the converged citizen - february 18, 2016

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Quote of the Day

I had learned thatthere were times whenfighting was impossi-ble, when the bestthing to do was to waitand to learn.

- Lawrence Hill

Meaghan Marton and Ricardo Rodriguez show off their fighting stance at Border City Boxing Club Feb. 8.

FIGHT PAGE 7

The fighting stance

The fighting stance

Photo by Michelle Laramie

RonaldMcDonald

House

In HonourAaron Lombardi

Converged Citizen Staff

The Ronald McDonald

House that opens in Windsor

this spring has recieved a

large donation from a local

charity.

A grand player piano sits in

the centre ballroom of

Windsor's Ciociaro Club on

Saturday. Three candlelit

chandeliers provided a light-

ing suitable to the banquet

hosted by the In Honour of the

Ones We Love charity. CTV's

Arms Bumanlag began the

evening introductions.

“After 18 years, the In

Honour of the Ones We

Love team has their vision to

ensure that the Windsor-

Essex Community has

access to the best medical

equipment and to make the

patient-family life as stress

free as possible,” said

Bumanlag during his

remarks.

The Windsor Regional

Hospital campus plans to

*Volume XI Issue 12 *February 18, 2016

HOUSE PAGE 2

ONVERGED CITIZENFebruary 18, 2016C2

news

A Windsor municipal tenant

said he believes his landlord is

not taking enough responsibil-

ity in the maintenance of his

apartment.

Jacob Caron, a 22-year-old

Windsorite, said he is con-

cerned about the building con-

ditions he’s living in. Fungi,

rodents and black mold in his

apartment have affected his

mental and physical health.

Many of Windsor’s apart-

ments are reaching elderly

status. This has contributed to

Jacob Caron stands in his apartment Jan. 30. Until recently, Caron said he would nothave dared to have his cupboards open for fear of the rodents that infested them.

David Dyck


many being in need of

upgrading to current health

and safety standards, a task

that can sometimes escalate

beyond the landlord’s capabil-

ities.

In Caron’s case, he says the

state of his apartment left

much to be desired upon mov-

ing in in 2011. Faulty wiring

in the bathroom caused a

lightbulb to explode and send

glass everywhere on one

occasion. In the insulation

above his bedroom ceiling

mold was a persistent prob-

lem, with water seepage mak-

ing its way through the dry-

wall.

“There is a ton of water

damage in here,” said Caron

on what once woke him up

while sleeping. “I could be

lying in my bed and then be

having an unwarranted show-

er.”

Communication between

Caron and his landlord has

been difficult, according to a

report filed by an advocate for

Caron between March 2012

and January 2015. Over a

dozen occasions he called and

there was no response. Caron

said it wasn’t until very

recently that major repairs

the Building Services

Department. Upon investiga-

tion of the state of the living

space, an inspector can then

file a repair order. This can

also escalate to a court appear-

ance if action is not taken.

However, the situation can

then be taken advantage of.

“There are certain delay tac-

tics that (building owners) can

use to drag the process out,”

said Dan Lunardi, the deputy

chief building official for the

Building Services Dept.

“They could ask for an

adjournment, or they want to

consult with their lawyers…

these things don’t work

favourably for the tenant

were made.

Caron’s landlord was

unavailable for comment.

By law, landlords are

required to provide and main-

tain a safe and livable space

for tenants. If appropriate

actions have not been taken, a

tenant can refer to the

Landlord and Tenant Board.

Caron scheduled an appoint-

ment for March of 2015 but he

said nothing so far has been

done.

Another route a tenant can

take is to bring complaints to

Photo by David Dyck

Downtown apartment receives complaints from tenantbecause they’re still living in

these conditions that are sub-

standard.”

However, not all problems

brought before the department

are the landlord’s fault. In one

case, Lunardi spoke of a ten-

ant who complained about

excessive moisture around his

windows. The problem was

revealed to be caused by the

tenant’s six aquariums.

The responsibilities of the

tenant usually involve the

general cleanliness of the liv-

ing space. Caron said he

admits he doesn’t clean regu-

larly. He said this stemmed

from his choice of friends,

who regularly trashed his

apartment. Many of them

continue to visit the apart-

ment against his wishes, with

even a recent crowbar attempt

at Caron’s door in January.

Caron said situations like

these have made him prefer

couch-surfing between differ-

ent friends’ apartments. In a

notice he left for his landlord,

he said he will be officially

leaving the premises on

March 11.

Officially, however, his ten-

ancy is to end in 2017.

open a Ronald McDonald

House to accommodate fami-

lies in Windsor.

“The goal for tonight is to

raise $200,000 which will be

staying in Windsor and going

towards the construction of a

Ronald McDonald house in

our city,” said Bumanlag.

Margaret Anderson is the

director of Ronald McDonald

Houses in Southwestern

Ontario, Anderson attended

the banquet to promote the

new construction and tell the

audience about its importance

for families going through

troubling situations.

“Once we started doing the

research we found out things

were much greater than what

we thought possible,” said

Anderson. “With a seven bed-

HOUSE PAGE 1 room facility located inside of

the hospital, this Ronald

McDonald House will be the

first of its kind in Canada.”

A special Above and

Beyond Award was given to

Cathy Hendy, a member of the

In Honour of the Ones We

Love team for her contribu-

tions to the charity.

“It takes many volunteer

hands joining together to help

make In Honour (of the Ones

We Love) what it has become

today,” said Hendy.

The In Honour of the Ones

We Love charity was formed

in 1998 by Anita Imperioli

who lost her infant son

Michael to leukemia.

Imperioli announced the

opening of the new Ronald

McDonald House by May 6,

2016.

Photo by Mark Brown

Anitia Imperioli, the president of the In Honour of the Ones We Love charity, poses fora photo.

“There are certain delay tactics that (buildingowners) can use to drag the process out.”

-Dan Lunardi, deputy chief building official


newsIt’s MADD to drive drunk

Mariah Atherly


Chaouki Hamka, MADD community organizer speakingabout drunk driving.

Photo courtesy of Chaouki Hamka

A local Mothers Against

Drunk Driving community

organizer has been explaining

what people can do to prevent

impaired driving.

Chaouki Hamka is the com-

munity leader for MADD

Windsor and Essex County.

The mission of MADD is to

stop intoxicated driving and

support the victims who have

been affected.

Hamka said Windsor police

have programs informing

youth about drunk driving by

going to high schools to talk to

students about the effects and

consequences not only about

drunk driving but also driving

under the influence of drugs.

Hamka said the police do a

great job explaining the out-

come of impaired driving and

getting behind a motorized

vehicle after consuming alco-

hol or drugs.

He also said a great way to

show students the reality of an

actual drinking and driving

crash would be to bring in a

vehicle that has been involved

in a crash.

"Impaired driving is the

number one criminal cause of

death and not only can

Windsor police do a better job

but all of us can do a better job

by educating ourselves about

the danger of impaired driv-

ing," said Hamka

Hamka has traveled around

Canada for two years talking

to high school students about

the dangers of drunk driving.

He said by doing this he has

really gotten to know the stu-

dents on a personal level.

"At the end of your day it's

your life so make responsible

choices," said Hamka.

Hamka said there are many

years ahead to be successful,

and making wrong choices

like impaired driving will

diminish all of that.

