SPEAKING OUT FOR YOU ON:

Ten years of Liberal waste.

Skyrocketing hydro costs.
Record Ontario debt and deficits.

We can do better. People in Brant

are telling me they want representation
that focuses on the tough issues.
Health Care, Jobs, Efficient
Government Services.
PHIL GILLIES - PC Candidate Brant Riding

My Committment
Creating more
opportunities for
our young people
Investment and
jobs for Brant
and Brantford

www.philgillies.ca
Authorized by the CFO for the Brant PC Riding Association.

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

stalls smaller than ones Id seen used for pigs. This is

not a life for anyone, he said. I agreed.

It was the last week of January and the harsh beep of an

alarm pulled me out of sleep. Groggy, I looked up at the
peeling cement ceiling three feet above me.
I was on a top bunk in the room of a small inn. ($9 a
night didnt seem like a bad deal.) On the bunk below
me was my friend, Yoani and our cameraman, Mike,
who wed dragged all the way from his urbane Toronto
haunts to the mountains of northern Nicaragua.
Stepping out into the courtyard, I could see clouds hanging
a couple hundred feet above our rooftops. Neighbourhoods of huts drifting into barren, stump-filled openness
drifting into heavily wooded hillsides vaulted up the
slopes of the mountains surrounding this highland
vale-town. Those treed verticals rose into the mist and
gave the low-hanging clouds the look of being a blanket
pinned to surrounding peaks, like a child giants living
room fortress.

At another farm, we discovered the workers hadnt been

paid for more than a month, provided with only one
serving of food a day per worker a small bowl of low
quality rice and beans. The food caused diarrhea and
stomach problems, and going into the wooden sheds the
workers had for homes, we saw that children were
malnourished, with all sorts of health problems diarrhea, bronchitis, flu, cough, anemia, parasites, stomach
aches, fevers, and more. Almost everyone on the farm
had various illnesses that could easily and cheaply be treated.
We only came intending to interview workers (something thats usually pretty hard to do as armed guards
often blocked us from speaking to workers), but this
farm was worse than anything wed seen yet. We went
back to the closest town, bought medicines for some of
the families we had interviewed, got some bread and
coffee (yes, ironically these coffee pickers have no
access to coffee, and want it badly for the cold mountain
mornings) and came back to the farm. Our guide,
Alvaro, who had helped with medical missions in the
past, attempted to administer the medication to the
individuals we had spoken with. It was a mad-house;
thirty-five families or so queueing up for the goods.

The chatty guide wed hired told us the clouds used to

often come right down into the city, but with the effects
of deforestation and rising year-round temperatures,
they didnt anymore.

One woman came up to us with an 8-month-old girl that

had pneumonia for the last 2 months, and the medicine
for the pneumonia only costs $7 for a full treatment. She
was the same age as my own daughter who was safely
back in Canada with her mother, but maybe half the size.
It was heart-breaking.

It had been a couple days since my last coffee. But it

seemed I was in good company, for as far as we encountered,
people in Nicaragua (at least the working classes) seem
to not drink much coffee. When they did, it was crappy
imported coffee, the closest cousin of which you might
find brewing itself to death in a neglected corner of a
truck stop in someplace like Idaho.

If this were a war-torn nation, or one with no real economic

outputs, I could understand this sort of tragedy being the
result. But here was one of the best coffee growing
regions on the planet, and we were amid farms selling
to all the wealthiest coffee brands we love to buy from.

At another farm, we discovered

the workers hadnt been paid
for more than a month,
provided with only one
serving of food a day per
worker a small bowl of
low quality rice and beans.
This was particularly odd considering we couldve
walked a couple miles in virtually any direction and
found a coffee farm. For a country dominated by its
participation in the volatile, abusive and multi-nationally
dominated coffee industry, and for a region that
produces a lot of the worlds highest quality arabica
beans, they seem to really take to heart the long-standing
drug dealer adage, Dont get hooked on your own dope.

How could anyone do this?

We were told the vast majority of coffee farms (about
70% according to the vice president of one of the local
mills) are using what are called traditional practices.
Traditional practices mean worker welfare is no
concern, and neither is water source pollution, pesticide
issues, lack of education or medical resources, or any of
the things needed to have healthy families and healthy
communities. Even with relatively high prices on the
stock market for coffee right now, many workers and
their families are malnourished, some even to the point
of starvation, and many without basic access to medicines
or even elementary education for their children.
Coffee is grown, picked, processed and sold on the
general commodities market. Buyers dont care where
the coffee is from exactly, or what conditions it was
grown under, so the exporters and mills dont care. They
dont make any more money for caring, so everyone just
does what they can.
In fact, the hardest hit on these farms, it seems, are the
children. Their parents get some food from the owners
of the farms so that they can work, but most people
dont even have enough at the end of the day to buy the
cheapest food for the children. It was a painful thing to
see, especially set in a landscape that looked close to
paradise.

But it isnt so much that. The reason theres not much

coffee is more insidious. Coffee is the tool used to keep
the people too poor to afford coffee. The industry their
saggy economy is built on is one of systemic and
systematic abuse of people for the sake of money. And
who makes the money? North American coffee companies,
for the most part. This is because the coffee industry
allows a mask of anonymity to its buyers. They dont
know where their coffee came from, and their customers
dont care. Just knowing the country of origin is good
enough for even the more astute coffee drinker. Forget
the working conditions. Forget the local environment.
Forget whether the children of workers get an education,
or even adequate food. Thats someone elses problem.

We finished our time in Nicaragua, and came back to

Canada. It hadnt been all gloomy wed come across
many people that were trying to make a difference there
in Nicaragua, including a wonderful family running a
coffee mill called Esperanza Coffee, and an Ontario-educated plantation farmer named Gus (both of whom
youll be hearing lots about in the coming months).

We headed further up into the mountains, travelling

from farm to farm down back roads. Ill never forget
what we saw. The people live like rats, said a young
man at the first farm we visited, walking up to the
worker barracks in the dead of night so guards or farm
managers couldnt stop us. Entire families packed in

And the journey went on from there. Three long years

later, we launched Ethical Coffee Chain an effort to
create a platform for coffee drinkers to connect with
coffee farms and make a tangible difference. Its been a
lot of hard work, sacrifice, and highs and lows already.
Yet, weve barely begun.

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

What if we all Tithed?

by Dave Carrol, Twitter: @davecarrol
There is a principle in Christianity and Judaism called
Tithing. It means intentionally giving 10% of your gross
income; in this case, to the church. Some Christian circles
subscribe fully to it in the modern context, some debate its
relevance while others have let it slide with the times. But
its historical Biblical and Judeo existence in one form or
another, for roughly 4000 recorded years, is well
documented. The Orthodox Jews call it ma'aser kesafim, in
partnership with the principle of Gemilut Hasadim meaning
giving kindness. Acts of kindness or hesed are said to
make this world a more tolerable and better place. Im
VERY pro-kindness. Shoot they call me The Captain.
But, make no mistake that this ancient lifestyle of generosity
is about meeting consistent,
structural needs through
consistent, structured giving.
I know Pastors and leaders
who have spent their entire
careers avoiding talking
about this principle, or about
giving in general, because it
makes them uncomfortable.
However, giving is as important to the individual as it is to
the organization. Ignoring
leading others to new levels
of generous giving handicaps
both on micro and macro
scales.

our lives. When we tithe, not out of obligation, but out of

love and obedience for God, we are making the bold statement that money has no power over us. Even when we give
it away freely, we know that we can depend on God to replenish it and sustain us." And. bills get paid. These are
days where even stalwart nonprofits, many of which are
the glue that hold our communities together, are struggling
to make ends meet. A new phenomenon some organizations
are facing is that they have money for stuff but not to keep
the lights on and the staff fed. There are great, funded programs ready to roll and no one to drive them. Motivations
for giving have changed with the times. While the Builder
generation gave out of duty and responsibility, current generations are far more likely
to give to a cause, project or
an inspiration-of-the-month.
And while all giving is good,
the least sexy place to give
(and the toughest ask) remains the most important.
Non-profits are being
tempted to create new tasty
initiatives, because people
will give toward them, while
unable to pay regular bills.
You can see how destructive
a trap that can become.

I know Pastors and leaders

who have spent their entire
careers avoiding talking
about this principle, or about
giving in general, because it
makes them uncomfortable.
However, giving is as important to the individual as it
is to the organization.

Rich Stearn, president of

World Vision USA, explains
what the title means to him: "I
have often thought of the tithe
in a different way, as a kind of
'inoculation' against the power that money can sometimes
hold over us. When we are vaccinated against a deadly
virus, our bodies are injected with a small amount of that
virus, weakened so that it won't hurt us. By putting this
small amount into our systems, we develop an immunity to
the virus, and it can no longer harm us. Metaphorically
speaking, paying a tithe on our income has the same effect.
By cheerfully giving away a small portion of our money,
we become immune to the corrupting power it can have in

So what if we all tithed?

Are we even close? In 2008,
27.3 per cent of Americans
donated to good causes,
compared to 23.6 per cent of
Canadians, and they gave almost twice as much, according to an annual study on
giving by the Fraser Institute. According to the Barna group,
whether people believed in tithing or not, the average is
about 5% who give 10% of their gross. And according to
the Globe and Mail, The percentage of Canadians donating to charity actually declined between 1998 and
2008. Clearly, our sense of social obligation is not as fully
developed as it should be, which is why, for example, the
Ontario government requires high school students to provide 40 hours of community service before they can grad-

uate. Were giving less in a world that has more needs. The
only reason Freedom House is able to do what it does in the
community is because of the consistent generosity of its
members. The extra stuff (for which were ENORMOUSLY
appreciative) is awesome but regular giving, we can count
on and plan around. Its the least sexy form of giving, but
the most important in every context.
This week, Captain Kindness was in a 1st Grade class teaching
them about being Kindness Superheroes. I heard a young
man mutter, "I aint no hero." As I continued through our
Superhero School presentation where we share with
students how they can change their lives, families, schools
and communities with kindness, he began to soften as he
wrote ways that he could transform his surroundings. Then,
to a very general question, he painfully told me, "Somebody
beat up my parents." I knelt down and quietly sowed this
into him, "Guard your heart. You KNOW there is goodness
inside you and don't let anyone or anything rob it from your
heart." He hugged me SUPER tight.
Amazing, right? If I trace it back to the reason why this
hesed was afforded the ability to happen, it was those
who had (in an unheralded manner) intentionally chosen to
structure their finances around consistent giving. In the book
of Matthew, Jesus spoke of the tithe, brought it to life, and
took it to another level. He scolded those who were nickel
and diming people when it came to the tithe saying,
Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you
hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spicesmint, dill and
cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters
of the lawjustice, mercy and faithfulness. You should
have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
He essentially said, YES give! But care! Its not a financial
thing its a heart thing! Where your heart is, there your
treasure will be.
What if we all tithed? I can BARELY imagine it. But, I
CAN imagine it. Incredible things are already being done
due to the generosity of many in our city. However, allow
me to challenge you to be challenged to budget more, and
be a consistent giver to the things that are impacting our city
for the better.

The Doctrine of Christian Discovery

by Reverend Jonathan Massimi, Twitter: @RevMass
Id like to begin by stating, Christianity never fairs well
when it is in power. History can attest to this. When the
Church aligned itself with the Empire it in turn became a
tool through which power was exerted. A power that those
in authority believed was ordained by God. As a tool of
the Empire, the Church indeed was afforded many
privileges which I believe hampered the Churchs ability
to fulfill its true mission as cited in Isaiah 61:1, a verse
Jesus used to describe his own ministry. This verse speaks
of being good news to the poor, the freeing of captives and
the healing of the broken hearted. By underwriting the
Empires desire for uniformity and control the Church,
rather helping the poor, left many in poverty. Instead of
freeing captives, people were enslaved, and as a
consequence many are left broken hearted. When the
Church has power it forgets Jesus words found in
Matthew 25: You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord
it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It
will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great
among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to
be first among you must be your slave. The Christian
faith is not about upward mobility, but rather calls it
adherents to a downward mobility as servants. Empires,
States, Corporations seek power and control. Jesus said to
his followers, ...it will not be so among you. The
Churchs involvement with the Empire contaminated the
Living Water which was intended to quench the thirst of

those who thirsted for justice. As a tool of the Empire, the

Church was unable to offer an alternative in which it could
resist the atrocities done in the name of the State and of
God. Rather it put itself in a position where it ran errands
for the world, an example of this is the 15th Century papal
bull Romanus Pontifex, which sanctioned Portugal and
later Spains ruthless expansion into non-Christian
territories. Needless to say, this papal bull is another stain
on the Churchs already shoddy record. But that was the
15th century. Since then I believe the Roman Catholic
Church has come a long way although it still has a ways
to go. I say this in light of Vatican II, a council held from
1962 - 1965. This council was a major step in the
reformation of the Roman Catholic Church. Out of this
council came the document titled Nostra Aetate which
states the Churchs position in regards to non-Christian
religions and peoples. I believe this directly applies to the
discussion at hand. Nostra Aetate begins by stating:
In our time, when day by day mankind is being drawn
closer together, and the ties between different peoples are
becoming stronger, the Church examines more closely her
relationship to non-Christian religions. In her task of
promoting unity and love among men, indeed among
nations, she considers above all in this declaration what
men have in common and what draws them to fellowship.

In this, the Church recognizes our commonality,

something that was indeed lost when the Church saw
pagans as the other that needed to be conquered rather
than embraced as Children of God. The effects of Nostra
Aetate are slowly being seen in the Churchs willingness
to enter into dialogue with those of other faiths,
specifically Judaism. Over time it is my hope that what
Nostra Aetate calls the Church to will also find its way in
addressing the Doctrine of Christian Discovery. The reality
is the Roman Catholic faith is world-wide and because of
this the Church often moves at a slow, steady rate taking
into account the effect a papal declaration will make
globally. Because of this, for Christians and First Nations
people, if we want immediate change, the change must
begin with us. In the face of injustice we must speak.
When an antiquated document is used by those with
Authority to maintain their privilege and power, we must
speak. It begins with us! A new and better world begins in
the here and now, not by simply traipsing up what was,
but rather working toward what can be. When people are
being oppressed, lets liberate. When the poor have no
voice, let us be their voice! First Nations and Christians
together. United against the new threat that plagues us
both, the new Empire that plunders our earth of its
resources. That condemns people to poverty. That silences
the voices of the oppressed. The tyrants of our day that put
the all mighty dollar over the wellbeing of people.

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

Dabbling with Digital Dating

by Markus McDaniel, Blog: schnippits.wordpress.com
Once upon a time, I was a single man hopelessly looking
for love. Casually, of course. They say you can never find
love, but that love finds you when you least expect it. In a
sense, that can be true. However, if youve completely shut
the door to love, then magical opportunities will pass you
over, so make sure you leave a window open.
But then, how does one search for love in this day and
age? Blind dates set up by friends? College sweethearts
for life? Getting someones number at the grocery store?
Sure, but what about digital dating? Based on our extensive
exposure to technology, it might not be surprising that a
growing number of couples are meeting online nowadays.
And Im talking all forms of couples: queers, straights,
lesbians, bis, and everybody in between. Having been involved with digital dating myself, I wanted to share some
of my own experiences that could maybe help someone
maybe you navigating the romantic interwebs.
For those of you who are utterly opposed to online dating,
yes, yes, I used to frown upon it, too, thinking that there
was no way in hell you could meet someone decent on
there. As with most things in life, you wont know until
you try! What led me, personally, to try out virtual courting
were rather simple reasons: my friends knew a limited
amount of men of which they could pair me up with; I
didnt attend any post-secondary school long enough to
meet dateable peers; I dont pick up randoms from bars or
clubs; plus, there arent any gay bars or clubs in town.
Also, there werent any potential mates within my current
circle of friends, and I wasnt going to join the gym or a
community club on the off chance of exchanging numbers
with a cutie. Not to say joining a club is a bad way to
inadvertently meet dates, but it wasnt for me.
With my reasons in tow, and my curiosity peaked, I joined
a couple sites free sites that is! If youre especially
trepidatious like I was, definitely do not sign up for a
website that requires a credit card. I used Plenty of Fish
and a handful of gay-specific sites, but Im not browsing
sites anymore, so ask your friends if they know whats
up-and-coming. My digital dating days, however
gruelling, resulted in an absolute perfect match, and Im
happily head over heels with my knight in shining armour.
But finding him wasnt easy; there were a lot of frogs and
toads that came before.
So, where to start? Obviously, you have to make an
account by picking a user name, adding some info about
yourself, and uploading a decent photo or two. Id advise
to keep your informational tidbits brief; list only a few of
your interests, favourite movies, or books to spark conversation starters. Excessive lists become overwhelming and
a deterrent. Also, dont expect everyone to read everything
on your bio, if it all. There were a couple times I had asked
someones favourite colour and they replied back with,
Didnt you read my profile? I shouldnt have to tell you.
Is it so wrong to ask these questions during the art of
conversation rather than memorize portfolios as if expecting
an exam? The bulk of your personality will show through
once youre actually communicating with someone, so
never bank on your profiles bio to do all the talking.
The next biggest thing on your profile will be your display
photos! These are the first digital impressions potential
heartthrobs will see of you, so its kind of important you
make them count. Photos that show your face or depict
you having fun with friends are much better than an image
of a beloved pet or favourite superhero. People want to see
the real you, and happy pictures with smiles are much
more likely to get attention than a mug shot that screams
serial killer. If youre only allowed one display photo,
alternate it every week or month to keep your profile fresh
and lively. Switch up your surroundings, too, because selfies in the bathroom get boring fast, so stop holding your
phone up to a mirror. Oh, yes, and let me call attention to
those half naked scandalous shots! Use your judgement
on posting these because once something goes online, its
free game and people are apt to save copies. Also keep in
mind what your goal is when you pick your pics: do you

simply want meaningless hookups or are you looking for

someone who wants to take you seriously? You can always
send snapshots of your washboard abs privately once
youre comfortable with someone, so dont be pressured
to have them plastered on your profile from the get-go.
Now youve got a rocking profile, and youve struck up
some conversations. But how do you know whos the real
deal and whos all talk? Ultimately, you test the waters,
always follow your gut, and learn from your mistakes. Ive
discovered that some people can be deceivingly excellent
at chatting you up online within minutes of talking. Its
not always a bad thing, however, dont fall for every piece
of flattery. Learn more about the person, and see for yourself
if they obtain the same values or qualities that you desire.
Make note if they are genuinely interested in you too, or
if they keep referring to your body; that should tell you
what their priority is. Perhaps there are certain habits you
know you cant tolerate? For myself, I tended to keep
away from smokers and drug users because I knew I didnt
want to deal with the consequences of either. That said, I
did try dating a couple smokers, much to my annoyance
of having to stop every activity in order for them to have
a cigarette. There were also a couple addicts I encountered
and only discovered afterwards how heavily they relied
on their drugs, so I quickly moved on. Handmade paraphernalia made from two-litre pop bottles sitting on the
dining room table screams red flag to me.
If there are no immediate red flags and things are really
hitting it off, give it a couple days of casual chatting before
deciding to go on a date in person. Here are two reasons.
First, if they are serious about meeting you, they wont
lose interest within that time, and if anything, theyll
become more excited and possibly plan a more creative
date. Second, it helps weed out the desperate crazies. You
know who Im talking about. They are the ones that message
you and, without responding, they message you within ten
minutes again, and again, and then dare ask if you died or
why you hate them. This is a major red flag and you need
to abort mission. If you havent encountered this type of
person, youve been blessed. Everyone has busy lives, so
once a message is sent, they should be able to politely
await a response even if it is hours later without sending
tons more pleading for your attention.

