Kendall Knowlton

Students present to ‘Dragons’ Den’-like judges

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By Kendall Knowlton

Who said you had to be an adult to land a deal?

A line of judges sat at a long table facing a small stage as the first 15 kids walked into a room, confidently ready to pitch their creative ideas to a panel of “dragons” on May 27.

The Montessori elementary school in Chelsea hosted its second Dans l’oeil du dragon, or eye of the dragon contest. This competition is for young entrepreneurs ages 10 and 11 and is based on the TV show Dragon’s Den, in which budding entrepreneurs pitch business ideas to a panel of judges or “dragons.” 

The winners of the Chelsea competition were Edouard Miron and Alexandre Tamer, who won for their company Pit Stop, which makes bird feeders. The pair received $1,000 and a $65 gift card for La Cigale.  The judges were impressed by the work the students put into the bird feeders.

In second place, Zoé Le Guyader showcased her passion for writing. She presented a book, which contained 12 stories she had written over time, that she had put together and printed 50 copies of. For her business La Plume Magique, she won $650 and a $65 gift card for La Cigale. Le Guyader also writes for the school paper, the Montessori Gazette.

And in third place, for Maé Chénier’s charcuterie board business, Les Délices en Boîte, she was awarded $500 and a $65 gift card for La Cigale. She puts together charcuterie boards that have things like pickles, prosciutto and cheddar. 

Two youth businesses received special mentions for fourth and fifth place: Simplici’thé, a tea company created by Édouard Charbonneau and Francois Montesino, and a plant company called Les jardins de Perséphone created by Gabrielle Samson and Thomas Bertrand.

The judges, Mathieu Gaudette, Olivier Benloulou, Chris Kaarsberg, Nicholas Courchesne, Jonathan Albert, Sara Beaudet and Médéric Danis, run businesses in the area. They were gentle dragons compared to the TV show’s more feisty ones, but still firm at times. 

Benloulou was passionate during the contest’s question periods, almost always suggesting that the students use organic products for food-related companies. 

Students took the feedback with strength and confidence. 

Nancy Courchesne, general manager at Montessori, said she works closely with the students to help them come up with their pitches. 

“I do everything from start to end with the kids,” she told the Low Down explaining that they spend six weeks planning and are given grades based on their ideas and presentation. 

Students also gave their presentations at the marché de petite entrepreneurs on June 7, which is a market for young entrepreneurs to showcase new products. Le Guyader won at the market, according to Nancy.

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51st edition (not state!) coming soon

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By Kendall Knowlton

About a dozen years ago, a fishing trip in Kitigan Zibi wound up at the Supreme Court of Canada. 

It’s the lead story in ‘Up The Gatineau!’, which was first published 51 years ago.

Gilbert Whiteduck, president of the Gatineau Valley Historical Society (GVHS), and Toby Sanger, another board member who has written for Up The Gatineau! in the past, collaborated on the story. It is about an important case in which the Indigenous community fought the Quebec government up to the Supreme Court of Canada. It took 12 years to fight a $75 fine for illegal fishing, and they spent $2.5 million in the process. 

“It’s trying to summarize this case, this very important case. It’s one of many Supreme Court of Canada cases in Canada that came to acknowledge Indigenous rights on, in this case, unceded territory,” explained Whiteduck about the story called ‘A Fishing Trip That Ended Up in the Supreme Court of Canada.’

Whiteduck was a band council member in Kitigan Zibi when it occurred. 

He told the Low Down he remembers it happening, and that he remembers how long the case took. 

Sanger said he wrote the first draft, and Whiteduck wrote the second.

“I ended up going through more of the legal documents, but Gilbert’s got a good history of it himself,” said Sanger.

Up The Gatineau! includes several other stories including Horses in the Gatineau Valley: A Photo Essay by Randy Kidder, which is a detailed description of horses in history with old photos.

Not only has Whiteduck written a story and become the president of the GVHS, but he also helped change the logo about two years ago, according to Louise Schwartz, director of publications at the GVHS. 

She said the logo used to be a broad axe.

“Broad axe representing settlers coming in and taking down all the forests for the logging industry, which was really totally inappropriate if one wants to be inclusive as we should be,” said Schwartz. She told the Low Down that they hired a designer. 

No spoilers, but you might find some new information about things like horses in the Gatineau Valley’s past, what settlement in Low looked like in the 1850s or even a story about an outhouse. You’ll have to read it to know more!

