Posted on Monday, January 17th, 2022
Viola Desmond just wanted to watch a movie, but what happened to her on November 8, 1946 in Nova Scotia became a watershed moment in Canada’s civil rights movement. Desmond was a successful Black businesswoman, operating a beautician training school in Halifax and eventually expanding her business across the province, but it was car trouble that set her on a course that would make her one of Canada’s greatest historical figures.
On that fateful day in 1946, Desmond was travelling on business from Halifax to Sydney when her car started acting up and she was forced to pull into a nearby service garage in the small community of New Glasgow. The garage mechanic told her it would take a day to repair the vehicle so, in order to kill some time, Desmond decided to go to the Roseland Theatre and catch a movie.
At the ticket counter, Desmond requested and paid for a lower-level seat, but the ticket handler instead gave her a balcony seat, which was the segregated seating for Black patrons. Desmond tried to take a seat on the main level of the theatre anyway but was challenged by an usher and was eventually forcefully removed from the theatre and arrested.
She spent the night in the local jail and appeared the next day before a city magistrate where she was found guilty of defrauding the provincial government for not paying the amusement tax of one cent on the ticket. The penny represented the difference between the ticket for a balcony and the ground level seat. Without any legal representation, Desmond paid a fine of $26 that was levied against her by the presiding Judge, who awarded six dollars of court costs to the theatre general manager.
Nova Scotia’s black community was outraged. While Desmond’s husband wanted her to let things go, the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People raised money to fight her conviction. She eventually lost her appeal on technical grounds and her case quickly faded from public consciousness. In 2010, long after Desmond’s death in 1965, she was posthumously granted a free pardon by the Nova Scotia government and was recognized for her contributions to the struggle for racial equality in Canada.
On February 1, Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus will kick off Black History Month with a special virtual speaker series presentation on the life and legacy of Viola Desmond by author and civil rights historian Graham Reynolds.
In 2000, Professor Reynolds was teaching a racial discrimination history course at Cape Breton University when he met the younger sister of Desmond, Wanda Robson. Robson was 73 years old but was interested in the course and enrolled. Reynolds describes her as the “life and energy of the classroom.”
“Having Wanda Robson as a student was a defining moment in my career. It began a two-decade long journey and collaboration to raise public awareness regarding the racial injustices of the past, especially in relation to the Viola Desmond story,” says Reynolds.
Robson went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree at the university, graduating at 77 years of age, and in 2010 she released her own book entitled, Sister to Courage: Stories from the World of Viola Desmond, Canada’s Rosa Parks.
In that same year, a free pardon was granted to Desmond posthumously by the Nova Scotia government, and the Viola Desmond Chair in Social Justice was established at the University. Reynolds was named as Chair and worked with Robson to write a book entitled Viola Desmond’s Canada, which was released in 2016. Two years later, they wrote Viola Desmond: Her Life and Times.
“The Viola Desmond story brings to light a long-forgotten chapter in Canadian history. And, for us to move forward as a nation and build a more just society, we must confront these darker pages of our past,” says Reynolds.
In November of 2018, 72 years after she was dragged out of the Roseland Theatre because of the colour of her skin and 53 years after she passed away, Desmond was honoured by becoming the first woman to appear on a Canadian $10 bill, confirming her place as one of Canada’s most courageous people and historical figures.
Canadians have been celebrating Black History Month for decades after the first move to recognize the contributions of Black Canadians was made by the city of Toronto which passed a proclamation in 1979. It wasn’t until 1995 that the House of Commons unanimously passed a motion declaring February as Black History Month.
On the 75th anniversary of Viola Desmond’s arrest in 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Canadians, “Black people have helped shape our history and collective identify, and stood proud as leaders in communities across the country. Despite all this, systemic anti-Black racism still exists in Canada, and has undermined the livelihoods of Black Canadians and caused deep pain. This needs to stop.”
By taking a stand, Viola Desmond tried to stop racial segregation. Her cause remains active today.
Registration is now open for the Viola Desmond speaker series which will begin at 7 p.m. The session is free to students, employees, alumni and anyone over 60 years of age. You can register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/speaker-series-black-history-month-kick-off-with-author-graham-reynolds-tickets-244517336937
(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs)
Posted on Tuesday, December 28th, 2021
Like 2020, the year 2021 was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on everyday life. The pandemic leads our year in review at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus as we reflect on the past 12 months and how our students and employees demonstrated resiliency and worked to help others in need.
The hopes that came with a vaccination to protect people from the virus also required a huge volunteer effort to operate vaccination clinics. Several Pembroke Campus employees and students volunteered their time at the largest clinic in Renfrew County which operated for several months during the spring and summer of 2021 at the Pembroke Memorial Centre.
