The record, 29 janvier 2004, jeudi 29 janvier 2004

THE ilÉËÉiSd 70 CENTS RECO The voice of the Eastern Townships since Math for domies.See Page 14 WWW.SHERBROOKERECORD.COM Thursday, January 29, 2004 Education is not a business:teachers Teachers and parents protest language initiative By Leah Fitzgerald Magog It's been three years since it was announced, but the Eastern Townships School Board’s Language Initiative is still not going over well with some parents and high school teachers.About 40 teachers and parents from Alexander Galt, Massey-Vanier and Richmond Regional high schools crowded the board room of the ETSB’s offices Tuesday night.They were there to tell the commissioners that they want a deferral of the implementation of the policy, scheduled to begin in high schools for this fall.“We don’t normally have many people at this meeting," said Margaret Faulks, Chairman of the council of commissioners.“Normally, I greet everyone.I’m not sure if I know everyone’s names." The language initiative involves increasing the number of minutes of French instruction in the schools to 450 minutes per week from 300 (that’s a half-hour a day more).The program is already being implemented at the elementary school level, with students in Cycles one and two receiving the extra French.The school board says it’s a good thing, citing studies that point to improved learning from both language groups in a second language.The teachers agree that’s true — unless you’re talking about students who are already behind in their mother tongue.“If they lack knowledge of their first language, they won’t learn a second with ease,” said Gail Klinck, a history teacher at Massey-Vanier.Peter Langford, the union representa- tive for the teachers, said that the main problem wasn’t adding French courses.He pointed out that courses in other subjects have been offered in French, but the students don’t sign up for them.Marc Sucteau, a French teacher at Massey-Vanier, said it was not in the students’ best interest, or in the teachers’.“I’m teaching French grammar 60 to 65 per cent of time in English,” he said.“The students don’t have the vocabulary to learn.C’est dangereux." Sucteau said some of his students just aren't capable of writing in English, much less in French.“We need to protect the mother tongue of Townshippers,” he told the commissioners.Sucteau added that teaching subjects like science or math would be difficult for many of the specialized teachers.Please see language Page 4 When travelling, bring your drugs Ontario pharmacists won’t honour out-of-province prescriptions By Sharon McCully An East Bolton woman recently found herself caught in the middle of a turf war over drugs that might well have killed her.But it had nothing to do with organized crime.Esther Matin, 75, was caught in the crossfire of provincial regulations governing the dispensing of prescriptions from one province to another.While visiting her son in Oakville, Ontario last June, Matin decided to extend her stay a few days to await the birth of her great-grandchild.“I brought enough medication with me for a week but my granddaughter wanted me to stay on until she gave birth,” Matin said in an interview yesterday.Matin said when she went to the Shoppers Drug Mart in Oakville in her son’s neighbourhood to ask for an emergency prescription refill to tide her over for a few days, she was told it was against the law to fill a prescription from Quebec.Please see prescriptions Page 14 PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL Esther Matin learned the hard way that travelling without medication can be dangerous.Four arrested after body found in Roxton Falls By Maurice Crossfield Two adults and two minors are expected to appear in court in Granby today after the body of a missing man was found in Roxton Falls Thursday morning.Sûreté du Québec spokesman Const.Gilles Mitchell said the 72-year-old man was reported missing on Nov.13.The SQbegan its investigation, at one point suspecting that the man may have been away traveling.However closer examination of the the man’s bank accounts showed some suspicious transactions.Further verifications led to a search at 31 des Chalets in Roxton Falls.There, in a hole, police found a body.“We’re not confirming the identity of the man, but we’re pretty sure it is the man we were looking for,” said Mitchell.He said the body was in poor shape, making identification and examination more difficult.The search and other raids led to the arrest of two adult men, as well as the arrest of a teenage boy and girl.Mitchell said the missing man had lived up the road from where his body was found.The two men and two minors will appear in court in Granby today.Mitchell said the final decision will be made by a Crown prosecutor, but that the adults will likely face murder charges, while the minors could face charges of being accessories after the fact and the improper treatment of a human body.i page 2 Thursday, January 29, 2004 ; - ~ * .’the.¦ pprnpn Taproot Last call for submission Poets, writers, photographers and visual artists - this is your last chance for an opportunity to have your work published in Townshippers’ Association’s Taproot III: Poetry, Prose and Images from the Eastern Townships.This 25th Anniversary book will be published in time for Townshippers’ Day in September 2004, and is possible thanks to the financial support of Townshippers’ Research & Cultural Foundation.Jan.31 - this Saturday - is the submission deadline.If you have a poem, story, photograph or art work, send it quickly to Townshippers’ Association, 100-257 Queen, Lennoxville, QC JIM 1K7.For more information or to obtain a copy of the guidelines, call Cathy Turner at Lennoxville 566-5717, 1-866-566-5717 or ct@townshippers.qc.ca.Honouring outstanding Town-shippers Townshippers’ Association will once again be honouring Outstanding Townshippers of all ages who have made note worthy contributions to their communities.In 2004, the Outstanding Townshippers Awards will be presented at a gala banquet on June 4.This very special occasion will be the first in a series of events celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Townshippers’ Association! Do you know someone who has volunteered time and energy toward improving their community?Have you met a person who has made a difference to the Townships and its people?If so, please nominate them! Outstanding Townshippers Awards will be given to a few English-speaking citizens selected from nominations received from the public.Nominees must have once lived or studied in the Eastern Townships, irrespective of where they currently reside.The awards may also be given posthumously.Individuals, couples or groups may be nominated.At least one award will be designated for a person or a couple under the age of 40.To nominate a candidate, please ask Townshippers’ Association (Lennoxville 566-5717, Cowansville 263-4422, toll free 1-866-566-5717) for the short nomination form, and return the completed form to Townshippers’ Association by March 31, 2004.The Community & Culture Committee will appoint a selection committee to review the submissions.Nominees will be contacted only if they are selected to receive an award.Community development symposium coming in March The Community Development Symposium will be held on March 12, 2004.The keynote speaker, William Floch, will present demographic research findings on mobility and migration concerning the English-speaking (and French-speaking) communities in the Eastern Townships.Look for more information in the coming weeks! Mental Health Estrie The next Mental Health Estrie meeting will be February 9, 7-9 p.m.at the Marguerite Knapp Building, 257 Queen, Lennoxville.Feel free to use either the front or the back door.Questions?Call Mental Health Estrie’s confidential line at 566-5717 ext.15 (toll free 1-866-566-5717 ext.15).Keeping In Touch Townshippers’ Association Briefs Former teacher charged with sex crimes on minors No tax hikes in 2004 for Inverness and Kingsbury Inverness residents can expect no municipal tax or rate increases this year despite a budget increase of over $260,000, according to figures released earlier this month by the town.The 2003 mill rate of $1.47 per $100 of property evaluation will be used to calculate 2004 tax bills.Also unchanged will be the charge for garbage and recycling pickup at $123.10 per house and business.Cottage and occasional businesses will also see the same pickup charge of $61.55 for this year.The charge for cantine and restaurant permits will remain at $25.Bills over $300 can be paid in three installments at the start of March, July and September.The town’s total budget for 2004 is $1,323,424 versus the 2003 budget of $1,059,189.According to town fig- ures, the majority of the increase was caused by Quebec government grants for maintenance of provincial roads.Kingsbury In Kingsbury, the municipal tax and charges will remain unchanged for 2004, according to town treasurer Yves Batte.“The mill rate remains at 94 cents and the charges for garbage pickup and water and sewage stay at $85 per house,” he said.Batte said the 2004 budget will be lower than the one for 2003.“The budget is just over $180,000, which is lower than last year.” The 2003 budget was $207,966.Batte said the reduction in spending was caused by the final repayment last year on a long-term debt the town undertook to buy the former factory and use it as an industrial motel.By Stephen McDougall Special to The Record Drummondville A 64-year-old retired teacher from St.Nicéphore has been charged with six counts of sexual crimes involving five underage boys.Jean-Guy Houle was formally charged Monday in Quebec Court and will return on Feb.20 to make a formal plea.Provincial police said the five boys ranged in age from four to 15-years- old.They allege the crimes made against them by Houle occurred over a 20-year period, starting in 1975 until 1995.The said the crimes occurred in St.Nicéphore, which is near Drummondville.The counts read out to Houle at his arraignment were as follows: three counts of indecency, two of sexual assault and one of inciting a minor to touch the defendant in a sexual man- ner.Provincial police said Houle has been a longtime volunteer with community groups that provided activities for children and adolescents.Two of the groups he is still a member of are Big Brothers and the Optimist Club.Police investigators began their case against Houle after one of the victims made a complaint, then four other victims came forward.Police are now asking for other victims, if any, to come forward and file complaints against the accused.Houle was arrested Monday at his home before his arraignment.He was released without bail on the condition that he not come in contact with minors and not be found in an area where minors usually gather.The victims names cannot be released to the public under terms of the federal Youth Protection Act.Weather Today: Periods of snow.Low minus 22.High minus 16.Friday: Periods of light snow.Low minus 22.High minus 16.Saturday: Periods of light snow.Low minus 23.High minus 14.Sunday: A mix of sun and cloud.Low minus 16.High minus 4.Ben by Daniel Shelton PEN.WHAT'S WORSE THAN WAKING UP TO YOUR MORNING ¦-, PREATH ?TAKE A PIG HAIRY GUESS.,.WHAT?ifaesX ii ££Üg - -the™ - RECORD Thursday, January 29, 2004 page 3 CHUS preparing major overhaul at Hotel Dieu Administrators fear funding delay could postpone work By Rita Legault Sherbrooke f « jhe Centre hospitalier universitaire I de Sherbrooke has received prelimi-1.nary approval of an $82.6-million expansion for the Hotel Dieu, but administrators are worried work on the badly needed overhaul may be delayed once a request for funding arrives at Quebec’s Treasury Board office sometime in the fall.This week hospital administrators met with city officials and economic agents who helped apply pressure on the government to ensure the Hotel Dieu expansion would be approved.While giving an update on progress to date, the CHUS forewarned them their help might be needed once again to ensure the construction and renovations receive funding as soon as possible.Patricia Gauthier, CHUS director of administrative services, said the plans and blueprints for the project will be ready to send to Quebec City by the fall.“We will be ready, but will the government?” Gauthier said that over the past year, Quebec has approved more than a dozen hospital construction and renovation projects totaling hundreds of millions in investments.She said those projects, including major work at the Sherbrooke Geriatric University Institute and Magog’s La Providence, will all be seeking financing at the same time and the provincial government will not be able to unblock funding to begin all of them in 2005-2006.“We will get our expansion, but we don’t know when,” Gauthier said, adding that it could take one, two or three years before the funding finally becomes available.She added that a delay could be detrimental to the success of the badly needed restructuring.The CHUS has suffered from a chronic and growing shortage of space since 1995 when Sherbrooke’s acute care hospitals merged to create the CHUS and the subsequent closings of the Sherbrooke Hospital and St-Vincent-de-Paul.Emergency rooms at both the Hotel Dieu and Fleuri-mont centres are badly overcrowded and the psychiatric emergency at the Hotel Dieu is simply inadequate.When the hospitals merged a decade ago, the CHUS promised to provide access to medical and emergency services downtown.It also undertook to integrate the university mission into the Hotel Dieu to ensure the CHUS’s survival as a provincial university hospital centre which provides specialized, and ultra-specialized medical care as well as teaching and research activities.Because of the lack of facilities at Hotel Dieu, many specialized services migrated towards Fleurimont, which is working over capacity.The expansion at PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL Municipal and business leaders met to discuss renovation and construction plans at the Hotel Dieu.i, ! If : \ .