Monday, August 30, 2010

ONTARIO EMBRACES CULTURE DAYS WITH LOADS OF FREE ACTIVITIES AS PART OF THE NATION’S FIRST WEEKEND-LONG ARTS AND CULTURE PARTY

Toronto, ON (August 30) – Ontario has responded! Hundreds of individual artists, groups and organizations in every province and territory have created and registered free arts and culture activities as part of Culture Days 2010 – the nation’s largest free weekend-long arts and culture celebration.

The inaugural event – taking place September 24 to 26 across the country (under the existing event Journées de la culture in Québec), and on September 17 to 19 in Alberta (under the existing event Alberta Arts Days) – will see creators in more than 500 cities and towns open their doors to Canadians and offer a range of family-friendly activities including hands-on classes, indoor and outdoor excursions, seminars and panels and behind-the-scenes experiences.

Some of the activities planned for Ontario include:

· Sing with KW Glee in Waterloo, where the public are invited to meet its members and learn how to recreate the pop choir sound

· Imagined Spaces: Scenic Design at the National Arts Centre (NAC) in Ottawa, where the public will discover the artifacts from the NAC's archival collection of imagined theatrical spaces brought to life through the artistry of top Canadian and international scenographic designers.

· Learn to Make a Stop-Motion Movie in Scarborough, a one-hour workshop where participants will learn how to develop a storyline, capture a photo sequence, select and add audio to images, record a voice-over as well as design credits

Activities are designed to inspire greater participation in arts and culture and are available in a range of disciplines including:

Heritage: venue tours, costumed tours, lectures and demos including how to march like RCMP
Music: sing-alongs, participatory concerts, instrument petting zoos, symphonies, operas and workshops
Dance: Korean, Hip Hop, Bollywood, Indigenous, Flamenco and Argentine Tango lessons
Visual arts: stone and wood sculpting, rug hooking, exhibits, painting and pottery classes
Film or video: interactive documentary screenings, TV network open houses and film festivals
Theatre: playwright readings, open rehearsals, combat workshops, demos and backstage tours
Architecture, design, literary, new media and more!

Culture Days represents Canada’s largest arts and culture public participation campaign. The celebration has resonated with rural and urban communities alike reaching milestone activity numbers in just four months since its launch in April with 2000 events hosted in Quebec, 700 in Ontario, 200 in Alberta and 115 in Manitoba to name a few. Culture Days activities range in both existing and new events that have pooled together to join the national movement.

With four weeks left before the national rollout, Culture Days shows no signs of slowing down. The program is seeing an average 20 per cent increase in activity registrations week-over-week. Canadians can stay on top of what activities are being added by searching for events in their area online.

Visit culturedays.ca, follow us on twitter.com/culturedays or find us on Facebook.

About Culture Days

Culture Days (culturedays.ca) is a collaborative pan-Canadian volunteer movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. Culture Days was initiated by four Founding Partners: The Canadian Arts Summit, Culture pour tous (producer of les Journées de la culture), Canada Council for the Arts and The Banff Centre. National partners supporting the development of Culture Days include Founding Presenting Partner Sun Life Financial, Power Corporation of Canada and The Government of Alberta. Media partners include The Globe and Mail, St. Joseph Communications and CBC. Provincial partners include Government of Alberta, SaskCulture, Manitoba Homecoming, Government of Manitoba, Ontario Arts Council, Government of Prince Edward Island, Government of New Brunswick, Government of Newfoundland & Labrador, and the Government of Northwest Territories. Culture Days was inspired by Journées de la culture, produced by Culture pour tous in Québec since 1997.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

RUN OR WALK TO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND OPERATION HERO!

Canadian Home Builders Association – Simcoe County in partnership with the Barrie Construction Association are coordinating their efforts to raise funds for Operation Hero by organizing a Base Borden Run in Support of Operation Hero.

The 5k and 20k marathon run is to take place at Base Borden on Saturday, October 16th. For experienced “marathoners”, the “chip” technology will be available – whether walking or running. It will be a fun-filled day with beautiful scenery and groomed courses.

This is an opportunity to say Thank You to those who serve and to build bridges between the community, Georgian College and CFB Borden, by providing scholarship funding to Canadian Military Families.

The cost of the run is $35 per participant, and sponsorship opportunities are available at various levels. Registration and information is available on-line at www.operationhero.ca.

Media is invited to contact the Base Borden Run Chairpersons at which time interviews and photographs can be coordinated.

Operation Hero assists in education funding for families and dependents of our troops. This will be fully invested by Georgian College to provide scholarships for family members of Canadian Forces Personnel.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

County Forests Attain Forest Stewardship Council Certification

Midhurst/ August 11, 2010 – The County of Simcoe has attained Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, recognizing that the management of Ontario’s largest municipally-owned forest system meets the highest international standard.

FSC certification acknowledges conscientious land stewardship through the independent evaluation of forestry practices around the world.

“On behalf of Council, I congratulate our Forestry staff on this significant achievement,” stated County Warden Cal Patterson. “By attaining FSC Certification we are confirming to the public that our forest management practices achieve the highest possible standard and we are ensuring that the County will have continued access to all available markets for timber sales.”

Forestry staff initiated the certification process in April, 2010. The extensive review included three days of field audits, consultations with stakeholders and a public open house. The assessment report presents findings of an independent team of specialists representing the SmartWood Program of the Rainforest Alliance. Results confirm that the ecological, economic and social performance of the County’s forest management system meet the rigorous criteria established by the Forest Stewardship Council.

During the past six months, auditors interviewed staff, forest users, provincial government representatives,loggers, environmentalists and foresters. They also visited over 25 different forest tracts.

“Simcoe County has recognized the importance of healthy woodlands for decades and is regarded as a leader in municipal forestry,” stated County Forester Graeme Davis. “We are proud of our achievements and FSC certification is confirmation that we are doing a good job.”

Most of which were once considered ‘wastelands’, Simcoe County Forests today span over 30,000 acres with tracts ranging in size from seven to 3,500 acres. They provide a multitude of benefits including protection of wildlife habitat and water resources, public education and recreation, scientific research and revenue from timber sales.

In order to maintain forest health, improve timber values and achieve other objectives for the County Forests, approximately 1200 to 1500 acres are thinned annually. Each forest area identified in the operating plan is assessed by Forestry staff and treated according to good forestry practices. Timber identified for removal is sold to the highest bidder, resulting in revenues which are reinvested in forestry operations and the acquisition of additional forest lands. Further, much of the timber is processed locally which contributes to the local economy.

FSC acknowledges good forest managers around the world and has grown to include over 35 million hectares worldwide. Certification allows the County to use the FSC logo, an internationally recognized symbol that identifies the highest environmental and social standards for forest management. The County’s FSC License Code is FSC-C013174.

The County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website at simcoe.ca.

Friday, August 6, 2010

From a matchstick house to Buckingham Palace...

Rare dollhouse collection auction to benefit Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Toronto, Ontario (August 5, 2010) – The public is invited to view and bid on fabulous model dollhouses from a world class collection at Bertie Hall in Fort Erie on Saturday, August 14 at 10 a.m. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and other charities.

More than 100 rare, scale model dollhouses and miniature rooms built from 1780 to 1980, with completely furnished and opulently decorated interiors will be on display. The intricate dollhouses range from a Buckingham Palace replica and matchstick house made by convicts, to a French 10th C. architectural form Bird Case of wire with stained glass windows.

Previews of the collection begin on Friday, August 13 from 2 p.m. to 8p.m., and on Saturday, August 14 at 8:30 a.m. Collectors unable to attend the live auction can bid on the top 50 pieces on www.liveauctioneers.com on August 14.

The owner of the collection, the late Mrs. Mildred Mahoney, generously requested in her will that the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation receive a significant portion of the proceeds of the auction.

Cystic fibrosis is the most common, fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults. There is no cure. Each week in Canada, two children are diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and someone dies from the disease.

“We are so very grateful to the late Mrs. Mahoney, and the Mildred M. Mahoney Foundation, for contributing to the fight against cystic fibrosis,” said Cathleen Morrison, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. “The money raised will support important CF research and care, dedicated to helping young Canadians with cystic fibrosis live longer, healthier lives.”

Mrs. Mildred Mahoney began collecting dollhouses in 1950, scouring North America and Europe in search of these rare models. When her collection outgrew her home, she moved it into the historic 1835 Bertie Hall. Mrs. Mahoney passed away in 1990 at the age of 72.

Dollhouse enthusiasts are encouraged to come to this special, once-in-a-lifetime auction and take a piece of history home. Members of the public who do not wish to bid on the dollhouses can view these intricate pieces of art – everyone is welcome!

For more information about the auction and to see pictures of the dollhouses, visit www.platoauctions.com. To learn more about cystic fibrosis, visit www.cysticfibrosis.ca.

About the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
The Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a Canada-wide health charity, with 50 volunteer chapters, that funds CF research and care. In 2010, the Foundation is supporting more than 50 research projects which are exploring all aspects of the CF puzzle; from investigating new methods of fighting infection and inflammation in the lungs to finding new therapies that target the basic defect at the cellular level.