A computer company has entered into a partnership with eight local high schools, including Lisgar collegiate institute. The partnership promises to land some students a coveted job in Silicon Valley, but it has some people asking questions about corporations' place in the classroom. Cisco, a networking giant with more than $100 billion US in assets, approached the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board in March and proposed a two- to three-year intensive multi-media computer course. A leader in data communications, Cisco had a revenue of $7.2 billion US last year. It controls roughly 85 per cent of the world's router industry. Routers control the flow of e-mails, over the global Internet, to computers. The board jumped at the offer, says Greg Marshall, the board’s information technology manager. “We saw it as an opportunity to shape kid’s careers in areas where there’s really an interesting (growth development),” says Marshall. However, not everyone sees the project in such a positive light. Parents and politicians are among those suspect of the merger between public education and private industry. Eleanor Heap, head of the Lisgar Collegiate Institute Council, says specialization -- regardless of perceived benefits -- detracts from the overall learning experience. “I don’t think education should be ruled by private industry,” says Heap. “Children need a generalized education. Mike Harris would be pleased.” Paul Benoit, whose son is in the program at Lisgar, is cautiously optimistic. “The larger context raises certain questions. How are we going to protect those courses meant to be educational? The liberal arts option cannot be eclipsed; it needs to be preserved.” Board trustee Albert Chambers says he is not aware of the particulars involving the joint effort, but believes such trends are generally speaking a move in the right direction. “It is especially important in areas like the high tech industry where there is such tremendous growth,” says Chambers. “We’re going to have to enter into partnerships, but we must maintain the integrity of public education.” A ‘brain drain’ effect, in which young Canadians are lured to the US by the prospects of a more lucrative market, is what concerns MPP Richard Patten. “Hopefully we’re educating young kids to live in Canada,” says Patten, adding that “we shouldn’t be subsidizing companies to train our kids and whip them off to California.” Patten says the program amounts to a company training its employees in Canadian schools. LISGAR, continued page 2 From page 1 He's also concerned that only “the cream of the crop” will be offered guaranteed jobs within the information technology sector. But some Lisgar students would choose California over Ottawa, if given the opportunity. Charles Benoit, 16, is taking the course at Lisgar. He says California is an amazing place and that there would be little worry of a California operation shutting down. “The program is different from the other classes offered in school,” says Benoit. “You’re always learning stuff.” His friend Jesse Razaqpur, 16, is also in the course. “I’d probably choose California because it offers greater opportunity and the chance at promotion.” He says the new course is practical. “Computer courses are a lot more current than regular courses,” says Razaqpur. “I can see many applications. If I have two computers at home, I can link them and form a network.” Lisgar principal Angela Spence says it’s misleading to assume students would be sent to work in the United States. “Students may have the opportunity of going to the United States. There is a connection with the parent company, but the institution running this program is Cisco Systems Canada which operates out of Ottawa,” says Spence. In the United States alone, mid to large size information technology firms report 190,000 job openings. This leaves kids who graduate from this course in a good position, says Spence. Cisco’s program involves about 450 schools worldwide and 15,000 students. Students who successfully complete the mandatory exam will receive a Cisco Certified Network Associate Certificate — the ticket to employment right out of high school. The program is costing the board $120,000-$130,000, or about $15,625 per school. Considering that the typical lab can cost $100,000 to set up, the board figures it got a bargain.
The corporate file The Issue: Corporations in the classroom. What’s New: Cisco Systems Canada and Lisgar collegiate institute are offering a joint multi-media computer course. What It Means: While some applaud the program’s vocational approach, others are uneasy private enterprise has imposed on public education. What's next: Students who complete the course and pass an exam will receive a certificate, after which the option exists of working at Cisco’s California affiliate.
