NNRIVER LIONS OFF TO HOT

STARTPAGE 12

NIAGARA NEWS

WHO IS THE LAST

JEDI?PAGE 9

DEC. 8, 2017 • VOL. 49 ISSUE 3

niagara-news.com

Continued on page 2Thorold residents officially welcomed the holiday season with the city’s 27th annual Santa Claus Parade on Saturday, Nov. 25. The event helped usher in the holiday parade season which continues this weekend. See more photos on Pages 6-7. PHOTO BY MELISSA BURTON

THAT’S NOT SANTAThe Grinch almost upstaged the star of Thorold’s Santa Claus Parade with

his decidely green and grand entrance. But Santa did not disappoint

Almost 1,000 Niagara students drop out

By KENDRA CONRONStaff Writer

Niagara College‘s very own Julianna Perrault, a third-year Graphic Design program student, recently showcased her talent during her first show at Indulgences Art Gallery in Vaughan on Nov. 25.

The exhibit Dancing Mythical Creatures features five of Perrault’s original drawings inspired by her love of mythology, animals and the popular computer game World of Warcraft.

“I love drawing wings and skulls, lots of Harry Pot-ter and Warcraft inspired creatures,” says Perrault, whose most recent drawing features a woman’s head with the body of an owl.

Perrault’s career dates back to as far as she can remember being able to hold a pencil, as well as art camps and weekly lessons at the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Catharines.

“I took art all through high school. It was the only sub-ject I was really good at and enjoyed at the same time.”

What’s her art kryptonite? Drawing people. “I can do the anatomy

aspect, as well as hands and feet, but faces are a dif-ferent story.

“If I could find someone to draw all my faces and I draw all the body parts we’d be unstoppable.”

Prints are available for $25, $35 and $50 and origi-nal pieces start at $225.

“Having people come up to me and hugging me was a little overwhelming, but everyone was nice, so it was a good experience. Having

people buy my art was also super cool. I was able to sell two pieces and a few prints.”

Life after graduation is still unclear for Perrault, but her options are wide open. With an opportu-nity to showcase her art in Chicago she’s going to be pretty busy coming up with and designing almost 40 original sketches.

Indulgences features new exhibits almost every week showcasing new and reoc-curring talented artists. It’s located at 7250 Keele St., in Vaughan.

NC student is showing everyone the world of fantasy

Night and Day by Julianna Perrault. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Mythology, Harry Potter, World of Warcraft; Julianna Perrault creates art inspired by the worlds she loves

DANIELA VILANOVAStaff Writer

Nearly 1,000 students have withdrawn from full-time studies at Niagara College as a result of the five-week-long province-wide faculty strike.

That’s according to college officials, who are monitoring the impact of the labour dispute.

College spokesman Michael Wales said as of the Dec. 5 deadline, roughly 950 students have with-drawn from full-time pro-grams due to the strike.

“The majority of students who withdrew were first-year students, and many of these students have indicated that they want to re-start their studies in either January or a subse-quent term,” said Wales.

“We know that the strike was very difficult for stu-dents, and we understand that some students felt that they were unable to continue with their studies this term,” he added.

Students who wished to withdraw by the deadline were allowed to do so and receive a full refund of their tuition fees.

Page 2 NIAGARA NEWS •Dec. 8, 2017

NEWS

By DANIELA VILANOVAStaff Writer

Global Connections is a program designed by the college with the idea of cre-ating connections between domestic and international students.

The program makes the cultural transition for inter-national students easier as well as introducing domes-tic students to new cultures and different perspectives.

The way the program works is an international

student gets paired up with a domestic student based on similar hobbies and interests, making it easier to create a friendship.

Nattalie Boverhof, in the International Student Services, is in charge of the program and in the past was a member of the program.

Boverhof says that she stayed in contact with her friend for 10 years.

“For international stu-dents (the program) makes them more comfortable

arround Canadians,” says Boverhof.

She adds that the pro-gram gives domestic stu-dents “a more personal way to get to know a different culture.”

Students can join the Global Connections pro-gram at any time through-out the year.

To learn more, drop by the International office at either campus or contact Nattalie Boverhof at nboverhof@niagaracollege.ca

Strike affects Christmas break Five-week labour dispute extends fall term into first week of January

read us onlinewww.niagara-news.com

Don’t miss a move…

Niagara College students protesting the strike came down in two buses to Toronto for a rally in Queen’s Park. PHOTO BY APRIL HOUNSOME

Linking students globallyProgram helps bring together international, domestic

By SARAH SCHANDLStaff Writer

Niagara College students have mixed feelings about the new holiday break fol-lowing the five-week-long strike by Ontario col-lege faculty. The college’s semester completion plan includes extending the fall term to Jan. 10. As a result, the holiday break will now run from Dec. 23, to Jan. 1.

At Niagara, for most stu-dents the fall term resumes from Jan. 2 to Jan. 10

Vanessa McDougall, a first-year Pre-Health Scienc-es program student, accepts the changes to the term say-ing, “I think it’s fair because all the time I would have been relaxing and sleeping in over Christmas was done during the strike.”

She continues: “I think that previous travel plans should be honoured and things should be worked around for those going on vacation. But keep in mind, people who aren’t students never get a long break like we do.”

Around 500,000 students across the province were out of class since the strike by 12,000 professors, in-structors, counsellors, and librarians began Oct. 15.

The province legislated college faculty back to work on Nov. 19. The province also ordered the colleges to create a fund -- using savings from the strike to help students who suffered financial hardship because of the labour dispute. Ad-vanced Education Minister Deb Matthews estimated that amount would be about $5 million.

The new break dates are especially frustrating for students with children. Brittany Kennedy, a first-year Office Administration-Health Services program student, knows this all too well. However, she has cho-sen to remain optimistic.

“Though it sucks for people like me who have

kids, as we now get short-ened time to spend with them and need to find additional care, (a lot of day cares are not running those days, or they are not cov-ered by subsidy) I’d rather have a shortened Christmas break than have the term extended even more than it already is,” says Kennedy.

While some students are looking at the bright side, others are not.

Julia Korchevskaya, a student in the Wine Busi-ness Management program, is an international student, and for her the shortened Christmas break means los-ing money.

“As an international stu-dent, I can legally work 20 hours per week. But, during the holiday I can work 40 hours. I was planning to earn some money for living during the holiday, but now there is no chance,” she says.

“The holiday is too short and after it, we are having final exams, so I will be studying instead of work-ing. I lost roughly $1,900 of potential earnings. I am furious.”

Justice Pearson, a second-year Dental Hygiene program student says, “As much as I’d rather graduate on time, and do what I can to do so, because I want a good job, it’s unfair we lose Christmas over the actions of people that has nothing to do with students. It’s not our fault there was a strike but we, especially interna-tional students, suffer the consequences.”

Minister Deb Matthews

Student reps met with ministerContinued from page 1“For perspective it’s also

important to note that we do typically see withdraw-als each term, as vary-ing numbers of students either withdraw from their program during the term or do not progress to the next term,” said Wales.

“Looking forward, we are encouraged by strong enrol-ment projections for our winter and spring terms.”

Meanwhile, students who chose to stay were eligible to receive up to $500 to reimburse them for strike-related expenses.

But that has not been without concerns.

“I realized that there is a lot of students being left out,” said Ryan Huckla, president of Niagara College Student Administrative Council.

On Nov. 27, Huckla, along

with the student represen-tatives of four other Ontario colleges, attended a meeting in Toronto with Deb Mat-thews, Minister of Ad-vanced Education and Skills Development, to discuss the Student Strike Relief Fund.

The goal of the repre-sentatives from Niagara, Mohawk, Fanshawe, Flem-ing and Humber colleges for this meeting was to discuss what they say is the unfairness of the require-ments that must be met by students who want to apply for the fund.

According to the fund’s specifications, not all students who were affected by the recent strike may be eligible candidates for the $500 that the fund promises.

Another point that was up for discussion was the fact that the numbers that were taken as a reference for the

money that is going to be given by the fund are from the previous strike in Ontar-io, more than 10 years ago, which makes it out of date with the current economic needs of the students.

Also, the previous strike did not last as long and it did not affect as many stu-dents as this one.

“[The fund] it was very rush to be put together,” said Huckla, adding the government is unwilling to make changes to applica-tion criteria.

The criteria for making an application to the Student Strike Relief Fund is as fol-lows:

Incremental travel costs: • A bus pass for January that you wouldn’t have otherwise needed•Travel to complete the se-mester in January when you wouldn’t have otherwise

• Costs associated with flight changes or cancel-lations due to the strike/extension of term required by the college • Living expenses including food, housing and transpor-tation• Costs associated with extending rentals or leases due to the extension of the term • Additional food due to the extension of the term • Incremental child care ex-penses, including payments for childcare outside of the times you had already made arrangements

Other incremental ex-penses:• Essential expenses that occurred as a result of the strike that you would not have had otherwise.

(Source: niagaracollege.ca/enrolmentservices/strikerelieffund/)

By APRIL HOUNSOMEStaff Writer

They’re engaged, and the plans are being set. Prince Harry is engaged to Rachel Meghan Markle, the Suits actor he started dating last year.

The wedding is set to be held in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle in May of next year. The exact date has not been specified, and it has not been confirmed whether the wedding will be televised.

“My personal take on it is that the media puts too many resources into this,” says Jacob Mencfeld, a second-year in the Border Customs and Security pro-gram. “But I guess it’s excit-ing to have a new princess in the monarchy.”

Their first official outing

following the engagement was on Dec. 1 in Notting-ham to mark World AIDS Day.

The engagement was announced in a statement from Kensington Palace signed by Prince Charles of Wales.

Harry and Markle took a stroll through Sunken Gar-den at Kensington Palace following the announce-ment to meet the media.

“She’s too pretty for him,” says Gabrielle Laurence, a first-year in Practical Nurs-ing.

The white wool wrap coat Markle wore by Canadian designer John Muscat and Jennifer Wells was sold out by the next morning. Line the Lapel, located in Toronto where Markle lived, sells the coat in a colour entitled “rose dust” which is

still in stock for $799.Markle took a moment

to display her engagement ring. The ring, confirmed to have been designed by

Harry himself, features a large diamond set in yellow gold. The diamond is estimated to be around three to five carats. It’s

framed by two smaller diamonds that were worn by Princess Diana.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge expressed their

excitement and happiness about the engagement in an announcement.

Markle’s parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, did the same in a state-ment.

Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip said they wish the couple well. Whether they will attend the wedding is still up in the air, as Markle is a divorcee. The Royal couple did not attend Prince Charles wedding to the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005. The Queen and her husband may instead meet them at the reception after.

“It seems the monarchy needs this press to stay relevant,” says Mencfeld, “as they’re acting more as sym-bols. When else do you read monarchy stories if it’s not about weddings or visits?”

NIAGARA NEWS • Dec. 8, 2017 Page 3

NEWS

College wins cider championship

By RAVVERNON SINGHSTAFF WRITER

Niagara College Teaching Winery’s Cider 101 bagged a gold medal at the United States Open Cider Champi-onship.

On Nov. 20, the beverage won the medal for the sec-ond consecutive year in the New World Cider category, denoted by the style of cider making which is more fruit driven, tanned and has earthy tones.

“It’s great, it’s the second time in two years, which is great, you know it is always good as a producer to show consistency,” said Gavin Robertson, winemaker and instructor at Niagara Col-lege Teaching Winery.

“We’re always delighted when students or staff from NC win awards of excellence and in the case of Gavin Robertson… we’re very pleased for him and

his students that worked on producing a high-quality cider,” said Dan Patterson, Niagara College President.

The third annual cham-pionship’s final round was held at the Big Ditch Brewing Company in Buf-falo, New York. Over 240 different ciders from cider-ies, breweries and wineries across Washington state to

the United Kingdom partici-pated in 20 different style categories.

“It’s not important to us to win every award out there, but that we’re con-sistently ranked with the top players in the industry,” Robertson said, “these judgings put you up against similar producers so it’s a good way to benchmark your performance within

the industry.”Cider 101 is made when

raw juice from Ontario apples is mixed with mul-tiple aromatic yeast strains, to add complexity, and fermented in 100 percent stainless steel tanks instead of oak barrels. “We back sweeten (it) with a little bit of the same apple juice… and find just an acid and sugar balance that works

and then we stabilize it, filter it and can it,” Robert-son said.

“Cider is becoming a very popular drink and to have our… winemaker look at giving our students the op-portunity to make cider is a great example of being on the cutting edge of change in the whole food and bev-erage industry,” Patterson said.

The judges of the cham-pionship were from NC teaching winery, NC teach-ing brewery as well as other cideries from the Niagara region.

Good apples from good growers and their proper processing helped Cider 101 stand apart from all the other products in the blind judging at the champion-ship.

Niagara College Teaching Winery’s Cider 101 a big hit at American competition

Top left: Award winning Cider. Above: Gavin Robertson, winemaker and instructor at Niagara College Teaching Winery poses with a can of Cider 101. PHOTOS BY RAVVERNON SINGH

Prince Harry engaged to actress Meghan Markle

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on the day of their engagment announcement. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Page 4 NIAGARA NEWS • Dec. 8, 2017

2009 WINNER2009 WINNERC A N A D I A NCOMMUNITYNEWSPAPERAWARD 2011

BNC2009

Editor: Tyler O’BrienAssociate Editor: Austin BroadAssistant Editor: Lisa BrownPhoto Editor: Ravvernon Singh

Publisher: Tony ThomaManaging Editor: Charles KopunProduction Editor: Paul DaybollOnline Production Editor: Susan PedlerAssociate Editor: John Robbins

EDITORIAL

Russia’s Olympic ban welcomed

Hollywood has always been known as the land of the stars, but recently it has become the land of the predators.

