February 22, 2011

www.diversityreporter.com

InCReASed competition and tougher criteria made itmore challenging to be named one of Canada’s Best di-versity employers for 2011. Mediacorp’s editorial teamchose the 45 winners from a short list of 300, narrowedfrom 2,750 who started the application process. That is

150 more than last year.Companies are judged by their diversity and inclusiveness

programs for five major employee groups: women; membersof visible minorities; people with disabilities; aboriginal peo-ples; and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered/transsexualpeople. new criteria included a clearly defined strategy toachieve goals; strategy review and updating; and initiatives re-lating to recruitment, retention, development, training and ed-ucation, employee resources, affinity groups, leadership andmanagement accountability, customer and market diversity,

vendor and supplier diversity, and community partnerships.employers are also expected to have tracking measures inplace. Richard Yerema, managing editor of the Canada's Top100 employers project, says diversity programs, policy devel-opment and commitment have become more formalized sincethe first diversity competition in 2008. “We have very muchtightened our focus to ensure that employers who venturedown the path of creating more inclusive work environmentsdo so in a way that evolves into program and policy versus apreference that may simply change with personnel.”

Any employer of any size, private or public, with its headoffice or principal place of business in Canada, can applythrough the Canada's Top 100 employers application process.The fee is $495 plus HST.

see the complete list and photos on www.diversityreporter.com

Canada's best diversityemployers in 2011

Dollars and sense pays for higher educationAre you thinking about going to college or university? In today's job mar-ket, having a post-secondary education will take you further in your ca-reer. According to Statistics Canada, a college graduate earns $7,200more per year on average, compared to a high school graduate. For uni-versity graduates the number is even higher, bringing in an extra$23,000 per year. Getting a degree or diplomacomes with a price tag, but it pays off inthe long run. Patricia White, the ex-ecutive director of Credit Coun-selling Canada offers somehelpful money managing tips forstudents: Invest in your educa-tion. Borrowing money to pay forschool is an investment in yourfuture, an investment that willpay off. A good education will leadto a better job and, most likely, ahigher salary. Consider a govern-ment loan. Unlike a bank loan, gov-ernment loans come with a fewcost-saving perks. For example, ifyou have a Canada Student Loan,interest doesn't accumulatewhile you're in school andpayments aren't requireduntil six months after yougraduate. That ruleapplies to full- andpart-time loans.You can also claima tax credit for theinterest on yourloan. And, if youhave difficultymaking endsmeet aftergradua-tion, youcan applyfor theRepay-ment As-sistancePlan, which al-lows you tomake monthlyloan payments that fityour budget.

DetAil story on PAge 6

The Government of Canadaand the Anglican Churchtoday celebrated a jointagreement under which ap-proximately 50 refugee fam-ilies have been brought tothis country from countriessuch as Afghanistan, Soma-lia and Iran. "Canada has along and proud tradition ofproviding a safe haven tothose around the world mostin need of protection," saidCitizenship, Immigrationand Multiculturalism Minis-ter Jason Kenney. "Volun-teer groups such as theAnglican Church haveplayed an integral role inhelping refugees come toand settle in Canada.

DetAil story on PAge 5

Canada and Anglican church give 50 refugee families new hope

AdviceWednesday February 22, 2012


02

Diversity reporter WIRE SERVICES/ NEWS CANADA

AMonG those new Canadians whoreported providing daily care fortheir parents in desjardins Finan-cial Security's (dFS) most recenthealth survey, 71 per cent admit-

ted to feeling a related financial impact, com-pared to 61 per cent of all respondents whoprovided daily support. The survey also foundthat 20 per cent of those respondents who wereborn outside Canada were more likely to bemembers of the "Sandwich Generation" — adultswho provide personal and financial support totheir parents and children simultaneously —compared to seven per cent of all respondents.

"Most Canadians are finding it difficult tomake ends meet. But these results are showingus that immigrants are feeling particularly over-whelmed because they're balancing more thanthe average Canadian," said Reh Bhanji, regionalsales manager of the Wealth Management andLife and Health Insurance division at desjardinsGroup. "The 'Sandwich Generation' may be anew phenomenon in north America, but it's notfor many new Canadians — it's life. They're jug-gling the challenge of establishing roots in a newcountry, raising a family and caring for elderlyparents, all within a very tight budget."

Having a plan is essentialdespite their financial difficulties, those who

had immigrated to Canada less than five yearsago were more likely to have a plan with theirparents to provide for their care (40 per centcompared to 18.9 per cent overall). "It's encour-aging that many new Canadians have plans inplace to care for their families," said Bhanji."However, there are many who are still strug-gling. Working with an advisor can help rebal-

ance the plan to ensure that your family's finan-cial security is assured while providing your par-ents with the care that they need." Moreinformation about dFS' health survey can befound at www.desjardinslifeinsurance.com.About the Survey: SoM Surveys, opinionPolls and Marketing conducted this Web surveyon behalf of desjardins Financial Security from

August 10 to 23, 2011. In total, 3,120 question-naires were completed with a sample of Cana-dian Web panellists aged 18 to 64 years old. Thedata was weighted to reflect the distribution ofthe Canadian population aged 18 to 64 years oldin terms of gender and mother tongue distribu-tions in 14 regions (Atlantic Provinces, MontrealCMA and elsewhere in Quebec, Toronto CMA

and elsewhere in ontario, Manitoba,Saskatchewan, Calgary CMA and elsewhere inAlberta, Vancouver CMA and elsewhere inBritish Columbia). The data was also weighted toreflect the population distributions in terms ofthe joint age-gender distribution and the propor-tion of adults who live alone in Quebec, ontarioand elsewhere in Canada.

new Canadians in ‘sandwich generation’feel financial pinch most

03 ediTORiAL Wednesday February 22, 2012


By Blair lekstrom

minister of transportation and infrastructure

vICtorIA: new and emerging markets in Asiaare giving us an exciting chance to create jobs andopportunities right across our province and to es-tablish a thriving future economy for British Co-lumbia. B.C.'s proximity to the Asia-Pacific regionmakes us ideally situated to take advantage of agrowing demand for a broad range of Canadianproducts such as coal, forest products, seafood, liq-uefied natural gas, and potash. Key markets in-clude the growing economies of China, India,Korea and Japan. British Columbia is already rec-ognized internationally as the fastest transporta-tion gateway between north America and Asia andwe are going to build on that success. Imports andexports are expanding through our Pacific Gateway.For instance: * Total foreign tonnage at Port MetroVancouver was up 2.5 per cent increasing to 95.6million tonnes. Bulk volumes set records with drybulk cargoes like coal up 7.8 per cent overall. *Potash increased 30 per cent to a new record of 7.2million metric tonnes. * Prince Rupert cargoeswere up 18 per cent over 2010. Total coal tonnageto Korea, China and Japan was up 16 per cent over2010. * Loaded containers were up 59 per centfrom 2010. * Fairview Container Terminals were up20 per cent over 2010. Grain was up 17 per centover 2010. * Seafood exports to China grew to$109 million, topping 2010's total by $29 million,which is an increase of 36 per cent.

In 2005, our government, along with Albertaand Saskatchewan, began collaborating with thefederal government, Canada's major railways, Van-couver International Airport, Port Metro Vancou-

ver and the Port of Prince Rupert. Since that time,we've been working in partnership in the PacificGateway Alliance to build and enhance the port,road, rail and air corridors in our province thatmove people and goods to and from global mar-kets. The Pacific Gateway Alliance is a unique part-nership that oversees a $22 billion (including morethan $14 billion committed from the private sector)expansion of port, rail, road and airport facilities,bringing together infrastructure investments,labour reliability, and service improvements.ThePacific Gateway is a cornerstone of 'Canada StartsHere - The BC Jobs Plan', and its goals of strength-ening our infrastructure through investment andexpanding our markets in Asia.

