news // 4 Modern family » The first three parent family does it all over again _ Brittney MacDonald @& Life & Style Editor Mlifeandstyle @theotherpress.ca I: October 2013, Vancouver couple Danielle Wiley and Anna Richards welcomed their daughter Della into the world with biological father Shawn Kangro. Thanks to a BC Family Law Act passed earlier that year, Della Wolf Kangro Wiley Richards’ birth certificate bears the name of three parents. In January 2015 the family welcomed their second child, ason named Roemer, fathered once more by Kangro. In a statement made in February 2014 to the National Post, Richards stated, “We wanted our kids to know where they came from biologically and actually liked the idea of having an extended family; it didn’t threaten us to have another person’s involvement so long as it was the right person.” When it came time to make a decision ona father for their : first child, rather than turning to : ; an anonymous donor, Richards : and wife Wiley chose long- : time friend Kangro. After some : lengthy discussion, Kangro : agreed and the three proceeded : to start their family by artificial : insemination. By Della’s birth on October 23, 2013, the three parents : had drafted up an agreement : naming Richards and Wiley : as the primary parents, taking : full financial responsibility and retaining custody. Meanwhile, : Kangro would be consulted in : any major decisions including : healthcare and education, as : well as allowing him right to : access. When it came time to make : their identification as a multi- : parent family legal, although : under the BC Family Law Act it : is legal for a child to have up to : four parents, the law was still Retired prof tracking world happiness levels for United Nations Emma Partridge The Ubyssey o H. do you know if a nation is happy? According to UBC economics professor emiritus John Helliwell, you just ask. Helliwell, who has spent many years researching happiness and well-being levels of people around the world, is currently working on the 2015 United Nations World Happiness Report. On April 24, he will present the findings of his report to the UN. “The absolute central part of the world happiness report ... is that, in fact, we are collecting and responding to people’s own judgments about the quality of their lives,” said Helliwell. A yearly report that measured world happiness came from a 20n UN resolution. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution recognizing the pursuit of happiness as a fundamental global goal and instructed participating countries to measure the happiness levels of their people. Helliwell has been involved with both of the reports that : have been produced since that : time. “What the world happiness : report does that other reports : don’t is applying this and its : lessons at the global level using : comparable, national data,” said : Helliwell. Helliwell and his UN : colleagues measure happiness : through specific questions. : While key factors such as : GDP are used to explain the : the world, citizens’ own life : assessments form the core of the : data. The Cantril Ladder is also : a means of assessing happiness : by asking individuals to : imagine their lives as a ladder. : Respondents evaluate their lives : on ascale of 0 to 10, o being the : worst possible life and 10 being : the best possible life. “The measures that : everyone pays attention to, and rightly so, are simply the average : answers to the Cantril ladder,” : said Helliwell. Emotional states are : included in these subjective : well-being measurements, : with surveys asking questions : regarding individuals’ emotional : experiences the day before : suchas, “Did you laugh a lot : yesterday?” “If youre measuring pain, : you ask someone do they feel : pain and that’s the only thing : that matters,” said Helliwell. : “We would say the same thing : about happiness, it’s inherently : subjective.” The Happiness Report : relies heavily on the Gallup : distribution of happiness around : World Poll. Gallup provides the : sampling of respondents who : answer questions on subjective : well-being, with a typical sample : size being 3,000 people in each : country over the course of three : years. The next step is figuring : out how to apply these findings : to improve people’s happiness : levels. According to Helliwell, : that is the part of the process : that needs to be studied more. “You're building up a lot of : experience once you get the data, : then you have to learn more : about they mean,” said Helliwell. : “Nonetheless, there are clearly : a lot of lessons that have been : learned from the science of well- : being” Image from Catherine Rolfsen : not acommon practice. Della’s : parents are the first to achieve : their family’s identification : without litigation. Originally Richards and : Wiley attempted to apply for : the certificate online in January : 2014, but were denied when : there were only two spaces : provided for parents’ names. A : similar issue occurred when they : : requested a hard copy of the : certificate, resulting in further : delays. theotherpress.ca Richards told the National : Post that “In order to put me in : as the non-biological mother : in second row, we had to : declare that the father was not : recognized or was unable to be a : father, which did not reflect our : situation,” so the three made the : effort to re-work the form into : something more suitable, which : was eventually accepted. With the revised Family : Law Act, BC is the only : province that allows more : than two parents ona birth : certificate without legislation. : Though similar situations in : other provinces can be looked : at ona case-by-case basis, this : can result in fairly substantial : legal fees, even if all desiring : parents agree. When asked if they have : plans to have any more children, : Richards told CBC that the : option is unlikely in the near : future following the births of : Della and Roemer. However, all : three parents told CBC that they : haven't ruled the possibility out. Image from Dave Ellifrit, Center for Whale Research J-Pod orcas growing in numbers » Endangered species may have hope Angela Espinoza News Editor Mi news ; 2 @theotherpress.ca QO n February 13, the sighting of a second orca calf from the “J-Pod” group of killer whales was reported. The calf, dubbed J51, follows calf J50 in reportedly being the second calf born since late December 2014. The J-Pod is located throughout the state of Washington and BC, and now holds 26 recognized orcas in their group. Both J51 and J5o’s births have been surprises as southern resident killer whales have been endangered : for several years, in part : due to contamination and : starvation. While the births : are celebrated, the orcas won't : be officially recognized as part : of the JPod group until at least : one year has passed for each. Michael Harris, executive : director of the Pacific Whale : Watch Association, told : CBC, “We always try to be : cautiously optimistic when : we hear about babies, as : wild orcas have a high rate of : infant mortality, but still, this : is wonderful news.” The births also follow : the death of a full-term orca, : J32, and unborn calf that : also occurred in December, : the likely cause also being : starvation.