-T-T-.yi 1 V - * ÉÉn Æ gfcj Hotel Dieu is needed to rebalance services and ensure they are more equitably distributed.The CHUS also needs to complete the integration of both hospitals to make things run more smoothly.That restructuring process took a leap forward recently with the completion of computerized patient files at the Hotel Dieu and the installation of computer terminals in all rooms, a system that has been in place at Fleurimont for more than a decade.The Hotel Dieu construction and renovation project that will complete the restructuring process at the CHUS, received the green light last July with an announcement by Health Minister Philippe Couillard, a former CHUS neurosurgeon, and vicepremier Monique Gagnon-Trem-blay, the MNA for St-François, which is home to both sites of the CHUS.That approval gave CHUS officials the go-ahead to proceed with preliminary plans for the project to build a new seven-storey wing that will house a larger, more modern emergency ward on the main floor, updated and expanded external clinics on ths next two floors, as well as four new floors of patients rooms.The major transformation will also include renovations to the existing building to house more specialized and ultra specialized medical care, more adequate teaching facilities and space for clinical research, a new psychiatric ward, and two more surgical wards that will help cut down on waiting lists.There will also be improvements to patient rooms that will drastically decrease the number of four-bed wards and transform them into private and semi-private rooms.If all goes according to plan, the CHUS will starr digging for the new wing in the fall of 2005.It will then take 18 months to complete.In 2006, the hospital would begin converting the existing building, a task that will take two years to complete.Added to the $82.6 million project is some $20 million in equipment upgrades that have not yet received government ap- proval.That would bring the total investments to about $100 million.Best case scenario, the expansion, renovation and reorganization will be complete sometime in 2008, Gauthier said.While work on the major part of the project won’t begin until the fall of 2005, the CHUS has already begun making significant changes, Gauthier said.Last year, the administration was relocated into temporary trailers in the parking lot to make room for more clinical activities.The board also approved $2 million to begin the restructuring process with major renovations to the Hotel Dieu.The CHUS has already completed the regrouping of laboratories from three locations into a single new facility at Hotel Dieu.Crowded and inadequate facilities in the psychiatric wing have been improved, doubling the existing space with the ere ation of a short term psychiatric unit.The space will double again after the transformation is complete.The CHUS has also improved the orthopedics wing and is completing work on gastroenterology and endoscopy clinics to treat stomach and digestive ailments.Those specialized activities will move from Fleurimont and be concentrated at Hotel Dieu.The CHUS is also integrating diabetes centres from both hospitals and relocating them to expanded facilities at the Hotel Dieu.The only exception will be treatment of pregnant women with gestational diabetes that will remain attached to the obstetrics unit in Fleurimont.The Hotel Dieu will also be home to a new cardiac clinic as well as a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation center for outpatients.Dr.Donald Echenberg, an internal medicine specialist who is charged with the promotion of the university mission at the Hotel Dieu, said there has been a considerable increase in clinical and teaching activities at the Hotel Dieu in the past few months.He said changes have also improved recruitment at the downtown hospital.Dr.Echenberg said there has also been an increase in the number of surgeries, day surgeries, hospitalizations and emergence room visits.Last year 54 per cent of emergency room patients went to Fleurimont compared to 46 per cent at Hotel Dieu.By the time the reorganization is complete, the hospital wants 60 per cent to go to Hotel Dieu, making it the main entry door into the hospital.The CHUS is also planning a day medicine unit where patients will be able to come for tests during the day and go home at night, Echenberg said.“We will treat more patients in external clinics and only hospitalize those who need it,” he commented, adding that patients who get the choice of staying overnight or going home usually opt for the latter.In the presence of Mayor Jean Perrault, Echenberg also commented the hospital badly needed a bus link between the CHUS Fleurimont and Hotel Dieu sites.Perrault responded that where there is a need, the municipal transit corporation tries to fill it.He noted that with greater links between the two hospitals, and more medical students having to travel from one site to another, such a service is likely.Board president Denis Paré said the renovations will have a major impact on the population by improving care at the CHUS.Paré noted that 48 new beds will help relieve emergency room overcrowding and the private rooms will diminish the risk of contamination in overcrowded wards.“This will offer greater safety and more privacy for patients,” he said.“There will be more space, more comfort and more amenities.” “Our ultimate goal is to improve services.” ;in-; PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL Patricia Gauthier, CHUS director of administrative services, said the plans and blueprints for the project would be ready but she wondered if the funds would be available to complete the project. .1,1,1 page 4 Thursday, January 29, 2004 ¦ 3n \ RECORD COURTESY BRUCE DURANT Parents and teachers crowded into the FTSB board room to express disatisfaction with the board initiative to increase French-language teaching Language: Cont’d from Page 1 “It’s an art, teaching those subjects,” Secteau said.“I can’t imagine them doing it in their second language.” Richard Fortier, the senior French teacher at Richmond Regional, had a slightly different tale to tell.Fortier had a list of pass rates for the Minister of Education’s French exam, given to Secondary 5 students at the end of the year.In 1999, 98 per cent of students passed, in 2000, 97.9, in 2001, 100 per cent.In 2002, 98.3 per cent passed and in 2003, 93.9.“I had two girls fail that year,” he explained.Fortier said he’s had former students, anglophones, attending the Cegep, come to speak to his class.“They speak in French,” he said.“Their French, after two years, is great.” Fortier said he did a quick survey at Richmond Regional and 43 per cent of Secondary 4 and 5 students come from a French household.In Secondary 1, 2 and 3,64 per cent of students speak French at home.Teachers from Galt and Massey-Vanier said similar things about the number of students who speak French as their mother tongue.“Our students are struggling with English,” Carol de Francis, a history teacher at Massey-Vanier, said.“In the corridors, we hear French.” Morgan Quinn, a teacher at Alexander Galt, said that at recent staff meetings, including one by the pedagogical committee, teachers supported deferring the introduction of the language initiative.“We think kids right now function in French at the expense of English,” he said.“Rather than reclaiming potential enrollment lost to French high schools, we’ll lose the French mother tongue students.” “Where did you get your statistics that the graduates were not functional?” asked Morgan Quinn, a teacher at Alexander Galt.“We asked graduates of all the high schools,” responded Commissioner Mike Murray.“Three, four, five years later, they tell us their French is inadequate for modern society.“They can’t stay in Quebec, and the system is a failure.Maybe the problem is the teaching.” The crowd of teachers groaned at the commissioner’s statement.The debate about the statistics raged throughout the meeting.On Wednesday, Maggie Faulks told The Record: “Be careful of those statistics the teachers are giving out.” She said the statistics that nearly all students were entering secondary one at the proper literacy level - was the correct statistic.Bruce Durrant, a teacher at Galt, wrote “Arguments in opposition to The Language Initiative of the Eastern Townships School Board.” In it, he writes: “Standardized tests completed at Grade 6 indicate that students in our Board are at the correct level for their age.This is an average however.It means that half of our students are below level for their age.In Secondary Cycle 1 at Alexander Galt, there are 313 students reading two or more grade levels below where they are placed.” “After two and a half years of the initiative, you can not just keep driving the boat down the river,” said Klinck.The teachers are calling for statistics that say the board is right to call for the initiative to continue.Unfortunately, Secretary-General Chantal Beaulieu was in meetings on Wednesday and was unable to provide those numbers to The Record.The other problem the teachers and parents have with the Language Initiative is that they say they were not consulted.“How could you make such a decision without consulting teachers?” asked teacher Carol de Francis.The school board conducted a survey in 1999 of 600 parents, which showed that parents wanted their children to graduate bilingual.“The survey only asked, ‘do you want your child to be bilingual?’ Who’s going to answer no?” Langford asked.Parent Donna Noel of Richmond said she filled out the survey.“Times have changed, life has changed,” she said.“My children are in high school now.They’re honours students.What will happen to their grades if they’re suddenly flung into taking more French?” Faulks said she understood Noel’s concern, and said her own son graduated with a mark of 60 in French in Secondary 5.“We’re not comparing our children,” Noel said.“I’m worried about the self-esteem of children who are doing well now, and might not continue because they are suddenly faced with more French.” Langford, who’s on leave from his teaching position at Massey-Vanier where he taught French immersion classes, said the board is ignoring the spirit of the Education Act, which reads: “222.1 Every school board shall ensure that the programs of studies established by the Minister under section 461 are implemented.“However, a school board may, at the request of a school principal, after consulting with the student’s parents and subject to the rules governing certification of studies prescribed by the basic school regulation, exempt a student who needs special support services in the language of instruction, second language or mathematics program from a subject prescribed by the basic school regulation; no exemption may be granted, however, in respect of those programs.” Durrant points out in his argument that the Act refers to parents when individual parents need to be consulted, and parent committees when they are necessary.Durrant also says that permission from the parents of every individual student would need to be obtained for a program like the Language Initiative.The Language Initiative has only seen approval from the parents’ committee.The original proposal for the Language Initiative appeared in the minutes of the Council of Commissioners meeting from Feb.27, 2001 : “The French Language Proposal is the direct response to a number of identified needs, such as: “1.Declining student enrollment: “2.An ever increasing number of eligible students for English Instruction enrolling in French language schools; “3.Increasing demands from parents; “4.The reduction in time allocation of the French Second Language program in some of our elementary schools over the past few years.“The French Language Proposal, coupled with an active communications and marketing strategy, will increase enrollment, increasing hiring at all levels and further invigorate our system." Carol de Francis quoted the minutes and then commented, “This policy is based on economics and not pedagogy.Education is not a business.” Director-General Ronald Canuel did not comment during question period, when the teachers and parents were present, but waited until the end of the meeting to respond to a comment by Langford.“Some of what was said was totally inaccurate,” he said.“We’ve made it very clear this is not a “French” language initiative.It’s been clearly articulated from the teachers and administration that there was a serious language issue evolving.” Canuel said the studies support the board’s position.“Language acquisition should occur in all subject matters,” he said.“This initiative will help.This is the vision of the board.” Langford said the board sometimes has too many visions.“I compare the board to Dudley Durs-ley from Harry Potter,” he said.“Remember his birthday party?He opens a present, looks at it, tosses it aside and goes for the next one to open.Children are like that at Christmas.Tliey have this, the Start program, the Enhanced Learning Strategy, the reform.“We feel they don’t look at things either.” COURTESY BRUCE DURRANT ! Astern townships * eastern T0jk >1 !'* * „TO£.’ Those attending the meeting had strong words for the language initiative and the way it was imposed on the schools.“How could you make such a decision without consulting teachers?" asked teacher Carol de Francis. IRECORD: Thursday, Januajiy.29, .2.Q04 page 5 $67 million investment will not create new jobs By Stephen McDougall Special to The Record The investment of $67 million by German holding company Felix Schoeller in Drummondville’s Technocell factory will not create any new jobs, according to Guy Martel, Technocell’s vice-president of operations.“The factory is going to stay the same size but the technology will be improved to double productivity and make a wider range of products,” said Martel Wednesday morning.• “The number of people working here will remain at 140.The investments will make sure their jobs are secure.” The Technocell upgrade was announced after Premier Jean Charest visited Germany to solicit investment from foreign companies in the province.When Charest returned home yesterday, he told reporters the investments were secured without the use of government incentives or handouts.But the Technocell investment has a string attached to the Quebec government.The upgrading of the factory is to be helped along by a $2 million grant from Investissement Quebec, a provincial economic aid office that give grants and loans out to Quebec companies needing financial help.Bomb scare at Granby hotel Staff y I file Sûreté du Québec’s bomb squad was called in Wednesday .X.morning after a suspicious package was found in the Granbyenne Hotel.At 12:56 a.m.the 9-1-1 emergency dispatch received an anonymous call reporting a suspicious package at the hotel.Granby Police patrollers went to the scene and found a box had been left outside the door of one of the rooms.Granby Police spokesman Const.Benoit Desautels said the patrollers couldn’t find the owner of the box, so the SQbomb squad was called in around 3 a.m.In the meantime, about ten hotel rooms were evacuated and moved to other parts of the hotel.The room where the package was left was unoccupied at the time.Using a robot armed with a water cannon, the box was neutralized just after 3:30 a.m.Closer inspection showed it was empty.Desautels said the Granby Police are continuing their investigation to determine who placed the box there and who made the phone call.Investissement Quebec also took on 18 per cent of Technocell private shares through the payback of a five-year-old loan given out to one of Technocell’s former owners CDM Papiers Decors.An earlier report that the 18 per cent stake would be used to finance the factory’s expansion was incorrect, according to Martel.“CDM had a 50 per cent stake in Technocell and formed a joint venture with Felix Schoeller in 2001 to run the factory together,” he said.“But last December, CDM said it wanted out of the venture, and so the loan owed to Investissement Quebec had to be settled.Taking on the shares was a way to settle the loan.” Officials from Investissement Quebec could not be reached for details about the deal by press time.Aids to Premier Charest could also not be reached for comment on Investissement Quebec’s role in the deal.Martel added also corrected a report that said Technocell makes wallpaper.He said the material made is a “raw base paper” that is used to make printed coverings for furniture.