This strategy is paying off by creating jobs allaround B.C. from Prince Rupert to dawson Creek,from Sparwood to Hope, and the Lower Mainlandto Vancouver Island. We are improving our qualityof life by separating road from rail traffic and pro-viding better access for residents and farmers, sothat people will spend less time in traffic and ourproducts will reach their destination faster. In lessthan a year, people in the Lower Mainland can lookforward to the opening of the new, ten-lane PortMann Bridge, and the first section of the SouthFraser Perimeter Road, to improve their commute.Meanwhile, major highway improvements willcontinue in the okanagan, along Highway 1, andthroughout the north of the province to open upB.C. to even more business opportunities. Publicinvestment in our infrastructure is spurring privateinvestment throughout the province. Last decem-ber, Rio Tinto announced one of the largest privatesector investments in B.C. history -- $3.3 billioninto the expansion of its aluminum smelter in Kiti-mat, creating thousands of jobs and making it oneof the cleanest smelters in the world. other indus-tries are joining in as well. over the last two yearsTeck Resources has invested almost $1 billion toimprove its coal operations, CP Rail is investing$350 million to upgrade rail infrastructure, andVancouver International Airport is investing $1.8billion to move passengers faster through YVR.Soon British Columbia will also create a whole newresource market when liquefied natural gas (LnG)begins moving through the first plant in Kitimat.If we are going to stay ahead of the competitionworldwide, we need to take bold steps into the fu-ture. Through our partnerships in the Pacific Gate-way Alliance we will continue to make strategicinvestments to strengthen our infrastructure andexpand our markets in Asia and the world. Theseamless flow of goods, services, and people arewhat continue to make the Pacific Gateway a trulyworld class transportation system. We will con-tinue to build our infrastructure to create a brightfuture and new jobs for British Columbians andCanadians alike.

Pacific Gateway key to growing Asian markets

Auditor General’sreport condemnsLiberal inaction on forest healthvICtorIA: Auditor General John doyle’sreport on forestry Thursday is an utter con-demnation of the failure by the Liberals toaddress the growing crisis in forest health,say the new democrats. “The auditor gen-eral’s report clearly confirms what inde-pendent experts and even their own ministryofficials have been saying for years,” saidnew democrat Leader Adrian dix, “that ourpublicly owned forests are in terrible shapeand that the government has neither theplan nor the capacity to fix the problem.“The Liberals’ failure to act puts the nextgeneration of forestry in jeopardy, afterwe’ve already seen deep declines in the num-ber of people working in the industry,” saiddix. “The lack of action on the government’spart is irresponsible, and it risks the futureof dozens of communities around B.C.”The auditor general released a report Thurs-day morning listing his findings and six rec-ommendations to address the crisis. He callson the government to put more work intocreating long-term objectives and to ensurethat tree planting and silviculture matchesthose long-term objectives.“Part of the problem is that the ministry it-self has no idea what’s actually happeningon the land base,” said forest critic normMacdonald. “The Liberals have practicallystopped doing inventory work, so we can’ttell what the situation is in the forests.”Through the 1990s, the government spentabout $22.5 million a year on inventory; themost recent budget allotted less than $8million for inventory work.“How do we fix a problem when we don’tknow its extent?” asked Macdonald. “Itseems that the Liberals don’t want to ask thequestion because they are afraid of hearingthe answer: their policies have devastatedthe forests.”Since 2001, more than 70 mills have closedand the forest industry has shed more than35,000 full-time, family-supporting jobs.“The Liberal record on forestry today is arecord of job loss,” said dix. “The Liberallegacy will be a forest in crisis, and unable tosustain an industry of the future. It meansmore job losses and greater economic uncer-tainty for forest-dependent communities allaround the province.” Adrian dix and thenew democrats believe that B.C. logs shouldsupport B.C. jobs as part of a forest strategythat respects First nations, environmentaland local needs.

immigRATiOnWednesday February 22, 2012


04

ottAwA: Legislation to protect the integrity ofCanada’s immigration system was introducedtoday by Citizenship, Immigration and Multicul-turalism Minister Jason Kenney.

The proposed measures include further re-forms to the asylum system to make it faster andfairer, measures to address human smuggling,and the authority to make it mandatory to pro-vide biometric data with a temporary residentvisa application.

“Canadians take great pride in the generosityand compassion of our immigration and refugeeprograms. But they have no tolerance for thosewho abuse our generosity and seek to take unfairadvantage of our country,” said Minister Kenney.

The new bill, Protecting Canada's Immigra-tion System Act, proposes changes that build onreforms to the asylum system passed in June2010 as part of the Balanced Refugee Reform Act.

The proposed measures would provide fasterprotection to those who genuinely need refuge,and faster removal for those who don’t.

In particular, refugee claimants from gener-ally non-refugee-producing countries such asmost of those in the european Union (eU) wouldbe processed, on average, in 45 days compared tomore than 1,000 days under the current system,or 171 days under theBalanced Refugee ReformAct.

“It has become clear that there are gaps in theBalanced Refugee Reform Act and we needstronger measures that are closer to the originalrefugee bill we tabled back in March 2010,” saidMinister Kenney. “Canada receives more refugeeclaims from europe than from Africa or Asia. Lastyear alone, 23% of all refugee claims made inCanada were made by nationals from the eU.That’s up from 14% the previous year. This grow-ing trend threatens the integrity of our immigra-tion system.”

In recent years over 95% of eU claims werewithdrawn, abandoned or rejected. If that trend

continues, that means that the unfounded claimsfrom the 5,800 eU nationals who sought asylumlast year will cost Canadian taxpayers nearly $170million.

“Too many tax dollars are spent on bogusrefugees. We need to send a message to thosewho would abuse Canada’s generous asylum sys-tem that if you are not in need of protection, youwill be sent home quickly,” added Minister Ken-ney.

With the Balanced Refugee Reform Act andtoday’s legislation, the provinces and territoriesare expected to save in the range of $1.65 billionover five years in social assistance and educationcosts.

Most of the provisions in the former Prevent-ing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’sImmigration System Act (Bill C-4) have also beenincluded in this new bill, with one modification.Minors under the age of 16 would be exempt fromthe detention proposals designed to deal with allmass arrivals from human smuggling operations.

“our Government is sending a clear messagethat our doors are open to those who play by therules, including legitimate refugees. However, wewill crack down on those who endanger humanlives and threaten the integrity of our borders,”said Minister Kenney.“Human smuggling is adespicable crime and Canadians think it's unac-ceptable for criminals to abuse Canada's immi-gration system for financial gain.”

Mandatory detention remains for people whoenter Canada as part of a designated smugglingevent. But once the identity of a claimant hasbeen established and a refugee claim is approved,individuals would be released from detention.

The final component of the new legislationwould give the Minister the authority to make itmandatory for visa applicants to provide biomet-ric data (i.e., fingerprints, photograph) to visitCanada. documents can be forged or stolen,whereas biometric data provide greater certainty,

confirming the identity of applicants when theyapply.

“Biometrics will be an important new tool tohelp protect the safety and security of Canadiansby reducing identity fraud and identity theft,”said Minister Kenney. “As fraudsters becomemore sophisticated, biometrics will improve ourability to keep violent criminals and those whopose a threat to Canada out. In short, biometricswill strengthen the integrity of Canada’s immi-gration system while helping facilitate legitimatetravel.”

