ENGAGE Program - Citizen questions - 2025-2026

We work in the community sector to help integrate immigrants in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, and have found that many families struggle to find information about their immigration process. In Québec, constant changes to immigration laws over the past few years have resulted in a high level of misinformation for immigrants with different immigration statuses. This makes it difficult for them to access reliable information, and causes confusion that affects both their quality of life and their integration into Québec society. In this context, digital technology and artificial intelligence can have a positive impact on access to resources and also on overall well-being.
With the support of researchers, we hope to solve this problem and improve the quality of life of immigrants in our region.

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When I started school, I was discriminated against by other students and my teachers because I didn’t speak French, although I was fluent in my Anicinape language. For years, Indigenous history and cultures were rarely, if ever, taught at school, and this continues to contribute to discrimination against First Nations people.

For several years, I have been giving workshops on Anicinape culture and language at several colleges in Québec, often at the invitation of teachers involved in the fight against racism, or people wishing to learn an aboriginal language.

Today, I wonder how my way of teaching influences young people. When I teach, I use images, stories, old words and gestures. What do they remember after my visit to their CEGEP? Do Indigenous and non-Indigenous students retain the same things? How does this help them on their CEGEP journey?

I would like to collaborate with a researcher, because I have several hypotheses. I think that my way of teaching with the oral tradition helps with language memorization, cultural confidence and a better understanding of Indigenous languages and cultures in Québec society and, in particular, for college students.

I always say to the students: “Ki kackitina8a” – you can do it! have a bachelor’s degree in Anicinape language and culture, and collaborated with author Emanuelle Dufour on the graphic novel “C’est le Québec qui est né dans mon pays!: Carnet de rencontres, d’Ani Kuni à Kiuna” (Dufour, 2021). This project would be a great opportunity to push my questions further by teaming up as a duo co-researcher.

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I have a child with mental health issues, and panic disorder runs in my family from generation to generation. This has led me to take a keen interest in emotional intelligence and non-violent or benevolent communication. I see this as a very accessible way of promoting the well-being of children and the adults they will become. An unwell person is stuck in their emotions, the physical impact of those emotions, and the impulses they provoke. At any rate, that is what I experienced and still experience on occasion. It seems that many primary school students have challenging behaviours: would the proposed teaching not help make life easier for everyone?

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School is an extremely anxiety-provoking environment for my autistic son, who attends an alternative school. I believe this research project could be very interesting, as many autistic students live with high levels of anxiety.

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My motivation is linked to a project I have been developing in schools for the past 5 years. I have the impression that my initiatives with students are working well. I am looking to validate my approach scientifically, in order to fully understand the impact of my actions with a view to further development.

Patrice Roy
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I am a teacher and resource teacher. In May 2001, my eldest son was diagnosed with a craniopharyngioma (brain tumour) at the age of 5 (followed by recurrences at 7, 16 and 19). His school career was fraught with obstacles. As a parent, I had to knock on many doors and liaise between hospital and school throughout his childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. Despite working in the school environment, the situation was complicated, and I wondered how other parents would cope. So I became interested in the experiences of children who had been treated for cancer and their return to school.
Despite the passage of time, as we approach 2025, I don’t believe that the situation of young cancer survivors has changed much in the school environment over the past two decades. Even today, I wonder what more we could do to facilitate their reintegration into school. Last winter (2024), I met someone who gave me a new perspective on this question: an actress, author, stage director and drama teacher. I could see the impact of her dramatic arts classes on my young students: increased self-esteem, creativity, oral expression skills and improved reading fluency.
It was after making these observations and having discussions with her that this question came to mind. I would like to know whether drama therapy can contribute to the school reintegration of young cancer survivors and, most importantly, further this cause which is dear to my heart.
There is no doubt in my mind that we need to act now to reintegrate these young people into the school system, as they are full members of our society and will be increasingly numerous thanks to advances in medicine.

Nathalie Labonté
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The slow disappearance of scout groups is leading to a loss of the traditions that made the movement so strong. When newcomers and young people want to revive this movement in their communities, they are confronted with a lack of documents explaining the main characteristics of scouting, which aims to educate through games.

Loyola Leroux
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I work at a CEGEP, and when we talk about Indigenization and decolonization of the curriculum at CEGEPs, people often say that it is not possible because of barriers linked to ministerial competencies that are standard for all CEGEPs in Québec. How can we ensure that Indigenization and decolonization are part of the CEGEP curriculum, while remaining within the framework of the ministerial competencies?

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For me, mycology is much more than a scientific discipline: it is a personal journey rooted in a desire to better understand the world around me. For years, I have devoted my time to exploring the world of fungi, through photography, microscopy and mushroom cultivation. These invisible architects of ecosystems fascinate me with their ability to shape living things and reveal the profound interconnection between all forms of life.

Fungi are the Earth’s secret engineers, the silent but powerful players in ecological interactions. They transform dead matter into life, recycling essential elements and weaving complex underground networks that nourish our forests, our crops, and even our civilizations. Their presence is subtle, but essential. Without them, the cycles of life would break down. They are the guardians of the soil, the invisible allies of plants, and have even been healers in human traditions for millennia. Mycology is thus a key to understanding not only nature, but also humanity’s place within ecosystems.

What fascinates me is the ability of fungi to reveal the interdependence of life. Studying them reminds us how closely we are linked to our environment, and how much the preservation of ecosystems relies on delicate balances, often maintained by these discreet yet essential beings. As a bioecology technician, agricultural technician, amateur microbiologist and photographer, I have the privilege of exploring this interconnection, both through mycelium cultivation in my laboratory and through mycological inventories in natural environments, which I help to coordinate. My journey has led me to cultivate and study such fascinating species as Cordyceps militaris, an insect biocontrol agent, and to deepen my knowledge of fungal taxonomy through microscopy workshops with Herman Lambert, a retired scientist with the Cercle des mycologues amateurs de Québec (CMAQ). The expertise I have honed over the years is put to good use for science and conservation, notably through my role as vice president of CMAQ and cofounder of Mycosphaera, a citizen science organization. Through the lens of my camera, the eyepiece of my microscope, experiments conducted in my personal laboratory and my personal mushroom collection, I am striving to restore mycology to its rightful place. My goal is to shine a light on mycology, making it accessible and relevant in a contemporary context, while contributing to public efforts to advance this often-neglected science. In Québec, mycology is almost absent from our educational institutions, rarely taught outside the limited scope of medical mycology or phytopathology, or vaguely mentioned in agronomy in connection with mycorrhizae. My commitment is to bridge this gap, to show that mycology has much more to offer society and ecosystems than is currently recognized.

Fungi play a fundamental role at all levels of ecosystems and yet, paradoxically, there are no laws protecting them. They are only considered in farming and forestry practices from the limited perspective of phytopathology. They are nowhere to be found in educational curricula: no university has a department dedicated to mycology, and the science is relegated to the department of botanical or medical sciences. The result? A science with no future, pursued almost exclusively by passionate amateurs. Innovations in mycology are rare, even though their potential is beyond comprehension. To ignore this discipline, through neglect or distraction, is to refuse to recognize the existence of a toolbox that served to build the Earth itself. By dismissing this heritage, we are attempting to fix our planet without the tools that enabled its construction, thereby perpetuating an ecological amnesia that is costing us dearly.

But mycology is not only the realm of specialists. It concerns every one of us, because it touches the very foundations of life on Earth. My commitment, through collaborations with institutions such as Mycosphaera, goes beyond scientific study. I am striving to raise public awareness about the importance of fungi, sharing my passion through training, inventories and mycology events. We live in a time when nature needs our attention more than ever, and I firmly believe that understanding and protecting fungi is crucial to ensuring the health and resilience of our ecosystems.

I am convinced that the future of our ecosystems, and perhaps our civilizations, will depend on our ability to understand and respect fungi, these precious and omnipresent allies, often overlooked but never insignificant.

