Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall
Weather forecast for Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Today – Sunny this morning and early this afternoon then a mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of showers this afternoon. Risk of a thunderstorm this afternoon. Wind becoming southwest 20 km/h near noon. High 30. Humidex 36. UV index 9 or very high.
Tonight – Partly cloudy. 60 percent chance of showers this evening with risk of a thunderstorm. Wind southwest 20 km/h becoming light this evening. Low 18.
Photo of the day
The Ontario SPCA and a team from Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary are en route to Florida with a group of Pit Bulls from an alleged dogfighting operation, to continue their rehabilitation.
Don Cherry joined the transfer teams at the Ontario SPCA (OSPCA) Provincial Office in Stouffville to wish the dogs well on their journey.
In October 2015 the OSPCA uncovered an alleged dogfighting operation near Chatham, Ontario.
Several dogs were removed during that investigation and assessed by world leaders in dogfighting rehabilitation, the ASPCA. Seven of those dogs immediately passed the ASPCA’s assessments but due to lengthy court proceedings remained in the OSPCA’s care until they were recently released from the courts to be rehomed.
In addition, one of the animals removed from the alleged dogfighting operation, gave birth to 11 Pit Bull puppies while in care of the OSPCA. The puppies remained in the care of the OSPCA for close to two years until ownership was recently released by the courts.
After having been spayed and neutered, the first group of these dogs are ready to be transported to two facilities in Florida.
Pit Sisters, a behavioural and dog training program with the mission to find challenging dogs new homes, will be taking 10 of the dogs and Dogs Playing for Life will be taking four of the dogs.
“Sadly due to the unexpected lengthy court process, these dogs have been waiting nearly two years to be rehomed,” stated Deputy Chief Jennifer Bluhm, OSPCA, in a press release.
“Our staff have been actively working with them every day to continue their rehabilitation and we are so pleased that we can finally relocate them and have them start the next chapter of their lives.”
The transport of these dogs has been fully funded and executed through the generosity of Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary.
The OSPCA welcomed animal lover Don Cherry to see the dogs before they started off on their journey.
Potawatomi Gathering begins on Walpole Island
A full slate of activities will be taking place on Walpole Island First Nation this week at the Potawatomi Gathering.
Some of the events include a golf tournament, Potawatomi Princess Pageant, youth conference, language and history conference, powwow, workshops, vendors, kid’s zone, drum socials and karaoke.
For more details, visit: walpoleislandfirstnation.ca/potawatomi-gathering-2017
Dragons and pitchers wanted for Small Business Month
October is designated as Small Business Month in Canada, and it is something to be celebrated.
Join the Small Business Centre and Chatham-Kent Workforce Planning Board (CKWPB) on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Chilled Cork (Derby Room) and to help them help some local entrepreneurs.
Up to six local entrepreneurs will compete in the second annual Dragon’s Den style business lunch that will see them pitching their business ideas for a chance to win an investment in their dream.
A panel of six celebrity community ‘dragons’ (to be revealed in the coming weeks) will have the opportunity to ask questions of the pitchers to gain insight and clarification on their business ideas.
Ultimately, though, the winner will be up to those in attendance.
For the price of a $15 a ticket (plus handling), anyone can be a CK Dragon for the day.
Ticket prices include a soup and sandwich lunch as well as a vote for the winning pitch.
Winning pitchers will be awarded cash investments in their business ($5,000 for first place; $2,000 for second place, and $1,000 for third place).
The CKWPB is accepting applications from pitchers starting August 1 until Friday, September 15, 2017 at noon.
Application forms can be found on their website ckworkforcedev.com, by calling 519-436-3299, or emailing CKWorkforce@chatham-kent.ca.
Tickets for this event can be purchased through CKtickets.ca.
According to June 2016 Canada Business Pattern Data, 19,266 employees are employed by ‘small businesses’ (generally accepted as meaning employing fewer than 100 employees) here in Chatham Kent.
Ontario bringing more Canadian books to classrooms
Ontario is bringing more Canadian literature – such as fiction, plays and poetry – into schools across Ontario, to enrich the learning experience of students in the classroom.
Tourism, Culture and Sport Minister Eleanor McMahon was at Cherokee Public School in Toronto recently to announce the new Canadian Books in Ontario Schools Fund.
The fund is a three-year pilot project that will support publishers to create supplementary resources, including curriculum-linked lesson plans, activities and discussion guides, to complement acclaimed works of Canadian literature. These new resources will support learning and teaching through the curriculum for kids from kindergarten to grade 12.
“In this milestone year marking Ontario’s 150th anniversary, we are introducing a new way to support the study of more Canadian content in our schools,” McMahon stated.
“Our government is a proud supporter of this country’s authors and recognizes their contribution to our society. The fund will bring more Canadian content into our schools and help to enrich the classroom learning experience — and that is a benefit to us all.”
Developed through consultations with education professionals, teachers and Ontario-based publishers, the fund will be administered by the Ontario Media Development Corporation. Resources may also be considered for online distribution through TVO’s TeachOntario.
More details:
– The Canadian Books in Ontario Schools Fund is a key commitment in Ontario’s Culture Strategy, launched in July 2016.
– The fund is a three-year, $250,000 per year pilot project.
– The supplementary resources developed from the first round of grants will be available for the 2018 school year.
– In Ontario classrooms teachers use two categories of learning resources to support their instructional practice: textbooks and supplementary resources.
– Teachers, school librarians and school boards decide what supplementary resources are used in the classroom.
World news
Airplane passengers call 911 after being trapped for hours
Water turns black and smelly near Niagara Falls
Trump says the White House is ‘a real dump’
Apple releases earnings report and it’s more staggering than expected
Trump nominee Christopher Wray confirmed as FBI director
Jordan’s parliament votes to abolish ‘marry the rapist’ law
Quivering Isil suspects face investigations court
If you have a suggestion, story idea, column idea, or if you want to say hello… drop me an e-mail at aaron@sydenhamcurrent.ca.
