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At the Great Lakes Economic Forum today, which is taking place in Detroit, Michigan, the Council of the Great Lakes Region and the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation announced their collaborative partnership that will focus on developing the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs using technology and big data to protect and restore the Great Lakes.

“The Foundation’s work related to supporting and growing small and medium sized family enterprises and bringing people and innovation together for a healthier Great Lakes is extraordinary,” said Mark Fisher, CEO of the Council of the Great Lakes Region. “The partnership announced today will allow both organizations to leverage and expand their capabilities, relationships and interests in these areas in order to achieve a greater impact within the bi-national Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region.”

“We are very pleased to be partnering with the Council of the Great Lakes Region,” said Philippe III de Gaspé Beaubien, President and CEO of the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation. “Partnerships like this one are important to our mission of championing emerging innovation and entrepreneurship while bringing together stakeholders from multiple sectors, jurisdictions and generations to create sustainable change within communities.”

Over the next three years, the organizations will collaborate to fulfill their joint mission of protecting and restoring the bi-national Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Region by harnessing its economic strengths safely and sustainably.

Contacts:

Mark Fisher, President and CEO; Council of the Great Lakes Region; mark@councilgreatlakesregion.org

Claude Perras, Executive Director; De Gaspé Beaubien Foundation;c.perras@fondationdegaspebeaubien.org

About the Council of the Great Lakes Region

The Council is a non-partisan, non-profit, bi-national organization committed to deepening the United States-Canada relationship in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region, defined by the border states of New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana and the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The goal of the Council is to create a stronger, more dynamic culture of collaboration in harnessing the Region’s economic strengths while enhancing the well-being of its citizens and protecting the environment for future generations. It’s where the region comes together as one.

About the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation

The Foundation is a multi-generational family foundation that is committed to empowering people, families in business, and organizations in becoming agents of positive and sustainable change within their communities. Toward this goal, the Foundation focuses its efforts and resources on supporting initiatives within three pillars that embody its values: Education, Entrepreneurship and the Environment.

About the Forum

The annual Great Lakes Economic Forum, launched by the Council of the Great Lakes Region in 2015 in Chicago, brings business, government, academic and non-profit leaders together from around the bi-national Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region to share insights into the biggest economic, social, and environmental policy issues facing the region and ideas about how the region can work together to ensure its long-term sustainability and competitiveness in a borderless global economy.

On April 25, Montreal will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Expo 67, the largest World Fair of all time. For the occasion, Montreal’s Place des Arts will host the the world premiere screening of the documentary Expo 67 Mission impossible, which showcases among other things the leading roles played by Mr. and Mrs. De Gaspé Beaubien, who will be taking part in the celebrations.

Celebrating the memory of Expo 67

This tremendous event attracted almost 55 million visitors to Montreal and left its mark on all of Canada while showcasing the know-how, can-do spirit and creative energy of Quebecers. This 50th anniversary is a chance to remember how Expo 67 introduced Quebec to the world and a whole new universe of future possibilities.

With “Man and his World” as its theme, Expo 67 was an opportunity to spread a message of openness and inclusion. According to Mr. de Gaspé Beaubien, “It was one of the most unifying events ever held in Quebec.” Organized by Productions de la Ruelle and the Society for the Celebrations of Montreal’s 375th Anniversary, the 50th anniversary celebration of Expo 67 is an opportunity to (re)experience Expo 67 and inspire a new generation.

The film Expo 67 Mission impossible takes a fresh look at the story of Expo 67 through personal accounts and a wealth of previously unseen archival material. Then in his thirties, the “Mayor of Expo 67” Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien was its director of operations. Despite the succession of technical and political hurdles organizers faced, the Expo 67 team managed to create an island (Île Notre-Dame) in the middle of the river and build a metro line, a road network, 27 bridges, and 847 buildings—all in under three and a half years!

“You can achieve extraordinary things if you’re committed and enthusiastic, but you have to believe in yourself and have the courage to step outside your comfort zone,” said Mr. de Gaspé Beaubien. “Expo 67 changed attitudes and the way Quebecers saw themselves. The event gave the province a tremendous boost of confidence—we realized that we were capable of achieving great things.”

As one of the youngest members of the organizing team, Mr. de Gaspé Beaubien helped instil Expo 67 with its own unique atmosphere and identity. For him, the event marked the beginning of a long history of community engagement—a commitment that eventually led to the creation of the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation.

