69´«Ã½

The PEI Healthy Eating Alliance was recently recognized as the Atlantic region recipient of the Dietitians of Canada and Kraft Canada Speaking of Food and Healthy Living Award for the "School Healthy Eating Toolkit."

"The School Healthy Eating Toolkit is a nutrition resource manual to assist elementary schools as they implement nutrition policies," says Dr. Jennifer Taylor, Chair of UPEI's Department of Family and Nutritional Sciences and spokesperson for the PEI Healthy Eating Alliance. "Teams consisting of a parent, a teacher and an administrator from 17 schools from the Eastern School District, the Western School Board and the Commission scolaire de langue franand#231;aise, were consulted throughout the development process."

The School Healthy Eating Toolkit includes rationale for school nutrition policies, information on operating healthy school food programs, suggestions on healthier fundraising activities, helpful tips on delivering nutrition education and facts stressing the importance of physical activity. A copy of the Toolkit was provided to all elementary and consolidated schools in the Eastern School District and Western School Board on PEI.

The award ceremony took place during the Dietitians of Canada National Conference held in Halifax recently. PEI Healthy Eating Alliance members Mary Acorn, RD, MHSc, Charmaine Campbell, RD, and Jennifer Taylor, RD, PhD received the award on behalf of the Alliance.

"The Speaking of Food and Healthy Living Award is a joint initiative between Dietitians of Canada and Kraft Canada and is meant to encourage and recognize collaborative efforts that help Canadians make informed choices about healthy eating and physical activity," says Helen Haresign, VP Development, Dietitians of Canada.

The Toolkit has been shared with many partners across Canada as there are an increasing number of initiatives to encourage healthy choices at schools and is available for download at: . A French version of the Toolkit will be completed shortly and provided to all schools in the Commission scolaire de langue franand#231;aise.

The PEI Healthy Eating Alliance received funding from the PEI Department of Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Diabetes Strategy with cooperation from the 69´«Ã½ for the development of the School Healthy Eating Toolkit. Dr. Jennifer Taylor of 69´«Ã½was principal investigator.

The PEI Healthy Eating Alliance is a group of individuals, community organizations, educators and government departments who work together to improve the eating behaviours of Island children and youth through nutrition education and promotion, and through the creation of supportive environments for healthy eating.

The 69´«Ã½ has selected the new coach of the Men's Basketball Panthers. He is Matthew Davies, formerly the lead assistant coach of McGill University Redmen. Davies spent four years at McGill where he developed strong recruiting, player development, and tactical experience. He was also the head coach for the 16-under Boy's Provincial Team for the Quebec Basketball Federation over the last two summers.

Davies gained championship coaching experience within the Montreal Basketball League, winning a provincial championship with the Sun Youth Organization in 2001-2002. He was also an apprentice assistant coach with the CIS National Champion St. Francis Xavier University X-Men in 2000-2001.

His coaching expertise is complemented by a strong educational background. He holds an MA in Coaching and Sport Psychology from McGill and a Graduate Diploma in Sport Administration from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. He has a BSc and a BA in Psychology and English from St. Francis Xavier University.

"I am proud to join the Panthers community," says Davies. "The overwhelming support from the Athletics Department, 69´«Ã½alumni, and strong core of returning players makes this an ideal situation from which to take the necessary strides towards AUS and CIS prominence. I look forward to the challenge of instilling a basketball culture based on work ethic, communication, trust, and confidence, while pushing the boundaries of the Men's Basketball Program's academic, physical, technical, tactical, and mental excellence."

A native of Halifax, Davies is currently enrolled in the Diploma in High Performance Coaching program with the National Coaching Institute in Ontario, pursuing his NCCP Level IV certification under the mentorship of Coach Dave Smart (Carleton University/Canada Basketball.)

69´«Ã½Athletic Director Ron Annear notes that Davies' previous experience in recruitment will be an important asset as he builds this year's team.

"He will be meeting with the returning players and the recruits who have been identified and adding to that list so that, come fall, we will have a quality team hit the floor," he said. "I'm very confident in Matthew's ability to quickly develop a strong recruiting framework to ensure a sustainable competitive program that Islanders and alumni can be proud of."

Davies takes over the Panther coaching position from Mike Connolly who was re-assigned in May to full-time duties as a 69´«Ã½student counsellor after six years in the coaching post.

