The Brockville Observer

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The Brockville and Area Sports Dome Association is another step closer to making its dream a reality.

City council voted on Tuesday night to lease an

area of Memorial Park, lo-cated east of Laurier Hill, to the fledgling organ-ization for $2 per year for 10 years. The proposed dome would house tennis courts, a soccer pitch, a track and a driving range.

Several members of the

association’s board of dir-ectors were on hand at the meeting. The delegation noted it is only seeking the lease; council is not being asked for money to help with construction and maintenance costs.

Several members of

council indicated they are impressed by the group’s efforts. Councillor Larry Journal said dome sup-porters put forward a proposal that is well put together and includes a solid business plan.

Council agrees to lease land to dome group

City council has voted to proceed with the agree-ment to purchase the Maritime Discovery Cen-tre of the 1000 Islands (MDC).

The municipality will acquire the 27,000 square foot building shell from Tall Ships Landing De-velopments. Council de-cided on Tuesday night to authorize the mayor and clerk to execute the agreement of purchase and sale of the proposed interactive waterfront at-traction. The price tag is $7.4 million.

No one on council voted against moving for-ward with the agreement. “The City of Brockville will be well-served,” said Councillor David Beatty, a member of the MDC steering committee.

Some council mem-bers acknowledged they are not happy with all ele-ments of the agreement. Councillor Jane Fullarton indicated she is prepared to support the plan even though she does not en-dorse all of the details. She believes proceeding with the project is in the best interests of the muni-cipality.

Fullarton said it has been a difficult process that has been frustrating for some members of the public because the pro-

posal has been scrutin-ized behind closed doors. She referred to MDC and Tall Ships Landing as an economic driver for downtown. The residen-tial component of the tower project is the part Fullarton finds the most exciting. Seeing the crane in operation at the site was a significant step in the process.

“I think it’s a great day for the City of Brockville,” stated Councillor Mary Jean McFall, who also represents the munici-pality on the MDC com-mittee as do Councillor Larry Journal and Brad Snelling.

Council also empha-sized the role its repre-sentatives play on the steering committee. Four of the 12 members are named by the city; four more represent the com-munity, and there are also four representatives from the Fuller Group.

In thanking developer Simon Fuller for his vision as well as other key play-ers in the project, Beatty referred to the MDC as a transforming develop-ment, and a key anchor tourist attraction.

“Let’s make it the best it can be,” the councillor said.

The MDC is being funded by all levels of gov-ernment as well as by the community and private sector.

City approves purchase of MDC

Braves Captain Colin MacLean celebrates his third period goal in Brockville’s 4-0 win at home in the opening game of their best-of-seven series with the Nepean Raiders.

PHOTO BY AUSTIN DE LUIS

By Tim RhunkeSpecial to the Observer

By Tim RhunkeSpecial to the Observer

DOME continues on page 10

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Victims of domestic violence crimes are often silenced by the old ad-age “don’t air your dirty laundry in public.” But on Tuesday, March 8th, also known as International Women’s Day, local men, women, and children broke the silence by par-ticipating in the Clothes-line Project, a display of actual laundry, mainly t-shirts, inscribed with slo-gans and pictures chron-icling stories of abuse or showing solidarity for vic-tims, in order to bear wit-ness to violence against women. During this pub-lic display, a clothesline is hung with shirts created by people who have been affected by violence and those who want a voice in ending it.

The hanging t-shirts tell a poignant story, but it is one of survival.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it - actions speak louder than words,” says one.

“You took away my choice, you cannot take my voice,” says another shirt, created by Neigh-bours, Friends and Fam-ilies, program coordinator, and Clothesline facilitator, Julie Shaw.

For Shaw those words appropriately sum up the goals of NFF and Clothes-line, to put an end to this growing problem.

“I once heard some-one say that we don’t have these kinds of problems in Leeds and Grenville but if you look at the statistics, the reality is devastatingly stark. In Leeds and Gren-ville alone, three women have been killed by their current of former partners within the last five years, and many more have sur-vived abuse and assault,” said Shaw, adding that additional stats indicate that in Leeds county, there are 33 reported cases of what is referred to as do-mestic complaints per month ‘which averages to approximately one per day’.

“So I’d say there is defin-itely a problem,”

The first Clothesline was displayed in October of 1990 in Hyannis Mas-sachusetts, and created by visual artist, Rachel Carey-Harper, after reading some horrifying statistics, pre-sented by the Men’s Rape Prevention Project in Washington DC. According to the Project, 58,000 sol-diers died in the Vietnam war, during that same per-iod of time, 51,000 women were killed, mostly by men who supposedly loved them. It was these stor-ies that prompted Harper to develop the concept of using t-shirts on a clothes-

line as a vehicle for raising awareness on this issue. Harper noted that doing that laundry was trad-itionally considered to be women’s work and during those days, in close-knit neighbourhoods, informa-tion was often exchanged over backyard fences while hanging clothes out to dry.

In the past 20 years the project has expanded and currently includes ap-proximately 50 Projects internationally.

Since beginning the Clothesline Project in Feb-ruary, after learning about it at a NFF advisory com-mittee meeting, Shaw has met with several small groups of varying ages, to discuss the project and her campaign.

“The first meeting I held was attended by about five people, which actually worked out really well,”

said Shaw.“I had a display of infor-

mation set up and I talked about the NFF campaign and legal and commun-ity resources, then we sat around a table and decor-ated t-shirts. As we did this we chatted about issues related to violence, some-times just about our daily lives.”

This was exactly what Shaw said she had en-visioned for the ongoing

project. “One of the goals of the

project is to break through the isolation that keeps people trapped by the abuse, so that they don’t feel so alone. This kind of interaction is the key, if people don’t talk about it, it will never go away.”

Moving forward, Shaw said that her vision for the Project is to ‘keep it going’ and expand it to include community partners, in

hopes of engaging the community in recogniz-ing the issue of violence against women and to

‘create an environment in which all people can live equal, healthy, fulfilling lives without fear’.

Page 2 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011 THE OBSERVER

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Clothesline Project airs laundry of domestic violenceBy Erin ChristieObserver Staff Writer

Local men, women, and children broke the silence associated with domestic violence by participating in the Clothesline Project, a display of actual laundry, mainly t-shirts, inscribed with slogans and pictures chronicling stories of abuse or showing solidarity for victims, in order to bear witness to violence against women.

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On March 24th, seven dedicated members of the Brockville’s grow-ing arts community will join 30 of the City’s finest musicians, dancers, ac-tors and directors, when they’re inducted into the Brockville & Area Music & Performing Arts Hall of Fame. A group comprised of previous inductees and members of the organ-izing committee voted on Monday to pare down a list of nearly 70 nom-inees to seven people or groups, to be inducted during an upcoming ceremony which will be held at the Brockville Arts Centre in a special show broadcast on TV Cogeco. The committee will also be handing out a lifetime achievement award to the Brockville Lions Club for their 60 years of host-ing the Lions Club Music Festival.

This year’s new hall-of-famers are:

Joy Goodfellow, whose contributions to the per-forming arts in Brock-ville include work as a stage director and music director, music teacher, performer, theatre group executive member – even a ticket-taker for the Brockville Operatic So-ciety, Theatre Guild and Concert Association.

Mike Trussell and Charyl Trussell. Over the decades, Mike Trus-sell has acted and sung in numerous Brockville

Operatic Society and Brockville Theatre Guild productions, as well as dancing, producing, directing and set con-structing and design. Charyl Trussell, mean-while, has played a key role with the Theatre Guild and Operatic So-ciety productions by co-ordinating costumes.

Matt Hayes, who has played in many country bands, mainly on steel guitar, for 60 years.

Denise Bowes, a founding member of the Joshua Bates Centre Per-forming Arts Committee in Athens.

The Bruce Ker Trio started in the mid 1960s by local pianist Bruce Ker. While it originally in-cluded Bill Dargavel and Ross Phillips, over the decades, the trio has had plenty of local talent in its ranks, including Stewart Patterson, Richard Crotty and Otto Eckhardt.

Moxie Whitney, this year’s posthumous in-ductee. Born in Brock-ville in 1919, he led the Moxie Whitney Orches-tra, which held the long-est running big band gig in Canadian history. Moxie and his orchestra played six nights a week for 23 years from 1948 to 1971 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. Accord-ing to the committee, the Moxie Whitney booking agency is credited with launching Anne Mur-ray into stardom, as well as Rich Little and Doug Henning.

An Italian throat per-cussionist, a Latino pian-ist, and a sultry singing bassist are just a few of the dynamic acts that one can expect to find at the Brockville Con-cert Association’s 11th annual 1000 Islands Jazz Festival, which kicks off this June. Since its in-ception, the nine-day, multi-venue, celebration has headlined an eclec-tic range of Canada’s top performers, including, legendary jazz pianist, Brian Browne, big band bigwig, Glen Miller, and up-and-coming chant-euse, Jill Barber, earn-ing it the designation of “Best Small Jazz Festival in Canada”. This distinc-tion, says festival chair-man, Alex McLeod, is what propels the organ-izers to ‘make the festival ‘bigger and better every year’.

“Our past success has made it possible to con-tinue to expand every year,” said McLeod.

“This year we’ve got ten acts, in seven loca-tions whereas last year we had nine acts and five different locations. The goal is to eventually make this a full-out New Orleans style jazz fes-tival with a parade that takes over the whole city for a few days and brings people in from all over the country.”

McLeod continued that in keeping with the

Festival’s tradition of ‘great live jazz perform-ances’ to Brockville, this year’s program features a ‘dynamite line-up’ of bright young stars, Gram-my winners and peren-nial favourites.

“The goal behind this whole festival is to intro-duce a whole new gen-eration to live music,” added McLeod.

“There’s a feel you get watching a live perform-ance that you just can’t get listening to a cd or an mp3. Live performances have become the excep-tion now and I’d hate to see them disappear com-pletely, we’ve got some great venues and a lot of

talent here so the hope is to inspire people to pur-sue music itself and par-ticularly live music.”

The festival begins on June 10th at Tait’s Bakery Downtown with guitarist, Rene Jeli, followed by ‘Jazz at the Jail’ in the Atrium of the Brockville Court-house, with renowned Cuban-Canadian har-monica musician, Carlos del Junco. The celebra-tion then kicks into high gear at the Brockville Arts Centre, with the first of three exciting Main Stage acts, acclaimed Canadian recording artists, the Ny-lons. On June 12th, Can-adian festival favorite,

Cesar Ricardo, brings his sultry baritone vocals and complex guitar chording to Fulford Place Mansion for the Heritage Series. The series continues at Centennial Road Church with the explosive, soul-ful musical stylings of instrumentalist, Huntley Brown, followed on June 14th by the parade-style ‘groove-masters’, the Mash Potato Mashers, at the First Presbyterian Church.

Rounding off the Series are charismatic singer/songwriter/bass player, Dino diNicolo and Latin Grammy-nomin-ated singer/songwriter, Alex Cuba.

The festival concludes with two more Main Stage acts, sultry, swing-ing bassist, Kristen Korb, and Juno-nominated jazz vocalist, Emilie-Claire Barlow, who will appear on the BAC’s historic stage on June 17th and 18th, consecutively.

For more information or two purchase tickets visit www.brockvillecon-cert.ca or call (613) 342-7122 toll free 1-877-342-7122.

Tickets for all 9 shows $175.00 plus HST (All Ac-cess Pass)

Tickets for all 4 Main Stage concerts at the Brockville Arts Centre $109.99 Plus HST.

All tickets for Main Stage shows include passes to that evening’s afterparty event, for de-tails, contact the BAC box office.


The ObserverNEWS

One of last year’s most popular acts, the Shuffle Demons, perform at the ‘Jazz at the Jail’ concert, held at the Brockville Court House during the 1000 Islands Jazz Festival, last June.

Back and ‘better and than ever’2011 1000 Islands Jazz Festival brings big names to BrockvilleBy Erin ChristieObserver Staff Writer

Calling it a significant step against a growing problem, Senator Bob Runciman is hailing the approval of a bill to com-bat child pornography on the internet. The proposal, known as Bill C-22, would require internet service providers to report sus-pected pornography to the authorities when they are tipped off or discover it in the normal perform-

ance of their duties. The Bill would not require ISPs to monitor their custom-ers or authorize them to seek out the material. The Bill is now awaiting Royal assent and proclamation by the government, having received its third reading at the Senate last week and approval by the House of Commons.

“Calling it child pornog-raphy does not do it jus-

tice,” Runciman explained in a recent speech to the Senate.

“It implies that it is an image, a photograph or video only, rather than reality. But these images are of real children, real victims, many of them Canadians, in addition to being pornography, this is child abuse of the most heinous kind.”

Runciman continued

that currently, five hun-dred thousand individuals world-wide, are involved in the trafficking of child sexual images, 83 per cent of those being aged 12 or under, and nearly one in four, being aged 3 or under.

“Bill C-22 is good legis-lation and it will help, but I also recognize that it is just a start and we need to do much more,” said Runci-man.

Tory bill boosts fight against child porn

Brockville Mayor, David Henderson, shared his optimistic outlook for 2011, during the Brock-ville and District’s Cham-ber of Commerce’s annual Mayor’s Outlook Lunch-eon, held at the Brockville Country Club, yesterday afternoon. During his ad-dress, Henderson out-lined a strategic plan that focused on a ‘people’s economy’, that includes increased industrializa-

tion, improved quality of life, and the continued at-traction and expansion ef-forts of groups such as the Leeds-Grenville Immigra-tion Partnership and East-ern Ontario Development Program. The Mayor also indicated that residents would continue to see the progression of major con-struction projects, such as the Wedgewood, Tall Ships Landing/Maritime Discov-ery Centre, and the Brock-

ville Landings projects. “What we are seeing

now is a resurgence,” ex-plained Henderson, add-ing that the city is also ex-pecting to see the addition of more stores in the North end.

“A recession hammers you pretty quick, so it’s a slow process, but we’re having good, interactive discussions at council and that means good things will happen for the city.”

Henderson shares outlook for 2011

Music Hall of Fame inductees announced

By Erin ChristieObserver Staff Writer

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With city councilor Leigh Bursey acting as its initial chairman, Brock-ville’s newly minted Youth Advisory Committee as-sembled at Brockville City

Hall for their inaugural meeting earlier this week to discuss, among other things, their first major project, the addition of some youthful perspec-

tive to the City’s Official Plan, as well as the Com-mittee’s involvement in some upcoming fund-raisers. Currently, the Committee has six active

members, however, chair-man Leigh Bursey says, they are seeking more.

For more information contact Leigh Bursey at [email protected]

Meet Brockville’s first Youth Advisory Committee

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There is a growing trend toward definedcontribution pension plans. These are registered pension plans that specify the employee andemployer contributions but not the amount the employee will receive at retirement. Payout amountsfrom these plans are based on the returns earned bytheir investments. If the investments perform well,you could have more income than you expect; if theyunderperform, you could be left short.

Defined benefit pension plans are different fromdefined contribution plans. In a defined benefitpension plan, the employee knows, in advance,how much he or she will receive at retirement, andcontributions are based on the employee’s salary and length of service. Defined benefit plans were once the norm in Canada. However, most new pensionplans are of the defined contribution type, and many existing defined benefit plans are being converted.

Members of defined contribution plans can usuallychoose how to invest their plan contributions.Participants are provided with tax-shelteredinvestment options ranging from conservativeto higher growth. Their contributions are pooled with those of other plan members and invested byprofessionals.

Companies prefer defined contribution plansbecause employers aren’t required to pay fixedbenefits when investments perform poorly, as is thecase with defined benefit plans. This shifts risk fromthe employer to the employee. For example, those who choose a growth option that invests largely inequities could suffer if the stock market has a fewdown years immediately before they retire.

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If you are interested in ways to boost yourretirement savings, meet with an Edward Jonesadvisor to see which options best fit your needs andgoals.

The Leeds Grenville Big Brothers Big Sisters (LGB-BBS) received some big news in regards to the in-augural Kemptville Ribfest event taking place Father’s Day weekend in June this year.

A Celebrate Ontario grant of $25,000 was awarded to the first time event, after the grant ap-plication made out by the LGBBBS, was accepted on Friday March 4th by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. “The McGuinty government recognizes the importance of festivals and events to Ontario’s prosperity, culture and quality of life. Festivals and events invigorate lo-cal economies, they create jobs, enhance tourism and increase visitor spending in communities across Ontario”, as the grant ac-ceptance letter stated.

“We are very excited about the Celebrate On-

tario grant”, said LGBBBS Executive Director Jane Fullarton. “This will go a long way in ensuring that the first year is a strong event”.

This specific grant was awarded to the first time event in Kemptville, but was heavily supported by the 10-year track record from the Brockville Ribfest, showing the capability of the organization to run such a large-scale festival.

The event will differ from the Brockville Ribfest, in that much of the festival will be held indoors at the North Grenville Commun-ity Centre. The theatre will be used for children’s entertainment, while the bathroom facilities will be indoors, unlike the Brock-ville venue. The vacant arena will house several other shows and activities through the three-day event.

Check for updates and event schedules to be re-leased soon.

Kemptville Ribfest receives Celebrate Ontario grant

MATTHEW HOYAge: 29

Education/Occupation: Brockville & District Chamber

of Commerce: Membership

Services Manager

Mandate: To help create a platform

for young professionals and

students to become engaged

with what’s happening in

the city, to develop peer

relationships and hopefully

be able to make a significant

contribution to our amazing

community.

LEIGH BURSEY Acting Chair

Age: 23

Education/Occupation:City Councilor, co-founder of

New Mentality, host of Cogeco’s

Critical Thinking

Mandate: To involve and inform young

people on issues, events and

activities in the community

AGOSTINO DE MURTAS Committee Vice-Chair

Age:30

Education/Occupation: Owner of Sequence Comics and

Gaming

Mandate: to work with youth and continue

to improve and expand on their

role in the community

MATT CASSELMAN

Age: 18

Mandate: to be a strong proponent of

youth leadership and student

engagement

CHRIS MININNI

Age: 16

Education: Grade 11 student at Thousand

Islands Secondary School (TISS)

Mandate: To better the community for

youth

SARA MANNSEICHNER

Age:17

Education/Occupation: grade 12 student at Thousand

Islands Secondary School

(TISS)

Mandate: To help youth by raising

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potential and capabilities

By Austin de LuisThe Observer Editor

The ObserverEDITORIALPage 6 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011 THE OBSERVER

THE OBSERVER EDITORIAL

With our friendly neighborhood groundhog jumping out of his hole last month, without seeing his shadow, we expected, or at least hoped that the win-ter months were soon coming to a close.

A few days here and there over the past month, gave us hope of a possible early spring, but that hope was quickly taken away, with huge snowfalls and subzero temperatures extending the harsh sea-son that we are all to accustom to as Can-adians.

I don’t hit the ski slopes and haven’t been on the outdoor rinks with much frequency over recent years, leaving me with an anxious and somewhat nauseous feeling, having been teased by the unreli-able groundhog and the short glimpses of spring weather.

It is time to bring on the spring foot-ball, track and field, summer walks, boating, golf, swimming, and filling the parks with fun for everyone. It is time to say farewell to pre-heating cars, scrap-ing windshields, getting stuck in parking lots and treacherous road conditions. We have been through quite enough of the winter obstructions this past season to fill two Canadian winters.

As Canadians, we are as tough as they come, able to handle these harsh condi-tions with relative ease, but the promise of changing seasons, helps us to manage the unruly weather, knowing that change

is always just around the corner. However, being teased with balmy

weather for one day, watching all the snow melt, and the eager few sporting their summer attire, only to be swept back into winter-mode, is something that is trying the patience of area residents a little more than usual.