Ottawa’s planning committee has passed a staff report that “strongly objects” to the expansion of Metcalfe Street. On Sept. 29, the committee voted 3-1 in favour of passing the staff report which included two recommendations that objected to the National Capital Commission’s proposal to turn Metcalfe Street into a grand boulevard leading to Parliament Hill. The main concern of the report is the possible destruction of heritage buildings that predate Canada. Curry Wood, vice-president of real estate for the NCC, said they’re considering moving the heritage buildings so they won’t be destroyed. But in response to questions put forth by committee chairwoman Elisabeth Arnold, Wood said the NCC has no plans regarding where heritage buildings could be moved to and no estimation of the potential cost of the entire project. Wood said the NCC is considering modifying their vision. One option being considered is to focus development north of Laurier Avenue to minimize the impact on heritage buildings. He said the NCC is also considering the effect Metcalfe Street expansion may have on the residential area south of Laurier. But it would be premature to say whether the NCC would drop the proposal, he said. “We’ll have to take into consideration all the consultations, but no decisions have been made and no firm options have been developed,” he said. STREET, continued page 2 From Page 1 “However, I do expect that there will be a significant rethinking of the Metcalfe expansion.” Coun. Ron Kolbus called the Metcalfe proposal a “waste of time” and said the NCC should focus on other ways to revitalize Ottawa’s downtown core. “You’ve got Sparks Street to work on to try and improve business down there, you’ve got the waterfront to work on and Lebreton Flats has been sitting around for 20 years now,” he said. “Where did this idea about Metcalfe Street come from? That’s not something we’ve been talking about for years in this community. You’ve got all these other projects to work on.” Coun. Richard Cannings asked if the NCC would proceed even if council voted against the proposal. Wood couldn’t guarantee the NCC would do this. “We’ll have to see,” he told the committee. Public consultations regarding the Metcalfe proposal ended last month. Wood says an analysis of the consultations will be made public in late October or early November and a revised plan based on these consultations should be ready by January 1999. He said the second phase of consultations will begin at that time. Coun. Shawn Little put forward a motion asking the planning committee to wait to vote on the proposal until the NCC has had time to revise it.
Centretown residents are being asked for their opinion about the National Capital Commission’s proposal for Metcalfe Street. But if poor attendance at a recent public meeting on the issue is any indication, few are ready to take a stand. A questionnaire was sent out last week by Ottawa Centre MP Mac Harb, asking residents which, if any, of the NCC’s four different ideas they prefer. “We were elected to represent the views of constituents,” Harb said at a Sept. 26 public meeting of policy officials and only a handful of constituents. “I refrain from stating my opinion until such time that people have formulated theirs,” he said, explaining that the NCC has asked to hear from the public before the politicians. But later in the meeting, Harb did share his thoughts. “The plan as it is absolutely fabulous,” he said, in reference to the NCC’s vision. “I was extremely impressed and they did a wonderful job.” Harb is frustrated by the media, which he says continually ignore the NCC’s smaller-scale ideas for Metcalfe Street and focus on the largest of the four ideas. Referring to a smaller survey which he sent out the first week of August, Harb says most people surveyed favour some part of the plan. “There’s been a lot of people who support stopping (the widening of Metcalfe Street) at some point,” he said. “That’s more sensible.” Harb’s August survey was issued to 4,000 constituents, but just over 100 were returned. Those results will be tabulated along with those from last week’s survey which was sent out to 110,000 residents. Awad Loubani, vice-president of the Ottawa Centre Liberal Association, says there will be more town hall meetings on the issue. Harb will present the results of the questionnaire to the NCC and Parliament at the end of the month.
The region just entered the garbage collection business claiming it can save taxpayers $2 million, but many say the promise is anything but in the bag. Regional councillors awarded the bulk of Ottawa-Carleton’s five-year, $79 million curbside garbage contract to two large multinational companies. But for the first time ever, the region is keeping the rest of the business, officially making itself part of the competition. While the plan is intended to benefit taxpayers, some residents such as Emile Therien are worried the region doesn’t know what it’s getting itself into. He says employee benefits and office expenses are only a couple of the hidden costs that could turn the proposed $2 million savings into a financial disaster. “You want to make sure the players in the game are qualified to do the job,” Therien says. “The low bid is not always the answer.” But Kanata Coun. Alex Munter says the region has done its homework and that if costs start to soar, the regional zone can always be contracted out again. He also says keeping part of the contract will help prevent a garbage collection monopoly that could hurt taxpayers in the long run. Munter says if the contract is a success, the region may increase its number of trash collecting areas when a new contract has to be voted on in five years. “The important thing is that it sends a message to these large companies that if they don’t remain competitive we have an option,” Munter says. The message has a nearly $16 million pricetag, giving the region trash collecting responsibilities for Vanier, south Ottawa and parts of Gloucester. The region will also spend more than $4 million on garbage trucks for its new business. Smaller, local operators were shut out of the contract because none was able to give a competitive bid for any of the region’s five large collection zones. Kris Parsons, who helps run Goulbourn-Stittsville Sanitation, says she’s upset the company spent $15,000 to prepare a realistic bid only to be turned down because of the region’s rough estimates. She also feels small companies were unfairly painted with the same brush as Exel Environmental, a small operator whose last garbage contract was an embarrassment for the region. Exel promised cheap service for a quarter of the region but was fired in February because of late pickups and financial problems. Since then, the region has been picking up the trash with few complaints, but Parsons says that’s only because operators like hers often send in trucks to help the region finish its routes on time. Munter says he’s confident the plan will benefit the taxpayer. Although he’s disappointed small operators were left out, he says granting contracts is not about charity. “Nobody has the God-given right to pick up trash. The only reason to contract out a service is if it’s cheaper. If it isn’t, it doesn’t make sense.”
The former executive director of the Sparks Street Mall is suing its management board for wrongful dismissal and loss of reputation. Kenneth Dale is seeking $90,000 for wrongful dismissal, $50,000 for loss of reputation and $30,000 for punitive damages from the Sparks Street Mall Management Board. The former executive director also wants: $13,000 in accrued vacation and overtime pay, on top of legal costs and out-of-pocket expenses for his effort to find re-employment. Dale, who held the post for six years, filed suit against his former employer on Sept. 9, almost 10 months after he was fired. The defendants earlier this week filed a notice that they intend to defend the suit. In the documents filed with the Ontario Court, General Division, Dale claims he was wrongfully dismissed “after repeated assurances by the board that his contract would be extended.” In the documents, Dale claims his performance had rated satisfactory in an evaluation by the board in early Nov. 1997. His job was terminated later that month. Dale claims in the court documents that the board had no “just cause” to terminate his employment. He claims “gross procedural deficiencies” occurred at meetings, in which his dismissal was discussed, thereby nullifying the board’s final decision. Dale says he was not given reasonable notice of the termination of his employment. He claims statements made by Stan Ages, chair of the board, defamed him, damaging his reputation and slowing the pace of his job search after his dismissal. According to the court documents, Dale is seeking damages from the board for remarks about Dale’s view of the job that he claims are “negative and disparaging.” Dale refused to comment on the case.
Centretown merchants say they are counting on new parking meters installed along Bank Street to help bring business back to the area. “This is long overdue. There’s definitely more people walking around now because of the convenience of parking,” says Frank Saab, owner of Us Hair Design on Bank Street. The 53 new meters added by the City of Ottawa extend along Bank Street from Gloucester Street to Gladstone Avenue. Peter Bula, a parking development official for the city, says the meters are the most inexpensive way to respond to the local business community’s demands for additional parking. The Bank Street Promenade, a local merchants’ association, has been fighting for eight years to get more street parking. Gerry LePage, executive director of the association, says all successful commercial areas need to have convenient parking for patrons. LePage cites the Glebe and the Byward Market as examples of commercial areas that are thriving because of adequate parking. He also says it’s been a struggle to get the meters installed because Bank Street is owned by the region, while the meters are owned by the city. Another concern has been parked cars interefere with several of OC Transpo’s main bus routes running along Bank Street. The city responded by putting meters on alternating sides of the street, to avoid congestion. Henry Yee, who has managed property on Bank Street for over 30 years, says he is very happy with the 13 new meters on his block. He says he remembers when parking meters were taken away 15 years ago to accommodate the bus routes. “It became like a ghost town, so many stores were going bankrupt. Before, Bank Street was the best shopping street in the city,” says Yee. “Now that the parking is back, we hope that the business will come back.” Not everyone is pleased with the additional cars now lining Bank Street. Guy Leonard, an OC Transpo bus driver, says the new meters are causing congestion on one of the city’s main arteries. “It’s creating a lot more traffic. Parking should not be allowed, especially during rush hour,” says Leonard. The city says the new meters are being tested on a one- year trial basis. It plans to re-evaluate the situation next fall. The meters are the first phase in the city’s plan to help revitalize the Bank Street commercial area. The second phase, to be discussed over the winter, will involve the addition of parking on side streets such as Nepean and Lisgar. Action is not expected on this second phase until the spring.
