#MaryAnn(Domitrovic)Yule, #HPCanada; #Canada; #diversitystrategy

Toronto, Oct 19 (Canadian-Media): Mary Ann Yule, President & CEO of HP Canada, had given some important messages to the global community specially to the new immigrants and the second generations of Canadians during a recent launch event of a TV series in Mississauga, Ontario. In a chat with Canada’s Asha Bajaj, Mary Ann Yule said her message to the global community was to teach new immigrants and children from different diverse communities to adapt to Canada’s one of the most diverse cultures.
​
The one hour episode of the most distinguished and talented leaders who were present, will be broadcast at Primetime on Sundays at 6 PM with repeat broadcast on Primetime Saturdays at 6 PM on ATN-SONY beginning November 2018. 

#Primetime; #SouthAsianNetwork; #AsianTelevisionNetwork, #ATN-SONY, #SouthAsians

Mississauga, Oct 17 (Canadian-Media): Important messages were given by some of the biggest names from South Asian community in Ontario during questions & answer sessions held between these leaders and media personnel  at a launch event of a TV series on October 15, 2018 between 6 p.m. and 7:30 pm at the Holiday Inn, near Pearson Airport in Mississauga. 

​The one hour episode of talented  leaders present will be broadcast at Primetime on Sundays at 6 PM with repeat broadcast on Primetime Saturdays at 6 PM on ATN-SONY beginning November 2018.  

The distinguished panel of leaders were gathered on a single platform to launch the Television Series about their journey and success stories.

The basic philosophy behind this launch, said Jai Kalra, the creator and host of the Stories of Success, is to be a role models for the second generation as well as to the new immigrants who struggle hard to adapt themselves to the new diverse communities in Canada and inculcate in them the values of this culture with their own, learn that they would grow and learn there.
​                                                  ​

JourneytoSpace; #MarkKrenzien; #GiantScreenFilm; 

Toronto, Oct 12 (Canadian-Media): During the questions and answer sessions before and after the screening of the film 'Journey to Space' and Canadian-Media exclusive interview on Oct 3 at the Ontario Science Centre with Mark Krenzien , the director/writer/producer of the film highlighted a few of the noteworthy events and challenges he faced in making the film. 

As an introduction Krenzien said that 'Journey To Space' is a new Giant Screen Film that both celebrates the history of the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs, and foretells the future of what the next chapter of space exploration will be. The film is a timely review of how NASA has been transitioning from the end of the Space Shuttle Era to a much more ambitious future that will forever change how we live and operate in space as a species. ​
​






​

​ 


 

 
 

Q1. When did you begin compiling the film and how long did it take? 

A. I started compiling the film in 2014 and the entire process took  nearly two years. 

The editing of the film was time-consuming. The film was first aired in 2016. 

In the giant film screen all the images have to be captured well. Some images in this film have not come out well because they were taken with small cameras. To capture images in giant screen films special cameras have to be used which can hold large amount of information.


Q2. When did you start your career?

I started my film and television career more than thirty-five years back. Beginning as an Emmy-winning film editor, and then as a cinematographer. I have written, produced, and directed documentaries for ABC, HBO, Showtime, and Discovery as well as written screenplays for Universal, Paramount, and Showtime 

More recently, I wrote, produced, and/or directed  12 large-format IMAX films including Humpback Whales, Journey to the South Pacific, Adventures in Wild California, The Mystery of the Nile, The Alps, Grand Canyon Adventure, and Arabia all for MacGillivray Freeeman Films.

Q3. What inspired you to make this film?

A. Primarily to inspire a new generation of young people to dream of new horizons in space and learn about the accomplishments of the Space Shuttle Program. 

The audience will be excited to learn about America’s future in space, and be much more knowledgeable about how those plans are being executed.

Most movies I made dealt with environment, wild life, and saving the nearly extinct animal species and now got interested in hard science. Also we are nearer to space now than before. 

​I had a chance to work for Boeing before in International Rescue operations and they suggested that I should do this story and offered to fund this film.  Apollo also joined Boeing in funding this film.

Q4. What was your goal in making 'Journey To Space'?

A. In 'Journey To Space', we strive to make the young and adult viewers understand how the experience gained from the Shuttle/ISS in their planning and actual hardware will lead to next phase of human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. 

Preparations for the Mars mission are well underway, and we want the public to know that human space exploration program didn’t die with the end of the Shuttle program.  

We are nearer to the space now than we were ever before.

Our goal is to make Mars safe.

Q5. What are your thoughts about this film? Colonising Mars versus frequent trips?
 
Some private companies encourage colonisation but NASA is very clear that when they send the astronauts they would come back. This makes it more complicated because NASA is in favour of frequent trips rather than colonisation.

But as one ocean explorer Christopher Columbus started his voyage he did not know if he would come back or not. The same is the case of the astronauts.

NASA, on the other hand, does not allow astronauts to start their trip until and unless they are fully equipped with knowledge and training. Inquisitiveness is also necessary.

But the future goal is to colonize Mars by the end of  2030s.

So both Colonization of Mars as well as frequent trips would be occurring in the future.

Q6. What is the first mission to mars looks like?

Through visually stunning imagery, and in collaboration with leading space experts, the film showcases the exciting plans currently under way and the challenges NASA and the space industry must overcome to carry out  future missions, such as landing astronauts on Mars and capturing asteroids.