“We call it decor paper, but it is really a high tech material that can be imprinted with designs.It is not used for walls.” Retirement: it’s your call E K:I’I’E [Wm] RRSP Step-up Bonds Capital guaranteed 100%.Attractive rates guaranteed for 10 years.Redeemable without penalty each year on the anniversary date.Minimum purchase $100.7.00% 2.25 C7C /.UU ¦" ^âüÜM 1“ 2nd 3rd 4'" 5'" 6th 7'" 8'” 9,h 10'” year These rates may vary depending on market conditions.Call us Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m.to 8 p.m.and Saturdays in January and February, from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m.Visit our website: www.epq.gouv.qc.ca 1 BONUS the first year for new RRSP funds.Epargne Placements __ « I Q E3 Quebec n? page 6 Thursday, January 29, 2004 RECORD Community Forum The passing lane is clear NDP Leader Jack Lay-ton is sounding quite upbeat these days, and it’s little wonder.Canada’s political left lane hasn’t been so free of traffic in decades, if ever, and that lane is on the NDP’s home turf.For the last several years, political pundits have constituted a chorus singing in perfect harmony how safe the federal Liberals were from serious attack because of a splintered Right.Well, the political right may still be divided, but it isn’t because of Progressive Conservatives and Alliance parties competing for small-c votes.The Conservatives are no longer Progressive, they are just small-c conservatives in the same tent as the super-small-c Alliance - some of them anyway - and are capitalizing the letter C.The rest - the ones bold enough to call themselves progressive - have jumped ship and boarded either the Liberal goods ship or life rafts called Independents.What most of the pundits failed to take into account in their chorus line until it was obvious enough for even the densest of humanity to notice was the Liberals’ stronger and stronger starboard cant.Until recently, only the odd one from time to time would point out that the so-called right was becoming not more divided, but united, long before the PC-Alliance merger.But it wasn’t happening under a Conservative banner.It was under a Liberal flag.Conservatives, presumably of the Progressive bent, quite a while ago started finding comfortable lodgings on the Liberal vessel and began climbing aboard.The most recent jumps are nothing new, just repeats.For political junkies, the last few years have been a bit like watching those old pirate movies that used to precede feature films when we had to lie about our ages to get in.All the while that the pundits were so preoccupied with the non-existent vacuum on the right, their staring into space blinded them to the ever-widening opportunity for socially conscious Canadians to rally and seek representation on the left.This does not mean that all-out socialists will be able to cash in, but moderate and compassionate voters know all too well that their views hold no real sway within the Liberal or neo-Conservative parties looking for our votes in the near future.Whether the NDP will be able to attract enough Liberals who feel abandoned by the Paul Martin Liberals to help itself gain House of Commons seats remains to be seen, but that is not the only source the NDP can tap.A good many former PC voters feel even more deserted and, if they were socially-conscious enough as PC’s to qualify as Red Tories, a move to the Liberals for them, as the Liberals now stand, would be a move right, not left.They might well be more comfortable in the NDP too.Quebecers, of course, have a choice unavailable to other Canadians.Some will see the Bloc Québécois as their salvation, but with the Bloc’s built-in guarantee that it will never govern, a lot of voters recognize it for what it is - an instrument with nuisance value only.It is going to be interesting to see what all this boils down to, but the Liberals’ automatic ticket of admission, at least with a majority, may not be as sure as they and the pundits presume.Viewpoint Don Healy ¦¦¦ THE ¦ i RECORD P.O.Box 1200 SherbrookeJIH 5L6or 1195 Galt E, Sherbrooke JIG 1Y7 Fax:819-569-3945 e-mail: newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Website: www.sherbrookerecord.com Randy Kinnear Publisher .(819) 569-9511 Sharon McCuley Editor .(819) 569-6345 Nelson Afonso Corresp.Editor .(819) 569-6345 Richard Lessard Prod.Mgr.(819) 569-9931 Serge Gagnon Chief Pressman .(819) 569-9931 Francine Thibault Prod.Superv.(819) 5694856 DEPARTMENTS Accounting .(819) 5699511 Advertising .(819) 5699525 Circulation.(819) 5699528 Newsroom .(819)5696345 Knowlton office 88 Lakeside, Knowiton, Quebec, JOE 1V0 Tel: (450) 242-1188 Fax: (450) 243-5155 MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS GST PST TOTAL Canada: 1 year 114.40 8.01 9.18 $131.59 6 MONTHS 59.00 4.13 4.73 S67.86 3 MONTHS 30.00 2.10 2.41 $34.51 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 Hollinger Canadian Newspapers L.P.Canadian Publications Mail Service Product Agreement No.0479675.Member ABC, CARD, CNA, QCNA HQ 1~Q[ XI what's mi — )iTir»itf—H mmmmtmmmmmmmmMmmrnE am* mm mmm mmmrn .omtrti •Mimir tim irr-» i£==i \9wwm- m mm IP: w «it at b- MEAT-FISH POULTRY Letters to the editor Police services are lacking in Richmond Dear Editor, The reason I am writing is regarding the Sûreté du Quebec.Since the small towns were forced by the government of Quebec to abolish their municipal police forces, things have really gone down hill.In Richmond we rarely see a patrol car in town except when it is parked in front of the police station.The head of the force for this area seems to think that everything is under control but personally, I can’t see how three to four police cars (most of the time three) can patrol an area that spans from Ste-Anne-de-Larochelle to Richmond, Stoke, and Windsor.I am quite sure that the officers who are working in this region are doing the best that they can, but I think they are spread thin.I am very upset with the service we are getting, but you could say that I am blowing off steam just from my own experience.Last weekend my vehicle was stolen in broad daylight just across from the street from police headquarters in Richmond.It’s not just the vehicle but the personal things we lost that were inside it at the time.If there is any humour in all of this, it’s that it only took the police 20 minutes to get an officer to the scene of the crime.I’m quite sure I don’t have a solution to the problem, but one thing I do know is that it gives criminals a green light to keep up their good work.Michael Jones Richmond POISON The Record welcomes your letters to the editor.Please be sure to sign your name and include a telephone number.Only signed letters are considered for publication. I lit RECORD Thursday, January 29, 2004 page 7 Perspectives Charest should sign reciprocal billing agreement Open letter to First Ministers It’s time to guarantee full access to health care to all Canadians.One of the five principles of the Cana-da Health Act is portability.As a result, most Canadians can travel on business, take a vacation, or study in another province or territory.They can move to where job opportunities are greater or retire in a part of the country where the climate is less severe or where living costs are lower.Their health care coverage is complete and uninterrupted regardless of pre-existing illnesses or a recent change in medications.Quebec covers hospital charges in other provinces, but refrises to pay physicians more than its own fees - the lowest in Canada.Most physicians across Canada simply bill patients directly and leave them to obtain partial reimbursement from the Quebec government.How can Quebecers not feel like second-class citizens when they are hit with unexpected out-of-pocket medical expenses in their own country?As health care budgets rise, some persons are proposing that increased private funding should be permitted, particularly of expensive diagnostic tests such as CT and MRI scans.Yet such expenditures would be elective.A patient could research the costs ahead of time and budget for them.Quite a different scenario occurs when one requires urgent health care in an unfamiliar city, when a person is most vulnerable.Here unexpected out-of-pocket Dr.Charles S.Shaver was bom in Montreal.He is a former president of the Ottawa Academy of Medicine and the Medical-Legal Society of Ottawa-Carleton expenses for an illness or accident affecting a family member can represent not just a mere inconvenience, but a severe hardship.The solution already exists.In 1988 all provinces and territories signed the Reciprocal Medical Billing Agreement.This allows physicians to bill their own province and receive prompt payment at their normal rate.Several years ago a Quebec health minister admitted that full portability would cost only an additional $6 million -roughly one dollar per Quebecer per year.Recall that the Quebec referendum was only nine years ago.Had Quebecers voted for independence, a predictable side effect would have been complete loss of hospital portability as well.Quebecers treated in other provinces or territories, like Americans, would have faced hospital charges of $2,000 to $3,000 per day.Many, due to pre-existing illnesses, would have failed to qualify for private travel insurance.Nevertheless, Quebecers did vote to remain part of Canada.Their right to fully portable health care should no longer be thwarted by their own government.Canadians do recognize their distinct language and culture.However, “distinctiveness” does not extend to ignoring federal legislation designed to protect and benefit all Canadians, including Quebecers.Today you as First Ministers will be dealing with problems common to all parts of the country such as waiting lists, inadequate diagnostic facilities, shortages of beds and of health care professionals.Much time will likely be spent in seeking increased federal transfer payments.Yet I hope that this longstanding problem of non-portable medical benefits for Quebecers will also be discussed, and finally resolved.Over the years, no federal health minister has had the political will to force Quebec to obey the Canada Health Act.The newly created National Health Council will be largely advisory and will lack any real clout.At today’s meeting, a number of new premiers and a new Prime Minister will be present.I trust that today that you will remind Jean Charest of his federalist election promises and suggest that he translate them into concrete action.Were he to finally sign the Reciprocal Billing Agreement, he would demonstrate to the other First Ministers and to all Canadians his belief in a fundamental social program based on federal-provincial cooperation.The cost is minimal, and in view of the benefits, this action would likely be applauded by most Quebecers.The late U.S.President John F.Kennedy once said, “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” With a Charest Liberal government, the ”sun is shining” in Quebec about as brightly as it ever will.I urge you all to work together to leave a legacy - namely full access to health care across Canada for residents of Que bec.The next few years can be an era in which ties between Quebec and the rest of Canada are strengthened.May the time not be wasted! One can hope that even if in future Quebecers again give the Parti Québécois a majority government, they will still value their Canadian citizenship.They would thus be hesitant to jeopardize newly-acquired benefits such as frilly portable health care by opting for complete independence.Charles S.Shaver, M.D.Ottawa Marijuana issue on a merry-go-round The marijuana issue is on one wild merry-go-round ride, and where it stops, nobody knows - certainly not the current Liberal Martin government.Between the courts and the federal government, with no consultation with the public, the issue has twisted and turned so frequently that it has become a mass of confusion to everyone, including the police.Pot smokers had bad news when the Supreme Court of Canada in a 6-3 decision, on Dec.23, 2003, concluded that pot smoking was not a constitutional right, and even stated that Parliament had the right to criminalize any behaviour it saw fit in order to protect people from harm.Following the Court’s decision, pot smokers must have been considerably cheered by Prime Minister Martin’s statement that he planned to reinstate the marijuana bill (Bill C-38).Later, however, Liberal officials backtracked on this and are now not too sure whether they will do so.Former Minister of Justice, Martin Cauchon, introduced Bill C-38 in the House of Commons last May, but it died when Parliament was prorogued last November.It is small wonder that the gov- ernment is so uncertain about this bill as it includes some controversial provisions.These include: Despite the fact that the government admits, according to its Legislative Summary, that marijuana use is a serious health risk, it proposed decriminalization of possession of 15 grams of marijuana, the equivalent of 15 to 30 joints.This amount is far in excess of the possession of 3 grams permitted in Belgium, one of the most permissive countries in the world.The message the proposed legislation gave to Canadian youth is “Don’t drink and drive, just toke and drive.” Bill 38 provided that underage offenders would receive a substantially reduced fine from that of an adult, therefore making it an attractive option for drug dealers to use minors to peddle marijuana to their peers, thus making marijuana even more accessible to youths, with an inevitable expansion of drug use.There are no provisions in the Criminal Code for charging drivers impaired by marijuana because there is no scientific method by which marijuana use can now be measured.The result is that police have no power to get drivers operating under the influence of marijuana off the roads.This creates a huge problem with regard to public safety.Bill C-38 did not provide for a minimum sentence, even in the case of large scale marijuana growth operations.This omission was critical, since Canadian courts have regularly imposed light sentences on marijuana growers.The proposed increase in the maximum sentence from 7 to 14 years was irrelevant, since the courts ignore it anyway and apply far lighter penalties.Such laxity only plays into the hands of organized crime, which is quickly gaining control of the billion dollar marijuana industry.This proposed legislation is an open invitation for criminals from around the world to set up shop here.The argument advanced in support of the provision to decriminalize marijuana was that it will remove the stigma of a criminal offence against those caught in possession of a “small” amount of marijuana.It is argued, a criminal conviction severely affects a person’s education, employment and travel (especially to the U.S.) The difficulty, however, is that once this deterrent of a criminal offence is removed, marijuana use becomes much more widely acceptable, both socially and legally.This was evidenced in the Netherlands, where after relaxing its laws on marijuana, its use increased 250%.Switzerland liberalized all its drug laws in the 1980s, with the result that Swiss adolescents use more drugs per capita than adolescents in any other country in Western Europe.This increased use of marijuana occurs because the law plays an important role in reinforcing preventative strategies that protect society.Criminalizing marijuana use is important because it underscores the truth - namely, that marijuana use is a serious health risk.Bill C-38 has been harshly criticized as inadequate by police, provincial justice ministers, the Canadian Alliance Party, some Liberal MPs and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), as well as the U.S.government.If it reinstates Bill C-38, the Liberal government will be ignoring these concerns.C.Gwendolyn Landolt National Vice President REAL Women of Canada page 8 Thursday, January 29, 2004 W Let your lotted ones knout they are special on VALENTINE'S DA]/ On Friday, February 13, you can bade your personal Valentine messaye published in RECORD (or only $10.00 (20 utords or less, taxes included) AND become eligible (or a random drawing of the following GRAND PRIZE! Auberge Georgeville A fabulous stay at Canada s oldest continually operating inn and one of Quebec s premier dining destinations awaits you! The winning couple will enjoy a gift certificate redeemable for a one night accommodation in a romantic Laura Ashley Junior Suite (not available on Saturday nights).Afternoon tea and sweets by the fire and complimentary sherry in the sitting room.A tour of the wine cellar and Quebec's premier California wine collection with the sommelier, Robert Meunier.The Auberge Georgeville cocktail before dinner with hors-d'oeuvres, followed by our award winning five service discovery menu for two.Full country breakfast the following morning.Complimentary use of snow shoes and skates with night lit skating and cross country skiing.Plus an Auberge Georgeville gift pack with goodies to take home.Why not treat your valentine to the most romantic gift of all, dinner at the Auberge Georgeville.Reserve before it is too late! ._ Wine Spectator 71 chemin Channel, “Award of Excellence Ponmouillo np Celebrating one of the most outstanding ueorgeVine UU restaurant wine lists in the world (25 minutes from Lennoxville) Reservations, 843-8683 www.auberqeqeoraeville.com (fâfôui&Jîamondi .9tf.it/rurant Drop by the office or mail in your coupon With payment by Friday, February 6, 200k, to: VALENTINE'S DA]/ MESSAGE The Record, 1195 Galt St.East, Sherbrooke, Qc, JIG l]/7 The Record, 88 Lakeside St., KnoWlton QC JOE 1V0 Message: Name.Address.Postal Code.Telephone.Please check form of payment: Cheque ?Money Order ?Credit Card ?Credit Card Payment: MasterCard ?Visa ?Card No.