The record, 25 mai 1989, jeudi 25 mai 1989

Thursday Births, deaths .Classified .Comics .Editorial .Education .Farm & Business Living .Sports .Townships ."You wanted it under the seat in front, so it's under the seat in front! " 10 8 9 4 5 7 6 11 3 McLaughlin throws hat :.vv* k\ ! I KNOW Weather, page 2 Sherbrooke Thursday.May 25, 1989 40 cents For me, he had no defence — Lawyer Evidence was too strong so MP Grisé pleaded guilty By Daniel Sanger MONTREAL (CP) — MP Richard Grisé pleaded guilty to corruption charges because the evidence was too strong and he stood little chance of beating them, his lawyer said Wednesday.“I looked at the evidence and it was just overwhelming," said Jean-Claude Hebert in an interview “So I suggested that he plead guilty." Grisé pleaded guilty Tuesday to two charges of fraud and nine charges of breach of trust.He was sentenced to one day in prison and three years' probation and fined $20.000.The former Conservative backbencher, now sitting as an Independent for the riding of Cham-bly, southeast of Montreal, w as ori ginally scheduled to answer the charges next week But Hébert said Grisé asked for the hearing to be moved up after deciding earlier this month to plead guilty Hébert said there was no attempt to bargain for reduced charges by agreeing to the guilty pleas.FEELS SATISFIED “Obviously.I would have preferred him not to spend any time in jail but considering what the charges were I'm not too upset." The 45-year-old Grisé (pronoun ced Gree-zay’) entered a cell shortly after his 1 p m.hearing and was released at 4 p.m.By pleading guilty.Grisé, a businessman.admitted that he had demanded cash payments from companies that won federal contracts to construct a communi ty centre in his riding, and that he had pocketed $4,000 from cheques made out to three people on the House of Commons payroll Crown prosecutor Marcel Pate naude also said he was pleased with the penalty and would not ap peal although former Tory M P M i chel Gravel received a year in pri son and a $50.000 fine for corrup tion charges Feb 6 “Grise's is a much more isolated case and not on the same scale at all." Insp Raymond Berube, the RCMP investigator who handled Grisé s case would not comment on the sentence.He said any complaints that thé public would not know the full de tails of Grise’s case because the Ml’ pleaded guilty would have to be addressed at the House of Commons "It's up to the elected represen tatives to decide what to do." But the man who finished second to Grisé in last November’s federal election said the sentence was hardly more than a slap on the wrist and should be appealed Ly the Crown.in NDP ring None hurt in Sutton blaze By Gord McIntosh OTTAWA (CP) — Confirming one of the worst-kept secrets in Ottawa, Audrey McLaughlin said Wednesday she is seeking leadership of the New Democratic Party.At a rally of supporters, that included six fellow caucus members chanting and clapping in unison and even a baby or two.the 52-year-old Yukon MP said it is her goal to finish what current leader Ed Broadbent started.That is — building a national party, not only by electing members from every region, but also by appealing to people from all walks of life.McLaughlin, elected caucus chairman last fall, said the party must review its policies not to ensure they will be relevant in the 1990s but to ensure they fit NDP principles.“Policies change but principles do not," she told 55 supporters crowded into a parliamentary meeting room.McLaughlin voted against the Meech Lake constitutional accord soon after her 1987 byelection victory because it did not include representation for northerners, aboriginal peoples and women.OPPOSES MEECH She continues to oppose Meech Lake as it stands.But she said it is important that Quebec be brought into the Constitution and that its distinct society be recognized and therefore she would support an amended accord.McLaughlin’s entry brings to four the number of NDP caucus members who have declared themselves.The others are Ian Waddell of British Columbia, Steven Langdon of Ontario and Simon de Jong of Saskatchewan.None of McLaughlin’s opponents so far have been able to produce public supporters from caucus.NDP health critic Margaret Mitchell, one of the six MPs at the rally, told reporters she believes almost one-quarter of the 43-member caucus back McLaughlin.The other five at the rally were Svend Robinson, Dawn Black, Joy Langan, Ross Harvey and John Brewin.Neither Mitchell nor Robinson would say who the other caucus supporters are.Former caucus members Pauline Jewitt and Marion Dewar were also visible supporters.McLaughlin, born in Guelph, Ont., but a 20-year Yukon resident, acknowledged there is wide perception that the NDP would be weak in economic management and hinted the December leadership convention in Winnipeg will be an opportunity to change that by reviewing policy.-, - ¦ ‘I W" **¦ A î x r if - IF '¦ ^ mk * §T ' ¦ ¦ Along with firemen from five towns in two countries, courageous Sutton contractor Jean-Guy Potvin worked through the night in a desperate attempt to prevent a $2-million fire from spreading.RECORD/SHARON McCULLY They succeeded, No one was hurt and a major catastrophe was narrowly spared when they saved a gas station next door, for the full story turn the page.‘They had no idea what they had in their possession’ Budget summary leaked three days before release By Jim Coyle OTTAWA (CP) — An Ottawa man was given a copy of a federal budget summary three days before Finance Minister Michael Wil-soh was to deliver it to the Commons and knows of at least three copies that were made, the man's lawyer said Wednesday.A handful of other people were told of the contents of the summary, the lawyer added.In Ottawa Finance Minister Michael Wilson admitted Wednesday he knew before he read an abbreviated budget speech April 27 to the Commons that details had been leaked days earlier to a major insurance company.But to howls from opposition benches, Wilson insisted he was constrained because of an RCMP investigation from making public that information — even though Prime Minister Brian Mulroney had promised that same day that any new information would be brought to Parliament Robert McFarlane, 31, a security equipment salesman, was given a copy of the budget-in-brief document on April 24 in a restaurant bar by one of two acquaintances, his lawyer told reporters.Robert Houston said the person who provided the document — who he refused to identify, who is known to police and who apparently worked in the government printing bureau — carried the document in a gym bag.As far as his client knows, there was only one copy in the bag.Houston said Houston said McFarlane was given the document, took it home that night and showed it to his parents “They had no idea what they had in their possession,” he said.“Neither took the document se riously.” The apparently noted tax increases on the usual “sin" products such as alcohol and the cancellation of the nuclear submarine program, he said.The following day, his father, George McFarlane, 55, an agent with the Mutual Life Assurance Co.of Canada in Ottawa, took the document to work.There, one copy was made by a colleague and sent to head office in Waterloo, Ont., and another copy kept by the coworker.Houston said a third copy was made from that copy for an out-of-town agent who took it to Toronto on Wednesday.McFarlane was unaware some of the copies had been made, the lawyer said That night, the contents of the budget were also discussed by the elder McFarlane with another son, John, 35, a civilian employee of the Department of National Defence, Houston said, and John further discussed it with about five colleagues.On April 26, Robert McFarlane took the document to his workplace He also discussed it with a co-worker, but knows of no copies that were made, Houston said After eating dinner at a restaurant and visiting the race track, he arrived home at about 10 p.m.that night to find his parents watching television coverage of the budget leak and expressing sudden interest in the document."The father inquired of the son, ‘Do you still have the pamphlet?’ And Bob assured him that he did ” Global Television had broadcast details of the summary, forcing Wilson to release the budget a day ahead of schedule at a late-night news conference.Wilson has refused repeated calls to resign, calling the leak an apparent breach of trust and criminal act.The following day, the McFarlanes — after being contacted by reporters — called Houston He notified the RCMP and the do cument was turned over to them Ottawa to help fund anglo health services By Donald McKenzie QUEBEC (CP) — Ottawa at each this year to promote a p anglophones the right to health federal and provincial cabine nesday.The law was passed in Decembei complained vociferously that it has But federal Secretary of State Gerry Weiner, an English-speaking Quebecer, praised the Quebec law as he announced de tails of the agreement at a news conference.“It's the government of Quebec acknowledging our (English Quebecers’) very existence, respecting it, showing how vital a part we can play,” said Weiner, who repre sents a Montreal-area riding with a significant anglophone presence.“When 1 go across the country, what Quebec has been able and willing to do will serve as a model to others,” Weiner added, noting that Ottawa has signed similar agreements with New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Ontario and the Yukon The five-year agreement, with the sum of money to be negotiated on an annual basis, provides for the translation and printing of docu ments on the availability of services.It also calls for the appointment of 11 co-ordinators throughout the province who will act as liaisons between regional health councils and English speaking Quebecers.Louise Robic, Quebec’s junior health minister, said the objectives of the agreement are quite clear.“This money will permit us to make sure that the anglophone community is well aware of the services that are available in each id Quebec will spend $550,000 rovineial law that guarantees and social services in English, t ministers announced Wed 1986, but anglophone groups have done little to improve services.region of the province,” Robic said.BACKS MOVE Kathleen Weil, a spokesman for Alliance Quebec, the province’s largest English rights group, prai sedthe agreement, calling it “a po sitive step." "What we really wanted from the outset was money to allow community participation,” Weil said in a telephone interview from Montreal “To make sure that the access plans are complete and viable, you need people to monitor them.” Robic dismissed a suggestion that Quebec francophones might perceive the law as evidence that anglophones are receiving ser vices which they’re not.“It’s not a question of favoring one community over another,” she said.“It’s a question of making sure that the resources that are already there are made available.“It’s quite clear that in certain regions, there are deficiencies, but it’s the same for everybody.And that’s a problem the government will have to solve at some point.” The Eastern Townships region will receive the largest part of the $1.1 million — $217,000 — while the Montreal area will get just $35,000.Robic said the low figure for Montreal is normal because the re sources already exist there.1,300 investors taken Swiss swindler in Montreal — suspect RCMP By Rob Bull MONTREAL (CP) — A man charged with one of the biggest criminal frauds in Swiss history has been living in Montreal for the last two years, a senior RCMP officer said Wednesday Andre Plumey, wanted for swin dling 1,300 Swiss investors out of more than 300 million Swiss francs ($167 million Cdn) in a scheme to make fast profits out of Colorado oilfields, fled Switzerland in Ja nuary 1986.“We got a request to find him from the Swiss authorities in 1987,” said Supt.Pierre Schryer, in charge of federal law enforcement for the province of Quebec.“We located him and advised the Swiss.Since then we have awaited developments.” Schryer said Plumey, under the name Jean-Michel Trincano, has opened a Montreal investment firm called Mitrin Financial En terprises Corp.“We’re convinced Trincano and Plumey are one and the same man,” Schryer said.Wednesday evening, three Quebec provincial police officers visi ted Tricano’s 18th-floor office in downtown Montreal and examined several files.Carole Cloutier, an officer with the economic crimes division of the provincial police, would not let a reporter into Tricano’s office and refused to comment on what police were doing there.Trincano was not available for comment Wednesday His office referred callers to an answering service which said he had not called for his messages all day HIRED LAWYER When Mitrin was federally incor- porated in October 1986, the company lawyer and vice president was Harry Blank, a for mer Liberal memberof the Quebec legislature and a prominent immi gration lawyer."He said his name was Trincano and he came from P rance,” Blank, of Montreal, said in an interview “He had been recommended to me by a French law firm.His pas sport was French and it said his name was Trincano We spoke French.I had no idea he could have been anyone else.” The lawyer said he had been listed as an officer of the company “strictly for the purposes of incorporation ” “I took my name off the books when I filed the first annual report in 1987 and I haven’t seen the man in more than a year." Joerg Kistler, spokesman for the Swiss justice department, said Wednesday in Geneva that an extradition request is being prepared.He said Swiss authorities had been aware of the financier’s whereabouts for some time but had not yet filed for extradition because of the complexities and time in volved.Schryer said: “It’s a paper fraud.The last message we got from the Swiss a couple of months ago said they had to translate a lot of documents.” FOLLOW TREATY William Corbett, extradition specialist with the Canadian Justice Department, said cases of extradition between Canada and Switzerland are governed by a treaty signed in 1880 between Switzerland and Britain 2—The RFX'ORD—Thursday, May 25, I9K9 m r r r r The Townships Itecorï 4I can’t get a clear answer wants build’ Geologist: My mining rights come first at Suffield site fiy Rita Legault SHERBROOKE — Civil engineer Jean Shoiry’s plan to restore part of the abandoned Suffield mine site and build a home there may have to wait for prospectors.A geologist who owns mining rights to the land wants to do some exploring Eight years ago Jack Stock, an exploration geologist from Rouyn-Moranda, acquired mineral rights for the ancient Suffield Mine as veil as the King and Howard mines learhy.He has now signed a letter of in-ent with Quebec mining giant No-randa Inc.for a joint venture to xplore the abandoned mine sites in Rock Forest.While Shoiry owns surface rights to the Suffield land, Stock owns the mineral rights.Each right is independent in Quebec law.but Shoiry cannot prevent Stock from exploring or mining the area Stock said Wednesday in a phone interview from his office in Noran-da that Shoiry has told him he plans “a couple of buildings on the site”.But Stock also said that Shoiry is telling a different story than his neighbors are.POLLUTE WATER?Neighbors of the mine, who fear landfill at the site may pollute their drinking water, have brought their case against Shoiry’s proposal to the provincial farmland protection board.Noranda will need permission from Shoiry to work at the mine and will have to pay for any damage to the property.This may or may not become a problem depending on where Shoiry intends to locate the home.Stock said.