The record, 18 juillet 2000, mardi 18 juillet 2000

THE ¦¦ Record The voice of the Eastern Townships since 1897 65 CENTS Tuesday, July 18, 2000 *•' fa u"; .j Chuck Wagon Chuckles PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL TO THE RECORD Jeanne d’Arc Labbé, organizer ofDudswell’s anniversary celebrations, shares a laugh with Yves Gagnon, builder of the replica of a pioneer chuck wagon which will be featured in a parade on Saturday.For more on the celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the arrival of John Bishop in Dudswell, please see page 5.Bus rescheduling at Sherbrooke school shortens day By Janice Cunningham Sherbrooke Parents of students attending Sherbrooke Elementary School got a surprise in the mail last week - a letter from the principal, Paulette Losier, announcing that the school day would be shortened by one hour beginning in September.Up until now, SES has had the longest school day of all Eastern Townships School Board schools, classes began at 8:30 a.m.and ended at 3:30 p.m.Children taking buses home, by far the majority at SES, have to wait another some 20 minutes for their buses to come from Galt High School in Lennoxville to take them home.For those travelling to the more far-flung communities, such as Deauville or Rock Forest, arrival home can run as late as five o’clock.“We used to be able to do a double run,” said Eastern Townships School Board chairwoman Maggie Faulks, “but then the government cut funding.” She explained that they are “hampered” by the hour that Galt lets out its students, which doesn’t work with the SES schedule.The letter sent home to parents states that the long lunch hour, 20 minutes to eat and an hour on the playground, led to “increased injury, bullying and other discipline SEE SCHOOL, PAGE 2 Police issue alert over toy revolvers By Shawn Berry The Sherbrooke Regional Police Force is asking parents to be wary after they raided coin-operated amusement machines and found small metal toy guns with a two-inch blade that pops out of them.“We’re asking parents to be vigilant,” said police spokesman Michel Martin.He said the toys, which resemble revolvers, were inside coin-operated machines which use a crane to fetch items.On Friday, following a complaint from a woman whose nine year-old son had got one of the toy guns, police conducted a raid and inspected the machines, which were in Parc Jacques-Cartier for the Lac des Nations festival.They found no fewer than 20 more of the dangerous toys.Martin said police have Michel Martin with one of the toy guns.turned their files over to the prosecutor’s office.The toy gun also serves as a keychain when a button is pressed. page 2 Tuesday, July 18, 2000 ¦ ¦¦ THE — Record Fish stocks face stormy times In the new movie The Perfect Storm, fishermen brave a brutal Atlantic storm in a desperate search for the swordfish they need to catch in order to feed their families.On the surface, it may appear to be just another empty Hollywood spectacle, but underneath all the special effects is a message of conservation and sustainable use of our marine resources.Overfishing has greatly reduced the size and abundance of swordfish.Forty years ago, the average size of swordfish caught was over 100kg.Today, it has dropped by two-thirds.As a result, fishermen are travelling further and spending more time at sea looking for fish.But swordfish are not the only commercial fish species in trouble.When I was going to high school in the 1950s, a teacher told us, “The oceans are a limitless source of protein.” They may have seemed that way then, but now fish stocks have plummeted around the world.From Newfoundland cod to British Columbian salmon and Chilean sea bass, once-plenti-ful fisheries are failing, usually as a result of overfishing.World-wide, 66 per cent of individual fish stocks either fully or over-exploited.At one time, fish and other aquatic species had places of refuge - areas where they could feed and breed without interference from humans.Today, extensive commercial fishing, destructive techniques like bottom trawling, changes in ocean temperatures, pollution and other factors have left little room for fish to live and grow.Meanwhile, instead of conserving fish stocks, fisheries management practices have focused on maximizing catch sizes and in the event of a stock collapse, finding other species for fishermen to catch.One way to help many depleted species recover and pave the way to more sustainable fisheries practices is to create marine protected areas.These areas are the underwater equivalent of parks, where fishing and other resource-extraction activities are prohibited.Currently, there are very few such areas.In British Columbia, they represent just 0.01 per cent of coastal waters.But they can have a tremendous impact on the diversity and abundance of marine life.Researchers have found that some fish populations in protected areas increase in abundance by as much as 1,300 per cent! One of the most successful, near the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, has been closed to fishing for 40 years for safety and security concerns.The results have been spectacular and the area is now lush with life.Anglers are pulling record-sized fish from the surrounding waters.Aquaculture, which involves raising fish or other marine organisms like farm animals in pens or containers, is often billed as a good way to reduce stress on depleted wild fish stocks.However, aquaculture’s benefit to wild fish stocks fluctuates greatly depending on the type of fish raised and the method of farming.A recent article in the journal Nature, for example, reported that aquaculture for herbivorous or omnivorous species such as carp and molluscs can greatly contribute to global fish supplies.However, the opposite is true for other types of aquaculture activity, including shrimp and salmon farming.The scientists conclude that with these farms, “potential damage to ocean and coastal resources through habitat destruction, waste disposal, exotic species and pathogen invasions, and large fish meal and oil requirements may further deplete wild fisheries stocks.” Clearly, this is not a sustainable alternative.Consumer awareness and action can help.There are several good sources