Latest news with #Fortin
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
Montreal Gazette
30-04-2025
- Health
- Montreal Gazette
Patients are choosing hypnosis over anesthesia in Quebec hospitals
Health News By In her mind, 14-year-old cancer patient Michelle Yaa Henewaa was flying first class on her way to go shopping in downtown Tokyo. In reality, doctors were puncturing her back to collect spinal fluid at the Montreal Children's Hospital, where she lay on an X-ray table in a dimly lit radiology room. Yaa Henewaa did not receive any anesthetic for the procedure. Instead, she opted to be hypnotized to manage the pain. Hypnotist and medical imaging technologist Vicky Fortin snapped her fingers behind Yaa Henewaa's head as she counted down from 10 and described the dreamlike shopping trip in Tokyo, a technique used in hypnosis to help the patient dissociate. 'This trip is coming to an end,' Fortin whispered as doctors wiped blood from the patient's back. Yaa Henewaa is one of more than 400 patients at the Children's Hospital who have chosen hypnosis over anesthetic, Fortin said. Increasingly in Quebec hospitals, health-care professionals have been offering hypnosis to patients who need alternative pain management. When Yaa Henewaa's T-cell lymphoma was diagnosed in January 2024, she had a cancerous mass in her chest. The doctors told her anesthesia would be too risky because when her organs relaxed under anesthetic, the mass could press against the airways, making it hard to breathe. She said she was 'freaked out' the first time she was hypnotized because she still had some awareness of her surroundings during the procedure, which she said wouldn't have been the case were she sedated. Despite the peculiarity of the experience, she was excited to try hypnosis because she 'never believed' it was possible to use it as pain relief in a medical setting 'until they did it.' 'When the needle was going in, I could feel something,' Yaa Henewaa said immediately after the procedure. 'But when (Fortin) continued to talk, I was lost again (in a trance).' Hypnosis is an ancient technique dating back thousands of years and has been studied by European physicians since the 18th century, according to a 2024 medical journal article. Hospitals across Quebec started researching hypnosis as a pain management alternative in the 1990s, according to David Ogez, a clinical psychologist who trains hypnotherapists through the Société Québécoise d'Hypnose (SQH). Its use as a substitute for anesthesia in Quebec hospitals has become increasingly common over the last 10 years, particularly after the Children's Hospital medical-imaging department participated in a hypnotherapy pilot project in 2019, Fortin said. 'We need to learn that pain is not zero or 100; it's somewhere in between sometimes, and we don't need to feel nothing to be able to go through a procedure and be comfortable,' Fortin said, adding that hypnosis can spare a patient the potential risk that comes with general anesthesia. The idea for the pilot project came from a medical conference in France, Fortin explained, where a McGill University Health Centre staffer attended a panel on hypnosis in medical imaging. Ogez said medical hypnotherapy is already common in Europe, particularly France and Belgium. Medical hypnosis research is vibrant in Quebec, too, he said, and the SQH has been researching the subject since the mid-20th century. Ogez has been training health-care practitioners across the province to become hypnotherapists, including in Gaspé, Sherbrooke and Quebec City. Hypnosis is used for pain management for 'surface level' medical procedures, said Ogez, such as colonoscopies, biopsies, dental work, needlework and catheter insertions. It's not used for major operations like open heart surgery, but Ogez said hypnosis is a useful tool for pain management during small yet painful procedures. Ahead of the procedure, the patient chooses somewhere they would like to 'travel' during their trance, Fortin explained. Yaa Henewaa chose shopping in Tokyo; another teenage cancer patient, Sofia Pezet, said she had chosen 'a day at school' or 'soccer practice' as her destinations, because she has been absent from both since her non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis two months ago. The hypnotherapist then asks the patient to focus on something like their breathing, the sound of the hypnotist's voice or their fingers moving from side to side. Then they count down from 10, at each step cueing the patient to deepen their relaxation before the hypnotist begins describing their trip. Fortin said one trick is to engage all the patient's senses, which makes the story more lifelike. 'She can walk and she feels the floor, the movement and then the sounds of the car in the street and the smell of the food,' Fortin explained after the procedure. She said it was helpful that Yaa Henewaa chose a story involving an airplane. 'The plane is a good tool to do a dissociation. You leave everything behind and you fly away,' Fortin said. 'The more you will dissociate the patient from their body in the story, the deeper they will go into trance, and the less they feel.' In order for hypnosis to work, the patient also must be willing and open to getting hypnotized. Fortin said anyone can be hypnotized, but Ogez emphasized that kids are strong candidates. 'It's easy for children because they have a lot of creativity' and imagination, he said. 'We tell them a story, they get right into it. With adults, on the other hand, we need to distract their rationality a little more,' he said. The patient also must be older than eight or the medical team might determine that the patient should not be put in an 'altered state' because of other confounding factors, said MUHC child life specialist Anna Paliotti, who also performs hypnosis at the Children's Hospital. Anyone can be a hypnotist, Fortin said. Being a doctor isn't a prerequisite — all that's needed is to go through a 60-hour training course, learn the basic techniques of hypnosis, and practise. Many patients are hypnotized because sedation is too dangerous. But for some it's a preference. When Yaa Henewaa was hypnotized in March, the cancerous mass in her chest was much smaller than it was during her initial diagnosis. She has received anesthetic several times over the last year, having gone to the hospital at least twice a month since early 2024. She chose to be hypnotized again in part because she wouldn't have to face the side-effects of anesthetic, including drowsiness and numbness. After waking up from the spinal tap, she said she felt 'pretty normal.' 'The aftermath is pretty cool because with the anesthesia sometimes I feel dizzy and stuff for almost my whole way home,' she said. 'This one is OK.' Leora Schertzer montrealgazette Leora Schertzer is a reporter at the Montreal Gazette who thrives on the chase. Whether it's making a documentary about sewage or investigating a Nazi gold scandal, it's the novelty and adrenaline that keep her in this challenging industry. Send her tips at lschertzer@
Global News
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- Global News
Quebec's failed SAAQclic project could cost $500M, inquiry hears
A public inquiry examining a failed digital shift by Quebec's automobile insurance board heard Monday it could end up costing the province nearly half a billion dollars more than initially planned. Alain Fortin, Quebec's interim auditor general, testified that cost overruns could mean the final tally for the so-called SAAQclic project will come in at $1.1 billion by 2027, nearly $500 million more than was budgeted. The project was expected to cost $638 million over 10 years when launched in 2017. Fortin noted that the board no longer tracks operating costs, and the assumption by the auditor was that operating costs would be at least what was initially budgeted in 2017. The projected total includes costs for services that are already implemented and others that haven't been completed. However, several phases are on hold without firm deadlines for completion. 'The $1.1 billion includes future costs, actual costs, all costs combined. It could be more …. If they want to get what they wanted at the beginning, it could be more,' Mr. Fortin told the inquiry. Story continues below advertisement Earlier this month, Premier François Legault questioned the auditor general's calculations at the national assembly, arguing that 'the cost of the program' and 'the cost of maintenance' should be calculated separately. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Fortin insisted that it was necessary to 'compare apples with apples.' He noted that the board no longer tracks operating costs and the auditor general report estimated the operation cost will come to at least what was initially budgeted in 2017. The digital transformation was supposed to provide a one-stop platform for renewing licences, scheduling driving tests and performing other tasks without needing an in-person meeting. It ended up creating headaches for the provincial government in 2023 as frustrated citizens were stuck waiting in massive lineups at branches attempting to get services that should have been available online. Much of Fortin's testimony was based on the auditor's report published in February 2025, which found SAAQclic was a failure and the board, the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, blew through its budgets with little to show. Some of the problems were known in 2022 before the system became operational, but management claimed the system was proceeding according to plan. 'In fact, the implementation of the new computer system caused significant problems and has not yet generated the expected benefits,' the auditor general wrote. 'Two years after its implementation, problems persist.' Story continues below advertisement The inquiry, headed by Denis Gallant, a Montreal municipal court judge, must submit its report by Sept. 30. After the auditor's report, Éric Caire was forced to resign as minister of cybersecurity and digital technology. Legault's government established the public inquiry to shed light on what went wrong with the implementation of the software for the board.
Winnipeg Free Press
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
Quebec's failed auto insurance digital shift could cost $500M, inquiry hears
MONTREAL – A public inquiry examining a digital shift by Quebec's automobile insurance board is hearing it could end up costing the province nearly half-a-billion dollars, more than initially planned. Alain Fortin, Quebec's interim auditor general, testified today that cost overruns could mean the final tally for the so-called SAAQclic project will come in at $1.1 billion by 2027. Fortin told the inquiry today the bill could be even higher if the province aims to get all the services it wanted in the beginning. The failed digital transformation, an estimated $500-million over budget, was supposed to provide a one-stop platform for renewing licences, scheduling driving tests and performing other tasks without needing an in-person meeting. But the system has not worked properly and Premier François Legault's government established a public inquiry commission to shed light on what went wrong. During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. The commission of inquiry, headed by Montreal municipal court Judge Denis Gallant, must submit its report by Sept. 30. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2025.
