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On March 8th, Mal-lorytown resident, Jo-anne Systma, will take her dedication to female em-powerment to astound-ing new heights, as she reaches the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, com-pleting the 2011 “Climb for Care,” a demanding fundraising event aimed at pushing people out of their comfort zone, while raising awareness for the empowerment of women and girls in the fight against poverty.

As a world renowned leader in emergency re-lief and international development work, Care, focuses many of its pov-erty-fighting efforts on empowering the most vulnerable, yet greatest agents of change, women and girls, and currently reaches 59 million people in 70 countries around the world.

Funds raised from events such as the Climb, go to proactive programs such as, vocational train-ing for Afghan women, Mothers Matter, Cambo-dia Literacy, Zimbabwe Community Garden, Women and Climate Change, and MALI “Good Health Concerns us all”, all of which, once are wrapped up, are turned over to communities and

local governments to carry on.

A particular program that interested Systma is one that allows savings and loans that enable women in developing countries to start their own businesses.

“One woman got a $45

dollar loan to start up a scrap metal business,” explained Systma.

“Now, because she is making enough money, her daughter is able to go to school. It’s always important to me to see women being able to look after themselves. Give

them the tools they need and let them go.”

Often though, Systma added, circumstances may hold women back.

“What happens is that if women are still walk-ing for hours a day to find clean water, all of their time is consumed with simply surviving. In a family with boys and girls, the boys will stay in school while the girls are pulled out to perform labour, so 50 per cent of the population is denied opportunity just because of economics. In instan-ces where the women are given the tools they need to support themselves, the first thing they do when they get a little bit of money coming in, is get an education for their kids.”

To that end, it is only fitting that the date upon which Systma and her group will reach the 15,100 foot summit, is also known as Inter-national Women’s Day, a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. It is also the global centenary year in IWD, something that Systma noted, is a powerful sym-bol for those struggling to overcome their own per-sonal mountains.

Climbing to reach new heights for a better worldBy Erin ChristieObserver Staff Writer

Mallorytown resident Joanne Systma during one of her training days as she prepares to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

CLIMBING continues on page 4

A group of local leaders and sports en-thusiasts have joined with Karen Nolan, Cheryl Fraser and El-aine DeKroone, to form a board of directors to help the projected ‘Sports Dome’ initiative get the ball rolling.

The official titles of the board are: Nolan – Chair, DeKroone – Vice-Chair, Fraser – Treasur-er, Gord Beach – Project Manager, with the rest sitting as members of the board.

The three ladies, along with Canada Games Chairman, David Dargie, former City Councilor’s Gord Beach and Louise Severson, Brian Uren, and James Eastwood, have formed a board of directors to see the project through fruition. The group, will meet this week to con-firm an official proposal that will be taken to an emergency meeting of

the Operations commit-tee on February 28th.

The ‘Sports Dome’ in-itiative has been in the works over the past sev-eral months, but with the new group in place, progress should follow. “I can’t say enough of the three ladies Karen, Elaine, and Cheryl and all the work they have done thus far”, said Dar-gie, adding that with the expertise of the board of directors, the project will cover all the ground they need to get to the next stage of the pro-cess.

“We are looking to put together the best proposal possible”, said Dargie. “We are meet-ing with and including senior officials from the city to ensure that we don’t miss a thing that could hold up the pro-posal”.

If the meeting of the Operations committee goes well, the group will be back at council on March 8th with the final proposal.

Sports Dome forms Board of Directors

By Austin de LuisObserver Editor

Members of the Leeds-Grenville New Democrats nominated Federal Candidate Mat-thew Gabriel during their general meeting at the Brockville Public Library. The Augusta Township resident will now carry the NDP banner into the next Federal Election.

“I want to thank the New Democrats of Leeds and Grenville for their nomination and sup-port” said Gabriel. “The citizens of Leeds and Grenville counties are looking for an MP who will listen to their con-cerns and represent them in Ottawa, regard-less of their political stripe and past. I look forward to offering the voters of Leeds-Grenville that option and hearing more of their concerns.”

Raised in Edwards-burg Township, Gabriel is a 39 year old single father of one. He is a technician with Bell Canada, as well as the Vice President and Chief Steward for Communi-cation, Energy and Paper workers (CEP) Local 31, which represents Bell Telephone employees in Brockville, Smiths Falls, Kingston and Cornwall. A strong believer in ad-vocacy and representa-tion of his community, Gabriel has recently par-

ticipated in CEP’s lobby-ing efforts against for-eign ownership in the telecom industry.

After his nomination meeting, Gabriel host-ed his first Public Con-sultation meeting with residents in Brockville and surrounding areas. “I wanted to start right away to hear what the people of Leeds-Gren-

ville had to say and I ap-preciate everyone who

came out to share their views.”

Matthew Gabriel to carry NDP banner in Leeds-Grenville

If your life has been touched by an inspira-tional woman, Girls In-corporated of Upper Canada invites you to show her that her contri-bution does not go un-noticed, by nominating her for a ‘Strong, Smart and Bold Woman of the Year’ award. Nominations can be in one of three cat-egories, the Strong, Smart, or Bold category, as well as one overall “Woman of the Year”, all of which will be announced during the 2011 Girls Inc. Celebra-tion, which will be held at the Brockville Coun-try Club on the evening of Thursday, May 5th. Through these awards, the local agency aims to honour a diverse group of women in the commun-ity who inspire others by exemplifying all, or one of the aforementioned traits.

Special projects co-ordinator for Brockville’s Employment & Education Centre, Sue Watts noted that the awards also pro-vide a valuable service

by educating the public about the powerful role that women play in soci-ety.

“I am inspired and in awe of what local women have set their sights on,” said Watts. “I love that these women are hon-oured and brought to the forefront, to allow people to see the difference that one person can make.”

Watts continued that

past winners, such as last years’ recipients, Oper-ation Harvest Sharing chairs, Reverend Myra Garvin and Jennifer Jack-son Fevens (Women of the Year), OPP officer, Holly Howard (Strong), community activist and rehabilitation counsel-lor, Wendy Galloway (Smart) and Afri-Can AIDS Foundation found-er, Janet Saunders (Bold),

were prime examples of the’ impressive talent, strength, and breadth of remarkable women in the community’.

To nominate a candi-date, either fill out a form, which can be picked up at the Girls Inc office, located at 1805 Oxford Avenue in Brockville, Flowers Brock-ville, Savvy and Young’s of Prescott. Forms are also available via e-mail

by calling (613) 345-3295, Ext. 2 or 111, or by email-ing admin@uppercanada.

girls-inc.org. Nominations are due by March 11th.

Nominees must be 18 years of age or older, a resident of Leeds and Grenville for at least 2 years and may NOT be a member of the staff or board of Girls Inc.

Tickets for the Girls Inc Celebration, featur-ing the Strong, Smart, Bold Woman of the Year Awards, will go on sale March 1st and will be available at the Girls Inc. office, Savvy, Flowers Brockville and Young’s of Prescott.

For more information contact Leslie Hubbard, Executive Director of Girls’ Incorporated of Upper Canada by phone at (613) 345-3295 or alternatively by email at eduppercan-ada.girls-inc.org

Girls Inc. announces seventh annual celebration

Page 2 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 THE OBSERVER

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Last year’s recipients from left to right; community activist and rehabilitation counsellor, Wendy Galloway (Smart),Operation Harvest Sharing chairs, Reverend Myra Garvin and Jennifer Jackson Fevens (Women of the Year), OPP officer, Holly Howard (Strong), and Afri-Can AIDS Foundation founder, Janet Saunders (Bold). ERIN CHRISTIE FILE PHOTO

By Erin ChristieObserver Staff Writer

Page 4 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 THE OBSERVER

The ObserverCOMMUNITY

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Use your experience to walk in to a busy shop and work on the latest vehicles and face challenges constantly learning new technology as cars evolve to the next level. We insist you treat customer vehicles with the utmost care and make suggestions as to how customers can keep all safety features on our cars up to date, maintain optimum fuel economy and protect their automotive investment. Truck experience is a defi nite asset.

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Selling cars has evolved just like cars have. Today, we strive to hire people who want to build a portfolio of customers and retain those customers for the rest of their career. Treat every customer like they are not just buying a car today, but like they are going to buy 10 cars from you over the next 20 years. You need to make your customers your friends and be their car guy or girl. The customer will need to trust your integrity, your willingness to look after them and that you are selling them the right vehicle for their needs.

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Both of these positions require people who are highly motivated and understand just how important our customers are. You need to bring energy and enthusiasm to work each and every day.

We will contact everyone who has applied via email with a resume and cover letter.

In recognition with their high level of com-pliance with OCCHA standards, the Ontario Council on Community Health Accreditation (OCCHA) has awarded the Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit with uncondition-al accreditation for the period of September 15th, 2010 to Septem-ber 15th, 2013.

Using six main prin-ciples, standards are measured in terms of leadership, organiza-tional capacity, work-force, partnerships and collaboration, programs, and com-munication. This pro-cess provides an in-dependent, voluntary peer evaluation of the administrative aspects of local public health agencies, while incor-

porating Ontario Pub-lic Health Standards and continuous qual-ity improvement prin-ciples.

The Health Unit has been accredited since 1990 and has participated in six sur-veys. Each survey has provided insight into improvements in pre-paring for the next survey and helping to streamline the process.

“On behalf of the Board of Health, I would like to acknow-ledge the tremendous efforts of our staff in preparing for this accreditation sur-vey”, said chair of the Board of Health, Jack Butt, adding that the Unit also received a commendation for its efforts to com-municate important information to all staff in a timely and inclu-sive manner.

Health Unit receives accreditation award

Left to right: Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Paula Stew-art, Director of Quality Improvement, Shani Gates, and Chair of the Board of Health, Jack Butt, receive a certifi-cate for unconditional accreditation from Ontario Coun-cil on Community Health Accreditation Board Chair, Penny Lavalley at the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Dis-trict Health Unit Board Meeting last Thursday evening.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Erin ChristieObserver Staff Writer

CLIMBING continues from page 1

“It may sound like kind of a cheesy metaphor but for me, it’s about mak-ing each step count and not only that, but seeing how far those steps can take you,” explained Sys-tma, adding that before they begin their climb, the group will be given the opportunity to ‘see what they’re climbing for’, when they visit one of the organ-ization’s charity projects.

“When I discovered Care, a few years ago, the marketing seemed tailored to me. All the things that they do and have done seemed perfectly in line with my own beliefs and hopes for women. I’ve been sending cheques to them and have been totally confident that they were going to the right places but I had to jump when the opportunity to do the Climb, because you actually get to see the results of the funds that Care raises which makes the challenge more than worthwhile.”

To prepare for the climb, physically, the petite Sys-tma, has been training for four months, gradually in-creasing the distances in which she hikes and walks. Unlike ‘Dream Mountains’ founder, Shawn Dawson,

who will reach the summit for the second time later this spring, the 54 year-old mother of six has never faced this type of physical and mental challenge but feels ‘basically ready’.

“I’m definitely scared, but I’m pretty confident

that my legs will get me there,” said Systma.