If youre especially trepidatious like I was, definitely do

not sign up for a website that
requires a credit card. I used
Plenty of Fish and a handful
of gay-specific sites, but Im
not browsing sites anymore,
so ask your friends if they
know whats up-and-coming.
My digital dating days, however gruelling, resulted in an
absolute perfect match
Once you deem the coast is clear and youre ready to meet
your admirer, agree on a time and place to get together
thats in a safe, public location. I strongly encourage
digital daters to meet their digital suitors in person before
investing weeks or months of time merely chatting online.
By going on a simple date, you get to see if they actually
look like their display photo and not a catfish. As well, for
those who are curious, youll find out how tall they are, if
they lied about their weight, and youll finally get to hear

their real voice! Be mindful if they put in the effort to dress

appropriately when meeting you. If they show up in their
grubs, then they clearly dont care enough and most likely
wont care about you anytime soon. Youre worth better.
Going for non-alcoholic drinks of some sort is always a
safe and affordable bet; it allows for small talk to grow
into random, deeper conversations. Go for coffee, smoothies,
milkshakes, tea, soda pops, protein shakes, whatever
works. Planning to go to a lovely restaurant is nice, too
it just gets expensive if you find yourself going on lots of
first dates, unless your wooer is paying for everything! I
was lucky enough to be spoiled this way a few times; eating
lavishly, drinking many fancy drinks, and having my bill

Not everyone you meet will

become Prince Charming or
Cinderella, but it doesnt
mean you guys wont share
some laughs or teach each
other something new. It goes
without saying, but Ill mention
it anyway: be considerate
while cruising online.
graciously paid for. For other ideas, going to see a movie
is a rather horrible option when youre meeting someone
for the very first time; it leaves no room for talking to each
other. Verbal communication during your first few dates
is vital; you already know they can woo you from behind
a keyboard, but can they carry a conversation in the flesh?
Talking is what leads you to discover more about this
person, such as: are your likes and dislikes similar; do they
seem polite and well-educated; are they strongly opinionated
to the point of shooting your ideas down; do they use
hyperboles to trump your tales; or can they listen to you
without appearing bored? You wont learn everything in
one go, but you might learn enough that youll want to
attempt a date number two! Hopefully you do, because I
think the second or third dates are the most fun; the
majority of the nerves are out of the way, youve established
a baseline with each other, and these sequential dates force
you to be more creative. Ive been cooked a home meal
followed by Mario Kart racing, went hiking in a forest,
watched a roller derby game, and even helped someone
move into their apartment while meeting their parents!
Dont be afraid to try new things and go on adventures. At
the same time, play safe and be smart, especially if you
allow yourself to be sexually active. Know your STI and
HIV status, as well as your partners before the heat of the
moment. There are no rules for how long you should wait
to have sex, nor should you expect anything sexual on the
first date; simply do what is most comfortable for the both
of you.
Not everyone you meet will become Prince Charming or
Cinderella, but it doesnt mean you guys wont share some
laughs or teach each other something new. It goes without
saying, but Ill mention it anyway: be considerate while
cruising online. In our day and age, digital interactions can
be just as encouraging or disparaging as any other
interaction, so we need to maintain the Golden Rule of,
Treat others as you would like to be treated. By being
polite and nice to others, you never know where things
will lead. Besides, Karma is watching you!
When alls said and done, have fun with your dating while
it lasts! So go forth and be frolicsome! Use your noggin
to make smart choices, follow your gut instincts, and allow
your heart to let some love in. Be safe everyone!

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

Love, Loss and Politics

by @AlexFelsky, Twitter: @AlexFelsky
Love is a political matter. Now, before you write me off
as facile and a sap, bear with me. We don't generally associate
love with politics or politicians but I'm going to explain
the clear connection as I see it. The constant revelation of
scandals in the halls of power have trained us to expect
the worst of those we elect to office. This leads to people
being turned off of politics and to distrust and have disdain
for politicians, but to paint us all with the same brush
would be a mistake.
Have you heard the saying that the only difference between
success and failure is perseverance? I am fortunate to be
someone who doesn't struggle with motivation. What
keeps me motivated is the perspective that life is short and
we are here to give the best of ourselves to each other to
improve our communities.
The uncertainty of life was crystallized for me when my
son Asher died. It was a tragic loss which shook my world
and prompted a personal rebirth when I emerged from my
grief. Losing my first born son brought my priorities into
sharp focus. The loss also honed my compassion for others.
It allowed me to grow and see the big picture about what
kind of life I wanted for myself and my subsequent children,
and what kind of world I wanted to live in. Going through
life as a victim was not something I could tolerate. My
motto became Haruki Murakami's quote, Pain is inevitable.
Suffering is optional. For me, the way to avoid suffering

is to be active in working to change what's not right in the

world instead of staying home and complaining about it.
That's the spirit I bring to politics. I find it empowering to
be able work to bring awareness and advocate for people.
Being a leader allows me to grow and foster other leaders
by awakening the power in others to make change and get
engaged.
Here's where the love comes in. Love propels me to want
to foster connections and work towards a more just society
for all of us to enjoy. The love and support of my family
allows me to do this all consuming and time intensive
work as a politician.
When we act in a loving way, we show people the truth of
our feelings. Its loving to ensure everyone has access to
nutritious food, safe affordable shelter, health care,
education, and a dignified retirement. Love (and lots of
hot tea) kept me going as my team and I went door-to-door
over this long winter to hear from people at their homes
how we can be doing better to meet their needs on these
issues.
Volunteers work to better our communities and improve
the lives of others, not for pay, but out of love and concern
for others. This is the kind of politics that excites me and
has me hopeful for a different kind of future. Political

decisions affect everyones lives, in ways that are sometimes obvious and sometimes hidden. When we worry
about the cost of tuition, the cost of electricity, the cost of
car insurance, the public health care system, finding a safe
daycare spot for your child, the cost of groceries, your
ability to retire with dignity, you are affected by politics.
I have always been an engaged citizen, but I never imagined
my path would lead me to want to pursue public life. I
think this is a gift because I come to the profession as a
bit of an outsider. I hear time and again that people are
turned off by the divisive nature of some leaders and wonder where the opportunity for change is. I hope to inspire
people to find their voice and participate anew in the
political system and work from within to affect change for
people and families.
When love comes up in politics, it's about community, the
kind of emotion the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. called
for in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech: allembracing and unconditional love for all men as the key
to the solution of the problems of the world.
I am prepared to work hard at Queen's Park should you
elect me to advocate for putting people first in Brant, and
to work tirelessly to achieve a simple truth: we can do anything when we come together with a heart for social justice
and a willingness to work toward a common goal.

Primary Occupation? Dad.... and he works outside of the home

by Sharon VandenEnden , Blog: The Good Kind of Crazy
Fathers often get pigeonholed into two categories. I
hear/read complaints about men who spend no time in the
home, need to "blow off steam" after work and spend
weekend after weekend partying. I also find that fathers
who do not fit this bill, who are out pushing babies in
strollers or playing at the park, are seen as "forced" to do
this. There is a vast middle ground, often overlooked. Not
all husbands who choose to stay home with their family
in their free time are under the thumb of a controlling wife,
or "helping" a Mom who just needs a break. There are
many fathers, who play a critical role in their children's
lives - who are as much a parent as the Mom, or primary
caregiver (please allow for alternate family scenarios here
- two mommies, two daddies, one daddy, grandparents,
etc).
When our first child was born, my husband didn't freak
out, but he also didn't get it. Yes, he finally understood I
was growing a person - someone who needed me to stop
smoking, eat properly and take care of myself. It wasn't
just the annoyance of my incredibly sore back, my inability
to party like we used to, he was here - a human child who
needed love. My husband took two weeks off of work, 11
days of which were spent in the NICU, and afterwards was
back at life. We were happy, but he still longed for what
life was like pre-children.
We bought a house, a minivan, welcomed 3 foster children
into our home, and went from two single carefree people
- to two parents of four with a mortgage and heaps of
responsibility - all within two years. We had parties from
time to time, with friends from high school, and they were
great. They were so great. Costumes, food, games, sometimes
belt lashings (long story), and we felt young and "free"
again.
When our second child was born, my husband decided to
take some of his parental leave. Our foster children were
(are) very high needs and it would have been very difficult
to manage a newborn and their behaviour. I believe this is
where the shift happened for him. What he thought would
be three months of leisure, family time, visiting friends
out of town, a few rounds of golf, etc. turned out to be
incredibly hard work. I had a c-section with my second

child, had some complications afterward, and was off my

feet for a while. He got it.

had to return to work it was the same scene. Tears and gut
wrench at the thought of leaving his family.

At first, all he got was how hard it is to run a well functioning house. A house where the floors are swept, dishes
are done, meals are made from scratch, and kids are happy
(and usually dirty - the dirtiest things in the house!) The
first few weeks, he didn't understand how the house could
continually transition from disaster to normal over and
over again throughout the course of one day. How laundry
that was clean and put away went to unmanageable in a
week. How three bunches of bananas disappear in fifteen
minutes. While I appreciated him seeing firsthand how
difficult staying at home can be, I truly cherish what he
learned in his heart. Family is where it's at.

I understand there are more Fathers who can't take leave

than can. Their spouse works as well and only one can take
leave, he's a single Dad, he can't afford living on less, etc.
The point of this is not to say that Fathers should take
parental leave, or have to spend all their free time outside
of work with their family. The point is, when you love
someone - absolutely love them - you want to spend time
with them.

