MRC des Jardins de Napierville

Mosquitos are thriving,and so are mosquito-borne viruses

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Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

A wet August followed by a warmer-than-usual September has become a perfect combination for an extended mosquito season.

Besides being a nuisance, mosquitos can transmit dangerous diseases such as West Nile Virus (WNV) and the California serogroup virus, as well as eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), which has surfaced locally this summer in horses despite generally being considered quite rare.

Chantal Vallée, a senior advisor with the communications and public affairs department at the Centre intégré de santé et services sociaux de la Montérégie-Centre, confirms there have been no human cases of EEE reported in the Montérégie to date. She notes, however, that an increase in WNV infections has been detected in the region.

WNV has been endemic or regularly occurring in Quebec since 2002. It is a mandatory reportable disease in Quebec, and the number of cases identified each year are recorded by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. The number of WNV infections tends to increase cyclically every four to five years, and the province is anticipating cases may continue to rise this fall.

As of September 26, there have been 61 cases confirmed across the province, and of those, 26 were diagnosed in the Montérégie. Only 20 cases of WNV were reported in Quebec in 2023, including six in the Montérégie.

Vallée says the Direction de Santé Publique de la Montérégie (DSPM) issued a call for vigilance in August to alert health-care professionals throughout the region to the potential risks posed by these infections.

“In the presence of symptoms affecting the nervous system, health-care professionals are being encouraged to look for these infections by performing the appropriate tests,” says Vallée.

The DSPM also encourages the adoption of preventive measures, especially for people at greater risk of serious illness, including individuals over 50-years-old, and those with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer.

Vallée confirms it is important people protect themselves against mosquito bites as long as mosquitos are active this fall.

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Job market a challenge for region’s English speakers

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , ,

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The Montérégie-West Community Network (MWCN) hosted the region’s first employment roundtable focused exclusively on the five MRCs that make up the Montérégie on September 26 at the wellness centre in Huntingdon.

Around 25 representatives from local employment-oriented organizations as well as regional development groups participated in the meeting, which included a presentation by the Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT) on employment statistics in the region.

“We want to talk about the issues and try to find solutions to employability issues within the region,” said Joanne Basilières, the MWCN’s employability and mental health coordinator. She invited PERT to present the findings of its recently released employment profile of English speakers in the Montérégie, and to start a dialogue amongst the group on meeting the challenges facing this community.

Chad Walcott, the director of engagement and communications for PERT, opened his presentation by acknowledging English speakers are facing growing challenges in the labour market, with higher unemployment rates, lower incomes, and persistent barriers to accessing essential French language training. These are the main findings of the report, which also notes a widening gap in the unemployment rate between English and French speakers in Montérégie.

Since the 2016 Census, the unemployment rate for English speakers has increased from 7.5 per cent to 9.1 per cent, while the rate for French speakers has remained steady at 5.8 per cent. The stats are showing a consistent trend, says Walcott. “The gaps are there, and they are persisting,” he said, noting that while some of the data from the 2021 census may have been influenced by the pandemic, the gaps have been present since 2011 and even earlier.

In the Montérégie region, the English-speaking population accounts for 13.3 per cent of the total population, while in the Haut-Saint-Laurent, English speakers make up 30.4 per cent of the population. This is the second highest percentage after Vaudreuil-Soulanges, where 34 per cent of the population identify as English-speaking.

The unemployment rate among French speakers in the Haut-Saint-Laurent sits at 6.8 per cent, while 8.2 per cent of English speakers are unemployed. In Beauharnois-Salaberry, 5.9 per cent of French speakers are unemployed, while 9.1 per cent of those who speak English do not have jobs.

In the Haut-Saint-Laurent, English-speaking visible minorities are at the greatest disadvantage, where 25.8 per cent are unemployed. This figure is twice as high as in every other MRC in the Montérégie. Across the region, the unemployment rate for visible minorities is 10.9 per cent.

Walcott noted that along with a higher unemployment rate, English speakers were also earning less. In the Haut-Saint-Laurent, for example, English speakers earn roughly $3,800 less per year than their French-speaking neighbours, while visible minorities who speak English earn $9,000 less per year.

Walcott explained that even though English speakers are participating in the job market, there is a blockage. “The fit is not there for the job market,” he said, noting that this holds true despite the fact English speakers are generally more educated and are more likely to identify as bilingual.

For example, 80 per cent of English speakers in the Haut-Saint-Laurent have at least a secondary school diploma or equivalency certificate, while 72 per cent of French speakers have attained this level of education. The bilingualism rate for English speakers is 66.7 percent, while 50.9 per cent of French speakers identify as bilingual.

During the discussion that followed Walcott’s presentation, one participant noted that many want to work with the English-speaking population, but the resources are simply not there. “It is easier to hire someone who is handicapped than it is to hire someone who is unilingually English,” she pointed out.

Many suggested more funding for work-integrated learning programs would help English speakers gain professional skills while improving their French-Language skills on the job. Others pointed to a lack of funding for industry-specific language training as an issue, as well as the integration challenges facing English speakers working in French environments.

Job market a challenge for region’s English speakers Read More »

Nomination period for school board elections is now open

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Elections are set to take place this November at the nine English school boards across Quebec.

Notice was officially given on August 22 by the New Frontiers School Board that all eleven positions, including the chairperson and ten commissioners, will be up for election. Nomination papers for those interested in representing an electoral ward must be filed in person at the board office in Chateauguay by 5 p.m. on September 29. Should two or more candidates present themselves for one position, an election will take place on November 3.

“This is about making sure that the voices from the community are being heard, and this comes through the electoral process,” says NFSB director general Mike Helm. He says this public representation is especially important because it allows the board “to respond to the different needs in terms of ensuring the teaching and learning that is going on within our buildings.”

John Ryan, the current chair of the NFSB council of commissioners, says these elections are “probably more important now than ever, because we are under threat to lose this right to represent our community in the way we have over many, many years.”

Ryan has already announced his candidacy for re-election. He says it will be extremely important for eligible residents to vote if an election takes place. “We are the only elected voice for the English community at the provincial level,” he adds. “If we don’t stand up and defend what we have, we are going to lose it.”

All parents of students who were or are currently enrolled in an NFSB school should automatically be eligible to vote. Returning officer Louisa Benvenuti says it is important for recent graduates to check their status. She says several 18-year-olds recently noted that although they graduated from an English school, they had been automatically excluded from the list.

Those who do not have children or whose children do not attend an NFSB school are by default not included on the electoral list. Those in this situation who would like to vote in school board elections must complete a notice of change form, which is available on the NFSB’s elections page on their website (nfsb.qc.ca/elections)

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