La source, 23 juin 1999, Cahier 1

[" FWD - QUEBEC SOA 920 (Qué; Québec alA \\1A5 Ai TEL.: 264-5364 Wednesday, June 23, 1999 FAX: 264-9521 RO me $ Vv Checkpoints Brief items from around the Valley Water returns to St-Timothée basin Frustrated swimmers in the St- Timothée area will finally be able to get wet this week.A court order last week forced management personnel at Hydro-Quebec to open the dams and allow water to fill the bay which has remained dry and deserted following a strike by Hydro workers.Each spring, the bay must be refilled after remaining empty over the winter to prevent damage to the power plant at Beauharnois, but the strike meant that the normal schedule was not carried out.Bernard Derome of the Parc Régional des Iles said last week that over $50,000 in revenues has already been lost, and some 10,000 swimmers had to be turned away.In granting an injunction requested last month by the municipality, Judge Pierrette Rayle of the Superior Court in Valleyfield ordered on June 17 that the basin be immediately filled with water.St-Timothée is suing Hydro for the lost revenues, but it is expected the situation will be finally resolved only at the end of summer.(HT/JT) Inside] The Gleaner Ormstown principal .Page3 CVR presents sports Tourism programs launched .\u2026\u2026.Page 12 12 The Gleaner office will be closed Somorrow (Thursday June 24) for the !St-Jean-Baptiste holiday.\u2018As well, we will close the following : «Thursday, July 1, for Canada Day.\"Otherwise, deadlines and hours for § the Gleaners of July 2 and § witt COVERING HUNTINGDON, ORMSTOWN, HEMMINGFORD, HOWICK, CHATEAUGUAY, FRANKLIN, ST-ANICET, STE-BARBE, VALLEYFIELD AND SURROUNDINGS FOUNDED IN 1863 2 Sane \\C 24 pages .87¢ Ts wap LECNIDAS \u201cWhen only the best will do.\u201d Le 4, rus BRIDGE, ORMETOWN, Q Tel: 264-2323 \u201cLes Galeries d'Ormetouwn Chateauguay, Huntingdon 2) 8 OUVERT7 JOURS | = ea on JEAN-PAUL LALIBERTÉ The Black and White Band qe to right): Beatrice Duheme, Réjean Bourdeau, Amos Martin, Allister Irving, Guy Myre and André Huet.(Photo: DF) Y\u2019all come for country music The welcome mat is out this weekend (June 26-27) for all lovers of traditional fiddling music and step-dancing.Arthur Pigeon School is the site of the 7th annual Fiddling and Step-dancing Contest sponsored by the Huntingdon Rotary Club.As well as the competitions, organizer Gerald Duheme has lined up some fine entertainment with a local flavor.The Black and White Band will present two shows on Saturday, at about 4 and 9 p.m.This is a \u201cfirst\u201d for these fine Valley musicians who have been playing for several years at fairs, parties, dance halls and Legions for several years.During their performances, the audience will be invited to get up and dance \u2014 it's all part of the fun.See CONTEST page 7 Academy\u2019s campaign against violence wins $4,000 prize in provincial contest Judith Taylor THE GLEANER A note from the principal is traditionally an event to be dreaded \u2014 usually it means a kid in is big trouble at school.But suppose a parent gets a small colored memo entitled \u201cGood News from the Principal\u201d, describing something special a pupil has done during the course of a school day?It's called positive re-inforcement.This is just one step in an all-encom- passing project to discourage violence and acting-out among children at Huntingdon Academy, a project which is working so well that it gar- A \u201cSchoolyard Angel\u201d (centre) mediates a play- gound situation at the Academy.nered the top prize among 600 schools in a province- wide contest this spring.$4,000 prize With the $4,000 cash prize in the \u201cSay No to Violence\u201d competition, the Academy hopes to hire a trained person to help discourage violence during the daily school lunch hour.\u201cThe whole idea is based on providing a secure and safe school environment for the children,\u201d said principal See PRIZE page 2 Fusion vote set for Sunday in St-Malachie Residents of St-Malachie d'Ormstown will express their opinions on the possibility of amalgamation with Ormstown Village during a referendum next Sunday.Polling will be carried out at the Ormstown Recreation on Roy St between 9 a.m.and 7 p.m.on June 27.While the Parish Council, which has already voted to approve fusion, has stated it will not consider the referendum result as binding, there is a feeling among rural residents that if enough people turn out to vote, the municipality must take note of their position.St-Malachie Parish has just over 2,000 residents, while the Village has 1,600.Accepting the fusion plan before june 30 means an extra $50 per capita in government bonus payments.gr Something's fishy Last de was Sa day\u201d for some 2,100 rainbow and brown trout which were released into the Chateauguay River by CRRC members Serge Bourdon and Pierre Léger at the Huntingdon dam, one of three \u201cdump sites\u201d.On July 10, local youngsters can try to retrieve some of the new arrivals during the Pêche en Ville fishing derby.