Mathias Rocheleau-Duplain

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The Québec forest would be a paradise if we didn’t get stung….

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For more than 20 years, out of an interest in agroforestry and as a leisure activity, I have been growing woodland plants such as bloodroot, Canadian wild ginger and American ginseng, three protected species, in a stand of red oaks and sugar maples. More recently, I have successfully experimented with growing wild leeks, another protected species.
Unlike other threatened or vulnerable species, wild leeks cannot be grown for personal consumption beyond the permitted limit of 50 plants per person per year (Section 16 of the Act respecting threatened or vulnerable species and Section 4 of the Regulation respecting threatened or vulnerable plant species and their habitats). The purpose of this restriction is to limit harvesting in order to protect wild leek colonies.
However, some specialists believe that this restriction is not enough to reduce the pressure on protected colonies. Harvesting, even if legal, can affect the survival of a colony if, for example, several people visit the same site at different times, and each take the authorized number of plants. These specialists therefore maintain that allowing the cultivation and sale of wild leeks would reduce pressure on natural colonies while helping to safeguard the species.
On the other hand, other specialists believe that allowing the cultivation of wild leeks would generate renewed market interest, which would in turn increase the pressure on wild leeks in their natural habitat (i.e. not cultivated and free of charge), thereby increasing the vulnerability of the species.
Faced with these contradictory opinions, and following the example of other citizens concerned about maintaining biodiversity and conserving species that are part of our plant heritage, I am left wondering which of these two opposing positions would best ensure the protection of natural wild leek populations. This question raises both interest and concern in the face of uncertainty regarding the behaviour of harvesters following a possible change in regulations. I would like to explore it further through rigorous analysis, with the help of researchers who can contribute to the process.

Jean Arsenault

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In 2012, my daughter put together a science fair exhibit on a project to recycle plastic bags into paving stones in Niger and some other African countries. These bags were already considered a real scourge in 2006. It is unfortunate that since that time, it seems that nothing more useful and viable has been done than to collect them and send them to pollute the poorest countries. I think it is important to explore and put forward solutions in Québec to address the issue of plastic pollution, by studying the possibilities for reusing and repurposing plastics that are not currently being recycled.

Gaston Nadeau

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Charlevoix was designated a Biosphere Region by UNESCO in 1988, a status that testifies to the ecological and biological importance of its territory. Concrete actions are underway to delineate protected areas, catalogue forest flora and target priority measures for biodiversity protection. However, farmers, who occupy and cultivate a significant part of the territory, do not appear to be much involved in these initiatives. Given this context, it is essential to explore how these players at the heart of rural activity could work together and contribute to the promotion of biodiversity.

But there is a paradox to resolve: while the Charlevoix region wishes to enhance and protect its biodiversity as a Biosphere Region, local farmers, who directly influence the landscape and ecosystems, do not appear to be sufficiently involved in discussions and decisions concerning biodiversity. This paradox raises the question of their potential role as active partners in the protection of this unique environment.

As a citizen, I have observed developments in agricultural practices that can harm local biodiversity, such as the increased use of pesticides and the reduction in crop diversity. These trends can disrupt local ecosystems and reduce a region’s resilience to climate change. This research question would therefore assess and illustrate how environmentally friendly agricultural practices could be introduced and promoted to contribute to a sustainable balance.

As a member of Peupliers Charlevoix, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting innovative agriculture in collaboration with farmers, I am committed to supporting agricultural practices that combine productivity and respect for the environment. Peupliers Charlevoix’s mission is to foster collaboration within the farming community and the exchange of knowledge and innovative practices.

My immersion in the community has convinced me that an approach that closely involves farmers, drawing on their know-how and knowledge of the land, would be more effective in achieving biodiversity conservation goals. Moreover, I note that other regions around the world promote biodiversity protection and human activities in complementary ways, whereas Charlevoix could greatly benefit from this integrated approach.

In short, my question aims to demonstrate that, to be fully functional and sustainable, biodiversity preservation in Charlevoix must include farmers in the design and implementation of initiatives, recognizing their knowledge and supporting them in agricultural practices that are compatible with conservation.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

For several years now, I’ve been hearing, under certain circumstances, vibration-like sounds, a kind of incessant “woo-woo-woo” which, according to my research, seem to be coming from a wind farm located over 13 km away. I would like to verify this possibility with the necessary equipment and independent researchers not hired by the company operating the wind turbines…

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It would be interesting to see the researcher’s approach to documenting and assessing the changes. I would like to know to what extent our food security is threatened.

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The common reed, or phragmites, is an invasive exotic plant that poses major ecological challenges in Québec, particularly in the Montérégie and Estrie regions, where it forms dense colonies that reduce biodiversity and modify local hydrology. This plant may also possess interesting properties that have yet to be fully explored. So, rather than trying to fight it, it may be possible to exploit it.

The aim of this project is to collaborate with a researcher to better understand the properties of the common reed and to test its potential for use in various industrial sectors, for example, in the production of ecological materials, agriculture or biotechnology. At the same time, a better understanding of its properties could offer solutions to better control its invasive expansion, thereby reducing its negative impact on ecosystems. This research project could thus provide new avenues for transforming a problematic plant into a useful and sustainable resource, while contributing to the ecological management of invaded environments.

Sylvain Aumais
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I have been an amateur beekeeper since 2020, living in Minganie on the North Shore. Despite the rather harsh climate, my bees produce a honey with a sweet, mellow taste. They forage mainly on wildflowers. Beyond the taste, I’d like to know if this honey has any specific properties. We know that, in general, honey has nutritional and therapeutic properties that give it various health benefits.

By transforming flower nectar into honey, bees can amplify and modify the nectar’s properties. One of the best-known examples is manuka honey (produced from a New Zealand shrub). This honey is prized the world over for its antibacterial and antiseptic properties, its ability to boost the immune system, improve digestion, promote healing of wounds and burns, and its anti-inflammatory potential, helping to treat infections and care for the skin.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in discovering or rediscovering the properties and benefits of wild plants. In Québec, several recent studies have focused on the properties of indigenous plants. I think it would be interesting to also look at the properties of honeys derived from these plants.

Christophe Buidin
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Over the past few years, the concept of the bioregion has undergone a theoretical renewal in Europe, notably within Editions Wildproject publishing house, through the experiments and reflections of the Momentum Institute, and through the writings of authors at the crossroads of multiple disciplines such as Alberto Magnaghi and Thierry Paquot. In North America, philosopher Alain Deneault more recently introduced the bioregion as a geopolitical future that will be imposed on us through “force of circumstance” in our multi-crisis context. This contraction of geopolitics on a regional scale may well be inevitable, but that does not mean it must be passively awaited or, worse still, unexpectedly endured. On the contrary, it seems important to raise bioregional awareness in our communities, here and now, in order to anchor the active, critical and ecological citizenship that the times demand.

It is this living dimension of creating knowledge and meaning from and within bioregions that I would like to explore through a research project with a researcher. The aim is not only to explore bioregional perspectives from a theoretical standpoint, but also to experiment in the field with methods, practices and reflections that invoke and reveal the bioregions to be found within the Outaouais administrative region. This research work could be carried out in collaboration with autonomous community action and popular education groups, citizens involved in environmental issues, Indigenous communities, and so on. My questioning about bioregions, and my desire to learn more and mobilize this knowledge in the field for social transformation, are rooted in this perspective of popular ecology and renewed citizenship.

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Background
Who hasn’t admired the familiar scene featured on our dollar coin, of a Common Loon swimming on a peaceful lake? The enchanting song and beauty of this emblematic water bird are a constant companion on our summer evenings. A faithful resident of the pristine lakes that provide its food, its presence testifies as much to the state of our lakes as to the loon population.

