My Dog Ate My Homework (and other political statements)

Today I had a chance to meet with the leader of the NDP party, Andrea Howarth. 

We got together in the NDP caucus board room. 

Mrs. Horwath came in a few minutes late and apologized, saying that her dog, Waffles (I KNOW! WAFFLES!!!), had made her late. She said, "you've probably heard the excuse, 'my dog ate my homework', though you're such good kids you've probably never used it. Really, though. I had to take Waffles out for a walk this morning. I put on her boots but not her raincoat. So when we got back she was soaking wet except for her feet, so I had to dry her off before I could come!".  Immediately I liked this woman. I mean, a dog named WAFFLES who wears boots and a coat? That's pretty perfect. 

Mrs. Horwath asked us a few questions about the Page Program and how we were liking it. Then she told us a little about herself. 

She was going to University in the town where she grew up in Hamilton. The former main industry in Hamilton was steel. During the recession, lots of people in the steel industry got laid off and it was mostly immigrants who couldn't speak or read or write English very well. Some of the professors at her university, herself and some of her student colleagues made a workshop to help the immigrants learn the language and find new jobs. She was going to go study law but didn't. She started working for social groups, so working with injured workers and single moms and people with disabilities, helping them access services and finding jobs. Her friends all decided that they needed someone from their group to be on the city council so that they could influence the other people to fund the group and help it with its work. She ended up being the one to run and her political career began! She was successful and was a counsellor until 2004 when she ran for a provincial seat. She became an MPP until 4 years ago when she was elected party leader and was successful. Next year she will celebrate her 14th year as a provincial politician. 

Then it was our turn to ask the questions. 

I asked her what one thing she was most proud of accomplishing (or that her party accomplished) since she became an MPP. She gave me a really honest answer but I promised not to tell.... so my lips are sealed!!!

It's really interesting meeting with the MPPs because you don't really think of them as people, you see them as their roles or as kind of famous people. Really, they are all very real and kind and willing to talk to you. They also seem to have really interesting backgrounds and seem to be people who want to help make the world a better place. That's something I have in common with them. Who knows, maybe one day, I'll be an MPP. 

The Pages with Ms. Horwath

---PeyThePEYge

By-By! Election Time!

This week, MPP Kim Craitor (from Niagara Falls) resigned. It's a bit of a surprise and a mystery as to why he left. He just resigned without warning.

They will now have to have a by-election to fill his seat in the House.

What's a by-election, you ask?

Well, this cool dude can tell you!

One, Two, FREE The SEQUEL!

In Ontario, as MPP Michael Chan who is the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport would tell you, there is something called CULTURE DAYS.

Culture Days is an idea to have people experience the arts in their community for free. I think this is a really great idea because people who otherwise wouldn't be able to do things like try a ballet class or learn how to sculpt with clay can try it out for free. It's also a good way to highlight some of the people in our communities who do amazing things like write, act, dance, paint and sculpt, sing, play instruments.......

This weekend for Culture Days, there are a lot of events happening around the city. I found out about something at a library that I really wanted to do so mum and I took another adventure (more subways and streetcars!) about 1/2 an hour from where we live to the Dufferin/St. Clair library to meet

PATRICK BOWMAN 

who is an author but more importantly because he was there to do 

RE-ENACTMENTS OF GREEK MYTHS!

I happen to LOVE Greek mythology. Like, LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  I also happen to LOVE authors and books. I'm also pretty dramatic (:D) so this was the PERFECT EVENT FOR ME!

I was chosen to play a few parts and we reenacted several myths. My favourite was probably the Trojan Horse myth (and not just because I got to slay my sleeping mother after she passed out from all of the partying she was doing!). 

We also reenacted the Golden Apple of Discord myth (it's actually a story about Paris having to decide which of 3 goddesses is the fairest of them all. Think a Greek Snow White. Really, it is basically why the Trojan War was started, I mean what else could happen when a man has to tell two women that another woman is prettier than they are!!!!)

And guess who was chosen to play the Goddess Aphrodite? That's right.... this beautiful bombshell!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D 

Oh you may laugh, but guess who gets the golden apple? 

That's right! :D 

Fairest. Of. Them. All.

