The record, 24 décembre 2009, jeudi 24 décembre 2009

TTT^JTT^ 'an a M on the THE The voice of the VOLVO 3.EU E rowNsiiip^^it 5 1897 iM Thursday, December 24, 2009 95 CENTS + TAXES PM#0040007682 Volvo, for life 3625 du Blanc Coteau, Sherbrooke olMoWww voivosnerbfooice.con Reaction to new budget positive By Doug McCooeye Sherbrooke Reaction from area businesses, landlords, and organizations has been mostly positive regarding the 2010 city budget that was adopted on Monday by the Sherbrooke municipal council.The city plans to spend a little more than $233.6 million in the next year; up 9 percent from last year’s $223.9 million budget.In all, the city will contribute $21.2 million to city organizations; up from the close to $20 million the city spent last year.While many of the city’s organizational leaders are happy, some are wary of the consistent increase in spending over the last few years.“For the last five years, (city) spending has gone from $176 million to $233 million for a 32 percent increase,” noted Serge Audet, president of Sherbrooke’s Chamber of Commerce.“I believe it is time for our councillors to review their spending (.) It is essential that this happens before the next budget and that they use the expertise of qualified people from outside of Sherbrooke’s municipal administration.” Audet added that his organization would be happy to provide any necessary help in this effort.Sherbrooke Mayor Bernard Sévigny has already expressed an interest in examining the way the city is run.David Price, Lennoxville’s Borough president and member of the city’s executive committee, also believes that it is important for Sherbrooke to improve its efficiency.Cont’d on Page 7 One Fast Fire Flames engulf building in under ten minutes, no one injured Dfl" COREY BEIT AM -i Firefighters responded twice on Tuesday to a stubborn blaze that destroyed a garage but were able to keep the flames from spreading to a nearby home just outside of Sawyervi He.See the full story on Page 5 ¦ , *fs- .Ice Fishing On Thin Ice The ice fishing season has begun but with ever-changing gfcj weather patterns bringing warmer temperatures, enthusiasts are being a little more carefuL.Page 4 j- MANOIR stfrAncis Independence and security in AN ANGLOPHONE COMMUNITY You DO NOT FEEL LIKE COOKING Let our chefs cook your favorite dishes.-.— That is convenient'.Call 819.562.0875 WWW.MANOIRSTFRANClS.COM Page Ï Thursday,' December 24, ‘2Ô09 newsroaim@shct^rookc'rCùôfd.com The! Record Santa Stopover Messy weather for the weekend AIBARB! Sponsored to the PH | sports isure Association, Santa came United Church last Saturday l young Desirée Bélanger wasn’t sure what to think of the jolly fat man.While Belanger examined the long white beard and red and white suit for some time, two-year-old Arnaud Desrosiers knew this was his chance to give Saint Nic his list.Santa was able to give each registered child a gift purchased by the Association with funds collected by the non-profit group throughout the year from a variety of different events.Weather THURSDAY SUNNY PERIODS HIGH OF-1 LOW OF-10 f i t 1 FRIDAY: MOSTLY SUNNY HIGH OF 4 LOW OF-6 SATURDAY: LIGHT SNOW HIGH OF 4 LOW OF -5 SUNDAY: MIXED PRECIPITATION HIGH OF 2 LOW OF-8 MONDAY: SHOWERS HIGH OF 3 LOW OF-5 ' RICHMOND — A heavy veil of frost hangs over the St.Francis River covering the river and frosting the trees, from the Meloburne section of Richmond Saturday as temperatures plummeted to - 25.GORDON ALEXANDER This scene was taken By Andrew Retchless a slow moving low pressure system and its associated frontal bound-J Xary will affect our region over the weekend.We will be on the warm side of this system which means that any snow will change over to a period of rain early on Sunday.On Friday, Christmas Day, a high pressure blocking pattern will keep any precipitation south of our region.Christmas day should be mostly sunny with a high around the freezing mark.Simply a beautiful day! The slow but gradual warm-up will set up the conditions for mixed precipitation with the onset of stormier weather on Saturday.Most areas will see snow at the start and then a mix to sleet and rain early on Sunday.The upper level low associated with this feature will then slowly move through early next week with on again - off again snow showers.The nature of this storm will prevent a large thaw so our snow pack should still be intact for winter sports.Above freezing temperatures should not last for more than 12 hours on Sunday.Looking ahead to the New Year, the busy east coast storm track will continue.A storm passing just to our east could spread some snow over our area over the New Year period.There is no indication of a major thaw at this time.Please travel carefully.Make sure you have a winter survival kit in your car! At this time I would like to wish everyone a Merry White Christmas and a very happy New Year.Thursday: Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 4.Light East wind.Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around -10.Calm wind.Christmas Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near +1.Calm wind.Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around -6.Saturday: Light snow likely, mainly after 1pm.Mostly cloudy, with a high near-1.Chance of precipitation is 80%.Saturday Night: Light snow likely, possibly mixing with sleet and freezing rain.Cloudy, with a low around -5.Chance of precipitation is 80%.Sunday: Rain and snow showers likely.Cloudy, with a high near +2.Chance of precipitation is 60%.Sunday Night: A chance of snow showers.Cloudy, with a low around -8.Chance of precipitation is 40%.Ben by Daniel Shelton HERE'S ATREAT FOR YOU-' I'LL BET YOU LOVE THOSE ANTLERS ^ NOW.> 1 Ml Thursday,.Degember 24, 2009 Pagç 3 The Record newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com “I EWS “Even if you are alone in the bank and no one is around you still need to hide your hand and fingers when entering your pin.” IN BRIEF Municipal Severance Pay The six members Sherbrooke’s municipal council who retired from the municipal politics scene in November will benefit from $327,000 in severance pay.At more than $173,000, ex-mayor Jean Perrault will receive the bulk of the compensation.According to the law, any member of the council who serves more than two years has a right to a severance package.The amount given to the ex-councillors is calculated according to their annual salaries and the number of years of experience.According to a report, the City of Sherbrooke has provided an additional monetary compensation to any mayor who leaves his/her post, regardless of the circumstances.While Sherbrooke has done this for a number of years, it is not required under the law.Missing Person A 22-year-old Sherbrooke man is still missing after disappearing late Monday night in Cookshire-Eaton.Jesse Buzzell was last seen at around 10 p.m.the night of December 21 on Spring Road near the Robert Road intersection.He had been kicked out of a car that was transporting him to Sherbrooke following a dispute with another of the vehicle’s passengers.Reports indicate that Buzzell was intoxicated at the time of his disappearance.A Sûreté du Quebec search team was deployed in the area where the 22-year-old was last seen.If you have any information as to Jesse Buzzell’s whereabouts, contact the SQat 819-310-4141 Listeria fears prompts recall OTTAWA - A nationwide recall has been issued on several types of processed meat products over fears that it may be contaminated with the bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes.Canadians were warned Tuesday not to eat several processed ham and chicken products sold under the Oly-mel, Royal, and Lafleur brands and the pepperoni family pack sold under the Roma brand.The meat products, sold in different sized packages, may also have been distributed in Ontario and Quebec, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.The meat products were produced by Olymel S.E.C., in Montreal.No illnesses have been associated with the recall.Foods contaminated with listeria may not look or smelled spoiled but can cause high fever, severe headaches, neck stiffness and nausea.Infection during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth.Not a nice Christmas gift Resident warns others of Lennoxville bank card cloning ' , m ; < • ' [SSSBK I Ü __ Welcome to ®l 1 i y, Michel Puval Advertising Consultant §p5* > Serving the entire Eastern Townships with three publications mm> new?One number SI9 569-9525 mduval@sherbrookerecord.com By Jen Young Special To The Record 140 - 3425 King Street West, Sherbrooke, QC J1L1P8 Ph.(819) 566-0666 Ext.222 Toll Free (800) 569-4662 Fax (819) 822-1704 claude.favreau@investorsgroup.com Member of the Power Financial Corporation Group of Companies CLAUDE FAVREAU, B.B.A.Consultant Financial Security Advisor, ¦ Mutual Funds Representative Your partner of trust since 1997 While readying herself for Christmas, Lennoxville resident Janet Angrave received a phone call that she says left her with an unnerving feeling.“(Tuesday) morning I received a call from my bank because they noticed unusual activity in my account,” said Angrave, who conducts her banking business at Lennoxville’s RBC (Royal Bank of Canada), yesterday.“Supposedly it’s been happening since Saturday.Someone had gone into my account and took small amounts of money, twice.Then on Monday they waited until midnight and then started withdrawing the daily limits.When I went in they told me that they could tell that someone had tried to access my savings account too, but couldn’t.This is not quite a nice Christmas gift.When I was leaving the bank after getting my new card I ran in to others that this has happened to.” RBC media spokesman Raymond Chouinard confirmed the crime and says there have been a number of Lennoxville customers hit by “fraudsters” but all customers will be compensated after an investigation is conducted.“It’s really too bad this happened right before Christmas like this,” he stated from his Montreal office yesterday morning.“There have been a number of frauds and they all took place at.an ATM machine at the bank.We are starting an investigation and we have forwarded all information to the Sherbrooke police.This type of fraud has been happening for some time where fraudsters use cloned cards.They need the magnetic strip and they need the pin number.Without both of those things they can’t access your account.In our investigation we need to make sure that all victims are eligible (the bank needs to confirm that each case is truly a case of fraud) and we will compensate them for the lost funds.” According to Angrave, she knows others who are also fraud victims as of late and she says the fraudulent withdrawals have been happening for weeks.“1 don’t understand why the bank didn’t warn its customers that this was going on,” she says.“It’s very unnerving to know that nothing is really private or JEN YOUNG Police advise hank card users to avoid ATMs not associated with a larger institution secure.People should be warned but I don’t know how to warn them.I’m very discreet with my pin.I barely use my card, I don’t like to.I usually pay with cash instead.I guess the best thing to do is go directly to a teller.” Sherbrooke police spokeswoman Maryse Boulanger says aside from hiding your pin number, bankcard users should never use ATMs that are not associated to a banking institution.Chouinard says that everyone should always make every effort possible to hide pin numbers, but in a case like Angrave’s when suspects have less opportunity to steal numbers, he says they could have very well placed a video camera in the ATM’s proximity.“Card cloning has been a problem for years.It’s everywhere,” he says.“Even if you are alone in the bank and no one is around you still need to hide your hand and fingers when entering your pin.It’s immensely important to protect that pin and should happen rather quickly Chouinard says, and Angrave should expect compensation within two weeks at most, but one thing that Angrave won’t get back is her trust in bankcard usage.“I just hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else,” she concluded." miummm Gift Card with Koodo Phones 10113677/ 10133397/ 10107267.On page 16 of the December 18 llyer, please be advised that the Free Gift Card with select Koodo phones is only eligible on new activations.Offer excludes upgrades and renewals.We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our valued customers._ mrnmmm Toshiba 32" LCD HDTV and Wii Console Package 10094487, 10121906.Due to inventory delays, please note that some stores will not have the Wii console in stock, as advertised with this package on page 1 of the December 20 mid-week flyer.Please see a Product Expert in-store for details on alternative products for Ihis package.We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our valued customers.never, ever give your number to anyone, even relatives, for any reason.” Reimbursing stolen funds The Plan by Investors 'Group • OnoupFlMMieM 8nAc—Inc.Fkwncfel Swtrtca» Finn Page 4 Thursday, December 24, 2009 r .', , , , .¦¦ j i • ¦ .» » f | .r ‘ newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com The Record BlackBerry users urged to download new software following massive outage Canwest News Service WATERLOO, Ont.-Two massive system-wide service outages this week that left millions of BlackBerry users across North America in the dark for hours were blamed Wednesday on a bug in the hand-held device's instant messaging program.The flaw was believed to be in two recent versions of BlackBerry Instant Messenger that have been available for download since Dec.14, according to the Waterloo, Ont.-based Research In Motion.The company is advising users who made the downloads to upgrade the application as a precaution."Root cause is currently under review, but based on preliminary analysis, it currently appears that the issue stemmed from a flaw in two recently released versions of BlackBerry Messenger (versions 5.0.0.55 and 5.0.0.56) that caused an unanticipated database issue within the BlackBerry infrastructure," said company spokesman Jamie Ernst in an e-mail Wednesday."RIM has taken corrective action to restore service." This latest outage lasted nearly eight hours after e-mail stopped working on the devices late Tuesday night.Service began to be restored by 8 a.m.Wednesday, with some users reporting a lag in sending and receiving mail and web browsing.Customers were still able to use their devices as telephones and to send instant messages.The company apologized for the unplanned blackout.There was a similar widespread e-mail outage early last Thursday, which was fixed by mid-afternoon.That outage affected North and South American users.Last week, the company delivered its third-quarter results, to positive reviews.The financial results, which were in line with predictions, played up its outlook for the coming year.Research in Motion said sales for the next quarter should be between $3.3 billion and $3.5 billion, ahead of the roughly $3 billion analysts had been expecting.The company also said it expects to add about 2.9 million new subscribers next quarter, also higher than expected.Plastic program expanding i¦*¦>% By Doug McCooeye COURTESY Coaticook’s plastic film recovery program will be expanding to include all farmers in the area In an environmental effort by the MRC Coaticook, the municipality will expand its agricultural plastic film recovery program to all of the farmers who fall within its boundaries.For much of the last few years, the Farmers Union in Coaticook has been actively seeking a solution for the excess plastic that accumulates on many of the area’s farms.In 2007, Compton and Saint-Edwidge launched a recovery program that, in 2009, managed to recycle 23 tons of plastic from some 40 farmers.About a year ago, the City of Coaticook also did a onetime recovery effort that managed to recover 55 tons of plastic from around 30 farms.Inspired by these positive results, the Farmers Union and the MRC Coaticook decided to launch the monthly plastic recovery program.“The recovery program is an ecological solution for the problem of plastics used at the farm,” said Coaticook’s Famers Union president, Jacques Masson.“We are encouraging all of the area’s producers to use this service.” Beginning in January, trucks will travel around the MRC Coaticook once a month to collect plastic films for recycling.Accepted plastics include: round or square bale wrapping; cylindrical tubing; plastic tarp; green house plastics; bags of feed or other plastic bags; pallet wrapping; other plastic films.Plastics that are not part of the recovery program include: string, ropes, nets; mulch plastics; weaved tarps, tubes, and pipes; hoses, plastic containers or other rigid plastics.The plastics, which must be cleaned before disposal, should be tied in to small bundles that are no more than 50 pounds or in a clearly identified bin and placed by the road for pick-up.This recovery program is an effort to avoid the environmentally damaging practice of burning plastic films.Offenders who are caught burning their plastic films are liable for thousands of dollars in fines.Some 250 farmers have already signed up for this new program.For more details or to become part of the collection route, contact the MRC Coaticook at 819-849-9166 or by email at mat.residuelles@mrcdecoaticook.qc.ca.To obtain a plastic film collection bin, one can contact the entrepreneur directly at 819-889-2893.Ice fishing on thin ice By Corrinna Pole Wednesday, the Quebec regional offices of Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced the groundfish ice-fishing season on the Saguenay River would open on January 9.In the Townships, fishing enthusiasts have already taken to local lakes when fishing season opened on December 20.But the ever-changing weather pattern means that those who venture out onto the ice should exercise extreme caution.Experienced outdoorsman Florent Hebert from Serendipity Bed & Breakfast in North Hatley, believes those currently heading out on the ice are doing so at their own peril because lakes are not fully frozen over.“The best ice fishing is in the beginning of the big freeze.The cooler temperature is the key but the wind is really helpful in forming the ice,” said Hebert.“A few days, ago I saw about four fishermen on little lake Magog, that’s borderline wanting to commit suicide, we don’t have the ice we should have due to strong winds.Experienced fishermen will walk out on four inches of ice but it’s really dangerous." Hebert says the fishing so far is tremendous buj the terrain is hazardous because serious gusts of wind aided by the high water level from abundant rain earlier in the season have prevented lakes from freezing over completely.The ice that is currently forming may appear solid and according to Hebert there’s been enough cold weather to freeze the freshwater lakes that tend to harden much stronger, but sticking close to the shoreline is advisable.Although it’s generally thought that ice should be a minimum of five inches thick to be.considered safe, there is no set standard.Each lake reacts differently depending on its properties- such as currents, depth and size - and ice formations may be deceptive.River ice is a prime example; currents can cause the thickness of the ice to vary substantially from one spot to the next.The irregularity of ice is a prime reason that vehicles should never be taken across a lake.“I would recommend if you are going out on the ice, and I don’t recommend it right now, you should follow others’ tracks and hope they weight more than you,” said Herbert.Previously Herbert told The Record that black ice, which is fairly transparent and creates an aquarium like effect, is the strongest type-of ice and white, ice ¦i&lrtorb'datag&roUs:.Snow building up on the ice also pre-sents a danger as it can insulate ice from freezing and hide weak points.Consider slush to be a blaring klaxon horn as it indicates decaying ice.If you are going to venture onto the ice for fishing, follow some basic tips to keep safe: -Wear a personal flotation device and appropriate clothing that will stay dry.- Apply Vaseline to your face and wear sunglasses to keep your eyes safe from UV rays.- Don’t fish alone and give someone your itinerary.- Test the ice in front of you with an ice spud or an auger.- Drink a lot of water to keep hydrated.-Always carry a nylon rope and a few large nails.They can provide the grip you need in case you fall through the ice and can’t grab on to the edge.Face the direction you came from, kick out with your legs, or use your nails to grab on, and roll off as far as you feel is necessary to be safe again.Do NOT stand up immediately you will likely just fall through again.-If you see someone fall through, do not run toward them, instead extend a rope or an object that they can hold onto. The Record new sr oom@sher br ooker ecord.com Thursday, December 24, 2009 Page 5 Danville residents face higher house evaluations and taxes By Stephen McDougall Danville Many Danville residents will face another round of tax hikes in 2010 due to higher residential house evaluations averaging 51 percent made earlier this fall by the municipal regional council.“For 842 property owners, the evaluations will go up between 50 and 100 percent in value,” said town manager Michel Lecours.“In 243 other cases, the evaluation increases will be even higher.” The higher evaluations were made last fall by an evaluator hired by the Des Sources municipal regional council which oversees Danville, Asbestos and five other neighbouring towns.The town’s total property value went from $138,771,500 under the former evaluation role to $209,628,300 now.The new evaluation role is in effect for three years.Lecours said the increases are mostly for owners of heritage buildings, farms and people with woodlots.He said 1,039 owners with younger houses and smaller lots will not see a large jump in their properly evaluations.In order to compensate for the evaluation jump, the town dropped its prop- erty tax rate by 38 cents.That means the present mill rate of $1.31 per $100 of evaluation will drop to 93 cents in 2010.“This is the only way we can control our taxes for our residents without losing needed money for our own operations,” said mayor Jacques Hemond.“If we went any lower, then we would be in a deficit situation, which is illegal under the present provincial laws for municipalities.” But the tax adjustment causes some inequities for residents depending on their new evaluations.In one case, a house rated at $74,100 under the old role cost the owner $1,039 in taxes.But the same house is now rated at $160,800 in the new role and the owner faces a tax bill of $1,568.But another house once rated at $91,500 under the old role with a tax bill of $1,267 is now evaluated at $95,200 and gets a tax bill of only $961.Lecours said the new evaluations cannot be contested by the towns, only by the individual residents.