The LCBO workers may be walking off the job this Friday, leaving customers dry this Victoria Day weekend.

LCBO and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) have been holding contract negotiations since their previous four-year contract ended on March 31.

Sheila Keenan, media relations officer for OPSEU in Toronto,said that the two organizations are negotiating the settlement every day, even using weekend hours to try and come to an agreement.

“There are intense negotiations,” said Keenan

The union says that outstanding issues include wages and benefits, job security and improvements to health and safety standards. Their primary concern is the difference in wages and hours between part time, and full time, staff of LCBO.

“It is not unusual for a union to have a strike vote during the collective bargaining process,” said Bob Peter, LCBO President & CEO. “Collective bargaining is scheduled to continue until mid-May. We’re looking forward to getting back to the bargaining table and working toward an agreement that is fair and in keeping with the economic realities and recent public sector agreements.”

Belleville’s branch is one of the many affected.

“We want a fair and reasonable settlement and we still think it can be done. It’s up to the LCBO to make their movement,” said Keenan.

LCBO workers have voted 95% in favour of a strike. If a settlement is not agreed on by Friday morning at 12:01 am, the workers will strike, said OPSEU officials in a press release.

The union has voted in favour of a strike before, when their contract ended in 2005 and 2009. However, the settlement was made before they were forced to strike. If they do strike this Friday, it will be the first time in the LCBO’s 87 year history.

“I didn’t say there won’t be a strike…but a settlement is possible,” said Keenan.

BELLEVILLE, Ont. (April 2, 2013) – Local MP Daryl Kramp (third from the left) stands wit h some of the crew at Airborne Systems after awarding the company with a 3.6 million dollar contract.

By Shelby Wye

A local Belleville company has been awarded a $3.6 million contract from the federal government to make parachutes.

The business is made up of 35 people, and there was no confirmation on whether or not this new contract will allow the hiring of more people.

Airborne Systems will be working with the Canadian military to make 600 T-11 parachutes and their accessories. These new parachutes will replace the ones currently in use.

Daryl Kramp, member of parliament for Prince Edward-Hastings, announced the award.

“It certainly is great news for Belleville. I’ve been on the shop floor here, and I’ve seen the talent and the commitment of the people here, and the pride that they take in their workmanship that shows in the award of this contract,” said Kramp.

Airborne Systems crafts parachutes, along with various other emergency safety equipment. Its customers include the US Department of Defense, along with search and rescue organizations.

Charles Matthews, the general manager of Airborne Systems, said that he is excited the company has been awarded with the contract to deliver the next generation of parachutes to the Canadian Forces.

“This contract does not only represent improved capabilities for the CF, but also jobs for the people that work here in Belleville.”

These new parachutes will prepare the Canadian Armed forces for any mission that may come their way. The T-11 parachutes have improved characteristics compared to the prior parachutes used. They have better opening characteristics, with a smoother opening and a slower, more stable rate of descent, said Matthews.

Kramp says the world out there is highly competitive, and complimented Airborne Systems on not only being competitive but also being able to deliver.

Adam Tilley is searching for a stolen bike that’s important to him.

By John Moodie

His dad taught him how to ride a bicycle at age six. It was an orange Kent BMX bike. He had been watching an older neighbourhood kid bunny hopping off a speed bump and he yearned to do the same.  “I wanted to do the tricks. That was the point,” says bicycle enthusiast Adam Tilley.

As a kid Tilley became interested in customizing bicycles. In the second grade he purchased a Raleigh Bighorn bicycle with coaster brakes from Doug’s Bicycle shop in Belleville. Though his parents had just bought him a new bike he recalls trying to convince them he needed a pair of fingerless gloves.

Growing up his parents were involved with customizing homes so it wasn’t long before Tilley got the idea to tinker with his own bicycle. At 16 he began hanging out at Doug’s Bicycle shop.

“I wanted to build my own bike and learn absolutely everything about them,” says Tilley.

Now 21, he has become a regular at Doug’s. Without having to ask he has earned the privilege of filling his own tires.

“If you can steal air, you are one of the club,” says Doug’s Bicycle co-owner Tyler Allsopp.

Often Tilley can be found at Doug’s working on his own bicycle or helping fixing others. Tilley likes to challenge himself by thinking of ways of making bikes work the way they are not supposed to.

“Adam never really comes in and requests something that is easy,” says Allsopp, “It is fun to work with creative people like that.”

