Volunteers are the backbone of Science Timmins, according to the organization’s president and CEO.
“People are really, really good. That’s our strength, volunteers,” says Antoine Garwah.
Garwah, 76, was born in Cairo, Egypt, and moved to Montréal when he was a child. His background in engineering and love for science brought him to Timmins where he’s been teaching chemistry, physics, math and computers at École secondaire catholique Thériault for 33 years.
“Even when I was eight years old, I would take things apart and bring them together and use batteries and motors, it was my field of interest,” he recalls, saying the love for science was passed down to him and his siblings from their parents.
“My father figured science was a way of the future and encouraged us to go into science,” he says.
He learned French at an elementary school in Cairo, studied in French in Montréal and says being bilingual allows him to reach more people. Garwah graduated from university knowing five languages: English, Arabic, French, German and Italian.
“One language would be one group. And I don’t want to force French to speak English to me because I want to speak French, so I speak French to them,” he says. “In Canada if you’re not bilingual, you’re behind in jobs, in social communication.
And what I like about Timmins is if you don't speak French, they speak English to you."
Garwah is married to Lorraine Cantin, who volunteers as a chair at Science Timmins. The organization is governed by a volunteer board of directors and programs and services are offered in two languages across northeastern Ontario, from up at the coast to New Liskeard.
Cantin, 75, has 35 years of teaching experience behind her as well. Born and raised in a francophone family in Timmins, she says her favourite subjects in school have always been science and math.
“And, of course, being married to Antoine that helped develop that interest even more,” she says. The couple met at a science fair and has raised four children, and have seven grandchildren, who speak both languages as well.
The first science fair in Timmins was held in 1970 when students presented their projects in a classroom, Garwah says. It evolved to a school level and expanded to a board and regional levels. The regional science fair was held in different cities each year like Iroquois Falls and Kapuskasing but since 1989, the event moved permanently to Timmins, Cantin says.
The couple also developed Science Olympics, STEM Expo and Robotics Competition.
“Science is my passion and I like to share my passion with people from all ages,” says Garwah, who’s participated in about 52 science fairs in his life. “The youth would take our place one day and if they’re not ready and prepared for today’s challenges, we’re missing the boat.”
Cantin says the fairs are very popular, with hundreds of people attending and community members coming together. In 1998, the husband and wife co-chaired the Canada-wide Science Fair held in Timmins.
In 2015, they opened the 16,000-square-foot Science Village, located at 225 5th Avenue. It took a year and a half to open the space, which boasts various exhibits and displays.
Due to a small population, and to keep visitors interested in coming back, Science Timmins often diversifies their programs and activities, Cantin says.
“It fulfills the needs not only for people in Timmins but tourists,” she says. “It promotes an interest in science and technology and it helps motivate children to learn trades. For seniors, it’s a great place with collections where they can reminisce, they can do hands-on stuff … Science Timmins is really giving back a lot to the city what Antoine and I have received during our careers.”
The couple has been volunteering with several community organizations in Timmins. Cantin says she’s volunteered with Timmins and District Hospital Foundation (TADHF) and Timmins Family Counselling.
Garwah was involved with Timmins Public Library, TADHF and Canadian Cancer Society. He was also a science and computers consultant for Ontario’s Ministry of Education, a science head department for 30 years at Thériault and a chair of the national Youth Science Canada organization, and has worked on outreach science programs in First Nation communities.
For his accomplishments, he was awarded a Senior of the Year in 2017 and a provincial Science Teacher of the Year.
"The community has been great to me in giving back what I got from them through the years doing volunteer work," Garwah says. "It's an honour to work for the sake of science on a volunteer basis. When you love something, you don't count hours or money. "
Working together as a couple at Science Timmins goes “without fighting," according to Garwah.
“Both of us are on the same way of life. We share ideas, we share projects, so no fighting yet," he says, laughing