____________________________Expiry date:_______________________ Signature:.life.* The Record reserves the right to reject or edit any advertisement.J» ^RECORD; No common ground among MRCs on cops By Maurice Crossfield Tfiere will be no common front among the MRCs of the Eastern Townships in negotiations for new police coverage agreements, says Waterloo Mayor Paul Masse.“There is not one MRC that seems to be able to share its solutions with another one,” said Masse, who is also head of the security committee for the Haute-Yamaska Regional Municipality (MRC).This year, the public security ministry and the Sûreté du Québec are in the process of trying to sign police coverage agreements with the province’s MRC.These ten-year agreements outline which municipalities will be served by the SQ the level of coverage and the services offered.While the two unions representing Quebec’s municipalities have tried to work out a general agreement.Masse said that agreement doesn’t meet the needs of Haute-Yamaska.Last week he met with security committee heads from Granit, Haut Saint-François and Brome-Missisquoi, with the aim of forming a common front.While many of the concerns raised were similar, their approaches to them differed.Masse said part of the problem is the SQ’s formulas for police coverage, which are based on population.However they don’t take into account the size of the territory, or the make-up of the population.The needs of primarily rural Haut Saint-François are not the same as for Brome-Missisquoi, which covers a larger territory and has three major towns and nearly 20 smaller villages.“These standards have never been discussed,” Masse said of the formulas used by the SQ.In Haute-Yamaska the level of coverage is an issue.Masse said police officers who are off sick or on other business are not replaced.In one instance a police officer scheduled for 34 shifts was gone for 28 of them for |v FILE PHOTO Paul Masse said part of the problem is the SQs formulas for police coverage fail to take into account the size of the territory.union-related activities, and was never replaced.Having no common ground with the other MRCs, Haute-Yamaska’s security committee sent off its contract demands Wednesday.Masse said the demand is simple: Three cars on patrol at all times, one for each main sector.“If they do that, we will be satisfied,” he said.Masse warned that as negotiations progress between the MRC’s and the public security ministry, things could get sticky.He said the SQ approach of take it or leave it must change.“The minister and or the SQhave not yet realized that we are their customers,” he said.“Once they realize that we are their customers, I think things will change.” Recognized around the world J55553P55J* «355555553 . StisfNÇ «K ’?j; f .jSps1 % t.*죂 gatt* a r~ Stanstea Review Serving Stanstead and ITS BORDER COMMUNITY Also See: The Haskell Iibraiy celebrated Robbie Bums Day in style .see Page 10 NEWSROOM@SHERBROOKERECORD.COM WWW.SHERBROOKERECORD.COM THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2004 PAGE 9 Smith must have a guardian angel By Nancy Nourse Record Correspondent Jeff Smith must have a guardian angel, or at least he did last week.Smith is one of three drivers who spends many long and solitary hours grooming the 90 kilometres of trail used the Three Villages Ski-doo Club.Due to miserable weather conditions and poor visibility early last week, the Bombardier BR 275 he was driving overshot the snowmobile bridge and rolled down the embankment behind Granitslab International, landing upside down on its cab.“I must admit that it was an exciting ride.I was lucky to get off with just a few stitches and some bruises.The Bombardier wasn’t as lucky.The cab will need to be replaced but the most frustrating part of it all was that we had recently updated our machine and it had just arrived that afternoon,” said Smith, an employee of Bag Balm.“Usually when I go out to groom the trails, I’m alone but luckily for me, a couple of the guys were not too far behind me that night.I managed to get out by myself but was sure glad to see them.I was also glad that I could stop them before they too went off the bridge which had suffered damage when the accident occurred.” The bridge was repaired, but until a new Bombardier cab can be found, the club will be using an older machine to groom trails.As a result of steeper trails, the club had decided to upgrade its equipment.Possibilities for purchasing a new cab this year are slim, but the club hopes to have it by the time the snow shows up next year.The club will host its annual Family Day at the Ski-doo Camp, on Chemin Lagueux, in Stanstead East this Saturday.Also coming up on Feb.7 is the annual ‘Poker Run’ which is held on snowmobiles.Those participating must retrieve cards from different destination points, including Gagné-Lessard Inc.in Coat-icook, and return to camp.NANCY NOURSE/CORRESPONDENT -2.’ .Ssilsi! i : A trail groomer with the Three Villages Ski-doo Club, Jeff Smith recently lost control of his snowmobile and crashed.He was not hurt.NHES needs new gym floor Alternate path project looked at By Nancy Nourse Record Correspondent Stanstead The Committee of the Friends of the Tomifobia River has made a decision to move forward.Earlier this month, the group proposed a project that would have given them access to a piece of land, owned by the Town of Stanstead, for a pedestrian/bike trail along the Tomifobia River.Stanstead Mayor Raymond Yates said last week that a different project had already been submitted and that the outline had been approved.The project selected will receive a grant provided by the provincial government’s Pacte Rural program.Following a meeting held this week, the committee decided to work with Stanstead development agent Harvey Stevens to create a mandate to explore a second, different project.The new project is essentially to remove the necessary cement abutments from the river and to create a walkway starting from Notre Dame along the river to Banting Park.The project will be presented to the Committee Touristique de Stanstead in the near future.The pedestrian/bike path project remains in limbo.A ruling on this matter is scheduled to take place at the next meeting of Council on Feb.2, at 7 p.m.The Friends of the Tomifobia River have also expressed their willingness to incorporate both projects into one, with the hopes of actually starting work on such a project by the spring of 2004.Meetings will be held in the near future on these possibilities.x.'v* w *_jl fjiAisVittVYWYt'I.Y RX.’A'.By Nancy Nourse Record Correspondent Gail Bowen needs your help.Bowen was elected by the Parents Participation Organization and the Governing Board of the North Hatley Elementary School recently to head fundraising efforts to replace the floor in the school gymnasium.“Due to the many cuts in funding at the government level, parents and school officials are left with the task of finding funds to make even basic repairs to the school itself possible," explained Bowen.“The gym floor is really in bad need of repair.Due to the fact that the original tile floor is no longer being made, a simple repair is out of the question.We have no other choice but to replace the entire floor.” The original floor dates back to the ‘50s when they used to glue the tiles to the floor.Because the glue has dried out.many of the tiles are coming loose and breaking off.The adhesive coating, used especially for gym floors, has almost completely disappeared, making the surface very slippery and increasingly more and more dangerous for sports activities to be held.Necessary lines for sports such as badminton and basketball have had to be painted on by hand before games could be played.A new floor, within a plausible price range, would be one made out of rubber and would have lines for sports already painted on it.The school needs $27,000 for a new floor.See Root.Pace 11 • *?¦»»* N V * • * v « i page 10 Thursday, January 29, 2004 Stanstead REVIEW The Haskell celebrates Robbie Burns Day i% ifni ularly.I help out the teaching staff involving me in several departments.1 love helping out in the music department.“My specialty is the French Horn.I have also worked with the intermural sports program and will be assisting Mrs.Elliott with the upcoming play Rumours’ by Neil Simon,” Norman said.Library director Kim Prangley delighted everyone with her tales of Scottish humour and travels.She also read a story chosen especially for the younger members of the audience called ‘Wee Gillis’ which is the tale of a young Scottish lad who couldn’t decide whether he wanted to be a ‘lowlander’ or a ‘highlander’.All was in place for a proper Robbie Burns festival — bagpipes, Scotsmen in kilts and the reading of Burns’ poem, ‘To a Haggis’ and of course the dish of choice, the haggis itself.The Scottish delicacy was presented by Phil Desormeaux and given a proper blessing by Craig.Then came the tasting of the haggis.(The traditional recipe includes such goodies as a sheep’s heart, liver, windpipe and lungs combined with suet, onions, oatmeal and powdered herbs, then stuffed into a ‘sheep’s bag’, and served warm, of course).By Nancy Nourse Record Correspondent f » jhe Reading Room at the Haskell Library in Stanstead was overflowing .1.with people of Scottish ancestry and other inquisitive folk this past weekend to celebrate Robbie Burns Day.Journalist Alexander ‘Sandy’ Craig was on hand to pay tribute to the great Scottish poet and writer who lived from 1759-1796.Lennoxville bagpiper Eric Thornloe provided the musical entertainment for the afternoon along with Lisa Norman who delighted everyone with a display of Highland dancing.Burns was born near Ayr, Scotland on Jan.25,1759, into a rather poor family.His mother first introduced him to Scottish folk songs, legends and proverbs which sparked his passion for writing both English and Scottish poetry (the latter becoming the more famous of the two).His use of original Scottish dialect brought his work to the attention of many.He is also known for a variety of songs he wrote including ‘Auld Lang Syne’ which is often heard at New Year’s celebrations, and ‘My Love’s Like a Red, Red Rose’.Norman is currently spending a year at Stanstead College as a junior faculty member.She comes to the Stanstead NANCY NOURSE/CORRESPONDENT Eric Thornloe (left), Lisa Norman, Alexander “Sandy" Craig (right) were in Stanstead this past weekend to help the Haskell Library celebrate Robbie Burns Day.area via the G.A.P.program.Students who are between high school and university level and who wish to take a year off between studies — and have already been accepted to university — may receive funding to travel to different countries around the world as an educational experience.“1 chose Canada because of the similarities to Scotland — in scenery, partie- A cozy way to spend a Saturday night : NANCY NOURSE/CORRESPONDENT Yves Labonté (pictured), Mike Goudreau and Maurice St.Pierre played at Café Santé in Stanstead recently.By Nancy Nourse Record Correspondent It was on a bitterly cold weekend evening recently at Café Sante in Stanstead that the trio of Mike Goudreau, Yves Labonté and the legendary Maurice St.Pierre delivered a selection of oldies and jazz tunes that drove many down memory lane.Goudreau, he of the mellow voice, is a familiar figure around the Eastern Townships who highly respects the musical talents of others such as St.Pierre.While many today are seeking the limelight for themselves, Goudreau makes an effort to honour and showcase the vast talent of others.St.Pierre has been playing the saxophone and clarinet for over 50 years.Goudreau is also known for performing with the Boppin’ Blues Band which will be appearing at Le Pavillon des Arts et de la Culture de Coaticook on April 29 in a tribute to Louis Armstrong.He is also a frequent visitor to Café Caffuccino in Sherbrooke.The atmosphere at Café Sante was relaxed and cozy, with many taking to the dance floor until 11:30 p.m.Café Santé holds concerts on Saturday evenings every couple of months.Reservations have to be made in advance as seating is limited.The next evening of entertainment is scheduled for Saturday, Feb.14 with guitarist Larry Niles and friends.For more information, contact Linda Goodsell at 819-876-2576.Robob by James Duncan HEY ROBOB! LONG TIME NO.HEY./WHY SQGUM?WELL BURT .HAVE YOU EVER HAD ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHERE YOUR YELLED AT EVEN THOUGH YOU DtP OVERTIME WITHOUT OVERTIME PAY THE NIGHT BEFORE?HECK YEAH! ?ME ALL ABOUT IT SO I CAN TAKE MY MIND OFF OF BEING FIRED THIS MORNING. Stanstead REVIEW Thursday, January 29, 2004 page 11 Pamphlet lists services for parents of toddlers NANCY NOURSE/CORRESPONDENT :: ¦ if.'- A, 'iit _V.Va Pictured are Angela Elias (left to right) of l’Ecole Jardin des Frontières, Elaine Baylis-Creary, principal at Sunnyside Elementary School, Lise Theberge of CPE Chapeau de Paille and Sonny Benchimol of Literacy in Action.By Nancy Nourse Record Correspondent Stanstead’s Health and Education Committee officially announced this week it would issue a pamphlet designed to help families with children under the age of 5 become aware of the services offered to them in the Stanstead area.The Committee, made up of members from local organizations and schools, hopes the pamphlet will help answer common questions and serve as a guideline as to where to find the answers.“In speaking amongst ourselves, we came to the realization that such a pamphlet was badly needed in our area,” explained Ecole Jardin des Frontières principal Angela Elias, adding that pamphlets will be placed in various spots around the community such as the pharmacies, schools, the CLSC and the Caisse Populaire.“Many of us are asked questions concerning our own milieu that we had no trouble answering, but there were often questions presented to us that even we didn’t know where the best place to find an answer was.“What is the best service for my child?If my child is an anglophone, do I want French immersion or bilingual services?