September 2011 Ideas Culture

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A Different Kind of Publication.

The Advocate is a people focused and community driven publication that serves as a voice for the stories of Brant. This free monthly journal will share stories, debates, and discussions with the people of Brant in an engaging and entertaining format. Each month, we will explore what motivates, celebrates, educates, entertains, and excites the people in this community. We want to do this not by covering the events of the day, but instead, by talking about the real people and the real issues involved. Our faculty have been given a voice to tell the stories that they feel are important to be told for the benefit of their community. They will provide opinions and perspectives that are their own and not representative of the paper itself. They will share their thoughts, their biases, and their beliefs independently, without the constrictions of established criteria. The Advocate is not a traditional source for news. Our local media will always provide that for us. We will compliment the local media by using their work as a resource for our stories. Thank you to the wonderful people of Brantford, Brant County, Six Nations, and New Credit for inspiring us to tell your stories.

Lucas Duguid
Publisher
I was born and raised in Brantford. I went to public school, high school and college here. I started my career, met my wife, started a family, launched my agency, created a bakery, and now a newspaper in Brantford. This town has given me everything. Now its my time to give back. While promoting Tweetstock I told anyone who would listen that it's time to introduce Brantford to the world. I was half right. What I needed to say was that it's time to introduce Brantford to Brantford. Between five Tweestocks, two election campaigns, and a brief stint in high heels, I have had the pleasure of meeting many great and wonderful people from Brantford, Brant County and Six Nations. It occurred to me that each and every person I met had a great story to tell. What better way to turn strangers into friends than by sharing a little bit about one another. Through this sharing and telling of stories we are discovering we have far more in common with one another than we thought. There is no question that as a community we have taken some pretty tough shots to the body and in a lot of ways our backs still arent straight, and we dont stand as tall as we should. Its time that each of us begin to re-write the narrative of what it means to be from this community. No more cynicism. No more apathy. This is our town and this is our time.

Andrew Macklin
Editor-in-Chief
Brantford was never a city I had much interest in. I didnt like it while I was growing up. I didnt like it during my university years either, spending as much time in London as possible while I was a student at Western. My attitude towards this community changed for me in early 2003 when I first started at Rogers TV. I started to understand the qualities of Brantford and Brant County, and some of the incredible things that were being done by our people here, and in cities across Canada. I began to realize that there are people from this community who want to make things better, and who arent afraid to provide the blood, sweat, and tears to make that a reality. People in Brant are passionate about what they do. They work hard and play hard in every facet of life. It often causes people to have head-on collisions with other people in their lives but, every so often, it results in something great for this community. Its that head on approach that attracts me to this community now. Now, 8 years after my first encounter with the character of this community, I am still constantly overwhelmed by the incredible lengths people will go to in order to make Brantford, Brant County, and Six Nations such incredible places to live. I am proud to know that, as a part of this incredible team we call The Advocate, I will have a new opportunity to help tell these stories.

Marc Laferriere
Content Manager / Social Media Strategist
I always come back home. I was born here but in a sometimes tumultuous and sometimes exciting 30 years Ive also lived in many other places. I liked them all too. K-W is fun, Moncton is so friendly, Ottawa is filled with family, and when I left Thunder Bay, I left a bit of my heart there as well. I sure liked all those place but I loved my home and I always wanted to come back. I fell in love with Brantford as a kid in Eagle Place who spent far too much time at Second Wave listening to music and conversation. I fell in love with Brantford in high school meeting friends Id keep for life. I meet new friends here every year and for that I am indebted and grateful. I fell in love with Brant County on childhood Sunday drives my grandparents insisted on. I fell deeper in love with the County spending time there as a political candidate, a social worker, and on some of the most incredible dates with my partner, Rebekah. I was introduced to Six Nations by my grandmother who taught there. Her affection for that community became easily shared. As a child I became pen pals with kids on the reserve and since then Ive literally seen gardens grow between our people. So much has changed, yet the narrative of our community can be slow to catch up. Far too often you hear there is nothing to do here. That changes now. In our community there is never nothing going on. At The Advocate were excited to prove it.

Front Page Photo Mosaic Row #1 Carrie Sinkowski, Andrew Macklin, Dave Carrol, Lorrie Gallant Row #2 Rebekah Pitts, Adam Hislop, Tina Draycott, James Calnan Row #3 Jamie Stephens, Stacey Farrant, Marc Laferriere, Tae McIntosh Row #4 Ida Adamowicz, Jan Vanderstelt, Ryan Jamula, Lucas Duguid Row #5 Mark Gaylard, Roger Duck, Tristan Curtis, Steph Paige

Disclaimer The views/opinions expressed in the articles appearing in this publication are that of the individual author, and do not necessarily reflect that of the editors of The Advocate. If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of the content in this publication, please send them to contact@brantadvocate.com

Copyright 2011 Publisher: Lucas Duguid Editor-in-Chief: Andrew Macklin Content and Social Media Strategist: Marc Laferriere Web Developer and Videographer: Roger Duck Faculty (September 2011 Edition): Jan Vanderstelt, Lorrie Gallant, Adam Hislop, Carrie Sinkowski, Tina Draycott, Ryan Jamula, Dave Carrol, Steph Paige, Stacey Farrant, Mark Gaylard, Tristan Curtis, Rebekah Pitts Website: www.brantadvocate.com Facebook: The Brant Advocate Twitter: @brantadvocate

For information about advertising, email contact@brantadvocate.com

September 2011

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Page 3

We ask City Councillor Jan Vanderstelt. Why?

