Author name: The Equity

Camilla Faragalli, reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

The Western Quebec Literacy Council (WQLC) has been supporting individuals looking to improve upon their literacy in the Pontiac and larger Outaouais region for decades.
While the organization aims to support the development of all forms of literacy, the COVID-19 pandemic, which moved much of the world online, highlighted an urgent need for digital literacy in the region.
Outgoing president Donna Cushman knows this well. She’s held the position for four years, since just before the start of the pandemic.
Cushman said the WQCL is doing a lot of work to promote digital literacy, especially with seniors, emphasizing that for many people, digital literacy is “a whole new world” to learn to navigate.
“There are a lot of people that could get along with oral communication [in the past],” she said, pointing out that it was easier for people with a lower level of literacy to find employment, prior to the explosion of internet popularity over the past couple of decades.
Cushman said that now, however, many people “just don’t have all the skills that they need,” which in some cases, she said, can lead to embarrassment.
“Sometimes they’ve had really negative learning experiences growing up, and so they’re reluctant to ask for support, because learning has not been a positive experience,” she said.
“It’s a lot of relationship building, at first, you know, gaining trust . . . Because if you don’t have that, you’re not going to get very far with the learning.”
In her time with the organization, Cushman saw the extent to which literacy and confidence, especially in adults, can go hand in hand.
“To me, in the broadest sense, literacy means making sense of your world, and everybody needs to be able to make sense of the world around them,” Cushman said.
Cushman is continuing with the organization as a tutor and a reading buddy. Replacing her as president of the WQLC is Nikki Beuchler.
‘Learners set their own goals’
Founded in 1984, the WQLC works to promote English literacy across the Outaouais by connecting both adult and child learners with local tutors, free of charge.
Individual weekly lessons consist of reading, writing, numeracy, digital skills and communication with one of about 30 trained volunteers.
Lessons are tailored to developing the skills the learner personally identifies as areas needing improvement. No grades or levels are given.
“Our learners set their own goals,” said Greg Graham, executive director of the WQLC.
“There are all sorts of people at varying levels of literacy,” he said, explaining that while for some people literacy goals can be specific, such as achieving a level necessary for enrolment in a post-secondary or adult education program, in other cases, people simply desire to improve their quality of life.
“People are unable to enjoy life or participate in the way they want, because they’re just not able to read and write at the level they need,” he said.
Graham cited the story of an elderly woman who wanted to improve her literacy and digital literacy skills in order to book a flight online to visit family.
“[It is] something that so many of us take for granted, but for this person it was a struggle,” said Graham, adding that the woman was eventually able to develop the skills necessary to book her flight independently.
According to Graham, a number of factors exist that can contribute to a person’s ability to develop and maintain a functional level of literacy.
“They maybe didn’t have all the opportunities to go to school that you or I had,” he said. “Or because of their family situation, they’re living in a bi-cultural, bi-linguistic family, where the language they speak at home and the language they study at school are two different things.”
Graham said the WQLC does not exist to replace traditional education but rather to provide easy-to-access literacy support to people, many of whom are older and less inclined to go back to school.
“They [learners] are not lost,” Graham said, “they just don’t fit the nice handy categories that traditional education provides.”
He maintained that one-on-one tutoring or small workshops can often better suit adult learners’ needs.
A publicly available report from the WQLC shows that in 2021, the organization helped 317 participants in workshops over the course of the year. The report noted the COVID-19 pandemic significantly restricted the literacy program from reaching as many people as it could have.
The bigger picture
An often-cited survey from the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies conducted in 2013 found that 19 per cent of people in Quebec were likely to find themselves in a situation where they would experience great, or very great difficulty in reading and writing.
For context, that means about one in five people in the province would have great, or very great difficulty reading this article.
Guy Chiasson, a professor of political science at the Universite du Québec en Outaouais, said literacy is “very important” for regional development.
“In the current economy, it’s very hard to find positions where you don’t have some level of literacy,” Chaisson said, adding that literacy is important for citizenship, participation in society, and being part of a dynamic community.
“It shouldn’t be seen only in terms of how to get people to be able to work, but also how to get people to be included in society and to be fully functional in all aspects of life,” he said.
According to the WQLC, higher literacy can improve job prospects, earning potential, self confidence and pride, which in turn helps in areas such as personal development, and community regeneration.
“The more literate everyone is, the better we can hold governments to account, the better we can participate in society,” Graham said.
“Regionally, we have that English-French divide,” he added. “And we [in Western Quebec] have got, in some cases, a lower level of education, as well as an older population that might not have much exposure to technology.”
Graham said that one of the biggest challenges for the WQLC has always been the sheer size of Western Quebec.
“We’re bigger than Belgium,” he said. “We cover a vast territory… we want to be able to be more effective geographically. As a region, we will do a lot better if we have those skills.”
The WQLC office is located in Campbell’s Bay. Interested learners and tutors alike are encouraged to reach out.

Camilla Faragalli, reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

Snow-frosted trees and sparkling gift packages filled the tinsel-lined hall at the Forest Inn on Saturday for the Bryson RA’s second annual Jingle & Mingle Christmas event.
Elves, ice princesses and of course, Santa himself, were all present and photo-ready throughout the “jingle” portion of the day.
Upon entry, kids were invited to take a photo with Santa and write him a letter, to be sent to him via North Pole Express Post.
Photo print-outs were available immediately, as was a frame-decorating station, and an abundance of hot chocolate, cupcakes and rice krispies to keep little bellies full.
“Often in rural areas like the Pontiac, when we want nice professional photos with Santa, we go to shopping centres in the city,” said Meghan Griffin, one of the twenty-plus volunteers from the Bryson RA who helped make the event possible.
“We wanted to kind of bring the magic here,” she said, adding that over 100 children had attended the sold-out event over the course of the day.
“It’s pretty special.”
“We don’t have many events in the Pontiac,” said Danick Lacroix, a Bryson father of three who attended the Jingle with his family.
“Last year’s [Jingle and Mingle] was a success, but it’s even better this year,” he said.
Shyloh Pasqua, secretary of the Bryson RA, said that the Forest Inn hall was lent to the RA for the occasion by Stanton Enterprises Ltd.
“It’s exceptionally generous because it’s very hard to find a hall big enough to accommodate the space that we need,” she said, adding that the donated space helped lower the costs of admission, making the event more of “a giving back” to the community.
The hall would be transformed yet again that evening, for the “mingle” portion of the Jingle & Mingle; a Christmas craft and vendor show featuring local artisans.

Camilla Faragalli, reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

After a pandemic-related hiatus, the Catholic Women’s League annual Christmas market was back in full swing at Calumet Island’s Ste-Anne’s Church on Sunday.
“It’s a big church and we try to help out as much as we can with our fundraisers,” said Joan Derouin, president of the Ste-Anne’s Catholic Women’s League (CWL) and lead organizer of the Christmas market.
The event featured 12 local vendors, a bake sale and a draw for prizes including gift baskets, wall-hangings and paintings, with proceeds going to different charitable organizations, as well as the church itself.
“I appreciate that this local event is just for artisans,” said Nathalie Bennett, one of the vendors and the owner of Hodgepodge Artizan. “You get a unique perspective on other artists in the area.”
Bennett was selling her “door jingle-janglers,” which she said bring positive energy and good fortune to the home, as well as a variety of charms, necklaces, and even some decorative Christmas spiders.
“They’re really cute in the bathroom,” said Bennett of her beaded arachnids. “I use them to guard my soap,” she added with a smile.
Bennett’s unique creations were among the many on display.
Local artist Jelly Massee was selling her acrylic paintings and watercolours along with some Christmas decorations made from oyster shells and wood cuts.
“Bryan [Massee’s husband] was eating oysters one night and I didn’t want to waste the shells, so I got the idea to make these,” she said.
Massee explained that she builds the shells up with clay in some places, before painting, varnishing and drilling holes in them to make her decorations.
“It’s been an awesome day,” she said of the market. “Just meeting people and getting my work out there, letting people know I’m here.”
As well as promoting local artisans, Lise Lagarde, the CWL’s secretary, said the Ste-Anne’s Christmas market is about helping people in need.
“We help the homeless, we help local shelters like L’EntourElle and AutonHomme, and we also do baskets for our elderly that are alone or hospitalized at Christmas,” she said.
She added that the rest of the proceeds go towards the church, particularly to help pay the heating bill, or if a member is going through a hard time.
“If their house should burn down or if they are hospitalized or something, we come and help,” Lagarde said.
“CWL stands for Catholic Women’s League, but it’s beyond just a church.” Lagarde said.
“It’s community.

Camilla Faragalli, reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

Loisir sport Outaouais is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a tour of the Outaouais region, to meet some of the many partners. The MRC Pontiac stop of the tour was held on Thursday evening at Pine Lodge in Bristol.
Loisir aims at supporting and stimulating regional development in leisure, sports and the outdoors, and in making these activities more accessible.
“If they [organizations] have a project, they come to talk to us about it, and we see if we can find money, or we can help them create partnerships with other people,” said Virginie Lacombe, deputy executive director of Loisir Outaouais.
“We work to bring everybody together,” she said. “We’re kind of like glue.”
According to Lacombe, in the last year alone Loisir has distributed nearly one million dollars to different communities for projects that promote physical and mental health.
“We believe that outdoor activities and sports and the arts, and all recreational activities, are a good foundation for communities to be together and to be healthy, mentally and physically,” Lacombe said.
“We think it’s a good way for people to socialize,” she added, explaining that the more municipalities and nonprofits are able to put recreational and sporting activities forward in their communities, the more opportunities people will have to form and maintain meaningful bonds with each other.
Danelle Bourque, an economic development officer at the MRC Pontiac who works in sport and leisure, said she consults with Loisir on every project she has.
“To have their opinion on it, or even to see if they can fund it,” she said, “Or if any nonprofit or school has a project, I’ll approach them [Loisir] to see if they can help in any way.”
Desiree Tremblay is the Pontiac coordinator for Les maisons des jeunes, a non-profit offering activities and support for youth. She said Loisir offers an impressive amount of support for different municipalities, nonprofit organizations, MRCs and volunteer committees within the Outaouais.
“We’ve applied for grants for transportation, to use for outings,” Tremblay said. “We’ve also had support with buying sporting equipment; they helped us out with planning, different types of training; with organizing…”.
“They help you build your dream,” she said.

Camilla Faragalli, reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

Carol-Ann Finlan didn’t know she was in for the surprise of a lifetime when she gave the okay to The Digging Dudes to survey her family’s generational home in Wyman.
“I was just curious,” she said, explaining that the farm has been in her family since 1855.
“I certainly never expected they would find what they found.”
It was a dark Monday evening in late October when Finlan got the text from Digging Dudes co-founder, Will (Willy) Webb.
“You won’t believe what I have found,” it read.
Finlan said she was “almost overwhelmed” when he placed the WWI war medal – engraved with the name of her great uncle, Herbert Finlan – in her hand.
“So many emotions were running through my mind,” Finlan said. “But the main one was, ‘If only Kelly was here to share in this moment…to rejoice in this finding’.”
Kelly Finlan was Carol-Ann’s brother, who passed away four years ago. She explained that he had always had “a great interest” in their Uncle Herbert.
“But I thought, ‘I’m sure he’s looking down on me and knows that the metal has been found’,” she said.
Herbert Finlan (1884-1918) was born in Wyman. Son of Andrew and Ellen Finlan, who settled in Bristol after migrating from Ireland in 1855, Herbert worked on the family farm until he enlisted. He was killed in action in Somme, northern France.
“[Kelly] just always had this great interest in the fact that he [Herbert] served Canada in the First World War, and he gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Finlan said of her brother.
“He was always researching,” she added. “He got all the information that he possibly could have.”
Finlan said that in August of 2012, Kelly was able to visit Herbert’s grave in Somme, adding that his visit fell on the eve of the anniversary of Herbert’s passing.
“I forget how many countries in Europe he [Kelly] visited that year, but he said the highlight of his trip was definitely and by far, visiting uncle Herbert’s final resting place,” she said.
“When he came home, he was just thrilled.”
Finlan described her relationship with her brother as having been “very close, noting that they were the only two siblings in the family,” she said.
“I’m honoured to have this medal in my possession,” she said, adding that she is not keeping the family heirloom in her home.
“The first thing I did was put the medal in safe-keeping, I am not having that medal that’s been lost for so long… go missing again,” she said.
“But it’s an honour to have it now back in the family, where it should be.”
In addition to the medal, The Digging Dudes’ property search yielded a pocket watch, an ear tag engraved with Finlan’s father’s name, and a cufflink, engraved with the initials E.F., “which would have been Uncle Earnest Finlan, a brother of Uncle Herbert,” Finlan said.
Buried treasure
Webb described The Digging Dudes as a passionate group of local history enthusiasts; metal detectorists who search for, and often find, lost objects.
“We don’t leave holes. We don’t leave a mess. We don’t take up the whole lawn,” Webb said.
“We specifically aim for super-specific targets that we think are going to have some value, historically, to the potential land owners.”
He said he put out feelers in all of the local Facebook groups, letting people know that The Digging Dudes were looking “to go out to these homes and save some of their family history.”
Webb added that he’s been trying to make it out to Finlan’s property, specifically, for nearly a year.
“We [detectorists] have specific seasons, believe it or not,” Webb explained, adding that for field-work in particular, summers are tricky with local crops, and winter is challenging because of the frozen ground.
Webb said the recently-ploughed field on Finlan’s property actually made his job much easier.
“I heard the [metal detector] signal, I knew it was going to be good on the sound,” he said.
Webb said his heart stopped when he read what was written on the round of the coin-like object he pulled from the earth: Private H. Finlan, 29th Canadian Infantry.
“When I saw the ‘1914 to 1918’… I was stunned, speechless,” Webb said. “We find lots of cool stuff, but not to this calibre.”
He added that of the thousands of artifacts and objects he’s discovered, Finlan’s medal is in the top five.
“Ninety five per cent of the stuff I pull out is going to be a trash or junk signal. And then five per cent of it will be worth preserving,” he said.
“I’ve found some pretty cool things, but nothing as personal and so defined, and so memorable and so unique,” he said.
Webb said that being able to share his find with Finlan made the experience even better.
“Just the fact that there’s so little of her family left to appreciate it, and the fact that she was there to be able to appreciate it…You could tell it really meant a lot,” he said.
More than a hobby
Webb, perhaps better known as professional country musician Levi Hart, said he and Digging Dudes co-founders Erikin Isayev and Jeff Bardell came together nearly three years ago via a Facebook group for detectorists in the area.
At the end of their first year “hunting” together, they decided to take their hobby more seriously.
“We said, ‘Let’s make this hobby the best we can, by trying to preserve as much history as we can up and down the Ottawa Valley, while helping people find and recover lost objects’.”
According to Webb, both his and co-founder Jeff Bardells’ families have lived in the Bristol and Shawville areas for generations.
“If we’re going to save some history, it’s going to be local to where we grew up,” he said.
Webb stressed that while archaeologists may do work of a similar nature, “there are no archaeologists going around to the homes that we are, doing what we do.”
“If we didn’t go out there and do what we did, all the stuff that we find … would be lost forever.”

Camilla Faragalli, reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

Nursing students from the Pontiac Continuing Education Centre (PCEC) in Shawville travelled to Ottawa last month to spend a day volunteering at Shepherds of Good Hope, an organizataion that supports people experiencing homelessness and vulnerable adults.

“As we’re from a small community, I thought that it would be really important that we’re aware of how big an issue the homelessness is right now,” said Jammie-Lee Coursol, one of two clinical instructors from the PCEC that organized the volunteer experience.

Heidi Hall, the other clinical instructor, said the importance of seeing the prevalence of homelessness in local populations is important for young nurses to understand.

“At some point, we might be having them on our doorstep at the hospital,” she said.

“Just because we don’t see the homelessness in the Pontiac, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

A lack of visibility

Many of the nursing student volunteers were shocked at the sheer volume of people that showed up to the shelter.

“I found lots of them were close to my age as well, which was very surprising,” said Kelsy Lepack, one of the student volunteers.

“I’m lucky enough to still be living at home with my parents,” she added.

“I’m very grateful that they did bring us because like I said, lots of people have no idea this is going on and I was lucky enough to see it,” she said.

Coursol estimated that the volunteers helped feed between 150 to 200 people.

“And that was just one meal,” Coursol said.

“That was pretty shocking.”

“It kind of blew me away just how much food we made,” said Kylie Beattie, another of the student volunteers.

“I didn’t expect how many beds they would have,” added Beattie, noting her surprise that the 252 beds the shelter currently offers are not enough to meet the growing need.

Beattie said that the biggest takeaway for her was “just how big the problem of homelessness is, because when you’re living in a small town, you don’t see that.”

“It was really, really eye opening, just how many people need help,” she said.

According to Bernie Forestell, a senior communications manager at SGH, the community kitchen where the students volunteered serves almost 130,000 meals every year.

Outaouais homeless population growing faster than in other regions

The homeless population in the Outaouais region increased by 268 per cent between 2018 and 2022, according to a 2022 report from Quebec’s Ministry of Health and Social Services.

This is the highest overall increase across the province.

In that period, nearly 400 additional people became homeless in the region, since the first time Quebec conducted the survey on homelessness in 2018.

“We [Outaouais] are the worst in Quebec” said Jacinthe Potvin, director of Centre Social Kogaluk, a centre located near Luskville that offers housing to individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Potvin has worked at Centre Social Kogaluk for 23 years, and said the need for support resources is greater than it’s ever been.

“More and more young people, more and more older people, and families are becoming homeless. In our region we have entire families that live in motels,” she said.

“I think that there is a lack of awareness in rural areas, because people don’t see the amount of people living in the streets,” she said.

“[But] homelessness has exploded, and it touches everybody.”

The province’s report found that in 2018, a total of 5,789 people in Quebec were “visibly” homeless, meaning that they did not have a permanent and secure residence and that on the evening the survey was conducted, they were found in a place not designated for human habitation (i.e. a car, doorway, makeshift shelter), or in a temporary resource centre (i.e. a shelter, crisis centre, etc.).

By 2022, the number of visibly homeless had nearly doubled.

According to Potvin, most of the people at Centre Kogaluk suffer from drug addiction, mental illness, alcoholism, and frequently, a mixture of the three.

“We have people helping them with an intervention plan, helping with whatever they want to do in life, [like] go back to school, or go back to work.”

Potvin added that social housing and community supports are key to addressing the exponential growth of Outaouais’ homeless population.

“I’ve seen thousands of people [at Centre Kogaluk] over the years. Thousands,” Potvin said.

“But I’ve also seen miracles happen.”

Additional findings from Quebec’s Ministry of Health and Social Services Report, 2022

• 67 per cent of people experiencing

homelessness in Quebec are men.

• 13 per cent of those surveyed identified as Indigenous — five times more than in the general population.

• Around 16 per cent of those surveyed

identified as LGBTQ+.

• Immigrants represent around 11 per cent of the homelessness population.

• 15 per cent of people who became homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic say it played

a role in their current situation.

Camilla Faragalli, reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

The Municipality of Thorne hosted an
information session last week to address
increasing concern from residents and ratepayers
over the amalgamation of the Thorne and Otter
Lake fire departments that occurred nearly three years ago.
In recent months, residents of the municipality
have raised concerns about budget and
management of the amalgamated department
with Thorne’s municipal council.
Karen Kelly, mayor of Thorne, said the meeting
was called to “let everybody know why we did
what we did.” Julien Gagnon, the public safety coordinator for
MRC Pontiac, was one of the five speakers present,
and addressed a key cause for the amalgamation
early on.

“We seem to be having the same issue across
Canada and across North America,” he said.
“There’s a harder and harder time to recruit, and
the retention of our firefi ghters is more and more
difficult.” Gagnon said that with the drop in numbers, it
is becoming increasingly necessary to amalgamate
fire departments, “so we can not only answer calls
together, but also to have the same tactics and
strategies in place to work together when fighting
fire.” Gagnon added that provincial legislation
mandates a minimum number of certified
firefighters be available to answer calls at any
given time.
“We always require a minimum of eight, and
Thorne no longer had eight firefi ghters,” Gagnon
explained, adding that three times that number of
firefighters is what’s recommended.
And so in January 2021, an inter-municipal
agreement to amalgamate the Thorne and Otter
Lake fire departments was made, and the Pontiac
North Fire Department was born.
Pontiac North Fire Department director and
chief Denis Chaussé cited an increase in 911 calls as
another major factor necessitating amalgamation.

Year after year, your fire department received
more demands from the 9-1-1 services,” Chaussé
said, addressing the Thorne community.
“We have structural fires, car fires, water fires,
bush fires, electric fires… Today we also have
motor-vehicle accidents, water rescue, and off-
road rescue assistance,” Chaussé said.
Operating costs rising
Chief Chaussé also received questions
regarding the budget and spending of the Pontiac
North Fire Department.
While the departments are officially
amalgamated, budgets are calculated separately
for services to each municipality.
Chief Chaussé said the Thorne fire department
budget for 2022 was around $77,000, and rose
subsequently in 2023 to over $96,000.
The Otter Lake Fire Department budget
estimate for 2023 is $221,470.
This brings the Pontiac North Fire Department’s
budget to over $300,000.
He cited new equipment, regular inspections
and verification of equipment, along with the
increasing costs caused by inflation as key factors
driving the budget upward.
“When you got cheap equipment, you get cheap
results,” said Chaussé, adding the department
was investing in higher quality equipment, like
leather boots, which he said are ergonomically
better for the firefighters than the cheaper rubber
boots they’d used previously.
He also reminded residents at the meeting that
each firefighter costs the municipality $160 an
hour.
Ronnie Vadneau, a Pontiac North firefighter
who worked in the Otter Lake Fire Department
for 30 years prior to the amalgamation, said he
felt that people view firefighters as an expense.
“I don’t think we’re an expense,” Vadneau said.
“We’re indispensable.”
Vadneau said he believes the amalgamation
should have happened a year prior to when it did.
“It is something that is greatly needed between
the two fire departments.”
Mayor Kelly said she believes the concerns of
the ratepayers were adequately satisfied by the
meeting.
“The majority of them will be happy now,” she
said. “They’ll be happy that we had this meeting
and they got some of their queries answered.”

Camilla Faragalli, reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

Edwin Valles was the only
person in the Shawville Bethel
Pentecostal Church on Thursday
morning. He stood in the foyer,
clad in a sports jacket and
checkered shirt, and smiled when
I walked in.
It took a moment for it to click
that this was the new pastor of
the Bethel Pentecostal Church;
the pastor I’d arranged to meet.
Maybe it was the sports jacket.
Valles was gracious enough
to put an end to my confusion,
introducing himself and offering
a quick handshake. He led us
into the empty chapel, where
we sat not in the pews but on
the regular chairs up against the
back wall.
I soon learned that he, like I,
was a GTA-grown city-slicker,
taking on a new adventure in
rural Quebec.
“I think, as a minister, you
kind of ask yourself, ‘God, where
do you want me to be? What
direction do you want me to
take?’” Valles reflected.
I, decidedly not a minister,
asked him to clarify.
“We don’t ‘make moves’,” he
said. “We decide to go places
through prayer and through
the leading of God. So through
prayer we felt impressed that
this is a place for us. I saw the
ad on the website, that they were
looking for a senior pastor, and
felt that what they’re looking
for… that I filled the need.”
In the “we”, he was referring
to his wife and daughter, who
have made the move to Pontiac
as well.

“That’s the thing that
encouraged me most [to come],”
Valles said. “My family is
onboard. They had to want to be
here.”
Valles was born in the
Philippines, into a family of 11
children. He came to Canada
in the sixth grade, attending a
French school in Quebec for two
years before moving to Ontario.
“I’ve lived in BC, Ottawa,
Quebec, all around Canada,” he
said, “but I’m excited to be here.”
Valles told me he’s looking
forward to getting to know the
people of the church, but also of
the larger community
“We’re praying that this is the
right place for us. We’ve never
lived in a community like this
before, but we want to stay here
long-term,” he said.

I think in a small-town
setting, you’re the pastor for the
whole community.”
I asked Valles what it was that
he’d meant earlier, about filling a
“need” of the church.
What appears to be Valles’ true
vocation became immediately
evident.
“I try and be a father figure or
a mentor to a lot of the young
people,” he said. “Whether it
just be hanging out playing
basketball, or going to a
restaurant.”
Valles said it was his impression
that Bethel Pentecostal seemed
determined to reach out to a
younger generation.
“That’s been my thing for the
longest time. I worked as a youth
pastor at different churches for
many years. My experience is
in teaching and mentoring kids,
and just reaching out to them,”
Valles said.
“And that is why I think I’m a
good fit here.”
Pastor Edwin Valles will be
holding his first mass at Bethel
Pentecostal this Sunday, Nov. 5,
at 10 a.m. All are welcome.

Camilla Faragalli, reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

Pontiac High School (PHS) is celebrating the official completion of its new multi-sport court project.
Several of the projects various benefactors, along with Shawville mayor, Bill
McCleary, gathered at the school on Friday to mark the occasion.
“You can actually play tennis, pickleball, badminton, volleyball, basketball
and road hockey all on the same court now,” said Darcy Findlay, the
school’s physical education teacher and one of the project’s key
organizers.
According to Findlay, the courts will be fully accessible to the community.
“Anyone is more than welcome to come and use it at any time,” Findlay said,
emphasizing how projects between school and community are essential for
regional development.
“They provide opportunity and reason for young
families to move here,” he said, “They showcase a possible lifestyle,
and the facilities and recreational opportunities that we can provide
them.”
The project was started about two years ago, during the
pandemic. “I think it’s a long time coming for us to do something with
it,” said Holly Anabelle Smith, a student at PHS, adding that the tennis
court that had existed there previously was old, cracked and in
disrepair.
Cade Kuehl, another student at PHS, said he believes the outdoor basketball courts in particular will get a lot of use.
“I think it’s awesome to see new stuff coming in the community, and being
able to hang out outside is great, rather than being cooped up like we
have been for the past few years,” he added.
Roughly $100,000 went into the project, which was funded by the Shawville Lions Club ($7,500),
the Municipality of Shawville ($5,000), the Municipality of Clarendon
($5,000), the Shawville Rotary and the Maison des Jeunes ($1,000). The
remaining balance was covered by the Western Quebec School Board.

Camilla Faragalli, reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

The Connexions Resource Centre held its first meet-and-greet of the
season for the 55+ community on Thursday morning in Shawville.
Seated in a semicircle at the St. Paul’s Anglican Church hall, the group shared personal stories over coffee, tea and snacks.
It was the first part of a two-hour gathering facilitated by Dianne Wheatley, an activity coordinator for the organization.
“The closeness in this community, the engagement… They are so dedicated to
their wellbeing, to being inclusive, it’s wonderful to see,” said
Wheatley. “Everybody made everyone feel so welcome.”
Introductions were followed by an animated game of Bingo which taught participants
more about each other, and even managed to evoke an impromptu rendition
of the national anthem. A simple card-prompt game, with questions and
answers ranging from silly to sincere.
Gordon Cave of Shawville said his daughter, who lives in Columbus, Ohio,
heard about the event online and encouraged him to attend.
“This is my first time here,” Cave said. “I didn’t know what to expect, but it was very pleasant and fun.”
Socialization is important at any age, and a plethora of Canadian research exists to
demonstrate how social isolation and exclusion is related to serious
negative health effects and reduced quality of life for seniors,
specifically.
“Seniors need to make connections with people, too,”
said Outreach and Engagement Coordinator for the MRC Pontiac, Shelley
Heaphy. “And it can be difficult in the Pontiac to meet people, because
we have such a large, vast territory.”
“For anyone who is isolated or
alone or has no one to talk to, something like this can be a really
great part of their week and keep their mind active,” Heaphy said.
According to the Connexions website, the non-profit exists to promote the health,
social wellbeing and vitality of the English-speaking community in the
Outaouais through empowerment, participation and collaboration.
“I don’t know anybody that works there [Connexions] that doesn’t love what they do,” Wheatley said.
“You have to love the community, you have to be in touch, you have to
believe in inclusivenes . . . and that’s what makes it work.”
The next Connexions 55+ meet-and-greet will be held in Buckingham on October 30.

Camilla Faragalli, Reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

The annual Catholic Women’s League Harvest Breakfast was held on Sunday morning at the Immaculate Conception Church in Bryson.

It was a full house, with over a hundred people showing up over the course of the morning.

“We always get wonderful support from our own community and all the surrounding communities as well – so it’s a lot of fun for us,” said Betty Maloney, a key organizer of the event, long-time member of the Catholic Women’s League and a parishioner at the Immaculate Conception Church.

“The food is amazing and the pancakes are known to be the best around,” she said, adding with a wink that her husband is responsible for making them.

The event is one of several community gatherings organized by the Catholic Women’s League of Canada (CWL), a 100-plus year-old national organization comprised of over 60,000 members across different communities that stands for faith, service, and social justice.

“We’re always trying to give back,” said CWL Bryson president Sheila Racine, “I’ve lived here all my life and was raised in Bryson. We always thought what people give you, you help out with, too.” One lucky attendee was the winner of a 50/50 draw, taking home half of the proceeds from ticket sales, Margo Newberry of Bryson.
“I usually never win, but oh my God, what an honour,” said Newberry after her name was called. The CWL will direct the rest of the proceeds from the event towards supporting the Immaculate Conception Church.

Camilla Faragalli, reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

The Outaouais is seeing greater labour shortages than elsewhere in Quebec, according to a presentation from the Canadian Federation of Independent Buisinesses’ (CFIB) at last week’s Pontiac Chamber of Commerce (PCC) meeting.

The PCC held its monthly Business Association meeting on Thursday under the warm lights of the Little Red Wagon Winery in Clarendon with special guests from the CFIB, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that advocates for businesses in Canada.

“Two out of five businesses in Quebec say that they don’t have enough employees to run their businesses, but here in Outaouais it’s actually three out of five businesses. Nowhere else in Quebec is it like that,” said Benjamin Rousse, a policy analyst at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

The issue is of particular concern as, according to a survey conducted by the province, small businesses are the driving economic force of the Outaouais: the proportion of companies with fewer than 50 employees makes up a whopping 95 per cent of those surveyed.

“Right now it’s very hard for businesses in Quebec in general,” Rousse said. “But in Outaouais it’s another world.”

The PCC event was one of many held across Canada this week in recognition of the country’s Small Business Week.

“You’re gaining information and information is like gold,” said PCC vice president, Todd Hoffman of the event.

“The more information you get the better. But the whole making of it is in the networking, that’s something that’s really overlooked.”

Sébastien Bonnerot, president of the PCC, said that for many small business owners in Pontiac, opportunities to network are few and far between given the vastness of the region.

“We’re actually the widest chamber of commerce in Canada in terms of kilometres – 14,000 square kilometres – so it’s not always easy to get people together, participating in events,” Bonnerot said.

“When we’re able to do something like this in the middle of the Pontiac, it’s great.”

Martin Bertrand, owner of Horizon X rafting company on Grand Calumet Island, said he attended the event to meet other entrepreneurs in the Pontiac, make new connections and see new faces.

“Back in the day I was really involved with tourism, really involved within the community and within the Chamber of Commerce as well, and it’s quite exciting to see it flourishing and doing well in the past year,” said Bertrand.

The next PCC meeting will be held in late November.

Camilla Faragalli, reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

Andrea Smith (lead vocals) and Kathryn Perry (piano and vocals) led the dozens gathered at the New Hope Christian Fellowship Church in an evening of old-fashioned hymn singing on Sunday.

“It lifts our spirits to sing about Jesus, and we want our town to radiate with his love,” said Perry, a parishioner at the church who taught piano for 53 years prior to retiring,

She and Smith, who were united by a mutual love of music and their religion, initiated the now-regular hymn-sings together about a year ago.

“We have these sings once a quarter and we’re hoping to have them a lot more often,” Perry said.

The two women were joined on stage by Steven Beattie on tenor saxophone, and Paulette Gauthier on violin. The group took requests for hymns from the audience for the entire duration of the event.

“Hymns are the church theology,” said Pastor Walter Perry of Pembroke. “We learn more about God, about his love.”

Angela Jonkers, a parishioner at New Hope who lives just outside of Shawville, said her love of singing – especially old hymns – had brought her to the event.

“And I’ve gotten used to this church,” Jonkers added, “I really like the people in it.”

It seems Jonkers was not the only person present who felt that way; nearly everyone that attended the hymn-sing hung back afterwords to chat – and sample from the dazzling array of homemade cookies provided by Smith’s mother, Lorna (Smith).

All proceeds from the event were donated to the Snowsuit Fund, a program that provides low-cost snowsuits to families facing financial stress.