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Padre Chaim Mendelsohn a perfect fit
From Canadian Forces Personnel Newsletter

OTTAWA—Orthodox Rabbi Chaim Mendelsohn is the first Jewish padre to serve with the CF since the Second World War.

His age and his family provide him solid common ground with the CF personnel he’ll be counseling – at 27, and the married father of two young children, the CF’s newest padre is a perfect fit.

"I think so,” Padre Mendelsohn says, laughing. “It’s wonderful. I deal with the same issues as they do. When people turn to a rabbi, or a spiritual leader from any spiritual background, it’s always the same challenge, and I hope being young and active in my community will make me a more effective spiritual guide for them. After meeting my unit and speaking to them as a group, I was able to listen and respond to them. It made me feel good, and it made me wish I could have the opportunity to do this full time. I admire these people so much.”

Padre Mendelsohn will serve as chaplain, with the rank of captain, to 28 Field Ambulance, an Ottawa unit providing health support services to local members of the Reserve Force.

In civilian life, Rabbi Mendelsohn is the leader of Chabad of Centrepointe in Ottawa and Chabad’s Canadian representative on Parliament Hill. While Judaism is what inspires him and directs his life, he joined the CF as a spiritual leader, a moral compass and an ethical guide for the CF personnel he will be working with.

“I'm not looking to bring them Judaism,” he says, “but I am looking to bring an added richness to their lives. I'm looking to be there for them in their times of need. It will definitely be a challenge, but one I'm looking forward to.”

While he acknowledges there are very few Jews serving in the Forces right now, Padre Mendelsohn feels that may change as a result of his decision to join the CF chaplaincy.

“In the 1940s, there were many Jewish chaplains because there were many Jewish soldiers,” he says. “So when it was warranted, the military provided [Jewish chaplains]. I want to build a team of rabbis to serve all across Canada as chaplains. As rabbis join the military, I think there’ll be more Jewish soldiers joining.”

After meeting with his unit’s higher-ranking officers, he was surprised by how much they care about their troops. And with assurances from the CF leadership that everything will be done to allow him to serve and observe as an Orthodox Jew, Padre Mendelsohn feels his addition to the Forces shows the CF is serious about welcoming people from every part of the Canadian fabric, and about being sensitive to their ethical, moral and religious needs.

“To have a chaplain representing the few [Jewish] soldiers,” he says, “is something that expresses the sensitivity that the decision-makers in the military have for each and every soldier.”

The padre’s first weeks in have been hectic and exciting; being the first Jewish chaplain in more than 60 years has meant a lot of interviews and photographs. But now that the media hoopla has subsided, the padre is simply “…looking forward to having meaningful relationships with members of my unit for many years to come.”

Op CONNECTION
From Canadian Forces Personnel Newsletter

“Recruiting is everybody's business. I expect every sailor, soldier, airman and airwoman to recognize their role as a potential CF recruiter...”
—General Rick Hillier, Chief of the Defence Staff

Canadians are (justifiably) proud of their Canadian Forces (CF), and that pride is front and center at every public event and ceremony you’re involved with. Canadians are forever reaching out to make contact with you – they stand in long lines whenever there’s a Coyote to climb on or a Snowbird pilot’s hand to shake or a ship to tour; they ignore November’s chill to attend Remembrance Day ceremonies; they send Christmas greetings and packages to you when you’re serving overseas.

However, there are many Canadians out there who have few if any chances to meet you, to get a feel for what you do, or to ask the hundreds of questions Canadians ask when they do have the opportunity.

While CF Recruiting Group will continue to be the core agency for attraction and recruiting, ADM(HR-Mil) will lead the Operation CONNECTION initiative, providing environmental commands and operational com-manders with the tools, information and inspiration to make that connection and attract applicants to the Forces. And, ultimately, this all filters down to you. You are a key element of the operation, on two levels.