By Jan Vanderstelt

I believe that every voice is valid and deserves to be heard. No one should be made to suffer as a result of neglect, abuse, or long standing conflict; however, many suffer all the same. I believe in the power of people. Together, we can bring change and safety to this city when we speak with one voice. I believe in the ultimate goal of solution and resolution, and the power of the electorate to make that happen. My passion for resolution however, is based in the hope for healing in the community at large. I do not believe that isolation, exclusion, and powerlessness help. My passion for creating safety and respect for all people in our region including the city, the county, and Six Nations comes from a unique place in my personal history. My passions are based on a story of time and healing, listening and patience, honesty and vision, but most of all, hope. This is my journey. Growing up during the early 70s at 98 Paris Road was like death. The beatings, rapes, and hospital visits never seemed to stop, and I thought it was normal. It took 11 operations to repair the profound deafness that would isolate me during the change of every season. The experience of being neglected, drugged, abducted, and repeatedly raped in my early childhood years has left the smell of wine and the texture of a cheap plastic yellow cup deeply embedded in my psyche. I was not safe. And worse yet, I did not know that I wasnt safe. I had no voice but I felt a presence that has never left me. So the abuse continued. I would run away, away from pain and into the worlds uncertain safety within the reach of a 6 year old child. I ran from the back shed beatings that would occur as a punishment for physically running away from pain. The people who exercised their power and control over me helped me settle into a routine: raped if I stayed, beaten if I ran, and left alone to bleed in my mute deafness. By the age of seven, I scratched out a suicide note on a piece of paneling and cut my wrists only to bind them alone and clean up the mess I had made in the garage. Alone. I was running from pain. I was a silent victim. I had no voice. The secrets remained with me throughout the dark moments of living with 6 different families before the age of 14 while trying to hide all the dissociation, out of body experiences, cutting, self-torture, drug use and suicide attempts. By 17, I was running from the fear of pain itself and suffering from the effects of abuse 10 years after it had stopped. Abuse in all forms is full of nothing but lies. By the age of 23, I was suffering through depression, anxiety, and what is currently understood to be post traumatic stress disorder. It was, at that same age, and after thorough investigation, I learned all of the facts that you just read about. Knowing what had happened, and how it happened, gave me the vision for how to move forward with a life not controlled by abuses of the past. Thank God for good people! I have been blessed over the past three decades with the wisdom borrowed from a wide variety of people who have helped me define the strength of that undying presence. The compassion, understanding, and selfless devotion of others toward my healing process has been the most rewarding experience of my life and have eliminated the paralyzing fear of my past. I do not own the healing, however. I just borrow it and share it when invited to. There is no greater honour in my life than to witness and nurture the strength of human nature while it struggles for healing in a broken world. People find their voice when they heal from the effects of abuse and begin to gain a sense of safety within their world and the world at large. They become survivors and strong advocates for the silent ones. Healing comes with great responsibility, however. It demands awareness, prevention, action, and repetition. Whether its private or corporate, I cannot remain silent when witnessing the abuse of power and control. As a matter of fact, I will not remain silent. I will continue to speak out in favour of protecting tomorrows victims from todays lack of foresight. I am no longer a victim or a survivor of abuse. I thrive. I am alive with an inextinguishable hope and a clear vision for a safe future in my neighbourhood, my city, and in the government offices I frequent. I am charged with the legislative power of providing safety and, more importantly, removing the causes of discord and discontent. I refuse to live in silence and fear of more abuse of power and control. I will advocate for those who are too weak to speak for themselves regardless of race, age, or stature. I will share my hope when the situation seems hopeless. I will strive for solutions to the problems of our day in the hope that it may prevent tomorrows abuse. I will not be silent.

Photo courtesy of Empirical Photogrphic Arts / www.empiricalphotographicarts.com

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September 2011

Sometimes Kindness is Dangerous

By Dave Carrol
Sometime Im still caught off guard by the number of people who know me as Captain Kindness. A recent letter to the editor in the Brantford Expositor even referred to me as the Citys mascot. The truth is that Captain Kindness was supposed to be a one shot deal for Brantfords Superhero themed Santa Clause parade, but our Freedom House float proved so popular that I havent been able to stay out of my giant red leotard since. While Captain Kindnesss popularity DID catch us by surprise, the impact of the intentional, strategic kindness that Freedom House was already aggressively pursuing didnt. We planted our church in the roughest part of Market Street eight years ago on purpose. As we spent the summer of 2004 converting the former bar The Scene, we began to observe the often destructive rhythms of the street at night. We saw the drug trafficking chains of distribution where young kids would be used to deliver product. We watched the New Brantford and the Old Brantford cultures colliding. We became familiar with the nightly routines of prostitutes and their pimps, often times their loving husbands, who stayed to take care of the kids after Mom went to work. Its understandably hard to hear and even harder to understand. Many things go through a mans mind in a moment like that. The thought of a dramatic Death of Captain Kindness funeral scene briefly occurred to me. While the single light streaming down on the CK crest might be cinematically intriguing, that wasnt how I planned to go out. I responded the only way I could think of. I used the goofiest voice I could and said with a big smile, Hey there! Do you wanna burger? He paused for a moment, likely doing a plus/minus evaluation of free meat over stabbing me, and said; Yes I do! The powerful wheels of kindness began in motion. The little guy quickly opened up his life to me. Weve seen it happen over and over, but this night was especially powerful because we shared with him that his life was about MORE than repeating this violent night over and over. As his wildebeest of a friend lost patience with being stationary, I prayed for the little guy named Ryan that he would wake up in the morning knowing that his life was ABOUT something bigger and there were people who cared. I grabbed his contact information quickly as the two disappeared into the night. I tracked Ryan down the following morning. He told us that, after he left our barbeque, the big guy stabbed a man in the middle of the street, a man that HE was planning to attack. The reason he knew that he had had a significant encounter was that he woke up safe at home with a feeling of peace and freedom... not in jail. Kindness can be dangerous sometimes because its culturally confrontational. Were not used to people caring for us for no reason. Transformational kindness can put you in harms way but thats the point. It can neutralize and diffuse harmful situations. Those people have real names, real lives, and real struggles. And its possible that something you have in your hand to give can transform a real life. Im Dave Carrol and Im an Advocate for The Church. The Church in a city is not a dying beast. Its just reforming. Its not irrelevant; it simply needs passionate people to come together as one to play its role again. I help lead Freedom House in the lower floor of the Market Square Mall with Brian Beattie and a team of dreamers who have a vision to be instigators of holistic change in Brantford... because thats in Gods character. I challenge people to think again about being an active participant in The Church.