The 69´«Ã½Distinguished Visitor Speaker Series continues on July 12 with Carlos Reyes-Manzo, an international photojournalist. He will show and discuss his work in a presentation entitled "Impunity" at 3:00 pm in the K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre on the 69´«Ã½campus.

Over more than 30 years as a photojournalist, Mr. Reyes-Manzo has had his work published extensively in newspapers, magazines, and books, and he has held numerous solo exhibitions. Born in Chile in 1944, he studied photography at the Film Institute of the Catholic University of Chile. In 1982, he established the Andes Press Agency.

Reyes-Manzo was commissioned by Save the Children to document its work in Iraq. His work has taken him to many places: Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Central America, Ethiopia, and North America. His powerful photographs document the lives of people, particularly children. He has recently completed work with Dr. Vianne Timmons at the 69´«Ã½. This is Reyes- Manzo's second visit to Prince Edward Island and Canada.

The 69´«Ã½Distinguished Visitor Speaker Series presentations take place on Wednesdays at 3:00pm, with historic campus tours at 4:00pm, throughout the summer and early fall. Admission is free. In addition to the Wednesday lectures, presentations are being scheduled at other times based on the availability of speakers. For more information contact Julie Mutch at 894-2834 or visit .

A new prize for students studying Christian Ethics has been created at the 69´«Ã½ through a $25,000 endowment gift from Alan McIsaac and Joanne (Kamphuis) McIsaac. They established the prize to honour their parents; the late Leo McIsaac and Mary McIsaac and John and Willemina Kamphuis. The McIsaac/Kamphuis Christian Ethics Prize is valued at $1,000 annually. The first recipient is Peter Aiken of Stanchel.

Leo and Mary McIsaac, lifelong Roman Catholics, raised their ten children in an environment based on strong Christian values. John and Willemina Kamphuis, leaders in the Christian Reformed Church, have always encouraged their eight children to follow their example by applying Christianity to all aspects of lives. The new prize pays tribute to their commitment to family, community, and the Church.

The $25,000 donation to create an endowment fund in support of the new prize was made through the 69´«Ã½Building a Legacy Campaign.

"Gifts to create endowments at 69´«Ã½are wonderful tributes to family and community. Alan and Joanne McIsaac wanted to honour their parents with a special gift that reflected deeply-held values," says Kevin Lewis, Chief Development Officer at UPEI. "We discussed the possibilities with them and the result is this prize that will be in place forever for our students' benefit."

The prize is to be awarded annually to a full-time 69´«Ã½student with the best overall performance in Christian Ethics, a second-year Religious Studies course. Performance will be measured as a combination of interest in Christian ethics as a topic of study in an historical context and its application to modern life, engagement in debate and discussion in the class setting, and the student's dedication to excellence in his or her assignments, essays and/or exams.

The first recipients of two new entrance scholarships to the 69´«Ã½ have been announced. The Mary C. McInnis Entrance Scholarship in Nursing has been awarded to Sara McAlduff from Bluefield High School and the Wilbert C. McInnis Scholarship in Business is going to David Collins of Montague High School. Both scholarships, valued at $1500 each, were established by Dan and David McInnis of Charlottetown in honour of their parents.

The Mary C. McInnis Entrance Scholarship in Nursing recognizes their mother's commitment to family and education. Mary McInnis is a 1951 graduate of the Charlottetown School of Nursing. The Wilbert C. McInnis Scholarship in Business honours their father's work in bettering life for Islanders. Wilbert McInnis graduated from St. Dunstan's University in 1951 and received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from 69´«Ã½in 1995. The McInnis family is well known in PEI for its involvement in the family-operated insurance brokerage firm, Peake and McInnis.

The annual gifts for both scholarships are recognized as contributions to the 69´«Ã½Building a Legacy Campaign. "We are very grateful to Dan and David McInnis for supporting our incoming students through these new entrance scholarships," says Tracey Comeau, 69´«Ã½Stewardship Officer. "Increasing our scholarship funding helps the University to attract and retain the brightest and most deserving students from PEI and other provinces."

Comeau adds that some scholarships, such as those created by the McInnis family, are designated by their donors for specific programs or areas of study. Another option is general scholarship funding which allows a scholarship fund to be named in honour of a person, family, or organization while allowing the University to select the best candidates to receive the scholarships each year.

