2014 Municipal Election
The End of the Hume era!
Vote for Clinton Cowan in Ward 18
http://www.clintoncowan.ca/
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Blue Anti-Bullying Teams
Dr. Michael Pilon is a good friend of mine and I am passing on a couple of messages he sent out recently concerning bullying in schools. I hope readers will find this interesting and take action.
Thanks,
Colin Hine
I had the honour of being selected to serve in Cyprus on the UN Peace Keeping Force early in my military career. UN Peace teams did not always succeed but in most cases they did help.
In the past few months a number of young teens have ended their lives as a result of cruel bullying. There is a lot of talk about sensitization against bullying, information etc. All fine and well but I feel a more grass roots approach is needed.
As a teen I was asked at school to help "Introduce and help" a new student. He used to commute from quite a distance with one of my great teachers. Looking back I realize he probably came to our school to avoid bullying where he lived. He was a quiet, non-athletic person who, in retrospect, I could see as a target. One time he was grabbed in a head lock by someone from another class. I don't recall this incident; but, my friend reminded me of it and how he was grateful to me for defending him. And that was 50 years ago.
Another teen incident involved a young man whom we would now call challenged. He was "adopted" by our church where he helped at mass and in general cleaning up. He was well loved by the congregation. I worked as a surveyor's assistant in Dorval. He came up to me one day and said, pointing to 4 or 5 boys. "Those people are making me nervous". I pulled a reverse psychology..instead of cornering them I went up and said . "Someone is picking on my friend Alex, I want you to find out who it is so I can talk to them." I was the Dorval football captain and well known among the teens. Later Alex told me the bullying had stopped.
My suggestion, which I will be forwarding to many venues, is to have schools appoint a group of students as a "Blue Anti-Bullying Team" The Blue referring the UN role in peacekeeping. I would suggest athletes, school council members, kids who seem to be "Popular" and so on. I would suggest giving them, instructions on why and how to deal with bullying, in a non-confrontational way. All "Blue Team" members could be given a light blue plastic bracelet to show their status. A hope might be to have this Team become something people would aim for and to be invited to join . The Blue Teams could also be a conduit between the students and teachers who could intervene and offer help before it is too late.
I contacted Tim Horton's to explain this and perhaps have them sponsor Blue Wrist bands for "team members" . Lots of interest in media contacts so it may fly. I suspect school boards will prefer a study and meetings...sigh
Pass this on if interested as I feel it could work well. We have allbeen bullied and we have all at least teased someone..what has been done toprevent so far, this has not worked. Let's move on. Any ideas and links appreciated
Michael Pilon CD BSc DDS DDPH
http://www.drmichaelpilon.com/
I wrote most of you about my sorrow surrounding the suicide death of a local boy who was hounded to the point where he could no longer take it. I am working of a proposal to have volunteer and appointed students given the role of school yard voices when bullying is noticed.
As a former UN Peacekeeper I like what one school has in place. In Beamsville kids called "Peacekeepers" act as intermediaries in school yard problems. I have approached Tim Horton's to sponsor the Blue wrist bands .
The idea would be to have a calming presence; but not a passive one, to try to avoid bullying by pointing out how it is wrong. As an "elite" group their presence could go along way I feel. So as of now I am working on 'PEACEKEEPERS"
The suicides and bullying can stop with proper intervention. Pass on my e-mail to anyone who might make this happen :)
Michael Pilon CD BSc DDS DDPH
Thanks,
Colin Hine
I had the honour of being selected to serve in Cyprus on the UN Peace Keeping Force early in my military career. UN Peace teams did not always succeed but in most cases they did help.
In the past few months a number of young teens have ended their lives as a result of cruel bullying. There is a lot of talk about sensitization against bullying, information etc. All fine and well but I feel a more grass roots approach is needed.
As a teen I was asked at school to help "Introduce and help" a new student. He used to commute from quite a distance with one of my great teachers. Looking back I realize he probably came to our school to avoid bullying where he lived. He was a quiet, non-athletic person who, in retrospect, I could see as a target. One time he was grabbed in a head lock by someone from another class. I don't recall this incident; but, my friend reminded me of it and how he was grateful to me for defending him. And that was 50 years ago.
Another teen incident involved a young man whom we would now call challenged. He was "adopted" by our church where he helped at mass and in general cleaning up. He was well loved by the congregation. I worked as a surveyor's assistant in Dorval. He came up to me one day and said, pointing to 4 or 5 boys. "Those people are making me nervous". I pulled a reverse psychology..instead of cornering them I went up and said . "Someone is picking on my friend Alex, I want you to find out who it is so I can talk to them." I was the Dorval football captain and well known among the teens. Later Alex told me the bullying had stopped.
My suggestion, which I will be forwarding to many venues, is to have schools appoint a group of students as a "Blue Anti-Bullying Team" The Blue referring the UN role in peacekeeping. I would suggest athletes, school council members, kids who seem to be "Popular" and so on. I would suggest giving them, instructions on why and how to deal with bullying, in a non-confrontational way. All "Blue Team" members could be given a light blue plastic bracelet to show their status. A hope might be to have this Team become something people would aim for and to be invited to join . The Blue Teams could also be a conduit between the students and teachers who could intervene and offer help before it is too late.