These measures would put us in line with in-ternational partners such as the United Kingdom,the european Union, Australia, and the UnitedStates. This would help prevent known criminals,

failed refugee claimants and deportees fromusing a fake identity to obtain a visa. The use ofbiometrics would also bolster Canada’s existingmeasures to facilitate legitimate travel by provid-ing a fast and reliable tool for confirming identity.

All these reforms are aimed at deterringabuse of Canada’s generous immigration andrefugee system. With these proposed measures,the integrity of Canada’s immigration programsand the safety and security of Canadians will beprotected.

“To maintain the support of Canadians forour generous immigration and refugee systems,we must demonstrate that Canada has a fair,well-managed system that does not toleratequeue jumping,” concluded Minister Kenney.

Canadian government aims to fix ‘broken’ immigration system

PNP need minimumlanguage skills, says Kenney

Diversity reporter WIRE SERVICES

A program which allows provinces to tailor immi-gration to fit local labour needs may look fine on thesurface but a federal government evaluation has un-covered what it says are some troubling trends.

The evaluation by Immigration and CitizenshipCanada says the majority of workers selected by theprovinces are succeeding. More than 90 per centdeclared employment earnings after one year inCanada and 70 per cent held a job in line with theirskills. But Immigration Minister Jason Kenney saysthere are problems. Too many provincial nomineescoming to Canada have little or no proficiency in ei-ther official language. He wants a minimum lan-guage standard for all provincial nominees andstronger links between their occupations and localjob needs.

“It’s a partnership, not an ottawa-knows-bestsituation, but at the end of the day we are going tobe quite assertive in saying that we do think it’s bestto have a standard, national language benchmark,”Kenney said in Calgary on Thursday.

He said some provinces don’t seem to carewhether their nominees speak the language at all.

“I guess what we’re saying to them is it doesn’tmake a lot of sense to invite someone to Canadawho doesn’t speak any english … and some of theprovinces have been, I would say, undervaluing lan-guage proficiency in their selection,” he said.

Fraudulent immigration applications are signif-icant, and there is a correlation between provincesthat don’t enforce a language requirement and ahigher rate of fraud, Kenney added.

Proposed changes to Canada’s refugee system designed to crack down on “bogus” claimants would save B.C. taxpayers almost $100 million

05 OTTAWA Wednesday February 22, 2012


ottAwA: Starting tomorrow, neXUS membersflying to the United States will be able to useneXUS cards in designated security lines for pre-board screening at airports for faster service. Thisannouncement, made by the Honourable denisLebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure andCommunities, follows the recent Action Plan onPerimeter Security and economic Competitive-ness announced by Prime Minister Harper andUnited States President obama.

“This change will make air travel from Canadato the United States more convenient, while main-taining a high level of aviation security,” said Min-ister Lebel. “I encourage Canadians to apply for aneXUS card to experience the travel benefits itprovides.”

neXUS members travelling to the UnitedStates will be able to use valid neXUS cards forfaster screening by the Canadian Air TransportSecurity Authority (CATSA) at Canada’s eight

largest airports (Halifax, Montreal, ottawa,Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, edmonton and Van-couver). designated security screening lines cur-rently in operation at select domestic andinternational checkpoints will be open to passen-gers flying to the United States.

neXUS is a binational Canada-United Statesprogram for pre-approved, low-risk travellers en-tering Canada and the United States at designatedair, land and marine ports of entry. When travel-

ling by air, neXUS speeds up border clearance byoffering members expedited passage by using self-serve kiosks. The designated security screeninglines for neXUS members travelling domesticallyand now to the United States are implemented byCATSA and Transport Canada in cooperation withthe Canada Border Services Agency, the Trans-portation Security Administration (TSA), and U.S.Customs and Border Protection.

To apply for NEXUS, visit www.nexus.gc.ca.

Harper govt opens security lines for speedy air travel from Canada to the US

ottAwA: The Government of Canada and theAnglican Church today celebrated a joint agree-ment under which approximately 50 refugee fam-ilies have been brought to this country fromcountries such as Afghanistan, Somalia and Iran.

"Canada has a long and proud tradition ofproviding a safe haven to those around the worldmost in need of protection," said Citizenship, Im-migration and Multiculturalism Minister JasonKenney.

"Volunteer groups such as the AnglicanChurch have played an integral role in helpingrefugees come to and settle in Canada. I stronglyencourage groups to come together to sponsorrefugees and help provide a new secure beginningfor victims of persecution from around the world."

The agreement has allowed approximately 150refugees to be brought to Canada by Anglican dio-ceses that hold sponsorship agreements with theGovernment.

The families were selected by the United na-tions High Commissioner for Refugees and re-ferred to Canada for resettlement. This initiative,which was launched in April 2009, was part of the50th anniversary celebrations of the Primate'sWorld Relief and development Fund establishedby the Anglican Church. Former Governor Gen-eral Adrienne Clarkson was the patron of the proj-ect.

The fund is the Church's agency for relief, de-velopment and supporting refugees, and workswith dioceses that sponsor refugee families tocome to Canada.

"The Refugees Project, featuring a theme of'In Faith, Join Hands, Inspire Hope,' was one ofthe most exciting initiatives associated with the50th anniversary of the Fund," said Archbishopand Primate Fred Hiltz.

"I thank all those who in faith joined hands towelcome the refugees they sponsored and to sup-port them in their settlement in Canada. I praythat our ongoing commitment to accompany themwill inspire hope for their future."

The refugee families came from a number ofdifferent areas around the world: Afghanistan,Burma (Myanmar), Colombia, democratic Re-public of Congo, eritrea, ethiopia, Iran, Iraq,

Liberia, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Sudan.The Government of Canada is increasing by

20 percent the number of refugees who are reset-tled from refugee camps and urban slums. Thenumber of refugees resettled through the Govern-ment-Assisted Refugees Program will be in-

creased over time by up to 500, and a further2,000 resettlement places will be added to the Pri-vate Sponsorship of Refugees Program.

Since 1978, private sponsors have collectivelybrought more than 200,000 refugees to Canada,over and above the refugees resettled with govern-

ment funding.For more information on how to sponsor a

refugee, please visit CIC's website.For more information on the Primate's World

Relief and development Fund, please visitwww.pwrdf.org.

Canada and Anglican church give 50 refugeefamilies new hope

educATiOnWednesday February 22, 2012


06

Are you thinking about going to college or university? In today'sjob market, having a post-secondary education will take you fur-ther in your career.

According to Statistics Canada, a college graduate earns$7,200 more per year on average, compared to a high schoolgraduate. For university graduates the number is even higher,bringing in an extra $23,000 per year.

Getting a degree or diploma comes with a price tag, but itpays off in the long run.

Patricia White, the executive director of Credit CounsellingCanada offers some helpful money managing tips for students:

Invest in your education. Borrowing money to pay for schoolis an investment in your future, an investment that will pay off.A good education will lead to a better job and, most likely, ahigher salary.

Consider a government loan. Unlike a bank loan, governmentloans come with a few cost-saving perks. For example, if you havea Canada Student Loan, interest doesn't accumulate while you'rein school and payments aren't required until six months after yougraduate. That rule applies to full- and part-time loans. You canalso claim a tax credit for the interest on your loan. And, if youhave difficulty making ends meet after graduation, you can applyfor the Repayment Assistance Plan, which allows you to makemonthly loan payments that fit your budget.

Set your budget. Many students tend to run out of moneynear the end of the semester and end up borrowing on a credit

card or credit line; these often come with highinterest rates. Planning your spending care-fully can help you avoid the credit crunch andsave money.

