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Purchase of Town Island by Nature Conservancy of Canada through the efforts of BB Camp now finalized

satellite image of Town Island

By BERNIE BELLAN For several years now we have been reporting on the uncertain future of Town Island, home to BB Camp, as a result of attempts by the City of Kenora to elicit interest in having that portion of the island that is not already owned by BB Camp sold. There have been many twists and turns in this story.

In February 2020 we reported on the attempt by the City of Kenora to elicit expressions of interest from anyone interested in buying that portion of Town Island that did not belong to BB Camp.
Back then we wrote about a proposed partnership between BB Camp and the Nature Conservancy of Canada in an attempt to eliminate once and for all the possibility that the City of Kenora might sell the 200 acres of Town Island that did not belong to BB Camp to a private developer who, in turn, could subdivide the island into private lots.

Here is some history of what led to the precarious situation for BB Camp, as sent to us by a group known as the “Friends of Town Island:”
“Over the last six decades, BB Camp has been fortunate to use this beautiful property. Historically, BB Camp leased Town Island from the City of Kenora and the land’s primary use arrangement continued until the mid-2000s. Since that time, this arrangement has been threatened with potentially negative consequences for BB Camp.  The proposed partnership with the NCC provides a unique opportunity to protect Town Island in perpetuity for the continued use of BB Camp and its campers.
“In 2008, the City of Kenora proposed a potential development plan to subdivide the approximately 200 acres on Town Island into cottage properties or other developments. In 2014, through the efforts of the BB Camp Board of Directors and countless friends of the Camp, the Camp was able to secure and purchase our footprint on the Island (approximately 30 acres) while the remaining 200 acres of the Island would become Crown-owned land as the proceeds of a land swap program with the Province of Ontario, allowing BB Camp to continue operations as we had been for almost 60 years.”

As it turned out however, the proposed land swap between the City of Kenora and the Province of Ontario never led anywhere. As a result, we quoted from a communication received from the Friends of Town Island in January 2020: “In the fall of 2019, the City of Kenora was once again looking to use the approximately 200 acres of undeveloped land to generate revenue for the City. Though our main campsite will remain unharmed as of the 2008 purchase, the remaining land, including the nine camping areas on the “back side” of the Island, which are instrumental to our program and history, were being considered to be sold and redeveloped as cottage properties.”

In January 2020 we wrote, however, that the City of Kenora had failed to elictit a single expression of interest in purchasing the 200 acres of Town Island that it was interested in selling:
I wrot then that “I am now glad to report that, at least for the time being, the sale of Town Island has been averted – not because the City of Kenora dropped the idea of selling it; rather, it was because Kenora did not receive one single ‘expression of interest’ in buying the island, according to an email I received from Kenora’s Manager of Development Service, Adam Smith.”

In September 2021 we reported on a fundraising campaign embarked upon by BB Camp to raise $2.85 million by August 2022 to buy back part of Town Island from the City of Kenora on behalf of the Nature Conservancy of Canada
We noted then that the City of Kenora had issued a deadline to the Nature Conservancy of Canada of August 2022 to come up with $2.85 million to buy the rest of Town Island.
We wrote that “the Nature Conservancy has turned to BB Camp for help in raising the necessary funds. Following is part of a communication received from BB Camp which outlines the situation:”
“BB Camp has called Town Island home since 1954. The Island and BB Camp’s use have been threatened on several occasions over the past few decades. The City of Kenora has finally agreed to sell the “back side” of Town Island to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (“NCC”). BB Camp is partnering with the NCC to help raise the funds for the purchase. We are reaching out to you to ask for your financial support in our efforts.
“In the early months of 2020, the hard work and tireless efforts of the Friends of Town Island, an advocacy group made up of concerned and committed cottagers, and camp alumni (from both BB Camp, and our neighbours at YMCA’s Camp Stephens), resulted in a deal struck between the City of Kenora and the NCC for the NCC to purchase the land from the City. The NCC is Canada’s largest environmental NGO with a main mission to conserve and protect natural lands by their purchase or by the establishment of conservation easements. 
“The agreement between the City of Kenora and the NCC is contingent on the NCC raising the $2.85m required for the purchase and associated administrative costs, which include funds for long-term maintenance of the property and payment of property taxes.  These funds are required before August 2022 or the lands revert back to the City of Kenora. It is unlikely that the agreement can be completed without the support and assistance of BB Camp, especially in this case given the short timelines. The NCC and BB Camp are entering into a memorandum of understanding to confirm the mutual commitment and intent to work together to raise funds and protect BB Camp’s access to the Island. In the event the purchase from the City of Kenora is not completed, the NCC will return any and all donations made as part of this fundraising effort.”
 The campaign to raise $2.85 million was led by Anita Wortzman and Leah Leibl.

This past week we received the news that the fundraising campaign had achieved its goal. We received this communication, which explained that the campaign had culminated in success:
“Our plans for Town Island have been realized and we are very pleased to share with you that the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) finally purchased the remaining 82 hectares of Town Island from the City of Kenora on July 14, 2022!
“Thank you to everyone who supported the efforts to secure the conservation of Town Island for the future. The combined forces of the NCC, our many lake neighbours, our valued donors, including the Asper Foundation, and the community at large, were able to meet our fundraising deadline and protect Town Island for the future. It has been a long-term goal of BB Camp to secure the preservation of Town Island. We acknowledge this monumental event as a path to honouring the principle of Tikkun Olam.
“The successful purchase allows BB Camp, in partnership with the NCC, to continue to maintain and expand our current programs and provide for the education and stewardship of the Island.”

 


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Bright future for Israeli-born University of Manitoba Science student Erele Tzidon

Erele Tzidon

By MYRON LOVE Erele Tzidon,  a second year Science student at the University of Manitoba, seems to have a bright future ahead of her. 

Dr. Inna
Rabinovich-Nikitin

The year before last, the Israeli-born graduate of Gray Academy received a University of Manitoba undergraduate research award, which allowed her to pursue research as a member of Dr. Inna Rabinovich-Nikitin’s research team at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, (ICS) researching  the link between pregnancy complications and the risk for heart disease. 


The world-renowned institute, directed by Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum, studies heart disease and heart function with the goal of researching means to repair damaged heart cells and prevent heart failure.
This past November, Tzidon was presented with a second award – the Dr. James S. McGoey Student Award – based on the quality of her cardiovascular research at the ICS, which operates out of the St. Boniface Hospital’s Albrechchtsen Research Centre.
“We are very proud of Erele and her achievements,” says Dr. Inna Rabinovich-Nikitin.  “We believe she has a promising future in medical research.”
Originally from Moshav Ginaton in central Israel, Tzidon came to Winnipeg in 2018 with her parents Ofer, formerly  regional manager for a car rental agency in  Israel and now an RBC branch Manager, and Sharon, an emotional therapist in Israel who is currently working as an educational assistant at Gray Academy. Tzidon also has three younger brothers.
The 19-year-od reports that it was through a connection she forged with  Rabinovich-Nikitin at G ray Academy  (where the latter has three children enrolled in the elementary program) that opened the door to a summer position at the ICS in 2023.  She notes that she is at the ICS two days a week and at the U of M three days a week.
“I have always wanted to do research,” she says, “because I have an unlimited number of questions.  And I love working with the great team at the ICS.”
One of the primary focuses at the ICS in recent years has been on women’s heart health.  Three years ago Kirshenbaum created a new research program within St. Boniface Hospital specifically for the study of heart disease in women.  Dr. Rabinovich-Nikitin was the first faculty member seconded to the new research program
In an earlier article I wrote about her in the Post (in 2021), I noted that she, like Erele Tzidon, is originally from Israel, having arrived in Winnipeg in 2016 with her husband Sergey, and their two children (a third child was born here) to further her scientific knowledge through working in Kirshenbaum’s lab.
Rabinovich-Nikitin is graduate of Tel Aviv University with a Ph.D. in biotechnology.
“I was always interested in science, how things work,” she notes.  “I have a particular interest in women’s cardiac health.”
Four years ago she herself was presented with the Winnipeg Foundation’s Martha Donavan Leadership Development Award. The award  is intended to provide leadership development opportunities for women in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. Eligible applicants include  women who are full-time or part-time academic faculty members, students of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, and students  as well as post-doctoral trainees (including residents), presently enrolled in a program of study within the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.
In  2022 Rabinovich-Nikitin, was the winner of the Louis N. and Arnold M. Katz Basic Science Research Prize for Early Career Investigators awarded by the American heart Association (AHA).  This award is the highest international recognition of research excellence for an early career investigator to receive, and Rabinovich-Nikitin is the first ever Canadian scientist to receive this award.  
 That same year  she joined the University of Manitoba Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology as an assistant professor, studying heart disease in women. Rabinovich-Nikitin observes that heart disease in women presents itself in a different way than in men.  She notes that one of the new lab’s initial findings was that there is one specific gene that leads to cardiovascular issues in some pregnant women that can point to heart disease later in life, and also have negative implications for the development of their children.  Those children are smaller at birth and, as adults, are prone to hypertension, diabetes and obesity,
“We are looking into how that particular gene increases the risk of heart disease.” she says.
Rabinovich-Nikitin would like to invites readers who may be interested in learning more about women’s heart health to a free program the ICS is offering on Sunday, February 23 at the Wellness Institute at 1075 Leila Avenue from 1:00-4:00. The afternoon will feature speakers, children’s activities and Zumba sessions.
“I would encourage everyone who has questions and wants to learn about women’s heart health to attend,” she says.  
You can find more about the event at https://megaheartevent.com/

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Videographer/photographer Jeff Gordon looking forward to sharing his expertise through series of in-person classes

By MYRON LOVE Jeff Gordon is the epitome of a visionary and the trajectory of the local videographer/photographer has just gone into overdrive.
At the beginning of the year, the founder of JAG Videos and Photography inaugurated his brand new state-of-the-art studio in a new facility he built behind his north River Heights home.  And, shortly after, he launched the first session of his new school for budding photographers and videographers.
“Up until now, the only options for anyone interested in learning the art of photography or making videos has been either Red River College or the University of Winnipeg,” Gordon points out.  “I recognized a niche here and my goal is to fill this gap.”
The first of the 16-week sessions in his new studio began in mid-January.   He reports that he is running three classes a week- one strictly for teenagers.
“The course exceeded my expectations. We sold out quickly and I have a waiting list,” he notes.  “I have 16 students divided among the three classes.  I am teaching the students everything I know about photographer and videography.  The curriculum is easy to follow.
Increasingly, we are in a digital world,” he adds.  “Businesses need staff who are adept at making videos and taking photographs.  Companies need staff who are able to create videos for them to promote the business online.”
He envisages offering the program three times a year – with future sessions beginning in May and September. 
Gordon’s curriculum is his own creation, based on his experience and a previous training manual he wrote years ago for an entirely different group of students – drummers.
Before Jeff Gordon discovered his passion for photography and videography, he was a musician – a drummer to be specific.  The graduate of the Hebrew Bilingual program at Brock Corydon Elementary School and later, Shaftesbury High School, began playing drums in high school and started teaching others to play shortly after.
“I used to have as many as 40 students at a time,” he recalls.
Following graduation from Shaftesbury, he enrolled at the Los Angeles Music Academy.  In 2006 he graduated from the jazz program at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton.  His professional credits include 16 years as a drummer with the Sarah Sommer Chai Folk Ensemble and five years as a member of a touring band called “Driver.”
It was while performing with “Driver” that he began doing videography. “I have always been fascinated by technology,” he says.  “While on tour, I began making videos of our live concerts.  I would set up four or five cameras to record the shows.”
In 2014 Gordon took the plunge and dove into photography and videography full time with the founding of JAG Videos and Photography.  “I started with weddings and gradually started to develop a commercial and corporate clientele,” he says.  “I do a lot of head shots for businesses. I have also done a number of TV spots for Global and Corus.”
In his new studio he has also been recording a weekly podcast for a client, he reports.  “I have a chesterfield for the podcaster and her guests and provide a coffee table and coffee.”
And while the Covid lockdown proved to be disastrous for many, for Gordon it turned out to be very good for his business. “I was really busy,” he says.  “Because of the lockdown,  there was an increased demand from corporations and companies for videos.”
Previous to building his own studio, Gordon notes, he was renting space in the Exchange District.  “I got the idea for building my own home studio while having renovations done in our kitchen,” he recounts.  “It took about a year to build. It’s great having the studio. It feels like an extension of my home.”   
(He adds that he is still going out on location when required.)
“I really enjoy teaching,” he says. “I love expounding on subjects I am passionate about.”
Jeff Gordon has bold plans for his school and curriculum. “I hope to be able to expand the number of students to the point where I need a larger space,” he says.  “I envisage hiring other teachers and running multiple classes at the same time.  I hope to create a digital version of the course and sell it widely online.   I would also like to be able to license my program and sell it to schools and universities.”
Gordon feels that he is truly blessed to have been able to turn a hobby into a full time business.
As the same time, he hasn’t entirely given up the drums.  “I still have my drum set in my basement,” he notes.”I am enjoying teaching my two daughters (both Brock Corydon students incidentally) to play the drums.”
Jeff Gordon’s website address is www.jagvideos.com.

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Winnipegger featured in Apple commercial highlighting new adaptive technology

Melissa Shaapiro with Apple CEO Tim Cook

By MYRON LOVE The year just past has been a memorable one for Melissa Shapiro.  In recent weeks she and her boyfriend moved into their new home in East Kildonan and – in September, the daughter of Cory and Goldelyn Shapiro – was one of the featured guests at Apple Headquarters in Las Vegas for the premiere of an advertisement – produced by the tech company – highlighting Apple’s newly developed adaptive technology.
“I was flown out to California by Apple’s PR team,” recalls the 26-year-old policy analyst with the Education and Early Childhood Learning Department.  “The event was held at Apple Park. It was really exciting seeing all the newest products and features.”
Shapiro, who was born missing her left arm, came to the attention of Apple as a result of Instagram videos she made demonstrating her ability to work out as an adaptive athlete. Last May,  Shapiro reviewed the Apple watch’s accessibility features in a video, and it caught Apple’s attention. 
“I was contacted by a casting agency in July,” she reports.  “Next thing I know, we are filming in Toronto in August.  I was the only Canadian involved in filming the commercial.”
Shapiro has never let her disability define her life- thanks in part both to her parents and the War Amps of Canada Child Amputee program, which reached out to her family three weeks after she was born.
“We received a lot of support – financial, recreational and emotional – from the War Amps,” she says.   “Through the program, my family was able to connect with other families with similar challenges.
As well, the War Amps helped me to integrate in school and participate in sports while I was growing up by providing me with different prosthetics paid for by donations to the program. 
Over the years, Shapiro ha been able to give back to the non-profit organization by appearing in War Amps public service spots highlighting such tips as playing safe in order to avoid accidents that could result in amputations. She has also been featured n War Amps-organized seminars and media appearances promoting the work of the War Amps in helping to improve the quality of life for children like Shapiro who were born missing a limb or those who lost limbs due to an accident. 
“I still enjoy doing ‘playsafe’ presentations and public events for the war Amps,” she says.
Readers who may be interested in supporting this worthwhile program can donate by phone (1800 250-3030) or go online (waramps.ca).

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