of information to find out exactly what types of fisheries are the most sustainable and have the least impact on ecosystems.One is the Seafood Watch Chart from the Monterey Bay Aquarium at www.mbayaq.org.Another is the US-based National Audubon Society at www.audubon.org.Consumers have a choice.We can all help reduce pressure on wild stocks and we can start by choosing better options than simply throwing swordfish or farmed salmon on the grill.Science Matters Dr.David Suzuki Some students will still arrive home around 5 p.m School: CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 problems,” and that the shorter day would result in “more alert students.” Faulks agrees, “There is just too much free time in the day,” she said.She also mentioned the “ridiculously high” cost of the additional supervision needed to cover the long school day, which was taken into account when they asked for a review of the busing schedule.According to Faulks, the transportation department was first asked to work something out at Christmas, but the decision to cut the school day was made recently.The school received many calls last week from parents worried about the new bus scheduling, but unfortunately, no one was available to handle their concerns.Calls yesterday found SES offices closed until Aug.14, and the recorded message suggested callers contact the ETSB offices in Magog, but these are closed until July 31.There was no response from the office of the school board’s transportation department, which Faulks believed is also closed.For Deauville resident and parent Claire Kasko, however, the change is welcome.“I’m glad, because the recess was too long,” she said, “and they have nothing to do outside.It’s not organized.” However, Kasko’s children will still not be getting home any earlier than they did before.She was called by the school and told that, for children residing in Deauville, Rock Forest, Omerville and St-Élie-d’Orford, parents would have to pick up their children themselves at 2:30 p.m., otherwise the children would be supervised until 3:50 p.m.when the bus would come to take them home.That still means arriving home around 5:00 p.m., the same as before.“At least they will be getting their homework done,” said Kasko, nevertheless sympathizing with parents in the Sherbrooke area who must now arrange extra daycare for their early-arrivers.Along with the letter from the principal, parents received a form for the SES daycare - not an enrollment form, but a form to decide if there is enough demand to warrant enlarging the afterschool care program already installed at the school.Unfortunately, there was no phone number given for parents who might have inquiries at this time.As the school reopens on August 15, it may be a good four weeks, or more, before they can get some answers.For the benefit of parents who cannot be home mid-afternoon, Kasko believes that “there should be extended daycare, if the school intends to shorten the school day.” The letter sent home indicated that 20 more students could be accommodated in the daycare, if a sufficient number of applications were received.With over 400 students attending SES, it remains to be seen what the response from parents will be.Weather Today.Risk of afternoon thundershowers.High 23°C, low 15 °C.Probability of precipitation 70 per cent.Wednesday.Chance of showers.High 22°C, low 13°C.Thursday.Chance of showers.High 22°C, low 10°C.Ben by Daniel Shelton AGAIN! Y 1WNKHES "USED C-Lr>1 TO HIS SURR0UNP1NGS ENOUGH, PONTVOU THINK?WE ~T~^ v, COUIPIOOKAT / L { iHlS TEETH NOW?p-hÎT bencomicatrp ¦ THE.Tuesday, July 18, 2000 page 3 $10,000 donated for Danville church elevator By Stephen McDougall Special to The Record Danville The goal of installing an elevator in the Trinity United Church building could come to light sooner than expected following the unexpected anonymous donation of $10,000 last week.“I could not believe it when I heard the news,” said church volunteer Marlene Brown.“I just sat down and cried.People are making this dream come true.” The elevator is needed to allow elderly and handicapped people to attend church services and functions given the building’s steep front steps.Church elders decided to spend the money if $15,000 could be raised within two years, the balance of the cost to be borrowed from congregation’s endowment fund.But with the anonymous donation coupled with other money sent in by members and friends, the church has now raised over $16,000.“We’ll be starting the project a lot sooner than expected,” Brown said Saturday.“We still have to consult with our architect and the contract to build the elevator is still open to more bids, so there is a lot to decide, but this news is really great for us.” She said the final cost of the project is still not known, but the last two bids were in the $40,000 plus range.Church elders are hoping to find other contractors who can build the elevator for less.Despite their success with donations, said Brown, members will still go ahead with numerous fund-raising events so as to reduce the amount of money they have to borrow from the endowment fund.An ice-cream social held July 8 attracted some 80 people and brought in $479.Volunteers are now working on a Moo raffle, in which a 500-pound calf will be given as a prize.“If the winner does not want the calf, a cash prize of $500 will be offered,” said Brown.“We plan to sell tickets at one dollar each, a packet of 12 for $10.We plan to hold the raffle on Oct.15.” The next church event planned is a classical music recital scheduled for Saturday evening, July 22.Featured will be vocalist Stacy Clark backed up by Isabelle Gosselin on violin, Francine Beaubien on piano and Evelyn Lazda on cello.Clark said the ensemble will perform works by Sebastian Bach, including hymns and instrumental pieces.“We decided Bach was appropriate given this year is his 250th birthday,” said Clark, a native of Richmond and member of the Toronto Mendelssohn choir.The recital starts at 8 p.m.and tickets are $10.Children under age 15 will be admitted for free.On Sunday, July 30, the church will hold a B-B-Q.Brown said tickets will be limited to 100 at a cost of $12 each for adults and $6 for children.She added a package deal of two adults and two children will cost $30.On Aug.26, the church will hold a rummage sale, followed by luncheons in October and December.Correction: In the July 12 edition of the Record, it was incorrectly reported that the upcoming Aug.7 public meeting to discuss Cleveland road closures would start at 7:30 p.m.at the municipal hall.According to Mayor Gerald Badger, the meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.Briffs Police searching for car thieves Staff Quebec Police Force and Windsor municipal police patrollers uncovered two stolen cars and probably prevented the theft of a third vehicle in the wee hours of Monday morning.The Quebec Police Force received a call at 2:22 a.m.of suspicious activity in a driveway on Route 143 in Val Joli.Unable to get there quickly, the QPF dispatcher requested assistance from the Windsor municipal force to go and check it out, explained Quebec Police Force spokesman Const.Serge Dubord.When the Windsor patrol arrived, two men were attempting to break into a Suzuki parked in a driveway.The two suspects evaded police, fleeing into the woods.However, a check of the car in which the suspects had arrived at the scene - an Eagle Talon - revealed that car had just been reported stolen in Sherbrooke, Dubord said.Soon after, the QPF patrol car arrived on the scene to provide backup.The patrolmen spotted a suspicious car, a Honda, that seemed to be buzzing around.A spot check revealed it too had been stolen, Dubord said.Dubord said police suspect the two men who were in the Honda and the two unknown men who fled into the woods were accomplices in a car theft ring.But there is little or not proof.Police will continue investigating and, in the meantime, the driver of the Honda will be charged with car theft.Taxi driver mugged at knifepoint Staff A Sherbrooke taxi driver was robbed at knifepoint while carrying a fare from St-Élie-d’Orford towards Stoke very early Sunday morning.Around 1 a.m., driver Steve Bolduc picked up a man and a woman in St-Élie-d’Orford.They said they wanted to go to Stoke.When the car reached the intersection of Route 216 and the 11th Rang, the assailants pulled out a knife and began threatening Bolduc, demanding he hand over all the money in the cab.“Once Bolduc had given them the $200 that was in the cab, the attackers escaped the scene on foot,” Quebec Police Force spokesperson Claude Pouliot said.Since the couple was sitting in the back of the cab, Bolduc was unable to give investigators a very good description of the robbers.With little to go on, the QPF is pursuing their investigation in both Stoke and St-Élie-d’Orford, Pouliot said.Water safety week at zoo Staff Granby Zoo and lifeguards at Ama-zoo will underline water safety this week with a number of activities at the popular water park.Every day between 12:30 and 5:30 p.m., there will be a variety of activities to promote prevention of accidents and drownings by sensitizing the public to potential dangers in and around the water.There will be games, relay races, simulations of rescue efforts, and training and videos on water safety.Last summer, during its inaugural season, lifeguards at Amazoo won second place in a province-wide contest during La semaine de la prévention de la noyade.Blood donor clinics Tuesday, July 18 Granby Granby Camping 310 Robitaille Street 2:30 p.m.to 8:30 p.m.Objective: 125 Thursday, July 20 Fleurimont The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in collaboration with Cité Rock détente 102.7 FM, CHLT 6.30 Radio-média, La Tribune, Télé 7 Sherbrooke and The Record Galeries Quatre Saisons de Fleurimont 930,13th Avenue North 10:00 a.m.to 8:00 p.m.Objective: 225 donors Friday, July 21 Fleurimont The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in collaboration with Cité Rock détente 102.7, CHLT 6.30 Radio-Média, La Tribune, Télé 7 Sherbrooke and The Record Galeries Quatre Saisons de Fleurimont 930,13th Avenue North 10:00 a.m.to 4:00 p.m.Objective: 150 donors Monday, July 24 Granby Camping Tropicana 1680 Principale Street 1:30 p.m.to 7:30 p.m.Objective: 100 donors Thursday, July 27 Magog Les Galeries Orford 1700 Sherbrooke Street 10:30 a.m.to 8:00 p.m.Objective: 150 donors Thursday, July 27 Cowansville Cowansville Mayor’s Le Domaine du Parc 175 Principale Street 1:00 p.m.to 8:30 p.m.Objective: 200 donors EXHIBITS • Bonheur d’été (10 tool artists) » Quilt show CRtAM TCA UPLANDS Cultural & Heritage C Centre Wednesday through Sunday 2to4 AFTERNOON TEA 9 Speid, Lennoxville • 564-0409 page 4 Tuesday, July 18, 2000 — THEi Education in Peru is a learning experience - Despite large classes and a lack of resources, Champlain students did their best to help.I write under an extremely hot and humid sun in Pucall-pa,a large city of Peru located in the heart of the "selva", the jungle.Despite the heat, 1 am in a really good mood since the people here are very friendly and always have a smile.It is the fifth week of this project in Peru, made possible by a collaboration between the Tomorrow International Club of Champlain Regional College, Carrefour de Solidarité Internationale in Sherbrooke and, most important, the Canadian International Development Agency.Time has gone by too fast, since there are less than two weeks left.In the four weeks or so that I have been here, I have had the chance to speak with a lot of people and to observe many things.Of those things, three particularly struck me: the lack of organization, the large déficiences in the Peruvian system of education, and the quasi absence of work.As I have worked in a preschool institution in Comas and am currently working at helping English teachers in Colegio San Fernando - the equivalent of our high school -1 have been able to observe the striking lack of resources, material as well as human.I met an English teacher who did not know Jonathan Gagnon m i A Champlain College student helps out in a Peruvian school.the months of the year and the days of the week: he had to copy them from his notebook.It is a vicious circle since teachers do not have an education of quality, they cannot give one to their students.According to my foster family, the major problem is unemployement.Un-employement causes poverty which prevents people from getting access to a good