HUMBER ET CETERA
Woodbine thoroughbreds back
Another racing season ramps up at Woodbine Racetrack
beasts at the centre of the sport.
Leanne Elnicki said she had been attending Woodbine Racetrack since she was a kid. Now, she works at the huge facility in North Etobicoke as its senior communications manager.
“My dad’s been bringing me here since I was a little girl,” she said.
Elnicki has been working at Woodbine for the past two years and said what makes her more excited about her job is the opportunity to work in a field she has followed for decades and get to know the people who work there, who are as passionate about what they do.
The 650-acre facility at the corner of Rexdale Boulevard and Highway 27 is central to the province’s horse racing industry, part of the Woodbine Entertainment Group. Behind the glitter and excitement of the races, there’s a community most fans don’t see: the love the groomers, stable hands, jockeys, barn managers and walkers have for the majestic
Care for the horses includes everything from brushing to putting new shoes on to being a midwife.
Trainer John LeBlanc, who owns a barn at the track, remembers the day he helped his horse Emily deliver her pony Panda, also known as Immaculate Inning. He said Emily started her labour just as he was leaving work, and by the time he got home, he and his wife had brought Panda into the world.
“I (went) home because she (Emily) was out in the paddock in the snow, and his feet were sticking out the back end,” he said.
LeBlanc and his wife managed to get Emily into the barn.
“She wouldn’t lie down. It was her first baby. She had no idea what was happening, right? And then I got there, she lay down,” he said. “So I pulled him out.
“He’s 12 now, and he last raced with me when he was seven, so he hasn’t been here for five years,”
LeBlanc said of Panda, who is now back at Woodbine. He said the horse seemed confused as to why
he was there.
“He thinks he’s supposed to still be training to be a racehorse,” he said.
Elnicki said LeBlanc owns her favourite horse named Hello Friends and “she’s about to turn nine years old, so last year was her last season.
“He and his wife own the horse, so she’ll be taken care of very well on their farm,” she said.
Some retired horses become “ponies,” which includes Panda, who helps train younger horses and guides them through their journey at the racetrack.
Elnicki said there is a place called LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society, where they take retired racehorses and find them a new career, “so some of them will go on to do show jumping, or Dressage, or just be a beloved pet for somebody at their, you know, farms, a companion to ride with.
“Like, people have these horrible scenarios in their head, most of these horses get adopted out, and they find new lives basically,”
Elnicki said.
She said most horses start racing around the age of two, and “when the babies start racing, you can usually tell because they’re very chaotic.
“When it actually comes to a race, sometimes with two-yearolds, the gate will open and they’ll stand like they don’t know what’s going on, or they’ll run out and they’ll run sideways,” Elnicki said. “Two-year-olds are so unpredictable.”
Santino Di Paola, a trainer at Woodbine Racetrack who’s been working there for eight years, said his babies are at a training facility as they tend to be all over the place.
He said they won’t be at the track until May when they’ve learned some skills in running.
“There’s some people who have babies in right now, and it’s crazy out there. It’s kind of, they’re all over the place, so I’d rather mine be proper and know what they’re doing when they come in,” he said.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Humber Et Cetera is the Humber Polytechnic journalism program laboratory newspaper. It is created by journalism students in the Advanced Diploma program. Et Cetera serves to inform the Humber community and give its readers well-rounded coverage on the things that matter to them.
HUMBERETC/ANNAYS FERNANDA MEDEIROS
Annays Fernanda Medeiros HumberETC News
Students collab with Ocean Wise
Humber assignment turns into campaign for charity
Aislinn Millette HumberETC News
What started as a classroom assignment became a real-world campaign to care for marine life. A project by Humber Creative Advertising students Ceilidh Pate, Abby Henderson-Bowman and Lazar Fazlagic officially launched a project in a partnership with global environmental charity Ocean Wise on March 1. Their campaign, Protect the Peculiar, draws on Gen Z’s fascination with space and sci-fi creatures to inspire young people to care about marine life.
The idea, which started as a school assignment, evolved into an official Ocean Wise initiative, marking an exciting first for the students involved.
Using striking visuals and clever messaging to highlight the importance of protecting bizarre and lesser-known marine species, reinforcing that every creature, no matter how strange, plays a vital role in ocean ecosystems.
The idea for Protect the Peculiar was born from an assignment to pitch to guest speaker Nick Schultz from Ocean Wise, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and conserving the world’s oceans, where he presented a challenge of appealing to Gen Z to donate and get involved.
“I thought it was incredibly cool that they were diving into the sort of correlation between space and the ocean, and the creepy creatures and things that exist in both,” Shultz said.
To create their campaign, the advertisers started with finding
ocean life that stuck out to them, starting with animals that didn’t seem like they were from earth, Henderson-Bowman said.
Their campaign featured creatures like the angler fish, known for a light like flickering off its head, and long needle-like teeth, and then marketing these creatures in a kitschy way that draws in Gen Z.
Featuring facts about the animal’s habitats, food sources and skills, the campaign allows people to learn and feel a connection to these fascinating, uncommonly known creatures.
Through the roll-out of the campaign, the students saw their work unveiled on the first banner on the Ocean Wise website, and then the homepage
that links to the campaign they began a year ago.
“It’s such a cool client as well for a first client...so getting to use our creativity, our ideas and seeing those (is cool), but then also helping them raise donations and raise money to help them do their work...the combination of all that is really, really rewarding,” Fazlagic said.
The students were financially compensated for their work and credited on their creations on the website.
Pate said it’s fulfilling this is being recognized by the company and feels worthy of being made into a campaign where they were credited for their efforts.
These students are not just
using this as a cool portfolio piece, but also gaining experience working with industry professionals, with meetings, regular emails, and they can take this knowledge to possible employers.
“They’ve also been very flexible with us knowing that we’re students and we have so much other stuff on our plate...and I think it was a very good first experience for us, starting off doing something like this,” Henderson-Bowman said.
For those interested in learning more about Protect the Peculiar and how they can get involved, Ocean Wise encourages people to visit their website at Ocean.org or stay tuned through social media.
during the year of nominted work’s from the student-run publication.
Humber Et Cetera won a Gold Crown for hybrid news from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association based at New York City’s Columbia University.
This award commemorates publications with daily online coverage and newspaper editions. The Indiana Daily Student at Indiana University and The Ithacan at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y., also won Gold Crowns in the category.
Santiago Helou Quintero, the editor-in-chief of Humber Et Cetera 2023-2024, said the award validates the hard work.
“It’s super validating, to be honest, I think while we were working on the paper, we knew how special it was in the moment. Every edition just felt incredible to put together,” he said.
“We were so proud of the stories that our reporters were putting together. Our reporters were writing great stuff,” Quintero said. He said he shared the award with Isabelle Ferrante.
“I couldn’t have done it without Isabelle’s amazing work. She did so much behind the scenes to put the paper together,” Quintero said.
“This award is just as much hers as it is mine,” He said. When it came to print, Ferrante and Quintero would be co-editor-in-chief.
Ferrante said she Quintero and worked well together and had fun.