“If my child is a francophone and a parent attended an English school, do you want a bilingual service or French immersion?I just had a new baby.What services are there to help me and how do I contact them?” CPE Chapeau de Paille representative Lise Theberge was on hand to explain that the daycare centre offers a bilingual child care for those under the age of five, including a pre-kindergarten program for 4 year olds.At Ecole Jardin des Frontières, there are special programs available for 4 and 5-year-old children.This program uses fun activities keyed to communication, language and social conduct as a means of preparing students to begin schooling in the French system.Support for anglophone students is offered by the Ministry of Education and the Commission Scolaire des Sommets.The local CLSC provides nurse care services including post natal visits and support, vaccination programs and health support for daycare services.Support is given to parents through social workers and accompaniment programs and there is also support for children under 5 with physical or intellectual deficiencies and their families.CAB R.H.Rediker offers “first Step” services in both French and English.You can ‘Drop In’ for coffee, workshops and guest speakers, parent-child activities, and play-group for children.Sunnyside Elementary School offers pre-kindergarten (part-time) and kindergarten (full-time) — 60 per cent French and 40 per cent English.“Lack of communication is 80 per cent of the problem.It is important to find ways of letting people know what services are available and to see that these services are not duplicated senselessly,” added Sonny Benchimol of Literacy in Action, which is affiliated with many schools and organizations.“This pamphlet is not only important for newcomers to Stanstead, but also to people who have lived here for a while.“You meet people on the street everyday but did you ever stop to think that he or she may excel in something that could help you out with a problem?” Half of $27,000 needed already raised Floor: Cont’d from Page 9 Through fundraisers and donations, they are already half way to their goal.“The adopt-a-duck race and the cow-paddy bingo we held last year did very well, bringing in a grand total of $3,600.We also received a generous donation of $1,000 through Premier Charest’s office,” added Bowen.“We have sent out letters to businesses and are asking all North Hatley Elementary alumni and residents of North Hatley to help with this project.” The school also has other fundraising activities planned, including a canteen at ‘Pleasure Sur Glace’ (Feb.14) and a dance on June 11 and 12, featuring Winston Nutbrown.“We are all aware of the economic struggles that many people are facing today, but we still hope that people will realize that it is all about the kids.If we don’t help them, who will?" concluded Bowen.“It is what I call ‘the Townshipper Way’ - a win-win situation! The kids get a new and safer gym floor, and the community feels good because they have shown that it is possible to pull together for a common cause.“Many residents lose track of what is going on in the community when they no longer have children going to school.” For more information, contact Bowen at 842-4278.Donations cheques must be made out to ‘NHES/ETSB’ (North Hatley Elementary School, 110 School Street, North Hatley, JOB 2C0) to ensure that this money is put into the account set aside by the School Board for the gym floor at North Hatley Elementary School.Tax receipts are also available TYTi ’i PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL Gail Bowen hopes residents and North Hatley Elementary School alumni come together to support this important project.The floor has become dangerous. page 12 Thursday, January 29, 2004 Seven arrests following Thetford pot raids Staff Seven people will face charges related to growing and trafficking marijuana after four raids in the Thetford Mines area Tuesday.At about 6:30 a.m.officers from the Sûreté du Quebec and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police hit four different locations.In a farm build- ing on 10th Range in Thetford police found 245 marijuana plants growing.Meanwhile a raid on a residence on Route 263 in nearby Disraeli led to the seizure of 460 plants, five pounds of bulk marijuana and 44 200-gram packages of tobacco.Three people were arrested at the scene.Also in Disraeli, a man and woman were arrested at an apartment on Champoux Street.In the couple’s apartment police found ten pounds of marijuana and $4,000 in cash.The fourth raid also led to the arrest of a couple.The raid on Lamontagne Road in Saint-Julien, where another 400 marijuana plants were seized from an indoor growing opera- tion.In all the raids netted nearly 1,100 pot plants, several hundred thousand dollars worth of marijuana ready for sale, and more than $100,000 in equipment.Police are not saying how those arrested were connected to each other.Magog-Orford Area Business Directory Contact your advertising rep.569-9525 Yves Robert STEAMATIC service de nettoyage complet 1TÀ 565-4343 FIRE - WATER - SMOKE DAMAGE RESTAURATION 24-HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE HUNTING & FISHING ACCESSORIES & APPAREL 1555 Sherbrooke St., Magog 843-2800 fyiapebwA Tlhgos_ Manufacturers of vertical window shader * Vertical window shader * Window-blind * Wallpaper 436 Main W., Magog 843-1119 BLAR Informatique Electronique Sales - Service - Network Assembling - New & Used Computers 743 Sherbrooke Street, Magog 868-1400 www.blarinfo.com 50 % Up to rebates in all departments for January • V mm , CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE to ET D INDUSTRIE MAGOG-ORFORD .1, î : ,, -Vvvj!-'r COOP DES CANTONS • Farming supplies • Garden center • Mechanics shop • Forestry equipment • Hardware, etc.899 Main W.Magog 843-5233 E-mail: ccantons@abacom.com mm LES INSTALLATIONS An Tapis Magog NT CARPET UNOLEUM WALLPAPER Pf" ^ L.CERAMIC TILES HARDWOOD PLOORS DECORATION SERVICE 1735 Sherbrooke St.Magog (819) 843-9456 flUfOPRO mecnmouE Garage Yves Desmarais Electronic injection Radiators • Gas tanks • Gen.mechanics Alignment for cars and trucks up to 14,000 lbs.+ 172” W.B.491 Bourque Blvd.Omerville (819) 868-2950 1-800-567-8689 rfi.JViOMhMÎer f^e-Ç'/'avrair/-6ar .Uvfc • $vpwt> Vie-w oj- Ualct 10l, dj Moulin St.Mtgeg.(81?) 868-5678 ivmav.fec^wtdviwovfiaicr.coivi cfiast selection for ski yAAoMo / ^ /s PORTS • Phénix • Spyder • Rossignol • Columbia • The North Face • Karbon • Head • Atomic • Lange Nordica • Giro • Carrera • Oakley • Smith • Burton • Kanuk Sherbrooke 822-3077 Magog 868-6968 Granby 450-372-9066 facing Carrefour de l'Estrie Galeries Orford 192 Denison St.East Thursday, January 29, 2004 page 13 1 .—THEM.¦ ¦ ¦¦¦ I RrroRP __________________________ Sherbrooke consulted on federal budget We don’t print money, ’ - Paradis By Leah Fitzgerald Sherbrooke Brome-Missisquoi MP Denis Paradis made the first stop on his solo budget consultation tour Tuesday in Sherbrooke.The tour is called “Listening to Canadians,” and the budget consultations are the first step in the creation of the federal government’s next budget, due in late March.Paradis, who’s the Secretary of State for Financial Institutions, met the media from behind a velvet rope, apparently to hold back the two reporters and two cameras present.Paradis had pages of notes he referred to from the consultation with the municipal government, local business, educational institutions, community groups, the CLSC, and agricultural groups.“Most people want more money in their field,” he said.“We also have to think about where to cut.” Paradis said the municipal governments might be getting a cut of the GST to give some breathing room for infrastructure improvements.The educational institutions present wanted to be sure money would be available to continue research and development.Paradis said the business sector was also looking to stay competitive with capital available for investments.“They said we should be looking at moving from labour-intensive to capital-intensive,” he said.“Research will help businesses stay competitive in the market.” Paradis said the government has promised $2 billion of the surplus to the provinces for health care.The problem is the expected surplus of five or six billion has been eaten down to $2.3 billion by disasters like mad cow, SARS, Hurricane Juan and the blackout in Southern Ontario, as well as economic factors like the war in Iraq and the rising Canadian dollar.“We’re looking in all the drawers to see if there’s any money anywhere to add to the surplus,” he said.“We always have money for contingencies, but it’s been a hard year.” When asked about paying down the debt, Paradis was vague.“When we have a surplus, we ask Canadians what they want to do with it,” he said.“One-third wants tax cuts, another third social programs, the rest, the debt.Some people say one-third to each.The decision is hard today.” Paradis said the main issues arising from the Sherbrooke consultation were affordable housing, and support for businesses.“We want to make it more attractive for investors to build apartments with rents at $500 or $600 instead of $1,000, or $1,500,” he said.Paradis pointed out that this round of consultations, because of the change of government, was taking place much later than usual.He said that people could expect the government to take their concerns, including funding for health care and debt reduction, to hear.But, he said, “we don’t print money.We have to take it from somewhere." PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL ' V MP Denis Punodis mode a stop in Sherbrooke on a prebudget consultation tour.»r#T«; k ÆAp extra reardoor é 4^ opens the Écho to a whole new world of buyers MALCOLM GUNN WHEELBASE COMMUNICATIONS T B he flashy and stylish Echo Ji hatchback is bound to “ change the way car shoppers think of this bargain-priced Toyota.It should also appeal to a generation of buyers that would otherwise turn up their noses at this junior jelly-bean that looks as tall as it is long.The Echo sedans that first appeared in 2000 to replace the popular Tercel caused a lot of head scratching.Most folks weren’t sure whether to love it.leave it, or just ignore it.Toyota was banking on the youth market to embrace the Echo as its own and some kids certainly found its unusual — bordering on awkward — design to their liking.But so did plenty of other folks, too.These predominantly older owners realized the Echo was an inexpensive commuter and erTand runner that was comfortable to drive and would practically giggle when stopped at the local gas bar, scrupulously avoiding the pumps in favour of a litre of milk or some lottery tickets.With the addition of two- and four-door Echo hatchback derivatives, Toyota has, it believes, found a way to widen the Echo’s appeal with the 20-somethings and push the car’s sales curve in a more vertical direction.Both are based on the Yaris, a European-styled Toyota that has been a huge hit on that continent for the past four years.And interestingly, both will only he available in Canada (Toyota is wooing a younger American audience with distinctively different sub-compacts under the Scion brand).The new hatch-lings closely resemble their sedan counterparts when viewed from the front but are significantly shorter in overall length.The rear-end styling is particularly attractive as well as functional, with an opening wide and tall enough to swallow everything from bicycles to bathtubs when the 60/40 split-rear seat is folded flat.In the passenger area, these newcomers are pure Echo, with the same sofa-style front buckets and wide-opening doors that makes the sedan a breeze to enter or exit.Also familiar are the centre-mounted gauges (slightly angled in the driver’s direction) as well as the numerous storage bins, nooks and crannies in and around the dashboard that can stash a surprising amount of gear.Powering the two hatchbacks is the same 1.5-litre DOHC four-cylinder engine with variable valve timing that’s used in the sedan.It's output, rated at 108 horsepower and 105 lb.-ft.of torque, might not sound like much, but with a mere 950 kilogram to move about, the Echo is more spry than you might think.Regardless, it’s the fuel economy and not stoplight acceleration that’s the key to the Echo’s success.The city/highway scores for the hatchback are the same as for the sedan: 6.7/S.2 L/100 km with the five-speed manual transmission and 7.1/5.5 with the optional four-speed automatic.Those numbers are tops in the sub-compact class and are among the best of any car sold in this country.If price is the point, the two-door hatchback, at $13,000 (excluding freight) is now the least expensive Echo on the lot.For that price you get the basics (front disc brakes, 14-inch all-season tires, two-speaker AM/FM radio with cassette and a floor console) as well as some welcome items such as anti-lock brakes, remote fuel door release, full wheel covers and a tilt steering wheel.The four-door model is an extra $1,600, but power steering and door locks, upgraded audio system and a rear-window wiper/washer are included.The four-door can also be had with an RS package that includes alloy wheels, sporty bucket and added lower side trim.The challenge for the new Echos is to reach prospective Canadians in the sub-30-year age bracket that the original sedan models missed.Toyota is betting that, with sportier style, quality content and affordable pricing, its newly released hatchback duo will win over a lot of new — and younger — friends.L SPEC SHEET 1 2004 Echo Hatchback ?Two or four-door hatchbacks (in addition to a four-door sedan).?1.5-litre DOHC four-cylinder makes 105 horsepower.?Five-speed manual transmission; optional four-speed automatic.?The two new hatchbacks not only expand the Echo line, but should enlarge Toyota’s customer base.?The practicality of a wide-opening hatch will also appeal to anyone who appreciates the efficiency of toting large loads in a small car.?Fuel economy on any Echo borders on the awesome.With gas prices seemingly on a steady increase, the timing couldn’t be better for these new models.?The significantly shorter (by 45 centimetres, or nearly 1.5 feet) hatchbacks will allow drivers to park in spots that are too small for most cars.?Standard safety: Front airbags; anti-lock brakes ?U100 km (city/hwy): 6.7/5.2 (MT) ?Base price: $13,000 (two-door); $14,600 (four-door) 1205 Wellington St.S.569-5959 563-0036 Locally installed.