Nov. 23rd: Toronto Football Club & Sebastian Giovinco

History

• MLS awarded Toronto a team in 2005 and paid $10 million US franchise.
• After the announcements the public was invited to vote on the name. Some of the names thought of were Toronto Northman, inter-Toronto FC, Toronto Reds and Toronto FC. Toronto FC was chosen because over 40% of the online boats reported this title and the MLSE hoped this name would help the new club earn a nickname from the Toronto fans rather than having one imposed on the team.
• The TFC play their home games at BMO Field in Toronto, which is near Exhibition Place.

• The TFC were the first Canadian team ever in the MLS (Major League Soccer) and entered the league in 2007.

Roster

• Click on this link to see the current team players: https://www.torontofc.ca/players
• Click here to see the stats of each player: https://www.torontofc.ca/stats
• Current top goal scorers:
  • Alejandro Pozuelo, midfielder, 9 goals in 23 games played
  • Ayo Akinola, forward, 9 goals in 15 games played

Winning the MLS Cup:

• MLS cup Win 2017
• • 2017 was the 22nd edition of the MLS cup. The match was between Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders FC. It was played on December 9, 2017.
• • It was the second time that the match was hosted at BMO field in Toronto and this was a rematch of the 2016 edition of the cup final.
• • The game was scoreless during the first half but Toronto FC took the lead in the 67th minute because of a goal by Jozy Altidore
• • Victor Vazquez scored the second goal. Toronto FC won the game 2-0.
• • Toronto FC was the first Canadian team to win that MLS cup and the first MLS complete domestic treble. This occurs when a team when three trophies in a single season.

Highlights from the winning game:

Sebastian Giovinco

• Sebastian Giovinco is an Italian soccer player, who now plays forward for a Saudi Arabian team called Al Hilal.
• Giovinco has played for the Italian professional team Juventus, and he signed to the Toronto FC in 2015.
• When he signed with Toronto FC in 2015, the deal made him the team’s highest paid player.
• He had a lot of successes with Toronto FC, and he won three Canadian Championships with the club as well as the MLS Cup. He also won a lot of individual awards, including the MLS Golden Boot, the MLS Newcomer of the Year Award, and the MLS MVP award.
• He left the TFC as the club’s all-time top goal scorer.
• In 2019, Toronto FC sold Giovinko to the Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal for an undisclosed fee.
• He is known for being a fast, versatile player, and he had a reputation for being outspoken and passionate about the game.

A moving story about gratitude:

November 19th: Tom Hanks

What is your favourite Tom Hanks movie??

Tom Hanks was born in California in 1956, and he is 64 years old. He is best known for being an American actor, and he has starred in at least 83 movies. In his early acting career, he acted in several tv shows and plays, and eventually landed his first lead role in Ron Howard’s movie Splash.

He became more popular as a result of the success of his movie Big, a movie about a young boy wishing to be an adult. When this wish comes true, he is not sure how to handle his new body and age. Tom Hanks got his first Oscar nomination from this movie.

He then went on to star in A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle and Philadelphia, all of which were very successful films. Hanks won an Oscar for his role in Philadelphia. He then followed up this success with Forrest Gump, and won another Oscar the following year for this role.

In 1995, Tom Hanks then starred as Sheriff Woody in Pixar’s Toy Story movie. This movie was groundbreaking for animation at the time, and it continues to be well-received by all audiences. There are now 4 Toy Story movies in the series!

Tom Hanks continued to star in major films, including Saving Private Ryan, You’ve Got Mail, The Green Mile, and Castaway. He returned to animation when he starred in The Polar Express. He portrayed Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks, and he later portrayed Mr. Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood.

In 2016, President Obama awarded Tom Hanks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Tom Hanks has won 2 Oscars and has been nominated 6 times, he has had a Tony nomination, and he has been nominated for Emmy’s for shows he produced.

He also starred in Carly Rae Jepsen’s music video!