Count the little things. Besides the ba-sics of tuition, accommodation and books,remember to include all your possible ex-penses when setting your budget.Things like clothing, gifts, restaurantmeals, laundry, a cell phone andtransportation can certainly addup. don't forget to set aside someemergency money too. After all,life is unpredictable.

Get a head start. once yougraduate, start repaying your stu-dent loan as soon as possible. Thesooner you make payments, the lessyou'll owe. And the less you owe, theless interest you'll have to pay. Paying itback sooner will save you money down theroad.

Today, two out of three jobs require a post-secondary education. Find tools to help you planand pay for higher education at CanLearn.ca/ex-plore. –NC

Dollars and sense pays for higher educationBorrowing money to pay for school isan investment in your future, aninvestment that will pay off. A goodeducation will lead to a better job and,most likely, a higher salary

IMAGIne being a womananywhere in the worldwho has been silenced.You have little right tospeak up for yourself.

You can be subjected to brutaltreatment by men and have nomeans to seek justice. What wouldyou do?

International Women's dayturns 101 on March 8. Think backover the past 100 years, of themany rights that have beenachieved for women—the right toown property, the right to vote, theright to have your own voice. Yetfor many women, this strugglecontinues.

A woman in Saudi Arabia ischarged for seeking the freedom todrive and is sentenced to 10lashes. In Colombia, widespreadsexual violence affects indigenouswomen who are raped, forced intoprostitution and sexual slavery atthe hands of armed groups. noone is brought to justice. InAfghanistan, activists are con-cerned that the rights of womenwill be compromised by theAfghan government when negoti-ating with the Taleban. In all thesesituations, the woman who daresto seek justice risks exposing her-self to further threats and attacks.

What can you do? You canspeak out on behalf of thesewomen who are silenced. ContactAmnesty International at 1-800-266-3789 or email:[email protected].

Speak out for women’s rights

07 vAncOuveR Wednesday February 22, 2012


par paUliNe DioNisi / tHe lasoUrCe.Com

Chaque année, en février, les Canadiens sont in-vités à célébrer le mois de l’Histoire des noirs.L’occasion de souligner l’héritage des concitoyensde descendance africaine et de promouvoir leurs

réalisations d’hier et d’aujourd’hui. en 2012, leCanada met en avant le Bicentenaire de la guerrede 1812, ainsi que les contributions des soldatsnoirs dans la lutte pour le pays. de son côté, LaSource a rencontré Moussa Magassa, un hommede paix, dont les combats ne passent pas in-aperçus.

enseignant à l’Université de Victoria, il estégalement Président de la Société francophone deVictoria. Passionné par les problématiques de ré-solution des conflits et de consolidation de la paix,il en a fait sa spécialité. Moussa Magassa est unhomme de conviction, qui croit d’abord en l’hu-main. Il se définit lui-même comme : « ce genrede personne qui croit en l’importance détermi-nante des relations, des interactions humaines ».La paix étant selon lui « la seule alternative et so-lution durable pour nous tous » .eNfANtS SoldAtS:

La question de la place des enfants soldats,enrôlés lors des conflits de guerre notamment enAfrique, est chère à cet homme. Un sujet qu’il con-naît bien sur le terrain et qu’il s’attache à rendreplus visible en organisant notamment des rencon-tres pluridisciplinaires. Le 28 janvier 2012, il an-imait l’atelier : « Comment retrouver l’enfantderrière le soldat intransigeant ? ».

Car si leur nombre a sensiblement diminuéces dernières années en raison du règlement d’uncertain nombre de conflits et grâce à un cadre nor-

matif plusétoffé, le phénomène reste préoccupant. L’or-

ganisation internationale Human Rights Watchestime le nombre d’enfants enrégimentés dans lemonde à 300 000.de l’AfrIque Au CANAdA

né au Sénégal, Moussa Magassa a grandi dansle petit village de Soringo. Il est l’aîné d’une ving-taine de frères et sœurs, et a été élevé par sesbelles-mères. Puis, à l’adolescence, il quitte le vil-lage pour dakar. « Si c’était à refaire, je le referai» dit-il sans hésiter. La curiosité intellectuelle leporte jusqu’en Afrique du Sud. A cette époque, l’a-partheid prend tout juste fin, Mandela sort deprison. Très investi dans le mouvement pour lapaix, Moussa Magassa obtient sa maîtrise en ré-solution des conflits.

entre 1996 et 2001, il est sur le terrain et tra-vaille notamment avec des jeunes des townships,enlisés dans la violence post-apartheid. Il tente deleur apprendre « qu’autre chose est possible ». Sil’Afrique du Sud est pour lui une période de con-struction professionnelle, elle intervient dans unesociété déchirée et chaotique, où « le désespoir deces jeunes », audible dans leur voix, resteralongtemps gravé dans sa mémoire.

Arrivé au Canada en 2001, Moussa Magassarejoint les équipes de l’Immigrants Service Soci-ety

(ISSBC) où il accomplit une mission qui lui

correspond bien : faciliter l’adaptation desétrangers et réfugiés dans leur nouveau pays d’ac-cueil. Il enseigne aujourd’hui à Victoria dif-férentes matières liées aux droits humains et à larésolution des conflits. Il conseille également l’U-niversité en matière d’éducation aux droits hu-mains. Amené à régler des différends entreétudiants, souvent liés à des problèmes de dis-crimination, il se décrit comme un

« mercenaire intellectuel » pour qui lesprincipes de tolérance et d’égalité doivent êtretransmis le plus largement possible, y comprisaux Canadiens.

M. Magassa confesse souvent: « Je crois auconcept africain de l’Ubuntu, qui signifie quenous sommes humains à cause d’autres êtreshumains. Ce principe est basé sur notre human-ité commune et notre responsabilité les uns en-vers les autres. »

Moussa Magassa est de ceux qui contribuentà établir des dialogues entre les hommes. et cesannées passées loin du continent africain n’ontpas émoussé son esprit de partage et de rassem-blement. Lors de cet atelier sur les enfants soldats,il souligne : « Pour cet ancien enfant soldat venutémoigner, c’est la première fois qu’il a pu s’ex-primer ainsi. et pour certaines personnes dansl’assemblée, c’était sans doute la première foisqu’elles rencontraient un enfant soldat. ». Lesponts sont jetés.

vANCouver: Premier ChristyClark met in Vancouver with His ex-cellency Mr. WangQishan, Vice Pre-mier of the State Council of China,and a delegation of senior rankingChinese officials to strengthen tiesand continue to improve cultural andtrade relations between B.C. andChina.

"B.C. values its strong relation-ships with China and we want tomaximize B.C.'s potential as a desti-nation for Chinese investment and asa north American hub for trans-Pa-cific trade, business and cultural ex-change," said Premier Clark.

"This meeting provided an excel-lent opportunity to build on some ofthe successes resulting from our trademission to China and explore furtheropportunities for co-operation be-tween our governments."

As part of the BC Jobs Plan, innovember 2011 Premier Christy Clarkled the largest trade mission in theProvince's history, promoting B.C. asa safe harbour for investment. Thefocus of the jobs and trade missionwas to strengthen existing relation-ships between B.C., China and otherAsian markets, open doors for newrelationships and set the stage for fu-ture opportunities in the region.

Vice Premier Wang is one of fourVice-Premiers of the State Councilserving under Premier Wen Jiabao.

The State Council is the cabinetthat oversees China's government,manages the state budget and is re-sponsible for policy implementationfrom the national to the local level.

