I met with Clinical Director Liann Meloff. She says weight loss in children is a very complex issue which needs the whole family involved. That’s because it’s about making major lifestyle changes in these kids. 

The clinic’s latest initiative is Growing Future Runners. This is a call to action to get kids moving. They’re challenging kids to move in whatever way they want: running, walking, swimming, biking, horseback riding etc. And they’re really encouraging kids to come out to the Stampede Road Race. It’s a marathon held on the first Sunday of Stampede, July 10th. Proceeds for the Kids Races go to the Pediatric Obesity Foundation which supports the Pediatric Weight Clinic. Kids ages 2 to 12 can do the Kids Races.  They’ll get t-shirts and medals. And most importantly they’ll get active. Support the race by buying their green shoelaces which represent active children.

Twelve year old Jacob Mercier is a great example of a child adopting a new and active lifestyle. He’s only been going to the Weight Clinic since January and he’s already lost a lot of weight. He’s also become the Stair King. That’s because his activity of choice is running stairs in his house. His record so far is 160 sets of stairs in one night!! He’s also made a dramatic turn in his food choices. He admits he used to be a huge fan of Mcdonalds. Now he says, he’ll never eat there again. He also used to be pretty sedentary, now he says he loves getting outside and of course, maintaining his title of Stair King.

He says the lifestyle changes he’s made, along with his family, are something he’ll maintain for the rest of his life because he’s a new person. And he’s never been so proud.

For more information on the clinic visit:

www.pediatricweightclinic.com

For more info on the Stampede Road Race and the Growing Future Runners Program:

www.growingfuturerunners.com

Farah Fawcett was enlisted, too, as a celebrity poster girl for anti-seal activists – although I suspect that before venturing onto the floes, neither she nor Bardot had the slightest notion of Newfoundland’s whereabouts, its history, its desperate economic struggles.  No matter:  they were more than happy to join the fortissimo chorus of denunciation and abuse against a large group of Canadian citizens who were guilty of nothing more than trying to make a living.

The cliche at the time was if baby seals looked like alligators, there’d be no issue, but if  the comparison became somewhat weary over the years, it was nonetheless valid.  So too is the contention that if an argument is inherently weak, the losing point can always be restored by simply shouting at the top of one’s lungs – or by engaging a celebrity.

And so it was this past week with James Cameron, the renowned Hollywood move director of “Titanic” and “Avatar” who several months ago decided his vast experience on motion picture sets qualified him to slam the Alberta oilsands as a “black eye” on Canadian environmental stewardship.  Presto!  Overnight, Cameron morphed from a movie director who spends most of his time swanning around the unappetizing black hole known as Los Angeles to the planet’s leading expert on energy pollution – with Alberta, and not LA,  as his principal target.

Make no mistake:  Cameron’s initial impact on the debate was profound, not because he put forward any substantive facts in support of his claim, but because – like Bardot and Fawcett – he’s a Hollywood heavy, and must therefore be all-knowing and all-seeing about all things.

He’s nothing of the sort, of course, but public adoration of  well-known personalities tends to become public acceptance of anything and everything they say.  And that in turn causes  celebrity types  to start exaggerating the influence of their meddling in other people’s business, which is why Cameron proclaimed the “eyes of the world are on Alberta.”  Not so:  his three days of trooping around the oilsands drew all kinds of media swarming here in Alberta, but almost none elsewhere. The major U.S. newspapers either ignored his grand utterance altogether, or buried it alongside ads for Macy’s or Bloomingdale’s or whatever.

But the most important factor in all this, the  saving grace if you will,  is that Star Power is fleeting, typically doesn’t have a lasting impact on the people who actually make the decisions about environmental issues, and then compose  regulations for subsequent enforcement.   And that takes us to Ottawa, where federal environment minister Jim Prentice has now fired an incendiary political shell into the belly of the Alberta government.  He is in effect saying Ed Stelmach and his  cabinet can no longer be relied upon to demand the highest order of  toxin research, factually indisputable, which they’ll then use as the basis for environmental regulation.  And so the feds will henceforth do it for them.

Rest assured, though:  this move by Prentice has nothing to do with James Cameron and his series of photo-ops in northern Alberta, but rather everything to do with a man named  David Schindler.  I referred to  Dr. Schindler at some length in an earlier post here, because he’s an internationally recognized  scientist at the University of Alberta who almost exactly a month ago published a detailed analysis of oilsands pollutants in the Athabasca river.  His paper brought into serious question the long-standing Alberta and industry claims that contaminants such as lead and mercury occur naturally in the river, and are not the result of leeching from industrial plants.