(Photo: VF) vitres d'autos 2790 boul.Hébert, Windshield epair, wherPclaimed tofhsuran (Nitro) St-Timothée, 371-3876 / 2 \u2014 THE GLEANER \u2014 JUNE 23 1999 Ou A Ne RARE creme men pe: EE pe, gi ROR OES EE À \u201cThis and That in Town pm nus WEEK AND NEXT \u2014 Thursday will be a holiday, first for St-Jean- Baptiste Day, and then for Canada Day.We expect that many people will spin out the single day into a long weekend, and police are urging motorists to be extra-careful during the whole four days.PATROLMEN \u2014 on duty for the Sûreté du Québec will be on the alert for all traffic offenders, but most particularly for people who are tailgating, speeding or driving under the effect of alcohol, the three most common causes of highway accidents.LAST YEAR \u2014 during the St-Jean- Baptiste weekend, a total of 10 people were killed and 272 injured in car crashes.AS WELL \u2014 water safety rules will be strictly enforced, says the SQ.Boaters are urged to make sure all safety equipment is in good order and laws are obeyed.In addition, boaters are asked to respect the rights of other people, and remember that since April 1, children younger than 12 are not allowed to drive boats with over 10 hp-motors unless they are accompanied by someone aged 16 or over.PLANS \u2014 for Huntingdon\u2019s Summer Festival are evolving, says Serge Gosselin, who called to tell us the Festival will run for two days only, July 9 and 10.Anyone wishing to enter a parade float should call 264- 6044, while registrations for the Canoe Race are being taken by Joey Robidoux, 264-5321.NO ONE \u2014 under 16 is allowed to drive a boat powered by over 40 hp unless accompanied by an adult over that age.And please take note that you have to be at least 16 to drive a personal watercraft such as a Sea-Doo.Nurses protest Last Tuesday and Thursday, nurses staged province-wide walkouts to protest lack of progress in contract negotiations.Centre d\u2019Accueil workers also protested last Wednesday.Shown are some of the picketers at Ormstown\u2019s Barrie Memorial Hospital.(Photo: JT) AN ITEM \u2014 in the Agropur magazine\u2019s current issue caught our attention this week.It seems that the fire department in Lévis Que.has ordered 50 cases of plastic milk bags filled, not with moo-juice, but with water.The bags are super-handy for throwing into chimneys when there | isa chimney fire, the article says.We wonder if this idea might catch on with some of our firemen, since chimney fires seem to be frequent occurrence in our area.OUR READING \u2014 also included an item in Monday's Montreal Gazette, written by Peter Wheeland, publisher of two community magazines on Nun's Island and the South Shore.He says he has renounced his status as an anglophone in favor of becoming a Vibraphone.Such a person he describes as speaking two or more languages, and believing that each provides social, cultural and intellectual enrichment.\u201cWHEN VIBRAPHONES \u2014 see a public sign in their second or third or fourth language, if they can\u2019t understand it, they rejoice in the opportunity to add the new words or phrases to their vocabulary,\u201d he says.\u201cThey are incapable of seeing other languages as threats, only as opportunities to expand their understanding of their neighbors and the world around them\u201d.Sounds like a healthy concept to us! 3,000 DUCKS \u2014 is a lot of quackers, even if they're only plastic.That's how many entries there were in this year's Ormstown Lions\u2019 Club Duck Race, held May 30 on the Chateauguay River.BIG WINNER \u2014 of the $3,000 first prize was René Jodoin of Ste- Martine; Athelstan\u2019s Rosalie Maither won $1,000, and Jean Pierre Brunet and Midas Vincent each took home $250.Six $100 prizes went to Corey McCartney, Suzanne Ouimet, Tonia Upton, Madeleine Beaudin, S&F Transport, and Ninon Bayard.THE LIONS \u2014 were delighted with the response and participation of the Prize money will help program.from page: Lindsay Baker.Neither the schoolyard bully nor his or her victim is in the right frame of mind to learn their ABCs, and if youngsters cannot deal with their own emotions, their educational future is grim indeed.This is one of the tenets of the \"Second Step\u201d program, designed in the US.to help youngsters learn empathy, problem solving and anger management.Principal Baker and social worker Jean Dahmé, both trained in Second Step techniques, have enlisted the involvement of not only the children, but also teachers, secretaries, noon-hour supervisors, and bus drivers.Outside agencies such as the police and the CLSC have also played a role.But the children themselves are the core of the program, and they are learning to overcome their own problems in a way that delights Baker and her staff.