“The Climb may not be for everyone. For me, it was time for a new chal-lenge. But what matters is that we do something, however big or small a contribution may sound,

believe me, it counts.”Globally, Systma con-

tinued, ‘everyone can do something’.

“There is enough food and enough money out there to make a difference it just needs to be distrib-uted more efficiently.”

Mount Kilimanjaro National Park is one of the 14 parks which are under the Custodian of Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA). The Park was Designated and Gazetted in 1973, and has an area of 756 square kilometres. TANZANIATRAVELDESTINATION.BLOGSPOT.COM

Gord Brown greeted the new members of council, offering his con-gratulations and news concerning several pro-jects the City and MP’s of-fice have collaborated on over his period in office. “We have accomplished

a lot in my seven years in office”, said Brown, adding that many initia-tives like the Waste Water Treatment Plant and MDC are now underway after receiving Federal funding for both projects.

Another announce-ment for the council from Brown was the imminent

re-design of the new Via Rail station in Brockville. Several members of the community with the help of council and the MP’s office, made their views and displeasure over the original design of the station known to Via of-ficials. Mayor Henderson praised MP Brown for his help during the pro-

cess. “Having you as our Member of Parliament carried more weight than our municipal council ever could have”, said Henderson. “The council applauds and thanks you for your help”.

The new design should be ready shortly, but no date is set for the presen-tation of the final plans.

Brockville Via station redesign imminentBy Austin de LuisThe Observer Editor

It has certainly been a brutal stretch of cold, snowy weather of late. Although I’ve been enjoying my time at the many winter festivals I’ve at-tended recently in the riding, I’m def-initely ready for spring!

Even as winter continues to hold us tightly in its frosty clutches, there’s something many residents of Leeds-Grenville dread even more these days than the latest weather forecast.

And that’s the arrival of their hy-dro bill. The frigid weather combined with the staggering increase in elec-tricity rates has far too many people worried about how they’re going to keep the furnace running and the lights on.

Since last fall, the soaring cost of electricity and the feeling that the McGuinty government has misman-aged this critically important issue has been the No. 1 source of tele-phone calls, email messages and let-ters to my constituency office.

Obviously, the fact electricity rates have climbed by some 75 per cent since 2003 – and will increase another 46 per cent over the next five years – has people upset. That’s an unaccept-able burden, one that’s putting the squeeze on family budgets and ham-pering the ability of businesses to be competitive.

But as anyone who has studied

their bill knows too well, it doesn’t end there. Driving up the cost even higher is the HST, the Provincial Benefit, the Delivery Charge, Regulatory Charges and the Debt Retirement Charge.

Last fall, I introduced a Private Member’s Resolution calling on the government to eliminate the hidden tax contained in those Regulatory Charges and to rebate Ontario fam-ilies the $53 million taken from them by this tax.

Unfortunately, both the Liberal and, to my great disappointment, NDP members of the Legislature voted against providing this relief and the resolution was defeated.

That setback hasn’t stopped my colleagues and I in the Progressive Conservative Opposition from stand-ing up for Ontarians and holding the government to account on runaway hydro costs.

Now, we’re asking the government to come clean on the Debt Retirement Charge, which adds between $67 and $84 a year (plus HST, of course) to our hydro bills. The charge was intro-

duced to pay off a hydro debt dating back into the 1980s, known as the residual stranded debt. It amounted to about $7.8 billion in 2002 and the plan was to have it paid off by 2012.

According to the Ontario Electri-city Financial Corp., the people of Ontario have paid $7.8 billion over the past eight years and should be on track to have it lifted from their bills next year as planned.

So why is the McGuinty govern-ment planning to keep the charge in place until 2018? Good question and it’s one we plan to keep asking the Premier until he provides an ex-planation – or at least a better one than, “My government needs the money.”

You wouldn’t stand for a bank con-tinuing to send you a bill after paying off a car loan. Well, Ontarians have dug deep to make good on the $7.8 billion hydro debt, so I’m joining PC Leader Tim Hudak in demanding they stop getting this bill.

We’re calling for a forensic audit to provide beleaguered taxpayers with an open and honest accounting of where their hard-earned money has gone. I’m sure you will agree no gov-ernment that truly respects families and wants to provide them with the relief they need would deny such a request.

Charging you for a debt that’s been paid?

THE OBSERVER WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 Page 5

The ObserverCOMMUNITY

by Steve Clark

QUEEN’S PARK

REPORT

After months of deliberation, the purchase agreement contract between Brockville and Tall Ships Landing for the city’s eventual ownership of the Maritime Discov-ery Centre (MDC) is finally ready to be voted on. City officials released the details of the agreement, which have been negotiated with de-veloper Simon Fuller behind closed doors, last week, and will vote on the finalized agreement on March 8th. According to the new agreement, which was negotiated by councillor David Beatty, the local commun-ity, along with Fuller, will contribute more than $9 million to the pro-posed $20.7 million, 27,000-square-foot tourist attraction. The city itself, however, will only cover a portion of that, with the majority of the pro-ject’s funding coming from the fed-

eral and provincial governments. The agreement of purchase and sale, however, includes other elements over and above this total. The city will also pay $1,350,000, for the MDC parking units which will earn the city 55 new parking spots to be used by downtown visitors on a first-come, first-served basis.

The agreement also sets out three separate sums, which include; the value of the MDC lands ($150,000), the vendor’s fee on the floor space of the MDC ($1,350,000), and a sum amounting to the construction man-agement fee that the Fuller family’s construction firm will charge the city, all of which will be paid to Ful-ler, and later be reimbursed by him as a donation under a “Donor’s Agreement.”

According to this outline, this

would commit the city to $8,750,000, however, the federal and provincial governments will contribute nearly $11.4 million to that in infrastructure funding, bringing the city’s total to $3.2 million, with $3.5 million from Fuller (in both cases, cash and in-kind services), and another $2.6 mil-lion from community fundraising.

As for the project’s former critic Mayor David Henderson, who in Au-gust voted against council’s motion reaffirming the earlier terms of agree-ment, it is now believed that he will vote ‘Yes’ on March 8th.

Henderson has said that his con-cerns regarding the way the agree-ment is set out, particularly concern-ing governance and funding, have been well aired and is pleased to see construction has started on the con-do tower.

Council to vote on MDC agreement

Every day Canada’s United Way agencies work locally to change living conditions for the better. This is no small part due to people like Judi Baril (pronounced Ba-reel). As the Executive Director of our local UW agency, Baril, leads by example, championing each campaign or project with un-blinking determination and infectious do-or-die enthusiasm. And after 22 years and 23 campaigns, Baril, though small in stature, has proven to be nothing short of a force of nature. Here the diligent director takes a few moments to discuss John Gr-isham, JFK and the importance of possessing cour-age under fire as she answers Ten Questions for the Observer.

Do you have a motto?Yes I do. ‘Rise above it’. There are things that hap-

pen in your life, your work, your everything, that you just need to rise above. Reflecting back on things that seemed huge when I was younger, now are so small and unimportant. It can sometimes be difficult to rise above situations, but I have found that you are happier when you do.

What book are you currently reading or what book

do you recommend? I was given an e-reader for my anniversary, and

am really enjoying this new technology. I just finished reading three books, ‘The Confession’ by John Gr-isham and ‘Saving Faith’ and ‘Hell’s Corners,’ by David Baldacci.

What characteristic do you most admire in others?I admire people who are focused and hard working.

Being around people who work hard and who focus on the possibilities that you can achieve together are inspiring, to me, and to others.

What characteristic do you most deplore in others?Dishonesty.

Whom do you most admire, living or dead?I was 13 when JFK was assassinated, and I have

been a student of some of his work growing up. I be-lieve if he had lived and had had a chance to govern that he would have been one of the greatest leaders of our time.

What do you do in your free time?There are times where my work does not allow a lot

of free time, however when I do have some time, I try to spend it with my family, my children and my grand-children. I have enjoyed every minute of my grand-children’s lives growing up. My husband and I can be found at hockey rinks, dance recitals, on football fields, and at soccer games whenever we can find the time. The skills and commitment that each of them has, continues to amaze me. I am so proud of every member of my family.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what

would it be?I would like to have more time to spend at the gym,

which helps with everything, weight, personal well-ness, focus, diet and energy.

What talent would you most like to have?I think I am a great singer, all others would disagree.

I would have loved to have been blessed with a voice for singing. I so admire people who can sing.

Who is your favourite hero of fiction?It would have to be Jane Eyre. When I was young,

this was the first heroine that I had ever read about who, under extremely difficult circumstances man-aged to take control of her life and her surroundings. The courage and stamina she found to deal with her life’s situations really defined her character for me.

What is your most treasured possession?This one is easy. My family.

Ten Questions

with JUDI BARIL

The ObserverEDITORIALPage 6 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 THE OBSERVER

THE OBSERVER EDITORIAL

If you suspect that your neighbour, friend, family member, or co-worker is being abusive towards his partner, it can be difficult or uncomfortable to step in and help. Without some sort of inter-vention, however, abuse generally escal-ates and may result in disastrous conse-quences. The Neighbours, Friends and Families pamphlet How to Talk to Men Who are Abusive lists 15 warning signs that indicate that a man may be abus-ing his female partner. There are also 23 signs of high risk that may indicate that his partner is at increased risk of ser-ious physical harm or death. Please refer to the pamphlet or the website (www.neighboursfriendsandfamilies.ca) for help in identifying abuse.

The pamphlet also lists some of the ways you can help when you recognize the warning signs, keeping in mind that you should never put yourself in the mid-dle of a violent situation. If you witness a violent incident, call 911 or your local police service.

If there is someone in your life who you care about who is being abusive towards his partner (current or former), you may be the best person to talk to him about it. It is important, however, to avoid confrontation, to choose the right time and place to have a full discussion, and to approach him when he is calm. You can be direct and clear about what you have seen (“I’ve noticed…), and tell him that you are concerned about the safety of his partner and children. Avoid mak-ing judgmental comments about him as a person but encourage him to focus on his behaviour. Help him to understand that his behaviour is his responsibility and inform him that no matter what he thinks others have done, there is always a choice to use abusive or non-abusive behaviours. Confrontational, argumen-tative approaches may make the situa-tion worse and put her at higher risk. If he becomes argumentative or aggressive, it is likely best to end the conversation at this point and to keep the lines of com-munication open for future discussions. At least he will know that you are con-cerned and are there to support him in making changes. If you are concerned about his partner’s safety at this point, you can express your concern to her, to the police, or to someone else. You can

always call an expert for advice (Interval House at 613-342-8815 or the Assaulted Women’s Helpline at 1-866-863-0511, for example).