We did get spoiled last year, with a mild winter and a very early spring. The golf courses were open early in April, some-thing we can’t expect every year, but the small taste of a similar spring breakout, has us eager and with last week’s weath-er, slightly annoyed.

I am ranting now and am probably asking for something unreasonable, es-pecially after writing an earlier editorial about getting out and enjoying the great outdoors Canada has to offer, but with the season changing, so has my mood.

As much as some people love their winter attire, their long coats and dark suits, I for one, would gladly trade rush-ing from my car to the office as quickly as I can, for being too warm and need-ing to take off my jacket when sitting on the patio. Instead of writing editorials whining about the cold weather, I could be taking shots of citizens enjoying the outdoor fun around the city, accompan-ied by the headline ‘Spring is in the air….Finally’.

Make up your mind already

Your Guide to Area Homes is here

We are all very excited to have ‘Your Guide to Area Homes’ appearing weekly within the Brockville Observer, Prescott Jour-nal and monthly in the Kemptville Packet. With a total weekly distribution over 17,200, and over 23,000 during the Kemptville Packet’s monthly publication, we are confident this section will become the place to find anything and everything you need to know about Real Estate and the corresponding industries.

The plan moving forward is very simple, compile all the Real Estate and industry ads in one location. With more businesses coming on board every week, the section has had a great begin-ning. Beyond the compilation of local companies, the big pic-ture is to move this section into other neighboring cities and communities.

The section has many features unique to the publication. The high quality white paper, rather than newsprint gives photo-graphs, and images a more vibrant look, almost jumping off the page. The large pages, give advertisers more space, accom-modating everything they would like to see in their space. The Open House section in the centre spread gives advertisers and prospective buyers the perfect guide to planning their week-end tours to see all the homes in which they are interested. The Open Houses are accompanied with photos, making it easy to make sure you are visiting the right home.

Weekly editorial supporting the industry and answering ques-tions that every home buyer or seller may have, helps make the section robust.

Our website www.thebrockvilleobserver.ca now shows the en-tire issue of the ‘Area Guide to Homes’ online.

After watching the support come in over the past few months, I would like to take this chance to thank all the different broker-ages, offices and industry businesses that have made this section possible. Without your support this couldn’t have happened, and the staff at the Brockville Observer and Morris Group thank you.

Austin de Luis – Observer Editor, Area Guide to Homes Editor

For more information:Please contact Kevin Hoover: [email protected]

or call 613-342-8777

Vista Drive residents Marg MacMillan and Val Bergman feed the ducks in the creek next to Millwood Avenue earlier this week. The water level has risen recently and the number of feathered residents has grown substantially over the past few weeks.


Spring feast

Spring forward this weekend

Daylight Savings Time returns on Sunday.Don’t forget to set clocks and other timepieces ahead one hour before turning in on Saturday

night. Local fire departments remind the public that the time change is a good time to check batteries in smoke alarms and carbon

monoxide detectors and to replace older units.

Austin de Luis

We have returned all of the chickens to the coop for the time being. Although we haven’t ex-plored all of the culinary possibilities it is time to take a break and move on to other things. Once again we have a somewhat different column, one that combines history and wine.

To be more specific, a wine with a connec-tion to Brockville’s past. Special thanks are due Alan Medcalf who sent an e-mail pointing out the historic connection be-tween an Australian red wine, Brockville and what are most probably Brock-ville’s earliest vineyard owners. The wine, Psyche Bend Shiraz 2009 (CSPC# 209338, $14.95) was re-leased by LCBO Vintages on February 5th, 2011.

Psyche Bend is located on the Murray River in Australia’s Victoria prov-

ince. At 2,375 kilometers in length the Murray is the longest river in Aus-tralia and the area around it is known as “the food bowl of Australia”. Part of the reason for the agricul-tural success of the region is due to the efforts of George and William Chaf-fey, nephews of Benjamin Chaffey of Chaffey’s Boat-works renown.

Born in Brockville, George and William inher-ited the family penchant for engineering. They made their mark in the engineering and ship de-sign fields at an early age. In 1880 the brothers re-located to California where they were the driving force behind the irrigation of the Colorado Desert, renamed Imperial Valley. It was

while working on these projects they founded On-tario, California

The success of their revolutionary irrigation techniques made them world leaders in the field. In 1886 Alfred Deakin, an Australian government of-ficial, arrived in California searching for solutions to Australia’s devastating

droughts. Visiting the Im-perial Valley he met the Chaffey’s and invited them to head up a massive irrig-

ation project on the Mur-ray River.

The agricultural im-portance of the Murray River region today is a tes-tament to the skill of the Chaffey brothers. When George first arrived the area was compared to the Sahara. In 1888 the broth-ers planted 150 acres of grapes, the genesis of to-day’s Chateau Mildura.

There is yet another intriguing storyline in what is already a fascinat-

ing tale. The Murray River was fairly isolated and bordered by desert. These natural impediments pre-

vented phylloxera, an in-sect that was the scourge of vineyards, from ever reaching Mildura. While the rest of the world had to uproot and burn vine-yards, create new hybrid-ized vines and replant, the Murray River area flour-ished. Areas unaffected by this worldwide blight are rare and Murray River is one of only a handful across the globe that can claim this distinction.

Now, there are a few

things to note. Psyche Bend, being a Vintages product is in limited sup-ply, once it’s sold out it is gone. At the time of writing there were a few bottles available at the Brockville Shopping Centre LCBO. However, there were quite a few (hundreds) available in Ottawa. Go to www.lcbo.com and follow the prompts to find specific locations or phone the LCBO Hotline at 1-800-668-5226 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.mAlso, I haven’t tasted this wine myself. However

I have complete trust in the opinion of Margaret, the Wine Consultant at the Stewart Blvd. LCBO, who did taste the Psyche Bend Shiraz and on that basis ordered it.

For more information on Chateau Mildura and the Chaffey brothers go to www.chateaumildura.com. Enjoy!

“My personal prefer-ence is to avoid (hag-wons) like the plague”

When I first started this article, almost nine months ago, I wrote that I would do everything pos-sible to avoid working for a private English acad-emy, known as a hagwon. They don’t have the best reputation, and are no-torious for shady con-tracts and employment methods in the grey area of legal.

However, despite my concerns, I ended up be-ing won over by a hag-won in a great location of Korea, right outside Seoul. I loved my classes, loved my kids, and was really hoping that I could re-contract for a second year.

When we came back from the Lunar New Year holidays though, that all changed.

I came back to find a schedule for the new school semester, and I was mysterious absent from it. After question-ing further, I discovered it was the worst: my contract was being can-celled, six months early. Naturally, I was devas-tated and wanting to know why, what had I done, why hadn’t some-one given me any warn-ing at all that there might have been issues with my job. No matter what I asked though, I was given a vague answer, unable to reference to anything specific that had hap-pened. It was a classic hagwon horror story.

In the span of about

48 hours, I managed to make it through most of the stages of grief over my job. I was shocked, and then I was furious. I’d done so many good things with my students! Didn’t that count? I tried to ask for a second chance, or a transfer to a different school. I could have tried more for the transfer, but later I real-ized leaving the company would be the best for me after the whole ordeal. After all that, I found my-self stuck at depressed.

Had I been given a rea-son, or even some kind of hint before, things would be different. I hadn’t been told of any parent com-plaints though, and there hadn’t been any feedback on my lessons in months. I thought I was doing fine. At the same time though, I’d had a strange feeling in my gut since the begin-ning of January about my job and re-contracting.

The worst part was that I had to work and pretend that nothing was wrong for an entire month. Eventually, it be-came easier to accept I was leaving, and my les-sons continued to be the best they could be. By the end of February, I was looking forward to being finished my job, despite being unsure if I would even be able to get an-other job and be able to stay in Korea.

This story has a happy

ending, thankfully. At the last second, with sheer luck, I was able to get a public school position across town from where I was teaching before. I moved to a really nice new apartment, and was able to start work the day after finishing at my last job. It’s been fantastic so far.

While I am really thankful with how my luck played out, I’m still upset that being treated

this way as an employee is almost to be expected now, no matter where you are on earth. I’d like to think that employers will get better soon, but I won’t hold my breath.

Rebecca Bredin is an English teacher at an ele-mentary school in An-yang, South Korea. To find out more about the ups and downs of working in Korea, visit http://www.ablogabroad.com

There is a dark side to every job


To Register for these Sessions Call:613-498-2111 or 1-800-926-0777

105 Strowger Blvd., Brockvillewww.eecentre.com

Workshops are 9 a.m. to 12 noonunless otherwise indicated.

Please call ahead to reserve your spot.

Thurs. Mar. 10 WHMIS

Fri. Mar. 11 Interviewing Skills

Mon. Mar. 14 Information & Decision Making

Tues. Mar. 15 Youth Safety

Wed. Mar. 16 Taking Control of Your Job Search

Thurs. Mar. 17 Effective Resumes & Cover Letters

Mon. Mar. 21 2 pm Interactive Computer & Resume Clinic

Employment Ontario programs are funded in part by the Government of CanadaLes programmes Emploi Ontario sont financés en partie par le gouvernement du Canada

The Observer OBSERVATIONS

Brockville’s Chaffey brothers Australian wine connection

There are times that being a politician is just plain fun, for example, this week a couple of volunteers and I took a walk around the 14th annual Pike Ice Fish-ing Derby hosted by the Grenville Fish and Game Club on Febru-ary 26th. The derby was held along the St. Law-rence River from Pres-cott Harbor to Cardinal. We joined the anglers near the Port of Pres-cott.

We met great people from all over the con-stituency and had a lot of fun. I even got my picture taken with a ‘big pike’, held by Kevan Bradley, a volunteer with the derby.

Apparently the big-ger fish were being caught further from

shore where the ice was thinner, but the more prudent anglers stuck closer to shore!