Here is a sketch he did with Jimmy Kimmel:

In March of this year, Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson both tested positive for COVID-19. He has since spoken out about the importance of doing your part in preventing the spread of the virus:

Gabriel’s Song Choice: “Bye, Bye, Bye” by N*SYNC

Nov. 17th: Gord Downie

• Gord was born in Amherstview Ontario and raised in Kingston. He had two brothers Mike and Patrick and sisters Charlyn and Paula. His parents were Lorna and Edger Downie.
• He attended high school with the other members of the Tragically Hip and formed a band called the Slinks.
• After high school he attended Queens University and majored in film studies and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in 1986.

The Tragically Hip

• in 1984 the tragically hip was formed with Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair, Johnny Fay, and Davis Manning.
• In 1986 Manning left the band and Paul Langlois joined.
• The band originally performed cover songs in bars and once MCA records president Bruce Dickinson saw them performing at the horseshoe Tavern he offered them a record deal.
• In 2001 Downie began working on a solo career with release of Coke Machine Glow and published poetry and prose collection under the same name.
• He released his second solo album in 2003 called Battle of the Nudes and then returned back to the studio with the band Tragically Hip. 
• In 2010 he released his third solo album called the Grand Bounce.

Collaborations

• Downie works with a lot of different bands and works with them on many albums.
• On February 2 2017 he joined Blue Rodeo on stage at Massey Hall to perform the song Lost Together. Sadly it was his last public appearance before his death.

Other Media

• he had a cameo appearance in  Men with Brooms where the Tragically Hip played a curling team.
• In 2008 he had a cameo appearance On Nothing Really Matters.
• He appeared in the Trailer Park Boys Movie called The Big Dirty.
• Downie and other members of the band appeared in the episode of The Trailer Park Boys called Say Good Night to the Bad Guys.
• He also was featured in the sitcom Corner Gas in the episode called Rock On with Colin James as well.
• In 2008 Downie appeared in Michael McGowan’s film called One Week.
• In September 2017 the documentary film Long Time Running about the Tragically Hip’s Summer 2016 across Canada farewell concert tour premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Philanthropy Work

• Gord was very passionate about anything environmental especially issues concerning water rights.
• He was part of the swim drink Fish Music Club. This project United Artists and environmentalists in the music club to raise money for waterkeeper Organizations in Canada.

The Great Moon Gathering

• in February 2012 in Fort Albany Ontario Played with the Tragically Hip at a yearly educational conference that happens in different communities along northern Ontario’s James Bay Coast.
• It focuses on youth learning and combining Cree education in today’s society.
• This gathering is an act of love to show the rest of the country what strength and artistry grace and humour the Cree people possesses.

Indigenous Affairs

• on October 13, 2016 Downie and his brother Mike and the Wenjack family announced the founding of the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack fund to support the reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples.
• Chanie Wenjack was a little indigenous boy who died trying to escape a residential school. This fund is now a registered charity.
• On December 6, 2016 at the assembly of first Nations in Gatineau Québec national chief Perry Bellegarde honoured Downie with an eagle feather which is a symbol of the Creator above for his support of the indigenous peoples of Canada.
• He also gave Downie an honorary aboriginal name which is Wicapi Omani which is Lakota for “man who walks along the stars”.

Awards and Recognition

• in May 2016 Downie and the rest of The Tragically Hip received honorary degrees from Queens University.
• On December 22, 2016 Downie was selected the Canadian press Canadian News Maker of the Year. He was the first entertainer to get this award.
• He also got the same award in December 2017.
• Downie and the tragically hip were appointed members of the Order of Canada on June 19, 2017 for their contribution to the Canadian music and their support for various social and environmental causes.

Cancer Diagnosis and Farewell Tour

• in December 2015 shortly after attending his father’s funeral Downie was diagnosed with a terminal form of brain cancer.
• The Tragically yet announced his diagnosis on their website on May 24, 2016. He was treated at Sunnybrook health sciences Centre.
• He toured with the band in the summer of 2016 to support Man Machine Poem the band’s 13^th studio album.
• His last concert was held at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston Ontario and was broadcast and live streamed and viewed by an estimated 11.7 million people.
• In 2017 the last tour was profiled in the documentary film Long Time Running. The final concert was released on DVD with the title A National Celebration on December 24, 2017.

