Air New Zealand Coldest Canadian Contest Sheds Light on Canada's Poor
(Fredericton, NB - February 15, 2011) - We suppose Air New Zealand's marketing department thought that by announcing the "Coldest Canadian" video contest and offering a free trip to tropical New Zealand that they'd receive a blizzard of submissions from sun starved Canadians: and one look at the dozens of videos on their website http://coldestcanadian.ca/ proves we are right. But the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization has a different angle on the Air New Zealand contest that we hope will raise awareness of the alarming epidemic of homelessness and hunger across Canada. Who are the "Coldest Canadians"? Surely, they are the homeless who line our streets in the middle of winter, begging for change and lining up for a hot meal at community kitchens across Canada. Surely they are the single parent families on social assistance who have to decide between paying the rent, "heating or eating" as the cost of energy skyrockets through the roof.