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T H E P E R S O N A L I T Y O F B U S I N E S S I N T H E C A P I T A L R E G I O N

2 EDMONTONIANS NOVEMBER 2009

Proof__1_________PROOFED BY:_______________________________________________CHANGES MADE:__________________________DATE:_________________

THAT WAS THE NOVEMBER THAT WAS

y digestive systemtook a few days torecover. Beans and eggsandwiches loaded with

onions will do that. Why? Our team,Mattie’s Mafia was defeated by Hogan’sHeroes at this year’s Steak or Beans golftournament—a fantastic tradition in ourcity. When Victoria Golf Course head proKevin Hogan called me to participate inthe 16th annual, I couldn’t say yes fastenough. It’s Kevin and his team of Heroesvs. Mattao Piscopo and his Mafia. Thewinning team gets steak served in anelegant setting… the losers get beansslopped on their plates and eggsandwiches thrown at their heads.

The Victoria Golf Course regulars allgather for what must be the last golftournament of the season. I recall playingthis event in cold, cold temps. But, theweather this year was spectacular,although it did get a little nippy… good tohave a flask of scotch in the bag. Therewere 10 of us on each hole. Best ball.Every green was a surprise—with someholes half the size and ridiculous pinplacements. The entire day came down toa putt off. We all watched as the ratbastards from Hogan’s Heroes sunk theputt. Maybe next year… in the meantime,thank God for Gaviscon.

What a pleasure to get invited tothe Enterprise Ireland luncheon… thanksto Doodie Cahill. The guest of honourwas Deputy Prime Minister of IrelandMary Coughlan, here as part of a trademission around North America. In a

“Local supporter of Ducks Unlimited and theCampbell Soup Kid of CFRN-TV, John Berryand Mirna are expecting a ‘Little Berry’,hopefully on Valentine’s Day. Mirna hasalready made a camouflage baby pack fornext year’s goose season.”

~ Maureen Hemingway Movers and Shakers1990

“A light flickered in Tom Wilkinson’s nogginwith the onslaught of winter in October…‘I justknew there was a reason I might not want togo back to caching (the U of A Golden Bears).’”~ Don “Buckets” Fleming Mink and Manure Set

1991

“It’s said the (Edmonton) Sun tried to hirea Calgarian to take over Donna MarieArtuso’s column. The candidate declined.Calgarians would think this roughly theequivalent of offering a job to someoneresiding in Maui a chance to work in ForkLift, Manitoba.”

~ Dick MacLean 1992

“Do you realize how much of your day iseaten up by being nice? Our timemanagement studies show that courtesycosts you 1.3 hours per day. That’s almost500 hours a year or the equivalent of morethan 12 work weeks every year!”

~ Dale Dauten The Corporate Curmudgeon1993

Tom Peters “…walks around the room, armsflailing, brow sweating, voice hoarse, urgingthose in the chairs around him to nukehierarchy and thrive on chaos.”

~ Paul Near Business Difficulty Management1994

“Governments do not create wealth;investers do.”

~ Bill Pidruchney Tycoons and Tenderfeet(debut) 1995

“Riverview Rotary has sort of adoptedNorwood Elementary School to be thebeneficiary of many of its good deeds, andSandra Woitas wants the members—unsungheroes—to get the attention they deserve.Sandra, the new principal of the 1908 innercity school, is trying to forge strong links withbusiness…”

~ Barb Deters Hot Flashes 1996

“Vancouver’s bellowing (Senator) Pat Carney isstarting to get to me. After hearing all the hotair wafting over the Rockies, I now think BCstands for Bitching and Complaining.”

~ Muggsy Forbes Funny Pompous & Unfair1997

“The news of the merger of Edmonton-basedTELUS Corporation with BCTel should beseen as good news for Edmonton… Whilethe registered head office will be in Burnaby,we’ve been assured most of the executivefunctions will remain here.”

~ Dr James Murray Smart City 1998

“Reverend George Podtapa… tells the story ofonce giving his service in a church in ruralManitoba where some of the young altar boyshad filled the ‘smoking thing’ (read incenseburner) with marijuana. They had one of thehappier services that Sunday.”

~ Muggsy ForbesFunny Pompous & Unfair 1999

“They’ve had accolades fromaround the world, now finally onhome turf. The IsletTransplantation team, appearingthis month on our cover, washeralded for its breakthrough indiabetes…”

ASTech Awards photo feature 2000

“We eventually outgrow our beliefs inSanta Claus, the tooth fairy and EasterBunny. One myth that never seems toget exposed as a financial fraud is thenew economy.”

~ Ron Hiebert Making Money 2001

Russ Matichuk, co-chair, Information,Communications & Electronic TechnologiesAlliance: “While we have real strength inpeople and no shortage of innovation—wehave 8300 companies in ICT in Alberta—wedon’t have venture entities within our ownprovince.”

~ Gary Slywchuk Tech Industry Cover Story2002

“The dedication of the TransALta Arts Barns onthe Fringe site was a first class affair and, asbarns go, the facility is very impressive.”

~ Muggsy Forbes Funny Pompous & Unfair2003

“Somewhere in between the retail reality ofbig box stores and re-invented malls and thesearch for peace, our downtown has begunan ascendancy that will see the wildly livableand successful streetscape become part ofthe City of Edmonton.”

~ Drake McHugh Billion Dollar Boom 2004

“Edmontonians presents a comparison—somewhat irreverent, but without malice—of

the temperaments of thedeclared (PC leadership)candidates to the strong suitsof various popular breeds ofdogs. We leave it to card-carrying ProgressiveConservative members todetermine who willassume the alphaposition.”~ Les Brost Best in Show

Cover Story 2006

“A bright light forEdmonton apparentlyis the healthy quantityof companies with an

academic bent… As well, it’shome to an increasing number

of serial entrepreneurs who are starting newcompanies—like Bruce Johnson formerly ofIntuit—and choosing to stay here.”~ Sharon MacLean Think you can dance with a

venture capitalist? 2008

MMwith Mark & Marty

2007

2005

EDMONTONIANS NOVEMBER 2009 3


s mentioned in myEdmontonians column last month,the family and I did a little jauntover to Europe, and I’m happy to

report it was an amazing adventure.Spain was a kick, Italy a land of extremes,

and Cannes, France is a playground for therich and famous. We flew over/into Germanytwice and it looks like a beautiful country. Ihope to explore it next.

One of the highlights of the trip for me wasPortofino, Italy, which is right out of a movieset with water so clean you can see to the verybottom of the sea in the harbour. As well,going through the catacombs of the buildingthat houses the bodies of all the former Popeswas an amazing experience. Hundreds of usquietly and respectfully walked past each ofthe former Popes dating back thousands ofyears. And, being in front of the amazingColiseum in Rome is simply mind blowing asyou realize this magnificent structure was builtin 55 AD and, for the most part, is stillstanding. Considering wars and weather, you’dthink it would have been dust long ago.Ironically, the biggest damage was done whenmaterials were ‘repurposed’ for the Vaticanseveral hundred years ago. A must see. Iactually sent a picture to Edmonton Oilers’President Patrick LaForge to give him a fewideas for the new arena.

A few tips if you’re heading overseas:Phone your bank and credit card companiesand inform them where you will be travelingabroad or you will have trouble accessing cashin the ATMs. Banks track strange usage ofyour cards and when they see expenditures inlands far away, I can guarantee you’ll get acall. And, for that safeguard, I thank CIBC.

Learn how to pickpocket-proof yourself. It’sa huge problem overseas. Carry as little as youcan; use your front pants pockets; and, aboveall, never leave your passport out in the open.

Forget European coffee: It’s like ESSO 10/40 weight oil. A grandé at Starbucks was 2,8Euros which means you’re paying about $4.00for a cup of coffee. Gas is virtually double ourcost per litre.

Driving in Europe’s main cities is crazy: nolines on the roads…no speed limits. Somehow,locals maneuver through the clogged streets.

Scooters make up one-in-four vehicles,whipping in and out of lanes and between carsall the time. Naples, especially, is insane.

Enjoy the culture and history. It’s immense.

Now, I’m sure many of you haveseen the new structure rising on the Northlandsproperty. The Edmonton EXPO Centre willoffer 500,000-square feet of integrated,contiguous trade and consumer show spaceand high caliber conference and cateringfacilities.

This expansion will enable Northlands toattract even bigger class events to our city.Nearly four million people visit the groundsthroughout the year. It will certainly up thatcount and add to the more than 2,500 eventsheld annually at Northlands.

“It’s been a long process getting to this daysince we first broke ground on the EdmontonEXPO Centre in February 2007,” said KenKnowles, president of Northlands. “With thedoors finally opening this December,Northlands will soon be able to compete forsome of the largest trade shows andconferences in the world.”

It’s a welcome replacement for the oldSportex, and I look forward to seeing theEXPO Centre completed. The first event willbe The Roar of the Rings to determineCanada’s curling team for the 2010 Olympics.

A few media notes... First, congrats toJohn Yerxa and the staff at Hot 107 FM. Johnis taking on the big guys as a stand-aloneoperator, running the only locally owned andoperated station in Edmonton. Second, CISN’sBruce Bowie did his annual “live in adumpster” stint in October, enduring some ofthe most brutal weather this fall. No doubt, itwarmed his heart to have raised another$80,000 for the homeless.

The first meeting of our GrassrootsAdvisory Group to the Alberta ResearchCouncil was a huge success. I’m sure you’ll beseeing/reading/hearing more from the mediaabout this amazing organization in the comingmonths.

Guests enjoyed a tour of the building, apresentation by the ARC’s distinguished anddedicated scientists and a spectacular dinner.Each table presented some ideas on how to getthe word out to the rest of the world on thework of the Alberta Research Council.

