Group of threatened Barn Swallows nestle in at Value Village

Management does not plan to remove the nest unless it's abandoned

By Rubab Abid, CBC News

Posted: Jun 29, 2013 10:21 AM ET

Last Updated: Jun 29, 2013 10:20 AM ET

 

People visiting the Value Village on Horseshoe Cres. in Waterdown are in for a chirpy surprise.

A family, or "flight," of Barn Swallows, a species of birds recently added to the threatened species list by the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources, has built a mud nest in the front awning of the store.

Joe Minor first noticed the nest on Wednesday afternoon while visiting the store with his daughter.

"I saw the Barn Swallows in the field next to the Value Village and then swoop up and land near the awning close to the front door," said Minor, who is also a biologist.

Barn Swallow populations in the Hamilton area have seen a significant decline in recent years. (JJ Cadiz/Wikipedia Commons)

Minor says he saw two adult birds flying towards the mud nest, measuring between six to eight centimetres in diameter.

"It looks like a really well-constructed nest. It's really interesting to watch," Minor added.

Barn Swallows are medium-sized songbirds, known for their distinctive rusty-red foreheads and long, forked tails. The month of June is peak mating season for the swallows, who usually lay an average of two to fours eggs.

Population in decline

The species are not uncommon in the Hamilton area, but populations have seen a significant decline in recent years.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, nearly 65 per cent of the Barn Swallow population has been wiped out since the late 1960s.

The reason for the decline is not exactly known, but researchers cite a lack of rural habitats and the widespread use of pesticides as potential causes for the steep decline.

Christine Durepos, front-end supervisor at Waterdown's Value Village, says the store has no intention of taking down the nest.

"The birds are still nesting in there, so we are not going to remove them or disturb them in any way," she said.

"We are going to keep an eye on the them. They are pretty high up there, so they're pretty safe. We will remove the nest once there birds are done there," she added.

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Tall Ships Hamilton: What you need to know

A guide to how the get the most out of this weekend's Tall Ships festival in Hamilton

CBC News

Posted: Jun 28, 2013 12:36 PM ET

Last Updated: Jun 29, 2013 10:42 AM ET

Hamilton's War of 1812 commemorations will take on a maritime flair this weekend, as six tall ships from around the world will come into port on Friday will be open for tours on Saturday and Sunday.

The festivities kick off on Friday afternoon, as the fleet of seafaring vessels arrive in the Hamilton Harbour amid big fanfare.

The procession, running from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m, will culminate with cannon fire salutes and speech by Mayor Bob Bratina, greeting the ships as they come into dock at Pier 8, their home base for the rest of the weekend.

According to event organizers, the best vantage point for viewing the Parade of Sail will be: La Salle and Bayshore parks in Burlington; the Burlington Canal; and the Bayfront and Pier 4 parks and Pier 8, all in Hamilton.

The Brig Niagara is one of the tall ships that will be docked at Pier 8 this weekend. (Supplied)

Seadogs and landlubbers alike will have the opportunity board the ships on Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Deck tours cost $10 per person, and children under five get in for free.

The Liana's Ransom, a three-masted schooner that operates out of the British Virgin Islands, will be taking guests on 1.5-hour cruises around the harbour, with departures throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for children under five.

Tickets for the deck tours are available online at 1812hamilton.com, at the Tourism Hamilton visitor's centre in the Lister Block (28 James St. N), at Hamilton-area Scotiabank locations, and will also be available dockside. Tickets for the cruise on Liana's Ransom are also available on event's website.

History and arts

Pier 8 will be transformed into a festival of arts, culture and historical interpretation this weekend to coincide with the naval displays.

An eclectic mix of musical acts, including Hamilton indie rockers Young Rival, South African-Canadian R&B singer Zaki Ibrahim and bluesman Harrison Kennedy will play the Waterfront Stage at the pier's southwest end. While the Dockside stage, located at the pier's north end, will feature folkier fare.

The pier will also boast an arts and craft fair, an Amazing 1812 Race Game on giant map by led by historical interpreters, as well numerous vendors serving food and drink.

For a full schedule of events, go to 1812hamilton.com

Transportation and parking

The city has outlined several options for getting to and from the event.

A limited amount of paid parking ($5 per car) will be available near Pier 8, at Dock Service Road and Catharine Street North.

More parking (also $5 per car) is available nearby at Eastwood Park, on Burlington Street East at Ferguson Avenue North. A free shuttle will run between the park and Pier 8.

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Five ways to enjoy the water this weekend

It may not be the sunniest holiday weekend ever forecast, but if you're looking to get out for some summer fun on the water this long weekend, CBC Hamilton has put together a roundup of local spots where you can splash and, let's hope, bask in some sun.

Confederation Park – 25 minute drive from downtown (buses available daily)

Right here in the city, Confederation Park sits on the edge of lake Ontario and iincludes a 4-plus-kilometre beach trail, go-karts, batting cages, mini-golf, as well as popular beach restaurants Hutches and Baranga's on the Beach. Also available is the Lakeland Pool, open from 11:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. daily. Lakeland boasts a splash pad, a basketball court and a beach volleyball court.

Along the lake, accessible by car of by the beach trail, are three beaches, Confederation, Van Wagners and Beach Road. Water at all three beaches is tested weekly to ensure swimming safety. All beaches listed as safe as of June 24. Check the Hamilton public health website for up-to-date ratings.

Wild Waterworks - 25 minute drive from downtown (buses available daily)

Visit Hamilton's own waterpark. Wild Waterworks has a wave pool, six water slides, the Eazy River, as well as a special toddler area with shallow pools and slides called Little Squirt Works.

Lockers, tubes, and life jackets are available for rent with a refundable deposit. Cabana rental packages starting at $55 are also available. Group rates and season passes are available. $19.67 plus tax for ages 11-64 and $12.15 plus tax for ages 3-10. Children under 3 are free.

Port Dover – One-hour drive from downtown

If you're looking for a beach day outside of the city, but not too far from amenities, Port Dover is the place to go. Located on the north shore of Lake Erie, the resort town's sand beaches are close to shops and public bathrooms. Shopping, restaurants are within easy reach of the water. Port Dover also has several bed and breakfasts near the beach if you decide to stay overnight. The town also boasts the Lighthouse Festival Theatre, with shows Tuesday to Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Emerald Lake – 30-minute drive from downtown

Emerald Lake is a privately owned swimming and recreation area, 30 minutes away from downtown, up Highway 6 and down the Concession 11. The site includes the spring-fed lake, a water slide, a splash pad, diving boards and water toy rentals. There is a picnic area and playgrounds for the kids as well as a WiFi hotspot if you need to check you email over the weekend. The camping area has room for tents and RVs as well as cabin rentals. Prices for tents without water and power begin at $65 per night, with a three-night minimum for long weekends. The camping area includes hot showers, firewood and ice, and sports fields including a skateboard park.

Emerald Lake is great for families looking for a camping experience without too much wilderness.

Christie Lake & Valens Conservation areas – 20-30 minute drive from downtown

Both sites are operated by the Hamilton Conservation Authority. For the full, outdoor experience, you won't have to go very far. Christie Lake Conservation area is only a 20-minute drive from the city center, and Valens Conservation area is only a half hour drive.

At Christie Lake, 360 metres of sandy beaches are available for swimming and sunbathing. Rentals of rowboats, canoes, kayaks, and tubes are available, and the site has a picnic area as well. The park has 10 kilometres of hiking trails.

If you want to camp out and go fishing, head to Valens Conservation Area. The lake is home to northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish. Boat rentals are available. 1000 picnic tables are scattered around the park, as well as 10 kilometres of hiking trails, and a 300-meter wetland boardwalk. The campground has 225 sites, more than half of them with water and power. Public washrooms are on site. Rates start at $35 a night.

Christie Lake and Valens each charge $9 for car and driver and $5 for each additional passenger. For guests who walk or bike into the park, the charge is $5. Beaches at Christie Lake and Valens are tested weekly to ensure swimming safety.

Both lakes are listed as safe as of June 25. Check the Hamilton public health website or up-to-date ratings.

Water as in rain: Indoor pursuits for a wet weekend

If you're looking for something to do this (potentially very rainy) long weekend, here are a few things entertainment options that will be open.

Museums: The Art Gallery of Hamilton is open from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and the holiday Monday. The gallery is hosting a Family Fun Day on Sunday, during which families can come to the gallery for mini-tours and hands-on activities catering to children. The event is free for members and $5 per family for non-members.

Also, drop by on Saturday, Sunday or Monday at 2 p.m. for a tour of the gallery. The tour lasts approximately 40 minutes and is free for members. For non-members, the tour will cost $10 and $8 for students and seniors.

On Saturday and Sunday, take a trip to one of Hamilton's several civic museums, which include the Dundurn National Historic Site, the Hamilton Museum of Steam & Technology and the Hamilton Children's Museum. Admission rates vary. All city museums are closed on the holiday Monday.

Swimming: If you really want to go for a swim despite the rain, head to one of Hamilton's recreation centres. Most public pools have swim scheduled all weekend. Most sites also have drop-in gyms, where adults and children can participate in sports and other activities. Check the city website for times. On Monday, all recreation centres are closed, but the city's eight outdoor pools will all be open.

Socializing: If the rain is still getting you down, you can always head over to one of the rapidly growing number of coffee shops and cafés dotting the city.

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Ticats fall to Argos in wild season opener

video

Hamilton gives up lead in loss to defending Grey Cup champs

The Canadian Press

Posted: Jun 29, 2013 10:41 AM ET

Last Updated: Jun 29, 2013 11:00 AM ET

 

Ricky Ray outduelled Henry Burris and earned the Toronto Argonauts a wild season-opening victory.

Ray threw four TD passes to rally Toronto to a 39-34 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night. Ray's 10-yard touchdown toss to Dontrelle Inman at 9:49 of the fourth quarter gave the Argos their winning margin in a track meet that featured 51 first downs and 1,000 total offensive yards but still came down to the final play.

