The Westmount examiner, 19 février 1976, jeudi 19 février 1976

[" SINIHNYZANC NO TVS10H 4AS1-NVK TAXES Westmount's property valuation and tax situation and the city\u2019s position in the Montreal Urban Community will be the subject of a special Westmount Municipal Association meeting Tuesday even- mg.As background for the meeting, The Examiner re-examines these issues in a special pull-out section beginning on page eleven.Meeting will cover taxes, valuations and MUC structures Tuesday's public meeting at Victoria Hall to explain and protest the rising costs of the Montreal Urban Community is being designed to delve into the very nature and raison d\u2019étre of the metropolitan body.Included will be speeches by Municipal Affairs Minister Dr.Victor Goldbloom, Westmount MNA Kevin Drummond and Westmount Mayor Donald MaeCallum.The meeting, sponsored by the Westmount Municipal Association, has been called as a result of the alarm created because of the most recent tax bills, sent to Westmount ratepayers late last month, which included tax hikes.of up to 50 percent overall, including some of more than 70 percent for MUC purposes.The WMA has listed six specific points which will be discussed, including the reasons behind the creation and present structure df the MUC: the benefits of the MUC and its present structure; the financial base of the MUC: the role and responsibilities of Westmount and the other suburbs in the MUC; an explanation of the marked and uncontrolled financial burden in the face of apparent diminished benefits to the homeowners.and a discussion of what changes in the MUC and its financial base could and should be made.- Discussion of what means Westmount citizens or council could use to protest the increased tax payment to the MUC will undoubtedly ensue, and the provincial representatives will be given messages from citizens asking for restoration of at least some control over police, tax assessment and other matters now handled by the urban community.Citizen associations from other municipalities are being invited to join in the meeting, the first in Westmount at which Dr.Goldbloom, a resident of 5 Grove Park, will answer protesting citizens.Other municipalities have already tried means of protesting the tax increases, though to date the only action of Westmount city council has been to demand a reconsideration of the property-tax system, in order to make it more \u201cequitable.\u201d Fes FEBRUARY 21 to 29 - Quite cold although mainly \u2018# sunny with some flurries, and %: warming for another unpleasant week.Fog.freezing drizzle and 12 to 15 inches of wet snow would 2 not be unusual at this time, together with a blizzard for all the north country.Nights continue very cold, but days are warming as they lengthen.Temperature range © during the period, 30 below zero * and 10 above.Some sugaring-off could commence in southern : counties next week, but north of the river farmers will have to wait another fortnight.Next week mainly sunny with | very cold nights.Sunshine 30 hours this week and 45 next week.Ski conditions fair to good everywhere.PET * 3EDIY1S1531 VI 30 INC 1-L0/ 1610 SN Making not just your house but all of Westmount your home Vol.XLVIII, No.7 Westmount, P.Q., H3Z 2W6, Thursday, February 19, 1976, AL DT Based on sale prices: 7 Valuations could jump, & another Zone change in works for project A canopied walkway, store entrances on St.Catherine street and six-storey height limitations are being planned for a zoning change announced Monday night affecting the south side of St.Catherine between Greene and Gladstone avenues, Ald.Mel Nixon has told The Examiner.The zone change will affect a building now in the planning stages, being prepared by First Quebec Corporation which already owns much of the St.Catherine street property.Ald.Nixon pointed out that West- mount's architectural and planning commission and city council are decreeing the basics of the type of büiïding, which First Quebec will have to conform to.Ald.Nixon, in giving the notice of motion, pointed out that the zone change would only affect the St.Catherine street frontage, going back as far as the laneway north of Dorchester boulevard.It thus became apparent that First Quebec would not try to purchase the city parking lot south of the lane.: More zoning changes, affecting other parts of the zone at present designated as C-10, may be coming up soon, Ald.Nixon indicated, though no developers have yet expressed an interest in the area used now for parking.Stature, © mov\u201d 19% next year Westmount homeowners can count on property assessments going up another 18 or 19 percent next year, since the local realty demand was still high in 1975 though price increases were lower than in 1974.Westmount\u2019s tax assessment rolls, based on the real estate market of two years previous (the 1976 roll is based on the 1974 realty markups), will be the subject of an information session in Victoria Hall Tuesday night, as residential property-owners assemble to protest the huge increases in assessments (and thus MUC tax bills, CU L since the mill rate did not decrease).Thieves take $5,000 Fifteen minutes work oun a busy street in broad daylight netted thieves some $5,000 worth of jewelry Saturday morning between 8 and 8:15 am.The burglars smashed a window in the door and a showcase window in a Sherbrooke street store and made off with rings, bracelets, a silver spoon, necklaces, chokers and belt buckles.No suspects have yet been apprehended and to date no witnesses of the theft have come forward.Both sides heard in Cote road debate City council listened Monday night to complaints that loo much was being done to restrict traffic on Cote St.Antoine road, then heard complaints that not enough was being done and finally ended the session feeling generally satisfied about the present status of the thoroughfare.Michael Ellwood, 463 Mount Stephen avenue, told council there were relatively few pedestrians on the Cote road sidewalks at any one time, and he seldom had to wait for more than a few moments to cross the street at the busiest of times.