I contacted Tim Horton's to explain this and perhaps have them sponsor Blue Wrist bands for "team members" . Lots of interest in media contacts so it may fly. I suspect school boards will prefer a study and meetings...sigh
Pass this on if interested as I feel it could work well. We have allbeen bullied and we have all at least teased someone..what has been done toprevent so far, this has not worked. Let's move on. Any ideas and links appreciated
Michael Pilon CD BSc DDS DDPH
http://www.drmichaelpilon.com/
I wrote most of you about my sorrow surrounding the suicide death of a local boy who was hounded to the point where he could no longer take it. I am working of a proposal to have volunteer and appointed students given the role of school yard voices when bullying is noticed.
As a former UN Peacekeeper I like what one school has in place. In Beamsville kids called "Peacekeepers" act as intermediaries in school yard problems. I have approached Tim Horton's to sponsor the Blue wrist bands .
The idea would be to have a calming presence; but not a passive one, to try to avoid bullying by pointing out how it is wrong. As an "elite" group their presence could go along way I feel. So as of now I am working on 'PEACEKEEPERS"
The suicides and bullying can stop with proper intervention. Pass on my e-mail to anyone who might make this happen :)
Michael Pilon CD BSc DDS DDPH
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Over-the-air TV, digital conversion
Letter to the editor (not published)
The CRTC has mandated that Over-The-Air (OTA) TV broadcast transmission in Canada must switch from analogue (NTSC) to digital (ATSC) by September 1, 2011. This deadline is only two months away but only a few local stations have so far taken the step to broadcast digital programming over the air; notably CBC/Radio Canada and OMNI.
Candian broadcasters have been making "public service" announcements about the change, presumably they are required to do so by law. However, with few exceptions, these announcements provide little additional information about their future plans. TV Ontario (TVO) has indicated it will make the switch over in mid August 2011. Notably CTV and "A" Cannel (owned by Bell Media) and Global (owned by Shaw) have not indicated exactly how or when they will switch over. Neither have they disclosed what their channel allocations will be for digital broadcasts.
Local CTV, channel 13, has run a public service announcement {advertisment?) from Bell that refers viewers to the bell.ca web site. This site provides a list of products available from Bell shops and encourages people to subscribe to their satellite TV services. Little or no information on their plans for the digital transition is provided.
The CRTC does not appear to be issuing public service announcements on the mandated transition and one has to wonder how serious the broadcasting authority is on sticking to the mandated transition date. The switch over to digital TV will provide viewers who depend on OTA transmissions with much improved local TV reception at no cost, there than perhaps to buy a new antenna. Currently OTA analogue reception is notoriously bad in many areas of the city and the digital transition will result in high quality reception, including High Definition (HD) for most OTA viewers. Of course this is not necessarily in the business interests of cable and satellite service providers in the area. It is time for the CRTC and TV broacasters to be clear with the public about their plans.
The CRTC has mandated that Over-The-Air (OTA) TV broadcast transmission in Canada must switch from analogue (NTSC) to digital (ATSC) by September 1, 2011. This deadline is only two months away but only a few local stations have so far taken the step to broadcast digital programming over the air; notably CBC/Radio Canada and OMNI.
Candian broadcasters have been making "public service" announcements about the change, presumably they are required to do so by law. However, with few exceptions, these announcements provide little additional information about their future plans. TV Ontario (TVO) has indicated it will make the switch over in mid August 2011. Notably CTV and "A" Cannel (owned by Bell Media) and Global (owned by Shaw) have not indicated exactly how or when they will switch over. Neither have they disclosed what their channel allocations will be for digital broadcasts.
Local CTV, channel 13, has run a public service announcement {advertisment?) from Bell that refers viewers to the bell.ca web site. This site provides a list of products available from Bell shops and encourages people to subscribe to their satellite TV services. Little or no information on their plans for the digital transition is provided.
The CRTC does not appear to be issuing public service announcements on the mandated transition and one has to wonder how serious the broadcasting authority is on sticking to the mandated transition date. The switch over to digital TV will provide viewers who depend on OTA transmissions with much improved local TV reception at no cost, there than perhaps to buy a new antenna. Currently OTA analogue reception is notoriously bad in many areas of the city and the digital transition will result in high quality reception, including High Definition (HD) for most OTA viewers. Of course this is not necessarily in the business interests of cable and satellite service providers in the area. It is time for the CRTC and TV broacasters to be clear with the public about their plans.
Monday, May 23, 2011
The power and influence of developers
In a recent post I noted that recommendations to develop the AVTC were made by contractors who will eventually benefit in a significant way from its construction. Sadly, this is by no means unusual in the city of Ottawa; note the ongoing controversy surrounding the Westboro convent site and current plans to build a new access road across Byron Park.
In today’s Ottawa Citizen, letter writer Heather Mitchell notes that Councillor Catherine Hobbs originally supported the developer’s proposal to build this road but is now backing away from the recommendation because of the public outcry. However the city is not asking the developer to make changes and Hobbs, along with a majority of Planning Committee, continues to support the developer’s overall plans for this site despite continuing strong concerns expressed by the community.
The closing sentence of Mitchell’s letter says it best: “Why are the developers the force in our neighbourhood, rather than the people who live here and the council who is supposed to lead and protect us?” Amen to that!
In today’s Ottawa Citizen, letter writer Heather Mitchell notes that Councillor Catherine Hobbs originally supported the developer’s proposal to build this road but is now backing away from the recommendation because of the public outcry. However the city is not asking the developer to make changes and Hobbs, along with a majority of Planning Committee, continues to support the developer’s overall plans for this site despite continuing strong concerns expressed by the community.
The closing sentence of Mitchell’s letter says it best: “Why are the developers the force in our neighbourhood, rather than the people who live here and the council who is supposed to lead and protect us?” Amen to that!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Democracy at City Hall?
It is not too often that Citizen writer Randall Denley and I see eye-to-eye on the municipal scene but today we are in agreement – Council’s decision hurts local democracy, Ottawa citizen, April 17, 2011. By voting to eliminate detailed written records of council debates the new city council is making it more and more difficult for Ottawa citizens to investigate and understand their decisions.
Audio recordings just do not hack it and put many members of the public in a disadvantageous position. Not everyone has the benefit of broadband internet and as Denley comments “…it means the public will have to listen to hours of audio if they want to track an issue” and what about the plight of individuals with a hearing handicap?
It was also very surprising and disturbing to see that some new council member whom one might expect to respect the democratic process (in particular Councillor Chernushenko) voted in support of this motion; less surprising perhaps that pro-developer members including Councillor Hume and Mayor Watson supported it.
The pretense that economic savings are at the root of this change is false. Perhaps the next step will be to hold all council deliberation in camera!
Democracy is in the air right now at all levels of government in Canada as well as internationally. As some counties in the middle-east struggle to embrace the democratic process, Canada seems to be proceeding rapidly in the opposite direction.
Audio recordings just do not hack it and put many members of the public in a disadvantageous position. Not everyone has the benefit of broadband internet and as Denley comments “…it means the public will have to listen to hours of audio if they want to track an issue” and what about the plight of individuals with a hearing handicap?
It was also very surprising and disturbing to see that some new council member whom one might expect to respect the democratic process (in particular Councillor Chernushenko) voted in support of this motion; less surprising perhaps that pro-developer members including Councillor Hume and Mayor Watson supported it.
The pretense that economic savings are at the root of this change is false. Perhaps the next step will be to hold all council deliberation in camera!
Democracy is in the air right now at all levels of government in Canada as well as internationally. As some counties in the middle-east struggle to embrace the democratic process, Canada seems to be proceeding rapidly in the opposite direction.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Anything to restrict availability to information
Re: City wants more audiocasts, fewer printed minutes of meetings, John Willing, Ottawa Sun, April 5, 2011
Not surprising that Councillor Peter Hume should be the person to propose the reduction (elimination) of printed minutes at city hall, thus making investigation of council deliberations more difficult. Steps to limit public access to this information will make it increasingly difficult for members of the public to interpret and respond to council decisions.
Any savings that might result from this action appear minimal, so justifying such a decision on finances is just not on. A decision to eliminate detailed minutes would remove yet another plank from the democratic process at city hall. It is already difficult to get council to listen to the community, now they are considering limiting how much they need to tell us.
Not surprising that Councillor Peter Hume should be the person to propose the reduction (elimination) of printed minutes at city hall, thus making investigation of council deliberations more difficult. Steps to limit public access to this information will make it increasingly difficult for members of the public to interpret and respond to council decisions.
Any savings that might result from this action appear minimal, so justifying such a decision on finances is just not on. A decision to eliminate detailed minutes would remove yet another plank from the democratic process at city hall. It is already difficult to get council to listen to the community, now they are considering limiting how much they need to tell us.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Letter to the Editor Ottawa Citizen (not published)
City plans to develop the AVTC confirmed
It hardly seems credible that the provision of a lightly scheduled shuttle bus service between the General and Hurdman (10 minutes at peak and 15 off-peak) justifies construction of a $62M, 1.2 Km road unless there is an ulterior motive. Notwithstanding comments from Mayor Watson that he does not support the AVTC development and similar comments from Alta Vista/Riverview Park Ward Councillor Hume it is clear that the city intends that this road will eventually be constructed in its entirety.
Recommendations to develop the AVTC were made by contractors who will eventually benefit in a significant way from its construction. It is clearly time to eliminate the possibility of corporate influence from city management and council decisions. New rules need to be applied at both municipal and provincial government levels to eliminate corporate financial support and influence in the electoral process.
Interestingly if council were to cancel plans to construct the hospital link and to remove the AVTC from the master plan, there would be more than adequate funds available to finance OC Transpo with no need for radical changes to bus services nor for increased taxes.
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