If he admits to being abusive, tell him you believe he can change and you will support him in his efforts. Try to help him recognize which behaviours are abusive and controlling (www.arc-c.ca has many links to information about abuse). Help him to think about how his partner and/or children feel when he’s abusive. For example, they might feel afraid, angry, helpless, sad, hope-less, hateful, disrespected, embarrassed, powerless, ashamed, humiliated, etc. If he has children, help him to realize what his children are learning from his mod-eling. For example, they may be learning to hurt others, to disrespect women and particularly their mother, to disrespect themselves, to use violence to solve con-flicts and express emotions, etc. Try to help him think through the benefits and drawbacks of healthy and abusive re-lationships. Help him understand that abuse destroys trust and wrecks relation-ships. Help him to explore his thoughts and attitudes about women and men, and how stereotyped beliefs can lead to abusive behaviours toward women. For example, he may believe that it’s his role to be the boss and control the money and her role to put his needs ahead of her own and to go along with what he says. Help him to explore what thoughts, feel-ings, and physical signs he experiences when he is becoming “angry” or about to become abusive. For example, he may be thinking “she never does what I ask”, feel-ing rejected, and his jaw may be clenched shut. Once he has learned to identify his signals, he can learn to choose alternate actions to abuse, such as taking a time-out (leaving for about an hour in order to calm down, not to control his partner).

You can provide information about support services (for example, the Partner Assault Response Program, 613-342-6214) he may be able to access for help, and offer to go or make the call with him. Under-stand that the situation won’t change overnight and remember to take care of yourself too. Let’s support each other in creating healthy, equal relationships and our children will learn to do the same.

How you can help someone who is being abusive

Shady business, in a little townBusiness practices and ethics are something that every stu-

dent will learn, either in high school or while earning their post-secondary education. Most retain the knowledge and under-stand the difference between right and wrong, however, there are those that abide by these ethics and those that do not.

Ethical business practice is something that will help a com-pany succeed, but doesn’t guarantee its success. Unethical busi-ness practices will almost assure the demise of a business, espe-cially in a small town like Brockville.

There are those who have skimmed by, having taken advan-tage of certain situations, looking to get what they can for the immediate future, risking what could be a good business, if done with patience in the long run. All the while, the honest business-man or woman is pounding the streets, not looking to wrongly persuade customers to drum up business, but looking at the big picture, and the success that hard work and patience will pro-vide in the future.

Both cases exist in every city, every country, all over the world. In a larger centre like Toronto, an unethical business can go un-noticed for longer, due to the degree of competition and the sheer number of businesses in the area, making for a possible longer run, for a so-called shyster. In a small centre like Brock-ville however, it all comes out in the wash much sooner, and with a community as tight knit as the one we all reside in, sooner rather than later.

In the business of publishing, as an Editor, you hear every-thing, about everyone, more often than you would care to, and in many cases you can disregard, or take it for what’s it’s worth, but other instances cause you pause, and you dig a little deeper. Growing up in this town, someone can touch almost every cit-izen to one degree or another, and with a positive attitude and a background in most people’s favorite sport, you hear many se-crets. Learning to take some with a grain of salt, and others more seriously, depending on the source, can sometimes be tricky.

With that being said, I’m sure readers are waiting for a pointed finger or a breaking accusation, but I choose to be a little more subtle with my voice. I only wish to issue a mere warning to those that fit the description above. You are operating in a town where everyone knows each other and your actions have prob-ably already been noticed. If it hasn’t affected your business in a manner that you have noticed yet, you may not be looking closely enough. If it hasn’t affected your business at all thus far, it likely soon will.

Austin de Luis

City showssupport as

Daoust’s life celebrated

Michael Wayne Daoust was honoured at the Braves game last Friday night, with over 1400 fans welcoming his wife, Kris-ten, parents, Gerry and Lynn onto the ice for a pre-game ceremony. His #77 was retired and placed on the wall next to Jim Cahill’s banner, forever immortal-ized for fans in years to come.

She was built in 1944, at Montreal Locomotive Works, from a family of twenty locomotives of the same design, and has hauled steel on steel in this country for over half a century. At 93 feet in length, and 15 feet high, the CN 6060, is the largest operating steam locomotive in Canada. She has been retired and reborn at least twice, her steam power running passengers back and forth on Canadian Na-tional lines.

The steam locomotive affectionately known as “Bullet-nosed Betty” has had the same man at her controls for 50 years, locomotive engin-eer Harry Home. He took over the controls of the beloved steam engine in 1960, and still handles the throttle today.

She rolled off the floor in Montreal in October of 1944 and was painted CN green during World War II, when locomotives were in demand, but iron was needed elsewhere. The 6060 was one of 20 locomotives of the same design. Weighing in at almost 640,000 pounds, she held coal and water, and was later converted

to oil. Every five years, she would be completely stripped down and re-built, as part of the ex-pensive maintenance and operation of these steam-powered beasts. The 6060 has been run at up to 85 mph, an impressive feat, considering that modern VIA diesel locomotives will run at 100 mph. The group of steam loco-motives were broke in on the Montreal to Brockville run, and hauled passen-gers on the Continental Ltd. from Toronto to Nakina, Ontario trains 1 & 2 and out of Ottawa to Nakina - trains 3 & 4.

The 6060 served Can-adian National for fifteen years before being retired in Jasper, Alberta, to be put on display there three years later. Two sister locomotives are on dis-play: The 6069 in Sarnia, and the 6077 in Capreol, which I have read is also being restored. But the 6060 seems to be the fa-vourite, and it would not be the last time steam boiled inside her..

Another decade passed, and Canadian National had 6060 re-stored to pull her weight in passengers out of To-ronto to Fort Erie in 1972. She made numerous ap-pearances in Brockville during her lifetime, and one can imagine the locomotive’s massive

weight being turned at the turntable which was at one time to the south of the railway tracks, in the area of Tim Horton’s on William St.

The 6060 still resides in Stettler, Alberta, hav-ing been donated for

the celebration of the province’s centennial. Now also known as ‘The Spirit of Alberta’, she runs steam excursions, across the Canadian West, and hopefully will remain doing so, saved from the scrap heap by her engin-

eer, Harry, whose team from the Rocky Moun-tain Railway Society have managed to keep 6060 in good repair. 6060 is a proud example of Can-adian National steam power, during the ro-mantic age of railroads.

The 6060 in Brockville

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The Observer OPINIONS

Today we’re going to flip things around and an-swer a request from read-ers, all in one fell swoop! At the beginning of the year I mentioned that readers wanted the occasional column focused on food with suggested wine pair-ings. This is the way most of us approach food and wine, by selecting a main dish and then matching up a wine or two, so it makes a perfectly sensible arrangement.

Our main dish selec-tion is chicken. We’ll fol-low it through a real world setting where many of us start with a whole chick-en, then make chicken salad or chicken sand-wiches and finally use the leftovers to make some type of chicken soup. Not much goes to waste! Chicken has a meaty, rich, succulent texture

with plenty of moisture and protein. When we’re looking for wines for pairing with our bird our first concern is to choose wines with deep flavours.

This is one of the secrets of the great versatility of a wine like Riesling, which is in most instances in the medium bodied range, but because of its deep, rich flavours can pair well with full flavoured dishes.

So we’ll start with your standard roast chicken, and I do mean your stan-dard. Everyone has their own recipe, using stuffing,

spices, herbs, rubs and gravy. There’s a myriad of approaches but under-lying each is the juicy rich flavour of chicken

First let’s remember

the two rules of food and wine pairing. The first rule is “Red wine with meat, white wine with fish and poultry.” The second rule is “Forget rule one and drink what you like!” In this instance we’ll follow rule number two.

Roast chicken is a fairly easygoing partner when it comes to wine. You can match it with whites such

as Chardonnay, Sauvi-gnon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Riesling or Gewurztrami-ner. Reds such as Pinot Noir, Merlot, Gamay or Zinfandel will all feel at

home with the roasted bird.

There aren’t many Gewurztraminer on the LCBO shelves, so as a partner for our chicken dinner I’ve opted for the much-neglected Hardys “Stamp of Australia” Ries-ling Gewurztraminer 2009 (CSPC# 448548, $8.95, Brockville Shopping Cen-tre) a tasty, off dry Aus-

sie, which combines the strengths of both grapes. Riesling contributes the lovely, food friendly, crisp texture the grape is known for, while Gewurz-

traminer adds its charac-teristic rich, pungent fruit flavours.

The very first thing you’ll notice is the lovely aromatic nose of our Aus-tralian blend, courtesy of the Gewurztraminer. Gewurztraminer has the most distinctive nose of any of the white varietals. Look for big flowery aro-mas of rose petals, honey-

suckle and gardenias, peach, citrus and light spice. This time of year it might be a harbinger of a springtime walk in your flower garden.

The wine itself hov-ers somewhere between medium and full bodied with bright concentrated fruit flavours. Citrus (es-pecially lime), mango, orange, peach and lychee nut fruit dominate the palate with just a dust-ing of light nutmeg and clove spice. The acidity from the wine’s Riesling component keeps the abundant fruit nicely in balance. The finish has great length and depth of flavour.

As well as being a great sipping wine and part-ner for our chicken din-ner Hardys Riesling Ge-wurztraminer will nicely complement all manner of spicy Asian cuisine es-pecially Thai. Next week we’ll have more wine matches for chicken dish-es. Until then, enjoy!

In praise of everyday chicken dinner and wineOFF THE

VINE

by Russ Disotell

THEFINE PRINT

by Dennis Stein

IMAGE - SHARON STEIN

First let’s remember the two rules of food and wine

pairing. The first rule is “Red wine with meat, white wine

with fish and poultry.” The second rule is “Forget rule one and drink what you like!”

For more info on CN 6060, visit www.6060.org. Image with permis-sion from the artist: My mother, Sharon Stein.

For more stories from Dennis Stein, visit www.thefineprints.blogspot.com

Since the beginning of 2011, my weekends have usually consisted of the following rou-tine: On Saturday, I go to a concert or a musical where I stand out like the whitest girl in the room (because I am) and tend to make others jealous over the attention I end up getting from the art-ists. Sundays involve a detox from the amaz-ing Saturday, dwelling in a theme cafe of some sort with friends, either pretending we’re prin-cesses, or richer than we really are.

One cafe that we’ve grown really fond of lately is Namugeuneul, in Gangnam district, Seoul. At first glance, the cafe isn’t really all that unique compared to others I’ve been to. There are comfortable chairs and tables, the warm smell of coffees and teas fill the air, and the only noise is the quiet hum of people talking amongst them-selves at their tables.

Namugeuneul is a lit-tle more than your aver-age cafe though. Lining the windows on the far side of the cafe is a very unique foot spa. Instead of massages, lotions or pedicures, this foot spa is done by fish.

These fish would pre-fer you call them Doc-tor, though.

Doctor Fish loca-tions are quite popular around Asia, I’ve found. I’ve seen them in Japan, and have heard of them being popular in other countries like the Phil-ippines and Thailand. Essentially, what you do is you stick your feet in the water, and Doctor Fish (their actual name is Garra rufa) eat the dead skin off your feet. As horrible as it sounds, there’s really no other

way to put it. I’ve been wanting

to try Doctor Fish ever since I heard about them when living in Japan. After a concert a few weeks ago, some-one mentioned the cafe, and I was determined to go, right then. 2000 won and a Iced Canadian Choco drink later, I was face to face with the Doctor.