\u201cI'm not sure what purpose they serve other than to be an annoyance,\u201d\u2019 he commented.Mayor Donald MacCallum pointed out that that was exactly it, that council was trying to discourage traffic from using the street and to slow what traffic persisted or needed to use it.\u201cEvery time we do this it Continued on page two TODAY'S WORLD \u201cA new sidewalk, new gutters and downspouts, fertilizer for the lawn, all the faucets repaired - and still you want more, Ruth, you're pleasure mad!\u201d Assessments of residential real estate in Westmount went up some 45 percent on the 1976 roll.with one and two-family properties generally going up between 30 to 70 percent.The average price of a house sold in 1973 (reflected in the 1975 roll) was $48,087.82, according to figures collected by The Examiner; in 1974 this average price rose 46.9 percent to $70,618.75, in line with the increase in valuations.While figures for December of 1975 are not yet available, the average sale price of 141 homes sold in Westmount during the first 11 months of last year was $83,937.90, an increase of 18.9 percent over 1974.More hikes to come Thus, those concerned over the increase in assessments on their present tax bill should keep in mind that another healthy in- crease\u2014though not so severe as the latest one-can be expected next year.Those areas of particularly high realty demand in 1975 will, as they did this year, face the highest increases in assessment next year, and will have to shoulder an even greater share of the city, MUC and school tax burdens, given that the system of taxation will not change appreciably next year.The question of actual tax increases, however, cannot be determined until mill rates are set in December.The municipal mill rate last year dropped substantially to offset the abnormally high increases in valuation, but still allowed for a 10 percent increase in tax revenues lo the City of Westmount.The Montreal Urban Community's demand for revenue from Westmount forced city council to add two cents to the tax rate (per $100 valuation), despite the 45 percent increase in residential property assessments With provincial legislators.Continued on page 12 $50 raised Police officers raised $50 in one 24-hour stretch Tuesday and yesterday to donate to the Red Cross for relief work in Guatemala.The cash will be given to the Red Cross by Ust.George Payne. 2 - The Westmount Examiner, Thursday, February 19, 1976 Temporary quarters tiny: Youth clinic still looking _ for new permanent home Directors of 4424 Club, Inc.are still looking for a new location for the Westmount Youth Clinic, which was moved out of its St.Catherine street address last fall.Meantime, individual counselling efforts are continuing on a regular basis in two tiny offices at 4119 Sherbrooke street west, at the corner of Elm avenue.The demise of the drop-in centre and medical clinic close to Westmount High School is a serious loss lo the city\u2019s youth, according to Mrs.Marjorie Bedoukian, director of the centre, andin turn this will probably hurt the city in the long run.Group counselling sessions,and student youth workers from McGill University and Dawson College have also had to be dropped because of the loss of the \u2018coffee house\u201d at 4424 St, Catherine street west, which is scheduled to be demolished and replaced by a six-storey office building.Those inquiring about medical problems are being referred to the Sainte Famille clinic in downtown Montreal or to Head and Hands in Notre Dame de Grace, which has just received a stay of execution from the provincial and federal governments.Full time counsellor Fsychological and social counselling is still carried on by Mrs.Bedoukian, along with psychological testing and counselling on dieting and nutrition.Her extremely busy, appointment-only schedule, however, is far more intense than it was at the former premises, and she gets no chance to assess the development of potential problems in young adolescents until they seek an appointment with her.Anthony's VARIETY STORE Post Office Greeting Cards Etc.Open 8 am to 9 pm (Sunday: 11 am to 6 pm) 4500 St.Catherine St.W.(Cor Abbott) MUCTC BUS TICKETS Slate Roof Specialists Consult Lovell\u2019s Home Directory for other services\u2014p.79 JUL BO CONSTRUCTION LTD.697-2142 We locate out of print.hard to find books send your want list Current books sent promptiy CHAPMANS BOOK SERVICE P.O.Box 263, Westmount, Que.932-8621 St.Bernards o o e e e Schnauzers Newfoundlandse Great Pyrenese Registered and Guaranteed MARY LUNN Franklin Centre Phone 1-827-2704 \u201cI now devote my full time to individual counselling,\u2019 she explains.\u201cThere are no times left when the door is always open, when | can just sit and talk with the kids, or when student workers can chat with them.