The record, 29 décembre 2021, mercredi 29 décembre 2021

[" T H E V O I C E O F T H E E A S T E R N T O W N S H I P S S I N C E 18 9 7 T H E Chickens outdo technology Page 4 Groups want $18 minimum wage Page 3 $1.00 + taxes PM#0040007682 Wednesday, December 29, 2021 Quebec says some COVID positive health workers to stay on job, with conditions By Geoff Agombar Local Journalism Initiative The Wales Home announced Monday that two employees tested positive for COVID-19 and residents of the Central unit had been put into preventative isolation.That made Central the sixth of Wales Home\u2019s six units to enter preventative isolation in under a week.On Dec.22, two employees working in units Norton 1 & 2, Shaw/Manning 1 & 2 had tested positive, triggering preventive isolation and testing.Then, a third employee who had contact with residents in Norton 3 tested positive.A fourth tested positive on Dec.23 and ?ve of six units have been in preventive isolation since.FACEBOOK The Canadian Press Quebec\u2019s health minister says some health workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 will be allowed to stay on the job as the Omicron variant sweeps through the province.Christian Dubé says the decision will be made on a case-by-case basis and under certain conditions.Dubé says the province has little choice in the matter because the health care system cannot maintain services while thousands of workers are at home isolating due to a positive COVID-19 test or exposure to the virus.Quebec shattered its previous pandemic record with 12,833 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, while reporting 15 deaths and an 88-person jump in the number of people who are hospitalized with the novel coronavirus.Dubé said the real number of cases is likely much higher because testing capacity is limited and the province doesn\u2019t register the results of rapid tests.He announced the province is also expanding eligibility for third doses of vaccine, beginning Wednesday with more groups of essential workers and gradually expanding to the entire adult population beginning Jan 4.Wales Home residents isolated after employees test positive CONT\u2019D ON PAGE 3 PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW Page 2 Wednesday, December 29, 2021 newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com The Record Ben by Daniel Shelton The Record e-edition There for you 24-hours-a-day 7-days-a-week.Wherever you are.Access the full edition of the Sherbrooke Record as well as special editions and 30 days of archives.Renew or order a new 12-month print subscription and get a 12-month online subscription for free or purchase the online edition only for $125.00 Record subscription rates (includes Quebec taxes) For print subscription rates, please call 819-569-9528 or email us at billing@sherbrookerecord.com 12 month web only: $125.00 1 month web only: $11.25 Web subscribers have access to the daily Record as well as archives and special editions.Subscribing is as easy as 1,2,3: 1.Visit the Record website: www.sherbrookerecord.com 2.Click e-edition.3.Complete the form and wait for an email activating your online subscription.Weather TODAY: MAINLY SUNNY HIGH -4 LOW -12 THURSDAY: PERIODS OF SNOW HIGH 1 LOW -4 FRIDAY: CLOUDY HIGH 4 LOW -1 SATURDAY: PERIODS OF RAIN OR SNOW HIGH 6 LOW -9 SUNDAY: 60 PER CENT CHANCE OF FLURRIES HIGH -6 LOW -19 Townshippers\u2019 Foundation The Townshippers\u2019 Foundation is nearing the end of its annual Capital Campaign but we are always appreciative of donations received throughout the year.Ninety percent of monies we receive are given out in the form of project grants.The deadline for applying for grants is January 31st.Project criteria can be found on our website listed below.These requests are reviewed by a committee during the month of February and recommendations are presented to the Board of Directors for ?nal discussion and approval in early March.Covid 19 restrictions did not allow the Foundation to hold its annual grant giving luncheon in Magog for the last two years.We sincerely hope that the spring of 2022 will bring us together to share what our project volunteers are doing.We must point out that many of the projects were very creative and adapted their activities to the restrictions: A very positive approach.For many years we have helped groups with their fundraising by creating Partnerships.We have three application deadlines: January 31st, June 1st and October 1st.Requests which meet our partnership criteria allow groups to give charitable receipts issued by the Foundation.We withhold a percentage of these funds to offset administrative expenses.The Foundation and its sister organizations have had a very interesting two years.Pre-pandemic all of the groups were forced to move due to severe water damage to the building on Queen Street.Staff worked from home and managed to maintain a positive work schedule.January 2020 saw the move to the new location on College Street and just as everyone was back, mid-March saw everything close down due to Covid 19.The one bright spot was that staff had been working from home so it was a smaller adjustment to working at a distance but now meetings took place via Zoom.The building is still closed to the public but more staff members are coming in so the building is beginning to feel like the community groups center it is.We at the Foundation have also had a major change with the retirement of our long-time Executive Assistant, Mary Gunter, who has taken a well deserved retirement.Donors and partnership groups have working with Mrs.Gunter for many years and we know appreciate all the support she gave them.We would like to take this opportunity to introduce our new Administrative Assistant, Fatima Pugganwala, who will be working for both the Foundation and the Townshippers\u2019 Association while pursuing her Business studies at Bishop\u2019s University.We thank Global Excel and the Sherbrooke Record for giving non- pro?t organizations the opportunity to let the public know more about what we do.We would be remiss if we did not thank our donors who make everything we do possible.It always amazes us that we are able to help so many groups across the Townships with these donations.The Foundation wishes a Happy Holiday season to everyone.We can be contacted via telephone at 819-822-3314 or via email at trcf@ townshippers.org.Donations may be made by mailing a cheque to 3355 College Street, Sherbrooke, Qc, J1M 0B8, through CanadaHelps (accessible through www.townshippersfoundation.ca) or via an e-transfer at trcf@townshippers.org.Hand in Hand COURTESY Grant recipients from a pre-pandemic ceremony held in 2017 PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW The Record newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Wednesday, December 29, 2021 Page 3 Local News For 96 residents in the CHLSD units and an additional 60 in the residential units, today represents either a second or third test since entering isolation after last week\u2019s positive cases among employees.All positive cases were among staff, however, not residents.In fact, Wales Home has yet to record a single positive Covid case among residents since the pandemic began nearly two years ago.\u201cZero residents have tested positive,\u201d reports executive director Brendalee Piironen.\u201cAll of our residents to date, touch wood, have been negative, so we hope it continues.\u201d Reached by phone Tuesday around 1:30 p.m., Piironen says Public Health has been on site since 9 a.m.conducting PCR tests on residents and staff.She predicts they will be ?nished within the hour and expects results within a day.\u201cWhen we\u2019re being tested, it\u2019s really a priority.We should have all the results within 24 hours,\u201d Piironen explains.The Wales Home has about 200 residents and 140 active employees.Preventative isolation means residents have to stay in their rooms, \u201cif they are capable,\u201d Piironen nuances, referring to special cases of CHSLD and Central residents with dementia who cannot understand the need to isolate.Employees have to wear a gown, gloves, mask, and visor while caring for individual residents in isolation, and must change gown and gloves between every resident.A resident can name up to four primary caregivers, but in preventive isolation only one primary caregiver may visit per 24 hours, per resident.Like the employees, they have to don a gown, gloves, mask and visor, and remove them when they leave the unit.For the 12 residents of the intermediary care Central unit, today is the ?rst round of PCR testing.Assuming they test negative today, they are not expected to be eligible to come out of isolation for at least seven days, at which time they must test negative a second time.For 96 residents in the CHLSD units and an additional 60 in the residential units, today represents either a second or third test since entering isolation after last week\u2019s positive cases among employees.Previous rounds have not turned up any positives among the residents, so Piironen is eager for good news, \u201cThen, hopefully, we can release some of the measures.Hopefully, we could release ?ve of the six ?oors off of preventative isolation.