VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019
The Election Issue
Photo by Bird Bouchard Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Windsor West Liberal party candidate Sandra Pupatello clasp hands at the Liberal party rally held Monday September 16, 2019 at the St. Clair College Centre for the Arts.
CON
31.7%
LIB
30.8%
NDP
18.8%
GRN
8.3%
PPC
2.6%
Polling averages in Ontario over the last 2 months. Data taken from CBC online Poll Tracker https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019
Windsor W BRIAN
MASSE
Brian Masse NDP Candidate
By Patrick White Mediaplex Examiner
Once he was accused of being a “bench-warmer, yes-man and political careerist;” Now, Windsor-born NDP incumbent, Brian Masse, has proved to be a legitimate politician over his 17 years of service. Masse’s political career perhaps began when he and his wife, Terry Chow, worked with the neighbourhood where a historical centre was going to become a 1100 capacity dance bar. “We worked with our neighbourhood and asked people, do we sell or do we stand and fight? We decided to stand and fight,” Masse told The Examiner in a phone call. That was in 1996 and since then Masse has continued to fight for his beliefs. If you are registered in the Windsor-West riding, Masse will appear on your ballot as the NDP candidate next Monday. Married and a father of two, Masse has been a busy beaver this campaign season—just last Wednesday he showed up at Caesar’s Windsor to speak out against his opponent’s recent announcement that an elected Liberal government would pass single-game sports betting. Masse has also been kept busy on Twitter, responding to accusations of “political gamesmanship” with respect to his views on NAFTA. Masse responded that Trudeau has allowed American Congress to overstep into the Canadian side of negotiations. However, Masse has stressed that his party is not saying renegotiate. Masse was elected to Parliament for the Windsor-West Constituency in the last six federal elections. In Canada’s 42nd Parliament, he served as the House of Commons critic on the Environment (Great Lakes) as well as Industry (Innovation). - with files from Precious Alasa, Mediaplex Examiner reporter
DARRYL
BURRELL
HENRY
LAU
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019
West Riding Sandra Pupatello Liberal Candidate
By Vince Ferraro SANDRA
10
PUPATELLO
QUINN
HUNT
Mediaplex Examiner
Sandra Pupatello knew from a young age she wanted to be involved in politics. She watched the news with her family when she was little. When she was 14, she saw then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau speak in Windsor. Then one of her high school teachers mentioned Herb Gray, a Member of Parliament, was looking for volunteers. Once Pupatello started as a volunteer she worked on every campaign she could. Working with Gray allowed her to check out all the other parties, which helped her realize she fit in best with the Liberal Party of Canada. Pupatello attended Assumption College Catholic High School and then graduated with a degree from the University of Windsor in the late 1980s. Pupatello was the MPP representing Windsor from 1995 to 2007. In 1996 she won the Charlie Clark award for outstanding service from the University of Windsor. In 2003 she won the Windsor Woman of the Year Award. “From a federal national perspective we need to have a government that has a plan for climate change,” said Pupatello, noting the controversial subject as one of her platform goals. Pupatello served four terms as the Liberal MPP and then left politics to serve on many local boards. According to Pupatello, working in the private sector gave her a really good insight into what a business community needs to flourish. “All that history now is going to make me a much better MP for Windsor,” Pupatello said. “The local guy has been there for 17 years as your MP and he has no list of what he’s delivered because he’s never had the opportunity through the government and his party does not have that opportunity now.” Pupatello said Windsor needs somebody who has access to the party. Her decision to run in this election was not apparent until late in the summer and surprised many people, after previous reports said she was no longer interested in politics.
