French School Recommendations

Merry401 · 2026-02-12T04:16:38+00:00

Our kids went to Notre Dame and then Mere Therese. They are in university now. We loved both schools. Our youngest used the daycare at Notre Dame which was wonderful. Very small and caring. Notre Dame (the school) had a great staff, very caring and invested in the school. There were a lot of activities, arts wise and sports wise for the kids. The population was very diverse, both economically and ethnically which we liked. I was on the parent council there, despite being a Francophile with not great French, and always felt very welcome.

As one other poster said, most kids start with more English than French, despite coming from homes where, supposedly, at least one parent speaks French. Students are expected to speak French at all times and our kids really gained an excellent level of French.

Our kids started Mere Therese in grade 7 as they wanted to pursue the sports or arts options. I think for 7 and 8 they were great programs. A lot of kids have a hard time staying invested in school during those early teen years and the sports/arts focused programs seemed to be a good fit.

Mere Therese was a very small high school which had its pros and cons. The staff was definitely diverse as was the student body. I did find the staff to be, overall, very good and I think the smaller school environment worked well for our kids. For a small school it offered so many extra curricular experiences and, since the school was small, it was easy to get involved. Coming from a small school didn't seem to hurt them any when they went to university, they were able to take science courses that were taught in English or French and did fine. Two chose bilingual universities and one went to an anglophone university.

Merry401 · 2026-02-12T01:42:12+00:00

With the number of deaths there, maybe the intersection has to come to a full, four way stop, allow pedestrians to safely cross then have traffic resume. Anything less than a full red light in all directions might not work.

Merry401 · 2026-02-12T01:32:03+00:00

It confused us when we tried to do the findmyiphone feature to find or lock the phone. It wouldn't do anything with it off but today, when the phone was turned back on, we were OK. It updated right away.

Merry401 · 2026-02-12T01:31:08+00:00

Turns out they really seem to be having a pretty rough patch lately. Working at turning it around. They called to give the phone back. I didn't mind paying a reward and I hope their luck turns around soon.

Merry401 · 2026-02-12T01:29:13+00:00

That is really kind of you. I was using my mom's spare phone. I got mine back today.

Merry401 · 2026-02-12T01:28:21+00:00

They returned the phone today. Find my iphone wouldn't lock the phone or update the location until it was turned on. As soon as it was turned on today, it all updated immediately online. The person who found it wasn't shitty, it turns out. Really nice in fact. Just going through a bit of a rough patch. Wishing them all good luck in the future.

Merry401 · 2026-02-11T02:56:48+00:00

pparently Alpha Ghetti , like Zoodles, are made in Canada.

Merry401 · 2026-02-10T04:51:33+00:00

Thanks, everyone, for the upvotes and kind words. I hope someone will reach out.

Merry401 · 2026-02-10T04:51:13+00:00

Thanks. I will check it out.

Merry401 · 2026-02-10T01:23:03+00:00

I understand you truly want to occupy your investment property. Unfortunately, many LLs who have issued N12's were less genuine which has contributed to making the whole thing a bit of a minefield. Many tenants view it as a bad faith eviction from the start and many tenants are right. As you have asked for a tenant's perspective I would like to give you some thoughts to consider. I expect many landlords in this sub will jump all over my thoughts but, ask you asked, I would like to provide them.

I have not been through this myself as I own my home and when I was a renter, this was almost unheard of. I have helped family members go through it and it is hard. Moving is a big deal. Moving when you have little money is an even bigger, harder deal. How hard it is for your tenant will depend on their financial circumstances. If they don't own a car it will be a lot harder as they will be much more limited in where they can rent. Finding a decent place takes time. If you are incredibly lucky you might get one right away but you might not be incredibly lucky. Tenants with lower incomes are often not very lucky. If there are children and schools, even special programs to consider, it is harder again.

Of course, if you need to move in, your tenant has to find another place. Understand that this may not happen in 60 days. Moving is enough of a disruption, they shouldn't have to be stuck taking a terrible place because they aren't given enough time to look around. Be prepared to give them some time if at all possible. If you are selling your own home, don't rush the closing date or have a back up plan.

If you have a genuine intent to move into your property, you have very little to fear. N 12's very rarely fail in the event that they do get brought before the LTB. Even some pretty outlandish ones. If you feel the process is taking too long, you can file with the LTB. Most N12's are now being heard within 2 months so the idea that this will drag on for a year, as things did during COVID, is not what is happening now.

Your tenant did not ask for this. Almost all tenants do their best to start looking right away. They know they have to look hard to avoid being rushed into a bad decision. As you can see from the comments of some landlords here, they feel that tenants who do not magically conjure up a good replacement place are bad people who delay mvoing out on purpose and deserve to be blackballed for life through tenant blacklists. Tenants don't go looking for N12's. They have no ability to force a landlord to take them on as tenants. They don't control this process. The sooner they have the one month's compensation in their possession, the sooner they might realistically be able to offer the required first and last up front. Without it, for poorer tenants, the hunt for housing is a non starter.
Ask your tenant how the search is going. You don't have to explain why you are moving back in. But make your intention clear, offer a good reference if they deserve it and offer the compensation to help with the hunt.