All of Tilley’s bikes he has built or customized himself. He owns five bicycles each for different purposes.

That changed on January 31, when a couple of his bikes were stolen. He had leaned his bicycle unlocked with another one up against his house as he had many times before. Normally he would store his bikes in the shed but he wasn’t going to be long inside.

“There have been up to 10 bikes left outside overnight…and there has never been a problem,” says Tilley.

An hour later he came out to discover the bikes were missing. At first he felt disbelief. He had never had a bicycle stolen before. He checked the backyard, the shed and even across the street thinking the bikes could have blown away. Realizing his bicycles had been stolen and knowing there was little he could do about it at the moment he decided it was best to go to work. All his other bikes happened to have flat tires so he had to walk to work that day. When his shift was over he contacted the police.

Recognizing the chances of the police retrieving it were slim to none he made up his mind to do something about it.  In addition to his passion of cycling, Tilley is also interested in photography and web design. Combining his talents, he designed a blog to reach out to his social network.

“When it happened I knew I had to act, I knew I had to reach people,” says Tilley.

He felt he had to do something to grab their attention. “A poster on a corner may have a thousand people walk by it, but who reads it,” asks Tilley?

Instead of taping posters to lamp posts or posting on Kijiji he felt a blog would be more productive. This led to the creation of the blog WHOSTOLEFROM.TILLEY.ME. The blog uses a mix of highly stylized photography and web design with personal stories about his bike in an attempt to reach out to the public. He has also created eye-catching posters to put up around town. Since creating the blog, Tilley reports he has had over a thousand views. He says many people have responded to his campaign, expressing their condolences for his stolen bicycle and many have complimented him on his blog and posters.

Tilley admits that he rides his bike all year long. The bike that was stolen was customized with larger tires for winter travel.

“This is why it is such a big pain…that bike was specifically made to ride in winter,” says Tilley.

He describes his bike as a brute that can navigate snow and stairs. Tilley says the bike meant a lot to him. He invested a lot of time into the bicycle, building it part-by-part. He has put a lot of mileage on his bike. The bike has accumulated a lot of scratches which Tilley feels gives it character.  Tilley knows he may not get his bike back, but his campaign is about taking control from the helplessness one feels when they have had something stolen.

“I feel I have done everything I could.”

The 436 Squadron canucks team having a good time during the first intermission of their game at Saturday’s round robin tournament for the second annual pond hockey classic. Photo by Austin McKay.

The second annual Pond Hockey Classic kicked off last Saturday in Batawa to raise money for the Military Family Fund. The event really capitalized on Canada’s past time.

All the money goes to help injured members in the military who have lost limbs or had other serious injuries.

The Military Family Fund fundraiser skyrocketed from $6,700 to just over $30,000. This was surprising correspondent and event organizer, Troy White.

“I didn’t expect to raise this much money, it feels great but a lot of its been because of the sponsorship,” said White.

Fourteen military teams and four civilian teams participated. Each got at least three games and the best from the round robin entered the play-offs, where it was single elimination. Until the championship game of course. To take part in the tourney each member on the team had to pay $50. All of the money goes to charity.

“The importance of the occasion is a way to interact with our military base in Trenton, not just Batawa and

to raise a lot of money to the militaries family fund,” said Major Dave Snow.

“Money is a direct input to those families in need or soldiers who otherwise would receive benefits that aren’t’available through current government services. Definitely a worthwhile cause and we’re very pumped about it.”

Upwards of 50 volunteers took part all weekend. The event started on Thursday night with a fundraising dinner and the tournament was underway Friday morning.

“Yeah obviously any event like this relies incredibly on its volunteers and we’ve had a lot.

We kind of split it up into three days,” said Snow.

After the dinner on Thursday night, a silent auction was held and that turned out to be a huge money grab for the cause. Leafs legend Ron Ellis attended the dinner as the guest of honour as his son was playing on one of the teams to help raise money.

Ellis played 16 seasons for the Leafs. Finishing with 332 goals and 640 points, he was on the roster the last time they won the Stanley Cup in 1967.

The Toronto Maple Leafs organization played a part as Leafs TV was on hand supporting the cause.

“We have been traveling around Ontario looking for outdoor rinks and when we found out about the outdoor hockey facility the military from CFB Trenton put together and we had to take part in such a community event on behalf of the Maple Leafs organization,” said Colleen Aird, a Toronto Maple Leafs Fan Zone representative for Leafs TV.

