No more experience of a lifetime

As it is with many new grads, when Kristen Horst graduated from Elmira District Secondary School last year the Hawkesville native wasn’t sure what she wanted to do or where she wanted to go in pursuit of post-secondary education.
She decided that rather than waste a year and a considerable amount of money on a college or university program she might not enjoy, she wanted to take a year to weigh her decisions. At the same time, however, the socially-conscious teen wanted to do more with her time off than make money for herself.

“I wanted to do something for the betterment of someone else,” the 18-year-old explained.

After chatting with a family friend, Horst learned about Katimavik (Iqaluit for “meeting place”), a national volunteer service organization formed in the late 1970s for youth aged 17-21. According to the Katimavik website, the mandate of the program is to impact youth positively by contributing to their development, to impact communities positively by putting volunteers to work in the community, and to impact the country positively by exposing youth to regional, cultural and linguistic diversity.

It sounded like the right opportunity at the right time in her life, so Horst applied, and in January she found herself on a flight to Calgary to meet eight other strangers to start their journey as participants in the program.
For the past four months, the nine young people have lived together and worked as volunteers in two distinct Canadian communities. For three months in Calgary, Horst – whose hometown has only about 300 residents – got to experience life in a big city for the first time while volunteering 35 hours a week as a teaching assistant in a French elementary school.

In April the group flew north to Iqaluit, Nunavut, where they’ve volunteered in schools, women’s shelters and soup kitchens, and were an integral part in organizing the annual festival of Toonik Tyme, a celebration that welcomes the sun back to their land after months of very limited sunlight.

The group will remain in Iqaluit until the end of June, and there are hundreds of similar groups of young adults across Canada right now doing similar work in other communities through the program.
“It’s like a gift. I can’t believe I’m able to do this,” she said of the experience during a phone interview from Iqaluit.

Yet Horst and the rest of the Katimavik volunteers are the last of their kind. In the federal budget tabled at the end of March funding for the group was completely cut.

Page 269 of the budget outlines the reasons for those cuts; “The government is eliminating the Katimavik program, as it reaches a relatively small number of participants annually at a relatively high cost per participant.”
Katimavik receives almost all of its funding from the federal government, and as a result it is (mostly) free for participants. Katimavik hopefuls pay an application and participation fee, as well as a transportation deposit, but the vast majority of the funding – some $15 million annually – is provided by the government, and is used to cover costs ranging from transportation and housing to food and other basic necessities.

Federal funding comes from the Department of Canadian Heritage and from the Stratégie d’action jeunesse 2009-2014 initiative in Quebec; with costs in the range of about $2,000 per month per student, and about $380 million of taxpayer’s money over the past 30 years, Minister of Canadian Heritage James Moore said it was time to end the program.

“Ending funding for Katimavik is one of the easiest decision I’ve ever made,” the minister said.

The cuts have come despite the fact that the federal government has a funding agreement with Katimavik that runs until next March. Liberal MP Justin Trudeau, former Katimavik chair and current member of the Canadian Heritage committee in Ottawa, says the fact that the government is cutting its funding before the current agreement expires is “mean-spirited decision” and a “slap in the face” for the hundreds of youth preparing for the next round of trips, which was set to begin in July.

“The government didn’t say ‘we won’t renew the funding agreement in 2013’ they said no, we’re cutting off the funding now,” said an impassioned Trudeau in a phone interview from his Ottawa office.
“It’s a tremendous slap in the face.”

Katimavik was created under Pierre Trudeau’s Liberal government out of a desire to help solve Canada’s unity problem. Launched in 1977, youth from across Canada cycled through three different communities where they lived together and worked at non-profit organizations, while also learning about the country’s cultural diversity.

The program flourished during its early years, reaching a peak of about 5,000 participants in 1985-86. When Brian Mulroney and the Progressive Conservative party won a majority government in 1984, the program was cut two years later, prompting Katimavik founder and Liberal senator Jacques Hebert to go on a 21-day hunger strike, to no avail.

Hebert then worked to ensure that Katimavik would survive by turning it into an outdoor recreation training centre in his home province of Quebec, until the Liberals were elected to a majority government under Jean Chrétien in 1993.
The following year Youth Service Canada helped form a 66-person pilot program to restore Katimavik as a national program, and the year after that the Department of Heritage agreed to provide ongoing funding, allowing the number of projects and participants to triple.

