the converged citizen april 9, 2013
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The April 9, 2013 edition of The Converged Citizen from St. Clair College's Journalism program.TRANSCRIPT
CONVERGEDCITIZENTh
e
Volume VIII Issue XVI www.ThemedIapleX.com aprIl 9, 2013
Turn To page 2 Turn To page 6
WECEC sponsors Clean Sweep
Chelsea Masse picks up litter during the Rose City Spring Clean Sweep Month in downtown Windsor April 5. The last time this
program was launched was five years before the clean city committee was lost due city budget cut backs.
Bottom left: Coun. Fulvio Valentinis speaks to the volunteers in front of the Squirrel Cage in downtown Windsor.
Photo by Adam El-Baba
Students and Windsorites
gathered at Maiden Lane in
downtown Windsor April 5 to
kick off the Rose City Spring
Clean Sweep Month.
Held outside of the Squirrel
Cage, the annual cleanup
kicked off at 10 a.m. The
event was coordinated by the
Downtown Windsor Business
Improvement Association and
sponsored by the Windsor-
Essex County Environmental
Committee.
Debi Croucher, acting execu-
tive director of DWBIA, said
she was really excited about
the turnout and support shown
from the sponsors.
“What’s really exciting is the
number of students we have
from the college and universi-
ty,” said Croucher. “They
came on board as soon as it
was posted and the student
services from both the college
and university really helped us
spread the word.”
The Rose City Spring Clean
Sweep campaign happens
every April and its purpose is
to gather the community to
remove litter from sidewalks,
vacant lots, school grounds,
ditches and alleys. Volunteers
were given a coffee and
doughnut breakfast courtesy
of Tim Hortons at the Squirrel
Cage prior to the event and a
pizza lunch was available after
the cleanup.
The City of Windsor provid-
ed gloves, bags, collection
services and field maps. Tim
Tidridge, waste collection,
contract and operations
administrator, advised anyone
who found sharp objects or
needles to mark them on their
maps so the city could remove
them safely later.
Ward 4 Coun. Alan
Halberstadt, co-chair of
WECEC, said this is the first
year WECEC is involved with
the campaign. The last time a
program like this was
launched was five years ago
before the clean city commit-
tee was lost due to city budget
cutbacks.
“The message is keep your
city clean … and more impor-
tantly raise awareness,” said
Halberstadt. “Take pride in
your city and one of the
sources of pride is that it be
clean.”
Ward 7 Coun. Percy Hatfield
and Coun. Fulvio Valentinis of
Ward 3 also attended the
cleanup.
WECEC environment and
sustainability coordinator
Averil Parent said they wanted
to highlight the downtown
area as their starting point for
the cleanup.
“We encourage other neigh-
bourhoods throughout
Windsor to organize their own
cleanup events as well,” said
Parent. “We definitely want to
educate people to not throw
litter out of their car or hands
in the first place. All the youth
now know how to recycle so
why do we still have litter in
our downtown streets.”
Adam El-Baba
Citizen Staff Reporter
Possible threat at Assumption Catholic Secondary Spits players go pro
Hailey Trealout
Citizen Staff Reporter
The Southern OntarioMilitary Muster held afundraiser March 23 to keeptheir doors open in order toeducate the public about itslocal history.
The SOMM is a non-profitorganization that works to pre-serve, educate and honourthose who served in battle.
Linda Iler, the secretary forSOMM, helped organize theevent and said it’s a greatlearning experience foryounger generations.
“The event today is honour-ing our military,” said Iler.“Once a year we have a bigopen house fundraiser to raiseenough money so we can stayopen for the balance of theyear. This year when I foundout that this was the 60thanniversary of the Koreanarmistice, I came up with theidea to honour our militarythis year.”
The North Wall RidersAssociation, ProvincialMarines, Canadian HistoricalAircraft Association and theWindsor Essex MilitaryFamily Support Group allattended with unique displays.Geoff Bottoms, the presidentand founder of SOMM, saidthe event gives people handson opportunities with historythrough guns, photos and uni-forms.
“It’s a great event. History initself is something we shouldpay more attention to andunfortunately we don’t aroundhere,” said Bottoms. “Today’skids play all these war games,they get killed, they hit resetand start all over again. In reallife, you get killed, you’redead and there is no reset but-ton. I’m not for war but itsvery important to talk aboutthem and bring the historyout.”
The fundraiser raised $1,400for the SOMM.
Military recognized
Turn To page 8
Journalism Awards Night photo feature
aprIl 9, 2013 page 2 ..
CONVERGEDCITIZEN NEWS
Photo by Sean Previl
Students from Assumption Catholic Secondary School in Windsor walk to Century Secondary
School after being evacuated following a threat made on the school April 5.
Sean Previl
Managing Editor
Students have been evacuat-
ed from Assumption College
Catholic High School after a
suspected bomb threat was
reported April 5.
The students were taken to
Century Secondary School.
Several parents of Assumption
students who had arrived at
the school to drop students off
were unable to leave the park-
ing lot because entrances and
exits were blocked.
“They came and told us that
there’s been a bomb threat,”
said Fiona Doyle-Hunt, a
mother who was dropping her
daughter off at the school after
fire trucks had arrived. “They
found a note with a bomb
threat on it. Now we’re stuck,
we can’t get in or out or any-
thing.”
Windsor Essex Catholic
District School Board posted a
message on their Facebook
wall calling the incident “a
threat.”
The rest of the post reads,
“All students and staff are safe
and have been moved to
Century Secondary School as
a precaution.”
Sgt. Pam Mizuno of Windsor
Police Services confirmed “a
threat” was the reason for the
evacuation at Assumption.
