Page 65 – Algonquin Times

Police investigating break-in at Ottawa’s mayor office

Local CTV: Mayor Mark Sutcliffe’s office at city hall was broken into to overnight. The Ottawa police investigating the break-in say it does not seem like it was politically motivated. “Staff discovered the break-in when they arrived at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday,” Sutcliffe said. The Ottawa Police Service told CTV News in an email that officers […]

Caroline Kirkey

Photos:

March 7, 2024
Revised: March 7, 2024 8:01am

Local

CTV: Mayor Mark Sutcliffe’s office at city hall was broken into to overnight. The Ottawa police investigating the break-in say it does not seem like it was politically motivated.

“Staff discovered the break-in when they arrived at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday,” Sutcliffe said. The Ottawa Police Service told CTV News in an email that officers were called to the scene at around 8:30 a.m.

Although, the mayor’s office was broken into, his private office was not.

Ottawa Police and Sutcliffe have not provided anymore details about the break-in but officers are still investigating the scene.

National

National Post: The Parliamentary Budget Office is predicting a higher federal deficit of $7 billion.

The PBO released their economic report on Tuesday forecasting that the government will have a $46.8-billion deficit this year. The prediction is higher than what the Liberals had predicted of $40.1 billion.

“It certainly does not suggest that we are returning to balanced budgets, probably smaller deficits than what we have seen,” said Yves Giroux, a parliamentary budget officer. “Although, again, it’ll depend on how much new spending is in the government’s budget when it’s tabled next month.”

One surprise could be unexpected moves on interest rates. Giroux potentially sees the Bank of Canada making cuts to interests rates in the beginning of April, but it may not happen.

International

CBC: A global outage hit Meta’s social media sites Facebook and it other social media platform Instagram, Tuesday morning.

Tracking website Downdetector.com, reported that more than 300,000 reports of power outages for Facebook and 40,000 for Instagram.

The outages impacted hundreds of thousands of users.

The company addressed the outages in a post at 12:07 p.m. ET. “We are recovering from an earlier outage impacting Facebook Login, and services are in the process of being restored.”

“We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused,” the company’s update said.

News

Caroline Kirkey

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Turning the things you enjoy into a money-making side hustle

Hobbies are a great way to build a business on your own terms and schedule, workshop participants hear

Zhiqi Zhou

Photos: Zhiqi Zhou

March 6, 2024
Revised: March 6, 2024 1:24pm

Photo: Zhiqi Zhou

Students with Stephen Gagne (middle, blue shirt) at the end of the workshop.

In a workshop organized by the Entrepreneurship Centre, students received tips and tricks to help them turn their hobbies into side hustles.

The event took place on Feb. 28 and coincided with Algonquin College’s mid-term break week, so only seven people attended.

Stephen Gagne, entrepreneurship officer at Algonquin College, said there are many students who want to build their own business, but they struggle with not having enough time.

“The whole idea of putting this session and sessions like this one together is to break the idea that entrepreneurship has to be a full-time commitment,” Gagne said. “If you have a couple of hours, you can build something in a couple of hours, and if you have 20 hours, you can build something in 20 hours.”

The good thing about a side hustle is that it’s less risky.

“What’s so nice about the side hustles is that the risks are so low. You may lose a couple of bucks and you’re gonna lose a few hours, but you can make that back,” Gagne said.

The workshop discussed turning problems into profit, getting paid to do what you love, executing the part-time hustle and finding the first client.

Gagne says the hardest part is actually getting the first customer. “It’s not impossible to do what you already love to do and have someone else pay you for it, but for a lot of people, that’s where the biggest challenge is,” Gagne said.

Rina Megia, a Level 1 baking and pastry arts student at Algonquin College, said she saw the event on the HireAC calendar and decided to attend.

“I’m hoping to sell my goods, but through this workshop, I’ve become aware of certain regulations. Perhaps that’s something I need to look into,” said Megia.

Abdu Zawawi, a Level 2 project management student who already has his own business, found the workshop helpful for those who want to develop a side hustle.

“This workshop gives me resources that I couldn’t have access to before,” Zawawi said. “It offers a startup perspective that guides me in presenting myself to clients, determining price points and how to deal with the first stress of starting anything.”

For starting a side hustle, Gagne’s advice is don’t make it your main career. If you want to start the program, then do it small.