The Canadian Lakes Loon Survey (CLLS) has long been concerned about this bird. Indeed, in 2020, after 40 years of research and monitoring of over 4,500 Canadian lakes, the CLLS found that productivity (number of six-week-old young per pair per year) of this species has been declining at a rate of 1.4% per pair per year across the country. While in the early 1990s, loons were producing more than 0.7 young per pair per year, that number was closer to 0.55 in 2020. What is even more alarming is that if productivity falls below 0.48 six-week-old young per pair per year, loon populations could decline. These data are a clear warning signal. Surprisingly, the only province that has not experienced this decline is Québec.

How can we explain this difference? Is this good news or false good news due to a lack of data? Do we really know what influences the loon’s current productivity and would enable us to preserve it?

Reference
https://birdscanada.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CLLS-40-yr-report-FINAL-FR-1.pdf

How did you become interested in this topic?

In 2021, while kayaking on Lac Paul in the Upper Laurentians, I witnessed an upsetting scene: a young Common Loon chick floating inert next to its parents, who were circling around it, emitting plaintive cries. Following this disturbing experience, for the past 2 summers at Lac Sauvage in Mont-Blanc, I have observed a lovely pair of Common Loons without chicks. Intrigued by these situations, I read up on the subject in order to better understand the reality of this magnificent bird, and to discuss with the Association pour la protection de l’environnement du Lac Sauvage (APELS) what measures could be taken to help this couple bring their brood to term. Surprisingly, I found very few articles on the Common Loon in Québec, but there seemed to be more research in other provinces such as Ontario.

As an amateur ornithologist and vacationer in the Laurentians, and having witnessed a meteoric rise in the number of shoreline residents around lakes over the past 40 years, knowing that their activities can affect water quality, I question the influence of human presence on Common Loon reproduction. This participatory research program would be a unique opportunity for me – as a bird-loving retiree who birdwatches and completes Ebird checklists daily, takes part in bird counts and occasionally writes articles on birdlife – to get involved by collecting data that will be interpreted and analyzed by specialists. This will, I hope, enrich and add nuance to current data, with a view to understanding and eventually raising public awareness of the Common Loon, an iconic species that is both fascinating and, at the same time, so fragile.

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I live in Chicoutimi and visit friends who live near the Rio Tinto industrial complex in Arvida. When I tasted a mini cucumber from an Arvida garden, I wondered if it contained contaminants linked to the pollution that has been accumulating in the soil for nearly 100 years (2026).  Then I broadened my question to include children. I am a social worker by training, and having worked in youth protection, I care deeply about children’s well-being. Protecting children is also a collective responsibility. Are the children living in industry’s lap affected by contaminants when they eat local vegetables, play on the lawn or live in the neighboring houses?

“The complex includes:

• An alumina plant (Vaudreuil plant), divided into three operating units with:
  • An alumina plant and
  • A hydrate chemicals plant,
  • A spent pot lining treatment plant,
  • An aluminum plant (Arvida plant),
  • A technology centre (AP60),
  • A research and development centre.
• The site also houses major transport and storage  infrastructure and some 1,500 employees.”
  (source: Wikipedia)

The collective carelessness of early industrialization may have left contaminants in the soil surrounding this industrial complex. Schools, day-care centers and seniors’ residences can be found in this neighborhood.

I lived in Baie-Comeau for 10 years, where Alcoa decontaminated the soil and attics in the Saint-Georges neighborhood near its aluminum smelter because they posed a health risk to residents. It also financially compensated residents for the damage caused by aluminum production using Soderberg smelting technology, the same technology that operated for over 80 years in Jonquière.

Finally, I am committed to my community, and environmental challenges urge me to act, but to meet these challenges objectively, I put my trust in science. In the event of my question being accepted, as a citizen, I hope to help the researchers with sampling, for example, or any other contribution I can make.

Thank you for your interest!

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After several years spent working with young people with diverse needs (ADHD, autism, genetic disorders, behavioural problems), I see a great need to provide support for parents. In my opinion, parents’ lack of tools slows down young people’s progress as well as their integration into various environments. I also think that better-equipped parents will feel more confident getting involved in their child’s journey, which is always a plus!

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I have been working in the field of alternative medicine (massage therapy) for 20 years and I am also a photographer (I use 360 cameras, among others), with a background in creative arts. I am wondering if it is possible to use digital capture – for example, immersive close-up photography or thermal imaging – to document and compare massage therapy practices… These are creative ideations from my imagination that would have greater impact when conceptualized by an engineer at the prototyping level.

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More than 500,000 Canadians suffer from a stroke every year, according to Health Canada 2017-2018 studies. As a stroke survivor, I have been collaborating for several years with various CIUSSS (Integrated University Health and Social Services Centres) as a resource patient with experiential knowledge. I submitted my research idea to the IUPLSSS in Sherbrooke, which suggested I pursue the idea in my new community in Québec City.

Jocelyn Bernard

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I’m an anglophone Black woman who lives with disabilities and throughout my encounters, I’ve often been dismissed or not heard by my healthcare providers. By speaking with other people from my community, I’ve found this is a shared sentiment. Through this engagement opportunity, I would like other patients to be heard and understood when they share their experiences with their healthcare providers. I believe by engaging with a researcher in this project, I can help them understand the patient perspective and ensure the project reflects the experiences of real people.

Diane States

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I am an experimental filmmaker from Québec City who has been working with 16 mm film since 2014, in particular to create animated films by scratching and drawing on film. I’m interested in capturing human movement and the chemical reactions of sensitive film. I started developing film by hand in 2017. I found that commercial chemicals were toxic to me and harmful to the environment, especially color chemicals. So I turned to artisanal and alternative developing processes for black and white film using ascorbic acid-based and plant-based developers and homemade fixers made from salt or sodium thiosulfate, which I see as less harmful. To learn how, I’ve taken online workshops with Andrès Pardo from Curioso Lab and read articles on the web, by Sustainable Darkroom, among others. I mainly learn through practice and by experimenting with materials. I have been perfecting my darkroom practice since 2021. For example, I have used reversible processing and have started printing images on photographic paper and colouring film with natural pigments. I now work with both cinematic film and photographic film and paper. I’m looking to develop a practice that is sustainable and respectful of the environment and my health. But are alternative ascorbic acid-based chemicals as carcinogenic as commercial chemicals?
This year, I took part in a project to implement eco-friendly practices at Vu, an artist-run photography centre in Québec City. This project raised more questions than answers for me.
For example, I’m wondering how to manage my waste responsibly, since I end up creating as much waste with my alternative chemicals as I do with commercial chemicals. I don’t know how to manage this waste, since on the one hand, I’m told on the Internet that these are compostable chemicals, and on the other hand, the lab technician tells me that they’re not. I lack the knowledge to know who to believe.
What’s more, alternative chemicals aren’t accepted at used solution collection points (such as the Sténopé lab, which collects used fixer from Vu), because they don’t want to contaminate their electrolytic silver salt recovery tanks (still in the planning stage). Are they right not to want to mix commercial and sodium thiosulfate fixers for recovery? How can I break down my chemical solutions in a way that is safe for myself and the environment? Is it true that by neutralizing the developer with stop bath, it can then be disposed of down the drain? How do I manage products that accumulate silver salts, such as bleaches and fixers? Does the ecocentre do this properly, by recovering the silver salts? Is it true that salt fixer can last forever and maintain its effectiveness, no matter how many rolls of film are fixed in it? Are there solutions for developing alternative, less toxic chemicals for colour photography?

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Nobody is born with the knowledge of how to be a patient. We need to learn how to prepare for medical appointments, ask the right questions at the right time, describe our symptoms and communicate our needs. With experience, we come to understand and learn. As patients, we could do more to prepare ourselves and do the right things for our health, but we need to be taught and informed. Anyone can learn to be a patient! With a little support, we could use minimum resources to meet our needs. But what does a patient need to know and understand, and when? What is the best way to transmit knowledge to ensure health equity?

