Each year, Durham College supports the York Region Secondary School Mock Trial Competition held at the Newmarket Courthouse. 24 high schools compete by conducing mock trials before Judges in the Superior Court of Justice.

This year, Stephanie Ball, executive dean of the School of Justice & Emergency Services and School of Interdisciplinary Studies, joined the coordinating committee comprised of the Chief Justice of Ontario, the Crown Attorney for York Region, Senior Regional Chief Justice of Ontario, and York Region Deputy Chief of Police. 

Durham College (DC) students from the Paralegal program were thanked by Ball for inspiring high school students as she opened the ceremonies. In her speech, she shared the stories of how students often pursue a career in the field of justice because of these mock trials.

Current DC student Andrew Keeping participated in the competition when he was in high school and credits the experience with leading him to DC and the Paralegal program.

“I would say that my experience with the mock trial was incredibly educational and beneficial in many ways. The most apparent way was that I benefited from the competitive nature of the event and I really enjoyed interacting with real legal professionals and real judges, in a real courtroom.  You can’t get more real than that,” said Keeping.

Tasif Chowdhury, also a DC Paralegal student was unsure as a high school student if pursuing an education in law was the right option for him, the mock trial helped convince him it was the correct choice.

“When I decided to join the Mock Trial team in high school I was unsure of how much I really enjoyed law. But, after having worked with lawyers to prepare for the trial and having the experience of being in a court room, I ended up changing my mind. Being involved with the mock trial was actually fun, and only confirmed my interest in pursuing a career within the legal field.  Now at Durham College, I continue to gain all of the skills needed to succeed. There is nothing more empowering than the knowledge I have gained in this program and looking back I now know I made the right choice,” said Chowdhury.

The mock trials were created to help high school students develop their interest in the legal field while exposing them to a fully integrated, hands-on experience. DC supported the event administratively through Professor Burger, a lawyer teaching in the paralegal program, and Nicole Davidson, Student Recruitment and Admission Services.

DC’s Paralegal program is accredited by The Law Society of Upper Canada (Law Society), the regulatory body governing professional paralegals in the province. The program prepares students for the Law Society’s paralegal licensing examination, enabling them to provide legal services within authorized areas of law practice and represent clients before Small Claims Court, Criminal Court (summary convictions), Provincial Offences Court and government tribunals.

Although Canada’s need for skilled workers is no secret, according to Statistics Canada women’s representation in the trades remains low, accounting for only five per cent of all skilled trades workers in the country. To help fill this gap, Durham College (DC) will launch a new, all-women Elevating Devices Mechanic (EDM) pre-apprenticeship training program at the end of February.

“Ontario is expecting to see a high demand for skilled workers such as elevator constructors/mechanics and crane operators over the next 10 years,” said Christine Murphy, manager, Access Programs and Employment Services, DC. “These professions offer exceptional opportunities for employment yet women are still not entering them in any significant number. We want to get the word out about these careers, encourage women to pursue them and prepare our students to seize these opportunities in the job market.”

The need for certified EDMs is high due to the ongoing high-rise boom in cities, aging infrastructure in need of modernization and increased safety and maintenance standards. EDM is also one of many skilled trades facing a transitioning workforce as baby boomers retire in record numbers.

As one of only two organizations in Ontario to offer an EDM apprenticeship program, DC is known for its training expertise in this area, making the women’s EDM pre-apprenticeship program a natural fit for the college.

Through the program, which will see up to 15 women enrolled in full-time studies, students complete the in-school apprenticeship training for EDM Level 1; gain exposure to a secondary trade through an Industrial Mechanic Millwright course; and gain industry experience through a placement opportunity. Students will also receive safety and workplace preparedness training tailored for women entering a skilled trade.

To deliver this training, DC is partnering with the Microskills Community Development Centre (MCDC). MCDC will instruct students on a variety of topics, including recognizing and responding to unsafe scenarios; personal integrity and ethical practices; maintaining personal and professional boundaries; forms of harassment and strategies to address the situation; problem solving for work-life balance conflicts; and job mobility and developing leadership potential.

The program is being funded through the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program, which seeks to increase the number of new participants enrolled in apprenticeship programs while addressing skilled-trade shortages.

Firefighting doesn’t typically bring to mind snow, sleet and ice. Yet for first responders in Canada, treacherous, freezing conditions are as much a part of the job as smoke and flames. In spite of this, safety concerns and other limitations have made hands-on cold weather training tough to come by for firefighting students.

