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CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO |
- Emotional Farewell
Celebration For Val and Violet Mazzuca As They Sell the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre After 38 Years
- "The
Real Heroes Of The Olympic Games Were The 12,000 Torch Bearers Who
Left Lasting Memories Across This Great Country"
- Local Social Network Developed For Active Moms and Their
Families
- Members
of Confederation's Evolutionary Band Give Evidence Of How
Music Program Prepares One For Life's Challenges
- Skating
Excursions With Class Provide Children, Parents and Grandparents With
An Opportunity For Fun And Exercise
- CAW - LOCAL 598
RATIFY THREE-YEAR AGREEMENT WITH XSTRATA WITH 93% ACCEPTANCE VOTE
- Larry
Berrio Co-Hosts THE LEARNING CLINIC Three-Hour Live Talk Radio Show With Robert Kirwan
on February 8, 2010
- Hospice
Palliative Care Volunteer Training Offers Local Residents A Chance
To Take Part In A Rewarding Experience
- Valley East Facebook Group Growing In Popularity As
Hundreds Of Current & Former Residents Use The Internet To Keep In
Touch
- Student Group
Plans On Promoting Safe Driving All Year Long
- Mother of Two Young Children
Decides To Venture Forth Into The World of Business In Search of a
More Balanced Lifestyle
- Hanmer
Valley Shopping Centre Continues To Provide Central Communication
Site For Community
- Georgette Bergeron Seeks Help From
Local Residents To Help Rebuild Mission In Haiti Following
Devastating Earthquake
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Emotional Farewell
Celebration For Val and Violet Mazzuca As They Sell the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre After 38 Years |
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Val and Violet Mazzuca purchased the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on
February 28, 1972. Thirty-eight years to the day later, they found
themselves turning the keys over to new owners because of health conditions
that just didn't allow them to be the type of "hands-on" owners
that they have always prided themselves on. And since he couldn't be the
kind of owner that the community of Valley East had come to rely upon, he
decided that it was time to turn the job over to someone else.
France Gelinas, MPP for the Nickel Belt Riding, held a brief
public celebration for the Mazzuca's so that family, friends and local
residents could drop by to say thank you for the years of providing the
community with a shopping centre that is second to none in terms of
cleanliness and community involvement.
Gelinas commented, "There will never be another owner
like the Mazzuca's. They were truly "hands-on". This is not what
you can expect from an Ontario Inc. 123794 (not the real corporation name
of the new owner). No matter what the new owners do, they will never be able
to provide shoppers with the kind of attention and involvement we have come
to expect for all of these years."
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Val Mazzuca spoke with obvious emotion in his voice as he first of all gave
recognition to his wife, Violet, whom he described as helping him become
"the person I am today." He said that he was truly grateful for
her support all of these years and it was quite evident that those who were
gathered in the crowd agreed as they gave that comment a rousing applause.
He also said that he would never forget the day that they
bought the mall. "My brothers, Mario and Bob and I were in Toronto with
our accountant and lawyer to sign the final papers. We drove back that day
in one of the worst snow storms I can remember. We could only make it back
to the Fleur de Lis motel and had to wait for some of our friends to come to
get us on their snowmachines."
"When we bought the place I could look down this
hallway and all that was lighting the mall were about a dozen light bulbs.
We've come a long way since then."
He thanked everyone who supported them through the years by
supporting the merchants who have been in the mall and for working with him
to improve the quality of life for people living in Valley East and Capreol.
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Frank Mazzuca Jr, spoke highly about his Uncle Val and
the early morning work they did plowing the snow at 4 a.m. Val and
Violet did the honours of cutting a cake for those who were gathered
for the ceremony. You can see some of the crowd in the background.
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The Mazzuca's are all about "family" and this occasion was
no different as many of the relatives were in the crowd to commemorate
this very important occasion in the live of Val and Violet Mazzuca.
Mayor John Rodriguez called the couple, "True
community builders who not only have done wonderful things in the
past, but who can be counted on to do more great things in the
future."
Val Mazzuca said, "This is not good bye. We
consider Capreol and Valley East to be our home and we will still be
around. Now this is going to give me even more time to help rebuild
Capreol so that it can become the town it once was."
The new owners are from Southern Ontario and are
already owners of a mall in Bolton and one in Sault Ste. Marie. They
have expressed a commitment to continue the traditions that have been
established by the Mazzuca's, a sentiment that Val Mazzuca pointed out
as one of the main reasons he selected the new owners out of several
who were interested. |
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"The
Real Heroes Of The Olympic Games Were The 12,000 Torch Bearers Who
Left Lasting Memories Across This Great Country"
by
Robert Kirwan
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As I write this article I can
truly say that never in my life have I been so proud to be a
Canadian. And I am not afraid to say that publicly to anyone
who is around to listen. The Olympic Games in Vancouver were absolutely
phenomenal. To be able to declare that I actually watched Sidney
Crosby score the winning goal in overtime to capture not only
the gold medal for Men's Hockey, but moreover, the 14th and
record-setting gold medal of the games is something that I
will hold dear to my heart for the rest of my life. I watched Paul
Henderson score the winning goal in 1972 during the famous
Canada-Russia Series, and this moment ranks right up there
alongside that tremendous moment in history. There has been much said
and written recently about how the Olympic
Games has rejuvenated our national pride and raised our
normally refined patriotism in this country to a euphoric
level the likes of which few can recall being equaled in the
past. There were some amazing achievements realized by all of our
athletes, and there were some disappointments. As a
country, "Team Canada" broke the all-time record for the most gold
medals ever won by any nation at an winter Olympics. This
means that our national anthem was sung after more events than
any other nation in the world, and after all, that is what the
Olympics is all about. It is nice to congratulate the bronze
and silver medallists, but the reality is that we
celebrate the "gold medal". We want to hear our
national anthem played and we want to see our athletes stand
on the top level of the podium. All in all, there were some extraordinarily
inspirational and emotional times during the period from
February 12 to 28, 2010 that touched the hearts of all
Canadians.