“I helped out with more layout stuff, so I was co-EIC whenever we would start layout, that’s when I would get help,” Ferrante said Quintero was the editor-inchief for the first half of the 20232024 school year. Zoe Pierson took over duties in the winter term.
He would follow the newspaper while it was in the hands of
Pierson.
COURTESY/SANTIAGO HELOU QUINTERO
Santiago Helou Quintero held the role of editor-in-chief
An illustration created by Ceilidh Pate, Abby Henderson-Bowman and Lazar Fazlagic for their ‘Protect the Peculiar’ campaign with Ocean Wise.
COURTESY/OCEAN WISE
Ceilidh Pate (left), Lazar Fazlagic and Abby Henderson-Bowman launched their Protect the Peculiar campaign.
HUMBER ETC/AISLINN MILLETTE
Two Humber vice presidents Efficiency reviews, organizational changes underway
because of the organizational restructuring.
Efficiency reviews and organizational restructuring are underway across various units across Humber to strengthen its polytechnic identity and adapt to the uncertainties faced by the post-secondary sector, says Ann Marie Vaughan, president and CEO of Humber Polytechnic.
“We’re making a shift as an organization. We’re expanding our programming. We’re looking at our budgets,” she told Humber Et Cetera. “We’re looking for other revenue sources. And so, I have people temporarily doing pieces of work to look at those pieces of the operation, so that we can come out of this stronger.”
She says they are also working to address a $50 million-plus “issue” for next year’s budget, partly through internal reductions and the rest from new revenue sources.
“I’ve had some people working within the organization that bring different experiences to Humber, plus a lot of people within the organization that have deep knowledge of Humber,” Vaughan said. “We are doing reviews of some of our revenue units, to be able to see if there’s an ability to generate more revenue.”
She says the institution is also going through structural shifts.
Those structural shifts may have led to the removal of two senior Humber executives, Jason Hunter, vice president of students and institutional planning and Kelly Jackson, vice president of external affairs and professional learning. They were let go in October 2024
Jackson joined Humber in 2017 and Hunter in 2009. It appears their duties were distributed among other vice presidents while the college added another vice president, Glenn Craney who is the special advisor to the president and the board of governors.
The province then launched a third-party review of the college’s governance practices in January. The terms of reference did not permit a performance review of the president, having in-camera meetings, seeking legal counsel or emailing staff, according to The Toronto Star.
An exodus of nine board members followed. The wave of resignations was announced in a late-night email through Humber Communiqué, the college’s employee newsletter, following an executive and governance meeting on Jan. 16.
There is no apparent direct connection between the two events. However, Humber Et Cetera was alerted to the dismissals by two sources while reaching out for comments on the board resignations.
Jackson and Hunter denied Et Cetera’s request for comments on board resignations.
The board resignations included Chair Akela Peoples, who has been on the board for more than six years, and Vice Chair Anne Trafford.
“It was not an easy decision to resign,” Peoples wrote in a prepared statement exclusive to Humber Et Cetera.
“I can assure you that like me, these board members care deeply about Humber students and Humber as an institution,” she
wrote. “We concluded however that constraints were preventing us from properly and responsibly fulfilling our very important duty of care in public service, and we were left with no other viable path forward but to step down.”
Peoples said oversight of a public institution is a significant responsibility and the board members took it “very seriously.”
The other seven who resigned are Pauline Larsen, John Breakey, Ali Ghassi, Earl Davis, Lekan Olawoye, Ana Downes and Joseph Carnevale. None of the governors explained what the specific issues were that caused the mass resignations, apparently bound by confidentiality.
Vaughan said the changes among vice presidents are part of the “ripple effects” of moving enrolment and finance under one portfolio, ultimately affecting the positions.
“That was done to be able to particularly focus on the moment that we’re in right now, around the need to integrate planning, which includes finance, enrolment, and planning itself. Because enrolment is now more and more important to our overall finances,” she said.
Vaughan says one of her performance objectives for the year, as she discussed with the board last winter, was to review the college’s executive structure to fit that “future vision.”
Robert A. “Squee” Gordon, Humber’s longest-serving president, said while adjustments can be made to meet the demands of the time, senior staff should also be treated “decently.”
“Normally, a new president can do an analysis of a situation and can decide with the changing times that there would be some structural changes they need to make to meet the requirements of the future. But normally, they would also treat the senior staff appropriately,” Gordon said.
Gordon retired 18 years ago but says he’s still considerably active, knows people within the community and “do sort of know what’s going on.’’
He said asking vice presidents to leave seemed like a conflict of interest. Gordon said he understood a study was done by a consultant on Humber’s organizational structure. As a result, both individuals were told they “don’t fit” anymore and were asked to leave without a warning, he said.
This was followed by the consultant taking over the senior job.
“If I want a big job and I’m a consultant, I would write up a report which says, ‘And oh, and by the way, I’m the best candidate for what I’m proposing,’” Gordon said. “There was no search, there was no advertising of a position outside.”
“That would be one reason why the board is, was concerned about those kinds of things,’’ he said. Gordon says it could be “very unethical” if no committee were consulted before making the move.
John Breakey, a former Humber Board of Governor member, said he was not aware of the letting go of the two vice presidents but doesn’t know if it was the same for the rest of the board.
“Any board I’ve served on, if an executive
Harnoor Kaur
HumberETC News
Former VPs who were let go in October 2024, Kelly Jackson(left), Jason Hunter and current vice president and special advisor to the president and the board of governors, Glenn Craney.
presidents let go following restructure
underway across varied units in Humber Polytechnic
were to make a major move of any sort, they would normally let the board know and get at least the advice of the board,’’ Breakey said. He said as it was an operational issue, it necessarily didn’t have to be presented to the board with a debatable demarcation between operations and governance. It is a question of general etiquette or ethics.
All Breakey knew was that some new people were hired.
Vaughan said she deems it inappropriate to name the individuals while discussing restructuring.
“I worry about these two individuals,” she said. “I think it would be unfair to them, and it would actually be completely false, that anything would suggest that there was something negative here. This was about structural changes that needed to take place.
Vaughan said both individuals made contributions to the institution.
“This was about structurally making sure that Humber could be organized in a way that we could weather the storm,” Vaughan said. “And the proof is that our domestic enrolment has gone up as a result of this. And our international enrolment is up one per cent.”
Former governor Breakey said some level of autonomy should be given to a president or CEO unless a decision could have a negative impact.
“If it has an impact, like a negative impact on an organization, then the board could step in and advise the CEO not to do it,” he said. “And hopefully the CEO would sort of take the recommendation of the board.”
Milos Vasic, the president of Humber’s faculty union, OPSEU Local 562, said Jackson was thanked for her services via a Communiqué announcement while there was no mention of Hunter, despite being with Polytechnic longer.
All that was announced was that student success and engagement were moved under Jason Seright, vice president of inclusion and belonging.
“What they didn’t say was that you know, Jason Hunter was no longer a vice president,” Vasic said. “As far as I know, that’s the only restructuring that’s happened is that Jason Seright, as a vice president, now has more under his portfolio.”
Vaughan said she respects individuals “who are not intimately involved in that might think there’s a bigger story here.”
She said it was simply to be able to operate quickly and adjust to the uncertainty caused by changes initiated by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which announced an international student enrolment cap in January 2024.