Sonia Lussier

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I am concerned about the impact of Horne smelter emissions (arsenic, lead, cadmium, nickel, etc.), many of which are carcinogenic and can affect nervous, cardiac and endocrine systems in humans. I am wondering if they pose the same risks to pets.

Nicole Desgagnés

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Before I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in 2010, I had bipolar II disorder. The prejudice and stigmatizing behaviors of staff only exacerbated my condition during a crisis. With the results of this research, I would like to help demystify this disorder, whose sufferers tend to de demonized. That being said, with the collaboration of the researcher and my peers, I hope to find solutions to better inform and raise public awareness of what we experience as stigmatized people struggling with the great inner suffering inherent in this mental health problem.

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As a private trainer at Big Daddy Fitness, I have seen the significant benefits of resistance training, not only on a physical level but especially on mental health and self-esteem, particularly in my clients. Many of the women I coach testify to an improvement in their self-perception. Given the impact that breast cancer and surgical procedures such as mastectomy can have on the body and mind, I am deeply motivated to explore how resistance training could not only support physical recovery, but also help women regain their self-confidence. I believe that working with a researcher would help develop this approach and offer cancer survivors concrete tools for their overall recovery.

Raffaele Leo
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Collaborating with a researcher offers several advantages:

Benefitting from his or her expertise and specialized knowledge.
Access to high-quality scientific data and resources.
Development of a rigorous and reliable research methodology.
Communicating the results of the project and contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the field.

Jean Claude Duliepre
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I am the mother of a young child and there is a lot of misinformation to be found on social media. It would be nice to have some empirical answers obtained through research!

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I have seen extremely blackened plants near roads.

Dominique Jean
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As a musician and music teacher, I have always liked to take inspiration from “successful” musicians who seem to be in control of their destiny, both professionally and personally. The motivation behind my question stems from a deep-seated desire to understand what “more” top musicians have.  How do they manage to excel in surpassing themselves and/or do they have a particular life philosophy?

My colleagues and I often discuss the different learning techniques and methods we use with our students who aspire to become great musicians. Some of them will succeed, and some will never make it, no matter how hard they try. Given the same talent, what makes the difference between those who succeed and those who fail? Could I, as a teacher, offer them better and more effective tools to help them achieve their career goals while balancing their passion with their personal well-being? If so, how?

All these questions led me to want to explore the subject in greater depth, and the idea of working with a researcher strikes me as an opportunity to understand, both theoretically and practically, how some exceptional musicians manage to navigate between these two imperatives: excellence and personal balance.

Ultimately, I’d like to be able to use these tools to become a better teacher and musician, and to share my knowledge with my peers to help them achieve a high level of excellence.

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I am a citizen who is passionate about health issues, and who is looking to optimize the care offered to the population. I see the impact of untested allergies in the treatment choices offered to patients in primary care, and I am convinced that we could slow the progression of antimicrobial resistance by keeping second- and third-line antibiotics for patients who are truly allergic to first-line choices. Taking preventive action would improve hospital and community care. This research interests me because I think we need to give ourselves the tools we need in community practice to optimize healthcare. I am motivated to commit to this project for the health of our population.

Catherine Gagné
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I have had celiac disease for over 12 years. Once diagnosed, I was left to my own devices to manage this condition. Yes, there are guidelines to follow and organizations to help us, especially at the beginning, but risk management remains in our hands. So I want to be better equipped to make sure that I am doing everything I can for my health. That is why I am interested in doing this project with a researcher.

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I am originally from Ste-Hélène de Kamouraska. As teenagers, we used to take the tractor south to climb the mountain opposite our home on Rang Missisissipi. At the summit of our Everest, the blue of the St. Lawrence stretched across the landscape with the Laurentians in the background. It was a place where we could really breathe.

I studied and spent almost all my working life in the city, and have now been back home for almost twenty years, sharing my love of this land with my community. I have the good fortune to live right opposite the mountain that provided the challenge of our autumn Sundays.

In 2014, I helped write interpretive signs for the Cabouron Trail, an opportunity to study the origins and characteristics of this landscape that surrounds me.
In 2018, during the 125th anniversary celebration of Saint-Germain, which I coordinated with a team from the village, I listened to the testimonies of Saint-Germain natives and residents and noted how attached they are to their land, with a bond strongly shaped by the way they view their cabourons, the river and its islands. I have been president of the Société des Cabourons, a non-profit founded in 1991, for the past year and a half. We have recommitted ourselves to preserving the cabourons, promoting them and making them accessible, in the face of current threats to our environment.
Highlighting the attachment we feel for this landscape and its contribution to our lives in order to nurture what we, in turn, can give back to it is a way of fulfilling our commitment.

JacintheThiboutot
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As a social worker, I have observed that there are few individualized food services in Québec City, as the current offer is mainly focused on group workshops. I have the impression that individual services may be helpful for some people, hence my question.

Christina Guillot-Blanchet
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Communal dancing (ecstatic dance, contact improv, traditional dance…) has changed my life. It has allowed me to express myself in a free and intuitive way, and to find my true expression. I have seen that these safe spaces facilitate transformation and healing not only for me, but for people around me. I find that these environments are rare, precious and have real potential to change people’s lives. I wonder what elements enable this transformation and how we can use these liberating spaces to help more people get in touch with their bodily expression, self-connection, and stress management for greater well-being.

I don’t fully understand the special state of consciousness I access during these dances, and I am curious to learn more about this phenomenon. What happens in the brain and body when we dance freely in community and allow ourselves to connect with ourselves and others in a spontaneous and authentic way? Why does this change our relationship with our body, our mind and others? How can this phenomenon be applied more globally to improve mental health? I am passionate about this subject and would like to study it in a rigorous way with a researcher to learn about the methods and existing theories, and to find out if any scientists have ever asked themselves this question.

Collaborating with the research world will help to answer these questions, to investigate dancer communities, and to hear what a number of people have to say, and as a dancer, I can introduce the researcher into these environments. For my part, I have always wanted to delve deeper into the reasons for my thinking, to learn how to conduct a study, and to understand the world of research. This opportunity makes the world of research accessible to me in a way that seemed inaccessible before.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

As a citizen representative of the organization Moelle épinière et motricité Québec (MÉMO-Qc), whose mission is to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, I have noticed that our members are increasingly interested in the new technologies around them to help overcome their limitations. We would like to learn more about the subject so that we can better support them in their use of these tools, particularly in the workplace. Indeed, a growing number of working people have begun using artificial intelligence in recent years to help them at work. Many believe that these technologies can be particularly useful for people with disabilities. This is because they can lessen the obstacles they encounter, and reduce the time and energy spent on tasks they find difficult. Few studies exist, however, on 1) the reasons why people with disabilities use artificial intelligence, 2) how they use artificial intelligence in their tasks, and 3) the consequences of using artificial intelligence on their sense of self-efficacy, productivity and job performance.

Virginie Archambault
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As a person with epilepsy, I have often searched for clear, accessible answers to my questions about managing this condition. Traditional medical resources can be difficult to understand or access quickly, especially at times of uncertainty. Conversational robots offer immense potential to fill this need for real-time information. However, I wonder how reliable and adapted they are to the specific needs of people with epilepsy. This prompted me to explore their effectiveness and limitations.

During high school, I initiated a project to improve access to information on epilepsy in hospitals in my region. This experience enabled me to break down my own social barriers, having long kept my diagnosis a secret for fear of judgment. The project showed me how access to reliable information can transform patients’ lives. Envisioning a research project in collaboration with an expert seems to me to be a concrete way of deepening this exploration and helping to improve the technological tools available. I would like to take an active part in this project to better understand how artificial intelligence can be used in healthcare in an ethical and effective way.