After his 3 months were up, he was heartbroken. Couldn't

believe he had to leave his family and return to something
he now felt was so meaningless and empty. He loved (and
still loves) his job. He feels he's good at it, it challenges
him and he loves his co-workers. It just didn't compare.
The last week or so of his leave, he spent a great amount
of time and effort trying to find ways to make money while
staying home. He felt sick to his stomach each time he
remembered his time at home was running out.
He didn't take any trips out of town to see his old buddies.
He played one round of golf. He didn't have a single night
out at a bar, or a pool hall, or to the movies. He fulfilled
none of the things he thought he would in his 3 months,
but didn't have a single regret. He did take long walks in
the middle of the night, with our fussy newborn in a sling,
to help settle him. He did do 90% of the dishes to help ease
my burden of cooking for so many people. He did spend
special "boys nights" with his sons - watching movies like
Star Wars and bonding over sword fights and popcorn. He
spent almost every moment with his family, and still
wanted more.
We have had two more children since the birth of our
second son, and his parental leave has grown longer with
each child. He took 8 months for the birth of our daughter,
and 9 months for the birth of our last son. Each time he

Spending time doesn't mean walking in the door and opening

your laptop. It doesn't mean reading the paper in the morning
(if you're lucky enough to see your kids in the morning).
It doesn't mean watching sports and using your children
as beer fetchers. You're not clocking hours. You're building
relationship. My husband had a head start, he had (has) a
Father who walked in the door from work and laid on the
floor. Literally. He laid on the floor and his kids would
jump on him, play with/around him, and inadvertently
massage him until dinner. My hubby does the same; except
the kids know they're helping his back when he gets them
to walk up it and jump off his shoulders.
I am a strong woman. I have a tendency to be a leader. I,
very intentionally, insist on my husband taking the reigns
in our family. We make decisions together, he delegates
many things to me, but he is the head of the household.
Because he stays at home in his free time, brings children
to the grocery store or library, or helps on laundry day has
nothing to do with my personality, my "controlling" him
or his position in the household. He does these things
because he loves us, with a fierce intensity, that I am
thankful for absolutely every day. What does he have to
show for it? A wife that would lay down her life for him,
who can't wait to rip his clothes off when the kids are in
bed (watching your hubby do dishes can do that to a
Mommy), and who picks up his socks from the TOP of the
laundry hamper and puts them in with 99% no complaining.
He has children who love and adore him, who beg for the
next "boys night" and are excited when he's home from
work. Most importantly, he has a family he his HAPPY to
come home to, and a truly rich life

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

Everyday Influence
by Marc Laferriere, Twitter: @marclaferriere
There is a line in an old Nick Hornby novel called High
Fidelity where they talk about what you like being more
important than what you are like. Its one of my favourite
books and Hornby is one of my favourite authors, but I
dont really agree.
Of course what you are like is more important than what
you like. That said, sometimes what you like has a whole
heck of a lot of influence on what you are like.
In the pages of the Brant Advocate I have written a lot
about the bigger moments that make up my life. The time
when I was a kid when my Dad came home from the
construction site with really dirty hands and pushed me to
stay in school as long as I could, comes to mind. As do
columns about my grandparents, my political mentors, my
best friend and my wife. All of those are really large stories
of influence - seminal moments of life, love and even
death that shake you, break you and make you.
But what about those other kinds of influence? The ones
that have a smaller effect at first, but over time make huge
impacts on your life? While my Grandmother, Isabelle,
has probably had the most influence on what Im like - she
was an amazing community advocate, volunteer and
teacher - its someone else that has had more everyday
influence on me by a long shot - my cousin Chris.
You can draw a direct link between most of the things I
like, most of the things I do and many of the paths my life
has taken to my cousin Chris.
Chris was - and still is - my cool older cousin. He was
older than me, played guitar and had long hair, he lifted
weights and did Judo, he had friends and girls liked him!
As a kid youre always looking for that person who is
older than you are to guide you into the world of pop culture
and social graces. If youre lucky, this person also steers
you away from trendy trends and shows you cool things
you wouldnt have ever considered. Chris was that guy for
me. For a lot of people that person is an older sibling. I
didnt have an older sibling to expose me to the things I
should like, to let me know what was coming down the
pike a few years later - but I had Chris and Chris was way
cooler anyway. In him were all the best parts of an older
brother, without having to fight for the bathroom every
morning or argue over chores and the last helping at
dinner. Someone else taught me how to read, but Chris

taught me to love to read when he exposed me to how cool

Batman could be. Batman turned into Denny ONeil, Len
Wein, John Byrne and Jim Aparo, and when the time was
right, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison
among many, many others. The love of reading he exposed
me to Im sure got me through grade-school when the bullying was rough, high-school when I needed more stimulation, and university where I would have been struggling
just to keep up. I still read everyday - and to this day I read
at least one comic every night before bed to unwind.
I remember being at his house one weekend when I was 7
and being so bummed out that I wouldnt be able to finish
reading his copy of A Death In The Family - the Batman
comic where Robin was killed by the Joker - before I had
to go back home because I was too slow a reader and this

Chris taught me that its ok to

travel for an hour and a half to
see a movie you really think
will be special, and that while
youre there you might as well
check out all the record stores,
used book stores, video stores
and comic book shops in
the area, too.
was the largest book I had ever tried. So he read me the entire book, with different voices for each character, and took
a break when I started to cry to talk to me about life and
death when Robin did die. Robin was my favourite after
all.
When I was listening to The Simpsons Sing the Blues and
New Kids on The Block and whatever else was in, Chris
was there to show me why I should spend some time with
Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Guns and Roses and Jimmy
Buffet. He was exposing me to song-after-song of stuff I
would never have considered or found in the pre-internet
era. I realized that it was not just ok to have diverse musical
tastes, but it made the soundtrack of your life way better.

Recognizing Alford & Associates

by Becca Vandekemp, Twitter: @beccavdk
Innovation grows wherever there is a heart for change. Alford &
Associates Inc. as a collective realized roughly a decade ago that
assisting low-income families around the holidays mattered to them.
Sponsoring a family over Christmas snowballed into what has now
become a full-blown Christmas Toy Drive that easily generates 300
toys and over $3,000 in cash and gift certificates for children in need
through the Brantford Childrens Aid Society. And, while CAS is close
to their hearts, Alford & Associates also has a history of supporting
Nova Vita, taking special interest in the annual (and amazing!) Men in
Heels event! What is your heart for Brantford? We would love to hear
all about it!
Brant | Brantford Roundtable on Poverty
Really focus on the Childrens Aid Society. We do a toy drive every
year. Every year on the first Thursday and Friday of December, we
have a toy drive in suppoet of Brantford CAS Gift a Child program
every child in the program receives a toy on Christmas morning. The
social workers come in and pick out the toys for their kids. They call it
Santas Work shop. This is the 8th year. We invite our clients and corporate
partners and their familiies and have a bit of a party with food and
drink and it kicks off the hioliday season. We bring in about 300 toys
and $3000 in cash and gift certificates. There is no overhead cost.
100% of it goes to the children. We pack everything up. This last year
we had to rent a cube van to take it all over. Alford & Associates

And later in life, on one of our many record-store road

trips, he introduced me to the songs of a guy named
Warren Zevon. And much to my wifes chagrin, but to my
everlasting joy, this has become my all-time favourite
musical artist.
It was Chris who took me to see Tim Burtons Batman,
and challenged me to watch Clint Eastwood movies when
young me thought acting couldnt possibly get any better
than Pauley Shore. Chris was there to convince me that
even though I wasnt a horror fan like he was, I should
give zombie movies a try because they were actually a
commentary on society.
Chris taught me that its ok to travel for an hour and a half
to see a movie you really think will be special, and that
while youre there you might as well check out all the
record stores, used book stores, video stores and comic
book shops in the area, too.
Recently at my bachelor party, Chris and I were chatting
while watching Wrestlemania (yup, another of Chris
influences at work) and going over all the times weve
seen Mania together or went to see wrestling live. There
was that time in Sudbury when I was little that he took me
to watch the Ultimate Warrior beat both Dino Bravo and
Earthquake. Of course I got hooked right there and then!
I remember none of the kids at my school could believe I
got to see that live. This led to Chris showing me you
could actually rent tapes of the stuff at Major Video, and
in Brantford at Jungle Video. Well, I had some catching
up to do and continued to watch. We went to see WWE
Breakdown at Copps Coliseum in 1998 and saw Steve
Austin drop the title and just last month we went to a show
in Toronto to watch Daniel Bryan as the latest WWE
Champ. Its been quite a pop-culture ride over these many
years.
What I realized recently is that there is not one day that
goes by that I dont do something that my cousin Chris
introduced to me. Comic books, reading, good movies,
good music, wrestling; all of those things are my go-to self
care things. In an increasingly busy and cynical world
these are the things that help me relax, chill out and enjoy
and they have all stuck with me since I was 8. That is real
positive influence. And in case I didnt say it at my bachelor
party, let me say it now: everyone needs a cooler older
cousin - Im glad I have mine.

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

Sewage and Saccharin

by Adam King, Blog: www.b.aking.ca
Pause
The warm sun baked the pavement under my shoes in
Chittagongs dusty, yellow heat, and I looked at the old man
lying in a puddle on the sidewalk about 15 feet in front of us.
He was naked except for a ruined pair of shorts, and his rough,
dark brown skin looked more like a filthy, crumpled canvas
draped over nothing but bones than the flesh of a real body.
Behind him was the cement railing of the sewage-filled canal
that ran behind our house, so there was no real way to get around
him without stepping into traffic. My mom turned toward the
street, looking for an opening so we could cross. I kept looking
at him.

hear, smell, taste and touch that variety and complexity in nature
and culture, and in our interactions with other peoples minds
and craft. Yes, creative flow is mostly drawn from abstractions,
but it is abstraction of whats been absorbed from our world. Its
a mingling and extrapolation of the truths and impressions and
deceptions and outright perversions of experience. Creativity is
breadth making depth.
Only when experience collides with unconnected experience
does an idea form, birthed by conflict and common ground. It
awakened me. It can awaken you. It can give you an idea for
something new; it can make you a different person (for better
or worse) and allow you to produce things you could never
otherwise have thought of.

His long hair and beard were matted with what I took to be his
own excrement. I guess It couldve been mud from the canal.
Though, it wouldnt have made much difference in the smell.