The program once again grew in popularity; in 2005-06 some 1,150 youth participated in 105 communities across Canada, and since its inception more than 31,000 youth have taken part in the program.
Yet Trudeau laments that Katimavik has failed to reach the lofty status his father had envisioned when it was first created some 35 years ago. The elder Trudeau wanted it to become a nation-building program that challenged youth to become active, engaged and committed citizens to this country, and while it has met those goals, it has failed to attract the number of participants he had hoped for.

“The one thing he always said to himself and Jacques Hebert was ‘don’t give me a program that is going to benefit a couple hundred kids per year,’” said Trudeau.

“That was his vision for the program, and unfortunately it’s never quite gotten to the numbers that we’d like to.”

When Stephen Harper and the Conservatives defeated Paul Martin’s minority Liberals in 2006, funding for the program was cut by 25 per cent. In October of that year the government announced a three year funding agreement in the sum of $15 million per year, down from previous levels of close to $20 million under the Chretien government.

The impacts of those cuts were felt immediately. To balance their budget, Katimavik was forced to reduce the number of participants each year to about 1,000,  and the program was shortened from nine months to six.

Finally Katimavik – which up until then had been free – was forced to begin charging fees for participants, including a $300 non-refundable participation fee to cover accident insurance and other administrative costs, and a $350 travel deposit that is paid once volunteers are accepted to the program, and is reimbursed at the end of the program upon successful completion.

Anyone who quits the program or is asked to leave for violating behavioural standards is not reimbursed the $350.

It was during this time of cuts that Trudeau began to see the writing on the wall for Katimavik, and he heard rumblings across Parliament Hill that if the Tories ever achieved a majority government, Katimavik would be cut.
This past year the Canadian Heritage department conducted a summative evaluation of the Katimavik program, and other than a few efficiencies here and program tweaks there, it met the overall funding goals of the government.
“Minister Moore told me a couple years ago that he was going to cut Katimavik as soon as he could,” Trudeau said, despite the fact that Moore’s own government agency said it was a quality program.

While Trudeau maintains that the Tories have cut Katimavik out of political spite and because it was established under a Liberal government and by a former Liberal senator, the government says that just isn’t the case.
Moore failed to respond to numerous requests for an interview for this story, but Kitchener-Conestoga MP Harold Albrecht was able to speak on the subject. He fully supports his government’s decision to pull the plug on the program, and reaffirmed their position that it was a poor use of taxpayer’s money.

“Obviously, for some individuals, it has been a good program and I’m not negating the fact that some good has come out of this program for those individuals and the areas that they have served,” Albrecht said.
“My primary concern is the high cost of it.”

He said in an era of financial belt-tightening in all facets of government spending, perhaps it was time for Katimavik participants and alumni to fundraise and attract private and corporate sponsorship to keep their program alive, rather than rely on a government handout for “99 per cent” of its funding.

“I’ve worked with dozens and dozens of young people who have gone on different trips and raised funds for that. Part of the training and development is that willingness to go to someone, explain what they are doing, sell it to them and convince them that this is a good investment of their money.

“To me that is the big piece that this program is missing.”

Yet Trudeau counters that argument by saying the economic, social and cultural benefits generated through Katimavik in communities like Iqaluit more than make up for the costs of the program. The former school teacher also said that youth who attend Katimavik make better life choices with regards to post-secondary schooling, saving the country millions on subsidized education costs.

In its financial statement from 2010-11, Katimavik estimates that the 1,462 youths that participated that year generated almost $11 million worth of volunteer hours across Canada by helping 500 different community partners in 64 communities.

“Just from that standpoint it’s a pretty good program, and the benefit to young people would more than make up for the remaining $4 million,” Trudeau said.

The Liberal MP also drew comparisons to the cadet program, which Katimavik was partially modeled on when it was formed. The cadet program costs the government about $200 million a year to operate and attracts about 50,000 youth at a cost of about $4,000 per month – or twice the cost of Katimavik – and yet the cadet program saw no cuts in the last budget, he said.

“I think the cadets do great work and it’s an excellent program … but so does Katimavik, and it does it for cheaper and it helps the community as well. On a basis like that you can’t make a comparison,” Trudeau said.

Albrecht, however, maintains that the Canadian government is shifting its youth funding priorities to other more efficient programs such as the YMCA, Encounters with Canada, and the Forum for Young Canadians, all of which will reach more young people than Katimavik can.

“We’re investing $105 million, which will allow 100,000 young people to learn about Canada through the Canadian Heritage Department,” he said.