Staff at the North campus town hall heard Humber’s domestic enrolment rose 6.9 per cent and international enrolment rose by one per cent.
Vaughan says a “group’’ has been created
which meets weekly to manage the issue of enrolment changes caused by IRCC rules.
“I don’t know if there’s any other institution in Ontario that can give you that story, and that required a complete shift in the way that we plan,” she said. “Twenty years ago, we were funded, as I mentioned, 72 per cent by government. Now we’re 25 per cent. And we’re more than double the size of an institution.
“Our international enrolment has quadrupled over the last decade,” Vaughan said.
Humber was rebranded as a polytechnic in fall 2024 under the slogan “Builders of Brilliance” to tackle “Canada’s productivity crisis.” That was followed by a new advertising recruitment campaign in mid-March with a new slogan “The You You Knew Was In You.”
Vaughan said the new direction requires restructuring. She said the structural changes are not complete yet and Humber will continue to make changes as variables including tariffs, federal government changes and funding can affect the financial health of the institution.
“It’s my job as well as other leaders to make sure that we protect the institution through this as much as we can, and ensure that we continue to keep Humber as the pillar that it is within Ontario, within Canada, and indeed around the world,” she said.
“I’d rather not talk about individuals. Because to talk about an individual doesn’t present the full picture,’’ she said.
Gordon, however, said while federal government changes are adding tensions, alternative management approaches exist. “There are various ways of administering institutions, and one of them is consulting people and involving them in the decisions. The other one is just secrecy and running roughshod,’’ he said.
Vaughan says disruption is inevitable amid the volatile environment across the sector and the number of jobs it is affecting.
“People need to understand there will be disruption at Humber as we try to manage through this difficult time,” she said. “And that doesn’t say anything about those individuals. It is a factor of having to restructure and look at efficiencies in how we do things. Where can we drive more revenue? And the overall objective here is to protect what makes Humber so special.”
The role of a “special advisor to the president” was created to facilitate the rebranding process.
According to the staff directory, Craney officially is the vice president and special advisor to the president in the office of the president and board of governors. Craney had previously worked at Toronto Metropolitan University as the inaugural chief strategy officer tasked with streamlining the downtown school’s strategic plan.
His personal LinkedIn profile says he is
currently vice president of Strategy and Planning and joined Humber in December 2023.
A Communiqué’s monthly career milestone announcement said he completed a year with the polytechnic in February 2025.
Vaughan followed up on Et Cetera’s question on the role of a special advisor in a post-interview email.
“That role was created to provide advice (to the president) on the creation of Humber Polytechnic, along with the development of Humber’s new vision Building Brilliance. Glenn Craney was hired for the role,’’ Vaughan said in the statement.
“Shortly thereafter, the first of the IRCC changes related to international students were announced,” she said. “Glenn’s previous roles in government and three other institutions made his perspective invaluable in determining a response to the unprecedented uncertainty impacting Humber and the system.”
The latest organizational chart of the institution publicly available online is from the year 2022.
Vasic says the faculty union has also asked for the organizational chart twice but was brushed off.
“Again, it’s a matter of transparency. Like, what is the reporting structure? Who has authority?” Vasic said. “They’re obligated to give reporting structures in terms of annual budgets and things like that.”
When asked about the consultant, Breakey said he could neither confirm nor deny the statement with various variables in play, such as expertise, and temporary or permanent filling in of the role, which makes it hard to
determine if it is a conflict of interest.
“It’s not impossible that that happened. It’s not wrong that that would happen in some situations, and it would maybe be a conflict of interest in other situations, but it’s, in this particular case, I don’t know,” he said.
Vaughan said there was no consultant report.
“I don’t know anything about that,” she said.
Gordon said, generally, committees are formed to explore changes in senior management.
“Normally there are committees set up, there’s lots of input from various people, rather than just autocratic decisions by one individual to hire someone else. That’s not done in institutions,” he said.
Gordon said such instances can potentially affect morale within an institution, but in this case, “I don’t know, I can’t comment on that.’’
He said the main issue was with the board, who “felt they weren’t able to do their job, which has nothing to do fundamentally with the tensions that might be coming from cuts and international students, et cetera.’’
Breakey said current challenges faced by the sector allow leaders to demonstrate creativity and iterated the importance of a good relationship between the board and management.
“A good board manages through all difficulties. And in fact, sometimes leaders, whether they’re CEOs or boards, like a challenge,” he said. “Board members don’t run away and CEOs typically don’t run away from problems. And so that wasn’t the case with this board either.”
Former Humber president Robert A. Gordon (centre) welcoming dignitaries on campus.
Thoroughbreds back for new season Racing season ramps
Di Paola also won his first stakes race last year.
“Last season was kind of a career-high. The year before that, we hit our most number of wins, so I’m quite confident in my abilities in season eight,” Di Paola said.
He grew up in the industry and was raised on a farm, and his parents have owned racehorses for as long as he can remember.
As he got older, he wanted to be a trainer, “so normally, you start out as a hot walker here, which is cooling out the horses after training. Then you make your way to a groom, which is you kind of taking care of them more, and then an assistant trainer, and trainer,” Di Paola said.
“When I started, I just got thrown in as a trainer role, so it’s been a learning curve,” he said.
He takes care of about 20 horses in his barn, and his favourite thing about his job is watching the horses develop and
up with horses returning to Etobicoke
get stronger and fitter during this time of the year.
“And you can kind of see who’s going to rise above and have a good season. You can tell normally within the first month of training, so this is my favourite time,” said Di Paola, obviously proud of his horses. “Little Teddy’s been second five times in stakes since she broke through last year. She’ll be exciting this year.
“I have a horse named Gerald who’s kind of on the King’s Plate trail,” he said.
The King’s Plate is North America’s oldest continuously run race and Canada’s most prestigious. The 166th running of three-year-olds this August has a $1-million stake.
“We definitely have an Oaks filly…so there’s a couple that are kind of on the trail to be running in the bigger races this year, which I’m excited about,” he said. An Oaks race is a stakes race for three-year-old fillies.
Di Paola said the horses’ day normally starts at 4:30 a.m., when they’re
fed breakfast and the grooms begin their care of them, clean the stalls, and then the horses usually begin their training at 6 a.m. and end at 10:30 a.m.
“Right now, we start training at 7 a.m. just because of the time change and lighting, cause the main track’s not open with the lights,” he said.
The horses return to the barn after training, where the hot walker cools them out for about 30 minutes, and if they have a breeze, which is a timed workout where the horses are sprinting, they will cool out for about one hour, Di Paola said.
“So, they’re making sure they’re drinking, cooling down, they get a bath, […] and then you feed them lunch, and if it’s a race day, you kind of get everything ready to go over to the front side and race in whatever race number you’re in,” he said. Wendy McLaren, a grounds property service manager who has been at Woodbine for about 37 years, ensures the barns are well-maintained and that
everything is in good condition.
“We fix doors. We fix screens. We fix back walls that horses kick out, and then, of course, we’re snow removal too, so it just goes non-stop,” McLaren said. “Considering the amount of snow we had this winter, we were on track for everybody coming back.”