I was pleased to learn that the event is en-vironmentally friendly. The fish, once landed, are weighed and re-corded. By the rules of the Grenville Fish and Game Club (a mem-ber of the Hunting and Angles Federation), they were kept in a tank so no one can land the same fish again, and then released at the end of the day.

Children 14 and under had a chance to show off their angling skills as well at their own challenge, the Perch Derby for kids.

The derby attracts anglers and spectators from all over the area. I met people from all parts of Leeds-Gren-ville, Lyn, North Augus-ta, Brockville, Prescott,

Casting for votes?

Marjory with Kevan Bradley, and a pike at the Grenville Fish and Game Club’s fishing derby.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

OUT AND ABOUT

by Marjory Loveys

LOVEYS continues on page 8

OFF THE VINE

by Russ Disotell

SOEULSEARCHING

by Rebecca Bredin

Brockville natives William

& George Chaffey

A group of obscure ele-ments that occupy a cor-ner of the atomic table has becoming more important re-cently, and it may affect all of us.

So-called rare earths are ele-ments such as dys-prosium, cerium, ytterbium, erbium and about 14 others do not readily come to mind when one is asked to name an element. We think (well, chemical people think!) of iron, carbon, sulphur, calcium, oxy-gen and hydrogen in-stead, these being the elements that make up our bodies, our food and things with which we are most familiar.

Rare earths, on the other hand, are not real-ly that rare but until the last few decades, did not have very many useful applications. This has now changed, and in a dramatic way. These ele-ments with the strange names are finding appli-cations in our new plas-ma TVs, our clever new phones, in the very strong

magnets at the heart of efficient electric motors, in many new energy sys-tems such as solar panels and catalytic converters to name a few. High cap-acity batteries, now in use in many

applications and likely to be in greater use if we make the switch to elec-tric or hybrid vehicles are another important area of application of rare earths. Our appetite for these things is growing rapid-ly, much faster than the

available supply. Today China is both

the biggest supplier and the biggest user of these materials, and for sev-eral years

has been actively secur-ing their supply. The US has reopened an idle mine in Nevada, and the rapidly rising prices of these elements has pow-ered quite an exploration boom. Properties in Bra-zil, Australia and Canada

are being explored and developed, with a prom-ising property in North-ern Saskatchewan being the main centre of rare

earth mining in Can-ada. Prices have risen along with demand, and there are those who say some of these elements will see sub-stantial increases, perhaps as much as ten times, in the next decade.

Of course there is a downside. These elements take a prodigious amount of water and energy to ex-tract and purify. Environmental issues will be foremost as companies try to secure sup-ply and man-age their com-plicated and costly separa-

tion processes.Another avenue that

is being explored for rare earths is the so-called urban mine, that is, re-covering these elements from junked TVs, electric motors and other places where they were used and where the item was discarded. Already auto-motive catalytic convert-ers are being collected

and the key elements are removed and repro-cessed. If you have had your converter replaced, you may have received a credit for the old one. Old cell phones, comput-ers and I-pods are also sources of some of these elements.

Another part of this story is that there are not very many trained min-ing specialists who have the skill and experience

to mine these materials. If a young person with an interest in geology were to look into this as a pos-sible career, they might be pleasantly surprised!

So, readers: while the world is built on steel and runs on hydrocarbon, re-member that a bunch of funny-sounding chem-ical elements hold the key to our future, through their usefulness in our 21st century life.

Ashes and smoke drift toward me, the acrid smell drawing my atten-tion.

I stand on the soc-cer pitch at Moleli High School, and watch the soaring flames move closer. The British teach-ers have mobilized the students with buckets filled with precious water, a line of them soaking the outer edges of the pitch, which in Zimbabwe in late September is mostly dirt anyway.

But the wilderness of trees beyond the field, twisted acacia, monkey fruit, and mopane, pro-vide dried tinder that burns easily, happily feeding the flames.

I step toward the line of improvised firefight-ers.

“Don’t bother,” says a voice beside me.

Mai Chinogwenya, the head of the math depart-ment, stands beside me shaking her head, arms crossed.

“There’s no danger,” she continues.

“How do you know?” I ask.

She looks at me, prob-ably wondering how anyone can be so stu-pid. Whoever has de-signed the school layout knows about fire. The dirt-covered sports fields ring the school, provid-ing a natural barrier to flames. The buildings are mostly brick and cement

anyway, so any would-be danger comes mostly from smoke.

Mai explains all this to me, then adds, “Besides, the wind’s changing dir-ection. Anyone can see that. They’re wasting water, and their time.”

“They don’t know,” I offer.

She shrugs, too po-lite and good humoured to point out that they should ask. The brush fire has now reached the far edge of the soc-

cer pitch. We watch the British teachers hit at small pockets of fire with brooms. Their student bucket-brigade moves slowly, clearly less-than-enthusiastic, well-ac-customed to fire. Other Zimbabwean teachers cluster together, enjoy-ing the spectacle, saving their energy to help only if it’s necessary. They’re

amused, but indulgent of this Western tendency to rush into things, to some-times miss the big picture and the local wisdom.

In the West (and North), many of us have forgotten things that people who live closer to the earth learn early in life. Like the fact that fire is natural and un-avoidable, that it can be managed and lived with, that it can help not only for food and heat but for growth, and that it has

a symbolic cleansing power that cultures have recognized for millennia.

Whether in the burnt offerings of the ancient Hebrews or the crema-tions on the Ganges, hu-manity recognizes that we have need in our lives to burn away the old to make way for the new. In our modern electronic culture, we can easily for-get the basics, that those things that are most dangerous, like fire, like religion, can also be life-giving and essential.

As we enter the season of Lent on this Ash Wed-nesday, my thoughts re-turn to that day, the ashes swirling, the heat, and the reminder to take it slow. Human life is short, fra-gile, burnable, but meant to be breathed in deeply, and experienced richly. We are surrounded by wisdom, pain, laughter, joy, loss, love - all the flick-ering colours of a flame. If we fight the truth that ultimately we too will be reduced to dust, we also fight the truth that we are part of something larger than ourselves, some-thing deep, something necessary, something eternal.


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The Observer OBSERVATIONS

LOVEYS continues from page 7

and Mallorytown, as well as from Cornwall and Or-leans.

The atmosphere was one of a family party, hot-dogs on the BBQ and par-ents and grandparents spending time with the children. I really enjoyed the fun and camarad-erie evident at the derby. Chairman Mac Peterson and his able volunteers are to be congratulated for a successful event. Con-gratulations to the happy

anglers that caught the biggest ones. Happily everyone avoided the thin ice.

This is an example of the great lifestyle available in Leeds-Grenville, in-expensive outdoor family activities on a majestic river.

To comment or for more information on Marjory Loveys, Federal Liberal Candidate for Leeds-Gren-ville. Visit her online at MarjoryLoveys.ca

Finding the truth in ashesSOULSIDE

by Catherine Cavanagh

Rare Earths… Just what and how rare are they?THE SCIENCE

COLUMN

by Rod Charlton

Rare earth elements,

what the fuss is all about.

Whether in the burnt offerings of the ancient Hebrews or the cremations on the Ganges, humanity recognizes that

we have need in our lives to burn away the old to make way for the new.


The ObserverCOMMUNITYPoliceBLOTTER

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on seasonal items

Lisa Fleming, Anna Hudson, Julie Shaw and Kimberley Wright help to showcase the t-shirts that were created to honour this special day. The Brockville and Area YMCA paid tribute by hosting the demonstra-tion, which marked the 100th anniversary.

Update to March 1st traffic accidentA 49-year-old German man has been accused of dan-gerous driving causing bodily harm and is being held for a bail as a result of last Tuesday’s head on colli-sion on Stewart Blvd. Little is known about the driver other than that he was in Eastern Ontario on business. The victim, the female driver of the other vehicle, sustained serious injuries and was taken to Kingston General Hospital, where she currently remains, after being rescued by the fire department. Investigators are looking for witnesses for both.

March is Fraud Prevention MonthMarch is fraud prevention month and local police are offering residents some tips to avoid scams. Police suggest deleting strange e-mails if you don’t know the person or researching a company if it gives you an of-fer. But what if it’s too late and you’ve already been a victim? Inspector and co-chair of the Brockville Safe Communities Coalition, says that the best way to avoid being scammed is to be quick. “If you suspect someone has gotten a hold of your bank or credit card information, call your bank or provider and change your info as soon as you can,” reminds Fraser.

March 6th, 2011Male arrested for impaired drivingA 19 year -old Brockville male was arrested on the 6th of March 2011 at 3 a.m. for impaired operation of a motor vehicle. Officers observed the male driving and conducted a traffic stop in the 100 block of Stewart Blvd. The male was released with conditions and a future court date.

Male Arrested for IntoxicationOn the 6th of March at 3:20 a.m. officers were alerted to an intoxicated male in the area of TISS. At this time a 17 year old male was located and apprehended for the offence of being intoxicated in a public place. The male was charged under the Liquor Licence Act and released when sober.

March 3rd, 2011Theft of Outboard MotorOn the 3rd of March 2011 at approximately 7:20 a.m. officers responded to the Brockville Yacht Club with regards to a theft. At this time a boat owner is reporting the theft of an outboard motor form the vessel. The motor is described as a Mercury Longshaft 5 hp. Any person with information is asked to call Crimestop-pers or the Brockville Police at (613) 342-0127.

March 2nd, 2011Male Arrested for ImpairedA 34 year-old Brockville male was arrested for im-paired operation of a motor vehicle and failing to provide a breath sample on the 2nd of March at 11:30 p.m. The male was stopped for a traffic violation and was found to be under the influence of alcohol. He was released with a future court date.

March 1st, 2011Male Arrested for DomesticA 25 year-old male from Brockville was arrested on the 1st of March at 6 p.m. The arrest stems from a previ-ous domestic incident. The male is charged with As-sault, Uttering Threats and Choking.

