The record, 5 septembre 2002, jeudi 5 septembre 2002

UNIVERSITÉ BISHOP’S UNIVERSITY Register NOW!!! 822-9670 THE Record The voice of the Eastern Townships since 1897 Don't miss our insert RÉNO^DÉPÛT in Friday's paper 65 CENTS WWW.SHERBROOKERECORD.COM Thursday, September 5, 2002 Liberals want hearings into transfer of call centre PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL ®pm wmm -, 'W ! i'Sc-vstr-j “wïw3jt2 .WiïSÊËÊ V Tshippers need a bilingual service: Gagn on-Trem blay By Nelson Afonso Sherbrooke Local Liberal caucus members including Jean Charest were in Sherbrooke Wednesday to criticize the provin- Sherbrooke’s back in fight By Rita Legault Sherbrooke Sherbrooke city council passed a motion Tuesday night demanding the government put a hold on the transfer of the ambulance dispatch centre to Trois-Rivières.Meanwhile directors of Ambulance Stanstead including Stanstead Mayor Monique Pépin headed to Quebec City on Wednesday to try to convince top health ministry bureaucrats Natural Friends cial government’s decision to transfer the regional ambulance dispatch centre to Trois-Rivières.“We are all in favour of improving efficiency and making the present system less costly,” Charest, the Sherbrooke MNA and Leader of the Opposition said, with colleagues Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, Robert Benoit and Nelligan MNA and Liberal social services critic Russell Williams by his side.The two other local Liberal MNAs, Richmond’s Yvon Vallières, and Mé-gantic-Compton that the transfer is not a good idea.Sherbrooke’s council is backing demands by Ambulance Stanstead that the government further study the transfer to Please see fight Page 11 PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL André Lavoie of Coaticook loves farm animals and the feeling appears to be mutual.Yesterday.Lavoie was among several people who gathered on the Bellows farm in Dixvillefor a ceremony to mark the completion of the stabilization of the banks of the Coaticook River.The Rivers and Lakes Foundation of Canada had the help of TQM pipeline, Environment Canada, Coaticook, Dixville and the EJLB Foundation to complete the restoration project.MNA Madeleine Belanger, were unable to join them.y Williams called for a parliamentary commission this fall on the question.“If they want to make a final decision then they should involve the local actors including the local health board, ambulance companies and municipalities;’’ he said.“Above these points, there is one that remains essential and that is keeping the public safe.The government has not demonstrated that this remains essential when it imposed the decision on the region (to transfer ambulance services),” Charest added.Despite opposition from every regional municipal council (MRC) in the Estrie region, the government announced recently that it was moving Sherbrooke’s ambulance dispatch centre to Trois-Rivières.Please see ambulance page 3 Liberal health critic Russell Williams joined Liberal MNAs from the Eastern Townships in calling for an inquiry into the transfer of the regional ambulance call centre to Trois Rivières.it's our 146th Anniversary! Come and haw fun with us! bb»ts' afldyyt September 5thf 6thf 7th and 8th and lots more! it's our 146th Anniversary! Come and haw fun with us! page 2 Thursday, September 5, 2002 Record The making of a man I recently saw a picture of myself taken in 1964.The long hair, the tie-dyed shirt, the bell bottoms, the platform boots.I thought I was a cool dude.I realize now I was a cool dud.That got me thinking about how much I had changed and what had caused those changes.My first obstacle was that I fell in love, which meant I eventually had to meet the girl’s parents.More specifically, the girl’s father.That required a modest haircut and some minor wardrobe alterations.At some point during the dinner conversation, the concept of having gainful employment was raised.That led to me seeking gainful employment.Another haircut (including beard removal) and a sports jacket.Now that I had a job, we started making wedding plans.As her father shook my hand, he mentioned that I would now need a car and somewhere to live, and he wasn’t going to allow me to combine those two.That meant I needed to borrow money from a bank.Three haircuts, a suit, a tie, shiny black Oxfords and cologne.Three months later, the transformation was complete.The Hippie was replaced by the Yuppie and eventually the Nappy.Kings and presidents may govern countries, but the real power rests in the hands of the Father of the Bride.There’s no sport like an old sport Yesterday I was surfing the Internet in lieu of doing anything of value, and I came across a picture of a new Cadillac sports car.Yes, that’s right - I said, “Cadillac sports car.” Kind of shocking, isn’t it?Like Baptist School of Dance.This was a