Rumours of the cuts began circulating among Katimavik volunteers a few weeks before they were made public and while Horst was still in Calgary. When the announcement of the cuts was made official on Mar. 29, they sprang into action, writing letters to their respective MPs and to the Prime Minister’s office to request the program be saved and they contacted the media to get the word about the work they are doing.

“This is something that I’m passionate about and I’m a part of this program and this choice by the government affects me directly, so it’s taught me a lot about using my vote and having my voice heard,” said Horst, who said she now knows that she wants to be a teacher and is heading to Fleming College in the fall to begin her studies – thanks to Katimavik.

When word of the cuts reached Iqaluit, Horst said everyone in the community was heartbroken because of how much they rely on the volunteer work that Katimavik provides them. Having seen their impact on the community with her own eyes, Horst knows the investment is well worth it.

“It may be a lot of money to spend on one teenager, but it’s not just that teen which you’re putting the funding towards, it’s all the people in the community that are impacted too,” she said.

Horst and Trudeau were also hesitant about the idea of asking more participants to pay more out of their own pockets in an effort to keep the program running; both echoed the same sentiment that by asking families to pay even a few thousand dollars would limit the number of people able to take part.

“This way it’s something that is open to everyone,” said Horst. “Adding the cost of Katimavik and future school costs, and subtracting six months of income, it would have looked really overwhelming.”

Trudeau will continue to fight for the survival of the program, but he knows it’s an uphill battle to change the mind of this Conservative government. He vowed that when the Liberal party returns to power in Ottawa not only will Katimavik be reinstated, but opportunities for young Canadians will be massively expanded.

In light of the recent spending scandal encompassing Conservative MP and Minister for International Cooperation Bev Oda, as well as the Department of National Fefence and its questionable F-35 contracts, Trudeau said the message those scandals are sending to Canadians is a true indication of Tory priorities.

“There is a real narrative of what this government is willing to spend on … versus the kinds of investment in our future that everyone knows makes a huge difference.”
Albrecht, however, is all but certain that Katimavik is finished.

“The likelihood of this program being revived or put on life support I think is very, very slim.”

Bringing history to life

The opening paragraph of Geoff Martin’s essay “From the Banks of the Grand” is a detailed description of his great-grandmother’s funeral – a touching account of the burial of her coffin in the late summer about six years ago. It provides a glimpse into some of the Mennonite funerary traditions, including the passing of the shovel used to fill in the grave from family member to family member.

“I didn’t know her too well – I didn’t spend a lot of time with her – but all four of my grandparents are alive so for me it was the first family death,” said Martin in a phone interview from Chicago, a city he’s called home for almost two years.
“Out of that myself and an uncle and my grandparents travelled around in the evenings and visited some of my great-grandmother’s surviving relatives and family members and friends, and we got a sense of her story.”

That story formed the roots of the Elmira native’s essay, which was recently named as one of four shortlisted essays for the prestigious 2011 Edna Staebler personal essay contest in The New Quarterly magazine. The award, now in its third year, is for $1,000 and is named after a Kitchener author who donated $25,000 to The New Quarterly upon her death in 2006 at the age of 100.

“We felt Geoff recounted, with great sensitivity, an important bit of local history,” said The New Quarterly’s editor, Kim Jernigan, in an email while travelling in Copenhagen.

The essay is much more than a family history lesson, however, and was originally written for Martin’s English and cultural studies class while working to complete his masters degree in English Literature at McMaster University in 2009-2010.

It traces the history of Block II, a parcel of land in what is now Waterloo County that was settled by his own Mennonite ancestors under deeds that were illicitly issued by Richard Beasley more than 200 years ago. The land is part of what’s known as the Haldimand Tract, formed in 1784, and extends about 200 km from the mouth of the Grand River in Lake Erie, through Waterloo Region, before ending near Dundalk.

Beasley had done business with the Iroquois in the past, so when the Six Nations decided to divide and sell their land along the Grand River, they turned to Beasley. Under the terms of the treaty the Iroquois couldn’t sell land directly, only through agents who had to take out a mortgage with the government.

That mortgage became problematic when Beasley eventually sold parts of the land to the Mennonites who were moving to the region from Pennsylvania. The Mennonites could not own the land until the mortgage was repaid, and so they felt cheated. The Mennonites eventually formed what is known as the German Company and eventually bought Block II from Beasley, as well as other tracts of land throughout the region, including in Woolwich Township, which was known as Block III.