^ Nationally guaranteed *** * page 14 Thursday, January 29, 2004 RECORD Lennoxvelle Elementary hm On Jan.6 the L.E.S.students returned to school and began their day with a monthly assembly in the gym.The topic was ‘Determination’ and dealt with concepts such as; deciding to do something and sticking with it, making a plan to achieve your goals, solving problems in a positive way, doing what’s right and not just what is easy, working at something to get better at it, and not giving up but finishing what you have started.A group of 5 Grade 6 girls sealed the month’s topic with a rendition of the song ‘Where is the love?’, with the idea of making the world a better place, by being determined to respect all people! Happy New Year everyone and may you always look for the best in everyone you meet! By Mrs.Loughhhed 3L This year one of the Grade 2 classes of L.E.S.decided to do a survey on how well the students of L.E.S were eating.They went from class to class, giving each student a survey, asking what they ate the day before; Breakfast, lunch, supper and in between.Six of the students came back to our Grade six class, to tell us the results.Standing proudly at the front of the class, helping each other along every word, they reported to us that: Eighteen people from our class had too little grain, 17 people had too little veggies, etc.In the end they came to one conclusion for our class: Grade 6’s eat too many sweets! By Mimi Doheny mm '; Last fall our class, 5B, had a ‘Dome Building project.It stemmed from our math program where we were looking for patterns.In this case we discovered that geodesic domes have a repeating pattern of triangles, which can be assembled into structures like domes.By Mr.Bradley Basketball is in full swing and thriving in the cold weather at LES.We are entering in the Jeux de Quebec this year, on Feb.8 and are running a basketball tournament at AGRHS on Feb.13 with Sherbrooke Elementary.We are also running a Cycle 2 tournament at SES on Feb.12.By Mrs.Pellerin Teacher Appreciation Week Feb.1-7 On behalf of all the students and parents at L.E.S.we would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to all our teachers and staff for their hard work, determination, and dedication to our students! Prescriptions: Cont’d from Page T “I called my pharmacist in Magog and he was prepared to fax the prescription and speak to the pharmacist, but they would have none of it,” she said.“The pharmacist told me she could lose her license.” Since Matin requires the heart and blood pressure medication on a daily basis she tried a second pharmacy and was told again that Ontario pharmacists are not permitted to fill prescriptions from other provinces.Both pharmacists suggested she go to the hospital’s emergency ward and have an Ontario doctor write a new prescription - at a cost of $50 since Quebec does not have a reciprocal agreement with Ontario for medical services.Quebec residents who are required to see a physician in Ontario cannot count on their medicare card to cover their costs.They are required to pay cash up front for medical services because doctors in Quebec are paid on a lower scale than Ontario physicians, and they would receive less payment for services if they sub- mitted their claims directly to the Régie de l’assurance medicale du Québec.“I was prepared to pay cash for my prescription but it’s ridiculous to have to pay $50 to a doctor to write a new prescription for a couple of days,” she said.Joseph Lum, a pharmacist at one of the Shoppers Drug Mart stores, said his pharmacy would have filled the prescription on an emergency basis, but Matin’s Quebec pharmacy was closed on Friday night and there was some confusion over the strength of the medication she was taking.Instead, Matin called home to Magog and asked her husband to send her more medication by express mail so that it would arrive the next day.Unfortunately, Canada Post took three days, instead of the promised one, to deliver the medication, and later offered a refund for the delay.By then, Matin was beginning to feel ill.“I had terrible stomach pains and I couldn’t sleep and at first my son thought it was something I ate.” But when Matin slept during the entire return trip to Magog and was unable to eat, she knew something was terribly wrong.Her daughter, a nurse, insisted she go immediately to the hospital.“I didn’t know what was going on with me, she said.“My doctor couldn’t get over it.He told me I had septic shock and that 60 per cent of people die from my condition.’’Matin spent a week in the hospital recovering from the episode.“I just can’t understand it,” she said.“When we were travelling out west, my husband ran out of medication for his diabetes and we went to a pharmacy in the United States and they opened up to get him his prescription,” she said.“You’re in your own country and this happens.” Jennifer Rushkie, a pharmacist at Shoppers Drug Mart in Oakville, said although provincial regulations do not permit filling prescriptions issued in other provinces, pharmacists have discretionary authority to do emergency transfers of medication, provided written information is forwarded from the home pharmacy, and depending on the type of medication.But a spokesperson at another Shoppers Drug Mart in Oakville was firm: “You have to find a doctor here to write the prescription,” she said.“Anything outside of Ontario cannot be filled.It’s the law in Ontario that we can’t fill prescriptions from other provinces.” When pressed about emergency situations, she said pharmacists do have some discretionary authority, but a person should go to the emergency department and get a prescription from an Ontario doctor.Elaine Maloney, a spokesperson for the Ontario College of Pharmacists said new legislation is pending in Ontario that may change the current regulations, but as it stands now, Ontario pharmacists are not permitted to fill prescriptions written by doctors outside Ontario.She said in emergency situations, pharmacists are able to make professional judgement calls, provided there is written authorization, but travellers should be aware of the rules and take along sufficient medication.Anne Catherine Sabas, a spokesman for the Quebec College of Pharmacists said each province has its own rules governing prescriptions, but Quebec pharmacists will honour prescriptions written by a doctor anywhere in Canada.Esther Matin said she is sharing her experience because she doesn’t want others to be caught in a similar situation.“When you’ve gone through hell, you wouldn’t want anyone else to go through it if they don’t have to.” ^RECORD, Thursday, January 29, 2004 page 15 Improvements paying off at Orford Mountain team to continue upgrading skiing experience By Tom Peacock Mount Orford has made some serious improvements this year, and the investment is paying off, said the mountain’s president and CEO, André L’Espérance at a press conference yesterday.L’Espérance announced an increase of 30 per cent in skier visits over this time last year, despite numerous days of extremely cold temperatures.Since L’Espérance took over running the mountain this summer, he’s overseen the installation of a new $6.5-million hybrid ski lift and undertaken major improvements at the base of the mountain.And he’s not finished yet.L’Espérance announced yesterday that Mount Orford might begin offering night skiing as early as next season.“We’ve already sent a request to the Société de la Faune et des Parcs du Québec,” L’Espérance said.“We’re undertaking a market study to see if the demand is there.It is definitely a priority for next season.” The three first trails to receive lights would most likely be Trois Ruisseaux, Grande Coulée and the 4-km trail on the main mountain.Adding lights to one of the longest runs in the province might seem like an ambitious plan, but it’s certainly not all L’Espérance has in mind.Due to the popularity of the new hybrid ski lift on the main mountain, the president said he is also thinking of switching the other chairlifts on the mountain to hybrid models.“They are ideal for extreme temperatures,” he said.“On warm days like the few we had in December, people prefer to ride on the chairs, but on very cold days, they prefer the cabins.” The detachable hybrid lift, a mix of six-person chairs and eight-person gondola cabins, carries passengers to the top of the main mountain in less than five minutes, whereas the older fixed chairs on Mont Alfred-Desrochers and Mont Giroux take nearly ten minutes to reach the top.A maintenance crew from Doppelmayr, the company which manufactured the hybrid lift, has been at the mountain on and off since its opening, but L’Espérance assured members of the press that the new lift is working well, and that the team of technicians are there simply to make the necessary minor adjustments go smoothly.“Security is a major priority for us,” he said.“We’ve spent twice as much as was spent last year on lift maintenance.” The hill is also working on improving its business relationships with the numerous restaurants, hotels and other service industries in and around Magog.As marketing employee Alex Brown explained, the ski area wants to grow with their help, not just by itself.To that end, Brown is working on setting up a transactional website for Orford and its business partners, so visitors will be able to prebook everything from hotels, to lift tickets, ski lessons and concerts.“What’s great about the Web site is that there are so many pathways, so many options,” he said.The Web site should be operational by mid-March.In spite of their newsworthiness, none of the above announcements from the mountain on the move was the reason Orford called a press conference yesterday.In fact, it was to offer members of the media a chance to discover some of the trails Orford has to offer, with four-time World Cup Champion aerial skier Nicolas Fontaine as their guide.“The mountain is not well known,” L’Espérance said."We have 54 trails, but you ask people and they say they only know of 10 or 12.” The Record was the only media outlet which took Orford up on its offer.Read tomorrow’s sports pages to find out all about Tom Peacock’s exciting day on the slopes with 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PAY ONLY IN JUNE INTEREST FREE! 300 DECORATIVE CARPETS ONDISPLAY STARTING $5000 AT CpEE decoration advice in store 4 decorators on site 820 Wellington St.South SHERBROOKE 566-7111 g'IRSf Record ¦immtmsi page 16 Thursday, January 29, 2004 Newsroom@sherbr Domink Hasek will be out for more weeks Page 18 RI^COM INSIDE U of S stadium to host Impact game in August By Scott McLean Record Correspondent Professional soccer is on its way back to Sherbrooke.Christian Gagnon, director of Sport and Physical Activity at the university, and Nick Filippone, technical and finance vice-president for the Montreal Impact announced that the team will face the Atlanta Silverbacks in a regular season game on Aug.22 The game will be played at the university’s state of the art track and field facility.It will mark the first time ever a regulation professional soccer game will be played in Sherbrooke, the two previous occasions were friendlies.“Our stadium is the perfect site to hold an event like this,” said Gagnon, who noted that the Impact’s match falls perfectly in between the North American, Central American and Caribbean Track and Field Games that will be held this upcoming summer and the fall university sport schedule.“We are looking to attract more than 6,000 people to the stands for this high level soccer match.” Moving venues is old hat for the Impact, who in the past have played games at PEPS stadium at the University de Laval in Ste-Foy and in Ottawa.Those experiences have all been deemed successes and Filippone believes this event will be no different.“Our matches at PEPS were very positive, and therefore we are very open to PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL The University of Sherbrooke’s Christian Gagnon (right) joined Impact members Mauro Biello (second from left) and Nick Filippone to announce that a game will be held on Aug.22.0.uftbe< Quebec SafMttP*' the idea of repeating that experience,” said Filippone.“To have a match in Sherbrooke, one of the most dynamic areas in Quebec for soccer, it was the next logical step in our desire to demonstrate that the Impact represents not only Montreal, but the entire province.” Last season, the Impact finished with a 16-6-6 regular season record and made the playoffs.Team captain Mauro Biello expects the team to be in contention again for a playoff spot come Aug.22.“We have a solid team, with a number of guys that have national level experience,” said Biello, a Montreal native, who previously visited Sherbrooke when he played for Concordia in 1992.“For me, playing in Quebec is just fantastic, to have a following not in my hometown of Montreal, but around the province as well.It’s an opportunity unlike any other.” The popularity of soccer in North America has been increasing over the past decade, and Biello has noticed a shift from when he was playing junior and high school soccer in the ‘80s to the present day.With 14-year-old American superstar Freddie Adu being taken first overall in the recent MLS draft, a much larger spotlight has been placed on soccer in the United States and has had a spill over effect into Canada.“I’ve really noticed a shift in the popularity of the sport, not only because of the amount of young people playing soccer in this country has increased, but I think because satellite television has allowed more people to watch the European and International league games,” concluded Biello.“But events like this raise awareness for soccer in Quebec, and I am really excited to play on a world class surface.We have been hearing nothing but praise for this new facility, so I am certain it will be an outstanding event.” Midget AAA league gets serious about drug abuse Magog Cantonniers face testing this year By Mike Hickey Special to The Record The Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League will try and put some teeth into its five-year old drug program when they begin actually testing players in March.The league will begin by testing 12 randomly chosen players for drugs, such as steroids, before the playoffs begin.The elite midget league will be the first regional league in Canada to test its players for performance-enhancing drugs, although the penalties handed out to first and second-time offenders will be more lenient than those established by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.That agency has asked for a two-year suspension for anyone who tests positive.The province’s top junior league, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (Q^fJHL) will suspend first time offenders for six games while second time abusers will receive a one year suspension.The action was a necessary step according to league president Martin Roy who has become increasingly concerned about drug abuse over the last year.“I was concerned that our players, about 25 per cent, were consuming some type of drug," he told the media recently.Paul Melia, the head of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport in Ot- tawa, praised the decision to test this season.“I think the Quebec Midget AAA League has taken a very important leadership step here in embracing this program and seeing the importance of establishing a healthy environment for these kids,” he said.“I hope it will serve as a model for perhaps other midget leagues across the country.” Melia feels intervention at the midget level is an important preventative step.See Tests, Page 18 iTHE RECORD Thursday, January 29, 2004 page 17 SPORTS _————“: NFL Global Junior Football Championship Canada defeats Japan in tournament opener RECORD FILE PHOTO K * ;4#! Defensive back Philippe Beaubien (left) is one of four Champlain Cougars on Team Canada’s roster.The others are receiver Francis Claude, lineman Michael Gigriac and Vincent Lehoux.By Scott McLean Record Correspondent Team Canada kicked off its first match Wednesday afternoon in the now annual NFL Global Junior Championship (for players under 20) against Japan in Houston, Texas, sight of this year’s Super Bowl, and four Champlain Cougars where able to make the trip.Defensive back Philippe Beaubien, receiver Claude Francis, offensive lineman Michael Gignac and linebacker Vincent Lehoux landed in Houston on Jan.22 to practice for the tournament which features teams from the United States, Japan, Russia, and Mexico.“It’s a great experience for these guys, as a school we are very proud of them,” said Cougars head coach Sébastien Brière, whose team is currently practising before dawn to prepare for a championship run next fall.