For example, we all fell in love with Joannie
Rochette, the courageous skater who won a bronze medal after
dealing with the sudden death of her mother the day she
arrived in Vancouver. We all cried with Joannie because every
one of us could "connect" with her. We have all felt
the pain of a sudden loss of a loved one and we
"knew" what she was going through. We felt her pain
and we could imagine how much courage it would take for us to
go through what she was experiencing. When she skated and won
the medal; when she climbed onto the podium; we were there
with her in spirit. Even if you have no interest in skating,
you watched her because you identified with Joannie Rochette.
Similarly, we all had an intense desire to win
the hockey gold medal because hockey is "Canada's
game". We have fought "wars on ice" many times
before and we have felt both the joy of winning and the pain
of losing. The hockey game was more than a game on ice. So too
were the other sports that were played during the Olympics. It
wasn't the sport we were interested in. We all wanted to see
our flag flying the highest and we wanted to hear our National
Anthem. Once again, we did not identify with the athletes or
the sport. We identified with the "country". I
couldn't care less about watching a man go head first down an
icy tunnel on an old sleigh. But I certainly wanted him to win
for my country.
Nevertheless, despite all of the great moments
that occurred during the actual competitions, I doubt very
much that the Olympic Spirit that we felt during the games
would have been quite as intense if not for the 106 day Olympic
Torch Relay that began on October 30, 2009 in Victoria British
Columbia and ended during the Opening Ceremonies on February
12, 2010. I would suggest that the key to the tremendous
success of the 2010 Olympics was the decision to make this the longest
torch run
in history to be contained within the Host Country. The torch
was carried a total of 45,000 kilometers through over 1000
communities in 106 days by over 12,000 individual
"heroes" allowing over 90% of
the population of Canada to be within a one hour drive of
experiencing the Olympic flame. The Olympic Spirit was
nurtured across this vast country and culminated with Sidney
Crosby's overtime game-winning goal. The roar was felt all
around the world, but it was started in Olympia Greece on
October 22, 2009 and continued to build once it started its
journey across Canada.
In the days following the closing ceremonies,
I have yet to hear one comment or news story about the Olympic
Torch Relay. All of our attention has been focused on the
performance of the athletes and in particular on Sidney
Crosby's single goal. I wonder what things would have been
like if the United States would have won that last game?
Personally, I will soon forget the accomplishments of the
athletes during the Olympic games. I'll remember the game
winning goal and I will remember that we won 14 gold medals.
But I will soon forget the competition that created the
euphoria. And I doubt if I will ever go out of my way to watch
free-style skiing competitions, or figure skating, or luge
events.
However, there is something that I will never forget
and I would like to share it with you right now.
The 2010 Vancouver Olympics captured the
hearts of the entire nation. We will all remember how proud we
felt during the Olympic games, but it has nothing to do with
the accomplishments of the athletes or the beautiful
facilities. I have always believed that while we may over time
forget the names of people we meet in our life, we will
never forget how they made us feel. This was never more
evident than when the journey of life that my wife and I are
on lead us to Barrie on October 22,
2009, helping our son Warren, and Cindi Meyer move into their
brand new house. While we were taking a break from moving in
the furniture we found
ourselves watching the live broadcast of the Olympic Flame
being lit in Olympia Greece during a special ceremony to hand
the torch to Canadian officials. We took advantage of the
opportunity to get a photo of Cindi beside the television.
Cindi, you see, was one of the 12,000 people who had been selected to
carry the torch. At that time, I could sense that this was
more than just a picture of Cindi in front of her television,
but I still had no idea just how much it would eventually come
to mean. This was indeed a very significant moment in a story
that was about to unfold over the next several months. I
wondered silently how many other families of the 12,000 torch
bearers were doing exactly the same as us. For us, this
television broadcast meant a lot more than we could ever
imagine.
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All during the Christmas season, when people
asked me what I was going to be doing during the holidays, I
told them that we were going to be in Barrie watching Cindi
carry the torch in Alliston, about 40 minutes south of where
they now lived. The responses I received were quite
remarkable. Each and every person had an expression of what
can be best described as "Wow!" They were sincerely
happy that I would be experiencing such an important event and
they couldn't say enough about how lucky I was to be so close
to someone was going to be an official "Olympic Torch-Bearer".
I could sense that they felt their trips to exotic places
around the world for the holidays were nowhere as impressive
as what I was going to be doing. This happened over and over again
and I began to feel a deep
sense of pride and anticipation. I began to feel the
importance of the event. I was actually going to be
with my family witnessing Cindi carry the Olympic torch. There were
going to be a lot of torch parties going on over the land, and
we would be attending one of them. It was actually quite
exciting but I still had no idea of what was to come.
We even started to follow the Olympic Torch on
the CTV web site. You were able to see each individual carry the
torch over their stretch of 300 meters, and even though we
were not there in person, I could still feel that sense of pride
and anticipation building up inside me, knowing that the flame
was making its way to Alliston where on December 29, we would
see Cindi doing exactly what these people were doing on
television. As the day approached, there was a special feeling
that came over me that I couldn't quite explain.