Suffice to say, once you go through thisfacility at Edmonton Research Park, yourealize the scope of study—virtually everyinch of Alberta and its resources is beingassessed and improved.

Our children’s children will benefit from thework being done today for tomorrow. √

Marty Forbes is the recently retired VP andgeneral manager of The Bear, EZRock andThe TEAM 1260 Sports Radio. [email protected]

AAnutshell, she told us that Ireland is notlooking to Alberta for bricks andmortar… but for minds, technology andinnovation. “If Alberta businesses needsolutions, I bet my bottom dollar thatwe will have it inIreland.”

A highlight at thelunch was when ColmO’Carroll donated$43,000 to the U of Afor the Wild GeeseEndowment Fund. Thefund was born at the 2ndAnnual St. Patrick’s DayBall to raise over $250,000to help Edmonton studentsstudy in Ireland. Colm ispresident of the Ireland-CanadaChamber of CommerceEdmonton which created thefund to get in on it, go to thenext ball in March.www.iccced.com

My new band Uncle Festerplayed the Royal Glenora Club—President’s Ball in mid-October, a littlerock, some country and some old schoolsoul. A fine crowd turned out to saythank you to outgoing president Dr.Scott Paterson. Under his watch, theclub engaged in a major renovation. Thenew pool, a year-round facility, is wellunderway. The plans look fantastic. Theincoming president, Bill Patrick hastaken on the reins.

From a band perspective, the ballroomat the Glenora is a great room to play…look forward to firing up Uncle Festerthere again.

Ottawa bound…. Long-timeEdmontonians’ feature writer and formereditor Drake McHugh is leaving RiverCity. The freelance journalist couldalways be counted on to dig deep for thefacts and nuances that made forinteresting reading. “He put a specialspin on everything… every piece hesubmitted included an angle we hadn’t

expected,” says editor Barb Deters.“The ability to communicate with ease,regardless of location, keeps the dooropen for us to engage Drake’s talent

when we know he would bethe best writer for a particularstory,” suggests publisherSharon MacLean.

Both Drake and his SODenise Carpenter, whojoins the Canadian NuclearAssociation as presidentand CEO in lateNovember, are originally

from Ontarioand havefamily there.Their newhome is acrossthe road fromthe RideauRiver. Havinglong ago canoedthe length of theMackenzie River,Drake is seriously

considering taking advantage ofproximity to the waterway. “Kayaking,perhaps… if I can teach Shakespeare tostay in the boat,” he muses. Controllingthe large pup, a Golden Doodle, will bea challenge. Drake will also be honinghis French, and continue providingmedia training services to Allan BonnerCommunications.

The couple has been féted atnumerous lunches, dinners and parties.Denise plans to return for the galaopening of the Art Gallery of Alberta inJanuary. She’s renowned for hercommitment to the arts and education.Her fundraising prowess will be greatlymissed—as will Drake’s wit andwisdom. √

Mark Scholz, owner of MESCommunications Inc. offers a variety ofservices including production, creativeand entertainment. For moreinformation or to suggest a story idea,email [email protected]

Mary Coughlan

and Doodie Cahill

Drake McHugh



STATIONook into any living room or family room and you will most likely find a TV. To behonest, you can probably find one in other rooms as well. Good or bad, for mostof us, watching TV is part of our daily routine. This month, we askedEdmontonians about their TV viewing patterns.

With Linda Banister

PollPoll

FOUNDERDICK MacLEAN

NOVEMBER 2009Vol. XX

Published by 399620 Alberta Ltd. on the first day of eachmonth at C-100 Park Side Tower, 8920-100th StreetEdmonton AB CA T6E 4Y8. ©All rights reserved. Nopart of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced inany form without written permission from the publisher.

Manuscripts: must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Edmontonians is not responsible forunsolicited manuscripts.

All stories Copyright ©Edmontonians

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40023292Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:Circulation DepartmentC-100 Park Side Tower, 8920-100th StreetEdmonton AB CA T6E 4Y8Email: [email protected]

SHARON MacLEANPublisher and Advertising Director

Telephone: 780.482.7000Fax: 780.488.9317

e-mail: [email protected]

INSIDECELEBRATING 20 YEARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

VOX POPMark Scholz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Marty Forbes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3POLL STATIONTV Viewing/Banister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

NOT AN INNOCENT BYSTANDERHorse Sense/Brost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

SIZZLING IN THE CITYStoppler/Rayner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

MEDIA MINUTEIrony/Hogle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

CIVIC BUZZAir Travel/Norwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

POWER OF PASSIONWoitas and Menczel/Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

PHOTO FEATUREADF Gala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-9

VISIONARIESRusnak/Gazin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Edmonton Research Park/Croucher . . . . . . . . . . . .12Briefs/Croucher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Social Media 101/Schwabe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

LIVELY LIFESTYLESAbsolute Bodo/Bodo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15MenuMagic/Berry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

BARB DETERSEditor

[email protected]

COLUMNISTSLinda Banister

John BerryLinda BodoLes Brost

Marty ForbesBruce Hogle

David NorwoodErin RaynerMark Scholz

Walter SchwabeNizar J. Somji

FEATURE WRITERSNJ Brown

Cheryl CroucherBarb DetersGreg Gazin

Marg. Pullishy

PHOTOGRAPHERSChris BarrettDoug Barrett

Terry BourqueCheryl Croucher

Fred KatzAnita Robicheau

SPECIAL PROJECTSEdmontonians Transformers

Tom BradshawLes Brost

Steffany HanlenDr. Larry Ohlhauser

GRAPHIC PRODUCTIONRage Studios Inc.

THIS MONTH’S COVER

EEDC’s Candace Brimsmead at the Advanced Technology Centre

No. 11

2020YEARS

C E L E B R A T I N G

LLHOW MANY HOURS PER WEEKDO YOU WATCH TV… AND WHEN?

To begin the survey, respondents were asked how many hours theyspent watching TV in any given week. Over one-quarter (26 percent)spent between eight and 14 hours watching TV per week, while 24percent spent four to seven hours, and 23 percent spent 15 to 20 hours.Fifteen percent watched more than 20 hours per week, seven percentwatched between one and three hours, and five percent watched no TV.

TV viewers were then asked what time of day they watched. Most(more than 60 percent) indicated they watched TV in the evenings(4:30 pm to 10:59 pm). Thirteen percent watched late night television(11:00 pm to 5:59 am), while 12 percent watched during the day (9:00am to 4:29 pm), and eight percent watched in the morning (6am to8:59am). On weekends, respondents were most likely to watch TVduring the evening (61 percent), followed by daytime (35 percent), latenight (10 percent) and morning (10 percent). Eighteen percent wereunable to provide a response.

TO WHAT TV SERVICE DO YOU SUBSCRIBE?

Next respondents were asked what type of TV signal they received.Eighty percent indicated cable TV, while 15 percent subscribed tosatellite TV, and five percent had analog (antenna) TV. Analog TVusers were asked if they were aware that, as of August 31, 2011,

Canada will switch to all digital TV, requiring analog TV users to buya converter for viewing. Three respondents indicated they were aware,while one was unaware, and one was unsure.

DO YOU OWN A PVR/DVR?Respondents who subscribed to satellite or cable were asked if theyowned a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) or Digital Video Recorder(DVR). Forty-eight percent indicated they did, while 51 percent didnot. Those who did were then asked how often they used it. One-thirdsaid they used it daily, 26 percent used it weekly, another 26 percentused it monthly, and 16 percent reported they never used theirPVR/DVRs.

DO YOU SKIP COMMERCIALS?Advertisers are concerned that people are no longer watchingcommercials, either through fast forwarding using a PVR/DVRor changing channels. We asked all TV watchers if they everskipped commercials. Sixty-two percent indicated they did, 27percent reported they did not, and 11 percent said sometimes.

Respondents were then asked if they are specific types ofcommercials they are more likely to watch. While 56 percentindicated no, 42 percent indicated they were likely to watchspecific types of commercials. When asked to specify,respondents most frequently mentioned funny/humourouscommercials (23 percent), followed by car commercials (fivepercent), beer commercials (four percent), and those featuringchildren (four percent).

Finally, respondents were asked if they were more likely towatch commercials during a special television program, such asthe Superbowl. The majority (56 percent) of respondentsindicated no. Of the 37 percent that indicated yes, 13 percentwatch commercials during the Superbowl, and five percentduring any sporting event. Five percent stated commercials arebetter during any special programs. √

Monthly Poll Station Online QuestionVisit www.edmontonians.com to register your opinion

Want a question included in the Edmontonians Poll?Contact Linda at 780.451.4444 or e-mail

[email protected].

Linda Banister is a certified management consultant and the owner ofBanister Research and Consulting Inc., a full service provider ofmarket research and program evaluation services.Visit www.banister.ab.ca.

Perc

ent

Perc

ent

5% 7%

24%

80%

15%5%

26%23%

15%

Reported theydidn’t watch

TV at all

Reported theysubscribed to

cable TV

Reported theysubscribed tosatellite TV

Reported they hadanalog TV (antenna)

Reportedwatching morethan 20+ hours

Reportedwatching between

8 - 14 hours


15 - 20 hours


4 - 7 hours


1 - 3 hours

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his year hasn’t been an easyyear. I’ve lived throughrecessions as a child and sawthe impact they had on my

dad and the family HVAC business. Nowthat I’m an adult with my own business, theword “downturn” gives a whole newperspective. And I’m not alone. It seems atevery turn I hear another entrepreneurtalking about how stressful the past 12months have been. Having to cut costs andimplement layoffs is not a great place to bewhen you’re a business owner. Carrying aloss or just barely breaking even is theequivalent of economic and corporatewhiplash after the break-neck pace of theprevious three to five years.