“We very well could have had six players on the team, and I think it’s a great individual accomplishment for each of these young men.” Canada won its first game, besting the team from Japan 10-2 in a game that featured little offence.The only touchdown of the game was scored with under two minutes left to play as Canadian running back Guillaume Sénécal from CEGEP Montmorency plunged in from the one yard line to put the Canadians ahead 9-2.It should be noted however that the tournament plays a revised format that features four seven-minute quarters.But for the Cougars that made the trip, being in Houston is not only a chance to bask in some much warmer weather, but to showcase their talents for American college scouts who attend the event.Although most of the top high school players in the United States miss the event to avoid injury, it is an opportunity for lesser known players from Canada and around the world to receive some scouting attention.Therefore, there is some pressure on the players to make the grade.This year, six Cougars received invites to the selection meeting, with the above four making the grade.“I was there at the selection committee this year, and usually they pick say 10 defensive backs from different areas in the country,” continued Brière.“But unfortunately, the team tries to limit itself to the amount of people from certain schools, I felt that we could have had all six of those guys on the team, but they felt that they had filled their needs at those spots where we had players available.” Traditionally, Champlain has had a number of former players make the national team.While this year was no exception, Brière hesitates to use that success as a recruiting tool.“We don’t use this for recruiting because it is more of an individual accomplishment,” he said.“While we do have an effect on the players skills, we focus more on the team’s success.” At press time, Canada still had to play three of its four games against the likes of the United States, Mexico and Russia.They then get a one-day break before Saturday’s medal round games.The team then has a Super Bowl party day with their host families, before returning home on Feb.2.National Hockey League Selanne prepared to do whatever it takes to win By Joanne Ireland Only occasionally did Teemu Selanne even let on that he had expected to be a more productive member of the all-star cast of forwards that has been assembled in Colorado.Instead, the gifted right winger who has scored 448 career goals in 848 National Hockey League games entering Tuesday night’s action, talked about the team and the prospects of getting into the Stanley Cup playoffs and the fact that the Avalanche can still get stronger.Which is why he claims that it doesn’t matter where he plays — even if he is on the checking line with Steve Konowalchuk and Travis Brigley.“I have played most of the season on the third line and it’s obviously not the same as playing on the first or the second but I came here to win the Stanley Cup and I’ll do what it takes/’ Selanne said.“I can play the third line or fourth line or the first.I think I have all the tools.“As long as I accept that, that’s how the team works.“Of course I’d like to score 50 goals and a hundred points but those are not goals for me anymore.I’ve done it many times,” he continued.“I know I can do it.Now I just try and help this team.If I play on the first line I know I can score.If I play on the third line I know I can check and I can still score some goals.” It wasn’t a required practice on Tuesday morning yet Selanne was still out skating.And he skated at an optional session on the weekend too, sure signs that even if he isn’t playing where he wants to be — which presumably would be on a line with old friend Paul Kariya — his play isn’t where he wants it to be either.Selanne had left San Jose and signed with Colorado for $700,000 US less than the Sharks offered while Kariya parted ways with Anaheim and went from making $10-million to $1.2-million so he could join his old linemate in the Mile High City.But Kariya missed 31 games with a sprained wrist and Selanne has not been consistent.He had 12 goals in 47 games entering Tuesday’s game versus the visiting Edmonton Oilers.His last goal was scored on Saturday, ending an eight-game pointless streak.It was his first goal since Jan.4.“I think everybody was expecting that me and Paul were going to play together.We haven’t except for a few games but hey it’s always there if we need it,” Selanne continued.“It’s good to try different combinations.But like I said, whatever it takes.“Of course I want to score but with this role I have now, you have to be smart defensively and it’s a good lesson for me.These are things that make you a better hockey player.” Kariya played his 12th straight game against the Oilers, his longest stretch so far this season, alongside Joe Sakic and Steve Moore.He went into the contest with five points in four games.“Just like the rest of the players in the mix you play with different players throughout the year,” said coach Tony Granato, who not so long ago played with Selanne in San Jose.“That’s one thing you have to be able to be and that’s be flexible and handle who you’re playing with and make the most of that opportunity.“Hopefully (Selanne’s goal against Pittsburgh) is the start of something and he’ll start finding the net a little more consistently.” In the meantime, Selanne says he is awaiting the possibility of heading to the playoffs with a Cup contender.“I think we can still be way better.I don’t think even we know how good we can be.That’s what’s so exciting.This team has everything you need,” he said.“But nothing is going to happen automatically.We have to work hard.If we can outwork the other teams, there’s no way we can lose with the talent and depth we have here.” —CanWest News Service ill' I * I I page 18 Thursday, January 29, 2004 ''¦¦THE ¦ RECORD SPORTS Minor Hockey Testing is an expensive tool for smaller leagues Tests: Cont’d from Page 16 “It will allow us to provide important education and information messages, and to reinforce that a testing program can serve as a strong deterrent and send a very strong message about the unacceptability of doping in sport.” At least one members of the Magog Cantonniers feels the testing is a good thing.“We know we are going to be tested and I don’t think anyone on this team has anything to worry about,” former Alexander Galt High School star Ryan Spaulding said after Monday’s practice.Spaulding has heard that some QMJHL players take Sudafed and other stimulants, but he believes such practices do not exist with the Cantonniers.“It is more of a problem in the QMJHL,” Spaulding said “The temptation is always there but you have to watch yourself and be careful.” Head coach Martin Bernard says that midget clubs want to stop illegal drug use, but face several disadvantages.The biggest stumbling block is the prohibitive cost of testing players, a cost that runs about $500 per test.The testing for this season is being sponsored, but down the road the league will have to find alternate ways to cover the costs.The will to enforce the rules was evident in Cantonniers head coach Martin Bertrand as he discussed the subject following a team practice earlier this week.Education, according to Bertrand is the key, although league coaches and administrators have limited time with the midget players.“We only have one year with these kids before they move on to other leagues, so we don’t have a lot of time with them” Finally, there is the question of punishment.“It is a six-game suspension the first time and a two-year suspension for a second offence,” Bernard explained “That is fair because you don’t ruin a player’s career because of one infraction.If you are caught the second time, the penalty is much more severe.” Still, midget players often look to leagues like the QMJHL and the NHL and see players taking supplements.They too are tempted to follow suit.QMJHL president Gilles Courteau has said he plans to reintroduce doping tests this year, and that the two other major junior leagues in Canada (OHL, WHL) plan to do the same.Officials at the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport say discussions with the other leagues are underway.“We’re working with them to try to explore and arrive at a policy that meets their needs and is going to be an effective program,” Melia said.The Quebec midget hockey league has also worked with police to warn young players about the consequences of using drugs to improve performance.For four years, the RCMP has helped to co-ordinate a prevention program.”We have a policeman who comes in and talks to us several times a year,” Spaulding said.“We had a session where he explained the drug policy and the dangers of using stimulants.” The goal is to clean up the sport, not dash a young man's hopes.“We have to establish a protocol for what happens to a kid who gets caught,” said John Keight-ley, president of the West Island Lions, one of the league’s Montreal teams.“We certainly don’t want it to ruin his life.We want the kid to have, perhaps, a second chance.” SAVE BIG ON LIFTS WITH THE JAY PEAK PASSPORT CARD! 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VERMONT Mont Bellevue Snow, last 24hrs (Cm): 0 Snow, last 7 days (Cm): 11 Open Trails: 6/6 Lift Hours: N/A Mont Glen Snow, last 24hrs (Cm): 0 Snow, last 7 days (Cm): 63 Open Trails: 0/33 Lift Hours: 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.Mont Orford Snow, last 24hrs (Cm): 0 Snow, last 7 days (Cm): 10 Open Trails: 53/54 Lift Hours: 9 a.m.- 3:45 p.m.Montjoye Snow, last 24hrs (Cm): 0 Snow, last 7 days (Cm): 5 Open Trails: 24/24 Lift Hours: 9 a.m.-10 p.m.Owl’s Head Snow, last 24hrs (Cm): 0 Snow, last 7 days (Cm): 10 Open Trails: 42/43 Lift Hours: 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m.Shefford Snow, last 24hrs (Cm): 0 Snow, last 7 days (Cm): 10 Open Trails: 22/22 Lift Hours: 9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.Ski Bromont Snow, last 24hrs (Cm): 0 Snow, last 7 days (Cm): 10 Open Trails: 52/52 Lift Hours: 8 a.m.-10 p.m.Sutton Snow, last 24hrs (Cm): 0 Snow, last 7 days (Cm): 8 Open Trails: 53/53 Lift Hours: 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.Jay Peak (Vermont) Snow, last 24hrs (Cm): 0 Snow, last 7 days (Cm): N/A Open Trails: 72/75 Lift Hours: 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.O O D D O O O Hasek expected back in 7-10 days Sports Notebook Detroit Red Wings goaltender Dominik Hasek, whose return to the NHL has been marred by injury, is expected to return to the ice in less than two weeks, the team announced Wednesday, a day before he turns 39.Hasek won his first career Stanley Cup title with the Red Wings in 2002 before retiring.He decided to return from his native Czech Republic this summer but has played in only 14 games due to a groin injury.According to the team, Hasek has I shown improvement over the last “several days" and has begun a rehabilitation process.If it goes well, he will return in a week to 10 days.Known as “The Dom-inator,” Hasek is 8-3-2 with a 2.20 goals-against average and .907 save percentage this season.He last played Dec.8, defeating the Los Angeles Kings, 3-2.Bidding goes back and forth Both sides in the auction for the bankrupty assets of CART have increased their bids at a hearing Wednesday morning in Indianapolis.Open Wheel Racing Series first increased their purchase bid to match the $3.2-million US originally offer by the rival Indy Racing League.As well, the group of CART owners plans to assume some liabilities, 2003 prize money owed to all teams and all ongoing contracts.OWRS will also set aside $500,000 to settle an outstanding lawsuit with California Speedway following the cancellation of the 2003 season ending race.That prompted lawyers for CART’s creditors to press the judge to side with OWRS because their offer was “substantially better” than the IRL's because it would keep the series going.On TV Thursday • TENNIS: 1 pun., TPA Australian Open, TSN.• HOCKEY: 7:30 p.m., National Hockey League regular season, N.Y.Islanders at Boston Bruins, TSN.8 pun., Montreal Canadiens at Minnesota Wild, RDS.Around Town To submit your sporting event, fax it to (819) 569-3945, email newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com or contact Mike Hickey at (819) 569-6345.Upcoming • WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL: Saturday, Laval Rouge et Or at Bishop’s University, Mitchell Gymnasium, Lennoxville, 6 p.m.i • MEN’S UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL: Saturday, Laval j Rouge et Or at Bishop’s University, Mitchell Gymnasium, Lennoxville, 8 p.m.• WOMEN’S CEGEP AA BASKETBALL: Friday, Trois-Rivières at Champlain Cougars, Mitchell Gymnasium, Lennoxville, 7 p.m.• MEN’S CEGEP AAA BASKETBALL: Friday, Ste-Foy at Champlain Cougars, Mitchell Gymnasium, Lennoxville, 7 p.m.• SENIOR HOCKEY (LHSMQ): Friday, St-Hyacinthe Cousin at Granby Prédateurs, Leonard Grondin Arena, 8 p.m.Verdun Dragons at Sherbrooke St-François, Léopold-Drolet Palais des Sports, Sherbrooke, 8 p.m.• SENIOR HOCKEY (LHSP): Friday, Asbestos at Val-court, 8 p.m.; Waterloo at Coleraine, 8:30 p.m.; Lac-Mégantic at Windsor, 8:30 p.m.; Saturday, Coaticook at Disraéli, 8 p.m.; Magog at East Angus, 7 p.m. wÊkhMHMMHHHBHHMMHMII RF.rORD Thursday, January 29, 2004 page 19 Card of Thanks Card of Thanks In Memoriams Deaths McAULEY, Norma Sandra (Whitehead) - We wish to express our deep appreciation to the many people who supported us with their prayers and warm wishes.Your cards and flowers gave us strength and encouragement.We are especially pleased for the donations to the B.M.P.Hospital Foundation.We are truly blessed to have such a super hospital in our community.My mother received excellent care and was always raving about the fantastic nurses and was worried about how hard the doctors were working.In particular, one lady from the Hospital Auxiliary stands out for having such genuine compassion.On her many visits as she dropped by with blankets, slippers and toys for the grandchildren, she filled the room with her positive attitude and joy of living.Thank you.DANNY McAULEY AND FAMILY North 01-29-04 A 10 5 4 ¥ K 9 8 5 2 ?Q 9 A A K J West East A Q A J 2 ¥ A 6 4 3 ¥ 10 ?J 6 5 ?A K 10 8 7 3 * Q 98 6 4 A 10 7 3 2 South A A K 9 8 7 6 3 ¥ Q J 7 ?4 2 A 5 Dealer: East Vulnerable: Both South West North East 3 ?3 A Pass 4 A All pass Opening lead: ?5 Thursday, Jan.29, 2004 The women’s team won also By Phillip Alder The Venice Cup for women’s teams ran concurrently with the Bermuda Bowl in Monte Carlo last November.In the final, USA-1 faced China, which had won the qualifying stage.