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019
Windsor-Tecu DANIEL
BURR
CHERYL
HARDCASTLE
GIOVANNI
ABATI
IREK
KUSIMIERCZYK
LEO
DEMARCE
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019
umseh Riding Giovanni Abati
Green Party Candidate By Eleanor Dhillon Mediaplex Examiner
Giovanni Abati is the 54-yearold Green Party candidate for Windsor-Tecumseh. He was born in Windsor, Ont. and grew up in the Great Lakes region. Before his current job as a truck driver, Abati worked in waste management for more than 10 years and dedicated over 30 years into volunteer work for the community, as well as being
a volunteer advocate for environment research. Abati is an environmentalist, having devoted much of his life towards recycling, building and planning habitat restoration projects. Abati works close to 70 hours per week as a truck driver, yet still tries to support local businesses and organizations. Abati graduated with a Bachelors in geography from the University of Windsor. After university, he went on to Sir Sanford
Cheryl Hardcastle NDP Candidate By Amolak Dhillon Mediaplex Examiner
The former deputy mayor of Tecumseh, Cheryl Hardcastle, is running as a candidate in Windsor-Tecumseh for the New Democratic Party. Hardcastle graduated with a degree in political science and government, as well as a degree in communications and media Studies, from the University of Windsor. After graduating, Harcastle spent 20 years as a report and editor for The Tecumseh Tribune. She won the NDP MP role for the riding in 2015. Hardcastle is a member of both Windsor and Essex Solid Waste Authority and Essex Region Conservation Authority Board. She has also been a member of the National Pension Reform committee in helping to reduce poverty in Windsor and Essex, giving Canadians a better retirement plan. Previously, Hardcastle has introduced a bill to make employment and social development responsible for providing information and guidance to people with disabilities on all federal applications for grants, benefits
and compensation as a means of reducing the administrative burden on applicants. She was first elected to the House of Commons to represent Windsor-Tecumseh in 2015 as a member of the NDP. She has served as the party’s critic for sports and persons with disabilities, while appointed the vice-chairman for international human rights. Hardcastle has published books for adults with reading challenges, and has organized sports programs and tournaments for children with disabilities. She has served as president for the Sun Parlor Female Hockey Association. According to Hardcastle, voters should consider her because she “will be there” for them as their representative in the House.
Fleming College in Lindsay, Ont. where he received a cartographic technician certificate. While studying at Sir Sanford Flemming College, Abati worked several jobs including as a hockey arena attendant, a recreation coordinator for his college and as a manufacturer for an automotive company. He also worked for smaller companies doing jobs such as construction, building and manufacturing, food processing and within
the taxi industry driving cabs. Abati’s range of employment experience may have taught him what it was like to struggle and to succeed. His personality and life experience help him to fill the role of a Green Party candidate. On his website, Abati expresses his wish to continue dedicating his time towards his community.
Leo Demarce
Conservative Candidate By Pranav Patel Mediaplex Examiner
Leo Demarce, a Conservative Party member and candidate said he loves his country, which is why he wants to be a politician. “I was modeled to be a good citizen and now at the point in my life I want to serve my community,” said Demarce, who was raised by a firefighter. Demarce said he chose the Conservative Party because its values and policies closely matched his own. According to Demarce, he believes people should pay their own way and he does not want to force the next generation to take on debt accumulated for them. Demarce said his goal is to bring his community upgrades in infrastructure and build the regional-hospital. He would like to encourage voters to look at who is representing different parties across the country. “In the Conservative Party, you will see that out of the 338 people that are running most of them are guys and girls like myself,” said Demarce. According to Demarce, most of the candidates are farmers
and small business owners who are active in their community. He said they are not “silver spoon kind of people” but are average and hardworking people. Demarce owns commercial property and a salon with 25 employees. He also is a business system analyst, and has worked all over Ontario and Michigan in the last 25 years. His platform is to target the worst polluters and enforce caps on emission levels. “We can bring carbon-capturing technology to countries like the U.S.A, India, Pakistan to China ... they are making the great majority of CO2 in the world,” said Demarce. “Canada is close to becoming the leader in CO2 capturing technology and bringing CO2 technology to the rest of the world.” Demarce said has knocked on 12,000 doors and hears that people are complaining that they are upset with the prime minister and with his behavior. He gets up at 6 a.m. to review emails, runs his business from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., and then he starts knocking on doors until it is dark. “I’m having the time of my life,” said Demarce.