In the photo left to right: Sue Warren (RLPL), Lisa Marston (LTIPL), Pat Stephenson (LTIPL), Marg Fancy (L&G Every Kid in Our Communities), Lynn Shaw (LTIPL), Linda Chadwick (LTIPL), Pierre Mercier (LTIPL), Vicki Stevenson (RLPL), Margaret Williams (BPL). RLP- Rideau Lakes Public Library; LTIPL-Leeds and the Thousand Islands Public Library; BPL-Brockville Public Library. In just its second year, a home-grown Leeds-Grenville project has won a prestigious provincial award. At the Ontario Library Association’s 2011 Superconference in Toronto, the popular READ TO EVERY KID EVERY DAY initiative received the Minister’s Award for Innovation 2010 from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

It isn’t easy living with Alzheimer’s disease, and caring for someone who is suffering from the illness or a related dementia can be physically demanding, spiritually draining and emotionally exhausting. However, according to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada Family Support Committee, most care-givers do not seek help until their own health is jeopardized, often after they have been caring for a patient for several years or until a major crisis occurs. In order to strengthen the coping abilities of active primary and secondary caregivers, the national AD Society has developed support groups for these individ-uals, which, locally, can be

found in Brockville, Gan-anoque, Prescott, Port-land, and Kemptville. In addition, the Society also holds three Early Stage support groups for those who have recently been diagnosed with dementia.

“The demands of being a caregiver can make it dif-ficult to stay in touch with friends and family which can sometimes lead to loneliness and isolation,” explained Leeds-Gren-ville AD Society executive director and caregiver, Denise Wood.

Wood continued that, through group interaction caregivers are able to draw strength, emotional relief, and greater understand-ing, by sharing concerns with each other and al-leviate feelings of help-lessness.

“It’s a chance to share your experiences and real-

ize that you are not alone.You can discuss topics

that you may not be able to with your family and friends openly and hon-estly. So whether you are getting information in a formal way, through the facilitator, or in an informal way, through others caregivers, you are with people who have been there, so it truly is a support group.”

In the coming months, the local AD Society will be pursuing other projects aimed at increasing the organization’s accessibil-ity such as an art auction/fundraiser and a video pamphlet that would in-clude a sign language in-terpreter.

For those interested in attending a support group, register by calling the Alzheimer’s Society at (613) 345-7392.

Understanding the value of support groups

Celebrating100 Years ofhonouringInternationalWomen’s Day

Read to Every Kid Award

Looking to buy the perfect home?

By Erin ChristieObserver Staff Writer


The ObserverSPORTS

The St. Mary Crusaders won the EOSSAA Curl-ing championship on Friday, giving them an op-portunity to move on to the Provincial finals in Thunder Bay. The ladies, Kristin Bender (Lead), Sarah Throop (Second), Courtney Stafford (Vice), Natalie Groulx (Skip) Alison Purcell (alternate) and coach Jeff Peters, jumped out to an early 5-1 lead, and held on to win 9-5, against a tough North Dundas squad. The group is made up of one grade 12 student, one grade 10 student, and three grade nine stu-dents. The youthful Crusader team will be look-ing to make the season even more memorable when they travel to Thunder Bay on March 23-26 for the OFSAA finals.

Shondra Charbonneau practices her back flip at St. Lawrence Park training for the 2011 Ontario Provincial Free-style Championships. Charbonneau finished second in the slopestyle event, qualifying her for the National Cham-pionships. Although a back injury kept her out of the nationals, she will be competing this weekend at Camp For-tune.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Graham Cudlipp from Prescott and Don Glover from Brockville competed as Table Ten-nis partners in the On-tario Senior Games Provincial Finals held at Haliburton Highlands, February 15 to 17. Com-peting in the young-est age group, the pair aimed to improve their individual skills by play-ing against the best table tennis talent in Ontario. “We were playing over our heads,” said Glov-er. “That’s where you learn the most. We nailed the bottom of the rank-ings, but we got a lot of encouragement from our

opponents.”During two full days

of playing scheduled matches and pick-up games as well, the pair played with virtually every registered competi-tor. From that experi-ence they could assess their chances had they played in the older div-ision, the 65+.

“Among the older play-ers, we were a shoo-in for silver,” said Cudlipp. But silver is no substitute for experience,” he con-tinued.

Cudlipp and Glover didn’t go for the gold, they went for the ex-perience. And they suc-

ceeded. The 2011 Games in

Haliburton drew a rec-ord 900 participants for the biannual “Winter-fest”. All participants recognized that the event would not conceivably have been possible with-out the effort of 350 local volunteers.

Heavily represented in table tennis were Mis-sissauga and North York where table tennis clubs enjoy as many as 150 members regularly play-ing on 16 tables. Prescott and Brockville have no table tennis clubs.

The Rideau-St.Lawrence Conference has added a new member to their ex-clusive 300 Point Club. Westport Rideau’s Shane Melcher, formerly of the Brockville Tikis for 5 1/2 seasons and former Tiki captain, has accumulated 332 points in his 6 years of playing Junior B hockey.

This puts him in 12th place out of the 16 Rideau Division members. The St. Lawrence Division also has just 16 members since the EOJHL began in 1967 some 43 years ago.

PHOTO BY MIKE

CARRACCETTO

Crusaders win EOSSAA Curling title

Catching winter air

Melcher joins

ranks of 300 Club

Cudlipp and Glover compete at the Ontario Senior Finals

DOME continues from page 1

The dome is a citizen-led initiative that will bring people out and promote physical activ-ity, noted Councillor Jane Fullarton.

The lone dissenting vote was cast by Coun-cillor Jason Baker, who said he struggled with the lease issue. Baker said he could not support the lo-cation (and the relocation of outdoor ice surfaces) and expressed concern about how fast the pro-posal made it through the committee level. The councillor acknowledged a dome would be useful inside, but the exterior is “really unattractive to look at.”

Although he suggested the city should slow down the process and look at what it would be giv-ing up by agreeing to the lease, Baker indicated he

would not lose a whole lot of sleep if council votes in favour of the lease.

Councillor Jeff Earle of-fered words of caution to the dome board. He sug-gested test holes should be dug and the group’s en-gineering should be con-firmed; Earle fears there might have to be much more excavation than projected, which could put the board’s budget through the roof. That being said, the councillor wished the group well.

“Go for it. Get ‘er done,” Earle remarked.

In complimenting the dome’s board, Mayor Dave Henderson inid-cated it is great that the group is not asking the city for money.

The non-profit organ-ization will now proceed with fundraising plans.



Memorial Centrewww.brockvillebraves.com

Brockville Braves

Nepean RaidersBrockville BravesBrockville Braves

7:30 pmFriday, March 11

Team Remax supporting the Braves playoff runThe staff at Remax Hometown Realty showed their support for the Braves during the beginning of their playoff run this week, posing with their new jersey’s in front of the Harvest Sharing Food Bank. Remax will sponsor Friday’s game and is asking for non-perishable food item donations to go towards the Food Bank.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

The Brockville Braves won the opening game of the best-of-seven series against the Nepean Raid-ers 4-0 on Tuesday night.

Brockville played well from the opening shift, wearing down their op-ponents with their physic-al style and hard fore-check.

Kyle Armstrong opened the scoring late in the first period after receiving a great pass from Mark Bel-vedere on the side-boards. Armstrong broke in and finished with a low, hard shot.

Stan Smrke doubled Brockville’s lead just be-fore the first intermission, his third goal in the last two games.

The game remained tied through the second period, with both goaltenders and defense cores limiting the attacking players to

perimeter chances. Braves Captain Colin

MacLean gave Brockville a little breathing room, scoring on a great effort less than two minutes into the third period. MacLean picked up the puck at his own blueline after picking off a pass and fought off a Raider defenseman, be-fore scoring from in close with a quick move to the forehand. This was Mac-Lean’s third goal in his last three games.

Less than two minutes later, Matt Chartrain put the game out of reach for the visitors, making it 4-0. Scott Dawson had a pair of assists against his former team, while Justin Gilbert stopped all 29 shots he faced for the shutout.

Brockville’s next game is Wednesday, March 9th, when they travel to Ne-pean for Game 2 of the ser-ies. Game 3 is in Brockville on Friday night. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at the Me-morial Centre.

Braves take Game 1

By Austin de LuisThe Observer Editor

Braves goaltender Justin Gil-bert closes the five-hole on route to a shutout in Tuesday’s 4-0 win. Gilbert stopped all 29 shots he faced.

PHOTOS BY AUSTIN DE LUIS

Captain Colin MacLean and Shane Riddell clear the front of the net for Justin Gilbert during the third period of the Braves Game 1 victory. Brock-ville did a great job protecting their goal as Nepean crashed the net throughout the game.

The Observer BRAVES HOCKEY

I have heard it said that God has a plan for everyone. What if that was true? What if you dis-covered the plan, knew what that future had in store for you, and decid-ed to change it? These are some of the profound questions asked by the new movie, The Adjust-ment Bureau.

Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick, The Adjustment Bureau adds another classic to the list of Dick based films that include Blade Run-ner, Minority Report and A Scanner Darkly. As in all the great P.K. Dick adaptations, the deeper questions about our re-lationship with the cos-mos and what makes us human feed much of the screenplay. This movie is both science fiction and fantasy. It is also a love story and explores the eternal religious debate of pre-ordination versus free will.

The Adjustment Bur-

eau stars Matt Damon as David Norris, a former US congressman who is run-ning for Senate. On the night of his first election loss he meets a woman named Elise Sellas, played by Emily Blunt. It is love at first sight, and his struggle to keep that love alive against over-whelming odds is what drives the plot.

In parts, this movie reminded me of another science-fiction love story, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. In both films, the hero has to fight against powerful external forces and bad personal choices to unite with one they love. In Eternal Sun-shine, Jim Carrey runs through memories, trying to find a place where they cannot be erased and his love can remain secure. In The Adjustment Bur-eau, Matt Damon runs through doors that act as shortcuts between space and time. He is a man willing to confront gods to take control of his fate.