​More important than the film are excellent animations done by Canadian film company in Quebec.

This film also projects the continuation in designing of the space suit for the next generation
 
Equally important is the use of effective equipment  to make sure the space shuttle does not get damaged as we come and go up.

Then there is the addition of Canadian Giant arm to Space shuttle to enhance  both its efficacy and success. This addition of Canadian Giant arm to Space shuttle is so precise that it can militarise some of its controls to perform micrographic surgeries.
 
This film also projects what is going on today. All the three astronauts: Serena Aunon, Mark Ferguson and one more are still alive and active.

Q7. How did we make this film?

 IMAX is a proud Canadian as it was invented in Canada and is a good medium and immediately they realized that shooting space mission was a good thing.

To make this giant screen film. OMNIMAX, we had to use special cameras, different from regular feature cameras, as these special cameras can hold a lot of information.

Also for giant screen films we had to take into consideration three aspects: Historical, present, and the future aspects.
 
We had to show how historical past films did.  For this reason the first half of Journey To Space is a profile on the Space Shuttle Program and its 135 missions, enabling the audience to understand how we live and operate in space and as well as the future missions covered in the film. This part was done with the help of NASA. 

As part of the Space Shuttle section of the movie, we gave a strong overview of the Shuttle’s last major project – the launch and assembly of the International Space Station (ISS). We also gave a fitting tribute to the Shuttle Program 135 Shuttle missions describing many of the big steps taken by the shuttle and the lessons learned.
 
The celebrities in this film included the men and women of the U.S. Space program – past and current, astronauts and on-the-ground NASA experts, plus an extensive advisory committee of space experts.
 
Second part is devoted what is going on today like launching of Shuttle and how it assembled the International Space Station (ISS).
 
ISS is a joint collaboration of 15 nations and operating 24/7 to provide a home and a science lab in space.
 
This part of the film projects about how the three astronauts had to learn to build and conduct science in space building a foundation for the future astronauts. It shows the three astronauts getting ready to go the space station, launching of the space shuttle.

NASA allowed me to use some of their equipment and material. I had to be trained because NASA is very clear that when the astronauts are taken up they have to be brought back.
 
Continuation in designing of the space suit for the next generation is portrayed in this section.
 
In the final part of animated film, emphasis is laid on realistic scenario of how astronauts will actually get to Mars, and how they would survive in space.
 
The final part of the film projects great animations of how the astronauts live and survive in space.

Q8. What was your favourite thing while making this film?
 
A. Life long learning and Learning never stops. 
​Human exploration is at the core of man’s DNA, said  Mark

Q9. Did you have to learn a lot?
 
A. Yes I had to learn a lot. When I approached NASA to allow me to use some of their equipment and material, NASA said that for that I had to go back to school with all my crew and cameramen where we were given private lessons.

 NASA is very clear that when the astronauts are taken up they have to be brought back.

I had to take several trips to Mars to get enough experience to land safely on Mars and then land safely on earth because NASA is very clear that when the astronauts are taken up they have to be brought back.
  
Researchers expect the six-month and and one year tours on the ISS will yield beneficial knowledge on the medical, psychological and biomedical challenges explorers may face as they venture to an asteroid, Mars and beyond.

I had to learn to drive space shuttle. The Canada arm of the space shuttle, another giant arm added was added to the space shuttle.
 
I needed to get experience in walking through the module of space shuttle.

Space in space module is very limited, If two persons are sitting inside they cannot move an inch. They had to be static.

The great inflammable habitat which was a science lab for the astronauts to conduct experiments in space was huge.
 
I had to be trained about three different elements: Orion,  Olympus and SLS (Space Launch System), that would enable us to go farther into space than ever before. 

Q10. what challenges did you have to face while making of this film?
 
We had to learn hard to take simple shots of Heusten Space centre with camera.
 
I needed to get experience in walking through the module of space shuttle which was very difficult.

This was due to the fact that Space in space module is very limited.

If two persons or more persons are sitting inside they cannot move an inch. They had to be static.

Q11. What messages do you give in this film?

A. My simple message in this film is that previous and past relationships matter a lot.

​Another message is that the first  human nations to Mars would be set up by late 2030s.

The last but the most relevant message is that learning never stops.

Q1. During an exclusive Canadian-Media interview with Mark Krenzien, he was asked his reason for switching over -- from Environmental, Wild life, and preservation of species -- to the subject of Space?

The present need for the children and youth of this generation as well as next generation to learn the progress being made in the space sciences with one of the recent launch of a space shuttle to Mars.

We are much closer to Mars now as compared to the past and hence this project is most suitable to the present times.

But my next three projects are based on preserving more cities and making them livable and savable. The subject of mountain exploration would also be taken up by me.

Q2. Of all the films produced by you so far do you consider this is as your best film?
If so, why?

A2. Yes I consider this film as my best film because it is both inspirational and based on facts. This is because the first half of Journey To Space is a profile on the Space Shuttle Program and its 135 missions which paves the way for understanding of the youth of this generation as well as next generation to learn how we live and operate in space. As part of the Space Shuttle section of the movie, we give a strong overview of the Shuttle’s last major project – the launch and assembly of the ISS.