Tiny Tim video:

Kerr’s song choice: “Cherish the Day” by Sade

Nov. 16th: Bob Marley

• Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945 in St. Ann Parish Jamaica. He is the son of a black teenage mother and a much older white father. His father left when he was very young leaving his mother to raise him.
• He lived in the rural village known as 9 miles.
• One of his childhood friends was named Neville “Bunny” O’Reilly Livingston. He inspired Marley to learn to play the guitar. Soon after Livingston’s father and Marley’s mother became involved and they all live together in Kingston.
• Marley arrived in Kingston in the late 1950s and lived in a place called trench town. It was one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.
• Although he lived in poverty he found inspiration in the music around him. There were a number of popular artists in trench town and it was considered the Motown of Jamaica.

• Marley enjoyed artist like Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino and the Drifters.
• Marley worked to improve his singing abilities with the guidance of Joe Higgs. He met another student of Higgs named Peter McIntosh who was later known as Peter Tosh who would eventually play an important role in Marley’s career.
• Marley’s first single was called Judge Not and was released in 1962.
• In 1963 Marley, Livingston and Macintosh formed a group called the whaling whalers. Their first single called simmer down went to the top of the Jamaican chart in January 1964. Now the group also included Junior Braithwaite, Beverly Kelso and Cherry Smith.

• Although they were popular in Jamaica they had a lot of difficulty making it financially. This caused the group to go their separate ways and Marley moved to the United States where his mother was living. Before he left Jamaica he married Rita Anderson on February 10, 1966.
• Marley returned to Jamaica and reunited with Livingston and Macintosh and formed The Wailers.
• Marley began exploring his spiritual side and developed an interest in the Rastafarian movement. The Rastafarian movement began in the 1930s in Jamaica and its beliefs came from many sources including Jamaican nationalist Marcus Garvey, the Old Testament and the African heritage and culture.
• In the late 1960s Johnny Nash recorded stirring up. It was Marley’s song and became a worldwide hit. Some of the other hit songs that he wrote were Trench Town Rock, Soul Rebel and 400 Years. The Wailers added two new members in 1970 bassist Aston “Family Man” Barrett and his brother drummer Carlton “Carlie” Barrett and in 1971 Marley worked on a movie soundtrack Sweden with Johnny Nash.

• The Wailers big break was in 1972 when they got a contract with Island records and recorded their first full elbow called Catch a Fire. They toured Britain and the United States in 1973 as the opening act for Bruce Springsteen and Sly and the Family Stone.
• They also released their second mellow called “Burnin” which featured the song  “I shot the Sheriff”.
• Eric Clapton released a cover of that song in 1974 and it was number one in the United States.
• There was a lot of political tension in Jamaica between The People’s National Party and The Jamaica Labour Party.
• The song Rebel Music (3 O’clock Road Block) was said to be inspired by Marley’s own experience of being stopped by Army members late one night.
• The song Revolution is thought to be Marley’s way of supporting the People’s National party.
• In 1975 in Britain Bob Marley and the Wailers scored their first top 40 hit with No Woman No Cry.
• In 1976 Bob Marley made the US music charts with his album Rastaman Vibration.
• His popularity and influence was seen as a threat to the rivals of the People’s National party and there was an assassination attempt on Marley and the Wailers in 1976 while they were practising for a concert. Despite everything Marley still played the show but he left the country the day after.

• In 1977 living in England he started to work on the album Exodus and the entire album stayed on the UK charts for more than a year. Today Exodus is thought to be the best albums ever made.

• In 1977 Marley found out he had cancerous cells in the stove. Doctors suggested amputation but he refused because his religious beliefs were against amputation.
• In 1978 Marley returned Jamaica to perform his One Love Peace concert and he got Prime Minister Michael Manley of the People’s National party to shake hands on stage.
• That same year Marley went to Africa and visited Kenya and Ethiopia. It was extremely important to him because this land is viewed as the spiritual homeland of Rastafarians.
• It is thought to be the inspiration for his next album Released in 1979: Survival. This elbow was seen as Marley’s call for greater unity and to end oppression in Africa.
• In 1980 Bob Marley and the Wailers played an independent ceremony for the new nation of Zimbabwe.
• Other albums that Marley was famous for was “Uprising”. Two songs from this album are Could You Be Loved and Redemption Song.

