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PHOTO BY ROBIN PHILLIPS

Young Drivers of Canada has added a new facet to its drivingprogram that will help students learn better in the classroomand on the road.

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Thursday January 28th, 2010

NEWS

Driving education enters anew frontierBy Robin Phillips

Young Drivers of Canada is introducing a newdimension to young driver training this month.The new e-learning program is designed toteach students the basics of driving beforethey enter the classroom.

"We expect that they will know how to do thebasic maneuvers in driving," said PeterChristianson, president of Young Drivers. "Weexpect that they will know the laws ofgraduated licensing and that they will havestarted on the cognitive improvement of theirbrains so that they'll have the 30 per centimproved ability to learn in the classroomwhen they get there."

E-learning is a web-based program that accounts for 10 hours of the entire Young Drivers program. Itteaches new drivers the fundamentals of driving, including left and right turns, intersection turns androad signs, through interactive video, photos and animations. A student can replay the videos, whichallows the student to learn at his or her own pace.

"It seemed like a more efficient way to get the basics and to get what we call experience learning intotheir heads so when they start the classroom, they understand a lot more than starting from scratch,"Christianson said.

"They can see how it's going to enhance [the students'] learning ability and makethe classroom much easier for them."

These changes are the result of stricter standards set by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. TheBeginner Driver Education curriculum standards, overseen by the ministry, sets the minimum standardsthat driving schools in Ontario must meet in order to operate.

On Sept. 1, 2009, the standards were updated to require 40 hours of total instructional hours. Ten ofthese 40 hours are what the curriculum standards describe as a flexible allocation of instructional hours.This can be classroom driving instruction, in-vehicle instruction, driving simulator instruction orcomputer-based instruction.

There is no student feedback as of yet because the first class of students to use the e-learning programwill not complete it until later this month. However the instructors with Young Drivers are excited aboutthe new tool.

"The instructors are going through it now and the instructors are very excited about it," Christiansonsaid. "They can see how it's going to enhance [the students'] learning ability and make the classroommuch easier for them."

Opposing argumentHowever not everyone is excited about the new curriculum standards. Tony Q., manager of ABC DrivingSchool in Oakville, believes the curriculum standards create more problems than they solve.

Q. said the new curriculum has caused confusion amongst himself and the instructors. "It's a hugechange for us."

MORE INFORMATION

Driving simulators

Peter Christianson discusseswhy Young Drivers is not goingthe route of using drivingsimulators.

Beginner Driver EducationCurriculum Standards

The complete standardsenforced by the Ontario Ministryof Transportation.

Revoked driving schools

A list of driving schools inOntario that no longerapproved by the OntarioMinistry of Transportation.

SEARCHWhat are you looking for?Try our SEARCH ENGINE.

change for us."

"I've been in this business since 1991," said Q., "and I know all the changes that went through this wholeindustry [to where] we are right now. Are we better? No we're not. Where improvements need to bedone [they] are not being done. Or they don't need to be done [and] they're being done."

As an ex-driving instructor, Q. feels that practical driving experience should be a higher priority of thecurriculum standards.

"What they should have done was they should have increased the on-road lessons," Q. said. "This newcurriculum, it sounds pretty good but it's actually not though."

Down the roadAlthough Young Drivers is excited about its new e-learning program, the company is not planning to getrid of the in-class instructor.

"We're happy with this ratio," Christianson said. "That's not to say it wouldn't change in the future if thegovernment changes the standard. But no, right now we think we've got a really nice mix betweeninteractive classroom, interactive e-learning and of course interactive driving."


Mike Odongkara, Nik Kowsar, Moshin Abbas, Mir Mahdavi andAaron Berhane participate in a panel discussion after the film.



NEWS

Documentary advances thecause of freedom of speechBy Robin Phillips

How far would you go to protect your freedomof speech?

So Far From Home, directed by VladimirKabelik, tells the stories of five foreignjournalists forced to flee their country and takerefuge in Canada.

Pakistan's Moshin Abbas, Aaron Berhane whohails from Eritrea, Iran's Nik Kowsar, MirMahdavi from Afghanistan and Uganda's MikeOdongkara were harassed, threatened and insome cases imprisoned for speaking the truth.