“Ellis was not just a celebrity that showed up looking for good publicity, he truly believes in this cause and his son is taking part in the tournament,” said organizer Jeff Moorhead

Ellis also took part in the ceremonial puck drop with Minister of Defence Peter Makay.

“Yeah of course Mackay showing up, although it wasn’t for long was amazing. We all know he had a busy schedule and for him to just show up really meant a lot,“ said White.

Sponsors played a huge role in the event. Much more event organizing was done this year compared to last. Sponsor additions are the main reason there was such a rise in money made.

“This year there was far more major corporate sponsorships, almost half of that came right off the bat from American Express,” said Snow.

Many other corporate businesses, such as McDonalds, Canadian Tire, TSN and Scotia bank also played a role.

“The Military Family Fund is very important, started as a agency and saw a need for, always there to help where there’s a need,” said Major Snow.

Pond Hockey Classic 2014 is expected to be even bigger. There was two rinks side by side, next year the plan is to have a twelve team increase in the tournament and three rinks.

BELLEVILLE (23/01/13) Jennifer Nicholls, and one of the cats up for adoption at the Quinte Humane Society, show off one of the paper cupcakes for National Cupcake Day. Photo by Kristen Oelschlagel.

Jennifer Nicholls has been involved in helping animals for years, but her latest project is the icing on the cake.

“National Cupcake Day is actually an initiative put out by the SPCA of Canada. They approached local SPCA’s and humane societies and asked if they want to participate,” Nicholls said.

Participants in National Cupcake Day can sign up as a team or individual and fundraise by baking cupcakes for people who donate money to them or by holding a cupcake party for friends, family and colleagues. Nicholls, who has raised $145 herself, is heading up the event for the Quinte Humane Society.

“This is the inaugural year so we don’t know how it will go. We’re hoping it will be a yearly fundraiser to raise a few thousand each year,” Nicholls said.

Brittany Koffman, community development coordinator for the OSPCA, said the event is the first of it’s kind in Canada but has been successful in other countries.

“The idea was gifted to us by the RSPCA in Australia, they’ve been running the event for a couple of years. There are over 40 agencies in across Canada participating,” Koffman said.

The Quinte Humane Society is home to around 3000 animals per year and can have around 150 to 200 animals at any time. But Nicholls said because of lack of funding, they can’t serve the community as best as they could.

“We need a new building. We’ve used this one for many decades and we just keep repairing and repairing, we just don’t have the room to serve the community. If we had more room we could definitely serve the communities better.”

The official National Cupcake Day is February 25, but participants can hold their cupcake parties anytime up to that date.

There will be a public event for the Quinte Humane Society on February 16 at PetValu in Belleville.

For more information on National Cupcake Day go to www.nationalcupcakeday.ca.

Market Square, site of Friday’s sixth annual Sleep out so others can sleep in. Photo by John Boldrick.

By John Boldrick

Courtesy of: Hastings Health Source

Imagine spending a dark winter night on the streets with nothing but a cardboard box to keep you warm.

This is a reality for people living without homes. On Friday night, it will become a reality for another 150 Belleville residents.

It marks the sixth annual Sleep out so others can sleep in event. Hosted by the Canadian Mental Health Association, the event sees participants collect donations and sleep outside for the night to raise money for housing.

Last year’s event raised just under $15,000. The goal for this year is the same.

This year’s edition of the sleep out takes place on Friday, January 25, at the Market Square in Belleville. It lasts from 7 until 7. Participants need not stay the whole time, as they are encouraged to go home if the cold becomes too much to bear. In fact, Sidsworth said that by 7 A.M., there is usually a 50 per cent drop in participants.

The money goes to things such as keeping up the appearances of the transitional homes and making sure the furniture is in good condition. The goal is to try and make residents feel comfortable in their new environment.

“People coming in off the street aren’t coming into a beat up, dirty place, they’re coming into something that’s (as) close to home as we can make it,” said Sandie Sidsworth, executive director for the mental health association.

The association has four transitional homes, holding up to 34 residents. They also have a family home, which can hold up to three families at a time. Even though they provide homes for many people, the association had to turn away 409 people last year.

With temperatures expected to be around -15, it could be too cold for some.  Still, it’s far warmer than the lowest temperature on a sleep out night.

During the second sleep out event, temperatures dipped to a -32. Participants are cautioned to come prepared for whatever the weather can throw at them.

“Bring a good warm hat, a good warm sleeping bag and three or four pairs of socks so you can change,” said Sidsworth.