\u201d At the former location, the downstairs lounge and hallway provided a space where youths could be among themselves, chat together and talk to staff on an informal basis.Often this happened simultaneously with more formal group counselling sessions led by student trainees from McGill or Dawson, and the youths would get interested and want to join in.Often teenagers would drift upstairs to talk to Chery Holmes, the centre receptionist, who might pick up complaints they had about their social or emotional difficulties (if they had any) and refer them to Mrs Bedoukian or one of the other staff.The medical clinic provided a valuable resource for such potential social-emotional troubles as well, since Miss Holmes carefully questioned anyone coming to the centre for treatment of nutritional problems, venereal disease, chronic illness or a host of other complaints.Open at lunch When Westmount High School was in session, the doors of the 4424 location were always open at 12:30 (lunch hour at WHS) so that students could pass time there, get used to the dynamics of the clinic and eventually make use of them during regular afternoon and evening business hours if they were so inclined.Now that the clinic no longer has a drop-in centre, students often congregate in restaurants and stores near the high school, just to get a mid-day respite from the academic environment, even though no special adolescent services are offered at these locations.\u2018This is where the prevention comes in.\u2019 said Mrs.Bedoukian of the close-to-school former premises.\"The students won't go more than a few vards from the school (to seek help), but if you're there and they're there you can talk to them.But unless they've seen me two or three times.the concept of making an appointment and coming to Fine hikes coming soon Roch Bolduc.deputy minister of the department of municipal affairs, has received West- mount\u2019s by-law 802 raising rates for parking and traffic fines in Westmount, City Clerk Ronald B.Seaman told city council Monday night.The $10 fines for parking and the $20 fines for speeding will come into force as soon as the proper tickets have been printed.LEANING Residential & Commercial B.&D.Cleaning Company 4508 St.Catherine St.W.933-1935 » another place is beyond them.The loss of space to accommodate other staff members has hurt in more ways than one.Along with Mrs.Bedoukian and Miss Holmes, Tim Anderson, business manager of the centre, is the only other staff member.Loss of student placements is getting Mrs.Bedoukian out of touch with McGill and Dawson, and she fears her high rating as a good field-work location might be lost before a new centre can be found.The clinic has a six-month renewable lease in their present office building, but notice of intent to stay or to leave must be given by April 1, according to Board President Mrs.Barbara Bronfman.The hunt goes on, but no suitable locations loom on the horizon.Activities decreased Statistics for January show that the move has meant some decrease in activity for the centre, but hardly enough to compensate for the reduced staff.As tho only staff counsellor, Mrs.Bedoukian handled 69 visits, including- seven with new patients.In January, 1975, there were 116 visits to four staff counsellors.Psychological testing has dropped from nine in January last year to eight last month; dietary and nutritional supplements were carried out with 37 patients this year, compared with 40 last year.Some 52 youngsters attended group counselling sessions with a McGill student at the centre last January, and the same number of Both sides .Continued from page one causes problems on other streets and even on the one street,\u201d he said.\u201cWe will watch it and we are watching it.\u201d Counter broken Mrs.Edythe Germain then rose to complain that the city's traffic counter had been broken for a full week when volume surveys were being conducted, so she was unsure if city officials realized the full extent of westbound rush-hour traffic problems on the street.Mayor MacCallum said that enough evidence was available to show that there had been some increase in traffic once de Maisonneuve boulevard was closed last summer, but that volume levels were siill well below what they had been in 1974.\u201cIf what we are doing is insufficient,\u201d he promised her.\u2018we will do more.\u201d Ald.Pierre Lamontagne chimed in that he would be ready to call for stop signs at every intersection on Cote St.Antoine, should the need arise.Mayor MacCallum also pointed out that there are more police patrols now on Cote road, a claim which Mrs.Germain disputed.When the persistent woman began reporting specific incidents of traffic mishaps on the street recently, the mayor responded only, \u2018Life is very hazardous these days.\u201d And there the discussion stopped.Garage gets some extras City council committed another $99,400 to the construction of the new garage in the corporation yards Monday evening, then recommitted the $980,000 already designated for the massive new building, juggling fund accounts but not effectively changing the project budget.The construction was costing Westmount less than they had planned, General Manager Norman Dawe then announced, despite the new commitment of funds.The extra money was being spent to add a paint spray booth and other additions to the garage, according to Ald.Pierre Lamontagne.What will happen to the spare change left over was not announced.Carruthers new pro-mayor Ald.H.David Carruthers was appointed Westmount's pro- mayor for the months of March, April, May and June during Monday night\u2019s city council meeting.À motion to that effect was moved (in French) by Ald.Pierre Lamontagne, then approved unanimously by the rest of council.\u201cYou're it!\u201d Mayor Donald MacCallum then told Ald.Carruthers.