Algonquin to Adirondacks Conservation Association

PHOTO: A group of us climb the height of Mt. Marcy in the Adirondacks. (Corey Lablans Photo)


KERI SCULLAND

"The Algonquin to Adirondacks Program aims to ensure ecological connectivity and help restore biodiversity within a broad region of eastern Ontario and northern New York State stretching from Algonquin Park to the Adirondack Mountains."

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society is a group of passionate people working to preserve the forests and watersheds from Algonquin Park in Eastern Ontario to the Adirondacks in New York State.
Having lived in a number of areas affected, it comes as a surprise to hear about the American Eel, a species at risk that resides between Algonquin and the Adirondacks.
CPAWS has a campaign, Algonquin-to-Adirondacks (A2A), to help bring awareness to species and animals like the American Eel between the two affected areas.
The American Eel is just a "small sample" CPAWS says on their website, regarding what is at risk within the wet and dry natural corridors.
The American Eel is so important because it is the only member of the genus Anguilla found in North America. One generation of this eel takes about 20 years, and CPAWS expects it will take many generations to complete the recovery efforts, making this a long-term project for Ontario.
Recently, CPAWS has worked to address conservation issues in Algonquin Park. It has also produced a science-based report on Conservation Potential of the Frontenac Axis: Linking Algonquin Park to the Adirondacks, and has played a key role in the protection zone for eastern wolves and coyotes in all townships surrounding Algonquin Park.
The list doesn't stop there. You can learn more about what CPAWS has to offer at www.cpaws-ov-vo.org, or attend A2A's annual general meeting and speaker's forum in Rockport, ON at the Rockport Community Hall, beginning at 9 a.m.
Reading more about the A2A program is a good first step in learning about the issues we face in our own back yard.
On the website, there is an entire draft recovery strategy for the American Eel, which is recommended advice to the Province of Ontario.
Under the Endangered Species Act from 2007 and the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk in Canada, Ontario must ensure steps are being taken to recover the American Eel.

Student speaks out against emotional abuse

When Alberni District Secondary School student Kassah Wutke took a stand by creating a project against emotional abuse, she didn't realize it would lead her to receive the Social Justice Award in her graduating year.

Wutke created her interactive project and teamed up with outreach worker Marla Kjernisted at the Alberni Community and Women's Services Society.

Together, they taught students in middle schools and high school classes about how emotional abuse works. Wutke, with personal experience, guided the students through activities teaching them how to detect emotional abuse and how to deal with it properly.

From her project, Wutke learned that she would like to do some volunteering for advocacy groups, and thinks social justice may lead her to a career in the future.

Prior to her graduation from ADSS, Wutke learned that her efforts spreading awareness about issues like this earned her the Social Justice Award.

Throughout the year, Wutke wrote a "social action facilitation" journal, in which she wrote that her talents were working with people and public speaking, which she tied with her passion for stopping emotional abuse.

"I was able to successfully fulfill the equation of 'talent plus passion equals better world' through this project," she wrote.

Through the project, she learned that she is a better public speaker now, and also learned she would rather work with people one-on-one.

"I've been through an emotionally abuse relationship," she said. "I didn't notice at first. It starts innocent, then gets tougher."

Sometimes, she explained, it's just something young people accept as typical behaviour, when in actual fact, it can lead to mentally harmful emotional abuse and physical abuse.

Her project featured a two-minute video at the beginning, followed by brainstorming on what students thought emotional abuse was.

True or false questionnaire activities, acting and role playing followed.

This project has helped Wutke decide that she would like to go into clinical psychology in school to help teenagers and make a difference.

She presented the project seven times to different audiences, and at the end, she invited students to speak with Kjernisted if they had something they wanted to confide.