Through his research, Martin not only uncovered the wrongdoings towards his own people, but that the Six Nations Iroquois people, also known as the Haudenosaunee, were never adequately compensated for the land.
In his writing Martin explores the events that took place along the banks of the Grand River centuries ago from a Mennonite perspective, from the British Loyalist perspective, and from the Six Nations perspective.

For example, Martin writes that while Beasley is often highly regarded as the first European settler of Hamilton, he also suggests that evidence from historical placards found in Brubacher House, a  Mennonite homestead-turned-museum at the University of Waterloo, describes Beasley’s dealing’s as decidedly criminal.

“The thread through it all is my own personal interaction with that history and the way that I kind of stumble upon it and what I learn in the process,” said Martin. “At the end of the essay I’m forced to confront my own politics in terms of my attachment to that place and my sense of home in that place and my greater understanding now of the complicated history of that place.”

His work also helped him realize that the modern contention surrounding land claims along the entire watershed have a real historic precedent and that “the past” is never really past, particularly in places like Caledonia that have ongoing land claim issues to this day.

“The fact of the matter is that these contentions and land claims are not going away. They’ve been around for 200 years,” he said. “When the land claim flared up in Caledonia in 2006, most Ontarians had no way to account for this strange, sudden interruption; wasn’t all that stuff settled hundreds of years ago?

“In truth, it wasn’t.”

As one of the shortlisted winners for the award, Martin has had his entire essay published online at The New Quarterly website, and despite this being the 28-year-old’s first published work, he has plans for more writing in the future.
“I definitely owe it to my family because they invested a lot of time, so I owe them something and I’m still interested in that,” he said.

“I think this is the start of a bigger project and I’m continuously reading and thinking about it. I’m not sure what the next step is, but whether this portion becomes a chapter in a book, we’ll see.”
To read his essay for free, visit http://tnq.ca/magazine/free-e-book-banks-grand.

Celebrate mom’s day with meal of local fare

We all know what special day is coming. Five years ago Mother’s Day wasn’t only my mom’s special day but also the first day Mackenzie came to stay with us and our family grew. Every day we see busy moms planning a special celebration such as a baby showers, weddings and birthdays … or just searching for a healthy meal to help them get through a crazy day.
Food evokes senses unlike anything else. Nothing says home like the smell of Sunday roast or chocolate chip cookies. Our moms are largely responsible for instilling these emotions in us. Now, at 4 and 5, our little ones already look forward to Sunday morning pancakes, the ones I remember the smell of waking up on Sunday mornings past. You don’t need a 20-ingredient recipe to show mom you care: plan a local brunch and we’ll show you the way.
This recipe is sweet and savoury; feel free to serve with fresh berries and whipped cream if you feel the urge. For more recipes and ideas go to www.neverenoughthyme.ca and check out our blog.  Happy cooking!
Ingredients such as eggs, apple smoked bacon or sausage are available at Stemmler’s, while Martins Family Fruit Farm  can supply you with Red Prince or honey crisp apples, sweet potato and local maple syrup.

Crepes

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 6 eggs
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• vegetable oil

 
Whisk eggs, milk, and melted butter together, add the flour, sugar and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Place in refrigerator for approximately 1 hour or make the night before. Bring the crepe batter up to room temperature;
Preheat teflon crepe or sauté pan on med-low. Brush pan with vegetable oil, ladle crepe batter into pan. This will make a very thin pancake once golden on one side flip to other side.

Garnish for the crepes

Ingredients

• 1 medium sweet potato cut into matchsticks
• 3 honey crisp or red prince apples
• 1/4 cup pecans
• 5 sprigs of thyme remove leaves
• 2 tablespoons soya oil
• 1/2 tablespoon maple vinegar or balsamic
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
• 4 oz crumbled goat cheese

 

Peel apples, cut into 4 wedges and remove the core, each apple should be cut into 8- 12 wedges depending on size of apple;
Place on parchment-lined baking tray with sweet potato and pecans;
Drizzle with maple syrup, soya or olive oil, season with salt and pepper;
Bake in preheated oven at 375 F until tender.
To assemble the dish, fold crepe in half and then in half again, to create a cone or triangle shape, do this for 3 crepes. Add apple and vegetable garnish to the top and crumble on the goat cheese. Serve with a side of bacon or sausage. We suggest the apple smoked bacon found at Stemmler’s. Drizzle with maple syrup and celebrate each other.
Happy Mother’s Day.