I’ve also heard the same stressedentrepreneurs putting this time to good useby re-acquainting themselves with bigdreams and planning for the future. Formany, it is a chance to re-focus and evaluateways to prepare for the next opportunity forgrowth and an economic upturn.

As president and COO of Executrade,an Edmonton-based recruiting firm, ScottStoppler falls firmly into this group. Heand I caught up when he was a few hoursaway from a Hawaiian vacation with hiswife Megan and their two-year-old son,Sloan. I asked how his life had changedsince he was chosen an EdmontoniansSizzling Twenty under 30 in 2005. Hequipped, “My hair line is still holding up.”All kidding aside, it’s been busy for thisproud 32-year-old Sizzler. Along withbecoming a father, he completed thesuccession of the family business andmoved from a vice-president, recruiter andmanager to president, COO and soleshareholder.

Not surprisingly, Executrade had seensteady growth with a record setting year in2008. When I asked about the impact 2009has had on the company, Scott’s dream-big,coach-in-the-locker-room attitude was frontand centre. “2008 was a record year inrevenue, number of employees, new verticalmarkets and margins. We entered thisdownturn in a very strong position, whichhas allowed us the chance to stay strong.” Inanticipation of an eventual upturn in themarket, there have been no layoffs. “I’drather be a little over-staffed in the shortterm than break up the team.”

In researching this piece, I had the chanceto read some of Scott’s writing in

Executrade’s newsletter Boom! His passionfor and commitment to the Edmontoncommunity was evident in articles aboutcorporate social responsibility and hisvarious volunteer positions. He has beenactive on the board of directors for the ABCHeadstart program and was recently invitedto join the Alberta chapter of YPO—theYoung Presidents Organization—and toserve on its executive.

This optimism and focus on attitude waseven evident in the 2005 Sizzler profile.Back then, Scott mentioned he’d begunwriting a book focused on being the masterof one’s destiny, so I had to ask: Is itpublished? Where can I get a copy? The

book is 95 percent complete with the lastfive percent a mantra in Scott’s mind, butnot quite ready to be published. Even themost optimistic, energetic entrepreneurshave projects that take a little longer thananticipated.

Scott and I discussed the importance ofthis downturn to our generation.Throughout our adult lives, we’vegenerally seen growth and opportunity tothe point that we ignore the possibilitythat hard times happen. “Hard times”were exaggerated experiences recountedby our parents.

We are the most technologically savvy,highly educated generation ever and yetwe have the shortest attention spans.Given the expectation of holding down upto five careers in our lifetimes, we areoften labeled fickle and criticized for ourwork ethic and making a work-lifebalance our priority. Nonetheless, theworld is our oyster and we believe we canmake it a better, more wholesome place tolive.

This downturn gives us the chance toexplore and expand our knowledge andabilities—if we can embrace the idea thatZig Ziglar coined so well: “Your attitude,not your aptitude, will determine youraltitude.”

My generation will come out the otherside of this downturn better entrepreneurs,better employees and better members ofthe community… much more appreciativeand understanding of the entrepreneurswho came before. √

Erin Rayner is president of ED Marketingand Communications Inc. [email protected]

t’s surprising how much we canlearn about working with humansfrom spending time with animals.Many of the concepts I’ve used as

a school trustee, business consultant andcoach come from insights gained duringmy ranching years.

One lovely spring morning duringcalving time, I was in hot pursuit of arunaway cow. I threw caution andcommon sense to the winds and forcedmy grand old cowhorse Duke down theface of a slippery coulee against his betterjudgment. He slipped and fell on frozenground. We ended up in separate bruisedheaps at the bottom of the coulee whilethe cow hot-footed it out of sight.

Fortunately, neither Duke nor I wasseriously hurt. However, Duke lostconfidence both in my judgment and hisown agility, and was never again quite thesame horse when it came to ridingheadlong down the coulees.

Duke helped me grasp two hugelessons. Lesson # 1 was that you candrive a willing horse too far. Lesson #2was that one should never put a creaturein a position where you know it is likelyto fail.

I thought of those insights as Icontemplated one of the hot-button issuesstirring public opinion across Alberta,

especially here in the Capital Region.That issue is the planned closure of thepsychiatric beds at Alberta Hospital.

In August, the provincial governmentannounced its intention to close 250 bedsat the northeast Edmonton hospital,transferring those patients to beds incommunity-based facilities. Thatannouncement led to a storm of protestfrom people across Alberta, includingdoctors, mental health experts and formerAlberta Hospital patients. They pointed tothe value of the unique co-location ofspecialties associated with the treatmentof mental illness provided by AlbertaHospital.

Few, if any, public voices supported theproposal and the opposition gatheredsteam. The pressure finally forced theusual kind of political response from thegovernment: the formation of acommittee to study and advise on theimplementation of the planned closures.

I have a hunch that Duke’s lessons willcome in handy for this advisorycommittee. Lesson #1—that you candrive a willing horse too far—isabsolutely spot-on. Stretched beyondcapacity by current caseloads, urbancommunity-based hospitals face fundingcuts to their upcoming budgets.Underutilized hospitals in rural Alberta do

not have the specialized support resourcesto deal with mental illness.

The community volunteer sectorsupporting our professional medicalcommunity is also stretched to thebreaking point. Government’s ongoingpropensity to download to the communityvolunteer sector has overloaded the mostwilling of organizations.

There’s another reality that’s toofamiliar to Edmontonians. Many of thestreet people we see every day are livingreminders that the system currently inplace—including the fully-functioningAlberta Hospital—cannot cope with all ofthe manifestations of mental illness in ourcommunity. What happens when theimpact of the fear and confusionfollowing the Alberta Hospital closurehits the vulnerable inevitably living onour streets?

Members of the government-appointedimplementation committee should nextconsider Duke’s Lesson #2—that oneshould never put another creature in aposition where you know it will likelyfail. This consideration has two elements.

There will be a psychological impacton the current patients forced to leave thefamiliar surroundings of Alberta Hospital.A key element of treating mental illness isa stable environment in which the patient

feels safe. The planned change inenvironment will add to patient stress.

The other element of Duke’s Lesson #2meriting consideration pertains to thiscommittee’s chances for success. Will theMinister of Health & Wellness take itsadvice? Is there any prospect ofsuccessfully implementing thegovernment plan? Who will be publiclyaccountable for issues arising from theimplementation? What is thegovernment’s real purpose in striking thiscommittee? Will this committee be ableto calm the waters of communityconcern?

As they begin their work, I hope thatmembers are mindful of Duke’s Lessons.I’ve learned that a little horse sense goes along way. √

Les Brost is the head ofSouthern StarCommunications, amember of theUniversity of AlbertaSenate, andEdmontoniansTransformer, and akeen observer of theworld around [email protected]

TTwith Erin Rayner

Scott Stoppler with son Sloan.

II

ot a n i n n o c e n tBYSTANDERN

By Les Brost Horsesense



hile EdmontonInternational Airporthas been affected by theglobal economic

downturn, like virtually every other airportworldwide, it hasn’t suffered as much asmost. Passenger traffic is expected to dropabout five percent by the end of this year,compared with 8.9 percent in Vancouver,6.4 percent in Toronto, and 5.6 percent inMontreal, according to the DBRS debtrating agency. The report goes on to say thatmost airports have coped with the decreaseby deferring capital projects, freezing hiring,and imposing fee increases. The exception,notes the agency, is Edmonton, whereterminal expansion is ramping up.

Among other projects, construction hasbegun on the new control and office tower.A striking design from Cohos Evamyarchitect Stephen Boyd, the tower is meantto reflect “prairie winds and snowdrifts”—features familiar to all Edmontonians. Thetower, which has won near unanimouspraise for its design, will almost certainly beiconic and provide a visually arresting sightto passengers arriving in Edmonton. It alsohas been designed with environmental andsustainability concerns in mind, such thatthe sculpted design is not only aestheticallypleasing but energy efficient as well. Thereis no doubt that the tower will be identifiedwith Edmonton, in a positive, exciting way.

Other air service updates:Despite the slight drop in passenger traffic,Continental Airlines re-launched its non-stop Edmonton-Houston service onNovember 1st, using Boeing 737-500aircraft. This is a welcome return:Edmonton-Nisku-Leduc and Houston aremajor petroleum-related service hubs; manycompanies have operations in bothlocations. As well, Houston—the world’s16th busiest and North America’s 8thbusiest airport with 43.176 millionpassengers in 2008—is a major hubconnecting with Mexico, and Central andSouth American destinations.

A welcome upgrade is the replacement ofAir Canada Jazz aircraft on theEdmonton-Los Angeles route with“mainline” Air Canada equipment. AnEmbraer E190 aircraft is flying the route asof November 1st. This is nothing against AirCanada Jazz, by the way; it’s simply that thetraffic load consistently demanded a largeraircraft, and it’s good to see that Air Canadahas responded accordingly. Both AirCanada and WestJet now offer non-stopdaily services to Los Angeles.

WestJet has expanded its winter route andservice offerings, with daily non-stopservice to Palm Springs (up from four perweek last year), and Phoenix (same as lastyear), and three times weekly to Cancun. Italso offers twice weekly non-stop service toPuerto Vallarta, and weekly serviceto Cabo SanLucas andMazatlan. InMarch 2010(delayedawaiting thearrival of newaircraft), WestJetwill offer non-stop flights toMaui—its longestnon-stop route—on anexperimental basisfor eight weeks. If demand meetsexpectations, the service will be expanded.

Air Transat is offering seasonal non-stopflights to Liberia, Costa Rica (new thisyear), Varadero, Punta Cana, Cancun, andPuerto Vallarta. Sunwing Airlines will offerLas Vegas, Varadero, Cancun and PuertoVallarta destinations to Edmontonians thiswinter. Other non-stop destinations includePanama City (new, Nolitours), Huatulco(Signature Vacations), Holguin(Skyservice), Montego Bay (Skyserviceand Air Canada), Puerto Plata (Skyserviceand Air Transat), and Punta Cana (AirCanada and Skyservice, in addition to AirTransat).

