Latest news with #CEGEP
CBC
5 days ago
- General
- CBC
High school science teacher's advice leaves lasting mark on student
As part of CBC Quebec's The State of Our Schools project, we asked our audience to share stories of teachers who positively impacted them. Meet high school science teacher Andrea Hawkins, whose words helped a former student through a tough time in CEGEP.
Montreal Gazette
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: Balancing academic freedom with safety on campus
The open letter by CEGEP teachers demanding the resignation of Minister Pascale Déry puts a spotlight on the challenges of maintaining both safety and freedom of speech on campuses and the difficult tightrope the government must walk to navigate this balance. The conflict in the Middle East evokes strong emotions that have exploded into educational spaces. Allegations of harassment and inappropriate use of classroom time has given rise to the investigation by the ministry of higher education. This comes amid another investigation by various groups into dozens of antisemitic, racist and misogynistic slurs by Quebec medical school applicants on the popular social media platform Discord. Schools must remain places where academic freedom and open dialogue are cherished, but there is a limit to this freedom when students do not feel safe on campus and teachers cannot be trusted to maintain neutrality in their course content. The investigation by the ministry aims to ensure a respectful and peaceful climate in our schools. Our government not only has a right to deal with racism and antisemitism head-on, it has an obligation to do so. Marcy Bruck, The Foundation for Genocide Education, Montreal Anglos helped build Quebec, too Re: ' 'Go Habs Go' fiasco wasn't a one-off ' (Allison Hanes, May 2) Allison Hanes has hit the nail on the head. While we mock and criticize the 'language police,' they are doing their job according to the laws and policies of the Quebec government. With its approach and attitude of disrespect — and all-out campaign against the use of English in Quebec — it seems clear the CAQ government refuses to acknowledge the important role the anglophone community has played in the growth and development of our province. Gerry Raven, Hampstead Respect must be a two-way street In his first comments after being sworn in, Prime Minister Mark Carney described Canada as 'a country built on the bedrock of three peoples: Indigenous, French and British,' and called the Crown a link to 'Canada's proud British heritage.' We are used to being hit over the head with notions of Quebec's unique French heritage, but let us not forget that English Canada has a heritage and identity as well. The history of the Crown is intimately tied to all three of our founding peoples. It is the reason the Loyalists fled the American Revolution. It is the source of security for our treaties with Indigenous Peoples. And it offered the continuation of the French language, civil law and Catholic religion at a time when these were under severe pressure from American expansionism. Canada is careful to tiptoe around matters of identity, as Quebec rightly demands respect for its distinct society. But to get respect, you must give respect. Jordan Black, Rosemont Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@ We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one. Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication. Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation. We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument. Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties. Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published. We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
Montreal Gazette
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Dawson student could lose youth medal following investigation into racist Discord channel
By Quebec Lieutenant Governor Manon Jeannotte's office has contacted Dawson College about its investigation into racist trolling on the social media platform Discord by medical school applicants to determine whether to rescind a youth medal awarded to a student, The Gazette can confirm. The Dawson student, who is enrolled in the enriched health science program at the CEGEP, is alleged to be one of the ringleaders of a gang of trolls on the Discord channel Med serveur who had been exchanging a virulent stream of antisemitic and other racist messages since February. On Friday, Discord deactivated the Med serveur channel after inquiries by The Gazette. On May 1, Dawson proclaimed on its website that two of its students had received the lieutenant governor's youth medal at a ceremony in Laval on April 26. Dawson has since taken down that announcement from its website, replacing it with another message that is solely about the other student, who is studying psychology and is not under investigation. Ian Préfontaine, a spokesperson for the lieutenant governor, said on Wednesday that his office will await the outcome of Dawson's investigation before taking any action, if any, about the medal. 