Sarah Pledge Dickson

‘Services without emergency rooms’: Connexions event highlights Pontiac’s health and social service orgs

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

Representatives from 30 different health and social service groups from across the Pontiac spent Saturday morning in the Pontiac High School gym sharing information about the many forms of support they make available to residents of the region.

At the gathering – a sort of informal networking event for people looking to learn about what services are available to them – bingo cards were handed out to guests to encourage them to speak with as many service providers as possible. Each visit to an organization’s kiosk was another signature on the bingo card, which could be entered in a draw for a door prize.

“It makes me happy that people are leaving with so much information and saying things like, ‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t even know this existed,’” said Shelley Heaphy, community engagement and outreach coordinator for Connexions in the Pontiac.

She said that while some people might not need all the information about what services are available to them at this moment, having a sense for the support available could be helpful down the road.

Healthcare hotline how-to

The event also featured two presentations from representatives of the Quebec government’s 8-1-1 healthcare hotline about the many types of services that can be accessed by calling this number.

CISSSO employees Marion Coulombe and Simona Hudema explained option 1 can be used to speak directly to a nurse who can provide medical advice regarding symptoms such as vomiting or a fever and can advise whether or not you should go to the emergency room based on those symptoms.

Option 2 is a social services option, which Hudema and Coulombe said can often be misinterpreted. Hudema explained that option 2 allows people to speak with someone about mental health concerns or for help connecting with other services, such as a pharmacist to refill a prescription. Hudema also explained that the services are local, so you’ll be connected with someone who can help you in the Pontiac.

Option 3 is a new option that allows people without a family doctor or who are on a waiting list for a family doctor to get an appointment in their region.

Nicole Boucher-Larivière, CISSSO’s Pontiac director, said that option 3 can help people avoid unnecessary trips to the emergency room.

“Option 3 is amazing because it allows everybody to have access to a family doctor when it’s medically necessary,” Boucher-Larivière said. “This is a way where people can get services without having to worry about emergency rooms.”

Hudema said that option 3 allows people to connect with the right medical professional.

“The point of 8-1-1 option 3 is to make sure that you have the right professional at the right time, because not every situation needs you to see a doctor or go to the ER,” Hudema said. “If you don’t have a family doctor or you’re on the waiting list, they will put you in contact as soon as possible with the right professional.”

Boucher-Larivière explained that it means everyone can get access to a family doctor.

“Nobody is without access to a family doctor,” Boucher Larivière said. “It might be a different one every time you use the service until you actually get a family doctor, but at least there’s a way to see somebody.”

‘Services without emergency rooms’: Connexions event highlights Pontiac’s health and social service orgs Read More »

School board pinches pennies to save $1M, as per province’s demand: Says this round won’t affect students

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

The Western Quebec School Board (WQSB) has clarified how it plans to handle the province’s demand it cut $906,000 from its budget by the end of this fiscal year, now about a month away.

In December the Quebec government announced that school boards across the province would have to cut millions in spending by March.

At the WQSB’s Jan. 28 meeting, assistant director general Pascal Proulx announced the board will cut just over $1.1 million from its spending this year in response to this demand, which amounts to less than one per cent of the year’s budget.

Proulx said after some serious penny-pinching, including the cancellation of tiny budget items like a principal’s breakfast and free use of a public workplace coffee machine, he believed the cuts would not affect student services.

“We worked with the Resource Allocation Committee, and with these first cuts we were able to do it without impacting the schools,” he said.

The board plans to save money by not filling four positions that were vacant – including that of a psychologist – and pointed to the late hiring of six new employees as having already saved the board almost $300,000.

About $250,000 will be saved in caretaking and maintenance fees, through measures such as reducing an annual window cleaning service to a bi-annual service.

Many of these changes will only help the school board meet this budget requirement this year and will not be recurring.

Joanne Labadie, chair of the WQSB, said she was pleased with how the cuts were handled this time around but warned that even if these cuts are not supposed to affect students, everything the board does has an impact.

“I think the team did an exceptional job in identifying areas that could be cut without impacting student services and with having minimal impact on staff,” Labadie said. “But we are a school board. It’s impossible not to impact student services somewhere, but we’ve done it in a way that hopefully won’t. Any further cuts would make it impossible not to impact students.”

Proulx said it looks like more cuts are on the horizon.

“We know almost for certain now that we’re going to have more cuts in April when the new budget appears,” he said. “So we’re working with the schools and the principals to prepare for that.”

Labadie echoed this concern for the greater budget cuts anticipated this spring.

“When the government brings forward the 2025 budget, [cuts are] going to be a lot harder.”

School board pinches pennies to save $1M, as per province’s demand: Says this round won’t affect students Read More »

Chatel proud of Trudeau’s reign, endorses Carney as next leader

Sophie Kuijper Dickson and Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

Pontiac’s Liberal Member of Parliament Sophie Chatel announced today, Jan. 15, she is throwing her support behind Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, in his bid to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party, which he is expected to announce on Thursday. 

“His exceptional mind, character, and record of leadership are what Canada needs and draw a sharp contrast with the empty slogans, mean-spirited political games, and simplistic solutions, devoid of scientific rigor, that have taken hold of the Conservative Party,” Chatel’s statement read. 

In a phone call with THE EQUITY on Jan. 9, before she had announced her endorsement for Carney, Chatel said while she wished Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement would have come sooner, she was proud of what the party has accomplished under his leadership. 

“I was of the same view, that after nine years, it was important to offer Liberals and Canadians a real choice for change,” Chatel told THE EQUITY following Trudeau’s announcement last Monday of his intention to resign as Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader once a new candidate had been chosen.

Chatel was reported to have signed a letter along with a group of MPs calling for Trudeau to resign in October. While she did not confirm whether or not this was true, she said she did raise the matter with the Prime Minister in caucus several times since the summer, after hearing from her constituents that they wanted to see a change in leadership.

“It seems to be a cycle in democracy that after a certain number of years in power people want a change in leadership,” she said.

She cited the Canada Child Benefit, financial supports for seniors, Trudeau’s work advancing environment and Indigenous reconciliation files, her party’s managing of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the recent drop in inflation, as some of her party’s accomplishments of which she’s proud.

She noted, however, that recently she felt the Prime Minister was lacking a strong economic vision for the country.

“I think he has a great level of empathy and wants to do great things for the Canadians, great things for the middle class, but I think what I will be looking for in the next leader is somebody that is perhaps more successful in voicing a very strong economic plan and a very strong environmental plan,” she said.

On Jan. 9, Chatel said she was looking for a candidate with a strong vision for building a green economy. 

“I think the world is changing, priorities are changing, investments in a green and clean technology is available globally,” she said. “I think that I’m looking forward for a leader that will be able to position Canada for success into this new economy.”

In terms of who this “somebody” might be, she did not give any endorsements at the time, but did say both Chrystia Freeland, Mark Carney and François-Philippe Champagne, who has since stated he will not be running, had all caught her eye. 

The next party leader will be elected by members on Mar. 9.

Regarding Trudeau’s prorogation of Parliament until Mar. 24 – which will effectively pause all parliamentary work including the passing of bills and the meeting of committees – Chatel said she believes it will allow “the government to focus on the threat of tariffs.”

“I think democracy has to work all the time, even during an election,” Chatel said. “We have very strong senior public servants and a very strong diplomatic network. I can tell you, no matter what is going on in the political sphere, a lot of people are working on this file, very competently and with a lot of experience.”

Pontiac federal candidates ‘disappointed’ by resignation timing

Brian Nolan, Pontiac’s newly elected candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), said he’s disappointed by the suspension of Parliament given what’s happening south of the border.

“If [Donald Trump] moves forward with the tariffs, we will be in no position to respond,” Nolan said. “He’s always saying that he cares about Canadians, and by doing this, I don’t think it was reflecting that.”