McLaren said her dad worked in the backstretch and her mom worked on the front side years ago.
“So, it’s really nice to be here because all these people knew my family, and some of my parents’ friends, I’ve met their kids through here, and we’re still friends,” she said.
“Like, it’s fun. We have dinners together. We go out together. It’s huge, like, this is a huge part of my life,” McLaren said.
She said most people at Woodbine Racetrack have been working there for as long as she has, and some of the people in the dorms depend on them, so it is a safe place for them.
ALL PHOTOS HUMBERETC/ANNAYS FERNANDA MEDEIROS
From top left clockwise: Leanne Elnicki petting a thoroughbred horse at John LeBlanc’s barn. Next Pitch in her stable in John Leblanc’s barn at Woodbine Racetrack. A jockey takes their horse for an early morning trot. Jockeys racing their horses on the track. Featherweight, a thoroughbred, in a stable.
Humber’s culinary, baking students
The polytechnic’s programs showcase multiple new
Despite feeling nervous moments before the doors opened to the National Home Show at Exhibition Place, students with Humber’s Culinary Management and Baking and Pastry Arts Management kept their spirits high.
While a group of baking students prepare ingredients for an ice cream demo, one of the students, Lihini De Silva, turns to fellow culinary student Shanique Facey seeking some love and support.
“You love us, right?” De Silva asks playfully, Facey shaking her head endearingly in response. The group of four baking students laugh aloud, as students from the two programs seem eager to tease each other affectionately.
It’s a camaraderie that allowed Humber’s second appearance at the show to truly succeed. From March 7 to 16, baking and culinary students came together to provide live demonstrations at the Enercare Centre.
From learning how to meal prep and
utilize every piece of meat and vegetable available on hand, to learning how to make pasta from scratch, the Culinary and Baking Skills Demo highlighted unique ways people can cook in their home kitchens.
Alongside the baking and culinary students, professors from both programs came to support their students. This included Chef Shonah Chalmers, Chef Daniel Gonzales, Chef Devonne Sitzer, and Chef John McMullan.
Shonah Chalmers, a professor for the Culinary Management program and a chairman for different organizations such as the Toronto Culinary Federation, said this was the second year Humber participated in the National Home Show.
“They came to Humber and asked if we wanted to be part of it last year. And after last year, they were so impressed, that they said, ‘We’re going to take out all the other kitchen demos. It’s just going to be you all day, all night for 10 days straight,” she said.
Developing Humber’s itinerary for
the Home Show didn’t come without its challenges despite the time given for Chalmers to prepare. She said she wanted a mix of baking and culinary students to showcase the talents within Humber effectively.
With the culinary students, she picked people she believed had a good idea of what team spirit is and an understanding of sustainable cooking. Many of these students she had already taught, so the decisions came with ease.
When it came to the baking students, Chalmers was unsure of what their talents and capabilities looked like.
She said she was advised by the baking program coordinator and professors alike for which students would be best, but she still didn’t expect to face personalities that deeply contrasted the usual demeanour of culinary students.
“They were shy, they weren’t sure they could do this. But I said, I’m going to be right beside you, you are not going to
ever be alone,” she said. “And they felt like that was enough for them. Now, they’re barrelling it out and they’re going to be the most confident students graduating out of the program.”
Many of the students involved felt like they were able to grow and learn more from presenting at the home show. One culinary student, Nadia Eiras, said the biggest hurdle she had to overcome was the fact English isn’t her first language.
“If I was there speaking in Portuguese, oh, it would be so easy for me. I’m not shy. But the thing is, sometimes the words can’t come out, so I get nervous and just freeze, you know?” Eiras said.
“But now, I’m not afraid anymore. Sometimes I still freeze, but I just don’t care any more. I just keep going and eventu ally the word
Yu “Lea” Wong began working with food by blogging, later enroling in the Culinary Management program.
HUMBERETC/JULIA-MARIE ILANO
Julia-Marie Ilano HumberETC Culture
Lihini De Silva (left) and Millizent Escudero led the demo on making ice cream without an
students cook at National Home Show
new ways viewers can cook from their home kitchens
comes back to me,” she said.
Other students found different ways to overcome the nerves. Baking student, Millizent Escudero said she considers herself to be more introverted and only opens up around close friends. This was something that changed as her time presenting in the home show progressed.
“This experience taught us to open up more. In terms of our career, we need to be more outgoing and this is actually helping me a lot now. Like I’ll go live now, and I’ll be explaining a lot more stuff and I’m like, ‘What is happening?’” She said.
Another baking student, De Silva, said the atmosphere fostered by baking and culinary students made it easier for her to keep nerves
“We sing, dance, do anything to get us going,” she
Besides the hurdles that came with understanding how to be more outgoing, many students also appreciated the opportunity to showcase cuisine that wasn’t strictly classical Western dishes.
One student, Yu “Lea” Wang said she found French techniques to be basic. It was why she was grateful many of them had the opportunity to showcase dishes that ranged from Southeastern Asian cuisine to North African food.
“I think people generally are more enthusiastic to watch those [demos]. So as chefs, obviously we want to learn more about them so that we can present them better here,” she said.
Escudero was another student who found a way to implement her own culture into the dishes presented. The Filipino student showcased an ube tiramisu recipe, and also incorporated ube in a demo that highlights how to make ice cream without an ice cream machine
alongside De Silva.
Besides showcasing the diversity within home cooking, Chalmers said many of their segments also touch on how to be more sustainable.
“We’re really trying to educate the consumer on the small things that can extend their groceries and help them cook more sustainably at home,” she said.
A demonstration that highlights this sustainability focused on using different meat cuts and how to cook less popular cuts of beef. Eiraes said she cares a lot about sustainability and practices a lot of the techniques she’s learned in her own home, which was one reason she enjoyed this demo.
“Teaching people to not only use the famous ones like a rib eye or a strip loin. Like, you have a lot of other cuts that we can do amazing steaks with and it’s cheaper, and no one buys it,” she said.
This event not only benefited the visitors of the National Home Show but also the students themselves.
Wang said before joining the program,
she focused on her work as a food blogger before choosing to study within the Culinary Management program to diversify her food skills. Many students, including Wang, had the opportunity to develop their recipes to showcase.
“It’s a good opportunity as an internship. You don’t just improve your culinary skills, but also you do a lot of presentation that we are going to use in the workplace eventually,” she said.
Chalmers said she believes the event showcases how her students are stronger than ever, and how the program successfully reflects the needs of a constantly evolving industry.
“The 11 students I have here, I could put them anywhere in the city that they want to be. Our students are diverse. They are stronger than the students I’ve ever seen coming out of this program,” she said.
“I am confident any chef would be happy to have any of them, and it fills my heart just to see them grow so much in these 10 days,” she said.
Out of Chef Shonah Chalmers’ 32 years in the food service industry, 20 of them were spent teaching.
HUMBERETC/JULIA-MARIE ILANO ice cream machine. The flavours included Cookies and Creme, Dulce de Leche, and Ube.
HUMBERETC/JULIA-MARIE ILANO
Canadian educators embrace AI
Learning proper AI use after becoming familiar with evolving technology
Mikulas Horvath HumberETC Culture
Artificial Intelligence (AI) use has become part of the technology literacy discussion and Canada is embracing its potential uses.
