Latest news with #ScoutsCanada
Cision Canada
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Cision Canada
CALLING FOR A NEW CANADIAN SUPERHERO FOR KIDS BY KIDS
OTTAWA, ON, June 3, 2025 /CNW/ - Scouts Canada (the country's leading co-ed youth organization) is nurturing the nations need for a new Canadian Superhero NOW! Canadians are embracing 'elbows up' and need a homegrown superhero now more than ever. a) Calling on our kids to get creative: Scouts is launching a nationwide contest to kids between the ages of 5-15 to create a new quintessentially Canadian superhero complete with a hand drawn picture, a name, special powers and a backstory. The top three (3) drawings/ superhero concepts will be turned into 3D action figures, sent to winning creative kids and will be showcased on the Scouts Canada website (for national bragging rights.) "Canada is currently having a proud 'national moment', and every Canadian is looking for a way to celebrate our country in their own way … so far, kids haven't had a tangible way to join in," said Liam Burns, CEO, Scouts Canada. "We wanted to let kids communicate the values and pride they feel being Canadians while tapping into the incredible creativity of our kids on a national scale." b) Don't we have Canadian superheroes? While we certainly have many real-world heroes like Terry Fox, Rick Hansen and Roberta Bondar, Canada is a little underrepresented in the fictional superhero world. We have Captain Canuck, Captain Canada and (technically) Wolverine, Sabretooth and Deadpool, but not really enough to fill a Canadian Hall of Justice. c) Aurora Paralysis, The Moose Meld, and Timbit Teleportation: To get an idea of the superhero savvy of the average Canadian, Scouts also ran a national survey of 1,000 random Canadians and asked them serious superhero questions like: Rank in order, the top 10 superpowers that a new Canadian superhero should have: Aurora Paralysis: Ability to use the Aurora Borealis to stun and blind foes. Eh+: Ability to make any event a little more fun (and maybe more polite) by tapping into 'Canuckness.' Bilingual Blaster: Speak perfect English and French — at the same time — confusing and charming foes into submission. Beaver Barrage: Ability to launch razor sharp (fully biodegradable) woodchips from front teeth. Maple Manipulation: Ability to shoot maple syrup from wrists to immobilize criminals Timbit Teleportation: Instantly transport between Tim Hortons locations. Moose Meld: Instantly mind meld with a moose anywhere in Canada to carry out dangerous missions. 'Beaver' bites (Ability to chew through wood of any kind) Tactical Tuqueing: Power to turn any random tuque into a helmet harder than a Yukon Snowbank. Zamboni Zapper: Command any Zamboni to (slowly) run over foes. d) No Respect? Are Canadian Superhero's second-class super-beings? Asked if Canadian superhero's get the same respect as American, a combined 73.5% said 'yes' (47.54%) or 'maybe' (25.50%) they don't! A further 73.70% of Canadians think Canadian superheroes are 'not well represented' in the world of superheroes. e) What do you call a collective of Canuck Heroes? Asked what to name an all-Canadian group of superheroes, Canadians said: The Eh' Team The Beaver Battalion The Mounties of Mayhem The Eh' Vengers The Sorry Not Sorry Squad The Timbit Task Force The Loon Platoon The Toque Titans The Lumberjack Legion The Flannel Force The Igloo Avengers The Poutine Posse The Evil Doer Control Board (EDCB) f) Key contest details: Starting Tuesday, June 3 rd, Canadian kids will be asked to upload a hand drawn (not AI) image of their original Canadian superhero along with a 100 word description of their name/super powers/and backstory to the Scouts Canada website HERE Kids can upload their Heroes between June 3 and June 27 th. The winning three (3) 'Hero' creating kids will be announced and showcased on Monday, June 30th and Hero action figures will be created and sent to winners by early August. Images are available HERE About Scouts Canada Kids and young adults in Scouts chart their own path of discovery. Through a variety of fun experiences with friends, outdoor adventures and contributions to their community, Scouts build resilience and skills that set them up for life. Scouts Canada is the country's leading co-ed youth organization, offering programming for children and youth aged 5-26 in multiple languages, reflecting Canada's multicultural landscape and communities. For more information, visit Scouts Canada is a not-for-profit organization (Charitable Registration No.10776 1694 RR0028) and a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.
CBC
24-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Bow Valley kids picking berries to keep bears away from G7
Social Sharing There surely won't be lions or tigers at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., next month, and officials are doing their best to keep bears away, too. As many as 5,000 participants are set to descend on the area in a few weeks, and officials are already working to install security barriers and clear out the area of anything that might attract bears to keep both people and the animals safe. Earlier this week more than 200 local kids began plucking buffaloberry bushes around Kananaskis to detract bears from venturing into the area. The bright red berries are quite popular with bears. "The buffaloberries haven't been cleared out of the area in and around Kananaskis Village for about 15 years. So there's quite a lot of them," said Trevor Julian, the executive director of Friends of Kananaskis Country. The non-profit, which primarily maintains trails around the area, was approached by Global Affairs Canada last year for ideas on how to help with the environmental sustainability of the summit. Removing the buffaloberry bushes was their idea. "That's what we'd suggested to them, that it would be a worthwhile activity to do. It would, one, have the potential to reduce human-wildlife conflict, but also to engage the public and students in it," Julian said. The students, along with a Scouts Canada group from Calgary, took three days this week pulling the bushes right down to their roots — as the berries haven't bloomed yet. They have another four days of work lined up for next week, and another three days the first week of June. "We reached out to schools to see who was interested in participating, doing some service, learning a bit more about the environmental and wildlife conflict," Julian said. Bear killed at G8 The efforts to minimize the wildlife-human contact at the summit come after some lessons learned in 2002, when Kananaskis hosted what was then known as the G8 summit, before Russia was expelled. In 2002, a bear ventured too close to leaders in a tree and was tranquilized. "They shot [it] so it would fall into a net then be moved to a safe place," said John Kirton, a political science professor and the director of the G7 Research Group at the University of Toronto. "But [the bear] missed, fell to the ground and died." Officials from Alberta's Ministry of Public Safety also have plans to erect fencing around bear attractants, as well as electric fencing to keep bears out. "Wildlife is expected to be present in the surrounding environment, and the primary focus will be on the prevention of any close encounters between wildlife and the event's key facilities or areas frequented by attendees," said Sheena Campbell, the director of communications for the ministry. "Staff have and continue to provide guidance on the development of strict protocols for managing food attractants, ensuring that these attractants are properly stored and disposed of to prevent any accidental attraction of wildlife." Julian said delegates will also receive a crash course on wildlife awareness. "Training the delegates — you know, people who aren't used to being in bear country where you're essentially among grizzly bears and black bears — what's the best things you can do to avoid conflict and then also what you should carry. For example, bear spray if you're out in the wilderness and things like that," Julian said.
CBC
12-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Construction set to begin this summer on disability arts hub
Social Sharing After seven years of work to secure a suitable permanent home in Calgary for Canada's largest organization for artists with disabilities, plans for a new facility for the group were unveiled on Tuesday. The National accessArts Centre (NaAC) has been in need of a new building since the roof of its facility at the Fairview Arena collapsed due to heavy snow in 2018. The centre announced on Tuesday it's receiving more than $8.2 million in federal funding to assist with constructing the Multidisciplinary Disability and Community Arts Hub, which will provide a space for the group's use. The $14-million facility will be constructed adjacent to the former Scouts Canada hall in Calgary's northwest neighbourhood of West Hillhurst. The hall is also being transformed into a purpose-designed learning centre for training and producing work by artists with disabilities. Side by side, the facilities will anchor an accessible arts campus in Calgary that will be home to the NaAC, said the group's president and CEO Jung-Suk Ryu. "Today, we are positioning Calgary as the national capital of our disability arts movement," Ryu said on Tuesday. "The roof collapsed seven years ago, and it's been nothing but non-stop hurdles since that time. To now see some light coming out at the end of this tunnel, and just to imagine the faces of our artists when they realize what kind of home we're going to be building for them just gives me goosebumps." The federal government's funding for the centre, which is designed to be a net-zero carbon facility, is being delivered through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program. The new hub will feature a performance venue, arts studio, gallery space for contemporary works completed by artists with disabilities, a cafe, and indoor and outdoor gathering spaces. Ryu added that the hub will also offer after-school community arts spaces that can be used for pop-up exhibitions and concerts, and that it can be repurposed to host small- to medium-sized receptions, weddings and other community events. First launching 50 years ago, NaAC supports more than 350 artists with disabilities in Calgary and southern Alberta. The organization recently opened a community arts hub in Toronto, as well. Calgary Skyview MP George Chahal said the federal government's funding was put in place to allow the participating artists to flourish. "A project like this is so critical for a city and for our members who have disabilities, who need a place to find their passions and dreams through art," Chahal said on Tuesday. A new venue next to the former Scouts Canada building was first announced as a possibility by the NaAC in 2021. The NaAC entered into a deal with the City of Calgary in 2021 to move into the former Scouts Canada building, at the West Hillhurst Civic Building. But the group has faced challenges with the location, such as the front steps and other elements of the building not being accessible. The group has also found itself at an impasse recently with the city over disagreements on how to fund the West Hillhurst building's transformation. On Tuesday, Ryu said the NaAC is launching a capital campaign that will help finance the group's new home.
CBC
30-01-2025
- CBC
Former Scout leader, educational assistant sentenced to 4 years in prison on child pornography charges
Social Sharing A former Scout leader and educational assistant at an elementary school in Hamilton has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to the possession and making of child pornography. Paul Goodman was sentenced on Wednesday in an Ontario Court of Justice courtroom. "This is a difficult sentencing. Mr. Goodman is a 54-year-old man who abused a position of trust," Justice Stephen Brown said Wednesday morning. Goodman is facing three years for possession of child pornography and one year for making it, minus the two days he's already served in custody. He was initially also charged with making child pornography available. Hamilton police said in April 2022 they started investigating after getting a tip from the National Child Exploitation Crime Centre. A search warrant was executed earlier that year and police say they found evidence of child pornography on computer devices. Goodman had been a volunteer with Scouts Canada since 2000, according to the organization. Chair of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board Pat Daly said at the time the board was "shocked and deeply disturbed" by the charges.
