Music lineup set for Canada Day

Organizers of next week's Canada Day celebrations on the UW north campus have announced the names of their headliners: "Kreesha Turner, whose debut album Passion blends soul, jazz and rhythm and blues, Chad Hatcher, who mixes folk, soul and hip-hop, and The Guys, selected by Billboard magazine as a top emerging rock band, will be among the big attractions."

They say that more than 70,000 people will help celebrate Canada's 141st birthday on Tuesday, July 1, at the Columbia Lake fields. The student-led event, now in its 24th year, promises a wide range of fun for all ages. Late-night fireworks are the traditional climax, and in the hours before dark there's plenty to do in addition to hearing the music from the main stage.

"Waterloo's students will give back to the local community by celebrating Canada's birthday with residents in the region," says Laura McQuinn, event manager. "We really have something for everyone this year. It's also amazing to see the dedication from our student volunteers, who have been working really hard to provide a fun-filled day for the community."

Events will begin at 2 p.m. on the holiday — a week from today — and continue throughout the afternoon and evening, wrapping up at 10 p.m. with the fireworks.

Kreesha Turner, the headline performer, will play the main stage at 9 p.m. Earlier, The Guys perform at 5 p.m., while Chad Hatcher appears at 8 p.m. Other evening entertainment highlights include indie-pop band Knock Knock Ginger at 7 p.m. and alt-rock band Breaching Vista with a post-fireworks performance. Versatile pop star Alisha Nauth opens the day's live music entertainment at 2 p.m., followed by the rocking Neil Murray Band at 3 p.m. and jazz singer Allister Bradley at 4 p.m.

Other highlights will be a children's live show on the main stage at 6 p.m. An opening ceremony takes place at 6:45 p.m., along with a birthday party and free cupcakes for the community.

The event's popularity is credited to the big list of free activities and events planned for the family. Jugglers, an obstacle course and a mad science magic show are a few of the announced activities. An arts and crafts fair will feature a wide selection of hand-made goods and kid-friendly products.

While most of the children's activities wrap up at 8 p.m., the main stage performances and the arts and crafts fair continue until 11 p.m. Parking is free in all UW lots for the day.

Back to top

Latest figures on teens' smoking

a release from the UW media relations office

The results of the latest national Youth Smoking Survey reveal that the percentage of young people who have tried a tobacco product has stopped declining, suggesting the issue of tobacco control requires continued attention in Canada. The 2006-07 version of the survey found that 21 per cent of youths in grades 5 to 9, most between the ages of 10 and 14, had tried at least one tobacco product.

This result is similar to that reported in the 2004-2005 YSS, following a decade-long decline. The original YSS, conducted in 1994, reported that 52 percent had tried a tobacco product.

For the first time, the latest survey included students in grades 10 to 12, 55 per cent of whom had tried tobacco. This represents the highest percentage of survey participants in this category. While 48 per cent of students in grades 10 to 12 had tried cigarette smoking, 11 per cent were classified as current smokers. For students in grades 5 to 9, 18.5 per cent had tried cigarette smoking and two per cent were current smokers.

The researcher who coordinates the study for Health Canada is heartened by the earlier decline, but concerned with the levelling off among younger youths and the jump in tobacco use in higher grades.

“Tobacco control continues to be an issue that we need to keep our efforts focused on,” said Steve Manske, the researcher with UW's Centre for Behavioural Research and Program Evaluation who coordinates the survey. “Tobacco products that appeal to youth continue to appear on the market, which is why continued vigilance on cancer prevention has never been more important.”

Provincial and territorial governments in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Yukon have recently moved to ban smoking in vehicles with a child present, while Manitoba, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are considering similar bans. Manske applauds this move, noting that 28 per cent of students in the YSS reported travelling in a car within a week of completing the survey with someone who was smoking.

“While protecting the child’s lungs, the bans also remove a social model,” explained Manske, “which in effect tells the child that it’s okay to smoke.”

Another factor possibly influencing the slowed decline is the increased availability of cigarillos. Anecdotal reports of their popularity prompted more specific YSS questions about these particular tobacco products. Data revealed that 35 per cent of grades 10 to 12 students had tried cigars, cigarillos or "little cigars", flavoured or unflavoured.