I Believe in My Community
Photo by Chris Richards
Rob Petroni, United Way 2012 campaign chair, addresses the
crowd at the fourth annual I Believe in My Community Awards
celebration March 28 at Caesars Windsor.
Rob Benneian
Managing Editor
An organization which rais-
es money to support critical
services in Windsor and Essex
County took an evening to
recognize the accomplish-
ments of its supporters.
United Way/Centraide
Windsor-Essex County held
their fourth I Believe in My
Community Awards celebra-
tion March 28 at Caesars
Windsor. The awards, present-
ed annually, “celebrate the
amazing achievements” of
workplaces, unions and indi-
viduals, said United Way
director of community impact
and development Lorraine
Goddard. United Way divides
their goals for community
improvement into three sub-
categories: basic needs, kids
and families and creating
thriving neighbourhoods.
“Recognizing all the amaz-
ing workplaces (and) wonder-
ful individuals that support
United Way and the communi-
ty is really important,” said
United Way CEO Penny
Marrett. “This is one of our
ways to say ‘thank you’ to
everyone who has supported
us.”
Rob Petroni, 2012 United
Way campaign chair, was
among those who received
recognition for their contribu-
tions. Petroni is the business
manager for LiUNA Local
625, an international union
which won the Labour Award
of Distinction.
“United Way helps people
one person at a time … United
Way basically helps out every-
one in the community, over
200,000 this year alone,”
Petroni said. “Until I actually
took part in the campaign, I
had no idea how many people
are helped and how many
lives are touched.”
Goddard said United Way
helps children and adolescents
strengthen their academic
skills and encourage them to
be more physically active. She
said United Way plans to use
the resources at its disposal to
impact change in the commu-
nity.
“If we all come together, we
can really create a positive
change and create a really
vibrant community,” Goddard
said.
United Way/Centraide
Windsor-Essex County has
raised nearly $5 million to
date.
The commanding officer for
the army cadet core at Branch
594 has been awarded the
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond
Jubilee Medal.
The Diamond Jubilee Medal
was made to commemorate
the 60 year anniversary of the
accession to the throne of
Queen Elizabeth II and is used
to recognize contributions and
achievements of common-
wealth citizens.
Maj. Lloyd Sainsbury pre-
sented the medal to Capt. Brad
Krewench for his commitment
to the cadet movement.
The Royal Canadian Army
Cadets is a national organiza-
tion for youth ages 12 – 18.
The program was designed to
teach younger generations a
sense of citizenship, leader-
ship, discipline, effective
speaking and outdoor sur-
vival.
Hailey Trealout
Citizen Staff Reporter
Sean Previl
Citizen Staff Reporter
Student journalists across
Ontario were given the chance
to learn more about the media
from industry professionals.
Windsor hosted the Ontario
Conference for Canadian
University Press from March
29 to 31, bringing in journal-
ists who have been in the
industry for years to share
their experiences.
The Lance, the University of
Windsor’s student newspaper
hosted the event after putting
in a bid for the event to come
to the city.
“After voting from represen-
tatives of 60 or so different
Ontario region papers we got
to work at organizing the
entire thing,” said Stephen
Hargreaves, managing editor
and art director of The Lance.
From the 80 newspapers that
are members of the CUP, 35
delegates came to Windsor to
attend the events.
Hargreaves said he was
happy with the turnout.
“We did have representation
from all the way from Ottawa
and down to of course
Windsor,” said Hargreaves.
“So it was nice to see the
diversity and representation.”
Several speakers at the con-
ference provided insights into
media unions, news design
trends and story telling.“I’m very passionate about
getting the message out abouttelling a story,” said MartyGervais, former journalistwith the Windsor Star, profes-sor at the University and
Windsor poet laureate. “I’mnot sure what is being done ina lot of journalism schoolstoday but I think the funda-mental success of any journal-ist is to tell the story.”
Fred Sorrell, publisher ofWindsor Independent, said itwas the creativity that drewhim to the conference.
“You’re not leeching off
each other but (we can) just
come together,” said Sorrell.
“We’re all working on the
same thing, we can all start
together by getting these key
points together then when we
go off on our own. We’re all
going to come up with a total-
ly different aspect from these
same roots.”
Gervais said one of the most
important things the journal-
ists who attended should
remember is to take every-
thing they learn, record it and
then share it.
“We learn so much about our
society and our culture and
our politics and the way we
live and the way we look at
life by telling a story,” said
Gervais.
Student journalists come to Windsor for ORCUP conference
Possible threat at Assumption Secondary School
Captain wins Jubilee Medal
aprIl 9, 2013 page 3 ..
CONVERGEDCITIZENNEWS
Riverside Run for Kids raises funds
Photo by Sarah Ryrie
University of Windsor business students Hassan Kiki, Kyle Perryman, Silvano Colarossi and
Gilbert Stewart hold their $500 cheque April 1. The money will be donated to the Children’s
Cancer Centre at Windsor Regional Hospital.
Sarah Ryrie
Citizen Staff Reporter
Students at the University of
Windsor raised over $500 for
Pediatric Oncology at the
Children’s Cancer Centre at
Windsor Regional Hospital
March 24.
University business students
Silvano Colarossi, Hassan
Kiki, Kyle Perryman, Gilbert
Stewart and Adi Sood were
assigned a class community
development project on man-
agement and organizational
life. The students named the
event Riverside Run for Kids.
“We chose pediatric oncolo-
gy because we’ve all known
someone who suffered from
cancer and we thought about
how hard it would be for par-
ents to go through watching
their child face cancer, so we
thought this was the perfect
foundation to raise money
for,” said Colarossi.
Over 20 people showed up to
the event and raised approxi-
mately $500 and students are
still handing in pledges col-
lected following the event.
