The record, 25 mai 2000, jeudi 25 mai 2000

The voice of the Eastern townships since 1897 65 CENTS Thursday, May 25, 2000 Sod turned on $7.4-million Asbestos hospital long-term care wing By Stephen McDougall Asbestos A project that has waited 10 years finally became a reality Tuesday when the sod was turned for the start of construction on a $7.4-mil-lion hospital wing for elderly and long-term care patients.“This wing will keep our aging parents and friends here in the region while at the same time better centralize services and make them more efficient and responsive to people’s needs,” said Linda Provencher, head of the hospital’s administrative council.The addition will provide 65 additional beds for long- term care patients, most of whom are elderly and cannot fend for themselves.Hospital director Mario Morand said the project also includes renovations to the hospital’s existing long-term care department, which presently looks after 20 patients.When completed, Morand said there will be a total capacity for 97 longterm patients.“Right now, the doors are too small, there is not enough space for the patients and there is a lack of equipment,” he said after the sodturning ceremony.SEE HOSPITAL, PAGE 4 STEVE MCDOUGALL/SPEC1AL h; ¦ \* The sod turning.Linda Provencher, Etienne Lavoie, Louise Coulombe and Yvon Vallières.Woeful Wednesday PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL TO THE RECORD A wrecking ball and two backhoes moved in on a dreary Wednesday to complete the destruction a windstorm had wrought on 112-year-old St.Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Sherbrooke last July.About a dozen sombre parishioners looked on.For more, please see page 5.Stabbed inmate keeps quiet Staff It appears an inmate stabbed at the Cowansville penitentiary Monday night has opted to adhere to the law of silence.“He is not pressing charges, so there is nothing more for us to do,” said Quebec Police Force spokesman Const.Serge Dubord.The stabbing took place after the victim stepped in between two other inmates who were arguing.The dispute was broken up and the victim was walking away from the scene when he was stabbed in the back by a homemade pointed object.The man was taken by ambulance to the Brome-Missisquoi Perkins Hospital and later transferred to a hospital in Montreal better equipped to treat convicts.His life is not considered to be in danger.While the man was being taken to hospital, guards at the federal prison locked down the institution.The inmates re- mained in their cells Monday night and for much of the day Tuesday, even eating their meals behind bars.Dubord said that with no clear idea of who the attacker is, and with the victim keeping quiet, little can be done to resolve the matter.The file is now considered closed.This is the third attack of its kind to take place at the Cowansville pen in the last six months.SHimono BEST CATCH.• Spinning reel and rod • FX 4000 reel • FX 2652 2-piece rod • 6’ 6” • Reg.$30.99 LACHANCE CHASSE & PECHE Jean-Guy Lachance, Prop.1435 King E.Fleurimont 563-9676 page 2 Thursday, May 25, 2000 Same hospital, different treatment On April 14, I arrived at the Bowen’s hospital for a CAT scan.When I asked the employee at the reception how to get to my destination I was directed rather abruptly to a room on the second floor.There, a nurse, or someone dressed like a nurse, told me to change to a blue thing-a-ma-jig that ties in the back and leaves your knees showing.I was to wait in the waiting room until I was called.There were eight other people waiting.One man and seven women.I was the only one in the blue, air-conditioned, uniform and feeling very conspicuous.It took a while to find an article in an old magazine that would get my mind off of my surroundings.I wished the other eight would also read and stop looking at my knees or hoping I would get up to change my magazine.I don’t know if the delay was due to Mme Marois, the Minister of Health’s visit to the hospital that morning, but I waited over an hour just to get out of the waiting room.I was imagining the minister talking to the employees in the cafeteria, who were probably served a fruity beverage while I had to wait.My meter had expired but there was no parking ticket.The lady in green was doing her rounds and coming up the street towards my parking space.Whew! My second visit to the same hospital was on May 15, to see a specialist about the results of my scan.I was amazed at the difference with my previous visit and how everything went so well.To start with, I had the exact change required for the parking meter.At the admission desk I was greeted by a smiling, pleasant and competent employee.She carefully gave me the directions to the location where I was to meet the doctor.1 think she may have been worried about the possibility of losing a senior citizen in the complex hallways.At my destination, another smiling lady, dressed like a nurse, greeted me with a smile and took the documents the pleasant admission clerk had given me.She then directed me to the clean and tidy waiting room.I did not have to change into another thing-a-ma-jig.There was not time enough to read one page of a magazine when the nurse came to escort me to a large, sun filled, examination room.She said that it would not be long before the doctor would arrive.She was right.In about three minutes the smiling doctor arrived and started up an amiable conversation.He exam- ined my file, then examined me.He announced, “All the tests are negative.You are in good health for your age.” I have noticed lately that the inference to “at your age” is being used more often.My visit went so well I felt like I was at a Club Med, not a hospital.And, oh yes, there were still a few minutes left on the parking meter.What a wonderful day.I have heard weird stories about long delays in the emergency sections of hospitals.Like, the janitor who pushed a patient into a broom closet to wash the floor in the hallway and