education.Moreover, the government - more a dictatorship than a democracy - doesn't do anything.President Alberto Fujimori used all the money for his re-election.Lack of organization is also a big problem.There are basically no infrastructures for things as basic as the collection of garbage or water supply to the houses.Once again, the problem is part of the Peruvian way of life.There is a lot of corruption and the money is rarely used where it should.That is the bad part of that culture, but it is only what we see when we look at the surface.When we do look deeper at the attitudes, at the people, we discover a culture full of happiness, devotion, and joie de vivre.Like most Latino-Americans, Peruvians really involve themselves in very strong friendships.I find it amazing to look at all the relationships that I have developed here in so short an amount of time, it would simply not be possible in Canada.This experience is changing my personality, my way of thinking.In an intercultural experience, one learns to overcome little differences in food or habits to look deeper and discover the true essence of the other culture.Since my first day in this different country, 1 feel I have changed a lot.I have gained a new vision of things.and a lot of friends.mi.- Schoolgirls pose for picture with their guest from Champlain College.The people in Peru, The younger kids enjoy singing and playing games while they are in school.Unlike children says Jonathan Gagnon, are very friendly and always have a smile.in Canada, they live in poverty. ni ¦THE — i RECORD Tuesday, July 18, 2000 page 5 Dudswell preparing for 200th anniversary By Tom Peacock Dudswell Joan of Arc, patron saint of France, was a fearless leader at the head of the resistance to the English invasion during the Hundred Years War.She was eventually burned at the stake for her efforts.Jeanne d’Arc Labbé of Bishopton has not been canonized yet, and they outlawed burning people at the stake some years ago.But Labbé, like her namesake, is a leader and she has the whole Township of Dudswell rallying around her.There’s no war between the French and the English in Dudswell.Labbé insists they have always lived together in perfect harmony.So what’s the reason for all this hoopla?This year marks the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the first settler in Dudswell county.In 1800, John Bishop brought his family to the area, intent on settling on the banks of the St.Francis River.The modern day Joan of Arc and her disciples have been planning this weekend’s commemorative events for a long time.Labbé extended her laced gloved hand into every foyer and business in the area, and insisted that everyone join her in making this weekend something to remember.“We got into period costume and we went from door to door in the community asking people what they could do to help us,” Labbé said.And it seems a lot of people didn’t really know what they could do until she showed them.Labbé steered her PT Cruiser into the yard behind Roger Nadeau’s house yesterday afternoon, and it’s a bee hive of activity.Turn of the century carriages already fill the barn and Nadeau is putting the finishing touches on another to be used in Saturday’s parade.“Roger wasn’t going to do anything, PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL Jeanne d’Arc Labbé and James Hoskings stand behind the cairn marking the spot where John Bishop built his log cabin 200 years ago.and then when he saw what I was doing for Bishopton, he said, ‘maudite Jeanne d’Arc.’ and now he’s putting four floats in the parade.” The parade, which will move through Bishopton on Saturday afternoon, will feature only horse-drawn wagons and carriages.Participants will be dressed in period costume and it’s being whispered around that John Bishop himself might even make an appearance.Thanks to the prompting of Labbé and her ad-hoc committee, citizens of the town are decorating their homes and gardens to commemorate the bicentennial.A tidy quietude, a breathless sense of anticipation prevails.In one field Yves Gagnon is putting the finishing touches on a replica of a chuck wagon.Did he have any plans to work from?He shakes his head.“Just my imagination,” he admits.Around the corner, another Bishopton resident is collecting hay from the roadside in a cart that could be a hundred years old.“My friend there, he worked for Hydro-Quebec all his life until he retired and he says, ‘that Jeanne d’Arc, she makes me work harder than I ever did during my whole life’,” Labbé says laughing.Labbé drives her car through the village pointing at the quaint homes.“See that one?I own that one,” or “That one I just sold,” or “I just bought that land,” she says.It’s incredible.until you find out that she’s a real estate agent.And from the look of the incredible house Labbé built beside the ancient site of John Bishop’s log cabin, it looks like business is booming.The former site of Bishop’s log cabin is one of the most important historical spots in the area.But when Labbé was building her house, the cairn erected to mark the site was unknowingly buried under a mess of brush and earth - that is until James Hosking came along.When the Sherbrooke resident went to the site to clear away the mess around the cairn, Labbé went down to see what he was doing.A fortuitous friendship began that day, and now the cairn sits beside a beautiful stone-edged garden in the middle of a vast expanse of lawn.“How lucky am I that she’s so wonderful?” Hoskings said.