ENGAGE Program - Citizen questions - 2025-2026

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?

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

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.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

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

Wishes to keep the email confidential.

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

Wishes to keep the email confidential.

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

Wishes to keep the email confidential.

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!

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

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.

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

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?

Wishes to keep their name and email confidential.

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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En tant que musicienne et enseignante en musique, j’ai toujours aimé prendre exemple sur des musiciens qui « réussissent » et qui semblent être en contrôle de leur destinée, tant au niveau professionnel que personnel. La motivation derrière ma question provient d’un désir profond de comprendre ce qu’on “de plus” les musiciens de haut niveau. Comment font-ils pour atteindre un niveau d’excellence dans leur art? Comment réussissent-ils à exceller dans le surpassement de soi et/ou ont-ils une philosophie de vie particulière?

Mes collègues et moi-même discutons souvent des différentes techniques d’apprentissage et de nos méthodes respectives enseignées à nos élèves qui aspirent à devenir de grands musiciens. Certains d’entre eux réussiront et certains n’y arriveront jamais, malgré leur volonté. À talent égal, qu’est-ce qui fait justement la différence entre celui ou celle qui réussira et celui qui échouera ? Est-ce que, en tant que professeure, je pourrais leur offrir des outils plus performants et plus efficaces pour les aider à atteindre leurs objectifs de carrière tout en parvenant à équilibrer leur passion avec leur bien-être personnel ? Si oui, de quelle manière ?

Toutes ces interrogations m’ont conduit à vouloir explorer le sujet plus en profondeur et l’idée de travailler avec un chercheur ou une chercheuse m’apparaît comme une opportunité de comprendre, à la fois sur le plan théorique et pratique, comment certains musiciens d’exception parviennent à naviguer entre ces deux impératifs : l’excellence et l’équilibre personnel.

Ultimement, j’aimerais être en mesure d’utiliser ces outils pour devenir une meilleure enseignante et musicienne et ainsi partager mon savoir à mes pairs afin de les aider à atteindre à leur tour un niveau d’excellence d’exception.

Souhaite garder son nom et son adresse courriel confidentiels.

Depuis la pandémie de la Covid-19, des taux d’inflation records sont présents dans plusieurs secteurs économiques. Plusieurs articles médiatiques ont également décrié les hausses de prix dans le secteur alimentaire, le tout s’accompagnant d’une augmentation de la population devant avoir recours aux différents services de banques alimentaires.
Ayant travaillé dans le secteur alimentaire pendant plus de 10 ans, dans des établissements de restaurations, épiceries et transformation alimentaire, sur des postes variés pendant mes études et depuis trois ans en tant que technicien comptable, j’observe depuis longtemps les diverses tendances au niveau des prix payés par les consommateur.trice.s.
Dans la dernière année, la sécurité financière est au cœur de plusieurs discussions dont j’ai été témoin. Ce qui en ressort principalement: « Ça coûte dont bien cher faire l’épicerie ast’heure! »
Je souhaite utiliser mes compétences acquises comme technicien comptable pour mener à bien cette recherche d’analyse statistique. La collecte de données sera parsemée d’obstacles: certains documents contenant les informations pour la recherche sont publics, d’autres de nature confidentielle. L’objectif étant d’analyser l’évolution des coûts jusqu’à sa forme finale, le prix à la consommation, il m’apparaît plus important de mentionner la position d’une entreprise dans la chaîne d’approvisionnement que les noms des entreprises dont les données seront analysées.
Cette question de recherche représente un défi de taille que je suis prêt à relever; elle n’en demeure pas moins un défi minime face aux solutions pouvant résoudre les iniquités sociales présentes dans la société.

Souhaite garder son nom et son adresse courriel confidentiels. 

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.

To come

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.

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.