Here’s what he had to about this little diddy: “The Newport Authority 2 album was inspired by politics & industry bullsh*t that prevented this material from being included on PA2: The Director’s Cut. Shylow and MP went in and created a separate album to hold people over until PA2 drops in July.”

Sarah Bessey writes about the mix that makes up her life: parenting, faith, simple living, creativity, politics, news, environmentalism, missional living, literature, breastfeeding, marriage and so on. Sarah is a marketer by trade and is mainly a stay-at-home-mom, which she says “falls into the category of Things I Thought I Would Never Do.” Sarah also warns that she is a fledgling-becoming-obsessed knitter and can’t be held responsible for the occasional “Look what I made!” post. Her anecdotes of her happy family have been described as endlessly entertaining and its true – we love her captivating post In which I gave birth to my son in a parkade!!!

Visit her blog here:

Sarah Bessey

Wednesday’s Song Of The Day

Guelph, ON, Canada

Song: Castle
Artist: Little Men
Genre: pop / rock / soul
Website: www.littlemen.ca

of the “HOLY BLOSSOM” SYNAGOGUE in TORONTO, CANADA

Michelle Bridgen, who was a manager at the Grand Valley Institution in Kitchener, Ont., said management also wanted to give Ashley Smith the chance to hand over the ligatures voluntarily.

“When she had a ligature, sometimes it was not tied tightly around her neck,” Bridgen testified.

“Sometimes she would even tie it in a bow around her neck and put her fingers through it and say, ‘See, it’s not tight’.”

Smith, Bridgen said, would simply say, “I just need it here.”

The choice then became whether guards should frighten Smith by rushing into her segregation cell to retrieve the ligature or “empower” the inmate by allowing her to give it up without force, Bridgen said.

The ligature tying never became part of Smith’s “management plan,” the blueprint for how guards were to deal with her.

The issue of what guards were ordered to do when Smith was seen to be strangling herself is one of the crucial questions at the inquest into Smith’s death.

“You have to have just cause to enter a cell,” Bridgen said.

“You had to demonstrate there was a reason to go into her cell in the first place.”

Smith, 19, of Moncton, N.B., ultimately choked herself to death in her segregation cell on Oct. 19, 2007, as guards, who said they were under orders not to intervene as long as she was breathing, watched her die.

The inquest has heard the warden and deputy warden were concerned by the number of times guards were using force on Smith, who became increasingly prone to self-harming.

“There was no end to her ligature use,” Bridgen said. “She fashioned them readily from her gown.”

Still, premature or unnecessary cell entry was not discussed frequently, said Bridgen, who frequently could not recall specifics.

Guards should have gone into the cell if Smith was in “imminent danger,” something Bridgen said entailed a combination of factors.

“She would have the ligature tied very tightly around her throat. She wouldn’t be able to breathe very well. She would be turning a different colour.”

Bridgen, who had decades of experience working with male offenders and was on a temporary assignment to Grand Valley, said she had never seen anyone tie ligatures around their necks before Smith.

Bridgen also told the inquest under Dr. John Carlisle that she did not know Smith, who had spent most of her three-year incarceration in segregation, had mental-health issues.

It was at her suggestion that Smith was moved out of isolation to a maximum-security pod in September 2007.

The move only lasted a few days because Smith smashed her TV to press her demand to return to segregation.

Correctional Service Canada suspended Bridgen for 20 days for her role in Smith’s death, a punishment that was later reduced to 10 days.

“They were probably in just their first five years of existence at the time, but I distinctly remember seeing the nine red and white jets in the sky,” the lieutenant-colonel said Tuesday.

“That’s how it all started.”

Carmichael said the daring aerobatics she witnessed that day, and several years with the air cadets as a teenager, provided the spark that propelled her into a career with the Canadian Forces.

Now Carmichael, who has logged more than 3,300 hours of flight time in a 22-year career with the air force, is weeks away from concluding her third tour with the Snowbirds, ending her run as the skipper of the aerobatics team.

“It’s normally a two-year tour as the commanding officer of the squadron, but I was fortunate enough to receive an extension last year, to be able to do a third year,” Carmichael said.

She was the squadron’s first – and thus far only – female commanding officer, and she departs on July 10. She will be replaced by Lt.-Col. Christopher England.

Carmichael noted that her role as first female skipper of the Snowbirds was “certainly an achievement,” but she is prouder of becoming the first female Snowbird – a feat she achieved when she joined 431 Squadron for her first tour in November 2000.

“I was the first female (aerobatic pilot) not only in Canada, but also among other military jet teams around the world,” she said.

The job has given her plenty to be happy about, but she said her greatest point of pride is the professionalism and dedication of her team of pilots, technicians and other squadron members.

“Every time I see our squadron members working long hours and long days … I’m just really proud of what they have accomplished.

It’s really a mirror of what all members of our Canadian Forces do on a day-to-day basis.”

While running operations for 431 Squadron has been rewarding, she said, “now the time has come for me to do something different.”

For Carmichael, that involves a trip to Florida where her husband, Lt.-Col. Scott Greenough, is being posted to Tyndall Air Force Base.

“We’re moving there at the end of August, and we’ve made a family decision that I will actually retire from the Canadian Forces and go to take care of our young family,” she said.

“I’ve been in the Forces, now, for over 22 years. It’s been a wonderful career. I’ve had some dreams come true, and some great challenges I was able to overcome and master.”

What has made the transition to life in a developing country that much easier is the fact that I’ve been fortunate to have a considerable amount of travel under my belt already, particularly within developing regions of the world. Had I not spent six weeks in East and West Africa last year, my ability to adapt to life in Lusaka (Zambia’s capital city) might have presented more challenges; instead, my previous trip has afforded me a certain amount of familiarity and ease of integration.

That’s not to say, however, that my own ethnocentricities and ‘social norms’ don’t rear their head every now and again. Society in Lusaka moves at a much slower pace than does life at home in urban North America. From office culture to café culture to people culture. Some might call it ‘relaxed’; at times, I call it frustrating. It can try your patience… if you let it. The alternative is to let go of those preconceptions and…  adapt? A crazy concept, I know! The latter is the route that I have chosen to take, and I find myself becoming a more patient and relaxed version of myself. Or, at the very least, it’s what I am constantly striving for. So I guess suggesting that there have been no challenges is a bit of a stretch. Challenges do exist, but they are only as debilitating as you allow them to be.

In a city of over two million (according to the census report), Lusaka is not large by African standards, yet during rush hour, where vehicles move at a snail’s pace (at best), you wonder whether the entire continent congregates in the confines of this metropolis. Packed in like sardines, my fellow Canadian colleagues and I navigate the streets to and from our Women for Change office via a ‘minibus’. If you’ve never had the good fortune of taking such a mode of transportation (similar buses by different names may be found throughout various African cities), you haven’t lived. There is nothing like having five adults squeeze into a row that is clearly only designed for four backsides to make you feel like you shouldn’t have reached for that second helping of Shima (a traditional food staple made of ground maize[and accompanied by various proteins] that, I have a hunch, goes straight to the waistline!) . Such are the trials and tribulations of my life right now…

Oh, but wait. There’s more. Though, during the summer months at home (Hi, Canada!), the sun shines until 9:00pm, here in Lusaka, where we’re currently experiencing a cool winter (we wake up to a chilly nine-or-so degrees in the morning), by the time we depart the office for home at the end of our workday (sometime between 4:30pm and 5:00pm), the sun is setting. For our personal safety, we try to be home before darkness sets upon us, although we have not always been successful in this task. Streetlights are a luxury here… in case you’re wondering. We have the occasional power outage at home (never at the office), and we’ve learned the beauty of candlelight and headlamps. Headlamps have become my latest fashion accessory (for those of you rolling your eyes, I know who you are and I can see you…).

On the subject of office life – because I’ve sort of danced around it – the culture at Women for Change is one of a sincere desire to contribute to positive developments within Zambia and, more specifically, to the lives of women and children in rural parts of the country. To date, I have yet to venture into the field (I’ve spent my working hours in the organization’s communications department, where you will find me chipping away at publicity materials, website updates, monthly reports, and the like) but have been informed that I’ll be given this opportunity in the imminent future. I am very much looking forward to seeing what positive changes are transpiring on the ground. Like many other organizations in this day and age, where the global economy is in a shambles and funding is so difficult to come by, Women for Change, having recently celebrated its 20^th anniversary, is at a crossroads. The budget to operate the organization and its programming exceeds its actual funding, and many of its staff have not been paid a full salary in almost a year. Yet they continue to show up to work, everyday, with more heart and soul than so many well-paid employees. An argument that I hear repeatedly – and that gets me all riled up – is that community work is a ‘nice’ thing to do, and is not deserving of a real, livable salary. The fact is that we cohabitate in a pretty messed up world right now (or always…), and those elite disseminating funding from their ‘golden thrones’ often turn a blind eye to this stark reality. If organizations like Women for Change are not around to do the essential work that they do, who will?! Community work is equally as meaningful and relevant as other paid labour, and should be acknowledged as such. It’s not simply something “nice”. It’s necessary. And it upsets me that this genre of work is often overlooked and undermined. Anyway, that’s just some food for thought…

On a more personal note, when I’m not seated at my desk, you will find me out and about exploring the nooks and crannies of Lusaka. Big city girl that I am, it’s really no surprise that I am absolutely thrilled to have received an urban overseas placement. Rural had been a possibility, as well. Now that would have been a challenge!

There are several markets in the city, but I have yet to find that “piece”. For those of you who don’t know what a “piece” is, allow me to enlighten you. It’s that special ‘find’ that can only be found somewhere far, far away from home. It’s that one item that leaves everyone asking, “OMG, where did you get that?!?! I love it!!!” That’s when you nonchalantly respond with, “Oh, this piece? I got this little number in [insert place of reference here].” Satisfying, isn’t it? Thus far, I’ve found “pieces” in Morocco, Italy, Ghana, Turkey, Israel… the list goes on.

There are also pending plans to traverse beyond the city borders to Livingstone and Victoria Falls, with the strong prospect of some white water rafting, a safari, and a stay at a game reserve thrown into the mix. When in Africa…

Enough about the future though! Let’s time travel back to the past! Here are some highlights (eerrr… and low-lights?) thus far:

• After two FULL days of travel, a missed connection in Johannesburg (coming in from Frankfurt) to Lusaka. Danielle, my trusty travel partner/partner-in-crime, and I had already been concerned about our short layover in Jo’burg to the point where we asked to move to the front of the aircraft just prior to landing so that we would have ‘first dibs’ on running through customs and picking up our luggage in order to re-check and dash for our final flight (of five!). Sadly, it was not to be. 436 pieces of luggage on the carousel later, and there were our bags. Mission to catch flight: UNSUCCESSFUL.
• Attending a traditional ‘Kitchen Party’ which is, essentially, a very LARGE wedding shower, whereby between 150-300 women come bearing gifts for the new kitchen of the bride and groom. It was quite the affair. It ‘started’ at 1:00pm, which in Africa-time translates to 4:00pm. We were the only ‘Mzungus’ (white people) in attendance so when it was our turn to present our gift to the bride, we received quite the standing ovation, mostly because we had to dance and, hence, make fools of ourselves. Note to self: Must. Work. On hip motions.
• Living in a house with a fabulous pool and veranda for us to enjoy. The surrounding foliage is beautiful and makes coming home after a long work day that much more enticing.
• An afternoon spent at the home of my Executive Director, Dr. Emily Sikazwe. This woman, in all her wisdom and experience, has lived what seems like nine lives. Our discussions were only briefly interrupted by a delicious meal that included goat, chicken, Shima, beans, groundnuts, and a trifle that was too good not to eat (sorry again, waistline).
• An evening spent putting out a forest fire that erupted at our neighbour’s house. We looked up into the sky and saw flames lighting up the darkness. Since the fire department here is a bit of joke (we’re not even sure if they exist?), off we went with our hoses and buckets. Just another Saturday night in Lusaka…
• Discovering a gelato parlour (oh, hello, olive oil ice cream!)  – If I close my eyes (and plug my ears), I can pretend that I’m in Italy…
• Finding a very large – and very alive! – Grasshopper in our refrigerated (and soon to be baked) apple crisp. Grasshopper crisp does not a good dessert make.
• A morning spent at a very (ahem) ‘local’ market in the city centre, conveniently named “City Market”. Whichever travel advisor described this market at the city’s “nicest” needs to be institutionalized. STAT. Nothing was found here except for heaps and heaps of old shoes and… wait… no, I got nothing. NEXT.
• A Via Orlando concert at Barclay’s Sports Complex. Again, I am left speechless on this one. Let me sum it up in the following words: high kicks, gyrating on stage, a song called ‘gold digger’ (Kanye would not be amused), and one slightly overweight performer dressed in a striped green-and-yellow getup that was untucked in all the wrong places…
• Turning down multiple proposals. I’m keeping my options open, boys…

Now that I have left very little to your imaginations, I will end on this high (low?) note. Expect to hear from me again soon. When my Internet is functioning at full capacity. Which it rarely is. Someone send this girl a telegraph machine!

xo

J

N.B. On the way home today, while peering out the minibus window, I caught glimpse of two tiny girls holding (what was presumably) their younger siblings on their backs. The smaller ones were strapped in tightly, via a piece of chitenge cloth, while the older ones laughed and played. And I thought to myself… “now that’s true love.” It’s small moments like these that make me feel so happy to be here.

Por: @juaneducreativo

Diez organismos de privacidad de diferentes países enviaron una carta a Larry Page, haciendo una serie de consultas respecto a Google Glass.

El dispositivo todavía no está a la venta para usuarios comunes y corrientes, sin embargo, ha provocado ya varios cuestionamientos sobre la forma en que afectará nuestra vida normal.

Los organismos de México, Canadá, Nueva Zelanda, Israel y Suiza manifestaron su preocupación sobre el efecto de los lentes no sólo en el usuario, sino también en quienes lo rodean y que podrían ser grabados con la cámara incluida en el dispositivo. “Llamamos con fuerza a Google a entrar en un diálogo real con las autoridades de protección de datos sobre Glass”, señalan en la misiva.

En total enviaron ocho preguntas relacionadas con asuntos de privacidad, como explicar la manera en que el dispositivo cumple las leyes de protección de datos, que seguros de privacidad se han incorporado en el dispositivo, qué tipo de datos recolecta Google a través de él, con quienes se puede compartir esa información, y si Google ha hecho algún análisis sobre los riesgos a la privacidad del dispositivo. Además, solicitan ver una demostración del aparato y la oportunidad de verlo ellos mismos.

Google señaló a través de un comunicado que aún está en una etapa temprana de pruebas de Glass y los asuntos éticos que lo acompañan.

Rae said he is leaving politics so he can focus on his new role as chief negotiator for First Nations in talks with the province about development of the Ring of Fire mining development in northern Ontario.

“This is going to be a major undertaking,” an emotional Rae told a surprise news conference Wednesday in the foyer of the House of Commons.

“It’s clear to me that it will take a lot more time and it simply isn’t possible to do both jobs at the same time.”

TIMELINE: Key events in Bob Rae’s life and career

The 64-year-old Rae’s unexpected announcement caps a political career that has spanned 35 years and two parties. It came after he privately broke the news to the Liberal caucus in what he described as a difficult moment.

“I have a passion for my work as a negotiator and for First Nations,” Rae said. “When you make a difficult choice, you show your emotions.”

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair offered his best wishes on Rae’s departure.

Watch: NDP leader Thomas Mulcair pays tribute to Bob Rae
[tp_video id=654640]
“Bob Rae has served Canadians for 35 years, he deserves our full respect and I wish him and his family well,” Mulcair said.

“This is a tough life, politics, and on a day like this, all of us of whatever political stripe simply have good thoughts for someone who has served for 35 years like Bob Rae and I wish him well.”

Rae began in politics as a New Democrat and later shifted to the federal Liberals, even seeking the party leadership at one point.

He was first elected to the Commons in a 1978 byelection, but moved to Ontario provincial politics four years later, when he became provincial NDP leader and later served as premier.

In 2006, having joined the Liberals, he unsuccessfully sought the party leadership, but won a seat in the Commons in 2008, becoming interim leader after Michael Ignatieff lost his seat in the 2011 election.

He refused to speculate abut his political legacy.

“I don’t write history,” Rae said. “That’s someone else who’s going to do that.”

Rae is the scion of a noted family. His father, Saul Rae, was a highly respected Canadian diplomat and took the family to postings that included Washington and Geneva. His brother John is a senior executive with Power Corp. His sister Jennifer once dated Pierre Trudeau and went on to a career with IMAX.

Rae himself graduated with honours from the University of Toronto, where he also later received a law degree.

For a time, he roomed with Michael Ignatieff, who later would be a rival for the Liberal leadership.

His university record brought him a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University.

He has said his first foray into politics was as a volunteer during Pierre Trudeau’s legendary first campaign in 1968, when he was 19.

As NDP leader, he led his party to its first and only Ontario victory in 1990 and was premier until 1995. It was a time of economic troubles and his efforts to cope left a controversial legacy.

In 2006, he was a candidate for the leadership of the Liberal party, running against Ignatieff and the eventual winner, Stephane Dion.

He returned to the Commons in a 2008 byelection in Toronto Centre, a seat he held in the general election later that year.

He made a tepid bid for the party leadership again in 2008, but stepped aside in favour of Ignatieff.

Rae in recent years was a fixture in the Commons with his fiery speeches and a shock of white hair that grabbed the eye on television.

But the lawyer, author and arbitrator finally found himself caught between two careers and opted for the work of conflict resolution.

“I have a lot of passion for Canadian politics,” Rae said. “It’s been a very difficult decision … and quite an emotional one for me.”

Link to this feature

Toronto Centre no longer a Liberal stronghold?

Divided between Tory neighbourhoods in the leafy north of the riding, and NDP voters in Cabbagetown and the co-ops nearer downtown, Toronto Centre has tended to elect Liberals with comfortable majorities. But the riding, now nearly surrounded in Toronto’s core by NDP orange, may no longer be an easy Liberal hold.

The 2011 election saw a sharp rise in NDP and Conservative support, and an equally dramatic drop for Liberal incumbent Bob Rae, who announced his resignation today. A byelection will be a test for the Liberals in this once-secure seat, but also for the NDP – was their jump in support a one-off connected to Jack Layton’s popularity, or a more enduring shift?

Patrick Cain

[tableau url='http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/TorontoCentre/Dashboard1?:embed=y&:display_count=no' width='620' height='800']

In our time, we have hosted four two-day workshops. This involved a lot of planning and preparation, as well as revising after each workshop after we saw what the kids liked and which parts did not capture their attention.

 The kids we taught were 13-18, (although the workshops only had one age at a time) which meant the levels of English went from almost nonexistent to fairly fluent. But even kids with the best English still sometimes feel shy to speak up or make a mistake. The range in ages also means that the kids have very different attention spans.

This project has taught me a lot about teaching children whose native language is not English. As many students and AIESECers do this during their summers, I hope the lessons I have learned can be used by others!

Try to Speak Their Language
These kids are probably not comfortable to speak English to begin with… Add the fact that you are ‘American’ with no accent, and some of them will feel very intimated. How do you get around this? Make them realize you’re only human, very flawed, and are probably even worse at languages than they are!

 I do this during the beginning of the workshops. I will be speaking on a certain topic, and I will ask, “What is this word in German?” or “What is the best Austrian food?” And I will get the children to try to teach me the new word. Without a doubt, it will take me several tries and bring out many laughs from the students. After this, the students are far less shy of making a fool of themselves in English.

Use Pictures AND Words
I see interns trying to just use pictures to teach children, and while this is good because visuals are exciting, I have noticed that a combination of text and visuals is very important in keeping the children’s attention and helping them retain the information.

 One must remember that some children prefer pictures and some prefer words, and as a teacher you must cater to all types of learning styles. The way I see it, it is not up to the kids to change their learning style (especially at such a young age), rather, the teacher should adjust their teaching style.

Especially in a classroom where English is not the strong point, seeing pictures and hearing someone talk for hours can be overwhelming. When learning a new language, often seeing the word and how it is spelt makes understanding the subject much easier. Have key words written out also emphasizes the important points for students and lets them see how words are spelt. The writing and reading of words, instead of just listening and looking at pictures really deepens the understanding for the children.

Ask Them Lots of Questions
If kids know you will be droning on for an hour, they will undoubtedly zone out and stop paying attention. By asking students questions about their opinions, their country, or about the subject matter, it keeps them alert and paying attention. So make sure to keep asking (simple) questions to keep them paying attention. By keeping the questions simple, it helps the kids feel reassured that they can indeed speak English and they will feel empowered to participate later in the day.

Keep it Simple
Remember their age, attention spans, and mastery of the English language. If you speak at a level that is far too advanced for them, they will give up on listening and start chatting or acting up. Keeping it simple will keep them interested and behaved.

Keep it Short
Make sure to keep lessons short, as it is hard for anyone to listen for an hour. Mix it up with breaks, songs, videos, games, and dances! This makes the work far more enjoyable. The kids are also far more willing to sit through a presentation if they know that fun games and activities are coming soon.

Play Games and Make it Fun
Remember… these are kids! Kids everywhere have lots of pent up energy! You can’t expect them to sit in their chairs all day and listen without getting antsy. Take advantage of this instead of getting frustrated. Create some games that incorporate the material that was previously covered in a fun way, which will aide the kids in remembering. Also make sure to have some random energizer games to keep the energy levels up and the attention spans in check.

Say it in Different Words
Remember their native language is not English. If explaining complex topics or how to play a game, make sure to say the key points in several ways. You may be using slang without being aware of it, or be using language that is not common in their curriculum. Be aware of this and be sure to explain key points in at least two different ways. This can be done by saying a sentence twice in different terminology, or perhaps saying what you mean, in addition to showing a visual.

Plan to End Later
The major thing we learned when planning the workshops is that almost every activity takes less time than you originally planned. The kids’ attention spans are short and they like to move on to the next activity quickly. Always plan at least 30-40 minutes of extra activities for the day. This way, you will avoid ending early and having nothing to do. Having extra activities planned also enables you to gauge how the kids are feeling and alter the day accordingly. It’s okay to not get through every presentation or activity if the kids are really enjoying themselves and learning a lot in their lessons.

