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Meftih The Life Line of Eritrean Community Award Winning Independent Monthly Newspaper

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Editors: Grace Cherian

Photographer: Mulugeta Zergaber

Contributors: Mohamed EdrisNaza HasebenebiMedhin Ghebreslasie, Amleset Tesfay, Bode Odetoy-

inbo, Mimi Chandy, Ken NtiamoaSubscription Costsin Canada $39 for a year and $59 for two years. In USA, it costs $45 fora year and $69 for two years.

Articles appearingin assorted columns of Meftih newspaper are intended to generate civil

& informed public discussions. You dont have to agree with opinions expressed by the writers.However, that should push you to express your own views. Through that way we generate lively

& civil discussions in the community. Rejoinders are not forums for personal insults & we want

readers to adhere to these principles.

Editor-in-chief

Aaron Berhane260 Adelaide St. E. Toronto,

ON. M5A 1N1 # 192

Tel: 416-824-8124Fax: 416-783-7850

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18/06/2013


10/24


With the arrival of July,

Swedish politicians andgovernment ofcials join

the traditional mass exo-

dus from Stockholm to

begin their annual sum-

mer hiatus. For the next

two months, they leave

in place only a minimal

staff, to keep up with

routine duties. And as in

earlier years, these will

once again include the

unsolved fate of Swedishjournalist Dawit Isaak

who disappeared in Eri-

trea in September 2001.

By now, Dawit knows his

assigned place a name,

in a folder, on a largely

abandoned Swedish For-

eign Ministry desk. The

folder, along with the

cause, will have to wait

until the end of August,

when ofcial business

picks up again. Never

mind that average sum-

mer prison temperatures

in Eritrea reach up to

45C and that Dawit is

not a healthy man. Nevermind that he, a full Swed-

ish citizen, has been held

for 4,299 days, entire-

ly illegally, without

formal charge or trial.

No Swedish politi-

cian is expected to in-

terrupt or delay their

well-deserved vaca-

tions on his account.

The Swedish political

class may of course

make a brief detour to

Almedalen, where they

will turn serious and con-templative when the

cameras are rolling to

profess their deep con-

cern about Dawits fate.

Or they may even try out

a replica of the isola-

tion cell in which Dawit

Isaak has been forced

to languish, which is to

be featured at the

event. They will,

however, proclaim

no outrage or de-

clare that Dawits

detention is in-

tolerable or un-

acceptable. Such

emphasis would

imply the need

for immediate ac-

tion, which would

denitely interfere

with long-heldsummer plans.

Swedish representatives

in Geneva must have

gotten an even earlier

start on their vacation

getaways. On June 5th,

at an ofcial session of

the Human Rights Coun-

cil (HRC), they could

not muster a single pub-

lic comment when SheilaB. Keetharuth, the UNs

ofcial Rapporteur on

Eritrea, presented her

ndings about the dismal

human rights situation inthe country. Slovenia,

Austria, Germany, Es-

tonia and Great Britain

all formally demanded

that Eritrea must respect

the fundamental rights

of its citizens. Sweden,

the only country with a

prisoner of conscience

currently detained in

Eritrea, said absolutely

nothing.

Instead, a fearless four-

teen-year-old teenager

named Abie Seyoum

rose to confront the Eri-

trean delegation (at a par-

allel event). I want my

father back, the daugh-

ter of detained journal-

ist Seyoum Tsehaye

stated calmly. Whereare the prisoners? What

have you done to them?

And why? Tsehaye,

like Dawit, has been im-

prisoned since Septem-

ber 2001, together with

more than a dozen lead-

ing members of Eritreas

former intelligentsia.

Swedens EU Parlia-

mentary delegate OlleSchmidt of the Liberal

Party (Folkpartiet), who

was present at the of-

cial June 5th HRC ses-

sion and who has worked

tirelessly for Dawitsrelease, also had harsh

words for Swedish media

coverage of the event.

Even though Schmidt, as

well as Swedens Re-

porters without Borders

(Reportrar utan grnser)

had issued detailed press

releases both before and

after the meeting, no

Swedish journalists felt

it necessary to take the

Swedish government to

task for its glaring lack

of initiative on behalf of

its own citizen, in front

of such an important in-

ternational forum.

Swedish ofcials jus-

tify their silence with

impatient references to

ongoing efforts, awayfrom public scrutiny.

However, Swedens di-

plomacy in the Dawit

Isaak case is currently so

silent as to render it es-

sentially mute, even be-

hind the scenes.

Since her appointment

in 2012, no Swedish

government representa-

tive has had any formaldiscussions with Ms.

Keetharuth about Dawit

Isaak illegal detention.

Instead, it has been amember of Dawit Isaaks

legal team, Attorney

Jess Alcal, who has

briefed the UN Rappor-

teur, on her request, about

the two important private

legal initiatives that have

been taken to secure

Dawits release. These

are the ling of a petition

of habeas corpus with

the Eritrean High Court

in 2011 (a formal legal

request that imposes a

duty on Eritrean ofcials

to immediately pres-

ent Dawit Isaak before

a court of law); as well

as a formal petition led

in a communication with

the African Commission

on Human Rights to of-

cially request Eritrea toset Dawit Isaak free.

Certainly, no one can

continue to harbour any

illusions about Eritrea.

In its annual survey, the

democracy watchdog

group Freedom House

lists the country as the

worst of the worst, in

terms of respect for po-

litical rights and civilliberties, and the Interna-

tional Crisis Group has

designated Eritrea pure

and simply a prison

state. Given these facts,

any hopes of inuencing

events in the country are

exceedingly slim.

And it is true, in such a

difcult scenario, indi-

vidual fates often cannot

be considered. Instead,

It's time Sweden takes

Dawit Isaak seriously

Please see next page


11/24


politicians must nd

ways to select policies

that provide the great-

est good for the greatest

number of people overthe long term. They have

to choose lesser evils,

as the new incoming UN

Ambassador of the US,

Samantha Power, has

repeatedly put it. Power

represents the modern

brand of a principled yet

realistic human rights

philosophy which she

rst articulated in her

2002 book about the US

governments lack of an

effective early response

to the humanitarian cri-

ses in Cambodia, Bos-

nia, Kosovo and Rwan-

da. (A Problem From

Hell: America and the

Age of Genocide, Peren-

nial/Harper Collins Pub-

lishers)

However, as Power

knows, the fundamental

idea of human rights

can never be considered

a merely general con-

cept. The idea itself will

always remain rmly

rooted in the suffering of

very real, individual hu-

man beings. That is why,

as a starting point, our

commitment to humanrights must always be

idealistic, in the sense

that we ght for each

and every person, even

when this proves to be

extremely difcult. It is

this commitment to valu-

ing and safeguarding the

rights of every single life

that ultimately sets dem-

ocratic countries apart

from autocratic regimes.

We should therefore

not be easily content

with merely weighing

lesser options when it

comes to human rights

issues. Vclav Havel, thelate Czech playwright

and dissident who was

himself imprisoned by

Czechoslovakias com-

munist rulers at the end

of the 1970s and who

rose to his countrys

presidency in 1989 (after

the fall of communism),

emphasized this point in

a book of speeches pub-

lished in 1997. It carried

the revealing title The

Art of the Impossible:

Politics and Morality in

Practice.