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Daniel Burr
People’s Party Candidate By Matt Flood
Mediaplex Examiner
Despite growing up with a family in politics, Dan Burr, 53, says he never expected to enter the federal arena. Born and raised in Windsor, not only did Burr’s father David serve as a city councilor and eventually the Mayor, but his grandfather Frederick represented Windsor as an MPP with the NDP for 10 years. Now, Burr is trying his hand at running for federal office for the first time - and with a brand new party. Burr describes himself as upholding libertarian values as he runs to be the representative for the People’s Party of Canada in Windsor-Tecumseh. “I really like Max (Maxime Bernier). The leader’s platform and policies. I also felt that the other parties didn’t offer any real choice. They seem too similar to me,” said Burr. Burr has never run for federal office until now, though he is not unfamiliar with the realm of politics. Burr’s experience in politics goes back to 1991 when he was elected as one of four commissioners within the Windsor Utilities Commission. He served on the WUC until 1994 but lost the following election, coming in fifth. When one commissioner died in 1996, Burr was brought back on board to finish the deceased commissioners term. However, by this time Burr was no longer interested in running for office. “I was trying to get my feet wet and when I ran for re-election again, I didn’t win,” said Burr. “But I also started a job at Chrysler and I just felt like I didn’t want to pursue it anymore at the time.” He also played a role in helping Reform Party of Canada candidate Brett Skinner in his campaign for Windsor West in 1993. “I was kind of in charge of making sure all the literature that we had got out to the volunteers, help figure out which polls in which areas in the city we would hit, that was kind of my task,” said Burr. Skinner came in second in that election. With the help of a man named David McCammon, the three men moved on to create The Great Lakes Liberty Press in 1995, a subscription-based newspaper focused on, as the
front page says: “POLITICAL NEWS, OPINION, DEBATE, AND PHILOSOPHY,” and all from a libertarian point of view. “There was only a couple issues before we ran out of money,” Burr said, laughing. “So we didn’t last very long, but it was fun.” Burr pressed on as an assembly line worker at Chrysler Windsor Assembly. Now in his 25th year at the plant, he can add licensed pipefitter to his extensive list of work experience. “I would say that it’s mostly just life experience that I’d be bringing into the table. As far as you know, I’ve worked in a factory, I’ve worked driving. I have a lot of experience that people in Windsor have; similar tech experience. So I know kind of what those types of people go through,” said Burr. Still at Windsor Assembly, Burr now has to balance his time between his job and his campaign. But he is not the only one dividing their time. Burr’s wife of 12 years, Cathy, temporarily put off the pursuit of her masters degree in psychology for a semester to help Burr with his campaign upon realizing the weight of the workload. “I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am right now, without all the help that she has done, beyond just the campaign of course,” said Burr. “I love my wife, I’ve been married for 12 years now… Just going through life with the person you love is just the most awesome thing.” Cathy’s official position within the campaign is as Burr’s official agent. Burr says Cathy brings her thoughts, support, and strong organizational skills to the table as well as handling the flow of campaign dollars. Outside of the political campaign, the two also engage in fantasy campaigns. They play the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, where players make characters and go on adventures in a unique fantasy world of elves, dwarves and monsters. The game has been a love of Burr’s since he was gifted the first edition on Christmas morning as a teen. Working together in fantasy and in life, the pair are hoping to create a presence for the People’s Party of Canada in the House of Commons - when they are not busy slaying monsters, of course.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019
Irek Kusmierczyk Liberal Candidate By Manvir Kaur
Mediaplex Examiner
A Polish immigrant’s passion for community service lead him to a career at Windsor City Council: this is Irek Kusmierczyk. In Windsor, he promoted the FIRST Robotics program in high schools to make a better present and future for children and he wants to make this the fastest-growing area for FIRST Robotics teams in Canada. As a director of partnerships for WEtech Irek Alliance, he helps Kusmierczyk in the development of technology companies through Windsor and Essex county. He developed the first cross-border Hacking Health Windsor Detroit, which allows professionals from the heath and IT sector to work together in the innovation field. “We welcome all levels, so there’s going to be some folks that have more advanced ideas, but this event also welcomes people who have no idea in terms of what they want to bring to this hacking health, but they just want to be participants,” said Kusmierczyk, Liberal candidate in the upcoming federal election. He earned his PhD in Political Science from Vanderbilt University, a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University. Kusmierczyk promoted an innovative program called Supporting Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurs in Windsor and Essex. He said the meaning of entrepreneurs to him is taking a calculated risk to develop and design something new and new products and services and taking that risk to bring back products and services to the market.
