the brant advocate, issue 35, july/august 2014

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE | WWW.BRANTADVOCATE.COM | FREE | AUGUST 2014PRINT | TELEVISION | PODCAST | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

“There's a train leavin'nightly called When All

is Said and Done”~ Warren Zevon

Ph

oto

Co

urt

esy o

f Id

a A

da

mo

wic

z

BRANTFORD’S ONLY GLUTEN FREE

BAKERY & EATING ESTABLISHMENT

BRANT NEWS READER’S CHOICE

“BEST BAKERY”WWW.SOPHIASBAKERY.CA

CORNER OF KING & COLBORNE

DOWNTOWN BRANTFORD

519.209.5606

DINE IN • TAKE OUT • CATERING

TUES-FRI 9-5 - SAT 9-3 - CLOSED SUN / MON

WHAT’S HAPPENINGDOWNTOWN BRANTFORD?

Jul-24 Thursday Movie in the Square - Despicable Me 2 Dusk Harmony SquareJul-25 Friday Tunes in the Park - Crystal Creek 12 noon - 1:00PM Alexandra ParkJul-25 Friday Music in the Square - Don Norry 7:30PM - 9:00PM Harmony SquareJul-27 Sunday Chess in the Square Tournament 9:30AM - 5:00PM Harmony SquareJul-28 Monday Children's Programming 12 noon - 1:00PM Harmony SquareJul-28 Monday Brantford's Got Talent 6:00PM - 8:00PM Harmony SquareJul-29 Tuesday Yoga in the Square 7:15AM - 8:15AM Harmony SquareJul-29 Tuesday Zumba in the Square 7:00PM - 8:00PM Harmony SquareJul-29 Tuesday Chess in the Square 12 noon - 2:30PM Harmony SquareJul-30 Wednesday Zumba in the Square 12 noon -1:00PM Harmony SquareJul-31 Thursday Movie in the Square - Smurfs 2 Dusk Harmony SquareJul-31 Thursday Chess in the Square 12 noon - 2:30PM Harmony SquareAug-01 Friday Tunes in the Park - David McKee 12 noon - 1:00PM Alexandra ParkAug-01 Friday Music in the Square - Peeler 7:30PM - 9:00PM Harmony SquareAug-05 Tuesday Yoga in the Square 7:15AM - 8:15AM Harmony SquareAug-05 Tuesday Chess in the Square 12 noon - 2:30PM Harmony SquareAug-05 Tuesday Zumba in the Square 7:00PM - 8:00PM Harmony SquareAug-06 Wednesday Zumba in the Square 12 noon - 1:00PM Harmony SquareAug-07 Thursday Junior Cake Boss' presented by Sophia's Bakery & Café 12 noon - 1:00PM Harmony SquareAug-07 Thursday Chess in the Square 12 noon - 2:30PM Harmony SquareAug-07 Thursday Movie in the Square Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 Dusk Harmony SquareAug-08 Friday Tunes in the Park - Don Dunham 12 noon - 1:00PM Alexandra ParkAug-08 Friday Music in the Square - Blue's Night featuring Joe Poirier 7:00PM - 9:00PM Harmony SquareAug-11 Monday Children's Programming 12 noon - 1:00PM Harmony SquareAug-11 Monday Brantford's Got Talent - QUARTER FINALS 6:00PM - 8:00PM Harmony SquareAug-12 Tuesday Yoga in the Square 7:15AM - 8:15AM Harmony SquareAug-12 Tuesday Chess in the Square 12 noon - 2:30PM Harmony SquareAug-12 Tuesday Zumba in the Square 7:00PM - 8:00PM Harmony SquareAug-13 Wednesday Zumba in the Square 12 noon - 1:00PM Harmony SquareAug-14 Thursday Junior Cake Boss' presented by Sophia's Bakery & Café 12 noon - 1:00PM Harmony SquareAug-14 Thursday Chess in the Square 12 noon - 2:30PM Harmony SquareAug-14 Thursday Movie in the Square - Monsters University Dusk Harmony SquareAug-15 Friday Tunes in the Park - The Piano Man 12 noon - 1:00PM Alexandra ParkAug-15 Friday Music in the Square - 3 Sopranos 7:30PM - 9:00PM Harmony SquareAug-18 Monday Children's Programming 12 noon - 1:00PM Harmony SquareAug-18 Monday Brantford's Got Talent - SEMI-FINALS 6:00PM - 8:00PM Harmony SquareAug-19 Tuesday Yoga in the Square 7:15AM - 8:15AM Harmony SquareAug-19 Tuesday Chess in the Square 12 noon - 2:30PM Harmony SquareAug-19 Tuesday Zumba in the Square 7:00PM - 8:00PM Harmony SquareAug-20 Wednesday Zumba in the Square 12 noon - 1:00PM Harmony Square

Aug-21 Thursday Junior Cake Boss' presented by Sophia's Bakery & Café 12 noon - 1:00PM Harmony SquareAug-21 Thursday Chess in the Square 12 noon - 2:30PM Harmony SquareAug-21 Thursday Movie in the Square - Frozen Dusk Harmony SquareAug-22 Friday Tunes in the Park - Garry Munn 12 noon - 1:00PM Alexandra ParkAug-22 Friday Music in the Square - Mo Vint 7:30PM - 9:00PM Harmony SquareAug-23 Saturday Festcaribbean - As One Festival 4:00PM - 11:00PM Harmony SquareAug-25 Monday Children's Programming 12 noon - 1:00PM Harmony SquareAug-25 Monday Brantford's Got Talent - FINAL ROUND 6:00PM - 8:00PM Harmony SquareAug-26 Tuesday Yoga in the Square 7:15AM - 8:15AM Harmony SquareAug-26 Tuesday Chess in the Square 12 noon - 2:30PM Harmony SquareAug-26 Tuesday Zumba in the Square 7:00PM - 8:00PM Harmony SquareAug-27 Wednesday Zumba in the Square 12 noon - 1:00PM Harmony SquareAug-28 Thursday Junior Cake Boss' presented by Sophia's Bakery & Café 12 noon - 1:00PM Harmony SquareAug-28 Thursday Chess in the Square 12 noon - 2:30PM Harmony SquareAug-28 Thursday Movie in the Square Muppets Most Wanted Dusk Harmony SquareAug-29 Friday Tunes in the Park - The Garth Vogan Band 12 noon - 1:00PM Alexandra ParkAug-29 Friday Music in the Square - The Grumpies 7:30PM - 9:00PM Harmony Square

Sep-10 Wednesday Gene Watson & Friends with Rick Loucks & Amberley Beatty 7:00PM Sanderson CentreSep-11 Thursday George Canyon - Decade of Hits 8:00PM Sanderson CentreSep-13 Saturday Brantford International Jazz Festival presents Frank Sinatra Jr. 8:00PM Sanderson CentreSep-13 Saturday Brantford International Jazz Festival 12 noon - 6:00PM Harmony SquareSep-14 Sunday Brantford International Jazz Festival 12 noon - 6:00PM Harmony SquareSep-19 Friday The Charity of Hope Brantford presents an evening with Dr. Roberta Bondar 8:30PM Sanderson CentreSep-20 Saturday 5th Annual Brantford Comedy Festival featuring JEREMY HOTZ 8:00PM Sanderson CentreSep-21 Sunday Kidney Walk Harmony SquareSep-27 Saturday Art in the Square Harmony SquareOct-10 Friday Scare in the Square Harmony SquareOct-11 Saturday Scare in the Square featuring a Zombie Walk Harmony SquareOct-22 Wednesday Moe Bandy 2:00PM Sanderson CentreOct-24 Friday Classic Albums Live presents Meatloaf Bat Out of Hell 8:00PM Sanderson CentreOct-30 Thursday Brantford Music Club presents Maxim Bernard - Piano 7:30PM Sanderson CentreNov-29 Saturday JCI Santa Claus Parade Colborne Street Nov-29 Saturday Parade After Party Harmony Square

MORE THAN 200 BUSINESSES & SERVICES

TWHAAT

’S HAPPENINGT

’S HAPPENING

’S HAPPENING

DOWNT

OWN BRANTFORD?DOWNTTWHAAT

OWN BRANTFORD?’S HAPPENINGT

OWN BRANTFORD?’S HAPPENING

OWN BRANTFORD?’S HAPPENING

OWN BRANTFORD?

hess in the S

hess in the S

Cy uesdaTJul-29 umba in the SZy uesdaTJul-29 oga i YYo y uesdaTJul-29

Brantfy MondaJul-28 hildrCy MondaJul-28

Cy undaSJul-27 Music in the Sy ridaFJul-25

unes in the PTy ridaFJul-25 vie in the SMoy hursdaTJul-24

12 noon - 2:30PM

9:30AM - 5:00PM

e quarhess in the S7:00PM - 8:00PM e quarumba in the S7:15AM - 8:15AM e quaroga in the S6:00PM - 8:00PM alent TTalent s Got d'orBrantf12 noon - 1:00PM Harmonogramming s Pr'enhildr

ournament Te quarhess in the S7:30PM - 9:00PM y orre - Don NquarMusic in the S12 noon - 1:00PM eek rstal Cyrark - Cunes in the P

usk Dable Me 2 e - Despicquarvie in the S

e

e

quary S Harmon12 noon - 2:30PM equary S Harmon7:00PM - 8:00PM equary S Harmon7:15AM - 8:15AM equary S Harmon6:00PM - 8:00PM equary S12 noon - 1:00PM Harmon

quary S Harmon9:30AM - 5:00PM equary S Harmon7:30PM - 9:00PM

arkxandra P Ale12 noon - 1:00PM equary S Harmonusk

s Got

aribbean - A

d'orBrantfy Aug-25 Mondaogramming s Pr'enhildrCy Aug-25 Monda

cestFy daturaAug-23 SquarMusic in the Sy ridaAug-22 Fark - Gunes in the PTy ridaAug-22 Fquarvie in the SMoy hursdaTAug-21

quarhess in the SCy hursdaTAug-21 s Bak'ophiay Sbe Boss' prakJunior Cy hursdaTAug-21

6:00PM - 8:00PM

4:00PM - 11:00PM Harmon

alent - FINAL ROUND TTalent - FINAL ROUND s Got 12 noon - 1:00PM ogramming

al estivne Fs Oaribbean - A7:30PM - 9:00PM int Ve - Mo quar12 noon - 1:00PM y Munn arrark - G

usk Den zore - Fquar12 noon - 2:30PM e quar12 noon - 1:00PM é afy & Cers Bak

edesente Boss' pr

e

e

quary S Harmon6:00PM - 8:00PM equary S Harmon12 noon - 1:00PM

quary S4:00PM - 11:00PM Harmonequary S Harmon7:30PM - 9:00PM

arkxandra P Ale12 noon - 1:00PM equary S Harmonequary S Harmon12 noon - 2:30PM equary S Harmon12 noon - 1:00PM