\u201d All Wales Home\u2019s residents have been triple vaccinated.\u201cBefore Christmas, they came to do the last 15 residents who did not have their third vaccine yet, and they had four extra doses so I was lucky to get one too,\u201d says Piironen.She knows some of the staff have received their booster already and others have booked appointments.They are eligible as health care workers, and the delay between second and third shots has been shortened from six weeks to three.Piironen also feels lucky to have a dedicated team.She credits her employees for the Wales Home\u2019s success in keeping the coronavirus out.At the same time, she is nervous about the latest variant knocking at the door.\u201cI think we have been a role model,\u201d Piironen says.\u201cWe put in measures before the government recommended the measures, and our employees have been extremely vigilant.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t know how long our success record will last,\u201d she admits.\u201cThere might be a little guardian angel up there, but I believe our employees, because of their due diligence, because of their dedication and hard work, they\u2019re the ones who\u2019ve kept the covid out of the building.\u201d \u201cWith the new variant, which seems to be the real coronabeast, it could be out of our control.I spoke to the two employees that just tested positive last night, and they have no idea how they caught it,\u201d Piironen says.\u201cThey\u2019ve been at home for two days.They had their Christmas statutory holidays on the Thursday and Friday, and they came in on the weekend (and tested positive).\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re doing the best that we can, and it\u2019s so much work.Our employees already had a very heavy workload, and now it\u2019s just added to that.\u201d CONT\u2019D FROM PAGE 1 Wales Home Community groups call for raise in Quebec minimum wage to $18 By Joel Goldenberg Local Journalism Initiative Community groups in the province want the Quebec government to raise the provincial minimum wage by $4.50 to $18 an hour.A statement from the Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec (SFPQ) says that a \u201cnew consensus is emerging within the Quebec labour and community movement- the minimum wage must be raised to $18 an hour, in order to ensure that a single person working 35 hours a week can work and escape poverty.\u201d The other groups signing on to the statement are le Collectif pour un Québec sans pauvreté, le Front de défense des non-syndiqué-es, le Centre des travailleurs et travailleuses immigrants, the FTQ, the CSN,lthe CSD, the APTS and the SPGQ.The SFPQ statement adds that Premier François Legault is being asked to \u201ctake into account the current economic realities when announcing the next increase in the minimum wage, expected in the days to come.\u201cThis update became necessary due to the increase in the cost of living in recent years.Despite rendering the earlier demand for $15 an hour obsolete, it reveals the even more inappropriate status of the current minimum wage of $13.50.\u201d \u201cThere is no reason, neither economic nor moral, for a person working full time in Quebec to be forced to live in poverty,\u201d coalition representatives said.\u201cIt is the responsibility of our government to ensure that all Quebecers can, through their work, live in dignity.\u201d The group representatives added that \u201cthe pandemic revealed the essential role of staff for the food supply chain and retail.However, a large proportion of these people, mostly women, have to hold jobs that are underpaid, but they are still unable to make ends meet to support their families.By not intervening directly through the increase in the minimum wage, the government is approving of this economic marginalization, this social exclusion of hundreds of thousands of workers, as well as that of their children.\u201d The groups also said that the \u201ccurrent strength of the economic recovery and the omnipresent problems of shortage and scarcity of labour considerably favour such a rise in the minimum wage\u201d adding that \u201cthe restaurant and retail trade sectors, although representing only 17 percent of total employment in Quebec, alone account for 44,000 vacant positions, or 23 percent of the jobs that need to be ?lled in Quebec.The average offered wages for these positions is $15.07 an hour, well below the average of $21.80 for all vacant positions \u2014 and well below the average wages in all of Quebec, which stands at $28.52.\u201d The groups announced that \u201cother labour and community organizations are expected to join the coalition in the coming days.This is the case with the CSQ, which will vote in mid- December.\u201d However, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) recently released a consultation saying that an $18 an hour minimum wage could negatively impact nine of 10 small and medium-sized businesses.CFIB Quebec vice-president François Vincent told the media that Quebec SMEs have had signi?cant operating cost increases, and that half of these businesses have not regained their usual revenue amounts.\u2018Is it reasonable and why?\u2019 Martin C.Barry Local Journalism Initiative More than 100 families from across Quebec \u2013 including some from Laval \u2013 are suing the provincial government over a National Assembly decree which forbids their children from taking part in extra-curricular group sports or physical activities if they haven\u2019t been vaccinated against COVID-19.The families who have signed on maintain that the fundamental rights of their children are being violated by the government\u2019s insistence their teenage children must have vaccine passports.National Assembly decree The decree, which was passed by the National Assembly on Sept.1, effectively forbids children 13 years of age and older from taking part in sports competitions, in organized leagues or in tournaments.The claim, ?led at the Montreal courthouse last month, maintains that the decree unjusti?ably impedes upon several of their children\u2019s fundamental rights and liberties and that it thus must be declared non-applicable in part.Gatineau, QC lawyer Me William Desrochers is presenting the case of more than 100 parents from across Parents sue Quebec over Covid decree banning unvaccinated teens from sports CONT\u2019D ON PAGE 5 PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW Page 4 Wednesday, December 29, 2021 newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com The Record Nature Conservancy of Canada suggests leaving your Christmas tree in your backyard If you\u2019d like to prolong the holiday spirit and share the gift of giving with wildlife, then the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has a suggestion.This year, instead of bringing your local, native Christmas tree to the curb, the not- for-pro?t, private land conservation group suggests putting it in your own backyard.Samantha Knight, national conservation science manager for NCC, says leaving it in your backyard over the winter can provide many bene?ts for backyard wildlife.Your tree can provide important habitat for bird populations during the winter months, especially on cold nights and during storms.It is one of the Nature Conservancy of Canada\u2019s ideas to help nature in your backyard \u2013 in its Small Acts of Conservation program.The ?rst step in letting nature help you recycle your Christmas tree is to put it anywhere in the backyard.Prop it up near another tree, against a fence or lay it in your garden.You can even get the family involved by redecorating it with pinecones ?lled with peanut butter, strings of peanuts and suet for birds to enjoy.These delicious decorations will provide food for birds while they ?nd shelter in the tree.\u201cEvergreens offer a safe place for birds to rest while they visit your feeder,\u201d says Knight.\u201cAnother bene?t is that if you leave the tree in your garden over the summer, it will continue to provide habitat for wildlife and improve your soil as it decomposes.\u201d By spring, the tree will have lost most of its needles, resembling a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.Simply cut the tree branches, lay them where spring ?owers are starting to emerge in your garden and place the trunk on soil, but not on top of the ?owers.Knight says the tree branches and trunk can provide habitat, shelter wild?owers, hold moisture and help build the soil, mimicking what happens with dead trees and branches in a forest.Toads will seek shelter under the log, and insects, including pollinators such as carpenter bees, will burrow into the wood.\u201cBy fall, the branches and trunk will begin to decompose and turn into soil,\u201d says Knight.