Kusmierczyk has worked in the Canada Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an Atlantic Council of Canada Fellow. Also, he has published a chapter on Cross-border environment cooperation between local governments around the Great Lakes Basin. “One of the reasons I am running for the Liberal party is that they have a strong platform in terms of making life more affordable and so they are helping seniors, students and families,” said Kusmierczyk. When he was younger and more adventurous, he trekked 700 kilometres along the Baltic coast in just 18 days. Nowadays, Kusmierczyk shows his dedication to politics through a strong social media presence, which allows him to stay in close contact with the public. He has an A+ attendance record for City Hall Council meetings, as he has attended 108 out of 117 meetings in total; that is about 92 per cent.
“In this election, I had focused on investing in people, students and seniors.” As a city councilor, he successfully invested money in flood protection, road improvements, libraries and parks. “In this election, I had focused on investing in people, students and seniors to make life easier so they can build their life together. “As your member of Parliament, I will continue to advocate for the auto sector and auto jobs, for more funding for flood mitigation, making sure our healthcare system is the strongest it can be and making sure young people have the skills and education. They need to succeed in today’s economy,” said Kusmierczyk.
2019 ELECTION PROFILES Due to time and resource constraints - theirs and ours - we regret that not all candidates in all ridings were able to be profiled. Our candidate profiles should not be interpreted as endorsements.
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019
Chatham-Kent, Leamington Riding
MARK
VERCOUTEREN
TONY
WALSH
JOHN
BALAGTAS
DAVE
EPP K AT I E
OMSTEAD
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019
Essex R Chris Lewis
Conservative Candidate By Marco Rovere Mediaplex Examiner
If you live in LaSalle, Amherstburg, Essex, or the western/central part of Lakeshore or Kingsville, conservative candidate Chris Lewis believes he is the perfect candidate because of his ability to give a voice back to the people. “Four years ago, we had a Conservative MP who brought over a billion dollars to our region,” said Lewis. “We haven’t seen those funds back from Ottawa to Essex since.” “What we need is somebody in Essex who has a voice at the table,” Lewis said. “I’m a people person, I love people, I love talking to people, I love helping people, it’s interesting to listen to the ideas of the residents. My biggest goal is to leave the world a better place than I found it and help people get ahead and not just get by.” In his early years Lewis was a hockey goalie. He played at Joe Louis Arena twice in his youth and still has his love for hockey in today’s campaign. Lewis says he had a gentleman who talked to him about how being a goalie set him up for politics. “He said because you were a goalie you were literally the last line of defense, the lone soldier, and if you made a great save you were a hero and if you let in a horrible goal, you were a zero,” Lewis said. “Sports is all about teamwork and you’re only as strong as your weakest link.” Lewis says he believes actions are stronger than words, and throughout his campaign he has kept a constant daily schedule of reviewing emails, reviewing news, taking phone calls, knocking on doors, taking meetings, and doing interviews. “I am having an absolute riot,”
CHRIS
LEWIS
Lewis said. “Some days it feels like baby steps and other days it feels like huge steps.” In 2008, Kingsville almost brought Kraft Hockeyville to the town. Chris Lewis was a town councillor when this was happening and was a crucial part in putting Kingsville on the map but came up short in second place. “When we came in just short, I couldn’t have been prouder for this town,” Lewis said. “I have never seen another town pull every last resource, every last string, I have never seen excitement like I did at that point in time, the town absolutely blew it out of the water. This was one of the most fun experiences in my life politically.” Lewis says his experience as a coach, firefighter, owner of a local business and councilor has taught him the importance of teamwork and the importance of others. “As a business person you could come up with the very best widget in the world and there’s not a chance in the world you will ever sell one unless you have surrounded yourself with the very best team possible,” Lewis said. “Through the fire department, through the family business, through Hockeyville, through our campaign team, it’s all about everybody else; I know teamwork is vital and number one.” The federal election is on Oct 21. Lewis said he believes you should vote conservative and for Andrew Scheer. “The voters have to make a choice, who can they trust, personally I trust Andrew Scheer.” AUDREY
FESTERYGA
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019
Riding
TRACEY
