Vaughan Today - November 2010

NOVEMBER 2010 VAUGHAN ToDAY 1

VaughanToday.ca

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Election 2010: Voters opt for change, turf long-time councillors

A NewvAughAN?Can Maurizio Bevilacqua bring hope to our city?

November 2010

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Contents The votes have been cast. The signs are gone.

And you, the people of Vaughan, have spo-ken: You wanted fresh faces. (See page 4.)

This election sea-son proved a challenge for us at Vaughan Today: How do we adequately cover the municipal elec-tion with a monthly print publication? We wanted to be sure Vaughan voters had all the information and news required to make informed choices on Elec-tion Day.

Reporter Joshua Freeman had the bright idea of starting a Vaughan Election 2010 blog, a place where the community and candidates could converge, talk about the election, read about candidates, and more. And so we did.

And it seems, you, the people of Vaughan, were hungry for the info.

“Thank you,” wrote Jean. “So much media bombardment about the Toronto election!

“I’ve been trying to find one place to gather info on the Vaughan elec-tion, and this is the only comprehen-

sive site I’ve found.”Sharon agreed: “I

live in Vaughan, but work in Toronto,” she wrote. “There’s so much media attention about the race in Toron-to and virtually no mention of Vaughan. I found my answers here and I’ve now made my decisions! Thank you, Vaughan Today. It was good discovering you!”

On Election Night, we live-streamed the results at Vaughan Today.ca and had so many visitors, we crashed. Lots of engaged citizens! Thanks to all of those who weighed in on our live blog that night as well — we love hearing your comments and opinions about Vaughan politics, and other things, too, of course. (I’m talking to you, Mr. Go Leafs Go.)

So, with the federal byelection now upon us (see page 5) visit VaughanTo-day.ca/blog for coverage throughout the month.

And keep an eye out for new and exciting online adventures coming your way soon.

You did wanna know, VaughanLori Abittan Publisher

Joe Mastrogiacomo Vice President of

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20Hibernate in your home:

Turn your home into a cozy nook

4ELECTION 2010: A fresh start for Vaughan? You opt for changing municipal reps

10WELLNESS: Got public speaking jitters?Reporter tests his oratory skills at Toastmasters

15ARTS: Celebrating Canada’s art iconsMcMichael launches Group of Seven exhibit

23SPORTS: Thunder rolls St. Joan of Arc works to rebuild football club

Plus lots more...

Alexis Dobranowski Managing Editor

On the cover: Mayor-elect Maurizio

Bevilacqua at his victory party.

See News page 4 (photo by Aleksejs Nesterins)

� VAUGHAN ToDAY NOVEMBER 2010

Elec

tion2

010

Chatting with mayor-elect Maurizio Bevilac-qua after his sweeping win is sort of like talking to a motivational speaker.

“When you go around the city today, people are talking about how we ran a positive cam-paign, a change of tone in politics in Vaughan. We provided what they are looking for.”

Bevilacqua easily won the mayor’s race, garnering 45,049 votes, nearly double of all the other seven candidates combined.

While the massive margin of victory surprised some, it didn’t surprise Bevilacqua.

“The reason we were successful is because we captured their imaginations,” he said. “We can build a sense of community, a sense of belonging and mutual respect.”

Bevilacqua is no stranger to elections. He won eight of them to represent York North and then Vaughan as Member of Parliament for 22 years. He stepped down from that role Sept. 2 and the next day announced his candidacy for mayor.

“When I announced (candidacy), from a goal and aspiration point of view, I wanted a strong mandate — the type of result that leaves no doubt within the citizenry,” Bevilacqua said. “We wanted that. It tells council there is leadership. I

had such strong support for my candidacy since I registered and that support continued to grow.”

His short campaign — rife with buzzwords leadership, consensus, cooperation — steered clear of mudslinging or finger-pointing about Vaughan’s troubled past (conflict of interest allegations, lawsuits, a reputation for cloak ’n dagger politics).

And what of the residents and naysayers intent on bringing Vaughan down? Bevilacqua hesitated to even discuss them.

“I’m not going to be distracted by the noise. I’m going to be focused on the task at hand and focus on the issues,” he said. “I don’t get dis-tracted by that kind of behaviour.

“One cannot lead by distraction. The day you become distracted and your attention is diverted to less meaningful activities is the day you don’t lead anymore.”

He said the city’s negative reputation can be mended by focusing on building up a sense of community, belonging and mutual respect.

“Then, any challenge the city faces can be overcome with this mutual respect,” he said. “I’ve got the public’s interest at heart. It’s a vocation. I will do the very best I can. It’s what drives me. And the people are the energy, the driving force.”

Bevilacqua said first point of business will be meeting with each regional and ward councillor to discuss their interests and goals — collaborate and cooperate.

Vaughan’s new council has some old faces and new ones, with four long-serving councillors losing their seats on Election Day.

“There’s some continuity, which is required, and new blood – we’ve got to harness the energy of the new councillors and the experi-ence of the returning councillors,” Bevilacqua said. “It’s a team – you’ve got to put players in their right positions and take advantage of their strengths.”

Candidates seek office for different reasons, he said, all with the mind of improving the city.

Back in motivational speaking mode, Bevi-lacqua said his council will make Vaughan a better place to live.

“Each has their own goals and we can all win,” Bevilacqua said. “Ultimately, it’ll mean better, happier lives, with services they need, and an environment of mutual respect.”

Bevilacqua said his time in the mayor chair will change Vaughan for the better.

“I’ll build the type of consensus required on council,” he said. “It will be transformational in nature, and it’ll work.”

Mayor-elect

offers hopefor city

By ALExIS DoBRAnoWSKIJoshua freeMan/VauGhan today

ROCK STAR TREATMENT: Media and supporters surround Maurizio Bevilacqua after his sweep-ing win in the Oct. 25 election. He says he’ll bring leadership and cooperation to Vaughan.

‘The stress is off me. I accept it and move

forward’

Linda Jackson: I’m happiest I’ve been in years“That’s democracy,” outgoing mayor Linda Jackson said days after the election that saw her mayoralty end in a sinking defeat. “I accept it, and I move forward.”

Jackson said the stress of the campaign has “taken its toll on her — physically, mentally and financially”.

“The stress is off me now,” she said. “I’m the happiest I’ve been in years, actually.”

She wished the new reps on council well. “I’m thrilled for them,” Jackson said.

For more of Jackson’s exit interview, visit VaughanToday.ca/blog.

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Don’t lose your election fever!

Local and Regional With 13 candidates, the contest

for the three senior spots on coun-cil was a veritable horse race. In the end though, voters opted for two-thirds change.

They turfed long-time council-lor Joyce Frustaglio, who had faced conflict of interest allegations this past term over contracts awarded to her brother and son. Councillor Mario Ferri also lost his seat, com-ing fourth behind newcomer Deb Schulte by 444 votes, a result Ferri said surprised him.

“It’s very difficult to under-stand exactly what happened. The obvious thing is people wanted change and voted for change,” Ferri said. “It was a pure honour and privilege to have served and I wish all the best to the new mem-bers of council.”