“I wanted it to be something you can walk away from; however, if it is your full-time income, you can’t really walk away and you’re kind of stuck in it,” Gagne said. “Start with something that only takes a few hours a week to find out if you want to do this for money.”

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Zhiqi Zhou

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International learners hope to connect better with domestic students

The first-ever International Student Town Hall focused on how to overcome barriers between international and domestic students

Shaun Klepko

Photos: Shaun Klepko

March 6, 2024
Revised: March 8, 2024 3:36pm

Photo: Shaun Klepko

Sierra Lee and Niamh O'Shea, co-chairs of the International Student Advisory Committee, organized Algonquin College's first-ever International Student Town Hall, held on Feb. 28 in the D-building.

Over 40 Algonquin College learners, both international and domestic, came together on Feb. 28 for the inaugural International Student Town Hall.

The event happened in Salon A, in the D-building, and also included over a dozen learners from AC’s Perth and Pembroke campuses who joined via Zoom. The event focused on discussing how international students could better connect with their domestic peers.

“It can be hard to relate because you have different life experiences,” said Vedant Veghela, a first-year biotechnology student from India. “Your cultures can be so different.”

Sierra Lee is a director for the AC Students’ Association, but also co-chair of the AC International Student Advisory Committee and an organizer of the event.

“We’ve had a lot of talks within our committee and from the learners’ side,” said Lee. “We do quite a few surveys through the ISAC, the International Education Centre and the Students’ Association. Also, we’re just speaking with students on an everyday basis. We really found that the biggest struggle that a lot of international students face is: how do we connect with domestic students? How do domestic students connect with us? There’s cultural barriers. There’s language barriers.”

“Sometimes, I feel like ‘I cannot express this, so I should not express this’,” said Veghela.

After a brief introduction, the organizers asked attendees to discuss barriers between international and domestic learners, as well as ways to decrease those barriers. Each table of attendees came up with their own list of answers.

Whether they came from India, China, Africa, Vietnam or Canada, all participants listed similar barriers, such as feeling lost in an unfamiliar setting, being unfamiliar with different cultures or even lacking time to socialize.

“International students often come here just to study,” said Amina Shahin, a first-year technical writer student from India. “They are not necessarily looking for events. We have a lot at stake because we spent a lot of money to be here.”

Niamh O’Shea is AC’s manager of international student integration, co-chair of the ISAC and the main organizer of the event.

“These challenges may exist, but there are things we can do to overcome them,” said O’Shea. “We have 97 clubs across our campuses. We want to make sure those clubs are right in front of students when they want to get involved.”

Attendees also suggested engaging with international students on social media apps they enjoy, such as WeChat or Line, and hosting more traditional cultural events.

“Food at events,” said O’Shea. “That is also a good incentive.”

The organizers provided free pizza and cookies for attendees, and raffled off a $75 gift card for AC’s Connections store. In the coming week, the ISAC will raffle off a second Connections gift card to all attendees who complete an email survey from the ISAC.

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Sorority raises money for the MS Society by playing pool

Delta Psi Delta hosted their 32nd annual pool tournament where sorority sisters got to play pool for a good cause

Stephanie Taylor

Photos: Stephanie Taylor

March 6, 2024
Revised: March 6, 2024 1:03pm

Photo: Stephanie Taylor

Algonquin College students and Delta Psi Delta sisters (from left to right) Karine Joseph, Jacquelyn Mills and Adriana Cote during the pool tournament at MacLaren's on Elgin on Feb. 29.

Adriana Cote, a third-year student in the computer engineering technology program, knew she wanted to join a sorority the minute she heard them described as friendship clubs.

“Ever since COVID-19, my social life has gone down the drain,” said Cote. “When I heard about sisterhood and how [sorority sisters] all support each other, I really liked that, the idea of having a group of friends to support you.”

While friendship was Cote’s main reason for joining a sorority; getting to do charity work has been an added bonus.

Cote and her sorority sister Karine Joseph, a second-year photography student, signed up as a team for the 32nd annual pool tournament hosted by their sorority, Delta Psi Delta.

Delta Psi Delta is a Canadian National Sorority with chapters throughout Ontario. The sorority’s Alpha Chapter is located in Ottawa and includes students from Algonquin College, the University of Ottawa and Carleton University.

