Moving tribute for Valleyfield's
Serge Marcil

Sainte-Cécile Basilica-Cathedral in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield may never have been as full as it was last Saturday for the funeral of Serge Marcil.
Victim of the Haiti earthquake, the body of the former provincial cabinet minister and federal MP was found in the rubble of the Hotel Montana. He had arrived only hours before the earthquake to lend his expertise to an engineering project in his capacity as vice-president of Groupe SM International.
Many high-profile politicians were in attendance to pay homage to Marcil, including Quebec vice-premier Nathalie Normandeau, federal Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff and Liberal MP Stéphane Dion.
The ceremony, presided by Monseigneur Luc Cyr, bishop of Valleyfield, was marked by a touching tribute from Marcil's son Olivier, currently an advisor in the office of Quebec premier Jean Charest.
The mayor of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Denis Lapointe, as well as former premier Daniel Johnson Jr., under whom Marcil had served, also paid special tribute.
"What we experienced today is very special in the annals of Valleyfield," said journalist Daniel Grenier.
According to some estimates there were more than 1,200 people inside the cathedral.

Ile Perrot mayors launch united
hospital campaign

by Cindy Penny

PINCOURT - History was made Friday as the four Ile Perrot mayors joined forces to mobilize their citizens to lobby for a much-needed regional hospital in Vaudreuil-Soulanges.
Marie-Claude Nichols of Notre-Dame-de-I'Ile Perrot, Manon Trudel of Terrasse- Vaudreuil, Marc Roy of Ile Perrot, and Yvan Cardinal of Pincourt launched their 'Let's work together to build' campaign, calling on citizens of the four municipalities to fill in a form sent out with the annual tax statement, signifying their support for a full-service hospital.
They can then drop it into clearly identified boxes in town halls, municipal libraries and community centres, where the results will be tallied and forwarded to provincial health and social affairs minister Yves Bolduc.
In fact it was Bolduc himself who first hinted that Quebec might consider a request for a 200-bed regional hospital. The health minister had been meeting with the Centre de santé et de services sociaux de Vaudreuil-Soulanges (CSSS-VS) to discuss funding for an ambulatory care centre as part of a regional CSSS health complex.
Cardinal, president of the CSSS until he resigned to run for the Pincourt mayoralty, warned that the hospital isn't a sure thing unless our communities join in transmitting a sense of urgency. The Vaudreuil-Soulanges Health Care Foundation is the model for the level of co-operation required, he noted during Friday night's Happening.
Vaudreuil-Soulanges is one of the most underserviced regions in the province, with one family doctor for 2,368 inhabitants, said Normand Brasseur, vice-president of the CSSS-VS.
"We have no choice but to act," he told last week's news conference. "We can't catch up...we need an establishment and the staff to respond to the immediate needs of the population."
According to figures released Jan. 1, the MRC's total population is now nearing 135,000, with growth expected to bring that number to 180,000 by 2016. Residents have the choice of three ERs - the Lakeshore General, Valleyfield's Centre hospitalier le Suroît Hawkesbury General. Wait times vary, but all three hospitals are often overloaded.
Although the Charest cabinet is receptive to the idea of a 200-bed regional hospital in the fast-growing off-island region, Vaudreuil MNA Yvon Marcoux and Soulanges MNA Lucie Charlebois both stress the need for a popular citizens's movement if the project is to succeed.
The hospital will cost an estimated $150 million to build and $100 million a year to operate.
The tax-bill mailing is the latest attempt to get local town councils and organizations involved in the lobbying campaign. A CSSS signature petition gathered some 25,000 names, but many of the 23 Vaudreuil-Soulanges municipalities have yet to adopt a resolution calling on Quebec for a regional hospital.
For comments or additional information write to: hopital.csssvs
@rrsss16.gouv.qc.ca

