Physical exercises essential; Scarborough medic emphasizes

Doctor seeks to eradicate problem of colon cancer
by GEORGE KAGAME

A gastroenterologist with The Scarborough Hospital is so concerned about the health of his patients that he wants his lifestyle to be an example to many in his community in avoiding colon cancer.

Coloractal cancer continues to be the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Canada, an estimated 21,500 Canadians are diagnosed with the disease each year and 8,900 will die from it.

“Colon cancer is a diagnostic neglect. No one should get colon cancer nowadays, given that we have enough effective strategies and tools to make it completely preventable”, says Dr. Hurowitz. He adds that for colon cancer to be eliminated, “it begs us to try and figure out the best strategies to achieve that. Certainly, regular exercises and screening help reduce the incidence of colon cancer.”
Hurowitz leads from the front and he also does all the right things to defend himself from a disease which he claims to have two victims in his family, his mother as well as sister.

“My wife Beth (a family physician) and i go to the gym three or four times a week, we’ve learned that setting an example and making it fun is more important than setting a stressful regime.” The two have also taught their two teenage children the benefits of exercise, who have in turn encouraged their own friends to embark on regular physical exercises too.

The Scarborough resident and stomach expert says that his concern about colon cancer is well founded, he points to a new study in the US that offers compelling evidence to back the long-standing belief that exercise can reduce the risk of the disease.
He quotes a research from the Washington University School of Medicine and Harvard University which combined and analyzed several decades’ worth of data emphasizing that exercising can indeed reduce colon cancer. The researchers discovered that exercising reduces the incidence of colon cancer by 24 percent.

Trinity first college to sign on to Presidents’ Climate Initiative

Pact seeks to reduce greenhouse emissions on campuses in two years
BY GEORGE KAGAME

Trinity College is set to make history in the University of Toronto and the whole of Ontario on Thursday by being the first college in Eastern Canada to sign on to the President’s Climate Initiative. The college is federated to U of T.

The initiative, is a climate pact between universities and colleges of Canada and the US committing them to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on campus and to become climate neutral. The Presidents’ Climate Initiative signing at Trinity College comes at the end of a week of festivities at college dubbed Environfest. The festival is an annual U of T week long activities that highlight the importance of climate conservation, before Environfest, students, faculty and staff have been actively campaigning for UofT President David Naylor to sign on to the Initiative.

Jasmeet Sidhu a student of Peace and Conflict Studies and member of the environment team at Trinity College said that signing to the initiative will be of great importance to her college; “ We think that the signing of this pact is a proud thing for Trinity College and in relation the University of Toronto to showcase, as it shows that we are a campus taking the lead in terms of environmental initiatives and making campuses sustainable.”

“Although we are a federated college at the University of Toronto, we have always strived to be ahead of the pact in terms of concrete environmental initiatives as an educational institution, such as with our Green Roof and our Solar Panel project,” says student and campaigner Joanna Dafoe.
“Trinity College signing the Climate Initiative signals to the University of Toronto and to other colleges and universities that its time for campuses to wary of the carbon footprint they are creating, and to seek solutions to create a healthy, sustainable campus for generations to come.”

The college Provost Andy Orchard is expected to sign to the pact on Thursday evening in Rigby Room at St Hilda’s. The ceremony beginning at 7.30 pm will also include high profile participants like Ann Love, author of 30 environmentally-aware children’s books. Love is also a founding member of Pollution Probe an award-winning organization that is currently running a multitude of campaigns as a means to increase awareness about pressing environmental concerns.

So far there has seen 616 American and 13 Canadian colleges and universities signing on the initiative, other colleges at U of T have also embarked on the process, recently. New College abolished the use trays in its dining halls and in a communique to the student community the administration said it was liming the carbon emissions at the college as one measure of conserving the environment and reducing carbon footprints.

The University of Toronto at large has yet to sign the agreement, though hopes are high that with initiative taken by Trinity College and other colleges across the sprawling downtown campus will be inclined to commit.
Efforts to get a comment about the college’s drive for environmental conservation from Geoffrey Saebourn the Bursar, and Naomi Jehlicka the event coordinator were futile as both officials could not pick up their phones.

St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux centre to hold Mayors for Meals ceremony on Wednesday

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by GEORGE KAGAME

As part of its Nutrition Month celebrations, St. Paul’s L’Amoreaeux Centre will hold Mayors For Meals Day on Wednesday March 18 with Councilor Norm Kelly participating in packing and delivering meals for the community’s seniors.

In a press communique, St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux centre stated that Mayors For Meals event will include 150 free meals, a marketplace for affordable fruits and vegetables and a nutrition display.

Larry Burke, Executive Director of the centre said that the event will help his centre to increase awareness of senior nutrition needs in the Scarborough community: “We are excited about having Councillor Kelly participate in out event. We hope to raise awareness of senior health and dietary needs in our community” said Burke.

Mayors For Meals is a national campaign initiated by Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) it seeks to raise awareness of senior hunger and nutrition and to encourage action on the part of the local community.

Senior nutrition programs across the United States and Canada promote Meals on Wheels in their local communities through public events, volunteer recruitment and fundraising initiatives. Mayors for Meals is a component of March for Meals that utilizes the involvement of local mayors, city councillors and other local elected officials.

St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre Meals on Wheels/Nutrition Awareness Campaign is funded by the Central East LHIN Aging at Home Strategy, it delivers nutritious meals and culturally appropriate meals for its clients. Meals on Wheels associates deliver healthy foods and monitor the health and well being of its clients.

Mayors for Meals will take place Wednesday March 18 from 10:30 am to 1:00 am at St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre at 333 Finch Ave East, Scarborough.