Ever wanted to bring that favourite picture of yours to life? If yes, then you should definitely check Visual Arts Brampton and their workshop “Painting from Photographs”, featuring Debra Ali as the guest instructor.

Those interested in participating can select from a wide variety of water-based oils and acrylic paints for the workshop, which runs through 5 Sundays, starting on the 23rd of May until the 27th of June. Each 30-minute course takes place at exactly 1 in the afternoon at the Visual Arts Brampton Creative Studios.

If you want to know how to play around with oils and acrylics, then this workshop is for you . You get to learn the basics of colour mixing, perspective, drawing, composition, image cropping, and many more. But more importantly, you also get the opportunity to express yourself.

Instructor Debra Ali will be helping participants learn the ropes of this art form. Ali is an artist and graphic designer who graduated from Sheridan College with a degree in Fine Arts. She’s been a member of VAB since 2005, and has won numerous awards for her amazing work.

Mark your calendars and register now! You can  sign up for only $65, that’s if you’re not a member of the organization. The cost of registration for VAB members is $50.

In an effort to promote healthy and active living in the city, a local wellness clinic is striking a partnership with the City of Brampton and Investors Group to put up a series of 6 information seminars that tackle the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.

Titled Healthy, Wealthy&Wise 2010, the 6-part information session is a project of Wallis for Wellness, a health facility in Brampton, and is aimed at providing the public with tips and strategies on how to be healthier and more active.

Each session will cover a unique subject and will come with educational materials, an interactive activity with professional trainers, and some hands-on lessons on exercise techniques.

All 6 workshops take place on a Thursday evening from 7 to 8 in the evening. Participants not only get to learn valuable lessons on health, they’ll also receive a goodie bag stuffed with educational materials and health products. Furthermore, everybody gets a door prize during the end of each workshop, and a grand prize will be given away at the end of the series.

So what’re you waiting for? Register now! Call Wallis for Wellness 905-840-3486 or send them an e-mail at mwallis@wallisforwellness.com for more information.

City preparations to welcome the New Year are all set, and Brampton officials have planned various activities for the city’s residents and tourists.

Folks can take their pick from a free concert, face painting, games and contests, or they can opt to simply skate underneath the city’s beautiful holiday lights.

Indeed, it looks like the City of Brampton is ready to usher in the New Year.

Brampton’s downtown area will be the center of activity, with thousands of residents and travelers expected to flock to the streets to take part in this evening’s New Year’s celebration.

Food stands and booths will be there to fight off the December-chill, while live bands—among them Canadian rock band 54•40—will be heating up the night.

Of course, any New Year’s Bash would not be complete without a grand fireworks display for the finale.

The celebrations will be kicking off at 7 tonight at Brampton’s Gage Park, continuing at the City Hall grounds and Rose Theater until 12:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day.

And good news for those attending, Brampton Transit will providing free rides to and from the party grounds on selected routes. Rides will begin at 7:30 in the evening.

While this year’s haul was a few dollars short of last year’s tally, The Brampton Guardian Santa Claus Fund was a big success despite the economic difficulties experienced by many locals and businesses in the city.

The annual campaign raised a total of $27,647.04 as of December 24 – not that much of a difference compared to last year’s haul of $27,654. Furthermore, last year’s numbers were largely a result of last-minute donations that came in after the deadline, so it’s very possible (even expected by many) that this year’s fundraiser will be even more successful by the end of the year.

All this was made possible thanks to the help of Brampton’s residents, with many making a mad rush to donate hundreds of toys, food items, clothes, and many more. In addition, the campaign saw a spike in cash and cheque donations during the fundraiser’s homestretch.

Their contributions helped around 5,000 less fortunate children in the City of Brampton and Peel Region, with kids receiving gift packages that contained goodies and other necessities.

With many hard pressed to donate cash, community members compensated by giving as many gift boxes as they could. In fact, boxes with books, toys, and clothes came in as early as October.

If you missed out on this year’s campaign, don’t worry. The Santa Claus Fund accepts donations all year round. Simply donate non-perishable food items, books, toys, clothes (used and new), or any amount of money to The Brampton Guardian office.

With only a week to go before New Year’s Eve, Brampton’s preparations for the celebrations ushering in 2010 are already in full swing.

A 54•40 concert, fireworks display, and more are just some of the things to look forward to in Brampton, Ontario, come the 31^st of December. With over 40,000 people expected to flock to the city’s downtown area, festivities are expected to be filled with music, entertainment, and fun for the entire family.

The celebration kicks off at 7 in the evening and ends at around 1 the next day. Two fireworks shows are planned for the evening, with the one at 9 p.m. at the Brampton City Hall, and another at the Rose Theatre at midnight.

Everyone’s in for a grand time, as different zones have been set up to suit the party needs of all. The center of the festivities will be in Garden Square, with performances from Cure Gravity, Pinup Saints, and 54•40.

For those who want to take a breather from the celebrations, the Brampton City hall will be transformed into a nice and comfortable café with beverages and plush couches to relax on.

For details and information on New Year’s Eve in Brampton, log-on to www.brampton.ca.

After months of work, Queen’s Park has finally marked the completion of Brampton’s Hwy. 410 extension, which is taking place today.

A commemoration ceremony will be held today, with parliamentary assistant to the provincial transportation minister and MPP for Brampton-Springdale Linda Jeffrey, making an appearance to make the extension’s completion official.

The newly finished extension, which connects Hwy. 410 with Hurontario Street, is designed to alleviate the problem of frequent traffic jams in the area. The extension is just a few kilometers north of the Brampton and Caledon border.

Ontario’s Transportation Department estimates that around 60,000 vehicles will pass by the Hwy. 410 extension each day over the next few moths.

The three-stage project first started in 2003, when the highway (which was divided by four lanes) was pushed further up north from Bovaird Drive in Brampton toward Caledon. In 2008, the highway was connected with Mayfield Road, which serves as the boundary line between the two municipalities.

The Hwy. 410’s unveiling is scheduled to take place at 11 in the morning today, at the Brampton Christian School.

With traffic congestion a regular sight in the area, Brampton officials hope that the extension eases things a bit. They’ll be monitoring the highway closely during the weeks that follow.

Brampton’s Mount Chinguacousy is set to finally usher in the season for skiing and snowboarding on December 19.

Mount Chinguacousy is located in the park named after it here in Brampton. Each year, the mountain opens its gates to winter sports enthusiasts, with skiers and snowboarders from all over the country flocking in to try out the mountain’s majestic slopes. Tubing junkies however, will have to wait as the tube hill is not ready as of yet.

And don’t worry about the mountain not having enough snow. Chinguacousy Park officials have been busy blowing the white stuff over the past weeks, making sure that skiers and snowboarders have enough powder to satisfy their extreme needs

Furthermore, with the 2010 Winter Olympics just months away, numerous winter athletes are expected to try out Chinguacousy’s slopes.

But that’s not to say the park is exclusive to seasoned enthusiasts. The City of Brampton will also hold ski and snowboard lessons at the site, ensuring that children and novices have fun. In addition, holiday ski and snowboard programs will also be offered on December 21 to 24. After a short Christmas break, programs will resume on the 28th to the 31st.

For more information on Brampton’s skiing and snowboarding scene, log-on to www.brampton.ca.

The Annual Brampton Youth and Community Service Fair was nothing short of a smashing success as hundreds of local youths and families attended the event hosted by Parliament member Dr. Ruby Dhalla.

The fair gave local high school students, who need 40 hours worth of community service to graduate, the chance to look up potential volunteer work in their respective vicinities. The event was also graced by the presence of United Achievers, Mayor Susan Fennell’s Youth Team, the Brampton Springdale Youth Advisory Council, and the Brampton Neighbourhood Resource Centre.

Dr. Dhalla was privileged to have so many young people show up, saying that it’s inspiring to know that a lot youths are actually willing to help out their community.

She created the fair to invigorate and encourage the youth to volunteer for their communities and keep them away from bad influences like gangs, drugs, and the like. For years, Dr. Dhalla has been a strong believer in the power of the youth, and as the founder of the Youth Advisory Council for Brampton-Springdale, has given them the opportunity to speak for themselves and create solutions for the situations they usually deal with.

With the fair being a highly successful event, expect Dr. Dhalla and her peers to make a comeback next year.

It’s now Barrie’s time to shine this weekend as the Olympic Torch officially makes its way through the city on Friday, leaving on the morning of Saturday.

Residents are buzzing about the upcoming event, with many excited to be a part of this special occasion.

And Barrie officials certainly don’t want to disappoint the city’s residents as they have arranged for the Olympic Torch Relay to feature a good mix of local faces that are set to carry the flame from Queen Street in the east, to the downtown area on Friday evening.
Once the final torchbearer makes the final stop for the city, a community celebration is expected to take place, complete with music, food, and fireworks.

Other activities planned by Barrie’s government officials include:

• A parade to welcome the city’s torchbearers
• A special trampoline show for kids and adults alike
• On-stage entertainment
• Games and prizes

These are set to take place in Brampton’s Ken Whillans Square and Gage Park. Thousand of spectators from Brampton and its surrounding communities are expected to turn up to watch the historical event, as well as to take part in the festivities.

Thinking of joining in on the fun? You can log-on to www.bramptontorchrelay.ca or www.vancouver2010.com for more details on the torch relay, relay route for Brampton, and many more.

This Christmas, Brampton’s A.C.T. Productions has something special up its sleeve to share with the public. Taking place at Brampton’s Rose Theatre on December 16 to 20 is Scrooge! The Musical, a timeless Christmas tale spiced up and reinvigorated with music and singing.

Families, children, and all kind of spectators will be given a new insight into this Victorian Yuletide story, as A.C.T. takes the classic tale and adds a touch of local flavor filled with beautiful music, and witty lyrics.

Scrooge! The Musical is retold version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, which was released in 1843. The story is about a grumpy, mean, and bitter Ebenezer Scrooge, who after being visited by four ghosts—his dead business partner, the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Future—on the Eve of Christmas, learns to change his ways for the better, and embraces the Spirit of Christmas.

This time however, the story is told with music, a moving set, amazing costumes, elaborate backdrops, and many more.

Already, families from Brampton and its surrounding areas are purchasing their tickets in advance to have a memorable Christmas.

It’s not too late to score your tickets, call 905-874-2800 for inquiries, reservations, and additional information.