In the recent weeks there has been an outbreak of sexual harassment scandals that have landed some of Hollywood’s biggest names in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Louis C.K. are just three of the big names that have been rocked by allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct towards a variety of men and women.

The New York Times published a story about Weinstein, publishing de-tails that he allegedly forced women to massage him and promised to help advance

their careers in return for sexual favours.

After the reports sur-faced many famous names reacted to the allegations some of them stating they weren’t surprised.

Quentin Tarantino said he knew about the allegations for years, stating he knew enough to do more than he did.

Weinstein was the first domino to fall in the purg-ing of former Hollywood big names and his situation has paved the way for other victims to come forward.

Spacey, a two-time Oscar winner and the star of the Netflix series House of Cards has also been the subject of sexual harassment and assault allegations. The first person to come forward

was actor Anthony Rapp who said Spacey made sexual advances towards him when he was 14. Since Rapp came out with his ac-cusations more people have come forward with their own allegations.

C.K., a comedian and actor, released a statement responding to his accusa-tions; in the 500-word statement C.K. admitted that the allegations were true and expressed remorse towards the women he had hurt with his actions.

These three examples are just a small sample size of the current outpouring of allegations towards men, as it seems that now anyone who has been victimized in any way is coming forward to try to bring their harass-

er to justice.This has also led to some

harsh debates and criti-cisms because in a lot of the cases people haven’t been convicted of anything. A lot of the cases are just allega-tions.

In any situation like this it is always tough, what these men have been accused of doing is horrible and they deserve to be punished if found guilty.

In the three examples listed above, C.K. has openly admitted to what he did. But in the other cases, no one has admitted to their crimes, they are still merely allegations.

Lives have been ruined by the men who are guilty of these crimes, but it would be just as disastrous to ruin

someone’s life based merely on accusations.

As difficult as it is, we must try and withhold judgement on some of these people until it is proven that the allegations against them are true.

One thing has been made clear by these cases though: any man who has ever made any sexual advances towards a woman while holding any form of power over them should be fearing for their freedom.

With every new accusa-tion coming out women are showing that they will no longer live in fear of their predators, and they will do the right thing to make sure that these men are brought to justice for their actions.

AUSTIN BROAD

Celebrity predators exposed — finally

Mariya Savinova and Ekaterina Poistogova, Russian track and field athletes, both received lifetime bans from the IOC due to their involvement in the Russia state-run doping scheme. SUBMITTED PHOTO

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) took a step forward by finally banning Russia from the 2018 Py-eongchang Winter Games.

They missed the mark however by allowing ‘clean’ Russian athletes to compete as Olympic athletes from Russia under a neutral flag.

During the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Russia ran a state-sponsored doping scheme that started and was supported by President Vladimir Putin.

It was an effort to circum-vent the Olympics and cheat their way to medals on their home soil.

Allowing athletes to compete from the country is where the IOC gives Russia room to send their athletes, and possibly test new ways to try to bend the rules.

This ruling is close to what needed to be done, although if you follow the Internation-al Paralympic Committee you will see they were able to make their decision in time for Russia to be banned from the 2016 Olympic Games.

Jack Robertson, the World Anti-Doping Agency’s chief investigator until 2016, is not happy with the decision and stated if the IOC could differentiate between clean and doping athletes, they would have put a stop to it and this whole thing would not be happening.

He calls the decision a farce and a betrayal to clean athletes.

Although Robertson is along the right lines, the Olympic games has lost its luster over the years as being a clean, well-policed

games. From 1902 when gold

medal marathon runner Thomas Hicks was using strychnine until the only performance enhancing drug death in Olympic history occurred in 1960, doping was legal.

The IOC wants the image

toughness, and tried to come down hard on Russia for their country collaborating from top to bottom to beat the system.

Instead, they banned some of the top officials and are allowing those dirty athletes to compete after being caught. In 2016, the IOC

stated they would be taking action on an ‘individual ba-sis’ and not look at banning a country.

However, this decision goes back on everything they stood behind just two short years ago, and are now going after Russian officials and not the athletes.

To allow these athletes to compete encourages and enables other countries, and Russia, to continue to look for ways to bend the rules in their favor.

The IOC missed the op-portunity to strike fear into those who continue to cheat, instead only punishing of-

ficials and not banning the athletes.

In Pyeongchang, look for Olympic Athletes from Russia, and remember that some of them are allowed to compete after being a part of a state-run doping scheme.

Well done, IOC.TYLER O’BRIEN

Louis C.K. is one of the celebrities that has been accused of sexual misconduct.

NIAGARA NEWS • Dec. 8, 2017 Page 5

MENTAL HEALTH

Not only are Canadians among the highest anti-depressant users in the world, but it’s the time of year when Canadians are at a risk of being affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder.

If you’re someone who doesn’t want to take any medications, what activities can you do and what foods can you eat to supress symptoms of depression?

And even then, what psychological tools can you develop to efficiently cope with difficult circum-stances?

Your choices should be

based on the effectiveness, ethics, safeness and science of the products you choose.

Clinical and major depres-sion are the most prevalent mood disorders according to Canada Public Health. Mood disorders are one of the most common mental illnesses in the general Canadian population.

A McMaster Univer-sity study, published in a Psychotherapy and Psycho-somatics journal in Septem-ber, indicates 33 per cent of 378,000 antidepressant users are at a higher risk of premature death ranging from accidents caused by poor cognitive functioning to heart attacks and strokes.

Additionally, the study concluded 14 per cent (over 50,000) of these users are likely to have a higher risk of cardiovascular health

complications. As an informed con-

sumer, you should take into consideration the num-ber of participants, their ages, their family history, acute or chronic use of an antidepressant as well as any other mitigating factors while considering the study.

Study co-author and Toronto physician Benoit Mulsant wonders what fu-ture psychiatrists will think if more studies aren’t con-ducted to determine long-term use of antidepressant medications within the body, according to a Medical News Today article.

“I prescribe antidepres-sants even though I do not know if they are more harmful than helpful in the long-term,” said Mulsant.

Some people who have major depression need and see antidepressant drugs as their only option or last resort.

A close family friend of mine who was born into a vegan family has never taken any medication in her life - not even Advil or Tyle-

nol. Because of person-al and professional

matters, she became majorly depressed and after two years was prescribed antidepressant medication.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, “One-in-five

people in Canada will per-sonally experience a mental health problem or illness.”

Renowned actor and co-median Jim Carrey battled a mood disorder for many years throughout his career. He described his experience with depression as being in a limbo state.

“I was on Prozac for a long time…It may have helped me out of a jam for a little bit, but people stay on it forever,” said Carrey in a 2004 CBS news segment.

“I had to get off at a certain point because I realized ‘You know, every-thing’s just OK.’”

