The Royal Canadian Mint to Host Open House With Sign Language Interpreting Associates Ottawa Inc. To Celebrate Addition of ASL and LSQ Interpretation Services to Its Guided Tours

Ottawa, Ontario, October 11, 2022 – The Royal Canadian Mint is celebrating a new partnership with Sign Language Interpreting Associates Ottawa Inc. (SLIAO), its provider of American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) interpretation services for its boutique and guided facility tours with open house events in Ottawa and Winnipeg on Saturday, October 15.  Live interpreters will be on site for four tours scheduled between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. Interested guests are asked to register 72 hours before the event by writing to reservationsottawa@mint.ca or reservationswinnipeg@mint.ca.

“The Mint is committed to making its facilities accessible to all visitors and customers,” said Marie Lemay, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. “We are pleased that our partnership with SLIAO makes it possible for deaf and hard of hearing visitors to our Ottawa and Winnipeg facilities to fully experience the Royal Canadian Mint.”

“SLIAO is proud to partner with the Mint to make its boutiques and tours accessible to Deaf visitors,” said Brenda Jenkins, Owner and Director of Marketing and PR. “We’ve seen first-hand the accessibility barriers faced by Deaf people. By making tours available in ASL and LSQ, we’re removing these barriers at the Mint. Now Deaf Canadians will be able to learn about our country’s coinage in their native language.”

Interpreted tours will run hourly from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The noon tour will have an LSQ interpreter. The Mint’s facilities are located at the following addresses:

320 Lagimodiere Blvd            320 Sussex Dr
Winnipeg, MB                         Ottawa, ON
204-984-1122                          613-993-0949

Since March 2020, the Mint has been working with SLIAO to provide ASL and LSQ interpretation in its boutiques and on its tour walks. In Winnipeg, Deaf visitors can use SLIAO’s On-Demand Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) service to connect with an interpreter via tablet during the tour. In Ottawa, Deaf visitors can access VRI On-Demand in the boutique and will be offered tablets to watch pre-recorded translations of the tour in either ASL or LSQ.

Click on the following links for ASL and LSQ translations of this news release.

About the Royal Canadian Mint

The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown corporation responsible for the minting and distribution of Canada’s circulation coins. The Mint is one of the largest and most versatile mints in the world, offering a wide range of specialized, high quality coinage products and related services on an international scale. For more information on the Mint, its products and services, visit www.mint.ca. Follow the Mint on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About SLIAO

Women-owned and led, SLIAO connects people through American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ). We offer quality interpreting and translation to ensure everyone has equal access to information. Our services are reliable, efficient, and rooted in deep understanding and respect for the Deaf community.

For more information, media are asked to contact:

Alex Reeves                                                     Brenda Jenkins
Senior Manager, Public Affairs                     Owner, Director of PR & Marketing
Telephone: 613-884-6370                              Telephone: 613-864-7491
reeves@mint.ca                                             brenda.jenkins@sliao.ca