Nolan also questioned Trudeau’s motivation to delay a confidence vote until the end of March, given that the CPC is leading in the polls.

“At the end of the day, we’re going to have a vote of no confidence,” he said. “We’re just wasting three months when I think we should have launched an election right away.”

Gilbert Whiteduck, Pontiac’s federal candidate for New Democratic Party (NDP), said he too was disappointed by how long it took Trudeau to resign and by the decision to prorogue the government until March.

“He held on too long and in reality he should have left much sooner,” Whiteduck told THE EQUITY. In the meantime, call an election, let’s get this thing going. We can’t wait.”

Whiteduck said he was disappointed with what he deemed to be slow progress when it came to reconciliation with Indigenous communities across the country.

“You had the opportunity to make important changes and movements in regards to the 94 calls to action,” Whiteduck asked. “You work at a turtle’s pace with many promises and great words but no action behind them.”

As he gears up for the election, Whiteduck plans to hold what he calls “circles” for people to share their thoughts and get to know him.

People’s Party of Canada candidate Todd Hoffman said he believed Trudeau’s resignation was overdue, and his leadership of the party hurt the country.

“His days were numbered and it’s just unfortunate that he was the last person in the room to recognize that,” Hoffman said, noting he will be ramping up his events and trying to convince people with all types of perspectives to consider the PPC.

Once Parliament is back in session on Mar. 24, it is anticipated leaders of the three major opposition parties (Bloc Québécois, NDP and CPC) will bring down the government by way of a non-confidence vote, triggering the next election as early as May.

*Update: Jan. 15, 2025 This article was updated to reflect the news that Pontiac MP Sophie Chatel has endorsed Mark Carney in his bid for Liberal leadership, which he is expected to announce on Thursday. THE EQUITY will provide updates on this story as it evolves.

Chatel proud of Trudeau’s reign, endorses Carney as next leader Read More »

Robert Chartrand Memorial Tournament gives $45K to local recreation orgs

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

On Jan. 1, Jean-Marc Chartrand celebrated the birthday of his late brother Robert Chartrand by announcing how much money was raised from the second annual Robert Chartrand Memorial Tournament, held last October, and where the money was donated.

Chartrand said that after the ball tournament in the fall, they began presenting cheques to community organizations ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. In total, the fundraiser brought in $45,000 which is $5,000 more than last year’s tournament.

The tournament was first organized to honour Robert, a young Chapeau resident who passed away tragically in 2021 after his snowmobile went through the ice on the Ottawa River.

The funds from this year’s tournament were distributed to various youth sports and recreation organizations, something Chartrand said is to honour his brother.

“My brother was so involved in kid’s sports,” Chartrand said. “We’re trying to keep a little bit of what he loved doing going forward.”

Karie Bissonnette is the president of the Chapeau Recreation Association, which received a donation of $5,000 from the memorial tournament fundraiser.

She said that this money will be used to improve the infrastructure at the RA, including improvements to the drainage system, the installation of an outdoor pavilion, restoration of the soccer field, netting for the baseball field and a walking trail to connect all the areas together.

“The funding received from the Robert Chartrand Memorial Tournament is very appreciated because it gets us closer to achieving our goals,” Bissonnette said.

“The baseball part of the tournament takes place on RA property and it makes us proud to be a part of it. It brings the community together to support a cause that we value as well, while remembering and honouring Robert for his involvement in the community.”

The rest of the money raised was given to Upper Pontiac Sports Complex ($10,000), the Waltham RA ($5,000), Les maisons des jeunes du Pontiac ($5,000), Chapeau Minor Hockey ($5,000), Ottawa Valley District Girls Hockey Association ($5,000), the Fort Coulonge arena ($5,000), the Upper Ottawa Valley Little League ($3,000) and the Chapeau Karate Club ($2,000).

The tournament organizers decided to wait until after all the donations had been given out to announce the recipients, a moment which just so happened to coincide with Robert’s birthday.

“We’ve already begun planning for next year,” Chartrand said. “Hopefully it could be better and bigger than it was this year.”

Robert Chartrand Memorial Tournament gives $45K to local recreation orgs Read More »

Nolan elected Conservative candidate for Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi riding

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

In what was a close vote, Brian Nolan of Chelsea, Que. has been elected to be the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) candidate for the Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi riding in the next federal election.
Party members in the riding gathered at the Shawville arena on Saturday morning to cast their vote for one of four candidates vying for the position.

A total of 206 ballots were cast in the riding which has more than 800 party members eligible to vote. Voters were asked to rank the candidates on the ballot. After the initial count of the members’ first choices, no candidate had received more than half the votes to win the nomination, so the vote went to second and then third choices on the ballot. Nolan won with 114 votes in the third round of counting.

The ballot box with all the paperwork will now stay at the CPC office in the Pontiac for five days, until end of day Wednesday, in case one of the candidates appeals the decision.

Nolan was happy to receive the unofficial results Saturday afternoon.

“I think it’s a great thing for the Pontiac to have a new person. We had four great candidates and I’m lucky to be the one,” Nolan said, noting he plans to ask the other three candidates to join his team once his campaign kicks off in January.

“We have a big riding and I want to be a voice for everybody. I’m approachable and I like talking to people. I want to meet people.”

Nolan said that he joined the race a bit late and didn’t even start with a list of Conservative Party members. He focused his efforts on the Sheenboro to Luskville area. When asked how we would unite a riding where the vote went to the third ballot, he promised that he would travel throughout the rest of the riding to connect with other voters in other communities.

He said that it feels great to have the support of the Pontiac behind him.

“I met some wonderful people during the last two weeks here,” Nolan said. “It feels like the people really like me and that’s good.”

Nolan elected Conservative candidate for Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi riding Read More »

Promutuel donates $5K to Bouffe Pontiac

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

Bouffe Pontiac received a significant financial donation from Promutuel Insurance Vallée de l’Outaouais on Monday afternoon, adding to the financial support brought in through the food bank’s annual food drive last week.

Denis Larivière, the president of Promutuel Insurance Vallée de l’Outaouais, presented the food bank with a cheque for $5,000 at the organization’s headquarters.
Larivière said that with the increased cost of living, this was the right opportunity to donate to the food bank.

“We felt that this was the right time to step up and help the community,” he said. “We exist because of the community and that’s why it’s so important.”

Larivière presented the cheque to Jacinthe Paquette, Bouffe Pontiac’s coordinator, and Martin Riopel, the organization’s president.

Larivière said that they have offices throughout the Ottawa Valley region, including in the Pontiac and that providing a direct donation felt like a personal touch.

This donation is on top of the funds raised during last week’s food drive where Bouffe Pontiac received $11,302.63 in financial donations, approximately $1,300 more than was raised last year.

“All the cash donations we got, and we got a substantial amount of them, will go towards covering our expenses from buying all the turkeys, chickens, stuffing and everything that goes into the hampers,” said Trevor McCreight, from Bouffe Pontiac.

The food bank plans to send out at least 280 Christmas hampers this year, 70 more than were requested last year.

The food donations collected during the drive will be used to restock Bouffe’s shelves in the new year.

Promutuel donates $5K to Bouffe Pontiac Read More »

Victoria Ave. apartments seeks support for renovations

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

The non-profit that runs the old Victoria High School building in Shawville, now home to Shawville Apartments Inc., has launched a new community fundraising effort to collect the money to do some much-needed repairs.

“For our goal at this moment, we need probably about $250,000 to accomplish the list that we’re looking to take care of,” Lyssa McDonald, president of the Shawville Apartments Inc. board of directors, told THE EQUITY.

This, she said, is the price tag contractors have given her for repairing the deteriorating bricks on the building’s exterior, replacing the carpet, updating the windows, renovating the bathrooms and updating kitchen cabinetry.