We need you to contribute in any way you can to the CF presence at the hundreds of events and activities we’ll be participating in as the year progresses. You’ve already been instrumental in bringing the CF to community events nationwide – the Powell River Career Fair in B.C.; the Bon Soo Winter Festival in Sault Ste Marie, Ont.; the Canadian Engineering Competition in Montréal; the World Pond Hockey Tournament in New Brunswick; the Marine Institute Career Fair in St. John’s. And we’ll be looking for your support for upcoming events throughout Canada – festivals, ship tours, school visits, vehicle displays, employment fairs, air shows, sporting events… Find out what events are planned in your area and let your unit commander know which you’ll support.

As well, ask your unit commander about the senior leaders briefing packages prepared by CF Recruiting Group for Op CONNECTION. More than 350 packages with accompanying video presentation and speaking notes have been sent to senior leaders across the country. This resource should be helpful in your recruiting efforts and provide answers to questions most frequently asked by Canadians interested in joining the CF.

To connect with all Canadians, the CF has to be present at events throughout the country, and the CF is you. With your help and support, the “connecting with Canadians” blanket can be stretched to cover the country.

We also need you to provide the best possible representation of the CF – yourself. Wearing your uniform to work is good; wearing your uniform to work on the bus is great. Tell people what you do for a living, and that you enjoy it, and that it’s exciting and challenging and rewarding. Make it apparent that you’re willing to answer questions. Familiarize yourself with the local recruiting centre and with key defence websites so you can answer questions accurately or point the questioner in the right direction for information. Telephone your children’s schools or your grandmother’s seniors’ residence and ask if you and/or your unit could be of help planning a Canadian Forces Day event or setting up a Remembrance Day program or arranging a tour of a local military museum. If the answer is yes, talk to your unit commander about it and involve other members of your unit.

And if you’re a civilian defence worker, all this goes for you, too – minus the uniform.

The goal of Op CONNECTION is to fill recruiting centres with viable applicants. Along the way, however, the possibilities for connection are limitless, and the benefits of those connections will extend far beyond recruiting centres.

Component Transfer process easier, faster
From Canadian Forces Personnel Newsletter

Component Transfer (CT)—the moving of CF personnel from one component to another (Primary Reserve to Regular Force, for example)—is a win-win process that has been streamlined thanks to a policy announced July 29.

All Regular and Reserve Force personnel are members of the CF. The new CT policy strengthens this equitable membership by reducing CT processing times and eliminating some of the barriers to transfer no matter which way you are moving – from Reserve to Regular Force or vice versa. Successful force generation depends on retaining people who are already valuable members of the Forces, and a more efficient CT process will enable the CF to make the best and most economical use of human resources while encouraging military careers that accommodate the fluid demands of life.

“The Canadian Forces serve and represent all Canadians,” says Chief of the Defence Staff General Rick Hillier. “We must have policies in place that will allow the broadest range of Canadians to find a flexible Forces in which to serve. By simplifying movement between the Regular and Reserve Forces, we make sure our men and women can do their jobs to the best of their abilities and still contribute to and enjoy satisfying family lives. That’s one of the reasons we do what we do – we work to safeguard the home front while, hopefully, spreading some Canadian values around the world, not just through our work but by example.”

If you are starting your family, for example, you might decide to transfer from the Regular Force to the Reserve Force so you can spend more time at home with less likelihood of being deployed. When your little ones are heading off to school, you might then transfer back to the Regular Force. Everyone wins—your children, your spouse/partner and you—and the Forces still have you as a member. You can feel positive about the meshing of your personal life and career, and your valuable military experience and training will continue to meet service requirements rather than be lost to a civilian workplace.

Young Canadians who join the Reserve Force during high school or university for part-time employment and experience can transfer to the Regular Force when they graduate. They can augment their civilian education with the type of specialist training the Forces has to offer, or try a new type of work altogether, and the CF acquires Regular Force personnel who bring Reserve Force training and experience with them when they transfer. Again, everyone wins.

Being able to offer both potential and serving Reserve Force personnel the option of a smooth transfer to the Regular Force should they want it is a plus. People join the Reserve Force for many reasons, and as their circumstances change, so might their desire to contribute to the Forces. People like to have choices, and a flexible environment in which to make those choices. The new CT policy fosters that kind of environment.

