The record, 19 avril 2010, lundi 19 avril 2010

I THE RECORD The voice of the Eastern Townships since 1897 Mount Real Victims still not happy Page 3 75 CENTS + TAXES PM#0040007682 Monday, April 19, 2010 Man Arrested in Magog area daycare abuse case By Doug McCooeye On Thursday, officers from the Mem-phrémagog police arrested a 50-year-old male suspect in connection to multiple incidents of sexual abuse of a minor that occurred at a Magog-area home-based daycare.“The investigation revealed that the alleged abuser committed these acts unbeknownst to his wife (the owner of the daycare in question), towards four young victims between the ages three and five,” said Paul Tear, spokesperson for the Memphrémagog police, in a statement.“The alleged acts took place between September 2004 and January 2010.” The suspect appeared in a Sherbrooke courtroom on Thursday afternoon and was charged with four counts of “inciting an under 16-years-old child to touch him,” as reads the police report.Authorities first became aware of some wrongdoing on January 25 of this year when they received a formal complaint of sexual assault from the parents of one of the victims.The daycare was forced to close down and an investigation, which included people from the Youth Protection Director (DPJ), the Early Childhood Centres of Quebec Association (AQCPE), as well as the Crown Prosecutors office, was opened up.Eventually the daycare was able to reopen under the condition that the suspect was not on the premises at the same time as the children.After his court appearance, the suspect was given his conditional release.The next trial date has not yet been set.The suspect cannot be indentified due to a court-ordered publication ban.Over $2 million from Quebec for Sherbrooke Airport Funds to repair battered runway NflVRJO CORFY BF.U.AM St-François MNA Monique Gagnon-Tremblay and Airport Committee Chair David Price “ensuring the safety of the infrastructure" By Doug McCooeye On Friday at the Sherbrooke Airport in Cookshire-Eaton, MNA Monique Gagnon-Tremblay (Saint-François) announced a Quebec government investment of over $2 million for some much needed runway repairs.“The investment is even better than we expected,” said Lennoxville borough president David Price, who is also the president of the Sherbrooke Airport committee.Over $1.7 million is coming from the Quebec-Municipal Infrastructure program, while the remaining $300,000 is coming from the province’s Air Transport support program.“Renovating the runway allows us to ensure the safety of this infrastructure," said Gagnon-Tremblay.“In terms of work, the different activities, notably those of recreational, commercial, and military aviation, can develop.” The balance of the project’s budget will be covered by the Conférence régionale des élus (CRÉ) de l’Estrie ($100,000) and the City of Sherbrooke (just under $500,000); more than enough to cover the expected $2.5 million cost.Cont’d on page 3 Protecting your privacy Anna May Kinney investigate: Cards” and looks out for Big page 7 newsroom@sher brookerecord.com The Record Page 2 Monday, April 19, 2010 Tater Love ELAINE GRUBB By Corrinna Pole Elaine Grubb of Cowansville may not have received boxes of chocolate and flowers but when she was making dinner the day after Valentines she pulled out a token of affection that had travelled more then 1,000 kilometres to her kitchen.“I was getting supper ready that right and I pulled out this potato shaped like a heart, I’d never seen anything like it before,” said Elaine who didn’t have the heart to carve the tater up.“I looked at the bag and it was from PEI so I told my son since I didn’t get a valentine from anyone someone from P.E.I.wanted to send me a valentine gift.Amazingly the heart-shaped potato has not rotted yet and when Grubb isn’t sharing her anomalous find with her friends and neighbours, it can be found sitting on her windowsill.Naturally forming heart-shaped potatoes, and other vegetables and fruits, have been found growing all over the world.Finders generally take to the internet to try and sell their strange discoveries.Weather TODAY: ISOLATED SHOWERS •I HIGH OF 11.LOW OF-2 V , J^j J TUESDAY: / CLOUDY PERIODS I _ HIGH OF 14 LOW OF 5 ¦ WEDNESDAY: ISOLATED SHOWERS HIGH OF 13 LOW OF 0 THURSDAY: ISOLATED SHOWERS HIGH OF 11 LOW OF 5 FRIDAY: _ CLOUDY PERIODS HIGH OF 11 LOW OF 3 Teachers 8c parents offered lessons in growing great kids —* Twill COURTESY Speaker Chick Moorman will be offering advice on motivating young people to parents and teachers with By Corrinna Pole Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) educators will be getting a dose of entertaining instruction when veteran educator Chick Moorman comes to town this Wednesday.The Michigan native has authored several books on the issues of communication and will be empowering teachers with his seminar “Motivating the Unmotivated”.The program will focus on helping teachers learn to encourage and motivate underachieving students through the use of positive verbal skills while breaking the cycle of failure.Using motivational stories and humour, Moorman, a father and grandparent, will also be offering advice to other parents through his evening presentation “Words that Empower, Words that Wound”, which highlights effective ways of communicating with children.According to ETSB spokesperson Sharon Priest, the visit was arranged through group of teachers at Pope Memorial Elementary School who wanted to share Moorman’s expertise with their colleges.“When Luc Rodrigue who was the principal at Pope Memorial at the time, saw Chick’s website he wanted to share the program with parents,” said Priest.