TIM WHARNSBY
Globe and Mail Update
December 8, 2008 at 1:08 PM EST
TORONTO — Jaime Sifers, the young defenceman who will make his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, has been in a reflective mood over the past 24 hours.
Being on the verge of realizing a life-long dream, the University of Vermont product has been on the phone or exchanging texts with friends, family members, former teammates and coaches, almost retracing the skating strides he has made on his journey from Stratford, Conn. to pro hockey's brightest lights.
“I've been spending a lot of time talking with a lot of people,” said Sifers, whose Leafs play the New York Islanders at Air Canada Centre. “I've been flooded with phone calls and I've spent a lot of time on the phone with friends and coaches and a whole lot of family just soaking in the moment.”
One e-mail that particularly struck a chord with Sifers was a message from his long-time agent Justin Duberman.
“He must have written it at three in the morning,” the 25-year-old defenceman said. “I've known Justin for 10 years now. We have a strong relationship with each other and I trust him with my life.
“The message was that no matter what happens to not forget about how hard I have worked to achieve this goal. It was such a far-fetched dream a long time ago and look what has happened now.”
Leafs coach Ron Wilson said that Sifers received the nod because of his strong play with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL and also because the Leafs feared losing veteran minor-leaguer Staffan Kronwall on recallable waivers.
Sifers has been reminded by his new teammates to keep his game simple, something that Wilson doesn't believe will be a problem because “Jaime doesn't play a complicated game.”
The Leafs hope to shake off a three-game losing streak against a team that has its own struggles. The Islanders arrive in town having dropped four of their past five games. They sit in 13th spot in the NHL's Eastern Conference, two points behind the Leafs.
Both the Islanders and Leafs.
Toronto will be without rookie defenceman Luke Schenn (leg) and forward Niklas Hagman (concussion). Jeremy Williams has been summoned from the Marlies to replace Hagman, who is expected to miss only one after he was knocked woozy in the Leafs 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals last Saturday.
Summary:
Jaime Sifers plays for the Toronto Marley (farm team) and has been asked to play for the Toronto Maple leafs (NHL). This Jaime's life long dream. His teamates told him to play it simple, and not to get to complicated. He has been asked to play because of one of the good veteran players might be leaving the team. He hopes to end a three game lossing streak.
Questions
1. Will he stay on the team if the veteran does not leave?
2. Will he help the Leafs end there three game lossing streak?
3. Do you think Jaime will be the next superstar?
Relation to First Nation.
This is related to the First Nation people, beccause they were the ones who invented hockey.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Rocky Current Events by Brandon
With the National Lacrosse League season fast approaching, the Toronto Rock is not lacking in confidence.
The Rock won five championships in seven years from 1999-2005, but has struggled since, coming off the two worst seasons in franchise history.
At 7-9, the team missed the playoffs for the first time in 2008 and that spurred an eventful off-season that saw a roster overhaul and the retirement of Jim Veltman, the club's captain since its 1998 inception as the Ontario Raiders. Veltman has moved to the bench as an assistant to head coach Glenn Clark, while veteran Chris Driscoll takes over as captain.
The Rock appears capable of making a big move in the standings this season with the quality additions of Luke Wiles, Stephen Hoar, Jason Crosbie and former 44-goal scorer Craig Conn, and the return of veteran goaltender Bob Watson, the NLL goalie of the year in 2008. The team also will get a full season out of Lewis Ratcliff, who scored 13 goals and 28 points in just five games last year.
So confident is Rock president Brad Watters that the team will be "a force in the East," that he has made some season ticket holders an intriguing offer: Buy season tickets in the blue section and if the club misses the playoffs, the team will pay for the same seats in 2010.
"We've rebuilt and we're now ready to go," Watters said at practice in Scarborough yesterday. "A lot of fans have come to me saying: 'You're not as good as you used to be.' Now we are."
Clark, a member of all the Rock's championship teams, agrees.
"We were up for so long ... that's sports," he said. "You get to the top of the mountain, you stay there for a bit, and at some point you have to climb back up and we think we've done that."
Director of lacrosse operations Mike Kloepfer said the Rock desperately needed to improve its offence and he believes it has done so.
In Ratcliff and Conn, the team possesses two of only a handful of players in the league that have scored in the mid-40's in the past. Wiles and Crosbie also are capable offensively and Hoar is a transition threat and an elite face-off man who will get the Rock the ball more often.
"We've brought in character guys," Kloepfer said. "We've just gotten better everywhere, and hopefully, that will help fill the void left by Jim."
For his part, Veltman is enjoying his new role and doesn't appear to be in any rush to make a comeback.
"I don't miss training camp," he said with a laugh.
Assistant captain Blaine Manning said he will be one of many players attempting to fill the void left by Veltman.
"It's tough to replace Jimmy," he said. "The East is always very tough, but with the guys we've added, I don't see why we can't compete for a championship this year."
The season begins Jan. 3 against the New York Titans.
Summary: I think that Toronto Rock has had 5 good seasns and deserved all of them. Toronto is a great team and will still be one.
Questions:
1.Who is your favourite player on Toronto Rock?
2.Do you think that Toronto Rock deserved to wwin each of their seasons?
3.Do you want to play for the Toronto Rock?
The Rock won five championships in seven years from 1999-2005, but has struggled since, coming off the two worst seasons in franchise history.
At 7-9, the team missed the playoffs for the first time in 2008 and that spurred an eventful off-season that saw a roster overhaul and the retirement of Jim Veltman, the club's captain since its 1998 inception as the Ontario Raiders. Veltman has moved to the bench as an assistant to head coach Glenn Clark, while veteran Chris Driscoll takes over as captain.
The Rock appears capable of making a big move in the standings this season with the quality additions of Luke Wiles, Stephen Hoar, Jason Crosbie and former 44-goal scorer Craig Conn, and the return of veteran goaltender Bob Watson, the NLL goalie of the year in 2008. The team also will get a full season out of Lewis Ratcliff, who scored 13 goals and 28 points in just five games last year.
So confident is Rock president Brad Watters that the team will be "a force in the East," that he has made some season ticket holders an intriguing offer: Buy season tickets in the blue section and if the club misses the playoffs, the team will pay for the same seats in 2010.
"We've rebuilt and we're now ready to go," Watters said at practice in Scarborough yesterday. "A lot of fans have come to me saying: 'You're not as good as you used to be.' Now we are."
Clark, a member of all the Rock's championship teams, agrees.
"We were up for so long ... that's sports," he said. "You get to the top of the mountain, you stay there for a bit, and at some point you have to climb back up and we think we've done that."
Director of lacrosse operations Mike Kloepfer said the Rock desperately needed to improve its offence and he believes it has done so.
In Ratcliff and Conn, the team possesses two of only a handful of players in the league that have scored in the mid-40's in the past. Wiles and Crosbie also are capable offensively and Hoar is a transition threat and an elite face-off man who will get the Rock the ball more often.
"We've brought in character guys," Kloepfer said. "We've just gotten better everywhere, and hopefully, that will help fill the void left by Jim."
For his part, Veltman is enjoying his new role and doesn't appear to be in any rush to make a comeback.
"I don't miss training camp," he said with a laugh.
Assistant captain Blaine Manning said he will be one of many players attempting to fill the void left by Veltman.
"It's tough to replace Jimmy," he said. "The East is always very tough, but with the guys we've added, I don't see why we can't compete for a championship this year."
The season begins Jan. 3 against the New York Titans.
Summary: I think that Toronto Rock has had 5 good seasns and deserved all of them. Toronto is a great team and will still be one.
Questions:
1.Who is your favourite player on Toronto Rock?
2.Do you think that Toronto Rock deserved to wwin each of their seasons?
3.Do you want to play for the Toronto Rock?
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Matthew’s Blog
Canadian Press
April 27, 2003 at 2:02 AM EST
Toronto — The best defence in the National Lacrosse League flexed its muscles Saturday to put the Toronto Rock in another championship game.
A 15-11 semi-final victory over the Colorado Mammoth gave Les Bartley's team a chance to win the Champions Cup a fourth time in five years.
"We've got a veteran group of athletes who know how to win," said the victorious GM-coach.
They'll be tested in Rochester, N.Y., next Saturday night. The top-seeded Knighthawks beat Buffalo 16-13 in the other semi-final and will host the final for the first time.
"I'm really looking forward to it," said Rock forward Colin Doyle. "Every year we get a new challenge and this will be another one."
Bartley's game plan designed to handcuff Colorado stars Gary Gait and Ted Dowling worked to perfection.
Defencemen Pat Coyle and Glenn Clark patrolled the left side where Gait and Dowling set up for shots. They held Gait, who scored a record 61 goals during the regular season, to one late goal, and Dowling was completely shut down.
"Our defence was awesome against the best player in the game," said Doyle.
With Toronto up 9-5 in the third quarter, three consecutive goals by Doyle in three minutes 20 seconds sealed the outcome in front of 15,200 at the Air Canada Centre.
Doyle and Blaine Manning each scored four goals, Chris Driscoll had two and Sandy Chapman, Glenn Clark, Steve Toll, Kim Squire and Darryl Gibson also scored for Toronto, which had a 60-51 edge in shots on goal.
Bob Watson, who repeatedly frustrated the Mammoth early, got the goaltending win.
"We played traditional Rock lacrosse," said Watson. "We're going to the show and that's the bottom line."
Brian Langtry scored seven goals for the Mammoth, and Josh Sims, Ben Prepchuk and Tom Phair also had one each.
"They keyed on Gary and Ted, which is why I got so many wide-open shots," said Langtry.
With Gait and Dowling under wraps, Toronto jumped ahead 4-0 and never relinquished the lead.
"They came out humming," said Langtry. "It was really frustrating."
Colorado goaltender Erik Miller starred in two regular-season wins over the Rock but couldn't do it again.
"It helped to get a start like that," said Bartley. "Right away, the guys got the confidence that they could score against this guy."
