The record, 6 septembre 2000, mercredi 6 septembre 2000

icKmonJTair Bishop’» UràreràtT The voice of the Eastern Townships since 1897 65 CENTS Wednesday, September 6, 2000 Former Granby mayor sticking to business Duchesneau will not be candidate for Canadian Alliance Wild About Turkey.and Boar, Pheasant, to run as a candidate for the Canadian Alliance.“You don’t spend seven years in municipal politics without neglecting other obligations,” Duchesneau said.“Now I must spend more time with my business.” Duchesneau met with Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day earlier in the summer to discuss running SEE DUCHESNEAU, PAGE 3 By Maurice Crossfield After several weeks of reflection, former Granby mayor Michel Duchesneau has decided not Richard Boisjoli’s farm, L'Entreprise de la Chasse aux Sangliers, is gaining a reputation as one of the better places to hunt wild boar, turkey and pheasant.Shown here with his children, Boisjoli will feature his animals at a special exhibition of non-traditional agriculture at the Richmond County Fair this week.See The Record’s special fair supplement on Thursday.ET buses not affected by bad brake scare By Shawn Berry tem,” said Bernard Dubé, presi- Eastern Townships School Board Autobus Thomas Inc., of dent and director-general of Auto- students in the western sector, Drummondville did not sell bus Thomas.“In Quebec, buses are said their fleet of buses is not af-any buses in Quebec which usually ordered with hydraulic fected.were equipped with the Bendix brakes, he explained.The Bendix “There are none in Val-des-brakes that Thomas Built Buses brakes are actually air brakes.Cerfs,” Charron said.Inc., issued a warning about on Georges Charron, director of A spokesperson for ETSB, which the weekend.transportation for the Val-des- handles busing-for the remaining “Not one ofthe buses we sold in Cerfs School Board, which handles students, was unavailable for Quebec is equipped with that sys- transportation for about 2,500 comment.Not all signs posted over the Labour Day weekend in Lennoxville to welcome students back to college and university were this innocuous.(Although these sign painters should ask their English prof the difference between plural and possessive.) Other postings were downright offensive - see our letters page - and were not representative of the climate of respect that exists between the vast majority of students.et Fenêtres Our clear choice was easy as ^4BCiy Highest rated system Energy glass since 1991 Marcel Brassard 1215 Wellington St.S., Sherbrooke (ti»> 820-7299 mm Sept.7-8-9-1C {asacsg A.B.C fjr page 2 Wednesday, September 6.2000 ni TH E — ¦¦ RECORD Weighing the financial costs of incarceration The cost of one career criminal is close to $1 million.The recent sentencing of a repeat sex offender as a Dangerous Offender (DO) could easily end up costing Canadian taxpayers the tidy sum of $1 million.But then, had he not received the unusual indeterminate sentence the costs to society could even be higher .How about the other 33,000 or so adult prisoners who are serving time in our federal penitentiaries and provincial jails?Their room and board together with the usual amenities also take a significant chunk of our tax dollars.Provincial governments spend close to $40,000 a year to house each inmate in their prison systems while Correctional Services Canada disburses almost $48,000 per inmate.Although they represent only a quarter of the total correctional caseload, they absorb 80 per cent of the $2 billion budget required to operate Canada’s adult federal and provincial correctional systems.Why so much ?So how is it that a couple with two children can get by on an annual budget of $44,000.and yet the same amount is required for just one average prisoner?Aside from the costs of food, shelter, clothing, health and dental care, vocational, leisure, rehabilitation and educational programs, nearly half of the cost of incarceration can be attributed to security measures, including 24-hour supervision.Even the Supreme Court has gotten in the act Considering our national crime rate and high cost of our prison population, it is little wonder their soaring numbers attract so much concern.Even the judges of our highest court have made it clear where they stand.Last year, in an unrelated case, hey condemned our prison system for doing little rehabilitation despite its horrendous costs.“Most offenders are neither violent nor dangerous,” the judges said.“Their behavior is not likely to be improved by the prison experience.” Much higher prison POPULATION IN THE US While Canada’s overall incarceration rate (adult and youth ) has declined slightly, it remains on a per capita basis, second only to the United States .The U.S Justice Department estimates that by the end of this year there will be 2,073,969 people behind bars in the U.S.