Megan Spasevski
Opinion
(June 16, 2010)

Canada is host to the G8 and G20 meetings occurring at the end of this month in Huntsville and Toronto. The main objective of these international summits is to have a meaningful discussion on a particular international issue, to come up with a plan to address that issue. Unlike a United Nations forum, hard debate and controversial discussion is not intended and in fact specifically avoided because of the time constraints of the meetings. The summits are diplomatic in nature and meant to set the stage for further international political debates in the months to follow.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has chosen maternal and infant health as Canada’s signature issue for the G8 and G20 meetings. Maternal and infant health is the fifth of eight UN Millennium Development Goals and the farthest from reaching its target of reducing maternal mortality by three-quarters and achieving universal access to reproductive health by 2015. The fact that this is the summits’ focus is therefore nothing short of a good thing.

Harper then announced that access to safe abortions would not be included as part of Canada’s maternal health initiative. In late April PM Harper proceeded to cut off funding to women’s aid agencies that support reproductive rights including access to safe abortions, in developing countries, noting in parliament that,”Canadians want to see their foreign aid money used for things that will help save the lives of women and children in ways that unite the Canadian people rather than divide them.”

The topic of abortion is a controversial one when it’s between those who believe that women have the right to choose and those who do not, however in this case, the debate is not about the morality of abortion and shouldn’t be mistaken as such. Therefore including access to safe abortions in the maternal health care initiative discussions is simply a question of access to complete health care.

Every year, approximately 42 million women seek out an abortion, 8 million women experience complications, 5 million of which are hospitalized. 70,000 women, or 13% of maternal deaths occur from botched abortions, with many more left injured, often needing to remove their internal reproductive organs because of the lack of safe access to the proper tools and care. In Africa and Latin America, the vast majority of abortions performed are unsafe, and these rates have not decreased significantly in the last ten years. In the developed world, by contrast, over 90% of all abortions are safe and the rates of abortion are decreasing, both because abortion is legal and a variety of contraceptive methods are more accessible and abundant.

It is therefore indisputable that unsafe abortions pose a threat to the health of women also affecting children, men, families and communities.

The right to have access to proper medical care is a human rights issue that most can agree with. Women’s access to safe abortions falls into this category. Including access to safe abortions in the G8 meeting on maternal health does not and should not have any relevance to the morality of abortion. It’s a matter of allowing or denying women access to safe medical care.

If the leaders are to fulfill their obligations at these summits of addressing  the UN Millennium Development Goal on maternal health, the G8 and G20 must include discussions addressing all threats to women’s lives.

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After suffering a 3-2 overtime loss on Monday night the Bulldogs are looking to bounce back with a win in game 7. They will have some help from P.K. Subban and Ben Maxwell who will bring some additional scoring power to their defensive and offensive lines.

Hamilton had no shortage of shots from their back end Monday night but the majority of them failed to hit the net or generate any good scoring chances. Look for the Dogs defense to aim low and try to create better rebound chances in front of the net tonight.

Ice was also a problem on Monday night with both teams commenting on it after the game. Workers at Copps will attempt to remedy the situation before the puck drops tonight. However should the ice remain soft the Dogs will have to adjust their game plan and play more chip and chase plays.

Tonight’s game starts at 7:30pm tickets are available at the Copps Coliseum box office.

Hello Everyone,
Lots of changes at Hamilton Review over the past few weeks, beginning with the largest.

I’ve been hired as a full-time editorial intern with the Hamilton Spectator for the summer, and as a result, Tom Shepherd (Advertising & Accounts Manager) will be overseeing all Hamilton Review operations until September. While Hamilton Review has been and continues to be a true passion of mine, managing both positions at the same time was unfortunately not an option.

If you’ve been a contributor, reader, or supporter over the past few months, I sincerely thank you for making HR such a success, and so much fun to produce.

That being said, everyone is in great hands with Tom. For those of you who don’t know him personally, Tom Shepherd is a truly great Hamiltonian, with a real passion for the arts, music, sports, politics, economics, and the genuine interest in the well-being of our city.

Tom can be reached at managing@hamiltonreview.com regarding any Hamilton Review-related issues, and I encourage everyone to write and say hello.

Thanks again for everything thus far, it’s been a real pleasure.

Most sincerely,

Andrew Baulcomb.

The sessions will be held in an open but moderated debate format with Dr. Nick Bontis and Molley Folley moderating the Leadership and Next Generation Panels respectively. Conversation will centre around the urban issues facing Hamilton including, transportation infrastructure, downtown redevelopment, and of course, the 2015 Pan Am Games. Media coverage leading up to the debate has focused almost exclusively on the West harbour Stadium and the so called “standoff” between the city and the Tiger Cats top brass. However, the city and the Ti-Cats have agreed not to talk to the media until the moderation is resolved and so the most compelling discussions of the day may come from the transit and urban renewal topics. Gore Park, West Harbour development and the status of our LRT bid will all be on the table and with so many informed and caring Hamiltonians in the same room some inspirational ideas are certain to come out of this years HES.

Hamilton Review will be sending a delegate to the Next Generation Session so expect twitter updates throughout the day, as well as a comprehensive article breaking down the entire days activity to follow.

For those interested in attending the public afternoon session, information is available at www.hamiltoneconomicsummit.ca. Hope to see you there.


