The Converged Citizen - April 14, 2016

*Volume XI Issue 17 *April 14, 2016www.themediaplex.com

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News

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Health & Lifestyle

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Quote of the Day

I've been lucky.

Opportunities don't

often come along. So,

when they do, you

have to grab them.

- Audrey Hepburn

Power Of The Future

ARSON PAGE 4

Alleged arsonist awaits trial conclusion

Photo by Felicia PattersonLana Talbot stands in front of Sandwich First Baptist Church a national historic site and the oldest active blackchurch in Canada.

CHURCH PAGE 4

Keeping the Faith

for 175 Years

An Essex man is on trial in Windsor on harassment charges andarson.Russell Bondy, 54, appearing to be in pain, entered the

courtroom with a cane and sat behind the glass in the witnessbox, smiling at a friend and revealing a row of gold teeth.Bondy was arrested Nov. 20, 2015 and charged with harassment

of a family member. On the day of the arrest the family memberconfessed to Bondy’s wife there were numerous assaults

Aaron Lombardi

Converged Citizen Staff

performed by Bondy between 2005 and 2010. A statement bya former neighbour of Bondy’s was made a week after the arrestclaiming she was sexually assaulted when Bondy was herbabysitter. He was released from police custody Dec. 15, 2015.On Feb 10, Bondy’s Essex residence where he lived with his

wife and children caught fire. Bondy was moving his itemsfrom the home to an apartment he had recently acquired. Thecause of the blaze was immediately deemed suspicious. Firemarshals found two doors of the house barricaded with two-by-four wood, while most other entrances were either locked

ONVERGED CITIZENApril 14, 2016C2

newsPayday nightmare

Dawn Grey and

Sreeha Varanasi


Windsor currently has more

than 30 institutions that offer

payday loans and some

Windsorites feel as though the

loans offered can easily

become a financial trap.

A payday loan is an amount

of money lent to a borrower at

a high interest rate, to be paid

back at the arrival of the bor-

rower’s next paycheque.

Payday loan establishments

charge high interest rates,

some of them higher than the

legal 60 per cent annual inter-

est allowed. This is possible

because federal legislation

was introduced in 2006 allow-

ing certain provinces to

exempt payday loan lenders

from the rule in exchange for

other regulatory power in the

industry.

In Ontario, a one-month pay-

day loan has a maximum fee

of $21 per $100 borrowed —

that’s an annual interest rate

of 240 per cent. If borrowers

can’t make their payment or

need to re-borrow, the cycle

can quickly spiral out of con-

trol.

Jeff Castenada, a financial

planner, has seen this happen

first-hand. Prior to becoming

a financial planner, he found

himself caught in this cycle

after he turned to a Money

Mart for an emergency pay-

day loan.

“I’ve done it. I’ve gotten a

loan from Money Mart once

and it became more than

once,” said Castenada. “I got

stuck in the cycle. I got

trapped.”

He was able to eventually

pay off the loan but still won-

ders how these places are

allowed to “get away with it.”

Castenada said the problem

is that people continue to live

beyond their means knowing

these places are available to

loan money. He recommends

to only go to these lenders

when in dire circumstances.

“My job is wealth manage-

ment. Payday loans are not a

strategy to build wealth, it’s a

strategy to make you poor,”

said Castenada. “They target

the poor and the middle class.

People who are not managing

their money properly and liv-

ing beyond their means, that’s

who they are targeting.”

According to Castenada, the

best way to avoid finding

yourself in need of a payday

loan is to simply live within

your means and never spend

more than you make. He said

it’s all about habits and track-

ing your expenses.

“Track one month. You will

be surprised how much you

spend on shopping, fast food

and coffee. People buy a lot of

things they don’t need to

buy,” said Castenada.

Many payday loan establish-

ments do not require credit

checks to determine eligibility

for loans. Castenada said it’s

telling of the demographic

that is targeted by payday loan

establishments.

Rob Cameron is a Windsorite

who became stuck in the cycle

of payday loans.

Cameron said in 2013 he

took out two loans. The first

was for $2,100. The following

month, Cameron needed and

was approved for another loan

of $1,000. Including the inter-

est, insurance on his loans,

and the loan amounts them-

selves, Cameron said his cur-

rent payment plan leaves him

still owing over $5,000.

“My loan payments will end

in December of 2018,” said

Cameron “I can’t believe the

government hasn’t stepped in.

Once you get into it, you can

never get out unless by a mir-

acle.”

It is extremely difficult to get

out of the payday loan cycle.

In fact, 93.8 per cent of pay-

day loans are taken by repeat

customers, according to the

Government of Ontario.

Cameron said to this day he

still has to borrow $600 every

month from a payday loan

lender and has to pay back

$726 every month.

