Wednesday, March 28, 2007 · Page 10 From: Her Desk Drawer Food bank beefs up Pasta with Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Basil For a fast, flavourful vegetarian dinner, make this easy to-prepare pasta dish, featuring Canadian Mushrooms...available year 'round. 1/2 lb/(2cups) penne or short pasta 2 tbsp olive oil 3 large cloves garlic, minced 1 lb whole petite Canadian Mushrooms 2 1/2 cups chopped ripe tomatoes (2 large) 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil Grated Parmesan cheese to taste Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile in large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium high heat; sauté mushrooms with garlic 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper; sauté 2 to 3 minutes or just until softened. Add basil and drained pasta; toss to mix well. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired, and garnish with basil leaves. Makes 4 servings. Tip: Cut mushrooms in half if they are a little large. Use whole-wheat pasta for more fibre - News Canada Free Press Photo / Daniel Schwab 519-776-6481 TIRE & AUTO SERVICE TOWING 24/7 Setterington's Fertilizer Service and W.J. O'Neil and Sons Ltd. teamed up last week to donate 800 pounds of beef to the Essex Area Food Bank. Setterington's location manager Keith Brockman, left, stands with food bank founder Eileen Clifford and Wayne O'Neil. The food bank feeds about 16,000 people per year. Essex's population declined in last five years, says census BY ANDY COMBER The population in the Town of Essex has decreased by 0.3 per cent, while the provincial population has experienced a 6.6 per cent gain, according to 2006 census figures released by Statistics Canada March 13. The town recorded a population of 20,032 in 2006, compared to 20,085 in 2001, within its land area of 278 square kilometres. Essex population numbers stood still during the fiveyear period mainly due to a lack of sewage capacity, while Windsor's population grew by about 5 per cent and Lakeshore's population exploded with a 15 per cent increase, according to the census. Today, with a new sewage treatment plant in the north end of the municipality and expanded sewage lagoons in the south, Essex has the capacity for 1,200 new homes. But with plant closures and layoffs affecting the local economy, there is no sign of any immediate growth. Between 2001 and 2006, Canada's population increased 5.4 per cent, the first time since 1991 that the census-to-census growth rate has accelerated. This acceleration during the past five years was due to higher levels of immigration. Net international migration fuelled two-thirds of Canada's population growth. In contrast, 60 per cent of the growth in the United States population was due to natural increase that is, the number of births exceeded the number of deaths. The American fertility rate was among the highest for a developed country. Two provinces, Ontario and Alberta, were responsible for two-thirds of the increase in Canada's population. Alberta, in the midst of an unprecedented economic boom, led the provinces with a growth rate of 10.6 per cent. Calgary was the second fastest growing census metropolitan area. Barrie, north GOO D FR 1 Pi IDAY 2 P ece Di iece nne Din r - $ 8 ner - $1 .00 2.0 0 7P .M. MARK YOUR CALENDAR! APR IL 6, 2007 2 P FROM .M. TO $ 12.00 ea. APRIL 21 at 6 p.m. Music by Classic Country SATURDAY, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 201 103 Talbot Street North, Essex of Toronto, was the fastest. In total, the 2006 Census enumerated 31,612,897 people in Canada, compared with 30,007,094 in 2001, a gain of just over 1.6 million individuals since the last census. Ontario, Alberta and the three territories recorded growth rates above the national average. Alberta, with the highest rate of growth at 10.6 per cent, surpassed its own rate of growth of 10.3 per cent during the previous five-year period. Net migration from other parts of the country accounted for the majority of the growth in Alberta between 2001 and 2006. The 6.6 per cent gain in Ontario was the result of a high level of immigration between 2001 and 2006. In 2006, four out of every five individuals more than 80 per cent lived in an urban centre of 10,000 people or more. Just over two-thirds of Canada's population in 2006 lived in the nation's 33 census metropolitan areas. About 90 per cent of all Canada's population growth occurred in these 33 centres. Six metropolitan areas had populations of more than Toronto, one million: Montreal, Vancouver and OttawaGatineau, and, for the first time, Calgary and Edmonton. Combined, they were home to 14,110,317 people, or 45 per cent of the total population. SEE CENSUS, PAGE 11