Toll was everywhere. Besides his goal, he assisted on four, and fought big defenceman Dave Stilley, who was ejected for head-butting Toll during the second-quarter punch-up. The absence of Stilley the rest of the way opened up shooting lanes for Rock attackers.
"It was one of the best games we've ever played," said Toll.
Especially on defence.
"We didn't let Gait and Dowling set up many picks on us," said Clark. "We got to them early.
"That's the best success we've ever had against them."
A late rally closed the gap on the scoreboard but the Mammoth were too far behind to catch up.
"We came out flat," said Gait. "They put us in a hole we couldn't get out of.
"It was too deep."
There were plenty of bright spots for the Rock.
Captain Jim Veltman had four assists, Driscoll's goals were his first since Bartley got him in a late-season trade and the Squire goal that immediately preceded Doyle's spree was a highlight-reel, over-the-shoulder backhander that froze Miller. Squire missed most of the season while a hand inflicted with flesh-eating disease healed.
"We were all happy to see one go in for Kim," said Bartley.
Notes: On power plays, Toronto was 2-for-8 and Colorado 1-for-6. . . . The Rock had played only once in 36 days but said Bartley, "There wasn't a doubt in my mind we'd be ready to play." . . . Colorado entered the game on a five-game winning streak. . . . Gait will be back: "I still love to play and as long as I compete I'll keep going," said the all-time leading scorer in pro lacrosse. "I'm definitely going to play next year."
Summary: This article is about the Toronto Rock, it is about the Toronto Rock playing in the finals vs. Colorado. The Toronto rock had only played once in 36 days, and Colorado came off a 5 game winning streak. In this game the Toronto Rock lost I think they could of won that year.
Questions:
1. Do you think the Toronto Rock could of won that game, why or why not?
2. Do you think Colorado is a good team?
3. If you think Colorado is good explain why?
Canadian Press
April 27, 2003 at 2:02 AM EST
Toronto — The best defence in the National Lacrosse League flexed its muscles Saturday to put the Toronto Rock in another championship game.
A 15-11 semi-final victory over the Colorado Mammoth gave Les Bartley's team a chance to win the Champions Cup a fourth time in five years.
"We've got a veteran group of athletes who know how to win," said the victorious GM-coach.
They'll be tested in Rochester, N.Y., next Saturday night. The top-seeded Knighthawks beat Buffalo 16-13 in the other semi-final and will host the final for the first time.
"I'm really looking forward to it," said Rock forward Colin Doyle. "Every year we get a new challenge and this will be another one."
Bartley's game plan designed to handcuff Colorado stars Gary Gait and Ted Dowling worked to perfection.
Defencemen Pat Coyle and Glenn Clark patrolled the left side where Gait and Dowling set up for shots. They held Gait, who scored a record 61 goals during the regular season, to one late goal, and Dowling was completely shut down.
"Our defence was awesome against the best player in the game," said Doyle.
With Toronto up 9-5 in the third quarter, three consecutive goals by Doyle in three minutes 20 seconds sealed the outcome in front of 15,200 at the Air Canada Centre.
Doyle and Blaine Manning each scored four goals, Chris Driscoll had two and Sandy Chapman, Glenn Clark, Steve Toll, Kim Squire and Darryl Gibson also scored for Toronto, which had a 60-51 edge in shots on goal.
Bob Watson, who repeatedly frustrated the Mammoth early, got the goaltending win.
"We played traditional Rock lacrosse," said Watson. "We're going to the show and that's the bottom line."
Brian Langtry scored seven goals for the Mammoth, and Josh Sims, Ben Prepchuk and Tom Phair also had one each.
"They keyed on Gary and Ted, which is why I got so many wide-open shots," said Langtry.
With Gait and Dowling under wraps, Toronto jumped ahead 4-0 and never relinquished the lead.
"They came out humming," said Langtry. "It was really frustrating."
Colorado goaltender Erik Miller starred in two regular-season wins over the Rock but couldn't do it again.
"It helped to get a start like that," said Bartley. "Right away, the guys got the confidence that they could score against this guy."
Toll was everywhere. Besides his goal, he assisted on four, and fought big defenceman Dave Stilley, who was ejected for head-butting Toll during the second-quarter punch-up. The absence of Stilley the rest of the way opened up shooting lanes for Rock attackers.
"It was one of the best games we've ever played," said Toll.
Especially on defence.
"We didn't let Gait and Dowling set up many picks on us," said Clark. "We got to them early.
"That's the best success we've ever had against them."
A late rally closed the gap on the scoreboard but the Mammoth were too far behind to catch up.
"We came out flat," said Gait. "They put us in a hole we couldn't get out of.
"It was too deep."
There were plenty of bright spots for the Rock.
Captain Jim Veltman had four assists, Driscoll's goals were his first since Bartley got him in a late-season trade and the Squire goal that immediately preceded Doyle's spree was a highlight-reel, over-the-shoulder backhander that froze Miller. Squire missed most of the season while a hand inflicted with flesh-eating disease healed.
"We were all happy to see one go in for Kim," said Bartley.
Notes: On power plays, Toronto was 2-for-8 and Colorado 1-for-6. . . . The Rock had played only once in 36 days but said Bartley, "There wasn't a doubt in my mind we'd be ready to play." . . . Colorado entered the game on a five-game winning streak. . . . Gait will be back: "I still love to play and as long as I compete I'll keep going," said the all-time leading scorer in pro lacrosse. "I'm definitely going to play next year."
Summary: This article is about the Toronto Rock, it is about the Toronto Rock playing in the finals vs. Colorado. The Toronto rock had only played once in 36 days, and Colorado came off a 5 game winning streak. In this game the Toronto Rock lost I think they could of won that year.
Questions:
1. Do you think the Toronto Rock could of won that game, why or why not?
2. Do you think Colorado is a good team?
3. If you think Colorado is good explain why?
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Adrians Article
Bob Watson and the Toronto Rock defense held the Chicago Shamrox scoreless for the entire fourth quarter. The Rock topped the Shamrox 11-9, at Sears Centre on Saturday. Chicago led 9-8 after three quarters, but Toronto outscored Chicago, 3-0, in the final quarter. Blaine Manning scored four goals to lead Toronto, while Kasey Beirnes scored three goals in his Rock debut.Chicago, who trailed 5-4 at halftime, outscored the Rock 5-3 in the third quarter. The Shamrox took their first lead of the game when rookie transition player Bobby McBride picked off an outlet pass and scored with under one minute left in the third to make the score 9-8.Aaron Wilson scored for Toronto to tie the game with nine minutes to go, before Manning scored the eventual-winner moments later, his fourth goal of the game. Beirnes scored his third goal of the game to give Toronto an 11-9 lead shortly after.Seven of Toronto's 11 goals were scored on the power play. Josh Sanderson added two goals for the Rock, while Aaron Wilson and former Shamrox captain Cam Woods added singles. Bob Watson got the win in goal.Chicago was led offensively by McBride and Kevin Fines, who scored two goals apiece. Mat Giles, Mike Hobbins, Callum Crawford, Josh Wasson and Chris Panos added singles. Shamrox starting goaltender Brandon Miller left the game for unknown reasons after one quarter and was replaced by backup Derek Collins for the remainder of the game. Collins was credited with the loss.Toronto (1-0) meets the Minnesota Swarm in back-to-back games next weekend, starting in Toronto's Air Canada Centre on Friday. Chicago (0-1) will meet the Philadelphia Wings at Wachovia Center on Saturday.
Summary: The Toronto Rock played Chicago in lacrosse. They had a close game but Chicago won. I think that they need Bob Watson because he is a very good defensive player and makes the Toronto Rock competitive.
Questions:
1.Do you think Toronto Rock is a better team then Chicago?
2. Do you think Toronto Rock are going to win the Championship?
3.Do you think that Toronto Rock has the best players on the team?
Connections: The connections are that lacrosse was made by the Canadians. Lacrosse has been going on for years and it still being played today.
Summary: The Toronto Rock played Chicago in lacrosse. They had a close game but Chicago won. I think that they need Bob Watson because he is a very good defensive player and makes the Toronto Rock competitive.
Questions:
1.Do you think Toronto Rock is a better team then Chicago?
2. Do you think Toronto Rock are going to win the Championship?
3.Do you think that Toronto Rock has the best players on the team?
Connections: The connections are that lacrosse was made by the Canadians. Lacrosse has been going on for years and it still being played today.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Amz's Blog
Nov 20, 2008 07:38 PM
Betsy Powell Courts Bureau
Arber "Benny" Krasniqi says he stabbed Jordan Ormonde in the neck in a Greek restaurant on the Danforth to save himself but he didn't mean to kill the 24-year-old.
"This big guy grabbed me and slapped me across the face. I couldn't breathe," Krasniqi testified today before a jury at his second-degree murder trial. Ormonde was upset, Krasniqi said, because he had danced with Ormonde's girlfriend.
With Ormonde holding him in the air, Krasniqi said he believed he was "going to die" so he grabbed a knife out of the front pocket of this jeans and started swinging it, waving his arms to demonstrate.
"What are you going to do when a guy double your size grabs you?" he said under questioning by his lawyer, James Silver. Ormonde was about 300 pounds and Krasniqi, 34, 130 pounds at the time.
Krasniqi said he was "shocked" when Ormonde's blood started spurting all over him - the wound had severed his carotid artery and jugular - and then ran out the front door with his friend, knife still in hand and Ormonde's friends in pursuit.
The defence opened its case today after the Crown called more than a dozen witnesses, most of them having attended the same birthday party as Ormonde, on April 22, 2007. All portrayed Krasniqi as the aggressor and none saw Ormonde, who was unarmed, show any aggression toward Krasniqi.
But Krasniqi, who is Albanian, said he encountered a hostile atmosphere in Kokkino "as soon as I came in," receiving dirty looks from waiter Loukas Pappas - "maybe he didn't like my big ears" - and then from some members of Ormonde's group of birthday celebrants.
