Posted on Saturday, December 9th, 2023
Jason Blaine just wanted to come back home to perform in front of a crowd that knew his music and his story. So, when he decided he would offer a concert in his home town, he chose a familiar place to host an intimate concert where he could welcome a “A Few Good Friends of Mine,” the title to one of his many hit songs. That place was the Germania Club in Pembroke, the same venue that twenty years earlier he and his wife, Amy, celebrated their wedding.
It was the first time in eleven years that Blaine had held a public concert in the city and it didn’t disappoint. He played the songs that have made him one of Canada’s leading Canadian country artists like ‘They Don’t Make ‘Em Like That Anymore’ and ‘Dance With My Daughter,” but also sang songs from his new album, including “The Road That Raised You Up.”
It was a special night for Blaine who had many family and friends in the audience and he went out of his way to make it a very social concert, one where he encouraged people to move around and just enjoy his music. He bridged the music with some storytelling and capped the night by presenting cheques worth thousands of dollars to organizations that benefit from his charitable foundation.
Over the past nine years, his charity has raised more than $800,000, money that has been reinvested in the community through small grants that support causes that are important to Blaine, including children and youth and the overall mental health of people who live in the area. As he approaches the tenth anniversary of his annual golf tournament and concert at the Pembroke Golf Club, he is looking forward to a banner year of fundraising and being able to invest more where the money is most needed.
It was the early 2000’s when Blaine, who was still a single man and trying to find his way, enrolled in the Business program at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus. While dating Amy who was also enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program at the college and learning about subjects like accounting, finance, business planning, marketing and sales, Blaine continued to perform where he could but he also started writing his own songs. When he graduated from college, he moved to southern Ontario and started to record his songs and then he made the big move to Nashville, Tennessee to be at the heart of the country music industry.
By that point, Jason and Amy had married. Now with four children and having planted some roots in the United States, Blaine is well established as a recording artist and continues to turn out great music. He has won plenty of awards for both the songs he performs and the songs he writes, but its his philanthropy that has elevated his reputation as both a talented musician and a person who cares about people.
On this night, he took some time before taking the stage to meet with some of his alma mater. Several alumni who attended the concert chatted and snapped photos with Blaine who has become quite comfortable with posing for pictures as his career as blossomed. While he has been away from his home town for two decades, it’s still a very special experience when he has the chance to perform in Pembroke and it was obvious he wanted to make himself available to the people who have supported him from day one.
Familiar faces greeted him as he shook hands with old friends, before singing his songs and enjoyed telling stories of a life well lived and one that has been full of lessons learned. The success he has had has required a lot of hard work, but it’s been grounded in a work ethic he inherited from his family. It’s led him to stages across North America and recently to Europe for the first time where he performed in Spain and France.
But there’s no place like home. Jason Blaine is still a “Boy with a Guitar” who hails from the Ottawa Valley and is on loan to his fans around the world. He knows that. Home is where his heart is.
(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs)
Posted on Monday, November 13th, 2023
Football is a tough sport and some would argue the ultimate team sport. The X’s and O’s that make up the play sheet for a game is heavily reliant on everyone doing their job, but there’s one position that is critical to the success of the team-the quarterback role.
Ryan Pyear has held that position and 18 years after he steered Wilfrid Laurier university to a Vanier Cup title, he has called an audible and is trying to re-set his career at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus. The former football star who was named the most valuable player when his Golden Hawks defeated the Saskatchewan Huskies in the 2005 national championship game is far removed from the grid iron, having turned in his football jersey for climbing boots, ropes and a hard hat. These days he spends most of his time climbing trees and learning from his professors as a student in the Urban Forestry-Arboriculture program.
Now in his early 40’s, Pyear has made a bold move to switch careers. Like football, he has found a new passion, one that is far removed from his more traditional roles that have involved office work and ironically recruiting students to post secondary education. After graduating with a Kinesiology degree from Laurier, he returned to the sidelines as a coach for the school’s football program for the next seven years. He then joined the student recruitment office, eventually moving across town to the University of Waterloo where he continued to work as a recruiter, but the years of office work and travel started to wear on him and he looked elsewhere for new career pathways. That’s what brought him to the Pembroke campus.
“I was at a point where I was unhappy working inside most of the time. I’ve always loved trees and nature and wanted to spend more time outside so I decided to make a change before it was too late. I looked around and the Urban Forestry-Arboriculture program had everything I was looking for so I decided to choose happiness over money and take a leap,” says Pyear.
It literally was a leap. In his football days, Pyear would look down a field and try to identify what the defence was going to do once the ball was snapped. These days, he finds himself high above the ground with a unique perspective of nature’s beauty as he learns the art of climbing trees. It’s technical work where safety is paramount, but Pyear has found there is a correlation to his five years of playing university football.
“As a QB I learned to simplify things and just focus on the task at hand. That’s helped me when I’m in the tree, especially when doing climbing exams 50 or more feet above the ground. I also learned to identify what I need to improve at, which has transferred nicely into the program. There’s also the competitive nature of it and wanting to be better than I was yesterday. There’s no shortage of skills to learn and improve on,” says Pyear.
When you speak to Pyear about his football legacy, his face lightens up. It was a special time in his life, and now years later with more life experience to draw on, he has set himself up for a new challenge. Like football, climbing trees is physically demanding, but he is enjoying the experience.
“The program is both challenging and extremely interesting. We have ideal instructors and although I’m a fair bit older than my classmates, I find them more relatable than what I experienced in my old profession. I love the city too. I’m always down by the waterfront or exploring somewhere, and I’ve met some amazing people just out and about that I end up speaking with for sometimes close to an hour,” says Pyear.
Pyear is a long way from the former Ivor Wynne stadium in Hamilton where he became a hero at Wildrid Laurier university on an early December night almost two decades ago by engineering a game winning drive that gave him and his teammates a chance to lift the Vanier Cup above their heads. With the clock winding down, Pyear got his team into field goal range, leading to a climactic 24-23 win over the Huskies.
The performance not only resulted in Pyear being named the most valuable player of the national championship game, it also made him an All Canadian quarterback for the second time in his playing career and earned him a first ballot introduction to the Legends of Laurier Football Ring of Honour.
But that was then. Pyear will still pick up a football occasionally and throw it around with friends, but the grid iron is far removed from his thoughts. He has a new game plan now, one that is focused on being an arborist, a career that has replaced cheering fans with the stillness of nature. It’s a contrast that Pyear has embraced. He’s turned the page and is writing a new chapter in his life story.
(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs)
Posted on Friday, November 3rd, 2023
There were few people who could look Chris Ryan in the eye. At well over six feet tall, he towered over most people that he met, but his intimidating physical physique was quickly swept away by a smile and dimple that could light up the room. For almost 30 years, he was a fixture in the hallways of Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus and in the forests of the Ottawa Valley, wherever students were learning about the field that he was passionate about.
Ryan passed away recently, after battling health issues in recent years. He was only 49 years of age and his death has left a big hole in the Algonquin College community and in the region’s forestry sector where he was well known as the big lumberjack with a contagious chuckle and a jovial spirit that made him a friend to many.
Growing up in the Pontiac region of West Quebec, Ryan was surrounded by trees that grew into a love of the outdoors. From a young age he was felling trees. Not surprisingly it led him to a career in forestry. After completing his high school education in Quebec, he crossed the Ottawa River to earn an Ontario grade 13 certificate and then enrolled in the Forestry Technician program at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus.
When he graduated from college, he joined the staff of the college as a technician for the forestry program, a position he held for almost three decades, moving from part-time to full-time work. While he supported students in their many field trips, he also led some tutorials in the classroom and he became the coach of the school’s varsity loggersports team.
The team competed against other colleges and universities in activities such as pole climbing, crosscut sawing and axe throwing. It was a throwback to the forestry trade at the turn of the century before the industry was revolutionized by modern equipment. Ryan excelled as the coach. His strength and size spurred comparisons to the great Joseph Montferrand, the French Canadian logger who became a folk hero and was the inspiration for the fictitious Big Joe Mufferaw, the character that Stompin Tom Connors sang about, creating an anthem for everyone who loved forestry as much as Ryan did. 
In the spring of 2014, Ryan received a call from the Ottawa Redblacks. The fledgling Canadian Football League team was building its brand and wanted to link the football club to the Ottawa Valley’s rich forestry heritage. The team had learned that Algonquin’s Pembroke Campus had a loggersports team and was interested in a partnership to have the loggersports athletes perform at Redblacks home games.