According to Hamka, the

province needs tougher laws

but it's just not about the new

laws. The city needs effective

laws that will deter people

from driving impaired.

Hamka said things are going

in the right direction and

authorities are being very

proactive in the fight against

drunk driving.

Justyna Van Poucke is an 18

year old student at Fleming

College and said she has not

been directly affected by

drunk driving but hearing

about accidents in the com-

munity involving impaired

driving upsets her because

people have a choice to get

behind the wheel after having

too many drinks.

"Kids tend to get way too

carried away and I think with

the drinking and being 19 that

is still young,' said Van

Poucke.

Presentations about drunk

driving have made her more

aware of the consequences

and the affect it can have on

herself and other people. Van

Poucke said it made her real-

ize how important it is to take

drinking and driving seriously

because the outcome is not

always good and that it could

be her or loved ones. For more

information about MADD

you can visit www.madd.ca.

Fire and ice unite for a special cause

Windsorites wanting to sup-

port Special Olympics Ontario

took a dive into icy water last

weekend.

The Ontario Law

Enforcement Torch Run part-

nered with St. Clair College

for the school’s second annual

Polar Plunge fundraising

event.

College staff and students

took the plunge Feb. 4 and the

general public who registered

took it on Feb. 6. This year’s

goal was to raise $10,000

from the event.

Constable Jim Chauvin with

the Essex County OPP said

Alyssa Horrobin


Photo by Alyssa Horrobin

Two Amherstburg police officers plunge for charity into ice cold water at St. ClairCollege Feb. 4.

out of 168 participants, about

60 officers and auxiliary from

Windsor and Essex County,

including himself, did the

plunge.

“I want to thank St. Clair

for hosting and joining us

again this year,” said Chauvin.

“They are a great community

partner.”

The event raised about

$47,000, about $15,000 more

than last year. President of the

Student Representative

Council, Miranda

Underwood, said she is excit-

ed to see the impact of this

event continue to grow.

Underwood was the emcee

for both plunges and said she

really enjoyed being part of

the fundraiser. This was her

second time taking the plunge.

“It’s hard to be on the plan-

ning committee for an event

and not end up wanting to par-

ticipate,” said Underwood.

“It’s cold in that water but you

get really excited leading up to

the actual jump.”

She said her favourite

moments were watching

police chief Al Frederick jump

on Thursday and her father

Mark Underwood jump to the

Jaws theme song on

Saturdaydressed in a shark

costume.

According to Underwood, a

portion of the funds raised by

Special Olympics athletes

who did the Polar Plunge or

those who jumped on behalf

of an athlete stays local.

The Special Olympics has

community, regional, provin-

cial, national and international

competitions involving 18 dif-

ferent sports sectioned into

Spring, Summer and Winter

games. This year’s Spring

Games will be held in Guelph.

To find out more ways to

donate and get involved with

Special Olympics, visit (spe-

cialolympicsontario.com.)


news

The City of Windsor wantsyou to step outside and redis-cover the parks in your neigh-bourhood.

Close to 200 residentsattended an open house Feb. 8at Giovananni Caboto Club toview the $1.5 million plans toupgrade more than a dozenparks.

The capital budget willinclude splash pads, accessi-ble playgrounds, trails andother upgrades.

Heidi Baillargeon, land-scape architect, said city staffwas on hand to gather feed-back and input from the com-munity so they can be a part ofwhat they would like to see.

As of January 2016, fullcompliance will be inenforced of Accessibility forOntarians with DisabilitiesAct.

“We want to solicit what (thepublic) wants to see at theplayground and take a look atour designs,” said Baillargeon.She added all of the new play-grounds will be accessible.

Rediscover city parks with accessible upgradesJillian Toman


Baillargeon said the strate-gy of the master plan is torediscover city parks and whatwould bring the public back tothe parks.

Baillargeon said park trendshave been considered like wi-fi, world-wide gaming andexercisization.

“Parks are so important forrecreation and getting out ofthe house and enjoying the

outdoors.”Selene Lauzon, a downtown

resident, said strolling throughthe city park is a part of herand her Husky’s daily routine.

Lauzon said the parks are theonly place where her pet canenjoy the outdoors inside thecity and away from traffic.

“It’s important for everyone,dogs and families, just to getaway and enjoy what we can

here. It’s important toimprove and invest in theparks.”

Mike Clements, manager ofparks development, said therevamp will refresh thetwelve parks in nine wardsthat will be accessible foreveryone, with the goal tobring people back to the park.

He said participation fromall neighbourhoods is valu-

able.

“I think people are getting

more involved,” said

Clements. “One of the basics

is to have a good inner park

trail system for everyone to

use.”

Michelle Arther is a mother

of two who came to support

upgrades to Bridgeview Park.

“We’re so excited to hear

there is going to be a new

playground in our neighbour-

hood because we take our

kids outside of the neighbour-

hood to go to parks that are

more toddler-friendly,” said

Arther.

Arther said she was excited

to see the city taking steps to

beautify the parks and make

them more accessible and

accommodate the needs of the

neighbourhood residents.

For more information about

the capital budget and how

park ideas can be heard visit

plans, http://www.citywind-

sor.ca/residents/parksand-

f o r e s t r y / P a g e s / P a r k -

I m p r o v e m e n t s - O p e n -

House.aspx

Photo by Jillian Toman

Bruce and Michelle Arther with theit three children Elisabeth, 2, and Nathan, 2, visitthe City of Windsor of Windsor Open House at Giovanni Caboto Club Feb. 8 to hearmore about park upgrades.

Radar testing procedures questionedSean Previl


There could be inconsisten-

cies in police radar testing, but

changes can’t be made unless

people contest their traffic

tickets.

A January report from CBC

News claims most police

organizations use a tuning

fork test in order to test their

radar apparatus. By tapping

the two-pronged device

against a non-metallic object,

it vibrates at a specific speed.

The radar can then be calibrat-

ed by ensuring the reading on

the device matches the speed

of the fork.

However, not all police

organizations use this method,

including the Ontario

Provincial Police which

stopped using tuning forks

more than 10 years ago.

Off the Hook Paralegal

owner Walter Martin said

while radars have internal

tests which check the circuitry

of the device, only a tuning

fork can properly test the

radar’s antenna.

“Without the antenna work-

ing properly or ensuring the

antenna is working properly,

none of your readings should

be allowed,” said Martin, who

has taken tickets to court for

the past four years.

Prior to starting Off the

Hook, Martin was an officer

with the Windsor Police

Service working in the traffic

enforcement division and later

as an instructor.

Even though the CBC

report has raised questions

about the validity of millions

of tickets, Martin said he does

not foresee a return to tuning

fork testing unless a large

majority of people start call-

ing for change.

“The only way this is going

to change is if there’s enough

noise about it and the govern-

ment says, ‘no, we better start

doing these tuning forks

again,’” said Martin.

He said it is likely there

won’t be a large majority

because often people do not

want to go to court for their

ticket. Either they don’t want

to admit to having a ticket or

have concerns over higher

insurance rates so instead they

just pay the fine.

“Everybody that gets a

ticket, they want to have a trial

… but they’re scared to have

the trial,” said Martin.

