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Autres Nouvelles - Other News
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21 novembre / November 21
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Rue Principale sera fermée pour le Père Noël
La Ville de Gatineau avise la population que la rue Principale dans le secteur d’Aylmer sera temporairement fermée à la circulation le vendredi 23 novembre prochain, de 18 h à 21 h, entre la rue Front et le boulevard Wilfrid-Lavigne.
La rue Principale sera réservée au père Noël et à ses lutins à l’occasion du défilé annuel du père Noël de Gatineau. À noter que le stationnement sera interdit sur les deux côtés de la rue Principale, entre 13 h et 21 h, ce même jour.
Les automobilistes sont invités à faire preuve de prudence et à respecter la signalisation temporaire qui sera mise en place. Pour obtenir de plus amples informations concernant le défilé du père Noël, composez le 3-1-1. (FR)
Santa’s red carpet closes Principale Friday afternoon
The city of Gatineau is notifying the public of the temporary closure of rue Principale on Friday, November 23 between 6 and 9 p.m., from Front Street to Wilfrid-Lavigne Boulevard. The parade should make its way up from the Marina to the Galeries Aylmer starting at 7 pm. There will be activities for kids starting at 6:30 pm.
No parking : Principale will be reserved for Santa Claus and his elves during its annual Santa Claus parade. No parking will be permitted on either side of Principale between 1 and 9 p.m. that day. Drivers should exercise caution and respect the temporary signs that will be installed. Information about the Santa Claus parade, call 3-1-1. (FR)
One of Aylmer’s finest
Patrick Murphy, former president of the Royal Canadian Legion in Aylmer, took part in this year’s Remembrance Day ceremonies, November 11 at the Memorial Park Cenotaph. Photo: Gilles Debiens
Rare birds
As we enter the fall/winter season, listers (birders who keep life and year lists) are now hoping to add a rare bird that might show up in our region while backyard watchers are simply hoping to add a little colour and activity to an otherwise quiet yard. Believe it or not, both sets of birders may be served by the same bird.
At this time of year, some vagrant birds will follow resident birds to feeders and the backyard feeder operator is often the first observer to report a rare bird. Boreal Chickadees, Varied Thrush, Carolina Wren and Red-bellied Woodpeckers are just a few of the rare birds that have been recorded locally by sharp-eyed feeder operators.
Although time is running out for birders trying to add to their year list, many are still checking the Ottawa River in hopes of adding a few more species such as Red-throated Loons and Purple Sandpipers. November also signals the slim possibility of spotting a pelagic bird such as a Northern Gannet along the river as these birds will sometimes wander into the region during their southern migration.
Trivia puzzlers
Are you a trivia junkie? If so, try to match the province/territory to its corresponding avian emblem. Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon, Atlantic Puffin, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Common Loon, Common Raven, Great Gray Owl, Great Horned Owl, Gyrfalcon, Osprey, Snowy Owl, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Steller’s jay and none designated as yet.
If you are not into trivia, perhaps you can attach the official name to the colloquial names that many of our local birds are known by. There are just a few to test you knowledge, bee-martin, bogsucker, butcher bird, butterball, hell-diver, honker, mud hen, sawbill, and whiskey jack. Answers to the trivia question and name quiz will appear in the next column-good luck!
Boucher Forest
Supporters of the Boucher Forest are still awaiting permission from the city to install bird feeders in the forest for the enjoyment of local naturalists and amateur photographers. It would certainly be a missed opportunity if the city continues to drag its feet on this issue and another season is lost. Brian Young recently found several Pine Grosbeaks in Gatineau Park and forwarded a photo of a male eating berries near the Camp Gatineau Road.
Please forward your bird reports or questions to me at gmcnulty@videotron.ca or at 819-684-9861. Good birding!
Garry McNulty
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Sentinelle Outaouais à Aylmer
Julie Murray
Meridith Brown de Sentinelle Outaouais présidera une séance d’information à Aylmer le 28 novembre. Mme Brown donnera une conférence de vingt minutes suivie d’une période d’une heure pour répondre à des questions et discuter avec les résidents, selon Delphine Hasle, de Sentinelle Outaouais. « Cette rencontre a pour but de connaître les préoccupations locales », dit Mme Hasle. L’organisme veut aussi sensibiliser la population à la valeur et à la fragilité de la rivière des Outaouais, et plus encore : informer les gens quant aux gestes qu’ils peuvent poser qui contribueront à la protection de la rivière des Outaouais. Plusieurs problèmes importants en rapport avec la santé de la rivière ont fait surface au cours de l’été dernier—les poissons morts, les algues, les eaux de ruissellement agricole et les effets des niveaux d’eau trop bas.
Cette rencontre est organisée par la Coalition des associations de résidents de Gatineau et se tiendra au deuxième étage du Centre de service d’Aylmer, 115 rue Principale, à 19h30. Pour plus d’informations, communiquez avec Sentinelle Outaouais en composant le 613-864-7442.
(Trad.: C.B.)
Ottawa River Riverkeeper to visit Aylmer
Julie Murray
The Ottawa River Riverkeeper, Meredith Brown, will hold an information session in Aylmer, November 28. According to Delphine Hasle, of the Riverkeeper’s office, after giving a twenty minute presentation, Ms Brown will spend an hour answering questions and talking with residents. “The purpose of the meeting is to find out what the local concerns are,” says Ms. Hasle. She said they also want to raise public awareness about the value and fragility of the Ottawa River and go one step further: to inform people of actions they can take to make a difference in protecting the Ottawa River. This summer several major problems surfaced regarding the river’s health; they concerned fish kills, algae growths, farm run-off, and the effect of low water levels.