The response she received was better than she expected. She assumed students would learn, but keep quiet about their reactions. However, she has students coming up to her at the end giving praise.

ksculland@avtimes.net

Kama Money takes second trip to Africa, focusing on schools

Kama Money is all over the map, and has been granted a second trip to Africa, this time visiting Rwanda for the grand opening of a girls's school.
The Port Alberni resident found an essay contest on Plan Canada's Because I Am a Girl Facebook page, and applied, thinking that she was qualified for the trip. A number of weeks later, she received the news, learning that she was one of the three individuals chosen for the trip.
This news comes a year after her last trip to Africa, where Money was building schools and learning the hardships women in the country face each day.
The trip is from Aug. 2 to 11.
"When I went to Africa last summer, I made a promise to myself that I would definitely go back," Money said. "It's extremely surreal that I get to go back almost exactly a year later."
After a nationwide search from February until April, three inspiring Canadians were named the winners of the smartgirls challenge, a contest developed by glac?au smartwater and Plan Canada's Because I am a Girl initiative in partnership with two-time Olympic champion Jennifer Heil.
The contest was launched in an effort to raise awareness of the Because I am a Girl initiative, a global movement for social change that invests in girls to help eliminate global poverty and claim a safe future for girls.
While in Rwanda, Money will attend the grand opening of the girls' school and work with girls and women in the community. She will also have the chance to go gorilla-watching with the group to observe the animals in their natural habitat and see their interactions with other species and their environment.
She will also visit the genocide museum, which highlights the deaths of 800,000 people during the genocide in Africa many years ago.
"Fun" is not how she would describe that part of the trip, but she is looking forward to the intense visit, and expects to bring back a lot of material for her social justice class at the high school to see and learn more about.

E.J. Dunn students with "shameless idealist" shirt

E.J. Dunn Middle School students were excited to hear that they sold the most Me to We shirts and canvas bags across the country.

Dunn students learn valuable lessons

The $5,000 win from the Me To We T-shirt selling contest will go towards building a school for less fortunate children

Alberni Valley Times
Mon May 16 2011
Page: A3
Section: Local
Byline: Keri Sculland
Source: Alberni Valley Times

A number of weeks ago, E.J. Dunn Middle School students received news that they had won a Me To We T-shirt selling contest, out of many schools across Canada.

As they sat waiting for a call that was supposed to come at 9 a.m., some students doubted they had won until the phone rang a half hour later.

An illusionist visited the students to present them with a larger-than-life cheque, but it was no trick, the students received $5,000 from Me To We for selling the most T-shirts.

Scott Hammell, the illusionist, did more than just tricks for the students. He spoke to them about making positive changes in their lives.

"How you can make changes at any age," student Eric Gill said about Hammell's message to them.

The students are very near to their $8,500 fundraising goal. That money is going toward building a school for children who are less off than the E.J. Dunn students.

"It makes me proud and motivated to do more," student Shelby Clydesdale said. "I knew we sold enough T-shirts."

"It makes me proud and motivated to do more," student Shelby Clydesdale said. "I knew we sold enough T-shirts."

Gill said, although the students were sure their shirt sales skyrocketed above all other schools, that is was pretty crazy to hear that they had actually won and that Me To We would give them money for their project of choice.

"I didn't think we won because the phone call was late," student Ashton Locke remembered.

E.J. Dunn was up against schools with hundreds of students in metropolitan areas like Vancouver and Toronto.

"It was pretty amazing for a smaller school to raise that much," student Sebastien Yan said. "I think it's because we're so motivated."

The students have been adding to their T-shirt sale money by raising funds at bake sales, through building and selling picnic tables, and a number of other fundraisers.

"That is extremely unique that the whole school got involved," teacher Krista Dillon said. "I know what you've done, children are going to have a safe place to learn."

Students at the school crafted picnic tables of different sizes in one of their woodworking classes. They were able to raise approximately $1,000 from the sales.

Throughout their competition, students learned many valuable lessons, they said.

Student Gareth Baird said he learned not to feel sorry for himself because there are many people in the world a lot less off.

"Think of other people, not just yourself," student Lindsey Taylor said.

E.J. Dunn is a hot topic at Free The Children, the organization that hosts Me To We, said Dillon, because they are a small school that put their hearts out enough to raise money and accomplish their goal.

"The world isn't treated equally," student Braiden Cutforth said. "We're trying to help others who have so little."