Happy teaching! xo

A visibly emotional Rae made the announcement Wednesday morning, flanked by Liberal leader Justin Trudeau.

Rae, 64, is stepping down to fully focus on his role as chief negotiator for First Nations in Ontario in talks with the provincial government about how aboriginals can benefit from the resource-rich “Ring of Fire”mining area, a job he officially assumed last month.

Rae said it became clear that it was impossible to perform that role and continue his duties as a member of Parliament, leading him to make the “tough decision” to step down as the MP for Toronto Centre.

“As time goes on, this is going to be a major undertaking, and that really means that I have to step down, either step down from that job or step down as a member of Parliament,” he said. “It’s been a very difficult decision … and quite an emotional one for me.”

It was not known what his last day on the job would be.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Rae served as interim Liberal leader from May 2011 until April 2013, when Justin Trudeau was elected party leader. His departure is seen by some as a blow for the Liberal caucus, which loses his decades of political experience and heavyweight presence in the House of Commons. The Liberals also recently lost Montreal area MP Denis Coderre, another experienced parliamentarian who is taking a run at municipal politics.

Trudeau told reporters he was “sad” that Rae was leaving but said his work with aboriginals was “extremely important.

“We will miss his wise counsel, we will miss his wisdom and experience, but we will miss mostly his passion, his emotion, his very, very human dedication to wearing his heart on his sleeve and his love for his country for all to see,” Trudeau said.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/UPC/Rod MacIver

Trudeau also said history will remember Rae as a great leader for the Liberal party during a difficult time, and that he will continue to be a “valued friend and ally and resource for all Liberals in this country.

“I am not letting him go far.”

Rae said that he’s “more than confident” that Trudeau will become prime minister of Canada and pledged to provide any assistance necessary to the party and do everything he can to ensure the political success of the Liberal party of Canada.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with him and I deeply regret that I will not be going the rest of the journey with him,” he said. “But I hope that I have been able in my own way, in the last few years, to help to create the conditions in the party that have strengthened our position.”

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The other party leaders wished Rae well.

“I would like to commend @bobraeMP for his many years of public service to Canadians,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper tweeted Wednesday morning. “I wish him best of luck with future endeavours.”

NDP leader Tom Mulcair also wished Rae and his family well.

Rae, an outspoken advocate for aboriginal rights, is an experienced lawyer and mediator.

He was an NDP member of Parliament from 1978 to 1982 before moving to provincial politics. He was the NDP Ontario premier from 1990 to 1995. He sought the federal Liberal leadership in 2006, but lost to Stephane Dion. He took the interim leader job after the 2011 election which saw the Liberals drop to 34 seats in the House of Commons, the fewest in their history.

Rae said his decision to step down is not about money, and that he hasn’t been paid for his work in the North. Rather, it became clear that he wouldn’t have time to do both jobs.

“This is really about time and about how can I effectively serve the interests of the people I’ve been asked to serve and at the same time stay on as an MP, and it simply wasn’t possible.”

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Richard Lam

But Rae stopped short of saying whether this decision marks the end of his political career.

“Never say never, but it certainly closes the door for now.”

Rae’s new position involved representing First Nation interests in Ontario’s multibillion-dollar Ring of Fire mineral development project, about 540 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.

Thought to be one of the most promising mineral development opportunities in Ontario in decades, the Ring of Fire is home to major chromite, copper, nickel, zinc, gold and kimberlite deposits.

The chromite deposit is the largest ever discovered in North America — with the commercially valuable mineral a key ingredient in creating stainless steel. Estimates put total revenues for the Ring of Fire at as much as $50 billion.
First Nations in the lowlands west of St. James Bay have expressed concerns about mining exploration in the region. They insist that they receive a fair portion of the resource revenues and be adequately consulted on the matter.

Rae will tour the nine First Nations in the next few months to meet with community members.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Falstead

Bob Rae’s Full Statement

Some months ago I agreed to work with the Matawa Tribal Council in northern Ontario as their negotiator in dealings with the government of Ontario.

The Ring of Fire mining development will have a huge impact on the communities in the area and well beyond.  How positive that impact could be has yet to be determined, and will depend on the outcome of the discussions that are now underway, and will only intensify in the time ahead.

It has become clear to me that the full scope of the negotiator’s job is no longer compatible with my also serving as a member of Parliament.  And so I face a choice.

I have decided to return to my profession as a lawyer and mediator, to continue working for the Matawa Tribal Council, and to step down as the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre.

This has been a difficult personal decision.  I was first elected to Parliament in 1978, and was deeply honoured to have had the chance to serve again these past five years, as well as to lead the Liberal Party at a time of change and renewal.  I have made wonderful friendships, and am so proud of the renewal and rebuilding that has been accomplished over the last few years. I’m leaving the party in confidence that the party is in good shape.

I am especially happy that as interim leader I was able to champion aboriginal issues, and share the importance of mental health with my colleagues.  I also particularly enjoyed having the confidence of Stephane Dion, Michael Ignatieff and Justin Trudeau as foreign affairs spokesman for the Liberal Party.  I shall miss this work very much.

I want to thank my constituents in Toronto Centre, my colleagues and friends in the Liberal Party and all parties in Parliament, my leader, Justin Trudeau, and the people of Canada for giving me the chance to serve. It has been an honour and a pleasure.

Helping to improve the life of First Nations people has been a longstanding commitment of mine, and this opportunity to serve is one I felt I could not decline.

I have told Mr. Trudeau and my colleagues that I shall continue to work for the Liberal Party, and I look forward to remaining engaged in Canadian public life.

