PRÉVENTION CDN-NDG6767 CH. DE LA CÔTE-DES-NEIGES #598,MONTRÉAL, QC,

H3S 2T6514.736.2732

FAX: 514.736.2734

5319 AVE. NOTRE-DAME-DE-GRÂCE,MONTRÉAL, QC

H4A 1L2514.736.2732

FAX: 514.736.2734

E-MAIL:info@preventioncdnndg.orgecoquartier@gmail.com

VISIT US ON THE WEB:

Website: www.preventioncdnndg.org

Facebook: Prevention CDN/NDG

Twitter: @preventioncdnndg

Volume 10 , October 2017Nexus CDN/NDGNexus CDN/NDG

In this edition:

Éco-quartier news

Halloweensafety

Door-to-Doorproject

Interview

Prev events review

Upcomingevents

Terri’s Two CentsYou know how it is when you are in-volved in something for so long youbegin assuming people know whatyou are talking about. Jargon andacronyms can be a little daunting for anewcomer or someone who is unfami-liar with the community. Is there a dif-ference between the CDC and theCRC? Both are in CDN. Is the Table Jeunesse NDG related to the ComitéJeunesse NDG? CIUSS? CLSC? CSSS?What is the CAP Walkley?

Although I may not be able to trans-late the neighbourhoods’ mumbo-jumbo, I can take some time to clarifywho we are at Prevention Côte-des-Neiges—Notre Dame de Grace, andwhat we do, which will include clari-

fying all our long-term programs andshorter-term projects. So, for the nextsix months or so, I will set aside someNexus space to go over each depart-ment (colour), including its history,mandate and which staff does what.With a new batch of team members inour offices, there is no better time thanthe present to describe the PreventionCDN—NDG organigram.

How did Prevention CDN—NDG cometo be? Well, back in the early 80’s theTandem Program was created by theCity of Montréal and the SPCUM (ThePolice Montreal Police Service) in re-sponse to a very high number of homebreak-ins all over the city. A committeewas formed to create the program,then called Operation Tandem, (Tan-dem, like the two seated bicycle,meaning citizens and police workingtogether). Their idea was that short-term contracts (1-2 years) be given to

local community organizations to hirecommunity workers, also known as ani-mators, to work with citizens to findstrategies to create various projects toreflect local needs. Although the Tan-dem Program had been running inNDG since its inception in 1982 by theNDG YMCA, it was not until 1988 whenPrevention NDG was created by atriad of community groups, NDG BlackCommunity Association, NDG Outingand Sports Club and Walkley Resi-dents’ Association. A year later, a Tan-dem office also opened up inCote-des-Neiges. Stay tuned for moreinformation in future editions!

A note to everyone who is running foroffice during these municipal elections.

I’d like to thank those of you whowould like to sit down with us to hearwhat we have to say, or to learn moreabout our programs, but please re-member that we are an apolitical or-ganization. If team members turndown requests, it isn’t because theydon’t want to share the issues that theyface, it is because I have asked themnot to. I don’t want our peoples’ pic-tures under captions like “Prev believesthis, or feels that.” Our longstandingunwritten rule is that we all work withthose in power and have had positiveworking relations with every party andevery counsellor regardless of withwhom they align. We wish you all thebest of luck in yourcampaigns and lookforward to working withyou all, come Novem-ber 5th!

- Terri Ste.Marie

A Tale of Two Districts - The History of Prevention CDN-NDG

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Vandalism in the Green AlleysAs the green alleys begin to be-come numerous in the borough,some of them have recently beenvandalized by taggers. Indeed,the graffiti phenomenon does notspare the green alleys. Whetheron murals or flower boxes, thenumber of tags is constantly in-creasing in the green alleys ofNotre-Dame-de-Grâce. It is ashame to see that some workshave been spoiled by frightful"tags". While they were originally in-tended to prevent the appear-ance of new graffiti, some muralsare targeted by taggers. Same forflower boxes, especially in theMarcil-Oxford green alley. Thetaggers "tag" to be noticed, re-moving them quickly is one of the

best ways to prevent their reap-pearance.