Pause

I was 10, and we crossed the street so we could walk on the other
side. I thought of the story of the Good Samaritan, and how I
wasnt him. I thought that whoever the Good Samaritan helped
probably didnt smell so bad.

Weve all experienced this creative awakening to one degree or

another, and its addictive, especially when its your job to be
creative. But the resulting, continual thirst for inspirational fuel
can also lure us into a trap. We can start to depend on downcycled inspiration.

Pause
7 years later, I drew a picture of that old man. It got me an A
in my Grade 11 correspondence art class. It also made me think
about where that man might be. Dead, probably.
I thought of how I fell into a sewage gutter once while playing
tag with the other kids after church, how I lay stunned in a
puddle at the bottom of that cement trench, canal mud mixing
with wet blood in my hair. It occurred to me that as a kid I was
nearly as skinny as that old man, really. I had nicer clothes,
though. And I had a mom to wash the blood and excrement from
my head in the church bathroom sink.
The blood kept coming long after my mom washed the mud
away, but luckily I had that friendly nurse who lived in the flat
under the church, who brought out a first aid kit. And I had that
lady surgeon, travelling through Asia by motorcycle, who
happened to stop by that night for the church service. She sewed
up my head on the nurses kitchen table, and I was as good as
new. After the stitches were in, we probably still went out and
bought chicken tikka from the barbecue stands the way we did
every Friday night after church, and all was good in my life as
I gorged on the flesh and bones of a creature that had to be more
well-fed than that old man was.
As I thought over the mental picture of myself crumpled over
in the bottom of that sewage gutter, I started to see myself in
that old man. It made me stop remembering him as a sack of
stink and bones and instead, as an alternate version of me.
Somewhere deep in my head, a gear went *click*.
Id like to say making that connection between myself and the
old man made him become more human to me. In a way it did,
but mostly it made me become more human.
Pause
The parallel visuals I recognized between myself and the old
man might have been superficial, but making the connection
was important, because ultimately it lent me a glimpse of deeper
truth.

Ive found that my creative concepts can only go as deep as Ive

already gone in my absorption of the greater environment
around me. Interaction with all possible angles of space and time
and argument is what gives richness and nuance of creative
expression, so if my ideas are shallow, its almost certainly
because Im drawing from shallow experience. And of course,
even where Ive experienced deeply, memory of experience
fades.
So, when I reach inward to draw from the well and come up
dry, I run to the easy fix the shared scrapbooks of our social
web. I flit across flickering pools of images and found artwork,
tumbling streams of words and gif animations, and as I do this,
my brain is either moving within that shallow experience and
cultivating equally shallow creative capital, or its delving into
those merely as portals to a richer thing that Ive already
experienced in more fullness.
A tidbit of media can either be a memento, triggering deeper
experience and therefore deeper abstractions and extrapolations
and revelations, or it can be a mere postcard, doing little more
than making me frustrated and jealous.
Getting inspired takes getting out of your seat and out of your
head. Its in that same large world outside that all of the greats
of history lived and walked and created, and its there that youll
meet things solid enough to sustain your creative spirit. Until
were rooted in deep breadth, the addictive tidbits of experience
our favourite media outlets funnel at us are just saccharin in
place of sun-ripened fruit. Whatever youre baking wont be
good unless you can draw from whats real.
Pause
So my resolution is this: stop chasing digital saccharin. We cant
experience it deeply enough to find revelation. Weve got to go
into the real world among imperfect places, hurting/hurtful
people, stupid logic and awful situations. We must flounder,
stretch, breathe, argue, and absorb. It may not be pleasant. In
fact, if were really getting out there, it definitely wont be
entirely pleasant. But then, and only then, will you have the raw
fuel needed to create something really worthwhile and more
than that to live a life worth your while.

We think and feel with variety and complexity because we see,

LIGHTING - BLINDS - WALLPAPER - MIRRORS

4 0 5 S t . P a u l Av e n u e , B ra n t f ord .

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

Showcasing
Local Talent

On the subject of Tia Robinson By Evan Champagne

Tia Robinson draws on years of photography experience at Sheridan College and

her photographic exploration during her formative years in downtown Toronto.
While working toward a traditional education in Art and Design, she learned to
reach for perfection with her work. Curious by nature, she finds inspiration in
Brantford's friendly residents, preserved natural landscapes and thriving
artistic community.
Here, an image of Brantford's own enduring singer/songwriter Evan
Champagne, is presented from a photographic series Tia calls Seeing through
the Smoke. "After 10 years and over 1,200 performances, I thought Evan was
a prime candidate for the gritty yet musical texture I was after for this shoot.
Although not a smoker, the guitar Evan used was celebrating its 30th birthday
the night of the session, so he felt a cigar was in order. As I began experimenting
with the interactions between smoke and light, the theme Seeing through the Smoke
emerged.
In an artistic journey, albeit musical or photographic, smoke and mirrors
became a normative landmark. Seeing through illusions that lead an artist away
from their true passions in their art is often the challenge.

10

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

To Every Season...
by Elizabeth McKnight, Facebook: Elizabeth McKnight
Canada is the country we live in. Its one of the most beautiful
countries in the world. Our natural landscape, whether
north, south, east or west, is the envy and joy of so many.
So, what I want to know is, why is one of Canada's pastimes
complaining about the weather? I know there are indeed
many nature enthusiasts out there and I salute you. But for
many others, the complaints are endless. It's either too hot
and humid or too frigidly cold. Too much or too little rain,
too much snow and too much wind. It's ridiculous! A
friend of mine, when I first met him, shared a view of his
that changed my view forever; instead of saying the usual,
Nice weather we're having, he says, Nice we're having
weather! What a great outlook that is, don't you think?
Look at everything from another perspective. Since then,
I pay attention to the beauties of each and every day and
not the annoyances.
This past winter, so long and arduous for most, was quite
a joy for me (except for the wind which can be mean and
heartless at times. Even I have my limits). I believe we've
been spoiled these past years. It's been cold, but not very
snowy and the earth tended not to freeze properly. This
winter though, reminded me of my childhood. Tons of
snow, snow suits and big, clunky boots. Snowball fights,
snow forts, toboggans, snow angels and hot chocolate.
And we finally had a white Christmas since I can't remember
when. It's been a wonderful few months. If you dress
properly for our climate (think little Randy in "A Christmas
Story"), warm and comfortable, you would actually find
a walk quite lovely and invigorating. Just watch for the
ice. If you're just wearing a hoodie and a toque, yes, you
are going to freeze! We need to remember how to dress
for a proper Canadian winter: hats, scarves, parka, mitts
and boots (snow pants are optional). It's also safer to dress
this way because the extreme cold can cause problems
such as frostbite and breathing troubles. Just look at that
freshly fallen, untouched snow blanketing the landscape.
So clean, soft and bright. Even downtown looks quite
peaceful and pretty.
The snow sparkles in the sunlight and the moonlight and
even the streetlights make the scene look magical. And
there's nothing like sitting at the window, watching the

snowflakes fall, dancing their way to the ground. The

naked trees look like bronchioles breathing in the crisp air.
It's such fun watching the squirrels chasing each other up
and down the trees and digging for their hidden provisions.
They always make me smile.
As I walk along the streets of Brantford, I am in awe of
everything around me. I will stop to watch those squirrels
scamper about. Sometimes they will stop and we will just
look at each other for a little while. Those black button
eyes staring back at me, trying to decide whether I'm going
to steal their food or not. Then, with a twitch of that fluffy
tail, they're off again.
When February and March come along, instead of crying
for the winter to end, I turn it around and am thankful that
spring is that much closer. We will soon see buds and blossoms
on the bare branches and smell those first flowers of the
season. Allow the bright new colours to attract your gaze;
the yellows and purples and the grass becoming green
again. And listen. Do you hear the birds singing? No matter
the weather, you can always count on our feathered friends
to make the day that much lovelier with their music. Some
have gathered in a tree having some sort of meeting. I
wonder what it's about? Best places to stop for food? Cat
sightings? Did you know that Starlings gather in choirs,
each one singing its part? Why not listen to them for a
bit? Whistle with them and they may just copy you. And
when the red-winged blackbirds return, they flock to the
field/swamp on Lynden Road. At sundown, I sometimes
stand and watch the great crowd flying back and forth,
finding food and safety for the night. Nature can draw
tears with its simplicity and purity. Do you ever watch the
glorious displays of colour and cloud at dusk? So magnificent!
You will sometimes find me crying as I am looking up.
On a clear night, have you ever watched the moon rise and
our neighbouring planets flashing among the twinkling
stars? Orion is my favourite constellation to watch. Which
one is yours? Often times, I just stand in awe at the grand
scope of our universe and our tiny corner of it.
Why are modern day humans always in such a hurry?
Slow down. Not only will you be safer, but your imagination

and appreciation will grow. Besides, where you're going

will be there when you get there. Maybe try leaving a little
earlier, if you're able, and just take it easy. Use your eyes
to absorb your surroundings. Your texts, phone calls and
games will wait for you, but who knows how much longer
until we are imprisoned by steel, concrete and asphalt.
Take a walk, barefoot in the rain. The rain helps the flowers,
trees and our food grow and flourish and it does the same
for us. Sit in a park and breathe in the intoxicating aroma
of freshly turned soil and pink and white blossoms. Sit
under a tree, in summertime, read a book or meditate or
even people-watch and listen to the cicadas and the breeze
rustle through the green leaves. Look at the sky and watch
the clouds float by and the birds fly about in their intricate
ballet. Go down to the river to listen to the trickling and
bubbling of the water as it rushes by. Wade around a bit
and let the water wash away your cares. Walk through the
woods, quietly and carefully. How many Trilliums can you
see? What colours did you find? Did you happen upon a
pretty doe? Look up and see the sun flashing through the
tops of the trees. In Autumn, I watch one certain, large
Maple across the way from me. The colours change so
gradually, but you can see the changes daily. At its peak it
looks like a blazing fire; red, orange and yellow. How
majestic! How can anyone ignore that?
This may all sound silly to most. Wishy-washy like a
sappy love story. And you'd be right! Without shame, I
admit whole-heartedly that I am in love with creation.
Everything that surrounds us has captured my heart, my
soul and my senses. This really does sound crazy, I suppose,
but there's not much I can do about that. I just wish this
same joy I have upon everyone. Just slow down a minute.
Get out of your cars every now and then. Get your nose
out of your phone and look around you. Open your ears,
your eyes, your mind and your soul. Introduce yourself to
Nature while she reveals herself to you. Everyday doesn't
have to be miserable or hum-drum when every moment
can be filled with little bits of joy if you simply pay attention!
Take your time and take it all in. Become part of the Earth
again. Keep a child-like sense of wonder and curiosity as
you look about. Take notice of the beauty and it will take
notice of you. And then, there will be nothing