I admit that at times the pacing dragged a bit. However, I was so in-trigued by the story itself

that I never lost inter-est. Who or what are the men in hats? Why is one of them going against the system and helping David out? Who or what is The Chairman and why is he directly manipulat-ing mankind and deter-mining our destinies?

Like so many of P.K. Dick’s tales, The Adjust-ment Bureau is thorough-ly grounded in a consen-sual reality. The opening sequence shows David Norris campaigning. The director uses real polit-icians including Mayor Bloomberg of New York and The Reverend Jesse Jackson in scenes en-dorsing the candidate. Once the reality is set, then the director throws us into the fantasy world by tearing a hole in the

consensual reality and showing us the invisible realm that controls our world from behind the scenes. Another film that used this concept to great effect was The Matrix. What you see and know as real is not. The real truth is both invisible and yet hiding in plain sight. Dick called this ZEBRA.

Damon and Blunt have real on screen chemistry. I loved both leads and believed in their love as much as they seemed to. I desperately wanted them to defy their fates, chal-lenge the gods and let their love reign supreme. I also thought the villains were great. They looked like late 1950s busi-nessmen, over-worked bureaucrats whose sole purpose was just to ful-fill the will of the Chair-man and to keep order at any cost. They have to keep everyone’s destinies on track, keep the world running smoothly and to keep us humans from de-stroying both each other and wrecking the Earth.

The Adjustment Bur-eau is one film I will see again, and from me that

is very high praise. This movie showed me things I have never seen, was always entertaining, touched me deeply, and made me reflect. Check it out!


The ObserverFILM

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“The Adjustment Bureau” like “The Matrix” will challenge your perception of reality

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AUGUSTA - The Leeds & Grenville Landowners As-sociation (LGLA) opened its doors to municipal leaders and the public to provide information about patent land grants at the Grenville Snowmobile Club on Friday.

Elizabeth Marshall, Ontario Landowners As-sociation chair of research and expert on patent land grants, and CFRA radio host Nick Vandergragt ex-plained the force and effect of the land patents.

“It’s up to you to get pat-ents, start back-boning,” said Vandergragt. “If we don’t stand up to those who are putting needless legislation on us, we will have to accept them and the only one you’d have to blame is yourself.”

Municipal leaders were in attendance; Vandergragt asked them to not be in-sulted about what is said.

The LGLA web site says that a land grant patent, “Grants you the land and tenements... FOREVER” Recognized by the courts, the Crown Land Patent is a legal set of rules or an “agreement” which is known as “Contract Law...”

Marshall said land grant patents are a legal contract between a sovereign and subject – to transfer land from Crown to a settler. She said the land grant pat-ent is the single strongest document and the rights stay with the land specific-ally forever.

Vandergragt said the Crown land grant patent comes with a good neigh-bour patent – landowners have to take proper care of their land, not impose on the well-being of a neigh-bour and use common sense.

Marshall said that by-laws and legislation are whims and ideas, which can be amended or squashed. According to

section one of The Char-ter of Rights and Freedoms it says that a law has to be reasonable to count.

“Know your rights,” she asserted, adding that land patent grants are an im-perial act of parliament, which cannot be revoked, amended or squashed.

Marshall spoke of vari-ous arms of the govern-ment which are instructed to go onto landowners land to do tests, including the Clean Water Act. She be-lieves landowners should not be forced to pay for a test which they are be-ing told they have to have done.

Marshall said the im-portant documents a per-son can have are: deeds – a transfer of patent from the original owner to the new owner, the will and a survey – plan for the land-owner’s land.

The LGLA annual gen-eral meeting will be held at the Grenville Snowmobile Club on March 24.

Property owners are urgedto exercise their rights

Big Brothers Big Sisters took dozens of ‘Littles’ on a fun day tubing at Calabogie Peaks last weekend. The group had fun despite the grey conditions.

PHOTO BY JIM VEZINA

(PRESCOTT) – Leeds-Grenville MPP Steve Clark was thrilled on Sat-urday, March 5 to present Prescott’s Yvonne Jin with a certificate recognizing her as a 2011 Leading Girls, Building Commun-ities award winner.

Clark nominated Jin for the award after he was contacted last month by South Grenville District High School guidance counselor Norrie Spence.

“I was so impressed when I read about the great work that Yvonne has been doing to im-prove the lives of others in the Prescott area,” said Clark. “It was really exciting to find out that she had been selected as

one of the Leading Girls recipients. It’s a well-de-served recognition for a remarkable girl.”

In presenting the award on Saturday, Clark congratulated Jin for her dedication to the Prescott community and her tire-less work ethic.

Jin, who balances her community volunteer-ism with a busy Grade 12 course load and two jobs outside of school, said she was “shocked and happy” to learn she was a Leading Girls award win-ner.

When asked about her busy schedule, Jin said volunteering is actually a good stress reliever because helping others

makes her feel good.“There are a lot of fam-

ilies out there who don’t have as much. I can help out a little by giving back

and that makes them happy – which makes me happy,” said Jin.

The 17-year-old is the daughter of George and

Ling Jin.Leading Girls awards

are given out by the On-tario government during International Women’s Week from March 6-12. The program is designed to highlight the efforts girls are undertaking to make their communities better places for people of all ages.

Jin’s certificate was signed Laurel Broten, Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues. In an accompanying letter, the Minister praised Jin, not-ing, “Your commitment to improving the lives of others and your hard work make you a positive role model for others.”

Clark echoed the Min-

ister’s comments, point-ing to Jin’s role in leading and co-ordinating South Grenville High School’s involvement in the an-nual Kinsmen Club of Prescott “Spirit of Giving” campaign.

“Yvonne worked tire-lessly and the example she set encouraged others in her school to do the same. As a result, the food and funds students helped collect provided some welcome cheer for 270 South Grenville fam-ilies last Christmas,” said Clark.

“It was a real privilege to meet Yvonne and I’m sure she’s going to con-tinue to accomplish great things in her life.”

Clark presents Prescott teen with 2011 Leading Girls Award

Special to the Observer



Serving Brockville and the surrounding communities613-342-8773

LOCATED IN THE HEART OF HISTORIC BROCKVILLE

• St. Lawrence Anglican Parish Church, 80 Pine Street, Brockville, Noon Hour Spring Concert Series. Thursday, March 10, at 12 noon. Young g Performers Recital with piano, vocal, and violin performances. Featuring: Local young talent. A concert to help in raising funds, to repair our wonderful casavant pipe organ.•

• The CWL of St. Francis Xavier Church is having a St. Patrick’s Day Tea and Lunch on Saturday, March 12, 11 am- 2 pm at St. Francis Xavier School on the corner of John & Church Sts. There will be a bake sale also. Come out and celebrate St. Patty’s Day and listen to some Irish music!

• Pruning Your Apple Trees & Other Orchard Fruits. Saturday, March 12, 10 am to 12 noon, near Potsdam, NY. Tools needed or can be purchased on site. Contact (315) 347-4223 or [email protected]. Must RSVP to reserve your spot and for location.

• Traditional Maple Sugaring with horses, buckets and hand-drilled taps. Saturday, March 19 from 10 am, near Canton/North Russell, NY. Local Living Festival, 315-347-4223 or [email protected].

• Darts – Steak Shoot, Brockville Legion, 180 Park St., Brockville, Sunday, Mar. 20th, Registration 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, play starts 12:30. Two-player teams, luck of the draw. Open to the public. Info: 613-342-9654 after 6:00 pm or email: [email protected]

• St. Thomas Anglican Church Members. Hosting their Annual Fund-raising Pancake Breakfasts at St. Thomas Anglican Church Hall, Frankville. Saturdays: March 19, March 26, April 2, & April 9, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (noon). Pancakes with pure maple syrup, sausages, orange juice, and coffee served to you at the table.

• St. Patrick’s Roast Beef Dinner and Entertainment. Sunday, March 20. St. Mark’s Parish Centre, Edward St. Prescott. Social Hour 4:30, Dinner served 5:30. Entertainment by Fiddlers Plus. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Call 613-925-2207.

• Events at MacJohnson Wildlife Area. General Meeting Of Friends of MacJohnson Wildlife Area. Tuesday, March 22nd, 7 pm- 9 pm. Commonwealth Public School, Pearl Street, East, Brockville. Additional information 613-345 -1990.

• Wedgewood Author Series: Don’t miss author David J. Wells recently released book Fact, Folklore & Fiction, regarding the history of Mallorytown. Wells will be at the Wedgewood Retirement Resort, 15 Market St, Brockville on Wednesday, March 23 at 3:00 p.m. This event is free to the public with entry off Market Street.

• Scott Woods - Live in Concert at Wall Street United Church, 5 Wall St., Brockville. Thursday, March 31 at 7:00 pm and will benefit Our Kenyan Kids. Tickets are available at Wall Street United Church by calling 613-342-5401 ext. 21.

• Brockville and Area YMCA Hot Lunches, 345 Park Street, Brockville. Every Wednesday 11:30 am-1:00 pm. January 12-June 8. Different cooks, different menus each week. Take-out available. Info: www.brockvilley.com or 613-342-7961 x30.

• Brockville and Area YMCA Youth Night. Drop in program designed for kids from grades 1-8 who are looking for a safe, supervised place to learn new games, meet new friends and enjoy programmed activities. Activities vary weekly and may include swimming. Saturdays 6 to 8 pm. Jan. 15 - June 11. No Youth Night Feb. 19, Mar. 19, Apr. 23, May 23.