Macaulay Farm fate to go to
public consult

HUDSON - In an unprecedented move by the Town Planning Advisory Committee and council, concerned citizens will get the chance to speak out on the fate of the Macaulay Farm complex sometime in March. No date has been set.
The consultation resolution was adopted by council Monday night after mayor Michael Elliott fueled the debate with his own opinion.
"I don't feel tremendously strong about the barn," he said. "It's been left to deteriorate...it's in a sad state. If I had my druthers, I'd tear it down."
If the town did take ownership, he wouldn't know what to do with it. "We'd still be stuck for the money to fix it, and to what end? More traffic isn't ideal for that area."
The estate of the late Herb Norris has presented the Town Planning Advisory Committee with a dilemma in the form of a plan to subdivide what remains of the former experimental farm into 15 residential lots.
To fulfill the mandatory 10 percent greenspace requirement, the estate's representative John Norris is offering the town three choices:
· Take over ownership and responsibility for the 85-year-old barn and outbuildings and the land they stand on;
· Take the 10 percent in land elsewhere, allowing the farm complex to be demolished and developed;
· Take the cash value of the 10 percent greenspace requirement and free up more lots.
On Jan. 14, the TPAC recommended that consideration be given to Norris's subdivision plan only after council holds a public consultation to explore the financial and legal options.
The TPAC also urged the town to ask the owner to seek a legal opinion on the town's liability if the barn and outbuildings were acquired by the town, explore various preservation options and work out the exact value of the cash equivalent.
In the meantime, the TPAC wants to see the buildings barricaded and no-trespassing signs posted.
The TPAC meeting heard from Hudson Historical Society past president Kevin O'Donnell and Hudson fire prevention officer Antoine Hêtu.
O'Donnell stressed the availability of funding for large-building recycling projects in other municipalities and asked that no decision be made until after the HHS elects a new executive at its Feb. 8 AGM. "In other jurisdictions, these places have tremendous significance."
Hêtu, noting the broken windows and general deterioration of the structure, warned that firefighters would have no choice but to let it burn.
Long after Monday's meeting had ended, groups continued the debate.
"We could be standing here years from now, regretting not saving the barn the way we regret not having bought Sandy Beach," O'Donnell said at one point. It's more than just a herd of Holsteins...it's a shrine."
"If it was Joey Davidson's barn, it would be worth saving," Elliott countered. "It was built during the French regime. The Macaulay barn isn't that old or that famous."

Borrowing bylaw covers
Allan Cottage move

by Jim Duff

HUDSON - The town proposes to borrow $195,000 to move and renovate Allan Cottage, the circa 1870 home at 527 Main.
The loan would cover the cost of moving the structure to a new foundation some 150 feet west of its current location and updating the heating and electrical systems, mayor Michael Elliott told Monday's February council meeting.
Short-term plans call for the creation of four municipal offices and a 24 by 25-foot conference room, but Elliott said the town has the option of selling it for a substantial profit.
"The town bought it in 1957 for $15,000...$3,000 down and $103 a month. It's zoned commercial and we're moving it onto its own lot," he explained. "I figure we could get $500,000 for it."
Elliott vehemently opposed the previous administration's proposal to demolish the house and use the space to build a new firehall and public works complex for an estimated $4.5 million.
"The house is in excellent structural shape," he said. "The beams are all pegged and mortised. On one of the beams, we found the names of three girls born and raised in that house." Because the names were upside down, the theory is that the girls wrote them there when the floorboards upstairs were lifted in order to install electricity in the house - in 1915.
Elliott reassured residents concerned about rumours the town was planning to turn Maple into an access road for fire and emergency vehicles and tear down the building currently being used by Le Pont/Bridging.
"That was a suggestion of the old council," he said. "I assure you it's not under discussion...even if the fire station was built, we wouldn't want it coming out on Maple."
As for cutting trees to move the cottage, Elliott said a single eight-inch ash might have to come down, along with a ragged line of cedars. The town will take "extra precautions" to protect the massive walnut tree in the back yard of the Hudson Museum next door, he vowed.

Hudson St. Paddy's Parade March 13

by Jim Duff

Hudson will turn green Saturday, March 13 as Cunningham's Pub holds the first ever St. Patrick's Parade in town.
Council approved the application at Monday night's meeting.
"It'll be as big if not bigger than the Santa Claus Parade, said Cunningham's Jason Allan. He claims to have commitments from the Hudson Fire Department and a dozen local businesses to be part of the parade.
· · ·
Phil Avis wants to turn the Sunday, May 30 British Car Show into a two-day event and he's asking for the town's support.
Sponsored by the Hudson Antique Car Klub, the show fills St. Thomas Park with British cars of all vintages and pedigrees, drawing car enthusiasts and their friends from as far away as Ottawa and Quebec City.
"I encourage the local business community to help us expand the show into a weekend with something for everyone," Avis told council. "There's tremendous interest."
· · ·
Local merchants Mike Poirier and Katie Shaar are pressuring the town to take action to counter the loss of business among local merchants by hiring a marketing coordinator. Letters from Poirier and Shaar were tabled at Monday's meeting, and councillor Tim Snow, who represents the downtown core, said both are concerned about what he said is a continuing economic downturn.
"Some businesses are losing money for the first time," said Snow. "We don't want to lose them."
During the second question period, Marcus Owen voiced his concern about hiring more full-time employees and suggested council should consider hiring people on contract.
Snow said the town has already suggested that merchants sign a contract with a consultant who specializes in getting grants. "He takes 20 percent of whatever you get," said Snow. "If he doesn't deliver, he doesn't get paid."