In order to prevent graffiti, manyoptions are available. First, climb-ing plants or bushes along thewalls can restrict access to tag-gers. Then, installing a motion de-tector with a powerful light canalso discourage people intending

to do graffiti in alleys. Then thereare some transparent andweather-resistant coatings on themarket that make the surfacesless porous to prevent other sub-stances from adhering to them.Although this solution is more ex-pensive, it allows removing thegraffiti with a simple cloth. If you would like to remove graffition the wall of your residence, youcan also visit us at our office lo-cated at 6575 Somerled Avenue,suite 206, during our openinghours (Tues-Fri 10 am-6pm and Sat10 am-1pm) to get a graffiti re-moval kit. This kit includes a clean-ing product, a brush, a cloth,safety glasses and a pair of plasticgloves.

- Marc-Antoine Bertrand

Green Alleys Agent for Summer 2017My name is Marc-AntoineBertrand and I am for the Greenalley project agent at the Éco-quartier NDG for the 2017 sum-mer. I am an urban planningstudent at the University of Mon-treal, where my role is mainly tobring new ideas for new greenalley projects, but also to helpNouha, the project manager forthe "Green Alley", with the numer-ous documents and forms thatcome with the implantation of thegreen alleys in Notre-Dame deGrâce.Having the chance to work onthe green alleys project at theÉco-quartier NDG was really moti-vating. I am pleased to havebeen able to participate in proj-ects that will have a direct impacton the environment and the livesof many citizens and that will

allow the occupation of theseoften forsaken places. Alleys rep-resent enormous potential be-cause of their size but also becau-se of their proximity to residences.

In addition to improving thecleanliness and aesthetics of thepublic spaces, the green alley no-tably makes it possible to reducethe heat islands but also to in-crease the land value of neigh-

boring residences. The projectcan also develop a certain senseof belonging and to improve co-habitation in the community.If you want to learn more aboutthe green alley project, you canfind more information on Preven-tion CDN-NDG site http://preven-tioncdnndg.org/eco-quartier/green-lane-ways/or on the City of Montreal websitehttp://ville.montreal.qc.ca/por-tal/page?_pageid=7657,108335572&_dad=portal&_schema=POR-TAL. Why not also take a stroll throughthe different green alleys in NDG?A map of green lanes is availableon the “Regroupement des Éco-quartiers” website(https://www.eco-quartiers.org/ruelle_verte).

- Marc-Antoine Bertrand

Subsidies for Ash TreesNDG Property owners with ashtrees on their property can nowbenefit from financial aid from theCity of Montreal to cut down andreplace their ash trees destroyedby the emerald ash-borer. On August 21st, the City of Mon-treal adopted a by-law that offerssubsidies for cutting down treeswith a maximum diameter of5cm. The subsidy cannot exceedthe cutting fees, or $4000 per

property. Property owners whowould like to take advantage ofthis offer must apply for funding,and indicate that they would liketo be considered for the treeplanting program. The request forfunding must be done once thetree has been cut down. To learn more about the program,or to fill in a subsidy request,please visit the city’s website :

http://www1.ville.montreal.qc.ca/banque311/content/agrile-du-fr%C3%AAne-aide-financi%C3%A8re-pour-labattage-et-le-remplacement-des-fr%C3%AAnes-priv%C3%A9s

http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/por-tal/page?_pa-geid=8797,142106032&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

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Collection of Used School Supplies: Another Success!If you go around the schools atthe end of the school year, youwill be amazed by the "enormous"quantities of waste generatedonly by discarded school suppliesthat are often in very good condi-tion, if not almost new! On theother hand, if you go around thestores, before the start of theschool year, you will be evenmore terrified of the high prices ofschool supplies, mostly sincemany parents cannot afford tobuy these "essentials” for their chil-dren! Sadly, these two scenariosare very real and familiar to someof you. So how can we reducethis waste, give a second life toused school materials, while help-ing disadvantaged families? Wefound our answer to this questionin the project "Collection of usedschool Supplies at NDG" thatstarted at the Éco-quartier NDG in2016.