We decided that just because a church was in the middle of this seeming chaos, it didnt mean it would be impactful by osmosis. We got to know their names, their stories, and their lives because one night we bought 100 hamburgers, set up a barbecue on Market Street and started hollering, FREE BURGERS! What we call Flippin Friday has become a context for everyone, from prostitutes to politicians, to find common ground over free street meat. It has allowed for trust to be built between worlds that dont often intersect. Our team has been invited into crack houses as welcomed guests, instigated dialogues that led to people being helped off drugs, and opened many macro-scale doors of influence in the city. Its AMAZING what free burgers have done. But kindness isnt always safe. One rainy night we took the street party inside and I was left alone outside to cook the food. Around midnight I noticed two characters in the dark coming from the direction of a local strip club. I let my familiar FREE BURGER fly and quickly noticed the pair headed full steam in my direction. There was a big guy leading the way followed by a little guy. The little guy began warning me, Youd better be careful. He just bit the nipple off a stripper! I learned later that this was exactly what had just happened moments earlier and that his subsequent seething question of do you want to die? to me, followed by a knife being drawn, was a real possibility.

We became familiar with the nightly routines of prostitutes and their pimps, often times their loving husbands, who stayed to take care of the kids after Mom went to work.

Kitchener vs. Brantford: A Tale of Two Rebates

By Steph Paige
Recently, the Federal government announced the reinstatement of the EcoEnergy Retrofit Home Grants Initiative. As a young homeowner and landlord myself, this is an extremely positive development to make improvements to my property, increase the equity in the house, enhance its attractiveness as a rental unit with lower utilities costs and shrink its environmental foot print. I purchased the property when I was 24, and admittedly, did not know much about houses and the issues that can come with them; especially given I did not tell anyone I was considering buying a house until after my offer had been accepted. While I had a home inspection, the comments I received were along the lines of Youll need to replace your furnace sometime over the next 10 years. Flash forward 5 months and I wake up to a house in the middle of winter that is 7 degrees Celsius. Having just recently bought a house, the prospect of a $5,000 purchase was significantly daunting. I have no doubt I am not alone in these kinds of experiences. This is when I first heard of the EcoEnergy Retrofit program. I immediately called in companies and received quotes, which as expected, were all in the $4,000-5,000 range. The process was actually quite simple. I needed to have an EcoEnergy audit from a third party, who identified my houses needs to increase its efficiency. At the time, my gas bills were averaging $300 each month, so there were obviously heating issues to be addressed. The furnace was the number one recommendation to improve my houses efficiency, with attic and crawl space insulation being second and third. For me, what made the purchase even a possibility was the fact that my house is in Kitchener. The City of Kitchener has a furnace purchasing program, where they pay for the furnace on your behalf and allow you one year to pay back the balance, interest free. After a year, payments must be made at an interest rate of approximately 12%. This program allows Kitchener to ensure houses are using maximum efficiency furnaces while increasing revenue through an interest generating venture. I purchased the furnace and then had a follow-up audit with the third party auditors, which the government requires to ensure youre following the program requirements. Upon completion of this, I received a grant back of $1,580, half from the Federal government and a matching grant of from the Provincial government. These grants were significant to my ability to purchase the much needed new furnace without them, I have no idea how I would have been able to afford it. As only a certain amount of funds had been allocated to this program, it ended in March 2011. It seems the success in reducing utility outputs by increasing home efficiency across municipalities must have been significant enough to reinstate the program. I decided to move forward with the attic and crawl space insulation and learned the program was no longer being matched by the Provincial government. However, I was advised that many municipalities are stepping up to match rebates specific to the major issues of their area. For example, the City of Kitchener has introduced the Kitchener Home Energy Improvement Program, which matches grants for insulation and air sealing for homes built prior to 1970. Having recently moved back to Brantford, I was interested in helping homeowners here take advantage of this program but I learned the City of Brantford offers no matching incentives like other municipalities have opted to. As I dont fall into the low-income, senior, or disabled categories that Brantford offers grants for, if my house had been here, I would not have been able to afford either the new furnace or the attic and crawl space insulation. I believe a grant matching incentive for such a successful federal program would bring positive attention to opportunities available in Brantford and increase both the efficiency and value of our homes. I encourage every homeowner to call their Ward Councillor to inquire about possible grant programs. These opportunities become available when asked for, so lets make this happen. Affordable home improvements should not be limited to a few citizens when a bit of advocacy can make them accessible to more Brantfordians! To contact your city councillor,visit:http://www.brantford.ca/govt/council/members/Pages/default.aspx