“Rodrigue thought the parents talk would be good for the parents and students.” Parents will learn to use their verbal skills in a way that will “uplift, nurture, inspire" and empower their children.The entertaining skill training presentation will also include “10 Best/10 Worst things you can say to your children”.To attend the free presentation parents must notify their child’s school on Monday, April 19.The presentation takes place April 21, 2010 from 7 p.m.until 9 p.m.at the Princess Elizabeth Elementary School, 120 Bellevue in Magog.CFIA issues more HYP recalls drolyzed vegetable protein It has been more than a (HVP) paste and powder dis-month since the U.S.Food tributed by Las Vegas-based and Drug Administration Basic Food Flavors, Inc.and (FDA) issued its first recall for the list continues to grow, foods containing tainted hy- With many Canadian prod- Draw results: 2010-04-17 »• 04 11 12 44 I 25 42 43 Bonus Winners Prizes 27 29 30 35 36 40 Winners 0 $3,883,865.00 «+b 2 16 134 16 7,061 16 134,586 /6+b 82,465 I Total sales : Next grand prize (approx.) $138,709.40 $1,710.20 $61.50 $10.00 $5.00 $14,006,088 $8,000,000 Total sales: Prizes $2,000,000.00 $75,000.00 $750.00 $75.00 $10.00 $5.00 $729,312.00 3802636 Draw results: 2010-04-16 £ BONUS (B) (4l 6292754 Winners 7/7 0 6/7+B 2 6/7 55 5/7 3,566 4/7 80,468 3/7+B 73,987 3/7 714,934 Total Sales Next grand prize (approx.) : Prizes $30,694,598.10 $181,677 90 $6,606.50 $127.40 $20.00 $20.00 Free play $28,935,075 $41,000,000 | !¦ $1S0M1UL1ÜI$ " Il FORTUNE A NEW SCRATCH TICKET THAT OFFERS $100 MILLION IN PRIZES ACROSS CANADA! In the event of discrepancy! between this list and the official winning list of Loto-Québec,the latter shall prevail ucts using the ingredient, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has been working with the FDA to identify and remove products that may be contaminated with Salmonella.The following foods that may have been distributed nationally, are affected by this alert: Inovacure brand Chicken Flavour Soup Mix (154 gram, UPC 6 21498 55040 4 461881), Chicken Noodle Flavour Soup Mix (175 gram, UPC 6 21498 55110 4 456197, lot code 430603) and the 14 Days kit (1.6 kilogram, no UPC, codes 466545 and 458648).Proti Diet brand Chicken High Protein Soup Mix (154 gram, UPC 6 21498 35040 0, code 444974) and Chicken Noodle High Protein Soup Mix (175 gram, UPC 6 21498 35110 0, codes 456197 and 434231).ProtiLife Diet Chicken Noodle Soup Mix (195 gram, UPC 6 21498 67150 5, codes 453986 and 435758).Chicken Noodle Soup Mix that has been prepared for the Dr.Bernstein Health & Diet Clinics (175 gram, no UPC, codes 456197 and 430603).Food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled however consumption can cause the food borne illness salmonellosis.Young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable to serious and deadly infections from the illness.For healthy individuals the illness may cause symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.Long-term complications may include severe arthritis.Further information can be obtained by calling the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 or visiting their website, where a complete list of recalled products can be found, at www.inspection.gc.ca, Ben by Daniel Shelton MURRY/ G'ANPA &REAK MIS .FINGERS!/ Eiis&u The Record j newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Monday, April 19, 2010 Page 3 “We wanted them to see us as people instead of numbers.The came in grim-faced.They le ft grim-faced.They showed no accountability, offered no apology.” Mount Real creditors meet with AMF Victims leave meeting dissatisfied Doug McCooeye Last Wednesday, close to 250 of the 1,600 creditors who were bilked out of $130 million as part of the Mount Real Corp fraud met with high-ranking officials from the province’s Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) to ask, among other things, why the organization re fuses to compensate the victimized investors.The unprecedented meeting was held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Montreal.Huntingvilleresident Janet Watson, who lost $75,000 in the fraud, was not impressed with the demeanor of the AMF representatives at the meeting.“They were defensive, cold, apathetic,” said Watson of the officials, who included AMF president Jean $t-Gelais.“We wanted them to see us as people instead of numbers.The came in grimfaced.They left grim-faced.When the meeting ended, they bolted out of there (.) They showed no accountability, offered no apology.” Mount Real Corp.was shut down on November 9, 2005 by the AMF amid alle- gations of fraud.Through a number of smaller affiliates, creditors invested a minimum of $50,000 with Mount Real and Were issued promissory notes in re turn.When creditors began asking questions about where their money was going, and were not seeing any returns on their investment, some contacted the AMF.“According to (the AMF), they received their first creditor complaint in January 2005 but didn’t close it down until November 2005,” explains Watson, who is the spokesperson for the victims.According to Watson, Mount Real continued to take on investors right up until they were shut down by the AMF.