This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on August 10th, 2010.
The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:
A new program aimed at helping students in Grades 7 and 8 build confidence and develop life skills will be offered at middle schools in Greater Saint John this fall.
Kids.now, a national charity for youth development, is recruiting volunteer mentors to help deliver the program to students in schools throughout the area.
“Having the opportunity to mentor a group of kids is a very rewarding experience for both the students and the volunteer mentors,” says kids.now’s Paula Sanchez. “To be in a position of influence and be able to positively impact their lives is a positive and live-changing experience.”
Kids.now was created in 1999 by an Ontario teacher who saw a need to complement the school curriculum with life skills development. The free, weekly after-school program is run over 12 weeks and encourages life skills development through thought-provoking games, skill-based activities and group discussions, which teach goal-setting, effective communications, positive conflict resolution, stress management and other important life skills.
The program focuses on employability skills identified by the Conference Board of Canada as necessary for success in the workplace and builds life-success skills that aim to improve family and peer relationships; provides youth with tools to make positive choices and turn away from risky behaviour; enhances self-esteem and encourages healthy thinking, leading to a more productive and rewarding life.
“The ideal kids.now mentor is someone who is a positive leader,” says Sanchez. “Kids.now volunteer mentors are enthusiastic about life and about giving back to youth in their community. If you’re fun, dynamic and feel you can be a great mentor to kids, you’re the right person to be a kids.now volunteer mentor.”
The program will be offered at schools in Districts 6 and 8: Prince Charles, Forest Hills, Millidgeville North, Hazen White/St. Francis, Princess Elizabeth, Lorne Middle, St. John the Baptist-King Edward, Beaconsfield, Rothesay Park, Harry Miller Middle and Quispamsis Middle.
Kids.now is looking for Saint Johners interested in participating in the program as volunteer mentors.
For people who want to get involved in the community, kids.now offers an opportunity to mentor within the framework of a nationally recognized program.
The experience is as rewarding for the volunteer mentors as it is for the students, as they are able to establish a connection; this is reflected in the high volunteer retention rate in other regions.
Kids.now is looking to recruit and train potential mentors during the summer, as the programs will begin shortly after school starts in September. Volunteer applications are completed online, followed by an interview with the kids.now program manager.
For more information please visit www.fusionsj.com.
Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cryan@mtlpr.ca.
This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on August 3rd, 2010.
The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:
This weekend, runners and walkers will be taking over the city streets for the 16th Annual Tim Hortons Marathon by the Sea.
“This has been Saint John’s premier running event for fitness, family and fun for the past 15 years and we’re still running strong,” says event chairman Patrick Grannan. “Once again this year, we’ve offering something for runners and walkers of all ages and skill levels.”
There are five events this year: the Tim Hortons Marathon, the Scotiabank Half-Marathon, the Running Room 5-Miler, and the Smart Nordic Half-Marathon will all take place Sunday morning; the children’s event — the Timbits Harbour Hustle – will take place Saturday morning.
The event has undergone a lot of changes this year, including moving back to August after being held in late September the past few years. The route has also been redesigned, and will start and finish at Rockwood Park instead of in the uptown, as it has in the past. The changes have already had a positive impact on the event with registration numbers surpassing last year’s and runners coming from as far away as the United States, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and Bermuda.
The new route will take runners through the uptown, north end and Mount Pleasant Avenue, with the half and full marathoners trekking over to the west side. The new route may no longer take runners “by the sea,” but it will highlight parts of the city that have undergone recent changes and significant improvement, the Rockwood Park area in particular.
“It’s a better course, and much more scenic,” says Don Lemon, who is running the half-marathon for the second year. “There are some nice challenges on the way out, but you can make up the time on the way back in. The course is much better than last year.”
The same sentiments were echoed by Joy Durdan, who will be running in the half-marathon for the 10th year in a row,
“I love the new route – it’s so scenic,” she says.
The new start/finish location is more conducive to making a day and weekend out of the event.