Turning from a fan to a player

Taryn Mikjaniec is a big hockey fan. Her favourite teams are the Elmira Sugar King and Kitchener Rangers, and her favourite player is Sidney Crosby. The 25-year-old Elmira resident also suffers from Rett Syndrome, which has made it almost impossible for Taryn to get involved in the sport beyond being just a spectator.

Rett Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by normal childhood growth and development, but followed by the slowing of development, slowed brain and head growth and intellectual disabilities. People with the condition also exhibit autistic-like behaviour.

“She loves hockey. She’s liked hockey forever. I have two older sons and they never wanted to go to a Ranger game or a hockey rink,” said Taryn’s mother Sandy. “She’s been into hockey since she was little, but there’s never been a hockey team around for her.”

That changed about 18 months ago when Sandy learned about the Cambridge Ice Hounds, a hockey program run in partnership with the City of Cambridge and Special Hockey International that provides adults and children with developmental needs the ability to participate in hockey programs just like any other person.

SHI started back in 1970 in North York and features modified hockey rules. According to the organizations website there are no age groups or tryouts, and participants will learn how to hold a stick, how to skate, how to handle the puck and how to take a shot. There is also no icing, no offside and no body checking.

Taryn is enrolled in the junior learn to skate program with the Ice Hounds, and the team is one of 13 Special Hockey International clubs in southern Ontario.

The family had the experience of a lifetime last month when Taryn and 18 of her Ice Hounds teammates participated in the 18th annual Special Hockey International Tournament from Apr. 12-20 in London, England. It was Taryn’s first time on an airplane and her first time overseas, milestones she won’t soon forget.

The team played four games spread out over two days, and had the chance to travel around and see the sights during the rest of their trip.

“We saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, we went to Stonehenge, Hampton Court, and Westminster Abbey, and the Princess Diana memorial in Hyde Park,” said Sandy.
“Taryn adapted well to the travel, but it killed me with all the luggage and lugging the hockey bags,” she added with a laugh.

All the players received medals for the participation in the tournament, as well. Kitchener is set to host the next Special Hockey International tournament in next April, and Sandy said they’re expecting anywhere from 70 to 80 teams to attend from Canada, the United States, and the UK.

Given the growth of the organization around the world and right here in southern Ontario, she hopes Elmira could find a way to create a team of their own. She said there would likely be enough players to draw from in the hockey-mad community.

“It would be nice if they had one in Elmira at the new arena. They have a sledge hockey team here so maybe they just don’t know about it, and they would likely have enough for a small team just to get them started.”
For more information visit www.specialhockeyinternational.org or www.cambridgeicehounds.com.

Jacks, one last chance to reflect on season

The Wellesley Applejacks closed the book on their 2011-12 season at their annual year-end awards banquet on Apr. 27 by paying homage to up-and-coming as well as departing players. Meeting at the Khaki Club just outside of Wellesley, the management and coaching staff thanked their players and their scores of volunteers for all their work in what was, at times, a trying season.

“The Jacks had one of those seasons that you might call a roller-coaster ride,” said Rick Grebinski, a member of the team’s executive.

“We got off to that 5-0 start and we were up in the clouds where it was sunny and everything was good in Jacks land, and then we had an injury here, a suspension there, a bad bounce here, and before we knew it we were down.”
The Jacks finished with a record of 19-14-2, fifth in the McConnell Conference standings. Playing a tough Ayr Centennial club in the first round, the Jacks were ousted in five games, with three of those matches requiring overtime. The final loss came on Mar. 1 in Ayr, a 5-4 overtime final.

Grebinski made mention of the competitive nature of the league this past season, and that any team was capable of winning on any given night.

“I don’t think there was any night where a team could go into a game and say ‘these two points are ours.’”

The team recognized the past, the present and the future of the Applejacks throughout the evening, taking time to recount the history of each trophy and who they were named after.
“You look over at these awards and there is a lot of history with this organization,” said head coach Kevin Fitzpatrick. “A lot of great stories and a lot of great kids.”

In total eight players walked away with awards on the night, with the top award of the evening – team MVP – going to goaltender Josh Heer in his first season with the team.
Heer gave the team a chance to win on most evenings, playing in 24 games this season and finishing with a record of 13-10-0-1 and one shutout, .907 save percentage and a 3.17 goals against average. Heer was also one of four Jacks to represent the team at the all-star game, along with Geoff Parr, Corey Way and trainer Al Jones.

