Best TV Commercial, Best Overall Ad Campaign, Best Community Branding, Best Graphic Continuity, Best Brochure – Book Format, Best Direct Mail, Best Black and White Ad, and a Building Community Spirit Award.

Toronto condo projects completely swept the Community of the Year – Urban category. The gold and all the silver winners in the category are right here in the T-dot. That’s a lot of award winning community.

Montana Steele’s Andy DeSantis (L) and Adam Savoni (R) win Best Direct Mail for Cinema Tower at the 2012 BILD Awards. In the centre is Corey McBurney, president of Enerquality. (Rodney Daw)

Staff at advertising agency Montana Steele are still giddy after winning seven National Gold Awards [and a number of silvers they need not deign to count].

Montana Steele got most recognition for their work on Daniels’ Cinema Towers. Across the street from TIFF Bell Lightbox and sister building Festival Tower, Cinema Towers places TIFF, and movies, at the heart of resident’s living experience. What’s not to love?

Adam Savoni, Account Executive at Montanta Steele, worked on both the Cinema Tower and Festival Tower teams. “It was a tremendous and unprecedented success. It’s very unique and unprecedented to win so many awards.”

Savoni was also pleased to represent Canada. “We had tremendous competition with other [North American] agencies pitching phenomenal creative.”

Daniels Corp. Cinema Towers offers residents exclusive TIFF access. It was a blockbuster at the 2012 Nationals. (Courtesy of Daniels Corp.)

When we asked Savoni about parents forcing their creative, compulsively doodling Canadian children into accounting and engineering careers, he has this to say: “Canada has a huge market for design and creative. It just goes to show after awards like this—there’s tons of potential here.”

At last week’s The Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) Awards, Montana Steele received an unprecedented 21 Award nominations for a variety of projects. They came home with three awards.

It seems GTA judges were more excited by the work of Toronto ad agency L.A. Inc.

L.A. Inc. came home from the NHBA Marketing Awards with five National Gold awards for different projects, and are also fatigued by counting National Silver awards.

Just as L.A. Inc. had recovered from all that U.S. gold, they unpacked to find they had been nominated for 20 BILD Awards. They made the trek up and down the stage at the BILD Awards seven times for their work on Linvest Properties B. Streets condo in the Annex.

Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects, the B. Streets project was nominated for twelve BILD awards, winning seven, including High Rise Project of the Year.

“We built the whole campaign around the community, around the neighbourhood,” explains L.A. Inc. VP David Klugsberg. Real local Annex residents became were photographed and used for the promotional material.

The B. Streets team, including Lindvest Properties, L.A. Inc., Milborne Real Estate Inc., Cecconi Simone, and The Communications Group. (Rodney Daw)

“It’s been fun to work on,” Klugsberg said. Hear that tiger moms? He’s talking about his day job.

There are several factors that may be fuelling overall mood of, well…victory. Obviously, the Toronto condo market is very lucrative–more money, means bigger budgets for creative marketing.

We are also increasingly keen on increasing density downtown in an attempt to embrace transit oriented development, which mean we need to build up, not out. With land at a premium, high-rise condos are cost effective.

In order to lure people out of their larger suburban homes (and keep hipsters downtown) condos need to be attractive to live in. With a unit under 400 square feet, you need to be able to effectively sell a ‘lifestyle’, and that’s what marketing is all about.

And it’s working. Just ask BILD Low-Rise of the Year, Treasure Hill Developments block. These College St., ultra-modern townhouses started at $900,000, and sold out before we could visit the website and ogle them.

Toronto may be Hollywood North and Madison Avenue North too. Let’s hope we stay humble.

Justice minister Rob Nicholson and MP Parm Gill. (Matthew Little/The Epoch Times)

MP Parm Gill’s private member’s bill to outlaw efforts to recruit people into organized crime received official support from the government Tuesday when Justice minister Rob Nicholson joined the Brampton, Ont., MP to announce the Criminal Organization Recruitment Act.