It was a really fun event! I loved the reenactments but it was also cool talking to Patrick Bowman because he knows a LOT about Greek Mythology and he is a really good storyteller. 

After the Culture Days fun, mum and I found another fun and FREE thing to do in the city. 

RIVERDALE FARM!!!!!

This is a really cool farm in the middle of the city. There are horses, donkeys, cows, sheep, goats, chickens, pigs, rabbits! A real farm! 

Visiting the animals was so much fun! 

What's also cool about Riverdale Farm is that there are nature walking trails. We walked all through the trails and found some awesome places to climb trees (one of my favourite activities!) and chill for the afternoon. 

One thing that I learned about the city is that there is ALWAYS something to do and that you can find some pretty cool places and activities if you look for them! 

---PeyThePEYge

One, Two, FREE!

There are so many cool places in the city! 

People think that when you want to visit an attraction in Toronto that you have to pay a lot of money and that's sometimes true, but if you look carefully you can find that the BEST places to visit are actually free! :D

My mum and I visited a place called Allen Gardens today. It's a giant greenhouse and plant exhibit right  in the middle of the city. It was such a peaceful place that it was hard to remember we were even still in the city! 

There were so many different plants bursting with colour and beauty!

I really liked the high, domed glass ceiling,

the tall jungle-like trees 

and the cactus room. 

Oh! And there were fish and turtles in a pond by a waterwheel that I really liked! 

There was a clump of vines I thought looked like a SASQUATCH! See his arms, head and legs? 

A children's garden and outdoor area

And a PAPAYA TREEEEEEE 

(for my sister!!!!!!) 

Allen Gardens is an amazing place to forget you're in the city and enjoy some beautiful and peaceful nature! 

I had a really awesome afternoon even with the crazy "adventure" mum and I took through Chinatown on a streetcar in the wrong direction! With my mum, we're never "lost", we  are just taking a different route on a never ending "adventure"!!!!!!! 


---PeyThePEYge

Top Of The World!

Today was my class trip to the CN Tower

We walked to the subway and rode to Union station which is kind of like a smaller version of Grand Central Station and little bit less busy. 

We walked the rest of the way to the bottom of the CN Tower and we got to go by the Royal York Hotel which is where the Queen stays when she comes to visit. 

Me, Ravicha and Jasper on the subway

Our group in the lobby of the CN Tower

A group shot with the Mountie Moose!

We divided into two groups to go into the elevator. I was in the first group to go up. I wasn't too nervous about going up but didn't want my ears to pop (I've heard that can happen) so I was equipped with a piece of bubble gum! 

The ride up was pretty cool because one of the walls in the elevator is entirely made of glass. Two little squares on the floor are also glass so you can see directly beneath you! We were all squished together in the elevator which made the trip feel a little safer. 

In just a few minutes, we were at the top! 

The observation deck is 1,122 feet above the ground! That's a LOOOOOOONG WAY UP (or down. Hmm.) 


BUT WHAT A VIEW!!!!!! That's Lake Ontario you can see. 

Here is a look DOWN from the glass floor. It's pretty cool... you can see the newly constructed Ripley's Aquarium down there. Love the sharks on the roof! 

I thought I would be worried about being up so high and stepping onto the glass floor, but really, I didn't mind it at all. You could even say I jumped right in... feet first! :D 

Lying down on the glass floor is kind of a neat feeling too. I'm like a star in the sky to the people down below! 

The outside area is cool but the safety net blocks your view a little bit. It was really windy outside from up here and a lot colder than it was down on the ground. 

We ended our day back in the Page Quarters choosing political parties to be a part of for our upcoming election and debates. I'll write more about that another day. 

I really like our Friday adventures as a group. It's neat to explore the city and see these sights but it's also really great getting to know the other Page kids. I've made some amazing friends that I know I'll be friends with forever!  

It's A Small World After All

Just when I feel like I'm missing home a little, I run into a friendly face from my hometown!

I was walking home from Queen's Park with mum tonight when we saw a friend and her mom walking down the sidewalk!

Kind of amazing that in a city full of so many people, we found each other!

--PeyThePEYge

Clear The Deck!

