David J. Widmann

Looking for that authentic theatre experience in the comfort of your own home? Forget shelling out thousands of dollars on a new high-definition television. As part of ongoing renovations, the folks at the Danforth Music Hall are selling their seats.

“They’re fantastic seats,” says the Music Hall’s box-office sentinel Trevor Dunseith. “But they’re a bunch of different styles.” New seats, which will give the interior of the hall a more uniform look, have already been installed in the orchestra level. The old balcony seats are coming down soon, and will also be up for sale.

“We don’t want to throw them out, and it would be hard to get someone to take them all for a theatre,” Trevor said. “We figured it’s better to have them in someone’s home theatre or on a porch.”

If you’re looking to take home a specific seat in order to relive a mind-blowing concert, be warned that not all of the Music Hall’s old chairs will be making it to the sale.

“When I first started working here, I wondered, ‘Why are some of these seats so bad?’” Trevor said. “If you can imagine it, a lot of the seats were in the hall when Iggy Pop was here. Those were replaced first.”

The seat sale takes place at the Danforth Music Hall this weekend and next weekend. Prices are $40 for a single chair, $60 for a pair.

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Watering hole doubles as museum of technology

Opening the door at 609 Queen Street West is to step into the future we were promised. Robots mill around the bar, computers vigilantly watch over human patrons, and dusty souvenirs of space travel line the walls like your grandmother’s set of collectable plates. The whole scene is bathed in a green glow generated by backlit circuit boards embedded in the bar.

“The circuit boards are from a defunct computer graveyard place that we found when we first opened,” says James Applegath, one of the owners of NASA Dance Pub. “They had piles and piles garbage lying around. We just sorted through it and came up with those.”

The distinctive bar is just the beginning of NASA’s unique ambiance. The walls are rife with items honouring its namesake space agency including mission patches, photos, and one small piece of fabric that has actually made it into orbit.

“This little NATO flag was flown in outer space, on Columbia’s 3rd mission,” says Applegath “It was donated by one of the customers here. Her father worked for the Canadian Space Agency. He gave it to her and she gave it to us.”

Another one of NASA’s claims to fame is its collection of vintage video games. There are few places where you can see original Atari 2600, Sega, Intellivision, Gemini and Vectrex systems on public display.

“We actually had a guy who’s a huge Vectrex fan from Ottawa,” Applegath says. “He happened to come here one night and saw this, and he was so impressed that he actually programmed a cartridge for us. When you turned it on it said ‘NASA’ on the front, and he put five or six games on one cartridge.”

“One of our DJs, DJ Gadget, donated the Commodore Pet,” says Applegath about another piece of cast-off computer hardware. “He’s a huge technology buff. He can pretty much fix anything, so he put that together and brought it here. They used to be state of the art. Now I don’t even know what you’d use it for.”

NASA also makes a home for an impressive collection of science fiction memorabilia. The list of items is extensive, and it includes a cornucopia of action figures, comic books, toy UFOs, and movie posters for such classics as Tron and Battlestar Galactica.

“We got a lot of stuff on eBay before we opened,” says Applegath. “A lot of little toys and robots are from Goodwill. You just go to Buy The Pound and rummage through. A lot of the stuff was just donated by customers.”

It’s not just electronics and collectibles that are finding new life as NASA’s decor. Applegath and his partner, Ben Ferguson, have even sought out secondhand fixtures and furniture to create the bar’s ambiance. Sitting in the front window is a distinctive floor lamp that Applegath says was purchased from a set sale after the movie X-Men completed production in Toronto. Flanking the lamp, two rows of airplane seats provide a comfortable vantage point for watching the action on Queen Street.

“The airplane seats came from a guy that was doing independent theatre on Jarvis just before we opened,” says Applegath. “He cancelled his plans and we got them from him. They’ve got the ashtrays in the arms, so you know they’re old for sure.”

Hanging above the circuit-board bar is a row of silver lamps, each displaying the NASA logo. Even these pristine-looking silver orbs are part of Applegath and Ferguson’s assemblage of used items.

“We purchased the lamps from a club that closed down,” Applegath explains. “Our doorman does sandblasting, so he did the logos on the glass. It worked quite nicely.”

Applegath and Ferguson opened NASA in December of 1999. They gained their management experience working at legendary Toronto hot-spot Industry, then decided to go into business for themselves. As for the collection of toys, machines and furniture that give the bar its vibe, Applegath cites his mother as a big inspiration.

“I was going to auctions with my mom,” he says. “I saw all this cool stuff, and I thought it would make a good space-aged retro-themed place. It’s a cool way to do it because it doesn’t cost a fortune and it’s really unique.”

The low cost of keeping the atmosphere alive at NASA is a plus.

“There’s a bunch of stuff I have at home that I just don’t bring here, because it disappears,” says Applegath. “I had a C-3P0 piggy-bank. That lasted two weeks. We had a cool 8-track tape player that disappeared. It happens all the time, where things are just missing.”

NASA also had to stop its practice of making the vintage video games available for customers to play while enjoying drinks.

“You get some drunk guy playing it and the joystick breaks, and the joysticks are impossible to find,” says Applegath.

Still, for better or worse, it’s the constantly changing collection of items that keeps NASA’s look fresh. Even though the items change, the bar keeps comfortable, friend’s-basement appeal… much like the bar’s owners themselves.

“Back when I was 12 or 13, I had this buddy and we were totally into all this stuff,” Applegath explains. “Years later, he showed up here and said: ‘This is weird. Last time I saw you we were playing Atari and doing all this stuff.’ I haven’t changed at all.”

NASA is open seven days a week from 9:00pm to 3:00am. For more information, check out http://www.nasadancepub.ca

Tim Hortons bag program going gangbusters

It’s only the first week of the Tim Hortons Food Share bag program, and it is already being branded a success.

“So far this year it’s going well,” said Joan Bebee of Northumberland Fare Share in Port Hope. “Just since Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we’ve had an excellent response, above and beyond what we thought we’d pull in.”

George Leger at Fare Share in Cobourg agrees.

“People are donating by the bagful,” he said.

He also noted that the Tim Hortons Food Share bags, which were included in last Friday’s Port Hope Evening Guide and Cobourg Daily Star newspapers, are not the only donation vehicles being used.

“Donations are coming in bags and boxes, any way, shape or form,” Leger said.

“We pick this time of year because it’s normally a slow time for the food bank,” said John Meeussen, owner of the Tim Hortons franchises in Port Hope and Cobourg. “Christmas and Thanksgiving are strong times of the year, but this is when the shelves are normally empty.”

“This is the second year that we’ve been in partnership with Tim Hortons, and with CHUC and Star 93,” said Mike Walsh, publisher of the Cobourg Daily Star and Port Hope Evening Guide. “We’re encouraging the public to fill the bags with items as outlined on the bag itself and drop them off at Tim Hortons in Cobourg and Port Hope by the 28th of February.”

The items needed by the food bank are powdered milk, canned fruit or juice, canned vegetables, canned salmon and tuna; canned meat and stews; rice, pasta and pasta sauces, peanut butter, jam and honey, condiments, sugar, cereal, pancake mix and syrup, diapers, baby formula, toiletries and toilet paper.

And remember, Food Share accepts donations throughout the year, not just during campaign times. Non-perishable food items can be dropped off any time at police and fire stations, and at Food Share offices on Wednesdays and Fridays. For more information, call (905) 885-6674 in Port Hope, or (905) 372-5308 in Cobourg.

Marketing tool attracts new business

Work is continuing on the new community profile for Port Hope.

“We’re aiming for the end of the month,” said economic development officer Rebecca Goddard-Bowman.

“It will probably go into the first week of March to get the final copy prepared, and then it goes into committee.”

The community profile is a marketing tool that the economic development department uses to attract new business to the community.  The profile includes a message to potential new businesses from the mayor, some basic facts about the community, and maps of the area.

The core of the community profile is its demographic information.  Figures on Port Hope’s population, labour force, and unemployment numbers are some of the most requested data.

“It’s seen as a negative factor if unemployment is high,” Ms. Goddard-Bowman said.  “When you have a high unemployment rate, you have a labour force sitting there waiting.

“Labour force is a huge issue of any type of new business coming in, particularly if they need a number of different types of employees.  Manufacturers and call centres are examples of businesses that have a high rate of employment,” she said.

Port Hope has a relatively low unemployment rate but also has a labour force that comes from quite a wide geographical area, she said.

The community profile also looks at what it’s like to do business in Port Hope by detailing how existing industries are developing, current tax rates, the telecommunications and transportation infrastructures, and what provincial and federal incentive programs exist for small- to medium-sized business enterprises.

“Small businesses make up about 90 per cent of the businesses that we have in our community, so it’s a very important factor,” Ms. Goddard-Bowman said.

Currently, Port Hope has a community profile which it uses to promote the community to businesses of all sizes but, although the statistics are up to date, she described it as “sort of a mish-mash of the information that’s been gathered.”

The new community profile will be more coherent on a presentation basis, and include more information that will help bolster Port Hope’s image in a competitive business market.

“It’s been a labour of love, but it will be very good to have,” Ms. Goddard-Bowman said.

$27-million program to make these lands available for recreation and development

Ontario Minister of Northern Development and Mines Jim Wilson was at the former Kam Kotia mine site near Timmins last week to officially open the lime treatment plant built last year with funding from the province’s Abandoned Mines Rehabilitation Program.

“With support from this program, the important rehabilitation work begun at Kam Kotia last year is moving ahead on schedule and is the main focus on fourth-year activities,” Wilson said.

Kam Kotia, a former copper and zinc mine, is part of a four- year, $27-million program to begin rehabilitation of Ontario’s abandoned mine sites and make these lands available for recreation and development.

“The Ontario government is dedicating $10-million this fiscal year toward rehabilitation of abandoned mine sites on Crown lands to ensure public safety, improve the environment and make these lands available for productive use,” said Wilson.

“I’m proud that this government is leading the way in Canada when it comes to addressing physical hazards and environmental contamination at former mine sites.”

In the first three years of the program, work has been undertaken at more than 45 abandoned mine sites. In addition, the Ontario government is one of the few jurisdictions in Canada that has completed an assessment of all known abandoned mine sites on Crown and privately owned land.

As well as construction of the plant at Kam Kotia, projects for the fourth year of the four-year, $27-million program include:

- capping a mine shaft, backfilling two mine stopes and fencing off several areas of the Toburn Mine in Kirkland Lake;

- removing the temporary Bailey bridge and constructing a permanent bridge to restore the North Road to its original two lanes at the Central Patricia Mine in Pickle Lake;

- continuing a rehabilitation partnership with Kinross Gold Corporation at the Kinross properties in Timmins;

- backfilling underground stopes in Cobalt’s Provincial Mine;

- removing PCBs, capping open holes and removing a surface structure at the Coppercorp property in Sault Ste. Marie; and

- removing fire-damaged buildings from the Buffalo Ankerite Mine in Timmins.

While the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines is responsible for mine site rehabilitation, representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of the Environment have also participated in the planning process.

“This government’s strategic approach to managing the environment relies on strong partnerships, both across ministries and with the businesses, community groups and citizens who make conservation and pollution prevention a daily concern,” said Environment Minister Chris Stockwell.

“The ongoing work at Kam Kotia is an excellent example of the results that this kind of co-operation can achieve.”

The government’s efforts to address acid mine drainage at Kam Kotia earned an honourable mention from the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario in his 2001-2002 annual report.

Effects of international accord on mining still unknown

The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce has vowed to work with other chambers in Ontario to press for clarification on how Canada will meet its Kyoto obligatations.

The Kyoto Protocol, the controversial accord designed to curb the effects of global climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, was ratified in November of last year.

Of concern to the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, as well as other chambers nation-wide, is that Kyoto says much about emissions reduction, but does not provide a clear framework that businesses can use to meet their emissions responsibilities.

“We want something that is a framework that is useful in terms of how Canada moves forward on this issue,” said Jim Thompson, first vice-chairman of the Greater Sudbury chamber.

“We want something that helps people to understand how they are going to live with Kyoto.

“We want to watch the development of this plan closely to make sure that politicians are kept accountable and it doesn’t threaten the economy.

“It’s like signing a contract without knowing what’s in it,” said Thompson about the current state of Canada’s Kyoto implementation.

“Inco actually came out and said themselves, prior to ratification, that they were concerned about what Kyoto was going to mean for them. It was very unclear how it was going to impact on them.

Mining Concerns

“I think Falconbridge feels the same way.”

Many of the mining industry’s concerns stem from the fact they have already committed to reducing their emissions.

“They are doing a lot right now, voluntarily and under provincial guidelines,” Thompson said. “They have really moved forward on renovating and retrofitting their plants, developing new technologies in the last 10 years because they’ve had to reduce their emissions. That’s a very positive impact on Kyoto’s objectives.

“I think Inco’s question was ‘what more are we going to have to do with Kyoto in place?’”

To get an answer to some of these questions, the Greater Sudbury chamber has been working with the Canadian and Ontario chambers to push for clarification on how Kyoto will be implemented.

“What the chambers want is to make sure that what we’re doing is responsible, is achievable, is affordable, and is something we can all get behind,” Thompson said. “(For) all industries, and all of the provinces.

“We want to make sure Kyoto is not just something that’s going to be put out there by the federal government with the hopes that everyone else is going to follow suit, otherwise there’s a danger that nothing will happen.

“There are a lot of good things in the Kyoto accord. I think the objectives are ideal and we support the objectives. The question is how to get there? What’s the responsible way to get there for Canadians?”

Thompson noted that although Kyoto is of importance to local industry and the Greater Sudbury chamber is working with other chambers on the clarity issue, the Sudbury chamber’s concerns are focused more on the local business environment.

“The Kyoto Accord is, by and large, a national issue,” said Thompson. “There are many other important issues coming up, such as the municipal elections in the year 2003 that we’re more concerned about and will be working on in the months ahead.”

Sudbury shop is Ontario’s most northern source for woodcarving supplies and classes

In a blink-and-you-might-miss-it storefront location on Sudbury’s Bancroft Drive, a small shop is starting to build, among other things, a reputation.

Thompson’s Woodcarving is owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Morris (“Moe”) and Brigette Thompson.

They have built what started as a way for Moe to relieve the stress of working as a Sudbury Regional Police Officer into Ontario’s most northern source for woodcarving supplies and classes.

“We started the shop here in 1999,” said Moe. “I was still working full-time in the police service at the time. I retired in the summer of 2001, and we’ve been steady at this ever since.”

After trying several different types of woodcarving, Moe found his passion was in carving caricatures.

Shelves and display cases at Thompson’s Woodcarving are dominated by wooden characters, many of which are originals drawn from Moe’s experience as a police officer.

Reference Materials, Supplies

Thompson’s Woodcarving also carries reference materials and supplies for several styles and methods of carving.

“Just about anything that’s out there, I have some supplies here that will help,” said Moe.

You can’t buy what they sell just anywhere, said Brigette, who takes care of the business end of running the store.

“Woodcarving tools are so different from any other carpentry tool or any other woodworking tool.”

“There was no place in Northern Ontario to purchase carving tools,” Brigette said. “People in Sudbury, until we opened, were limited to looking at either a print catalogue or a Web site. They couldn’t try anything in their hand. We thought if we could get the tools in, people could try before they buy.”

As well as running the store, the Thompsons attend woodworking and carving shows. This helps them expand their customer base, as well as help their current customers.

“Morris loves to carve, and it’s a way to meet people,” Brigette said.

“We’re the central contact point for information about woodcarving in the area. Through shows, we’re able to keep tabs on what’s going on and pass that on to other carvers. Plus, we get to see new products.”

The store is also working on increasing its inventory of wood- burning supplies.

“‘Artistic arson,’ as one person put it,” she said. “With the aid of your burning pen, you’re sketching a picture onto wood or other mediums. It’s not a new art, but it is seeing a revival.”

Before retiring from the police, Moe’s job was the main source of funding for the business. The business grew slowly, and as time went on, became self-sufficient.

“We ran a cash business, which we still do,” Brigette said. “We find that has been the best way to do business. We buy what we can afford. Once we have sold it, we buy more. Occasionally we do run out of things, especially the big-ticket items, but generally we can get it in a short period of time.

“For the first few years, growth was very slow. Where we’re at today is about where we should be. We have no bank loans.”

Brigette cites the banks’ lack of understanding of small- business issues as one reason why she and Moe couldn’t get financing for Thompson’s Woodcarving.

“The banks would not look at us, because they had nothing to assess this type of store against,” she said. “As a small business, we’ve found that the banks have been very frustrating to deal with.”

Brigette also said that other industries still haven’t figured out the needs of their small-business customers.

“If I want high-speed Internet, because I’m a business I have to pay nearly twice as much as I would as an individual, yet my usage is probably less.”

Still, by avoiding bank loans, creating and following a business plan, and choosing a location that is “tailored to the budget,” the Thompsons have managed to keep their love of woodcarving — and each other — from being overtaken by the stresses of running a business.

“Being retired, we don’t depend on this for our bread and butter,” Brigette said. “We do it mostly because we love it.”

One of the things Moe loves most about woodcarving is teaching. In the past, he has taught classes at Cambrian College, and given instruction to hearing-impaired children. Now he teaches classes in his Bancroft Drive shop.

“I keep my classes very small, because that way I can give individual attention to everybody,” he said. “I carve along with the students, so we all start with the same blank cut-out of wood cut the same way.”

More Carving Shows

In the future, the Thompsons hope to get the word out about their business by doing more woodworking and carving shows. They have also made the first few steps onto the Internet, with their Web site at ww.woodcarve.netfirms.com.

The Thompsons are also working on a project to help increase awareness of Sudbury’s small-business community.

“We’ve tried to interest local cable companies to do a hobby show,” Brigette said. “The reason hobby stores don’t make it in this town is because people don’t know they exist. We’ve got to get them to understand that retailers here in Sudbury carry the same products and often at a competitive price or cheaper.

“People in Sudbury still have to learn to support their local businesses.”

New families gather to welcome Alberta animals that had been headed for slaughter

The feeling of anticipation that had been building around the B&H Ranch in Chelmsford broke early on Saturday when the shipment carrying 30 rescued Alberta horses arrived two hours ahead of schedule.

Jason McKee, who drove the horses to Chelmsford from Alberta, credited good driving conditions for the horses arriving in “A1 condition.”

Despite the early arrival, a crowd had gathered at the B&H Ranch to welcome the refugees. Although most of the animals had a thin, scraggly look about them, all seemed energetic.

After tight rationing in their Albertan homes, the bundles of hay sitting on top of the snow must have appeared to them to be an unlimited supply of food.

Pierre and Donna Lauzon arrived from Hanmer early to claim the horse they’d been waiting for since before Christmas.

“They were supposed to come in before, but then they couldn’t,” said Donna.

Too sick

“Some of them were just too sick to make the trip. But now they’re here, and they all look healthy. They’re all happy and eating.”

Donna said that they had a name picked out for their new “pet,” but were thrown for a bit of a loop.

“She was supposed to be a male,” she laughed. “We were going to name it Ringo, but now we’re not sure. Superstar, maybe, or Ringette.”

Pierre was happy that the as-yet-unnamed member of the family had arrived safely, and was looking forward to riding the trails near his home.

Jody Mills, from the Pine Ridge Ranch in Hanmer, was also unsure of what her new horse’s name was, but predicted that her three-year- old daughter Victoria would name the horse “Soon.”

“I keep telling her ‘the horse will be here soon,’” said Mills.

“Victoria would say ’soon the horse is coming.’ So she’ll probably end up being named Soon the Horse.”

Mills said her other horse died of cancer six months ago, at the age of 28, and the arrival of the new horse was greatly anticipated.

“This is going to be my daughter’s riding horse,” she said. “We have riding trails, and she shows. She’ll be looking after the grooming and everything.”

Moving too fast

Others at the B&H on Saturday morning were having a little more trouble welcoming their new arrivals.

“We think it’s the gray one with the red halter, but it hasn’t stopped running,” said Elaine Laakso.

Laakso and her sister, Janet Halliday, said that they each had a couple of horses already, but learned about the plight of the Alberta horses and decided to adopt one each.

“They were somewhere on the way to the slaughterhouse,” Halliday said.

B&H Ranch is working on bringing a second shipment of horses to Sudbury.

For information on how to adopt a horse from Alberta, visit the Web site at www.horserescueontario.org, or call the B&H Ranch at 688-1700.

It will be business as usual at the New Sudbury Centre, the management company hired by the mall’s new owners says.

“We’ve retained everybody,” said Richard Geurts, president of Redcliff Realty Management, which has been appointed to manage the facility by its new owners.

“We hired all 13 employees, and they’ve all signed on with us and are currently Redcliff employees,” Geurts said in a telephone interview Wednesday, two days after the mall was sold to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Osmington Inc. in a $300-million deal that included four other Ontario shopping centres.

“Everything is done. They’re on our systems now. The accounting’s been done, the transition is done, the tenants are notified.”

‘A very key addition’

Redcliff Realty Management will also manage Eastgate Square in Stoney Creek, Centre Mall in Hamilton, Cornwall Square in Cornwall and Intercity Shopping Centre in Thunder Bay.

“The New Sudbury Centre will be a very key addition to our portfolio,” said Geurts.

“The portfolio will be over 3.5 million square feet total across the country, principally of community and regional malls. Sudbury will be one of the larger ones.”

Geurts said Redcliff’s retail group based in Toronto will work closely with the people in Sudbury, both from a leasing and development standpoint.

“We’ll be spending a lot of time over the next three to six months putting our business plans together and getting to know the merchants,” he said.

Redcliff also manages the office building at 30 Cedar St. in downtown Sudbury on behalf of its clients, so it is not a newcomer to the city.

Geurts said the company would like to continue its growth in Northern Ontario, but no further plans are in the works at this time.

In 100 days from Tuesday, on April 17, the Dynamic Earth attraction will open on the site of the old Big Nickel Mine.

Dedicated to the earth sciences, this $15.3-million attraction will enable visitors to discover the extraordinary geology of the Sudbury Basin and the strong connection between mining and the community.

“Dynamic Earth represents an important project for Science North, for our community and for Northern Ontario,” said Guy Labine, Science North’s director of business development.

“We have 100 days left to raise the balance of funding and we encourage individuals, businesses and others in the community to support this endeavour.”

To that end, television station MCTV has contributed $150,000 to the Science North Foundation’s Big Change capital campaign.

“We encourage others in the community to support this project,” said Scott Lund, president and general manager of MCTV. “This MCTV contribution brings us to about $1.2 million toward the campaign’s goal of $2 million.”

Additional project funding includes a $5-million investment from the Ontario government through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC), $2 million from the City of Greater Sudbury, $2 million from Heritage Canada’s Cultural Spaces program, $1 million from Human Resources Development Canada and $1 million from FedNor.

Through interactive exhibits, multimedia theatre shows, and a unique site interpretation, Dynamic Earth will offer an enlightening experience.

“In the next 100 days, we’ll be ramping up the marketing,” said Mia Boiridy, director of Dynamic Earth. “We’ll be starting with TV advertising in northeastern Ontario starting next week. We’re also holding some open houses for the community to try and get people excited about this place and give a little bit of a glimpse of what’s yet to come.

“We’re holding an open house this Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for Science North members.

“The subsequent two Saturdays, the 18th and the 25th, we’ll be holding open houses for the general public.

“This is an opportunity for us to invite people in the community to come and see the place, give them a little bit of insight on the visitor experience, answer whatever questions they might have. It’s also an opportunity for us to push memberships and try to get people in and interested so we can really build up the hype for the unofficial opening in 100 days time.”

The official opening of Dynamic Earth will take place on May 10. It will be marked by a ceremony that will see the Big Nickel Monument moved from its current home at Science North, through downtown Sudbury, and back to its home at the old Big Nickel Mine site that Dynamic Earth now occupies.

May 10 will also be the day Big Nickel Mine Road is renamed to Big Nickel Road.