We, the citizens of dem-

ocratic societies, Havel

argued, have to maintain

a constant vigil to stay

true to our declared hu-

manistic and democraticprinciples. Havel de-

scribes how as the newly

elected president he got

up every morning, ask-

ing himself Have I be-

come Them?; Them

being the governing bu-

reaucrats whom he had

now joined and whom

he once had so forcefully

opposed.

Even a man of Havels

stature most likely could

not have seriously af-

fected conditions in Eri-

trea for the better, but

one thing seems certain.

He would not have re-

mained silent. He would

have felt a moral duty to

speak out, to voice his

concerns, to offer hissupport for the perse-

cuted and their families,

especially if a fellow

It's time Sweden . . .

Czech citizen had been

held prisoner for almost

a dozen years.

So, we will allow our-

selves a momentary

summer reverie of

Swedish governmental

leaders standing up, like

Havel, to try to make the

impossible real, and to

nally act decisively to

rescue Dawit Isaak, their

countryman, who al-

ready has spent a fourth

of his current lifespan inan Eritrean jail.

And we will hope for

journalists who pose in-

cisive questions that ur-

gently require answers:

- When was the last time

the Swedish Foreign

M i n i s t r y

has made

an ofcial

petition to

Eritrean au-

thorities to

visit Dawit

in jail, and

what was

the reply?

- What ex-

actly is the

S w e d i s hgovernment

doing to

ensure that

Eritrea -

nally com-

plies with

the request

of habeas

corpus?

- Why has

there beenno formal

contact with

the African Union or the

UN Rapporteur on Eri-

trea?

- Why has the Swedish

government imposed

no punitive measures

on Eritrean diplomats

in Stockholm as long as

Dawits fate remains un-

known?

- And is the Swedish

government prepared to

follow Canadas exam-

ple that just last monthexpelled Eritreas chief

representative in To-

ronto for refusing to

stop collecting a 2 per-

cent diaspora tax from

Eritrean citizens living

abroad, which Canada

considers in violation of

international sanctions

and Canadian law, be-

cause the money helps

fund Eritrean arms pur-

chases and the methods

used to collect the tax

violates the rights of Ca-

nadian citizens?

Before Foreign Minis-

ter Carl Bildt and Prime

Minister Fredrik Re-

infeldt leave for their

well-earned vacations, it

is time for a substantive

reply.

Arne Ruth and Susanne

Berger

Arne Ruth is a journalist and

former editor-in-chief of the

Dagens Nyheter newspaper.

Susanne Berger is a journal-

ist and historian.

Source: The Local

From page 10


12/24


Eritreas human rights sit-uation has not improved

since the Councils 2009

Universal Periodic Review.

Torture, arbitrary deten-

tion, and severe restrictions

on freedom of expression,

association, and religious

freedom remain routine.

Elections have not been

held since Eritrea gained

independence in 1993, the

constitution has never been

implemented, and politicalparties are not allowed.

There are no institutional

constraints on President

Isaias Afewerki, in power

now for 22 years.

Forced labor and indenite

military service prompt

thousands of Eritreans

to ee the country ev-

ery month. Access to the

country for international

humanitarian and humanrights organizations is al-

most impossible and the

country has no indepen-dent media. Regrettably,

there is no indication since

the 2009 UPR that the gov-

ernment is willing to un-

dertake any of the reforms

that would promote and

protect human rights.

Failure to Implement UPR

Recommendations

Eritrea has implemented

none of the Councils

major UPR 2009 recom-mendations, including the

few recommendations it

explicitly agreed to imple-

ment in its response to the

UPR: It has not acceded

to the Convention against

Torture, the ILO Conven-

tion on the Worst Forms

of Child Labour, or other

treaties.

Eritrea also failed to prog-

ress on issues addressed byrecommendations it nei-

ther accepted nor rejected:

It has taken no visible steps

to implement the constitu-tion approved in 1997. No

independent human rights

mechanism has been cre-

ated despite Eritreas as-

sertion that it accepted the

principle of establishing

one. Conditions that would

allow basic freedoms of

association and expression

are still non-existent.

Finally no progress has

been observed on issuesrelated to recommenda-

tions rejected by Eritrea

from the outset: The gov-

ernment has not released

or permitted thousands of

prisoners jailed without

trial to invoke their right

to be brought before a

judge despite acknowledg-

ing that its civil procedure

code includes that remedy.

Eritrea has consistently re-fused to cooperate with UN

human rights mechanisms

since 2000 and ignored the

requests for visits by

Special Procedures

of the Human Rights

Council, including

the Special Rappor-teur on the situation

of human rights in

Eritrea established

in July 2012. The

following sections

describe agrant

ongoing patterns of

human rights abus-

es occurring since

2009 that Human

Rights Watch is in-

dependently aware

of, based on inter-

views with refugees

and other credible

sources.

Forced Labor and

Indenite Conscrip-

tion

Although all Eritrean

citizens must by law

provide 18 months

of military service,

national service is

in practice inde-

nitely prolonged; formany conscripts it extends

for much of their working

lives. Endless conscription

amounts to violations of

the Forced Labour Con-

vention (1930, no. 29), and

the Abolition of Forced La-

bour Convention 1957, no.

105), both of which Eritrea

ratied

Eritrea claims that its na-

tional service system isnecessary to protect the

country, but conscripts are

routinely used as forced la-

bor on essentially civilian

jobs. Human Rights Watch

documented in 2013 that

several hundred conscripts

had been forced by a state-

owned construction com-

pany, Segen Construction

Co., to build infrastructure

at Eritreas only operating

mineral mine. Conscriptswere forced to work long

hours for minimal food ra-

tions, primitive lodging,

and pay inadequate to sus-

tain themselves, much less

their families. They were

not allowed to leave the

work site. One former con-script said he was jailed

for attending a relatives

funeral after his request

for leave was denied. The

Segen assignment is not

unusual. Conscripts are

routinely used as cheap

and involuntary labor on

government farms, road

building, civil service, and

other essentially civilian

activities.

Contrary to Eritreas asser-

tion in its UPR response in

2009 that there is no under-

age recruitment, children

as young as 15 are still in-

ducted and sent for military

training, according to re-

cent interviews. Evidence

gathered by Human Rights

Watch show that children

are forcibly recruited in the

military and face violence

and ill-treatment on a regu-

lar basis. Conscripts reportsevere punishment for per-

ceived infractions. There is

no mechanism for redress

of abuses.

Female conscripts are

sometimes sexually abused

or raped by their command-

ing ofcers. A 2007 study

of Eritrean women seeking

asylum reported deten-

tion (short and long term),

beatings, forced abortions(and attempted abortions),

forced heavy labor, death

threats, degrading treat-

ment, continuous sexual

violence and rape. . . .[1]

There has been no discern-

ible improvement since

2009.

Arbitrary Arrest, Prolonged

Detention, and Inhumane

Detention Conditions

Although Eritreas re-sponse to the 2009 UPR

recommendations claimed

Eritrea: Submission to the Universal Periodic Review

Please see next page


13/24


that due process is the law

of the land, torture is il-

legal, and the right to ju-

dicial review of detention

is enshrined in law, theseprotections are consistent-

ly violated.