pretty sleek looking vehicle, and it boasted 750 horsepower.Can we just hold everything for a minute, here, please?Let’s think this through.Who buys Cadillacs?Old guys.What do we have more of now than we’ve ever had in the history of the world?Old guys.Do we want more old guys driving sports cars?Not necessarily.Do we want more old guys driving 750-horsepower sports cars?Definitely not necessarily.Now, this may be a clever attempt at zero-population growth, but something needs to be done, or we’re going to be looking at a lot of carnage.Having a prescription windshield is not enough.The only good news is that, judging by the picture, the car looks very hard to get into.Arthritis will be saving lives.Denying denial Some of us have a harder time accepting the aging process.Instead of embracing our new reality, we try to fool North of Forty ourselves into thinking we’re still young and energetic.This can be very embarrassing to your family and friends and the other buskers.Here are a few signs to watch for that may indicate you’re in denial: • You wear the same kind of shoes as your son.• You have to lie on your back and inhale to do up your pants.• You think waitresses find you attractive.• When you go to a movie, you identify with the leading man.• You can’t understand why your life insurance is so expensive.Red Green • You think your wife is a lucky woman.Pioneers My wife and I were talking the other night about the life our ancestors must have had when they came to this country.In some ways, I think they had it easier than we do.Did you ever notice how people pull together in an emergency?They put aside their petty differences and disagreements and find a way to work together for the common good.Well, back in those days, everything was an emergency.Turning a big tree into a house, or growing cabbage on rocks or keeping the livestock out of the well.Everybody got along.Not once was any man criticized for watching too many sports.Brief Malouin’s fire was intentionally set: Police Staff Police have determined that the fire which destroyed the Malouin’s hardware store on Aug.15 was the work of an arsonist.Chemical tests on ashes recovered from the scene revealed traces of a flammable liquid, indicating that the fire was deliberately set.The investigation, being carried out by the Sûreté du Québec, is now focusing on who set the blaze.The fire, set during the early hours of Aug.15, completely destroyed the hardware store, causing some $3 million in damages.The Malouin family has since said that they won’t rebuild the hardware, concentrating instead on its surplus business.That business will be established in the Vogue plant on Lewis Street, near the Raleigh plant The Malouin’s fire was not far from Warden, where the Pierre Tracteur farm machinery business has been the target of arsonists on two occasions.The last fire in March, destroyed the business and caused nearly $1 million in damages.Jean Ares, owner of Pierre Tracteur, is offering $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.Meanwhile not far away in Granby Township, a welding business was the target of arsonists twice last week.The SQis continuing its investigations into all of these fires.Goods for Guides wmmmm imÊïÊ&Mm FERRY BEATON/SPECIAL The MIRA Foundation is well on its way to collecting an impressive quantity of items for its upcoming fundraising garage sale to be held on Sept.271-9 p.m.), Sept.28 (9 a.m.to 5 p.m.) and Sept.29 (9 a.m.to 4 p.m.) in Sherbrooke.Co-ordinator Sandra Turgeon announced Tuesday that an auction will also be held on Sept.28 at 1 p.m.Proceeds from the three-day event will go to training and maintaining a new dog that will eventually find a home with a blind or disabled person in the region.That dog will be named Sherbrooke in honour of the city's bicentennial anniversary.It normally costs $17,000 to maintain and train a MIRA dog.There are presently 18 MIRA guide dogs and 26 assistance dogs working in the region.The MIRA garage sale will be held at 2685 Galt West.For more information call 572-7230.Weather Today: Clearing by midday.High near 18.Winds northwesterly 10 to 20 km/h increasing to 30 km/h in the morning.Friday: Variable cloudiness.Saturday: Sunny breaks.Low near 12.High near 23.Sunday: Scattered showers.Low near 9.High near 25.Ben by Daniel Shelton ' CM0N NICHOLAS.VMBWTAKC A NAP! r OH, IAU05T FORGOT/ fT5 TIME FDR NICHOLAS TOG0P0WN.' vm~m WATCH MUST 0E RUNNING LATE! k\ il vjiuuiai -i« A.tKKI* • v * '¦8H! Thursday, September 5, 2002 page 3 ¦«¦THEM.RECORD Date set for Loblaw’s referendum Vote will take place on Oct.27 Staff Sherbrooke Sherbrooke city council has chosen Oct.27 as the date for a referendum on zoning changes that would allow the construction of a Loblaw’s grocery store, a mini-mall and a residential development across from the Carrefour de