Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 25, 2012, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A4 A 4 MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2012 MANITOBA winnipegfreepress. com . Eat Close to Home . Learn New Food Skills . Be the Difference for Fair Food www. DigInManitoba. ca Don Tomac 793- 4105 " Your Satisfaction Guaranteed" REAL ESTATE PICTURE LISTINGS as low as $ 90 00 Call Classified 6 9 7 - 7 1 0 0 Y Craig and Marc Kielburger Craig and Marc Kielburger co- founded Free The Children, and are authors of the new book, Living Me to We: The Guide for Socially Conscious Canadians. Exhausted and gasping, Spencer West focused on simply breathing, and putting one hand in front of the other. All around lay a moonscape - grey, rock- strewn and lifeless. Small, loose stones bit into his palms. In the thin air at 5,100 metres David Johnson and Alex Meers, West's companions, vomited from altitude sickness. Another day and more than half a vertical kilometre still lay between them and the summit. To here, they had encouraged and carried him. Now the man with no legs realized it was his turn to support them. There are times when the accomplishments of people in our life make us so proud that words barely do it justice. Monday, June 18, our friend, Spencer West, reached the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Although other disabled climbers have attempted Kilimanjaro and other mountains wearing prosthetics, West is the first person ever to climb Kili - and likely any significant mountain anywhere - on his hands. We've been talking about West here for a while now, so it's great to see news media from around the world like NBC, BBC and People magazine catching on to his incredible story. If you have not been following West's incredible journey, here's the recap: West was born with a rare spinal defect that resulted in both legs being completely amputated before he was six. Since then he has led his life ignoring limitations and redefining what is possible. This year he set a new goal: to climb Africa's highest mountain and raise $ 750,000 to bring clean water to communities in Kenya. We spoke with West last week after his return from the top of the mountain, getting the story and his reflections on his journey. On June 13, West and his friends launched their ascent from the base camp in the little village of Naro Moru. Those first hours saw the team trekking through tropical rainforest. " It felt like we were in B. C., with the large trees making a canopy overhead. It was all beautiful," West told us. Low clouds made it impossible to see the mountain until jungle gave way to arid desert, and then West saw it, looming overhead. " Looking up I thought, ' Oh man, what are we doing?'" West laughs. Through the first several days, West travelled 80 per cent of the distance walking on his hands, only occasionally making use of his custom- made wheelchair or being carried by his friends or porters. West tells us that camping out that first night, and all the nights that followed, were not restful despite the fatigue. Sleeping on the rough ground wasn't easy and it was far colder than he had expected. Inside his sleeping bag he wore three layers of shirts, a fleece jacket and a toque. Breakfasts consisted of bacon and eggs prepared by early- rising porters. The second day brought fresh beauty. Ascending to 3,400 metres, the climbers passed through the cloud layer." All of a sudden we looked behind us and there was no more anything - just an ocean of white. It was like whole part of the world we had never discovered before," West recalls. The day ended at a " tent city" of other climbers. West and his friends celebrated with a game of cards. As the terrain grew steeper and more rocky, their guide Paul DeAngelis grew concerned about the possibility of injury for West. Even though West had spent a year training, the human arm is simply not meant to bear that kind of strain. West eased back to walking only half each day and being carried the other half. West insisted on walking the last stretch into camp each night, however. Carrying West was problematic. The route became impassable for the steel frame that had been built to tote West while he remained sitting in his wheelchair. From then on, West jokes, when he was carried he was wrapped up and strapped to someone's back, like a swaddled baby. As the summit neared, the precipitous slope and sharp, slippery stones called scree made walking harder for West. He occasionally fell behind as his friends forged ahead. He admitted to us it was one of the few times in his life he wished he had legs so he could keep up. As the air