September 2011

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Page 5

Culture is Who We Are

By Lorrie Gallant
Ive been asked, Are you a First Nations Artist? I say, No. Im an artist and I am First Nations! Everything I do contains a bit of my culture in it, not because Im trying to tell the world that I am First Nations but because this is just who I am. It has taken me a long time to feel comfortable with who I am. Growing up with green eyes, fair skin, and light brown hair to most would be a nice way to begin a story. But if you grew up on the Six Nations of the Grand this is not what you expect to find here. Nor was this what was expected to be seen in 1975 at Caledonia High School getting off the bus from the reserve. My first day of grade nine, I got off that bus with all the other native kids. All of a sudden I found myself surrounded by those kids. I grew up on the reserve my whole life and those kids were the ones on T.V. and magazines. They were blond and blue eyed with skin fairer than mine. It hurt my eyes to see them standing in a large group. They were so bright in comparison to the kids from the rez who had dark hair, dark skin and dark eyes, and mostly wore black. At this point I felt I fit better with the native kids. But, I recall just coming from public school on the reserve hadnt been a good fit either. Remember Im the one with green eyes and fair skin. I didnt seem to fit into either group so this is when I decided it would be easier to just be unnoticed. Like a bird locked in a cage I was fully aware of what was happening around me but unable to participate. I began to shrivel inside for fear of rejection. Today that anxiety is gone. However the journey to this point wasnt easy. I had allowed the world around me to put my creative spirit to sleep. The awakening began when I was loved and accepted. Things were going along just fine. I was enjoying motherhood, being creative with my children, painting and making homemade playdough. Then one day the kids asked me the question that made me want to run back to that cage and lock the door behind me. They asked me, What was it like growing up on the reserve? They wanted to know what I ate for lunch and what games I played at recess and who my friends were. My husband freely shared the adventures of Marguerite Valley in Nova Scotia the day he shot his older brother in the rear with a pellet gun, stories of standing in line for hours with his 11 siblings, waiting for his mom to make french-fries from one pot. They loved those stories and would ask him to tell them again and again. What was I going to share? What could I let out of that locked closet of bad memories? I found myself sifting through the ruins. There must be something here that I could share with them. This is when I realized I hadnt gotten over what happened in my past. In locking away all the bad memories I had locked up all the good ones too. I thought if you just walked away from where you came from then you could walk away from the painful memories of growing up. But I was walking away from who I was and away from my culture and traditions. I was walking away from all the wonderful things that my parents had taken time to be a part of all their lives. So I went back to where I came from. I started with something safe, a day of celebrating Bread and Cheese. What a great holiday to celebrate a day off from school and a parade all for a big slice of bread and a big chunk of cheese. I hadnt been to Bread and Cheese in years. I decided to take my girls and let them be a part of a day that I have wonderful memories of. It was a success. I wrote a childrens book about this day and illustrated it for my girls. I filled it with things that anyone who has ever gone to Bread and Cheese would recognize. I got requests to read it both on and off reserve schools. Thompson Education Publishers asked to include it in a book package of Canadian Celebrations in the grade 3 curriculum. Who knew people would want to know what it was like for Little Lorrie to grow up on Six Nations! I began to meet First Nations kids who loved hearing stories about something they do and adults who fondly remember doing these things as a child growing up on the reserve. A place that as a child I did not feel accepted was the exact place that I was being asked to go. I feel good discovering things about my own culture. Just because you grow up on the reserve doesnt mean you know everything about the reserve. I can tell you what I ate for lunch, what I did for recess, and who my friends were. Culture is who we are as a result of our environment and traditions are the things we have celebrated all our lives. I work at the Woodland Culture Centre here in Brantford. I spend time discovering truths about my own history. I have come to know many elders of the Six Nations community and my life has become richer listening to their stories of growing up on the reserve. I have kids tell me they have green eyes and are growing up on Fifth Line. I go into classrooms, tell stories and sing songs. Kids proudly raise their hand and share that they have family living on the reserve. My job gives me an opportunity to appreciate what I took for granted. Working at Woodland Cultural Centre allows me to use art as a medium to educate, celebrate and hopefully correct misconceptions of First Nations people. Out of the treasures of my heart I remember and I am restored to the original purpose for which I was created, the gift of courage and the strength of spirit!

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September 2011

One Night in Tel Aviv

By Adam Hislop
It was well over 30 degrees Celsius in the small, hot apartment in Tel Aviv. The only potential ventilation was a small window, high up on one wall. Strewn about the room were old blankets, pillows, and discarded clothes. Most of the two dozen people in the apartment, most of them were asleep. It was the middle of a weekday afternoon, but with the oppressive heat, and lack of just about every necessity, you certainly could not blame them. The smell of inadequate hygiene permeated the air as the sweat running down my forehead stung my eyes. Most of these men came as refugees from Darfur. It was a sad and frustrating reality to think that this is better than what they faced at home. I was shooting video footage for an organization called Leket Israel, a charity that rescues food that would be wasted and distributes it to food banks, soup kitchens, and sheltersjust like the one we were standing in. Growing up in Canada, I hadnt had to confront a reality like this before. I certainly knew it existed, but where we live, poverty and desperation at this level arent easily found. another in life, explore and share beliefs, and help make the communityand worlda better place. I believe we are a part of a broken world: a world that is damaged by the evil and selfish acts of humans. I dont think there is an easy answer to numerous ongoing wars, genocide, famine in Africa, natural disasters, or millions of people who are oppressed or enslaved. Since that day at the refugee shelter in Israel Ive been searching to understand these problems at a deeper level, trying to work out my response to the problem. Like many who Ive talked to, I havent found an answer. Im not sure that I ever will. Over the past two millennia Christians have done a lot of horrible things on Gods behalf. I know that by calling myself a Christian Im including myself in a group that is better known for what they disapprove of rather than anything positive. Its a shame that this is the case, because I dont think this is what God intended. I believe there are people working to change this reputation. I know them personally, and Ive been witness to their selfless service, their care for others, their generosity, and their love. I want to be a part of this group who is making a difference in peoples lives; sharing the love of Jesus but with no strings attached. My faith is about living a life that counts. I may not have the influence to change the planet, but if I can change the world for a few people, its worthwhile. I want my life to mean something at the end of it all.Regardless of spiritual views, Id like to think this is something we can all embrace.