The pool tournament was held at MacLaren’s on Elgin on Feb. 29.

Delta Psi Delta has been hosting their annual pool tournaments since 1991. Their goal is to raise money for charities. This year, the money raised went to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.

“[The MS Society] is one of the charities we support every year,” said Maya Maayergi, the pool tournament’s event planner.

Delta Psi Delta had a past member with MS, which is why the charity is so important to the sorority.

“Each of the teams of two paid $20. We also have the raffle, so we’re charging money for the tickets for that,” said Maayergi. “All that money goes to the MS Society.”

All the raffle prizes were donated by local businesses, allowing the sorority to raise more money without having to spend any themselves. The raffle prizes included a throw blanket, a movie basket and a necklace.

Through the entrance fees and the raffle tickets, Delta Psi Delta was able to raise $506 for the MS Society.

Eight teams registered for the pool tournament. Two teams would face off and whichever team won two games first would move on to the next round.

Cote and Joseph had never played pool before participating in the tournament, so they weren’t shocked when they lost both of their games in the first round.

“I’m just here to have fun,” said Cote. “I got some balls in, so that’s not bad.”

Joseph believes, despite her loss, paying $10 to participate was worth it.

“I got to have some fun and donate to a great charity,” said Joseph.

Philanthropy is one of three pillars important to the sorority. The other two pillars are academia and sisterhood.

“You join the sorority because you care about those pillars,” said Jacquelyn Mills, a second-year student in the hotel and restaurant operations management program.

Mills joined Delta Psi Delta back in 2019 when she attended Carleton University, and is now an active alum of the sorority. Having been a part of the sorority for the past four years, Mills knows first-hand how important these events are for raising money.

“We could donate this money individually, but I feel like it’s the act of getting everyone together and having events that really helps,” said Mills.

The next charity event the sorority will take part in is the Relay For Life on March 8 at Carleton University. The Relay for Life raises money for the Canadian Cancer Society.

“I don’t know how much we’ve donated over the years, but I feel like we have had a positive impact on the community,” said Mills.

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Stephanie Taylor

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Midweek Memes

Take a break from the midweek stress and enjoy these silly memes!

Emma Stronge

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March 6, 2024
Revised: March 6, 2024 1:03pm

Take a break from the midweek stress and enjoy these silly memes!

Fun Stuff

Emma Stronge

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St. Patrick’s Day Word Search

Unveil the hidden treasures of this St. Patrick’s Day word search. Print it! Answers

Emma Stronge

Photos:

March 6, 2024
Revised: March 6, 2024 12:57pm

Unveil the hidden treasures of this St. Patrick’s Day word search.

Print it!

Answers

Activities | Fun Stuff

Emma Stronge

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March Horoscopes

Emma Stronge

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March 6, 2024
Revised: March 6, 2024 12:58pm

Fun Stuff | Horoscopes | Uncategorized

Emma Stronge

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OCAA silver medal ends Algonquin Wolves women’s basketball win streak

The loss against the Lambton Lions cost the previously undefeated team a chance to play in the national championship

Nathalia Lencioni

Photos: Mike Bousfield

March 5, 2024
Revised: March 5, 2024 2:01pm

Photo: Mike Bousfield

The Wolves women's basketball team and coaching staff pose with their their silver medals at OCAA final game in Sarnia, Ont. March 3.

After an undefeated season and a triumphant win against the St. Clair Saints in the semi-finals, the Algonquin Wolves lost the gold medal to the Lambton Lions in an intense OCAA final game in Sarnia, Ont. on March 3.

“It was an amazing experience being in the position to fight for a gold medal,” said Dasia McDonald, a Wolves guard who was named a tournament all-star after the game. “These girls are my best friends and as much as this wasn’t the outcome we wanted, I wouldn’t want to lose this game with a different group of girls.”

The Wolves and Lions were ranked first of their regions, however, the Lions had the advantage of playing on their home court. They started the game at a fast pace, getting 10 points ahead before the Wolves could find their rhythm.

The Wolves’ defence maintained their energy and attempted to slow down the fierce Lions offence throughout the game. They recovered slightly from a slow start, but still finished the first quarter behind 13 points.