forgot her there; the doctor who had to remove the cobwebs off of a patient who had been waiting to be examined; another patient supposedly got a cast on the wrong foot.It can’t really be true about the man suffering from acute appendicitis and ended up in obstetrics?Hope I never have to visit that branch of a hospital.Happy Thursday.Our Man Thursday William Cox A little spring shore cleaning in Waterloo f a jhe Committee for the Survival of Waterloo Lake will be holding a shoreline J* cleanup this weekend.Anyone interested can come along and help in the cleanup.Participants will be meeting Saturday, May 27 at 1 p.m.in the Sears parking lot.At the meeting the volunteers will be divided into groups and the necessary tools (garbage bags, gloves, etc.) will be given out to the teams, along with two-way radios to call for help if larger items are found.The end of the cleanup operation will come around 3:30 p.m.with participants meeting once again in the parking lot of the Sears.After the garbage has been collected, refreshments, a group photo and a surprise will be waiting for participants.The spring cleanup follows the sweeping up of Waterloo’s parks and schoolyards on May 13.That day Students from the Notre Dame, St-Bernardin, Heritage and Waterloo Elementary Schools were joined by older students from Wilfrid Léger in cleaning up the winter’s debris.A contest was launched that day to search for a logo to match the theme “In 2000, I’m Recycling!” The winning design will be announced at the shoreline cleanup Saturday.Bombardier ATV takes top honors Staff Bombardier’s Valcourt-built DS 650 has been named All Terrain Vehicle of the Year by a prominent US magazine.The DS 650, a four-wheeler sport model ATV, will be featured in the June 2000 edition of 4-Wheel ATV Action.This after only a year on the market.The recognition of the ATV as tops in its class is just the most recent in Bombardier’s string of successes in that market.The multinational entered the lucrative ATV market in 1998, and its Traxter model was named 1999 ATV of the Year from ATV Magazine.“Within the next few years Bombardier Recreational Products expects to become a leading player in the industry,” said Bombardier vice-president Dominique God-bout.“To reach this goal we will continue to expand our ATV lineup, which includes the Traxter, the Traxter XT and the DS 650 models.” Waist, not want tint Reduce the health risks associated with excess weight.Live better and longer .lighter.r*afirtnP3cnon ^ J ^ I J “¦f I www.participaction.com Weather Thursday: Cloudy with clear periods and 60 per cent probability of showers.High near 20.Friday: Mostly cloudy and scattered showers.Low near 8.High near 20.Saturday: Variable cloudiness with scattered showers.Low near 7.High near 19.Probability of precipitation 30 per cent.Ben by Daniel Shelton ITS MV FAULT/ I tWTSPENP ENOUGH TIME WITH HIM-I'MSUCHA HORMUZ MOTHZR WHAT'S WRONG?/ VtXJVE CRYING?HE PIPNT WANT TO COME HQME~IW HE WANTEP 70 STAY WITH MY MOM! ITS V\ NICHOLAS TAKE IT PERSONALLY OR JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS. Thursday, May 25, 2000 page 3 Diverse groups protest lack of health care funding Tm not a number, I’m a person ’ —Jana Letourneau By Rita Legault Sherbrooke Disabled citizens and their advocates showed up in force at Tues-day nights’s meeting of the regional heath board to warn members that the lack of funding for home care and other services will force many disabled back into institutions.“If people are forced back into institutions it will be like a slow death at least morally,” complained Jana Letourneau, who wheeled herself to the board meeting to complain that after 20 years of living on her own she may be unable to continue without adequate help.“I’m not a number, I’m a person,” she told members of the board, echoing the sentiments of many others in the same boat.Yvan Gascon, coordinator of Action Handicap Estrie, said years of transfers of services between various institution and the change of faces the disabled have to deal with have created a lot of insecurity.“If the intention is to keep everyone confused, it’s really working well,” he said.The disabled were not the only ones complaining about the effect of inadequate funding on essential services.Andrée Duquette, president of the Regroupement des Organizations Communautaires (ROC de l’Estrie), said with the ongoing lack of adequate funding, community groups can no longer keep up with the demand for services.The umbrella group of nonprofit community health care organizations pointed out that community groups received about $7.8 million in funding — about half of their real needs.“Community groups and the people who depend on them have paid the price of the government’s zero deficit,” she said, adding Quebec spends less than all other provinces on health care.Duquette said community groups can no longer bear the brunt of an underfunded system.She said community groups have shouldered more than their fair share of cuts to health care and that it is time to reinvest in the essential health care services provided by non-profit organizations.With the aid of a little theatrics, ROC sought the board’s support in demanding the government offer community groups stable and adequate funding.A mock courier delivered thousands of postcards from a postcard campaign to demand the government provide adequate funding for community groups.With caricatures that depict Health Board manager Jean-Pierre Duplantie and Health Minister Pauline Marois announcing an increase in funding, the postcards demand a significant hike in government subsidies.Community groups were not the only ones on hand to demand better funding for services.Michel Belzile, the prefect of the Coaticook MRC, and a handful of his citizens were on hand to protest a health board decision to close down beds for elderly residents in that region.Belzile said more than a half dozen elderly residents of the Coaticook region have been forced to find beds in nursing homes outside the region.