As I looked down at the pool of fish going around in little circles, I was immediately re-minded of piranhas. Which, naturally, did not put my mind at ease. However, the per-son already sitting at the pool next to me still had his feet intact, so I felt my worry was a little unjustified.

Even after sitting down, it took a very long time to get the courage to put my feet in the water. The fish looked hungry. And they were. As soon as I finally man-aged to put my feet in, they latched on like they hadn’t been fed in ages.

It tickled. A lot. I squealed and screamed, and there might have been a curse or two ex-claimed as the tiny fish found their way to every ticklish spot human-ly imaginable. They wrapped around and in between my toes, and went up my legs to the edge of the water. Fifteen minutes later though, my feet were smoother than I could remember in a long time.

Even as I was walking to the subway station, I could still feel the tingle of the tiny fish running over my feet. It was so strange, but the only thing I could think to myself was, “When can I go again?!”

Rebecca Bredin is an ESL teacher currently lo-cated in South Korea. To see more about the trips to see the Doctor Fish, and other stories from Korea, check out http://www.ablogabroad.com

Usually I like to write about subjects that aren’t too deep or controversial, kind of just talking on paper to the reader. I’m not particularly interested in writing about political problems, world hunger, or the financial state of the world. Those subjects are better left to experts who take the time to re-search and give unbiased opinions. It’s not to say that deeper subjects don’t cross my mind; they do, often. I just choose not to make them the focus of this column. However, upon reading about the massacre of the sled dogs in British Columbia, and hearing that the person who did the killings got compensation from our government due to the stress it caused him, I felt I had to speak out. It felt awfully wrong.

According to news-paper reports, Bob Faw-cett was asked, by his em-ployer, to cull a portion of the company’s sled dogs due to there not being enough work to sustain them. And so, Bob, against his better judgement (ap-parently), over the course of two days proceeded to shoot the dogs, one by one. The huge pile of bod-ies was then pushed into a mass grave. I didn’t see the actual pushing of the bodies but I can’t imagine there was any other way to do it other than dig a huge hole and then, with the assistance of a snow plough, push.

A year and a half later, running his own dog sled company, the gunman has come forward to tell his tale. The trauma has become too much and he wants to come clean, he says. So, if we are to believe him (which I per-sonally don’t) he was able to leave his past employ-ment with no recrimina-tions. There, then, goes any claim he may have that he was fearful for his life, his family’s life or fearful of what harm may come at the hands of his former employer as a result of not shooting the dogs. What has made him come forward? Per-haps, the whole thing was about to blow wide open and he was scrambling to save himself by claim-ing trauma. Maybe he was simply broke and needed some quick cash.

Let’s consider trauma. You have 100 dogs, pre-sumably tethered or jammed into kennels so

they can’t get away. You get your gun and your many, many bullets and you pick off the first of the dogs. We’ve all seen the cop shows on television that now show us the vast amounts of blood that come flying out of bod-ies that have been shot at close range; it must be the same for dogs. So, the shooter shoots the first dog, aims at the second dog and shoots, then the third. I’m thinking that trauma should be set-ting by now. Unable to continue, perhaps even vomiting, throwing the gun down in despair at what he had done should be happening. If trauma had set in he should be refusing to continue to shoot any more, maybe even contacting author-ities so that steps would be taken to perhaps save the dogs. But, no, all of the dogs were killed.

Over the course of two days, traumatized Bob killed approximately 100 dogs. One dog got way, his face half blown off and an eye hanging out of his head but Bob managed to get him with a long range rifle. Another dog, not quite dead but wounded, attacked Bob, in an effort to save its own life but Bob, wily Bob, had a knife.

Can we even imagine the noise that was com-ing from the dogs? Each one of them, unable to get away, frightened be-yond belief, frightened to death, awaiting the cer-tain death that was com-ing?

I’m sorry but I really find it difficult to believe that anyone who could stand in the pools of blood that he no doubt stood in, and shoot each and every dog and then slit the throats of some, would have any trauma. And, since it took two days to accomplish the killings, where was the trauma the first night he slept, having killed about 50 dogs with about 50 more to go? Any trauma might be as a re-

sult of grasping that he is capable of such a thing.

I’m a dog lover. I own dogs, and I rescue those in need. I have looked into the eyes of dogs and seen the trust in there. They rely on us for their food, their shelter, their warmth, and their well being. They trust their masters. Should not those dogs have been able to trust their master to find an SPCA to take them in? Should not those dogs have been able to trust their master to seek out new homes for them? Should not those dogs have been able to trust their master to do his utmost to find another solution? Since the shoot-er started his own dog sled business why didn’t he start his own business by taking off the hands of his former employer the

unwanted dogs? Presum-ably that was an option?

But no, he stood in what can only be unimagin-able amounts of blood, listening to the baying and moaning and agony of the dogs who were al-ready wounded or await-ing their executions, the stench of death around him and the boom, boom, boom of the gun as he shot and shot and shot.

Trauma? Traumatized? A year and a half later. Hard to believe. Hard to fathom. Hard to think about the dogs now in his care. And a huge thumbs down to WorkSafe BC who awarded him compensa-tion as reward for his kill-ings.

For more Observa-tions, visit, observation-sofababy-boomer@blog-spot.com

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The ObserverFILM

Unknown, a real nail-biter of a movie, is a taut, fast-paced thriller guaranteed to keep you guessing. Unknown is also well directed, bril-liantly edited, with a great cast. There are more twists and turns in this plot than anything I have seen in years. Just when I was beginning to think I had the story figured out, the director threw me an-other curve.

Unknown stars Liam Neeson as Dr. Martin Harris. The movie opens as he arrives with his wife Elizabeth (January Jones) in Berlin for a Bio-tech-nology conference. As soon as they get to their hotel, he realizes he has left his briefcase back at the airport. Martin im-mediately hops into a cab to head back and retrieve it. On the way there is an accident. The taxi careens off a bridge into icy waters. The taxi driver, his beautiful co-star (Diane Kruger) saves his life. Four days later, he awakes from a coma only to find that his wife doesn’t know him, and another man is intro-duced to him as Dr. Mar-tin Harris. Thus begins the story; and his life as he believes it to be, will never be the same.

There is more than a hint of Hitchcock in the screenplay. Martin’s memories have been shattered by the acci-dent. The director taunts him and us by show-ing us memory flashes that act as hints that not everything is as it seems. He sees himself and his wife, seemingly happy in a series of recurring images. One set seems incongruent. In wink-and-you-miss it style, in some shots his wife is not blonde, but brunette. Even Martin’s doctor tells him that trauma like his scrambles memory and what he believes is real may not even be true.

It has been said, that you are not paranoid if people really are trying to kill you. That plays so

well in this movie. Like Martin, we have a vested interest in finding out why his wife refuses to acknowledge him. The stakes get higher when while in the hospital, someone tries to kill him. Why would assassins be trying to kill a doctor who specializes in Bio-technology? Why would his wife of five years deny knowing him? Who is the man pretending to be him, and how are they all connected?

Unknown has the edi-ting and physical feel of the Bourne films. With-out giving too much away, this movie is more Bourne than the trailers let on. The intrigues are international in flavor, and the stakes are no less than the potential for in-credible profit in the sci-ence to eliminate global hunger.

Berlin is a wonderful backdrop for an intrigue. I loved it in “The Lives of

Others” and the legend-ary “Wings of Desire”. Actors from both those great films are featured in important supporting roles. Sabastian Koch (The Lives of Others)

plays Professor Bressler. Bruno Ganz (Downfall) plays Ernst Jurgen, a for-mer Stasi (East German Secret Police) agent who is now a private detective in the new Germany. He is completely believable as the aging agent who

uses his cold war skills to separate fiction from truth.

Unknown is a thrill-er that is a throwback to a time when a solid screenplay, great acting and thoughtful direction actually mattered. So often lately, action films have gone for the roller-coaster effect, providing

the thrills but ultimately coming off as hollow experiences. Enter, Un-known. This is a thriller with wonderful charac-ters, solid action and a screenplay that will leave you guessing right until the very end. If you are going to see one movie this week, check out Un-known.

VIEW FROM THE OUTSIDE

by Tom Allnutt

“Unknown” a fast paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns

A film based on a novel by Didier van Cauwelaert, Un-known stars Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones and Frank Langella.

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Members of the ‘Cirque’ cast flex their ‘creative muscles’ during rehearsal at BCI last week. From left to right-‘Louise’ played by Jocelyn McNeil, ‘Elodie’, played by Emily Mayo and ‘Claude’, played by Harrison Beattie.

ERIN CHRISTIE PHOTO

When faced with the loss of their long-time staff director, Lisa Laroux who retired last spring, the young thespians of Brockville Collegiate In-stitute (BCI), were left to wonder who would guide them through the school’s annual theat-rical production? After some deliberation it was decided that the students themselves would step in for Laroux and run it themselves, something that 17 year-old BCI stu-dent and the show’s dir-ector, Rylan Schwarze, noted, has not been done for nearly 20 years.

The result was a 25 member company of actors, writers, musi-cians and crew mem-bers, comprised entirely of students. This was an ambitious first outing for Schwarze, who also

co-wrote this year’s ef-fort, ‘Cirque’, a triumph-ant coming-of-age story that combines magic and circus acts with music and high drama, that Schwarze hopes will showcase his multi-tal-ented troupe.

Set in a ‘re-imagined 1040’s France’, ‘Cirque’, which Schwarze co-wrote with fellow stu-dent, Sophia Smyth, fol-lows Claude,(played by Harrison Beattie) a young man who leaves his love, Elodie, (played by Emily Mayo), when he is given the opportunity to fol-low his dream and join the circus, where he soon becomes its star per-former. As time passes, the young man begins to wonder about the life, and the love he left be-hind. What follows, is a touching journey of uni-versal themes such as love, friendship and self discovery.

“It’s a little like Romeo

and Juliet without the family issues,” explained Schwarze, adding that unlike Shakespear’s tragic tale, ‘Cirque’, thankfully, ‘does not end in suicide’.

Schwarze continued that though ‘Cirque’ in-cludes musical and dance numbers, it is more of ‘a play with music, than a musical’.

“We refer to it that way because in a music-al, the music is used to advance the plot or tell the story, whereas in ‘Cirque’, the four songs that are performed by our leads are used to convey an emotion, the way a soundtrack is used in a movie.”

The concept of a cir-cus theme was inspired by Schwarze’s own love of circus arts and magic, something that he said, was an instrumental ele-ment for his cast, many of whom received ‘circus lessons’, where they were taught how to juggle, ride

a unicycle and perform magic tricks.

“This is definitely the most elaborate produc-tion I’ve been in so far,” marvelled cast member, Emily Mayo. “And Rylan has done a really good job making this fun, even though we’re working really hard.”

Schwarze echoed Mayo, adding that as a self-proclaimed ‘theatre-rookie’, the project was more than a theatrical endeavour, like Cirque’s protagonist, Claude, it was a journey of self-dis-covery.

“This was a huge chal-lenge, but enjoyable, I learned a lot about my-self and my leadership style. Hopefully, it all comes together on open-ing night.”