With Mexicana Airlines becoming amember of the OneWorld Alliance(British Airways, American Airlines,Cathay Pacific, Iberia and Japan Airlinesamong others), Edmonton now hasconnections through Mexico City to otherdestinations on those partner airlines. LikeContinental Airlines from Houston,Mexicana offers connections to many citiesin Mexico, and Central and South Americafrom its Mexico City hub.

Overall, comparing Edmonton’s airservice now with that of even five years agois an eye-opener. Transborder destinationsare more plentiful than ever, and mostroutes have multiple daily flights. WestJethas indicated that it will likely add more

U.S. destinationsas it acquiresmore aircraft.High on the listof desirableroutes are NewYork/Newark,Orlando andMiami. Thereare also stronghopes thatAmericanAirlines willreturn to

Edmonton withflights to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Domestic routes remain strong, despitereductions in capacity. Europe commands ahigh priority as well. Air Canada’s dailyflights to London Heathrow are beingreduced to four flights a week for the winterseason. Frankfurt is perhaps the highestpriority after London (Air Transat will offerseasonal non-stops in 2010), but Amsterdamis also an important destination for many.Martinair’s twice-weekly flights fromEdmonton to that city are sorely missed.

Peter McCart, vice-president ofmarketing and business development forEdmonton International Airport, pointed outin a recent guest column on the

Connect2Edmonton website that leakageof passenger traffic to Calgary—peoplechoosing to fly from Calgary rather thanEdmonton—remains a significant issue. Henoted that while leakage has decreasedsteadily, from 35 percent to 21 percent from2005 to the present, between 750,000 and850,000 potential Edmonton passengers flyfrom Calgary each year. He writes that,“…this number could support the equivalentof approximately seven daily B767 flightsfrom Edmonton. The lost economicopportunity for the citizens and businessesof Edmonton is huge and we are essentiallygiving away our non-stop air service seats toCalgary!”

McCart concludes, “Edmonton isenjoying the best air service in its history,but we know there’s even more opportunityfor us. It is important to remember thatevery time you fly you vote for air servicein a community—we want you to vote forEdmonton. During tough economic timesEdmontonians choosing to support theairlines that have made the decision to serveour community is more critical than ever, asairlines will go where they can make aprofit and where they are welcomed andsupported by the community. In other wordsfor airlines to choose Edmonton...Edmontonians must first choose ourairlines.” (The full column is available athttp://connect2edmonton.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=14711)

This is the best possible argument forsupporting carriers such as Continental andMexicana, as well as all other carriersoffering non-stop flights from Edmonton. Itreally is the clichéd “use it or lose it”strategy. I know this columngenerally preaches to theconverted (to use anothercliché), but it’s important.Spread the word and take itseriously. √

David Norwood is a freelance writer/editor. Contact [email protected]

ivic Buzzwith David NorwoodC

his is the month whenwe remember former andcurrent members of themilitary who have paid the

supreme sacrifice in time of war and peacekeeping missions. Over 100,000 youngCanadian men and women have been killedand 200,000 wounded in the two WorldWars, the Korean conflict and Afghanistan.

That special place in our hearts for themilitary is especially true in NorthernAlberta, given the existence of militarybases in Edmonton, Wainwright and ColdLake. The same heartfelt appreciation isalso applicable to those in law enforcementwho have been killed or wounded in theline of duty. Who, for example, will everforget the brutal murders of those fouryoung Mayerthorpe/Whitecourt Mounties –the worst massacre in RCMP history?

That’s why I find it somewhat disturbingand ironic to see the Calgary Herald frontpage treatment accorded Wiebo Ludwigfor his talks last month with Alberta RCMPofficers, regarding strategy to deal withwhoever is bombing EnCana Corp.properties in northeastern B.C.

This is the same Wiebo Ludwig whowas found guilty in 1998 of five oilpatchvandalism related charges, and wasreleased from prison after serving two-

thirds of his 28-month sentence. Aftereach day of that trial, the oilpatch bomberand sometimes hiscounsel PaulMoreauentertained themedia with theirtake on the day’sproceedings.

The presidingjudge Mr. JusticeSterlingSanderman wasobviously unhappy,stating: “They wereputting their spin onwhat happened thatday.” He added,“People lose faith in thesystem… because theyhave been deceived.Not by the court. Theyhave been deceived bycomments made outsidethe body of thecourtroom, and theadministration of justicesuffers greatly because of this deception.”

That’s one aspect of Ludwig whichMounties of today may not remember asthis crime happened over 10 years ago.

The same is true with the shootingdeath June 20, 1999 of

16-year-old KarmanWillis of Beaverlodge,and the wounding ofone of the other seventeens, who werejoyriding in twotrucks on Ludwig’sfarm property nearHythe. The teensrushed to a hospitalwhere Karmandied.

A decade later,no one has beencharged with thatfatal shooting.

In recallingthat incident at atime whenLudwiginitially failedto recover the.30-30 hunting

rifle police believewas used to kill

Karman, former Edmonton Journal legalaffairs writer Gordon Kent reported onthe 911 call that Ludwig made to policeafter the shooting. On June 20, 2001, he

wrote: “Ludwig told police the teens hadbeen driving all over his property andshots had been fired into the trucks tomark them so they could later beidentified. None of the Ludwigs admittedto the shooting. The .30-30 was foundpartially concealed in the wall of a sheepand goat barn along with eight bullets. Inan affidavit, RCMP Cpl. Curtis Zablockisays this is all key evidence in the casebecause forensic tests indicate the riflewas used to shoot the two teenagers.”

So, in reading that Calgary Heraldstory about Ludwig’s desire to assistAlberta RCMP in developing a strategy tonab the culprits bombing EnCanaproperties, it occurred to me: Why don’tthey also ask him to assist them indeveloping a strategy to find Karman’skiller?

That would finally bring closure to theWillis family who willobserve Christmas for theeleventh year… withouttheir beloved daughter. √

Bruce Hogle is the formernews director at CFRN TVand retired head of theAlberta Press Council. Contact [email protected]

edia Minutewith Bruce HogleM

TT

WW

How ironic:s a b o t e u r t u r n s s t r a t e g i s t

Best air serviceI N O U R H I S T O R Y

New Contol and Office Tower



uesday morning, and I’mbarely alert. I approach JohnA. McDougall School and tryto pep talk myself into aslightly more conscious state.

No luck—it’s cold and foggy and dampand I’d rather be in bed. But, an early-morning interview beckons. Today’ssubjects: husband and wife TomMenczel and Sandra Woitas.

I step into the school and, withinmoments, Woitas approaches me, greetsme warmly and ushers me into heroffice. Menczel soon joins us and Woitasfacilitates a stream of friendly chatter asshe arranges three chairs around a smalltable, smoothes the table cloth and offersus water. I take my seat and start mytape recorder. And that’s all it takes—with one push of the “record” button,I’m wide awake. Lethargy is simply nomatch for the vitality and enthusiasm ofthis couple. For the next hour, we talkabout everything from education, art andcommunities to careers, relationshipsand childhood memories. And the roomis, quite literally, infused with energy.

It doesn’t take long to figure out thatthis “all-out” energetic approach to life

is a key ingredient in Menczel andWoitas’ success—both as individuals andas a couple. As Woitas talks about hercurrent focus as director of the newlyestablished Edmonton Public SchoolsFoundation, her passion is palpable.

“There are so many terrific thingshappening in schools across this city,”she says, “and I’m so excited about thisopportunity to raise the profile of publicschools.” The foundation’s major goal is“to provide district-wide support toschools by offering community membersthe opportunity to support teaching andlearning through financial and in-kindcontributions.” Read: Edmonton Publicis moving into serious fund-raising forschools. It became an official entity onSeptember 1st of this year. As Woitasputs it, the foundation will “advocate forpublic education and work to build agroundswell of support for publicschools.”

This promises to be a challenge,considering that “70 percent of taxpayers who pay public school taxesdon’t actually have children in ourpublic schools.”

Not everyone is going to agree with

schools hosting gaming fundraisers andbig ticket special events in a tightmarket. Nevertheless, as Woitas pointsout, we all have a stake in education—and we all have a vested interest inensuring that the children in ourcommunities receive the best educa-tional experience possible. So this is achallenge that she welcomes and forwhich she is totally prepared. Today’srealities, however, call for a newapproach to mustering support: “Thebulk of our energies are going into whatwe call social-engagement strategy.We’re looking at how to use socialmedia. We’re looking at bringingtogether small groups of people,average people, in social settings andsimply talking to them about publicschools. We’re looking at having ourstudents share their personal stories. Inessence, we need to build thatgroundswell of support one individualat a time, tapping into the natural socialnetworks that exist in our communities.”

When I ask Woitas what led her tothis point in her career, it becomesglaringly apparent why the foundationchose her as its director. “I’ve been an

educator for 29 years now,” Woitasrecounts, “and I’ve been involved withEdmonton public since 1980. I’ve donestints as a special ed. teacher, a schoolcounselor, and a consultant. I’ve beeninvolved with HR staffing andrecruitment and I’ve been a principal. Ialso led an initiative called the CityCentre Education Project. For a time, Iwas with Alberta Education and theAlberta Mental Health board. Now, aftera four-and-a-half-year detour, I’m backwith the district. So I understand whatgoes on in schools. And I understandwhat it takes to run schools.”

