Help Generations help kids generationsfoundation.com 514-933-8585 MAY 2009 theseniortimes.com VOL. XXIII N O 7 INSIDE % Minimum $25,000 – NOT A GIC 514-934-0586 www.rothenberg.ca 514-697-0035 450-321-0215 South Shore West Island Westmount ANNUAL GUARANTEED INCOME WITH GROWTH POTENTIAL Napa Valley Tour p. 12-13 Freda Kopyto Jeanne Fournier Marie Cayer Sr Suzanne Lachapelle Dora’s daughters gear up for International Yiddish Theatre Festival p. 3 ★ Stars of SunYouth p. 14
Transcript
HelpGenerations
help kids
generationsfoundation.com514-933-8585 MAY 2009 theseniortimes.com VOL. XXIII NO 7
INSIDE
%Minimum $25,000 – NOT A GIC 514-934-0586
www.rothenberg.ca514-697-0035 450-321-0215
South ShoreWest IslandWestmount
ANNUAL GUARANTEED INCOMEWITH GROWTH POTENTIAL
Napa Valley Tour p. 12-13
Freda Kopyto
Jeanne Fournier Marie Cayer
Sr Suzanne Lachapelle
Dora’s daughtersgear up forInternational YiddishTheatre Festival p. 3
�Stars of SunYouth p. 14
The shock engendered by 9/11 and other terroristactions has shaken the moral fibre of Western na-tions and weakened the basic pillars of our liberaldemocracies: innocence until proven guilty in acourtof law,freedomfromtorture, the rightof anysuspect to be indicted after 24 hours or releasedfromcustody.Debate isswirlingintheUnitedStatesabout whether charges should be laid, or at least apublic inquiryheld intothewaythecountryhas in-terrogatedterrorsuspects.Worldopinion,andthatof this newspaper, is clear on this issue.As stated in theUnitedNationsConventionAgainstTorture, it is against international law to inflict “se-vere painor suffering,whether physical ormental”to
obtain information or a confession. Canada ratifiedthe convention and allows individual complaints tothe UN,while the US has signed but not ratified it.The debate was reignited last month when USPresident Barack Obama released so-called torturememos, outlining harsh interrogation techniquessanctioned by the GeorgeW. Bush administration.These include: water boarding, simulating the sen-sation of drowning; placing a harmless insect in asuspect’s confinement box and telling him itwould sting; sleep deprivation for up to 180 hours;confining a detainee in painful positions. Obamabanned these practices his first week in office.Then there is the system of extraordinary rendi-tion, where a suspect is apprehended and trans-ferred to another country so that“torture by proxy”can be carried out. Shamefully, Canadians are notimmune to this practice.MaherArar, a Syrian-bornCanadian, was arrested in New York on Sept. 26,2002, based in part on incomplete and unverifiedinformation supplied by the RCMP about his al-leged links to Al-Qaeda. Twelve days later he wasflown to Syria, where he was beaten, tortured andforced tomake false confessions.He has since beencleared of any terrorist links or activities, and theCanadian government has apologized for any roleCanadians may have played in the ordeal andawarded him $10.5 million in compensation.Among the painful lessons to be learned here isthat detainees will say virtually anything undertorture in the hope it will stop. Professionals un-derstand the limited value of information ob-tained under these circumstances, and we allshould be concerned about embarking on thatslippery slope that erodes our values.In Canada, nobody was singled out for blame orpunishment in theArar affair.Andwe havewatchedin amazement asAbousfianAbdelrazik, a Canadianof Sudanese origin, has been forced for the last yearto sleep in the foyer of the Canadian embassy inKhartoum– andpays for the privilege – because he’son a no-fly list. On a visit there to see his ailingmother, hewas imprisoned and tortured, apparentlyon the recommendation of the Canadian SecurityIntelligence Service. In spite of the torture – he hasshown visitors the physical scars as evidence – andwhat he may have said, both CSIS and the RCMPhave advised the Harper government they have noreason to believeAbdelrazik is a terrorist.He has alsobeen cleared by the Sudanese secret service.CSIS in-sists it does not arrange for the arrest of Canadiancitizens overseas, despite documentary evidencefrom Foreign Affairs to the contrary in this case.US President Obama has absolved CIA operativeswho used torture tactics, but debate is still swirlingas towhether those in the administrationwho sanc-tioned these methods should be held accountable,or at least examined in a public inquiry.CSIS has of-fered to take part in a similar inquiry into its role inthe Abdelrazik affair.We believe both are necessary.Public officials involved shouldbe granted immunityfrom prosecution so the issue of aiding and abettingtorture for any reason can be aired.We support giv-ing our intelligence services in Canada the resourcesthey need to protect our society from conspiracy tocarry out terrorism.But thatmust not include licenceto torture,which goes against the fundamental prin-ciples of rule of law, ismorally repugnant andplainlyintolerable under any circumstances.
While she lived, Dora Wasserman(1919-2003), founder of the DoraWassermanYiddishTheatre,believedin tomorrow.“She always said ‘whatwas – was’ and that you have to focuson the future,” recalled her daughterEllaWasserman.Though she residesin Israel,EllawassummonedtoMon-treal by her sister Bryna, to help cele-brate the 50th anniversary of theirmother’s labour of love.“What better way to honour Dora
than to assemble the five existing Yid-dish theatres of the world,” said BrynaWasserman, now artistic director ofthe award-winning theatre.In a bouquet of firsts, The Montreal
InternationalYiddish Theatre Festival,beginning June 17, will feature 36events over nine days, including the-atre performances, concerts, exhibits,films, and lectures.“It will be the first-ever international Yiddish theatre fes-tival that has an academic side to it,where practitioners and scholars arebrought together with everyone beingasked to participate in the entire festi-val,” Bryna said.InvitedYiddish theatres fromPoland,
Romania, France, Israel and the USwill each present a main stage per-formance as well as a second, “morecutting-edge,” production. Of specialnote are an anticipated reunion ofYid-dish Theatre “alumni” (anyone who’sever had anything to do with Dora’stheatre in the past) and an excitingmulti-media outdoor event on June21in the park behind the Segal Centre,organized by the third generation ofperformers, the Young Actors for
Dora Wasserman Yiddish eatre at 50: Le Chayim!
Continued on page 4
www.theseniortimes.com May 2009 THE SENIOR TIMES 3
Dora Wasserman on the coverof MTL Magazine in 1992
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YoungAudiences (YAYA), in a specialwelcome to the community at large.A larger cause for celebration, Brynasaid, is that the Yiddish language hassurvived its“tormented”history.“[Thefestival] is a very strong statement ofsurvival; we’re looking at the past withthe intention of creating a future.”In the early part of the 20th century,Yiddish, the language of EuropeanAshkenazi Jews,was spoken by 18mil-lionpeople,but itwasnearly decimatedby theHolocaust.Now there is renewedinterest in the language that originatedbetween 900 and 1100 C.E. and whoseroots, for many, reach into the veryheart of Jewish identity (the wordYid-dishmeans Jewish).Yiddish studies arenow taught in major universities, in-cludingColumbia,Oxford andMcGill.“Yiddish is a very interesting lan-guage,” saysHowardRichler, author ofseveral books on language.“Originallyit was the women’s and children’s lan-
guage in the shtetl, while Hebrew wasthe language of the men studying inthe synagogue.Virtually everyYiddishterm you could think of is in the Ox-ford dictionary.Yiddishwords are fun,very onomatopoeic [their soundevokes their meaning], and you maynot have an exact word in English thatwould express some concepts.”Writers like Isaac Bashevis Singerand Sholem Aleichem who write inYiddish and performers like theyoung people nurtured by Dora andnow Bryna Wasserman continue tomake the language – and the culturefrom which it is inseparable – acces-sible outside the ivory towers.Like Dora, Bryna sees the theatre’srole in keeping the Yiddish heritagealive as central to its existence. “Oneof our missions is the survival of thelanguage,” she says, “to keep it vi-brant and in the forefront.”Singer, aNobel-prizewinningwriter,was not worried about decliningYid-
dish audiences.“The leaves are falling,but the trunk and roots always stay. Itlooks bad but our situation lookedbad already 3,000 years ago,” he oncesaid in an interview.Preserving Yiddish is imperativenow, but just as the language bor-rowed freely from other languages –perhaps accounting for its richnessof expression – Yiddish theatre hashistorically adapted and producedgreat works of literature from variouscultures. “It’s important to maintainand tell our stories, culture and song,but also to interpret literature from aJewish point of view,”Bryna said.Michel Tremblay’s Les Belles Soeurswas one of the DoraWassermanYid-dish Theatre’s earliest productions.The playwright called it one of thebest interpretations of the play in aforeign language.Dora is remembered as artisticallydemanding and infinitely loving,doing whatever was necessary to ad-vance the cause of her great love, the-atre. “By the sheer force of hercharisma, we were all her children,”
one longtime participant, ShirleyGonshor, once said. Dora had noqualms about bribing (and ultimatelyinspiring) budding young perform-ers with French fries and hot dogs, oradapting and staging, without per-mission, Isaac Bashevis Singer’s work.After meeting with her, the greatwriter was charmed, and gave her –the only person in the world so priv-ileged – carte blanche to carry on.Yiddish Theatre continues to attractnon-Yiddish actors and audiences, atestament toDora’s belief that its uni-versal appeal extends beyond any oneelement. “Theatre has nothing to dowith language. If language is the prob-lem – it’s not a problem. If a play isgood, you will feel it.”The Montreal International Yiddish
Theatre Festival runs from June 17 to25. All Yiddish performances haveEnglish and French super-titles.For information, call 514-739-7944
or visit www.segalceeningntre.org.