\u201cMany of our Christmas trees, particularly spruce and balsam ?r, have very low rot resistance and break down quickly when exposed to the elements.The more contact the cut branches and trunk have with the ground, the quicker it will decompose.Drilling holes in the tree trunk will speed up that process.Our backyards are ecosystems of their own and provide an opportunity to learn about forest ecology.By leaving our Christmas tree in our backyard, we can understand its life cycle and observe its impact on backyard biodiversity.There are other uses for Christmas trees.Several municipalities have drop off sites where trees are chipped up and composted or used as trail bedding.Some communities place the Christmas trees on shores to help prevent coastal erosion.And some pulp and paper companies collect and burn them for a fuel alternative to oil.Submitted by The Nature Conservancy of Canada Spread year-round holiday cheer to backyard wildlife COURTESY The chicken and the automated door There once was a young, you might say adolescent, chicken who was purchased by a kindly man who thought it would be nice to have his own eggs from his own chickens.He would build a nice house and fence in a yard and have all the best things for chickens who would lay nice eggs for him and his \u201cblond\u201d, that\u2019s the kindly man\u2019s female partner.To make it really special and a bit more automatic, and to not have to open a door for the chickens in the morning and close it at night, he found and purchased an automatic door for his custom-made chicken coop, which he designed and made all by himself with the best of materials.This automatic door was expensive, but very sophisticated with the latest technology.It had a light sensor to know when the sun came up so it could open the door to let the chickens out to play in the grass and ?nd bugs to eat and do other things that chickens do.When the sun started to go down and the light got dimmer, it would also close the door.So as not to hurt a chicken who was part way through the door when the door was shutting, the door had another sensor ( a pressure transducer) to detect if the door hit an obstacle, and if so would not continue closing and cut the chicken in half, but would make it stop and make the door open again.The time eventually came when this adolescent and curious chicken laid her ?rst egg.She was now a happy full female chicken ready to do just what she wanted to do.She loved her wonderful handmade, custom designed chicken coop with its automatic door, but she loved the outdoors too, especially on cool refreshing evenings when the stars were about to shine.It just so happened that one evening when she was just a teeny bit late walking up the ramp to the door of her automatic custom built chicken home, the door closed on her a bit as she was going through.It didn\u2019t hurt and it happened again another evening as she was not quite all the way through the doorway.It again stopped closing and opened up and she walked on into her custom designed and handmade chicken home for the night, safe away from predators like coyotes, etc.But she did not know anything about them like the kindly man did.And so it happened that as the sun was going down and as she went up the ramp to her nighttime home and through her automatic doorway, she stopped to sit right in the doorway and admire the evening.The last chicken outside, sensing the time was coming when the door would close, hurried up the ramp and into her custom designed chicken coop with its automatic door.It had happened once before.She had been not paying attention, chasing bugs and doing things chickens do, and when she was starting up the ramp, the door closed.She was stuck outside while her two adolescent girl chicken friends were inside.She was afraid to be separated from her friends and ran around wondering what would become of her.Luckily the kindly man saw that she was stuck outside and caused the door to open especially just for her.So on this particular night as the sun was going down, she ran up the ramp only to ?nd her now fully female friend who had just laid an egg that morning, sitting in the doorway.What to do?She knew the door would close shortly and if so, she would be stuck outside.She had to go inside, so she just walked over her newly mature friend who had just laid an egg that morning and was enjoying the evening sitting in the doorway.The technological and miraculous door obeyed its sophisticated programming and began to close for the night.When it hit the sitting chicken, gently, it stopped as it was programmed to do.It was not designed to cut a poor defenceless chicken in half, and so it opened up again.It then began to close again as it was programmed to do, and once again hit the newly mature fully female chicken who was sitting enjoying the evening air in the doorway.This chicken noticed that it had been hit by this automatic and expensive door before and not been hurt, and so decided to just sit in the doorway and enjoy the evening.The door started to close and reopened several times, and then stopped and never started to close again.And that is how the newly mature chicken who didn\u2019t go to school or get a graduate degree outwitted the latest human designed door technology.The end.Submitted by George Weller Stanstead PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW The Record newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Wednesday, December 29, 2021 Page 5 Resurgent pandemic, holiday triggers could lead to spike in overdoses By Christopher Curtis Local Journalism Initiative It\u2019s Christmas 2019, the ?rst one since Sara-Jane died.Everyone gathers around a candlelit buffet where steam wafts from platters of meat, vegetables and gravy.The room ?lls with the scents of a holiday feast \u2014 butter and garlic, burning wax and a hint of red wine.Her ashes rest on a red tablecloth next to a porcelain Santa Claus at the edge of the table.A wooden chair where Sara-Jane would have been is empty, sitting under her portrait.She looks stunning: a perfect smile, piercing eyes and shoulder-length hair off to one side.Just a few months earlier, while studying at the University of Ottawa, Sara-Jane was in her dorm, alone, when she took a drug spiked with fentanyl.\u201cThat ?rst Christmas without her, it was important for us to create a ritual,\u201d said Isabelle Fortin, Sara-Jane\u2019s mom.\u201cThe ?rst one is almost always the hardest.So we got everyone together and we raised a glass to her.We spoke to her, shared memories of her, bought her and her brother Gabriel Christmas decorations with the year inscribed on them.\u201cJust like when they were kids.\u201d With the latest variant of COVID sweeping across Quebec, Fortin\u2019s Christmas ritual will have to be stripped down to the bare essentials.She said she\u2019ll spend it alone \u201cwith Net?ix and a bottle of wine.\u201d \u2018Family and the holidays are a big trigger\u2019 Fortin is one of hundreds of Quebecers who will grieve for a child lost to the fentanyl crisis, which kills more than one person every day in this province.Some 923 people have died of an opioid-related overdose since the COVID-19 pandemic began nearly two years ago, according to the Institut national de la santé publique du Québec.And that\u2019s not counting the months of October, November and December, which the coroner\u2019s of?ce have not yet recorded.\u201cThere\u2019s no way around it, the holidays are a motherfucker,\u201d said Alexandra de Kiewit, who has lost her share of friends to the crisis.\u201cMy ?rst serious boyfriend died in Jonquière recently.That was a lot.I\u2019ve lost people in Montreal, one of our volunteers died, it feels like an everyday thing now.\u201cIt\u2019s hard on the survivors but it\u2019s just as hard on those who still use drugs.\u201d The only Christmas she ever spent away from her family was when she was living on the streets and getting high.\u201cI was ashamed, I couldn\u2019t face my family all banged up like I was,\u201d she said.\u201cI spent Christmas Eve with my dealer.For a lot of people who started using to begin with, family and the holidays are a big trigger.Whether it\u2019s that shame or whether it\u2019s because someone in your family abused you, there are lots of reasons to want to keep using.\u201cThe other problem with Christmas is that services start to shut down.When you add social distancing and safety measures, a lot of people are at risk of using alone.And that\u2019s when you die.\u201d When the pandemic arrived at our shores last year, it interrupted the supply chain of heroin, cocaine and amphetamines from the United States and overseas.Fearing a supply shortage, major suppliers started cutting their product with fentanyl \u2014 a synthetic drug that is 100 times more powerful than heroin.One of the only solutions to stop people dying is for them to test their drugs and use a safe injection site, where a medical professional can intervene during an overdose.Before the pandemic, most of these sites would see one or two overdoses a week but a nurse or street worker would step in and administer the life-saving drug naloxone.Now, most sites have gone from seeing an overdose per week to multiple overdoses a day.Still, no one has ever died while using at a safe injection site in Quebec.But with the pandemic back in full swing, these facilities have to reduce capacity, and that increases the risk that someone will use alone on the streets.