The vaccines permitted more activity to be held on campus when the Fall term began, but to protect the campus community, the College introduced a mandatory vaccination policy for anyone coming on campus. Daily screening, mask wearing and physical distancing was also required as the College reduced lab sizes and put in additional safety mitigation practices within programs.
For the second year in a row, the College opted to hold a virtual convocation ceremony. One of the highlights of the Pembroke Campus ceremony was the awarding of an Honorary Degree to Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe. Keefe spent many years in Pembroke as he started his coaching career with the Junior A Lumber Kings and was a donor to the Waterfront Campus building fund and a bursary set up to support students in financial need.
Photo Source: Maple Leaf Daily News
The Pembroke Campus also celebrated when two of its graduates from the Social Service Worker program, Tom Sidney and Crystal Martin-Lapenskie, were recognized for their career accomplishments when they received an Alumni of Distinction award from the college. Martin-Lapenskie was also nominated for a Premier’s award for her work supporting Inuit youth across Canada, work that included recording a national public service announcement encouraging Inuit to get a COVID-19 vaccination.
Another alumnus was also making us proud. After a year off because of the coronavirus, country recording artist and Business graduate Jason Blaine returned to his hometown of Pembroke to host a revised one-day charity concert and golf tournament. The event was a huge success as it raised $80,000 for special projects and community organizations in the Pembroke area. $10,000 of the funds raised was donated to Blaine’s endowment fund at the Pembroke Campus which supports students who need bursaries to support their educational investment.
While the pandemic created many challenges, there were also some new opportunities that helped the College broaden its community outreach. The Pembroke Campus had been hosting a speaker series for more than 20 years, but the pandemic forced the campus to move from in-person to virtual presentations. With no travel requirements for speakers, the campus was able to attract some high profile personalities including His Honour Murray Sinclair, who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, former CBC The National Anchor Peter Mansbridge, Author and Historian Charlotte Gray and Ron MacLean and Tara Slone of Hockey Night in Canada and Rogers Hometown Hockey which paid a visit to Pembroke in December.
The campus was able to support the Forestry sector through a large government investment of almost $5-million to help the industry attract new workers and train its existing workforce. The Forestry Skills Advance Ontario project was announced in the spring and resulted in several blocks of training being made available to mills and wood manufacturing facilities across the region.
Partnerships were a big part of 2021 for the Pembroke Campus as the College worked with organizations such as the Renfrew County District School Board to offer special dual credit and Ontario Youth Apprenticeship programs that gave high school students a chance to come on campus to experience the skilled trades. A special summer trades camp was offered that gave students a chance to test drive careers in trades such as carpentry and welding.
Forestry students also helped plant 30,000 trees in Algonquin Park and the Nipissing Forest. The project was sponsored by the Ontario Woodlot Association, the Canadian Institute of Forestry, Friends of the Petawawa Research Forest, Nipissing Forest Management Inc., and the Algonquin Forestry Authority, all important partners to the College’s long-standing Forestry Technician program. As a thank you to the students, a $5,000 donation was made to the College in support of its Forestry program.
The College continued to expand its programming in 2021 with the launch of the Environmental Management and Assessment post-graduate certificate program which began in January. The program proved to be very population with both Canadian and international students. The campus also announced it would have a first intake for a Computer Programming program in January of 2022.
In April, the campus was able to expand its Employment Ontario footprint in Renfrew County when it began offering Employment Services support to unemployed or underemployed individuals in the Eganville and Barry’s Bay areas. The College’s Academic Upgrading program continued to offer most of its programming remotely, creating new opportunities for learners to access the program.
We have only highlighted a few of the many things that were happening at the Pembroke Campus in 2021. We look forward to creating more memories in 2022. Happy New Year to everyone from all of us at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus.
Posted on Friday, November 26th, 2021
Peter Mansbridge has interviewed more than 20,000 people over his distinguished career in television journalism, but none of those interviews was tougher than asking questions to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. During an Algonquin College Pembroke Campus virtual speaker series presentation, Mansbridge described the interview as a “disaster.”
It came after Thatcher had left office and she was promoting a new book that she had written about her political life. “She kept accusing me of not reading her book, which I had, but the interview went nowhere,” said Mansbridge as he responded to questions from a large audience about his career.
The long-time interviewer told the crowd that after the interview had ended, “The Iron Lady” as she was often referred to because of her tough reputation as one of the world’s most prominent leaders, offered to sign his copy of the book. “”At the end, I said thank you and the cameras and the lights were turned off. She looked at me and, for the first time in the 45 minutes we were together, she smiled and said, ‘Peter would you like me to sign your copy of my book?’ The signed book has remained in Mansbridge’s home library ever since, but Mansbridge said he doesn’t think he has ever taken it off the shelf.