Joseph Hincks

CALGARY, ALBERTA – It was not long ago that Alberta Premier Alison Redford and British Colombia Premier Christy Clark were sniping at each other across the political divide. In a relationship Redford described as “frosty”, the pair repeatedly clashed over Enbridge’s Northern Gateway proposal, an oil pipeline planned to transport Alberta bitumen to the Kitimat tanker port on British Colombia’s Pacific coast.

Redford referred to Clark’s insistence on a “fair share” of revenue for BC—one of her five conditions for pipeline approval—as a “cash grab”, and said that British Colombia’s coastline belonged to the whole of Canada; later, championing her province’s LNG opportunity in the run up to the BC elections, Clark told the The Globe and Mail, “We don’t need Alberta”.

But post-election, relations between Redford and Clark have warmed considerably, and each overture has been scrutinized by an industry looking for signs of what the future holds for Alberta’s landlocked oil sands. The premieres’ recent meeting in Kelowna, while cordial, gave little indication. The topic of pipelines was markedly absent from their discussion.

According to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers’ (CAPP) June 2013 forecast, Canadian crude oil production will rise from 3.2million barrels per day in 2012 to 6.7million barrels per day in 2030. Oil sands production will account for the vast majority of crude growth, rising from 1.8million barrels per day in 2012 to 5.2million barrels per day in 2030.

But a dearth of transportation options to the coast means that beyond its small domestic market, Canada is stuck with just one recipient for its oil, the USA. “Having only one customer has made our country vulnerable; we have to find a way to tap into global markets,” said Gary Leach, president of Explorers and Producers Association of Canada (EPAC).

The widely dispersed revolution in horizontal oil completions and multi-stage fracturing that made exploitation of Canada’s oil sands possible has also enabled the US to rapidly increase its production of natural gas and crude oil, light crude, and unconventional heavy oil resources. Limited access to pipelines, combined with the additional upgrading and refining requirements of bitumen, disadvantages Canadian supply. The price difference between Alberta’s bitumen—or Western Canadian Select—and West Texas Intermediate peaked at $42 per barrel between in 2012, creating a phenomenon known locally as the “bitumen bubble”.

The differential will strip some $27-billion from the Canadian economy in 2013 according to Alberta’s finance minister Doug Horner.

Although the bitumen bubble has deflated this year, continued uncertainty around market access has led some to question investing in the oil sands. “One of the things we have talked to clients about is the exodus of United States investors out of the Canadian energy market,” Shane Fildes, Managing Director & Head of Global Energy at BMO Capital Markets told GBR. “The reasons are structural, including transport and access, which creates a different layer of risk in comparison to the US.”

This risk has repercussions across the oil and gas supply chain, impacting the corporate strategy of E&Ps and service companies alike. “Although we feel it is very important for the Canadian industry to find new markets for our oil and natural gas, we are relatively bearish on the prospects of Northern Gateway being built due to political hurdles,” said Mike Buker, PHX Technology, a Calgary based drilling company. Producers such as Baytex, Southern Pacific Resources, and MEG Energy are already moving product by rail and in some cases barge to circumvent infrastructure bottlenecks.

Despite its potential to relieve some of these bottlenecks and its expected impact on Canadian coffers, the Northern Gateway project has numerous opponents, ranging from environmental NGOs to First Nations communities along the pipeline’s proposed route.

At the end of May, the BC government formally rejected Enbridge’s Northern Gateway proposal on the grounds that it did not address the province’s environmental concerns. Of particular concern was spill response: “Northern Gateway has said that they would provide effective spill response in all cases. However, they have presented little evidence as to how they will respond,” BC Minister of environment Terry Lake said.

Such concerns will seem especially acute in light of the recent small crude oil leak on the Trans Mountain Pipeline near Merritt, BC.

Ultimately, because the proposed pipeline crosses provincial borders, it will be Canada’s federal government that decides whether Northern Gateway progresses. “We have seen the Federal government make some very strong statements towards the ENGO groups that clearly indicate that the Federal government is a champion of the line,” Allan Ross, Alberta’s representative in Ottawa at the Ministry of International and Intergovernmental Relations told GBR. But would the government take the dramatic step of using its constitutional power to legislate the pipeline into existence? “My sense is that the Federal government would not, particularly if an eastward line and Keystone are coming into place,” said Ross.

In rejecting the proposal, the BC ministry reiterated the five conditions that would have to be met for the pipeline to go ahead. However it is too early to claim—as Al Gore did recently in The Guardian—that “Canadians have publicly concluded that it is not safe to take a pipeline across British Columbia to ports on the Pacific”. The National Energy Board’s joint review panel will make the final decision on the project, and government officials will put forward their final arguments in person to the panel in Terrace, BC, on June 17.

Premiers Clark and Redford will meet again this week at the annual conference of western premiers and territorial leaders conference in Winnipeg and again industry will be following the proceedings closely. According to Calgary Herald reporter Don Braid, nearly 50% of B.C.’s growing natural gas production crosses Alberta to get to market. Some commentators believe that shared interests could open wiggle room on Northern Gateway. “Yes, we have had a very public disagreement about the Enbridge pipeline and heavy oil movement,” Christy Clark acknowledged in an interview with Macleans. “But you know, everything is resolvable.”