When the big day finally came we crowded into
our vehicles to drive the 40 minutes from Warren's house to the spot where Cindi
would begin her run. Warren and Cindi along with her
children went ahead because the Olympic Torch Bearers had to
gather in advance for final instructions at a central meeting
place.
There was no way in the world that I could
have ever imagined how I was going to feel later on that
afternoon. But I will admit that I felt different. I
can't describe it, but there was something different inside of
me. It was as if I knew that I was going to be part of
something special.
When we arrived in Alliston we positioned ourselves beside the pole where
Cindi would be dropped off by the Torch-Bearer Bus that went
out in advance of the relay runners. Each torch-bearer had a
designated drop-off spot along the route. Warren told us where
Cindi's drop-off spot would be and he was there when we
arrived. We found ourselves sort of
in the middle of a stretch of the street which was between a
corner with traffic lights and a section of the downtown that
was barricaded to keep traffic out for a good hour prior to
the run. Because of this, very few spectators were in the spot
when Cindi was dropped off. There was a crowd at the corner
with the traffic lights and there was a crowd gathering on the
other side of the barricade. You can see in the photo below as
Cindi was let out of the bus that there were not many people
around her at the time.
This was the moment we had been waiting for
since the day we found out that Cindi was one of the 12,000
persons selected to carry the torch.
What happened during the next fifteen minutes
was a truly defining moment in my life, as I am sure it became
in the life of many of the people who were around me that day.
Almost immediately, dozens of people began inching their way
towards Cindi. They saw her get out of the bus and they wanted
to get an up-close look at this "celebrity" whom we
simply called Cindi.
We took a picture of Cindi and Warren with her
two children, Brittney and Austin and then the flood-gates
opened and everybody surrounded Cindi asking politely if she
would mind them getting their picture taken with her and the
torch. It was if the picture we took released something inside
the spectators. It was as if they felt "connected"
to Cindi. You could tell how proud and thrilled these
"strangers" were to be allowed to stand beside a
real, live Olympic Torch Bearer and have someone take their
picture. They touched the torch gently and with reverence.
At that moment in time, Cindi was the most
famous person in the world to the people in the crowd, especially
to the
youngsters. Wayne Gretsky could have walked by and the people
would still have wanted to get their picture with Cindi. This
was Cindi's moment and
Cindi was absolutely gracious. She was anticipating one of the
most important moments in her life, and yet she gratefully
obliged everyone by standing there and letting them get their
picture so that they could put it in a treasured place to
remind them of the event for the rest of their lives. You
could tell that everyone who touched the torch and stood
beside Cindi felt that she was somehow representing
"ordinary Canadians" and that this stretch of the
run was being done for them.
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I stood back and watched as my granddaughters,
Hailee (5) on the left and Hannah (3) on the right went up and
hugged their Aunt Cindi. They put their hands on the torch. They
had heard us talking about this for some time and they too,
even as young as they were, could understand that this was
something very special. When they get older they will
appreciate the significance of the event, but even now they
somehow knew. This was the same Aunt Cindi who they had been
with that morning, but somehow Aunt Cindi was going to be
different for a while. She was going to be doing something
very special and they could feel it just like everyone else in
the crowd.
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Keep in mind that this all happened in less than
10 or 15 minutes from the time the bus dropped Cindi off by
herself at her designated spot until the flame was delivered
to her and she would carry it for the next leg in the 45,000
kilometre journey. It was truly remarkable and I can honestly
say I have never felt quite the same as I did that day. I
can't even describe how I felt. I was so proud to be there to
witness the moment with my family and my granddaughters.
I was also so happy for the dozens of
people who would be able to tell their family and friends that
they had their picture taken with an Olympic Torch Bearer. You
could tell that they were moved and very appreciative of
the way Cindi treated them. I was so proud of Cindi for
allowing everyone to share a little piece of this moment that
they would take away with them forever.
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And then the "flame" arrived and was
transferred to Cindi. The crowd watched, cameras flashing, and
Cindi stood alone for a few seconds in the middle of the
street, taking it all in and realizing the significance of the
event. Now it was her turn to accept responsibility for
bringing the flame on the next stage of its long journey. This
was the flame that we had seen on television on October 22,
2009. It was the flame we were going to watch on February 12, 2010
when the Olympic cauldron was lit in Vancouver. Everyone in
the street watched and felt in their hearts a sense of pride
in being a Canadian that for most of us we had never
experienced with such intensity until that moment. Cindi was
carrying that torch for everyone on the street and indeed
everyone in Canada.
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As Cindi ran with the torch through the
crowded street in downtown Alliston, you could sense that each
and every person there was running with her. She was carrying
much more than a torch with a flame. She was carrying the
hopes and dreams of a nation. This was not about athletic
competition and gold medals. This was much, much more and the
sight of Cindi with that torch would somehow change the life
of everyone there in a very positive way forever.
That is why the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games
meant so much to us. That is why over 26 million people turned
on their television sets to watch at least a part of the gold
medal hockey game on the afternoon of February 28, 2010. We watched
the opening ceremonies; we shared in the highs and lows of the
athletes during their competition in sports that many of us
have never seen in real life; and we experienced the unbelievable feeling when
Crosby scored the goal as the ultimate moment in the games. We
then wound down during the opening ceremonies and we now move
forward in our individual lives as proud Canadians. Life
is returning to normal.
