The record, 22 janvier 1997, mercredi 22 janvier 1997

WEDNESDAY January 22, 1997 WEATHER, Page 2 50 cents The Voice of the Eastern Townships since 1837 Portes et Fenêtres T>* c+t ovcttesi?Marcel Brassard (819) 820-7299 1215 Wellington St.S., Sherbrooke Bedford board seeks reaction to $1/2 million in budget cuts By Maurice Crossfield COWANSVILLE - Parents, teachers and support staff of the District of Bedford School Board are looking for answers following the release last week of a working document which outlines proposals for slashing nearly a half-million dollars from its budget.But as DBSB director general James Bissell pointed out, the board won’t know exactly what cuts are coming its way until sometime in March.To wait, he said, would leave the board little time to prepare a budget, so it’s beginning the process now.“We are basing our proposed budget on the cuts we are expecting,” Bissell said prior to the release of the working document last week.“We’re making an educated guess.” Among the recommendations are an increase in school taxes, a reduction in funding for special programs and the reduction of secretarial hours at elementary schools.Adult Education would be placed under the responsibilities of the Massey-Vanier principal.Under the proposed budget cuts Massey-Vanier, Student Services and Adult Education will be looking at a $135,000 cut, Technical-Vocational programs would shrink by $120,000, and elementary schools would get a $88,000 budget cut.Central and educational operations, which includes the board offices, would get a $10,000 increase to its annual budget of $570.000.FEEDBACK The document was circulat- ed to school board employees and various committees last Thursday, and now Bissell is waiting for feedback.“These are proposals, and we want to see how people react to them and if they have any alternative solutions,” he said.The release of the document launches a six-week consultation period where people involved with the board at all levels will be able to give their feedback, Bissell said.But support staff union president Pat Johnson said more information will be needed to see just how the coming cuts will affect the schools.“There are a lot of blank areas, such as the government offer on buyouts," Johnson said Tuesday.“We See CUTS: page 2 When Bill Barlow retired from his Pratt & Whitney job he intended to find peace and tranquility on the farm.Instead he spends most days travelling in cyberspace and playing with his dog Sandy.For story see page 7.Board election Monday Health services to be maintained By Christina Parsons Special to The Record MAGOG - Health services currently provided by the Magog Hospital and the Memphremagog area community health centers (CLSC) will be maintained despite the upcoming merger of the institutions’ two administrations.Elections will be held Jan.27 to form the new unified administration.The general public in the areas served by the institutions will be electing five of the board members from among 14 candidates, in compliance with a ministerial decree announced last fall.“Ideally, each establishment will retain its own identity,” said Jean Pierre Duplantie, the director general of the Eastern Townships Regional Heath Board.Duplantie was speaking at a press conference yesterday in Magog called to inform the public of several changes.The CLSC located at 1750 Sherbrooke St.in Magog will be moving into the Magog Hospital sometime before next Nov.30.The four other CLSC service points in the region will remain in operation.“The (new) administration will be looking at what kind of role the CLSC will be playing in the hospital and where the CLSC will be situated in the hospital,” Duplantie said.It is estimated the CLSC move will save $265,000.Quebec has allocated $3 million to the Memphremagog region for extended hospital services, home care and community services.The chronic care unit of Magog Hospital will receive some $ 5 million to increase the number of beds and to develop a foster family support network.The Magog Hospital will have 36 acute care beds and will provide services in general surgery, laboratory, radiology as well as some emergency services.Duplantie pointed out there are many decisions to be made about developing home care for chronic care patients.He acknowledged there is a tendency to favor services allowing patients to remain in their own homes, but added the region is underdeveloped in terms of providing services required by the elderly.There will be a single director general who will be selected by the new administration.