Moussa Magassa, un homme de paix

Premier Clark meets with

Chinese vice PremierAsian markets open

doors for new

relationships and

set the stage for

future opportunities

in the region

SOuTh ASiAWednesday February 22, 2012


08

.saleemsamaD DHAKA CORRESPONDENT

PAKISTAn export oriented textile indus-try are relocating their business toBangladesh for a slice of preferentialtrade agreements with United Statesand european Union as poor country.

Pakistan Textile Minister MakhdoomSha-habuddin on Tuesday confirmed that the textileindustry in Pakistan is gradually shifting toBangladesh to seek more profit, while the industryleaders argue that there relocation was because ofelectricity and gas outages prevailing in Pakistan.

Bangladesh authority has given the Pakistantextile producers special area in export processingzones to enable to establish their business. energystarved Bangladesh is also making all efforts toimprove augmentation of power and gas suppliesfor its crucial export industries.

The industries located in the textile hub ofsouthern Punjab in Pakistan had effected thejobs of 60,000 workers and nearly 200,000families of indirect employments. The authori-ties nor the industry owners have any plan tocompensate the job loss.

Shahabuddin, a senior politician of the rul-ing Pakistan Peoples Party said that Bangladeshtextile receives special privileges from e.U. andU.S. Both e.U. and U.S. are major market des-tination for textile companies. To increase theirmarket share, the industry is shifting toBangladesh, he said.

According to the minister, more than 40% ofthe textile industry and around 200,000 powerlooms have been shifted to Bangladesh in the lastfive years, causing employment problems.

defending the electricity crisis, the seniorpolitician said that it is not the only problem inPakistan, other Asian countries are also facingthis predicament. He claimed that electricityshortage would be minimized soon and power tar-iffs would be brought down according to the de-mand in the country, to encourage investmentclimate in Pakistan.

Pakistan textile industry relocating to Bangladesh

09 vicTORiA Wednesday February 22, 2012


By aNtHem maN

WHen Victoria was planning the con-struction of a new building a decadeago, it wasn’t just for a hockey team:it was to bring in some good con-

certs and top musical acts. The inaugural eventwas Rod Stewert. Since then, we've seen the likesof Canadian icons Bryan Adams and SaraMcLachlan, American bands Motley Crue, StoneTemple Pilots, Tool, and nine Inch nails, as wellas British stars Judas Priest, ozzyosbourne, andelton John, the last being the biggest name tograce our city. But in december of last yearPrince came to town and made all the othersseem to drop in stature.

Prince is by far the best concert I've seen inVictoria and top 5 (out of 320) all time. To wit-ness such a performance puts all the rest in per-spective. He taunted the crowd, he seduced thecrowd, he wooed the crowd. For example, hesang the line, "I will be with you”, daring a re-sponse. When one was given, he'd coyly jest,"oh, you think so do you?" which brought acheer from the crowd. It was a very interactiveshow indeed, with Prince in constant contactwith us. Most musicians have some crowd inter-actions in between songs, but not Prince. WithPrince, the song continued as he orchestratedhis band, blending from one song into the nextand kicking it into a higher gear. The showstarted with no musical breaks for the opening20 minutes, blending four songs together, eachbuilding in excitement, all the while introducinghis band and giving us a hint of the awesome-ness which was to come. He then paused for afew moments, not so much for him to catch hisbreath but for us in the audience to try and keepup.

His show is as unique as the man. His stagewas set up to mirror the symbol he created to re-place the name Prince. no longer was he to becalled Princel instead, he chose a symbol thatmore closely resembled something off a necklace

than the name of a rock star. Some say it was apublicity ploy, others say it was to get out of hisrecord contract, but ultimately it marked a newera in his career. His music became muchfunkier and more danceable, but it did take awayany shot he had at mainstream radio success. Inthe 90's he was referred to as "the Artist For-mally Known as Prince", which made him thebutt of a few jokes.

What set Prince apart from his contempo-raries in the 80's was his excellent guitar-play-ing. Micheal Jackson and Madonna could singand dance, but could they play the guitar? noway. Prince had crossover appeal for the rockcrowd because of his musicianship. At his con-cert, he had plenty of time to remind us of howgreat he really is, as well as his band. Musicallyhis band was tight, right down to the threebackup singers who acted like cheerleaders,

marching around, making sure the crowd was upand singing along.

The second 20-minute block of songserupted with those that made Prince a superstarnearly 30 years ago. "dearly beloved,” Princesang, “we are gathered here today to get throughthis thing called life!" With those, the openinglines to "Let's Go Crazy", the crowd exploded. Itwas followed by other 80's classics: "RaspberryBeret", "delirious" and "1999", all of which tookthe audience down memory lane to the peak ofPrince’s popularity. He also rocked some sweetcover tunes, such as The Cars, "Let's Go" and aSly & The Family Stone medley that included"everyday People" and "I Want To Take YouHigher". As more and more songs came at us, wewere sent to heights of euphoria rarely visited.Finally the song "Purple Rain" kicked in andlead us to into the break before the encore; as

the long song continued, we hoped it would goon forever.

The two-hour show concluded with an en-core that started with "When doves Cry" and in-cluded "I Would die For You", "Kiss" and,ironically, "Jungle Love", a cover of a song byThe Time. The Time was the band in the moviePurple Rain, and they battled Prince for su-premacy at the clubs every weekend.

Supremacy is what Prince has achieved inVictoria. I pity the next few shows to come toVictoria for they will clearly be starting behindthe eight-ball. Victoria is a city named after HerRoyal Highness, so it's only fitting that it took aPrince to bring the show that will be the bench-mark for decades to come. Ask anyone who wasthere: some may try to explain, but most willjust look at you and smile, for they have beenrendered speechless.

A Prince Came To Town

AddSWednesday February 22, 2012


10

11 Ad Wednesday February 22, 2012


heALThWednesday February 22, 2012


12

A refreshing twist on the traditional breakfast smoothie, his drink uses Moroccan inspired flavors to create a deli-

ciously uplifting beverage that’s sure to brighten up any morning.

INgredIeNtS

3 strawberries

2 oz (30 ml) pomegranate juice

5 mint leaves

3/4 oz (20 ml) fresh lime juice

3/4 oz (20 ml) agave syrup (1:1 ratio with water)

1 slice fresh ginger

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1-2 tbsp (5-10 ml) almond butter

dIreCtIoNS

Add each ingredient to a blender or food processor and mix until well blended. Serve in a glass, with or without

ice, and garnish with a mint sprig. For a slushy texture, blend ingredients with ice or substitute with frozen straw-

berries.

MAkeS 1 SMoothIe

nutritional Analysis per 1 smoothie: per 1 smoothie

Calories: 158, Fibre: 2.4 g, Fat: 9.8 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sat Fat: 1.7 g, Sodium: 79.8 mg, Mono Fat: 14.3 g, Calcium:

51.9 mg, Poly Fat: 2 g, Magnesium: 54.9 mg, Protein: 8.9 g, Potassium: 243.8 mg, Carb: 18 g, Vitamin e: 4.3 mg,

total alpha-tocopherol equivalents

Start the morning with a Moroccan smoothie!

It's amazing how we spend money sometimes with-out thinking about it. How many of us have tucked a$10 bill in our pockets in the morning only to dis-cover that it's gone by the end of the day?

Imagine adding up all the money you spend on littlethings here and there and seeing what you could havebeen saving instead. now you can, thanks to a new on-line calculator developed by Industry Canada. The cal-culator helps Canadians track their everyday expensesand calculate how much money they could be saving ifthey invested that money instead of spending it. Savingjust $10 a day over 25 years can really add up.

