Hamilton official says new social assistance software should be dumped until fixed

Hamilton's head of social services says "beyond stressed" social assistance staff are spending 90 per cent of their day dealing with problems caused by a new computer system, and she is urging the province to return to the old one.

Joe-Ann Priel has written to the province urging it to temporarily bring back the old software system for dealing with social assistance cases to prevent further "damage" and a loss of trust in the system. She says the new one has caused confusion and stress among case workers and clients. 

Ontario Works (OW) workers are "beyond stressed out" over the new Social Assistance Management System (SAMS), said Priel, Hamilton's general manager of community and emergency services, in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by CBC Hamilton. And the province should bring back the old system until the glitches are fixed in the new one.

"We are just over two weeks into the implementation of SAMS, and already the human costs are great," wrote Priel of the $250-million software system.

'This is not a journey our clients should have to go on with us. We are dealing with real people here.'- Joe-Anne Priel, general manager of community and social services, City of Hamilton

"This is not a journey our clients should have to go on with us. We are dealing with real people here, and the system has to enable us to provide quality service and meet client needs now — not several months from now when all of the system errors and glitches have been addressed. 

"We are concerned that the longer we try to make this system work, the more damage will be done, the further behind we will get, and that trust in the system will continue to erode."

Janet Menard, the Peel Region's commissioner of Human Services, has also written to the province.

SAMS, which the province rolled out over four years, took effect on Nov. 12. Unions tell horror stories about the system, including 73 clicks to add a child to an Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) recipient's file, 16 pages of bugs in two weeks and hours spent on tasks that used to take a few minutes.

Some ODSP clients in Windsor report not receiving their monthly payments Friday, although there are no reports of missed deposits in Hamilton. Local OW workers have had to manually validate cheques though, said Sandra Walker, president of CUPE local 5167, which represents the city's roughly 400 OW case workers.

In some cases, she said, they've bypassed calculating extra income earned by clients just to get the cheques distributed in time.

$1,788 overpayment

Priel wrote that the "overall health and well-being" of staff is declining, and that some are spending 90 per cent of their day troubleshooting to ensure that clients receive their payments.

The new system erroneously generated at least 17,000 payments, totalling $20 million. The city did send out some cheques for inaccurate amounts earlier this month, but has corrected them, city spokesperson Mike Kirkopoulos said this week.

One ODSP recipient received a cheque for $1,788 too much, said Laura Cattari, a local poverty activist and ODSP recipient. Others report case workers not returning phone calls because they're busy with the new system.

All city OW recipients appear to have gotten their payments as scheduled, Walker said.

The province implemented the new system because it was cheaper than upgrading the old one, said Gloria Er-Chua, spokesperson for the Ministry of Community and Social Services, in an email this week. SAMS includes an online portal where clients can check their own files and correspondence. 

'Core system is working well'

"SAMS is a very important new system which replaces an aged and inadequate technology platform," she said. "SAMS will better support staff that deliver social assistance services and improve customer service."

The ministry is quickly fixing any issues and has provided extra staff to ODSP offices, she said. 

"To date, the core system is working well."

"We acknowledge that there have been challenges that we are working through and we continue to provide the necessary supports to local offices."

The system impacts about 11,000 employees and nearly a million social assistance recipients. 

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Vanier Cup: Montreal Carabins outlast McMaster Marauders

Coach Danny Maciocia spoke throughout the post-season of the mental toughness of his University of Montreal Carabins.

That big game attitude was evident once again as the Carabins used a fourth-quarter comeback and Louis-Philippe Simoneau's game-winning field goal to defeat the McMaster Marauders 20-19 in the Vanier Cup game on Saturday.

It gave the Carabins the title in their first appearance in the national university football championship game.

"Once again we came up big in the big moment," said quarterback Gabriel Cousineau. "I'm so thankful to have such a great team. We made it."

Cousineau threw a third-quarter touchdown pass to Philip Enchill and saw Sean Erlington run one in in the fourth before Simoneau's winning boot, his second field goal of the game, with 2:45 remaining.

But the game was far from over, as McMaster pivot Marshall Ferguson took the Marauders to the Montreal 24 in the final minute, only to see Tyler Crapigna's attempt at a fifth field goal of the day blocked by defensive lineman Mathieu Girard and recovered by linebacker Jonathan Boissineault-Glaou to secure the victory.

"I blocked the kick, but it wasn't me who won the game for the team," said Girard. "We won this together."

McMaster got off to strong start

Wayne Moore scored on a 50-yard run for McMaster in the first half, when the Marauders took a 13-3 lead and looked to be dominating.

But five McMaster turnovers, including two interceptions by Anthony Coady and three lost fumbles, helped keep Montreal in the game.

"Us not finishing, that's been the story of our year," said Ferguson. "There are too many throws that I want back.

"And when you're a fifth-year senior and you lose your final game, you don't get any throws back unless you want to play catch with your kids in 10 years."

Montreal's depth evident

The McMaster defence took away the Carabins' running game from the outset, holding them to 57 yards, and Cousineau was limited to 196 yards on 17 completions. But Montreal's defence tightened when it counted, holding McMaster to field goals four times and allowing only one touchdown.

The Carabins first showed their mettle when they ended Laval's 11-year run as Quebec conference champions, stopping the Rouge et Or's 70-game home winning streak with a 12-9 overtime win.

Last week, they held on for a 29-26 win over Manitoba when Coady forced a fumble with the Bison's threatening to score from the Montreal 12 in the final minute.

Then Girard comes up with the blocked kick to give them the Vanier Cup.

"We practised a way to block kicks, but even if we gave up the three points and took the ball on the 35, there were still 50 seconds to get another field goal," said Maciocia. "Once we blocked it, we just wanted to end the game in possession of the ball. With the work of our O-line, we were able to do that."

Maciocia won a pair of Grey Cups with the Edmonton Eskimos, first as offensive co-ordinator and later as coach and general manager. Now he has a Vanier Cup as well.

"I don't think it gets better than this," said the Montreal native who is in his fourth year with the Carabins. "To do it in front of family and friends, in a packed house at Molson Stadium. . . it was always a goal of mine to win a championship in my own back yard. I don't think the Grey Cups topped this."

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Hamilton Tiger-Cats Grey Cup greats weigh in on the big game

Tiger-Cats fans send team off to Grey Cup 0:51

Tiger-Cats fans send team off to Grey Cup 0:51

No one knows what the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are going through as they gear up for the 102nd Grey Cup like the Ticats that came before them.

CBC Hamilton spoke with three Hamilton Tiger-Cats who played in the big game though the years to get their insights into what it's like to play on Canadian football's biggest stage. They are:

Hall-of-fame linebacker Bob Krouse, who won four Grey Cups as a Tiger-Cat in 1963, 1965, 1967 ad 1972.

Former Ticats quarterback Dave Marler, who lost in the final in 1980.

Kicker Paul Osbaldiston, who played in four Grey Cups including the Ticats' last win in 1999 (also in Vancouver, also against the Calgary Stampeders.)

Here are their Grey Cup memories, starting in the locker room before the game.

Dave Marler (DM): "The old saying is 'you have to treat the Grey Cup like any other game.' And that is so true. But the reality is it's not like any other game."

Paul Osbaldiston (PO): "You go through a period before the coach and sometimes your team leaders makes their speech where it's eerily quiet. Everyone is kind of taking on the weight of it all."

Bob Krouse (BK): "I was not one of the rah-rah people. I'd be in the back. I meditated. I was thinking about my game plan.

"In '72 I was ready. I said 'let's get out there and do it!' That's how I felt. I was waiting. I wanted the game. All the week before, all the blah-blah before the game, it just drives you crazy."

PO: "I always tried to take emotion out of it. The worst thing I could do was get all fired up and you know, let the magnitude of the situation change my thought process. Easier said than done.

"I'd go out the tunnel with everybody, but at the same time as the coaches would go to the sideline, I'd just walk with them. The jumping around, the yelling and screaming, that was counterproductive for me."

BK: "The first punt down there that's where I got a ding in the head. We were watching the Grey Cup recently, I'm staning beside Ben Zambiasi (another Ticat great) and he right away saw.

'Oh, you got dung, eh?'

'Yeah, haha.'

'They didn't take you out?'

'No, I was calling the defences. I had to stay in.'

"You ring and so you take a deep breath and you try and shake it and get it off. Now I'm glad they take people out. As a high school coach I made sure I watched kids … I'd take their helmets away as soon as I saw a ding."

DM: "It is such a big game on such a big stage. We were a team, quite honestly, that wasn't prepared well enough to play that game. And I'm speaking strictly from a player point-of-view.

"We were trying to beat one of the best teams of all time in the Edmonton Eskimos, and it would have taken the greatest game that we potentially ever play. And we weren't prepared."

PO: "Somehow — I don't know why — I always seem to over-perform at Grey Cups. It's a great problem to have, and I wish I could can it and sell it. For whatever reason I always seem to punt better, kick better. My numbers in Grey Cups are way above my career averages. It brings a heightened awareness. A heightened level of concentration.

CBC Hamilton: What was it like to kick a field goal in the big game?

'I wanted the game. All the week before, all the blah-blah before the game, it just drives you crazy,' said former Ticat Bob Krouse, of the lead-up to the Grey Cup. (John Rieti/CBC)

​PO: "Obviously very good. But the thing with kicking is, kicking and punting is a very humbling occupation. You can go from being on top of the world to the bottom of the world in a very quick moment. For me, until the game was over there was no celebrating or enjoying thing.

"The Canadian game is very different. You can be way ahead and not be ahead enough."

CBC Hamilton: Dave, at what point was your team really in trouble?