About the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation

The de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation is a multigenerational family foundation dedicated to helping people, family businesses and organizations become agents for positive and lasting change in their communities. The foundation focuses its efforts and resources on supporting initiatives that tie in with three pillars that underpin its core values: education, entrepreneurship, and the environment.

Source: de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation

Further information: Diep Truong; diep@exergue.ca; 514-524-7348

Waterloo, ON, (Wednesday, March 22, 2017) – The Water Institute at the University of Waterloo and the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation launched a three-year partnership that will combine water research and tech to mitigate threats to our vital water resources.

The partnership will bring to Waterloo the AquaHacking 2017 Challenge, a five-month hackathon, to challenge water students, hackers and engineers to develop technology that tackles issues related to Lake Erie. The health of the lake and its watersheds is critical in sustaining local economies, communities and environments.

“AquaHacking is a multi-generational, multi-sector and multi-stakeholder movement that aims to conserve the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence, and to foster the quality and responsible use of these waters,” said Claude Perras, executive director of the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation. “Partnerships like this one are important to our mission of championing emerging clean-tech innovation and entrepreneurship while bringing together stakeholders from multiple sectors, jurisdictions and generations to develop integrated strategies for water policy and governance.”

A panel of expert judges will select the winners of the AquaHacking 2017 Challenge in September as part of an international water research conference, “The Role of Water Technology Innovation in the Blue Economy” that will take place in Waterloo Region. Five winning teams will share $75,000 and the top three teams will earn placements in local incubator and accelerator spaces to grow their ideas. Similar AquaHacking events will take place in 2018 and 2019.

“The University of Waterloo has been engaged in water research and entrepreneurship throughout its 60-year history,” said Roy Brouwer, executive director of the Water Institute at Waterloo. “We are thrilled to partner with the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation to challenge our students, and to tap into Waterloo Region’s thriving tech community to develop new, innovative solutions. We thank the Foundation for their continued leadership in protecting fragile water resources.”

The Water Institute and the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation announced this new partnership at the World Water Day celebration that UWaterloo hosted with Wilfrid Laurier University.

The Water Institute is an interdisciplinary hub for more than 150 UWaterloo faculty members and 400 graduate students who use research and education to address complex water problems.

About the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation

Founded in 1990, the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation is a family-run philanthropic organization dedicated to water conservation and to supporting family businesses. The foundation employs an approach known as entrepreneurial philanthropy in its aim to support individuals, families in business, and organizations in becoming responsible agents of positive and sustainable change within their communities.

About the University of Waterloo

University of Waterloo is Canada’s top innovation university. With more than 36,000 students we are home to the world’s largest co-operative education system of its kind. Our unmatched entrepreneurial culture, combined with an intensive focus on research, powers one of the top innovation hubs in the world. Find out more at uwaterloo.ca.

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Media Contacts

Pamela Smyth,
University of Waterloo,
519-888-4777,
www.uwaterloo.ca/news,
@uWaterlooNews

Anne von Finckenstein,
de Gaspe Beaubien Foundation,
514-261-4960,
www.fondationdegaspebeaubien.org/en/

Attention broadcasters: Waterloo has facilities to provide broadcast quality audio and video feeds with a double-ender studio. Please contact us to book.