"They didn't like us being there," said Krasniqi, adding later he felt they were looking at him and the other two men he was with as "animals."
Prosecutor Ann Morgan suggested otherwise.
"The Greek people had no problem with you at all," Morgan said. "The only person who has a problem with being an Albanian is you."
"No," responded the father of two. He came to Canada from Kosovo in 1999 and worked as a carpet installer until his arrest. He testified he has been convicted of assault and was sentenced to seven days in jail and one year's probation.
Before going to Kokkino, Krasniqi said he had drinks at another bar with a man named Sam, he didn't know his last name, who works in construction. They left the first bar and walked to Sam's truck and Krasniqi says he asked him if he could have one of the knives used to cut carpets.
"I told him it's a nice knife." Krasniqi gave the jury an animated and detailed explanation of how to install carpet, using the microphone on the witness stand to demonstrate.
After the stabbing, Toronto police released a photo of Krasniqi, who said he was hiding out in a Kingston Road motel before going to Montreal and then New York.
"Why did you flee the country?" Morgan asked.
"Everyone was his friends," he said. "I didn't know what to do. I stay I just killed somebody - what's going to happen? I'll be in jail all my life." He said he had two black eyes as a result of the barroom altercation.
When Morgan asked if he meant to kill Ormonde, he said no, but agreed with her statement "you thought it was me or him."
Morgan also pressed Krasniqi on why the two men he was with that night haven't stepped forward to corroborate "your side of the story."
Krasniqi replied he hasn't been able to locate them.
After spending some time in New York, he went to Florida but returned to Manhattan and was planning to surrender to police back in Toronto, Krasniqi testified.
Before that could happen, two Toronto women in Manhattan recognized him and alerted police when they returned home. U.S. Marshals arrested him there July 18, 2007.
Summary of story:
Well there was this man named Arber Krasniqi. He was in a restaruant and this man nasmed Ormonde comes out of nowhere and starts choking him. Then Arber gets too aggressive and takes his knife, and stabs Ormonde right in the side of the neck. Arber knew that the reason Ormonde came up too him like that was because Arber danced with Ormande's girlfriend. Now the part that was suprising too ME was that Arber ran out of the restraunt with Ormande"s friends behind him. Another thing was, this was Arber's SECOND criminal offense. Though, Arber fought back with the truth but it was still not good enough. Arber said that there was apparently Ormonde's birthday going on. And Arber was Albanian. Arber was trying to say that the Greeks from Ormande's party didn't like him. He recalls the waiters and the party members giving him dirty looks. (this was before Arber stabbed Ormande). After the stabbing, Arber tried to flee the country from places like New York and Montreal. Police found him on the sideroade and arrested him on July 18th 2007
Questions:
Question 1: Will this incident inflict with Canada? Can it change the economy in anyway?
Question 2: Have any of you had any experience with this kind of situation. Similiar?
Question 3: Do you think that the government should put SOME kind of law aggainst people who already had some criminal offense?
Betsy Powell Courts Bureau
Arber "Benny" Krasniqi says he stabbed Jordan Ormonde in the neck in a Greek restaurant on the Danforth to save himself but he didn't mean to kill the 24-year-old.
"This big guy grabbed me and slapped me across the face. I couldn't breathe," Krasniqi testified today before a jury at his second-degree murder trial. Ormonde was upset, Krasniqi said, because he had danced with Ormonde's girlfriend.
With Ormonde holding him in the air, Krasniqi said he believed he was "going to die" so he grabbed a knife out of the front pocket of this jeans and started swinging it, waving his arms to demonstrate.
"What are you going to do when a guy double your size grabs you?" he said under questioning by his lawyer, James Silver. Ormonde was about 300 pounds and Krasniqi, 34, 130 pounds at the time.
Krasniqi said he was "shocked" when Ormonde's blood started spurting all over him - the wound had severed his carotid artery and jugular - and then ran out the front door with his friend, knife still in hand and Ormonde's friends in pursuit.
The defence opened its case today after the Crown called more than a dozen witnesses, most of them having attended the same birthday party as Ormonde, on April 22, 2007. All portrayed Krasniqi as the aggressor and none saw Ormonde, who was unarmed, show any aggression toward Krasniqi.
But Krasniqi, who is Albanian, said he encountered a hostile atmosphere in Kokkino "as soon as I came in," receiving dirty looks from waiter Loukas Pappas - "maybe he didn't like my big ears" - and then from some members of Ormonde's group of birthday celebrants.
"They didn't like us being there," said Krasniqi, adding later he felt they were looking at him and the other two men he was with as "animals."
Prosecutor Ann Morgan suggested otherwise.
"The Greek people had no problem with you at all," Morgan said. "The only person who has a problem with being an Albanian is you."
"No," responded the father of two. He came to Canada from Kosovo in 1999 and worked as a carpet installer until his arrest. He testified he has been convicted of assault and was sentenced to seven days in jail and one year's probation.
Before going to Kokkino, Krasniqi said he had drinks at another bar with a man named Sam, he didn't know his last name, who works in construction. They left the first bar and walked to Sam's truck and Krasniqi says he asked him if he could have one of the knives used to cut carpets.
"I told him it's a nice knife." Krasniqi gave the jury an animated and detailed explanation of how to install carpet, using the microphone on the witness stand to demonstrate.
After the stabbing, Toronto police released a photo of Krasniqi, who said he was hiding out in a Kingston Road motel before going to Montreal and then New York.
"Why did you flee the country?" Morgan asked.
"Everyone was his friends," he said. "I didn't know what to do. I stay I just killed somebody - what's going to happen? I'll be in jail all my life." He said he had two black eyes as a result of the barroom altercation.
When Morgan asked if he meant to kill Ormonde, he said no, but agreed with her statement "you thought it was me or him."
Morgan also pressed Krasniqi on why the two men he was with that night haven't stepped forward to corroborate "your side of the story."
Krasniqi replied he hasn't been able to locate them.
After spending some time in New York, he went to Florida but returned to Manhattan and was planning to surrender to police back in Toronto, Krasniqi testified.
Before that could happen, two Toronto women in Manhattan recognized him and alerted police when they returned home. U.S. Marshals arrested him there July 18, 2007.
Summary of story:
Well there was this man named Arber Krasniqi. He was in a restaruant and this man nasmed Ormonde comes out of nowhere and starts choking him. Then Arber gets too aggressive and takes his knife, and stabs Ormonde right in the side of the neck. Arber knew that the reason Ormonde came up too him like that was because Arber danced with Ormande's girlfriend. Now the part that was suprising too ME was that Arber ran out of the restraunt with Ormande"s friends behind him. Another thing was, this was Arber's SECOND criminal offense. Though, Arber fought back with the truth but it was still not good enough. Arber said that there was apparently Ormonde's birthday going on. And Arber was Albanian. Arber was trying to say that the Greeks from Ormande's party didn't like him. He recalls the waiters and the party members giving him dirty looks. (this was before Arber stabbed Ormande). After the stabbing, Arber tried to flee the country from places like New York and Montreal. Police found him on the sideroade and arrested him on July 18th 2007
Questions:
Question 1: Will this incident inflict with Canada? Can it change the economy in anyway?
Question 2: Have any of you had any experience with this kind of situation. Similiar?
Question 3: Do you think that the government should put SOME kind of law aggainst people who already had some criminal offense?
Nov 20, 2008 09:55 AM
WARSAW, Poland – Researchers believe they have identified the remains of Nicolaus Copernicus.
The identification was done by comparing DNA from a skeleton they have found with that of hair retrieved from one of the 16th-century astronomer's books.
Jerzy Gassowski, an academic at an archeology school in Poland, also says facial reconstruction of the skull his team found buried in a cathedral in Poland closely resembles existing portraits of Copernicus.
Gassowski and Marie Allen, a Swedish DNA expert, told reporters about their findings in Warsaw on Thursday.
Allen said DNA from the bones and teeth matches that of hair found in a book the Polish astronomer owned.
It is in a library at Sweden's Uppsala University.
The astronomer's theories identified the sun, not the Earth, as the centre of the universe.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Avery Current Events
Native population growing
Jan 15, 2008 11:31 AM
Sue Bailey THE CANADIAN PRESS
Canada's native population has topped the million mark for the first time in the latest census, with slightly more than half the country's 1.2 million aboriginals living off reserve.
Fifty-four per cent who consider themselves North American Indian, Metis or Inuit live in or near urban areas, according to the 2006 national survey. That's up from 50 per cent in the census taken a decade previous, say figures released Tuesday by Statistics Canada.
But analysts say what appears to be a gradual urbanization of Canada's aboriginal population does not mean reserves are emptying. On the contrary, there has been net migration back to First Nations over the last 40 years.
And while many people enjoy good housing and jobs in cities, some of Canada's roughest streets are disproportionately home to aboriginals. Overwhelmed and under-funded agencies say it's a growing struggle to offer services ranging from job training and affordable rent to a bowl of soup.
"Locally our friendship centre is facing incredible funding pressures," says Susan Tatoosh, executive director of the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre in the city's notorious Downtown Eastside.
"We have over 1,000 people dropping in on a monthly basis. We keep stats."
"We have a constant turnover of staff, mainly because of burnout and leaving for better wages elsewhere."
Winnipeg leads the way with the largest native population of 68,380 or 10 per cent of its total. Edmonton is second with 52,100 or five per cent of its total, and Vancouver has 40,310 or two per cent.
Other cities with high proportions of native residents were Prince Albert, Sask., where native people account for 34 per cent of the population, along with Saskatoon and Regina with nine per cent each, says Statistics Canada.
Overall, the aboriginal share of Canada's population – 3.8 per cent – ranks second in the world to New Zealand. The Maori people account for 15 per cent of New Zealand's total, while indigenous people represent a two-per-cent share in the U.S. and Australia.
An estimated 698,025 people identified themselves as North American Indian in the 2006 census – a number lower than the 763,555 people counted in the government's official Indian Registry as of Dec. 31, 2006. This is in part because 22 First Nations, including Canada's largest Mohawk communities, shunned the census process.
Those reserves report births and deaths regularly through the federal Indian Registry and are generally suspicious of how census data might be used.
The most recent census finds that the proportion of status Indians living on reserve has held steady at about 45 per cent. The Indian Registry, by contrast, tells a different story.
It says there were 615 bands in Canada as of Dec. 31, 2006 with 763,555 members. Most of that total – 404,117 – lived on reserves, while 335,109 lived off reserve and 24,329 were on Crown land. The discrepancy between the registry and the census is explained in part by the First Nations who refused to take part in the national survey.
But the registry is also a more static reflection of birth, marriage and death, says Jane Badets of Statistics Canada. The census is a five-year snapshot of where aboriginal people primarily live, she added.
The Indian Registry along with census data are the prime sources of population data that help determine federal funds for native housing, education and health needs. Those agreements were historically negotiated between First Nations.
There's a political twist to any suggestion that an increasing number of First Nations people are living off reserve. The federal Conservatives have increased focus on off-reserve needs, most visibly by aligning themselves politically with the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. The congress purports to represent off-reserve people across Canada, but its membership is disputed by rival groups like the Assembly of First Nations that are more closely identified with reserves.
The congress was notably the only native political group to openly endorse the Tories in the last federal election. Some critics of Conservative aboriginal policy note efforts to increase individual housing and other rights as piecemeal undermining of collective native rights.
In any case, observers stress that the gradual growth of native urban populations does not mean a mass exodus from reserves. In fact, since the mid-1960s more people have returned to First Nations and there's been a good deal of "churn" back and forth, says Dan Beavon, director of strategic research for Indian Affairs.
Much of the urban aboriginal growth can be traced to second- and third-generation population increases of existing native enclaves.
But bigger factors include "out-marriage" of aboriginal people with non-natives, along with a spike in cultural pride, Beavon says. People in cities have shown a greater tendency to cite native ancestry or identity from one census to the next, he explained.
The latest census shows 1.7 million people reported having at least some aboriginal ancestry, up from 1.3 million in 2001 and 1.1 million in 1996.
Higher birth rates also play a role, especially on reserves. And there's the simple fact that more First Nations now fall within city boundaries because of amalgamation, Beavon says.
For example, at least 20 First Nations border the sprawling Vancouver area, he says. "Reserves and cities are not mutually exclusive."
Aboriginal people flock to cities for the same education and job opportunities as non-natives.
"This is not a uniquely Canadian phenomenon," says Fred Caron, assistant deputy minister in the federal office for Metis and non-status Indians.
"It's worldwide. No matter what region you go to, there are more indigenous people living in cities in every region of the world – and facing a lot of the same issues."
Decent housing, a job and schooling for their kids are the main hurdles for people making the huge cultural shift from remote reserves, Caron said in an interview.
"Those three things, if they line up right, point to success – especially education."
In the meanest parts of Vancouver, Winnipeg and Saskatoon the extent to which native people have fallen through social cracks is painfully obvious.
Yet critics say federal and provincial governments aren't doing nearly enough to help these relatively young and growing urban communities to succeed.
Caron points to the federal Urban Aboriginal Strategy, a $14 million-a-year effort to co-ordinate an array of native training, transition and support services in 12 cities. He says Ottawa has forged partnerships and drawn funding from provincial, local and private interests.
"It's a small strategy. It hasn't got a lot of money attached to it," he conceded. But there are success stories, such as the BladeRunners program that trains young native workers for jobs in Vancouver's construction trade.
Peter Dinsdale, executive director of the National Association of Friendship Centres, says there's a growing need for the most basic services in cities.
"We provide, disproportionately, poverty-type programs. Programs for children, young parents and their families, food banks, drug and alcohol counseling."
Dinsdale says that 117 friendship centres across the country tracked 1.3 million services offered to clients last year – up from 757,000 in 2002-03.
"It's growing exponentially."
And no one, he says, wants to take on the responsibility or the cost. "There's this huge jurisdictional war going on between the provinces and the federal government as to who has responsibility for urban aboriginal people. As a result, very little is getting done."
Three Sentence Summary of my Article:
My article is about the native population growing. It is also about which province have more or less natives. And about the number of native people living on and off reserves.
Three Questions to Help you with your Comment:
1) Do you think that the growing number of natives will affect Canada’s culture? If so why? If not why not?
2) Do you think it is better that natives live on or off reserves? If so why? If not why not?
3) How long do you think the native population will stay close to this number?
Connection to course:
In class we are talking about The First Nations and this article talks about the first nations.
Jan 15, 2008 11:31 AM
Sue Bailey THE CANADIAN PRESS
Canada's native population has topped the million mark for the first time in the latest census, with slightly more than half the country's 1.2 million aboriginals living off reserve.
Fifty-four per cent who consider themselves North American Indian, Metis or Inuit live in or near urban areas, according to the 2006 national survey. That's up from 50 per cent in the census taken a decade previous, say figures released Tuesday by Statistics Canada.
But analysts say what appears to be a gradual urbanization of Canada's aboriginal population does not mean reserves are emptying. On the contrary, there has been net migration back to First Nations over the last 40 years.
And while many people enjoy good housing and jobs in cities, some of Canada's roughest streets are disproportionately home to aboriginals. Overwhelmed and under-funded agencies say it's a growing struggle to offer services ranging from job training and affordable rent to a bowl of soup.
"Locally our friendship centre is facing incredible funding pressures," says Susan Tatoosh, executive director of the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre in the city's notorious Downtown Eastside.
"We have over 1,000 people dropping in on a monthly basis. We keep stats."
"We have a constant turnover of staff, mainly because of burnout and leaving for better wages elsewhere."
Winnipeg leads the way with the largest native population of 68,380 or 10 per cent of its total. Edmonton is second with 52,100 or five per cent of its total, and Vancouver has 40,310 or two per cent.
Other cities with high proportions of native residents were Prince Albert, Sask., where native people account for 34 per cent of the population, along with Saskatoon and Regina with nine per cent each, says Statistics Canada.
Overall, the aboriginal share of Canada's population – 3.8 per cent – ranks second in the world to New Zealand. The Maori people account for 15 per cent of New Zealand's total, while indigenous people represent a two-per-cent share in the U.S. and Australia.
An estimated 698,025 people identified themselves as North American Indian in the 2006 census – a number lower than the 763,555 people counted in the government's official Indian Registry as of Dec. 31, 2006. This is in part because 22 First Nations, including Canada's largest Mohawk communities, shunned the census process.
Those reserves report births and deaths regularly through the federal Indian Registry and are generally suspicious of how census data might be used.
The most recent census finds that the proportion of status Indians living on reserve has held steady at about 45 per cent. The Indian Registry, by contrast, tells a different story.
It says there were 615 bands in Canada as of Dec. 31, 2006 with 763,555 members. Most of that total – 404,117 – lived on reserves, while 335,109 lived off reserve and 24,329 were on Crown land. The discrepancy between the registry and the census is explained in part by the First Nations who refused to take part in the national survey.
But the registry is also a more static reflection of birth, marriage and death, says Jane Badets of Statistics Canada. The census is a five-year snapshot of where aboriginal people primarily live, she added.
The Indian Registry along with census data are the prime sources of population data that help determine federal funds for native housing, education and health needs. Those agreements were historically negotiated between First Nations.
There's a political twist to any suggestion that an increasing number of First Nations people are living off reserve. The federal Conservatives have increased focus on off-reserve needs, most visibly by aligning themselves politically with the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. The congress purports to represent off-reserve people across Canada, but its membership is disputed by rival groups like the Assembly of First Nations that are more closely identified with reserves.
The congress was notably the only native political group to openly endorse the Tories in the last federal election. Some critics of Conservative aboriginal policy note efforts to increase individual housing and other rights as piecemeal undermining of collective native rights.
In any case, observers stress that the gradual growth of native urban populations does not mean a mass exodus from reserves. In fact, since the mid-1960s more people have returned to First Nations and there's been a good deal of "churn" back and forth, says Dan Beavon, director of strategic research for Indian Affairs.
Much of the urban aboriginal growth can be traced to second- and third-generation population increases of existing native enclaves.
But bigger factors include "out-marriage" of aboriginal people with non-natives, along with a spike in cultural pride, Beavon says. People in cities have shown a greater tendency to cite native ancestry or identity from one census to the next, he explained.
The latest census shows 1.7 million people reported having at least some aboriginal ancestry, up from 1.3 million in 2001 and 1.1 million in 1996.
Higher birth rates also play a role, especially on reserves. And there's the simple fact that more First Nations now fall within city boundaries because of amalgamation, Beavon says.
For example, at least 20 First Nations border the sprawling Vancouver area, he says. "Reserves and cities are not mutually exclusive."
Aboriginal people flock to cities for the same education and job opportunities as non-natives.
"This is not a uniquely Canadian phenomenon," says Fred Caron, assistant deputy minister in the federal office for Metis and non-status Indians.
"It's worldwide. No matter what region you go to, there are more indigenous people living in cities in every region of the world – and facing a lot of the same issues."
Decent housing, a job and schooling for their kids are the main hurdles for people making the huge cultural shift from remote reserves, Caron said in an interview.
"Those three things, if they line up right, point to success – especially education."
In the meanest parts of Vancouver, Winnipeg and Saskatoon the extent to which native people have fallen through social cracks is painfully obvious.
Yet critics say federal and provincial governments aren't doing nearly enough to help these relatively young and growing urban communities to succeed.
Caron points to the federal Urban Aboriginal Strategy, a $14 million-a-year effort to co-ordinate an array of native training, transition and support services in 12 cities. He says Ottawa has forged partnerships and drawn funding from provincial, local and private interests.
"It's a small strategy. It hasn't got a lot of money attached to it," he conceded. But there are success stories, such as the BladeRunners program that trains young native workers for jobs in Vancouver's construction trade.