Photo courtesy of Tae Photography http://tae.ca/

As a Christian, I really wrestled with what I saw. I believe in a God who cares about each and every person, but to see poverty like that makes it harder to understand, even knowing that trials in life are an opportunity to grow and deepen faith. For me, faith has never been about the institution of religion. I go to church not to perform rituals or because I feel I have to, but to be a part of a community of people who are there to support one

Brantford: Part of a Global Community

By Carrie Sinkowski
As a long time worker in the anti-violence field, I have made a conscious effort to connect local experiences of violence to ones in the international arena. The first time I ever attempted this in any meaningful, concrete way was to invite a human rights group from Mexico to come to Brantford and Six Nations to share their story. Women were being murdered in the city of Juarez and there was a direct connection between us and them. The women worked for companies that make our consumer goods such as DVD players and televisions. For over fifteen years now women have been murdered on their way home from work. Juarez is part of an Export Processing Zone which, in basic terms, means that manufacturers in the area are not subject to certain taxes, levies and fees. The city has grown up quickly to meet the labour demands of Canadian and American companies that outsource the production of their goods to that area. Farmers from the south of Mexico come to the border town because they cannot compete with foreign owned agri-businesses that are flooding their markets and buying up their land. So we asked this one advocacy group, composed of mothers of victims, and activists, to come from Juarez and share their experiences. This is where the local connection became stronger than I ever thought possible. I thought the local connection to a global issue was NAFTA and our consumerism. But there was an even bigger one. After one mother shared her story of her 19 year old daughter being abducted and murdered on her way home from work, a man came up to me and told me he used to work at that factory - but when it was here in Brantford. This was my ah-ha moment when I realized that it is true; that we really are all interconnected on some level, and in some form. Here in Brantford, we hold a Local/Global Peace Festival. Why is this important? Why should we bother? Many think that we have enough going on in our communities that we do not need to concern ourselves with the issues of people across an ocean or a plane ride away. And they are right. We do have a lot going on in our own communities. But they are also wrong.

Women were being murdered in the city of Juarez and there was a direct connection between us and them.

There was a clause in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between Mexico, Canada and the USA that required the Mexican government to revoke a piece of their constitution that guaranteed everyone land, and that helped to prevent monopolies of agri-business. Getting the local global connection yet?! Juarez was growing at such an alarming speed that infrastructure development was focused mostly in the industrial end and not in the spiralling outer edges of the city where shanty towns were developing with little to no street lighting, and poorly developed transit systems. And this is where the violence against women comes into play. The women work long shifts beginning early in the morning and ending late at night, sometimes necessitating walking home from the factory, or walking long distances from the nearest bus stop. It is the simple act of walking home from work that has resulted in hundreds of women never being seen again.

By reaching out and exploring issues in other communities, we do learn more about our own. We learn new ways of handling, or not handling, concerns. We begin to understand how our daily actions can impact a person two borders away. The Local/Global Peace Festival is an opportunity to educate ourselves about initiatives to solve problems in other areas of the globe that could perhaps be applicable here in Brantford. Also it allows us to give all of our focus for one day on the need to work towards peaceful living, and that hopefully this focus will spill over into our daily lives. This month, I am advocating for the Local/Global Peace Festival. Please join us any time during the day on September 18 on Dalhousie Street between George and Market. Afterwards, wander up the street and enjoy the sounds of the Jazz Festival. Whether you attend the festival or not, what I am really asking you to do, in any way that you can, is to put aside one piece of that day to reflect, ponder, and learn about peace, Brantford, and its connection to the world.

September 2011

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Page 7

A Voting Woman Speaks Out!