“The decisions will be easier to make under one director,” Duplantie said.The regional health board director general said decisions being made now may be reviewed by the newly elected board.The 14 candidates running for election to the new board have joined to form alliances, claiming it’s a matter of supporting and campaigning with people they know and have worked with.One slate of candidates is composed of people from the Magog Hospital: Yves Grandmaison, Serge Leblanc, Jean-Yves Lefebvre, Gail Kirby-Pomerleau, Michel Turcotte and Lynn Blouin.Another is made up of people who have worked together on the CLSC board of directors: Huguette Beauchamp, Collette Beaudoin, Rachel Bernier-Catchpaw, John F.Haberl and Palme Roy-MacHabee.That leaves three candidates who are running as independents: Rejean G.Beaudoin, Raymond Dore and Claire Lanteigne.AUSTIN Raggwoo^Mcryhc [GLOVE Scarves & Sock^B Ski & Work Gloves for the whole family L lUOPanneton St.,_S he r brook£_* 569-2531 One coupon per customer.Cannot be combined with any other promotion .“I I HOURS Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.Sunday Noon - 5 p.m.1 I I Valid til January 31, 1997 The RECORD - Wednesday, January 22, 1997 - 2 Owl’s Head: A place where people give more than a hoot A series of nondescript lumps top the high ridge on the west side of the lake the Indians , called Memphremagog.South of the Abbey, though, a few larger outcrops have acquired names inspired by their likeness to denizens of the wild kingdom: one has a distinctly elephant shape; another does indeed resemble the head of an owl, particularly from a northwest perspective.It was on the latter rise that the Korman family of Mansonville built an alpine ski centre that opened in 1965.My first visit over that way came in 1968.After making the effort to be there for 9:00 sharp on a stormy Saturday morning we were told, apologetically, that there would be a delay of several hours in the opening of the main chair.Something about too much snow clogging the lift line.No such problem has risen so far this season.With such a poor start, it is easy to empathize with those involved in the- business -owners, concessionaires, staff and employees, suppliers, everyone down the line.You could feel the frustration in Mr.Korman's words in his recent comments in The Record.His lament was not unlike one voiced by Lamar Hunt years ago, as owner of a team in the old American Football League.After yet another losing season, he declared that he’d managed to make a small fortune in professional sport.When asked how he’d been able to do so, he replied, sadly, “I started with a big fortune.” In June of 1976, about sixty of us in an exchange program spent a week tenting in the grounds of an abandoned church camp at the foot of Owl’s Head.Activities included canoeing, hiking, and orienteering.To a person, we were struck by the gracious natural amenities the site provided - crescent sand beach between sentinel rocks, the expanse of big water dotted with pleasure craft, the The Country Squire By Brian Eddington golden evening light reflecting off the east shore and, commanding the realm, the view from the top of the mountain.Over the holidays, a friend, formerly of Granby and now in North Carolina, came by with his new wife, a true Southern Belle from Charlotte.(We kept wanting to include 'Miss' with her first name for some reason.) They wished to ski at a big hill with an intimate, family-type ambiance, if such a place still existed.No time was lost in making the decision; in the morning we were off for Owl's Head.They were impressed from start to finish: the chalet and hotel tucked away in the trees, a short wait for the comfortable high-speed quad, the view from Lily’s Leap -the name was light-hearted, I reassured them.No one to my knowledge has actually jumped off Lily’s Leap, although no doubt many skiers, among whom I must include myself, have come closer to the edge on the first big turn than they'd planned.The intimate atmosphere, I explained, was due in no small part to the fact that management and policy decisions didn’t have to be deferred to a corporate headquarters thousands of miles away.The owners here are a hands-on-bunch, to the extent that at any time on a busy day it’s not unusual to find one family member working in the kitchen, another behind the ticket counter, perhaps a third out in the maintenance garage.Over the years Owl’s Head has been a model of good corporate citizenship.It has hosted a variety of ski-a- thons, the best known being that for the BMP Hospital in Cowansville.The hill is a leader in providing special programs for handicapped skiers.Regular ticket prices are among the best around, and discounts, promotions, group and package deals give the bargain hunters lots of options.A popular happening is the last major event of the season’s activities calendar.It is something called the