This project encourages mutualhelp in the community and themaintenance of a clean environ-ment. Last year's first edition wasan unexpected hit, yet in 2017,the project has had an even bet-ter success, with even broadercommunity involvement.

Thanks to the generous contribu-tion of the YMCA-NDG, Loyolahigh school, Villa Maria highschool, Saint-Luc high school,Saint-Monica elementary school,Royal Vale elementary schooland Lower Canada College ele-mentary School, we picked upmore than sixty large boxes, allfilled with a wide variety ofreusable school supplies! The resi-dents of NDG did not miss our calland brought us the school sup-plies that were hanging around

their homes without any use. Withthis simple gesture, they gave asecond life to these objects by of-fering them to a child who willneed them for his studies. The nov-elty for this year is the participa-tion of the Éco-quartier Lachinewho has offered us a generousamount of reusable school sup-plies. Their involvement was to en-courage this good environmentaland community movement.

So here we are, with boxes, boxesand boxes filled with all types ofused school supplies that must bestored during the summer,cleaned, sorted and delivered atthe beginning of the school year2017-2018. Since we do not haveenough space at the Éco-quartierNDG to store this huge amount ofused school equipment, we werefacing a big challenge. However,members of the of St. Philip’s An-glican Church were to our rescue:We were provided not only with aroom for storage during the sum-mer, but also a large space forsorting, cleaning and organizingthe school effects with our volun-teers. Many thanks to Andrew,Carol, Reverend James, Andyand Tyrone, of the St. Philip’s An-glican Church, for their helpthroughout this project.

All the collected school supplieswere sorted, cleaned and organ-ized by our "super volunteers":Olivia, Antoine-Maxence, Kassie,Mathieu, Alexia, Gabriel andDebra. Thanks to Robin for herhelp during the delivery. Thanks toSecond Cup Loyola and SubwaySomerled that generously pro-vided us with beverages and

snacks for our volunteers duringthe school supplies cleaning ac-tivity.After the cleaning and organiza-tion, the school materials were dis-tributed to 9 NDG schools:Notre-Dame-de-Grâce elemen-tary school, Saint-Catherine-de-Sienne elementary school, Saint-Monica elementary school, Judith-Jasmin elementary school,Anne-Hébert school elementaryschool, the Muslim elementaryschool, Les enfants du monde ele-mentary school, Annexe Saint-Luchigh school and the Muslim highschool. In addition, the West-haven, Walkley and St-Raymondcommunity centers receivedschool supplies for distribution inthe community. Six NDG familiescontacted us to receive somesupplies for their children. It was agreat pleasure to lend a helpinghand to these parents.

The project "Collection of usedschool supplies" is an opportunityto introduce our youth to the 3RVprinciple (Reduction, Reuse, Recy-cling and Valorization) by reduc-ing the purchase of new schoolequipment, often very expensivefor parents, and the reuse of usedschool materials. This will allowthem to contribute to reducingour waste (which often ends up inlandfills) and play an importantrole in their community by helpingthe others.

My thanks go to the community,residents of NDG, schools, busi-nesses, and organizations thathave contributed d to this projectthrough their donations, accom-modations, advice and encour-agement.

- Nouha Dhahri

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George Joined Eco for the SummerThis is a testimonial by one of oursummer students, a newly arrivedChinese refugee, referred to us bythe CJE Montreal. We’re happythat he enjoyed his time with us!

