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JONAS AND JAIMEE AND OUR DOG SAMSONSH AR IN G AB O UT THEIR MOV E FR OM NI AGAR A TO P IK AN GIKUM

M IS SIO N P ER U · CO DY S M ITH ARTIST · TO P 6 HIK IN G SPOTS

J ES SICA WO L F J EW EL RY · FOO D IN MO DER N DAY

C O L L E C T I V E O N T A R I O . C O M

2 COLLECTIVE ONTARIO

COLLECTIVE ONTARIO | FEBRUARY 2016


FROM THE EDITORCollective Ontario is a magazine that focuses on communities

within Ontario. The goal of this magazine is to bring the readers

attention to different events, community projects, art, and

anything else that is available to them. In this issue, we take a

look at different adventures that many Ontarians have embarked

upon. We hear from Jonas and Jaimee Regier who have

packed up their bags and moved from Niagara to a native reserve

up in the northern part of Ontario called Pikangikum. We

also hear from Selah Schmoll, who is a Culnary student at

Niagara College Canada. In her article she shares about her

passion for food, and serving in third world countries. With

many other stories and articles about art, travel, and exploration,

this magazine will bring excitement and hopefully cause you

to want to get to know our beautiful community of Ontario.

RACHEL MEISSNEREditor and Publisher



8JONAS & JAIMEE AND OUR DOG SAMSON Local Niagara couple moves to one of the largest First Nation communities in Northern Ontario

13JESSICA WOLF JEWELRY ALLISTON Jewlery designs that come from the heart.Alliston’s jewlery designer shares some of her

current pieces.

20GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS Jarrod McCourt talks about his experiencegoing on a missions trip to Peru.

24FEEDING THE WORLDNiagara College’s Cullinary Student,shares about her passion to teach skills to third world nations.

29TOP 6 ONTARIO HIKING SPOTSElias Regier of Niagara shares his favouritespots to hike.

42NIAGARA ARTIST- CODY SMITHCody Smith shares about what inspires him,

his process, and why he loves what he does.

I N D E X



JONAS & JAIMEEA N D O U R D O G S A M S O NBY JA I M EE R E G IER

onas and I have packed up our lives and are on the move. We start a new beginning, in a new town, with new people and new experiences. We started our move today (October 28th) from

Southern Ontario to Northern Ontario. When the South thinks North, we tend to think Muskoka or Huntsville, cottage country, easy breezy living. Not in our case. Our destination is Pikangikum, a First Nations Reserve, 500plus km’s north of Thunder Bay, accessible only by plane. Although, if we are brave enough we can use the ice roads for a couple of months in the winter.

Jonas has taken a position with Health Canada and will be working full time as a Registered Nurse in the clinic. It will be an extremely different kind of nursing then what he has done in the emergency department in Niagara Falls. But I know if anyone can adjust to high levels of stress and fast thinking, it will be Jonas.

As for me, I’m really not sure of where God will place me in the community. My heart is open and I’m willing serve where He places me - whether it be volunteering in the school or maybe the clinic.

If you know me well, you know that I don’t always adjust well to major changes, But it has been by God’s incredible grace that through this transition I have been completely at peace. I have not been ill or stressed or anxious in any way. This has been so reassuring for us to know that this is the direction God is leading us.


to check in. We took with us two large coolers full of meat, cheese, and a few other things to get us started, as well as a large suit case each.

Tonight we are staying in Winnipeg to break up our move, allow us to transfer our large shipment from Air Canada to another airline and to give Samson a rest. It was his first time on an airplane and he seems to have been great, although he does not want to leave our sides now.

Tomorrow afternoon we arrive in Pikangikum, our new home. Health Canada has provided us with a two bedroom fully furnished apartment, which neither of us have seen photos of but that has kind of added to our excitement in our move.

We are looking so forward to our new adventure. We are very excited to see what God has in store for us and how we can service the community with loving hearts.