According to Martin, when

the forks were phased out,

they were told it was a cost-

saving measure because if the

fork became damaged, it can

be expensive to replace it.

Martin added not using tun-

ing forks in some jurisdictions

also made it easier for officers

to testify in court. This is

because they would only have

to discuss performing the

basic, internal radar test and

describe the traffic incident.

OTD Ticket Defenders

owner Ron Harper said in

court, those contesting their

ticket often would have little

defence due to absolute liabil-

ity. He said in a court room all

the Crown has to do is read off

when and where the person

was driving their car, then

show the traffic ticket and

there would be a conviction.

In addition, the Crown may

ask the officer if an internal

radar check was performed

before and after their shift, but

often do not ask specifically

about the tuning fork test.

“They’re (the judge) going

to simply make a decision

based on the best evidence

they have which is whether or

not it is a legitimate convic-

tion,” said Harper.

However, following the

release of the CBC report,

Harper said the tickets should

be challenged and it will be up

to the Crown to defend the

ticket.

“I think one of the things that

the Crown has to do is they

need to satisfy everyone that

they've done everything possi-

ble … and if you're not doing

so, yes they should be chal-

lenged,” said Harper.

Before the report was

released, Windsor Police said

they did not have tickets con-

tested based on radar testing,

even though the organization

does not use the tuning fork

test.

Const. Andrew Drouillard

said they do not perform the

test because the manufacturer,

Decatur, said the internal test

is enough.

“If an officer does this cal-

ibration test at the beginning

of his shift and at the end of

his shift, this will have been

deemed to have been suffi-

cient knowing that the device

was working properly,” said

Drouillard.

The radar used, the Genesis

VersaPak, also performs auto-

matic checks of its systems in

addition to the required tests at

the beginning and end of an

officer’s shift.

But even with manufactur-

er and police support of the

internal testing system, both

Harper and Martin said

Windsor Police along with

other organizations across the

country should return to using

tuning fork tests. Harper

added this is due to accuracy

and efficiency.

“It's not a challenging test

to do at all, said Harper. “It

takes seconds and we know

that it's more certain than any

other test. Certainly far more

certain than the internal cali-

bration test.”

In addition to Windsor

Police and the OPP, the CBC

investigation also found the

Regina Police Service do not

use tuning forks but they are

the minority. The RCMP as

well as U.S. police forces

require this method be used

when testing radar.

ONVERGED CITIZENFEBRUARY 18, 2016C5

newsLife changing career options at St. Clair

Kati Panasiuk


A program at St. Clair

College is giving adults

another opportunity for post-

secondary education.

The Academic and Career

Entrance program is helping

hundreds of adults each year

achieve their goal of attending

college. Instructors at A.C.E.

teach students the equivalent

of a Grade 12 education.

Many adults arrive at the pro-

gram looking for an opportu-

nity to pursue college for the

first time to try and find a sec-

ond career after being laid off.

Holly Diloreto has been run-

ning the program successfully

since 2006.

“My favourite part of the job

is the students,” said Diloreto.

“Every student who comes

here works hard. They have

the motivation to get through

the program as soon as they

come in the door.”

There are two types of adult

upgrading students can

receive in the program.

College and Employment

Prep focuses on basic lan-

guage and math skills. The

Academic and Career

Entrance program offers

Grade 12 equivalent courses

in math, English, biology,

chemistry and physics.

Students can take the A.C.E

credits and use them in any

college in Ontario with the

only exception being collabo-

rative programs with universi-

ties.

The program also offers a

variety of options to help

working families maintain

their busy lives. A.C.E

Distance is one option stu-

dents can take online or if

learning in a class is more

efficient they can also use the

Thames campus for evening

classes.

“If you go to St. Michaels,

you are going to get a standard

Grade 12 curriculum that will

go on your Ontario Secondary

Diploma,” said Diloreto. “Our

courses are designed for col-

lege admission. We approach

it just like you were taking a

post-secondary course. We get

you settled on Blackboard and

you get the same experiences

you would get in college.”

Stephanie DeFranceschi, a

biology and chemistry instruc-

tor at A.C.E., said she enjoys

engaging the students to

encourage them participation.

“When Holly asked me if I

wanted to teach in this depart-

ment I really felt like I could

make a difference,” said

DeFranceschi. “It’s not just a

formal education, it is about

the visuals and tactile style of

learning. Adult learners need

to see the relevance right

away.”

Based on success reports at

the A.C.E building from April

2014 to March 2015, from an

average of 400 new and

returning students, over 150

students went on to college

programs. DeFranceschi said

they follow up with students

in six months to a year after

they leave the program to

make sure they have the skills

and tools they need to be suc-

cessful.

Amy Klyiard has been a

learning technologist at A.C.E

since 2008. She takes care of

the students’ day to day needs.

Klyiard said because it is a

ministry-funded program they

have the budget available to

assist students whether it is

with a gas allowance or a bus

pass.

“The success of the students

depends on the environment

we have created here,” said

Klyiard. “Walking in the door

you are welcomed with a nur-

turing atmosphere that lets our

students know they are not

only cared about, but accept-

ed. When they are successful,

we feel good because we

helped them achieve their

goals. Their success is our

success.”

From left: Stephanie DeFranceschi, Amy Klyiard, Nancy Kendrick and Holly Diloreto are pic-tured inside the A.C.E. building at St.Clair’s main campus Feb. 2.

Photo by Kati Panasiuk

Ontario making electrical vehicles more affordableKayla Wang


With the rate of air pollu-

tion growing, people are try-

ing to do something about

environmental concerns. The

Ontario government is making

electric vehicles more afford-

able to the public through an

incentive program that aims to

reduce greenhouse gases and

help communities to switch.

The province’s first Electric

Vehicle Incentive Program

was announced in 2010. The

new program will give people

more reasons to go green.

Also, there will be an increase

incentive range for those who

choose to buy an electric vehi-

cle from between $5,000 and

$8,500 to between $6,000 and

$10,000. Also, there will be an

additional incentive of $1,000

Photo by Kayla Wang

Mufflers, which emit gas that concerns many environmental groups, have pushed theOntario government to provide incentives to those who buy electrical cars.for anyone who buys an elec-

tric vehicle with a larger bat-

tery and another incentive

increase for those who buy an

electric vehicle that has five

or more seats. These are just

some of the many increased

incentives.

“It’s a good switch to trying

to reduce our (environment)

impact,” Karina Richters said,

the environmental coordinator

of Windsor Essex County

Environment Committee. She

points out that it is necessary

to have this program for

Windsor based on the popula-

tion of the people who use

cars in the city.

“In Windsor, about 25 per

cent to 27 per cent depend on

the year of our greenhouse gas

with our community is based

on our transportation. The

vehicles people drive are con-

tributing that, so it’s the sig-

nificant portion. Trying to turn

away from gas vehicles to

electric vehicles will provide

some reduction in that green-

house gas community,” she

said.

Windsor has been one mem-

ber of this program trying to

reduce air pollution and to

encourage its citizens to

choose healthier transporta-

tion.

ONVERGED CITIZENFEBRUARY 18, 2016C6

news‘It is up to the young crowds,’ Windsor SOUP

Local entrepreneurs are con-

tinuing to find support from a

unique grant funding event –

Windsor SOUP.