Peter Dinsdale, executive director of the National Association of Friendship Centres, says there's a growing need for the most basic services in cities.
"We provide, disproportionately, poverty-type programs. Programs for children, young parents and their families, food banks, drug and alcohol counseling."
Dinsdale says that 117 friendship centres across the country tracked 1.3 million services offered to clients last year – up from 757,000 in 2002-03.
"It's growing exponentially."
And no one, he says, wants to take on the responsibility or the cost. "There's this huge jurisdictional war going on between the provinces and the federal government as to who has responsibility for urban aboriginal people. As a result, very little is getting done."
Three Sentence Summary of my Article:
My article is about the native population growing. It is also about which province have more or less natives. And about the number of native people living on and off reserves.
Three Questions to Help you with your Comment:
1) Do you think that the growing number of natives will affect Canada’s culture? If so why? If not why not?
2) Do you think it is better that natives live on or off reserves? If so why? If not why not?
3) How long do you think the native population will stay close to this number?
Connection to course:
In class we are talking about The First Nations and this article talks about the first nations.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Summary: of news article taken from CTV>ca on Friday Aug.1, 2008
"Bus attack suspect appears in Manitoba court"
Vince Weiguang Li, 40 was taken to the Provincial Court in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba on Friday Aug. 1, 2008. Li is facing a second-degree murder charge for the stabbing and beheading of 22-year-old Tim McLean on Thursday night, July 31st. They were passengers and seatmates on a Greyhound Bus about 18km west of Portage La Prairie when the violent incident occurred.
There seems no reason for the attack. Tim’s friends say he has never been in a fight. It seems Tim was not asleep as everyone thought. Instead, he was texting a girfriend minutes before the attack. Derek Caron, a friend of Tim’s waited at the bus station all night for him.
Police said Li has no known criminal record and appeared to lead a normal life in Edmonton with his wife. The judge said Li should talk to a lawyer before a psychiatric assessment can be done. Li hasn’t said a word and only nods in response to questions.
The McLean family is angry that they had to find out about Tim’s death from a journalist, that the RCMP took too long to notify them.
The other passengers on the bus are receiving counselling after the nightmarish ordeal. It may take a long time for them to recover.
Questions:
1) How can we prevent something like this from happening again?
2) Is ridership down?
3) How do bus drivers feel about their own safety?
4) What will happen to Li if he is found not fit for trial?
"Bus attack suspect appears in Manitoba court"
Vince Weiguang Li, 40 was taken to the Provincial Court in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba on Friday Aug. 1, 2008. Li is facing a second-degree murder charge for the stabbing and beheading of 22-year-old Tim McLean on Thursday night, July 31st. They were passengers and seatmates on a Greyhound Bus about 18km west of Portage La Prairie when the violent incident occurred.
There seems no reason for the attack. Tim’s friends say he has never been in a fight. It seems Tim was not asleep as everyone thought. Instead, he was texting a girfriend minutes before the attack. Derek Caron, a friend of Tim’s waited at the bus station all night for him.
Police said Li has no known criminal record and appeared to lead a normal life in Edmonton with his wife. The judge said Li should talk to a lawyer before a psychiatric assessment can be done. Li hasn’t said a word and only nods in response to questions.
The McLean family is angry that they had to find out about Tim’s death from a journalist, that the RCMP took too long to notify them.
The other passengers on the bus are receiving counselling after the nightmarish ordeal. It may take a long time for them to recover.
Questions:
1) How can we prevent something like this from happening again?
2) Is ridership down?
3) How do bus drivers feel about their own safety?
4) What will happen to Li if he is found not fit for trial?
Friday, October 31, 2008
Davids Article
David Pierson’s Article
NEWARK — The Toronto Maple Leafs found an extraordinary way to commemorate a 10-game start that has exceeded the expectations of general manager Cliff Fletcher and head coach Ron Wilson.
They not only battled back twice in their 6-5 shootout victory over the New Jersey Devils Wednesday night, but the Leafs also fired 48 shots at Martin Brodeur, the most the all-world goalie has faced in his storied 15-season career.
Wilson has preached patience with this new group because he has dramatically increased the tempo and skating game of the team. His concern was that it might take until Christmas before the Leafs were able to play three periods of swift-skating hockey without coasting or reverting back to their old ways.
But that certainly wasn't the case against the Devils. Playing 24 hours after a difficult 3-2 home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Leafs exhibited plenty of jump against a team known for its stingy defence-first play. In their eight previous games this season, the Devils had not surrendered more than 33 shots on goal.
Toronto Maple Leafs' Ryan Hollweg skates off the ice with a cut on his face after a fight with New Jersey Devils' Mike Rupp in the second period. (Rich Schultz/The Associated Press)
"It's coming along," Wilson said. "I had to shake some trees earlier [with the benching of Matt Stajan and Jason Blake], but everyone is starting to grasp the message. They are certainly playing with confidence and that shows in the work ethic."
The victory, which saw Stajan score two goals and assist on another before a sparse Prudential Center crowd, allowed the Leafs to finish the month of October with 11 points and a 4-3-3 record.
How does this compare with the three previous playoff-less seasons after 10 games? Not quite as good as Pat Quinn's final season behind the bench, when the Leafs were 5-3-2, but identical to Paul Maurice's first year and better than last season, 3-4-3.
"I'm proud of these guys, the way they have grasped what were trying to accomplish here," Wilson said.
There still are flaws in Toronto's game. The Leafs found themselves down 2-0 after the opening 20 minutes, a trend that has occurred in four of their past five outings. But they did correct one of their defects by finally winning their first shootout after three failures.
Toronto goaltender Vesa Toskala deserves some credit, as does his fellow Finn, Niklas Hagman, who delivered the winner in the fourth round of shooters.
Hagman skated in on Brodeur with a strange move that saw him show his backhand early before sticking with the backhand to score his second goal in five career attempts. In doing so, he was merely following in a long line of Finnish shootout marksman, such as Jussi Jokinen of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu.
"It's not something we work at," Hagman confessed.
"If you go to a shootout against Finland, then you're dead," Wilson added.
Toskala won only his third shootout competition in 12 tries. After the Leafs lost their third shootout of the season on Oct. 21 against the Anaheim Ducks, a game in which Wilson brought in a cold Curtis Joseph off the bench, goalie coach Corey Hirsch came up with a plan for his student.
Hirsch watched tapes of the best shootout goalies and noticed that they stayed back in the net longer, a tactic that Toskala had not employed. Armed with this new strategy, Toskala stopped three of four shooters. He also was brilliant in killing a Devils power play in overtime to make sure the game got to the tiebreaker.
"I had a plan and it worked this time," Toskala said.
The 10-game mark also was significant for Leafs rookie defenceman Luke Schenn, who will turn 19 on Sunday. Earlier in the week, the Toronto brass stated the obvious when they announced that Schenn was here to stay for the season.
By playing in his 10th game, the first year of his three-season, entry-level contract kicks in. He marked the occasion by registering his first NHL point, an assist in the second period.
Link: Hockey was a winter version of an early type of lacrosse game that was invented by the First Nations hundreds of years ago. There are people are trying to prove that the First Nations did invent hockey.
Questions:
Do you think Ron Wilson Will help the Toronto Maple Leafs become a better team?
Do you think Ron Wilson will try putting in Curtis Joseph for another shootout and see how he does?
3. Do you think Vesa Toskala will get better at shootouts from the confidence he got from the shootout win?
NEWARK — The Toronto Maple Leafs found an extraordinary way to commemorate a 10-game start that has exceeded the expectations of general manager Cliff Fletcher and head coach Ron Wilson.
They not only battled back twice in their 6-5 shootout victory over the New Jersey Devils Wednesday night, but the Leafs also fired 48 shots at Martin Brodeur, the most the all-world goalie has faced in his storied 15-season career.
Wilson has preached patience with this new group because he has dramatically increased the tempo and skating game of the team. His concern was that it might take until Christmas before the Leafs were able to play three periods of swift-skating hockey without coasting or reverting back to their old ways.
But that certainly wasn't the case against the Devils. Playing 24 hours after a difficult 3-2 home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Leafs exhibited plenty of jump against a team known for its stingy defence-first play. In their eight previous games this season, the Devils had not surrendered more than 33 shots on goal.
Toronto Maple Leafs' Ryan Hollweg skates off the ice with a cut on his face after a fight with New Jersey Devils' Mike Rupp in the second period. (Rich Schultz/The Associated Press)
"It's coming along," Wilson said. "I had to shake some trees earlier [with the benching of Matt Stajan and Jason Blake], but everyone is starting to grasp the message. They are certainly playing with confidence and that shows in the work ethic."
The victory, which saw Stajan score two goals and assist on another before a sparse Prudential Center crowd, allowed the Leafs to finish the month of October with 11 points and a 4-3-3 record.
How does this compare with the three previous playoff-less seasons after 10 games? Not quite as good as Pat Quinn's final season behind the bench, when the Leafs were 5-3-2, but identical to Paul Maurice's first year and better than last season, 3-4-3.
"I'm proud of these guys, the way they have grasped what were trying to accomplish here," Wilson said.
There still are flaws in Toronto's game. The Leafs found themselves down 2-0 after the opening 20 minutes, a trend that has occurred in four of their past five outings. But they did correct one of their defects by finally winning their first shootout after three failures.
Toronto goaltender Vesa Toskala deserves some credit, as does his fellow Finn, Niklas Hagman, who delivered the winner in the fourth round of shooters.
Hagman skated in on Brodeur with a strange move that saw him show his backhand early before sticking with the backhand to score his second goal in five career attempts. In doing so, he was merely following in a long line of Finnish shootout marksman, such as Jussi Jokinen of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu.
"It's not something we work at," Hagman confessed.
"If you go to a shootout against Finland, then you're dead," Wilson added.
