Hamilton comic shop rewards 'A' students with free comics

Hamilton's Big B Comics has a not-so-secret mission — helping students gain literacy superpower, one free comic book at a time.

From now until March break, Hamilton students can bring their official report cards to Big B's flagship location on Upper James Street and they can pick up a free comic book from the store's back catalogue for every subject in which they receive an A grade.

'How many little boys want to pick up Pride and Prejudice? But put it in a comic book, it's completely different.'- Nicole Cartwright, assistant manager of Big B Comics

Dubbed as Free Comics For As with a catchphrase: "Literacy is the superpower that helps kids succeed," the program is open to students from junior kindergarten to grade 12.

Comic books are not all about burst balloons with "KA-BANG!" in bold comic sans. With engaging graphics and rich storylines, they can be a great literacy source, said Nicole Cartwright, assistant manager of Big B.

"For so many kids, especially young boys who don't enjoy reading, comics are a great way to learn how to love reading," she said. "Once you get that love of reading, education comes a lot easier."

For example, the Resistance trilogy by Carla Jablonski and Leland Purvis, which follows the lives of the Tessier siblings as they fight for freedom in German-occupied France during WWII, can be a powerful history lesson, Cartwright said.

"There is so much history hidden in that comic that kids don't realize what they are learning," Cartwright said.

"A lot of kids think they don't like to read. They are just given the wrong material."

Many classics, such as Jane Austen's work, are also available in comic forms.

"How many little boys want to pick up Pride and Prejudice? But put it in a comic book, it's completely different," Cartwright said.

Schools are noticing the popularity of comic books too. Big B staff have been getting questions from librarians who want to broaden their library collections with graphic novels and manga, Cartwright added.

"Pretty much every high school in Hamilton has a manga club now," she said.

The Free Comics for As program, which has been running for several years, has been so popular that the store has expanded it to include free comics for students that have shown an improvement in their grades when they receive their final report cards in June.

And for the kids who have made a heroic effort but still shy of As?

"We'll find some reason to give them a free comic book," Cartwright said.

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Hamilton sets cold record for Feb. 28

Ice Age

It's the coldest Feb. 28 on record in Hamilton

CBC News Posted: Feb 28, 2014 7:34 AM ET Last Updated: Feb 28, 2014 7:52 AM ET

Hear that, Hamilton? That is the sound of the breaking of another cold weather record.

At 6 a.m., temperatures at Hamilton International Airport dropped to around –22 C and felt like –28 with the wind chill.

The previous all-time low for Feb. 28 was ­–­19.8 C, recorded at the weather station, — which opened in 1959 — on that day in 1994.

Hamilton is under its third cold weather alert of February. The city's medical officer of health issues the alert every time the current or forecasted temperature falls bellow –15 C or –20 C with the wind chill.

Temperatures are set to warm up over the weekend and then dip again into early next week. A high of –1 C and periods of snow are in the forecast for Saturday and a high of –9 C and and a 40 per cent change of flurries are expected for Sunday.

However, Environment Canada expects overnight lows of –21 C on Sunday night and again on Monday night, meaning that Hamiltonians can expect chilly commutes at the beginning of the work week.  

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Ask Olympian Laura Fortino about the golden goal

Live Chat

The women's hockey gold medal winner takes your questions Friday at 1 p.m.

CBC News Posted: Feb 27, 2014 11:39 AM ET Last Updated: Feb 28, 2014 8:21 AM ET

Ever wonder what it's like to assist on the golden goal that caps off a startling comeback for your hockey team on the biggest stage in the world?

Just ask Hamilton native Laura Fortino – she'll be joining us at CBC Hamilton for a live chat on Friday afternoon.

She'll take your questions live about the gold medal game, the Olympics, and what it was like to stay in Sochi during the tournament.

That medal didn't come easy – it took overtime, some good bounces, a golden goal post and some insanely hard work.

Fortino assisted on the golden goal, shovelling a beautiful pass to Marie-Philip Poulin to end a wild game, when the Canadian team looked like it was staring silver in the face.

Instead, Canada walked away with both women's and men's hockey gold.

Join us on Friday at 1 p.m. to ask Fortino your questions. Or send them in early by twitter to @CBCHamilton or by email to Hamilton@cbc.ca.

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Hamilton DayStarter: Everything you need to know Friday

Hear that, Hamilton? That is the sound of the breaking of another cold weather record.

At 7 a.m., temperatures at Hamilton International Airport dropped to around –22 C and felt like –28 with the wind chill.

The previous all-time low for Feb. 28 was ­–­19.8 C, recorded at the weather station, — which opened in 1959 — on that day in 1994. 

In sum, bundle up. 

The city is closing all but one lane on the New Mountain Road access on Friday for streetlight repairs. The access will be closed starting at 9 a.m., and the work is expected to conclude at 3 p.m. at the latest. 

GO Transit is experiencing delays on its Lakeshore West line that were sparked by the activation of a passenger assist alarm on a 6:32 a.m. Hamilton-Union trip and a door malfunction on another train.

Ontario Provincial Police are reporting the following collisions in the Hamilton area:

• Hwy 403 EB approaching Aberdeen, Hamilton: Left lane is blocked, no injuries reported – 8:50 a.m.

It's cold, but at least it's sunny. Environment Canada calls for bright skies and a high of –10 C for Friday.

Temperatures are set to warm up somewhat over the weekend and then dip again into early next week.

A high of –1 C and periods of snow are in the forecast for Saturday and a high of –9 C and and a 40 per cent change of flurries are expected for Sunday.

CBC Hamilton is hosting a live chat with Laura Fortino, defenceman for Canada's Olympic gold medal-winning women's hockey team. Join us on today at 1 p.m. to ask Fortino your questions. Or send them in early by twitter to @CBCHamilton or by email to Hamilton@cbc.ca.