Entrepreneurs were invited to

attend an event run by

Enactus, a global non-profit

organization with the goal of

helping businesses achieve

growth, on Jan 31.

Guests attending the event

were asked to leave a five dol-

lar donation at the door, and

were given an assortment of

soups and salads provided by

Enactus.

The presentations were host-

ed at the Foundry Pub, which

has been the location of the

event since it moved from the

Walkerville Brewery.

The previous event, held in

December, drew a record

crowd with an estimated 200

people attending, while this

event hosted just under 150.

Entrepreneurs take to the

stage to present their ideas and

business plans to a crowd,

with the winner taking the pro-

ceeds collected at the door to

aid in the expansion of their

companies. The amount raised

is also matched by the P. and

L.Odette Charitable

Christian Dutchyn


Photo by Christian Dutchyn

Wesley Harrison, Elizabeth Bloomield and George Kelso from TerraCloth wear theirproduct after winning Windsor SOUP Jan. 31.Foundation.

Luciana Giglio, a volunteer

for Enactus and the project

manager of SOUP, said she

feels an event like SOUP is

very important to the city.

“The importance of an event

like this is encouraging people

in Windsor to start their own

business and to start a social

innovation to uplift our city. I

think so many people in

Windsor have these ideas but

it’s so hard to get your ideas

started without funding,” said

Giglio. “The funding they get

from this event gives them

that opportunity to actually go

forward with their idea and

actually make something hap-

pen.”

The Foundry Pub on

Ouellette Avenue, has hosted

SOUP since just before

December. Daniel Boisjoly is

the second in charge of the

kitchen at the Foundry. He

said he also feels that an event

like SOUP benefits the city.

Boisjoly said that in a city of

failing industries, supporting

entrepreneurs is a key part in

bringing the people of

Windsor together.

“I think it’s bringing a more

diverse, wider crowd,” said

Boisjoly. “We’re in what a lot

of people would call a rebirth

stage, our industries are fail-

ing us in a sense and it is up to

the young crowds and entre-

preneurs to bring in new ideas

and create that sense of com-

munity.”

This year the micro-grant

was awarded to TerraCloth, a

small business that creates

eco-friendly aprons from

repurposed dress shirts. The

business was founded approx-

imately four months ago and

they are currently planning to

expand and donate aprons to

nursing homes.

George Kelso is TerraCloth’s

vice president of sales and

said he feels SOUP is a great

benefit to small businesses

like the one he is part of.

“This event for us is really

important because it helps us

lay down the groundwork to

help us expand our own busi-

ness, to help us make these

innovations we need to

make,” said Kelso. “Without

this, it would be astronomical-

ly harder to make those leaps

and bounds we need to make,”

More information on

Windsor SOUP and

TerraCloth is available at their

respective websites and

Facebook pages.

Animal lovers support causeSamantha Marie Girardin


Animal lovers of all ages came

out to support Second Chance

Animal Rescue and drew atten-

tion to animal adoption at a spe-

cial black tie event.

On Jan. 30 the S.C.A.R. of

Windsor hosted their monthly

adoption and fundraising bake

sale event. The event featured

lowered adoption fees for all

black and white cats and people

attending could adopt or donate.

There were around a dozen cats,

a few dogs and even a rabbit.

Jessica Appleby came to the

event hoping to find a new furry

friend and found it hard to

choose just one. “These cats

deserve a home as much as kit-

tens in stores,” She said.

Appleby said has had cats all her

life.

“I’ve always adopted, I just

think it’s the best thing to do.”

She said she is happy to give a

second chance to cats who would

otherwise never have one.

All the animals in S.C.A.R. care

are being fostered by volunteers

with the organization. While the

Photo by Samantha Marie Girardin

Allie (child) poses with Loki at the S.C.A.R. black tie event and bake sale.

organization is relatively new,

members have big hopes for the

future of the organization.

“I’ve only been a part of

S.C.A.R. for a little bit, but I love

it,” said volunteer Kathleen

Dean-Nicholson. She has man-

aged the bake sale for the last

two events.

“So many people donated to

the bake sale. I only baked one

thing, this entire table is from

volunteers.”

Animal shelters in Canada took

in over 85 thousand cats in 2014

and over 38 thousand dogs were

taken in according to the

Canadian Federation of Humane

Societies. On average, 24 per

cent of cats a shelter takes in will

be euthanized. Due to a signifi-

cantly lower dog population in

shelters, only 10 per cent of dogs

will be euthanized, although

there are many high-kill shelters

with very elevated rates of

euthanasia. One of the S.C.A.R.

dogs, Rusty, came from one such

shelter.

“When you adopt, you not only

save the life of the animal you

adopt, you save a second one

that fills the empty space,” said

President of S.C.A.R. Windsor,

Sherri Smith.

All animals with the organiza-

tion are fully vetted and spayed

or neutered. She said adopting is

better for everyone. Instead of

buying a pet for a few hundred

dollars, then paying hundreds

more for shots and getting fixed,

think about adoption.

“Many dogs from pet stores

come from puppy mills. Buying

from them means supporting

these mills,” said Smith.

The next adoption event begins

on Valentine’s Day weekend

with their Be Mine Valentine

event. For more information,

visit their Facebook page Second

Chance Animal Rescue.

CONVERGED CITIZEN FEBRUARY 18, 2016 7

A Windsor couple is putting

on boxing gloves to help

make their Valentine’s Day

unique by throwing a couple

of punches at each other.

Exercise is supposed to

make us happier and feeling

happy is what most of us want

from our partners- so why not

combine the two? Science

shows exercise releases

dopamine, a chemical mes-

senger that tells us when to

feel happy. Dopamine is a

neurotransmitter in the brain

that makes it possible for us to

feel pleasure and happiness.

This Valentine’s Day busy

couples are looking for inter-

esting ways to celebrate.

Meaghan Marton, a coach at

Border City Boxing Club,

needed a creative way to

spend time with her partner

Ricardo Rodriguez who is a

competitive boxer.

“My boyfriend is working

all day on Valentine’s Day and

I wanted something fun and

different,” said Marton. “So

often you’re just going to sit at

home and hang out or go for

dinner. Working out promotes

strength between each other.”

Marton decided to host an

early afternoon boxing class

for couples to promote fitness

and bonding.

“I thought it was a great idea

to get people active instead of

just eating chocolates,“ said

Marton. “I think it’s a great

way to relieve stress and bond

at the same time.”

Marton says that couples

should not be intimidated by

the thought of trying it out.

“The class will be boxing

basics, you are not actually

going to get in the ring and hit

each other,” she said.

The class will contain more

of the cardio aspect of boxing,

strength conditioning and hit-

ting the heavy bag. Marton

Fighting for love

Michelle Laramie


said it will be an all-around

workout for your body.

She credits boxing with her

partner for strengthening her

relationship.

“Working out together pro-

motes strength, confidence

and trust in each other,” said

Marton. “It can help your

relationship because you are

building each other up. You

also have a support system

there when you are having a

difficult time.”

Border City Boxing Club

has a very open door policy

according to Marton.

“I encourage people to step

out of their comfort zone and

come into the club just once,

just give it a try,” said Marton.

“Our gym is totally non-judg-

mental. We have people from

all ages, sizes, fitness levels.

