Company Sergeant Major Belisle, a resident of Hanmer, has been with the "Capreol Cadets" for the past four years. She is a Grade 12 student at Confederation Secondary School and is the top ranking cadet in her corps. She feels that being a member of the Cadets has definitely helped her in a great many ways. 

Captain Norm Duffy oversees the operations of the Capreol Cadets and he feels that, "This definitely something that every kid should try, but it is not for everyone." He continued to explain, "The goal of the Irish Regiment of Canada is to produce better citizens, promote physical fitness, and give young people insight into the Canadian Armed Forces. It helps boys and girls develop self-confidence, poise, and a sense of respect for their fellow man and for authority. Many people say that you don't belong to Cadets; you are adopted by Cadets.

The tag day at the mall is the major fund-raiser of the year for the Capreol Cadets and they appreciate the support that the public has always shown them.

Heather is no longer an active member of the Corps, having retired from her position as Company Sergeant Major to make room for the person currently in the role, Company Sergeant Major Karie Belisle. Heather joined the Corps as a shy 12 year old girl who lacked in outward self confidence. By the time she left the Corps, she was the top ranking Cadet and is now enrolled in the 1st year of the Concurrent Education Program at Laurentian University, with a goal of becoming a high school teacher. She also plans to travels all over the province and country speaking to groups about the Cadet program as a Civilian Instructor. 

"I thought it would be an interesting thing to do," Heather explained. "I tried to get in when I was eleven, but they wouldn't let me. I've been to summer camps where you get paid a lot more than if you work at a fast food restaurant or retail store and I've met friends from all over the world."

A total of 36 teenage boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 19 belong to the Capreol Corps. They come from Capreol, Valley East and Garson. There is no fee to join the Corps and all of the material and uniforms are provided free of charge. The group meets every Wednesday evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Millennium Centre in Capreol. They also get together for several weekend activities, such as the tag day, during the year.

If you are interested in finding out more about the 2915 R.C (Army) C.C. Irish Regiment of Canada, you can call (705) 858-3220 and leave a message.

   Ever since the "Keep The Spirit Alive Contest" was introduced in June the number of people registering to receive the Valley East Today Weekly Online News Magazine has skyrocketed. As of the end of August, over 2500 individuals are receiving the online publication every week and it is being estimated to at least 10,000 other people as the email is being forwarded across the "world". 

   The three community-minded local businessmen in the photo are Mike Lemieux, owner of Hanmer Home Hardware, Robert Kirwan, Publisher of the Valley East Today Community Web Site and Online Weekly News Magazine, and Ken Desjardins of Desjardins’ Food Basics. The three men teamed up to begin a “Keep The Spirit Alive Campaign” are thrilled with the response and are still inviting all residents to help them spread the message that Valley East is a great place in which to live!

   In explaining the purpose of the initiative, Kirwan explained, “We want to let everyone know that Valley East is a town where you can still find that “old style community spirit” mixed with a modern lifestyle that fits right in with the 21^st Century. There are a lot of good things happening in Valley East and it is about time that the rest of the people in the City of Greater Sudbury knew about it too! Furthermore, it is also time to let the rest of the province know that if anyone is looking for a place to live and raise a family, or a place to retire within the City of Greater Sudbury , they need look no further than Valley East .”
  
   In order to help get this message out to the rest of the “world” the people of Valley East are being asked to take part in a massive communication strategy using the power of the internet. 

   Everyone participating in this campaign will have a chance to win a “Grand Prize” consisting of 100 Lotto 649 tickets for the New Year’s Eve Draw on December 31, 2006 . What a way to celebrate the New Year by winning the big prize with one of those tickets!

   Runners up will receive other valuable prizes, including “two” mountain bikes donated by Hanmer Home Hardware, $300 in groceries from Desjardins’ Food Basics, More prizes from other local merchants may be announced in the coming weeks before the contest ends. 

   In order to qualify for these prizes, all you have to do is register to receive the Valley East Today Weekly Online News Magazine. Every month from July until the end of December, ten names will be drawn at random from all of the people registered to receive the publication. Those ten people will qualify for our final draw which will be held on Christmas Eve. The winners will be announced in the December 26 issue of Valley East Today!

   Once you register, the Valley East Today Online Weekly News Magazine, which is currently being received by over 2000 people, will be sent directly to your email address every Tuesday.  Not only will you qualify to win the 100 Lotto 649 tickets or other runner up prizes, but more importantly, you can help us  “Keep the Spirit Alive” by forwarding Valley East Today to everyone on your own personal mailing list. By using the power of the internet, we can let tens of thousands of people know about Valley East every week.

'We've taken the summer to organize the more than 5,000 issues and suggestions we heard during our consultations in June,” said Mr. Laughren.  'Although we can't deal with every issue and suggestion that was brought forward, we want to show the community that we have chosen broad themes to focus on as we develop concrete recommendations to improve our city.”

Six citizen working groups, each led by a member of the Solutions Team, will tackle these themes during October and November.  The working groups will propose draft solutions for the Community Solutions Team's consideration and adoption. A final report will be presented to the 'New' City Council in early 2007.

"Our hope is to have someone from each of the former municipalities on each working group,” said Solutions Team member Gisèle Chrétien.  'These folks will help us to focus on the most important and broadest issues to develop realistic proposals for improvement.  I encourage people to come out to our meetings and volunteer to help with one of the working groups.”

Floyd Laughren reiterated the team's commitment to be as open and realistic as possible. 'I've said all along that we will not be able to deal with every issue that was brought to our attention.  We intend to be as open as possible about what we will be focusing on as we move forward.  We have, of course, recorded all of the issues presented and we will be passing these on to City staff.”