Travelling abroad, getting a good job and falling in love tend to be high on to-do list for twentysomethings. Getting cancer, on the hand, is not. On the site today is a feature about a Hamilton woman whose life was forever altered when she learned she had Stage Three ovarian cancer. Now, she's speaking out about the lack of adequate screening measures to help catch the disease earlier.  

Dundas's Cam Goede captured a picture of duck doing their thing on the weekend. They don't seem to mind the cold. What's their secret?

Video directors continue to find compelling ways to use stop-motion animation. Case in point: Australian production outfit Oh Yeah Wow put together this breathtaking clip for Down Under folk rockers Paper Kites. The video for the song Young  is composed of a dizzying cycle of 4,000 photos of 350 faces. Try to look each person in the eye. It's moving stuff. 

The Paper Kites: Young from Oh Yeah Wow on Vimeo.

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Hamilton man faces child porn possession charges

Arrest of 33-year-old spurred by tip from federal investigators

CBC News Posted: Feb 28, 2014 9:29 AM ET Last Updated: Feb 28, 2014 9:29 AM ET

Police have charged a 33-year-old Hamilton man for allegedly possessing child pornography on his computer and mobile phone.

Officers with the Hamilton Police Service made the arrest at a home on Upper Ottawa Street on Thursday after receiving a tip from the federal government's National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre.

In a Friday news release, police said the tip was about "an individual alleged to be uploading videos [and] images of child pornography to Cloud Storage."

The accused appeared in court for a bail hearing on Thursday.

Investigators continue to examine the computers and mobile devices that were seized from the man's home. 

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Council approves 20-year lease with Hamilton Tiger Cats

City council narrowly approved a 20-year stadium lease deal with the Ticats Wednesday night, capping off years of negotiations between the city and the CFL franchise.

The deal passed by a 9-7 margin during an in-camera meeting Wednesday night.

City manager Chris Murray told CBC Hamilton that the deal is better for both the team and taxpayers.

"On the old agreement, we were losing money every time the team played football," he said, adding the old deal wasn't sustainable for the team, either.

Construction on the new Pan Am stadium was delayed about two weeks. Crews started pulling double shifts in February to make up for the lost time. (Adam Carter/CBC)

Now, the city will "break even" on the lease, and "from a Ticat standpoint, it puts them in a much better sustainability situation," he said.

"The bottom line is the Ticats will be here for quite some time."

The deal is worth $750,000 a year for the city for the field's naming rights, $450,000 for the team's rent and prospective $150,000 if a professional soccer team comes to Hamilton.

It's taken over two years for the city and the Ticats to come to an agreement on the lease. Earlier this month, councillors were demanding changes to a proposed lease agreement.

"We've walked through the sticking point as approved by council," Murray said. "Now we're working through all the arrangements.

Murray says the Ticats new home at Tim Hortons Field wasn't holding up the agreement. Rumours have been swirling about delays about the $147.5 million facility, to which the city is contributing $54 million.

Infrastructure Ontario recommended a football contingency plan for the field in case the stadium doesn't open on time in a letter from executive vice-president John McKendrick to Murray.

Crews also ended up working double time on the stadium to make up for a two-week delay caused in part by major ice storm and problems with a masonry company.

"No one has confirmed any construction delay," Murray said. "We're assuming the stadium is on time unless we hear otherwise."

The new 22,500-seat stadium will host 32 soccer games for the 2015 Pan Am Games.

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P.M. Harper pens 'disrespectful' letter on U.S. Steel, councillor says

It wasn't the warmest response the city could have asked for. It sent a letter to Stephen Harper expressing concern over recent U.S. Steel decisions, and the Prime Minister's office wrote back with three paragraphs.

Hamilton city hall penned a letter to Harper on Jan. 9 expressing concerns around U.S. Steel's recent decision to permanently halt steel making in Hamilton. Specifically, the city wanted more information on a confidential deal between the corporation and Ottawa to keep making steel in Canada. It could impact 8,000 pensioners.

Harper's executive correspondence officer wrote back on Feb. 12.

"I would like to acknowledge receipt of your correspondence of January 9 regarding U.S. Steel and its pensioners," the letter says.

"Please be assured that the views expressed in the item approved by Hamilton City Council have been noted. A copy of your correspondence has been forwarded to the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Industry, for his information and consideration.

"Thank you for writing to the Prime Minister."

Given the jobs involved and pensions at stake, it was an aloof response, said Coun. Brian McHattie, a member of the city's steel committee.

"It's disrespectful to the 8,000 pensioners whose lives could be impacted by U.S. Steel going bankrupt."

Coun. Scott Duvall, steel committee chair, said the letter follows the federal government's process. But he didn't love it either.

"You'd think more attention would be given to that issue," he said.

The letter is just parliamentary process, Coun. Brad Clark said. The province gives the same sort of response and council doesn't complain, he said.

"These letters are not unfamiliar to this council. We've been receiving them for decades.

"Let's not make a lot out of these letters. Let's deal with the ministers who are supposed to be dealing with these issues."

Hamilton's steel committee will hold a meeting at city council chambers on March 7 with local MPs, MPPs and union officials. It has also invited U.S. Steel. 

What do you think of P.M. Harper's letter to Hamilton on U.S. Steel?

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Olympian Laura Fortino made Hamilton a 'gold medal city': mayor

Hamilton is a "gold medal city" now that native Laura Fortino has brought home the gold, says Mayor Bob Bratina.

Mayor Bob Bratina and other councillors donned Canada hockey shirts to celebrate Laura Fortino's visit to city hall. (Samantha Craggs/CBC)

In a presentation to the Ancaster hockey player on Wednesday, Bratina said Fortino is the first locally born Hamiltonian to win Olympic gold. Fortino was a member of the Canadian women's hockey team, which won gold in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.