AI use is on the rise and a recent Leger survey reported 30 per cent of Canadians use AI, a five per cent increase from the previous year.
The same survey reports that half of Canadians, 50 per cent, are familiar with chatbot AI systems such as automated chatting services.
The other half is a group not as familiar with chatbot AI, but it’s a figure that is decreasing.
Compared to February 2023, 50 per cent is a four point increase from the previous 46 per cent.
As Canadians use AI more, they’re learning how to utilize this rapidly developing technology.
Erin Kjaer, program manager of Canada Learning Code, an organization teaching adults digital skills, says a key part of accepting AI use is understanding that it is not a placeholder for humans.
“A big part of what we talk about is how to use those tools in a way that is representative of yourself and your skills, and not as a replacement,” Kjaer said.
AI systems produce results based on an amalgamation of information it gathers.
“If I’m training an AI system that is designed to provide close captioning and I’m only training it on people who have a specific regional dialect or a specific accent I’m only training it to understand one way to say words,” Kjaer said.
“If I wanted it to be more effective, I would want to train it on lots of different accents.”
Training an AI based on one type of human interaction can create implicit bias against race, gender, religion, income and other factors, which is the premise of the documentary Coded Bias.
Canada Learning Code hosted a screening of the film on Feb. 18 in the It’s Ok* Studios on Queen Street West.
Charlotte Nurse, director of programs with Canada Learning Code, said the documentary digs into the root source of AI’s biases.
“The most important thing is these aren’t glitches, it’s built into the tools because of the inherent biases of the team that build them,” Nurse said.
Coded Bias is about revealing the biases that are embedded into AI systems such as job application sorters and facial recognition software.
Joy Buolamwini, an accomplished computer scientist and activist, is the icon of AI ethics in the film and continues to be a symbol of digital activism today.
During her studies at MIT, Buolamwini took an interest in facial recognition software.
However, she ran into a critical error while testing facial recognition on herself.
Buolamwini, a woman of colour, must adopt a white mask so that software can recognize her.
Similar technology was the centre of discussion at a Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing in 2019.
Buolamwini testified as a witness, which was highlighted in the climactic sequence
of Coded Bias.
Erin Kjaer said educating adults on the ethics and implications of AI is important because they can teach others, including their kids.
“Part of that starts with educating adults because so that they are prepared to have those conversations with their kids and with the students they teach,” she said.
Renfrew County Catholic District School Board (RCCDSB) recently started allowing their teachers to freely use AI tools to familiarize themselves with this significant technology.
Tyson Holly, RCCDSB’s experiential learning and technology coordinator, said this rollout is part of a two-year plan to incorporate AI into the classroom.
Part of this plan was assembling the AI Working Group, which Holly also chairs.
Other board members include Mark Searson, the RCCDSB’s director of education.
“Starting in June 2024, we started to meet and talk about how we might use this year of learning for implementing AI into our district,” Holly said.
“We are encouraging of it, and I think you need to have more of a positive approach and embrace it,” he said.
Holly said the goal of this program is to incorporate AI into the classroom without taking away the core learning values and addressing how AI cannot truly create its content.
“If we’re going to be letting students use AI for their projects, we’re going to need to update our policies, especially around plagiarism,” he said, “This isn’t just a tool to outsource your thinking.”
RCCDSB gave its educators and other staff access to Google Gemini, which they could use for assistance in administrative tasks.
Google Gemini is an AI assistant with speech recognition which can answer questions and utilize Google’s suite of apps.
For example, Gemini can be used to create appointments on Google Calendar without a physical input.
“We’ve had some very positive conversations with educators who have used the tool and found that it saved them time,” he said. “They’ve used it for all kinds of things like writing emails, creating lesson plans and creating rubrics.”
Once the educators become more familiar with AI and how it functions, Gemini will be distributed to students in grades nine through 12 in the second phase of RCCDSB’s approach to AI.
However, discussions in the classroom about proper AI use are up to the educators until the second phase of RCCDSB’s plan is rolled out.
“I think those conversations are going to happen when we launch Gemini for Grades 9 to 12,” Holly said, “Those conversations need to happen.”
Amina Yousaf, associate head of the Early Childhood Studies program at University of Guelph-Humber (UGH), said that educating children on AI is essential for ethical use.
“As long as we are teaching children to be critical thinkers, I think that’s the missing piece,” Yousaf said, “If we are encouraging youth to be critical, then using AI can be done in an ethical sense.”
VR gaming arena opens in Mississauga
Another World VR Arena brings immersive gaming to life
Ryan Persaud HumberETC Culture
Another World VR Arena opened in Mississauga near Pearson Airport and had its grand opening on Feb. 1.
The virtual reality playground is a franchise among 112 VR arenas in 76 cities across 19 countries. The VR franchise develops its games and provides games for a wide range of age groups and various genres.
Eshaan Rao, owner of the Mississauga franchise, said this location is 15 minutes away from all the largest cities.
“I like to (say), you don’t have to be visible, but you have to be accessible,” he said.
Rao said 99 per cent of the business involves bookings.
“We market online, we get bookings. But one thing that’s very important for us is we have to be convenient. People should be able to drive 20 minutes from wherever they are and get to here,” he said.
Rao said true VR is about being fully immersed, where physical movements are mirrored in the virtual world. So, if a player moves their right shoulder, it should move in the game. He said a player’s virtual self would respond to real movements, such as bending down, lying down, jumping and even running at a high speed.
“In the game, you can take an elevator, you’ll be standing in the same spot, but
you’ll actually feel like you’re going 100 floors up. You’ll get that feeling and you’ll be in a completely different level of a building or space,” he said.
Rao said the VR technology they use is safe.
“For example, you can try, when you put on the headsets before you bump into a wall, there will be an imaginary wall in the game telling you to stop. So actually, we don’t have to supervise anyone. The technology supervises itself,” he said.
“We’ve had three pre-opening days where we’ve brought in groups of people,”
Rao said. “I have videos of them playing and talking. So far everyone’s given us five star reviews. They’ve been kicking, they’ve been screaming. They said this experience was unlike anything else.”
Rao said the customer response is “beyond what I expected during the first 24 days.”
Smit Patel, a technician at Another World, said customers have been very happy with their experience with the VR games.
Patel said he has to ensure the VR games are running well and there are no issues.
“The main thing I do is make sure players stay within the boundary system of the game,” he said. “ So they’re not gonna hit a wall, but if they’re running around a lot, I just have to make sure they don’t, like,
accidentally get, run into the boundary.”
Patel said that there are different types of VR headsets, such as Apple VR, Meta Quest, Pico and the Oculus. He said the term Oculus refers to the VR, but the device they use is called Meta Quest 3, the latest version created by Meta and “ we’re using the latest version.”
Phebe Chung, a brand strategist and content creator, said Another World VR Arena Mississauga reached out to her hoping she could do a video with them, “and also do a giveaway with them, which I appreciate a lot.”
Chung said the first game she played was a war game, not exactly Call of Duty.
