Christmas carols not yet welcome Silent Night in Novem- ber makes the naughty list for some while others are pleased to be rocking around the Christmas tree By JESSE LAM Christmas, everywhere you go. But, should it? While there are mixed feelings on Langara’s campus whether Christmas music is being played too early, some businesses around the city, such as Starbucks, believe the holiday tunes provide a valuable experience for pay- ing customers. “Starbucks itself usually determines when the Christmas music goes up,” said James Bagnas, a supervisor at Starbucks in Vancouver’s Yaletown neighbourhood. “T believe that it adds to the experi- ence for those who celebrate Christ- mas as more of a fun time.” Langara student Jorge Salazar be- lieves businesses are taking advantage of the holiday season to make money. “Tt really defeats the purpose of win- ter and the holidays being connected to each other,” said Salazar. General arts student Julia Hofmann believes it’s never too early for Christ- mas music. “T started listening to Christmas mu- sic on Oct. 1,” said Hofmann with a smile. “Tm a big Christmas fan. I usually listen to pop songs, stuff by Wham, Mariah Carey, the classics.” “T know there are Christmas music songs being played in the beginning of November,” said Alex Goria, an arts and science diploma student. “Once December hits, it’s OK to have Christmas songs on.” Christmas music usually doesn’t hit the nation’s public airwaves until the first week of December. CBC Radio normally starts playing Christmas music on Dec. 6 during their annual open house and Food Bank Day. “We keep it fresh because we play a lot more depth of music than just the hits,” said Leo Damian, communica- tions officer at CBC British Columbia. “We hope that listeners will feel that we cover Canadian content along with keeping the Christmas spirit during the holidays.” I: beginning to sound a lot like Wikicommons photo Opinions surrounding breastfeeding can vary, yet new evidence shows that British Columbians increasingly favour the original method. Breastfeeding prevails in B.C. West coast mothers are breastfeeding more than other Canadians By ANDREA ANTHONY ancouver resident Elena Peder- son believes in breastfeeding her children until they are three-and-a-half years old. Her 11-year-old daughter was breastfed until she was three-and-a- half and Pederson plans to breastfeed her two-year-old son until the same age. It is a great bonding experience with her kids, she says. “It is a great way to reconnect with my baby when I get [home] in the eve- ning,” said Pederson, 37. She’s not alone. According to a new report from Statistics Canada, more B.C. women breastfeed their babies than in any other province in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, 41 per cent of mothers in B.C. breastfed exclusively for the first six months in 2012. This is the largest provincial in- crease since 2008, when the rate was at 28 per cent. Frances Jones, coordinator of the lactation services and milk bank at B.C. Women’s Hospital said rates of breastfeeding always tend to be high- er on the west coast. She said it might be because of the culture of the re- gion, where exercise and healthy eat- ing tend to be popular. Pederson said when she _ breast- feeds she can be assured that her son is getting proper nutrition even when he’s not eating well. He also eats fruits, vegetables, meat and bread. “Tt’s just the kind of milk he drinks,” said Pederson. Unlike formula, breast milk is con- stantly changing throughout the day and as the baby grows, said Jones. “Human milk is always changing to meet the baby’s needs.” “It is a normal way to feed your baby,” Vancouver public health nurse Susan Bird said. “It has everything your baby needs in it.” Breast milk contains antibodies that decrease a baby’s risk of infec- tion and disease, said Jones, adding that women who breastfeed have a lower risk of developing breast can- cer, ovarian cancer, diabetes and os- teoporosis. The next-highest percentage of mothers that breastfed exclusively for six months were from the prairies, at 29 per cent. The lowest proportion occurred in Quebec, with 19 per cent. 66 It’s a great way to reconnect with my baby when I get [home] in the evening. Elena Pederson Ice skating loses speed but maintains significance Canadian parents believe ice skating is an important skill for their children to have yet new evidence shows fewer kids are lacing up AMY JONES photo Elementary school students enjoy a skate at the Robson Square ice rink Tuesday morning. By AMY JONES ents feel it is important for their children to have access to ice skating, yet fewer children are learn- ing to skate, according to a recent sur- vey. The survey, conducted by research company Ipsos Reid, found that 92 per cent of Canadian parents believe skat- ing is a basic skill that all Canadian children should have the opportunity to learn. While 80 per cent of those parents identify themselves as skaters, only 71 per cent would identify their children as skaters. Frederic Bilodeau, a teacher at Lau- ra Second Elementary School in Van- couver, learned to skate at age four. He believes it’s important for his daughter to learn and enjoy the social aspect of the activity. T: vast majority of Canadian par- “It’s part of my culture and my daughter loves it,” he said. Bilodeau said finding ice rinks in Vancouver is sometimes a challenge. He and his wife struggled to find a place to take their daughter to skate this week. School skate programs are therefore very important for children, but costs can be a deterrent, he said. “The prices for community centres are not that high, but I think we could have a better rate to go with the school to promote the activity,” said Bilodeau. Alain Reiher, a support worker for students with special needs at Lord Tennyson Elementary School in Van- couver, agree school programs that give children the opportunity to learn to skate are important. Skating and playing hockey were an important part of Reiher’s childhood. “T wasn’t born in Canada so when we arrived in Montreal, we were big fans of hockey and it was a big family moment for us,” he said. Reiher always had access to outdoor skating rinks in Quebec while growing up, but has recently seen skating be- come more limited as an expensive in- door sport. “My brother and I had so much fun. Whenever we felt like skating we could just walk there and play togeth- er with a bunch of friends.” Reiher and Bilodeau supervise stu- dents during field trips to Robson Square Ice Rink, where skating is free and skate rentals are $4. Surveyed parents identified barri- ers that prevent their children from learning to skate as “cost of equip- ment and instruction, too many other activities, loss of interest and access of ice.” The online survey, conducted by Ip- sos Reid, in partnership with RBC, in- volved 1,011 Canadians who have chil- dren in the household.