Music in the S

Junior Cy hursdaTAug-07 umba in the SZy ednesdaWAug-06 umba in the SZy uesdaTAug-05 hess in the SCy uesdaTAug-05 oga i YYoga in the Sy uesdaTAug-05

y ridaAug-01 Funes in the PTy ridaAug-01 Fhess in the SCy hursdaTJul-31

vie in the SMoy hursdaTJul-31 umba in the SZy ednesdaWJul-30

7:30PM - 9:00PM

ed esente Boss' prakJunior C12 noon - 1:00PM e quarumba in the S7:00PM - 8:00PM e quarumba in the S12 noon - 2:30PM e quarhess in the S7:15AM - 8:15AM e quaroga in the S

eeler e - PquarMusic in the S12 noon - 1:00PM ee vid McKaark - Dunes in the P12 noon - 2:30PM e quarhess in the S

usk Ds 2 fmure - Squarvie in the S12 noon -1:00PM e quarumba in the S

e

equary S Harmon12 noon - 1:00PM equary S Harmon7:00PM - 8:00PM equary S Harmon12 noon - 2:30PM equary S Harmon7:15AM - 8:15AM

quary S Harmon7:30PM - 9:00PM arkxandra P Ale12 noon - 1:00PM

equary S Harmon12 noon - 2:30PM equary S Harmonusk equary S Harmon12 noon -1:00PM

ark - unes in the PTy ridaAug-29 FMuppets Most

quarvie in the SMoy hursdaTAug-28 quarhess in the SCy hursdaTAug-28

s Bak'ophiay Sbe Boss' prakJunior Cy hursdaTAug-28

umba in the SZy ednesdaWAug-27 umba in the SZy uesdaTAug-26

quarhess in the SCy uesdaTAug-26 quaroga in the SYYoga in the Sy uesdaTAug-26

12 noon - 1:00PM ogan Band VVogan Band th arhe GTark - usk Ded antW

equar12 noon - 2:30PM e quar12 noon - 1:00PM Harmoné afy & Cers Bak

edesente Boss' pr12 noon - 1:00PM e quarumba in the S7:00PM - 8:00PM Harmone quarumba in the S12 noon - 2:30PM e quar7:15AM - 8:15AM e quar

arkxandra P Ale12 noon - 1:00PM equary S Harmon

equary S Harmon12 noon - 2:30PM equary S12 noon - 1:00PM Harmon

equary S Harmon12 noon - 1:00PM equary S7:00PM - 8:00PM Harmonequary S Harmon12 noon - 2:30PM equary S Harmon7:15AM - 8:15AM

oga i

turing Joe P

YYoga in the Sy uesdaTAug-12 Brantfy Aug-11 Monda

hildrCy Aug-11 Mondaeaf

Music in the Sy ridaAug-08 Funes in the PTy ridaAug-08 FloudC

vie in the SMoy hursdaTAug-07 hess in the SCy hursdaTAug-07

ophiay Sb

7:15AM - 8:15AM

7:00PM - 9:00PM

e quaroga in the S6:00PM - 8:00PM TER FINALS ARalent - QUTTalent - QUs Got d'orBrantf12 noon - 1:00PM Harmonogramming s Pr'enhildr

oirier turing Joe Ps Night'e - BluequarMusic in the S

12 noon - 1:00PM unham ark - Don Dunes in the Pusk Dtballs 2 hance of Meay with a C

equarvie in the S12 noon - 2:30PM e quarhess in the S12 noon - 1:00PM éafy & Cers Bak'ophia

e

e

quary S Harmon7:15AM - 8:15AM equary S Harmon6:00PM - 8:00PM equary S12 noon - 1:00PM Harmon

quary S Harmon7:00PM - 9:00PM

arkxandra P Ale12 noon - 1:00PM equary S Harmonusk

equary S Harmon12 noon - 2:30PM equary S Harmon12 noon - 1:00PM

y of Herna

harithe CTy rida F-19 epS

quar

d IntorBrantfy unda S-14 epSernad IntorBrantfy datura S-13 epS

rank Sesents Fprernad IntorBrantfy datura S-13 epS

on - Decyange CGeory hursdaT-11 epSy Bea& Amberle

tson & FaWGene y ednesdaW-10 epS

Music in the Sy ridaAug-29 F

esents12 noon - 6:00PM

d prorope Brantfy of H

7:30PM - 9:00PM

al estivtional Jazz Ferna12 noon - 6:00PM al estivtional Jazz Ferna8:00PM . tra Jrinarank S

alestivtional Jazz Ferna8:00PM ade of Hits on - Dec7:00PM y tty Bea

oucksick Lriends with Rtson & F

he Grumpies Te - quar

e

equary S Harmon12 noon - 6:00PM equary S Harmon12 noon - 6:00PM

eentranderson C S

eentranderson C Seentranderson C S

quary S Harmon7:30PM - 9:00PM

Music in the ShildrCy Aug-18 Monda

y ridaAug-15 Funes in the PTy ridaAug-15 F

vie in the SMoy hursdaTAug-14 hess in the SCy hursdaTAug-14

ophiay SbJunior Cy hursdaTAug-14

umba in the SZy ednesdaWAug-13 umba in the SZy uesdaTAug-12 hess in the SCy uesdaTAug-12 oga i YYoga in the Sy uesdaTAug-12

7:30PM - 9:00PM 12 noon - 1:00PM ogramming s Pr'enhildr

opranos e - 3 SquarMusic in the S12 noon - 1:00PM an he Piano MTark - unes in the P

usk Dy ersiters Unive - Monstquarvie in the S12 noon - 2:30PM e quarhess in the S12 noon - 1:00PM éafy & Cers Bak'ophia

edesente Boss' prakJunior C12 noon - 1:00PM e quarumba in the S7:00PM - 8:00PM e quarumba in the S12 noon - 2:30PM e quarhess in the S7:15AM - 8:15AM e quaroga in the S

eequary S Harmon12 noon - 1:00PM

quary S Harmon7:30PM - 9:00PM arkxandra P Ale12 noon - 1:00PM

equary S Harmonusk equary S Harmon12 noon - 2:30PM equary S Harmon12 noon - 1:00PM

equary S Harmon12 noon - 1:00PM equary S Harmon7:00PM - 8:00PM equary S Harmon12 noon - 2:30PM equary S Harmon7:15AM - 8:15AM

lassic Albums LivCy rida Ft-24 Ocy Moe Bandy ednesdaWt-22 Oc

alk Wombie a Zquare in the SarcSy datura St-11 Ocquare in the SarcSy rida Ft-10 Oc

quart in the SAry datura S-27 epSalk Wy idneKy unda S-21 epS

turing JEREMeaf5th Annual Brantfy datura S-20 epS

ening with Dvan ey of Hharithe CTy rida F-19 epS

tloafesents Meae prlassic Albums Liv2:00PM

alk turing eae fquar

e quare quar

8:00PM TZ Y HOturing JEREMalestivy Fomedd Cor5th Annual Brantf

8:30PM ta Bondar ober. Rrening with Desentsd prorope Brantfy of H

eentranderson C Sequary S Harmon

equary S Harmonequary S Harmonequary S Harmon

eentranderson C S

eentranderson C S

umba in the SZy ednesdaWAug-20

umba in the SZy uesdaTAug-19 hess in the SCy uesdaTAug-19 oga i YYoga in the Sy uesdaTAug-19

Brantfy Aug-18 MondahildrCy Aug-18 Monda

12 noon - 1:00PM e quarumba in the S

7:00PM - 8:00PM e quarumba in the S12 noon - 2:30PM e quarhess in the S7:15AM - 8:15AM e quaroga in the S6:00PM - 8:00PM alent - SEMI-FINALS TTalent - SEMI-FINALS s Got d'orBrantf12 noon - 1:00PM ogramming s Prenhildr

equary S Harmon12 noon - 1:00PM

equary S Harmon7:00PM - 8:00PM equary S Harmon12 noon - 2:30PM equary S Harmon7:15AM - 8:15AM equary S Harmon6:00PM - 8:00PM equary S Harmon12 noon - 1:00PM

er Ptfftarade APy daturav-29 SoN

laus Panta CJCI Sy daturav-29 SoNaxim Bernaresents Mpr

d Music CorBrantfy hursdaTt-30 Ocell ut of Ht OBa

lassic Albums LivCy rida Ft-24 Oc

y tarer P

arade laus P7:30PM d - Piano axim Bernar

lubd Music C8:00PM ell

tloafesents Meae prlassic Albums Liv

equary S Harmon

eet trolborne S Ceentranderson C S

eentranderson C S

MORE

THAN 200 BUSINESSES & SERVICESMORE

THAN 200 BUSINESSES & SERVICES




BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

I'd never given much thought to what my last story for theBrant Advocate would sound like... or what it would be like towrite it. I'm finding it difficult to shoe horn three years into onearticle. Let's start with the official sounding stuff. After threeyears of successful publication in Brantford, Brant County &Six Nations this will be the final print edition of The Brant Advocate.

Over the last few weeks Marc, Deirdre and I have been quietlytelling people in the community that the paper is coming to aconclusion. Ironically enough, the most encouraging andreassuring part of that process has been the response we'vereceived. In almost every case I've been met with a mixture ofdisappointment and disbelief, "Why? Why are you closing?"It was P.T. Barnum who once said, "Always leave them wantingmore." I like that. You'd hate for one of the biggest and mostimportant projects you've ever been a part of to outlast it'susefulness or overstay its welcome. It's a nice feeling to knowthat we're closing this chapter on a high note and going outwith our boots on.

From my side of the aisle, I've been at the helm of three startupsfor the last five years. The Brant Advocate / Advocate Television,Octopus Red (Graphic Arts, Website Development, Marketing,Advertising, Public Relations) and Sophia's Bakery & Café.I've been working an impossible schedule and while all threebusinesses are doing very well, the demands that come withthe growth of all three has put us in a position that there is onlytime to take two of them to the next level... while maintainingsome semblance of work-life balance :)

"Why did you start a paper?"

The question I've been asked most since we started. When webegan this journey I wrote a few paragraphs for our first edition.I'm proud to say that after three years the needle never moved.

"I was born and raised in Brantford. I went to public school,

high school and college here. I started my career, met my wife,

started a family, launched my design firm, created Sophia's

Bakery, and now The Brant Advocate (and later Advocate

Television) in Brantford. This city has given me everything.

Now it’s my turn to give back.

“It’s time that each of usbegin to re-write the narrativeof what it means to be fromthis community. No morecynicism. No more apathy.This is our town and this

is our time."While promoting the first Tweetstock I told anyone who would

listen that “it's time to introduce Brantford to the world”. I was

half right. What I needed to say was that it's time to introduce

Brantford to Brantford. It occurred to me that each and every

person I met in this community had a really great story to tell

and what better way to turn strangers into friends than by sharing

a little bit about one another. Through this sharing and telling

of stories we're discovering we have far more in common with

one another than we thought.

There is no question that as a community we have taken some

pretty tough shots to the body and in a lot of ways our backs

still aren’t straight, and we don’t stand as tall as we should. It’s

time that each of us begin to re-write the narrative of what it

means to be from this community. No more cynicism. No more

apathy. This is our town and this is our time."

Since committing those words to print I've had the pleasure ofmeeting so many wonderful and interesting people and learnedso much about my community. I became friends with the manwho rings the bells at Grace Anglican Church. I crawledbeneath the sewing table at Woodland Cultural Centre whereI read the names and the messages left by children whoendured the residential school system. I felt crippling sorrowand helplessness when I learned of the childhood sexualtrauma of a City Councillor. For three years I witnessed thefull spectrum of humanity as told by the people of thiscommunity. Let that sink in for a second... complete strangers

trusting you with something that's often times very personal orpainful. Trusting us, people they've never met, to deliver thosewords with dignity and respect. It is an indescribable honourto shepherd the words of the people. Almost 800 pieces oforiginal content published in three years. A one-of-a-kind snap-shot in the life of this community and a truly unique and deeplyremarkable experience.

"What are you most proud of?"

One of the things I'm most proud of about the Brant Advocatewas our lock-step adherence to the "Golden Rule." No hatchetpieces. If you're upset about something don't give me a thousandwords of poison and anger. Give me a thousand word solutionto a problem. Don't attack people. Attack issues. Under nocircumstances would we print something that would hurtanother. The Brant Advocate was a safe place for people toshare their thoughts without fear of ridicule.

Looking back to those early days it's pretty amazing to thinkthat none of us had any idea what we were doing. Publishing,design, editing, distribution, ad sales... not a clue. For me, that'swhat made this entire endeavour so compelling. This wasuncharted territory and we were facing an uphill battle... creatinga newsprint publication in an era where the future of newsprintwas always in question... and doing so in front of the entirecommunity. We had no choice, it had to work. Even if it meantdelivering thousands of papers each month from the trunks ofour cars late at night and in all manner of weather.

Publishing, designing and selling the ads for the Brant Advocatehas been without a doubt the biggest and most challengingproject I've ever undertaken in my career. Being whollyresponsible for the look-and-feel of an entire newsprint publicationwhile wearing a sales hat each month to ensure we had thenecessary funds to print and distribute was daunting to say theleast. I'm proud to say that we had three uninterrupted years ofpublication and we have remained debt-free from our firstmonth of printing.