The above article is based on GBR’s research on the TSX as a hub for oil and gas finance, which will be published in Oil and Gas Investor in November 2013. If you wish to contribute with your comments to the final report, please contact Joseph Hincks at joseph@gbreports.com or Chloe Dusser at cdusser@gbreports.com

To view other interviews and article related to this project, please visit:

INTERVIEWS
Explorers and Producers Association of Canada (EPAC) /Alberta Ministry of International and Intergovernmental Relations / SilverWillow Energy Corporation / Condor Petroleum

ARTICLES
Putting the First Nations First: The Nascent Natural Gas Industry in British Columbia / ALBERTA: The Land of Heavy Oil and Innovation

This past Sunday was the most momentous day of my life.  I got married to the woman of my dreams, and it just so happens it was Father’s Day.  Both Kristen and I’s fathers were at the wedding, and it was special, as both of our parents are still married.  As I consider the man I want to be moving forward, I’m looking back on my life and remembering the values I received from my dad.

One of my biggest regrets in life happened when I was in the fourth grade.  My dad decided to take my grandpa up to Canada for a fishing trip, and he asked if I wanted to come along.  It was summer time, and I remember I didn’t want to go all the way up to Canada because I thought it was going to be cold, and well, fishing was boring.  I couldn’t imagine wasting one minute of my summer break.  Looking back, I realize there was a rich legacy I was missing out on.  The beauty of family is that the goodness of generations can be downloaded into each one of us like high speed cable.  For instance, my grandpa was a great leader.  He was president of the Elk’s and a high ranking officer of the Shriners in addition to many other organizations.  My dad and my uncle were both presidents of their fraternities in college, and it turns out, I was president of Theta Chi when I was in college.  I believe my leadership gifts took longer to form because I was so stubborn and resistant as a kid.

I read a quote from author Gordon Dalbey which says, “Knowing your father is more important than getting his apology.”  The truth is, no father is perfect.  I’m sure many of you have had some terrible experiences and you may not even speak to your dad.  Even my dad will admit, he wasn’t there for me as much as he would’ve liked, but he wanted to make sure I had the things he didn’t have growing up.  If we each take a moment, there is some goodness we received from our fathers, and there may still be some goodness we have yet to receive.  So, last week, I took some time to get to know my dad. I asked him what values he wanted to teach me as a child.  I believe these characteristics have made me the “good guy” that I’ve referred to in previous blogs.

The first thing my dad wanted to teach me was to have respect for other people.  I remember this lesson, as there was a neighborhood kid name Chris who had cerebral palsy.  When I was in fourth grade, a bunch of us were making fun of Chris.  My dad sat me down and told me I had gifts and abilities Chris didn’t have, however, Chris had some gifts that I didn’t have.  It taught me to see the human within him, and in everyone.  It’s easy to point a finger when you dehumanize a person.  Not that I have become an expert in this arena, but I try to step into someone else’s shoes even if I’ve heard they’ve said something bad about me.  Trust me, this is fresh.  It just happened last week.  It’s easy to unleash everything in a moment’s notice, but it’s difficult to have true respect for others.  Take a moment and ask what might have happened in this other person’s life to prompt them to say something terrible about you.  It usually comes out of a wounding in their past or present circumstances.  By the way, I later started seeing Chris on a regular basis.  In college, I started working with mentally and physically handicapped clients through Arc of the Ozarks.

The second thing my dad taught me was to have confidence in myself.  It seems everyone in my family was a basketball or baseball star.  I was neither.  In fact, I wasn’t even that good at football.  He reminded me of this time we were in the yard.  He had taken all this effort to set everything up to coach me.  After an hour or so, I said it wasn’t for me.  He didn’t try to force it on me.  Instead, he rallied behind everything I chose to do, even if it was piano or theatre.  I remember him telling me he wished he could have the confidence that I had in front of large audiences.  In effect, I went over and beyond at anything I decided to do.  By my senior year, I had racked up all these awards, but I remember my dad crying at the track and field award ceremony.  My coach gave me this “Throw-Up” award because I would literally train so hard I  usually vomited at track practice.

While there are many more things, the final value I want to emphasize is that I learned to be thankful for everything I earned and received.  My dad is a car dealer, and a great benefit, is that my whole family drove vehicles from the lot.  When I turned 16, I thought I was going to get a Corvette.  So, when I showed up at school driving a Geo Prism, I was humiliated.  I hardly had any respect for the car.  I took that tiny car mudding, did doughnuts in the parking lot, and sped down rocky country roads.  When I wrecked it a month later trying to ramp a hill with friends, I was obviously shook up.  My dad came and picked me up.  He didn’t yell or anything, but he did say he would not report it to insurance and I would have to pay every single penny for the repairs.  For a good six months, I had to take the school bus and wash cars to pay it off.  I thought I was entitled to a Corvette, but when I got another Geo Prism, trust me, I was thankful.

One of the Ten Commandments is “Honor your mother and father,” and that’s what I wanted to do for my dad this Father’s Day.  I hope to pass these values to my son someday.  Even if you aren’t on speaking terms with your father, or if your father isn’t alive, you still have a Father in Heaven.  Before I started walking down the aisle on Sunday, I spent some time with my dad, and with my pastor, but I then told them I needed some time with God.  I had doubts in myself, but I listened, and I heard truths He spoke to me.  He wants to speak to you too.

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Along with a modified diet, you take these herbal supplements containing Bilaherb, Laxa herb and cleansaherb, along with CL Herbal extract. In a sentence: stuff that will… flush you out. Just go with it! Side note: Health Canada (so Canada’s FDA) has approved these supplements. Health Canada is really strict and many of the things that are approved in the US aren’t in Canada. For example, the fat replacement Olestra isn’t allowed in Canada, but it is FDA approved for the USA.

The cool thing is that since this is a popular cleanse in the great white north, there are many food blogs that detail recipes and give you ideas on what to eat. My #protips: eat lots of salmon with a garlic, lemon glaze, holler at your quinoa, and get your oatmeal on.