"It's been a brilliant Olympics," Bratina said before presenting Fortino with a certificate and flowers on behalf of council.

Fortino has checked her messages since she's been home and seen the support she got from Hamilton, she said.

"Not only was I proud to represent Canada, but to represent Hamilton and see all the encouragement and support that I had," she said. "It was unbelievable."

Fortino assisted on the gold medal-winning goal against the Americans. Don't be surprised if the defenceman is back on the ice for Canada in the 2018 Olympics in South Korea.

Fortino isn't the first Hamilton resident to win Olympic gold. Bobby Kerr, an Irish-born sprinter, won gold in the 200-metre race in 1908.

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Cooking for 1 or 2? Ancaster dietitian shares tips

NUTRITION MONTH

2014 Nutrition Month campaign aims to get Canadians cooking

The Canadian Press Posted: Feb 27, 2014 9:42 AM ET Last Updated: Feb 27, 2014 10:11 AM ET

If you're cooking for one or two, here are some tips from registered dietitian Shannon Crocker of Ancaster, Ont., to provide inspiration when making meals:

• Stir-frys, sandwiches and dinner salads can easily be tailored to one or two and varied with different vegetables and proteins.
• Sign up for a cooking class. Try the local college, a kitchen shop, small cooking school or community centre. If you need help with basic technique, go for a class that focuses on cooking skills. For new ideas, look for a class focusing on cuisine that you enjoy eating, such as Mexican or Thai.
• Subscribe to a cooking magazine or borrow one from the library. The recipes, photographs and stories can get your creative juices flowing.
• Challenge yourself with a new ingredient. Look for an ingredient in the grocery store or specialty food shop that you haven't cooked with before and find new and tasty ways to cook with it.
• Cook with your grandkids. It's a great way to spend time with your grandchildren and pass on family recipes or traditions at the same time. Let them choose foods they'd like to create with you. "I still have my grandma's shortbread cookie recipe!" Crocker says.

A few simple tools can also make life easier when it comes to cooking:

• Citrus juicer: "Citrus juices add such amazing flavour and lets you cook with a little bit less oil, a little bit less salt and that's really great because then you can cook healthier for sure," she says.
• Steamer basket: "The steamer basket is quick, it's easy and can be used for a variety of vegetables and it's inexpensive."
• Box grater: This inexpensive multipurpose tool lets you grate small amounts of cheese, vegetables, citrus zest and chocolate.
• Immersion blender: This tool can easily puree healthy soups, create small-batch smoothies and quick sauces. "Saute some cherry tomatoes, garlic, onions, then use an immersion blender to make sauce in no time," Crocker suggests.

March is Nutrition Month in Canada. As part of the 2014 Nutrition Month campaign, dietitians across the country will be focusing on helping Canadians improve food preparation and cooking skills. The slogan for this year's campaign is "Simply Cook and Enjoy!"

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Ferguson apologizes for shoving journalist

Hamilton city councillor Lloyd Ferguson apologized Thursday morning for shoving journalist Joey Coleman after a tense council meeting Wednesday night.

Coleman explained the incident in this blog post on his website. He says it happened around 10:45 p.m., when he was following the city's corporate communications manager to a press conference about the city's new lease deal with the Ticats.

Coleman says he accepts Ferguson's apology, though it speaks to a culture problem at city hall. (Joey Coleman/Twitter)

Ward 9 Coun. Brad Clark stopped the manager for a conversation, and Coleman says he was standing about three metres away, holding his camera.

Then from behind him, Coleman says, the "visibly agitated" Ferguson walked in front of him, saying he needed to talk to either the manager or Coun. Clark.

"Immediately, Ferguson looked at me and aggressively told me to get away from the area. Before I had a chance to move, Ferguson turned around, strongly clenched my upper right arm and shoved me with force," Coleman wrote on his website.

"He did not let go of his grip, continuing to clench me and strengthening his grip as he very angrily stated with a threatening tone that I wasn't welcome to stand where I had been, stating further that he didn't want me eavesdropping upon his conversation, looking at my camera."

'We know that we have a poisonous atmosphere here at city hall. It's been brought it up before in council.'- Joey Coleman, journalist

Coleman says his camera was turned off, and he was just carrying it to the scheduled press conference. The two had a "heated" exchange before Clark intervened.

Thursday morning, Ferguson apologized at city hall.

"Following a very heated council debate as all of you know, I left council to speak with staff and a fellow councillor on a confidential matter," Ferguson said. "Mr. Coleman was standing behind us. I asked Mr. Coleman to step back. I tried to move Mr. Coleman out of the way.

"It was unacceptable and I apologize to Mr. Coleman, members of council and the public for my actions."

Coleman says he accepts the apology and considers the matter closed. "He's shown himself to be a person of integrity and honour and we all make mistakes," he said. "I know I'm going to make mistakes in the future."

The incident speaks to a "culture problem" at Hamilton City Hall, Coleman says. "We know that we have a poisonous atmosphere here at city hall. It's been brought it up before in council," he said.

"We've had these matters occur before in council and I think that we as a city need to have a discussion about how we do our civic politics that it can get that tense, that a person can get that agitated by what's happening at city hall that an incident like this occurs out of frustration." 

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Hamilton's Brian McGrattan talks hockey, fighting, addictions

Live Chat

The Calgary Flames enforcer will be taking your questions live at 2:30 p.m. ET, 12:30 p.m. MT Wednesday

CBC News Posted: Feb 18, 2014 9:50 AM ET Last Updated: Feb 26, 2014 8:18 AM ET

The fight game: Flames-Canucks 2:23

The fight game: Flames-Canucks 2:23

There's more to Brian McGrattan than just punching people in the face.