Maggie St-Pierre
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I have been involved with people with disabilities for many years. During the pandemic, I became aware of many challenges in meeting the needs of this segment of the population. In particular, I noticed that the means of communication used to inform them were inadequate, difficult to understand for some, and implemented too late. In addition, there was a flagrant failure to maintain or put in place mechanisms, services or measures to address the safety and needs of people with disabilities, and these were also implemented too late. Disruptions to school services, community activities, home services, family respite care and specialized rehabilitation services had serious consequences for people with disabilities and their families: significant loss of acquired skills and of the potential to develop new ones, physical and cognitive decline, increased day-to-day dysfunction, inability to remain at home for lack of adequate services, increased delays in accessing care and specialized rehabilitation services, onset of mental health problems, exhaustion of family caregivers and increased requests for placement due to this exhaustion.  These are just a few examples of the failure to promptly address the specific needs of this population group in crisis situations.
Despite the resumption of regular activities almost two years ago, the consequences of the pandemic are still being felt by people with disabilities. This is why it is important to identify, based on observations and the lived experiences of this population, the best practices to put forward to better respond to their safety and needs during future health crises or other major events.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

I was a caregiver and saw signs of organizational mistreatment in a healthcare facility. I worked as a senior abuse responder at CIUSSS de la Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Québec. The question of well-treatment has always been of concern to me. I enjoy research in general and am involved in projects with research teams as a participant with experiential knowledge. As a retiree, I would like to put my experience at the service of a research project in the field of mistreatment/well-treatment of seniors.

Céline LeBlond
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As a hypersensitive person, I observe that certain contexts generate certain physical and psychological sensations. I can’t explain these situations. I have read a few books on physics and quantum physics, which present concepts rather than mathematical formulas. I still can’t satisfy my curiosity in this respect. I also believe that today’s medicine should consider the human as a whole and broaden its approach. This could be an interesting avenue to explore.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

Some mood disorders are primarily due to disturbances of the endocrine or immune system, or to certain illnesses that may not have been diagnosed: sleep apnea, diabetes, hypothyroidism, menopause/andropause, etc. However, when the symptoms associated with a mood disorder persist over the long term, my experience (over several years and with several doctors) is that the tendency is to opt for a panoply of conventional mental health treatments (medication and therapies) rather than to investigate physical or physiological health.

The consequences of delaying the correct diagnosis(es) can be disastrous for the patient: unsuitable and protracted treatments; side-effects leading to the onset of other illnesses or disabilities; inability to return to work; financial difficulties; difficulties in relationships with others; distress and suicidal thoughts. This is what I have experienced over the past few years, and what I have also seen in others.

How can more objective tools (brain imaging, hormone assays, genetics, etc.) be better used (and used earlier in the care pathway) to determine the presence of physical or physiological pathologies that negatively influence mood in certain people? How can they be accessed more easily and used to improve response to treatment?

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

I am a former social worker who has noticed that there aren’t many activities offered to people in community facilities. I am currently working in a climbing center and have spoken to several clients who have reported that climbing has helped them quit/reduce their substance use. I see this as an opportunity and would like to back up my idea with data and facts.

Marc-Antoine Tessier
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I am a passionate person, sensitive to all acoustic phenomena, and by extension I am bothered by urban noise pollution.  I am often thinking of ways to alleviate the disturbance caused by the noise stress of Québec City: cars on the road, construction sites, jackhammers, machinery of all kinds, noisy motorcycles, asphalting, air conditioners…

Working in collaboration with a researcher would finally give me the chance to delve into this issue, which has been bothering me for a long time, and to put my sensitivity, creativity and knowledge of acoustic phenomena to good use. I would like to research and reflect on suitable solutions to help attenuate or reduce the negative impact in the most problematic areas.

More specifically, my profession as a musician, electroacoustic composer and sound recordist gives me an interesting background for working collaboratively on this issue.

I remember several years ago, when I was studying electroacoustic composition in Belgium, I was working for Greenpeace and we asked people on the street what kind of pollution bothered them most; very often, the answer was the city’s noise pollution. I realized that I wasn’t the only one affected by this problem. Brussels was extremely noisy. Here in Québec and Québec City, the city is getting noisier by the year. Indeed, the problem is now recognized as a public health issue. According to Professor Neitzel of the University of Michigan, people who are sensitive to noise pollution suffer from hearing problems and cardiovascular disorders and are at greater risk of hypertension. I am also very interested in bioacoustics and would eventually like to delve deeper into this field.

I am sure there are infrastructures, materials or sound engineering that could alleviate the discomfort caused by urban noise pollution and help us live in a more comfortable, less stressful city.

Miriane Rouillard
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I was born in Rouyn-Noranda and have lived there for almost 45 years. Because I love my city and the people in my community, I am deeply concerned about the impact of the pollutants released by the Horne Smelter on the health of my fellow citizens. For almost 100 years, this copper smelter, owned by the multinational Glencore, has been releasing more than 25 contaminants into the air and water, some of which are carcinogenic or neurotoxic, and some of which do not even have standards.

Currently, the air breathed by Rouyn-Noranda residents has an average annual concentration of 45 ng of arsenic per cubic metre of air, which is 15 times the Québec standard. This exposure is made possible by a ministerial authorization that allows the Horne Smelter to derogate from the standards of the Règlement sur l’assainissement de l’atmosphère (RAA). To fully grasp the extent of air, soil and water contamination in Rouyn-Noranda, it is important to understand that a large proportion of the contaminants released into the air in Québec are discharged into our city. According to the National Pollutant Release Inventory, in 2020 (due to the colossal quantities of metals released, release rates vary very little), 98% of the arsenic, 89% of the lead, 60% of the nickel and 43% of the cadmium emitted in Québec were released in Rouyn-Noranda.

I know, from reading an INSPQ report, that children are more vulnerable: “…skin contact and ingestion of soil and dust occurring in the first 11 years of life correspond to 25% of inhaled air, 37% of skin contact and 63% of ingestion of soil and dust over the course of a lifetime, even though this corresponds to a period of less than 15% of the total lifespan.”  This is why I am concerned about the effects on the health of most vulnerable, in particular pregnant women and the children they are carrying.

With regard to the carcinogenic risks of arsenic, cadmium and nickel, estimates based on the smelter’s emissions reduction plan point to an average risk of 30 excess cancer cases per million inhabitants over a lifetime, and a maximum risk, according to Health Canada, of 94 excess cases. In other words, in the worst-case scenario, the carcinogenic risk of the current plan is up to 94 times higher than the risk considered negligible in Québec.

A child born today and living his or her entire life near the smelter will be exposed to a cancer risk approximately 100 times higher than the risk threshold we are aiming for in an equitable society in Québec. Even without spending a lifetime near the smelter, exposure to lead in early childhood is enough to jeopardize that child’s equality of opportunity, and contributes to perpetuating an unjust society determined by place of birth.

Jennifer Ricard Turcotte
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I myself underwent bariatric surgery in 2019, and the challenges before and especially after surgery are substantial in terms of maintaining gains. It is important that obesity treatments and support tools are co-created with patients to align with their real needs.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

For the past eight years, I have been working with skins in my artisanal (non-commercial) workshop. My involvement with trappers and furriers (fur dealers) has led me to question the processing of skins and the differences between animal species.

I have noticed that animal skins from different species also differ in terms of softness, hair density and fur quality. I am wondering whether tanning processes should be adapted to take these differences into account, and whether tanned furs from different species have the same characteristics such as thermal insulation capacity and durability over time. I am motivated to better understand the characteristics of skins before and after tanning, and to understand the impact of each stage of the tanning process on the furs.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

I am motivated to ask this question by my own experience, where I have seen the decisive impact that a cultural facilitator can have on an individual’s trajectory. As a student, I considered myself average, even a potential failure, in a system that valued science and mathematics above all else. However, a teacher with a passion for culture played a key role in my life by inviting an artist, Marina Orsini, to our school. This encounter opened my eyes to the potential of my creativity and gave me a concrete example that it was possible to succeed in other ways, by following a creative path.