This past Monday we drove to Air Canada Cargo with 22 boxes weighing over 1,000 lbs to get shipped north. The boxes consisted of dry food, clothes, some toiletries and a few house hold items for a little feeling of home. I’m sure I could have added a few more boxes to our already 22 boxes, but my dear husband reminded me that we really only need necessities.

Today, Wednesday the 28th, we got on a plane and started our relocation. We took Samson (our dog) to Air Canada Cargo for 6:30 am - 7:00 am and purchased a crate, large enough for a small pony. When flying with an animal their are a number of regulations that have to be followed. One of them being, his head cannot touch the roof of the crate when he is standing. He definitely does not reach the top with the “KING” sized crate we purchased, he and I could both fit comfortably in it. After getting Samson sorted we drove to the airport

Follow Jonas, Jaimee, and Samson on their adventures in Pikangikum by going to their blog page at: j a n d j a n d o u r d o g s a m s o n . b l o g s p o t . c a

WE ARE LOOKING

SO FORWARD TO

OUR NEW ADVENTURE.

WE ARE VERY EXCITED

TO SEE WHAT GOD

HAS IN STORE FOR

US AND HOW WE

CAN SERVICE THE

COMMUNITY WITH

LOVING HEARTS.



JESSICA WOLF J E W E L R Y & D E S I G N

Hello! I’m Jessica Wolf ! I love my man. I love my kids - straight crazy fun. I stay up way too late. I’ve been making jewelry since I was ten. I’m a creative scavenger. Being cold is the worst. I love when people make me laugh. a lot. I’m a pack-rat trying to be a minimalist. What I make comes from my heart. I love coffee. My wardrobe is black. Music is a

must. Jesus is the best.

If you would like to purchase any of the following jewelry peices, please visit jessicawolf.squarespace.com

Enjoy!


Brass + Q uar tzMix + Match - t hre e s ep arate pie ces

L engt h - 16"18"20" (Stone shap e may var y)

$48 CAD

L O V E L AY E R E D N E C K L A C E - C I R C L E



Wo o den B e adBrass

L engt h - 40” / / hangs 20” f rom shou lder$46 CAD

M U T E S K Y N E C K L A C E


Slate Wo o den B e adHand For me d Brass B ang le

Size - 8 1 /4”$32 CAD

S H A D E S O F B L U E B R A C E L E T



P yr ite + BrassNicke l Fre e

L engt h - 1 1 /2”$32 CAD

F O O L S G O L D E A R I N G S


Brass + B one + Wo o dL obster C lasp

L engt h - 34” / / hangs 18” f rom shou lder$42 CAD

S O U R I R E N E C K L A C E - L A R G E



BrassNicke l Fre eL engt h - 4”

$24 CAD

R I V E R M O U N T A I N S L O O P E A R R I N G


GREAT IS THY FAITHFULLNESSM I S S I O N P E RU B L O G P O S TBY JAR R O D M CCO URT



ey everybody, it’s our second last day here in Trujillo and I’m finally blogging. I’ve been wanting to blog all week but I haven’t had

something specific to blog about.

There’s been so much going on and God has shown me so many things, that it’s been difficult to pinpoint one solid example where God has said, “Hey Jarrod, I’ve got something I want you to see.” In the midst of soaking in culture, communicating through a language barrier, finding out my role as a leader, building relationships with youth from another church and the people of Peru, encouraging our youth to engage culture and God, experiencing poverty to a level that I have never seen before and trying to hear God’s voice for myself. It has been a bit of a struggle for me to find the Peace that surpasses all understanding, but here on the last day I feel that I have found it.


On the day that I left Niagara Falls, Canada to make the journey down to Trujillo Peru, I had gone over to a buddy’s house where a few of my friends were that wanted to pray for me before I left. After they had finished praying for me, one of my friend’s had felt that God said, “Jarrod that hat you are wearing, it’s staying in Peru.” This made me kind of excited but at the same time kind of sad because that meant I had to buy a new hat. I wanted to know who I was going to give this hat to and when I was going to give it to them.