Millions of people experienced first-hand the
Olympic Flame as it was carried by "ordinary" people
like Cindi Meyer. There are almost 12,000 "ordinary"
people who enjoyed a moment of fame while they took their turn
under the flame. There were also some famous people who
carried the torch, but the people on the street couldn't stand
beside and put their arm around the famous people. They
couldn't get their picture with the famous people. But they
could get their picture with the thousands of Torch Bearers
like Cindi. The people like Cindi Meyer were the real heroes
of the 2010 games. They were the ones who generated the
Olympic Spirit and who fueled the National pride we all felt
when Crosby scored his historic goal.
The ordinary people just Cindi are the ones we
could all "connect" with because they were just like
us. They were ordinary people who were doing something
"extraordinary" with their life. They represented
all of us as they carried their torch. We could feel as if we
were a part of them. We identify with Joannie Rochette, not
because of her medal win, but because we know how difficult it
is to move on when you lose someone close to you. We identify
with Alexandre Bilodeau, not because he won the first gold
medal, but because we all know someone like his brother who
has been unfairly inflicted with some kind of physical
challenge. We identify with Jon Montgomery, not because of the
fact that he won a gold medal on the "skeleton", but
because of how he acted like an "ordinary" person
when he walked down the street with a jug of beer in one hand
and a helmet in another, just like a down-to-earth
Canadian.
Most of the millions of Canadians who were
caught up in the spirit of the Olympics know someone, or a
friend of someone who was an Olympic Torch Bearer. Most of us
actually saw "the flame". Most of us followed the
flame as it travelled through our community, either in person
or on the television. We identify with the Olympic Torch
Bearers because they were mostly "ordinary people",
just like us. That is why the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games
meant so much to us.
Cindi's Olympic torch will stand in a place of
honour in Warren and Cindi's house. Each time I visit I will
be reminded of the feeling I had on December 29 when I saw all
of those "ordinary" Canadians swelling up with pride
on that small street in Alliston. I will be reminded that this same
feeling was felt by millions of Canadians across this country
who experienced the same thing almost 12,000 times during the
106 day journey. They all have fond memories of the torch run
and they also are being reminded when they look at pictures or
whenever they meet someone who is introduced to them in the
future as "one of the 2010 Olympic Torch
Bearers".
It is a good feeling knowing that our country
is a much better place to live as a result of the 2010 Winter
Olympics and it's all because of thousands of ordinary people
like Cindi Meyer who carried lit our Canadian Spirit with a
small flame, 300 meters at a time. We will forget the names of
most of athletes who brought us so much joy during the 17 days
of the Olympic Games. The people who had their picture
taken with Cindi Meyer on December 29 on the small street in
Alliston will not remember her name. Nor will the millions of
others who had a chance to get up close to the thousands of
other torch bearers and who experienced the thrill of watching
the torch make its way across this country. But I will
guarantee you one thing; everyone will remember how they felt
when they saw the torch being carried. They will remember the
feeling that came over them when they were in the presence of
the real heroes of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.
Have a good week! |
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Local Social Network Developed For Active Moms and Their
Families |
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Valley
East Today would like to congratulate local residents, Lynn and Errol
Phillip, on the launch of their exciting new web site, www.sudburymoms.com.
The site was launched in November 2009 to serve both as a social
network and an online service provider connecting area moms with each
other. Their goal is to have it become like Facebook, but on a more
personal level.
The web site contains a wide variety of sections, including a
discussion forum where there are already over 60 topics. Visitors can
post videos, photos and comments. They can also access a coupon
section and get some great information about products, books and
recipes.
Lynn Phillips stated that, "We
always thought a local site for moms would be a great idea, somewhere
to go
and seek out answers to questions you might be expected to know but
didn't.
A sort of shortcut or
definitive resource as to what really works and what doesn't."
Lynn
and Errol have done their research, which confirms why sites like www.sudburymoms.com
and www.valleyeasttoday.ca
are becoming so popular. According to their press release, "There
are studies that prove more women and mothers are spending more time
online with social networks. Fortune 500
companies and alike have also now embraced the social media arena for
their marketing needs. There are also numerous reports that have
evaluated the “Mom Job” of the Working and Stay at Home Moms. We
have created this free online tool to be a unique and informative
parenting resource to serve the local community."
Dads
are also welcome to visit the site and participate with the group. |
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Members
of Confederation's Evolutionary Band Give Evidence Of How
Music Program Prepares One For Life's Challenges |
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Veronica Ranger (Grade
12) |
Kayla O'Hearon (Grade 12)
Jasmine Wagg (Grade 11) |
Three
members of Confederation Secondary School's Evolutionary Band
were the special guests on THE LEARNING CLINIC on Monday,
February 15, 2010 during the 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. time slot.
Veronica Ranger, currently attending the "Victory
Lap" in Grade 12 (for those of you who may not be
familiar with that term, she has already graduated but has
chosen to return for a 5th year to add some courses to her
transcript) is one of the Lead Singers with the band and also
does background vocals for some of the songs. She has been a
band member for all five years and is also able to play the
trumpet, sax and trombone. Kayla O'Hearon, also in Grade 12,
has been with the band for all four years of high school and
is in her 3rd year playing the guitar. She spent her first
year with the stage crew. Jasmine Wagg, a Grade 11 student, is
in her 3rd year with the band. She started out with the stage
crew and has now been a bass player with the band for the past
two years. During the show the girls discussed many of the transferable
skills that they have developed as members of the band. They
rehearse four nights a week for two hours after school in
preparation for a performance tour which begins some time in
March. The tour includes an out-of-town trip where they put on
several performances for a variety of audiences.