“Other people wouldn’t give two cents about (the site’s historical significance).” Hoskings, a native of New Jersey who’s never actually lived in Bishopton, married a direct descendent of John Bishop and took an interest in the area’s history.Labbé has always been interested in the history of Dudswell county.Born in nearby Marbleton, Labbé has lived in the area all her life.She fondly remembers selling rabbits to the train conductors passing through on their way to Quebec almost 50 years ago.Roger Nadeau also remembered doing that as a young boy, and he remembered putting dead fish on the track once - “just to see what would happen.” “Me and my friend sat in the bushes like a couple of foxes, watching as the train wheels spun like they were in butter.The train had to back all the way up through the village before it could go up to Lime Ridge,” Nadeau said, insisting that such foolish stories were not fit to print.During the 1980s, Labbé finished work on a comprehensive bilingual history of Bishopton.The 700-page tome has chapters on the Dudswell Fish and Game Club, the first automobile in the district, the various cemeteries in the area, as well as a large section detailing the genealogies of the area’s most prominent families.You might well ask how the real estate mogul finds time to be an historian, or a community organizer.For one thing, she doesn’t sleep.But if you meet her, you’ll see why it’s impossible to ignore this patron saint of Dudswell.Though she’s more partial to ballroom slippers and riverside romance than suits of armor and battle cries, Labbé’s energy is contagious.“My mother-in-law always used to ask me when I was going to stop.But I would tell her that you only get one chance to live this life, and I want people to remember me.” If the transformation of the town of Bishopton is anything to go on, she doesn’t have much to worry about.URGENT! CARRIER WANTED IN LENNOXVILLE (Belvidere Street area) Please call Circulation Department 569-9528 between 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.Packed weekend to celebrate town’s 200th Staff Celebrations for The Big Gathering to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Dudswell kick off Friday evening with the welcoming of people from Hebertville at 6:30 p.m.and a country dance party under the tent at 25 Bishop’s in Bishopton.The dance begins at 8 p.m.and admission is $5.Saturday will begin with the main event: the unveiling of the commemorative plaque at the Bishop Monument at the corner of Routes 112 and 255.There organizers will release 200 balloons to memorialize the 200th anniversary.Afterwards, there will be a visit to the site of John Bishop’s first house located at 15, Route 255 North.That will be followed by lunch in the park with a variety of local products for sale.There will be picnic tables on site.At 2 p.m.the crowds will gather for the parade of floats in Bishopton - families and groups are invited to prepare a float and take part.Saturday’s festivities will wrap up with a ball under the tent in Bishopton.Tickets are $10 and include a complimentary glass of wine and dance card to record your partners for the evening.Sunday is the big day and it begins with worship at both local churches.The day kicks off at 9 a.m.with the arrival of Quebec Lt.Gov.Lise Thibault at the Marbleton Community Center.There she will meet with town council, organizers as well as members of the English-speaking community.That will be followed by mass a 9:30 mass at St-Adolphe Catholic Church after which Thibault will give a short speech around 10:30.At 10:30 St-Paul’s Anglican Church will hold a mass to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the church.The mass will be celebrated by the Bishop of Quebec, the Right Rev.Bruce Stavert.A morning of worship will end with a hot meal under the tent in Bishopton.Tickets are $15.Reservation are necessary and can be made by calling 884-5926, 884-5405, or 887-6669.The weekend will wrap up with a variety of free activities including a heritage bus tour of the area, a guided tour of Graybec and local exhibitions. page 6 Tuesday, July 18, 2000 THEi Community Forum Pro-choice attacks add fire to abortion debate By Claire Hoy Southam News Earlier this month, an obviously demented Kitchener, Ont., man murdered his four young children and his wife before killing himself.It was a horrific tragedy.Yet, suppose somebody were to blame radical feminist groups for this terrible murder-suicide?On what grounds, you ask?Well, on the grounds that rad-fems have been accusing men of being inherently violent for so long that this man finally cracked under the strain.Ridiculous, you say?You’re right.It is ridiculous.But no more ridiculous than the public statements from some major pro-abortion activists who are blaming newly elected Canadian Alliance Leader Stockwell Day for the stabbing of abortionist Dr.Garson Romalis in Vancouver.Joyce Arthur, spokeswoman for British Columbia abortion clinics, for example, said that the use of violent rhetoric, such as describing abortionists as “killers,” inflames the abortion debate.“They give ideas to unstable people.There’s a direct connection between the language of the anti-choice movement and murder.” If that were true - and the idea is preposterous - it’s a wonder that such attacks against abortionists are so rare in Canada.And they are rare, despite what you read in the newspapers.It was the second attack against Romalis, and there was another attack a couple of years ago against a Hamilton doctor, but am P.0.Box 1200 SherbrookeJIH SL6 or 1195 Galt E, Sherbrooke JIG 1Y7 Fax:819-569-3945 e-mail: newsroom@sherbrookerecord.com WEBsrrE: www.sherbrookerecord.com Randy Kinnear Publisher .(819) 569-9511 Sharon McCully Editor .(819) 569-6345 Sunil Mahtani Corresp.Editor .(819) 569-6345 Richard Lessard Prod.Mcr.(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 1V0 Tel: (450) 242-1188 Fax: (450) 243-5155 MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS GST PST TOTAL 114.40 8.01 9.18 $131.59 59.00 4.13 4.73 $67.86 30.00 2.10 2.41 $34.51 Canada: 1 year 6 months 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 that’s about it.Not that all attacks aren’t serious -and aren’t the antithesis for anybody who is pro-life - but it would be helpful if pro-abortionists stopped making such hateful charges against the anti-abortion people.The Toronto Star, rarely a bastion of fair and even-handed coverage of social issues, stands a good shot of winning the coveted Cheap Shot of the Year Award with its July 14 editorial cartoon.The first panel featured Day, his hands raised in victory, a cheering mob behind him, and somebody uncorking the cele-b r a t o r y champagne in the foreground.The second panel featured a hideous-looking man holding a list entitled “Abortion Doctors,” and reaching for a butcher knife as the champagne cork fell out of the sky and hit him on the head.To directly connect the legitimate moral and legal concerns of Day and other law-abiding Canadians