• Birthday Parties at the Brockville and Area YMCA. Make your child’s birthday extra special at the Y! This 2-hour party includes a specially decorated room, fun activities, meal of choice and one hour of pool or gym time. Available Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. For more information call 613-342-7961 or go to www.brockvilley.com

• Open Mic with Robert Graham featuring Robert Graham on piano, singers from St Lawrence College Music Theatre Program and special guests. EVERY Friday night at Buds on the Bay 8:30 pm to 12:30 am. More info at www.robertgraham.org

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Public Health PerspectivesLeeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit

Meena Parameswaran,Registered Dietitian/

Public Health Nutritionist

Budget-wise choices for vegetables and

fruit

Few people in Leeds, Grenville and Lan-ark are eating enough vegetables and fruit. Barriers to eating vege-tables and fruit include poor access, low avail-ability and high cost. Fresh, frozen and canned vegetables and fruit all have about the same nutritional value. Vege-tables and fruit can be affordable if you in-clude a variety of fro-zen, canned and fresh produce in your meals

and snacks. When eat-ing, fill half of your plate with vegetables for a healthier, low cost meal.

Frozen Frozen vegetables

and fruit are picked and frozen at their peak of freshness and have the same amount of nutri-tion as fresh. Buy store brands and stock up when frozen produce goes on sale. Add fro-zen vegetables and fruit to sauces, casseroles or dessert. Buy vege-tables without added salt, breading, butter, seasoning, or sauces to reduce your intake of sodium and unhealthy fats. Add your own sea-sonings such as garlic, onion and pepper.

CannedCanned vegetables

and canned fruits in juice will last a long time and can be a healthy addition to your meals. Stock up when they are on sale. Some canned vegetables contain salt as a preservative so rinse them under water to re-move added salt. Look for canned fruit that is packed in juice or water. Brands packed in syrup contain added sugar - rinse them with water to remove the sugary syrup. You can also consider canning fresh produce at home. Buying fresh vegetables and fruit in season at lower cost and preserving them for later is a great way to enjoy a variety of produce all

year long. Visit Health Canada’s website for safe home canning methods: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/kitchen-cuisine/food-canning-conserve-aliment-eng.php

FreshBuy vegetables and

fruit when they are in season as they are cheaper than out of sea-son produce. You can also use store flyers to see what vegetables and fruit are on sale each week to add variety. Buy fruits and vegetables and cut them up your-self instead of purchas-ing prepackaged ver-sions. To make fresh vegetables and fruit last longer, store them in the refrigerator or freezer as

soon as you get home from shopping. For tips on storing and freez-ing vegetables and fruit visit: www.foodland.gov.on.ca

Other local optionsIn some communities

there are Good Food Box Programs that are open to everyone who would like to increase their vegetable and fruit in-take at a reduced price. These programs buy bulk amounts of fresh produce at wholesale prices. You can order and pay at the beginning of the month and re-ceive a box of fresh pro-duce towards the end of the month. You can also buy vegetables and fruit in season at local farms and farmers’ markets.

Beware of pre-pack-aged foods that are be-ing advertised as “made with fruit or vegetables”; for example, fruit snacks, vegetable chips, and fruit “drinks”. Most of these products are high in sugar, salt, fat and contain little amounts of real fruit or vegetables and may also be more expensive.

For more informa-tion on eating more vegetables and fruit on a budget, or Good Food Box Programs contact the Leeds, Grenville, and Lanark District Health Unit’s toll-free Health Action line at 1-800-660-5853 (613-345-5685). Also, visit www.healthunit .org/nutrition/#foodsecurity.


The ObserverJUST FOR FUN

crossword

You are searching for peace and love, and you have the impression that not everyone can understand that. Don’t worry too much about it. You are very sensitive to everything around you.

You must take into account some exceptional circumstances where your ambitions are concerned. You must realize that not everybody is capable of working as hard as you.

Planet Neptune causes you to feel very thoughtful concerning certain situations. You don’t want to make any mistakes, and for the moment you just want to observe. Soon you will have to express your opinion.

Avoid problems of a legal nature as much as possible. You need to get closer to those who love you, and it’s possible that you will have to think a great deal about an issue of a monetary nature.

You feel capable of overcoming several things very quickly. This gives you more confidence in yourself. The Moon causes you to be surprised to realize just how keenly you feel things.

You love the things that could make your life extraordinary. At the moment, the North Node (the moon’s ascending node) causes you to be in a period where several things can become advantageous for you in your professional life.

SEE PAGE 16 FOR ANSWERS

WorD search

You are capable of being humorous, and at the moment that is beneficial to you and the people around you. Planet Mercury helps you to be very articulate.

You have the impression that several things are not what you first thought them to be. This has many consequences where your plans are concerned. Planet Venus causes you to be hopeful nevertheless and you have every reason to feel this way. Everything will go well very soon.

You would like to experience some extraordinary things and, where travelling is concerned, this could soon be possible. At the same time, you’re also thinking about improving the way you live and delaying a trip to a later date might be a part of that.

Planet Uranus causes you to feel liberated from several stressful situations. You are doing your utmost where work is concerned, and you sometimes have the impression that people do not understand this. Continue to live as you have been doing and everything will improve.

You give a lot of importance to your feelings and Planet Pluto causes you to feel things with a great sense of truth. This brings you the opportunity to better know your inner self.

You are capable of taking up several challenges. You want, at all costs, to see to it that everything goes well for you, especially if you are in an intense period professionally. Planet Jupiter causes you to experience some unusual circumstances in your life.

1. Crack5. John Wayne’s

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creatures31. Harmonize35. Silly creature38. “Casino” card39. Like a villain40. Twisted42. Barnyard bleat43. Diner customer45. Leafy decoration47. Colonial insect48. Thighbone50. Turn inside out52. Soap unit55. Renowned57. Currency61. Tomahawk62. He bee63. Ancient knowl-

edge64. Dog’s nibble65. Gabriel, e.g.67. Soaked69. Worldwide

72. Pasture74. Theater77. Faith82. Gang85. Blunder87. Adriatic wind88. Cliff hanger?89. Cleric90. Work91. Thirst quencher92. Medieval slave93. Immediately

following

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superior10. Wedding-party

member11. Emulate Tomba12. Fowl13. ____ Jima15. Integrity16. Small gardening

plot22. Aussie avian24. Retaliate for26. Holler28. Baby’s first word29. “____ Do That”30. Well-kept31. Third letter32. Reproductive cells

33. Insect egg34. Musical staff sign36. Bay window37. Gracious41. Microbe44. Tear to pieces45. Japanese mattress46. Short ape?49. Emotional

condition51. Gave the show

away52. Gunshot noise53. Leaf’s angle54. Default result56. Steer meat58. Agree wordlessly59. Earlier than, in

poems60. Hankering66. Rock fungus67. Got some

shuteye68. “The ____

Couple”70. Hunting knife71. Venomous viper73. Use a pencil part75. Guy who stays at

home?76. Thick mud78. Black79. Cooper negative80. Vital point81. Atlantic-coast

region82. Crow noise83. Actor Stephen

____84. Meal scrap86. Brother’s sib


The Observer CLASSIFIEDSPlace your ad 613-342-8777 • 613-925-4265 • Fax 613-342-8773 • www.morris-group.ca/classified-adds

Contact the ObserverAdvertising Department today

DELIVERED TO OVER17,200 HOMES IN

BROCKVILLE, PRESCOTT AND RURAL ROUTES

Looking forfull-time and part-time school crossing guardsThese positions are for 3 hours per day. Must have a clean criminal record and be able to pass a criminal CPEC.

Please drop off resume to:Don Jackson – Supervisor164 Perth StreetBrockville, OntarioPh: 613-342-8749Cell: 613-340-9504

HELP WANTED

ANNOUNCEMENTPLACE AN ANNOUNCEMENT in the Brockville Observer, call 613-342-8777. Deadlines Monday by 3:00 p.m. for the Wednesday edition. Cash, visa or mastercard. All prices are subject to H.S.T. The Brockville Observer is not responsible for pictures left here over 6 months. Please pick up your photographs as soon as they appear in the paper. (nc-8tf)

AnswersJUST FOR FUN

FULFORD PLACETEAROOM OPERATOR

NEEDEDThe Ontario Heritage Trust is requesting Letters of Interest from licensed caterers, food service and restaurant operators to operate a Tea Room at Fulford Place. Fulford Place is a National Historic Site located at 287 King Street East in Brockville. It is owned and operated by the Ontario Heritage Trust as a museum with event, conference and meeting facilities. An operator is required to undertake the set up and operation of a seasonal tea room in support of museum activities under a licence agreement with the Trust. Letters of Interest are to include company background, all previous experience, current professional references, a marketing strategy and personnel to be assigned.Letters of Interest will be evaluated and selected firms invited to a site meeting. Following this meeting, a detailed proposal must be provided to the Trust. Address Letters of Interest to: Pamela Brooks, Site Manager, Fulford Place. Fax 613-498-1050, email: [email protected] or mail to 287 King Street East, Brockville, Ontario K6V 1E1. Letters must be received no later than Friday, April 8th, 2011.

For information please call 613-498-3003

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTEDWANTED: ADULT CARRIERS to deliver the Observer every Wednesday. Routes available in west end, downtown and central area. Call 613-925-1439 leave message if no answer. (nc)

IMMEDIATE POSITIONS avail-able at a busy local spa. Esthet-ician, Gel Nail Technician, and Registered Massage therapist. For further information please contact Tamra at 613-498-4728 or 613-340-5115. (cs9,10)

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Brockville ObserverClassified Advertising Rates

All Classified AdvertisingPayable In Advance

30 cents per word, $8.00 minimumClassifieds will be accepted by telephone but must be paid

by 5:00 pm Monday, for publication on Wednesday

Ph: 613-342-8777 Fax 613-342-8773email: [email protected]

Deadline for Classified Ads Monday at 4:00 pmDeadline for Display Advertising

Friday at 4:00 pm



“For Advice concerning your BEST retirement

decisions, Call Now! Leave a message and I will return your call.”

Do you have a motto? And if you do what is it?

“If you snooze, you lose”, and “If you find yourself in a hole..Stop Digging!!!”

What book are you currently reading or what book do you rec-ommend?