Mansbridge described his interview with Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip as emotional. It was one of the last interviews that the musician granted as he battled terminal brain cancer. “It stuck with me. He knew he was dying and yet he had decided he was going to devote the last year of his life to encourage Canadians to work out a relationship between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous peoples. Gord was passionate about it until the day he died,” Mansbridge said.
For 30 years, Mansbridge was the face of CBC television news. He took over the anchor chair of The National after Knowlton Nash graciously stepped aside to spend more time writing books, but Nash did it because Mansbridge was being courted by American television. Nash had been a mentor to Mansbridge and didn’t want to lose him to CBS news which was offering a very lucrative contract and so he gave up the highest profile position in the CBC news department to ensure Mansbridge stayed with the network. By that point, Mansbridge had already spent 20 years with the CBC as a reporter.
Over an illustrious career, Mansbridge covered stories around the world. Most of his time was spent in the CBC’s News headquarters in Toronto, but when big stories broke such as the war in Afghanistan or the 2004 deadly tsunami in Thailand that killed almost 230,000 people, Mansbridge was on the front line bringing the news back to Canadians.
He also branched out across the country, paying particular attention to climate change and its impact on Canada’s artic region. He convinced the CBC to spend a week in the Northwest Passage to show Canadians what was happening. Very few Canadians will ever to get to see what Mansbridge has witnessed in Canada’s far North, a place he calls “beautiful.”
Mansbridge also tiptoed into the future of the monarchy when responding to a question about the Royal Family, calling Queen Elizabeth a remarkable person, noting the first time he covered a story about the Queen was in 1970 when she visited Churchill. “ For most of us she is the only Monarch we have ever known. That is suddenly going to change in the next few years. How we are all going to relate to that, I’m not so sure. She has seen a lot. She is not perfect. When we lose her, it is going to be a very different world. Will the Monarch, the Queen of England, be the Queen of Canada? Those are decisions we are going to have to make in the years ahead,” Mansbridge questioned.
Mansbridge has recently released a book on his life and journalism career called “Off the Record.” In his book he shares how his career in journalism started In Churchill, Manitoba when he was overheard making passenger announcements into a microphone at a small regional airport by a local radio station manager and was hired on the spot because “I had a good voice” according to the station manager. His early work in reporting in private radio was noticed by the CBC and he was soon working for Canada’s public broadcaster. Mansbridge retired in 2017.
Among the audience for the speaker series presentation were several Algonquin College journalism students who had the opportunity to ask for advice on how they can best set their goals and objectives in a competitive industry that Mansbridge says need to re-examine how its builds trust with Canadians. Mansbridge called trust the most important element of covering news stories, adding “we need to focus on being transparent in explaining how we cover the news.”
At the end of the presentation, it was announced that Mansbridge had donated $3,000 to Algonquin College to support students in financial need through bursaries. Mansbridge is one of several high profile speakers who have participated in the College’s virtual speaker series over the past several months. Ron MacLean of Hockey Night in Canada will make an appearance on Tuesday, November 30 at 7 pm as part of Pembroke’s Hometown Hockey Festival the weekend of December 4-6th.
Posted on Thursday, October 14th, 2021
Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus continues to expand its programming, offering more choices for anyone interested in pursuing a college certificate, diploma or degree. The campus will be hosting a virtual Open House on Wednesday, October 20 from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. that will include an opportunity for prospective students to learn more about the programs.
The sessions will be led by faculty who teach in the 23 programs that will be represented. The program mix at the campus includes business, technology, health care, skilled trades and unique programs such as Applied Nuclear Science and Radiation Safety, Outdoor Adventure and Environmental Technician.
The campus is also launching two new programs starting in January of 2022. Geographical Information Systems is a post-graduate certificate program and Computer Programming is a two-year diploma program that includes an optional paid co-op experience. These programs join the Environmental Management and Assessment post-graduate certificate program that was offered for the first time at the campus last year.
In addition to the program sessions, there will also be a special session for parents and several student services sessions that will help address questions about admissions requirements, financial aid and what supports are available to help students succeed in their academic programs. When the time comes to visit the campus, students will really be able to appreciate the picturesque beauty of the campus which is located on the shores of the Ottawa River.