Cirque runs March 3rd, 4th, and 5th at 7:00p.m.in the BCI auditorium. Tick-et prices are $5.00 for stu-dents, children and sen-iors and $8.00 for adults.

Student production promises to impressBy Erin ChristieObserver Staff Writer

The Brockville Youth Advisory Committee inaugural members were announced at city council on Tuesday.

The members in-clude; Membership Services officer at the Brockville Chamber of Commerce Matthew Hoy (29), president of the Leeds-Grenville Green Party and BCI Student Council Mat-

thew Casselman (17), member of TISS Stu-dent Council and Youth to Youth Board of the United Way of Leeds Grenville Sara Mannseichner (17), owner/operator of the Sequence Cyber Cafe and Comic Shop Agos-tino De Murtas (30), TISS student and Coge-co volunteer camera-man Chris Mininni (16) and councilor Leigh Bursey (23).

Councilor Bursey ex-pressed his excitement

of the newly formed council. “I am ecstatic about this project. We have a diverse group of eager young people, from a broad age range, each of them is pas-sionate about this com-munity for their own reasons, and I can’t wait to openly collaborate with them”, said Bursey.

“The youth of our community are our fu-ture, so it is only right that we have a hand in shaping that future. So I for one am excited to

see what each of our members is going to bring to the table”.

The youth council must have between seven and nine mem-bers and will be look-ing for more applicants. Anyone 30 or under in-terested in joining can contact Sandy Seale at City Hall or send their emails to leighbursey@gmail.com. All appli-cants must pass a po-lice check to be eligible for consideration on the council.

Youth Advisory Committee announcedBy Austin de LuisThe Observer Editor

THE OBSERVER WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 Page 11

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You’re about to list your home. Perhaps you’re looking to accom-modate a growing family, or conversely, looking to downsize. Or, it may be that you’re helping a close family member with the process of moving into an assisted—living environ-ment. Whatever your situ-ation, there are key con-siderations to ensure the process of selling meets or exceeds your expecta-tions.

“Often times, home owners don’t articulate their most pressing con-cerns, which can lead to a gap in expectations be-tween the seller and their agent,” says Yvonne Rati-gan, a director at Royal LePage Canada. “The most important thing you can do when selling your

home is to be open and frank with your agent, and to have all of the deci-sion—makers at the table from the start.” In addition to advising their agents to ask the right questions, Royal LePage recom-mends these five steps to ensure your home—sell-ing experience is a good one:

1. Ask friends and family members to refer a real estate sales profes-sional. Word of mouth and past experience is a good

place to start when look-ing for an agent.

2. Interview your agent and ask for a presentation. With all the decision—makers at the table, de-termine these three things about your agent: Can I trust you? How are you dif-ferent? What are you going to do to sell my home?

3. Articulate all and any concerns you may have about selling your home. Make sure your agent knows what’s on your mind. Are you concerned

about the timeliness of the sale? Are you firm on a certain price? Are there certain emotional at-tachments to the current home? If so, what are they?

4. Count back from the day you want to be out of your home. Remember, it takes time to sell a home. Use this timeline as a gen-eral guideline, bearing in mind that many factors af-fect the time it takes to sell: 90 days to allow for the listing agreement and to entertain offers; then, 60 days for the home inspec-tions until the home sells firm and the buyer visits the home; then, 30 days to closing.

5. Pricing. The day you price your home correctly for the market is the day you sell it.

NEWSCANADA.COM

Five things to consider before listing your home

Page 12 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 THE OBSERVER

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Most problems in a house are minor and can be rectified easily and in-expensively, including chipped paint, an air con-ditioner that wheezes or doors and windows that stick. Such shortcomings are overlooked by sellers that have lived with them for years, but they are fo-cused on by buyers. If the perceived problems do not derail the sale, they never-theless provide grounds for price negotiation.

A pre-listing inspection is a prudent step in the pro-cess of selling your home. As a seller, it’s ideal to present the most saleable home possible. A pre-list-ing inspection can do that by revealing your home’s current condition and guide you toward enhan-cing the value and market-ability of your home.

Not only does a pre-listing inspection enable a home seller to attend to the problems before the home is put on the market, but it removes any questions from the home seller about the condition of the home. Some sellers elect not to correct every issue found in the report. Instead, they acknowledge the issues to the buyer and explain that

the asking price has been adjusted to reflect the es-timated cost of repairs. Such forthrightness tends to shorten the negotiation process

Both parties will greatly benefit from a profes-sionally produced home inspection report. It im-proves the speed, the price and the likelihood of a sale.

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Whether you are shop-ping for a previously owned house or a brand new house, a home inspection provides insight to the con-dition of the home you are buying. If you are putting your house on the market, an inspection helps hasten the sale and can generate a higher price.

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thorough visual examina-tion of the home and prop-erty.

The process usually takes two to three hours, during which time the house is examined from the ground up. The inspec-tion includes observation and, when appropriate, operation of the plumbing,

heating, air conditioning, electrical, and appliance systems, as well as struc-tural components: roof, foundation, basement, exterior and interior walls, chimney, doors, and win-dows.

When conducted by a professional, a home inspection covers about

1,000 check-points in ap-proximately 400 items around the home. Findings should be provided to you in the form of a compre-hensive report. It is vital that such a report include an objective evaluation of the condition of the home, clearly relating existing de-fects and indicating poten-tial problems.

A home inspection report is not a warranty.

Because a home inspec-tion is a visual examination of the home and operating systems, it is not technic-ally exhaustive. There is no assurance, expressed or implied, that equipment will not break down at some future date. However, such protection is available when a home inspection is complemented by a home

warranty. When the servi-ces are used in conjunction with one another, a home warranty covers the items that were serviceable at the time of the inspection and subsequently fail due to normal wear and tear.

A home inspection does not detect every

conceivable flaw.It is an inspection of

those areas and items that can be seen. Home inspectors cannot see through foundation, floors or walls, and cannot in-spect areas or items that are inaccessible.

A home inspection benefits all parties involved in the real estate trans-action. Further informa-tion is available online at www.amerispec.ca.

NEWSCANADA.COM

Avoid renegotiations with a pre-listing inspection

Page 14 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 THE OBSERVER

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This week’s Braves profile of the week is first year forward Anthony Bada.

Bada, originally from Ottawa, played his min-or hockey for the Ottawa Sting ‘AA’, until his minor midget year, when he jumped up to the Ottawa Junior 67’s ‘AAA’ team.

His earliest hockey in-fluence growing up were his parents Fern and Michelle. “My parents did everything I could have ever asked growing up”, said Bada. “Mom would have breakfast ready at 5 a.m. and dad would be ready to take me to the rink. They always supported me throughout my career”.

Today, Bada models his game after Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steve Downey for his hard work, tenacious play in the corners and ability to put the puck in

the net when the oppor-tunity arises.

Bada, like many of his teammates, cred-its the teams success to an overall buy-in to the systems put in place by Todd Gill and the coaching staff. “Every-one has bought into the system and goes out every night to exe-cute the game plan”, said Bada. “Getting pucks in deep and crashing the opposing d-men, pays off when the third period comes around”.

Bada attributes his personal success this season to a number of things including; hitting the gym to gain strength in his rookie season, and getting used to playing at the speed of the CJHL, a big step up from minor midget.

Looking forward to the regular season run and post-season, Bada relishes his ‘favorite time of the year’, the play-offs. “I live for the play-offs and look forward to

matching the success that the team enjoyed last season”, said Bada. “I think the team is play-

ing well and s h o u l d

be in g r e a t

s h a p e come the play-offs.

Brockville has lost only twice over the past month, with both losses to the league lead-

ers Pembroke and Corn-wall. A matchup against both will be likely if the Braves hope to capture the elusive CJHL title, an accomplishment that last year’s record break-ing team didn’t manage.

William Betts lunges to stop a wrap-around attempt during the opening period of Friday’s 6-2 win over Cornwall. The Braves dominated the league-leading Colts in a chippy contest that saw over 100 penalty minutes. PHOTO BY AUSTIN DE LUIS

The Brockville Braves bounced back from a loss on Thursday to the Corn-wall Colts by beating the Colts in the return leg and shutting out the Smiths Falls Bears on Sunday.

On Thursday, the Braves travelled to Corn-wall looking to gain ground on the Colts. An-other low scoring affair between the two squads saw the visitors come up short, losing 3-1.

After trading goals over the opening 40 minutes, Cornwall grabbed a pair of third period goals to keep a hold of first place overall. Mark Belvedere scored his 10th of the sea-son, while Justin Gilbert was solid stopping 32 of 35 shots he faced.

In the return leg Fri-day, the Braves came out with something to prove, battering the Colts early in the game, getting to the visitors goal time and again.

Maxime Dumond and

Kyle Armstrong, opened up a 2-0 lead for the hosts before the 10 minute mark of the first period, their 18th and 15th goals respectively. The Colts cut the lead to 2-1 late in the period.

The Braves extended their lead in the second period with a pair of goals from Armstrong, with his second of the game, and Mike Skakum with his 16th of the year.

Dumond (19) and Skakum (17) tallied again in the third period, while

the Colts lost their cool, racking up over 40 min-utes in the penalties in the final period. William Betts played well in goal for Brockville, stopping 27 of 29 shots he faced for his 18th win. Sebas-tien Gingras had three as-sists, while Ryan Collier, Skakum, Dumond and Armstrong, each had two points.

On Sunday, the Braves welcomed the Smiths Falls Bears to the Memor-ial Centre.

Matt Chartrain scored

the only goal of the open-ing 20 minutes, where the Braves seemed tenta-tive and spent much of the period in their own end. Smiths Falls outh-sot the Braves 13 to 8, but couldn’t beat Justin Gilbert, despite several chances.

In the second period, the Braves took over the game, firing 18 shots on the Smiths Falls goal, but were unable to beat Bears goalkeeper Alex Chretien.

David Roy scored his 21st of the season to give

the Braves some breath-ing room, while Gingras rounded out the scoring with his seventh of the year late in the contest, giving him eight points in the his last four games. Justin Gilbert recorded the shutout, his third of the year, and 22nd win of the season.

Brockville plays only once this week, when they welcome the Ottawa Junior Senators to the Memorial Centre on Fri-day night. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Braves bounce back with pair of victories

THE OBSERVER WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 Page 15

Memorial Centrewww.brockvillebraves.com

Brockville Braves

7:30 pm7777 30Friday, Feb. 25

Ottawa Jr. SenatorsBrockville Braves

The Observer BRAVES HOCKEY

BRAVES TRIVIA QUESTION

Which former Braves goaltender holds the all-time record for wins in a season? First caller to answer correctly gets 2 Braves tickets to this Friday’s game. 613.342.8777

By Austin de LuisThe Observer Editor

By Austin de LuisThe Observer Editor

Braves profile of the week: ANTHONY BADA

The Brockville Tikis battled hard, but couldn’t hold back the high-pow-ered offense of the West-port Rideaus, losing the best of seven series, four games to one.

After losing the opener 7-3 on the road, the Tikis returned home on Wed-nesday. The game went back and forth with the visitors coming out on top 5-3, with an empty net goal.