Other awards included rookie of the year (Reid Denstedt), the Martin Nowack Memorial unsung player award (Trevor Olender), the most improved player award (Derek Lebold), the Don Green Memorial trophy for most sportsmanlike player (Connor McLeod), the Coaches award (Josh Herd), the Ralph Jantzi award for most valuable local player (Shawn Fitzpatrick) and the John Egli award for top defenceman (James Mildon).

The team also gave some insight into next season, a year in which the team will be moved up to Junior C following the merger with the Junior D league announced last month, and Grebinski also informed the crowd that the team will be sporting new jerseys next season, with a preview available at their booth at the Wellesley Home and Garden Show from May 2-4.

Despite the early end, Fitzpatrick said it was a fun season and that the group had represented Wellesley well, and that their parents and families should be proud.
“We didn’t achieve our goals, but unfortunately only one team can do that,” he said at the end of the evening. “We’re looking forward to some big things moving forward.”

Firm sees Elmira as a good fit

The industrial park located in Elmira’s south end is slowly taking shape as more businesses build in the area. Industrial parks are often considered major economic engines for the communities in which they reside. In Elmira, it has become a hub for manufacturing firms as well as distribution centres, warehouses, industrial suppliers and other industrial-related businesses.

Strategically located for companies whose activities extend beyond Elmira’s borders the park has a direct route accessing a highway for convenient and easy access to the rest of the region, which is valuable asset for many companies located in the park.

Last month, Tri-Mach Group Inc., a major multi-trade contractor and manufacturer of custom food processing equipment, announced it would be relocating its corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility to that location.
Tri-Mach is a full service, turnkey design and solution provider to the food and beverage industry. It provides millwright and electrical services, as well as a fully-equipped stainless steel fabrication and machine shop.

Over the last 27 years Tri-Mach has become a leader in the food and beverage sector, with 100 per cent of the company’s revenue coming from that industry. As a food equipment manufacturer the company works in plants that process milk, pop, meats and breads, supplying industry giants such as Maple Lodge Farms, Maple Leaf Foods, Pepsi Co., Quaker, Kellogg’s and Canada Bread with custom conveyors, platform systems, and stainless steel stands.

“The company custom designs and builds food safe processing equipment to suit any application,” said Michael Hahn, president and CEO of Tri-Mach. “Our group is known for the revolutionary Ever-Kleen conveyor handling systems, a registered design which offers maximum protection in food safety.”

Moving from Kitchener to Elmira just made sense, said Hahn, as the new facility will accommodate the company’s current staff and anticipated future growth.

“We find in the Elmira area, being a farming community, that we get better recruitment for employees, especially people looking to get into the trades, which was a huge driver in our decision to move to the town,” said Hahn. “There are a lot of millwrights and electrical contractors in Elmira and that really helps us with our recruitment.”

“The location also suits our needs, as we needed to expand; we are looking to double in size over the next five years and we will need (people) to make that happen.”

Hahn joined Tri-Mach in January 2000 as part owner of the company. Instantly he began to shift and refocus the direction of Tri-Mach as a multi-trade services provider and was instrumental in bringing the Tri-Mach, Tri-Electric, Tri-Pack and Tri-Build families of brands together under one entity, Tri-Mach Group Inc. in 2006.

The business has more than 60 full-time employees, each trained to be hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) compliant and has completed a food safety and Goods Manufacturing Practices (GMP) training through the Guelph Food Technology Centre.

Over the years Tri-Mach has developed sanitary and food safe equipment as food safety guidelines are an integral part of the company’s policies and procedures that are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure compliance with the latest food safety directives.

The new facility will provide additional space and capacity improving the company’s production efficiency. Moving from a 15,000-square-foot building to a 27,000-sq.-ft. facility almost doubles the space available to the company.
Construction began Mar. 1 at 23 Donway Court, with the steel shell of the building already erected. Tri-Mach is expecting to move into the new facility by the beginning of August.

“We have had explosive growth over the last few years and with sales getting to the point they are now at we just had to make the move to bigger facility and Elmira seemed to be the perfect fit,” said Hahn.

We lack the drive to get out of our cars

One of the most amusing sights to behold is drivers circling around a parking lot looking for a spot close to the door. Well, that’s not amusing, unless it’s at a gym, which is something I’ve seen on many occasions. There’s a clear irony in watching people jockey for the closest spot, apparently looking to minimize the amount of walking they’ll have to do … on the way to exercise.