DM: "We were fighting tooth and nail to try to stay close to Edmonton and they ran a fake punt with Neil Lumsden that ran for a touchdown that kind of broke our back. From that point forward, we weren't really in the game at all.

"Nervous isn't the proper description of what goes on in the huddle. It's just, I would say it's a lack of focus from everybody in the huddle to do their particular job.

"We had breakdowns. We couldn't change that momentum they'd built up."

CBC Hamilton: Bob, what's halftime like for a player?

BK: "Too long. Too long in the Grey Cup. You can lose focus. You can cool down. You get out there and you have to really warm up again, especially like in '67 when we came out and played on an ice field -- we were wearing broomball shoes. That makes a difference, you know. That could be a turning point."

On glory, and defeat

As the final quarters rage on, some games are close while others, like Marler's loss in 1980 and Osbaliston's win in 1999, wind their way toward conclusion.

DM: "We were somewhat overwhelmed by their physical ability. We couldn't seem to slow them down. So, you know, doing the 'rah-rah' speech in the huddle and all that in the huddle, it was tough."

PO: "'99 was a special year for the team. In '98 we'd gone and lost on the last play of the game. When we showed up at training camp, everyone had unspoken sense or feeling that we're just gonna get to the Grey Cup and win it.

"There wasn't a particular play that turned momentum. From opening kickoff we controlled every aspect of the game."

"In the 1972 Grey Cup, it came right down to the wire.

BK: "I was on the sideline. 'Stump,' they called him — Ian Sunter — kicked a 30-some yard field goal. He was only 19, 20-years-old at the time.

"I had an outstanding game. I blocked a punt early, touched another one, recovered one, called the defence, made tackles… I put my head down. I didn't want to see it. I wanted to hear it. I wanted to hear the crowd go crazy.

"I said 'he's gotta make it, he's gotta make it.' The kid's gotta kick the field goal, you know? He's gotta kick it.

"You get a great feeling after. You know you've won. You're excited. But you know what, in retrospect it was the only Grey Cup that I felt sorry for the other team. I thought it was a really hard fought game. There was a little bit of empathy for their loss. But I was still elated about our win."

'Don't take it lightly'

A framed picture in Krouse's home shows him alongside his former teammate, and favourite player, Garney Henley. (John Rieti/CBC)

​PO: "A lot of guys on the team hadn't won a Grey Cup before. They get the trophy and the stage out and everything and I didn't want to go up there for some reason.

"I just stood off to the side on the field and watched all the guys and the smiles on their faces. For some reason it was just the right thing to do.

(Coach) Ron Lancaster was standing about five or six feet away from me and he was looking at me and laughing.

'What are you laughing at?'

'You're doing the same thing I am. I know why you're not up there.'

"That stood out to me."

DM: "It was very quiet. Very subdued … just a major disappointment.

"The reality is it's so rare to get to a Grey Cup. I never got back to another one. Anybody I've talked to over the years, I'm saying 'don't take it lightly.' You gotta focus for one week on the task at hand and forget about everything else.

"The teams that play well and are successful, tip your hat to them because it's really not an easy week."

BK: "You're elated. You're high – and I'm not talking about from drugs. You're high. It takes a long time to get to sleep. There were times that I felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my body … and then, you can't sleep."

PO: "To me, one of the greatest places in the world to be is in the locker room with your teammates after a win. I never wanted to leave. That's the best feeling in the world." 

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Hamilton mudslide: slope stabilization may take up to a week

The City of Hamilton will start stabilizing the slope along Highway 403 near York Boulevard on Monday, following a mudslide on Friday that closed part of the highway for most of the day and wreaked havoc on traffic.

The eastbound highway between Main Street East and York Boulevard was closed around 8:30 a.m. ET, Friday morning after a water main break caused trees, debris and water to spill onto the highway. York Boulevard into the city was also closed due to concerns about the stability of the slope.

On Saturday, Hamilton city staff met with representatives from the Ministry of Transportation at the site of the mudslide to discuss the condition of the slope. Work will begin on Monday to stabilize the slope and may take up to a week to complete, the city said in a release Saturday afternoon. 

For safety reasons, one lane of traffic on the eastbound Highway 403 will be closed in the area. The lane closure will start after rush hour Monday morning, 

The closure will be in effect "for the better part of the week," said Dan McKinnon, director of Hamilton Waters.

He said the city is considered to be an industry leader in asset management — knowing what conditions the city's assets are in and managing them before they fail. However, he added, Hamilton is also home to a large amount of aging infrastructure, and staying ahead can be difficult. 

The city has 200 kilometres of water mains, and the impact of a break depends on where it happens. 

"it just so happens it had an adverse in probably one of the busiest routes on the 403," he told CBC Hamilton. 

As a safety precaution, the York Boulevard ramp off of the highway, as well as the Hamilton-bound lanes on York Boulevard coming in from Burlington, will also remain closed, said Kelly Anderson, the city's communications officer.

Some work will also take place on York Boulevard on Sunday to prepare for Monday's work. 

The water main repairs will be completed once the slope stabilization work is done, the city said. 

Meanwhile, commuters who were stuck in the gridlock took to social media to voice their frustration. The incident also prompted residents to question the authorities' response and preparedness when it comes to unforeseeable situations.

On mobile and can't see the Storify? Read it here.

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3 new Ontario music releases you need to hear this week

It's that time of the week again – CBC Hamilton reporter Adam Carter is back with his three picks for new Ontario music that you need to listen to this week.

Adam is on the air each week on CBC Radio for In the Key of C, hosted by Craig Norris. He'll choose three Ontario bands or artists that are releasing new music for your listening pleasure.

You can hear Adam during the show every Saturday evening at 5 p.m. on CBC Radio. In the Key of C can be heard across the province, except for the GTA. Hamilton listeners can hear this segment in the audio player above.

Here are this week's picks:

Munroe: Bloodlet

First up this week is a brand new song from Hamilton's Kathleen Munroe called Bloodlet.

It's a song her PR people are calling a "chilling folk-noir ballad steeped in Southern Gothic creepiness."

While that might be laying it on a bit thick, this song is a darker take on that singer/songwriter folk vibe. It's built around her voice and a sparse, fingerpicked guitar line that feels almost hypnotic, in a way.

Anyone who is a fan of Johnny Cash's last albums before he died may find some similarities here.

Bass Lions: We Got Guts

Next up is a new tune called We Got Guts from Kitchener's Bass Lions. It's a song from the band's self-titled third release.

This band has a pretty eclectic sound, pulling in elements of shoegaze, folk rock and electronica. But unlike some bands that pull from multiple genres, it all blends together very well here.

It never feels like the band is cramming in guitar licks or samples just for the sake of doing it when you listen to their stuff — and the chorus of this tune is undeniably catchy.

The Raspberry Heaven: Twist the Saintly Light

We're leaving you this week with a brand new song from a London band called The Raspberry Heaven called Twist the Saintly Light.

This song is reminiscent of something like Austin indie band Lydia would've done, and singer Michael Hansford has an almost Tom Delonge-like quality to his voice here.

Some people might find it grating, but it really does fit here — in the same sort of way that Billy Corgan fits in with the Smashing Pumpkins.

This tune is a bit of a slow burner, but it will grow on you fast. You can listen to it in the radio segment in our player above.

Are you in an Ontario band and would like to be featured on this program? Send your stuff to adam.carter@cbc.ca for consideration — and like In the Key of C on Facebook.

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Airport cargo terminal will create jobs for Hamilton, officials say

By Samantha Craggs, CBC News Posted: Nov 07, 2014 4:39 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 07, 2014 4:39 PM ET

Politicians and executives gathered at the Hamilton airport on Friday to do an official groundbreaking for the new $12-million cargo terminal they hailed as a job maker for the region.

Federal, provincial and local politicians heaped praise on the new 70,000 square foot facility at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, which will allow carriers to transport animals, fruits and vegetables, pharmaceuticals and other fragile and climate-controlled goods.

The terminal "will help the region's economy remain competitive and be well positioned in the future," said Ted McMeekin, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and MPP for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale.

Crews work on the new terminal, which will have Cargojet as an anchor tenant. (Samantha Craggs/CBC)

"I'm really darn proud of my city when I see things like this happening."

Mayor Bob Bratina said the city's objective is to become "the greatest city in the country, and we're achieving that."

Frank Scremin, the airport's president and CEO, said work crews have nearly finished the concrete foundation on the new terminal. It's due to open in April 2015.

Here are some facts about the new Air Cargo Logistics Facility:

• The construction of the terminal has created about 50 jobs. The terminal will eventually create an estimated 400 direct and spin-off jobs, officials said.
• The provincial and federal governments have jointly contributed $8 million of the cost.
• Cargojet, an overnight air cargo service, will be the main tenant.
• The terminal promises more traffic on the runways, which can't come soon enough as the airport saw a decrease in both passenger and cargo traffic last year. That drop sparked concern with some city councillors, who say TradePort, the company that manages the airport, promised higher numbers when it signed a management agreement with the city. The airport handled 398,261,000 kilograms in cargo billable weight in 2012 compared to 388,286,000 kilograms in 2013. It had 351,491 passengers in 2012, and 341,740 in 2013.
• TradePort has put $83 million into airport upgrades, including terminal buildings, air-side runways, taxi ways, and other facilities since 1996, when it took control of the airport, Scremin says.
• Cargojet will fly Boeing 767, 757 and 727 aircraft from the terminal.

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Hamilton orchestra plays ‘healing music’ for Remembrance Day

Video

Over 250 military personnel and their families are expected to attend the concert

By John Rieti, CBC News Posted: Nov 07, 2014 4:38 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 07, 2014 4:38 PM ET

Conductor Gregory Vajda says many Hamiltonians are entering Remembrance Day this year in a state of shock and pain, still mourning the death of local soldier Cpl. Nathan Cirillo who was slain in Ottawa.