• It was on tour to support this album Marley found out that the cancer that was discovered in the still had red throughout his body.
• Marley travelled to Europe where he received unconventional treatment in Germany which helped him fight the cancer for a few months.
• He wanted to return to Jamaica when he realized the cancer treatment was no longer working. Sadly he was unable to and passed away in Miami Florida on May 11, 1981.
• Just before his death Marley received the Order of Merit from the Jamaican government. He also received the Metal of Peace from the United Nations in 1980.
• More than 30,000 people paid their respects at the memorial service held at the National Arena in Kingston Jamaica.

• Marley’s commitment to fighting oppression continues through an organization that is established in his memory by the Marley family. It’s called the Bob Marley foundation and is devoted to helping people and organizations in developing nations.

Carolyn’s song choice: “Hotel California” by The Eagles

Nov. 12th: Canadian War Heroes, COVID-19 updates

“In Flanders Fields” by Major John McCrae, Canadian soldier in World War I

Canadian War Heroes

For a list of 11 Canadian War Heroes, check out this link:

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/11/09/canadian-war-heroes-remembrance-day_n_8475820.html

Elsie MacGill

Lead a workforce of 4, 500 people to build Hawker Hurricane fighter planes for the Allies in World War II. First woman to graduate from University of Toronto’s electrical engineering program, and she turned the Canadian Car and Foundry Company from a boxcar factory to a producer of Hurricane fighters, making 3-4 per week. She was dubbed “Queen of the Hurricanes.”

Billy Bishop

Canada’s most successful fighter pilot in World War I, he was given the title of “Ace” because of his victories. He’s been credited with 72 victories, or 72 enemy planes that he took down, and one of the most notable is flying into enemy territory to attack a German air base. He was awarded the Victoria Cross by King George V.

Tommy Prince

Indigenous war hero, from Manitoba’s Brokenhead Ojibway Nation. He was a smart and daring soldier, and while fighting in Italy in World War II he disguised himself as a farmer and managed to restore a broken communications line with German soldiers nearby. Later on in the war, he also ventured beyond enemy lines and helped to rescue 1, 000 soldiers. He was awarded a Silver Star by the U.S. for his efforts.

COVID-19 Updates:

Today, Ontario reports another record of new COVID-19 cases in the province, with 1,575 new infections. This is the third day in a row where the record for the highest number of new cases has been broken.

Provincial colour-coded system – Introduced last week by Premier Doug Ford, designates colour-coded categories to different regions of the province. These different colour coded-categories have varying degrees of restrictions, and in order from least to most restrictive it is green, yellow, orange, and the red zone. Currently, Peel Region and Toronto have entered the red zone. Toronto will remain with a high level of restrictions for another 28 days.

On a lighter note….

Jean-Luc’s Song: “Baby” by Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris

Nov. 10th: Princess Diana

• Diana, Princess of Wales was a member of the British Royal Family. She was the first wife of Prince Charles, the Queen’s eldest son.
• She got married to Prince Charles at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London in 1981
• The wedding was a huge spectacle:

• Princess Diana and Prince Charles then had two sons, William and Harry

• Princess Diana turned into a celebrity figure, as she was generally well-liked by the public, however she was often criticized by tabloids and the press
• She used her celebrity status to promote many charitable causes, and at one point she was the patron of over 100 charitable causes which included:
  • Leading a campaign for a worldwide ban on landmines, after visiting Angola:

• Spreading AIDS awareness, and changing the public’s perception of HIV and AIDS after being photographed shaking hands with a person who was HIV positive
• Raised awareness about leprosy by visiting different countries with high leprosy rates and meeting people with the disease
• Making public visits to homeless shelters in the United Kingdom, becoming patron of Centrepoint (homeless shelter in London)

• Visiting children’s hospitals on a regular basis, 3-4 times per week
• She changed the way the Royal Family was perceived by the public, and encouraged them to be more in touch with people and social causes
• Prince Charles and Princess Diana separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996, and details of the relationship were made very public
• She lost her title, but she remained active in her efforts for charity work, often bringing William and Harry with her places
• She was called “The People’s Princess”
• Diana was killed in Paris in 1997 from a car accident, which happened while trying to escape paparazzi following her car
• She was with her then presumed partner, Dodi Fayed, and their driver, and all were killed as a result of the accident
• Her death resulted in large-scale public mourning, and her funeral was televised

