Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 24, 2012, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A7 Come celebrate our Grand Opening! LE CHALET DE LA BROQUERIE 93 PRINCIPALE ST, LA BROQUERIE T u esday June 26, 2012 at 2: 00pm T he H onour able M. Vic T o ews, Minister of Public Safety and Regional Minister f o r Manitoba and, the Honourable K e r r i Irvin- Ross, M inister o f H ousing a nd C omm u nity D e velopment f o r Manitoba, will join us f o r the r i bbon cutting ceremony. F o r more information: Le Chalet 424- 5892 P a ul Lord, General Manager 371- 5738 Venez c�l�brer notre ouverture of fi ficielle! LE CHALET DE LA BROQUERIE 93 RUE PRINCIPALE, LA BROQUERIE Le mardi 26 juin 2012 � 14h L'ouverture of fi ficielle se fer a en la pr�sence de l'honorable M. Vic Toews, ministre f�d�ral de la s�curit� publique et ministre r�gional pour la province du Manitoba et de l'honorable Kerry Irvin- Ross. ministre du logement et du d�veloppement communautaire pour le Manitoba Bienvenue � tous ! P o ur plus d'informations : Le Chalet 424- 5892 Paul Lord, directeur g�n�ral 371- 5738 NEWS CANADA I WORLD A7 SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012 T ORONTO - Spencer West may have left the top of Africa's tallest mountain several days ago now, but he's clearly still on a high - and a mission - following his epic week- long trek that captured international attention. Speaking from the airport in Nairobi, West said he still can't quite get his head around the fact that he scaled Kilimanjaro, mostly by walking on his hands. " I still haven't 100 per cent processed what happened," West told The Canadian Press. "( But) I've finally started to get some of the dirt out of my fingernails." West, 31, an American citizen who has lived in Toronto for the past four years, had his legs amputated just below the pelvis when he was five because of a genetic defect. Doctors gave a grim prognosis about how he would fare in life. Now, his story is both motivational and inspirational. " If I can climb the largest mountain in Africa when I was told I would never walk or be a functioning member of society, then what more can individuals do in their daily lives to start ' redefining possible,' " West asked. The 2- foot- 7 West initially gave little thought to an offhand suggestion from Canadian child- rights activist Craig Kielburger several years ago that he try to scale the mountain in Tanzania. However, during a visit to Kenya in 2008, a little girl remarked that she didn't know white people could lose their legs. " That one phrase changed the entire course of my life and helped me recognize how I could use my story to inspire people to overcome obstacles," West said. When a severe drought hit the region, West decided to try to help. Together with best friends David Johnson and Alex Meers, they came up with the " Redefine Possible" campaign, with the goal of raising $ 750,000 for a sustainable water project for 18,000 Kenyans. The trio spent a year preparing to make the trek that about 60 per cent of those who try fail to accomplish. He had expected to hand- walk about half the time and use his wheelchair the other half, but the rugged terrain forced him to use his blistered hands for about 80 per cent of the ascent. " That started to take a toll on my wrists, and my elbows, and my shoulders," he said. In a few spots, porters strapped him to their backs and carried him, all the while a documentary crew in tow. The bleakest moments came on a freezing, windy summit day, when Johnson and Meers were hit with severe altitude sickness. " I thought I don't know if this is actually going to happen," West said. " It was the first time I actually wished I had legs." Ultimately, the trio persevered, one agonizing step at a time, finally collapsing under the sign heralding the 5,895- metre summit last Tuesday, seven days after they started. They took in the vista: glaciers on one side, a sea of clouds on the other, and the long drift of snow they had just traversed. " It was beautifully overwhelming," West said. " We hugged and cried a little bit and enjoyed the moment." Among the myriad thoughts that went through his mind was one that he had achieved something " for anybody who has ever felt like an outcast." With the two- day descent now behind him, the pain in his aching shoulders has started to ease and the calluses on his hands are beginning to fade. But West said he still wants to try to reach his $ 750,000 fundraising goal and, most of all, he wants the world to know that redefining the possible is possible. Donations can be made through the website of the group Free the Children. - The Canadian Press Amputee scales peak on his