According to Childhood
Cancer Canada Foundation,
there are approximately
10,000 children living in
Canada with cancer.
Tyler Durocher, 19, was
diagnosed with leukemia at
the age of 14 five years ago,
and after a three year fight,
went in to remission.
Durocher said the patients
need as much help as they can
get and every bit helps them
feel more comfortable while
going through their treatment.
“It’s nice to hear about stu-
dents taking on projects like
this because it’s so rough for
all the little children going
through this in the hospital,”
said Durocher.
In Canada, childhood cancer
remains responsible for more
deaths in one year than any
other disease. Cancer causes
more deaths than AIDS, dia-
betes, asthma and cystic fibro-
sis combined, according to
Childhood Cancer Canada
Foundation.
Coming together for those
involved in I-75 crash Hailey Trealout
Citizen Staff Reporter
On March 22 Windsorites
came together to support local
families who were involved in
the accident on I-75 Jan. 31.
The three day fundraiser
involved a dinner on Friday, a
concert on Saturday and a kids
day on Sunday.
Arms Bumanlag was one of
the organizers of the event. He
said he thought the event was
a testament to what Windsor is
all about.
“When the news broke in
January about what happened
on I-75, I knew the family
very well and I knew the kids
that had passed,” said
Bumanlag. “You do it because
you want to help and once we
got going on it, it just sort of
evolved. It has really become
a massive fundraising week-
end. There are so many of us,
we’re just doing what we
can.”
The accident involved 30
vehicles during a sudden
snowstorm. Two Windsor
children, Aidan Hicks, 7, and
his stepsister, Gabrielle
Greenwood, 9, died in the
crash. Hicks’s mother, Kim
Barrett is in intensive care.
Barrett’s husband, Glen
Greenwood and his daughter
were released from the hospi-
tal in good condition.
All of the proceeds raised
will be sent to the families.
The amount of money raised
is yet to be released.
Marissa DeBortoli
Production ManagerSince the week of March 25,
traffic along Highway 3 hasbeen shifted to a new threekilometre section of the RightHonourable Herb GrayParkway between HowardAvenue and Huron ChurchRoad.
This traffic shift marks a sig-nificant achievement in theconstruction of the parkway astraffic will now travel on sev-eral permanent features of theparkway—Bridges 10 (west ofSt. Clair College) and 11 (westof Howard Avenue), and thesouthern branch of theHearthwood Tunnel (T-10B).This shift includes the reopen-ing of the former alignment ofSandwich West Parkway andthe opening of Diversion 11west of Geraedts Drive toaccommodate traffic in and
out of St. Clair College.Cindy Prince, communica-
tions manager for the ParkwayInfrastructure Constructors,outlined the shift plan during anews conference March 25.
“We’ll need to set up a clo-sure of the existing lanes ofHighway 3 so not only do wehave to start traffic on the newpart of the road but we have tostop it if you’re travelling onthe old part of the road,” saidPrince.
Shifting traffic onto this sec-tion of the parkway providesfor the construction of theGeraedts Tunnel, theCousineau Tunnel and theother side of the HearthwoodTunnel. In addition, it pro-vides for the construction ofthe below-grade freeway andassociated infrastructure likeretaining walls, noise walls,stormwater management and
utilities in this area.This section of the parkway
was due to be completed inFebruary but MichaelHatchell, project manager forPIC, said the construction isstill on schedule.
“We were shooting forFebruary but with the weatherand other things, we’ve hadsome impacts with that,” saidHatchell. “But this should notimpact us from the overallschedule. The schedule stillshows potential completion asoriginally scheduled.”
The Ontario ProvincialPolice was on hand during theweek to assist with the transi-tion. Once the parkway iscompleted, this section of roadwill carry local traffic fromHoward Avenue, Highway 3traffic from Essex Countythrough the roundabout andlocal traffic exiting Highway401 east of Howard Avenue.
Hailey Trealout
Citizen Staff Reporter
Families play a big role in
shaping the lives of younger
generations.
As children grow up they
find their role models and use
them as an influence towards
the choices they make. One of
the common family influences
on younger generations is a
military background in the
family.
Windsor Regiment member
Officer John Celistino said his
father played a big part in his
decision to join the military.
“My dad used to take me to
all the military gatherings with
the families that we have at the
end of the year,” said
Celistino. “I was pretty much
raised into the army by my
dad. We would always play
these games but they would
somehow revert back into the
army. My dad was happy for
me when I joined the military,
I think it’s something that my
family always wanted but he
never forced it on me.”
For some, it’s the younger
generations who are the influ-
ence for a soldier to join. Cpl.
Claude Beaulieu joined nearly
five years ago after his son
made the decision to join. He
said his family has deep roots
in the military and the stories
that made it back from war
provided inspiration for him
and his son.
“I think the big influence is
when you’re younger,” said
Beaulieu. “I was 20 when I
first wanted to sign up, and the
fact that I never carried
through with it was one of my
regrets so when I was asked to
sign up, it got me going again.
The younger you are, the more
influence it is. The older you
get its not quite as there. For
me it was a second chance,
and I took it.”Beaulieu said parents should
try to support their child if
they decide to join.
“Give them a chance,” said
Beaulieu. “Have them go
through with it when they’re
younger and if it’s not for
them, they’re not going to stay
in, they’ll get out.”
Military families with regiment backgrounds
Parkway opens new section
aprIl 9, 2013 page 4 ‘
CONVERGEDCITIZEN NEWS
Windsor celebrates World Autism Day
Photo by Sean Previl
Charlie Huynh, left, plays with Noah Butler at The Summit Centre for Preschool Children with
Autism in Windsor April 4.
Sean Previl
Managing Editor
People across the world are
raising awareness for autism
and Windsor took part in a
worldwide celebration to help
the cause.