Toskala won only his third shootout competition in 12 tries. After the Leafs lost their third shootout of the season on Oct. 21 against the Anaheim Ducks, a game in which Wilson brought in a cold Curtis Joseph off the bench, goalie coach Corey Hirsch came up with a plan for his student.
Hirsch watched tapes of the best shootout goalies and noticed that they stayed back in the net longer, a tactic that Toskala had not employed. Armed with this new strategy, Toskala stopped three of four shooters. He also was brilliant in killing a Devils power play in overtime to make sure the game got to the tiebreaker.
"I had a plan and it worked this time," Toskala said.
The 10-game mark also was significant for Leafs rookie defenceman Luke Schenn, who will turn 19 on Sunday. Earlier in the week, the Toronto brass stated the obvious when they announced that Schenn was here to stay for the season.
By playing in his 10th game, the first year of his three-season, entry-level contract kicks in. He marked the occasion by registering his first NHL point, an assist in the second period.
Link: Hockey was a winter version of an early type of lacrosse game that was invented by the First Nations hundreds of years ago. There are people are trying to prove that the First Nations did invent hockey.
Questions:
Do you think Ron Wilson Will help the Toronto Maple Leafs become a better team?
Do you think Ron Wilson will try putting in Curtis Joseph for another shootout and see how he does?
3. Do you think Vesa Toskala will get better at shootouts from the confidence he got from the shootout win?
Monday, October 27, 2008
mitchell current events
Health worsens after immigration, study showsOctober 27, 2008
Shabnam Janet Janani
The health of immigrants decreases over time in Canada and actually gets worse than the health of people born here, a study shows.
"The health of immigrants worsens with each decade they stay in the country," said Dr. Scott Lear, a kinesiologist at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia who is to present the study today at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Toronto.
The study, released yesterday, looked at 618 people – 158 Canadian-born and 460 immigrants from South Asia, China and Europe. Researchers found length of stay remained an independent factor for atherosclerosis – narrowing of arteries – even after considering age, sex, ethnicity or family history of cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Chi-Ming Chow of the Heart and Stroke Foundation adds length of stay is also a "predictor of developing cardiovascular disease." Stress, language barriers and changes to diet and physical activity are likely to blame, doctors say.
summary:
three questions: If you were an immigrant, would this article scare you?
link to our course:
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
6-01 current events post
A picture and a thousand words
ALAN BLEWETT PHOTO
It's been 112 years since Ontario outlawed the autumn wild-turkey hunt. This week, it returns. With a robust population of 70,000 across the province, it's hard to believe they were once hunted to extinction
Oct 12, 2008 04:30 AM
Be the first to comment on this article... Robert Alison Special to the Star
Let us now consider the humble turkey.
In the late 1700s, wild turkeys were so abundant in Ontario that settlers and farmers considered them to be pests. The birds' habit of pillaging crops became so rampant that periodic bounties were paid in parts of southern Ontario to thin their ranks.
Scarcely 100 years later, they were extinct here.
This year, Thanksgiving brings mixed blessings for Ontario's wild turkeys: The province's first autumn wild turkey hunt in 112 years – originally planned for early October – has been deferred until after tomorrow's poultry-unfriendly holiday. Once it starts on Tuesday, however, it will run for almost two weeks (till Oct. 26).
"We delayed it to avoid potential conflicts with other outdoor activities, particularly on Thanksgiving weekend," says Patrick Hubert, an avian specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
The postponement also addresses a concern: Recent sightings of newly hatched wild turkeys suggest there will be a lot of small turkey chicks in family groups. The late hatch is apparently due to a cold, wet spring, which killed off earlier broods. In addition, many hens appear to have re-nested late.
"There could be a lot of inexperienced young turkeys around," Hubert says, "and, in general, fall turkeys are less wary than in the spring."
In Ontario, spring wild turkey hunting has taken place since 1987, but only gobblers (males), not hens, may be lawfully harvested in that season. There has not been an open season on hen turkeys in Ontario since the 1890s, only a decade or so before Ontario's native wild turkeys vanished. (The last one died near Aurora in 1909.)
Between 1909 and 1975, Ontario had no wild turkey management program and no wild turkeys. The following year, I initiated the current re-introduction program. Its original aim was to provide opportunities for people to see wild turkeys in their original Ontario range. But, since then, hunting has emerged as a primary goal.
The current Ontario wild turkey population is about 70,000, enough to warrant a fall turkey hunt, according to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. To quote the province's official wild-turkey management plan: "The wild turkey has been restored as an important component of the biodiversity of southern Ontario."
The earliest record of wild turkeys in Ontario was in 1624, when Recollect priest Gabriel Sagard reported them near Georgian Bay. A 1931 Royal Ontario Museum report, authored by zoologist L.L. Snyder, confirmed that wild turkeys were "common" in Ontario until the 1880s.
Live trapping for sale in public markets was a major reason for the disappearance of Ontario's original wild turkeys. The practice was first described in 1838 by Thomas Need. In 1866, Major Ross King wrote that wild turkey trapping was "rampant," even though it had been outlawed in 1839.
The banning of wild-turkey trapping was one of Ontario's first conservation laws. In the 1970s, Ontario prepared to launch a wild-turkey reintroduction program. The MNR invited James Pack, a West Virginia wild turkey specialist, to identify suitable turkey habitat. "I saw some very good sites," he reported.
By 1983, most of the logistics had been worked out, and the next year, 74 wild turkeys that had been live-trapped in Michigan and Missouri were released in Ontario near Napanee.
A few local residents complained that the birds were too tame, venturing into gardens and yards, scratching in flowerbeds and fouling lawns. Over the next few years, wilder and more elusive stock was imported from Iowa, New York, Vermont, New Jersey and Tennessee and released at dozens of sites. Local flocks began to grow.
Eventually, Ontario stopped importing turkeys from the United States and began relocating turkeys from established Ontario populations. According to MNR records, between 1987 and 2005, about 4,000 wild turkeys were relocated to 275 different sites.
On top of the official re-introductions, there were several unofficial releases in parts of Ontario. Officials with The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario surmise that unofficial releases were responsible for current turkey sightings in Thunder Bay and Rainy River.
According to the MNR's Hubert, Ontario's wild turkey population is robust and the birds widespread. Atlas information indicates the birds can be found as far north as Ottawa, northern Georgian Bay, Lake Nipissing and the Bruce Peninsula.
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters says Ontario's wild-turkey program has been enormously popular with hunters. "On my travels around the province, I am hearing that a lot of folks are up for fall turkey hunting," says Mark Clifford, a National Wild Turkey Federation representative in Aylmer. "I will be out there myself."
However, there have been some drawbacks. Negative "human-turkey interactions" have generated a variety of complaints.
"Most negative interactions develop as a result of the birds searching for food," the management plan states. "The most common complaints: feeding on recently planted fields, scratching in winter wheat and hay bales, causing damage to fruit crops, and being aggressive towards people and pets."
Once the fall hunt concludes, another concern will come into play. Ontario is on the northern edge of the continental wild turkey range, and winter survival is an unknown factor. "Cold temperatures and snow depths over 25 cm for several weeks" can be fatal to wild turkeys, says MNR's Pack.
According to Josef Hamr, an ecologist at Cambrian College, in some severe Ontario winters, emaciated wild turkeys are frequently encountered.
"They often die in such conditions," adds biologist Linh Nguyen of Laurentian University, who studied wild turkeys in several Ontario winters.
Ontario's harsh winter of 2008 did cause some wild turkey "mortality events," according to the MNR. But, while the birds' numbers no longer rival those of the 1700s, the province's turkey population remains substantial.
Robert Alison, now retired, was an avian specialist with the Ministry of Natural Resources
Summary: In the late 17oo's there were so many wild turkeys that they damaged crops. Farmers hunted them and people trapped them to sell in markets and they became extinct in Ontario by the late 1800's. In the early 1980's the Ministry of Natural Resources started to release new turkeys in Ontario by bringing them from the United States. Now there are about 70,000 turkeys in Ontario and the MNR has created a two week fall turkey hunt for the first time in 112 years.
Qeustions:
1. Will turkys ever become extinct in Ontario again?
2. Do you think the MNR has made the turkey hunt long enough or should they make it longer?
3. Have you ever seen a wild turkey and if so where?
Link to course topics:
I think my artical can connect to our coures topics because, the first nations people had to hunt to animals for their food and to survive.
ALAN BLEWETT PHOTO
It's been 112 years since Ontario outlawed the autumn wild-turkey hunt. This week, it returns. With a robust population of 70,000 across the province, it's hard to believe they were once hunted to extinction
Oct 12, 2008 04:30 AM
Be the first to comment on this article... Robert Alison Special to the Star
Let us now consider the humble turkey.
In the late 1700s, wild turkeys were so abundant in Ontario that settlers and farmers considered them to be pests. The birds' habit of pillaging crops became so rampant that periodic bounties were paid in parts of southern Ontario to thin their ranks.
Scarcely 100 years later, they were extinct here.
This year, Thanksgiving brings mixed blessings for Ontario's wild turkeys: The province's first autumn wild turkey hunt in 112 years – originally planned for early October – has been deferred until after tomorrow's poultry-unfriendly holiday. Once it starts on Tuesday, however, it will run for almost two weeks (till Oct. 26).
"We delayed it to avoid potential conflicts with other outdoor activities, particularly on Thanksgiving weekend," says Patrick Hubert, an avian specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
The postponement also addresses a concern: Recent sightings of newly hatched wild turkeys suggest there will be a lot of small turkey chicks in family groups. The late hatch is apparently due to a cold, wet spring, which killed off earlier broods. In addition, many hens appear to have re-nested late.
"There could be a lot of inexperienced young turkeys around," Hubert says, "and, in general, fall turkeys are less wary than in the spring."
In Ontario, spring wild turkey hunting has taken place since 1987, but only gobblers (males), not hens, may be lawfully harvested in that season. There has not been an open season on hen turkeys in Ontario since the 1890s, only a decade or so before Ontario's native wild turkeys vanished. (The last one died near Aurora in 1909.)