You don’t need to be fit to try.

Boxing will naturally make

you fit.”

Some professionals believe

couples who work out togeth-

er can become healthier and

create a stronger bond

between them.

Shane Allen a certified per-

sonal trainer says couples who

exercise together are stronger.

“Some of the strongest rela-

tionships I see are those peo-

ple who exercise together,”

said Allen in an article on

ActiveTimes.com. “Common

goals and shared routines are

what helps make a relation-

ship and our bodies stronger.”

Troy Robinson began work-

ing out 16 years ago to help

with his aggression issues.

Robinson and his longtime

girlfriend Nadine Tilly have

recently started working out

together in an effort to

become healthier and have

gained a better bond in the

process.

“It has improved our rela-

tionship greatly because we

are bonding and showing an

interest in each other’s suc-

cess,” said Robinson. “I feel

closer to her. It shows me she

cares because she is showing

interest in what I am doing

and sharing that time with

me.”

Tilly, however, does not nat-

urally enjoy working out and

only agreed to do it because it

helps her show support for

Robinson. She said in the end

it has strengthened both her

relationship and her health.

Relationship expert

Michelle Weglarz, 36, says

the benefits of couples work-

ing out together are both

physical health and stress

reduction.

“Most people have stress in

their lives and it’s always a

health benefit to work out,”

said Welgarz. “If you work

out together it would reduce

stress in your relationship as

well. When you exercise the

happy chemicals in your brain

are being released and

accessed. So people who

exercise are happier people in

general.”

Weglarz cautions that some-

times people have different

fitness goals and to remember

to be supportive.

“Make sure to let your part-

ner go at their own pace,” said

WEglarz. “If you can plan a

routine together great, but if

not don’t add pressure and

create a stressful situation. Be

supportive and encouraging

of each other’s goals.”

Working out can be a great

benefit in relationships,

reducing stress and creating a

stronger bond.

The Valentine’s Day special

at The Border City Boxing

Club runs for an hour and a

half beginning at 11 a.m. The

Cost is $15 for each couple.

The club holds about 30 peo-

ple.

FROM PAGE 1

New gym fordowntown YMCA

Members of the YMCA on

Pelissier Street will soon have

to travel to a new location to

use its gym facilities.

While the daycare portion of

the centre is running smooth-

ly, its gym has been struggling

financially. Last year,

YMCA Windsor had 1,400

registered members.

The YMCA will open a pool

in the new facility in addition

to all of its present services

including its gym, exercise

equipment and basketball

court. The cost of member-

ship will stay the same for the

present time, ranging from

$27 to $69. The YMCA will

be doubling its number of

employees over the coming

months.

“We will be hiring once we

move into our new location in

April,” said YMCA general

manager Andy Sullivan.

The members of the Mental

Health Connections

Organisation had used the

Nate Hinckley


YMCA gym for four years,

but after the pool closed a

year ago they started using the

Downtown Aquatic Centre.

“We are happy using the

aquatic pools with our mem-

bers,” said Jeanie Laforge,

executive director of Mental

Health Connections. She said

they have no intention of

returning to the YMCA.

The YMCA has been allow-

ing registered St.Clair College

students to use their facilities

free of charge for the past few

years. Student members have

mixed reactions to the move

because of how far away

from the city core the new

location of the YMCA gym

will be.

“I’ll have to go out of my

way to go to the new place,”

said Aaron Agorilla, a St.Clair

Student who is a regular user

of the YMCA’s basketball

court. “I just won’t be able to

go. It’s too far out of the way

for me.”

The new YMCA location is

due to open in early April,

2016.

Photo by Nate Hinckley

Andy Sullivan, general manager in his office at theYMCA Windsor Jan. 23


By Allanah Wills

Free Film Screening: Project ICE

Where: Lakeshore Cinemas

When: Feb. 18 at 6:30 pm

The Detroit River Canadian Cleanup will be offering a free screening of their film Project:

ICE as well as a panel discussion with film director and executive producer. The film focus-

es on the history, science and impact of the Great Lakes. The film is free but registration is

required. Head over to Eventbrite.ca for more details.

Annual winter arts and craft show

Where: Colastanti’s Tropical Gardens

When: Feb. 20 at 10 am

For the sixth straight year Colastantis will be holding a “fun-filled” day of arts and crafts. The admis-

sion free show offers visitors the chance to check out vendors selling jewelry, candles, body lotions,

purses and much more. There will also be a special lunch buffet from 11 am-1:30 pm.

Pride and Prejudice

Where: Olde Walkerville Theatre

When: Feb. 19 and 20 7 pm

Based on the classic 1813 romance novel, Riverfront Theatre Company will be bringing

their adaption to the Olde Walkerville Theatre. The talented group of youth actors from the

company have been rehearsing since September. For tickets call 519-817-8780.

Yukon Blonde

Where: Phog Lounge

When: Feb. 20 at 10 pm

Vancouver Indie Rock band Yukon Blonde will be bringing their musical stylings to

Windsor. Fresh off releasing their third EP, On Blonde, the band has introduced more syn-

thesizer to their sound, promising a fun mix of 80s-esque vibes meet hard hitting guitar riffs.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

The Song Remains the Same

Where: The Chrysler Theatre

When: Feb. 26 at 8 pm

Calling all classic rock fans! Jeans N’ Classics is back by popular demand. They’ll be crank-

ing out all of Led Zeppelin’s iconic hits….performed by a live full orchestra. Tickets can be

purchased at www.windsorsymphony.com.

What’s going on inWindsor - Essex

Style File: fashion firsts

(Photo courtesy of thefashionisto.com

Marlon Brando starred in the 1951 movie “A Streetcar NamedDesire,” helping to make the basic t-shirt a popular fashionpiece.

Allanah Wills and

Ashley Ann Mentley


When it comes to fashion,

there are some items that seem

hard to believe never existed.

Items that are such staples, not

only in everyone’s closets, but

in western culture and every

day life.

The t-shirt is one of these

items. Shirts themselves have

been around since the Middle

Ages, but didn’t quite resem-

ble what we’re used to today.

The more modern style of a t-

shirt didn’t come about until

the late 1800s. Made out of

cheap and light fabric, the US

Navy issued them as undergar-

ments during the Spanish-

American War. They remained

popular with veterans after-

wards, but it wasn’t until

famous actor Marlon Brando

wore one in the 1951 movie

“A Streetcar Named Desire”

that t-shirts truly became a

part of fashion.

High heels may be a crucial

part of today’s fashion and

Hollywood style, but they had

a rather unexpected start. It

seems all too often a man will

complain that his wife has too

many pairs of shoes, perhaps

too many pairs of heels to be

specific. A woman might

argue there are so many dif-

ferent types of heels nowa-

days – pumps, stilettos, sling

back, peep toe – she needs

options. Interestingly,

though, men were the first

ones to wear heels. In the

1600s, it was a symbol of sta-

tus and privilege because only

a man who didn’t have to

work all day could wear such

uncomfortable shoes. This

logic clearly didn’t last.