“We don’t want runners just showing up to run their race and then going home,” Grannan said.
“We want these runners to bring their friends and families along to be a part of this event and really make it a weekend-long celebration of fitness and fun.”
In addition to the activities offered at Rockwood Park, this year’s event is also being held in conjunction with the Saint John 225 Reunion 2010 Music Festival.
The 16th annual Tim Hortons Marathon by the Sea will take place this Saturday and Sunday. For more information on running, volunteering, or other opportunities to be involved you can visit www.marathonbythesea.com.
Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cryan@mtlpr.ca.
After the recent mess with the Police building vote (for Peel Plaza), you would think that Council would be more inclined to think more about the ramifications to the taxpayers in the city!
The next messy vote coming up is around the parking garage that the city wants to build for Peel Plaza.
It sounds like a fine idea, except for the fact that this parking garage will cost us (the taxpayers) every year that it operates:
Should common council approve a new garage for Carleton Street, the parking commission would own, operate and finance the structure.
To cover construction and operating costs, the commission would have to put about $300,000 of its annual surplus revenues into the project. The commission typically generates surpluses as part of its regular business of offering parking services in the city.
This means that we, as taxpayers, will be subsidizing people driving into the city center and parking for the day.
At least one Councillor can be counted on to represent us – Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase.
“Peel Plaza is going to be a sponge that will sop up all the available financial resources of the parking commission,” Chase said.
The deputy mayor said he’s opposed to the parking garage and plans to vote against it once the matter comes before common council. He said he’s not happy that taxpayers would have to spend $300,000 a year to subsidize a new parking structure.
“Everything about this project is like taking a round peg and trying to smash it into a square hole,” said Chase, who was also among three council members who voted against a $20.6-million police station. “It’s costing valuable revenue that could otherwise be spent on curbside services and recreational needs.”
Unfortunately, there are still those Councillors out there looking to make a name for themselves.
I’d typically advocate contacting them to let them know what you think; however, I’ve recently found that most don’t care what you think.
Until we can get the silent majority to stand up and fight, Peel Plaza is a done deal – one that we will be paying for many generations over.
Posted on
July 31st, 2010 in
News,
Saint John Politics |
2 Comments
It’s now official, our Basketball team now has a name – the Saint John Mill Rats!
The announcement was made earlier this afternoon.
Also released was the logo:
The mill rat represents the citys industrial history and the logo also features a number three which pays respect to local hoops legend Rip Seely.
Posted on
July 27th, 2010 in
News,
Saint John |
No Comments
This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on July 27th, 2010.
The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:
Once again this summer, Green Feet, Uptown Saint John’s environment committee, is holding a Bring your Own Bag (BYOB) contest, asking Saint John artists to interpret the approaches people are taking to green living and turn them into works of art.
The contest is open to local artists of all ages, professional and amateur alike. The theme is “Green Living in Uptown Saint John” and while last year’s contest saw the canvas bag toted by Saint Johners throughout the city, this year the winning entry will be printed on lunch bags.
“We’re going to do lunch bags this year to show people another way they can grab it to go green,” says Anne McShane, Green Feet member and owner of the Feel Good Store in the uptown. Green Feet has again partnered with the Saint John Community Arts Funding Program on this initiative.
The winning entry will be unveiled at a FUSION Party with a Purpose in October, and will be printed on at least 1,000 natural cotton lunch bags that will be distributed at various uptown retailers this fall. The first-place winner will also be awarded a $500 gift certificate to ESL Art Supplies, with a $150 gift certificate going to the second-place winner. All the entries will be auctioned off, and 50 per cent of the proceeds will be donated to the Joshua Group, a local organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and families in need in Greater Saint John.
In addition to the BYOB contest, Green Feet has worked with community partners on several green activities, including an anti-idling project with ACAP Saint John, a tree-planting initiative with St. Malachy’s Memorial High School and a waste management position with uptown stakeholders. Green Feet also promotes green activities in the uptown through its Facebook page and membership email list. This includes the Marsh Creek restoration initiative, the Fundy carbon fund, the Marsh Creek cleanup, Earth Hour and the City of Saint John’s sustainability tool kit.