He said he plans to remain

active in the community.The odd man out — well, in

— was Councillor Gino Rosati, who not only kept his seat, but received the largest plurality of any regional councillor, earning him the deputy mayor spot as well.

On his website, Rosati said his experience was what earned him the spot and said that quality and new ideas was at the top of voters’ wish list.

Supplying some of those new ideas will be Schulte, who credit-ed a grassroots effort for her win.

“I think it comes down to individuals connecting with their networks and letting them know about me and then their networks working on my behalf,” she said. Schulte added she knows Rosati and will work well with him. At the same time, she’ll get to

know Michael Di Biase, the for-mer mayor who voters returned to council this election.

For his part, Di Biase said his win shows Vaughanians still want him around.

“Looking back four years ago, I lost by 90 votes. Re-electing me back means they wanted to see me and for that, it was a good feel-ing,” he said.

Ward 1: Maple/KleinburgThe second time was the charm

for community activist Marilyn Iafrate, who beat out incumbent Peter Meffe by just 92 votes in her second run against him.

“I was actually really shocked that I made it. It’s so much eas-ier to expect defeat than a win,” Iafrate said. “I was overjoyed. I really was. I’ve been working on

Michael DiBiase Marilyn IafrateDeb Schulte Rosanna DeFrancesca

Voters pick new facesBy JoShuA FREEMAn

Vaughan residents cleaned house on Election Day, firing embattled mayor Linda Jackson, as well as four other incumbent councillors. Joyce Frustaglio, Mario Ferri, Peter Meffe and Bernie DiVona all lost their seats as Vaughan voters opted for change after a tumultuous term marked by infighting and discord.

Here’s the skinny, ward by ward:

Page 6

That’s right, Vaughan, it ain’t over.Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called a

byelection to fill the MP seat vacated by now mayor-elect Maurizio Bevilacqua.

The byelection will take place Nov. 29.Former OPP commissioner Julian Fantino

will try to turn a long-standing Liberal city Con-servative blue.

The Liberals have nominated Tony Genco, former Downsview Park CEO and current hos-pital board chair.

For daily updates and news from the cam-paign trail — and so you can cast an informed vote — visit www.VaughanToday.ca/blog.


this for a long time. I knew it was going to be really, really close as this was an incumbent of 22 years.”

She said her first order of business will be dealing with gridlock and new housing units proposed near Vaughan Mills.

Calls to Meffe weren’t returned by press time.

Ward 2: West WoodbridgeCouncillor Tony Carella squeaked into re-election

by just 122 votes over challenger Nick Pinto’s 5,833. At 22 years old, Vaughan’s youngest candidate Dan-iel Salvatore finished third with 3,673 votes.

Ward 3 : East WoodbridgeThis year the residents of Ward 3 loudly demand-

ed change by voting en masse for either Rosan-na DeFrancesca or Steven Del Duca. In the end, DeFrancesca inched 214 votes ahead of Del Duca to win the seat.

“It was definitely a roller coaster ride,” said DeFrancesca, who said she wasn’t surprised residents wanted change.

“My priority after December 1 is the residents of ward 3. I promised them 100 percent representation and I’m going to get my office and my staff ready to do that,” she said, adding she’d like to start by improving conditions for seniors.

Del Luca said he was disappointed he didn’t win, but was happy the community voted for change.

“I’m optimistic that (the new council) will work well and go forward as a group to focus on matters that matter to our community… I’ll continue looking for other ways to serve the community,” he said.

Incumbent councillor Bernie DiVona finished third, but said he accepted the decision of voters.

“Their decision is always right in the end,” DiVo-na said. He pointed to unfounded public perceptions of negativity and wrongdoing as the reason voters opted for new leadership.

“Members of council were trying to fight a shad-

ow, and trying to fight a shadow, you can’t win.”DiVona said he now plans to take his first vaca-

tion in years.

Ward 4 : Concord/North ThornhillDespite low voter turnout and new ward bound-

aries that shifted councillor Sandra Yeung Racco’s home out of her own turf, the incumbent councillor managed to win a third term. With 46 percent of the vote, she more than doubled the votes of nearest rival Styles Q. Weinberg.

“It was a good fight and I think I worked very hard as always … I think it was 10 minutes before (polls closed) that I stopped calling,” Yeung Racco said.

She added that the new faces on council means a new chance for the previously dysfunctional body to now work together as a team.

“People spoke loudly and this is what they want,” she said. “My hope is that (new councillors) actually will put the effort in to try and be a team. The one thing that was lacking from last term was no leader-ship and no team playing, so hopefully this time we will have leadership.”

Ward 5: ThornhillAlthough optometrist Gila Martow mounted a strong

challenge in the ward, incumbent councillor Alan Shef-man managed to also handily win re-election.

Shefman said he was thrilled to have been re-elected based on his own record.

“That to me is incredibly satisfying … that the electorate was able to sort out that I am a person that came with integrity,” Shefman said. “I’m really pleased at the results. This is my largest plurality so far and I’m looking forward to working with my old and new colleagues on council.”

Shefman said in the new term he’ll focus on creating a solid economic plan to implement the city’s master plan, and will also look to create a special task force to deal with the needs of condo dwellers.

More local

news and views at

www.VaughanToday.ca

Cont. from Page 5


The Conquest of 1760 was the culmination of 70 years of sporadic warfare between Great Britain and France. France’s main North Amer-ican colony, New France, stretched from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Mississippi valley and prevented the British colonies along the Atlan-tic seaboard from expanding into the interior. The British colonies were, moreover, far more populous and much richer than New France. New France’s main defence against them was hundreds of kilometres of wilderness along the frontier and a collection of Indian allies who feared and hated the British more than the French.

New France’s main military weakness was at sea rather than on land. The British navy greatly outclassed the French and could cut communications — and hence sup-plies and reinforcements — from France to North America. At the same time, the British could rein-force and resupply their colonies at will. When war broke out again in the 1750s, that is exactly what they did, though it took the British a few years to organize their armies in North America and find competent generals to command them. At the same time, France’s Indian allies fell away, leaving New France to its fate.

In 1759 a young British general, James Wolfe, brought an army to Quebec, the capital of New France, and, after a two months’ siege, defeated the French army on the Plains of Abraham just outside the city. Quebec surrendered, and the next year three British armies con-verged on the remaining French forces at Montreal, forcing its sur-render on September 8, 1760. It was an overwhelming and convincing

military victory, and it persuaded the French to cede Canada to the British when peace was formally made in 1763.

The French of Canada (who called themselves Canadiens) were now officially separated from the French of France. There were already regional differences, and soon there were more, as French history diverged from Canada’s. The French revolution of 1789, which overthrew the French mon-archy and deprived the Catholic Church in France of its privileged status, did not occur in Canada. The Canadiens still had a king, even if he was British and Protestant, the Catholic Church was effectively their state religion, and they still had a feudal system with a local nobility (called seigneurs). Quebec for the next 200 years could be seen

1760: Britain vs. FranceBy RoBERT BoThWELL

BRITISH Page 25

In 1759, British general James Wolfe brought an army to Quebec and after a two month siege, defeated the French.