Hoot, scheduled this year for March 29.My last personal experience was many years ago but if memory serves, this is a day-long celebration with fun and zany competitions culminating in a ski jump over a large pool of slush.The final straight-a-way of the course is designed to make sure no one gets to the far side dry and standing.But being wet is part of the fun in a place where you’re always in good company.CUTS: Continued from page 1 might not have that information until well into March.” An area of prime concern for support staff is the proposal that secretarial services at the elementary level be split between schools.For example, Heroes and Farnham would share a secretary, as would Parkview and Waterloo, Butler and Clarenceville, and Knowlton and Mansonville.“You can’t run a school with no one there to work with the teachers and the kids,” Johnson said.“How far can you go?” Johnson said those secretarial cuts will mostly affect those staff members who aren’t tenured.It also raises the question of how to keep small schools open while maintaining an acceptable level of services, she said.District of Bedford teachers union president Peter Langford said he’s curious about how such a reduction would work in real life.“If it really did happen it would be interesting to see how it works,” Langford said.“What happens if a parent wants to call their kid?Are they going to end up getting an answering machine?” Langford said he will have to get more information on the impact of the cuts to see how it will actually work in practise.That request has already been passed on to the board.“The problem is the proposals may or may not address the constraints we’re under,” he said.“It could be better or it could be worse.” Johnson said the time is now for people to start asking questions about how the school board will be able to handle the budget cuts headed their way.She said the next few board meetings, including the one next Tuesday, will be interesting.‘This document is not a finalized thing,” she said.“Come budget time we will have to come up with some ideas.There are a lot of blank spaces, so let’s try to fill them in.” Inside Ann Landers .13 Entertainment .9 Behind the News .7 Farm and Business .8 Births and Deaths .11 Living .10 Classified .12 Opinions .6 Comics .14 Sports .15 Crossword .13 The Townships .3-4-5 Regional forecast Low High Sherbrooke Ocnl Rain 0 1 Thetford Mines Wet Snow 0 0 Cowansville Ocnl Rain 0 2 Richmond Wet Snow 0 0 Stanstead Ocnl Rain 0 2 Lac Megantic r ————¦ Wet Snow 0 0 o mm PON'T l WORRY, I THINK I HAVE AN IPEA.f PO YOU THINK ANYONE V WILL NOTICE?I’M AFRAIP WE MAY NOT PÉA6LET0 WASH THIS ONE AWAY.NO! NICHOLAS, NO PRAWING ON THE WALL' Record a division of Quebecor Communications Inc.2850 Delorme, Sherbrooke, Que.J1K 1A1 819-569-9511 819-569-9525 Fax: 819-569-3945 Member ABC, CARD, CDNA, NMB, QCNA Randy Kinnear, Publisher .819-569-9511 Susan C.Mastine, Community Rel.819-569-9511 Sharon McCully.Editor .819-569-6345 Sunil Mahtani, Correspondents' Editor .819-569-6345 Alain Tétreault, Adv.Dir.819-569-9525 Richard Lessard, Prod.Mgr.819-569-9931 Francine Thibault, Prod.Sup.819-569-9931 Departments Accounting .819-569-9511 Advertising .819-569-9525 Circulation.819-569-9528 Editorial.819-569-6345 Knowlton office.514-242-1188 Home & Mail subscriptions Canada: 1 year 104.00 6 months 52.00 3 months 26.00 GST 7.28 3.64 1.82 PST 7.23 3.62 1.81 TOTAL $118.51 $59.26 $29.63 Out of Quebec residents do not include PST.Rates for other services available on request.Back copies of The Record ordered one week after publication are available at $1.00 per copy.Established February 9, 1897, incorporating the Sherbrooke Gazette (est.1837) and the Sherbrooke Examiner (est.1879).The Record is published daily Monday to Friday by The Record Division, Quebecor Communications Inc.Offices and plant located at 2850 Delorme Street, Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1K 1A1.Canadian Publications Mail Service Product Agreement No.0479675. The RECORD - Wednesday, January 22, 1997 — 3 Townships Avery continues crusade to preserve burial site By Paul Cherry BEDFORD - A man fighting to have a an unmarked black slave grave recognized as a historical site says his battle might already be half over.Hank Avery an elementary school teacher in Bedford is currently looking into getting a permanent marker placed on an unmarked grave in St.Armand.The cemetery is located on a private farm and has existed for nearly two centuries.Avery said he feels it has gone neglected for too long.Last week he started making phone calls in an attempt to find out how to go about having the site recognized.He found he was getting a lot of verbal support but no directions.Yesterday Avery’s search for answers became clearer.