According to the Financial

Consumer Agency of Canada,

knowing the laws surrounding

payday loans will help make

an informed decision on bor-

rowing money. In Ontario,

$21 is the maximum cost for

borrowing $100, and the bor-

rower has two business days

to change their mind and can-

cel the loan.

In Ontario, a payday lender

cannot extend or renew a

loan, a practice which would

cost the borrower more inter-

est and borrowing fees. They

also cannot ask customers to

sign any forms transferring

their wages directly to the

lender.

Windsorites who are in debt

from payday loans or any

other loans can turn to institu-

tions that can help such as the

Windsor Family Credit

Union. A representative from

the WFCU who asked not to

be named said that their insti-

tution can and has helped peo-

ple in the past who have suf-

fered from loan debts.

The FCAC urges citizens to

consider other options when

in need of money, such as

opening a line of credit at a

financial institution, over-

drafts on bank accounts and

credit card cash advances, all

of which are cheaper alterna-

tives to payday loans.

Various payday lenders such

as Cash Money were contact-

ed for comment, but no

response was given.

Photo by Dawn Grey

The Money Mart on Ouellette Avenue and UniversityAvenue is one of more than 30 payday loan insitutionsacross the city.

'Big shoes to fill,' OnorioColucci takes his seat as CAO

Photo by Sean Previl

Onorio Colucci sits in his council seat as chief adminis-trative officer during a Windsor city council meeting onApril 4.

Sean Previl


Windsor has a new chiefadministrative officer, but hesays not much will change inhow the city runs.

Former chief financial offi-cer and treasurer OnorioColucci was named CAO inJanuary. His appointment fol-lowed Helga Reidel’s decisionin December 2015 to becomeCEO of Enwin Utilities. Heassumed the position April 1.

His first official day in coun-cil chambers, however, was acontrast to what he expects therest of his time in the seat willbe.

“It’s a little bit like my firstmeeting on training wheels,”said Colucci, after a meetingthat lasted about 20 minutes.“I’m sure they’ll be off nextmeeting.”

The man most often knownas “O.C.” worked as a char-tered accountant for theaccounting firm now knownas KPMG before startingwork at the city in 1984.Despite his focus on financeover the past 31 years, heacknowledged his new rolehas a much wider scope.

“We’re a very diverse corpo-ration and so all the depart-ments have specific issues,”said Colucci, 58.

“Having been here 31 yearsI’m certainly familiar withmost of them and we’ll workclosely with the variousdepartments and managers tolearn even more.”

Following Reidel’sannouncement Dec. 18 of herupcoming departure, Colucciwas appointed to the positionfollowing a council meetingJan. 4.

Mayor Drew Dilkens saidColucci’s experience com-bined with financial knowl-edge made him the perfect fit.“Certainly after 31 years he’s

the person with the most insti-tutional memory and corpo-

rate knowledge of the City ofWindsor, so he’s the right guyat the right time,” saidDilkens.

Ward 8 Coun. Bill Marra hasworked with four differentCAOs, including Colucci,while on council. He saidColucci “stood to the chal-lenge” as treasurer during theeconomic crisis in 2008.

He added Colucci will alsobenefit from his reputation.“He’s a man who’s deemed to

be a very ethical man, veryvalues-based,” said Marra.“He doesn’t sugar-coat things.He’s a very candid and honestman, full of integrity.”

Though he wants to continue“what she’s (Reidel) got start-ed,” Colucci said he will stillbring his own way of doingthings.

“I think the city is in reallygood shape these days so Idon’t foresee dramaticchanges,” said Colucci.

“There may be a tweak hereor there as things progress butit’s largely status quo for now.I think we want to continue toprovide the best services wecan for the residents at thecheapest possible price.”

Dilkens said he has faithColucci will have little issuebringing his own voice to thetable.“He’ll find ways to be Onorio

Colucci that are automaticallydifferent than Helga Reideland he’s got big shoes to fill,”said Dilkens.“But he’s got a bit of a differ-

ent personality so you’ll seethat come out in certain deci-sion-making and the way heapproaches things as well.”Colucci said he’s looking for-

ward to being involved inupcoming projects during histerm, including the new cityhall project, but it won’t endthere. He said, in his experi-ence, as soon as one projectends, another begins.

“There’s never a dullmoment.”


news

building,” said Zonjic-Bullis.

“We also advertise for our

vendors and we all support

each other here. It’s a commu-

nity effort … there’s always a

helping hand in the market if

Petition to keep high school name

Small businesses are huge for Windsor

Photo by Alyssa Horrobin

Sherrill Zonjic-Bullis, manager of The City Market inWindsor poses in the market’s new produce section whichopened April 2.

Windsor is home to thou-

sands of entrepreneurs trying

to make a living in a city with

chronically high unemploy-

ment in Canada.

The City Market in Windsor

currently houses about 20 of

the 20,000 small businesses in

the region and is doing every-

thing they can to help them

succeed, according to manag-

er Sherrill Zonjic-Bullis.

Zonjic-Bullis works individ-

ually with small business

owners to help them get off

the ground, from allowing a

vendor to try things out for a

day to creating a long-term

business plan.

Zonjic-Bullis said there is

also support between vendors.

“Something like this is nice

because you have the support

of the other people in the

you need it.”

The City Market is less than

a year old and some areas are

still under construction. They

hope to bring in more small

businesses and a restaurant as

they expand and update the

building.

The newest addition to the

market is a 650 sq. metre pro-

duce section which opened

April 2. It takes up about a

quarter of the market space

and is run by Anthony Elias,

who has worked in produce as

a small business for more than

20 years.

Elias said he worked for his

father who owned Elias

Produce and built it up with

the help of his brothers into a

$100 million business before

selling the chain to FreshCo

about 10 years ago. He said he

learned how to run a business

and balance a budget through

his years of work experience.

Elias said money can disap-

pear very quickly with the

expense of starting up a busi-

ness, particularly with adver-

tising. He said he believes it

takes some experience to get

off the ground.

“A small business owner

who wants to just get up and

giddy up…it’s really tough.

Windsor’s tough too.”

According to Sabrina

DeMarco, executive director

of the Small Business Centre

for Windsor-Essex, launching

a small business is not easy,

but being a business owner

can be very rewarding.

DeMarco said she has a lot of

respect and admiration for

small business owners

because of their hard work

and passion about serving the

community with what they

offer.

“Small business is the

lifeblood of our community,”

said DeMarco. “In our region

we have many thriving areas

that are possible due to the

investments made by small

business and entrepreneurs.”

Alyssa Horrobin


Shelbey Hernandez


One Windsor parent hasmore than 2,000 supportersfor her online petition againstchanging the name of W.F.Herman Secondary School.

According to the GreaterEssex County District SchoolBoard, Herman will become akindergarten to Grade 12school by September. It willbe merging with Percy P.McCallum so the board saidthe name should change.

However, for those withstrong ties to the school, theconnection goes beyond thebuilding its roots are with thename.That is why Martha Hradowy

created a petition on April 2.Two days later, her petitionhad more than 1,300 signa-tures and the numbers are con-tinuing to rise.

Hradowy said it isn’t theamalgamation that is the prob-lem.

“W.F. Herman is a school inthe Windsor area that has along standing tradition (and)history,” said Hradowy. “Theschool has made a name foritself not only provincially butnationally and I think to main-tain the legacy of the schooland the tradition and the per-son that it was named after,that whatever the new schoolname is, that still needs to be

incorporated as part of thenew name.”

For many who graduatedfrom Herman, the schoolholds precious memories. Onegraduate, Ashley Meyers, mether fiancé there.

Meyers told her daughterabout Herman for years,knowing that would be theschool her daughter would goto. Although her daughter willstill go there because of theneighbourhood, Meyers said itwon’t be the same.

“Herman’s a well-knownname throughout Ontario sowhy change it?” said Meyers,who graduated in 2009. “Thefootball team’s great, there’s alot of support there. If theywant to make it into a J.K. toGrade 12 school, fine. I justthink they should leave thename alone.”

Hradowy and Meyers aretwo of many people who feelthis way about the name, butnot everyone shares theirview.

“There is the attachment to

it, I understand that, but at the

end of the day, that’s what it

is: your meaning, your history

with it but the change of the

name doesn’t change that,”

said Kenny Keelan who went

to Herman until Grade 11

back in the late 90s. “It

doesn’t mean that you have to

stop associating with that. You

can say this school used to be

W.F. Herman and I don’t quite

like the name anymore but

this is the way it is. It’s just a

matter of adapting.”Keelan also said people

should be focused on themerging. He said the mergingwill affect many students andstaff who will have to adapt toa new environment with newpeople. So if people can han-dle the merging, then theyshould be able to handle anew name.“I think it supports being ableto adapt to new things and Ithink Windsor as a wholeneeds a new face, more orless, and this is part of that,”said Keelan. “It’s not attach-ing to this old mentality andthis old image that we have,be it good or bad. We have tochange with the times andwhat have you and I thinkthat’s just something we needto do as a whole.”

Hradowy said the petitionwill be up at change.org for acouple of weeks and then willbe sent to the school boardtrustees. The board hasalready created an ad hoccommittee responsible fordeciding on the name.

The committee will also beallowing for public input.Anyone interested in voicingtheir thoughts on a new namecan go to the board’s websiteand fill out a W.F. HermanNaming Review Form.