The Stelmach government responded with its customary mumblings that while Schindler’s conclusions were of course valuable and to be respected, experts in the Alberta environment department remained content with their own findings of “natural occurence.”  Ergo, so too the energy industry.  So too government itself.  However, in a move driven primarily by political optics, Premier Stelmach did announce the formation of a scientific panel which would examine anew both the government’s prior research, and that of David Schindler and then determine if the twain might in some, or all respects meet.

At the time, Prentice’s response was far more direct.  He said any government pronouncements – federal or provincial – about oilsands contamination would in future have to be “backed by better science.”  Now, he’s put flesh on the rhetorical bone by announcing – with no warning to the Alberta government – that a federally appointed group of experts will conduct its own examination of oilsands environmental monitoring.  Prentice did not say directly, but might as well have, that his half dozen scientists will actually be looking at what the Stelmach administration  is doing, or perhaps is not, about oilsands oversight.

Well might Alberta environment minister Rob Renner huff and puff about how when all is said and done, the provincial government does after all have responsibility for environmental control and regulation, and although the Ottawa contribution to the debate will of course be most welcome and perhaps even useful  the province will certainly have the last word about what changes, if any, might ensue.

Prentice is saying be careful, because things may not work out that way.  In fact, if he hasn’t indicted the Stelmach government for questionable environmental control and monitoring, he’s at the very least put Alberta on notice that while its claims of “natural occurence” may indeed be accurate, it had better come up with not only supporting evidence, but undeniable proof.

Dr. David Schindler says that can’t happen and it would appear he has a powerful ally.  Fellow named Jim Prentice, who if he decides to play it, just happens to have the trump card.   It could mean a debilitating and possibly very damaging constitutional battle, Ottawa against Alberta, but if it came to that there cannot be much doubt as to which government would prevail.

It’s not in Edmonton.

Sheryl Crow played a phenomenal set.  She surprised and delighted fans by bringing her little 3 year old son Wyatt up on stage to play percussion – SO adorable!

I spotted Theo Fleury and his wife Jennifer in between sets.   Always love catching up with them and Theo has been working hard with Alberta Theatre Projects developing a new play based on his book

Local designer Paul Hardy (who designed Sarah McLachlan’s Juno dress in 2009) saw McLachlan before the big show – she stopped into his atelier in Kensington Saturday to do a bit of shopping.  Sarah and Paul will be collaborating with the Alberta Ballet in their new work featuring McLachlan’s music and Hardy’s designs.

Brett Wilson hosted a section of his closest 100 friends at Lilith before heading off to Africa with his kids to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

Have you seen OK GO’s latest music video? It certainly is getting a lot of talk. You may remember these guys as the ones responsible for the treadmill video that was all done in one take. This video for This To Shall Pass took 60 attempts to get it right with a team of 20 engineers standing nearby. Worth it in the end! Take a look.

The Bachelor gave his final rose to Vienna after a mud wrestlin’ good time.  Nothing says love like the smell of sulfuric springs right?

I have to be honest Bachelor fans.  As much as Vienna was not a favorite I think she and Jake have a nice little sparky relationship.  How long the spark will last is another question.  Maybe there is more to Vienna than roots and hair extensions and oval press on nails.  Maybe the “real” Vienna is a real class act.  Because in the end appearances don’t really matter.  No sarcasm.  I mean that.

Re: my girl Tenley – I may have shed a tear.  Despite her heartbreak she is the still such a positive and hopeful person.  Love her.  I hope she makes it into the Bachelor Pad and finds true love.  Maybe with Kiptyn.

Speaking of finding true love – how do we feel about Ali being chosen as the next Bachelorette?  I know Tenley and Gia both had a lot of fans and I think there’s a reason they weren’t picked.  I bet they’re both in consideration for casting of the new Bachelor Pad.  If you haven’t heard about it The Bachelor Pad is a new reality show where 20 contestants from “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” will live together in a house and compete.  At the end of each episode, one resident will be evicted from the house.  Can’t wait to see it all play out.

Meantime I do hope Jake and Vienna are very happy together – preferably somewhere off my TV (although this will be impossible considering Jake is doing DWTS…)

Next week – Jason and Molly’s wedding!  Tune in!

I’ll be there to help introduce Kiptyn AND you get a free class of wine.  Consider yourself invited Bachelor fans!

Monday, February 22nd 5:30pm

SPUR gastropub – 351 4th Avenue SW Calgary

Buy tickets only though this website by clicking here and choose the option for Kiptyn’s Reception.