“I spoke with a man who invested $100,000 only a few days before November 9, 2005.” Essentially, the Mount Real investors fell victim to a form of a Ponzi scheme; a fraudulent investment operation that provides returns to the investor through money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from revenue generated by a legitimate business.The Mount Real case is even more complex, in that it involved some 120 businesses that were lo- cated in a number of different locations.According to Watson, in Wednesday’s meeting (which vyas closed to the media) the AMF said they had not compensated the Mount Real investors for the $130 million in losses because promissory notes are not covered under the Distribution Act; an explanation that Watson says is frustrating to many of them because the AMF has recently compensated other fraud victims in similar circumstances.“The Indemnity Fund doesn’t pay very often, and they do cover things like mutual fund fraud and insurance product fraud,” said Watson.“Why didn’t they cover promissory notes?” Last Wednesday, Watson was direct in her statements to the officials at the meeting.“It would appear that you are protecting the public only on certain products and not against criminals,” reads a copy of the questions from the meeting.“This makes no sense.Why can’t you protect the public against fraud.period?” The Mount Real fraud affected many people in the area, and victims from Lac Drolet, Coaticook and even Victoriaville attended Wednesday's meeting in Montreal to face the AMF and say their piece.Most seemed to come away disappointed.“One man said to me that he had low expectations of the AMF going in to the meeting and that, unfortunately, they did not disappoint him,” recounted Watson.While the AMF has yet to give any money to the bilked creditors, they have taken legal action against Mount Real executives and promissory note sellers, leading to a handful of convictions.For Watson, this is not enough.“Mr.St-Gelais said that it is impossible to prevent all fraud.It’s fine to say that you are not perfect, but this situation caused 1600 people their livelihood and a lot of distress.These are victims.” Watson said that they plan to form a collation with other fraud victims groups in the hopes that their plight will be heard.She says they have plans to go to the Quebec Ministry of Finance and Justice to see if there’s anything that can be done.“We haven’t given up the fight,” she said.dmccooeye@sherbrookerecord.com Over $2 M for Airport Cont’d from page 1 In February, the Federal government pulled their funding for the project originally promised (two-thirds of $2.5 million) when it was first announced last August.The reasoning behind the federal decision was the result of a visual inspection made by Transport Canada that was conducted on last May, which revealed cracks in the runway that were deemed potentially unsafe.While the airport could still host certain flights, the current runway could be hazardous for larger planes.“What’s weird is that the larger planes tend to have smaller wheels, making the runway particularly difficult for them,” explained Price, noting that in spite of the runway’s condition, they still received about 1,000 flights a month.“Those who use the airport regularly know the runway well and know what parts are safe and m mM which are not.The runway’s condition hasn’t affected the situation all that much.” When the federal government dropped out, the City of Sherbrooke reapplied to the province’s Municipal Infrastructure program.“We were thrilled with what Gagnon-Tremblay could do for us,” said Price.“And with the CRE giving $100,000, it shows that the airport is not just a Sherbrooke airport, but really a regional airport.” Price now hopes that the area around the airport will be developed and says that the airport committee will look in to re-starting flights between Sherbrooke and Toronto, an offer that had to be scrapped after the Transport Canada Sherbrooke Airport Committee Chair David Price inspection.hopes the investment will encourage development The runway project around the airport and allow for the renewal of will be split in to two regular commercial flights to Toronto sections, so the airport der offer for the repair dmccoo- will remain open j0b is in the works and eye@sherbrookerecord.com throughout the repairs can be expected in the process.near future.Price said that a ten- Roadworks The Ministry of Transport is advising motorists of lane closures due sporadic work on Highway 10, westbound, at Magog between 9 a.m.and 3:30 p.m.from April 19th to the 23rd.The work will take place between exits 115 for Magog and 100 for Saint-Étienne-de-Bolton and traffic will be restricted to one lane.With more provincial construction projects scheduled this year, the ministry is reminding the public to Dial 511 or visit the Ministry's website at www.quebec511.gouv.qc.ca to plan their routes.Waterworks On Friday, MNA Monique Gagnon-Tremblay (Saint-Fran-cois), a $4.6 million joint Federal-provincial investment was announced for the City of Sherbrooke to help repair and improve its water system.The binding comes from the Federal provincial Programme de renouvellement des conduits (PRECO).When combined with The City of Sherbrooke’s contribution, over $6.9 million will be going towards this pro ject.Together, the Canadian and Quebec government have accorded a total of $700 million for PRECO projects under the condition that they be completed by December 31, 2010.Serving the entire Eastern Townships with three publications 4o-À m Hovey NEWS _ K One number SI9 569-9525 ihovey@sherbrookerecordxom newsroom 6ï)sherbrookerecord.com The Record Page 4 Monday, April 19, 2010 The Armed Forces fight back Chief of Staff refutes allegations of unlawful killing COURTESY/NATIONAL DEFENSE General Walt Natynczyk (right), Canada’s Chief of Defense Staff The Chief of the defense Staff, General Walt Natynczyk, sent the following letter to the Chair of the Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan on April 16th, 2010.This letter provide information that refutes the accusations made by Mr.Ahmad-shah Malgarai who testified before the committee on April 14th, 2010.16 April 2010 Mr.Kevin Sorenson Chair Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan Mr.Chair, I am writing to you today to provide factual information following accusations made by Mr.Ahmadshah Malgarai on April 14th, 2010 before the Committee.Mr.Malgarai made a number of accusations in his appearance that are being looked into by the Canadian Forces, but by far the most egregious was that a Canadian Forces member unlawfully shot and killed an individual in 2007.Based on the information disclosed in Mr.Malgarai's testimony, the Canadian Forces have every reason to believe that we have identified the event in question.During the night from the 18th and 19th ofjune 2007, a Canadian-led operation, supported by Afghan and coalition forces, was launched on a compound associated with lED-making activity.The compound was suspected to be a staging area for rocket attacks against Kandahar Airfield as well as IED attacks against Canadian and coalition soldiers.Details of this event are very well documented.A full year of intelligence gathering by the CF and its coalition partners was done before this Canadian-led operation.Operation reports which unfortunately cannot be made public as they contain sensitive information about tactics, techniques and procedures, indicate that during the mission an armed individual posed a direct and imminent threat to CF soldiers as they entered the compound.A shooter who was providing support to the operation identified the individual and assessed that he was a threat, and shot the individual.The actions of the shooter were an appropriate application of the rules of engagement and saved the lives of a number of Canadian Forces members that night.This individual was armed and was never detained.During the course of the operation, ten Afghans were detained.Nine of these detainees tested positive for explosive residue.In accordance with standard procedures, these detainees were taken to Kandahar Airfield where they were processed and determined to be uninjured and in good health.During tactical questioning of the detainees, two individuals made allegations that coalition forces had planted a pistol on the deceased insurgent.It is worth noting that one of the two individuals later retracted his allegation.Immediately following the mission, an after-action review was conducted to review the actions and outcomes of the operation.It was determined that all applicable rules of engagement and the- atre standing orders were followed.As you are well aware, before transferring a detainee into Afghan custody, the Canadian Task Force Commander must be satisfied that there is no substantial grounds for believing that there exists a real risk that the detainee would be in danger of being subjected to torture or other forms of mistreatment at the hands of Afghan authorities.The Canadian Forces do not transfer individuals for the purposes of gathering information.In this particular case, the Commander at the time considered all the relevant information at his disposal and made the determination to transfer all ten individuals to the NDS in order to allow Afghan authorities to determine whether criminal prosecution was warranted.This is in accordance with our detainee transfer arrangements with the Government of Afghanistan.All individuals transferred were properly monitored and tracked through Canada's monitoring mechanisms.I want all committee members to know that the Canadian Forces take all allegations seriously and will investigate new allegations appropriately.When- ever there have been specific allegations, the Canadian Forces have not hesitated to act.As a result of Mr.Malgarai's testimony, the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is conducting an investigative assessment.And we welcome any individual who has any relevant information about this event to come forward and provide a sworn statement.It is important for committee members as well as Canadians to recognize that we are conducting operations in a hostile environment.The Canadian Forces have always been and remain committed to ensuring that detainees are handled and transferred in accordance with our obligations under international law.We believe in upholding the values of justice, respect for human rights and the dignity of the individual.Finally, I think that it is important to keep in mind the good work that the men and women are doing in Afghanistan.Since the beginning of our engagement in Afghanistan, some 30,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen and women have helped the people of Afghanistan build towards a brighter future.These men and women in uniform are in harm's way.They are working on behalf of all Canadians in very difficult conditions and they continue to demonstrate great bravery and compassion.I trust that this information gives you a clearer picture of what actually happened on the ground that evening in June 2007 and demonstrates the lengths to which the Canadian Forces go to ensure we conduct ourselves professionally, honourably and in accordance with the rule of law.Sincerely, Gen.W.J.Natynczyk Chief of the defense Staff Ottawa Canadian scientists help map out hard-to-see sea life By Margaret Munro Canwest News Service An enormous bacterial mat the size of Greece has been uncovered on the sea floor by an international team cataloguing the minuscule marvels of the world's oceans."It is quite amazing," says team member Paul