FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1997. All Rights Reserved.
NEWS
by FFWD StaffThe Arts Centre attracts public radio station
The Calgary Centre for Performing Arts and CKUA have reached an agreement that the station's Calgary operations will move into the Arts Centre by October 15, 1997. CKUA currently operated out of the Burns Building on Stephen Avenue walk
"We are very excited about CKUA's decision to move into the Arts Centre," says Colin Jackson, executive director of the centre. "We share a passion for the arts and for reading Alberta audiences. Their residing here will provide new opportunities for both organizations and, most importantly, our audiences."
The studio and control room with the producer's office will be located on the mezzanine level of the Jack Singer Concert Hall. There will be public access from the Arts Centre's Plus 15 and passersby will be able to look into the studio. An administrative office will be located on the banquet terrace main floor.
"We believe we will thrive in the Arts Centre and, visually, we can connect with the community through the Plus 15 access," says Ken Davis, general manager of CKUA. "Our presence in the Arts Centre will allow us to fulfill a fundamental aspect or our mandate, which is to continue to foster and develop the arts and artists of Alberta."
More adults returning to school full time
From October 1976 to October 1996, the number of adults attending school full time more than tripled, from 107,000 to 344,000. This increase vastly outpaced the rate of growth in the adult population itself. As a result, the percentage of adults attending school full time more than doubled, from one per cent to 2.1 per cent.
In 1976, men were close to one-and-one-half times more likely than women to be attending school full time. By the start of the 1990s, however, around 20,000 more women than men were in school. Women's attendance trends appear more volatile than men's, however, and by the mid-1990s men and women were found in the classroom in roughly equal numbers.
Improving one's work prospects is the dominant reason for going back to school. According to the 1994 Adult Education and Training Survey, eight in 10 students cited present or future jobs as the main reason for returning to school full time.
Young adults were much more likely to go back to school full time: those in their late 20s were more than twice as likely as people in their early 30s to do so, and 10 times as likely as people aged 40 to 64. More men than women in their late 20s went back to school; however, by their late 30s a higher proportion of women had returned to the classroom.
Those with post-secondary education are also most likely to upgrade their qualifications later on, while people who did not complete high school are least likely to do so. The difference between high school leavers and graduates is greater among men than women. Male high school leavers are much less likely to return as adults than those who graduate from high school. In contrast, women who return do so whether they finished high school or not.
People with children have an obvious incentive to upgrade their income earning skills. On the other hand, family responsibilities may reduce their freedom to take such a step. Among adults living with partners, having children seems to discourage a return to full-time school for both men and women up to age 40.
Young women who are single parents stand out: 10.4 per cent of female single parents under age 30 go back to school, more than young adults as a whole (6.7 per cent), and over four times the rate of young mothers with husbands present (2.4 per cent). This is likely because of their high unemployment rate (27.1 per cent), by far the highest of all groups studied.
However, many of the people who appear to have the greatest need for improved economic prospects are not participating in adult education. For example, the unemployment rate of high school leavers is nearly three times that of university graduates (12.5 per cent versus 4.8 per cent), but the percentage of high school leavers who return to school full time (one per cent) is much lower than that of those with a university degree (3.9 per cent). This is particularly true for older men with lower education.
Nor is adult education being pursued in regions with high unemployment. Except for Newfoundland, provinces with high unemployment rates do not have high percentages of adult full-time students.
(This release is based on an article in the Autumn 1997 issue of Perspectives on labor and income.)
Committees asked to review Special Places sites
Municipalities in the Foothills and Grasslands Natural Regions of Alberta are being asked to form Local Committees to review eight candidate sites for Alberta's Special Places program.
"Local involvement is crucial to the Special Places process," stated Ty Lund, Minister of Alberta Environmental Protection. "Albertans in the communities near these candidate sites are best suited to recommend boundary options and appropriate land-use activities for each candidate site and to develop site-specific management principles."
Made up of local stakeholders, the volunteer committees, hosted by municipalities, will consider broad public input in their recommendations. Committee members can include local elected officials, tenure holders, industry representatives and various local interest groups.
Honoring existing leaseholder commitments on either candidate or designated lands is one of the key components of the government's Special Places program. One of the key responsibilities Local Committees will have is to ensure that the rights and interests of existing leaseholders are respected during the review of candidate sites.