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07-0008E

They say that public speaking is the most common fear, which is a statistic that could also be interpreted like this: public speaking is so scary, everyone’s afraid of it.

Being the New Guy at Vaughan Today I knew when I overheard one of the editors say, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool to do a piece about going to a Toastmasters meeting? I heard it’s terrifying!” the finger would point at me.

And, of course, being the New Guy I had to pretend to be totally comfortable with the assignment, my faux-confident smile saying “I’m the right man for the job!” although, like most everyone else, it’s not something I’d choose to do for fun.

But I’m the adventurous sort, so I called the Wood-bridge Toastmasters to find out what it was all about.

I spoke to a fellow named Ugo Di Federico who serves as the club’s vice president of public relations. He told me the club meets every Wednesday evening at 7:30 at the Ansley Grove Library and that attending the club over the past few years has helped him in his daily life.

“My public speaking has improved tenfold. Also (my) confidence and leadership,” Di Federico said.

Di Federico won an award at the club in a category called Table Topics — a topic is thrown out and a speaker is expected to stand up and spin a quality speech on the

subject for a set amount of time. And then everyone judges you — seriously, and with a pencil and paper.

But not too harshly, said the club’s president. “We support each other regardless of skill and regard-

less of experience,” James Thurston said. He’s a bit of a guru of the Table Topics. On his first visit to a Toast-masters club as a guest four years ago he won the Table Topics trophy. A week later he won it again.

Despite Thurston’s obvious oratory ability, he said that nerves still play a role.

“If my turn’s coming up I can feel my heart start pounding, I get sweaty, I feel dizzy,” he said. “But I think that’s a good thing. I always encourage new members to work with that sort of energy. Embrace the fear!”

After the primer from the Woodbridge guys I thought I’d try it out. A slave to the transit system south of Vaughan, I had to opt for another club so off I went to Gavel and Glass, another chapter of Toastmasters that meets every Thursday at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church near the corner of Don Mills Rd. and the Donway East.

As I strutted in, a series of tables surrounded a podium and gavel and a frayed yellow “Gavel and Glass” banner bespangled with ribbons. I took one of the 20 chairs and sat down next to Carol Pratt, a longtime member of the group and sometimes pro speaking instructor.

Toastmasters was started in 1924 by a man named Ralph C. Smedley.

She said as a guest I was entitled to try to give a

two-minute speech as part of Table Topics, and said I should take the opportunity. She had blond hair and a warm smile and assured me that I shouldn’t be ner-vous—there were speakers of all different levels in attendance.

I looked around the room at the people taking their seats, every one of them looking like they were capable of spinning Churchillian oratory at the drop of a hat, and then back at the smiling professional speaking instructor. Sure, don’t be nervous.

Toastmasters is an organization with a long history and a broad reach — there are clubs in over 120 countries — but the thing that struck me immediately as soon as the meeting got underway was that this was an organiza-tion that takes itself seriously. And like any other serious thing, there are a lot of rules.

Most everyone there had a special designation. Even more intimidating than the prospect of adjusting myself to the terminology on the fly was that there was also a strict code of protocol and decorum. People said things like “Thank you, Mr. Table Topics Master” and addressed people with names like “Honoured Guest,” whom I even-tually came to realize was me.

It was like mental jogging; even before it came time for me to open my mouth, I was sweating buckets.

Yikes! A toast to public speakingBy ChRISTophER REynoLDS

Chris Reynolds tackled his fear.


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After the theme of the day was announced (“Imagina-tion” – last week’s Woodbridge theme was “Friendship”) Mr. Table Topics Master had his way with several of those in attendance, catching them on the spot with top-ics like What Would it Be Like to Be a Fish? and What Games Did Your Imaginary Friend Play With You?

I felt a sudden calm. These topics were easy! I found myself wishing it were me giving these impromptu speeches. Had I received the Imaginary Friend topic I would tell them that I had felt ripped off as a 10-year-old because I had never had an imaginary friend and so I made one up, a little too late to the imagination band-wagon and went on in a charade of half-belief. It would be hilarious and everyone at the meeting would love me.

And then my friend Carol got her topic: What is the Difference Between Belief and Imagination?

My mind went blank and I started to sweat. Worse than that: my topic was coming.

Carol coolly stood up and wove an engaging mini-speech out of a topic that sounded to me like a non-sequi-tur in Greek.

With the perfect poise she free-styled things like, “Belief has a beginning and an end while imagination is limitless,” and then spun a yarn about her childhood that had the room roaring with laughter before ending on a pointed philosophical question that elicited a long moment of quiet reflection before everyone erupted in applause.

I was blown away.Horrifyingly, Mr. Table Topics Master then turned to

me: What Would The World Be Like Without War?

I stood up, temporarily sure I could handle this thing. I extended my best declarative hand gesture and turned to the man with the gavel at the podium.

“Thank you, Mr. Table Topics Master,” I said.But then I was hit with a series of mental freight

trains. Twenty pairs of eyes trained on me. That in and of itself is a lot to handle.

Suddenly I felt like a junior pilot on his first day of flying a 747. There I sat, a million controls in front of me, each of them blinking incomprehensibly. Then the pilot said, “Okay son, now you try flying.” I had no idea what to do, and worse, I’m afraid of flying.

I just tried to keep my mouth moving. Later, the tape revealed the contents of my first Toastmasters speech, all

28 seconds of it:“Um… ah… thank you, Mr. Table Topics Master.

I think that war is terrible… but, ah, war has given us many advancements… but maybe we could have come up with those things anyway? Um, and I wonder, ah…oh gosh. Thank you!”

After the main event speeches, all of which were well articulated, thoughtful and engaging, the meeting finally came to an end.

Carol mentioned that some of the club members go out after the meetings for a drink. Although the booze would have been the perfect antidote to my frayed nerves, both Carol and I knew that I wouldn’t be doing any more public speaking that night.


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Getting StartedWhat’s the ideal age to get your

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Tools of the tradeThe next logical step is equipment.

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SkatingBy RAnDy RovInSKI

Every winter, little ones across the city can be seen stumbling out onto the ice.

Little Michelin men and women bundled in colourful winter jackets and mitts, heads engulfed in helmets that seem to take up half their bod-ies. Parents across the city have a rewarding yet challenging task ahead of them: teaching their kids to skate.

Fundamentally Canadian, ice skating is also a great way of keeping you and your kids active through the winter. So whether you choose to teach your little ones yourself or to enroll them in lessons, here are some things to think about.

on the ice:Skating 101

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That doesn’t necessarily mean an expensive pair of new skates though. Find a skate shop with patient staff, expertise and competency in fitting skates, and a good skate exchange pol-icy. “The guys at Sportchek will tend to do a proper fitting ... I’ve had a lot of success with them,” Solarski says. Those of you hitting the ice with your children should heed that same advice.

“Typically, parents dig up an old pair that are about 15 years old that are really uncomfortable,” said Min-now Hamilton, founder and director of www.savvymom.ca. “If you have a pair you actually look forward to wear-ing, you will get on the ice more and that’s the best way to get your kids skating,” she said.