Snelgrove, of Newfoundland's Memorial University.Bacteria growing in long white filaments, which he describes as "spaghetti bacteria," have formed the gigantic mat in oxygen-poor waters off the west coast of South America.Snelgrove and his colleagues involved with the Census of Marine Life say the mat is one of the largest masses of life on Earth.But even more "astonishing," they say, is the incredible variety and number of microbes at sea.Microbes have been found living in sediments 1.6 kilometres below the sea floor off the Newfoundland coast, and inside deep-sea vents that see scalding temperatures of more than 200 C, the researchers reported Sunday in the latest update from the Census of Marine Life.The 10-year, $650-million project, which wraps up this fall, has found an array of sea creatures over the past decade.But the scientists say the tiny, "hard-to-see" organisms are perhaps most remarkable.There appear to be tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, of different types of marine microbes, say the researchers, who have sampled 1,200 sites worldwide.They estimate that every litre of sea water and every gram of mud on the sea floor is home to close to a billion microbial cells.Put another way, they say the world's oceans contain roughly a "nonillion" (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000) microbial cells.The scientists have been using new molecular and genetic techniques to reveal the diversity among the microbes and zooplankton that are critical players in the planetary scheme of things.The organisms, which come in intricate shapes and sizes, suck vast amounts of carbon out of air and help regulate composition of the atmosphere, influence climate, recycle nutrients and decompose pollutants."Small can be quite mighty," says Snelgrove.There is growing concern about how the tiny life forms will be impacted by global warming, and the increasing acidity of the oceans that is linked to rising global emissions of carbon dioxide."It could really fundamentally change the way that the oceans work, which is kind of frightening but also very intriguing," says Snelgrove, who is also director of the Canadian Healthy Oceans Network, which is studying the inhabitants of Canada's three oceans.While the "spaghetti" bacteria have found a niche to thrive in, the researchers say many other species appear to be lurking in the depths, lying in wait to become "dominant species if changes favour them." The Record newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Monday, April 19, 2010 Page 5 Columnist With these modem cards you can just wave them by a cash register when purchasing from a fast food outlet, making them very convenient Safeguarding privacy in the digital age Æ M ¦PM Anna May Kinney Nature’s Way Last week I talked about how some of us willingly give away our personal information, often opening ourselves up to identity theft.Today, I’d like to try and explain how some new technologies can be used to store or even steal our information.It’s important to understand how most information is in today’s high tech world.Most branches of government, credit card companies and banks store our information on what’s called a database.To simplify what a database is, just try to picture the biggest library you ever saw and multiply that by a hundred, each floor capable of storing millions of pieces of information, and cross referencing it with other information, and all this information being cross referenced with different account numbers belonging to people throughout your province, state or country.That’s a mind-boggling lot of information, but with today’s digital capabilities, this information becomes micro small and can be kept as computer files, all on one computer.So when you hear how someone walked away with a laptop, CD or other small digital storage device and may have compromised millions of peoples’ records, you can now understand how something that small can hold so much information and what a real threat having this information in the wrong hands can be.Also realizing in a world of great commercial competition, customer information is almost priceless and people take big chances, and at times break laws in order to gather such information.Not so smart cards There are many good reasons for people to look at these new RFID (radio-frequency identification) micro-chipped ‘smart’ cards as an improvement over the regular cards that have magnetic strips that have to be run through a machine in order to identify ourselves to a merchant.This smart technology is also being used on passports, on driver’s licenses, and health care cards.With these modern cards you can just wave them by a cash register when purchasing from a fast food outlet, making them very convenient.And who would Part I: New technology that gathers information WIKIMEDIA They call them smartcardsbut in using them, the consumer needs to be smart, too object to an emergency healthcare worker instantly knowing what medication you’re taking, what allergies you have, or any part of your medical history?While many are for this advanced technology and say that if a hacker were to use a simple device and get your information, it would only be your access code and they still would not be able to get any of your personal information.BUT, others say this is not true, and when a hacker has access codes and knows how to hack into said system, whether that be the health department or other protected computer systems (as history has shown to happen in the past) then they would have access to people’s information.Some say that a simple wallet type folder made