The act will make it an offence punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment to recruit or encourage someone to join a criminal organization.

Liberal Senator Mac Harb is facing renewed opposition to his bill in the Senate to end the commercial seal hunt.

“After millions of dollars being wasted over the years to prop up and defend the dying commercial hunt, it became clear that only by formally ending the hunt would the government shift its focus to the issues of compensation, retraining, and investment in other industries required to transition those involved into more viable employment,” writes Harb in a recent op-ed defending his legislation.

The Canadian sealing industry, however, lambasted the bill on Tuesday.

“Mr. Harb’s claims are unfounded. The Canadian sealing industry is very much alive and well,” said Dion Dakins, chair of the Seals and Sealing Network.

“Consumer demand remains strong. And with positive results at the WTO and the European General Court, we feel there will be a level trading field for seal products.”

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) issued a report this week detailing $114 billion the government gave banks during the economic downturn through indirect support.

The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation provided $69 billion to take mortgages over for the banks. The government says the program that took on the mortgages has generated $1.2 billion in net revenues.

Canadian banks also used a program set up by the U.S. Federal Reserve, with Scotiabank taking the most from the program at $12 billion. The Bank of Canada gave banks some $41 billion in the form of liquidity support, according to the report.

Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart (Matthew Little/The Epoch Times)

Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart announced $500,000 in funding for 11 research projects on Wednesday.

The projects will look at privacy issues relating to key priorities for Stoddart’s office related to social networking, cybercrime, surveillance, cloud computing, smartphone applications, and cell therapy research.

The “See, Click, Fix” app allows users to report issues such as potholes and graffiti vandalism to city authorities. (The Epoch Times)

Toronto has launched two smartphone apps that allow residents to report potholes directly to the authorities to have them filled.

“These apps let residents report potholes using their smartphones. There’s no need to make a phone call or go to their computer to report the pothole—the request goes right to Transportation Services for action,” Mayor Rob Ford said in a statement.

The apps, which allow users to capture address information of potholes and to include pictures in the report, route the information directly to the Transportation Services division to address the issue.

There are currently two apps available: the “See, Click, Fix” app for Blackberry, iPhone, and Android phones, and the “TDOT 311” app for the iPhone only.

The federal government is introducing changes to food regulatory processes in an effort to reduce red tape and delays in getting food products to the market.

The changes were announced as part of a bill introduced last week to legislate key elements of the 2012 budget.

“The current tools we use to regulate some food products are rigid and outdated,” Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq said in a statement.

“Our new approach will allow more timely approvals of safe, innovative products while still protecting the health and safety of Canadians.”

According to Health Canada, the proposed changes will still maintain the same pre-market assessments to ensure food product safety, but will streamline regulatory processes.

For example, Health Canada determined that CITREM, a product used in infant formula to ensure consistent and full delivery of nutrients to newborns, was safe for use in June 2008. However, it took 41 months to receive all the necessary approvals and implement the required regulatory changes to allow the industry to use the product.

New Tools Cut Red Tape

With the new changes, Health Canada says the process could take as little as six months once a product has been deemed safe.

“These new tools would only be used after the scientific assessment and consultation process is complete. The extensive safety assessments conducted by Health Canada scientists won’t change,” Stephane Shank, a spokesperson with Health Canada, said in an email.

“These amendments will also provide tools so that safe new products with potential health benefits for Canadians, such as antimicrobials aimed to inhibit the growth of pathogens, can get to market more rapidly.”

The changes also allow faster update of maximum limits for chemical contaminations if new sciences emerge justifying these changes, and once stakeholders have been consulted, Shank said.

One of the new tools introduced to speed up the processes is “Incorporation by Reference,” under which lists detailing rules and limits for specific substances in various foods will no longer be managed within the regulations.

“By managing these lists outside of the regulations, through a publicly available document, it becomes much simpler and less time-consuming to add to, or change, these lists. This will reduce red tape and allow the department to focus resources where they will have the greatest impact on the health of Canadians,” Shank said.

