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c economist suntribune thursday aug 8 2002 3 mould tests ordered for courthouse by roger varley staff writer the ministry of labour has ordered the ontario realty corp to conduct more tests on the newmarket courthouse in the con tinuing investigation of health complaints in the building in addition the facility maintenance team that looks after the building must pro vide reports on various elements of the courthouse environment says pauline tapping vicepresident of the ontario public sector employees union ms tapping said the orc the buildings landlord has been ordered to have experts conduct an acoustic or noise survey and test heating ventilation and aircondition hvac systems including air pressure and air flows and submit their reports by the end of this month the facility maintenance team received orders to provide reports on noise the light ing system the buildings cooling tower and the biocides in use the computers that con trol the hvac system and the regular check ing and prompt remediation of mould out breaks those reports are due aug 15 the orders were issued by the ministrys industrial hygienist on the advice of dr leon genesove provincial physician with the ministry dr genesove said the ministry became involved a few weeks ago after the build ings health and safety committee expressed concerns the investigation is ongoing we definite ly have major concerns ms tapping said of the continuing health complaints that have plagued users of the building for months we cant pinpoint whats causing this complaints have included everything from dizziness heart palpitations sinus problems nausea and ear infections in 2000 the building was closed for a year while toxic mould was eradicated from the building pinchin environmental co cleaned up a small amount of mould just over a week ago and was expected to test air in the building for mould spores this week ms tapping said a recent test found neg ative air pressure in one of the courtrooms although an orc spokesperson said recent ly all testing showed results within an acceptable range ms tapping said the occupational health and safety act gives the union the right to refuse to work in the building if they believe their health is at risk but the union is reluctant to take that step i have the right to pull everyone out but i dont want that on my shoulders she said many workers are under contract if they dont work they dont get paid they cant afford to be ill she said the union welcomes the addi tional testing ordered by the ministry new ailments are escalating she said we want a paper trail showing where work ers were when they got these symptoms experiencing other cultures rewarding lesson for teacher by mitchell brown staff writer he was willing to give rice and ants duck tongues and pig brains a try but he drew the line at sampling the roast dog when in rome shrugged peter stanleigh or in this case china exotic cuisine was just one of the things the 56yearold aurora teacher had to get used to while teaching english in wuxi a chinese city about 130 km west of shanghai the first thing i learned is that i was a highly visible minor ity he said i got to learn what its like to be stared at to get laughs gig gles and gawking when kids saw me they would do this he opens his eyes very wide because they have never seen round eyes before theyve seen foreigners on tv and in the movies but in a city of 45 mil lion people there are only 2500 foreigners living there mr stanleigh became one of those foreigners last september when he took on the job of aca demic coordinator for a school that helps chinese business people improve their english it was a long way literally and figuratively from the st catharines insurance brokerage he left behind 12 years ago earning a sixfigure income at the top of his game he said he realized one day there was more to life than money and in 1990 he decided to go back to school to become a teacher teaching is one of those professions where you dont do it for the love of money he said you do it because you can make a difference in someone elses life he credits his daughter shawna the youngest of his three children with inspiring him to make the move to china a teacher herself she studied in france and australia before returning to canada and mr stanleigh said he realized how enriched she had become from experiencing other cultures judging from the number of stories and photographs hes eager to share its clear mr stanleigh found the enriching experiences he had sought every city in china has developed whats called an english corner where the peo- staff photomitchell brown aurora resident peter stanleigh displays a silk painting he brought back from china where he took on the job of academic coordinator for a school that helps chinese business people improve their english pie gather in spots to practice their english he said every saturday for three hours i would meet dozens of people answering the same questions over and over teaching is one of those professions where you dont do it for the love of money you do it because you can make a difference in someone elses life when they asked where are you from i would say my mother i did that to be funny but also because its a good test to see how well they understand english he says china is beginning to emerge from its cocoon and the demand for english training is growing especially among business managers and entre preneurs eager to enter foreign markets international travel is still difficult for them because you still need a visa to leave the country he said if you have money it doesnt buy you the right to visit other countries so many people want to travel but china has a real fear people would travel beg for asylum and not come back china really needs its professional people mr stanleigh said his time in china has opened his eyes to their perspective of the world and he believes the government is not as repressive as westerners believe religion is practiced freely he said but the government will crack down on movements that make political statements of course a lack of knowl edge about a foreign country works both ways mr stanleigh found it amusing so many peo ple asked him if he had ever met norman bethune the canadian doctor who worked in china before his death in 1939 they still see him as a living legend he said they see him as the embod iment of the spirit of the canadian people in the minds of those people he still exists mr stanleigh hopes to add to that positive image of canadians when he goes back to china later this month to resume his teaching duties he also has plans to get into the importexport business and to set up shop as an advisor to canadian companies hoping to enter the chinese market activi ties he figures will keep him busy until his retirement in five years time or so hes in aurora for about a month to sell his house visit with friends and attend his daughters wedding where he wore a striking blue chinese silk jacket in place of a tuxedo sug gesting he is used to standing out in a crowd his advice for anyone con templating a similar midlife career change is simple when i was talking about going overseas my family was worried i would be so far away from family and friends but after my brother died my sister said you know peter a person has to do what he has to do and we realized we shouldnt talk about doing things msmmamammmmmmmmsseaabbsam mygybemet sisssksgssssgss ixffffgonnected web site hosting lets get you connected wsbromtibassiher 40 mb wab space 5 email accounts unlimited access secure ftp access front page extension 50 mb web space 10 email accounts unlimited access secure ftp access front page extension dialup fun m 05 unlimited internet access 5 email addresses 25 mb web space 24 x 7 technical support no activation fee blazing fast 56k x2 v90 lines monthly price ictl on annual rrt jih womeadbl 34 os 25 mb web space 5 email accounts 15 mb x 320 km 24 x 7 technical support no 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