The parking file The issue: parking on Bank Street What’s new: 53 new parking meters have been added on Bank Street between Gloucester Street and Gladstone Avenue What it means: Local merchants are hoping it will boost business What’s next: This winter the city will discuss new locations for meters, no new action is planned until spring
Participants weren’t thinking about the problems that plagued the AIDS Committee of Ottawa (ACO) earlier this year but were focused on raising money for the organization when they walked through parts of Centretown for this year’s AIDS Walk. “We’re here for a cause, not political reasons,” said Angie Campbell, who was walking with her co-workers. “We’re here out of the goodness of our hearts.” Sheila O’Gorman, co-ordinator of the Sept. 27 walk, estimated that 2,000 people took part and raised $102,000, the same numbers as last year. At their longest point, the walkers stretched eight city blocks down Bank Street. AIDS Walk is an annual event held across Canada to raise money for local AIDS organizations. The main beneficiary from the walk in Ottawa is the ACO, a non-profit association which helps people infected with HIV. Stephen Brown, chair of the board of directors at the ACO, said AIDS Walk is one of the most crucial fundraising events of the year because it typically accounts for a big part of the organization’s $960,000 yearly budget. For each of the past two years the walk has raised $60,000 for the ACO, said O’Gorman. Brown said the ACO experienced some problems in April when the organization’s members were upset after the previous board made budget cuts. “At that time the board instituted significant changes in direction in terms of service,” he said. One of the more controversial cuts was going to force HIV-positive clients to seek counselling at outside agencies instead of continuing to have on-site counsellors at the ACO, Brown said. By June members of the organization were preparing to vote the board of directors out of office when the entire board voluntarily resigned, he said. “There hadn’t been a good dialogue between the board and the membership,” he added. “The result was a great deal of suspicion among members.” Ron Chaplin, co-chair of Ottawa’s AIDS Walk, was worried about how these controversies would affect the walk’s fundraising totals this year. “I expected a slightly negative impact,” he said. Jim Young, a former member of the co-ordinating committee for the Living Room, a drop-in centre at the ACO providing support to people living with HIV, and author of a Health Canada manual on how to set up HIV drop-in centres, said he had no reservations about supporting the ACO by participating in the AIDS Walk. “It’s absolutely important to show support. The support has to be there all the time,” he said. Problems in AIDS service organizations are common, Young added. “AIDS is an incredibly political issue and it can result in all kinds of problems, divisions and schisms,” Young said. Megan Taylor, 13, raised $83 going door-to-door collecting pledges from her neighbours. “It’s a nice walk and we’re raising money to support AIDS. I’m glad to be helping,” she said. Taylor’s mother, Nora Hammell, a prevention co-ordinator with National AIDS Clearinghouse, said the ACO plays an important role in the community and she hasn’t lost confidence in the organization. “I try to let groups sort out internal problems and I was sorry about media attention to the ACO’s problems. “Every organization has problems and we don’t want to have people lose their confidence,” she said.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has turned down a plan to let volunteers supervise high school sports while teachers are working to rule. However, it decided to let volunteers supervise non-sporting activities. The board said it is not safe to operate competitive teams without teacher supervision. The controversial decision doesn’t sit well with some parents and students, who say the board has, in the past, allowed volunteers to supervise such teams. —Centretown News
City council has approved a new zoning plan to encourage mixed-use development on Gladstone Avenue. The Gladstone Improvement Study proposes to introduce neighbourhood activity onto a street where prostitutes and drugs are a problem. The plans allows ground floors and basements of residential buildings to be converted into restaurants and small shops. The eventual hope, says Somerset ward Coun. Elisabeth Arnold, is to encourage new development and bring more people into the community. Arnold envisions the strip turning into a lively business area like Bank Street in the Glebe. —Rawlson King
The Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa-Carleton is close to its fundraising goal of $2 million. “The support is phenomenal,” says Tim Boisvert, manager of the Centretown clubhouse. So far, the campaign for capital equipment has raised almost $1.6 million, says John Bouza, campaign director. The campaign ends in December. The club is raising money to buy new equipment for each of its three clubhouses, including Centretown. A needs list includes equipment and facilities renovations and repairs, things not covered by the United Way, which supports the club’s budget. -—S. Tiies Morgan
By now, many of you have heard about the MacKay Report detailing the increasing role banks should play in our society, particularly in the insurance sector. Banks have not yet touched this lucrative market, and many small insurance brokers in Ottawa, and across Canada in general, fear a disaster if banks sell insurance policies. Let’s face it, nobody needs to go to an insurance bureau, but everybody has to go to the bank. Banks also store data about us that we would rather keep private. They know where we go shopping with our debit cards and they know to whom we write our cheques. Imagine you regularly purchase pills at the local drug store with your debit card. Upon returning home, you discover an ad offering you your bank’s latest life insurance policy in your mailbox. Your ignorant broker will never have access to this kind of information. That only makes him less competitive because he cannot invade your privacy. When you renew your mortgage, or order some cheques at the counter, bank clerks could take one minute of your time to offer you a property and casualty insurance policy. Every time you go to the cash machine, an insurance ad could also blink on the monitor. Does this spell disaster? There’s hardly anything to worry about. Banks have a history of credibility, whereas many brokers selling cheap insurance with high premiums are forced out of the market early in their careers. Large insurance companies have enormous credibility, whereas small brokers strive to get recognition in the community. You’ll often trust a small broker if a friend says he or she has a good relation with him or her. Banks would offer fixed prices, a solid reputation, and would have to hire consultants and sales representatives in their local branches. Small-time insurance sales representatives who cannot compete agains Canadian banks could be out of business, but banks selling insurance policies will need new staff. Brokers could submit their skills, experience, and contacts to Canadian banks who lack this kind of personnel. With more than 100,000 people working in all the insurance industries combined in Canada, banks will have a hard time eliminating the job pool. Only the assault on small brokers will be merciless if privacy rules aren’t enforced.
