November 24, 2020 – The Coalition Avenir Québec government will soon make changes to Quebec’s French language charter. Simon Jolin-Barrette announced that he will table legislation to modify Bill 101 early in the new year. But as Gobal’s Raquel Fletcher reports, he has revealed few details of what that plan will actually look like, which … Read more
November 20, 2020 – For arts organizations, as indeed for all of us, 2020 has meant adapting on the fly. Read Quebec: Holiday Book Fest, a joint project of the Association of English-Language Publishers of Quebec and the Quebec Writers’ Federation, is a perfect case in point. From its launch in 2015, the event initially … Read more
November 9, 2020 – Tyndale St-Georges and Family Ties New Carlisle have been selected as our charities this holiday season. Throughout November and December, CBC will collaborate with both charities to showcase stories of people in our communities who are making a difference. Read more
On Nov. 5, a few days after completing her tenure as trustee of the English Montreal School Board, Marlene Jennings took the mantle at the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) an umbrella organization of English-language groups across the province. The 69 year-old Jennings was elected president in an online annual general meeting, defeating the long … Read more
November 18, 2020 – (AUDIO) QCGN President Marlene Jennings was the guest on CBC Montreal’s Radio Noon with Shawn Apel Wednesday. A wide-ranging discussion covered school board elections during the pandemic, QCGN’s relationship with the Quebec government, and the future of the Network. Listen here
November 17, 2020 – We were six long-time friends who would gather regularly for breakfast at Barbie‘s in Dorval. COVID-19 not only put an end to the breakfasts, but sadly closed Barbie’s for good. When we last met, there was one empty chair. Pat Rourke had left us some time before, after a prolonged battle … Read more
November 16, 2020 – Advocates for and officials at Quebec’s English-language school boards are sounding the alarm over the fast-approaching election date to fill any seats that weren’t filled by acclamation this fall. The province quietly announced late Friday that those elections would be held on Dec. 19 and 20. They were originally scheduled for … Read more
November 16, 2020 – Premier François Legault says he believes elections for Quebec’s English school boards can be conducted safely in December despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Legault said Monday that public health has fully endorsed the idea of allowing the vote to take place even if it said the opposite in October. Read more
November 14, 2020 – After postponing English school board elections on the advice of public health officials, the Quebec government has done an about-face and announced voting at some English boards will take place five days before Christmas. Although most positions on the council of commissioners were filled by acclamation in October, the important positions of board … Read more
November 14, 2020 – Quebec’s Ministry of Education decided English school board elections will go ahead despite previously postponing them due to COVID-19 health concerns. The government originally postponed the November English school board elections back in October due to public health recommendations. Affected school boards were however informed Friday evening that despite the continuous … Read more
November 14, 2020 – The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) is speaking out against the province for what it calls “disdain for the democratic process” following a surprise announcement that schoolboard elections will be held in December. “Given the urgency of this communication we are, exceptionally, writing to you today in English,” wrote QESBA … Read more
November 14, 2020 – Two English-language school and community groups are demanding the Quebec government backtrack on its decision to go ahead with school board elections despite the pandemic. Last month, Quebec’s premier announced the elections would be postponed, without specifying when they would take place. Read more
November 11, 2020 – The newly elected president of the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) says she wants to rebuild ties with regional anglophone associations that bolted from the organization last year. Marlene Jennings, 69, beat incumbent president Geoffrey Chambers in a vote of representatives from member organizations gathered in an online annual general meeting … Read more
November 9, 2020 – Last Thursday, members from across the English-speaking community elected me as new president of the Quebec Community Groups Network — at a critical time in our organization’s 25-year history. I am humbled by their confidence and trust. Congratulations to my fellow board members for stepping up to serve our linguistic minority … Read more
November 6, 2020 – After a challenging year that saw many of its members resign, newly elected Quebec Community Groups Network president Marlene Jennings says she’s ready to rebuild bridges and reach out to anglophones across the province. Jennings was elected president at the QCGN’s annual general meeting Thursday evening. A former Liberal MP who … Read more
November 6, 2020 – Marlene Jennings, newly elected President of the Quebec Community Groups Network, speaks to CJAD’s Aaron Rand. Listen here
Marlene Jennings’ time as the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) trustee is coming to an end this Thursday at midnight, but she’s already taking on new challenges. Jennings, a former Liberal MP, was elected president of the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) — a non-profit umbrella organization bringing together English-language organizations across Quebec — during … Read more
November 6, 2020 – The Quebec Community Groups Network, a network of English-speaking groups across the province, has a new president. Former Liberal MP Marlene Jennings was elected Thursday night. As Global’s Tim Sargeant reports, there are plenty of files Jennings plans to tackle starting with improving relations with other Anglophone groups. Read more
November 5, 2020 – A year after members of the Quebec Community Groups Network resigned citing issues with the network’s leadership, the organization has elected Marlene Jennings as its new president. The network held its annual general meeting Thursday evening, highlighting some of its priorities for the year. Read more
November 5, 2020 – It’s a busy week for Marlene Jennings. Completing her mandate as trustee of the English Montreal School Board, winning the presidency of the Quebec Community Groups Network, and on the eve of her 69th birthday next week, the former Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine MP is looking to the future of Quebec’s English speaking minority. … Read more
By Geoffrey Chambers The focus of most Quebecers remains the pandemic, a safe return of our children to school and the reopening of our economy. However, our government appears to have shifted its focus to language. And as it does so, it is once again minimizing the importance of the contributions to this province by … Read more
The Quebec Community Groups Network applauded a Quebec Superior Court decision to suspend the application of Quebec government reforms to the governance of English school boards while the courts review the constitutionality of Bill 40: An Act to amend mainly the Education Act with regard to school organization and governance. Read more
QCGN President Geoffrey Chambers, who worked for the No camp during the 1980 referendum on Quebec sovereignty, said the English community was fairly united on the No side, but in other communities “there were families in which you couldn’t talk about it.” Read more
Anxiety levels surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic vary based not just on where people live in Quebec, but also on their mother tongue, a web survey conducted by Léger Marketing has found. Allophone and anglophone respondents are much more likely to fear that they or somebody in their immediate family will catch the disease than francophones are, the … Read more
by Geoffrey Chambers, President of the Quebec Community Groups Network The Government of Quebec determined it was a public health imperative that a detailed 24-page guide providing Quebecers with critical information on best practices in dealing with the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency be delivered to every household. This was done, at substantial cost, because every … Read more