When we got to Peru, my eyes were peeled. “Who can I give my hat to?” Even Jeff (not knowing what my buddy had told me back home) had told me when we were on our way to the beach that he wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up giving my hat to someone. This was confirmation to me from God.

As the days went by, I was constantly on the lookout trying to see who I should give this

hat to but – nothing. I was getting anxious over this darn hat. As the week drew to an end, I had given up. I was done looking for this person and I told God that he’s going to have to make it happen because I just can’t picture it happening now. But then on our last night, God kept his promise.

We had an event with all the youth from the various ministries in the community. At the end of the event, each of the Peruvian youth was given a gift that they were to give to us. What was the gift? It was a Peruvian hat. I met a young man named Anthony. He gave me my Peruvian hat, and in exchange I placed my hat on his head and told him it looked better on him. He shook my hand and hugged me. I prayed for him in English (he couldn’t understand), he shook my hand and hugged me so tight. He hugged me again and again. He was so happy.

God revealed his faithfulness to me tonight. He proved to me that He always keeps his

“WELL DONE, GOOD AND

FAITHFUL SERVANT. YOU HAVE

BEEN FAITHFUL OVER LITTLE; I

WILL SET YOU OVER MUCH.

ENTER INTO THE JOY OF

YOUR MASTER.”

-MATTHEW 25:21

To read more stories about other experiences with Mission Peru, please go to: m i s s i o n p e r u . c a

promises. He’s serious in everything He says, and holds us all so close to himself. He is so faithful to us, even when we lack in faith. He calls us to be faithful to him in absolutely everything that we do. I want to be able to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” – Matthew 25:21.

I don’t know what that hat meant to Anthony. Maybe he really liked it. Maybe he wanted a hat but couldn’t afford one. Maybe it was that he felt loved. Maybe he was praying for a sign from God. Or maybe, just maybe God revealed His Faithfulness to him too.



THE IMPORTANCE OF FOODI N M O D E R N DAY S O C I E T YBY S ELAH SCH M O L L

here are countless ways to go about answering the question, “What is the importance of food in modern day society?” I believe that the

importance of food in modern day society can be perceived in many different ways.

At one end of the spectrum we have a world full of restaurants that are using top quality ingredients, the highest grades of products and are charging through the roof for dishes we can hardly even pronounce. On the other end of the spectrum, we have a world where not only is there lack of nutrition and lack of “food knowledge”, there is simply a lack of food. Not to say shame on us, because we did not choose to be born in a first world country, but to say with our knowledge, and with our equipment, can’t we somehow use both of these qualities to help our neighbouring nations, who are struggling.

I may only be 22 and I definitely do not have all the answers, but I have seen first hand what it is like to live in a third world country, to watch people struggle day in and day out. When I graduated from high school in 2011, I travelled to Bujumbura, Burundi, Africa and lived in an orphanage for four months. In 2015, Burundi was ranked 181 out of 185 of the poorest countries in the world, while we in Canada are sitting at number 20, not to mention The United States ranking at number 9 (Pasquali, 2015). I have also travelled to Haiti three times, twice before the earthquake of 2010, and once after to help with relief. I have seen malnutrition. I have seen children begging on street corners. I have seen families who live on the outskirts of cities in villages up in the mountains who neither have nor see food on a daily basis. This is what makes me passionate about food. This is what makes me want to make a

difference in the world we are living in. Do not get me wrong, I believe I am more than privileged to be living in a first world country where we have education at our fingertips and I plan on exhausting and expanding my schooling as much as possible, but I will not be ignorant or turn a blind eye to what is happening overseas.

With all of this being said, how will I, an aspiring chef, put various modernization principles into practice to somehow make a difference in the world? Like I said before, I don’t have all the answers. Would I like to solve world hunger? Of course, who wouldn’t? If it were as simple as one nation saying “Let’s give some money in order to feed those who are struggling around the world,” then we would say that, but there are obvious politics that prevent us from doing so. That is a whole other story. One small way


I believe we could help achieve this goal or maybe somehow make a dent would be the modernization technique of dehydrating. I know this has been done and food has been shipped around the world successfully. One of the reasons that dehydrating can play a large role in aiding the issue of world hunger is that by using this method, the foods keep almost 100% of their nutritional values. Secondly, they can be preserved for longer periods of time, whereas fresh foods, because of their moisture content, only have a limited period of time before they start to grow rancid.