Woitas is renowned, by the way, forengaging business and corporations incontributing to her projects. She startedraising private dollars for her inner cityschool playground years ago. Herefforts don’t go unnoticed: She joinedthe ranks of the UofA’s DistinguishedAlumni in September… was a Global“Woman of Vision” in 2006… wasnamed one of Edmonton’s “Top 100Citizens” in 2005… and has receivednumerous awards for her communityinvolvement—but she doesn’t mentionany of this.

TT

Continued on page 10

To have and to holdTo have and to hold...in education, art and life

Sandra Woitasand Tom MenczelPhotos by Terry Bourque

By NJ Brown



…”Food is not merely something we eat…eating is life.Each time we eat, the soul continues its earthly journey.

With every morsel of food swallowed, a voice says, “I choose life...”-Grace by Honorary Chair Lynn Mandel

October 17, 2009

A Night to Remember for the Alberta Diabetes Institute was true to its theme.The annual gala at The Westin was attended by 300 supporters who openedtheir hearts and their wallets to make it a memorable evening. The net proceedsfrom the live and silent auctions as well as special donations were $180,000—up roughly $30,000 from last year.

Photos by Chris Barrett, Doug Barrett and Anita Robicheau of Barrett Trulives Photography

The gent in the yellow kilt entertainedthe folks at the Edmonton Airports tablewho came out in full force.

In May, Shauna Desjarlais lost her 42-year old husband, Roy, to

juvenile diabetes. She says his onlywish was “to live his life for 24hours without diabetes.” Shauna, amother of three, graduated indietary technology at NAIT andbecame a journeyman baker. Shethen joined Costco as an inventoryauditor which allowed her to devotemore time to Roy’s care. Sadly, Roynever got to have his wish fulfilled.

Art Langner, who runs the local Nortrux dealership, gazes fondly atwife JoAnn, who heads the Alberta Diabetes Institute. Under herleadership, the world-class diabetes research facility—whereEdmonton’s globally renowned research scientists collaborate withclinicians and train students—opened its doors in 2007.

Long time volunteers Vicky Shultz and GarneyHenley check out the Smart Car from WeberMotors. It’s being raffled off and the winning ticketwill be drawn at the ADF golf tournament in June.

Fitness buff Gordon Reykdal andinvestment entrepreneur Bruce Hull,chair of the ADF. Hull convincedReykdal to create the Freedom Runfor his employees to raise $100,000for the Institute.

Fitness buff Gordon Reykdal andinvestment entrepreneur Bruce Hull,chair of the ADF. Hull convincedReykdal to create the Freedom Runfor his employees to raise $100,000for the Institute.

Denise Cantor picked up her gown and scarf at boutiquesin Toronto’s Royal York. She compared fashion notes withthe ever chic Lynn Mandel. “Stephen is the shopper in ourfamily,” says the Mayor’s Missus.

Aaron Moser was joined by SandraEsposito, a teacher at St. FrancisXavier High School. He is the spiritbehind the Aaron Moser SpinalCord Injury Foundation.



Lori and Gordon Reykdal,Chair and CEO ofRentCash Canada.

Twins Maria Orydzuk, CTV promotionswriter/producer, and Kat Brandon,who appeared in the Re-Vampedreality series on Slice TV,with Mayor Stephen Mandel

Past Gala Chair Ron Symicdropped $8,000 on thediamond ring for his lady,Betty Prokopczak.

John and Cathy Chomiak of Hemisphere

Engineering paid $1400 toplay golf with Mayor Mandelat the Derrick Golf & CountryClub. Janet Folk, who recentlyabandoned retirement toreturn to Folk Insurance,signaled $22,000 for John’sCharolais beef auctiondonation… Crystal Graham, apartner with KasianArchitecture matched her.

Board member Lynn Hillabywith Katie Hull

Football coach and provincial court judge Jim Skitsko with his wife, Deb, and GrahamHicks. The Sun’s page six columnist sat by himself at table #13 until Norm andMargaret McDonald forked over $1200 for 10 guests to keep him company.

Doug Kleininger of the Winners Organization,and Debbie Shinehoft of DDB Canada.

Jamie Hayward of QualicoDevelopments with CanadaJustice tax lawyer Kathleen LyonsBonni GilroyBonni Gilroy

Dr. John Elliott, who researches Type 1 diabetes, withhis wife, Dr. Anne Macdonald, an eye surgeon at the RoyalAlex hospital. Fellow scientists, led by Dr. RayRajotte, were in Italy to give lectures and chairsessions at an international conference on islettransplant research. Dr. Rajotte presented theprominent Paul Lacy Lecture—named inhonour of the pathologist known as the fatherof islet cell transplants. A video, aired especiallyfor gala guests, underscored the fact that ADIresearchers remain at the forefront of the field.

Chair Ken Cantor advises Angela Savereaux, ADF eventcoordinator, that the Cantors willbe donating $35,000 for namingrights to a room at the new ADIfacility. Jules Germain andSharon Stefanyk followed suit.

joined by Sandraher at St. Francisol. He is the spiritMoser Spinal

dation.



Woitas confesses, however, that there canbe a downside to maintaining such anintense focus: “I have an absolute passionfor what I do, but that passion can becomealmost an addiction.” She looks to herhusband for confirmation, and Menczelnods his agreement. “I can becomeabsolutely obsessive, and that’s where Tomsteps in and puts the brakes on. He worksvery hard at keeping me healthy; he is myvoice of reality, the voice that says ‘Okay,it’s time to come home now.’”

Menczel agrees wholeheartedly withWoitas’ description of the dynamic betweenthem, but is also quick to admit that thereare times when the “shoe is on the otherfoot.” Menczel himself is, after all, nostranger to being “swept away.” Having alsobeen an educator for 28 years, he is quitefamiliar with the phenomenon of beingseduced by a cause. “I was a professionalactor for a number of years, and taughtdrama for 24 years,” he says, “and thatrequired a lot of extra-curricularinvolvement. And there were certainly timeswhen Sandra had to reign me in. But it wasgreat; we also had opportunities to worktogether in the schools—throughperformances and lunch programs and

various projects. It’s always great when youcan give kids something positive that theywill still remember and talk about evenyears after they’ve graduated—somethingthat sparks their imaginations and inspiresthem to really get involved.”

During his last four years as ateacher, Menczelbegan to preparefor retirement andshifted his focus toart of a differentkind: painting. Andhere, too, he hasbeen able to put hispassion to work forcommunities. As oneof the artists chosen towork on the Boyle-McCauleyneighbourhoodrevitalization project, heis responsible for thecreation of the LaFargemural, a 12 by 40-footdepiction of Edmonton’shistorical Soap BoxDerby, which ran annually downMcDougall Hill from 1932 to 1960. The

mural can be seen from the LRT and thewalking path that winds through theneighbourhood. When Menczel talks aboutthe project, it is not only his enthusiasm thatis evident—his gratitude for the opportunity

to touch communitiesdirectly through his art isalso apparent.

The personal passionsof Woitas and Menczelare a common threadthroughout theirrespective histories. Infact, the couple, whowere married in 1978,met at a cast partywhen Menczel wasperforming atPlayground Playersfor the city ofEdmonton andWoitas wasworking for theCity as a summerstudent with the

Oliver Social ActionCommittee. Going back even further,Woitas—who describes herself as “aserial volunteer”—recalls growing up “

in a home where both parentsvolunteered and were active in thecommunity, and it was just a given thatyou got involved.” And Menczel, whocame to Canada from Hungary with hisparents when he was seven, remembersusing movies as a tool for learning howto speak a new language.

The stories Woitas and Menczel share arerich, compelling and plentiful. Alas, it isinevitable that we run out of tape and time.

No need to despair. Neither of themhas any intention of going into hidinganytime soon. Opportunities to meet andchat with Woitas will undoubtedly beplentiful as the foundation rolls out newinitiatives and provides venues for all ofus to get involved in the education ofcurrent and future generations. AndMenczel will most certainly be presentat the October 29th official unveiling ofthe LaFarge mural and future exhibits ofhis work. (For more information abouthis art, visit www.tommenczel.com).

Of course, if at some point you arefortunate enough to have the opportunity tovisit with both Woitas and Menczel in thesame place at the same time, that’s a bonus.Just be prepared to be awakened. √

Continued from page 7

Sandra Woitas

Photo by Fred Katz

Tom Menczel at his SoapBox Derby mural



magine you’re a medical technician and yourlaptop just got stolen… Imagine the stress over thefact that it contained samples of about a quarter ofa million lab tests for reportable and

communicable diseases, plus identifiable names andpersonal health numbers. Even worse, imagine yourname is on the list.

In June 2009, Alberta Health Services (AHS) reportedtwo physically locked down laptops stolen from a lab at theUniversity Hospital. Within a month, in a separate incident,

private medical files of 11,000 Albertans within AHS wereput at risk as a virus intermittently took snapshots ofscreens of computers that access that data. The informationcould have been transmitted to locations unknown.

These are just two recent locals cases, but thephenomenon is worldwide. The Open SecurityFoundation’s DataLossDB.org gathers reportedinformation about events involving the loss, theft orexposure of personally identifiable information—thestatistics are mind-boggling.

“The loss of data is certainly a major concern forpersonal privacy, especially in health care, insuranceand financial industries. For individuals, identity theftis becoming a more common threat,” states Ed Rusnak,CEO of ENC Security Systems. The company providessolutions to secure and transfer personal andprofessional data.

“Not only can companies be adversely affected, theloss of information can spell ruin for families whenbanking and personal identity information falls into thehands of criminals.” Typically, most concerns are overthe effect of the theft of the actual hardware… but thepotential gain on the black market of the selling andactual use of stolen data would far exceed the nominalvalue of the equipment.