If you want a snapshot of what you could be saving,go to the My expenses calculator on the Industry Canadawebsite at www.ic.gc.ca/oca/myexpenses. All you do isenter your daily, weekly or monthly expenses, choosehow much you can cut back in percentages, and at whatinterest rate you think you could invest, and the calcula-tor will instantly forecast your savings over one to 25years. You would be amazed at how quickly that $10 canbecome thousands of dollars.

Give the calculator a try. After all, what have you gotto lose? As a wise old penny pincher once said, “You haveto see it to dream it.”

leftover dinner makes a delicious sandwich for lunch

Change up your regular lunch routine by using dinner leftovers to make a tasty sandwich.not only will it give your colleagues lunch envy, but will also help you get your six toeight grain servings per day, as recommended by Canada's Food Guide.

As a good rule of thumb, half of these servings should come from whole grains andthe other half can come from any other grain options, including tasty white bread. Mostwhite bread also contains fibre and essential nutrients, so every slice counts.

Here's a quick and easy sandwich recipe made with leftover barbecue chicken andcoleslaw:

barbecue Chicken Sandwichtime: 10-minutesServes: 2Ingredients:4 slices dempster's white bread2 cups (500 ml) sliced leftover cooked chicken1/4 cup (50 ml) barbecue sauce1 tbsp (15 ml) low-fat mayonnaise2 tsp (10 ml) cider vinegar1/2 tsp (2 ml) sugar1/4 tsp (1 ml) each, salt and fresh cracked pepper1 cup (250 ml) bagged coleslaw mix

dIreCtIoNS:Toss chicken with barbecue sauce and divide between 2 slices of bread.Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Toss with coleslaw. Put thecoleslaw on top of the chicken. Top with remaining bread slices to make sandwiches.Slice and serve immediately.tIpS:Make your own slaw mix by shredding red and green cabbage and carrot.

Substitute chicken with Maple Leaf Prime fully cooked and sliced chicken breasts.

13 FOOd Wednesday February 22, 2012


A unique faith and food project entitled: “Food,Faith and Community” brings people together ofdifferent faiths to learn about and create fooddishes associated with the Sikh, Hindu, Muslimand Jewish faiths. The project is part of the eM-BRACe BC stream funded by the Government ofCanada and the Province of British Columbia.

The first two Food, Faith and Communityevents were recently hosted by the Sikh Temple onJanuary 15 and by the Hindu Temple on February12. Participants at each event prepared severaltasty dishes such as roti, dahl, pakora and chole.

The cooking classes were led by members ofthe Sikh and Hindu faith community. Afterpreparing the dishes, participants and the hostfaith group joined together to share the meal,learn about the history and customs of the hostfaith group, and took a tour of the temples whileexploring questions related to faith and commu-nity. Steven Lorenzo Baileys, the project coordi-

nator, noted that, “Food, Faith and Communityis a unique project that brings together people ofall faiths to learn about one another. They createand share food dishes associated with their re-spective faiths and cultures.

Combining community and food are wonder-ful ingredients that invite people of all back-grounds to come together to learn, have fun,make new friends and share their beliefs.” Morethan 24 participants have attended each of thefirst two cooking classes. Participants were thenjoined by a larger group of up to 60 attendeeswho collectively enjoyed the prepared meal, atemple tour and presentation.

diana Mitchell, a member of the local Quakercommunity, attended the Hindu Temple event.She commented: “The event was a really worth-while day. My oh my, what fun it was and I gotto talk with several people from different faiths,including several from the Hindu Temple group.

They are so open and I was invited to come toany service, which I will do, with a few friends.It is so simple to create a loving, open atmos-phere for understanding. What would hate be-come if all people's chose to let themselves beknown to others, and sought to know them aswell? Hate would fly away!

We each will make a tiny difference, and tinydifferences join up across the world, to createsomething kinder than we had before. This is agood, good program. It's been a privilege to par-ticipate in today's event. I will apply for the nexttwo, and hope to come to them.”The final twoFood, Faith and Community cooking classes andcommunity events will be held with the Muslimcommunity hosting on Sunday March 4th andthe Jewish community hosting on Sunday March25th. Registration is limited. For more informa-tion please visit our website: www.icavictoria.orgor contact [email protected]

Food and faith bring communities together

CORRESPONDENT WANTED

Calgary, Edmonton,Fort McMurray (AB)

Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert (SK)

Good pay and benefits

SEND YOUR RESUME AND WORK SAMPLE:

[email protected]

PAkiSTAnWednesday February 22, 2012


14

NDP MP Jasbir Sandhu to hold publicforum on crime

Surrey: As part of a national discussion on pre-venting gang violence and building safer communi-ties, new democrat Public Safety Critic JasbirSandhu(Surrey north) will host a public forum on crime inpartnership with SFU Surrey’s School of Criminology.

“Crime and gang-related violence are real issueshere in Surrey, and across the country,” said Sandhu.“People are looking for leadership and solutions thatwill prevent crime and make our communities safer,that is what this discussion is about.”

Sandhu will be joined by dr. Robert Gordon, di-rector of SFU’s School of Criminology and represen-tatives from the Surrey RCMP, Pathfinders YouthCentre Society and South Fraser Community ServicesSociety. “Currently there are an estimated 11,000street gang members in Canada today, most areunder the age of 30,” Sandhu said. “While othercrimes are in decline, gang-related crime has been onthe rise – that is a real problem, and we need real so-lutions.” new democrats have called for more invest-ment in front line police officers and youth-gangprevention programs, but Stephen Harper has cutthose programs across Canada and failed to fund newpolice officers. “new democrats want to move thiscountry forward and invest in proven, cost-effectivecrime prevention strategies,” Sandhu said. “It’s timeto move beyond the politicized bluster and failedConservative prisons agenda.”

Diversity reporter Wire serviCes

InSIde a high-security air force complexthat builds jet fighters and weapons sys-tems, Pakistan's military is working onthe latest addition to its sprawling com-mercial empire: a homegrown version of

the iPad.It's a venture that bundles together Pakistani

engineering and Chinese hardware, and shines alight on the military's controversial foothold in theconsumer market. Supporters say it will boost theeconomy as well as a troubled nation's self-es-teem.

It all comes together at an air force base inKamra in northern Pakistan, where avionics engi-neers - when they're not working on defense proj-ects - assemble the PACPAd 1.

"The original is the iPad, the copy is the PAC-PAd," said Mohammad Imran, who stocks theproduct at his small computer and mobile phoneshop in a mall in Rawalpindi, a city not far fromKamra and the home of the Pakistani army.

The device runs on Android 2.3, an operatingsystem made by Google and given away for free.At around $US200, it's less than half the price ofApple or Samsung devices and cheaper than otherlow-end Chinese tablets on the market, with thebonus of a local, one-year guarantee.

The PAC in the name stands for the PakistanAeronautical Complex, where it is made. The PACalso makes an e-reader and small laptop.

Such endeavors are still at the pilot stage andrepresent just a sliver of the military's businessportfolio, which encompasses massive land hold-ings, flour and sugar mills, hotels, travel agents,even a brand of breakfast cereal.

The military is powerful, its businesses arerarely subject to civilian scrutiny, and it hasstaged three coups since Pakistan became a statein 1947. Many Pakistanis find its economic activ-ities corrupting and say it should focus on entirely

on defence."I just can't figure it out," said JehanAra, head

of Pakistan's Software Houses Association, said ofthe PACPAd. "even if they could sell a billionunits, I can't see the point. The air force is sup-posed to be protecting the air space and bordersof the country."