I am 16-years old and was lookingfor my first summer job. The CJEMontreal placed me with Éco-quartier NDG for a seven weekwork program. At the beginning, Iwasn’t sure what to expect, and Ipanicked a little bit wonderinghow I would carry out the work athand. Weeks later, I now have abetter understanding of my work.During the last weeks, I have donedata entry, document translation,weeding in the community gar-den, and even door to door sur-veys in Mandarin for the foodwaste program. The Éco-quartierNDG does real work for the envi-ronment and residents’ life. Thework is very diverse, and it is re-

warding as I can see that it oftenmakes people happy. Everyone inthe office is very amiable, and thework atmosphere is very comfort-able. It is amazing how muchwork gets done here!

Of course, not everything goessmoothly! Sometimes I make mis-takes: the data is entered wrong,the text is not well translated,

sometimes a few blades of grassare uprooted with the ragweedwhen we pull it out, and some-times I’m not sure how to answera customer. I realized that dataentry requires patience, yetspeed. Document translationneeds careful scrutiny. Door-to-door visits require a friendly ap-proach. Fortunately, with the helpof my colleagues, I learned frommy mistakes and did a good jobin the end. After my seven weeks hadpassed, I had to leave the Éco-quartier NDG to start high schoolin Canada. Thank you very muchto everybody in the office, fortheir tolerance and their help. Iwould be very willing to return towork here. I think that I really got alot out of it, it was a valuable ex-perience.

- George Zhang, Summer student

A Volunteer’s StoryAmel is a talented volunteer whoreached out to Éco-quartier NDGin the fall of 2016 looking for an in-ternship as a graphic designer.She was part of the Transart versl’emploi program, which aims tohelp those who have sufferedfrom mental health issues getback into the working world. Ameltook part in a four week ex-ploratory internship, helping theÉco-quartier NDG with their info-graphics and photographyneeds.

From the beginning, we were im-

pressed with Amel’s professional-ism. She was proactive and waskeen to remind us that she wasavailable and interested in volun-teering with Éco-quartier NDG be-yond her internship commitment.She was flexible in her scheduleand open to our various requests.As a graphic designer, sheworked on a poster to promoteour biodiversity quiz event. Amelwas also the photographer forPrévention CDN-NDG’s 2017 An-nual General Meeting (AGM),and for our flower distribution ac-tivity. In addition, Éco-quartier

NDG now has brand new staffphotos for its webpage thanks toAmel. Her work as a volunteerphotograph includes photo re-touching and other related tasks.We are so grateful for her involve-ment with us, and for her excel-lent work. Many thanks, Amel!

The Éco-quartier NDG is alwayslooking for dynamic volunteerspassionate about graphic design,photography, and communica-tions. Contact us atbenevoles.econdg@gmail.com

- Lysiane Chagnon-Fontaine

Quebec Waste Reduction WeekThe Quebec Waste ReductionWeek (SQRD (semaine québé-coise de réduction des déchets)will run from the 21st to the 29th ofOctober. It represents an excel-lent opportunity to remind citizensto rethink their consumptionhabits. Obviously, the more weconsume, the greater our residualwaste increases, and the fasterthe garbage dump fills up. Sev-eral million tons of garbage isbrought to the Lachenaie dump

every year. The Éco-quartier NDG has pre-pared several activities duringWaste Reducation Week in orderto encourage this awareness.Among these activities there aremore than ten workshops for chil-dren by Éco-quartier NDG staff. Apurse and jewellery exchange, aswell as a book exchange will beoffered at the Éco-quartier NDG.And the final activity will be a 3RVHalloween costume making acti-

vity. The goal of these activities is tohighlight the SQRD by encourag-ing citizens to make everyday a

little bitgreener, andto considerthe wastethey pro-duce everyday. - NikkiSchiebel

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Purse and Jewellery ExchangeAs part of the Waste Re-duction Week (Oct 17thto 25th) the Éco-quartierNDG is hosting a purseand jewellery swapevent! Some of themost effective ways toreduce waste is toreuse, repurpose andswap existing itemswhenever possible.