\u201cOften as a result of problems at home, \u2018high-risk\u2019 children tend to act impulsively and aggressively wherever they are, and when teachers must spend a large percentage of their time dealing with behavior problems, learning suffers,\u201d Baker explained.Positive approach Academy walls and classrooms bear witness to dozens of projects designed to recognize developing social skills.Weekly assemblies, daily messages and visual displays acknowledge individuals for positive actions, however small.Pupils\u2019 birthdays are celebrated, and self-esteem is promoted wherever possible.The \u201cSchoolyard Angels\u201d help out by mediating schoolyard disputes and heading off aggressive behavior before an ugly confrontation can develop.Other programs offer leadership training for students and workshop facilities to help motivate students in need.In addition, principal Baker wrote the lyrics for two special songs \u201cSay No to Violence\u201d and \u201cScream, Scream, Scream\u201d (the latter to the tune of the Everley Brothers\u2019 \u201cDream, Dream, Dream\u201d).The school\u2019s entry for the contest, cosponsored by Quebec Rotary Clubs, the Montreal Gazette and the wives of Montreal Canadiens hockey players, filled a loose-leaf binder.Also submitted was a video of the students singing the two songs, and pictures showing student mediators at work and other youngsters proudly displaying their own projects.\u201cThe whole school of 200 pupils just exploded when they learned they had won,\u201d said Baker, who attended a special symposium at John Abbott College where the results were announced last month.It was one of the best possible boosts to self -esteem for everyone concerned.Academy secretary Kim Wilson blows up birthday balloons.rché Écla; Claj, 141 Chateauguay, ire 4 Tol.: (450) 264-3161 86.QUEBEC CUCUMBERS SEEDLESS community, the sponsors and their volunteers.The money raised goes to help community projects which make their needs known to the Club.IN HERDMAN \u2014 the Lucky Harvest therapeutic riding project is seeking volunteers aged 14 to 50 who are physically fit and able to work at least eight hours per week.The job offers the chance to work with other volunteers, \u201csweet horses, as well as the most incredible children\u201d says a note from organizers.A free clinic for volunteers will be held Sunday June 27.More information call 0282.CANADA DAY \u2014 weekend will be marked in Huntingdon with a Steak Supper on Friday July 2 starting at 6 p.m.at the Legion Hall.Tickets must be bought in advance; call 264-4711 0 reserve before Wednesday June 30.A STRAWBERRY SOCIAL \u2014 in coming up this Sunday June 27 at the St.Joseph's Parish Hall in Huntingdon.Hours are 10 a.m.to 2:30 p.m.and take-outs are available.The event is sponsored by the Catholic Women's League.IN HEMMINGFORD \u2014 the \u201cHorsestory Hemmingford \u2014 Horses in Harness\u201d demonstration set for Thursday June 24 can be viewed at two different times: 11 a.m.and 2 p.m.Location 1s behind the Keddy Mill Museum, which is located across form the Hemmingford Elementary School.(fr) GAËTANE DUMAS LE Dagg =.(450) 264-6297 - Fax vi » 66 HINCHINBROOKE : Summer camp nght on the Chateauguay Rever rapsds with 75,000 SF of land, fishengs' great just off the patio, 1978 compact cottage.REDUCED to $49,900.DEWITTVILLE: Bungalow overlooking Chateauguay River, 5 bedrooms, cathedral cedings, hardwood firs.huge deck, rural location.CALL & LOOK! asking $94,500.HUNTINGDON: Great starter home, red brick with 3 bedrooms, large kitchen, many recent renovations, newer 2 storey garage on over 13000 SF riverfront property.Priced 10 go at $48,000.Completely renovated 2 bedroom home, new family room & rear deck to spacious backyard, excellent central locabon.Owners need larger house.\u201cA mus! see\u2019 $69,000.Fully renovated 3 bed cottage, immaculate condition, leatures: fieid- stone fireplace, new b-energy furnace, man fir.laundry/bathroom.HAS TO BE SEEN! $74,900.Fabulous fieldstone circa 1853, totally restored & renovated on 2 acre river front lot, many exceptional features.$254,000.if you would like information on any property on the market, no matter what brokers\u2019 sign is posted, Peter Dagg can help you! Web site: www.rocier.qc.ca/pdagg E-mail: pdagg@rocier.qc.ca \u20187 interest up te 48 months TH ®°¢ interest up te 60 months e EXCELLENT USED CARS ® 1998 Dodge Stratus 1997 Dodge Néon 1996 Chrysler Intrepid 1996 Dodge Neon 2 1995 Dodge Colt ES 1995 Chevrolet Beratta e 1994 Chrysler Intrepid 1993 Chevrolet Lumina Euro A-1 USED TRUCKS 1998 Grand Caravan 1996 Caravan Le 1996 Dodge Caravan 1995 Chevy S-10 PU 1989 Chevy Silverado 4x4 C.J.KYLE LTEE CB SALES PARTS * SERVICE 1 > 78 HUNTINGDON, P.QUE.A TEL: 264-5321, TE rt te Ame mn ee ea \u2014 2 72 mem Fe ol- elp eir est ng ire at ob er 5 a ic 1's SF al K! 2 \u2014= 0 memes.