The imagery used in film feeds the imagination of the young as well as the adult viewers.

Another reason for considering this film as my best film so far is because I had to go to school with all my crew members and cameramen to get full training before I could project the scenes in which the space shuttle is launched to the space station.

This gave me an opportunity for life-long learning.

Q3. Who are some of the NASA experts you collaborated with on this film? 

A: NASA experts: Stuart McClung, Orion re-entry specialist; Lindsey Aitchinsen, Spacesuit Engineer; Serena Aunon, astronaut; Ellen Ochoa, Director of Johnson Space Center. Other principal film advisors include: JPL, Roger Launius, head curator at The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and Dennis Jenkins, consultant, author and curator.

Q4: Does the film pay homage to NASA’s past accomplishments?

A: Yes. The first half of Journey To Space is a profile on the Space Shuttle Program and its 135 missions, enables the understanding how we live and operate in space and as well as the future missions covered in the film.

As part of the Space Shuttle section of the movie, we give a strong overview of the Shuttle’s last major project – the launch and assembly of the International Space Station.


Q5: What are some of the new pieces of hardware introduced in this movie?

A: Three different elements  to enable us to go farther into space than ever before are featured in Journey To Space.

They include: Orion, NASA’s first spacecraft designed to carry humans on long duration (years vs. days) to carry out deep-space exploration missions beyond low-Earth orbit and return them safely back home; Olympus, an early concept of an inflatable transit habitat that measures approximately 50-feet in diameter to provide astronauts the work area and living space necessary for long-duration missions; SLS (Space Launch System), the giant rocket -- that generates over nine million pounds of thrust equivalent to the weight of 22 elephants --  providing the huge lift  necessary to carry Orion and Olympus as well as  Mars landers and and vehicles into deep space and get astronauts to the surface of Mars and return them safely to Earth. 

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)

​What were the casting challenges of getting the lead child actors? How was it to cast for Kailash Satyarthi?
 
Jhalki had to be a firebrand 11 year old, pre-puberty girl, so that was a big challenge ... To find someone who could carry the film on her fragile shoulders. Each time we would shortlist a few of them and a few years would pass by, they would grow up. A little less but almost the same was the case with the young boy. Finally, we went on a rampage, when the film was to be done, looking for appropriate face and fire in Mumbai as well as through our casting director, to areas like UP and Bihar, where the characters belong to get the local flavor. We must have shortlisted over 50, narrowed down to some 15 and finally took 4 of them through a 2-week workshop. We were thrilled with the final results. 
 
Kailash Satyarthi's was a different case. Ideally, we would have wanted him to act himself, but then acting and the takes and retakes is a tall task ... Especially when you have to do it in 45-48 degrees. Again Karmas changed ... Over a few years from KK to Manoj Bajpai to Boman Irani. The best part was, when we approached Boman, one of the first things he said, is that 'I am not bothered about my position in the film ... I just want to do this film, period.' That was very touching, and even later the way he carried it all, it was an amazing spirit to see and note.  
 

Reporting by Asha Bajaj

Eric Jolliffe

​#EricJolliffe, #YorkPolice, #Marijuana, #Canada, #Toronto, #CanadianPolice, #CanadianSecurity

IBNS Canada's Suman Das and Asha Bajaj interact with York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe. Excerpts:
​
Chief Jolliffe, you have been active for over 38 years now. If you are to pick the watershed moment of your career what would it be?

I have got a few. Actually arresting some body for murder before the murder was discovered. That happened in 1984 just a few years in my job as a police officer. It happens once in a life time that you arrest somebody before the murder was discovered. This rare event caught the attention of the chief of the police of the day and not long after that, he asked me to come and work for him. It was a rare opportunity for me. I would not have been in this position at present if I had not got the chance to work for the Chief of the Police at that time.

You have served in a variety of functions including Uniform Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Planning Services, Project Management and Strategic Planning. Which one out of these would you say was the most challenging for you? Why?

You missed a few of the roles. For example, I looked after large police districts with 250 folks with different work components, looked after SWAT teams, which is a very operational function. They are all complex and challenging in their own way. In 1986 as a young police officer I was working on my thesis on the growth of this region. I had written a report to be presented to the government that 185 more police officers should be hired in 1987 and 1988. They approved that. As a result of that, this year YRP would be seeing 60 retirements. 

According to the annual statistical report, the rate of import and exportation of drugs had increased in 2016 from a corresponding period in 2015. Has the percentage dropped this year?

I had done some research on these. There has been some increase from 5 percent to 65 percent. The reason we could not focus on this aspect was that the police force -- which has to deal with specifically different issues at a given time – was at that time focused on trying to find out from where this drug function actually evolved. There is this burning question that I ask people while traveling if any body knows from where these drugs come from? Right now, we are in the midst of an opioid fentanyl crisis. And I am going to tell you something. It is coming from an organized crime. That is why we spend time at the higher end. In 2015, we had five investigation, in 2016 we had 65 investigation. We have a strong opinion around Marijuana. We have been in the community for a long time and everyday we see what unfolds and we have the best seat the house to see what unfolds.

What are the areas that you as a department would like to improve upon?