\u2018They send you into the wilderness\u2019 \u201cLast winter, when the government imposed a curfew, we saw a spike in overdoses too,\u201d said Hugo Bissonnet, who works at Le Dispensaire, a harm reduction clinic in St-Jérôme.\u201cPeople didn\u2019t want to be caught outside and ?ned so they didn\u2019t use safe injection sites, they didn\u2019t have a friend watch over them while they injected themselves.\u201cThis time around, workers are burned out, a lot of the resource centres are short-staffed and the government response is practically non-existent.\u201d Funding for harm reduction has ?atlined under the Coalition Avenir Québec government.And that\u2019s despite a 30 per cent increase in overdose deaths last year.Federally, the process of having Health Canada sign off on drug testing programs is also stalled.Le Dispensaire has had new lab equipment gathering dust in its basement since last winter.Staff can\u2019t legally use it until Health Canada gives the clinic an exemption from the Criminal Code that would allow workers to handle street drugs without fear of being arrested.\u201cI haven\u2019t heard back from (Health Canada) in months,\u201d Bissonet said.\u201cIt certainly doesn\u2019t feel like the hundreds of people who die of an overdose every year are a priority.\u201d De Kiewet knows both sides of the fentanyl crisis.As a peer intervention worker, she is a recreational user of hard drugs and someone who helps counsel people who use drugs.Earlier this year, she woke up on a friend\u2019s living room ?oor after nearly dying of a fentanyl overdose.But just a few months prior, she climbed into the backseat of a sports car with her naloxone kit in hand, ready to save someone who was going into respiratory failure after shooting dope spiked with fentanyl.There are few in Canada with such an intimate knowledge of why people use, how they use and why they die using.Her fear, so close to Christmas, is that the holiday will trigger risky behaviour from people in emotional distress.\u201cPeople tend to mix drugs more during the holidays,\u201d she said.\u201cYou drink a bit of liquor to numb the loneliness, throw in a few benzos to take the edge off and you might wind up accidentally killing yourself.\u201cI remember getting kicked out of the hospital on Christmas Eve when I lived on the streets.I asked to stay for supper, to experience some sort of human warmth and have a warm meal.But a lot of people don\u2019t consider your humanity when you\u2019re a drug addict in the public health system.So they send you into the wilderness to fend for yourself.\u201d Reach out There is some light at the end of the tunnel.While people continue to die every day, more and more of their loved ones are speaking out and enlisting allies in provincial legislatures and parliament.After De Kiewit\u2019s friend Sam Moro died of an overdose on Dec.5 in Drummondville, he was honoured by a politician from his home province.Green Party MLA Kevin Arseneau stood in the New Brunswick legislature last week and paid tribute to the fallen 36-year-old.\u201cTo all of those who feel bad, who feel alone, who ?ght demons and who ?ght a system that abandons them, you\u2019re not alone,\u201d Arseaneau said.\u201cTo all the rebels, the dissidents, the anti- conformists, to the punks, I ask you to send a greeting to you, our friend, Sam.\u201d When Sara-Jane died, her mother took her grief and poured it into harm reduction.Fortin sits on the board of a safe injection site and community clinic in Montreal and lobbies politicians on behalf of Moms Stop the Harm \u2014 a network of thousands of parents who have lost a child to the fentanyl crisis.\u201cWhen you lose a kid to poisoned drugs, it often isolates you from the rest of your family,\u201d Fortin said.\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of shame, a lot of stigma attached to that kind of a death.So people would rather not talk about it and that tears families apart.I\u2019m lucky our family has been strong but for those who have experienced that isolation, there are groups like Moms Stop the Harm.\u201cWhat I would say to anyone who knows someone struggling this time of year is reach out.Get over your anxiety or fear of talking about it and reach out.It can make all the difference.\u201d Harm reduction funding has ?atlined under Quebec\u2019s government, despite a huge increase in overdose deaths Quebec who are contesting the provincial government\u2019s decree preventing teenaged students age 13-17 from participating in extra-curricular sports if they are not vaccinated against COVID-19.\u201cBasically, it\u2019s an action about the vaccine passports, but only for the teenagers who are 13 to 17 years,\u201d says Me William Desrochers, a lawyer in Gatineau QC who is representing the parents.\u201cWhat the decree says is that you cannot do anything that falls outside the regular school program.Limited in taking part \u201cSo, if you\u2019re in a sports/study program and you\u2019re doing maybe volleyball, then you can do physical education, you can do volleyball six or eight hours a week.But once you have a competition on a Saturday, you cannot go.If you have an extra practice on a Monday night, you cannot go.\u201cAnd it\u2019s not only that.If you can\u2019t do the practice with the team, they\u2019re not going to put you in the front position \u2013 you\u2019re not going to be the quarterback on the football team if you can\u2019t play.You end up being left out or only in practice or even sitting on the bench.It\u2019s something that\u2019s extremely hard on these kids and we feel that the decree is an infringement of several human rights and not reasonable under the circumstances.\u201d Is it reasonable and why?Among the issues the lawsuit hopes to raise is the scienti?c validity of the government\u2019s insisting that all school children must be vaccinated in order to fully participate in the sports programs.\u201cWe understand or we believe that the vaccination rate is pretty high,\u201d Desrochers added.\u201cSometimes if you\u2019re in a program in school, you might have one kid who is not vaccinated.So, how is it so important that this kid must be vaccinated at all cost?That is the question: Is it reasonable and why?That is the question we\u2019re raising here.\u201d Case to be heard by May Desrochers said he expected the case to be heard by next May, hopefully with a decision rendered before the beginning in the fall of 2022 of the next school year.In the meantime, he said the parents were pleased with the government\u2019s announcement that mandatory vaccine passports would not be demanded for younger students.\u201cStill, for 13 to 17 years old it still raises the question as to why is it okay for them, but it\u2019s not okay for the ?ve or eleven or twelve-year-olds,\u201d he said.Parents sue Quebec CONT\u2019D FROM PAGE 3 PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW Page 6 Wednesday, December 29, 2021 newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com The Record EDITORIAL Organising gatherings, decorating your home, planning dinner \u2013 all these activities aim towards ful?lling the goal of having a good Christmas.The problem with goals is that when they are achieved, they leave people feeling ?at.6 Mallory, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1M 2E2 FAX: 819-821-3179 E-MAIL: newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com WEBSITE: www.sherbrookerecord.com SHARON MCCULLY PUBLISHER (819) 569-9511 MATTHEW MCCULLY MANAGING EDITOR (819) 569-6345 GORDON LAMBIE ASSOCIATE EDITOR (819) 569-6345 SERGE GAGNON CHIEF PRESSMAN (819) 569-4856 JESSE BRYANT ADVERTISING MANAGER (450) 242-1188 DEPARTMENTS ACCOUNTING (819) 569-9511 ADVERTISING (819) 569-9525 CIRCULATION (819) 569-9528 NEWSROOM (819) 569-6345 KNOWLTON OFFICE 5B VICTORIA STREET, KNOWLTON, QUEBEC, J0E 1V0 TEL: (450) 242-1188 FAX: (450) 243-5155 PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS For print subscription rates, please call 819-569-9528 or email us at billing@sherbrookerecord.com ON-LINE SUBSCRIPTIONS QUEBEC: 1 YEAR 108.72 5.44 10.85 $ 1 2 5 .0 0 1 MONTH 9.78 0.49 0.98 $ 1 1 .2 5 Rates for out of Quebec and for other services available on request.The Record is published daily Monday to Friday.Back copies of The Record are available.The Record was founded on February 9, 1897, and acquired the Sherbrooke Examiner (est.1879) in 1905 and the Sherbrooke Gazette (est.1837) in 1908.The Record is published by Alta Newspaper Group Limited Partnership.PM#0040007682 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to The Record, 6 Mallory Street, Sherbrooke, QC J1M 2E2 Member ABC, CARD, CNA, QCNA RECORD THE Why do we feel so \u2018blah\u2019 after Christmas?By Jolanta Burke Senior Lecturer, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences The holiday season is usually a joyous occasion, but many people feel \u201cblah\u201d soon after the celebrations.What is it about Christmas that makes people feel this way?Psychologists describe the blah