“We try to pull in all the aspects of the uptown in anything we do,” McShane said. “Last year was fantastic – more than 100 people attended our party and everyone made a point to embrace the artists and bid on all the art.”
The success of last year’s event resulted in a $400 donation to the Joshua Group.
The deadline for entries in Green Feet’s Bring Your Own Bag contest is July 31. Work may be submitted to Uptown Saint John Inc., located in the Business Resource Centre, 40 King St.
Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cryan@mtlpr.ca.
This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on July 20th, 2010.
The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:
This month, MGI Wealth Inc. a Saint John financial company, will be spreading the word on the value financial planning to FUSION members through a Party with a Purpose.
“We’re a new company, and want to be involved in the community,” says MGI’s Kathy Curwin on hosting the event.
MGI Wealth Inc. is a full-service financial company that offers a hybrid of the services offered by bank and commission-based financial advisors in that their advisors are on salary and not selling a specific product.
The company has been open in the city for the past year, and is the only Atlantic Canadian location, which has offices across Canada. They will also be highlighting one of the uptown’s green spaces, as the party will be held in the courtyard behind their office space on Prince William Street.
“The perception is that people need to have money before they seek out these services, but we want to get the message out that we want to help people build wealth,” Curwin said. “The purpose of this party is not to sell anything, we want people to know that there is another option out there.”
For many of us, the recent economic downturn was wake-up call to look more closely at the way we are spending, saving and planning for our futures. One of the best steps anyone could take to protect their finances is to increase awareness of the products, services and options that exist. Having an understanding of how to allocate money is particularly important for this generation, with many people incurring thousands of dollars of debt before they ever even enter the workforce.
Years, and even decades of student loan payments, coupled with the near certainty that the debt load will increase with car and mortgage payments makes it tempting to loose sight of long-term planning and focus on simply staying afloat.
“Everyone knows they need to save money, but the reality is that life gets in the way,” Curwin said. “We want to help people get in a better place financially – everyone needs that.”
We’ve all heard that the earlier you start saving, the better off you’ll be in the long run, but it can be difficult to look at your long-term financial picture – where you want to go and what you need to do to get there – when a large debt already hangs overhead. Seeking advice from someone who is knowledgeable in the industry and well versed in the options that are available can be helpful in putting finances into perspective.
July’s Party with a Purpose is being hosted by MGI Wealth Management, and will take place Friday 23 at 98 Prince William Street.
Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cryan@mtlpr.ca.
After much public outrage over the costs of Peel Plaza, last week Council voted to go forward with the Police HQ component of Peel Plaza:
In one of the most contentious decisions of its mandate, common council voted Wednesday night to build a $20.6-million police station in the city centre.
After a two-hour debate in the council chamber, eight of the 11 politicians approved what will become a legacy project for the group of civic leaders.
Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase, Coun. Bill Farren and Coun. Patty Higgins were the only dissenters around the council table who argued the city could not afford the project, the most controversial component of Peel Plaza.
The threat of a property tax rate increase now looms over the municipality as city staff’s funding projections call for council to rein in spending or hike the rate.
Not that I am surprised that it was pushed through, given the quality of council; but, I am proud of the following three Councillors for standing up for taxpayers and voting against this deal:
| Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase
 |
Councillor Bill Farren
 |
Councillor Patti Higgins
 |
You have earned my support (along with many others) for your stand!
Posted on
July 20th, 2010 in
News,
Saint John Politics |
1 Comment
This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on July 13th, 2010.
The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:
This week the final performance of Opera New Brunswick’s Young Artist Recital Series will take place at the Saint John Arts Centre.
The Young Artist Recital Series was created in 2008 to as a way to give up-and-coming New Brunswick-born singers experience and exposure in the province and to support their vocal development. Each season, recitals are presented in three communities to allow for greater exposure for the singers and the organization.