“WOULD I LIKE TO SOLVE WORLD HUNGER? OF COURSE,

WHO WOULDN’T?”

Lastly, I think that teaching the method of dehydration could potentially create jobs for those who are in need. I am a strong believer in teaching others what I have learned. The purpose of this is to empower others to provide for themselves rather than causing them to continually be dependent on a first world country. An example of this is if someone went to a third world coun-try for a year and cooked for a village com-pared to another person going to that same village for a year and teaching them how to cook. In the first scenario, the people will

eat for a year but will not be self-sufficient after you leave. In the second scenario, the people will be able to eat for the rest of their lives.

To conclude, in our modern world we are currently facing tragedies such as world hunger. As an aspiring chef I can use the modern technique of dehydration, as well as education, to make a small difference in this issue.



CUSTARD TARTSR E C I P E

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

2 tablespoons cold shortening (recommended: Crisco)1/4 cup ice water

2 cups Pastry Cream, recipe follows2 pints whole strawberries, hulled and halved

1/3 cup apricot jelly3 tablespoons shelled pistachios, halved, optional

Pastry Cream:

5 extra-large egg yolks, room temperature3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch1 1/2 cups scalded milk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract1 teaspoon Cognac

1 tablespoon unsalted butter1 tablespoon heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 times, or until the butter is in the size of peas. Add the ice water and process until the dough comes together. Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out the dough and fit into 4 (4 1/2-inch) tart pans with removable sides. Don’t stretch the dough when placing it in the pans or it will shrink during baking. Cut off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of each pan. Line the tart shells with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, butter side down, and fill them with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil, prick the bottom of the shells all over with a fork, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Before serving, fill the tart shells with the pastry cream. Arrange the berries decoratively on top of the cream. Melt the apricot jelly with 1 teaspoon of wa-ter and brush the top of the tarts. Sprinkle with pistachios, if using, and serve.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch.

With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constant-ly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Don’t be alarmed when the custard comes to a boil and appears to curdle; switch to a whisk and beat vigorously. Cook, whisking constantly, for another 2 minutes; the custard will come together and become very thick, like pudding. Stir in the vanilla, Cognac, butter, and heavy cream. Pour the custard through a sieve into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until cold.

INGREDIENTS:

HIKING IN ONTARIO6 B E S T S P O T S TO H I K EBY E L I A S R E G IER

iagara Falls local, Elias Regier, loves to go out in the wilderness with nothing but his backpack, hammock, and film camera in hand. Him and his friends have

gone hiking from Niagara Falls Gorge, all the way to Killarney Provincial Park near Sudbury. The following pages are some of the many photos Elias has captured on his camera, showing you some of his favourite spots to hike in Ontario.



The Bruce Trail, Canada’s oldest and longest marked footpath,

provides the only continuous public access to the magnificent

Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

Running along the Escarpment from Niagara to Tobermory,

it spans more than 890 km of main Trail and over 400 km of

associated side trails.

B R U C E T R A I L

-brucetrail.org



Access to the Bruce Trail below the escarpment. There are

many informal trails throughout the area, but hikers be

aware as some of these trials lead to dead ends! The Rock-

way Conservation Area is located along the 15 Mile Creek

near the City of St. Catharines. This 126 hectare (312 acre)

site protects a portion of the Niagara Escarpment, the Rockway

Falls, and the diverse flora and fauna of the Carolinian

Forest. The Bruce Trail traverses the southern section of

this area and is considered an ideal spot for hiking. Two

main waterfalls exist along this portion of the 15 mile creek.