Just because your commercial property assessment falls doesn’t necessarily mean your taxes will do the same. For some Centretown businesses and landlords, this is the reality of the new method of assessing property taxes. Edgar Mitchell, owner of the Duke of Somerset Pub at 352 Somerset West and landlord of a commercial building, expresses frustration with the new tax policy. Mitchell has not yet received his final tax bill, but says that the assessment on the commercial building he rents out declined by about 12.5 per cent, while his taxes are going up by about 40 per cent. “That just doesn’t compute,” says Mitchell, who is also the chairman of the Somerset Village Business Improvement Area. “What they’ve done is just decided that despite the fact that a lot of businesses’ assessments have gone down, they’re still going to get the same tax from them. “When the assessments go down, it means your business is not worth what it was, so where’s the justification?” On Jan. 1, 1998, the Ontario government introduced a new property tax system called the Current Value Assessment which is based on the property value as of June 1996. In the past, property values were determined across the province using different years to calculate the market value of properties. “Unfortunately, people’s mindsets were still with the other system, whereas, if they received an assessment notice and they saw it went down 20 or 30 per cent, as under the old system, they made the assumption that their taxes would go down,” says Gerry LePage, executive director of the Bank Street Promenade. “And what we’re seeing now is even if your assessment has gone down 40 per cent, you could very well see tax increases,” LePage says. Another change is to the Business Occupancy Tax (BOT). Since the BOT has been eliminated as a separate tax, business tenants will no longer pay BOT taxes to their municipalities. The total amount of this tax has been incorporated into the property tax that owners/landlords of commercial and industrial will be required to pay. As a result, under the new system, Mitchell and other landlords are expected to act as tax collectors to their tenants since a portion of the rent now goes towards paying city property taxes. “Whether they are able to pay it, and what the impact is on their tenancy remains to be seen,” says Mitchell. As a business tenant and owner of Rudy’s Tailoring at 429 Bank St., Milad Bakestani says that because his property taxes increased by $4,000 from about $6,000 to $10,000 annually, he is considering moving to a more affordable building. He rents the building, and running a small business isn’t profitable enough to handle such a substantial increase. “It will affect my business because I can’t work any more,” he says. Within the next year, LePage, on behalf of the Bank Street Promenade, intends to petition the provincial government to try to set up a separate class for small businesses to prevent these types of increases from occurring on a regular basis every time there are assessments. “It’s becoming an exhaustive exercise to try to find means and ways to mitigate against these increases so people can survive,” says LePage.
The tax file The Issue: Property tax assessment changes What’s New: The Ontario Government introduced a new method of property assessment called Current Value Assessment. What it Means: Some business owners may consider moving to more affordable locations. What’s Next: Executive Director of the Bank Street Promenade says he intends to petition the Ontario Government to introduce a separate class for small businesses to avoid such high tax increases.
Ottawa’s tourism industry is losing money as more and more companies are choosing to hold conventions in cities such as Toronto, Montreal or Calgary. The city is losing convention business because it doesn’t have the type of space most companies are looking for. Most companies want to hold exhibits and trade shows, with large meetings with smaller meetings at the same time, said Andrée Steel, director of sales for the Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority. “When you start putting a meal, a meeting and a trade show together, we just don’t have the space,” said Steel. Recently, Ottawa has had to turn away six major conventions from group such as NATO and the Academy of Dentistry because the Congress Centre couldn’t meet the space needed to host the conventions. The revenue from the conventions would have totaled more than $10 million for the city. To meet the convention business’ changing needs, the region is fine-tuning a plan to expand the Congress Centre. Steel said that while the centre can presently hold a trade show and a large meeting, or a large meeting with smaller meetings, there isn’t enough space to hold all three at the same time. The proposal to expand the Congress Centre was approved by the region in August and involves an additional 13,500 square metres of convention and meeting room space, extra parking and a new hotel. The expansion has a proposed cost of $100 million and would be attached to the Congress Centre, at the corner of Nicholas and Rideau streets. “We’re at the initial stages of discussion with the owners of the site and the Congress Centre Board,” said Réjean Chartrand, the director of economic affairs at the region. “The consideration is mostly on a cost basis and what fits the site best.” The region will need financial help from other levels of government and the private sector to build the expansion, said River ward Coun. Wendy Stewart. In 1997, there were 710 conventions in Ottawa, which brought more than 195,000 people to the region, according to the Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority. These conventions brought close to $190 million to hotels, restaurants and convention centres in Ottawa.