Addressing Risks

The other tool is “Market Authorization,” which grants the Minister of Health more ability to act on certain safety decisions.

“The Market Authorization would also allow the minister to apply specific conditions on the approval of a product or substance, allowing more flexibility to address any particular risks,” Shank explained.

Ken Whitehurst, executive director of Consumers Council of Canada, points out that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture) is also introducing many changes, and in times of change, there are risks of oversight or omission.

He notes, however, that the changes are being introduced in a systematic way.

“They’re aware of those risks and … their management seems to be trying to be careful about it. I don’t think they have any goal to weaken food safety,” Whitehurst said.

Audiences members give a curtain-call standing ovation to Shen Yun performers at the Sunday evening performance at Calgary’s Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. (Jerry Wu/The Epoch Times)

Winnipeg-based international human rights lawyer David Matas says Calgary’s Jubilee Auditorium is limiting the “expressive freedom” of artists by imposing the use of a net over the orchestra pit for shows by Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Shen Yun, a world-renowned classical Chinese dance and music company based in New York, features a unique orchestra combining classical western and Chinese instruments that is very much an integral part of the show.

The dance company has performed in hundreds of venues around the world without any requirement to have a net over the orchestra pit.

“The theatre should not impose structures to limit art groups’ expressive freedom or to prevent the content of their expressions,” Matas wrote in a letter to Heather Klimchuk, Alberta’s Minister of Culture and Community Spirit who oversees the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (SAJA).

“Arts groups have a constitutional right to freedom of expression. This right to freedom of expression has both form and a content component.”

The use of the net was first imposed by SAJA’s management in 2010, even though no reference was made in the contract to any such net, Matas noted.

“This has been so even though liability waivers were offered and performers held personal injury insurance. There would have been no liability for the theatre in case of injury due to absence of a net,” he said.

In fact, SAJA’s requirement for the net violates the contract, which spells out that the minister warrants that the premises will be provided in a good state of repair.

“The throwing of a net over the orchestra pit means that this provision is violated,” Matas said.

The net hinders the interaction between the musicians and the dancers, and since its use means the pit needs to be positioned much lower, the orchestra is further away from the view of the audience, Matas said.

“In addition, the musicians felt disrespected playing under such a net, as it was akin to being displayed in a cage,” he added.

Unreasonable Infringement

Citing the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Matas said the theatre must not infringe on the freedom of Shen Yun’s artistic expression unless the “infringement falls within reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.”

In this case, however, he said the net “is not a reasonable limit on freedom of expression because its enforcement would have the effect of preventing Shen Yun performers from expressing themselves in the manner of their choice in an unreasonable way not demonstrably justified.”

The local Calgary presenter of Shen Yun, the Falun Dafa Association of Calgary, said “unprofessional” and “insulting” behaviour from SAJA’s management might mean that Shen Yun won’t return to Calgary next year.

The presenter said the mistreatment began in 2010 when theatre management first required the use of the net, but the unprofessional behaviour reached new levels this year.

What concerned the artists and the local presenter was the “dismissive” response from the Jubilee’s management, who laughed the matter off instead of taking it seriously.

The Daniels Corp. team poses for a photo. (Courtesy of Daniels Corp.)

Special Feature

In the new homes business in Ontario, Tarion is like Santa—they have the definitive list of who’s been naughty or nice.

Tarion administrates the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act. They police builders, ensuring that they abide by legislation. They also protect consumers if builders don’t honour their warranty obligations.

They are there to help us consumers from the moment we commit with a down payment to seven years after our purchase. They also offer protection if buyers incur losses because their home is not completed on time.

Though there are several important awards given out annually in the home building industry, the Tarion awards are the only awards voted on by Ontario home buyers.

The awards are based on survey results taken after purchase, questioning every stage of the after-sales homeowner-builder relationship, from the signing to construction, pre-delivery inspection, and finally after-sales service.

This year, The Daniels Corporation won Tarion’s High-Rise Builder of the Year Award.

