The Westmount examiner, 15 août 2002, jeudi 15 août 2002

[" \u2014 scontinental WEEKLY | WE'RE COMING nome ; Canadian Publication no: 1375822 Lop 5 \u201d_ WWW.Maromac.com 485-1135 Ÿ Vol.67, No.30 - Thursday, August 15* 2002 + www.westmountexaminer.com ¢ (514) 484-5610 » 9,800 copies MAKING ALL OF WESTMOUNT YOUR HOME Taxes will shoot up next year, Trent warns he next 12 months will see the I beginning of a steep increase in the City of Montreal's tax rate, says former Westmount Mayor Peter Trent.Still working for Westmount\u2019s de-merger from the megacity, Trent has maintained a lower profile since he was \u2018de-elected\u2019 by Quebec\u2019s municipal reform law, Bill 170.The last time he made a public appearance was in May, when he was the key speaker at a de-merger rally on the West Island.Leading up to the forced merger of Montreal's suburbs and centre city last January, Trent maintained that the megacity's finances the first year would make it appear that the mergers were working\u2014but that by the second year the situation wouldn\u2019t be as smooth and taxes would begin a gradual ascent.\u201cIn 2003 there will be an increase in taxes, but in 2004 there will be an even further increase in taxes,\u201d Trent told The Examiner last week.He factored in the following criteria.in coming to his conclusion: (1) the new City of Montreal has used up all the surpluses from the former municipalities, so there\u2019s no more money available to balance its budget; (2) the heavy cost of the merger, up to $400 million; and (3) a supposition by the megacity that next year it won\u2019t have to pay salary increases\u2014which Trent says is absurd.\u201cThose three factors alone would mean substantial tax increases for 2003,\u201d said Trent, adding that the City of Montreal's budget is already $150 million in the hole before salary increases have been included.However, according to Trent, next year will pale in comparison to 2004, when the new property valuation roll will come into effect and the real estate bubble in Westmount\u2014but also NDG, Plateau Mont a (continued on page 6) =; Scoop speaks! Oo _ Classified ads of rgranscontinental Weeklies They work! 514) 321-2000 yr.REPERCUSSIOI | LOCAL Centre Greene receives computer donation he staff of Centre Greene can now enjoy working on a refurbished Compaq Pentium computer recently donated to the centre by reBOOT Quebec.\u201cWe really appreciate this type of initiative,\u201d said Anna Johansson, coordinator of Centre Greene.The community centre previously had only one functioning computer, which was shared by about 10 staff members and volunteers.Doing all their administrative work\u2014 such as bookkeeping and invoicing\u2014on a single computer was a juggle, and the new Pentium will make their lives easier.\u201cNow that we have two, it will alleviate the traffic,\u201d Johansson stated.Centre Greene learned about ReBOOT Quebec, a charity that refurbishes computers and donates them to non-profit community organizations, from an article in the Gazette a couple of weeks ago.ReBOOT has existed since 1996, but the Quebec branch was only established a year ago.Scott Glass, the executive director, started the West Island based company because he finds the work they do valuable.\u201cJust because computers are no longer suitable for corporate use doesn\u2019t mean they can\u2019t be used at all,\u201d said Glass, who has donated about 60 computers so far this month.Johansson contacted reBOOT Quebec on Aug.6 to inquire about whether Centre Greene was eligible, and she found Glass to be more than helpful.He even assisted her in filling out the required forms.\u201cAbout 90 minutes later the computer was installed,\u201d said Johansson.\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic!\u201d Centre Greene only had to pay $168 to cover administrative fees, delivery and installation.\u201cBy not having to buy a second computer, which we seriously had to think about doing, we can redirect that money to provide more services to the community\u2014like lower rents for people who use the facility,\u201d Johansson said.Glass urges community organizations to contact reBOOT.\u201cIf you need a computer, call us.We have them,\u201d he said.Glass also encourages companies with old computer systems, which are being replaced, to donate them instead of throwing them out.The new Centre Green computer is a Compaq Pentium Tower, complete with CD-ROM, Windows 98, Office suite and 128 MB RAM.It was delivered with a 15- inch monitor, keyboard and mouse.Scott Glass of reBOOT Quebec can be contacted at (514) 822-1001.* Asphalt * Uni-Stone Les Pavages Spinelli inc.Serving Westmount for over 8 years , * Cement Work * General Work Free Estimates Carlo : 327-6462 / 494-4981 40338219 = Consultation available.www.montrealpharmacy.com Donald Pearson & Mel Alter Pharmaciens Préparateurs - Compounding Pharmacists OFFERING FULL PRESCRIPTION SERVICE AND NATURAL HEALTH SPECIALTIES * PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOUNDING Specially trained to create medications in various forms according to patient needs * BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONE REPLACEMENT Natural alternatives 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matters.The job was last held by a Westmount employee who became Westmount\u2019s community events coordinator about the time of the megacity merger.De Castell raised the matter of the future of the environmental coordinator\u2019s position at an operational and environmental services committee meeting in April.An employee from another department has been doing the job part-time for several months now, although Borough Director Bruce St.Louis says it is still designated as a full-time position.\u201cIt\u2019s not an area where we want to take a step backwards,\u201d said de Castell.\u201cIt\u2019s not that the position has been dissolved, but that there\u2019s a procedure by which we have to engage somebody.That is not to say there has been any reduction in the attention paid by the City or the department.It\u2019s just that given the complexity and the rapid changes in the information on the environment and the technologies available to us, it really requires somebody\u2019s full-time attention.\u201d \u201cWe're in a position where there's one person who's trying to do two jobs, and while they're doing an able job of it, clearly it\u2019s not a situation that you'd want to maintain.\u201d At the same committee meeting, de Castell also raised the question of Westmount\u2019s adopting a policy regarding \u201cdead electronic equipment.\u201d He said the borough should inventory and figure out how to deal with a growing number of computers and other clog tronic gear set aside in storage whe no longer useful.\u201cWe have always looked at ways to expand the recycling efforts,\u201d he said.\u201cGiven that right about now Bill Gates could probably make an island in the Pacific with dead computers, it\u2019s becoming a concern for all communities because there\u2019s a phenomenal amount of it.We\u2019d like to see it recycled into something useful rather than chucked into the bin.\u201d St.Louis has pointed out that finding the right candidate will be more difficult than it was when Westmount was a city.\u201cIt could take a couple of months to fill, but if there is someone who is qualified and is available now, hopefully within a couple of weeks we\u2019ll have a candidate,\u201d he said last week.\u201cThe hiring process is quite a bit different from what we had been accustomed to.It\u2019s just going to take some time.There are still quite a number of permanent employees who have been deemed surplus and they\u2019ll be looking at them in terms of either retraining or getting them to apply for the job.\u201d Buying a classified ad in The Examiner is easy.Just call 321-2000., Centre de Tari du) À Constance-| ad MEDECINS, ORTHESISTES, * / PEUTE La axthéses plantaires, chaussure Ll pre Jèmes \u2018 J / £2 de réadaptation ; Conmence Lethbridge: Start on the right foot.: ; Consult eur DOCTORS / |! | ORTHOTISTS / THERAPISTS Ÿ 2 à specialists for inserts, orthopedic and custom shoes.Semaine du 4 au 7 août 2002 Beau RE a de suki dv Wiley aqua Co=amas 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