“I don’t mind it if he doesn’t interfere with my mining rights,” Stock said.“But I can’t get a clear answer if he wants to build on the shaft.” Stock blames Rock Forest town council for past problems at the mine site, particularly for allowing a group of “bikers” to build an illegal house on top of the mine shaft.“The culprit in this affair is the municipality,” he said.“Some idiot built a building on top of the shaft and the municipal inspector allowed him to go ahead with it.” Stock said building a home over the shaft, which is more than 600 feet deep, is "the stupidest thing he has ever heard of” because in an earthquake “they would have the fastest elevator ride ever in North America.” DUMPSITES Stock also said he is wary of Shoiry's plan to use landfill on the mine site after Rock Forest used the King and Howard mine shafts as a dump, filling them with municipal garbage.“This not only affects my rights,” he said, “but it is also not great for anyone who is worried about the environment.” Stock described Suffield as a poly-metallic mine, which means there is zinc, lead, copper, silver and gold in the ore there.The geologist said there are known reserves on the property but at today’s prices not enough to justify mining.He said he has already done some diamond drilling on the property and samples show some “gold value”.He added that Noranda plans to search on the property this summer at a cost of $600,000, and will also pay Stock to explore there.If Shoiry refuses to allow Stock and Noranda to do exploratory work in the mine.Stock said he and Noranda will take Shoiry to court.“If I can't explore I can’t make any money," Stock said.“He doesn’t have the right to interfere with my mineral rights," he said, adding that provincial law allows a temporary injunction for exploration, a short-term or permanent expropriation which would force Shoiry to sell the land to him The geologist said chances of finding something are “pretty small” but if exploration uncovers something worthwhile he will share the profits with Noranda 50-50.The Stock/Noranda project will also affect other Suffield neighbors who have surface rights on land where Stock holds mineral rights.Management fears worse trouble at holiday time Chosen few: Hotel Dieu-Sherbrooke on angry nurses’ hit list By Rossana Coriandoli SHERBROOKE Hôtel Dieu Hospital may be the only one in the area to be affected by the latest nurses’ pressure tactics, but admi nistrators intend to keep going des- pite the odds.At least that’s the message Hôtel Dieu’s general manager Albert Painchaud wants to send out.“Tonight all the beds in the hospi tal are being occupied,” Painchaud said in a phone interview Wednesday evening.“We will just continue to make decisions from day to day.” The Quebec Federation of Nurses ordered a new pressure Knowiton Légion project Afghans wanted for veterans SHERBROOKE (JT) — Attention needlepoint lovers, have we got a cause for you! Marion Gardner of the Knowiton branch of the Royal Canadian Legion invites needlepoint volunteers to knit or crochet afghan blankets for veterans residing in local hospitals.The measurements required are 36 inches by 60 inches.“They like them long enough to tuck in their“ feet,” Gardner writes.She and husband Maurice wrote the Record to make a public request for the afghans.Legion vo lunteers serve four hospital wards representing about 160 patients.In recent Novembers, however, they have had difficulty recruiting volunteers to visit during Remembrance Day commemoration.The veterans and volunteers at Knowiton Legion would be very grateful to those who could help by supplying their own acrylic and phentex yarn and knit or crochet afghans.Those interested may call the Knowiton legion at (514) 243-0960 or Mrs.Albert Smith in Sutton at (514) 538-3662.She is responsible for storing the afghans until they are distributed.tactic to begin last Sunday, intended to put extra pressure on government negotiators.Since April 21 the nurses have been refusing to work overtime.Negotiators went into intense negotiations three weeks ago to try and work out a contract both sides would be willing to sign.The nurses have been without a contract since last summer.The union is seeking an immediate wage hike of 20.5 per cent and substantial benefit improvements.But the government is sticking to its four-per-cent offer.Since Sunday, 2500 casually-employed nurses across the province started a work-to-rule campaign.which means they are refusing to work more than two shifts per week.Nine hospitals across Quebec were chosen as targets for the new tactic, Hôtel Dieu is the only one in the Eastern Townships.Painchaud said he does not know why his was the area’s targetted hospital.“I don’t know why, you’ll have to ask the union for the answer to that one,” he said.Painchaud said Hôtel Dieu has managed to keep its care quality intact since the nurses voted to ban overtime, but he does not know what the new tactic will mean for the hospital.He said management nurses will have to pick up the slack and there will more rotation of personnel.“Now more important acrobatics will have to be done with nurses, with personnel,” he added.“For the next 28 days we will manage,” he said.“But when there is unexpected absenteeism there will be no replacement nurses.” Painchaud said he has asked the union to authorize the use of extra nurses in such cases so patients don’t suffer because of the contract negotiations.“In the last month, emptying of 30 beds has permitted us to give patients services of the same nature as in the past,” he said.Painchaud said the hospital also emptied two Intensive Care Unit beds and cancelled most elective surgery since the overtime ban.He said this move gave the hospital extra nurses to work in wards where the union tactics caused a greater shortage of personnel, such as the Emergency ward.As well as higher wages, the union is asking for improved working conditions, including less double-shift and overtime work The nurses also want hospitals to have more full-time positions.News-in-brief Arrested Nazi war criminal was protected by extreme-right Roman Catholics PARIS(AP)— PaulTouvier, accused of committing crimes against humanity as head of a pro-Nazi militia in Lyon during the Second World War, was arrested this morning in southern France, police sources said The sources said Touvier, 74, was captured at an abbey near Nice.There have been reports for Top Canadians in capital Francophonie^ Senegal faces war — Mauritania PARIS (AP) —- Mauritanian troops are massing on the border with Senegal, where top Canadian officials