Burris drove Hamilton from its 44-yard to the Toronto 13 in the final 30 seconds on completions to Greg Ellingson and Onrea Jones. But rookie running back C.J. Gable dropped a screen pass that had he held on to had a clear path to the end zone. Still, the Ticats had one final gasp with three seconds left at the Argos' eight-yard line following a penalty, but Andy Fantuz couldn't hold on to Burris's throw in the end zone.

'"We let it slip away when we had the chance to steal it."

—Ticats' quarterback Henry Burris

"I don't know how many times in my career I've been on the sidelines watching Henry Burris lead a last-minute drive," Ray said. "But sacking him twice and then the big breakup in the end zone at the end, those were huge."

A new-look Argos defence with seven new starters struggled in the first half against Hamilton, which led 31-25 at halftime. Burris was a big reason for that, passing for 207 yards and three TDs but he said the Ticats should've put the defending Grey Cup champions away much earlier.

"It should not have come down to that play at the end, we left a lot of plays on the field," Burris said. "We were right there but we sputtered when we had the opportunities.

"We let it slip away when we had the chance to steal it."

Toronto's defence still allowed 199 second-half yards but only three-second half points. And the unit sacked Burris on consecutive plays, forcing Hamilton to punt with three minutes remaining and trailing by five points.

"We talked at halftime about staying together and how football games aren't won by players but by teams that play together with one heartbeat," Argos head coach Scott Milanovich said. "Our guys stayed together and that was an encouraging thing because we have many new guys.

"The fact they didn't start pointing fingers and trying to cover their own butts was a positive. We just knuckled down and did enough to win. It was by no means a glorious effort for us but that's a good football team and I think that will prove out throughout the year."

Watt converts own 2nd-half TD

Toronto also lost Swayze Waters to an unspecified injury kicking off to start the second half. Waters returned to boot a convert on Inman's TD after receiver Spencer Watt was forced to convert his own second-half TD. Watt and fullback Alexander Robinson kicked off in Waters' absence while Inman handled punting duties.

"You've got to give credit to guys like Spencer Watt and Dontrelle Inman that came in and kicked the ball and didn't do anything to hurt us," Milanovich said. "That's not easy to do when you're kind of a fish out of water doing something you're not used to doing.

"I thought those guys did a tremendous job."

Ray agreed.

"I don't think I've been around to see something like that and I've been around for a long time," the 11-year veteran said. "It was pretty cool to see those guys step in and do that."

Burris finished with 361 yards passing and three TDs while rookie Lindsey Lamar had a 104-yard kickoff return touchdown as Hamilton nearly spoiled the party for the Rogers Centre gathering of 29,852. Prior to the game, the Grey Cup was brought out on to the field and players Brandon Isaac, Chad Owens and Chad Kackert along with Milanovich and GM Jim Barker were presented their championship rings before the '12 Grey Cup banner was unfurled.

Spectators were then treated to an offensive, wide-open track meet as Burris and Ray took turns dissecting porous defensive units starting the season with no shortage of question marks. Lamar also joined Marcus Thigpen as only players in CFL history to return kickoff for a touchdown on their first career touch.

Hamilton's offence sports many of the regulars who were part of the CFL's top-scoring unit last year and Isaac gave the Ticats' unit credit but added the Argos' defensive players weren't happy with their performance.

'Shell-shocked'

"I don't like the way we played because we played too many snaps," Isaac said. "We were shell-shocked in the beginning however from the second quarter on we were able to make adjustments and make plays when it counted.

"That is a real solid offence but at the end of the day we were able to make one just one more play than they did."

Hamilton's defence returned eight starters but new defensive co-ordinator Orlondo Steinauer has the daunting task of improving a unit that allowed 32 points and 306 yards passing per game, both league highs. The Ticats' defensive woes were highlighted early in the third when on third and five, Ray hit Watt on a 20-yard TD pass to pull the Argos to within 34-32 after Waters was injured.

But Kent Austin, in his Ticats coaching debut, said there was plenty of blame to go around for the loss.

"We had opportunities to make plays in all three phases of the game," he said. "We have to make sure when the opportunity comes that we come through.

"They just made more plays than we did."

Jason Barnes had two TDs for Toronto while Kackert had the other and ran for 112 yards on 10 carries. Waters finished with four converts, a field goal and a single.

Gable with two, and Fantuz scored Hamilton's other touchdowns. Luca Congi booted the converts and two field goals.

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Art Battle competition debuts in Hamilton

Brushes poised above their palettes, six Hamilton artists were ready to leave it all on the canvas in the first round of Hamilton's first ever Art Battle.

Participants had just 20 minutes to create the best painting. Spectators voted to determine who would survive the first round of and move on to the finals.

But Saturday's live art competition, taking place at Pier 8 during the city's Tall Ships festivities, was no ordinary battle of the brushes. Artists were fighting for the chance to represent Hamilton in the 2013 National Championships, to be held in the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) on July 26.

"Painters will be coming from all across the country from coast to coast. Vancouver all the way to Halifax and many cities in between," said co-founder of Art Battle, Simon Plashkes.

A total of 18 painters from eight cities will compete for the title of National Champion. Art Battle has already found its competitors in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Truro, N.S, St. Johns, N.B. and Halifax.

Last stop

Hamilton was its last stop on its search. It's also the first time Art Battle has ever hosted a competition in Steeltown.

"We've been trying to come to Hamilton for a long time," said Plashkes. "We've been in Toronto for four years. I'm surprised we haven't made it down the QEW to get here."

Olivia Ongagui employed pinks, purples, browns and blues in her painting in the first round of the competition. (Hilary Caton/CBC)

But it made it, and dozens of curious onlookers of all ages gathered around the easels set up in the middle of Pier 8's outdoor rink to see what all the fuss was about.

"We're a gateway drug for art," said Plashkes. "We take people who haven't really thought of themselves as art lovers and art appreciators and we put them in a scenario where they're forced to choose (between art pieces)."

According to Plashkes, it's all about discovery and getting people to ask themselves why they connect with one piece of art over the other and subsequently getting them to feel passionate about art and what it means to them.

Co-founder, Chris Pemberton was also in attendance and led the audience in a countdown, reminiscent of one at a New Year's Eve bash, to start the competition.

In a matter of minutes, what starts off as broad strokes and globs of paint transforms into images of swans, landscapes, tall ships and portrait paintings. And that's just in the first round.

Local talent

"It's nice to see the process that creates the work you see in the galleries around Hamilton," said Petra Matar, one of audience members. "They all have their own styles, the artists."

One of the dozen artists competing was Stephanie Seagram, a local artist who's been in Hamilton for five years and runs a studio, 270 Sherman.

She bailed on the use of the easel and opted for the rink floor instead.

Stephanie Seagram painted with her canvas on the ground and wore headphones while she worked. (Hilary Caton/CBC)

"I use a lot of kinetic motion in my work and I use acrylics and inks, so they flow," explained Seagram after the first round.

"My arm moves in a pendulum motion, so I need that space. It also doesn't work as well when I'm (standing) straight. I also throw my paint."

To help "insulate and tune out," Seagram wore headphones during the entire competition. In the end her impressionistic painting of tall ships — with its use of the primary colours and black and white — won over the crowd and qualified her to move on to the next round, along with artist Tian Yu, who created the equally popular "double swan" painting.

The second round saw "heavy hitter" Carlos Delgado and Olivia Ongagui take the top spots with a portrait of a general and intricate tall ships ocean scene.

'Terrifying'

The top four artists painted their hearts out, but there can only be one winner and it was Seagram.

Carlos Delgado, pictured creating a painting of a horse, was also one of the finalists. (Hilary Caton/CBC)

"I'm shocked. I did it," she said in reference to her decision to sign up to compete in the first place.

"I was terrified. I knew it would be one of the most terrifying things for me to do so I said 'I've got to do it.' If wasn't doing it, I'd be standing here wishing I was…. It paid off."

No paintings were destroyed during this battle, as is Art Battle custom when no work gets anything more than an opening bid during the auction portion of the battle.

"We do just some paint smearing usually. It's a very popular method of destruction," said Plashkes.

"Every once in awhile we'd bring out a chainsaw and cut them in half, but we're trying to tone it down a little."

Art Battle will begin hosting regular monthly events in Hamilton in the fall.

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Teens arrested, man dies fleeing in 'crime of passion' death of Hamilton man in Mexico

3 males arrested and a 4th dies fleeing Mexican police following death of Hamilton's Ronald Burridge

CBC News

Posted: Jun 27, 2013 5:57 PM ET

Last Updated: Jun 28, 2013 7:42 AM ET

Mexican authorities say three teens have been arrested in connection to the June 16 slaying of former Hamilton landlord and businessman Ronald Burridge.

Mexican officials told CBC Hamilton that the suspects — aged 16, 17 and one younger than 16 — are being held in custody.

A fourth suspect who was wanted by police, believed to be in his early twenties, was wounded and then died after jumping off the roof of a three-storey building to escape officers. He was later found dead from his injuries.

Ron Burridge was slain in Mexico on June 16. Three teens have been arrested in connection to his death.

Public Ministry of Police Comadante David Urtizo said all four males were known to Burridge and had access to his apartment in Acapulco. It's believed each may have stayed there at various times. Friends in Hamilton say Burridge lived in a four-storey villa and was looking to rent out rooms to generate income.

Burridge, who was known in Canada as Rev. Ron, was killed with a blunt object to the head. He was also stabbed with a broken bottle, said Dan Ward, a Hamilton businessman who was friends with Burridge since the mid-1980s.

Police said they recovered a Volkswagen car and a cellphone, among other items, that belonged to Burridge from the arrested men.

Urtizo has previously referred to Burridge's slaying as a "crime of passion," and not a robbery.

Once a hair colourist in Toronto, Burridge gained notoriety as a flamboyant, Bible-thumping landlord to the down and out in Hamilton. He held church services — and conducted exorcisms — in the Hotel Hamilton, a rooming house on James Street North he owned for more than 20 years.

Burridge, who was believed to be in his late 60s, ran Hotel Hamilton for more than two decades. He had been living full-time in Mexico for about three years, said Ward.

He said he had warned Burridge about the dangers of living in Mexico.

