Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 8, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba A10 Canada Winnipeg free press wednesday november 8, 2006 actor Aims to honour Canadian Vimy vets by Richard foot when thousands of Canadian Pil grims gather in France next april to witness the unveiling of the renovated War memorial on Vimy Ridge . Thomson wants them to gaze up at the Monument and see the names and faces of the men who fought there etched in Light on its towering White Walls. The acclaimed Toronto actor Hopes to project the names of every one of the 97,000 Canadian soldiers who served at Vimy in 1917 onto the memo rial in letters Large enough to be seen for Miles around the French country Side. His dream is part of a dramatic proposal Thomson is pitching to the fed eral government As it makes plans to rededicate the massive Stone Sculp Ture on the 90th anniversary of the Bat the. Thousands of Canadian schoolchild Ren and families of first world War veterans Are expected to gather for the rededication following the recent multimillion Dollar restoration of the Monument by the Canadian govern ment. The event is also Likely to be attended by thousands of French and British families with connections to the historic Battle in which Canadian troops succeeded in capturing the strategic Ridge after years of failed efforts by other Allied forces. Thomson ? who had nine relatives fight in the first world War and who recently served on an advisory com Mittee to the Vimy restoration project ? says its vital that the ceremony focus on the Ordinary Canadian sol Diers and their extraordinary deeds in France. I know the government will put on a Good ceremony he says. But for me the Monument belongs to the men who were there and to the families of the men who were there. So i be been phoning the department of veterans affairs and suggesting there Are ways to restore this to the soldiers who served for months Thomson has been unearthing the letters and diaries of Vimy veterans and gathering their Sto Ries Many of them never before told Jonathan Hayward / Canadian press archives pallbearers carry casket of unknown Canadian Soldier at Vimy Ridge. From family members across the coun try. He wants permission from veterans affairs to write a script for part of the rededication in which relatives of Vimy soldiers would be brought to the ceremony to read the words of their fathers or grandfathers As passed Down through the years in actual let ters or family conversations. But Thomson a boldest idea is to project the names and the faces where possible of every Canadian Vimy vet eran onto the Walls of the Monument. The Battle itself lasted four Days Thomson says he could Flash the individual names of All 97,000 canadians u enrolment tops 1 million Ottawa ? enrolment in Canadian universities surpassed the one million Mark for the first time during the 2004-05 academic year fuelled by the influx of students from Ontario a double cohort two years earlier As Well As rising numbers of foreign pupils and growing numbers of Young adults. The number of full time registrations Rose in six provinces in the 2004-2005 year with the biggest gains in Ontario at 5.4 per cent and Manitoba at 4.3 per cent. Other provinces registering growth in full time enrolment were Newfoundland and Labrador Prince Edward Island Quebec and Alberta. The provinces showing the largest declines in full time registration were Saskatchewan where full time enrolment fell 6.4 per cent and new Brunswick where it dropped 3.3 per cent. Statistics Canada says there were 1.01 million University registrations the seventh straight year in which enrolment hit a record High though the 2.1 per cent growth from the pre Vious academic year was the lowest margin this decade. Most of the growth in 2004-05 was fuelled by students aged 18 to 24, whose numbers increased 2.9 per cent to just Over 654,000 they accounted for 64 per cent of total enrolment. A record 75,200 students from other countries enrolled in programs at Canadian universities in 2004-05, up 7.3 per cent from the previous year International students represented 7.4 per cent of total registrations and half of them were from Asia. Ontario a elimination of Grade 13 in 2002-03 has had a last ing Impact on enrolment boosting registrations at the time 6.4 per cent still the strongest increase since 1974-75. Women continued to vastly outnumber men in Canadian universities in 2004-05, accounting for 58 per cent of All registrations. Total undergraduate enrolment hit 785,800, up two per cent. ? Canadian press Klein rips columnists Bozo years remark Edmonton ? Ralph Klein says he a offended by the Way a Globe and mail columnist described his 14-year tenure As Alberta Premier. The globes Jeffrey Simpson recently wrote that the Bozo years Are Over in Alberta now that Klein is retiring As Premier. Klein says he a not surprised someone from Toronto would write something like that. The Premier says Simpsons column reflects the fact that other parts of Canada Are envious of Alberta because the province has a booming Economy plenty of jobs and a hefty budget surplus. Simpson also wrote that Albertas progressive conserva Tives ran out of patience with Klein because he stifled debate within the governing party. Klein got Only lukewarm support from party members in a mandatory leadership review last Spring forcing him to move up his retirement Date to the end of this year. ? Canadian press onto two sides of the Monument one after another Day and night for four Days until the list is Complete. Officials at veterans affairs in charge of planning the huge event Haven to yet made any commitments to Thomson but suggested tuesday that his bid to have family members read their loved ones words or stories would in some Way be used at the cer Emony. Families of Vimy veterans can Contact . Thomson by calling him toll free at 1-866-599-8469. ? can West news service United Church launches and Campaign tries to draw people Back stir debate with contemporary Jesus by Eric Shackleton t Oronto ? an and showing Jesus Christ sitting in a Santa Claus chair is part of a United Church Campaign launched tuesday aimed at reaching out to the 30-to-45 crowd in Hopes of getting some of them Back into the pews. The and among a half dozen to appear in december issues of lifestyle Maga Zines and Community newspapers is just one aspect of a three year $9-million Campaign called emerging spirit that also includes an interactive website and a grassroots Effort to get the Church a 3,500 congregations involved. We Hope the the and depicting ads will make Jesus sitting in a shopping mall with folks think. A child on his knee get them and surrounded by entering into presents asks would you still take a spiritual your kids discussion it is aimed at stir ring up a debate ? Bruce about whether the Faurschou commercial aspect of Christmas can co exist with the Spiri Tual and moral Side of Faith said project Leader Rev. Or. Keith Howard. The and goes on to suggest after Allisn to Christmas supposed to be about him not the Guy in the red suit the ads created in partnership with Toronto based communications firm Smith Roberts and co., Are also part of an Effort to build awareness of the web site , said Howard executive director of the project. Another and shows two grooms on a wedding cake and asks does anyone object in another a Bobble headed Jesus sits on a dashboard and readers Are offered the Choice funny or ticket to there a also an and featuring a can of whipped Cream How much fun can sex be before its a sin Bruce Faurschou executive Secretary of the conference of Manitoba North Western Ontario of the United Church of Canada said the ads Are designed to be provocative and generate discussion. We Hope the ads will make folks think. Get them entering into a spiritual discussion said Faurschou from his Winnipeg office. Its not meant to shut doors but to open in particular he loves the Christmas and. Its very Cool said Faurschou who is also an ordained minister. I think it will give people pause for consideration and energize people to ask on a deeper level what the True meaning of Christmas really , developed by the Church a emerging spirit team of inter net experts Hopes to connect with 30-to?45-year-old canadians who Don to have a Faith Community but Are deeply inter ested in things spiritual Moderator right Rev. David Giuliano the Church Stop official told a news conference at St. Andrews United Church in downtown Toronto. Statistics Canadas 2001 census indicated there were about five million peo ple in the 30-45 age group. It also showed that membership in the Church the largest protestant denomination in the country continued to decline dropping from about three Mil lion in 1991 to about 2.8 million in 2001. A 16-month-Long end ironic research group study that included interviews and questionnaires involving a Host of participants indicated that a majority of 30-45 year Olds believe in god that this belief shapes their lives and that nearly half Pray each Day said Giuliano. That a the Good the bad news he said is that a majority of them see the Church As judg mental arrogant Boring and not Able to respond to their spiritual and moral ? Canadian press with files from Jason Bell ;