Do you have jewelleryor purses that you nolonger use? Bring yourjewellery and pursesthat are still in goodcondition and ex-change them with oth-ers! Join the trade atthe Éco-quartier NDGon Thursday, October

19th. This free activitywill take place from 5-8pm. Extra purses will bedonated to the YWCA’sbusiness women initia-tives.

It’s good for you, andit’s good for the envi-ronment!

Used Book CollectionDo you have books youare no longer reading?Éco-quartier NDG isseeking book donationsfor a used book ex-change that will takeplace during theQuébec Waste Reduc-tion Week (October 21stto 29th). The exchangewill be on Sunday, Oc-

tober 22nd from 10am-noon. Please bring your usedbooks to Éco-quartierNDG before September30th. Any books left-overafter the exchange willbe given to communityorganizations.

Halloween Costume / Craft CreationHalloween enthusiasts,come to the WalkleyCenter to create yourown Halloween cre-ation with recycled ma-terials.

Saturday, October 21stat the Walkley Center(6650 Cote-St.Luc). Free activities!

10am-noon:Children (0-5 years old)and their parents are in-vited for a recycledcraft activity.

1-4pm:Everyone iswelcome tocreate Hal-loween cos-tumes out ofrecycled ma-terials. Éco-quartier NDGstaff & volun-teers will beon hand tohelp you cre-ate your cos-tume.

Éco-quartierNDG will becollectingused cos-tumes untilSaturday Oc-tober 21st.These cos-tumes will be

distributed to other Hal-loween enthusiasts atthe Walkley event!

October Activities at the Éco-quartier NDG

Green waste collection:The collection will takeplace on Wednesdays:10 collections this fall:Wednesdays from Sep-tember 27th to Novem-ber 29th. Plastic bags have beenfound to jam up themachines which turnthe compost, and be-cause of this, many ma-chines were broken. Forthat reason, plastic

bags are discouragedfor green waste. Pleaseuse paper bags orreusable containers.

Free compost: On Sat-urday October 7th, inNDG Park, from 10 amto 12 pm. Bring yourown container and re-ceive up to 30L of com-post. Proof of residenceis required.

Écocentre Winter SchedulePlease note that theopening hours for theMontreal ecocentreswill change as of Octo-ber 15 (winter scheduleuntil April 14, 2017). Tuesday through Satur-day from 10am-6pm

(closed Sundays andMondays).http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pa-geid=7237,75371938&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

Page 6 of 10 Nexus CDN/NDGHalloween trick-or-treating safety tips

Children should:• Go only to well-lithouses and remainon porches ratherthan entering houses.• Travel in smallgroups and be ac-companied by an adult.• Know their home phone numberin case an emergency telephonecall is necessary.• Have their names and ad-dresses attached to their cos-tumes (preferably hidden undertheir costume).• Bring treats home before eatingthem so parents can inspectthem.• Use costume knives and swordsthat are flexible, not rigid or sharp.• Do not go into a stranger’s au-tomobile.

When walking in neighbourhoodschildren should:• Use flashlights, stay on sidewalksand avoid crossing yards.• Cross streets at the corner, usecrosswalks (where they exist) anddo not cross between parkedcars.

• Stop at all corners and stay to-gether in a group before crossing.• Wear clothing that is bright, re-flective and flame retardant. RE-MEMBER: A flame-retardantcostume does not mean that it isfire proof. Always keep your cos-tume away from any type ofopen flame or other heat sources.• Consider using face paint in-stead of masks. (Masks can ob-struct a child's vision.)• Avoid wearing hats that will slideover their eyes.• Avoid wearing long, baggy orloose costumes or oversized shoes(to prevent tripping).• Look left, right and left againbefore crossing the street.• Use the buddy system, and

make sure you have at least onebuddy with you the entireevening.

