Canada is surrounded on three sides by oceans. To the north, the Arctic Ocean borders Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Off the west coast of British Columbia is the Pacific Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean, meanwhile, sits to the east of Canada’s Maritime provinces, which include Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.

Dear Principal Chaudry,

I am writing because I need to withdraw my son, Adam, from the Berry Hill Preschool program. I am requesting a refund of the tuition we prepaid for the period of January to June of next year.

We have been very happy with Berry Hill, and Adam has been enjoying his time there. However, we find that living in Vancouver is financially difficult for our family. I have been unable to get permanent work as a teacher for almost 2 years, and I have been looking for employment in other cities which can offer a more stable situation for us. Last week, I accepted a position teaching grade 10 at a high school in Calgary, and we will move in December.

My wife and I knew that when we enrolled Adam in the school we would be responsible for paying a full year of tuition, but I respectfully ask that you make an exception in our case due to our circumstances. We will be moving away, and there is simply no way we can afford to pay for our move plus make payments for a school Adam is not even attending.

I understand that we still need to forfeit the $400 deposit we made when we initially signed the contract, and that is all right with us. However, I must ask you to consider allowing us to cancel the contract due to our move to Calgary.

Unfortunately, even if Berry Hill is unable to release us from the contract, I will still ask the bank to cancel the post-dated cheques we gave you in September, simply because it does not make sense for us to pay.

I hope you understand the difficult situation we are in. Again, I want to tell you that we have had a very positive experience with your school. Because he’s so shy, it took Adam a while to get comfortable with everyone at the school, but now he is enjoying the friendly, stimulating environment.

Thank you for your time and understanding.

Sincerely,

Bart Wang

A. Caribana is an annual summer arts and culture carnival held in Toronto, Ontario. It’s modelled after many such carnivals occurring throughout the Caribbean islands and is now the largest festival of its kind in North America. Every year Caribana draws more than two million people, many of whom come to Canada just for the impressively elaborate event. Thanks to Caribana, about $400 million a year flows into Ontario, about half of which goes to the government in tax revenues.

B. Caribana—the name is intended to suggest both the Caribbean and Canada—started in 1967 as the Caribbean community’s contribution to Canada’s centennial celebrations. It celebrates not only Canada’s centennial, but also Caribbean culture and the African emancipation, when the enslavement of African people in Canada was declared illegal on August 1, 1834. However, since the 1980s, Caribana has included elaborate and impressive contributions from cultural groups in Central America, South America, and Africa, as well.

C. The festival celebrates music with indigenous songs and instrumental music including calypso, soca, reggae, and salsa. The performers’ contributions include not only music but also dance, masquerade, and oral traditions that feature storytellers and comedians performing in ’talk tents.’ Arguably the most significant events in the two-week festival are the steel band street parties. The steel drum, originating from Trinidad and Tobago, is the only non-electric musical instrument invented in the twentieth century. In fact, one notable moment from the first Caribana was a flawless three-piece performance by a steel band during a blackout caused by a rainstorm. In addition to all the entertainment, visitors may indulge in a variety of Caribbean food ranging from the expensive to the economical.

D. The highlight of the festival, however, is the grand parade. Although its route has changed over the years, it continues to be an electrifying spectacle of colour, costumes, music, and dance that covers several miles, dazzling the dense crowds that line both sides of the streets. However, since this parade is carnival style, anyone can join in and contribute in their own way. Parade participants are organized into masquerade groups called ’bands’ (now over a hundred), each of which has a particular theme—historical, political, fantastical—and is led by a ’king’ or ’queen.’ The parade is also a competition, and the bands are judged on elements including energy, creativity, and costumes that are typically quite lavish

. E. Not given in any of the above paragraphs.

Ever heard of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, or Verrucomicrobia? While these names might sound like an alien species from a thriller movie, they are, in fact, microscopic residents within our very own bodies. Indeed, they’re just a few of the many microorganisms which make up the human microbiome, a term which refers to all of the microorganisms within the human body. It turns out that a healthy human body is teeming with a wide variety of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and even viruses, with many human ailments linked to a reduction in this diversity.

According to researcher Ellie Kim, her investigations have found correlations between human microbiomes and a diverse array of diseases. “The role that these tiny creatures appear to have on health is profound and will open doors to new kinds of medical treatments,” Kim enthuses. She envisions that correcting microbiome imbalances may soon replace the practice of wiping out entire colonies of microorganisms with antibiotics. Indeed, with antibiotic-resistant bacteria on the rise, our current methods of treating bacterial illnesses are becoming worryingly obsolete.

Dietician Carlos Gomez is unconvinced. He contends that it isn’t clear whether the microbiome changes associated with various diseases are the cause of, or simply the secondary effect, of disease. “Studies have found both a decrease in gut diversity and a rise in gastrointestinal illnesses when travellers eat new dishes,” says Gomez. He acknowledges that gut microorganisms typically undergo changes when digesting unfamiliar foods. Gomez emphasizes, “It’s uncertain whether supplementing yourself with a better balance of microorganisms, without an accompanying avoidance of these foods, would impact overall gut health.”

Magali Beauchamp, however, is willing to take her chances. Although stomach troubles aren’t a concern for her, Beauchamp struggled with eczema—a skin condition—for years. She tried an array of the usual topical treatments, but to no avail. Under her doctor’s supervision, she resorted to probiotics, which are live microorganisms which can be consumed to balance the body’s microbiome. Within months, she found relief. A now healthy Beauchamp markets probiotic foods to stores across Canada, believing everyone can benefit from a few extra critters.