March of Dimes Canada Assistive Mobile Technology Initiative have awarded five SIS Galileo Adult Education students with a free Smart tablet each! On Friday November 16^th the students attended the March of Dimes “Opening Doors for Accessibility” fundraiser luncheon where Galileo students celebrated their win with selected recipients from across Montreal. Leonard Baker, CEO and director of the March of Dimes Canada, personally awarded each student with an authentication certificate, which gives the students access to ordering free hardware and software unique to their individual needs, style and taste.

In order to be considered for the tablet, each student had to write their story. Their story had to explain how the assistive technology would improve their day to day living and overall make it easier for them to communicate and research. Our students face various physical and/or development disabilities and challenges, by winning these tablets it will aid them to be more independent, able to work, learn and participate fully in their community.  March of Dimes Canada believes that everyone, regardless of physical or financial challenges deserves the same opportunities. Its mandate to serve the broader needs of all adults with physical disabilities, regardless of whether the disability was a result of a disability at birth, the polio virus, an accident, or even due to aging.Congratulations to all the winners; Gabriel Rodzen, Caterina Pupo, Alexander Ponte, Nicolas Mariano and Concetta Barbieri. A huge thank you to all participating teachers and the March of Dimes representatives Lisa Slipetz and Mary Lynne Stewart as well as Montreal representative Wendy Singer.

Renata Isopo

Leadership instills confidence and helps solve problems creatively, enhances team work and promotes collaboration with others. The opportunity to develop self-confidence in problem-solving paves a path to social and emotional development on a life-long journey of trying to make the world, and one’s community, a better place.

Natalie Rollin, principal of Laval Senior Academy (LSA) and its1600 students, has been offered a viable formula for youth leadership development, a cause she says is near and dear to her educator’s heart. Accepting the challenge of fashioning future leaders out of the cloth of youthful energy, she gladly declared LSA a HOST school for the world-renowned TEDX Youth Program,

Founded and developed by Gildo Conte, TEDX annually showcases 3000 events  world-wide in 164 countries and 50 languages. The organization actively embraces the TED formula (Technology, Entertainment, and Design), adding the X (unknown) factor for much more. Non-profit, TEDX proudly claims that it unifies students of all ages in all schools, English and French.

This past week LSA student emcees Michaela Duguay and Houda Mansuri eloquently welcomed, in both of Canada’s official languages, a full auditorium of 600 students and teachers who waited anxiously for presentations.

Invited guests included Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board (SWLSB) Chairperson Paolo Galati, accompanied by commissioners Emilio Migliozzi and Vicki Kaliotzakis. Douglas Howarth, Chairperson of LSA’s Governing Board, represented the 1000 families whose children attend the school. SWLSB Leadership Program consultant Daniel Johnson, and teachers M. Grêve and D. Rossi joined Gildo Conte on the guest list.

Brief but powerful presentations of public speaking were the menu of the day, with an entrée from Secondary 5 student Sam Beldie who movingly discussed, with  video help, his fight with autism; He was followed by Ahmed Omri Alaoui’s presentation on ‘Experience with refugees to Canada’. Vivian Zikos concluded the trio’s offering with insights on “How to live a perfect life.”

Three youth leaders making impeccable presentations, providing evidence that TEDX Youth is instrumental in building confidence in addressing large groups of peers and adults. Sam, Ahmed, and Vivian were stellar in provokng interest and magnificent in providing motivation and direction for peers by setting extraordinary examples of insight, articulation, eloquence, and composure.

“We believe that student leadership can be nurtured and grown, building great self-esteem and respect,” principal Rollin told TLN. “TEDX Youth fosters integrity, courage, independent thinking, belief-in-self, confidence, responsibility, and successful planning,” she added.

“Being part of TEDX is a privilege and LSA offers all students ample opportunity to benefit from the program’s prime objective – to coach students to become the best version of themselves,” Rollin emphasized.

“My message to you, our students, our future leaders, is simple: Continue to inspire each other, and to be engaged in all the different experiences offered to you, SWLSB Chairperson Galati,” stated in his address.

“TEDX is a great platform for enrichment,” he added. “It allows you to work in collaboration with inspirational people who will help you grow and help you gain a different perspective on life.’

Galati told TLN that TEDX is an educational project which the school board can’t afford since it’s world-wide. It is well-organized and it gives a platform for students to excel in public speaking.

LSA has been given the opportunity to take leadership roles in the classroom. Activity-based, the plan focuses on strategies for young people who shy away from leadership tasks because they feel overwhelmed. It shows how to break tasks into workable ways to get things done, in the pursuit of what interests them, from which a passion may develop, and of course, propel them into leadership roles.