Although it was a one-time event, this moment stimulated my thoughts and emotions. It planted a seed that has grown throughout my life and enabled me to believe in my abilities. As an artist today, I realize the domino effect this cultural facilitator had: her sensitivity and initiative offered me an invaluable opportunity to discover another way to see my future.

This personal experience, combined with my work with young people at conferences, makes me want to explore this topic in greater depth with a researcher. I want to understand, through research, how we can better equip and inspire teachers to become cultural facilitators, and how these individuals can transform students’ perceptions and aspirations. My aim is to produce a clear and tangible synthesis that demonstrates the importance of art and creativity in education, proving that they are powerful levers for opening consciousness, promoting inclusion, uniqueness and innovation.

I am also very interested in collaborating with a researcher to explore the mechanisms and impacts of cultural facilitators on younger generations. Such a partnership could strengthen my case for greater integration of creative arts and culture in the school setting, so that every student, whatever their academic level, can discover their own potential and contribute to the world in a unique way, while opening up multiple perspectives on the development of civic action.

Adèle Blais
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I have been interested in these subjects since an early age. I studied psychology, philosophy and theology, and then worked as a social worker. The aim of this work was to explain to clients where they stood in terms of their experiences, from the overall perspective of their own lives. For over 30 years, I have been working on a framework called PROJET DE VIE GLOBALE.

Jacques Bécotte
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Since the Covid-19 pandemic, many economic sectors have seen record inflation rates. Numerous media articles have denounced rising prices in the food sector, coupled with increasing numbers of people forced to turn to various food bank services.

Having worked in the food sector for over 10 years, in restaurants, grocery stores and food processing plants, in various positions during my studies and for the past three years as an accounting technician, I have observed trends in consumer prices for quite some time.

Over the past year, I have witnessed a number of discussions about financial security. The main conclusion is that “groceries are so expensive nowadays!”

I would like to use my skills as an accounting technician to carry out this statistical analysis research. Collecting the data will be fraught with obstacles: some documents containing information needed for the research are public, while others are confidential. As the aim is to analyze the changing cost of food up to its final value, the consumer price, I believe it is more important to indicate a company’s position in the supply chain than the names of the companies whose data will be analysed.

This research question will be a major challenge that I am prepared to meet; the challenge, however, is minor considering the potential for solutions that could address the social inequities in our society.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

Since 2016, I have been a regular participant in the activities of the Gilgamesh Society, a non-profit organization and independent citizen space that is very involved in its Ville Saint-Laurent community. The Gilgamesh Society strives to promote the values of secularism and living together in community. It is a forum for exchange where citizens of Arab origin can freely express their ideas, beliefs and political affiliations, hence its importance in the community. For some time now, I have been thinking about ways to boost initiatives and activities that promote secular values for new arrivals from the Middle East. For some time now, I have been considering the possibility of developing new ways (pedagogical, didactic, cultural) of explaining secular values to new arrivals from the Middle East. In a pluralistic society like Québec, how can this citizen space serve as a community model for organizations working to develop community spaces that are representative and open to the diversity of the region and the province in general? I believe that a research project on the Gilgamesh Society would help to further develop thinking on the usefulness of cultural community spaces for our society. Also, the research community would undoubtedly benefit from the possibility for action research. Gathering places that are not formally institutionalized provide an opportunity to examine their relevance in a democratic society.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

I see a problem in connection with housing and the mandate of the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ). The current housing context casts doubt as to whether the SHQ is upholding its mandate (mission) under the law and raises the question of whether a Ministry of Housing would be a better alternative.

The current housing situation points to a number of fundamental problems with the SHQ, including the following: the current housing situation poses a major problem for housing planning; the state of the housing stock appears to be somewhat neglected; there are serious questions about the SHQ’s sound management of public funds; the SHQ does not appear to be assuming its responsibility for monitoring housing bureaus; and its transparency, accountability and reporting are limited.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

A sense of urgency

Be it ecology, social justice or economic and political trends, when I read up on the state of the world and prospects for the future, I increasingly arrive at the following conclusion: there is an urgent need for our societies to radically change our way of life. I believe this change is necessary if we aspire to a livable, enviable future.

According to several studies, globalized productivism, of which Québec is a part in spite of ourselves, is responsible for the degradation of the conditions essential for the Earth’s habitability. The dominant ways in which we interact with the “environment” and living beings is already endangering human populations, with the global South, Indigenous peoples and women being the most affected. Biodiversity is also suffering, with industrial expansion projects threatening the survival of endangered species such as the woodland caribou.

The need for degrowth, hence the interest in a bioregional perspective  

A growing number of researchers, such as Timothée Parrique, author of the book Ralentir ou périr, argue that sustainable development is based on an assumption that may not be valid. Indeed, economic growth, even green growth, seems to lead directly to ecological devastation. This is a far cry from the brighter future promised by sustainable development as promoted by the United Nations. Our societies must therefore radically and immediately break away from the “production-consumption-pollution” race, and do so in the fairest and most democratic way possible. This is what degrowth invites us to do. In the words of sociologist Yves-Marie Abraham, it is a matter of “producing less, sharing more and deciding together”.

A someone concerned about issues of social and ecological justice and involved in various citizen and community projects, as well as a support volunteer in a non-profit research group on degrowth, I continually ask myself the question, “How can we bring about concrete degrowth at a local level?” How can we, as citizens, inhabit our territories in a more sustainable, just and democratic way, so that our world can continue to exist?

Why a research question on bioregions?

As I continue to read about degrowth, I find that the bioregional perspective, which has been surprisingly little studied in Québec, looks like a highly relevant hypothesis to test in the region where I live.

Very briefly, as stated by Yves-Marie Abraham at a presentation I attended, a bioregion is “a natural area with a relatively homogeneous and self-reliant ecology, inhabited by a population that derives its long-term livelihood from it, in the interest of justice and autonomy”.

This leads me to ask: Is there potential for a bioregion in the Lower St. Lawrence? What would this look like? What would we find within this Lower Laurentian bioregion in terms of rivers, fauna, flora, populations and human activities? How would the local population receive this new idea?

Why undertake this project with a researcher?

Teaming up with a researcher to work on this question would give me access to essential academic tools and scientific articles that are unfortunately not very accessible to the “general population” of which I am a part. It would also help me to acquire the methodological knowledge needed to carry out supervised research. This exercise could contribute to work on degrowth and the bioregion by testing these ideas against the reality on the ground: an approach that, to my knowledge, has not yet been implemented in Québec. Who knows, perhaps this experience could then serve as a basis for adaptation to other regions in Québec?

Noémi Bureau-Civil

Wishes to keep the email confidential.

Concern
Québec is fortunate to have more than 20,000 genealogists spread over a hundred or so societies throughout the province, most of them members of the Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie. The preservation of family history and heritage, painstakingly and passionately compiled by genealogists over more than 70 years, is of paramount importance from a historical, heritage, cultural and social point of view. It would therefore seem logical that the general public should have access to modern, efficient means of preserving, disseminating and sharing this heritage, free of charge and on a long-term basis.
However, these societies, which are entirely administrated and supported by volunteers, face seven major challenges:
1. The fragility of genealogical science organizations in Québec due to a lack of new members and recruitment difficulties
2. The preservation of the collective memory, family heritage and cultural history of Québec in the absence of a global structure for document conservation
3. The valorization of genealogical and historical knowledge beyond simply chronicling lineages, as it contributes to a better understanding of the evolution of Quebec society and its economic, political and social structures
4. The preservation of a living, evolving heritage
5. Democratic access to genealogical culture and family history
6. Facilitating collaborative research projects
7. Transparency and integrity in working with archives
The preservation of family history and heritage is essential for safeguarding the memory of our ancestors, enhancing family and cultural identity, and enriching our understanding of our collective history. Thanks to the work of genealogists, we can reconnect to our past, learn more about our origins, and ensure that this rich history is passed on to future generations. It is also a way to contribute to a world that is more inclusive, better informed and more respectful of family and cultural heritage, while strengthening ties between individuals and generations.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

For several years now, I have seen through my work as a visual artist and workshop leader that art has a unique transformative power, particularly with vulnerable children. Whether the child is a new arrival, living in a precarious situation or receiving social pediatric services, art acts as a powerful lever to foster self-expression, integration and overall well-being. My involvement stems from the deep conviction that access to artistic initiatives can change lives, and that it is imperative to support these initiatives with adequate resources. I hope that rigorous research will highlight these benefits and encourage public bodies and governments to invest more in these essential programs.