"That's where he was going to make his bed and breakfast. He wanted me to go down there and I said, 'It's too dangerous.'"

Burridge was a polarizing figure during his time in Hamilton. According to a 2009 article in the Hamilton Spectator, he was "outspoken about his dislike of Hamilton and what he considered the rampant problems on James Street North" and enraged the local BIA by holding rogue meetings in his hotel every month.

The hotel, which rented rooms to single men for $400 per month, was considered a dive, a reputation that Ward believes it didn't deserve.

"He ran a nice hotel down there. It's not what they said. But it was, you know, messy. He tried to help people on the streets, you know?"

Burridge sold the property in 2006 to Toronto developers. It changed hands again three years later and has since been turned into studios for artists.

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Group of threatened Barn Swallows nestle in at Value Village

Management does not plan to remove the nest unless it's abandoned

By Rubab Abid, CBC News

Posted: Jun 29, 2013 10:21 AM ET

Last Updated: Jun 29, 2013 10:20 AM ET

 

People visiting the Value Village on Horseshoe Cres. in Waterdown are in for a chirpy surprise.

A family, or "flight," of Barn Swallows, a species of birds recently added to the threatened species list by the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources, has built a mud nest in the front awning of the store.

Joe Minor first noticed the nest on Wednesday afternoon while visiting the store with his daughter.

"I saw the Barn Swallows in the field next to the Value Village and then swoop up and land near the awning close to the front door," said Minor, who is also a biologist.

Barn Swallow populations in the Hamilton area have seen a significant decline in recent years. (JJ Cadiz/Wikipedia Commons)

Minor says he saw two adult birds flying towards the mud nest, measuring between six to eight centimetres in diameter.

"It looks like a really well-constructed nest. It's really interesting to watch," Minor added.

Barn Swallows are medium-sized songbirds, known for their distinctive rusty-red foreheads and long, forked tails. The month of June is peak mating season for the swallows, who usually lay an average of two to fours eggs.

Population in decline

The species are not uncommon in the Hamilton area, but populations have seen a significant decline in recent years.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, nearly 65 per cent of the Barn Swallow population has been wiped out since the late 1960s.

The reason for the decline is not exactly known, but researchers cite a lack of rural habitats and the widespread use of pesticides as potential causes for the steep decline.

Christine Durepos, front-end supervisor at Waterdown's Value Village, says the store has no intention of taking down the nest.

"The birds are still nesting in there, so we are not going to remove them or disturb them in any way," she said.

"We are going to keep an eye on the them. They are pretty high up there, so they're pretty safe. We will remove the nest once there birds are done there," she added.

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Tall Ships Hamilton: What you need to know

A guide to how the get the most out of this weekend's Tall Ships festival in Hamilton

CBC News

Posted: Jun 28, 2013 12:36 PM ET

Last Updated: Jun 29, 2013 10:42 AM ET

Hamilton's War of 1812 commemorations will take on a maritime flair this weekend, as six tall ships from around the world will come into port on Friday will be open for tours on Saturday and Sunday.

The festivities kick off on Friday afternoon, as the fleet of seafaring vessels arrive in the Hamilton Harbour amid big fanfare.

The procession, running from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m, will culminate with cannon fire salutes and speech by Mayor Bob Bratina, greeting the ships as they come into dock at Pier 8, their home base for the rest of the weekend.

According to event organizers, the best vantage point for viewing the Parade of Sail will be: La Salle and Bayshore parks in Burlington; the Burlington Canal; and the Bayfront and Pier 4 parks and Pier 8, all in Hamilton.

The Brig Niagara is one of the tall ships that will be docked at Pier 8 this weekend. (Supplied)

Seadogs and landlubbers alike will have the opportunity board the ships on Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Deck tours cost $10 per person, and children under five get in for free.

The Liana's Ransom, a three-masted schooner that operates out of the British Virgin Islands, will be taking guests on 1.5-hour cruises around the harbour, with departures throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for children under five.

Tickets for the deck tours are available online at 1812hamilton.com, at the Tourism Hamilton visitor's centre in the Lister Block (28 James St. N), at Hamilton-area Scotiabank locations, and will also be available dockside. Tickets for the cruise on Liana's Ransom are also available on event's website.

History and arts

Pier 8 will be transformed into a festival of arts, culture and historical interpretation this weekend to coincide with the naval displays.

An eclectic mix of musical acts, including Hamilton indie rockers Young Rival, South African-Canadian R&B singer Zaki Ibrahim and bluesman Harrison Kennedy will play the Waterfront Stage at the pier's southwest end. While the Dockside stage, located at the pier's north end, will feature folkier fare.

The pier will also boast an arts and craft fair, an Amazing 1812 Race Game on giant map by led by historical interpreters, as well numerous vendors serving food and drink.

For a full schedule of events, go to 1812hamilton.com

Transportation and parking

The city has outlined several options for getting to and from the event.

A limited amount of paid parking ($5 per car) will be available near Pier 8, at Dock Service Road and Catharine Street North.

More parking (also $5 per car) is available nearby at Eastwood Park, on Burlington Street East at Ferguson Avenue North. A free shuttle will run between the park and Pier 8.

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Five ways to enjoy the water this weekend

It may not be the sunniest holiday weekend ever forecast, but if you're looking to get out for some summer fun on the water this long weekend, CBC Hamilton has put together a roundup of local spots where you can splash and, let's hope, bask in some sun.

Confederation Park – 25 minute drive from downtown (buses available daily)

Right here in the city, Confederation Park sits on the edge of lake Ontario and iincludes a 4-plus-kilometre beach trail, go-karts, batting cages, mini-golf, as well as popular beach restaurants Hutches and Baranga's on the Beach. Also available is the Lakeland Pool, open from 11:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. daily. Lakeland boasts a splash pad, a basketball court and a beach volleyball court.

Along the lake, accessible by car of by the beach trail, are three beaches, Confederation, Van Wagners and Beach Road. Water at all three beaches is tested weekly to ensure swimming safety. All beaches listed as safe as of June 24. Check the Hamilton public health website for up-to-date ratings.

Wild Waterworks - 25 minute drive from downtown (buses available daily)

Visit Hamilton's own waterpark. Wild Waterworks has a wave pool, six water slides, the Eazy River, as well as a special toddler area with shallow pools and slides called Little Squirt Works.

Lockers, tubes, and life jackets are available for rent with a refundable deposit. Cabana rental packages starting at $55 are also available. Group rates and season passes are available. $19.67 plus tax for ages 11-64 and $12.15 plus tax for ages 3-10. Children under 3 are free.

Port Dover – One-hour drive from downtown

If you're looking for a beach day outside of the city, but not too far from amenities, Port Dover is the place to go. Located on the north shore of Lake Erie, the resort town's sand beaches are close to shops and public bathrooms. Shopping, restaurants are within easy reach of the water. Port Dover also has several bed and breakfasts near the beach if you decide to stay overnight. The town also boasts the Lighthouse Festival Theatre, with shows Tuesday to Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Emerald Lake – 30-minute drive from downtown

Emerald Lake is a privately owned swimming and recreation area, 30 minutes away from downtown, up Highway 6 and down the Concession 11. The site includes the spring-fed lake, a water slide, a splash pad, diving boards and water toy rentals. There is a picnic area and playgrounds for the kids as well as a WiFi hotspot if you need to check you email over the weekend. The camping area has room for tents and RVs as well as cabin rentals. Prices for tents without water and power begin at $65 per night, with a three-night minimum for long weekends. The camping area includes hot showers, firewood and ice, and sports fields including a skateboard park.

Emerald Lake is great for families looking for a camping experience without too much wilderness.

Christie Lake & Valens Conservation areas – 20-30 minute drive from downtown

Both sites are operated by the Hamilton Conservation Authority. For the full, outdoor experience, you won't have to go very far. Christie Lake Conservation area is only a 20-minute drive from the city center, and Valens Conservation area is only a half hour drive.

At Christie Lake, 360 metres of sandy beaches are available for swimming and sunbathing. Rentals of rowboats, canoes, kayaks, and tubes are available, and the site has a picnic area as well. The park has 10 kilometres of hiking trails.

If you want to camp out and go fishing, head to Valens Conservation Area. The lake is home to northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish. Boat rentals are available. 1000 picnic tables are scattered around the park, as well as 10 kilometres of hiking trails, and a 300-meter wetland boardwalk. The campground has 225 sites, more than half of them with water and power. Public washrooms are on site. Rates start at $35 a night.

Christie Lake and Valens each charge $9 for car and driver and $5 for each additional passenger. For guests who walk or bike into the park, the charge is $5. Beaches at Christie Lake and Valens are tested weekly to ensure swimming safety.

Both lakes are listed as safe as of June 25. Check the Hamilton public health website or up-to-date ratings.

Water as in rain: Indoor pursuits for a wet weekend

If you're looking for something to do this (potentially very rainy) long weekend, here are a few things entertainment options that will be open.

Museums: The Art Gallery of Hamilton is open from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and the holiday Monday. The gallery is hosting a Family Fun Day on Sunday, during which families can come to the gallery for mini-tours and hands-on activities catering to children. The event is free for members and $5 per family for non-members.

Also, drop by on Saturday, Sunday or Monday at 2 p.m. for a tour of the gallery. The tour lasts approximately 40 minutes and is free for members. For non-members, the tour will cost $10 and $8 for students and seniors.

On Saturday and Sunday, take a trip to one of Hamilton's several civic museums, which include the Dundurn National Historic Site, the Hamilton Museum of Steam & Technology and the Hamilton Children's Museum. Admission rates vary. All city museums are closed on the holiday Monday.

Swimming: If you really want to go for a swim despite the rain, head to one of Hamilton's recreation centres. Most public pools have swim scheduled all weekend. Most sites also have drop-in gyms, where adults and children can participate in sports and other activities. Check the city website for times. On Monday, all recreation centres are closed, but the city's eight outdoor pools will all be open.

Socializing: If the rain is still getting you down, you can always head over to one of the rapidly growing number of coffee shops and cafés dotting the city.