\u2018Just be sure you give me plenty of notice before you go out of town,\u201d the rookie solon responded.patients visited the medical clinics.These, of course, have both dropped to nil this year.The centre expects to operate on a budget of $40,000 during 1976, a drop from $53,000 spent last year, unless they are able to find new facilities.The budget is funded partially by the City of West- mount, though the bulk comes from private donations.Mrs.Bedoukian and the staff work out of the office after 2 pm each weekday, though telephone answering service is available to receive calls from distraught youths, and to summon help if needed throughout the day and night.HERITAGE QUIZ ANSWERS It was ironic that some typesetting gremlin 12.at The Examiner changed the spelling of to \u201cpopular\u201d because the tree 13.section of the Heritage Day Quiz last week 14.was very unpopular with everyone, according to reports.except with Mrs.Bryant, West mount's chief librarian, who liked that part \u201cpoplar\u201d best! The author of the quiz has to confess to one inaccuracy, at least, in giving Lieutenant- it) 522-530 Roslyn.or 545 Lansdowne, or de Maisonneuve at Elm, or 4280 Dorchester 4103 Sherbrooke W.near Wood St.Paul's Academy B.PARKS AND TREES .southeast corner Murray Park .Westmount Park (one has a nameplate on Governor instead of Governor-General in question 25.Adults and teenagers have been so shy of offering their answers before Heritage Day that the announcement of prize winners will not be made until next week.two extra days having been given for the contest.For those who are keeping their own private score.here are the answers.A.BUILDINGS .Church of the Advent (1894 maybe) or St.Stephen's (1898-1903) 2.The Old Post Office.Maisonneuve 3.Station No.Claremont .The Glen.south of CPR tracks .St.Catherine and Victoria 5.Abbott Ave.(then Abbott Street) .The Hurtubise House, 563 Cote St.Antoine .west side of Hurtubise House or beside the Goode House, 178 Cote St.Antoine or others .beside 85 Church Hill (the MacFarlane Centennial House) or beside the Buchanan Centennial House, at Mount Pleasant and Rosemount or many others .370 Lansdowne .477 Prince Albert.649 Cote St Claremont or others Greene and de 2.The Boulevard and Antoine at .Summit Park ; .in the new park beside the RCMP bulding, at Anwoth and Clarl.e or others .outside City Hall or between Hallowell and Dorchester 20.in the High School grounds or between St.George's Place and Claremont or others C.STREETS, ROADS AND LANES .Cote St.Antoine Road (originally an Indian trail) .Arlington Lane (also an Indian trail) 23.Selby street 24.Melville Ave.25.Metcalfe Ave.or Lansdowne or Aberdeen D.MISCELLANEOUS LANDMARKS .the lookout on Summit Circle ; .on the parking garage on St.Catherine opposite the Alexis Nihon Plaza .over Westmount Park artificial stream .above the pavilion in Murray Park .from the Boulevard to Edgehill or from Stanton to Thornhill or others .St.Catherine and Lansdowne .St.Matthias\u2019 Church 3.Westmount Park near Melbourne .4300 de Maisonneuve West (Mayor MacCallum's home) 5.Westmount Park near Sherbrooke -~ er Rat ee Er I re QE pet ar.2 J pr \u2014 Coit Be ee Et Ds ei 1C CY 273-6351 7 VE 13-635 VETERANS TAXI ASS'N.L they going?The following calls were answered by the Westmount Fire Brigade during the past week.Feb.10 10:57 pm: front of Shell station on Cote St.Luc road, electrical wiring trouble; Feb.11 6:58 am: 4216 Dorchester, unnecessary call: :04 pm: 4000 de Maisonneuve, internal alarm ringing; :08 pm: 1500 Atwater.strange odor; 10:58 pm: 57 Thornhill, strange odor; 11:15 pm: 45 Thornhill, strange odor: re Te Feb.12 7:39 am: 11 Church Hill, defective oil burner; 8:14 am: 566 overheated dryer: 11:07 am: 33 Rosemount, oil spill: 3:58 pm: 423 Roslyn, burst dishwasher hose: Feb.13 9:56 am: 4350 St.Catherine, false alarm: 4:07 pm: 252 Metcalfe, water in basement: 9:15 pm: 216 Prince Albert, ambulance transport to QEH: Feb.14 8:44 am: 222 Melville, ambulance transport to hospital: Grosvenor, Feb.15 1:11 pm: 6 Weredale.false alarm; 1:21 pm: 271 Melville.fire in upholstered chair tout on arrival): Feb.16 Nil.Armed man hits Cantor's An armed robber walked into Cantor's Bakery, 4853 Sherbrooke street west.last Thursday at 10:12 pm.held up the storekeepers.pushed them into a back room and left the building.The man, described as young, white and English-speaking.was dressed in a dull-colored parka with a fur trim on the hood.There were no custormers in the store at the time.nor do police have record of any other witnesses.The storekeeper was unable to tell police how much had been taken.Parents meeting tonight A general meeting of parents with representatives of the Provincial Association of Catholic Teachers and the Federation of English- Speaking Catholic Teachers has been scheduled for this evening at 8 pm at St.Paul's School.Bill Dube, chairman of the school committee at St.Paul's, will moderate the event.He has invited not only St.Paul's parents but members of other West- mount school committees and the general public to participate in the event.Two arrested for break-in at house Four station 30 constables arrested two men Monday evenings at 9:50 pm as they walked down the stairs of a house on Springfield avenue which they had reportedly tried to break into.A woman called police about the attempted break-in, and almost immediately Csts.R.Calouri.J.Coleman, G.Mec- Donald and P.Sheehan arrived to greet the suspects.The two men arrested, aged 20 and 21.were also charged for a break-and-entry which had occurred that morning at a