To honour Cirillo, and all of the other soldiers who have served, Vajda will lead the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra through a series of songs he calls "healing" during a Saturday night concert at Hamilton Place.

The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra rehearses at Hamilton Place on Thursday, ahead of this weekend's performance. (John Rieti/CBC)

​"It's in the air right now, everyone's feeling the pain right now," Vajda told CBC Hamilton.

A night of classical music, he said, "is good for the soul."

Over 250 military personnel and their families are expected to attend the concert, where members of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Pipes and Drums and Royal Hamilton Light Infantry bands will perform alongside the orchestra.

The orchestra will perform Adagio for Strings as well as Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, in addition to several other pieces Vajda said will fit the feeling of the evening.

Vajda will host a pre-talk at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available online, and range from $10-$67.

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Father killed, son charged with murder after east end attack

Hamilton murder charges 5:41

Hamilton murder charges 5:41

Four days before Tony Robles, 66, was due in a Hamilton courtroom to face charges including domestic assault and child pornography, he was found dead behind an auto repair shop. His son has been charged with murder.

Robles last moments were captured Thursday evening by a security camera pointing at the van in which he lived. 

Jonathan Robles, 35, has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing, the city's seventh homicide.

Security camera footage from a nearby business shows a man being attacked in a parking lot behind an auto repair shop. 

For nearly four minutes the video shows a man sitting on another man's chest after attacking the victim from behind. The victim squirmed and kicked his legs.

Hamilton police say a 66-year-old man was found "obviously deceased" around 7 p.m. in the back parking lot shared by a catering business and auto-repair shop.

Police announced Friday evening that a post-mortem examination revealed the victim was stabbed to death. According to a police news release, the younger Robles called 911 and then surrendered to police.

Victim a former chemist, high-earner

​Gino Piedimonte, who runs the auto repair shop near where the body was found, said he knew the victim and that his name was Tony Robles, but also went by Antonio, and that he was a former customer at Piedimonte's auto repair shop.

Here, the two men are speaking at the trunk of the car. The camper van is lit near the top of the image. The man on the left walks around the man on the right, and back toward the camper. The man on the right takes something from the trunk and then attacks from behind. (Parkdale Spring & Suspension security video)

Piedimonte said the man had fallen on hard times, was going through a divorce, and had been living out of a camper van since the previous winter. Piedimonte offered the victim a place to park his van, access to electricity, water and a washroom in the back lot where his body was discovered.

Robles once had a successful career as a chemist and was on Ontario's so-called Sunshine List as a City of Hamilton superintendent at the Burlington Street water treatment plant, earning $112,497 in 2010.

He does not appear on the 2011 Sunshine List, but may have shifted his focus to his own business, TR Research. In 2011, he and his wife, Emy Robles, were finalists in the Lion's Lair competition — Hamilton's Dragon's Den business accelerator competition — working on a water treatment process the pair wanted to sell to municipalities.  

Court documents show that he was due to stand trial on Monday for domestic assault, possession of child pornography, uttering death threats and possession of a firearm, a Winchester rifle, without a licence. The charges relate to a May 2012 arrest.

Fatal struggle captured on video

Security camera footage from a neighbouring business, viewed by CBC News, showed a man pulling up his vehicle behind the camper van where Robles lived. 

After the man exited, he approached the camper van. The video shows two men talking for about three minutes, a conversation that became animated at times, but not violent.

One of the men then opened the trunk of a car, grabbed an object from the trunk, snuck up behind the other man and hit him in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. 

The man sat on the victim's chest for nearly four minutes as the victim's legs and arms flailed. After that the man on top got up, stood over a motionless body, and leaned on the camper van for another two minutes before walking out of view. A few minutes later two people with flashlights discover the body. A few minutes after that, firefighters enter the scene. 

On Friday morning, evidence markers were all that remained. The camper van's doors were still open, and a red vehicle still had its trunk open, taped off by police.

The man on top sits on the person below. In the video, legs and arms can be seen flailing for nearly four minutes. (Parkdale Spring & Suspension security video)

Piedimonte said Robles "was very quiet, he kept to himself." They exchanged hellos and goodbyes in the mornings and evenings, and he knew Robles had split up with his wife.

Gurmel Jhuty, who runs a nearby business with a security camera that captured the incident, said the victim was due to appear in court soon. Piedimonte added that the victim was retired, and had once worked at the water treatment plant off Burlington Street.

In the 2011 Lion's Lair competition, Robles and his wife were a team working to market a water treatment process Tony Robles holds a patent for. A profile of Robles on the Mapua Institute of Technology website in the Philippines, said Robles immigrated to Canada in 1974 "full of hope." It adds his chemical engineering degree was not at first recognized, and he started out in the mining industry as a janitor before quickly climbing the ranks as a chemist. 

Jonathan Robles is due back in court on Nov. 21. He does not have any prior charges, according to the courthouse which has records dating back to 1997.

jeff.green@cbc.ca

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5 things to do in Hamilton this weekend

The weather's turning cold, and Remembrance Day is just around the corner. Here are five things for you to check out in Hamilton this weekend.

In Remembrance: Fanfare for the Common Man

The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra is putting off this concert alongside The Pipes and Drums of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and The Regimental Band of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry on Saturday night.

The program displays the "honour, valour and transcendent beauty of the symphonic style."

The orchestra says the show honours Hamilton's veterans and military families, and features the well-known and loved Adagio for Strings and Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man.

An "Inside the Music" pre-concert talk by Maestro Gregory Vajda begins at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.

You Were My Friend

If you're a theatre buff, head to the Pearl Company for You Were My Friend, a new drama by Hamilton-based playwright Adam Riggio.

It depicts the "financial, personal, and moral strains we experience simply trying to live a dignified life in our harsh world." The play runs from Nov. 7 to Nov. 22 and admission is $20.

Friday and Saturday's shows start at 8 p.m.

The Soul Motivators

The Soul Motivators – a nine-piece deep funk ensemble – are in town at This Ain't Hollywood Friday night.

Expect a high energy, bombastic live show, backed up by DJ LP.

Tickets are $10 at the door, and the show starts at 10 p.m.

Walking Proof

As part of the Hamilton Film Festival, check out Walking Proof at the Zoetic Theatre Friday night at 7 p.m.

Walking Proof takes you behind the scenes during the making of an album. The festival calls it "a must for music lovers and those curious about capturing the creative process."

The Beautiful West

The Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War, McMaster Muslims for Peace and Justice and Solidarity With Palestinian Human Rights are presenting the launch of a new Canadian novel called The Beautiful West on Saturday at Homegrown Hamilton.

The plot unfolds in Montreal and Cairo in 2008 and involves three families who all suddenly have to face the security forces.

Author Michael Springate will read passages from the novel, answer questions, and autograph copies.

The book will be on sale for $25 at the launch at 3 p.m., and admission is free.

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New councillor says he'll take up the cause for Westdale Theatre's future

Hamilton's new Ward 1 councillor says he'll carry the torch in a local effort to make sure his beloved Westdale Theatre stays where it is.

Aidan Johnson becomes Ward 1's new representative in December. He says he'll pick up where outgoing councillor Brian McHattie left off in trying to ensure that the 1930s theatre remains a fixture on Hamilton's landscape.

The Westdale Theatre is the last single-screen house in Hamilton. Built in the 1930s, some worry the end is near. (Hamilton Public Library)

For about two years, McHattie has been talking to the Sorokolit family, which owns the theatre. There have been rumours for a while that the theatre was on the verge of closing, he said in 2012. And he doesn't want any surprise endings.

McHattie was suggesting a cost-shared assessment of the condition of the old building, and a possible crowd-funding campaign to help bring it up to snuff. The money could have come from the Ward 1 area rating fund.

If the Sorokolits are ever going to close it, McHattie also suggested, the city might want to buy it.

McHattie, who came third in October's mayoral race, said he's had emails and phone calls with the Sorokolit family, but couldn't seal a deal in time. So he leaves office with it still outstanding.

"The theatre is certainly very important to Westdale and I believe Hamilton residents generally," McHattie said via email this week.

"I believe the new Ward 1 councillor, Aidan Johnson, is very capable of following up on this."

Johnson says he will. The theatre is a hub for Westdale, he said.

The Westdale Theatre has been an anchor for the neighbourhood for nearly eight decades. (Paul Wilson/ CBC)

"The Westdale cinema is a sacred place for me," he said. "I am a true blue cinephile, and some of my earliest, most cherished memories of cinema involve the Westdale cinema."

"I would see it as a terrible loss if the Westdale cinema were to not continue as a flourishing cinema. The Westdale cinema is a very big deal."

The Sorokolit family also owns the Mount Pleasant and Regency theatres in Toronto. Dan Sorokolit said he can't rule out the theatre eventually closing.

"It's a struggle," he said. "It's tough. There are a lot of expenses involved in any business."

"You can't say 'I can guarantee it's going to be X amount of years.' You don't know. You have to take it year by year and see how everything goes."

The family is open to suggestions from the city, he said. What's really needed, he said, is for the cinema to be digitized, which would cost about $45,000. That would expand the number of potential movie offerings, thus drawing larger crowds.

Right now, "it's hard to know where the future lies," he said.

The 498-seat theatre opened in 1935, and is at the hub of the trendy Westdale neighbourhood.

"A lot of students go to movies there. A lot of seniors go to movies there," Johnson said. "It's a sacred space."

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Hamilton police searching for break and enter suspect

CBC News Posted: Nov 07, 2014 10:01 AM ET Last Updated: Nov 07, 2014 10:01 AM ET

Hamilton police has released a security camera photo of a suspect from a break and enter that took place at a downtown location last month.

According to police, the man in this photo is a suspect from a break and enter that happened on Oct. 20 on James Street North. The photo was not taken during that incident.

Police are looking to bring the man in for questioning. Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Const. 905-546-8936 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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Stoney Creek man 'suddenly disappeared': homicide unit

Hamilton homicide detectives are searching for clues after a 19-year-old Stoney Creek man "just suddenly disappeared" more than a week ago.

Harmanjit Singh was last seen the morning of Oct. 27 in a white vehicle around Delawana Drive. But what happened to him after that, said Det. Sgt. Joe Stewart of Hamilton Police Service, remains a mystery.

"He just suddenly disappeared, and that's what's so concerning for us," Stewart said. 

It isn't like Singh to go missing. The recent Mohawk College graduate is employed, and has close friends, one of whom reported him missing to police last week.

Police aren't ruling out that he'll be found alive and well, Stewart said. "We still have hope. We'd be very pleased with that outcome." 

But division two officers have been searching for him since last week and turned the case over to the homicide unit two days ago.  

Singh is of East Indian descent, and much of his family still lives in India. He is a "hard working and personable young man," Stewart said. His father has come to Canada to help with the search, and other family members have flown in to help too.

Police know that Singh was at a home on Cannon Crescent early morning on Monday, Oct. 26, although Stewart wouldn't elaborate if it was a friend's house. Police believe he was next seen in a white van or SUV on Oct. 27, when someone who knew him spotted him. And he hasn't been heard from since.

Investigators are keeping an open mind in terms of where Singh might be, Stewart said. The service's ACTION, technological crimes, forensic identification units are involved.

"At this point, we can't rule out anything," he said.

Anyone with information should call Det. Andrea Richard at 905-546-4067 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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Burlington's Neil Bantleman moves to maximum security prison

Canadian teacher Neil Bantleman has been moved from a police detention centre and is en route to an Indonesian prison where he will await charges in connection with a sexual assault investigation. 

The Burlington, Ont. native's family denies he has done anything wrong, yet Bantleman was swept up in a sexual assault investigation after several kindergarten children alleged they were assaulted at the Jakarta International School where he taught.

Bantleman has yet to be formally charged, something his brother, Guy Bantleman, said could take as long as two months. 

He has been in custody for 116 days, since July, when Bantleman and Indonesian teaching assistant Ferdinand Tjiong, were taken to police headquarters for questioning. 

They have not been freed since. 

Bantleman has written to the Canadian government several times, pleading for help. Guy said his brother could be held for another six months before Neil could be in a courtroom to defend any future charges.

Several janitors are in an ongoing trial for the same alleged sexual assaults. Guy told CBC Hamilton by phone that the janitors were held in jail for four months before their trail began, which itself has been going on for the past three months. 

At the Polda police detention centre in Jakarta, Bantleman was able to have many visitors four days a week. Guy says that may not be the case when he's moved to the Cipinang Penitentiary. 

"It sounds like he can (take visitors) … that's kind of undetermined at this point," Guy said.

"It could be just restricted to (his wife) Tracy."

Guy said Cipinang, a maximum security prisos, holds roughly 2,100 prisoners. Guy said the move "dramatically increases how scary" imprisonment is for his brother.

He's set to arrive at the jail on Friday, after spending Thursday night in the prosecutor's custody, in a clinic-like setting, Guy said.    

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Man killed in east end, another faces 1st degree murder charges

CBC News Posted: Nov 07, 2014 8:23 AM ET Last Updated: Nov 07, 2014 9:50 AM ET

A 35-year-old man is facing murder charges after a 66-year-old man was found dead in the east end Thursday evening.

Hamilton police said in a press release that "officers discovered a 66-year-old male obviously deceased." The victim was believed to be living in a camper van in the back of an east end parking lot.

Police have released few details on the murder. They said that names were not being released because they had yet to notify next of kin. 

The body was discovered at roughly 7 p.m. Thursday, at the back parking lot of a catering business on Brampton Street East, near Morley Street and Parkdale Avenue North. 

The 35-year-old is expected to be in court Friday morning. Police have several evidence markers in and around the small camper van, and have erected a tent to protect evidence from potential rain. 

More to come.

jeff.green@cbc.ca

With files from Tony Smyth

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Hamilton's unemployment rate drops again

Unemployment has dipped again in Hamilton over last month, landing at 5.6 per cent, a full percentage point lower than the national average.

Statistics Canada figures show the three-month moving average of unemployment is below the national rate of 6.5 per cent. The country's jobless rate is at a six-year low.

Hamilton unemployment rate represents a month-over-month decrease. In August, the rate was 6.3 per cent. In September, it was six per cent.

Numbers fluctuate wildly, Stats Can says, because they're based on small statistical samples.

The national unemployment rate is dropping too, from 6.8 per cent in September to 6.5 per cent in October. 

The numbers are for the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), which includes the cities of Hamilton and Burlington, as well as the Town of Grimsby.

Despite the rosy figures, a Statistics Canada report in September showed a mixed picture about the employment situation in the Hamilton CMA.

The region added 1,000 jobs in September, but the participation dropped from 66.7 per cent to 66.5 in the same period. That means the size of the available workforce shrank because of people who stopped looking for work or simply retired.

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Woman survives repeated stabbing attack

Police are still searching for a suspect after a woman was repeatedly stabbed in a central Hamilton home Tuesday evening.

It happened around 7:15 p.m. on Elgin Street, just south of Barton Street East, police say.

There was a knock on the door of a home, and when it was opened, a woman and two men forced their way inside, police say.

Once inside they found a woman inside one of the rooms. The female suspect got into a shouting match with the woman while brandishing a knife, police say.

Things escalated, and the woman in the room was stabbed "a number of times," police say. The men who had come into the home with the suspect prevented anyone else inside from stopping what was going on.

The suspects then ran off. Police believe the people involved knew each other and that this was a targeted attack.

The 47-year-old victim was taken to hospital in serious, but non life-threatening condition.

The investigation is ongoing.

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Fire stopped before reaching retirement home

CBC News Posted: Nov 05, 2014 8:04 AM ET Last Updated: Nov 05, 2014 8:04 AM ET

Hamilton firefighters managed to stop a shed fire from spreading to an East End retirement home early Wednesday.

Six units were dispatched to Montgomery Retirement Living at 1605 Main Street East around 6 a.m.

A shed at the back of the property was on fire, and it had spread to a garage next door, said fire safety officer Bob Simpson.

Firefighters managed to douse the flames and get things under control before it spread to the retirement home.

No one was injured.

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Cuban-Canadian finds inspiration in family's revolutionary past

A Cuban-Canadian actress goes onstage in a role that takes her back to a time and place she left behind 7:04

A Cuban-Canadian actress goes onstage in a role that takes her back to a time and place she left behind 7:04

For actor Carla Garcia, there was ample inspiration for her role in the Rise of the Prickly Pear. It's in her bloodline. 

In Hamilton playwright Radha Menon's latest play, Garcia plays a woman torn between the interests of her mother and her own young love, set in the middle of the Cuban Revolution. 

Garcia is a Cuban-born Canadian, but it's not just her birthplace that provided a deep pool of inspiration for the role. It's more to do with the man who pulled her first tooth. 

Speaking with CBC Radio's As It Happens Wednesday, Garcia said her grandfather, Luis Carlos Garcia, was not just a dentist, but he had another role as well.

"He was an undercover revolutionary," Garcia said. According to Garcia, her grandfather helped make forged documents, funnelling people in and out of the country, including helping Che Guevara find safe passage out of an African war into Bolivia. 

The play, meanwhile, uses the time period in which her grandfather worked undercover as the backdrop for a love story. 

In Prickly Pear, Garcia is a naive ballet dancer who has been groomed for marriage. Her mother is advocating for a wealthy general to be her husband, while her own love belongs to a young man, without the general's wealth. 

"I think people really love the history of Cuba, and I think people really love the attitude Cubans have," Garcia said. "But its also very emotional and very personal."

"More than a historic piece, it's very human and very emotional. and I think we like to see plays or movies where actors are honest and human and we can relate to them."

As for her grandfather, who is still alive at 96-years-old, she said she has been speaking more with him, hoping to have his books on the revolution translated to English. As for her role, she said her grandfather is excited.

"Mostly because I'm working," she joked. 

The play has finished its Hamilton run but will play Thursday and Sunday night in Toronto at The Box (89 Niagara Street), beginning at 8 p.m. Admission is $25 at the door.

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Food recall warning: Cranberry-apple cider from Mustard Seed

CBC News Posted: Nov 05, 2014 1:25 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 06, 2014 8:12 AM ET

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has upgraded its warning, and is now recalling unpasteurized cranberry-apple cider sold at the Mustard Seed due to a possible E. coli contamination.

The batch of recalls extends to Osoleo Wildcrafters unpasteurized cranberry-apple cider sold between Oct. 10 and Oct. 12.

The Mustard Seed is located at 460 York Boulevard. The recall involves both the one and two litre sizes.

The investigation was spurred because by findings of the CFIA, looking into a food-born illness. 

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Dakota Hart deemed fit for trial in Earl Kitchener charges

Hamilton man Dakota Hart, 47, is in custody after a child abduction at Earl Kitchener Public School last week. (Skylar.tigblog.org)

A man charged with abducting a west Hamilton elementary school student has been deemed mentally fit to stand trial.

A psychiatric assessment this week shows Dakota Hart, 47, is able to face trial, a Hamilton court heard on Wednesday.

Hart remains in custody amid charges he lured a young boy at Earl Kitchener Public School from the playground. An adult intervened and the boy was shaken but unharmed.

Hart is charged with assault with a weapon, forcibly seizing a person and two counts of breach of probation in relation to the Oct. 23 incident.

He also faces additional charges of assault and two counts of breach of probation stemming from a separate incident on Sept. 10.

Hart is in the midst of a series of proceedings to see if he'll be released on bail. The hearings are under a publication ban. He'll appear again in bail court on Nov. 14.

Hart appeared in court unshaven, wearing shackles, an orange shirt and black pants. He remained standing and had a pair of reading glasses atop his head. He asked to speak to the court but was denied.

Geoffrey Read was going to act as Hart's lawyer, but deferred the case to Andrew Confente.

Confente said outside the courtroom later that he has dealt with a number of cases involving mental health issues.

Hart was first in custody after being arrested under the Mental Health Act on a separate matter, police say.

The school board has since enacted a number of rules to ensure a similar incident to the one at Earl Kitchener doesn't happen again.

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Fire stopped before reaching retirement home

CBC News Posted: Nov 05, 2014 8:04 AM ET Last Updated: Nov 05, 2014 8:04 AM ET

Hamilton firefighters managed to stop a shed fire from spreading to an East End retirement home early Wednesday.

Six units were dispatched to Montgomery Retirement Living at 1605 Main Street East around 6 a.m.

A shed at the back of the property was on fire, and it had spread to a garage next door, said fire safety officer Bob Simpson.

Firefighters managed to douse the flames and get things under control before it spread to the retirement home.

No one was injured.

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Get used to taller buildings as Hamilton's housing boom continues

If Hamilton wants to keep its healthy housing growth, experts say, it's going to have to get used to intensification. That includes more buildings, taller buildings and condo towers in new locations.

Hamilton housing prices are on an upward swing, and will continue that way beyond 2015, experts said at a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) seminar on Tuesday.

'Some think intensification is not appropriate, that it's a dirty word.'- Ross Godsoe, CEO, Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington

But developers are running out of available land, which means the future of Hamilton's housing market is up, not out. And Hamiltonians will have to get used to it, said Ross Godsoe, CEO of the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington. 

"Some think intensification is not appropriate, that it's a dirty word," Godsoe said after the panel "Will residential intensification be a solution?"

"There's not a lot of green space available," he said. "Maybe there is today, but if you project five, 10 years down the road, there's very little serviced land available. So what else do you do? You go up."

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation held a panel on intensification in Hamilton. From left: Steve Robichaud, director of the planning division with the City of Hamilton; Ross Godsoe, CEO of the Realtors Association of Hamilton-Burlington; Abdul Kargbo, CMHC senior market analyst, and Nando Di Caria, president of the Hamilton-Halton Home Builders' Association. (Samantha Craggs/CBC)

It's a dynamic that's already happening in Hamilton. New CMHC figures show there'll be an increase in the number of multi-unit buildings over the next two years. A number of high-rise condo projects are already in the works downtown, including the proposed 22-storey project at the former Tivoli Theatre. A planned 30-storey condo project at the former James Street Baptist Church site, The Connelly, would be the third tallest building in Hamilton.

Building up requires educating the community on why it's happening, Godsoe said. The issue still faces NIMBYism in Hamilton, including complaints about building heights and the impact on neighbourhoods.

The key, he said, is for developers to get the community involved at the start of the project, and to pitch projects that suit the area.

But community acceptance of intensification in general is "critically important," he said. 

Hamilton's housing market looked rosy at the CMHC outlook seminar. Abdul Kargbo, a CMHC senior market analyst, predicted increasing Hamilton housing prices at least through the next year.

But it's the lower-priced areas  of the city poised for a real upswing in 2016, Kargbo said.

Hamilton Centre will see the biggest increase

While housing price growth will slow in the next two years, Kargbo said, prices will still be growing by more than 2.5 per cent per year in Hamilton Centre. And they'll grow between two and 2.5 per cent in Stoney Creek, Hamilton East, Hamilton Mountain and Dundas.

Cheaper housing draws Torontonians to Hamilton, he said. Hamilton housing prices are, on average, 40 per cent cheaper than the GTA. But that's not the only factor.

Jobs are growing in Hamilton, as is Ontario's manufacturing sector, Kargbo said. And as the U.S. economy improves, so will Hamilton housing sales.

People are working longer in their lives, and taking on mortgages at a later age too, he said. And more seniors are staying in their homes rather than downsizing.

It's a healthy growth, Kargbo said, and it does not resemble a bubble.

Acceptance has to start at the top

The growing market, however, will mean that apartment rental vacancy rates will also decrease. The solution to affordable housing for everyone, he said, will be infill and redeveloping or adding to existing properties.

That's not a surprise to Conrad Zurini of RE/MAX Escarpment Realty, who attended the conference.

Intensification keeps housing affordable for everyone, he said. But support of it has to start at city hall.

"Until we see start to see some leadership at city hall, and more of a hard line in terms of smart growth, that whole opportunity is going to be lost."

Zurini says he's seen an increase in people interested in detached homes in central Mountain, east Hamilton and other affordable areas, as well as an increased interest in condos.

---

Hamilton's Housing Outlook — Highlights

• The average resale price of a home in Hamilton will grow above 2.5 per cent in 2014 and 2015. It will slow in 2016, but Hamilton Centre's growth will still be more than 2.5 per cent.
• More than half (56 per cent) of the housing starts in Hamilton in 2015 and 2016 will be multi-unit buildings, up from 44 per cent in 2011.
• More people are moving into, rather than out of, Hamilton.
• Many seniors are aging in their homes rather than downsizing.
• More jobs will be created in 2015 and 2016, which will support housing demand.

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Man who died at Road2Hope Marathon was an experienced runner

Ancaster's Richard Greidanus, who died after collapsing near the finish line of Sunday's Road2Hope Marathon, was an experienced runner who had successfully competed in many long distance events.

Race co-ordinator Gord Pauls had trained with Greidanus, who most people knew as Rick, as part of a running group based out of the Runner's Den in Hamilton for the last 10 years.

"His outlook was always so positive, he was always smiling," Pauls told CBC Hamilton.

'His outlook was always so positive, he was always smiling.'- Gord Pauls, Road2Hope Co-ordinator

"He always worked hard at his running and was very systematic in his approach," he said, adding one season Greidanus had worked tremendously hard to qualify for the Boston Marathon, a lofty goal shared by many runners.

He'd also finished the 30-kilometre Around The Bay road race multiple times.

Greidanus's athletics, however, didn't define him, Pauls said. His caring, kind demeanour did.

On Monday, staff at the Runner's Den were visibly shaken up by Greidanus's sudden death. The runner fell just 10 metres from the half-marathon finish line, after 21 kilometres of running.

Healthcare professionals immediately performed CPR before he was taken to hospital, but was pronounced dead there. The exact cause of death has not been released.

Richard's wife, Joanne, was also racing on Sunday but was further back in the pack when he died. The pair often ran together and once competed in the Around The Bay race as a two-person team.

In an email to CBC Hamilton, Joanne Greidanus thanked those who were at her husband's side at the finish line.

"We take great comfort in the fact that Rick was doing what he loved, that excellent medical care helped immediately, that people who knew him and loved him were nearby," she wrote.

She also said her husband was a proud Christian, "and we know that he is with God."

At the Runner's Den, calls from Hamilton's close-knit running community have been pouring in.

"Everyone wants to be of help," Pauls said, adding with the family's blessing there might be a run honouring Greidanus in the future.

Outside of running, Greidanus worked as a controller at Sobotec Ltd. in Stoney Creek, a job which his wife says "he absolutely loved."

Cardiac arrest often to blame in marathon deaths

In most marathon deaths cardiac arrest — the deadly condition when the heart stops beating — is to blame.

'There's nothing in life that brings things down to zero risk.'- Dr. Robert McKelvie, Hamilton Health Sciences cardiologist

Dr. Robert McKelvie, a cardiologist with Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster professor who specializes in heart failure, physiology and exercise testing, said it's possible an underlying heart condition likely caused the runner's collapse.

"A lot of these guys that are avid runners … may not have been as physically active for their entire life," McKelvie said, noting disease starts accumulating in the coronary arteries in your 20s.

"Most times with people in this age group, it's usually coronary disease that's the culprit."

McKelvie said it's a good idea to get checked out by a doctor before embarking on a running program.

But, the scary thing for runners, is that these "occult" heart diseases, as McKelvie calls them, don't necessarily impair a runner's performance or even present symptoms. He recalls treating an Around The Bay running race competitor who raced to a fast time and then collapsed in his office two days later.

Overall, being physically fit reduces the risk of heart disease. But it can't stop tragedies like Sunday from happening.

"There's nothing in life that brings things down to zero risk," McKelvie said.

Male runners at greater risk: study

While running is good for the heart, even elite runners can't completely eliminate the risk of cardiac arrest a Hamilton heart doctor says. (Kathy Kmonicek/Associated Press)

Among runners and race organizers, the risk of cardiac arrest is known but marathon deaths are still shocking. At last year's Road2Hope a runner collapsed near the Confederation Park finish line, while multiple runners have died over the years at major marathons like Toronto, New York and Chicago.

The RACER study, a widely-cited 2012 report in the New England Journal of Medicine, laid out perhaps the best analysis of cardiac arrest in long-distance running races.

The study found there were 59 cases of cardiac arrest (40 in the full marathon and 19 in half-marathons) among the 10.9 million registrants in U.S. races from 2000-2010. That's one cardiac arrest per 184,000 racers. Of those who suffered cardiac arrests, 42 died.

Men were far more likely to suffer cardiac arrests than women, while the average age was 42-years-old.

The incidences of cardiac arrest, the study found, spiked in the fourth quarter of the race. The study also found that late into races fewer people were able to survive a cardiac arrest.