"What will you miss the most?"

Advocating. I love providing a voice for people or places thateither don't have a voice or could use a boost. In fact, I'd liketo take this final opportunity and share with you something inthis community that means a great deal to me: WoodlandCultural Centre.

I've had the pleasure of working with, and getting to know, thepeople who work at Woodland Cultural Centre over the lastseveral years. They are a remarkably diverse and fascinatinggroup of hard working and dedicated people. I've had the privilegeof participating in numerous guided walk-throughs of both themuseum and the residential school.

No other region in Canada has a facility with such enormoussums of living indigenous history and culture, and it's right herein our own backyard. I encourage each of you to visit themuseum, make a donation and take the tour. Most importantly,I encourage you to listen. Really listen and absorb what Wood-land is and why it's so vital to the fabric of this region.

***The volume of people that require thanking for The BrantAdvocate is immense and too numerous to name. However,there are three very special people I must thank. My wife andmy daughters.

To my beautiful, amazing, talented and patient wife Laura.From the beginning you have been both a rock and a wonderfulsource of inspiration. You were there when I was out of ideasand you helped me to find new ones. You got to live all of thechaos that happens behind the curtain of a big project. Theearly mornings, the late nights, the driving all over at all hoursin horrible weather to deliver a free paper for no money. Forthree years you stood by me and you never wavered. For threeyears you were there when I wasn't able to be. You are the mostextraordinary person I've ever met. I'm blessed and honouredto be on this path with you.

To my two beautiful girls Nadja and Sophia. Before I say thankyou I must first say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for how much time Ihad to sacrifice to this project. I'm sorry for all the times I wasn'table to do something fun because of a print deadline. I feel likeI blinked and you guys were three years older. When you lookback on this time I want you to remember that we did thisbecause we believe in our community and we believe we canmake a difference. More than anything I hope this has taughtyou both that there are no limits. Dream big impossible dreams,chase them down and don't let anyone ever tell you there'ssomething you can't do. I am incredibly proud of both of youand I love you more than you will ever know.

Finally, to the people of this community. I hope that in somesmall way The Brant Advocate has helped you, has done some-thing to enrich your day, has made you think about the peoplearound you, has made you feel more connected with this placewe call home. It has been an honour to serve the people ofBrantford. Thank you for reading. (You can still catch us onRogers TV for Advocate Television. Season 2 starts this Fall.Check local listings for details.)

3

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

Team 2015 is a group of dedicatedBrantford-Brant New Democrat supporters

working to build a better Canada.

Together, we’ll build the bestcampaign in Brant NDP history.

Respecting Your Dollars:In the last federal election we were up against big spending Conservative and Liberal campaigns which spent near the maximum allow-able. We came in second, beating the local Liberals while spending a fraction of what they did and we had the best dollar-per-vote results of ANY party in the riding. With your help we can continue to grow and beat the local Conservatives too. By doing so we can bring about the kind of positive, progressive change needed in Brantford-Brant.

Developing Community:We don't wait to be elected to improve our community. We do this all year long - even in non-election years. This has resulted in many positive community initiatives such as our Free Annual Brantford Youth Leadership Conference, recreation opportunities for youth, cleaning-up or shovelling in neighbourhoods with need and consultations with our community on a variety of topics that lead to concrete national policy solutions.

Traditional & Digital Outreach:We're going to continue to knock on more doors in Brantford-Brant than any other party, hold more town halls and successful low / no-cost events and continue these conversations online too - engaging with citizens in our community every step of the way. Building our next breakthrough won’t be easy – but local New Democrats have never shied away from hard work. Team 2015 is all about taking up that challenge and strengthening our community.

Here’s how we will help make this happen in Brantford-Brant:

Paid for and approved by the official agent for the Brant NDP

Volunteer on Team 2015 at brantndp.ca/volunteer/Make a one time or monthly donation at bit.do/team2015

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE 5

Goodnight, but not Goodbyeby Marc Laferriere, Twitter: @marclaferriere

When I was a kid at camp we used to sing a song each nighttogether. It's final line was "this is goodnight but not goodbye."It always stuck with me. It could have been the decade Ispent in some form or fashion at that camp and themultitudes of times I had to sing those lines - but I think itresonated for other reasons.

Sometimes it is time to say goodnight, and for now that istrue of our little not-a-newspaper. The Brant Advocatestarted in 2011 after the federal election that myself, Lucasand Andrew Macklin worked on together. We wanted tocontinue working together on something after what we feltwas a worthy campaign - something taking the best partsof the community advocacy we had found through politicsbut done with a different focus.

During that campaign I was able to hear a lot of the storiesof Brantford, Brant and Six Nations by being with peopleand hearing it from them directly in a way that newspaperscan't convey. I'm a Brantford and surrounding area historyjunkie. I loved sitting with Chuck Giles or Derek Blackburnor some of the regulars in the morning at the Station CoffeeHouse and hearing the inside story of our community intheir own words.

“Let the naysayers nay.We showed them something

different. We brought togetherhundreds of people in the

production of this publicationand thousands of readers, listenersand viewers into a conversationabout what our community is

and what it could be.”

Chuck especially - he had a way of telling me these littlenuggets about our community that would completelychange what I thought about how something had happenedhere. It's funny how a little story, a little new perspectivecan change a well established narrative.

And it was our hope that by reaching out to people from avariety of viewpoints and having them write their storiesin their own words it might continue to help shine a lighton the positives of our community and take the focus offof the easy and incorrect narratives about Brantford and theregion. I think we've been successful in that to a degree Iam very happy with.

We've had literally hundreds of people help out with thisproject, been nominated for community awards, held amultitude of events and got to sponsor several more - allof them with the goal of building community. We wentfrom delivering copies from the trunks of our cars toworking out partnerships with the Brant News andCommunity Living Brant for delivery. We've even starteda very successful podcast and local TV show which willcontinue for some time to highlight good things, good storiesand solutions for our community.

Hundreds of stories that wouldn't have seen print aboutBrantford, Brant and Six Nations are now on the record ina neat little time capsule.

So why are we stopping now?

The Brant Advocate is sustainable - we haven't ever misseda printing, we've not created a dime of debt making ithappen over the last 3+ years and could do it for another10 years - but for it to grow one of us would have to quitall the other things we're doing and focus on it.

Print is a hard business to grow in this day and age and

we've done that despite the odds against it. We've beenhappy to increase our print and distribution while cuttingcosts, streamlining our process for content, design, formattingand web and we've been very happy with the impact, butto take the next step would mean giving up a lot of otherreally good things.

Andrew and Leisha left some time ago to pursue some verygood things in life and Lucas has his own positive reasonsfor taking a break from this, as you've seen in his editorialthis month. I'd like to think I have mine.

I was recently married (see page 8 - 9 for more on that),I've been working 2 jobs in education and social work thatI love for some time now, and have happily maintained anumber of community commitments beyond this paper, butthey all take time.

On top of that I have my heart set on running again in the2015 federal election.

It's something I have been pursuing since 2009 when I wasonly 28 years old and local politics is something I havebeen active in since I was 14. It's a hard interest to notpursue when you have been bit by the political activist bug.

However it is not all rosy. Over that same period of time Ihave seen how nasty it can be, too, and this next election islooking to be sadly more of the same - and I think possiblyworse. And while there is nothing technically wrong withowning a local publication like this one during a politicalrun I feel like shutting it down for now is simply the ethicalthing to do.

No complaints of bias, no mixing of roles (or hats as somefriends call them). I have no interest in giving the morenegatively centred political people in our community(including from my own party) any grist for their mills.

They'll still be some complaints - there always are and allthe best to those inclined to be that way - you can't pleaseeveryone. But I believe this is the right thing to do at theright time for the right reasons.

When we started this small business we were told wewouldn't last 6 months, we were told we were just somepartisan rag (despite printing more articles from otherpoints of view than my own) and many, many othernegative things.

Let the naysayers nay. We showed them something different.We brought together hundreds of people in the productionof this publication and thousands of readers, listeners andviewers into a conversation about what our community isand what it could be. We helped the local economy in ourway and had some very positive reactions from many.

This has been one of my favourite community projects andI am incredibly thankful and proud of it and the amazinglocal people we got the chance to work with and spotlight.

As we take a break, just like those years ago at summercamp, I hum a little tune of thanks...this is goodnight, butnot goodbye.

“This has been one of myfavourite community projectsand I am incredibly thankful

and proud of it and the amazinglocal people we got the chanceto work with and spotlight.”

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE6

To start, I must conform– and confirm– my stance on the dis-graced owner of the Los Angeles Clippers as disgraceful, fit-tingly enough. It’s not right how the owner of a basketball team,a predominantly African-American sport, can be racist againstAfrican-Americans– specifically against a man everyone re-spects, basketball legend Magic Johnson. As wrong as thatwas, the penalty against Donald Sterling from the NBA is kindof shocking in itself (and under full disclosure, I’m a middle-class white boy).

As I listened to the mysteriously “leaked” tape to TMZ fromSterling’s phone call with V. Stiviano, I sat tongue-in-cheekwith utter disbelief. Is he really saying this?, I thought to my-self. However, the owner did not drop the n-bomb. The worstthing he actually said was “those people” which invokes aproblematic division of power in which African-Americansare lesser.

But, for one minute, let’s consider where Sterling is comingfrom. Born in 1934 makes him 80 years old. This was an erain which segregation was a major issue and society was veryracist (lest we forget that Jackie Robinson broke the colourbarrier in 1947, 13 years after Sterling was born). Thus Ster-ling, a Jewish-born white man, perhaps unknowingly, used hisdated concepts of race in this recording. This was a case ofan older man using outdated concepts of reality.

However, it’s not like this was a total shocker for the NBA.

They knew Sterling was wired that way. The former NBAcommissioner never penalized Sterling or rushed to straightenhim out from his dated beliefs. Instead, the NBA appeared tosimply tolerate the issue without imposing penalty.

The new NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, was forced to takeswift action after the recording was leaked, because his play-ers (African-American players make up 78 percent of theleague, according to racial equality activist, RichardLapchick) were threatening to walk out during the playoffs,which would not be good for any league. He then banned Ster-ling from any affiliation with the league and disbarred himfrom the Los Angeles Clippers, effective immediately, alsodropping a $2.5 million dollar fine, the maximum possibleunder the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. This wasunprecedented action… but it was possibly the only just so-lution as far as the players are concerned.

Despite alienating an incredibly large group of people he em-ploys in the process, Sterling broke no laws. Actually, thephone call recording was totally illegal in the first place. As ajournalist, I know that for a phone call to be recorded, lawstates that both parties on the phone need to be aware that itis being recorded. Sterling may not know that he is a racist,but he definitely didn’t know that his call was being recorded.For better or for worse, Donald, it appears that “V.” (Stivianogoes by an initial), just may have set you up.

Of course, there is no conceivable way a man can own a bas-ketball team being racist against the majority of players heemploys. Next year the Clippers will be hardpressed to fielda team (or floor a squad) after this mess. The NBA will findone way or another to force the owner to be vacated fromthe team and the league. How they intend to do this is any-one’s guess. I’m not sure there is a way to do so legally with-out the owner's consent. However, the NBA must act quicklyso the Clippers can remain in existence. It’s hard to think witha whole offseason for the NBA to act that any African-Amer-ican player would play for a team led by a bigot, according toeveryone who’s heard the recording.

The only solution that would appear to appease both sides isthe sale of the team (the NBA can’t hold the fast-forward but-ton down hard enough to get a sale done ASAP). The problemis, the owner seems reluctant to sell. However, consider thatSterling paid $12.5 million dollars for the Clippers in 1981,and now? Estimates have the winning bidder to be nowhereshort of $2 billion dollars.

If the team isn’t sold now, and things are drawn out, this fran-chise is going to implode itself out of existence. I don’t thinkthe NBA will allow a franchise to be destroyed, because thatwould lead to admitting a fail.