house on Chesterfield avenue.There, a window had been broken in the door and the house obviously searched, though police were not able to determine immediately what had been stolen.SE J.T © LUMBER © AND PLYWOOD @uom: @ AND | INDUSTRY Call o RUTHERFORDS 932-7161 RUTHERFORD COMPANY LIMITED kL CII TA Thursday.February 19, 1976 OHMAN\u2019S wt.3.4046 oy WATCH REPAIRS Certitied Watchmohers ESTABLISHED 1899 JEWELLERS 1216 Greene Ave.SNOW REMOVERS\u2019 BANE: Clearing Westmount sireets after a snowfall has its complications, not least of which are drivers who park their cars, specially on busier streets, and leave them there well beyond the posted limit.This vehicle, on the south side of St Catherine street between Melville and Metcalfe avenues, had been left there overnight and, to boot, a good six feet away trom the curb.Somehow, at the height of yesterday morning's rush hour it had been overlooked for ticketing, much less being hauled away for impeding traffic.City ploughs had gone around both sides of it.its CPi Nor doing The following building permits were issued at city hall during the past week: Feb.11 613 Cote St.Antoine: for M.J.Clement by self and Bertrand Durand Inc, alterations to basement and plumbing, $1,500; Feb.12 1614 St.Catherine: for J.W.Sancton and Sons Ltd.by Modern Neon Signs, to erect a sign, $200, Feb.16 61 Rosemount: for Paul Bordo by self, to renovate back porch into garage, $2,500.Several differences at council City council's mid-February meeting, held Monday night, was a brief, businesslike 10-minute session followed by a quick 14- minute question period.Despite the brevity of the meeting, it made news in several instances.Not one mention of dogs was made during the session\u2014even off-the-cuff\u2014nor was there any discussion of taxes, which will be the subject of a Westmount Municipal Association public meeting Tuesday evening.Fred Leclaire, who regularly jumps to his feel during the *|, FOR SALE Royal Trust THE SIGN THAT SELLS John Aird Jane Allan Catherine Barton Nora Bernier Joan Colby Daphne Eberts Margaret Evans Barbara Ferguson Sally Hallows Mary Hashimoto Susan Jessop Eva Klein Valerie Kyle Josephine Lantier Ruth Mary Lewis Roval Tri St our expert staff: Contact with confidence, in contidence question period and who had been absent during the meeting two weeks ago, was silent when Mayor Donald MacCallum called for citizen queries.\u201c| had nothing to complain $217 in purse À purse containing $217 worth of goods, mostly traveller's checks, credit clips and other items but little cash, was stolen from an office at Dawson College, 350 Selby street, during the day last Thursday.MO Saturday mo Drop 933-9184 Claudette Limoges 481-5907 487-4791 Margaret Cadman 484-2548 481-9157 Joan McCallum 935-8154 481-8687 Brian McGuigan 487-6278 935-8625 Joan McGuigan 489-7150 937-6455 Elizabeth Paul 481-9915 932-6329 Nicole Powell 487-6069 488-8423 Dorothy Raich 482-4793 931-6571 Mark Rost 738-3796 935-2732 Bob Seltmann 932-0064 871-8419 Georgette Strous 487-2907 481-3530 Pat Thomson 482-3994 737-6911 Leo Verenichuk 331.1547 932-0567 Louise Vocisano 935-5761 932-6257 Aubrey Wassyng 937-6674 James R.Quinlan, F.R.l.Manager 4145 Sherbrooke St.W.Real Estate Broker Buying or Selling for residential real estate LARGEST REALTOR TO BETTER SERVE YOU about,\u201d he told a curious and startled press after the meeting.Only six citizens showed up to watch the proceedings on the warm, almost spring-like evening.Thirty-three people had been on hand at the Feb.2 meeting, despite extremely poor weather conditions.The meeting started at exactly 8 pm, the first time the new council had not been at least a few minutes tardy.Ald.James L.Thom was the only councillor absent from Monday's session.NTREAL'S rning 9a.m.to 12 noon in and visit us.932-1112 PRIZE Win CU AN CORAIS ac MM UNIS ce wets Hi MAS VE xaminer Making not just your house but all of Westmount your home ) Published Every Thursday by J.W.Sancton & Sons Ltd., 4630 St.Catherine Street West, Westmount, P.Q.H3Z 2Wé Editorial, Accounting, Circulation, Display Advertising Departments 932-3157 Classified Advertising, 8.30 a.m.to 5 p.m.weekdays (To 8:00 p.m.Mondays and Tuesdays) 931-7511 The Examiner aims to be an independent, clean newspaper for the home, devoted to public service.Mail subscriptions $7.50 per year; $4.00 half year; 2 years $14.00; 3 years, $20.00.Fifteen cents a copy.Member of the Canadian Community Newspapers Association, Quebec Community Newspapers Association.Second class mail registration number 1760 4 - Thursday, February 19, 1976 CCNA 7 VERIFIED PE EL PAID We Say Decentralization kite?INCOMPREHENSIBLE is the only word for the Quebec government's handling\u2014 or is it non-handling\u201d\u2014of its relations with the province's teachers.Indeed, the same word applies to the Bourassa administration's entire attitude toward public education.It has let schooling drift into a state of utter chaos, demoralization and open wounds which, when healing commences, will leave lasting scars on students, parents, the taxpayers, the vast administration system, and finally.the main corps of hired help, the tcachers.In another context and time, we heard from other parts of Canada: What does Quebec want?\" Now.within the confines of our own province, citizens of all stripes\u2014 including staunch Liberals and active supporters of that party\u2014are being heard asking the same question.In the clear, active, quite literal promotion of a continually deepening shambles in our schools, the citizen must wonder of our government: \u201cWhat does Quebec want?