The Lions started the second half with fast and aggressive offence, continuing to pose a challenge to the Wolves, who shot only 18 per cent compared to the Lions’ 55 per cent. The first half ended 50-19 for the Lions.

The Wolves did not completely recover from a difficult first half. The third quarter ended with the Lions ahead 30 points.

The final quarter quickly became the highest-scoring quarter for the Wolves, however despite the team’s valiant efforts, the intense game ended at 78-56 for the Lions.

Wolves coach Jaime McLean said two moments in the game stood out to him.

“The never-give-up spirit the team played with,” said McLean. “And being able to outscore Lambton in the second half.”

McLean said he was also impressed with Cianah Miller’s performance.

“She played with such grit and perseverance,” said McLean. “She truly earned the player of the game award as well as tournament all-star.”

Although the Wolves did not get to play at home, they were surrounded by a committed crowd of friends and family who travelled seven hours to cheer them on. The crowd wore the team colours as well as hard hats due to the tradition of giving the player of the game a hard hat at their post-game celebrations.

McDonald said the cheering from the crowd and interactions with the opposing team’s fans moved her.

“They [Wolves fans] travelled for hours to come and support us and they did not disappoint,” said McDonald. “Having the opposing team’s fans come up to you and say what an amazing player you are is another amazing feeling, because it brings the realization that all the hard work and dedication that’s put in is paying off.”

Wolves guard Cianah Miller playing offence at the semi-final game against — Wolves guard Cianah Miller goes on the offence in the semi-final game against the St. Clair Saints in Sarnia, Ont. on March 2. Photo credit: Mike Bousfield

“Even though we didn’t get the results we wanted,” said Miller, “it was still an amazing experience and opportunity for me personally and there is no other group of people I would rather experience all of it with. I am very proud of us and the things we have accomplished this season.”

McDonald has received several accolades, including her third-straight OCAA first team all-star award, her second-straight OCAA East player of the year and OCAA East defensive player of the year, according to the Algonquin Wolves web portal.

“We know the work that needs to be put in for next year so we can walk away with a gold medal and a chance to play in nationals,” said McDonald.

After the Wolves players and coaching team received silver medals, McLean said he is very proud of the team.

“This team was 16-1 over the year losing to a very hot-shooting Lambton Lions in the OCAA final,” said McLean. ” A win-loss record of 32-2 over the last two years. I could not be more proud of this phenomenal group of young women.

“This team is what coaches dream about. They play for each other over themselves. They care for their opponents and the integrity of the game,” McLean added. “They are always wanting more knowledge. Best of all they don’t want to stop playing together, so we get to go back at it again to try and make last year’s bronze and this year’s silver even more worth it pushing for gold.”

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AC Hub celebrates Pink Shirt Day with Mean Girls and anti-bullying messages

Raivyn Halcro, the event's programmer, says the main purpose of the event was to give positive vibes to students

Zixuan Li

Photos: Zixuan Li

March 5, 2024
Revised: March 5, 2024 11:33am

Photo: Zixuan Li

Amina Shahin, a technical writer student, shows her anti-bullying message on the little pink shirt cardstock.

Amina Shahin, a technical writer student, said the “miracle” that saved her from being bullied was that she became an extrovert instead of an introvert.

“I put myself out there more,” Shahin said. “Yeah, like [I] broke the ice and then I made friends. I took an effort to make friends. So those haters, they sort of faded into the back.”

Shahin shared her experience with bullying and the importance of spreading the anti-bullying message at the Pink Shirt Day event on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at the AC Hub.

“I learned how to be myself with everyone, regardless of if they were rude or not,” she said. “And in the process, I found people who actually liked me.”

“On Wednesdays, we wear pink,” is the iconic quote from the Mean Girls movie that inspired AC Hub staff to screen the movie for Pink Shirt Day.

Pink Shirt Day is an annual event that encourages people to wear pink shirts to raise awareness of anti-bullying. It typically occurs on the last Wednesday of February.

The blackboard outside of AC Hub indicating the Pink Shirt Day. Photo credit: Zixuan Li

Different from previous years, this year’s Pink Shirt Day took place during the reading week. So only about 10 to 20 people participated in the event.

Rather than organizing an energetic event, the primary activity was to relax on the couch, watch the movie Mean Girls and enjoy the little pink cupcakes offered by the AC Hub.