Windsor participated by rais-
ing the municipal flag in front
of city hall to show their sup-
port for World Autism Day
April 2.
“I would say (World Autism
Day is so important) because
it has garnered global atten-
tion,” said Trudy Richards,
head of the Windsor and Essex
County chapter of Autism
Ontario. “If we all have
awareness of what autism is
and what autism represents
and we’re all on the same page
and we’re all celebrating on
the same day, it means that
we’ve come so far with autism
and autism awareness.”
Richards said creating aware-
ness is what gets the world
closer to ending the stigma.
“If we make one more per-
son aware of what autism is
and what the statistics are then
we are that much further
ahead with getting rid of all
the misunderstandings,” said
Richards.
Autism affects around one in
100 people in Ontario, accord-
ing to Dr. Marcia Gragg, asso-
ciate professor of psychology
at the University of Windsor
and clinical director at The
Summit Centre for Preschool
Children with Autism.
Gragg said in comparison to
other places in Canada and
around the world, Windsor has
great benefits for autism diag-
nosis and awareness.
“The minimum time it
(takes) to get a diagnostic
assessment is six months,”
said Gragg. “In most places
it’s 12 to 24 months just to
wait to get an assessment.
Here in Windsor it’s four to
six weeks to wait.”
Gragg said early diagnosis
is beneficial for a child with
autism.
“Parents want to get that
diagnosis as young as possi-
ble so their children can
have treatment. We know the
younger they get treatment,
the more progress they
make,” said Gragg.
Cheryl Huczel, office
administrator at Autism
Services Inc., said one of the
issues with autism is people
don’t understand it is a dis-
ability with a wide spectrum.
“You can go from non-ver-
bal all the way up to the per-
son can function and they
can be verbal,” said Huczel.
“It’s a very very large spec-
trum and there’s a lot of peo-
ple who just do not under-
stand it.”
Spring cleaning blitzRobert Benneian
Managing Editor
City bylaw enforcement offi-
cers will be inspecting proper-
ties in the area surrounding the
University of Windsor begin-
ning April 8.
In order to be compliant with
Yard Maintenance By-Law 3-
2600, yards and curbsides
must be kept clear of garbage
and debris. Ann Kalinowski,
manager of bylaw enforce-
ment, said in taking a proac-
tive approach the city hopes to
head off problems before they
arise.
“With winter weather finally
drawing to an end and the
school semester soon to fol-
low, we want to ensure stu-
dents returning home are
doing their part and leaving
the city as clean as possible,”
said Kalinowski.
There are officers in each of
the 10 wards around the city
who work on both a proactive
and complaint-driven basis.
The residential areas near the
university, which house many
students, is specifically target-
ed with an annual blitz unlike
the residences around St. Clair
College.
“We haven’t noticed in the
past that there are issues
around the college like there
are at the University of
Windsor,” said Kalinowski.
Property owners found to be
in violation of the bylaw will
be mailed a compliance order.
Kalinowski said no charges
were laid last year after their
inspection of the University of
Windsor’s surrounding area.
Photo by Sam McEachern
Workers arrive for their shift at the Windsor Assembly Plant
April 5.
Sam McEachern
Citizen Staff Reporter
Volkswagen Group has
announced it will cease pro-
duction later this year of its
Routan minivan, which shares
the Chrysler Town and
Country and Dodge Grand
Caravan platform.
When Volkswagen Group
introduced the Routan mini-
van in 2008 at the New York
Auto Show they hoped to gain
a significant share of the mini-
van market. However,
between 2008 and 2013 the
Routan sold a lowly 57,650
units.
In July 2012, production of
all Routan minivans at
Windsor’s Chrysler Assembly
plant came to a halt due to
many unsold vans still sitting
in Volkswagen dealer lots.
Volkswagen said the halt in
production was only tempo-
rary while they waited for the
remaining Routans taking up
space at VW dealerships to be
sold.
Anthony Faria, professor at
the University of Windsor and
automotive industry analyst,
said the Routan was axed sim-
ply because it was not prof-
itable enough.
“Production of the
Volkswagen Routan was
stopped because the vehicle
just didn’t sell,” Faria said.
“There was no point in contin-
uing production of the product
as its sales level was not prof-
itable for VW.”
Total U.S. minivan sales last
year were 597,118 units, com-
pared to the Routans sales of
10,483 units. Volkswagen was
anticipating moving about
29,000 units each year of pro-
duction. In 2012, nearly
346,000 vehicles were assem-
bled at the Windsor minivan
plant and 8,662 were Routans.
Jobs at the Windsor
Assembly Plant will not be
lost due to the Dodge Grand
Caravan, Chrysler Town and
Country, Lancia Grand
Voyager and Dodge C/V still
remaining in production.
However, Chrysler is looking
to drop its product line down
to one minivan for 2015,
meaning assembly at the
Windsor plant in 2014 may be
affected.
“They will drop either the
Chrysler Town & Country or
the Dodge Grand Caravan,”
Faria said. “Whichever mini-
van is dropped, the nameplate
will be shifted to a crossover
that will take the minivan’s
place.”
If one of the minivans is
replaced with a new crossover,
it is entirely possible the new
vehicle will not be assembled
in Windsor. If Windsor
Assembly happens to get the
new crossover, there will be
no job losses. If they do not
the Windsor plant could drop
to two shifts and as many as
900 jobs could be lost.
“The Routan is a non-issue
for the Windsor plant but
when Chrysler drops down to
one minivan for the 2015
model year, where the new
crossover is built is a very big
issue for Windsor,” said Faria.
Windsor-made Routan
discontinued by Volkswagen
aprIl 9, 2013 SPORTS CONVERGEDCITIZENpage 5 ‘
Mitchell Brandner
Citizen Staff Reporter
A couple of WindsorSpitfires have made the jumpto professional hockey.