out of cardboard with a few layers of tinfoil will block the involuntary reading of your RFID cards.Even though I’ve read that testing has proven there’s a danger to carrying these cards, I don’t really know who is right and who is not at the moment, but do feel that until this issue can be cleared up we should all protect cards that have this new technology from being scanned while they sit in our pockets or purses.I understand that the site credit-cards.com has also voiced concern over this possible risk.Coming to a store near you Remember the guy/gal that used to stand at the end of an aisle holding a clipboard and jotting down information?This was how manufacturers gathered information for years.They were able to check off age, sex, and product preferences as customers went about choosing from a variety of brands.None of us felt threatened by those taking such information.Now we have POPAI Digital Signage, which is a product sign made out of a digital video screen having a micro lens camera, which views the shopper and records his or her reaction to the product in question.Yes, most stores have security cameras, but most are rerecorded every 24 hours or erased after a few days.How will you feel approaching a screen that supplies you with interactive advertising knowing that they are recording a permanent file of your face, how long you look at their product, and they maybe even recording your comments through an attached microphone?This fascinating technology comes right out of Sci-Fi movies.You know where a guy walks through a shopping mall and each time he passes a store a special advertisement is played JUST for him.The store gets its information from the ‘chip’ that’s either imbedded into the man, or on something like a smart card he’s carrying and by quickly reading the man’s records it places the appropriate advertisement as a hologram in front of him, along with sound which goes through his earpiece.Well we are not to this point yet, but it’s appearing that between the smart cards and the new Digital Signage we are not that far away.Back in your home, a new ‘smart’ meter was installed, it registers and divides usage into peak and off peak hours, training you to only wash clothes or run high energy appliance before 7 am or after 11pm, which lets you pay the lower amount for each kilowatt hour.Sounds good, doesn’t it?Not to mention the millions of dollars we’ll all have to pay to remove our very efficient older meters for these new meters.Not very cost effective or environmentally friendly when you consider the metal, natural resources and energy needed to replace something not needing to be replaced.The smart meter technology goes even further in California where it started on a volunteer basis, moved to parts of Texas where people are given no choice to join.These newest smart meters tell the electric company exactly the appliances in use and the important part is that the electric company can control most everything in any home, starting by completely controlling the heating and cooling system.They’d have control over every electric appliance.To avoid blackouts we used to have entire neighborhoods browned-out for an hour at a time, but never house by house.For what other reasons could we find this or that appliance shut off, and who is going to make that decision?N S Canadian Red Cross Quebec Division Anywhere.Anytime.1-800-592-7649 www.redcross.ca Pagé 6 Monday, April 19, 2010 ncwSroon1@shcrbrook'crbdc)rd.corfi The Record El DITGR1AL What's privately infuriated MPs, particularly those of Conservative stripes, is how two of their own have so thoroughly tarred and feathered their collective image without giving any sign of mea culpas as an individual All political reps sullied as Guergis case unfolds By Don Martin Canwest News Service 0ITAWA -If that bankrupt private eye's hearsay evidence of blackmail-worthy behaviour by Helena Guergis is the full story behind Prime Minister Stephen Harper calling in police to check out his former minister of state, there will never be any RCMP investigation or criminal charges.The original source of the incendiary information, businessman Nazim Gillani, is of questionable reliability and his alleged observations of the minister's actions are not illegal.That's why the preoccupation of opposition parties trash-talking the criminality aspect of this sordid saga is misdirected.Allegedly being in a room with call girls while cocaine is snorted by others or setting up accounts in the tax haven of Belize are horrible optics for any politician and may infer guilt by queasy association, but neither is against the law, even under hardened Conservative legislation.But those pesky and chronic allegations of ethical wrongdoing by a coupling of a current and former MP Rahim Jaffer will do lasting damage not only to Guergis' reputation but, by extension, all politicians.Those concerns deserve a much closer look.The benefits of being an insider or married to one.as outlined in this scandal's non-stop controversies, are blending into the perfect storm of seedy political elements.It confirms the public perception of politicians acting above the law and out of self-interest for self-benefit.It will be easily and eagerly embraced as an all-party political truism by the voters.Trouble is, the vast majority of Canada's 308 MPs abide by the spirit and letter of laws governing their ethical behaviour.Watching MPs pay for their own meal at luncheons where they've been invited to guest speak is ethical overkill, if you ask me, but they do it.NHL hockey-arena box owners constantly bemoan how politicians refuse