= ~~ Valerie Furcall THE GLEANER Ormstown Elementary School principal Dawn Lang says she was lucky to have had a career doing exactly what she loved: teaching children and seeing them grow and develop.After 36 years in education and the past 25 at OES (the last seven as its principal), Lang will retire June 30, and is planning to spend more time with her e Daryl, and their grandchildren.Among the contributions she will be remembered for is her commitment to literacy and helping special-needs and learning-disabled children.Lang was also involved with the Chateauguay Valley Reading Council (she was a charter member) and the International Reading Association.What has changed over the past three decades, and for the better she believes, is society and the school system.Teachers have better training and more understanding about how people learn.O.E.S.principal Dawn Lang recalls chan \u201cChildren are the same \u2014 they are young people with individual needs, not all learning the same way,\u201d she said.When she started teaching in 1961, the established methods were rigid these kids.: Now schools i.are more car- | ing places.In OES, our vision is to create a warm and happy place in which to learn, where children have a say in the rules of the classroom and the way 1] the material 4] will be lear- and deviations not accepted.Learning disabilities in pupils weren't always recognized as such.She believes children with special needs were often labelled \u201clazy\u201d.\u201cSchools used to be a tough place for Local seniors can learn more about how to use medications Anyone over 55 who takes any kind of medication, even vitamins, aspirin, laxatives or \u201cnatural\u201d remedies, must be aware of problems which can arise from mixing or over-using drugs.During the past year, the Montérégie regional health service (RSSS) along with a seniors group called FADOQ (Quebec's Age D'Or federation) has been working to publicize the dangers of over-medication.Local seniors\u2019 groups can obtain a six- session series of free instructions on the proper use of medications.Meetings will be led by local seniors and will include videos, workshops, games, prizes and refreshments.Basic principles Topics to be covered include basic principles of taking medications; talking to your doctor and your pharmacist; healthy sleep; joint pain and how to deal with it; constipation and its preven- , tion; living with stress and anxiety, how to clean out the medicine cabinet; and questions to ask.Statistics show that 80 percent of elderly Quebecers use some kind of medication, and often they do not have all the information necessary on potential side-effects or the dangers of mixing different kinds of drugs.Some 31,000 people province-wide are hospitalized each year for problems associated.with misuse of medications.Even vitamins, herbal remedies, cough syrup and laxatives are potential trou- ble-makers if not consumed properly.In the Montérégie, over 17 percent of the population is made up of people over 55 living at home.The program, called \u201cLes médicaments: Oui .Non .Mais .(Medication: Yes .No .But .) has already set up 74 local study groups.The only criterion for joining a group is to be at least 50 years old; it is not necessary to belong to the Age D'or or any other group, although organizations may wish to organize a group for their members.Anyone in the area wishing to register one or more names for a group is asked to contact Fay Cartier (nurse) for the CLSC Huntingdon, at the branch located in St-Chrysostome at 450-826-3161, or at 1-800-794-6108.Leave your name, address and telephone number; someone will get back to you.ef accessible by boat If you are looking for a season Mini-Pass 690, route 132 West Saint-Anicet, (Québec) JOS IMO Tél.: (450) 264-3511 1(800)361-3145 Fax: (450) 264-6996 OES principal Dawn Langs retires J 30.ned.They have some choices.Learning really only occurs when people are emotionally able,\u201d she added.Lang gives parents and the community a lot of credit for helping their young people to have success in school.Fundraising brings families and the school together, and parents are more involved in their children\u2019s education.