Again, that’s $2 billion (using a ‘b’ as in billion). I know you’reold school, Donald, but a one billion nine hundred eighty-eightmillion return on your purchase? That’s a nice flip.

What the Donald Sterling?by Jesse Ferguson, Facebook: Jesse Ferguson

1988 was a turning point year for me. My first seriousrelationship had ended with my fiancee dumping me for afriend of mine, I moved out of my parents house, and wasworking full time in a mind numbing factory job. Oh yeah,and my dog died too. The only high point was my part time jobworking at a record store in Guelph, getting paid in vinyl.When the owners said they were opening a new store inBrantford and would like me to move there and manage it, Ijumped at the chance. It was time for a change.

We opened Second Wave in Brantford on Colborne St. inSeptember of 1988, in what used to be a flower shop. Myoriginal intention to live over the shop didn't pan out, as it wasin pretty bad shape, and not really suitable. I did live therefor a week or so though, with only a mattress and a stereo,and showering at the local YMCA. I finally found a nice bigapartment on top of house on Brock St, and lived there for the8 years the store was open.

From the first day we opened, we quickly became a hub forthe music starved crowd. Records on Wheels was just closingas we opened, making us the only indie shop it town. Ourpunk section was almost completely depleted on the first day,forcing us to restock in a hurry. It soon became clear that alot of Brantfordians like their music loud and fast, and weimported stuff in accordingly.

From the first day we opened the doors, I started makingfriends with the locals, many of whom I still count as goodfriends today. It became more than a record store--it becamea social centre. People would come just to hang out and listen

to music, play guitar, start a fanzine, or start a band. I becamevery aware of a vibrant, active scene in Brantford, full ofyoung musicians and artists, and they all seemed to gravitatetowards Second Wave.

After the first 3 years, the original owners felt they wantedout of the Brantford store. They were focused on the Guelphstore, and didn't really understand the Brantford crowd like Idid. Most people thought I was the owner anyway, as I wasalmost always there. I borrowed money from a good friend'smother, and became the owner for real.

We moved across the road to the old Fiske's Leather Goodsstore, painted it up in what was described as "the PartridgeFamily bus turned inside out", and carried on for another fiveyears. In that time, we had instore performances from ScottB, Kittens, and Tristan Psionic, not to mention countless basementshows from local acts such as The Earthlings, Loser Parade,Furry Ognion, Fed Up, my own band Dianthus, and a scoreof others. CBC TV had a documentary series on up andcoming Canadian bands called "Ear to the Ground", and shotparts of the Scott B episode there. I never did get the CBCT-shirts they promised. I remember being surprised whenScott Merritt walked in--I had no idea he was from Brantfordat the time. He seemed surprised to be recognized.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. The downtowncore got quieter and quieter, my larger customer base was gettingolder and moving away to college and university, the oncehard-to-find alternative music we specialized in became moreavailable in the chain stores, and the fire department told me

we could not longer do the basement concerts. Can't reallyblame them on that one, it probably wasn't the safest of places,although no one ever got hurt.

I finally closed it down in spring of 1996, and headed toKitchener-Waterloo.

What really amazes me about the entire experience is thateven now, 18 years after the store closed, people still talkabout it! There are articles on the internet, videos on youtube,and my name and the store's name still get mentioned in localmedia occasionally. Whenever I am in Brantford, I always runinto someone who remembers me and the store. I am told thestore sign and the stool I used to sit on are in the BrantfordCounty Museum! Blows my mind.

I am proud and humbled that my little store meant so muchto so many people. I have been told by many that it was likea safe haven for the artsy, left-of-centre, somewhat differentkids who sometimes felt ostracized or ridiculed or even bullied.They knew they would be welcome at Second Wave.

At this time I would like to thank anyone who ever came intoSecond Wave, whether it was to buy, sell, browse, hang outor play music. I especially want to thank those who I hiredbecause they hung around all day anyway, and the ones whobecame life long friends. There are many of you, including acertain local newsprint publication owner/politician/all roundgreat guy, who in his younger years skipped school to helpme skip town, and gave me the opportunity to write this article.

Second Wave: More Than A Record Storeby Paul Evans


In July 2012, I woke the f**k up. I’m sorry, Mom, forswearing in a newspaper, and I’m sorry to those who takeoffense to the “F” word. It’s just that it’s the only way Ican describe it. I didn’t just wake up…I woke up in a mas-sively huge significant way.

In July 2012, a one foot hole was cut open into my body– it was left open for several days. It let the light in me.The scar still hurts, still reminds me of the trauma – mostlythe trauma for my family who were left to view me in aninduced coma state with tubes and a machine helping mebreathe; and a one foot hole. My husband said I lookedlike the Michelin man’s wife in that state; all blown upwith fluid to flush out the infection. I think I might be herfor Hallowe’en this year just to mess with him.

So, back to waking up. It didn’t happen right away. It wasa process. The one foot hole started the process. Now,some might say I had some post traumatic stress with atwist of side effects from the medication cocktail — I willignore such comments because I know in the core of mybeing its not true. Those closest to me know — it’s nottrue.

I heard a voice saying, “Quiet your mind.” Over and overagain, “Quiet your mind.” It was not invasive or scary orweird or anything. It was just a lovely voice in my mindtelling me to “quiet your mind.” So I listened. First Istarted to listen to the chatter in there – there was lots. Onestream of thought moving to the next – with emotion tiedto it. I could get angry just from thinking! That…began tobecome a problem for me. If I could get angry just fromthinking, surely I could get happy just from thinking, too;surely I could become peaceful and quiet just from think-ing. The mental chatter that most of us walk around with(and I still do; I just am aware of it now and fight it likethe plague) I later learnt is often called, “Monkey Mind.”

I didn’t want a monkey mind anymore after almost dying.In fact, I think the monkey mind is what attracted this ill-ness in some respects. Not to punish me; but to gift me.To gift me with a new awareness and perspective. Man, Ilove that massive infection that almost killed me. I lovethe scar, I love the traumatic memories. I love when I haveto go into the hospital and it sends me into a panic attack.I love when my family talks about how blown up I was. Ilove the memory of seeing my daughter’s eyes fill up withtears when I first came home. The pain I associate withthese things, reminds me that in actual fact, I was given asecond chance and along with that second chance, a newfound gift.

That inner voice I now know to be my intuition, or spiritguide, or my soul. It is the voice of the universe. Somewould call it God, or Buddha, or Jesus. However anyonedefines it is OK ~ “whatever works for you” is my theory.That inner voice has led me down a very interesting pathsince my illness – one in which my true self has had theopportunity to emerge.

I am now pursuing my dreams; living my life. Oh, thatsounds so cliché. I am meant to help people and I alwayshave been. In my mind, I was born with a job. I wasbrought into the world with an intention to heal my par-ents’ marriage. That’s a pretty hefty job, a pretty “tallorder” for an infant. And guess what? It didn’t work…al-

though I did have 15 years to try. I’m not angry at my par-ents for that just for the record.

They did the best they could with what they knew at thetime – like most of us as we walk through our days.

But helping people is what I was meant to do. As a child,I was drawn to helping animals and when people werehurting or ill or upset I felt it to the core. I was drawn tothe helping professions and became a Child and YouthWorker. I think (I hope) I made a difference in many peo-ple’s lives. I went on to teach my profession at the Collegelevel. I continue to find myself in a “helping” role even inthis capacity. People are drawn to me when they need help,plain and simple. It’s like I am wearing a sign that says,“talk to me; I want to help you”. The thing is, I love peopleand I want to help them. I don’t default to distrust anyoneuntil they give me a good reason to. I see beauty in every-one. I love getting to know people; the real person within.I love real and honest conversations; not those, “Hi, howare you today?” and “I am fine thanks” kind of conversa-tions. Because no one is really fine at any given moment.Everyone has something they are struggling with, worriedabout, devastated about, etc.

Quieting my mind since my illness has allowed me to in-tegrate all of this awareness that has always been with me.It has allowed me to understand who I am and what I ammeant to do and what my unique gifts are. I can see thingsnow, and feel things that I didn’t allow myslef to beforemy illness. I see truths about people and situations veryclearly. I see the guides that walk with some people. I seesymbols in my mind that are messages for people. Theseare things that I saw and felt as a young person, but theywere taken away by scientific explanations or fears that Iwas not acting “normal.” I have also taken up energywork. I have been told I am a “natural healer.” I love help-

ing people in this capacity. To be able to use my love andhealing energy to help others is truly what I am meant todo. Since waking up from this “monkey mind” state, Ihave attracted the most amazing people and circumstancesto my life. My relationships were strengthened; some weretested and challenged, too. The outcome has been beautifulwithin my immediate family. We fight, we bicker, and weyell sometimes; but, our love is expressed more freely andmore frequently. All of us know that life is precious, frag-ile, and a gift. I have faced my fears. I repelled down a wa-terfall, I let the rain wash away some “stuff” in therainforest of Costa Rica, I snorkelled, I parasailed, I spokemy truth. I was blessed to meet a new like-minded friendafter my recovery who recently has become my businesspartner. I have learnt so much from him and he has taughtme to trust myself in this new ability. I have joined hisbusiness “O’Nikon:Ra” (O-Nee-gu-la) which means, “OfGood Mind” when translated from its Mohawk origins.We work together to provide a variety of restorative en-ergy modalities and programming for people who are inneed of energy balancing, and for those that are seekingto quiet their minds to find their gifts and answers within.

I have come to realize that life is truly magical. Yes, awfulthings can happen…painful things can happen; but, withineach of us lies a strength and resiliency that we can accessat any given moment. It is scary to share this story in apublic forum. People look at things through different fil-ters. I’m not sure what my friends, my family, my students,my clients, or my neighbours might think about what Ihave shared here. But I do know that I trust myself, I trustmy abilities, and if I quiet my mind enough…all of the an-swers are within me. I share this because there is someoneout there that needs this message for some reason; and mylove outweighs my fear.For further information on O’Nikon:Ra please check outour website at www.onikonra.com

Awakeningby Kelley Hoyt


came to our own wedding this past May, we were soexcited to wed locally and live our values in that way.

The venue was Stillwaters Plate & Pour right in the heartof Paris in the beautiful County of Brant. Owner, MattCummings, went above and beyond over and over againto make the day just right, transforming his restaurant intothe perfect venue for our ceremony and our reception. ChefWill Thompson utilized an assortment of food, includingthat from local farmers to make a delicious menu for theevening, filled with variety and taste - including a verycreative midnight poutine bar! And the staff were soresponsive, helpful and kind throughout the entire night.We simply couldn't have asked for a better experience fromplanning to execution.

The photos you see here are from the incredibly talentedJono & Layne. Two local photographers who took the careto meet with us, get to know us before the big day andworked with us every step of the way from location scoutingin Paris, to helping Marc with his suspenders and cufflinkswhen he couldn't figure them out with only minutes to go.Their humour, versatility and the talent that shows in eachphoto they take will help us remember the day fondly foryears to come. Just look at these pictures, folks, and you'llsee what we mean!

Everything is available right here to have the wedding ofyour dreams. For us this meant:

• Rev. Jonathan Massimi for pre-martial counselling and a pitch perfect wedding ceremony filled with laughter, thoughtfulness and care.

• Friend of The Advocate, Craig Cardiff, for his musical stylings during the ceremony and the early part of thereception - he even learned our song in 3 days!

• Sophia's Bakery for delicious desserts at our wedding,rehearsal, engagement party and even the bachelor party.

• Flim Flam for our DIY wedding crafts, decorations and everything in between.

• Gigi T Professional Makeup Artistry for the make-upexcellence.

• Photohouse studios for engagement photos.• Lyndsay Martin at Studio Allure for hair design.• Seams Sew Beautiful by Kathy for alterations and bridal

jewellery.• Moores Clothing for Men in Brantford and especially

Robert Mikolajczyk for all his advice and service.• La Bottega for the rehearsal dinner platters and Jojo

Chic-n-wings for catering the bachelor party.