McDonald said the board, which includes vice-president Sherri Lasalle, treasurer Naomi Burgess-Goyette, secretary Patricia Barker and directors Kyle Harris and Danielle Villeneuve, has received some funding over the past year to assist with the needed repairs, including $9,500 from the office of MNA André Fortin and $10,000 from Pontiac businessman Gord Black, but not enough to cover the foreseen costs.

McDonald said that even if the non-profit receives the federal and provincial funding for which it has applied, it will need to rely on some community support to get all the work done.

Last month, the non-profit launched two separate contests on its Facebook page – a 50/50 draw, and a draw for a $100 Cabela’s gift card, just some of the efforts the group is planning to help raise the needed money. The group hopes to have more fundraisers in the coming year and work with other local organizations to reach its goals.

The building was converted into apartments after the high school closed in 1983, and now offers affordable living with a set rental rate and currently has a waiting list for apartments. McDonald estimates that 70 per cent of the residents are living on a fixed income, and for this reason, the non-profit tries to keep rent affordable, below $650 a month.

“We try and make just enough money to pay the bills and do what we can from rent and outside donations,” McDonald said. “But at this point, the building needs so much that we need more than just the rent to be able to renovate what we need.”

The board started this initiative to do some of the more expensive but much-needed repairs last year while Keith Harris was the president. Since his passing, McDonald has taken up the helm and hopes to see Harris’ vision through.

Residents of the building said there are definitely some changes that need to be made.

Angelika Beaverdam moved in around March this year. She’s happy with her apartment but said that there are some things that need updating to make the apartments more livable for seniors.

“With the draft in the windows, your hydro goes up and you’re cold,” Beaverdam said. “And I think they should renovate the bathrooms because the old taps are hard to work with.”

Bruce Walsh has been living in one of the apartments since 2016. When asked what he thought needed to be updated, he pointed to the carpet in the hallway.

Walsh said that the board came to his apartment and asked him what he thought needed to be improved. He said that he hopes they manage to find hardwood under the carpet.

Bill McCleary, mayor of Shawville, said the municipality will help out the board with the grant applications to the federal and provincial government. He also hopes the community will support the project.

“The 50/50 was a great idea. It’s probably going to be surprising to see how much the board can raise,” he said.

Over the past year, some updates have been made thanks to the donations from Gord Black and Fortin, as well as existing fundraising money the board had collected. This money was used to redo the exterior walkways that were slippery, the lighting and electrical in the hallways and for the addition of two sets of coin-operated washers and dryers.

Black said that he wanted to give back to the community, including to the building where he went to school. He said that he knew the building needed a lot of work and hopes to see it restored.

“That’s where I went to school for grades one, two and three,” Black said. “And my dad was instrumental in a small group of people on that first original committee that arranged to keep the building in the community.”

Victoria Ave. apartments seeks support for renovations Read More »

Finding Grace: Woman safe after 42 hours lost in the bush

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

Alleyn and Cawood resident Grace Early was found safe and sound on Saturday morning after getting lost in the forest for two nights about five kilometres from her home.

Her safe return was thanks to a massive search effort that saw more than 400 community volunteers comb the woods for hours alongside police, local firefighters, and search and rescue teams.

From Grace’s bed at the Pontiac Hospital, where she was taken after being found on Saturday morning, the 73-year-old woman shared details of the two nights she spent lost in the bush.

Grace said that at around 4 p.m. on Thursday, she went to look for her husband, David Early, who was out working on clearing a private road near their home.

She said when her car slid off the unfinished road near but not visible from where he was working, she started walking into the forest in an effort to get back home.

“I was going to walk home but when it gets dark, everything looks the same,” Grace told THE EQUITY. “I got distracted and just kept walking until it got too dark. Then I stopped at a tree and rock and that’s where I stayed the night.”

Grace said that it was then she realized she was lost.

“I was lost, but I was not afraid.”

Friday morning, Grace got up and kept walking until she found another tree and rock shelter. She sat down for the night, but when Saturday morning rolled around, she was too cold and sore to stand.

“I’d spent the night before in the rain,” Grace said. “I was so wet and dirty and by the next morning, I couldn’t move at all. So I sat there and I prayed.”

It wasn’t until Friday morning that Grace’s husband began to worry. He went over to Grace’s best friend Jean Milford’s, where he assumed she had been, to look for her. When he didn’t find her, he started calling family and friends.

The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) was informed of the disappearance Friday afternoon and sent officers to start the search. Maggie Early, one of Grace’s seven daughters, said the first officers arrived 20 minutes after they made the call on Friday.

SQ spokesperson Sgt. Marc Tessier confirmed that canine teams and drones were deployed as part of the effort, which Grace said that she could hear, along with a helicopter, while she was in the bush.

A trail camera clue
It was Friday that Maggie went to look at her trail cameras in hopes of figuring out where her mom had ended up.

The camera showed Grace walking away from her truck at around 5 p.m. on Thursday.This confirmed for the family that Grace had indeed walked away from the truck, which until then they had not known as fact.

On Saturday morning, Maggie put a call out on Facebook asking for the public’s help in locating her mother, and a few hours later the SQ put out a press release making the same call for help.

An estimated 400 people responded, gathering at Grace’s home on chemin Cawood Ouest as early as 6:30 a.m. sporting warm clothes, hunting gear and bright orange vests, ready to search the forest, including a group from Ottawa Volunteer Search and Rescue.

Teams of approximately 15 people went out in waves to perform grid searches of various areas in hopes of tracking Grace down.

One of these search volunteers was Connor Brown, whose mom had told him Friday night she’d heard Grace had gone missing. Brown and his girlfriend drove up to the search meeting spot first thing Saturday morning, and Grace is lucky they did, as Brown was the volunteer who, at 11:30 a.m. that morning, discovered her sitting on the ground.

“When I first walked up, I just looked around and I noticed a pair of boots sticking off to the side, then I noticed the rest of her body,” Brown told THE EQUITY on Saturday after he had returned from the search. “When I shouted out that I found her, she shouted out to me.”

Grace was found sitting down about 200 yards from a tree stand on her niece’s property, almost a kilometre from the truck. She was found south of her truck, having traveled in the exact opposite direction of her home.

Immediately, Brown said he felt a huge sense of relief hearing Grace’s voice.

“When she answered back, it was a really good feeling,” Brown said.

The team of searchers quickly gathered around to help get Grace warm. The weather had been cold and rainy for the past couple days so Grace’s clothing was wet.

“We ran over right away and took off her wet clothes and got her all bundled up in everybody’s jackets,” Brown said. “We made a fire for her and tried to get her warm and comfortable.”

When the call came in to Maggie, who was leading the operations back at her parents’ home that Grace had been found alive, she was overwhelmed with emotion.

“I was screaming, yelling, crying, there are no words,” Maggie said.

William Holmes, Grace’s grandson, came back from the location where she’d be found to let people know how she was doing, saying she was in good spirits.

“Everybody was just so happy,” Holmes said. “She’s safe and it’s just pure relief and joy.”

Brown said that apart from being cold, dehydrated, and sore, Grace seemed alright.

“She looked very cold but she was talking and moving around a bit,” Brown said. “She was just looking for a smoke.”

A press release put out by the SQ at 2 p.m. on Saturday confirmed Grace had been found safe and sound, and was sent to hospital for preventative care.

On Monday Grace was unsure when she would be released from the hospital but, in good spirits, was slowly rebuilding her strength.

Recalling how she felt when she learned of the community’s effort to bring her home, she was at a loss of words. Emotionally, she said it was simply “overwhelming.”

“It took a long time to get that word out, but it was overwhelming when I saw the pictures.”