Parents and adults should:• Supervise the outing for childrenunder age 12.• Establish a curfew (a returntime) for older children.• Parents should plan a route foryour child to use while trick-or-treating and set an early returntime for your child.• Prepare homes for trick-or-treaters by clearing porches,lawns and sidewalks and by plac-ing jack-o-lanterns away fromdoorways and landings.• Avoid giving choking hazardssuch as gum, peanuts, hard can-dies or small toys as treats toyoung children.• Do not hand out homemade orunwrapped candies to children.• When your children returnhome, examine and discard allcandies that are not factorysealed or wrapped by the candymanufacturer. Never eat home-made or unwrapped treats.

Parents and adults should ensurethe safety of pedestrian trick-or-treaters:• Make sure children are super-vised as they cross the street.• Drive slowly.• Watch for children in the streetand on medians.• Exit driveways and alleywayscarefully.• Have children get out of cars on

the curbside, noton the traffic side.

Tips about pump-kins and decora-tions:• Carve pumpkinson stable, flat sur-faces with goodlighting.

• Have children draw a face onthe outside of the pumpkin andhave parents do the cutting.• Be sure to place lit pumpkinswell away from anything that canburn and far enough out of yourway of trick-or-treaters, doorsteps,walkways and yards. Do not leavelit pumpkins unattended.• It is safest to use a flashlight orbattery-operated candle in ajack-o-lantern. If you use a realcandle, use extreme caution.Make sure children are watchedat all times when candles are lit.When lighting candles inside jack-o-lanterns, use long, fireplacestyle matches or a utility lighter.• Dried flowers, cornstalks andcrepe paper are highly flamma-ble. Keep these and other deco-rations well away from all openflames and heat sources, includ-ing light bulbs and heaters.• Remember to keep exits clearof decorations, so nothing blocksescape routes.• Tell children to stay away fromopen flames. Be sure they knowhow to stop, drop and roll if theirclothing catches fire. (Have thempractice, stopping immediately,dropping to the ground, coveringtheir face with hands, and rollingover and over to put the flamesout.)Parents are encouraged to sharethese tips with their children to en-sure a safe and enjoyableevening for the entire family.

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New ChallengesAfter a year and a half workingwith the seniors of Côte-des-Neiges, I am, since this summer,the new outreach worker foryouth from 12 to 25 years old inCôte-des-Neiges. I am very happy to continue towork in Côte-des-Neiges becauseit’s a neighborhood I learned tolove! I find this neighborhood verylively: no matter what time orwhere I am walking, I am alwaysstimulated by all the differentstores, the parks, the people of allhorizons and cultures, the differentlanguages I hear; in short, there isaction everywhere! On the otherhand, Côte-des-Neiges is also aneighborhood where there are alot of needs. Should it be for thenew immigrants, the housing insta-bility, jobs, insalubrious apart-

ments, alcohol or drug consump-tion, it is obvious that the pres-ence of community workers is es-sential for Côte-des-Neigesresidents.

With my new role, I have the im-pression I’m seeing the neighbor-hood with a whole new perspec-tive and, already, a few thingshave attracted my attention.Among others, I have noticedmore and more youth begging atmetro stations or at street corners.I also noticed young adults play-ing basketball with young adoles-cents, guiding them and givingthem tips. I am extremely stimu-lated and motivated by my newjob and I hope I can bring supportand comfort to the youth of Côte-des-Neiges. On my side,

I know that I will learn a lot andthat this job will widen my horizonsas a community worker but also,as a person.

I have to say that it made me a lit-tle sad to leave “my” seniors,some of which I knew since morethan a year! But since the firsthours I spent with Laura, the newoutreach worker for seniors inCôte-des-Neiges, I was reassured.Laura already seems very com-fortable in her role and she easilymakes contact with seniors. Iquickly noticed her empathy andher approach that is very respect-ful of each person's rhythm. Iknow that, with her, Côte-des-Neiges seniors are in very goodhands!