Every single place we went locally to source materials forour wedding hit it out of the park! They all went above andbeyond and we can't recommend them enough. Thank youto all the local shops, venues and people who helped makeour wedding what it was.

So remember when you have a chance to please#CelebrateLocal.

One of the goals of The Brant Advocate was to highlightlocal stories, local talent and local spaces.

As a couple, we take local very seriously. If you don't useit you will lose it. And it is too wonderful to lose.

In our first year of publication, we remember fondly goingon "Advo-dates" where we would take a few thousandpapers in the back of our old PT Cruiser, and spend the daydelivering this little "not-newspaper" in the city andcounty. We'd take breaks to go for lunch or dinner - orsometimes both depending on how long delivery took -often meeting up with Lucas and Laura who would bedoing the same kind of deliveries.

We'd stop in at so many nice shops and restaurants and getto know the people who ran them, worked in them andfrequented them. Some of those businesses are flourishing,others hanging on, while still others are gone. But those"Advo-dates" became an absolute highlight of this ventureand a way to fold our business duties into our relationshiptime. As the Advocate grew, so did our relationship.

The Brant Advocate also gave us an opportunity to put alarger spotlight on the virtues of local. Part of the BrantAdvocate's mission was to celebrate local. That couldmean shopping local, visiting local or even having coupleswed local. As far back as our first year of publication,Bekah wrote a wonderful piece about 2 amazing local weddings(one at Mohawk Park, another in Mt. Pleasant). When it

Showcasing Local Talent: Jono & Laynie (Photo + Film) Stillwaters Weddingby Marc & Rebekah Laferriere


After months of organization, Brantford Youth Pride heldits first ever Coffee House for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*and queer (LGBTQ) youth and allies aged 13-21 on Fri-day, June 13th at the Grand River Community Health Cen-tre on Colborne Street. The night, planned by youth foryouth, was illuminated by a full moon and was completewith local performers, poetry, food and crafts. The turnoutwas astonishing, as Brantford's youth formed a kind, warmatmosphere much needed within Brantford's LGBTQcommunity. These events are vital for our community, asaccording to Rainbow Health Ontario, the suicide risk foryouth within the LGBTQ community is nearly fourteentimes higher than that of their heterosexual peers, andthere's an increased risk of substance abuse, isolation andabuse at home, school and within society. A positive com-munity, like the one formed on Friday, is associated withdecreased depression, suicidal urges and substance abuse.This atmosphere promoted acceptance and respect whilecreating an overall loving environment, assisting us all infeeling the love we deserve.

A close-knit community formed within the three hours ofthe Coffee House where we listened to several localteenage performers; including an acoustic set from MattCampbell, while making crafts and taking pictures to-gether in a photobooth. We talked as though we knew eachother for years, and couples freely showed their affectionfor one another without judgement. One girl went up onstage and read a heartfelt poem declaring her love for hergirlfriend, irking tears from the audience, and one guywent on stage and freely spoke about his struggles ofpoverty, addiction and spoke about suicide. One of hislines spoke about how most of us make it through ourstruggles, with scars to show for it. That very moment, thedarkest moment of the entire night, marked when we all

realized that we have made it, and we are together, allhappy, all alive and will continue to make it because thereare so many people on our side. His profound speech madethe entire room silent, but for all of the right reasons. Itwas a reminder that everything was going to be okay, andall of that isolation some of us used to feel was gone fornow. He declared that these events are what we all needbecause it's difficult reaching out within Brantford, asthere are limited LGBTQ friendly places for youth. Someschools may have Gay Straight Alliances, where friend-ships and families are made, but some youth who do notregularly attend schools, are uncomfortable attending dueto fear, or who attend schools without Gay Straight Al-liances never have a chance to meet youth like them whoshare their struggles, increasing depression and angst. Spo-ken Word Poet, Andrea Gibson wrote, “The Nutritionist”as a response to suicides among these youths, and spokeabout why it is important for us all to realize we are neveralone.

What I know about living is the pain is never just oursEvery time I hurt I know the wound is an echoSo I keep a listening to the moment the grief becomes awindow

When I can see what I couldn’t see before,through the glass of my most battered dream, I watched adandelion lose its mind in the windand when it did, it scattered a thousand seeds.

if the only thing we have to gain in staying is each other,my god that’s plentymy god that’s enoughmy god that is so so much for the light to giveeach of us at each other’s backs whispering over and over

and over“Live”“Live”“Live”

As a youth within this community, I know the struggles ofcoming out, the fears of rejection, wondering who wouldever still love you, and having to cope with so much fear,pain and the weight of your identity on your shoulders.But these events encourage youth to get out into the com-munity to find others with similar identities, and assistwith building confidence in who they are, while lesseningthe anxiety and fears of embracing who they are. The nightwas filled with prizes, buttons and fun. We all left happy,full of homemade baked goods and pizza and with somany new friends. The turnout of about twenty people ona summer night showed that there are so many of us inBrantford going through similar things. None of us areever alone; we just need to branch out and leave our com-fort zones once and awhile.

Brantford's First Youth LGBTQ Coffee HouseBy Laura Dawson Twitter: @Lauraithink

Look Mom...I’m an Activist with a vegetable garden inmy front yard.

My life today is much different than it was 10 or 15 yearsago. Although, I’m sure we can all say that to some extent.But I mean really different, like 180 degrees different.

My old friends have noticed it and I’ve been asked bythem many times, “What gives?” You see, they aren't usedto the new me, the activist me. The person they rememberwas quite different back then. So to answer their questionas directly as I can, I simply say, “I care now.”

Don’t get me wrong, I cared back then too, it’s just thatthe things I cared about then were very different thingsand in many cases they were mostly about me or how mylife would be affected by them. So what I should be sayingis, “I care about others now”. Becoming a parent will dothat to you. It’s a requirement of the job description to carefor people and things other than yourself. My mom raisedme to care about others so I guess looking back I realize Iwasn’t truly different back then, I was just too preoccupied

with my own life to REALLY care about others. I’m notso preoccupied anymore. Things like the environment, cli-mate change, sustainability and social justice issues matterto me now.

Whatever the change, it happened very slowly. You knowthe kind of slowly I’m talking about, right? It’s the lookingin the mirror one day wondering where all the wrinklesand grey hair came from kind of slowly. The kind of slowthat you just don’t notice until it’s done and you’re leftwondering...when did that happen?

I take the time now. Not just time to care about others buttime to do things for others too. Time to do things likeplant a vegetable garden in my front yard and give awaythe produce to my neighbours. The catch? Simple. Ourgarden is called the Pay it Forward Garden. All I ask isthat you pay it forward. Ideally that means you plant yourown Pay it Forward Garden at your house and together weinspire others to do the same and so on. But a random actof kindness works too. The concept is very simple; it’spart of a movement to Grow Food, Not Lawns and it’s my

own radical little way to give back to others in my com-munity.

We’ve had quite a response from the neighbourhood to ourlittle garden so far. Some people stop on the sidewalkwhile I am working in the garden to tell me I better put afence up or people will be helping themselves. It’s inter-esting to see the look on their faces when I tell them that’sexactly the point. Once I explain what we are trying to do,many tell me what a wonderful idea it is and a few say thatwe’ve inspired them to do it. It’s been a very good con-versation starter towards building community. Plus, we gettomatoes.

So what’s the moral of the story that I want you to takefrom all this? “It’s never too late to start something” is agood one. “Do onto others” or “We’re all in this together”works too. “Be the change you want to see in the world.”Yes to all of it…all of that is great. But the truth is I’m stillworking this out for myself. I guess if I had to sum it upin a in a catchy tag line, it would be this: Take the time.

Take the Timeby Andy Tonkin, Facebook: Andy Tonkin


John grew up "Here." After brushing his teeth and comb-ing his hair a satisfactory number of times, his father anadequate machinist, would tell John stories of "Else-where." John loved “Elsewhere" with all his heart. It wasa beautiful, storied land with mountains that shone in themorning sunlight and valleys that smelled of sweetalyssum. “Elsewhere” there were men who loved as heimagined love being. That perfect love that poets wroteidyllic sonnets about. A love that John had grown jealousof, being part of the pedestrian masses subjected to a birthand rearing "Here.”

“Here” was different than “Elsewhere.” The sunsetsweren't as red. It's streets were cracked and too many“Hereians” smoked. Not pipes either. They didn't thinktwice about it. Monsters really. There were problems“Here’... and “There”, too. Sometimes John's Father wouldtake the family stationwagon "There". "There" had a mod-est mall where John's father could buy camping suppliesfor their trip “Elsewhere.” What a trip this would be. At

the end of every month, there would be enough money leftover to buy one piece of the expedition gear. A tent hereand a Coleman burner there. But the problem with "There"were the “Thereians.” They were a rude and inconsideratefolk who thought only of themselves. John's father wassure that they had never heard of “Elsewhere.” How couldthey have? You see, “Elsewhere” was a copious countrythat the small minds of common “Hereians” and“Thereians” couldn't comprehend. “Elsewhereians”would never be like that.

John grew to hate “Here.” And he loathed “There.”

John's father died. It was not a sad story except to say thathard times had hit “Here.” So much so that the tent hadbeen sold to buy stacks of canned corn and the Colemanburner had turned into a side of “There's” finest beef tosalt and preserve for the “Hereian” winter. But John's fa-ther's death was sad enough that John couldn’t tolerate“Here” any longer. In the willed-wagon, John began driv-

ing for “Elsewhere” without so much as a goodbye, thoughthere were no neighbours he knew well enough to saygoodbye to anyhow. He cursed “Here” as he sped throughtown. “I’ll never darken a doorway in 'There' again!" Johnshouted as he tore a strip down the ordinary “Thereian”streets with “Elsewhere” on his mind.

John drove and drove. The speeding ticket from an unfa-miliar land he didn't know existed didn't deter John's zealfor “Elsewhere.” Finally he arrived “Elsewhere.” It felt...

...familiar.

“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat whatthey produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; findwives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage.Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I havecarried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if itprospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah ~ 600BC

The Myth of Elsewhereby Dave Carrol, Facebook: Dave Carrol

We appear to be fixated with “perfect crimes”. FromLizzie Borden, through the Great Train Robbery to variousart heists, the thought of someone engineering the crimeof the century has generated endless bestsellers and actionmovies. Recently, in the throes of another election cam-paign dominated by negative campaigning and monosyl-labic slogans, I was reflecting on how much of thediscourse has centred on “austerity” and making sure thatwe are “fiscally responsible”. As I was reflecting in this,it suddenly struck me that the perfect crime may well havebeen committed – and not all that long ago!

I am speaking about the “financial crisis” of 2008. Mostof us are aware that the meltdown that took place at thattime represented the most serious challenge to our eco-nomic system since the crash of 1929 and its fallout. WhatI think that the majority of people have forgotten, however,is that the crisis was precipitated by the greed of a fairlysmall group of individuals. The well respected magazine,The Economist, in examining the roots of the crisis in aSeptember 2013 article, summarized its genesis this way:

With half a decade’s hindsight, it is clear the crisis hadmultiple causes. The most obvious is the financiers them-selves—especially the irrationally exuberant Anglo-Saxonsort, who claimed to have found a way to banish risk whenin fact they had simply lost track of it. Central bankers andother regulators also bear blame, for it was they who tol-erated this folly. The macroeconomic backdrop was im-portant, too. The “Great Moderation”—years of lowinflation and stable growth—fostered complacency andrisk-taking….Some research also implicates Europeanbanks, which borrowed greedily in American money mar-kets before the crisis and used the funds to buy dodgy se-curities.

People who ought to have known better accumulated riskrecklessly and then pawned off that risk on gullible in-vestors in a manner that was morally reprehensible andeven, in some instances, illegal. And yet, all these yearslater – after the disappearance of venerable financial in-stitutions, the near collapse of the giant automakers, andthe de-stabilization of entire states – virtually nobody hasbeen held accountable.

I think this point bears repeating: despite the flagrant dis-regard of best practice and ethical and legal guidelines bydozens of financial industry insiders, virtually nobody hasbeen punished for the near destruction of the world econ-omy. If that does not constitute the “Crime of the Century”I am not sure what would qualify.