Though he does that pretty proficiently, too. The Hamilton native has settled well into the enforcer role with the Calgary Flames this season, notching the most penalty minutes on the team.

You also might remember him as the guy holding back Vancouver Canucks coach John Tortorella as he was trying to storm the Flames' dressing room after January's much talked about line brawl.

On Wednesday, McGrattan will join CBC Hamilton to talk about his partnership with the NHL's substance abuse program as a mentor for other players, overcoming his own addictions while playing hockey, and taking your questions during a live audio chat.

Now is your chance to ask an NHL tough guy your burning questions about the ins and outs of the game. McGrattan will be talking live starting at 2:30 p.m. ET, 12:30 p.m. MT.

Log on to CBC Hamilton with your questions, or send them in via Twitter @CBCHamilton or by email at Hamilton@cbc.ca.

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'Haunted' Hamilton mansion inspires fear - of demolition

Patricia Saunders was at St. Joseph's Healthcare's West 5th Campus recently when she noticed a photo that got her blood boiling.

It was a photo of Century Manor, the only significant part of the original Hamilton Asylum for the Insane still standing. Built in 1884, the grand three-storey mansion sits on the escarpment brow, one of Canada's finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture.

The photo caption described Century Manor as derelict, a slum and haunted.

That rankled Saunders, a retired psychiatric social worker-turned-advocate for heritage buildings. Now she's enlisting local MPP Ted McMeekin and the city's heritage committee to help her get a look inside the building, with the goal of ensuring the prized heritage asset is protected or put to a good use.

"It could be one of the grandest buildings in Hamilton," she said. "My concern is that nobody seems to care."

Owned by Infrastructure Ontario (IO), Century Manor is one of Hamilton's oldest buildings. It used to be called the East House because it was located east of the grand and now-demolished Barton Building. Two other remaining buildings, Grove Hall and the Gate View, will soon be demolished too.

Over the years, Century Manor was home to the treatment program for alcoholics, the forensic psychiatry program, and on the third floor, the treatment program and school for adolescents, Saunders said. The building closed in 1995, the same year she retired. The province has declared it a heritage building.

'We're now getting to the point where I'm asking the minister responsible for it to justify why they won't let someone go in there.'- MPP Ted McMeekin

The manor was last open to the public in 2009, when Saunders cleaned it for Doors Open Hamilton and about 700 people toured it.

"It certainly wasn't structurally unsafe," she said.

But despite requests, she hasn't been inside it in years.

The photo caption has renewed Saunders' fear that the province is committing "demolition by neglect." So she and fellow members of the Hamilton Mountain Heritage Society want to see inside.

McMeekin asked IO staff for access, and they told him it wasn't available for tours. He has since written to Glen Murray, Minister of Infrastructure, and Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Murray's chief of staff told him four days ago that she would look into it.

Buildings need to be lived in

"We're now getting to the point where I'm asking the minister responsible for it to justify why they won't let someone go in there," said McMeekin, who is also the Minister of Community and Social Services.

Meanwhile, Robin McKee, president of the heritage society, has written to the city's municipal heritage committee. He wants the committee to pen a formal letter to the province asking to see inside.

"It's a fabulous building in the sense of its grandeur," McKee said.

His fear, he said, is that the province won't maintain it properly and then say it's too expensive to fix.

"Buildings need to be reused," he said. "They need to be lived in."

'Just being allowed to sit there'

Coun. Brian McHattie of Ward 1, a member of the heritage committee, has the same concern.

"There's a lot of history to that building," he said. And "it's just being allowed to sit there with nothing in it."

The structure is in overall good condition, and the province is taking care of it, said Ian McConachie, spokesperson for Infrastructure Ontario, in an email.

The province is doing capital repairs and maintaining "minimal heat" to the building to "prevent damage to the structure." IO spends $15,000 to $45,000 per year on the building, he said.

The province doesn't know how it might use the building in the future.

"At present, IO is undertaking due diligence on the entire western portion of the Hamilton Provincial Psychiatric Hospital site, which includes Century Manor," he wrote.

Province will 'evaluate the future potential' 

"IO will continue to evaluate the future potential for Century Manor throughout this process."

The building is a favourite for local ghost hunters, hence the "haunted" claim. The Hamilton Paranormal website describes it as spooky and outlines some of the harsh treatments patients received in the building's early years.

That reputation doesn't bother Saunders, who has never spotted a spectre herself.

But seeing it described as derelict made her sick to her stomach, she said. And she hates to look at its deteriorating condition.

"My fantasy is that there is someone who cares enough, and who has access to enough money, to use the building for something purposeful."

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How Hamilton transit leaves Redeemer students in the cold

Imagine you're a Redeemer University student and you miss your evening bus.

It's -9 C, like it was on Tuesday. You run as fast as you can, lugging a heavy backpack, but get to the bus stop five minutes late.

You have to wait — outdoors — for another 55 minutes for the next bus. And that's if it was before 9 p.m. If it wasn't, you've missed your chance altogether.

This situation brought about 20 Redeemer students and a citizen group to a city hall budget meeting on Tuesday to argue for improved access to the 44 Rymal bus line.

HSR has suggested $2.6 million in transit improvements for 2014, the equivalent of about $8 per household in taxes. The changes include evening service every 30 minutes and weekend service of every 30 minutes to the 44 Rymal ilne.

Currently, there is no service on the Rymal/Garner line on weekends, or on weekday evenings past 9 p.m. And the evening buses at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. only run once an hour.

Garnering Support, a citizen group advocating for improvements to 44 Rymal, made a presentation. Justin Eisinga, a Redeemer student, heads up the group, which has gathered a petition of more than 700 names.

The university itself also made a presentation in favour of the expansion, as did Matt Thompson from the Beasley Neighbourhood Association.