The recitals are approximately an hour long and performers cover a variety of material ranging from opera arias to oratorio and art song. This range in the programming highlights both the performers’ repertoire and the diversity of the opera genre. The performances also typically include one piece written by a Canadian composer and published in the last 25 years. The series is sponsored in part by the RBC Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts and the province of New Brunswick. Winners of the Young Artists Recital Competition are selected by an independent review panel of local musicians and are awarded a honorarium in addition to the costs of travel, accommodation and accompanist fees.
The Young Artists Recital Series is open to singers aged 18 to 30 who have not yet reached full-time professional status. The 2010 competition winners are Lauren Esty, a soprano from Rothesay entering her third year at Dalhousie University; Fredericton tenor Jeremy Dutcher, also a third-year student at Dalhousie; mezzo-soprano Christiane Bélanger, who recently completed an artist diploma at the Université de Montreal; and second-time competition winner Carol Léger, a soprano from Dieppe who is completing a master’s in music at the Univerisité de Montreal.
Opera New Brunswick is a provincial arts organization with a mandate to be a vehicle for the production and performance of live opera showcasing New Brunswick artists and to enrich the province’s overall cultural community. Integral to this is providing a mechanism to support the province’s next generation of operatic talent.
The Young Artist Recital Series gives young musicians a chance to add to their portfolio by performing in front of a local audience. It is also an opportunity for the public to learn about opera and the opportunities that exist within the province to learn more about this genre of music, and the provincial organization that promotes it. This year the series has included performances in Grand Falls, Fredericton, Moncton and Dieppe.
Opera New Brunswick’s next Young Artist’s Recital Series performance will take place Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Saint John Arts Centre. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and are available at the door.
Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cyran@mtlpr.ca.
Flooding Information Session
Staff from the City of Saint John’s Municipal Operations Department is holding an information session for residents of Glen Falls who have been affected by flooding. Residents will be able to see displays and results from recent studies on how we might address the problem.
- Thursday July 15, 2010
- Exhibition Park
- Session begins at 6:30pm
- Formal presentations begin at 6:45pm
- A question and answer session will follow.
Flyers are being distributed to residents in the area.
Also, click here to download the poster!
Posted on
July 12th, 2010 in
PlanSJ,
Saint John |
2 Comments
I received a great email this weekend on the topic of Peel Plaza, and I’d like to share it with everyone!
Check it out, and let me know what you think:
The stench of Marsh Creek near the Post Office and by the brook on Bridge Street in the north end would lead tourists to believe we are still living in the days when people had to duck to avoid sewage being thrown out the window into the street. Do our Council members really have no sense of smell along with their deafness when it comes to hearing what Saint John citizens want done with our money?
We pay close to $1,000 a year to have third world quality water with known carcinogens delivered to us through our household taps, being sold to us as “drinking water”. It does not meet modern standards that are in place to protect us from waterborne diseases. Why?
A large number of “asleep at the switch” Council members would rather leave water treatment for another day in favour of building another revenue losing monument to their egos, Peel Plaza.
Ivan Court was on Tom Young’s show the other day saying the six bidders on Peel Plaza were Maritime contractors. Pomerleau, the low bidder is not a Maritime based company Mr. Court. This is from their website; “Since 1964, Pomerleau has been an important player in the construction industry. Today, the company leads the QUEBEC construction industry and is one of the top builders in Canada.”
Half truths equal lies and there have been so many lies told about the Peel Plaza project no right minded politician should want to be tarred with the broad brush strokes it will leave if it goes ahead. They need to get OUR priorities straight in their heads, not Staff’s and not their own!
Any Council member who votes in favour of Peel Plaza should be turfed out at the first opportunity. Let the Councillors know you will not vote for them if they put Peel Plaza ahead of clean safe drinking water and they don’t put an end to City wastewater being discharged untreated into our waterways before they do anything else.
Posted on
July 12th, 2010 in
Saint John Politics |
1 Comment