Over the years Carrey has become more spiritual and wholehearted.

In recent news while promoting his new Netflix documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond, he says he no longer suffers from depression. He says like all emotions, sadness doesn’t stick around for him any longer.

The documentary cap-tures Carrey behind the scenes of the 1999 film Man on the Moon about actor and comedian Andy Kaufman.

He was completely immersed in character throughout the whole dura-tion of filmmaking.

That’s one side of the argument.

If you’re considering tak-ing supplements as an alter-native, you should research that, too.

There are about 27,000

natural health products for sale in the Canadian market, which is a $1.4-bil-lion industry according to the 2015 investigative news broadcast Vitamins and Supplements: Magic Pills on CBC’s The Fifth Estate. “Amid the hype, what’s of-ten lost is the science,” said The Fifth Estate host Gillian Findlay.

Health Canada “approves more than 90 per cent of applications to sell new natural health products” in 10 days or less with what it refers to as “weak evidence” to prove that it’s safe and it truly works.

Health Canada refused an interview with The Fifth Estate.

I’ve taken 1,000mg of vitamin C when I’ve been sick because I was told by a close friend that vitamin C helps nurse you back to health, however, that amount is equivalent to eating seven to eight canta-loupes.

Botany Professor Steven Newmaster, who specializes in plant diversity, conducted a study with his research team at the University of Guelph in 2012 to study a random selection of 44 herbal supplements from Canada and the U.S.

The DNA in the supple-ments was compared to the DNA in a data bank, which contains preserved plants from their natural envi-

ronments. The study concluded that

60 per cent didn’t contain ingredients listed on its packaging. Also one out of three were substitutions or placebos.

St. John’s wort, saffron, 5-HTP and SAMe are all-nat-ural herbs recommended by two medical directors in an article on doctoroz.com to help depression.

All can be consumed oral-ly with pill supplements.

As researched by The Fifth Estate, the U.S. has unregu-lated laws for the distribu-tion of herbs, minerals and vitamins.

Ultimately the choice is up to the consumer, but we’re not doctors, nutritionists or scientists.

I’ve been taking cod liver oil pills once a day for a few years now. It contains omega 3-fatty acids and vitamin D, which are both believed to alleviate depres-sion to some degree in some adults.

A New Zealand study from 2015 concluded that 83 per cent of fish oil pills didn’t meet industry standards for consumption because four out of seven tablets were oxidized.

Oxidized lipids in cod liver supplements can cause inflammation leading to health problems such as cardiovascular disease.

At the end of the day, who do you trust?

Drug industry vs. vitamin industryHow does a consumer decide between taking a natural supplement or a pharmaceutical drug to suppress symptoms of depression?

While the holidays are supposed to be a time full of joy, love and happiness, some people experience a type of depression called Seasonal Affective Disor-der (SAD).

Between four and six per cent of Americans suf-fer from the disorder and two- to-three per cent of Canadians.

SAD is more common in females and those who have a history of depression in their family. I happen to fit that criteria.

Depression and anxiety are prominent mental ill-

nesses in my family, and for the past couple of years I have noticed that I start to get the winter blues when the holidays roll around.

After the fall time change, it gets dark very early. The days are short and the dark-ness of the night seems to drag on forever.

This tricks my body into oversleeping, being ex-tremely anxious, depressed and even having physical pain in my neck, which are all common symptoms of SAD.

Although there isn’t any-thing you can do to prevent it, there are ways to cope with it.

When I’m feeling down around the holidays, I like to put on my comfiest pajamas, cover myself in blankets and put on some Christmas movies.

Doing this helps to lift

my spirits, and allows me to think about the positive aspects of the season.

SAD may make me tempo-rarily lose interest in things that I like, but hanging out with friends and family can also help me by providing a distraction from my depres-sive episodes.

I love decorating for Christmas, and driving around the neighbourhood to admire everyone’s Christ-mas lights and décor helps to lift my mood as well.

I also like to drink hot chocolate, as it relaxes me and calms my anxious nerves.

SAD is an uncontrol-lable disorder that distorts your feelings around the holidays, but trying to be optimistic and finding the strength to do things that make you happy is the key to fighting back. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Christmas can be an antidote to winter SADness

LISA

BROWN

Columnist

SARAH

SCHANDL

Columnist

Page 6 NIAGARA NEWS • Dec. 8, 2017 Page 7

Thorold residents officially welcomed the holiday season at the 27th annual Santa Claus parade on Nov. 25. Cheerful crowds gathered along the route, hot chocolate in hand, to be entertained by bands, dancers, dogs and floats of all kinds. But the moment everyone was waiting for was the arrival of Santa Claus himself, and he did not disappoint.PHOTOS BY MELISSA BURTON

You’d better not pout, I’m telling you why anta Claus came

to town, helping

hundreds of volunteers

and spectators ring

in the holiday season

in Thorold. Saturday,

the sleigh pulls into

Niagara-on-the-Lake

S

Page 8 NIAGARA NEWS • Dec. 8, 2017

NEWS/OPINION

By KEARA JOYCEStaff Writer

Niagara College Student Administrative Council has created a new way of help-ing others, which benefits many, especially those with dietary restrictions or food allergies.

Say hello to the “Nourish-ing Minds” program. This new program will help many students, as they are supplying $25 gift cards to local grocery stores so the students in need are able to go and pick out food they enjoy and are able to eat.

“Most of the gift cards will be for Zehrs, but that also functions as a No Frills gift card. We do our best to accommodate to the situ-ation,” said Ryan Huckla, NCSAC president.

In the past, Niagara Col-lege has had a food bank where students in need

could come and collect a bag of food.

This bag would contain various items, all of which would hopefully be con-sumed by the student, but there was the chance the student could have a dietary restriction or food allergy and wouldn’t be able to eat specific items.

“Before it was giving the students food that we had stored and had packed without understanding the student. Now the student is empowered to shop for what they need, and like,” said Huckla.

“For over 20 years, the NCSAC has been operating a traditional food bank; it

functioned by application in person, then once approved, a bag of various predeter-mined food options were handed to the requesting student,” said NCSAC in an article on Inside NC.

The money is coming from the Nourishing Minds fund which is a collection of donations made to NCSAC. Large amounts for the fund were collected during Ni-agara Day, Day of Reflection, and other days when the college community comes together.

Huckla says that the feed-back to this change has been positive as students know they are able to get the foods they need and enjoy.

In order to take ad-vantage of this service, a student in need will have to meet with a school coun-cillor and from there they make the decision and then let NCSAC know.

Pushing yourself past your comfort zone and trying something new is easier said than done.

So when my good friend asked if I wanted to go a “Ecstatic Dance Conscious Freedom Barefoot Gather-ing Dance” I was a little hesitant.

Ecstatic Dance has been around for years as a way for people to silently express themselves in a safe environment through dance and song.

The guidelines for these gatherings are no cell-phones, shoes, talking or judgement of how others chose to dance.