This edition will be launched on June 14 at Le Fab sur Mill at 2 p.m. A short ceremony will take place at 2:30 p.m. and refreshments will be served.

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SPCA based in Kazabazua coming soon

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By Kendall Knowlton

Kazabazua is getting an SPCA facility in the municipality. 

The facility is being organized by and for the MRC Vallée-de-la-Gatineau (MRCVG) to serve all of its municipalities.

Low Mayor Carole Robert announced the news during the May 5 council meeting, saying, “There’s going to be an agent working there, and we’re going to have it locally for calls to the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) instead of each municipality.” 

The SPCA facility won’t be a burden on taxpayers, according to Low Coun. Maurren McEvoy, who explained that it’s being funded through a Regions and Rurality fund from the province.

“I believe most municipalities have some kind of arrangement to deal with animal protection, stray dogs etc.,” wrote McEvoy in an email to the Low Down. 

“Low will be saving these direct costs with this new regional solution; also with the service based in Kaz, we may find that response times will be even more effective,” she added.

The new SPCA in Kazabazua will replace the individual arrangements that Low had with the SPCA based in Gatineau. 

Robert told the Low Down that waiting for an SPCA agent to “come from downtown” takes too long and the new facility will give residents a closer, more reliable option for residents dropping off feral animals or injured pets.

The MRC will host a press conference in June to discuss the new service. 

About four people attended the meeting. During question period, resident Marc Coutoure asked why there is no development in Low. 

According to Robert after the meeting, she said that the municipality recently bought three lots to develop. 

“There is development coming. It doesn’t happen overnight,” she said, explaining that the municipality wants to develop the municipal dock to access the Gatineau River. She did not provide a timeline. 

Another resident, Jacques Dusseault, requested that the municipality fix potholes near Chemin Burrough, indicating to Robert that he had asked about this last May. Dusseault said he was worried about safety in the meeting, and council said they would take a look at the issue. 

In other business, council:

  • paid two outstanding invoices for $175,115 and $152,504;
  • authorized an inspector to train someone to be an aqueduct inspector for $1,379;
  • earmarked $12,000 in funding for Canada Day celebrations on July 1. However, taxpayer costs will amount to just $6,000, as the municipality secured $4,000 in donations from the Chase the Ace fundraiser through the CHGA radio station in Maniwaki and $2,000 from the Wesley M. Nicol Foundation, an organization that supports Canadian-based charities. 

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New initiative saving turtles across Quebec

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By Kendall Knowlton

Screech! You just ran over a turtle or found one injured – now what? 

Don’t just leave it there. Call the Taxi Carapace. 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) re-announced May 20 a program that helps injured turtles. It is encouraging the public to call when they find an injured turtle and/or become a volunteer.

The Taxi Carapace is a volunteer-based transportation service for turtles in Quebec that safely and quickly transports them to the Centre de réhabilitation des tortues du Québec (CRTQ), an organization that helps turtle conservation and has been around since 2018. It is located at the Centre d’exploration du Parc de la Rivière-des-Mille-Îles in Laval. 

Those who run over or find injured turtles are encouraged to call Taxi Carapace and stay with the creature until help arrives, according to Francisco Retamal Diaz, project manager at the NCC. Otherwise, the turtle might try to wander off or be taken by a predator. After providing Carapace with details, the program will send a volunteer to the location of the injured turtle and transport it to the rehabilitation centre.

He also said that there is a vet clinic closer to Gatineau that can stabilize turtles but is limited in its capacity.

The Taxi Carapace initiative began last June, and more than 50 volunteers have since signed up to transport the critters to the rehabilitation centre near Montreal. Without volunteers, it would not work as well, according to Retamal Diaz, adding that public involvement is essential to help the turtles recover. 

Retamal Diaz said that 93 turtles were helped and released last year. 

“Most of the time, the turtles that are found on the road are nesting females, so they have eggs in them. So even if the turtle is dead, they can still harvest the eggs and hatch them and then release the babies where they were found,” he explained. 

So, if you run over one of these creatures or find one lying injured on the side of the road, call: 450-622-1020 x286.

Retamal Diaz said that they are always looking for more volunteers. You can fill out the form to become one at natureconservancy.ca.

 The NCC runs the initiative, which complements Éco-Nature’s turtle conservation initiatives, according to the press release. 

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Local Canada Day goes green

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By Kendall Knowlton

Wakefield will be super green for Canada Day this year. 

