In the Community
Bruce Power, students and Saugeen Shores making waterfront boardwalks more accessible
Bud Halpin, construction teacher at Saugeen District Secondary School, kneels to get a closer look at the last board being laid on this piece of the new accessibility boardwalk that will be installed at Gobles Grove beachfront in Port Elgin this summer. Bruce Power donated $4,500 to the project.
Students at Saugeen District Secondary School have been hard at work constructing roll-away boardwalks for the Town of Saugeen Shores.
The boardwalks will provide accessibility routes from public areas to the shoreline, adhering to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
“This will be a great improvement for our beachfront, providing persons with mobile restraints and parents with strollers access to the water,” said Jessica Linthorne, Recreation Programs Supervisor at the town.
The first of three boardwalks will be installed at Gobles Groves just south of Port Elgin this summer with the others to follow. Bruce Power provided $4,500 to help cover the material cost for the project.
Bruce Power donates $5,000 to Nawash Library 100th anniversary event
In recognition of the 100th anniversary of the Nawash Library, Bruce Power provided $5,000 towards an event that will showcase the talent and level of sophistication of local Aboriginal authors, artists, musicians and craftspeople. The event will aim to bring Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people together to celebrate and connect through storytelling and art. The event will run from Sept. 27-29. Christine John, right, presented the Bruce Power sponsorship to Daphne Johnston at the library.
Bruce Power supports local Relay for Life events
Luminaries line the walkway for participants at the Saugeen Shore's Relay for Life on June 7.
On June 7, the year’s first Relay for Life event in the region kicked off in Saugeen Shores, raising an impressive $75,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
More than 250 [participated in the 12-hour, overnight walk at Nodwell Park in Port Elgin.
This year, Bruce Power donated $30,000 to support all five walks in the Bluewater Unit. As a major sponsor, Bruce Power was on hand in Port Elgin to speak at the opening ceremonies and welcome the participants.
Additional Relay for Life event held Bruce/ Grey County this summer are:
Georgian Bay – July 12-13
Kincardine – Aug. 16-17
Hanover – Sept. 6-7
Owen Sound – Sept 13-14
For more information on how you can become involved visit www.relayforlife.ca.
Bruce Power exhibits on display at Explore the Bruce launch party
Jessica White, a Bruce Power Development student at the Visitors' Centre, gives a high-five to a young explorer Peter Radford, 2, during the Explore the Bruce Adventure Passport launch party on June 8. The plastic suit was one of the items at the Bruce Power display available for youngsters to try on.
Bruce County Tourism’s Explore the Bruce Adventure Passport held its launch party on Saturday at Tennyson’s in Underwood on June 8, kicking off its ninth season.
Bruce Power development students Nicole Davies and Jessica White were on hand to provide information about Bruce Power to the hundreds in attendance. Participants were able to learn about the world of nuclear energy and had the chance to try on a few pieces of personal protective equipment, while learning more about safe, clean, reliable nuclear energy.
For more than five years, Bruce Power has supported Bruce County Tourism with a donation of $10,000 for the Adventure Passport. There are 12 stops across Bruce County on the Passport this year. Participants must visit a minimum of seven stops to qualify for one of the eight grand prizes.
Bruce Power supports ‘No Regrets’ Program
OSCVI students Tyson Lavallee and Zac McLeod stand with Jake Lawless, the presenter for the No Regrets program. Jake recently shared his story to more than 600 high school students.
In a room filled with more than 600 high school students from Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute, Jake Lawless told his story.
As an injury survivor, Jake is one of the lucky few to have lived through a preventable accident and tell his story. Jake does this through a program called ‘No Regrets’ which provides a powerful presentation to teens to help educate and prevent injuries with smart thinking.
The presentation consists of a video featuring famous Canadians whose lives have been affected by injury, and includes a live talk by someone who has experienced a preventable injury.
In this case it was Jake himself.
With only some roofing experience, Jake’s landlord asked him and his friend to replace the shingles on the roof of the house they rented. Although Jake knew it was unsafe to roof without a harness, he chose to do so anyway. While setting one of the last shingles, Jake stood up too quickly and lost his balance causing him to fall.
He is now a quadriplegic.
Since 2010, Bruce Power has partnered with the No Regrets program through the Parachute organization, with a goal of reducing youth injury in our community. Various messages are provided to students on topics like Buckle up, Look First, Wear the Gear, Get Trained and Drive Sober.