Virtual sessions have proven to be very convenient for prospective students and their families, particularly applicants who don’t live in Pembroke. It eliminates the need to travel and provides great access to faculty and student services staff to get questions answered. A virtual campus tour is also available and there will be some prizes available for those who attend.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many organizations to expand their use of technology and the same is true for Algonquin College. While more programming is gradually returning to the Waterfront Campus, remote learning is continuing and the College is utilizing platforms such as ZOOM to be able to bring information to prospective students in the most convenient way possible.
Pre-registration is required for the virtual Open House so that links can be provided to students who want to attend. The event is open to anyone who is interested in attending Algonquin College as representatives for the Ottawa and Perth campuses will also be available to answer questions. Information on the Open House has been shared with high schools and employment services offices throughout the region as Ontario Colleges are now receiving applications for both the Winter and Fall 2022 intakes.
In fact, offers of admission for the Fall 2022 intake will start to be made as of November 1st so it’s not too early to apply and make plans for attending a college program. Applications can be made online at www.ontariocolleges.ca. Prospective students can pre-register for the Open House at: https://www.algonquincollege.com/pembroke/voh/
Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus. Jamie can be reached at brambuj@algonquincollege.com or at 613-735-4700, ext. 2756
Posted on Thursday, September 16th, 2021
Jason Blaine hadn’t performed with his band since July of 2019. That changed this week when Blaine returned to his hometown of Pembroke to host his annual charity concert and golf tournament. Instead of a two-day event, it was scaled back to a one-day, nine hole event that included a nighttime outdoor concert at the Pembroke Golf Club. It had to be that way because of the restrictions that are necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are few industries that know more about the impact of the pandemic than entertainment, but as the world slowly re-opens and fairs, festivals and concerts are again permitted, Blaine can see a light at the end of the tunnel. After cancelling his charity event last year, he was thrilled to be back home and doing what he loves-performing on a stage.
“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster. It’s not just the music and the fans that you miss, it’s the camaraderie of making music together. It’s feels so great to be home,” says Blaine.
Blaine established his charitable fund 8 years ago. It evolved into a signature event in the Ottawa Valley attracting other Canadian Country recording artists from across the country including Dallas Smith, Kira Isabella, Chad Brownlee, Tebey, Gord Bamford and Aaron Pritchett. With plenty of star power and a lot of community support the charity has raised more than a half-a-million dollars for local organizations including Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus.
Despite the modified format this year, the return of the event was a huge success, raising $87,000 all of which will be invested in community organizations and special projects in the Pembroke area.
“This event has become really special to me. It provides me with a purpose, adds an extra value to the music and what I do. I try to make as big an impact as I can with the music, especially seeing the impact it has had on the community,” says Blaine who from day one wanted to support youth and mental health causes.
He has delivered on that promise, committing $100,000 to the building fund for the Waterfront Campus and an additional $100,000 to establish an endowment to support college students in financial need. As a Business graduate of the Pembroke Campus, Blaine continues to give back to his alma mater, placing a high priority on supporting access to post-secondary education in his charitable giving.
“It is so great to see the endowment fund growing and students benefitting from it. Having Algonquin College in the heart of Pembroke has brought an energy and a revitalization to the community,” says Blaine who has also been generous with the Pembroke and Area Boys and Girls Club and the Robbie Dean Family Counselling Centre.
He and his wife, Amy, also an Algonquin College graduate, live just outside Nashville, Tennessee where they are raising four children. Blaine moved to the United States to kick start his music career after graduating from Algonquin College where he started to write his own songs. Since then he has recorded several top hits including: They Don’t Make ‘Em Like That Anymore, Cool, Spotlight and Rock in My Boot.
One thing that is clear is that Blaine has never forgotten his roots. It’s where he first picked up a musical instrument as a little boy and set forth a plan to become a musician. He’s fulfilled that dream and at least for one day he was happy to be back on stage in his hometown.
(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs at the Pembroke Waterfront Campus)
Posted on Saturday, September 11th, 2021
Monica Numpaque is getting used to the quiet tranquility of Pembroke, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of a large urban city and the noise and pollution that comes with it, replaced by the sound of birds chirping, the occasional honk of a car horn, clean air and the picturesque beauty of Pembroke’s waterfront.
Numpaque arrived in Canada from Bogota, Colombia, a city of 7.5 million people in April, coming to Pembroke to study in the Environmental Management and Assessment program at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus. She was excited to move to Canada for her post-secondary studies, but her expectations have been exceeded.
“I have found that living in a small city like Pembroke has various benefits, including a calm and safe environment. Pembroke is organized and clean, and people have a calm living style, so they are not in a hurry. I appreciate how people are friendly and courteous and welcome you when they see you, wishing you a nice day,” says Numpaque.