ftont-row invitations to attend games, lest they violate the act.Setting the squeaky-clean standards so high was a Conservative priority after it formed the government in 2006.But thanks to the Helena Guergis swirl of smarmy allegations and insinuations, the Conservatives have been dragged down to former-Liberal-government levels.Voters conditioned to expect better now view Parliament under Tory rule as the same old, same old, where who you know is more important than what you need or deserve.The only difference, they'd likely argue, is that it's alleged Guergis was caught using the perks of ministerial office.It's alleged she allowed unregistered lobbyist husband Jaffer access to her public office space, cars, phones and special tagalong travel in business class.Now, the required caveat.They are entitled to a presumption of innocence and, as I said, it seems unlikely there will be criminal consequences, unless new allegations surface.But there's plenty of potential ethical problems and aloof personal behaviour, starting with the Guergis temper tantrum at the Charlottetown airport which.I'm told reliably, was not as bad as those involving cabinet colleague Jean-Pierre Black-bum when he resisted demands to surrender a bottle of decent tequila.What's privately infuriated MPs, particularly those of Conservative stripes, is how two of their own have so thoroughly tarred and feathered their collective image without giving any sign of mea culpas as an individual.Jaffer, who was an 11-year veteran of the caucus, never admitted he did anything untoward after being charged with driving drunk and possessing cocaine.He merely said he was soçry for careless driving.In e-mails td his few remaining friends, Jaffer still laments he's been hard-done by the media coverage of his indiscretions without a hint of remorse for the Conservative team.It is, MPs say, a serious character flaw and that includes Guergis, who they say hasn't expressed sufficient remorse for her behaviour.They have badly redefined the "political class" to which Liberal Leader Michael Ig-natieff publicly declared he belongs in this country as a superior tier of citizens entitled to their entitlements.What's worse, this mess is not even close to being over.With committee appearances by implicated individuals on the horizon, this will become a train wreck with a difference.This train wreck will be caused by people coming straight out of the Playboy Mansion.¦—THE RECORD P.0.Box 1200 Sheitoooke JlH 516 or 1195 Gah E, Sherbrooke JIG 1Y7 Fax for Newsroom only: 81*5693945 e-mail: ncwsroon@sherbrookerecord.cora Wrasrre: www.iherbrookrrccord.coin Sharon McCully Publisher .(819) 569-6345 Sharon McCully Managing Editor .(819) 569-6345 Michael McDevtit Assistant Editor (819) 569-6345 FRaser Lockerbie Corresp.Editor , (819) 569-6345 Serge Gagnon Chief Pressman .(819) 569-9931 DEPARTMENTS Accounting.(819) 569-9511 Advertising .(819) 569-9525 Circulation .(819) 569-9528 Newsroom.(819) 569-6345 Knowlton office 5B Victoria Street, Knowlton, Quebec.JOE 1V0 Tel: (450) 242-1188 Fax: (450) 243-5155 MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS GST PST TOTAL Can am: l year 120.00 6.00 9.45 $135.45 6 MONTHS 63.00 3.15 4.96 $71.11 3 MONTHS 32.00 1.60 2.52 $36.12 Out of Quebec residents do not include PST.Rates for other services available on request.The Record is published daily Monday to Friday.Back copies of The Record are available.The Record was founded on February 7.1897, and acquired the Sherbrooke Examiner (est.1879) in 1905 and the Sherbrooke Gazette (est.1837) in 1908.The Record is published by Alta Newspaper Group Limited Partnership.PM #0040007682 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to The Record.1195 Galt East, Sherbrooke.QC JIG 1Y7 Member ABC, CARD, CNA, QCNA fighan.com ITHINK WE WWWNERNND THE REASON WHy VOU (ANT FIND K WEK£ ISSUE.____1 Letters Canadians in general should be, or rather need to be, more aware of the information they are providing to any organi- Letter to the Editor: Re: Protecting our personal information We would like to clarify and share a few facts with your readers in follow-up to a story which appeared in your newspaper on April 12, 2010 by Anna May Kinney.In her commentary, she references the AIR MILES® Reward Program to make a point about privacy in general, and data collection practices and possible impacts on our private lives in particular.While we cannot comment on what other organizations may do with Canadians’ personal information, we have, and will continue to advocate our own position on privacy.We appreciate Ms.Kinney’s concerns for the protection of personal information and in particular its use.She is correct in suggesting that Canadians in general should be, or rather need to be, more aware of the information they are providing to any organization and what those organizations may be doing to secure and use it.On this point we agree.In fact, transparency, protecting personal information and respecting the consent we have been given to use the information, has always been a fundamental principle in our relationship with our Collectors.In addition, the personal information we collect is used only for the purposes of administering the Program -for example the management of Collector Accounts to accurately record and update reward mile balances - processing Collector redemptions, invoicing Collector, Sponsor and Supplier accounts, communicating offers, promotions and contests to Collectors and understanding Collectors needs and preferences.We do not give, rent or sell Collector lists to any organization or individual other than within our