Supporters say the foray into informationtechnology is a boost to national pride for a coun-try vastly overshadowed by archrival India in thehigh-tech field. Tech websites in the country haveshown curiosity or cautious enthusiasm, but sayit's too early to predict how the device will per-form. Sceptics claim it's a vanity project that willnever see mass production.

only a few hundred of each products has beenmade so far, though a new batch will be completedin the next three months.

"The defence industry is trying to justify itspresence by doing more than just produceweapons," said Ayesha Siddiqa, author of MilitaryInc, a critical study of military businesses. "Somesmart aleck must have thought we can make somemoney here."

PAC's website at http://www.cpmc.pk saysthe goal is "strengthening the national economythrough commercialisation" and lauds the collab-oration with China - something that likely res-onates among nationalists.

China is regarded as a firm ally by Pakistan'ssecurity establishment, whereas the US., despitepouring billions of dollars in aid into the country,is seen as fickle and increasingly as an enemy.

These perceptions have heightened as the USintensifies drone attacks on militants based in thePakistani borderlands. But the military is also atarget of those militants. In 2007 the base atKamra, home to 12,000 workers and their fami-lies, nine people died when a cyclist blew himselfup at the entrance.

PAC officials suggested the program that pro-duces the PACPAd was modeled in part on the

Chinese military's entry into commercial industry,which lasted two decades until it was ordered tocut back lest it become corrupted and lose sight ofits core mission.

The tablet and other devices are made in alow-slung facility, daubed in camouflage paint,near, a factory that produces J-17 Thunder fighterjets with Chinese help.

"It's about using spare capacity. There are 24hours in a day, do we waste them or use them tomake something?" said SohailKalim, PAC's salesdirector. "The profits go to the welfare of the peo-ple here. There are lots of auditors. They don't letus do any hanky-panky here."

PAC builds the PACPAd with a companycalled Innavtek in a Hong Kong-registered part-nership that also builds high-tech parts for thewarplanes.

But basic questions go unanswered. Maq-soodArshad, a retired air force officer who is oneof the directors, couldn't say how much moneyhad been invested, how many units the venturehoped to sell and what the profit from each salewas likely to be.

The market for low-cost Android tablets is ex-panding quickly around the world, with factoriesin China filling most of the demand. Last year, anIndian company produced the "Aakash" tablet,priced at $US50, and sold largely to schoolchild-ren and students.

Arshad said a second-generation PACPAdwould be launched in the next three months, ableto connect to the Internet via mobile networksand other improved features. He said the Kamrafacility could produce up to 1,000 devices a day.

during a brief test, The tablet with its 7-inchscreen appeared to run well and the screen re-sponsiveness was sharp.

"It seems good, but operationwise I have tolook into it," said Mohammad Akmal, who hadcome to the store in Rawalpindi to check the prod-uct out. "Within a month or so, we will know."

Pakistan’s answer to theiPad is the PACPAD

15 chiLdRen Wednesday February 22, 2012


toroNto: Half of all Canadians adults werebullied as a child or teenager according to anew survey. Moreover, an overwhelming ma-jority of Canadians (85 per cent) believe thatproviding children and teenagers who bullyothers with a volunteer mentor is an effectiveway to reduce bullying.

Conducted by Harris/decima for BigBrothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC), thepoll examined attitudes about bullying. Thesurvey also studied the value of mentoring as away to prevent abusive behaviours and helpthose who are bullied to rebuild their confi-dence and self-esteem.

The Harris/decima survey shows clearlythat the frequency of bullying is widespreadand that Canadians are both deeply concernedabout bullying and ready to act against thisdamaging form of abuse.

key fINdINgS95 per cent of Canadian adults surveyedbelieve people have a responsibility totake action to stop bullies.89 per cent believe bullying poses a seri-ous threat to the long-term well-being ofchildren and teenagers.50 per cent of Canadian adults surveyedwere bullied as a child or teenager.62 per cent of those who were bullied be-lieve they would have benefited from havinga volunteer adult mentor to help them cope.nearly a third (30 per cent) think theabuse they suffered had a lasting harmfuleffect.

87 per cent of adults surveyed agree thataction to reduce bullying strengthens com-munities over time.

BBBSC commissioned the survey to mobi-lize Canadians to take action to reduce bullyingin their communities. From February throughApril, Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies acrossCanada will be holding fundraising bowlingevents that offer people a powerful way to re-duce bullying and its hurtful effects in theircommunities.

Called Bowl for Kids Sake, this uniquefundraising campaign challenges individualsand businesses to “step up to strike out” bully-ing in Canada by supporting the work of volun-teer Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

“Canadians universally understand that thefriendship and guidance of a mentor is one ofthe most effective ways to prevent abusive be-haviours and help those who have beenabused,” says Bruce Macdonald, president ofBBBSC. “By giving children and teenagers theguidance they need to become the positive andcaring individuals they are capable of being, wecan steer them to a positive path in life.”

The one-on-one and in-school youth men-toring services provided by volunteer BigBrothers and Big Sisters have proven to be in-strumental in reducing bullying and other re-lated negative behaviours such as lack ofinterest in school; truancy; low self-esteem anddrug and alcohol abuse.

“We are doing the best we can to stop bul-lying, but more volunteers and financial re-sources are needed to get the job done,” says

Macdonald. “Mentoring programs can signifi-cantly contribute to reducing bullying and itsharmful effects. We invite Canadians to take astand by participating in the Bowl for KidsSake event nearest them.

“People who accept this invitation will helplocal kids today and make their communitiesstronger tomorrow.”

People and businesses can donate to theBowl for Kids Sake campaign or volunteer tofundraise by visiting www.bigbrothersbigsis-ters.ca. Canadians who want to stop bullyingcan also contact their local Big Brothers BigSisters agency for information about local Bowlfor Kids Sake events.

BBBSC’s Step Up to Strike out BullyingSurvey was conducted by Harris/decima viatheir telephone omnibus between January 5and January 8, 2012, with a national randomsample of 1,034 adult Canadians aged 18 yearsand over and is considered accurate to within± 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.About bIg brotherS bIg SISterSof CANAdA: For nearly one hundred years,Big Brothers Big Sisters has been making apositive difference in the lives of our nation’syouth by developing and implementing a widerange of mentoring programs. Serving as rolemodels, our mentors teach by example the im-portance of giving and giving back, of stayingin school, and of having respect for familypeers and community.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada pro-vides quality mentoring services for more than33,000 children and teenagers. Big BrothersBig Sisters currently has over 25,000 volunteermentors working at 123 agencies that serve

children in over 1,000 communities across thecountry. Learn how you could start somethingatwww.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca.brItISh ColuMbIANS urged to“StrIke out” bullyINg: Big BrothersBig Sisters agencies are asking BritishColumbians to take a stand against bullying.To make the case for action, the Step Up toStrike out Bullying Survey asked people fortheir views about bullying and the value ofmentoring as a solution.

British Columbians, like other Canadians,are passionate about protecting children andteenagers against being bullied.

brItISh ColuMbIA fINdINgS97 per cent of British Columbians sur-veyed believe people have a responsibilityto take action to stop bullies.84 per cent think providing children andteenagers who bully others with an adultmentor is an effective way to reduce bully-ing.91 per cent believe bullying poses a seriouslong-term threat to the well-being of chil-dren and teenagers.52 per cent of British Columbians sur-veyed were bullied as a child or teenager.73 per cent of those who were bullied be-lieve they would have benefited from havinga volunteer adult mentor to help them cope.More than a third (39 per cent) think thatthe abuse they suffered had a lastingharmful effect.91 per cent of British Columbians sur-veyed agree that action to reduce bullyingstrengthens communities over time.