Windsor Pride is continuing

its support for youth with

more programs geared toward

improving physical and men-

tal health.

One of its existing programs,

School’s Out, begins as the

school year winds down.

The program will provide

youth in the community with

a safe place to go after school

ends for the summer, with a

particular focus on helping

those in the LGBT communi-

ty.

“It’s a great place for stu-

dents or anyone to come and

be in a safe environment,”

said Bob Williams, executive

director of the Windsor Pride

Community Centre.

Program returns to provide safe place

Nate Hinkley

Convered Staff

Another program which just

started at Pride is counselling

on Wednesdays and Thursdays

to help youth, students, fami-

lies and members of the LGBT

community. The counselling

program is for drug-related

issues and advice on how to

stay healthy and safe sexually.

They also offer a suicide pre-

vention program and gambling

counselling. Some youth use

the office as a safe place to go.

“I go all the time to the

Windsor Pride office to hang

out and talk to different peo-

ple. It means a lot to me hav-

ing a place like that to go to,”

said one 18-year-old man, who

asked that his name not be

used.

For support or information

call the Windsor Pride office at

519-973-4656.

Photo by Nate Hinkley

Bob Williams is the executive director of the WindsorPride Community Centre.


newsNew opportunities on the

horizon for the Teutonia ClubTaylor Busch


Photo by Taylor Busch

President Christine Erdmann stands inside the TeutoniaClub's celebrated Schauben Hall in windsor on March31. Erdmann said thousands of great events took place inthe hall over the years.

After more than 60 years of

meeting at 55 Edinborough St.

in Windsor, the Verein

Teutonia Club is closing its

doors for good and members

are anxiously waiting to move

to a new hall across town.

As of June 1, the new owners

of the well-known "Home of

Oktoberfest" will begin reno-

vations on the 10-acre proper-

ty to transform it into a new

medical center for the resi-

dents of central Windsor. It is

the first time the building will

undergo major renovations in

nearly 30 years and according

to club president Christine

Erdmann it will look com-

pletely different when it's fin-

ished.

"I'm told it's going to have a

complete facelift outside and

inside so it will be a little sad

but at the same time it will be

their home," said Erdmann.

For some elder members of

the club, this will be a second

move since the Teutonia Club

was built in the mid 1930s.

In the years between and fol-

lowing the World Wars,

Erdmann says many European

families fled to Canada hoping

to start new lives but faced any

unexpected obstacles when

they arrived including lan-

guage barriers, prejudice and

scrutiny. It was not long

before they began gathering in

homes and churches to help

each other through the diffi-

cult assimilation process.

She says at its peak the club

was a second home to close to

3,000 members.

"This building was built

mostly by our members as

more of them came over [from

Europe], and therefore it has a

lot of meaning to us and still

we wish the new owner well in

all his endeavors."

Erdmann says it was a nearly

unanimous decision from the

board and members to merge

with the Fogolar Furlan Club

across town as they have

maintained great relations

over the years. However, not

all of the club's groups are

able to be accommodated by

the new hall.

"As of right now we haven't

found [a home] yet and our

club's future is uncertain,"

said Victor Lucier of the

Windsor Ping Pong

Association. "We are sad

because they've been good to

us over the years and we've

had a good run here and also

we have a lot of people that

have become used to playing

each week."

While Erdmann believes the

club's membership numbers

and monthly pretzel and cab-

bage roll sales will not be

affected by the move, others

are more skeptical.

"I really enjoy working here

and now knowing they're

closing the doors is really sad,

not only for me and the other

employees but also the cus-

tomers that have been coming

here so long," said Teutonia

bartender and member Karla

Beaudoin.

"We're like a real family here

and I know if they move it

won't be the same."

Erdmann says the Fogolar

has been very accommodating

so far offering to give Teutonia

members chances to go check

out their new home and waiv-

ing their rental fees through

the summer. She also says the

manager of the Fogolar is con-

sidering flying the German

flag out front and has told her

there will be space in their hall

to display some Teutonia pho-

tos, plaques and records per-

manently.

"We're really not a dying

club, we are going to continue

on just under the umbrella of

the Fogolar Club and they've

opened their arms to us and

been very accommodating in

everything we've asked for

and need," said Erdmann.

While some of the Teutonia's

treasures and books have been

set aside or donated to the

Windsor Public Library's

downtown campus, many are

still to be auctioned off during

the club's farewell banquet

May 1, starting at noon and

open to all. Tickets will be

available for purchase at their

long time home through April.