The City of Brockville’s Budget. I do not recom-mend anyone read this for enjoyment.

I would recommend Bill Bryson’s “A Short hist-ory of Nearly Everything”

What characteristic do you most admire in others?

I admire an uncon-ventional approach to solving problems, a sense of humour, people who look forward to change, and a calm approach to unforeseen conflicts or problems.

What characteristic do you most deplore in others?

People who say you can’t change that or it can’t be done. Comments like this really get me mo-tivated to find the solu-tions and ways it can be done. “The world is flat”, “Man will never fly” and “No one will ever need more than 640k for their computer”. There is al-ways a way, it just may not be this Century.

Who do you most ad-mire, living or dead?

There are many but Winston Churchill popped into my thoughts

first. A great leader who made the tough deci-sions needed to lead Britain out of potential disaster in the Second World War. They would not have been popular decisions but in the end the decision required for the good of the majority.

What do you do in your free time?

Spending time with my wife sailing the St. Lawrence, camping on the islands, running, and especially travelling.

If you could change one thing about your-self, what would it be?

I would like to be a better public speaker or even classified as a public speaker.

What talent would

you most like to have?I would like to be able

to play the piano or guitar well.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?

HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Being a computer guy, I had to throw that in. Actually I am more inclined to Sherlock Holmes solving the puzzles of crime.

What is your most treasured possession?

Pictures and memories of family and friends. I didn’t think that my wife Becky would want to be classified as a possession so I will continue with our sail boat which is fol-lowed closely by the hot tub. Oh ya.

Managing Your MoneyTax planning strategies

for your retirement lifeTax planning is boring and abso-

lutely necessary at any age but es-pecially after you retire. So let’s look at some tax management strategies aimed at maximizing your retire-ment income.

Split pension income You could reduce your family’s total tax liabil-ity by allocating up to 50 per cent of your ‘eligible pension income (which includes monthly pension payments and, where you are at least age 65, RRIF income) to your lower income spouse/partner for taxation purposes.

Share CPP/QPP benefits Sharing these with your spouse/partner can save significantly on taxes.

Plan RRIF withdrawals These withdrawals are fully taxable so manage your taxable income by withdrawing as little as possible each month.

Take advantage of all your tax credits Federal tax credits (some with equivalent provincial credits) reduce the amount of tax you pay. Use all that apply to you includ-ing the Pension Income Credit, Age Credit, Medical Expense Credit, Dis-ability Credit, and Charitable Dona-tions Credit, among others.

Use efficient asset allocation Re-duce taxes by keeping fully-taxable, interest-generating investments inside a tax-sheltered RRSP , RRIF or TFSA, eligible investments and assets that generate capital gains or Canadian dividends and are taxed less outside your registered plans.

Use the Rule of 71 Take full ad-vantage of the tax-sheltering bene-fits of your RRSP by making your maximum contribution up to the end of the year you turn 71, at which time you will be required by the gov-ernment to wrap up your RRSP(s) and convert the proceeds, usually

to a RRIF. After age 71, consider put-ting any extra money into a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) where the funds can continue to grow tax-free and/or contributing to a spousal RRSP until your spouse/partner turns 71.

Consider a guaranteed invest-ment fund This is a ‘segregated fund’ that contains a guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefit so you can enjoy the potential investment growth of a mutual fund along with a guaranteed regular income which will not decrease.

Consider a Monthly Income Port-folio This mutual fund option is more flexible and tax-advantaged than other non-registered options like a Guaranteed Investment Cer-tificate (GIC) which locks in your money while locking it out of poten-tially higher returns and creating an immediate tax bill on redemption. A Monthly Income Portfolio is de-signed to provide maximum invest-ment returns along with a monthly income, a part of which is treated as return on capital – a tax-deferral strategy that can increase your after-tax monthly income.

Tax planning might be boring but saving on taxes never is. Your profes-sional advisor can help ensure you get the most out of all tax-reduction strategies for all your retirement years.

This column, written and pub-lished by Investors Group Financial Services Inc. (in Québec – a Financial Services Firm), presents general infor-mation only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell any investments. Con-tact a financial advisor for specific advice about your circumstances. For more information on this topic please contact your Investors Group Consultant.

Ten Questions with David LeSueur

It was a move 10 years in the making when former City Hall employee, David LeSueur put his career on hold to run for one of nine coveted spots on Brockville City Coun-cil this past October. Upon the announcement of his victo-ry, by an impressive 2685 votes, LeSueur, ever humble, at-tributed his win to the support, and tireless campaigning of his wife and family. If you ask anyone who knows him, they’ll tell you that family and friends aside, LeSueur won on his own merit, that his optimism, creative approach to problem solving and quirky sense of humour, are quali-ties worthy of any good politician. Here, Brockville’s resi-dent ‘tech-guy’ takes a few moments to reflect on Winston Churchill, Hal 9000, and the importance of hot tub own-ership, when he answers Ten Questions for the Observer.

Meeting over dismissalOrganizer and chair Mary Ellen Moulton addresses residents of TLTI at Lyndhurst Legion gathering on Sunday, March 6, 2011 About one hundred residents of the Town-ship of Leeds and Thousand Islands at-tended a gathering at the Lyndhurst Legion on Sunday afternoon to identify the extent of concerns about the recent dismissal of TLTI Chief Administrative Officer Malcolm Morris. The majority of those in attendance raised their hands when someone in the audience asked ‘how many are appalled by this action?”. Participants discussed the proper procedures for bringing their many concerns to TLTI Council at the meeting of March 14, and nominated meeting organ-izer, Mary Ellen Moulton, and Mr. Les Run-ning, to present a petition to Council seek-ing Morris’ immediate reinstatement.

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This year marks the 65th anniversary of The War Amps Key Tag Ser-vice. Ontario residents receiving their 2011 key tags starting this week will learn how their sup-port of this valuable service allows the As-sociation to continue its tradition of “ampu-tees helping amputees.” A letter enclosed with the key tags tells the story of War Amps member Ralph Hodgson, who lost his leg at Vimy Ridge in World War I. Hodgson met the amputees returning in hospital ships from World War II, greeting them on behalf of The War Amps and providing an encour-aging picture of their fu-tures as amputees.

The War Amps found-ing philosophy of “ampu-tees helping amputees” has been proudly passed along to the thousands of children who have come through its CHAMP Pro-gram for child amputees.

Key tags protect any keys, not just car keys! Since 1946, The War Amps has returned more than one million sets of keys, and the service is more vital than ever with the extremely high re-placement cost of keys and remote devices.

For more information, or to order key tags, call toll-free 1 800 250-3030 or visit waramps.ca.

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Saturday, April 2 – 8:00 p.m.Brockville Arts Centre

Tickets: $32.50 + HSTBox Office – 235 King St West, Brockville

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The Great Wine Cork Challenge at the 1000 Islands Wine & Food Fes-tival!

Now there are two ways to win. The Count the Cork contest (in se-lect locations now) runs in conjunction with an even bigger, more excit-ing challenge happening at the 1000 Islands Wine & Food Festival - Count the Cork Contest and World Record Goal

In an attempt to col-lect the most wine corks ever imagined, the festi-

val organizers are asking for your help!

Start saving now! Save your wine corks

and bring them to the festival on June 17th and 18th, 2011 to be en-tered into the challenge. Bag them, box them, throw them in your pockets! There will be a huge wine glass built especially for the festi-val waiting to be filled with the wine corks. The person who brings in the most corks wins a

fabulous Wine-Inspired Getaway for 2!

“People have asked what we will do with all of the corks after the world record has been set” commented Kim Barr, Tourism Man-ager. “The corks col-lected for the record at-tempt will be donated to an environmentally friendly company that recycles old corks and turns them into cork boards and other cork products.”

The 2011 Festival runs

two days, Friday June 17th - 4pm until 9 pm and Saturday June 18th – 11am until 8pm. This year it will be held in the Brockville Memorial Centre.

Festival Adult Ad-mission is $8.00 and in-cludes a complimentary wine glass.

For more informa-tion, please contact Dayna Earl, Special Projects Coordinator at 613-342-4357 or 1-888-251-7676; [email protected]

We are going for a record! A record setting event named The Great Wine Cork Challenge!

CDSBEO Associate Dir-ector of Education, Gor-don Greffe, Manager of Plant and Maintenance, Bernie Kehoe, and Special Project Coordinator, Craig McDonald, presented to Trustees an overview of energy management in-itiatives in the Board.

Mr. Greffe told the Board that the initiatives are the results of two fund-ing announcements by the Ministry of Education, “The first came in April of 2009, when our Board re-ceived $3.4 million for the energy efficient schools in-itiative.”

Audits were then car-ried out at each site within the Board to determine the proper approach. “The audits reviewed the build-ing’s physical aspects, energy consumption and allowed us to prioritize potential improvements,” said Mr. McDonald.

The Plant and Main-tenance Department is currently working on a number of lighting retrofit projects. Fluorescent lights and fixtures are being up-graded, new instant-on lighting has been installed in gymnasiums, and LED exit signs and occupancy sensors to automatically

turn lights on and off are being installed.

Mr. McDonald said, “The energy used by the new systems is far less than before, and they last longer. Once the project is complete, lighting will be standardized across the Board which means we are bringing maintenance costs down.”

In May 2010, the CDS-BEO received $384,000 for the Renewable Energy In-itiative for the installation of solar panels at three sec-ondary schools: St. John CHS in Perth, St. Michael CHS in Kemptville, and St. Thomas Aquinas CHS in Russell. The panels will not provide power to the schools, but rather provide energy to be sold to the utility provider.

“It’s very important to note that these projects will provide excellent edu-cational opportunities for our students,” said Mr. Mc-Donald. “Our students will be able to witness energy conservation efforts first hand, and in the case of the secondary schools, will be able to monitor the power generated by the panels as they learn about renew-able energy sources.”

Energy initiatives in the CDSBEO

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