\u201d Anarchy?+ + + THE question must be posed, wherever one stands in relation to the teachers\u2019 cause and their demands upon the public purse For the government is behaving quite irrationally.It either does not know what to do with its own monstrous creation of one vast.province-wide bargaining unit.Or else it knows very well what it is about and some or all of the public's conjectures are true: it is broke and stalling for time; it intends to break up the power bloc which itself has encouraged: it has no intention of bargaining in either good or bad faith.it is attempting to provoke a general walkout from the classrooms so that it may attempt once again to legislate a settlement on its own terms; it has higher priorities, such as the Olympics today and James Bay development tomorrow.than the education today of tomorrow's citizens.The image is of a government which simply doesn\u2019t care.+ + + WE are wondering if, after all.the other- our M.P.Q.Mon.Kevin Drummond says.Something, maybe 0 wise unenlightening Hon.Kevin Drummond, Westmount's MNA, farmer, former forester and onetime education department employee, did not provide us With an overlooked insight into what has happened, at Westmount High School on Jan.27.The hint he dropped was that either he.or the government generally, has reached the conclusion that the excessive centralization in so many areas of public administration may be commencing to fall of its own weight.He conceded that in the education department the improved relationships and efficiency which apparently someone had anticipated simply haven't happened.Either Mr.Drummond was talking in his usual public manner entirely off the top of his head, or he was making an admission for the government of the greatest magnitude: Bigness is not, after all, better.It doesn\u2019t work.Better decentralized.There wasn't that much wrong when local authorities were making decisions according to local needs and wishes.School boards and commissions can and should after all be more than mere rubber-stamping debating societies.+ + + COULD this be the method in the government\u2019s apparent madness?Could the Liberal cabinet have reached such a logical.clear-headed conclusion?Could it have awakened to the fact that the policy of excessive centralization was in fact no proclaimed policy at all\u201d That centralization is the inevitable result of a huge and powerful bureaucracy.not so much under government direction as charting its own course and feeding itself on its own growth?That the machinery of government is comprised of an enormous army of civil servants who also, like the teachers, are pressing their demands for salary and working conditions which haunt the government?: That the way out is now to let the pendulum swing the other way: decentralize.return government to the people.get the Liberal cabinet off an impossible hook?That it used one of the least of its brethren.Mr.Drummaend, to flv the kite\u201d That the honorable member for West- mount.so used to saying nothing, didn\u2019t say quite enough.and we all missed the point he was trying to make + + + IT'S a nice.even exciting theory.Turn out TURN out Tuesday night No Westmounter is wealthy enough not to be concerned about the discriminatory overloading of valuations on private property.No Westmounter has not lost an important segment of his or her personal democratic freedom.of self- determination and local government in the uninvited creation and spreading bureaucratic cancer of the Montreal Urban Community.+ + + THE Westmount Municipal Association has done well to attract the Hon.Dr Victor Goldbloom.minister of municipal affairs.to its public meeting in Victoria Hall at 8 pm Tuesday.A Westmount resident, this nonetheless is the minister's first local appearance before a public meeting of this sort: a gathering of Westmounters mightily concerned about provincial actions and policies which primarily are the responsibility of his department + + + THE fiscal and local-powers rape of the suburbs by the financially and administratively amoral City of Montreal regime\u2014of which Dr.Goldbloom has had earlier humiliating and now most onerous experience over the Olympic Games\u2014was procured by an earlier provincial government.The ill-conceived MUC and MUC Police acts were the response of a dying National Union ministry to the gran: diloquent and administratively irresponsible Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau.caught in the consequences of extravagant and financially disastrous policies culminating in the then- unthinkable strike of the Montreal police and its jolting pay settlement.Montreal.of course.had had annexation designs on its island neighbors.The government of the day botched it.We weren't physically annexed.Imposed without request or even consultation was a burcaucrat's dream of a mad, fourth- level government which has haunted the suburbs and Montreal alike, to say You Dr.Cruess urges citizens turn out Sir: This year there has been a considerable rise in the costs of the Montreal Urban Community to the property owner.This increased cost is most apparent to the homeowner.but the tenant will also feel the burden through increased rents.The Westmount Municipal Association is holding a meeting on Tuesday at 8 pm in Victoria Hall to discuss the MUC.its services, its costs, its controls and what changes might be made.Those responsibie for the function of the MUC.the Minister of Municipal Affairs.Hon.Dr.Victor Goldbloom : the MNA for Westmount Hon.Kevin Drummond.as well as the Mayor of Westmount.His Worship Donald MacCallum.will be there to present their views and to hear the views of citizens.I strongly urge all residents of West- mount to attend this meeting.Unless we can show the government that we are all concerned about the uncontrolled rise in costs, there will be no changes made and we can expect the costs of the MUC to escalate even further above the nearly intolerable level now present.1 hope to see you all on Feb.24.Sylvia R.Cruess President Westmount Municipal Association A strong support for Mrs.Glenda Scott Sir: I would like to support strongly Mrs.Glenda Scott in her plea to dogowners to Tuesday nothing of the successor government of Quebec.It is a dog's breakfast of responsibility without powers, of financial windfalls for the administratively inept central city at the expense of its island neighbors, an implied mandate for continuance of Mr.Drapeau\u2019s visions of greatness without accountability, to either his own citizens or his MUC colleagues.All of which has been continued and permitted to worsen under the Bourassa government, Liberal + + + WE like to think that Dr.Goldbloom can pick up the pieces and restore municipal order to the nation\u2019s biggest urban complex.In this he has his fellow couragement and support Indeed.we expect he will hear their demands Tuesday evening.He already has ordered a study of the inequitable valuation and tax policies generated under provincial rules and MUC aegis, which is the raison d'étre of next week's citizens\u2019 meeting.He may have news for us.Or at least hope.citizens\u2019 en- + + + MAYOR Donald MacCallum will be there to state the city's case, which likely is to coincide with that of his citizens.Westmount 's official position was stated in a city council resolution Feb.2, asking an amendment to the provincial real estate assessment act which, in its present form.throws an unfair burden within the MUC on essentially residential communities such as Westmount.(See text of resolution, along with other background material, on pages 11, 12 and 13.) This meeting in the open between mayor and minister should of itself draw the public from their hearthsides and TV sets.The more so if they care about their tax bills and about who runs their affairs.Oh, yes, Hon.Kevin Drummond, MNA for Westmount.is supposed to be there.Say respect the rights of the citizens of Westmount.I also urge the city to consider year- round leash laws.Unfortunately there are many dogowners who are not responsible for the actions of their dogs even when they accompany them.Many large dogs are allowed to roam freely and knock over garbage.frighten children on the toboganning hill or into the road in front of traffic.Finally, having spent several years washing dog excrement off children\u2019s clothes and shoes, I am now sick and tired of shovelling it off my garden and avoiding it on sidewalks.Elizabeth Tsuk 525 Lansdowne avenue.WESTMOUNT H3Y 2V4 Freestyle skaters' woes at King George Park Sir: I am displeased with the maintenance of King George Park.I feel that the freestyle skating rink should be cleaned at the same time as the hockey rink.If not done that way.the freestyle skaters should be allowed to skate on the hockey rink.When | went to skate on Jan.14.| was turned away with the comment that it \u201cwould be ready in half an hour.\u201d 1 was greatly disappointed and went home.~ I wish someone would do something immediately.Judith Stern 7 Edgehill road WESTMOUNT H3Y 1E8 ® A @a Examining i The \u201cFiles ; Thirty-five Years Ago February 20, 1941 \u201cTo those skeptical people who still think the British Navy can\u2019t deliver the goods, The Overseas Parcels League sends along the information that official word has been received telling that all consignments sent from Canada since Jan.31 have arrived safely in England.The British Overseas Parcels League has been forwarding knitted goods and other comforts to the men who man vessels protecting the British Isles, particularly mine sweeper crews.\" Twenty-five Years Ago February 16, 1951 It is learned by The Examiner that an apartment building may be erected at the corner of Sherbrooke street and Rosemount avenue.The adoption of bylaw 581 will cut the distance of the street line from 30 to 20 feet on the west side of Rosemount avenue, and it is on or close to this corner that the proposed apartment would be presumably built according to our informant.\u201d Fifteen Years Ago February 17, 1961 ** \u2018Pedestrians and motorists must fight it out at the Sherbrooke-Victoria crossing,\u2019 declared J.Piche, chairman of the WMA traffic committee Tuesday.The intersection is considered \u2018dangerous\u2019 to pedestrians crossing on green lights.Apparently they must watch for traffic on all sides as vehicles make left and right turns.WMA members recalled that special pedestrian signs were once used at the intersection but proved ineffective.\u201d Five Years Ago February 18, 1971 \u201cThree young people have occupied an apartment scheduled for demolition on Greene avenue and refuse to move until kicked out by police.The trio have received a letter from Gilles Patenaude, legal counsellor for the department of roads\u2019 expropriation division, telling them to leave by last Friday or legal action will be taken against them.They refuse to move.They claim they have little money, no place to go and that they were duped into paying rent for the apartment.