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The BannerfThe Era Thursday Feb Alison Grant second from left with shipmates Charbonneau from left Lind Tori Reid and SamSchaerer Despite sinking student says she would do it all over again frontpaged ship alarm Through the chaos crew members remembered their emergency training arid the twiceweekly drills to prepare them for events such as fire a man overboard or an order to abandon ship Just before Alison jumped into a life raft the ships mast bobbed out of the water landed on the raft and punctured it With the ship sinking fast students didnt have time to repair it so they spent the next 30 hours bailing constantly it was raining and most of the time we were up to our chests in water she said It was cold so we had to huddle for heat but the worst part was the saltwater chafe It just bums The ship was gone within 30 minutes of the alarm sounding With their emergency beacons switched on they were positive help would arrive within six hours but when six hours came and went panic began to set in among the students she said think through all of this we have created a lifelong bond The SV Concordia under full sail We tried to keep our spirits up by singing The Beatles Disney songs anything we could remember the words to she said I tried to keep picturing little moments at home like watching a movie with my par ents when this was all done and over with She admits at the 24hour mark questioned if help was coming Students battled sea sickness saltwater rashes and on five of water per hour Emotions were becoming frayed We couldnt see the planes but we could hear them coming she said Oh my gosh it was like the biggest relief ever She and her classmates began to sing once more holding hands and awaiting their rescuers Once they heard the planes they broke out the bottled water and rations to celebrate Picked up by a Filipino merchant ship once she was safe on land she immediately called her mother to tell her she was Ok I told myself was going to keep it together she said But when I got on the phone I started to cry She and her classmates were put up in a hotel in Brazil where the first priority was a shower and sleep The Canadian consulate arranged temporary pass- ports and visas so the students to return home She arrived in Toronto Monday morning Although she is disappointed about losing her new laptop and camera she is more upset about the calen dar her friends made her the stuffed animal resembling her family dog her mother gave her a leatherbacked journal documenting her travels and the Tshirts and trinkets she had collected on her trip that are all at the bottom of the ocean Still she remains upbeat I would do it all again in a heartbeat she said It was the best experience of my life Her mother admits she wouldnt protest since her daughter discovered so many cultures and places and Before boarding the ship Alison attended school at Acadia University in Nova Scotia to learn to sail and had the opportunity to spend days on three humanitarian projects in Dakar Senegal There she distributed malaria nets built a com munity garden and taught locals to maintain it She also volunteered at youth shelters and orphanages and paired up with local students to discuss global issues such as climate change The Class Afloat program involves boarding a tall ship in Copenhagen Denmark on which students live and learn for a period of months While on the ship students take on regular ship duties including night watch cleaning and operation after completing seamanship and sail training courses offered onboard The journey was supposed to take Alison to more than ports worldwide However the students will now attend Acadia start ing March 9 to complete the remaining months with a focus on academic studies Im just so excited to get back together with my crew she said I think through all of this we have created a lifelong bond Cops accountable under new system Lawyer serves as provinces independent police review director If you are unhappy with the way you have been treated by a police officer a new process has been established aimed at getting you satisfaction Before October if you had a complaint about police conduct servicftor policies you had to file that complaint with police Gerry the independent police review director said in an interview this week That process led to some dissatis faction Mr McNeilry said It didnt seem to the public that there was enough accountability The police review directors office opened Oct 19 2009 It is an arms- length agency of the attorney gen eral staffed by civilians who deal with complaints against police in Ontario In addition to processing and investigating public complaints the agency is responsible for establish ing and administering the public complaints system Mr McNeilry presented the new complaint system at yesterdays York police services board meeting Wftat want to see is a system that enjoys the support and confidence of the public and the support and confidence of the police But your complaint will not be without scrutiny Mr McNeilry said adding complaints will be screened to ensure theyre valid The office also has the power to identify and suggest solutions to sys temic or ongoing issues within the police service You can file your complaint in English or and drop it off at any police station in Ontario If you require translator you must pro vide for one according to the office Mr McNeilly a lawyer by profes sions said the office has 10 investiga tors four former police officers and six others who have been drawn from areas including gaming hous ing and child protection agencies The police review directors office has received 700 files since its incep tion Mr said After a complaint has been screened by the police review direc tors office it will decide if informal resolution is necessary It can only proceed with the con sent of the complainant and the officer involved Possible resolution include an apology an explanation by a senior member of the police service referral to education train ing or various forms of mediation according to the office An informal resolution is also available GERRY Independent police review director wit ovetsee police complaints in Ontario HOW TO COMPLAIN You can mate a complaint about a police officer if you Have a concern or were offended by something a polke officer said or did to you Were a witness to an incident involving a police officer that con cerned or offended you Are concerned or distressed as a result of the way a relative or friend has been treated by a police officer Are acting on behalf of an indi vidual listed as a person who has given written permission to make a complaint on anothers behalf Have a complaint that a polke service has not provided proper service and Have a complaint about a policy of a poke service York Regional Police was the sub ject of 1 16 complaints last year Chief Armand La Barge said Of those 80 were resolved and 36 were carried over to be dealt with this year Of the concluded were Informally resolved were deemed unsubstantiated three were with drawn and 12 were not dealt with because they were deemed to have been frivolous were made in excess of an acceptable amount of time or were found to be not directly related Chief La Barge said Two resulted in informal disci pline and two were not accepted by the review directors office he said What I want to see is a system that enjoys the support and confi dence of the public and the support and confidence of the police the chief said The police review directors office still has the ability to direct York police to conduct the initial probe into a complaint he noted He says the police review directors office will handle many of the most serious and incidents- Chief La Barge said he welcomes representatives of either the police review director or another police force investigating complaints here BRAVIA sony Tvselloi Once a year savings now on all topoftheline SONY XBR and BRAVIA LCD and LED TVs SONY 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