The aces of info | Old salvaged toys, muddled photos and a nine-year-old heroine

Every Sunday, The Press broadcasts the content of Les As de l’info, a youth digital platform entirely devoted to daily news.

Old toys can be recovered!

Did you know that, every year, tons of plastic toys for children are thrown in the trash in Quebec? Yet many still work just fine, or could easily be fixed. Fortunately, a local organization is trying to recover these toys and give them a second life. Let’s enter this amazing universe together!

The birth of a solution

Annie Asselin lives in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, a small town near Quebec. One day, as she walks through her neighborhood, she notices that a multitude of toys in good condition are in the garbage cans of her neighbors. She finds it really sad.

It was then that Annie decided, with a few volunteers, to collect these toys, wash them, repair them, and then resell them at a low price. In this way, it helps reduce waste while saving people money!

This is how Réno-Jouets, his organization, was created.

A real impact

Since its creation in 2006, Réno-Jouets has recovered more than one million toys in the province. That would be enough to fill your room several times, from floor to ceiling! Thanks to the organization, thousands of children have had fun with refurbished toys.

However, not all the toys that Réno-Jouets collects can be reused. Some are broken or too worn. But then, what to do with these?

Recycling, not so easy!

You would think that since these are plastic toys, you could just put them in the recycling. But it’s more complicated than that.

You see, the majority of children’s toys are made of several parts, which are often made with different kinds of plastics. The problem is that all these plastics must be recycled separately. It’s not impossible, but it’s very difficult and very costly for sorting plants. The most profitable option is therefore unfortunately to put them in the trash.

It is for this reason that this moment must be delayed as much as possible, in particular by repairing and reusing used toys!

Soon across Quebec?

In January, France implemented an action plan for the recycling of non-repairable toys, even if it is expensive. Its goal is that by 2024, at least one in three non-repairable toys will be recycled.

And such an action plan could reach as far as Quebec! There are already recycling programs for certain toys such as video game consoles or toys with batteries. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to convince recycling companies to recycle all plastic toys.

Based on an article by Clémence Delfils, special collaboration

Why are the children’s faces blurred in the photos of the Laval tragedy?

Images of the tragedy at a Laval daycare center have been circulating all over the internet. You may have noticed that in some photos the faces of the children in the daycare are hidden or blurred. In fact, you may have noticed that often when talking about minors, that is, people who are under 18, the media does not reveal their identity.

We thought it would be relevant to explain to you why, since it concerns your rights.

Who has the right to publish a photo of you?

As a general rule, no one has the right to distribute a photo of you without your authorization or that of your parents.

A journalist, a teacher or even a friend cannot therefore publish a photo in which you can be recognized if they have not been given permission. And that goes for newspapers and media websites (like that of Info Aces!), but also for social networks.

For example, in the case of the media, if a journalist or photographer does not obtain permission from the people in a photo to publish it, their faces will be blurred to prevent the public from recognizing and identifying them.

For what ? Because if someone finds that a photo posted without their permission is embarrassing or makes them look bad, the person or media that posted it could be sued.

There are a few exceptions. For example, if we are in front of an important monument, we can expect to appear in the photo of a tourist who takes a picture of it!

The Rules of Journalists

Each media follows its own rules (called codes of conduct or codes of ethics) and the journalists who work there must respect them. In Quebec, many media agree not to publish information allowing the identification of children and teenagers, unless it is really important and they have the authorization of the parents.

When the law requires it!

These rules are even stricter when a crime has been committed. Canadian law almost always prohibits us from publishing the identity of victims, witnesses and even accused persons under the age of 18. This includes names, photos, but also all the information that would identify them (such as a nickname, school, address, etc.).

The Am Alert Exceptionber

After reading all these rules, you might wonder why, when a child is abducted, the media publish their picture and description.

The police broadcast an AMBER alert when they want to put the odds on their side to find a child. The media therefore have the right to publish his identity. However, once the alert is over, they must delete this information.

You now know why the photos of the children at the Laval daycare center are mixed up in some of the articles you read. It’s to respect the law, and to protect them too.

A 9-year-old girl to the rescue of nature!

Last summer Bobbi Wilson, a 9-year-old girl, had an incredible adventure. While she simply wanted to serve her community, she finally found herself being honored by a prestigious museum! Are you interested ? Keep reading to find out more!

Assignment : cleaning up!

Do you know the spotted fulgores? These are insects native to Asia that are found in the United States, but also in Canada. These colorful creatures of about twenty centimeters are unfortunately dangerous for fruits and trees. If you see any, call the Canadian Food Inspection Agency immediately!

But back to Bobbi. The girl lives in northern New Jersey, USA. At the end of last summer, his neighborhood was infested with these critters. No wonder: this is the season during which the insect is known to lay the most eggs.

Using a recipe found on TikTok using dish soap, apple cider vinegar, and water, Bobbi decided to take care of the problem herself.

The neighbors get involved!

In 3 months, Bobbi managed to recover 27 spotted fulgores! She was very happy to be able to help her neighborhood by ridding it of these harmful insects.

Everything was going well…until one of the neighbors called the police about him. The neighbor complained that a little black girl was walking around splashing the sidewalks and trees with an unknown mixture.

The police therefore came to question the young girl, but fortunately, there was no follow-up and the neighbor apologized to Bobbi’s mother. The latter, however, said that she was afraid for her daughter. According to her, if Bobbi had come across a racist policeman, the story could have ended very badly.

All’s well That ends well !

After her episode with the police, Bobbi was contacted by Yale University, a major American university. The establishment had heard of the story of the young girl from New Jersey, who had dedicated months of her life to protecting the nature of her neighborhood from dangerous insects.

Touched by Bobbi’s determination, the school made her a great offer: recover her collection of captured insects to display in the university’s Natural History Museum. And she accepted!

On January 20, Yale University held a ceremony to install Bobbi’s collection. She will now be one of the scientists in the museum!