According to Julie Payne, manager of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), Eritrea is oneof the most dangerous spots for journalists.

"They've got something like 30 journalists in prison right now. And these prisonsare holes, people just disappear into them and sometimes they're never seen

again."

Eritrea consistently ranks in the bottom one or two countries in the world for journalists. There'sabsolutely no freedom of the press, Payne said. "They've got something like 30 journalists in prison rightnow. And these prisons are holes, people just disappear into them and sometimes they're never seenagain."

So Far From Home premiered at the Signy and Cleophee Eaton Theatre in Toronto on Sept. 23. Thefilm was a collaborative effort between CJFE, OMNI Television and Sheridan's Media for GlobalProfessionals program, formally called Canadian Journalism for Internationally Trained Writers.

Payne and Kabelik worked closely together during the production of the film. Payne describes her roleas a source of information. "Helping [Kabelik] with suggestions and ideas of people he could talk to andsome information about free expression issues and where we were seeing journalists come from."

The directorKabelik is a documentary film professor with the School of Animation, Arts and Design at SheridanCollege. His personal story made him a logical fit for this project.

In 1981, Kabelik and his family fled Czechoslovakia after the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1968. Hecame to Canada as a political refugee.

Kabelik understands well the plight of these exiled journalists. This closeness to the subject mattercaused Kabelik to hesitate before agreeing to make the documentary.

"Frankly, it's much easier to shoot an objective movie about somebody else," Kabelik said. "The momentyou start opening your own background and all the bad stuff from the past it becomes emotional andvery difficult."

Kabelik became involved with the project through Joyce Wayne, coordinator of Media for GlobalProfessionals. Aware of his background, Wayne asked Kabelik to speak to the students. Their stories

MORE INFORMATION

International Press FreedomAwards

Information about the IPFA andhow to become involved.

Reporters Without Borders

An organization that fights forfreedom of the press.

Canadian Association ofJournalists

An organization that promotesexcellence in journalism andpromotes investigativejournalism.



Julie Payne, Vladimir Kabelik and Madeline Ziniak, nationalvice-president of OMNI Television, at the premiere of So FarFrom Home.

Professionals. Aware of his background, Wayne asked Kabelik to speak to the students. Their storiesleft a lasting impression.

"I was really amazed to see, to hear, to understand, to penetrate, you know, these people. And everysingle one should deserve a movie," Kabelik said.

Canadian Journalists for FreeExpressionCJFE became involved with the projectthrough their partnership with SheridanCollege and the Media for GlobalProfessionals program.

"The CJFE has worked with Sheridan Collegesince the development stage of the programfor internationally trained journalists," Paynesaid. "So we've been connected to SheridanCollege for quite a while."

The goal of the film is to raise awareness.

"I hope that, especially through the screeningon OMNI Television, that it will reach a wideaudience of Canadians and that it will letpeople know about these journalists and thegreat resource that they are," Payne said. "Ihope that we one day can use this resource alittle bit better and I think that starts with betterawareness of [the] talents and skills of thesepeople."

CJFE is an organization that fights for the rights of journalists around the world whose voices arestrangled or silenced by their government or controlling body. But they also look at how free expressionis handled in Canada.

"I think it starts at home. I think you try and create an environment that protects free expression," Paynesaid.

The issue front and centre in Canada? Access to information. Journalists' access to information isrestricted by slow responses to requests. When journalists can not pass information to the public abouttheir government they cannot make informed decisions, Payne said. "That's why they call it thecornerstone of democracy because it does empower and enable all of those other rights."

So Far From Home is presented by Willing Mind Productions and OMNI Television.


Local broadcasters are competing with specialty channels foradvertising revenue and the channel-surfing public.



NEWS

The future of local TV ison the line in fee-for-carriage debateBy Robin Phillips

Local television broadcasters in Canadahave launched a campaign to fight forcompensation for the local televisionsignals they supply to cable and satelliteproviders.

Local TV Matters is a campaign that bringstogether national networks CBC, CTV,Global and the A channel in the name oftheir local affiliates. Their goal is to giveCanadian citizens a chance to join thediscussion on "fee-for-carriage" andsupport local television.

