Reporter

FEBRUARY 2024

Events and Important Dates …..........1 Winter Recipe……………..…….........3

How we Spent the Holidays.………...2 Employee Recognition …...................4

Riddle of the month

Why shouldn't you trust a pastry chef on Valentine's Day?

THINGS TO DO IN BRAMPTON IN FEBRUARY

Skating

Who doesn’t love a snowy winter day? This Family Day, kids of all ages can enjoy the magic of a snow day at one of
the many Outdoor Rinks in Brampton. Lace up your skates and hit the rink.

Tobogganing

Tobogganing is a FREE activity and a great way to EXPLORE the Outdoors! A few tips before you head out. Safety first
always! Check the hills for any debris, sticks, snow/ice ramps that may be left behind. Helmets are always a good
idea. If you are at a bigger hill, test the speeds out first by starting in the middle, before going all the way from the top.

Go Snow Tubing at Mount Ching

Snow tubing is a super fun way to spend the day outside with the kids. Enjoy snow tubing without having to leave the
Greater Toronto Area. Located on the ski hill at Chinguacousy Park in Brampton. There is a minimum height
requirement of 42″, and a maximum weight of 250lbs for the tube hill. This snow hill is one of the smallest and offers
a gentle introduction to snow tubing for younger kids and has an easy to use magic carpet lift.
 Black History Month
VIOLA DESMOND(1914–1965)

Viola Desmond remains an icon of the human rights and freedoms movement in Canada. A successful Nova Scotia businesswoman, she
defiantly refused to leave a whites-only area of a movie theatre in 1946 and was subsequently jailed, convicted and fined. Her court
case was one of the first known legal challenges against racial segregation brought forth by a Black woman in Canada.

Thriving entrepreneur

As a middle-class Black woman in the 1930s and 1940s, Viola Desmond was always a trailblazer. From her early days as a school
teacher, her ambition was to set up her own hairdressing business. The first hurdle was training. Beauty schools in Halifax restricted
Black women from admission, so she travelled to Montreal, New York and New Jersey to pursue various courses, eventually receiving a
diploma from the renowned Apex College of Beauty Culture and Hairdressing in Atlantic City.

In 1937, Desmond set up Vi’s Studio of Beauty Culture in Halifax, which became a gathering place for women in the community. But her
vision didn’t end there. Within a few years, she established the Desmond School of Beauty Culture, which drew students from across
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec. Another venture—manufacturing and marketing Vi’s Beauty Products—was also generating
orders from across Nova Scotia. She had made positive inroads as both an entrepreneur and a role model in her community and was an
inspiration to her clients and students alike.

Defender of social justice

On 8 November 1946, she was travelling to Sydney on business when her car broke down in New Glasgow. While waiting for repairs,
she decided to go to a movie at the Roseland Theatre.

Unaware of the theatre’s policy of restricting Black people to the upper balcony, Desmond handed the cashier her money and asked for
“one down please.” The cashier handed her a balcony ticket and, when she entered the theatre, the usher told her that the ticket was for
the balcony and that she would need to go upstairs. Thinking there had been a mistake, Desmond returned to the cashier and asked to
exchange her ticket. The cashier refused, stating “I’m not permitted to sell downstairs tickets to you people.” As soon as she realized
that she was being denied seating on the basis of race, Desmond courageously walked back inside and took a seat downstairs. The
theatre manager then confronted her, and when she didn’t move, he called the police. Desmond was forcibly ejected, arrested, charged
and then convicted for failure to pay the extra penny in theatre tax required for the downstairs seat.

Desmond was unsuccessful in her subsequent efforts to quash her criminal conviction, but her story resulted in a milestone human
rights case in Canada. Since the case was framed as tax evasion, the real issue of racism had been shrouded by procedural technicalities.
If she had not taken further action, the surviving trial records would have left no clue to the true significance of the case—that she had
been denied the downstairs ticket on the basis of her race.

The legal challenge sparked by Desmond touched a nerve within the Black community and added to the growing consciousness
regarding racial discrimination in Nova Scotia. Her case was an inspiration for change and part of a wider set of efforts toward racial
equality across the country.

Desmond’s perseverance, and the attention generated by her case, paved the way for a broader movement to recognize the importance
of human rights in Canada.

Desmond received a posthumous free pardon from the Nova Scotia government on 15 April 2010. It was granted by then-Lieutenant
Governor of Nova Scotia Mayann Francis, who was the first Black Nova Scotian and only the second Black person in Canada to hold this
office. The pardon was accompanied by a public declaration and apology from then-Premier Darrell Dexter, who indicated that charges
should never have been laid and that her conviction was a miscarriage of justice.
 Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter,
softened to room temperature
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk*
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose
flour (spooned & leveled)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup (80g) rainbow sprinkles
(not nonpareils)*
Vanilla Frosting
3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter,
softened to room temperature
2 and 1/4 cups (270g)
confectioners’ sugar
3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy
cream or half-and-half*
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
salt, to taste
optional: food coloring (I used 1
drop red for this pink frosting) and
extra sprinkles for decorating on
top
Directions
1. Make the bars: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8-inch square pan
or 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, making sure to leave enough
overhang on the sides. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle
attachment, cream the softened butter for about 1 minute on medium
speed. Get it nice and smooth, then add the sugar on medium speed until
fluffy and light in color. Beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Scrape down the
sides as needed.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking
soda, and cornstarch. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the
dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough is
quite thick. Once combined, gently fold in 1/2 cup sprinkles using a rubber
spatula (or by mixing on low speed).
4. Press the cookie dough evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25-
26 minutes or until very lightly browned on top. You want the cookie bars
to be extra soft, so careful not to overbake. Allow the bars to cool
completely on a wire rack at room temperature before frosting. The center
will slightly sink—that’s normal.
5. Make the frosting: If you don’t want a super thick layer of frosting as
pictured, halve the frosting recipe. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted
with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy,
about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, cream, and vanilla extract with
the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full
minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or more
cream if frosting is too thick. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. I
usually add anywhere between 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Beat in food
coloring, if using.
6. Remove cooled bars from the baking pan using the aluminum foil
overhang on the sides. Frost the bars with a thick layer of frosting and
decorate with extra sprinkles if desired. Cut into squares. Use a very sharp
knife and wipe off with a paper towel between each cut to make neat, even
cuts. Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2
days and in the refrigerator up to 5.
 Birthdays & Events

Congrats! 14th – Partners

Meeting
15th – Rose
text
20th – Melissa

Thank you for

your hard work.
We appreciate
you!

Contributions Welcome!
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movies you like, or the patio where you
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Riddle answer: Because he'll dessert you

Simmons da Simmons
simmonsdasilva
Silva LLP daSilva