With both university and college experiences under my belt, I have honed my writing abilities across an array of styles. My proficiency in writing extends to journalistic articles, creative compositions and academic papers, reflecting a diverse skill set. In addition, my repertoire encompasses the art of crafting effective public relations materials, including press releases, and proposals. Complementing these capabilities, I possess knowledge in the world of advertising, enabling me to create impactful print, television, and radio ad campaigns. Please explore my works below.

Lake Winnipeg: Shared Solutions  

This is my last Broadcast Journalism story! For this final project I tried to make my stand-up as interesting as possible by including the touchscreen as a prop. While recording my voice-over, I emphasized words to let viewers know what the important points are to the story.

Entertainment Anchor 

For this week of Broadcast Journalism I was the Entertainment Anchor. This involves finding a story and creating two 30 second videos and one graphic. I then wrote a script to go with the visuals and said it live on-air. 

During my on-air time, the control room accidentally restarted my first video and didn't play the rest of it. This is why I'm shown talking while there is no video being played.

My Monument Art Exhibition 

During this Broadcast Journalism story I was the reporter. This involved finding a story, setting up interviews, preforming interviews, writing a script and recording a voice-over. 

Mayor Sam Katz Sues Student Newspaper 

2014 Vaughan Baird Polar Bear Classic 

City Hall

“It cost us a lot of time and angst,” says Kristina Poturica, who recently bought a new building for her hair salon.

This recent purchase has led her – with a lawyer, architect and supporters by her side - to the Riel Community Meeting, held March 11, to discuss the unexpected caveat contracted to the building.

This caveat states that the building could only be used as a medical office.

“When I bought the building, I didn’t know that I would need to come to City Hall to get the building approved,” says Poturica.

“It was a surprise; I didn’t know a caveat existed on the property until after the proposal was finished and the purchase was made.”

“It’s a very unusual situation,” says Verne Reimer, the project architect. “I’ve never seen a caveat like this but it’s a little out of sync with the city now.”

But since 1981, the city has updated its bylaws.

“This case is unusual,” says St. Vital Councillor Brian Mayes. “Usually people come to City Hall to rezone their property. The most common cases are when people want to change their fence lines or because they’re a little bit over the property line.”

The building was a medical office but because the doctor had been there for so long, there was no need to update city regulations.

“It’s been a long process but it’s mostly time, effort and cost that goes into something this big,” says Poturica. “The key in getting through setbacks like this is having professionals behind you to give good advice.”

Poturica looks at Reimer and smiles.

“Overall I think it was worth going through this process to recognize the value of the community which is important because my business is community orientated,” she says. “If someone was opposed to our relocation, we would certainly want to hear it.”     

Now that the caveat has been removed, design to the interior of the building can take place.

“There’s a lot that needs to be done now that the caveat has been lifted, says Poturica. “We have to take down all of the little rooms that were once offices to open it up and change the environment to make it our own.”

Poturica will move her salon, Rituals in Hair and Skin to 159 St. Anne’s Road this fall. 

The Riel Community Committee meets once a month to discuss neighbourhood issues and exchange information. The meetings, which consist of 15 City Council members, establish goals and actions to improve city neighbourhoods. The meetings are open to the public who can share their ideas in what they think needs to be implemented.

City Hall 2

Cyber-bullying has caused kids to develop anxiety and depression which in some cases, ultimately leads to suicidal actions. Bullying now exists in social spaces and within the comforts of solidarity. It is almost impossible to escape without completely walking away from the online world.

“It’s never just one person who does the cyber-bullying; it’s usually at least two people,” says Mackenzie Braun, a grade 10 student at Westwood Collegiate. “A couple of my friends have switched schools because cyber-bullying was becoming too much.”

To spread awareness of this problem, Westwood Collegiate hosts regular anti-bullying meetings for each grade. “We all get “the talk” about cyber-bullying and the consequences that are involved,” says Braun.

“Our principal told us that if there’s a cyber-bully, he will make a fake account to monitor the students,” says Braun. The students at Westwood Collegiate also watch anti-cyber-bullying videos that show how cyber-bullying affects people’s lives – in some cases, resulting in suicide.  