l’Estrie.The referendum was made necessary when some 89 neighbors of the Carrefour signed a registry demanding a vote on two municipal regulations that would have allowed the development to proceed on the huge vacant lot across from the shopping center.Eighty-seven votes were needed to force a referendum.The referendum, which had to be held within 120 days of the two regulations being adopted, will cost a little more than $9,000.Project developers will pick up two-thirds of the tab.The municipality will cover the rest of the costs.The vote will be held in the pavilion of André Viger Park on Richard Street.Some 760 residents of the Carrefour sector will be entitled to vote.They will receive notification in the mail.In the meantime, council is still being plagued by questions from residents opposed to the development.Josée Langevin demanded to know who much the referendum would cost and whether it was justified.Resident Pauline Théberge also questioned the investments figures which have varied from $18 to $40 million.North Ward councillor Dany Lachance clarified that $18 million was the Loblaw’s commercial development and that the $40 million figure stated was the total of the commercial and residential development, including an apartment building for independent seniors.Mayor Jean Perrault noted the $40 million investment would contribute to the prosperity of all Sherbrooke residents.PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL Josée Langevin, an opponent of the Loblaw’s project questionned council on the cost of the referendum and who would pay.PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL V 7:**w*s Liberal health critic Russell Williams, MNA Robert Benoit, Liberal leader Jean Charest and MNA Monique Gagnon-Tremblay go to bat for local ambulance call centre.Ambulance: CONT’D FROM PAGE 1 While the new centre will be outfitted with state-of-the-art technology, including automatic call answering technology and radio communication links between all of the ambulances throughout the territory and between the ambulances and emergency rooms, local health officials and politicians believe that response times and efficiency will not improve.“We want to emphasize that this is wrong because what is important is the knowledge that local (dispatchers) have of this community and region,” said Benoit, the MNA for Orford.The new centre will answer about 60,000 calls a year - about 40,000 from Mauricie and Centre-du-Quebec regions and fewer than 20,000 from Estrie.Critics of the transfer have noted in recent days that the decision was taken in spite of a study which showed it would be more economical to maintain the Sherbrooke dispatch centre, which they said provides excellent services to the population.“We have not seen any studies that say that a merger of the communications centres of the Estrie and Mauricie regions is logical or that it will make a difference in response time, efficiency or costs,” said a worried Williams, calling it a life and death situation.Following the Dicaire Report last year, Quebec’s Health Ministry decided to centralize ambulance calls into eight call centers throughout the province.It wants calls from the Estrie, Mauricie and Centre du Quebec regions at the new call centre to be set up next year.Stanstead Mayor Monique Pépin and numerous local mayors have opposed the transfer to Trois-Rivières.Ambulance Stanstead Inc., one of three partners of the regional dispatch centre in Sherbrooke, launched a petition this week to try to prevent the transfer of Sherbrooke’s ambulance dispatch centre to Trois-Rivières.Pépin is the chair of the board of Ambulance Stanstead Inc.“If there is a flaw in the system then it is somebody’s life we are talking about here,” concluded St-François MNA Gagnon-Tremblay.“This is a bilingual region that is able to provide responsible services to its citizens.” Qo'dlnn Advertising Consultant Tel.: 819-569-9525 Fax: 819-821-3179 email: sherbrookerecord@videotron.ca Ranald Côté seeks bail, change of venue Judge issues publication ban on motives Staff Sherbrooke Magog resident Rett a 1 d Côté, 51, who is charged with sexual assault on three young victims, will be back in court next Monday when he will seek a change of venue to another court district and ask to be let out on bail while awaiting trial in November.A publication ban sought by the Crown and not contested by the defence, limits the information the media can report.Among other things, the media are not allowed to identify Côté’s main victim, to review the charges, or to state why he is seeking a change of venue.But Superior Court Justice Paul-Marcel Bellavance, who issued the partial news blackout on Wednesday, argued that while the publication ban was logical, the public has the right to know that Côté will seek bail and that he will be requesting a transfer to another court district.The judge added that the publication ban, which remains in effect til the outcome of Monday’s hearing, may be challenged by the defence and media at the Sherbrooke courthouse on Monday morning.FILE PHOTC Renald Côté, 51 Annual Beef BBQ ANAF "The Hut" Lennoxville Sat., Sept.7, from 5 p.m.to 8 p.m.Baked potato, corn on the cob plus dessert Music starting at 8 p.m.by L0NGSH0T 06651 page 4 Thursday, September 5, 2002 1 -THE.' =Record= Back to School ETSB school cafeteria workers now part of union Whether it’s lunch from the school cafeteria or packed at home, children need a well balanced meal in order to function property at school and at play.