Forwards Brady Vail andAlex Aleardi are having suc-cess early in their AmericanHockey League careers.Although the jump from jun-ior hockey to professionalhockey is a big step, bothplayers are adjusting well.
“Guys are stronger, fasterand a little bit bigger,” saidAleardi, who signed with theSpringfield Falcons. “Onceyou practice with some of theguys and go through a gamethere’s not much adjustmentafter that. The guys aresmarter and more skilled ofcourse.”
Vail has joined the last placeHamilton Bulldogs and is get-
ting plenty of opportunities toshowcase his skills and learnthe pro game. He has twopoints in six games and isbeing utilized on specialteams.
“All the coaches and staff
have all been great,” said Vail.
“If they see me doing some-
thing wrong on the ice it’s not
so much a yelling environ-
ment. They pull me aside and
tell me what I can do to fix it.
They’re just trying to help me
become a better player over-
all.”
After playing on Windsor’s
second line for most of the
season and being the team’s
shutdown center, Vail has had
to adjust to a lesser role in
Hamilton. He said it’s about
easing in to the professional
level.
“I’m playing third line cen-
tre,” said Vail. “Not so much a
shutdown guy, but just playing
straight up against whoever is
out there and making sure I
don’t make too many mis-
takes. If we happen to score a
goal it’s just a bonus.”
Both players had high prais-
es for the Windsor Spitfires
organization and are thankful
for their time spent in the
Ontario Hockey League.
“(The Spitfires) treat you
just like the pro teams would
treat you and it’s a world class
organization,” said Aleardi.
“Playing for them ramped me
up and got me ready for what
I’m into now. My adjustment
phase was pretty easy.”
Vail and Aleardi hope to join
the likes of Jason Spezza and
Ed Jovanovski as former
Spitfires who have had suc-
cess in the NHL.
Windsor Spitfires forward Alex Aleardi scores his first of two goals on a breakaway on Erie Otters
goalie Devin Williams at the WFCU Centre Feb. 21.
Photo By Evan Mathias
Spits players go pro
Kenton Wolfe
Citizen Staff Reporter
They say when a door clos-
es, a window opens.
He may have had a disap-
pointing season, but that has-
n’t stopped Windsor Spitfires
goaltender Jordan Dekort
from staying positive.
“It was really disappointing
you know, we all had really
high expectations,” said
Dekort. “We wanted to finish
top-4 in our conference, and
go on a little playoff run. It
was tough, we had a lot of
injuries. We lost a lot of play-
ers like Seels (Patrick Sieloff)
and (Slater) Koekkoek. The
guys were really hurt losing
them. It was just a really tough
year.”
Playing in a limited role,
Dekort wasn’t able to show-
case his talent as much as he
would’ve liked to.
“I didn’t get all the games I
wanted obviously,” said
Dekort. “It was probably bet-
ter for the team, Pav (Jaroslav
Pavelka) had a really good
year. It was great to learn from
him.”
Dekort will take the experi-
ence from playing behind
Pavelka and try to turn it into
motivation for this summer.
With Pavelka possibly being
forced out of the crease next
season, as the team is limited
to just three overagers and two
import players, Dekort’s time
to shine may be now.
“We’ve had a couple weeks
off so far,” Dekort said.
“We’re starting workouts on
April 8, we’ll start that up and
it will go in five week (incre-
ments) and into the end of
August, when training camp
starts. I’ll probably get back
on the ice with my goalie
coach around May or June,
then I’ll probably go home for
a little bit in July and part of
August. Then I can start skat-
ing with the guys.”
Goaltender Dekort looks onward
Evan Mathias
Sports Editor
The Windsor Spitfires will
look to fill some of the gaping
holes in their roster April 6
during the Ontario Hockey
League Priority Selection.
Due to injuries and suspen-
sions, the Spitfires were
forced to play many of their
games in the season’s second
half short of a full roster.
Windsor will have to wait
until the third round to make
their first selection in the draft
as they are without a first and
second round pick.
“It’s a different kind of draft,
without a first and a second
(round pick),” said Spits gen-
eral manager Warren Rychel.
“It’s a long wait, so we’re
going to make sure our list is
nice and tight and take the best
player.”
Windsor’s surplus of defence
leaves them looking to add
forwards to their lineup. The
OHL draft however might not
be the best opportunity for
that.
“I think it’s fair to say that
overall, this crop is probably a
bit below average,” said OHL
scout Scott Campbell. “The
defence are fairly strong in
this draft but it seems to lack
high-end forwards.”
The OHL Cup was held
March 12-17 in Mississauga,
with the Oakville Rangers
defeating the Toronto
Marlboros in the champi-
onship game. Rychel scouted
players he would like to draft
if they are still available once
Windsor has the opportunity
to pick.
“There’s a couple players
that had really good OHL
Cups that might not be high on
other teams lists, so that’s
what we’re looking for here,”
said Rychel.
However, the OHL Cup isn’t
the best way to determine a
player’s skill.
“I’m not a huge advocate of
putting much stock into such a
short tournament,” said
Campbell. “With so much on
the line, you see players start
to play different styles of
game and really elevate their
level of play.”
Windsor does have two first
round picks in the Canadian
Hockey League Import Draft,
which is where Rychel is hop-
ing to bring in talent.
“I think were going to obvi-
ously take an older European
and put him right on the top
line,” said Rychel.
With so many roster spots to
fill before next season Rychel
will be looking at more than
just the drafts to beef up the
Spits lineup.
“There’s different ways we
could do this, through the
OHL draft, the Import Draft,
through trades, through free
agency and through guys we
drafted last year,” said Rychel.