The presentations were among the 18 given during the general issues committee meeting where the public made submissions on the 2014 budget.

Improving 44 Rymal benefits a wide range of people, Eisinga said. The line runs from Eastgate Square to the Ancaster Business Park, which impacts 48 per cent of Hamilton's population, he said.

Don McLean, a local environmentalist, also spoke in favour of transit improvements. Trimming transit is being "penny wise and pound foolish," he said.

Council is busy sharpening its pencils when the future impacts of climate change will "make mincemeat of your budget," he said.

"Just because we've had some very nasty winter weather that reminds us of what we used to have 20 years ago doesn't mean it's going away."

Transit service every 60 minutes, McLean added, is "not really transit service in an urban area."

Councillors will continue to debate the budget, which is typically passed in April.

Other highlights from the meeting:

Implement the lobbyist registry already

Councillors discussed setting up a lobbyist registry for seven years. A registry means the public would be able to see who is lobbying councillors, and for what.

The now-disbanded accountability and transparency subcommittee finally nailed down a draft plan in the fall. Now it's up to the city to approve it in the 2014 budget.

It's time to pass it, said David Arbuckle, a citizen member of the accountability and transparency subcommittee.

"It's certainly not the Rolls Royce of registry models, but I'm sure it would serve council very well."

The registry will cost the city $114,000 to $127,000 per year. An internet-based registry would involve a one-time cost of $50,000 to $100,000.

If council waited until next term, "to be quite honest, I would be disappointed," Arbuckle said.

Deterring business with higher fees

Last year, the city hiked the fee for a rezoning application by 70 per cent — from $5,930 to $10,275. The city should retract that, said Arend Kersten, executive director of the Flamborough Chamber of Commerce.

The hike deters businesses that want to set up or expand, he said. And while Hamilton is on the cusp of "something special," the hike sends the wrong message to potential investors, he said.

"To confirm that Hamilton is indeed open for business, we recommend — with the utmost respect — that you revisit the matter of rezoning application fees," he said. 

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Hamilton curling club represents Ontario at Brier, Saturday

Hamilton's Mark Bice takes on the rest of the country at the Tim Hortons Brier, the national curling championship. Bice, playing for the Glendale Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, will represent Ontario.

The rocks start flying Saturday Mar. 1 in Kamloops B.C.. Ontario plays Quebec in the second draw on Saturday at 9:30 p.m.. 

Ontario's schedule at the Brier

• Saturday March 1: Second Draw, 9:30 p.m.: Northern Ontario vs. B.C.; Ontario vs. Quebec; Newfoundland &
  Labrador vs. Manitoba; Territories vs. Saskatchewan.

• Sunday March 2: Third Draw, 11:30 a.m.: Quebec vs. Saskatchewan; Alberta vs. New Brunswick; Ontario vs.
  Territories; P.E.I. vs. Nova Scotia.

• Sunday March 2: Fourth Draw, 4:30 p.m.: Newfoundland vs. Ontario; Territories vs. Manitoba; Saskatchewan
  vs. Northern Ontario; Quebec vs. B.C.

• Monday, March 3: Sixth Draw, 4:30 p.m.: Alberta vs. Territories; Nova Scotia vs. Saskatchewan; Quebec vs.
  P.E.I.; Ontario vs. New Brunswick.

• Tuesday, March 4: Eighth Draw, 11:30 a.m.: Saskatchewan vs. Newfoundland & Labrador; B.C. vs. Territories;
  Northern Ontario vs. Ontario; Manitoba vs. Quebec.

• Tuesday, March 4: Draw 10, 9:30 p.m.: Ontario vs. P.E.I.; Quebec vs. New Brunswick; Alberta vs.
  Saskatchewan; Nova Scotia vs. Territories.

• Wednesday, March 5: Draw 12, 4 p.m.: Newfoundland & Labrador vs. Quebec; Ontario vs. B.C.; Territories
  vs. Northern Ontario; Saskatchewan vs. Manitoba

• Wednesday, March 5: Draw 13, 9 p.m.: Territories vs. New Brunswick; Saskatchewan vs. P.E.I.; Nova
  Scotia vs. Quebec; Alberta vs. Ontario.

• Thursday, March 6: Draw 15, 4:30 p.m.: P.E.I. vs. Alberta; Territories vs. Quebec; Saskatchewan vs.
  Ontario; New Brunswick vs. Nova Scotia.

• Thursday, March 6: Draw 16, 9:30 p.m.: B.C. vs. Saskatchewan; Manitoba vs. Ontario; Newfoundland & Labrador vs. Territories; Quebec vs. Northern Ontario.

• Friday, March 7: Draw@ 17, 11:30 p.m.: Ontario vs. Nova Scotia; New Brunswick vs. Saskatchewan; Quebec
  vs. Alberta; Territories vs. P.E.I.

Bice's team includes Bice, skip Greg Balsdon, Tyler Morgan, Jamie Farnell, Steve Bice and Jim Wilson.

Hamilton's Bice will now represent Ontario at the Canadian men's curling championship, which will take place from Mar. 1-9 in Kamloops, B.C.

Bice earned his way to the Brier after winning the Travelers Tankard Ontario men's curling championship earlier in February.

Bice upset reigning eight-time provincial champion Glenn Howard 6-5 in the final.

Howard, who was playing for Penetanguishene Curling Club, held a 5-3 advantage after eight ends.

Bice stole two points in the ninth and then clinched the victory with one more in the 10th.

Howard advanced to his ninth straight final after defeating Bice on Saturday 8-4 in eight ends.

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Hamilton's economy expected to grow 2.5 per cent in 2014: report

Hamilton's economy is forecast to grow by 2.5 per cent this year, according to the Conference Board of Canada's metropolitan outlook for winter 2014, which was released Wednesday.