Grey Bruce One World Festival celebrates diversity
One of the many performances put on by local schoolchildren at the Grey Bruce One World Festival in Owen Sound.
Despite the unseasonal weather, it didn’t stop festival-goers attending the third annual Grey Bruce One World Festival in Owen Sound on May 24.
Held in the city’s Market Square under tents, more than 800 schoolchildren, participants and general public took part in the free festival to celebrate diversity.
The festival included a line-up of storytelling, puppetry, music and dance, along with two dozen displays from many local agencies, social-justice, cultural faith groups and First Nations communities.
Bruce Power provided $5,000 to help with event costs and has supported the One World Festival for the past three years.
Bruce Power donates nearly 1,300 binders to local schools
Bruce Power's Environment & Sustainability Department donated 1,279 gently used binders to local schools recently, diverting them from landfills. Northport, Saugeen District, Saugeen Central, St. Joseph's, Huron Heights, John Diefenbaker and GC Houston schools were the first to benefit from this recycling initiative, while plans are in place to expand it to other schools in the future. Francis Chua, middle, Senior Strategist with Bruce Power's Environment and Sustainability Department, presents Northport Principal Bill Colley and Saugeen District Secondary School teacher Dan Weigand with their binders.
Bruce Power funding boosts local Aboriginal education initiatives
From April 26 to May 3, a group of students from GC Huston Public School participated in an exchange program that took them to Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. Bruce Power was pleased to provide $1,000 in support of this program. Above, students from both schools thank Bruce Power for their support.
Several educational programs at GC Huston Public School in Southampton and Peninsula Shores District School (PSDS) in Wiarton received generous support from Bruce Power’s Aboriginal Affairs program recently, with benefits to extend into the next school year and beyond.
“GC Huston and PSDS place a strong focus on Aboriginal education initiatives as a result of their student demographic and close proximity to the two local First Nations,” said James Scongack, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Bruce Power. “Bruce Power is pleased to support that focus.”
Describing how the sponsorship originated, Mike Briggs, Manager, First Nations and Métis Relations explained that Bruce Power met with the Bluewater District School Board last summer.
“The purpose of the meetings was to investigate whether Bruce Power had any role in supporting Aboriginal students in staying in school and finishing Grade 12 successfully,” Mike said.
The discussions continued into 2013 with visits by Mike, Christine John, Communications Specialist, First Nations and Métis Relations, and Karen Smith, Diversity Lead, to the local schools where most of the students from the two local First Nations are enrolled. These discussions resulted in a collection of ideas on how Bruce Power can support the educational path of Aboriginal students.
The sponsorship, totalling almost $15,000, provides support to several programs including funds to purchase iPad Minis to support the ‘Everyone’s a Reader’ program at both schools, and the ‘Everyone’s a Mathematician’ program at GC Huston. New shop supplies at PSDS, the publishing of a book by Grade 6 students at GC Huston and a teacher’s aide at PSDS will also be a result of the funding.
All of this comes on top of the Sports Bursary, which was provided in partnership with the Owen Sound Attack in March, and a donation to the Rankin Inlet exchange program, which GC Huston students recently participated in.
“I cannot get over the level of support that Bruce Power provides for our children,” said Dan Russell, GC Huston’s principal. “The contributions to our outdoor classroom, the generosity with the athletic awards for two of our students, the support of our exchange to Rankin Inlet and now this – all in one year!”
Part of the sponsorship also includes an academic award to be presented in June to Aboriginal graduates who excelled in math or science from Saugeen District Secondary School, PSDS, GC Huston, Northport and Port Elgin Saugeen Central.
Bruce Power donates $25,000 to Ripley 4-H shelter project
Bruce Power donated $25,000 to Huron-Kinloss Township for the South Bruce 4-H Beef Calf Club livestock shelter/pavilion project, to be located on the grounds of the Ripley-Huron Community Centre. The structure will provide shelter for 4-H animals during the annual Ripley Fall Fair, while also being available to the community for other events. The construction phase of the project will begin soon, while additional fundraising is required to install a wheelchair accessible washroom and kitchen facilities, as well as electric side curtains. Bruce Power employees Mike Gallant, left, and Shawn Colling, third from left, are helping the 4-Hers with the fundraising initiative. Celebrating the donation are (left to right) Mike Gallant, Morgan Colling, Shawn Colling, Abby Gibson, Annie Leppington, Dwight Irwin, Bruce Power Communications Specialist, and Ethan Colling.