It turned out to be one of the highlights of Ryan’s life and made him into a bit of a celebrity, a role he relished, never shying away from a photo opportunity with a fan, a player or team executive. Over the course of several seasons, until the world wide COVID-19 pandemic abruptly ended the partnership in 2020 when the CFL season was cancelled, Ryan never missed a home game.
He was on the sidelines with loggersports team members, scrambling every time the Redblacks scored a touchdown, to start the chainsaws and cut a ceremonial wooden cookie, branded with the Redblacks logo. He was there for the team’s Grey Cup parade and celebration in Ottawa after they upset Calgary in the 2016 league championship and he attended Grey Cup games in Winnipeg and Edmonton. He was the constant every time the team got in the end zone, his image splashed across the nation on TSN, a symbol of the Ottawa Redblacks lumberjack brand.
His work in forestry fit his personality. Forestry is the reason the Ottawa Valley exists. The industry dates back hundreds of years, and at his core, Ryan was nostalgic. He loved old television shows like The Dukes of Hazzard and Dallas, but beyond the forests his other passion was sports. Baseball was his true love. An avid Blue Jays fan, he celebrated team wins and dissected losses, always enjoying the opportunity to kibbitz with colleagues about the trials and tribulations of being a sports fan. 
His presence will be missed on campus and in the community. He was often there when the loggersports team performed at local festivals and fairs and given his physical stature, he was hard to miss in a crowd. He knew a lot of people and kept in touch with friends and colleagues. For those who knew him well, they will miss his texts and chats and his sense of humour. Algonquin’s big lumberjack was a lot like Joe Mufferaw. He was bigger than life.
(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs)
Posted on Saturday, October 28th, 2023
To say the Pembroke Waterfront Campus was a busy place during what should have been a quiet break week would be an understatement. With most college students taking a week off (October 23 to 27) for studying or a mental health break, the campus hosted more than 600 high school students at a series of events that allowed the campus to show off its facilities and programming.
The week started with an Open House that attracted more than 400 senior high school students from across Renfrew and Pontiac Counties. In addition to taking a campus tour, the visiting students were able to participate in several interactive activities that including trying out heavy equipment simulators that are used in the Forestry Technician program, learning more about defence tactics in a demonstration led by faculty in the Police Foundations program and connecting with students in the Outdoor Adventure program who were highlighting their rock climbing skills.
Students also spent time with faculty learning more about the programs that they were interested in and they heard from current Algonquin College students about what they can expect when they move from high school to post-secondary education. The students were made aware that applications are now open for the Fall 2024 intake and that they should apply before February 1st to improve their chances of getting a seat in the program that meets their career goals.
By mid-week, the campus was teaming up with Junior Achievement for its World of Choices event. More than 125 high school students, most of them in grade ten, rotated around the gymnasium where they met with people from many sectors and learned about different career pathways such as radiation protection roles in the nuclear sector to nursing careers.
The campus closed the week by hosting its first Jill of All Trades experiential learning day for grade nine to twelve girls. This hands-on event gave the students a chance to try out careers in carpentry, electrical, computer systems technicians, arborist, forestry and radiation protection. About 100 students participated and they were supported by about 40 mentors, people who were already working in the field that they were exploring.
In between these high school student events, the campus also hosted some of Canada’s best known personalities at its annual Fall Business Leadership conference. Two Order of Canada recipients, Olympian skater Elizabeth Manley and Environment Canada’s Chief Climatologist David Phillips spoke at the conference which was well attended by local business people who came together for a day of professional development and networking.
So while college students took some time to re-charge their batteries and get ready for the final stretch of the Fall term, the campus was very busy connecting with prospective students and the business community. It was a great demonstration of how important the campus is to so many audiences who rely on the college to access education and training opportunities and in the case of the younger audience, to help them choose a career.
(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs)
Posted on Wednesday, August 30th, 2023
Some of Canada’s best-known media personalities will headline Algonquin College’s Fall Business Leadership conference on Thursday, October 26 at the Pembroke Waterfront Campus. Among the presenters will be former Olympic skating silver medalist Elizabeth Manley, Environment Canada’s Chief Climatologist David Phillips, and CTV National News military analyst, retired General David Fraser.
They will be joined by author and resiliency expert, Dr. Robyne Hanley Dafoe, who recently released her second book, entitled ‘Stress Wisely’. Hanley-Dafoe’s first book, ‘Calm Within the Storm’ was a practical guide to helping people face life’s day-to-day challenges. A well sought after speaker across North America, Hanley-Dafoe delivers a positive message about how people can cultivate resiliency to be successful in their personal lives and their careers.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s, Elizabeth Manley was a household name, competing in skating competitions around the world. It was a high stress career, but Manley excelled despite the intense pressure to perform. Since retiring from skating, she has become an advocate for mental health and wellness. Her talk about mental health in the workplace will build on Manley’s personal struggles by offering recommendations from the lessons she has learned in life.
When it comes to the weather, there is no more recognizable face or voice than David Phillips. With thousands of interviews under his belt, Canada’s best known weather personality has been telling Canadian weather stories for more than 50 years. At the conference, Phillips will zero in on how the weather affects our workplace, including the impact of climate change.
During Canada’s difficult mission to Afghanistan, General David Fraser was on the front line of one of the country’s most difficult missions. Now retired, the CTV National News military analyst and author is speaking about leadership in the digital age. Fraser offers helpful tips to leaders to anticipate what’s coming next at a time when things are happening so fast, it is hard to keep up with the changes.
In addition to the keynotes addresses, conference attendees will be able to choose from several workshops on topics such as marketing, sales, promotions, creating safe spaces at work to allow failure to be improve performance and integrating newcomers into the workplace. Networking opportunities are built into the schedule for attendees who attend the conference on campus, but a virtual option will also be available to attend the conference. All of the presenters will be on campus and will deliver their session in person.
Algonquin College’s Manager of Community and Student Affairs, Jamie Bramburger, says the College started the conference several years ago and it has now become very popular. “We envisioned a big city conference being available to our local businesses where they could tap into timely and meaningful professional development at a reasonable cost. We’ve delivered on that promise by bringing in some of the biggest names in Canada to present on a variety of topics that affect the workplace,” says Bramburger.
Early bird registration rates of $240 plus taxes are in place until September 30. Registration includes four keynote addresses, a choice of attending two workshops and lunch. An after conference social is also being hosted by the college.
Nominations are also open for the business innovation award that is handed out each year at the conference. The award celebrates a business in Renfrew County that has created a unique approach that has led to better customer service, improved productivity or an innovative new product line.
The conference is being sponsored by Renfrew County Community Futures Development Corporation, Lanark-Renfrew Local Immigration Partnerships, the city of Pembroke, Lanark Renfrew Labour Market Working Group and Algonquin College Community Employment Services.
More information on the conference can be found on the college website at: https://www.algonquincollege.com/pembroke/business-conference/.
Posted on Sunday, May 7th, 2023
Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus has always had a close working relationship with Garrison Petawawa, but it has never been a formal partnership until now. Recently, campus Dean Sarah Hall and Garrison Commander, Colonel Jason Guiney signed a memorandum of collaboration as the campus held its first Canadian Armed Forces Day.
Garrison Petawawa Commander Colonel Jason Guiney and Dean of Algonquin College Pembroke Campus Sarah Hall sign a Memorandum of Collaboration on April 15, 2023 at Algonquin College Pembroke.
Photo: Corporal (Cpl) Lanny Jellicoe
The agreement had been in the works for several months and signals the start of an important and mutually beneficial relationship aimed at supporting the educational needs of the military community. The CAF Day was an example of the partnership being implemented as the college customized an agenda that was geared to current military members, soldiers who will be leaving the military soon, veterans and military spouses.
One of the most powerful activities during the event was a panel of former military members who shared their experiences transitioning from the military to attending college and then entering the civilian workforce. There were six panelists, all of whom had attended the Pembroke Campus after leaving the Armed Forces.
All of them had a different story to share, some of them describing their departure from military life as a smooth transition while others said that they had difficulty adjusting to being a civilian. Regardless of their responses to the questions that were posed to them by the audience, they were transparent and offered great advice to the military members who attended the session.
Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus is very familiar with the needs of former military members who join its learning community. In 2019 the campus surveyed its first year students and learned that three out of ten students indicated they had a member of their family who was in the Can
Former military members who studied at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus participate in a student panel at the College’s Canadian Armed Forces Day.
adian Armed Forces. It was a telling statistic, demonstrating the close linkage the campus has with military families.
The CAF Day also included a campus tour, an overview of the programs and services offered at the Pembroke Campus, information on Academic Upgrading courses, online learning, prior learning assessment and recognition, and supports that are provided to learners who have physical or learning disabilities.
Moving forward, the college is developing a special course for military members that will help them more easily make the transition to post-secondary education. The course will be offered to members of the army, navy or air force who are about to leave the military and have a plan to pursue higher education to help them access the civilian workforce. The first intake is planned for the fall of 2023 and will be delivered in person at the Pembroke Campus.
The memorandum of collaboration is a positive step towards deeper integration between the Garrison and the college at a time when there are widespread labour shortages in several sectors of the economy. Military members have a lot to offer to the civilian workforce. Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus is working towards opening more doors to allow them to earn the post-secondary credentials they desire as they choose a new career pathway after serving their country.
(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus. Jamie can be reached by email at brambuj@algonquincollege.com)
Posted on Sunday, March 19th, 2023
Daniel Larente is looking for adventure, literally. The 43-year old Algonquin College student has already packed a lot into his life, but now he is about to explore a new career pathway, one that is driven by his passion for the outdoors.
Two years ago, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Larente enrolled in the Outdoor Adventure program at the Pembroke Waterfront Campus. It was a big step forward and an escape from a troubling time in the former soldier’s life.
He was trying to move forward after suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, a condition that led to severe depression and anxiety. The mental health challenges he faced came after a more than seventeen year career in the Canadian Armed Forces as a military police officer, a career that took a toll on his well-being.
Algonquin College Outdoor Adventure student Daniel Larente served in the Canadian Armed Forces as a military police officer prior to enrolling in the adventure program.
“It all stemmed from bottling up the issues that I held due to severe events I attended, never seeking the help I truly needed,” says Larente. Some of those difficult experiences included serving in Afghanistan in 2008 as a member of the Police Operational Mentor Liaison Team, a group that trained with the Afghan Police force. It was dangerous work, the team often coming under enemy fire. The Taliban targeted the Afghan police and so the liaison group needed the support of an infantry division to try to keep it safe.
The path to become a soldier came from Larente’s upbringing. He grew up in a military family and when the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred at the World Trade Centre in New York City and at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. it was the catalyst for Larente to pursue a career in military policing. “I wanted to serve and protect the country and its people,” and understanding the military way of life, Larente was attracted to joining the Canadian Forces.
He completed the Police Foundations program at Algonquin’s Ottawa Campus and then joined the military, soon after becoming a member of the military police. Posted to Garrison Petawawa he enjoyed the natural resources paradise that is the Ottawa Valley, known for its pristine lakes and rivers and its rugged terrain which is ideal for outdoor adventure activities.
When he released from the military in 2021, Larente met with a career counsellor and identified his interest in the Outdoor Adventure program with a plan to start his own business. “I hope to open an outdoor guide business within the Petawawa/Pembroke area to truly show the beauty we have here in the Valley and help others see it to by way of canoeing or backpacking,” says Larente.
Outdoor Adventure student Daniel Larente enjoys one of his favourite outdoor activities, canoeing.
It’s not surprising that Larente has a love of the outdoors. He thinks Canada is the best place in the world to live, and throughout his military career he has had the opportunity to explore many parts of it, in addition to his time spent in other countries as a soldier. He has lived in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, but for the time-being Petawawa is his home.
“As for the next chapter, the Valley is home and I hope to continue to explore and grow within the community,” says Larente who will graduate from the college with his second Algonquin diploma in a few weeks. He will do so as the President of the Algonquin College Students’ Association
As a mature student in the Outdoor Adventure program and with a long career behind him in the armed forces, Larente easily transitioned to being a leader in the program for its younger students. After completing the first year in the program and realizing he could help other students succeed by sharing his life experiences and helping them access the supports that are available to them, Larente chose to put his name forward for student government. He became the Student Director for the Pembroke Campus and was then elevated to Vice-President of the Students’ Association.
Midway through his term as Vice-President, Larente was again promoted, this time he became President of the Students’ Association, giving him more influence in his quest to support student success. With thousands of students enrolled at Algonquin’s Ottawa, Pembroke, Perth and online campuses, Larente now had a bigger voice and given his own personal experiences, student mental health become one of his key priorities.
Through the leadership of Larente and the other Students’ Association Directors, an enhanced health plan was put in place for students this year that offered additional access to counselling and other services that support mental health and well-being. Larente has also advocated for more affordable housing for students and in the case of Pembroke Campus students, he has been a voice for the need for public transit.
Outdoor Adventure student Daniel Larente is the President of the Algonquin College Students’ Association.
Wherever he travels, he bends the ear of anyone who can help students. Recently he participated in a community consultation for the city of Pembroke, where he spoke about how public transit would help students get to and from their classes, part-time jobs and to pick up groceries. As a member of the Pembroke Campus student success committee he has reminded faculty and administration of the stresses that some students are facing as they manage life and school. When it comes to helping promote the campus to prospective students, Larente is one of the greatest spokespersons the campus could have. He often steps up to be part of student recruitment activities.
As Larente approaches the completion of his program, he can reflect on a life that has been filled with rewarding , sometimes tough and challenging experiences while he embraces a fresh start with a new career. Moving forward his challenges will come in the tranquillity of the outdoors, a space where he has a connection with nature and an appreciation for all that the Ottawa Valley has to offer.
(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs.)
Note: Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus will be holding a Canadian Armed Forces educational day on Saturday, April 15th from 9 a.m. to 12-noon to share information with current and exiting military members, veterans and military spouses on the programs and services available to the military community. Register here.
Posted on Saturday, March 11th, 2023
They travelled to Pembroke from across Ontario and beyond. Their goal was to see whether the Pembroke Waterfront Campus was the right place for them to pursue their post-secondary hopes and dreams. If the energy that was present on campus during our March Break Open House is any indication, it appears many of the prospective students who attended will be joining us in the Fall when their program starts.
A family poses with Social Service Worker coordinator Rhonda Mullin while attending March Break Open House at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus.
It was a special day to be on campus, in part because it has been three long years since the campus has been able to hold its annual March Break Open House, a signature student recruitment activity that always draws a large crowd. In the spring of 2020, the event had to be cancelled because of the surging COVID-19 pandemic and until this year, there hasn’t been an opportunity to reinstate the Open House.
Over a four hour period, students and their families were able to check out every corner of the campus which this year celebrated its tenth anniversary. It still looks brand new and the visitors were impressed by the facilities, including the Students’ Association gymnasium, fitness centre and rock climbing wall, but, they also liked meeting faculty from the programs they are interested in,
The teachers not only provided an overview of what the students can expect to learn in their program, many of them also did some show-and-tell in labs, allowing students to picture themselves gaining the hands on practical training that colleges are so respected for delivering.
Current students at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus answer questions from prospective students about their experience studying at the campus.
The highlight of the day was a student panel where five current students shared what their experience has been like at the Pembroke Waterfront Campus. The students provided authentic and transparent answers to questions asked by the audience, sharing how much they appreciated the picturesque setting that the campus sits on along the shores of the Ottawa River and the commitment of the staff and faculty to support them.
The questions came from both prospective students and parents and ranged from asking about living in the privately owned and operated student residences that house Algonquin students to finding the balance between working part time and staying on top of school work. Most of the students on the panel had re-located to Pembroke, partly because they had enrolled in a program that was unique to the campus or because they liked the small class sizes and the campus environment.
To finish off the day, the campus Food Services team had made homemade pizza, a nice touch that sent everyone home happy after a day of learning about all that the Pembroke Waterfront Campus has to offer. After three years of holding virtual Open Houses, it was really great to have so many people back on campus to truly experience how special of a place the Waterfront campus is.
The Food Services team at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus serve homemade pizza to prospective students and families who attended the March Break Open House on campus.
First impressions are important and the faculty and staff made their best effort to emphasize how all college employees play a role in the success of our students. It showed. Our visitors told us how much they enjoyed the day and how pleased they were that they had attended.
For students who weren’t able to make it to the Open House, they are invited to contact our recruitment team to book a campus tour. It remains the best way to make an informed decision on where to study and what program to choose. It often doesn’t take long for a student to know they have found the right campus. That was evident at our March Break Open House.
(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs at the Pembroke Waterfront Campus)
Posted on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023
It is now the time for college bound students to start finalizing their plans for post-secondary education. Many have already applied or are in the process of doing so, but making a firm commitment to a program or a college campus requires a bit more research.
Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus is hosting its annual March Break Open House on Saturday, March 11th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will be the first time since the spring of 2019 that this event has been held. In March of 2020, the Open House was the first major event the College had to cancel because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
The March Break Open House is primarily intended to help prospective students learn more about all that the campus has to offer. Campus tours are a big part of the day as they provide an opportunity for students to see great facilities like specialized training labs, trades shops, classrooms, the library, the gymnasium, rock climbing wall and the fitness centre.
Guided tours by the campus student recruitment team are more in depth, sharing information on everything from what student services are available to help students succeed to the campus operating hours. There’s always time to answer questions while groups of prospective students and their families make their way through areas like student services and the Student Commons.
Throughout the morning there will be scheduled presentations on financial aid, supporting students with disabilities, the Students’ Association and a special parent session. Parents are often involved in the decision making when young people are choosing the right college that suits their career interests and their personalities. They remain the most influential person in a young person’s life as they begin their post-secondary journey and the college encourages them to attend the Open House Spouses are also welcome as they provide a great deal of support for mature applicants who are returning to school. 
Students who are currently studying at the Pembroke Campus will be on hand for a student panel, an opportunity for campus visitors to hear first hand about what their experience has been like at the campus. Ove the years, a consistent theme has been shared about how welcoming the campus is and how genuinely interested the faculty and staff are in helping students achieve their hopes and dreams for life-long success.
The Pembroke Campus offers more than 20 full time programs. Given the significant labour market shortages in many sectors, these programs offer a direct link to filling job vacancies in our local region as well as across the province and country. Some programs are eligible for government funding to help pay for post-secondary education and new incentives such as the Learn and Stay grant offers free tuition to nursing applicants who enroll in the Fall 2023 intake at the Pembroke Campus.
Applicants who have already applied to the campus will have received an emailed invitation to attend the March Break Open House. Anyone who is interested in attending, but has not yet applied to college, can visit the campus website to pre-register at algonquincollege.com/pembroke.
Posted on Thursday, January 26th, 2023
In the Middaugh family, curling is a right of passage. For Kelly Middaugh, the sport has been part of her life since she was a young girl learning how to slide rocks down a sheet of ice, under the tutelage of her parents, Wayne and Sherry, who have both competed on the national stage.
Now, the 23-year old Outdoor Adventure Naturalist student at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus is trying to manage her school work while preparing to compete in her first Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the national women’s curling championship, which will be held in February in Kamloops, British Columbia.
To get to the national championship, Middaugh connected with a team that played out of the Glenmore curling club in Montreal, skipped by Laurie St-Georges. Middaugh is not bilingual but she had no concerns about crossing provincial boundaries to compete in the Quebec championships with the St-Georges team. She knew she could help the team and wasn’t worried about any language barriers, focusing on playing to the best of her ability. Her teammates helped provide translations when it was needed.
At the provincials, the St-Georges club played well, finishing the round robin in the six team tournament with a 4 and 1 record, before winning two close games in the semi-final and final to advance to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. The provincial championships had been postponed the last two years in Quebec because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Left to Right-Team Quebec: Laurie St-Georges (skip) Alanna Routledge (second) Emily Riley (vice) Kelly Middaugh (lead)
It turns out attending Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus played a role in Middaugh’s decision to choose to play with them, even though she has lived most of her life in Victoria Harbour, Ontario and had other opportunities to participate in the Ontario provincial championships.
“It’s a pretty simple story on how I ended up playing for Team St-Georges out of Quebec. I knew I was coming to Pembroke for the Outdoor Adventure Naturalist program and figured with the location of the town it was easier to get to Montreal than it would be to drive to Toronto to play with most Ontario teams,” says Middaugh.
Since coming to Pembroke, Middaugh has been a regular at the Pembroke Curling Club. She’s made new friends and while in school, she’s been encouraging her classmates to give curling a try, even offering to provide lessons, while getting to know the local curlers. She plays every Monday night and given her recent success she has become a bit of a celebrity at the club.
People enjoy watching her play, noting the precision in her shots. She’s happy to offer advice to other curlers, the same way her parents taught her how to play the game that she loves.
“I felt accepted into the community right away and everyone has been so supportive throughout the season. After winning the Quebec Provincials, Brenda Slomka, a member at Pembroke Curling Club and a part of the Algonquin College staff, made me this nice sign at the club wishing me congratulations. It was incredibly sweet and just proved how the Pembroke community has adopted me into their curling world,” says Middaugh.
Algonquin College Outdoor Adventure Naturalist student Kelly Middaugh has been playing at the Pembroke Curling Club as she prepares to represent Team Quebec at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
Middaugh’s mother has participated in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts on several occasions, while her father, Wayne Middaugh is a legend in men’s curling, having won three world championships while holding the distinction of winning those titles while playing three different positions. That’s unheard of at that level of play, but it’s not surprising. In this family, a challenge is always welcome.
Middaugh’s younger sister, Emily, is also really good at the game. She is part of a U21 Ontario team and recently won the Junior Curling Cup and will represent Canada at an international tournament later this year in Switzerland.
“My younger sister Emily, and I tried out other sports to find our own niche, but the curling community was always such a fun and safe place that it was almost impossible to not try and follow in my parents’ footsteps,” says Middaugh.
Before enrolling at Algonquin, Middaugh attended Wilfrid Laurier University where she earned an Undergraduate Degree in Global Studies. While attending university, she competed three times for a national intercollegiate university curling title, but when she was away from a curling rink, her passion was the outdoors.
“The Outdoor Adventure Naturalist program seemed right up my alley. Throughout my time at Laurier and in high school, I worked at a Wildlife Centre in my hometown and a forest school in Etobicoke and I loved the type of work I was doing,” says Middaugh who enrolled in the program last September.
The end goal is to work as an outdoor educator. She set out to college with an aim to learn more about identifying wildlife and improving her canoeing skills, but the program has taught her much more about working in the outdoors. Her eyes have been opened to many opportunities that she had not thought about previously, such as starting her own business.
“I’m not entirely sure where yet but I definitely want to work outside of the city. I loved what I did at the Wildlife Centre so if I could find something similar to that or even start my own company that would also be fun,” says Middaugh.
Team Quebec Left to Right: Laurie St-Georges (skip), Emily Riley (vice), Alanna Routledge (second), Kelly Middaugh (lead), Emilie Desjardins (fifth), Michel St-Georges (coach)
For the next few weeks Middaugh’s focus will be on school and curling. At the Pembroke Curling Club and at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus there will be a lot of interest in how Team Quebec is fairing at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts when the competition opens on February 17th. In particular, they will be watching the team’s lead, Kelly Middaugh, who has already won their hearts, no matter how the team does in British Columbia.
Given the family genes, it likely won’t be the last time Middaugh competes at a national championship. For now, she’ll continue to slide rocks down the ice of the historic Pembroke Curling Club, a place that will forever be part of her memory bank as she explores a new career in adventure tourism while continuing to play the game she loves.
Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus.
It was the first time in eleven years that Blaine had held a public concert in the city and it didn’t disappoint. He played the songs that have made him one of Canada’s leading Canadian country artists like ‘They Don’t Make ‘Em Like That Anymore’ and ‘Dance With My Daughter,” but also sang songs from his new album, including “The Road That Raised You Up.”
It was the early 2000’s when Blaine, who was still a single man and trying to find his way, enrolled in the Business program at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus. While dating Amy who was also enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program at the college and learning about subjects like accounting, finance, business planning, marketing and sales, Blaine continued to perform where he could but he also started writing his own songs. When he graduated from college, he moved to southern Ontario and started to record his songs and then he made the big move to Nashville, Tennessee to be at the heart of the country music industry.
On this night, he took some time before taking the stage to meet with some of his alma mater. Several alumni who attended the concert chatted and snapped photos with Blaine who has become quite comfortable with posing for pictures as his career as blossomed. While he has been away from his home town for two decades, it’s still a very special experience when he has the chance to perform in Pembroke and it was obvious he wanted to make himself available to the people who have supported him from day one.