The other aspect that Solarski stressed was safety.

“Buy a kid a helmet with a hockey facemask on it,” he said. Whether it’s a clear facemask or a full cage, keeping your kids’ entire face protected is a sig-nificant concern with the number of falls they’ll be tak-ing and the sharp skates, which will be flailing clum-sily nearby.

Choosing the right classes and instructor “The biggest indica-tor of success in any program [in the 3-6 year old age group] is really instruc-tor- based,” says Tania Tomilko of www.toronto-mommy.com. If you do opt for the organized lessons, try to find an experienced instructor.

Experience, as in most areas, is frequently associated with age and you may find yourself a grandparent-like figure who is simply enthusiastic to be out on the ice with the kids. Tomilko is quick to remind, how-ever, that her own chil-dren had been taught by an instructor in his early 20s with experience teaching a range of skills to a range of ages. So the take home message is: look for experience.

Focus on the fun“Good instructors

know how to focus on the fun and still continue the progress of skills,” Tomilko said. Your kids don’t necessarily need the formal instruc-tion though, and it’s the fun they have that will turn your toddlers into future

Gretzkys (or at least have them back on the ice next season). Taking them out on the ice yourself for an informal les-son without set goals in mind is a good way of having some family fun and get-ting the kids enthusiastic about skating. Vaughan Culture and Recreation Depare-ment (www.vaughan.ca) is a good place to start your research. It has a compre-hensive list of arenas, outdoor rinks and skating programs on offer around the city. Whatever you decide this season, be patient and have fun.

‘The fun will turn them into little Gretkzys.’

1� VAUGHAN ToDAY NOVEMBER 2010

Please write to our experts: If you would like to take advantage of their years of experience, send your questions to “Ask the Experts” and they will be happy to reply to you in this space. By E-mail: [email protected], by Fax: 416-488-3671 or write: Ask the Experts, c/o Town Crier, 101 Wingold Ave., Toronto, ON, M6B 1P8.

Marc Linett, a partner in the personal injury law firm of Linett & Timmis, has been practicing accident and insurance litigation in Toronto for over 35 years. his firm has established a solid reputation represent-ing thousands of injured victims and their families throughout ontario.

Ask the experts

Q: I was at a shopping plaza the other day when I slipped and fell on a spill on the floor in one of the common areas. It looked like melted ice cream,

maybe pistachio! I fractured my wrist and hurt my back. I am a homemaker with three toddlers. I can’t look after them or my house. I have had to hire someone to clean and to help with the kids until my husband gets home from work in the evening. Do I have any recourse?

A: The operators of the plaza have an obligation to keep its premises reasonably safe for the use of its patrons. The spill you describe was likely made by

another patron who will never be identified. Whether the plaza can be held liable will likely depend on whether it can show that it took reasonable steps to inspect and clean its premises on a regular and timely basis. If negligence can be established on the plaza, your damages may include amounts for pain and suffering, your medical and rehabilitation expenses and the cost of hiring a cleaner and child care helper. Your family members may also have a claim for their loss of your care and companionship. You should record the names of any witnesses to the accident and report the incident to the mall manager. Do not sign any documents before seeking the advice of a lawyer experienced in personal injury litigation.

Marc LinettLinett & Timmis

Personal Injury Lawyers1867 Yonge St., Suite 1004, Toronto

416-366-51001-800-363-5100

[email protected]

Busi

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There’s one in every com-munity.

The leader of tomorrow, an extraordinary young per-son who is driven to make their world a better place to live.

The Ontario Community Newspapers Association is once again recognizing those extraordinary young people with the 2010 Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards.

Sponsored by TD bank Financial Group and Direct Energy, the annual award program is currently seeking

nominations for those 6-17. Individuals may be

nominated in four categories: Community service, sSpecial young people contributing with a physical or psycho-logical limitation, individu-als who have performed acts of heroism or bravery in the past year, and kids who show a commitment to make life better for others. Nominate a young person today. Forms are available at www.ocna.org or you can call 905-639-8720 ext. 239. Nominations are accepted until Nov. 30.

Do you know a young leader?

One Vaughan company is hoping to send the entire workforce back to school – safety school, that is.

Safetyscope Inc. launched its first-ever Confined Space Safety School in hopes of mak-ing the workplace safer for the more than 25,000 companies in Ontario that it says work in cramped spaces.

Opening back on Oct. 13, The Safetyscope Learning Centre is a 2,000 square foot facility located at 2501 Rutherford Rd. It’s the latest addition to the 21-year-old company, which specializes in worker safety.

This is the organization’s first fixed location, as it has always used its mobile unit to travel across Canada in the past. While the main goal has always been to help ensure high-risk jobs are made to be easier for the employer, president and director Tim Morrison says this new facility allows for more flexibility to increase the learning experience.

“The Learning Centre is dedicated to confined space training,” he said. “The facility allows us to enhance the skills training that workers need to protect them from injury and illness in a confined space.”

Calling themselves confined space safety experts, the company says its skill-based training combines a perfect blend of hands-on and in-class training for an array of workplaces.

One or two confined space fatalities occur on an almost annual basis going all the way back to 1950, Morrison says. The classes at SafetyScope will work to reverse that statistic by ensuring better safety practices in all industries and work environments.

“The real key to preventing injuries and fatalities in confined spaces is having practical, hands-on skills,” he said. “What this centre allows us to do is provide more hands-on simulations so that a student has a better understanding of the risks that are associated with entering confined spaces.”

The new location will also offer classes in construction safety, including WHMIS, First Aid, Fire Extinguisher use, and many others. In the upcoming year, Morrison said the company is looking at training somewhere around 500 people.

Public courses in confined space and rescue commence on a monthly basis for com-panies that are not large enough to fill their own classes. Safetyscope says they are doing this because they believe every company, no matter how small, should be educated in confined space safety.

Safetyscope believes they are launching the school at a good time to ensure better safety in the workplace for all companies in the Greater Toronto Area.

By ShAWn STAR

School helps workers stay safe

Confined space

deaths occur each year

courtesy Jane hunter

SAFETY TEAM: Safetyscope’s rescuers and instructors with president Tim Morrison, centre.


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Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven are as Canadian as the maple leaf and the loon.

Their paintings are the visual identity of Canada, providing the international audi-ence with images of the country’s expansive and beautiful landscape.

But were the men behind the paintings as interesting as their works?A resounding “yes”, says author Ross King.In his book Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven, the

award-winning author looks at the stories of the men, and what led them to create such iconic and inherently Canadian works.

King, a Canadian based near Oxford, England, unearths what experiences and events shaped Thomson and the other members’ lives from European art influences to their relationships with their family members and friends.

“It’s a great story. It’s a Canadian story,” King says while in Vaughan in early fall to promote his book and attend the launch of the McMichael Canadian Art Collec-tion’s Oct. 2–Jan. 30 show about the Group of Seven, which he guest curated.

It was former McMichael CEO and executive director Tom Smart’s idea for King to write a book about the group.