RAMSEY
BILL
CAPES
JENNIFER
ALDERSON
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issues
in
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019
focus
High water levels mark a concern Federal funding critical support for Riverside residents for artists and organizations By Manvir Kaur
Mediaplex Examiner
Area residents living close to the river’s edge are concerned about high water levels. Lake Erie’s water level was around 60 centimetres above average at the start of March, four centimetres higher than last year. Lake Ontario’s level at the beginning of the same month was around 40 centimetres above average. Penny Morand has been living in her close-to-the-lake cottage for the last 65 years. Morand said the insurance company will not provide coverage because they consider the area a flood plain. Many people have put steel or brick walls up to keep the water back from flooding. But it does not always work and it depends on how high the waves get. “If you live in flood plain, where there is potential of the lake overflowing its boundaries, you cannot get house insurance for flooding,” said Morand. “If a house burned down, there is fire insurance but there is no flood insurance. “We always worry that another big storm might come up and the houses flood, like what happened in 1973. Flood water was so deep it was about one-foot-and-a-half high in the house. No cars could get up and down the road. We had to go down to our cottage by walking on the railroad-tracks, and of course, when the water pulled back, there were all kinds of debris and silt and sand left in the house on the floors.” She said people have to clean their homes themselves unless they hire expensive companies to come and clean up for them. Morand said she believes the flooding is no longer a cyclical thing, but it has more to do with climate change. “You would need to be at least a mile away to have a
house that would be protected from the flood,” said Morand, adding that during a severe storm she thinks the water could come kilometres up onto the mainland. Giovanni Abati is the Green Party representative for Windsor-Tecumseh and thinks the government could be doing more. “Our government should create a kind of program offering emergency response strategies for specific climate emergencies,” said Abati. “This will have to be related to climate change patterns, like increased rainfall and changing weather.” Abati said he thinks people not covered by insurance should receive government compensation in the event of an environmental disaster. “The only way this can happen is with a disaster relief kind of fund,” said Abati. “I do not know how much but it should see how much flood damage happened. More than just giving money to people, we need to work on putting in berms and reinforcing shorelines.” Abati says the causes for flooding are numerous. Winds coming from the south-east in Lake Erie is one major cause, because these winds push the water onto the shorelines of the Detroit River. According to Abati, The Green Party first and foremost wants to stop global warming. He said they want to stop subsidizing oil and gas companies and they would reinvest that money into creating barriers where the water can be stored, splitting water into little rivers like Belle River and Puce. Also, they would create ponds that would act as water reservoirs to prevent flooding and to build up shorelines and break walls.
By Amolak Dhillon Mediaplex Examiner
Numerous arts organizations in Windsor receive funding from a federal grant, which was cut almost in half in 2018. In 2016 the Government of Canada doubled the Canada Council for the Arts’ (CCA) budget, giving them $550 million over five years. In 2018 their budget was cut by 41 per cent to $225 million. According to their website, 94 per cent of Canadians believe the arts make their communities a better place to live. According to the CCA, 2,039 arts organizations received funding in 2018 and 2019. Locally, the Arts Council Windsor & Region, like the council for the arts, helps artists and groups with education, art, support and bring communities together. Julie Tucker, director of public programs and advocacy said
their focus is to promote and develop creativity in Windsor. “We provide an artistic gallery which is an affordable rental space, we have professional development workshops, we host meetings, we have great consultation, a library and we have the only comprehensive list of arts and culture listings in the region,” said Tucker. One of the many organizations that the CCA provides funding to is the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, which provides music programs for adults and children. Last year, monies raised by the WSO, along with CCA funding, provided for 19 main-stage concerts, 29 concerts around Essex county, 28 concerts for high schools, 10 concerts for young children, seven free summer concerts in parks around Essex county, 18 visits to senior residents, two workshops with high schools and one school residency program in just one season.