So why am I cleansing? Aren’t I already a 10/10? Well, I am (& modest too), but the idea of eating really healthy, unprocessed foods for 12 days presents a test of will power that I am so down to take. I also think cleansing your body of toxins is legit. It’s a nice way to start the summer on a (somewhat) clean slate to hit your other summer goals, like exercising or… not exercising.

Try on the cleanse and let me know how it goes! The supplement kit costs about $25-35. You can get it online or at a local health supplement store.

The Egyptian company announced Wednesday that it has made the decision to withdraw it application under the Investment Canada Act following discussions with Canada’s federal government.

Orascom said that “it continues to be interested in consolidating its interest in Wind Mobile Canada and in working with the government of Canada to achieve this goal.”

Orascom provided much of the financial backing for Wind Mobile, one of several new wireless networks that entered the Canadian market several years ago.

Since then, the government has relaxed foreign investment restrictions to allow foreign control of small carriers with 10 per cent or less of the wireless market.

Industry Minister Christian Paradis also blocked a deal that would have seen Telus Corp. (TSX:T) acquire one of the other small new carriers, Mobilicity.

Paradis also stressed that the federal government remains committed to having at least four competitors in each region of the country.

Orascom has also undergone changes since it made the Wind Mobile investment under the leadership of Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris.

The Dutch company VimpelCom now owns 51.7 per cent of Orascom and Sawris heads Accelero, an Egyptian company that is seeking to buy Allstream from Manitoba Telecom Services (TSX:MBT).

Wind Mobile’s founding chief executive, Anthony Lacavera, issued a statement saying he’s still committed to creating a “true independent” choice of wireless services for Canadians.

“Despite today’s announcement, I will continue working with VimpelCom toward achieving our mutual objectives,” Lacavera said.

Lacavera has said previously that Wind Mobile would like to create a fourth national wireless competitor to rival industry heavyweights — Rogers (TSX:RCI.B), BCE’s Bell (TSX:BCE) and Telus (TSX:T).

Earlier this month, following the Paradis announcement, Lacavera said he’d like to open talks to buy Mobilicity.

Shortly after that, however, another of the small upstart carriers — Public Mobile — said it was now positioned to be the industry consolidator with financial backing from Thomvest Seed Capital Inc. and New York’s Cartesian Capital.

Public Mobile’s founding CEO, Alek Krstajic, said he would like Public Mobile to buy both Mobilicity and Wind Mobile in order to create a bigger rival to the three industry leaders.

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The results paint a picture of a disaster in communities across the country, said Tim Richter, one of the report’s authors and the president of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness.

“In a natural disaster, the loss of housing or life happens because of a fire or flood or something like that,” he said.

“In the unnatural disaster of homelessness, the same things are happening, but it’s happening because of poverty, disability, addiction, mental illness and trauma.”

But whereas natural disasters are met with emergency response plans to get people back to their normal lives, the response to homelessness is stuck in crisis mode, Richter said.

“It’s time for Canadians to shift gears from managing homelessness to ending it,” he said.

On any given night, at least 30,000 people are in homeless or domestic violence shelters, sleeping outside or temporarily housed in places like prisons or hospitals, the study found.

As many as 50,000 more could be considered the “hidden homeless,” temporarily staying with friends or family because they have nowhere else to go, the State of Homelessness in Canada: 2013 report concludes.

The study, a join effort by the Canadian Homelessness Research Network and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, marks the first time researchers have looked at the issue on a national level.

Several municipalities do count the number of homeless in their communities, but to get national numbers, the study’s authors drew on new research on the number of people in the shelter system and added in estimates of those who are often overlooked in regular counts, such as women in domestic violence shelters.

The provinces and the federal government are increasing their involvement in the search for solutions to homelessness, said Stephen Gaetz, the lead author of the report and the director of the Canadian Homelessness Research Network.

That is driving the need for better information, he said.

“Those decisions on how to respond to homelessness need to be based on evidence, what we know that works, not just on ideas we pull out of the air,” he said.

“We have to move forward with solid evidence on how to do this. We’ve got some of that evidence but now it’s time to scale it up across the country and get everybody pulling in the right direction.”

The report made recommendations to improve the situation.

It said communities need to develop and implement plans to end homelessness, supported by all levels of government and that those governments need to increase the supply of affordable housing.

Another recommendation called for a housing-first approach to ending homelessness.

Some communities are already following these approaches and are making significant progress, the report said.

Among recent successful efforts is the At Home/Chez Soi pilot program in five cities, backed by $110 million in federal funding from the Mental Health Commission.

It tries to get the homeless into subsidized housing first, before then supplying them with services designed to address the underlying problems that put them on the street in the first place.

The last time a price tag was placed on dealing with homeless was in 2007, when the Sheldon Chumir Foundation estimated that the emergency response to homelessness cost between $4.5 and $6 billion annually, including shelters, social services, health care and corrections.

The latest report raises that to just over $7 billion, based on the new count of the homeless and new research into the costs of housing them that came from the At Home/Chez Soi program.

What’s happened is that a system designed for emergencies has become a long-term response, akin to keeping refugees in camps for decades, Gaetz said.

“When we start warehousing people, it can lead to a sense of complacency: ‘well, it isn’t the best situation to be sleeping with 50 other strangers in a room but it’s a best we can do’,” he said.

“The reality is it isn’t the best we can do at all.”

The report calls for more research into the issue, suggesting the federal government should consider co-ordinating a national homeless count.

FULL REPORT: State of Homelessness in Canada: 2013

…the Hudson and Champlain valleys merge and join the Saint Lawrence Seaway, so New England and adjoining regions of Canada become a big rocky island.

via How high can the sea level rise if all the glacial ice melted? – Greg Ladens Blog.

Seeing the beauty of everything is humans most powerful tool.