“For us, this is unacceptable that people have to leave the region to get care,” he said, adding residents are also forced to leave the region to visit their elders.One woman complained that her heavily handicapped sister spend four months at the Centre universitaire de santé de TEstrie and is now being transferred to the Foyer St-Joseph in Sherbrooke.The woman has two disabled daughters who cannot visit in Sherbrooke and she is far from her family who all live in the Coaticook.Mrs.Raymond said she was told there were 13 people on the waiting list for nursing home beds in the Coaticook MRC.“Now that she is at Foyer St-Joseph, we fear she will never get out of there,” she said, adding there are simply not enough places in local nursing homes.Maurice Salois, president of the local community centre, said seniors are worried.“They have this Damocles sword hanging over their heads,” he said.“They are worried about what will happen when they can lo longer care for themselves.Will they be able to find a home here in Coaticook?Will they be separated when they grow old?” Board president Jean Bellehumeur said the board would not go back on its decision because it aimed to give equitable funding between the various MRCs within the health board district.He pointed out other MRCs have managed to deal with the same number of beds by seeking and funding alternatives to nursing homes.“If we give you more money, we will have to give more to all the region,” Bellehumeur said.Belzile was not satisfied with the reply, adding that the board came up with financial justifications for the lack of beds.“If Coaticook has a different culture, than we should adapt to people’s needs,” he said.“People should not be forced to die in another region to the one they lived and worked their whole lives.” Later, a health care bureaucrat pointed out that an increase in funding for acute care services in the Coaticook region may help deal with the shortage of nursing care beds.Board manager Duplantie pointed out that one of the reasons for the lack of longterm care beds was the pressure on the local emergency room.Board supports four local institutions in deficit situations Staff Sherbrooke The Regional Health Board redistributed $2 million in additional funding from the government.But at the same time, the board passed a resolution to say that four regional institutions were in exceptional situations and would need more money to avoid the necessity to cut services to meet the government’s anti-deficit law.The resolution to Health Minister Pauline Marois states that regional health care institutions are facing a total of $16.1 million in deficits despite an increase in financing based on last year’s deficits.In the outcry that followed the announcement of an anti-deficit law for health care institutions and the distribution of credits that are insufficient to meet current and future needs, Marois announced an additional $58 million in spending and agreed she would consider some “exceptional situations.” The $2 million that was part of a provincial package of $58 million was given to the Centre universitaire de santé de TEstrie ($1 million), the Centre Jeunesse Estrie youth protection centre ($350,000), the $herbrooke Geriatric University Institute ($300,000), the Centre de réadaptation de TEstrie rehabilitation centre ($300,0000) and the Centre Jean-Patrice Chiasson/Maison $t-Georges drug and alcohol rehab centres ($50,000).But despite the extra money, the board predicts the Centre universitaire de santé de TEstrie (CUSE), the Centre de Jeunesse, the Sherbrooke-based CLSC community health care clinic and the Carrefour de santé du Granit would be unable to balance their budgets without cutting services.Also allocated at Tuesday’s meeting were nonrecurring budgets to the Villa Marie Claire ($90,000) and the Estriade long-term care centres ($85,000).The one-time budgets are expected to get the two institutions back on track.Michel Duval Advertising Consultant Tel.: 619-569-9525 Fax: 619-569-3945 email: recordad@>interlmx.qc.ca CAREER UIULFTCC INTERNATIONAL SALES COORDINATOR Commercial stretch wrap machine manufacturer in full expansion, exporting world wide is looking for dynamic candidates for the position of sales coordinator.• Electro-tech diploma or equivalent • Knowledge of Autocad, Word, Excel and Access • Technical ability • Project completion and follow up • Social skills • Spoken and written English required • Permanent, full time position • Salary according to scale Send your c.v.by email to: Deborah Ball, Human Resources deborahb@wulftec.com page 4 Thursday, May 25, 2000 ¦¦THEi Asbestos: CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “Now we will have things like electric lifts, oxygen outlets in the walls and even a special section for Alzheimer patients,” Morand added.The new wing will also include a day centre for the elderly and a new physiotherapy facility.The bulk of the funding, $5.9 million, will come from the Quebec government.Another $1.2 million will come from the hospital itself and $250,000 from the Regional Health Board.The majority of the new beds will be filled as soon as the addition is built nine months from now.Morand said the 47 residents of the Asbestos Foyer will be transferred to the addition, and the foyer will be closed.Other patients are to come from surrounding towns in the Asbestos MRC region, such as Wotton, St.Adrien and St.Georges.He said the decision to eventually close the Asbestos Foyer was made back in 1988 when the provincial health minister opted not to renovate the facility, arguing its location near St.Luc Blvd.was too close to the JM Asbestos open pit mine.“The government was concerned about the land being unstable and the dust and the noise being too much for patients,” said Morand.