-more then double the number held during the previous 12 years.When it comes to their prison costs, they are just as mind boggling.During the last 12 years they have vaulted from $12 billion to $24.6 billion with no end in sight.One U.S.study found that their incarceration rate plays such a distorting role in the labor market, that their unemployment rate would be two per cent higher if prisoners and jail inmates were counted.Why the upward trend in the U.S.?Although tougher legislation in the U.S.has been successful in bringing down the national crime rate it also had the effect of increasing the number of prisoners.Mandatory-minimum sentences, “three strikes” mandatory life-sentence, longer sentences, reduced use of parole, increased arrests , reimprisonment of parole violators, improved efficiency by the police in solving crimes all account for the rising inmate population.Different solutions TO CUT SPIRALING COSTS ?Just as the many experts disagree on how to deal with the huge cost of housing prisoners, Canada and the U.S.are no exceptions - they both follow different policies in their efforts to tackle the same problem.While the vogue in the U.S.consists of building cost efficient and no-frill prisons via long-term privatization, Canada favors cheaper alternatives for non violent, low risk offenders.They include probation, early release policies, community-based sanctions, early parole, halfway houses, offenders serving their prison sentences at home, all of which have lower price tags varying between $1825.and $33,000 per year.The Quebec Government has gone one step further by simply closing down many of the provincial jails, cutting staff and relying more and more on part-time guards who earn much less but often lack sufficient training .Proposals, some more interesting THAN OTHERS The endless debate on how to get a proper handle on the high cost of our prison population has produced a whole variety of proposals that have little or no connection with the concept of rehabilitation.Those who believe that work is more rehabilitating then education have suggested that non violent offenders be obliged to put in 40 hours a week on community work details under the watchful eye of supervisors.Their tasks would include fixing roads, painting houses, picking up rubbish and sweeping streets, and performing other community work.Then there are those who see no valid reason why inmates should be such a drain on taxpayers.Less concerned about the rehabilitation factor, they believe that prisoners should “ pay their own way” through work and at the same time contribute to victim compensation as well as to the support of their families.Further down the line there are those who envisage inmate workers as the ideal lower-paid, low-skill American labor force that is needed to compete against Third World workers.Some experts believe that education is the only effective way to lowering prison costs while reducing recidivism in the long run.They add that by keeping prisoners busy during classes they would require less supervision and hence, less officers on the payroll.Experience has proven that it is much easier to come up with proposals to reduce prison costs then it is to anticipate their long term impact on the horrendous costs of crime.It is estimated that the costs to society of just one high- risk offender who makes a career of crime, is close to $1 million.This includes a number of factors such as lost productivity, compensation, medical care, police and fire services, social services, property loss and damage, and lost quality of life.Although there is a compelling argument that while criminals are kept behind bars innocent citizens are protected from becoming their victims it does not necessarily follow that by forcing inmates to serve their entire sentence in prison the crime rate would drop.In fact many experts believe that such a policy would dramatically drive up the crime rate as well as prison costs.They claim that the gradual and planned reintegration of low risk offenders into society guarantees a lower rate of recidivism then just “dropping them on the street" after serving their entire sentence within prison walls.While no one can deny that it costs a lot of money to house our prisoners and perhaps far too much, government officials walk through mine fields each time they implement cost savings policies that result in the premature release of dangerous, high risk, or repeat offenders.Whenever this occurs the long term costs to innocent citizens can be fatal.Please send comments to: Hen-ryk@enDirect.qc.ca Henry R.Keyserlingk I ,4 ; I Jim < Weather Wednesday.Sunny.High near 20.Thursday.Increasing cloudiness.Low7 near 9.High near 23.Friday., Variable cloudiness, low near 12.High near 22.HE'S REALLY cranky anp T1REP, BUT I CANT GET HIM TO MAP-NOTHING WORKS' T Ben by Daniel Shelton LET ME TAKE HIM ONABIKE ripe-twtusep TO WORK ALL THE TIME WHEN HZMSVmS! VVAAH.' PON , WANT' TV” TOU LL SEE NICHOLAS, THIS SHOOLP PO THE TRICK- A FEW MORE BLOCKS ANPYÜUU BE IN PRBWWNP/ RECORD Police crack down on _ school-zone speeders ¦ .IM ., m— .r r ¦¦ — Wednesday, September 6, 2000 page 3 Robber Gets Up Close COURTESY SHERBROOKE POUCE SSKi The Sherbrooke Regional Police Department is appealing to the public to identify a thief who robbed the Dépanneur Couche-Tard on Belvedere South in Ascot around 4 a.m.Saturday.Spotting the store's surveillance camera, the robber stepped up to it in an effort to dislodge it, allowing the lens to capture a better image.The white man, who police say is about 30-years-old, has short, frizzy blond hair.He stands about 5' 6” and weighs approximately 180 lbs.The man went to the convenience store, demanded the money from the cash and made off with a small amount and four cartons of cigarettes.Anyone with information which may help identify the man is requested to call the police department at 821-5544 or 821-5555.DG’s last splash 150 motorists stopped for speeding near schools last week By Shawn Berry Sherbrooke More than 150 motorists were pulled over by Sherbrooke Regional Police Department officers last week in a campaign to slow down motorists traveling near schools.“We stopped 54 people on Tuesday, 52 on Wednesday and 46 on Thursday,” explained SRPD spokesman Michel Martin.“On Tuesday we stopped six who were traveling over 90.” After a story appeared Wednesday revealing that a CEGEP student from Sherbrooke had lost his licence while speeding through a school zone, no one was caught speeding over 90 km per hour.Martin added that the police force’s nine-strong motorcycle division will be out in force again this week.Drunk-drivers busted Police had a busy weekend as well, executing 12 warrants and laying charges against seven drunk-drivers.The drunk-drivers were all released.Martin said the return of university students to the region was without incident.Staff The director-general of the Traversée internationale du lac Mem-phrémagog Denis Bernier, who has held the position for eight years, will leave at the end of September to pursue new projects.In a statement yesterday, the president of the Traversée, Martin Dussault, thanked Bernier for all his work.The event’s administrative council will begin now to look for a successor for the Traversées 23rd edition in July 2001.Foundation helps C’ville nursing home The Yvonne G.Contât Foundation has given the Centre D’Accueil de Cowansville a donation of $110,800.At a ceremony Tuesday morning Yvonne G.Contât representative André Meunier presented Centre D’Accueil board chairman Luc Normandin with the cheque.The money will be used to purchase specialized equipment for the residents of the provin-cially-run nursing home.That equipment on the nursing home’s shopping list will include such items as geriatric chairs, wheelchairs, medication pumps and bathing aids.These items will improve the quality of life for the clientele, as well as help with rehabilitation.Last year the Yvonne G.Contât Foundation gave the nursing home $100,000, which along with other donations, allowed the nursing home to purchase 32 new electric beds.What’s in store for the Manoir Maplewood?Staff A Waterloo's town council one of the town’s oldest and cussion animated by mayor Paul and heritage commit- most elegant edifices.Masse and attended by members tee have scheduled a Titled ‘What’s in Store for Wa- of the town council and heritage meeting for tonight at 7 p.m.at terloo’s Heritage?Should it in- committee, and possibly the the town hall to discuss the fu- elude Manoir Maplewood?,’ the owner of Manoir Maplewood, ture of the Manoir Maplewood, meeting is billed as public dis- Duchesneau: CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 as a candidate in the riding of Shefford in the next general federal election.The two politicians shared similar views on taxation and debt reduction, though their views differed on social issues such as equal rights for homosexuals and on abortion.The former mayor did not rule out an eventual foray into federal politics, but said the timing was not right.In June Duchesneau unexpectedly stepped down as mayor, saying at the time that he needed to spend more time with his family and his business.He said he found it impossible to work as both a real estate developer and mayor.Duchesneau said he constantly felt “handcuffed," unable to do either job effectively.The Quebec Justice Department is continuing an investigation into Duchesneau over