Brandon St. Pierre scored his first of the post-season, while Mitch Davis netted his second and third goals of the series in a losing effort. Brad Fraser played well, stopping 38 of 42 shots he faced in the Brockville goal.

On Friday, the Tikis travelled back to Westport for game three. After fall-ing behind 3-0 in the first period, Tikis captain Rob-ert Rice scored a pair of second period goals, but the Tikis couldn’t manage to get any closer, even-tually losing 5-2. Fraser again was solid in goal for the Tikis, stopping 42 of 47 shots he faced.

On Saturday night, the Tikis welcomed the Ri-deaus back to the Memor-ial Centre, needing a win to keep the series alive.

In a shootout, the Tikis prevailed 7-6, coming from behind in the third period, and winning the contest in overtime.

Ryan Lesway got Brockville off the mark with his first of the play-offs, before Ben Brayman netted his first of the ser-ies to make it 2-0. A pair of Westport goals saw the teams enter the first inter-mission tied 2-2.

Westport jumped out to a 4-2 lead early in the second period, before Mitch Davis scored his fourth of the series to bring the Tikis within one goal, heading into the final 20 minutes.

Kalem Sigsworth tied the game three minutes into the third 4-4. The Ri-deaus took the lead twice more, with the Tikis re-sponding each time, with goals from Brodie Darling (1), and Lucas Mott (2).

Scott Lough was the overtime hero, scoring just over seven minutes into the extra period, keeping the Tikis post-season hopes alive. Rich Joudoin played well for the Tikis, stopping 32 of 38 shots he faced.

On Tuesday, the Tikis

travelled back to Westport looking to extend the ser-ies to a sixth game, to be played the following night at home.

The Tikis put up an-other valiant effort, but fell short, eventually los-ing 5-2, ending their sea-son.

Robert Rice scored both goals for the visitors, his third and fourth of the series, while Rich Joudoin played exceptional in goal for the Tikis, stopping 54 of 57 shots he faced, with the final two goals being scored into an empty net.

Westport will likely face the Athens Aeros, who will be looking to sweep the Gananoque Islanders, after winning the first three games of their series.

Tikis bow out in five games to Westport

Page 16 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 THE OBSERVER

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The Observer TIKIS HOCKEY

By Austin de LuisThe Observer Editor

Lucas Mott (22) attempts to stuff one in the short side dur-ing Game 2 of the Tikis best of seven Ri-deau Division semi-finals ver-sus Westport. Brockville lost the game 5-3.

AUSTIN DE LUIS

PHOTO

THE OBSERVER WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 Page 17

The ObserverWOMEN’S HEALTH

Curves is one of the front runners and innov-ators for women’s fitness facilities across the globe. With over 1,100 locations, worldwide, Curves has built upon the success of founders Gary and Diane Heavin over the past 20 years.

Curves began with a specific goal, ‘to remove

the barriers that kept women from going to the gym’. A women’s only gym is geared towards making the clients feel at home and comfortable dur-ing their workout. They have several programs in place to give customers a great workout, in a re-laxed atmosphere, in an efficient time, something that is very important in today’s hectic world.

Curves weight man-

agement program, as well as their personalized cir-cuits and new Circuit with Zumba programs, give women the means and confidence to achieve their fitness goals.

Curves opened in Brockville at the Shop-ping Centre in 1999, and moved to their current lo-cation on 40 Brock Street in 2004. “This building has been a godsend for us”, said location Man-

ager Lynnsay Villeneuve. Curves has always

taken an active interest in the community. The Brockville chapter has an annual food drive in April, which is part of Curves International’s global ef-fort to help area food banks. The benefactor of the Brockville chapter is Loaves and Fishes, who will receive the bulk of the donations from this year’s drive.

Carol Joudoin leads a team of ladies through a workout on the patented TRX ma-chine. Joudoin and a group of three instructors are cer-tified to teach resistance training using the appar-atus that was originally de-signed by the Marines, that is exclusive to the Goodlife franchise.

PHOTO BY AUSTIN DE LUIS

Whitnee Denard-PaulCertified Kundalini

Yoga InstructorRecent studies have

shown that women ex-perience increased levels of anxiety, depression and seasonal affective disor-der (SAD) during the win-ter months. Practicing Kundalini Yoga on a regu-lar basis can help combat these emotional ailments.

Kundalini Yoga is an ancient form of yoga that includes breath, yoga pos-tures, chanting, sound, re-laxation, and meditation. It is geared to strengthen the muscles, lungs, endo-crine system and nervous system; it helps individ-uals grow into happy and healthy human beings.

Practicing Kundalin Yoga generates an intense energy that heightens your awareness, sharpens your perception, dissolves stress and anxiety and is excellent for decreasing depression.

During the winter months, women tend to lose a lot of energy for a variety of reasons such as lack of sunlight, de-creased exercise, and eat-ing less fresh food. When energy is down, the body is more prone to anxiety, depression and SAD. This is where Kundalina Yoga can help.

According to Alan Seale, Director of the Cen-ter for Transformational Presence in Rochester, New York and author of ‘Intuitive Living’, the ab-sence of feeling that many people experience in depression and SAD, on an energetic level, is the failure of vital energies to flow through the body. Activating the Kundalini energy is one strategy to reconnect with a feeling of self.

There are many sim-ple Kundalini Yoga tech-niques you can incorpor-ate in your daily life here is one example to get you started:

Breathing through the Right Nostril – Sit in easy pose (crossed legged) with a straight spine. Rest the right hand on your knee. Block the left nos-tril with the thumb of the left hand. The other fingers point straight up. Begin long, deep, power-ful breaths in and out of the right nostril. Focus on the flow of your breath. Continue for 3 to 5 min-utes. Inhale deeply and relax. Bringing the hands to the knees. This exercise draws on the ‘sun’ breath/energy inside us and gives you a clear, energized, fo-cused mind.

For more information and techniques on Kun-dalini Yoga log onto www.morningmoonyoga.com.

The magority of women in the West dread the ap-proach of menopause. It is often thought of as the end of their happy life as they know it. But in the East menopause is thought to bring wisdom, insight and the mid-life change is embraced rather than feared. Some women even go so far as to take Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to delay it. The problem with this is that the treatments artificially elevate the women’s pro-gesterone and estrogen levels. From this, they have linked HRT to in-creased risks of breast cancer, strokes, heart disease and other health threatening issues. Yoga has so many won-derful positive effects on the body and mind to help you understand yourself better. This con-nection is so important for women to have espe-cially during this part of

life. Breathing practices, postures and some medi-tation can help bring the balance back to the endocrine systems and hormone levels in the body. Practicing yoga we learn better how to ac-cept ourselves and who we are. Women find with regular practice of yoga they can restore the bal-ance of the hormones in the body making the transition easier so that women are able embrace the wisdom of meno-pause.

The best way to prac-tice is with your needs in mind. Remember that everyone is differ-ent. Some poses may be suited best for you and not for someone else. Back bending is good for elevating energy levels and helping with mood-swings. The inverted pose (poses in which the body is upside down ie; shoulder-stand, standing forward bend) are amaz-

ing for balancing out the hormonal systems of the body. Forward bends are great for releasing stress and anxiety. If you are thinking of practicing yoga and have concerns about what kind of rou-tine would be best for you, find an instructor in your area to help you better understand what poses may benefit you. However you tailor your practice, keep in mind that during menopause your body is changing and you need to be flex-

ible in your mind not just the body. Don’t get frus-trated whether you can or cannot do the pose perfectly, or hold it for-ever. It is only when we are able accept who we are that we can find lib-eration and peace in any situation life has to throw at us.

Daniel de Luiswww.subramanya-yoga.comdan.deluis@hotmail.com613-340-6671

Curves caters to what women need

Yoga and menopause: encouraging the mind-body link

Kundalini Yoga helps beat the winter blues

By Austin de LuisObserver Editor

Dream Weaver Yoga & Dance Studio Proudly Presents

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Page 18 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 THE OBSERVER

The ObserverCOMMUNITY

Serving Brockville and the surrounding communities613-342-8773

51 King St. W. Brockville 613-498-2200LOCATED IN THE HEART OF HISTORIC BROCKVILLE

• The Thousand Islands Quilter’s Guild monthly meeting will be held Thursday, Feb. 24, at the Merc Hall, Maitland. Library at 6:30 pm. Meeting at 7:10 pm. Refreshments. Visitors welcome. For further information please call 613-924-9184.

• Soup/Sandwich/Dessert Luncheon on Friday, Feb. 25th from 11 am to 1 pm at the Athens United Church.

• Grenville Fish and Game Club 14th Annual Pike Ice Fishing Derby. Saturday, Feb. 26, 6:00 am to 4:00 pm. The fishing area is on the St. Lawrence River from Cardinal to Prescott.

• Book Launch for Fact, Folklore and Fiction The History of Mallorytown by David Wells will be held Sunday, Feb. 27 from 2-4 at the Mallory Coach House, 1523 County Rd. 2 Mallorytown.

• Darts – Steak Shoot, Brockville Legion, 180 Park St., Brockville, Sunday, Feb. 27. Registration 11:30-12:30 p.m., play starts 12:30. Two-player teams, luck of the draw. Open to the public. Info: 613-342-9654 after 6 p.m. or email: douglas.randle074@sympatico.ca

• The Brockville & District Hospice Palliative Care Service Monthly Grief Support Meeting for those who have experienced the death of a loved one. Garden St. Site boardroom, entrance on James St. Wednesday, March 2nd. Topic: “What Loss Can Teach Us About Life”. Contact 613-345-5649 ext. 1 - 4415 for further information.

• Self Employment Benefit Program. Grenville Community Futures Development Corporation - Orientation Session. Thursday, March 3, 2011. For further information and to register contact 613-925-4275 ext 27. seb@grenvillecfdc.com

• Ham and Bean Supper sponsored by Florence Nightingale Chapter #5, Order of the Easter Star, Brockville. Friday, March 4th, 4:00 pm-6:30 pm. 5 Wall St. Brockville.

• Pancake Supper, St. Lawrence Anglican Church, 80 Pine St., March 8th, 5-7 p.m. Pancakes, sausages, dessert & beverage.

• Brockville Women’s Network - Thursday, March, 10 Brockville Country Club. Networking 5:30 p.m. Dinner 6:30 p.m. Members $28.00. Guests $35.00. Guest Speaker: Karen McDonald-Hurley. Topic: “Developing and Opportunity Mindset”. Please RSVP by 12 noon Wednesday, Mar., 09, 2011 Kim Fenn 613-924-0165 ktmg4@sympatico.ca

• St. Patrick’s Roast Beef Dinner and Entertainment. Sunday, March 20. St.Mark’s Parish Centre, Edward St. Prescott. Social Hour 4:30, Dinner served 5:30. Entertainment by Fiddlers Plus. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Call 613-925-2207.