Thousands of ordinary cit-

izens are arrested and in-

carcerated without charge,

trial, or opportunity to ap-

peal, and without access to

family, lawyers, or inde-

pendent prison monitoring

organizations, including

the International Commit-

tee of the Red Cross. Someare freed without explana-

tion after arrest and warned

not to speak to anyone

about their detention. For

example, a well-known art-

ist was twice arrested and

released without explana-

tion. Friends in a security

agency told him the second

arrest was because he talk-

ed openly about his rst ar-

rest. In 2011, he was again

arrested when he openlycriticized repression and

government animosity

against his ethnic group;

he later ed the country.

Most prisoners remain

in jail indenitely. The

most prominent prisoners

are the government of-

cials and journalists the

G-15 arrested in 2001

and never seen again. They

have never been formallycharged, much less tried,

and have now been held

incommunicado for 12

years. Absconding guards

report half of them have

died. Eritrea continues to

ignore calls for due pro-

cess, including a judicial

review of detention from

the U.N. Working Group

on Arbitrary Detention[2]

and the African Commis-

sion on Human Rights.[3]

Conditions of connement

described by former de-

tainees are often cruel and

inhuman. Death in captivi-

ty is not uncommon. Many

prisoners disappear, their

whereabouts and health

unknown to their families.

Their deaths may be the

rst time the family is in-

formed of their condition.

When a family occasion-ally is informed of a death,

they are ordered not to in-

quire about its cause.

Former prisoners continue

to describe being conned

in underground cells or in

shipping containers. They

describe overcrowded

cells and containers with

no space to lie down, little

or no light or windows, op-

pressive heat and insects.

With some exceptions,

prisoners are denied medi-

cal treatment. Food verges

on a starvation diet: one or

two pieces of bread a day,

an occasional serving of

lentils or beans, and a cup

of tea. Many interviewees

said that there was not

enough food and water.

Physical abuse and torture

in detention is common, ifvaried. Former detainees

say it always consists of

severe beatings. Detention

wardens are given free rein

to impose worse punish-

ments. A former interro-

gator frankly admitted to

Human Rights Watch he

ordered beatings of pris-

oners until they confessed

to whatever they were ac-

cused of; they were then

beaten to implicate others.A former prisoner told of

a room with three vats in

which prisoners were pro-

gressively placed if they

failed to confess, the

rst lled with cold wa-

ter, the second with wa-

ter and human waste, the

third predominantly with

human waste. Sometimes

the prisoners head would

be pushed into slime and

held down. Another pris-

oner spoke of being forced

to sit in the sun shirtless

for the day and then being

compelled to crawl along

rough ground with his el-

bows and to dig a hole a

meter deep before being

ordered to crawl back. A

prisoner complained that

after prolonged deten-

tion in the dark in an un-

derground cell, his jailers

shone bright lights in his

eyes; months later, he still

has eye pain.[4]

Eritreans forcibly repatriat-

ed to Eritrea are mistreated,

contrary to the claim in Er-

itreas 2009 UPR response

that returnees go straight

to their homes. Some

who escaped a second time

told Human Rights Watch

in 2012 they had been in-

carcerated in the typicalcrammed cells and beat-

en shortly after their re-

turn. They displayed scars

from beatings and electric

shocks. One double-es-

capee reported that several

prisoners in his group of

returnees died from their

beatings and were buried

in a large cemetery at the

penal complex.

So far as is known, no one

has been disciplined for

these abuses.

Retaliation for the Activi-

ties of Family Members

Family members of draft

evaders or national service

deserters are punished for

their relatives conduct, in-

cluding through arbitrary

arrests and detentions.

Some families are ned

Nakfa 50,000 (US$ 3,333)for evasion or desertion of a

relative. Authorities arrest-

ed the 87-year-old father,

15-year-old daughter, and

brother of a former infor-

mation minister who ed

in 2012; their whereabouts

are unknown. In July 2011,

a wife whose husband she

had not seen since he was

conscripted two years ear-

lier was denied food rations

when she told authoritiesshe did not know his loca-

tion. Her children were ex-

pelled from school. Anoth-

er woman was arrested in

2009 and beaten when she

failed to disclose her hus-

bands whereabouts. She

was arrested again in 2011

while living in another city

and accused of helping her

son ee. After eight days

and daily beatings she was

released but ordered topay N100,000. Yet another

woman told of being jailed

raped for ve nights by the

prisons chief interroga-

tor when her husband ed.

After she bled profusely

and miscarried, she was

released in the care of her

father. When she later ed

the country, her father was

arrested, beaten, and jailed

for a month until he paid

N50,000.

Families in Eritrea are also

Eritrea: Submission to the Universal . . .

Fromp page 12

Please see page 14


14/24


punished and threatened

when relatives living abroad

fail to pay a 2% tax on for-

eign income, retroactive to

1992. The tax obligationis imposed on all persons

of Eritrean origin, includ-

ing those who abandoned

Eritrean citizenship or have

dual nationality. Failure

to pay the tax can result

in revocations of resident

families business licenses,

conscations of houses and

other property, and refusals

to issue passports to allow

reunication of children and

spouses with their overseasparent or spouse, according

to family members inter-

viewed by Human Rights

Watch.

Denial of Religious Free-

dom

Eritrean citizens continue to

be punished for practicing a

religion other than the four

that the government controls

or recognizes. Although

other religious groups have

attempted to register since

2002, the government ig-

nores their applications.

The government has also in-

terfered with the leadership

of the Orthodox Church and

Sunni Islam. It deposed the

Orthodox patriarch in 2007

and still holds him in incom-

municado house arrest.

Among many other cases, aPentecostal refugee said her

husband, a fellow believer,

was arrested in 2009 after

they held church ceremo-

nies at their house. She has

not heard from him since. In

2011 she was jailed and re-

leased only after she agreed

to sign a government-pre-

pared document renouncing

her religion. A Pentecostal

conscript caught possess-

ing a Bible at training camp

was physically abused in

2009 and Bible publicly

burned. In 2011, he was ar-

rested after authorities at

his college discovered his

participation in Bible stud-

ies. He was beaten so badly

in prison that he still bears

scars. A Muslim conscript

had his Koran conscated

at Sawain 2011; he was 16

at the time. He said other

Muslims were punished for

reading the Koran or for

praying by being forced to

lug 25 kg containers of sand

about and by being tied up

on the ground in the sun for

hours or days.

Eritrea makes no allowance

for conscientious objection.

Imprisonment for consci-

entious objection lasts far

longer than the statutory 18-month service obligation.

Three Jehovahs Witnesses

arrested in 1994 because

they refused to perform

military (but not civilian)

duties, remain incarcerated

incommunicado 19 years

later. At least 11 other Jeho-

vahs Witnesses have shared

their fate during the past de-

cade.