(The Netherlands finished third.) McCLARY - I wish to thank my family and friends for all the lovely Christmas greetings I received, and most recently, all the cards, flowers and gifts to help me celebrate my 90th Birthday.My most sincere thanks to the staff and residents of Grace Christian Home who helped to make my party such a happy occasion.Thanks to my daughters, Janice and Elaine, for organizing it, and to Bruce and Shirley Patton, Ron and Paulette Haseltine, Perry Beaton and Stewart Deacon for providing the lovely “old time” music.To Paulette Haseltine, and my granddaughter, Nancy Sparkes, for their special songs, and to Nancy, Hannah, Rachel and Erin for the beautiful decorations.My special thanks to Elaine and Joe, and to eleven of my grandchildren and great-grandchildren who arrived in a snow storm from various parts of Ontario.All this made turning 90 a most joyous occasion.God Bless you all and all the best for 2004! MADELENE McCLARY It was a seesaw struggle.There were six sessions of 16 deals each, and the margin to the U.S.team after each segment was minus seven, minus four, plus 23, minus four, plus 24, and plus 19, the final score being 229-210.The winning team was Betty Ann Kennedy — Kathie Wei-Sender, Jill Levin -Sue Picus, and Janice Seamon-Molson—Tobi Sokolow.In the fifth session, when the United States assumed the lead for good, two three-diamond openings on six-card suits not made by the Chinese produced big gains.This was the first.When Sokolow (East) opened three diamonds, the defense against four spades was easy: diamond to the king, diamond ace, heart to the ace, heart ruff: plus 100 to USA-1.At the other table, Levin (North) and Picus had a free run to four spades.West guessed to lead a low club.Declarer took dummy’s two tops, discarding a diamond loser, drew trumps, and conceded two red-suit tricks: plus 650.This gave USA-1 13 points.In the second deal, Seamon-Molson and Sokolow stopped in five hearts after Blackwood told them that two aces were missing.At the other table, where Levin opened three diamonds, the next player doubled, and Picus jumped to five diamonds.When the fourth player contested with five hearts, the doubler guessed to bid six, one down when the U.S.pair cashed those aces.BELLAM - In loving memory of a dear husband, father and grandfather, Ross Bellam, who left us January 29,1996.Never more than a thought away Quietly remembered every day.SHEILA SANDRA & ED BARAGER SHERRY & DANIEL MARQUIS TAMMY & SYLVAIN LABRANCHE TRUDY BELLAM GRANDCHILDREN PAGE, Ruth - In fond and loving memory of our dear mom, grandmother and great-grandmother who passed away January 29, 1977; and dear sister, Patricia, who passed away March 3, 1998.Sadly missed and loved always, YOUR FAMILY Pet Your Wife Did you pet your dog today And ruffle up his fur?Did you give your cat a rub So you could hear it purr?Did you take it for a walk?Did you pick up its bit?Did your pet respond to you As you had done to it?Do you do this every day?Is it content and true?Do you think that it will stay With you its whole life through?Now what about your family?What about your wife?Do you treat them just as well Or is there lots of strife?We all need some attention To make affection grow, So to raise a family This you need to know.Give them hugs and kisses Which surely is their due, And just as happened with your pet, It will come back to you.Wayne Robinson RZYZORA, Antonina (nee Lis) - Passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 27th, 2004, in her 85th year in Knowl-ton.Beloved wife of Jan Rzyzora.Devoted mother and babchia, she leaves to mourn her children; Jan (Anne), Stanley and Elizabeth, her grandchildren; Deborah, Andrea, Matthew, Simon and Vanessa.Resting at the Desourdy Wilson Funeral Home, 318 Knowlton Rd'., Knowlton, Que., tel.: (450) 263-1212, fax: (450) 263-9557, email: dwilson@endi-rect.qc.ca, Dignity Memorial, where family and friends may visit on Friday, January 30, 2004 from 7 to 9 p.m.Funeral service from St-Edouard Catholic Church in Knowlton, on Saturday, January 31st, at 9:30 a.m., followed by installation in the vault at the St-Edouard Cemetery in Knowlton.Special thanks to the doctors and the nurses for their care and compassion.In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory to the Brome-Missisquoi Perkins Hospital Foundation, 950 Principale, Cowansville, Que., J2K 1K3, would be appreciated.(Forms available at the funeral).TINCARRE, Edward (Eddie) - On Tuesday, January 27,2004 at the CHUS Hôtel Dieu Hospital.Edward-Tincarre, of East Angus, in his 79th year.Husband of Ruthline Charleau.Other than his wife, he leaves to mourn his children: Earl-win, Nelson (Lucie), Marilyn, Chris, Beverley, Steven, Douglas, Truty (John), John (Marie-France), and the late Edmond, his 10 grandchildren, his sisters: Madeline (the late Ronald) and the late Clarice (Raymond).Visitation will be held at the Funeral Home on Thursday, from 2 - 4 p.m., and 7 -10 p.m., and on the day of the funeral from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.The funeral service will be held on Friday, January 30, 2004 at 2 p.m., at the Funeral Home.Interment will be held at the St-Thomas de Westbury Cemetery.The family would like to thank the staff of the 5th and 6th floors of the CHUS Hôtel Dieu Hospital for all of the wonderful care given to Mr.Tincarre.Arrangements entrusted to La Coopérative funéraire de l’Estrie, 56 Laurier, East Angus, Que., Claude Roy, d.g., tel.: 565-7646, fax: 565-7844.RATES and DEADLINES: ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICES BIRTH & DEATH NOTICES, CARDS OF THANKS, IN MEMORIAMS, BRIEFLETS: Text only: 32?per word.Minimum charge $8.00 ($9.20 taxes included) Discounts: 2 insertions -15% off, 3 insertions - 30% off With photo: additional $18.50.DEADLINE: 11 a.m., day before publication.BIRTHDAY, ANNIVERSARY & GET-WELL WISHES, ENGAGEMENT NOTICES: Text only: $7.00 (includes taxes) With photo: $20.00 ($23.01 taxes included) DEADLINE: 3 days before publication.WEDDING WRITE-UPS, OBITUARIES: $19.50 ($22.43 taxes included) WITH PHOTO: $29.50 ($33.94 taxes included) Please Note: All of the aforementioned (except death notices) must be submitted typewritten or neatly printed, and must include the signature and daytime telephone number of the contact person.They will not be taken by phone.DEADLINES FOR DEATH NOTICES: For Monday’s paper, call 819-569-4856 between 1 p.m.and 5 p.m.Sunday.For Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday’s edition, call 819-569-4856 or fax 819-569-1187 (please call to confirm transmission) between 9 a.m.and 5 p.m.the day prior to the day of publication.The Record cannot guarantee publication if another Record number is called. page 20 Thursday', JanùAry' 29; 2LT04 ¦ ¦THE » RECORD ; ¦."¦y.- .WATERVILLE-HATLEY-NORTH HATLEY The Waterville-Hatley-North Hatley United Church Pastoral Charge: Worship services on February 1 : Waterville 9:30 a.m., Hatley 9:30 a.m., North Hatley 11 a.m.LENNOXVILLE Lennoxville United Church, corner of Queen and Church Street.Worship service with Sacrament of Communion and Sunday School at 10:00 a.m.Rev.James Potter, (819) 565-8449.NORTH HATLEY Sunday, February 1, 10:30 a.m.at the Unitarian Universalist Church of North Hatley, “The Tao of Democracy III, -World Café, an exploration”, with Rev.Carole Martignacco.All are welcome to experience a new and practical way of inducing democratic communication and exploring an issue important to the participants.DANVILLE Golden Rule Lodge is sponsoring a Military Whist Party at 7:30 p.m.on Thursday, February 5 in the basement of Trinity United Church.For reservations, please call (819) 839-3777.BURY Winter Carnival, February 7, activities in the park starting at 8 a.m., young and old, finishing with hockey game at 6:30 p.m.Spaghetti Supper, Town Hall, from 5 p.m., admission charged (free 5 years and under).Proceeds to St.Paul’s Home and Centre des Loisirs, Bury.Contact Shelley (819) 872-3682 or Solange 872-3818 for advance tickets.SHERBROOKE Quebec-Sherbrooke Presbyterial United Church Women Executive meeting at Plymouth-Trinity United Church, Sherbrooke on Monday, February 2 at 9:30 a.m.Bag lunch.Please send a delegate from your U.C.W.to plan for 2004.DUNHAM St.Valentine Soup and Dessert Luncheon, All Saints Anglican Church, Dunham on Thursday, February 5 at noon.Admission charged.Homemade candies and cookies will be for sale.Cards to be played immediately following lunch.Reservations: (450) 295-3341 or 295-2349.WATERLOO The Royal Canadian Legion, Branch #77, 77 Lewis St., Waterloo will hold a Flea Market on Saturday, February 7 from 9 a.m.to 3:30 p.m.Tables for rent.Canteen on the premises.Call early at the following numbers (450) 539-1198 or (450) 3 75-3742.Everyone welcome.BEEBE Valentine’s Brunch and Mini Silent Auction, Sunday, February 8,10:30 a.m.to 1 p.m., at Ste.Therese Church Basement, Beebe.Admission charged.To benefit the Frontier Animal Society.Information: (819) 876-5016 or 876-7785.LENNOXVILLE Meeting for the Election of Executive and Directors for Unit 318 of the Army, Navy, Air Force for 2004-2005 at 300 St.Francis, Lennoxville on Saturday, January 31, 2004 at 2 p.m.sharp.Note: 2004 membership paid in order to attend meeting.LENNOXVILLE Friday, January 30,8 p.m., Bandeen Hall, Bishop’s University, Remi Boucher, guitar.Celebrated guitar virtuoso Remi Boucher will perform a program of Spanish and Celtic music, as well as original compositions and transcriptions.There will also be a master-classes open to all on Thursday, January 29 at 7 p.m.in Bandeen Hall.Admission charged.• • • This column accepts items announcing events organized by churches, service clubs and recognized charitable institutions for a $6.00 fee, $9.00 for 2 insertions of same notice, $12.00 for 3 publications.Maximum 35 words.If you have more than 35 words the charge will be $10.00 per insertion.Requests should be mailed, well in advance, to The Record, P.O.Box 1200, Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1H 5L6, be signed and include a telephone number and payment.Telephone requests will not be accepted.Admission charges and trade names will be deleted.No dances.Hatley Centre Women’s Institute meeting Members of the Hatley Centre W.I.met at the Community Centre, North Hatley on January 13, 2004, for a casse role luncheon prior to the Annual meeting at 1:30 p.m.The motto was always enjoy life to the fullest.The president, Françoise Williams chaired and the Collect and Salute to the Flag were said.All were wished a happy new year.Roll Call was answered with the payment of dues.The minutes were read by the secretary, Janet McLellan and the treasurer, helen Johnston, gave the monthly re- port followed by the annual audited statement.Annual reports were read and adopted.Nominating Chairperson, Florence Wilson read her report and moved its adoption.The Executive remains the same and committee chairs are: Agriculture, Helen Johnston; Education and Personal Development, Margaret Belec; Health and Community Living, Mary Rasmussen; Publicity and Awareness, Janet McLellan; Sunshine Committee, Ethel Burnham; Representatives to Community Club, Janet and Françoise.We will served tea at the Connaught Home on Valentine’s Day.Ethel reported on Christmas Cheer and thanked those who helped with the delivering.All signed a birthday card for Madelene McClary who celebrated her 90th birthday, Jan.19th.The draw was won by Françoise.Our December meeting, Motto - Not what we give but what we share; the gift without the giver is bare.We were pleased to have Bea Card as our guest and each brought a gift to exchange.The secretary and treasurer gave their reports.The Federated News was renewed, and a donation given to the North Hatley School for Christmas dinner for the students.We made plans for Christmas cheer to shut-ins, fruit plates, plants, clementine’s and we fill Christmas stockings for residents at the Connaught Home.Pennies for Friendship were forwarded for A.C.W.W.Christmas gifts were exchanged by drawing names and tea was served with special treats enjoyed by all.Mary showed us how to make beeswax candles and we all made some; it was easy and fun.Janet McLellan Talk to your co-worker directly Dear Annie: I am a 35-year-old gay male.My father, who has been in deep denial about my orientation, recently had an epiphany and realized I am homosexual.Now he sends me a stream of books about reparative therapy and becoming straight.I like myself as I am and have zero interest in twisting my head inside-out with therapy that isn’t going to change anything.Dad has become morose and depressed about my unwillingness to “fix” this.I believe he is the one who should be talking to a professional, but I doubt he will.How do I get my father to stop acting like he lives in a morgue?I rarely call home or visit him anymore because of all the negative energy.In fact, there are days when I’d like to move farther away.Is there anything I can do for him?— Just Jeff Dear Jeff: Give Dad some time to come to grips with the realization that his dreams for you are different than he imagined.In the meantime, please con- tact PFLAG for information and suggestions.The address is: 1726 M Street, N.W., Suite 400, Washington, D.C.20036 (pflag.org).Dear Annie: I work in a semi-professional office where there are several cubicles within a larger area.The spaces are big enough, but I have a problem with my neighboring co-worker.She constantly snaps her gum.It is the most irritating sound I have ever heard.She snaps roughly every seven seconds.The woman has been confronted by other co-workers but has made no attempt to stop the snapping.I have asked that my work station be moved, but my boss said it cannot be done at this time, even though I have explained to him that the constant snapping is causing me to lose focus on my work.I am considering giving my two weeks’ notice because I’m ready to “snap.” What can I do?— Wilmington, Mass.Dear Wilmington: First, talk to your co-worker directly, and tell her you un- derstand that snapping her gum is a hard habit to break, but you would appreciate it if she would make the effort.Then invest in a set of headphones to muffle the noise.Don’t give up asking to be relocated, and try the human resources department for help, but keep those want ads handy if the situation does not improve.Dear Annie: I have a very sincere and vibrant husband, but his manners are awful, and he often comes across as an inconsiderate jerk.He’s been known to start eating at the table before others have been served.He jokes loudly and disparagingly about people from other countries while we are in a mixed social setting.He treats service people, such as taxi drivers and hotel registrars, like dirt.It’s embarrassing.He’ll correct his table manners when I call it to his attention, but only temporarily.If I ask him to stop making unkind comments about others, he claims he is only speaking the truth.When I ask him to treat the taxi driver better, he says that service people are there to help us and they need to do their jobs right.His attitude makes me cringe, and I worry what others think of him.It is stressful to contemplate an evening out.I don’t want to be a nag, but I also don’t want to put up with this for the next 50 years.Any ideas?— Mrs.No Manners Dear Mrs.: Your husband doesn’t “come across” as an inconsiderate jerk.He actually IS one.Poor table manners can be corrected, but ridiculing those of other cultures and treating service workers like dirt are indicative of inferior character, and that is not so easily fixed.You can try to sensitize your husband to the way his comments hurt you and others, but he may be too arrogant to work on his attitude.Nagging won’t help.Just remember that his remarks do not reflect on you.Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column.Annie’s Mailbox hhihhhhhhmhhhhhbhhhhbhmhi ^RECORD: Thursday, January 29, 2004 page 21 CELEBRITY CIPHER by Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present Each letter m the cipher stands for another.Today's clue: Y equals C “F GL OWT YGBFGM CD OWT FMMGOFCPGH DGLFPT OWGO MTFVPX FP OWT GMO JCMHA." — XGHBGACM A G H F PREVIOUS SOLUTION — "Families break up when people take hints you don't intend and miss hints you do intend.” — Robert Frost (c) 2004 by NEA, Inc.1-29 Alley Oop Kit n’ Carlyle www.comics.com lwright@ic.net WHAT, ^PA^H&TTi AKb WmShUh Herman © Laughingstock International Inc./dist.by United Media, 2004 1-29 “You’re supposed to adjust the machine; 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