& ™ ¦ ; WÆm r;" wmmm Æ1Ï1 - r - ‘ •• ¦ .>: U vy School board developing policies on nutrition and phys-ed By Jake Brennan Special to the Record Lennoxville Child obesity is a ‘growing’ problem in this country.As of 2001, one in four Canadian children is considered obese.But new rumblings in school cafeterias across the Eastern Townships School Board could spell a change for the better in child nutrition over the next several years.Friday was not only the first day of school in the ETSB, but also marked the first day cafeteria staff at elementary schools in the board’s eastern sector served food as unionized workers.Because the cafeteria staff are seasonal workers who are laid off every summer, the agreement with the Townships Regional Union of Support Staff (TRUSS), passed July 1, did not take effect until the first day of the 2002-03 school year.Rather than the old system of varying wages per school, now all elementary food servers will be considered general kitchen help and paid the same rate of $14.29/hour said ETSB’s Secretary General, Chantal Beaulieu.As of the beginning of the 2003-04 school year, that wage will remain for any secondary kitchen help, while kitchen heads will be bumped up to Cook, Gass 3, receiving $16.15/hour.The ETSB’s high school cafeteria staff was unionized six years ago.Although workers will now be paid uniformly by the school board, cafeterias will remain self-financed after unionization.That’s because there is only one pot of money available for all the school board’s expenses.“It’s the philosophy of the board that any activity that generates revenue should be self financed,” explained Beaulieu.“If not, the problem we run into is we’d have to take away from another area—the teach-ers’ budget, the attendance budget, whatever.” While the board’s stance does have its own logic, it also has its negative consequences.TRUSS president Barbara Heath said that the pressure on cafeteria workers was unlike that on anyone else in the school board, and was unfair.“They’ve always been told that in order to function, they have to bring in enough money to pay their own salary.These people were always on the edge in ^erms of feeding their children while maintaining their jobs,” she said.Hence, unionization.Heath said the current situation is a step in the right direction, compared to another alternative that was briefly considered.“They were going to privatize it,” she said.“Well, logic would tell you that an elementary cafeteria cannot make enough money to survive as a business, unless they really raise the prices.There’s not enough clientele.” In such a situation, either the prices go way up or food quality plummets.Either way, the kids suffer, said Heath.Unionization is a move toward taking the onus off the cooks to generate a profit from young customers with limited funds.Still, without support from the board, schools that want to maintain a cafeteria service have to slant their menus toward what sells.A quick glance around any shopping mall food court will tell you that even adults struggle to balance nutrition with what their taste buds crave.This is even more the case with children, who are more easily influenced by flashy ads and peer group mentalities toward trendy, illusively satisfying food that will develop their bodies in exactly the opposite direction from their svelte, toned teen idols.But telling that to the kids is not the fiscally minded cafeterias’ mission.As Gilles Ribaux, principal of Alexander Galt Regional High School, put it, in order to stay afloat, “you have to have products that the students will be interested in buying.” To determine that, the Galt students’ council circulates a survey every year asking students what they’d like to see on the menu.The school’s administration also has input, and the comparison between student and administration suggestions has been interesting, said Ribaux.“There is some discrepancy, but there’s an awful lot of congruency as well,” he said.