“Our people are our strength,” says Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources – Military) Vice-Admiral Greg Jarvis. “The streamlined Component Transfer process responds to the expectations and needs of our personnel while advancing the operational capability of the CF, and very ably reflects the ongoing evolution of HR focus and initiatives within the Forces.”

The new policy also encourages enhanced recognition of relevant military and civilian work experience coupled with reduced reliance on military training history, making work experience the key factor of a fair basis of comparison between components. This shift from training to experience more accurately reflects the tenor of the civilian work world, and will support and help retain CF personnel who might otherwise opt for release.

Other highlights of the policy include:

• A definition of “skilled applicant” – an applicant who has completed Basic MOC qualification and has a total of 36 months of full-time experience;
• No physical fitness test for those of you who have demonstrated successful completion of the CF EXPRES test or the Land Force Command Physical Fitness Test within the 12-month period prior to CT application (or 24-month period if exempted;
• No Enhanced Reliability Check if you have a current reliability clearance or security clearance to the level required for your occupation; and
• No medical examination for if you are younger than 37 and have had a CF medical within the last five years.

Members of the Regular and Reserve Forces already enjoy a sense of camaraderie, and shared expertise and goals, that transcend those found in most workplaces. Streamlined CT policy will forge even stronger bonds, creating a seamless environment within which all of you can move efficiently and contribute on an equitable footing.

Planned DND-VAC changes address 21st-century needs, support traditional services
From Canadian Forces Personnel Newsletter

The federal government has announced its intent to launch a comprehensive reform of veterans' services and programs aimed at the problems encountered by today's CF members and their families as they make the transition from military to civilian life.

The Minister of National Defence and the Minister of Veterans Affairs have emphasized the government's determination to meet the needs of today's releasing CF members while maintaining its long-standing commitment to veterans of the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, the Cold War, and beyond.

The development of this "Modern-Day Veterans' Charter" will begin immediately, focussing on five areas of reform including:

• disability awards and wellness programs to replace today's pension system for new applicants;
• physical and psychological rehabilitation services, including vocational training and education;
• earnings loss support for veterans undergoing rehabilitation, as well as longer-term income support for veterans who can no longer work because of a service-related illness or injury;
• job placement assistance; and
• a health care benefits plan for veterans and their families.

The ongoing consultation process involves government and key stakeholder groups, and includes veterans' associations.

Click on "Minister's Reports" under "The Minister" at www.forces.gc.ca for relevant documents such as Care of Injured Personnel and Their Families Review and A Study of the Treatment of Members Released from the CF on Medical Grounds.

To better satisfy the evolving needs of CF veterans and their families, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) has established a Service & Program Modernization Task Force to research, develop and implement amendments to the current structure of its programs and services.

Visit www.vac-acc.gc.ca for complete information about VAC services and programs.

DND provides releasing members vital services

Today, the average age of a releasing CF member is 39 – an age when Canadians normally expect to have a productive and rewarding career ahead of them. Releasing CF members, however, face a host of challenges directly related to their first career choice, including additional stress within their families as a result of their careers' demands; duty-related physical or emotional disabilities and illnesses; job security that is not on a par with that enjoyed by other public servants; considerable transition issues when returning to civilian life; and more.

DND responds to these needs with many initiatives, the most ambitious being the creation of the Directorate of Quality of Life. DQOL comprises six functional areas: initiatives and monitoring, accommodation policy, family policy, morale and welfare policy, Ready for Release, and research. Department initiatives such as the Depart With Dignity and the Ready for Release programs address releasing members' concerns, and those of their families, and are regularly reviewed and improved.

Visit the Directorate of Quality of Life (DQOL) at www.forces.gc.ca/hr/QOL or at http://hr.ottawa-hull.mil.ca/hr/QOL/ (Intranet users only) for more information about Ready For Release services. To submit an inquiry about a specific or ongoing matter, visit DQOL and click on "QOL Inquiry Form".

Working together, DND and VAC provide services such as The Centre for the Support of Injured Members and Veterans and Their Families. The Centre provides an information and referral service, and support services through a host of initiatives that ensure members, veterans and their families are dealt with in a dignified and respectful manner. These include the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), the Occupational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) program, and the Pastoral Outreach Program (POP).

At bases and wings throughout Canada, VAC also provides transition services to ensure timely and professional assistance to releasing and released ill or injured CF members and their families. (See "Transition Interview offers options to releasing members" in this issue.)

Visit The Centre at www.forces.gc.ca/centre or at http://hr.ottawa-hull.mil.ca/centre/ (Intranet users only) for comprehensive information about services and programs available to injured CF members and veterans.

Contact your Release Section for general information about release policy and procedures.

'Throughout your career, the file grows'
From Canadian Forces Personnel Newsletter

In the May 28/03 issue of CFPN, we featured the Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources – Military)-driven project reviewing and shedding light on every aspect of the management of CF personnel records. Headed by Lieutenant-Colonel Bertrand Tremblay, Directorate of Military Employment Policy (DMEP) 3, the project touches areas of administration and record keeping across DND/CF including the organization's front-line record keepers, CF Support Units.

CF Support Unit (Ottawa) manages the paperwork on about 5 800 people, "from the Chief of the Defence Staff to the newest Private," says Warrant Officer Bob Hurley, CFSU(O) IC. "From when you first walk into the Recruitment Centre, all your enrolment documentation and the original Terms of Service you sign, birth certificate, education documents – we have it all. And throughout your career, the file grows. Every time you go on a course, every time you're posted, when you get into trouble or when you do something good – all that documentation goes in your pers file."

The amalgamation of the Finance and Administration trades has added another dynamic to record keeping. Currently, DND/CF uses the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) to electronically manage some of those files, but paper records are still necessary.

The introduction of HRMS has increased the workload. A leave pass, for example, used to be entered into the leave record and put in the drawer. Now, it's entered into the leave record and put in the drawer, and also entered into the database. But the extra steps are good steps, WO Hurley says, because the reporting mechanism is now a lot easier and a lot better.

CF members with 20 years' service have a pers file anywhere from four to six centimetres thick. When a member is loaded on a course, for example, a copy of the loading message goes into his or her pers file. When the member completes the course, the course report goes into the pers file, too, and the now-redundant loading message is disposed of. Only careful ongoing vetting by clerks can keep those paper files from doubling or tripling in size.

Guidance with regard to what can be removed from a member's pers file and disposed of, and when and to where, comes in accordance with the Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act.

"For a while, we weren't getting clear direction with regard to what we could take off, so we haven't taken anything off for a few years," WO Hurley says. "But the policy has recently been clarified, so we're going to start this fall to remove the redundant and no-longer-required papers.

"We don't handle retired personnel; we handle only 'live' files, so we don't have to send files off to the National Archives."

Currently—from July 1998 to the present—paper files go to Directorate Military Careers and Resource Management (DMCARM) where they are scanned into the Personnel Electronic Records Management Information System (PERMIS) and then destroyed. PERMIS is the Protected "B" Total Archival System wherein all documents are stored as non-modifiable images. Paper records from before July 1998 are held by National Archives, as are (and will be) all retired members' pers records.

CF members can obtain informal access to their records at their Support Units, or formal access under the Privacy Act.

"Normally," says Lt(N) Dan Bouchard, CFSU(O)'s Personnel Support Officer, "CF members request informal access to their pers file through their Chain of Command. They can then review the file with their respective supervisor."

Recruits are now being processed electronically under the Prospect Applicant Electronic Records System (PAERS), a sub-system of PERMIS. CF Recruitment Centres are using PAERS, but their electronic records must also be on paper because the necessary software hasn't yet made its way across the department.

Not far down the road, department-wide implementation of PERMIS will allow Support Units and other authorized users to scan and enter documents on-site, virtually eliminating the need for paper records.

"We're looking forward to PERMIS," Lt(N) Bouchard says. "Since we are located in Ottawa, we could be the trial unit. Once PERMIS is instituted, it will ease Resource Management Support Clerk duties by allowing for multitasking without leaving the computer. We won't always need hard copy files to administer our members because the information will be readily available on the database. It's going to be a very good thing."

Divers expand techniques, hone skills
From The Maple Leaf

They do talk like Donald Duck... if anyone were listening.

Personnel from Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic (FDU(A)) used the Canadian Underwater Mine-countermeasures Apparatus (CUMA) in an Allied Deep Mine-countermeasures (MCM) diving exercise in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, in September. CUMA allows divers to operate safely to 80 metres by adapting to the depth of the water and providing the optimum helium/oxygen gas mixture.

"Yes, you get the Donald Duck voice," said Diving Research and Development Group head David Eaton. "But we generally don't have voice communication with the divers, and the way the apparatus mixes the gas, by the time divers are back near the surface they're breathing almost 100 percent oxygen."

The CUMA diving set offers the capabilities of surfacing with reduced risk of decompression illness and diving again after only six hours, a dramatic reduction from the traditional 18 hours. It's a closed circuit re-breather system producing few bubbles, making it very quiet, and, by virtue of the material used in the apparatus, it's non-magnetic, making it ideal for mine-countermeasures ops wherein divers locate and defuse or destroy anti-ship mines that may be noise-sensitive or respond to magnetic fields.

"It's all about reduction, really" said Mr. Eaton. "We reduced the amount of gas needed, the noise, the magnetic signature and the risk of decompression illness. And we reduced the time interval between dives."

The September exercise allowed Canadian and Norwegian divers, and those from host countries Belgium and The Netherlands, to participate in a variety of scenarios designed to test divers and equipment and compare ops and safety procedures. Divers from Finland and Sweden participated as observers.

Exercise scenarios included mine-countermeasures and drug interdiction, also applicable to diving units. Divers can be called upon to retrieve items thrown overboard from stopped vessels, and exercise scenarios involved participants diving on and retrieving bottomed articles.

The eight members of FDU(A) donned ultra thin wetsuits for this exercise; Canadian standards normally call for thick, fleece-lined drysuits.

"The lightweight wetsuits do provide a lot more mobility and flexibility," said Mine Warfare Co-ordinator Chief Petty Officer, 2nd Class Rod Goodwin. "And they're more comfortable in the warmer water. What we normally use is designed for colder water, but these are good for places like East Timor, for example, where we might dive."

FDU(A) personnel exchanged notes and procedures with other countries' divers with regard to deep-dive safety measures. The Canadian standard calls for solo diving below a certain depth—one diver, one lifeline—to avoid tangling of lines where visibility is poor, while others advocate the buddy system.

"Both methods have their pros and cons, depending on the situation," CPO 2 Goodwin said. "We're looking at the Norwegian system of two lifelines and they're looking at our procedures. But that's what these exercises are for. We exchange information and come away with ideas."

The 'Cadillacs' of the fleet
From The Maple Leaf

Gyro re-transmission unit. Transistor amplifier. The "egg box" system.

These innovations, though sounding in 2000 as if taken from the pages of a Rocketman serial, were just some of the Canadian-designed components that made the St. Laurent class of warships prototypes in design for navies around the world.

HMCS FRAZER (2nd), now decommissioned, is the last of the St. Laurent-class ships. Heritage Minister Sheila Copps, representing the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, will unveil a St. Laurent class commemorative plaque May 6 on the Bridgewater, N. S., waterfront where FRAZER is berthed.

Seven St. Laurent-class anti-submarine escort vessels were designed and built in Canada under a program launched in 1948. The ships bore the names of Canadian rivers, and also perpetuated the names of RCN vessels that served in the Second World War. Their design reflected both lessons learned during the Second World War and the tenor of their time.

They incorporated a flush upper deck and rounded deck edges to facilitate de-icing at sea and decontamination of nuclear fallout. A streamlined hull allowed speeds of up to 18 knots in any sea condition. The St. Laurent-class vessels became known as the "Cadillacs" of the RCN because of their speed and ample accommodations.

The hull design adopted an "egg box" system, allowing units to be pre-assembled. The resulting compartmentalized steel hull was strong and flexible; the St. Laurent-class ships experienced few hull failures. The "egg box" design also allowed crew quarters to be sealed against nuclear or chemical contamination. The main hull design was retained for later classes of destroyer escorts.

The Canadian-designed technological components of the ships included synchro tape gyro repeaters and plotting tables, used to track targets. Transistor amplifiers were incorporated – not only the first piece of transistorized equipment in the RCN, but probably the first such equipment used by any navy of the time. Subsequently, the system was produced for the United States Navy.

The seven vessels were later refitted to carry a CH-124 Sea King helicopter in an enclosed hangar. As the new Patrol Frigates entered service in the 1990s, the last of the St. Laurent-class warships were decommissioned.

HMCS FRASER (2nd), now owned by the Artificial Reef Society of Nova Scotia, is the cornerstone of the Bridgewater, N. S., waterfront. The society's Mr. Rick Welsford is optimistic that the official recognition of the St. Laurent-class vessels will benefit FRASER.

"Job one for us is rebuilding and maintenance," he said. "It's an ongoing project. We're a non-profit group, and other non-profit groups in the area have been getting interested and contributing to the project. Being recognized by the [Historic Sites and Monuments] Board means we'll be included in all their tour literature and information."

Currently, the ship is used for various meetings and civic receptions, and is visited regularly by local groups of sea cadets.

Her forebear, HMS FRASER, had a distinguished career in European waters during the Second World War. She evacuated Free French troops and future Canadian Governor General Lieutenant-Colonel Georges Vanier from France June 21, 1940. Four days later, HMS FRASER was lost when she and British warship HMS CALCUTTA collided in the Bay of Biscay.

'Those who go down to the sea in ships'
From The Maple Leaf

Battle of the Atlantic Sunday ceremonies in Ottawa saw Navy, Air Force and Merchant Navy veterans march on Parliament Hill in remembrance of lost comrades and a hard-won victory 56 years ago.

Able Seaman (Ret) Thomas Laplante remembers his crossing in escort carrier HMC NABOB, a Royal Navy ship manned by a Canadian crew. "I was 17 years old when I enlisted," he said, "and what I remember is wondering 'What am I doing here?' and being so very homesick. We all asked ourselves that. It was a terrible time, but you had to go. We had to go."

Minister of Industry John Manley inspected the Veterans Contingent and Guard before a crowd of about 500, comprising Canadian and other government representatives, members of veterans groups, military personnel, guests and the public.

RCAF Sergeant (Ret) Carl Snyder, from Enfield, N.S., was in Ottawa for a conference. "I thought I'd better come along," he said. "I guess I'm here representing members of my Legion branch."

The ceremony was held on Parliament Hill because work is being done at the National War Memorial in preparation for the new Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Cenotaph was temporary, but the sense of loss felt by Battle of the Atlantic veterans is permanent.

A reading of the RCN, RCAF and Merchant Navy losses during the Battle of the Atlantic was delivered to a hushed crowd, and many quietly joined in saying the Naval Prayer and the Naval Psalm, which begins "Those who go down to the sea in ships, those who ply their trade on great waters, they have seen your works, O God..."

A former WREN from Carleton Place, Ont., sat alone in the public seating area. "No, don't use my name," she said. "I just come every year because I remember so many fine people who were lost. In some ways, you hated to make new friends because you knew they might be lost. It seemed like it would never end."

Led by the Colour Party, Battle of the Atlantic veterans marched around Parliament Hill's east driveway. Some were visibly tired after standing for more than an hour in near 30°C humidity, but as they approached the reviewing stand and the crowd once again broke into applause, their backs straightened, their feet lifted smartly and young heroes looked out of their eyes.

Canucks' Macedonian mission accomplished
From The Ottawa Sun

Canadian Armed Forces engineers arrived in Trenton Monday from the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia.

Their three-month mission was to prepare the Army base at Kumanovo for the evacuation of OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) observer force personnel should the situation in Kosovo worsen.

"It was the most challenging thing I've done in my military career," said Lieut. Chris Brown, adding the unit accomplished something else at Kumanovo. "We established a good rapport with other nations' forces," he said. "You could tell that by all the going-away parties and good wishes they had for us."

The returning squadron left behind a ready-for-action communications section, hospital, and two barrack blocks.

"There were problems with materiel delivery, and the parts we got weren't what we were used to," Brown said. "It took a lot of ingenuity on the part of our tradesmen."

Lt.-Col. Serge Duplain, who is still at Kumanovo with more than 20 engineers, medical staff and military police, said the mission was very successful. "It wasn't easy for them," he said, "but they did their job and they're home safely."

Duplain and his personnel may be home by the middle of June, but "we'll have to adjust according to the situation," he said. "Things are quiet here right now, and we're being taken care of safely."

Still playing: Nightmare on Elgin St.
From The Ottawa Sun

Downtown merchants are bracing for another season of traffic tie-ups as the region launches its Elgin St. revitalization project.

Elgin St. northbound between the courthouse and Confederation Square is down to one lane while sewer work is done on the east side of Elgin. And when that's done, work on the west side will begin.

RMOC deputy commissioner of transportation Doug Brousseau expects only the normal tie-ups through the summer. "Drivers will probably look to Metcalfe or Bronson as alternatives. People are very resilient. They'll definitely find a way."

Ottawa Hydro workers have been putting in feeder lines and reconfiguring traffic signals along Elgin.

Last summer, Elgin at Confederation Square was a bottleneck where traffic flow changed weekly as work was done on Plaza Bridge over the Rideau Canal. That and the Elgin St. work are slated to be finished in December, in time for millennium celebrations.

In Laurier Boutique, at the corner of Elgin and Queen Streets, co-owner Lucien Cousineau expects another summer of construction. "Our customers telephone ahead now," he said. "They ask if there's parking, if there's a place to walk. It's dusty and noisy, and it never seems to end."

The Elgin St. project will cost about $4.8 million. The region and the National Capital Commission will share that cost, with the region doing the infrastructure work and the NCC dressing it up afterwards.

National Arts Centre spokesperson Kelly Ann Beaton said it's going to be a challenge, "not just for us, but for all the institutions and businesses along Elgin."

The NAC is working closely with the region to ensure minimal disruption to its patrons, she said, but the biggest challenge will be disruption to parking. "We'll hold shows if we see things are running late," she said, "but everyone's going to need patience, and our patrons should come early for parking over the summer."

Sam Saikali, vice-president of Al's Steakhouse on Elgin, said business may slow down until people get used to the construction, but "it's essential work. There's nothing you can do about it."

Experts keep weather-eye on flood threat
From The Ottawa Sun

March came in like a lion, but it may go out by boat.

There is a threat of serious flooding for municipalities along the Mississippi, Clyde, Indian, Carp and Rideau rivers. It all hinges on the amount of melting and rainfall the area gets in the next week.

Area lake-water levels are at or near normal now, said Mississippi Conservation Authority water management supervisor Gord Mountenay, but snow-cover water content is about 175 ml, the highest level in 20 years.

Rideau Valley Conservation Authority water resource technician Patrick Larson said temperatures hovering around freezing change the quality of the snow-pack without really melting it. "We have measured relatively high amounts of snow-cover water content," he said. And, because there is more snow on the ground, Larson said, a quick thaw will result in worse flooding problems than last spring.

But with predictions of cloud cover for today and tomorrow, and a forecast of flurries for Sunday and Monday with an average temperature of -2°C, there is no imminent danger of a rapid thaw.

Last March, the average area temperature for the month was 3.5°C and rainfall totalled 84.5 ml. Both Environment Canada statistics are more than twice the average.

In the wake of January's ice storm, flooding caused extensive damage across Eastern Ontario in 1998, and led to the evacuation of some low-lying rural areas.

March 1999 has brought lower-than-normal temperatures and little rain, but more than twice the normal amount of snow, about 70.4 cm. Many lakes and channels are registering ice-thickness levels above normal, and area conservation authorities agree ice jams may be a problem as well.

"For now, we just have to be aware of the potential problems," Mountenay said, adding municipalities should clear all culverts and roadside blockages, and have emergency supplies on hand.

Parents are urged to remind their children about the dangers of playing on or near waterways.

Book review:
Jivin' Johnny's Classroom Teacher's Emergency Lesson Plans
From the Canadian Vocational Journal

This book's promotional package opens with "Instant help for the supply teacher, novice or overworked veteran."

Maybe so, but the people who truly benefit from what's between these psychedelic covers are students.

#30 Storyboard: Present a story, procedure or the evolution of something in 8 or 12 cartoon panels...
#45 Relationships: If you and your chosen partner had a hurtful disagreement...
#58 Money: Provide at least 20 reasons why a loaf of bread which once cost 25¢ now costs $1.25. Then explain why a computer that 20 years ago cost $900 now costs only $300...

There are 89 other equally interesting, challenging and valuable lesson suggestions here, ranging from advertising through interviewing skills to inventing.

Jivin' Johnny, a.k.a. John Philips, has been teaching in Ontario for almost 32 years. He failed at university, was booted out of the navy, and fired from a job. He and wife Carol lost a young son.

He describes his teaching approach as "direct-to-life", and says his experiences have given him a "different perspective on what's important versus what are mere educational bookkeeping details."

The lesson suggestions here are grass-roots exercises in vocational education. They may take place exclusively in the classroom, but they're fresh and innovative enough that, with students' imaginations in the mix, the classroom becomes a newspaper office, an embassy, a cartographer's drawing board.

At $21.88, the book's a steal. It's not available in stores yet, but can be ordered on-line at www.jjohnnypress.com.

Ratified contract will take teaching into the next millennium
From The Algonquin Times

There was an air of jubilation in Woodroffe's faculty dining room Sept. 3, and it had nothing to do with the food.

Ontario Public Service Employees' Union Local 415 members met to discuss their Aug. 28 collective agreement with the Council of Regents, representing Ontario colleges.

"This is the best settlement we could have achieved," said Local 415 president Doug Brandy. "We are very pleased with the negotiations, and with our negotiating team."

If the agreement is ratified Sept. 24, the new contract will remain in effect until Aug. 31, 2001.

Brandy acknowledged that the spectre of a lost semester has been looming over students' heads since early summer.

"What affects students is that there'll be no strike," he said, raising his hand. "And our members will be feeling this high, positive about the year."

"People are very happy with the settlement," echoed nursing faculty member Marlaine Finnegan. "We did not want to go on strike."

Related issues directly affecting students, such as contact hours, remain unchanged, as do workload status and job security for members.

Upon ratification, full-time members will see a salary increase of three percent and a one-time lump-sum payment of $600, and will move up one step in seniority.

Brandy indicated the issue of employment equity is ongoing, with both parties working to eliminate barriers, and said, "I want to make certain that we all understand that both parties are committed to continuing to talk money."

Other changes include employees accumulating full seniority credit during periods of approved reduced workload, increases in insurance coverages, and dependant survivors maintaining insurance coverage with conyinuing monthly policy payments.

OPSEU negotiator Mary Ann White expressed satisfaction with the settlement.

"It's been a very, very difficult round of bargaining," she told members, "and the negotiating team wants to thank you for the strike mandate. Things would have been much more difficult without that."

Brandy asked members to note both OPSEU and Council of Regents offcials signed a request, on the front page of the tentative agreement, that members vote to ratify.

Book Launch Breakfast
From the Canadian Library Association Conference Newsletter

A lesbian librarian remains 'in the closet', wondering, "...what kinds of backlash would I suffer?"

The Surrey, BC school board moves to ban books depicting gay-parented family life.

A librarian is advised to use headings which are "...neutral, not too positive..." when cataloguing books with gay/lesbian/ bisexual themes.

These are just a few of the many problems/prejudices facing gay, lesbian and bisexual librarians, according to Norman G. Kester, editor of Liberating Minds: The Stories and Professional Lives of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Librarians and their Advocates.

The book comprises stories written by librarians from Canada, the U.S., Germany and New Zealand.

Mr. Kester read excerpts to delegates at yesterday's breakfast—excerpts at once entertaining, thought-provoking and poignant—and talked about day-to-day encounters with the straight world: Canada Customs repeatedly holding up, damaging or turning back material with gay/lesbian/bisexual themes, for example.

He spoke of the roadblocks encountered by all minority groups in the library profession, and indicated that universal cutbacks in budgeting make advocacy of minority rights more challenging than ever.

One excerpt embodied Mr. Kester's message: "Fighting [gay/lesbian/ bisexual] censorship ... is fighting all other forms of censorship."