Bibles and beers in Kingston, Ontario
It may be inappropriate, insensitive or blasphemous to some, but it’s definitely a proven method of attracting attention. We’re speaking, of course, about alcohol. The Café Church in Kingston, Ont. held a special service recently hoping to attract some new churchgoers from within their community. This special service was held in a pub. The first “Church in a Pub” event was apparently a success, having reportedly attracted around 100 new members to the congregation for the day. The service featured a christian rock band as well as a few drama and dance performances. The community’s outreach and evangelism director told the QMI Agency “We’re trying to make church cool again.” He also added that they’re considering another event on a Friday or Saturday night, you know, because Sunday mornings are overrated. Final fun fact: the Café Church is actually located in a former bar, so every week is pub week really.
Nuclear shipments to cross Great Lakes
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has approved a controversial plan to ship 16 “retired’ nuclear steam generators through the Great Lakes, the Vancouver Sun reported. Bruce Power, Canada’s only private nuclear operator, will be transporting the decommissioned generators from Tiverton, Ont., through the lakes to Sweden for recycling. Public hearings in September of last year saw about 80 groups voice opposition to the plan, saying if they leaked during transport the radioactive waste could cause serious damage to the environment and Canada’s drinking water. Some of these groups included environmental groups, aboriginal associations and city representatives. But in last week’s ruling, the commission found Bruce Power would meet national and international safety standards for transporting nuclear substances, and that they would make adequate provisions to protect the environment and people’s safety.
Students tell minister to go fax herself
To protest rising tuition, students at St. Thomas University in New Brunswick sent over 100 faxes to the office of Martine Coulombe, the minister for post-secondary education. The president of the university’s student union told CBC that tuition is too high already and they want the government to freeze current rates and increase grants. The excessive faxes were their way of making sure the minister got the message. Various messages detailing the challenges students face because of tuition costs were faxed to the minister, who was actually scheduled to meet members of the student union last Friday. The union president also noted the significance of faxing the minister, saying that when the outdated technology was popular in the 1990s, tuition only cost around $1,900.
Elections Canada working for the youth vote
A new survey is being commissioned by Elections Canada in the hopes of finding ways to attract the thousands of young Canadians who don’t vote, the Canadian University Press reported. The proposed survey would involve 2,500 Canadians between 18 and 34 years old and is estimated to cost between $100,000 and $250,000. In the October 2008 federal election, only 37.4 per cent of voters between the ages of 18-24 went to the polls, significantly lower than the total turnout of 58.8 per cent, Canada’s lowest ever.