Clay Kellough, a grade nine teacher at Acadia Junior High says, “The principal deals with an overwhelming amount of students who are victims of bullying online and outside of school. This happens to students who wouldn’t normally deal with each other in the same social circles, hallways or classrooms. The majority of the bullying happens online.”

Kellough says, “Parents need to monitor their child’s Facebook and limit their privacy settings.”  

Nancy Faulder, the Resource teacher at Glenelm School says “It all starts off tame, in the past kids would get into fights on the playground and then tell the teacher where the situation would be dealt with. Now it’s a lot easier to be mean because you’re faceless online,” says Faulder, “It’s scary stuff.” 

On Oct.24 the Winnipeg city council discussed a potential anti-bullying legislation. “Bullying today is very different than it was when I was a kid,” says Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz, “Some young people are being humiliated by cyber-bullying, and the results can be been very drastic.” There are numerous campaigns to help give kids the support they need against online bullying. “It’s very unfortunate but everyone has to play a positive role in this.” says Katz, “Bullying is a criminal offence.” 

A unanimous vote was cast in favour of an anti-bullying legislation to promote the campaign Cool 2Be Kind: a program to promote kindness within the school grounds.

Projector Article

Title: Giving Dogs a Second Chance   

Subhead: Manitoba Mutts Dog Rescue

The Manitoba Mutts Dog Rescue is a volunteer based organization that rescues dogs that have been abandoned, surrendered or abused within Manitoba.

“We put 1000 dogs up for adoption each year” said Becky Nordquist, the Executive Director of Manitoba Mutts. “There isn’t a lot of strays within Winnipeg, it’s usually in the rural communities outside of Winnipeg and from communities up North.” 

Manitoba Mutts primarily focuses on helping the First Nations Communities by assisting them in making sure that their dogs are spayed and neutered.  “We want to give them the opportunity for vetting because they don’t have vets in their communities, creating a higher base for strays and dog deaths there” she said.

“We usually get phone calls to pick up stray dogs” said Nordquist, “right now we have about 50 dogs waiting to come in the door. It’s really sad to have the waiting list because some dogs will pass away while waiting to come in” she said. To help solve this problem the organization is constantly recruiting for foster homes.

“We have 130 dogs right now so we need to raise large amounts of money” said Nordquist. “When we get a charitable status it will help out a lot and we will be able to get corporate sponsors.” Manitoba Mutts was founded in Jan.2011 and is still in the process of becoming established.

The organization puts on numerous fundraisers to help raise money for their dogs. The fundraising covers spay and neuter as well as vaccinations. However, a large amount of money is needed to help care for dogs that are injured. Nordquist explains how “it’s not really the spay and neuter that costs, it’s getting the dogs healthy enough to be available for adoption.”

Megan Robinson, a former foster parent, adopted her dog Griffin from the Manitoba Mutts. “They found Griffin up highway 59 on an empty lot” she said. “We found out that he had heartworm, he barely moved and was very sluggish because he didn’t have any energy” said Robinson.  

“When I adopted Griffin, Manitoba Mutts covered the vet fees and now he’s absolutely crazy with energy” laughed Robinson. “I tell everyone I know about Manitoba Mutts and ask them if they can foster. It’s always worth a try because who doesn’t want to help out dogs?” she said.

The Manitoba Mutts are on Twitter, Facebook and have a blog as well as a website. “There are volunteer opportunities in all aspects of our organization such as administrative, graphic design and communications” said Nordquist. To make a donation to the Manitoba Mutts Dog Rescue, go to their website http://www.manitobamutts.org/ .

School Board Meeting

This year’s Draft Budget for the Winnipeg School Division has gone up. This means Winnipeggers must now pay $424 in school taxes; $72 more than last year.

The Winnipeg School Division held a public meeting on February 25, regarding the Draft Budget for 2013/2014 school year.

“We support the increase in school taxes this year, however we want the Council to re-evaluate how you allocate your funding for inner-city schools,” says Christa Traczuk and Crystal Courtland, representatives from Ralph Brown School.

This year school taxes include an increase in milk subsidies and transportation services.

“We are not in support of the revenue generated; specifically the milk subsidy and the increase in transportation services for buses,” says Traczuk in the Winnipeg school board meeting.

Milk subsidies are increasing from $0.10 to $0.25 while transportation services will increase from $39.60 to $44.These increases are to compensate for the $57, 000 in additional math resources in this year’s Draft Budget.