‘All I want is for the grave be ÜFt I treated with the respect it deserves,” - Hank Avery “If the municipality and the historical society agree it is a historical site, it then gets taken to the federal level,” said Avery yesterday adding that he has been assured of an approval , by both the municipality of Saint Armand and the local historical society.If a memorial were created Avery would like it to be accessible to the public but he wants to leave that to the historical society.“I’d rather not deal with the family on my own,” said Avery referring to Clement Benoit and his son Rejean, who own the land.The school teacher said that the son has been hostile to him about the subject.The Benoit family wanted to meet with Avery but he declined the invitation and hopes the historical society can carry the ball the rest of the way.“I’m not doing this to hurt the Benoit family,” said Avery.“All I want is for the grave be treated with the respect it deserves.” This is not the first time someone has looked into having a permanent marker left on the site.“I think it indicates a lack of respect for humans in general that it isn’t properly marked,’’said Clarence Bayne, president of the Black Studies Centre in Montreal.Bayne and five other members of the Black Coalition of Canada visited the grave site in the 1970’s.“We had a lot of questions about what was going to happen to the land.It apparently was up for sale but we couldn’t get any answers on our visit,” Bayne said.“We had concerns that history would not be preserved but we didn’t follow through on it.Maybe because we didn’t live out there.” The Brome County Historical Society published a document in 1910 referring to an article in a Montreal newspaper of the time that provides a brief history of slaves in St.Armand.The article mentions that the original land owner, Philip Luke, was appointed a 2nd lieutenant in a military unit referred to as Butler’s Rangers.He was later a colonel of the Philipsburg battalion of the Eastern Townships Regiment.According to the document, the Luke family were Loyalists who brought over the slaves they inherited in the U.S.The slaves are buried at the foot of a large black rock which is very visible today.The Luke family cemetery is located close by and is protected by the his- See AVERY : page 8 Chef maintains cooking is an art Battle over North Hatley table By Rita Legault NORTH HATLEY - North Hatley town council pulled an about face at its last council meeting, dropping a proposed bylaw that would have allowed the operation of a “table d’hote” in a residential zone.The zoning amendment would have allowed Dessine moi un mouton operated by residents Marc Langer and Cxinette Lamontagne to operate within the law.The couple maintains that Langer, who is a classically trained French chef, creates art and therefore does not contravene zoning bylaws which allow for professional and artistic activities, including professional offices, art galleries and Bed and Breakfasts.Langer prepares and serves full-course dinners to a limited number of guests in his home, by reservation only.Before it decided to seek a compromise solution, town council insisted the couple was running a restaurant, and were in contravention of town bylaws.However it dropped its legal action and proposed a zoning change which would have allowed for the operation of table d’hotes in a limited zone on the hill in North Hatley.The zone includes seven homes on the outskirts of town.The compromise amendment was modeled on a similar one in Knowlton where council allowed the operation of a “Table champêtre” which serves up meals based on local farm products in an area zoned residential.Like all bylaw amendments, council’s compromise proposal was the subject of a registry where residents could sign up to demand a referendum on the issue.When 22 residents - only 16 signatures were required -signed the registry, council decided to drop the amendment because, it claimed, the bylaw would have been defeated in a referendum.At the same time, it decided to go ahead with a referendum on an $180,000 borrowing bylaw to move the town hall over to the community centre.Some 82 residents signed the registry to demand a vote on that controversial move which received the strong backing of council.At this month’s council meeting, more than two dozen residents, most of them patrons and neighbors, showed up to support Langer and Lamontagne.Two residents opposed the bylaw change, one a next door neighbor who said she was worried about the effects Medical services to be explained COATICOOK - A committee of volunteers representing English-speaking residents of areas including Stanstead East, Barnston, Way’s Mills, Baldwin’s