I think as an organization we are pretty strong in the category but I have to read a lot and watch a lot and the conversation around trusting confidence in community. We are constantly trying to improve and ways to connect to community, to display the nature of the police service and the connections that we have so that we can build a front-line delivery model and a role model. 

armed takedown with Tasers

​According to a reminder on the York regional Police official Twitter handle, it states: "Twitter is not monitored 24/7 and is not a reporting tool. In emergencies call 9-1-1. For non-emergencies call 18668765423." In a day and age when every thing is so web oriented, don't you think you should change too (in terms of using Twitter as a reporting tool)?

Interesting question. Technology is changing. I had to do a bit of research on this too. Twitter allows only 120 characters for use which is rather small. We have other options: calling 911, online reporting, crime stoppers and tons of other opportunities. So if one cannot use their phone we make use of the technology. We are moving to enhanced technology called e911 where actually you are able to connect the video or photographs with that event. We encourage citizens to let us know of any incidents that are not right. We want to know about that which can be provided by way of photographs etc. this is very helpful.

Don’t you think for drug overdoses or drug related crime, involving young communities, shouldn't the government become more active in finding out ways to solve this problem rather than putting the criminals behind the bars?

Inactivity of youth is a problem. We have a centre which we call community safety village and we bring kids from junior kindergarten to Grade 5 to have conversations with them around bicycle safety, travel safety helmet safety, water safety, fire safety, internet safety and all kinds of safety concerns. So we are engaging pupils from Junior kindergarten to grade 12 and I would say 99 percent of these opportunities to engage our community are all about encouraging youth to select healthy life style. Next year we would be teaching Grade 5 students all about diversity and inclusion and this has become a new Hate Crime Prevention programming.
We need to be thoughtful about how our legislation is designed and how the police services get the time to prepare the police officers for this new changing legislation because if you are not well versed on how things are legally unfolded, you end up creating laws and these case laws can be very damaging in case of fight against impaired driving and drunk driving.
So that is why I say : Do it slowly, do it methodically, make sure there are regulations in place, make sure there are training in place so that when we get to this is where we are going that everyone is in a comfortable position. I have a very strong opinion specially around drinking and driving, this police services is very much focused on drinking and driving in York region.

Do you think legalization of marijuana is good step?

I do not think it is a good thing. Some people call me an old school. I have been in the business for 38 years. I watched things unfold and I do not think it is a good decision go legalize marijuana. It is certainly good for revenue generation. We recently heard from police officers from other regions like Durham Regional Police etc. are involved in illegal activities or even drug dealing. 

Have you introduced any methods to check these in your police force?

We do tremendous amount of work on ethics and behaviour and education around police services act. Folks may not realise that in the police service act chief of police has a very interesting position. You know I am managing 23,00 employees, managing  314 million dollar budget to see that our folks are comfortble and secure but I am also disciplinarian as a dad of YRP. One of my jobs is to make sure that the folks are behaving themselves and I take that role here very seriously. Reputation of our police service is extremely important for me. That is why occasionally people might have noticed that when ever an issue arises, I take action to see things done very quickly and I do not dab around my business.

What is a typical day in Chief Eric Jolliffe's life like?
​
There is no typical day. My day usually begins at about 5:30 in the morning and see around 30 emails. Every day is different. Every weekend pretty much is devoted to the communities. I do not have enough time with my family. But when I accepted this job I knew all the challenges and I was prepared for this. I have two older kids and have grand kids and I make sure I squeeze a little time out of my busy schedule to spend with them. As a chief of police you are entrusted for some very important things and trusted to ensure that your community feels safe and secure, trusted that the funding that you are given is spent appropriately. There are all sorts of different expectations of the police chief.

With 30 years of experience in police and with your leadership role, are you contemplating to join politics in the near future?
​
I do not know about it. This question has asked by many people. First of all we are seen publicly and we do have our opinions. Our opinions are based on what we see every single day in our community. My predecessor was hugely engaged in community.

                   (Questions compiled by Sudipto Maity)

Eric Jolliffe

ricJolliffe, #YorkPolice, #Marijuana, #Canada, #Toronto, #CanadianPolice, #CanadianSecurity

IBNS Canada's Suman Das and Asha Bajaj interact with York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe. Excerpts:

Chief Jolliffe, you have been active for over 38 years now. If you are to pick the watershed moment of your career what would it be?

I have got a few. Actually arresting some body for murder before the murder was discovered. That happened in 1984 just a few years in my job as a police officer. It happens once in a life time that you arrest somebody before the murder was discovered. This rare event caught the attention of the chief of the police of the day and not long after that, he asked me to come and work for him. It was a rare opportunity for me. I would not have been in this position at present if I had not got the chance to work for the Chief of the Police at that time.

You have served in a variety of functions including Uniform Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Planning Services, Project Management and Strategic Planning. Which one out of these would you say was the most challenging for you? Why?

You missed a few of the roles. For example, I looked after large police districts with 250 folks with different work components, looked after SWAT teams, which is a very operational function. They are all complex and challenging in their own way. In 1986 as a young police officer I was working on my thesis on the growth of this region. I had written a report to be presented to the government that 185 more police officers should be hired in 1987 and 1988. They approved that. As a result of that, this year YRP would be seeing 60 retirements. 

According to the annual statistical report, the rate of import and exportation of drugs had increased in 2016 from a corresponding period in 2015. Has the percentage dropped this year?