Howard Richler on keeping lan-guages alive. Page 6
Dora Wasserman: “If a play is good, you will feel it”
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www.theseniortimes.com May 2009 THE SENIOR TIMES 5
Martin C. Barry
A 65-year-oldmanwho is taking part thismonthin an expedition upMount Everest demonstrateshow some retirees continue to enjoy physicallychallenging activities.“Before I made the decision to get involved in
this adventure to go to Mount Everest, I didn’t re-ally work out or do much exercise,” says DonaldFlam, a Hampstead resident.“Your choices are to stay at home and vegetate
and mentally grow old fast, or do some physicalactivity. It’s difficult not to dream about going onsuch an adventure. Never in my wildest dreamswould I have imagined not only having this op-portunity, but being capable of doing it.”Flam is going to Everest as part of a group of 25
peoplewho are raising funds through donor pledgesfor the Make-A-Wish children’s foundation. He isthe oldest member of the group. Make-A-Wishhopes to repeat the success of their 2007 expedition,when another group of climbers reached the sum-mit of Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro.Located in the Himalayas,Mount Everest is situ-
ated between Nepal and Tibet. A seasoned profes-sional climber will lead the group up the world’shighest mountain. After answering an advertise-ment in a local paper, Flam spoke with the guide,who assured him he’d be able to endure the trek,which is only to the 17,000-foot base camp, and notto the summit of the 29,000-foot Mount Everest.Flam is remarkably fit even though he never both-
ered much with physical activity till he turned 60.
“I was always careful about my diet,” he says.“Bynature I am slim. I was never overweight. But Iguess when you get to be closer to 60 and you goto the doctor every year you start getting con-cerned about your health. I became more con-scious of what I was doing and I did start to dosome walking around. But never would I in my
wildest dreams have thought that I could under-take such a venture.”Before committing himself about eight months
ago to the trek, walking was his principal mode ofexercise. “I’d walk on a Saturday or Sunday for anhour-and-a-half,”he says, adding that he increasedhis level of activity during annual winter vacationsin Florida.“There’s no question that if you do any kind of
physical activity, it’s good, not only for your body,but for your mental well-being.“At 65 you do get some aches and pains,”he adds.
He recently received a clean bill of health and hisdoctor’s OK to go on the trip.While Flam had some exposure to outdoor living
in his youth, he’s done nothing comparable to whatlies ahead. The training he’s undergone in prepara-tion has included a trip to the White Mountains inNew Hampshire, scaling Mont Saint-Hilaire, andclimbing the back of Mont Tremblant, which tookninehours despite itsminuscule stature compared toEverest. There have been fivemajor treks altogether.“Part or the reason you do the treks is to learn
some climbing techniques,” Flam says. “The otherreason for these full-day treks is to get to knowyour climbing companions. We’ll be gone for 21days, of which 17 involve severe climbing up to thebase camp.”He’s aware that oxygen starvation willbe the greatest concern as the climbers get closer totheir destination.How does his wife feel about her husband going
off on such a demanding adventure?
Retirement: a time to climb to new heights
Donald Flam and his wife, Randi Greenberg
Photo:
Martin
C.Ba
rry
Continued on page 6
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There are approximately 50 nativelanguages in Canada andmany lin-guists say that only three – Inukti-tut, Ojibwa and Cree – are likely tosurvive this century.But language rejuvenators take heartas language prognosticators enjoy aspotty record. Referring to the im-probability of being able to reviveHebrew as a vernacular in the 20th
century, scholar SimonBernfeldwroteat the turn of the century: “To maketheHebrew language a spoken tonguein the usual sense of the word is …impossible. It has never occurred inany language. … A broken glass canno longer be put back together.”May14marked the 61st anniversary of theState of Israel, and so far the Hebrewglass shows no signs of shattering.Bernfield was espousing “commonknowledge.” Theodore Herzl, the fa-ther of Zionism, and Nathan Birn-baum (coiner of “Zionism”) didn’t
believe the vernaculariza-tion of Hebrewwas reallypossible in the foresee-able future. Time hasproven thesemenwrong.How did this happen?With the expulsion of
Jews from Israel in 70 A.D., the every-day usage of Hebrew faded and wasreplaced by Aramaic and Greek. Al-though Hebrew stopped being a ver-nacular, it retained its position inJewish communities as a language ofstudy and prayer. Jews in the diasporacommonly used Ladino, the tradi-tional language of Jews of Spanishdescent, or Yiddish, for internal com-munication, and a non-Jewish vernac-ular for external communication.There were occasions when two Jewsfrom different areas might meet whocould communicate only inHebrew.AJew fromMorocco (who didn’t speakYiddish)mightmeet a Jew fromRussia(who didn’t speak Ladino). Theseencounters, however, were rare.The revival of a language that hasceased being used as a vernacular isa rare event, but Hebrew was not somuch revived as revitalized. Hebrewwas on the threshold of speech, hav-
ing only lost its position as the lan-guage of themarketplace. There wereseveral factors that influenced itsrenaissance. The Jews of Palestinewanted to break ties to the diasporaand a distinct national language wasnecessary to effectuate this divorce.Although English, French and Ger-man were common languages, noneof them was dominant enough tostymie Hebrew’s resurgence. He-brew’s main rival, Yiddish, never se-riously challenged the predominanceof Hebrew for many of the secularYiddishists were anti-Zionist anddidn’t immigrate to Israel in largenumbers. Hebrew was thus able tofill a void by serving as a commonvernacular to all the Jewish commu-nities in Palestine. The Hebrew lan-guage was also blessed with manytexts with varied Hebraic styles.The personmost associatedwith therevitalization of Hebrew was EliezerBen Yehuda, who left Europe in 1881to live in the cramped quarters ofJerusalem.Both he and his wife shareda burning enthusiasm for the promo-tion of Hebrew. They established apolicy in their home that Hebrew wasthe only language one was permittedto speak. Any visitor who could notspeak Hebrew was forced to resort togestures in order to communicate.Thanks in large part to Ben Yehuda’szealousness, writer Robert St. Johnsays it is nowpossible“for severalmil-lion people to order groceries, drivecattle, make love and curse out theirneighbours in Hebrew.”Ben Yehuda coined the word et-onfor newspaper by an adaptation of thephrase michtav-et, “a letter of thetime.” A dictionary had previously
been referred to as sefermillim,“bookof words” and Ben Yehuda used theHebrewwordmillah, (word) as a baseand created the word millon to referto a dictionary. The youth of ancientJudea lacked bouncing balls andwhenBen Yehuda saw his son playing witha ball, the lad apparently uttered asound like cadurr, hence a ball in He-brew became kadur. He also coinedtheword dagdegan,“clitoris” from theroot dagdeg,“to tickle.”Not all of Ben-Yehuda’s neologisms, however, caughton. For example, his word for tomato,badura, was rarely voiced outside theBen-Yehuda kitchen, and Hebrewspeakers’ word for tomato is agvania.Similarly, although the officialHebrewword for sandwich is karich, you’ll beprobably served faster at a Tel Avivrestaurant if you ask for a “sendvich.”Although other attempts at revivinga language, such as Maori and Irish,have been hampered by a lack of wide-spread knowledge of the written lan-guage, no case is hopeless. LinguistKenneth Hale says even though therearen’t any speakers of Mohican, “youcould take books and deeds publishedback in the 1600s, and from what weknow about comparative Algonquin,you could figureoutpretty closelywhatit sounded like. People could learn itand begin to use it and revive it.”Israeli scholar Naftali Tur-Sinaistated, “even an artificial languagewhich has never been alive, such asEsperanto, can be made to live, ifonly there is a recognized need for itand a stubborn will of people tomake it come alive.”Happy 61st birthday, Israel.Howard Richler’s latest book is
Can I Have a Word With You?
e glass of language can be replenished
The Word NerdHoward Richler
“I’m the athlete in the family, theone who climbs and jogs and doesboot camp,” she says. “But when hedecided to do this, I said ‘okay’, andthere were times when in the back ofmy mind I said ‘he’s not going to doit.’ But slowly I saw that he was perse-vering and he is going to. I think it’sjust great – and it’s for a great cause.”Flam says he’ll be relying onmental
strength as well as his physicalprowess. He’s paying nearly $9,000out of his own pocket for the adven-ture, and he’ll be raising about$14,000 in pledges forMake-A-Wish.His group aims to raise more than$250,000 altogether. For more infor-mation or to pledge a donation, visitthe expedition’s website atwww.makeawish.ca/news_and_media/news/read/1006
Continued from page 5
Group aims to raise $250,000
Publisher & Managing Editor Barbara MoserAssistant Editor Kristine BereyCopy Editor Andrea ShepherdEditorial Assistant Shannon RoseJournalists Martin C. Barry, Kristine Berey,Molly Newborn, Shannon Rose
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6 THE SENIOR TIMES May 2009 www.theseniortimes.com
Martin C. Barry
CSSS Cavendish is ahead of schedule upgradingprofessional services offered at nearly two dozenWest End Montreal private senior citizens resi-dences, in compliance with provincial healthministry regulations, an official says.
The local health and social services agency,which oversees 24 private seniors residences in itsterritory, has been participating in a wide-rangingcertification program. The overall goal is to im-prove a range of measures for health and securityneeds at the residences by mid-June.
In the fall of 2005, Quebec announced the actionplan,meant primarily to improve conditions for sen-iors with reduced autonomy. As of last week, a fewhomes in CSSS Cavendish’s territory were still in theprocess of completing the certification process.
“We certified some in March and April,” saidJoanne Besner, a CSSS Cavendish administratorresponsible for overseeing certification on twospecific points at the residences. Fourteen morecertificates are being issued in May and June.
“We’re going to be able to do it. We’ve made it apriority and we’re going to push ahead.”
To validate the certification, the CSSS is signingan agreement with each of the residences. Certifi-cation varies with each, depending on the profes-sional staff at the residences. Staffing is not the sameat all of them. Some employ registered nurses, whileothers have trained health care attendants.A re-cer-tification must take place every two years.
An entente will be signed by CSSS Cavendishwith 22 of the residences for two specific articles ofcertification. They concern the administration ofmedication and invasive care. “For anyone receiv-ing medication or invasive care delegated to anon-professional, it has to be done within the pro-gram and has to have an encadrement,” Besnersaid. “That’s where we come in.”
Twenty-four other articles for improvement,ranging from fire safety to nutritional standards,must also be completed before the residences canattain certification. That process is being overseenby the Agence de la Santé et des services sociaux deMontréal, which is responsible for Montreal Island.
Besner said the CSSS’s role regarding those issuesis mostly consultative. “In the attainment of theircertification we are here to support them,” shesaid. “For other articles they may ask us for infor-mation and references.”
According to Besner, certification should reas-sure families that the standards and quality ofservices are higher than ever at the residences.“The great thing is that now every single residencethat operates has to be certified,” she said. “Theyhave to conform to these 26 articles. The beauty isthat it’s formalized. They have to be recertifiedevery two years and a residence cannot operatelegally without this certification.
