Sutton Museum of Communications and History
The Town of Sutton has donated its artifact collection to the Sutton Museum of Communications and History (SMCH) as a part of the museum’s professionalization process to receive government accreditation.
Société Alzheimer Brome-Missisquoi et Haute-Yamaska
The Société Alzheimer Brome-Missisquoi et Haute-Yamaska is marking its 40th anniversary with a new headquarters and an expansion of its team to meet the growing needs of caregivers and individuals that can benefit from its services, including the English-speaking population.
The Sutton Legion
The Sutton Legion is raising awareness around its mission with hopes of getting others involved in the organization to continue financially supporting community groups and initiatives that are oriented towards youth.
Semiconductor Industry
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $59.9 million federal investment on April 26 in Bromont to strengthen the domestic supply chain and to establish Canada as a global leader in the manufacturing of semiconductors.
Bus Circuit Pilot Project
The Municipal Regional County (MRC) of Brome-Missisquoi is experimenting with a bus circuit pilot project in Cowansville to help meet the need for alternative transportation in the area.
Boat Washing
The Town of Brome Lake passed a notice of motion at the April council meeting to adopt a new bylaw for boat washing to help avoid the introduction of invasive species in Lake Brome and to preserve the quality of water.
Correctional Service Canada
Contraband and unauthorized items were seized at the Cowansville Institution following the intervention of staff after a routine patrol around the perimeter of the medium security federal facility on April 11.
Investment in the Trades
At a press conference at the Robitaille grain mill in Farnham on April 18, Minister of Canadian Heritage and MP for Brome-Missisquoi Pascale St-Onge announced a $90 million dollar investment in the Apprenticeship Service and a $10 million investment in the Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness Program with the primary goal of attracting more skilled workers to the construction industry.
Fundraiser marking World Autism Month
April marks World Autism Month, and the owner of a local hair salon is organizing a fundraiser to raise awareness around the different programs and services in Brome-Missisquoi that support individuals on the autism spectrum.
Tonya Harvey, owner of Coiffure Spectrum, told CIDI that she started the fundraiser around five years ago to bring attention to her specialized services for individuals on the autism spectrum – and with other disabilities like down syndrome – after recognizing a need in Brome-Missisquoi.
Earth Day
Citizen’s group and non-profit organization Solidarité Environnement Sutton (SES) is organizing an event in honour of Earth Day to demand investments and concrete measures to develop sustainable transportation options in Brome-Missisquoi.
SES member Linda Boisclair told CIDI that in the face of a climate crisis, and with an increase in population in Brome-Missisquoi, there is a need to invest in public, collective, and active transportation.
National Volunteer Week
It’s National Volunteer Week (April 14-20) and non-profit organizations and members of community groups in Brome-Missisquoi are shining light on the role that volunteerism plays in the community.
Chantal Renaud is the coordinator of volunteers at the Centre Action Bénévole Sutton (CAB Sutton). She told CIDI that the organization currently has 75 regular volunteers that help offer a number of important services to residents in Sutton and Abercorn. This includes Meals on Wheels for seniors, a homework assistance program at Sutton School, and the food bank.
WonderMud
Local organizations Nature Nerding and Patch Farms are launching a new program for children in the Eastern Townships that connects farming and agriculture with the natural world.
Starting this summer, WonderMud will provide children with the opportunity to explore the land that is Patch Farms, and learn just how much farming is “founded in nature” and how important it is to protect it, said Meagan Patch, one of the educators behind WonderMud.
Raccoon Rabies
The Quebec Ministry of the Environment‘s Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks is urging the Eastern Townships population, particularly border residents in the Municipal Regional Counties (MRC) of Brome-Missisquoi and Haute-Yamaska, to remain vigilant after a recent increase in the number of cases of raccoon rabies in Vermont near the Canada-U.S. border.
Conservation Award
Appalachian Corridor was honoured with the Prix de L’acquisition de l’année at the first edition of the Gala des Prix de la conservation Nature Sauvage last week for its efforts on the Mont Gale conservation project.
Appalachian Corridor is a conservation organization which protects biodiversity and natural environments in the Eastern Township. It was given the award for preserving 14 hectares of land in the Mont Gale sector of Bromont with the help of citizen’s group Protection Mont Gale last year, said Maxime Comtois, head of communications for the Réseau de milieux naturels protégés (RMN), gala organizer.
Eastern Townships Tours
After kick-starting historical walking tours with locals a couple of years ago, Brome-Missisquoi resident Patricia St-Onge has launched an official website, Eastern Townships Tours, to bring new experiences to residents and tourists alike.
With a passion for history, St-Onge was offering walking tours to locals that wanted to discover the stories and landmarks of the Eastern Townships, including a Potton Springs site tour in 2022.
PRIMA Brome Lake
The Town of Brome Lake (TBL) is receiving $100,000 in financial aid through the Municipal Infrastructure Program for Seniors (PRIMA) that will go towards a sidewalk project in Knowlton.
The funding received through PRIMA will be used to add sidewalks starting from the IGA in Knowlton to Victoria Street, from Victoria Street to Centre Lac-Brome, and then from the Brome Lake Community Centre to Rue Centre, explained Cynthia Brunelle, director of Recreation, Tourism, Culture and Community Life.
PRIMA Sutton
The Town of Sutton is benefitting from a $98,000 grant through the Municipal Infrastructure Program for Seniors (PRIMA) that will support the installation of lighting along Sutton’s bike path and in Goyette-Hill Park from the bike path to the parking lot.
According to Élizabeth Deit, director of Recreation, Community Life and Culture, the goal behind the project is to encourage senior citizens to take advantage of the bike path by providing more security through the addition of around 60 solar-powered bollards starting from Pine Street to Goyette-Hill Park.
Quebec Budget: Women’s Groups
Women’s groups in Quebec are raising their concerns around the 2024-2025 budget following Minister of Finance Eric Girard’s budget speech on March 12.
Mona Louis-Jean, interim director at ConcertAction Femmes Estrie, told CIDI that while the budget focuses on reinvesting in health and education “there is nothing that is there specifically for women,” which reflects the need for further analysis around how the government’s decision making can impact women.
Western Street (North) Sutton
The Town of Sutton is preparing to reconstruct the northern section of Western Street between Rue Principale Nord and Route 215 at an estimated cost of $7 million.
According to Mayor Robert Benoît, the reconstruction project has been years in the making and it will see a complete re-design of this particular section of the street. Benoît noted that the design concept for Western Street is meant to be “innovative” with the aim of providing more security to residents living on the street and pedestrians.
Maple Syrup
Despite the ups and downs in temperatures over the last few weeks, the production of maple syrup is still moving ahead in the Eastern Townships.
While warm temperatures over the course of a few days usually “put the broom stick in the spokes,” the temperatures haven't been warm enough in the area to deter maple syrup production too much just yet, according to Dave Hall, owner of Hallacres Farm and President of the Montérégie-Est sector of Les producteurs et productrices acéricoles du Québec.