I had done some research on these. There has been some increase from 5 percent to 65 percent. The reason we could not focus on this aspect was that the police force -- which has to deal with specifically different issues at a given time – was at that time focused on trying to find out from where this drug function actually evolved. There is this burning question that I ask people while traveling if any body knows from where these drugs come from? Right now, we are in the midst of an opioid fentanyl crisis. And I am going to tell you something. It is coming from an organized crime. That is why we spend time at the higher end. In 2015, we had five investigation, in 2016 we had 65 investigation. We have a strong opinion around Marijuana. We have been in the community for a long time and everyday we see what unfolds and we have the best seat the house to see what unfolds.

What are the areas that you as a department would like to improve upon?

I think as an organization we are pretty strong in the category but I have to read a lot and watch a lot and the conversation around trusting confidence in community. We are constantly trying to improve and ways to connect to community, to display the nature of the police service and the connections that we have so that we can build a front-line delivery model and a role model. 

According to a reminder on the York regional Police official Twitter handle, it states: "Twitter is not monitored 24/7 and is not a reporting tool. In emergencies call 9-1-1. For non-emergencies call 18668765423." In a day and age when every thing is so web oriented, don't you think you should change too (in terms of using Twitter as a reporting tool)?

Interesting question. Technology is changing. I had to do a bit of research on this too. Twitter allows only 120 characters for use which is rather small. We have other options: calling 911, online reporting, crime stoppers and tons of other opportunities. So if one cannot use their phone we make use of the technology. We are moving to enhanced technology called e911 where actually you are able to connect the video or photographs with that event. We encourage citizens to let us know of any incidents that are not right. We want to know about that which can be provided by way of photographs etc. this is very helpful.

Don’t you think for drug overdoses or drug related crime, involving young communities, shouldn't the government become more active in finding out ways to solve this problem rather than putting the criminals behind the bars?

Inactivity of youth is a problem. We have a centre which we call community safety village and we bring kids from junior kindergarten to Grade 5 to have conversations with them around bicycle safety, travel safety helmet safety, water safety, fire safety, internet safety and all kinds of safety concerns. So we are engaging pupils from Junior kindergarten to grade 12 and I would say 99 percent of these opportunities to engage our community are all about encouraging youth to select healthy life style. Next year we would be teaching Grade 5 students all about diversity and inclusion and this has become a new Hate Crime Prevention programming.

We need to be thoughtful about how our legislation is designed and how the police services get the time to prepare the police officers for this new changing legislation because if you are not well versed on how things are legally unfolded, you end up creating laws and these case laws can be very damaging in case of fight against impaired driving and drunk driving.
So that is why I say : Do it slowly, do it methodically, make sure there are regulations in place, make sure there are training in place so that when we get to this is where we are going that everyone is in a comfortable position. I have a very strong opinion specially around drinking and driving, this police services is very much focused on drinking and driving in York region.

Do you think legalization of marijuana is good step?

I do not think it is a good thing. Some people call me an old school. I have been in the business for 38 years. I watched things unfold and I do not think it is a good decision go legalize marijuana. It is certainly good for revenue generation. We recently heard from police officers from other regions like Durham Regional Police etc. are involved in illegal activities or even drug dealing. 

Have you introduced any methods to check these in your police force?

We do tremendous amount of work on ethics and behaviour and education around police services act. Folks may not realise that in the police service act chief of police has a very interesting position. You know I am managing 23,00 employees, managing  314 million dollar budget to see that our folks are comfortble and secure but I am also disciplinarian as a dad of YRP. One of my jobs is to make sure that the folks are behaving themselves and I take that role here very seriously. Reputation of our police service is extremely important for me. That is why occasionally people might have noticed that when ever an issue arises, I take action to see things done very quickly and I do not dab around my business.

What is a typical day in Chief Eric Jolliffe's life like?

There is no typical day. My day usually begins at about 5:30 in the morning and see around 30 emails. Every day is different. Every weekend pretty much is devoted to the communities. I do not have enough time with my family. But when I accepted this job I knew all the challenges and I was prepared for this. I have two older kids and have grand kids and I make sure I squeeze a little time out of my busy schedule to spend with them. As a chief of police you are entrusted for some very important things and trusted to ensure that your community feels safe and secure, trusted that the funding that you are given is spent appropriately. There are all sorts of different expectations of the police chief.

With 30 years of experience in police and with your leadership role, are you contemplating to join politics in the near future?

I do not know about it. This question has asked by many people. First of all we are seen publicly and we do have our opinions. Our opinions are based on what we see every single day in our community. My predecessor was hugely engaged in community.


                                                    (Questions compiled by Sudipto Maity)

Eleanor McMahon

#EleanorMcMahon, #CelebrateOntarioprogram, #OntarioArtsCouncil, #OntarioGamesprogram, #FirstNationsCulture, #FirstNationpubliclibraries, #BudgetTalks, #MinistryofChildren, #MohawkInstituteResidentialSchool’srevitalization, #YouthCulturalCampsinitiative, #SportRecreationandCommunityProgramsBranch,   #ChiefG AvaHill, #CommunityAboriginalRecreationActivators(CARA), #TourismEventMarketingProgram
#OntarioTourismMarketingPartnershipCorporation, #WhereAmI?, , #Ontario150CommunityCapitalProgram, 

Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Eleanor McMahon shares about her Ministry's model for other provinces in Canada during an exclusive interview with IBNS Canada's Asha Bajaj.