'We would like to thank The Gazette for bringing this matter to our attention,' Préfontaine said. 'You can imagine that from our side, we were not aware of the situation. And so we've made a lot of inquiries about this. As a result of the information that we received, we quickly contacted the collegial institution to obtain some clarification about the acts that were denounced.' 'For our part, we are letting the institution continue its investigation, and afterward, we will take the appropriate decisions at the opportune moment,' he added. Préfontaine declined to identify the student, citing provincial privacy legislation. Dawson has also chosen not to make the student's name public. The Gazette has decided not to release the student's name, but has reached out to them through their Gmail account. Still, the individual's name, academic accomplishments and pro-Palestinian activities, including fighting against islamophobia, are well-known by fellow students in the enriched health science program at Dawson, sources have told The Gazette. On Monday, Dawson's director of communications and corporate affairs said the CEGEP's internal probe was making headway. 'The investigation is advancing,' Donna Varrica said. 'We are awaiting clarity on a couple of important points before considering any action or calling it closed. As for any changes to web pages on our website that reference specific students in order to identify them in another context ... I can't comment on that.' Meanwhile, the Service de police de la ville de Montréal has begun its own investigation, even going so far as to share information with the RCMP and CSIS concerning some of the perpetrators. Officially, a SPVM spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny that it is conducting an investigation. The latest controversy at Dawson has attracted international media attention, with two Israeli newspapers reporting on it in recent days. The Times of Israel published a story on Sunday about 'Holocaust jokes and denial on (a Discord) social media platform accessed by 1,400 people.' For its part, the Jerusalem Post wrote about how some 'aspiring doctors (in Quebec) ... spread Holocaust denial, praised the 'Final Solution,' and degraded women.' Although the bulk of the online vitriol was antisemitic, Jewish advocacy group B'nai Brith also captured screenshots that were homophobic, anti-Black and anti-Indigenous. Some of the posts threatened violence against Jews and members of the LGBTQ2S+ community. B'nai Brith Canada has exposed a public Discord server used by Quebec medical school applicants and attendees that became a cesspool of antisemitism, racism, misogyny, and hate. For months, a number ofaspiring doctors openly posted Holocaust denial, praise for the 'Final… — B'nai Brith Canada (@bnaibrithcanada) May 8, 2025 Sources have told The Gazette that 20 to 30 anonymous accounts on the Med serveur channel spewed the hateful content on a daily basis. And when some people on the channel raised objections, they were quickly excluded from the chat group by the moderator. Since Discord took down the channel, hundreds of med school applicants have switched en masse to another server on Discord called ADMISSION MED QC 2024, which had seen little activity since last year. But Sunday afternoon, one user openly praised Hitler as a 'charismatic' orator on the revived channel. On Monday, Quebec Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry condemned the incendiary rhetoric on Discord and appealed to both students and medical school applicants to come forward to assist in the investigation by authorities. In December, Déry opened an inquiry into complaints of racist bullying from students at Dawson and Vanier colleges as part of the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, some academic union leaders have accused Déry of political interference after she demanded Dawson justify the content of a French course discussing Palestinian issues. The racist social media posts are the latest in a string of antisemitic incidents — including firebombing synagogue entrances and shooting at the buildings of private religious schools — that have traumatized Montreal's Jewish community since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas committed the worse massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
National Post
08-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Calgary Stampeders rookie camp: Is high-draft offensive lineman Chris Fortin already CFL-ready?
Article content Article content And before attending UConn, the native of Saint-René, Que., played with Cégep Beauce-Appalaches Condors in Saint-Georges, Que., with whom he was a two-time all-star and named the league's top offensive lineman in 2019. Article content 'Kids in Québec play CEGEP football after they're done high school and prior to university,' explained Stamps director of Canadian scouting Dwayne Cameron. 'So not only do they come to us a little bit older, but they come in a little bit more mature and have played a little bit more high-level football from the time they've been in high school — and I think that shows. Article content 'Rarely are the Québec kids overwhelmed when they first come into training camp, and it's a little bit easier for them to make that transition, I think.' Article content Fortin, 24, appears to be no exception. Article content 'We just come out just a little bit older,' he agreed. 'Because of the CEGEP, we have more time to develop and that definitely helps. On the field, some guys are more explosive and more experienced because they've been a pro for longer even if they're younger. But at the end of the day, it balances back because I'm older and I've developed in Québec and, after that, in the U.S.' Article content Article content Fortin can point to teammate and fellow o-lineman Christy Nkanu for recent precedence in such a blueprint. Article content Coincidentally — or not — Nkanu is from Montreal and was the Stamps' first-round pick — eighth overall, as well — in last year's CFL Draft, and his swift progression with the club during his rookie season was certainly praised. Nkanu, who built his skills in Québec and later the States with the NCAA's Southern Utah Thunderbirds and Washington State Cougars, is also a candidate to play centre for the Stamps. Article content 'Right now, right here, it's probably Christy,' answered Fortin, when asked about who he's looking up to for inspiration these days. 'Just because he's from Québec and been in NCAA and is the guard here. So it's kind of similar to what I'm doing right now. So probably I'm going to try to emulate what he's doing to be the best I can be right now.' Article content Article content Even if centre isn't the fit for him, Fortin boasts the promise of being a massive addition on the interior of the offensive line. Article content 'The more versatile you can be, the more availability you can have for the team,' added Fortin. 'So the more valuable you be, the better for them, because we've got — what? — six or seven o-linemen per game. So the more a guy can be versatile, the better it will be for that guy to be traveling or be on the team at the end of the day. Article content Article content 'I mean … first days of being a pro is in some ways like a dream for me to play pro football, so I'm always a little bit nervous. But same time it's just like, 'OK, now it's just football time' — different football than what I'm used to for the past five years but still football at the end of the day.' Article content Short yardage Article content
Calgary Herald
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Calgary Stampeders rookie camp: Is high-draft offensive lineman Chris Fortin already CFL-ready?
Article content And it's not out of reach, given where he's from and the path he took to get to Calgary. Article content Fortin played 41 games over four seasons (2021-24) with the NCAA's Connecticut Huskies, seeing action at centre, tackle and guard during his career, highlighted by being the starter at left guard during the 2024 season. Article content Article content And before attending UConn, the native of Saint-René, Que., played with Cégep Beauce-Appalaches Condors in Saint-Georges, Que., with whom he was a two-time all-star and named the league's top offensive lineman in 2019. Article content 'Kids in Québec play CEGEP football after they're done high school and prior to university,' explained Stamps director of Canadian scouting Dwayne Cameron. 'So not only do they come to us a little bit older, but they come in a little bit more mature and have played a little bit more high-level football from the time they've been in high school — and I think that shows. Article content 'Rarely are the Québec kids overwhelmed when they first come into training camp, and it's a little bit easier for them to make that transition, I think.' Article content Article content Fortin, 24, appears to be no exception. Article content 'We just come out just a little bit older,' he agreed. 'Because of the CEGEP, we have more time to develop and that definitely helps. On the field, some guys are more explosive and more experienced because they've been a pro for longer even if they're younger. But at the end of the day, it balances back because I'm older and I've developed in Québec and, after that, in the U.S.' Article content Fortin can point to teammate and fellow o-lineman Christy Nkanu for recent precedence in such a blueprint. Article content Coincidentally — or not — Nkanu is from Montreal and was the Stamps' first-round pick — eighth overall, as well — in last year's CFL Draft, and his swift progression with the club during his rookie season was certainly praised. Nkanu, who built his skills in Québec and later the States with the NCAA's Southern Utah Thunderbirds and Washington State Cougars, is also a candidate to play centre for the Stamps. Article content 'Right now, right here, it's probably Christy,' answered Fortin, when asked about who he's looking up to for inspiration these days. 'Just because he's from Québec and been in NCAA and is the guard here. So it's kind of similar to what I'm doing right now. So probably I'm going to try to emulate what he's doing to be the best I can be right now.' Article content Article content Even if centre isn't the fit for him, Fortin boasts the promise of being a massive addition on the interior of the offensive line. Article content 'The more versatile you can be, the more availability you can have for the team,' added Fortin. 'So the more valuable you be, the better for them, because we've got — what? — six or seven o-linemen per game. So the more a guy can be versatile, the better it will be for that guy to be traveling or be on the team at the end of the day. Article content 'I mean … first days of being a pro is in some ways like a dream for me to play pro football, so I'm always a little bit nervous. But same time it's just like, 'OK, now it's just football time' — different football than what I'm used to for the past five years but still football at the end of the day.' Article content