“First, it’s very fruitful and a way to gain a lot of insight,” Commissioner Migliozzi told TLN in a post-presentation interview. “It’s a platform to explain to those who also have issues.”

All communities need role models and leaders. All professions need people who use intelligence, creativity, and critical judgement.  Principal Rollin pointed to a priority of Laval Senior Academy “to use TEDX to promote and foster the growth and development of leadership skills within the school community specifically.”

“The next event will take place on April 16, 2019 at 7:00 pm at La Maison des arts de Laval,” TEDX Laval founder/creator Gildo Conte announced, enthusiasm ringing in his voice. “We have planned a three-hour evening where one can talk to the speakers and network with other TEDX fans.”   The call for applications has already begun and will continue until December 23.  To “Become a Speaker” an application must be filled.

This year, the TEDX Laval theme is “Latitude and Commotion”. Latitude as in ‘scope for freedom of action or thought’, commotion as in ‘a state of confused and noisy disturbance’.

Great leaders are born, but they can also be made.  Laval Senior Academy intends to fulfill this goal for all its students by being the one and only TEDX Host school, French or English, in Laval.

Martin C. Barry

Despite an initially lukewarm response by at least one federal cabinet minister to an invitation by the head of the U.S. space agency for Canada to send astronauts to the moon, Transport Minister Marc Garneau – who was the first Canadian in space – appears to be sold on the concept.

NASA chief’s pitch

NASA’s chief administrator Jim Bridenstine made the pitch during a recent stop in Ottawa where he was attending a conference hosted by the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada.

In a keynote address to the membership, Bridenstine said NASA is currently in the process of setting up a “Lunar Gateway,” a space station that would be sent into orbit around the moon beginning in 2021.

“If Canadians want to be involved in missions to the surface of the moon with astronauts, we welcome that,” Bridenstine told journalists.

Space policy unsettled

Federal Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains reacted to the offer by saying, among other things, that the government is still working on a long-awaited and multi-dimensional space policy which will be made public before the federal election next fall.

In a recent interview with Newsfirst Multimedia, Garneau suggested Ottawa is pondering NASA’s offer with more earnestness than the Innovation Minister’s response suggested. “It’s something that we’re looking at very seriously,” he said regarding NASA’s offer.

‘Next big thing,’ says Garneau

“Because, like the International Space Station which involves Canada and the U.S. and Japan and Europe and Russia, what the next big thing may be is the Lunar Gateway and this would be a station orbiting around the moon. And it would be a place you’d go to and then go down to the moon and start to work and do things on the moon.

“You know we’re been to the moon,” Garneau continued. “But back then in the ‘60s it was really because it was a race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union – who could get there first. And the Americans got there first. But it wasn’t really to go there to do science or to do other things. But now the time has come again to go back there.

Moon as laboratory

“There’s more science to be done on the moon to understand it,” said Garneau. “It can be an observatory, because it doesn’t have an atmosphere. It can be a place to prepare for eventually going to Mars. So you would try out technology and equipment on the moon, which is only three days away. And then, once you’re comfortable with it [equipment], that it can be used on Mars, then you eventually go to Mars.

“So this is a big project. The Lunar Gateway it can’t be done by just one country. And Canada has lots of expertise that we can contribute and we’re looking at it very seriously. So we’ll see what comes out of that. But our interest is a very strong one.”

Support from Ottawa

Garneau said that “if it goes ahead,” Canada’s involvement in the project would be supported financially by the federal government, although he pointed out that private investors are increasingly becoming involved in space exploration ventures.

Regarding the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement which Canada finished negotiating with the U.S. in September amidst much controversy, Garneau was pleased overall with the outcome.

“This is now going to provide some long-term stability in making the U.S. and Mexican markets open just like they were before we negotiated,” he said.

Pleased with new free trade pact

Asked by Newsfirst Multimedia whether the agreement ended up working out better than had initially been thought, Garneau responded, “Certainly the original presentation we got from the United States and what they wanted out of this deal is quite a world away from what we ended up with.

“Because we said that, no, we’re going to stay at the table here, but there are some things that are very important for Canada and we’re not going to accept any deal. It’s got to be a good deal for Canada.

“I think we negotiated a good deal for Canada,” added Garneau. “And I think that we’re already seeing investments now flowing back into businesses that deal with the United States and Mexico. Because there’s a sense now that we have long-term stability because we arrived at a deal after fourteen months.