“Ralph Brown School has received no funding for a nutritional program while schools with very similar profiles are,” says Traczuk. 

Ralph Brown School is struggling to raise money for a snack program and has no government funding.

“The problem is that we are trying to fundraise internally through families who are already struggling to meet basic requirements," says Traczuk.

Ralph Brown School concludes with a $1000 funding request to ensure a daily lunch program into their curriculum. With this in mind, the Board of Trustees will work towards meeting their goals in consideration to the needs of the school division as a whole.

School taxes help cover staff salaries, busses, technology upgrades, building renovations and maintenance as well as school supplies.

“I am not here to applaud tax increases because there’s not a single soul in this room who likes to see a tax increase but I want to thank you,” says Heather Grant-Jury, a parent and representative of Stanley Knowles School to the Board of Trustees.

“I want to thank you for bringing in a reasonable budget. These are tough times and each school faces their own immediate challenges.”

“It could have been easy for you as a committee to cut taxes to have no increase,” says Grant-Jury, “However, drastic cuts mean lack of services, lack of programs and lack of staff for our kids. So although it might not be popular, I want to say thank you for the $6 a month increase.”

The total rise of expenditures in this year’s Budget Draft is $7,515, 100 more than last year’s taxes. The Division is also predicting a 120 decrease in student enrolment in the 2013/2014 school year.

This will result in reduced staff salaries but existing school programs will not be affected.

Remembrance Day 

“One Friday we were brought in from the field early because five men were killed by a roadside bomb,” said Master Corporal Rutledge, an armoured soldier of the Fort Garry Horse unit. He had been training in Shilo for his work-up training to serve in Afghanistan in 2008.

“The battalion formed us up to announce the names of fellow soldiers from our unit the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, who were killed in Afghanistan,” he said. One of them was Colin Bason, a former training partner and roommate of his.   

“Colin was the first person that I knew personally who had died from war,” he said, “Everyone knew him, he was funny, he was always positive and he was the kind of guy that everyone wanted to have around.”

Master Corporal Rutledge leaned back into his office chair; staring at the ground.

“Not long after Bason’s death, another friend of mine named Nathan Hornburg was killed by a roadside bomb,” he said.  

He paused.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “Give me a moment.”

He covered his face and took a couple deep breaths.

“The regiment suffered a great loss when they lost those two,” said Master Corporal Rutledge.

The loss of two friends didn’t deter him away from going overseas. “I understood what I was getting into, I wasn’t naïve and so my resolve was un-wavered,” he said. “If anything I felt more determined to go over afterwards; to carry on in their memory and in their names.”

“They gave their lives for a mission and we were the next ones to carry out that mission,” he said.

He rested his elbows on the wooden desk in front of him.

“When you’re about to go over, it makes it a lot more real and what you’re about to face,” he said.  When Master Corporal Rutledge went to Afghanistan, he visited a cenotaph in Kandahar Airfield. 

“It was one of the first things that I did there,” he said. 

The cenotaph has plaques with faces laser etched onto it of all the soldiers that have been killed in Afghanistan. “I found the plaques of my two friends Colin and Nathan; It was my responsibility to pay homage to them,” he said.

“I think it would be rare to meet a soldier from my generation who doesn’t know someone who was killed,” he said. “We want to remember our friends and we want to see that their sacrifice was for something.”

He stared into the knots of the desk.

“Now when I look at a memorial, instead of just seeing a list of names on a wall, I see the faces that are forever ingrained into my memory,” said Master Corporal Rutledge. “I am reminded that each and every person who sacrificed their lives for our country, each had their own lives and they each had their own dreams and aspirations, and they died for something that they believed so strongly about.”

He paused for a moment.

“I take it as a responsibility that I own now; to tell the personal stories of these two men that I knew and to keep their memories alive,” said Master Corporal Rutledge. “For me that’s what Remembrance Day means.”

Metric and Stars Concert Review

Cheers filled the MTS Centre as Metric took to the stage. People who were casually standing on the floor began pushing closer to the front. The crowd held up their cellphones trying to snap a picture of the band as they walked on set.

The Canadian band is touring the world to promote their new album Synthetica. Originally from Toronto, the indie rock band was founded in 1998. They now have multiple radio hits from songs such as “Help I’m Alive” and “Gimme Sympathy.”