ARSON PAGE 1or barricaded withmiscellaneous items. A warrantwas immediately issued forBondy’s arrest and he wastaken into custody withoutincident a day following thefire.Russell Mulholland, 22, is

Bondy’s son who said the firewas caused by carelesssmoking.“My father was not

responsible for the fire,” saidMulholland.The fire was started on a bed

that had materials left piled onit. In a neighbour’ssurveillance video whichcaptures the Bondy home, abrief flicker is seen from thesecond floor window of thehouse where the fire starts.Mulholland was also chargedby police.The motive behind the fire

remains under investigation asthe relationship in the Bondyfamily was reported to bewearing thin following hisNovember arrest. StaceyMulholland, Bondy’s wife,reported on Bondy’s constantharassment through text

messaging while Bondy wasliving away from the familyhome. Lawyer ShelleyMcGuire proceeded to showthe court text messages sent byBondy to Mulholland whichsaid, “sleep with one eyeopen,” and, “We will see howwell you sleep when I am backhome.”

No family members were

home the day Bondy was

moving his items from the

house.

Jason Alford is a long-time

friend of Bondy’s who agreed

to have Bondy live with him

should he be released

following the trial. When

asked about the state of the

relationship between Bondy

and his wife Alford told the

court, “They’ve been

bickering and fighting since

I’ve known them.”

It is Alford’s duty to

supervise Bondy and make

sure he adheres to his

designated curfew and refrains

from associating with certain

people identified by the court.

The final verdict in Bondy’s

trial will be concluded by the

end of the week.

Sandwich First BaptistChurch was established tounite and offer aid to refugeeblacks in the early 1800s andstill provides assistance to thecommunity today.

According to the church'swebsite, Sandwich FirstBaptist Church is the oldestactive black church inWindsor. It was developed inthe 1820s by refugee and freedslaves who gathered informal-ly outdoors and in homes inWindsor's Olde SandwichTown. Shortly after, theSandwich First Baptist groupjoined other black congrega-tions in Amherstburg andDetroit to form theAmherstburg RegularMissionary BaptistAssociation. The associationwas in support of theUnderground Railroad andabolition of slavery.One member grew up hearing

about the history of SandwichFirst Baptist Church and isnow very active in its opera-tions.

"I used to hear my great-grandmother tell me about thischurch, how they'd hide peo-

CHURCH PAGE 1 ple under the floor. That'swhen the bounty hunters camein and they couldn't findthem," said Lana Talbot, pres-ident of the church's heritagecommittee. "I did not come tothis church to be a member. Icame here for Family Day orsomething. Next thing youknow, I'm a member. But Ihaven't stopped."

In its early days, SandwichFirst Baptist Church offeredbasic amenities to the commu-nity including shelter, food,clothing, security and spiritualguidance. Today, many ofthose services are still avail-able.

Deacon Kim Elliott ofSandwich First BaptistChurch said the church reach-es out to the community inmany ways and the buildingcan be rented for variousevents.

"We provide a lot of servicegap initiatives, help out withfood security, shelter, addic-tion and recovery. We are stillin the business of helping peo-ple resettle, by way of refugeestatus," said Elliott. "We pro-vide space for birthday par-ties, wedding receptions. Weconduct weddings. We con-

duct funerals. We providespace for Elections Canada.They use our facilities as apolling station."The church has few members

but continues to hold regularSunday services and Biblestudy on Wednesdays.Despite the recent deaths oftheir pastor and assistant pas-tor, the congregation contin-ues to gather. Members saythey do what they can to keepthe place in operation.

"We lost our pastor and ourassistant pastor within amonth and four days of eachother. So now its up to us, theremaining, to keep the churchalive," said Talbot. "We dotithes and offerings. That'show we have maintained."

Faith is what seems to havekept Sandwich First BaptistChurch alive for 175 years."In the case of slavery, they

came north seeking freedom,really not knowing if they'd becaptured or sent back to theStates," said Elliott. "It wastheir faith that got them hereand it is the faith that has keptus here for 175 years. It's stillgoing strong today.

"I know that one day thechurch will be full," saidSister Talbot.

CONVERGED CITIZEN APRIL 14, 2016 5

Students are often stressed outLyndi-Colleen Morgan


Recent studies show stu-

dents in post-secondary school

have been experiencing

increased stress and anxiety

over the last several years.

The National College Health

Assessment found 58.5 per

cent of the 16,000 Ontario stu-

dents surveyed experienced

higher than average stress, in a

2013 study. Oxford

Dictionaries defines stress as

the mental strain or tension

placed on an individual result-

ing from demanding circum-

stances which can cause

adverse effects on a person’s

body.

The NCHA reported 40 per

cent of students said stress was

affecting their ability to

achieve academically. Don

Crowder is a counsellor at St.

Clair College’s downtown

campus. He said certain life

events or experiences can trig-

ger stress. These triggers then

determine how individuals

react to the stress. He said

stress is not always debilitat-

ing to an individual’s educa-

tion.