“This is definitely a positive thing. This doesn’tguarantee the best quality, but it certainly providesa guideline and access.”
Residence certification program on track at CSSS Cavendish
www.theseniortimes.com May 2009 THE SENIOR TIMES 7
8 THE SENIOR TIMES May 2009 www.theseniortimes.com
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US President Barack Obama is at the centre of astorm raging at the University of Notre Dame,perhaps the best known Catholic institution ofhigher learning in the United States.The president of Notre Dame, Rev. John Jenkins,a priest of the Holy Cross Congregation that runsthe university, invited President Obama to speakat the school’s commencement onMay 17 and re-ceive an honorary degree.Obama agreed. Then allhell broke loose. Conservative Catholics and lead-ing prelates brought huge pressure to bear on theuniversity to withdraw the invitation to Obama;claiming that he is “pro-abortion,”because he sup-ports choice and embryonic stem cell research.The head of the United States bishops conference,Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, said the univer-sity’s decision was an “extreme embarrassment” toCatholics and added,“Whatever else is clear, it is clearthatNotreDamedidn’t understandwhat itmeans tobe Catholic when they issued this invitation…”The local bishop, John D’Arcy, announced thathe will not attend the graduation and an online pe-tition by the Cardinal Newman Society against theinvitation has collected a quarter of a million sig-natures. Pro-life groups on the Notre Dame cam-pus have organized demonstrations. Pro-lifeactivist Randall Terry plans to rent a house near theuniversity for the next six weeks to mount a cam-paign to stop Obama from speaking. Terry’s web-site features a photograph of the president betweenpictures of Judas and a graphic photograph of anaborted fetus.All this furor begs the question whether it makesany sense to regard abortion as so crucial an issue torelations between Catholics and a secular govern-ment that no other consideration carries anyweight.It is interesting that the question has a some-what different answer here in Canada. The USbishops seem frustrated that theirCatholic flockis notmoremilitant on the issue of abortion. AGallup survey of polls on religious attitudes overthe past three years shows that Catholic viewson issues such as embryonic stem-cell researchand legalized abortion are not that differentfrom their non-Catholic fellow citizens. (I ex-pect the figures would be about the same herein Canada).ButCanadian bishops, even allowing for hard-line conservatives like Cardinal Ouellet in Que-bec City and Archbishop Terrence PrendergastS.J. inOttawa, seem far less aggressive than theirAmerican counterparts.Canadahasno abortionlaw at all. So far as I am aware, even though wehave had a series of Catholic Prime Ministers –Trudeau, Clark, Turner, Chrétien, Martin – theCanadian bishops have mounted no consistentcampaign to pass such a law. There ismuch lesscontroversy about abortion inCanada than thereis south of the border.Very few prelates here arethreatening towithholdCommunion frompro-choice Catholic politicians.But the current controversy at Notre Dameraises questions related to abortion in both
countries. The main one is whether for Catholicsabortion trumps every other issue when it comesto public discourse.After all, President Obama hasa political agenda that promises greater social jus-tice and equality,more harmony between the races,environmental reforms – and he favours socialmeasures that would reduce the need for abortion.Nobody has suggested that Obama should be si-lenced because he has not promised to end thedeath penalty – which is also part of Catholicteaching on the sanctity of life – nor that his pred-ecessor should have been rejected because he en-gaged his country in an unjust war in Iraq, whereuntold innocent lives were lost.Nor are all Catholic voices impugning the presi-dent. John Quinn, archbishop emeritus of SanFrancisco, highlighted the danger for Catholics ifthey adopted what he called the “clenched-fist ap-proach.” He has urged that “it is in the interests ofboth the Church and the nation if both work to-gether in civility, honesty and friendship for thecommon good, even when there are grave divi-sions, as there are on abortion.”Father Jenkins is standing by his decision, sayingthe invitation to speak at the graduation ceremony“should not be taken as condoning or endorsing his[Obama’s] positions on specific issues regarding theprotection of human life.” A survey of letters to thestudent newspaper The Observer indicated that
while 70 per cent of alumni were opposed toObama speaking at the university, 97 per cent of thegraduating class approved of him speaking.The Catholic journal The Tablet, from London,captures the central issue for Canadians andAmer-icans in this uproar. “It seriously damages thewhole Catholic contribution to democratic poli-tics to treat abortion not only as a black-and-whiteissue, with no shades of grey, but as the uniqueblack-and-white issue that trumps all others.”
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Why is abortion the issue that trumps all others?
You are wearing a hospital gown, sitting in awheelchair at the hospital, being ignored. Youprobably feel vulnerable and powerless. But youare not: The law has provided you with rights.TheQuebecHealth and Social ServicesAct statesits intention to protect you and ensure your re-covery and return to good health. To this end,those who provide health and social services arerequired to respect you and recognize yourrights, to treat youwith courtesy, fairness andun-derstanding and to permit you to participate indecisions concerning your health and welfare.The services you receivemust be appropriate notonly froma scientific point of viewbut also froma humane and social point of view.They must becontinual, personalized (appropriate for yourparticular health needs) and safe. You, in turn,have an obligation to refrain from abusing theseservices.
Your right to care and respect and the hospital’sobligation to provide appropriate services are bothdeeply ingrained in our law. You have a right tochoose your own physician, and you cannot be re-fused treatment for any reason considered dis-criminatory under the Quebec Charter of HumanRights and Freedoms, such as race, colour, sex, sex-ual orientation, age, religion, language, ethnic ornational origin, social condition or handicap.
You have a right to be informed of your state ofhealth and to be advised of your treatment optionsas well as of the risks and consequences associatedwith each one so that you have the informationnecessary to either consent to or refuse treatment.You cannot be treated – or even examined – unlessyou consent.
In a recent case a very sick 62-year-old patient whoroutinely failed to follow physicians’ instructions orundergo treatment contested the hospital’s effortsto force her to be admitted. Although it was estab-lished that hospitalization would be beneficial andthat it was dangerous to her health for her to returnhome, the judge held that the patient had the ca-pacity to decide for herself and therefore the rightto refuse treatment, even at risk to her life. The hos-pital’s request to force hospitalization was refused.
It is important to remember that a hospital’s ob-ligations are subject to available resources, bothhuman and financial. An institution has the rightto organize its services in accordance with thoseresources, so a lack of resources can sometimesjustify a hospital’s refusal to keep a patient.
So what happens to a patient when the institu-tion says he must leave? The law states that the pa-tient must leave as soon as he receives his noticeto do so. However, the law also provides that hecan only be forced to leave if his condition permitshim to return home or he is assured of a place inanother establishment that can give him the serv-ices he requires.
When a 71-year-old man requiring four hoursof care daily was informed by the establishment inwhich he had been residing for seven years that hewould be temporarily transferred out until per-manent accommodation could be found else-where, he objected to the transfer and invoked hisright to choose where he wished to go. The courtaccepted the fact that his current residence couldno longer provide the care he required, but thejudge said the reasons for his objection were rea-sonable and held that the decision to transfer himtemporarily was arbitrary and could not be up-
held. The residence was ordered to keep himuntil he could be transferred to a place hedeemed acceptable.
In another case, a 29-year-old man, almostcompletely paralyzed as the result of an acci-dent, had been hospitalized for almost sevenyears. All his needs, physical, psychological andsocial, were being met and he was content. Thehospital wanted to transfer him to a long-termcare facility and he contested on the groundsthat such a move would violate his right to ob-tain services from the institution of his choice.In this case the court held that his rights werenot absolute and the hospital’s resources justi-fied its putting a limit on the patient’s rights.The hospital was a short-term care institutionwith a limited number of beds, so patients hadto be transferred to long-term care institutionsas soon as possible. Another place that couldprovide continuity of care was available, so thecourt ordered the transfer.
What do you do if you feel you have been un-fairly treated and your rights have been violated?Every health institution has a complaint proce-dure, and many have an ombudsman. You havethe right, the power and the means to complain.
Stand up for your health care rights, but don’t abuse them
Legal EaseJoyce Blond FrankB.A., B.C.L., LL.M.
10 THE SENIOR TIMES May 2009 www.theseniortimes.com
www.theseniortimes.com May 2009 THE SENIOR TIMES 11
12 THE SENIOR TIMES May 2009 www.theseniortimes.com
AmyNewborn
Our plan was to take a road trip upthe California Coast, from LAwhere we live, along the PacificCoast Highway.With a few destina-tions in mind, we took off with noreservations and no direction otherthan north.Just a short 80 minutes north of
San Francisco, Yountville is at theepicentre of Napa Valley – a foodoasis in a valley of wines and vinesrolling into the horizon.We focusedour tastings in the Rutherford areaand discovered that reservationswere needed for most tours. We didfour tours over two days. We alsotried a few of the local restaurantsand we found a bakery that was be-yond compare.We started our wine tasting tour at
Round Pound Estate.We drove up tothe gate and called to make an ap-pointment. A woman answered andmanaged to fit us in immediately.We entered through two oversizedglass doors into the main foyer area.We paid $25 each and were led up-stairs to the tasting room, which had
a large bar, soaring cathedral ceilingswith light coming in from every-where and an opening to the barrelroom below. The terrace was breath-taking, with rows and rows of grapevines growing below. We chose acorner seat beside the fireplace.The sommelier was extremely at-
tentive and brought us our first tast-ing immediately, explaining thatRound Pond is a family-owned and
operated estate winery that producesmostly Cabernet Sauvignon.He alsobrought out a trio of amuse bouche’s– with duck confit, thin dough andcheese, and a mini potato pancake,to pair with our three wine tastings.Our favourite wine was the 2005Cabernet Sauvignon.After an hour and a half of being
treated like VIPs, we descended thestairs and asked the hostess for sug-gestions about where to go next. Shewas very helpful and made a few
calls, managing to get us a reserva-tion at Vine Cliff.One the way to Vine Cliff, I made
reservations for the next day. I calledSchramsburg, a California sparklingwine producer, as well as Kuleto Es-tate, which the woman had recom-mended.We arrived at Vine Cliff and walked
into a large warehouse,which housedmany barrels of wine. For $35, wetried three wines, a Cabernet Sauvi-gnon, a Chardonnay, and a Merlot.The tasting lasted only 30 minutesand then we were off to find a snack.We found a fancy food court called
Oxbo Public Market – a fancier,smaller version of AtwaterMarket.Wediscovered a great charcuterie andperched ourselves at thewine bar.Ourbartender was in her mid-20s andstudying to be a sommelier. She let useat our assortedmeats and olives fromthe charcuterie at the bar and pouredus a sparkling rosé wine for about$8.50 for a half-litre – more thanenough after our two wine tastings!We needed some fuel for our ad-
ventures the next morning so westopped at Bouchon Bakery. Theyhave fresh-baked pastries and pani-nis. My favourite treat was the
Napa Valley tour offers a feast for the eye and palate
Writer Amy Newborn and photogtapher Todd Pritchett
The Kuleto Estate Winery, with owner Paul Kuleto’s home in the background
Phot
os:T
odd
Pritc
hett
Happy Mother’s Day!