The girls also explained that the entire band will be out
looking for pledges for their annual "Play-a-thon"
which will be held at the school in the "sanctuary"
on Saturday, February 20, 2010. The band needs to raise about
$140 per member in order to cover the expenses of performing
on tour this season. Therefore, if you are approached by any
member of the band, please give them your support. This is a
music program that is doing wonders for the overall
development of each and every member of Evolutionary.
If you are interested in
finding out how to download the radio show, click
here for the instructions >>>>
FACTS ABOUT EVOLUTIONARY BAND
The
following information has been provided by Mr. Norm McIntosh,
Director of Evolutionary Band and a Music teacher at
Confederation Secondary School.
In its 30th year of existence, Evolutionary is
located at
Confederation
Secondary School.
Evolutionary is a 24 piece rock band which includes 4
vocalists, a 7 piece rhythm section, 3 trumpets, 4 trombones,
2 alto saxes and 4 tenor saxes and is supported by a 16 member
stage crew.
Evolutionary is the musical ambassador for Action Sudbury.
They are
Northern Ontario
’s official No Drinking and Driving Band. At every
performance they distribute Contracts for Life (approx. 6000
per year). Evolutionary participate in community events
including the Rainbow School Board’s ‘Reading Rocks’
program.
Band members range in age from 13 to 19 years old and must
complete an audition and interview annually in order to be
earn a place in the band. Successful applicants sign a
year-long contract. Students in Evolutionary receive a high
school music credit for their participation. All students who
participate in this program are expected to carry a full
timetable and to maintain passing grades in their other
subjects.
Evolutionary is completely self-supporting. All expenses
for transportation, and the purchase and repair of musical
instruments and equipment are covered by student fund-raising
and sponsorship. The band rehearses 4 nights a week from
September to March.
Evolutionary tours from March until June, performing in
front of over 8,000 students per year. Venues include other
schools, public events and opening for professional acts.
Performances include a high energy, choreographed show with an
exciting light display including lasers, strobes, smoke
machines, intelligent lighting and orbitrons. Shows are
approximately 75 minutes in length and include 16 songs
including a selection of top 40 hits such as Shinedown,
Hinder, Green Day, 3 Days Grace, Rolling
Stones, Queen, Bryan Adams, AC/DC, Foo Fighters, Linkin Park,
Nickleback, Kings of Leon.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE RECENT HISTORY
OF THE BAND
2009 - 3 Days Grace attends a Fall
rehearsal, invites EVO to their concert
- Zack Werner (Canadian Idol Judge) brings
a film crew north to see Evolutionary
- Jake Gold (Canadian Idol judge) attends
Mother’s Day Concert
2008
-Rock band, Hedley, surprises Evolutionary by dropping
into their rehearsal, invites EVO to
their concert
- Evolutionary was recognized
as Junior Citizens of the Year at the Community Builders
Awards of Excellence for the City of Greater
Sudbury
-
Evolutionary completes “House Party” video recorded
at Ostara Studios, May 2008
2007 - Recording artist, Suzie McNeil (Rockstar
INXS) gigs with Evolutionary at a rehearsal
- Evolutionary is the subject of
a full length documentary, “Face the Music”
-
Evolutionary sets the Guinness World Record for
“Deepest Concert Underground” at CVRD Inco’s North
Mine, 3400’ level
-
Denise Donlon, founder of Much More Music, attends an
Evolutionary concert in
Toronto
- The
Tragically Hip drop
in on an Evolutionary rehearsal, Keshia Chante
attends EVO concert
2006 -EMI Music Co. President, Deane
Cameron, and CARAS
Director of Music Education, Srinka
Wallia attend an Evolutionary tour concert in Maple,
Ontario
-
Recording artist and Juno nominee, Skye Sweetnam attends
Evolutionary’s Reading Rocks concert
- The Trews drop on
the band during sound checks and jam with them
2005 -Notable music industry professional, Bob Ezrin,
record producer of Pink Floyd The
Wall/Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee attends Night
Concert
-State-of-the-art recording studio is
officially unveiled at
Confederation
Secondary School
2002 -Evolutionary receives $10,000 from
Junos/CARAS for new musical equipment and appearS with
recording group, Sloan, on a taped segment on the Juno
Awards
2001 - Mike McCarty, president of EMI
Music Publishing Canada, attends an
Evolutionary concert
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FOR
A PHOTO STORY OF AN OUTDOOR CONCERT PERFORMED BY
EVOLUTIONARY AT THE HANMER VALLEY SHOPPING CENTRE
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Skating
Excursions With Class Provide Children, Parents and Grandparents With
An Opportunity For Fun And Exercise |
Hailee (5), an S.K. student at Ecole Catholique Elementaire Jean
Paul II, and her father, Ryan, have a chance to skate with the class
during "Skating Day" at the Ray Plourde Arena in Val Caron. |
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There is nothing like dozens of young children
skating on the ice, especially when many of them are still
learning how to balance themselves on these "blades of
steel". The scene at Val Caron's Ray Plourde Arena was
chaotic at best, but everyone truly enjoyed themselves. The
younger boys and girls were in good hands as many parents and
grandparents donned the skates as well and offered their
encouragement. Students from older grades were also on the ice
to help with the children from the younger grades. |
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CAW - LOCAL 598
RATIFY THREE-YEAR AGREEMENT WITH XSTRATA WITH 93% ACCEPTANCE VOTE |
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GREATER
SUDBURY AREA WELCOMES AGREEMENT AS A SIGN OF HOPE FOR STEELWORKERS |
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It was a long hard marathon session, but at approximately 5:00 a.m., Monday, February 1, 2010, there was a huge sigh of relief felt
across the Greater Sudbury Area as the bargaining teams representing
Xstrata Nickel and CAW/Mine Mill Local 598 signed a tentative agreement
for a new Collective Agreement, averting strike action by the membership. On
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 876 of the 1080 members of Sudbury Mine, Mill & Smelter Workers Union, Local 598/CAW
voted to accept the agreement with an overwhelming 93% margin. A total of
813 voted yes while only 63 voted no.