"Creating a named scholarship is easier and more affordable than people may think," she explains. "69´«Ã½has extensive experience in identifying the very best students, determining the area of need each year, and offering students scholarships from the fund."

The Institute of Island Studies (IIS) at the 69´«Ã½ has a mandate to encourage public discussion on issues that are important to the development of PEI. The Institute has identified the recent move to increase cruise ship tourism as a current issue that deserves more public consideration. To give Islanders an opportunity to hear about the advantages and disadvantages of this type of development, the IIS is organizing a public lecture and discussion on Cruise Ship Tourism to take place in the Duffy Amphitheatre at UPEI, from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 26.

It will start with a presentation on the planned development in Charlottetown Harbour and the projections for generating economic benefits from increased cruise tourism. Then participants will hear from Dr. Ross Klein of Memorial University, whose research on the cruise ship industry in the Atlantic region and worldwide has led to the identification of certain pitfalls to be avoided while pursuing this development path. Dr. Godfrey Baldacchino, Canada Research Chair in Island Studies at UPEI, will comment on some of the particular issues confronting small islands when they wish to engage the cruise line industry. He will be followed by a stakeholder panel discussion representing perspectives from small business, fishing, environment, labour and tourism, moderated by Bruce Garrity, Charlottetown City Council. This will provide an opportunity for questions and comments from the floor. The event will end with an outline of the key points raised during the evening, summarized by the Director of the Institute of Island Studies, Dr. Irene Novaczek.

"This is an opportunity for Islanders to appreciate both the potential benefits of cruise tourism and the challenges. By the end of the evening we hope everyone will be better informed and able to plan for and manage this development so that it is more sustainable, less damaging to the environment, and broadly beneficial to the local economy," states Dr. Novaczek. "We welcome everyone having an interest in issues of environment, economic development, quality of life, tourism management and labour standards to join us."

Admission is free and everyone is welcome. More information is available from the Institute of Island Studies at 566-0386 or iis@upei.ca.

The 69´«Ã½'s W.A. Murphy Student Centre received some welcome news recently. Scotiabank has doubled its financial commitment to the centre. The bank originally pledged $50,000 to the 69´«Ã½Building a Legacy Campaign to help fund construction of the student centre. Now it has increased that pledge to $100,000. Scotiabank representatives were on campus in early July to make a contribution as part of their pledge. Brian A. Landry, Branch Manager and J.E. (Jim) Lavers, Scotiabank Senior Relationship Manager for Eastern PEI presented a cheque to Ryan Gallant, Student Union President and Kevin Lewis, 69´«Ã½Chief Development Officer.

The Honourable Janice MacKinnon will give a presentation called "Canada's Health Care System: Why the Long Waiting Lists and High Costs?" on Thursday, July 20, at 3:30 p.m., at the Confederation Centre of the Arts, as part of the 2006 Dr. Frank MacKinnon Lecture Series.

"In a recent Supreme Court of Canada decision," says MacKinnon, "Canada's health care system was criticized for having some of the longest waiting lists in the developed world despite the fact that Canadians are among the biggest spenders on health care. Facts like these are especially troubling since health care is sometimes seen as an essential part of Canada's identity, even though the evidence suggests that other developed countries have been more successful in creating affordable and effective health care systems."

MacKinnon will address these issues by looking at the origins and evolution of Canada's health care system and comparing it to other health care systems, like those of Western Europe.

MacKinnon is a professor of public policy at the University of Saskatchewan, Chair of the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She was also a cabinet minister in Saskatchewan between 1991 and 2001, and held various portfolios including Minister of Finance, Minister of Social Services, Minister of Economic Development and Government House leader. During her tenure as Finance Minister, Saskatchewan became the first government in Canada to balance its budget in the 1990s. She is the author of three books, The Liberty We Seek published by Harvard University Press, While the Women Only Wept and Minding the Public Purse, published in 2003. Her most recent publication was "The Arithmetic of Health Care," published in 2004 by IRPP.

The Dr. Frank MacKinnon Lecture Series is sponsored by the Confederation Centre of the Arts and the 69´«Ã½. Named in honour of Dr. Frank MacKinnon who was a leader in the Island's education system and the driving force behind establishment of the Confederation Centre, the lecture series features leading personalities and focuses on issues of national interest in Canada such as public policy, the arts and sciences, and humanities.

