Over the Edge + November 25, 2009 BACHELOR & BACHELORETTE PARTIES, MOXIES MONDAYS, CHRISTMAS LIGHT TOURS, FUN WITH FRIENDS, BIRTHDAYS, WEDDINGS (LARGE & SMALL), ANNIVERSARIES, AND MUCH MORE ANY TIME IS LIMO TIME! www.sweetdreamslimousine.com (250) 613-5607 Cy 4 ~—® VISA WUSC Hosts A Fair Trade SHELBY PETERSEN NEWS EDITOR It’s that time of year again; | the time of year when you think of the less fortunate, spend time with your fam- ily and, most importantly, | go shopping! This holiday season, the aforementioned activities can all be done with | greater ease than any previ- =~ ous year. Se ater On November 27th and 28'" WUSC will be hosting their second annual fair trade fair in the UNBC Wintergar- den. Deviating slightly from the first annual fair, which had a Valentines Day theme last year (Sustainable Love), WUSC has decided to change it up and hold a Christmas themed fair trade fair, Called A Fair Trade Christmas, shoppers can look forward to a variety of ethical products to share with the whole family. Fea- tured products include Cocoa Camino and Ten Thou- sand Villages. Along with the usual chocolates, teas, and coffees, there will also be Christmas “themed” products available including decorations and cards. WUSC is hosting A Fair Trade Christmas because they believe that changes should be made to conven- tional trade in order to promote sustainability and create opportunities for people living in impoverished nations. A Fair Trade Christmas is WUSC's attempt Christmas PHOTO SUBMITTES BY SHELBY PETERSEN i. ™ to show the consumer that ; a there are other options out there, and that it is possible to make a difference, even if it is something as little as supporting ethical busi- nesses and knowing where your money goes, Products with a Fair Trade symbol on their package attempt to en- sure that the producers and artisans get a better price for their goods and that they can form longer and more stable trading relationships to ensure long-term eco- nomic success, For those of you who do not know, World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is an umbrella network that = promotes awareness for human rights and justice through education and ad- vocacy. Linked with many campaigns and programs such as the Millennium Development Goals, and the Student Refugee program, it spans across Canada and is represented by university students from Pearson College on Vancouver Island to University of PEI on Prince Edward Island. UNBC WUSC is the Prince George local committee that is represented by students of University of Northern BC. In the Past the UNBC WUSC club has put on events such as Mr. & Mts. UNEC, the Poverty Dinner, and Sustainable Love: A Fair Trade Fair. If you or someone you know is inter- ested in WUSC, they are always looking for new mem- bers. More importantly, volunteers are greatly needed for A Fair Trade Christmas, so if you are interested please contact WUSC( @unbe .Ca, News 3 Olympics controversy in Nova Scotian community Antigonish RCMP inquires about the activities of community discussion group BY DEVANNE O'BRIEN THE XAVERIAN WEEKLY (ST. FRANCIS XAVIER UNIVERSITY) ANTIGONISH, N.S. (CUP) — A community discussion group focused on the 2010 Olympic | Winter Games has received atten- tion from the RCMP in a Nova Scotia community. Rachelle Enxuga and _ Jesse Campbell, both of Antigonish, have been hosting weekly public meetings with members of their community to discuss the social implications of the Olympics. Both Enxuga and Campbell spent time living in Vancouver, the | host city for the 2010 Games in February. “I wasnt aware of the issues [surrounding the Olympics] prior to moving to Vancouver,’ explains Enxuga. “But there's a lot of aware- ness there.” Since it was announced in 2003 that Vancouver had won the Olym- pic bid, opposition to the Games has mounted, Aboriginal rights ac- tivists, anti-poverty crusaders and environmentalists alike have all ral- lied at public events in protest. “Living in a host city is when people really start asking the crit- ical questions,’ says Campbell. For him, the key issues are the criminalization of poverty, viola- tion of indigenous rights, displace- ment of homeless citizens, mount- ing public debt, environmental concerns, and free speech issues — social ills he says are exacerbated during the preparation and execu- tion of the Olympics. While the Olympic Torch is coming through Antigonish on November 17, Enxuga and Camp- bell say their group has no intention of protesting. “The fact is, we feel that in this community the protest would only serve to isolate the group, and that people wouldn't be aware of the issues,’ explains Campbell. “We don't think it would be appropriate in a very small community, which is why we chose to have a community discussion group to raise awareness of these issues.” The discussion group, however, has caught the eye of the local RCMP. In the last week of October, Enxuga says she returned home one day to find that a police officer had called her house. She phoned back. “They told me that if I was plan- ning a protest that I should come down and talk to them,” she ex- plains. Initially, she made plans to go speak with the RCMP to explain the nature of the discussion group. However, she and Campbell phoned the police back a few days later, and spoke with Sergeant Brian Rehill of the Antigonish RCMP detachment. She notified him that she would not be going to meet with the RCMP. “T told him that we didn't want to go to the station,’ she says.