“The first game you’re fighting as a person as your own player,” she said. “You have guns and armours for you to attack and protect. Everywhere you have to pick it up, (or) you will run out of bullets, so you have to go around and like find guns.”
Chung said the impressive segment of the game was the elevators, lifters and moving around to different blocks.
“It’s actually really cool because you do feel it,” she said. “You do feel like you’re lifted up. And you do feel like you’re going away somewhere.”
Chung said the second game was a game based on cooperation, where she and her friends stood and moved less but faced a menace.
“So we’re just standing there and zombies would come from all around us,” she said.
Chung said her friend was fighting off the zombies with his hands in the VR game.
“ I could actually see him next to me with his character, like just moving his hands like that, which is super hilarious,” Chung said. “ People are always looking for things to do, new things to experience with their friends, and this would definitely be a fun and new experience,” she said.
“ You could do VR and dinner,” Chung said.
Players wearing their Meta Quest 3 headsets, embracing the virtual reality game as a team at Another World VR Arena based in Mississauga.
HUMBERETC/RYAN
Understanding Israel is knowing Western power
Israel has seen a mass amount of organic flak from progressive and pro-human rights organizations since their genocidal response to the Oct. 7 attacks. However, this is nothing new for a nation founded in living memory of the mass expulsion and killing of a native population.
One would expect Western countries, with their advocacy for liberty and freedom from authoritarian states, to champion those who protest against such a regime even if they are not morally perfect in all their actions.
Yet these so-called freedom-loving institutions have failed to muster any support for any branch of the anti-Israeli movement.
This breakdown of stated theory never showing itself in praxis is at the core of Western chauvinism or jingoism which has made itself much louder and apparent over the past decade.
The Western core of power can never truly support these liberatory movements, domestic or abroad, because they directly oppose the very thing that gives these colonial institutions power.
This has been the modus ope-
OPINION
randi of these nations for centuries. Canadians live on land that was stolen through the same methods as Israeli settlements steal theirs.
The entirety of the Americas was conquered and controlled by foreign forces, even up to this year, when countries in South and Central America stand up and say, “Give me liberty or give me death,” the European and United States response is the latter, killing democratically elected leaders or quelling revolutionary action to ensure control of the area.
This is not a new phenomenon. It was articulated by civil rights activist and writer James Baldwin in 1969 when he said, “If any white man in the world says give me liberty or give me death, the entire white world applauds. When a black man says exactly the same thing – word for word – he is judged a criminal and treated like one…”
He says powers that be will do whatever they can to make an example of those who step out of line.
This is often the response to those who are asked to condemn the violence of liberatory action, often while ignoring the violence that forces such action or even in
many cases praising it.
It is no secret that the Israeli people support human rights violations against the Palestinian population.
Mass protests were organized on July 29, 2024, in response to it being revealed that IDF reservists were using systemic rape as a tactic on Hamas prisoners. This led to government leaders condemning the storming of a military base while one outright defended and justified the actions of the IDF reservists.
A report published on March 13 by the UN found that “Israel has systematically used sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence since 7 October 2023. The Commission concludes that there has been a large increase in sexual and gender-based crimes perpetrated against Palestinians by members of the [Israeli Security Forces] since 7 October 2023, intended to retaliate and punish them collectively for the attacks carried out by the military wing of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in southern Israel on 7 October.”
A similar report from March 4 found “reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual
violence occurred at several locations across the Gaza periphery” and that hostages have also “been subjected to various forms of conflict-related sexual violence” but the term systemic was never used to describe the sexual violence.
It should be stated clearly that Humber Et Cetera condemns all forms of sexual violence, systemic or not, and is only bringing up this point to the specific systemic nature of Israel’s sexual violence as compared to the conflict-based sexual violence perpetuated by Hamas.
No one should be surprised by this systemic nature, as our settler colonial nation of Canada was founded on the same principles.
In American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World, historian David Stannard writes extensively about the systemic rape and assault justified under the ideals of colonialism across the Americas having found that native women were “gambled away in card games and traded for other objects of small value, while stables of them were rented out to sailors who desired sexual accompaniment during their travels up and down the coast.”
Within Canada, sexual assault was used as a base tool of coloniza-
tion.
Brock University Vice Provost Robyn Bourgeois concluded clearly in her work Race, Space, and Prostitution: The Making of Settler Colonial Canada that “in a settler colonial nation-state like Canada, the ‘source of the attitudes’ that make this permissible is the dominant ideologies of racism and heteropatriarchy.”
Yet now many say a simple land acknowledgment and commit to being “anti-colonial” while turning their back on the same systems being perpetuated to Palestinians, not to mention the fact that these forms of violence still have not been eradicated from Canada.
How long until Israel does a land acknowledgment in Gaza? And will that bring true justice and reconciliation towards the people undergoing genocide on this very day? No, it will not.
This is a system perpetuated within the West that can not be allowed to continue and those who wish to stand with Indigenous groups against the forms of violence must see this on a global level and fight against it be it direct action or solidarity.
Despite his undeniable talent, I hate my hometown hero
Igrew up in Brantford, Ont., home to many Canadian legends. Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone call just two minutes from my parents’ home. Many culturally significant figures in the arts are from here, but the first person that always comes to mind is Wayne Gretzky.
I am not a hockey fan, but his legacy is undeniable.
The city’s sports centre is named after him, and a major road linking Highway 403 is called the Wayne Gretzky Parkway. Maybe the city milked his popularity a little, but he is regarded as one of the greatest NHL players ever.
I grew up learning about Gretzky in simple ways. One day in elementary school, I didn’t have a book to read, so I picked up his autobiography from the bookshelf. I’m not sure I would have made that choice if not for the city’s admiration for him.
From that book, I learned about his childhood and early career. I was fascinated and suddenly inherited the same appreciation my city had for him.
His father, Walter, was even more of a pillar in our community. You would see him at the mall, the grocery store and always at the sports centre. He was warm, conversational and made people feel welcome.
My hockey friends at school would talk about seeing Walter at practice the night before, and my grandma would tell me about their conversations at Lynden Park Mall. His death was a profound loss for Brantford.
After his passing, a bronze bust of Walter was placed in City Hall, in honour of his reputation as our
city’s unofficial “Lord Mayor.”
My favourite story about the Gretzky family isn’t even my own. My mom’s friend once had Gretzky visit her elementary school class when he first entered the NHL. She thought he was lame, so he gave her his rookie trading card. She ripped it up, an action she regretted within a year.
I see traces of him throughout Brantford, but it doesn’t feel like the energy he left behind. It feels manufactured. He doesn’t live here and seemingly doesn’t want a legacy tied to either Brantford or Canada as a whole.
It became apparent on Feb. 20 when Canada and the U.S. faced off in the 4 Nations final, a game with heightened attention given the political climate and the divisive rhetoric U.S. President Donald J. Trump fuelled.
Each team had an honorary captain. Representing Canada? My hometown hero, Wayne Gretzky. He walked out onto the ice from the tunnel on the same side as the U.S. team, dressed in a
suit instead of a Canadian jersey.
He gave the American team a thumbs-up as he walked past. It may be wilful ignorance that led me to believe Gretzky still had some Canadian allegiance despite living in the U.S., but this moment felt strange. The stakes felt so high, not just in hockey but in the broader political landscape.