Between 1909 and 1975, Ontario had no wild turkey management program and no wild turkeys. The following year, I initiated the current re-introduction program. Its original aim was to provide opportunities for people to see wild turkeys in their original Ontario range. But, since then, hunting has emerged as a primary goal.
The current Ontario wild turkey population is about 70,000, enough to warrant a fall turkey hunt, according to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. To quote the province's official wild-turkey management plan: "The wild turkey has been restored as an important component of the biodiversity of southern Ontario."
The earliest record of wild turkeys in Ontario was in 1624, when Recollect priest Gabriel Sagard reported them near Georgian Bay. A 1931 Royal Ontario Museum report, authored by zoologist L.L. Snyder, confirmed that wild turkeys were "common" in Ontario until the 1880s.
Live trapping for sale in public markets was a major reason for the disappearance of Ontario's original wild turkeys. The practice was first described in 1838 by Thomas Need. In 1866, Major Ross King wrote that wild turkey trapping was "rampant," even though it had been outlawed in 1839.
The banning of wild-turkey trapping was one of Ontario's first conservation laws. In the 1970s, Ontario prepared to launch a wild-turkey reintroduction program. The MNR invited James Pack, a West Virginia wild turkey specialist, to identify suitable turkey habitat. "I saw some very good sites," he reported.
By 1983, most of the logistics had been worked out, and the next year, 74 wild turkeys that had been live-trapped in Michigan and Missouri were released in Ontario near Napanee.
A few local residents complained that the birds were too tame, venturing into gardens and yards, scratching in flowerbeds and fouling lawns. Over the next few years, wilder and more elusive stock was imported from Iowa, New York, Vermont, New Jersey and Tennessee and released at dozens of sites. Local flocks began to grow.
Eventually, Ontario stopped importing turkeys from the United States and began relocating turkeys from established Ontario populations. According to MNR records, between 1987 and 2005, about 4,000 wild turkeys were relocated to 275 different sites.
On top of the official re-introductions, there were several unofficial releases in parts of Ontario. Officials with The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario surmise that unofficial releases were responsible for current turkey sightings in Thunder Bay and Rainy River.
According to the MNR's Hubert, Ontario's wild turkey population is robust and the birds widespread. Atlas information indicates the birds can be found as far north as Ottawa, northern Georgian Bay, Lake Nipissing and the Bruce Peninsula.
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters says Ontario's wild-turkey program has been enormously popular with hunters. "On my travels around the province, I am hearing that a lot of folks are up for fall turkey hunting," says Mark Clifford, a National Wild Turkey Federation representative in Aylmer. "I will be out there myself."
However, there have been some drawbacks. Negative "human-turkey interactions" have generated a variety of complaints.
"Most negative interactions develop as a result of the birds searching for food," the management plan states. "The most common complaints: feeding on recently planted fields, scratching in winter wheat and hay bales, causing damage to fruit crops, and being aggressive towards people and pets."
Once the fall hunt concludes, another concern will come into play. Ontario is on the northern edge of the continental wild turkey range, and winter survival is an unknown factor. "Cold temperatures and snow depths over 25 cm for several weeks" can be fatal to wild turkeys, says MNR's Pack.
According to Josef Hamr, an ecologist at Cambrian College, in some severe Ontario winters, emaciated wild turkeys are frequently encountered.
"They often die in such conditions," adds biologist Linh Nguyen of Laurentian University, who studied wild turkeys in several Ontario winters.
Ontario's harsh winter of 2008 did cause some wild turkey "mortality events," according to the MNR. But, while the birds' numbers no longer rival those of the 1700s, the province's turkey population remains substantial.
Robert Alison, now retired, was an avian specialist with the Ministry of Natural Resources
Summary: In the late 17oo's there were so many wild turkeys that they damaged crops. Farmers hunted them and people trapped them to sell in markets and they became extinct in Ontario by the late 1800's. In the early 1980's the Ministry of Natural Resources started to release new turkeys in Ontario by bringing them from the United States. Now there are about 70,000 turkeys in Ontario and the MNR has created a two week fall turkey hunt for the first time in 112 years.
Qeustions:
1. Will turkys ever become extinct in Ontario again?
2. Do you think the MNR has made the turkey hunt long enough or should they make it longer?
3. Have you ever seen a wild turkey and if so where?
Link to course topics:
I think my artical can connect to our coures topics because, the first nations people had to hunt to animals for their food and to survive.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Conrad's report
Aboriginal communities are out of sight from most Canadians. Our family spent two weeks one summer on Vancouver Island. My children were hoping to see the people who made the wonderful totem poles of Stanley Park. We didn't see a single Aboriginal person in our travels.
I understand better now, after a frustrating drive back and forth on the same highway this summer looking for the Nanoose Band Reserve near Lantzville, B.C. There aren't many off ramps for reserves.
Few of the communities I visited this year, as part of my research on addiction among Aboriginal people, are marked on road maps, or signposted on provincial highways. Not even the largest reserve in Manitoba — Sagkeeng, population 3,000.
To get there I drove a couple of hours from Winnipeg to the Pine Falls turnoff. A gas station attendant pointed me towards town and said "drive that way." I drove past prosperous middle-class homes. The source of wealth — a large paper mill. Alongside it are railway tracks. On the other side of the tracks is a long line of cookie-cutter CMHC bungalows stretching as far as the eye can see.
I knew I was on the reserve because I'd also run out of pavement. This was the pattern wherever I travelled and I began to see the lack of pavement as a metaphor for neglect. Neighbours to reserves have told me over the years, "pavement isn't a priority for them." Or, "I guess they've got other priorities." The assumption is, Aboriginal people choose bad roads.
The Aboriginal community has been fighting assumptions for more than a century, most of them about the money — "our money," as one friend pointed out — being spent on their welfare and problems. This year, it is about $9 billion, out of Canada's total budget of $227 billion.
Sometimes the money doesn't make it to them. In 2005, $700 million was allocated for Aboriginal health care, but the money never left Ottawa. The bill to free up this money was not passed before the Liberal government fell. Yet that same year, $2.6 billion was fast-tracked for Newfoundland after Premier Danny Williams insisted on getting a fair share of offshore oil and gas revenues. The message: There are twice as many Aboriginal people in this country as there are Newfoundlanders, but they don't count as much.
1) do you think we should care more about aboriganals?
2) why do you think the aboriganals have been ignored?
3) do you think the aboriganals should move forward or continue to be a devoted and mystical group
I understand better now, after a frustrating drive back and forth on the same highway this summer looking for the Nanoose Band Reserve near Lantzville, B.C. There aren't many off ramps for reserves.
Few of the communities I visited this year, as part of my research on addiction among Aboriginal people, are marked on road maps, or signposted on provincial highways. Not even the largest reserve in Manitoba — Sagkeeng, population 3,000.
To get there I drove a couple of hours from Winnipeg to the Pine Falls turnoff. A gas station attendant pointed me towards town and said "drive that way." I drove past prosperous middle-class homes. The source of wealth — a large paper mill. Alongside it are railway tracks. On the other side of the tracks is a long line of cookie-cutter CMHC bungalows stretching as far as the eye can see.
I knew I was on the reserve because I'd also run out of pavement. This was the pattern wherever I travelled and I began to see the lack of pavement as a metaphor for neglect. Neighbours to reserves have told me over the years, "pavement isn't a priority for them." Or, "I guess they've got other priorities." The assumption is, Aboriginal people choose bad roads.
The Aboriginal community has been fighting assumptions for more than a century, most of them about the money — "our money," as one friend pointed out — being spent on their welfare and problems. This year, it is about $9 billion, out of Canada's total budget of $227 billion.
Sometimes the money doesn't make it to them. In 2005, $700 million was allocated for Aboriginal health care, but the money never left Ottawa. The bill to free up this money was not passed before the Liberal government fell. Yet that same year, $2.6 billion was fast-tracked for Newfoundland after Premier Danny Williams insisted on getting a fair share of offshore oil and gas revenues. The message: There are twice as many Aboriginal people in this country as there are Newfoundlanders, but they don't count as much.
1) do you think we should care more about aboriganals?
2) why do you think the aboriganals have been ignored?
3) do you think the aboriganals should move forward or continue to be a devoted and mystical group
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Saad's Current Events Post
Elections Canada aims to stimulate Aboriginal voters
Just like the youth, Aboriginal voters tend to steer clear of the ballot box on election day, said an Elections Canada spokesperson.
Elections Canada’s Anthony Angus explained the voting process to a small class at the Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre, Monday, During his explanation to the classroom, Angus stressed the fact that their votes can make a difference.
'The Aboriginal population is quote high across the country and the voter turnout is not as great as the rest of the country,' Angus said. 'But, hopefully if they get to know their candidates and know the issues that affect them, then hopefully they can make a wise decision and vote for the candidates that’s more likely to make a difference in their life.'
Angus said he is trying to visit all of the local Aboriginal organizations to get information out. He said some people are unaware that an election campaign is even going on.
The instructor of the class was planning to bring the group to the polls today, but none of the students were interested in casting an early ballot through the advanced polls.
Angus said the act of voting is a pretty tough sell.
'The history will tell you that there’s a lot of issues of trust in here, too,' he said. 'So, it’s kind of a little bit of a struggle to try and get everyone out and vote. And mainly for that issue, there’s that trust issue you know, why should we vote? It doesn’t really make a difference, you know, kind of have that attitude towards it.'
The Chiefs of Ontario recently challenged candidates to make First Nations issues a priority, saying that Aboriginal voters have the potential to affect the outcomes of the election, especially in ridings which had close results in the last election.
1) Do you think Elections Canada should simulate the "first nations" vote? Why?
2) Why do you think First Nations are always treated like a minority group?
Just like the youth, Aboriginal voters tend to steer clear of the ballot box on election day, said an Elections Canada spokesperson.