Numpaque and her husband are hoping to immigrate to Canada after she completes her co-op placement at the College where she is a science lab monitor, supporting students studying in the Environmental Technician program. She feels fortunate to be working at the College and says the opportunity to participate in a paid co-op placement attracted her to the program.
“I chose the program at Algonquin College since this college is internationally recognized for offering high-quality academic programs. I chose the Pembroke campus because I wanted to study in a peaceful environment surrounded by nature. Furthermore, the curriculum includes courses in a variety of subjects connected to environmental sciences that are both interesting and useful. The field experiences, as well as the Co-op, attracted me to the program,” says Numpaque.
With no vehicle, Numpaque has been getting to know Pembroke on her bike and by walking around the city. Like many newcomers, she is impressed by the vastness of Canada and the wide open spaces that are found in more rural areas. “Canadians are very friendly and kind, they have helped me to adapt to this country and to learn about their interesting culture. Pembroke is a lovely town surrounded by nature, with great spots to ride a bike and participate in water sports. The architecture of its historic homes, churches, and museums make Pembroke a nice place to live.”
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic last winter, international students studying in the Environmental Management and Assessment program were able to join the program from their home country, taking the entire first semester of the post-graduate certificate program in a virtual setting. They were required to come to Canada for the spring term to ensure they had the opportunity to participate in many hours of field work.
Learning in Canada’s back country has provided Numpaque with not only a practical learning experience, but also an opportunity to appreciate the country’s natural landscape. “I have enjoyed the field trips offered in the program. We have visited wonderful places full of nature with beautiful landscapes. I have enjoyed as well the sample processing lab where I have learned valuable analytical techniques. The campus location fascinates me since it provides a beautiful view of the Ottawa river and is close to the Waterfront Park, where you can relax and enjoy nature,” says Numpaque.
Recently her husband has found work in Ottawa. The couple is planning to buy a vehicle and begin the process of gaining permanent residency status. Their journey is just starting in Canada. For the next few months, Numpaque will spend many hours in the science lab at the Pembroke Campus gaining valuable work experience in her field, working side-by-side faculty and supporting other students enrolled in environmental science programs.
Numpaque has barely spent any time in the country that she hopes to live and work in for many years, but Pembroke has left her with a great first impression of Canada. Her story is an example of how smaller communities that are welcoming to international students and immigrants can be a landing place for newcomers if they are welcoming and have attractions such as post-secondary schools to grab their attention.
It was Algonquin College that brought Numpaque to Pembroke. It will be the community that will help settle her in the city.
(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs. Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus administers the federally funded Local Immigration Partnership in Lanark and Renfrew Counties, a program that helps communities welcome newcomers to their region.)
Posted on Friday, September 3rd, 2021
At Parliament Hill, the small shoes and teddy bears that surround the Centennial Flame are weather-beaten. They have been there since the discovery of 215 unmarked graves in Kamloops, British Columbia earlier this summer. Since then, the remains of hundreds more children have been found at former residential schools.
Each day these tiny bits of children’s clothing are viewed by thousands of visitors to Canada’s capital, a stark reminder of Canada’s tragic residential school history. As the country prepares for its first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, Canadians are trying to come to grips with this history, a truth that was known but somehow stayed out of the Canadian conscience for decades.
“We knew,” says Ry Moran, founding Director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and now the first Associate Librarian for Reconciliation at the University of Victoria. Moran was on the front line of reviewing residential school survivor stories during the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission led by his Honour, Murray Sinclair.
Through this work, Moran and his team reviewed more than 7,000 statements, recording many of them on video, an emotional experience which he says has changed him forever. “You can not help but be moved, and to see the injustices of this country laid bare. We have to as individual Canadian citizens come to understand what happened in residential schools,” says Moran.
Moran will be speaking on Canada’s Residential School Tragedy at a virtual Algonquin College Pembroke Campus Speaker Series on Tuesday, September 14 at 7 p.m. The hour-long session will include a question-and-answer period, but it will mostly be an opportunity for Moran to share the truth of what happened at residential schools. “Whether it is comfortable or not, it is the truth. A great wrong was done to communities, to families, to those children by ignoring their human rights. That great wrong is what Canadians have to understand,” emphasizes Moran.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued 94 calls to action when it released its final report in 2015. Among them was recommendation number 80 to establish as a statutory holiday, a National Day to honour survivors, their families and communities and to ensure public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools.
The commission deemed this national day as being a vital component of the reconciliation process, choosing a day that had already gained traction because of the story it represented. Initiated in 2013 in Williams Lake, British Columbia, Orange Shirt Day on September 30 was established to remember the story of a little girl, Phyllis Webstad, who on her first day attending a residential school had her new orange shirt taken away. The shirt had been given to her by her Grandmother and was never returned. As an adult, Webstad shared this story, describing how deeply hurt she was but that “no one cared and I felt like I was worth nothing.”
Ry Moran, Founding Director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation is interviewed by Algonquin College Manager of Community and Student Affairs on Your TV Ottawa Valley (Cogeco Cable) about Canada’s Residential School past and the impact these schools have had on Indigenous peoples and communities.
In his home office, Moran has an orange shirt and an Indigenous blanket hanging from his wall. The blanket was given to Moran shortly after the National Centre was created at the University of Manitoba where a much larger version of the blanket is on display. The blanket and the shirt remind him of all of the children who were affected by residential schools, whether they experienced them first hand or have been impacted by the legacy impact of the schools on Indigenous families and communities.
“The history has been present, but frankly, Canadians have not been paying attention. We have to care more,” says Moran.
Moran believes Canadians are now paying attention. He cites more access to public education about Indigenous history and a lot of brave people speaking out and sharing their stories as a catalyst for a public discourse that is long overdue. But, he also says it is just the beginning, offering this advice to Canadians.
“Listen and follow Indigenous thought leaders, get informed, get involved, stand up for injustices and make it your business,” says Moran. That’s what Moran is doing. As a member of the Red River Metis and through his work with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he has made many connections over the past decade and continues to learn more about his heritage and his country. As he learns, he shares, becoming one of the important voices to ensure the calls to action are implemented.
In Ottawa, the Centennial Flame was first lit in 1967 to commemorate the county’s one-hundredth anniversary. It has been a place where Canadians have had their picture taken in front of the back-drop of the Peace Tower and Centre Block, the centre of our country’s government.
Today, the Flame has become a focal point for people to express their remorse for what happened at residential schools. The children’s clothing, including orange t-shirts, that surround the flame reminds us of Phyllis Webstad, the little girl who was forcibly taken from her home, stripped of her culture, her language and her identity. She survived. Many did not. Knowing this truth brings meaning to the message of orange shirt day – every child matters.
Post by: Jamie Bramburger is the Manager of Community and Student Affairs at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus. Ry Moran will also be presenting at the College’s Fall Business Leadership conference on Monday, October 25. During his virtual session, Moran will discuss how to bring truth and reconciliation into the workplace.
Posted on Thursday, August 19th, 2021
The scenes of despair that have emerged from Afghanistan have shocked the world. Afghans hanging off of airplanes trying to leave the country as it grapples with the return of the Taliban to power, are reminders of why Canadian soldiers spent more than ten years in the war-torn country trying to give Afghans a better life. Now, as an oppressive regime regains power the war-torn country is again in turmoil and there are fears the progress that had been made has been lost.
From 2002 to 2014, Canada sent 40,000 troops to Afghanistan, a NATO mission that cost 158 Canadian soldiers their lives including Chief Warrant Officer, Robert Girouard, who lost his life two days after his 46th birthday. Based at Garrison Petawawa, Girouard had been in the armed forces for almost 30 years. He was a career soldier, married with three children and well respected by the troops who reported to him and soldiered beside him.
His only daughter, Jocelyn Girouard-Ranger, has been thinking a lot about her father as Afghanistan unravels. “I refuse to believe that he died in vain,” says Girouard-Ranger, who was 21 years old when she lost the man who had raised her as the family moved around the world from one base to another, including a posting in Germany and several stops in Canada. “He loved the military. He joined at 17 years old. He was hard-working, good at his job and got along well with people. He and my Mom were talking about retirement after Afghanistan,” says Girouard-Ranger.
Jocelyn Girouard-Ranger with her Father, Chief Warrant Officer, Robert Girouard, shortly before he was killed in Afghanistan in 2006.
On November 27, 2006, Warrant Officer Girouard was in an armoured vehicle participating in a military convoy in Kandahar, a hot spot where militant Taliban insurgents often clashed with NATO troops. A suicide bomber drove a car into the middle of the convoy setting off a powerful explosion that killed Girouard and another Canadian soldier, Corporal Albert Storm.
When the tragedy happened, Jocelyn Girouard-Ranger had just started in the Social Service Worker program at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus. She was planning her wedding, scheduled for eight months later, but her father’s death dealt her a jarring blow. She dropped out of school, had trouble coping and considered cancelling her marriage ceremony. “I just didn’t know how I was going to walk down the aisle without him,” says Girouard-Ranger.
She and her husband, Sergeant Eric Ranger, did go ahead with their wedding and three years later, Girouard-Ranger was ready to return to school. She was also a first time Mom when she made plans to enroll in the Business program at the Pembroke Campus. She was prepared to fund her education on her own.