While King was well-versed in historical works – he’s the author of three Euro-pean history and art books including Brunelleschi’s Dome: The Story of the Great Cathedral in Florence – King had never turned his attention to Canadian icons.

The idea of penning a tome about Thomson and company interested yet fright-ened King.

“In the past I had larger-than-life characters,” says King, who spent three-and-a-half years researching and writing Defiant Spirits, the longest he’s ever spent on a project.

“I was worried, ‘what if there wasn’t a story there’.”With hard research, King soon was relieved to find out there was a remarkable

story behind the painters.The 408-page book follows the group between 1912 and 1924, looking at their

personal lives as much as their professional lives as painters.It was King’s intention to provide readers with a frank discussion on who the

eight men were and not just a catalogue of their works.The McMichael exhibition of the same name presents some of King’s favourite

works from the group.The museum’s 68-piece exhibit is meant to mirror King’s book, illustrating

how the eight took their cues from European modernist approaches to painting and developed techniques, blending such styles as Impressionism, Art Nouveau, and Neo-Impressionism.

The McMichael gallery has Canada’s largest collection of works by Thomson and the Group of Seven.

Defiant Sprits is the title of King’s book for a reason: It is the description of the painters themselves.

His title references the defiant natures of the painters, and on a wider scale, their defiance in the face of the Canadian landscape, with them choosing to create images that have stood the test of time.

“The Jack Pine was the symbol for Thomson of Canada,” King says, explaining that strong resilience of the North American tree.

Thomson, says King, is the most interesting personality of all the artists.“Thomson was also the hardest to understand,” he says, adding that one has to

look at Thomson’s paintings to try to understand him.“Everyone brings to Thomson what they want to.”It is King’s hope with the both the book and McMichael exhibit people enjoy the

story about Thomson and the Group of Seven.“The book is not polemical like an art catalogue,” says King, who won the 2006

Governor General’s Award for Non-Fiction for The Judgment of Paris. “It’s simply meant to be a history of Canada during that time.”

courtesy McMichael collection

UNIQUELY CANADIAN: The McMichael gallery hosts a special Group of Seven exhibit until Jan. 30.


Shop ’til you dropWant to support local arti-

sans and get a jump on your holiday shopping (while at

the same time avoiding mall crowds!?) The city’s annual Vaughan-of-a-

Kind Art and Craft show lands at Vellore Village Joint Complex (1 Villa

Royale) Nov. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s a

chance for you to meet the artists whose talented hands

craft jewellery, knitting, artwork, soaps and lots more. There’s sure

to be a mix of contemporary and traditional items (like the knitting

at left by Paula Tobias, photo courtesy Jasmine Schiralli.)

Enjoy a hidden gemTake in some local profes-

sional or community theatre at Vaughan City Playhouse this month. With musicals,

family shows and more, there’s definitely something for everyone this month and into December.

Shadowpath Theatre presents Paradise by The River Thursday, Nov. 4 til Sun., Nov. 7 (8 p.m. and a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday). It’s Canada 1940 and Romano, a recent immigrant, is arrested without charge in his own home. He’s taken to a POW camp, where he’s held with hundreds of men of Italian descent. Tickets $25 for adults and $20 for students and seniors.

Who doesn’t love the story of little orphan Annie? Marquee Theatrical Pro-ductions presents the musical about the adorable red head Nov. 18–27. Watch as the spunky orphan tries to find her parents, who abandoned her on the doorstep of a New York City orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. Tickets $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and kids under 12.

Warm up with a hearty laughCold weather getting you down? Why

not check out Vaughan’s funniest spot — Yuk Yuk’s at Entertainment Central near Highways 400 and 7. Thursdays are double-feature night, showcasing two up-and-coming comics. (8 p.m. for $11.50) Fridays and Saturdays feature different comics each weekend. (Fridays 8 p.m.,

Saturdays 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. $19.47) Visit yukyuks.com for more details.

Curl up with a good bookVaughan’s public libraries have a ton

of stuff going on year round. But, a cool autumn day could be a great time to check out your local library to browse or partici-pate in one of their activities.

Join in on a discussion about classic gothic fiction at Ansley Grove Library Nov. 24, where the group will discuss Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. 7 p.m. Light refreshments. 350 Ansley Grove Rd., 905-653-READ (7323). Pre-register at the info desk.

Bundle up and see SantaThe big man in red will roll into town

early this year: The 11th annual Santaf-est parade is set for Sun., Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. Parade leaves Canada’s Wonderland and heads along Major Mackenzie to the Vaughan Civic Centre, with lots of fun activities also going on at Santa’s Village in the Maple Community Centre from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Check out the floats, bands and other festive fun. And, a little bird tells us Santa himself may be seeing those on the nice list inside the community centre, too. www.santafestinmaple.com

As the weather turns colder, we may find ourselves trying to avoid the great outdoors. And while we shouldn’t hole up and hibernate all winter, November is a great month to check out some warm and cuddly things to do in our fair city.

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A recent research paper says the youngest average new car buyer for any car brand is 40 years old. But Toyota hopes to lower that average by introducing their Scion brand to the Canadian market.

Scion has been around in the United States since 2003, but this September the brand made its Canadian debut with three models, the mini-van esque xB, a five-door hatch xD and two-door coupe tC.

The xB’s looks put it apart from the initial group. It has the same boxy but urban feel as the Honda Element. It’s 2.4-litre engine produces a modest 158 horsepower and, while it doesn’t inspire comparisons to tuned up imports, it does a good job of zooming around the urban landscape.

Audio takes centre stage in the interior with a flashy but appropriate-styled

Pioneer head unit with included iPod connectivity. An upgraded 200-watt sys-tem includes a user-friendly 4.3-inch touch screen that produced quality audio right through the volume range. The base level unit provides one RCA outlet allowing you to add an extra amplifier or subwoofer and the upgrade provides three. This is a unique feature in today’s automobiles that often feature a stereo system that is integrated into the vehicle that doesn’t take kindly to upgrades.

The interior features a lot of plastic, but that shouldn’t be surprising given the vehicle’s base price of just over $18,000. Optional leather heated seats spruce up the interior and come with a price tag of $1,975.

In fact, there are a lot of upgrades and accessories available for the xB and the entire Scion line and most of them are fairly appealing. The tester I drove came equipped with sharp alloy wheels, the TRD big brake kit and a carbon fibre shift knob. All said and done it made up for about another $5,000 in options but it’s just as easy to spend the same amount of money and have the vehicle lowered, upgrade the exhaust and have front and rear strut and sway bars installed making for a firmer, sportier ride. It actually makes customizing pretty easy instead of having to root around the Internet trying to find after-market parts.

The big brake kit proved its worth a few times: when a dog ran out in front of the car on a side street and when a car ran a red light late in front of me late one night. It’s hard for brakes to impress but the difference between these and stock was outstanding.

While all Scions are affordable none of them are priced in the economy class yet, but the iQ model being introduced in 2011 shows promise to compete for those entry-level buyers.

By MAThIEu yuILL

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Enjoy Superbly Prepared Regional Cuisine and ClassicalDishes in a Quaint Country House Setting in Historic Kleinburg.