The Daniels Corp. team poses for a photo. (Courtesy of Daniels Corp.)

“What makes this award so special is that it’s not some industry committee—it’s from the end user, the homeowners,” explains Niall Haggart, executive vice president at Daniels.

“It’s everything from the time they walked into the sales office, through to the purchase, how the documents were handled, how was the pre-delivery inspection, was the quality of the unit good, what was their after-sales service like, would you buy from them again—all these challenging and really important questions.”

One of the concerns buyers voice about new homes is quality, and for good reason, says Haggart.

“From our perspective, historically, the real estate development home building business has not been terrific in delivering a good quality home within the period of time it has been promised. It’s really something we as an industry need to strive and improve.”

According to Tarion’s website, in 2006 only 6 percent of Ontario’s 5,600 builders were providing the quality of service to qualify for a Tarion award nomination.

It is notable that Daniels has been nominated in the high-rise category every year since Tarion began giving awards in 2005 (except in 2009 when no awards were given).

To what does Haggart accredit Daniels’ success? “We’ve put in place systems and structures, from years of feedback, to be able to do an effective job at communicating with our customers,” he says.

Community Building

Daniels has a broad spectrum of customers, building everything from retirement residences and non-profit housing to high-end condos and the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

The experience their leadership has with non-profit may explain why Daniels was chosen by the City of Toronto to re-build Regent Park.

Many were worried that finding buyers in a mixed-income community would be difficult. However, “the first 10 acres was a tremendous success,” Haggart says.

The second phase of Regent Park’s re-development got off to a great start when Paintbox sold out almost immediately. One Park Place is already under construction and will go on sale soon.

In Etobicoke, Daniels provided land for 10 townhomes, making their gift the single largest donation of land by a private company in Habitat Canada’s history.

Daniels has been a consistent and substantial supporter of Second Harvest for over a decade. They are also the presenting sponsor of this year’s fundraiser for Regent Park School of Music taking place May 7 at the Toronto Board of Trade.

Daniels is not just a builder with a culture of community responsibility. This year Daniels and Canadian ad agency Montana Steele cleaned up at the prestigious National 2012 awards in February for Cinema Tower, the sibling of Festival Towers that sits atop the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Sponsored by U.S.-based National Association of Home Builders, the Nationals are seen as the Oscars of the new home industry, and are usually dominated by American companies.

According to Haggart, Canadian talent is not only formidable in Hollywood. Canadian planners, architects, and engineers are currently involved in projects all over the world.

Daniels’ amazing “grand-slam” at the NAHB awards is “a real testament to the calibre and quality of work that we Canadians are capable of producing,” says Haggart.

Aside from five marketing awards, Daniels won the NAHB Urban Community of the Year for Cinema Tower.

“We’re more about creating master-planned communities with a whole bunch of different moving parts that function,” Haggart explains.

Daniels has just partnered with Artscape to build a 6,000 square-foot performance space at Cinema Towers that will be available to non-profit, charitable, and cultural organizations.

One could point out that building quality housing and designing vibrant communities creates plenty of goodwill, and that can’t hurt the bottom line.

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the White House on March 13 about enforcing U.S. trade rights as he accused China of breaking global trade rules by restricting exports of rare earth elements. Canada has a tremendous opportunity to gain global influence by capitalizing on its abundant rare earth deposits, says a Canadian Chamber of Commerce report. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Canada has a tremendous opportunity to gain global influence by capitalizing on its abundant rare earth deposits, otherwise known as the “oil of the 21st century,” says a new report by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

In the report, titled Canada’s Rare Earth Deposits Can Offer A Substantial Competitive Advantage, the chamber outlines the opportunity for Canada to start “punching above its weight” by leveraging its rare earth projects and deposits.

Rare earths are a series of 17 elements that have unique chemical, magnetic, and fluorescent properties. They are integral to the functioning of items such as hybrid and electric cars, fluorescent lights, plasma screens, portable computers, hand-held electronic devices, wind power generators, and optical and medical devices.