• Scott Woods - Live in Concert at Wall Street United Church, 5 Wall St., Brockville. Thursday, March 31 at 7:00 pm and will benefit Our Kenyan Kids. Tickets are available at Wall Street United Church by calling 613-342-5401 ext. 21 or email: wallstuc@ripnet.com for tickets

• Brockville and Area YMCA Hot Lunches, 345 Park Street, Brockville. Every Wednesday 11:30 am-1:00 pm. January 12-June 8. Different cooks, different menus each week. Take-out available. Info: www.brockvilley.com or 613-342-7961 x30.

• Brockville and Area YMCA Youth Night. Drop in program designed for kids from grades 1-8 who are looking for a safe, supervised place to learn new games, meet new friends and enjoy programmed activities. Activities vary weekly and may include swimming. Saturdays 6 to 8 pm. Jan. 15 - June 11. No Youth Night Feb. 19, Mar. 19, Apr. 23, May 23.

• Birthday Parties at the Brockville and Area YMCA. Make your child’s birthday extra special at the Y! This 2-hour party includes a specially decorated room, fun activities, meal of choice and one hour of pool or gym time. Available Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. For more information call 613-342-7961 or go to www.brockvilley.com

• Open Mic with Robert Graham featuring Robert Graham on piano, singers from St Lawrence College Music Theatre Program and special guests. EVERY Friday night at Buds on the Bay 8:30 pm to 12:30 am. More info at www.robertgraham.org

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Children need to be read to. “The best time to start reading aloud to a baby is the day it is born.” (- Mem Fox, Read-ing Magic, p.31) Your baby’s brain is like a sponge waiting to absorb information. Your baby can benefit from reading with you every day. It is never too early to start your child’s language and literacy foundation! Strong language skills are essential to a child’s suc-cess in learning to read. Very young babies can-not focus their eyes well. Look for books

with large, simple pic-tures. (Bold red, green, blue and black are usually best.)

Here are the benefits of reading

with your baby:• Promotes listening

skills – allows your child to understand more and to learn new vocabulary

• Develops attention span and memory – babies can understand a lot more than you think; their brains are searching and scanning everything they come in contact with in order to get informa-tion and meaning

• Develops eye mus-cles – babies develop

their eye muscles by looking at pic-

tures. They see best from a distance of about 1 foot.

• Promotes bonding and calmness for both baby and parent – it is a fun and easy

thing to do with your baby daily. It

helps you bond and connect with your

child. It pro-motes family togetherness.

• Creates a

love of books and learn-ing – it helps babies learn new words.

What you can do while you are reading

to your baby:• Point to the pictures

and say the names (to help your baby focus on specific sounds.

• Use different voices for different characters – be entertaining.

• Spend time talking about the pictures before turning the page.

• Just read, so that the baby can enjoy the sound of your voice and hear the rhythms of different types of language.

(taken from United Counties of Leeds & Grenville “Read to Every Child Every Day document) If you are concerned about your child’s speech and language skills or are interested in how your child is doing, call the Language Express

Preschool Speech System at 1-888-503-8885/613-283-2742. A speech-language assessment can identify your child’s strengths and needs and can help you prepare your child for school. For more information, check out our website: www.language-express.ca

Language is the foundation of all literacy and learning

THE OBSERVER WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 Page 19

The ObserverJUST FOR FUN

crossword

At the moment you are having some fascinating experiences. The Moon causes you to become closer to people in your family. Be aware of this and make the most of it.

You want to make several changes to your home’s decor. You love colours and this is very important to you. You are headed towards situations where what you do will be very enjoyable.

You have some ideas that are completely different from everything you have experienced up till now. It’s possible that you want to change some aspects of the way you live. This will bring you some big surprises.

Planet Saturn causes you to be very loyal towards others. You need to know what could be good for you and for the people you work with.

You like others to trust you. The South Node (the Moon’s descending node) causes you to question some elements in your professional life. You know what you can give to others.

What you say has a lot of value in the eyes of those who love you. Chiron causes you to be able to help others easily. You encounter many opportunities for personal growth.

SEE PAGE 20 FOR ANSWERS

WorD search

You know what is essential to you. You are headed towards situations where your ideals will be respected. This is crucial to your well-being, and you will be happy as a result.

You understand everything in a very subtle way. You want to live in peace. You don’t want to hold resentful feelings towards anyone.

You want to state your opinions but the person you love is not listening to you properly. This situation will soon improve. You’ll be surprised and happy.

You feel that the time is right for you, and you are in a hurry to experience success. Avoid accepting just anything, as this will not benefit you in the long run. Remember this.

You are close to the people you love and it’s possible that you are thinking about going on a trip with them. You feel the need to be appreciated for giving so much of yourself to others.

Planet Saturn leaves you very thoughtful about some financial matters that came into your life a long time ago. This requires you to be very frank. Don’t hesitate to say what you think and ask for what is owed to you.

1. Turkish ruler4. Possesses7. Wound remnant11. Stage item15. Pub16. Aardvark’s

snack17. Cato’s wear18. Breath sound19. Stately tree20. Word of

agreement21. Highly curious22. Sign of future

events23. Bird feature24. Woodland deity26. Pekoe server28. Fashionable29. False’s opposite30. Spring event32. Tropical rodent34. Stockroom36. Shoemaker’s

device39. Homestead or

Volstead41. “____ first you

don’t succeed . . .”

42. Nettle’s cousin44. Summon47. Unyielding49. Relinquish50. Hide-and-____51. Afternoon

movie53. Radio operator54. British aristocrat55. Legend56. Dishonor58. Took a stab at60. Recognized62. Child

63. Thirst quencher64. Witticism67. Embroidered70. Bowling area71. Lease payment73. Type of grain75. Rich pastry79. Bury80. Extreme degree81. Letters82. To be paid85. Browning’s

before86. Owing87. Facts, briefly88. Emblem89. Reproductive

cells90. Go astray91. Neural network92. Organic

compound93. Soak flax94. Female ruff

1. At right angles to a ship’s keel

2. Horse’s gait3. Navy4. Needle’s hiding

place?5. Close by6. Rank7. Flag feature8. Gear part9. Long, long ____10. Shabby11. Malayan boat12. Sloped surface13. Butter’s

alternative

14. Cooped up25. Bigfoot’s kin27. Widemouthed

jug30. Coach31. Animosity33. Hen’s cry35. Krupke, e.g.36. Microscopic

organism37. Extend38. Salacious look40. Heavy book43. Submit44. Santa Claus

feature45. Uneasy46. Diner’s protec-

tive wear48. Humbly docile50. Bristle52. Vestige57. Abuse59. Supermarket

department61. Put on guard65. Conditional

release66. Fiery sky streak68. Amazement69. The outdoors72. Chutzpah74. “I Saw Her

Standing ____”75. Islamic ruler76. Sugar stalk77. Facial repair78. Burn balm79. Worshiped

image83. Triumphed84. Psyche

Page 20 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 THE OBSERVER

The Observer CLASSIFIEDSPlace your ad 613-342-8777 • 613-925-4265 • Fax 613-342-8773 • www.morris-group.ca/classified-adds

Brockville ObserverClassified Advertising RatesAll Classified Advertising Payable In Advance

30 cents per word, $8.00 minimumClassifieds will be accepted by telephone but must be paid

by 5:00 pm Monday, for publication on Wednesday

Ph: 613-342-8777 Fax 613-342-8773email: observer@slpprint.ca

Deadline for Classified Ads Monday at 4:00 pmDeadline for Display Advertising

Friday at 4:00 pm

HORSEMANSHIP CLINIC

Nominate your horse to participate in the clinic!Contact andrea.stewart@RitchieFeed.com for more information

613-341-9343

11AM - 12NOON IS MEET & GREET COFFEE HOUR

PER PERSON

ALL PROCEEDS DONATED TO

“TOUCH A RAINBOW”

RIDING FOR DISABLED

HORSEMANSHIP CLINICHELP WANTEDLOOKING FOR adult carriers. Car preferred. Call Bob at 613-925-1439 (nc)

ANNOUNCEMENTPLACE AN ANNOUNCEMENT in the Brockville Observer, call 613-342-8777. Deadlines Monday by 3:00 p.m. for the Wednesday edition. Cash, visa or mastercard. All prices are subject to H.S.T. The Brockville Observer is not responsible for pictures left here over 6 months. Please pick up your photographs as soon as they appear in the paper. (nc-8tf)

Property For SaleHOBBY FARM for her, recreational paradise for him on 65 acres south of Winchester. Bright, open, cosy two plus one bedroom small bungalow situated on quiet dead-end road. Completely updated, finished entirely in wood. Renovated barn; electricity, water, two stalls, insulated tack room. Shelter in each of the three paddocks. Pole barn for hay or toy storage. Thirty acres cleared, thirty five good bush. $299,000. 613-448-2486. (nc/tf8)

WantedLOOKING FOR a weeder Iron Horse Shoe exerciser, or all other exercise equipment. Please contact Mansell in the evenings at 613-341-9259 (ps8)

Looking forfull-time and part-time school crossing guardsThese positions are for 3 hours per day. Must have a clean criminal record and be able to pass a criminal CPEC.

Please drop off resume to:Don Jackson – Supervisor164 Perth StreetBrockville, OntarioPh: 613-342-8749Cell: 613-340-9504

Answers JUST FOR FUN

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PETSTWO ENGLISH BULLDOGS free to a good home. AKC registered, vet checked. Contact me at james.adam600@gmail.com (psmc8,9)

Contact the ObserverAdvertising Department today

DELIVERED TO OVER17,200 HOMES INBROCKVILLE, PRESCOTT AND RURAL ROUTES

THE OBSERVER WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 Page 21

The ObserverCOMMUNITY

Are you aware of the tax time myths and mistakes?

I can explain!

Managing your MoneyOrganize your shoebox – common tax time

myths and mistakes Debbie McAllister – Division Director, Consultant

The popular walking tours begin at Fulford Place Museum, a Nation-al Historic Site owned and operated by the Ontario Heritage Trust. The three-storey Ed-wardian mansion, com-pleted in 1900, was home to Senator George T. Fulford, who made his fortune marketing “Dr. Williams’ Pink Pills for Pale People”. The ghost of Fulford’s widow, Mary, who was a devotee of spiritualism, supposedly haunts the mansion. Costumed volunteers of the Friends of Fulford Place Association lead visitors through Brock-ville, stopping at vari-ous haunted spots to recount spooky tales of Fulford Place and the old city. Nancy Fraser, the author of “Mysterious Brockville” and “Mysteri-ous Brockville II”, col-lected the ghostly stories several years ago. The book forms the basis of the annual Ghost Walks. Two walks are of-fered: the “Haunted Brockville” walk lasts two and a half hours, and the “Creepy King Street” walk is 90 minutes long.