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Ticats fall to Argos in wild season opener

video

Hamilton gives up lead in loss to defending Grey Cup champs

The Canadian Press

Posted: Jun 29, 2013 10:41 AM ET

Last Updated: Jun 29, 2013 11:00 AM ET

 

Ricky Ray outduelled Henry Burris and earned the Toronto Argonauts a wild season-opening victory.

Ray threw four TD passes to rally Toronto to a 39-34 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night. Ray's 10-yard touchdown toss to Dontrelle Inman at 9:49 of the fourth quarter gave the Argos their winning margin in a track meet that featured 51 first downs and 1,000 total offensive yards but still came down to the final play.

Burris drove Hamilton from its 44-yard to the Toronto 13 in the final 30 seconds on completions to Greg Ellingson and Onrea Jones. But rookie running back C.J. Gable dropped a screen pass that had he held on to had a clear path to the end zone. Still, the Ticats had one final gasp with three seconds left at the Argos' eight-yard line following a penalty, but Andy Fantuz couldn't hold on to Burris's throw in the end zone.

'"We let it slip away when we had the chance to steal it."

—Ticats' quarterback Henry Burris

"I don't know how many times in my career I've been on the sidelines watching Henry Burris lead a last-minute drive," Ray said. "But sacking him twice and then the big breakup in the end zone at the end, those were huge."

A new-look Argos defence with seven new starters struggled in the first half against Hamilton, which led 31-25 at halftime. Burris was a big reason for that, passing for 207 yards and three TDs but he said the Ticats should've put the defending Grey Cup champions away much earlier.

"It should not have come down to that play at the end, we left a lot of plays on the field," Burris said. "We were right there but we sputtered when we had the opportunities.

"We let it slip away when we had the chance to steal it."

Toronto's defence still allowed 199 second-half yards but only three-second half points. And the unit sacked Burris on consecutive plays, forcing Hamilton to punt with three minutes remaining and trailing by five points.

"We talked at halftime about staying together and how football games aren't won by players but by teams that play together with one heartbeat," Argos head coach Scott Milanovich said. "Our guys stayed together and that was an encouraging thing because we have many new guys.

"The fact they didn't start pointing fingers and trying to cover their own butts was a positive. We just knuckled down and did enough to win. It was by no means a glorious effort for us but that's a good football team and I think that will prove out throughout the year."

Watt converts own 2nd-half TD

Toronto also lost Swayze Waters to an unspecified injury kicking off to start the second half. Waters returned to boot a convert on Inman's TD after receiver Spencer Watt was forced to convert his own second-half TD. Watt and fullback Alexander Robinson kicked off in Waters' absence while Inman handled punting duties.

"You've got to give credit to guys like Spencer Watt and Dontrelle Inman that came in and kicked the ball and didn't do anything to hurt us," Milanovich said. "That's not easy to do when you're kind of a fish out of water doing something you're not used to doing.

"I thought those guys did a tremendous job."

Ray agreed.

"I don't think I've been around to see something like that and I've been around for a long time," the 11-year veteran said. "It was pretty cool to see those guys step in and do that."

Burris finished with 361 yards passing and three TDs while rookie Lindsey Lamar had a 104-yard kickoff return touchdown as Hamilton nearly spoiled the party for the Rogers Centre gathering of 29,852. Prior to the game, the Grey Cup was brought out on to the field and players Brandon Isaac, Chad Owens and Chad Kackert along with Milanovich and GM Jim Barker were presented their championship rings before the '12 Grey Cup banner was unfurled.

Spectators were then treated to an offensive, wide-open track meet as Burris and Ray took turns dissecting porous defensive units starting the season with no shortage of question marks. Lamar also joined Marcus Thigpen as only players in CFL history to return kickoff for a touchdown on their first career touch.

Hamilton's offence sports many of the regulars who were part of the CFL's top-scoring unit last year and Isaac gave the Ticats' unit credit but added the Argos' defensive players weren't happy with their performance.

'Shell-shocked'

"I don't like the way we played because we played too many snaps," Isaac said. "We were shell-shocked in the beginning however from the second quarter on we were able to make adjustments and make plays when it counted.

"That is a real solid offence but at the end of the day we were able to make one just one more play than they did."

Hamilton's defence returned eight starters but new defensive co-ordinator Orlondo Steinauer has the daunting task of improving a unit that allowed 32 points and 306 yards passing per game, both league highs. The Ticats' defensive woes were highlighted early in the third when on third and five, Ray hit Watt on a 20-yard TD pass to pull the Argos to within 34-32 after Waters was injured.

But Kent Austin, in his Ticats coaching debut, said there was plenty of blame to go around for the loss.

"We had opportunities to make plays in all three phases of the game," he said. "We have to make sure when the opportunity comes that we come through.

"They just made more plays than we did."

Jason Barnes had two TDs for Toronto while Kackert had the other and ran for 112 yards on 10 carries. Waters finished with four converts, a field goal and a single.

Gable with two, and Fantuz scored Hamilton's other touchdowns. Luca Congi booted the converts and two field goals.

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City says missing $1M likely came from several places

By Samantha Craggs, CBC News

Posted: Jun 27, 2013 6:01 PM ET

Last Updated: Jun 27, 2013 5:59 PM ET

 

The former employee suspected of defrauding the city of more than $1 million had access to cash from a number of city services and programs, says the city's head of finance.

Hamilton police are investigating a finance and corporate services employee dismissed earlier this week who is suspected of stealing $1,058,235.20 since 2005.

The money likely didn't come from any particular service, Mike Zegarac, acting head of finance, told CBC Hamilton.

"I suspect it was whenever the opportunity arose, and that determined which vendors were affected," he said.

The total works out to just over $9,000 a month for the nine year-period involved.

Employees handle cash from various customers and vendors. The city was encouraging customers and vendors who pay in cash to move to paying by cheque, Zegarac said. The discrepancy was discovered during that process.

There are several areas of the city where staff take cash, Zegarac said. Those areas range from recreation fees to development charges, and parking fines to property taxes.

In addition to police, the city has asked a forensic accountant to look into the incident.

Cash not unusual

Zegarac does not anticipate that any other employees were involved.

"We think throughout the initial investigation that this is isolated," he said. "The individual has admitted to the theft and the individual has admitted he was solely responsible for the theft."

Finance head Mike Zegarac, shown at a council meeting Wednesday, says the city has taken swift and immediate action. (Samantha Craggs/CBC)

It's not unusual for municipal employees to handle cash, said David Siegel, a municipal politics expert at Brock University. "That's the way business is done sometimes."

Cities do typically have checks and balances in place to guard against mishandling. For example, the person who takes cash usually isn't the same as the person who makes entries into the accounting system, he said.

"You divide up responsibilities that way so one person serves as an automatic check on the other," Siegel said.

"This is the sort of thing that managers fear. But large municipalities are multi-million dollar operations and unfortunately these things can happen."

'Immediate and swift action'

The city confirmed the loss on June 18 and took "immediate and swift action" to bring the matter to the Hamilton Police Service major fraud unit. Police would only say Thursday that an investigation is ongoing.

The city hopes insurance will cover a "significant portion of our loss," the city said in a statement Wednesday. It is also reviewing its policies and procedures and co-operating with police.

Earlier this year, the city used video surveillance and GPS records of city vehicles to investigate 31 public works employees for "neglect of duties, time theft and/or breach of trust." It resulted in 29 employees being dismissed.

It shows that the city makes uncovering these situations a priority, Coun. Chad Collins said.

"We've been fairly successful in uncovering two large ones in the last year," he said. "I don't think it's anything to brag about, but it's a fact."

Won't be the last time

This investigation "is not the first time it's happened and unfortunately it won't be the last," Collins said. "We'll never have a system that prevents the smaller amounts to the much larger amounts.

"But I think the public can be assured that we're constantly trying to uncover it if it does exist."

Coun. Sam Merulla has called on the city to establish an accountability office that would investigate these issues. The public works investigation prompted him to do so. Now he wants to expedite work on the office.

Even though it took nine years to catch it, Merulla sees this as good news. It means city staff are watching each other, and that its checks and balances work.

"We blew our own whistle," he said.

"For anyone to suggest this is a negative thing, I think they have their head up their butt. This shows that the city is actually pursuing fraudulent and corrupt behaviour."

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City waits on province to review plan for contaminated land

Hamilton waiting on answers, activist says

By Samantha Craggs, CBC News

Posted: Jun 28, 2013 7:27 AM ET

Last Updated: Jun 28, 2013 7:26 AM ET

The city is still waiting on the Ministry of Environment to approve a draft plan to clean up contaminated lands around the Hamilton airport.

The consultant firm hired by the airport submitted the remediation plan to the ministry in November, says Guy Paparella, director of the city's industrial parks and airport development division.

But until the province approves it, the city is waiting anxiously to close the door on a long-time issue, Paparella said.

"Council is quite anxious. We're quite anxious," he said. While he had hoped to hear by the end of June, "chances are we're not going to get a response until next month, but we're hoping."

The city has grappled with the issue of contaminated lands around the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport for years.

Dating back to 1980s, the federal government used the lands as a firefighting training facility. The land, formerly owned by the federal government, is contaminated with perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).

The airport hired EXP Consultants to develop a plan. In December 2011, it presented an initial subsurface investigation to city council.

That plan included four recommendations, including plugging culverts as short-term mitigation, drilling additional boreholes and groundwater monitoring wells, and doing a risk assessment plan, which is with the ministry now.

That remediation plan isn't public yet because it's still only a draft, Paparella said.

"We put all the ingredients in and have it in the oven, but until it's ready, we can't share it," he said. "When (the ministry) approves it, then we'll be able to share it with everybody."

Joe Minor, a local environmentalist and biologist, wants to see it sooner than that. The consultant and province have been meeting, but the public doesn't know what happens at those meetings, he said.

"I've been asking to know what's going on with the airport for a couple of years and they won't tell me anything," he said.

With the pace the project is going, "we really haven't heard anything new with respect to PFOS at the airport for about two years now," he said.