By Tina Draycott
Not my age, my BMI, or even a number Ive ever considered interesting. But it is a number that I find very provocative now. Its the percentage of eligible women polled by Statistics Canada who didnt vote in the May 2011 federal election because they were not interested. Over one quarter of Canadian women who could have voted did not because they were not interested. Worse, Stats Can found that 22.2 percent of the women polled didnt vote because they felt they didnt have the time on Election Day. Additionally, 7.3 percent of the women asked said they didnt vote because they didnt like the candidate or the issues surrounding this election. Not liking a candidate or the issues should never be confused with the truth: apathy in educating oneself on the government that affects us all is tantamount to sticking your head in the sand and ignoring the world around you. I can guarantee you that those same 22.2 percent of time-strapped, 26.1 percent of uninterested, and 7.3 percent of politically unaware women all have very strong opinions on how this country is run when it hits them at home. Absolutely when it starts to tug at the purse strings. So why is politics important after, and not before, an election? Maybe Im so pissed off about this issue because some part of my brain relates to the way suffragettes paid for the rights I enjoy with their blood, sweat, and tears. These women didnt want to simply deal with the political hand dealt to them. They wanted the right to take an active part in the way they lived their lives a real say in their futures. 100 years ago women paid taxes, took care of families, made their world the best they could. All the things we do today, all the things we have done forever. But we used to have to do this without a political voice. Suffragettes risked so much. They ransomed their reputations, and faced the very real threat of injury and death - all for my indomitable right to master my future and choose my own way of life. So this is how we repay them? There are people who will argue with you that a vote for the sake of voting makes it bad for a real political decision to be made. Really? Frankly that is one of the reasons to vote. Are political parties and the folks within them really so worried that their candidate might lose because a citizen using her right to cast a ballot may vote against them? Then they damn well should be worried! Perhaps next election they will do a better job at reaching out to the whole community. Perhaps next election they wont be so quick to try to bully someone into not voting simply because they cant control the outcome. Old school, bad form. For every four women you talk to, at least one didnt vote. Typically I simply ask a non-voter if she understands the meaning of chattel. She really ought to, given that that is all she was considered to be until we won our right. This is not rocket science. If you do not want to vote, decline your ballot. If you dont know how to decline your ballot, its okay because there are people at every polling station who can help you. Sadly it is an empowerment tool that is not used enough. Declining your vote is the way to use your voice in letting fellow Canadians know you arent fond of who is running the system by using the system from the inside out. No excuses. Politics is a tough nut. It can be cruel and mean and unkind; everything I like to think women are not. But it doesnt have to be that way either. 26.1 percent is a lot, when you think about it. But what really bakes a noodle is the number 53.1. 53 .1 is the percent of voting age women in Canada. We could own over half the vote if we wanted to. If we really wanted the focus of our governments to be on health care, day care, education, protection of our seniors, better information access, better roads, and financial security for all - we could have it. All wed have to do is vote. For what it is worth, Stats Can says that it was in the Not Interested group that women who felt their vote did not make a difference were placed. This is incredibly telling and completely wrong. Dont believe me? Ask any candidate who has lost an election by less than a hundred votes. So perhaps the question isnt about the lassitude in woman voting, maybe the question is how do we re-ignite the fight? How do we set fire under our asses and swing the vote to reflect what we, as women, want our Canada to look and act like? The Suffragettes did the hard work; it is up to us to do the smart work, the educated work, the stuff it takes to make things run the way we want it to. The best part is that this time we dont have to risk our lives and livelihoods in doing it. It all comes down to making yourself aware. Read up on your parties. Ask questions of your friends and family. Go to that poorly furnished campaign office and ask to speak to the candidate who wants to represent you. Educate yourself on the issues. Do not let anyone tell you your vote doesnt matter or count. It does. It always will. But please, for the sake of all Canadian women, put your big girl panties on, get to the polling station, and vote your own way. You are asserting your right.
Photo courtesy of Empirical Photogrphic Arts / www.empiricalphotographicarts.com

Be educated. Be heard. Grab a sister. Go vote.

Post-Secondary Priorities: Dollars and Sense

By Ryan Jamula
I am a teenager. No bones about it. Ive yet to attend post-secondary but I know its coming. Im not scared of going away, or trying something new. Theres only one thing about this whole next steps thing that I find really scary getting saddled with huge debt. Going to university is extremely expensive. There are costs to apply to school, and the costs for textbooks and supplies and the cost of tuition rates arent getting any cheaper. It is no surprise that students are leaving university with outrageous amounts of personal debt. I dont know this from my personal experience; I know this because I have seen a single mother, supporting two kids, struggle to make ends meet in the post-secondary universe. For her it is only more difficult. For a Brantford mom who went back to school in hopes of becoming a teacher, it has been difficult to say the least. I know this woman. Her story is real and I dont think she is the only one hit by these kinds of circumstances. It seems there are many roadblocks that pop up when trying to find assistance. Over the past four years she has been going to school at McMaster University full-time, while raising two kids on her own. This has caused great amounts of stress, and has been very difficult financially. Imagine how hard it is to pay for tuition, supplies, and transportation, while also supporting two kids. Despite achieving top marks, financial support has not been sufficient. Although some funds from the Ontario Student Assistance Program have been given, it has been extremely difficult to access. Walls have been put up all around her. From delays in payments, to errors in processing applications, it has been a complete mess. The only aspect which was taken into account when applying for OSAP was income. There was no consideration given to the fact that the student was also a mom putting food on the table for two kids. The system seems flawed when a single mother without any income, using RRSPs to survive, is forced to beg for money even though she is an honour roll student. Finding a part-time job seems like a logical solution to help pay for the costs of education; however, OSAP only allows you to earn up to $103 a week while in school without affecting your funding. $103 a week does not seem like a lot when gas is $1.30 per litre. Of course, there is always the opportunity for summer employment but once again there are roadblocks. Firstly, there are very few jobs available to begin with; anyone who has been looking for employment over the past few years can testify to that. Although there are some jobs reserved for students, the requirements list that you had to be between the ages of 15 to 30 to be considered for the position. Once again, this doesnt help someone in her late 30s. After weeks of submitting hundreds of resumes and constant job searching, employment was found at last with a perfect opportunity to earn an income by working through a local temporary employment agency. The position included back breaking work, no training, minimal instruction, an environment where speaking to the person next to you is not allowed, and a situation where you were treated with no respect. All of this for $11 an hour. Unfortunately, when you wake up the next day with swollen wrists and bruised feet it isnt exactly worth it. The situation has also placed a burden on her family and had an impact on her children. Having to work minimum wage jobs also requires that her eldest daughter has to babysit her younger brother. This prevents her daughter from getting a part-time job and participating in extra-curricular activities that are conducive to her own education and admission into university programs. It has also affected her social life, as she often cannot go out with friends. Because of the cost of transportation, her son has had to miss out on the opportunity to attend gifted programming at school. The single mother who used to donate to the food bank has found herself using the resource for the first time in her life in order to feed her kids. Every hard working student deserves the opportunity to have access to post-secondary education. Many deserving students, of all ages, are being denied the opportunity to go to school because they cannot afford to pay. Efforts must be made to improve accessibility. Any students who work hard to achieve good grades should be able to go to university despite their financial situation. Students should be able to focus on their studies without worrying about whether they will be able to afford to eat. This month, I am advocating for fairness in education funding. I hope that during this provincial election, the candidates will make post-secondary education issues a real priority. We need to ensure that any student who meets the academic requirements of admission to a college, university, or trade school also has the option to pay for that education in a way that is fair and affordable.