KSculland@avtimes.net

Dunn focuses on Me to We

Alberni Valley Times
Mon Dec 20 2010
Page: A1 / Front
Section: News
Byline: Keri Sculland
Source: Alberni Valley Times

Students at E.J. Dunn Middle School have been working hard to raise funds and awareness for Me to We, an organization committed to helping people around the world.

They took a trip to Vancouver for We Day on Oct. 15, and have been raising funds for the organization ever since.

Upon their return to Port Alberni, the students were already talking about ways they could help other students around the world. Three major campaigns came out of their discussions.

Now, E.J. Dunn is the top school in Canada for sales of Me to We T-shirts and tote bags.

They are up against schools across Canada, including metropolitan schools in Vancouver and Toronto.

But, teacher Krista Dillon said they are only ahead by approximately five T-shirt sales.

On Thursday, students counted thousands of coins from a penny drive they hosted.

After it was all counted and sorted, the students raised 36,571 pennies, plus some cash donations, totalling $589.27.

We Day had such an impact on the students, they're group of go-getters grew and grew. They have come together with one goal in mind: education for everyone.

They're first goal, through fundraising, is to build a school in India, Dillon explained.

So far, the students have raised approximately $700, and don't show any signs of stopping.

"It's the kids," Dillon said about fundraising efforts. "They just come to [teachers], it's all their ideas."

Derek Smith has been actively involved with most of the school's fundraising for the project.

"It's fun, and we can help different kids in other countries that don't have schools," he said. "Without Me to We, some kids wouldn't be able to go to school."

Education is very important to Smith, his fellow students and teachers at the school.

However, the students aren't only focusing on worldwide issues. They see the need at home, in Port Alberni as well.

They have worked to co-ordinate food hampers to send out to the Bread of Life for local families during the Christmas season.

Teacher Felicia Haider also came up with an idea to help people during the winter season. She and her students began collecting mittens. They set a goal for 100 pairs, and surpassed it.

"The kids brought them in," Haider said.

They also gathered 75 toys to donate, loads of nonperishable food items and sponsored families through the Bread of Life.

"It was great for all the kids," she said. "I think we're going to be connecting with people who don't have anybody this holiday season."

KSculland@avtimes.net

Province funds shelter beds

Province funds shelter beds

Keri Sculland, Alberni Valley Times

Published: Tuesday, November 23, 2010

With winter on the way, more homeless people will be looking for a warm place to stay.

This is why the provincial government has allocated it's yearly funds to shelters around the province.

The extra money is intended to help fund shelters and ensure food and bedding is provided for homeless people.

The Port Alberni Shelter submitted a budget to the province before the funding was granted, it was assessed, and then the provincial government provided funding for an additional 10 beds, administrator Wes Hewitt explained.

"During the year, we are only funded for a portion of what we have, so in the winter time, they fund more, because they expect higher use," Hewitt added.

Yesterday was not a day someone would want to be stuck outside, Hewitt pointed out. The front entrance of the shelter was filled with people finding cover from the snow storm yesterday and there were some new entries.

The Port Alberni Shelter has 40 permanent beds, approximately 10 cots and a lot of room to lay mats down if need be, explained volunteer Rob Harrison.

"Worst case scenario, if we did have to house 30 extra, we'd have them on some mats," Hewitt said.

When there is an extreme weather events, like yesterday, an alert is issued in the community, and at that point, the emergency beds become available.

"That alert is based on a series of guidelines that are written," Hewitt said. "This is the first one of the season, and it started on Friday."

When weather conditions are deemed severe enough to threaten the wellbeing and life of a homeless person, the alert is posted, Hewitt said.

"Factors we take into account are low temperatures with rainfall, sleet, freezing rain, snow accumulation, high winds and temperatures below 0 C," He explained.

With high volumes of people going into the shelter, Hewitt said they are always looking for boots, coats, hats and gloves this time of year. Items can be dropped off at 3978 Eighth Avenue.