(Photo: VF) ges over 36 years Bal in education Another big change over the past 20 years in the Valley's English elementary schools has been the Bilingual program.By Grade 3, most students can express themselves in French, she noted.Lang started teaching at Howick High School in 1961, spent three years in Montreal, and moved to Huntingdon Academy where she taught the \u201cReadiness\u201d class, faced with children from Kindergarten and Grade 1 who were not learning to read, inspite of everything.That's when she convinced then-princi- pal Roland Greenbank that reading and writing had to be modelled the way children talk \u2014 using the \u201cwhole language\u201d method.She became even more convinced that phonics alone wasn't the ideal, after she discovered when she started at OES in 1974 that half of her phonically-taught Grade 2 class couldn't read.Children learn to read by telling their experiences, seeing them written down and then having them read back to them.\u201cIf parents want to help their kids do better in school, they should read to them,\u201d she said.COOL OFF \u2018OUR FANS HR Rep pe ia pep 3 SÉSLUCCCN SES d OSCILLATING FAN 12 inch on pedestal PLEASANTAIRE 20 inch fixture style with lamp.52-4327 6 blades i i A | he J if NE Sr A A0 | Æ ñ NS $; : WIRE 5 A 20 INCH FAN CYCLONE AIR CIRCULATOR 436637 Boul.LANGLOI 1 73-0123 service ®3 ffer valid June [AR :REYA OSCILLATING FAN 16 inch on pedestal 93 OSCILLATING FAN 12 inch =) 20 INCH BOX FAN WITH GRILL 435640 19 to 26, 1999 +) ii i \u20ac \u2014 6661 £7 ANNM \u2014 AANVITO FHL eme a rm 4 \u2014 THE GLEANER \u2014 JUNE 23 1999 Editorial SUMMER IS UPON US On Monday afternoon, just before 4 p-m., the sun reached the end point of its northward path and we marked the Summer Solstice \u2014 the longest day and shortest night of the year in the northern hemisphere.It's all downhill from here.Even as we write this, the days are getting imperceptibly shorter.This leads us to speculate on the nature of summer and how we perceive it.Primarily, of course, it's the season of holidays, but these may occur anywhere from June to Labor Day.In June, schools may not yet have closed, and in September, intimations of fall are at every hand.And if, like us, you are confined to Quebec's construction-holiday period for your vacation, the last two weeks of July can have connotations of anything but a restful break, as a good percentage of the population takes to the highways and stresses vacation facilities to the max.Summer is hot, but we've been experiencing mid-summer temperatures ever since May this year.It is prime growing season, but this year's dryness is threatening problems for some crops.And we could go on.The only all-encompassing and consistent definition is that summer is a state of mind, and that is where we find ourselves these days, at work or not.Shine on, summer sun.gD FROM GLEANER ARCHIVES .120 years ago June 26, 1879 The country is full of clover this year and everywhere it looks magnificent.Farmers should recollect Mr Clark's advice to cut while in blossom and put in at once if they want to secure juicy, relishing fodder instead of bard, dry, dusty stalks.GROSS OUTRAGES UPON PROTESTANTS AT ST.LOUIS Three years ago, it will be recalled to mind, that several respectable residents on their way to the Presbyterian church at St Louis de Gonzague were assaulted by members of the Corpus Christi procession, the priest himself roughly handling one woman.\u2026 Sunday, the 15th, was celebrated in the village .going to the Presbyterian church .Among those in line was the buggy of Hugh Symons and of Jobn Hunter, and they shouted to drive abead, that nobody bad any right to stop them.The Catholics, who were thus forcibly stopping them, would not allow them to go on, however, several of which were plunging in a way dangerous to those in the vehicles.The female occupants began to get alarmed .Hugh Symons got out and endeavored to push away 60 years ago the men who were holding his horses when a habitant, Raphael Renaud dit Dumoulin, struck him with bis fist, drawing blood, and then picked up a stone which be was going to burl at the man, who is over 70.At this time there were shouts in French of \u201cBreak the beads of the Scotchman; they are worse than the Orangemen.