As it stands in Canada, local broadcasters do not get paid by cable and satellite providers when they airlocal broadcasts. Providers such as Rogers and Bell can air local channels for free.

"Now local broadcasters are competing with hundreds of other channels oneverybody's dial."

"It's an old holdover from long ago when we were the only channels on the dial," said Michael Woollatt,vice-president of government relations with Canwest Media Inc. "The argument was cable wasfinancially strapped and people could get our signal through rabbit ears so why should they pay cablefor it. Cable should be able to take it for free and sell it to their customers."

What local broadcasters have to gainNow the financial power has reversed and local broadcasters are in dire straits. Increased competitionfrom specialty channels has significantly decreased the advertising revenue for local stations.

"Now local broadcasters are competing with hundreds of other channels on everybody's dial, the vastmajority of which get both an advertising revenue and they get to charge Rogers or Shaw or whomeverfor distributing the product," Woollatt said.

If fee-for-carriage is introduced, it would allow local broadcasters to negotiate a fee with cable providersfor their product. Broadcasters argue that without fee-for-carriage, local television will be endangered.

"We're arguing that without the ability to be paid for our product now, local television's future now is atrisk," Woollatt said. "Before we were still making a profit but the profits were dwindling, dwindling. Nowwe're losing money. And we can't afford to keep the vast majority of our stations on air without this."

The CRTCThe deciding body in this issue is the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission(CRTC). The CRTC has twice in the past turned down this request by local broadcasters. The case isbeing revisited with a hearing in November and a public hearing in December for citizens to be able torespond to the issue. This public hearing was requested of the CRTC by the Ministry of CanadianHeritage.

Stephanie Rea, press secretary for the ministry, said that the CRTC has studied this in the past but hadnot taken the consumer point of view into perspective. "Fee-for-carriage will directly affect consumers.Consumers need to have a voice and previously their voices had not been taken into consideration,"

MORE INFORMATION

Save local television

A website set-up by CTV tocampaign for local TV.

The fate of local television

Michael Woollatt from CanwestMedia Inc. discusses what it willtake to save local TV.


What do youthink?Do you feel that localtelevision is worthsaving?

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pollcode.com free polls

Consumers need to have a voice and previously their voices had not been taken into consideration,"she said.

The conflictLocal broadcasters argue that what they are asking for won't affect consumers. They want a portion ofthe revenue cable providers already make from airing local signals.

"They're already charging for our product. We just want a portion of that," Woollatt said. "We arguepretty strongly that cable customers should not be impacted by this at all."

This is the argument that is front and centre in this debate. Local broadcasters claim that cableproviders are charging for local broadcasts and that they should pass on some of that to the localstations. Cable providers say they are not receiving any revenue from airing local broadcasts.

"We don't charge customers for what we get for free," said Jan Innes, vice-president of communicationsat Rogers Communications Inc.

Rogers is opposed to fee-for-carriage because local broadcasts are free over the air, Innes said . "It'sunfair to penalize cable companies for something that is free."

Innes adds that local broadcasters already receive benefits from being aired by cable providers.

Their signal gets extended so it reaches farther and they receive simultaneous substitution, Innes said.She added that cable providers also substitute their Canadian commercials during American simulcastswhich is a value of $300 million per year for them.

The Local TV Matters campaign has begun with a website and television ads but it will expand as thedate of the hearing draws closer, Woollatt said.

To join the conversation visit the Local TV Matters website.

PHOTO BY JOHN REEVES

Bill Casselman.



PROFILE

Author serves up history lessonswith books on Canadian wordsBy Robin Phillips

Canadian English has about 2,000 to 3,000 words that areuniquely Canadian. Behind this catalogue of words are richlessons about our history, according to author BillCasselman, who has written a series of books on Canadianwords and sayings and their origins.

Growing up in Dunnville, Ont., Casselman asked himselfwhat it meant to be a Canadian.

"When I grew up in the late '40s and '50s, there was a greatdeal of 'Canada doesn't really exist. We're just an ancillarylittle tumour on the top of the United States and we buy theirstuff,'" Casselman said. "One of the ways I answered that asa little kid was to find out ways that we spoke that nobodyelse in the world did.