According to Heart and Stoke Canada, there are up to 40,000 cardiac arrests each year in Canada — one every 12 minutes — most of which result in death.

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Hamilton dragon boat team wins international regatta

A Hamilton dragon boat team was victorious in an international competition, coming first out of over 100 teams from around the world.

Knot A Breast, a club with about 70 Hamilton area paddlers, sent a team to compete at the International Breast Cancer Paddlers' Commission's races in Sarasota, Florida. The team entered the Participatory Dragon Boat Festival, held once every four years, as defending champions after winning the last edition in Peterborough.

Despite a nail-biting finish, the Hamilton team came out on top in the Division A final, beating out 50 other teams from Canada, as well as scores more from the U.S., U.K., Australia, Italy and more.

An image from the IBCPC's Participatory Dragon Boat Festival shows an aerial view of the event's carnation ceremony. (IBCPC)

The sport of dragon boating has been embraced by the breast cancer community since 2001, when Canadian sports medicine specialist Don McKenzie started a team for survivors of the disease.

Now, many regattas feature carnation ceremonies where the paddlers bring their boats together and toss flowers — usually pink ones — into the boats to remember others who have passed.

An amazing image from the Sarasota competition shows the Knot A Breast team, fourth from the right, joining the ceremony as thousands line the shore.

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Homeowners without insurance struggling after Burlington flood

Hundreds of Burlington homeowners are still waiting to learn how much money they'll get in disaster relief after a devastating flood hit the area last summer.

Many who visited a town hall meeting Tuesday night in Burlington to talk about financial assistance are struggling to cover what insurance won't.

Mark Pawlowich moved from Toronto for his dream home – but after the August long weekend's flood, he found out his basic insurance only covered one third of the damage caused by the rain.

A cluster of homes in southeast Burlington have suffered more than one sewer backup this year, a local councillor says. (Burlington Sewer Back-Up Victim Coalition)

"It's been a constant battle every last minute of my day," he said. Of the over 3,000 homes affected by water damage, 500 had either no insurance or not enough to cover damages.

'I had sewage come up in my basement, flooded my whole basement out, never mind it completely ruined everything in my basement, it also ruined my retirement and all my collection.'- Scott Garland, comic book collector

Comic book collector Scott Garland says he had thousands of dollars worth of mint condition comics and sports memorabilia sitting in his basement when the flood hit. He didn't have any of that covered by insurance, and now he has lost what he calls his retirement nest egg.

There were thousands of Superman, Spider-Man and X-Men comics sitting in his basement.

"The whole idea was to put them away and bring them back out 20 years later when I retire and have a very good investment when I retire," he said. "I had sewage come up in my basement, flooded my whole basement out, never mind it completely ruined everything in my basement, it also ruined my retirement and all my collection," he said.

Two months worth of rain fell on Burlington in just one night back in August as thunderstorms swept through much of southern Ontario. Highways were flooded, motorists were left stranded, and police called the situation "absolutely dangerous."

Homeowners have been dealing with the fallout ever since. The Burlington Community foundation has already raised more than $800,000 to help flooded homeowners who aren't fully covered.

The Ontario government is also expected to help out, but says it will only cover basic expenses.

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Man who died at Road2Hope Marathon was an experienced runner

Ancaster's Richard Greidanus, who died after collapsing near the finish line of Sunday's Road2Hope Marathon, was an experienced runner who had successfully competed in many long distance events.

Race co-ordinator Gord Pauls had trained with Greidanus, who most people knew as Rick, as part of a running group based out of the Runner's Den in Hamilton for the last 10 years.

"His outlook was always so positive, he was always smiling," Pauls told CBC Hamilton.

'His outlook was always so positive, he was always smiling.'- Gord Pauls, Road2Hope Co-ordinator

"He always worked hard at his running and was very systematic in his approach," he said, adding one season Greidanus had worked tremendously hard to qualify for the Boston Marathon, a lofty goal shared by many runners.

He'd also finished the 30-kilometre Around The Bay road race multiple times.

Greidanus's athletics, however, didn't define him, Pauls said. His caring, kind demeanour did.

On Monday, staff at the Runner's Den were visibly shaken up by Greidanus's sudden death. The runner fell just 10 metres from the half-marathon finish line, after 21 kilometres of running.

Healthcare professionals immediately performed CPR before he was taken to hospital, but was pronounced dead there. The exact cause of death has not been released.

Richard's wife, Joanne, was also racing on Sunday but was further back in the pack when he died. The pair often ran together and once competed in the Around The Bay race as a two-person team.

Pauls said he didn't want to speak for Joanne, but said she's surrounded by family at this time.

At the Runner's Den, calls from Hamilton's close-knit running community have been pouring in.

"Everyone wants to be of help," Pauls said, adding with the family's blessing there might be a run honouring Greidanus in the future.

Outside of running, Greidanus worked as a controller at Sobotec Ltd. in Stoney Creek, a job which his wife says "he absolutely loved."

Cardiac arrest often to blame in marathon deaths

In most marathon deaths cardiac arrest — the deadly condition when the heart stops beating — is to blame.

'There's nothing in life that brings things down to zero risk.'- Dr. Robert McKelvie, Hamilton Health Sciences cardiologist

Dr. Robert McKelvie, a cardiologist with Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster professor who specializes in heart failure, physiology and exercise testing, said it's possible an underlying heart condition likely caused the runner's collapse.

"A lot of these guys that are avid runners … may not have been as physically active for their entire life," McKelvie said, noting disease starts accumulating in the coronary arteries in your 20s.

"Most times with people in this age group, it's usually coronary disease that's the culprit."

McKelvie said it's a good idea to get checked out by a doctor before embarking on a running program.

But, the scary thing for runners, is that these "occult" heart diseases, as McKelvie calls them, don't necessarily impair a runner's performance or even present symptoms. He recalls treating an Around The Bay running race competitor who raced to a fast time and then collapsed in his office two days later.

Overall, being physically fit reduces the risk of heart disease. But it can't stop tragedies like Sunday from happening.

"There's nothing in life that brings things down to zero risk," McKelvie said.

Male runners at greater risk: study

Among runners and race organizers, the risk of cardiac arrest is known but marathon deaths are still shocking. At last year's Road2Hope a runner collapsed near the Confederation Park finish line, while multiple runners have died over the years at major marathons like Toronto, New York and Chicago.

The RACER study, a widely-cited 2012 report in the New England Journal of Medicine, laid out perhaps the best analysis of cardiac arrest in long-distance running races.

The study found there were 59 cases of cardiac arrest (40 in the full marathon and 19 in half-marathons) among the 10.9 million registrants in U.S. races from 2000-2010. That's one cardiac arrest per 184,000 racers. Of those who suffered cardiac arrests, 42 died.

Men were far more likely to suffer cardiac arrests than women, while the average age was 42-years-old.

The incidences of cardiac arrest, the study found, spiked in the fourth quarter of the race. The study also found that late into races fewer people were able to survive a cardiac arrest.

According to Heart and Stoke Canada, there are up to 40,000 cardiac arrests each year in Canada — one every 12 minutes — most of which result in death.

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Man dead after Bay Street motorcycle crash

(The Canadian Press)

A man is dead after a fatal crash involving a motorcycle and a taxi in downtown Hamilton Monday evening.

Emergency crews were first called to the area of Bay Street and Robinson Street near city hall around 6 p.m. Monday.

According to police, a 23-year-old man was on a motorcycle going northbound at a "high rate of speed" on Bay Street while a cab was going eastbound on Robinson Street through the intersection.

The man lost control and tried to lay down the motorcycle in an attempt to avoid the cab, police say, but he flew off and struck the rear passenger side of the taxi.

"Several people came to the aid of the rider and assisted in performing life saving measures until EMS arrived on scene," a police news release reads.

The man was taken to hospital with no vital signs, and was pronounced dead there shortly after. His identity is not being released at the request of the family, police say.

The taxi driver was not hurt. The Hamilton Police Reconstruction Unit is now investigating.

A stretch of Bay Street South was shut down for several hours while officers examined the scene.

Any witnesses to the crash who haven't yet spoken to police are asked to call 905-546-4753.

This is the city's 13th traffic fatality of the year, and third in just a few days. Two other people died in traffic incidents over the weekend.

Neeko Stein, 19, died in a two-vehicle crash Friday night in Flamborough.

Pedestrian Marshall Kampen, 19, was killed when he was hit by a car Sunday night in Dundas.

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How a McMaster University map got into Brad Pitt's new film 'Fury'

What do the producers of a Second World War epic starring Brad Pitt and geography students at McMaster University have in common?

Both groups have consulted the Hamilton, Ont., university's map collection in a bid to score high marks with audiences and critics.

Set in Spring 1945, during the last days of the Allies' European campaign, Fury depicts a U.S. tank commander Don Collier (Pitt) and his rag-tag crew of soldiers as they worm their way through Nazi-occupied territory.

Though the flick is a work of historical fiction, filmmakers went to great lengths to ensure the action appeared realistic — from the uniforms on the actors, to the equipment on the make-believe battlefields, to the maps in Allied commanders' hands.

Gord Beck is a map specialist at McMaster University. (Courtesy of Gord Beck)

Searching for accurate maps led the Fury team to contact Gord Beck, a map specialist at McMaster University, in September 2013, about a wartime map of Hanover, Germany, that had been produced by British officials.

"They had been searching for a particular map and happened upon it on our website," said Beck, who has been working in the university's map collection office for 17 years.

He promptly sent along a high-resolution digital copy of the original map, which was produced in 1943. Because the quality of the scan was so high — the file's size was about one gigabyte — the Fury producers were able to print a realistic-looking replica that would appear in the movie, which was filmed in the U.K.