They are also widely used in defence applications such as missiles, lasers, satellite communications, and radar systems.

“Canada has 1.1 billion pounds of rare earths locked in black shale deposits (the Alberta Black Shale Project) worth an estimated $206 billion. In addition, several other Canadian mines across the country show great potential,” says Perrin Beatty, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

“We have been blessed with great geology and we have a tremendous opportunity to turn our resource richness into a significant competitive advantage,” he added.

We have a tremendous opportunity to turn our resource richness into a significant competitive advantage.

—Perrin Beatty, Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Over 90 percent of rare earths come from the Bayan Obo mining district in China. Countries around the world have been rushing to develop their own deposits after China recently decreased exports to satisfy the demand of its own internal markets.

Over the past several years, China has also been raising export duties and reducing export quotas on some rare earth elements. This led the United States, Japan, and the European Union to file a complaint at the World Trade Organization earlier this year.

“With the Japanese, Americans, and Europeans now searching for ways to counter China’s monopoly, Canada is in a very enviable position,” says Beatty.

Challenges

The biggest deposits outside China can be found in Canada, Russia, the U.S., Australia, India, and South Africa. The challenge is to introduce the necessary infrastructure and processes to mine and process these rare earths economically and in an environmentally responsible way.

Until recently, processes to release rare earths from black shale deposits in Canada were considered risky and hazardous to the environment, says the chamber report, but new technology has now been developed to mitigate the risks.

The report highlights several Canadian-based mining companies that are gearing up to develop deposits across the country, and anticipates full production in some areas could start as early as 2015.

The company that is able to produce the soonest will likely capture a strategic industry position, as many countries are desperate to offset their dependency on China.

Companies that experience start-up delays may miss the chance to stake their position in the global market, the report says.

The report concludes that if Canada is able to harness the resources quickly and effectively, it could provide a significant portion of global rare earths exports which would boost its political influence.

A bamboo bike built by Grass Frames sits on a Vancouver city street. (Courtesy Grass Frames)

A B.C. bicycle manufacturer is joining an emerging new trend by using an unusual material to build bike frames: bamboo.

Al Roback, founder of Vancouver-based bike company Grass Frames, was inspired by the idea of using bamboo while on an exchange in Japan.

“While studying Japanese and the Japanese culture, I started a gardening co-op and a bicycle co-op and messed around making some furniture out of the local bamboo,” he says.

“I was quite impressed by bamboo’s strength and aesthetic.”

The idea stuck with him. When he returned home to Vancouver Roback convinced long-time friends James Moore and Joshua Armstrong to help him develop his vision, and Grass Frames was born.

“We’ve had a lot of interest,” he says. “Our main focus at this point has been getting [the bikes] into stores. So we’re in some very heated talks with local stores.”

The hand-crafted bikes consist of bamboo frames attached to the standard handlebars, seat, pedals, tires, and gears.

Bamboo bikes are not only lightweight (1.7–2.2 kilos) and long-lasting, says Roback, they are also eco-friendly due to natural materials and organic production processes.

Bamboo is an ideal bike material because it has a higher tensile strength than many alloys of steel, is scratch-resistant, and absorbs vibration extremely well.

The process of treating the bamboo and handcrafting the frame takes about 40 hours, which is ultimately reflected in the price—starting at $2,100 for the frame alone, with a complete bike costing $3,350.

“It’s not an entry-level bike, but for a handmade bike [the price] is definitely comparable,” says Roback, adding that the ride quality is on par or better than a carbon fibre bike.

“As a road bike they work extremely well.”

Eco-Friendly Alternative

Foreman and designer Josh Armstrong works in the Grass Frames studio on Main Street in Vancouver. The company is one of the first to design and build bamboo bikes in Canada. (Courtesy Grass Frames)

Currently there are few Canadian bike makers using bamboo in their designs, but the trend has been popping up around the world since the mid-nineties, as manufacturers look for eco-friendly, affordable alternatives to steel or carbon fibre bikes.