The problem isn’t limited to laptops and hackeddatabases. The proliferation of high capacity, pint-sizeddata storage devices—USB flash drives, memory sticksor keys, pen drives or thumb drives—increasesexposure to data risk and creates a potential goldminefor data thieves. According to the USB Flash DriveAlliance, from 2004 to 2008, the number of units soldrose from 59.5 million to 220 million, and the averagecapacity increased from 213MB to 1727MB. They canbe seen hanging from key chains, belt loops, andlanyards around people’s necks. Too often, they are leftunattended, plugged into the USB ports on computers.

”Things will get lost… things will get stolen. Ithappens every day.”

And, while Rusnak can’t help people safeguarddevices from physical theft or loss, he can help themprotect their data.

ENC has developed EncryptStick, an application thatturns these low-cost, off-the-shelf flash drives into anaffordable, easy-to-use, highly secure data vaults. Itprevents virtually any type of file—documents, videos,photos—or passwords from being stolen.

“Password protection is not enough. EncryptStickuses powerful 512 bit polymorphicencryption technology, which hasnever been broken or successfully

hacked,” Rusnak proclaims proudly.Encryption converts data into code by

use of an algorithm that cannot beconverted back or decrypted without a

“key”. EncryptStick uses the unique ID orserial number of the flash drive as a part of

those 512 bits of information to create thatkey. This, combined with the user’s

password, makes it virtually impossible to bedecoded.

SIMPLE STEPS TO DATA SECURITYTo get EncryptStick, simply plug a flash drive into a USBport, purchase a license and download the software directlyto it (not the host computer). Using the unique registrationcode, follow the instructions to create a master password.

“The password is not stored on ENC’s servers or on thecomputer. It’s directed to the flash drive and is known toonly the user,” stresses Rusnak.

To use EncryptStick, plug the flash drive into the USBport. The software runs automatically. When the passwordis entered, the vaults become visible. Open existing vaults,create new vaults and easily encrypt or decrypt any file byright-clicking and selecting from a drop down menu, orsimply dragging and dropping the files into the folders.

Continued on page 14

By Greg Gazin

II

Data thievesData thievesdefied byENCRYPTSTICK

CEO of ENC, Ed Rusnak

f history is any indication, theCanadian Nuclear Association isabout to get booted from obscurityinto the limelight.

That’s because Denise Carpenter iscoming on board as the association’s newpresident and CEO.

No pun intended, but Carpenter is anabsolute powerhouse when it comes togetting the message out.

This public relations diva honed her skillsin the 1980s and 1990s at Palmer Jarvisand Weber Shandwick Worldwide. Since2003, she’s been the senior vice-president ofpublic and government affairs with EPCORand, until July, she guided the companythrough many hot issues.

Twice chosen as one of Alberta’s 50 mostinfluential people, Carpenter is now settingher sights on Ottawa. Her task is to buildpublic confidence in one of the mostcontroversial industries in Canada.

When asked what someone from aprovince devoid of nuclear power couldpossibly bring to the industry, Carpenterreplied, “I have a very strong track record ofdeveloping and executing really strongstrategies for industry. And I also think theymay have picked me because I haveadvocated for almost every fuel source inCanada. So I understand the importance andthe regionalization of fuel sources.”

Carpenter looks upon the nuclear industryas one that is not well known to Canadians.Nor are its benefits, she says. “The reasonpeople are interested in nuclear energy quitefrankly is because it is an emission freemethod of producing power.”

And, what about the public’s concern overnuclear waste?

“That’s certainly something I’ m going towant to learn,” says Carpenter. “I certainly

don’t know a lot about it right now, otherthan the government has put together acommission and there is a body that isworking quite aggressively on solving thatproblem.”

Carpenter takes a global view when itcomes to the immediate challenges. “Theworld needs energy… how do you produceenergy that people want to consume? I don’tsee that people will stop driving their cars orstop heating their homes. The consumptionof energy is growing and growing. So howdo we do that in a responsible manner as asociety? On the other side, there are specialinterest groups that advocate for and againstevery energy source. So that’s the challenge.How do you meet the industrial and theresidential need for individuals andcompanies, and at the same time, buildbridges with all the special interest groups?”

With the current interest in developingnuclear power to supply Alberta’s oilsandsdevelopment, there’s no doubt the nuclearindustry is gearing up for a major campaign.

Carpenter will be missed by the manypeople and organizations she has helped overher years in Edmonton. She’s lent herenergies and PR expertise to the artscommunity and many boards like the Spaceand Science Centre, to name but a few ofher commitments.

“I cherish all the relationships that I’vedeveloped and people I’ve worked with morethan I could ever express. And I reallycherish the fact that there were a lot ofpeople along the way who taught me a lot:Eric Newell, Jim Carter and GeorgeWard, they were always great mentors. So Ithink I had the privilege of being mentoredby a lot of people in this community.” √

~ Cheryl Croucherwww.cna.ca

BRIEFS



II

M O V E S T O O T T A W APOWERHOUSE

Denise CarpenterPhoto by Fred Katz

ou’ll find the Edmonton Research Park at the junction of Parsons Road andKarl Clark Road.

A linear red and grey building marks the spot. That’s the AdvancedTechnology Centre where Candace Brinsmead has her office. She is the

vice-president of technology advancement with the Edmonton EconomicDevelopment Corporation.

Brinsmead describes the ATC, built in the 1980s, as “looking like a bunker fromthe road but it’s actually very cool, still a contemporary looking space. The AdvancedTechnology Centre was one of the premier buildings and it was designed as anincubator. It’s an award winning architectural wonder.”

The ATC currently houses 33 tenants: startup companies with a focus onbiotechnology, information and communications technology and energy technology.

“We also have Research Centre One which was built in the late 1970s. It’s morefor second stage companies. And then, more recently, we’ve added theBiotechnology Business Development Centre to our stable of incubators and itfocuses on biotechnology development.”

As you wind down Karl Clark Road through the Edmonton Research Park, you’llpass by a number of buildings which house companies like Micralyne,Schlumberger, C-FER, Syncrude, and Affexa, the company that makes Cold-fx…and then there’s the ill-fated Dell building. Then you curve around a large pondwhere flocks of Canada geese gather year round, finally ending up at the AlbertaResearch Council.

Just in case you’re wondering who Karl Clark was, he’s the scientist who, in the1920s, invented the hot water process for separating bitumen from the oilsands,thereby laying the foundation for today’s oilsands industry. His work was among thefirst projects of the Alberta Research Council.

Edmonton Research Park covers a quarter section of land. It was much larger untila few years ago when the City sold off the Park’s reserve on the other side ofParson’s Road. That’s where you’ll now find the shopping complex known as South

YYBy Cheryl Croucher

From great muffinsto great minds

Jenni Salonga, incubation developmentmanager; Neil Caarsemaker, manager,Edmonton Research Park; David Riddell,building maintenance assistant; BrianMycholuk, building operations supervisor;and Candace Brimsmead, vice-president,technology advancement, EdmontonEconomic Development Corporation, inthe iconic Advanced Technology Centre.

Photo by Terry Bourque

Edmonton Common. Seems at the time, our City fathersdidn’t think this “research and technology stuff” would everamount to much.

But today, not only is Edmonton’s biotechnology clustertaking off, the Research Park is bursting at the seams.

According to Brinsmead, “We only have four lotsavailable, and there are negotiations going on for three ofthose. So yes, we’re going to need to expand fairly soon.And we will be looking to the Southlands to do that.” TheSouthlands is 85 acres of provincially controlled landimmediately south of the Research Park.

“Because we see a boom coming in the technologysector, it will be a much more dense area than the ResearchPark is now,” Brinsmead predicts. “Right now we prettywell have a zoning limit of two floors. We see that we’reprobably going to have to go up to eight floors and havefairly dense office and lab space.

“We’re also going to have to start initiating conversationswith the City and with the Province to look at what we cando to bring rapid transit down here, or at least shore up themass transit system that we’ve got now.”

This is where’s Brinsmead’s enthusiasm really kicks intohigh gear. She has that gut sense honed by years ofexperience that this Research Park holds great potential.

As an entrepreneur, she ran a company that sold low fatmuffins to McDonald’s across Canada, then sold it to amulti-national enterprise. She put her banking experience togood use at the Alberta Research Council where she ran aninvestment fund worth $6 million. Her supervisor at ARCwas Ron Gilbertson, the man who now heads up EEDC.

“I respected him as a visionary, and I think he respectedthe skills that I had that probably executed towards thatvision. So when he came over to EEDC, he approached mebecause they were looking at an expanded role in trying toget technology to market, where the City could play a largerrole.”

Brinsmead describes the vision for the EdmontonResearch Park as a community where great minds mingleand great ideas are born and nurtured into newtechnologies.

“It will be a very exciting campus of differenttechnologies, different researchers, different minds butwith synergies created between the sectors.

“So we have a gated community where once you’re in,you’re in a whole different world. We plan on having onerestaurant, one fitness area, one daycare centre, one socialcommittee where events are being planned. The idea isthe more we can get these minds to socialize… to talk…to exchange ideas… to be able to run across the street ifthey are thinking about something that might be neededin whatever they are working on. That is the vision,where we’ve got a focused, tightly knit community.”

And it doesn’t stop there. The plan is to reach outsidethe Park by building networks throughout the innovationcommunity across Edmonton, the province, the country,maybe even the world.

“It’s a big vision, but it’s totally doable.” One of the immediate projects that Brinsmead is

involved in is the new regional alliance between ERP,TEC Edmonton, the National Institute forNanotechnology, novaNAIT, and NABI, the NorthernAlberta Business Incubators.

She explains the alliance. “Primarily we create space.The idea is we horse trade. And we will be able to worktogether, the five of us, to do what’s best for the tenant.”Those tenant needs may be office space, lab space, orservices like mentorship, help with commercialization,and so on. But the regional alliance becomes one point ofentry for the tenant or inventor who’s trying to move anew concept along the innovation chain.