Walking up to the old church-style building on James Street in St. Catha-rines, I couldn’t believe what I had gotten myself into.

After signing the email list and paying the $10 entrance fee it was bye bye shoes and hello room full of strangers silently dancing to DJ Brize’s calming mix of drums and flutes.

The only source of light was the tea lights hung at the front and the dozens of candles set up around the room - just enough light to see everything without the harsh artificial lighting.

Even though no one was talking, you could feel a sense of companionship between everyone. People who didn’t even knew me smiled when we made eye contact.

Releasing control and just letting my body sway was hard, but watching one

man at the front with his eyes closed and arms wav-ing around put my nerves at ease.

I’ll be the first to admit that it was a little weird, giving up control and just dancing with no direction.

Soon two hours had passed and the music had turned to a calming flute melody.

“Ecstatic Dance Niagara is a welcoming committee striving to provide a safe place for people to gather and express themselves in a healthy way,” said Robin FreeByrd, co-ordinator for Ecstatic Dance.

If you’re looking for a new way to relieve some stress, or enjoy dancing with friendly strangers, then join Ecstatic Dance, which runs the last Wednesday of every month at Oddfellows Temple at 36 James St., St Catharines.

By IRYNA RYBCHAKStaff Writer

How many people on this planet do something more than their daily routine?

Taras Kulish, 52, is a per-fect example.

He’s a lawyer with a heart, who is a senior as-sociate in the corporate, commercial and intellectual property group of Steinberg Title Hope & Israel LLP (STHI Law) and internation-al relations volunteer with HOPE worldwide Canada, at the same time.

“When you hear about the problems going on in other parts of the world, and we are so fortunate here, in Canada, you have to say, I am so lucky, I am so blessed, that I must help other people,” said Kulish in an interview with the Niagara News.

He was inspired by his father, Rostyslav Kulish, who was born in Ukraine. “I had seen the example of my father, earlier in his life, helping the community. It was something that I guess that was part of the way I grew up,” said Taras.

I had my first Skype interview with Kulish in 2015 for Toronto Ukrainian magazine RAZOM. At that time, Kulish participated in Helping Hand for Ukraine project, which was launched by HOPE worldwide Canada in co-operation with HOPE worldwide Ukraine charity foundation, to help children deal with the psychological effects of the war in Eastern Ukraine.

“Canada can help Ukrai-nian children and their par-ents overcome the trauma they have witnessed in the

conflict zone in Eastern Ukraine. I am confident that this project will lay the foundation for a successful and long-term co-operation with HOPE worldwide Ukraine”, said Kulish in the interview.

Recently, in June 2017, Kulish traveled to Ukraine for the first time in his life on a humanitarian monitor-ing mission within the same project Helping Hand for Ukraine. He visited the ther-apy camp for children with the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the Eastern Ukraine. The camp for 25 children from nine to 12 years old was organized just outside of Kyiv.

“We believe that the pro-gram in Ukraine is unique. It’s kind of like the ultimate laboratory for helping PTSD trauma victims to recover from war situations,” said Kulish.

Then, while visiting Lviv, Kulish delivered a lecture International Humanitarian Assistance to Ukraine and Anti-Terrorism and Money Laundering at the Rule of Law Institute of the Ukrai-nian Catholic University.

Kulish gave a speech about his experience in Ukraine called Bridges to Hope during the TEDxTrini-tyBelwoodsWomen event in Toronto on Nov. 10.

Since 2000, Kulish has served HOPE worldwide in many ways: as a volunteer, member, chairman of the board and country director and now as the internation-al relations volunteer. He has acquired his experience in charity law through high level of volunteering work with HOPE worldwide.

One of his first projects

was sending ballet slip-pers to young girls who lost everything in the Hurricane Katrina flooding in New Or-leans. He has helped people all over the world to recover from the natural disasters and civil war including the Philippines, China, St. Lucia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Haiti, Burundi and Kenya.

“In my life, I have been given so much. I have a moral duty to serve those who are less fortunate, and my motto is: There but for the grace of God, I go,” said Kulish.

Kulish grew up in Montreal, went to McGill University. He began his career as a lawyer work-ing in Toronto for a small international law firm.

Then Kulish met his wife, Dr. Sandra Tsai.

As a lawyer, Kulish works in four main areas: real estate, business law, trademarks, charity (not-for-profit). He specializes in intellectual property. He focuses on trademark applications and prosecu-tions for manufacturers and distributors of food and beverages and other manufacturing and service companies.

Kulish uses his 20-plus years of experience in this area to find creative solutions, when companies find that their brands are being copied or infringed. He has specific expertise in obtaining injunctions, civil search orders and mediat-ing settlements of compli-cated trademark passing off issues.

Also, Kulish has spoken on trademark law before the Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business

Association (UCPBA). He is a founding member of UCPBA which was created in October 2014. He spoke to an audience of Greek and Ukrainian lawyers in June 2015 on the purchase and sale of a business.

It seems that Kulish has learned the lessons his father taught him about the community very well.

As a Ukrainian Canadian humanitarian, Kulish is looking for partners, sup-porters and volunteers to

help with the Helping Hand for Ukraine project. You can contact him with any legal questions at tkulish@sthilaw.com.

To support Helping Hand for Ukraine, contact at taras.kulish@hopewwcanada.org.

Taras Kulish talks about Bridges to Hope at TEDxTrinityBelwoodsWomen event in Toronto on Nov. 10, 2017. PHOTO BY RAVVERNON SINGH

Lawyer with a heart for Ukraine

New Nourishing Minds program created at NC

Express yourself freely at Ecstatic Dance in Niagara

“We do our best to accomodate to the situation.”RYAN HUCKLA

KENDRA

CONRON

Columnist

NIAGARA NEWS • Dec. 8, 2017 Page 9

ENTERTAINMENT

A sneek peek at The Last Jedi

By APRIL HOUNSOMEStaff Writer

It’s the same but differ-ent.

It’s new and it’s… well, it’s something.

Ed Sheeran’s Perfect has been said to be the “next big love song” by fans.

The song’s lyrics and mu-sical background combine to make a simple yet stun-ning piece.

Now, it’s back in a unique version featuring Beyoncé and entitled Perfect Duet.

The first verse and chorus are the same and sung by Sheeran.

For the second verse, the newest artist he has col-laborated with takes over.

The lyrics have been changed and use masculine pronouns, and seeing as Be-yoncé is straight and mar-ried, that’s not a surprise. “Well, I found a man.”

Yes, okay, you found a man.

Great. It doesn’t flow the same

as the original; there’s a whole syllable missing.

“To carry love, to carry children.” Beyoncé, men do not carry children.

Yes, in some cases trans-gender men have, but this is not about that.

The song has awkward pauses when Beyoncé draws in air near the end of a sentence, typically before the last word.

The chorus has a choir in

the background, and with the song’s lyrics and feel, the extra voices create a lack of intimacy.

