Serious Play Conference, Emergency Desjardins Meeting, Toddler Falls From A Cruise Ship

Ahmad Moujtahed

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LOCAL

Serious Play Conference, a conference for both those who create serious games and those who implement game-based learning programs, will take place at UQAM University from July 10th to July 12th. 

Though video games are criticized as being unavailing and addictive, this event highlights video games’ learning potential. Serious gaming is a field that’s growing as sales are forecast to reach $8 billion within 3 years.  The Montreal conference will feature the most experienced developers and designers in the industry.

The event will end with an afternoon of serious games at Agora Hydro-Québec. All practical information is on the UQAM website.

NATIONAL

This was Liberal MP John Mckay, head of the committee responsible for overseeing an emergency meeting expected to be held next week in Ottawa regarding the Desjardins data breach.

Last month, an unprecedented incident at Desjardins saw close to 3 million of its members affected by a data breach that included social insurance numbers, emails, and other personal information. An employee has been blamed for the leak. 

In the wake of the breach, tens of thousands of people have signed a petition asking for new social insurance numbers.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer reached out earlier this week to the chair of the public safety and national security committee John Mckay to arrange an emergency meeting to talk about the Desjardins breach. It is not yet clear what the committee hopes to specifically accomplish with this meeting.

INTERNATIONAL

An 18-month-old girl from South Bend Indiana fell to her death from the 11th-floor deck of a cruise ship around San Juan, Puerto Rico. Initial reports suggested the youngster - named Chloe Wiegand - had slipped from the hands of her grandfather. 

The family’s attorney said the story "is not as it had originally been portrayed in the media". He revealed in a statement that the grandfather didn't drop the child, instead the child fell due to an open glass pane in a play area that should have been closed securely.

Local police have declined to comment on the attorney’s account of events, and said the family will remain in the country until their investigation is complete.