are attending a summit meeting, and the African neighbors may go to war.Mauritania’s interior minister said Wed nesday.Djibrill Quid Abdallahi said in an interview on the French television network Antenne 2 that M auritania is ready to make war if “Senegal makes it." “When a frontier that seemed to be settled is thrown into question and troops mass on the other side, one is obliged to do the same thing,” he said, without providing any details on Senegalese troop-movements.He said Mauritania massed troops on the border along the Senegal River, although he declined to give their precise location or number Asked if war is possible, he said it is.He said France is partially responsible for the conflict because it transferred people from one country to the other during colonial rule.Anti-Senegalese violence in Mauritania and violence against Mauritanians in Senegal in recent weeks has left an estimated 260 people dead.The dispute between the countries has long historical and racial roots, but the latest confrontation was sparked by a mi nor border incident near the river in April.Tens of thousands of Mauritanians and Senegalese were repatriated in a massive airlift.Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, External Affairs Minister Joe Clark, Environment Minister Lucien Bouchard, Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa and New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna are in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, for the summit of francophone countries.years that extreme-right Roman Catholics were protecting him.In Nice, police confirmed that Touvier was under arrest and being questioned at headquarters but refused to provide further information.“We see this with great satisfaction,” Beate Klarsfeld, France’s best-known Nazi hunter, said of the arrest.“It’s a great bravo for French justice.” Touvier was sentenced to death in absentia in 1945 and 1947 on convictions of collaborating with the Nazis and executing and torturing members of the resistance as Lyon head of the Milice.The Milice had worked closely during the Nazi occupation with the Gestapo, whose leader in Lyon was Klaus Barbie.He was sentenced in 1987 to life in prison for crimes against humanity.Touvier was not caught, and the 1945 and 1947 sentences against him could not be carried out because of a 20-year statute of limitations.President Georges Pompidou pardoned Touvier in 1971, restoring his rights as a citizen.WENT INTO HIDING Touvier went into hiding two years later when new charges were raised.Charges of crimes against humanity were filed against him in 1981 and an international arrest warrant issued The new warrant lists six charges of crimes against humanity, including the killing in 1944 of Victor Basch.He was the 81-year-old president of France’s League for Human Rights and had taken refuge in the Lyon area.Magazines and newspapers have published extensive accounts of Touvier’s protection by the Catholic hierarchy until 1967.The address on his official identity card was the archbishop’s headquarters in Lyon, and church officials are reported to have asked for the 1971 pardon.Since Touvier’s return to hiding.there have been reports that he came under the protection of fundamentalist Catholics with extreme-right political views.A death notice for Touvier was published in a Grenoble newspaper in 1984, giving thanks in the name of his family for expressions of sympathy.Touvier’s brother Andre, 61, said he was surprised by news of the arrest, because he had been convinced his brother had died.“In a certain sense, his arrest is a good thing.The inquiry will show, even if he is not lily white, that people have exaggerated and made a mythic figure out of him." Flour strike halts production New top sailor #¦___tel ifecora George Maclaren, Publisher Randy Kinnear, Assistant Publisher Charles Bury, Editor .Lloyd G.Schelb, Advertising Manager.Richard Lessard.Production Manager Mark Guillette, Press Superintendent .Guy Renaud, Graphics.Francine Thibault, Composition .CIRCULATION DEPT.819-569-9528 KNOWITON OFF.: 514-243-0088 FAX: (819) 569-3945 Subscriptions by Carrier: weekly 569-9511 569-9511 569-6345 569-9525 569-9931 569-9931 569-4856 569-9931 $180 Subscriptions by Mail: Canada: 1 year- $7400 6 months- $44.00 3 months- $30 60 1 month- $15.00 U.S.& Foreign: 1 year- $151 00 6 months- $92.00 3 months- $62 00 1 month- $32.00 Back copies of The Record are available at the following prices: Copies ordered within a month of publications 60e per copy.Copies ordered more than a month after publication $1 10 per copy MONTREAL (CP) — A wildcat strike by 200 workers halted production Wednesday at a plant of Ogilvie Mills Ltd., a flour mill which (he company says is the largest in Canada.The workers, who are members of the Confederation of National Trade Unions, have accused the company of not respecting the clauses of their labor contract regarding overtime.The contract between the union and Ogilvie began in February 1988 and expires in January 1990.Herman Champagne, Ogilvie's director of industrial relations, said.“There are going to be some significant technological changes in our plant over the next few years and this could very well affect the amount of overtime that our people work 500 pink slips at CBC OTTAWA (CP) — About 500 CBC employees will have to be laid off because of the recent federal budget cuts, CBC president Pierre Juneau told MPs on Wednesday.And the CBC will be lucky to maintain its present level of Canadian content on English television of 82 per cent, let alone meet its goal of 95 per cent in the next five years, Juneau said The government announced in last month's budget the CBC will face $140 million in cuts over the next five years.But documents presented to the Commons communications committee on Wednesday show the real value of the cuts is $380 million when extra taxes, increased costs of unemployment insurance and lack of inflation protection are taken into account HALIFAX (CP) — Canada’s navy has a new top sailor.Rear Admiral Robert E.George has been pro moted to vice-admiral and will take over as commander of Maritime Command in Halifax, Defence Minister Bill McKnight said in a statement from Ottawa.George, 48, replaces Vice Admiral Charles Thomas who took on the job in July 1987, weeks after the release of the Conservative government’s defence white paper which promised a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines for the navy.USS Iowa explosion planned?NEW YORK (AP) — U.S.navy investigators have found evidence to support the possibility murder or suicide was involved in an explosion that killed 47 sailors aboard the battleship USS Iowa, NBC News reported Wednesday.NBC quoted unidentified navy sources disclosing “some disturbing facts” about a surviving sailor who stands to collect $100,000 US from the insurance policy of one of the men killed in the explosion April 17.Investigators found gunpower and blasting caps in a search of the belongings of Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Kendall Truitt, 21, NBC said.They also found at his home one of the burlap patches gunners insert between bags of powder to clean the barrels of the battleship’s huge guns during firing, the network said.Truitt was quoted in published reports last week saying the navy created homicide or suicide scenarios involving him and Clayton Har-twig, 25, to make them scapegoats for an