thinned and his friends suffered from altitude sickness, West says he moved in spurts, walking 10 to 15 minutes then resting. The climbers no longer spoke, focusing all their energy on moving and breathing. " In my mind it was, ' Ok, right hand forward, left hand forward, breathe.' Literally concentrating on every step." Then, on June 18, flanked by his two companions, West walked the final steps and set his battered palms on the highest point in Africa. " It was beautifully overwhelming. We collapsed in a big hug and cried because we didn't know what else to do." As the team descended, word of West's accomplishment had already spread down the mountain. Other climbers heading up offered warm congratulations as they passed. For all those who have followed his story and supported him all the way to that moment, West hopes they will be inspired to redefine possible in their own life journeys. We asked West what he has taken away from the experience. " What I learned is that on any journey there are parts where you have to do it yourself, and times when you do it together." West is still looking for people to join him to finish the final leg of his journey and reach his $ 750,000 goal to bring clean water to Kenyan communities. OUR FRIEND'S AMAZING JOURNEY metowe. com/ living Fabricland Sewing Club Members Value Hotline 1- 866- R- FABRIC WINNIPEG 1172 St. James St. . Ph: 772- 8709 1530 Regent Ave. . Ph: 661- 6426 1895 Pembina Hwy. . Ph: 253- 2518 STORE HOURS: Mon. & Tues. 9: 30 am - 6 pm Wed., Thur. & Fri. 9: 30 am - 9 pm Sat. 9: 30 am - 6 pm; Sun. 12 noon - 5 pm WHOLESALE PRICING AVAILABLE * Refers to Fabricland Sewing Club Members * Source: Fuel Economy from competitive midsize sedan 2012 Internal Combustion Engine models sourced from Autodata on 05- 28- 2012. 2013 Altima fuel economy tested by Nissan Motor Company Limited. Actual Mileage may vary with driving conditions - use for comparison only. NISSAN ALTIMA 5 . 0 L PER 100 KM FUEL EFFICIENCY . THE newspaper industry may be gone from Winnipeg's Exchange District. But thanks to a walking tour of the historic area Sunday hosted by Exchange District BIZ and the Winnipeg Free Press News Caf�, it is being remembered once more. About 40 people met at the Exchange District BIZ's office to take a walking tour of newspaper row, an area that at the turn of the 20th century was the battlefield for rivalling newspapers. " We try and touch bases on the most important elements of the newspaper industry here in the city, from the foreign newspapers, to how newsprints were made, The Canadian Press and even the Criterion Hotel, which was the watering hole for all the journalists in the city," said Rachelle Kirouac, a guide with the Exchange District Biz who led one of the tours. " I think it's very important to advocate information for what makes Winnipeg so important. Lots of times people aren't aware of how significant we are, especially in the 1900s. It's really inspirational to educate people on this. Many people have been living in Winnipeg their whole lives and have no idea was kind of history still exists here." The tour first visited the Miller and Richardson Warehouse on Princess Street and then took participants through the Exchange District's newspaper row, a stretch of McDermot Avenue that was once home to all of Winnipeg's daily news players: the Manitoba Free Press , the Winnipeg Evening Tribune and the Winnipeg Telegram . " Winnipeg has the largest shear stock of this heritage of buildings left in Canada. That history tells such an important story, like it the Winnipeg General Strike," said Laurel McLeod, another tour guide with Exchange District BIZ. Melissa Vasconcelos is working toward her master's degree in architecture at the University of Manitoba. She took the tour because she is currently working on her final design and research project on architecture in the Exchange District. " I've gotten really interested in what is currently the Mayberry Fine Art Gallery. It used to be the Lake of the Woods building. It has a really nice interior that has nicely kept the heritage element of it," said Vasconelos, as she and her friend Graeme Smith ate breakfast at the News Caf�. The tour concluded at the Exchange District eatery, where Free Press columnist Dan Lett gave a speech on the future of print journalism. Smith and Vasconcelos said although they love the area, they rarely visit the downtown neighbourhood in the winter due to the cold weather. The pair are also candid about some of their safety concerns about the area. " Crime is a consideration. Panhandlers come up to us a lot here. But honestly, as they said on the tour, you can't go five minutes