There is a list of banned items people are discouraged from bringing.

“No candles, no portable heaters, nothing with a live flame because you’re either sleeping out with your sleeping bags or your sleeping in cardboard and it’s just dangerous,” said Sidsworth.

The elements aren’t enough to scare people away. Last year, sleep out expanded to the Loyalist College campus in Bancroft. This year, it’s Trenton getting their first taste of sleeping out.

While donations may have hit a snag, dropping 40 per cent two years ago, it bounced back last year. It’s a trend that Sidsworth hopes will continue.

“Two years ago we had a very low turn-out but the numbers have rebounded and we’ve been very lucky,” she said.

Belleville City Councilor Pat Culhane has slept out every year. She was formerly a member of the health board, but had to give up the position. Still, she plans on coming out for sleep out.

“I resigned from the board to make room for another person who could attend more regularly but I wanted to stay attached to the sleep out because I’ve never done anything that makes me more grateful for what I have,” said Culhane.

Culhane said that the experience is rewarding. It really makes her grateful for what she has.

“It’s a difficult way to raise money but it really brings home that you have more than half the world and certainly more than people in your own city.”

To stay warm, Culhane suggests that people should dress in layers and to also make use of a tarp on top of their box if at all possible. This won’t offer total protection from the environment, it’s a start.

“Once you’re in there it’s tolerable. You’re not terribly cold, you’re not terribly warm but it’s tolerable. It makes for an uncomfortable night but you can do it,” she said, “I’ve made it every year. I’ve gone into the box, I’ve stayed for the night and I’m proud of myself, at 65, good for me.”

Pledge sheets for the event can be picked up at the association’s office or downloaded online. The amount is important, but it’s what’s behind the donations that matter.

“We believe people give from the heart and if they give $3 or they give $1000, it’s not the amount of money given, it’s the intent that it’s given to help us,” Sidsworth said.

TRENTON (16/11/12) Cpt. Sophia Polwin recieves her medal from the Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Lieutenant-General Yvan Blondin. Photo by Kristen Oelschlagel.

By: Kristen Oelschlagel

Decoding messages and planning missions might sound like something out of a movie, but for Cpt. Sophia Polwin it was real.

“I’ll remember lots of planning. Having to get up in the middle of the night and plan missions and decoding some messages we got,” said Polwin.

“They’re called tasking order, like ATO is an air tasking order. We’d have to decode that and go and fly the mission based on the coded message we got.”

Polwin is one of 166 military personnel from C.F.B. Trenton who were deployed in support of Operation Unified Protector. The NATO operation, which was a military intervention in Libya in response to events during the Libyan civil war, formally began on March 23, 2011 and ended on October 31, 2011.

On November 16, Polwin along with 58 other members of 8 Wing Trenton, were awarded the Non-Article 5 NATO Medal for service. The medal is awarded for 30 consecutive or 60 cumulative days of honourable service under NATO Operation Unified Protector.

Polwin was deployed in Sicily for 64 days, flying the airbus in air-to-air refueling missions. It was her first real deployment and she said it was it was exciting to be able to put all her training to use.

“It was a real wartime situation so we it was pretty intense at times. Taking off in the middle of the night, having fighters come to you that were on their minimum fuel and needed to get to the hose right away to fuel and go drop their bombs over Libya,” said Polwin.

Lieutenant-General Yvan Blondin, the Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, was at the medal ceremony to present medals to those in attendance.

Blondin said what the medal symbolizes mean more than the medal itself.

“It’s just a piece of ribbon and medal, but it means so much for us. It’s what you do, you get the recognition from Canadians, that’s what it means,” said Blondin.

“It’s something you can put on your uniform and wear proudly, it’s a symbol of the sacrifices you need to make to serve Canadians.”

Polwin, whose dad was there to watch her, said the ceremony was nice for those receiving the medals, as well as their families.

“It’s my first medal, so it’s nice to have the general come here and give it to us in a formal setting with all our spectators here. It’s nice for the families because obviously some people were away for a long time so it’s nice to have the parade and recognize them and their families as well,” she said.

Polwin said there are some memories from her deployment that she’ll never forget.

“Working with all sorts of different nations. We were working with the Spaniards, Italians, Brits, UAE (United Arab Emirates), French, and the Canadians of course. So it was a big multi-national operation and that was one of the best parts I think.”