Elections Canada’s Anthony Angus explained the voting process to a small class at the Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre, Monday, During his explanation to the classroom, Angus stressed the fact that their votes can make a difference.
'The Aboriginal population is quote high across the country and the voter turnout is not as great as the rest of the country,' Angus said. 'But, hopefully if they get to know their candidates and know the issues that affect them, then hopefully they can make a wise decision and vote for the candidates that’s more likely to make a difference in their life.'
Angus said he is trying to visit all of the local Aboriginal organizations to get information out. He said some people are unaware that an election campaign is even going on.
The instructor of the class was planning to bring the group to the polls today, but none of the students were interested in casting an early ballot through the advanced polls.
Angus said the act of voting is a pretty tough sell.
'The history will tell you that there’s a lot of issues of trust in here, too,' he said. 'So, it’s kind of a little bit of a struggle to try and get everyone out and vote. And mainly for that issue, there’s that trust issue you know, why should we vote? It doesn’t really make a difference, you know, kind of have that attitude towards it.'
The Chiefs of Ontario recently challenged candidates to make First Nations issues a priority, saying that Aboriginal voters have the potential to affect the outcomes of the election, especially in ridings which had close results in the last election.
1) Do you think Elections Canada should simulate the "first nations" vote? Why?
2) Why do you think First Nations are always treated like a minority group?
Friday, October 3, 2008
Wills current event post
First Nations say their names left off jury lists.
Demand inquiry after Kenora proceeding reveals virtual absence of aboriginals from district rolls
Sep 12, 2008 04:30 AM
Tracey Tyler LEGAL AFFAIRS REPORTER
A coalition of First Nations is calling for an inquiry into why its members appear to have been systemically excluded from Ontario's jury rolls for nearly a decade.
The problem came to light this week during a coroner's inquest into the deaths of Ricardo Wesley and Jamie Goodwin, 20-year-old inmates who died in a fire at the Kashechewan jail in January 2006.
Relatives of the two men wanted to make sure members of First Nations communities were represented on the coroner's jury. However, the inquest was told by a court services supervisor for the judicial district of Kenora that nobody living on the Kashechewan Reserve was on the jury roll.
In fact, while the district has 12,111 people living in 42 First Nations communities, only 44 were on the prospective jurors list in 2007, says an affidavit from Rolanda Peacock, the area's acting supervisor of court operations.
In a letter sent to Attorney General Chris Bentley on Wednesday, Julian Falconer, a lawyer representing a coalition of 49 First Nations communities and Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto, said the exclusion denies members their rights to a fair trial by a jury of their peers.
Peacock said the province had been using band-election lists to obtain the names of prospective First Nations jurors, but the federal government stopped providing the lists in 2000.
Falconer said nobody told First Nations' leaders about the move.
"What we've been saying all along is that the justice system, which the jury is part of, is failing our communities," said Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.
Sheamus Murphy, a spokesperson for Bentley, said the minister became aware of Falconer's letter last night and takes First Nations concerns seriously.
Frank Addario, president of the Criminal Lawyers Association, said the provincial jury centre in London, Ont. or the local sheriff's office has a duty to notify litigants and the court when jury selection legislation is not being complied with.
Under the Criminal Code, accused people are entitled to be tried by a jury that is a representative cross-section of the community, Addario said.
"If you're a black guy in Kenora and it turns out you're the only black guy, it doesn't mean you get black people on your jury. It means jury panels are designed in a fair way to achieve representativeness."
Peacock said court officials in Kenora have tried to obtain band lists directly from First Nations reserves, noting letters were faxed to 42 chiefs in August 2006. Only four responded. The community of Kashechewan wasn't sent a letter, she said.
The jury centre also sent questionnaires to residents of reserves, with a letter translated into Ojibway and Oji-Cree, to elicit names of potential jurors.
More than 72 per cent of the forms were never returned, Peacock said.
The First Nations people cliam that their names are being left off of jury lists. They think this is unfair because all Canadians should be treated equally and allowed to be judged by people like them. The goverment says this is because First Nation people didn't return their forms to be put on the jury, lists.
Question:
1) Do you think First Nation people should be allowed on a jury?
2) Do you think most Canadians care if First Nantions people are included on jury lists?
3) Do you care who is on your jury?
4) Why would someone want to leave First Nation people off a jury?
The articale links to what we have learned in class about how the French andEnglish people took advantage of the First Nation people.
Demand inquiry after Kenora proceeding reveals virtual absence of aboriginals from district rolls
Sep 12, 2008 04:30 AM
Tracey Tyler LEGAL AFFAIRS REPORTER
A coalition of First Nations is calling for an inquiry into why its members appear to have been systemically excluded from Ontario's jury rolls for nearly a decade.
The problem came to light this week during a coroner's inquest into the deaths of Ricardo Wesley and Jamie Goodwin, 20-year-old inmates who died in a fire at the Kashechewan jail in January 2006.
Relatives of the two men wanted to make sure members of First Nations communities were represented on the coroner's jury. However, the inquest was told by a court services supervisor for the judicial district of Kenora that nobody living on the Kashechewan Reserve was on the jury roll.
In fact, while the district has 12,111 people living in 42 First Nations communities, only 44 were on the prospective jurors list in 2007, says an affidavit from Rolanda Peacock, the area's acting supervisor of court operations.
In a letter sent to Attorney General Chris Bentley on Wednesday, Julian Falconer, a lawyer representing a coalition of 49 First Nations communities and Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto, said the exclusion denies members their rights to a fair trial by a jury of their peers.
Peacock said the province had been using band-election lists to obtain the names of prospective First Nations jurors, but the federal government stopped providing the lists in 2000.
Falconer said nobody told First Nations' leaders about the move.
"What we've been saying all along is that the justice system, which the jury is part of, is failing our communities," said Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.
Sheamus Murphy, a spokesperson for Bentley, said the minister became aware of Falconer's letter last night and takes First Nations concerns seriously.
Frank Addario, president of the Criminal Lawyers Association, said the provincial jury centre in London, Ont. or the local sheriff's office has a duty to notify litigants and the court when jury selection legislation is not being complied with.
Under the Criminal Code, accused people are entitled to be tried by a jury that is a representative cross-section of the community, Addario said.
"If you're a black guy in Kenora and it turns out you're the only black guy, it doesn't mean you get black people on your jury. It means jury panels are designed in a fair way to achieve representativeness."
Peacock said court officials in Kenora have tried to obtain band lists directly from First Nations reserves, noting letters were faxed to 42 chiefs in August 2006. Only four responded. The community of Kashechewan wasn't sent a letter, she said.
The jury centre also sent questionnaires to residents of reserves, with a letter translated into Ojibway and Oji-Cree, to elicit names of potential jurors.
More than 72 per cent of the forms were never returned, Peacock said.
The First Nations people cliam that their names are being left off of jury lists. They think this is unfair because all Canadians should be treated equally and allowed to be judged by people like them. The goverment says this is because First Nation people didn't return their forms to be put on the jury, lists.
Question:
1) Do you think First Nation people should be allowed on a jury?
2) Do you think most Canadians care if First Nantions people are included on jury lists?
3) Do you care who is on your jury?
4) Why would someone want to leave First Nation people off a jury?
The articale links to what we have learned in class about how the French andEnglish people took advantage of the First Nation people.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Old Growth Forests
Old Growth Forests
Protecting Old Growth Forests
What impact will this story have on Canada's future?
What conflicting interests are presented?Value found in old-growth forests
SEAN PATRICK SULLIVAN
The Canadian PressSeptember 4, 2008 at 1:51 PM EDTVANCOUVER — Leaving British Columbia's old-growth forests standing may make more economic sense than cutting them down for timber, especially as the province looks to strategies to cut global warming, a new B.C. study suggests.The report from Simon Fraser University challenges the status quo and uses Ministry of Forest data to show that conservation wins out over logging when forests are valued for their role in capturing carbon from the atmosphere, protecting endangered species and providing opportunities for recreation.The study backed by three environmental groups – Wilderness Committee, David Suzuki Foundation, and Ecojustice – used computer modelling to look at a variety of conservation and logging scenarios in a large tract of forest near Vancouver.In almost every scenario, the researchers said, they found that the value of the carbon captured and stored by the trees far outweighed the value of the lumber harvested from the logs.Internet LinksB.C. forest information map Faisal Moola, science director for the David Suzuki Foundation, called the results a clear indicator that B.C. should be protecting its old-growth forest as it works with other western provinces to reduce global warming.“The old-growth forests that we have are not only going to be a benefit in the fight against climate change, but there's also a significant economic windfall that could be celebrated by British Columbians,” he said.
Protecting Old Growth Forests
What impact will this story have on Canada's future?
What conflicting interests are presented?Value found in old-growth forests
SEAN PATRICK SULLIVAN
The Canadian PressSeptember 4, 2008 at 1:51 PM EDTVANCOUVER — Leaving British Columbia's old-growth forests standing may make more economic sense than cutting them down for timber, especially as the province looks to strategies to cut global warming, a new B.C. study suggests.The report from Simon Fraser University challenges the status quo and uses Ministry of Forest data to show that conservation wins out over logging when forests are valued for their role in capturing carbon from the atmosphere, protecting endangered species and providing opportunities for recreation.The study backed by three environmental groups – Wilderness Committee, David Suzuki Foundation, and Ecojustice – used computer modelling to look at a variety of conservation and logging scenarios in a large tract of forest near Vancouver.In almost every scenario, the researchers said, they found that the value of the carbon captured and stored by the trees far outweighed the value of the lumber harvested from the logs.Internet LinksB.C. forest information map Faisal Moola, science director for the David Suzuki Foundation, called the results a clear indicator that B.C. should be protecting its old-growth forest as it works with other western provinces to reduce global warming.“The old-growth forests that we have are not only going to be a benefit in the fight against climate change, but there's also a significant economic windfall that could be celebrated by British Columbians,” he said.
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