“It is generally recognized that this young population is most at risk for trying tobacco products,” Manske said. “It’s important that we understand these trends among youth in order to develop conditions that make it easy for them to remain smoke-free.”

The survey also found that more boys than girls have ever tried any tobacco product. Twenty-two per cent of youth reported that someone other than themselves smoked every day or almost every day in their homes. In 2004-2005, 25 percent reported being exposed every day or almost every day. And seventy per cent of students in grades 5 to 12 reported that no one is allowed to smoke in their home. Ontario and British Columbia homes are most likely to have these rules, while New Brunswick and Québec homes are least likely to ban smoking in the home.

When it was first administered in 1994, the YSS was the largest and most comprehensive survey of youth smoking behaviour conducted since 1979. The most recent YSS involved 71,000 students in grades 5 to 12 in 467 schools.

The survey is funded by Health Canada and was conducted by CBRPE and collaborators in each province. With funds from the Canadian Cancer Society, CBRPE is committed to preventing cancer in Canadians and to improving the quality of life of people with cancer, cancer survivors and their families.

Back to top

Just a few more notes this morning

Ever had a mango milkshake? Your chance comes tomorrow and Thursday, when the Muslim Students Association will hold a fund-raising barbecue on the green space north of Biology II (the future site of the Quantum-Nano Centre). The second annual event will help support the association’s Orphan Sponsorship Program, says science student Taybah Bhatti, the OSP’s director. The program started last year, “as a way to encourage students from various backgrounds and faiths to come together and work collaboratively for a common cause”, and has already sponsored orphans from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Indonesia, Kenya, Palestine, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, and Sudan. “As Muslims,” says Bhatti, “we realize the responsibility to do our part in reaching out to these children who struggle to have the basic necessities of life that we often take for granted. With God’s blessings and support from our community, we hope to sponsor more and more orphans.” As for the barbecue, which will run from 10:30 to 4:00 both days, “In addition to providing mouth-watering burgers and other treats, the MSA hopes to motivate people towards raising funds for this cause, and gather support and awareness from the UW community at large.” For sale: burgers (beef, chicken or veggie), hot dogs, corn on the cob, lemonade, chips, canned drink, and those milkshakes. A bonus: free watermelon.

Volunteers are getting ready to do surveys of four heritage conservation districts: Victoria Park (Kitchener), New Hamburg Core Area (Wilmot), Galt Downtown (Cambridge) and Brant Avenue (Brantford). The work is part of a province-wide study of older Heritage Conservation Districts. The volunteers will be trained at a workshop tomorrow night (7:00 to 9:00) at the Brubacher House Museum on UW’s north campus. The volunteers are mostly from the North Waterloo Branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, but anyone interested is invited to join in. The Ontario-wide study is being done with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Local branches of the Architectural Conservancy and historical societies across the province are involved, and UW’s Heritage Resources Centre, based in the faculty of environmental studies, has signed on as a partner. Heritage Conservation Districts (there are about 75 across Ontario) are areas of historic value that are recognized by the community. The Heritage and Planning Acts allow change in such areas to be managed in a way that protects their special character. “Many people now consider the Heritage Conservation District to be one of the most effective tools not only for historic conservation but for good urban design and sound planning,” says Robert Shipley, director of the Heritage Resources Centre. Project coordinator Kayla Jonas adds that the study “provides a great opportunity for collaboration and community engagement”.

And . . . there's a lot to read in the June 11 of the engineering newspaper Iron Warrior, from the front-page story about a proposed "suite-style" residence on Phillip Street to a point-vs.-counterpoint discussion of whether "our primary motivation for getting our degrees" is learning or something quite different. Thanks to the IW's tireless staff, we know that 3A chemical engineering won the recent Genius Bowl trivia competition, Software 2011 won the recent scavenger hunt, and editor Sunny Ng gets really peeved when able-bodied people use the opener buttons on the Davis Centre doors. Other features in the 16-page issue deal with student teams entered in various competitions (including the Google Games event in mid-June) and the advent of a new club, Student Horizons, "dedicated to creating a peer-to-peer network where students share ideas, practices and theories of personal development and success". Finally, Spencer McEwan of 2B electrical engineering reports on the unique features of the Rod Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall, including the note that "cell phone reception doesn't exist in the Dungeon."

CAR

Back to top