Not hit the deck! I said CLEAR the deck! You can come up now! :D

No, I haven't been boating! Clearing the deck is a phrase I have heard a LOT of in the last two weeks. The MPPs are using it regularly and it's kind of exciting.

You see, even though the three different parties have their own beliefs and things they work for, they also agree on things from time to time (I know, hard to believe). I guess it's kind of like having a sister.... sometimes you argue and disagree but every once in a while you can come together and agree on something (okay, maybe it's a small thing but at least it's SOMETHING!)

Well in the last couple of weeks, the parties have agreed on some of the bills that have been presented in the House. They're kind of considered small bills, not ones that mean a whole big change or that take a lot of work or money, but they are important (like the one saying people under 18 can't use tanning beds for example). So the parties kind of agreed to clear the deck, meaning that they want to get these smaller bills that everyone pretty much agrees are good bills out of the way so that they can concentrate on the really big deals.

This means that there have been a lot of bills being passed in the House. In fact, my group of pages will have seen more bills being passed during our session than most other sessions every get to see! It's kind of exciting to have been a part of seeing laws created for our province. Even more exciting is how some of the bills that are passed I EVEN GET TO CARRY TO THE SPEAKER AND THE CLERK. It's like my hands are actually delivering the thing that makes the law! Kind of cool.

I've been thinking about how to really explain how a law is made in Ontario, but I think that this really cool video does an AMAZING job of doing that for me. So this time, I'll save my fingers from getting sore from all the typing and just let you watch this (it's pretty short and it's really good, promise!)

Now if you're like me, you know all about how a law is made.... and have this crazy song stuck in your head! (Sink or swim! Swim or sink! Will the bill make it? What do you think????)

---PeyThePEYge

Who's The Boss? (And a special lunch)

I AM!

Today I was PEYge Captain! Being Page Captain comes with special responsibilities. You're in charge of the team for the day and you are supposed to help everyone be the best they can be. Even better, you get to march with the Sargeant-At-Arms, the Clerks and the Speaker in the Speaker's Procession through the building and up into the Chamber. It's exciting! 

Marching in the procession through the hallway

Marching into the Chamber

A picture with two of my Page buddies and the Sargeant-At-Arms, Dennis Clark

At the end of the day, you have to submit a report and make a presentation to your page teammates that highlights what everyone did well, what everyone needs to improve one and some strategies for improvement. It's a big job, but this PEYge is just the girl to do it! 

It was kind of interesting because being the Captain gave me an opportunity to analyze what the team was doing and look at our work from a different perspective. It was hard because not only did I have to pay attention to my job and all of the things I was supposed to be doing, but I also had to watch my teammates and find places where we could improve our work. 

So being PEYge Captain made for an exciting day. But it got even BETTER.....

My mum and daddy came to watch me and they got to sit in the Members' Gallery which is a special box with seats right down on the Chamber floor level of the House. AND today was daddy's birthday so when MPP Clark introduced mum and daddy to the Assembly, he also told everyone it was my dad's birthday and wished him a happy birthday. It was very special and pretty thoughtful of him. 

But the day got even BETTER... CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? 

Mr. Clark invited mummy and dad and me to lunch with him in the 

PARLIAMENTARY DINING ROOM!

The Parliamentary dining room is a fancy shcmancy restaurant in the Legislative Building where the MPPs go to have their lunch. Think high class eatery! 

We sat with MPP Clark at a nice table right near the fireplace. 

He said I could have anything I wanted for lunch either from the menu or I could choose the buffet if I wanted. 

Of course, I chose the buffet! 

There was SO much food! There was fruit and salads and pastas and vegetables and meat! Everything was SO gooooood! 

It was so neat having lunch with MPP Clark because I was able to ask him questions and talk to him like a regular person. He is so kind and so honest and pretty funny too. 

I learned all about his past as the YOUNGEST MAYOR IN CANADA (he was 22 when he was elected) and how he was one of the people who started RIPNET (an internet company) and how he worked for a newspaper for a long time and then how he worked for MPP Runciman before he finally was elected as MPP. 

The funny part is I learned that he plays for a hockey team called the Legiskaters. Hello!!!!??? I mean, how cool is that? The name? Perfect!!!!!

He encouraged me to keep working hard for the things I believe in.  