explosion investigators cannot otherwise explain.Established February 9, 1897, incorporating the Sherbrooke Gazette (est.1837) and the Sherbrooke Examiner (est.1879).Published Monday to Friday by The Record Division, Groupe Québécor Inc.Offices and plant located at 2850 Delorme Street, Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1K 1A1.Second class registration number 1064.Member of Canadian Press Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation Weather Clearing early Thursday morning, sunny for the rest of the day, the high 20 Showers for Friday.Doonesbury Three dead in Spanish car blast BILBAO, Spain (AP) — Suspected Basque separatists detonated a car-bomb that killed three policemen and injured five other people on Wednesday in the northern Basque city of Bilbao, a provincial spokesman said.The bomb exploded as a police bomb squad inspected a stolen car parked outside a dealership.The dealership had been damaged three hours earlier by a small bomb, said a spokesman for the Vizcaya province Civil Governor’s office.No group immediately claimed responsibility.But the spokesman said police suspected the Basque separatist group ETA, which seeks in dependence for the Spain’s northern Basque region.The explosion killed two police officers and a member of a bomb squad of the Ertzainza, the police force of the autonomous government of the Basque region, the spokesman said.Chinese army brass backs Peng BEIJING (AP) — The top army command published a letter Wednesday strongly supporting conservative Premier Li Peng, who is locked in a bitter battle for power with rival factions opposing his crackdown on student protesters.Foreign Minister Qian Qichen told diplomats a meeting of the Communist party’s policymaking Politburo will be called today or Friday, perhaps signalling the behind-the-scenes power struggle between Li and Communist party chief Zhao Ziyang is coming to a head.Wan Li, head of China’s parliament, cut short a visit to the United States and flew home Wednesday for what he said were health reasons.But U.S.officials believe he is hurrying back to demand Li’s ouster.BY GARRY TRUDEAU KICK, ASIP£ FROM THB HONPURAS 7HINÛ, HOW PO YOU j 7H/NK IM POIN6 7 HON- E6TLY, SIR?/ X % SURF.' I LOVBTHB OIVB-ANP-TAK3WITH you BOYS IN THB / PRESSf .Wm, SIR, l THINK THB WHITE HOUSE HAS BECOME REACTIVE, THAT IT'S 0EIN6 UP BY EVENTS.A" EVERYONE'S WONPERJNG WHEN YOU'RE 60IN6 TO STOP BEING EXCITED ANP START BEING EXCITING- PEOPLE ARE WAITING FOR YOU TO BECOME MORE.WELL LEAPERUKE! RICK, WE'RE STUPYING THE LEAPERSHIP THING.WE'RE TAKING A NO-HOLDS-BARREP LOOK AT IT! W SIR, COULD YOU HEAT THIS SUCKER UP, FOR ME PLEASE?\ '4 5 Z5 Original microfilmed at varying intensitieB because The RECORD—Thursday.May 25.19H9-4 The Townships _ mam ‘We have very talented students*, but good parents help — ETSB president Margaret Paulette High school students honored with Awards of Excellence By John Tollefsrud SHERBROOKE — Senior high school students from both language communities were honored at the third annual presentation of Awards for Excellence Wednesday at the Sherbrooke Chamber of Commerce.Some of the most promising stu dents from the Eastern Townships School Board and the Sherbrooke Catholic School Board were given / Awards of Excellence winners from the ETSB: Back row, standing — PascalConn-Favillier, Guy Boisjo-li, Pamela Williams, Nancy Elkas, Gloria Scott, Kandy Mackey, Marc-Andre Houle.Front row, sea ted — Karen Morin, Josée Turcotte, Marcy Hen de rson.plaques and medals for their win ning entries in one of four categories of academic competition, including vocational programs, science/mathematics, liberal arts and fine arts There were 10 winners from each school board.(For a complete list and pictures of winners, see Page 5.) Margaret Paulette, ETSB presi dent, said the awards are the per feet vehicle for recognizing academic talent EDUCATION.BUSINESS “It's one way to let the public know that we have very talented students in our school system," she said.“And we have a profound commitment to group education with business." The Awards of Excellence program is a joint venture between the two Sherbrooke-area school boards and the Sherbrooke Chamber of Commerce.The chamberor ganizes the awards, and helps sponsor them along with the Toronto-Dominion Bank and La Fédéra tion des Caisses Populaires de TEstrie.Ic If interviews with two winning I recipients are an indication, the awards are achieving their goal of encouraging excellence — and the || pursuit of it — in the public school g system.Kandy Mackey, a grade 11 student at Alexander Galt from Cookshire, received a gold medal in the liberal arts category for her study of two groups of victims in society native people and rape victims The pair of research pa pers examined the groups in the context of justice or the lack of it "My opinion is that they're not treated as they should be.Mackey said of native Canadians And for rape it's a case of cr.ne - 1 guess it's also a hidden crime because many people don't know about it " HELP AT HOME Mackey, who will study commerce at Champlain College next year, said she was inspired to enter the competition by her parents and her home-room teacher.“Without my parents 1 wouldn't be anywhere," she said "My homeroom teacher Mrs.Mildon really helped me.she proofread what 1 had done and encouraged me." President Paulette praised tea chers for their motivational skills in the classroom She also pointed out the importance of parental sup port for students, saying it makes a big difference.“I really do feel that young people who get a pat on the back from mom and dad at home have a better chance of success in school.” Ayer's Cliff resident Gloria Scott, also of Alexander Galt, took top honors in the fine arts category for her performance skills on piano and flute.The grade 11 musician was innovative, recording a piano piece and then using that as ac companiment for her flute playing in a self-made duet.Scott played several selections to reach the finals of the Excel lence awards, including The Gal hard Muuietto con vanaiiom and Bach's Three Part Invention Mu sic selection w as an important les son for Scott because it forced her to identify her strengths "I had to decide on the music that 1 could bring out the best." she said CLOSER TO DREAM ?Like Mackey, Scott will attend Champlain next year and she will also pursue grade 10 in a conservatory of music.She said becoming a member of a symphony orchestra would be a “dream" and the award is encouraging her to seek a music career Which instrument does she like better?“Piano is by far my preference.I’ve had more experience in piano and 1 can express myself better with piano,” Scott said Other liberal arts entries by the winning students included a precious rock display, an analysis of Nazi general Erwin Rommel and the Afrika Korps, and a short story called "The Racist".The latter was written by Montcalm High School student Maxime Aube and led to a bronze medal.The fictional account tells the story of a diehard racist who in the end succumbs to other racists.Aube said he would have preferred the gold medal but the award encourages him "It gives you tenacity and pride." On Wednesday, 20 local high school seniors felt little else.‘People are paying for it?CNTU: Battered children hurt by provincial money squeeze City garage fire put out fast By Rita Legault SHERBROOKE — Troubled children will pay the price if the Quebec government doesn’t hire more staff to help youngsters on youth protection waiting lists.The Confederation of National Trade Unions (CNTU) held a press conference Wednesday to criticize government management of social affairs policy.Local CNTU officials say the waiting list for troubled minors in the Sherbrooke area is about 200.Some 40 have been evaluated but social workers have no time for them with already large caseloads.This means children who are neglected, beaten or even sexually abused can wait up to two months and sometimes longer before a social worker will intervene, said Robert Bélanger, a social worker and union spokesman.NEED NINE MORE There are 147 social workers in the region but Belanger said nine more would be needed to deal with the full local caseload.And he said the union figures are conservative.Youth protection managers say they need still more.Across the province the situation is bleak, according to a recent study for the Fédération des affaires sociales, and another 269 social workers should be hired across the province.In the meantime thousands of children in need of protection are on waiting lists, the union said.Bélanger also said that working conditions make it hard for social workers to help all the children needing care.He said they spend about 25 per cent of their time on paperwork and other administrative duties.REPLACEMENT SLOW He said that to cut spending the province’s Youth Protection Committee is also slow replacing workers on maternity leaves, sab baticals or other extended time off.“They try to save money, we are already in a deficit," Bélanger said."Maybe its good management, but people are paying for it.Some people are deprived of service.” Bélanger added that the local youth protection office also doesn’t replace workers who take monthlong summer holidays while el- sewhere in the province youth protection agencies don't replace workers on leave at all.“We aren’t a business here,” he said.“People who don’t get service don’t complain.CHILD VICTIMS “Battered children can’t demand this service,” he added.“We are talking about infants and children who are a couple years old.” Bélanger said that the CNTU in-formation campaign, amid contract talks with Quebec, is meant to pressure the government.“It’s a strategy, we won’t hide that,” he said.“It’s a good time.“Our clients cannot make demands,” he added.“It’s up to us (youth protection workers) to make demands for them.” Bélanger said additional resources for local Youth Protection offices would not directly benefit social workers.He said hiring more staff would reduce caseloads and relieve some stress.“We want better working conditions to ensure the service people need,” he said.“We consider this essential.” Wayward spark from motor SHERBROOKE (SDH) — A ga rage owner learned a valuable lesson Wednesday — where there’s smoke there’s fire.The smoke came via old gasoline-filled drums stored in the mechanic’s pit of a Sherbrooke body shop.The fire started after a spark from a combustion engine ignited the fuel at Centre de Carrosserie, 1136 Bienville Street.The fire was contained quickly but not before smoke ran up the walls of the ground-floor garage causing damage to the roof-top apartment.The dwelling, at 1144 Bienville, received extensive damage to the washroom.Sherbrooke fire department Lt.Michel Richer estimated the da mage at $10,000 Firefighters arrived at the scene at 2:21 Wednesday afternoon and extinguished the blaze some 10 minutes later.“We see this quite a bit,” said Richer of fires started by used fuels.“It’s not really anything new.” The fire department sent four trucks to the blaze including two extention ladder trucks.The manager of the shop said he never saw what happened.“I was just working in the office and then it started,” Richard Béli- veau said as water dripped from the smoke-stained walls to the ce ment floor below.“As soon as 1 noticed, I phoned the fire department right away." Garage employees managed to remove two cars from the shop be fore the blaze took hold.It only took Sherbrooke firefighters It) minutes to put out a Bienville St.garage blaze, but it took this fireman just as long to explain the situation to youthful onlooker Julien Doré Ratcliffe.‘Like sitting next to dynamite’ Chief Genereux Back-hoe volunteer helps firemen beat back Sutton blaze By Sharon McCully SUTTON — Volunteer firemen, exhausted but relieved after fighting an all night blaze which levelled several buildings in the heart of Sutton, say its a miracle the fire was contained and no one was hurt A new shopping complex twelve feet to the right of the flaming inferno and a Texaco garage to the immediate left of the blaze escaped damage.Residents of the small town lined main street all night watching as fire swept through a Provigo supermarket and the four apar tments above it, boutique La Cachette, and the three apartments attached to it.the offices of notary Marcel Tetreault and Remax.INTERNATIONAL EFFORT Departments from Sutton, Town of Brome Lake, Frelighsburg, Far nham and Richford, Vt.fought all night to contain the fire.Sutton fire chief Leonard Genereux said his greatest concern — once residents of the apartments were safe — was the risk of an explosion at the adjacent gas station.“It was like sitting next to dynamite,” Genereux said.“If the owner had filled his tanks that day, even the fumes would have exploded from the heat.” Sutton contractor Jean Guy Pot-vin arrived on the scene with his back-hoe and remained all night and most of Wednesday.He is being called a hero by many of those at the scene.He was incredible,” said one man.“At times he was right in the middle of the flames, tearing down the burning building, hauling it away from the garage and the buildings on the other side.” An aerial ladder from the Far-nham fire department also helped confine the flames.TENANT SAW SMOKE Genereux said firemen were called to the scene at 9:45 Tuesday evening by upstairs tenant Claudette Cournoyer, who spotted smoke coming from the back of the building.“When we got here, the smoke was in the back of the Provigo, just above a transformer in the cellar and behind a refrigerator on the first floor,” Genereux said.Everyone was out of the apartments by then, Genereux said.Later, firemen on the roof spotted an elderly tenant, a Mr.Rancourt, making his way back upstairs to his apartment through the smoke.Volunteer fireman Jacques Bazi-net battled the dense smoke to lead the man to safety.Engulfed in smoke for nearly two hours, the building finally erupted into flames around 11:30 and lit up Sutton’s main street until after 4 Wednesday morning.Weary firemen remained on the scene until mid-afternoon Wednesday sifting through the smouldering rubble in an attempt to salvage legal papers from the metal filing cabinets of the notary’s office.Three Quebec Police Force specialists were assigned to poke through the rubble as well, but QPF spokesman René Côté said arson was not suspected.Chief Genereux said all 24 members of the Sutton fire department and other volunteers who helped fight the fire will go to the hospital for tests to ensure they were not contaminated by PCBs from the burning transformer.