This past October 7, as part of the AquaHacking 2016 Summit: United for the St. Lawrence, the winner of the AquaHacking 2016 Challenge was announced, from a pool of five finalists. These teams have been working for several months on their technological solutions to help protect the St. Lawrence River.
First place goes to…
The Info-Baignade team was named our big winner, walking away with a $10,000 grant, a first client contract worth $10,000, one year of support from the IBM ecosystem, a guaranteed spot in Concordia University’s District 3 innovation incubator and six hours of consultation with finance, marketing and legal professionals. Their solution is a mobile app that acts as an early warning system, tracking the risk of microbiological contamination (SAP Micro) in the St. Lawrence River to predict the risk of contamination for swimmers.
2nd place
Solutions to Innovate came in second place with their solution: a system of flexible, modular piers to help stop the erosion of riverbanks caused by winds and boating activities. This team wins a $7,500 grant, a first client contract worth $7,500, one year of support from the IBM ecosystem, a guaranteed spot in the Centech innovation incubator (École de technologie supérieure) and four hours of consultation with finance, marketing and legal professionals.
3rd place
Third place went to the eFish team. This group of university students developed a mobile application for the fishing community. The app provides extensive information about fish species and current fishing restrictions, as well as information shared by other fishers, maps of waterways and access points, basics for planning a fishing trip and, of course, the option to share it all with friends on social media! eFish has won a $5,000 grant, a first client contract worth $4,000, one year of support from the IBM ecosystem and three hours of consultation with finance, marketing and legal professionals.
4th place
The H2EAU team took fourth place, winning a $3,000 grant, one year of support from the IBM ecosystem and two hours of consultation with finance, marketing and legal professionals. In order to help preserve the St. Lawrence River, this team of student researchers in water science developed a web app called GO-Explo, which encourages the exploration, protection and value of the River’s many assets, both educational and recreational.
5th place
The Dronoflow team, comprising one biologist and three students from École de technologie supérieure, also members of the Dronolab student lab, propose using long-range drones to capture data, take aerial photographs and draw water samples for scientific analysis. This solution earned a $2,000 grant and one year of support from the IBM ecosystem.
Honourable mention from the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change
For this year’s edition of the AquaHacking Challenge, the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change decided to award an honourable mention to one of the finalists for project innovation. The Dronoflow team received this honour.
The final jury was composed of five distinguished individuals, who are well known for their contributions to innovation technology, the environment and entrepreneurship: Mitch Garber, Mylène Paquette, Jean-François Barsoum, Caroline Losson and Philippe III de Gaspé Beaubien.

The University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University will mark World Water Day March 22 with their eighth annual Graduate Research Fair and Water Celebration. As part of the event, UWaterloo will announce an exciting partnership.
The Water Institute at Waterloo will announce a three-year partnership with the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation involving its innovative AquaHacking initiative. AquaHacking challenges young digital designers and coders, aspiring water experts and entrepreneurs to develop applications that raise awareness about and provide solutions for water problems.
The United Nations established World Water Day in 1993 to increase global awareness of the importance of water to the environment, agriculture, energy, health and trade. Each year, the students from the UWaterloo Water Institute and the Laurier Institute for Water Science two co-host a full day of activities to highlight the breadth and depth of their water research. This year more than 60 students will be presenting details on their water-related research and it will be an excellent opportunity for researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders to share information with the community.
The keynote speaker for the World Water Day event will be Frank Wolf, a Canadian filmmaker, adventurer, writer and environmentalist who has canoed across Canada, cycled on the frozen Yukon River, and sea kayaked the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline and supertanker route from Alberta’s oilsands to the Pacific Ocean.
The day will also feature a panel discussion on achievements and challenges in Canada’s wastewater system, research poster presentations and a photo contest.
The student-organized celebration takes place Wednesday, March 22, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Lazaridis Hall, 75 University Avenue West, on Laurier’s Waterloo campus.
Key Events
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Opening and partnership announcement, main atrium.
10:30 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.
Keynote speaker Frank Wolf: “Wild Waters: Advocating for Wilderness Waterways Through Adventure.” LH1011.
1 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.
Panel discussion: “Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities in Canada’s Wastewater System.” LH1009.