“They like chicken nuggets and fries and pizza, and we have those on the menu.We also put things on the menu that we feel offer a nutritional, balanced meal.They don’t always necessarily sell that well, but we do put them on the menu.They don’t like shepherd’s pie, they don’t like meatloaf, but we still serve them occasionally.We try to do a combination.” And what about parental input?Galt’s governing board of 20 includes six parents, who were shown the survey and offered a chance to comment.How- ever, as Ribaux explained, “it’s not really in the governing board’s mandate to develop menus.They have so many things on their plate to advise on and approve, and that’s not one of them.It doesn’t mean we haven’t discussed it.” At Massey-Vanier High School, Aramark catering runs a meal plan with prepaid meal points students swipe off a card.The student council also conducted a meal preference survey last year, which, as at Galt, was not subject to parental input.Over at Sherbrooke Elementary, about 300 of the school’s 517 students eat at least something from the cafeteria on any given day.Principal Carol Macknish says cafeteria meals are discussed with the school’s governing board, comprised of teachers, administrators, and parents, to create a general nutritional game plan.“The cook has to come up with the menu according to the guidelines we transmit to them, so we all work as a team,” she said.The discussions have produced a two-product line of meals.The first is the basic mess hall-style meal of the day.The second consists of a choice of soups, sandwiches, and muffins—more nutritional items that can either make up an entire meal, or can supplement a child’s own packed lunch.The choice element has turned out to be a money maker, said Macknish.While it is modeled on what is often done at high school and university cafeterias, there is one key difference: chips and chocolate are “simply not available at the school," she said.But shouldn’t the school board take a greater interest in the health of its clients and make some broader guidelines?Last year the ETSB began doing just that, by hiring two private nutritionists to gauge the status of its cafeterias.They went to each school to talk to the administration and cafeteria workers to analyze their menus.“The purpose was not for them to get involved and start recommending things on site,” said Beaulieu.“The purpose was for them to investigate the status and to make recommendations, and then based on that we’ll develop a policy we’ll implement.” Their findings have been neither discussed nor released yet, but will eventually lead to new board-wide policies on both nutrition and phys-ed, Beaulieu said.In the meantime, Barbara Heath says she is satisfied that, at the elementary level, at least, cafeterias are still getting the job done.While they do occasionally veer from nutrition in serving a treat such as hot dogs, she said that generally, “they do a good job providing a good meal at a low cost.” Tomorrow.Preparing healthy lunches Record Thursday, September 5, 2002 page 5 First contract for Cité des Rivières splits council Sherbrooke Mayor Perrault opposes delay, casts tie-breaker By Rita Legault Sherbrooke Sherbrooke’s council was evenly divided Tuesday night on whether or not it should delay a first and unexpectedly expensive contract for the already belated first phase of the Cité des Rivières development around Lac des Nations.As part of its plan to build a public path all the way around the lake, the city issued a call for tenders in August.The contract was to complete the pedestrian and bike path along the north shore, to build a footbridge that would link the path to the Montcalm Bridge, and to restore the historic balustrade that skirts Lac des Nations along de l’Esplanade Street.Bids for the work came in $1 million over the anticipated cost.While city engineers, who drew up the plans, estimated the cost of the work at about $2.6 million, bids received varied between $3.6 and $3.8 million.To respect budget projections, a resolution presented to council suggested that parts of the project, including the footbridge - which at just under $700,000 would have cost almost three times what city planners had estimated - be put on hold.During question period, de l’Esplanade Street resident Lucie Larkin expressed concerns about traffic and parking as well as concerns about the restoration of the decorative balustrade.The damaged barrier, which was built as a government make-work project in 1934 during the Great Depression, has not been maintained for years and was slated for demolition until lakeside residents demanded it be preserved.Larkin said that plans to destroy a section of the balustrade and build a footbridge up to the Montcalm span did not respect the historic wall and would be more costly than potential alternatives.She suggested council take the time to listen to lakeside residents who are concerned about the neighborhood and local heritage.Mayor Jean Perrault, who insisted the city plans to preserve the wall, allayed some of Larkin’s concerns by explaining council intended to put restoration plans on hold for now.Perrault said the council was looking at a resolution to begin building Subscribe to The Record today 569-9528 the bike path between Vanier and Queen Street, but that it would have to go back and do its homework to find appropriate solutions for the footbridge, the balustrade, and parking.While councillors Chantale L’Espérance and Clément Nault supported and seconded the resolution, it caused some division among councillors.Councillors Gilles Boisvert said he was uneasy with the inflated cost of the project.He also noted that the board of Cité des Rivières, on which he sits as one of council’s delegates, had not reviewed the submissions.Boisvert said he was uncomfortable with the cost overruns and that council should not rush a decision just to avoid a short delay.Vehemently opposed to any further hold ups, Mayor Perrault insisted that at least part of the loop around the lake should be completed by the spring of 2003.Perrault said that while the board of Cité des Rivières comes up with concepts, council is responsible for executing the plans.And he said that while municipal engineers estimate the cost of various projects, the city doesn’t really know how much a project will cost until it receives submissions after a public call for tenders.Councillor Francis Gagnon, who also sits on the board of Cité des Rivières, suggested that council table the bids until its next meeting, giving both council and the board of the nonprofit corporation time to examine the estimates.L’Espérance cut the debate short by demanding a vote on Gagnon’s resolution to delay the decision.That split council right down the middle as eight councillors approved Gagnon’s suggestion and eight were opposed.Agreeing with Gagnon and Boisvert’s plea to proceed with caution were councillors Bernard Sévigny, Robert Pouliot, Jean-François Rouleau, Marc Denault, Serge Forest and Mariette Fugère.Opposed were Serge Labrecque, Serge Paquin, Jacques Tes-tulat, Dany Lachance, Louida Brochu, Julien Lachance as well as Nault and L’Espérance.(Councillors Douglas MacAulay, Bernard Tanguay and Diane Delisle were not on hand for Tuesday’s meeting.) With an eight to eight tie, the mayor was forced to cast the tie breaker and voted against Gagnon’s resolution.The resolution was finally passed with both Gagnon and Boisvert registering their dissent.x : ï "- : Sx ;•x, , :, ¦ PERRY BEATON/SPECIA1 llilfl ¦¦ ¦ : ¦ PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL : During question period de l’Esplanade Street resident Lucie Larkin expressed concerns about traffic and parking as well as concerns about the restoration of the decorative balustrade.Mayor perrault said steps were being taken to preserve landmark.Communication-Québec Just think about us ! TVQ credit Payment for the provincial sales tax credit (TVQ) was made on August 29 to admissible low income individuals and families.The ministère du Revenu du Québec requests that you wait until September 10 to notify them if you have not received the cheque or the direct deposit.The second payment will be made around December 5, 2002.Remember that to request the TVQ, you must check box 90 on the Québec income tax return for the year 2001.For complete information, call the ministère du Revenu du Québec at 563-3034 or at 1 800 267-6299.Night work and young people The law on labour standards forbids an employer from requiring a young person to work from 11:00 p.m.to 6:00 a.m.the following day if that person is attending school.In Québec, the law on public instruction obliges a child to attend school until the end of the academic year during which he or she reaches the age of 16 or the academic term at the end of which he or she obtains a diploma recognized by the ministère de l'Éducation.Law on labour standards Did you know that the protection provided by the Law on Labour Standards applies to students who work at part-time and summer jobs just as it applies to other job holders?The law provides for a minimum wage, a normal work week, rest periods and holidays as well as recourse in the event of illegal dismissal.Information To obtain additional information, contact the Commission des normes du travail at 1 800 265-1414 or visit their web site at www.cnt.gouv.qc.ca.You can also obtain a copy of the publication Labour Standards in Québec which is available free from the Commission des normes du travail and from Communication-Québec.Communication-Québec Sherbrooke: 820-3000 - Granby: 776-7100 Elsewhere, toll free : 1 800 363-1363 www.gouv.qc.ca Relations avec les citoyens et Immigration Québec Era page 6 Thursday, September 5, 2002 RECORD_____ Community Forum Prime minister is free to do what’s right Letters to the editor m~ KIWI MMWT T«E«50PNENS ((AS ENDORSED Ï0U MS' ïwï 1,1 TJ LEAD THE TORIES, : ;::5: : • ¦v'> r:JW According to Tuesday’s Record, if you are reading this column, you are one of very few Record readers.In fact, if I read the paper’s survey results correctly, I am wasting my time and, most Record readers would agree, so are you.But if you’ll bear with me now and again, we can both pretend to be members of a highly select club and ignore the masses.So much for the sour grapes; now let’s get on with something of consequence.Everybody knows that mankind is poisoning the environment which not only the human race, but all life on earth, has no choice but to share.And that, folks, in a nutshell, is what the Kyoto accord is all about.In the long run, it is about survival.You and I can grasp that, but it seems that certain politicians cannot.Ralph Klein is one of that select society and, unfortunately, he is far from alone, even here in Canada.Jealousy over jurisdiction between countries gets in the way of common sense and jealousy over who controls what within our own country is rearing its ugly head, no matter how serious the consequences of inaction.Let’s take a quick glance at the international barbs.According to L.Ian MacDonald of that other Quebec daily printed in English, the Americans are saying that if China and India won’t meet Kyoto’s objectives, neither will the Americans.Canadian foot-draggers argue that if the U.S.won’t sign on, then there’s no point in Canada doing so.Both snags are based on the princi- ple, if you can call it that, that one let’s others dictate one’s position.In other words, follow the USA’s non-leadership role and let India and China decide for the whole lot of us.Canada ought to proud of the Prime Minister for his intention, announced only a few days ago, to ask Parliament to vote on the Kyoto accord before the end of the year.(On this point, Ian MacDonald got it wrong in Wednesday’s Gazette when he wrote that Mr.Chrétien announced that Canada would “endorse” the accord.There is a difference between voting on something and endorsing it, but it is obvious that the PM hopes it will pass.) Perhaps we are witnessing an advantage the Prime Minister has now, no longer having to worry whether voters might take it out on him if they disagree.Maybe he’ll be bolder in playing a leadership role now that he’s free of re-election concerns and he can let Paul Martin do the balancing act.Mr.Chretien is now freer to do the right thing and, there is no doubt about it, moving the world toward a saner approach to environmental concerns is the right thing to do.If we want to survive on this little planet, it is the only intelligent option, Ralph Klein be damned.Before anyone thinks I expect Mr.Chrétien to always do the right thing, I’d like to make a suggestion I’m afraid he might not act on without prompting.And that, for the select few, will be the subject of my next column.We need each other Dear Editor, I am an Anglophone, born in Sherbrooke, Que.I am proud of Quebec, the French people and their culture.It has always been a source of pride and inspiration to me, a Canadian, to see the parade of French native sons and daughters in Quebec who have done our nation proud.French Canadians have contributed so much to our Canadian heritage.The reputation that Canada has achieved, particularly over the last 80 years, has been won at great sacrifice, especially during the two World Wars, when our English and other Canadian ethnic groups fought alongside their French Canadian brothers to preserve our freedom, saving our children and grandchildren from tyranny.It takes years and years to build a national reputation such as ours in Canada.We are esteemed worldwide for our level-headed, fÿir-minded approach to international problems.Canadians (both English and French) are sought out as advisers on a multitude of international problems.If our country is dismembered by Quebec’s separation, the rest of the world will look at us askance and this great international reputation will vapourize, as it will be very difficult for any foreign nation to place an identity on the remaining fragments.Why is it those espousing separation look for and emphasize the differences between cultures, instead of seek out those traits that are common to people of all cultures?We all surely have the same basic human needs, and meeting those needs does not mean sacrificing our cultural identities.We are deeply sorry that Monsieur Landry is bending his efforts toward separation at a crucial time in our history, when we need each other more than ever, We need Quebec as surely as it needs the rest of Canada.We need each other.Norman G.Ford Lt.Cdr (Ret’d) Bedford, N.S.Looking for ancestors Dear Editor, I am looking for information concerning the death and burial of two individuals.I really don’t know where to begin and I thought you might be able to help.Alfred and Delia (Roy) Veilleux were married on June 11, 1895 in Lambton, Beauce, QC.Delia’s father was Jean Roy and her mother was Archange Théberge.I believe they may be buried in or around Sherbrooke.Can you lead me in the right direction?Maybe e-mail me the names of Catholic churches that might have records or some other agency.Any information would be heartfelt.Thanking you in advance for any help you might be able to offer, I am sincerely yours, Audrey St.Pierre Winchendon, MA 01475 USA e-mail: asaint@att.net The Record welcomes your letters to the editor.Please be sure to sign your letter and include a telephone number.Only signed letters are considered for publication P.0.Box 1200 Sherbrooke J1H 516 or 1195 Galt E, Sherbrooke JIG in Fax:819-569-3945 e-mail: newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Website: www4he1brookerecord.com Randy Kinnear Publisher .(819) 569-9511 Sharon McCully Editor .(819) 569-6345 Jamie Zachary Corresp.Editor .(819) 569-6345 Richard Lessard Prod.Mgr.(819) 5699931 Serge Gagnon Chief Pressman .(819) 5699931 Francine Thibault Prod.Superv.(819) 5694856 DEPARTMENTS Accounting .(819)5699511 Advertising.(819)5699525 Circulation.(819)5699528 Newsroom .(819)5696345 Knowlton office 88 Lakeside, Knowlton, Quebec, JOE 1V0 Tel: (450) 242-1188 Fax:(450)2435155 MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS GST PST TOTAL Canada: 1 year 114.40 8.01 9.18 $131.59 6 MONTHS 59.00 4.13 4.73 $67.86 3 MONTHS 30.00 2.10 2.41 S34.51 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 Viewpoint Don Healy RECORD Thursday, September 5, 2002 page TBL presents plan to bring sewers to Foster, Rock Island Bay Project go ahead will depend heavily on governmen t gran ts By Maurice Crossfield Foster f ! jhe Town of Brome Lake will go ahead with a more detailed study *1.which could lead to the installation of a municipal sewage system for residents of Foster and Rock Island Bay.“The objective of this meeting is to give an idea of what we are looking at, and get your comments to see if this is something we want to pursue,” said Brome Lake Councillor Robin Moore, who hosted the special meeting in Foster Tuesday night.The preliminary report, compiled by the Teknika engineering firm, looks at ways to deal with persistent sewage problems.In many instances lakeside properties are too small to have conforming sewage systems, while in the village of Foster, an abundance of clay and sludge make it difficult to operate a conventional single home septic system.Under the terms of the plan discussed, the municipal system would start at the Auberge Quilliams, running north up Lakeside Road.Meanwhile a second branch would serve much of the village of Foster.Meanwhile a second project would connect residents of Rock Island Bay, with the effluent pumped up to the Foster sewage treatment plant.Moore outlined the factors that will be needed for the project to go ahead: “Such a project needs everyone’s support,” he said.“Then it has to be submitted to the environment ministry for its approval.” Thirdly, the project will require government grants.Moore said some parts of the project are eligible for grants covering 85 per cent of the costs, while other parts are eligible for grants covering 55 per cent of the costs.The grants issue could prove vital, because the Lakeside and Foster village would cost about $.7 million, while the Rock Island Bay portion would cost another $2.8 million.“If we can’t get those subsidies I don’t think it’s an affordable project,” Moore said.As an example he said the Rock Island Bay project would cost about $48,000 without grants, or $13,000 with grants.Any eventual payment would be spread out over ten to 20 years, working it out to something in the neighborhood of $500 per year per household.Better, Practical “What we are trying to do is offer a solution that is better for the environment and is more practical," Moore said.AU ^ cmx ,»s©sssws?fR Î C « S “And we know that a lot of sealed tanks aren’t actually sealed, and if the water table is high it poses a problem,” he said.He noted that many banks won’t give mortgages for homes that don’t have good functioning sewage systems.“The majority of the homes on this part of Lakeside don’t have CROSSHKLfi Robin Moore said the sewer project would help many residences conform to provincial regulations, and cut pollution flowing into Brome Lake.Moore noted that many of the homes started out as summer cottages, and have since been made into permanent homes.With that comes more sewage, and many of the sealed tanks in use now require regular pumping.That can cost owners up to $1,000 per year.systems that conform,” Moore said.Sewage then ends up running into Brome Lake.“This project will be at least cost .w ' .W^.AW.W.VWWAV//.ftWA,.V.V.W.V.V