Then comes the second and third layers of the regionalalliance. Says Brinsmead, “The second layer, we’re goingto get into the product developers, the people who canhelp scale up. And, at some point, the third level will be

the people who can fund some of these ideas.”The system Brinsmead describes is very much aligned

with the new innovation framework introduced thisspring by Doug Horner, Minister of Advanced Educationand Technology. There’s the emphasis onentrepreneurship and technology commercialization, theconcierge concept, and the focus on core strengths,energy, health, ICT and biotechnology.

Has Edmonton got an what it takes to stand out onthe world stage?

Brinsmead is confident we do—given the people,facilities and support both public and private.

“If you look around the world and look at the majorresearch parks, there are none out there that have thetechnology or the government support and map thatwe’ve got. Finland is the only one that I’ve read aboutso far where there’s actual government involvement andcollaboration.

“Instead of saying we have to make money from thisright off the bat, they are saying create value for us.Create the technologies that are going to create thebusinesses that are going to succeed and contribute tothe city. Create the technologies that are going to savelives. Create the technologies that are going to save ourenvironment.”

And you can count on Candace Brinsmead to makesure the Edmonton Research Park will be front andcentre in facilitating these breakthroughs. √

www.edmonton.com

To hear Cheryl’s conversation with Candace Brinsmead,visit www.innovationanthology.com

Cheryl Croucher hosts InnovationAnthology which is broadcast on CKUARadio at 7:58 am and 4:58 pm Tuesdaysand Thursdays. Or download thepodcasts atwww.innovationanthologyy.com

emp was an importantindustrial material beforeWorld War II, but then itwas supplanted by the

development of petroleum-basedproducts.

Sixty years later, hemp is making acomeback as an environment friendlybiofibre.

The Alberta Research Council hasdeveloped a new technology toseparate the very long fibres of thehemp plant from its inner core. Andaccording to Dr. John Wolodko, aprogram leader in the AdvancedMaterials Group, when these fibres arechopped and formed into a mat, theymake a very good substitute for energyintensive glass fibres used to makefiberglass.

One potential application for this

hemp fiberglass is in the production ofmolded automotive parts.

Wolodko says, “We’ve beenworking with a company out ofCalgary called Motive Industries whoare developing prototype cars forelectric vehicles, for example. The bigadvantage with the hemp material isthat it is very light weight compared tofiberglass. So it offers an incrediblevalue in terms of energy savings, aswell as reducing the weight of thevehicle, which is of paramountimportance for increasing that kind ofdriving distance for electric vehicles.So it’s a very good fit. “

Wolodko’s group at ARC is alsoworking with a boat manufacturer inthe Okanagan to produce hempfiberglass parts for boats. √

~ Cheryl Croucher



HH

November 3-4Western Canadian Function Food and Natural Health Product Network11th Annual ConferenceDelta Edmonton South Hotelwww.collinsharper.com/wcfn

November 3-5Aboriginal Strategies 2009 ConferenceLabour, Health, Urban, Families, The NorthHosted by Statistics CanadaWestin Hotelhttp://www.statcan.gc.ca/conferences

November 5The Business Link Brown Bag SessionWriting For The WebSuite 100, 10237-104 Street12 -1 pmwww.canadabusiness.ab.ca/brownbag.cfm

November 4, 18, 25TEC VenturePrize Business Plan CompetitionBusiness Plan SeminarsStollery Business CentreUofA School of Businesswww.tecedmonton.com

November 6ASTech Awards GalaIn CalgaryHyatt Regency HotelTickets on sale nowwww.astech.ab.ca

November 17The Business LinkBrown Bag Session

Meaningful Retirement for Family BusinessSuccessionSuite 100, 10237-104 Street12 -1 pmwww.canadabusiness.ab.ca/brownbag.cfm

November 18BioAlberta’s 10th Anniversary Gala & AGMWinspear Centre4 to 8 pmwww.bioalberta.com

November 24 and 25InnoWest 2009Theme: Creating Value Through InnovationShaw Conference CentreRegistration now openwww.thecis.ca/innowest

November 24novaNAIT Innovation Speakers SeriesPitching Your Product12 – 1 pmwww.novanait.ca

November 26Stem Cell TherapiesHosted by ABCTech and BioAlbertaCentral Lion’s Seniors Recreation Centre7 to 9:30 pmwww.abctech.ca

DECEMBERDecember 3The Business LinkBrown Bag Session E-Commerce ApplicationsSuite 100, 10237-104 Street12-1 pmwww.canadabusiness.ab.ca/brownbag.cfm

On theHORIZONNOVEMBER

Dr. John Wolodko

HEMPHEMP

Re-thinkingRe-thinking

Edmonton Research Park:“a whole different world”



EncryptStick also enables “encryption onthe fly”—the ability to edit documentswithin vaults while the files are encrypted.

“And it’s fast. EncryptStick encryptsfiles at a rate 10 times faster that AES 256(the federal government encryptionstandard) and takes up only 4MB ofspace.”

EncryptStick also allows users tomaintain anonymity. “You can plug yourencrypted flash drive into a publiccomputer; when you remove it, it removesthe temporary operating file so there isabsolutely no footprint—no evidence ofyou being on that computer,” says TimSperling, President of ENC.

And, even if someone were to gainphysical access to the encrypted computeror see the vaults, without both theEncrypt-Stick flash drive inserted and thecorrect password, that information iscoded and thus unreadable.

ENC anticipated that a flash drive couldget lost or become inoperable (perhapsyou ran it through the wash). As long asthe original drive was registered, replacethe flash drive, purchase a new ENClicense, and the system will piggyback anew registration key on the old key,allowing access to existing vaults.

ALBERTA ROOTSBorn in Vegreville, Rusnak attendedStrathcona Composite High School inEdmonton. His entrepreneurial rootssprouted in St. Albert when he started

his first venture in the 1970s. For themost part, he worked in the oil and gassector and related industries.

In 1997, the recently divorced Rusnakreconnected with Doris, a formerclassmate from Vegreville who had beenwidowed two years earlier. After a fewmonths together in Edmonton, thecouple relocated to her home in PittMeadows—where the possibility ofyear-round golf appealed to Rusnak.

The reality of a life of leisure soonwaned. And, while flash drives are arecent phenomenon, application ofencryption technologies is old hat toRusnak. He soon founded AFI Inc.,focusing his efforts on the oil and gasindustry where he was the first to designa CSA approved electronic device forremotely monitoring well-heads onremote Northern Alberta sites viasatellite.

“Our system replaced windup deviceson a seven-day clock which wassusceptible to things like wet paper anddried up ink and where we waited 60days for results from a Calgary lab,”Rusnak recalls.

At that time, encryption technologywas used to ensure the integrity andaccuracy of the data transmitted ratherthan to address an issue of security.After 9/11, that all changed.

“We knew that we could encryptanalog and digital data through theunique ID or serial number of the

processor.” Rusnak admitted thisdirection was inevitable but sold thecompany in 2003 before being able toimplement it. He realized that he coulduse the same methodology on flashdrives as he could with the processors onthe remote well head monitors.

“Most people were using flash drivesfor storage. It can be more—and it is.”In 2005, he started ENC and, by late2006, EncryptStick was ready to roll.Timing couldn’t have been better, butthings went sideways. According toRusnak, a company he did some workfor claimed that ENC was using itstechnology. The time to defeat the publicclaim “…put us behind two-and-a-halfyears after we announced the product.NAIT, among others (possible licensees)who were prepared to move forward,had walked away. They had no choice.”

Crisis created opportunity: It gaveRusnak time to enhance EncryptStick—adding a password manager to storesensitive log-ins securely… an automaticsession time-out for drives leftunattended… and protection fromcommon hacking techniques likekeystroke-logging.

Finally, in May 2009, Rusnak andENC received a letter of apology and aretraction of the statement andallegations that were made, allowing theofficial release of EncryptStick to takeplace.

At 69, Rusnak is certainly not ready to

retire. “I’m having too much fun.” Infact, he’s as energetic as ever. He’slooking at even more ways to addfunctionality. His team is working onversion 4.2 that adds enhancements forWindows 7. Versions for Mac and Linuxoperating systems are just about done.

And while he seems to have comeupon a pot of gold, for Ed, it’s not justabout the money. “I want to change theentire thinking of the world and to helpkeep in the forefront of your mind howvaluable your data is to you.”

That’s why Rusnak has created thisrevolutionary, yet easy-to-useEncryptstick at an affordable price of$39.99US, while offering free updatesfor the life of the product.

And, it comes as no surprise that hehas more ideas, more products at variousstages of development. Rusnak chuckles.

“If you’re can’t live on the edge,you’re taking up too much room.” √

Greg Gazin, “TheGadget Guy,” is aserial entrepreneur,freelance technologycolumnist, smallbusiness speaker, anavid Podcaster andproducer ofToastcaster.com. Gregcan be reached at780.424.1881, gadgetgreg.com [email protected]

Continued from page 11

he age of participationproves too scary for some.Life is unscripted,uncontrolled and

unpredictable—yet government in generalproceeds under the premise it can controlall things. This unfortunate reality resultedin a lost opportunity for many electedofficials and civil servants who didn’tattend ChangeCamp Edmonton, anunconference in mid-October at theUofA’s Lister Hall. More than 150 peopleparticipated.

Ironically, I was unable to attend due tohealth, so I relied on real-time informationon Twitter for some of the unscriptedplay-by-play. Chris LaBossiere, acolleague on the organizing committee,was able to provide me with his on-siteperspective. “There would have been nobetter way in Alberta to engage indiscussions with citizens yesterday than atChangeCamp. People contributed easily,and volunteered to lead discussions. Thesuccess of the day was based on theindividual participants. I was surprisedand happy to see such age diversity in theroom.” That statement by Chris issupported by pictures posted online.“Many stepped up and pitched newsession ideas, we planned 25 and ran 27.”

