Canada, as Canadian school children are proudly taught, is the second-biggest country on earth - only Russia occupies more territory. Yet when it comes to people, Canada trails behind many European countries such as Finland and Iceland, one-thirtieth its size. Over 80 per cent of Canada’s land is uninhabited, and most Canadians live clustered in a handful of large cities close to the US border. 

Dear Pamela,

It’s been such a long time since I wrote to you. My husband, Daniel, had been waiting to retool himself with a second MBA. The program at Queen’s University, Ontario, had caught his attention for multiple reasons - most importantly - it was for one year. Also, it had a high ranking, and the batch size was reasonably small, which increased the chances of placement of students. For these reasons, when he received an offer from the university, he was happy to accept it. I was thrilled to accompany him there as I had always wanted to experience living abroad. I had travelled to Europe, but this would be my first foray in North America.

So, we found ourselves in Toronto in April. It was, for us, shockingly cold, even though it was the end of winter. I couldn’t help but notice how the trees were all bare, without a single leaf on them. Coming from sunny India, I found the sight very depressing. We were extremely surprised to see so many of the town’s buildings lit up very brightly at a late hour. Clearly, the paucity of electricity was not a problem here! This was the first sign of an affluent society with an abundance of resources.

Many other signs revealed themselves to us in the year that we stayed there - uninterrupted water and electricity, cleanliness everywhere, wonderful air quality, free access to libraries. It was all very impressive. So was the Queens University’s campus which was, to put it simply, grand! Beautiful Victorian style architecture, oodles of space and greenery, stellar amenities for students - I’d never seen anything comparable to this in India.

We settled into campus life and after staying in a couple of hotels during our first month, which proved to be too expensive, we found accommodation in university housing which was located off campus. While the exterior was unprepossessing, the individual units inside were very well maintained, bright, airy and were very comfortable for the two of us. Daniel was happy that the crowd in his program was multicultural - while there were many students from India, there were also many Canadians - some Caucasian and some Chinese. So there was the comfort of the known as well as the learning from the unknown. He found the lectures stimulating and challenging and the faculty competent and good at engaging students. The program curriculum was updated and relevant to the business scenario.

We felt sad when the time came to leave our cozy little apartment, the gorgeous campus, the beautiful town of Kingston, with its great sparkling Lake Ontario. We had made many friends and had experienced a way of life that was gentler, slower and easier than our Indian ways. It had enriched us in certain ways, and we look back at our year in Canada with great fondness, especially during the Indian summer months!

I’d love to hear what’s happening at your end!

Speak soon!

Love,

Stella

A. Seal is a common name given to a diverse group of aquatic, generally marine mammals of the order Pinnipedia (an order of carnivorous aquatic mammals). There are two distinctive groups: earless and earless. All have streamlined bodies; limbs developed into flippers; eyes adapted for vision both in and out of the water and valved nostrils. The respiratory, circulatory and excretory systems of seals are adapted to life without fresh water and to hold their breath while diving.

B. Eared seals in Canadian seas are the northern fur seals, the northern sea lions and the California sea lions. The northern fur seal is the smallest species, unique for its dense coat of fur that keeps the skin dry and protects the animal from cold water. The northern sea lion is the largest species, with males growing up to 3 m long and weighing 900 kg. Sea lions lack an underfur and have blubber for cold protection. The bodies of eared seals are streamlined for high-speed swimming, which is done with oar-like action of large, hairless fore-flippers, using hind flippers for manoeuvring. On land, they walk or lope using both fore and hind flippers. They have a small external ear. Adult males are much larger than females (in northern fur seals, males can reach 320 kg, females only 60 kg).

C. Eared seals in Canadian waters are confined to the Pacific Ocean. The northern fur seal breeds on Pribilof and Bogoslof islands off Alaska, San Miguel Island off California and Robben Island, the Kuril Islands and the Commander Islands of Russia. In winter, it is found along the British Columbian coast. The northern sea lion inhabits waters from central California, north along the west coast of North America to the Gulf of Alaska, through the Bering Sea then south along the east coast of Asia to the northern coasts of Japan. Two large breeding colonies are in British Columbia. The California sea lion invaded Canadian waters (the coast of Vancouver Island) as a winter visitor in about 1970, but today only males make this migration.

D. All three species are fish eaters (herring, pollock, salmon, octopus, etc.), and sometimes consume seabirds. As far as reproduction is concerned, sea lions have a harem organization, with the strongest adult males controlling the breeding access from one to as many as 60 females. One pup is born annually after a gestation period of 11–12 months. The pups do not swim when young and have a long nursing period:four months (northern fur seal) to more than a year (sea lion). Though both sexes are capable of breeding at ages between three and five years, males are unable to secure a mate until seven or more years old.

E. Not given in any of the above paragraphs.

People who think college student-athletes should be paid often say the students’ names and images are used on products and in advertising, among other things, so they should receive some of the profits. Those who say college student-athletes should not be paid argue that they receive scholarships as a form of payment for their talents. Then there are plenty of other questions: Would athletes be paid differently depending on the sport they play? How do you quantify the true worth of a college sports team, especially if it’s making the school much more popular overall and bringing in lots of students? Where would the money even come from? The debate over whether student-athletes should be paid could go on and on.

According to Marc Edelman, professor of archaeology, University of British Colombia, student-athletes bring in revenue for their team and college or university, especially in the championship games; the students could receive a small portion of the profits. Yes, pay would vary, just as the universities with the more successful teams receive more television time or money than those with less successful teams. He furthered that college football and men’s basketball programs earn farmore than any other athletic program, so these athletes would likely earn more as well. This may not be considered fair pay, that team popularity and consumers generally determine what is ’fair.’ These sports also tend to support other less popular sports that do not bring in a lot of money on their own

Student-athletes are the ones working hard out on the court and field. Coaches might have a big effect on a team, but it is up to the athletes to get it done. Coaches receive bonuses for breaking records, reaching the off season, and winning the big games; the athletes receive none of it, states Tyson Hartnett, Volleyball coach, Queen’s University, Ontario. He added that student-athletes do not need to receive huge salaries like their coaches; rather, they could still be paid a reasonable amount relative to how much the program makes.

Anderson Kramer, professor of English, Quebec University, argued if payments were involved, athletes would be incentivized to commit to the college or university with the highest offer. The next year, they may transfer to another school with an even higher offer. Before it is known, these college sports would be a 100% business. This new ’business’ could also lead to the downfall of other college programs. The money to pay athletes might put the least-popular college programs at risk of being cut. That, in turn, can deprive other students of their chance to gain the education and experience at the college of their dreams, since their desired program will no longer be offered.

Finally, even though these college student-athletes may be playing at an advanced level, they still aren’t playing professionally, Maria Clark, professor of Botany, explained. It is not their job to play sports; it is an extracurricular activity that is pursued while pursuing higher education. Student-athletes are going to school to learn, and many are lucky enough to do so for reduced cost, given the often generous athletic scholarships. If these athletes were paid, it would change their motives as students.