The use of bamboo in bike components can be traced back as early as 1895 and enjoyed a renaissance in 1995 led by well-known industry leader Craig Calfee, who was among the first to experiment with both carbon-fibre and bamboo materials.

Bamboo is an ideal bike material because it has a higher tensile strength than many alloys of steel, is scratch-resistant, and absorbs vibration extremely well.

It also requires little energy to source, can be grown in most environments, and has exceptional regenerative properties—some species have been known to grow over a metre within 24 hours.

According to a recent economic analysis of the bamboo bicycle industry, since the sector is still in its infancy, new builders play a critical role in establishing the market if bamboo is ever to be widely adopted.

“Until demand can be better gauged, large manufacturers will likely wait along the roadside while the early movers in the market invest energy and dollars building demand and establishing bamboo as a viable frame alternative,” reads the analysis.

“A growing number of bamboo frame builders entering the market, however, foretell promise for the industry’s outlook.”

Roback says once consumers try bamboo bikes they’ll be hooked, but it will take time for the idea to catch on.

(Courtesy of Mod Developments)

Special Feature

Surrounded by Canadian music history, the Massey Towers will nestle its 60-story stature between Massey Hall, the Elgin and Wintergarden Theatre Centre, and the old Heintzman building. Toronto’s musical traditions are clearly the very roots of this project.

Just one block from the Canon Theatre or St. Michael’s Cathedral, you can have your choice of reverie or reverence. There is also a tiny department store across the street called the “Toronto Eaton Centre.” Probably not much in there but socks and a Starbucks.

Vacant since 1987, the historically designated Canadian Bank of Commerce building will be restored, becoming the lobby and entrance point for the Massey Towers.

Project developer Mod Developments assembled the same team that designed FIVE St. Joseph in order to sensitively handle the integration of the 1905 historical property.

(Courtesy of Mod Developments)

FIVE recently won the BILD High Rise Project of the Year and Best Building Design awards. FIVE’s 45 floors seem to grow organically out of a four-story gothic-revival façade on St. Joseph St. and a block of mews on St. Nicholas St.

Hariri Pontarini Architects’ ability to integrating urban design with historical buildings and historic neighbourhoods is a given. Modern but organic, there is a decidedly human feel to their work.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood?

Building a high rise in a tight urban centre can be challenging, but Gary Switzer, Mod’s president and CEO, has been busy building relationships with his neighbours.

Mod has donated the building’s “backyard,” a piece of land off Victoria Street, to the Massey Foundation, providing Massey Hall with much-needed space to expand its backstage facilities.

It took some careful designing to negotiate the easements or rights-of-way for Massey Hall, the Elgin, and the Massey Tower. Squeezing a building of this size on to a rather Manhattanesque lot took some doing. Thankfully, there is good will among neighbours.

We took a peek into the 197 Yonge St. building. The wood, iron, and plaster work are being restored to their former glory. Switzer was pleased with his latest discoveries, a spectacular mosaic tile floor previously hidden under linoleum and a pink marble staircase. Both will be restored under the supervision of ERA Architects.

Rock on

The first floor of the old bank building will be transformed into a lobby. The second floor, once occupied by conservative banking executives, will now house soundproof practice rooms for professional or aspiring musicians in residence. Now that’s progress.

(Courtesy of Mod Developments)

One of the key issues for downtown developers is parking. One wonders why you’d need a car living at Yonge and Queen, but we digress. Digging down was not an option for the Massey. Technology answered the call. The Massey will feature six floors of automated parking.

The parking system they are looking at is called Boomerang. Each car is parked on top of what could be described as a car-sized table with stubby legs. Robots, reminiscent of gigantic Roombas, whisk the cars away, parking and retrieving them automatically, using half the space humans require to park.

Sufficient and engaging shared space is key for condo dwellers. Of note are the roof garden, a favourite in Hariri Pontarini vocabulary, and a piano bar in keeping with the Massey’s musical theme.