allegations of conflict of interest between his two roles.He maintains the investigation will prove him to be innocent.Duchesneau is best known for wiping out Granby’s $70 million debt load, treating residents to a 40 per cent tax break once the books balanced.All of this accomplished between 1993 and 1999.URGENT! Carrier wanted in North Hatley for: Massawippi St.Gagnon St.Main St.MacKay St.Lake Rd.if interested, please call at 569-9528 between 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.or leave a message. page 4 Wednesday, September 6, 2000 ¦¦THE — Record BMP drafts plan to expand emergency room B r 11: is Board will submit request for $4 million By Maurice Crossfleld r'| jhe Brome-Missisquoi-Perkins Hospital is looking to get some JL $4 million from the Montérégie regional health board to expand its emergency room facilities next year.“We are expecting it to be approved," said BMP spokeswoman Josée Darche.“We believe it is a must.” Over the last year alone the number of patients on stretchers in the ER has gone up by 15.5 per cent.With that in mind the board of directors of the hospital has voted to expand and redesign the emergency room, department of medicine and the surgery department.The expansion was among the projects tabled as part of an action plan for 2000-2001.Included in the action plan were new hirings, namely Michèle Doiron, who has taken over as director of professional services, and Diane Daigle, formerly of the CLSC La Pommeraie, who has taken over as director of nursing.A new position, that of a nursing liason between the BMP and La Pommeraie, has also been created.In order to expand and redesign the emergency room, the BMP will need between $3.5 and $4 million.That money would have to come from the Régie régional de la santé et des services sociaux de la Montérégie.A formal request to the regional health board will be deposited in De cember.Darche said the increased traffic in the emergency room should be enough to justify the new investment.“We hope a decision will be made quite soon so we can start in early 2001,” she said.In the longer term the board of directors will also be developing an long range plan that would stretch until 2010.That plan will have to take into account a further expected increase in traffic at the BMP, due mainly to the region’s aging population Air raid on rabies Health officials are reminding the public not to handle vaccine-injected bait which the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services will begin dropping from the air this Friday to combat rabies amongst raccoons.About 90,000 pieces of the bait will be dropped along the border with the United States, along the Richelieu River in the West and along Route 147 from Coaticook to the U.S.border in the East.About 70 pieces of the special bait will be dropped per square kilometre to provide a defence against any spread of the rabies epidemic in the raccoon population in Vermont.Anyone who comes into contact with an open or broken bait, should call the CLSC’s Info-Santé line.There have been no reported incidents of rabies among Quebec’s raccoon population this year.The communities concerned are: Abercorn, Barnston West, Bedford, Brome Lake, Coaticook, Dixville, Dun- ham, Frelighsburg, Henryville, Notre Dame-de-Stanbrige, Noyan, Ogden Potton, Saint-Alexandre, Saint-Ar mand, Saint-Georges-de-Clarenceville St-Ignace-de- Stanbridge, Saint-Pierre de-Véroonne-à-Pike-River, Saint Sébastien, Sainte-Anne-de-Sabrevois Stanbridge East, Stanbridge Station Stanstead, Stanstead East, Sutton Venise-en-Québec.Dangerous waste collection Due to the success of Sherbrooke’s dangerous waste collection, the town will be offering two more pick-ups this fall to residents of the Sherbrooke Regional MRC.The first will take place on Sept.9, the other on Oct.14.They will begin at 8 a.m.and end at noon at the Sanitary Disposal Site.This will be the last opportunity to get rid of your cans of paint, solvents, tires, batteries, and used oils before the winter.Visit RECORD’s booth at the RICHMOND FAIR September 8-10 BOOTH HOURS: SATURDAY: 11 a.m.- 8 p.m.SUNDAY: 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.v '{./ $• »*.v.6 months w._ 3 months w.TOT Help wanted for Townshipper’s Day activities Jrust 10 days are left until Townshippers’ Day in Saint-I Félix-de-Kingsey.That’s 10 ac-on-packed days as last-minute arrangements and materials are put into place.Dedicated volunteers and staff have been working many months to orchestrate this event.It is at this moment that we need help.If you could volunteer a few hours in the coming week or so, you will be highly paid in appreciation! Help is urgently needed in the office to sort, inventory and box the merchandise and membership supplies that will be deployed at the Associations two booths on Townshippers’ Day.If you have good sorting and counting skills and enjoy organizing various sizes of polar fleeces, hats, T-shirts and other interesting items, would you have a few hours to help out in the coming week?You could bring a friend and have fun together on this project.We’re also looking for help of the artistic kind.Someone with a good eye for composition, color and texture is needed to wrap gifts, make signs and arrange a collage of last year’s Townshippers’ Day photos.If any of these Keeping In Touch Townshippers’ Association projects is something you would enjoy working on for a few hours during the coming week, we’d love to hear from you as soon as possible.Then there is Town-shippers’ Day itself on the 16th, when we expect people galore to visit the Association booths to renew memberships, get raffle tickets, buy merchandise or have a chat.That means we need volunteer “people-persons” to help staff the booths.If you would enjoy sitting a couple of hours under our awning and interacting with the public, you’re our person.If you are interested in any of these projects, please give us a call at (819) 566-5717 or (450) 263-4422 -now! Keep the calls coming in To volunteer, to ask for information, to inform us about a concern you have - whatever the occasion, don’t hesitate to give us a shout.Townshippers’ Association is just a phone call away at (819) 566-5717 or (450) 263-4422.Fax us at (819) 566-0271 or (450) 263-6317, e-mail us at ta@town-shippers.qc.ca, or visit our website at www.townshippers.qc.ca.Our offices are located at 2355 Galt West, Sherbrooke, and 203 Principale, Cowansville.Drop in and see us, either here or at our Townshippers’ Day booths.Newswatch is coming Among the many media celebrities coming to Townshippers’ Day will be Dennis Trudeau and the Newswatch team.They will be broadcasting live from Saint-Félix-de-Kingsey on Friday, Sept.15, at 6 -6:30 p.m., following our annual general meeting.Also, watch for lots of celebrity emcees on Townshippers’ Day.Bus from Bedford A reminder for Bedford, Cowansville or Knowlton area residents: You can still reserve your place on a chartered bus to Town-shippers’ Day by calling Kate Wisdom at (450) 263-4422.In the Bedford area, you can call Thelma Rhicard at (450) 248^1168.Plans are for the bus to leave Bedford at 7 a.m., arriving in Saint-Félix at about 9:30 a.m.(Yes, there’s a bathroom on board.) The return trip is slated for 4-6:30 p.m.A round-trip ticket costs just $16.Keeping in Touch is a weekly column presented by Townshippers ' Associa tion. ¦¦THE—i RECORD Wednesday, September 6, 2000 page 5 Attendance up at second Street Art Symposium IMJ STEPHEN MCDOUGAUJSPECIAL &&ftm».Ascot artist Françoise Vermette-Dionne paints a historic home on Grove St.Town will have to expand to accomm oda te crowds By Stephen McDougall Special to The Record Danville A sleepy little town whose only real assets are its trees and its historical buildings became a mecca for artists and tourists over the weekend, drawn to the second annual Danville Street Art Symposium.Organizer Francine Lebelle-Girard said an estimated 8,500 visitors came to town to view works of art from 40 painters, many of them from the townships region.“We had 28 professional and 14 amateur artists,” she said Sunday.“So many people wanted to see their works and visit the town to see why the artists like to paint here.” The symposium allows invited artists to set up their easels and canvas on the streets and lawns and paint scenery and century-old houses and buildings.In exchange, the artists are allowed to exhibit and sell their works at two makeshift art galleries set up in the basements of the town’s Anglican and United Churches.Ascot artist Françoise Vermette-Dionne said there were too many sites to choose from.“This is my second time here, and there are still many houses and buildings I have not yet painted,” she said.“That just means I’ll have to come again next year.” Artist Lucie Lapointe from Jonquière said she came because of the architecture and the company of other artists.“If feels good to be amongst your own in a town that welcomes us,” she said.“The buildings are magnificent and the people so warm, just like back home in the Saguenay.” Lapointe said this was her first art symposium outside the Saguenay region, adding it has helped her with her career.“I have exchanged ideas and discovered new colours from the other artists,” she said.“I have also been able to sell some of my work.” Lapointe also appreciated being sponsored by local companies that paid her room and board while she was here.She especially wanted to thank Danville artist Renald Gauthier for his hospitality.“It’s been kind of a mini-auberge at his house for some of the visiting artists,” she said.