without seeing a cop," said Smith. " And I haven't had any incidents, especially since more people are starting to spend time down here. When there are people here, there's less to worry about. I think it would be great if there was more development while keeping the heritage alive. It was fascinating to hear about how much of it has been preserved." katherine. dow@ freepress. mb. ca L AC DU BONNET - The highest building you expect to see along Canadian Shield waters is maybe a double- decker boathouse. Not a four- storey condo with underground parking. Novashelter Inc. is billing its new 23- unit condominium in Lac du Bonnet, overlooking the Winnipeg River, as a chance to get on the ground floor of the next Gimli. The $ 6- million highrise is coloured in earth tones: a " beach sand yellow" base, with rust- coloured beams on the sides and middle that are shaped as sails. " We wanted to maintain a nautical theme," said Fern Doucet, Novashelter president. Heating and air- conditioning systems are stored in the " sails." It also has round hallway windows, similar to portholes on a cruise ship. The last time Lac du Bonnet saw a private development on a similar scale was " never," said Greg Short, Lac du Bonnet's mayor. " In Lac du Bonnet, it's a retirement and tourism economy," he said. The town's population doubles to more than 2,000 in summer, and the surrounding area fills with cottagers. The condo's lakeside units, with large balconies that can hold up to 40 people, open onto a fantastic vista of the Winnipeg River, which is more like a lake in this region. The condo is next to a public beach and large public wharf with available slips for boats. Units range from 900 to 1,200 square feet. Soundproofing barriers are built into the walls. Unit prices range from $ 240,000 for a one- bedroom, onebathroom unit to $ 390,000 for twobedroom, two- bathroom units. The newly completed condominium is called 52 Park Ave., its Lac du Bonnet address. " I always wanted property on Park Avenue," quipped Doucet. Also involved in the project is Doucet's father- in- law, Ed Van Humbeck, former owner of a large industrial electronics component company, Vansco, that employed 900 people worldwide. Van Humbeck sold the company several years ago to a large corporation in Cleveland. Novashelter has also bought other properties in the area with hopes of developing them, too. Lack of growth has been a source of frustration for the town, despite what the 2011 Canadian census says. The census claims the town's population shot up a whopping 32 per cent in five years, an increase of about 300 people, to 1,328. The figures are considered suspect because they don't jibe with municipal records. The town's population has been relatively static for many years at around 1,000. There are some great natural assets in Lac du Bonnet, just over an hour's drive northeast of Winnipeg, but they aren't well- known, said Doucet. " You don't get a sense, when you drive past Lac du Bonnet, that there's this much waterfront," he said. So Doucet and Lac du Bonnet antiques dealer Sheldon Sveinson started the Fire and Water Festival, an annual street festival held the first weekend in August. Others started a popular farmers market. Novashelter has also started talks with municipal government about creating more of a harbourfront, such as Kenora has. There are 60 kilometres of waterway to explore along the Winnipeg River between hydro dams at Seven Sisters and McArthur, and along the Pinawa Channel and Lee River. There are two nearby golf courses, the Granite Hills Golf Course along the Winnipeg River and the Pinawa Golf Course. The condo was a case of one thing leading to another. The family started with the purchase of a burger joint called Chippers but it wasn't making money. So they planned to expand the restaurant and build suites above it to make it profitable. They were eventually advised they'd be better off just dropping the restaurant and building a condo. The family has also bought other property in the area it hopes to develop. A snag developed when their condo complex needed a piece of property that was Crown land. It took a year to settle and by then three couples who had put down deposits for condo units pulled out because of the delay. Novashelter is now starting over. bill. redekop@ freepress. mb. ca Lakeside condos a major boom in Lac du Bonnet Newspaper history in Exchange in focus By Katherine Dow KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Novashelter president Fern Doucet says Lac du Bonnet's extensive waterfront is a well- kept secret. OPEN ROAD BILL REDEKOP A_ 06_ Jun- 2 5- 12_ FP_ 01. indd A4 6/ 24/ 12 9: 28: 58 PM ;