Excerpts:


​1.Tell me a bit about yourself.
What made you interested in joining politics and how you describe your current political career?​

The tragic death of my husband, OPP Sergeant Greg Stobbart in 2006 who was killed while cycling -- when he was off duty -- by a careless driver led me to a different direction in a journey to public life and I began a campaign to improve road safety in Ontario.

In 2014 I was elected to the Ontario legislature as MPP for Burlington. After serving as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, I was appointed as the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport on June 13, 2016.

In the 10 months since assuming the Tourism, Culture and Sport portfolio, I have had the opportunity to travel the province to meet with artists, arts workers, librarians and heritage advocates, theatres and galleries, studios and on to film sets. And we have engaged in some wonderful conversations about Ontario’s thriving sectors. I shared the opinions about our successes, and also areas where we could use some improvement.

Tourism strategy maximizes the growth and competitiveness of Ontario’s tourism sector and enhances partnerships including creating economic opportunities for tourism and investment through the revitalization of Ontario Place. We built regional tourism model which supports enhanced partnerships, product development, investment and workforce development. We were able to support over 200 festivals and events through the Celebrate Ontario program. Examples include: the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival (Chamberfest), Supercrawl in Hamilton, the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, and the Kemptville Live Music Festival. 367 initiatives were approved for Ontario150 Community Celebration Program funding. Examples include: 150 Seconds of Ontario Film Festival, Celebrating 150 of Ontario Agriculture, and VIVA ONTARIO 150.

The cultural strategy outlines a number of action items and comprises a lot of sectors like libraries, museums, archives, television sectors and how we work with different agencies like Ontario Arts Council (OAC). We fund several cultural and heritage entities and they also have a huge multicultural section and address business and First Nations Culture. Our cultural strategy is somewhat unique in the country and I am happy to say that this strategy is being followed by Quebec.

2017-18 provincial budget promises increased investment in the culture sector. OAC will receive a $20 million increase over four years. The Ontario culture sector is growing and it’s important that the OAC keeps pace and I look forward to see its the impact. Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports (MTCS) in Ontario will be implementing a one-time $1 million investment in our northern, rural and Indigenous libraries. Libraries are the hearts of our communities, and I know that this investment in digital services and connectivity will be welcomed across the province. We’ll have more details to share with you on this program soon.

As far as Sports strategy is concerned sport and recreation are important sectors to the physical, emotional and economic well-being of Ontarians and our Ministry works collaboratively with the sport and recreation sector to promote, support, and increase opportunities for all Ontarians to participate in sport and recreation, from playground to podium. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Ontario athletes represented 45% of the Canadian Olympic Team.  Among our sport activities:  Provincial/Multi-Sport Organizations delivering sport recognition program at the provincial levels to provide fair and safe participation in amateur sport for all Ontarians. We enable and encourage. Ontario athletes to achieve podium finishes at national, international levels, and federal-provincial/territorial forums by investing in the hosting of international amateur sporting events. Besides, we provide support to volunteers, coaches, officials and organizations where they are trained by athletes. We also deliver an Ontario Games program, including Summer and Winter Youth, Senior and ParaSport Games. We provide support for targeted after school programming that increases opportunities for physical activity for children and youth through support for provincial and local delivery partners. We provide provincial coordination for trails to ensure Ontarians have access to outdoor spaces in which to engage in sport and recreation. We engage Indigenous communities in sport, recreation and physical activity.


2 For the first time in Ontario we did a cultural strategy that allowed us to look at all of the industries within the culture sector. How are we doing? How do we fund them? Please also highlight your contributions to libraries in Ontario.

Our cultural strategy comprises a number of sectors like libraries, museums, archives, television sectors, movie sectors and how we work with different agencies like OAC. We fund several cultural and heritage entities and they also have a huge multicultural section and address business and First Nations Culture. Our cultural strategy is somewhat unique in the country and I am happy to say that this strategy is being followed by Quebec. Based on public feedback, Ontario’s first Culture Strategy focuses on four key goals: to promote cultural engagement and inclusion; strengthen culture in communities; boosting economy; promote the value of the arts throughout government. To realize these four goals, we’re taking action in a number of areas, including: supporting the conservation of heritage buildings by making energy efficiency improvements through Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan. We are creating a new fund that will support publishers to develop learning resources to encourage the use of diverse Canadian content in schools. creating opportunities for workers in the culture sector to enhance their technical and business skills training; developing a new fund to support cultural activities in Indigenous communities and supporting youth cultural camps to build leadership skills and promote awareness of traditional knowledge. We learned a great deal through Culture Talks. As we implement the Culture Strategy, continuing the conversation will help us achieve the goals Ontarians helped us set.