10512 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg • (905) 893-0475 • www.chartreuserestaurant.com

Open 7 Days Lunch & Dinner

Picture a chic restaurant – espresso chairs, cappuccino walls, cafe-au-lait tablecloths and striking light fixtures – and juxtapose that with two twen-ty-somethings picking up a take-out pizza! The picture doesn’t seem to fit, but at That’s Italian, it all becomes clear very quickly. This spot offers it all – and at reasonable prices.

From a wine list whose bottles start as low as $24, I choose a glass of Farnese Multepulciano, an inex-pensive but acceptable red from the Abruzzo region ($6). My guest chooses a new brew imported from Italy, Menabrea ($7). This golden lager, which has won awards, wins his approval. The prices win approval from us both. Where else can you find drinks for this price?

For a starter, my guest orders grilled calamari tossed with grape tomatoes, olives and white wine, served with a small mound of greens ($14). Blend-ing these flavours seems unusual, but the resulting broth is luscious with seafood and wine. His comment as he takes his first bite, “Lovely!”

My own Regina salad ($11) is described as mixed greens with bocconcini, grilled zucchini and red peppers, olives, tomatoes and ancho-vies (optional). The only greens are romaine, which is disappointing, but the olives are brined, which I prefer. And the dressing is light, allowing all the other flavours to shine. Thick

slices of bocconcini and a generous pile of anchovies finish a huge dish, which could almost be a meal in itself. Indeed, the menu offers it with a breast of grilled chicken.

My guest’s main course is fettuc-cini mare e monte, a gorgeous blend of pasta with fat, succulent shrimp and porcini in a delicate rose sauce ($17). Every mouthful is redolent with mushrooms, seafood and a light blush of tomato. It’s a nicely balanced dish and one we both agreed we would order again.

My own main course is the eve-ning’s special and I frankly wonder at the combination of osso buco and truffle risotto ($26). Won’t the deli-cacy of the latter be overpowered by the strong flavours of the meat? It isn’t. Each mouthful of risotto is earthy with just the right degree of al dente bite. Two shin bones nestle on my plate, topped with a rich sauce

of carrots, celery and tomatoes — it’s gorgeously savoury but far too much for me. Later the chef, Saverio Per-sichilli, tells me he thought the shin portions were a little too small that particular evening to use one only, so he erred on the side of generosity.

The only homemade dessert is tiramisu so we order this with our coffee. Served in a martini glass, it’s delicious with a deep layer of Mas-carpone and lots of cinnamon. The lattes, too, come with a sprinkling of cinnamon and my guest, a coffee connoisseur, pronounces the espresso base excellent. Or should I say excel-lente? After all, that’s Italian!

That’s Italian, 2 Tall Grass Trail, Units 4 & 5, Woodbridge. 416-ITAL-IAN. Website: www.thatsitalian.ca. On Twitter @Thats_Italian.

They offer a large take-out and delivery menu including pizza made with buffalo mozzarella.

As the weather cools, our bodies seem to crave more robust food. Slow cooking comes into its own as the thermometre dips, and there’s nothing like the rich aroma of Osso Buco in the oven. This Milanese specialty is made with inexpensive veal shank bones slowly cooked with vegetables, white wine and broth. Indeed, the name means “bone with a hole”. And for lovers of this dish, the fat, tasty mar-row is an important part of its appeal.

The modern version includes toma-toes and mirepoix – carrots, celery and onions. And gremolata, a blend of lemon zest, garlic and fresh parsley, is usually sprinkled on the dish when it’s served.

Chef Saverio Persichilli of That’s Italian sprinkles pine nuts as well. He agreed to share his recipe for Osso Buco with Vaughan Today. Tradition-ally served with risotto, these days it’s not unusual to find osso buco served with mashed potatoes or noodles.

Four 8-10 ounce veal shanksMarinade:8 tbsp. olive oil1 tsp. each rosemary, thyme, parsleySalt generouslyCooking ingredients:Flour 4 tbsp. olive oil4 cloves garlicMirepoix: chop 2 celery stalks, 2 medium carrots, 2 large onions1 cup red wine2 cups beef stock1 cup chopped tomatoesGremolata: Fresh parsleyFreshly grated lemon zestCrushed clove of garlic

Pine nuts

Marinate the veal shanks in the blend of olive oil, herbs and salt for two hours.

Dredge the meat in flour. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven and sear the meat. Drain the meat and in the same pot, add the garlic and mirepoix and cook until softened. Add the wine and bring to a boil for two minutes, scraping the pot as it cooks. Stir in the stock and tomatoes and return the shanks to the pan. Cover and bake in 375 F oven for 90 minutes, basting period-ically. Check it after an hour. The meat should be falling off the bone. Remove from the oven and sprinkle each serv-ing with gremolata.

By LIz CAMpBELL

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Lay it onWe dress in layers in colder weather;

it only makes sense that we dress our homes in layers, too. If you’ve been enjoying summer-bare floors, now’s the time to bring out warm carpets and throw rugs. They’re one of the quickest ways to winterize a room, and you don’t have to spend a bundle on them. Change airy and lacy curtains for heavier drapes, perhaps in deeper colours. They’ll shut out the cold and on bright days you can always yank them open.

Though you can’t switch furnish-ings, you can add layers to those, too. Round up bunches of squooshy pillows and add them to your sofas. They’d be suffocating in summer, but you’ll find them snuggly and welcoming in the months ahead. You can even pop a pil-low or cushion on bare wooden chairs for that all-over comfort effect.

Throws of all kinds are made for the colder seasons. Bring out the afghan Great Aunt Mary crocheted for you,

or that crafty woven piece you got as a Christmas gift. Both are fine for over sofa backs—and you, on chilly evenings while you read or watch TV. You can even make your own out of a swathe of fleece fabric. No sewing required—just measure carefully and cut with scissors or pinking shears.

Dark and cozyNo one wants to be out there

exposed to cold, wet winds and rain or snow. That’s why we instinctively seek out cozy, dark comfort in late fall and winter. Think of dark colours and dense prints, used on cushions, slip covers or throws. Forest greens, burnt orange, smoky navy, cranberry and plum are all shades to consider. If you normally stick to neutrals, it’s easy to switch seasonal gears by adding acces-sories in winter’s palette.

Rich, jewel-toned accessories add to the atmosphere of luxurious comfort. Coloured glass vases, can-dlesticks and bowls will make your

By MARy FRAn MCQuADE

Bears have the right idea about getting ready for winter. Gobble up as many goodies as you can, then crawl into a nice, warm burrow and sleep through it all.

Unfortunately, we humans can’t get away with that. No matter how dark the day, how cold the wind, how thick the snow, we have to stay upright and functioning. It’s just not fair.

You can make fall and winter’s chill easier to get through, though, by making some changes in your own home’s interior. Simply put, in summer we strip things down, embrace the light and look outwards. In fall/winter, it’s time to pile on the layers, sink into dark, cozy comfort, and focus inwards on hearth and home.

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interior sparkle like Aladdin’s cave. Splash handfuls of inexpensive beads or beaded balls in clear glass bowls as an alternative to investing in new coloured glass. Or check out yard sales or second-hand stores for raw materials you can use.