It May Not Be What it Appears

by Angee Turnbull, Facebook: Angee Turnbull
As a kid, I hated gym class.
Summersaults were the enemy I feared; I became dizzy
and sick to my stomach. Then, as an adult, I started to
wonder what was wrong with me? My balance was
becoming worse and my ability to perform certain functions
started to become a challenge. I had trouble playing tennis,
squash, running and doing aerobics. Most heartbreaking,
though, was the realization I
could no longer ride a bike.
Growing up in Toronto I had
ridden my bike everywhere, and
living in Brantford I looked forward to riding our beautiful
trails. Trying to ride my bike
now is a challenge as my body
begins to shake and I cannot,
with any consistency, keep the
bike upright.

across the deck of a cruise ship as it was being tossed in

the waves. I must have looked a sight because a woman
said to me, well, you have had a couple. Lovely.
When I began working for the Alzheimer Society of Brant
I tried to empathize with what it must be like to have
Alzheimers or Dementia, also a degenerative brain
disorder. I participated in a virtual dementia tour that
mimicked what someone suffering with Dementia feels like. It
was gut-wrenching. I leaned
against the wall and went dead
silent. I panicked and couldnt
wait for the simulation to end.

We can make a difference.

We can learn to recognize
degenerative brain disorders
and offer solutions,
not criticism.

A CAT scan revealed recently

that my father is suffering from a degenerative cerebellum disorder, which could be passed genetically to his children.
This gave clarity to my balance issues. So began my research into what all of this meant. Those physical activities,
or pushing myself too hard, caused my speech to become
slurred. Strangers make assumptions. I remember walking

What I now realize is that

many disabilities are not obvious to the public. If you see
someone in a wheelchair you
know they cannot walk or may
need assistance. If a person carries a white cane or walks with a guide dog, it is obvious
that his or her vision is impaired. However, people
often assume a person is drunk if he/she trips going up the
stairs. At a corporate function in a dark movie theatre, I
was trying to hold onto my popcorn and pop, but without
a handhold I fell to my knees. Just like on the cruise ship,

I heard a man say, Oh, look at that, too much to drink. I

was so very upset and embarrassed. I had skipped dinner
not the best idea - and I had so looked forward to my
popcorn, which now was scattered, along with my pride,
on the stairs.
I am an assertive woman and dont have problems explaining
my actions. Its not the same for Alzheimer and Dementia
clients. While trying to pay for purchases, or conduct their
banking, they may become confused. Even the simple task
of counting change becomes daunting. What if they cant
remember their debit or credit card pin? Errands can be
very difficult. How many of us forget where we parked
the car or what entrance we came in? It is unnerving to
them, and most often inappropriately labeled by others. It
is too easy to rush to judgment.
We can make a difference. We can learn to recognize
degenerative brain disorders and offer solutions, not
criticism.
My goal for Brantford is to continue to build awareness
about Alzheimers /Dementia in hopes that we soon will
become a Dementia Friendly Community to strengthen
our tolerance and understanding of those who, through no
fault of their own, no longer function at their previous
levels.

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

11

Teaching Empathy made me a Better Educator and a Better Mom

by Keri Leigh Noonan
He may not be the progeny of rock stars or royalty, but
Miles Robert Noonan is a celebrity at St. Theresas
school in Brantford.
Every month when we walked through the playground,
excited students would stop playing and shout, Its
baby Miles! Hes here! and come up to peak inside the
stroller.
Hes so cute! one kindergarten student said, a genuine
smile spreading across her rosy cheeks, flushed from
active play in the cool weather. Hes gotten so much
bigger since we last saw him, remarked a staff member
on yard duty as she leaned over to coo to him.
So how did Miles become one of the most popular kids
in school before even reaching his first birthday? It happened
the day he became a Roots of Empathy baby.
Roots of Empathy (ROE) is an evidence-based classroom program that helps students reduce aggression by
raising their social/emotional competence and increase
their empathy.
By using a baby as a teacher, the program encourages
students to take the perspective of others and develop
the confidence to share their own feelings; all while
learning about human development and infant safety.
As an elementary school teacher myself, I cant tell you
enough how important it is to create an environment
where students are comfortable enough to share their
thoughts and challenge themselves. If you feel judged
and scared at school, you will struggle to take the risks
you need to in order to learn.
A great way to create a safe classroom culture is to
build empathy between students. If students gain a
deeper understanding of how their words and actions
affect others emotionally, they become intrinsically
motivated to treat others the way theyd like to be
treated theyre not just doing it because it is a class
rule.
I could quote you statistics from ROE founder Mary
Gordons book about how effective the program has
been but I dont need to because as a parent volunteer
of the program who later became a trained ROE facilitator,
I saw it with my own eyes.
I saw kindergarten students shortening their play time
so they could hand-pick dirt from the carpet just in
case baby Miles put it in his mouth! I saw a grade 6
student (who was from a different ethnic background
than the majority of her classmates) meet me in the hall
so she could spend extra time cuddling the baby doll
that Id brought which happened to look a lot like her.
I saw the toughest boy in class be the first to volunteer
to learn how to diaper a baby (more on that later). I saw
jaded grade 6/7 students share their true feelings without fear of rejection or judgment from their peers.
So as I mentioned, in September, I trained to be a ROE
facilitator and I was paired up with a local mom and her
baby so I could deliver the program at another Brantford school.

I walked into the classroom on the first ROE day and I

could tell it was going to be a tough room. They were a
grade 6/7 class from a neighbourhood where many families
have a poor socio-economic status. I was asked to deliver
ROE in this class specifically because there had been a
number of serious bullying issues between the girls and
it wasnt yet October.
I wasnt intimidated though; I knew a few of the kids
from my supply teaching days so I reached out to them
first. They tried to throw me a few curve balls of course:
one girl continually tried to steer the conversation to
controversial topics like domestic abuse, abortion and
drug use. But I held my own, sticking to the ROE philosophy
of accepting every students answer without judgment.

Whos next? I asked hopefully. Every hand in the

room shot up.
And of course, its not just the students who benefit.
Being a part of this program has grown my cold little
Grinch heart way more than two sizes. I think learning
about how to teach empathy has made me a better
educator and a better mom.

I guess I gained their respect, but it took a while. By

January, I noticed that I was spending less and less of
my energy trying to engage them and more and more of
it listening to their views on ROE program topics like
temperament, neuroscience and world issues.

And then there are the memories I absolutely treasure.

I will never forget the day (when I was volunteering as
mom in the program) when the students made
four-month old Miles smile and belly laugh by playing
peek-a-boo with him, or the day that Miles rolled over
for the first time and all the kids clapped. Miles looked
so proud! I loved reading the messages the kids wrote
for Miles at the end of the school year. My favourites
were: I wish for him to be strong and healthy, I wish
for him to read books, I wish for him to be a dad and
I wish for him to remember us. I hung the poster covered
in these comments in Miles room and I read it often.

One day I looked around the room and I realized the

class was I hanging off my every word! The topic was
diapers. Seriously. These grade 6/7 students couldnt
wait to discuss the pros and cons of cloth diapers versus
disposable diapers and which ones they would use if
they decided to become parents.

But the greatest rewards have come from teaching the

program. Last week, after I had just finished up a lesson,
the principal of the school stopped me on my way out
the door. Its working, he said. I have noticed a
difference in how some of the girls are interacting with
each other. Keep up the good work.

When it came time to practice diapering a doll, I

assumed the girls would volunteer first but I was
wrong. My first volunteer was a boy with a football
player build and a Mohawk haircut. His peers watched
enraptured as he carefully diapered the doll, smiling all
the while.

My heart smiled. Really. I couldnt have been given a

higher complement.
If you want to read all of those studies and for other
information about Roots of Empathy visit
http://www.rootsofempathy.org

12

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

Buyer Beware! Why I Oppose the Gravel Pit

by Jeff Broomfield
A couple of years ago, I received a letter from Dufferin
Aggregates stating that they were opening a gravel pit in my
neighbourhood. At first, I was not too concerned. I called the
number on the letter and asked a few questions and was
assured that all the proper studies were done and there would
be no impact. If that was true, I would not be writing this
today. I later found out that there were no studies done. I don't
know about you, but I don't like being misled.
I believe that it is important that a company who plans to
operate an industrial operation in a vulnerable area, such as
atop our drinking water, be totally honest and transparent. If
a problem was to occur, we would expect that they would
have to first admit there was a problem before they would fix
it. If they are not being totally
honest up front, I wonder if
they will be honest and transparent
during the excavation.

assurances that a salesman made before the purchase can

become useless, especially if it was not written into the
contract... even how it's written in the contract is extremely
important.
Next to oxygen, our drinking water is our second most
important element. Water resources are diminishing worldwide
and a lot of what's left is polluted. If you don't agree with that,
just go take a drink directly from the Grand. In my opinion,
if we truly want to ensure the best future possible for our kids
and grandkids, then protecting the water is the best thing we
can do. I'm not the only one who realizes this either; that is
why we created the Concerned Citizens Of Brant (CCOB).
Our voices are echoed by hundreds of supporters.

Science is about finding the

truth. Absence of science is not
scientific, nor is it truth. The lack
of thorough science simply
creates a plausible deniability
defence where it can be honestly
said that no known example of
(insert issue) has occurred.