“The health minister decided a better residence was needed for our elderly.” The need became more prevalent after the Danville Foyer, a private long-term care residence heavily subsidized by the government, was closed in 1998.The Danville Foyer was closed after the Regional Health Board’s directors voted in a closed-door session to stop funding it.Some of the Foyer’s 60 residents were then transferred to the Asbestos Foyer.This despite protests by family members who wanted their loved ones living close by.Also protesting the closure was the Foyer’s union which wanted to save the facility’s 340 jobs.One of the Health Board directors who voted on the Foyer’s future was Louise Moisan-Coulombe, the present mayor of Asbestos.At the sod-turning ceremony, Coulombe welcomed the project, arguing the Quebec government has favoured Asbestos in its bid to centralize the region’s health services.“We had to change a lot of municipal rules to get this wing set up here,” she joked to the invited guests.“But it was worth it to have Asbestos considered the best place to provide the needed services for our elderly.” Linda Frost, a vocal critic of the Danville Foyer’s closure, reluctantly welcomed the addition, calling it the better of two evils.“As long as there are facilities for our elderly in the region, I guess I have to accept it,” she said.“It’s better than having them trucked off to Sherbrooke or Montreal, which would make it impossible for family and friends to visit them regularly.” But she added she still prefers keep- ing smaller old-age homes opened rather than centralizing them in one town like Asbestos.“Most of the family members are old themselves and many can’t drive anymore.They have to take taxis, and that’s expensive on fixed incomes.If the Danville home was still open, they could walk over for a visit.” Asked about the new wing, 12-year hospital resident Jean-Marc Ryan said he was not sure what the expansion will mean for him.“I will have to wait and see,” said the 68-year-old former JM employee who was paralyzed by a stroke in 1981.“My only hope is that we’ll have more personnel to take care of our needs, such as leisure activities.As for more patients coming here, I just don’t know.” Morand and other supporters of the new addition argued it is better to have newer, improved facilities at one place and save badly needed public funds than pay for older, smaller facilities that are poorly equipped.“In the region covered by this hospital, there are about 2,400 people over the age of 65,” he said.“About four per cent of those people will need long-term care, and that care needs to be good.” Yvon Vallières, opposition deputy in the Quebec legislature for Richmond, argued having elderly care at the hospital means they are closer to medical treatment than if they were in foyers several miles away.“There have been arguments that putting all the elderly in one place was akin to warehousing them” said Vallières, who had opposed the closing of the Danville Foyer.“But that does not seem to be the case here.There will be lots of room and better facilities.If they become sick, the emergency doctors are in the same building.” For the wing’s supporters, the start of construction means puts to rest fears the Asbestos hospital itself would be closed by the Quebec government.The fears started five years ago when the PQ government started cutting back funding for health services following the defeat of the 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum.The following year, the Asbestos foyer and the local CLSC were merged with the hospital to save administrative costs.“When that fusion took place, we thought that eventually everything would be closed,” said Provencher.“Now, with this addition, things have changed for the better.” Morand said the new wing will not mean any increase in staff, given that services will be more centralized.“We foresee two layoffs because there will be no need for two kitchens once the foyer is closed,” he said.“But those two will be given jobs elsewhere in the hospital.” He added having long-term care centralized at the hospital will mean a savings of $125,000 per year that will not be taken away by the government.“We have needs that the government has not been able to meet, so it has agreed to let us keep the savings and buy more equipment and maintain our staff.If we had not gotten this project, there would have been more budget cuts and layoffs.” Austin council to re-zone land WewereAhere! v t, r" Mrs.Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, M.N.A.St-François, cut the ribbon at the official opening of Service de Pneu Robert Paré on Friday, May 19th.Gagnon-Tremblay congratulated Robert Paré on his new site.Formerly on Wellington Street, Paré moved to 1280 Galt St.East in a bid to offer better quality service to both existing and new customers in heavy and light trucks, as well as passenger cars.ADVERTORIAL By Shawn Berry Austin The mayor of Austin told citizens the town council is adopting measures which will limit the types of buildings that can be built on the current site of the Butters-Savoy Centre.“We’re not here to decide the use of the land,” mayor Roger Nicolet cautioned about 60 citizens who had gathered in the council chambers to listen to the information meeting Tuesday night.“This deals strictly with amendments to the zoning bylaw.” Town planner Serge Côté said the land will be zoned for use as a one-unit home, a two-unit home or as an inn with six rooms or less.The provincial law governing the use of land states the town may request up to 10 per cent of the land or the monetary equivalent when a permit is taken out.Nicolet said the town wants the property, specifically at the top of the hill, on that parcel of land.The town’s communications antenna and a water reservoir used for emergencies are located on top of the hill.The aim of the changes, said mayor Nicolet, “is to downsize the potential uses of the site, as compared to the current by-law.” He added the intended effect is to make the land “less palatable for commercial development.” The town also wants land to be used as a lookout onto Lake Memphremagog.The land will no longer be allowed for commercial, recreational or agricultural use.Use of the land for the purpose of campground, a hotel or motel will not be permitted.If the lot is divided, the measurements must be at least 100 metres by 100 metres.Any trees knocked down during renovations or redevelopment will have to be replaced.