Preliminary estimates show it will cost between $1.5 and $2.5 million to remediate the site, Paparella said. So far, the federal government has not committed any money to the project.

As soon as the province approves the plan, city staff will present it to council, said Frank Scremin, president and chief executive officer of Hamilton International Airport. The consultant and the province are in regular contact.

"This is a long-standing historical issue," Scremin said. "It happened over a long period of time. I don't expect it's going to get solved over night, although the more expeditiously we can get it solved, the better."

Coun. Brenda Johnson, who represents Ward 11, said council has "been anxious since November."

"I know it's going to be a long process," she said. "I know it's not going to be done overnight. I just want it done right."

The ministry has confirmed that it's doing a technical review of the remediation report, but isn't sure how long it will take to complete that review.

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Police dealing with panhandling at Hamilton intersections

By Samantha Craggs, CBC News

Posted: Jun 28, 2013 7:33 AM ET

Last Updated: Jun 28, 2013 7:31 AM ET

Drivers at the corner of Queen and Main shouldn't be too surprised to see someone approach the car and ask for money. And Hamilton's downtown councillor is still hoping police can fix that.

The intersection is a common one for panhandlers who approach cars, said Coun. Jason Farr of Ward 2. Some tap on the window, which police define as aggressive.

There are other areas in the city where this can happen. Panhandlers are often at Summers Lane at King, or Hess and King, or Centennial and Barton.

But Queen and Main is "definitely a hot spot," Farr said. And he's wondering what police can do about it.

The issue was discussed at a task force on cleanliness and safety in the downtown subcommittee meeting on Thursday. Inspector Scott Rastin of Hamilton Police Service updated the group on efforts to deal with "aggressive" panhandlers.

The term "aggressive" can be a gray area, Rastin said. It includes obstructing people, yelling or threatening people, or touching people.

"Sitting there with a cup is not technically aggressive," Rastin said. "But if the person is going out of their way to obstruct you, be bothersome or challenge you, that's aggressive."

Approaching cars at intersections is "borderline," he said. "Tapping on the windows could be classified as aggressive."

Panhandling is not against the law, Rastin said. Police can charge aggressive panhandlers under the Safe Streets Act.

A more common approach is the Social Navigator program, which sees panhandlers connected with social services that deal with larger issues, whether they be mental health, housing, addiction or access to employment.

Since the program was established in July 2011 by the city, police and emergency medical services, 86 people have been "navigated," Rastin said.

"We've had a very good success rate," he said. "Panhandlers come to us now and say they've heard about the program and want to access it."

Farr has been talking to police about Queen and Main for about two years. He suspects the Social Navigator program is the way to go.

"It's on our radar," Rastin said.

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Teens arrested, man dies fleeing in 'crime of passion' death of Hamilton man in Mexico

3 males arrested and a 4th dies fleeing Mexican police following death of Hamilton's Ronald Burridge

CBC News

Posted: Jun 27, 2013 5:57 PM ET

Last Updated: Jun 28, 2013 7:42 AM ET

Mexican authorities say three teens have been arrested in connection to the June 16 slaying of former Hamilton landlord and businessman Ronald Burridge.

Mexican officials told CBC Hamilton that the suspects — aged 16, 17 and one younger than 16 — are being held in custody.

A fourth suspect who was wanted by police, believed to be in his early twenties, was wounded and then died after jumping off the roof of a three-storey building to escape officers. He was later found dead from his injuries.

Ron Burridge was slain in Mexico on June 16. Three teens have been arrested in connection to his death.

Public Ministry of Police Comadante David Urtizo said all four males were known to Burridge and had access to his apartment in Acapulco. It's believed each may have stayed there at various times. Friends in Hamilton say Burridge lived in a four-storey villa and was looking to rent out rooms to generate income.

Burridge, who was known in Canada as Rev. Ron, was killed with a blunt object to the head. He was also stabbed with a broken bottle, said Dan Ward, a Hamilton businessman who was friends with Burridge since the mid-1980s.

Police said they recovered a Volkswagen car and a cellphone, among other items, that belonged to Burridge from the arrested men.

Urtizo has previously referred to Burridge's slaying as a "crime of passion," and not a robbery.

Once a hair colourist in Toronto, Burridge gained notoriety as a flamboyant, Bible-thumping landlord to the down and out in Hamilton. He held church services — and conducted exorcisms — in the Hotel Hamilton, a rooming house on James Street North he owned for more than 20 years.

Burridge, who was believed to be in his late 60s, ran Hotel Hamilton for more than two decades. He had been living full-time in Mexico for about three years, said Ward.

He said he had warned Burridge about the dangers of living in Mexico.

"That's where he was going to make his bed and breakfast. He wanted me to go down there and I said, 'It's too dangerous.'"

Burridge was a polarizing figure during his time in Hamilton. According to a 2009 article in the Hamilton Spectator, he was "outspoken about his dislike of Hamilton and what he considered the rampant problems on James Street North" and enraged the local BIA by holding rogue meetings in his hotel every month.

The hotel, which rented rooms to single men for $400 per month, was considered a dive, a reputation that Ward believes it didn't deserve.

"He ran a nice hotel down there. It's not what they said. But it was, you know, messy. He tried to help people on the streets, you know?"

Burridge sold the property in 2006 to Toronto developers. It changed hands again three years later and has since been turned into studios for artists.

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Burris, Ticats to test retooled Argo defence

After a disappointing 2012 season where the team finished 6-12, the Ticats open against the Grey Cup champion Argonauts full of optimism and hope.

The Canadian Press

Posted: Jun 28, 2013 9:57 AM ET

Last Updated: Jun 28, 2013 10:06 AM ET

Toronto's defence will tak to the field tonight against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with just five returning starters.

Will that make them easy pickings for the Hamilton offence led by Henr Burris? The Cats, for their part, will take the field without star receiver Chris Williams, still a contract hold-out and with likely iwth a new look backfield.

While Toronto might lack playing experience on defence, head coach Scott Milanovich said the unit's athleticism and speed give defensive co-ordinator Chris Jones plenty of options with his schemes and player rotations. "The thing Chris has always been so good at is taking the talent he has and fitting his defence around the strengths," Milanovich said.

New wrinkles

"There'll certainly be some new wrinkles but there will be things that look familiar too. "There's a lot of guys we're looking at who have to prove they can do it on game night. We've seen them cover and rush the passer and do all those things well in practice but until you see it when it matters you're never really sure."

Will the Ticats offence pick up where it left off last year with a new scheme from head coach Kent Austin and without the speed and deep threat of Williams? The Ticats led the CFL in scoring last year, averaging 29.9 points per game, while the 38-year-old Burris posted career highs of 5,367 passing yards and 43 TDs. "Henry is so hard to put your finger on because you can do everything right and he can still make a play," Milanovich said.

'We want to be an opportunistic defence that gets turnovers. You have to get turnovers in this game.'—Ticat head coach Kent Austin

"That's always the difficulty of playing against Henry because he's mobile, he's strong, he's athletic, he can run." Hamilton's defence underwent changes this off-season as well, and with good reason. Last year, the Ticats allowed 32 points and 306 yards passing per game, both league highs, as the team missed the CFL playoffs with a 6-12 record.

Ticats new look defence

Although the Ticats return eight defensive starters, they also have a new defensive co-ordinator in Orlondo Steinauer. The 40-year-old Seattle native not only played eight seasons as a defensive back with Toronto but later served as its defensive backs coach and defensive co-ordinator before joining Hamilton this off-season. "We're going to play with great effort, I can tell you that, and run to the football," Ticats head coach Kent Austin said of his defence.

"We're going to hit, we're going to tackle and we're going to tackle the football. "We want to be an opportunistic defence that gets turnovers. You have to get turnovers in this game . . . so we want a defence that plays the game in such a way that its not reckless but its effort level allows it to create an environment conducive for getting the ball and getting the other team off the field. We want a fast defence and a defence that has interchangeable parts so we can have versatility."

Steinauer's unit will face a Toronto offence anchored by veteran quarterback Ricky Ray and receiver/kick-returner Chad Owens, the league's outstanding player last season.

"I don't think for us Ricky will be fooled very often," Milanovich said. "He has played against every different coverage that I know of and maybe Orlondo can come up with something new but I think Ricky will find rhythm in his drops and his progressions."

Although two veteran quarterbacks will lead offences featuring many familiar faces against defences with plenty of question marks, both coaches wouldn't give the offensive units the advantage Friday night. "I don't feel that way," Milanovich said. "I've prepared against Chris Jones in the past and it's not fun and that's one of the reasons why I wanted him here. "At the same time, we're in a situation where we don't know what Orlondo will do and I think you see how many strides they've made defensively already."

Cup celebrations

Added Austin: "Every game takes on its own story, that's what I love about this game, it takes on its own complexion. I wouldn't say that the inexperience on one side of the ball creates an advantage for the other side of the ball with the opposing team. It can, it all depends on the quality of the individuals, how well they're being coached and how well they're prepared."

Prior to the game, Toronto will unfurl its Grey Cup banner but the majority of players won't be on the field. And that's fine with Issac. "I really don't care about the banner, I already know we are champions," he said. "The banner is for the fans and community. "I mean, we're appreciative of the banner going up so down the road, 10-to-12 years from now, we can come back and say we won a championship but other than that, it's nothing."

Burris won't be bothered by having to sit through the pre-game celebration. "It's one of those situations you say congratulations to them, they did it last year but this is a new year," he said.

"If they want to celebrate a party, well, hopefully we can make this our coming-out party. "When someone's going to have a party and you're the guest, yeah, that does get you going. But the thing is we're going to be pumped up just as we would for any other game but the main focus for us is focus on our job. It doesn't matter what they do because if we do what we do and do it best, that will take care of itself."

he Argos will unveil a new defensive line against Hamilton with ends David Lee and Nekos Brown and tackles Khalif Mitchell and Jonathan Williams. The six-foot-five, 315-pound Mitchell is a former CFL all-star and Grey Cup champion, however Brown and Williams are rookies.

How will the Ticats do this year?