Finding Grace: Woman safe after 42 hours lost in the bush Read More »

Shawville’s St. Paul’s transforms hall into community ‘hub’

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

The St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Shawville hosted the grand opening of its newly renovated hall on Saturday morning. Dignitaries and members of the church’s community gathered to cut the ribbon and officially welcome the public into the community hub.

The project began at the start of this year when the church received the first installment of funds from one of MRC Pontiac’s revitalization grants. Reverend Susan Lewis said since then, they have made many improvements to the building.

“With this grant, we have been able to change the flooring, electrical, upgrade the kitchen appliances and make the hall fully accessible with this beautiful automatic door,” Lewis said, adding that they wanted to continue to provide a space for the community to come together.

At the ribbon cutting on Saturday, they also unveiled the building’s new name: “The HUB: Centre Communautaire, Community Centre.”

“We made a decision that we could use the building to act as a hub to bring people together and support the Pontiac,” Lewis said. “This hall has housed cooking classes, bread-making classes, art workshops, exercise medications, drumming, mental health initiatives, Indigenous blanket exercises and talking circles and peer-to-peer support for dementia.”

These events have been ongoing throughout the renovations.

“The only time we didn’t have something was in the summer while we were having the floors done,” Lewis said. “We were closed for about a month and a half but the rest of the time, the hall has been open and available.”

The new floors also feature a labyrinth, something Lewis said is an ancient Christian meditative practice.

It is a replica of the labyrinth at the Chartres Cathedral in France. Lewis said these paths were created as a place for people to walk on and use it for silent prayer.

Representatives from some of the church’s community partners were also in attendance, including the Western Quebec Literacy Council, The Parents’ Voice, the Alzheimer’s Society and the Connexions Resource Centre.

MRC Pontiac warden Jane Toller was also in attendance to take part in the ribbon cutting ceremony. She said the MRC gave approximately $67,000 of the provincial grant money it receives from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs (MAMH) for revitalization projects to the church for this project.

“It’s so important when we receive money from revitalization to actually see that the results of the funds are being utilized,” Toller said. “It’s wonderful to see these projects completed.”

Lewis said all the workshops and events they’ve hosted over the years helped them to show how important this building is in the community.

“Because we were using it as a community hub to bring services to the Pontiac that were not readily available, that was the main reason we got [the funding],” Lewis said.

Lewis thanked the MRC and Evelyn Gauthier, the Outaouais regional director for MAMH, who was also in attendance.

The recipients of the funding get the money in installments and have a year to complete the renovations. Despite the grand opening happening on Saturday, there are still plans in the works for the building.

“Next week, we will be installing a cabana at the side of the hall which will house a community fridge, so if you have fresh leftovers you can put them in the fridge for someone who needs them,” Lewis said.

“We will also house an English book library and a hygiene bank for those in need.”

Toller was glad to hear that the church is using the funds to find innovative solutions to issues in the community.

“I love this idea of sharing food,” she said. “There are people who are having a really difficult time in the Pontiac. This is a great example of a church in our community who has really opened their doors and are looking for ways to support the community.”

Shawville’s St. Paul’s transforms hall into community ‘hub’ Read More »

Calumet Island’s Golden Age Club has members working up a sweat

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

Calumet Island’s Golden Age Club was bumping with music and movement on Saturday afternoon as it welcomed members to try out new exercise equipment acquired with funds from Loisir Sport Outaouais.

The money received was used to purchase exercise balls, resistance bands, weights, a stationary bike, elliptical trainers, a parachute, and a television and DVD player to play exercise videos approved by the Viactive program.

The open house also featured a demonstration of the Viactive program, an exercise program for people over the age of 50. Approximately 25 members and friends of the club turned up to try out the new equipment.

Bernadette Maheral participated in some of the exercises Saturday.

“I had a fracture in my back,” Maheral said. “I can’t do many of the exercises yet but they help keep me active.”

Colleen Griffin, president of the club, took part in the Viactive training session to learn how to teach exercise classes to the club’s members.

“It’s a one-day course where they run through the whole gauntlet of exercises and get us to do them,” Griffin said. “They tell us all the different things we can do and how it’s geared to this age group.”

The funding used to purchase the equipment was applied for by the Municipality of L’Île-du-Grand-Calumet on behalf of the Golden Age Club.

“We have a lot of people over the age of 50 and we don’t have much on the island for them,” said municipal councillor Louise Grenier. Also the citizen representative for the municipality, she did the work of applying for the funding. “With this activity there’s a chance to meet people and after, they bring their lunch and eat together.”

Griffin echoed this point.

“The Golden Age Club is vital because it gets seniors out of isolation,” she said. “It improves morale, and the exercises are also good for your physical well-being.”

Calumet Island’s Golden Age Club has members working up a sweat Read More »

Citizens of the Pontiac wants residents to protect themselves against a radioactive gas

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

Local activism group Citizens of the Pontiac (CoP) organized a public information session in Campbell’s Bay on Saturday to raise awareness about the presence of radon in the region, and how it can affect residents’ health.

The hazardous radioactive gas is produced as uranium breaks down in rock and soil. While not particularly dangerous if diluted outdoors, the invisible, odorless and tasteless gas can be harmful to human health if it accumulates indoors. According to Health Canada, radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.

Judith Spence, CoP’s organizer for the event, tested for radon in her Clarendon home and got results two months ago. The test found the gas in her home at 2,200 Becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m3), levels 11 times higher than Health Canada’s recommended maximum exposure level of 200 Bq/m3.
“I was scared shitless when I found out that my levels were extremely high,” Spence said.

She organized Saturday’s event in collaboration with the MRC Pontiac and CISSSO to raise awareness about the gas and help other Pontiac residents protect themselves against it.

The information session brought together radon experts from across the Outaouais to explain what radon is, and how to detect and reduce its presence.

“Everybody will be supported as much as possible,” Spence said. “We’re here to get some of the information today and we’ll be out there to help you.”

Kelley Bush, a member of the Health Canada Radon Protection Bureau, was one of three presenters at the event. She explained that inside buildings that have direct contact with the ground, radon can creep through cracks and tiny holes in the foundation. Without proper ventilation, the gas can build up indoors and pose a serious health risk.

“Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for people who don’t smoke and the second main cause of lung cancer after smoking. We estimate that about 3,200 Canadians a year die of radon-induced lung cancer. That’s about eight per day,” Bush said.

According to the Association pulmonaire du Québec, 21.86 per cent of homes in the Outaouais region have higher-than-recommended levels of radon. This is up from the national average in 2018 of 18 per cent.

“It’s never a question of, ‘Do I have it?’ You do. It’s how much do you have, and the only way to know that is to test,” Bush said.

“There is no safe level of radiation exposure. Certainly the risk under 200 Bq/m3 is low, but if your levels are 199, it does not mean you’re safe.”

There are relatively simple ways to detect radon, and protect your home against it. Arthur Ladouceur from Radon Ottawa Gatineau recommends that first, people walk through their basements and look for openings near plumbing pipes or gaps in the concrete. Sealing these holes can have a significant impact on the radon concentration.

There are also single-use tests and digital readers that can be purchased or even borrowed to get an idea of how much radon is in your home. Both types of tests must be left in the home for three months to provide an accurate reading. Single-use tests are mailed back to a lab to be analyzed, while digital tests will provide accurate results after three months. They can be reset and reused by other households.

Tests can be purchased from TakeActiononRadon.ca and cost anywhere from $50 to $200.

“We are working hard to make sure that testing is available and as cost effective as possible,” Bush said, noting Health Canada is helping library programs share digital tests in the community.

If patching holes in your basement doesn’t result in a decrease in radon exposure, Ladouceur recommends contacting a certified professional to install a radon mitigation device in your basement.

“We typically get between 90 to 98 per cent reduction in the radon level with that kind of technique,” said Marcel Brascoupé, founding member of the Canadian Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists, describing how a small fan and pipe can be used to suck radon gas from under a home’s foundation and release it outdoors.