Beck also put the filmmakers in touch with Larry Laliberté, a librarian with the University of Alberta, who was able to send a copy of a map that was not in the McMaster collection.

Beck didn't ask for any payment for the Hanover map. However, he requested that a reference to the McMaster maps collection be added to the credits.

Produced by British forces, this 1943 map of Hanover, Germany can be found in the map collection at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. (Courtesy of McMaster University)

Fury premiered in North America in mid-October and has taken in nearly a worldwide box office of nearly $100 million since its release.

Beck said he hasn't seen the film, but said the university officials were able to confirm the Hanover map and the McMaster credit each make an appearance.

McMaster has been in the process of digitizing many of the old maps it has in its collection using a sophisticated scanner that pumps out print-quality images.

In the past year, McMaster's Lloyd Reeds Map Collection has made around 3,000 Second World War-era topographical maps available on its website. Most of the original were made by the U.S. Army and many were printed by the British.

Beck said the project has yielded queries from people doing all kinds of research — from museum curators, to family historians, to engineers, as well as filmmakers.

"People are doing the most amazing things with these maps that you wouldn't even expect," Beck said.

"All of these other uses just spring up. You never know what people are going to use these for when you make them available."

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Brock University students in blackface win Halloween contest

A group of faculty members at a university in Ontario's Niagara Region is accusing students who won a campus pub Halloween contest of "racist" behaviour after they wore blackface to dress as the Jamaican bobsled team.

In a letter on the Facebook page of Brock University's labour studies department, four faculty members wrote that the incident has caused "concern and anxiety on campus," particularly since the four students won the $500 cash prize.

"Students, staff and faculty at Brock University need to understand that such costumes are not 'just a joke,'" said the letter signed by Larry Savage, director of the Centre for Labour Studies, and the three other professors.

"Regardless of the intent or motivation of the students in question, donning blackface for Halloween is never okay; it is racist, full stop."

The four students were among Halloween contestants at the party last Thursday at Isaac's Pub.

The letter also said the response from the Brock University Students Union (BUSU) was "halting, at best," and that there's been a "lack of response" from university senior administration.

Blackface minstrel shows have a history in Niagara, the letter says, adding that they were aimed at white tourists until the 1950s. Blackface also helps "maintain and normalize anti-black racism and systematic oppression," it adds.

In a statement on its website, BUSU said it's taking steps to ensure such incidents don't happen again.

It's expanding its workplace safety and harassment training to include equity and human rights training for front-line workers, including bar staff, it said.

It will also ensure that contest entries are vetted, BUSU said.

The students won the costume contest based on audience applause, BUSU president Roland Erman told the CBC. He does not think the winners had malicious intent. 

A student union representative will be on hand at future contests, possibly checking people's costumes as they wait in line outside, to guard against future blackface incidents.

"We can't go back and change that competition, but we can try to put building blocks in place to ensure for greater oversight," he said.

The union has received feedback from upset students, Erman said, and takes it seriously.

"BUSU recognizes that this was definitely an area of shortcoming this year and in the past."

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City shuts down 28 Lister Steakhouse

The city has shut down the beleaguered 28 Lister Chophouse Grill because owner Chris DesRoches hasn't paid his bills.

City staff and officials were on site Tuesday morning changing the locks. DesRoches' cutoff was 8 a.m., said Rom D'Angelo, director of facility management and capital programs.

"He knew that well in advance," he said. "That gave him enough time to get financing or whatever he needs to make good on the lease – and as of this morning that expired."

DesRoches could not immediately be reached for comment.

This marks the latest chapter in months of drama surrounding the steakhouse. Many had high hopes for the restaurant before its much-delayed opening — but it was plagued by complaints from contractors and staff who claim DesRoches never paid them, as well as grumbling about the quality of the food and prices from the general public.

The city even went so far as to post security guards on the site Tuesday to make sure no disgruntled creditors show up to take anything out of the restaurant.

"We have security 24-7, so whatever is in that space is safeguarded," D'Angelo said. "All the doors from the exterior are all locked so no one can get in from there.

"We hired additional guards today just in the event that we had creditors coming down here or we had anyone who may have wanted entry into the space. We wanted to make sure we safeguarded everything."

The troubled restaurant hasn't been open for service since last month, when employees who say they haven't been paid refused to open the doors. The 1930s-style eatery first opened in August, after the city invested $267,000 in the ground floor space of the restored Lister Block on James Street North.

More to come.

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How can Hamilton boost its voter turnout?

He doesn't want to give voters money.

In fact, he's not exactly sure what he wants to give people to encourage them to use their democratic right to vote.

But after voter turnout in this week's municipal election was only 34.02 per cent, Coun. Sam Merulla wants to give people something.

When city council resumes in December, the Ward 4 councillor will introduce a motion to look at some sort of pilot project to boost voter turnout in Hamilton's municipal elections. He wants to put some money aside if necessary and have staff study options.

While his initial idea was to offer an honorarium, he's since revised that.

"We need to look at what incentive we can develop to increase voter turnout," said Merulla, an incumbent who was elected with about 80 per cent of the vote. Of the 23,287 eligible voters in Ward 4, only 6,956 cast a vote, or 29.87 per cent.

As for what that incentive might be, "I don't know," he said. "That's why we need a study. I don't know what the answer is."

Merulla wasn't the only one disappointed that only 124,550 of the city's 366,124 eligible voters cast a ballot.

Generational shift?

Mayor-elect Fred Eisenberger campaigned on looking into online voting, which he believes will boost turnout. He called Monday's turnout "disappointing."

"We need to sit down with our education partners and start talking about educating kids through Grade 1 to Grade 12 that every time there's an election, they engage, they learn about the candidates and they vote," he said. "Voting is a learned behaviour."

Peter Graefe, a McMaster University political scientist, said the turnout was low — about six percentage points lower than 2010. But it wasn't markedly lower than other elections.

Graefe speculates that it's a generational shift. There's been a decrease in voter turnout in provincial and federal elections that "now seems to have eaten into the core of voters in municipal elections."

This municipal election lacked "big mayor issues" — the most noteworthy one was light rail transit — and many ward challengers didn't mobilize voters.

Electronic voting "captures the busy voter, but it doesn't capture the disaffected voter," he said.

Some areas fine people who don't vote, Graefe said. That provides "a negative incentive."

Lowest turnout in Ward 2

Graefe suggests a campaign financing structure to give incumbents less of an advantage, which would make the races closer. Most of the incumbents in the last election won handily, he said.

But "if (the voter incentive) isn't money, then what is it?" he said. "An apple? It's hard to know what that incentive would be."

Merulla believes there is one. It can't be punitive, he said. "That's disempowering."

"The issue is that we should have more people engaged."

Ward-by-ward results show no significant difference in voter turnout between wards that didn't have incumbents and wards that did. 

Ward 13 in Dundas had the highest voter turnout, while Ward 2 in downtown Hamilton had the lowest.

City council has its inaugural meeting on Dec. 3.

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Voter turnout by ward

• Ward 1: Chedoke-Cootes — 40.74 per cent
• Ward 2: Downtown — 29.04
• Ward 3: Hamilton Centre — 29.59
• Ward 4: East Hamilton — 29.87
• Ward 5: Redhill — 33.64
• Ward 6: East Mountain — 35.15
• Ward 7: Central Mountain — 31.75
• Ward 8: West Mountain — 36.29
• Ward 9: Heritage Stoney Creek — 34.20
• Ward 10: Stoney Creek — 37.40
• Ward 11: Glanbrook, Stoney Creek, Winona — 33.61
• Ward 12: Ancaster — 35.90
• Ward 13: Dundas — 43.79
• Ward 14: Wentworth — 33.41
• Ward 15: Flamborough — 27.88

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Hamilton Road2Hope marathon runner dies after collapsing

A marathon runner in Ontario has died after collapsing near the finish line at the Road2Hope marathon in Hamilton on Sunday, the city's emergency service confirmed.

The collapse happened around 10 a.m. local time near the finish line. The runner, a man in his mid-50s who was taking part in the half marathon race, was without vital signs when he fell down, according to Doug Waugh, deputy chief of operation with Hamilton Paramedic Service.

A number of doctors and nurses who were volunteering at the marathon performed CPR on the man, Waugh said. 

"So he was treated immediately," he told CBC Hamilton.

He was transported to Hamilton General Hospital where he died, Waugh said. 

The hospital is not releasing the name of the runner due to patient confidentiality, a spokesperson said. 

Swift response

Race organizers issued a statement Sunday night, sending their thoughts and prayers to the family. 

"Unfortunately, events such as today can happen at marathon races and our medical staff were prepared and ready to respond," the statement reads. 

The runner collapsed 10 metres away from the finish line, according to the organizers. The emergency response team, which includes physicians, nurses, paramedics and first aid responders, assisted the runner immediately. 

"Despite their heroic efforts, they were unable to revive him," the statement continues. 

The Road2Hope marathon, a two-day event, drew 5,000 people to Hamilton, according to organizers. About 2,000 runners took part in the half marathon and 1,000 in the full marathon on Sunday. The 1K, 5K and 10K races took place on Saturday. 

The half marathon was briefly stopped and detoured as paramedics treated the runner near the finish line. The full marathon wasn't affected by the incident, as the man had been taken to the hospital by the time the first full marathoners approached the finish area. 

'What if that was us?'

Toby Cockcroft from Toronto was among the group of half marathon runners who were stopped after the man collapsed. He said emergency staff on site approached the man immediately and performed chest compression for about seven minutes. 

The race's medical director also used a smartphone to time the sequence and called out instructions, he recalled. 

"It was very professional," he said. "I don't know what else they could have done to him."

