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CTV News
28-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Graduation a celebration for adult students with disabilities
Graduation a celebration for adult students with disabilities at Place Cartier Adult Education Centre in Beaconsfield. Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual For mature students with disabilities, Place Cartier Adult Education Centre in Beaconsfield offers work skills and social programs. Like all schools, it's grad season for the hard-working folks at the school on Montreal's West Island. Student Stephanie Toriani says it's been a good year. 'Math, English, French, and we have exams as well, but I passed!' she said. The centre is part of the Lester B. Pearson School Board, with 150 mature students with learning challenges. It also offers work training and other vital courses for people 17 years and up living with disabilities. They put together their own graduation day party. Educator Amanda Dowbyhuz says it's all part of the 'Thrive' program. 'Events like this kind of show how they can plan a party,' she said. 'They bring their positive attitudes and their amazing ideas.' With the gym full of dancers and music, student Tevin Morrison-Davis said, 'It's a party and I'm a DJ!' Austin Amato-Reede said the work training experience he received is satisfying because he worked in the coffee shop on-site. 'I'm proud of myself for doing it,' he said. 'My school year was really great.' Morrison-Davis and Amato-Reede added more skills by helping out with the camera work and interview questions. Tevin Davis, Mattew Kennedy and Austin Amato-Reede Tevin Morrison-Davis, Matthew Kennedy and Austin Amato-Reede assist on CTV News video shoot with reporter Christine Long. (Christine Long/CTV News) Programs are all about positive, hands-on learning with tangible results. 'It's an opportunity for them to practice the leadership skills that they've been honing all year,' said pedagogical consultant Matthew Kennedy. 'We do a lot of events, but this is the main one that is put on by students this year.' Every year is full of accomplishments for these students. '[We] celebrate all our differences and we're all accepting here and we consider ourselves a one big family,' said special education technician Erliza Magajes.
CTV News
18-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Quebec school officials alarmed by $570M budget cut
Education officials in the province were left reeling by the $570-million budget cut announced last week by the CAQ government. This comes on top of a $200 million cut announced in December. Joe Ortona, the president of the Quebec English School Board Association, called the decision 'shameful' and said the impact on services would be devastating. 'Nobody knows where to cut, because all of these services are essential. In the end, some are going to have to make choices between serving breakfast meals and having tutors for kids who are failing classes,' Ortona told CTV News. 'I don't think anybody here is in a good situation, even in the French sector, they're not speaking out publicly, but privately, they're saying this is impossible. In some boards, they're being asked to cut almost $100 million — it is absolutely impossible what this government is asking to do without affecting services to kids.' Education Minister Bernard Drainville is asking English school boards and French-language service centres to cut $510.8 million from the 2025-2026 fiscal year, and an additional $56.9 million from the private schools – for a total of $567.7 million. Judith Kelley, Chair of the Council of Commissioners at the Lester B. Pearson School Board, said schools are scrambling because budget allocations have already been approved. She said her school board is looking at a $32 million cut from its $400 million budget, but there is no flexibility on things like staff pay. 'We have to start looking at difficult decisions,' she said. 'The minister will say 'You won't need to cut in classrooms, you won't need to do anything that will affect students,' but yes students will be affected.' For example, special education, sports, and arts programs may be affected. 'I just don't think we can do what we're being asked to do,' said Kelley. During a scrum on Wednesday, Drainville argued that since 2018, the education budget has grown by seven per cent each year. He added that while this year's increase is just five per cent, the overall budget is still rising by $1 billion. 'What I told the service centres [and school board] is that they need to manage their existing funds more effectively: to be more efficient, to respect the budget without cutting services for students or at the very least to keep it to a minimum,' Drainville explained, adding that a seven per cent increase is unsustainable. 'I acknowledge that it will take a lot of work. I am asking for everyone to make an effort. There will be difficult decision to be made. But after a 58 per cent increase of the education budget, I think the time has come to consolidate and make better use of the funding that has been allocated.' Ortona rejected Drainville's claim that school boards and service centres simply need to manage their funding better, pointing to the SAAQclic and Northvolt scandals as examples of government mismanagement. 'Essentially, they're asking children to sacrifice their education and their future and their success for the mistakes of this government, I just think that that's indecent on their part. They should be ashamed that that's where they're resorting to,' Ortona said. 'They have adopted an education model now that absolutely allows them to get away with doing these kinds of things, because nobody in the French system is able to speak out. They have no elected officials that represent them. Everybody is accountable to and answers to the Ministry of Education and the government of Quebec.' When asked about the salary increases in collective agreements signed over the last few months, Ortona said he expected teaching and support staff positions to be cut. 'The government is washing their hands of it. All they're saying is, 'Well, if you face grievances because you've abolished positions that you've promised to the unions, that's your responsibility, and you're going to have to deal with that.' Again, a complete mismanagement of education,' he said. The president said that boards and associations would be working through the summer, crushing numbers and trying to make everything fit. In recent days, several service centres have also decried the new round of budget cuts.
CTV News
29-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Ottawa beach volleyball tournament brings students together, rain or shine
Students take part in the Sandstorm beach volleyball tournament in Ottawa. May 29, 2025. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa) Students from Ottawa area high schools and from throughout Ontario and Quebec are taking part in a large outdoor beach volleyball tournament. 'Sandstorm' is one of the largest high school beach volleyball tournaments in North America, according to organizers. On Thursday, 340 teams, comprising of around 1,500 athletes, gathered to play at sand courts behind the Richcraft Sensplex in Gloucester. 'It sold out in about 24 hours,' says organizer Sarah McCaffrey. She says there are teams from Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto, and even Montreal at the event. 'It's such a fun year-end event for coaches and students alike.' The tournament is also a fundraiser, with proceeds going to supporting underprivileged youth, providing uniforms, equipment, travel, and sport leadership bursaries. 'There's so many great things about sport. And what I noticed when I started teaching at Lester B. Pearson 20 years ago, is that not everyone has that access to sport that I did. And so, I tried to figure out what I could do about it,' says McCaffrey. The day started with substantial rain and cooler weather, eventually calming around the lunch hour. That didn't stop participants from having fun. 'Usually it's a bit sunnier, but it's just a good way to get out. There's a bunch of schools here. It's just nice to see people,' says De La Salle High School Grade 12 student Sophie Hynes. Her team dressed up in costumes. 'It's our last year playing together, so we wanted to go all out,' she says. Sandstorm beach volleyball De La Salle High School Grade 11 and 12 students dressed in costumes for the Sandstorm beach volleyball tournament in Ottawa. May 29, 2025. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa) 'I've never seen this many volleyball courts in my life before. It's pretty heart-touching, seeing this sport that I love, you know? Everybody enjoys their time, having a good time. And it makes me smile and makes me happy,' says Grade 12 Student Tyler Dolroso, who travelled with his team from Scarborough. 'I just love to hear them say like, 'that was so much fun; we love volleyball.' This is such a great time and that's all I can ask for — just them having a great time and being such good kids,' says Dolroso's coach, Melanie MacLean.