Once Local Committees have reviewed the candidate site - a process that is expected to take up to six months - recommendations will be reviewed by the Provincial Coordinating Committee and the government.
To ensure the Foothills and Grassland Natural Regions are fully represented in the province's protected areas network, more sites are being considered in other areas of southern and western Alberta. These sites will be confirmed and advanced to Local Committees following review by the Provincial Coordinating Committee and the government. Additional Local Committees will then be formed.
The Sheep River south of Calgary is among the candidate sites. The site includes the bulk of the Sheep River Wildlife Sanctuary and extends west to the Elbow-Sheep Wildland Park boundary. The objective is the preservation of Lower Foothills habitat and the invited host is the MD of Foothills.
Special Places program is a provincial strategy to complete a network of landscapes representing the environmental diversity of the province's six natural regions and 20 subregions.
However, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and other environmental groups have criticized the process, which they do not consider extensive enough and because it does not prevent development in "protected" areas. Some groups have refused to participate in the process until their concerns are addressed.
Hollywood in the mountains
A new program offering a unique retrospective look at feature filmmaking in the mountains is being offered at the Banff Festival of Mountain Films. From Chamonix to Banff, the Reel Retro program presents both the inside story and the final results of Hollywood's portrayal of life and adventure in high places.
The first half of the evening will feature the acclaimed Hollywood in the Rockies presentation by historian and writer Brian Patton. From the glories of the silent film era to the $50-million blockbusters of recent years, this presentation offers humorous behind-the-scenes stories of the stars and film crews on location in the Rockies.
The second half of the evening features the classic Spencer Tracy film The Mountain, based on the November, 1950 incident in which an Air India passenger flight crashed near the summit of Mont Blanc in France and on the controversial rescue efforts which followed. The facts and the fiction around this event have been highlighted in a new book The Mountain: The Event · The Book · The Film. The first 100 tickets sold for the vent will include a free copy of the book.
The Reel Retro program will be held November 9, 1997 at 7:30 p.m. in the Margaret Greenham Theatre at The Banff Centre. For more information call 1-800-298-1229.
Arts council accepting grant applications
For the 27th consecutive year, the du Maurier Arts Council - the largest private-sector source of arts funding in the country - is offering financial support to Canadian cultural organizations.
All Canadian professional arts organizations incorporated for two years or more as of January 1, 1995 which produce events of a cultural nature, particularly live public performances geared to attracting new audiences, are eligible to apply for a grant. The event must be held between June 1 and December 31, 1998.
"Through the cash grants program, it is the aim of du Maurier Arts to encourage creativity and artistic innovation in Canada, as well as contribute to the emergence of new artists and new audiences in this country," says arts council president Cliff Minshull. "It is our way of contributing to the growth and development of the Canadian artistic community."
Application forms and guidelines on how to apply for a grant may be obtained from Ms. Céline Farndon, de Maurier Arts, 855 Irene Street, Montreal, Quebec, H4C 2P2. Completed applications must be returned to the same address no later than October 31, 1997 and the organizations awarded a grant will receive written notification from the council in March, 1998.
Of 400 grant applications submitted to it last year, the du Maurier Arts Council distributed a record $1.7 million to 194 arts groups from diverse disciplines such as opera, dance, music, theatre and festivals. Since its inception in 1971, the council has contributed more than $45 million to Canadian arts, through direct cash grants, capital support for venues and funding to art programs.
Connection Housing licence suspended
Alberta Municipal Affairs has suspended Connection Housing Society of Calgary's registration under the Charitable Fund-Raising Act. The suspension prohibits Connection Housing Society of Calgary from conducting further fund-raising efforts.
Alberta Municipal Affairs is continuing to investigate whether or not Connection Housing Society of Calgary is complying with the Charitable Fund-Raising Act and its regulations. Until this investigation is complete, or the department is satisfied the society is properly representing itself in its solicitations and using donations for the purposes intended, the suspension will remain in effect. During this time, consumers are advised Connection Housing Society of Calgary is not registered under the act to solicit donations.
Alberta Municipal Affairs has also suspended funding to the society's Housing Registry Program. The suspension came as a result of the organization failing to file financial reports required in the original agreement for funding. Alberta Municipal Affairs had originally committed to provide $44,000 for the Housing Registry Program in 1997.
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