The main details of the agreement included:
- a $2,500 signing bonus to all active and laid off members;
- a wage increase of $0.20 per hour in the third year of the contract;
- a $0.27 cola fold in from the previous contract and the COLA rolled
into wages each year;
- a retirement incentive of $10,000 per employee for eligible
employees who voluntarily elect to retire with an unreduced pension
during the life of the agreement;
- a 30 and out plan with a $3,450 monthly pension;
- several benefit improvements, including up to $1,000 in laser eye
surgery;
- a $500 payment to low income pensioners and widows
Also included in the agreement is a Nickel performance bonus in
addition to a modified existing nickel bonus system (based on a higher
floor price).
There were several other staffing provisions in the agreement,
including a guarantee that if a person was promoted to a staff position,
he would maintain all of his seniority rights in production &
maintenance for up to two years.
Both sides are very pleased with the results of the negotiations which
were punctuated by a positive communication atmosphere throughout. It was
clear that both sides wanted an agreement.
Now the city waits for Vale Inco and the Steelworkers to settle their
dispute. |
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Larry
Berrio Co-Hosts THE LEARNING CLINIC Three-Hour Live Talk Radio Show With Robert Kirwan
on February 8, 2010 |
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Larry
Berrio, a resident of Valley East and who is recognized as one
of Sudbury's most exciting performers in the music industry,
shown in front of his decorated truck on the right, was the co-host of a special 3-hour live
talk radio show on Laurentian University's CKLU 96.7 FM on
February 8, 2010. The
program is called THE
LEARNING CLINIC and is on every Monday from 5 p.m. to 8
p.m. It is hosted and produced by Robert Kirwan, Publisher of
Valley East Today and owner of The
Greater Sudbury Learning Clinic, his private practice as
an Education, Training and Career Planning Consultant. Kirwan
is shown on the left.
Berrio welcomed the opportunity to do the show with Kirwan,
only two days after the official launch of his new video,
"Rock Town", which was released during a grand
ceremony at Science North on February 5, 2010. The launch was
attended by 350 people, all who were there to celebrate the
launch of the video ROCK TOWN which was dedicated to all
miners and people working in the mining industry.
Kirwan first met Larry Berrio in June 1997, just before he
released his very first CD, "Living A Dream"
which was the start of his career as country music
entertainer. Before that, Larry was the owner of a company
called "Larry's Graphics". Music was a part-time job
until he released "Living A Dream". A
copy of The Vision Paper which carried the article, can be
found at the end of this article.
During
the radio show, Larry Berrio shared his life story with
listeners and explained what young people can expect if they
want to follow his path in the entertainment industry. THE
LEARNING CLINIC is a program that provides students and
parents with information that may help them in making
important life decisions with respect to education and career
development. In addition to bringing in groups of students
from area secondary schools, Kirwan also invites people such
as Larry Berrio to appear on the show to talk about some of
the challenges and offer some suggestions regarding their own
careers.
During the show on Monday, February 8, 2010, Larry Berrio
talked about how his new video was produced, explaining how he
was able to secure funding from supportive people in the
Greater Sudbury Area. He also played his hit song, "Rock
Town", and explained the story behind that recording.
Rock Town is expected to be extremely popular with the over 2
million people across the country who are involved in the
mining industry.
Berrio also announced that he will be the
"headliner" at the Knights of Columbus Country Fair
which is held every July at the K of C fair grounds in Hanmer.
For now, he will be doing an extensive "radio tour"
across the country promoting his CD, RPM.
Jeff Sheppard, Larry's manager who resides in Kitchener,
was also called during the show. He explained some of the
plans that are in place for the spring and summer as they get
ready for a major awards show that Larry will be playing at
this summer. The show will be broadcast across the country and
will give Berrio the exposure he needs to take his career
"over the top".
Larry Berrio has been compared by many as a "younger
Garth Brooks". He has a passion for entertaining live at
concerts and outdoor festivals, and still gets a rush when he
has a chance to play in one of the country bars in Sudbury or
across the country. "I love being close to the fans, and
you really get close to them in a bar. The fans just love
being able to talk to Larry following the show and he always
finds time to speak to them and make them feel special. Larry
also explained why he deliberately selected ten songs for his
new CD that are all fast-paced. He stated that he wanted to be
able to perform every one of his songs live on stage. He said
that when people come out to a show they want to see a
high-energy entertainer. They don't come out for slow songs.
Larry
gives a lot of credit for his success in the music business to
his parents, Oliver and Judy Barriault, of Val Caron. Oliver
was interviewed over the phone during the show and expressed
his pride in what his son has been able to do. Oliver worked
his entire career with Inco, so he was especially thrilled
when Rock Town came out. "Larry's song really captures
what it means to be a miner. There is nothing like the camaraderie
you find with a group of miners. It is something that this
city was built upon and it is what newcomers notice the most.