“We can't just present city council with 3,000 problems. City council needs to deal with policy issues. We have to weed out some issues. You can't say to city council that there's a sign down at Suez Rd. in Capreol,” he says.

“We've already given all the local stuff to the city staff. We've already done that. They can be looking at those problems and fixing them.”

Laughren says he'll make sure his recommendations are practical. “I'm not going to give recommendations that are pie in the sky. I live at the end of Penage Lake Rd. I could ask that the road be four-laned, but that's just not realistic.”

If citizens can't make it out to the meetings, they can submit their comments or volunteer to be in a working group by e-mail at cst@greatersudbury.ca,  in person at any Citizen Service Centre or by mail at Community Solutions Team, Tom Davies Square , 200 Brady St., Sudbury , ON , P3A 5P3 .

Gary Michlak is shown leading the group through several sessions during which people reiterated some of the issues, concerns and suggestions that were mainly included in the initial report.

On October 12, 2006, the Community Solutions Team will meet with some 36 members of the general public who will have been selected to sit on six different committees, each with a responsibility of sifting through one of the six themes that have been identified during the meetings with the public. Following the orientation meeting, the groups will meet three more times, on October 19, November 2 and November 9, before turning things back to the Community Solutions Team members for their final deliberations and preparation of a report that will be turned over to the New Council in January 2007.

Two very interested Senior Managers from City Staff were also in the audience taking careful notes and making observations. They were Alan Stephen, General Manager, Infrastructure and Emergency Services on the left, and just in front of him, Lorella Hayes, Chief Financial Officer with the City.

It was apparent from the mood of the small audience in Valley East that people in the outlying areas are not happy with the level of services they have been receiving since amalgamation in 2001. The issues range from poor road maintenance and snow removal to a lack of senior housing developments. It was obvious that much work must be done to create a level of "decentralization" in some areas of responsibility so that people have a sense of "belonging" to the City of Greater Sudbury. Much of the blame for the conditions as they exist today was directed to City Council for failing to fully understand and appreciate the needs of their constituents. It seems as if the upcoming election campaign will be fought on one major underlying principle: Do we want to be "One City" or do we want to be a "Community of Communities"?

For a full report you can go to the City web site at: http://www.city.greatersudbury.on.ca/cms/index.cfm?app=dept_cao&lang=en&currid=4984

Cecile, who has been with the firm since it opened some six years ago, explained that this is one of the best jobs she has ever had, "I just love it because we don't do any selling. All we do is conduct surveys and collect data on just about anything you can think of. Most of our calls are to places outside of Canada, but we have done surveys and polls for local businesses and politicians."

Margaret, who has been with the company for three years, went on, "It is such a nice place to work. Everyone gets along with each other and the company really treats us fairly. Our boss, Beth Depatie, who is a Vice President of Acrobat, in charge of Field Operations in Capreol, is so nice to work for. She really cares about her employees and does everything she can to be accommodating."

The starting rate for interviewers is $8.50 for the Day Shift (9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) and $8.00 for the Night Shift (5:15 p.m. to 12 a.m.). Both Cecile and Margaret point out that there are plenty of opportunities for advancement and with the performance incentives the actual wage can be much higher. In addition, there is so much work lined up that the company must hire more people to complement its staff which is already close to 100 employees.

The best thing of all is that Acrobat Results Marketing offers flexible scheduling done on a weekly basis so that you can work as few as three evenings a week to work around other commitments. This is an excellent job for a student or someone looking for part-time employment to supplement another full-time job.

If you are interested in finding out more about this employment opportunity, call (705) 858-4343. 

Besides providing nail and make up services, Louise also owns and operates Glamorous You School of Nail & Make Up Artistry.  "We are very happy to be able to set up our facilities at one of the nicest shopping centers in the Greater Sudbury Area," Louise declared. "The mall is clean, friendly, and has a very attractive, classy atmosphere. Those are all qualities that are important to the industry I am in and we feel that Glamorous You will be an excellent addition to the mix of stores in the mall."

It is expected that many more young people will take an interest in a career in Nails and Make Up Artistry now that Glamorous You will have a much higher profile in the community. The School of Nail and Make-Up Artistry has graduated 150 students since opening in 1993, and this is a career that is definitely becoming more and more popular.

When you can work on a girl to prepare her for a wedding or a graduation or a very special occasion, and when you see the transformation that takes place right before your eyes, you come to understand why this career is gaining in popularity among people who want to find an outlet for their creativity.

One of the main advantages of earning a certificate from the School of Nail and Make Up Artistry is that this gives you a skill that can be used anywhere in the world. Many hairdressing shops, health spas, and personal improvement centres are in need of well trained, creative artists who can provide this added service to their clients. Your potential for success as a specialist in nails and make up is only as limited as your imagination. Many graduates work for other salons or companies, but others work for themselves and contract out their services to individuals and groups. This self-employment has many benefits, not the least of which means that you can balance your career and family much easier when you are working for yourself.

When you visit the new location of Glamorous You in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre, you will be able to speak directly with Louise to find out more about the school and the elements of the course.

Selecting a career that you will enjoy is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. It is something that requires careful thought and consideration. It is also something that you must have a passion for and want to do for the rest of your life.

Stop by and see if the School of Nail and Make Up Artistry by Glamorous You is what you have been looking for to get into one of the most rewarding careers today. Call Louise for more information at (705) 969-0000.

We want to thank all of the people who take the time to send in comments. In order to protect the privacy of our readers, it is our policy to omit the names of our readers, unless you give us specific permission to print your name. We hope you enjoy some of the comments sent in this week.