“Stress has a full range of

effects on people psychologi-

cally, emotionally and physi-

cally. It’s unique to each indi-

vidual,” said Crowder. “It can

be translated into a negative or

a positive event. Sometimes

stress as we know it can in

fact be a very motivating, pos-

itive thing depending on the

outcomes we (students) are

looking for.”

He also said students often

look for a permanent solution

to their stress but stress cannot

be cured, only managed.

“The school has a lot of

services available for the stu-

dents who need to use them,

whether it be tutoring, coun-

seling or the

other services

o f f e r e d .

Students like

myself can use

them at any-

time,” said

Claire Renaud,

19, a student at

S t . C l a i r

College.

Renaud is a

full-time stu-

dent studying

g e r o n t o l o g y

social work, a

baseball player

for the college and works at

the St. Clair Residence and

Conference Centre as an advi-

sor to students. She said she

spends 80 hours a week fitting

all of these activities into her

schedule while trying to get all

of her work done.

Renaud said she experi-

ences constant stress which

peaks during finals for her

classes.

“Even though I procrastinate

sometimes and leave my work

until the last minute the stress

motivates me to get it done,”

she said.

She also said she often keeps

it to herself when she is expe-

riencing more than average

stress. Sometimes the stress

can affect her physically.

Renaud said she has taken

advantage of the counseling

offered to her by the school

and if she needed to again, she

would.

Rodney Boodram, 19, is a

first-year student at the

University of Windsor and is

studying criminology and

psychology. He is also on the

university’s football team.

Boodram said he experiences

stress frequently when trying

to fit “work and play” into his

schedule.

“What stresses me out is that

I made a commitment to the

football team and I want to

show them that I want to be

there… but then it takes away

some of the time I have sched-

uled for classes and home-

work, and then I struggle to

catch up,” said Boodram.

Boodram said there are serv-

ices similar to those of St.

Clair College available at the

university. He also said first-

year students on the football

team are provided with help in

their classes by tutors

arranged by their coaches.

“There are hotlines and

counselors for students to talk

to at all hours of the day.

During midterms and exams

my coach gives us breaks

because he understands, yes

that we are playing football

but we are also students,” said

Boodram. “On Mondays our

coach provides us with work-

shops to show us how to man-

age our time for studying and

how to take notes in university

and Fridays is a study hall so

all first-year football students

can get help on assignments

and studying.”

Crowder said counselling

programs and supports are

offered in schools to benefit

the students and help them

with issues like stress and

anxiety. He said sometimes

the best help councillors can

offer students is to be some-

one to listen and bounce ideas

off.

“Sometimes you just need

someone to talk to that’s not

going to judge you…that’s not

going to add to the anxiety

and the stress. Sometimes you

just need someone who’s

going to listen and then help

you to work out a solution,”

said Crowder.

Photo by Lyndi-Colleen Morgan

Don Crowder is one of the counselors availableto students at St. Clair College. Services areavailable to students from Monday to Friday atall campuses.

National Beer Day goes internationalDanielle Gagnier


Owners of a local breweryare celebrating AmericanNational Beer Day.

Walkerville Brewery invitedWindsorites to the brewery forthe release of their Easy Stout365 beer that was available ontap only on April 7. They werealso selling the aged beer in500 millilitre bottles and onelitre bottles.

National Beer Day is cele-brated annually in the UnitedStates. It marks the day in1933 people could legallybuy, sell and drink beer afterthe prohibition.#NationalBeerDay was trend-ing on Twitter.

Although Canadian BeerDay is actually celebratedNov. 28, this didn’t stop theWalkerville Brewery from

Photo by Danielle Gagnier

The Walkerville Brewery debuted their signature bourbon bar-rel-aged beer April 7 in celebration of National Beer Day. enjoying the American holi-day. According to TroyDrayton, tour guide at theWalkerville Brewery, they aredoing their best to exposecraft beers to Windsorites

which is why they chose toshowcase their bourbon bar-rel-aged stout on NationalBeer Day.

“You can barrel age yourbeers in a number of different

types of barrels, whether it’swine or vodka, but we’redoing it with bourbon,” saidDrayton. “We’ve been doing alot of different barrel-agedseries in the past. This beer hasbeen sitting in a bourbon bar-rel for about a year so that’swhere the Easy Stout 365name comes from.”

Blayne Caron, one of thebrewers at the WalkervilleBrewery, said what makes thisbarrel-aged bourbon special isits unique taste.

“Our Easy Stout, regularly,is very sweet and rounded onthe palate,” said Caron, one ofthe brewers. “After aging inthe barrels, a lot of the time thebourbon can overpower a lotof beers, but the bourbon com-pliments with the sweetnessreally well.”

During prohibition, Windsor

was a major site for alcoholsmuggling and gang activity.Being just across the bordereasily allowed the illegaltransportation of alcohol fromWindsor to the United States.Drayton said many of thetours they host at the breweryoutline Windsor’s contribu-tion during prohibition.

“We want to do our bestthrough the branding of ourbeers, the names of our beers,through our logos, all thattype of stuff, to really kind ofenhance people’s knowledgeabout the impact that this areahad,” said Drayton.

The Walkerville Breweryarranged free tours for thoseinvolved in the CanadianAdult Recreational HockeyAssociation tournament onApril 9 to further promotetheir craft beers.

Jose, can you see the Cy Young?

One pitcher would have to

lose. The only question was

who.

Entering their first start of

the season, Detroit Tigers

pitcher Anibal Sanchez

returned to a place he once

called home having not lost

there since 2012. His counter-

part, however, returned to the

same park having not lost in

his career.

Jose Fernandez took his per-

fect 17-0 record at home

alongside his 1.40 ERA in 26

career starts at Marlins Park.

The winning streak is the

longest in MLB history for a

pitcher to start off a career at

home. This may be why his

success created some surprise

when he didn’t get the

Opening Day assignment.

Nonetheless, the Marlins are

monitoring Fernandez’s

innings this season, his second

back from Tommy John sur-

gery following an elbow

injury.

Baffling hitters as he had

them thinking about what

pitch he would throw next,

Fernandez would go on to

show true talent despite what

critics might say. Fernandez

went on to throw 5.2 innings

while striking out 13 and

allowing five hits in his first

career loss at home.

After seeing how dominant

Fernandez was against the

Tigers, a couple of things

became clear. He has undoubt-

edly healed from arguably the

nastiest surgery in all of sports

and he feels comfortable. It’s

Photo courtesy of sbnation.com

Jose Fernandez will look to bounce back from Tommy John surgery and pitch his way to his first NL Cy Young Award.

for that reason why nobody

should be surprised if he ends

up winning the Cy Young

Award this season -dedicated

to the best pitcher in the

league – despite the inning

limit in order to preserve the

ace’s arm.

Since his rookie year (and

including the partial seasons

directly before the first half of

2014) and after his reconstruc-

tive elbow surgery, Fernandez

has been outright dominant.

His ERAs during that time

have been 2.19, 2.44 and 2.92,

his WHIPs have been 0.979,

0.948 and 1.160 and his K/9

rates have been 9.7, 12.2 and

11.0. For those who don’t fol-

low baseball that closely, he’s

virtually unhittable.

Many predicted the 23-year-

old’s performance to diminish

following surgery, but he has

done the complete opposite. In

fact, his velocity has improved

as he’s consistently been hit-

ting 96 mph and the move-

ment on his curveball is leav-

ing hitters shaking their heads

as they walk back to the

dugout. In other words, there’s

no indication whatsoever that

Fernandez won’t be one of the

elite starters in all of baseball

– if he’s healthy.

The Marlins have said they

plan to keep Fernandez on an

innings count this year, likely

in the range of 160-180. This

number makes sense given his

recent past with elbow sur-

gery. But it’s not hard to proj-

ect what a season featuring

that number of innings would

look like. As a rookie,

Fernandez threw 172 innings,

which is almost what’s expect-

ed this year.

Looking at career averages,

which is fair given his consis-

tency, we can conclude some-

what conservatively over 27

starts and get numbers as fol-

lows: 166 innings, a 13-4

record, a 2.40 ERA, a 1.01

WHIP, a .198 BAA, a K/9 rate

of 10.5 and a WAR likely in

the ballpark of 6.0. Not bad,

right? In case you’re wonder-

ing, every one of those ratios

would have been in the top

seven in the majors last year.

It’s also worth mentioning

that Fernandez has a career

.710 winning percentage with

a team that, in his three years,

collectively has finished 66

games under .500.

Would that be sufficient for

him to win the Cy Young?

Maybe.

It seems pretty unlikely that

Jake Arrieta will duplicate last

year’s numbers. Consensus

estimates have him projected

at 15-7 with a 2.81 ERA and a

1.07 WHIP, with Fernandez’s

career numbers all comparing

favourably to those. In addi-

tion, Zack Greinke is also

expected to take a step back

statistically with the move

from pitcher-friendly Dodger

Stadium to hitter-friendly

Chase Field.

Fernandez’s talent is too

great, the results too dominant

and the potential too attractive

to imagine Fernandez not win-

ning a Cy Young in the near

future – perhaps even at the

age of 23, just as Kershaw did

five years ago.

CONVERGED CITIZEN APRIL 14, 2016 6

Opinion

Christian Bouchard

Sports Columnist

ONVERGED CITIZENsports & fitness APRIL 14, 2016C7

Wall earning accolades, scholarshipGarrett Fodor


A local goalie is earning

more than individual acco-

lades and is set to earn an edu-

cation from a soon to be

Division I NCAA school.