Danielle Doucet

Wishes to keep the email confidential.

My motivation for asking this question lies first and foremost in my commitment to diversity and social cohesion in Québec. As a citizen deeply attached to social inclusion, I am convinced that education plays a crucial role in building a harmonious society that respects different cultural and religious identities. I believe that observing the influence of Islamic bookstores on the pedagogical orientations of Islamic schools in Montréal would be a way to better understand how the values and knowledge transmitted in these establishments integrate into Québec society. Does this influence strengthen mutual respect and intercultural dialogue?
My interest in this topic also stems from my conviction that school is not just about acquiring academic skills, but also about shaping enlightened citizens capable of living in harmony with others.
By collaborating with a researcher on this project, I hope to understand how the programs taught in these schools contribute to this dual objective of academic and moral education. This collaboration will be an opportunity for me to gain an in-depth, objective viewpoint on a subject that is not always well understood. It will also, I hope, provide me with an enriching experience that will be useful to all stakeholders in society. The aim is to work together towards an education that is both faithful to community values and in phase with the principles of Québec society.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

I would like to learn more about Congolese immigration to Québec and its impact on the 2nd generation. The answer to this question is particularly important for young people born in Québec, as well as for young people in Congo, increasing numbers of whom are considering immigrating here. What representation would they have of Congo’s history, based on intergenerational relations…

Every year, I fill out my tax return without having a clear idea of where my contributions go and how they benefit society. I have some questions: How does the government decide how much to spend on language programs, healthcare, infrastructure or other public benefits? As an individual taxpayer, I have no direct way of verifying that the amount I pay is fair, or of assessing the value of my contributions. These uncertainties lead me to view taxation more as an unavoidable duty than as an investment in our collective future.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

For the past fifteen years, first as a DPJ volunteer and then, once the DPJ withdrew from the case, on an independent basis, I have been assisting an immigrant family with six children whose parents are allophones and illiterate in their native language.

Out of a deep attachment to the children and their parents, and to help them cope in a literate, organized, Western society, I have become an assistant, activity leader, reader, translator, intermediary for schools, day-care services, health and social services, landlords, and more.

Through this unique and unprecedented field experience, I have been witness to the interventions but also the limitations of the many organizations, institutions, networks and services available to the members of this family, at every stage of their integration in Québec, at every stage of their children’s development and in just about every sphere of their lives.

My findings are in line with those set out in the two major reports on the state of affairs concerning children: Un Québec fou de ses enfants (1991) and the Laurent Commission (2021).
In the former, the report’s author Camil Bouchard says that “for thirty years, we have been creating services, setting up intervention plans, and then sitting behind our desks waiting for clients… who haven’t come.”
In the second, it is argued that the Laurent Commission’s recommendations are essentially an update of the recommendations made in the report Un Québec fou de ses enfants, with regard to parental and community neglect.

In fact, these reports reveal that, for more than thirty years, the problems of neglect and their solutions have been identified, analyzed, documented, tested and validated, but it is clear that application of these solutions is sorely lacking, leaving the most vulnerable parents and their children in a vacuum with consequences that are unacceptable in 2024.

That is why, under the Engage program, I would like to work with researchers to explore innovative, measurable and sustainable approaches to building this network around children and their families, in order to prevent  parental and community neglect. This insidious scourge disrupts our children from an early age, affecting their overall development and compromising their future.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

Since 2012, I have been developing co-creation projects promoting civic participation by young people placed under the YPA and YCJA. My most recent project, Droit de cité, led to the creation of the first book on youth rights created by and for young people. Through this process, I was able to measure the extent of rights abuses experienced by young people during their time in the system. As the YPA is very clear on rights, roles and responsibilities within the ecosystem responsible for protecting these young people, I find it hard to explain the number of documented rights abuses. That is why I would like to join forces with a researcher to identify all the factors that may contribute to this situation, and to identify possible solutions by and for those concerned.

Emily Laliberté
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As an engaged citizen from the Portneuf region and mother/caregiver to my son Samuel, I am deeply motivated to improve the social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. This motivation is rooted in my personal and professional background, as well as in the critical needs of our rural community.

From an early age, I have been surrounded by people with intellectual disabilities. My cousin, with whom I grew up, had an intellectual disability. From my first year of elementary school, two of my classmates also had intellectual disabilities and were fully integrated into our class. These experiences gave me a deep understanding of, and commitment to, social inclusion.

My community involvement has grown stronger over the years. In high school, I volunteered my time to help people with disabilities, which led me to pursue a degree in special education at Collège Merci. I then went on to complete a multidisciplinary bachelor’s degree at UQTR, with three certificates in psychoeducation, human resources management and criminology. My goal was to develop innovative and appropriate human resources to integrate disabled people into local companies like Alcoa, optimizing their socio-professional inclusion.

I worked for several years in regional special education classes at CSS Portneuf, in adapted services at Cégep Ste-Foy/Limoilou/O’Sullivan and with CIUSSS. As a mother, I have also noticed gaps and experienced many frustrations caused by shortfalls and lack of services. My son’s diagnosis didn’t always meet the criteria for certain types of assistance, creating a situation of helplessness and constant harassment. Instead of giving in, I decided to take positive action to bring about change and ensure that inclusive initiatives and desires – because they do exist – are heard and acted upon.

Because of its geographic isolation and limited resources, the Portneuf region presents significant obstacles to social inclusion. Logistical, structural, territorial and political barriers often hinder initiatives aimed at improving inclusion. It is crucial to develop effective strategies to overcome these barriers and maximize the impact of community practices.

As a mother/caregiver and engaged citizen, I founded the Gravir Foundation, which aims to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in our community, but also to provide support to caregivers who are often isolated in their efforts. This initiative testifies to our long-term commitment to creating significant and lasting change.

Collaborating with a researcher on this issue would bring a rigorous academic perspective to evaluate and improve current practices. Documenting these practices would ensure their longevity and development and provide credible levers for obtaining significant support. By raising the profile of our initiatives, we could generate greater interest and increase society’s sense of responsibility.

My motivation for asking this question is deeply rooted in my personal experience and community involvement. As a citizen, mother/caregiver and founder of the Gravir Foundation, I am determined to contribute to greater social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, while supporting their families. This research project represents an opportunity to transform our practices and significantly improve the quality of life of many families in our region, and will certainly be applicable to other similar environments in the province.

Meggie Perron
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I myself was a child of the youth protection system (Directorate of Youth Protection, DYP). At first, this life path was fraught with challenges. However, since becoming an adult, I have been making my dreams become reality. I studied to become a nurse and then a teacher in the health field. I have also worked with children in developing countries.