feeling as \u201clow mood\u201d or \u201clanguishing\u201d.Low mood is often temporary and can\u2019t be attributed to any speci?c cause.Languishing is a longer-lasting state of low mood, emptiness and aimlessness that can stay with people for weeks or months.If not addressed, it can lead to depression.One reason people feel this way relates to goals.Setting goals and striving towards them is a basic human need.Aiming to reach a goal keeps people motivated, excited and happy.More importantly, having goals and seeing progress towards them can enhance positive emotions, such as excitement, enthusiasm or pride, which is why preparing for Christmas can be so exhilarating.Organising gatherings, decorating your home, planning dinner \u2013 all these activities aim towards ful?lling the goal of having a good Christmas.The problem with goals is that when they are achieved, they leave people feeling ?at.The best way to ?x this is by creating another goal.Coming up with an exciting goal for January or the new year may become a motivating force to boost your wellbeing.But setting goals is not enough to shake off the negative feeling.You need to look after your body too.A healthy body \u2026 The effect the body has on the mind can also leave you feeling blah after Christmas.On average, people gain one pound (0.45kg) of weight over the festive season.Unfortunately, it can be dif?cult to lose this newly gained weight.At the same time, overeating is associated with a lower mood.To help you take control of your weight and prevent unnecessary pounds piling on, research shows that weighing yourself regularly or fasting intermittently can help you eat less and maintain your weight over the festive period.Weight gain is not the only issue people experience after Christmas.People change their routines signi?cantly: they eat more, drink more and sleep more.They drink on average double the amount of alcohol they usually drink.Also, sleeping patterns tend to change, with people sleeping on average 5% longer than usual.All of these changes can affect your mood.To feel less blah after Christmas, it is essential to establish a new, healthier routine.For example, switching to a plant-based diet has been shown to improve energy levels and the ability to think and reason (cognitive function).It also reduces in?ammation and the effect is more prominent and lasting than going on a conventional diet, such as a low-calorie or smaller-portion diet.It can also improve mood, which will banish the blah feeling.Weekend effect Feeling down can also be related to the \u201cweekend effect\u201d and the \u201cblue Monday phenomenon\u201d.People\u2019s mood increases during the weekend due to greater autonomy (controlling one\u2019s activities) and connecting with others.But mood signi?cantly worsens as soon as the weekend is over.A similar effect occurs for some at the end of Christmas, especially those who need to be back at work shortly after.The thoughts of Christmas being over and getting back to the old routine may instigate the feeling of blah.Many activities can help you think about the future with more optimism and hopefulness, instead of dread or worry.One such activity is the \u201cbest possible self\u201d exercise, where you imagine yourself in a future in which everything has turned out as you wanted it.This results in an immediate increase of positive emotions.Studies have shown that people who do this have less-frequent visits to their doctor ?ve months later.Here is an adapted \u201cbest possible self\u201d exercise you can try after Christmas.Take a piece of paper and for ten minutes write down everything about your best possible self.Imagine that you are in excellent health.You have been taking excellent care of your body and mind.You have worked hard to accomplish all your health-related goals.Now write what you have done, what obstacles you have overcome, how you did it, and your result.Regardless of the reasons for feeling blah, what matters is you acknowledge the feeling of aimlessness and low mood.Only then can you choose to do something about it.This may include increasing physical activity, exercising, eating nutritious food, planning, or simply sitting with it, fully aware that it is what you feel, and it is OK to feel this way \u2013 many others feel the same way.After all, wellbeing is a journey, not a destination.Tomorrow is another day.The federal government recently passed legislation to prohibit the harassment and intimidation of health care workers and patients.These new protections are timely, as we are seeing increasing threats directed at physicians and other health care workers \u2014 on social media and, in some instances, at their private homes.This is a deeply disturbing trend and one that cannot be allowed to continue.With the enactment of new legislative measures to protect health care workers, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) encourages local law enforcement agencies in all jurisdictions to ensure they are shielded from violence and threats.The CMA is also calling on social media companies to increase efforts to ensure their platforms are safe spaces for health care workers to share information and advice with Canadians without being subject to intimidation and threats.Physicians and other health care workers have worked tirelessly through the pandemic to care for patients.As a ?fth wave sweeps across Canada, nearly two years after COVID-19 ?rst emerged, we are still here on the frontlines.What we need right now is not the ignorance and hate of a small minority, but the kindness, patience and goodwill that most Canadians continue to demonstrate.We recognize that this has been a challenging two years for everyone.Health care workers on the frontlines of the pandemic are exhausted, yet we remain steadfast in our desire to help others.Dr.Katharine Smart President, Canadian Medical Association Harassment and threats against health care workers cannot be tolerated PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW The Record newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Wednesday, December 29, 2021 Page 7 Do you know someone who would enjoy receiving The Record as much as you do?Current subscribers get one month free added to their subscription for every NEW subscriber they refer.Contact us today at: 819-569-9528 or billing@sherbrookerecord.com www.sherbrookerecord.com *New subscription must be a for a minimum of 12 months.VALID until December 31, 2021 Canada\u2019s Bobbie Rosenfeld led the way in almost every sport she attempted By Neil Davidson The Canadian Press Bobbie Rosenfeld was a trailblazer and champion, willing and able to conquer a variety of sports.A member of Canada\u2019s ?rst Olympic women\u2019s track team dubbed \u201cthe Matchless Six\u201d _ Rosenfeld, Florence Bell, Ethel Catherwood, Myrtle Cook, Ethel Smith and Jean Thompson _ Rosenfeld won a gold medal in the 4x100 relay and silver in the 100 metres (Canadian team of?cials swore she actually edged American Betty Robinson to win the 100) at the 1928 Games in Amsterdam _ the ?rst time women were allowed in Olympic athletics.But she also excelled at everything from baseball, basketball and hockey to lacrosse, softball and tennis.Voted CP\u2019s female athlete of the half-century in 1959, Rosenfeld\u2019s name graces CP\u2019s female athlete of the year award.Tennis star Leylah Fernandez won the 2021 Bobbie Rosenfeld Award on Tuesday.After arthritis ended her sporting career, Rosenfeld joined The Globe and Mail in 1937.She wrote for the newspaper for 20 years, often in a column called Sports Reel.Rosenfeld \u201cset the sports world ablaze with her incomparable ability in every sport she ever tried,\u201d the Globe wrote in its 1969 obituary on the Canada\u2019s Sports Hall of Famer.Born Fanny Rosenfeld in Russia (now Ukraine), on Dec.28, 1904, she came to Canada as a baby when her family elected to leave because of anti- Semitism.Her father Max came ?rst, followed by her mother Sarah with Bobbie and her older brother.Bobbie survived smallpox on the boat to Canada.The Rosenfelds settled in Barrie, Ont., joining family members who had come earlier.Known by her nickname \u201cBobbie\u201d after her long hair was bobbed, Rosenfeld grew up trying her hand at a wide range of sports.She excelled at them all, often competing against and beating boys.She moved to Toronto with her family in 1922 and worked at the Patterson chocolate factory, where she joined the company\u2019s athletic club, as well as the Young Women\u2019s Hebrew Association\u2019s hockey and basketball teams.She turned heads at a local track and ?eld meet in Beaverton, Ont., in 1923 when she entered the 100-yard dash as a lark and beat Canadian champion Rosa Grosse, in a time just two-?fths of a second off the world record.Rosenfeld won the race despite wearing her big softball \u201cpup-tent bloomers,\u201d her Canada\u2019s Sports Hall of Fame bio notes.Other times she competed in men\u2019s swimming trunks and her father\u2019s borrowed socks.She beat 100-yard world champion Helen Finkley in 1923, won the Toronto grass-courts tennis title in 1924 and tied the 100-yard world record of 11 seconds in 1925.At the 1925 Ontario Ladies\u2019 Track and Field Championships, she won the shot put, discus, running broad jump, 200-yard dash and 100-yard hurdles, while ?nishing runner-up in the 100- yard dash and javelin _ all in a single afternoon.In 1928, she set national records in long jump, standing broad jump and discus that lasted into the 1950s.\u201cShe ran like the wind,\u201d said Jean McCann, who helped found the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame.\u201cI can see her yet, coming down that track.\u201d At the 1928 Olympics, Rosenfeld also entered the 800 metres to help Thompson, who had suffered an injury in training.When Thompson started to drop back after tangling with a Japanese runner, Rosenfeld moved alongside her teammate and started encouraging her.Thompson ?nished fourth and Rosenfeld ?fth, with observers saying Rosenfeld could likely have won a medal had she not be so sel?ess.The Canadian team, which included star sprinter Percy Williams, returned home to a hero\u2019s welcome, with thousands lining the streets in Toronto.Rosenfeld was sidelined soon after by rheumatoid arthritis.A doctor recommended amputation but the family refused and she spent nine months in bed followed by time on crutches _ which she set aside one day to rejoin her hockey team.In 1932, she was named Ontario\u2019s most outstanding women\u2019s hockey player but her arthritis returned in 1933 and she retired.Rosenfeld turned to coaching hockey and journalism, later becoming the Globe\u2019s public relations manager until illness prompted her retirement in 1966.Sports After arthritis ended her sporting career, Rosenfeld joined The Globe and Mail in 1937.She wrote for the newspaper for 20 years, often in a column called Sports Reel.Bravo Leylah Annie Fernandez Tennis Canada would like to extend its heartfelt congratulations to Leylah Fernandez, who earned the 2021 Bobbie Rosenfeld Award presented by the Canadian Press to the country\u2019s best female athlete.The 19-year-old Quebecer is the sixth tennis player to win the award since it was created in 1932, joining Carling Bassett-Seguso (1983, 1985), Helen Kelesi (1989, 1990), Aleksandra Wozniak (2009), Eugenie Bouchard (2013, 2014) and Bianca Andreescu (2019).\u201cI\u2019m very honored to be amongst these athletes who\u2019ve done so much women\u2019s sports, and their respective sports, and even outside of their sports,\u201d Fernandez said.\u201cGrowing up, I\u2019ve read about (last year\u2019s winner, soccer star Christine Sinclair) in the news.I\u2019ve seen her how much she\u2019s accomplished, and I\u2019m honored to have my name right beside her\u2019s.\u201d \u201cLeylah is so deserving of this prestigious award,\u201d af?rmed Michael Downey, President and Chief Executive Of?cer of Tennis Canada.\u201cAt such a young age, she rolled over three Top 10 players to reach the US Open ?nal.She may not have gotten the result she wanted but her on-court performance was simply brilliant.And her post- match speech about September 11th was for the ages, as she endeared herself to New Yorkers forever.Leylah is the real deal, and she will inspire the next generation of young players across the country to pick up a racquet through the rest of this decade and beyond.\u201d In addition to competing in the US Open ?nal and becoming only the second Canadian to achieve the feat after Bianca Andreescu in 2019, Leylah raised her very ?rst WTA championship trophy in Monterrey, Mexico, when she secured a two-set win (6-1, 6-4) over then No.102 Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland.Her excellent performances all season helped boost her ranking to a career- high World No.24.In 2021, the Laval native also achieved great heights with Team Canada.At the Billie Jean King Cup Play-Offs in April, she was presented with the Heart Award by the International Tennis Federation on the heels of Canada\u2019s 4\u20130 triumph over Serbia, in which she posted victories over Olga Danilovic (7- 5, 4-6, 6-4) and Nina Stojanovic (3-6, 6-3, 6-4).\u201cLeylah de?nitely proved this year, and especially at the US Open, that she could rank among the best in the world,\u201d said Sylvain Bruneau, Head of Women\u2019s Professional and Transition Tennis at Tennis Canada.\u201cSo many fans discovered a relentless and passionate competitor who ?ghts for every single ball and displays a nice blend of power, intelligence and athleticism on the court.She also showed that she was the full package with her genuine and inspiring speeches after her matches.\u201d Submitted by Tennis Canada PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW Page 8 Wednesday, December 29, 2021 newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com The Record Death In Memoriam BIRTH NOTICES, CARDS OF THANKS, IN MEMORIAMS, BRIEFLETS: Text only: 40¢ per word.Minimum charge $10.00 ($11.50 taxes included) Discounts: 2 insertions or more: 15% off With photo: additional $18.50.DEADLINE: 11 a.m., day before publication.BIRTHDAY, ANNIVERSARY & GET-WELL WISHES, ENGAGEMENT NOTICES: Text only: $16.00 (includes taxes) With photo: $26.00 ($29.90 taxes included) DEADLINE: 3 days before publication.WEDDING WRITE-UPS: $26.00 ($29.90 taxes included) WITH PHOTO: $36.00 ($41.40 taxes included) Please Note: All of the aforementioned (except death notices) must be submitted typewritten or neatly printed, and must include the signature and daytime telephone number of the contact person.Can be e-mailed to: classad@sherbrookerecord.com - They will not be taken by phone.DEADLINES FOR DEATH NOTICES: For Monday\u2019s paper, email production@sherbrookerecord.com or call 819-569-4856 between 1 p.m.and 5 p.m.Sunday.For Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday\u2019s edition, email production@sherbrookerecord.com, call 819-569-4856 or fax 819-569-1187 (please call to con?rm transmission) between 9 a.m.and 5 p.m.the day prior to the day of publication.The Record cannot guarantee publication if another Record number is called.Rates: Please call for costs.RATES and DEADLINES: ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICES CASS FUNERAL HOMES 3006 College St., Sherbrooke QC PHONE: 819-564-1750 FAX: 819-564-4423 www.casshomes.ca Rémi BAILLARGEON 1957 - 2021 It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Rémi Baillargeon, in his 64th year, son of Olivette Chenard and late Joseph Baillargeon.He leaves to mourn, his wife Karen, his children Carole (Robert), Claude (Ilham), Cindy (Benoit); his grandchildren Christina, Jeremy, Sebastian, Emily, Ryan, Rema, Océanne, Damien; his foster grandchildren Yurick, D-Reck, Liam, Alexis, Jay-Sea and Mavrick.He also leaves his sisters and brothers Hélène (Réal), Laurian (Aline), Céline (André), Robert (Colette), Réal (Louisette), Lucienne, Roger, Colette (Benoit), Thérèse (Benoit), Fernand (Ann), Denis, Sonia (Jacques), Raymond (Nicole), late Gilles, and late Carmelle, as well as his sister-in-law Elaine, his brother-in-law Allan (Phylis), nieces, nephews and many friends.Family and friends will be welcomed at Cass Funeral Home, 3006 College, Sherbrooke, on Monday, January 3, 2022 from 3 to 5 and 6 to 9 pm.Burial will take place at Sand Hill Cemetery at a later date.BELL, Stanley L.\u2013 December 29, 2018.What we shared will never die, It lives within my heart, Bringing strength and comfort While we are apart.Lovingly remembered, ELLA (wife) AND FAMILIES ASK THE DOCTORS by Eve Glazier, M.D., and Elizabeth Ko, M.D.Dear Doctors: Is it true that we\u2019re being told to eat even less salt than before?I\u2019ve been hearing that there are new rules about that, but I don\u2019t know what they are.How much salt is OK to eat?Why is it that this kind of advice keeps changing?Dear Reader: You are correct about the recent release of updated guidance regarding how much salt we should - or, more accurately, should not - be eating.And it\u2019s not a surprise that you\u2019re feeling a bit confused.Federal nutrition advice for individuals comes in the form of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are jointly issued by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services.However, the new information about salt that you\u2019re asking about comes from a different source, namely the Food and Drug Administration.It\u2019s aimed not at individuals, but, rather, at the food industry.And because compliance is voluntary - it\u2019s basically a request - it has been labeled as \u201cguidance.\u201d Speci?cally, the FDA is asking food manufacturers, restaurants and other vendors of prepared foods to cut the amount of salt in their products in order to help reduce the amount of salt that the average American consumes each day.Over the next 30 months, the FDA wants the food industry to adjust their products so that sodium intake drops from 3,400 milligrams to 3,000 mg per day.Despite this being about 12% lower than current sodium levels in prepared foods, it\u2019s still markedly higher than the 2,300 mg of sodium per day in the of?cial Dietary Guidelines.And that\u2019s the point.Due in large part to the prevalence of prepared foods in the American diet, the average adult here consumes 3,400 mg of sodium per day - and often more.A study that looked at 450 adults from geographically diverse areas in the U.S.found that salt added to food eaten outside of the home accounted for a whopping 70% of each person\u2019s daily sodium intake.The adverse health effects of excess salt in the diet are well-known.It can lead to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease.As a reminder, the Dietary Guidelines recommend children between 1 and 3 years old consume less than 1,200 mg of sodium per day.Children between the ages of 4 and 8 should consume less than 1,500 mg per day, and those 9 to 13 years old should get less than 1,800 mg of sodium per day.And, as we mentioned earlier, 2,300 mg of salt per day is the recommended limit for those 14 years old and older.Whether or not food manufacturers will comply with the FDA\u2019s request remains to be seen.But understanding how much sodium is added to prepared food before you even touch a saltshaker can help you limit your own intake.People who make it a practice to read sodium percentages on food labels say they\u2019re often startled by the high numbers, and that this awareness lets them make healthier choices for themselves and for their families.WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021 Today is the 363rd day of 2021 and the ninth day of winter.TODAY\u2019S HISTORY: In 1170, Thomas Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered.In 1890, U.S.Army troops massacred an estimated 300 Lakota Indian men, women and children near Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota.In 1940, Germany dropped hundreds of incendiary bombs on London.In 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created.TODAY\u2019S BIRTHDAYS: Charles Goodyear (1800-1860), inventor; Andrew Johnson (1808-1875), 17th U.S.president; William Gladstone (1809-1898), British prime minister; Mary Tyler Moore (1936-2017), actress; Jon Voight (1938- ), actor; Ted Danson (1947- ), actor; Patricia Clarkson (1959- ), actress; Sean Payton (1963- ), football coach; Lilly Wachowski (1967- ), ?lmmaker; Jude Law (1972- ), actor; Theo Epstein (1973- ), baseball executive; Mekhi Phifer (1974- ), actor; Danny McBride (1976- ), actor/ comedian; Alison Brie (1982- ), actress; Eric Berry (1988- ), football player.TODAY\u2019S FACT: OSHA imposed the largest ?ne in agency history on Oct.30, 2009, assessing $87 million in penalties against oil company BP.A 2005 explosion at the company\u2019s re?nery in Texas killed 15 workers.TODAY\u2019S SPORTS: In 1978, Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes punched a Clemson player who had just intercepted a pass during the Gator Bowl.Ohio State went on to lose 17-15, and Hayes was ?red the next day.TODAY\u2019S QUOTE: \u201cI love kids, outings, camping, sports, Legoland, all the Daddy stuff.I love it.I wish I could just do that, but I have to work, too.\u201d - Mekhi Phifer TODAY\u2019S NUMBER: 6 - years that Thomas Becket spent in exile (1164- 1170) for refusing to acquiesce to new laws set by Henry II.TODAY\u2019S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Dec.26) and new moon (Jan.2).Date Book FDA issues guidance to lower sodium intake PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW The Record newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Wednesday, December 29, 2021 Page 9 Somatic therapy could help with trauma Dear Annie WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021 Dear Annie: I\u2019m a 45-year-old-male and have had many traumatic events in my past, including abuses too bad to name.My problem is, as I was growing up, I was so mistreated that I never learned how to feel.I had to suppress everything I was feeling and disconnect from my emotions and body to survive.Now that I\u2019m grown and have been seeking mental help for almost 17 years, I still can\u2019t connect with anything inside.This has led to relationship failures, lost jobs and more.I live every day on a ?at plain of numbness, and yet I believe that I am worthless and undeserving of anything I receive from anyone.That includes kindness, love, help or gifts.I have been through ?ve therapists and as many psychiatrists.No one has been able to diagnose or help in any way.Each and every one of them has come up empty-handed and told me that I should seek help from \u201csomeone better\u201d without giving referrals or suggestions as to whom I should be talking to.As a result, I have begun to distrust the world of psychological treatment.All I want is to live a \u201cnormal\u201d life and not run everybody out of it.- Numb and Lost Dear Numb and Lost: Thank you for writing to me.First off, no one has a \u201cnormal\u201d life.Everyone has stuff.But what you want is to be out of pain.I am sorry that you had to endure all sorts of abuse.No person or child should ever have to.The question is, how do you heal from that?Congratulations on trying to ?nd help.It looks like the ?ve therapists you saw were probably not trained in trauma.You might try and ?nd a somatic therapist.Somatic therapy is a type of therapy that helps treat post- traumatic stress by releasing bodily sensations that come up in everyday life.The therapist works from the inside out, starting with your body instead of just talking and reliving the traumas over and over again.I would recommend reading Dr.Peter Levine\u2019s book, \u201cWaking the Tiger.\u201d Another good book for trauma is \u201cThe Body Keeps the Score\u201d by Bessel van der Kolk.Both could be great resources on your journey toward feeling better.It\u2019s a cinch by the inch and hard by the yard.Dear Annie: What an amazing soul you are, and your duty to do for others before yourself speaks loudly of your ability to be truly unsel?sh.Thank you for the experiences and advice you have shared with the world.It surely is a beautiful light to help guide those who struggle through the dark paths.- Grateful Dear Grateful: Thank you for the kind words.It is an honor that so many readers share their stories each week.Dear Annie: I don\u2019t know how to begin, so I\u2019ll just start by saying that after my father passed away 20 years ago, my sisters abandoned me.At my father\u2019s funeral, my oldest sister told me out loud, in front of my other sisters, that they are never going to speak to me again since my protector (my dad) is gone.We had just laid our father in his grave, and the pain of losing him was intense, and I was sobbing.She told me that my tears were fake and to stop because nobody cares.None of my sisters kept in touch until my sister \u201cAlice\u201d was diagnosed with terminal cancer.I begged to come see Alice, and I was allowed.Since I was separated from my husband at the time, I offered to be her caregiver, and she was so pleased.I took care of her until she passed away, six months later.Immediately after her funeral, I was right back to being abandoned again.I tried to keep in touch.I made sure to send Christmas cards to the ones for whom I had contact information, but I received no reply.Later, I got blocked, as their address had changed.Now we\u2019re all in our 60s and 70s, and I kept hoping that our relationships would change, but they have not.I\u2019ve been divorced for 10 years, and my sisters don\u2019t care to check on me.I miss my sisters very much and can\u2019t let them go.I can\u2019t remove them from my heart or thoughts.- Abandoned in Vegas Dear Abandoned in Vegas: I am so sorry for your loss - not only the loss of your father and sister but the loss of your relationship with your other sisters as well.Your oldest sister harbors long-term resentment toward you, and your other sisters are following her lead.I would suggest starting with one of your sisters who you feel closest to and letting her know how much you love and miss her.You can\u2019t control how she or any of your other sisters will react, but you can control how to communicate your love for them.Good luck.Dear Annie: Lately, I see so many emails from grandparents who are wondering how to deal with grandchildren who fail to acknowledge gifts, and my heart breaks for them.My husband and I have been struggling with this for years.When we actually do see his grandchildren at Christmas, the older ones thank us for our gifts, but if we are mailing them anything for birthdays and so on, they are not acknowledged.We don\u2019t expect a reaction from the little ones (that should be the parents\u2019 job), but teenagers ought to know better.They should be taught to send an acknowledgement of appreciation.One year, I mailed a self-addressed stamped envelope with a generous gift to the oldest granddaughter with a note saying that we\u2019d love to hear from her.She\u2019s a teenager.We never received a response.I doubt sending a box of thank-you cards would help, though I sincerely hope it just might for others.Many of us who are elderly and now have serious health issues can only mail gifts, especially during the pandemic.A brief message acknowledging a gift would mean so much.I think this is the last time we\u2019ll send a gift through the mail, and we\u2019ll follow your suggestion in today\u2019s column to let them know the time after that we won\u2019t send anything else and why.- Fed-Up Granny in Ontario Dear Granny: Showing appreciation for gifts is always gracious, and I am printing your letter to remind parents to instill that message in their children.It is bene?cial not only to the gift giver but also to the receiver.The more we appreciate, the more it appreciates.Many readers have written in to say that their last gift will be their last and ?nal gift because there was no acknowledgement or thank you from the recipient.\u201cAsk Me Anything: A Year of Advice From Dear Annie\u201d is out now! Annie Lane\u2019s debut book - featuring favorite columns on love, friendship, family and etiquette - is available as a paperback and e-book.Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information.Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW Page 10 Wednesday, December 29, 2021 newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com The Record Go grocery sho pping with diet itians.When you choo se products with the Health Chec k symbol, it's like shopping with t he Heart and Str oke Foundation\u2019s die titians, who eval uate every partic ipating product b ased on Canada 's Food Guide.www.healthche ck.org REALITY CHECK HERMAN ALLEY OOP ARLO & JANIS THE BORN LOSER FRANK AND ERNEST GRIZZWELLS THATABABY PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW The Record newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Wednesday, December 29, 2021 Page 11 Call Sherbrooke: (819) 569-9525 between 8:30 a.m.and 4:30 p.m.E-mail: classad@sherbrookerecord.com or Knowlton: (450) 242-1188 between 9:00 a.m.and noon CLASSIFIED Deadline: 12:30 p.m.one day prior to publication Or mail your prepaid classi?ed ads to The Record, 6 Mallory, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1M 2E2 275 Antiques WE BUY from the past for the future, one item or a household, attic or basement, shed or garage.We like it all, give us a call.819- 837-2680.290 Articles for Sale Make your classi- iED STAND OUT, add a photo for $10.per day.Deadline: 2 days before publication.Call 819-569- 9525 OR SEND AN EMAIL TO: CLASSAD@ SHERBROOKERECORD.com Whatever you\u2019re after, just thumb through the Classifieds and you\u2019ll be good to go! That\u2019s all there is to it! 819-569-9525 450-242-1188 (NC) If you\u2019re looking to bring a sense of ease and calm to your space, turn to the great outdoors for inspiration.Here, Sharon Grech, Benjamin Moore colour and design expert, shares how to bring the best of the outdoors in with inspiring design.Embrace imperfection.Taking inspiration from nature gives us permission to be comfortable with the imperfections in our homes.\u201cGive any room a natural and relaxed feel by choosing textiles like linen that look their most inviting when creased,\u201d suggests Grech.Other ways you can embrace imperfection include creating a simple mantle decoration with a piece of driftwood, or ?lling vases with collected pebbles and a single candle.Celebrating the imperfect in your space will instantly create a sense of welcome for you and your guests.Choose earth tones.One of the most impactful ways to bring a sense of the outdoors into your space is through colour.\u201cConsider a hue like October Mist CC-550, the colour of the year for 2022,\u201d says Grech.\u201cInspired by the stem of a ?ower, this colour is the perfect support for other hues in a room and is an inspiring and soothing colour that looks beautiful with a variety of styles.\u201d Not ready to repaint a full room?Repainting a piece of furniture such as an accent table or just the legs of your dining table or desk with Advance interior paint can help bring subtle hints of colour to a more neutral space.Go organic.To bring a true feeling of nature into any room, look for ways to bring organic touches into your space.\u201cSimple arrangements of greens can be a striking and stylish way to add colour,\u201d suggests Grech.\u201cAs a bonus, greens can be a much more affordable alternative to traditional bouquets that focus on blooms.\u201d When you\u2019re furnishing a space inspired by the outdoors, choose materials that evoke nature like wood, wicker and rattan.From the outside in: Home décor inspired by nature PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW Page 12 Wednesday, December 29, 2021 newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com The Record Your Birthday WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021 Trust your instincts.Don\u2019t hesitate to make a move.Put your needs ?rst, express your thoughts and feelings, and make changes that help you reach your goals.Be ready to take advantage when opportunity knocks, and use your insight and creativity to separate you from the crowd.CAPRICORN (Dec.22-Jan.19) - Step up and make a difference.The changes you implement will help you head into next year with optimism.Say what\u2019s on your mind and pursue what excites you.Forward thinking will pay off.AQUARIUS (Jan.20-Feb.19) - Once you speak your mind, you cannot take it back.Problems will develop if you judge others too quickly.Focus on personal goals and improvements, not on trying to change someone.PISCES (Feb.20-March 20) - Listen, learn and verify.The information you gather will help you make better decisions.Don\u2019t spend money unnecessarily or neglect to take care of matters you should address before the end of the year.ARIES (March 21-April 19) - Be careful.Don\u2019t let your emotions steer you in the wrong direction.Honesty is the best policy when it comes to ?nancial and contractual differences.Keep a tight rein on your spending habits.TAURUS (April 20-May 20) - Change will excite you.Dig in and see what life has to offer.Explore something that interests you and consider if it\u2019s a viable or lucrative option.A partnership looks promising.GEMINI (May 21-June 20) - A laid- back attitude and approach will help you dodge a mistake.Spend more time on personal improvement and less on trying to change someone.You can be amicable without being gullible.CANCER (June 21-July 22) - Plan to do something you enjoy with a loved one.A change will lift your spirits and give you something new to explore.If you discuss your plans and intentions, you will receive valuable feedback.LEO (July 23-Aug.22) - An emotional moment can limit progress if you aren\u2019t prepared to compromise.Look at every angle, and you\u2019ll ?nd a way to appease others and satisfy your needs at the same time.VIRGO (Aug.23-Sept.22) - Share your intentions and make plans with a loved one.Make a change at home conducive to improving your life.Information you gather will provide insight.Romance is featured.LIBRA (Sept.23-Oct.23) - Slow down and distance yourself from turmoil and chaotic people.Self-discipline, personal growth and exercise will encourage you to spend more time perfecting who you are.SCORPIO (Oct.24-Nov.22) - Emotions will lead to ?uctuating circumstances.Be a good listener, think about what\u2019s going on around you and how others think and feel, and take a reserved approach.Keep life simple.SAGITTARIUS (Nov.23-Dec.21) - Use your energy wisely.Too much of anything will be your downfall.Focus on getting things done on time and moving on to self-improving activities.Close the year on a high note! WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021 An even number often splits unevenly By Phillip Alder G.K.Chesterton, an Englishman who was known as the prince of paradox, wrote, \u201cThe poet only asks to get his head into the heavens.It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head.And it is his head that splits.\u201d A good bridge player keeps knowledge of suit-split odds in his head.But even if he does not know the exact numbers, he remembers that an odd number of cards will usually divide as near to even as possible.(For example, ?ve cards will split 3-2 more often than 4-1 and 5-0 combined.) An even number (with the exception of two) will normally split unevenly.(For example, six cards will divide 4-2 more often than 3-3.) In today\u2019s deal, how does that affect South\u2019s line of play at three no-trump after West leads the club queen?North made a transfer bid, then offered a choice of games.He correctly upgraded for his ?ve-card suit and pair of aces.Declarer has eight top tricks: three spades, three hearts and two clubs.Playing on diamonds is too slow.Instead, he should work on spades.However, if he unblocks the king and queen, crosses to dummy\u2019s heart ace and cashes the spade ace, he will need to ?nd the missing spades 3-3 or the doubleton J-10: a total chance of 38.76%.Instead, as he needs only four spade tricks, not ?ve, he should cash the king, overtake the queen with dummy\u2019s ace and lead the nine.He gets home when the suit is 3-3 (admittedly without an overtrick) or if it 4-2 with the doubleton J-x, 10-x or J-10: a small matter of 64.60%.* PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY .ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW "]