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Nyon's police force covers Nyon, Prangins and Crans. How are they structured and what are the typical interventions? And who are Buffy and Quenzi that form a brigade of their own? Thank you very much to Laurence Dufour, in charge of communication at Nyon Police for answering the questions so openly and providing interesting insights into the workings of the local police! The Police of the Nyon region's (PNR) general mission is to ensure the security, tranquility and maintenance of order in its territory. They ensure a continuous presence in the field, which revolves around traffic control (speed, vehicle compliance, traffic rules), management of problems related to incivility (noise pollution, littering, breaches of the Police Regulations, damage to property, etc.), and offenses committed in the territory (burglaries, theft, domestic violence, cybercrime, etc.). Due to the current pandemic, the police station regularly provides clarifications on the health measures implemented by the Canton and the Federation. When it comes to road development matters, the PNR has only an advisory opinion. This task is the responsibility of the "Service Travaux, environnement et mobilité" of the City of Nyon. The Nyon police force has six brigades. The brigades are made up of teams with highly complementary skills in terms of background, training, experience etc. This allows for combined knowledge and strengths that can be used when analysing a problem they may be faced with. The chefs of the brigade independently manage their brigade's performance and motivation. Operational decisions are taken by the head of the police. The canine brigade - Meet Buffy and Quenzi The PNR has a canine brigade (called K9) made up of two dog handlers and two Belgian Shepard dogs, Buffy and Quenzi! This is a brigade affiliated with the Police-Secours division of the PNR. A police dog typically has a career of nine to ten years. Dogs specializing in the field of narcotics often continue to "work" even after their retirement. Their experience remains very useful to the police. Defense dogs differ from dogs specialized in narcotics. Defense dogs have missions such as searching for and neutralising fugitives or suspects. They also help search for people on the location of an offense, join in patrols and surveillance, and help search for objects or weapons. The drug dog, on the other hand, is trained to look for narcotics. The training lasts about a year and covers all drugs and their derivatives commonly found on the market. The dog is never in direct contact with drugs, it warns his handler when it detects the smell of narcotics by freezing at the location of the find. The dogs are also trained to find banknotes! These are closely linked to the trade in narcotic products. A new police station is underway The construction notice for the new police station has been submitted to the Municipal Council. This will be determined at the start of 2021. The construction loan needs to be validated and a referendum period of 14 days held. Once this is done, the work can begin and last approximately 2 years. The new police station will be located next to the fire station, on the Route de Divonne. Police Nyon Région 24h/24h 10, place du Château 1260 Nyon Tél: 022 799 17 17 or 117 www.police-nyon-region.ch

The Swiss are polite, punctual and very attached to privacy. What lies beneath these values so strongly ingrained? This informative series of short articles: "Inside Switzerland" is brought to Living in Nyon thanks to Jon Wyler. It gives us some insight into our wonderfully complex and highly efficient country. We've covered the history , and the rostigraben . t's time to take a closer look at the values that span across the country, regardless of the countless differences. Values Certain values are common throughout Switzerland, like punctuality and politeness or an expectation to comply with local customs and language. Some can be associated with “farmer values” - strong work ethic, responsibility, or independence. There are differences between rural and urban areas, best not to tell your colleague in Geneva you admire his/her “farmer values”. What these mean: Politeness: Saying hello and good-bye in shops, doctor’s offices, to neighbours, etc. Being polite is not simply the result of not being distant or cold. Punctuality: This is a sign of respect, showing that the other person’s time is as valuable as yours. It also shows you are organised and reliable. Privacy: You are entitled to privacy, and it’s expected that you will not be intrusive. Personal questions are reserved for close friends and family. Environment: Swiss understand their environment is their biggest asset and need to protect it. This starts with small gestures like recycling and not littering. Patriotism: Swiss love their country and are proud of it, but identify with their cantons. Independence: From other countries, international unions, and as much as possible the federal government. The independence provided through direct democracy is considered one of the key reasons Switzerland voted against joining the EU on several occasions. Next up in this series is integration. What efforts are useful to make? The good news is; liking local wine and cheese counts! Yes! Jon Wyler is a Swiss/Luxembourg bi-national, who grew up between Geneva, Hawaii and Beijing. Hospitality-trained, he has for most of his life followed his passion working in live music production, which took him around the world. Jon recently settled on the shores of lake Neuchâtel with his German wife who’s trying to figure out the in’s & out’s of her adopted country.

The estimated rate of failure for expatriation missions revolves around 40-50%. One of the main reasons is difficulty to adapt to the new country. This can be the person's own feeling, or that of his/her family. Thank you to Laurine Chiarini from International Link , an initiative of the Vaud chamber of commerce and industry (CVCI). They provide a wealth of information regarding Vaud, its culture, the opportunities that exist and the support you can find. Vaud is home to more than 50 international sports federations, 7 technology parks, dozens of multinational companies and several universities and specialized schools. It is also the main centre for research and innovation in Switzerland. These organizations provide jobs, develop partnerships with local institutions and work with local providers. Such companies usually employ a high number of foreign staff which brings a fair share of challenges. For example, integration can be an issue for the employees and their families. In fact, several studies point out that family challenges and a spouse’s career are the main barriers to mobility. This is a problem that comes at a high cost for companies. International Link is an initiative of the Vaud chamber of commerce and industry (CVCI), that aims to support the local integration of foreign organizations and their employees. It offers services and events in English designed for an audience with no prior knowledge of the local economic or political fabric. What are the specifics of the Swiss employment law? How to start up a business? How does the Swiss system of apprenticeship work? These are some of the topics typically addressed by International Link. Since family and spouses play a vital part in successful integration, some events are dedicated specifically to them. These include local company visits, a welcome day where children can join and a series of “Reloc’coffees”. These are all created to support the professional and personal integration of expat partners. Spouses frequently represent a highly skilled and experienced potential for the workforce. Participants get to learn useful information while networking with other international people. The local culinary scene is an essential part of integration too! After all, tasting a bright green carac (a typical Vaudois pastry filled with chocolate ganache), or debating on whether Cenovis can measure up to Marmite is also part of the expat experience. For more information have a look at their site here . Join one of their events or contact them for any support you may be looking for. Local specialties: For cheese lovers, but not only

Yesterday the federal Council gave an update on the measures to respect in an effort to curb the spread of the Coronavirus further. They hope no further restrictions will be necessary after these. So do we! The Federal Office of Public Health reported 3001 additional cases of the virus in 24 hours on Wednesday (13th of February) as well as unfortunately another 58 deceased. 10.32% of the tests come back positive and there are currently 147 patients hospitalized. Currently, we are at a rate of 477.5 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This is an overview of the new measures: As of Monday all non-essential shops will be closed. Supermarkets and other "essential" shops selling everyday consumer goods will remain open. Working from home is now once again mandatory where possible Private gatherings are restricted to 5 people Restaurants, sports and leisure facilities and cultural centres will remain closed until the 28th of February An extension of financial government aid has been announced Masks should be worn in proximity of others Read up on some more information on Swissinfo here .

Spending more time at home, also means we have more time to tend to our gardens, growing our own vegetables and enjoying the plants and trees in general. Join the webinar on the 25th of January, 18:00 by the Ecole club Migros on gardening and nature. Gardening retail is one of the industries that has spiked during the COVID lockdowns and "slowdowns". We take to our own gardens but also to nature in general as a way of relaxing and coping with the pandemic through the beauty of nature. If that is you too, then this might be perfect you: The Ecole club Migros now has a course specially developed find ways to reconnect in a meaningful manner with the world outside our front door. It's aimed at learning how to grow environmentally sound and abundant gardens, taking walks in local forests and reclaiming our innate desire to better understand the earth's cycles. Meetings will be held throughout the year to explore applications of Permaculture, soil science and nature deficit disorder. We will also meet for hands-on classes in family gardens to build compost, create raised beds and learn by doing. These meetings will be a mix between in-person and virtual depending on the sanitary situation. The Webinar is held on the 25th of January at 18:00 in English, and will walk you through the information and the outline of the course . Find out more about it during the webinar. Seats are free but limited at 20 people. Happy gardening!

The current times of uncertainty have brought with it a lot of professional development questions. Whether wanted or unwanted -> what next step to take in my career? is playing on a lot of minds. A recent Deloitte study found almost 2/3 of the Swiss labour market has experienced a negative impact on their careers since the arrival of COVID-19. The pandemic has created a shift in career development expectations across the world. Loss of jobs, burn-out linked to uncertainty and/or isolation are common occurrences these past few months. Workplace social-distancing or working with protective gear has impacted many. Not only are the working conditions altered, but the slowing down in the pace of life has also made way for reflection on a personal level. Being specialised in career development, I hear these questions over and over: Is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life? Where are my talents best put to use? How do I align my work-life more harmoniously.  If these questions are playing on your mind too, sign up for the Get Unstuck Professionally workshop I'm holding on Thursday at 11:00 (28th of January). It's a free and live workshop held in English and I'm full of tips and tricks you can use to get a handle on those elusive questions! You can find more information and a sign up for here . I would love to see you there if the topic is for you! Mandy

Schilliger's garden centre in Gland aims to "cultivate inspiration". And indeed it does. Its seasonal store decorations for inside and outside never fail to impress young and old alike. But what about the story behind the company? Schilliger was founded in 1945 by Maurice Schilliger (links in French) and is still today a family run business by the second and third generations. This fact is one of the defining parts of its corporate identity and culture of business. Aside from the passion for plants and horticulture, their drivers are inspiration, harmony, authenticity, and very high standards for quality. By 1955 Schilliger was the main supplier of Geneva florists and trade retail and in 1968 the shop started selling a mix of plants and gardening equipment. A small space for decoration was added by Agnès Schilliger, Maurice’s wife, next to the floristry sector she was in charge of. The transition of management from one generation to the next took place in 1990 which allows further possibilities to develop the universe of the brand. This is oriented towards the sale of plants but also towards the art of living in the garden as well as at home with furniture and decorations that reflect a unique and authentic style. Today, the store offers keep evolving and growing towards a global art of living. Last year Schilliger turned 75 years old and today it counts 250 employees and 3 garden centres in Gland (VD), Plan-les-Ouates (GE) and Matran (FR). The large majority of seasonal plants, perennials and nursery plants, are cultivated directly in their own greenhouses in Gland Aside from the in and outdoor offerings, Café Agnès (now you know where the name came from!) a restaurant nestled within the tropical greenhouse of the Garden Center, allows for a tasty moment of relaxation! Due to the current restrictions, it is unfortunately closed until the 28th of February. The future of Schilliger remains firmly rooted in its horticulture origins but seeks more and more to use this channel to provide its customers with experiences and emotions. Seasonal exhibitions and events are becoming part of our lives as locals with every season offering new and magical entertainment for all. The spring seasons in full bloom, autumn with its pumpkin expositions and the Christmas season is not complete without a visit of the shop and the Christmas markets. Luckily they remain open (with hygiene restrictions accordingly implemented) even during this time of semi-confinement to provide a welcome break from our limited movements! Nevertheless, the shop does not fail to impress and offers the opportunity to bring beauty and harmony into our own lives! The online boutique is also available for a wide variety of products (all except the actual plants) to browse from the comfort of your own home. You can also follow them on Facebook and/or Instagram to get your doses of inspiration and daydreams delivered to your screen!

The toy library in Nyon offers a wide variety of toys and games for young and old. The perfect activity for those long days at home! The first game library was created in 1934 in Los Angeles. Europe's first one was in Copenhagen and Switzerland's first one was not until 1972 in Münchenstein . The toy library in Nyon was opened in 1978 and is run by volunteers. It's for everyone! Parents looking for early learning toys for their baby, musical instruments, puzzles and costumes. There is a large variety of board games available for children from the age of 2 to 102! The "Ludotheque" - the French term for a toy library - also caters to company game evenings, the UAPE (after-school care) as well as giant games for parties or birthdays. You can register very easily at the shop or on the website. Rentals are yours for a month and there are 3 subscriptions to choose from: Basic , M ini and M axi that range in price from CHF30.- to CHF90.- per year, depending on volume and frequency :-) The "novelty" aspect is appealing to children (and adults) and the concept allows you and your children to try out a variety of different things every month and find what works best for your family. A yearly subscription and the rental costs of the games are much lower than purchasing them, which are often far to space-consuming for most of us anyway. Games are rented and re-rented so they get a good usage rather than living in dark cupboards for months and years before being thrown away or painfully given away. The library does not sell any games although if they receive games that cannot be used, they are made available to the members generally once a year in November in a barter sale at low prices (although unfortunately last year's one was canceled). At a barter, anyone can drop in games they want to sell and then get their money back at the end of the sale day. A membership as a gift voucher is also available for those always on the lookout for original gifts! The arrival of COVID-19 required some adaptation, people can now order games and collect them at a predefined time for example. They still remain open, but are limited in terms of people and are currently asking people to come alone to make a selection and stay as short a time as possible to leave room for others too. Games are also "quarantined" meaning that there are 72-hour gaps between exchanges. Post COVID restrictions the Ludothèque is hoping to restart the monthly board game night's again. Get in touch with them for questions or more information directly , the several members of the committee speak English and they are happy to help you.

Some 90’000 foreign nationals are eligible to vote in local elections in Vaud. Are you one of them? Here's why you should exercise your right. Thank you to Evren Kiefer who is on the Green party's list for the conseil communal. He has provided Living in Nyon with this article that provides a clear overview of who is eligible to vote and how the system works. Campaigns for local elections are underway in Nyon. As well as in every other village and town of the Canton de Vaud. The first round of voting will be on March 7th . We're electing the local authorities. And you might be eligible to take part even if you're not a Swiss national. At the municipal level, residents who have • lived in Switzerland for 10 years, • in the Canton de Vaud for the last 3 years, • and now have a B or C residency permit are eligible to vote, get elected and petition the authorities. If you're eligible, you should get your voting material in the mail. Full information is available in French on the canton’s website and Nyon’s website . Make your voice heard! Deciding who will govern the town over the next five years is a huge deal. They will decide how the town recovers from Covid. Have outstanding influence over which projects get priority in Nyon's development. And, of course, our attitude towards the climate crisis is also on the ballot. We'll be electing the conseil communal and the municipalité. The conseil communal oversees the city's management. It votes the city budgets and bylaws. In Nyon, the assembly has 100 councilors. They are elected by the proportional-representation system. The municipalité is the city's government. In Nyon, 7 people including one syndic (mayor) compose the municipality. They manage the day-to-day affairs of the city and enact the decisions of the council. They are elected by the majority vote in two rounds with another election for the mayor. You'll find full details in French about how all this works here . Or you can also read one of our previous articles on Living in Nyon here , provided by Robert Jenefsky with further details on the running of the local elections. On the 16th of February, an event to encourage open exchanges and dialogue entitled "Dialogue en ligne - Echange avec les habitant.e.s pour la Ville de demain" is organised (in French) in the run-up to the elections. Find out more about each party and the candidates and ask your own questions too. You can get more information and sign up here . The participants are: Daniel Rossellat ( Syndic ) Elise Buckle ( Les Vert.e.s ) Pierre Wahlen ( Les Vert.e.s ) Schmutz ( PS ) Alexandre Démétriadès ( PS ) Each party has a booth at the market every Saturday up to the election. You can meet lots of candidates from different parties there and ask them questions. As we are candidates with the Green party, we will also be there to inform you about our policies and agenda.

Next up in this series is integration. What efforts are useful to make? The good news is; liking local wine and cheese counts! Yes! This informative series of short articles: “Inside Switzerland” is brought to Living in Nyon thanks to Jon Wyler. It gives us some insight into our wonderfully complex and highly efficient country . So now what? It's time to put the new-found knowledge to the test and use it to integrate better. If you want to integrate into Switzerland, you’re going to have to work for it. The Swiss don’t really strike up conversations with strangers in a bar, and although often multi-lingual prefer speaking their own language. The first step is learning the local language, or at least the basics to demonstrate your interest. Don’t worry about accuracy, the Romands* rarely use perfect French; preferring local variations and sometimes even German words. You may for example hear the term "putzer" used for cleaning instead of the more traditional "nettoyer". Have a look at the list of differences between Swiss-French and... French-French here . Dpending on the region there are quite a few foreigners so locals can feel a bit outnumbered. In Geneva, actual Genevois* are estimated to be less than half the city’s 58% Swiss population. By understanding a little about the local history, showing interest in local products (think wine & cheese), or getting involved with community activities whilst conversing in the local language, you might just make a friend. For a bit of fun, have a look at this tutorial on"Making a Swiss friend" :-) *People in the French-speaking part of Switzerland *German very close to the language spoken in Germany *People with both parents originally Swiss & born in Geneva ----------------------------------- Jon Wyler is a Swiss/Luxembourg bi-national, who grew up between Geneva, Hawaii and Beijing. Hospitality-trained, he has for most of his life followed his passion working in live music production, which took him around the world. Jon recently settled on the shores of lake Neuchâtel with his German wife who’s trying to figure out the in’s & out’s of her adopted country.

Have you considered teaching your children to code? It enhances logical problem-solving skills, critical thinking and provides them a future competitive advantage. Tech Spark's virtual holiday camps encourage children's natural curiosity and equip them for the future. As Parents, are you looking for a way to keep your child engaged during the February vacation? TechSpark Academy may have the solution for you: A 4-day online coding camp , 9:30 – 15:00 daily from Tuesday, February 23rd to Friday, February 26th. Just a few days of learning will open their eyes to a whole new world. Let them experience the power of code! How to be sure this is a good course? The academy was the recipient of the UK’s Corporate Livewire award for most innovative education specialist in Switzerland. There is no doubt that children and the digital era go hand in hand. But how to manage it responsibly? As is so often the case, the response lies in education. We want them to be ready and prepared for the future they are taking over from us, but they also need to know how to manage the technology in order to do so fully. So few people are capable of coding in today's world and it is already one of the most in-demand jobs. It will continue to be so in the foreseeable future. Coding is a language like any other(ish). It is of course the language we use to communicate with computers. Like learning any new language, it teaches children a very logical way of thinking and reasoning. The popularity of maths is making a comeback in the form of coding! Tech Spark Academy addresses this with its different courses aimed at children. Their virtual holiday camps (February and Easter camps are open for enrollment) turn children from passive technology users to the programmers of the future! You can still register your children for one of the 4 courses available in February (23rd to 26th) here . Code in Python (age 13+) Hackermode (age 13+) Mobile App Design (age 13+) Code in Python Junior (age 11+) The online classrooms are hosted by EPFL students that speak both French and English. They show the students how the programs and applications work "behind the scenes" and how to create their own. But not only that, the interactions with them give the students valuable insight into what kind of studies and jobs they can lead to in the future. Even if, of course, we don't yet have full visibility over what these future jobs will be. If you can't make the February sessions do keep Easter in mind of the virtual private lessons that are available all year round. Tech Spark's holiday camps and classes are an ideal place to equip your children with the tools and information they need, to navigate the digital world in a safe and controlled environment. And the whole family gets to benefit from the finished products they make.

Into Zero waste, or trying to do your best to protect the environment? Here is where you can do your shopping: Ecoloo in Rolle. "Ecoloo" is the French abbreviation commonly used for "ecological" or a person that pays attention to the environment in their actions. That's the name of the shop in Rolle (For us English speakers it can bring up other definitions as well :-)) The shop caters to the zero waste shoppers and allows you to bring your own refillable containers. They offer quality products such as accessories, cleaning items and cosmetics (soaps, shampoos, creams, make-up…) as well as cosmetics for the whole family in addition to all household products. You can come empty-headed and use containers from the store, but ideally, you come with empty bottles and give them a second, third and fourth life! It has existed since November 2019 and is located in Rolle. The owner Chantal Boutin, owns the brand (as well as Bebiboo - handmade baby accessories) for the past 15 years, but before November 2019 it was ethical and quality handmade items you could only find online and on different markets. Chantal is a canadian expatriate who has been living in Switzerland for 11 years now, and never left Switzerland the country since 2010. The zero-waste concept was imported from her time in Quebec, where it has been well known for many years now. As an accountant, Chantal did not have the time to develop the brands as much as she would have liked to. In 2019, the opportunity of opening a shop arose and she decided to take on the challenge. Making a living out of her own two handmade brands was not possible, so she decided to regroup several Swiss handmade brands together. Ecoloo is located on Route de la Vallée 9 in Rolle - just behind Migrolino with parking places available. You can also reach out to Chantal directly for any questions.