2 The <strong>Chronicle</strong> October 4 - 10, 20<strong>16</strong> chronicle.durhamcollege.ca Campus BACK of the FRONT DC journalism students look at Durham College and UOIT, and beyond, by the numbers and with their cameras Lights, camera, action! Local film lovers get comfortable in their seats for opening night of the Durham Region Film Festival. Photograph by Toby VanWeston page_02revised.indd 1 20<strong>16</strong>-09-30 12:02 PM
Community chronicle.durhamcollege.ca October 4 - 10, 20<strong>16</strong> The <strong>Chronicle</strong> 3 Saddle up for winter rides Barbara Howe The <strong>Chronicle</strong> There’s going to be a lot more horsing around this winter at WindReach Farm in Ashburn. Pride and excitement hung in the air at their stables at a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the winterization of the indoor riding arena at the Alexander J. Mitchell Equestrian Centre. Whitby-Oshawa MPP Lorne Coe, and Whitby deputy mayor, Derrick Gleed, attended the event to formally open the revamped facility which was partially funded by a $150,000 Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant. The grant paid for an insulated ceiling, along with a new lighting and heating system. The renovation will enable the centre to extend the use of the facility throughout the year. WindReach Farm is a fully accessible working farm which serves the needs of all individuals, but especially those with special needs. It offers services for people of all ages in its recreational, educational and therapeutic riding programs. “It has always been our dream to put in more lighting, insulation and heating,” said Carol Dahlquist, manager of donor relations at WindReach Farm. Dahlquist explained the therapeutic riding lessons used to stop in the winter months when temperatures in the barn dropped well below freezing. “It’s difficult to ride when it’s minus 20 degrees,” she said. MPP Lorne Coe addressed the small gathering of WindReach Farm employees and volunteers before the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It is all about opportunity and giving people a chance to participate in a way that everybody else does,” said Coe. “The therapeutic value that this particular facility is going to be immeasurable.” The director of WindReach Farm, Kelly Jewer, was excited about the improvements to the arena, and keen to point out the insulation’s added benefit keeps the space cool during the hot summer months. “It’s like air conditioning,” she said. Jewer said the facility serves approximately 100 families in the therapeutic riding program. Many of their clients have expressed an interest in the winter riding lessons and Jewer expects an enrolment of around 75 riders a week this winter. Jewer said the stables are also the Ontario home of Can Praxis, a program funded by Wounded Warriors Canada, which uses horses to help soldiers recover from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and regain their family relationships. Can Praxis has been coming to the facility for two years using the stables three to four times a year. One of the youngest riders at WindReach, two-year-old Kiera Sims of Ajax, looked like a china doll riding in the sunlit arena. Flanked by two volunteer side-walkers and led by another, the little girl seemed comfortable and happy on her ride, Max. “This facility is amazing,” said Photograph by Barbara Howe (From left to right) Pat Bullock, co-ordinator of equine services at WindReach Farm, helps two-year-old Kiera Sims off her ride, Max, after her therapeutic riding lesson, while volunteers, Michele Cimino and Maureen Engel look on. Susan Sims, Kiera’s mother. “Durham Region is very lucky to have a place like this. Sims said her daughter, who has a rare genetic disorder known as Prader-Willi syndrome, started riding when she was 21-months-old. “We were very lucky to find a place that would take her,” said Sims. “She is so much stronger since she started riding, and her speech has really come along too. It’s definitely beneficial for her." College programs must match job openings MPP wants to make a difference Barbara Howe The <strong>Chronicle</strong> Lorne Coe says he has a busy mandate, but he is relishing his new role as member of provincial parliament for Whitby-Oshawa, especially helping Durham College and UOIT grow and meet the demands of employers. Coe made his comments after opening the renovated indoor riding arena at WindReach Farm in Ashburn The stables form part of a working farm which is a centre for supporting individuals of all abilities, but especially those with special needs. “I am enjoying every moment of it. It is going by very quickly. We have 20 months until the next provincial election, and we look forward to forming a government.” Co was elected MPP in February in a byelection called after the resignation of Christine Elliott. Soon after getting elected, he was named the official opposition critic for advanced education skills and development, and co-chair of the policy advisory committee for education for the Ontario PC party. Coe spoke of his role as part of a working committee with college and university presidents. He noted the declining enrolment in higher education over the past three to four years, especially in areas such as Windsor and northern Ontario, due to demographics and companies migrating from the province due to high electricity rates. Coe said he had visited universities and colleges over the last six months, including Durham College and UOIT, to learn their views on academic challenges, the current funding formula and how some skills don’t meet the requirements of the job market, with a view to improving the education system in the future. “At the moment there is a skills mismatch,” the MPP remarked. “We have situations where 9,000 teachers graduated a year ago, and there were only 5,000 jobs. I get emails from across the province, including Durham Region from employers saying they have jobs, but they can’t find graduates with the requisite skills to take them.” The MPP added, “there is an obvious disconnect in the development of academic programs.” Coe said he has been collaborating with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to deal with the skills mismatch and wanted to help Ontario’s colleges and universities have the programs which would meet the job openings available in the province. “We believe the education system can be strengthened beyond what the current regime has done,” Coe said. The veteran politician has over 13 years of political experience and served as town and regional councilor in Whitby and Durham Region before he secured the post at Queens Park. He encouraged anyone to go the Ontario PC website to provide input on a range of topics, such as education, health care, infrastructure and finance. “I look forward to making a difference that people across the province are telling us they want, and deserve,” said Coe. Photograph by Barbara Howe. Lorne Coe says he is enjoying his first seven months as MPP for Whitby-Oshawa. page_03.indd 1 20<strong>16</strong>-09-30 11:23 AM
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