Financial aid to athletes By Marco Rovere Mediaplex Examiner
The Government of Canada spends approximately $203.3 million on athletes, coaches and sports programs every year. High performance athletes and Canadian organizations hosting sporting events get their money through these three programs: The Athlete Assistance Program, the Sport Support Program and the Hosting Program. The AAP is a funding program for athletes designed to relieve the pressures in Canada for international high-level sports and funds $33 million to approximately 1900 athletes each year. The SSP is used to support the development of Canadian athletes and coaches and provides around $150.4 million to Canadian sport organizations each
year to strengthen the Canadian national sport system and help give benefits to athletes and coaches. The HP is used to enhance the development of athletes and create an international profile for sport organizations by hosting events in Canada. The HP provides about $19.9 million annually. A major aspect of sports and being an athlete is the importance of teamwork. Chris Lewis is the Conservative Party candidate for the riding of Essex in the 2019 election who was a coach in Kingsville for many years. He said he believes watching the young people grow from the start to the end of the season was one of the most special parts and takes the knowledge of teamwork in sports and applies it to his campaign. See ATHLETES on Page 13
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019
Students pick up more than grades with cleanup efforts
Photo by Garrett Fodor A student walks the Windsor riverfront and picks up trash as part of the ‘Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup’ event put on by St. Clair College, University of Windsor and the World Wildlife Fund on Oct. 5.
enhance student relationships with sustainability and raise awareness about the trash that tudents are coming to- is produced. gether and pitching in to This year marks the first year beautify their community that St. Clair College has been and preserve the planet. involved with the program, After walking out of classes which is held once in the fall and to support the Global Climate once in the spring. Strike on Sept. 27, students from Uyen Vo, environmental coorSt. Clair College and the Univer- dinator at St. Clair College, said sity of Windsor are continuing she feels it is great to have stuto raise awareness of environ- dents involved in the commumental issues. nity and raising awareness of For the fourth year, the Uni- important issues. versity of Windsor partnered “St. Clair students are more with the World Wildlife Foun- based in south Windsor so it is dation (WWF) to host The Great nice to have brought them here Canadian Shoreline Cleanup on and help clean up the riverOct. 5. The event is designed to front,” said Vo. “We are looking By Garrett Fodor
S
Mediaplex Examiner
at partnering with the WWF for their ‘Living Planet at Campus’ campaign.” Since the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup campaign was launched, nearly 800,000 volunteers have cleaned up over 30,000 kilometres of shoreline. They have also prevented over 1.2 million kilograms of garbage from entering waterways. The Living Planet @ Campus campaign is the latest project that Vo and St. Clair’s Sustainability Committee are undertaking. The program is designed to provide strategic guidance, green business ideas, and engage students to drive sustainable practices in their lives.
Jeremy Dean, a director for the Student Representative Council at St. Clair College, said that he feels students are trying to change their environmental impact. “We collect all the trash and dispose of it and then it is not polluting our shoreline,” said Dean. “We had over 50 people sign up and that is the turnout we are looking for. We are trying to raise awareness of climate change and related issues.” Vo said the sustainability committee hopes to continue to be involved in events like the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, to continue to raise awareness.
‘Important opportunity’ for young voters at roundtable opportunities to learn about and to speak out on issues of importance to them and specific In the days leading up to the to our region. federal election, youth voters in Tina Gatt, manager of Windsor want to learn about the community outreach, issues. encouraged the youth at the The Windsor Essex Regional event to express their own Youth Council carried out a views. federal election round table at “Our youth on our youth Children’s Aid Society building council thought that it was an Oct. 9. The Youth Council important opportunity with seeks to engage young people the federal election coming up from across Windsor/Essex in By Agnes Wu
Mediaplex Examiner
, to get together and talk about issues that matter to them most,” said Gatt. “And have an opportunity to share what those issues are and recommendations for solutions to the candidates as they go into the election.” Working alongside adult allies from both non-profit and business backgrounds, participants discussed and researched topics ranging from mental health, homelessness,
and unemployment to community diversity and civic engagement. Many attendees said they believe young people are the future leaders of the country, so it is important to give young people a voice and a chance to shape current and future policies, projects and services. The roundtable was an opportunity for youth to develop their abilities.
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019
Not letting pro-life advocates own the sidewalk
Pro-choice demonstrators proudly displayed their signs Sunday October 6th from WRH Metropolitan campus’ property line.