Centretown businesses, large and small, can profit in many ways from a new alternative to traditional employment agencies. World Skills Staffing Service is a non-profit organization that matches prospective employers with people who are new to Canada and in need of employment. The LeClercs, for example, needed someone to do landscaping work for them. They called the Catholic Immigration Centre, one of the local agencies serving immigrants who manages World Skills. According to Clemence LeClerc, when she and her husband called looking for help the project staff arranged for Rouslin Boukine to work the next day and he began work the morning after. “We are very pleased with him,” said LeClerc. Boukine is a newcomer from Russia who came to Ottawa with his family about one year ago. He found employment quickly through the World Skills program, and now he has another job as a second-cook. He said he found the program “very helpful and a very good idea.” Mona Forrest is the executive director of the Center for Canadian Language Benchmarks. She chose World Skills when she was recruiting for a job preparation training program. She took on two people from World Skills whom she describes as very responsible,flexible, with a drive to advance. World Skills is in the business of “promoting the skills and talents of immigrants to employers,”explained Mengistab Tsegay, the project manager. Since it began in the spring of 1997, World Skills has made over 133 job placements through job orders from employers, tipping newcomers to advertised opportunities that matched their skills and by teaching them how to compete for an opportunity they located themselves. The funding for the program comes primarily from the Trillium Foundation, a provincial government agency, as well as the United Way, Community Foundation and Heritage Canada. “Basically we provide professional staffing services to the employers within the region, but with a twist, because we don’t charge(clients)…and because it’s funded by Trillium we don’t have to charge the employers,” said Jennifer Litgus, project co-ordinator. World Skills specializes in immigrants who are seeking jobs. Weekly workshops in English and biweekly workshops in French are offered free of charge to newcomers to teach them how to find employment in their fields and describe their skills to potential employers. “Everything is new,” says Litgus. “When you’re job hunting it’s stressful enough, but if you move to a new geographical area you probably have a new language to learn, you probably have no network of people,and the whole style of job hunting may be completely different than what you are used to.” World Skills workshops take job seekers through the entire process from writing resumes to finding employers that are hiring, to interviewing and tips about the Canadian workforce. “I found them very, very useful,” said Nicolina Kovacina, who immigrated from Yugoslavia one year ago. She said she appreciated the use of a computer and the Internet in her job search, and the support of the staff. “You can count on someone if you don’t know anyone here.” At a recent workshop, job-seekers professed engineering degrees, degrees in education, Masters degrees, and other experience that could benefit employers. “Our candidates are from different sectors,” said Litgus. “One of the concerns for immigrants is that they’re often under-employed and so we’re trying to alleviate that problem by finding jobs that match peoples’ skills and interests.”
The fall sports season is finally here. The NFL is entering its sixth week, baseball playoffs are in full swing, the NHL season is under way, and if there wasn’t a lockout, basketball would be in here too. What better way to celebrate this joyous time than with the launch of another television sports network. CTV Sportsnet was launched Oct.9, to the delight of sports fans who just can’t get enough sports. It promises 24-hour regional sports coverage and an alternative to Canada’s only other major sports network, TSN. And it all adds up to a very happy fall and winter for Ottawa sports fans. Sportsnet is the latest addition to a market which has grown by leaps and bounds. When combined with specialty channels like Headline Sports, the Golf Channel, Speedvision, the Outdoor Life Network and TSN, and sports broadcasting from traditional networks like the CBC, the sports fanatic has more choice than ever before. Whatever your sport, chances are you’ll find some sort of coverage. The NFL rules the airwaves all afternoon Sunday and on Monday nights. Baseball playoffs provide evening entertainment for the month of October. If basketball resumes there’ll be something else to follow. And of course there’s hockey. Ottawa Senators fans are the biggest winners from the broadcast sports explosion. Fans’ expectations are high after a very successful 1997-98 season where the Senators eliminated the first-place New Jersey Devils in the first round and the sports channels have taken notice. CHRO will cover the Senators locally, featuring a 20-game schedule, while Sportsnet has promised to show an additional 23 games. The CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada will broadcast the Senators 12 times. This makes an incredible total of 55 televised games. If you still want more Senators, there’s also Ottawa Sports Radio. It’s the official voice of the team and Canada’s second 24-hour sports radio station. It also provides game broadcasts from other sports as well as controversial call-in shows that are the mark of any true sports station. It all means a 20- to 30-minute drive to Kanata and the purchase of expensive tickets aren’t the only way to follow the Senators this year. Is this too much sports? Maybe, but who really cares. Pull up an easy chair and let the games begin. If you need me, I’ll be in the living room.