That's an improvement over the 0.7 per cent increase seen in 2013. "This year, economic growth will be driven by renewed demand in the manufacturing sector as well as stronger services sector growth," the report reads. "Stronger activity in those areas of the economy will more than make up for modest growth in the construction sector."

Manufacturing activity is expected to bounce back this year, thanks to stronger economic growth stateside and a slightly weaker Canadian dollar. The conference board expects manufacturing output to rise by 3.7 per cent in 2014 and by 1.7 per cent next year.

"The sector will get a lift from the opening of Maple Leaf's new $395-million processing plant, which will employ 670 people," the report reads.

But not everything in manufacturing has been rosy for the city in recent months. In October of last year, U.S. Steel announced the permanent closure of its idle iron and steel-making operations in Hamilton. Earlier this month, the company started laying off 175 non-union workers between its Hamilton and Lake Erie operations.

But the Conference Board is still expecting an uplift in manufacturing that will spill over into transportation and warehousing, as output is expected to climb by 2.8 per cent, according to the report. Employment is also expected to rise by 1.8 per cent after falling 1.1 per cent last year. That should improve consumer confidence and help boost wholesale and retail trade output by 2.5 per cent, the report reads. "While a certain amount of fiscal restraint still exists, the region is expected to see some growth in the public administration sector, with output forecast to expand 0.8 per cent in 2014. All told, services sector output is expected to increase 2.4 per cent in 2014."

On the housing front, total housing starts in Hamilton slipped 3.8 per cent last year, and that's forecasted to fall another 6 per cent this year. "With starts falling, and some non-residential projects finishing, growth in total construction output is forecast to come in at a very modest 0.5 per cent this year, before improving to 2.6 per cent next year," the report reads.

You can read the entire metropolitan outlook for Hamilton (on page 52) and the rest of Canada's major centres below:

5953 MOBook1 Winter2014 for Posting Approval (PDF)
5953 MOBook1 Winter2014 for Posting Approval (Text)

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Sgt. Derek Mellor pleads guilty to sex charges, sending lewd pictures

The officer in charge of a police pilot project created to combat human trafficking and rescue sex trade workers has pleaded guilty to nine Police Services Act charges after engaging in sexual acts and sending lewd messages and photos of his penis to sex workers and colleagues.

Sgt. Derek Mellor — a 14-year veteran of the service who was once the lead of Hamilton Police's anti-human trafficking initiative dubbed "Project Rescue" — appeared Monday morning at Hamilton police headquarters. He said little, but replied "guilty" each time he was asked how he was pleading to the charges, which included relations with five different women who were somehow involved with his job.

As part of an agreed statement of facts, Mellor admitted to undertaking a sexual relationship with the mother of a woman whose human trafficking case he was working on. He admitted to engaging in sexual activity with her on the side of a rural road, sending her pictures of his penis and a three-second video of him masturbating.

Over that period of time, the woman sent Mellor a number of photos of her in lingerie, and her profile from a website that advertises discreet relationships between married couples.

Mellor also pleaded guilty to sending sexual photos and texts to two women who worked with the human trafficking volunteer organization "Walk With Me." In both cases, he obtained their contacts through working together and at social gatherings and fundraisers for sex workers. The messages started as flirtatious before escalating to blatantly sexual, according to police act documents.

1 a.m. messages to sex worker

According to the statement of facts, Mellor also pursued sexual relationships with two sex workers while working with Project Rescue. One case stretched back to 2005, when he met a sex trade worker during the investigation of a vehicle collision. After the investigation wrapped up, Mellor obtained her phone number and met with her twice for coffee at her home. Each time the woman's cousin was at the apartment and nothing happened, documents say.

The statement says that years later, Mellor and the sex worker met again as part of outreach for Project Rescue. He told her that he had seen her photos on an escort website and she looked "really good." He repeatedly texted her asking if he could come over after work at around 1 a.m. and she responded that she felt it would be inappropriate, documents say. The woman eventually informed Det. Const. David Hartless — who also worked on Project Rescue — about the messages. Hartless discussed it with Mellor, and he agreed to not communicate with her anymore.

The document says the second charge relating to an inappropriate relationship with a sex worker happened in January of 2012 when Mellor was performing outreach to women working in the sex trade, documents say. After getting her number, Mellor started texting her — first with small talk, then mentioning that he'd noticed she was "working out in Burlington lately."

He mentioned swinging by the Admiral Inn where she was working, but said "Hmm, I'm scared. Lol. I don't trust myself. U might take advantage of me : )," the agreed statement of facts reads. The two did eventually meet at the hotel, and made small talk before Mellor "hugged her for approximately 30 seconds and caressed her back. No words were spoken," the statement reads.

The woman received further messages from Mellor that made her uncomfortable, and she too contacted Det. Const. Hartless about his behaviour, who told her that he would speak to Mellor. A short time later, she received an apology from Mellor.

Mellor also pled guilty Monday afternoon to having sex with B.S., a prostitute and potential witness in the human trafficking case.

According to the statement of facts, Mellor and B.S. met through Project Rescue. Mellor contacted B.S. in June 2012 and said he wanted to speak to her about her knowledge of human trafficking. Mellor started sending flirtatious text messages to her. In early July, he picked her up near King Street East and Tisdale Avenue. He appeared to have been drinking, the document says.

Mellor and B.S. drove to a parking lot near Eastwood Park where B.S. often took her customers. Once there, B.S. performed fellatio on Mellor and then they had sex. Afterward, B.S. asked Mellor to "shoot me 40 bucks," and Mellor declined. He also told her they had to keep the encounter a secret, and dropped her off at King Street East and Tisdale Avenue again.

Provincial funding not renewed

He also faces police act charges for keeping improper notes over the course of "Project Rescue" and his interactions with these women.