If those people won’t give up even the tiniest conveniences of their cars, what hope do we have for a less car-centric society? Not much, at least not anytime soon. And what hope is there for Waterloo Region’s grandiose plans for a train-centered transit scheme? Pretty much zero.

That has not, of course, dampened the enthusiasm of a handful of proponents leading the mad dash to spend hundreds of millions of dollars – well in excess of a billion, certainly. They were at it this week, committing to spend $17 million simply on one group of consultants, forging ahead despite the fact beleaguered taxpayers have been offered no reassurances that the non-inclusive $818 million budget will not balloon – almost a dead certainty – nor any guarantees those responsible will be held legally and financially accountable if (well, when) the budget is exceeded and ridership numbers fail to materialize.

What we’ve got is lots of nice theories, but no evidence and no plan B for dealing with failure.

And failure is very, very likely. It’s common with government projects, and especially with politically-motivated ones. That’s even more the case when the project in question goes against the tide and counter to how the public actually behaves – wishful thinking never trumps reality.

Take, for instance, the ongoing traffic issues outside of John Mahood Public School in Elmira, discussed again this week at Woolwich council. The township has introduced bylaws, offered up parking areas and called in the police to battle the unsafe confusion that erupts daily as parents drive their children to the school, jockeying to get as close as possible to the entrance before dropping off or picking up their little darlings, a scene reminiscent of the health club drivers.
The school board and region’s public health department have long encouraged walking and cycling to school as an alternative, but still the parents come behind the wheel. Every reaction and solution offered up by the township countered by the urge for speed and convenience, no matter how often parents are reminded of the safety risk. Or the health benefits of letting their kids get to school under their own steam.

The township passed another bylaw this week – “no stopping” provisions on a stretch of Snyder Avenue – but, as Coun. Julie-Anne Herteis noted, that will just move the congestion elsewhere. Human nature at work, despite the best wishes of administrators and politicians.

That’s not to say advocates of walking to school should give up, unlike the train’s proponents. Groups such as the Active and Safe Routes to School Workgroup, which held events in the region earlier this week, should continue to press for their cause, as should advocates of a more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly city, despite the uphill battle. Even supporters of the train should join their cause, as success there will do far more to get people out of their cars and, perhaps one day, help support greater use of public transit.

Unlike Waterloo Region’s ill-fated light rail transit proposal, a push for proper bike lanes and, in the bigger picture, for more people-friendly communities has the possibility of benefits far beyond safer cycling. Just visit most European cities to see what that payoff is.

Along with cars tucked into anything resembling a parking spot, bicycles and scooters can be found in uncountable numbers. On a single stroll, you’ll likely see more bicycles, parked or in transit, than you’ll see all year around here.
There are many reasons for this, of course. Denser cities make getting around by foot and by bike much easier, as does the more temperate climate. The price of cars and fuel make alternatives more desirable. Crowding means smaller is better when it comes to a vehicle for getting around. Theirs is a culture accustomed to walking, biking and public transit. And the older cities were not built around automobiles, as opposed to what we find in North America. Policies actively discourage automobile use, particularly in city centers.

In Germany and Holland, for instance, you’ll find bicycle lanes, complete with traffic signals, line many of the streets adjacent to sidewalks.

Because of sprawl and car-centric design, our communities are largely unfriendly to pedestrian and bicycle traffic. While I’m as car dependent as the next person, there is something attractive about the lay of the land of most European cities (of course, they’re also generally far more aesthetically appealing than anything you’ll find here, but that’s another issue).

We walk and bike less often here, largely because it’s neither safe nor convenient to do so. And that’s not just perception: our car-centric planning in North America makes it much safer to travel by car than by foot or bicycle.
In the U.S., statistics show fatalities are 36 times higher for pedestrians and 11 times higher for cyclists than car occupants per kilometre travelled. Car-meets-pedestrian accidents have that kind of outcome.

While Canadians are more active than Americans – we cycle about three times more often than they do south of the border, for instance – the numbers are nothing like what you’d see in Europe. Where walking and cycling account for about six per cent of trips in the U.S. and about twice that number in Canada, the figures compare poorly to the likes of Germany and Austria (35 per cent) and to front-running Netherlands, at almost 50 per cent.