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Cancer screening bus rolls onto Hamilton streets

By Julia Chapman, CBC News

Posted: Jun 26, 2013 7:38 PM ET

Last Updated: Jun 26, 2013 9:32 PM ET

In a parking lot of cracked pavement at an east-end community centre, a shiny, new coach bus rolls in.

It isn't a bus to serve the children who run around the back lawn or make crafts inside the centre in the residential McQuesten neighbourhood. The Greyhound-sized coach bus is a first for Hamilton — a mobile cancer-screening clinic that will go to where the patients are, instead of asking them to travel to a hospital.

The bus, equpped to screen eligible women for breast and cervical cancer and both men and women for colorectal cancer, is an initiative aimed at improving health care for people who for people in poverty and in immigrant communities who can't — or won't — go to hospitals or clinics.

Prevention priority

"This is about community," said Michael Sherar, president of Cancer Care Ontario. "Prevention of cancer before it starts and detection early is a central priority for us."

The Screen for Life mobile cancer screening facility is a Hamilton Health Sciences initiative for use in the Hamilton and Niagara areas. Step onto the bus and into the registration lounge with couches for seating. A little further down a narrow hallway and find two doors, one is a change room, the other is the cervical and colorectal screening room. At the back of the bus is a mammogram machine. The equipment, and even the mint green colours inside the bus,are similar to what you'd see in a hospital.

The mammogram equipment inside the Screen for Life bus. (Julia Chapman/CBC)

"The service on the bus is equal to the services in any of the 18 cancer screening centres in the region," said Patti Ann Allen, the clinical manager of the bus program.

This point is especially important because the bus is meant to reach people in communities who otherwise wouldn't make it to one of those 19 centres. In the first year, the bus will service the McQuesten, South Sherman and Riverdale neighbourhoods, Allen said, and women and men aged 50 and over are eligible for screening.

Neighbourhoods like McQuesten, where the bus rolled in today, need this type of support. All three don't have a cancer screening centre within walking distance. They also are home to individuals where cultural or social issues might be a barrier to seeking out prevention treatment.

Reaching out

"What I know from our maps, [the neighbourhoods] are struggling in terms or screening and in terms of income," said Michael Mills, a family doctor and primary care leader with the local Hamilton integrated health network. "There are lots of people who don't have family doctors."

Mills said there are a few cultural groups who only make visits to the doctor when someone is close to death.

"We need to encourage people to come when you're alive," he said.

Allen said the staff on the bus will "have the resources" to get people to the bus who need screening and to assist with language barriers. And Hamilton Health Sciences is working with engaged community groups to help get people appointments starting this week.

The idea of a cancer screening coach is not a new one — for the past 21 years, a similar bus has screened Northern Ontario women for breast cancer. The idea also exists internationally. Mills said he's also seen similar programs in action in New Zealand.

The Screen for Life bus will be the first mobile facility in Ontario that combines screening for three cancers.

Once the first year is complete, Allen said the bus will move into more communities in the Hamilton and Niagara regions.

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Hamilton police investigate alleged $1M city hall fraud

Discrepancies took place over a 9-year period

By Samantha Craggs, CBC News

Posted: Jun 26, 2013 9:54 PM ET

Last Updated: Jun 26, 2013 10:03 PM ET

 

Hamilton police are investigating a municipal employee suspected of defrauding the city of more than $1 million over a nine-year period.

The city announced Wednesday night that police are investigating an employee in the finance and corporate services department who is suspected of stealing $1,058,235.20 since 2005.

The city confirmed the discrepancy on June 18, said Mike Zegarac, acting manager of finance.

The city noticed that the employee was accepting cash payments from vendors. The discrepancy was discovered during some "preliminary steps" to have the vendors pay by cheque, he said.

The city took "immediate and swift" action on the matter, including reporting it to police, Zegarac said. The employee has been terminated with cause.

An independent forensic accountant is investigating the matter at the city level. Hamilton Police Service's major fraud unit is conducting a criminal investigation. No charges have been laid yet.

The city has undergone a number of internal audits since 2005 to improve its policies and procedures around staff handling cash, Zegarac said. In 2012, there was another review to "reinforce our practices."

It will also take into account the advice of the forensic auditor.

"We'll review the actions and whether we need to review our policies and procedures to protect ourselves going forward," Zegarac said.

Zegarac believes insurance will recoup "a significant portion of the loss," which would alleviate the impact on the tax bill.

City staff are fully co-operating with police, he said.

Earlier this year, the city used video surveillance and GPS records of city vehicles to investigate 31 public works employees for "neglect of duties, time theft and/or breach of trust." It resulted in 29 employees being dismissed.

Coun. Sam Merulla says since then, he's been working with senior staff to establish an accountability office that would deal with matters such as this one. He now wants it to be expedited.

"The bottom line is we caught it," he said. "It shouldn't have taken so long, but at least we're being far more proactive than in the past."

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Hamilton program leads teens to graduation

Program started in Toronto in 2001

By Cory Ruf, CBC News

Posted: Jun 27, 2013 7:20 AM ET

Last Updated: Jun 27, 2013 7:34 AM ET

 

The diplomas are organized in tidy rows. Teens in their semi-formal best, carry on with their friends. And parents snap pictures of their children.

The scene at Waterfront Centre, a banquet hall overlooking the bay, had the look and feel of a high school graduation.

The 50 or so teenagers who crossed the stage on Wednesday evening are the first group of high-schoolers to complete the city's Pathways to Education program. Debuted in Toronto's Regent Park neighbourhood in 2001, the award-winning initiative aims to raise high school graduation rates in low-income communities, where dropout rates have historically been high.

"It's to close the achievement gap, to level out the playing field for kids that could come from homes that, typically, have a lower socio-economic status backgrounds," said Susan Robins, the manager of Hamilton's Pathways to Education program.

The Hamilton program was introduced in 2009 and serves families in the Bennetto and Keith neighbourhoods, located in the city's underprivileged north end. Any student living in the catchment area — which for Hamilton, is the area bordered by Barton Street to the south, the waterfront to the north, Queen Street to the west and Sherman Avenue to the east — is allowed to participate.

The program, funded by two levels of government, as well as private donors and charities, provides students a financial incentive — $4,000 at the end of program, to go towards college or university — to students to encourage them to stay in school. In addition, participants receive after-school tutoring each week, and attend group mentoring sessions to make sure they're on track.

'Hope and optimism'

Don Pente, principal of Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary, a school that many Pathways student attend, lauded the program for the supports it provides.

"I know it does make a difference for those kids, he said. "I've seen kids who, in the past, were at risk of dropping out. But with this extra support, they've made it through."

In addition, he said he likes the program because it gives "hope and optimism" to students who might not otherwise have envisioned themselves being successful academically.

Susan Robins is the manager of Hamilton's Pathways to Education program. (Cory Ruf/CBC)

"It helps them get on that path, and stay on that path."

It's early, Pente said, to accurately measure how much the Pathways program will dampen dropout rates. But the early signs, as well as the programs track record in other communities, bode well for Hamilton.

Of the 455 north-end high school students who are eligible to participate, 356, or 78 per cent, are involved in the program.

And of the 87 Grade 12 students in the program, 53 are graduating this week, while the rest are returning an additional year of high school.

Robins said of those who are finishing in four years: "For our graduating class this year — and I think this will never happen again —100 per cent of them are going onto post-secondary."

'Wonderful feeling'

Though the students' success is cause for celebration, it's also a time for reflection for Pathways staff, who will see off the first group of kids who made their way through the program.

"It's amazing to see the change in the students from 13 and 14 years old — and looking very much 13 and 14 years old — to being 18, 19 years old, employed in part-time jobs, having already been accepted to universities and colleges," said Jack Bernacki, who's worked with the Hamilton Pathways program since its inception.

"They're making very grownup plans, to move away, to prepare themselves for being a university student. It's really a wonderful feeling."

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Mac's urges Ontario to allow alcohol sales in corner stores

Convenience store chain promises 1,600 jobs if province opens up booze monopoly

The Canadian Press

Posted: Jun 26, 2013 7:22 PM ET

Last Updated: Jun 27, 2013 11:13 AM ET

 

Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa isn't shutting the door to selling alcohol in convenience stores — a move the governing Liberals have long opposed.

Asked repeatedly Wednesday whether he'd allow convenience stores to sell booze, Sousa wouldn't rule it out.

He said there are no plans to change the structure of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario — one of the largest purchasers and retailers of alcohol in the world — which turned over $1.65 billion to the province last year.

The Crown corporation is expanding its reach by setting up what it calls Express outlets inside 10 grocery stores, as well as adding more retail stores, Sousa said. But the minister said he'll always keep looking at alternatives that would support Ontario's economy.

"It's prudent for us to always view opportunities should they be of net benefit to the province," he said.

"We'll look at what's going to be in the best interests to the people of Ontario and to the province."

Mac's pushing for alcohol in corner stores

Ontario is currently facing an $11.7-billion deficit, which the Liberals have promised to eliminate by 2017-18.

Sousa's comments came after Mac's Convenience Stores said it would create 1,600 full-time jobs if its Ontario stores were allowed to sell beer, wine and spirits.

The chain — owned by Alimentation Couche-Tard — made a pitch for selling booze at its 547 stores in Ontario on Wednesday.

"The people of Ontario are telling their politicians that it's time to modernize alcohol retailing in this province," said Tom Moher, vice-president of operations for Mac's in Ontario.

Sales at stores that sell alcohol are significantly higher, requiring more staff to handle the demand, he said in a statement.

"Many of our stores are in rural Ontario, which needs jobs," he added. "We want to provide them."

A study commissioned by the Ontario Convenience Stores Association found that the provincial government would receive more revenue if alcohol sales were permitted in convenience stores.

Other jurisdictions in Canada, such as Quebec, which also has a provincial liquor stores, already allow such sales.

Agency stores already exist

Two Mac's stores in Thamesford, Ont. and Craigleith that are allowed to sell alcohol have significantly higher sales and require more staff to handle the extra demand, Moher said.

Retailers, in partnership with the LCBO, operate some 219 agency stores in communities without large enough population bases to support regular LCBO stores.