“Because each property is unique, it is up to the individual owner to contest the evaluation before a board set up by the MRC,” he said.“If the owner thinks the evaluation is too high, they have to prove that before the board.” Cookshire-Eaton FD battle explosive blaze By Corrinna Pole Twenty-two fire fighters spent the better part of Tuesday battling a ferocious fire that devoured a garage on the outskirts of Sawyerville.The Cookshire-Eaton First Responders received a call to the Service Ranboro, also known as Tétreault garage, located on route 210 around 9:45 a.m.within minutes they arrived on scene.“The owner was there in the building working when the fire broke out.He had time to get his tractor out before it was fully engulfed,” Cookshire-Eaton fire chief Mike Herring told The Record.“The Sawyerville (department) was there within nine minutes but there was enough air and combustible materials that it was raging by the time they arrived.” According to Herring it appears a faulty heating system is to blame for the blaze made more dangerous due to propane and oxygen tanks within the garage.“We had to proceed with caution because of all the combustible materials,” said Herring.“It was a defensive fire, one of those you have to tippy toe around.It was very dangerous but no one was hurt.” Fire-fighters were able to control the flames within a few hours, just in time to free up a few members to respond to two separate car accidents elsewhere.Later that night crews were dispatched again to the garage as the fire reignited.“We considered it full out at 4:30 (p.m.) and then went back later that night,” said Herring.“It was just a small fire.it was like a campfire.There was a lot of lumber there so we thought it might catch again but we put it out pretty easily.” The garage is a complete loss.“I believe this is the first fire with material loss of the season,” said Herring.“It’s always sad when someone looses a building especially so close to the holi; days but at least no one was hurt.” Herring said the department has continued to respond to chimney fires but so far those fires have caused no material loss.If you wish to drink and can.that's your business.If you wish to stop and can't.that's our business.ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS 1-877-272-2611 Hemond believes the reason for the higher eveluations is the large number of houses being sold in Danville.“There are a lot of people who are getting older and selling their houses to younger people who have families or are about to have families,” he said.“Whenever that happens, the house prices affect the values and the evaluations follow those values.” Despite the higher taxes, Hemond said the town had to cut back on expenses to allow for the drop in the mill rate and faces more possible cutbacks in the new year.“We are considering having some workshops with community leaders and residents to see where other expenses could be cut without jeopardizing basic services,” he said.“We need feedback from residents on this issue.” One service the council is considering cutting back on is the fire department, where there are growing costs for equipment and salaries.At the town council budget meeting Tuesday night, fire chief Alain Roy said the department can no longer get able firefighters without paying them for their time."The days of the volunteer firefighter are gone,” he told the council.“No one does anything for free now, and in many cases, the government rules dictate that many services have to be paid and the firefighter has to have proper training.“And equipment costs are not going down, they are going up.” The Danville budget will increase from $4,278,931 this year to $4,455,032 despite a reduction of over $52,000 in urban planning and administrative costs, plus a freeze on overhead budgets.Higher police, road work and sanitation costs were the reason for the budget increase.Beside higher property taxes, service charges are also rising.Water charges go from $144 this year to $175 next year, while waste collection goes up from $191 to $194.Sewage service charges will vary from sector to sector, with some going up by $23 in the western sector and falling by $17 in the eastern sector.HOLIDAY GREETINGS! TO ALL CITIZENS OF THETOWNSHIPS /.PR WWW.PREMltR-MlNISTRE.COUV.Q.C .C A ”1 Premier of Québec Monique Gagnon-Tremblay MNA St-François President of Treasury Board Minister responsible for Government Administration Minister responsible for the Eastern Townships region Johanne Gonthier MNA Megantic-Compton QuébecMS ¦if %'¦ # Y yjp _ yp .4L ¦>' ¦%¦> 4 •*' '*• % # 4SSËMBLEL MATIOfi ALE Q U it B I C v Jtir.'l i a j«{M'j:jj .! .7a//j:ui