Some regions have building codes that require radon levels in homes be below the 200 Bq/m3 guideline. One such region is Chelsea, where Brascoupé worked on developing the codes. Despite the good intentions, Brascoupé said that contractors do not always live up to the codes. Some building codes also predate 2008, when Health Canada reduced its recommended radon limit from 800 Bq/m3 to 200 Bq/m3.

Pascal Proulx, assistant general director of the Western Quebec School Board (WQSB), said Saturday he was pleased to announce all 31 schools in the WQSB have radon levels below Health Canada’s recommended limit. Going forward, the WQSB plans to test five schools each year so that every six-year cycle, all 31 schools are retested.

Going forward, Spence said Citizens of the Pontiac plans to give a presentation to the MRC Pontiac’s 18 mayors about radon and what they can do to mitigate its harmful effects.

She also said CoP is now a stakeholder with CARST and is networking with Brascoupé to hold a public Zoom meeting.

Citizens of the Pontiac wants residents to protect themselves against a radioactive gas Read More »

Dusting off layers of Pontiac history

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

For the last two weekends, archaeologists and members of the public have been carefully and diligently scraping and sweeping away layers of dirt covering the foundation of a building that was likely used as a trading post on the Ottawa River somewhere from 1800 to 1837.

Local non-profit group Friends of Chats Falls organized the public dig for the first time last year at the site on Ponte à l’Indienne, a small peninsula which sticks out into the Ottawa River just upriver of Quyon. It is part of the group’s larger Archéo-Pontiac project, which aims to engage the public in uncovering the archaeological history in the Municipality of Pontiac.

This year, two archaeologists were back to keep unearthing the history of this building and the site on which it sits.

Friends of Chats Falls also invited Algonquin artist Pinock to attend the event and teach people about some of the objects that may have passed through the site of the trading post before European settlers began their journey up the Ottawa River.

Luce Lafrenière-Archambault and Gina Vincelli, archaeologists with Artefactuel, were on site leading the dig.

“There’s very little density of trees on this property,” Lafrenière-Archambault explained to guests, giving insight into how the site was found by the archaeologists in the first place. “The land is also uniquely bumpy and not very level. These are all signs that something different is going on beneath the surface.”

Citizen diggers were set up with a bucket, a foam seat on which they could kneel,  and a metal trowel for digging.

They were instructed to hold their trowel horizontally and gently scrape off dirt and loose rocks from a rectangular hole that had been carved out of the field. Then, they were to collect the dirt in a dustpan and store it in a bucket, keeping an eye out for anything that might be human-made, or bone. Once their buckets were full, they were to take them to a sifter to shake out the dirt and collect any missed bits of history.

As the day’s diggers worked away, the archaeologists shared what they knew about the history of the site. They said that according to old maps of the area, there was a trading post on the Pointe à l’Indienne, so they had reason to believe that this was it.

“We think that the building is about 9.6 metres long, which is about 29 feet,” said Lafrenière-Archambault. “And we know from the records that there was a building here that was described as being 28.5 feet by 60 feet.”

The maps offer evidence there were at least two buildings, but likely more, on the site. Lafrenière-Archambault said that the maps were likely incomplete because they would have needed other buildings like a woodshed and an outbuilding to store gunpowder, which may not have made it into the historical records.

The structures were located along what we now call the Ottawa River, but what has been called the Kit-chi’sippi, or Great River. Maude Lambert, a local historian and member of the Friends of Chats Falls, explained there was a homestead built on the site somewhere around 1786. Later the site became home to a trading post, which changed ownership multiple times before finally, in 1821, being taken over by the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC). 

“This area you can tell is the perfect spot,” Lambert said. “They were in the perfect location to see people coming to or from the portage across the river and be seen by people passing by.”

While the records show that the trading post officially closed in 1837, there’s evidence that the building continued to be used for other purposes for at least the next 20 years.

“Up until the 1850s, we have evidence of the building still being in use from finding pieces of windows, cutlery and dishes,” Vincelli said. “Those are the items that we found that are the most recent despite the trading post closing by 1837.”

But there’s also evidence that the trading post wasn’t the first time people came through the Pointe à l’Indienne.

We think that the first evidence of someone arriving here was in 1786,” Lafrenière-Archambault said. “So we know that there’s a strong possibility that there were Indigenous peoples who passed by the Pointe Indienne here regularly.”

This year’s dig spanned two weekends, Sept. 21 and 22, and Sept. 28 and 29. Student trips came on Sept. 23 and 24.

Ingrid Khol, 14, Lambert’s daughter, was one of the students who came with her class during the student trips. Ingrid’s class was learning about Indigenous history and the fur trade in Canada, so she suggested that they come visit the site.

“I contacted my history teacher because the subject of this year is talking about the Indigenous peoples in Quebec and Canada,” Ingrid said. “I thought it was a good place for the students to see what we’re learning about in class.”

Ingrid and her brother Anton, 10, came back with Lambert to continue digging in the dirt.

“I really like just being here to dig and see if I can find things,” Ingrid said. “You can dig for hours to pass the time and you’re all dirty but it’s super fun. I also met a lot of people last week and heard a lot of stories that I didn’t know about.”

In attendance to share some of the lesser-known histories that have touched the site was Pinock, the Algonquin artist from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation near Maniwaki.

He builds canoes and is particularly interested in Algonquin birchbark canoes, which he explained are held together by pressure from curved pieces of birch bark and wood, as well as secured by tying pieces together with spruce roots.

“When you use birch, it fights back,” Pinock said. “If you poke a hole in it, the membrane will tighten back up. When you put a spruce root through the bark, it will be secure.”

He said he’s proud of the ingenuity of his ancestors.

“I’m very proud of the canoe because it’s a North American Native design, my ancestors invented this. Even just the materials they chose made it possible because they had no tools.”

Pinock said that even today, when crafting, he uses minimal tools because it’s not necessary with the types of materials.

He said that growing up on the reservation, his family still used these types of canoes.

“It was a real poor community,” he said. “People had to do this to go fishing because there was no money and no work. We weren’t allowed to hunt or fish outside the 10 square miles of the reservation. It was like a prison.”

At the public archeological dig, Pinock showcased a miniature canoe, and various drums and furs, all items that could have passed through the trading post in the 1800s.

Ingrid, who hopes to grow up to be an archaeologists as well, said that seeing all these artifacts, new and old, make people interested in the story of the Pontiac.

“Seeing the artifacts that you found, these things that are here where you live, you get to learn more about your home,” Ingrid said. “And there are a lot of people interested in that story.”

Now that the public dig has concluded for this year, a geo-textile has been placed over the uncovered area. Dirt that has been shifted through has been replaced on top to protect the discoveries and small rocks pulled out of the ground laid on top. For now, that’s all that will happen at the site, but the team may be back next year.

Dusting off layers of Pontiac history Read More »

Community rallies behind Hodgins family after fire destroys home

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

After a fire destroyed the entire Clarendon home of Doug and Reuben Hodgins and the future home of their nephew Kyle Cockerell and his family, community members have rallied to support them as they get back on their feet. 

The latest in these community efforts is the upcoming benefit fundraiser, scheduled for this Saturday, Oct. 5, organized by Karissa Rutledge, a friend and neighbour of the Hodginses, who lived their whole lives on their family’s Herbie Road farm.

“We were woken up at 4 a.m. the morning of the fire and all we could do was sit there and cry and call our friends to check on them,” Rutledge said. “We felt useless, there was nothing we could do.”

Since the fire, now a month ago, Rutledge has figured out how to help the Hodginses, as well as their nephew Cockerell, his two young daughters Kinsley and Kierra, and his wife, Kelsey, who all recently moved back home from Alberta and were building an extension on the Hodgins home in which they planned to live. 