BY KATIE SHAPIRO
Looking forward to cooling off in the water this summer? As you cannonball into the lake by your cottage, or dip your paddles into the river, will you be thinking about the health of the waterway you’re enjoying? The folks behind Water Rangers hope so, and they’re ready to help you dive in.
On a mission to engage citizens in the stewardship of our waterways and make water data accessible, Water Rangers is building tools to help citizens and scientists easily record and analyze water data, so that they can use the data to learn about problems, share discoveries and engage with their neighbours.
Kat Kavanagh was inspired to make the process more intuitive and accessible for non-scientists after doing some water tests with her dad near their cottage in the Laurentians. A senior web and game designer, she discovered a new passion for water science and water health and was contemplating going back to school to study biology in 2015. Instead, that spring, Kavanagh was part of a winning team at Aquahacking’s Ottawa Summit – a two day hack-a-thon to develop technical solutions for the Ottawa River. Her team’s citizen science platform was essentially a prototype for what would later become Water Rangers.
By August 2015, Water Rangers three-person team – Kavanagh, as executive director and designer; her husband Ollie Kavanagh, also a designer and developer; and Mark Dabrowski, the director of technology and head developer – was registered as a non-profit. While none of them had formal backgrounds in water science, their enthusiasm for the subject is contagious.
So, how can you become a Water Ranger? It’s easy! Folks who sign up as Water Rangers simply create an online profile, go through some quick training, and then take a test kit to take out to the field, whether it be to a nearby lake or an ocean.
Water Rangers test kits include tools to test pH, water clarity, and other aspects of fresh and salt water. Photo by Katie Shapiro
Typical tests include measuring devices for pH levels, which indicates the acidity or basicity of water and water clarity, which indicates how deep light can penetrate into the ecosystem. Once the data is collected it can be input immediately into the Water Rangers app, or recorded by hand to be logged on the website later. Over time, the data collected can show whether trends indicate a stable aquatic system or one that is changing. Rangers get points and badges as they become more involved (no capes yet, but other fun things are in the works!).
I packed a test kit in my luggage and became part of the team on a recent trip to Jamaica. My partner scoffed at the idea of adding water testing to our vacation, but it was such a quick process that adding a few water tests to our beach time was easy and fun. Far from being the first person to take a Water Rangers kit to international waters, there have been Ocean Explorers on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans already.
While the goal is to get folks out completing tests and collecting data, Kat emphasizes that the engagement of citizen scientists is equally important. By helping to monitor water health, participants become engaged water stewards. It sensitizes communities to the issues affecting their waterways and connects them to established organizations that work in water health.
Water Rangers currently partners with groups like the Ottawa Riverkeeper, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, the City of Ottawa, and Mobile Baykeeper in Alabama to let people access their data online and learn more about what the water tests and results mean.
While individual observations may seem like a mere drop in the ocean, Water Rangers has already made a splash with over 15,000 observations. And the team has big dreams, including a web store for people to purchase their own kits. An offline app is being developed thanks to funding from the City of Ottawa, and the Rangers have just received a grant from Ontario 150 to equip 17 community groups across the province with the goal of testing 150 sites in Ontario in 2017.
Kat jokes that an experience with Water Rangers is like a “gateway science” that gets people hooked on protecting our waterways. Keen to get your feet wet? Swim over to www.waterrangers.ca to get started.
http://ottawamagazine.com/going-out/get-your-feet-wet-water-rangers-offers-new-tools-for-citizen-scientists/

For the past 6 years, Dominique Monchamp, our General Manager has managed our family foundation, the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation, with tremendous energy and passion. The success we have seen with the last two AquaHacking Summits is a tribute to this passion for freshwater conservation, which she shares with the rest of our family. We are very pleased and proud of her outstanding contribution over the years. We will continue to count on Dominique’s expertise as consultant to our AquaHacking 2017 project as well as pursuing her mandate of estate manager.

Effective immediately, Mr. Claude Perras will be managing the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation as Executive Director. Claude has over 25 years’ experience within global corporations, international development organisations and several not for profit. Until recently he was working as a Consultant in the Environment, Social and Governance Department at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. He is the former Vice President of Sustainability and a member of the Executive Committee of London Mining PLC, listed on London Stock Exchange. Claude’s extensive career includes notable roles at Rio Tinto, Alcan, UNITERRA, and CECI. He holds a Master of Management from McGill University; a Diploma in Social Development from the Coady International Institute at St. Francis Xavier University; Bachelor of Arts in Social Science with a double Major in Economics and Political Science from the University of Ottawa.

We invite you to join us in warmly welcoming Claude to our team and to offer Dominique all our best in her new role.

Cordially,
Nan-b de Gaspé Beaubien
Co-chair of the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation

Starting this week, Quebec’s technology and digital community will focus on the most pressing issues facing the St. Lawrence River as part of the AquaHacking CHALLENGE: United for the St. Lawrence. This hacking CHALLENGE, organized by the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation, aims to develop innovative solutions.

“The participating teams, made up of developers, designers, programmers, coders, IT professionals, water experts and creative minds, will have five months to develop functional technological solutions (mobile, web, or other),” explains Ms. Dominique Monchamp, executive director of the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation.