• Elton John performed a version of “Candle in the Wind” which was rewritten for her, as they were close friends
• Princess Diana was only 36 years old when she died, Prince William was 15 and Prince Harry was 12 at the time of her death

Carolyn’s Song: “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay

Nov. 9th: Malala Yousafzai

• Malala was born on July 12, 1997, in Mingora, Pakistan, located in the country’s Swat Valley. 
• She attended a school that her father founded. After the Taliban began attacking the girls’ school Malala gave a speech in Peshwar Pakistan in 2008. She titled her speech “how dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?”
• When she was 11 years old she began blogging for the BBC about living under the Taliban threat denied her education.
• She wanted to hide her identity so she used the name Gul Makai for her blog posts.
• Because of her activism in 2011, she was nominated for The International Children’s Peace Prize and awarded Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize.

• Soon after her family found out that the Taliban had issued a death threat against her because of her activism. Her family did not believe that even the Taliban would hurt a child.
• On October 9, 2012 when she was 15, she was shot while coming home from school on the school bus. She was shot in the head.
• She was flown to a military hospital in Peshwar and they removed the portion of her skull to treat her swelling brain. She was flown to England for further treatment
• In England they took her out of the medically induced coma and she required multiple surgeries. Miraculously she suffered no brain damage and had surgery to repair a facial nerve to fix the paralyzed part of her left side of her face.
• In March 2013 Malala began attending school in Birmingham, England.
• On her 16^th birthday in 2013 she gave a speech at the United Nations. She focused on education and women’s rights urging world leaders to change their policies.

• Following the attack Malala said the terrorists thought they would stop her from keying out and doing her activism instead, “weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born.”
• At Malala’s speech in front of the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon pronounced July 12 her birthday Malala date. It was to honour her activism and ensure education for all children. Part of his speech said:
  • “Malala chose to mark her 16th birthday with the world. No child should have to die for going to school. Nowhere should teachers fear to teach or children fear to learn. Together, we can change the picture.”

Website: The Malala Fund, Malala’s Story: https://malala.org/malalas-story

• The Malala Fund raises money to support advocates and local educators to take down barriers that limit girls from attending school in several countries.
• The Malala Fund has efforts in countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nigeria, and Lebanon to support girls to attend school.
• For pieces from her blog posts for the BBC, check out this article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29565738

Awards She Received

1. October 2013 the European Parliament awarded her the prize for Freedom of Thought in acknowledgement of her work
2. in 2014 she was the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize at 17 years old
3. in April 2017 United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed her  a UN Messenger Of Peace to promote girls education. This appointment is the highest honour given by United Nations.

Jimmy Kimmel:

Nov. 5th: Greta Thunberg & Autumn Peltier

Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist who has become internationally recognized for her fight against climate change. She has spoken to many political leaders and assemblies, including the United Nations, and she has called on world leaders to take action against the climate crisis.

Greta’s activism started at a very young age, and at 15 she stopped going to school in Sweden in order to sit outside of Parliament to call for stronger action on climate change. She held a sign that in Swedish said “School strike for climate.” This eventually turned into an international movement, where students from countries all over the world organised school strikes. This movement and the strikes were called Fridays for Future, and they gained popularity in 2018.

When Greta was 8 years old, she started learning about what was happening to the planet, and she became depressed. She struggled with depression for several years of her early life, and eventually Greta was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, OCD and selective mutism. When talking about her diagnoses now, she refers to Asperger’s as her “superpower,” as she says it allows her to become laser-focused on a subject. It also enables her to be very direct and assertive when talking about something that she is passionate about.

In 2018, Greta addressed the United Nations Climate Change Conference, where she shamed world leaders for not taking enough action on climate change.

Autumn Peltier

Autumn is a Canadian activist who advocates for clean drinking water in First Nations communities in Canada, and her message is now being heard all over the world. She is from Wikwemikong First Nation/Manitoulin Island in Northern Ontario, and growing up she always understood the importance of water and the need to protect it.