Runners approach the finish line at Road2Hope marathon Sunday morning. The two-day event drew 5,000 people to Hamilton, according to organizers. (Sunnie Huang/CBC)

Nonetheless, Cockcroft said it is still upsetting to see a fellow runner in medical distress. 

"There was no life in him. His eyes were half open. His face was all bloodied," he told CBC News. "It was pretty disturbing to see him in that stage."

It isn't the first time that Cockcroft, who has been running for seven years and has completed five marathons, witnessed a running-related death. A man collapsed near the finish line at a 10-kilometre race in Toronto several years ago and also died.

Underlying heart conditions, which are aggravated by the stress of running, are usually to blame, according to Cockcroft. 

The 45-year-old said the incident has reminded him to assess his heart condition too and he plans to discuss it with his doctor during his next checkup. 

"What if that was us? What should we do to make sure it doesn't happen to us?"

Both the half marathon and the full marathon on Sunday began at ArcelorMittal Dofasco Park in Hamilton's Stoney Creek neighbourhood and ended in Confederation Park. The full marathon kicked off at 8 a.m., followed by the half marathon 15 minutes later. 

Billed as the No.1 qualifier in Canada for the Boston Marathon, the event is now in its eighth year. 

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Hamilton Road2Hope marathon draws 5,000 runners

Alexandre Boule completed the Road2Hope full marathon on Sunday in 2:41:44, a stunning first-place finish in his age group and third place overall. But his race didn't stop at the finish line. 

After pacing around with a gold ring in his hand, the runner from Quebec City proposed to his girlfriend Marie-Claude Brassard, who crossed the finish line 20 minutes later. 

Sunday's race in Hamilton is Boule's fourth full marathon, but it was Brassard's first.

"I feel like it's a good moment," Boule said. The two have been dating for two years.

Billed as the No. 1 qualifier for the Boston Marathon, Road2Hope drew 5,000 runners to Hamilton this year, according to organizers. The two-day event is now in its eighth year. 

Participants this year were also encouraged to wear poppies to honour the two Canadian soldiers killed in last month's attacks.

Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, a Hamilton native, was fatally shot by a gunman while guarding the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Oct. 22. Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent died after a targeted hit-and-run in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., on Oct. 20. 

While runners in the 1K, 5K and 10K races on Saturday braved gusty winds and the city's first snow of the season,  Sunday's half marathon and full marathon races took place under clear, sunny skies. 

The half marathon was briefly stopped after a man collapsed near the finish line. Runners were detoured to make room for the ambulance and the paramedics. Organizers say the man was taken to the hospital and it is unclear what his condition is. 

Taylor Kraayenbrink, a 24-year-old from Sarnia, Ont., is the first full marathoner to cross the finish line at Sunday's race. (Sunnie Huang/CBC)

The full marathon wasn't affected by the incident.

Starting at ArcelorMittal Dofasco Park in Stoney Creek, it takes runners through the back country roads of Hamilton and the edge of the escarpment for the first 15 kilometres. Runners then get on the Red Hill Valley Parkway for a scenic downhill coast before turning onto Beach Boulevard and heading toward Burlington. The last seven kilometres of the race takes runners along the waterfront trail, which leads to the finish line at Confederation Park. 

For 24-year-old Taylor Kraayenbrink, the first full marathoner to cross the finish line, the downhill coast was the toughest part. 

"Those are my slowest kilometres," said Kraayenbrink, from Sarnia, Ont. "It was a three-man race to 36K and I broke away at 36K and ran alone."

Nonetheless, he said he is still satisfied by the result: 2:31:11. The avid runner has completed Road2Hope's 5K and 10K races before, and he came back to Hamilton — where he attended school — this year to complete the full marathon. 

"I love running in Hamilton. It's my second home," he said. 

Proceeds of the race will go to two local two charities, including Hamilton City Kids, a youth advocacy group, and Joy and Hope of Haiti, a volunteer group that helps raise funds to build elementary schools in Haiti. 

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'Light at the end of the tunnel' gone for Canadian in Indonesian jail

Neil Bantleman, the Canadian man detained in Indonesia after being swept up in a high-profile child sexual assault investigation, has written a second letter to the Canadian government calling for support as he waits for pending charges and faces the prospect of a trial. 

Bantleman, a learning coordinator at the Jakarta International School, was arrested earlier this year in connection with allegations that several kindergarten students at the school were sexually assaulted. 

The 45-year-old teacher, who is from Burlington, Ont., and also taught in Calgary, has been held in a Jakarta jail since July 14 but hasn't been charged with any crime.

On Wednesday, however, the Office of the Attorney General in Indonesia announced that Bantleman's case has been accepted for trial. Charges are expected next week, according to his brother Guy Bantleman, who released Bantleman's letter.

The latest development also means that Bantleman will be moved to the Cipinang Penitentiary for the pre-trial period, which is expected to last three to four months. Guy Bantleman said the facility is far more dangerous for inmates than the location where his brother is currently being detained. 

Neil Bantleman, seen here with his wife Tracy, is from Burlington, Ont., and also taught in Calgary. (Free Neil Bantleman & Ferdi Tjiong/Facebook)

"No further 'evidence' had been collected and additional requirements never completed, yet the file has been accepted [for trial]," said Bantleman in a letter written the day after the announcement, calling the latest development "highly suspect."

He added that the Office of the Attorney General can still review his file and make a decision to refrain from proceeding to trial, so he is asking the Canadian government to take diplomatic actions to ensure the case does not move forward to trial. 

Bantleman's first letter to the Canadian government was a handwritten note he sent from jail to the Prime Minister's Office in August, a month after he was detained. He pointed out issues that he believed violated his human rights and requested the government's assistance. 

"Since this time, the circumstances of my case have become dire and the time for action on the part of the Canadian government is now," he wrote in Thursday's letter. 

"I reach out to you in desperation as only government intervention will save me from a fate which I do not deserve."

$125M lawsuit 

Bantleman's arrest stems from an investigation by Jakarta police into sexual assault at the school earlier this year. The Jakarta Post newspaper reported that six janitors were arrested for allegedly raping a young boy in a school bathroom in March.

'The 120 days provided a light at the end of the tunnel. That doesn't exist anymore.'- Guy Bantleman, Neil Bantleman's brother

Later, the parents of two other students filed police reports claiming their sons were sexually assaulted by teachers. The newspaper also reported that one complainant, whose family is suing the school for $125 million, implicated teachers at the school.

In July, Bantleman and Ferdinand Tjiong, an Indonesian teaching assistant, were detained and questioned by police for nine hours. They were never released.

Since then, Bantleman's detention has been extended multiple times. 

Guy Bantleman said his brother had hoped that he would be released after 120 days, the maximum time allowed under Indonesian law before charges must be laid. But now, more than 100 days into the detention, charges are pending and release seems unlikely. 

"The 120 days provided a light at the end of the tunnel. That doesn't exist anymore," Guy Bantleman told CBC News. 

Bantleman's family and school officials have both criticized the investigation, saying authorities lack any evidence. The family has also called on the Canadian government to do more to free him.

Minister responds to family pleas

In a letter to Guy Bantleman on Friday, Minister of State Lynne Yelich, who is responsible for consular affairs, said her staff are aware of the Office of the Attorney General's announcement. 

"My officials are actively gathering additional information regarding the latest developments so we can have a better understanding of what this decision means for your brother's case.

"Canadian officials will continue to work diligently with the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Indonesian Embassy to Canada in seeking to ensure Neil receives an equitable, transparent and timely judicial process, and that consular officials continue to have regular access to your brother."

Guy Bantleman said, however, that he is disappointed by the response and calls the Canadian government's actions ineffective. 

Guy Bantleman said his brother faces several months behind bars. 

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Full text of Neil Bantleman's letter to the Canadian government

Letter to Canadian government - Dear Honorable Prime Minister Harper,

I am writing as a follow up to a letter I sent to you August 14th.  Since this time, the circumstances of my case have become dire and the time for action on the part of the Canadian government is now.  The office of the Attorney General  announced Wednesday, October 29th that they would be accepting my case for trial after rejecting the file on three previous occasions.  No further "evidence" had been collected and additional requirements never completed,  yet the file has been accepted. These developments are highly suspect and cause concerns about corruption and collusion between the prosecutors office and the police to move this case forward abandoning all considerations of proper legal protocol and procedures. 

It is my understanding that there is a legal precedence whereby the Attorney General's office can still review the file and make a decision to refrain from proceeding to trial.  I am asking the Canadian Government to use all its power to take immediate diplomatic action at the highest levels, where political influence is expected to have its greatest effect, to ensure the case does not move forward to trial. This is a critical time as a new government has been sworn in and a new Attorney General is to be appointed within days.  The selection of this attorney general is charged with the responsibility of eradicating corruption and eliminating injustice.   I have been informed that the founding embassies of JIS, the US Embassy, Australian Embassy and British Embassy, are planning to meet the new Attorney General within days of his/her appointment to lobby for the case to be thrown out. I expect the Canadian Embassy will be present as well.  In addition to this lobbying, I am requesting that Ottawa reach out to this newly appointed government at the highest levels to make your concerns known. 

Although I am relieved to know that status of the  US female individual (JIS Elementary Principal)  remains that of a witness, it is difficult to accept that she has avoided being named a suspect. It is apparent that she has been afforded greater protection as an American citizen and I feel it is unacceptable that Canada has not made a greater effort to protect and stand up for an innocent Canadian citizen.

As each day passes and circumstances continue to deteriorate I am pleading for your assistance to intervene and act on my behalf. I have been wrongly accused, taken away from my family and denied my human rights.  My resolve is beginning to wane and my hope diminishing. I reach out to you in desperation as only government intervention will save me from a fate which I do not deserve. 

Respectfully 

Neil Bantleman

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