-ontariotrails.on.ca

R O C K WAY G L E N



Sherman Falls (Rating=A) is an impressive 17 m high Hamilton

terraced ribbon waterfall where Ancaster Creek tumbles

over the escarpment with two cascading drops and a wide

flat ledge in between. It has a good year-round waterflow

with a crest of 8 m.

S H E R M A N F A L L S

-torontohiking.com



Firemans Park is located just off Mountain Road at the end of

Dorchester Road in Niagara Falls. It is a community park that

has a dog park, hiking/biking paths, and beautiful views of

Niagara. The lower part of Fireman’s park has a fishing pond,

baseball diamond, and more paths to hike down. Though it is

not neccisarily a huge hiking area, it has great views of Niagara

from different parts of the park. There is also a hill behind

the park, which about 10 years ago used to be a dump, but is

now an empty hill, which you can climb up and see all over

Niagara, and on a clear day you can even see Toronto.

F I R E M A N ’ S PA R K



The Gorge is a treasure of Niagara’s. It’s long paths, and rocky

hills make for quite an adventure. With many different trails

to choose from, a hike in the Gorge is bound to be a fun time.

The Gorge goes all the way from the top of the Niagara Parkway,

down to the Niagara River itself. You have to be careful as you

hike close to the rapids, but it gives you beautiful views of the

river, and allows you to explore Niagaras landscape.

T H E G O R G E



This trip begins just off of hwy 637 on an old logging road

that winds into the park for about 20 minutes and then joins

with the La Cloche Silhouette trail. The Silhouette trail remains

relatively flat for another ½ hour and then starts to incline,

gradually at first, then quite sharply up to “The Crack”, a

deep crevasse that forms walls on the sides of the trail. Once

through the crack you will be treated to one of the most

beautiful views in the park. This panoramic vista allows you

to look down upon crystal blue Killarney and O.S.A. lakes.

Be sure to bring your camera to preserve the memory.

“ T H E C R A C K ”

-killarneyoutfitters.com



CODY SMITHINTERVIEWA RT I S T F RO M N I A G A R ABY R ACHEL M E IS SNER

ody Smith is a Visual Artist currently based out of Vancouver, Canada. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from OCAD University in 2010 and

has been working as an artist ever since.

Smith's work is a realization "in paint" of the beauty we overlook daily through thought provoking perspectives achieved with color, form, light, and imagination. His practice is an enlightened response to what we often unconsciously encounter - those mundane moments of human existence.

Cody Smith Artist portrays the beauty of nature in the Modern World we live in.

Check out more of Cody’s work at:c o d y s m i t h a r t i s t . c o m



AS AN ARTIST, WHAT DOES YOUR PROCESS LOOK LIKE?

“For my process I usually start with something very architectural to weigh the painting down. I find that laying down some kind of building gives me many shapes and interesting arrangements to work from. I usually paint with multiple layers of washes; continually adding and removing elements to create a scene. I never get attached to anything in the painting because, I find with my process, something I was really proud of one day is gone the next.”

WHAT KIND OF AFFECT DOES CREATING ART HAVE ON YOU?

“Painting affects me in a number of ways. It has basically taken over my entire life for I can not stop thinking about it when I should be doing other things. This is very frustrating. When I am actually in the process of painting though, I feel that nothing can touch me. I feel alive; almost as if I am channelling something beyond me. When you really get into a painting everything feels okay for once.”

HOW DO YOU PREPARE TO START PAINTING?

“I just start thinking about things I have seen that had an impact on me. Scenes that I remember while walking down the street or on may way somewhere. Example: The feeling I had one day while driving my car to work at 5:30 am, on a Saturday morning, in early December, before Christmas, just outside of Vancouver, on an empty road, while drinking coffee, looking at the sun come up, the day after I read something about the size of the Universe. I try to recreate how I felt there at that moment through painting. If I take a picture of it I find it just doesn’t have the same feeling. I almost have to study the scene that affected me by spending many hours painting it.”

WHAT QUAILITY DOES IS TAKE TO BE AN ARTIST?

“Honesty.”


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