Interference with Freedomof Expression and Associa-

tion

Eritrea closed all local press

outlets in 2001 and arrest-

ed their journalists, all of

whom remain jailed. De-

spite government assertions,

it has taken no steps to per-

mit an independent domes-

tic press. The only domestic

sources of information since

2001 are the governments

outlets. Telephone and in-

ternet communications are

monitored. No foreign news

organization is accredited.

Although foreign language

transmissions are accessible,

the government jammed Al-

Jazeera earlier in 2013;it

continually jams overseas

Tigrinya transmissions. In

2009 and 2011, it arrested

journalists at government

broadcasting stations; at

least six remain in solitary

connement without trial.

No civil society organiza-

tions are allowed. Labor

unions remain a govern-

ment monopoly.

Situation of Eritrean Ref-

ugees in Host Countries

The human rights crisis

in Eritrea continues to

spur enormous numbers

of Eritreans to ee the

country despite shoot-to-kill orders and extreme

dangers along migration

routes. Countries hosting

Eritrean refugees should

fulll their international

obligations to protect them

and desist from involuntary

returns. We urge the Coun-

cil to adopt the Special Rap-porteurs recommendations

that all countries protect

these vulnerable and abused

exiles.

Recommendations

During the Universal Peri-

odic Review, States should

re-assert the recommen-

dations made in 2009 and

support those in the Special

Rapporteurs report, as well

as urge Eritrea to cooperate

with the Special Rapporteur

on the situation of human

rights in Eritrea. The gov-

ernment of Eritrea should

also be recommended to:

Unconditionally release,

or charge and bring before

a court law all persons ar-

bitrarily detained, including

the so-called G-15.

Inform the families of the

locations of those held in-

communicado and facilitate

visits.

Immediately respect in-

ternational standards of law

in the treatment of prisoners

including providing prison-

ers adequate food, water,

and medical assistance and

ending overcrowding; allow

independent monitors ac-

cess to all known and secret

Eritrean detention facilities;

notify family members of

the whereabouts of detain-ees; and restore visiting

rights and access to legal

representation.

Investigate and prosecute

all government ofcials

suspected of torture or cruel

and degrading treatment of

detainees and national ser-

vice conscripts.

Establish independent

courts and permit full en-

forcement of writ of habeas

corpus.Stop punishing family

members for actions of rela-

tives.

Allow citizens to practice

their religions peacefully;

end discrimination against

Jehovahs Witnesses; and

release the Eritrean Ortho-

dox patriarch from homedetention.

Permit independent non-

governmental organizations,

including labor unions, to

operate without interfer-

ence.

Rescind the suspension of

the private press and permit

the establishment of inde-

pendent media outlets.

End indenite national

service; begin phased demo-

bilization for those servingfor more than the statutory

18 months; and allow sub-

stitute service for conscien-

tious objectors.

Stop using national ser-

vice conscripts as forced

labor.

Implement the 1997

constitution, approve a po-

litical party law, and begin

preparations for democratic

elections with international

monitoring throughout the

process.

Issue standing invitations

to UN special procedures,

and allow independent

monitors such as the Inter-

national Committee of the

Red Cross (ICRC) and UN

and African Commission

special mechanisms access

(such as the Special Rap-

porteur on torture and other

cruel, inhuman or degrading

treatment or punishment) to

Eritreas detention facili-

ties.

ign, ratify, and enforce the

Convention against Torture;

the Rome Statute; the Inter-

national Convention for the

Protection of All Persons

from Enforced Disappear-

ance; Optional Protocols

to the International Cov-

enant on Civil and Political

Rights; and the Internation-

al Labour Organizations

Worst Forms of Child La-bour Convention.

Eritrea: Submission to the Universal . . .

From page 13


15/24



16/24


Please see page 17

small- and medium-sized

apartment, condominium

and ofce buildings that

dont currently have a bre

connection.To be frank, its uneco-

nomical to serve a single

client, with the construc-

tion costs that are involved

to run bre to one particu-

lar tenant to the building,

Kuhnke explained in a

phone interview.

Thats why he is targeting

as clients the owners and

managers of both existing

buildings and those that

are about to be built infact, he said, costs are sig-

nicantly reduced if plans

to run bre to the building

are made during pre-con-

struction planning.

Building owners and One-

Gigabit would share the

cost of running the bre

to the building, which is

cheap if its strung on tele-

phone poles and more ex-

pensive if it is run under-

ground using a technique

called microtrenching. The

bre inside the building,

connecting directly to each

unit, would be paid for and

owned by the building it-

self.

Read why Canadian broad-

band rates vary so much

In cases where the build-

ings location makes -

bre installation problem-

atic, Kuhnke has a backupstrategy he is installing

rooftop microwave trans-

mitters similar to those

used by mobile phone car-

riers to beam the data from

building to building.

According to OneGigabit,

the technology can transmit

data at up to two gigabits

per second over distances

of up to eight kilometres.

OneGigabit would coverthe cost of the network-

ing equipment, and build-

ing owners would commit

to a monthly fee per unit

for internet service for a

xed length of time, such

as three years, with the op-

tion to continue the service

after the contract is up.

That fee, which would

vary between $45 and $65

per month depending on

the cost of connecting that

particular building, could

be passed on to residents

in their maintenance fees.Residents would have

the option of subscribing

to competing services if

they wish, but the building

would still have to pay the

contracted fee to OneGiga-

bit for its service.

Kuhnke, whose start-up is

backed by two private in-

vestors, said advances in

technology are what has

made his business model

viable.

We could not have done

this two years ago or even

18 months ago, he said.

The radio equipment was

half the speed and double

the cost.

The cost of bre has also

fallen dramatically in re-

cent years, thanks to the

economies of scale pro-

vided by its large-scaleinstallation in Taiwan and

China, said Kuhnke, who

spent many years working

in Asia as a network and

telecom contractor.

Those cities are so far

ahead of us.

Compare internet rates

across Canada

Kuhnke said that, follow-

ing OneGigabits launch

last week, the company

quickly signed up a condo

developer who wants to

get bre in before the con-

crete for the foundation ispoured as well as another

real estate company that

is renovating a building

in Vancouvers Gastown

neighbourhood in order to

attract tenants at a higher

lease rate.

He added that if OneGiga-

bit does well in Vancouver,

he would like to expand it

to other urban centres in

Canada.

Theres no reason why it

cant work

Catherine Middleton, a

professor at Ryerson Uni-

versity who holds a Canada

Research Chair in Commu-

nication Technologies, told

CBCNews.ca in an email

that she expects Kuhnkes

business model to be suc-

cessful, since it allows for

nancing of the network

and provides a high-quali-ty service to residents.

From page 22

Ultrafast internet service launched . . .

Worries that after years

of strong sales, the smart-

phone market may be satu-

rated are weighing down

cellphone makers likeSamsung and HTC, both

of which released discour-

aging numbers on Friday.

Despite registering a 47

per cent jump in prot and

selling a large number of

Galaxy S4 smartphones

10 million in the month

of May Samsung saw

its stock fall after the South

Korean company warned it

wont be able to grow sales

as quickly as it has in thepast. Samsung shares are

down 16.75 per cent this

year.

HTC, which makes the

popular HTC One smart-

phone, reported its sales

for June were down 26 per

cent from a year ago, cit-

ing increased competition.