The people here care for each other and welcome you with open
arms."
If you missed the show, you can download the entire three
hours by going to the archive section of www.cklu.ca
Select February 8 from the calendar and put in the starting
time as 17:15 ( which is 5:15 p.m. using the 24 hour clock).
Put 180 minutes as the duration and save the show as an mp3
file on your computer. You can then play it with your media
player.
It has been a long, hard road for the past 12 years for
Larry Berrio. He now has his second CD under his belt, a
fantastic video, and has also produced the theme song for a
national hunting show called, "In The Rough" which
is carried by Global every Sunday morning. The theme song of
the same name is also on his new CD, RPM.
If you want to find out more about Larry Berrio, visit his
web site at www.larryberrio.com
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ARTICLE ON LARRY BERRIO FROM
JUNE 4, 1997
Written in The Vision Paper by Robert Kirwan |
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Hospice
Palliative Care Volunteer Training Offers Local Residents A Chance
To Take Part In A Rewarding Experience
Jeannette Carrier, Volunteer Coordinator of Warmhearts Palliative
Caregivers of Sudbury/Manitoulin, and one of her volunteers, Jean
Manuael, were seen at area malls recently selling raffle tickets on
a beautiful Valentine Sweetheart Basket. Here they are shown at the
Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.
They were also letting the public know about the work that the
members of the Sudbury/Manitoulin Palliative Caregivers do in the
community. They do a lot of fund-raising and public awareness, but
their main mission is to improve the quality of life for people who
are going through end-of-life challenges, regardless of illness. You can find out about their work by visiting
the web site at www.warmhearts.ca
If you are interested in working with the Sudbury/Manitoulin
Palliative Caregivers, you can take part in a 30 hour training
course which starts on and April 9 (French) and April 16, 2010
(English). |
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Valley East Facebook Group Growing In Popularity As
Hundreds Of Current & Former Residents Use The Internet To Keep In
Touch
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The
popular social network site, Facebook, now has a special group
section that will allow current and former residents of Valley East
to keep in touch with a click of a mouse. Valley East is a group
that was created during the second week of January and had grown to
over 700 members by February 9.
Each day more and more people are joining up as the word spreads
and "friends" of "friends" are invited to join.
The Valley East Today Online Newspaper is also being distributed to
members of the new group which will make this site even more
valuable, especially to those who now live in far away places.
For example, one of the members is Sandra Umney, shown in the
photo on the right, who many of you will remember as Sandra
Laliberte. Sandra graduated from St. Anne School in Hanmer in 1979
and is now teaching english in a secondary school in the UK. Sandra
discovered her former teacher, Robert Kirwan, through Facebook after
being out of touch for over thirty years. Many local residents
will remember Sandra and now have a chance to communicate with her
through the Facebook group.
If you would like to become a member of that group, just go to
the top right hand side of this page and click on the Valley East
Face Book Group button, or click on the button below. If you are not currently a member of
Facebook, you will have to join. There is no cost to join Facebook
and it will definitely be something that will have you wondering why
you didn't join a long time ago.
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Student Group
Plans On Promoting Safe Driving All Year Long |
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If you would like to read hundreds of stories
that have been published over the years on Valley East Today,
visit the Living History Archives by clicking on the button
below. Stories go back for up to six or seven years with
plenty of photos that will bring back memories. |
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NEWS
& VIEWS is a special section of Valley East Today that
will be devoted to summarizing events and issues that will
have a major impact on our community. We do not intend to make
this a "Current Events Section" since that is best
left up to daily and weekly news publications. |
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READERS’ FORUM has been created as a special
section of Valley East Today where readers can express their
opinions on any topic they wish or pose questions to the
editor and other readers. We hope that this section will
result in a healthy exchange of opinions from local residents
on issues that they find important. If you wish to participate in READERS’ FORUM, all
you have to do is send an email to the editor. Click on the
box above to enter.
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Austin
Powell and Amanda McCutcheon, both Grade 11 students at
Confederation Secondary School, were special guests on The
Learning Clinic Radio Show, hosted by Robert Kirwan on
Laurentian University's CKLU 96.7 FM in December. The two are members of the Ontario
Students Against Impaired Driving Group from Confederation
Secondary School and were representing over 40 fellow students
who have joined the group which was started by Teacher Supervisor,
Ashleigh McBain in the fall of 2009. During the show they spoke
about how it was the death of three young teenagers in a
tragic accident in Valley East on June 21, 2009. Steven
Philippe (16) and Jazmine Houle (15), who both attended
Confederation secondary school, were walking along the side of
Hwy 69N in Hanmer with their friend, Caitlin Jelley (15), when
all three were killed by an impaired driver. Students at the
school have shown tremendous support for the activities being
organized by the OSAID group as the students try to raise
awareness among community members of the need for people to be
more sensible when it comes to driving while being impaired in
any way. They stated that while alcohol is often the root
cause of accidents where impairment is a factor, cell phones,
loud passengers, medication, and a long list of other things
that can reduce one's ability to focus on driving.The purpose of OSAID is to make students aware of the choices they make
when drinking and to make responsible decisions. The students from
Confederation will be raising money all year long to send representatives
to a provincial conference in Toronto on the first weekend of May 2010.