I asked LaBossiere why he thoughtmore politicians or government employeesdidn’t attend ChangeCamp. He speculatedthat “Politicians didn’t see this as anopportunity. They didn’t realize that thiswasn’t about talking about the past buttalking about change.”

In response to the same question,Laurie Blakeman, Liberal MLA forEdmonton Centre, said plainly, “Youdidn’t ask.” This, despite the fact that sheand other politicians, including CityCouncillors Don Iveson and Ben

Henderson and Liberal Senator GrantMitchell, were in the room or on the listto attend.

Doug Elniski, PC MLA for Edmonton-Calder, said he was there because “themore I know about social media the betterI feel about using it. People in governmenthave created a reluctance to use socialmedia and I think it’s a symptom of a lackof understanding of what it’s all about.There’s still a belief that social media isthis interesting novelty, the governmentinfrastructure has not caught up. Thespeed of it is remarkable. You can’tmanage this like an ad in the newspaper,it’s not static.” I couldn’t agree more.

“There’s an old saying in politics,”Elniski chuckled. “The loudest thing youhear in politics is the grinding of theaxes.” This was his light-hearted responseto my query about whether the tone of thediscussion changed when he entered theroom at ChangeCamp. “Sure the tone

changed to some degree, but I focused onlistening to what other people had to say.The overall flow of the conversations wasreally good and, for the most part, peoplefollowed the rules of engagement. Peoplewere building off of the ideas of others.”

Blakeman also felt the tone changedwith her in the room. “Well, in the firstsession I attended, I got outed. I made noattempt to engage in the discussion, butwas asked direct questions. By the secondsession, everything was fine.” When askedwhy she attended ChangeCamp, shereplied, “I’m interested in new ways inengaging my constituents. I was there tolearn.”

Blakeman’s opinion of the unconferencestructure seemed positive. “It was the self-generated structure, people seemed to beless stressed and approached things withan open mind.”

Arguably, the most interestingperspective was provided by Andrew

Knack (who, as I write this, is at CityHall announcing his intent to run forcouncillor in Ward 1). Knack came on myradar after he announced on Twitter thatChangeCamp Edmonton had helped tosolidify in his mind that he should run forelection in 2010.

“When politicians walk in, there’s anaura and perception that they are a littledifferent than the rest. The best thing that Iheard were the opinions and ideas thatwere not my own. I think it’s important tosee how ideas can fit within your values.If you’re willing to listen to other people,then the value of an event likeChangeCamp is large. I took a lot awayfrom the event,” explained Knack. “A lotof the group discussion went back tocitizen involvement and gettingcommunity leagues involved in theprocess.”

Personally, I understand why people ingovernment may be afraid of getting intoa dialogue about meaningful topics witheveryday citizens in an unscripted format.That still doesn’t remove the point that it’sa shame to miss such a terrificopportunity. ChangeCamp Edmonton isjust one positive manifestation of citizenengagement… an interesting format thatmany believe we need to build on.

Folks at all levels of government shouldrealize that despite their fears, citizeninfluence through the use of social media isgrowing. Online influence is the newcurrency and wallets within governmentwill remain empty until politicians andpolicy-makers engage with the rest of us. √

Walter Schwabe is the Chief EvolutionOfficer of fusedlogic inc., a social mediastrategy firm and Alberta company since2000. You can learn more atwww.fusedlogic.com

TT

101with Walter SchwabemediamediaSocial



with Linda Bodo

ear Santa:Please enjoy the customarygratuities placed on the

mantle. I took the liberty of placing thewingback by the fire to tempt you to take ashort break between stocking stuffing andaerial deliveries. Take no notice of thegrowling terrier wearing the fake antlers;she’s just guarding the bone under the treewhich she unwraps routinely. I understandRudy’s allergies are acting up again so I’veleft some Ho-Ho-Hotrivin on the hearthwhich should get that nose glowing again.Heard about the low elf-esteem issues at theworkshop and trust you managed to resolvetheir concerns without compensatingproduction.

So, the Missus put you on a high-fibre,low cholesterol diet after the unfortunateincident in the neighbour’s flue last year?And you have backed off eggnog and givenup your pipe? Delighted to hear you havebeen looking after yourself Santa—Christmas just wouldn’t be the same withoutyou. You are, after all, the star of the season.

Thanking you in advance for the exoticpackage parked on the driveway (youoverlooked that request last year). Hugs tothe Missus, and best wishes for anenvironmentally conscious, low stress andhealthy celebration during the winter solsticeholiday.

Linda

MATERIALS.5M of 150cm fabric (body).25M of unbleached cotton (face)Washed mohair/doll hair.8M ribbon1 Cinnamon stick1 Large brass bell, 4 small bellsWood starCraft paint (optional)Tassel or loop of cording1 wreath (3” diameter)ThreadBatting/fibrefillHot glue sticksBlush and small brush or Q-TipFine felt penPaper (tracing pattern)

TOOLSSewing machine ScissorsNeedle PinsGlue gun Pencil

STEP BY STEPS• Go to edmontonians.com, Lively

Lifesyles blog for the Star Santa pattern.• Enlarge pattern as outlined onto paper.• Cut two star bodies from fabric and one

face from cotton.

• Sew stars together with 1/4” seamallowance. Trim tips off excess oneach star point and cut into eachinside node.

• Position face on wrong side of bodyand outline. Cut slit inside marked faceprofile slightly smaller than outline.

• Turn star inside-out through slit. Stuffbody firmly and hand-stitch slit closed.

• Apply blush to face for cheeks andfelt pen for eyes as illustrated onpattern. Do not press too long withpen on fabric as ink will bleed.

• Hot glue face to body over stitched slit.• Sew large bell at top of star and small

bells on remaining points.• Hot glue hair around face for hair and

beard. • Slide wreath onto ribbon and tie around

waist to create belt. Insert cinnamonstick into belt and glue star on top withhot glue. √

DD

Linda Bodo is author of Enjoy Life Outside.Visit www.absolutebodo.com for upcomingappearances and project demonstrations;view other DIY projects; or order her book.Contact: [email protected]

Go to edmontonians.com and visit the LivelyLifestyles blog for Santa pattern

SANTASANTAis a Star

LIVELYlifestyles



hristmas is a magical time forchildren. The Christmas tree,the lights, hanging thestockings, writing a letter to

Santa and getting a reply. For me, the bestpart of Christmas Eve, next to hanging thestockings over the fireplace mantel, wascreating and making a special snack forSanta. My mom explained the jolly old elfhad so much work to do, delivering the toyson Christmas Eve, that it was the nice andproper thing to do.

So year after year, I left Santa a glass ofmilk and one of mom’s giant chocolate chipcookies or mincemeat tarts, and a bunch ofcarrots—didn’t forget the reindeer. And,sure enough, on Christmas morning therewould only be a few crumbs and emptyglass on the table. Score! Big time!

This culinary adventure grew as I gotolder and became the creative geniusbehind the snack. In some families, it hasbecome quite the tradition with everyonecreating somewhat elaborate snacks forSanta.

The origin of this tradition, according tofolklore, dates back to the 1930s when goodchildren would leave a little something tosay thank you for the gifts, and naughtykids would use a snack to bribe Santa intoleaving something for them.

Today, many families host Christmas Eve

parties. We invite a few friends over afterthe church service and I usually make aseafood feast… anything from appetizers toa full entrée depending on my mood—thatis, how exhausted I am after running aroundall day. Before we eat, it’s a simple matterto get the kids to plate up a few sautéedprawns or pan-seared scallops to leave forPére Noel. This negates the need to preparesomething special if you’re pressed fortime. Other people use the occasion tospend an evening cooking with family.

One of my favourite cookbooks is theATCO Blue Flame Kitchen’s A HolidayCollection. It’s jam-packed with recipes thatwill get you in the spirit of the season. Thekids will enjoy decorating the moretraditional shortbread and sugar cookies forSanta. But, I thought I’d give a couple ofideas from the cookbook for Santa snacksthat go beyond Christmas baking. Use yourimagination and enjoy. √

SHERRIED BRIE PATEThis can be used as a spread or dip.

8 oz brie cheese8 oz cream cheese-softened2 Tbs. dry sherry2 Tbs. finely chopped toasted walnuts

• Remove rind from Brie. For easy

removal put brie in the freezer for 30minutes before peeling rind.

• After you remove rind, cut brie intocubes.

• In a food processor combine brie,cream cheese and sherry. Process untilsmooth.

• Transfer into two serving dishes.Sprinkle with walnuts.

• Serve with fruit bread or celery. It willhold for up to two days in therefrigerator or you can freeze it for upto a month.

Makes up to 15 servings.

CHEFS NOTE: You might like toexperiment with a liqueur like GrandMarnier instead of sherry… or maybe awine. Play with it and have fun.

BLUE CHEESE PECANSTUFFED MUSHROOMS

48 fresh white button mushrooms8 oz. cream cheese softened3 Tbs. crumbled blue cheese2 Tbs. chopped pecans1 Tbs. finely chopped green onion1/4 tsp. basil crumbled1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

• Remove the stems from themushrooms and reserve for anotheruse.

• Using an electric mixer on mediumspeed beat together the cream cheese,blue cheese, pecans, green onion, basiland pepper until blended.

• Stuff the mushroom caps, moundingslightly.

• Place mushrooms on a slightly greasedcookie sheet.

• Bake at 350˚F for 20 minutes. Sprinklewith parsley and serve.

• Do not freezeMakes 10-16 servings

Contact Chef John Berry [email protected] Go to Edmontonians.com and visit theLively Lifestyles Blog.

CC

with Chef John Berry

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