Perfect is designed to be sung by a single person, or just two people.

The song is about love and the future. It’s raw, real and personal.

It shouldn’t be belted out; it should be quiet and smooth.

Beyoncé is a phenom-

enal artist, but the way she approached the verses sounds like she’s attempt-ing to overpower Sheeran’s vocals.

In a few spots when they harmonize it works out fine.

For all the excitement the initial announcement brought, Perfect Duet is not anywhere near the phe-nomenon Perfect is.

The cover of the remake

does stands out more, with the colours inverted and snow falling across the cover leaving a Christmas feel.

Sheeran was just revealed to be a part of the Grammy nominees, but fans are de-cidedly disappointed with the fact he’s only up for two awards.

Sheeran is coming to To-ronto in 2018 on a Stadium Tour on Aug. 30 and 31.

By APRIL HOUNSOMEStaff Writer

It’s almost here: The next installment in the Star Wars cinematic universe.

Actor Daisy Ridley is re-turning as heroine Rey, the orphan girl from Jakku, who left a wicked scar across the face of Adam Driver’s char-acter Kylo Ren, formerly known as Ben Skywalker.

The interaction between these two characters in the newest trailer is ominous and intriguing.

Rey appears to be at the end of her rope. “I need someone to show me my place in all of this.”

In reply, Kylo extends his hand.

If Rey was to turn to the “dark side,” it would certainly open a variety of options, and she would be the first female Sith in the live action films.

On the other hand, it’s been suggested that Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill, could flip sides. Luke is pictured on both the Jedi and Sith movie posters, leaving a possibility that he could follow in his father’s and nephew’s footsteps.

If Rey or Luke turns to the dark side, the other could be the last Jedi.

Then again, Jedi is both singular and plural.

Honestly, the title gives away nothing.

Whether Rey’s parents will be revealed in The Last

Jedi is still up in the air, leav-ing some people wondering if anything will ever be re-vealed about the scavenger.

Finn, played by John Boyega, appears to be in

better health then when he was last seen.

The trailer reveals a daring moment when the former stormtrooper comes face-to-face with Captain

Phasma. Finn’s stormtrooper

training in the First Order should show up in the fight between the two and lead to a battle that is hopefully

spectacular.Poe Dameron, played by

Oscar Isaac, returns. The X-wing pilot seems to be in the thick of things, describ-ing the resistance as: “The spark that’ll light the fire that’ll burn the First Order down.”

The late Carrie Fisher - may she rest in peace - was supposed to be the leading force in Star Wars IX, and it’s currently unknown if they will use any previ-ously filmed scenes in that movie. As it is, General Leia Organa has been shown in the released trailers, includ-ing a seemingly dangerous moment when her son’s ship appears to be about to blow her ship up.

As we know, Disney is good at creating trailers that appear to show every-thing but give away nothing. The situations in the trailer are probably all very differ-ent then they’re made out to be.

The eighth installment in the series is centering on the Skywalker family. It’s set to release Dec. 15.

The currently untitled ninth and final of the trilogy is set to release in Decem-ber 2019, with Solo: A Star Wars Story set to release before then in May 2018.

The next installment in the Star Wars cinematic universe, the Last Jedi, releases Dec. 15. Fans have been buying tickets to the opening night for weeks and the hype is not slowing down.

Ed Sheeran’s Perfect Duet is not as perfect as we’d hoped. Beyonce is not so perfect, is she? The song released on Nov. 30.

NIAGARA NEWS STAFF

Niagara College is looking to raise $40,000 for the NC Cares United Way Campaign by Dec. 14, and time is run-ning out.

There is a list of grand prizes to be won by those who donate before the deadline, including a he-licopter ride over Niagara Falls, a six-month park-ing pass (starting Sept. 1, 2018), dinner for two at NC’s own Benchmark restaurant, and a fire-works cruise at the falls. Along with the grand prizes, there are weekly prizes being given away to those who give to the campaign.

The winners of the grand prizes will an-nounced after the campaign wraps up at the Presi-dent’s holiday reception.

United Way South Niagara helps those in need by investing the

money raised in non-profit organizations around the community. Doing this develops programs like Wipe Out!, a local organiza-tion that addresses poverty. One-in-three residents of this region use a program that is funded by United Way. The South Niagara branch includes Fort Erie, Niagara Falls, Welland, Port Colborne, Pelham and Wainfleet.

Last year, Niagara College raised $43,763, and in 2015, was given the Workplace Campaign of the year Award, given to the volunteers who show leadership and dedication in their community.

So far, the col-lege has raised $28,000, and are looking for more donations to meet their goal to improve the lives of those in need. Visit the NC Cares page on the Niagara College website for informa-tion on how to donate, and a list of weekly prize winners.

Donate to college United Way campaign for chance to win

Is Perfect Duet really perfect?

Page 10 NIAGARA NEWS • Dec. 8, 2017

NEWS

By MELISSA BURTONStaff Writer

The sounds of jazz will be heating things up this winter when Niagara-on-the-Lake hosts the inaugu-ral Oscar Peterson Inter-national Jazz Festival from Feb. 16-18.

The lineup, packed full of Canadian, international and Grammy and Juno Award-winning artists, was an-nounced at Stratus Winery on Nov. 14.

“I’m honoured to be part of this important occasion along with all the art-ists and producers of the festival,” said Renee Rosnes, artistic director. “It’s going to be a very special time in Canadian jazz history.”

Although the festival is

named after and celebrates the legendary Montreal-born jazz musician, it is “not intended to simply present concerts in tribute to Oscar Peterson,” said Rosnes, “but rather to truly present jazz, showcasing the rich history and the future of the music Oscar loved.”

Opening night will kick off in St. Catharines at the First Ontario Perform-ing Arts Centre with a star-studded concert featuring multiple Grammy Award winners Cécile McLorin Salvant, Jon Fad-dis, Jimmy Greene, Michael Dease, Benny Green, Chris-tian McBride and Kenny Washington.

Saturday will have film screenings like the Oscar-nominated Jammin’ the

Blues in the afternoon at St. Mark’s Anglican Church, in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and another concert in the eve-ning at Stratus Vineyards. The festival concludes on the Sunday with more per-formances and the presen-tation of the Canadian Jazz Masters Awards.

“This will be an exciting and celebratory weekend,” said Christine Mori, who is an executive producer along with Alexis Spield-enner. “With opportunity to hear great jazz musicians in intimate settings, all in the picturesque Niagara region.”

Tickets for the Oscar Peterson International Jazz Festival are on sale now, go to opjazzfest.org for more information.

Alexis Spieldenner, Christine Mori, Renee Rosnes and Kelly Peterson announce the lineup for the upcoming inaugural Oscar Peterson International Jazz Festival at Stratus Winery on Tuesday, Nov 14, 2017. MELISSA BURTON/NIAGARA NEWS

NOTL hosts this year’s jazz festival

By BETH AUDETSTAFF WRITER

CASTLE Niagara ran its first ever Portrait Project in four select neighbourhoods in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines between Nov. 23 and Dec 1.