The guided walks are suitable for adults and children over eight years of age. Walk-ers are urged to wear comfortable shoes as the walks are con-ducted at a brisk pace. The tours run Friday evenings, from mid-July to the second Friday of September, rain or shine. As a Narrator, you would need good voice projec-tion, good delivery, and a good memory. You should be able to deliver the stories with flair. You have to be prepared to practice the stories all the time. (A good way is to practice in front of the mirror). There are ap-proximately 20 stories. As a Monitor, you have to have good “shepherding” skills, and be very watch-ful of everyone in the group. Since the walks take place at night, and the Narrators will be wearing black, Monitors are important to keep everyone safe. Monitors are equipped with flash-lights and safety vests. Both Narrators and Mon-itors must be ready for brisk, fast-paced walk-ing. They must be avail-

able at least three Friday nights through the sum-mer and into the second week of September. During a portion of each walk, a chartered bus transports the walkers part of the distance, so that time is saved in be-tween some of the sites. A “Ghost Walk” T-shirt is provided to all Narra-tors and Monitors. Black pants and comfortable shoes should also be worn. The rest of the costume (black cape and lantern for Narrators and Safety Vest and flashlight for Monitors), is pro-vided each Friday night. The Ghost Walks are held Rain or Shine, and some people insist that the ef-fect is even spookier if the walk takes place during a thunderstorm. Owners of various sites along the way have given per-mission for the group to shelter on a porch should the need arise. If you are interested in learning more about being a Ghost Walk Vol-unteer, please contact: Barbara Thom-son (613) 349-4976 Pam Brooks (613) 498-3003

On Friday, March 11th, the Brockville Museum invites resi-dents to an evening of food and light-hearted competition when they host “How do you spell spaghetti?”, a unique fund-raising event that combines colorful, and occasionally idiosyncrat-ic trivia, with The Mill’s mouthwatering Ital-ian cuisine. The even-ing will be facilitated by Miss Crookshank (also known as Museum Edu-

cator Amy Whitehorne), a stern and somewhat no-nonsense Victorian era schoolteacher who will guide you through a spelling and trivia con-test. Miss Crookshank’s questions will emphasize local history and geog-raphy. In keeping with our 1890s theme, slates will be provided for writ-ing answers on.

Offered will be a choice of chicken picatta, sole with a pesto sauce, or hearty meat lasagna served with soup, garlic bread, crème brule, and tea or coffee. Alcoholic

beverages will also be available for purchase.

Teams of up to four persons can be formed ahead of time or upon arrival. Costumes of a late-Victorian variety are also welcomed with priz-es being offered to the winning team as well as the best costume.

Tickets are $40 per person, (including tax and gratuities). To regis-ter call the Brockville Museum at (613)-342-4397 (please indicate your meal preference. Space is limited to 40 people).

It might be a shoebox or a big file folder or even a paper bag from your grocery store. It’s the place where you stash all the receipts, tax slips and other stuff that you think you’re go-ing to need come tax time. And when you pull all of that out it can become … very confusing.

Tax Time Myths I don’t have any income so I don’t

have to file. You should always file a tax return so you can claim the GST/HST credit, the Canada Child Tax Benefit, and other tax credits and de-ductions that may result in a refund.

I’m too young to file. Young people should file a return even if their in-come is under the $10,320 basic per-sonal exemption to get back tax with-held at source, to add to Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) con-tribution room, to trigger a GST/HST credit (if turning 19 in the next year), or to prove they have no income if applying for federal/provincial loans and bursaries.

My spouse can claim the child tax benefit for both of us. Each spouse has to file to get this credit.

I e-file my return so I don’t have to worry about receipts. Whether you e-file or send in a paper return, you must keep all supporting documen-tation in case the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) asks for it, otherwise your claim can be rejected.

Tax Time Mistakes Failure to file by deadline. If you

are paying taxes, you will face a late filing penalty of 5% plus 1% for each month your return is late, up to 12 months. You will also lose the option of lowering taxes through income-splitting.

Incorrect calculations. According to the CRA, tax return math mistakes are very common. You could end up paying more than you owe.

Failure to file a caregiver’s claim. You can make this claim as a parent taking care of a disabled child or your aging parents.

Claiming invalid expenses on employment income. You can claim only those expenses actually related to your job, such as automobile or home office expenses. Other expens-es –dry cleaning, for example – do not qualify.

Not reporting a common law relationship (including same sex couples). You must file as a common law couple to receive the same treat-ment as married couples.

Not being aware of new credits. For example, the Home Renovation and First Time Home Buyers’ credits are new this year.

Your personal ‘shoebox’ can take many forms. A professional advisor can help you sort it all out to your best financial advantage at tax time and for all the times of your life.

debbie.mcallister@investorsgroup.com

This column, written and pub-lished by Investors Group Financial Services Inc. (in Québec – a Financial Services Firm), presents general infor-mation only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell any investments. Con-tact a financial advisor for specific advice about your circumstances. For more information on this topic please contact your Investors Group Con-sultant

Do you like people? Do you like to tell stories? Are you physically able to do a crisp walk?Then you might enjoy volunteering for the Brockville Ghost Walks.

Who you gonna call? Brockville Ghost Walks!

Brockville museum hosts unique fundraiser

1000 ISLANDS INTERNATIONAL TOURISM COUNCIL

By Erin ChristieObserver Staff Writer

Hang Ups Gallery February Artist, Anne Barkley, en-

gages and challenges the viewer’s imagination with her compositions and ex-cites one’s eyes with the vibrancy of her colour pal-lete. The exhibition show-cases 19 new works by the abstract and figurative art-ist from Williamsburg ON.

Anne, whom in the past has exhibited with the Brockville Artists’ Studio, informs guests to the ex-hibit that, “at present my interest is in finding com-plexity in timeless, strong, serene abstract shapes and in beautiful textural col-ours.” Gallery coordinator, Laurie Sponagle, is excited to see Anne’s new work

stating, “Anne also has a fantastic sense of line. It is wonderful to see the linear elements she has created in her gestural motions, but also how she creates linear patterns in the negative areas created in her lay-ering of the paint as well.”

An award winning art-ist, Anne has studied at Queen’s and Carleton Uni-versities, and at St. Law-rence College, as well as at-tending many workshops in Canada and the United States. An elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists, she belongs to sev-eral other art groups and organizations. Anne ex-hibits regularly in Toronto, New York City, Montreal, and at the 2009 Biennale in Florence Italy.

Wanting to showcase the accomplishments of area and regional artists, Hang Ups has endeav-oured on this new venture of exhibiting original, high quality fine art & sculp-tures in the beautifully lit upstairs front room. The 2011 exhibition season runs from January to Oc-tober inclusive. Hang Ups, located at 24 St. Andrew Street, in historical down-town Brockville, is open Monday through Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, and until 6pm on Fridays.

Page 22 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 THE OBSERVER

The ObserverCOMMUNITY

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A wonderful contrast to the blanket of snow outside!

The Leeds & Grenville Landowners Association will be extending an in-vitation to all municipal councils of Leeds & Gren-ville, their staff and the general public, to attend an information session on the “Patent Land Grants”.

Elizabeth Marshall,

Chair of Research for the Ontario Landowners As-sociation, and foremost expert on Patent Land Grants, will be informing those in attendance of the force and effect of the Letters Patent. Mrs. Marshall will explain the rights and obligations

of the “patentee” (land-owner), as well as the ef-fect and limitations that legislation has on patent lands. She will cite case law such as Attorney General of Ontario vs. Roundtree Beech (1994) in which the Ontario Su-perior Court ruled that

the Crown has no “right, title or interest” in or to the land. We feel that under section 448.2 of the municipal act, that the province has placed all municipalities and their staff in a very diffi-cult legal position.

We invite all to attend

on Friday, March, 4, 2011, 7:00pm at the Grenville Snowmobile Club(4901 Charlieville Rd 3 miles north of Maynard).Come and find out why no min-istry or municipal offi-cial has any legal right to trespass on your private property. We are confi-

dent that you will come away with a whole new perspective and respect for the Patent Grants and the private landowner. President - shawn.carmi-chael71@gmail.com tele-phone 613-658-5258 Vice President-Duaine McKin-ley 613-926-2372

Landowners Association invites councils to discuss ‘Patent Land Grants’

KEMPTVILLE, ON – The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO) is pleased to announce the ap-pointment of Charlotte Rouleau to the position of Superintendent of School Effectiveness, ef-fective March 2011.

Mrs. Rouleau is cur-rently serving as the CDSBEO’s Principal of Curriculum, and has served as a school prin-cipal and as a teacher in our Catholic school sys-tem.

Director of Education, Wm. J. Gartland, stated, “Mrs. Rouleau’s diverse background and wealth of experience has pre-pared her well to serve the needs of our Cath-olic school commun-ities. She is dedicated to serving the students and families of the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario. I am very pleased to welcome this outstanding Catholic educator to our Senior Administration team.”

As Principal of Cur-riculum, Mrs. Rouleau has played a vital role in curriculum develop-ment. Director Gartland said, “Mrs. Rouleau’s

leadership has been a key component in the positive increase in stu-dent achievement. The initiatives she has helped to develop and imple-ment are clearly show-ing results. This is a tes-tament to Mrs. Rouleau and the curriculum team and their ongoing efforts to achieve success for all

students.”Mrs. Rouleau brings a

wide variety of leader-ship experience to the role. She has imple-mented a board-wide Ontario Writing Assess-ment for teachers, the In-tensive French program in seven schools, and has led workshops marking an increase in collabora-

tive networking and pro-fessional dialogue.

Mrs. Rouleau has served as a keynote speaker on several oc-casions, discussing cur-riculum initiatives and sharing best practices.

Mrs. Rouleau’s com-mitment to education stretches beyond the borders of the CDSBEO, as she continues to serve on regional, provincial and national commit-tees. She is a valued member of the Eastern Ontario Catholic Cur-riculum Cooperative, the National Intensive

French Network, and the French as a Second Lan-guage Provincial Work-ing Committee, among others.

Board Chair, Ron Eamer, said, “On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to welcome Mrs. Rouleau to the role of Superintendent of School Effectiveness. We wish her all the best and are blessed to have such an experienced leader in Catholic education take on this role.”

Mrs. Rouleau has been with the CDSBEO and worked in Catholic edu-

cation for more than 30 years.

For more information, please contact CDSBEO Communications Officer Bob Perreault at 613-258-7757 or 1-800-443-4562 ext. 206 or 613-859-0678 (mobile).

The Catholic District School Board of East-ern Ontario operates 40 elementary and 10 sec-ondary schools across 8 counties. The CDSBEO offers excellence in Cath-olic education through provincial-leading pro-grams to approximately 13,500 students.

CDSBEO appoints Superintendent of School Effectiveness

THE OBSERVER WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 Page 23

The ObserverCOMMUNITY

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Game On! is an excit-ing new program being offered to male youths between ages 12-14. The goal behind this pro-gram is to give young males the knowledge to make informed deci-sions on; healthy eating, physical activity and also to teach them about communication skills and self-esteem build-

ing. This program is be-ing offered in schools in Leeds and Grenville de-livered by Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Westminster Pub-lic School will be the first school to hold this brand new program for their grade 7 boys. The Game On! program will begin on Wednesday February 16th, 2011 at

Westminster and will run for 7 weeks for an hour and a half every Monday.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Leeds and Grenville is looking for more mentors for this program. For more in-formation about these volunteer opportunities please visit www.men-toringmatters.ca.

Game On! The exciting new program for male youths

Superintendent of School Effectiveness, Charlotte Rouleau

Page 24 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 THE OBSERVER

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