“We don’t know yet if the trans former contained PCBs, but we will take the tests as a precaution,” Genereux said.Bernard Bussières, a spokes- man for Refrigeration Corbus Inc.in Cowansville, which services the Provigo refrigeration units, said transformers used in super markets do not contain PCBs but are “dry transformers”.A fireman for 17 years, Genereux said Tuesday’s fire may be the biggest he has battled, but it’s not the worst “Twelve years ago we lost four people in a fire.” “Nothing can be worse than that.” ! ’ There are two observations we can make about this logo: 1.Canada Post ha s taken the CANA-DA out of Canada Post 2.Service is being reduced The symbol>tells us that.CANADIAN CALENDAR Unbalanced system [Letters needs revision Public commissions set up to protect the rights of average citizens should remember they are just that: average citizens.The provincial government set up a farmland protection board known as the Commission de protection du territoire agricole (CPTAQ) as well as the environmental Bureau des audiences publiques (RAPE) in order to protect farmland from development and to allow citizens to have a say in what happens to their environment.Hearings by these agencies are supposed to allow John Q.Public to come and present his views on development and how it will affect farming or his environment.Unfortunately, commissioners for these agencies often forget that simple citizens do not always understand how to proceed in the quasi-judicial hearings.Developers appear with high-priced three-piece-suit lawyers who understand the legalese and procedures and hire experts to come and give testimony to back up their case.Average citizens, who must lose a day’s work to show up at the hearings, are unable to afford well-heeled knowledgeable lawyers and expert witnesses.They must represent themselves and as one CPTAQ commissioner so ably put it, stumble in the flowers of the carpet while overstating their points, this after spending hours of work to prepare for the hearings.The government would do well to consider providing these people with some judicial advice to bridge the huge gap between defenceless citizens and powerful developers.At the very least, commissioners should learn to have a little patience in dealing with the public.Unfortunately many people see the CPTAQ as the panacea to all their problems.The know the CPTAQ can stop development.But they fail to remember that it only has jurisdiction over agricultural lands and can only stop development where farming is threatened.Time and time again citizens bring forward arguments about the environment, about the effects of noise pollution on their lifestyle, of the danger of trucks for their small children.These arguments are all valid but have little to do with farming.Impatient and overworked commissioners get snappy with the public when they fail to understand.Unfortunately it is not John Q.Public who is to blame, nor is it the commissioners — it’s the system.Public hearings are a great idea.However there is a definite imbalance in the system which needs to be corrected.Right now it’s like sending Pee Wee Herman into the ring with Arnold Schwarzenegger.Pee Wee is given the chance to fight, but has little hope of winning.RITA LEGAULT PM escapes dirty diaper treatment Canada Post has taken CANADA out oj Canada Post The expression a>b means b is less than or of lesser value than a.With Canada Post we go, in this logo, from more to less! 400 small towns, villages and communities across Canada have experienced closure or privatization of iheir federal post office as well as the loss of those local jobs.They already know Canada Post is selling out.Many of us have thought it wouldn’t happen to us.the government wouldn’t do THAT.But, everytime you see one of those “products, trucks sions snH letterboxes" you'll notice that it is true: Canada is out of Canada Post and service is less.Canada Post received the Double-Speak Award last year from the Canadian Council of English Teachers.Who would dream that this year Canada Post is spending millions of doll-lars on a new media blitz with a logo that advertises what Rural Dignity of Canada has been saying all along.We should be so lucky! CYNTHIA PATTERSON Barachois de Malbaie.Quebec P S.: Mr.Don Lander, President of this crown corporation, recently announced the post office wdll make a profit of at least $26 million this year.He told the Ottawa Citizen he would like to find ways of sharing these gains with the public.Do we have suggestions for him ! Where've you been, Mr.Lander?Rural Canada wants prompt delivery, real post offices and the professional service of postmasters.d & Mmm mm II Is CP News Analysis By Portia Priegert OTTAWA (CPI — A month ago, the government told Canadians who want day-care spots for their youngsters to effectively take a nap.They seem to have obliged.Despite the budget decision to postpone indefinitely the $4-billion national child-care program promised during last fall’s election campaign, the prime minister has escaped the dirty-diaper treatment.Public reaction — even from day care's staunchest advocates — has been a yawn.A letter-writing campaign has fizzled, media attention is sparse and no one has stormed Parliament Hill.Opinion polls suggest why Brian Mulroney decided he could delay day-care spending — a saving of $175 million this year — with impunity.Polling consistently suggests Canadians don’t feel strongly about the issue, says Donna Dasko, vice-president of Environics Research, a Toronto-based polling firm.An Environics poll last December indicated only 32 per cent of Canadians felt the new government should put a high priority on a national child-care program.But 86'per cent of those polled named reducing pollution and 62 per cent fighting the deficit as high priorities.But an acute shortage of licensed day care forces many parents to use informal centres where tots face a greater risk of abuse and neglect."There are horror stories and they are quite real but I think people are able to dissociate themselves," says Renee Edwards, a Toronto day-care consultant.Day-care advocates estimate there are two million children under age 13 whose parents work or study outside the home.But in the lopsided day-care equation, there are only 200,000 licensed spots.The government's plan would have doubled that number over seven years while separate measures passed in its last mandate provided $2.3 billion in tax breaks.The Conservatives say they will meet their child-care goals by the end of their term Alan Pence, a University of Victoria professor who is studying the issue says parents are worried about day care but realize it may be best to lobby the provinces.The issue seems to be heating up in Quebec.Last week, 6,000 people in Montreal protested the province’s plan to slow the growth in day-care places because of Ottawa's pull out Elsewhere, day-care advocates working on shoe string budgets, have their work cut out for them.But after bitterly fighting the government’s original legislation — it died when the election was called they are in an awkward position A letter-writing campaign to Ottawa is faring poorly.says Suzanne Potvin, spokesman for the Canadian Day Care Advocacy Association She's starting another campaign next month, dubbed T:”' Great Canadian Bake-Off Sale.In a twist on the movement’s own fundraising schemes, she is urging people to send cakes, cookies and other baked goods to the government Time is running out for Meech Lake Accord OTTAWA (CP) — Vital signs are weak and time for emergency surgery is running out.With only a year to live unless ratified, the ailing Meech Lake constitutional accord is afflicted with three provincial opponents.And complications could set in if federal Liberal and New Democratic leadership races produce renewed, if unrelished, debate on the deal.As some see it, Meech Lake is as good as dead Prime Minister Brian Mulroney has until June 1990 to get it ratified, but there is less time, for practical purposes, to cut a deal because of the election due in Quebec.That vote probably precludes Premier Robert Bourassa from compromise as much as the minority government in Manitoba handcuffs Premier Gary Filmon to his stand against the accord.