"Saskatchewan is so flat you can watch your dog run away from home for a week. That woman has gotmore tongue than a Mountie's boot. Americans can't claim those things, they're ours. We made themup."

From a young age, Casselman had a curiosity about words. His father, Alfred Casselman, was a schoolEnglish teacher and he would encourage his two sons (Bill and his brother Ron) to explore words theydidn't understand.

"I was certainly a word-nut at a very early age. And once I got my nose stuck indictionaries, to be quite honest, I never got it out again."

"My father would never define a word, ever," Casselman said. "I can remember this when I was four. Iwould come home and say, 'what's a lighthouse?' 'Won't tell ya. There's a book for that.' We had in ourhouse a whole series of dictionaries. The Oxford Picture Dictionary and then right up to the OED, the 12volume Oxford English Dictionary."

"That's what happened all through school. When we encountered a new word, there was a place to findit and it was a dictionary. And perhaps I was an obsessive little child. I was certainly a word-nut at a veryearly age. And once I got my nose stuck in dictionaries, to be quite honest, I never got it out again."

Writing careerHis first book, Casselman's Canadian Words,was published in 1995. For about 25 yearsbefore that, he freelanced for the CBC in radioand television.

"I worked at the CBC for 20-25 years oncontract," Casselman said. "I saved a littlemoney and when I was 42 years old I walkedout of the building. I wasn't fired. I wasn't burntout. I was just trying to move onto somethingelse. And I had always wanted to write abook."

MORE INFORMATION

The history of 'Huron'

The story behind the origin ofthe word huron as told by BillCasselman.

Interview with Katherine Barber

An October 2007 interview withKatherine Barber, former editor-in-chief of the Canadian OxfordDictionary.

LISTED WORKS OFBILL CASSELMAN

Casselman's Canadian Words:A Comic Browse throughWords & Folk Sayings Inventedby Canadians - 1995

Casselmania: More WackyCanadian Words & Sayings -1996

Canadian Garden Words - 1997

A Dictionary of MedicalDerivations: The RealMeanings of Medical Words -1998

Canadian Food Words: TheJuicy Lore & Tasty Origins ofFoods That Founded a Nation -1998

Canadian Sayings - 1999

What's in a Canadian Name?:The Origins and Meanings ofCanadian Surnames - 2000

Canadian Sayings 2 - 2002

Canadian Sayings 3 - 2004

As The Canoe Tips: ComicScenes from Canadian Life -2005

Casselman's Canadian Words& Sayings - 2006



Casselman's Canadian Words is the first of many books byCasselman that chronicles the origins of Canadian words.

His first step was to find a literary agent whobelieved in the project. He found just that inDaphne Hart.

"We met and he had tons of ideas which Ithought had a lot of possibilities," Hart said.

"We started out with a calendar. We wanted to do a page-a-day calendar with a word on every page.And that we eventually gave up. It was just impossible to do a calendar like that just for Canada."

Selling his first book wasn't much easier though.

"[Hart] took it to 17 Canadian publishers and they all turned it down," Casselman said.

He still remembers what one publisher's opposition was to a book of Canadian words. "The guy said tome 'first of all Casselman, there are no Canadian words and second, even if there were, no Canadian isinterested in that s**t.'"

Persistence pays offFinally the book found a home at Prentice Hall and was released on Sept. 26, 1995. Two weeks later itreached number one.

"When it hit number one on the Globe and Mail, and the Toronto Star and every other book list inCanada," Casselman said, "I just sat down with a blank piece of paper and I drew a hand with a fingerpointing up. And I sent it to that editor."

Casselman currently resides in his hometown of Dunnville with his "pet dwarf who lives in a convertedkennel on the property and cuts my lawn by eating the grass." Casselman's greatest assets are his drysense of humour and his persevering attitude.

"Once you get out in the find-a-job world, you're just gonna meet an awful lot of opposition to what youwant to do. And I don't find a lot of Canadians, of any age, have that 'screw you jack I'm gonna find away to do what I want to do' [attitude]."

Casselman certainly did what he wanted to do. He now has 11 books under his belt. His most recent titleis Canadian Words and Sayings, the first of his books to be labeled as home and school approved.