No fireworks. No drones lighting up the sky. No water bottles, no balloons, streamers or plastics, and every single dish, utensil and cup that revellers use will be fully compostable. 

“We’ve just been taking steps to be greener every year,” said Carly Woods, who organizes Canada Day every year at the Wakefield Recreation Association (WRA).

“We’ve shied away from the fireworks for environmental reasons,” said Woods. She said that removing the fireworks was partially due to complaints about people’s pets being afraid of them. There were no fireworks last year either, and Woods said the increased costs of drone shows has made it difficult for organizers to fit the aerial light show into their annual budget.

WRA’s budget changes from year to year but is estimated to be about $20,000 this year, according to Woods. 

Fireworks are wrapped with metal such as lithium and copper, and they can contain chemicals that contaminate the earth, according to Gwen O’Sullivan, an assistant professor of Environmental Science at Mount Royal University. He told CBC News in 2019 that the metals and chemicals are released when the fireworks explode to make colours like blue and red, and they can be toxic to animals and humans.

Wakefield has followed other regions, like Canmore, B.C., in banning firework shows for environmental reasons.

For those who do want to enjoy fireworks, both Chelsea and Low will be having displays. 

Woods also noted that all of the decorations will be environmentally friendly this year. 

“We are making our decorations and reusing them every year,” she said, explaining that the summer camp run by the Wakefield Activities for Youth (WAY) will have kids make decorations out of recycled materials for Canada Day. 

Dishes provided for the festivities will all be compostable, and there will be compost bins throughout the area. A group of people will be collecting all of the cans the day after. There will be no water bottles for sale – guests are asked to bring their own to refill.

“We’ve always been green, or as much as we can,” said Woods, “We are Wakefielders.”

As for the day of celebration, this year’s theme is Canada Strong.

The parade will leave from Centre Vorlage between 11:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. Festivities will take place throughout the rest of the day at the Wakefield community centre, where there will be kid-friendly activities, like bouncy castles, face painting and dunk tanks. 

And music. Local bands, such as The Jakes, will be playing at the community centre. A full lineup is coming soon.

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Call for action beyond ballot box

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By Kendall Knowlton

For Gilbert Whiteduck, a recent NDP candidate who ran for the Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi riding on April 28, the recent federal election was about more than just winning – it was about the community.

Despite not winning the riding, there are many issues he said he wants to continue advocating for, such as preserving the environment. 

“I will stand with people who stand for the truth, who stand for the protection of the environment, who stand with honesty and goodness in their heart,” he said, adding that there are many pressing issues that need to be addressed.

One of those issues was the voter turnout in Kitigan Zibi, a First Nations reserve of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, near Maniwaki, which has a population of roughly 2,000. It was a higher than normal turnout, although it was still low. 

Speaking about the low turnout – 68 people in total – he said the issue with the U.S. “took priority” and pushed aside environmental and Indigenous issues.

Language is also a topic that he said is on his mind. He mentioned Canada’s history and said that “our language has grown dormant because of colonization and the implications of that,” referring to Indigenous languages. 

For historical reasons, he explained that English is the main language picked up by most Indigenous communities. Whiteduck said that receiving services in English in Quebec can be difficult. Providers will often not speak English, which makes it hard to receive proper healthcare alongside other services, according to Whiteduck. 

“Our answer to that was, ‘Okay, yeah, but you’re on Algonquin land. If you want to play that game, you should be speaking Algonquin,’” he said, referring to service providers unwilling to speak English to Indigenous Peoples in the province. 

When it comes to language and discussions around it, Whiteduck said he also believes that his own party, the NDP, needs less dialogue and more action. 

“Dialogue is important, but you can’t just have dialogue,” said Whiteduck. “There’s gotta be action. There’s gotta be movement” – something that may be harder to do for a party that has since lost official party status.  

He also spoke about partnership with Indigenous communities, such as working with the elected Liberal government to advocate for Indigenous issues. 

Yet he has come across his own challenges as a candidate who is Indigenous. 

“I encountered some people – not many – in the riding, saying, ‘I would not vote for you. Why would I want to vote for an Indigenous person?’” he told the Low Down about his experience campaigning for the recent election. 

He said he thinks that good dialogue can lead to change, though, saying that people just have to listen and be prepared to do things differently. 

Whiteduck, who ran for the first time as a political candidate, came in fourth in the federal election. Prior to that, he was the former chief in Kitigan-Zibi. He’s presently a knowledge holder at the University of Ottawa, a therapist-counsellor and sits on multiple committees, including the Ottawa River Keeper and other environmental groups. He is also currently president of the Gatineau Valley Historical Society.

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Senior Wellness Initiative aids English-speaking seniors

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By Kendall Knowlton

Who knew aging in the Gatineau Hills could include dancing, health education and virtual stretching?

The English-Speaking Seniors’ Wellness Initiative has made these activities and many more a possibility for aging residents in the Gatineau Hills. 

According to Erica Botner, program manager for seniors at the Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN), the initiative started about 20 years ago.

The CHSSN is an organization that supports English-speaking communities. They are funded by Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Secrétariat à la jeunesse du Québec, the Secrétariat aux relations avec les Québécois d’expression anglaise, and Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation. 

There are 34 organizations doing activities such as cognitive workshops and other types of education at 125 locations across Quebec, according to Botner. She said that seniors often have trouble accessing health and social services in the province, because of Bill 96, the province’s overhaul of the Charter of the French Language, which restricts certain demographics from receiving services in their first language. 

“They have a harder time accessing health and social services as a language minority, so we do have these centres all across the province,” said Botner, referring to seniors. Connexions also has a satellite office in Wakefield. 

CHSSN’s statistics show that English-speaking seniors aged 55+ take up 28.2 per cent of Quebec’s English-speaking population. Census Canada reports that there were 83,130 seniors in the Outaouais region as of 2021 and 353,085 in Quebec.

Locally, the stats are similar. According to data from La Table de Dévelopment des Collines-de-L’Outaouais (TDSCO) in 2021, there were just 162 private and social housing units for seniors in the region and close to 6,400 residents over the age of 65. There are now 174 units after Farm Point’s Résidence du Petit Bois opened earlier this year with 12 additional units. 

The initiative includes many educational programs that assist seniors as they age like financial abuse workshops. There are activities every week. 

The Know Your Rights and Filing Complaints within the Health and Social Services System workshop will happen in Shawville on May 15.

There is Yoga for Healthy Living in Chelsea on May 21. There is Spectrum Club, which offers games and activities for kids on the spectrum and their families in Wakefield  on May 18 and multiple june events throughout the region. 

“It is giving information in English to seniors about anything health related that is necessary to help them age in place, like stuff about strokes, diabetes, healthy nutrition, physical activity, safe driving, like anything fraud prevention, all of that,” said Botner to the Low Down about what the initiative can do. 

Among the 120 activities for seniors aged 55+ each year, some new ones are popping up. 

The seniors silver lounge, a meeting for seniors, will begin on May 20. It will be at the main Connexions office in Aylmer, according to Diane Wheatley, Seniors Program Regional Coordinator at Connexions Resource Centre. 

“It’s a get together for English-speaking seniors so they can get information,” said Wheatley. It will help English-speaking seniors understand things happening in their community as well as give them the chance to ask questions. 

Having access to the information in a language that seniors can understand matters for reasons such as reading their medications, navigating systems and even figuring out when their next doctor appointment is, according to Botner. 

Wheatley also spoke about a decluttering activity where seniors get some help with going through their belongings and cleaning their spaces. She said the change from winter to spring can be hard for seniors because of the clean up. They might need help clearing things inside and outside, and the initiative can help them with cleaning their homes.

Other activities give seniors a chance to get out of the house and learn more about themselves. 

These include health education presentations, physical activities like gentle stretching for balance and mobility, dancing, yoga, octoband, walk and talks, creative workshops like arts and crafts, gardening, cooking, sewing, social activities including intergenerational activities and outreach strategies (like phone check ins, and providing information and referrals) to reduce barriers to participation and finding the most vulnerable seniors, according to Botner. 

Botner said the point of this initiative and its activities is to help seniors foster connection, stay healthy, give them a sense of meaning, age in their communities, and reduce social isolation. 

About 12 to 35 seniors attend each activity. 

Wheatley added that there are first aid education sessions for seniors, where they learn CPR and how to treat things such as choking. These sessions are taught by McGill University medical students. 

“Sometimes as a senior they feel like they aren’t listened to, those activities are just to help them break the isolation and be heard,” said Wheatley to the Low Down. “It is extremely rich in regards to that population, and it makes a difference in so many peoples lives.”

The initiative is designed to run until 2027. Botner said that they do not know what will happen after that. 
You can find Connexions’ schedule at https://centreconnexions.org/events-activities/.

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