The Ministry-Industry Film and Television Advisory Panel examines innovation and global expansion of Ontario's film and television sector. We increased the annual investment in the Interactive Digital Media Fund to $10 million and worked closely with stakeholders to focus the government’s Interactive Digital Media investment on core entertainment products. The Ontario Music Fund program investing $15 million annually to sustain growth in the music industry. The ministry supported several successful exhibitions including the Royal Ontario Museum’s Art Gallery of Ontario’s Mystical Landscapes and more. Department of Canadian Heritage submitted a comprehensive review of culture policy which supports  Canadian content (Cancon) entitled “Strengthening Canadian Content Creation, Discovery and Export in a Digital World.” Ontario was the only province or territory to make a submission. Launched the 2017 Celebrate Ontario funding program with improved program guidelines, which includes adding rural and northern Ontario festivals as target sectors, and encouraging festivals and events to apply for enhancements that celebrate Canada150 and Ontario150.

This year as a result of our engagement with the general public asking them to do a budget talk to suggest which area they think needed to be funded most and libraries came on top. Libraries are very important to me too because I grew up in the public library system. Being the youngest of 7 children, my mother taught us to read when we were very young and I used to go to the libraries all the time as a kid and libraries are personally important to me. We do have a very robust infrastructure of libraries and have announced an increase of 3 million dollars for libraries as well as for First Nations. We do a lot of work with libraries. But we know that they are vibrant community hubs and play a distinct role in whatever community they are in. Libraries are centres for seniors, for young children, for people to use computer with internet access, as high speed internetservices may not be available for them at home. Libraries are vibrant community centres and many years back libraries ensured silence. But now libraries are more of sharing ideas and digitization of libraries are the trend of the modern libraries. Ontario is investing $3 million through the Improving Library Digital Services fund and will support up to 307 libraries and library organizations across the province. This includes $1 million for rural, remote and First Nation public libraries through Budget Talks.

3. According to a recent study, narcotics are making inroads in Canada and have already plagued a certain age-group. To be exact, the youth. Who do you reckon should be held responsible? 

I do not think it has changed. Here is the reason. How to fix it has not changed. I am the youngest of the 7 children and my mother kept us very busy for a couple reasons. Number one is it builds up our independence and fosters a sense of growth in us as young people and build a sense of community. Our parents were very much of this view. Second it kept us out of trouble. My mother would say to us with a laugh that she involved us in sports and in music and other activities so that we learnt to socialize and how to get along with others and build that kind of independence. So I think those desires by the parents at present are still alive.
 
4. The other point that has come out of this argument is that these kids ought to be taking up some sort of sports or other activities, instead of doing drugs. How do you as a minister and your ministry as a team plan to engage and encourage them in taking up sports?

We spend millions of dollars in after school programs at schools themselves and some of these programs are at places like YMCA, Community Centres and so on. Some of them are run by cities located in various places and in my community these programs are supported by my ministry and are run in churches and community centres.  The community really dictates their needs and we fund them. We work closely with the Ministry of Children because they tell us that keeping children healthy and well in a holistic way, meaning both mentally and physically, and the programs that we offer are designed to do that.

 
5. Minister ​ McMahon​, Canada has been very welcoming, ​and passionate about Ice-Hockey and has been historically playing well in Ice-Hockey. But it hasn't been able to maintain the same intensity in other popular sports such as football/soccer and cricket. Why do you think this is the case?

There is a reason for that. Hockey had been our national sport for a long time. There is a historic context to that. That is why it is in our DNA. It started at the community level and it has been fostered as part of our culture and deeply embedded specially in places liked Quebec for example. Canada is a winter country. We do much better in winter Olympics by and large. We have swimming programs and other programs second to none. But we are a winter nation and Ice-hockey is very much in vogue. Another reason is that people who grow up in rural regions spent time outside. Hockey used to require very little equipment. Now it is very fancy. There are all kinds of things we can do. Back in the days a century ago you would put a blade on the stick, you would take a stick and rock it and you would play outside in a rink. That was fun. I myself while growing up played hockey in the back of or home. We were not alone in the neighborhood.  Lots of people in our neighborhoods had large backyards. The popularity of hockey grew from the grass roots of sports and very accessible. Soccer is also becoming very popular in Canada. In my community alone over 5,000 children play soccer. One of the reasons that soccer is growing in popularity is because it does not require you to learn other than run up and down the field and kicking a ball. Soccer is played around the world because all it takes is a ball and some running shoes. Cricket has not been able to keep pace with Ice-hockey because Cricket is not indigenous to Canada.


6. Toronto is going to host the Invictus 2017. ​Tell us about your department ​preparation for the upcoming ​event.  What are your plans for the future? 

I have a big event today in welcoming the athletes from Invictus. We are one of the big sponsors to Invictus. We gave them $10 million to help the secretariat to develop games to execute the games. It is really important for people to remember that Invictus would not be happening if it was not for Pan Am/ Parapan Am Games which represented the largest multi-sports games in Canada’s history. They were a tremendous investment for our government. We also invested both economically and from a legacy perspective. The investments that we made and the facilities which we now have mean that we can hold multi-sport games like Invictus and we have the facilities that attract tourism and it is very interesting from the cultural perspective and of course from the sport-hosting perspective. It means that we can hold those kinds of large multi-sports events and we got the sophistication and the capacity to do that.


7. The other noticeable factor from the Canadian sporting fraternity is the absence of indigenous community. What is your ministry doing to get them back? 