The project, which was modeled after the York region’s Say Cheese campaign, provided free portraits to families who don’t typically have access to professional photogra-phy.

Organizers Brandon Agnew and Lara Lorge, community health bro-kers, allotted participants 15-minute slots in a pop-up studio with photogra-pher and Niagara College professor, Tara Walton.

Those who attended will also be receiving an edited print out and digital copy of the portrait right on time for the holidays.

According to Agnew this project is among a calen-dar of programs they offer to their communities.

“We had a great turnout last week,” Agnew said of their first scheduled photoshoot.

He said there was a lot of great relationship build-ing and storytelling among those in attendance.

Shari Moore, who opted to watch while her daugh-ters Alaira, 11, Chloe, 8, and Brooklyn, 5, were photo-graphed, said this program was a “great opportunity.”

Moore plans to hang the

portrait in their living room beside the last photo of the girls, taken over three years ago.

Geneva Smith, mother of 12-year-old Zoey and 8-year-old James, said she responded to this opportu-nity because they’ve never

actually had a family photo.Victoria Ross, who was

photographed with her 12-year-old son, Alex, said the portrait was a “cool thing to do for the holidays.”

Ross’ son donned a light-up reindeer sweater for the occasion.

CASTLE Niagara, or Creat-ing Access to Screening and Training in the Living

Environment, runs through Niagara Public Health and began as a means to increase cancer screening among communities with little to no access.

Lorge says their team works as the “boots on the ground,” bringing services

to their communities.According to Niagara

Public Health’s website, the CASTLE project has since evolved to include assis-tance with employment, social services and legal systems.

For more information-about services and available near you go to niagarare-gion.ca/health.

Community of smiles CASTLE Niagara runs first ever Portrait Project in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines

Jon Faddis, Jimmy Greene and many more lined up for February event

(Left) Zoey, 12, James, 8, and their mom Geneva Smith squeeze together for a free family photo.(Above) Christina Thomas and her children (left to right) Mehayla, 13, Mehryssa, 8, and Marcus, 11, check out their free family photo.(Below) Moore sisters Alaira, 11, Chloe, 8, and Brooklyn, 5, get silly for their free photo on Wednesday, Nov. 29, shot by photographer and Niagara College professor, Tara Walton, as part of the Portrait Project, run by Niagara Public Health’s CASTLE program. PHOTOS BY BETH AUDET

NIAGARA NEWS • Dec. 8, 2017 Page 11

SPORTS

With the recent feud be-tween the NFL and Presi-dent Donald Trump a lot of public outcry has taken sides. Some people agree with the NFL and want to see change in our society but there are a few who at-tack these athletes and tell them to stick to sports.

As a long-time sports fan, I have always loved the fact that sports has been sepa-rate from all of the world’s problems. It was the best thing about watching sports.

But now it seems that under President Trump nothing can escape politics - even sport.

For most people like myself, sport has been an escape from the harshness of reality, it has been an outlet to forget about the world’s problems and focus on entertainment for a brief period.

I used to be a member of the “stick to sports” narra-tive but after recent events it is impossible to ignore the power that sport has in the world and it would be wrong to censor athletes

from trying to make the world a better place.

After all, most people care more about what their favourite athlete does than they do about what is going on in their country.

Athletes are starting to realize the influence they have in the world and are beginning to use their platform to portray messages that are crucial to society. Athletes use their respective sport to raise conversations about injustice, inequality and other issues.

The anthem protests brought forward one of the biggest debates in recent history, and while I do not agree with it in any way it is hard to ignore that it has started a conversation about social injustice that has never been started before.

The power of sport is becoming more and more evident every week that passes. There was public outcry when the Pittsburgh Penguins attended the White House as Stanley Cup Champions regularly do. This is because people want to see athletes and sports take a stance against the inequality for which many believe President Trump stands.

Is it fair to judge athletes and sport organizations that

don’t actively use their plat-forms to speak out on social issues? Absolutely not, because in its nature sport is supposed to be entertain-ment and not a platform for a political agenda.

On the opposite side of the coin people cannot

blame athletes and organi-zations that do speak out and use their platform to try and make a difference in the world because they realize that sport has more influ-ence in the world than other platforms do.

We don’t have to like the

fact that sport is no longer separate from world issues. We can be angry that sport may not be the same escape from reality that it once was but we shouldn’t attack those who are using sport as a platform to try and make the world a better place

than it is.In these times, now more

than ever, we need sport so don’t tell athletes, owners, teams or even members of the sports media to stick to sports because at the end of the day sport is so much more than just a game.

By LISA BROWNStaff Writer

Niagara College’s Athlet-ics and Recreation Depart-ment is running a women’s intramural hockey league (WIHL) this winter. As of Dec. 1, teams can sign up and pay the $700 regis-tration fee per team on IMLeagues. Fees include ice time (50 minutes of straight run time), referees and jerseys for the students to keep.

“The intramural experi-ence is about having fun, being active (and) making new friends and all of the social benefits that kind of come with that,” said Cam-pus Recreation Co-ordi-nator Jenna Wilson. “It’s not about the competition. That’s just a by product.”

The league, which runs from Jan. 22 to March 21, needs a minimum of three teams, and female Ni-agara College students are welcome to play on both the open and women’s ice-hockey leagues.

Games will be held at the Welland arena between 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. start times, and students are re-quired to be fully equipped with personal equipment.

The WIHL was an op-portunity to determine and explore interest and popularity, says Wilson. More female representation in the college’s intramural

sports is always a good thing, she says, adding NC wants as many students to come out as possible.

Teams consist of five play-ers and a goalie. If enough students want to sign up as “free agents,” than they will be placed together on their own team.

“When you truly want to be there, competition and sport really sort of binds people into a different kind of friendship that you wouldn’t have elsewhere, and it’s really important and it has a place,” said Wilson. “…that’s why we have to be very careful to nurture it and mature it properly.”

The Athletics and Rec-reation Department staff want to know how students get their information on the

fitness and sports programs it offers, and what barriers students face that prevent participation. Staff want to offer new and excit-ing sports for all students whether it’s a tournament or mini tournament. Once the NOTL campus gym opens in fall 2019, addi-tional and flexible oppor-tunities will accommodate more students.

“I hope students will take up the opportunity to sign-up and play,” said Wilson. “At the end of the day, it’s about the students. We want to heighten (their college) experience. Engag-ing the athlete in all of us is truly what we’re trying to do.”

Visit IMLeagues.com/NiagaraCollege for more information.