Phoenix rising

This is the Phoenix rising: Fraser

After months of renovations, the Phoenix House shows off fresh paint and safety features for housing at-risk citizens

Keri Sculland, Alberni Valley Times

Published: Monday, November 15, 2010

"It's a blessing to have this place for the people that need it," Ronny Robinson, a tenant of the Phoenix House said on Friday.

Friends, family and supporters of the Phoenix House gathered on Friday for the grand reopening.

After a blessing from the Tseshaht First Nation, Myron Jespersen from the Phoenix House introduced the ceremony. General manager for the B.C. Region of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Charles MacArthur took the mic.

Fire exits, windows, doors, plumbing, electrical and exterior work has been done on the building since it opened its doors in 2009, MacArthur explained.The Phoenix House has been the brainchild of Sarina Jansson and Wayne Salter for a number of years.

"This is great news for those in need and Port Alberni as a whole," he said.

Funding for the project came from a $1.6-million federal government budget, he added, through the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program.

"Today's event marks an important step forward for Port Alberni," MacArthur said.

The government provided $288,000 toward the renovation of 12 units at the Phoenix House.

"We worked together, and put a proposal in to get some funding," Jespersen said. "Part of the miracle is they've been able to do it while some of the residents were housed in the building."

Next, Mayor Ken McRae said he'd like to see Jansson and Salter get provincial funding to help with operations costs.

"Here's hoping you can expand again," McRae said.

There is a building next to the newly renovated one on Fifth Avenue that Jansson and Salter also own. They plan to upgrade and renovate it similarly.

"We need to find a way for this to get some stable funding so this can continue," Jespersen said.

McRae has been lobbying for support for the Phoenix House, and hopes to get some provincial funding circulating soon.

"It is a great day for Port Alberni," Alberni-Qualicum MLA Scott Fraser said.

"Hats off to Sarina and Wayne, against all odds, on completing this project. It's top-notch," Fraser added. "This is the Phoenix rising."

Inside, the walls are freshly painted, and each unit has a complete kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms.

"It's a wonderful facility," Fraser added. "It has a good, warm feeling to it. It feels like home."

Jansson and Salter were all smiles as they gave tours through the house.

"It's a memorable moment for me," Salter said. "It was all worth it."

The house already has some tenants, but there is room for more. Some of the units feature wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, complete with accessible showers and walk-in bathtubs.

Renovations at the Phoenix House have been in the works since the building caught fire over a year ago. Fire destroyed the fire escape stairs and caused extensive smoke damage to parts of the building.

Interesting article: One in nine Canadians have faced homelessness

Shannon Proudfoot
Canwest News Service
One in nine Canadians has been homeless or on the brink of homelessness, and in some provinces that figure is as high as one in five, as the effects of the recession linger.
Across the country, nearly three million people have landed on the street or come close to it — 12 per cent of all Canadians — according to a report expected to be released Monday by the Salvation Army.
“It certainly is sobering, it certainly is eye-opening,” says Andrew Burditt, public relations director for the Salvation Army in Canada.
“What scares me a little are how many people are out there that are potentially one paycheque away from being on the street.”
Regionally, Manitoba and Saskatchewan look most vulnerable, with 20 per cent of people there surveyed saying they’ve been homeless or at risk, followed by the Maritimes, at 17 per cent, and British Columbia, at 16 per cent. Quebec seems to be less precarious, with just five per cent saying they’ve been homeless or vulnerable.
Rates were higher among people ages 45 to 55 and, not surprisingly, among those making less than $40,000 a year.
“People have the misconception sometimes that the homeless population are people who are self-made in their position, but the majority of them are those that have come though a disaster of some sort, whether it be marriage (problems), job or economic times,” says Perry Rowe, executive director of the Salvation Army Ottawa Booth Centre.
“I’ve got guys who have been through the shelter who were professionals. High-tech professionals have been through here, PhDs, highly educated folks who through personal disaster ended up in a situation and ended up homeless.”
Demand for the Salvation Army’s services jumped by 26 per cent across the country from 2008 to 2009 — an unusually high year-over-year increase — and Burditt says in some places, need grew by 50 per cent. The agency says it served more than 2.8 million meals last year — 120,000 more than the previous year — and helped 6,000 new clients with alcohol and drug treatment.
People started requesting help with Christmas meals and gifts as early as September, Burditt says.
The world is breathing a collective sigh of relief now that small signs of growth are replacing the dark days of the recession, but Rowe says many of the most vulnerable Canadians work in the service and tourism sectors that are often last to recover from downturns.
“The economic recession that we’re really still coming out of, I think it’s exacerbated problems that have existed for a long time,” Burditt says. “We’ve seen a lot of people come to use our services that have never used them before, over the last 18 months. We’ve seen in a few cases that people who used to contribute to the Salvation Army suddenly find themselves in a position where they need to use our services.”
Asked about the most important social problem in Canada, 16 per cent of respondents chose poverty, behind only child abuse (18 per cent) and unemployment (17 per cent), which the agency points out is closely linked to poverty and homelessness.
The report was released to kick off the Salvation Army’s May fundraising and awareness campaign and is based on a public opinion survey conducted by the Strategic Council late last year. With 1,000 Canadians ages 18 and over surveyed, the results are considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

This is what came of the last article...

KERI SCULLAND
ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
Alberni-Pacific Rim MLA Scott Fraser fought tooth and nail to reinstate funding for families with high needs children.
Fraser informed Cheryl Magnussen and Wendy Sawyer the funding for their children, Angel Magnussen and Niles Brick, had been fully restored by the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Earlier this month, the ministry implemented a strict cut-off age: children over 12 would lose funding. The families will soon receive written notice that their funding has been reinstated for a minimum of one year, said Fraser. It took five Question Periods and many months, but Fraser got the funding local families rely on.
Fighting an uphill battle, Sawyer and Magnussen worried what might happen to their children if funding was cut. Without the money they use for caregivers, medical costs and special equipment, both feared they might have had to quit their jobs to care for their children full-time, leaving them penniless in the end. The funding, provided by the ministry, won’t come from the Supported Child Development Program as it once did. Now it is time for the families and the MLA to fight an even bigger battle, helping other families in British Columbia who have been cut from the funding.
“There are other families that have not received funding,” said Fraser. “These are not isolated cases, they are happening throughout the province.”
It will be a while before the Alberni families have all of the details, said Magnussen, but for now she is happy to know they are able to continue their lifestyle. After restoring funds to Angel and Niles, Fraser said the ministry would be hard pressed to keep funding from other families with high needs children.
Magnussen and Sawyer agreed that for now, both families are appreciative of the advocate work Fraser did for them.
“The hardest part was to have it acknowledged,” said Magnussen. “Hopefully that becomes the way it is for all families in this situation.”
There is a gap that doesn’t cover child care for teenagers, Magnussen explained, even though it is desperately needed. Fraser said if anything, the needs of the children increase as they hit their teenage years, as more health problems can develop or become clear.
“Really, the fight isn’t over,” explained Sawyer. “There’s still no funding for kids aged 13 to 19 in B.C. We got our funding back, that was just the first battle.”
Change is effected bit by bit, said Fraser, and it took months of work, five questions in Question Period directed to Mary Polak, Minister of Child and Family Development, a private member statement, and a lot of hand wringing by families.
Fraser used direct examples from Angel and Niles to show the minister that the need for care and attention was present. At the end of one Question Period, he handed Polak Angel’s Cookbook, hoping that she would realize that, without the funding, Angel couldn’t do all of the great things she does.
In an earlier interview, Magnussen said her daughter was in tears, not because she was losing the funding, but because of what other children in the province would have to go through without it. Angel has worked closely with the Children’s Variety and other fundraisers to help children with special needs in the province. Families from other regions in B.C. have approached Fraser because they aren’t getting the support they need where they live, he said.
At a meeting with Fraser on Tuesday, the ministry said they are trying to highlight the potential gap in services as an issue they are trying to address.
“What happens after a year?” Fraser asked. “Do they have to go through all of this again?”
The temporary funding for a minimum of one year to Magnussen and Sawyer’s children is a good start, said Fraser, but he worries about when the questions come around again at the end of the year.
KSculland@avtimes.net