Mills, Hereford, Compton, Compton Station and Coaticook is organizing a series of four information meetings.These sessions will be attended by Linda Dieleman of the Coaticook CLSC and either Dr.Natasha Bird or Dr.Allison Simms Following the success of a similar presentation last summer at Ive’s Hill, these meetings are designed to provide detailed information concerning medical services provided by the CLSC and the Emergency Department of the Coaticook General Hospital.The first of the four information sessions will be held on Wednesday, February 12 at the All Saints Anglican Church in Hereford at 2 p.m.More information regarding this meeting can be obtained from Ron Owen at 844-2491.Subsequent sessions are planned for Way’s Mills on March 12, Baldwin’s Mills on April 16 and Stanstead East on May 14.Details regarding locations and times will be provided at a later date.These sessions are open to all English-speaking residents within the Coaticook MRC.Further information can be obtained from the Coaticook CLSC at 849-7041.d’hote heats up on the neighborhood and another, former mayor Ruth Taylor, who lives nearby.Both said they want to preserve the residential nature of the area on Sherbrooke St., the main drag which leads from town to Route 143.As a result of council’s turnaround, the town and the couple will now have to resolve their differences in Superior Court - a costly move which has already mounted legal bills of more than $4000 for Langer and Lamontagne and $6000 for the town.We can’t afford it because we’re not rich people,” Lamontage said.“But the town, it’s not their money.It’s taxpayers that are paying the 1 ills.” Lamontagne is convinced the couple will win its legal battle.“We feel we aren’t breaking the law,” she said.“We’ve looked at the bylaw and don’t think we’re breaking it.” Of course the final decision will be up to an administrative judge who will have to decide if haute cuisine is an artistic activity.At least one source agrees.The Petit Robert dictionary describes cuisine and the world’s oldest art.Mayor Peter Provencher, who owns and operates a local Bed and Breakfast, could not be reached for comment.Family dies in collision SHERBROOKE Dangerous road conditions experienced all over the Townships Monday evening left a family dead in a car accident.The accident occurred around 7 p.m.Monday night when the driver of the car lost control of the vehicle and spun into a disastrous collision.Jaime Grant, 24, of Stanbridge, his wife Tina Stringer, 22 and their four-year-old son all died in the accident.Their car was headed southward on Highway 133 near Iberville when Grant lost control of the car on the slippery road.The car spun out of control and was hit head on by a van coming in the other direction.“The force of the impact with the van knocked the car back into the southbound lane and then it was hit by another car that was behind them,” said Quebec Police Force spokesperson Cst.Serge Dubord.All three were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.“We can’t be certain but we believe they died just after the van hit them,” he added.The drivers of the other vehicles involved were not injured in the accident. Townships 4 - The RECORD - Wednesday, January 22, 1997 Quebec man acquitted for robbery after 36 years By Jim Bronskill Southam Newspapers OTTAWA - Rejean Hinse’s long wait for justice is finally over.The Quebec man’s three-decade battle to clear his name ended successfully Tuesday when the country's highest court acquitted him of a 1961 armed robbery.Hinse, 59, felt both relieved and troubled following the Supreme Court of Canada judgment.“I have mixed emotions,” said the industrial pipefitter, who lives in Laval.“I never should have been accused of this crime.” In December, 1961, five armed men broke into the home of a couple in Mont-Laurier, north of Montreal.The couple was bound and beaten while the men scooped up $4,000 in cash and jewelry.Hinse was arrested several days later after being identified by one of the victims.He vehemently denied involvement, claiming he was in a Montreal tavern at the time -an alibi supported by his girlfriend.But Hinse was convicted in 1964 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.He was paroled in 1969 and began an intensive letter-writing campaign proclaiming his innocence to numerous politicians and even the Queen.A 1990 review by the Quebec Police Commission said he was the victim of a “rotten police investigation” and criticized the conduct of his trial.The Quebec Court of Appeal quashed Hinse’s conviction in 1994 on the strength of new evidence and ordered there be no further proceedings against him.The Appeal Court heard that the police lineup used to implicate Hinse was a