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www.theseniortimes.com May 2009 THE SENIOR TIMES 13
nutter-butter peanut butter cookie –two cookies with peanut butter inbetween – like an ice cream sand-wich, but better!We drove to the gate of the Kuleto
Estate, and then up and up for al-most 10 minutes to the top of thehill, through sprawling fields ofvines.We paid $35 each and were led
into a room with brown leathercouches and a large wooden tablenear the bar, where we took ourseats. The sommelier poured twoglasses of Cabernet Sauvignon andled us through the marvelous 800-acre estate. He informed us that theestate was self sufficient, producingall kinds of fruits and vegetables,
spices and even poultry. They alsohad their own charcuterie.A brown Lab followed us through
the rest of our tour after taking a sipfrom a fountain overlooking theriver and vineyard below. We gotback to the wine-tasting room andwere presented with three cheeses –a blue cheese that looked like it wasstill alive, aged cheddar and goat. Allthree were delicious and made tocompliment the three wines we wereabout to taste. The wines were greatbut the tour of the grounds was evenbetter and we left happily satisfied.We got to Schramsburg with not a
second to spare. The $35 tour had al-ready started and there were about 10other people composed of retired cou-ples and some rich-looking forty-somethings. We were obviously theyoungest ones there. The tour guideled us through the tunnels beneath themain buildings, which housed barrelsand bottles of wines. It looked like
there were several thousand. The ceil-ings were full of moss and cobwebsand the bottles shimmered in the dimlight. The tour guide explained to ushow the sparklingwinewasmade andled us to a room where we werepoured four different ones to taste.They were all exquisite!Our wine tasting experience far ex-
ceeded my expectations. If you wantto live “the life” for a few days, theNapa Valley does not disappoint.
Todd Pritchett is a photographerin LA. To view more of his work:toddpritchett.com.
Cutting across from the coast to Napa Valley, we stopped to photograph some vines near Yorkville, along highway 128
The Kuleto Estate Pond overlooks the infinity pool and Lake Hennessey
From its beginnings in 1954, SunYouth Organization has beenshaped by its volunteers, eventuallyevolving into what it is today. Fromthe young boys who created theClark Street Sun, the hand-writtennewspaper that started it all, to thehundreds of people who offer theirinvaluable support through SunYouth’s many assistance programs,volunteers have beenmaking thingshappen for over 50 years.To commemorate National Volun-teer Week (April 19 to 25) Sun Youthheld a casino-themed volunteerrecognition ceremony on April 24.The red carpet was rolled out for theSun Youth stars – all those volunteerswho give of themselves on a regularbasis. There are so many that we
couldn’t possiblymentionall of them, but here are afew of the stars whomakeSun Youth what it is:Freda Kopyto has beenvolunteering at SunYouth four to five days a
week for 13 years. She is on the frontlines, greeting people as they come into get emergency food assistance. Shetakes care of seniors, children, singleparents and families, treating themall with the dignity they deserve.Sister Suzanne Lachapelle has vol-unteered for Sun Youth for nearlyfour years. She works two days aweek, greeting clients who come infor food assistance, entering data inthe computer system and doingother office work.At 79 years old sheis a tough act to follow!Tom Stewart has been a volunteerfor Sun Youth’s football programsince 1985. He is a manager of themidget team and he takes pictures atvarious other Sun Youth sportsevents. Stewart also devotes a lot of
his time to the Quebec Midget Foot-ball League.He really takes the youthto heart.Jeanne Fournier has donated hertime to Sun Youth for 15 years. She,along with other volunteers, receivesdonations of used clothing and sortsthem out for people seeking clothingassistance. She is a full-time volun-teer who always has a smile for thosein need.Léonce Simard volunteers at theSun Youth warehouse 20 hours aweek. He has been with the organi-zation for 10 years. He and other es-sential volunteers are responsible forsorting through food donations andpreparing the food hampers SunYouth distributes. He is proud to sayhe is about to start his 11th year.Marie Cayer is the president of theSun Youth Seniors Club, a positionshe has held for three years. She takescare of themembers, organizing out-ings and activities for them. The clubis self-funded and gets its financingfrom such events as dinners, bingo
games and bazaars.Marie reminds usthat the next Seniors Club Bazaarwill be held at Sun Youth (4251 St.Urbain) on Friday, May 8. Bargainhunters are welcome from 10 am to3:30 pm.SunYouth would like to thank all ofits volunteers for the great work theydo. If you wish to become a volun-teer at Sun Youth, contact LyneChartier at 514-842-6822.
Time to shine the spotlight on some of Sun Youth’s stars
Here at Sun YouthNicolas Carpentier
14 THE SENIOR TIMES May 2009 www.theseniortimes.com
Sun Youth’s team of regular volunteers
Tom Stewart
Phot
os:N
icol
asCa
rpen
tier
Kristine Berey
Manywhohave attended theatre performances atGeordie Productions or the Black TheatreWork-shop would be surprised to learn that these well-known institutionsdon’t havepermanenthomes.After all, the two companies have entertainedMontrealers for decades, Geordie Productionssince 1980 and BTW since 1971.The Quebec Community Groups Network de-
scribes English-speaking artists as“aminority com-munity which is under-funded and geographicallydispersed,” leading to isolation and “ghettoization”with “pockets of people not communicating witheach other.” One reason for this is a glaring lack ofadequate performance venues for local artists.But this situationmay soon improve.The two the-
atres, along with the McGill Conservatory’s com-munity outreach program, theCity ofMontreal andthe Borough of CDN/NDG,have joined forces withthe board of the Empress Cultural Centre. The in-tention is to finally get a long-simmering $9millionproject off the ground, that of restoring the formerCinemaVon SherbrookeW. to its original vocationand creating a cultural centre for the local arts scene.Most of the rare art-deco building has stood emptysince being ravaged by a fire in 1992.Taking the initiative from the Bourque adminis-
tration, Montreal leased the building to EmpressCultural Centre Inc. in 1999 for 60 years, with theunderstanding that a multifunctional performingarts centre would be created.“It’s been a bit of a saga, but it all came together
last year,” said project coordinator ChristianeLoiselle, as she described navigating the treacherouspath to obtain funding. Several requirements had tobemet in order to qualify for provincial and federalgrants. Simplywanting a cultural centre didn’t cut it.There had to be artists, programming and a com-munity element as well.“TheMinister of Culture doesn’t give money to a
developer, but to artists. The two theatres agreed toformally join the project.When McGill joined, theboard acquired a very serious and professionalpartner. Agreements were written, and signed.”As well, the city had already invested somemoney
in the project and will invest more pending the re-sponse from the other levels of government. Theborough was on board as well, and offered someguidance. “The borough was very helpful in struc-turing the application,” Loiselle said.Overcoming each obstacle made the team stronger
with solid consistent programming,”Loiselle said.“In the end it became a better project. The mo-
ment the doors open there will be music lessons,performances – the building will be fully lived in.”All the players are in place, set, just waiting to hear
“Go!”When that happens, a 350-seat theatre willbe built, with a smaller “black-box” theatre for ex-perimental andmulti-media performances.On themezzanine a 50-seat cabaret space is planned, aswell as an art gallery, and space for studios and anoffice. The Montreal Chamber Music festival willcontinue to lease the premises as it does now in thesmall recently renovated space formerly occupiedby the Sesame health food store.The building will be used primarily – but not ex-
clusively – for English-speakingMontrealers.“If in-dividuals or organizations want to use the space atthe Empress in a way compatible with our missionmandate, we would make every effort to accom-modate them,” said Dr. Clarence Bayne, who is thefounder of the BTW but sits on the board as a rep-resentative of NDG.One of the reasons the project has taken so long is
the reshuffling of priorities during the transitionfrom one government to another, Bayne said.“Thetransition slowed things down. It brought in a newadministration that had to find its own vision forthe city. But now the future looks good in the sensethat we’re getting tremendous support from the city– not just at a personal in-house level but in a pub-lic forum. Mayors Tremblay and Applebaum havepublicly indicated they support this project.”Community activist Arnold Bennett is on the
board of directors as well. He believes the restora-tion of the building will benefit everyone. “A cul-tural centre would revitalize that part ofSherbrooke St. It’s good for the neighbourhood andgood for the quality of life of its residents.”On May 20 and 21 Geordie Productions and the
Empress Cultural Centre are holding a jointfundraiser,with proceeds going toward the project.This year’s play will be Arsenic and Old Lace byJoseph Kesselring, directed by Elsa Bolam, founderof Geordie Productions and Empress board mem-ber, who came out of retirement for this special oc-casion. The cast will be made up of a dedicatedgroup of volunteers, with sets and costumes sup-plied by Geordie. A reception will follow the per-formance. The event takes place at the DB ClarkeTheatre, 1455 de MaisonneuveW.For tickets, information or to donate toward the
renaissance of the Empress, visit www.geordie.caor call 514-845-9810 or 514-481-6277.
Local artists await the Empress
Happy Mother’s Day!
www.lejardindemelissa.com
www.theseniortimes.com May 2009 THE SENIOR TIMES 15
Best Wishes for a Happyand a Very Special Mother’s Day!