Women started wearing heels

to embrace their masculinity

and add height and finally

men stopped wearing them in

the 1700s. It wasn’t until the

mid-20th century that new

technology allowed designers

STYLE PAGE 9

ONVERGED CITIZENarts & entertainment FEBRUARY 18, 2016C9

Windsor shows off its beauty

Janeen Kratochvil


Free manicures and fash-ion shows were some of thehighlights at the annualBeauty Expo held Feb. 7and 8 at the Caboto Club inWindsor.The show featured 35 ven-

dors who showcased theirmost popular products andservices of aesthetics andwellness.

“I was about to turn 50…I was curious about theproducts and services thatmight help me lookyounger… I thought,wouldn’t it be wonderful tobe able to go to one placeand find out about all thethings available to me,”said Sylvia Farkas aboutthe inspiration behind theevent.

Exhibitors at the eventincluded Nygaard and 30models from St. ClairCollege’s fashion designtechnician program per-forming fashion shows.Farkas said the most popu-lar attraction of the eventwas the free mini-mani-

Photos by Janeen Kratochvil

Left - Event organizer Sylvia Farkas welcomes guests to the second annual Beauty Expoheld at the Caboto Club Feb. 8.Bottom - A student of St. Clair College’s Esthetician Program performs free manicuresat the Beauty Expo Feb. 8.Right - A student of St. Clair College’s Esthetician Program performs free manicures atthe Beauty Expo Feb. 8.

cures, which were providedby St. Clair esthetician stu-dents.

Hundreds attended thesecond annual BeautyExpo. The expo boasted

many local beauty secretsincluding ShopEco, whichoffered complimentary all-natural makeovers.

Anti-aging productsproved to be the most pop-

ular according to Avon rep-resentative Paivi Lintunen.Several companies show-cased their premium skin-care products that promiseto restore youthfulness,

such as Avon’s AnewPower Serum.

The benefits of anti-agingproducts compared to pro-cedures are “they’re moreaffordable, effective andnon-invasive,” said KimSankovic, Rodan andFields consultant.

When asked why anti-aging products are so popu-lar, Linda Feldman of MaryKay Cosmetics said “itsimportant to preserve andreverse as much as youcan.”

LaRose Laser and Spapromoted non-invasiveprocedures such as semi-permanent makeup tattoo-ing and eyelash extensions,according to vendor EllaOsman.

“These are the most pop-ular current beauty trends,”said Osman, who was par-ticipating in her first year atthe Beauty Expo.

The expo attracted morevendors and exhibits, thanlast year according toFarkas. It was sponsored byShoppers Drug Mart andorganized by VantageEvents.

to use metal in new ways,

which soon after led to the

stiletto. Women’s shoes (and

feet) have never been the same

since.

Another staple in women’s

fashion has been dated to as

far back as ancient Egypt, but

it takes jumping a few thou-

sand years ahead to see the

creation of a modern

miniskirt. Hemlines first start-

ed to rise in the 1920s as flap-

pers showed their bare ankles

and calves in beaded, feath-

ered and glittery skirts. Full

below-the-knee skirts

remained all the rage though

and anything else was consid-

ered scandalous. Leave it to

the 1960s to change all that.

British designer Mary Quant

pioneered the miniskirt, want-

ing to design something that

girls could run for the bus in

and is quoted as saying, “Style

should be arrogant, aggressive

and sexy.” Although the

miniskirt was initially banned

from places like the Academy

Awards (and even some entire

countries) famous faces like

Twiggy helped the look reach

popularity.

Famous faces, whether

they’re actors, models, politi-

cians, etc., can have a great

deal of influence on what

becomes a popular fashion

trend. This was no different

with the leather jacket. This

look first came into culture in

the early 1900s when it was

worn by pilots and the mili-

tary but the trend then hit

Hollywood where famous

actors like James Dean used

the jacket to symbolize a cool,

tough-guy image. Think

Danny Zuko in Grease or

Fonzie in Happy Days – the

jacket helped to define the

character. With the punk sub-

culture then taking over in the

1970s, bands such as The

Ramones continued to use the

jacket to associate with rebel-

lion and female rockers like

Joan Jett made it a unisex

look. While the leather jacket

still has a bad-boy connota-

tion, it has definitely made its

way into both mainstream and

high fashion for men and

women.

Fashion trends clearly come

and go throughout the years.

Recently there have been

resurgences of 90s grunge

styles, 70s fringe and flare,

50s full skirts – the list goes

on. But regardless of what the

current fashion trends are on

the streets or the runways, it’s

never hard to find the basic t-

shirt, high heels, miniskirts

and leather jackets among it

all.

STYLE PAGE 8


Writing this a couple of days

before Valentine’s Day, I real-

ize that the best relationships

are those that persevere

through good times, bad times

and uncertain times. Yet soon-

er or later, all relationships

come to an end.

The relationship in question

is with Joe Louis Arena.

The Detroit Red Wings

announced their plans for the

farewell season at “The Joe.”

The team will finish its run at

the building in the spring of

2017 before moving a little

north to the building with the

working title of Detroit Events

Center. A commemorative

logo has been revealed, with

the dates “1979-2017” and

four stars symbolizing the four

Stanley Cups the Wings have

won so far while playing

there. Celebrations have been

scheduled remembering the

Cup-winning teams as well as

the college hockey, concerts

and events held at the arena.

There will be giveaways and

many opportunities for fans to

share their memories of the

arena before the final horn

sounds next spring, maybe

with another Stanley Cup or

two?

The arena’s post-Wings fate

isn’t clear, though chances are

it will be gutted or torn down

to make room for a possible

expansion of Cobo Center or

perhaps more retail or resi-

dential space.

Sports fans have special

relationships with the build-

ings their teams play in. I had

one with Tiger Stadium as a

Tigers fan and there has cer-

tainly been one with the Joe as

a Wings fan.

Joe Louis Arena opened in

December 1979 when the

Wings, then an NHL laugh-

ingstock, moved from the

venerable Olympia Stadium.

The team often played to a

half-empty arena, which gave

it the nickname Joe Louis

Mausoleum. When Mike and

Marian Illitch bought the

Wings in 1982 they immedi-

ately began sprucing it up and

by the late 1980s, it was full

almost every night. My first

memory of the Joe was not a

hockey game (that would

come much later), but the Ice

Capades with Dorothy Hamill

in 1980. That was a year that

also saw the building host the

NHL All-Star Game and the

Republican National

Convention.

There were of course many

electric moments at Joe Louis

Arena in the 1990s and 2000s

as the team won Cups in

1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008,

and went to the Finals in 1995

and 2009. I saw my first

Wings game there in about

1994, a 5-2 victory over

Vancouver. Since then there

have been games viewed from

every possible vantage point.

This included a New Year’s

Eve contest where “Auld

Lang Syne” would play on the

PA system as the crowd filed

out. I’ve sat in the lower

bowl, upper bowl, standing-

room only and the Comerica

Legends Club and have also

hung out in the downstairs

Olympia Room. My beloved

Michigan Wolverines have

won hockey titles in that

building.

Joe Louis Arena is certainly

quirky, and not perfect. It’s

difficult to get to. Parking is a

challenge. The luxury boxes

are too high above the ice.

The concourses are too nar-

row. The stairs in the upper

bowl are too steep. You’re

lucky if you can get up there

without slipping, spilling your

beer and having people laugh

at your ineptitude. But it’s

still a building fans love warts

and all.