By Patrick White Mediaplex Examiner
ing with or intimidating people accessing or providing abortion services, and recording patients or providers. FFA have formally petitioned that WRH administration file a request to the Ontario Attorney
General’s Office to have a safe access zone implemented. Late August, in a letter addressed to FFA, the hospital board of directors clarified their position on the issue. The letter concluded that the board will
Windsor Regional Hospital has not said anything after the most recent bubble zone rally held by Feminists for Action Windsor (FFA). On Oct. 6, the pro-choice advocacy group gathered outside the Metropolitan campus of Windsor Regional Hospital demanding that the hospital administration requests to implement a safe access zone of 150 metres from its property line. It is currently illegal to hold abortion-related protests anywhere on the hospital’s property, but FFA said a “bubble zone” should be implemented to protect those seeking abortion services from any abortion related public discourse. “We feel that it is very important that people are not subjected to these opinions and this shaming on the part of these anti-choicers, especially considering there is a bus-stop along this stretch of Tecumseh road where they like to position themselves,” said Lauren Crowley, rally organizer, while protesting in front of the hospital on Sunday. Safe access zones prohibit acPhoto by Patrick White tivities such as advising a person to refrain from accessing Michelle Mainwaring, dressed like a handmaiden from the popoular television abortion services, abortion relat- series, The Handmaid’s Tale, holds a pro-choice sign on the pro-life dominated ed protests, physically interfer- sidewalk separating Tecumseh road from Windsor Regional Hospital.
Photo by Patrick White
not request a wider access zone. “The WRH board has determined that the current restriction which limits advocacy to Tecumseh Road has not compromised safe access for patients seeking therapeutic abortion,” said the letter. “A 150-metre access zone would hypothetically serve to divert advocates from Tecumseh Road over to an alternate high-traffic public road, such as Walker Road.” Since the rally last week, Steve Irwin, WRH Director of Communications, has declined to comment. “We aren’t commenting on this issue publicly, partly due to the fact that discussions and decisions on the issue were made by the hospital board of directors, not our CEO or our administration,” Erwin wrote in an email. The FFA organizers coordinated their rally to take place alongside the international prolife prayer vigil, Life Chain. Laurie Eberhardt, vigil coordinator for 40 Days for Life in Windsor--another pro-life group present on Sunday--said that a bubble-zone “would create a pro-life ghetto in our cities, where pro-life is restricted, pro-life citizens are restricted, women are not allowed to get information counter to the pro-abortion talking points.”
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019
Athletes recieve Young people vote in lower numbers than average, assistance according to Elections Canada study Continued from Page 10 “Sports is all about team and whether you play house league or the pros, it’s all about teamwork,” said Lewis. “I am the face, flag carrier and the leader of my campaign but at the end of the day it’s all about the people. I know teamwork is vital and number one.” For more information on how to receive these funds or general information on sports in Canada, go to Canada.ca and search sports where you can find funding, development of athletes, sports in Canada, ethics in sports and events going on in the country.
By Sidharth Krishna Mediaplex Examiner
Low youth voter turnout is a concern frequently discussed during elections. According to a study from Elections Canada, in the 2015 general elections only 57.1 per cent of registered youth voters participated in the voting process, a statistic much lower than the national turnout of 66.1 per cent. The statistics are surprising, because a study by the Dominion Institute showed that 78 per cent of youth between the ages of 18 and 25 felt that their vote
mattered. “People don’t see the value behind voting, they don’t see the importance of voting to democracy,” said Cheryl Collier, an associate professor of political science at the University of Windsor. “Part of the disengagement (to the voting process) is a lack of attention to civics education. We don’t really put a lot of effort into making sure that citizens think it’s important to exercise their democratic right to vote.” Collier also said the “political class” is disconnected from what matters to people. But there may be a solution to this.
“When you’re thinking about partisan outreach, parties have lots of ability to be on social media,” said Collier. “They could actually pay attention to youth in policy that they’re thinking about. They could be doing things to engage with youth leaders across the country, to think of ideas about the environment because that’s something the youth care about.” In a country like Canada, where youth comprise 19.2 per cent of the population, political parties could attain tremendous success if they acquire the support of young voters.