“If there’s one thing we know helps, it’s to bring people together to support one another,” Rutledge said, regarding the benefit she’s organized for this weekend.

The night before the fire, Kyle and his uncles were working hard to sand the floors so they’d be ready for staining the following morning. Around 3:30 a.m., Cockerell remembers being woken up by an Amber Alert notification. It was a few minutes later that he felt his phone vibrating. When he picked up, it was his uncle Reuben on the line.

“Reuben called me saying the smoke detectors were going off,” Cockerell said. “I just said, get out of the house.”

Reuben said that without their smoke detectors, they wouldn’t have made it out.

“We always change the batteries in our smoke detectors,” Reuben said. “Without the batteries, we wouldn’t have woken up. The noise was getting louder and louder.”

By the time Cockerell got there from the apartment where he was staying with his family in Shawville, approximately 12 minutes after he first got the call, the house was consumed.

“When I hit the highway, I could see flames coming up both ends,” Kyle said. “When I got here, the whole house was completely engulfed.”

It took the Shawville-Clarendon Fire Department several hours to put out the whole fire.

It has since been determined that the only thing that could have caused the fire was the hardwood sander. According to Cockerell, the insurance company said that it was the only thing in the house with an actual heat source, and the Hodgins’ case was not the first time one of them had caught on fire.

At the time of the fire, Cockerell said he and his family were almost ready to move in. After using reclaimed wood from an old farm, they had built a large addition to the home where Doug and Reuben have lived all their lives. The original building was converted into an in-law suite for the brothers and Cockerell had planned to move his family into the new addition.

The fire started in the new addition before spreading through the attic and into the in-law suite. It was only about 20 minutes after Cockerell woke up that the fire caused the ceilings and the roof to cave in. Their front porch is now a pile of timber waiting to get put back together. 

“All the material was either from the farm or the bush,” Cockerell said. “We’ll try to salvage what we can from the fire, but other people have already donated timber from their old barns.”

Now, Doug and Reuben are staying at their sister’s place near Ladysmith while the Cockerell family continues to live in the apartment they rented in Shawville as their base during construction.

In total, Cockerell estimates that the living space of the house was around 5,900 square feet. Now, even the foundation is a write-off.

Nevertheless, the family is still planning to rebuild their new home on this same site.

Cockerell is back at the farm every day, something he said hasn’t been easy.

“I still come here every day because we have a pony to feed and some other animals,” Kyle said. “But it’s hard because you can’t bring the kids here, not until it’s cleaned up.”

A benefit is scheduled for Saturday night at the Shawville Recreation Association to help raise funds to support the Hodginses and Cockerells as they rebuild their family home.

The event will also include a raffle for prizes, a pie auction, and a firepit around which the community can gather.

Cockerell said it’s been incredibly touching to see the community come out and support their family.

“The local neighbours, friends, family, like the Rutledges, they were here almost before the fire department,” he said. “And they’ve never really left.”

Cockerell said the community spirit was what brought him back to Shawville, his hometown, after living in Alberta for over 15 years.

“One of the big reasons we wanted to come back home is because it’s very few and far between that there’s a community that will rally this way,” Cockerell said. “If something bad happens to somebody, everybody’s there and that’s what we want our kids to grow up with.”

Community rallies behind Hodgins family after fire destroys home Read More »

Pontiac High School welding students win $10,000 prize

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

Students in Pontiac High School’s (PHS) welding program won the second place prize in the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) Foundation’s “Forged By Youth” competition for the tractor they welded over the course of the 2023-2024 academic year. The win includes a $10,000 prize that will be used to improve the program.

“The students were really proud,” said Megan Tubman, who’s been teaching welding at PHS since 2018. “Some were surprised. I think it lit a fire under them in the sense that I think we’re going to go bigger and better this year and see if we can get first place.”

Tubman graduated from the high school’s program in 2005 and continued her studies as a civil engineer before coming back to teach at the program.

“In recent years, we’ve opened it up to all grade levels so we have secondary one to secondary five involved in the program now,” Tubman said. “We train the students to test for Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) certifications in thick and flux core welding.”

The “Forged by Youth” awards were launched in 2021 to recognize and celebrate significant achievements in secondary school welding projects across the country. Tubman submitted the tractor entry to the CWB on her students’ behalf in June when they completed the project.

She received the good news at the beginning of September that the program had been awarded the second place prize.

Tubman said that students often try to build projects that are relevant to their community, and that being in an agricultural region, this means many of the program’s projects are created to be useful in farming.

“This year, for an all-student-level participation, we decided to make a little replica of a tractor,” Tubman said. “We started off by drawing a template then cutting pieces to make the frame of the tractor.”

Students all worked on brainstorming together.

“Whoever wanted to be involved was allowed to participate in each class,” Tubman said. “We brainstormed and students came up with ideas.”

Some of the ideas included ways to make the tractor as realistic as possible.

“We got old rims from trucks and repurposed as much steel as possible to add the details for pistons and mufflers,” Tubman said. “We used a lawn tractor to put in the engine so that it would be more authentic.”

Tubman said that the prize money will be used to reinvest in the program.

“The funds go back into the program to support consumables and if I need to upgrade any equipment,” Tubman said. “Especially if I have a grant like this, I try to keep that in reserve to try and upgrade or purchase new equipment.”

The program also took home the first-place prize in 2021, bringing the total prize money received through “Forged by Youth” awards to $25,000.

“A couple years ago, we won first place for a project and used the money to purchase a new plasma cutting table for the students,” Tubman said, adding that she’s very grateful for the CWB and all it does to support high school welding programs.

“The CWB is a great supporter of our program,” said Tubman. “They contribute to new equipment and support us with study material and programming. They help keep the program running strong.”

Pontiac High School welding students win $10,000 prize Read More »

New cell towers may improve coverage for Upper Pontiac

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

Allumette Island mayor Corey Spence is hopeful that three new cell towers being constructed in Ontario, across the river from the Upper Pontiac, will provide some cellular service to a stretch of Highway 148 that is currently without connection.

The towers, according to Spence, are being built in La Passe, across from Fort Coulonge, on the Nangor Trail, across from Waltham, and in Westmeath, across from the southeastern corner of Allumette Island.
The three new towers will be operated by Rogers Media and are being built as part of the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) Cell Gap Project.

According to a statement from Rogers Media, the project is “intended to provide and improve coverage for residents, businesses and emergency responders in Eastern Ontario through the construction of 300 new tower sites.”

Rogers Media also stated that the towers are expected to be operational by the end of 2024 and will cover a range of about four to seven kilometres. Other service providers are able to make a colocation request that will be considered by Rogers if they would also like to provide service to the area using a Rogers tower.

According to the statement by Rogers Media, the new towers are “primarily designed to provide coverage to demand areas within the Eastern Ontario region, focusing on Ontario and its residents. Due to the nature of cellular signals, customers near the provincial border may also experience improved coverage.”

Mayor Spence is hopeful the signals will reach the residents of the Upper Pontiac.

“From Mansfield along Highway 148 all the way into the Pembroke region does not have cell service,” Spence said, explaining any hint of service comes either from the cell tower in Mansfield or from the Ontario side.

Chapeau is about 17 kilometres from the nearest of the three towers as the crow flies, so will not likely receive their service, but other places between Mansfield and Sheenboro may.

Waltham is about five kilometres from the Nangor Trail tower, and Davidson just over six kilometres from the tower planned for La Passe.

Spence hopes that the new cell towers will make the area safer for drivers and boaters.

“If you notice where those cell towers are, they will add coverage to the waterways to help people who are boating along that area,” said Spence. “And provide safety along the 148.”

He said that there’s concerns about safety on the highway, especially in the case of emergencies.