¦MW ’ .1 Specialists in CEDAR SWINGS on bearings or wheels Superior Quality Finish Made in Deauville Since 1987 Balançoires Deauville Enr.6683 Bourque Blvd.864-7158 - 864-7405 TH E i Thursday, May 25, 2000 page 5 A sombre farewell to St.Andrew’s PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL yT.yj.»' te The building may be gone, but Bob Black, one of the church’s elders, is confident the parish will survive.PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL BS ¦aWt .Il About a dozen people looked on as the wrecking ball and two backhoes moved in to complete the destruction a windstorm had wrought on the Frontenac Street church last July.‘Gorgeous old church ’ comes down By Shawn Berry Sherbrooke Wednesday morning’s dreary weather matched the sombre mood of parishioners as they said their final farewells to the 112-year-old St.Andrew’s Presbyterian Church.“It’s just terrible, I can’t explain it,” said Blanche Stocks of Sherbrooke who watched the demolition from her car.“It’s just heartbreaking, but it has got to come down.” About a dozen people looked on as the wrecking ball and two backhoes moved in to complete the destruction a windstorm had wrought on the Frontenac Street church last July.Superficial damage was to the roof and a wall, but much of the church’s supporting wall was left unstable.Any renovation to the church would have forced the entire building to meet new provincial codes for safety and handicapped access.The total cost would have exceeded $1.4 million.Parishioners chose to take the $1.1 million being offered by the insurance company and rebuild.Stocks, who belongs to the women’s guild but doesn’t consider herself a member of the parish, said she had been inside the church “hundreds of times.” She said the last time she was inside, the feeling was eerie.“It was like a tomb.Everything was gone from inside,” she said of her final visit last Saturday.The church was empty.The stained glass windows were gone, put into storage along with the organ, pews and other items.“It was a gorgeous old church,” said Bob Black, one of the church’s elders.Christmas services inside the church, he said, were wonderful because of the feeling of the old structure and its stained glass windows, wooden pews and Casavant organ which has nearly 1,500 pipes.“It was something to see,” he added.Black, a parishioner for the last 10 years and vice-chairman of the church’s board, said he is sad to see the old church go.“It’s been a major part of my life for the last year,” said Black as a raccoon who had made the abandoned church its new home came scurrying out the back door without turning back for a second glance.Léon Paquet, who lives near the church, wishes the government had not acted like the raccoon, but taken a second glance at what the building could still offer the community.“It could have been saved,” said Paquet, adding that the federal, provincial and municipal governments didn’t think about the other uses of the building.“They could have kept it as a heritage site, so people could go and meet and play cards in the basement, but we don’t get to decide that kind of thing,” he said.The building may be gone, but Black is confident the parish will survive.“We will rebuild, but the location is undecided.” He said locations in Sherbrooke, Ascot and Lennoxville are being considered.The building, he added, will be significantly smaller than St.Andrew’s church was.Though attendance at church has at times exceeded 400, the congregation currently numbers between 60 and 90 active participants, said Black.the year 10 PLACEMENTS QUÉBEC STEP-UP BONDS www.placementsqc.gouv.qc.ca Looking to diversify your investments?Placements Québec Step-up Bonds are a smart solution for balancing your portfolio.They offer a return that rises over 10 years and your capital is guaranteed without limit by the government.In addition, they allow you to benefit from future increases in interest rates since they are redeemable each year on their anniversary.For an informed answer, call one of our investment officers Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m.to 8 p.m.and Saturdays in May from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m.Placements Québec.The answer to all your investment needs.Québec “S Placements Québec 1 800 463-5229 In the Québec City region, call 521-5229. page 6 Thursday, May 25, 2000 THEi Community Forum Day Center offers services to seniors and caregivers Dear Editor, We would like to thank Rita Legault for her article “Elderly anglos should ask about day center service,” May 16th.After reading it, we realized if you didn’t already know what a Day Center had to offer, you wouldn’t necessarily ask about it.The Estriade Day Center, located at 500 Murray St.in Sherbrooke, behind the Hotel Dieu Hospital, is funded by Letters To the Ministry of Health and Social Services.This means services are “free” to the client and paid for by our medicare system.Frequently the Day Center is mistaken for a day care where Seniors can go play cards and “hang out.” Fortunately, the community organizations and golden age clubs provide this type of activity.The Estriade Day Center is for individuals, 65 and over, who live in the Sherbrooke MRC (Sherbrooke, Lennoxville, Waterville and surrounding areas) who, for either physical, cognitive (mental abilities) or psychosocial limitations are finding themselves isolated and in some instances, deteriorating in their func- The Editor tional capacities.We offer therapeutic activities, either in groups or individually.Our staff consists of bilingual Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Nurses, and Psychosocial professionals.Our groups allow those who are unable to get out on their own to socialize with people their own age, exercise and stimulate, if not improve, their present capabilities in a safe, supportive environment, encouraging them to maintain their independence and ultimately stay in their own home for as long as possible.If transportation is a concern, we have our own minibus.We also provide a very important service to caregivers, be it a spouse, a child, or anyone who is caring for someone full-time at home and who is in need of support and a well-deserved break.Asking for help does not signify failure.Knowing their loved one will be safe and well-cared for in a stimulating, therapeutic environment allows them a day to run errands or just take time for themselves.We know it is important for caregivers to be well and rested in order to care for others.We are fully aware that there are many Seniors living difficult times, alone or with few services, faced with declining health and independence.We hope to hear from them and any family members who feel the Day Center could be of benefit in allowing a Senior to stay in their own home as long as possible or assist a caregiver in caring for someone they love.Kim Bailey Occupational Therapist Lucie Marcil Registered Nurse Estriade Day Center Tel: 819-569-5131, ext.279 N.R.A.is a wolf in devil’s clothing Dear Editor, Canada has been invaded by every conceivable U.S.bug and fad; good or bad.The latest gem to compromise the 48th parallel is the invasion of the red necks: The National Rifle Association (N.R.A.).Its mission: To convince farmers, legitimatized hunters and hobbyists that big, bad Ottawa, through (much-needed) gun control, plots to confiscate their vaunted blunderbusses - not so! And just who and what is the N.R.A.?The N.R.A.is an enigma: A wolf in devil’s clothing: a U.S.-inspired plot to proliferate blunderbusses: a U.S.overflow, not for prime time Canada.Canada has its own unique share of these and is not in need of more! Lobbies and their money have the U.S.Congress by the short and curlies.Chief among them is the N.R.A.Sadly, Canada already has its full share of indigenous and off-shore influence peddlers setting the agendas for Canada’s weak-kneed numbsculls who marinate in its tax dollars behind the oaken desks on the grassy knoll.We do not need one more, especially the N.R.A.As far as hunting is concerned, at the rate game is migrating into areas inaccessible to the average “shootem-upper,” many guns will be bronzed and hung above the mettle.Computer-generated hunting: The next Panacea.Conclusion: Yanky, stay home and ponder the agenda of the N.R.A.that has nothing to do with having your blunderbusses confiscated.And remember, there is no place in Canada or Canadian politics for a CNRA.We already have the CNR, the CBC, the CIO, the CIBC and the IODE.The later is not entirely Canadian.Graham L.Smith Knowlton sDoÜÊHANv dokghant@Ml.cm I SEE YOU'VE RAISED MEBE5T RATES TOO MiNi-ME —¦THE P.0.Box 1200 Sherbrooke J1H 5L6 or 257 Queen St, Lennoxville, Que.JIM 1K7 Fax:819-569-3945 e-mail: newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com Website: www.sherbrookerecord.com Randy Kinnear Publisher .(819) 569-9511 Sharon McCuliy Editor .(819) 569-6345 Sunil Mahtani Corresp.Editor .(819) 569-6345 Richard Lessard Prod.Mgr.(819) 569-9931 Serge Gagnon Chief Pressman .(819) 569-9931 Francine Thibault Prod.Superv.(819) 5694856 DEPARTMENTS Accounting .(819)5699511 Advertising .(819)5699525 Circulation.(819)5699528 Newsroom .(819) 5696345 Knowlton office 88 Lakeside, Knowlton, Quebec, JOE 1VO Tel: (450) 242-1188 Fax: (450) 243-5155 MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS GST PST TOTAL Canada: 1 year 114.40 8.01 9.18 $131.59 6 MONTHS 59.00 4.13 4.73 $67.86 3 MONTHS 30.00 2.10 2.41 S34.51 Out of Quebec residents do not include PST.Rates for other services available on request.The Record is published daily Monday to Friday.Back copies of The Record are available.The Record was founded on February 7,1897, and acquired the Sherbrooke Examiner (est.1879) in 1905 and the Sherbrooke Gazette (est.1837) in 1908.The Record is published by UniMedia Company, a subsidiary of Hollinger Canadian Newspapers L.P.Canadian Publications Mail Service Product Agreement No.0479675.Member ABC, CARD, CNA, QCNA We’re moving The Record is in the process of moving its operations from our current location at 257 Queen Street in Lennoxville to 1195 Galt Street East in Sherbrooke.The Record has acquired a printing press and will be able to consolidate all its operations under one roof.All departments should be in the new building by June 2.Until that time, customers can continue to stop by the Queen Street office to place ads and renew their subscriptions.Telephone and fax numbers will remain the same.We thank you for your patience during this transition and sincerely hope it will be the last for awhile.Sharon McCuliy Editor tiu: Thursday, May 25, 2000 page 7 Creating a healthy, organic lawn Natural remedies and elbow grease can get rid of weeds Tell me, how can there be so much of a difference in weather conditions from one year to the next?Last spring we had one of the driest springs I have ever seen, this year everything is still so wet that you cannot turn over the ground, weed or do anything in the garden, and just forget about the greenhouse for another week.Most of us can’t wait to get out the lawn-mower and neatly crop out our lawns, but be-f o r e doing your first major cutting you might want to consider a few things.Even when you don’t see standing water, grass growing on a well-soaked lawn can be easily pulled out by the roots.It’s best to wait a couple of extra days to allow the ground to dry, and when you do mow, remember to set the cutting blades at their highest settings.Yes, the grass will have to be cut sooner, but it will help prevent