“He has been a wonderful host.” For Gauthier, putting up some of the artists has been a pleasure.“To see all these artists here always gives me the motivation I need to keep on painting,” said the retired school teacher.“I am making more contacts in the art world and have been able to sell some of my works, thanks to this symposium.” He said symposium organizers are planning to set up an art gallery this fall to exhibit works of art from Townships painters.The proposed site of the gallery is the town’s former municipal hall on Daniel Johnson St.“The gallery is the result of the success of the art symposium, and it will be symposium organizers who will r un it,” said Gauthier.But the success of the event has also meant residents having to put up with packed galleries and a lack of parking for their cars on the streets.“The streets were packed with cars right to the end, I’ve never seen anything like it, there were so many people” said resident Eleanor Besmargian.“It was hard to view some paintings in the church basements because of the people.There was no room to stand back and admire the work.We need additional buildings if we are going to have all this work to exhibit in the future.” Local historian Robert Lemire was also surprised at the crowds, but liked the fact they attended his lectures on the town’s architecture.“I had at least 40 people per lecture,” he said.“I have never seen so many people here in all my life." The larger crowds were due both to the success of the symposium and the holding of the Village festival and the Académie Masson and Monsigneur Thibeault school reunions.“People like it when they come for one event, and see other things they can also enjoy,” said Danville mayor Charles Noble.“Sure, it was a lot of people, but it’s only for this weekend.” The two-day Danville Village Festival included Country and Western bands, line dancing, BBQs, baseball tournaments, croquet matches and vintage tractor exhibits.Tractor collector Francis Bernard said the festival and the symposium help bring life to the town.“You get to see people from the region that you would never see any other time,” he said, standing between his two 1940s era tractors.“This town seems to come alive.” I!!!:;;- »P?H8! Renald Gauthier paints the home of Bertrand and Armande Charest on Stevenson St.Various artists show off their style to visitors who came to the grounds of the United Church, while others flocked to the United Church basement for the exhibition. in i ¦¦ i —¦ - ¦ ¦.—— "THE page 6 Wednesday, September 6, 2000 Community Forum Record UN is smearing Canada’s good name and record By Claire Hoy Southam Syndicate Just a minute here.The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is smearing Canada, of all countries, for its alleged “narrowmindedness” about refugees.Narrowmindedness?Can the commissioner be serious?Apparently so.The constantly cash-strapped UN organization is showing it means business by running a series of television and print advertisements to shame us into getting rid of what it claims are increasingly negative views about refugees.Even the Toronto Star, which is usually prepared to applaud anything and anybody who complains that society is not liberal enough, editorialized over the weekend that this UN effort is a WHAN.tMiphanghom* r.on .mGETTOfcTHE IMPRESSION Wtë not keek so pack to SCHOOL “misguided lecture on tolerance.” Indeed, Judith Kumin, the commission’s Canadian representative, in announcing this assault against Canadians last week, said that recent media coverage, public opinion polls and everyday conversations she has had with people show that Canadians are affording a colder reception to refugees.“There seems to be an increased sense that the boat is full and people are taking advantage of the generosity of countries (like Canada)," said Kumin.“The result is it makes it more difficult for people who need protection and help to get in.” For one thing, it’s really not the UN’s business to dictate our refugee policy.But since they have raised the issue, perhaps Kumin and her cohorts could point to a single country anywhere in the world which does abetter job than Canada in accepting refugees.While Kumin, an American, can justify this ad campaign by citing her own perceptions, perhaps she would have been better advised to cite the UN’s own refugee statistics.They would show her that Canada, relative to population, accepts more refugees than any country in the world.To put it in perspective, for example, Canada last year accepted 13,000 THE P.0.Box 1200 Sherbrooke J1H 516 or 1195 Galt E, Sheitrooke JIG 1Y7 Fax:819-569-3945 e-mail: newsroom@sheibrookerecord.com Website: wwwsherbrookerecord.com Randy Kinnear Publisher .(819) 569-9511 Sharon McCuliy Editor .(819) 5696345 Sunil Mahtani Corresp.Editor .(819) 5696345 Richard Lessard Prod.Mcr.(819) 569-9931 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)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 $6786 3 MONTHS 30.00 2.10 2.41 $3451 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 UniMedia Company, a subsidiary of Hollinger Canadian Newspapers L.P.Canadian Publications Mail Service Product Agreement No.0479675.Member ABC, CARD, CNA, QCNA refugees.That’s about the same number that Kumin’s home country accepted.The difference, of course, is that the United States has 10 times our population.Let’s look at some other comparisons.Germany, with a population of 82 million people - nearly three times our own - accepted 2,000 fewer refugees than we did.France, whose population is double ours, accepted a mere 5,000 refugees.The United Kingdom, about the same size as France, allowed only 7,000 refugees in, just over half as many as Canada did.And Australia - although slightly smaller than Canada in population, it surely has the room for more people -allowed a grand total of 2,000 refugees last year.So why aren’t the UN technocrats targeting them?And by what possible standard could Canada be deemed to be intolerant when it comes to accepting refugees?What Kumin and the UN appear to be confusing is this country’s genuine efforts in accepting refugees with the public outcry over non-refugees attempting to buy their way into the country.There is no doubt that most Canadians were miffed by the appearance of four boat loads of Chinese migrants off the coast of British Columbia last summer.But barely any of them were refugees.Even so, unlike other countries - which would have turned the boats around and sent them sailing back whence they came - Canada gave every one of the migrants a refugee hearing.That so few turned out to be legitimate refugees hardly justifies accusing Canadians of intolerance.What is particularly galling about this UN smear campaign is that the ad features what the Toronto Star accurately describes as “heart-rending pictures of Kosovars in an Albanian refugee camp.” Why use that illustration?As the Star writes: “Canadians opened their hearts and their homes to the Kosovar refugees.Immigration Minister Elinor Caplan whisked aside normal rules and allowed 7,000 into Canada under special ministerial permits.The prime minister played basketball with them.Volunteers provided clothes, toiletries and toys.It was one of this country’s finer moments.” You bet.And now these yahoos from the UN are accusing of us of intolerance.I’ll tell you what.In this case, we’re being too damn tolerant.Not in allowing refugees in, but in allowing the UN to smear our reputation this way without so much as an official peep from the Liberal government.Why isn’t Prime Minister Jean Chrétien demanding both an apology and the removal of this outrageous ad campaign?Let me tell you, if there’s one way to sour the public mood against allowing legitimate refugees in, the UN refugee zealots have discovered it.Letter to the: Editor Signs were degrading to women Dear Editor, We would like to express how appalled we were to see that once again this year students in this town took it upon themselves to notify everyone of their utter disrespect for young women.If you were lucky enough to drive down College Street this past weekend, you were most likely confronted with imposing signage bearing slogans along the lines of "Fathers: Check your daughters at the door" and "Hymen breaking begins now." We understand that these slogans were meant as a joke, but they were not funny in any way whatsoever! This sick and immature behavior gives Bishop's University a terrible reputation.As graduates of Bishop's our- selves, we want to let the public know that these viewpoints are not representative of every student in town.Many of us feel that these attitudes are totally unacceptable.We are both currently at the Lennoxville and District Women's Centre creating a sexual assault prevention program, which will be offered to teens and young adults in the region."Bad Dates" will concentrate on sensitizing anglophones on the re alities of date rape.Eighty to ninety per cent of sexual assaults are committed by people known to the victim, and we feel that this weekend's distasteful and offensive display of attitudes supports sexual aggression towards women and is just one more example of how necessary a program like "Bad Dates" is in our community.Melanie Hartzell Sarah McGirr Lennoxville & District Women's Centre -¦¦¦¦¦THEm.( Record CanPass will speed traffic through borders By Kathryn May Southam News The federal government is taking stock of its smaller Canada-U.S.border crossings as part of an ambitious modernization plan aimed at speeding the flow of people and goods while beefing up security.The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency is seeking bids for feasibility studies on 42 of its smaller border crossings across the country to determine if they can accommodate the new customs “action plan” that will be rolled out by 2004.The agency, created out of the old Revenue Canada, is using automation and technology to streamline the legitimate movement of trade and travellers while clamping down and devoting more resources to stopping the entry of illegal goods and inadmissible people.Customs is being redesigned to handle more than $500 billion in cross-border trade.It must also process more than 123 million people who are projected to pass through Canadian border points annually by 2004, more than 80 per cent of them coming from the U.S.Canada operates 147 land border crossings.Most of the 42 sites being studied were built in the 1930s and ‘40s and are simply unable to handle the flow of traffic and the technology needed to launch the new initiatives being planned to speed up the flow of goods and people.Though these sites are scattered across the country, more than half are in Quebec and New Brunswick.The feasibility studies, which will include environmental assessments, could cost up to $5 million and must be completed by November so any new construc- tion to bring the facilities up to scratch can be planned for next spring.The plan grew out of the “shared border” agreement with the U.S.in 1995.It’s built on voluntary compliance of travellers and importers, shifting from a system where all inspections are done on-the-spot at the border to one using technology to gather as much information as possible before goods and people arrive at the border.Canadians who regularly travel or commute to the United States can be whisked through customs at automated checkpoints without ever answering questions from a Customs officer.Frequent air travellers who qualify for the system will pass through customs by swiping a card through a machine.Credit card kiosks will be available for those with something to declare.The automated border checkpoints under the “Canpass” system allow pre-ap-proved travellers and truckers to move through designated lanes with the swipe of a card.A drop box is available to declare purchases and pay duties.On the trade front, import companies that agree to report electronically to Canada Customs can take advantage of a similar system to speed the clearance of their goods across the border.By automating the entry of frequent travellers and businesses with good track records, Customs officers will have more time to focus on the big security risks -drug traffickers, people smugglers, terrorists, duty and tax evaders, and any risks to health, safety and the environment.Spot checks and inspections will be used to keep the people using the automated systems honest.Alliance gearing up By Rick Mofina Southam News The Canadian Alliance begins drafting its blueprint for reaching power today with the promise that it will make moves to gain more support in the crucial battlegrounds of Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.As its caucus gathers for three days in Saskatoon, the party’s hierarchy hinted that MPs from other parties could soon announce allegiance to the Alliance, further helping the bid to expand its appeal.Party members are meeting to devise strategies for the fall parliamentary session, which begins Sept.18, and for the federal election, which could be called any time but is expected next spring.Alliance Leader Stockwell Day said his party is “election-ready” and is using its momentum to gain support in critical areas where it needs bolstering.“Clearly, we’ve got to work in those areas where we don't have MPs, which would be Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada,” Day said.“We’ve got momentum and its making people take a look at us,” Alliance MP Chuck Strahl said.The Alliance has been steadily winning support from disaffected Tories while courting it from other parties such as the Bloc Québécois and the NDP.Jim Jones, the Conservative MP elected in Ontario, announced he is evaluating his political future.So have Quebec Tory MPs David Price and Diane St.Jacques.Insiders say Day will offer Canadians a modern government that embraces change and is in harmony with the national desire for a new approach that casts off “old-style” partisan politics.Kenney said the party will work on presenting itself as a government-in-waiting and less as a voice of opposition for opposition’s sake, “focusing on how to aggressively pitch our message for lower taxes, less debt and safer streets, more democracy." 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