Remember the impact of metal-lics. Swap out cool chrome, silver and pewter pieces for warm brass or cop-per that glows and pulses in firelight. Yard sales and import stores usually have plenty of brass for you to browse through.

Winter nights (and days) are made for firelight, and you don’t need a fire-place to enjoy the experience. Group a collection of candles in shapes and all sizes together on a metal tray and light them with a long-handled match. Just gazing into the flames will relax you after a hard day’s struggle with the elements. (Just don’t leave them unattended or you’ll risk a REALLY BIG fire.)

Focus inwardTrees are bare, skies are grey, sun is

watery, at best. After summer’s wave of colour and sound, we’re sensory-deprived in the darker months. So dec-orate to stimulate the senses indoors.

Bring the outdoors in by using materials borrowed from nature. Pine cones, nuts, dried leaves, angled bare branches look great in bowls, tall pitchers and vases. Grapevine wreaths

are like a blank page you can fill with whatever you want--from dried flow-ers to wired-on cones to strategically placed bird feathers. Or leave them bare and enjoy the pattern of twisting stems.

A glass bowl of real flower pet-als and tiny dried rosebuds brings romance to even a strictly Scandina-vian bathroom.

Bring out your collections, whether of glass, pretty rocks, carvings or other trinkets. Group them together on a tray or sheet of mirror and enjoy them while you spend your time indoors. (Dust doesn’t show up as much in fall and winter, anyway!)

Don’t forget to appeal to the sense of smell when you’re creating a win-ter cocoon. Best bet is to forget the commercial chemical stuff and look for high-quality natural scents—bees-wax or naturally scented candles or real essential oils. Add a drop or two of an essential oil like cedar or cin-namon to a bowl of pine cones. Put a drop of rose oil in your bathroom bowl of petals. Or simply mix a tiny bit of your favourite oil with pure water and spritz it around your home. Rose, lavender, geranium and ylang-ylang are some to try.

The change of season can be a time to explore a different lifestyle for a few months. Saturate yourself in its special pleasures and you’ll be refreshed for the next change that comes.

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RollingThunderThe St. Joan of Arc Thunder senior football team is on the verge of making a huge jump in the York Region Athletic Association.

Coming off one of the school’s worst seasons in memory, the Thunder is tied for second place in the region and is only two points out of first place.

Thunder coach Fabio Brusco credits the teams commitment and disci-pline as one of the main reasons they are near the top of the YRAA senior football league.

“The strongest part of our team right now is discipline and commitment,” he says. “This is really a good group of guys and they aren’t getting into trouble and everyone is coming to practice every night and they are working really well as a team right now.”

Being one of the bottom feeders last season, St. Joan of Arc faced a very difficult start to the season this campaign.

“It’s hard to put expectations on it because last year we weren’t a Tier 1 team,” Brusco says. “This year we started off the season with three tough road games in seven days and one of those games was against Markham, defending Metro Bowl champions. The team has really come together and came out on top against Newmarket and Markham.”

In their home opener Oct. 15, the Thunder faced Bill Crothers Secondary School, who are currently at the bottom of the league. Brusco was pleased with how his team played and stayed focused for all four quarters.

Facing a team near the bottom of the league can be detrimental to a team. In some cases, a team may relax and look past the struggling squad and in others, like what happened Oct. 15, a team can easily handle the other squad.

“Our mentality this year is that we are a hard-working team, we are going to have to earn every victory we get this year,” Brusco says. “So far we have been doing a really good job of that and we have been able to keep our mistakes, penalties and turnovers down to a minimum.”

While the Thunder managed to get the win, Brusco and the coaching staff had to remind the players during half time they still needed to play well.

“We almost had a problem with them losing their focus, so at the half we (the coaching staff) had to refocus them again. I don’t think it will be a problem because they know what they are up against and they are going to do the best they can.”

The Thunder have only two games remaining in their season, hosting Woodbridge College Oct. 21 and a potential first place showdown with Huron Heights on Oct. 29.

While Brusco is confident his team can earn one of the top four playoff spots, he knows it will be a tough road.

“It’s going to be a tough battle for those top four playoffs spots because we are against some pretty good teams, but I’m confident that our team can get one of those spots.”

With a solid game plan in place, and the players having come together as a team, Brusco and the coaching staff are trying to work on turning the players into solid fundamental athletes.

“It is all about fundamentals at this point. We are trying to get them to become good fundamentally sound football players and they are working really hard to achieve that,” he says. “When I say fundamentals, I mean finishing a block, finishing a passing route, finishing tackles, making good reads as a quarterback. We aren’t really doing anything complicated, we

want to keep it simple, but by doing that we expect the players to really buy into the system and execute the game plan to be successful.”

Despite the strong start and the Tier 1 playoffs looming, Brusco and the players aren’t feeling the added pressure.

“I think they do feel a little like underdogs. I don’t think they are feeling too much pressure and they are taking everything in stride. They are happy with their accomplishments and they are a very composed bunch.”

Despite the inconsistency of the past couple seasons, Brusco is trying to build a solid program at the school.

“We are trying to build a program here at St. Joan of Arc that can sustain itself for many years to come and that basically starts at the grassroots,” he says. “We have a good set of numbers at the junior level right now and we hope that will translate into stronger senior teams in the future.”

By JIM huMphREy


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Imagine a workplace that combines entrepreneurial spirit with an established company.Imagine an opportunity where being driven and enthusiastic will deliver fast career rewards.Imagine a job helping minorities and new immigrants while networking with Fortune 500 companies in Canada.

Does this job have your name on it?We are Canada’s newest diversity job board, TalentOyster. Under the umbrella of the leading Canadian multicultural media solutions provider, Multimedia Nova, we are helping some of the most successful companies in Canada like Telus, Loblaw, Molson Coors and Eli Lilly to access Canada’s hidden talent pool.During this early growth phase we are looking for an exciting, enthusiastic and driven business developer. We want someone with a passion for Canada who loves sales.Your role will be to sell online advertising campaigns to some of Canada’s top employers. If this sounds exciting to you we want to hear from you.

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as a much more old-fash-ioned version of France, and the differences between the two were profound.

Great Britain now had a French-speaking Roman Catholic colony (which they named the province of Que-bec) in an English-speaking and Protestant empire. The British promised religious tolerance to the inhabitants, permitted them to retain their civil law, and did not interfere with their use of the French language. At the same time, English-speakers arrived, settling mainly in Quebec City and Montreal, and the two groups, English and French, settled down to construct an uncomfortable, illogical but workable com-promise between their two languages.

The language of trade became mainly English. Gov-ernment functioned in both languages, especially after the British established an elected legislature in 1791, while the Catholic church remained overwhelmingly French. The courts functioned in both languages. French-Canadians who wished to advance them-selves had to learn English, and they did. To take one example, Joseph Masson, a carpenter’s son, hired himself to an English merchant and soon became a partner. Ulti-mately he became a director of the Bank of Montreal, a seigneur, and Canada’s first millionaire. Some French-Canadian nationalists found Masson’s career impure — he had let down French values by becoming bilin-gual and leading part of his life in English. But Masson remained a French-Canadian by any reasonable standard; he merely demonstrated the advantages of bilingualism.