When I bought my first car, the

salesman told me that the
previous owner was a nice old
lady who never sped, parked it
in a garage and took it in for all
scheduled maintenance. As it
turns out, it was in an accident.
I was a fooled. That was when
I learned not to take for granted
the word of someone who was
trying to sell me something. It's
their job to persuade me to buy
their goods. My sales training
over the years only proved this
to be true. I learned that when I was making a purchasing
decision, it was my responsibility to ensure that I confirmed
all information. It's called due diligence.
I grew up in a family business and one of my responsibilities
was purchasing. Over the years I bought millions of dollars
in goods and services. I learnt that thoroughly researching the
product I was buying beforehand took much less time than
fixing the mess that can occur after a bad purchase. Any

If you have followed this

issue in the papers, you would
have seen that Dufferin has
assured us that the water will
remain safe and that all of the
scientific study required to
prove so has been done.
When you refer to scientific
study, it is as easy as producing
the scientific studies that you
claim to have. Without science, all you have is opinion.

We have asked to see that

science and they have not yet
provided it. We have searched
for the science ourselves and
what we have found is
actually quite the opposite. Legislation that has been put into
place ensures that the aggregate industry doesn't require
science to prove they have no effect on our water. Any
science that does exist is extremely limited and does not seek
to find the true effects that aggregates has on our water. Our
government has determined that aggregate's financial contribution to our economy outweighs the health and safety of the
citizens. In fact, the Source Water Committee originally had
aggregate issues listed as threats but were overruled. It

appears that the aggregate industry is protected against citizen's

concerns. As for being responsible, if something goes wrong
with our water, this responsibility has been downloaded to
the municipality, so we can only take legal action against
ourselves.
When Dufferin applied for their Permit To Take Water
(PTTW) last year, they had to provide science in support of
the application. The hydrogeological study only looks at the
effects of the pits source-water pond and is limited to the
level of water and direction of flow.
It's important to note that hydrogeology is an inexact science
that requires a lot of guesswork. The science can only measure
current conditions so it is nearly impossible to know exactly
what will happen in 20-40 years. It's similar to predicting the
weather... 20 years from now, but with less data. This science
would have to be supported by continued scientific study
done on previous sites that have completed extraction to
confirm the accuracy of the predictions. We have been unable
to find any verified science that shows how accurate these
predictions turned out to be.
Science is about finding the truth. Absence of science is not
scientific, nor is it truth. The lack of thorough science simply
creates a plausible deniability defence where it can be
honestly said that no known example of (insert issue) has
occurred. Instead of answers, we are left with unsolved
mysteries.
What would you do if you asked the question and were given
a misleading answer? Would you trust the health and safety
of your friends and family to a company who can't provide
the science they publicly claimed to possess? That is why I
joined the CCOB and oppose this gravel pit. We wouldn't be
wasting our time opposing this gravel pit if they were being
honest and had performed due diligence. It is our responsibility
as citizens to stand up for our rights and demand that our
water is protected.
When the health and safety of the citizens are in question,
science is the only acceptable proof. Trust is for suckers.

It's Simple
by Erika Moyer, Facebook
Its amazing when you go into a seemingly tedious project
for one purpose, and then come out on the other end of it
with a changed view of life. That is exactly what has
happened to me in the last few weeks.
My house is up for sale, and as part of preparations, I went
through and staged it. It has truly been an eye-opening
experience. We have been living here for only four years,
but the amount of stuff we have accumulated is scary and
in all honesty, excessive. As I went through each room,
packing up all the items deemed unnecessary for daily
living, all I could think is, Why do I have all this stuff?
Where did it come from?
At the end of the day, I had successfully filled my
basement and huge shed with boxes. I then forgot about it
and focused on the business of selling my house. The
change happened when a couple of weeks later I realized
that I couldnt remember what I had packed away. Right
now, at this very moment, I have approximately 50 boxes
of random things in my house and for the life of me, I cannot
remember what is in them. Whats more is that I started
looking around my house with new eyes and realized that
not only did I obviously not need whatever was in those
50 boxes, but I also didn't need half of what I still had
hanging around unpacked.
How did this happen? How did we accumulate a houseful

of things that we dont need or use and for the most part
do not hold any true sentimental value? Looking within, I
came to the conclusion that, in a way, we equate having
an abundance of things with having an abundance of
wealth and happiness. The funny thing is that the complete
opposite is true. Sure, when you buy something shiny and
new you may experience a happy high that lasts anywhere
from a few hours to a few weeks, but it is not the lasting
kind of happiness that fulfills us long term. The truth is
that the more things youve accumulated, the more
cleaning and picking up you have to do, the more money
you have to earn to keep up with living in excess, and as
a result the less time you have for the important things like
following dreams and spending time with your loved ones.
I was hit hard with the minimalist bug. It was a slow start.
I have a baby and a 6-year-old that I homeschool. As you
can imagine, time is not something I have a lot of. I started
with my junk drawer you know that one drawer in your
kitchen or office where you stick everything that doesnt
have a home. Within 15 minutes, I had thrown away
everything that was in it. I actually didnt need a single
thing in there! And I felt free. A huge weight had been
lifted, and it was only one drawer. Whenever I had time, I
went to the next drawer, which became a closet, which
became a room. Where I once opened my wardrobe filled
with 300 items of clothing and felt I had nothing to wear,
I now open it with 100 items and feel like my options are

limitless because I love everything Ive kept. I had uncovered

clothes that I had forgotten were even there. With each
area I decluttered, I felt like I was not only organizing my
house but also clearing out the clutter in my mind. Studies
have shown that the clutter in our homes and the clutter in
the rest of our lives are intrinsically connected. Both
mental and physical clutter can eat away at our productivity,
motivation and most importantly, happiness. Clutter is
stress.
I still have a ways to go. There are still nooks and crannies
I havent touched. Those 50 boxes of forgotten items?
They havent been tackled yet. I will get there though. It
has become important to me to weed out the unnecessary
and the excessive to make room for simplicity, gratitude,
and freedom. Freedom from possessions and freedom of
time. I highly recommend giving it a try. Being an extreme
minimalist isnt for everyone. Thankfully there are different
levels of minimalism, and in my opinion minimizing is
something that most people can benefit from. It will
benefit you by reducing stress, creating time and freedom,
and making you aware of consumerism and the effect it
has on you and our world today. It can benefit our
community when you donate the items you dont need to
the people who do, in fact, need it. If you decide to
undertake it, go easy on yourself. Take it one drawer at a
time or 15 minutes a day. Less really is more. Its simple.

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

13

Knee Osteroarthritis
by Pam Honeyman
Do you hear your knee as you climb or descend a flight of
stairs? Do you feel knee pain as you rise from your chair
or squat to plant a perennial? If so, you may be experiencing
symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Knee OA or degenerative joint disease of the knee - is one of the top
five causes of disability among baby boomers and their
parents generation. Its as prevalent as cardiovascular disease.
Knee Anatomy and OA Mechanism of Injury
The knee is the largest joint in the body. It is a complex
structure consisting of three different joints. The knee is
made up of the connections of the femur (thigh bone), the
tibia (large shin bone), the fibula (small shin bone), and
the patella (knee cap).
OA occurs when the soft cushion-like substance called
cartilage between the bones at the joint surfaces become
worn. However, the knee cap, to counteract stresses,
contains the thickest layer of cartilage in the body. The
rubbing of the bones together may create bony growths
called osteophytes or bone spurs. As the knee cartilage
continues to wear down and is less able to absorb the
shock and stress placed on the knee, bones increasingly
begin to grind more against each other. Knee OA can be
progressive and worsen with time especially if you are 45
or older.
Not all knee joint pain is due to OA. Symptoms of a
condition called patellofemoral pain syndrome may mimic
knee OA. Many people can have knee pain from faulty
joint movements, overuse injuries, muscle imbalances,
meniscal tears, and ligamentous injuries. That aside, with
education and some preventative measures, you can avoid
knee OA and its resulting pain and disability.

-Jobs and sports that involve excessive repetitive kneeling,

squatting and lifting of heavy weights may be a risk factor.
Sports with high impact or sequences of standing or
running then pivoting on the foot like tennis, football,
basketball, and soccer may, overtime, create more stress
on the knee.
-Women over 50: postural alignment of the hips relative
to the knee may create more stress on the knee joint.
-Heredity may play a factor as there may be evidence linking
genetic predisposition to developing degenerative changes
of the knee.
-Increasing age: the cushiony protective surfaces of joints
become thinner with time.
-Illnesses: gout, metabolic disorders, and some congenital
conditions may negatively affect the knee.
Signs and Symptoms:
Several classic signs and symptoms include:
Knee pain (usually the first symptom). People complaining of knee OA experience pain that is generally worse
with weight-bearing and is better with rest. They often
have morning stiffness, tenderness around the knee joint,
and feel a grinding motion in the joint called crepitus.
Swelling in the knee
Decrease in knee range of motion
Limping often is observed with gait analysis
Atrophy of the quadriceps muscle (the front thigh muscle)
Weakness with strength testing of the muscles that
surround the knee

Knee OA Causes
There are numerous causes of knee OA. Contributing
factors are:

The hip should also be examined as the hip can also refer
pain to the knees.
Treatment

-Obesity, increased weight creates more pressure on joints

such as the knee.
-Knee injury: trauma to the knee or repeated falls on the
knee. For example, sports injuries causing ligament and
cartilage tears can change the mechanics of knee function
thereby creating more wear and tear on the knee joints.

The treatment for knee OA is individualized depending on

the age of the person, causes of the degenerative changes
and the level of degenerative change. Initially, pain is
directed at pain management. Over the counter drugs, such
as aspirin or ibuprofen, can be very helpful for pain relief.
Patients may need to see their physician for stronger

prescription medicines such as cox-2 inhibitors and

opiates. There is good research documented that indicates
that glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate may also be a
benefit.
Physiotherapists are trained to recognize and treat OA.
They can also educate you on how to prevent progression
of symptoms. A Physiotherapist can:
1) Design a program to strengthen and stretch the quadriceps,
hamstrings and buttock muscles. Muscle balance facilitates
optimal knee function to reduce stresses on the knee.
Quadricep (the big front thigh muscle) weakness and other
muscle imbalances of the lower extremity may predispose
you to OA.
2) Administer manual therapy techniques which can
improve joint mobility, reduce pain and decrease stress on
the knee joint.
3) Provide modalities such as ultrasound, laser, and
interferential to help with pain relief and give advice about
the use of heat and cold on the knee. Many physios are
trained in acupuncture which has been observed to help
with knee OA symptoms.
4) Apply therapeutic tape which may correct poor knee
mechanics.
5) Give useful information about walking aids such as a
cane, recommend appropriate foot care and other ideas to
minimize the stress on the knee and adopt good body
mechanics.
6) Suggest appropriate activities to minimize knee
symptoms. They can provide guidelines for specific gym,
swimming or walking programs to maximize function and
minimize symptoms, and provide advice about your
current regime and maintaining a healthy body weight.
7) Refer you back to the family physician at the appropriate
time in the event you need additional medication or
surgical intervention.
For more information, please contact Pam Honeyman
Physio in Your Home,
(519) 304-2440, pmhoneyman@rogers.com

WWW.SOPHIASBAKERY.CA

14

BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

Poverty Feature
by Sylvia Hernandez-Rassavong
Lisa Rose greets me with a smile as she walks down the
wooden stairs of an old home. A reusable bag filled with
bottles of cleaning solutions hangs off her right shoulder.
Every Saturday, she voluntarily cleans a friends home as
a personal effort to give back to the community. Ten minutes
later, we walk through her narrow backyard as the
backdrop of graffiti from a neighbouring building catches
my eye. Roses dog, Duke, jumps on her as she walks in.
I walk into the kitchen and the dining area, both crammed
in the same room. She cleans and prepares lunch and
dinner for herself and her son, while sharing the struggles
of making ends meet. Rose is poor even though she
works. Shes part of the working class who, like many
Canadians, doesnt make enough to meet the costs of
living such as groceries and bills.

The Insurance Act and SABS

Guess what? The Insurance Act and SABS are in the process of
being changed again. One sure thing is that by virtue of the time it
takes to implement legislative changes the real beneficiary of
changes surely is the insurer. It is anticipated that the Insurance Act
will be "reformed" again in 2015 and draft amendments are already
being circulated for input from various stakeholders. One obvious
question is why can we not design an automobile insurance regime
that does not require amendment every 5 years - what is constantly
changing about people getting hurt in car accidents and having insurance to assist them with wage replacement and treatment
needs?, and to make it worse each set of amendments seem to complicate things rather than make things easier for consumers.
Take the Minor Injury Guideline for example invented in 2010.
First problem complicated multi-pronged definition with no clear
dispute resolution mechanism. Here we are April 2014 and we do
not have a definitive court decision on the applicability of the
Minor Injury Guideline which translates into thousands of
claimants who have paid insurance premiums supposedly to access
up to $50,000.00 of medical rehabilitation benefits but are capped
at $3,500.00 and suffering as a result. I would think this suits the
insurers just fine.
One of the proposed amendments is to remove the courts from the
dispute resolution process. Right now a claimant can opt for court
rather than going through the Financial Services Commission of
Ontario. This is how we got the delay claimants faced at FSCO reviewed by the Ontario Court of Appeal who in the Cornie decision
reiterated the fact that insurance legislation is consumer protection
legislation and provided a decision designed to protect the rights
of claimants to the the speedy resolution contemplated in the Insurance Act and largely ignored by FSCO due to a lack of resources. Since that decision the delay at FSCO has been
substantially cleaned up, but now not only do the amendments propose removing the automatic right of claimants to choose the court
they also want to transfer the dispute resolution process to a different commission. How long would changes of that magnitude take
to implement, and in the meantime claimants would have no recourse to the courts.
As these changes go through consultation stages and eventually
come to the electorate for approval the only answer if for consumers to carefully scrutinize these changes and speak to their insurance brokers about the changes. Consumers need to start
operating as if they could be a claimant and try to develop an understanding of how these changes could impact the coverage available to them, not just the cost of their insurance premium. Brokers
also may have additional coverages available at reasonable rates
that can enhance coverage available to policy holders in the event
of an accident.
Lisa Morell Kelly
Morell Kelly Personal Injury Law
515 Park Road North
Brantford, Ontario N3R 7K8 (519) 720-0110

Rose, 42, has lived in Brantford for about five years.

When she arrived, her only source of income was Ontario
Works (OW). Three years ago she got a retail job that she
kept until about eight months ago, when she quit due to
workplace bullying. Rose struggled to get Employment
Insurance benefits because she quit and had to fight to
eventually receive assistance.
Michelle Smith, an employment counsellor at Career
Link, says 46 per cent of their clients, who are unemployed
and looking for work, have no source of income. Only 11
per cent of clients receive income from OW.
Currently, Rose has a regular job in customer service.
Shes one of the few who managed to get off welfare and
support herself and her teenage son, but it is challenging.
Is it worth it to work at $10.25 an hour when the cost of
living has gone up? Or is it easier to sit back and be on
welfare? I sometimes question that, says Rose. In a way,
she says it is easier to be on welfare because there are
benefits that can help with the cost of medication and
food, and transportation isnt a necessity because of
unemployment. But in the long run, its better to work
because at some point you will be able to get ahead, she
says.
Marc Laferriere, practicum coordinator for the social
work program at Laurier Brantford, used to work at Grand
River Community Health Centre where he often saw people wishing they were back on OW for the reasons Rose
mentioned. We have this whole new class of the working
poor thats growing, says Laferriere.
Even if people are working, the minimum wage is not
keeping up with the cost of living. Reverend Barry
Pridham, of Sydenham United Church, who is also on the
Brant Brantford Roundtable on Poverty (BBROP),
advocates for a living wage or a guaranteed annual
income. He says something needs to be done so people
can have their integrity, their decency [and] pride that
they are making enough.
Aboriginal people face similar struggles. A lot of oppression
and challenges face First Nations people before they even
get a chance to look at economic development and a way
out of poverty, says Sherry Lewis, community programs
manager at Brant Native Housing. She says the government
uses laws and regulations to inhibit their economic
development, which limits job opportunities. Most job
opportunities are minimum wage.

why [poor people] use drugs because if youre on coke,

its an expensive habit, but if youre on coke, youre not
hungry so youre not eating. So theres more [food] in the
house for the kids.
Rose recalls, When I was on OW, my rent portion was
$378 and my rent was $700, [so] youre taking the rest of
it out of your grocery money, out of your bill money to
cover the cost of rent.
According to Hunger Counts 2013, a Food Banks Canada
report, 50 per cent of households using Canadian food
banks receive social assistance, 11.5 per cent have income
from current or recent employment and 16.4 per cent
receive disability-related income assistance. Youth and
children make up 36.4 per cent of those using food banks,
adults over 65 make up 4.3 per cent and 11.3 per cent of
people assisted are Aboriginal.
The two biggest growing segments of the food bank
population in Brantford are the working poor and
seniors, says Laferriere.
Gloria Ord, community support facilitator at the Grand
River Health Centre (GRHC), is involved with the
community garden project in Brantford. When you can
grow your own food, its definitely healthier and it can
save you money, she says. This gives more options than
those people receive at the food bank, which is often not
fresh and not as healthy.
The only thing we can do is try to alleviate [poverty] by
introducing good food, fresh produce, says Ord. She says
poverty is a bigger issue that a community garden alone
cant solve.
Rev. Pridham says, People have to be rescued from the
cliff theyre hanging on. People end up in poverty for
reasons beyond their control. Its not about laziness.
Its about health, its about wellness, lack of education,
lack of opportunities that arent there.
Laferriere says its easy to move down the socioeconomic
ladder when you lose a job, especially when 50 per cent
of Canadians live pay cheque to pay cheque. People dont
want to talk about it, he says.
There is a sense of denial. Most people will say theyre
middle class. They wont say theyre working class or
might not identify that they are poor, says Laferriere.
The stigmas around poverty are so entrenched that even
gatekeepers within social assistance programs often pass
judgment on service users. Laferriere remembers one
client who was initially denied disability benefits, even
though he had serious mental and physical issues, because
he presented well.
Rose has also seen those stigmas first hand. When she
was a recovering addict, her addictions worker said,
Why are you even bothering? Once an addict, always an
addict.
Those words continue to push Rose forward. She will be
going to college to pursue her career goals. I want to be
able to give back to my community. Thats the reason why
I want to go to school and be a social worker.

Theres lots of effects when you dont have enough

money to live on, barely have enough for a roof over your
head and get some food on the tabletheres nothing left
for extras, says Lewis.
Rose says, Even with me working now, we dont have
cable. I cant afford cable. She does have the Internet
and Netflix, but she sees the Internet as more of an
investment rather than a luxury. It can be useful for job
searching, staying in touch with her daughter in
Newfoundland, reading and learning new skills at little
or no cost. She also has an Internet-enabled phone line.
Another challenge Rose faces is being on a gluten-free
diet due to medical reasons because its expensive. When
I look at the addictions side of [poverty], I can understand

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BRANTFORD | SIX NATIONS | PARIS | ST. GEORGE

Funded by Status of Women Canada.

15

FOURTH ANNUAL MEN IN HEELS

SATURDAY JUNE 21ST HARMONY SQUARE

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

Support abused women and their children by raising pledges

and stand tall against domestic violence! Dont miss the
surprise challenges on the main stage before the walk!
Award Categories Top individual, Top Team, Top School, Top Youth and Top Father and Son Fundraisers
To register contact Michelle Heaslip at 519-752-1005 ext. 232 or mheaslip@novavita.org.
Registration starts at 10:00AM. We provide the shoes Free BBQ