This season, Ottawa’s women hockey players are at a whole new level. Ottawa’s first AAA women’s team, the National Capital Raiders, have begun their season. The drop of a puck has marked a new era in hockey in the region. There are a number of women’s AAA teams in Canada, but before the Raiders, Ottawa-area women had to move elsewhere to play at this high of a level. “Finally we don’t have to go to Toronto or Montreal,” says Marie-France Ethier, 27, who lives in Centretown. “We can play in our hometown.” Four players on the team live in Centretown. Teammates Isabelle Aubé, 21, Courtney Davis, 24, and Karina Verdon, 22, are also excited and enthusiastic about the opportunity to play for the Raiders. All of them have been playing hockey or ringette since childhood, but were limited to playing on A or AA teams. Work on establishing the Raiders began last winter, when a fledgling team played seven exhibition games against teams from Toronto. From there, initial tryouts were held last May, when 26 players were chosen to be considered for the team. After a long summer of grueling land training, 20 players were chosen to make up the Raiders’ roster. “It’s a great feeling,” says Aubé. “It’s a challenge for every one of us to have this team to participate on, and excel at this level of play.” The Raiders have been in direct contact with Olympians, as many of Team Canada’s members play AAA in Toronto or Montreal. Aubé, who made Team Canada’s under-22 team this past spring and trained with them in Calgary over the summer, believes that having older women playing competitive hockey is an encouragement for younger girls to keep playing. There are more females playing hockey than ever before. The Ottawa District Women’s Hockey Association oversees over 2,000 players in 120 teams, and has tripled in size over the last eight years. Female hockey players in the association who are 12 years-old and under are admitted free into the Raiders’ games, and team members will set up coaching clinics for younger teams this winter. “It’s fun to see the girls in the association come and cheer for us. We really appreciate that,” Aubé says. “I think we consider ourselves role models for the younger players in the area.” And while a professional league in the U.S. fell through this season, all of the women are sure it can’t be a long way off. “When I was younger, it seemed like it would never happen,” says Verdon, referring to the Olympics. “But then the time just flew by. Just imagine what could happen in the next few years if girls keep on playing hockey. There’s no limit.
Recruiters say OAC athletes shouldn’t stress about missing a season — but athletes feel they need to go that extra mile to prove themselves. As teachers and athletic directors in the English public schools continue to refrain from any voluntary activity like coaching, athletes are left scrambling to practise and get exposure on their own. University coaches who recruit players feel bad for athletes, but don’t think it will have that great an impact on how they pick next year’s university teams. “We recruit two to three years in advance so we’ve got a good eye on who we want to recruit when the time comes,” says Fabienne Perrin-Blizzard, head coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of Ottawa. Perrin-Blizzard feels that an athlete’s OAC year is more important to honing their skills than to attracting university recruiters. Donn Smith, head coach of the Carleton Ravens football team, agrees. Smith says he identifies prospects as early as grades 11 and 12. Smith says he’ll have to use other methods when evaluating those who may be sidelined this season. “We always have potentials in mind, but we will have to rely heavily on high school coaches’ recollection of the 1997-98 season. Unfortunately, this might be a hit-and-miss situation,” says Smith. Despite what university coaches say, OAC athletes are still concerned with not getting enough exposure in their final year. “It’s your OAC year that’s the clincher. Tournaments like Carleton and Queen’s are where recruiters go, so they can have a look at us,” says Hien Nguyen, an OAC basketball player at Lisgar Collegiate. Cancelled tournaments have been a disappointment to athletes, especially those hoping to play for the host university. Murray Shoup, who usually coaches the senior girls basketball team at Glebe Collegiate, has voluntarily organized a city-registered community basketball team. It gives Lisgar and Glebe high school girls a chance to play and show off their skills. The team played three games against Catholic and private schools but were later told they could no longer play against teams in that league because of the labour dispute. The players want one thing, aside from the scholarships and exposure. “I came to Lisgar for my last year specifically to play sports,” says Nguyen. “All I want is to be able to play.”