“This week, unfortunately, is reading week,” said Raivyn Halcro, the event programmer at AC Hub. “So, we want to do something that’s low maintenance and very passive for students to drop into, especially post exam-week.”

“[Pink Shirt Day] is an event that happens kind of Canada-wide to represent or present anti-bullying,” said Halcro. “The promotion of wearing pink is just reminding the students of the importance of anti-bullying and how bullying can take place not only in middle school or high school, but also at college.”

Amanda Rickerd, the AC Hub Coordinator, presents her positive message on the little pink shirt cardstock. Photo credit: Zixuan Li

“We’re obviously a very diverse campus with a lot of people, of all ages, from around the world,” said Samantha Therrien, the event organizer. “I haven’t heard of anything bullying-specific, but I do know that many of our students are younger, like 17 to 18 years old, coming from high school where they may have experienced bullying. So, they might, you know, bring that kind of vibe to campus.”

Apart from watching the movie, AC Hub staff made little pink shirts out of cardstock for people to spread the message of anti-bullying.

“If we promote well-being and anti-bullying, hopefully that’ll get rid of bullying,” Halcro said.

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Board of Governors approves draft budget for 2024-2025

The board expects more information on the international enrolment cap will have an impact on the college's financial projections

Nathalia Lencioni

Photos: Nathalia Lencioni

March 4, 2024
Revised: March 4, 2024 1:49pm

Photo: Nathalia Lencioni

Grant Perry, chief financial officer of Finance and Administrative Services, talks about the draft budget on Feb. 26 at the Board of Governors meeting.

The college will end the current fiscal year with a surplus, according to Grant Perry, chief financial officer of Finance and Administrative Services, but a final 2024-2025 budget may only be approved in June as it depends on more information from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

The college will take into consideration the impact from a federal government decision to decrease international student permits.

The Board of Governors gathered in room T102 at the Ottawa campus on Feb. 26 for their first meeting of the year. The board approved budgets, received reports from several committees and spoke about recruitment for future board members.

Perry presented updated financial projections for fiscal year 2023-24.

“The college is poised to have a stabler year,” said Perry. “And we are pleased that a surplus will be achieved. These funds are critical to the future of the college as we invest in new infrastructure, equipment, facilities, and services. We will continue to remain focused on financial sustainability of operational activities and our cash reserves.”

Normally the board would approve a definitive budget at this time of year. However, the restrictions to international student enrolment caused the board to approve a draft budget. A final budget will be considered when more information is released by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

“The college has a challenging time ahead as we continue to understand the full impact of these recent developments,” said Perry. “As information becomes available, we will be updating and refining our scenarios, and we look forward to presenting you with a budget with more certainty at the Board of Governors meeting on June 3.”

The Board of Governors establishes the governance practices for the college, decides on institutional goals and directions, as well as supervise the performance of the college’s president and CEO Claude Brulé, who was present at the meeting.

A motion to suspend the hairstyling and esthetician programs was mentioned, however, no decision has been made while the Academic and Student Affairs committee awaits further details from program staff and stakeholders. The matter will be discussed at its next meeting on May 14, according to Gabrielle Berard, vice-chair of the committee.

College management also provided updates on two major projects.

The R3 project, which plans to retire the current student information system and replace it with a new system, as well as an updated learner portal, requested that the board approve an up to $20 million expenditure budget for the fiscal year 2024-25. The board passed the motion with one abstention from Robert Harvey, the academic staff representative.

Highlights of the Master Campus Development Plan 2025-2035 framework and an update on the progress of the development plan were presented by Ryan Southwood, executive director of Facilities Management.

The updates included the development of mixed-use learning and residence buildings in the Ottawa campus as well as the possibility of residential building development in Pembroke. The board passed the motion to approve the framework and updates.

A recruitment ad for new board members was published in the Ottawa Citizen on Feb. 3. The application process closes on March 8, and interviews will be conducted from April 10 to 15, according to chair of the board, James McCracken.

Another ad, aiming to hire board members of Indigenous representation was published on Feb. 10 in the Ottawa Citizen. People interested in the position should submit their application directly to the director of Indigenous initiatives, Andre O’Bonsawin.

The next Board of Governors meeting will be held April 29, in Room T102 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The meeting will be open to the public.

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