“If something happens along the highway, your car breaks down, people are waiting for a car to come by and they can’t get ahold of somebody to help,” Spence said.

“People are accustomed to having their cell phones with them at all times,” said Spence. “We need to have means of communication now. Having cell service really helps those living in the area.”

The three new cell towers, marked on this map by black pins, are set to be operational by the end of 2024 and will have a service range of four to seven kilometres. The blue line marks Highway 148 between Mansfield and Pembroke. Illustration: Sarah Pledge Dickson

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Composting with worms one of many waste options

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

Garbage bags, recycling bins and compost containers are some of the ways that waste can be properly disposed of. But in nature, there are many ways that things decompose.

At a composting information session on Saturday, residents of Portage du Fort learned about ways to bring some of that nature inside — with worms.

Vermicomposting is the processing of organic waste through earthworms, including varieties called red wigglers and European red night crawlers. They are used to process vegetables, certain fruits and paper products. This type of composting is not for meat, dairy, or foods that are too acidic for the worms, like citrus.

Cathy Fox, who led the demonstration, has an operation of worms in her house working to turn some of her food waste into castings, or worm poop. She says it’s important to understand how to compost so you can get the most from your waste.

“We want to get the value out of our compost,” Fox said.

She explained how to start setting up your own vermicomposting at home. All you need is a large container, some worms, appropriate food waste and shredded paper.

You start by letting your food waste start to rot in a compost container on the counter. Once it’s soft, Fox said she has a designated food processor in which she blends it all up. This step makes it easier for the worms to start processing the waste, but she said this step isn’t necessary.

She uses a large paper shredder to break down cardboard and non-glossy paper and mixes equal parts into her food waste. She then pours this mixture into her bin and lets the worms go to work.

The castings collect at the bottom of the bin as new food is added on top. In order to harvest the castings, Fox said she adds the food to one corner of the bin so that all the worms migrate there. After a few days, she sifts the rest of the compost through a quarter-inch metal mesh so the castings fall through.

For more ambitious vermicomposters, there are urban worm bags out there. Fox has two and they’re designed to house more worms and have a drawstring at the bottom to allow for easy access to the castings without disturbing the worms.

The worms should be kept in a space that doesn’t get too hot or too cold, and should be covered so they are hidden from the light. Fox uses a piece of bubble wrap to keep in the moisture and a piece of brown paper to keep out the light.

“They love it under here,” Fox said when she lifted the cover off the bin. “Bubble wrap covers keep some of the moisture and warmth. The paper keeps it dark so they stay near the top and process the new waste that’s been added.”

Fox described the castings as the equivalent to probiotics for your plants.

“It’s got lots of good bacteria in it from the worms eating it,” she said. “The microbes, they’ve discovered, are like a super boost for all the protective creatures that live in the soil.”

She said they’re great for growing seedlings and can even be used to make a kind of manure tea. By combining the castings with water, the liquid produced can be aerated and sprayed on plants to help protect from pests and strengthen the plant.

“This is the stuff that you want from the worms,” Fox said. “The castings that they’ve produced, this is the gold that you put in your garden.”

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Former organizers of Terry Fox Run pass torch after hiatus

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

After a one-year hiatus, the annual Terry Fox Run was back in Shawville on Sunday, this time with new organizers.

For over 40 years, John Petty and Rick Valin organized the event, but stepped down after 2022’s run. After the event had no organizers last year, Carolann Barton and Jennifer Mielke took over, hosting the event Sunday where runners, walkers and bikers went through the Shawville community.

“When Carolann and I spoke with Mr. Valin and Mr. Petty back in August, I was pretty hesitant about thinking we could pull this off as easily as we did,” said Mielke. “But I was reminded about how blessed I am to be raised in a small community. Everyone rallied around us and got this race off the ground.”

Before the event started, participants had the opportunity to purchase Terry Fox t-shirts, pledge their support to cancer research, enjoy a burger or hot dog from the Shawville Lions Club or get a balloon animal.

Barton and Mielke honoured Petty and Valin for their dedication to the event over the years and said they hope to live up to the legacy.

“I want to thank Mr. Valin and Mr. Petty, who were my teachers, for entrusting us with this very special community event and allowing us to carry on the tradition that they lovingly cultured for so many years,” said Mielke.

Terry Fox runs happen all over the country each year to raise money for cancer research. Barton said this is something that stuck with her when she was a child.

“Like some of us, I watched him run marathons as a child on television,” said Barton. “We have a smaller group today but we are just as happy to have our community with us to run no matter what.”

Mielke, a cancer survivor herself, reminded those in attendance that Terry Fox accomplished a lot for someone living with cancer in the 80s.

“It’s very important to remember Terry Fox and what he accomplished at such a young age,” said Mielke. “Recovering from cancer treatments in the 80s is beyond incredible. He changed how the media portrayed cancer and people living with disabilities.”

Heidi Paulin is currently undergoing her battle against cancer. She attended the event with her dog Charlie, 8, who she takes on runs and walks with her. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in May, has undergone multiple surgeries and is waiting for another.

“It’s the start of the fight,” said Paulin. “It’s just wonderful that after all these years, we’re still doing this walk to get more information about the disease and to have better medicine.”

Paulin will soon start chemotherapy but took part in the walk with Charlie, who has been a support system for her.

Including fundraising that happened before the event, this year’s Terry Fox run raised over $6,200, including a donation of $1,500 from the Shawville Lions Club.

Former organizers of Terry Fox Run pass torch after hiatus Read More »

Kendyl Smith-Trimm Caring for Kids Endowment Fund signed at Chapeau fundraiser

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

Cheryl Smith and husband Pat Trimm made official the Kendyl Smith-Trimm Caring for Kids Endowment Fund on Saturday night at a fundraiser event in Chapeau in memory of their adopted daughter, who passed away of cancer last year.

Megan Doyle and Tatyana Awada, representatives from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) were in attendance for the signing of the documents, and expressed their gratitude for the Smith-Trimm family who are starting this fund.

Smith said the support from CHEO throughout Kendyl’s care was incredible, and that it continued as they fundraised for this endowment fund, which is why they want to raise money for the institution.

“The care that Kendyl received at CHEO was second to none,” said Smith. “The staff we encountered, each and every one of them, were exceptional human beings.”

The money raised will go toward supporting families and children battling childhood cancer.

Months of fundraising all culminated in an evening of celebration for Smith-Trimm, who passed away following a battle with cancer in Aug. 2023 at eight years old. Smith-Trimm was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer, in Feb. 2022 and underwent 10 weeks of chemotherapy.

At the event, guests were treated to a late dinner and snacks, and had the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for items donated from the community, including a kids’ car, a variety of cooking spices and accessories, gifts from local artists, and a large cooler full of beverages for a door prize.

The evening was full of live music, including the opening song, one of Kendyl’s favourite tunes by the Beatles, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.

“Although Kendyl’s physical presence is not here with us this evening, her spirit can be felt in this building tonight,” said Smith.

Smith invited the guests to the dance floor to participate in something Kendyl loved: a dance party to the lyrics of her favourite song.

“Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, La-la, how their life goes on.”

Kendyl Smith-Trimm Caring for Kids Endowment Fund signed at Chapeau fundraiser Read More »

CAP gets a facelift

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

Shawville’s Centre d’Accueil Pontiac (CAP) has received a major facelift for the first time since its construction in 2011, including additions of several themed rooms, art and murals to improve the residents’ quality of life which will be unveiled to the public at an open house on Sept. 14.

For the first time ever, the public at large is invited to come tour the nursing home’s facility, which is located next to the Pontiac Hospital, and where visitors will be able to see the many updates. Mayors and dignitaries from the area are also invited to the event.

Updates include the installation of a theatre, murals with calming nature scenes, a library with large-print books and magazines, a sports room, and a mock nursery and mock laundry room.