I have been fascinated with the ways in which the reper-cussions of 2008 have continued to make themselves feltin many areas of life. As I am an educator, I would like tofocus on how it has affected my own vocation and the sys-tem of higher education more generally. Additionally, Iwould like to suggest a way out of the current dilemmafaced by institutions of higher learning, one that would seesome of those responsible for 2008 pay in order to tempersome of its effects. It is a way that has received remarkablylittle publicity on this side of the Atlantic, despite the im-portant debate it has aroused in Europe.

To be fair, I have to admit that the state of funding forhigher education in Ontario was already in a state of dis-repair prior to 2008. Successive provincial governmentshad reduced per capita funding to universities since thenew millennium, as the table illustrates very well. The$472 per student decline since 2008-09 works out to ashortfall of more than $1.4 million for a campus – likeLaurier Brantford – with a student population of approxi-mately 3,000 students!

Universities are now struggling to weather the storm.Faced with decreasing support from the government, theyhave ratcheted up tuition fees and tried to grow, hopingeach year to pay off the previous year’s shortfall by virtueof the tuition paid by (among other revenues) new recruits.It is a strategy that is doomed to failure. What is needed isa fundamental rethinking of revenue streams. One idea hasrecently gained popularity in parts of Europe: a FinancialTransaction Tax or FTT.

The idea of levying a charge on financial transactions isnot new. It was first proposed in 1972 by Prof. JamesTobin, a Nobel Laureate in Economics (1981). More re-cently, the European Union has begun to consider a similarmeasure. In September 2011 a proposal was advanced thatobserved that the “…financial sector has played a majorrole in causing the economic crisis whilst governmentsand European citizens at large have borne the cost.” Con-sequently, it was necessary to ensure that “the financialsector should contribute more fairly given the costs ofdealing with the crisis and the current under-taxation ofthe sector.”

The FTT under review in the European Union is applica-ble to a range of transactions including purchase of stocksand derivatives. It would levy a 0.1% charge on certaintransactions and a 0.01% charge on others. Estimates ofthe revenue that would be generated have varied signifi-cantly with some experts predicting a windfall of upwards

of €300 billion (that’s billion with a b).

The FTT is appealing not simply for its income generatingproperties either. As a recent Bank of Canada analysispointed out “Historically, there have been two motivatingfactors for the introduction of the tax. The first is its po-tential to raise substantial revenues, and the second is itsperceived potential to discourage speculative trading andreduce volatility.” Given the suffering occasioned by the2008 collapse, the need to reduce speculative tendencieshas assumed greater importance than ever. Self-regulationhas proved ineffective.

It is safe to say that there is not yet consensus about theappropriateness of an FTT. The European Union has beensplit by the proposal with a group of 11 member statesmoving ahead while others have opposed the measure. TheCanadian government position has also been against sucha tax.

The fact remains that the implementation of such a taxcould raise billions of dollars, which could then be fun-neled into priority areas such as healthcare, education andpension reform. Based on 2013 data from the InternationalMonetary Fund, the Canadian economy is about 1/10 thesize of the EU’s economy. Even if we take a more conser-vative estimate of the possible revenue generated – say€30 billion – that would mean income of about €3 billionor $4.44 billion. If this total were shared among the press-ing social initiatives listed above it could yield in excessof $1 billion for post-secondary institutions.

An infusion of this kind of cash would compensate forperennial government underfunding, which is manifestedin rising tuition and student debt, growing class sizes,labour volatility and increasing reliance on part time aca-demic labour – all of which threaten the quality of educa-tion. It would also restore some faith in a system thatappears to have allowed criminality to go unpunished.

We are regularly regaled with stories of welfare cheatswho have defrauded the system of tens of thousands ofdollars. Holding the financial sector to account for its re-cent behavior will help dispel the increasingly commonbelief that there are two sets of laws – one for the wealthyand the other for the disadvantaged. At the same time, itwould allow us to reverse years of government negligenceof post-secondary education and ensure that a meaningfulinvestment is made in young people.

Crime of the Century? Perhaps Crime can be Made to Pay!by Peter Farrugia


I remember when I was a kid, driving with my momaround town and into the country on Sunday afternoonsseeing the sites; the changing of seasons; all the littletowns and hamlets that pepper our countryside. Being alover of old houses she would always point out all thebeautiful Victorian homes standing tall here, and nestledin there. It’s always been something that stuck with me,this love for old houses. They become like personalitiesyou bump into and greet everyday. Some are cared for andcontent. Others are lonely. Some feel mutilated and de-formed while others are virtually museums, causing us tostep back in time once we cross their threshold and suc-ceeding in reminding us of a different way in what is nowa much different world.There is something aboutliving amongst wood thatmay now age 500 years ormore. Much of it cut fromthe trees that were grow-ing here before the firstsettlers arrived. The waythey seem to absorb thememories, actions anddreams of the generationsthat were born, lived, anddied under their roofs, for-ever emitting the residualpast and enriching thepresent.

Although a little less nowdue to neglect and bad de-cision making, Brantford and surrounding area has a richarchitectural history. There are times when I blur my eyesa little walking down the street and try to imagine the aes-thetics of our oldest neighbourhoods and how they oncemust have appeared. If you look past all the inappropriatecost saving additions, behind all the vinyl, peeling paint,drop ceilings, replacement windows, wood paneling andstucco (a venereal disease houses contract) there is some-thing still there of enormous character and value. Still alot that could be saved. One example being old woodenwindows. There is a whole industry set on convincing usthat old Victorian windows need to be replaced with vinyl.Think about it… The windows in my house have beenthere for 144 years enduring one of the most drastic cli-mates on the planet. Vinyl windows have a 20 year war-ranty, are incredibly expensive, don’t come in curves andtherefore instantly ruin the facade of many homes and pub-lic spaces. With the emergence of local innovative busi-nesses like ‘Paradigm Shift Customs -Heritage Building

Restoration Specialist’ led by Drew Scuce, local crafts-men who believe in what they do and can add another hun-dred years to your pre existing windows, why are there somany vinyl windows set on their path of deterioration andgeneral ugliness making?

I was raised in a little Victorian Brantford Cottage in theeast end with a fairly large carriage house in the backyardthat served as my ship of the imagination. Many yearslater, I now own and am restoring with my wife and kidsan almost identical cottage two blocks away from the oneI grew up in. Coincidence? Maybe. Yet cathartic all thesame. I began to seek out information concerning this

prevalent architectural threadstitching itself across the fab-ric of our city.

Inside the February 1864 edi-tion of ‘Canada Farmer’ peri-odical were printed the floorplans and front elevation forwhat would become known inour local vernacular as, ‘TheBrantford Cottage’. Alsoreprinted in January 1873 andexplained with much enthusi-asm, most likely why the formis so prevalent here in our cor-ner of the planet. Althoughthese architectural gems canbe found throughout manytowns and cities across South-

ern Ontario and were indeed labelled by Canada Farmeras ‘A Small Gothic Cottage’, Brantford does have a hand-some sum of them in many variations built across gener-ations.

What is a Gothic Brantford Cottage for those who may notknow? Most often brick and built with a love for symme-try and classical proportions, the gothic Brantford cottageis generally a square or rectangular 1 or 1 1/2 story threebayed structure. A door in the centre, often with a transomor ‘fan’ window above it, and a window placed to its leftand to its right. The roof, being a ‘hip roof’ is one of itsmost notable and distinguishing features, most likelybrought over by Scottish settlers (if a square house had ahip roof, each corner would incline up towards the centrecreating a kind of four sided pyramid), broken in the frontby a central gable (pointy roof thingy). One author wrote,“The house is so basic in its tectonic qualities that it is in-tuitively understood, like the stereotypical child’s drawing

of a house”. Just take a quick walk through any of the Vic-torian neighbourhoods in our historic city, East ward,Eagle place, Dufferin, Downtown, etc, and in no time youwill be sure to find one, if not many. Yet drive out ofSouthern Ontario and they quickly fade from the land-scape. They are completely unique to our city streets andcountry roads.

Incredibly sturdy, built to last and often possessing largetrimmings and decorative bargeboards (gingerbread), thestyle made it possible for working class families andtradesmen to afford sanitary living conditions in a timewhen log cabins dominated our landscape (in its simplestform, four rooms to the front divided by a central hallwaywith the kitchen separate from the living quarters at theback), all the while maintaining a Victorian charm with itsspacious rooms and high ceilings, thought to aid in elevat-ing the spiritual lives of the emerging middle class (nolower than 10 feet the Almanac suggests). They are almostalways deceivingly large and refreshingly rational in theirlayout.

As I said, we have been restoring our little cottage comingon two years now. Removing drop ceilings and strata offlooring to reveal the original plank. Fixing holes in oldplaster you could crawl through. Its not the same crampedhouse we moved into anymore. A local eccentric told usthe place was haunted and no one ever stays. I think theghosts must like us. Or maybe the house was aggravatedand simply felt ugly and unloved. It's as simple as a housegets with very little excess. We don’t fix it and try to returnit to its proper proportions because we think it will makea lovely heritage designation, or has some unique valuethat will make the annals of Brantfordia. It’s one of manyacross the city. But it's ours to love like a member of ourfamily and we do it because no amount of modern reno-vation could surpass the beauty and character of what isalready there tucked behind a veil of good intentions. Wedo it because the space we live in affects our lives, and thebettering of it can almost be likened unto a spiritual prac-tice that in turn improves our city and our outlook of itsfuture, simply by tending its past. More times than nought,a little paint and plaster, a keen eye and a lot of elbowgrease will create a far more beautiful outcome than some-thing new made from inferior materials. I believe Brant-ford is coming into really recognizing the value in itshistoricity. A kind of grass roots renaissance that’s goingto pick up the pieces of its broken and neglected past, andrather than replacing them with cheap temporary plasticsolutions, sit down and like the craftsman who built ourcity, take the time to fix and restore them.

A Small Gothic (Brantford) Cottageby Ryan Van Dijk, Old Home Painting & Finishes

Interior/Exterior Painting • Plaster repair • Decorative painting/faux finishColour consultation/Design • Clean, careful with competitive prices

519.761.1148 • Facebook: oldhomepainting

I love Ward 5.

I moved into this ward from Burford as a teenager in the70s and still live here today. Right away Ward 5 becamemy new home.

I attended Pauline Johnson Collegiate during those form-ative years, got involved right away and never stopped.

Ward 5 is my home, my community, and an area I am verypassionate about. For many years, my friends and neigh-bours in the ward have asked for me to run municipally.

Today I am announcing my intent to run in Ward 5 and beelected as their member of Brantford City Council.

People who know me, know that I will stand up and rep-resent them. I have spent many years at the doors in Ward5 getting to know my neighbours so that I could better ad-vocate for them.

As an active member of the community and a former co-ordinator of an employment action centre in the neigh-bourhood I have had the absolute pleasure of helpingliterally hundreds of local residents and I want to continuethat work as a representative for Ward 5.

I’ve taken a stand on many issues in my years and stoodwith some amazing local people to do so. I’m proud tohave taken stands on controversial issues like unemploy-ment, abusive temp agencies, environmental protection,anti-poverty work and pride friendly cities - to name justa few.

I’m also proud to work with my friends and neighbourson business retention, small business development, train-ing for adults and young people, and various communityconsultations.

I’m proud to be known as someone who will listen to,work with, and stand up for our neighbourhood. I’ll alsowork with our provincial, federal and other municipal part-

ners for the betterment of our city as a whole.

Fiscal responsibility and getting the most benefit and bestdeal from a dollar is important to me. I learned from myhard working mom when I was the youngest child with 2brothers and a sister being raised on a single income, andlater from my time running an employment centre on avery small budget.

That centre - just like my mom taught us growing up - wasvery effective and always came in under budget while ex-ceeding expectations and giving back. I’d be very happyto bring that same perspective to city council and look for-ward to the opportunity to do so with your support.

Myself and my crew of volunteers will be working inWard 5 all summer and fall to make sure you are heardand to answer any questions you may have.Please feel free to reach me at [email protected] 519 759 3269. All my best to you neighbour,

A Letter to Ward 5by Brian Van Tilborg, Facebook: Brian Van Tilborg


Beautifully pregnant and due in two weeks Ella was still de-termined to walk the entire procession. Their daughter, Vic-toria, was beside them while Slawomir Dobrowolski carriedtheir son Alec on his shoulder. What a touching family imagethat was replicated by 1.2 billion Roman Catholics who cel-ebrate Corpus Christi, in its 750th year, world wide.

On Sunday, June 22, its 7th year in Brantford, the Eu-charistic procession of the ‘real’ body and blood of JesusChrist began at an outdoor alter at St. Joseph’s Church. Fa-thers Toby Collins from Waterloo, Mariusz Durbajlo of OurLady of the Assumption Parish, Adam Wroblewicz of StJoseph’s Church and Andrzej Czarny from Cambridge sharedthis altar and two more beautiful outdoor altars at each of thePolish Halls along the route. Hundreds of dedicated men,women and children filled the streets strewn with rose petals,then entered St. Pius X Church to conclude this special event. It had been many years, and long overdue, since I had made

this spiritual walk. As I knelt on the asphalt at each stationand prayed along with the others, many things crossed mymind including this year’s commemoration of the 100th an-niversary of the beginning of WWI, and the 70th of D-Dayand the battle at Monte Cassino that marked the beginning ofthe end of WWII. It is also the 200th anniversary of theWar of 1812’s conflict at Malcolm’s Mills in Oakland.

I found it personally so fitting, especially in the moment ofCorpus Christi, to remember those who died in those conflictsand the tragic loss of life; to remember and learn from thesenseless wars that impacted us, the survivors for a lifetime.Wars are the opposite of our human purpose, yet we still seehorrific conflict around the world today. In our own com-munities we have become polarized on important issues,yet we have so much more in common than we do differences.As a Roman Catholic I believe that Christ died for our sins

so why, I ask myself, are we continuing to sin and con-stantly hurting our neighbours? Why can’t we simply ‘do untoothers as we would have others do unto ourselves’?

The area spanning Brantford, Brant County and neighbouringSix Nations and Mississauga was always, and still is an all in-clusive and wonderful multi-cultural area. It is a home to over35 churches and religious temples.

Corpus Christi is one way that Roman Catholics remember,honour and reaffirm their relationship with God, with theCreator. We all have our own spiritual and cultural be-liefs and that is why it is important to understand and respectother people who celebrate their spiritual and cultural beliefsthat are different from our own. We fly around the sun at67,000 miles per hour. We are in the same vehicle. When wego on a trip with others in one car isn’t it better to travel inharmony to our destination?

The Feast of Corpus Christiby Zig Misiak, Facebook: Zig Misiak

What is the allure of screaming jets in painfully tight formationsand fixed wing aircraft tumbling through the sky above ourheads that draws us to an Airshow?

Over 100 years ago in 1903, Kitty Hawk North Carolina, over25,000 watched in amazement as the Wright brothers defiedgravity for the first time in North America. At the end ofAugust, at the Brantford Municipal Airport, we get to see thecurrent evolution of flight, FREE, and from the flight line...upclose and personal.

A combination of military precision and private daredevilaerobatics will thrill you as kids from age 3 to 103. On theground will be static exhibits collected in such a display totell the story of those who still defy gravity like Orville andWilbur.

The Rotary Charity Airshow is August 27th, Wednesday,wheels up at 3:00pm.

Why Rotary? Because The Rotary Club of Brantford that livesthe motto ‘Service Before Self’ is organizing this as acommunity event in order to sponsor two incredible localorganizations, Lansdowne Children’s Centre and Boys andGirls Club. The leadership by the Rotarians and the hundredsof volunteers guarantee an exciting family adventure. Theyhave planned a great show with amenities and attractions toentertain and satisfy the day’s commitment for young and old.

Why Charity? Because all of us realize that there is so muchneed to help the children in our community to grow anddevelop, and these donation recipients are models of investmentaccordingly. Both have strong local boards and credentialsthat are models of success across Canada. Partnering withboth the City of Brantford and the County of Brant, it’s allabout kids and families. Come to the show and help thekids…simple equation.

Now, the Airshow!

If you are looking for military jet precision flying, we havethe perennial favourites, the RCAF Snowbird Team. Sevenjets perform high speed maneuvers, literally above your head,and then they land a few yards in front of you and walk backfor autographs with the crowd.

This year we have a special treat from the American Military.Perhaps you have seen the recent movie, ‘The Red Tails’ starringCuba Gooding Junior. It’s a story about a regiment of blackpilots that, until the middle of WWII, regrettably had not beenallowed to fly in combat with their white comrades. Someonecreated a special task for these accomplished men, to escortbombers flying over North Africa and Europe to assist in theinternational war effort. They were given Mustang P51aircraft and by their own decision determined to be identifiedby painting vibrant red tails. They were fearless, efficient andinstrumental in changing the outcome in the 1940’s on behalfof the Allies. At the Airshow, Bill Shepard will be flying this

famous machine.

Another military treat is the RCAF Sky Hawk ParachutingTeam. With coloured smoke pots flaring from their legs andtandem chutes dragging 30 foot Canadian and American flags,they will land in front of the crowd and even offer demonstrationsabout chute packing for the kids.

And finally, from the military history of Canada, TheCanadian Harvard Association of Canada will thrill you withthe roar of their precision flying by four bright yellow WWIIaircraft. This is the 75th anniversary of this organization andthey will have a static ground display as well to celebrate theirrole over the decades.

We have four awesome aerobatic performers to make youdrop your jaw open and go WOW!

Pete McCloud, a Canadian in his early 30s, is the fastestracing pilot in Canada and currently 3rd in the world. His RedBull single seater and formidable technique at more than 10G-force pressure will simply amaze you.

Kent Pietsch is an American aerobatics expert over the past40 years and flies the ‘Jelly Belly’ aircraft. He has, as oneroutine, a dead-stick operation- engine turned off - wherebyhe flies to 5000 feet above the crowd, kills the engine andflips and tumbles out of the sky landing right in front of you,never starting his engine.

Trevor Rafferty, a young man from Southern Ontario, asecond generation pilot, designed and built his Javelin aircraftfor competitions and performances throughout North America.

Mike Tryggvason, another second generation Ontario pilot,in his Pitts Special Bi-plane will slip slide his way throughthe air as you have likely never seen before. Mike, in hisnormal life, is a conservative commercial pilot…who justlikes to flip out during his spare time…literally!

Again: The Rotary Charity Airshow is August 27th, Wednesday,wheels up at 3:00pm.

Parking on surrounding roads will be restricted and enforcedby Police. There will be arrangements for bus transportationannounced by the City of Brantford. Gates open at noon,parking next to the airport for an entire family is $10, freeadmission, with food, amenities and displays throughout thearea. Bring a lawn chair, camera, suntan lotion and strollers…but please remember, strictly enforced:

No PETS; No ALCOHOL; No SMOKING… anywhere!

We are looking for more volunteers!www.rotarycharityairshow.ca to sign up!

***

A ‘flight deck’, in aviation terminology, is otherwise knownas the cockpit of an aircraft. It is also a descriptor of the landingsurface on an aircraft carrier, a point of departure and arrival.

Imagine if you will, the awestruck eyes of a child experiencingtheir first flight in a small plane: the wonderment; the thrill;the nervous gut tingling; the fantastic dreams of exploration.

Flight Deck 2014 is designed to share these emotions withkids representing clients of Lansdowne Children’s Centre andThe Brantford Boys and Girls Club as an introduction forthem to the 2014 Rotary Charity Airshow.

Each flight is a mission. The young Commander of thatmission is tasked to find a landmark in Brantford or BrantCounty such as Bell Homestead, Downtown Paris, LorneBridge, the High Level bridge over the Grand River anddozens more.

On board each flight is a photographer from the Brant CameraClub. They are to photograph the child’s reactions, documentthe conversation and, of course, visually record the successfulmission as assigned. This project is a collaboration by manygenerous people.

The Brantford Flying Club is critical in the success of thisendeavour. They have donated all the aircraft and about 40pilots to give the most number of kids this experience. Manydon’t realize how active our local Flying Club is: flight schooland aircraft rentals; regional transportation expectations;maintenance, service, aircraft housing and hospitality forpilots from near and far; television commercials and moviescenes shot on the runways; disaster training exercises; and astaff that prides itself in meeting the needs of the flying public,private or commercial.

Lansdowne Children’s Centre serves the needs of thousandsof kids in the region. It is a children’s treatment centre forchildren with physical, communication and/or developmentalneeds located in Brantford. They offer special needs kids thehelp they deserve in: Optometry and Orthotics clinics; Autismand Infant/ Child development services; Occupational andSpeech and Language therapy; and much more. Their caringand professional staff are devoted to the kids. What a joy tosee this centre of excellence serving our family needs.

Brantford Boys and Girls Club serves a different demographic,the majority being economically disadvantaged families withkids between the ages of 5 and 10. The vision is to givechildren and youth a chance to discover and achieve theirdreams in order to grow up as healthy, successful and activeparticipants in society. Given their mission and this project’ssimilarity, everyone is focused on giving the kids newexperiences and overcome barriers in order to build positiverelationships.

Help us help them to Dare to Dream…the magic of flight.

Flight Deck 2014 Rotary Charity Airshow – Dare To Dreamby John Bradford, Facebook: John Bradford


Paralegal’s evolving role and the benefits for Ontario drivers

With further changes anticipated to the Insurance Act in 2015 we must continue to find

ways to adapt our practice to better serve our clients within the parameters of the Act.

Almost immediately we must educate our clients that their compensation is going to be

first and foremost determined by the provisions in the Insurance Act. It is always chal-

lenging to get clients to redirect their attention from their immediate needs to the bigger

picture. When insurers refuse to pay benefits or fund treatments for our clients this reality

is often incomprehensible to them.

Since September 1, 2010 motor vehicle collision accident benefit claimants have faced

what are almost insurmountable hurdles including the reduction of the amount of statu-

tory benefits available to claimants from $100,000.00 to $50,000.00 and the complete

breakdown of FSCO (the mandated dispute resolution system). From a practical perspec-

tive this has meant that claimants need legal representation more than ever to assist them

in navigating themselves through this bureaucratic mess and that because the amount of

available benefits has been slashed there are less lawyers interested in doing the work.

Fortunately this has coincided with the paralegals being licenced and regulated by the

Law Society of Upper Canada. This has opened up a wealth of opportunities for parale-

gals to work assisting lawyers in representing motor vehicle collision claimants. As for

the most part motor vehicle claim files have two components: i.e. the accident benefit

file which relates to your own insurer's obligation to fund treatment and pay benefits;

and the claim against the at fault driver for pain and suffering this presents a natural op-

portunity for a division of labour between paralegals and lawyers.

Mr. Kelly and I have immensely enjoyed sitting on the Professional Advisory Committee

for Conestoga College. This has given us a new perspective as to the possibilities that

have been opened up by Paralegals obtaining professional status and professional ac-

creditation. As you might expect there is a great deal of variation in terms of quality and

length of training offered by various colleges for paralegals. At Conestoga the program

is a post-graduate program which means that candidates must have either a degree or

diploma which makes it distinct from some shorter programs specifically targeted to

specifically retrain individuals who have lost their jobs often in unrelated fields like man-

ufacturing.

The biggest challenge is going to be to get lawyers to welcome paralegals into the pro-

fession. Not surprisingly there has been been some initial resistance. At this time alot of

paralegals graduate anticipating a career in Highway Traffic court where they will face

stiff competition from retired or former police officers who are already perceived as well

seasoned with respect to Highway Traffic Act issues.