to the violent actions of a few nutbars is obscene, even by the Star’s standards.But the Star wasn’t alone.The Globe and Mail began a front-page news story July 14 this way: “Getting an abortion has never been easy but it could become even harder now that a prominent Vancouver physician has been stabbed in the back and others who perform abortions were threatened.” Who are the “others” who were threatened?We aren’t told.We are asked to take the word of Dr.Henry Mor-gentaler, hardly a neutral observer.And if abortions are so difficult to get, how is it that the numbers have skyrocketed continually to the point that there was a record total of 115,000 in 1997, a number so high it even surprised many proabortion activists?Another Globe headline read: Stabbing Of Abortion Doctor Puts Pressure On Day.And the National Post wrote: Day Tested In Wake Of Abortion Attack.As if there is any connection at all between Day’s call for a public debate and possible referendum on the issue and an attempted murder by a fanatic.Come on.Let’s at least attempt to be fair.Star feature writer Lynda Hurst pooh-poohed Day’s claim that half the country agrees with his views on abortion.“In fact,” she wrote, “polls show that only eight per cent of Canadians believe abortion is unacceptable in any circumstance." That may be, but that’s not Day’s position.He does not advocate a total abortion ban.And polls do show the issue is not as cut-and-dried as pro-abortionists claim.Roughly 10 per cent oppose abortion completely.About 39 per cent favour no restrictions.The rest, about 51 per cent, say it depends upon the circumstances whether they think abortion is justified or not.No matter.Marilyn Wilson, president of the Canadian Abortion Rights Action League, called Day an “anti-choice fanatic,” and said, “Day’s going to try and deny that he would support any violence, and maybe he wouldn’t follow up his beliefs with violence," but “his rhetoric does incite other people who share his beliefs against abortion to violence.” How pathetic.Day unequivocally condemned the attack.His campaign manager, Alliance MP Jason Kenney, says blaming Day is “like suggesting that Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement were somehow guilty of what some fringe members of the Black Panthers might have done.” Exactly.If there has been an increase in extreme and fanatical rhetoric over abortion, it hasn’t come from Day.It’s come from his critics on the issue.And the fact they are resorting to such despicable attacks shows just how worried they are that Canadians may not be completely comfortable knowing that Canada is the only civilized country in the world with absolutely no legal restrictions on abortion.Day thinks that’s worth discussing.What’s so extreme about asking Canadians what they think?Unless, of course, you’re worried about their answer. — THE — Record Tuesday, July 18, 2000 page 7 Can Air Canada glide thru summer?Carrier proposes forced arbitration to avoid strike during peak season By Kathryn May Southam News Air Canada has proposed binding arbitration to break the deadlock with its pilots and avert a devastating strike at the peak of the vacation season.The airline made the offer after talks collapsed Friday when the pilots unexpectedly left the table, Calvin Rovinescu, Air Canada’s vice-president and lead negotiator, said Sunday evening.Both parties would have to agree to the appointment of an independent, third-party arbitrator, which would stop the possibility of strike dead in its tracks.The arbitrator’s recommended settlement would be binding, requiring acceptance by both parties.“We are happy to have our fate and the fate of the pilots determined by a third party,” said Rovinescu.Members of the pilots association, who met in Toronto over the weekend, were expected to announced yesterday whether they would return to the bargaining table or seek other measures.The Air Canada Pilots Association, which represents the 2,200 pilots, must give 72 hours notice before launching a full-scale strike, which could begin as early as Thursday.It could also launch rotating strikes.The union has suggested it is cool to the idea of binding arbitration.A union official argued arbitration works best for a pay dispute, but often fails to resolve complex workplace issues such as work rules, expansion and relationships with new carriers that Air Canada is creating.Air Canada’s Rovinescu dismissed concerns that arbitration is only good for wage disputes.“Quite frankly, that’s nonsense.It's just an excuse.I think they recognize that anybody in their right mind would view the package on the table as extremely attractive.” “If they turn down this binding arbitration I think they start gradually moving themselves into the sights of the government and seeing whether or not the govern- ment is prepared to intervene to remove this uncertainty damaging the airline industry and holding our passengers hostage,” said Rovinescu.Until now, the government has taken a wait-and-see approach to the contract dispute.As a precautionary measure, the government has drafted back-to-work legislation, but has made no decision on whether to intervene with its clout as lawmaker.In previous public sector strikes the Liberals have not hesitated for long before resorting to legislation to impose a settlement and force strikers back to work.Air Canada said it had proposed more than $100 million in improvements to its previous offer, affecting everything from wages and pensions to working conditions and job security.Both sides have been locked in contract talks since June 28.The pilots voted overwhelmingly -about 95 per cent - to give their union a mandate to call a strike to back up their demands.An Air Canada strike would cause chaos at Canada’s busy airports even though Canadian Airlines and regional carriers would continue to fly.AIDS on agenda at G-8 summit By Mike Blanchfield Southam News G-8 leaders, including Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, will meet with African and Asian leaders this week to discuss the spread of HIV and AIDS throughout the developing world.Thursday’s meeting in Tokyo will precede the three-day summit of leaders of the Group of Eight industrial nations, which opens Friday on