It’s way too early to eulo-

gize Joe Louis Arena, but I

want to share my own

favourite memory…

It was during the 1998

Stanley Cup Finals. I was still

living in Michigan and going

with family and friends to fre-

quent showings of the Wings’

away games on the arena’s

JoeVision system. When

Game 4 of the Finals was

being played in Washington,

DC against the Capitals, the

Joe was a packed, crazed

house. The tension rose as the

game wore on until late in the

third period when the Wings

scored their fourth goal of the

game. By then it was a given

the Wings would repeat as

Cup champions. Security and

arena officials moved to the

floor of the arena, expecting

to see a wild celebration.

When the final horn blew, 20

thousand people went totally

berserk as lights flashed and

confetti rained rom the rafters.

People flung confetti, nap-

kins, toilet paper and anything

else they could get their hands

on. The wild yet orderly

crowd then moved outside,

where horns blared through

the night, strangers high-fived

each other and newsboys sold

commemorative front pages

of the Free Press and News.

And so, the long goodbye

has begun. But it’s going to

be a great ride.

Sports round-upby Michael Hugall

Great Lakes Junior ‘C’ Hockey League

The Essex 73’s are in the driver’s seat as they take a 3-0

series stranglehold into Alvinston tonight. A win could

clinch the series. The 73’s are led by the Great Lakes

Junior C most valuable player Trev or Wheaton.

Wheaton has recorded three straight shutouts in Essex’s

9-0, 6-0, and 6-0 wins.

Local boxer chasing dream

Windsor native Deneige Chaffey, 16, is looking for sup-

port in chasing her dream of becoming an Olympic

boxer. Chaffey will be representing Team Ontario in the

upcoming nationals being held in Quebec from Mar. 28 –

April. 2. Chaffey started a “GOFUNDME” page in order

to pay for meal expenses, and tournament participation.

“I started boxing about four years ago at the Windsor

Amateur Boxing Club and I am very passionate and ded-

icated to the sport I love,” said Chaffey.

Express on the right track

The Windsor Express have won three of their last four

games after a 99-95 victory over the Orangeville A’s on

Feb. 11

The Express were led by veteran forward Chris

Commons and his 32 points.

Four other players scored in double figures. The Windsor

Express will return to the court on Feb. 18 as they take on

the London Lightning at the Budweiser Gardens.

NBA All- Star Weekend

All-Star weekend will start its festivities Feb. 12 and this

year the NBA has chosen the Air Canada Centre in

Toronto to house the event.

The weekend will conclude with the All-Star game, with

talent from the Eastern and Western conferences show-

case their skills.

Among the all-stars are Raptor guards Demar DeRozan

and Kyle Lowry.

Opinion

Mark Brown

Sports Columnist

The Long Goodbye

ONVERGED CITIZENsports & fitnessFEBRUARY 18, 2016C11

Essex, Wheaton looking to extend winning ways

Alvinston Flyers goalie Matt Boere sprawls to give Essex 73’s forward Matthew Hebertthe pad save Feb. 9 in Essex at the Essex Centre Sports Complex.

Garrett Fodor


A local goalie is leading the

effort for his team as they look

to defend their Schmalz Cup

championship title.

It took three straight

Schmalz Cup appearances

before the Essex 73’s won the

title on their fourth attempt. It

is now a year later and the

73’s have 11 players from that

team returning for this year’s

playoff run. Expectations are

high for Essex after posting

the best regular season record

in the league winning 34

games and losing three in reg-

ulation expectations are high.

A large factor to that record is

between the pipes from soon

to be 21 year old goaltender

Trevor Wheaton.

Wheaton finished the 2015 -

2016 season with a 24-3-1

record while earning a 0.946

save percentage and sporting

a 1.31 goals against average

with six shutouts. Which was

good enough in all the cate-

gories to earn him the top

goalie in the league honours

and league MVP.

One of the 11 returning

players is defenceman

Matthew Rosati, who has

spent two season with

Wheaton. Rosati said

Wheaton has been unbeliev-

able for the team

“There's a reason he won

league MVP. He puts us in a

great position to win every

single night,” said Rosati. “He

makes every save he is sup-

posed to and then a couple

more he's not supposed to. All

that being said I think our

entire team in front of him has

been playing great and limit-

ing the opposition's quality

scoring chances too.”

The 73’s have been hosting

the Alvinston Flyers in the

first round of the playoffs. In

the first three games of the

series, Wheaton has posted

shutouts and the team has

gone on to win 9-0, 6-0 and 6-

0.

Wheaton said he has been

playing well but has to credit

his success to the team in

front of him.

“It’s not just me, our defence

is playing a really good game

right now and they are making

good decisions in our zone,”

said Wheaton. “Our defence

is keeping shots to the out-

side, giving me the easy shots

so I make the saves I gotta

make. Bryan Spearing, our

goalie coach, has been run-

ning us through drills, brings

out the video and makes sure

we see what we are doing

wrong in games so we are

really fixing our errors.”

Rosati said he knows that

teams have heard about the

team and Wheaton’s success

but is confident if they just

keep at their systems they can

progress.

“He won back-to-back

Western Conferences in

Leamington the past two

years and a Great Lakes title

with a run to the Schmalz

before that,” said Rosati. “I'm

sure teams may try to get in

his head but they did that to

Hedrick last year too and we

were able to overcome it. He

just has to stay focused and let

us players deal with anything

unnecessary going on. We're a

tight group in that locker

room and I know all 23 of us

will be looking out and stand-

ing up for each other.

Rosati, Wheaton and the rest

of the Essex 73’s are in action

Friday night as the team trav-

els to Alvinston for game four,

as they look to advance to the

semi-finals of the Great Lakes

Junior “C” playoffs.

“There's a reason he won league MVP.He puts us in a great position to winevery single night.”

---Matthew Rosati

The Dion Phaneuf era has

officially come to an end for

the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs shipped their cap-

tain to their arch rivals, the

Ottawa Senators Tuesday

morning in a nine player deal.

It was the first trade between

the two teams in almost 18

years.

There were bad contracts

aplenty in this trade with the

Leafs taking back three short

term contracts to get rid of

Phaneuf’s remaining five

years at $7 million per year.

Milan Michalek, Jared Cowen

and Colin Greening all came

to the Leafs in the trade as

salary dumps. The three con-

tracts combined cost a little

more annually than Phaneuf’s,

but they all expire at the end

of next season. This is perfect

for the position the Leafs are

in right now. They don’t

expect to be a team close to

the salary cap next season.

This deal gives them flexibili-

ty in the long term when they

expect to be contenders. The

Leafs still managed to obtain a

solid prospect in Tobias

Lindberg and a 2017 second

round pick in the deal.

The Leafs also sent forwards

Matt Frattin, Casey Bailey,

Ryan Rupert and long shot

prospect Cody Donaghey to

the Senators in the deal.

Frattin, Bailey and Rupert had

been playing for the Leafs

AHL affiliate, Toronto Marlies

and are not expected to

become NHL players.

Donaghey is a young defence-

man who signed as a free

agent out of the Quebec Major

Junior Hockey League. The

purpose of these four players

being thrown into the deal is

to free up space on the team’s

50 contract limit. In short, the

Leafs opened up a contract

spot which is helpful to them

as they expect to be sellers at

the upcoming trade deadline.