He wasn’t just failing to counter Trump’s rhetoric. He wasn’t even showing pride for the Canadian team.
After the game, Trump jumped to Gretzky’s defence, posting on social media: “Wayne and Janet, his wonderful wife, love Canada, and they should only support Canada, and whatever else makes the Canadian People, and Governor Justin Trudeau, happy.”
Again, my ignorance, I hadn’t realized his deep ties to Trump.
The attendance at the inauguration, the visits to Mar-a-Lago, and wearing the Make America Great Again hat that felt like a betrayal of what we thought he represented.
I wouldn’t consider myself a staunch patriot. I recognize Canada’s flaws, but with the looming threat of Trump, it feels more important than ever to unite and show pride in our country.
Then, on March 4, the anniversary of Walter Gretzky’s death, Doug Ford chimed in, saying Canadians should “give him a break.”
A man who wears a “Make America Great Again” hat, a friend to Trump, and now our Ontario premier is telling us to back off?
“He never gave up his Canadian passport. So, folks, give the guy a break, just give him a break. He loves Canada. He loves it like no tomorrow,” Ford said.
This is particularly confusing coming from a premier who just called a snap election, claiming it was necessary to ensure the province stood united against Trump. Gretzky’s appeal to Canadians was his love for this country. But now, his allegiance feels like a betrayal.
Aislinn Millette
Canada dominates, but hockey development needs change
Canada has once again proven its dominance in hockey by winning the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off against the U.S., Sweden, and Finland. The team showcased elite talent and unmatched depth.
Best-on-best tournaments have always been Canada’s strength. Canada consistently excels under pressure, whether it’s the Olympics, the World Cup of Hockey, or the 4 Nations Face-Off. Canada’s hockey culture has bred champions, from the Summit Series in 1972 to modern-day tournaments. The country’s depth allows it to field multiple elite rosters.
Canada’s dominance is built on star power and experience. Players
like Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Nathan MacKinnon elevate the team above its international rivals. No other nation matches Canada’s ability to roll four lines of elite talent. Even when missing key players, Canada’s roster remains among the world’s best.
While other countries produce elite players, Canada’s depth is unmatched. It consistently outlasts opponents in high-pressure moments, securing gold on the biggest stages.
However, while Canada thrives at the top, its development system is falling behind. Hockey Canada is struggling compared to nations like the U.S., Sweden, and Finland.
For decades, Canada was the leader in player development. Strong junior leagues, grassroots programs and elite training once made Canada the gold standard in hockey development.
In recent years, the U.S. has taken massive strides. The National Team Development Program (NTDP) consistently produces NHL-ready players who excel at skill and creativity.
Players including Maple Leafs’ captain Auston Matthews, the brothers Jack, Quinn and Luke Hughes, who were all selected in the first round of their respective drafts, and the Anaheim Ducks’ Trevor Zegras highlight the NTDP’s success. They enter the NHL more polished and prepared than many Canadian prospects.
The NTDP emphasizes skill development, analytics-driven training, and international experience. Canada, meanwhile, has remained overly reliant on outdated junior systems and traditional physical play.
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) still produces talent, but its focus on grinding, tough hockey limits the development of highly skilled, dynamic offensive players.
Other countries have taken notice. Sweden and Finland emphasize skill-based training, modern coaching, and youth international experience, developing top-tier NHL players year after year.
The Czech Republic, once a fading hockey power, has adapted its development approach and is now producing highly skilled, com-
petitive NHL players again. If Hockey Canada doesn’t adjust, its dominance in best-on-best tournaments could slip. The country still has a deep talent pool, but the gap is closing.
Speed, creativity, and skill matter more than ever in today’s NHL. Canada must evolve its development system to match the sport’s rapid changes.
Investing in skill development, modern coaching philosophies, and analytics-based training should be top priorities for Hockey Canada. The U.S. has proven that innovation in player development works. Their structured and centralized programs create well-rounded players who excel in today’s fast-paced NHL.
Meanwhile, Canada continues to rely on outdated systems emphasizing size, toughness, and physicality rather than high-end skill and adaptability.
Canadian players remain competitive at the highest level, but without structural changes, they may struggle to keep pace with their international rivals in the future. If development trends continue, Can-
ada’s depth advantage will shrink. Other nations are catching up, and Canada can no longer afford to be complacent.
For now, Canada remains the king of international hockey. The 4 Nations Face-Off victory proves the country still has elite talent ready to compete at any level.
But warning signs are clear. Without serious changes to its development system, future generations of Canadian players may no longer hold a competitive edge. The tell-tale signs are there. Team Canada’s U20 juniors failed to medal in the past two years.
Hockey Canada must adapt to the modern game. A stronger focus on skill, creativity, and innovation is crucial to maintaining long-term international dominance.
If Canada fails to modernize, future best-on-best tournaments may not be as one-sided. The time to act is now before the gap closes completely.
Canada has the talent, resources, and infrastructure to remain the world’s top hockey nation. But it must embrace change to secure its future success.
Matthew R. Ziniuk
Humber women’s soccer take gold medal Hawks win 12th OCAA indoor title, defeat Centennial Colts 3-2
Condors in the semi-finals.
The Humber Hawks women’s indoor soccer team captured their 12th OCAA championship with a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Centennial Colts at the Ontario Soccer Centre on March 7.
The Hawks secured the gold medal after falling short in the outdoor soccer finals last season, making this victory even more significant for the squad.
Humber advanced to the final after a hard-fought 1-0 win against the Conestoga
The first half was a defensive battle, with Conestoga dominating possession and generating multiple shots on target.
Humber’s defence remained composed despite limited chances, preventing Conestoga from capitalizing.
The second half saw Humber take control, increasing their possession and pressing forward.
Their persistence paid off when Kaylese Callender scored the game’s only goal, delivering a decisive strike that secured Humber’s
spot in the championship match.
Goalkeeper Angela Volpe was instrumental in the victory, finishing the match with eight saves, including three crucial stops on clear scoring chances for Conestoga.
They advanced to the championship match with the win, facing off against the Centennial Colts.
The championship match against Centennial was an intense battle from start to finish.
Humber controlled possession early and dominated much of the first half.
In the 11th minute, rookie forward Callender opened the scoring with an impressive solo effort, beating two defenders before firing a left-footed strike off the post and into the net.
The Hawks extended the lead early in the second half when Chantel Spalla used her strength to shield a defender and turn for a quick left-footed shot to make it 2-0.
Kaitlynn Russell added a third goal in the 36th minute, smashing home a strike from a pinpoint pass by Cassy Ettore.
Despite Humber’s dominance, Centennial made a late push.
The Colts found the net twice in the dying minutes, with Serena McDonald scoring and an own goal by Humber’s Emily Robitaille bringing them within one.
However, the Hawks held firm to secure the win and reclaim their place at the OCAA indoor soccer competition.
Rookie forward Callender, who played a key role in Humber’s attack, was ecstatic about winning the championship in her first season.
“It feels amazing, since it’s also my first year playing with Humber,” Callender said. “We didn’t win the outdoor season, so it definitely feels like we avenged ourselves.”