Moher said the private sector can build facilities to sell beer, wine and spirits, saving the LCBO from such endeavours.

Former Liberal premier David Peterson promised to allow corner stores to sell beer and wine in the 1980s, but it never happened. Ex-premier Dalton McGuinty refused to do it despite numerous appeals from the industry.

Sousa's predecessor, Dwight Duncan, shot the proposal down last year after the Ontario Convenience Stores Association delivered a petition with 112,500 signatures supporting the idea of broader retail availability of beer and wine.

Progressive Conservatives support move

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said the province should permit alcohol to be sold in corner stores and has also floated the idea of selling part or all of the LCBO.

Quebec-based Couche-Tard operates 665 corporate stores in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador that sell beer. The company also sells beer at 3,000 stores in the United States and 1,400 in Europe, both jurisdictions where alcohol has long been sold in grocery and corner stores.

Couche-Tard is Canada's largest convenience store operator and the second-largest in North America, with more than $15.9 billion in annual revenues and about 53,000 employees around the world.

Should Ontario allow booze sales in convenience stores

Corrections and Clarifications

• A previous version of this story mistakenly said Couche-Tard has annual revenues of $15.9 million. In fact, its annual revenues are $15.9 billion. June 27, 2013 11:10 a.m. ET

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Burris, Calvillo show age just a state of mind among CFL quarterbacks

It seems that age is but a state of mind for Canadian Football League quarterbacks.

Two of the best, Anthony Calvillo of the Montreal Alouettes and Henry Burris of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, are 40 and 38 respectively heading into the 2013 season.

The 39-year-old Kerry Joseph, who began his career with the defunct Ottawa Renegades, is hanging on as a back-up with the Edmonton Eskimos.

But neither Calvillo nor Burris looks to be slowing down.

"Anthony is in phenomenal shape for his age," Montreal general manager Jim Popp said. "He's playing at the highest level, MVP level.

"So we don't really look at his age. When the day comes that he says 'I'm retiring, I just can't do any more on the field,' then it becomes more of a panic button scenario."

Calvillo in his 20th season

There was speculation last winter that Calvillo may pack it in when Marc Trestman left after five years to become head coach of the NFL Chicago Bears, but Calvillo was back in camp under new coach Dan Hawkins.

And why not? He completed 333 passes to reach the 5,000-yard mark for the seventh time in his career in 2012, despite playing through an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder that hindered his throwing motion and required off-season surgery.

Two seasons ago, the East Los Angeles native broke a handful of passing records set by Damon Allen, who played until he was 44.

Calvillo enters his 20th CFL season, his 16th with Montreal, with 5,777 completions for 78,494 yards and 449 touchdowns.

If he stays healthy, he should top 10,000 pass attempts, 6,000 completions and 80,000 yards this season.

If he doesn't stay upright, Montreal could be in big trouble. His backup in recent years, Adrian McPherson, is gone, and he will have third-stringer Josh Neiswander and rookie Tanner Marsh as contingency plans.

"We're always preparing people," said Popp. "The truth is you don't know what you have until you have to play someone else and see how they perform."

Burris in 'great shape', Austin says

Burris is also coming off a year that saw him establish career highs in completions (391), attempts (604), yards (5,367) and TDs (43) for the Ticats, who otherwise were a bust at 6-12 despite a league-leading offence. Burris has thrown for over 4,000 yards in eight of the last nine years.

Bringing in the experienced Kent Austin as head coach may be what Hamilton needs to get a talented group to succeed on the field and keep Burris at his top level in his 15th CFL campaign.

"He had a really good camp, he really did," Austin said. "He came in in great shape, he was stronger than last year from what I understand.

"He threw the ball pretty well most of camp. He's really smart, he takes coaching, he wants to be good and wants to win."

Not only did Austin win Grey Cups as a player, he's also excelled with veteran quarterbacks as a coach. He was the Toronto Argonauts offensive co-ordinator in '04 when Allen was a Grey Cup champion and CFL MVP and was the Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach in '07 when Joseph earned the same double achievement.

"He's brought success to quarterbacks and also brought success to his teams," Burris said. "He's a great coach and both Damon and Kerry have told me I'm going to enjoy working with him."

Burris, acquired in a 2012 trade from Calgary, is backed up by the returning Dan LeFevour and by Jeremiah Masoli.

Depth at QB in Calgary

Nearly every CFL team can kiss its championship hopes goodbye if its starting quarterback has a serious injury. Except Calgary.

The Stampeders didn't miss a beat last season when Drew Tate dislocated a shoulder in the second game of the 2012 season. Veteran Kevin Glenn stepped in and went 10-5, putting up 4,220 passing yards with a career-best 66.7 completion percentage.

When Tate was hurt again in the playoffs, Glenn took them to the Grey Cup game.

Both are back, along with impressive third-stringer Bo Levi Mitchell.

The poster boy for quarterback injuries in Winnipeg's Buck Pierce, who has started only 28 of 54 games in the last three seasons.

When he's healthy, Pierce's battling style produces more wins than losses, like in 2011 when he played 16 games and got the Blue Bombers to the Grey Cup game. But last year he played three, sat out eight with a knee injury, came back to beat Hamilton, then got hurt again.

His back-ups from last year, Joey Elliott and Alex Brink, are gone, so Justin Goltz is the new No. 2. Goltz played three games last season.

Rick Ray looks for back-to-back

The heat will be on Ricky Ray to lead Toronto to a second Grey Cup after a phenomenal first season in double blue following his move from Edmonton.

The 33-year-old threw for 4,069 yards in 14 starts last season, and was more impressive in the post-season as he outduelled Calvillo in the East final and then took his third career Grey Cup.

With veteran Jarious Jackson gone, Ray is backed by Trevor Harris and Zack Collaros.

In Saskatchewan, 30-year-old Darian Durant returns for an eighth season after a so-so 2012 campaign by his standards. He started 16 games and threw for 3,878 yards and 20 TDs.

The Roughriders have a promising back-up in Drew Willy, who started twice and completed 69 of 95 passes for 709 yards and five TDs.

In Vancouver, Travis Lulay's performances dipped a tad from 2011, when he was named outstanding player of both the regular season and the Grey Cup game. But he remains perhaps the league's most dangerous double threat to pass or run the ball.

His back-ups include Elliott and Thomas DeMarco, because last year's much-coveted No. 2, Mike Reilly, is now an Edmonton Eskimo.

Reilly was in a lively battle for the starting job in Edmonton when his rival Matt Nichol suffered a season-ending knee injury in the pre-season. Now, after three years as a back-up in B.C., the 28-year-old will get his chance to be a full-time starter.

He completed 52 passes for 682 yards and four TDs last season for the Lions.

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Controversial Hamilton businessman killed in Mexico

Ran Hotel Hamilton on James Street North for more than 20 years

By Cory Ruf, CBC News

Posted: Jun 24, 2013 8:36 AM ET

Last Updated: Jun 24, 2013 9:45 AM ET

A businessman who had been a controversial, charismatic figure on James Street North for more than two decades has died, the victim of an apparent murder in Mexico.

Ron Burridge conducted church services and exorcisms in the Hotel Hamilton on James Street North. (Courtesy of Cynthia Hill)

Ronald Burridge, known widely as Reverend Ron, was killed in the city of Acapulco on the night of June 16, according to Dan Ward, a downtown business owner who had been friends with Burridge since the mid-1980s.

Burridge's lawyer, Ward said, had contacted him on Wednesday to inform him of the murder.

"He was killed with a blunt object to the head," said Ward. "That's what killed him — but they broke a bottle and stabbed him in the chest and in his face, you know."

Burridge, who was believed to be in his late 60s, ran Hotel Hamilton for more than two decades. He had been living full-time in Mexico for about three years, Ward said. He and his wife looked after their Burridge's house in Ancaster until it was sold in December 2012.

"[Mexico] is where he wanted to retire," said Ward, who, along with his wife June, runs Hammocks Monimbo on James North near Cannon. "He loved the people over there, he said. He always told me it's dangerous, but they don't bother him."

Ward said his friend lived in a four-storey villa and was looking to rent out rooms to generate income.

"That's where he was going to make his bed and breakfast. He wanted me to go down there and I said, 'It's too dangerous.' "

Evangelist, businessman

Once a hair colourist in Toronto, Burridge gained notoriety as a flamboyant, Bible-thumping landlord to the down and out.

He held church services — and conducted exorcisms — in the Hotel Hamilton, the rooming house on James Street North he owned for more than 20 years.

Related: A sign past its time: The exorcist and Hotel Hamilton

"He had a magic about him," said Cynthia Hill, whose Blue Angel Gallery is just south of the old Hotel Hamilton. "He could walk into a crowd of 100 people and he'd be the one you'd remember."

However, Burridge's behaviour, as well as the condition of the hotel, is said to have earned him adversaries among business owners who operated downtown.

According to a 2009 article in the Hamilton Spectator, Burridge was "outspoken about his dislike of Hamilton and what he considered the rampant problems on James Street North" and enraged the local BIA by holding rogue meetings in his hotel every month.

The hotel, which rented rooms to single men for $400 per month, was considered a dive, a reputation that Ward believes it didn't deserve.

"He ran a nice hotel down there. It's not what they said. But it was, you know, messy. He tried to help people on the streets, you know?"

Burridge sold the property in 2006 to Toronto developers. It changed hands again three years later and has since been turned into artists' studios.

Investigation

Many details about the circumstances surrounding Burridge's death are still not known.

His family in Ontario confirmed his death, but would not comment further.

Hill said Burridge was open to assisting others to the extent that it made him "vulnerable."

"His idea of helping people would put them at risk," she said. "That's probably what he met."

The federal Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) would neither confirm nor deny Burridge's slaying, but did say it is involved in an investigation into the death of "a Canadian citizen who passed away in Mexico."

"Canadian consular officials in Mexico are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information and are providing consular assistance to the family as required," a DFAIT spokesperson wrote in an email to CBC Hamilton.

"However, to protect the private and personal information of the individual concerned, further details on this case cannot be released."