loose rooted grass from being pulled out.We really don’t want to create more bald spots along the way.Every day you hear that another community has banned the use of lawn chemicals.The big question people are asking these days is “Can you have a chemical free lawn that is not a mess of weeds and bugs?The answer is not a simple yes or no, but IF.The first step to a chemical free lawn is doing what it takes to make it healthy, because a healthy lawn will not be as attractive to bugs, or weeds.If you are willing to change the way you look at weeds, bugs and the microorganisms that nourish your lawn and realize it will take patience to make the change from the quick chemical fix-all to natural healthy alternatives; then YES you can have both: a healthy attractive lawn without chemicals.Bugs must be looked at as bird food; increasing your bird population can control many of them, and you can take a few simple steps to help your feathered friends find the pesky bugs.A good example is the Japanese Beetle.They have two life cycles a year and appear as grubs in both spring and fall.Birds adore eating them, but they can be a challenge to find amongst the thick grass.You can help.Simply mix two tablespoons of liquid dishwashing soap in one gallon of water per 1,000 square feet and spray once a week.The grubs will come to the surface, where the birds will be able to see them and have a feast.Adult beetles can be hand picked, mashed or dropped into soapy water.Or you could have a few guinea hens running around in your yard eating both grubs and beetles.Many weeds can be easily controlled with a little hands-on attention.Take the annoying dandelion; with a two-year life cycle the young plants can be dug out quickly with a little handheld garden fork, during their second year, you will probably need a larger weeding fork, but once dug out they will not come back.If you have children, teach them how to dig, offer them a reward for every plant removed.No kids?- enlist your friend’s kids, neighbor’s kids or grandchildren, it is amazing how many dandelions a few kids can find and remove in an hour when they are motivated.This kind of work may be hard on an older back, but it can be a lot of fun for the younger generation, as long as you make the reward something worthwhile.If you’re unable to remove all the plants at least go around and pop off the flower heads before they have a chance to turn white and fluffy and reseed the entire yard.There are other great advantages to having an organic, chemical free lawn: those dandelions can be used to make a tasty homemade white wine, a delicate jelly or served as salad greens, a great source of phosphorus, calcium, potassium and vitamin A.New research at the University of Iowa has shown that a relatively new organic herbicide, corn gluten meal can produce a weed-free lawn can over a three-year period Test results concluded that during the first year 60 per cent of weeds were eliminated, 80 per cent the second year and 90 to 100 per cent were gone by the third year.A few companies offer corn gluten meal in palletized form containing nitrogen and potash, but it is not an easy product to find and you may have to have your local garden center to order it for you.Just think, the more people who go organic, the greater the demand for safe products, resulting in local stores stocking a greater variety of alternatives at a lower cost.An alternative to fighting crab-grass and other invasive weeds is planting perennial rye grass.The rye grass is a vigorous grower competing for space, it smoothers out most grass type weeds and at the same time emits a natural poison which is a great insecticide for some small, damaging bugs.If you still think that chemical fertilizers and herbicides are safe, take a long hard look at the warnings on the side of the bag.People who would Individual Literacy Achievement Awards Learners Educator Awards Educators, Tutors and Program Initiators never let their children roll over in a pile of manure are letting small kids lie on lawns treated with all kinds of dangerous chemical.Researches are linking the use of these chemicals with a form of childhood leukemia, so maybe it’s time we take a look at what the enemy really is.A few dandelions never hurt anyone.The non-profit organization American PIE (Public Information on the Environment) can offer advice.They can be contacted at 124 High St., Box 340 Glastonbury, CT 06073-0340; phone: 800-320-2743.Try to remember a healthy ‘living’ lawn; one full of all kinds of microorganisms is really your best defense again most broadleaf variety of weeds such as quack grass, creeping Charlie and dandelions.For more gardening tips, visit my Web site at http://aradece.tripod.com Faith’s memorial page is now online.You can e-mail your questions to amk-naturesway@hotmail.com or call me at 819-872-3295.Business Leadership Award Workplace and Special Literacy Initiatives Community Leadership Awards Literacy, Labour and Community Organizations Reduce the health risks associated with excess weight.Live better ^ and longer .lighter.Æ p»inomnon0,9 ^ f | www.porlicipodion.coni Nominating is easy.Simply complete and mail the nomination form in the official Call For Nominations brochure.To obtain your free copy of the nomination brochure, mail your written request to the address below or visit our Web site at www.canadapost.ca for full program information and nomination form.Nominations will be accepted until 12:00 PM EST, Wednesday, May 31, 2000.THE 2000 CANADA POST LITERACY AWARDS 2701 RIVERSIDE DRIVE SUITE N0610 OTTAWA ON K1A 0B1 SPONSORED BY: 1*1 Health Santé Canada Canada n QUEBECOR PRINTING CANADA ^GVA NATIONAL POST Development Canada ressources humaines Canada National Literacy Secretariat Le Secrétariat nation») à I alphabétisation & IEIMS^0K RECORD CANADA /, /^ \ r O 3 I II CANADA W for all Heavy Dut 47_ Trucks - - T SILENCIEUX SHER-LENN Inc.950 Wellington St.S.