hands Toronto man's story inspirational By Colin Perkel ' I still haven't 100 per cent processed what happened. ( But) I've finally started to get some of the dirt out of my fingernails' HUDSON, Que. - Prime Minister Stephen Harper's troubled relationship with Quebec came under increased scrutiny Saturday as the province reacted to news he had secretly met with Brian Mulroney for help on the question of national unity. There are concerns the issue could once again return to the forefront if the sovereigntist Parti Quebecois win the next provincial election, which could come as early as this fall. The Harper government, which holds only five seats in Quebec, has a limited presence in the province and no clear spokesperson to make the case for federalism in a debate over the country's future. NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said the secret meeting with Mulroney is another sign that Harper is out of touch with Quebecers - and hasn't made efforts to reach out like the New Democrats have. " Every time Mr. Harper has had an opportunity to give real meaning to the recognition that the Quebecois form a nation within a united Canada, he's said no," said Mulcair, who was in Hudson, Que., for a ceremony naming a park in honour of late NDP leader Jack Layton. The Canadian Press revealed Friday that Harper held a secret meeting in a Montreal hotel with the former prime minister earlier this month for advice on how to build a better relationship with Quebec. Harper sought similar advice that same day from Liberal Premier Jean Charest, government sources said. The Quebec Liberals, though, are in trouble themselves. An election could be held in early fall and the winner is far from certain. A recent provincial byelection in Quebec saw the Parti Quebecois win a riding that's been held by the Liberals for 46 years. PQ Leader Pauline Marois said Harper is right to be concerned, and that Quebecers are fed up with a federal government that doesn't represent their interests. Citing a laundry list of moves ranging from abolishing the gun registry to changes to environmental regulations, Marois labelled the Harper government " anti- Quebec." Marois, though, added that Harper was right to reach out to Mulroney, who she said understood Quebec and tried hard to address the constitutional question. " He knows Quebec quite well, at least better than Mr. Harper," she said. Harper will be in Quebec on Sunday for a Conservative rally aimed at reviving the party's floundering fortunes in the province. The advice Harper received from Charest and Mulroney is expected to figure prominently in the prime minister's speech, where he will seek to remind Quebecers of his commitment to giving greater powers to the provinces and his respect for Quebec's place in the federation. - The Canadian Press Mulroney meeting under scrutiny Harper seeks ex- PM's advice VANCOUVER - At least 1,240 British Columbians are facing flood- evacuation alerts and another 165 are under evacuation orders as a low- pressure weather system anchored off Oregon continues to dump heavy rains around the province. The weather system, which is expected to remain over the province until Wednesday, has dumped about 25 millimetres of rain on the south coast since Friday night and another 48 millimetres in the southern Interior, said a meteorologist with Environment Canada. While river levels in the Fraser Valley are expected to remain high over the weekend, residents will see a slight reprieve from the threat of flooding during the middle of next week until another pulse of water flows south from the north, said an official with the B. C. River Forecast Centre. No request for assistance from troops has yet gone out, but an emergency official noted Saturday he's in regular contact with Canadian Forces personnel who are working in several operations centres. Chris Duffy, executive director of emergency co- ordination for Emergency Management B. C., said military officials are in close contact with the provincial emergency co- ordination centre and a regional centre in Surrey. " We're evaluating on a real- time basis through the day on the potential needs for additional resources, and those are certainly available if required," said Duffy. " At this time, though, it's just a state of readiness or preparedness in the event that things start to escalate and get beyond provincial resources. I'm not anticipating that at this time." - The Canadian Press Flood forces evacuations in B. C. HANDOUT / THE CANADIAN PRESS Spencer West, who lost both his legs, reached the top of Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro. A_ 07_ Jun- 24- 12_ FP_ 01. indd A7 6/ 23/ 12 9: 06: 00 PM ;