Here are some examples of the challenges:

Swimming and summer go hand in hand! What if we knew the water quality index before diving in?
There are several access points to the St. Lawrence. Can we geolocate them and learn about them?
Invasive species harm biodiversity. Develop an app to identify them and report their presence to the proper authorities!
The St. Lawrence River is part of our daily lives! Build a tour guide app showcasing its rich history and evolution.
Climate change impacts water levels. Can we monitor changes and forecast their impact?

Why participate?

A total of $50,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to the six finalist teams. In addition, these teams will land their first client contracts and will have access to a bank of hours to consult professionals in the fields of finance, law, and marketing.

All of the CHALLENGE participants will be in close contact with IT solution companies and project partners. They will also receive support from mentors, technology experts, or water specialists from organizations such as IBM, the École de technologie supérieure, Polytechnique, and the City of Montréal.

The finalists will have the opportunity to present their solutions to a jury of high-profile entrepreneurs, capital venture investors, IT executives, and environmental experts.
To ensure that the winning solutions will be developed to their full potential, they will also receive support from renowned incubators, namely, IBM, Centech (École de technologie supérieure) and District 3 (Concordia University).

The grand final for the CHALLENGE will take place on October 7, 2016, the second day of the AquaHacking 2016 Summit: United for the St. Lawrence. The Summit will take place at the Palais des congrès de Montréal.

The CHALLENGE participants will also have access to data sets provided by Environment Canada, the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment, and the Fight against Climate Change, and the City of Montréal.

In addition to funding provided by the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation, AquaHacking 2016 receives financial support from IBM as major partner, as well as Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, the City of Montréal, the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, RBC, the Government of Quebec, Stingray Digital, and Cascades. Furthermore, Stratégies Saint-Laurent and the St. Lawrence Global Observatory will contribute to the project by sharing their valuable expertise on the St. Lawrence River. The Quartier de l’innovation de Montréal, Concordia University’s District 3, Notman House, FounderFuel, and LE CAMP (City of Québec), all of which contribute to the development of the Quebec technology ecosystem, also support AquaHacking.

To find out more about the AquaHacking 2016 CHALLENGE, the general public is invited to the next 6@8 info sessions, which will be held in the cities of Montréal and Québec.

To register for the CHALLENGE, participate in an information session, or to know more: 2016.aquahacking.com< br>

Twitter: @AquaHacking

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AquaHacking

The de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation announced an one million dollars donation over five years to the École de technologie supérieur (ÉTS). This donation will allow the creation of a new research chair and the launch of an entrepreneurship grant program.
“With its 9,000 students, of which nearly 500 are at the doctoral level, ÉTS is truly a hotbed of ideas. This donation aims to support research and innovation at ÉTS and stimulate the creation of young technology companies. Quebec has an abundancy of exceptional talent and a helping hand is often enough for these talents to blossom,” explains Mr. Philippe III de Gaspé Beaubien, president of the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation, at the launch of ÉTS’s major campaign.
Philippe III de Gaspé Beaubien first came into contact with ÉTS as cofounder of EERS, a company that specializes in the field of hearing. “The researchers and students at ÉTS work towards finding solutions to concrete problems. I really like their approach and wanted to support research in two areas that are close to my heart; namely, intraauricular research and water preservation,” he added.
An amount of $500,000 will thus be dedicated to the creation of the CRITIAS (Chaire de recherche industrielle en technologies intra-auriculaires Sonomax/EERS) laboratory.
An amount of $225,000 will also be provided to the research chairs of DRAME (Développement et recherche appliquée en modélisation de l’eau) and STEPPE (Station expérimentale des procédés pilotes en environnement).
In addition to health and water, the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation is actively involved in supporting entrepreneurship. That is why the Foundation will offer 25 grants of $10,000 to young entrepreneurs for the start-up of technology companies.
In conclusion, the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation and ÉTS will collaborate on the AquaHacking 2016 Summit, an event dedicated to water preservation through innovation. This event will take place in Montreal on October 6 and 7, 2016 at Palais de congrès.

Are you concerned about the health of the St. Lawrence River? We’re all ears!
Through the end of March, you can submit the issues you are concerned about through our online public consultation platform. Residents, shoreline residents, the private sector, managers of municipal water sources, field-based organizations, engineers, universities, and others are encouraged to post issues they would like to see the hackathon teams address.
After issues are selected, our water experts and hackers will develop technological solutions addressing the main issues!
Your contribution as a concerned citizen is essential. Submit an issue!