¦r r.H) il \ 'A Sherbrooke Fernand Cabana, owner 569-9494 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac * Four-door pickup/SUV available in two-, or four-wheel drive.* 4.0-litre SOHC V6 engine that delivers 204 horsepower.* Five-speed manual (fall availability) or optional five-speed automatic transmission.* All-new design combines pickup versatility with sport utility style and content.* Unique functional and decorative features that are not found on any other vehicle.* Standard V6 engine provides good power along with reasonable fuel economy.* Base price: n/a I with a wheelbase that’s 14-inches I longer than a regular four-door i Explorer.This provides space to seat ; up to five passengers.In addition, the | 60/40 split rear seat can be folded ; flat, creating secure cargo room : inside the cabin.If you want your i luggage inside, you'll have to give I up some seating.Power comes courtesy of a 204-i horsepower 4.0-litre SOHC V6 ! engine that also sees duty in both i two- and four-door Explorers as well : as the Ranger pickup.The 4.0 is connected to a five-j speed automatic transmission.A i five-speed manual shifter will be : offered, but not until this fall.The Sport Trac arrives nicely | turned out, including air condition-i ing, a roof rack, four-speaker audio ! system with CD player, power door j locks, outside mirrors and power j windows.A neat feature is the power ; window behind the rear seat that dis-j appears into the back of the cab for j easy access to the bed.Ford has also tried to equip the I Sport Trac’s interior to withstand the ; rigors of real-world living.For j example, practical rubber floor mats i are standard equipment.And you can order the front bucket seats with spe-j cial water-resistant cloth coverings i (leather is available as an option).The Sport Trac comes across as a ; practical.Swiss-Army-Knife-kind of I vehicle that will appeal to a wide variety of users.Whether it operates ; as a crew-cab-style pickup or a regu-! lar SUV with open-air, easy-access i storage depends entirely on your j needs at any given time.And that’s exactly what a true ! crossover vehicle is all about.By MALCOLM GUNN WHEELBASE COMMUNICATIONS You can call the new Ford Explorer Sport Trac a truck, or you can call it an SUV, but you can always call it useful and fun.Ford would like to welcome you to the first — but certainly not the last — crossover vehicle of the new millennium.Crossovers are a new group of vehicles that break with conventional product category stereotypes by offering multi-purpose functions.They tend to be partially car-, or truck-like in appearance, with a pickup box in back for maximum hauling capacity.They even offer four-, or all-wheel drive for that go-anywhere-anytime capability.First displayed on the auto-show circuit a few years back, the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the public convinced a number of manufacturers — Ford included — of the opportunities in bringing these crossovers to market.Technically, the Ford Explorer Sport Trac is a truck, but the line between sport-utility and pickup is definitely blurred here.Launched at the same time as the '01 Explorer Sport two-door, the Sport Trac combines the four-door body of Ford's Explorer SUV with a four-foot molded plastic pickup bed.If the size of the bed seems a bit small for your requirements, a nifty solution is at hand.Simply drop the tailgate and flip the optional aluminum cargo cage into place.In an instant, the Sport Trac’s usable cargo space is increased by two feet.The cage can also be positioned inside the bed to create a separate and secure holding area for small stuff.Nowadays, truck designers are transforming these beasts into tougher and more macho-looking machines.The Sport Trac is no exception.From its blunt composite bumper and nosepiece.to its bulging flared fenders, this Ford off-roader gets the full testosterone treatment.The new Sport Trac sits atop a Ford Ranger SuperCab truck chassis Job Offers Offer no: 2539945 Title: Waiter(tress) Place of work: Coaticook Salary: $6.15 hr plus tips Permanent, full-time, day shift Wkdays & Wkends/Be of legal age to serve alcoholic bev./Experienced/ Customer service skills Offer no: 2545244 Title: Truck driver Place of work: QuÈbec- U.S A Salary: $350.00 wk to start Permanent, full-time, approx.45 hrs wk Variable hours/Bilingual/Class 3 license/ Mechanical aptitude/Drive truck & do basic mechanical maintenance Offer no: 2543997 Title: Sales representative Place of work: Sherbrooke & vicinity Salary: On commission basis Permanent, full-time Some exp./Own vehicle for travel/ Commercial, business, professional & industry clientele/Communication skills/Speak english an asset/Exp.in sale/Exp.with internet an asset Offer no: 2537997 Title: Cook Place of work: Deauville Salary: To be discussed Permanent, full-time/Availability/ Variable hours/Wkdays & wkends/Min.1 yr of exp./Canadian cuisine Offer no: 2535045 Title: Truck mechanic Place of work: Sherbrooke Salary: Competitive plus coll, insurance Permanent, full-time, evening shift/ Exp.& training required/Read english/ Know, air conditioning an asset/Exp.in electronic, motors: cummins, cat, détroit, diesel & internatinal/Exp.mandatory/ General mechanic & preventive maintenance Offer no: 2535861 Title: Electrotechnician Place of work: Eastern townships Salary: $18.00 hr or more dep.on exp.Permanent, full-time, day shift Have licence C/Know, of automation programmable/Able to design with ORCAD and ACAD/ Bilingual an asset/Reassemble & repair machines-tools/Install & progrm CNC systems (Allen Bradley, Fagor Ge Fanue), automation programmable, PLC Drawing with Oread, Acad Offer no: 2540505 Title: Delicatessen clerk Place of work: Eastman Salary: $6.90 to $7.50 hr dep.on exp.Temporary, part or full-time/Availability, Variable hours, Wddays & wkends/Bi lingual an asset/Service to clientele & wrap meat For more information about these job offers, call the employment centre at 564-5793 or 1-800-665-1732.»*¦*•* -