Callender also expressed gratitude toward the team’s graduating seniors.
“Thank you so much for allowing me to have this opportunity,” she said. “I couldn’t do it without them.”
Goalkeeper Volpe, who made crucial saves in both the semi-final and final, credited the team’s perseverance.
“We’ve been through a lot, especially with the outdoor, so getting this gold in the indoor just means a lot,” she said.
Head coach Jose Caro gave recognition to the team’s resilience and execution.
“The girls realized that in order for them to compete, they have to have three things: effort, intensity, and communication,” Caro said. “At the end of the day, they had the heart. They all stepped up today.”
Caro highlighted the significance of the victory for Humber’s future.
“We have a new roster of players coming in next year, so it’s going to be a learning curve,” he said. “But for the returning players, this gives them momentum and belief that we can achieve anything as long as we work hard.”
Humber Hawks’ Emily Robitaille (8) attempting a left-footed shot against the Conestoga Condors in the OCAA indoor soccer semi-finals at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan.
HUMBERETC/LUIS MIGUEL S. DE CASTRO
Luis Miguel S. De Castro HumberETC Sports
The women’s indoor team bagged its 12th OCAA soccer title, winning against the Colts.
HUMBERETC/LUIS MIGUEL S. DE CASTRO
Hawks indoor soccer champions again
Humber men’s soccer win gold at OCAA final, mark season end
Samuel D. Brito Salas HumberETC Sports
The Humber’s men indoor soccer team won its 17th gold medal at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) final after defeating the George Brown Huskies on penalties.
It was a golden weekend for Humber indoor soccer teams, as the women’s indoor soccer team also won gold earlier in the day against the Centennial Colts.
Humber’s midfielder Jason Alvarado, who is in his last year of school, said after the final this gold medal felt more special than the previous ones.
“I asked the guys to play for me for this last game because it means a lot to me, what these guys did for me,” he said. “The guys gave me a good last season as well.”
The Hawks made the OCAA semifinals by sweeping their championship group on March 6.
Humber’s first obstacle was the Conestoga Condors who finished second in their group behind the Huskies in the pool A championship group on March 6.
The semifinal was a repeat of last year’s soccer and indoor soccer finals, where the Condors won the gold at the OCAA soccer championship and the Hawks took the indoor soccer tournament.
The semifinal game started with a very incisive and aggressive Condors who pressured Humber’s passes and ball possession, making the team very imprecise at the start of the game.
This allowed Conestoga to create clear scoring chances throughout the first 10 minutes of the game. The Hawks were being overrun defensively by the Condors’ attackers who were finding holes in the Hawks’ defensive line.
Humber’s goalkeeper Peter Sheberstov began with his outstanding performance early in the game and kept the score tied following multiple chances by the Condors.
Sheberstov, a first-year student, was a key player in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) final, making as many as five saves during the first half. While Conestoga dominated most of the game, Humber managed to challenge Conestoga goalkeeper Predrag Jovivic’s goal but was unable to score, leading to a 0-0 draw at halftime.
Humber tried to turn things around in the second half, however, the Condors kept attacking and generating dangerous opportunities at Sheberstov’s goal by taking rebounds or by recovering the ball on Humber’s side of the field and finding an open player in many attacks.
The final 10 minutes of the second half were back-to-back with both teams making defensive errors and counterattacks that made both teams’ goalkeepers the main reasons for the scoreless draw.
In the extra periods, which are ruled by the golden-goal rule, neither team created deci-
sive goal opportunities since most shots were always blocked by defenders, meaning the game had to be decided on a penalty shootout
The Hawks started by scoring on its first penalty, Conestoga defender Saab Kohar hit his shot on the crossbar, giving Humber the initial advantage.
The team was relentless managing the advantage on the shootout even when Conestoga didn’t miss the rest of the penalties.
Humber’s midfielder Daniel Prieto was the one in charge of scoring the decisive penalty, which he did and gave the Hawks the pass to the OCAA final.
Sheberstov said in an interview that while he was pretty happy with his performance, it wasn’t just him the reason for winning.
“Everyone always pushes to do their best,” he said. “I was mentally prepared, and I was physically ready.”
In the final, Humber faced the Huskies who defeated the Fanshawe Falcons in their semifinal.
The Hawks opened up the scoring just before the second minute after a long-range shot by Christian Keshishian, and from then on, the team defended near its area trying to counterattack, while the Huskies had ball possession but didn’t create any danger opportunities to beat Sheberstov.
Humber took the lead into halftime.
Humber kept the Huskies at bay during the second half, however, on a confusing and controversial decision after a ball dispute at Humber’s area, the referee awarded a penalty to George Brown who tied the score with 10 minutes left of the game.
After George Brown’s goal, both teams cancelled each other out thanks to both defensive lines that sent the game to extra time.
The first extra period was more of the same until Humber had a perfect chance to
win the gold in the dying seconds, but the Huskies goalkeeper pulled off a fantastic save to deny the Hawks from scoring.
The Huskies had the clearest chance to score in the second period in the final minute thanks to a long-distance shot that hit the right post of the net, forcing the OCAA final to be decided on penalty shootout.
Both teams scored three out of four shots before getting into the fifth shot when George Brown missed their last shot, giving the Hawks a match point. Just as in the semis, Prieto kicked the decisive penalty.
He said after the final what his thoughts were when walking towards the penalty spot before the determinant shot that gave Humber the gold medal.
“The priority was to stay calm, trust in my own skills and to know what I’m capable of,” Prieto said.
He also highlighted the team’s reaction against adversity during both games since it was key to not decaying and staying focused on the main objective.
Prieto scored and unleashed the joy of the Humber players who celebrated their defence of last year’s championship.
Humber’s defender Luca Pinto was given the OCAA MVP award while Peter Sheberstov received the all-star award.
Men’s indoor soccer coach Michael Aquino congratulated his team after moving on from the two battles that gave Humber another gold medal.
“It’s a collective team effort and the guys did really, really well,” Aquino said. “It’s not easy to win an indoor championship.”
He said he will continue at Humber for the next season and looks forward to the future.
The Condors completed the championship podium by defeating the Fanshawe Falcons 3-2 to win the bronze medal.
The Hawks earned its 17th indoor soccer gold medal, keeping its dominance intact and stood as the winningest team in the province.
For Alvarado, the end couldn’t have been better, but what he will keep more than any medal will be the friendship and family he has built with his teammates.
“Those guys, they just brought me in and they acted like a bunch of little brothers to me,” Alvarado said. “It’s just a surreal feeling.”
Humber’s midfielder Daniel Prieto walking towards the penalty while his teammates cheer.
HUMBER ETC/SAMUEL D. BRITO SALAS
Humber’s forward Christian Keshishian trying to kick the ball as George Brown defender Mark Do Coito tries to block the shot.
HUMBER ETC/SAMUEL D. BRITO SALAS
HUMBER ET CETERA SPORTS
HAWKS WIN GOLD, TWICE
Men’s,women’steams areindoorsoccerchamps
OPINION: CANADA CONTINUES TO DOMINATE, BUT CHANGES NEEDED P. 12
MEN’S INDOOR TEAM MARKS SEASON WITH GOLD AT OCAA P. 15