Katharine Hayes Summerfield, president of the Pontiac Reception Foundation that gave approximately $30,000 to make these changes possible, said the goal was to make the facility feel less institutional.

“We undertook 14 projects,” said Hayes Summerfield of the various upgrades they made to the facility.

“We’ve really upgraded the facility to become a much more homey and interactive place for the residents.”

Jessica Cox, the general manager of the CAP, echoed that sentiment.

“The whole idea of the project is to make it feel more like home,” she said.

“Nobody wants to move out of their home, so the idea is to integrate different centres into different corners so residents feel at home.”

Hayes Summerfield said that in 2011, when the CAP opened, it felt like an institution.
“When we first started these projects, the facility itself was more like a hospital,” said Hayes Summerfield. “It was sort of cold and sterile. Now it’s their home and, in most cases, their last home.”

Both women agreed it is important that the home have interactive stations where residents can participate in activities and feel like they are engaged.

“We have interactive things, like a living tree on each floor,” said Hayes Summerfield. “It’s a mural but the residents can decorate as per the season.”

Hayes Summerfield said the changes have made residents happier.

“For one thing, the residents are happier and they have more things to do rather than just sit and look outside the window or watch TV,” said Hayes Summerfield. “So it’s really enhanced their life in the facility.”

At the open house on Sept. 14, Cox is hoping to break down some of the barriers between the CAP and the community.

“The idea is to bring the public to them, in the sense that it’s hard for all the older people to leave and have a normal social life,” said Cox.

“So we want to open it up to the community and say that this is a place you can come and visit.”

One of the goals of this project was also to make the space a place that family members and other people from the community could easily interact with people living at the CAP.

Upon entry into the facility, visitors walk into what Hayes Summerfield calls their bistro area, with tables that can accommodate small groups, as well as a wine fridge and a big, floor-to-ceiling window. She said it’s intended as an area where residents can welcome their families when they come to visit.
Hayes Summerfield hopes the open house will be an opportunity for people who wouldn’t usually go to the CAP to see the work they’ve done.

“We have lots of ideas for future projects but we thought it was time to open the home to the public so they could see what type of facility was here,” said Hayes Summerfield. “Most people don’t even go in unless they have family here.”

Hayes Summerfield said they are looking for donations of books, movies, magazines, art, quilts, anything the residents might enjoy. She said people can call the front desk at 819-647-5755 with donation offers.

The open house will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 14 and go until 4 p.m..

CAP gets a facelift Read More »

Volunteers begin clean-up of new Litchfield conservation area

Sarah Pledge Dickson, LJI Journalist

A small group of volunteers gathered near Lawless Lake in Litchfield on Saturday morning to begin clean-up efforts on a piece of land that was recently donated to Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC).

The property, located off Route 301, is about 80 hectares large and the latest addition to a new protected site that will be managed by the conservation organization.

Marc-André Poirier, project coordinator for NCC’s Ottawa Valley chapter, was organizing the volunteers at the entrance to the property. He said the entire protected site in Litchfield is now upwards of 180 hectares, which he likened to the size of 267 soccer fields.

Poirier said that there are three main reasons land in the Pontiac needs to be protected: to conserve natural habitats for biodiversity, to protect species at risk and to ensure the creation of ecological corridors for species movement.

Portage-du-Fort resident Barry Stemshorn was one of the volunteers. He used to work as an executive at Environment Canada and has worked to help NCC acquire land in Quebec, including the land in Litchfield he was cleaning up on Saturday morning.

He has also donated land to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, which, while not connected to the land being cleared on Saturday, happened to be just across the street. He said it was an easy decision to donate his property to the cause.

“I was happy to be able to do it, and that they were interested and were willing to take responsibility for managing the property.”

One of those responsibilities includes what the volunteers were working on this weekend: cleaning up waste.

Poirier said that on many of these pieces of land that have been donated, there is a lot of human garbage. Sometimes, they even have to bring electric saws to cut through large pieces of metal so they can transport them out of the forest.

Poirier noted that the conservation efforts on this new property are focused on cleaning up, but also on protecting its diversity, the first step of which is cataloging an inventory of the wildlife found there.

He said that often, animals use these protected properties as corridors for travel. When a corridor is recognized, the NCC tries to ensure its protection so animals can safely move about their habitat.

“This effort is important when it’s for diversity and protecting vulnerable species and allowing species to travel through their habitat,” he said.

Volunteers begin clean-up of new Litchfield conservation area Read More »

Eastern Townships School Board holds first meeting in 2024

By Sarah Pledge Dickson

Local Journalism Initiative

The Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) met Tuesday in its first meeting of 2024. Council members attended to go over the previous year in review and look ahead to the rest of the school year.

Kandy Mackey, director general of the board, read the annual report for the school year of 2022-2023. She noted the former director general Michael Soucy who returned the position to Mackey in 2023.

“Last year was the year that our former director general Michael Soucy ended his five-year tenure,” Mackey says. “We express our deepest appreciation for his commitment and his unwavering support of our school board.”

She also mentioned the expansion of Farnham Elementary School.

“We still continued a lot of investments, one being Farnham Elementary School that had a remarkable addition,” Mackey says.

Commissioner Joy Humenuik adds that the expansion has integrated the community more than ever.

“Since we’ve done the renovations and upgraded the school there, the town of Farnham has approached them to use it for activities that are overflowing in other places,” Humenuik says. “So, the community will be in the school more than it has been in the past.”

Chairperson Michael Murray addressed the appointment of a new director general of the Quebec English School Board Association (QESBA), David Meloche. One of the first items on their agenda is Bill 96. He says that the QESBA will deposit a contestation of the bill, stating that board believes the Office québécois de la langue français is looking at the bill very narrowly.

“The Office québécois de la langue français is taking an exceedingly narrow interpretation of the law that excludes English education from the application of the Bill 96 provisions,” Murray says. “And so we are forced to once again apply to the courts for a more liberal interpretation of the law.”

A meeting will be held Friday with the labour relations committee.

“The chairman and director general of each of the English school boards will be hearing a presentation from the negotiating team,” Murray says. “They will be required to vote on and either accept or reject the proposed settlement that is currently being presented to the various union groups.”

Megan Seline, former president of the Appalachian Teacher’s Association, posed a question to the board regarding the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in schools. Murray responded to the inquiry positively.

“At the board here, we’ve been working to introduce the benefits of artificial intelligence for more than a year now,” he says, “since it began to show promise as a powerful education tool.”

He notes that there are no specific curriculum changes being discussed at the moment, but that the technology is promising.

“I’ve seen some demonstrations that are both dramatic and very promising in terms of how much teachers and students can benefit from introducing elements of artificial intelligence like chat bots and search engines,” Murray says.

ETSB teacher Adam Brody posed a question regarding the recent power outage and students who continued to attend school despite the buildings not having power. He raised concerns about the protocol for power outages.

“There seems to be some confusion from a lot of the teachers in the area in regards to what the procedures are when the power does go out for an undetermined amount of time,” Brody says.

Murray reassured meeting attendees that procedures are in place and were implemented properly.

“In a recent outage in Sutton, we chose to keep the school open because the school building itself was warm,” he says. “There’s adequate natural lighting through the windows and there was city supplied running water.”

He says that power was restored by noon and that the largest problem encountered was students having cold lunches.

“Our first concern is safety first,” Murray says. “There’s no question that our priority is to keep students safe and to ensure that there are adequate resources.”

Murray also reiterated how important it was for students to be at school given recent absences due to strikes.

“We felt that it was important to do whatever we could to minimize any further loss of time,” he says.

A motion was passed to invest $150,000 in audio and visual technologies including replacing existing SmartBoards with the latest interactive classroom technology: smart TVs.

Next week is bus safety week across the province.

Eastern Townships School Board holds first meeting in 2024 Read More »

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