“ Then we started getting into a phone conver- sation.” “He asked me about our group, and what we had been doing, and then he asked specifically about the poster,’ Enxuga continues. The first poster the group used to advertise their meeting showcased an image of a riot cop, Their sec- ond poster depicted handcuffs in the formation of the five Olympic rings. Sgt. Rehill confirms that the RCMP noted the posters. “The group used graphic illustra- tions attached to their posters for the meetings that were of concern to us,’ he says. “We were just inquiring as to what the group was about, what their intention is for the torch relay,’ he explains. “That's all we were try- ing to find out.’ Campbell says he also spoke to Rehill about the group's posters. “(The posters] were intentionally provocative, explains Campbell. “We thought maybe they would make people come to the meetings or look online about the issues sur- rounding the Olympics.” “But I'm on the phone with the police, and they're asking me why I chose to put an image on my post- er? Why should I have to justify that to the police? It’s freedom of expression.” Campbell also expressed concern that the RCMP made the effort to find out the number of people who had attended their meetings. “All I said to [Campbell] was that they had 11 at the first meeting and 3 or 4 at the second one,’ notes Rehill. “It was misinterpreted [by them] if they think we had people spying on them.” “As we all know, the torch run has gone countrywide, and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for [torch-bearers],’ Rehill says, “Ob- viously, they don’t want a group to disrupt that dream.” Enxuga and Campbell don't accept this explanation for the RCMP’s inquiry about their group. “When they first called, we naive- ly wanted to rationalize it,’ explains Campbell. “We thought maybe we were overreacting, but then the more we started to think about it — that there was an easy way to con- tact the group [through the email on the poster] but that they chose to contact Rachelle through a pri- vate, unlisted number.” “That's not a simple matter of wanting to know if there's going to be sort of a disruption planned,” says Campbell. “I think all of these things are a deliberate form of in- timidation.” Rehill reiterates his position that the police were only interested in finding out the groups plans for Nov. 17, when the Olympic torch will make its way to Antigonish. “We just want to make sure on [the date of the torch relay], things are going to remain peaceful,” he says. “I dont think they are a mil- itant group.’ Campbell still feels differently about the situation. “In the first place, we are not plan- ning a protest for the Olympics,’ he says. “But if we were, we would still have the right to protest.” Canadians see value, quality in post- secondary education: polls BY EMMA GODMERE CUP OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF OTTAWA (CUP) — Two new Ipsos-Reid polls re- leased last week suggest that a majority of Canadians are pleased with the quality of their post-secondary institutions and agree that higher education is crucial for success, When asked to describe the overall quality of Canad- ian colleges and universities, 71 per cent of respondents rated it good or excellent in the first poll. Only three per cent suggested that post-secondary education in this country could be considered poor or very poor. However, only about a third of Canadians felt quality of the country’s institutions had actually improved over the last decade. ‘The second poll focused on Canadians’ views of the importance of post-secondary education as a tool for success: 78 per cent indicated that it will grow more important to finish a degree or diploma in the next five to 10 years in order to enjoy success in life. Interestingly, only 14 per cent of respondents said they were likely to or that they definitely would pursue higher education themselves in the next few years. Additionally, almost two thirds of Canadians indi- cated that the current economy had no impact over de- cisions to pursue post-secondary studies. When those who weren't planning on enrolling in university or col- lege programs were asked what reasons brought them to that decision, only 24 per cent said that the cost of education was indeed an issue, while 35 per cent said their principal reason was simply a lack of desire to return to studies, Out of those who were intending to pursue higher education, obtaining credentials, career opportunities, and career advancement were the top three reasons to pick up studies in the next few years. Each poll surveyed a sample of 1,493 adults online from Oct. 20-28, According to Ipsos Reid, results were weighted to balance demographics and more accurately reflect the makeup of the Canadian population. Before weighting, the survey's margin of error was estimated at +2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.