“It is going to be a really com-
petitive mini-camp and (main)
camp.”
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Being born in 1995, this
year’s NHL Entry Draft in
Newark, N.J. is Dekort’s first
year of eligibility.
“I’ll probably talk to my
agent and see what the word is
out there,” said Dekort. “I’m
not expecting to be drafted. If
I did it would be great. I had a
little bit of a rough end to the
year but you never know.
Whatever happens, happens.”
Even though his chances
look bleak, he remains posi-
tive.
“If I get drafted, great. If not,
even better – I get to prove
people wrong next year.”
Spits lookto fill gaps
Sandwich post office closing date announced
Adam D’Andrea
Copy Editor
After protests, petitions and
107 years of service, the Olde
Sandwich Towne postal outlet
will be closed at the end of
April.
Canada Post announced
March 26 that operations at
the post office would cease
April 26. The building that
stands at the corner of
Sandwich Street and Mill
Street was built in 1905. It was
opened as a post office in
1906.
Windsor West MP Brian
Masse and Ward 2 Coun. Ron
Jones were both vocal critics
of Canada Post’s decision to
close the office. At a public
demonstration outside the
building in January, Jones said
the city was not being consult-
ed during the decision-making
process.
“Why won’t they come to
the city of Windsor and come
to some kind of common
ground with the citizens? We
need to be involved with the
discussions,” said Jones.
“That is only the right and
proper thing to do.”
Windsor Workers’ Action
Centre president Paul Chislett
said he agreed with Masse’s
statement that the public has
not been given the business
case for closing the post
office.
“One reason why it was kept
open after 2008 was because
there was evidence that came
forward that this place is real-
ly doing quite well business-
wise,” said Chislett. “This
time though it seems that
we’re not being shown that
information.”
Chislett, who has been
involved in campaigns to keep
the post office open since
2008, said these kinds of loss-
es are detrimental to Sandwich
Towne flourishing as a com-
munity.
“It can’t all be just about cor-
porate efficiency, it’s got to
also be about community. If
we’re going to be building
community then we have to
stop these kinds of corporate
cuts because all they do is just
undermine the very neigh-
bourhoods where people live,”
said Chislett. “There’s not
enough going into building the
community as a cultural and
historical hub of this wider
Windsor area.”
Local labour activist Ian
Clough said he sees the clos-
ing of the post office as a jab
at the residents of Sandwich
Towne.
“That post office serves a
community that’s often forgot-
ten about when it comes to
municipal politics,” said
Clough. “It’s just another kick
at a population that’s being
kicked more and more often.”
Clough said he agreed the
community and local politi-
cians should have been more
involved in the decision of
whether or not to keep the post
office open.
The post office’s two
employees will be relocated to
other locations. Both employ-
ees declined to comment on
the closing.
Community comes together for young boyHailey Trealout
Citizen Staff Reporter
It takes a village to raise a
child.
On Feb. 22, a fire took
everything six-year-old
Damian Bossom knew, includ-
ing his father.
Martin Bossom, 30, died of
his injuries at Windsor
Regional Hospital and his girl-
friend, Samantha Stanley, was
recently released from a hos-
pital in Hamilton.
Family and friends gathered
at Dirty Jersey’s Sports Grill
to raise money for Damian to
help contribute to his trust
funds and pay for his educa-
tion.
Dawn Weidemann worked
with Martin and helped organ-
ize the event. She said she was
impressed with how many
people came out for the event.
“It’s been four weeks in the
making and I’m really happy
to see the turnout,” said
Weidemann. “People told me
not to worry, but I was
because of our economy and
there’s so many people who
need people out there right
now. The outreach of this
community has been amaz-
ing.”
Damian has been living with
his grandmother, Donna
LaPlane. She said Damian is
doing well despite all he lost.
“He’s our rock, he’s what
helps us get up in the morning
and move on,” said LaPlane.
“We’re all pulling together on
Damien’s dad’s behalf. This is
going to be a memorable thing
for him to know that his dad
left this kind of a legacy with
people.”
The three hour event raised
$4,849.50 with walk-in dona-
tions and the help of family
friends who went door-to-door
collecting donations.
Christine Donnelly worked
with Martin and helped organ-
ize the event. She said the rea-
son for the event is to give
Damian something to look
forward to in the future.
“Our goal was to come out
and celebrate Martin’s life.
Celebrate who he was as a
man, a father, a friend, a broth-
er and show him how much
we loved him,” said Donnelly.
“We want to give his son
something that unfortunately
Martin can’t give him any-
more. We just want to help.”
the converged team
Managing EditorsJolene Perron
Sean Previl
Associate
Managing EditorsMitch Brandner
Sandee Nho
Production
Team
Chris Mailloux
Michael Veres
Senior
Sports EditorsEvan Mathias
Ashley Davidson
Copy EditorMaureen Mariampillai
Chief Copy
EditorTom Morrison
Photo EditorChris Richards
Entertainment
Editors
Ashley Godin
Chris Mailloux
www.themediaplex.comemail: [email protected]
phone: (519) 972-2727 ext. 4963Follow us at http://twitter.com/the_mediaplex
Photo by Adam D’AndreaWindsor Workers’ Action Centre president Paul Chislett discuss-
es the closing of the Olde Sandwich Towne postal outlet at the
Windsor Workers’ Action Centre March 27.
aprIl 9, 2013 page 6 ..
CONVERGEDCITIZEN FEATURE
Dad’s roles are changingShaun Garrity
Citizen Staff Reporter
Connections Early Years
Family Centre is providing
programs, courses, classes and
activities for fathers and chil-
dren.
In previous years it would
usually be the mother and
child who took part in such
activities. Mom traditionally
stayed at home with young
children, while dad worked.