An insight into Trump gov’t

“Of course, it still has to be ratified. But essentially people are feeling confident enough now that they’re beginning to put more investments in, whilst they were holding back while the negotiations were underway.”

Garneau was asked whether the USMCA negotiations provided him with any insights as to what the current U.S. government led by President Donald Trump is like.

“Well, you know, I guess when you boil it down, when two or three sides are negotiating it’s natural for each of them to want to get the best deal for themselves,” he said. “And some of the negotiations were tough with the United States. But were also very determined to make sure it was a good deal for Canada.”

Martin C. Barry

Residential as well as non-residential property owners in Laval will be paying 1.8 per cent more in taxes in 2019, according to the city’s latest annual budget which was released to the media last Monday at Laval city hall.

The Demers administration’s sixth budget since first being elected in 2013 allocates funding for $875.3 million in expenses over the coming year. This compares to $836.3 million in operating expenses and a 1.4 per cent tax increase for 2018.

$59 hike on average bill

In real dollars, the 1.8 per cent hike translates into a $59 increase on a municipal tax bill for a single-family house valued at $358,000 based on the last property roll. The increase in the bill for an average condominium property is just $5 based on a condo worth $255,705.

Regarding the obvious disproportion in the size of tax hikes for the two types of property, Sylvain Gouin, the City of Laval’s director of finance, acknowledged during a media briefing on the budget last Monday morning that the disparity is indeed “odd,” although he didn’t elaborate.

Rate of inflation

While critics of Mayor Marc Demers’s administration are putting him on the defensive for presenting yet another budget with a tax increase, Demers pointed out, as he has in previous years, that the hike is in line with the prevailing rate of inflation.

However, while the Demers administration claimed last year when tabling the 2018 budget that its overall property tax hike was below the rate of inflation, an official statement issued by the mayor’s office earlier this week says of the 2019 tax increase that it “corresponds to the growth in inflation that is projected.”

Honouring commitments

Addressing journalists, Mayor Demers said, “The City of Laval’s 2019 budget faithfully reflects the commitments that we made towards the population. It is based on our profound wish to offer to citizens quality services, always evolving, and all delivered with respect for their capacity to pay. It also bears witness to our desire to do more with regards to sustainable development and active mobility.”

The 2019 budget allots an additional $36 million for the overall improvement of municipal services in areas that include organic waste recycling and snow removal. The Demers administration says it will be paying particular attention next year to the repair and maintenance of pavement on Laval’s streets, continuing support for public transit, the processing of citizen complaints and requests, and measures to deal with backed up sewers.

More hirings planned

To reach these goals, the city plans to hire more employees. A “Snow Patrol,” which was created by the city to improve snow removal coordination and which is said to be a success, will have three new permanent employees. New hiring is also planned at the urban planning and permits department, as well as at the engineering department where three technicians are being taken on. Up to 15 new employees are being hired to help deal with the backed-up sewer problem, including four specialized engineers.

Also in the new budget, the city is introducing a tax credit program for owners of non-residential buildings in order to encourage construction or improvement of admissible buildings. A second tax credit program will encourage revitalization and modernization of some of the oldest sections of Laval’ industrial parks. The city says it is also introducing changes in the way agriculturally-zoned properties are taxed, while noting that 30 per cent of Laval’s territory is farm land.

Capital works budget

Laval’s three-year capital works budget earmarks more than $1.04 billion for the upgrading and safeguarding of the city’s existing properties and infrastructure, as well as for the development of new infrastructures. The city is allotting more than $50 million in the three-year plan for the construction of the much-anticipated Aquatics Centre which goes to tender in 2019.

Other major projects in the capital works budget include the construction of new firehalls in Pont-Viau and in Laval-Ouest at a cost of $21.7 million. The Laval Police Department will get a new police station to serve the western end of Laval at a cost of $12.8 million. The city plans to spend $16.6 million for work to improve aquatics equipment at swimming and wading pools at several parks, including Berthiaume-Du Tremblay in Chomedey.

Opposition’s reaction

Reacting to the budget, the official opposition Parti Laval denounced the 1.8 per cent tax increase. They claim that since 2015, property taxes in Laval have risen by a combined 8.2 per cent, while the rate of inflation has been just 5.1 per cent during that period. As a result, the Parti Laval wants the city to decree a tax freeze.

For their part, Action Laval issued a statement in which Chomedey councillor Aglaia Revelakis, the party’s sole member of city council, said, “Citizens are having more and more difficulty closing the month and are being constantly asked for more money. I don’t accept that! We are going to fight for them.”