the Japanese island of Okinawa.Although the meeting between G-8 leaders and their counterparts from South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria and Thailand had been scheduled for quite some time, the subject matter will be greatly influenced by the momentum from the 13th International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa, diplomats say.The South African AIDS conference heard devastating testimonials about the effect of the virus on the continent.In South Africa alone, 10 per cent of the 41 million people are believed to have been affected by the immunodeficiency virus, which is drastically lowering life expectancy and threatening to decimate an entire generation of African youth.The spread of HIV concerns U.S.President Bill Clinton, who is expected to press the issue in discussions with his fellow leaders during the weekend summit of the G-8, which also includes Japan, Italy, France, Germany, Britain and Russia.The discussions about AIDS are indicative of the gradual shift in focus of the G-8 from purely economic issues to broader concerns that encompass global security, health and the environment.The foreign ministers’ portion of the G-8 meetings wrapped up last week in Tokyo after discussions on the threat posed by North Korea, control of the illicit diamond trade in Sierre Leone, conflict prevention, small arms trading, and children affected by war.“The G-8 system is emerging in a quite fascinating and evolving way,” Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Ax-worthy said last week.“Our human security policy has now been accepted by the G-8.That is a major step forward.” That shift in focus is expected to carry over into this weekend’s meetings, which will include discussions on conflict prevention, something officials say will incorporate Axworthy’s human security agenda.The prominence of information technology is also expected to be a key area of discussion.“While there is no denying that the IT revolution and the emergence of the Internet has had a tremendous impact on our economic and social life, it is equally true that benefits of these new technologies are not being equally shared,” said Katsuhisa Uchi-da, the Japanese ambassador to Canada.“The summit will give the leaders an opportunity to discuss what has been termed the ‘digital divide.’ “ A priority for Canada will be following up on the progress made at last year’s G-8 summit in Cologne, Germany on forgiving Third World debt.Last year, the leaders voted to waive $90 billion in debt owed by poor countries.Officials say the leaders will discuss a framework for implementing that decision.A wide variety of subject areas, including cyber crime, culture, nuclear arms proliferation and food safety will form part of the agenda of the weekend meetings.The summit will also mark the first G-8 appearance of newly elected Russian President Vladimir Putin.Diplomats say the contentious issue of the proposed U.S.national missile defence system -which Russia opposes and believes could spark a new arms race - will be left to bilateral discussions between Clinton and Putin.Bureacrats accused of stalling custody law By Chris Cobb Southam News A newly released federal study, which explores how Canadians feel about the current state of child custody and access law, is an affront to Parliament and a waste of taxpayers’ money, says a prominent Liberal MP.The study, commissioned by the federal Justice Department, suggests that most Canadians want the existing law changed and replaced with less confrontational, child-friendly legislation that would embrace a new concept of “shared parenting.” The Justice study, which involved a series of 10 focus groups each composed of five men and five women, was conducted earlier this year in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver as part of a followup to a joint Senate-House of Commons committee report released more than a year ago.That report, called For the Sake of the Children, recommended sweeping changes to the federal Divorce Act.The cornerstone of the committee’s report was a new concept of shared parenting that would give both divorcing parents the automatic and legal right to be involved in all aspects of their children’s upbringing.The report was accepted by Justice Minister Anne McLellan who then angered committee members when she said it would take three years before changes could be implemented.Liberal MP Roger Gallaway, cochairman of the committee, says the commissioning of new studies shows disdain for the parliamentary committee system.“It is an affront to the senators and MPs who sat on the committee and a waste of public money,” said Gallaway.“It is not up to Justice bureaucrats to carry out more studies.We have already done that by travelling across the country and consulting with Canadians.It is their job to enact what we have recommended.The whole thing borders on deceit." Justice spokeswoman Michelle Shipman said the focus groups are part of several studies the department is doing around the issue of custody and access.The studies, she said, will eventually lead to consultations with the provinces and territories but no date has been fixed for those talks.The focus group study gave participants three approaches to consider: Approach 1 was the current Divorce Act; Approach 2 was modeled on the joint committee’s recommen-dations.A third approach, developed by department bureaucrats, would maintain a significant role for the courts.The joint parliamentary committee said in its report that the family court system, and the judges and lawyers who are part of it, are a major component of the existing problem.Many non-custodial parents, it said, are brought to financial and psychological ruin by the courts.Gallaway is incensed at what he says is an attempt by the Justice Department to interfere with his committee’s recommendations.“Where do these people get the authority?” he said.