On January 26 and 27 that all changed for students in Durham College’s (DC) Firefighter Pre-service, Education and Training (PFET) program when they participated in an Environmental Stress Simulation Workshop. Held inside the climatic wind tunnel of the Automotive Centre for Excellence (ACE) at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, the two-day workshop saw students execute a series of drills designed to test their physical and mental capabilities under intense environmental conditions.

With ACE providing simulated weather conditions in a safe, controlled setting, students executed several drills. This included dragging a 110-pound mannequin around an icy chamber; riding a stationary bike through blustering snow; performing hot room victim search-and-rescue procedures in the dark; and battling wind and rain while practising dismounts from a full-size firetruck, extending hose lines and performing forcible entries — all while wearing full personal protective equipment and a self-contained breathing apparatus. Lastly, they performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a simulated moving ambulance that took them on a winding, bumpy ride.

Seizing the opportunity to work in a setting unique to their field, students in DC’s Fitness and Health Promotion (FHP) program also got in on the action. FHP students outfitted their PFET peers with state-of-the-art body metrics compression shirts in order to measure their heart rate, breathing rate and breathing volume. The data was then used to determine how their bodies reacted under the adverse conditions.

“Firefighting has tremendous physical demands,” said Michael Williams-Bell, a professor with the FHP program. “Providing students with an understanding of how their body reacts to typical job tasks will enable our firefighting students to make better decisions when responding to an emergency.”

Emerging frost-covered from a sub-zero chamber, PFET student Tyler Austin was surprised by how the cold affected his performance. Even as a seasoned ski patrol officer used to working in frigid temperatures, Austin found the cold-weather drills challenging. “It was interesting to see how much the cold affects our equipment and breathing apparatus,” said Austin. “I realized I had to slow down and use my skip-breathing techniques. Being able to simulate what it will be like out there on a cold winter day was a great way to get hands-on experience that backs up all our theory work.”

That’s exactly the kind of insight PFET instructor Rick Bowler hoped students would gain; in the 16 years he’s been teaching at DC, he’s never seen anything like the Environmental Stress Simulation Workshop.

“Firefighting is a fiercely competitive field, so offering students truly innovative experiences like this demonstrates how committed DC is to helping them gain a real, competitive advantage,” said Bowler. “I always have certain goals in mind for my students’ experience and this has surpassed any of them by far.”

As part of DC’s ongoing commitment to aligning its programs with the needs of students, employers and job market conditions, the School of Justice & Emergency Services and the School of Health & Community Services will now review the workshop and the possibility of making it an ongoing part of the PFET and FHP curricula.

Despite the cold weather happening outside, Durham College Horticulture Technician students recently had an opportunity to put their green thumbs to use when they showed off their skills at Landscape Ontario Congress.

Taking place from January 12 to 14, the annual event, now in its 42nd year, is Canada’s largest green industry trade show and conference, showcasing cutting-edge suppliers, educational sessions and keynote speakers. In addition, post-secondary students enrolled in horticulture programs at colleges across Ontario, are invited to build a student garden for the conference, allowing them to experience real-world timelines and pressures while adding green space to the event.

During their second semester, DC’s Horticulture Technician students collectively decided on the theme and design of their garden. To honour the first harvest of the fields at the Centre for Food (CFF), they chose an agriculture theme, which included vegetables and wild flowers grown in the college’s greenhouse. Using knowledge acquired during their studies, students planted the seeds and timed the growth of the various plants to ensure they reached maturity during the show. The evergreen components of the garden were generously donated by Kobes Nurseries Inc. in Bowmanville, Ont.

The students then pre-built some of the garden’s elements during the fall, giving them time to work out any kinks and prepare for the installation of the display in January. In keeping with the rural theme, the display’s structure and fencing was made of rough-cut Hemlock wood secured with mortise and tenon joinery in place of typical hardware.

“This project provides invaluable experience and networking opportunities to our students,” said Shane Jones, program co-ordinator of the Horticulture Technician program. “They thrive in a professional atmosphere year after year, uphold high standards and conduct themselves respectfully and professionally. It’s an honour to stand with them as representatives of Durham College.”

In addition to creating and displaying a garden at the event, the students also attended the tradeshow on January 14 as active participants before disassembling their garden. In addition to the hands-on experience of designing, growing and building their display, they also had the opportunity to mingle with industry professionals and students from other colleges.

“Once again, Durham College students have done an excellent job communicating the values of the college to an audience of more than 13,000 horticultural professionals,” said Tony DiGiovanni, executive director, Landscape Ontario. “The Durham College garden reflects the strong connection between the landscape and food.”