This means they can take on

an extra contract that a team is

trying to get rid of if it will

increase their return in a trade.

This deal looks like a home

run for the Leafs and a big risk

for the Senators.

To be fair, the Senators are in

a tough position. Superstar

defenceman, Erik Karlsson, is

in his prime and the Senators

have to try to win with him. A

player like Karlsson doesn’t

come around very often to say

the least. Karlsson is sitting in

third place in points in the

NHL more than half way

through the season and he is a

defenceman. Senators General

Manager Bryan Murray clear-

ly realizes what a failure it

would be to never even sniff a

Stanley Cup with a special

player like Karlsson on your

roster. Murray decided to take

on a contract that will make

them worse in the future to get

a player that will improve

their team right now. It is

tough to argue that this trade

makes the Senators contenders

as they are five points out of a

wild-card spot in the Eastern

Conference.

This time last year the Leafs

still had David Clarkson, Phil

Kessel and Dion Phaneuf’s

massive contracts on the

books. All three have since

been moved while only retain-

ing $1.2 million on the Kessel

deal. If you told any Leafs fan

a year ago this would be the

case, they would have laughed

in your face. It was a foregone

conclusion there would be no

way to move all three without

taking back a significant

amount of salary.

Kudos to the new Leafs front

office for ridding this team of

three onerous contracts while

gaining assets for the future.

TORONTO ACQUIRES OTTAWA ACQUIRES

-Jared Cowen

-Milan Michalek

-Colin Greening

-Tobias Lindberg

-2017 second round pick

-Dion Phaneuf

-Matt Frattin

-Casey Bailey

-Ryan Rupert

-Cody Donaghey

Opinion

Dylan Fremlin

Sports Columnist

Photo by Garrett Fodor

Leaf’s Phaneuf traded

ONVERGED CITIZENsports & fitnessFEBRUARY 18, 2016C12

Younger Admirals stepping upChristian Bouchard


Photo by Christian Bouchard

Members of the Amherstburg Admirals celebrate a goalin the 1st period of Game 3 of the Great Lakes Junior‘C’ Quarter-Final round.

The Integrity Amherstburg

Admirals are receiving a play-

off push from two of their

youngest players.

17 year-old Broden Meloche

has helped lead the Admirals

this season, leading his team

in scoring with 44 points in 39

games. Meloche’s quality of

play has continued throughout

his three-playoff games as

well. Meloche is currently

averaging a goal and an assist

in each contest and is second

in the league with a total of

eight points.

Meloche said a large part of

his success comes from being

partnered with line mate

Dylan Muzzatti, who finished

second on the team in points

with 41. However, Meloche

believes the goaltending

received by 17 year-old

Connor Meyernik will be the

biggest factor in a deep play-

off run.

“Conner (Meyernik) has

been on another planet as of

late,” said Meloche. “All year

he’s been solid in net and has

won us some games we didn’t

deserve to win. You definitely

need good goaltending for

deep playoff runs and Connor

gives us a great chance for

one.”

Meyernik is now 3-0 in the

playoffs and holds a 1.57

goals against average in the

playoffs. He said playoffs are

the best time of the year for

him as the bigger the chal-

lenge, the more likely he is to

succeed.

“Playing for my family and

playing for all my boys it

makes it that much easier to

stay in it and go for the win,”

said Meyernik. “I just play to

have fun, that’s all I do. Times

like these are fun for me. I like

a good challenge when it’s

intense like this.

Meloche’s line mate

Muzzatti said the Admirals

are in for a deep playoff run.

He believes the playoffs are

all that matters and it is exact-

ly what the Admirals play for.

According to Muzzatti,

pound for pound, the

Admirals have the best over-

all team in the league when

they come to play for a full 60

minutes. He sees a champi-

onship in the Admirals future.

“We’re here to win,” said

Muzzatti. “We’re not goig to

lose this year. We want it all

and we’re probably going to

get it all because we’re the

best team in the league.

A Windsor man has trade-

marked a new product to assist

music studio producers in a

more efficient setup and

recording process.

The owner of Sound Lab

Recordings has created a revo-

lutionary two-mic attachment

called the X Clip, a dual

microphone clip which pairs

an SM57 with any small

diaphragm condenser micro-

phone.

Martin Bak said the conven-

tional method has always been

to tape the two microphones

together. In videos, photo-

graphs and most live or studio

scenarios where two mics are

being used they have usually

been taped or slip-tied.

“I had been using the (taping)

technique for years, primarily

on the snare drum,” said Bak.

“I thought to myself, ‘some-

thing else has to exist. I’m

tired of doing this tape crap

and my expensive mics keep

getting all sticky.'”

Bak began researching the

issue to find a solution to his

problem and found nothing.

“There are however some

similar products, but they are

not the same idea. The clips

are either too far apart or they

are angled differently,” said

Bak. “After that, I did a patent

search because I wanted to go

about pursuing it. Nothing

was found. Again, similar

ones, but none that were the

same concept.”

Bak was talking about his

idea and the need for a mold

maker during a recording ses-

sion which included guitar

player Alex Antic, who is also

a mold maker. The two dis-

cussed the concept and the

work began.

“It went from, ‘this can actu-

ally happen,’ to making a tan-

gible product that many peo-

ple can use,” said Bak. “It

took me 10 years to figure out

that it didn’t exist and to even

think about it.”

The X Clip simply snaps on

to one mic and you piggyback

the pencil mic. Another bene-

fit is it does not require two

microphone stands to do it,

essentially saving room and

eliminating clutter.

Some producers will even

use it to combine tones for

Todd Shearon


Martin Bak sets up microphones with an X Clip at Sound Lab Recordings in Windsor.

Clipping the competition

Managing Editors

THE CONVERGED TEAMCo-Managing Editors Production Team Production Managers

Sports EditorsCP EditorsPhoto Editors Entertainment

Editor

WWW.THEMEDIAPLEX.COM

EMAIL: [email protected]: (519) 9722727 EXT. 4963

Mark Brown

Caleb Workman

Ashley Ann Mentley

Michael Hugall

Caleb Workman

Rabiul Biplob

Naureen Ahmed

Jeremy James

Stephanie Zografos

Mayra Lacayo

Tyler Boissonneault

Anthony Sheardown

Julia Poehlman

Rhiannon Lotze

Samantha Wigfield

Christian Bouchard

Jordan Caschera Allanah Wills

guitar amps.

“I’m not only promoting the

product but the technique

behind it, as far as blending

distortion tone through one

mic and a clean tone through

another mic to make a better

sounding guitar or snare,”

said Bak. “It actually

improves the sound if you

know how to do it right. If

you compress one or equalize

them a certain way you can

really get them to work

together.”

Bak said a lot of producers

have been using the technique

for years but haven’t had the

ability to clip them properly.

Butch Vig used two mics on

the snare drum on Nirvana’s

Nevermind album and the

snare sound has been a rock

staple through today.

The X Clip is selling online

for $19.99 and Bak said he is

receiving orders from across

the globe.

“I think his product is genius

in its simplicity,” said The Tea

Party drummer Jeff Burrows.

“I have many friends in the

industry using it now.”

More information can be

found at www.thexclip.com.

Photo by Todd Shearon

the converged citizen - february 18, 2016

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