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When you’re invited for afternoontea at the London Bus Stop on Ste.Catherine across fromWestmountSquare, you might expect it to lookclassic and old-fashioned, but thiscafé/teahouse is anything but con-ventional.Owner Jeremy Searle, former city
counsellor for Côte des Neiges-NDG,describes it as “so un-cool that it’sretro cool.”Right in themiddle of theroom is a London telephone box. Afood counter stretches across one sideand fresh flowers adorn nearly everysurface in well-arranged bouquets.The transportation theme is evi-
dent. Searle drove a London bus 30years ago and says that he is passion-ate about transportation. You canbuy the tiny replicas of London buses
and taxis that are on display behindthe food counter.There is no invasive music playing
in this relaxing space. Instead there isa flat screen TV displaying beautiful,calming scenes.Since we were invited to enjoy their
afternoon tea ($10 per person), wewere immediately greeted by Searle’spartner, Jeannie Oh, who took ourcoats and hung them up in the backsaying that coats were not allowed bythe tables. We were led to a roundtable covered in white linen, adornedwith porcelain teacups.This was the first time Barbara, my
dining companion, had ever experi-enced afternoon tea and she was like akid in a candy shop – or shall I say teashop. I was also excited, because I had-n’t had afternoon tea since Iwas a child.We were eager to begin our adventure,
especiallywhenSearle referred to Jean-nie as the “kitchen genius.”We were offered a choice of Earl
Grey or English Breakfast served in aglass teapot. Then came the lovely lit-tle crustless cucumber sandwicheswith thin slices of cucumber and justthe right amount of mayo and sea-soning. Next came two warm sconesand little plates of strawberry andlemon cake, oatmeal cookies, smallpieces of brownies and four freshstrawberries. Delightful, delectable,delicious and divine all describe thedesserts.While we savoured, Searle quoted
Shakespeare, told us about his chil-dren’s successes – and it turns out thatI know his son. Jeremy and Jeanniealso told us about the variety of peoplewho come for afternoon tea, includingbirthday celebrants, grandchildrenwith grandparents in tow, and a pairof starstruckDawson loverswho cameday after day.With reservations, scones are
served warmwith jam and cream.Oryou could order them diabetic-friendly. If you are looking for some-thing more hearty, London Bus Stopoffers a full selection of somewhatBritish fare ranging from a very af-fordable $5.50 to $8.50. I arrivedlunchless and before starting my cu-cumber sandwiches, I sampled a cab-bage roll and a piece of quiche. I was
offered a taste of the beef stew, buthad to decline.The generous portion of spinach
and tomato quiche was a lot ofquiche, rather than a lot of crust. Thecrust was cakey as opposed to flaky.The cabbage roll was excellent. Thecabbage was crispy and created a per-fect crust for the filling of groundmeat topped with a delectabletomato sauce. Two cabbage rolls withveggies are $8.50.Quiche served withsoup or salad is $5.50. Every additionto your meal, including coffee, soupor salad, costs a dollar.Breakfast begins at 6 a.m. and fea-
tures two slices of Première Moissonbread, two extra-large eggs, two slicesof real cheddar, two slices of capicollaham and tea or coffee for $6.20.There is a large terrace outside
which should soon start filling up as itis the only one on the block and it’s onthe right side of the street,meaning itgets little exposure to the hot sun.London Bus Stop, located at 4126
Ste. Catherine W., is an affordableand delectable addition to the down-town core. As part of the DawsonCollege community, we will surelyfrequent this fine eatery again. Reser-vations for afternoon tea are encour-aged. Catering services are available,including afternoon tea catering. Call514-931-5571 or visitcafelondonbus.com.
Pull up to the London Bus Stop for afternoon tea
Peter’s Cape Cod
160 Ste. Anne, St. Anne-de-Bellevue (514) 457-0081 • www.peterscapecod.com
16 THE SENIOR TIMES May 2009 www.theseniortimes.com
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Confessions of a smokin’ addict
A confession: I’m addicted to smok-ing. Not cigs, not weed (OK, maybethe occasional cigar) – usually I juststick to chickens.I love smoked food, but I can’t quitefigure out why. Of course I enjoy thecomplex flavours with which smok-ing imbues meat or fish; the headyscents of apple, hickory, mesquiteand maple combined with the slowcooking process that softens the tex-tures and makes each morsel almostmelt in my mouth. But if it were justfor the flavour, I could throw a fewdrops of liquid smoke into the sea-soning and rub it into anything thatI’m planning to cook.No, there is something primal aboutsmoking that speaks to my inner boyscout. I like to think that youcoulddrop
meoff in thewoodsand I’dsurvive. I’d snare a rabbitorpick off a grouse, set up agrill and build a fire.Sure. In reality, my ideaof living off the land ex-tends to carrying a debit
card into a supermarket.And yet, there is amythic Flavourguyinmewho comes from an earlier time– and a barbecue brings him out. It’sthe aroma of burning wood, of char-coal turning into embers, of a chickenor a tough cut of meat slowly becom-ing something ambrosial over a fire.Smoking makes me realize howhuman I am. It lets me connect with atime when cooking took patience andpersistence. Smoked food is slow food.It tells me I might make mistakes in away that fast-foodcooking (whether it’sfrying a burger or opening up a can)does not. The heat can be too low andthe meat partially raw (so I have a lastminutedancewith themicrowave)or itcooks at toohigh aheat and is scorched(so I reach for sauce to smother the
burnt bits). Smoking makes me re-member that I can’t take food forgranted, but when I get it right, there isnothingbetter thanmaking it at home.When I smoke a chicken I requirethree things: a brine, a rub, and heat.First, I put the chicken into a large potto see howmuch brine I need. I coverthe bird with water, remove thechicken and am left with the rightamount of liquid. To make each gal-lon of brine I take a gallon of water,add a half cup each of brown sugarand salt, and various spices (bay leaf,cinnamon stick, juniper berries, pep-per corns, a garlic clove and dried chilipepper or two – they are all good). Iboil the water until the salt and sugarhave dissolved then let it cool to roomtemperature. I then put the chicken inthe pot and leave it in the fridgeovernight. The next morning, I pre-pare a dry rub by mixing salt, blackpepper, chili powder, onion powderand garlic powder. I drain and dry thechicken and rub themix over the birdas well as inside the cavity. I let this sitfor a few hours in the fridge.In the early afternoon I start a smallfire in the charcoal grill. Gas workswell, too. In either case, the key is low,
indirect heat. If this is difficult, place apan of water between the fire and thefood. Some grills allow this, or youmay have to improvise a rack. I soakthe wood or chips in water (use hardwoods – no pine, spruce or plywood)and put some on the fire when thecoals are ready. Gas grills often have abox or chamber for smoking.Aim for low and slow, around 210oFor 100oC.Place the chicken on the grillaway from the heat and put the coverback on.A small chicken takes a coupleof hours.The lower the heat (anythingabove 180oF is fine), the longer it willtake to cook – and the tastier it shouldbe. When a meat thermometer in-serted in the thickest part of the thighreads 160oF (72oF), it’s done.While I’m waiting I pull up a chairand get into a routine. Maybe a goodbook, maybe some music I’ve beenwaiting to hear. Every hour, I add a lit-tle wood and somemore charcoal.Ona regular basis, I take out another canof beer. On a nice warm day if I havea big enough chicken and if I can keepthe heat low, it might take five or sixhours to reach perfection.E-mail Barry Lazar [email protected].
18 THE SENIOR TIMES May 2009 www.theseniortimes.com
10 Year Term Rates (Renewable, Convertible) standard rates
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Flavour GuyBarry Lazar
This spring and summer worshops are being offered around the city. OnWednesdays from 11am to noon Centre Green holds Tai Chi based move-ment and stretch classes, a good way to exercise in a relaxing environment,at 1090 Greene. Info: 514-931-6202.Thursdays at 2pm Centre Greene holds ballroom dance classes for thosewith stage 1 and 2 Parkinson’s. The instructors are Susan Chiasson, ballroomdance teacher and Ellen Rubin, retired physiotherapist who specialized in thetreatment of neurological conditions and has been a dancer for 12 years.Bring an able-bodied partner and register in advance. Info: 514-484-2016.The Atwater Library will offer computer workshops in the spring and sum-mer. Topics include booking travel online, facebook, family history research,e-mail, Twitter, blogging, powerpoint, word, and excel. The purpose of theworkshops is to teach the basics of computers and get your computer up andrunning. Info: 514-935-7344.
Upcoming courses and workshops
Quebec steps in to regulate the practice of psychotherapyMartin C. Barry
For decades, the prevailing viewamong psychotherapists was thattheir profession could never effec-tively be regulated. But Quebec’sJusticeDepartment is forging aheadto do just that.Newly appointed Justice MinisterKathleenWeil announced inMarch shewas resurrecting adraft bill that diedonthe order paper when theNational As-semblywas dissolved for the 2007 gen-eral election. The proposed legislationwould modify the province’s code ofprofessions for the mental health andhuman relations fields.While the bill has wider implica-tions, the Justice Ministry’s Officedes Professions said in a press releasethat it is aiming first and foremost todefine what psychotherapy is andwho will have the right to practise it.The title “psychotherapist” wouldbe granted exclusively to doctors,psychologists, social workers and afew other licensed professionals suchas educational and family counsel-lors. One of the minimum require-ments will be a post-graduate degree.Under the law, a mandate for licens-ing psychotherapists would be grantedto the Ordre professionel des psycho-logues duQuébec,whichwould regu-late psychotherapy through acommittee put in place for that pur-pose. An acquired right would begranted to anyonewhowas practicingpsychotherapy up to the date the leg-islation is enacted. But the Office desProfessions suggests the competencyof such practitioners would hence-forth be subject to scrutiny.While Weil said in a statement thatthe government wanted to be sure noone was prevented from providingpsychotherapy within the scope oftheir abilities, she acknowledged in in-terviews that one goal is to protect thepublic. “The risks for people, who aresometimes fragile, were important,”she told Radio Canada.