The Taiwanese companys

stock is down 32 per cent

this year on the Taiwan

Stock Exchange.

Fewer wow features

Companies and analysts

are increasingly concerned

that sales of high-end

smartphones can no longer

grow at the rate they have

over the past few years.

It has become harder to im-

press buyers with new fea-

tures in upgraded models

as most smartphones offersimilar functions. Fewer

wow factors

in new smart-

phones mean

people will

not upgrade

as quickly as

they did when

the devices

were still a

novelty, forc-

ing device

makers to

spend moreon splashy

adver t i s ing

and market-

ing.

With year-to-year improve-

ments seen as marginal, it

can be difcult to convinceconsumers to break a con-

tract early or switch from a

phone theyre comfortable

with.

Meanwhile, emerging mar-

ket sales are increasingly

dominated by lower-cost

phones from Chinas Hua-

wei and ZTE, as consum-

ers in those markets cannot

afford phones costing hun-

dreds of dollars.

Smartphone makers feel

the pinch

All ve major smartphone

makers Samsung, Ap-

ple, HTC, BlackBerry and

Nokia have seen their

stocks drop this year, while

the S&P 500, a broad index

of U.S. companies, is up by

nearly 14 per cent.

BlackBerrys stock has

dropped 19.5 per cent on

the Nasdaq, as sales of itsnew BlackBerry Z10 and

Q10 failed to meet ex-

pectations. It also expects

more losses in the future.

Apple, long seen as the

leader of the smartphone

market, has cut the num-

ber of iPhones it intends

to make this year from 40

million to 25 million, ac-

cording to analyst Peter

Misek.

Source: CBC

Smartphone saturationfears hurt device makers


17/24


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Len Waverman, Dean of the

DeGroote School of Busi-

ness at McMaster University

in Hamilton, and a researcher

whose specialties include the

telecommunications busi-

ness, said he thinks the mi-

crowave technology that

Kuhnke is taking advantage

of is very exciting.

Theres no reason why it

cant work, he said, al-

though he cautioned that mi-

crowave transmission is less

reliable than bre, especially

in bad weather.

Waverman said he could see

a demand for gigabit speeds

among smaller businesses,

but he questioned whether

many people would want it

in their homes.

I just dont see what a gig to

the home would do, he said.

Its nice to say you have it avail-

able, but if youre using it just to

download lots of movies, I dont

see what the business proposition

behind that [would be].

Middleton said affordability is

the key to consumer demand.

She noted that a 2012 CRTC re-

port showed 75 per cent of Ca-

nadian households had access to

download speeds of 50 megabitsper second or higher in 2011, but

at that time only 0.3 per cent of

households subscribed to those

speeds.

She added, If the price were com-

parable to lower speed services, as

it is in Kansas City [with Google

Fiber], I expect that demand would

be high.

Source: CBC

Emily Chung

Ultrafast internet service . . .From page 16


18/24


Benito Floro has more than

a few treasured memories

of managing Real Madrid.

But one stands out for the

61-year-old Spaniard, who

was in charge of the Span-

ish giant from 1992 to 1994

and served as director of

football at the Bernabeu in

2006.

The best was when we

beat Barcelona, playing

well, Floro said through

an interpreter.

Having once managed whatis currently the worlds

most valuable soccer club

team, Floros brief now is

to help Canada beat the

likes of Honduras, Panama

and others in CONCACAF

and move closer to an elu-

sive World Cup berth.

In addition to serving as

Canadian manager, Floro

also takes over a national

Olympic (under-23) team

which has failed to qualify

for the Games since 1984.

For some, taking over a

country ranked 88th in

the world, 10th in CON-

CACAF and with just

three pro teams largely

stocked with foreigners

and turning it into a winner

would be mission impos-

sible.

But Floro seems to relish

the challenge that is Cana-

dian soccer.

Muchisimo, he said Fri-

day. A lot, said his inter-preter.

He succeeds Stephen Hart,

who stepped down in Oc-

tober following the nation-

al teams humiliating exit

from World Cup qualify-

ing via an 8-1 loss in Hon-

duras.

In getting Floro, the Ca-

nadian Soccer Association

has landed a career coach

who has managed club

sides in Spain, Ecuador,

Japan, Mexico and Mo-

rocco.

Floro turned heads some

20 years ago when he led

Albacete Balompie from

the third division to Spains

elite league in three sea-

sons. Real Madrid subse-

quently hired him, with

Floro taking the team to a

second-place league nish

and Copa del Ray triumph.

Real went on to win the

Spanish Supercup but Flo-

ro was red the following

season.

He then coached Sporting

Gijon, Villareal and Mal-

lorca in Spain, Vissel Kobe

in Japan, Monterrey in

Mexico, Barcelona SD in

Ecuador, and Wydad Casa-

blanca in Morocco.

Away from the pitch, he

has served as a TV analyst

and was a member of FI-

FAs technical group at the

2012 Club World Cup.

We felt that at this time in

our country, that the person

(getting the job) needed to

be not just a coach. But

also a person that brought

vast experience from all

over the world to a country

that has been quite frankly

lacking in that type of per-

sonality, said CSA presi-

dent Victor Montagliani.

The CSA boss might have

been forgetting Holger

Osieck, who took over the

Canadian team in 1999,

having been part of theGerman coaching staff

that won the World Cup in

1990. Osieck had managed

in Germany, Japan and

Turkey before taking over

Canada.

On Friday, Floro spoke en-

thusiastically in Spanish,

English and French at an

introductory news confer-

ence. He used an interpret-

er during a question-and-

answer session but was

able to communicate in

English which he called

his third language.

Floros contract includes

several options and could

run through the next two

World Cup qualifying

rounds for the 2018 and

2022 tournaments. Canada,

which has only ever made

it to the 1986 World Cup,

will be a spectator against

in 2014.

You have to walk before

you can run, Montagli-

ani said. The rst objec-

tive is obviously to get us

to the Hex (the nal round

of qualifying in CONCA-

CAF). You cant get into

the World Cup if you dont

get into the Hex ... once

you get into the Hex, as

weve seen this year, any-

thing can happen.

Costa Rica, Honduras, Ja-

maica, Mexico, Panama

and the U.S., are currently

competing in the Hex or

Hexagonal nal round of

qualifying. The top three

will qualify for the 2014

World Cup, with the fourth-

place team taking on New

Zealand in a playoff to join

them from CONCACAF,which covers North and

Central America and the

Caribbean.

Well-rounded resume

Floro ticks off more than a

few boxes, leaving Cana-

dian soccer ofcials beam-

ing at Fridays news con-

ference.

He has extensive manage-

rial experience around the

Benito Floro named Canadian men's

soccer coach

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Meftih July 2013 Volume 8 Issue 10:: page 20

Editors: Grace Cherian

Photographer: Mulugeta Zergaber

Contributors: Mohamed EdrisNaza HasebenebiMedhin Ghebreslasie, Amleset Tesfay, Bode Odetoy-

inbo, Mimi Chandy, Ken NtiamoaSubscription Costsin Canada $39 for a year and $59 for two years. In USA, it costs $45 fora year and $69 for two years.