"Just go out, do what you do, and maybe you'll find out how you fit into one tiny little fabric of what is aCanadian."


John Oliver and Bill Bailey stand with Tina Triano andFrank Lochan at the open house for the New OakvilleHospital. Triano is secretary of the board of directors forthe Oakville Hospital Foundation. Lochan is chair of theboard.



NEWS

Construction on new state-of-the-art hospital to begin in2011By Robin Phillips

Oakville came out in full force last week to theNew Oakville Hospital open house. The event,hosted by Halton Healthcare Services, wasmeant to inform the community about the newhospital and give concerned residents a chanceto have their questions answered.

Between 250 and 300 people came to OakvilleTrafalgar Memorial Hospital to speak withrepresentatives from the design team as well asfrom the hospital about the new project.

The goal of the night for Halton HealthcareServices was to raise public awareness of theproject and get the community involved.

"We've been trying to sort out ways to engage the community in the project so they understand it," saidJohn Oliver, president and CEO of Halton Healthcare Services. "This is Oakville's community hospitaland we've really been working to talk to the community, hear what they like, what they want, what theyare hoping to see in the hospital. So nights like this are a great chance to get some direct feedback."

Community reactionBelinda Uttamsingh, a mammographer with the Ontario Breast Screening Program, learned about theopen house through the mail and came out to learn more about the project. She thinks the new hospitalwill be good for Oakville.

"I think it's one of the most exciting things for Oakville right now. With Oakville expanding, the area it'sgoing in is perfect because that's like the new part of Oakville now with all the population."

Steven Bright and Sharon Guger had an ad for the open house on their fridge for three weeks. Their twodaughters were born at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. This new facility is a welcome addition tothe community for this young family.

"The opportunity to have [a hospital that is] even more comprehensive, that meets the growingcommunity's needs is huge," Guger said. "It's a massive addition to the community and [I'm] reallyexcited about the kind of services and how comprehensive it is. It looks really exciting."

Halton Healthcare Services is hearing one prevailing concern about the project.

"The only concern we hear is from the neighbourhood right around the [current] hospital and it's theconcern about the hospital going away," Oliver said. "The community around here has helped supportthis hospital. A lot of our volunteers come from here."

"It's being built to a new standard [including] up to 80 per cent single rooms."

Rebuilding on the current site was briefly considered but deemed not a feasible solution.

"The first efforts were to take a look at what can be done on this site," said Bill Bailey, vice-president ofredevelopment with Halton Healthcare Services. "But when we got into the planning and we startedlooking at the projections of growth in the community and the growth in services, we quickly came upagainst limitations."

MORE INFORMATION

Oakville Hospital Foundation

A charitable foundation for theOTMH and the New OakvilleHospital.

Leaders in Energy andEnvironmental Design

A description of how the NewOakville Hospital will followstandards set out by the LEEDrating system.


PHOTO PROVIDED BY STANTEC ARCHITECTURE LTD.

Conceptual site plan for the New Oakville Hospital.

against limitations."

The 10 acre lot was too limiting in terms of space and the core structure of the building, circa 1950, hasalready had multiple additions said Bailey.

Oliver also describes traffic congestion as a limitation to staying at the hospital's current location.

"Once we explain it to [citizens] and show them what's possible people generally get on side," Oliversaid. "Then the concern is what's going to happen to the site after we've left. There's going to be a publicconsultation next year."

The new hospital will be located on a 50 acrelot at the northwest corner of Third Line andDundas Street. It has been heralded as a state-of-the-art facility.

"It's being built to a new standard," Bailey said."And that standard includes up to 80 per centsingle rooms. That in itself is a new standardthat no other hospital so far in Ontario hasbeen built to."

The new hospital will be patient-focused indesign with "new kinds of environments thatare less stressful with purposeful design tocreate a deinstitutionalized kind ofenvironment," Bailey said, "An environmentthat is warm, inviting, more like a home ratherthan a box that is really stressful."

Construction is slated to begin in spring 2011with hopes that the hospital will be open in2014-15.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY STANTEC ARCHITECTURE LTD.

Preliminary conceptual rendering of the New Oakville Hospital.

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