\u201d \u2014 our Hon.C.M.Drury says.Sharing wealth and energy \u2018This week, I would like to discuss with you a few of the ways through which the Department of Public Works is trying to promote sharing among Canada's disparate economic regions and combat increasing energy consumption.In its report entitled \u201cToward More Stable Growth in Construction\u2019 published in 1974, the Economic Council of Canada stated the following: \u201cInstability in the economy at large, and in individual sectors such as construction, creates price and employment pressures that alter the earnings or income position of one group of Canadians relative to another.In the extreme.(this) instability can lead to a pronounced income redistribution .which .may run counter to publicly accepted views of equity.\u201d On the basis of this finding and others, the Economic Council recommended that all levels of government provide for a pattern of stable expenditure and long- term growth.Attempts to stabilize the construction Ë 3 .N Na | / PERTTI 0% Ni | 5 industry presuppose both the availability of data pertaining to construction activity, and an ability to analyse this data.To meet these requirements, Public Works Canada is leading an inter-departmental task force to develop what is to be called a \u201cNational Construction Investment Information System.\u201d Marked differences Because there are marked differences in the degree of inflationary pressure from one geographic area to another, this task force will take a slightly different approach to the collection and processing of data.Instead of using aggregated variables, the need for information sensitive to local conditions requires data about specific projects at the local level.This information will permit the identification of construction spending patterns at the local level, and the formulation of a forecast by sector.These forecasts are to be supplemented by research on the cost of labor, materials and equipment.Ultimately, it may be feasible to translate dollar demand forecasts into specific manpower, materials and equipment requirements and to foresee the amount of direct and indirect employment which will flow from these expenditures.The value of this information system as a tool for developing and carrying out policies of stabilization depends largely on the willingness of all members in the construction community to share information about planned capital projects.The government of Canada is counting on the co-operation of the private sector to help make this system a success.The consumption of energy is another important area requiring new behaviour patterns to contain inflation.It is estimated that by 1980, the annual energy consumption in commercial buildings alone will exceed 1,500 trillion BTUs.In terms of today's prices, this energy consumption will cost Canadian users approximately $3 billion per year.In 1971, Public Works Canada began to search for new ways to reduce energy consumption in public buildings.This search has evolved to an energy conservation effort which now includes: guidelines for the energy operations of all Continued on page 22 The Westmount Examiner, Thursday, February 19, 1976 MY OPINION IT'S CASE OF ACUTE OI GESTION CAUSED OF COURSE > BY SWALLOWING AN MUC TAXBILL 2» ET * the average sulphur dioxide level in downtown Montreal is twice the acceptable level.* carbon monoxide and particulate levels also exceed acceptable levels regularly.* raw sewage and industrial effluents still flow into our drinking water sourece.* leading researchers now believe most cancers are caused by environmental factors.Our evironment is deteriorating daily.We need your help to do something about it.STOP We need.you.SOCIETY TO OVERCOME POLLUTION (A non profit citizens\u2019 environment group) Your voice.Your concern.Your participation.For full information on what we do, please call us at 932-7267.or drop in at 1361 Greene between 1 and 5 p.m.Memberships: Send $5 single, $10 family with your name and address.TOGETHER WE CAN FIGHT THE INDIFFERENCE THAT KILLS 6 The Westmount Examiner, Thursday, February 19, 1976 H.Macintyre Ltd.+ D.Gardner Pres.; ; , 1% .24 He: MS 7 Plumbing Sf £ & Heating Fe R v/C Contractors Phone 482-4924-5 342 B Victoria Ave Westmoun James Established 1913 t Selwyn House zoning okayed without protest Not one person showed up at city hall between 9 am and 7 pm last Wednesday and Thursday to protest the spot-zoning change for 442 Argyle avenue, City Clerk Ronald Seaman reported to city council Monday evening.The zoning change was to allow Selwyn House School to use the building as an annex, with classrooms, a workshop and caretaker\u2019s residence.Registration books were kept open at city hall throughout the two days, but the only people there at 7 pm on Thursday were Mr.Seaman and Ald.Mel Nixon, commissioner for planning and redevelopment.Nobody had signed the book by that time.Extra guests at Holders of season tickets for the Book Lovers\u2019 Forum will be entitled to bring one guest free of charge at the Forum's evening review next Wednedsay.Al the meeting, Dr.Henry Kravitz.professor of psychiatry at McGill and psychiatrist-in-chief of the Westmount Municipal Association NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING The Westmount Municipal Association urges all citizens to attend a meeting designed to clarify the recent municipal and MUC tax bills.Do we pay without complaint or do we listen, learn and question those responsible for these bills?Invited panelists are: Mayor MacCallum of Westmount Hon.Kevin Drummond, MNA for Westmount Hon.Victor Goldbloom DATE: TIME: PLACE: 4 & Tuesday, February 24 8p.m.Victoria Hall TELL YOUR NEIGHBOUR; CLIP OUT AND POST THIS NOTICE %