- Annie Thifault

Door-to-Door ProjectThis summer, I was lucky to super-vise, with Pierre-Antoine Baril fromthe Corporation de Développe-ment Communautaire de CDN, adoor-to-door project in Côte-des-Neiges. The goal of the project was tomeet Côte-des-Neiges citizenswho are living in situationsof poverty and social ex-clusion, in order to ques-tion them on theirimpressions of Côte-des-Neiges and on their needs,and also to give them in-formation on the resourcesavailable in the neighbor-hood.

A team of 5 students werehired by the CDC, addedto 2 students hired by Mul-ticaf. The dynamic teammet a large number of citi-zens during the summer and al-lowed them to express themselveson the services offered in Côte-des-Neiges and on the changesthey would like to see in theirneighborhood. One thing that theteam was surprised of was howwell they were received by mostof the citizens they met. They alsoquickly saw how relevant the proj-ect was, by the amount of infor-mation they got; they alsonoticed that it seemed to relieve

the citizens to be able to expressthemselves on their needs andtheir vision of Côte-des-Neiges.

Also, the project allowed a largenumber of people to know aboutresources and services that wereunknown to them.

I loved working with that team ofsuper motivated students, whosesmiles and open approach surelycontributed to make the citizenscomfortable to express them-selves.

This summer, Prevention CDN-NDG also hired a student to dodoor-to door in the Snowdon dis-trict, this time in order to meetseniors. She met a large numberof seniors to give them resources

and to see if the services offeredin their district answer their needs.

Also, parallel to the door-to-doorproject, there was an ethnogra-phy project in Côte-des-Neigesduring the summer. Ethnographyis a method in social sciences

which goal is a descrip-tive and analytic study,on the field, of the cus-toms of a determinedpopulation. A team of 9ethnographers spent thesummer observing Côte-des-Neiges and meetingpeople for the #Amplifier-CDN project. Someethnographers teamedup with the door- to-doorstudents to go meet resi-dents in their home.

The next step of the door-to-door project will be to analysethe information and data assem-bled by the students and, ulti-mately, to collaborate with manydifferent actors in the neighbor-hood in order to see how the serv-ices can be improved to betteranswer to the needs of Côte-des-Neiges citizens.

- Annie Thifault

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This month, Nexus interviews anot-her member of our Board, RapiSota.

Nexus: Hi Rapi! Thank you for tak-ing time for this interview and alate welcome to the Board of Directors! Tell us about yourself. Rapi: I am a naturalized Cana-dian, originally from Albania. I ap-preciate the fact that I havebeen naturalized with my ownforces. I chose the country withmy wife. We came here in July2010 and are fully integrated. Wefelt it was important for our kids.My family loves it here! We havegood jobs, our own home and thechildren are getting educated. Itwas well worth coming here!

Nexus: How old are your chil-dren?Rapi: My son is 17 and my daugh-ter is 11.

Nexus: What brought you to be-come interested in joining theBoard?Rapi: The way you are organized.

The organization is very welcom-ing and have excellent communi-cations. This gives me theopportunity to give a hand, andto also learn from your experi-ence. I like supporting the positivethings about a community. Thisbenefits the positive developmentof the neighbourhood. The staff isworking for great causes!

Nexus: You are the Director ofthe CRC (Centre de RessourcesCommunautaire). Tell us aboutthat.Rapi: It’s a great job because I

get to work in both communica-tions and problem solving. I amconstantly in touch with peopleand organizations. Maintaininggood relationships between or-ganizations and providing a goodservice to citizens is the most im-portant.

Nexus: What do we not knowabout you?Rapi: I paint, and my diploma inschool was in Fine Arts. I use bothoils and acrylic. My second pas-sion is cooking and I love fishing.The long winters pushes us to findsomething to do out of doors.Painting clears my mind and I cando it for hours.