One day she was reading a newspaper article and learned about Project Hero, an initiative inspired and launched by retired General Rick Hillier and Kevin Reed, a Toronto businessman and Honorary Canadian Forces Lieutenant Colonel during the peak of the Afghanistan war. Project Hero encouraged Canadian colleges and universities to offer free tuition to the children of soldiers killed in military missions. Algonquin College was one of the first colleges in the country to sign on.
Girouard-Ranger contacted the Pembroke Campus to inquire if she was eligible for the scholarship. Within days the financial strain of paying for her post-secondary tuition was removed. She also received support through another initiative called Canada Company that helped cover additional educational expenses. Looking back, she says Project Hero had a huge impact on her ability to attend school, but also in helping her come to terms with her father’s passing.
“It is a tangible and purposeful reminder that these fallen soldier’s legacy lives on in the civilian world. These programs are a reminder that their sacrifice wasn’t forgotten by the public,” says Girouard-Ranger.
Jocelyn Girouard-Ranger stands in a Memorial park at Garrison Petawawa where her father, Chief Warrant Officer, Robert Girouard is honoured and remembered.
Fifteen years after her father lost his life in Afghanistan, Girouard-Ranger continues to live in Petawawa, where she and her husband are raising three children. She now works for a counselling office, where she works as a client care coordinator and bookkeeper, combining her interest in business and helping others.
Every year she visits her father’s gravesite at the Beechwood cemetery in Ottawa, the final resting place for hundreds of Canadian soldiers. Shortly before his death, her Dad had decided that if something happened to him in Afghanistan, he wanted to be buried among those who had served their country and made the ultimate sacrifice.
Until his final breath, Robert Girouard remained a dedicated soldier who died a hero. He died young, without the opportunity to see his daughter graduate from college and to become a mother. Project Hero was created to honour his sacrifice and to help take care of those he left behind. It is a living memorial to Girouard and his fellow servicemen and women lost while serving their country. They were all heroes.
(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs at the Pembroke Waterfront Campus)
Posted on Friday, June 18th, 2021
Crystal Martin-Lapenskie knows the hardships faced by Inuit communities. She was raised in Sanirajak in Nunavut, spending her early years in Canada’s Arctic region before moving to the Ottawa Valley as a teenager. For the past two years as the President of the National Inuit Youth Council she has been a powerful voice as an advocate for young people who often struggle to have access to the necessities of life.
From an early age, Martin-Lapenskie wanted to make a difference. After graduating from Opeongo High School, near her Ottawa Valley home in Eganville, she had considered becoming a police officer and applied to the Police Foundations program at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus. But, she changed her mind and instead enrolled in the Social Service Worker program, a decision that would propel Martin-Lapenskie into an advocacy role that has taken her around the world, working directly with Indigenous leaders, elected officials and like-minded individuals to shine a light on the most pressing social justice issues facing Inuit youth. She has twice met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and has connected with several federal cabinet ministers where she has participated in committees and working groups to address public policy.
Martin-Lapenskie graduated from Algonquin College in 2013. Soon after she began working with Inuit communities, taking on leadership positions in economic development while also supporting not-for-profit organizations and starting her own consulting business. Her roles included being a project manager and Acting Regional Director for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) and working with Ontario’s Ministry of Education to develop and revamp curriculum to include Inuit history.
Frequently invited to round tables and consultations with government officials, Martin-Lapenskie is always willing to share her voice as a representative for Canada’s Inuit youth. The 94 calls to action in the Truth and Reconciliation report have become her playbook as she brings attention to the many issues facing young people in Canada’s Northern communities such as access to mental health services, but surprisingly, Martin-Lapenskie believes there has been a silver lining through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Inuit have the highest suicide rates not only in Canada, but in the entire world. When COVID happened last year, my heart sank with the thought of losing more youth as we lack proper mental health services across Inuit Nunangat, but the pandemic brought our communities together and that closeness has resulted in the lowest suicide numbers we’ve seen. Inuit youth are utilizing this time to immerse themselves out on the land with their loved ones, proving that land based initiatives are paramount to the well-being of our people,” says Martin-Lapenskie.
Crystal Martin-Lapenskie is intelligent, well spoken and passionate about her work, much of it unpaid. Volunteerism is a huge part of her approach to sharing her message about the needs of Inuit youth. She sits on several committees providing valuable input to organizations such as the Renfrew County District School Board, Renfrew County Catholic District School Board, United Way East Ontario, International Inuit Business Association, and the Kamatsianig Council that advises on polices that impact Inuit children and youth in the welfare sector.
“Canadians need to know that Inuit are among the most resourceful, resilient and adaptable people in Canada and although they live through socio-economic disparities, Inuit youth have not lost hope and have been awakened by the reclamation of our cultural traditions and language,” says Martin-Lapenskie, who has taken a particular interest in supporting the health and wellness of Inuit.
She recently welcomed a production crew to her home so she could record a federal public service announcement encouraging Inuit to get their vaccination to help stop the spread of the pandemic. It’s this type of meaningful advocacy that has made Martin-Lapenskie one of Canada’s most important Indigenous voices.
As she wraps up her two-year term as the President of the National Inuit Council, Martin-Lapenskie is proud of the work that she has done, but is not about to slow down in her advocacy efforts. She understands too well the socio-economic issues facing Northern youth and has committed herself to staying connected with a part of Canada that few Canadians know. For Martin-Lapenskie, the North will always be her home, the place that drives her ambition to help others and the reason she became a Social Service Worker.
(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs)
Posted on Monday, June 14th, 2021
Allan Huckabone had charisma. He could hold court in any room he entered and on November 24, 2009 he had the audience’s attention at a dinner held at the former Algonquin College Pembroke Campus. He and his wife, Kathleen, were among a group of college supporters who were interested in the effort being made to build a new campus, but very few in the crowd knew that they were about to make a jaw dropping announcement.
The campus was just down the street from where Allan Huckabone had grown up. He knew the building’s history as a former dairy and understood it was aging and had its limitations in meeting the expectations of college students. His very close friend, Fred Blackstein, was on the College Board of Governors and a year earlier had brought forward a motion that was unanimously approved to build a Waterfront Campus along the shores of the Ottawa River. Blackstein also threw his support behind the fundraising campaign, letting his name stand as Honorary Chair, helping share the story of how important the project was to the region.
The Huckabones wanted to help. Their son, Mark Huckabone, had been recruited to chair the fundraising effort, a campaign to raise $2.5 million towards the overall project cost of $36-million. The Pembroke Campus had never gone to the community before to raise money and with no history of fundraising a strong case needed to be made to bring donors on board.
The case was solid. The building the school had been operating in since the 1960’s was aging and landlocked with no room for expansion. It lacked the modern amenities that post-secondary schools offered students such as a gymnasium and fitness centre. The College had secured land from the city to build a new campus with the promise of helping to revitalize Pembroke’s downtown and ultimately a modern facility would attract more local and out of town students, helping support the local labour market and driving further economic spinoffs for the entire region.
Kathleen and Allan Huckabone believed in the project. When they stood behind a podium at the old campus and announced they had donated a half-a-million dollars to the campaign they gave the fundraising campaign the boost it needed. As Kathleen told the audience, “We hope this donation will spark a flame to go through this room to all of the Valley,” to encourage more support for this worthwhile project.
It sure did. Other donations followed. Businesses, individuals, families and organizations followed the Huckabones lead and committed to helping the College reach its fundraising target. The project had momentum.
When sod was turned in the spring of 2011, the Huckabones were there. When the grand opening was held on November 28, 2012, they were there too, beaming as they posed near the campus library, which had been named after them.
Allan Huckabone passed away a few days ago at Miramichi Lodge where he had lived the final years of his life. Kathleen Huckabone had died in 2015. Together, they left a legacy. Known for their philanthropic generosity, they supported many community projects, but their gift to Algonquin College will forever be remembered because of its significance.
At the time the Huckabones made their donation public, Algonquin College was also raising funds for new buildings in Ottawa and Perth. College President, Robert Gillett, said of the Huckabone contribution, “This is the largest single donation by a family of all of the gifts we have received so far.”
The donor wall at the campus carries a quote from Mark Huckabone that reads, “For every enthusiastic student who attends this College campus, there was an enthusiastic donor who made it possible.” Allan and Kathleen Huckabone drove that enthusiasm by making one of the largest philanthropic gifts in Ottawa Valley history.
The Kathleen and F. Allan Huckabone library is one of the centrepieces of the waterfront campus. The only time the couple visited the library was on the day the community celebrated the grand opening of the campus. That was enough to show them that their gift had made a difference.
The entire college community expresses its sincere sympathy to the Huckabone family at this difficult time and continues to be thankful for the important role Allan and Kathleen Huckabone played in securing a new Algonquin College campus for Pembroke.
(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs)
Jocelyn Girouard-Ranger with her Father, Chief Warrant Officer, Robert Girouard, shortly before he was killed in Afghanistan in 2006.
Jocelyn Girouard-Ranger stands in a Memorial park at Garrison Petawawa where her father, Chief Warrant Officer, Robert Girouard is honoured and remembered. 