Many French-Canadians intermarried with the Eng-lish, and sometimes their

descendants had names like Burns or Blackburn or John-son — and in the 20th cen-tury Burns, Blackburn and Johnson were all names of separatist politicians in Que-bec. Sometimes it produced unusual results, as when the title of Baron of Longueuil passed through marriage into the Grant family. Ironically the current Baron Grant is a cousin of Queen Eliza-beth II and lives in England. One nationalist premier of Quebec, Maurice Duplessis, visited his ancestral turf in Europe, but it was Scotland he visited, in honour of his Scottish ancestors, and not France.

It is true that the Conquest of 1760 derailed the possibil-ity of a purely French-speak-ing society on the banks of the St. Lawrence and forced the French-Canadians to live with the English. Quebec and Canada became bilingual, officially and unofficially. Yet the British victory in 1760 protected French, even if it demoted the language from its unique status. Arguably one result of the Conquest is that there is still a French-speaking group of some 7 million people in Canada.

Next Instalment: Con-federation

The Canadian Experience is a 52-week history series designed to tell the story of our country to all Canadians. Sponsored by Multimedia Nova Corporation and Diver-sity Media Services/Lingua Ads partners, the series fea-tures articles by our coun-try’s foremost historians on a wide range of topics. Past articles and author bios are available at http://www.cdn-experience.ca. The Canadian Experience is copyright © 2010-2011 Multimedia Nova Corporation.

British victory helped protect French statusCont. from Page 7


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I wasn’t going to vote. None of the candidates really stood out to me, a York Uni-versity student and Ward 3 resident. And as the election was getting in full swing, a question kept popping up in my head: “Why are all of these last names Italian?”.

Of course, I don’t have anything against people of Italian descent, but it seemed strange to me — there aren’t that many Italians in my neighbourhood. So, I decid-ed to investigate further and found a report from Statis-tics Canada that said Vaughan was comprised of about 38 percent Italians, and this was back in 2006. Keep-ing in mind that we’re the fastest growing municipal-ity, I would guess that that number has gone down even more. Yet almost every can-didate seemed to be of Italian descent. Where are the candi-dates of other ethnic origins? So, that fact, along with the fact that I had not heard of 95 percent of these people up until a month before the election, made me feel a little disenfranchised as a young voter.

I even posted about it on my blog — how I was probably not going to vote at all. Surprisingly enough, I received a phone call from Steven Del Duca who had read the blog post, and want-ed to change my mind.

At the end of the phone call, I told him that I appre-ciated his interest, but I could not promise my sup-port to him until I knew more about him. After that I spent several hours read-ing all of Steven’s campaign material and that of the other candidates (My friends tell me I’m a masochist). Having educated myself about my options, I real-ized that not voting in this case was a really bad option. I ended up voting for Steven, who in my mind represented the most forward-looking of the candidates.

And, even though he did not win, I would have been really angry with myself had he lost by one vote.

Illya MarchakWard 3, Vaughan

Ed. Note: Thanks, Illya. I’m glad you voted in the end! There’s even more to this story. We stumbled upon Illya’s blog, saw he wasn’t going to vote and encouraged him to read up on the candidates. So, thank you, Illya for your comments on VT’s Vaughan Election 2010 blog — as a member of a demographic that so often doesn’t vote, your insights are valuable.

Lest we forget

Nov. 11, 2010 marks 92 years since the end of the First World War.

That’s 92 years since more than 66,000 brave Canadian soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our country.

I encourage all of us to take a moment on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to remember these Canadians, many of whom are our family members, friends and neighbours here in Thorn-hill, who served their country with honour through the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, the mission in Afghanistan and countless peacekeeping assignments.

Canadian troops have always stepped up to their task with courage, dedication and the determination. The men and women in uniform aren’t the only ones who make sacrifices.

Here in Thornhill and com-munities around the world there are husbands, wives, parents, children, grandpar-ents, aunts and uncles all keeping the home fires burn-ing as they make their own sacrifices in supporting their loved ones serving Canada.

This Remembrance Day, I urge all Thornhillers to join me in honouring all mem-bers of our military who have made sacrifices, both past and present, to preserve Canadian values and help create a better and safer world for Canadians and people across the globe.

On behalf of myself and our Prime Minister Stephen Harper, I say thank you to all those who have served and continue to serve our great country. Sincerely,

Peter Kent, MPP Thornhill

Letters

Go get ’em, Vaughan, one voter at a time

Tweeter Readers:

About Movember:

From @Vaughan-Homes4sl: OK I’m in... Growing the ’stache! RT @VaughanToday: Hey #Vaughan - it’s almost #Movember. Anyone becoming a hairy face for it?

(Ed. note: Movember is a world-wide aware-ness campaign for men’s health. Start November

clean-shaven and commit to growing your moustache for the entire month. The ’stache becomes a “rib-bon for men’s hea;th” and awareness and money are rasied for prostate cancer research.

Thanks, David, left, for your pic, too! Check in our December VT to see just how hairy David gets! Other Mo’ bros, send us your pics to [email protected])

About the election:

From @therealhanksr: People definitely voted for change. AND they showed that they were tired of all the bickering and pseudo corruption.

From @ esilverstein: (Maurizio Bevilcacqua) absolutely will help our reputation. He’s a much needed breath of fresh

air who will have expectations from coun-cillors

From @Mr_Verrelli: it seems as if your happy with American politics .....here in Canada.

From @stephaniefusco: Congrats @dlkyorkeditor @VaughanToday on your coverage of yesterday’s #votevaughan races! You should be proud.

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Do you have a pic to share or something to say? Write to us at [email protected] or give us a call 416-785-4311 ext. 234.

Sharing smiles (and supper)Residents and guests at Valley Vista residents schmooze chef

Cyrus Es at the Fall Harvest Celebration Oct. 21. The event saw visitors enjoy great food and great company.

GreGory Varano/VauGhan today

CLASSES OFFERED: YRAROPMETNOC/POHPIH/SCITABORCA/LACIRYL/TELLABD.A.R/ZZAJ/PAT

BALLET EXAMINATIONS ARE OFFERED

Lorri’s Dance Place111 Zenway Blvd. Unit 34 & 35Woodbridge, Ontario, L4H 3H9

Phone: (905) 264-1778Website: www.lorrisdanceplace.ca

Lorri’s Dance Place staff strives to provide a professional,creative and stimulating environment where our students

love of the performing arts through the high standard ofdance education we provide.

Dreams can come true

Dreaming Living the Dream

STILL ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS


EAT IN OR TAKE-OUT. WE CATER TOO!

9400 Hwy #27, Kleinburg, ON

Phone- 905-893-2993

BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER

OPEN 24 HOURS

Available 7 days a week!

FamilyRestaurant

Quality Italian style food with a Flare!

Cosy HomestyleAtmosphere

• Fresh juice bar20 years in operation

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Vaughan Today - November 2010