Louisbourg's restoration gets a helping hand from students
Students are working with Parks Canada to spruce up the Fortress of Louisbourg. They're using their skills to help restore the national historic site. Matthew Moore has the story.
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
76-year-old Calgary graduate David Jackson proves it's never too late to learn
At an age when many are well into retirement, David Jackson is walking across the graduation stage at Calgary's Mount Royal University – and he's already planning his next degree. Jackson, 76, received his Bachelor of Arts in History on Friday, an accomplishment nearly two decades in the making. 'I always loved learning,' Jackson said. 'In high school, I taught myself calculus so I could do physics.' Originally earning a degree in mathematics from the University of Regina in 1975, Jackson's career took him from Gulf Oil in Calgary to contracts in British Columbia and Dallas, Texas. But after retiring, his curiosity led him to the MRU campus – initially for a math course. 'I thought, 'This is hopelessly boring. I'm going to take something fun and interesting.' So, I landed on history,' he said. That decision – all the way back in 2007 – then sparked an 18-year odyssey of part-time study. David Jackson David Jackson, 76, graduated from Calgary's Mount Royal University on Friday, June 13, 2025. 'My first class was with Scott Murray, and he got me hooked,' Jackson recalled. 'He went from one end of the classroom to the next for an hour and a half without consulting notes. I was enthralled.' Scott Murray, associate professor of history, remembers Jackson's impact. 'He was a terrific student, always full of questions and never afraid to ask hard questions. That's one of the things that really made him stand out,' Murray said. 'His enthusiasm for the things that he was learning was remarkable.' 'He epitomizes the idea of lifelong learning.' — Scott Murray Murray says Jackson's presence in class was a lesson in itself. 'Students are so worried today about getting called out, about saying the wrong thing. David is not afraid to say the wrong thing because he knows that the way that you're going to learn best is by making a mistake and working through it.' For Jackson, the joy of learning went far beyond textbooks. 'I use the atmosphere,' he said. 'I don't think I could do it online. There wouldn't be the people, the students, the profs, the coffee shop.' Classmate Simon Weintz, 50 years younger, says Jackson brought wisdom and humility to every interaction. 'He was always willing to admit when he was wrong and he was always willing to learn new things,' Weintz said. 'I learned from him that you can never stop learning… the pursuit of knowledge is something that you can take to as old as you want to get.' — Simon Weintz After Friday's ceremony, Jackson won't be leaving MRU for long. He's already enrolled for the fall semester. 'It means so much,' Jackson said of graduating. 'I was getting a little impatient because I wanted to study something else… so I did, and now I'm registered in the fall for an anthropology degree.' Jacson plans to take one class per semester over the next eight years. 'So, in 2033, we'll be up here again,' he said with a chuckle and a big smile.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Swimming now allowed at new Dow's Lake dock
You can now swim off the NCC's dock at Dow's Lake 22 hours ago Duration 2:22 Social Sharing Grab your goggles and water wings, Ottawa: Swimming is now permitted from a recently installed dock at Dow's Lake. New buoy lines marking off the deep-water swim area were unveiled Thursday, with a separate lane coming soon for swimmers "wishing to get their laps in," the National Capital Commission (NCC) said in a news release. The accessible dock was installed on the lake early last month, along with Muskoka chairs, bike racks and native plants. At that time, the NCC said it was waiting for the results of water quality testing to see if a pilot project allowing swimming would be possible. On Thursday, they said testing carried out over the past year had shown the lake's swimming area has "consistently" met or exceeded health and safety guidelines. "We tested more than 140 different parameters for contaminants, for pesticides, for petrochemicals, for a lot of the things that people worried about. And we didn't see those there," said Jen Halsall, the NCC's real estate adviser. "The data is doing the talking. It's not Jen from the NCC saying, 'Get in there!' It's really the lake telling us what's possible." The Ottawa Riverkeeper will test the water five times a week, Halsall said, with results posted throughout the summer on the NCC's website. 4 metres deep Swimming will be unsupervised this summer, the NCC said, with no lifeguards on duty. The unsupervised area is part of the natural lakebed, meaning it should be used by experienced swimmers only, according to the NCC's website. "Our water depth starts at four metres, and it gets deeper from there," said Halsall, adding that the dock has plenty of ladders, grab bars and other safety features. According to those who jumped in Thursday, Dow's Lake should prove enticing for Ottawans seeking somewhere to cool off this summer. "The water's so fresh! And it's warm, and it's clean," said Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi, who was on hand for the unveiling.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Northwest elementary school and southeast McDonald's evacuated due to Friday morning fires
Investigations are underway into what caused a pair of minor fires Friday morning at a northwest Calgary elementary school and a southeast Calgary McDonald's. At at 9:50 a.m. fire crews responded to reports of a fire in a classroom at Sunnyside School, on the 200 block of 7 Street N.W. A Calgary Fire Department spokesperson said the school was quickly evacuated and the blaze put out with a fire extinguisher. No injuries were reported. There was no structural damage to the building, but some smoke damage to the classroom. At 10:30 a.m., crews were dispatched to the McDonald's on the 5000 block of 130 Ave. S.E. The fire was called in by the alarm company as soon as smoke detectors activated because of a small fire in the fryer. Everyone was evacuated. There were no reports of injuries.