business, Sponsors of the Program, and companies contracted to process and manage Collector transactions, redemption requests and communications.All of this information is communicated to our Collectors upon enrollment and we live by our purposes each and everyday.As for Ms.Kinney’s description of what information may be collected at stores: the card swipe captures the Collector number, the date and value of the purchase, the number of AIR MILES reward miles issued for that purchase, product category information on bonus offers and the Sponsors’ location - all information that Collectors consent to, and can see when they review their own Collector Account statements.And again, this information is strictly captured and only used for the purposes we have explained to our Collectors in our privacy policy.While there is some common ground between Ms.Kinney and most reasonable people and organizations across this country with respect to privacy and the responsibility of all, to broadly insinuate that organizations are collecting information indiscriminately and using this information for purposes other than for the reasons it was collected is unfair and misguided.More information regarding our approach and privacy policy is available at www.airmiles.ca.Sincerely, Mitchell Merowitz Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Chief Privacy Officer AIR MILES Reward Program if*: The Record newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Monday, April 19, 2010 Page 7 THE Reunion Softball Linking Lennoxville and the surrounding communities Golden Lion Golden Agers Page 8 Sawyerville Elementary welcomes the spring ‘A Tale of Sawyerville” celebrates local history PHOTOS/COREY BEI.I.AM Students recreate the fun once had at the dances at the Oddfellows hall At Zeph Rousseau’s Barbershop, locals gather to chat arid share the news as Doc Curtis Lowry (played by Thomas Rothney) gets a trim before heading off to one of his many housecalls.The evening’s narrators (1 to r) Joshua Bowker, Benjamin Burns and Jake Bell kept the story moving Spring was busting out all over at Sawyerville elementary school last Thursday evening as the students put on, once again, the annual Spring Concert.This year, the theme was historical and local with skits performed telling the tale of the Great hereford railway Uprising reminisced about the dances at the Oddfellows Hall and revisited Zeph Rousseau’s barbershop, which served as unofficial meeting place for Sawyerville residents for many years.Attendees were also treated to a display of old photographs, provided by Jack and Lois Garneau and Bonnie Fowler.The music was provided by Janice Graham, and Corrine McBurney, and Kathryn and Carlyle Rothney, Page 8 Monday, April 19, 2010 ne wsroom@sherbrookerecord.com The Record Golden Lion Softball — Pitch it to me one more time r Please help us.your health depends on it! to Qa«b«, too ooo people have to Uve with asthma; among them jooooo are cWWmn It lathe country's leading respiratory dlseeae.The asthma daims the Ihres ot 9 Canadians each week.Rnrarch con lead to remliston ! I ricdll.Fly society.is everyone’s business! Cell.: 8- Trenching Landscaping Site Preparation Drainage Snow Removal Transport of Material TluICK * 1 Courteous \ Service^ lOoH•Mm' The Golden Lion Reunion Softball Team, with the support of the Pub & Brewery of the same name, returned from a very successful 26th consecutive appearance in the Pointe Claire, Balle Donne Tournament held.June 19 - 21, 2009 at Valois Park in mm ww Pte.Claire, Quebec.The Lion won 6 consecutive games to win the “A” championship at last year’s tournament.This was especially sweet after having lost in the finals the year previously while we were celebrating our 25th anniversary at this prestigious tournament.A big thanks NOW OPEN ! WE CAN PUT OUR TO WORK FOR to Stan and the Pub as well as to all of the players who made this victory possible.The Golden Lion Softball team played in the Mas-sawippi Valley Softball League in the 70’s & 80’s, winning several league championships, as well as many tournaments throughout the province, including the very prestigious Yvon Pif Depatie, slo-pitch tournament in 1978.The reunion team continues to represent the Golden Lion name, the town of Lennoxville, as well as the Townships every June at this very competitive tournament where the proceeds support various charities and children’s activities.We will be doing it all again this June.TOOLS YOU 2601Belvédère St.South, Sherbrooke .corner Bel Horizon 819-569-9148 INSPIRATIONS ENCORE StfcnbRooki 819 962 $989 * SiMply Divine! WWW.iNSpiltATioN8ENCOItC.COM Inspirational Gifts, Books, Music : / WISE §^aè|| - - ¦ «bhhhs Monday, April 19, 2010 Page 9 rs - : • ¦-> • '¦ CN® « Hydro-Québec and your municipal electric utilities invite you to fill out the ENERGY WISE Home Diagnostic questionnaire.1 You will get a free personalized recommendations report estimating, in dollars and kilowatthours, how much you could be saving.At the same time, you'll be supporting a project in your community.For each report, Hydro-Québec will contribute' I to your community - f *ÎAv W' ' V0 Ü m ¦ ' -i wÊÊÈËimam.For the list of projects and to fill out the questionnaire, visit wegowiththeflow.com/35.Proud to be associated with this campaign: .Ville d« Sh^rooke Hydro-Sherbrooke 'imigog Hydro Québec 1.Certain conditions apply- 2.Limited time offer.Valid until October 1Î, 2010, Inclusively.Valid only for an Initial diagnostic for your current residence.Other conditions apply Page 10 Monday, April 19, 2010 newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com The Record ^4 CD C