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Aaron Berhane260 Adelaide St. E. Toronto,

ON. M5A 1N1 # 192

Tel: 416-824-8124Fax: 416-783-7850

[email protected]

www.meftih.ca

globe, including time in

CONCACAF powerhouse

Mexico. Having Real Ma-

drid on your resume is im-

pressive, even if 19 man-agers have followed him

there since.

Admit it. When was the

last time you heard Real

Madrid and the Canadian

Soccer Association in the

same sentence?

Being from Spain, which

currently rules the soccer

roost, doesnt hurt either.

Its like the Spanish ice

hockey federation signing

a Canuck.

In hiring the charismatic

Floro, Canada also likely

gets access to some ex-

cellent connections. One

doesnt manage as long as

Floro without assembling

an impressive Rolodex.

It changes the ability and

the accessibility of Canada

to a different world, said

Montagliani. A lot of

doors are now open.

In fact, Floro who con-

siders himself a coach of

coaches came to the

CSAs attention through

Montaglianis friendshipwith his Spanish counter-

part.

While this is Floros rst

national team job, he came

close to being named man-

ager of Spain after Inaki

Saez resigned following

Spains failure to advance

past the rst round of Euro

2004.

Asked about it, Floro

paused and took his time

before responding.

It was a difcult situation

for the (Spanish federa-

tion) president, he said.

He chose me but the me-dia was pressuring him to

(choose) another.

Floro backed down to take

the pressure off Angel Ma-

ria Villar, president of the

Royal Spanish Football

Federation, who was a

friend.

Luis Aragones got the

Spain job instead.

Montagliani downplayed

Floros lack of national

team coaching experience.

Lets be honest. Look at

the clubs hes coached,

he said. When you stand

on the sidelines of (the

85,000-seat stadium) Bern-

abeu and youre coach-ing El Clasico (against FC

Barcelona), Im not sure

coaching the national team

is that intimidating.

Floro, who plans to make

his home in Toronto, will

be assisted by his son An-

tonio Floro.

The Canadian men are cur-

rently at the Gold Cup, thechampionship for North

and Central America and

the Caribbean, under inter-

im coach Colin Miller.

Floro will ofcially start

Aug. 1 but will be at the

Gold Cup as an observer.

Montagliani said the CSA

received more than 100 ap-

plications, with 15 getting

serious consideration.

Source: The Canadian Press

From page 18

Benito Floro named . . .

There are a lot of stories

in Canadian soccer that

tend to fade from memory

quickly.

Whether it is a case of atalented kid who slipped

through the cracks, failing

to reach his potential, or

a matter of simply forget-

ting where we came from,

while we charge headlong

into the future.

Canadian soccer has a hab-

it of forgetting its history.

While most of the soc-

cer fans in this country

watched with rapt attention

last weekend as Brazil put

on a clinic against Spain at

the Confederations Cup,

few would nd it easy to

remember that 12 years

ago it was Canada facing

off against Brazil in that

same tournament.

The story from that Con-

federations Cup, one that

saw Canada fail to win a

game, but also witnessedthem battle to a 0-0 draw

against that famed team in

yellow, holds many truths

for the sport in this coun-

try.

CBC spoke to three players

who were there in 2001.

They are now each key

inuences over the game

here. Their memories,

while varied, help to push

back the fog on that time

and tell us where the gamehas been, where its going

and where well continue

to fail unless we change

our course of action.

Transforming player de-

velopment

A former international who

played in England for much

of his career, Jason De Vos

is now a colour commen-

tator and soccer analyst

on TSN. He is also one of

the driving forces behind a

movement to transform the

way Canada develops its

players.

It was something he says

began with a realization at

the Confederations Cup.

It was a difcult tourna-

ment, he said. You look

at the calibre of the teams

that were in there in 2001:

France, Brazil, Mexico,

Australia, Cameroon, Ja-

pan. Japan was fantastic.

I saw so much from them.

It really opened my eyes to

what the game should be

about.

Canada managed to hold

the emerging powerhouseto 0-0 in the rst half of the

opening game but eventu-

ally Japans skill overpow-

ered the Canucks in what

would eventually be a 3-0

defeat.

What really impressed

me about Japan was their

technical prociency,

said De Vos. For most of

us, for most of our play-

ers, we were playing at

the time in second-tierlevels - whether it was in

England or Germany, bull-

ish leagues. For us to play

against a team like Japan it

really hammered home that

to play at the highest level

of the game, to challenge

for a place at the World

Cup, you really have to be

supremely gifted in your

technical ability.

If we can learn from that

as a nation, look at what

Japan has done, and im-

plement even some of the

things that theyve done, it

would go a long way to us

producing better technical

players.

Impressive performance

Craig Forrest played top

ight football in England

for over 15 years as a

keeper. Hes now a host of

Soccer Central on Sports-

net and the colour com-

mentator for a number of

national team games.

He too remembers being

impressed in the Japan

game - but not by their op-

ponents performance, but

by theirs.

The rst game against Ja-

pan, we lost 3-0, he said.

But the rst half was prob-

ably the best rst half Ive

seen from a national team

in this country - other than

nishing. It was incredibly

disappointing because we

had played very well and

not converted any of our

chances.

Japan was clinical though.They were able to score

some quick ones in the

second half, through fan-

Canada can learn from past Confed-

erations Cup experiences

please see page 22


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Technology & Science

Please see page 23

tastic on the deck play and

it kind of took the shine off

an otherwise good perfor-

mance.

For Forrest, the missed

opportunities extend well

beyond just the nishing.

They include a number of

players walking away from

Canada over the years, as

well.

The difference back then

was that players were there

to play for Canada, said

Forrest. There was not re-

ally anybody going to play

for anybody else, or look atwhat their best options in

other countries were. The

way the rules are presented

now, with Canadian play-

ers not being actually tied

with any country until they

play a competitive match -

which, for Canada, would

be Gold Cup or World Cup

qualifying - it has made it

incredibly difcult for us.

Forrest sees a hard road

ahead, as well, if we dontnd a way to start identi-

fying our top talent early

and bringing them into the

system.

Its going to be difcult

going forward, he said.

Were going to have some

players with dual passports

move over to Europe at a

young age, then theyll

suddenly appear, well try

to get a hold of them and

theyll make a decision.

I think that doesnt bode

well for us.

The squad you need to get

is a bunch of guys who are

willing to play for Canada.

That was a big thing for

our squad. We didnt get a

lot of attention in Canada,

but it didnt matter to the

players involved. We were

really, really proud to play

for our national team.

Wealth of experience

Nick Dasovic has played

for teams all over the

world. Hes also coached

for teams all over the con-

tinent - including Vancou-

ver, Toronto and San Jose,where he is now an assis-

tant.

Additionally, as a Cana-

da U-20 coach hes had a

wealth of experience in

seeing where the current

program is going.

I remember being part of

the game that Canada tied

Brazil 1-1 in Edmonton, a

friendly, he said. And in

that game we were playingtheir A squad. For me that

was more satisfying than

the 0-0 draw against Brazil

at the Confederations Cup.

To play on that stage was

just so rewarding in of it-

self though.