As the order of psychologists notedin reaction, anyone in Quebec canpractise psychotherapy, call himselfor herself a psychotherapist, and re-ceive clients who are often strugglingwith psychological problems. Clientscurrently have no effective means forverifying the credentials of psycho-therapists and no recourse for mak-ing complaints.“Any prosecution for the illegalpractice of psychotherapy or for mis-use of the title…will be launched bythe Order,” said Rose-Marie Charest,the organization’s president. She saidthe system until now made it “tooeasy to take advantage of the vulner-ability of persons in the grips of seri-ous mental health problems.”Quebec is not alone in imposingrules on psychotherapists. In Ontario,where a similar provincial governmenteffort resulted in the passing of legis-lation, the Psychiatric Patient Advo-cate Office (PPAO), an arm’s-lengthdepartment of Ontario’s Ministry ofHealth, wrote in a 2005 submissionthat “the development of an account-ability framework and complaintmechanism is fundamental to the pro-tection of consumers and the public.”In making recommendations, thePPAO said the practice of psy-chotherapy and counselling “carrieswith it a significant potential forharm to consumers.”In interviewswith The Senior Times,two Montreal-based help counsellorssaid they already do not refer to them-selves as psychotherapists. HowardRiback, a former gambling addict whoobtained a certificate in gamblingtherapy from the University of Wind-sor, describes himself on a businesscard as a therapist. “I never use theword psycho,” he said, adding that heprefers to introduce himself as amoti-vational speaker.“I dropped the title of psychother-apy altogether,” said Yannick Mc-Carthy, whose card states simply thatshe offers “counselling,” even though
the situations she deals with includedepression and relationships. Mc-Carthy’s view, with which Ribackand a third counsellor concurred, isthat psychotherapy is inherently dif-ficult to regulate.Its ancestor, Freudian psychoanaly-sis, from which the hundreds of psy-chological therapies in existence todayoriginate, was traditionally regardedas an unrestricted and highly subjec-tive discipline. Hence the difficultyfacing the government: How do youdefine psychotherapy as a first step to-wards regulation? This might also ex-plain why it took so long for theprocess to reach this stage.Dr. Henry Olders, a Westmountpsychiatrist, suggested the Ordermay have other motives in seeking toregulate psychotherapy. If the prob-lem is consumer protection, there areother ways of going about it such as“voluntary adhesion of therapists tostandards-setting organizations (as isdone for health facility accredita-tion),” he said in an e-mail.“The doctors and the psychologistsseem to be heavily represented in theconseil consultatif, and the Ordre despsychologues will have a great deal ofpower over the whole enterprise.
“When a professional corporationprevents people who are not part oftheir professional group from prac-ticing, it might be simply to protectthe public from frauds, charlatansand incompetents, or it might be toprotect their market, or some combi-nation of the two,” he added. “It maybe hard for the public to know exactlywhose interests are being served.”One area of Quebec’s mental healthservices sector that could be im-pacted by the regulation of psy-chotherapy is alcohol and substanceabuse rehabilitation.InMarch 2008, after the governmentwrappeduppublic hearings for its pro-posed code of professions changes, theFédération québécoise des centres deréadaptation pour personnes al-cooliques et toxicomanes,which repre-sents 21 rehab centres, complained thataddiction counselling was not amongthe professions recognized for accredi-tation. There are several hundred pri-vate and community-based alcoholand drug rehab centres in Quebec.Whilemost offer psychotherapy as partof their treatment, there is no immedi-ate word from the government as tohow they will deal with regulation.
www.theseniortimes.com May 2009 THE SENIOR TIMES 19
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I remember when I was in my early 40s readingan article about turning 50. This was describedas a time of freedom: Children are establishedand have moved out of the home, responsibili-ties are fewer and financial security has beenreached. I have since hit the big five-oh, andnoneof the above apply to me.
Now baby boomers are not only working longer,they may still have children living at home and areoften caring for aging parents.
If the parent has a diagnosis of cognitive im-pairment, adult children find themselves assum-ing a parental role toward that parent. The shiftfrom adult child to parent is a difficult transition.Even as adults, children often turn to their parentsfor advice, support and guidance. Children, nomatter what age, continue to view parents in therole they have always assumed.
When parents lose their abilities to Alzheimer’sdisease, they are no longer able to provide theirchildren with what we view as parental care.
Pre-diagnosis is a difficult time. There are gooddays and bad days. Children may feel one day thatthere is something wrong with their parent, butthen a good day comes along and they chalk thedifficulties up to fatigue or simply an “off day.”
Gradually there are more signs all is not well:The parent has more difficulty covering up earlymemory losses and confusion. The feeling ofbeing on a roller coaster ride begins, one day filledwith worry, followed by a day of relaxation whenthe parent is fully functional.
As difficult as it is to hear a diagnosis ofAlzheimer’s disease, knowing there is a reason forthose years of changing and odd behaviour canprovide relief.
As a general rule, it takes about four years to es-tablish a diagnosis of AD.
Some adult children get stuck in denial mode,unable to accept their parent’s mental decline. Itis one thing to witness an aging parent’s physicalchallenges, but watching a parent’s confusion over
how to use a fork is hard to digest. The child maybe unable to believe that their strong, intelligentparent, once seen as a pillar of strength, can nolonger eat without direction or assistance.
Feelings of resentment and guilt are added to themany other mixed emotions. Caregiving or caremanaging takes an enormous amount of time andenergy, leaving less time for family, work andpleasure. Already busy lives become impossiblybusier. Guilt over not being able to manage allthese responsibilities can lead to overburdened,stressed-out adult children who may become anx-ious or depressed.
If a strained relationship existed before diagno-sis, children can feel that their parent is exhibitingdifficult behaviours to punish them. In such situ-ations, I often suggest counselling for the adultchild, preferably after they have educated them-selves about the disease. Relationship issues thathave not been resolved pre-diagnosis will never beable to be addressed directly with the parent, andit can be very helpful to work through these issueswith a professional counsellor.
As parents need more assistance with their per-sonal care, it may be best to hire a professionalcaregiver. Even when the parent has difficulty ex-pressing himself in a coherent manner, there maybe signs of discomfort when a daughter assists insuch personal activities such as bathing. A paidand experienced caregiver is often more successfulin assisting with personal hygiene. Many adultchildren admit to not feeling comfortable caringfor their parent’s personal needs. If this is the case,the parent will surely sense the discomfort andmay react unfavourably.
As the disease progresses, children will find thatthey will need to make more and more decisionson behalf of their parents.
Without proper education about Alzheimer’sdisease, children may continue to fight the diseasewith anger, withdrawal and other responses thatagitate their loved one.
It is necessary to understand that Alzheimer’s isa neurological disease that slowly robs people oftheir mental and physical abilities – through nofault of their own.
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Men and Womenwith Type 2 Diabetes
The McGill University Health Centre is recruiting menand women with type 2 diabetes for the study of blood
glucose levels and the state of protein in the body.
IF YOU ARE:• < 65 years of age with type 2 diabetes• Have no other major health problems• Are willing to stay at the Clinical InvestigationUnit of the Royal Victoria Hospital for 6 days
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Over the River and Through theWoods at the Segal features an inter-generational relationship betweengrandparents – four of them – andtheir grandson. It was written by JoeDiPietro, author of such award-win-ning plays as the wonderfully titled ILove You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.The title of this play comes from a
song based on an 1884 poem by LydiaMaria Child anonymously set tomusic. The second line “to grandfa-ther’s house we go” was apt for thisplay, the river being the Hudson andthe woods New Jersey. A later stanzainserts a second line “to have a firstrate play.” How apropos!The granddaughter has moved to Cal-
ifornia. Nick, the grandson (GianpauloVenuta), is the only blood relative leftin New York and he dutifully visitshis grandparents for Sunday dinners.Conveniently, both the paternal and
maternal sets are neighbours so weget a lot of jokes about food and fam-
ily. The Italian phrase “Tengo famili-gia” becomes the slogan for old-world blue-collar immigrants wholove the neighbourhood they madetheir life in. They are devastated byNick’s announcement that he is goingto Seattle for a career promotion.Special plaudits go to the fantastic
quartet of grandparents, FrankSavino and Deann Mears (a real-lifecouple) and Bernie Passeltiner andWinnipeg icon Doreen Brownstone.To the Segal, whose selection is
wonderfully eclectic: We Love You,You’re Perfect, Don’t Change.
Over the River and Through theWoods ends May 10 at the Segal Cen-tre, 5170 Côte Ste. Catherine. Call514-739-7944.
With Bated Breath at the Centaurfeatures fine acting and direction,but deals with broken families anddysfunctional souls.Writer/co-director Bryden MacDon-
ald’s play is set largely in Cape Breton.Individual musings range from poeticcontemplation about cloud forma-
tions to sad reflections on missing par-ents and infantile play with paper bags.While the play is largely built
around homosexual urges and malestrippers, with three fine male actors– Centaur regular Neil Napier andnewcomers Eloi Archambaudoin andMichael Sutherland-Young – thethree ladies almost steal the show.Kiss My Cabaret followers in with-drawal mode should run to seeDanette Mackay’s return as thebooze-influenced chicken-farm owner.Her comedic talents are matched by
those of Felicia Shulman as themean-spirited neighbour. Sarah C.Carlsen’s dreamy character has toplay foil to these two powerhousesand she acquits her role well.The script cleverly juggles flashbacks
and forwards, but does not establishthe protagonist as a likable character anaudience can empathize with beforehis inner journey’s ups and downs.Warning for the easily offended:
Male nudity is involved.With Bated Breath ends May 24 at
the Centaur, 453 St. François Xavier.
Hi,my name is Tornado. I am a four year old laband I come from an abusive background.The workers spent a lot of time gainingmy trust
and making mepart of the shel-ter community.I have securityand am well-cared for, andmost of all, I amloved.The SPCA
Montérégie is ano-kill shelterwith no govern-ment funding.Thank you in
advance foryour compas-
sion for those defenceless souls without a voice.To donate: 450-691-5456 or spcamonteregie.com
The Lyric Theatre Singers, who in-terpret Broadway, jazz, and popchoral music are at it again withtheir newest show paying tribute tocomposer George Gershwin, di-rected by BobBachelor, at theOscarPeterson Hall, 7141 Sherbrooke Wfrom June 11 to 13.GeorgeGershwinwasnotonlyacreatorof the golden age of American musicaltheatre but also a successful composerof music for the concert hall. Songshe wrote include The Man I Love,Embreacable you and I Got Rhythm.These concerts are an opportunity
to rediscover Broadway’s best from a wide range of traditional and contemporary composers. Excerptsfrom hit shows such as the Lion King, Annie Get Your Gun, Spring Awakening, and Young Franken-stein are featured.The Lyric Theatre has grown from a small group performing an annual production into a company
of performers from all areas of the city, rehearsing and performing 10 months out of every year.Concerts are June 11-12 at 8pm and June 13 at 2pm. Tickets are $14-$28. To reserve: 514-363-3382.
Lyric theatre brings Gershwin to Montreal
MOVERS & SHAKERS To reserve your spot call: 551144--448844--55003333
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22 THE SENIOR TIMES May 2009 www.theseniortimes.com
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What’s Happening in MayARTFridayMay 8Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom ex-hibits and sells the work of over thirty artists in anexhibition entitled Matri-Art; A Family Affair, amother’s day arts and crafts sale. Vernissage afterservices. SaturdayMay 9 from 12:30pm - 2:30pmand SundayMay 10 from 1pm - 4pm. 4100 Sher-brooke West. Info: 514-937-3575.UntilMay 30 Beaconsfield Library presents mixedmedia by Franki Vergil and her daughter KimVergil entitled Mother and Daughter at 303 Be-consfield. Meet artists SundayMay 10 2–4pm.June 1 to 3 Beaurepaire-Beaconsfield HistoricalSociety presents Women’s Work a display from thepast of needlework at the Beaconsfield Library,303 Beaconsfield.
BAZAARS/SALESSaturday May 9 from 10am–2pm AnglicanChurch of the Resurrection holds a flea mar-ket/garage sale at 99 Mount Pleasant.June 6 from 9 am-1 pm St. Paul’s Anglican Churchholds their annual garage and bake sale at377-44th Ave. Info: 514-634-1965.
CLUBSWednesday May 13 at 7:30pm Atwater Librarybook club discusses Falling Man by Don DeLilloat 1200 Atwater. Info: 514-935-7344.Tuesday May 19 Rachel Jacklyn Bilodeau speaksat 7:30 pm at Zoological Society, 1444 Union.Info: 514-845-8317.ThursdayMay 21 from 11am-2pm Helvetica Sen-iors Club presents a workshop by Dr. Dally Das-toor on Aging Memory and Changes followed byluncheon at Monkland Grill. Info: 514-481-2928.
EVENTSMay 9 and 10 at 6:30pm Dorval StrathmoreUnited Church hosts a murder mystery fundraiserdinner at 310 Brookhaven. $30/$25 for studentsand seniors. To reserve: 514-793-9879.May 11 andMay 25 at 7:30pm Ami-Quebec hostssupport groups for people living with mental ill-ness at 4222 Cote St. Catherine.May 13 and 27 at6:30pm groups are held at 10 Churchill, SouthShore, suite 205. Info: 514-486-1448.TuesdayMay 12 at 7pm Atwater Library will con-
tinue their poetry project at 1200 Atwater withpoets Katia Grubisic, Christian Bok, Jen Currinand Christine Leclerc. Info: 514-935-7344.Thursday May 21 at 8:30am Auberge Shalompour Femmes hosts their 20th anniversary break-fast at the Just for Laughs loft, 2111 St. LawrenceBlvd. featuring ECS jazz vocalist ensemble andspeaker M.Adelia Ferreira, attorney, and HonoreeMiriam Charron, founding president. $100.Info: 514-731-0833.Saturday,May 23 from 11am-4pm, the 4th annualCaribbean Luncheon will be held at St. ThomasChurch, 6897 Somerled corner Rosedale. $20.Under $10: $5. Info: 514-484-2750.Thursday June 4 from 6pm-8pm the Council forBlack Aging will meet at Union United Church,307 Delisle.
LECTURESMonday May 11 Senator Hugh Segal, Q.C. willspeak at the St. James Literary Society’s AnnualDinner. Reservations: 514-484-0146.Wednesday May 13 from 7pm-9pm ThomasMore Institute begins their spring interview serieson Legacies – Reflecting on the Worlds We Inherit.$10. 3405 Atwater. Info: 514-935-7344.Thursday, May 14 at 7pm Dr. Richard Béliveauspeaks on Diet and Cancer Prevention at JewishGeneral Hospital, Cote-des-Neiges Entrance(Pavillon A) in B106. Limited space. To reserve:514-340-8222, ext. 3872.Thursday May 21 at 7pm notary Kelly Woodfordspeaks on Legal Issues: Brainy Boomers and Beyondat Côte Saint-Luc Library, 5851 Cavendish. $3.Info: 514-485-6900.Wednesday May 27 Athanasios Katsarkas, direc-tor of the dizziness clinic at RVH will speak at12:30pm at Atwater Library. Info: 514-935-7344.
MUSICSaturday May 9 at 7pm Church of St. Columbaby-the-lake presents Kids Helping Kids, a benefitconcert featuring West-Island music students at11 Rodney. Proceeds to orphan-care day programsin Malawi. Donations welcomed.Info: 514-364-3027.Sunday May 10 at 8pm Segal Centre hosts aMother’s Day jazz special at 5170 Cote Sainte
Catherine. John Roney and the Silverbirch Quar-tet perform. Seniors $15. Info: 514-739-7944.SundayMay 10 at 7:30 pm theVivaVoce choir willbe recapping the last 10 years of their choices inmusic. Redpath Hall, 3461 McTavish. $30; Seniors:$25; Students: $10 Info: 514-398-4547.Thursday May 14 at 7:30pm Conseil des arts deMontreal and the Eleanor London Library pres-ent I Musici celebrating their 25th anniversary.Works by Mozart with performances by I Musicifounders Yuli and Eleonore Turovsky. $10. 5851Cavendish. Info: 514-485-6900.SaturdayMay 16 at 8pm Lakeshore Concert Bandpresents its annual concert Gala highlightingmusic from Broadway and films at Oscar PetersonHall, 7141 Sherbrooke W. $15/$10 students andseniors. Info: 514-428-0636.SaturdayMay 23 at 7:30 pm Montreal CityVoices,the West-Island Chorus, the South Shore Saintsand the Greater Montreal Chorus present a capellamusic to benefit Montreal Shriners Hospital forChildren at Oscar Peterson Concert Hall, 7141Sherbrooke W. $25. Info: 514-685-1126.Sunday May 24 at 3 pm Voices for Hope, a 65voice community choir directed by DouglasKnight performs Broadway Plus at Cedar ParkUnited Church, 204 Lakeview. $20/students $12.Proceeds to assist Grandmothers to Grandmothers.Info: 514-630-4636 or 514-637-7125.SundayMay 31 at 8pm Shtreiml, a Klezmer band-will perform at Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom,4100 Sherbrooke W. $20.Info and reservations: 450-672-9788.
THEATRECavalia is held over until June 1 at MetropolitanBlvd corner Decarie. Info: 1-866-999-8111.May 9, 15, 16, 22, 23 Becket Players Musical The-atre celebrates 35 years of entertainment at DDO-Civic Center. $25. Info: 514-465-3029.
Marie – early 70s, widow, perfectly bilingual seekseducated gentleman for cinema, classical andpopular music, walking, and traveling.
Kathy – Widow, 78, would like to meet a sincere,honest gentleman, financially secure, who likesmovies, tv, dining out and companionship.
To contact Marie or Kathy at Meet a Friend, sendyour letter and a recent photo to Marie or Kathy@ Meet a Friend, c/o The Senior Times, 4077Decarie Blvd, Montreal, QC, H4A 3J8.
Would you like to Meet a Friend? Send your bio of25–30 words and a $20 cheque to the aboveaddress or call 514-484-5033, or email your bio [email protected] reserve the right to edit for clarity and brevity. All contact infois kept private and all responses are forwarded from our office.
Meet a Friend
Artistic Director PeterWillsherPresent
Mozart - RequiemBrahms - Academic Festival OvertureWillsher - Peace and Tranquility,A Song Cycle (world premiere)
Saturday, June 13, 7:30pm
Sometimes we are tempted to take stock of ourrelationships. A common question usually tar-gets our couple-hood. Are we “with” somebodyor arewe“alone”?We all know that in certain sit-uations, the answer is both.
It can feel lonely being in a couple and it can befulfilling being single. And, though being part ofa “we” brings comforting implications, what is itthat makes so many single people content?
As we grow wiser we learn how to manage life’scurveballs. We develop a sense of mastery thathelps us navigate whether we’re part of a coupleor on our own. So, singlehood becomes less scary,overwhelming and empty. Add to that full heartsand open minds, and we have a winning formula.
There are exceptions, of course. Take“Ralph”, forexample, a widower whom I recently questionedabout adjusting to single life. Despite my hesitancyto open sensitive issues, his answer surprised me.He actually gave it some serious thought before hetalked about how hard it is to get a decent home-cooked meal. And he was not trying to be funny!Aside from a full plate, his minute expectations ofa relationship appeared tragically bare.
Most unattached people, however, operate froma richer perspective. Happy people speak fromtheir hearts. Whether or not they have a family,they all approach life with an expectation and ap-preciation of kindness. Be it a smile, a gesture, orthe awareness of someone else’s feelings, there isthe sense of connection that comes with empathy.
All content people refer to someone or somethingthat holds meaning for them. In the act of givingthey develop a sense of their own value.They mighthave a pet, adore a grandchild or, like Mary, takenote of the simple details that flavor our days. “Oh,he’s such a sweetie!” she mentions about her door-man, as we leave her building.Mary collects the tinyofferings of daily life to fill her emotional pockets.
In becoming more aware of daily details, I haveexperienced that a full heart is there for the tak-ing. I enter my office and count on the smell offreshly made coffee. I do my banking and chatwith the tellers. And if I collect returned smiles Ican have a pocketful.
We can surround ourselves by relationships thatspan between a second and a century. If we com-pile them, and allow them all a place, they weavetogether to form a beautiful tapestry. Like an Im-pressionist painting made of tiny dots, they cometogether to fill our canvas. And we all have rela-tionships, a “patchwork quilt” that embellisheswhat no one person can give us, or surrounds andunites us in endless possibilities.