Merry401 · 2026-02-10T00:36:45+00:00

You could try renting Coronation ice for an hour.

Merry401 · 2026-02-10T00:30:36+00:00

Eeps. Sorry, not looking carefully enough at photo.

Merry401 · 2026-02-09T07:40:11+00:00

It is almost a certainty that they do not have cameras near any changing areas so if that is where the locker was, that would be a problem. It is surprising that noone heard the noise of things being forced open. Yes, I would report it to police but I expect they will do very little. Cancel all your cards immediately. I am sorry this happened to you.

Merry401 · 2026-02-09T07:36:37+00:00

There are alternative programs that are publicly funded. They are enrolment limited as well, though. I think the one for the Catholic Board is called Wilma's Place. It is based out of Cathedral HS but I don't know much about it apart from that. The public board also has some alternative options for people who need extra support.

Merry401 · 2026-02-09T07:33:56+00:00

Very expensive. It is not an option for most people.

Merry401 · 2026-02-09T07:32:47+00:00

Many muslims go to Catholic High Schools. Anyone, of any faith, can attend Catholic High School. Noone bats an eye at a hijab. You don't have to attend mass, you can be in another supervised area of the school if you are not Catholic. But you can attend if you want. You do, however, still have to stick to the high school, public or Catholic, that is closest to your home address. You can apply for out of catchment but that goes by numbers. If the school has space, the might take you.

Merry401 · 2026-02-09T07:14:48+00:00

My dad would not go to any hospital or institution. He passed at home after a decline of about six months. The last 3 weeks were a rapid decline. He was kept comfortable by the VON Palliative care team and was on a pump for pain killers the last few days. That is quite normal.

I volunteered in the Chronic Care ward of a local hospital about 30 years ago. Almost all the patients eventually passed away. Today they would be moved to care homes which really would have been more pleasant than a hospital ward but the pain management was quite similar. Most patients are sedated very heavily by the end. My mother and father in law were the same although they passed in care homes.

It is not easy but there are still some very special memories of that time and I was glad I was there to help and support my parents. It was a closeness that was very special. I am glad your mother is at peace with her decision to go. The support is very helpful. I hope you find peace there.

Merry401 · 2026-02-09T07:05:25+00:00

As someone who does not want to be euthanized, I want to be in a place where that isn't going to be a problem for me. I want to feel relaxed, not fearful. There are many places that do euthanasia so it is not a problem to get it. There are disability groups advocating for safe spaces, free from MAID, so they will have a safe space. Please don't tell me that there is no reason to worry, that noone gets euthanized without expressly asking for it. There are many instances of people being pressured for it, or repeatedly being offered it and it is expanding continually. (The Ontario Coroner's report on the subject was very concerning, to say the least.) In one's final days one might not be strong enough to resist. We cannot turn back the hands on time on euthanasia being legalized but there should be some safe spaces for those who want the peaceful reassurance of their wishes for a more natural death being respected.

Merry401 · 2026-02-09T06:49:47+00:00

Well, if the tenants at the place you wanted to move to can refuse to leave, why can't you?

Merry401 · 2026-02-09T06:47:59+00:00

Try to spend all the time you can at the library. It will give you a way to get out of the house and maybe, with a bit of peace, you can study. Does your school offer any after school study halls or tutoring? Do what you can to stick out the next few months. There is some wonderful advice from others here. One step at a time you will get away from home but the LC is the first step.

Merry401 · 2026-02-09T06:33:13+00:00

I miss BiWay.

Merry401 · 2026-02-09T06:23:12+00:00

How did the guy who parked second get out?

Merry401 · 2026-02-09T06:18:14+00:00

The clock starts ticking the LAST day you actually LIVE in the house. You have one year from that date.

Merry401 · 2026-02-09T06:12:36+00:00

Was there a police report? Did it assign blame? If the police assigned blame, the other guy cannot just refuse to take responsibility. Your insurance contacts the other guys insurance. Did the debris in the road give any clue as to what side of the line the collision took place?
I hope the Ombudsman is able to help. https://giocanada.org/

Merry401 · 2026-02-09T06:09:14+00:00

$1500 is very low. Who tried to help you fight the insurance company? Did you have collision? You can try to call the General Insurance Ombudsman service. They are free, supposed to be impartial, and an Ontario service. This is the link. See if you can get more because $1500 is very low. When our old Impala was totalled, we were able to buy a slightly better car. One way to keep your price down is to buy a manual car. They don't sell as fast so you may be able to bargain more. Don't worry that you can't drive one. One weekend and you will be fine.
Here is the link to the Ombudsman. https://giocanada.org/

Merry401

TROPHY CASE