Leamington Flyers rookie

goalie Tyler Wall took the

league by storm as he com-

piled a 27-2-1 record in the

regular season. Wall earned

rookie of the year honours,

along with top goalie honours

in the Western Conference, as

he posted a 0.940 save per-

centage and 1.49 goals-

against-average. Wall also

established a new record, by

having the most wins by a

rookie goalie. These stat lines

and strong performances

caught the eyes of NCAA

scouts. Wall recieved an offer

and has announced his inten-

tions via Twitter, to attend the

University of Massachusetts

Lowell where Wall plans on

studying engineering.

Branden Robitaille, goalie

coach for the Flyers, said Wall

has played well and has

exceeded expectations.

“He’s played well, truthful-

ly we didn’t think he’d make

the team out of camp,” said

Robitaille. “He’s very sound

technically and quiet in his

movements. He’s a big body

and knows the game well.

With his quick movements it

helps with his reactions.”

While splitting time with

goaltender Michael Barrett,

the two put Leamington at the

top of the Western

Conference. Robitaille said he

believes Wall is well equipped

considering it’s his first play-

off series.

Flyers Defenceman Zak

Parlette said he is confident

with either goalie in the net,

but likes the way Wall sees the

ice and talks in his net to the

defence and the team to let

them know what is going on.

Wall said the connection he

has with their goalie coach

and head recruiter Cameron

Ellsworth is great to have.

“It feels pretty good, their

goalie coach is actually from

Leamington so it’s a nice little

connection we have,” said

Wall. “My goal these season

was just to come in and be the

best goalie I could be and

whatever happens, I wouldn’t

say my plan was to get a com-

mitment.”

UMass is currently transi-

tioning into a Division I

school, with their official sta-

tus coming in 2017. The River

Hawks earned a NCAA

Frozen Four appearance in

2013 and have graduated play-

ers to the NHL like Dwayne

Roloson, Ron Hainsey and

Connor Hellebuyck.

Wall said he hopes to bring

his simplistic style of game

and large presence in the net

to UMass. He said he is more

focused on the task at hand as

Leamington is currently trail-

ing the London Nationals 3-2

in their Western Conference

finals series.

Photo by Garrett Fodor

Tyler Wall, of the Leamington Flyers, attempts to save a puck March 17 against theChatham Maroons.

Valuable goals scored in world tournamentAaron Sanders


An international hockey

tournament is scoring more

than just goals.

Windsor is playing host to

the Canadian Adult

Recreational Hockey

Association Hockey World

Cup from Apr. 3-10.

The tournament features

more than 2,500 players from

15 different countries. Games

are being played in three are-

nas around the city ;

Tecumseh Arena, the Vollmer

Complex and the WFCU

Centre.

Fitchburg USA 55 plus

goalie Joe Iozzo said despite

playing in a different country

and city, players like himself

felt like they were at home

with the sport. Iozzo and his

team came from Fitchburg,

Massachusetts to participate

in the CARHA World Cup.

“Coming from the States,

hockey is not the most popular

sport,” said Iozzo. “But when

you come into Canada, you

know it’s the most popular

sport here and it’s a nice feel-

ing to see how everybody [as

a hockey player] feel like

they’re home amongst like

minded people.”

The players on the ice were

not the only ones enjoying the

seven day event. CARHA

media relations coordinator

Chad Scanlan flew into

Windsor from Ottawa to work

the World Cup. Scanlan said

he enjoyed the turnout the

city has received.

“The tournament itself has

been fantastic,” Scanlan said.

“The people in Windsor have

really been receptive with it

and excited that it’s here.

With 2,500 participants from

15 different countries, it’s

cool to see everyone walking

down the downtown core and

everyone is happy that they’re

here.”

Iozzo said the friendships

made added to his experience

in the tournament.

“I think it’s really great

because of the camaraderie

among hockey players and I

think one of the sayings in

CARHA is friendship through

hockey,” said Iozzo.” It’s

really true and although we’re

competing against each other,

we have a bond that happens

while we’re here. It’s (a) real-

ly unique experience.”

Scanlan also said he will

take the camaraderie home

from the World Cup.

“On the ice you play hard,

battle each other but after the

game, it’s about shaking

hands and going to the play-

ers’ village,” Scanlan said.

“The hockey is kind of a

bonus, but there’s friendships

that are made which I’ll take

from the tournament.”

Photo by Aaron Sanders

CARHA Hockey World Cup action between the Calgary Hornets and the Swiss Polar Bears at theWindsor Family Credit Union Centre April 6.

The Converged Citizen - April 14, 2016

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