Today, parenting has changed
for some families.
Connections has recognized
the transformation of parents’
roles by offering various pro-
grams. Several of the activities
offered are put together by the
Dads Group. The Saturday
with Dad program offers the
opportunity for fathers to
bring their children ages 0-6
for fun, food, activities and
special guests. Another inter-
active activity available is
called the Super Dads, Super
Kids where they meet in the
morning with their child and
have a snack and discussion
among the fathers.
Barb Brown, program man-
ager at Connections, has been
working for the organization
for 24 years. She said they get
a wide range of fathers partic-
ipating
“We even get grandparents
that come out,” said Brown.
The group discusses parent-
ing topics like toilet training,
sleeping, eating and discipline
with other fathers.
The Dads Matter Workshop,
one of Connections’ largest
events, will take place April
20 at Connections. The event
is held once a year and encour-
ages all fathers and their chil-
dren from the community to
participate.
Doug Krystia, a father who
has been involved with
Connections for many years,
started the dads workshop pro-
gram seven years ago. He said
the number of people partici-
pating is growing each year.
Krystia said last year there
were around 100 fathers and
children.
“It’s not, ‘Here is the materi-
al, take it and learn.’ We really
foster and encourage a lot of
back and forth to the partici-
pants,” said Krystia.
Anna Sarkadi, a public
health sciences researcher
from the department of
women’s and children’s health
at Uppsala University, is with
the Father Involvement
Research Alliance. Sarkadi
said there are positive effects
of father involvement on a
range of specific outcomes
including: enhanced cognitive
development during infancy,
better than average social
functioning in childhood,
higher educational attainment,
decreased likelihood behavior
problems in adolescence, and
lower rates of delinquency and
criminal behavior.
Robert Goulard, a social
worker who specializes in
addiction, marriage and family
therapy will be a speaker at the
Dads Matter Workshop. The
kids will be singing songs and
doing workshops with the
caregivers from the centre,
while the fathers will take part
in a 90-minute presentation.
Connections Early Years
Family Centre, formerly
known as St. Mary’s Family
Learning Centre is located at
795 Giles Blvd. E. and there is
no cost to participate in its
programs.
CONVERGEDCITIZENpage 7 ‘FEATURE
Chris Richards
Columnist
Well it finally happened.
Despite the best efforts of res-
idents and politicians, the
Olde Sandwich Towne post
office is set to close once and
for all.
It didn’t go down without a
fight though. Rallies were
held, a petition was signed and
residents bombarded the
Canada Post website when it
opened the floor to public
input about what exactly
everyone thought about clos-
ing the outlet. But after cover-
ing the first rally held right
outside the post office’s
doorstep, it was difficult to
articulate just what everyone
was there to protest.
There were signs and chants
about job loss and union
workers waving flags and
holding banners. Some spoke
to the age of the post office
building itself and the histori-
cal value of the iconic piece of
Sandwich Towne history.
Others were infuriated their
closest Canada Post outlet was
to close and cease to exist.
While those are all valid con-
cerns, it seemed most people
in attendance thought that
should the decision be made to
close the branch, a giant black
hole would suddenly open to
swallow up the entire opera-
tion – Canada Post, the his-
toric building, employees and
all.
The reality of it all is that not
a single job is going to be lost
from the April 26 closure of
the old post office. The two
employees stationed at the
branch have been transferred
to other locations. While no
one likes to relocate, maintain-
ing the employment status quo
and not firing anyone can’t
really be held against the
Canadian Crown.
When it comes to a loss of
service from the removal of a
local Canada Post outlet, the
truth is there are many remain-
ing locations not too far from
the Sandwich branch which
are accessible by both foot and
public transportation. Our
modern lifestyles may scream
at the thought of having to
spend time walking some-
where, but I still recall the old
stories about walking uphill
both ways barefoot in the
snow to get to school and
back. Of course Huron Church
Road is a busy throughway,
but the notion being offered by
some that it’s a nearly impos-
sible street to cross on foot is
absurd.
As for those residents who
fear the building will be lost,
left to sit in decay or be
demolished – take a breath. By
law, the building cannot be
torn down without city
approval and Sandwich Street
has been steadily on the
rebound for the last decade.
Businesses have been crop-
ping up and aside from the
Fantastic Sams that closed so
abruptly last year, there is not
a single vacant building on the
block.
“They should just make it
into a pub,” my mom said as
we drove by yesterday. At first
I thought it was her cynicism
towards Windsor’s bar culture,
but in total sincerity she made
a valid point.
“They seem to do well down
here,” she said. “Think about
it: ‘I just got out of class. Want
to meet at the Post Office,’ or,
‘What are you doing tonight?
Want to head over to the Post
Office?’” Indeed Sandwich
Street is dominated to an
extent by the pub scene. But
another bar on the block with
such a rich history and a
unique look would surely have
a fighting chance of survival.
When you get to the bottom
line, even with the post office
closing and Canada Post hav-
ing gone, the building won’t
stay vacant for long. It’s not
the derelict fire hall or an
asbestos-filled hospital that
nobody wants to touch, but a
maintained and sturdy piece of
century-old architecture in the
middle of town. With the
arrival of HMCS Hunter in the
neighbourhood and the jobs
that will come along with it,
area businesses will be given
an economic shot in the arm
and prospective business own-
ers will have an even greater
reason to set up shop.
It’s a time of chance in
Windsor and Sandwich Towne
is no exception. While there
may be some growing pains, it
will surely be for the better.
The Sandwich Towne post
office had a good run, but
unless Ambassador Bridge
owner Matty Moroun scoops
it up for some reason when it
hits the market (knock on
wood) it has more good to give
to the community just yet.
OPINIONPost office closure:what’s the big deal?