There they will take part in developing leadership skills and be trained
in approaching peers and the community with the issues and seriousness of
impaired driving. |
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Mother of Two Young Children
Decides To Venture Forth Into The World of Business In Search of a
More Balanced Lifestyle |
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Melanie
Giroux, a mother of two young children, Caleb (4) and Noah (6 months) has
been working for almost ten years. She graduated with a diploma in Social
Work from Collage Boreal and subsequently worked in that field for a
couple of years. For the past seven years she has been working as an
Educational Assistant for one of the local school boards. During that
time, her and her husband, Dan, have enjoyed life raising their two
children in Valley East, where both her and Dan were born and raised.
Now, Melanie and Dan want more from life. They want to enjoy their
children and long for a more balanced lifestyle. Hence, Melanie has
decided to explore some options for starting a home-based business so that
she can help contribute to the family income and still be available for
her children as they grow up.
On January 30, 2010, Melanie set up a display at the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre to see if there is a need for a Party Planning Service in
Valley East. Her party planning services would involve all aspects of
planning a party from invitations to decorations to entertainment. Types
of parties planned would include birthday parties, theme parties,
anniversaries, Christmas parties, baptism/christening, graduations, etc.
She would also plan children's parties that would include invitations,
loot bags, balloons, cutlery and plates, napkins, games and/or craft
projects.
As part of her survey, Melanie interviewed shoppers to find out if such
a business venture would be viable and to determine how much people would
pay for these services. Whether Melanie starts up the party planning
service or not will be decided by the feedback she receives from her
surveys. However, what Melanie has decided is that she definitely wants to
start her own business. She just needs to decide what that business will
involve. You can download a copy of the survey by clicking
here>>>>. You can also call Melanie at (705)
969-8251 for more information.
Melanie
was also be the special guest on THE LEARNING CLINIC, a live
talk radio show that is hosted by Robert Kirwan on CKLU 96.7 FM every
Monday evening from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. THE LEARNING CLINIC is a show that
deals with education and career development. Melanie appeared on the show
on Monday, February 1, 2010 from about 6:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. She shared her
story about how people her age are now beginning to consider small
business start-ups as a viable option to working as an employee for the
rest of their life. She moved to Valley East from Timmins at the age of 2
and plans on raising her children her as well. After graduating from Ecole
Secondaire Catholique l'Horizon in Val Caron, Melanie obtained a Diploma
in Social Work from Collage Boreal and a Youth and Child Worker Diploma
afterwards. She has spent the past six or seven years working as an
Education Assistant and will continue to do so after her maternity leave
ends. Her goal is to set up a home-based business on a part-time basis and
eventually build it up to the point where she may be able to work
part-time or devote full-time to the business. If you happen to miss the live broadcast of the show,
you can go to the web site at www.thelearningclinic.ca
and find out how you can download the entire show onto your own
computer.
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Hanmer
Valley Shopping Centre Continues To Provide Central Communication
Site For Community |
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The community bulletin boards in the east wing of the
mall are filled with notices, posters and information in general
about organizations, schools and churches. Shoppers stop by
frequently to read the notices. |
Local schools are always invited to set up information
display exhibits in the hallways. Here Ecole Notre Dame lets the
public know about their kindergarten registrations in the spring. |
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Georgette Bergeron Seeks Help From
Local Residents To Help Rebuild Mission In Haiti Following
Devastating Earthquake
If You Want To Help Georgette, Read The Article
Below and Contact Her For Information. |
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Georgette Bergeron is well known in Valley East as the President of the Cercle
Missionnaire de la Vallee, which was established in 1991 by a group of
persons in the Valley who had the desire to help the less fortunate not
only in the region, but also in Haiti. Since that time, Cercle
Missionnaire de la Vallee has been sending supplies to Sister Therese
Lamoureux m.c.r. at Cardinal Leger Hospital in Sigueneau, Haiti. She in
turn has been distributing the goods to those in need to help with
schools, hospitals, housewives and their families, crafts-men and
crafts-women and gardeners just to name a few. Funds raised have paid for
a number of houses or their repairs, and for some wells. Unfortunately,
Sigueneau is located just 30 km to the west of Port-au-Prince, and was hit
hard by the recent earthquake. The convent, hospital and warehouse which
was used to store the goods shipped to the mission were all destroyed and
must now be rebuilt. Georgette has a full shipment ready to be sent once
the word is given that the sisters will be ready to receive it. Now, what
is needed most are donations of money to help reconstruct the facilities
and give the less fortunate hope in this desperate time.
The
earthquake in Haiti has brought world-wide attention onto the plight of
Haitians. However, Georgette is quick to point out that there were major
problems even before the earthquake hit. She stated that Haiti is not only
the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere but it is also the only one
that falls into the category of a "third-world country". Haiti
is also the second most food insecure country in the world. Remember that
this was all before the earthquake.
Haiti has a population of 10,000,000. Things are so bad that life
expectancy is only 49 years, and a child born in Haiti has a 21% chance of
dying before his/her 40th birthday. 59% of the people are illiterate and
over 500,000 children have no school to attend. In addition, over 300,000
children are forced into slavery. 78% of the population has a yearly
salary of less than $730 and only 28% of the population has access to safe
drinking water with 46% of the population being considered as
undernourished. The entire country has only 60,000 telephone lines for a
population of over 10,000,000. This means that there are only 3 phones for
every 500 Haitians. With respect to crime, consider that the National
Penitentiary was built to hold 400 prisoners. However, there are 3330
prisoners in the facility, and 90% of the prisoners have not had a trial.
This is a country that needs help. If you wish to make a donation to
help Georgette and the Cercle Missionnaire de la Vallee help the Haitians,
give her a call at 969-2192 and she will tell you how you can be of
assistance.
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