“There’s absolutely no way that Bourassa could offer to take back one comma in that accord," says Stefan Dupré, a University of Toronto politi cal scientist Filmon s position is irreversible so long as Manitoba's opposition parties reject the deal, he says.“Nobody asks the head of government to commit suicide.” Meech Lake was agreed to by first ministers in April 1987 at a lakeside retreat in the Gatineau Hills and signed after an all-night bargaining session in June that year in Ottawa.It would recognize Quebec as a distinct society and acknowledge the province’s right to promote that identity.It would let provinces nominate candidates for the Senate and Supreme Court of Canada and opt out of national social programs.It would entrench annual first ministers' conferences Until now, Ottawa and Quebec have said it’s all or nothing ; no parallel accord to mend Meech's flaws, no court references to define “distinct society,” no deadline extensions.All interests, Mulroney has said, must be subordinated to the goal of getting Quebec back in the constitutional fold But few experts see the accord pas- CP news analysis By Jim Coyle sing as is.New' Brunswick and Manitoba have yet to ratify it and Newfoun dland has threatened to rescind approval under the new Liberal government of Clyde Wells.POSITIONS SET The trio of recalcitrant premiers — at the time little known — is hardly what the original Meech craftsmen might have envisaged as the alliance likely to scuttle the deal.But all seem deeply dug in.Liberal Premier Frank McKenna.41, is a boyish-looking lawyer who holds all 58 legislature seats in New Brunswick.Academics in that province suggest his opposition was born of serious policy concerns rather than any intention, as was sometimes alleged, of trading his support for a highway or other federal favors.The Conservative Filmon, 46, with just 24 of 57 Manitoba seats, is viewed in most quarters as the biggest obstacle to Meech because of his domestic concerns.He’s also seen as the biggest opportunist.He responded last December to Bourassa’s use of the notwithstanding clause to override a court ruling on English signs by withdrawing a resolution on Meech from the Manitoba legislature.That sudden concern for minority language rights was odd, critics observed, since Filmon had urged restriction while he was in the opposition of rights for Manitoba’s French minority.The Liberal Wells, 51, a lawyer well versed in constitutional matters and freshly installed with a majority, opposes special status for Quebec.His province has already ratified Meech Lake, however, and he would have to rescind that motion.Gerard Boismenu, of the Université de Montreal, says McKenna is the most likely to be swayed if any can be “A political — not a constitutional agreement — that was annexed to Meech Lake and set an agenda for fu- ture federal-provincial conferences may make it possible to have an agreement from New Brunswick.It won’t be easy but I think it’s possible.” Premiers in the three opposing provinces were really only the latest comers to a grassroots fight against Meech.LED THE CHARGE Among groups who led the charge were women who feel it dilutes equality rights, the Yukon and Northwest territories who see little chance of attaining provincial status, aboriginal groups still waiting for constitutional recognition and federalists — not the least of whom is former prime minister Pierre Trudeau — who believe Mulroney sold the store to the provinces.The prospect has been raised of a parallel accord to address some of those concerns.Alberta Premier Don Getty has said he, for one, would consider such a venture.But Philippe Doucet of the University of Moncton sees such a device as a possible escape hatch.“It’s a matter of saving face, I guess.If a parallel accord is one way of making it seem that the original Meech Lake is maintained and, at the same time, allowing provinces opposed to get what they’ve been looking for, that may be one way out.” Garry Allen of the University of New Brunswick said there’s little chance Meech itself could be tinkered with, "To open it would be like opening a Pandora’s box," he said, with every interest group demanding, once the lid was off, that its owm grievance be addressed.Ramsay Cook, an historian at Toronto’s York University, says Mulroney "must see the writing on the wall” about the likely death of Meech in its current form.“He knows he can’t make any move whatsoever to alter it until Bourassa gets his election over with in the fall.The critical date is not June (1990) The critical time is when the Quebec election is over.Then I think we ll see some movement." Alan cairns, a politics professor at the University of British Columbia, says some of the proponents of Meech Lake have only themselves to blame for undercutting support through their own heavy-handed tactics.“The making of threats in a constitutional discourse is counterproductive and inappropriate,” Cairns says.Most notably, federal cabinet ministers Lucien Bouchard and Benoit Bouchard are quick to raise the spectre of Quebec separatism whenever Meech suffers a setback.Questions remain, however, about how deeply the accord is supported or understood even in Quebec.A recent poll suggested that only seven per cent of Quebecers considered themselves familiar with the accord while 71 per cent said they knew little about it.Cook says the limited interest means it “hasn’t really been possible to make threats that would stick” about a separatist renaissance.Trade Minister John Crosbie was cruder than the Bouchards, muttering of possible economic retaliation against Newfoundland unless it plays ball with Ottawa on Meech Lake.Whatever the outcome, the accord has taught Canadians how difficult it will be — even w ith agreement among first ministers — to get consent from 11 legislatures.At a given time, provinces have “different political party configurations and are at different stages of the electoral cycle,’’ Dupre notes.“Change is now a hell of a lot more difficult than it used to be.” Cairns says the accord’s architects underestimated how seriously many groups — women, aboriginals, civil rights activists — viewed the matter.All saw themselves as having a stake in constitution-making, he says, and "they simply view it as illegitimate for 11 people to get together and announce a fait accompli.” The defeat of Meech Lake would be all the more remarkable.Cairns says, for the fact that all first ministers and all major federal parties initially backed it."You've really had a grassroots revolt which is about to derail this process.” Education The KKt'ORl»—Thursday.May 25.1989—5 the1 TT r.rr —• ^ "A Az y A INTERIOR . | F si sOC SHOUlPN T AnSu'ER the Phone chuck.I IT ABNER® b> Al l app r- f W ^E-LL kaf-ta shakl ° yiPt.• -osoick ojta there ^ l l kl HE.-WAS dm m •> NO.' ¦ THOSE- HANDS UP YOU \ ,