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CTV News
6 minutes ago
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LaSalle's aquatic centre closes for the majority of September
The LaSalle Outdoor Pool is seen in this image from the Town of LaSalle. The H20asis Aquatic Centre at the Vollmer Centre will be closed for annual maintenance from Sept. 1 to Sept. 26. The centre's indoor pool, sauna and spa will be closed, reopening Sept. 27. During this time, the LaSalle outdoor pool on Front Road will remain open, weather permitting, until Sept. 26. It will be closed Sept. 1 for Labour Day. Drop-in free swimming will continue at the outdoor pool on Saturdays from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and drop-in adult lengths and aqua fitness classes will be offered Monday to Friday. Registration is recommended for the above activities.
CTV News
6 minutes ago
- CTV News
What to do if you come across a stranded marine animal
Tonya Wimmer, executive director of MARS, discusses what people should do if they find a stranded marine animal on a Maritime beach. With the high heat across the Maritimes, many people are hitting the beaches, but in recent weeks that's also come with several reports of marine animals that have become stranded. On Thursday, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) alongside the Marine Animal Response Society (MARS) helped free a pilot whale that had become stuck in a bank on the Sydney River. 'It found itself way back in the Sydney River and had been there for a day or so and Fisheries and Oceans tried to encourage it to go back up the river but that didn't work so (Thursday) we were en route aiming to get there and work with DFO, they were able to get their hands on it and get it into what's called a whale rescue pontoon and then we worked together to take it as far out as we could and release it,' said MARS executive director Tonya Wimmer in an interview with CTV's Jesse Thomas. stranded dolphins Dolphins are pictured, trapped in the mud in the aboiteau in Canning, N.S., on Aug. 3, 2025. (Source: Facebook/The Valley Eye Photography) The rescue was not the first that week either, as a group of dolphins had also become stuck near Canning, N.S., on Sunday. 'That one was particularly challenging because it was a group of, in the end it was 13 Atlantic white-sided dolphins, that found themselves way up on the rivers in the back of the Minas Basin. Anyone who's in the area knows about those big tides in the Bay of Fundy and especially in this area it's an area filled with thick, seepy mud and a really deep incline down to where these dolphins were,' said Wimmer, adding that animal rescues are fairly common during the summer months. 'The other thing is we have more people out on water, on beaches and they also have access to things like cameras on their phones and things like social media so word gets out pretty quick,' she said. Rescuers Brave volunteers from Canning, N.S., are pictured in a canoe on the mudflats of the Minas Basin during a dolphin rescue on Aug. 3, 2025. (Source: Facebook/The Valley Eye Photography) While many people may feel the urge to go help if they see a stranded marine animal, Wimmer says people shouldn't intervene as it can be dangerous. Instead she recommends calling MARS. 'The big thing is really that people do make that phone call because the reality of what we're dealing with are animals that are in unpredictable situations and sometimes they're also in very dangerous situations, so we just don't want people to put themselves in harm's way or do things that may harm the animal.' MARS operates a toll-free hotline to report any stranded animals at 1-866-567-6277. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
35 minutes ago
- CTV News
Pride festivals: breaking the isolation of LGBTQ+ people in rural areas
Pascal Lessard and his partner bought their farm in 2019. They live in the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec. It's a rural area south of Quebec City. Although they were concerned about how the local population might react after learning they are a same sex couple, Lessard said he is happy they bought the farm and joined a new community. 'We never had any problems when we arrived here. We didn't hide, we didn't try to hide who we were or that we lived together. We haven't encountered any difficulties or people who reacted negatively,' said Lessard, co-owner of Les Vergers du Cap farm in Chaudière-Appalaches. 'We were very well received here in the village. We thought there might be some people who would react negatively, but that never happened.' The warm reaction may reflect a trend as new pride festivities spring up across Quebec. Flying in the face of the notion that rural areas are hostile to people of diverse sexual and gender identities, many of these festivals seek to improve the image of life for LGBTQ+ people living outside major urban centres. Like more than 300 people from LGBTQ+ communities living in rural areas or working in the agricultural sector, Lessard and his partner are members of the organization Fierté agricole. Since 2012, this non-profit organization has been helping people from LGBTQ+ communities living in rural areas meet and participate in various activities. 'In the farming community, there aren't many of us, and being so few in such a large area means that we end up pretty isolated in our homes, far from large centres and services,' explains Joé Desjardins, president of Fierté agricole. Desjardins, who co-owns the JardinsRochers farm with his partner, said the community is generally doing well and that homophobic or transphobic incidents are rare. 'People are afraid to come out or move to rural areas. We feel that sentiment a lot, but it's not true that things are worse than in the city,' Desjardins said. Desjardins adds that allies are more important in rural areas, where it is more difficult to mask one's identity. 'A village that supports a member of the queer community is a village that will support all those people,' explains Mr. Desjardins. 'Unlike in big cities, there is less anonymity because, when you live in the country, everyone knows you, but at the same time, that can be scary for some people, so allies are important.' His organization works regularly to educate people in rural areas about the realities of LGBTQ+ people. Fierté agricole regularly sets up booths at agricultural events and visits agricultural schools to raise awareness among students. 'We raise awareness so that there are fewer tragedies,' Desjardins said. 'We can't control the market price of wheat or the harvests with the rain. The only thing we can do is make sure that people in the community don't feel alone, and if we have to drive four hours, we'll be there.' Camille Paradis, co-chair of Fierté Val-d'Or, shares this sentiment about the importance of allies. Since 2019, Fierté Val-d'Or has organized its own Pride festival in the western Quebec region of Abitibi-Témiscamingue. In six years, the number of people participating in the four days of festivities has grown from about 600 to 2,300 people. Paradis said that between 50 and 60 per cent of participants are not part of the LGBTQ+ communities. 'It shows that we have a community that supports us, that we have a part of the population that wants to stand with us and say, 'We want these people to be treated like everyone else,'' Paradis said. 'Everything related to sexual orientation is now taken for granted, but gender identities are still largely unknown, misunderstood, and mocked,' said Paradis, who is non-binary. Beyond allies, Fierté Val-d'Or defines itself as an intergenerational festival aimed at 'breaking the isolation of older members.' 'We're like an anchor for people who are alone,' says Paradis. Val d'Or isn't the only rural town with a new pride festival. Mont-Laurier, a town in the Laurentian Mountains, about 190 kilometres northwest of Montreal, organized its second Pride festival this year. 'The goal is to provide a more personalized and accessible resource in the region,' explains Maxime Belisle, president and founder of Fierté Hautes-Laurentides. 'We want to be more and more present to show that it's good to live in the Hautes-Laurentides and that there is also help available.' While the festival's arrival in the region has prompted a few hateful messages online, Bélisle says the local population has largely been supportive. The first Pride march organized last year by Fierté Hautes-Laurentides brought together about 200 people in the streets of Mont-Laurier. 'People were very happy to see it,' Belisle said. 'In the region, people's comments are that we've come this far and we need this to move forward in our efforts to improve quality of life.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2025. Quentin Dufranne, The Canadian Press