Hundreds run for a cure at 23rd annual breast Coffee fuels cancer awareness event
flick fest
By Felicia Guo Mediaplex Examiner
The Mark Boscariol 48-hour FlickFest launched over the weekend, bringing together filmmakers of all skill levels for the two-day challenge. The 48-hour FlickFest “embodies the courage, passion and determination of filmmaking,” according to the event’s mandate. The competition ran from 7 p.m. Friday until 7 p.m Sunday. Every step of the process including shooting, writing, and editing were completed within 48 hours. The nonstop weekend not only tested the individual abilities of every filmmaker, but also their teamwork. “We want to challenge young filmmakers and professional filmmakers to create a film within 48 hours,” said Matthew Sabelli. “This is a part of Windsor International Film Festival. We hope to attract more people to the film industry.” Contestants said they drank “a lot of coffee” during the jampacked weekend — but said the stress was outweighed by the excitement of the competition. “It could be a great learning experience, and also a way to develop my literacy skills,” said Carolina Di Grado, a contestant. “And to be inserted into the film festivals world ... I think it will be a fun experience overall.” These films will be screened and judged at the awards night on November 8th at the Capitol Theatre during the Windsor International Film Festival.
By Sierra Ross Mediaplex Examiner
A little rain had nothing on Windsor’s breast cancer survivors. The 23rd annual CIBC Run for the Cure breast cancer awareness fundraising event Sunday drew more than 800 people to Windsor’s waterfront despite the gloomy weather. While the event happens every year, the 2019 fundraiser is a little different. “Now CIBC Run for the Cure is acknowledging metastatic breast cancer as part of the fundraising, which is very important because it needs more attention because it is the only one that can kill you,” said Beverly Thompson, who is currently fighting
Metastatic Breast Cancer. MBC, commonly referred to as a stage five cancer, can be fatal. Despite its median life span of three to five years for those diagnosed, metastatic cancer research receives only five per cent of funds according to a study conducted by the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network. With the fatal form of cancer being newly acknowledged by the event, hopefuls such as Joan Fowler look towards a cancer-free future for their children. “We want to get rid of the disease and everything like that. I have a daughter, I have a son, I have a new granddaughter that is going to be born next month. I just want to get rid of the disease so nobody has to go through what we went through,” said
Fowler. For many, the event is about more than raising money. “The whole experience of going through cancer is something that you can’t go through alone. Although we have the support of our family, it’s crucial to speak with people that understand what you’re going through. It’s hard for family to relate and identify and that’s why I needed to find these women,” said Alycia Tomalty, a breast cancer survivor and mother of three. Thompson, Fowler and Tomalty’s hopes are all coming true this year, as the event has brought together hundreds of peoples to raise over one hundred thousand dollars to put towards finding a cure for all forms of breast cancer.
St. Clair SRC shows LGBT pride with drag comedy show By Nadia Butler Mediaplex Examiner
Rainbow flags and vibrant costume changes at a drag comedy cabaret only serviced to show St. Clair College’s support for the LGBT community. Reality television star, Pandora Boxx, took to the stage during her one-night-only drag comedy cabaret at St. Clair College Thursday. St. Clair College’s Student Representative Committee, partnered with local company, Lavender Promotions, to help bring “Out of the Boxx” to Windsor. “We thought this was a great addition to the programming that we already do for the
LGBTQ+ community and for all ends of spectrum for our college,” said Kiara Clement, president of the SRC. “We are trying to make this college a very safe environment for students and make it feel like home for students and this is just another addition to that creation.” Clement said that this is not the only Pride event that St. Clair college students have to look forward to. “In November we have a week long Pride Week theme coming up, and so we’re going to be doing a bunch of activities during that week to honour and support our LGBTQ+ and allies community on campus.” Head of Lavender Promotions,
Lawrence Lavender, has been a long time fan of Boxx and knew that Windsor audiences were ready for a performance like hers. “I’ve been doing these events now for about a year and a half, gradually getting bigger and bigger, reinvesting and getting bigger names,“ said Lavender. “This is performing art. It’s singing, comedy (and) acting. This particular performer happens to be doing it in costume, so female impersonation is part of the act.” Having toured the world with her one-woman show, Boxx uses musical spoofs, political satire and physical comedy to entertain her audiences.