BELLEVILLE (07/11/12) Sharon Gosling (left) and Erika Davis practice CPR at the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre during the free CPR lessons. Photo by Kristen Oelschlagel

Sharon Gosling never expected to use her CPR training, but she found out you can never tell when an emergency is going to happen.

“There was a car accident in the states and we were second on scene. I had set up everything to do CPR,” Gosling said.

She said CPR wouldn’t help in that situation because the victim had a collapsed lung, but having the knowledge of how to do CPR made a difference.

“Because I had taken CPR lessons before you know what to do and have gone through the routine, it makes you more calm. Afterwards people were coming up to me saying as soon as they get home they’re going to sign up for CPR lessons.”

As part of CPR Awareness Month, the Heart and Stroke Foundation is working to raise awareness of the importance of knowing CPR and using it in an emergency situation. In partnership with the Hastings-Quinte EMS, they ran free CPR lessons at the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre on November 7.

Gosling, along with a number of other participants, learned hands-only CPR in the updated course based on guidelines by the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Jeanette Streek, like Gosling, is a participant that has already learned CPR. She said it’s always good to take refresher courses because it’s an important skill to remember and techniques get updated.

There are about 7,000 cardiac arrests in Ontario every year, according the Heart and Stroke Foundation, with the current out-of hospital survival rate being only five to six per cent.

In Hastings County alone, there are 275 cardiac arrests every year.

Deputy Chief of Quality and Development for the Hastings-Quinte EMS, Carl Bowker, said in a situation where CPR is needed every second counts.

“For every minute that passes, it decreases your chance of survival by 10 percent. So if an ambulance is showing up after five minutes and no bystander CPR has been done, your chance of survival has decreased by 50 per cent,” said Bowker.

He said bystander CPR is limited and they’re hoping to improve it by offering these classes and raising awareness.

“It’s a verily simple skill to learn. Once you take that fear away people are more likely to be engaged. Anytime you can get hands-on instruction it makes the learning curve that much easier.”

BELLEVILLE (25/10/12) Marlene Mackenzie introduces the photographer to her recently returned cat Daisy who was missing for a month. Photo by April Lawrence.

The traffic on Bleecker Avenue suddenly became a bigger concern for Marlene MacKenzie two weeks ago.

A mix of the sounds of birds, dogs and cats with cars driving by recently made the fear of not seeing her cat again a big concern.

Mackenzie, who works at Bay Regional Veterinary Hospital, started a search for her cat Daisy on October 12 when she went missing from her home on Bleecker Avenue.  Hoping to find Daisy quickly, Mackenzie posted to Quinte’s Lost Dog Network, a Facebook page designed to help owners find their lost pets.

Despite its name, the network has been used to find cats, horses, birds or any lost animals as well as dogs.

“Her name is Daisy and she is a medium dark torti (black with “mottled” orange), shorthaired, spayed, very slim cat,” MacKenzie posted to the network. “We miss her heaps and hope someone knows where she might be.”

MacKenzie was happy to find out that after posting on the network, a few people she knew had re-posted her information on their own Facebook walls. The information about Daisy could be viewed by not only the 1,759 members of the network but now all the friends of the people that re-posted her information.

“I think that it’s great that you can get it out to so many so quickly,” said Mackenzie.

Daisy returned home on her own a week after she went missing. MacKenzie had been preparing to support her posts to the network and other social media groups with posters around the neighbourhood when she returned. MacKenzie said she would definitely post to the network again if another pet went missing again because of how fast it spreads information and how helpful and dedicated the people involved in the network are.

Some involved in the network even took the time to drive around the area to see if they could find Daisy.

Quinte’s Lost Dog Network was founded by Jennifer Nicholls in March 2011 after she saw a similar network running online in Nova Scotia.  Thinking it was a good idea for the Quinte region, Nicholls created her own Lost Dog Network page.

“I found there were a lot of strays in the area so I thought it would help,” said Nicholls.

Nicholls also volunteers at the Quinte Humane Society every day. She does her best to post photos and information for the animals that are found, like where they were found and what breed they are. Members of the group can also post their own photos and information if their pet is missing.

The network covers a large area, posting information about lost pets from Brighton and Marmora and all the way to Bancroft. When the pets are lost in the Quinte region, Nicholls tries to get out and drive by some of the areas where she knows a pet has been lost. She said that other members of the network do the same.

Within 24 hours a lot of people can know that a pet is missing, she said. She is hopeful that with the network more animals can be found before they end up at the shelter.