Our response has been to follow the American trend to embrace paralegals working in

supportive roles with lawyers to best serve the needs of our clients. This approach is im-

portant not only to ensure growth and security within the Paralegal profession but most

importantly to give us the flexibility we all need as professionals to serve the needs of

our clients. We have found that in the context of a personal injury practice there are many

opportunities for paralegals to assist in a variety of areas including FSCO tribunal work,

medical reviews and trial preparation. We hope that our colleagues over the next few

years will continue to consider how Paralegals could assist them in their practices, as

this will assist everyone in keeping justice accessible to the citizens of the Province of

Ontario.

Lisa Morell KellyMorell Kelly Personal Injury Law515 Park Road NorthBrantford, Ontario N3R 7K8 (519) 720-0110

The Clean Water Act was created to implementall of the recommendations of the WalkertonInquiry. The Source Protection Plans aresupposed to identify the potential threats using ascience based approach and either reduce oreliminate those threats.

Living in a well head protection area, it was quitea shock to find out that a gravel pit was openingright on our source of drinking water. The GRCAhad done a great job informing us about all of thethings that were considered a threat and even hada program where they would pay to ensure thatold wells were decommissioned properly.

It's hard to imagine how an old well would be athreat, but a gravel pit removing all of thematerial to within 1 metre above the aquifer isnot. That just doesn't make any sense at all. Nowthey tell us it is the lateral movement through theaquifer that will filter the water but if that is truefor a gravel pit, then it's also true for an old well.If that is the case, then they just wasted a pile oftaxpayers’ dollars to properly fill in old wells thatare not really a threat. The truth is that animproperly filled in well will give rain water directaccess to the aquifer... and so will a gravel pit.

When we first received our notices of threats,certain gravel pit activities were listed as threats.But then they disappeared from the list. Tounderstand how this could happen, you have toattend some of the Source Water ProtectionCommittee meetings. On every committee is arepresentative of the aggregate (gravel) industry.Since these people are paid by the industry, theyare there to protect the interests of the industry.If any of their activities are considered a threat,that will cost them money and limit certainactivities. It just happens that the best graveldeposits also make the best aquifers. It would betheir job to ensure that none of their activities arelisted as threats.

Originally, the committee did list potentialthreats from aggregate operations but theDirector of the program over-ruled the committeeand denied the listing of aggregate activities aspotential threats. This is in direct contradictionto the mandate of using a science basedapproach. This was a decision made by one manwithout any science. This decision was madebecause the Provincial Government has adocument called the Provincial Policy Statement(PPS) that puts the needs of the aggregate industryover and above the health and safety of thecitizens. The Clean Water Act can say whateverit wants, giving the impression to the people thatthe government is doing everything it can toprotect our water. The PPS simply over-rules anyother act or rule.

Let's remember that a science based approach issupposed to be used to identify threats. That

means that the committee will have to presentpotential scenarios that could be a threat andassess whether the threat exists using scientificmethodology. If this committee was fulfilling itsmandate, and you and I were to look at thesituation and identify a threat, then they wouldhave the science that tells us why it was clearedas a threat. Right? Apparently not.

The Concerned Citizens Of Brant have identifiedseveral credible scenarios that could potentiallycontaminate our drinking water that have neverbeen considered. For starters, the land they wantto mine has been farmed and sprayed withpesticides. The most dangerous is a chemicalcalled Atrazine, a nasty substance that has beenlinked to the feminization of frogs and breastcancer and stays in the soil for over 20 years. Itjust happens that the same company that makesAtrazine, which turns up the production of estrogen,also makes the leading breast cancer treatmentcalled Letrozole, which turns down the productionof estrogen. Why this toxin is still allowed to besprayed on our food is another subject. Ourhypothesis is that the residues will be washed offof the material with high pressure when it isprocessed and concentrated back into the washpond, which is no more than a big hole in theaquifer, allowing it direct access to the aquifer.Another possibility is that it can be concentratedwithin the waste material in the settling pond,which would be scraped out and spread acrossthe floor of the gravel pit, one metre above theaquifer where it can gain direct access to theaquifer.

If the committee was fulfilling its mandate, thenthey should be able to pull the data that showsthe chemical composition of the settling pondwater, the source pond water and the miningwaste. The fact is that none of these have everbeen measured. These, and several otherhypotheses are currently being considered by theMinistry Of Environment with the Permit ToTake Water and it is our hope that they will takethese threats seriously and force proper scienceto be done. It has now been over a year since theapplication was filed and we hope to get theanswers at an upcoming stakeholder's meeting.

Regardless of the outcome, I'm deeply concernedabout the lack of consideration that the SourceWater Protection Committee has put into thesafety of our drinking water. We just looked atthreats related to aggregates and are left to wonderwhat other threats were not properly considered.It seems that the aggregate industry just wavetheir hand and say “these are not the threats youare looking for” like that scene from Star Warswhere Obi Wan uses the power of the force to getthe droids past a check point.

With my experience, Source Water Protectionlooks more like an illusion.

Does Source Water Protection Really Protect Our Water?By: Jeff Broomfield, www.ccob.ca, [email protected]


I can’t say for sure if I’ll have children in the future, but Iam pretty sure that if I do, they won’t be of my own fleshand blood. There are far too many children who areparentless already, so why not adopt one of them and raisethem as my own?

If I become a dad, I’d do my best to prepare them for thefun times, the sad times, the great times, and the hardtimes. I’d like to impart my advice to them, and, well, youtoo. So here goes:

As much as you won’t like it, you will have chores to doaround the house. So many teenagers these days do notknow how to do their own laundry, or clean up afterthemselves, or empty a garbage can when it’s full, or dothe dishes when they’re dirty. Believe me, you’ll thank mewhen you go off to college oruniversity and you have to livewith a bunch of other spoiledkids.

Don’t worry about dating untilyou’re sixteen…better yet,eighteen. I didn’t have my firstboyfriend until I was nineteen,and I turned out okay, right?Well, when the time comes, yourboyfriend or girlfriend shouldbetter you. They should besomeone you can count on andlook forward to seeing. Yes, re-lationships require work but theyshouldn’t become a daily stress, or worse, a constantloathing. Don’t become a possession to be controlled, andnever tolerate abuse. When you fight, argue cleanly.Name-calling doesn’t fix the problem and just shows yourimmaturity. Did I mention your other half should betteryou, not bring you down?

I will always have an ear for you, so approach me aboutanything. Math problems, friend issues, drugs and alcohol,food, dealing with taxes, sex, gossip, gift ideas – anything.Granted, you might not always want to talk to me, so finda friend with whom you can. Sharing is a necessary partof life. And don’t be discouraged if you don’t have manyfriends. Remember, it’s the quality of the friendships, notthe quantity of friends.

Life is a game of balance. Although we are creatures ofhabit, we also need the right amount of variation andmoderation. Allow yourself some spontaneity; no one likesan uptight timekeeper. But also maintain some structure inorder to take on your ever-growing responsibilities.

As a potential gay dad, I feel I shouldn’t need to say this,

but I will. Your sexual orientation will never, ever affectmy love for you. You will be adored whether you’re homoor hetero, bi or trans. What matters most is yourhappiness!

Keep in mind that everyone has a unique way of thinking.However, opinions aren’t facts, so be kind to those whothink differently than you.

I encourage you to take a world religions class in order tolearn about the different beliefs that circulate this planet.I don’t expect you to choose a religion to obey; just beaware of them. You have the freedom to form your ownideas. You might want to create a personal belief systemby taking pieces of each religion you like, pray to yourown goddess, become a Buddhist, or disregard religion

altogether. All I ask is that youdon’t join a cult, for god’s sake.

Life is too short, so have somefun with it! Don’t waste it awayby working constantly; you needto make time for play. Take anight off and go out with yourfriends. Better yet, take a vacationto one of your dream locations.Work to live, don’t live to work.Unless you love your job, you’reonly there to pay the bills. Andlet’s face it, you can’t take yourmoney with you to heaven oryour next life.

It takes time to heal a cut, right? As such, it takes time toheal an emotional wound. I know this because I’ve seen ithappen, and I’ve experienced it. Only I don’t use a Band-Aid to help with the pain. A tub of ice cream, a series ofchick flicks, and a healthy dose of supportive friends ismy recipe. Things don’t heal overnight, unfortunately.Sometimes it can take months, if not years. But I’ll bethere to hold your hand and help you through it.

And there will be times when your heart will be broken,and there will be times when you will break someoneelse’s heart. It’s never easy mending a shattered heart, orfeeling responsible for crushing another’s. You are allowedto cry. Don’t worry, no one looks pretty when they cry. Solet it all out. Let out all the ugly, hurtful emotions you’refeeling. And give Dad a hug.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I say you arebeautiful as you are. Never base your appearance on thegirls or guys in the magazines; they are photo-shopped andtherefore fake. I’ll let you get a piercing or two, just promiseto think a moment before getting a tattoo on your forehead,

please. Enjoy the moments you can, because I can guaranteeit won’t last. Soak it in. Bask in life’s delight. Don’t mullin the past. Don’t constantly fret about the future. And getoff your phone during special occasions. The present isright in front of you, so enjoy it sweetie. The saying, “Thistoo shall pass,” is applicable to any situation, both goodand bad.

Choose music as your drug of choice. You don’t necessarilyhave to play any music (I sure can’t), but listening to musicand exploring different genres and musicians can be re-warding. I used to be shy of my music choices because Ithought people would judge me, but now I don’t care. It’swhat makes your ears happy that counts!

I can’t emphasize this enough: communication is a keyelement to happiness. As much as super powers areawesome, no one can read your mind. So many friend-ships, relationships, and various bonds have suffered orended due to lack of proper communication. I encourageyou to learn when to listen and when to consideratelyspeak your mind. You’ll notice a difference! You are yourtoughest critic. It’s been said again and again, but it’s true.You will critique yourself, incessantly trying to makeimprovements either on your school assignments, your artprojects, your musical pieces, your writing endeavors,your life goals – I could go on. Sometimes you have tojust stop the critiquing and let it go. Otherwise, you’llinhibit yourself and nothing will get accomplished. Imper-fection is a part of life. Embrace it!

I’m sure I’ll find more advice to tell you as life goes on,so I’ll leave you with this final one for now. For the restof your life, there will be only one person you’ll have tolive with consistently and tolerate endlessly. Yourself.Learn to love yourself and get comfortable in your ownskin; because you’re gonna have it for a good while! Thismay sound cheesy, but others can’t love you entirely untilyou love you.

This was one of my first articles published in the BrantAdvocate, and it’s become a favourite of mine, as well astimeless in its message. I’ve always known I wanted to bea writer, but when I began exploring ways to publishcontent on a blog, or even write for the Advocate, I hadmy reservations about making myself known to the world.I guess I was worried about how my writing would bereceived, and if I even had any talent in it at all! Well, Ican tell you contributing to the Brant Advocate has beenan amazing experience! I’m so blessed for the support andpositive feedback I get from loved ones and people I don’tnormally speak with. Thank you.

Cheers to a wonderful run, and good luck to everyone inyour future endeavors!

Advice For My Un-Adopted Kidsby Markus McDaniel, Blog: www.schnippits.wordpress.com

“As a potential gay dad, I feel Ishouldn’t need to say this, but I

will. Your sexual orientation willnever, ever affect my love for

you. You will be adored whetheryou’re homo or hetero, bi ortrans. What matters most is

your happiness!”

LIGHTING - BLINDS - WALLPAPER - MIRRORS

405 St. Paul Avenue, Brantford.

90 Morton Ave East Brantford • 519.757.1800 • www.handcraftedwood.ca

Wine Tour DaTesBench Tour

saturday July 26saturday august 9

niagara Wine Toursunday august 17

Live Music on The PaTioJazz - Denis rondeau & Friends

Fridays 8:00pm - 11:00pm

aaron vos7:00pm - 9:00pmTuesday July 22

Wednesday July 30Wednesday august 6Wednesday august 13Wednesday august 20Wednesday august 27

sunDaY - ThursDaYPizza & PinT

enjoy one of our 16 inch signaturepizzas with 2 of your favorite craft

beers or wines for $25.00

the brant advocate, issue 35, july/august 2014

Documents