farce.And a policeman who originally testified he had seen Hinse in Mont-Laurier eight days before the crime admitted he was mistaken.But the court said the facts weren't clear enough to justi- ¦ P» «PQSTE Canada Post Corporation / Société canadienne des postes In RiiwincsM to Serve* En affaires pour vous servir calendars, cookies or chocolate mints.14 of the books printed about the local churches have been sold, including one which was given to Rev.Gwenda Wells.Annual reports were then given by the Secretary, Corres.Secretary, work Convener and the Treasurer, who gave each one of us a copy of the financial report.St.James Vestry meeting will be held on Tuesday January 21 at 2 p.m.at the home of Bud and Frances Johnson.The president then stepped down, thanked all for their sup- port during the year and voted Muriel Whitehead a special thank you for her dedication to the church.Muriel then took over as President and Dot de Solla as Secretary.The next meeting will be held on February 5 at the home of Frances Johnson at 2 p.m.It was moved by the president and seconded by Margaret Wright that the meeting be adjourned.Following the benediction delicious refreshments were served by Muriel, who was thanked by all, and a very enjoyable social time followed.“Bits of Nostalgia” By Nina Rowell EXCERPTS FROM SHERBROOKE DAILY RECORD:-LAST MEETING OF OLD COUNCIL EAST ANGUS, May 2, 1912, (Special) — An adjourned meeting of the Municipal Council of Westbury was held, it being the last meeting held in Westbury before the separation of the new town of East Angus from the Township of Westbury.The full board of councillors was present, with Mayor J.E.Palmer presiding.A number of winter road bills and other small bills were received and ordered paid.The names of D.Ashly, C.Metcalfe, and Ph.Melton were entered on the Valuation Roll and accounts of the town were ordered to be audited to May 1st.As Mayor Palmer, and Councillors Cooper, Montgomery, Nolet and J.Willard quality in the Town of East Angus, these gentlemen resigned one after the other, and Messrs F.F.Willard, H.S.Willard, Oscar Woodrow, E.Bernier, and George Corriveau were appointed in their place, each taking the oath and the seat of their predecessor as it became vacant, thus keeping a quorum and being able to transact the necessary business.Mr.F.F.Willard was appointed Mayor for the remainder of the term.EARLY DAYS IN COMPTON APRIL 16, 1912 Editor of Record: Dear Sir,- I have been waiting for two years to see if someone would write up some of the happenings of one hundred years ago in Compton who could do the subject justice.There used to be a great pigeon roost in Compton between the Coaticook mid Moe rivers, and there was what they called a great "floodwood” on the Coaticook below my grandfather’s which, 1 suppose, covered several acres, being the driftwood, perhaps of acres.My mother, the eldest of the family of Rev.John Gilson, one of the early settlers of Compton, was bom in that town Jan.25, 1804.They lived on the east side of the Coaticook River, nearly opposite of Hillburst Station.She often told of her girlhood days and experiences in Compton, and of the great tornado that swept a path of twenty rods in width from west to east across the township.As the country then was very sparcely settled it struck only one dwelling house, that of young Mr.Badger on the east hill south of Senetor Cochranes’s place, known as Hillhurst Farm.Mr.Badger was absent from home, and his wife being alone with her little children, was frightened at seeing a very black storm cloud approaching.She ran with her children to her neighbor’s, which was nearby, and on reaching the door looked back just in time to see her home and all they had swept away by the stormcloud.On going to the place, all to be found was a tin basin, which had dropped into the cellar.Later on someone saw one of their feather beds lodged in a tree near Moe’s River.The storm passed right over the Coaticook meadows as a cloud, out of which dropped a big birch which it had picked up in its course.This dropped in a field near where my grandfather and Capt Snow were at work.There are many other interesting happenings which old residents might recall.Will you please try and induce someone to write them up.Yours respectfully, Daniel Gilson, Dixville, April 11, 1912 S.D.R.OCT.26, 1915 KEITH CAUGHT PARTRIDGE IN PANTRY Special — One morning as Mr.M.F.McLeod was doing his milking at the barn, the sound of broken glass was heard in the pantry, and on examination, a pane was found broken in the window.On searching for the robber, a partridge was found sitting on the table.On approaching it, it Hew to the floor and stayed there until picked up.One way of catching them in the pantry.