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September 2011

A Time For Change

By Stacey Farrant
Sometimes life puts us on an unexpected road and we find ourselves having to make important decisions that we were never anticipating. The decisions we make next can influence our lives moving forward for better or for worse. I had made difficult decisions before, but none that had so much at stake. Ill never forget the words of my beautiful daughter Sarah that day. She looked up at me with an ounce of uncertainty in her eyes and said, What are you going to do now Mommy? It seems like such a simple thing to say, but it resonated deeply within me. There wasnt an easy answer to her question. My marriage had just ended, and at age 37, I found myself suddenly single with 3 teenage children. I had to pull it together. I had to stop spending countless nights crying myself to sleep, feeling ashamed of myself for failing to keep my marriage. Everything I had done to this point had revolved around my home. It was what I knew; it was what I loved. For almost 20 years I had been a wife, a "work at home mom", the head of the Parent-Teacher Association and a Sunday School teacher. Now I was just me, out in the work force, looking for a place to land. I guess this was a little different from how I had perceived my life would be. I now needed to review what the next steps were going to be for this new phase of my life; I needed a new plan. I had to re-evaluate my situation and turn it into an opportunity to grow, instead of a time of defeat. I started by speaking to those closest to me about opportunities to get involved in the community, places where my personality could grow. I took advantages of what was offered to me, from the chance to be the weather girl for Rogers TV to an invitation to come to Tweetstock. By opening myself up to new networks, new conversations, and new people, I began to grow into the woman I wanted to become a woman who is poised and confident, and a woman who can use my strengths to help other people. Since I chose to move forward, to take that nervous first step into the unknown, I have realized the power of the people in my life. There was my daughter who wasnt afraid to ask the tough question. There were my friends who provided the counsel and guidance to point me in the right direction. And then there are the people of this community, the ones who have supported what I have done to try and make this community better, and at the same time, make me better. I have leaned on them all, and they have never failed to support me. As I answered that very important question of my daughter Sarah's, I remember not even flinching as I replied "Mommy's going to be famous!" We both giggled immediately as the words were spoken Sarah because she thought I was just being optimistic or perhaps funny, and me because I knew that much like the lyrics from that Shania Twain song, things could only go up from here"! We all have choices in life. I have chosen to embrace my circumstances in a way that enables me to continue to move forward.

Power Talk
By Mark Gaylard
For over 20 years my passion has been partnering with people along their journey towards change. As a Peak Development Coach and Life Strategist I align myself with businesses and individuals who want to bridge the gap from where they are now to where they want to be. You tend to live in a world where it is extremely easy to get caught up in our environment and become a slave to it. This is a pitfall that we must be constantly aware of. Are you in control of your life or is your life controlling you? A more thought-provoking question might be: What is it you truly want and what is your definition of an extraordinary life? It sounds pretty simple until you realize the sheer weight of the question. I'm often met with blank stares and confusion when I put that out there. Personally I applaud the look of confusion, because it means you are about to learn something. I will often ask you what you don't want; the answers seem to spill out of your mouth when put that way. Take note of these answers, because by simply reversing them and turning them around, you may just discover what it is you do want out of life. Knowing what you want is the first step to achievement. Creating a blueprint (goal setting) is the first step to realizing it. Its important to remember that a goal is only a dream with a time line attached to it. So often we talk about what we want, but we rarely take action to get it. Talk is cheap. If you want to succeed and achieve at a level you never thought possible, you have to be prepared to commit to lasting change. You have to commit to getting focused and taking action every day, not just once in a while. Its pointless to start a journey unless you know where it is you are going. I encourage people to establish that outcome, and work backwards from there. There is an old saying that people don't plan to fail they fail to plan. Even if you were to lay out a strategic plan, you are bound to be faced with obstacles along the way. The key is to stay focused on where you are going by knowing your outcome. Should you find something is not working, don't give up; simply change your approach. Picture your life like a flight plan. The goal is to get from Los Angeles to Toronto. A flight may experience weather patterns, other planes, or mechanical problems causing you to change your approach. The objective is still to get that aircraft safely from point A to point B. The same holds true in life. Its known as the ultimate success formula. The key to all success is to get focused, take action, get results, and repeat. As we journey deeper into The Advocate we will explore how you can implement these simple proven formulas and strategies to improve your life. Until then: Always Live with Passion.

An Ontario Sign Company With Heart!

Brooks Signs is a sign company and custom sign manufacturer located in Brantford, Ontario. We consistently deliver some of the highest quality in the industry. Our 25 year success story is the result of our attention to detail and care of our clients. Our custom signs are crafted with passion and precision, and provide world class appearance and performance.As we head into a world where unique designs, vibrant colours, and bright LEDs are the norm, let Brooks Signs be your partner in signs.