Project Rescue was a much-vaunted pilot project funded by the provincial government to target human trafficking in Hamilton. From Sept. 11, 2011 to Dec. 12, 2012, Mellor was the project's lead. He was suspended from the Hamilton Police Service with pay on Dec. 13, 2012.

Provincial funding for the unit was not renewed in 2013.

Two other charges that had been laid against Mellor for corrupt practices and breach of duty were withdrawn.

The hearing resumes at 10 a.m. on April 24 for sentencing. Mellor is "regretful" and hopes to keep his job, says his attorney, Gary Clewley.

"He plans to reject the submission that I expect will come from the prosecution that he be dismissed," Clewley told CBC Hamilton. 

Shabeeh Ahmad, a volunteer with local sexual assault victims, has started a petition pushing for Mellor's dismissal. It has 210 signatures so far.

"It's a really vulnerable population that he took advantage of," she said.

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Owner hopes to restore historic burned out Pasadena Apartments

Raw Video: Fire destroys 27 Bold St. 4:35

Raw Video: Fire destroys 27 Bold St. 4:35

The owner of 27 Bold St. is holding out hope that the historic apartment building can be saved.

The fire department still has control of the Pasadena Apartments, one of Hamilton's oldest apartment buildings. The 1914 heritage building was nearly destroyed by fire on Feb. 20.

'Our preference would be to repair it and have everything go back to the status quo.'- David Nevins, vice-president of CLV Group

The building had 17 apartments and 28 registered tenants, said David Nevins, vice-president of CLV Group, which owns the building. As soon as firefighters hand it over, the company will hire engineers and architects to examine the remains to see if the building can be restored.

"Our preference would be to repair it and have everything go back to the status quo," he said. "We'll have to see what engineers and architects tell us the outcome will be."

The fire started in the boiler room, climbing through the walls and bursting through the roof. The fire started just after 8 p.m. and burned long into the night.

The basement was equipped with sprinklers, and the building was up to fire code, Nevins said. CLV Group has already put engineers on notice that they'll be called to inspect the remnants.

The Ontario Fire Marshal is investigating the cause, and as of Monday afternoon had no findings. Once investigators leave the scene, the CLV Group takes over responsibility of the building, said Claudio Mostacci, fire department spokesperson.

No tenants were injured in the fire, although one firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion.

Meanwhile, the following fundraising efforts are in place:

• Catalyst Specialized Personal Training is asking clients and friends to drop off toiletries, gently used clothing, grocery and gift cards and non-perishable food to the studio. The Corktown Pub and Pheasant Plucker are taking monetary donations.
• A group of community volunteers, including local firefighters Adam Shea and John Piercy, are organizing a fundraiser for later this spring. They're still working on the details, Shea said, but it will likely be a musical event. If residents don't need donations, the fundraiser will benefit Red Cross emergency disaster relief.
• Conscious Grooves is holding a fundraiser at the Doors Pub at 9 p.m. on March 7.

The CLV Group has provided hotels to tenants who need a place to stay, as well as gift cards, Nevins said. The company owns three apartment buildings in Hamilton.

Meanwhile, Hamilton residents such as local artist Chris Erskine have taken to blogs and YouTube lamenting the building's loss.

"It's like going to a funeral parlour and seeing someone you know," Erskine said in a video blog.

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Former Hamilton student fears torture in Africa

Muhammed Sillah speaks from jail 5:08

Muhammed Sillah speaks from jail 5:08

A former Mohawk College student claims he is being detained unjustly by the Canadian Border Services Agency.

He also says he will be tortured and killed if sent back to his native Gambia.

Mohammed Sillah, an undocumented migrant, is being held at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ont. while fighting deportation to Gambia.

Sillah travelled to Canada on a student visa in 2006 to study network engineering at Mohawk. After running out of money, however, he dropped out of school and began working under the table detailing cars in Toronto.

He said his undocumented status was revealed to authorities after he was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction in 2011.

Sillah filed a refugee claim, stating that he was fearful of being deported to Gambia. The claim, according to Sillah, was initially granted but then denied.

He has been under detention since May 2013.

Sillah was moved to the medium/maximum security prison in Nov. 2013 after spending six months at the Toronto Immigration Holding Centre in Etobicoke, a facility designed for low-risk detainees.

Anna Pape, a spokesperson for the Canadian Border Services Agency, said that she could not comment on individual cases.

'The CBSA relies on correctional facilities to detain higher-risk detainees (i.e. criminal background, danger to the public, serious medical concerns)…' she wrote in an email to CBC News.

But Sillah alleges that his relocation to the Lindsay facility was prompted by a petition he sent to management at the Toronto Holding Centre regarding conditions faced by detainees.

'I was cuffed, I was shackled'

The twenty-nine year-old told CBC News that the purpose of the petition was to address what he described as inadequate protection against the cold.

"We were being forced to go outside and the weather was changing drastically and getting cold. Some of the detainees were arrested and detained without jackets, and that was a concern for us. I wrote a petition and we all signed it."

Sillah said that there was no response to the petition, so he wrote "up to five letters" about facility conditions.

Sillah alleges that the supervisor at the Etobicoke prison was "very troubled" by the petition and subsequent letters. According to Sillah, the supervisor had previously told him that there "was an open door policy," and that any concerns he might have should be brought directly to him, as opposed to sharing them with an "outside source."

Sillah describes being brought to a discharge office at 9 AM on Nov. 12.

"I was cuffed, I was shackled, and I was brought to Lindsay. Nobody told me why I was being moved. Nobody told me anything. When I got to [Lindsay], the guy that brought me here handed over a form to the correctional officers in Lindsay. That letter stated that I have extreme uncooperative behavior with regards to policy and procedures within the Toronto Immigration Holding Centre. That's absolutely false because I do not have any uncooperative behavior…no guard could ever attest to that," Sillah said.