With files from Paul Wilson

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Slain child's mom against tougher laws for mentally ill offenders

Lori Triano-Antidormi's toddler son was stabbed a dozen times by Hamilton neighbour

By Denise Davy, CBC News

Posted: Jun 24, 2013 7:19 AM ET

Last Updated: Jun 24, 2013 6:51 PM ET

 

It's been 16 years since Lori Triano-Antidormi of Grimsby, Ont., held her little boy.

Sixteen years since her beautiful blond-haired Zachary was stabbed 12 times while playing outside his Hamilton home.

Sixteen years since the 2½-year-old was brutally killed by a neighbour who thought her own dead son's spirit lived inside of Zachary.

Time has helped heal her emotional wounds but the pain is still there. And it was evident when Triano-Antidormi spoke to politicians in Ottawa recently about amendments to a new crime bill.

Triano-Antidormi was part of a group speaking out against Bill C-54, which the government has said will improve public safety by placing tighter restrictions on some offenders.

'Why target the individual after the crime is committed rather than protecting people before it happens?'—Lori Triano-Antidormi, mother of slain toddler

The bill specifically targets offenders who have been deemed not criminally responsible (NCR) as "high risk."

This is personal to Triano-Antidormi because the neighbour who killed her son, Lucia Piovesan, was deemed NCR and sent to a psychiatric facility where she remains today.

But rather than being in favour of tighter restrictions, as some other victims of violence are, Triano-Antidormi believes it will unfairly stigmatize people who have a mental illness.

Lori Antidormi-Triano recently spoke to members of the House of Commons justice committee about a proposed crime bill. (Julia Chapman/CBC)

"This would not have prevented Zachary from being murdered," said Triano-Antidormi. The main problem, and what the bill does not address, she said, are the gaps in the mental health system.

Earlier this month, Triano-Antidormi told members of the House of Commons justice committee, which is reviewing the bill, that the proposed changes to law are "ill informed" and that the government should instead be addressing the long wait times and lack of services in the mental health system.

"Why target the individual after the crime is committed, rather than protecting people before it happens?" she said in an interview with CBC News in Hamilton.

Triano-Antidormi is speaking out not only as a victim but as a professional, having worked as a psychologist for many years and seeing problems within the system. She said that under the new bill, some mentally ill offenders who are deemed NCR could not be assessed by a provincial review board unless a court decides to revoke the designation.

The problem with that wording, said Triano-Antidormi, is that it wasn't the review board that let her down.

"They did their job," she said.

"It was the mental health system because Piovesan never received the help she needed."

Triano-Antidormi believes her son would still be alive today if gaps in mental health care had been addressed. While the bill would make those NCR offenders ineligible for unescorted passes into the community, Triano-Antidormi said the overall impact would be minimal because NCR offenders already have an extremely low recidivism rate.

Bill focuses on wrong area

"Why put so much effort into something that's working when they should be working on fixing the flaws in the mental health system?" said Triano-Antidormi.

Other victims of violence who appeared before the committee didn't agree with Triano-Antidormi, including the mother of Tim McLean who was killed by Vince Li on a Greyhound bus in 2008. Carol deDelley has been pushing for changes to the NCR system.

After Triano-Antidormi and representatives from the various groups expressed their concerns, the bill was debated then passed at third reading. It is now moving on to the Senate. It must be passed by the Senate before it can become law.

Triano-Antidormi hopes it doesn't become law because she believes the bill will do more harm than good.

"The bill is very stigmatizing and punitive and doesn't reflect a good understanding of mental illness," she said, adding it perpetuates the myth that people who are mentally ill are more prone to be violent.

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National protests will support Hamilton Enbridge activists

By Ryan Mallough, special to CBC News

Posted: Jun 24, 2013 5:19 PM ET

Last Updated: Jun 25, 2013 7:37 AM ET

 

Protestors from across the country will take to the streets in nearly a dozen cities tomorrow in support of activists who took over an Enbridge Inc. pumping station in Hamilton last week.

The action, titled "Swamp Line 9," is in protest of the Line 9 pipeline that runs from Montreal to Sarnia. Enbridge is seeking to reverse the direction of the pipeline in a bid to send tar sands oil from Alberta to the east coast. The protesters moved on to the North Westover site on June 20.

"It's important to show people in the struggle out east that there are people in Alberta that are happy with what they're doing," said Chelsea Flook.

Flook's Sierra Club Prairie Chapter will be hosting a local solidarity action in Edmonton.

"At the same time, it's locally important to show Edmontonians that people are united across Canada against tar sands expansions and they are raising their voices," she added.

The National Energy Board has already approved the first leg of the project, with public hearings on the second leg scheduled for the fall. Enbridge has already began construction on the project.

"These communities along the route are giving voice to their concerns. They have a right to say no," said Maryam Adrangi, spokesperson for the Rising Tide's Vancouver chapter.

"They're saying that we care about the land we live on, the water we drink and the air we breathe — they're incredibly legitimate concerns," Adrangi said.

Line 9 crosses several major rivers that drain into Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River as well as Spencer Creek, Hamilton's largest watershed.

Protestors say that the drinking water of millions of people would be at risk in the event of an oil spill.

The protest is part of "Sovereignty Summer," a series of protest actions promoting Indigenous rights and environmental protection led by Idle No More and Defenders of the Land.

Enbridge told CBC Hamilton last week that the company is willing to listen to concerns.

"We are willing to speak with these individuals about their concerns," said Ken Hall, a senior advisor for community relations. "I'm sure we can try to resolve this in due course"

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Bridegroom still shaky after Dominican jail term

Nick Miele has been back home in Stoney Creek, Ont., from the Dominican Republic for almost a week now, and he's still a little shaky.

He struggles to find words to describe what it was like spending three weeks in a Dominican jail after a fight at a resort. And when he does, his cousin Sam DePaola occasionally pats him on the back.

"You OK, buddy?" DePaola asks.

This is the aftermath of a news story that drew international headlines for the Stoney Creek man and his new wife, Stacey Vernon.

They got married at the Bahia Principe Esmeralda resort in Punta Cana on May 27. Around 2 a.m. on May 28, the 34-year-old and his 18-year-old cousin Ben Constantini of Stoney Creek became involved in an altercation at a buffet table at the resort. They were arrested and sentenced to three months in jail, they say without a proper trial or appropriate legal representation. They served three weeks before they found a lawyer who was successful in getting them released.

It was a nightmarish experience, DePaola said.

"I don't think anybody there on vacation is back to normal yet," he said.

Across the group of 41 wedding guests, "you've got people who are shocked," said Nick Scozzaro, a close friend who helped work toward Miele and Constantini's release. "You have people who are at different times accepting and dealing with their emotions.

"It hadn't hit me until (Miele) got home, and it's hard for me to get back to my life."

The wedding was beautiful, Miele said. He and Vernon had saved up for years for a destination wedding, and it was Miele's first trip to a resort.

The altercation began when two men started fighting in the buffet line, Vernon said. They landed on her, and her dress got soiled and stained with the blood of the two fighters, she said.

Fight at a buffet table

Miele and Constantini saw this and jumped in. The injured fighter, who was also Canadian, suffered trauma to the head, bruising and some superficial injuries, shows a medical report filed with the Dominican court.

The identity of the injured man has not been revealed. But in a statement, the man's wife wrote that she "saw some people jump on my husband. [Miele] hit my husband and another person — the other guy was pushing him. He was on the ground. I was telling them to stop hitting him."

Witnesses say the fourth man — the one initially involved in the fight — fled the scene.

Miele describes being taken into custody and held without charge for about two days. Someone from the Canadian embassy visited him shortly after his arrest and gave him a brochure — "Advice for Canadians Imprisoned Abroad."

When Miele and Constantini appeared before the court, several members of the wedding party arrived with evidence and testimony they were not permitted to give, Miele said. He estimates the entire appearance where they were sentenced to three months in prison took less than 10 minutes.

Traumatizing jail conditions

The jail conditions were traumatizing, he said. There were 50 or 60 inmates sleeping in a room the size of the average family kitchen, "sleeping on top of each other" for lack of space, he said.

He and Constantini paid for food and water they didn't receive, he said. Speaking no Spanish, the two men were robbed and harassed, threatened with death and held at gunpoint.

The conditions were clearly unsafe, and the Canadian government should have intervened, Scozzaro said.

"When the situation escalated about their safety, their injustice, about not viewing the evidence, they should have advocated for due process and the rule of law," Scozzaro said.

Minister of State Diane Ablonczy told CBC Hamilton during the incarceration that the government stood up for well-being and due process "for all the Canadians involved."

Due process

The government raised concerns about the prison conditions, Ablonczy said, and the Dominican government followed its own sovereign laws in the case.

Scozzaro, however, said that didn't happen.

"From what we understand about Dominican due process, it would have served us. We had witnesses from across the globe. We had reports corroborating their stories. But it wasn't about justice. It was about extortion."

Their community at home in Canada has been supportive, which the couple appreciates, Miele said. Many friends and family have called to ask how they're doing.

Unlike with most newlyweds, when friends call and ask questions, "it takes them a while to get to the wedding," Vernon said.

Research your destination

Moving forward, the couple wants their experience to serve as an eye-opener for fellow Canadians — research your country of destination when you're traveling and prepare for the worst.

"When people say you're safe on the resort, that's not really true," Vernon said.

Scozzaro wants the incident to send a message to the government to intervene when the safety of Canadians is compromised in a foreign prison. They have since heard of similar incidents with other Canadian travelers.

During Miele and Constantini's incarceration, more than 3,000 voiced their displeasure in an online petition asking Canadian politicians to step in and help the men.

"The will of the Canadian people is clear," Scozzaro said. "We don't want to be forgotten or left behind in other countries."

'I will not let this end'

Miele's aunt, Josie DePaola, said she won't let this drop.

"I will not let this end. I will not," she said.

"I have emailed every MP I know. I've emailed [the] Minister of Foreign Affairs. I've emailed the prime minister. I want to talk in the legislature. This is enough."

Miele returns to his construction job on Monday. He's also getting counselling. It'll take a while for life to get back to normal.

"It was like a horror movie," he said.

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