Our involvement with the Indigenous people is superb. As you might be knowing about the North American Indigenous Games. Ontario hosted it for the first time for indigenous participation in games. There were a couple of highlights. I went to the opening ceremony. There is a spirit of rejuvenation through the reconciliation commission (as you know the premier announced our response to the reconciliation commission called  “To Move Forward Together’ last year. She also issued an apology for the legacy of residential schools and the impact on not just young people but the indigenous culture. Responding to “The Journey Together, Ontario’s Commitment to Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples,” the province committed $1.4 million to support the first phase of the Mohawk Institute Residential School’s Revitalization.

So our government is addressing that. What does it mean in my ministry? It means that we are investing in indigenous youth culture camps. As part of “The Journey Together: Ontario’s Commitment to Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples” announced on May 30, 2016, the Sport, Recreation and Community Programs Branch is leading the design and delivery of the new Youth Cultural Camps initiative. This is intended to provide community-based cultural programming opportunities to youth and provide leadership skills training to help build resiliency. We funded youth culture camps across Ontario. We also have hired in communities Youth-Focused Sports leaders. I am hiring local people to work in each community to address the needs of that particular community about what they want and what they need. 

The Six Nations Reserve, which is in Brantford is the largest reserve in the community. It has about 25, 000 people. They have a very robust sports infrastructure there, an athletic centre, recreation centre and they understand that the health and well being of the young people is really important. At the Ministry of Sports meeting as part of the Canada Day Sports this year we agreed as Ministry of Sports that the legacy for North American Indigenous Games has to be continued support for our First Nations Youth to maintain their health and well-being. And finally, this is very interesting, no body talks about this. The premier has invited Chief G. Ava Hill, Chief of the Sixth Nations to sit on a cabinet committee whose responsibility is health, well-being and poverty reduction. So that is important. We also renewed program support for 2016-19 with 27 First Nation communities participating in the Community Aboriginal Recreation Activators (CARA) program.
 

8. Indian visitors to Canada are rising every year though it is not like the visitors from China. What are you doing to promote Canada more to Indian travelers? 

We have some very important partners that help us to market Ontario externally. The first one is our Regional Tourism Organizations (RTOs). They help us to focus our tourism activities on regional levels. What might work or what might be of interest to Thunder bay, Sudbury or Sault Saint Mary is going to be different in the Toronto area. They all work individually to market and sell their part of the province.  We have something called the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation (OTMPC). They advertise Ontario externally. They work with the Consulate General for India to market Ontario to India. So they have direct marketing channels and of course we will welcome and love more tourists from India to Ontario. But there is an interesting opportunity for us to talk about what can cause tourists from India to come to Ontario. What interests them, why would they come here? These are the kinds of things we need to know. OTMPC does a lot of market research. They also work with our counsellors around the world and our Tourism Canada makes sure that we are plugged into countries and marketing  OTMPC.  Next year it will be China. We are having a meeting with China next week.  Indigenous tourism is of great interest to us. That would be wider part of our discussion. We have invited indigenous leaders across Canada to join us and so that we can talk about how we can leverage those capacities to start to market more indigenous tourism.


9. Coming to tourism, by Ontario tourism a lot of the people understand only Toronto and Niagara. But there are so many other tourist spots, regions. How are you promoting those to international tourists?

I have not heard this actually but this is interesting. We did a commercial that was very successful: 

A place to stand: video

​One of the busiest centres in Ontario is probably Ottawa. So we need to talk that Ottawa is our nations’s capital and in 2017 our tourism numbers attracted in Ontario are best so far and that is province-wide not just Niagara not just Toronto but Ottawa as well. Our markets do very well. Our wines regions do very well. Our Northern Ontario does extraordinary well because it is beautiful and open and people from around the world who live in crowded countries; well they do not have that. Going to the north and escaping to the wilderness that is the huge part of our marketing strategy.


10. Destination Canada is promoting Canada but for Ontario promotion are you doing and what are your plans for future? 


OTMPC completed redevelopment of its digital marketing infrastructure to provide consumers with more compelling and accessible travel information and decision-making tools. OTMPC started a popular new Ontario tourism brand platform, “WhereAmI?,” in Ontario and Quebec. Phased revitalization of Ontario Place progress included the construction of a 7.5-acre park and trail connecting to Trans Canada Trail in Ontario. Activation of the site would reportedly be for the summer of 2017. Ontario150 Program for Events and Exhibitions at Agencies and Attractions is reported to fund 12 approved provincial agencies and attractions. Examples include: the Indigenous Plant Discovery Trail, the Eve of Confederation, and Out of the Depths: The Blue Whale Story.

Ontario150 Secretariat launched The Ontario 150 Community Capital Program and the Ontario150 paid advertising campaign was in-market (i.e., public) from February 7 to March 19, 2017. This program ran across TV and Cinema, Social and Online platforms and provided support for the implementation of the Indigenous Tourism Ontario 2020: Investing in our Future strategy. Ontario150 Secretariat also supported the development of the Champlain Route for a second year and established a Tourism Research Community of Practice, a volunteer network, Economic Development Council of Ontario.  

The Celebrate Ontario program supported over 200 festivals and events, the largest number of events ever funded by this program. Events included the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival (Chamberfest), Supercrawl in Hamilton, the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, and the Kemptville Live Music Festival. The success of the Celebrate Ontario program led to the merger of the Tourism Event Marketing Program with the Celebrate Ontario program.
 
 
(Questions compiled by Sudipto Maity)