We’ll walk more and cycle more when there are places to walk and cycle to. This means undoing decades of poor planning, mixing residential with commercial, installing separate bike lanes akin to sidewalks to make people safer and downplaying the need to get in the car to go anywhere farther than your backyard.

Provide the incentive, make it safe and convenient, and people just might change some of their habits. That includes parents who insist on driving their kids to school to the detriment of public safety. Achieve a major swing in that direction, then think about expanding transit.

Concerned about the pace of cleanup efforts at the Chemtura site, CPAC wants the province to speed up the process — slow and steady won’t win the race.

Pair of Elmira churches receive green awards

Both this year’s winners of Green Sacred Spaces (GSS) awards hail from Elmira. Trinity United Church and Elmira Mennonite Church will be presented the GSS Award on May 12. The award recognizes the contributions the two churches have made towards making a more sustainable environment.

Organized by the GSS Network, the awards are handed out annually two a pair of faith-based communities in Waterloo Region.

Committed to the environment, Trinity United Church adopted several conservation methods throughout the church including installing energy-saving light fixtures and a low-flow toilet retrofit. The church also composts and has a no pesticides policy. Last summer the organization installed a 10kw solar array, helping to produce energy.

The church has also held several environmental community events including the Woolwich Healthy Communities’ environmental movie nights. Last week the church showed the documentary ‘Revenge of the Electric Car”. The film explores the electric car craze and the future of the automobile as a film crew go behind the closed doors of some of the major automakers to chronicle the story of the resurgence of the electric car.

Elmira Mennonite Church (EMC) has shown their appreciation for the environment through numerous environmentally-themed worship services and stewardship-themed Sunday school classes. The church underwent an energy upgrade, installing additional insulation, programmable thermostats and energy efficient lighting. It has also adopted a rigorous recycling program using green bins and rain barrels. The church has also installed a 7.2kw solar array to the roof of the building to produce energy.

“We are trying to meet the standard of being environmentally sound and we have always been a church that focused on being good stewards of the earth while advocating living a simple lifestyle,” said Pastor Steve Janzen of EMC. “We were very glad to learn that we will be receiving the award.”

There were three main criteria that had to be met to be eligible for the award which included completing an energy retrofit, mirco-FIT or community garden. Involvement in outreach programs in the community; educating other faith communities and engaging in local sustainability and energy conservation educational events.

“These two faith communities were chosen because they both showed very adventurous leadership, both of those churches installed solar panels last year and both hold environmental events and help educate members of their community about environmental issues,” said Jane Snyder of the GSS Network.

This year’s local recipients will receive the award at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Kitchener during a event called Powerful Investing: Plug in Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Opportunities in Waterloo Region, where a panel discussion will be held about community power.

For more information about the Greening Sacred Spaces Network, go to www.greeningsacredspaces.net/waterloo.

Young musicians shine at Kiwanis Music Festival

Some 125 individual competitors participated in the 2012 Elmira and District Kiwanis Music Festival, from Apr. 16-19 at Woodside Bible Chapel, with the final concert on Apr. 21. The competitors were joined by choirs from Park Manor and John Mahood Public School, as well as a band from Emanuel Christian School in Fergus. The winners in each category are as follows:

The Myrtle Wilfong Memorial Trophy and $200 Scholarship for Senior Piano: Madeline Weber

The Jack Price Memorial Scholarship of $100 for Senior Piano: Will Allen

Scholarships of $50 for Senior Piano: Nia Kang, Abigail Hamann, Thomas Chapman, Sonya Martin, Cassia Deering, Danielle Johnson, Noah Steinmann, Ciaran Fast-Sittler
The Elmira Kinnettes Trophy and Scholarship for $150 for Junior Piano: Tony Domzella

Scholarship of $75 for Junior Piano: Irian Fast-Sittler

Scholarships of $50 for Junior Piano: Savannah Weber, Alice Wang, Sam Domzella, Michelle Lin, Mercedes Weber, Jasmine Thuroo, Ryan Woo, Roselynn Metzger, Matthew Beaudoin-Hayes, Cameron Beaudoin-Hayes, Connor Koster, Jaron Bowman

Scholarships of $50 for Strings & Flute: Grant Mundell, Shannon Metzger and Aidan Reid

Scholarships of $50 for Vocal: Linde Nabrotzky, Jodie Gunn, Jasmine Thuroo

Adjudicators:
Strings & Wood: Kelly Parkins-Lindstrom
Senior Piano: Janet Fothergill
Junior Piano: Clayton Scott
Voice: Bethany Horst