\u201d .The Catholic version of the affair is, that the procession of the boly sacrement bas a right to occupy entirely any street that it passes along, that the Protestants bave set at naught this alleged right by driving down, as necessity required, the street to their church while the procession was moving along The respectable Catholics are rather asbamed of te matter, and ask why the priest did not detail a few men of some standing to request the Protestants, as an act of courtesy, to balt until the procession passed, instead of sending a body of excitable and ignorant men.The Catholics assume that bad the Protestants not been brought to a halt, they would disarranged the .The evidence is explicit, the procession had passed and that the rear of it was at least an acre below when the progress was stopped.June 28, 1939 CALF CLUB EXHIBITS AT ORMSTOWN (Photos) Club leader Carlisle Dickson and the first prize Ayrshire calves, Roland Glenn was the winner.George Collum, the Holstein Club leader.David McCartney is the the winner.His sisters Ruby and Laura are holding the younger animals and are club members.Holstein calves .Maurice Smith is holding the Jirst prize calf.Ayrshire calves, Peter Tully of the Huntingdon Club won this class at Ormstoun Exhibition.THE HELLO GIRL'S GOOD-BYE The machine age .now threatens another 30 years ago nation-wide institution.The telephone operator is being replaced by a mute, mechanical monitor known as the dial system.It'll be about 1942 before the dial system comes into operation in Huntingdon.there will pass into bis- tory the \u201chello-girls\u201d.On many occasions the speedy efficiency of a Huntingdon telephone operator has been the means of saving a house or a bam from being entirely burned down.Their persistency and their alertness bas been instrumental in bringing a doctor to a farm bouse where bis timely arrival was a matter of life and death.\u2026 June 25, 1969 ORMSTOWN WATER PLANT FINANCES SPRING LEAK Construction of Ormstoum's new water supply system will be halted for the summer postponing for another few months the toun's solution to its water .\u2026 Ormstoun decided to go abead with the $192,000 complex in a December referendum.the province guaranteed to throw a $75,000 grant into the pot and pay 15 per cent of long term financing.MAD BULL MUTILATES FARMER An Athelstan farmer underwent an emergency operation after being attacked by a bull.Jobn Gunion, 23, bad punctured spleen removed by Barrie Memorial surgeons.ORMSTOWN NURSES SHOWN HOUSEWIVES\u2019 PITFALLS A meeting of nurses at Ormstoun's Barrie Memorial Hospital was told that the romantic aura of being a bousewife usually dims.they decide to return to work, for both financial and personal reasons.In the words of the popular song, the \u201ceveryday bousewtfe\u201d wants to regain some of the \u2018good life\u201d she gave up for marriage.With a few exceptions bowever, most women find that a career doesn't mesh very well with the responsibilities of a bome and family.Much upon the bus- band\u2019s cooperation, and a girl who hapes to combine a career with a family bad better chose ber husband carefully.METEORITE, SLAG OR WHAT?Lisle Watterson and son Doug of the Beaver appeared with a mysterious piece of metallic substance, found in a cow pasture.The piece is reddish brown, about five inches wide and two inches thick, obviously in a molten state at one time, full of blow holes.VE PUBLICATION MAIL REGISTRATION NO.08070 Local U.S.REG.NO.USPS 580-300 PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT CHATEAUGAY, NEW YORK, 12920 Postmaster LEANER THE 1 06 Châteauguay 31, Hunt ingaon, Busbec 08 1H0 YOUR WEEKLY NEWSPAPER published by THE HUNTINGDON GLEANER (1985) L'ÉG- Subscription $32.00/yea U.S.A.$37.50 U.S., $55.00 Please send address change to P.O.Box 217 Chateaugay, N.Y.12820-0217 GENERAL MANAGER; ANDRE CASTAGNIER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: JUDITH TAYLOR EDITORIAL STAFF: VALERIE FURCALL, HUGUES THEORET 2 ri Ot of fren $30.50year, QCNA AJRQ En y ARF THEY SENS (TIE.I TUST FIDDLE CONTE STHEE\\ PeoOR PLAYED L LITRE CLASS/CA L PIECE AND-.- A ta Farmers\u2019 union holds ground in favor of bike trail on roads After seeing the final report of the committee studying the bicycle trails for the Haut-St-Laurent MRC, we are very disappointed with its content, which shows a flagrant lack of attention to detail, and which fails to deal with all the issues surrounding this project.When we decided to send two agricultural representatives to sit on the 12- member committee, we hoped that the work could be done in an atmosphere of partnership.We also hoped that all aspects of the issue could be dealt with objectively, even if the committee was made up almost exclusively of people favoring the railbed project.The skimpy report which followed seven working sessions unfortunately \u201cshows that the committee did not rise to the challenge, nor did it provide municipal officials with the overall picture which would help them make an informed decision.As a result, the MRC members are still ignorant of the costs involved and of where the money will come from to set up and manage a bicycle trail on the railbeds.As well, there is still no guarantee that the eventual managing body of the railbed will have the desire or the means to maintain ditches, culverts, crossings and fences, not to mention cutting weeds as required by federal law.And it comes as no surprise that the report also fails to deal with the impact on neighboring farmers as well as possible ways of lessening this impact.Not only do the mayors risk taking a decision with their eyes closed and their hands empty, they still don't have any information at all about the actual capacity of the railbed trail to attract tourists and cyclists, and how these people will get to the area\u2019s prime tourist attractions on their bicycles.We prefer to continue supporting the courage of those municipalities directly involved in proposing a cycling route on the country roads along the Chateauguay River.They have subnut- ted a plan to this effect, which would be much more likely to help develop our whole tourism potential.We feel more strongly about this than ever, and we are ready to take concrete steps toward its implementation.Neil Mackay, president Chateauguay Valley UPA Bernard Vincent, president Ormstown UPA Roger Caza, president St-Anicet UPA Municipal fusion concept Is only a bureaucratic fad Quebec is calling the tune but I'm not sure I want to dance.It appears the report is out from a committee commissioned by our local MRC, which wanted a recommendation to help them decide on a use for the abandoned CN railbed which traverses our region.The report's conclusion is diametrically opposed to the position of the farming community, recommending \u201cTurn it into a bike trail.\u201d One of the authors of the report says defensively, \u201cIt's up to the mayors to decide in August.\u201d Yes, but it is not easy to vote against a report from a committee which you yourself put in place.The Gleaner editorial writer of last week is right on the money.If this is the kind of recommendation that lands on the table when only four of the 15 MRC mayors represent towns and villages, what is going to happen after fusion?Quebec's tune is the 1990s is that there are too many municipal councils.We have to reduce that number.They're doing it in Ontario, they're doing it elsewhere.It's the trend.It doesn\u2019t matter if individually some municipalities are providing efficient services.It doesn\u2019 matter if they are balancing their bod) We just want bigger blobs on the map.Some of us, with longer memories, remember when Quebec said there were too many high schools.Let's reap the benefit of economy of scale, the government said.Let's build regional secondary schools.The Americans have done it, Ontario has done it.It's the trend.But what am I hearing today?Thirty years after come murmurings from many quarters: \u201cWe've made our schools too big.\u201d All this fusion talk, I believe, is only for the benefit of the bureaucrats.Roland Greenbank Hinchinbrooke a FLOATING «Fi FLOOR psi i.à sû.FT.HOLE oo +152 po = HARDWOOD FLOORING 25 YEARS WARRANTY ON FINISH \" i Créte et \u201csé W.:% Pilon, cca.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS « ESTATE PLANNING + INCOME TAX RETURNS 264-6007 107 LAKE ST., HUNTINGDON CHRISTINE Ye NIEUWENHOF Me NEU BA Accountan 171 Chateauguay, Huntingdon Tel.: 264-3930 Lecompte, Boisvenue Daoust et Associés Chartered Accountants 57 Victoria, Valleyfield Québec, J6T 1A1 Tel.: (450) 373-9993 1-800-363-5392 NOTARIES & TITLE ATTORNEYS 62 Chatsauguey St.st, shop TINGOON HOWICK OFFICE b by appointment Auction Service Bringing Buyers & Sellers Together Since 1923 (450) 264-6555 Fax: (450) 264-4688 R.ALEXANDER ROSS Chartered Accountant 692 ROUTE 219, HEMMINGFORD, QC 247-3223 Dr.Michelle | Lecavalier Optometrist Eye exam 163 Chateauguay, Huntingdon Open 6 days ° Tel.: 264-9532 Peter Dagg aériieted Real Estate éent Toll Free 1-800-264-6297 Tel.: 264-8297 » Fax: 264-6649 Me Johanne 0 G.Durand £a LAWYER Tai: (450) 264-6790 © Fax: (450) 264-5069 Pager (450) 544-5050 117A Chatesuguay, Huntingdon, Qc JOS 1HO ne you for 25 years Tel.: (450) 373-8458 Fax: (450) 373-7376 Email: sutton @rocler.qc.ca \u2014 Always Making Progress Belisle Scienific Concentrates Inc.Kim mn LEcuyer B.Sc.Agr.Tol.: (450) 264-4188 800 NOTRE DAME ST-REMI, QUE.JOL 2L0 Tel.: 990-8888, toll free IT \u2014 6661 £7 ANAf \u2014 BANVATD JHL 12 \u2014 THE GLEANER \u2014 JUNE 23 1999 Tourism \u201cCircuit du Paysan\u201d highlights CL TL Re RY local farm products, services If you produce an easy-to-use folding map listing 31 sites along 400 kilometers of rural countryside in southwest Quebec, tourists and visitors will surely want to come and experience our rural delights, hopes a regional tourism development group.A first step was to launch a publicity campaign, informing neighboring urbanites of the array of farm products, services, and history of this region, summarized in Le Circuit du Paysan (A Tour of the Countryside).In August and September, a publicity blitz will target people living in Montreal and its suburbs.On September 11 and 12, the farms and businesses listed in Le Curcuit will welcome visitors.(Promotions aimed at US border towns are planned for 2000.) The Local Development Centres of the MRCs of Haut-St-Laurent and Jardins-de-Napierville and their partners (Ministry of Agriculture, apple-growers\u2019 association, tourism agencies and businesses) are promoting Le Circuit as a p= \u201csimple and pleasant way to discover one of the most beautiful rural regions of Quebec, just two steps away from Montreal.\u201d The map is free and available in all Montérégie tourism offices, as well as in many stores.The Montreal Tourist Info Centre also has copies.For more information, or to obtain a copy of the map, call the Office du Tourisme du Suroit at 1-800-378-7648.(VF) Local tourism developers involved in Le Circuit du Paysan include (I-r) Ken Hamilton, Diane Vautour, Michel Laurendeau, Eric Verreault and Denis Brochu, gathered at Cassidy Orchards in Franklin to launch a publicity campaign.Paddle your own canoe, or rent one for Aug.1 pleasure excursion on river (Gleaner staff) A flotilla of up to 60 canoes will take to the waters of the Chateauguay River on Sunday Aug.1, as the first-ever such trip geared to tourism in this area gets under way.Organizers from the Chateauguay Valley Tourist Committee expect to see groups of 10 canoes, containing 120 to 150 people in all, launched at intervals during the morning hours from the banks of Ormstown\u2019s playing fields behind the Roy St.Rec Centre.Paddlers will follow all or part of a 21- km stretch of water from Ormstown to the Ste-Martine tourist area, either all in one go, or with stops along the way to view the Allan's Corners Parks Canada site and the historic Turcot Bridge near Howick.Special activities will be presented at these locations for those paddlers who want to take a break and learn something new about the scenic attractions of the Valley.Family event The canoe excursion is being promoted as a family event.People can bring their own canoes and pay $15, or rent one for the day for a $55 fee.Included in the price are life- jackets and a shuttle bus service to return paddlers from their landing point to Ormstown and their vehicles.As well as the tourism group, other sponsors of the event are the Local Development centre, the Haut-St-Laurent Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Les Amis du Pont Turcot, Parks Canada and the municipali- Not in the water yet, but close, are (left to right, in canoe) Brigitte Maheu, Ormstown mayor Madeleine Himbeault-Greig and Cristina Cornu; at rear are Denis Brochu, Denyse B.Touchette, Marie Claude Bourgeois, Rachel Stringer and Héléne Nadeau.(Photo: HT) ties of Ormstown, St- Malachie, Howick, Trés-St- Sacrement, St-Paul-de- Chateauguay and Ste-Martine.Deadline for registrations is July 23.For more information call 829-1167.(HT/JT) Top tourism award goes to local farm (Gleaner staff) Godmanchester's Domaine de la Tem- plerie has won a Quebec tourism award for its outstanding table cham- pétre cuisine, presented by the Fédération des Agritours du Québec on April 29 in Mont- Tremblant.The New Erin establishment owned by Roland Guillon, assisted by hostess Chantale Legault, features meals made from pro- Le Domaine de la Templerie\u2019s Roland G n, owner and chef, and Chantale Legault, hostess.(Photo: HT) duce grown on the property or local farms.Quebec Agriculture minister Rémy Trudel attended the awards night and presented the plaque of Excellence to the pair, who were nominated for the second consecutive year.Guillon said he named his restaurant after his little native village in Normandie, which he left 23 years ago when he emigrated to Quebec.Eight years ago he bought the 150-year-old stone house to open his table champêtre, which features a varied menu that includes veal, rabbit and poultry raised on his farm.Diners are welcome with reservations any day of the week, and groups ranging from 10 to 40 people can be accommodated.(H.TAr.VF) Treating forages=$$$ PRESERVE YOUR SILAGES il ANd forage Why ?The U.S.\u201cDairy Forage Research Center\u201d reports your 1.INCREASED MILK PRODUC- | TION that dairy cows that consume inoculated alf-alfa silage produce an average of 3% more milk.have consistently shown a variety of forages.Proven Benefits: \u201c Lower pH.Lower ammonia levels.Higher lactic acid levels.{ 4.INCREASED PROTEIN RETENTION Proven Benefits: | 2.GREATER WEIGHT GAIN PER TON OF SILAGE sd Biotal silage feecing trials ( ene iNCreased weight gains using « 3- IMPROVED FORAGE QUALITY Increase in protein retention by 7% TIME (DAYS) Gérard Maheu | inc 209, RANG DU 8 ST-LOUIS DE GONZAQUE, 377-1420 Moulées DUNDEE, \\_ 3418 SMALLMAN ROAD DUNDEE 264-5970 Feeds | 5 "]