24 THE SENIOR TIMES May 2009 www.theseniortimes.com
e power of one can be fulfillingRelationshipsRuth Reiner
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The Country Flowers series by Mary Frances O’Donnell will beexhibited at the Missisquoi Museum from May 20 to June 11.Featured are revealing close-ups of individual perennial flowers.The vernissage is May 23, 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the MissisquoiMuseum, 2 River Street, Stanbridge E. Info: 450-248-3153
Featuring ephemeral flowers
www.theseniortimes.com May 2009 THE SENIOR TIMES 25
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In February 2009, U.S. reports showed that sea-sonally adjusted sales of existing homes in-creased by 5.1% and new homes increased by22%compared to January; the latter increase fol-lowed 7 consecutive months of decreases.This is good news and may signal the beginningof recovery in the U.S. First-time buyers took ad-vantage of lower prices, interest rates and tax cred-its (a maximum of $8,000). In Canada, the RealEstate Market is also being affected by the globalrecession measured, in part, by a reduction in thenumber of sales and by the average sale price. Re-covery is expected to be some time in 2010, butthis estimate is later than first announced by theBank of Canada. No one has a “crystal ball” thatpredicts with certainty.TheCanadianReal EstateAssociation in February2009 announced that while all provinces reported areduction in the number of sales compared to 2008,not every province reported a price reduction.Western provinces (-5.0% to -10.6%)were hit worstbut Quebec and eastern provinces (0.0% to -0.1%)reported virtually no change. Newfoundland actu-ally reported an increase (+4.8%).The Bank of Canada’s efforts to stimulate theeconomy by lowering the prime lending rate ismaking it easier to obtain an affordable mortgage.According to canequity, the 5 year fixed rate isaround 3.95% but the variable rate is at 2.5%.
Furthermore, the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) in-troduced in 1992, which allowed first time buyersto use RRSPs as a down payment on a residentialproperty, a major factor in affordability, has beenincreased from $20,000 to $25,000.Despite the lower number of sales this spring vslast spring inMontreal, the bulk of sales in a givenyear occur during this period and like other years,this spring is no exception. Reports from theGreater Montreal Real Estate Board disclosed thatthe median price of a Home (+1%), Condo-minium (+2%) and Plex (+3%) was up from thesame time last year.The unemployment rate (+1.4%) in Montrealthis year is higher than last but consumer confi-dence appears healthy. This year when asked ifnow was a good time to buy, a greater number ofconsumers reported yes in March (39%) com-pared to February (29%). But more expensiveproperties may be less affordable, as buyers lookto compromise. It is certain that properties aretaking longer to sell and there are more expiredlistings in the MLS. Buyers just don’t know whatprice to pay in this market, while sellers are hold-ing onto their price.For sellers: set a realistic sale price; know themarket and your competition; have a good mar-keting plan and reasonable budget; be preparedfor a longer sale; keep negotiations going; workclosely with your agent; and think like a buyer.For buyers: ask yourself why you are buying andwhere; shop around for a mortgage estimate be-fore looking to buy; do not think of flipping ahome if you are a conservative thinker; keep ne-gotiations going; work closely with your agent;think like a seller.
Real Estate RealitiesDaniel Smyth
Spring into recession realities
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I took an overnight ferry from Pa-tras, Greece to Ancona, Italy withthree Canadian girls I met whiletravelling. Our sights were set onVenice, Venezia in Italian, the en-chanted lagoon of northeast Italy.Whenwe docked inAncona,we sentLaura to make the phone calls to finda hotel.After 20minutes she returned,frustrated and confused. “What does‘Pronto’mean?” she asked.We didn’t
know.“Each time I call a hotel some-one picks up the phone and says‘Pronto,’ then I ask about the roomsand then they hang up.” We laterlearned that “Pronto” is simply theway Italians answer the phone, andmost of them don’t speak English.During her second round of phonecalls, she eventually found someonewho did, and reserved us a room.The city of Venice is composed of
18 small, interconnected islandswithin a lagoon off the Adriatic Sea.About 31,000 people live on these is-lands. The city is small enough to ex-plore entirely on foot. Boats are thestandard method of transportation,and there are no cars in Venice, giv-ing the city a sense of calmness.From Ancona, we hopped on thetrain and headed north. About fivehours later we heard the conductorannounce “Venezia.”Mymother hadgiven me specific instructions to getoff the train, turn right and walk to-ward the Jewish ghetto. I took chargeand led the group as we made ourway. It was dark and cold.We walkedand walked. Something didn’t seemright. Where was the water? Scaredand confused, we asked some Italianmen at a café where we could findour hotel. They did not speak Eng-lish. We pulled out a map of Veniceand they laughed. Clearly, we hadgotten off at the wrong stop. Appar-ently there are two train stops called“Venezia.”Who knew?We took a cab to a bridge, walkedacross, and finally found our city ofwater. We felt lucky to have bookedour hotel ahead of time, as we metseveral unprepared travellers roam-ing the street late at night looking fora place to stay. Our hotel – AlloggiGerotto Calderan – had big, brightrooms with high ceilings. We paidabout 75 euros for a room for thefour of us. The hotel was just stepsaway from the Jewish ghetto. Thefirst and oldest ghetto in Europe, it is500 years old. The original term“ghetto” refers to this Venetianghetto, which once housed 5,000Jews, who were forced to live there.Venice’s active Jewish community ofabout 1,000 maintains five syna-gogues (two which are operational),a yeshiva (an orthodox Jewish
school), a kosher restaurant, severalJudaica shops, and a Chabad (anultra-orthodox Jewish group).The next morning, two Chabadboys invited us all to attend Chabad’sShabbat dinner. It was themost beau-tiful Shabbat dinner I have ever expe-rienced. There were several long tablesset up along a canal. About 30 people– some local Venetians and manytravellers from all over the world –came together for the meal.Our first Italian café experience wasinteresting. I ordered a hot chocolate,andmy friends all ordered coffee.Wehad to pay extra for a table. Thewaiter brought my hot chocolate outfirst. The girls ooed and aahed. Itlooked like a melted richmilk choco-late bar. Their coffees came outshortly after – mini mugs with abouttwo sips of coffee in them. Theremust have been a mistake, we in-sisted, but no; in Italy, a coffee is ashot of espresso.Who knew?The Piazza San Marco is one of themost famous squares in Italy. It ishome to the Basilica di San Marco,the exquisite Palazzo Ducale, severalritzy art stores, cafés and hundreds ofpigeons. We took a small tour of theremarkable basilica, nicknamed
Italy’s city of water: majestic, but a challenge to navigate
26 THE SENIOR TIMES May 2009 www.theseniortimes.com
Times and PlacesMolly Newborn
www.theseniortimes.com May 2009 THE SENIOR TIMES 27
“Chiesa d’Or” (church of gold) forthe decorative gold both inside andoutside. It has Byzantine architecture.The marble floors are uneven, likewater, due to the shifting of the foun-dation. It’s a remarkable sight.
The Palazzo Ducale is Venice’s piècede résistance. Built in the 14th century, itwas used as the senate house, the hallof justice, an administrative centre,and a prison until the fall of the Vene-tian Republic in 1797. As we walkedthrough the great halls, each one moreexquisite and extravagant than the last,filled with golden walls and grand
works of art, I couldn’t help but imag-ine it as my home while I study at Ca’Foscari, University of Venice.
The shopping in Venice is likenowhere else. The city is known forits glasswork and Venetian masks. Ibought several pieces of glass jew-ellery, but the masks wouldn’t sur-vive in my suitcase.
The four of us took a peaceful, $90half-hour gondola ride around thecity.We made sure to choose a hand-some gondola driver, who sang to usin Italian as we floated through themajestic city of water.
Manoir Westmount
A Project of The Rotary Club of Westmount
For an appointment to view, please call(514) 937-3943
Manoir Westmount Inc.,4646 Sherbrooke Street West, Westmount, Quebec H3Z 2Z8
• Professional health care personnel 24 hours per day• State of the art smoke and sprinkler system• Spacious main lounges and attractive outdoor patio• Large elegant dining room and bar• Close to shopping, churches, library and recreation• All inclusive rates from $1715 / month
Lovely Gardens and Patio • All the Comforts of Your Home • Hotel-style Reception
www.manoirwestmount.ca
Piazza San Marco
Les Résidences Soleil MANOIR LAVAL
You’re at home with us!
w w w . r e s i d e n c e s s o l e i l . c a
Les Résidences SoleilMANOIR ST-LAURENT
115 Deguire blvd514 332-3434
Les Résidences SoleilMANOIR LAVAL1455 de l’Avenir blvd450 629-0019
Les Résidences SoleilMANOIR ST-LÉONARD
7650 Lespinay514 255-9298
Les Résidences SoleilPOINTE-AUX-TREMBLES
13900 Notre-Dame East514 642-2234
Visit every day from 9am to 6pmToll Free Number
1 800 363-0663
SERVICES• 24 hour security, cameras• Cultural activities• Sunny terraces• Health care• Nurse or nurse’s aide or an attendant 24 hours• Medical services and doctor visits• Hobby room• Library• Resident committee to organize activitiesin cooperation with the administration
• Indoor/Outdoor parking• Billiard room• Hairdresser• Convenience store• Banking services• Dining room• Excellent food (all you can eat)• Menus prepared by a qualified chefin collaboration with a dietician
• Utilities and heat included• Cleaning staff• Emergency and fire alarm in each apartment• Indoor pool, sauna, spa• Elevators• Chapel, choir• Game room• Your children are always welcome• And much more…
Come visit us every day… If you lack available transportationwe can arrange to pick you up, by appointment.
S h e r b r o o k e | B o u c h e r v i l l e | S o r e l | M o n t - S t - H i l a i r e | D u M u s é e | G r a n b y | D o l l a r d - d e s - O r m e a u x
A family business
APARTMENTS1 1/2 to 4 1/2
Competitive Rates
Les Résidences Soleil MANOIR ST-LAURENT Les Résidences Soleil MANOIR ST-LÉONARD Les Résidences Soleil POINTE-aux-TREMBLES
SHORT STAY, CONVALESCENCEOR TRIAL PERIOD!Our concept of short stay or convalescence allows seniors to take a short vacation or to relaxin a safe environment while recovering after a hospital stay. Starting at $50 a day,including three meals and snacks.
Residences Soleil GUARANTEEIf you are not satisfied during your first month with us, you may terminate your lease.
11/2 to 41/2Under construction RReennttaall OOffffiiccee ooppeenn eevveerryy ddaayy!!
A warm ambiance, activities, recreation, comfort and security
The chance of a lifeTime aT SainTe-Julie
YOUR RENT FFRREEEE FFOORR LLIIFFEE
Among the clients who will have signed a lease for Les Résidences Soleil Manoir Sainte-Julie beforeDecember 31, 2010, one client will have the chance to win the cost of his or her rent (excludingservices) free for life as long as he or she resides at Les Résidences Soleil Manoir Sainte-Julie.
Our priorities are to meet your needs of today and those of tomorrow.