(Hamilton, ON)—In this month’s issue:
KATHLEEN MUNROE—From Hamilton to Hollywood (Cover)
BRITISH BLUES/BLACK AMERICA—Clapton, Page, Richards, and More (Feature)
Cancer Bats—Brand New Album ‘Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones’
Tiger-Cats PR Hoax—Gore Park Tiger Watch
Young Rival—Ready To Conquer America
Hamilton Drug Culture—Methadone and “The Drink”
Joe Mauer’s New Deal—Opting to Stay at Home
The Subban Factor—Hamilton/Montreal All-Star
Hamilton24—Film, Music, Dance and More
Waterlife—Great Lakes Doc Has Big Helpers
Recycled Island and the Pacific Gyre
+ MORE.

ALSO—A new track from CANADIAN WINTER (“Back to the Bricks”) will be available throughout May on hamiltonreview.com.

Andrew Baulcomb

Editor-in-Chief and Publisher I HAMILTON REVIEW

editor@hamiltonreview.com

www.hamiltonreview.com

Andrew Baulcomb
(Apr. 27, 2010)

The Casbah has always been an interesting venue. With no real “backstage” area, per se, it’s always fun to watch the crowd look backward, rather than forward, to see when the band will take the stage (good call, Tom).

At Monday’s sold-out Sloan show, more and more heads were careening towards the back of the club as 10:30 p.m. approached—with most fans eagerly awaiting their first glimpse of the band in one of Hamilton’s most intimate venues.

In the years since my last Sloan concert, a lot has happened to the band. Keyboardist Gregory Macdonald has become a full-fleged touring member of the group, Chris Murphy was involved in a now-infamous hit-and-run bicycle accident (spawning the name of the band’s last EP, Hit & Run), and overall, the band’s live show has evolved to include much more new material.

Perhaps a little foolishly, I half-expected a set of “classic” Sloan tracks from top to bottom. Like most teenagers who came of age in the mid-late 90s, Sloan were an integral part of the Canadian music scene for the better part of the decade—with albums like Twice Removed, One Chord to Another, and Navy Blues becoming staples of anyone’s CanRock record collection. Those days may be long gone, but make no mistake—Sloan is still a force to be reckoned with.

At the end of the day, the band are still touring, hard-working musicians who can churn out a solid record, and back it up with a solid show. Far from being a “greatest hits” sideshow, Sloan continue to evolve and produce new material that stands up on its own merit. So was the case at last night’s show in Hamilton.

Opening the set with the piano-driven “Take It Upon Yourself,” the band made a statement early on that it was still their stage, and still their show. Much respect.

Highlights of the band’s back catalogue included  the lyrical classic “Autobiography” (one of Murphy’s unsung gems), and an excellent live rendition of Andrew Scott’s “The Great Wall,” one of the best songs from 2001′s Pretty Together. Other notables like “Money City Maniacs” also made their appearance throughout the set, but it was abundantly clear from the start that the band is now focused on a new chapter in the musical career. Perhaps not surprisingly (given Sloan’s 20-year track record of consistent, catchy records), the new songs still hold up quite nicely.

It took a full encore before singles like “Everything You’ve Done Wrong” and “The Rest of My Life” were crossed off the setlist, and while the crowd-pleasing “Underwhelmed” can still bring the house down, it was obvious that some 20 years after the release of Smeared the band has somewhat moved on—and rightly so.

All told, Sloan delivered a fantastic set to a packed house, and they did it on their own terms. For concert-goers, old and young, that’s something that any music fan can get behind.

‘B Sides Win’ is now available in stores.

Photo / Jess Baumung

“The bass on Hail Destroyer ended up being rhythm in a lot of cases. The stuff that Jaye has done on this record is beyond any of my expectations. I feel like there’s so many awesome spots, and I had no idea that this was where our band was going to be at. We were all just like, ‘this fucking rules.’”

Check out the amazing video for Sabotage, Cancer Bats’ first single from Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones.

Photo / Pellerins Photography

Hamilton goaltender Cedrick Desjardins wall pulled after allowing four early goals, and was replaced by new ‘Dogs prospect Robert Mayer. The team’s only two markers came from defenceman Chad Anderson and centre Ryan White, who cut the Moose’s lead to two in the second period. Unfortunately, White’s goal was as close as the Bulldogs would come to tying the game.

Games four and five will be played in Winnipeg, with game six (if necessary) scheduled for Sunday, Apr. 25 at Copps Coliseum.

Puck drop is set for 8:30 p.m. EST, with full coverage on Hamilton’s TALK 820.

Like metal music? Love it? Tell us why in 200 words or less, and you could win two brand new, unreleased albums from Periphery and Bleeding Through.

Send your responses to editor@hamiltonreview.com, typed in the body of an email.

The winner will receive both albums, and have their entry published online.

Andrew Baulcomb
(Apr. 15, 2010)

The Hamilton Bulldogs will open their playoff schedule tonight at Copps Coliseum, taking on the Manitoba Moose in game one of the North Division Semi-Final.

The Bulldogs finished the 2009/10 campaign high atop the North Division and Western Conference standings, setting numerous league and franchise records in the process.

At 52-17-3-8, the club finished second in the AHL with 115 points on the season—trailing only the Hershey Bears at 123 points. Over half of the Bulldogs’ points came from the road, breaking an AHL record with 60 on the season.

Hamilton posted a 4-3-1-0 record against Manitoba during the regular season, and last met the Moose in the postseason during the 2007 North Division Final. The Bulldogs have never lost a playoff series to Manitoba.

Opening faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m., with game two slated for Saturday, Apr. 17 at 2:00 p.m at Copps Coliseum. Tickets are still available for both games.