From left to right, Chris Long, Malcom Jenkins, Rodney McLeod and Najee Good of the Philadelphia Eagles protest during the U.S. National Anthem. SUBMITTED PHOTO

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Enough of the ‘stick to sports’ talkAUSTIN

BROAD

Columnist

Niagara adds a women’s hockey league to intramural sports

TYLER

O’BRIEN

Columnist

The NFL has a major player safety issue and Monday night’s game be-tween the Pittsburgh Steel-ers and Cincinnati Bengals is a prime example of this.

Arguably both teams top defensive players left the game on stretchers.

Steelers’ middle line-backer Ryan Shazier, one of the toughest players in the league, left the game on a stretcher due to a spinal cord contusion, and his legs did not appear to move once he went to the ground.

Vontaze Burfict, the Bengals best defender, left Monday’s game on a cart after a head-to-head hit by JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Smith-Schuster was suspended one game by the NFL for his hit on Burfict.

Shazier and Burfict both being stretchered off of the field was an eye-opening experience for football fans. Analyst John Gruden was disgusted by the actions during Monday’s game.

Shazier and Burfict are tough players, but tough-ness doesnt matter when it comes to severe inuries.

There are examples every week of these hits ending

careers and ruining lives.The league made a con-

servative effort over the years to protect players, but they need to do more, and it needs to happen now.

Suspending a player one game is not impactful. The minimal amount a player must pay when fined does not make a difference to them. These players need to start being punished more effectively in order to protect everyone in the league.

When former San Fran-cisco 49er Patrick Willis re-tired at the age of 30, most wondered why he chose to cut his career short.

It was easy to see Mon-day night, because Shazier or Burfict’s injuries could have happened to Wil-lis, if he didn’t get out of the sport before he had a career ending injury.

If the NFL does not change things fast, there will be more players retir-ing early due to safety and concerns over their living conditions after football is over.

Life does not end for these players once they retire, and the NFL needs to make certain that these players can live a normal life and not struggle to move once they leave the game of football.

Many fans like to say the league needs to toughen

up, and many old-school fans and coaches have this mindset, but that was a dif-ferent age.

We have new data to show the from the brain scans of retired players, they have brain damage, they struggle to function in society, life is not what it should be for a retired professional athlete.

This is a new age of football, and the rules and punishments must change.

The players get stronger and faster every year, and without rule change, it seems as if we are heading to a situation where a body bag takes someone off the field before the NFL will protect the players.

Vontaze Burfict linebacker of the Cincinnati Bengals. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Steelers-Bengals game shows why player safety is still a big concern

Page 12 NIAGARA NEWS • Dec. 8, 2017

SPORTS

Niagara River Lions roar to 3-0 By ALEX LUPULStaff Writer

The Niagara River Lions opened their 2017-2018 season on the highest possible note, earning two hard-fought victories in a row on their home court.

Niagara aimed to close out their three-game home stand in winning fashion against the Atlantic Divi-sion’s Halifax Hurricanes (2-3), on Nov. 29.

The home crowd gathered at the Meridian Centre and took in a closely contested game during the opening quarter, with both teams continually exchanging chances. The Hurricanes outscored the River Lions 25-21, but from then onward it was entirely Niagara’s game.

Niagara point guard Omar Strong led the second-quarter charge, scoring 11 points on 4-5 shooting from the field, making all three of his shots from beyond the arc.

While Niagara’s offense was firing on all cylin-ders the team’s defensive pressure was unrelenting, holding the Hurricanes to a measly 26.1 per cent shoot-ing from the field.

The team bounced back from an early deficit to a 51-39 lead at the half.

Niagara continued their sound team play in the game’s third quarter, doing an excellent job of eliminat-ing the Hurricane’s at-tempts at second-chance points, nearly doubling Halifax’s seven rebounds with 13 of their own.

River Lions’ forward Mar-

vell Waithe picked up 18 of his game-high 27 points in the third quarter, largely in part from Niagara’s ability to efficiently move the ball. The River Lions’ ability to find

the open man resulted in the team picking up a total of 32 assists to Halifax’s 15.

“With us being the point guards, we’ve got to run the team and make sure every-

body’s getting their touch-es,” said Strong. “If people are getting their shots and getting their touches, people love to play defense.”

With the lead in place,

which was as high as 24 points during the game’s final frame, it enabled the River Lions to cruise to an easy 111-91 victory over the Halifax Hurricanes.

The team will play two away games against the St. John’s Edge Dec. 1-2 before returning home to take on the London Lightning on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m.

Niagara IceDogs take season-series lead against Erie OttersBy ALEX LUPULStaff Writer

IceDog fans – all 4,291 of them - descended on St. Catharines’ Meridian Centre on Nov. 30, to catch the lat-est battle between Niagara and the Erie Otters.

With 14 total goals scored during the teams’ two pre-vious matchups earlier this season, fans hoped to catch a glimpse of another high-scoring contest against their Midwest Division opponent.

After puck drop, both teams were able to quickly create scoring chances in close, creating havoc for their respective opposing goaltender. But an early trip-ping minor penalty, commit-ted by Niagara’s Ben Jones, gave the Otters an early power play opportunity.

At 4:43 into the game, the Otters made quick use of the man-advantage. Forward Taylor Raddysh received a pass down low before finding Gera Pod-dubnyi in the low-slot. He quickly fired a shot past Niagara goalie Stephen

Dhillon for his eighth goal of the season.

Despite trailing by a goal going into the second period, a rebound off of Erie goaltender Troy Timpano led to an easy goal for the

IceDogs’ Bradey Johnson.Johnson’s goal proved to

be the spark the IceDogs’ offence needed. Fifty-eight seconds later, Niagara forward Oliver Castleman released a shot from the left

face-off circle, wiring it past Timpano.

Johnson continued to drive the IceDogs’ offence, scoring his second goal of the night on a backhand shot that

eluded Timpano, giving Niagara a 3-1 lead.

With three goals al-lowed in just under nine minutes, Erie Head Coach Chris Hartsburg had seen enough, pulling Timpano

from the game in favour of Anand Oberoi.

Unfortunately for the Otters, Oberoi didn’t fare much better in relief.

A well-placed cross-seam pass by Niagara’s Ben Jones gave Kirill Maksimov a wide-open net to place his team-leading fifteenth goal of the season.

After a four goal second period, the IceDogs entered the third period with a com-fortable 4-1 lead.

Any shred of hope the Otter’s had for a late-game comeback were pushed well outside of reach by Niagara for-ward Danial Singer. The winger received a pass in the low-slot and fired it home over Oberoi’s out-stretched glove.

After five unanswered goals, Erie’s Kyle Maksimov-ich scored his twelfth of the year at the midway point of the third period. But with a 5-2 lead, the IceDogs cruised to an easy victory against the Otters.

Niagara’s next home game will be against the North Bay Battalion on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.

The Niagara River Lions’ Adam Klie fights through contact from Halifax’s Cliff Clinkscales. PHOTO BY ALEX LUPUL

Niagara goalie Stephen Dhillon during a stoppage in play against the Erie Otters. PHOTO BY ALEX LUPUL