“What does any of this have to do with consulting with the provinces?” Most participants in the department’s study agreed that shared parenting is a good idea and favour changes that will eliminate, or greatly reduce, confrontation between divorced parents - and give children proper access to both parents.As part of Approach 2 (based on the committee’s recommendations) participants were asked to comment on the idea of children spending equal living time with both parents.However, this was not a recommendation of the committee which instead used the phrase “regular dependable time” with both parents.Justice spokeswoman Shipman said Approach 2 was not meant to reflect exactly what the committee said.Gallaway said McLellan should stop the studies and get on with implementing the committee’s recommendations.“There’s an urgency to all this," he said. 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S23 David Moore (8i9) 564-2303 page 8 Tuesday, July 18, 2000 Lennoxville LINK Serving the greater Lennoxville area PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL A strawberry picker at Wera Farms in Lennoxville.searching for the reddest, biggest and sweetest berries.Strawberry heaven Lennoxville’s Wera Farms chosen to test new varieties By Janice Cunningham Lennoxville Take a hot July morning - the air still and soft, the sky a crisp blue -and add 50 acres of berries, gleaming red and half-hidden under dusty leaves.This is pure strawberry heaven and pickers were out in full force last Thursday morning - more than 100 of them -with backs bent, faces hidden under hats, searching for the reddest, biggest and sweetest berries to be had.“I’m up at five,” said Richard Wera, owner of Wera Farms, “and there can be people waiting at the door at six-thirty for the seven o’clock opening.” Two miles from Lennoxville, the farm is a well-known landmark and has been in the berry business for the past 30 to 35 years.But it’s also special for another reason.Chosen by the Ministry of Agriculture as a representative farm for the region, it is the site for a series of varietal trials.The trials, which started three years ago, involve planting, sampling and testing the berries to determine their strengths and weaknesses.Wera explained that previously, a new variety wouldn’t be tested in every part of Quebec, so producers were never sure if they should invest the time and money to plant a variety' that could fail in their area due to differences in soil and climate.The soil on the Wera farm is different, he said.“It’s sandier and lighter, more aerated, than the clay soils around Montreal.” In other words, perfect for strawberries.Characteristics tested for include size, taste and appearance (the redder the better), for consumer appeal; and resistance to disease, cold hardiness, time of harvest and ability to produce runners, for grower appeal.All are important, but for Wera, taste is still the number one priority.“I won’t switch to a variety that has less taste,” he said.New varieties include Mesabi from the United States (which this taste-tester found rather sour), Brunswick and Evangeline from Nova Scotia, and Cabot, also from Nova Scotia, which produces such huge berries, “some as big as an apple,” said Wera, that regular-type containers can’t be used.CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE Lennoxville LINK Tuesday, July 18, 2000 page 9 Strawberries are big business in Quebec CONTINUED FROM LAST PAGE At the moment, 75 per cent of Wera’s fields contain Veestar, a variety developed at Vineland, Ont., and about 25 per cent is Cavendish, a later-ripening strawberry whose harvest began on the weekend.Wera plants roughly 20 new acres every year and plants don’t last more than two or three years before being rooted out and replanted.This rigorous system of destroy and replaqt ensures healthy plants and reduces the number of weeds, which are a serious problem with strawberries, a low-growing, perennial crop.Wera said it was his father that got the family into strawberries about 35 years ago when they moved to the Townships from Quebec City.“When he started out, the agronomists told him the soil here wasn’t any good for strawberries,” said Wera with a laugh.“But he did it anyways and it turned out well.” Eventually, Wera continued, his berries became so popular there were lineups outside the farm-stand and customers began offering to pick the strawberries themselves.“U-pick was almost unknown then - the farmers didn’t want people in their fields,” said Wera.“But my father was open enough to let them go pick.” In a few years, “it exploded,” and the farm quickly became 100 per cent U-pick.Strawberries are big business in Quebec.With 700 producers cultivating more than 2,300 hectares, or 23 square kilometers, of berries, it is the third most profitable fruit in the province behind apples and blueberries.Wera is active in local producer organizations such as the Quebec Association of Producers of Strawberries and Raspberries, which deals with promotion and research, and a local association, Estrie Fruit, which is concerned mostly with promotion.The Club de encadrement technique is also a producer organization which hires the two or three agronomists performing the tests on the plots, checking for infestations, soil nutrients and sizing up the harvest.They also come up with suggestions to help the producers combat diseases, such as the dreaded phytopthora fungus.In the field, the test plots are flagged with blue pendants and netting protects the areas that are guarded for the counts.Wera is considering planting one of the new varieties next year.One in the running is Evangeline, an incredibly sweet berry, fairly large, that sports big healthy leaves.“Some customers just want really big berries, then there are others who say ‘No, the big berries are all water,’ it’s hard to please everyone,” said Wera, shaking his head.The strawberry season is a fast season, and a busy one.“There’s always one or two days that are the busiest,” said Wera, “when we can have up to 1,500 cars in one ____________ _______ day - and 90 per cent of that is in the morning." Despite the cool, rainy spring this year, Wera said the harvest will be every bit as good as last year, when the favourable weather conditions “could have made them millionaires,” he said, “except for one thing-the big storm in July.” But then, that’s the life of a farmer.You may be in strawberries, but you can’t always come up roses.«2 - ff .r * 0"* ' , -JK.km Z ’ * -•v< A?mam* ks £ jiiiT-Y I PShBI *.**••* -«Sbe WBm i VjPSPlfj æJ " ¦ TP1 4FW