Every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday night, as many as 40 kids make their way to the Gale Kerwin Boxing Club, tucked in a basement corner of the Ottawa Boys and Girls Club. The basement room is an obstacle course of punching bags, speedbags and chairs for the spectators. A mirror lines one wall — just like ballet dancers, boxers need to see their moves to turn them into an art form. On this particular Wednesday night, about 10 youth have shown up. Some are busy wrapping their hands and wrists in protective bandages. Another punches a hanging ball in staccato succession. Still another is “shadow boxing,” waltzing around the room with an imaginary opponent. It’s hard to believe that a little over a year ago, this room was used only for the occasional community meeting. “There was no equipment,” says Gale Kerwin of the club’s humble beginnings. “A certain club was selling off their equipment, so I bought them out.” Forty years ago, Kerwin was one of the stars of boxing, packing in crowds at places like Madison Square Gardens in New York. Posters from his fighting days adorn the club’s walls. “Lightweight Contenders’ Slugfest,” exclaims one. “Main Event 10 Rounds Johnny Busso — Club-Fighting Brooklyn Belter Ranked 8th vs Gale Kerwin, The Valley Steam Bomber.” Now, the Centretown lightweight-turned-realtor is trying to pass his fighting spirit on to a new generation. Some of the equipment has seen better days, with duct tape bandages giving them a new lease on life. No one is complaing if the equipment isn’t top of the line, though. “Gale Kerwin is a former professional Canadian boxer,” says member Widijoyo Njaman. “He’s very famous and he knows about boxing.” Members like Njaman are earning a reputation for the club, too. So far, they have a 60 per cent success rate in competition, which members attribute to the dedication of the coaches. Although anyone is welcome to participate, some, like Njaman, are dedicated boxers. “My goal in boxing is to go to the Olympics as a Canadian,” says the Japanese visa student. “2004, that’s my goal. In the future, you’ll probably see me on TV.” Most of the participants are in the upper age categories. Kerwin hopes to bring in the younger crowd. Children as young as 10 can participate. “I think the big thing you get out of this is a lot of discipline,” says Ronald Gervais, a retired civil servant who helps coach. “You have to be in top physical condition and you have to work hard to do that.” Xavier Desrochers, another coach, agrees. “It keeps the kids out of trouble. If you take the youth off the street and you make them train hard and make them fight in the ring with the gloves, it takes the violence away from the street.” The Boys and Girls Club allows youth to participate in programs for a $25 annual membership fee. The fee can be waived for low-income families. “It’s mostly lads and kids from the inner-city and a mixture of different backgrounds and different cultures,” says Gervais. “The good thing about this program, is it’s a place where they can come and let off some steam and no one gets hurt.” Kerwin notes that there is now all kinds of safety gear, which wasn’t available in his boxing days. All three coaches stress the fact that boxing is safe sport, one that focuses on mental skills rather than violence. Those mental skills are what make for confident kids, in and out of the ring. Whether it’s confidence-building, staying in shape or going for the gold, the club’s members are enjoying themselves. “Basically, it’s a lot of fun,” says Desrochers, his arms bruised from the punches thrown at him by aspiring champs. “I enjoy helping the kids and I like to see the kids win...If they like it, they will keep coming back. “If they don’t like it, they won’t come back and the doors will be closed. That’s why today we have the doors open— they like it. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here.”
In the Centretown corner... What: The Gale Kerwin Boxing Club Where: The Boys and Girls Club Centretown Unit, 412 Nepean Street When: Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 6:15-7:30 p.m. Who: Any boys or girls who aged 10 and up. Cost: Membership to the Boys and Girls Club is $25 but can be waived.
The Great Canadian Theatre Company launched its new lineup much like every performance last season—in front of a packed house. One of the biggest sources of pride this season has been attendance, which has averaged at about 95 per cent. “The whole season has just been phenomenal. People have embraced the idea of a season called `Portraits of Women,’” says GCTC General Manager Jane Gardner, referring to the 1997-98 lineup. Sandra Steinhause, a patron of the theatre, agrees. “I loved the theme,” says Steinhause. “I found everything fabulous.” This was the first time the season had a theme. Portraits of Women included shows such as The Glace Bay Miners’ Museum, Les Belles Seours and Doc. The tradition of the theme will continue in 1998-99, with “Renegade Heroes.” The new season opens Sept. 16 with one of Michael Ondaatje’s earlier pieces, Collected Works of Billy the Kid. Running Oct. 21 to Nov. 14 is fareWel, a mix of humor and tragedy portraying life on the Partridge Crop native reserve, written by Ian Ross. The third show of the season, Time After Time, is a work in progress about the life of jazz-musician Chet Baker. The play will include the opportunity for the audience to give feedback which may be incorporated into later versions of the show. It runs Dec. 2 to 19. The League of Nathans, Feb. 3-27, is written by Jason Sherman. It examines three young men’s quest to answer the question “Am I a good Jew?” It will be followed by two one-man plays, Falling Back Home and Kicked, running Mar. 10-27. Artistic director Micheline Chevrier directs the sixth and final show of the season, Glenn, about Canadian musician Glenn Gould. It opens April 28. As always at the GCTC, all the works are Canadian productions. Within 24 hours of announcing the new season, a half-dozen theatre enthusiasts had already subscribed. Barry Caplan, manager of the box office at the GCTC, expects that number to peak around 3,000. There were 2,700 subscribers this season. This year was the most successful year ever for the GCTC. Caplan says that is good news for next year. “We’re building on the momentum of this year. This year, for the first time ever I (sold) out of subscriptions. It’s created more of a buzz and people want to get them (subscriptions) early.” There is excitement and neighborhood businesses are eager to continue cashing in thanks to the GCTC’s success. Tony Ronzoni helps run Il Garage, a restaurant on Preston Street, just steps away from the GCTC. Ronzoni says that he often gets 15 to 20 customers from shows at the GCTC. “It’s a really good cause for the area,” says Ronzoni, who adds that it gives him a chance to find new customers. “If you just look at the cars in our neighborhood on an evening when the theatre is in session, you can see a big difference about how busy those restaurants are and how busy the neighborhood becomes.”