What I really respect about him is how much of a volunteer he is. He has been volunteering in the Brockville area for a long time for a lot of different organizations. Volunteering when you're someone like an MPP is important because not only does it help whatever cause you're volunteering for, but you're also being a role model and showing other people how important volunteering is. I think it says a lot about someone when they give their time up to help other people and someone like MPP Clark who is really busy and does a lot of work and travels still finds time to help. 

We talked about so many things like recycling and some of the debates that were going on in the House. We talked about the importance of "clearing the decks" so that the government could focus on big issues. 

I asked him if it was hard having people take him seriously when he was the mayor when he was only 22. He said he thought it would be harder than it actually was and once people saw that he was committed to doing a good job, it got easier. 

Then at the end it was super special because he had asked them to bring out a piece of birthday cake with a candle for my daddy. HOW SUPER NICE IS THAT!!!????

Then he sort of pressured me into having dessert with him (because, you know, who really likes dessert ;) ) and we had dessert and then said goodbye. 

I wish I had longer to talk to him because it was so easy to ask him questions and talk to him. He is a good speaker and he made me feel really comfortable. 

I think the tradition of Pages being able to have lunch with their MPPs is really special. It helps make the pages less intimidated, it makes them feel extra special because even though the MPP is so busy and important, they're taking time to have lunch with you and it shows how real and down to earth they are. It even shows that it's not all about them... that they are interested in us (the younger generation) and what we think and feel and they're not just trying to impress people or get votes from us. 

SO THANK YOU MPP CLARK FOR SUCH AN AWESOME LUNCH AND A SUPER EXCELLENT DAY!!!!! :D 

---PeyThePEYge

The only disappointment from today is that we didn't have a camera so I don't have a picture of having lunch with Mr. Clark :( 

If You're Happy and You Know It Flap Your WINGS!

Some people are right handed and some are left, but did you know that politicians are right winged and left winged?

No, they aren't birds!

I'm talking about where they stand on the political spectrum which may sound very confusing, but it isn't actually.

Let me explain...............

I'll use a picture! :D

Our type of government is a DEMOCRATIC government. This means that the people who live here get to choose someone to represent them. If they don't like something that is happening, they tell their ELECTED representative whose job it is to speak for them. I put it in the middle because it is a very balanced kind of government.... nothing is extreme.

On the very EXTREME left is box that says "COMMUNISM" this means that everyone shares everything they have. No one is rich, no one is poor, everyone is equal. It's very difficult to maintain communism because eventually people start rebelling because they don't feel like they should share things they worked hard to earn. Nobody owns property or anything of their own, they just share it all.

On the very EXTREME right side of my picture I have a box that says "ANARCHY".: This is not really having a government or anyone telling you what to do. The idea is not having any one person or group or government in power.  It may sound like a lot of fun not having someone tell you what to do but we need laws and rules for everyone to be able to live together peacefully. People just do whatever they feel is right.

So in my picture, DEMOCRACY is in the middle. It's balanced.

The NDP (that's New Democratic Party) is sitting a little on the LEFT side of that balance. Why? Some of the main views the NDP are a little left winged. They care a lot about social welfare and not having poverty. They want to raise taxes for the rich people and lower taxes for the people who have less to try to make things more fair and equal. They believe that if someone has a certain level of income and they can afford it, then they should pay for health care and that money should go toward health care for people who can't afford it. They think Ontario should have rehabilitation programs for criminals instead of just punishing them in jail. You can see how some of these ideas are sort of like the COMMUNISM ideas on the left side... everyone taking care of each other and sharing, but they are nowhere as EXTREME as communism.

The PC (that's Progressive Conservative) are a little to the RIGHT side of that balance. Why? Some of the main views of the PC are a little right winged. Opposite from what the NDP think, the PC believe in building more jails to keep criminals off of the streets rather than spending the money to rehabilitate them. Right winged government believes more in spending money on our military. They want big businesses to grow on their own without the government helping. The PC party believes people should be more responsible for themselves and don't feel like government should run businesses and tell businesses how to do things.