"It's basically a false allegation to get me out of there and stopped writing petitions and stop raising awareness of what's really going in that facility."

Fear of torture in Gambia

Sillah, who said that he has been on the receiving end of racist taunts from guards in Toronto and Lindsay, is awaiting the outcome of a pre-risk removal assessment from the federal government.

He says he will be arrested and tortured if he is deported to his native Gambia.

"My life is in extreme danger. Even in Canada, the Gambian government is capable of hiring agents to come and put my life at risk in Canada. I have become one of the top advocates for democracy in Gambia, and I have received numerous threats online and through the telephone. It is 100% obvious that my life would be at risk."

Sillah's common-law spouse, twenty-nine year-old Burlington native Sarah Mallette, said that her partner doesn't have a criminal record and isn't a flight risk.

Mallette told CBC News that the ordeal has been "very difficult" for her family, and that her partner's experience has shaken her belief in the Canadian justice system.

"I'm a fourth generation Canadian. I love Canada very much. I'm very proud to say I'm Canadian. But, unless you become very involved in [the immigration system] with all of the new changes, and you kind of witness yourself what's happening, you have no idea."

"My eyes were blown wide open," she continued. "Very shocked, very shamed. Not only at this point is it about the life of my husband, but also about how I view my own integrity and honour as a Canadian. I don't want all of these refugees and immigrants leaving Canada feeling so denied justice."

'No interest in staying in Canada'

Sillah said that he has been passing time reading newspapers, writing articles, watching documentaries on the CBC's Passionate Eye and thinking about his future.

He says he expects a decision from the Canadian Border Service Agency within the next five to seven weeks. Even he is allowed to stay in Canada, though, Sillah said that he hopes it won't be forever.

"I have absolutely no interest in staying in Canada indefinitely. I have a family back home, and I am very, very interested in going back to Gambia and contributing to the development of my own country."

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Stoney Creek teen making his own documentary about poverty

Jordan White has about a week to raise a few thousand dollars to make a documentary about poverty in Hamilton, but he's not afraid to dream big.

The Cardinal Newman student is raising money to make Give Back, what he hopes will be a 90-minute film about poverty. He also hopes to do good deeds in the movie and document situations and reactions.

The film would be a leap forward for the 18-year-old, who has been making YouTube videos since he was 12. He's assembled a team of about seven friends to help him.

"If we finish the project, it would really feel good to know we did something like that," he said. "Besides, it would be a milestone."

White's foray into making videos started when his mom gave him a camera for this 12th birthday. It gave the shy adolescent a sudden outlet.

"I wasn't a very social kid so I was inside a lot," he said. "I got into watching YouTube videos and naturally I wanted to make my own."

He and a friend from down the street started making videos, mainly of their excursions around Stoney Creek. One video was a take on Man Vs. Wild (the wild, in this case, was a creek by White's house). They averaged about a video a month.

White got the idea for his film after seeing a YouTube channel called givebackfilms, where filmmakers do good deeds for people and film it. White wanted to do something similar but lacked any money of his own — he works two part-time jobs in addition to going to school. That's when he launched his Kickstarter campaign.

If he's successful, filming would start near the end of April, when many of his volunteers will have finished school. If he raises enough, White wants to take it on the road — Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and possibly Montreal — to do the same good deeds and sets of interviews.

His goals include donating toys and blankets and performing random acts of kindness. He also plans to interview politicians and experts about poverty in the area.

He aims to raise $6,000 with the Kickstarter campaign. Among the rewards: a behind-the-scenes photo book, dinner with the cast and crew and a spot in the movie.

Ideally, White would like to be a filmmaker like his favourite, Christopher Nolan. He'd also like to be a private investigator in case filmmaking doesn't happen. Film is a tough industry, he said.

But if he succeeds at this? Who knows.

"I would love if this branched into making actual movies," he said. "If people like this movie, maybe I'll make another one."

If White doesn't raise the money by his deadline of March 5, he still hopes to make the film, but on a more limited scale. 

Check out White's fundraising pitch:

The following video, from White's YouTube channel, involves wearing a GoPro camera to do Parkour around three Stoney Creek elementary schools:

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Hamilton DayStarter: Everything you need to know Tuesday

Good morning Hamilton! It's another crisp one out there this morning – but the birds are singing, so that means spring must be around the corner right?

At least that's what we keep telling ourselves.

Traffic is moving pretty smoothly through Hamilton and its surrounding highways this morning.

GO Transit buses and trains are running as advertised.

Here are the traffic snarls and accidents reported so far by police:

• Traffic congestion at Main Street East and Ottawa Street North. 8:11 a.m.
• A vehicle collision on Lawrence Road. 7:57 a.m.
• Traffic slowdowns at Queenston Road and Woodman Drive North, as well as Pumpkin Pass and Fair Fall Way in Glanbrook. 7:32 a.m.

Our current cold snap continues today with a high of -7 C. It's currently -11 C.

It's going to be mostly cloudy today with a 30 per cent chance of flurries this morning, and flurries beginning this afternoon.

The wind will pick up from the southwest at 20 km/h early this afternoon.

The flurries will end around midnight tonight while the temperature dips back down to -14 C. Environment Canada is calling for a wind chill of -25 C tomorrow, so make sure you remember to bundle up then.

This great shot comes courtesy of Nikolas Bennett:

At city hall today, there's a special General Issues Committee meeting to discuss the refinancing of the Sheraton Hotel mortgage, followed by a budget meeting.

Reporter Samantha Craggs will be at the meeting. You can follow along with her on Twitter to get updates as they happen.

Ahhh, space: the quiet of the void, the massive spectre of the Earth looming in front of you ... and the complete inability to bend over when you drop stuff on the moon:

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