‘aprIl 9, 2013
Run for Rocky kicks off
Photo by Adam El-Baba
Rocky Campana's parents, Nancy and Rob, speak to supporters
during the Run for Rocky kickoff April 4 at the St. Clair Centre
for the Arts.
The Windsor Pride
Education and Resource
Centre kicked off their Run for
Rocky campaign April 4 at the
St. Clair Centre for the Arts.
Partnered with Rocky
Campana’s parents, Rob and
Nancy, the event is geared
toward raising awareness and
funds for gay-straight
alliances in high schools
across Windsor and Essex
County and to promote youtt
suicide prevention and anti-
bullying programs. The
money raised will go toward
supporting GSAs across
Ontario.
Ambassador for the Run for
Rocky campaign Nancy
Campana said she is excited
about the feedback so far.
“GSAs start at home,” said
Campana. “It’s important to
support our youth and help
keep them safe.”
Gay-straight alliances are
clubs in high schools that pro-
vide support when students
are coming out. They encour-
age youth to break through
isolation, look for support
from people close to them and
help students commit to build-
ing bridges between faculty
and students.
The run will be held April 14
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. starting
at Dieppe Gardens. It will con-
sist of a five kilometre run
down to the Ambassador
Bridge followed by a walk to
and from the University of
Windsor back to Dieppe
Gardens.
“Hopefully in six or seven
years we won’t need a Run for
Rocky anymore because our
GSAs will be in place,” said
Campana. “There will be a
program of acceptance and
tolerance and this will just be a
second nature. Hopefully this
run will spread into the
Toronto area.”
Teresa Piruzza, minister of
children and youth services,
said it’s critical all students
know they are accepted
regardless of where they live,
what they look like or what
they believe to ensure the suc-
cess of every students.
“There are a lot of supports
and a lot of programs avail-
able for all youth and I have to
say that we provide supports
that build opportunity and
(help students) know that
there is someone listening,”
said Piruzza.Rocky died last August at the
age of 23. He graduated fromthe University of Western’sRichard Ivey School ofBusiness graduate program.He was known to work over30 volunteer hours a week. Hevolunteered at Pride Library,raised money for the Heartand Stroke Foundation ofCanada and worked with theAlzheimer’s Society ofCanada.
“Rocky was an adamant per-
son that he wanted something
done in the schools to help
people understand the gay
population,” said Rob. “When
Rocky was in high school he
had difficult times ... he was
always a person who wanted
to help. Even though he was a
part of this problem, he still
wanted to help people under-
stand that being different
doesn’t mean we can’t treat
people the same as everyone
else. That was Rocky.”
Hudak visits WindsorMelissa Iarusso
Citizen Staff Reporter
Ontario Progressive
Conservative leader Tim
Hudak visited Windsor to
share his plans to curb unem-
ployment in the province.
Hudak held a press confer-
ence at the Vollmer Recreation
Complex April 4 in LaSalle to
hear from locals about sharing
ideas on how Ontario can
reclaim its rightful place as the
economic engine of Canada.
Hudak proposed an action
plan on how to steer the
province toward less spending
and balanced budgets to
regain its true potential.
“The top priorities for the
province are clear – it’s jobs
and the economy. Especially
being in Windsor the top issue
by far is jobs since we have
one of the highest unemploy-
ment rates in all of Canada
happening here. I think we can
turn this around,” Hudak said.
“I am confident Ontario can
bounce back and dust our-
selves off and get people jobs
in their field. We put out a plan
called ‘An Agenda for
Growth’ that will make
Ontario the best place for job
creation again.”
With a rookie premier lead-
ing the Liberal party Hudak
said there is no better time to
win than now. With the legis-
lature back in session and the
election clock ticking, Hudak
said he is prepared to lead
Ontario down a better road.
Photo by Alice Hewitt
Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak (right) is
interviewed at the MediaPlex in downtown Windsor April 5 for
the Journalism program’s newscast MediaPlex News Now.
Adam El-Baba
Citizen Staff Reporter
aprIl 9, 2013 page 8 ..
CONVERGEDCITIZEN ENTERTAINMENT
Journalism Awards Night 2013On April 4, the journalism students as St. Clair College attend-
ed the sixth annual Journalism Awards Night at the St. Clair
Centre for the Arts to celebrate the closing of another year of
achievements and success at the downtown MediaPlex.
The event featured students, teachers, members of the media
and special guest speaker Dianne Buckner, host of CBC
Television’s Dragon’s Den.
The event started with a dinner, and then featured the award
ceremony and speeches from members of the faculty,
Converged Citizen, staff and students.
Some of the awards included CP Editing, Layout and Design,
Beat Reporter of the Year, Convergence Technology, Radio
Reporting, Sports Reporter of the Year and the Bell Media
Journalist of the Year.
Finally, Buckner presented a speech on her history, where she
spoke of her time in various careers both in and out of journal-
ism.
Left: One of the many awards that were presented during
Journalism Awards Night
Above: On April 4, David Harrison holds
the Specialized Training Award that was
given to him earlier this year by Crime
Stoppers International.
Above Left: Hailey Trealout, Klay Cole and Meagan Deschamps attend the St. Clair College
Journalism Awards Night.; Above Right: Jill Thompson (left) and Elvira DiGesu-Iarusso (right)
attend St. Clair College Journalism Awards Night April 4.
Above: Courtney Turnbull and Melissa Iarusso attend the St.
Clair Journalism Awards Night April 4.
Above: Sean Previl, Sarah Ryrie and Shaun Garrity are photographed at the St. Clair
Journalism Awards Night April 4.
Above: Adam Foran and Melissa Iarusso are photographed at
the St. Clair Journalism Awards Night April 4.
Photos by Jill Thompson