The Liberals are a little right winged, but closer to the middle. They are more "CENTRALIST" because they are close to the centre. This means they share left wing and right wing views. They think government should evoke changes if the people want it, when the people want it. They believe in letting the people decide what happens and that the government should help things that need helping, but if they don't need help they just let things be.

The examples that I used to show this are EXTREME examples. None of our government is anywhere close to either of the extremes. And what's great about our government is that even though our three parties have some different ideas about how things should work, they all believe in our democratic system of government. They also share some ideas of how things should happen... this is how laws are made, when the all of the governments come together to agree on things for making Ontario a better place.

Oh My Word!

Sundays make a great day for exploring this crazy city I'm living in! 

Today I went to WORD ON THE STREET

It's a festival that celebrates WORDS! Literacy, writing, poetry, illustration, songs, letters, punctuation, grammar......

THIS IS MY KIND OF FESTIVAL!!!!

For those of you who don't know me, I LOVE to write. In fact, I hope to be an author someday. You might not know that I've already had a poem published too. 

So my mum and I went to Word On The Street to check out what the event had to offer and I was SURPRISED by how many PEOPLE THERE WERE! 

Sometimes I forget that this city has 2.6 million people in it. Apparently they all wanted to go to Word on The Street! :D 

Basically, the city shuts down the entire Queen's Park Circle (and a few of the streets around it) and then magical tents full of wondrous books and all things WORD related are set up in tents and booths around the park. 

Here are some highlights from the day......

Word On The Street is that this PEYge is awesome! 

TVO Kids entertainment stage! Awesome! 

Illustrators doing their thing everywhere! 

Lots of activities to take part in (identifying fingerprints? This IS a cool festival!) 

WAIT! WAIT! HOLD THE BLOG POST! 

WHY HAS NOBODY TOLD ME ABOUT THIS

HOW DID I GO MY ENTIRE 13 YEARS ON THE PLANET WITHOUT KNOWING

THAT THIS STUPENDOUSLY AMAZING AWESOMELY BRILLIANT

MOST PERFECT THING IN THE WHOLE WORLD

EXISTS!?

LET ME INTRODUCE TO YOU......

THE BOOKMOBILE!!!!!!!

Yes, it's a LIBRARY ON WHEELS! 

Or, you know, Heaven, as I like to call it. 

BOOKMOBILE!!!!!!!

Listening to The Strumbellas at the TVOKids Stage!!!!

There were so many neat author talks and things happening in tents all around Queen's Park Circle. 

One of the things I thought was interesting was a POETRY SLAM (even though people were snapping and since becoming a PEYge I don't really like snapping anymore as the aides and ushers SNAP at the pages to get their attention). I heard a poet named Greg Frankson (he goes by Ritalin) who has a radio show on CBC doing a couple of his poems. His poems were really fluid and modern and contemporary. He used volume and oompf to get his message across. They sounded like spoken songs. So much rhythm. I especially liked "Child Of The Beat" that was a poem about the music that his mom made him listen to when he was a kid. 

OH! THEN THIS REALLY CRAZY COOL EXCITING THING HAPPENED......

This would be famous author, Don Gillmor writing a story about ME! I got to talk to him for a little while and he asked me a lot of questions and then wrote this cool story! 

Let me tell you how it goes.......

PEYTON'S VERY BAD DAY

It was her first day as a parliamentary page, and Peyton was nervous. Actually, she was VERY nervous. 

When William "Big Bill" Bumpf, the gumpiest MPP in the world, yelled out her name, she almost jumped. 

"Peyton!" he bellowed. "Bring me a glass of water." 

She raced off and filled a glass of water and brought it back. Except just as she was about to hand it to him, she tripped, spilling the whole glass in his lap. 

All the MPPs laughed

"Peyton!" he bellowed again. 

This is the worst day of my life, she thought. But then she realized she had her first story for her career as a writer. 

And she smiled.  

This was, for sure, a most excellent day! 

And of course, no bookish event would be complete without the perfect pair of librarian glasses! 

---PeyThePEYge

PS: Today at Word On the Street at Don Gillmor's booth, I met a woman named Siri. She just happens to be Premier Wynne's speech writer! How cool is that? 

PPS: On Monday (the day after Word on the Street) I met Siri in the Whitney Block and she said hello to me! :D