Nexus: If you had no restrictions,(like money or time)what wouldyou be doing?Rapi: I’d invest in hospitals andeducation. I’d organize a big artexhibit and raise money to do-nate it to a good cause!

Nexus: Thank you Rapi and wel-come aboard!

Interview With A Board Member

PARKING Day is an annual open-source global event where citi-zens, artists and activistscollaborate to temporarily trans-form metered parking spaces into“PARKING” spaces: temporarypublic places.

The project began in 2005 whenRebar, a San Francisco art anddesign studio, converted a singlemetered parking space into atemporary public park in down-town San Francisco. Since 2005,PARKING Day has evolved into aglobal movement, with organiza-

tions and individuals (operating in-dependently of Rebar but follow-ing an established set ofguidelines) creating new forms oftemporary public space in urbancontexts around the world.

The mission of PARK-ING Day is to call at-tention to the needfor more urban openspace, to generatecritical debatearound how publicspace is created andallocated, and to im-

prove the quality of urban humanhabitat … at least until the meterruns out!This year, the Fielding Walkleycommunity organizer and mobi-lizer teamed up with a few volun-teers, and set up camp onFielding Street, between Montclairand King Edward. We served cof-fee and water and snacks. Resi-dents drew pictures, sat to chatand learn about us and our serv-ices, and played dominoes withneighbours they didn’t even knowthey had. It was great to see fa-miliar residents and meet so manynew ones. -Jennifer Chapman

Parking Day

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Hip Hop You Don’t Stop cele-brated its 12th edition this month! The festival promotes positive al-ternatives through urban arts toat-risk youth and encouragesthem to use art as a creative out-let, to externalize their emotionsand to exercise social responsibil-ity by being involved in major cul-tural projects.

Hip Hop You Don’t Stop honouredurban culture with 5 days ofeclectic programming, from aphotography exhibit that focusedon the reality of migrant workers inthe west of Montreal, to panels,music, a short film, a barber

battle, B-Boy/B-Girl battles, Rapbattles, workshops and muchmore!

The traditional truckmural competition thisyear, was a tribute tothe internationallyrenowned Montrealartist (Alex Scaner)Scan, whose life’s workand recent passing af-fected the majority ofthe urban scene inMontréal profoundly.

- Jennifer Chapman

Hip Hop You Don’t Stop 2017

Rumor has it that there were closeto 300 people in attendance atthis year’s Fielding Walkley Fetede Quartier on September 10th!

Sharon Sweeney, Coordinator ofthe Demarche Fielding-Walkleydid a great job organizing andcollaborating with our partners tomake this festival happen.

The food was fantastic, thanks tothe NDG Food Depot, The FieldingWalkley Resident Group, andsome extraordinary volunteers.

The Loyola Dance crew put on agreat show and our groove in-structors really got the crowdmoving. It was great to see somany members of the communitycome together, to share re-sources, food and fun times!

And its days like that make my jobfeel so worthwhile.

- Jennifer Chapman

Fête de Quartier

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Nous offrirons plusieurs activités pour enfants et ados- Maison hantée, maquillage, toile d’araignée, Boîte magique, Photo-booth, Ballons sus-pendus, Triage de bonbons, sac de bonbons et plus encore!TOUTES LES ACTIVITÉS SONT GRATUITES!Café, thé et biscuits pour les adultesWe will be offering several activities for younger and older kids:- Hounted house, Face painting, Spiders net, Magic box,Photo booth, Hanging balloons, Candy game, Candy bagand much moreALL THE ACTIVITES ARE FREE!Coffee, tea and biscuits for adults!

Halloween à 6767 Cote-des-Neiges!

Mardi, 31 octobre16h30 à 18h30Tuesday October 31 4.30pm to 6.30pm

Par/by: Baobab Familial etPrévention CDN/NDGLes enfants restent sur la

responsabilité de leurs parents