Any time you play against

the team in yellow, you

know youre playing one

of the best teams in the

world. We felt to get that

0-0 draw, even against

their B side in 2001, was

an accomplishment.

In a country where the suc-

cesses are eeting, you

have to take them where

you can. It was a high wa-

ter mark for that genera-

tion.

For Dasovic, that has

meant taking real stock of

the current crop of playersCanada has and identify-

ing how to ensure they nd

their own means of suc-

cess.

Those players that have

been identied for the

program, and are going

to make up the squad go-

ing forward, how much

are they going to be able

to play club football be-

tween now and when the

next qualifying cycle kicksoff? Dasovic asked. I

think it comes down to we

had a group of guys [at the

Confederations Cup] who

were playing regular rst-

team minutes with their

club teams, playing regular

international games back.

Thats crucial when you goto play for your national

team. Youre t, ready to

go and in a competitive

state of mind.

Lessons learned

For all three, there are a

number of factors that

Canada can learn from that

Confederations Cup period

and be applied to today.

For DeVos, its about en-suring we plan for the fu-

ture.

If I look back on that

time, I think the one thing

that disappointed me the

most was the legacy that

we could have left that we

never did, he said. We

could have made massive

changes to soccer but nev-

er did. Probably because

the CSA, at that time, were

not equipped to facilitate

those changes, in the key

positions like directors and

executives.

I think were in a position

now, with the CSA execu-

tives we have, to be able to

make massive changes.

For Forrest, he agrees that

opportunities have been

missed.

I think its disappointing

in recent years we havent

been able to pick-up the

likes of Jonathan DeGuz-

man and Junior Hoilett,

Forrest said. I think we

missed something signi-

cant there. Nowadays you

look at MLS and hope that

the three Canadian clubs

will produce and play our

players. And we absolutely

have to change that rule

that Canadians have to beclassied as foreigners on

U.S. teams.

Canada can learn from past . . .

From page 20

A new Vancouver-based in-

ternet provider says it willbe offering bre internet at

a speed of one gigabit per

second 60 times faster

than the Canadian average

for a comparable price

to that lumbering average

connection.

OneGigabit, a small start-

up launched by computer

networking and telecom-

munications specialist Eric

Kuhnke, says that for $45

to $65 a month, he will

be offering speeds com-

parable to those offered

by Google Fiber, and also

with no bandwidth caps.

Googles blazing-fast in-

ternet service caused a

buzz in the U.S. when it

rst launched last summer

in Kansas City, Kan., and

Kansas City, Mo., for a

modest $70 a month.

A recent report from in-ternet metrics company

Ookla showed the average

monthly Canadian internet

bill is $54 for an average

download speed of just

16.6 megabits per second.

A gigabit per second is the

equivalent of 1000 mega-

bits per second.

According to Google,

with its gigabit connection

speed:

You can stream at least

ve high-denition videos

at the same time (allowing

multiple people to watch

different things in different

rooms of a house or down-

load).

You can download an entire

14-gigabyte digital movie

in less than two minutes.

You can transfer data over

the internet faster than you

can write it to a thumb

drive.But ultra-fast internet

speeds are typically only

possible if the last mile

the wiring that connectsa building to the rest of a

telecommunications net-

work is made of bre

optic cable. That is only

the case if the traditional

copper wiring has been

recently upgraded to bre

technology.

Because of that, the avail-

ability of bre internet is

limited in Canada, mainly

to certain buildings and

neighbourhoods in urbancentres, and it isnt cheap.

Advertised bre internet

packages from major inter-

net providers such as Bell,

Rogers and Shaw top out

at 175 to 250 megabits per

second and cost $115 to

$226 a month.

In Vancouver, Shaw of-

fers one gigabit per second

internet service in small

pockets and 250 megabitservice in other areas for

$115 per month. Novus,

a Vancouver-based inter-

net provider launched by

the Concord Pacic Real

Estate Group, offers 300

megabit per second ser-

vice for $113 a month in

certain buildings in B.C.s

lower mainland, mostly

highrises, including many

built by Concord Pacic,

which put bre optic cable

in them when they were

constructed.

However, Kuhnke esti-

mates that 98 per cent of

Vancouver buildings dont

have bre, and most build-

ings that do are large ofce

towers.

Real estate clients targeted

OneGigabits plan is to

negotiate with real estate

owners, managers and de-velopers and hook up entire

Ultrafast internet servicelaunched by Vancouver

startup

Please see page 16


23/24


There is no doubt were

getting screwed there. Butwith the players playing

abroad we need to instill

in them a desire to play for

Canada.

Dasovic also points to the

need for support from the

Canadian clubs - some-

thing they didnt really

have in 2001 - but also

puts the onus squarely on

the players to earn their

chances.

Im not having a go at

the Canadian clubs, Da-

sovic said. But in general

we dont have a lot of our

players getting games. Itsa tough one - coaches are

coming to those cities,

they need to win games. To

them, its irrelevant where

youre from, their job is to

win with the best possible

players.

Thats not an excuse

though, he stresses. Case

and point, a number of

Canadas players at the up-

coming Gold Cup arent

seeing regular rst-teamminutes.

Its up to this new crop of

players to take ownership

in their own lot in life, he

said. If theyre not play-

ing, why arent you play-

ing? Work harder. I think a

lot of times we say theyre

not getting the chance. I

think that in football and in

life, that if you work hard

enough, you do the right

things, that eventually

youll get that chance. Its

up to you to be ready.

Im not necessarily saying

thats the case with these

players, but for Canada weshouldnt be blaming ex-

ternal factors and perhaps

looking internally.

DeVos stresses something

similar regarding account-

ability.

When we look at our na-

tional team program, were

often reactive, he said. I

think were at a point where

we cant do that anymore.

Were so far behind people

that were competing for

World Cup places that we

need to take responsibil-

ity and be proactive. And

to do that, we have to put

a very structured develop-ment plan in place for our

young players.

Forrest sums up the links

between the Confederation

Cup age and today nicely.

Until we take the game

seriously in Canada, on a

mass level, its always go-

ing to be a challenge for

us, he said. We need a

development plan. We need

to learn from our mistakes

and nd ways to retain

more players. Otherwise

we will continue to play

the same story out - over

and over - talking about

the same things another 12years down the road.

Source: CBC

Ben Rycroft

From page 22

Canada can learn from past . . .

Prime Minister Stephen

Harper is sticking to his

story in the Senate expense

scandal, maintaining his

former chief of staff act-

ed alone in paying Mike

Duffys invalid expense

claims.

Harper repeated on Sat-

urday that it was Nigel

Wrights decision to give

Duffy $90,000 out of his

own pocket to reimbursethe Senate and he must

take the responsibility.

It was a decision of Mr.

Wright and he will be

held accountable for that,

Harper told a news confer-

ence that he called to com-

ment on a train derailment

and re in Lac-Mgantic,

Que., earlier that day.

Court documents released

Friday contradict Harpers

version of the events in-

volving Wrights payment

to Duffy.

RCMP said in one of thedocuments that Wright

recalled telling three oth-

er senior employees in

the Prime Ministers Of-

ce about the payment.