Ms. Brown’s visit has been organized by Gatineau’s coalition of residents’ associations.
The meeting will be held at the second floor of the Aylmer Service Centre, 115 Rue Principale, at 7:30. For information, call the Riverkeeper at 613-864-7442.
Less English after amalgamation, says councillor
Julie Murray
Since the 2001 amalgamation, fewer city documents are available in English, reports Councillor André Laframboise. “In the old city of Aylmer, all public documents, or most of them, were bilingual; council meetings were held in French, although people often asked questions in English,” he told the media. “Anglophones make up about 40% of the population in Aylmer, while they are about 15% of the entire Gatineau population. Now, certain documents are sometimes translated, but they’re not translated in all the sectors.”
The Regional Association of West Quebecers believes the anglo population is closer to 18% of Gatineau’s total, given the home-buyers coming from Ontario. The former DG claimed that there are large pockets of anglophones in both the Hull and Gatineau sectors, who are not getting the service they merit in order to feel part of the city.
Former West Quebecers President Shaun Peppy agrees with Councillor Laframboise. “The old city had a bilingual policy, but now there are no longer clear guidelines on the translation of documents. Everything is centralized, it’s one large city, but the services to Anglophones aren’t uniform and constant. It varies from one sector to another.”
On the other hand, the president of Imperatif français told the media he is disappointed that city fusion has not reduced the anglo fact in Aylmer; the opposite has happened, he said, claiming there is an anglisization of Gatineau underway.
Both Mayor Marc Bureau and former Mayor Yves Ducharme promised to create a committee to help bring the anglo citizens into the city’s mainstream during their campaigns, notes Mr Peppy, but nothing has been done.
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Opinion:
D’Arcy student questions Urban Arts Forum
I was recently invited to the Governor General’s Urban Arts Forum as a member of the Youth Commission of Gatineau and was lucky enough to be able to attend. The event took place at Club SAW on Wednesday, November 7, 2007. This was the eighth forum Her Excellency has held in Canada. There were musicians, DJs, rappers, writers, spoken-word artists, poets and slam poets, producers, graffiti artists, and even a few members of the Order of Canada. And of course, Her Excellency was there full of smiles and laughs, with a notepad on her lap, eagerly listening to our ideas and jotting down notes every few minutes.
The point of the Urban Arts Forums is to identify problems that the youth face today, figure out how urban arts can and are being used to fix these problems and to reiterate the importance of the urban arts for youth. There were two rooms full of people and only a few microphones passed around. Needless to say, it was really frustrating waiting to get a turn on the microphone and unfortunate because everyone had an important point to make.
Lots of interesting ideas were brought up during the Forum. One point that I agreed with was the lack of funding and attention given to urban arts by the cities. This is, I think, due largely to the Baby Boomer generation. As such an immense demographic, they require more attention and as they enter retirement, more funding is being put into things that don’t concern youth. Someone brought up the reality of the lack of all-age shows. This doesn’t pertain only to urban arts. In the past six months, I’ve missed concerts because I’m too young to get in. I understand it’s because alcohol is being sold, but if the idea is to avoid under-age youth getting alcohol with a fake ID, what’s to stop them from presenting a fake ID at the entrance to the concert as well? Alcohol is served at restaurants, yet youth are welcome there. If it can be argued that youth do not go to concerts with their parents like they do a restaurant, I disagree. I enjoy going to concerts with my mother.
That’s not urban art
As youth, we try to become adults as fast as possible to get the attention we are lacking. Because there are certain things we simply can’t control (such as age), we grasp the easiest adult things we can — drugs, violence and sex. Drugs as in consuming or dealing; violence, whether it’s domestic violence, street gangs, bullying, etc; and sex, be it sexual abuse, or simply losing our virginities at absurdly young ages and engaging in sexual activities. The urban arts may seem to glorify these things and if it isn’t used properly, it does. But when you think of urban arts, don’t think of 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg, or young punks writing illegible notes underneath overpasses, or girls who walk into nightclubs with clothes that look like they’ve shrunk in the wash, dancing in a way that can only be considered a mating call. That’s not urban art; 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg are two guys who are way too old and untalented to be acting as bratty and egotistical as they do, the people who commit vandalism are trying to follow the path they deem is the ‘coolest’ after buying countless music CDs and watching music videos of the ‘gangster’ culture, and the girls are trying to fit into said culture the only way they know how: with their bodies.
Urban arts are a great medium for youth to effectively express themselves to the world and adults would be amazed with some of the things we can come up with. However, most of the time, we don’t know how to use this tool properly so instead of deeming it bad, you might teach us how to utilize it. It’s like giving a toddler a dictionary and asking him to write a book. He’ll get a bigger thrill out of ripping out the pages and putting them in his mouth. So before you give him the dictionary, you have to teach him how to speak, read and write. This is essentially what Her Excellency is trying to do. Unfortunately, so far, it seems to be all talk with nothing concrete being accomplished. It is uncertain how the Governor General will continue her outreach to youth once her Forum has finished touring the country but it would be wise of her to give serious thought to our opinions and ideas, and to give them the means to grow and take shape. Maybe if she leads the way, the rest of the adult population will start to see us in a more positive light.
Cansu Koç
Aylmer
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