Half of all Canadians are bullied as child or teenMentors seen as effective force against bullying: survey

Children’s arts nowqualify for a tax credit

no matter whether your children are inspired to be the next YouTube sensation, like JustinBieber, or hope to pen a worldwide bestseller like Lucy Maud Montgomery, or dream to go Backto the Future like Michael J. Fox, the new children’s arts tax credit will allow them to live outtheir dreams. In addition to fitness programs covered by the children’s fitness tax credit, parentsmay now be able to claim a children’s arts tax credit for the amounts paid for prescribed artistic,cultural, recreational, and developmental programs. This new non-refundable tax credit allowskids the choice to focus on fine arts, music, performing arts, outdoor wilderness training, learn-ing a language, studying a culture, tutoring, and more. When parents claim the children’s artstax credit—up to a maximum of $500 for the cost of eligible programs—they can save as muchas $75 at tax time per child claimed. More information on this topic is available online atwww.cra.gc.ca/artscredit. Pull out those paintbrushes and clarinets, and let’s get creative.

SPORTSWednesday February 22, 2012


16

By liam HerriNgsHaW

CRICKeT has many solitary figures. Theclub groundsman, preparing a wicketfor the weekend's games. The third um-pire, trying to gauge if a disputed catch

has carried. The wicketkeeper who has justshelled the simplest of caught-behinds.

All of these, however, pale into insignificancewhen compared with Mark Warburton, of Aurora,ontario. In continental north America, a regionmore than 20 million square kilometres in size,populated by well over 450 million people*, War-burton is likely the only living soul who hand-makes cricket bats.

"I know of no others," he says, wryly. "My sup-plier has told me that he's not sending willow toanybody else, so I think it's just me."

even most Canadian cricket fans are unawareof his existence. "Bat distributors, we haveaplenty," one friend assured me, "but bat-makers,we don't have." So what got Warburton started insuch a seemingly thankless task?

Mostly a love of the game, he says, but notthat alone. "Having spent years travelling in theCaribbean, and having a background in boat-building and woodworking, I thought I would beinterested in making cricket bats. The propertiesof the willow, the client's specific demands, thecustom nature of it, and the unique shape of thebat, all intrigued me."

Having the interest was one thing, but tryingto start a bat-making business from scratch wasanother, especially in the heart of Canada. "Icouldn't find anybody who could show me acricket bat press; there were no other makers Icould talk to. There was no information about iton the web either."

In his eagerness to learn more, Warburton leftCanada to visit manufacturers in the UK, but noone would let him examine a bat press. "There isa lot of secrecy around the business," he recalls."So I ended up designing and building my own."

even then, there was the small matter of ob-taining the right wood. "There is absolutely nochance of using Canadian willow," Warburtonsays. And that is despite the abundance of trees inontario. "I had to get my willow from essex,where it is hybridised and grown specifically forthe cricket bat industry.

"As a wood worker I can understand why, be-cause the superior willow is straight-grained, andof a specific density, which when pressed andshaped reveals the properties required to with-stand the impact of a ball."

Finally armed with the wood, the press, andthe skills, Warburton set up Zoombats, and be-came Canada's only bat-man. "I can't competeagainst bats made in the subcontinent," he says,"so my niche market is for custom bats. Mine arebuilt one at a time, with considerable input fromthe clients, at my shop. It is a very personal ap-proach, but that is what I like about bat-making."

After a decade, Warburton's customer-ori-ented strategy has begun to pay dividends. "I havea real following of young players," he reveals."They get excited about having a cricket bat-maker in Canada.

"Perhaps I'll never get rich doing this, but I getgreat satisfaction from seeing happy customers. Ienjoy talking about the game with them, learningtheir requirements or criticisms, holding one ofmy bats as they tell me about a hundred they gotwith it."

The main challenge is finding places to sell hiswares. "The market is difficult to tap into. Most ofthe cricket shops in north America aren't reallyset up for selling custom bats. I'd like to do better,but I will not machine-manufacture or mass-pro-duce."

Geography doesn't help either. "This is a vastplace," Warburton says. "From newfoundland toTexas, Fort McMurray to Fort Lauderdale, thereis a considerable fraternity of cricketers of allages, but just not enough to sustain a homegrownbusiness.

"Until we start seeing matches on television,and more people get wise to it, we will always bea sport in some sort of limbo. It's a shame," hesays, "because it is the perfect game to be enjoyedby everyone."

Warburton is spreading the word, spendingsome of his time in Hong Kong each year, wherecricket is a little more widely known. "But evenhere," he says, "I am still met with some in-credulity when I mention cricket bat-making andCanada in the same sentence."

So, at least for the moment, Warburton does-n't advise anyone to follow him into the trade."There won't be any huge profits to be gained

from life as a pod-shaver," he says, "but as long asI can make high-quality bespoke bats for an ap-preciative clientele, then I'm happy."

And as for developing domestic cricket innorth America, Warburton has a very simplestrategy.

"Just play on," he concludes.

*As long as you include that cricketing hotbedof Mexico.

Liam Herringshaw is a medium-pacedpalaeontologist who moved to newfoundlandfrom the UK to improve his chances of openingthe bowling

(COURTESY HTTP://WWW.ESPNCRICINFO.COM)

You may not get many homegrown cricketersin Canada but you can get a homegrown bat

The Canadian batman

Mercedes have launched their challenger forthe 2012 season in Barcelona.

The team gave the W03 its first run at Silver-stone last week before holding a private test inBarcelona on Sunday.

Seven-time world champion Michael Schu-macher has described the new car as "very respon-sive" after testing it for the first time.

Team boss Ross Brawn added: "The W03 is anelegant interpretation of the current regulationsand a clear step forward over its predecessor."

After two consecutive fourth-placed finishesin the constructors' championship, there is a lotriding on the new W03.

Following a season in which Schumacher andteam-mate nico Rosberg failed to score a podiumfinish, Brawn admits that the team are underpressure to perform.

"We have to go forward," said Brawn. "noneof us are happy with a recurring fourth place.

"That is not why any of us are here. But I amquietly confident, with the strength we have got,the resources we have got and the team we arebuilding, that we can do that."

Mercedes are the only leading team to havewaited until this week's second pre-season test inBarcelona to run their car seriously.

World champions Red Bull, McLaren and Fer-rari all had their 2012 cars ready in time for thefirst test in Jerez two weeks ago, where Mercedesconcentrated on tyre testing with a modified ver-sion of last year's car.

Mercedes hoped to use the extra time in orderto make its development stage as long as possible- theoretically an advantage.

But the decision means that they have onlynine test days to prepare the car for the new sea-

son, compared with the other teams' 12. Mercedes have added two experienced engi-

neers to the team in former Ferrari technical di-rector Aldo Costa and Geoff Willis, who hasworked for Williams, Honda and Red Bull.

Brawn said he felt that their addition wouldmake the team stronger.

"I don't know where we'll be with the car," hesaid. "I feel reasonably comfortable with whatwe've done. "But, wherever we are, I'm sure we'llhave a much stronger response than we were ca-pable of in the past." He predicted that the teamwould be in a position to challenge for podiumsthis season - a minimum target for an outfit whose

ultimate ambition is to win the world champi-onship. "We are definitely ready to go for podi-ums," said Brawn. "Any team that has not wonthe world championship has to look at how it canimprove, how it can strengthen and how it canachieve better results. even if you win the worldchampionship you still look at that."

Mercedes launch their new car - the W03 - for the 2012 season

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February 22, 2011

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