The claim is at odds with

Harpers assertion in the

House of Commons last

month that his ex-chief of

staff didnt tell him or any-one else in his ofce about

handing over the money.

However, Harper said Sat-

urday that he doesnt see

any contradiction.

I think if you read the af-

davit it makes very clear

that the decision to pay

money to Mr. Duffy out

of Mr Wrights personal

funds was made solely by

Mr. Wright and was his re-sponsibility, Harper told

the news conference.

Obviously, had I known

about this earlier I would

never have allowed this

to take place. When I an-

swered questions about this

in the House of Commons

I answered questions to the

best of my knowledge,

said Harper, who reiterated

he only learned of the mat-

ter when it became public

in mid-May.

Wrights lawyers back up

Harpers contention in the

court documents.

However an opposition

MP said he doubts Canadi-

ans are buying that Harperknew nothing about the

payment.

Its really depressing to

see the prime minister of

Canada acting like the pi-

ano player in the bordello

saying he didnt know what

was going on upstairs,

said New Democrat Char-

lie Angus.

I think given whats com-

ing out in the afdavitswhats coming out in the

police investigation, Mr

Harpers excuses are wear-

ing a little thin and he

needs to do better.

Wrights lawyers say oth-

ers told of payment

Wright had not been in-

terviewed by Mounties at

the time the document was

led in court by lead in-

vestigator Cpl. Greg Hor-

ton, on June 24. But thedocument recounts a June

19 meeting with Wrights

lawyers, Patrick McCann

and Peter Mantas.

The lawyers told the

RCMP that Wright recalls

telling his assistant, David

van Hemmen, Harperslegal adviser, Benjamin

Perrin, and Chris Wood-

cock, director of issues

management in the Prime

Ministers Ofce, about

his intention to give Duffy

the money to reimburse the

Senate for dubious housing

expenses.

Perrin, who has since

left the PMO, has denied

he was consulted or par-

ticipated in any arrange-ment between Duffy and

Wright.

On Saturday, Harper did

not address the claim in

the document that Wright

told senior members in the

PMO about his plans to

make a payment.

Wright resigned as Harp-

ers chief of staff in May,

ve days after news of his

gift to Duffy leaked out.

Opposition parties said

Friday that the court docu-

ment shows Harper misled

Parliament.

Harper maintains ex-chief of staffacted alone in Duffy case

Please see page 24


24/24


According to Horton,

Wright also told Sen. Irving

Gerstein, who controls the

Conservative partys purse

strings, about his intention

to give Duffy the money to

reimburse the Senate.

Wrights lawyers told the

RCMP the party was ini-

it discovered the price tag

was three times steeper

than originally thought.

Wright then offered to cov-

er the cost for Duffy.

Horton noted in the docu-

ments that the RCMP has

not yet interviewed Duffyor Wright.

Harper maintains . . .From page 23

Though Canadas unem-

ployment rate held steady

in June at 7.1 per cent,

many economists believeit would have dropped if

there were more skilled

workers to ll the increas-

ing number of positions

going unlled in Canadas

trades sector.

One of those is Michael

Bloom, vice-president

of organizational effec-

tiveness and learning at

the Conference Board of

Canada. In an interview on

CBCs Lang & OLearyExchange, he said the

government needs to do

more to encourage young

Canadians to enter skilled

trades.

In June, the unemployment

rate among those age 15-

24 rose to 13.8 per cent, up

from 13.6 per cent in May,

as more young Canadians

entered the labour market.

Those are the people thathave to be convinced to

enter skilled trades, Bloom

says.

Only 6 per cent of stu-

dents in upper secondary

school, within 2 years of

completing high school,

have actually chosen to go

along a vocational path to-

wards a trade or technical

occupation.

We dont get enough of

that here, especially com-

pared to the Europeans.

In many northern and cen-

tral European countries,

including Switzerland and

Germany, there are robust

apprenticeship programs.

In both of those countries,

youth unemployment is

very low compared to Can-

ada and the U.S.

A big problem, Bloom

says, is the negative reputa-tion associated with skilled

trades.

Somehow we need to do

more in this country to cre-

ate a sense of the value of

[being in a skilled trade].

The idea that trades pay

less is also outdated, Bloom

says, as pay in most trades

can be as high as profes-

sions requiring a univer-

sity degree. Those benetsneed to be communicated

to Canadian high school

students to help close the

skills gap, Bloom argues.

Its not about not earning

a good living, its about

making the choices at the

right time for yourself, and

then going where the jobs

are.

June job numbershighlight Canadas job

mismatch

TORONTO -- Flipping a

light switch doesnt nor-

mally conjure images of a

defecating rhino, but a nov-

el project at Toronto Zoo

might just change that.

An energy plant project set

for construction in 2014

will turn manure into elec-

tricity for Ontarios powergrid, after a 50-day diges-

tion process.

It works basically like

a big concrete stomach,

said Daniel Bida, executive

director of the ZooShare

project.

The power plant plans to

harness the energy of ex-

crement by taking 3,000

tonnes of manure from

rhinos and other large ani-

mals at the zoo as well as

14,000 tonnes of grocery

store waste and breaking

it down to produce a com-

bination of electricity, heat

and fertilizer.

The waste mixture will be

fed into an anaerobic di-

gestion chamber -- which

is kept at the same temper-ature as a cows stomach

-- and millions of bacte-

ria slowly break down the

waste.

The mixture is constantly

stirred, Bida said. After

almost two months, the re-

sult is a fertilizer product

and a combination of meth-

ane and carbon dioxide.

The gases are then burned

to produce electricity.

We are essentially able

to operate the plant for 24hours a day, seven days a

week as long as the waste

keeps coming and the

bacteria keeps eating, he

said.

The project moved a step

closer to reality recently,

when the ZooShare Biogas

Co-operative signed a 20-

year contract with the On-

tario Power Authority.

The power we all con-

sume when we turn on the

lights, itll be part of that,

marily around Duffys

claim that his primary resi-

dence is a cottage in Prince

Edward Island, not his

longtime home in Ottawa.

It has expanded to involve

ineligible Senate travel

expenses Duffy claimed

while on vacation or cam-

paigning in the 2011 elec-

tion for Conservative can-didates, who also paid his

Energy project will turn manurefrom Toronto Zoo to electricity

Ontarios power grid will

receive the equivalent en-

ergy to what 250 homes

consume every year, Bida

said.

ZooShare currently has

over 120 co-operative

members who have so far

invested $460,000, though

its estimated the plant willcost $5.4 million to build.

The plant is to be built on

Toronto Zoo grounds, and

was initially planned to be-

gin operations in 2012 until

there were delays with the

feed-in-tariff contract and

a land lease agreement.

It wasnt always a sure

thing, Bida said. Were

all extremely excited.

The idea for the manure-

to-electricity conserva-

tion plant came from theToronto Zoo itself, which

searched for compatible

projects for years.

It represents an excellent

opportunity to showcase

the bio gas process, said

Paul Whittam, manager of

zoo nancial services.

He added that the plant

comes at no nancial cost

to Toronto Zoo.

It ts in so well with the

zoos mandate of conser-

vation, education and sus-

meftih-july2013

Documents