The first half of Metric’s performance consisted of tracks off of their new album while the second half was comprised of their classics and hits. The crowd cheered and clapped after each song. People bounced shoulder to shoulder in excitement while others raised their hands in applause. With each new song, the floor of people began to sway to the music while singing along.

Both old and new fans watched. “I’ve been a fan since 2005,” said Ryan Zaffino “I prefer their old stuff better than their new album.”

He looked at a group of young fans “I don’t think a lot of people here know how long they’ve [Metric] been around for.”

About three quarters through the night, people began to crowd surf to the indie hits. There was no coat check so people on the floor had to hold their winter jackets while still trying to dance. Some resorted to tying them around their waists, but for most it was a nuisance.   

Metric ended off the night with an acoustic version of their song “Gimme Sympathy.”  As Jimmy Shaw strummed his guitar, lead singer Emily Haines said, “Now this song; when Jimmy plays this, sounds like rolling out of town and moving on down the road, as we do every single night.”

She swayed to the melody of the guitar. “Sometimes it feels amazing and sometimes it’s really confusing, but it’s the life we wanted,” she said.

A burst of cheers erupted from the crowd.

“This is a song about believing in something you’re not supposed to believe in, said Haines. She paused for a moment.

“Here we go.” 

“Sing along.”

She inhaled a deep breath.

“If you know it.”

Laughter filled the theatre.  

Metric’s opening performance was the Canadian indie pop band called Stars, who showcased their new album called The North.  Lead singer Torquil Campbell danced on stage while switching between playing the tambourine and a melodica. 

Despite the band’s energy, many people in the crowd watched motionless or were busy texting. There was no urgency to swarm around the stage or sing along to their songs.  It was clear that most people came to see Metric.

Travel Article

“The teacups are growing in our basement so we’ve actually had to tell people that we can’t take anymore,” says Leanne Stewart, owner of the McLeod House Tea Room and Gift Shop.  

The McLeod House offers fresh homemade sandwiches, salads, dainties and of course teas in its restaurant menu. The second floor of the house is dedicated to rooms filled with teas, giftware and home décor that Stewart buys from trade shows across Canada.

“Our tea cups were donated to us from people in the area,” says Stewart.  “When people come here, they love drinking out of the teacups.”

Stewart plays with a teacup between her fingers and smiles. “It’s funny seeing people trading teacups with each other so they can drink out of the ones they like best,” she says.

Kenneth Muranski, a first-time-customer says, “The tea house is wonderful, I really enjoyed their large selection of teas and the various trinkets in the gift shop that you wouldn’t usually see in big chain stores in Winnipeg.”

The McLeod house is the oldest remaining house in Stonewall Manitoba. It was built by Dr. Alexander McLeod in 1898 who also served as the Mayor of Stonewall for two years.

“His wife, Margaret Arnett McLeod was a writer,” says Stewart as she reaches to grab a book off of a display shelf.

Flipping through the thick pages of a faded red book she says, “People have donated some of her books to us. Some were used to teach songs in schools.”

The McLeod family had three children. The only son, Alan McLeod, was the youngest Canadian to acquire the Victoria Cross in World War I.

“Within the first week we opened, a tall gentleman with a cane, walked into our house and said ‘I have a story for you,’” says Stewart.

“He told me that his name was Alan McLeod and that he was named after Alan in honour of the doctor’s son.”

The floor boards creaked beneath her as she shifted in the chair.

“He said ‘I have something to show you’, so he went in his bag and unravelled a silver baby cup with the name Alan McLeod engraved in it.”

“He told me that Dr. McLeod’s family gave it to his family as a gift in appreciation for naming him after their son,” says Stewart. “He actually gave the cup to us and we had it on display here.”

When Alan passed away, Stewart returned the cup to the Woodlands Pioneer Museum in his home town.

The McLeod House is celebrating their 10th anniversary this June. They are a 40 minute drive out of Winnipeg and are located on 292 Main Street, Stonewall Manitoba.  

The drive is easy because the majority of the drive is straight on the Perimeter Highway.

The McLeod House is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday and until 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Their menu reaches up to $10.25. For more information, please visit mcleodhousetearoom.com or urbanspoon.com.