MacKinnon's presentation, which will take place in the Confederation Centre's Memorial Hall, is free to the public. For more information, please contact Anne McCallum, 69´«Ã½, at (902) 566-0760, or Anna MacDonald, Confederation Centre of the Arts, at (902) 628-6135.

The 69´«Ã½Distinguished Visitor Speaker Series continues July 19 with R.Bruce Craig's presentation entitled "Confrontation, Crisis, and the Continuing Struggle for Equality in America." Craig is a historian and a 20th century specialist. He speaks at 3:00 pm in the K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre on the 69´«Ã½campus.

In this presentation, he will assess the successes and failures of various racial, ethnic, gender, and cultural groups in their ongoing struggle to achieve social and political equality in the United States. Based on the historical lessons derived from the struggle of black Americans for equality, Craig will examine the more recent controversies surrounding gay rights, including the pending 'marriage Constitutional amendment', the ongoing struggle by women to achieve equality in society, and the most recent effort by immigrants, particularly the Hispanic 'illegal' populations, to achieve what they assert are their rights under the law. He will also speculate on the impact these movements will make on the next presidential election.

Craig, who is the director of the National Coalition for History, a Washington- based advocacy organization that represents the historical and archival community on Capitol Hill, has returned to PEI to teach a summer course at 69´«Ã½- "US History Since 1945." In addition to his teaching assignments at UPEI, he is also a professorial lecturer at the American University in Washington DC.

Craig received his PhD from American University and an MA in Public History from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is the author of TREASONABLE DOUBT: THE HARRY DEXTER WHITE SPY CASE (University Press of Kansas, 2004) and has written numerous scholarly and popular articles. His weekly electronic newsletter - the NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE - which has a circulation of about 60,000, is widely read and highly regarded in historical and archival circles.

69´«Ã½Distinguished Visitor Speaker Series presentations take place on Wednesdays at 3 pm, with historic campus tours at 4 pm, throughout the summer and early fall. Admission is free. In addition to Wednesday lectures, presentations are being scheduled at other times based on the availability of speakers. For more information contact Julie Mutch at 894-2834 or visit .

The AVC Lobster Science Centre located at the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI, will host the 3rd annual Lobster Science Workshop on July 26 and 27 at the Delta Prince Edward hotel, Charlottetown, PEI.

The theme of this year's workshop is Marine Ecosystem Health: Crustaceans and their Environment. Keynote speakers and#150; including marine geologist Gordon Fader of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography and Richard A. Wahle, senior research scientist of the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Maine and#150; and researchers from the AVC Lobster Science Centre will discuss current research as well as marine habitats using seabed mapping techniques, ecosystem-based crustacean research, invasive species, potential impacts of the oil and gas industry, and larval drift.

"The AVC Lobster Science Centre workshop has quickly become the benchmarking science workshop for the Canadian lobster industry," says Jean Lavallee, clinical scientist at the AVC Lobster Science Centre and Chair of the Lobster Science Workshop. "We are looking forward to exploring key issues related to marine ecosystem health in an effort to gain further knowledge for the health and sustainability of the industry." Ed Frenette, Executive Director of the PEI Fishermen's Association, believes the workshop focus is timely and of great benefit to organizations such as his. "The topics to be discussed this year are crucial to the future of our lobster fishery," says Frenette. "Ecosystem changes are affecting the fishery and the scientific information being provided at this workshop is crucial to fishers' understanding of the resource." The workshop begins with registration and a meet and greet the evening of July 26. The Honourable Jim Bagnall, Prince Edward Island's minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture, will open the workshop the morning of July 27. Presentations on ecosystem health and the AVC Lobster Science Centre, as well as applied lobster fishery research will be delivered throughout the day. Further information on the workshop, including the agenda, is available by visiting .

The AVC Lobster Science Centre is a research centre within the Atlantic Veterinary College at 69´«Ã½dedicated to conducting lobster health research to promote the health and sustainability of the lobster industry. The centre is located on the 69´«Ã½campus situated on Canada's Atlantic coast, providing ready access to the lobster industry. The centre's projects are aimed at enhancing the research and development capacity for lobster health in Atlantic Canada through technical studies. The lobster industry in Atlantic Canada has a landed value of over $600 million and an estimated overall value of up to $2 billion.