Autumn has spoken at the United Nations World Water Day in 2018, she has been honoured by the Assembly of First Nations as a water protector, and she was a keynote speaker invited by the UN for World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.

In 2016, Autumn gained a lot of attention when she went to present Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with a gift at the Assembly of First Nations. She confronted him before gifting him a copper water pot, and said: “I am very unhappy with the choices you made.” Autumn was referring to Trudeau’s support of pipelines, which are a threat to clean water sources. She was only 12 at the time, and she is currently 16 years old.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/autumn-peltier-thunberg-davos-1.5435091

https://www.cbc.ca/kidsnews/post/watch-greta-thunberg-and-autumn-peltier-chat-covid-activism-the-future

Jean-Luc’s song choice: “Never Say Never” by Justin Bieber ft. Jaden Smith

Nov. 3rd: Elon Musk & U.S. Election!

Elon Musk

• was born Elon Reeve Musk. He was born June 28, 1971. He is a business magnate, industrial designer, engineer and philanthropist.
• He is the founder, CEO, CTO, and chief designer of Space–X.
• CEO and product architect of Tesla Inc. Founder of the Boeing Company, cofounder of neura link and cofounder and initial cochairmen of OpenAI.
• He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 2018 and also ranked 25^th on Forbes list of the world’s most powerful people.
• Was also ranked joint first on Forbes list of most innovative leaders of 2019.
• As of October 19, 2020 his net worth was estimated by Forbes to be US$91.9 billion making him the world’s fifth richest person.
• His mother was Canadian and father was South African and was raised in Pretoria South Africa where he briefly attended the University of Pretoria then moved to Canada when he was 17 to attend Queen’s University.
• Two years later he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania and received two bachelors degrees one in economics and one in physics.
• Moved to California in 1995 and began a PhD in applied physics and material sciences at Stanford University and dropped out to a business career.
• He was responsible for launching computer web companies which was taken over by Compaq for 307 million dollars in 1999 and started an online bank called Xcom which merged with Confinity in 2000 which launched PayPal the previous year and then bought eBay for 1.5 billion in October 2002.

U.S. Election:

Who will get elected tonight? Make your guess!!

Song: Unforgettable by Natalie King Cole

Nov. 2nd: Mona Winberg

Mona Winberg

• Mona was born on January 27, 1932 in Toronto Ontario. Her parents were Sarah and Max Winberg.
• Her father was a farmer and born in Poland her mother was a telephone operator and was born in Hungary. Both were Jewish.
• Soon after she was born Mona was diagnosed with Athetoid cerebral policy and the doctors encouraged her parents to put her in an institution.
• Her mother refused and raised her at home despite mobility problems and limited speech and hearing. She attended Wellesley orthopedic school.
• After great eight she was refused to enter high school. Central commerce high school agreed to let allow her to audit classes part-time but she could not have her name appear on the school roster.
• Despite everything she finished her high school studies in 1950 and enrolled in journalism courses through an extension program in University of Toronto and completed her studies in 1954.
• She died on January 19, 2009.

Career

• in 1954 Mona began her career at Corbrook sheltered workshop as a payroll clerk where she worked for 14 years.
• In the early 1960s Mona began writing articles for the Ontario Federation for cerebral palsy newsletter. In 1972 she was the first person with a disability to serve as president of the organization.
• In mid-1970s she worked as editor of Contact Magazine and became known for her advocacy and independent living for people with disabilities because of her many speaking engagements throughout the country.
• By the mid-1980s she was even advocating before Canadian Parliament for equal rights for people with disabilities and continued advocating for improved accessibility to public facilities.
• She realized there was little to no media coverage for disability issues. She decided to contact the Toronto Sun and in 1986 she proposed writing a weekly column.
• Her column was called Disabled Today was in the Sunday edition of the Toronto sun for the next decade.
• In 1988 because of her column she was honoured with the Canadian foundation for Physically Disabled Person King Clancy Award.
• In 1995 she was inducted into the Canadian disability Hall of Fame and her last Disabled Today article was written in 1999.
• In 2002 she was awarded the Order of Canada presented to her by the Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson.

What do you think she would have to say in her column “Disabled Today” now?

Tiny Tim video: