Local Journalism Initiative

New study shows farmers shoulder more stress, depression than others

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

Brenda O’Farrell
The Advocate

Farmers have higher rates of stress, depression and anxiety compared with the general population, according to a new study published this fall.

In fact, the levels of stress and anxiety are becoming so pervasive among agricultural producers that it has been described as a mental-health crisis, according to the report published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

One of the reasons for the accelerations, say the study’s authors, is the fact that efforts to address the situation have focused on care rather than addressing the underlying causes of poor farmer mental health – financial uncertainty and the climate crisis.

“Key factors contributing to the economic precarity of farmers and farm workers include unfettered corporate concentration in the food sector, consolidation and financialization of farmland, climate change and trade liberalization,” the report states.

Based on these findings, this report makes the following six recommendations:

Recommendation 1: Implement policies that enhance economic stability for farmers and farm workers. Since economic instability is a key driver of poor mental health, implementing policies to enhance economic stability for farmers and farm workers is critical. These include policies that address key drivers of economic uncertainty,  like commodity volatility, corporate concentration and the climate crisis. Stronger competition policies also would foster a more equitable distribution of power within the food system.

Recommendation 2: Enhance supports to farmers transitioning to sustainable farming practices. Promoting the adoption of sustainable farming practices and agro-ecological approaches would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance crop productivity, soil fertility and biodiversity.

Recommendation 3: Include food sovereignty in the federal goals for agriculture. The Canadian government should be facilitating the growth of sustainable and local food systems. This includes prioritizes the health and well-being of farmers, farm workers, communities and the environment.

Recommendation 4: Rebuild rural infrastructure. To counter intensifying rural de-population in agricultural communities across Canada, governments at all levels need to revitalize and rebuild rural infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and transportation and communication systems.

Recommendation 5: Address on-going discrimination and violence in the farming sector. In order to make an inclusive farming environment, governments must take meaningful action against violence towards Indigenous, Black and racialized groups, as well as 2SLGBTQ+ individuals and women.

Recommendation 6: Expand access to mental health care for farmers and support existing farm organizations that are providing support, advocacy and research. Meaningful action is needed to improve the living and working conditions of Canadian farmers. A comprehensive approach that considers the upstream drivers of farmer mental health will help foster a more resilient and sustainable agricultural sector while improving the well-being of farmers across Canada.

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‘Suddenly, I felt a calling’

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Montérégie producer wanted to be worthy of being part of family operation

Andrew McClelland
The Advocate

Sometimes, coming to the realization of what you want to do in life comes slowly, after trying out a number of career options. And sometimes, it just hits you like a tonne of bricks.

It was definitely a tonne-of-bricks moment for Alexandre Verdonck. He grew up in Ste. Marthe, about 70 kilometres west of Montreal, on the farm his grandfather bought in the 1950s. A farm kid all his life, some of his earliest memories are of tending to the land.

“My first memory of working on the farm is probably when I was 5 or 6 years old, helping my parents pick rocks in the fields with my brother,” the 24-year-old said. “It isn’t much, but it’s a good introduction of learning to do long, hard work with no salary for long-term benefits.”

Agricultural entrepreneurship runs deep in the family. Verdonck’s grandfather and great-uncle formed the company, Belcan, which sold alfalfa cubes and fertilizer. In 2001, Verdonck’s father, aunt and uncle, combined resources and land to form Groupe Stell-Ag, growing corn, soybeans, wheat and peas for the Bonduelle food group.

But still, Verdonck wasn’t sure agriculture was for him.

“I was kind of a lost kid in high school,” he said. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do growing up.”

As graduation loomed, Verdonck found himself casting about for a career path and reflecting on his future.

Looking for direction

“I guess it was because of my lack of maturity at the time — I never really saw farming as an option, even though it had been staring at me my whole life,” he explained.

“Suddenly, I felt a calling to pursue my career in hopes of one day taking over the farm business, and hopefully becoming worthy of it.”

That calling sent him to the Farm Management and Technology program at Macdonald Campus in Ste. Anne de Bellevue. Although he was a farm kid, Verdonck said the ag knowledge of many of his peers was a bit intimidating.

“I’d be lying if I said that I was anywhere near the level of competence of some of my peers when we started the program,” he said. “These ambitious farmer kids, who had been involved in their farm business probably since they were able to hold a shovel, really opened my eyes. I still admire them to this day.”

Verdonck graduated from FMT in 2019, and then continued on at Mac in Agricultural Economics, a degree he felt he needed to become a successful farm manager in the current climate.

Wanted to gain a better edge

“I wanted to gain an edge with how to manage my farm better with regards to global events,” Verdonck explained. “Wars, pandemics, political conflicts — so many factors affect farming in relation to input and output prices, and the ability to adequately market commodities through unstable supply chains.”

With two degrees under his belt, Verdonck has returned to the family farm, working the 2,000 acres Groupe Stell-Ag has in crop production and helping with expansions. Recently, the business has started a broiler operation with a 23,000-bird-capacity barn.

“This is a very new field for us since we’ve never had animals before,” Verdonck said. “So it’s an adaptation to say the least. The goal was to diversify the enterprise and not rely so heavily on grain for our source of income.”

Stell-Ag is also currently switching over to a no-till system on its acreage and has begun acting as the local dealer for Environmental Tillage Systems, a project in its infancy that the Verdoncks hope will also diversify their revenue streams.

Alexandre has come a long way from not knowing if agriculture is right for him. But after proving himself worthy of making a huge contribution to the family farm, he’s also become a capable and articulate producer with much to say about the future of farming.

Support needed

“I think farmers just want support from non-farming people rather than criticism,” he said.

“We don’t necessarily need people to know the difference between a grain combine and a forage harvester, what a corn tassel is, or even why biosecurity is important in a poultry barn, but just a general understanding that we are dealing with big enterprises that depend on many factors in order to survive. A bit of gratitude for the food you enjoy every day is all we ask.”

Cutline: Alexandre Verdonck of Ste. Marthe felt he needed a solid foundation in production techniques and agricultural economics before returning to work on the family farm. “Events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have had major effects on the prices of grain, fertilizer, fuel and other commodities that our farms depend on,” said the 24-year-old.

‘Suddenly, I felt a calling’ Read More »

Animal rights group mounts constitutional challenge to Ontario anti-farm trespass law

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

Brenda O’Farrell
The Advocate

An animal rights group is challenging the Ontario government in court, claiming the province’s law that bans undercover investigations of animal cruelty on farms is unconstitutional.

The non-profit group Animal Justice says the law – the Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act – violates the federal Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The law, which was enacted in 2020, bans activists from going undercover to investigate animal cruelty at farms and slaughterhouses. They were in court late last month in Toronto.

The group’s case puts forward the argument that the fundamental freedom of expression protected by the charter includes what it calls the “expressive activity” that focuses on the treatment of animals in the farming industry.

The same freedom of expression should also include the actions of individuals who choose to gather outside slaughterhouses to “show compassion to animals in their last moments of life.”

The group’s lawyer, according to a report by the CBC, said the work to obtain so-called undercover video footage and its dissemination is an exercise of rights protected by the charter. The law infringes on the right of free expression, peaceful assembly and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

The group argues there is a distinction between illegal occupations of farms, or violent raids, which are illegal, and undercover filming. A section of the law that is being challenged makes it illegal to obtain a job at a farm under false pretenses in order to videotape operations in a covert manner.

In a statement issued as the case opened, Ontario’s Attorney General simply said the law is constitutional.

The statement read: “The legislation does not impede expression by activists, journalists or anyone else, nor does it otherwise breach the charter.”

The law, which can fine trespassers to a maximum of $15,000 on the first offence, came about after livestock producers pressed the provincial government to take action against trespassers and people who demonstrate at processing plants.

The hearing wrapped up in early November. A ruling in the case is not expected until early 2024.

Animal rights group mounts constitutional challenge to Ontario anti-farm trespass law Read More »

CPTAQ orders stopto backfilling in Mercier

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

Brenda O’Farrell
The Advocate

The Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Québec has ordered four companies to cease excavation operations in the town of Mercier in the Montérégie area.

The companies – 9403–0749 Québec Inc., Les Entreprises Canbec Construction Inc., Excavations Bergevin & Laberge Inc. and Les productions maraîchères Bourget et frères Inc. – were ordered to stop backfilling parts of a former sand pit on land owned by Bourget et frères. Authorities claim contaminants were detected in the backfill material, citing its proximity to underground wells.

“The commission’s mission is to ensure the maintenance of the integrity of agricultural land throughout Quebec,” said Stéphane Labrie, president of the CPTAQ. “Individuals and companies not respecting the obligations of the law and the conditions of authorizations granted by the commission must be denounced and called upon to correct their deviations with regard to our agricultural land.”

The companies have until the end of November to submit proof they hold the proper authorization to carry out the backfilling. Failure could result in a second order being issued by the CPTAQ to rehabilitate the site, including removing all fill material transported to the location, as well as provide a rehabilitation plan.

CPTAQ orders stopto backfilling in Mercier Read More »

Nature is a child’s best educator

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

Paul Hetzler
The Advocate

Children who grow up on farms are privileged, though they may not always see the truth of that until later on. It seems much of the “digital generation” become adults, chronologically, at least, without knowing how to use a hammer, let alone fix a flat or do an oil change.

Farm kids learn many skills that serve them well, both on and off the farm. These can range from tractor safety, welding and engine repair to greenhouse management, direct marketing, and produce traceability. In every case, farm kids learn to work hard and problem-solve in the real world. In the process, they gain self-confidence. This is priceless.

But there are more fundamental, if lesser known, benefits of rural life. Kids who grow up surrounded by nature have a big mental, physical and cognitive lead over urban kids. There is solid proof that daily exposure to things like trees, animals, rocks, birds and open sky makes children feel happier and more confident. They’re more active, less anxious and learn better.

Scientists haven’t yet mapped all the neurological and biochemical pathways behind these effects. But controlled experiments from around the world agree the positive changes that happen when kids live close to nature are real.

According to a 2018 Danish study, youngsters who get outside on a regular basis have a lowered risk of depression, schizophrenia, eating disorders and substance use later in life.

Outdoors helps attention

In 2011, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that being outdoors lessens childhood ADHD symptoms. In fact, a growing number of psychologists now think time spent in nature could restore attention on a long-term basis.

Here’s an eye-opener: When children simply play with dirt, their anxiety and stress levels drop more than play that does not involve getting muddy. And they feel happier. This makes me wonder if breathing dirt while doing field work on an open-cab tractor does the same.

Connecting with nature also improves what’s known as eudaimonic well-being, a deep sense one belongs in the world. In other words, farming helps give life meaning. It’s probably one reason so many farmers can keep going in the face of daily challenges.

In addition, dirt (or soil) is vital for strong childhood immune systems. A study done in Finland looked at 10 urban day-care centres with concrete play yards. At five centres, researchers built “forests” for kids to use, trucking in good topsoil and native trees, shrubs and flowers. After four weeks, blood tests showed that the immune systems of kids who played in the dirt were notably healthier than their initial baseline at the start of the study, and the control group.

Effects on immune systems

The research team concluded a nature-poor childhood, the norm in our culture where 80 per cent are urban-dwellers, results in “uneducated immune systems.” This may render kids prone to immune-mediated ailments like severe allergies and celiac disease.

Immune systems aren’t the only things “educated” by nature. School performance is enhanced as well.

Pupils who spend time outdoors absorb material faster and retain more of what they learn. And the longer kids spend in fields, forests or streams, the bigger their academic gains are.

A 2019 study from the University of Chicago showed connecting with nature “improves working memory, cognitive flexibility and attentional control.”

In another experiment, students who looked out at green space for 40 seconds before a test did better than those who didn’t. Several other studies have shown listening to natural sounds raises marks on tough exams.

Nature inspires kindness

It’s been documented that nature makes kids nicer: primary-school students are kinder to peers and adults after forays into nature than after visiting urban landmarks.

Researchers at the University of Rochester report exposure to the natural world makes people tend to nurture relationships, value community more and be more generous.

Fortuitously, kids have an innate attraction to nature. If adults want to encourage kids to explore and examine the real world, stuff like magnifiers, notebooks, trowels and containers can enrich their experience. Let kids bring nature indoors by making space (within reason) at home for moss, rocks, bark and other found items.

Nothing beats direct experience for getting kids’ attention. Young folks will remember yellow birch if they make wintergreen tea from its twigs. Spicebush smells like cloves, while black cherry reeks of bitter almond. Teen girls have particular respect for the white pine when they learn of its historic link with North American women’s rights. Kids and youth can learn to make a superb pink lemonade from the berries of staghorn sumac. And it’s OK to bring in a little tech into the picture now and then; free phone apps to identify plants, insects and birds abound.

The summer I was 13, I began full-time work on a neighbour’s farm, a 2,700-acre mix of dry beans, corn, wheat, contract-grown sweet corn and dairy-replacement heifers. From that point, I was hooked, staying on for 10 more years. I wasn’t aware of the benefits of being out in nature back then, but these likely factored into the picture. The job came at a time it was best I was out of the house, and it’s fair to say the self-confidence and time in nature I got on the farm saved my teenage life. The hard-earned pay was welcome, but not the main benefit.

Even if children move away and don’t take over the family farm, they’ve profited from starting out there. Most of us have kids in our lives – nieces, nephews, grandkids – in urban areas. Let’s take them out to dig holes and get muddy as much as possible. It brings out their best nature. 

Nature is a child’s best educator Read More »

Concern raised over future of Mac Farm in Ste. Anne

Local Journalism Initiative / /

Serious questions are being raised about the future of the farm at Macdonald Campus of McGill University in Ste. Anne de Bellevue in the wake of the provincial government’s plan to dramatically hike tuition for students from outside Quebec looking to attend English-language universities.

In an open letter Nov. 2, Deep Saini, the principal and vice-chancellor of McGill, singled out a short list of faculties and programs that could face the biggest impacts if the tuition increases are imposed for 2024, levelling a serious financial blow to the university. The letter has sent waves of concern about the long-term prospects of the operations at the university’s campus in Ste. Anne.

“The Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the Faculty of Education and the B.A. & Sc. Interfaculty programs will also be severely affected,” wrote Saini, outlining the hit McGill would suffer from the provincial government’s decision.

The Agricultural and Environmental Sciences faculty has about 2,000 students, according to Valerie Orsat, assistant dean of student affairs for the department. That includes roughly 1,300 undergraduates and 700 graduate students. In the last five years, about 20 per cent of them come from other provinces.

Another 20 to 25 per cent are foreign students. With Quebec also proposing changes in the funding model for international students, this could further reduce the revenue McGill retains from the tuition paid by these students.

“We can’t offer programs if we don’t have students,” Orsat said.

The immediate question looming over the faculty, Orsat said, was the university’s current student recruitment campaign, which is in full swing in November.

“It’s recruiting season right now,” she said. “Do we completely forget the rest of Canada?”

With tuition for students from outside Quebec set to jump from $8,992 to approximately $17,000, Orsat seriously questions how many students from the rest of Canada would opt for McGill.

Orsat says the faculty always attracts students from the western provinces, explaining they see McGill as an exciting option that offers them a “different experience before settling on the family farm.”

Adding to the uncertainty is the blow that the campus’ Farm Management and Technology program has already suffered this year with the changes it was forced to impose due to Bill 96, the province’s update to its Charter of the French Language.

The FMT program is a CEGEP-level offering that has seen its numbers drop in the past year because it must now abide by new regulations requiring all students to have certificates of eligibility to attend an English-language institution. Post-secondary students from other provinces do not qualify for an eligibility certificate.

“My numbers are already down,” said Pascal Theriault, head of the FMT program.

“I’m not sure what to think yet,” Theriault said recently in an interview. “There is still a big fog around it,” he added, referring to the uncertainty of what the future holds.

With the number of FMT students dropping and the number of students in the Faculty of Agriculture poised to take a dip due to the tuition hikes, the cost of maintaining the farm becomes more difficult, he said.

The capacity to continue to offer quality programs if the faculty loses a number of students in the undergrad level could be affected, he said, adding the FMT program would not be able to afford to keep the farm operating on its own. “We might lose a critical mass of students.”

Theriault said offering proper training for students in the field of agriculture is expensive, but in the era of growing climate change challenges it is even more crucial.

“If you want to train farmers in new technologies, you need that infrastructure,” he said.

Training agrologists and agricultural engineers is crucial now more than ever, Theriault said. “When I look at climate change, the financial stress, the need to have professionals working with (farmers) to feed Canadians – that is where my concern is,” he added.

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Pointe Claire residents demand: Who issued gag order?

Local Journalism Initiative / /

Who put a gag order on the consultants who are conducting the city of Pointe Claire’s public forums for its urban plan that forbid any resident from discussing the future of the wooded area north of Highway 40 known as Fairview Forest?

That is the question residents who recently attended a consultation meeting were asking members of Pointe Claire council last week. And so far, the answer is still not entirely clear.

It’s a situation described by one resident as “outrageous.”

“The evening’s consultation had been long awaited, long anticipated as its focus was on the environment – a hot topic, as we know, in Pointe Claire,” said resident Ralph Stocek, describing the public forum held Oct. 25. “Yet, we were forbidden to discuss the most important environmental decision the city faces – Fairview Forest.”

“What exactly were the instructions from the city that allowed such an outrage to occur?” Stocek asked council last week.

According to Stocek and others who took their turn during the question period at last week’s council meeting, the consultant hired by the city to host the public forums to solicit residents’ input on the city’s urban plan informed those in attendance that due to what was referred to as “judicial considerations,” the topic of Fairview was off limits.

“What judicial consideration forces the city to cancel public input on the most important issue facing Pointe Claire?” Stocek asked. “What judicial consideration forces Pointe Claire to abandon the democratic participation by its citizens on the future of its last protected forest?”

In 2022, shortly after the city of Pointe Claire imposed a development freeze on many parts of the city as part of the process of updating its urban plan, Cadillac Fairview, which owns the forest west of its shopping mall, filed a lawsuit against the municipality.

Resident David Johnston referred to the inability to discuss the forest as a “gag order.”

“They couldn’t bring it up,” Johnson said, referring to the topic.

Said Stocek: “The consultant said nobody would be allowed to discuss Fairview Forest.”

“No mention of it, he emphasized,” Stocek added, referring to the consultant, who reportedly continued: “No mention of Fairview Forest would appear in any of the documentation and any of the reports coming forth.”

“The political wars and the legal battles are one thing, but the voice of the citizens should not be denied like that,” Stocek continued. “In my mind, the city’s actions here are kind of suspect.”

“Why can’t we say Cadillac Fairview?” asked Lynn Conway when it was her turn to ask council a question. Conway attended the Oct. 25 consultation meeting as well.

“We should still be able to say what we would like north of Highway 40 west of St. John’s,” she added. “We weren’t allowed to say anything like that.”

In response, Pointe Claire Mayor Tim Thomas promised to inquire what instructions were given to the consulting firm Groupe BC2 for the session. Contacted Monday, Thomas said he has yet to get an answer from city administrators.

“I have demanded a meeting with the (city director general) and the consulted,” Thomas said in an interview.

“I am concerned a key part of our consultations is flawed,” he added. “We should have to revisit this part of the consultation. You can’t alter your methodology. You need to get an accurate reflection of people’s views.”

According to a city spokesperson, participants at the Oct. 25 consultation were clearly told the topic for the session was residents’ private property, and that the forested land would not be discussed. The reason Fairview Forest would not be discussed was the ongoing legal action launched by Cadillac Fairview.

“We understand that people are frustrated,” said Lucie Lemieux, Pointe Claire’s director of  communications.

She said the consultant said he would not deal with Fairview Forest and would not include any reference to the woods in his report in an attempt to focus the gathering on the narrow topic of private lots after one participant lost his temper. “It was not the topic of the day,” Lemieux said. The 43-acre forested area owned by Cadillac Fairview is currently under two development freezes imposed by the city of Pointe Claire as well as the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal.

Pointe Claire residents demand: Who issued gag order? Read More »

Zoning change next step for Beaconsfield development project

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

JOHN JANTAK
The 1510 West

Beaconsfield council next week is expected to vote on a zoning change that would allow a residential development project transform a rundown strip mall just north of Highway 20 to move forward.

“It will be on the agenda for approval by council at the next public meeting on Nov. 20,” Mayor Georges Bourelle told The 1510 West, referring to a project that would revamp Elm Plaza on Elm Avenue, west of St. Charles Blvd.

But not all councillors, however, may agree with the zoning change, said Bourelle.

“It’s possible council won’t approve it,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”

In September, council granted preliminary approval to a proposed plan to transform the shopping plaza into a mixed-use commercial development with a high-rise residential component that would include 130 units – 13 townhouses and 117 condos.

Earlier in the year council had rejected the first version of the plan that featured 14 townhouses and 138 condo units, with parking space for up to 211 vehicles and 30 bikes. That project was slammed by local residents, who argued it would lead to major traffic headaches on the surrounding residential streets.

The new plan was outlined at a public consultation meeting Oct. 24, where residents again expressed their concerns about the proposed plan.

They wanted to know how the revised project if given final approval will impact their neighbourhood, especially regarding increased traffic and whether there will be adequate parking for everyone.

Bourelle said it was premature to bring up these issues at this point because council has to first approve the zoning change and the city has not yet received a final plan from the developer.

“We haven’t seen the revised architectural design of the project,” he said last week.

The city will be able to answer citizens’ concerns about the project only after the developer resubmits its revised architectural design to the city. But first, council has to approve the zoning change, which is crucial for any residential plan to move forward.

“It’s not a done deal,” Bourelle said. “There’s a lot that still has to be adjusted before council would go ahead with it.

If council adopts the zoning change, citizens could still block the initiative at the public registry stage. If enough signatures are collected on the registry, council would be forced to withdraw the zoning change or put it to a referendum.

At the end of 2022, the plaza was sold for $9 million to a numbered company, which put forward the redevelopment plan.

Cutline:

Beaconsfield council is set to vote on a zoning change for the Elm Plaza site to allow a proposed commercial-residential project to move forward.

Zoning change next step for Beaconsfield development project Read More »

Quebec, Montreal halt plans to tear down Braerob ruins in Ste. Anne

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

JOHN JANTAK
The 1510 West

The plan to tear down the ruins of the Braerob Farmhouse in Ste. Anne de Bellevue has been stopped, said the town’s mayor, Paola Hawa.

“The Montreal agglomeration has put a hold on our plans, as has the provincial Ministry of Culture and Communications at the provincial level,” Hawa told The 1510 West. “Now, we’re waiting for them to get back to us as to what the next steps could possibly be.”

The historical significance and value of the farmhouse, which dates back to 1797, were the reasons given for stopping the demolition two months after the town submitted its demolition request in September, Hawa said.

Ste. Anne council opted to demolish the ruins because the cost of renovating the stone farmhouse, known officially as the Maison Michel Robillard, was simply too high for the small town to cover.

“We had the money pre-COVID, but when all the prices exploded after COVID, the cost is now double what it was. We can’t afford it any more,” Hawa said.

The original cost of the renovation work was about $2.4 million, with the town footing less than half as it had a $1.4-million grant from the province. But now the cost estimates have nearly doubled to $4.3 million.

“That’s too expensive,” Hawa said. “We reached out to them and said it was all right a few years ago, but now with this new reality and pricing it just doesn’t cut it.”

The town is waiting to hear from the Montreal agglomeration and provincial culture ministry regarding their restoration proposals for the farmhouse.

“It’s basically out of our hands right now,” Hawa said. We did the first step in the process of holding a demolition committee and recommending the demolition.”

“But because of the way the process and structure is set up, that resolution has to go to the agglo and Quebec,” she explained. “Once they found out our intention, they contacted us and put a stop to the demolition until they could do whatever they need to do on their end.”

“Your guess is as good as mine as to what’s going to happen next.” Hawa added.

It is now uncertain whether a structure that will serve as a welcome centre at the entrance to the l’Anse à l’Orme Nature Park will be ready by the time the elevated REM commuter rail service arrives in 2024.

“The window is narrowing. Either we’re going to have to renovate the Braerob if some money falls from the sky and/or we’re going to have to build a new entrance,” Hawa said. “It’s a pretty long, laborious process. You have to get the design, approve it, go out for quotes publicly. You just don’t build something.”

The town of Ste. Anne acquired the old house in 2018 from the Grilli Property Group, which had owned it since 2005 and had intended to build a residential housing development in the surrounding area.

At a cost to Ste. Anne of $60,000, the purchase of the old stone house was part of a larger scheme that saw the Montreal agglomeration invest about $11 million to expand the Anse à l’Orme park, a move the ended a long-running campaign that had pit conservationists against the real estate developer. Later, the city of Montreal invested another $21 million to expand the Grand Parc de l’Ouest.

Quebec, Montreal halt plans to tear down Braerob ruins in Ste. Anne Read More »

Pointe Claire residents feeling loss in wake of funeral home fire

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

By JOSHUA ALLAN

The 1510 West

The fire that destroyed the Collins Clarke MacGillivray White funeral home in Pointe Claire last Wednesday was like losing an “icon in the community,” say some Pointe Claire residents.

The establishment, just off Highway 20 at Cartier Avenue, opened in the 1960s, quickly becoming the go-to option for funerals and memorial services for many residents of Pointe Claire, said resident Terry O’Shaughnessy.

“Both my parents, my grandparents were waked from there, some aunts and uncles, some neighbours, friends,” O’Shaughnessy said. “It’s sort of like a place for our family history that’s now gone.”

“Collins,” as it was often referred to, had been a part of the family history for many residents of the West Island, including Donna Cameron, a lifelong resident of Pointe Claire.

It was where Cameron’s family held a wake for her brother, and later for her father.

“It really is the funeral home,” she said. “Whenever one of my friends’ parents passed away, or neighbours, or people that you know in Pointe Claire, it’s rare that it’s not at Collins.”

Cameron said she witnessed the smoke from the fire rising into the sky while driving home on Highway 20 last Wednesday.

“Just seeing it burning brought back all those memories,” she said, recalling the many wakes and visitations of friends and family she attended over the years at the funeral home. 

Collins had also contained a columbarium which had not been spared by the fire.

Cameron said she knows people who kept the ashes of deceased family members in the columbarium.

“My mother called me and was quite upset because her friend’s husband’s (ashes) were in there,” Cameron said. “She actually had made plans to join her husband, put her urn in there as well.”

Pointe Claire Mayor Tim Thomas took to social media last Wednesday to express his sympathies regarding the fire.

“Collins served several generations of Pointe Claire citizens in their time of need and is an important part of our community,” he wrote. Montreal’s fire service is currently investigating the cause of the fire and has yet to disclose the cause of the blaze.

Pointe Claire residents feeling loss in wake of funeral home fire Read More »

Many urns recovered from fire ruins

Local Journalism Initiative / /

Many of the more than 250 urns stored at the Collins Clarke MacGillivray White funeral home in Pointe Claire are salvageable, said an official at the fire site last Saturday.

The urns are being collected and transported to the company’s other location in N.D.G., where they will be cleaned. Families will then be notified, the official said.

In an official statement released by the owners of the property, Dignity Memorial, the cause of the blaze is still being assessed.

“However, our priority is our families. We have been a proud member of this community since 1940 and will continue to provide funeral services for our families through our other locations in the area,” said Christopher James, a communications official with Dignity Memorial. “Rest assured we are in the process of contacting families about this unfortunate circumstance.”

He would not respond to other questions.

Church officials from around the West Island have reached out to offer facilities for services that had been planned for the funeral home, the official on the site last weekend said. He also said the company plans to rebuild the funeral home in Pointe Claire.

Many urns recovered from fire ruins Read More »

Sail away, sail away, sail away

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

Local man sells everything, sails to Caribbean

By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

Townshipper Jay Caunter has sold all his possessions and is sailing down the east coast to the Carribbean. Following his dreams, he is more than halfway there – on pace to reach his destination by Christmas. Keeping as safe as possible, he maintains contact with friends over the phone and internet.

“I lived in Toronto for about 25 years,” Caunter explained, then moved back to his hometown of North Hatley in 2011 to look after his father. His father passed away a few years ago. At that point, he realized he had no family left and there was nothing holding him back, “so I decided to follow a dream.” Caunter sold everything he owned and bought a bigger boat up in Sarnia, Ontario – a 1979 Sabre 34.

“I hated sailing when I was a kid,” Caunter said; his father used to own the marina in North Hatley. He was a fan of the powerboats, sailboats being “totally foreign” to him. When he was 25 years old, he learned how to sail. “You couldn’t get me back on a powerboat if you tried, now.”

Caunter has sailed over 2,500 kilometers so far, traversing, from Sarnia, through the Great Lakes and the Eerie Canal down to New York City. He then sailed up Delaware Bay and back down Chesapeake Bay. He continued down the east coast and is currently approaching Georgetown South Carolina. He sails when he can and motors when he must.

Caunter’s day begins by checking three different weather apps. He is not in a hurry, if the wind is blowing over 25 knots he will stay where he is. He recently spent three days at a marina because the wind was too strong.

Because he is sailing single-handed, he takes a lot of precautions. “When I’m not at the dock, my lifejacket is on,” he noted. His lifejacket has a harness that is clipped to his boat so he cannot fall out. His boat has no room for a life raft, however. He insists that he is extremely careful. Only very serious problems get him to leave his boat’s cockpit while he is on the water. He passed through Norfolk Harbour and used his motor exclusively. “There [were] ships everywhere,” he explained; he found the experience nerve-wracking.

Every night he anchors down, stops at a marina, or finds a free dock. Marinas can be expensive, so he tries to avoid them. They are, however, one of the only places off the water one can shower. His search for an anchoring point starts around 3 p.m., because the days are getting shorter.

Caunter tries to keep about two weeks of food on his boat. Perishable foods last up to a week in his fridge, and he always has canned and freeze-dried options as a backup. The boat also has a barbecue, toilet, and sink. “I’ve got everything I need.”

He checked in with U.S. customs at Cape Vincent, New York. He was told he would have to check in at customs at every major city he passes. Later he was told to just check in at every state. “We want to know where you are in case there is a storm,” he was told, but he is skeptical.

Caunter’s goal is to be in the Bahamas by Christmas and south of Grenada by next June. Besides that, he has no specific plans. He has friends he is keeping in touch with that want to visit him when he gets somewhere warm.

When he is far away from shore his phone and internet stop working. His navigation system, or chart-plotter, already contains all the information it needs and functions by satellite no matter where he is. “I won’t get lost.”

He wanted to download some books, so he stopped in at a Starbucks to take advantage of their free wi-fi. He enjoys listening to audiobooks while he is sailing, finishing two or three a week. Caunter is allergic to shellfish, so he does not fish at all. He used to love lobster, but no more. When he is not sailing, there is always something to do, he said.

Sometimes he enjoys potluck dinners with other sailors during his stints on shore. “I have met so many wonderful people,” Caunter said, “the people from Sarnia to here have been fantastic.” People have offered to loan him their cars, driven him to stores, picked things up for him – he cannot complain about anybody.

Caunter wants everyone back in the Townships to know he is doing well and that he says “hi”.

Sail away, sail away, sail away Read More »

18th century items found on site of Magog’s Autoparc Stanley

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By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

An archeological site of note has been uncovered in Magog, one of many local sites that will be investigated by the town.

The Town of Magog, for the past few years, has been exploring its “archeological potential”, said Mme Édith Thibodeau, Magog’s Development Officer for Heritage and Culture. Numerous items of archeological interest have been found recently, many accidentally in the course of new construction. However, the town wished to deliberately focus on the areas with the strongest unrealized possibilities. After a comprehensive study, they are now able to warn those who are building in “sensitive areas”.

One recent area of interest, Autoparc Stanley, underwent an archeological dig preceding new construction, finding over 400 historical artifacts from the 1800s as a result. The items give an insight into what daily life was like at the time, and will be collected by the city and eventually showcased to the local population. Items include pieces of pottery and glass, coins, and buttons.

Many other sites with a “high potential” around the Magog River and Memphremagog Lake will be explored in the future, likely holding significant items of Indigenous origin going back centuries. The area of most interest in terms of its colonial history is Magog’s downtown core. In Parc des Braves, the foundation of Magog’s first Town Hall was uncovered.

The site at Autoparc Stanley has been destroyed to make way for new construction, but was comprehensively searched and documented beforehand.

18th century items found on site of Magog’s Autoparc Stanley Read More »

Public Safety Report: drastic increase in impaired driving charges

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Sophie Demers
Local Journalism Initiative 

MRC PONTIAC – The MRC Pontiac’s public safety committee released its annual report on October 18 which showed a drastic increase in impaired driving incidents; 56 in 2022-2023 compared to 38 in 2021-2022 and 34 in 2020-2021.

The report gathered policing related data from across the Pontiac territory from April 2022 to March 2023. During this period, the MRC Pontiac’s Public Safety Committee (PSC) participated in various community events such as Bouffe Pontiac’s food drive, Christmas basket distribution, and monitoring Halloween trick or treating. They also organized presentations and various prevention activities at community centers and schools; one for child safety, one for senior fraud prevention and 7 alcohol and drug prevention activities.

There was a total of 2,430 road interventions and 313 collisions in 2022-2023; none were fatal and 4 resulted in serious injuries. There were 1,052 road patrols that took place, 398 of which were between 3pm and midnight. Off-road patrols (on ATVs, boats and snowmobiles) totaled 12. Bylaw offenses were lower than usual in 2022-2023; 73 offenses compared to 87 in 2021-2022 and 143 in 2020-2021.

In terms of crime, there were 272 crimes committed against persons, which includes 23 sexual assault crimes and 145 assault crimes. These numbers have steadily increased over the years.

Property crimes totaled 193, with fraud (49) and breaking and entering (40) as the most frequent incidents.

Marc Tessier, Sûreté du Quebec communications officer, said there could be a variety of reasons why certain types of offenses increase or decrease: pandemic changes, more patrols in an area or an increase in population.

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Pontiac health system user’s committee re-established

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Grace Richards
Local Journalism Initiative

SHAWVILLE – On November 7, the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO) held a meeting at the CLSC in Shawville to re-establish the Pontiac’s user committee. The user committee has been inactive since 2018 when the previous members quit in protest of the fusion of five hospitals creating the CISSSO, according to a CISSSO source. With the onset of the Covid pandemic, the committee remained dormant until now.

The committee provides users of the healthcare system with a platform to voice their concerns to CISSSO employees who can enact change.

The evening began with an introduction to the Pontiac’s resource person, Pierre Saint-Cyr, who is responsible for bridging the gap between available resources and users. Local director Nicole Boucher Larivière then explained the importance of the user committee: “We’re re-establishing the user committee because it’s my job to hear your concerns and advocate for you.” Larivière shared that as a longtime resident of the Pontiac, she’s uniquely qualified to tackle the issues plaguing Pontiac’s healthcare system.

Comité des usagers du centre intégré (CUCI) coordinator Caroline Ferreira explained her role in Pontiac’s healthcare system before the floor was opened to questions about changes coming to Pontiac’s health system.

Challenges plaguing the region’s healthcare system were a hot topic, namely the lack of healthcare professionals able to work in Shawville due to bilingualism requirements, higher salaries just across the provincial border, and a shortage of housing which have made it difficult for CISSSO to attract and retain nurses. The problem is worsened by the growing number of baby boomers retiring without replacements.

Photo: Pontiac Community Hospital’s new users’ committee: Pierre Saint-Cyr, Susan Richardson, Jennifer Larose, Sandra Bennett, Shelley Heaphy, Mona Durocher-Davis and Bruno Saint-Cyr.

Pontiac health system user’s committee re-established Read More »

Bouffe Pontiac offers Christmas baskets

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Bonnie James
Local Journalism Initiative

Bouffe Pontiac will be collecting donations for their annual Christmas basket campaign on December 7 at four locations: on Hwy 148 in Campbell’s Bay and L’Isle-aux-Allumettes and in Shawville on Main Street and Rue Argue. Look for firefighters or police officers at the drop off locations. Donations can also be dropped off during regular business hours at the Bouffe Pontiac office, but they request that you call in advance: 819-648-2550. Director Kim Laroche said the items most needed for the baskets are peanut butter, jam, canned tuna, canned meats, and other non-perishable proteins.

The baskets will be distributed to families and individuals in need from December 17 – 21. The baskets include everything needed for a traditional Christmas dinner and breakfast: A turkey or ham, stuffing, meat pie, potatoes, beans, vegetables, cake mix, coffee, pancake mix, bacon, and eggs. The baskets also include other staples such as fruits, vegetables, and protein to go beyond Christmas.

Laroche estimates that between 250 – 280 baskets will be distributed. The Campbell’s Bay Sûreté du Québec (SQ) and volunteers will help with deliveries to families and individuals with no vehicle. Those with a vehicle are asked to pick up their basket at Bouffe Pontiac in Campbell’s Bay.

Individuals or families who wish to receive a basket can register by calling 819-648-2550 by November 20. Proof of address and identity are required as baskets are only available to residents of MRC Pontiac.

Volunteers are needed to help with all aspects of the campaign. Call Kim Laroche at the number above.

Photo: Christmas basket prepared by Bouffe Pontiac.

Bouffe Pontiac offers Christmas baskets Read More »

A week of strike action!

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Bonnie James
Local Journalism Initiative

Teachers, healthcare professionals, and other public sector workers across the Pontiac took part in a one-day strike on November 6. The strike involved unions affiliated with the province-wide Common Front movement who are dissatisfied with the government’s contract offers and slow negotiations.

Healthcare workers associated with the Fédération Interprofes-sionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) also staged a strike on November 8 and 9. Recurring demands across the various organizations include better working conditions and higher wages.

The strikes closed schools and slowed or stopped non-essential healthcare services across the province.

Union leaders from both organizations have said that more strike action can be expected in the absence of progress at the negotiating tables. Common Front is planning additional strike days for November 23-24.

A week of strike action! Read More »

Advo-cats drop pet-ition to save ferals

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By Madeline Kerr

Everyone knows a cat has nine lives, but few may be aware that an unspayed female cat can have around 12 kittens in a single year.

This is part of the reason why some residents of La Pêche say they worry that if nothing is done to address the growing number of feral cats in the municipality, the issue could get out of hand, causing both cats and other local wildlife to seriously suffer.

A petition put forward by La Pêche resident Natasha Sabolotny is asking residents to show their support for a humane solution to the problem. At the time of publication, Sabolotny’s petition on Change.org has garnered 3,915 signatures.

In part, the petition states, “It’s time to demand that the municipality of La Pêche take responsibility for the ethical treatment of all pets.”

Part of the problem, Sabolotny’s petition explains, is the fact that the company employed by the municipality to deal with animal control does not provide services for stray cats. Starting in 2021, the municipality of La Pêche ended its former agreement with the SPCA and signed a two-year deal with a local company Anitek.

Unlike the SPCA, Anitek’s services are mostly limited to stray dogs, meaning there is little help available when it comes to stray cats.

Anitek’s services also come with a larger price tag: while the municipality spent a little more than $31,800 in 2019 to work with the SPCA, this year its contract with Anitek costs $41,900. La Pêche Mayor Guillaume Lamoureux justified the expense of Anitek’s services over SPCA saying that the number of dogs registered in the municipality has doubled thanks to Anitek’s services – namely his digital dog tag registrar, which helps offset the cost.

On Nov. 7, a group of residents, including Sabolotny, met with Lamoureux to discuss their concerns. Wakefield resident Justine Nolan attended the meeting, where she explained to the mayor the scope of the feral cat problem and put forward possible solutions to resolve it.

Nolan said that she and others believe there are close to 200 cats living in a colony near Burnt Hill in Edelweiss and another 35 cats at a colony in Lac-des-Loups. Feral cats are by nature skittish and hard to count, making it difficult to get exact numbers, she said, adding that there are likely to be several other pockets of feral cats throughout the municipality.

Part of the problem is that feral cats poach birds and other wildlife, which can have a negative impact on local ecosystems, Nolan explained. Unvaccinated cats can also spread disease to domesticated pets they come in contact with.

“Cruelty towards animals is also one of the biggest concerns,” Nolan said. “People put [kittens] in bags, suffocate them, drown them…the population getting out of control sadly means that [this kind of] behaviour is more likely.”

One solution, residents like Nolan and Sabolotny say, would be to implement a Trap, Neuter, Release and Maintain program (TNRM) through any area clinics offering neutering, ideally with funding from the municipality.

Another solution is to attract more veterinarians to the municipality, according to the group. Currently there is only one vet, Dr. Penny Wootton, working at the Wakefield veterinary clinic, who also works in Chelsea, meaning few can access vet services in the area.

Yet another possible solution, according to Nolan, includes discounts for La Pêche residents who want to spay or neuter a pet.

Lamoureux has said he recognizes that cats are underserved by the current arrangement. He told the Low Down the municipality has been in touch with the SPCA to enlist their help dealing with feral cats in the region but has been told that due to lack of human resources and limited space in their facility, they are unable to provide support.

“I am periodically in touch with the director of the SPCA to see if the situation evolves,” he added.

Advo-cats drop pet-ition to save ferals Read More »

Measuring contributions to Chelsea Foundation land

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

By Madeline Kerr

Hundreds of families, thousands of hours, hundreds of thousands of dollars.

These numbers represents just a slice of the community’s contributions to securing, building and maintaining the 20 acres of recreational land in the centre of Chelsea village, owned and operated by the Chelsea Foundation, according to its president, Fiona Duguid.

On Oct. 30, Chelsea council voted to move ahead with plans to try and acquire part of that land in order to build a new French-language elementary school, which the municipality and the local school service centre say is imminently needed.

One of The Chelsea Foundation’s first acts after its creation in the mid-1990s was to raise money and purchase a plot of land in Old Chelsea from Elizabeth Meredith, who hoped it would remain a recreational green space to be used by the community. The Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization that seeks to promote sport, culture and leisure, as well as foster a sense of community in the municipality.

After buying the land, Duguid said, “over $600,000 was fundraised from the community to cover land transfer costs, road development and field development. The in-kind donations of heavy equipment, landscaping expertise, project management and materials were also essential, along with the thousands of hours of sweat-equity provided by community members to literally break ground for the soccer fields to be developed.”

All of which contributed to the creation of a recreational hub that Chelsea families have been able to enjoy for the past 20 years.

“Every child in Chelsea has played on these fields with parents and grandparents coaching, cheering and playing too,” Duguid said. “In essence, it is an example of the community coming together for a common cause.”

Using registration data from 1998 to 2019, Duguid estimated that an average of 556 Soccer Chelsea players use the Foundations’ fields from May to September each year. This number does not include summer camps, tournaments or any other events held on the fields, she explained.

Besides this, Duguid listed a number of other uses of the fields on a regular basis, including: gym classes; orienteering; track and field meets and other special events by students at Chelsea Elementary and Chelsea Montessori; adult recreational soccer in the summer; and Vibrant Ultimate frisbee games from May through October each year.

Duguid said that the Foundation first heard about the municipality’s desire to acquire part of the land – specifically one of its soccer fields – on Aug. 16, 2023. On Sept. 6 the municipality informed the Foundation that it wanted to acquire approximately four acres of its 20 acres of land.

In an email to the Low Down, Chelsea municipal spokesperson Maude Prud’homme-Séguin explained that, “Very early on in the process, the municipality offered to relocate the soccer field, at its own expense, on one of its properties, in order to reach a win/win agreement, which the Foundation refused.”

At the council meeting on Oct. 30, Mayor Pierre Guénard explained that the municipality was asked to provide the local French school service centre (CSSPO) with a list of all lots in the urban perimeter with a surface area of over 25,000 square metres serviced by a water system.

He explained that the municipality made it clear they favoured other sites for the school building, including behind La Fab sur Mill on Mill Road, but this suggestion was rejected by CSSPO based on a lengthy list of criteria it uses to determine suitable sites for future schools.

Some residents at the meeting implored council to push back against CSSPO’s decision, but Mayor Guénard and several councillors made it clear they feel their hands are tied.

“We have to consider both the Foundation’s needs and those of the population,” Prud’homme-Séguin later explained. “This school will enable 300 students a year to continue their education in a modern school on Chelsea territory.”

On Oct. 30, the council voted to enlist the services of RPGL Lawyers in Gatineau to move ahead with acquiring the land.

Measuring contributions to Chelsea Foundation land Read More »

Chelsea approves more spending for River Road

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

By Madeline Kerr

Chelsea councillors have voted to approve more funding for further work on River Road, which has been undergoing a major renovation since July.

At a council meeting on Nov. 7, councillors voted in favour of additional spending to replace a culvert and install road slopes.

The total budget for the rehabilitation of the road is now $13.7 million, although Chelsea municipal spokesperson Maude Prud’homme-Séguin told the Low Down that, to date, the municipality has spent around only $5.5 million.

“Unless there’s a major surprise, we don’t expect any cost overruns by the end of the project, despite other additional expenses to come,” she said.

When it was initially announced early last year, Chelsea had earmarked $12.4 million to complete the entire project, which will include full reconstruction of over six kilometres of road from the border with La Pêche to Hwy 105, as well as widening the road near the Cascades Club and upgrading more than 20 culverts.

The council meeting on Nov. 7 was not live streamed or recorded due to a power failure, according to the municipality’s website. The minutes of the meeting will become publicly available after they are officially adopted at a future council meeting.

Chelsea approves more spending for River Road Read More »

Ma Cabane clientele numbers holding steady, but may rise, director says

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By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

A Sherbrooke day centre for those at risk of homelessness, Ma Cabane’s clientele numbers are holding steady at around 80 per day but could very well rise. The centre, situated on King East, opened its doors back in Jan. of 2021.

“[Attendance] is starting to go up a little bit,” said General Director Marc St-Louis, referring to the daily clientele at Ma Cabane. This summer they served around 80 people per day. Last February and March they had days with upwards of 140 people. It is not, however, a simple equation, he explained, where warm weather means less people and cold weather means more. The only constant is there are less people at the beginning of the month.

St-Louis worries numbers will get high again this winter. At first, they regulated how many clientele they would let in at a time to a maximum of 10. Now they let in up to 40, “which is too much,” he admitted.

Nurses visit in the afternoons on Thursday, and a woman will begin coming next week to do foot care. His clientele walk a lot, St-Louis said, and their feet are often cold for long periods, so they are not in good shape. “We will see what the response is,” he noted. Ma Cabane offers four or five activities throughout the month, such as bowling and writing workshops.

Food insecurity is ever-present among its clientele. Ma Cabane offers snacks every afternoon they receive from the Rock-Guertin Foundation. They have distributed $15,000 worth this year alone but will likely run out next week until January.

Saint-Louis’ clientele are often on social assistance, which is just under $800 a month. “Do the math,” he urged, you either pay rent or eat but not both. This is “aggravated” by the current rising costs of lodging and food. “It’s difficult.”

All kinds come through Ma Cabane’s doors. Some are housed, some not. Many clients visit to feel less isolated, he noted. Just because you have a house, it does not mean your problems are over, he added. Many are in a precarious situation, and at risk. Often, they do not have a good background to get a job and are uneducated or have mental health issues. “We don’t ask questions,” he said, “if you come here, it is because you need to.”

St-Louis gave an example highlighting the discouraging challenges many of his clientele face. One man was released from prison in 2002 and has not broken the law since. Still, he cannot find a place to live because property-owners will reject his application based on his criminal record alone.

Ma Cabane will take non-perishable foods as donations. They will also take animal food, for many of their clients have pets and have difficulty feeding them. “Obviously, we also take money,” St-Louis said. Their financing is not guaranteed, he explained, but they should be okay for the next three to four years.

Homelessness is a complicated phenomenon, he insisted. By definition, the homeless have more than one problem. Some people say that people choose that way of life, but St-Louis urges us to consider what it is that must have preceded the choice to not know where you will sleep, what you will eat, and to be looked down upon by society. “Be careful with your judgments.”

Ma Cabane clientele numbers holding steady, but may rise, director says Read More »

Out-of-province tuition hikes spell trouble for Stingers, Redbirds, Martlets, Gaiters

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Sami Jahan dribbles past a McGill player during their Nov. 11 game. Photo Alice Martin

Jared Lackman-Mincoff
Local Journalism Initiative

After the Quebec government announced its tuition hikes for international and out-of-province students, varsity directors and coaches at Concordia University, McGill and Bishop’s can see out-of-province recruitment troubles on the horizon. Non-Quebec students make up a considerable proportion of the student-athletes at all three universities.

Hamilton, Ont. native Sami Jahan, one of the foremost members of the Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team, said that his university career would have looked much different if the tuition hikes had happened when he was choosing where to study.

“Looking at the kids who are in my shoes, whether they’re playing sports or even just trying to go to school out-of-province […] their landscape is going to change a lot,” he said. Jahan is a fourth-year veteran with the Stingers. The team’s impressive 2021-22 playoff run would not have been possible without him.

Jahan believes that varsity coaches will shift more of their recruitment focus towards CEGEPs. He feels that recruiting talent from out-of-province will be less beneficial for Quebec’s English universities, since they will be able to get four Quebec kids on a scholarship for the same price as one out-of-province recruit.

He emphasized that the tuition hike itself is not the only expense out-of-province students must consider.

“When you leave the province, your family has to put you in some type of residence or living situation. That’s another fee. Food is another thing. It just piles on,” he said. “If I was looking at schools in Canada and I saw Quebec’s tuition hike, my family would be like, ‘That doesn’t make financial sense when you can stay here.’”

The Stingers’ winter sports rosters put them in the best position of the three English universities. Only 20.8 per cent of the hockey and basketball rosters is composed of out-of-province and international students—whose tuition could increase by a minimum of $20,000. Non-Quebec recruits makeup 49.4 per cent of McGill’s hockey and basketball rosters, and 43.1 per cent for Bishop’s. 

Deep Saini, principal and vice-chancellor of McGill, estimated that one third of McGill’s student-athletes hail from another province. Director of Athletics at Bishop’s Matt McBrine told La Tribunethat he believes that number to be nearly 50 per cent for his institution. Most notably, 86.7 per cent of the Bishop’s Gaiters women’s soccer team comes from another province or country. Both schools fear that they will need to eliminate some varsity teams due to the hike.

Coaches at Concordia, McGill and Bishop’s had considerable advantages over their francophone counterparts when it came to recruiting out-of-province and international students, but the hike will nullify them completely.

“We’re able to recruit from out west because it’s an English institution […] and the price […] was similar to other universities,” said Marc-André Elément, head coach of the Stingers men’s hockey team. “But now with the increase, it’s going to be another game, and it’s going to be really hard to recruit from outside Quebec, that’s for sure.”

The Stinger’s men’s hockey team only has two non-Quebec players on the roster. However, the program still faces the same obstacles as others that are more dependent on out-of-province recruitment.

“It’s a bit frustrating because we have such good programs,” said Elément. “A lot of guys from [other parts] of the country […] want to come and study here because it’s a good school and everything and now we’re taking that away.”

Elément and his staff are working to find a new recruitment strategy, but they do not see a clear solution right now.

The tuition hikes could potentially create a ripple effect on the rest of the province if English varsity programs become less formidable competition or get wiped out entirely.

“It will also have an impact on Quebec sports infrastructure, something that people tend to forget,” McBrine told La Tribune in French. “If you have three universities—McGill, Concordia and Bishop’s—who are in several sports leagues, and can no longer compete, it will have an impact on every sport.”

Women’s hockey and football are set to receive a big punch. The three English schools make up 50 per cent of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) women’s hockey conference, and Concordia and McGill form two out of five RSEQ football teams. McBrine agreed with this notion, telling La Tribune that he doubts that three francophone university programs would offer high caliber competition.

The English schools additionally form three out of seven RSEQ teams for men’s and women’s rugby. But the situation is most dire for basketball, where the trio comprises three out of five Quebec programs for men’s and women’s hoops.

If Quebec teams are no longer fit to compete against each other, then the remaining teams may need to move to the Ontario University Athletics or Atlantic University Sport conferences to maintain a high enough level of competition for varsity play.

Out-of-province tuition hikes spell trouble for Stingers, Redbirds, Martlets, Gaiters Read More »

Snowdon metro station.

Transit cuts raise concerns amongst Montrealers: STM is considering service reductions due to financial shortcomings

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Snowdon metro station. Photo Dorothy Mombrun

Claudia Beaudoin
Local Journalism Initiative

Monica Jackiewicz wraps up her 12-hour night shift at the hospital, exiting around 7:30 a.m., thoroughly drained. The metro has been her reliable mode of commuting home, but she’s now learning that on weekends, it might be off-limits for her until 9 a.m.

On Oct. 30, the Société de Transport de Montréal’s (STM) director general Marie-Claude Léonard confirmed a contingency plan in light of budgetary challenges. This plan entails substantial service cutbacks which include the metro closing at 11 p.m. every day and resuming operations at 9 a.m. on weekends in addition to reducing the frequency of bus services. 

Léonard further clarified that these are merely proposals, and they do not intend to implement such measures unless deemed necessary.

Jackiewicz expressed concern that these cutbacks would force her to resign from her job, given her current work schedule, which includes day shifts starting at 6:30 a.m. and night shifts that typically finish around 7:30 a.m. 

According to Jackiewicz, there was a lack of consideration for the broader societal benefits that the metro provides.“If it’s keeping hospitals open, isn’t that a benefit worth considering?”

With fewer services available, additional time will be added to Jackiewicz’s commute. She mentioned that this would leave her with insufficient time between her shifts, making it unsustainable.

As budget deadlines approach, Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault has decided to allocate $265 million out of the requested $424 million by the Autorité Régionale de Transport Métropolitain in additional funding for 2024. This remains a notable advancement in light of their initial commitment to cover only 20 per cent of the budget.

Guilbault said she believes that budget adjustments can still be made without resorting to significant service reductions.

While the STM’s contingency plan is still under consideration, the disclosure has prompted inquiries and concerns within the affected communities as they contemplate the potential repercussions of such a change.

“I already thought 12:30 a.m. was early compared to the Toronto metro,” said Dalena Nguyen, a student from Ontario attending Concordia University. The metro serves as her sole means of transportation during her studies. She described the 11 p.m. metro closure as feeling like a curfew. In contrast, The Toronto Transit Commission closes approximately at 2 a.m. daily.

Nguyen’s weekly schedule would not be affected, yet most of her exams have been on weekends. Though the bus might be an additional option, her 15-minute commute would grow closer to an hour. “I don’t really like buses because I find them not very accurate to the time. I’m always worried I’ll be late for the bus,” Nguyen said.

In a recent press conference, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante emphasized the cultural, economic, and environmental significance of the STM, stating, “The government needs to continue to show their enthusiasm to support public transit.” 

While Montrealers advocate for transit as an essential service, market fluctuations and such alterations make it challenging to rely on. Earlier this year, STM users also experienced fare hikes–an increase of approximately 3 per cent. 

STM Chairman Éric Alan Caldwell highlighted the direct relationship between service cutbacks and ridership at a talk organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal on Oct. 30. He demonstrated that from 2011 to 2018, when the STM experienced service reductions, ridership declined. Whereas, when service levels improved, ridership tended to increase.

Christian Favreau, a Climate Justice Montreal member and active participant in transit campaigns, shared a similar sentiment. In addition to his personal disappointment, he emphasized the broader consequences of these decisions.

“Public transit is a climate solution in a way that electric vehicles are not,” said Favreau. He discussed the overall emissions generated during the production of these cars, along with their accessibility to the public.

In its new five-year climate action plan, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) announced that transportation was the cause of 42.8 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in Quebec in 2020. 

A budget of $3.8 billion has been designated to support Quebec’s transportation sector, with a strong focus on promoting electric vehicles.

“What we are seeing is that the bulk of the CAQ’s five-year climate action Budget is going towards electrical vehicle subsidies,” said Favreau. “But [to do that] we need to get cars off the road.” 

He emphasized the pressing need to alleviate urban congestion and minimize the extent of paved surfaces to address the looming threat of heat waves.

The significance of the transit system as a contributor to climate action is acknowledged in the STM’s sustainable development plan 2025, highlighting that the STM contributes to averting 2.3 million tonnes of annual greenhouse gas emissions.

“The transit system isn’t being viewed as a public good or public service because every time it’s in the news we are talking about a deficit,” said Favreau. “We need to be revolutionizing the way we see our buses and metros.”

Transit cuts raise concerns amongst Montrealers: STM is considering service reductions due to financial shortcomings Read More »

Voters choose Girard, Chamberland for Shannon council

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Two seats on Shannon’s town council that have been empty for the past few months will be filled when the council next meets on Dec. 4.

A byelection was held Nov. 5 to fill the seats left vacant by former councillors Martin Comeau (District 1) and Ysabel Lafrance (District 2) who stepped down earlier this year. Former councillor Francine Girard won the District 1 seat and military veteran and political newcomer Pierre Chamberland won in District 2. The two councillors were sworn in during a private ceremony on Nov. 10, according to Marie- France Lambert, communications director for the Ville de Shannon. Town officials said in a statement that a total of 256 people had exercised their right to vote – a 19 per cent participation rate – over two days of voting.

Girard told the QCT before the byelection that if elected, she would prioritize working with surrounding municipalities to protect wetlands and green spaces, and encouraging seniors to get more involved in the community. Chamberland has said he plans to prioritize addressing speeding and traffic problems and listening to citizens’ concerns.

“On my behalf, and that of the councillors, I would like to congratulate the elected candidates as well as all the other candidates who took part in this byelection, including Patrick Deschamps and Réjean Côté (District 1) as well as Dominique Bowles (District 2). There is no doubt that the new members of the council will ensure the advancement of promising projects for citizens,” said Shannon Mayor Sarah Perreault.

Voters choose Girard, Chamberland for Shannon council Read More »

Garneau takes Literary Feast attendees on journey to space

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Over 100 members of the English-speaking community of Quebec City gathered in College Hall at the Morrin Centre for the annual Literary Feast, which serves as a fundraiser for the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec (LHSQ) and a family reunion of sorts for the English-speaking community.

Guests mingled at a cocktail party in the Morrin Centre’s historic library before taking their seats in College Hall, where LHSQ president Gina Farnell and honorary chair and philanthropist Cynthia Price made opening remarks. Guests savoured a four-course meal and placed bids at the silent auction. However, the pièce de résistance was a wide-ranging, bilingual discussion between the keynote speaker, former astronaut and federal cabinet minister Marc Garneau, and master of ceremonies Alison Brunette, host of Breakaway on CBC Radio One.

Garneau, 74, who represented the Montreal riding of Westmount–Notre-Dame- de-Grâce in Parliament, was born at Jeffery Hale Hospital in Quebec City – “the old one, in Vieux-Québec.” He holds a PhD in engineering and served as an army combat systems engineer before being seconded to the Canadian Astronaut Program in 1984; later that year, he became the first Canadian in space. Brunette and Garneau brought the Oct. 5, 1984 launch to life as only an adept interviewer and a willing storyteller can.

“Take me back to that moment, you’re sitting there – 10, nine, eight … what’s going through your mind?” Brunette asked.

“The night before, we went to bed at 7 p.m., because … we were going to be woken up at 2:45 to get dressed, have a last medical checkup, get breakfast – nobody eats very much on launch day – and be driven out to the launch pad.” From there, astronauts took a 185-foot elevator to the space shuttle, which stood vertically. “If you imagine yourselves tipped over backward looking at the ceiling, that’s what your seat is like,” Garneau said as guests tipped their heads back. “There are people who sit you in your seat … and connect your radio, your oxygen, so you’re ready to go. Then they say good luck and close the hatch … You’re left there for two and a half hours before launch, the longest two and a half hours of your life. A lot of things go through your mind – do I really want to do this? Am I ready? Have I told my family I love them? Have I paid all my bills? As you get closer … you realize you are ready, and you’re going to live something that very few people have ever experienced.”

Less than nine minutes after liftoff, Garneau and his fellow astronauts were in orbit. “There’s a lot of noise in the first few minutes, a lot of vibration and acceleration that pins you to your seat. Then they cut the engines and suddenly it’s very quiet.” He described the “euphoria” of weightlessness, the “worrisome” clouds of pollution over parts of Earth and the “extraordinary” sight of the planet from above.

“From Earth, our perspective goes out to the horizon – 10 or 15 kilometres around. When you see the entire planet, your perspective starts to change. You see that this planet is the cradle of humanity … there’s nowhere else to go, and we have to find a way to get along with each other,” he said.

Garneau served in Parliament from 2008 until earlier this year. The discussion touched on Garneau’s political career – although it sidestepped the hot-button issues of the Quebec City tramway, the “third link” and recent official languages legislation. He mentioned that his five years as transport minister were the highlight of his tenure, and called on current leaders, without mentioning names, to base transport policy on analysis, not politics.

“People may not agree with you, but at least they’ll know you’ve done a thorough analysis, and I think that’s the proper way to approach policy,” he said.

The Q&A session touched on climate change, high-speed rail (which Garneau supports), a return to politics (which he nixed), the culture clash between engineering and politics, private space exploration, human rights, extraterrestrials and the existence of a higher power. “During those two and a half hours, I prayed there was a god, and when I got up there and saw what I saw, it really made me think about those big questions – how did this come about, how far does the universe extend, are we alone, is there a creator? I don’t have the answers, but I’ve thought about it a lot,” Garneau said. “The universe is so big that statistically, there have to be solar systems where there are planets that are the right distance from their sun [to support life]. I’m convinced of that.”

Garneau takes Literary Feast attendees on journey to space Read More »

Local CQSB teachers prepare for epic trek in Senegal

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Laurette Barker, Angélie Caissy and Marjolaine Quer are preparing for the adventure of a lifetime. In March 2024, the three Central Québec School Board employees – Barker is a vice principal at St. Patrick’s High School, Caissy teaches at New Liverpool Elementary School and Quer teaches at Ste-Foy Elementary – are heading to Senegal to take part in the Rose Trip, a desert trekking competition for teams of women that also serves as a fundraiser for breast cancer research and supplies for local schools.

The idea started taking shape due to a series of chance encounters, Barker explained. She learned about the trek from an acquaintance of her husband’s, and she had worked with the two women who later became her teammates.

“I think all of us are quite adventuresome in our own ways, either in terms of travelling or of pushing ourselves to try new things, but we’ve never done anything like this, to this extent,” Barker said.

The Rose Trip is a three-day desert orienteering challenge in rural Senegal. Teams will face the challenges of isolation, sandy desert terrain and oppressive heat. Barker, Caissy and Quer have done several preparatory hikes and learned to use compasses and other orienteering equipment, but they recognize that there’s no way to fully prepare for all the unknowns they might encounter.

“We’ve been speaking to people who have been [on the trek] in past years, and conditions are hard to predict,” Barker said. “We don’t know how our bodies are going to react and … the temperature difference is going to be a lot. We’ve also spoken about how we communicate as a team and support each other when things get hard.”

“We have to be ready to adapt to the unknown,” Caissy added.

“We’re expecting parts of it to be [physically] difficult, But there’s also the development of ourselves as people. I think it’s going to ground us. Our lives get so busy that sometimes we forget those moments of feeling human and feeling that we’re part of a bigger picture. So I think that being under those stars in the desert, for me, that’s going to be moments of feeling like we are pushing ourselves, but we’re also connected in a larger sense of peace and calm and quiet and meeting the people there,” said Barker, who will be visiting sub-Saharan Africa for the first time.

The three-day hike will be followed by a walk for breast cancer research and awareness and a visit to a local school. Caissy said she and her teammates all know at least one woman who has battled cancer, and they are looking forward to honouring their friends and loved ones and supporting cancer research alongside other teams of women from around the world. On their last day in Senegal, the three teachers will visit a school.

The three teammates are gradually discovering each other’s strengths and interests. “If there’s a cactus on our path and we have the option to go around it, I might go through – that’s the hockey player in me,” Caissy joked. “Laurette is an animal lover, so if she stops to see an animal, we might be in trouble.” Besides their physical preparation, they are busy raising funds for their trip – they hope to raise $15,000 – and looking at how to share their epic journey with their children and their students. “I think they’re proud of us –to see us embark on this journey even though it isn’t easy,” Barker said.

Barker, Caissy and Quer are organizing a Christmas market at New Liverpool (St. Vincent) Elementary School on Nov. 18-19 to raise money for their adventure. See the Community Calendar for details.

Local CQSB teachers prepare for epic trek in Senegal Read More »

Career centres respond to Quebec construction recruitment boom

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The Quebec government announced in late October that it will be offering paid fast-track career education programs to meet a growing demand for trained employees within the construction industry. Both the New Frontiers School Board (NFSB) and the Centre de services scolaires de la Vallée-des-Tisserands (CSSVT) have responded quickly to the government’s offensive and are now offering accelerated training programs in construction and in tinsmithing.

“The need is really coming up right away,” says the NFSB director general, Michael Helm, of the current labour shortage in the construction industry. In response, the NFSB has added two new carpentry groups that will start in January at the Chateauguay Valley Career Education Centre in Ormstown. There are 44 spots in total between the two courses, which will take place either during the day or at night. Registration opened just a little over a week ago, and “They are almost completely full at this point,” says Helm.

The government is hoping to train up to 5,000 new carpenters, excavator operators, heavy machinery operators, refrigeration technicians, and tinsmiths (or sheet metal workers) over the winter so they can start next summer on construction sites.

To encourage enrollment in the accelerated programs, the government is offering a one-time measure that will pay students $750 per week while they work to obtain a professional studies certificate. Under certain conditions, scholarships may also be available upon graduation to those who enroll in these vocations as well.

The NFSB was authorized to offer other courses as part of the government’s training push, but Helm says the timeframe to organize any more than the accelerated carpentry classes in just six weeks was simply not possible. He is pleased, however, the NFSB can be part of the program. “For us and for the communities looking for skilled labour persons, this is really going to help,” he says.

The CSSVT is also now registering students for its intensive tinsmith training program at the Centre de formation du Suroît (CFPS) as part of the government’s construction recruitment initiative.

“We are delighted to have been able to respond so quickly to the government’s announcement,” says CSSVT director general Suzie Vranderick, who notes the service centre is proud to be “putting our shoulder to the wheel to help counter the labour shortage in the construction sector.”

Career centres respond to Quebec construction recruitment boom Read More »

Gatineau Police seek student help to name new mascot for ‘Parapluie’ Program

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Photo: Meet the face of safety education: Gatineau’s ‘Parapluie’ program mascot stands proud, beckoning young minds to bestow a name on it, embodying the spirit of protection and community engagement. (TF) Photo courtesy of the Gatineau Police

With notes from Mary Baskin, Marie-Eve Turpin and Lily Ryan

The Gatineau Police Service (SPVG) has extended an invitation to students across Gatineau to participate in a unique competition: naming the mascot for their new ‘Parapluie’ program. Since October, this comprehensive prevention program has been offered to all primary and secondary schools in Gatineau, aiming to equip young people with the tools to create a healthy and safe environment throughout their school years.

The ‘Parapluie’ program, modern and current in its approach, is designed to prevent juvenile delinquency and criminal victimization among young people. It includes 11 activities tailored to various age groups, from Kindergarten 4 years old to Secondary III, each based on research and evidence. These activities cover a range of concepts, including the role of police, conflict resolution, understanding of bullying, internet safety, and knowledge of the criminal justice process.

Parents are also involved in this initiative, with tools provided to continue discussions at home, reinforcing the program’s themes. Additionally, partner organizations such as Réhabex and Alternative Outaouais contribute to certain program activities.

The program’s name, ‘Parapluie’ (French for umbrella), symbolizes protection and safety, mirroring the program’s objective to shield young people from various societal challenges. The program’s mascot, a blue character with unique hair and an umbrella medallion, is designed to inspire confidence and imagination, evolving with students as they progress through the program’s activities.

In the spirit of community involvement, the SPVG has launched a competition for students to name this mascot. The contest is open to all primary and secondary schools in Gatineau, with each class allowed to submit one name. The criteria for selection include originality, relevance tothe ‘Parapluie’ program, and alignment with SPVG’s community policing approach. Entries are to be sent to concours.parapluie@gatineau.ca by December 1 at 10:00 am.

The winning name will be selected based on the outlined criteria, with the SPVG retaining the right to choose the name if none meet the standards. The winning class will receive an exciting prize: an invitation to a Gatineau Olympic hockey game alongside police officers and the mascot, where the mascot’s name will be officially unveiled.

This competition not only involves students in a meaningful aspect of community policing but also fosters a sense of belonging and contribution towards a safer and more aware society.

Gatineau Police seek student help to name new mascot for ‘Parapluie’ Program Read More »

Gatineau libraries to potentially eliminate late fees in 2024

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Photo: Potential shift in Gatineau library policy: literature and learning that may soon become even more accessible if the proposal to eliminate late fees is passed. (TF) Photo: Tashi Farmilo

With notes from Mary Baskin, Marie-Eve Turpin and Lily Ryan

In a significant move toward enhancing public access to library services, the Gatineau City Council is contemplating the elimination of late fees in its library system starting in 2024. This decision follows a vote by city councillors during recent budget consultations, setting a course for Gatineau to join numerous other Quebec communities and neighbouring Ottawa in scrapping late fees.

The proposal, which will be a part of the upcoming budget and is set for a decisive vote on December 5, was initiated by l’Orée-du-Parc Councillor Isabelle N. Miron. Miron, who is also the president of the commission for arts, letters, and heritage, highlighted the inefficiency of the current fee system. According to her, the cost of managing late fees is more than the revenue they generate, a claim supported by the Ontario Library Association’s finding that for every $5 inlate fees, a library spends $5.95 to collect it.

This move is expected to have a positive impact on around 30% of Gatineau’s population that uses library services. Proponents of the initiative believe that eliminating late fees would increase library access and boost its popularity. While late fees typically account for a small portion of a library’s total revenue, often just one or two per cent, they can act as a deterrent for users who might otherwise benefit from library resources.

However, it is important to note that, under the new system, while late fees would be abolished, borrowers would still be responsible for paying for books deemed lost. This ensures a balance between promoting access and maintaining responsibility for public resources.

If the council approves the budget proposal, Gatineau’s late fee elimination will come into effect in 2024, marking a significant step in making library services more accessible and user-friendly.

Gatineau libraries to potentially eliminate late fees in 2024 Read More »

Outaouais leads the charge in green transportation with federal funding boost

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

The Outaouais region is taking a significant leap forward in addressing climate change and promoting sustainable transportation, thanks to a substantial investment from the federal government. Spearheaded by the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and Scott Pearce, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), this initiative sees more than $1 million being funneled through the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) for innovative transportation projects in Quebec.

In Gatineau, a pivotal project has been launched with a funding of $175,000 aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its sizable fleet of 900 vehicles. This project is not only an environmental initiative but also a strategic move towards developing a comprehensive five-yearplan for the city. The study focuses on examining current and planned measures to cut emissions, including a keen emphasis on the city’s fleet electrification pilot project. This approach aligns with Canada’s broader goals of reducing emissions and transitioning to sustainable energy sources.

Furthermore, the Outaouais Regional Council for the Environment and Sustainable Development is receiving $23,750 to conduct a feasibility study on sustainable transportation methods. This study is particularly significant as it explores electric and hybrid car sharing in therural communities of Chelsea, Cantley, La Pêche, and Val-des-Monts. It aims to identify key factors and barriers while assessing the interest of residents and organizations in embracing alternative transportation modes.

These investments are a testament to the Canadian government’s commitment to fighting climate change and creating new economic opportunities. By focusing on green transportation initiatives, these efforts are expected to yield cleaner air, a stronger economy, and a significant stride towards a net-zero emissions future. As noted by the Honourable Steven Guilbeault,

Minister of Environment and Climate Change, investing in such initiatives is crucial for Canada, where the transportation sector accounts for a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions.

The investment in the Outaouais region marks a significant stride toward sustainable transportation and climate action. This funding, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting eco-friendly transit options, exemplifies the collaborative effort between federal and local governments in tackling environmental challenges. With these projects, Gatineau and its surrounding areas are set to become leading examples in the nation’s journey towards a cleaner, greener future.

Photo: Federal investment boosts sustainable transportation in Outaouais. (TF) Photo courtesy of FCM

With notes from Mary Baskin, Marie-Eve Turpin and Lily Ryan

Outaouais leads the charge in green transportation with federal funding boost Read More »

Quebec’s tuition hike controversy: a bid to protect French or a higher education setback?

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

In a recent turn of events, Quebec has announced plans to nearly double the tuition rates for Canadian students from outside the province attending its English-language universities. This move, led by French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge and Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry, aims to prioritize French-language universities and address the decline of the French language in Quebec. However, this decision has sparked widespread concern and criticism.

Starting in 2024, the tuition fees for out-of-province students will surge from approximately $9,000 to $17,000 annually. This has raised alarms about the financial viability of Quebec’s anglophone universities. The smallest, Bishop’s University, fears for its future with nearly one-third of its student body coming from other provinces. McGill and Concordia Universities also face significant annual financial losses, estimated at up to $94 million and $62 million, respectively.

The Quebec government’s move has not only been criticized for its potential economic impact but also for the lack of consultation with the affected universities. Graham Carr, Concordia University’s President and Vice-Chancellor, expressed shock and disappointment, noting the decision’s impact on Montreal’s reputation as an affordable university city.

Mayor Valérie Plante of Montreal echoed these concerns, highlighting the negative economic and reputational impacts this policy could have on the city. She suggested that it could drive students to consider other cities like Toronto for their studies.McGill University, renowned for its diverse student body, issued a statement emphasizing the threat this policy poses to the institution’s ability to attract international talent. Principal and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini stressed the importance of openness and diversity in fostering a strong academic community.

Adding a personal perspective, student Taz Chu expressed concerns on their social media page: “The consequences of Quebec’s tuition hike for out-of-province students (like myself) nextyear and the crackdown on English universities could genuinely jeopardize McGill. Hiring freeze,~50 million in revenue lost, and a catastrophic drop in enrollment.”

In response to these developments, a petition has been launched, demanding the cancellation of the tuition hike. The petition highlights the detrimental effects on accessibility to higher education and the propagation of elitism and classism in the academic sphere. It also acknowledges the cultural and intellectual richness that out-of-province students bring to Quebec.

This tuition hike stands at a critical crossroads for Quebec’s higher education system and its global standing. The decisions made in the coming months will not only affect the province’s ​language policies, but also its reputation as a centre of affordable and quality education.

Photo: Is the future of Quebec’s higher education at English Universities at stake? (TF) Photo: Tashi Farmilo

With notes from Mary Baskin, Marie-Eve Turpin and Lily Ryan

Quebec’s tuition hike controversy: a bid to protect French or a higher education setback? Read More »

New mayor for Rapides des Joachims

Local Journalism Initiative / / /
Charles Dickson, editor
Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

The Municipality of Rapides des Joachims has named Lucie Rivet Paquette as its new mayor.

The news emanated from Pontiac’s western-most municipality last Wednesday afternoon when Rivet Paquette, the only candidate in the election to replace recently-deceased mayor Doug Rousselle, was acclaimed to the position.

Born in Shawville and raised in Fort Coulonge, Rivet Paquette moved to Rapides des Joachims in her mid-teens where she got married and has lived ever since.

A school bus driver for 28 years and an employee with the Rapides-des-Joachims ZEC (zone d’exploitation contrôlée) for 20, she has also served one term as a municipal councillor. In the 2021 municipal election, she ran for mayor in a contest won by Doug Rousselle.

Since Rousselle’s passing in September, pro-mayor Stephany Rauche has served as acting mayor. On Nov. 3., Rauche turned the job over to Rivet Paquette who will chair her first public meeting of municipal council this week.

New mayor for Rapides des Joachims Read More »

One injured, house reduced to rubble in Quyon fire

Local Journalism Initiative / / /
Charles Dickson, editor
Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

A resident who escaped a fire that engulfed a house in Quyon in the very early hours of Saturday morning is believed to have suffered burns requiring hospitalization. Another resident, who was not home when the fire broke out, returned soon afterward, according to witnesses.
The house at 27 Saint John Street, at the corner of Saint George, was reduced to rubble.
Though the house was completely ablaze, quick response by neighbours living immediately next door helped save their own house from catching fire.
Kelsie Tremblay, a former firefighter with the Municipality of Pontiac, was home at his residence at 25 Saint John Street when he discovered the fire next door. He phoned his wife Katrine Laframboise who was with friends, also former firefighters, down the street at Gavan’s, who rushed back to the scene.
Within minutes, they were all working to contain the fire, using hoses from the fire truck from the Quyon fire station, the first fire truck to arrive on-scene. Together the neighbours, friends and members of the fire brigade were able to contain the blaze to the one dwelling. The subsequent arrival of more of the Pontiac and LaPeche brigades enabled the replacement of civilians with volunteer fire fighters.
RV destroyed
In a separate incident last week, fire also completely destroyed an RV-styled camper trailer parked behind a residence on Clarendon Street in the Eastern part of Quyon, which nearby residents say began with the sound of an explosion.
No information on either fire was available from the Municipality of Pontiac Fire Department by THE EQUITY’s publication deadline.

One injured, house reduced to rubble in Quyon fire Read More »

Public access to plenary discussions?

Local Journalism Initiative / / /
Charles Dickson, editor
Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

A survey of MRC Pontiac mayors conducted by THE EQUITY over the past two weeks has found a roughly even three-way split among the 18 mayors on the question of whether to open their private discussions to the public.

Every month, the mayors of MRC Pontiac have a private “plenary” meeting to discuss issues of public policy. They vote on the resulting motions in the monthly public meeting held the following week.

Since the public is not allowed to attend the plenary meetings, and since the issues on which mayors are voting are typically not debated at the public meeting, it is difficult for the public to gain much insight into the issues at play on any given topic. For some, this represents a reduction in transparency in the deliberations of our elected representatives, and therefore of their accountability to the public.

This newspaper has been among the voices encouraging mayors to consider opening their meetings more fully to the public, with the understanding that they would retain the option of moving a public meeting into an in-camera discussion whenever the subject at hand required it, with issues of a personal, proprietary or security nature as examples.

While it appears that mayors have discussed this matter upon several occasions, they have done so privately in their plenary sessions, with the result that the pubic does not know where any of them stands on the question of whether the public should have greater access to their discussions.

In the hopes of shedding light on their views on this question, over the past two weeks THE EQUITY has conducted an informal survey of the mayors of MRC Pontiac.

It was launched by email in which a question was posed, anticipating it would yield either YES or NO responses. In the end, the question required more discussion than a simple YES or NO and led to a series of very interesting telephone conversations with almost all of the mayors. A summary of the responses follows, but first the question:

If the mayors were asked who believes the public should be allowed to attend the plenaries, would your hand go up?

The email explained that it would be assumed that if the public were allowed to attend the plenaries, the mayors would still be able to shift sections of the meeting in-camera for discussion of issues requiring the protection of privacy, proprietary information and information on security issues, among others.

With this understanding, five mayors – Bill McCleary (Shawville), Odette Godin (Waltham), Colleen Lariviere (Litchfield), Carl Mayer (Alleyn and Cawood) and Corey Spence (Allumettes Island) – answered the question with an unequivocal YES, providing they would retain the option of moving discussions in-camera when warranted.

Five mayors – Doris Ranger (Sheenboro), Karen Daly-Kelly (Thorne), Christine Francoeur (Fort Coulonge), Sandra Armstrong (Mansfield and Pontefract) and Lynn Judd-Cameron (Portage du Fort) – responded with a fairly clear NO, citing a variety of concerns ranging from the need for mayors to feel free to discuss matters frankly and openly to the inconvenience to mayors and the public of shifting meetings back and forth between public and private. At the same time, several in the NO camp said there were probably some things such as presentations being made to the mayors that could be opened to the public.
Between the YES’s and the NO’s were six mayors – Donald Gagnon (Chichester), Ed Walsh (Clarendon), Jean-Louis Corriveau (Calumet Island), Brent Orr (Bristol), Raymond Pilon (Campbell’s Bay) and Alain Gagnon (Bryson) – who were drawn by both sides of the argument and were undecided, would have to see exactly how it would be set up, and placed significant importance on being able to retain the ability to move discussion in-camera when warranted.

Terry Lafleur (Otter Lake), while not especially supportive of opening plenaries to the public, would support there being a discussion leading to a plan that would clarify exactly what was being voted on.
Lucie Rivet Paquette, the newly-elected mayor of Rapides des Joachims, reasonably withholds her views until she has had a chance to attend a meeting of mayors and can develop a more informed opinion on the matter.
With a fairly even split between those for and those against opening the plenary to the public, and a sizeable undecided vote, any effort by mayors to resolve the matter has the potential to go either way.

Public access to plenary discussions? Read More »

Temporary residents evicted over flea infestation

Local Journalism Initiative / / /
Sophie Kuijper Dickson, reporter
Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

On Sunday afternoon, Robert Brown packed up his small drafting table, his antique mantle clock, and a few boxes of paperwork and clothing, loaded them into the back of his friend’s car, and closed the door to his shoebox room in Motel Shawville for the last time.
In with Brown’s small collection of cherished items were his CDs, all 600 of them, mostly jazz and classical music; “relaxing stuff,” as he calls it. But last week they did little to help him relax.
Six days earlier, Brown and the three other residents living in the motel had received eviction notices from AutonHomme Pontiac, the local social service organization that had placed him there just over a year earlier.
“As of November 6, 2023 Robert Clifford Brown is served with a final notice of eviction from the property and that all personal belongings be removed from the property no later than November 12, 2023. You will not be allowed to return to the property,” the notice read, citing the need to treat a flea infestation as the reason for eviction.
Brown said he didn’t understand why they had given him so little time to leave.
“If they knew ahead of time that they were going to do this, why didn’t they give these letters out two weeks ago?” Brown asked. “At least that way we would have time to try and get it organized for them before they come, rather than telling me Sunday I have to be out or they’re going to get rid of all my stuff.”
“I cried myself to sleep last night,” he said, welling up again recounting the devastation he felt when he got word he had to move, and only had six days to do so.
He said he was also worried about Gilmore, his neighbour living in the room next door, for whom he’s been cooking and doing groceries for the time they’ve both been at the motel.
“Poor Gilmore, he cried because he said, ‘If you go, who’s going to cook for me,’” Brown said.
While Brown has arranged to house sit for a friend in Wakefield for a couple of weeks, he is not sure where Gilmore will end up.
Never meant to be long term
AutonHomme Pontiac began leasing the motel building in June 2022.
“We have five rooms at the motel,” explained Tyler Ladouceur, director of the organization.
“Two of those rooms are supposed to be emergency rooms, for 30 days or less. That’s where we’ll place the person right when they ask for help,” Ladouceur said, explaining that the organization does everything it can to help people in those rooms find housing within the 30-day period.
“We have three extra rooms for a transition period because the reality of it is it’s hard to place somebody within 30 days, especially clients that come from the street. A lot of them have a lot of paperwork to get in order so we help them with that and a month just isn’t enough.”
Ladouceur said the three extra rooms are meant as a temporary housing option for up to four months, but that the organization sometimes extends that period if the person is still unable to find longer term housing.
Brown has been living in a room on the second floor of the motel since October 2022.
Previously, he had been living in his cottage in the Luskville area, one of three he’s proud to have designed and built. The cold weather made it uncomfortable for him to stay there into the winter, but he had nowhere else to go.
Two strokes in 2019 left Brown blind, and almost unable to walk.
“At the time, I said, ‘No this is not going to beat me’,” Brown recalled. “Now I walk normally, but my arm, when I get nervous, it just shakes. I can’t write anymore, I can’t do anything.”
After his strokes, Brown was unable to continue his work as a carpenter and repair man, or in any of the other jobs he had previously held, including as a porter and as an x-ray technician at Ottawa’s Civic hospital.
He relied on his pension income to get by, but it was barely enough to cover rent for any kind of apartment in Ottawa or in the Pontiac, and still have money for food.
Brown said a neighbour of his at the cottage in Luskville connected him with AutonHomme, a social service group based in Campbell’s Bay that works to support men in need of help.
And Brown needed help.
Ladouceur said that every person who is brought into the organization’s shelter system is made aware of the terms of their stay, which include being willing to collaborate with AutonHomme to find a more permanent option.
“About ninety per cent of the clients we help at the Shawville Motel are in a better, or suitable housing situation within the four month period I was talking about,” Ladouceur said.
“My objective, our objective as an organization, is never to throw someone out on the street, but honestly some clients either don’t collaborate or often completely refuse our help.”
He said he can say with certainty that the people being evicted got all the support the organization could offer and many opportunities for collaboration. Some of the clients found new housing, but others rejected every option for relocation.
He said the flea infestation at the motel has made it impossible to keep extending the term of the people living there.
“We do have a flea infestation. That’s one hundred per cent true and we do need to address that for health issues and we also need to get all the rooms professionally cleaned.”

Refused to pay rent

AutonHomme requests $400 a month for the rooms in the motel.
It’s a fee Ladouceur said the organization rarely collects, but uses as an opportunity to open a conversation with the people about their finances, with the goal of setting them up to be able to pay rent in the future.
Brown said he refused to pay rent at the shelter because he didn’t feel the support he was receiving, or the quality of the room he was placed in, were worth the money.
The apartment is outfitted with a bed, a kitchen table, an electric burner and a small fridge.
Brown’s room was packed to the brim with his items. He navigated narrow pathways between his piles of clothing and paperwork using a headlamp because he often found the overhead light to be too bright.
And even then, he could barely see where he was going.
“That’s where we’re supposed to do dishes,” Brown said, gesturing from the chair he was sitting in to the ceramic bathroom sink.
“It’s not super duper clean because I can’t see what I’m doing.”
He said he did his laundry in the bathtub, using a plunger to simulate the churn of a washing machine. On a warm, sunny day, he would do this outside in a bucket.
“The rooms are not the best, that I agree,” Ladouceur said, admitting they could use some updates, but that that requires money they don’t have. “Also we’re not the owners of the building.”
Ladouceur figured the free rent is a big factor contributing to the reluctance of some people to be relocated.
He said AutonHomme often lets people extend their stay at the motel if it is clear they cannot afford rent elsewhere.
“With the housing market what it is right now, we know what’s out there and it’s not easy. But I think we’re really lenient too. It might not seem like it in this situation, but at a certain point the client also has to take certain responsibility in his journey back onto his feet and into his own living situation.”
Ladouceur said several oral notices had been given in the months leading up to the final eviction notice, but that they were never respected.
“I can admit maybe we should have given written notices before,” he said.
“The problem is, when clients stay longer, then we don’t have any emergency rooms for anyone else. That’s why we need to relocate people.”
Few alternatives in the Pontiac
Ladouceur said part of the problem is that there are few long term low-income housing options in the Pontiac.
This means that once people are taken into the temporary rooms in the motel, there are almost no affordable housing options for them to move into afterwards.
“It is a huge hole in the services is low-income housing for a variety of clientele. We do have some in the Pontiac but it’s mostly for elderly people,” Ladouceur explained.
According to a 2021 report from the Pontiac Community Development Corporation, there is only one housing cooperative in the Pontiac, BENFRAC Housing Cooperative, which has four units for independent people.
The Kogaluk Centre also offers small houses in the Municipality of Pontiac for single people and families in need of support.
“Single people of all ages and single-parent families are those households most in need of safe and affordable housing. However, there are few options available to them,” the report states.
“There is insufficient rental housing for the low-income population, as well as for people who wish to settle in the MRC,” it concludes.
It’s a problem Ladouceur would like for his organization to take on, but he said it’s still far from being able to do so.
AutonHomme did just receive $100,000 from the MRC Pontiac to build a two-bedroom apartment for fathers that have custody of their kids and need a safe place to stay, but this is only one additional unit.
“My hope is that we can shut down because there’s no more need for it, but I don’t see that happening,” Ladouceur said.

Temporary residents evicted over flea infestation Read More »

Teachers plan to strike again next week

Local Journalism Initiative / / /
Charles Dickson, editor
Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

Owing to a three-day strike planned by the union representing teachers and professionals next week, all classes, transportation and daycare services across the Western Quebec School Board will be canceled on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (November 21, 22 and 23). In a letter issued Tuesday morning, WQSB Director General George Singfield says all schools, centres and the board office will be closed on those days.

Teachers plan to strike again next week Read More »

ArtPontiac at a crossroads

Local Journalism Initiative / / /
Glen Hartle, reporter
Funded by the Local Journalism Initiaitive

Local art association artPontiac held a special meeting on Nov. 8 with a twofold agenda: inform the membership of an existential challenge, and invite them to step up.
ArtPontiac has been around since the early 1990s segueing from a small group of passionate artists into a chartered not-for-profit boasting over one hundred and twenty five members. Over the years it has successfully mounted and run a school of the arts, a studio tour, a gallery and a residency program, among various other activities largely within the community.
Since 2012, they have hosted over 400 students through more than 80 courses or workshops. They have provided space for, and promoted, over 360 artists via exhibitions at the gallery in Portage-du-fort. Association president Cheryl Beillard imports that they have been an integral part of communities on both sides of the Ottawa River for more than thirty years and are recognized as “a driving force for the development of arts and culture” in the region as a whole.
Over the last few years, the tour and residency have fallen off the association’s objectives and they have focused primarily on running galleries both at the Stone School in Portage-du-fort, which doubles as the association’s headquarters, and in various in-situ galleries throughout the region. They have also leaned on activities at the school and a newfound in-house and permanent shop.
Beillard, who has been at the helm for the last two years, led the charge in addressing the membership and interested parties gathered in person and via video link at the meeting. All were clearly vested in what Beillard had to say.
Beillard started by summarizing, generally, the association’s genesis and upbringing before moving into the challenges of the last few years leading artPontiac to the point where they are today.
The gist of her message was clear: the association is at a crossroads and, while severely challenged, she believes that there is a clear way forward.
At the core of things, Beillard indicated that artPontiac has asked for, and was refused, funding relief from the MRC Pontiac to cover the $7,200 rent for the building. This, coupled with dwindling bank reserves and the current trend of difficulty in securing financial influx, has rendered the viability of the association to be called into question.
The majority of annual funding for the association has seemingly come from various grants accorded over the years and these have largely dried up, thanks in part to a reluctance on the part of the various governments to support the association as well as from a lack of dedicated gra,nt-writing expertise from within.
Beillard suggests that “what we are asking for is not something novel. Municipalities generally view supporting art organizations not as a subsidy but as an investment.”
Complicating the picture, continues Beillard, the association has had substantial difficulty in securing participation from the members in the form of volunteerism. For a not-for-profit that relies 100% on volunteer efforts, this is problematic in the extreme.
It should be noted that artPontiac is not alone in this. As reported in THE EQUITY (October 25, Connor Lalande), there is a dearth of volunteers, generally, throughout the region and community groups are struggling everywhere with a lack of participation.
Beillard’s message wasn’t wholly doom and gloom and she intoned that “We can do it.” She envisions a multi-pronged approach to success which relies upon a renewed attention to grant-writing and hinges upon finding a slate of volunteers willing to step up and in. She provided a volunteer signup sheet highlighting a broad list of activities requiring help. “No offer of help is too small”, it starts, and indicates that many of the tasks can be done remotely and in a piecemeal fashion, alleviating the fear that these tasks might be all-consuming.
The association hosts their Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 30 and they hope that members will attend en mass, elect a strong board and be ready to engage in a new frontier.
If you would like to help, volunteer or get more information, contact info@artpontiac.com.

ArtPontiac at a crossroads Read More »

Celebrating the ‘glue’ of recreation and sport in Pontiac

Local Journalism Initiative / / /
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.

Celebrating the ‘glue’ of recreation and sport in Pontiac Read More »

WWI medal found buried in Wyman

Local Journalism Initiative / / /
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.”

WWI medal found buried in Wyman Read More »

Remembrance at Sieur-de-Coulonge

Local Journalism Initiative / / /
Pierre Cyr, reporter
Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

As part of Veterans’ Week from November 5 to 11, École secondaire Sieur-de-Coulonge (ESSC) invited Bombardier L.W.B. Girard of the Second Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, Canadian Armed Forces, to speak with students.

Girard himself is an ESSC alumnus and resident of Fort Coulonge. He joined the artillery seven years ago, is based at CFB Petawawa and will be deployed for a military exercise later this year.

During his visit, Girard met with secondary 3, 4 and 5 students, and also made a lunchtime presentation in the media library attended by another 20 students who showed a keen interest in understanding the work of the artillery.

In his discussion with students, Girard made the point that Remembrance Day is not just remembering those who died in war, but also those who survived, sometimes with physical or psychological after-effects.

Remembrance at Sieur-de-Coulonge Read More »

Revolutionary prostate cancer Imaging test developed by CHUS wins excellence award

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

In a significant medical advancement, the CHUS Research Center (CRCHUS) in Estrie has developed an innovative imaging test for prostate cancer, using the groundbreaking radiotracer 68Ga-PSMA-617. This test, which has already benefited over 600 men, offers unprecedented precision in cancer detection and marks the CRCHUS as the first in Canada to produce the radiotracer gallium-68 on a large scale. The achievement, recognized for its impact and innovation in the 2023-2024 Excellence Awards of the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS, symbolizes a major stride in bridging laboratory research with clinical practice, greatly enhancing the quality of prostate cancer care.

“It’s a new imaging technology,” Dr. Éric Turcotte, nuclear medicine specialist and researcher-professor at the CRCHUS, explained. The CRCHUS has a more than 23-year history with PET scanners. “We’ve played with that technology since 1998.” It is used for research but also clinically to detect cancer “many times per day”.

Good imaging technology has existed for prostate cancer for a while, Turcotte went on, but not excellent imaging technology. The new technology they have invented is a game changer, he insisted. PET scanners use x-rays to generate three dimensional images of the body. In addition, radioactive liquid, what Turcotte urges us to think of as “lights”, are injected into the bloodstream. These special “lights” seek out prostate cancer cells and “stick” to them. Thus, exactly where the cancer is in the body shows up on the image.

The CRCHUS has effectively invented a new kind of “light”, and has been using it for around a year. “Research is always trial and error,” Turcotte continued, and their institution is not the only one that has been on the lookout for the best way to image prostate cancer. The new tracer allows for a far greater capacity of daily clients. Elsewhere, the average clinic can test two to three patients a day, but this new technology allows for the testing of at least 12 patients a day. “Someone who needs to access this exam will have it on time.”

Turcotte emphasized that many men are afflicted with prostate cancer and that two new scanners had to be installed, as well as modifications made to the layout of the clinic, to keep up with the new possibilities of rapid testing. The whole process has been in development for three years. Many people were involved, from the ground up to the director general of the hospital. “It is very majestic, what the hospital did.” So great is their current capacity that they can now serve patients from as far away as Montreal and Halifax.

Turcotte would like to see the use of the technology expand to other parts of Canada.

Turcotte insisted that he is merely the “tip of the iceberg” of the massive, award-winning team that worked together to make this happen.

Revolutionary prostate cancer Imaging test developed by CHUS wins excellence award Read More »

Reduced adapted-transport hours will impact area athletes

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The families of individuals with intellectual or physical disabilities in the Haut-Saint-Laurent have been on the road a lot more, since cuts to the adapted transportation services offered by the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent were put in place on November 6.

The hours for the service, which offers door-to-door transportation during the week to eligible residents within the MRC and to Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, have been reduced by two hours and now stop for the day at 5 p.m. Transportation to Montreal, Chateauguay, and Longueuil for medical purposes has also been affected by this change.

“I was never even notified,” says Marlene Harvey, the director of Melissa’s Sunshine Camp, a non-profit organization supporting the social lives and integration of individuals with intellectual or physical disabilities in the Haut-Saint-Laurent as well as their families. She says that while the reduced hours will not significantly impact the camp’s day services, their evening programs may be at risk. “We are trying to create more respite for parents,” she explains. “This is very limiting. We will have to modify our activities,” she laments.

The changes will also increase pressure on families with Special Olympic athletes who rely on the adapted transport system to travel to and from training sessions in Valleyfield. Harvey says she became aware of the new hours after a parent notified a Special Olympics coach of the change. “This impacts their autonomy,” she explains. It could also limit their participation in the Special Olympics program.

Harvey notes some coaches have expressed concern that certain athletes may not be able to continue with the program, as the additional transport costs and travel time will be very difficult for some parents to assume. For athletes living in a residence, the change will also be very limiting.

Harvey will now be driving her daughter Meghan Condie home from Valleyfield several nights per week. Condie is a decorated competitive swimmer and track-and-field athlete with the Quebec Special Olympics. This winter she will be heading to Calgary to compete in snowshoeing events at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games. Harvey says it simply isn’t an option for her to miss training sessions.

High costs and little support

The MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent, which coordinates the area’s adapted transportation services, says the decision came down to budgetary considerations and a lack of government support.

Between 2019 and 2022, the operating costs for adapted transport doubled from $338,893 to $675,922, resulting in an accumulated deficit of $161,193 in 2022. Of these costs, the provincial transport ministry covered $302,806, or 44 per cent, while the community’s contribution amounted to 56 per cent, or $373,116. The projected deficit for 2023 sits at $203,000.

The MRC carried out an analysis and adopted several recommendations to balance the budget. These include a reduction in service hours to between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., as well as fixed service hours to Valleyfield, a limit of five out-of-territory trips per year, and a limit to the number of out-of-territory destinations available to those travelling for medical purposes.

In a statement issued to The Gleaner, the MRC notes that government subsidies have not been indexed since 2019, and points to underfunding as one of the main reasons so many transport organizations are facing deficit situations, suggesting they are not alone in having had to intervene on the supply side to balance budgets.

Reduced adapted-transport hours will impact area athletes Read More »

NFSB is preparing for looming 72-hour public sector strike

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Striking teachers, support staff, and educational professionals, as well as public sector employees in health and social services, were out in force across the Valley on November 6 to protest stalled contract negotiations.

The Front commun, which represents four major trade unions, issued a statement before the expected end of the innovative strike at 10:30 a.m., announcing the timing of a second round of strike action later this month. Workers will strike over three days from November 21 to 23 if an agreement is not reached before then.

Nick Ross, the president of the Chateauguay Valley Teachers Association (CVTA), says there was a lot of honking and waving on November 6. “It was great to see,” he admits, while suggesting the high levels of public support for striking workers is likely being stoked by the simple fact that almost everyone relates to someone who works in the public sector and is affected by this situation.

Ross says he hopes the government was listening and presents something over the next few days “that can at least be considered by those who represent the members.”

The Front commun resoundingly rejected the most recent contract offer presented by Quebec Treasury Board president Sonia LeBel, which included a minimum 10.3 per cent salary increase over five years. Ross says that in order to keep up with current inflation predictions, the government would have to offer at least 17.7 per cent. He argues that the government’s offer ignores the inflationary purchasing power that has already been lost by workers since 2022. “The government is literally ignoring that it even happened,” he says of rising interest rates.

In a message to the government, Front commun spokespersons promised their negotiating teams will be fully available over the period leading up to the 72-hour strike. LeBel countered by insisting that negotiations are not unidirectional. In a post to social media, she invited the unions to table a constructive counteroffer if they are dissatisfied with the government’s current offer.

Schools to close

New Frontiers School Board director general Michael Helm confirms the board has received 72-hour strike notices from the different unions representing its staff. “For us, that means our schools, offices, and centres will be closed,” he states, suggesting there is no other option.

Helm says that while the NFSB supports its staff completely and understands their situation, he hopes this next round of strikes will result in some movement at the negotiating tables. “The thing we would like to see is no lost days for our students,” he says, noting it will be up to the board to make sure students are getting what they need for their education. The board is currently analysing strategies to ensure “all the essential learning pieces are captured by the students in case we are looking at a shortened school year.”

Teachers in the French system who are represented by the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE), which includes 65,000 elementary and secondary school teachers, have already announced they will start an unlimited strike on November 23 if an agreement has not been reached.

Though this will not directly impact the NFSB, the Front commun has the mandate to push its protest all the way to a general strike. A general walk out would be disruptive, Helm admits, but he is hopeful contracts can be resolved before it comes to this.

NFSB is preparing for looming 72-hour public sector strike Read More »

Rudolph Run helps meet increasing need for food aid

Local Journalism Initiative / /

It’s that time of year, when local runners and walkers haul out their candy-striped leggings, jingle bells, and Santa hats for the annual Rudolph Run in Ormstown. This year’s event will take place at the Recreation Centre on November 25, with participants lining up in their finest red and green gear for a mass start at 9 a.m.

Over the past few years, the Rudolph Run has focused exclusively on helping to raise awareness and funds for the La Bouffe Additionnelle food pantry in Huntingdon. Funds raised this year will once again go to support the organization’s Christmas basket campaign.

“I am always amazed at the community support,” says Grace Brown, who notes they receive donations from non-participants as well. The past three events have all brought in over $5,000, and the goal is to surpass this amount once again. “People are hard up at home, but they are extending their generosity, and it is really great to live in a community like this,” says Brown, who organizes the event with Darleen Legros. “It is a team effort,” she adds, noting it couldn’t be done without the team of volunteers who support the event.

A minimum $5 donation per participant is requested. Donations can also be made via e-transfer to La Bouffe Additionnelle directly at labouffeadditionnelle@bellnet.ca, using the password “Rudolph.”

A growing need

The association with the Rudolph Run is very much appreciated by the board at La Bouffe Additionnelle. “We have seen a large increase in demand,” says its president, Joanne Themens. Last year the organization gave out 378 Christmas food baskets. This year, the target is to produce 600 baskets. Themens says the food pantry is serving two new clients per week. As a result, the organization needs both monetary donations and food contributions.

At least 14 collection points for La Bouffe Additionnelle’s annual food drive will be established throughout the region from November 20 to December 15. The organization will be accepting canned and non-perishable food items, as well as personal hygiene products and household cleaning products.

The registration period for Christmas baskets will end on November 24. Those who would like to request a basket may do so in person at La Bouffe Additionnelle in Huntingdon. Howick and Très-Saint-Sacrement residents may call 450-825-2032 or 450-825-0192, Ormstown residents should contact 450-807-4348 or 450-601-1762, Saint-Chrysostome residents can reach out to 514-793-0465, and Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague residents can call 450-371-8557.

Rudolph Run helps meet increasing need for food aid Read More »

A second life for the Taillefer Bridge

Local Journalism Initiative / /

Built in 1887 or earlier, the Taillefer Bridge spanning the Chateauguay River between Elgin and Hinchinbrooke is to be restored to its original state and will eventually be reopened to small vehicle traffic on the Gilmore Road. The decision represents a complete reversal on the part of the Ministry of Transport (MTQ), which had announced thatthe structure, known locally as the Gilmore Bridge, would be dismantled in 2020.

“It is a victory,” says Elgin’s director general, Guylaine Carrière, of the lengthy intervention she and the municipal council waged to preserve the structure. “I knew people wanted to see this bridge reopened, so I kept on them,” she says, recalling how the municipality petitioned the government to produce a new heritage assessment after determining the bridge had a very high heritage index.

Highest possible value

In fact, the new assessment produced by the MTQ has determined the bridge has a heritage index of 100, or the highest value that can be given to such a structure. According to Carrière, the report suggests the heritage index is so high, the Taillefer Bridge should be considered of national interest. The report concludes by stating that the Montérégie region and all of Quebec should be proud to have such a monument on its territory. As a result, the MTQ confirmed during a recent meeting with Elgin representatives that the bridge would be saved.

“We are very, very happy. But we also know it is not going to be done next year, or even the year after,” Carrière says. “Everything needs to be redone: the abutments, the bridge itself,” she explains, noting there are a lot of questions to answer about the extent of the work, as the condition of the span has deteriorated since it was closed to traffic in 2009.

The metal structure of the bridge is identified as an eight-panel pin-connected Pratt through-truss. It has not been modified since its original construction in the late 1800s, when bridge construction transitioned from wooden components to all-steel designs. “It is in poor condition,” Carrière admits, noting there are also concerns about who may be able to complete the restoration work.

“This is just the beginning,” she adds, saying she is especially pleased for those living along the Gilmore Sideroad who will be able to use the bridge once again. “I really did not want the same thing to happen as what did on the Second Concession,” she says, referring to the dismantling of the Kensington Bridge.

Known to locals as the Gavin Bridge, that structure was a metal five-panel pin-connected Pratt through-truss that once spanned the Trout River in Elgin. It was taken down by the MTQ in February 2015. Carrière laments the fact the municipality was not able to save the Gavin Bridge, suggesting it likely would have had a significant heritage index as well.

A second life for the Taillefer Bridge Read More »

Nurses and health care professionals announce a second 48-hour strike

Local Journalism Initiative / / /

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Area nurses and other health professionals sent a clear message to the provincial government on November 8. The 2,790 nurses, auxiliary nurses, respiratory therapists, and clinical percussionists at the CISSS de la Montérégie-Ouest launched a 48-hour strike along with others across the province in response to lagging contract negotiations.

They staged protests outside hospitals, health institutions, and long-term care centres, walking off the job for the first time in nearly 25 years. With its 80,000 members already on the picket line, the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé (FIQ) announced that two additional strike days will take place on November 23 and 24 if an agreement is not reached before then.

Passers-by signaled their support of the nurses and care professionals demonstrating outside the Barrie Memorial Hospital in Ormstown with enthusiastic honks. Others brought doughnuts, coffee, and even propane to ensure the protesters kept warm. The support is much appreciated, says Dominic Caisse, the interim president of the Syndicat des professionnelles en soins de la Montérégie-Ouest.

“We are just arms, and our patients are nothing but numbers to this government,” he says, noting the institutions with the CISSSMO have long been understaffed. “The lack of personnel is nothing new. It dates to before the pandemic,” he explains.

“With better working conditions, more people will come back to the public sector,” says Caisse, suggesting many care professionals have left to work in the private sphere. “But to be honest, there has been no advancement at the tables,” he says. “Nothing has been addressed. We are at status quo, and what the government is proposing is a step backward from what we presently have.”

The FIQ is concerned about wages, but also work-life balance and work overload. It is asking specifically for the government to legislate safe nurse/patient ratios, while seeking more stability in terms of work assignments. Union representatives argue the government wants to be able to change nursing shifts when necessary and transfer personnel between institutions.

“Right now, you know when you have to come in, but you never know when you will be able to leave,” says Caisse, who is also critical of the government’s demand for mobility. “Instead of trying to create attractive working conditions, they prefer to do this,” he says, adding that nurses’ working conditions directly impact patient care.

Caisse is hopeful there will be some movement at the negotiation tables but is doubtful this will happen in time to prevent another 48-hour strike. “Unless the government has an extraordinary epiphany, we will be back on the picket lines,” he laments. And, he says, it will not only be nurses on the picket lines– over 600,000 public sector workers could be protesting on November 23, as several separate strike actions are set to take place across the province.

Nurses and health care professionals announce a second 48-hour strike Read More »

Montreal Leads the Way in Combating Gun Violence with New Safety Model

Local Journalism Initiative / /

The city of Montreal has made significant strides in tackling gun violence with its “Montreal Model for a Safe City,” which was the centerpiece of the second Montreal Forum for the Fight Against Armed Violence. This new safety model, affecting positively our borough of Parc-Extension, is built on four pillars: preventing and reducing insecurity, fostering quality living environments, mobilizing community engagement, and promoting co-responsibility among all partners. The model encapsulates a united approach, emphasizing the role of every stakeholder in maintaining security and a high standard of living for residents, particularly the vulnerable.

Mayor Valérie Plante stressed the importance of partnership and community involvement in the success of Montreal’s safety initiatives. The city has earmarked $10 million for youth infrastructure projects and is revamping programs aimed at youth-led projects. Additionally, the city will introduce a mobile social mediation team to address violence in northeast districts and implement an equitable and inclusive neighborhood strategy.

The Montreal Police Service (SPVM) plans to reactivate their vigilance structure and enhance management committee interactions with local communities. They will continue the ARRÊT project for community safety, increase foot patrols, and improve collaborative strategies across investigation and constabulary units.

The Ministry of Public Security is ramping up its fight against crime by backing prevention programs and launching a second Action Plan to address gun and gang violence. Their funding will support strategies like the CENTAURE initiative, focusing on creating youth spaces in Montreal.

Health agencies, including Montreal’s Regional Public Health Department and local health networks (CIUSSS), are actively engaged in preventing gun violence. This includes outreach to at-risk youth and launching new projects within hospitals and the community. Dr. Mylène Drouin emphasized the time-intensive nature of these efforts and the necessity for collective participation.

The Institute for Troubled Youth is enhancing methods for addressing armed violence, through efforts like evaluating the PIVOT project and supporting street-peer initiatives. Their new Living Lab project aims to explore and mitigate factors contributing to armed violence.

The collective efforts of these entities have already shown progress, with a 30% drop in firearm incidents over the past year. Police Service Director Fady Dagher highlighted the central role of youth and prevention in these initiatives, calling for continued community care and resource provision for young people’s safe development.

Alain Vaillancourt of the Montreal Executive Committee pointed out the work done to better understand and impact armed violence and pledged ongoing cooperation with all forum participants for continued success in prevention and intervention.

The second forum was notable for the unprecedented partnership across various sectors, with Josefina Blanco of the Executive Committee underscoring the collaborative work that marks a pivotal moment for Montreal’s safety and supportive environment. The city’s approach, as showcased by the Montreal Model, signifies a collaborative, informed, and proactive method to ensure a safe and inclusive city for all its residents.

Montreal Leads the Way in Combating Gun Violence with New Safety Model Read More »

Quebec’s English-Speaking Universities Propose Initiatives to Promote French Language Amidst Tuition Fee Discussions

Local Journalism Initiative / /

Left to Right | Graham Carr President and Vice-Chancellor, Concordia University, Sébastien Lebel-Grenier, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Bishop’s University, Deep Saini, Principal and Vice-Chancellor. McGill University

The strategic discussion involving the leaders of Concordia, McGill, and Bishop’s universities with Quebec’s Premier and the Higher Education Minister carries particular resonance for the student population of Park-Extension, a neighborhood known for its economic diversity and strong immigrant presence. The government’s contemplation of increased tuition and altered financing for international students presents a critical issue for Park-Extension students, many of whom may already face financial challenges in accessing higher education.

The area’s young population, aspiring to join universities such as Concordia and McGill, is therefore deeply invested in the outcomes of such high-level negotiations. The decisions made will directly impact their educational prospects, the affordability of their studies, and their future careers. As the student body of Park-Extension navigates these proposed changes, they join a broader dialogue within Quebec’s academic community about the balance between educational funding, language preservation, and the inclusive access to education that many in their community rely on.

The meeting, held in downtown Montreal, was an opportunity for the university leaders to present a united front and to propose constructive alternatives to the government’s plans. Recognizing the importance of protecting and promoting the French language in Quebec, the institutions offered a set of innovative solutions designed to fortify the presence of French language and culture within their universities while also upholding their global educational missions.

Central to the university presidents’ proposal is the introduction of mandatory French courses for Canadian students from other provinces, a move aimed at enhancing linguistic competencies in Quebec’s official language. To further deepen language acquisition, more immersive internships in Francophone regions were suggested, along with a significant integration of French language and cultural courses into the existing academic programs, in partnership with Francisation Québec.

Cultural engagement forms a vital part of the proposal with plans to increase activities that celebrate French and Quebec culture on campus and beyond. These initiatives will not only enrich the student experience but will also build stronger connections between students and the Quebec community.

The universities have also proposed the development of programs in collaboration with cultural and business organizations to facilitate the integration of students into Quebec society, which would continue both during their studies and post-graduation, ensuring that they become active, French-speaking members of the community.

In a bid to keep education accessible to all Canadian students, the presidents requested to maintain the current tuition levels – adjusted for inflation – for those coming from outside Quebec. Furthermore, they advocated for a cooperative effort with other Quebec universities to devise a more sustainable and equitable financing model for international students, countering the government’s current propositions.

The meeting concluded on a note of cautious optimism, with Premier Legault committing to review the proposal and respond in due course. Carr extended his gratitude to Premier Legault for his willingness to engage directly with the universities on these pressing issues.

Quebec’s English-Speaking Universities Propose Initiatives to Promote French Language Amidst Tuition Fee Discussions Read More »

Gatineau administration says they hope Aylmer arena’s hold up over the next few years

Local Journalism Initiative / /

A debate took place during the budget discussion week at the city of Gatineau regarding where to invest an extra 13 million dollars in infrastructure maintenance. The choices of where to invest the available budget caused a stir among councillors.

The administration gave council three options, one of which was to use $9 million of the budget on a road rehabilitation program and a little over $4 million for the maintenance of arenas and aquatic centers. This was the option that was recommended by the executive committee.

Tiffany-Lee Norris-Parent, Touraine councillor, proposed an amendment that would use $4.5 million to buy 15 sidewalk snow removal vehicles, and $8.5 million for road re-pavement. This led to a debate on where to invest city money. In the end, 11 councillors voted for Norris-Parent’s amendment and 9 voted against. This means the arenas and pools will not receive the additional maintenance funds as the executive committee suggested.

Marc Bureau, Parc-de-la-Montagne-Saint-Raymond councillor and executive committee member, voiced concern for the arenas in Gatineau, as they are aging and require maintenance. He says he fears without investments, they could face closures. “This would be detrimental in places like Aylmer where there are over 100 hockey teams,” said Bureau.

Gilles Chagnon, Lucerne councillor and executive committee member, also voiced concerns asking the administration for clarity on the work needed to maintain arenas in Aylmer. The administration responded that some parts of the arenas are not at the end of their life cycle, but need maintenance such as roof replacements.

The administration also stated that they are hoping the arenas tough it out another few years. They are doing little bits of the roof as needed, and managing the risks. The work needed for arenas in Gatineau is estimated at over $7 million but there is only $2 million in reserve in case something happens. The administration is holding off because the infrastructure won’t be needed when the planned four-rink sports complex is complete.

“To clarify, we are allowing the risk that if something happens, Aylmer could end up with arena closures,” responded Chagnon.

–Snow removal machinery

The snow removal machines were a significant discussion. The committee for transport, sustainable mobility, and security did not recommend investing in the amended 15 additional sidewalk snow removal vehicles. There are 9 new vehicles for sidewalk snow removal being put to use this winter. The committee wants to see how the additions to the snow removal fleet impact the level of service this season, before buying more.

Caroline Murray, Deschênes councillor, says that this spending proposal was made to increase the level of service for the side walks, to match that of roads. Currently, the level of service for roads is to have them cleared within 12 hours of a snowfall, and sidewalks within 16 hours. Levels of service put a parameter for the service but often snow removal can be done well before this time. Murray says this is important for those that need sidewalk access such as pedestrians, and children walking to school.

The budget will be voted on in December.

Gatineau administration says they hope Aylmer arena’s hold up over the next few years Read More »

Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension Wins Prestigious Award at Montreal’s Gala Podium

Local Journalism Initiative / /

The borough of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension (VSP) was honored with a prestigious award at the recent Gala Podium Montréal, which took place on November 3. The borough received accolades in the category of ‘Borough or linked city of the island of Montreal’ for the sports component of its Youth Strategy in Crime Prevention (Stratégie jeunesse en prévention de la criminalité – SJPC).

VSP was among three finalists in the category and stood out for its initiatives to make sports more accessible to youth facing various vulnerabilities and at risk of engaging in or experiencing violence. Through the SJPC and funding programs, the borough supports community partners to deploy sports activities that are accessible to young people.

“It’s truly an honor we can be proud of and one that we share with all our partners and collaborators. There’s a lot of work behind this, but above all, many people involved and mobilized around our youth. This is the strength of our Youth Strategy: a strong and shared desire to offer young people positive opportunities that are designed with their needs in mind. The strategy is broad and impacts several areas, but here, it’s about access to sports as a space for play, self-improvement, and socializing,” said Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, the mayor of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension.

Among the supported sports initiatives, the ‘Midnight sports’ program, developed by the Corporation de gestion des loisirs du parc, offers free basketball activities for youth during the evening until 1 am in the Parc-Extension neighborhood. In Saint-Michel, the Monarques provide free basketball practice sessions for young people in the evenings as well.

The Gala Podium Montréal is an event organized by the Conseil du sport de Montréal, aimed at recognizing and celebrating the community’s contributions to the sports sector on the island of Montreal. The event serves to acknowledge the achievements of athletes, coaches, volunteers, and organizations within the city’s sports community.

With the VSP’s commitment to fostering a safer and more inclusive environment through sports, the borough’s recognition at the Gala Podium Montreal showcases the positive impact of collaborative community efforts on youth development and crime prevention. The success of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension’s approach is a testament to the power of sports as a transformative tool for social good.

Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension Wins Prestigious Award at Montreal’s Gala Podium Read More »

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