Leading the way

Karla McCallum paces Islanders at Atlantic badminton event on mainland

Karla McCallum led the way for the Island contingent at the recent Guy Martin Open badminton tournament in Moncton, N.B., winning the under-15 girls division title.

McCallum downed Anna Gillies (1921, 21-12, 21-19) in the final after defeating Sydney Arsenault in the semifinal (21-19, 18-21, 21-19).

She also placed second in the women’s doubles B, teamed with Ananya Toal for a second-place finish in the under15 girds doubles and partnered with Alex Zheng to place second in under-15 mixed doubles.

In under-15 boys singles, Zheng won his first three matches but lost to Trevor Hayne in the final (21-16, 21-14).

In men’s doubles A, Mark Brown and Nick Driscoll lost in the the semis (16-21, 21-16, 9-21) to Harry Coteras and Sunil Ruparelia.

Menawhile, in men’s Doubles B, Daniel Breau and Marco Lamothe bowed out in the men’s doubles B semifinals to Mathew Dedam and Joseph Thibodeau (12-21, 19-21).

It was the first Atlantic Series event for 2016-17.

Divisions included under-15, under17, Open A and B events and a Masters draw. NSUPE, Local 19 would like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt appreciation for all the support given to us through our 351 day strike from Canadian Blood Services. Our small group stood up against a large Canadian not-for-profit organization, Canadian Blood Services, for fair treatment in our workplace. Always remember that every person deserves respect and fair mindedness from their employers and that every voice matters. We were shown what solidarity looks like and it has been so empowering. We would like to extend our thanks to our union NSUPE and to all other Unions, family and friends for their encouragement, support and friendships through this journey. Know that you can count on us to return the unionism and support in the future! We are anxious to welcome our donors back; we have missed you all so much. You are like our extended families and we will be forever amazed by the kindness of people. To show our appreciation to those that were our support over the past year, we would love to invite our friends and supporters to our end of strike celebration. It will take place Saturday, October 1, 2016 in the Cabot Room of the Charlottetown Best Western Hotel, 238 Grafton Street from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm.