the converged citizen april 9, 2013

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


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


Sean Previl


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

the converged citizen april 9, 2013

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