gŏđŏ editionap.ca New Canadians, new careers, new food choices
2+(2%*#ŏ,.+ü(! In the most recent census, 6,965 Hawkesbury residents said they spoke both French and English, 2,415 spoke French only and 960 English only. Howev- er, 15 residents spoke neither French nor English. Among non-official languages, Bengali is the most popular, with about 70 Hawkesburgers saying they speak this Southeast Asian language. About 35 peo- ple speak Arabic, 30 German, 30 Tamil, 25 Greek and 20 Italian. Other languages spoken by Hawkesbury are Spanish, Chi- nese, Czech, Dutch, Hungarian, Manda- rin, Punjabi, Polish, Romanian, Serbian, Turkish, and Urdu. Flexibility is one of the school’s assets, stresses Tim Power, vice-principal for the eastern region with the Upper Canada Dis- trict School Board. Classes can be sched- uled to accommodate students’ work and family commitments. The region is home to a large percentage of people who do not have a high school diploma. The days are long gone when a person could drop out of school and im- mediately land a job at a local factory, points out Power. The transition back to a classroom is fa- cilitated through the acknowledgement of students’ past experience. Under the Prior Learning and Assessment Recognition pro- gram, students can achieve credits for their life experience.
RICHARD MAHONEY richard.mahoney@eap.on.ca
CHARLOTTE PAQUETTE CHARLOTTE.PAQUETTE@EAP.ON.CA CHUTE-À-BLONDEAU | Le plan de gestion des biens du Canton de Hawkesbury Est révèle que la réparation ou le change- ment de l’usine d’assainissement des eaux usées de Chute-à-Blondeau est la priorité, selon la directrice générale et greffière, Linda Rozon. Par conséquent, la municipalité désire obtenir une subvention permettant de remplacer l’usine de traitement, qui a une vingtaine d’années. Une demande envoyée au ministère de l’Agriculture pour un octroi d’environ 2,1 millions $ a été re- fusée. Selon Mme Rozon, la situation n’est pas «urgente ». « Le système en place n’est pas neuf, mais il n’est pas fini non plus, a- t-elle ajouté. Nous avons fait cette requête de façon préventive, pour éviter les coûts surprises.» Le conseil devrait soumettre de nouveau la requête dans un futur rapproché. Entre- temps, les usagers de Chute-à-Blondeau pourront continuer d’utiliser l’usine d’as- sainissement des eaux usées, croit la direc- trice générale. L’aménagement d’une nouvelle usine HAWKESBURY | Change can be daunting -- whether it’s starting a new life in a new land, beginning a new career or hitting the books for the first time in decades. The people who attend the TR Leger School in Hawkesbury are all very different, but they have one thing in common – they are all dealing with transitions. The clientele ranges in age from 14 to 70, relates Diane Coombs, manager of literacy and language services at the adult, alterna- tive and continuing education centre. And clients’ skills and needs are as individual as they are. Changing demographics and the chang- ing economy are reflected at the school. For example, for the past three years im- migrant services have been offered at the centre. The effect of the region becoming more cosmopolitan can be seen everywhere, in- cluding grocery stores, notes settlement outreach worker Jennifer Normand. An in- flux of Muslims to the area has resulted in one supermarket carrying a line of halal meat, meat that is permissible under Is- lamic law. Consumers have also noticed an increased variety of choices on food store shelves as businesses try to cater to the tastes of new Canadians. “I have learned so much about other countries,” says Normand, who in addition to French and English, also speaks Spanish. Visitors are offered guides in a multitude of languages, including Gujarati, the lan- guage spoken in one region of India, Pun- jabi, Mandarin, Farsi, Arabic, Tamil, Urdu. “When people arrive here from another country, there are so many questions. We help introduce them to Canada and help them with practical things, such as finding
Photo Richard Mahoney
Students Jade Quesnel and Jessica Dunn with Diane Coombs, manager of literacy and language services at the TR Leger School, and teacher Bryan Kearney during an open house at the school’s new Cameron Street, Hawkesbury campus.
a pharmacist or buying a used car,” says Normand. “They are so appreciative of the advice we give them,” she adds. “The less often we see new Canadians at the office, the better it is, because it shows that they do not need our help,” remarks Coombs. A guide for immigrants contains every- thing one needs to know about this coun- try, including the caution, “Those new to Canada should be prepared for snow in winter, a time to dress warmly and be pre- pared for snowy roads and sidewalks.” Normand recalls how a Sri Lankan family was first taken aback by the cold weather. “They now enjoy the snow.” TR Leger had a chance to highlight its programs during an open house held last week to show the public its new premises d’assainissement des eaux ne serait pas une décision définitive. «Si le montant de la sub- vention n’est pas suffisant, nous essaierons plutôt de réparer l’usine», a expliqué Mme Rozon. La municipalité souhaiterait obtenir 90% de subvention pour ce projet de 2,36 millions $. L’usine de traitement des eaux usées de Chute-à-Blondeau dessert environ 130 usa- gers. Les dernières réparations majeures à son endroit ont été faites il y a moins de 10 ans. Voting by Internet and telephone returns to Champlain Township when municipal council and school board elections are held in October. Canvote Inc., of L’Orignal, has been awarded once again the contract to provide the service to the township and five other municipalities. The firm, which has provided the electronic service for the last three elections, bid $97,909 to of- fer the service to Champlain, Hawkesbury, East Hawkesbury, Clarence-Rockland, The Nation and Russell. Two other bids were $109,435 and $134,353. Champlain’s share of the bill will be $12,600. *0!.*!0ŏ2+0%*#
on Cameron Street. The centre moved into the former La Cité collégiale location in the fall. Touted as “The Right Link to Your Future,” the TR Leger School offers flexible sched- ules, high school diploma programs, em- ployment preparation courses, English as second language instruction, and coop- erative education in the workplace.
L’usine de traitement des eaux usées «la priorité»
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