A number of events have taken place in Québec involving children suffering from neglect and/or violence.
In 2023-2024, 43,476 children aged 0-17 were taken into care by the DYP, representing 2.66% of children in Québec. Of these children, 22.9% lived in family-type resources (FTR). In the Eastern Townships alone, this represents 871 children (MSSS, 2024) placed in this type of resource, which is in short supply. This shortage leads to less-than-optimal matches, particularly for children with special needs. Such children may find themselves in an environment that does not meet their needs, and this can lead to multiple moves, creating a context of instability that is detrimental to the child’s development. These children have little or no voice in our society. Having a deep desire to contribute to improving the lot of these children in my community, my family became a foster family. My experiences as a foster family have shown me the changing needs of children in the care of the Directorate of Youth Protection (DYP). I am deeply concerned by the children whose needs are not being met by the current system of “standard” foster care. These children have a double disadvantage from the very start of their lives, with a combination of special needs and a dysfunctional family that fails to meet their basic needs. Who normally fights for the rights and services of a special-needs child? Usually it is the parents. But who will do it for a child in youth protection? They have no voice, and no one to stand up for them unconditionally.

Being a woman of action and solutions, I wanted to respond to a crying need for housing by creating a “buffer zone”, where these children could be welcomed, reassured, assessed, stabilized and then redirected to the right environment, one that would allow them to be properly assisted with the necessary tools. In the winter of 2024, I acquired a house adjacent to mine to create this living environment, La Casita, and eight special-needs children are now staying there. My project meets many of the needs of these eight children, but unfortunately, it is a tiny drop in an ocean of needs.

Through my experiences with these children, I have come to realize that, in addition to the flagrant lack of resources dedicated to meeting their real needs, there is a serious problem of integration into the community. With all the challenges they face, these children must not be excluded and live a parallel life. For example, they need to be supported in their schooling, join a sports team, have diverse experiences, make friends and participate in the community. The way the community views and welcomes these children can make all the difference. There are certainly many people who are sensitive to the needs of these children. However, real and lasting change will only come from mobilizing the community in an organized, structured and documented way. The research project framework is the ideal vehicle for exploring, documenting, organizing, structuring and even proposing the necessary mobilization efforts. These children need us to address this issue…

Geneviève Barry
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As a native of the Beauce, I have lived through several floods. I have also seen how essential it is to help each other in these situations. I then moved for work to cities of different sizes (Québec, Montréal, Toronto, St-Bruno) and I couldn’t help but notice how little we knew our immediate neighbors and how poorly organized we were when any emergency situation arose. We are all connected to the web, but if I want to communicate with my neighbors, mobilize them, without sending a message to thousands of people, we’re still posting signs on telephone poles… I consider myself a social innovator. I like design thinking and co-creation approaches. I want to start with knowledge and facts, and then draw inspiration from the results to propose interesting and relevant solutions.

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What motivates me to ask this question is that, having been homeless myself, one night I was forced to rent a room at the Hotel Chablis and that night I was the victim of rape. Today I have a lot of anxiety and I have become very insecure, even after getting out of homelessness. That is why I am interested in this topic and would like to do a project with a researcher.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

Based on my readings and observations, it is increasingly clear to me that the polycrises our societies are currently experiencing (climate change, biodiversity, economic and social inequalities, housing, citizen participation, etc.) have one major cause: the democratic deficit, at a more or less global level.

In Québec, for several decades now, a growing number of examples suggest that the political system of representative democracy is in fact a plutocratic oligarchy. The representative system presupposes voter control over elected representatives and governments, but in its current form, this hardly seems to exist. What is in crisis is, ultimately, the consensual utopia of managerial government, which believes that a country can be run like a private company, while occasionally seeking the public’s approval for its balance sheet. The problem is that, while exposing itself to ruin, it also destroys the conditions for a democratic response, and may tend to leave more room for individualistic impulses.

Under these conditions, the public has only limited ways to react, such as resignation in the face of political activity, or frustration, which tends to lead to reactionary behavior.

In our daily lives, we have fewer and fewer informal physical gathering places where social and political life intersect, such as village/neighborhood squares, church squares, community centers and so on. These places seem to have been replaced by the fragmentation of social groups, which are increasingly migrating to the digital sphere.

To make up for this democratic deficit and this disconnection between us, I believe it is imperative to reclaim our civic power through new institutions based on direct democracy (or possibly through the radical transformation of existing institutions), where all community decisions are taken directly by the people, rather than by elected representatives. Would recurring people’s assemblies, using the principle of subsidiarity, be a good way of making up for this deficit? And to address the issue of larger-scale decision-making, would it be enough to interconnect these assemblies? What are the advantages and limitations of the mechanisms and principles proposed by the theory of libertarian municipalism, on which my current reflections are based?

I am motivated to carry out this research by the desire to explore an enviable and plausibly feasible project for society based on this foundation of direct democracy and the collective intelligence/wisdom that flows from it. I would like to be able to explore the potential transformative power of democratic mechanisms, and try to develop the hypothesis that if the people make all the decisions that concern them, whatever their field of competence – such as health, education, infrastructure, taxation, the economy, ecology, justice, etc. (and without lapsing into micromanagement) – an  emancipatory transformation could take place, and the prospect of a healthy balance with ecology would emerge.

But above all, we need to seek out and develop concrete methodologies and practices, so that the people have a choice of basic tools from which to draw inspiration for real praxis in their political sphere

How would the people’s assemblies work? Who would ratify the decisions formulated by the people? How can we avoid overloading participants in a context where all decisions come from the grassroots? How would taxation work? Would there still be a municipal administration? There are a great many questions to be answered.

Kevin Guillaume Bazire
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The cavalier, not to say unbridled, development of urban structures around Montréal and Québec City, as well as in certain regions, appears to ignore the issues facing Québec society.

Urban planning designs have an environmental, social and community impact. For example, giving priority to cars with the development of urban boulevards makes walking less safe and less attractive, not to mention the impact on the environment. Another example: some cities encourage the development of new neighborhoods in areas that have been clear-cut, leaving no trees standing, and where the layout requires the use of a car to get around.  The urbanization that is taking place around major centres and in some regions seems to ignore the issues facing society. I would like to explore this question to identify the best urban planning methods to use for sustainable development.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

As the president of COMMUN, I am deeply motivated by the challenges of an aging population and social inclusion. The central question of this research project — How can we design and structure innovative architectural and financial configurations to promote the development of universally accessible housing and allow everyone to age in place, with dignity and inclusion? — perfectly reflects my professional and personal aspirations. It is in line with my conviction that innovative solutions, based on interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches, can transform our living environments and meet the needs of seniors.

My experience in managing projects with a human and environmental impact, combined with my community involvement, has enabled me to understand the complexity of issues related to aging, particularly the importance of ensuring equitable access to adapted housing. As President of COMMUN, I have had the opportunity to collaborate on initiatives aimed at creating inclusive and sustainable living environments. This research project represents a unique opportunity to apply this expertise and propose innovative models that meet the pressing needs of Québec society.

The project is also based on a solid collaboration with renowned partners. Olivier Fillion, Managing Director of COMMUN, brings expertise in social architecture, enriched by his professional practice with a Montréal architectural firm. His involvement in SSHRC-supported intergenerational housing projects testifies to his ability to transform innovative ideas into concrete achievements. His collaboration with Professor Nik Luka, an expert in urban planning and design, reinforces the scope of this project. With over 20 years’ experience, Professor Luka integrates social and spatial dimensions into housing solutions that place people at the heart of their priorities.

Another major strength of this project is the collaboration with Société Logique, whose expertise in universal design is an essential foundation for ensuring that the proposed solutions respect the principles of universal accessibility. Their technical and human support, combined with our shared vision, will ensure a rigorous and inclusive approach.

This research project offers the opportunity to respond concretely to critical issues: how can we enable seniors to age in place, while taking economic and environmental challenges into account? By exploring innovative architectural and financial models, we hope not only to propose viable solutions, but also to inspire sustainable societal transformation.

In short, this project is much more than academic research: it is a crucial step towards reinventing the way we live and age in Québec. By combining scientific rigor, social innovation and strategic partnerships, I am convinced we can develop inclusive, sustainable models that will have a tangible impact on quality of life in our communities.

Katherine Robert
Wishes to keep their email confidential.