519.753.6106 www.brooks-signs.com

September 2011

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Page 9

Quantum Leap of Faith No More

By Tristan Curtis
December 1991 was an interesting time for me. I was eight years old and my parents took my brother and I to see Hook, the latest Spielberg film about a grown up Peter Pan. I remember being upset because I couldnt be a part of the story and I knew that I would have to grow up and never be a lost boy. I had no idea that I was about to obtain a disorder that wouldnt be diagnosed until I reached my twenties. Appropriately, this condition has been titled Peter Pan Syndrome. Its common and harmless (unless your girlfriend or wife hates it when you quote Lord of the Rings during sex). Does this appreciation for fantasy explain my on-going desire to be a lost boy who lives in the trees? Are movies the reason I feel the way I do today? Im finding the need to figure this out lately. Perhaps I am losing that good old feeling that movies used to give me. Am I stuck with The Wizard and Mac and Me forever? I hope not. Stanley Kubrick once said, Film is or should be more like music than fiction. If this is true, it would explain what you might have felt like when you saw the latest Transformers movie. Its hard to believe that the films that are geared toward children and young adults these days are in any way equivalent to the films you would have grown up with in the 70s or 80s. E.T. didnt need sexual content to sell at the box office. The Goonies didnt need violence to be the most rented movie of 1985. Yet the films of today try to pack in as much sex and violence as possible before even considering the theme, which is usually the reason why the story evolved to screenplay in the first place. Aging causes this ambush on the imagination to be translucent. Its as if your childhood was nearly worry free; therefore, any good experiences at this time will result in an even more positive experience to the memory. As an adult, we have more worry and stress, which disables our ability to experience fictional adventure to its fullest. Its kind of a shame. Even though most of us wanted to return to Pandora, the six-year-olds were too young to witness it. Perhaps the audience is to blame for being too nave and for not demanding more art and less filler. But lets face it, the audience is nave and we are all to blame for the ongoing feeding of this hungry, bad-movie-making-machine that still entertains us regularly. Okay, that all sounds pretty harsh. Hollywoods big time producers, among other independent film companies, still manage to produce quality pictures. Even though the main objective is to create a profit, it seems like the entertainment we receive in exchange for our dollars equals one positive experience. So, even if you thought that the movie you just saw was bad, your money wasnt wasted; you just paid for the right to say it was terrible. Good or bad, film is a powerful source for relating to our own and others lives. The Boy Who Could Fly was (critically) a terrible movie, but it will remain in my top ten forever. The light that shines in the memory of childhood will always be something to relive whenever possible. Life isnt getting any easier, but escaping to other worlds is. The original stories combined with 3D, and the soon approaching 4D, will take us deeper into the abyss of Hollywoods imagination. Is this bad? Of course not. We all need to leave reality for a least a couple of hours every once in a while. The emotional connection to film varies so much that the good must come with the bad. When someone asks you what your favorite film genre is, dont say everything but romance and horror. All genres are extremely powerful and at the same time will produce a pile of uselessness within them. And dont be hating on blockbusters, man. How else will we get to Middle Earth? The beauty of art is the journey it takes us on. Some of us just want to get to the point before we deserve to know what it is. If we can enjoy fiction through storytelling, without prejudgment, then we have taken a closer step to seeing things as a child - innocently, willingly, and openly. As much as film may stray from the idealistic view of what art should be, it still is, by description, art. Enjoy it make fun of it talk about it but most importantly, create it.

Beks in The City

By Bekah Pitts
My name is Rebekah Pitts and I am an advocate for exploration. I have just moved to Brantford this summer and have an intrinsic sense of curiosity. Over the past couple of years, I have backpacked through different parts of the world, always taking the time to explore, spend time with the locals, and naturally, find characteristics that make an area distinct. There is no reason the same cant be done here. Im excited to look at Brant with new eyes and each month to report on what Ive found. Brant County is a place of opportunity. I already have a wealth of friends and family who live here. Im blessed with many tour guides in this new place Im now calling home. Given the short time I have lived in Brantford, I can see the potential for growth and development. Brantford and Brant Countys underlying charm has made me excited to discover what they will have to offer me in the future. Since Ive moved here, Im learning more and more about my family history as well. Today, when I visit my grandparents, I am reminded of the many happy years my grandmother and great grandparents had in Brantford and the importance of laying roots in a place you love. Nearly 50 years later, with family members dispersed around the country, we have begun to move back to Brantford. Today, I have family members, directly related, extended, and through marriage, living in this city. When people move, there are often inherent feelings that come along with that change. For some, its fear; for others its anxiety or excitement. I had a blend of these before moving to Brantford, but I also experienced something that not many other people get to do. I was moving to a new city that held years of my familys history, untold stories, and countless memories already.

Photo courtesy of Ida Magdalena Adamowicz

I might be calling Brantford home for the first time but many previous generations in my family have a past here and have proudly called Branford home. In 1939, on 282 Marlborough Street, a young woman raised four daughters and a son, and tended to her house. Every morning, her husband rode his bike to Jacksons Bread. Six mornings of the week he loaded his wagon and delivered bread door to door. The seventh day was spent tending to the work horses. Their children attended King George School. During the summer, playing in the river or public pools was not allowed because of the polio scare, but there was no shortage of picnics in Mohawk Park. In 1952, the second eldest daughter met a young man at a dance at the Rainbow Room on Darling Street. In 1953 they were married. That second eldest daughter was my grandmother, Joyce Swackhamer, whos still married to Joseph Swackhamer, the fine young gentleman she met at the Rainbow Room.

I moved to a place where there are roots waiting for me. Family and friends are literally steps away from my front door and because of this, I hold a sense of familiarity while I work towards making this city my own too. There are places in this area that are begging to be explored: restaurants that are hidden gems, activities that everyone should try, scenery that will take your breath away. As a new resident, I am excited to experience these things through new eyes and with old roots. I have realized in a matter of weeks that Brantford, Brant County, Six Nations and New Credit have so much to offer. I am excited to explore and identify with the area, its charm, its history, its passion, and its people.

Photo courtesy of Empirical Photogrphic Arts / www.empiricalphotographicarts.com

Clowns Need Smiles.

Without a smile from this clown, a child may not get the chance to laugh. Without Clowns for Kids, children may not get the chance to shine. Without friends like the Calbecks, our community may not get the chance to grow. The Calbeck name has been synonymous with providing quality goods and services for the people of Brantford for generations. For generations, they have helped support community initiatives like Clowns For Kids. Help us support Clowns For Kids, in support of the Boys and Girls Club of Brantford and the Lansdowne Children's Centre. For more information, visit www.clownsforkids.ca