Aloes: Town remiss in duty

Aloes Investments founder Ivor McLeod has a vision for Saddlebrook that includes a road between Sandmere and Yearling, says Aloes Investments partner Michael Laventure.
"Ivor has always had a vision as far as Saddlebrook and the other developments we've done," Laventure said. "He's wanted ponds, roads done in a certain way, projects completed. Often not for maximum financial benefit, but because he has a certain vision of what he wants and he feels that Sandmere and Yearling should be connected."
So any suggestion of a land trade would be a tough sell, he added. "That's not to say I'm closed to something, but the amount of hassle I'd have to go through...it would have to be something that was worth my while," Laventure told the Hudson/St. Lazare Gazette. "My big problem is that all those lots have been sold and I would have a huge problem cancelling sales and moving everything."
Subdivision plans for the Dunes Lake Road development already call for more than 60 percent of the 40-arpent site being turned over to the town as a conservation area, Laventure claims. (The town sets the number at 35 percent.)
The plans call for Dunes Lake Road to run from Sandmere to Yearling, curving along the eastern edge of the lake to include a parking area. To preserve the eco-corridor described in the 2007 Genivar audit, agreement was reached among Aloes, the Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks ministry, and the town to connect Bordelais Bog to Dunes Lake via a one-lot greenspace.
Daniel Leblanc, regional director of the Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks ministry, confirmed the proposal has MDDEP's approval.
The only reason the project hasn't gone ahead before now was because the town had insisted that the water hookup be via both Sandmere and a privately owned stretch of Yearling to prevent a dead end. To satisfy the town's demand, Aloes would have had to buy part of Yearling from Développements Simi owner Pierre Loiselle for $160,000.
Laventure doesn't see why he should shoulder the cost. "I don't feel like buying a road for $160,000 and giving it to the town for $1."
The town has been remiss in its responsibility by not handling this issue, he added. "The road was built 17 years ago. There are houses on it now that cannot get building permits for any extensions. If a house burned down there and you wanted to rebuild it, you wouldn't be able to get a building permit....it's not on a public road.
"If they want to add to their house, they cannot. If you have an empty lot and you want to build, you can't get a permit.
"What would happen if the water line broke on that part of Yearling owned by Loiselle? Who would fix it? I have yet to get a straight answer from the town."
Laventure agrees the town could expropriate, but St. Lazare would have to pay market value plus compensation to those who have already bought under the assumption they would be building there.
He contests Genivar's claim the area is environmentally sensitive.
"Dunes Lake was an old sandpit used by H. J. O'Connell to supply sand for the highway. It wasn't a lake until I dug it down for three years. The environment department said it was ecologically sensitive. I said it wasn't environmentally sensitive when it was a sandpit.
"The fish in it, we took out of Chevrier's sandpit," Laventure concluded. Aloes continues to maintain the forest and trail, and clean up the garbage around the lake. "Everything in there, we did."

St-Louis pitched land trade

Mayoral candidate and former District 4 councillor Michel St-Louis says he pitched the idea of a land switch to developer Michael Laventure with the goal of preserving the greenspace between Dunes Lake and the Bordelais Bog.
St-Louis said last week he had been approached by a group of residents concerned that Aloes Investments was going ahead with plans to build some 19 homes on a new street, Dunes Lake Road, running between Sandmere and Yearling.
The proposed subdivision would be located on one of six Category 1 sites named in the February, 2007 Genivar wetland audit as ecologically significant, containing many of the same at-risk species that won the bog its conservation-area status in 2004.
Some three months prior to last November's municipal election, St-Louis says he asked Laventure if he and Aloes Investments partner Ivor MacLeod would consider accepting a piece of land south of Ste. Angélique in exchange for the roughly 40-acre woodlot.
St-Louis says he was thinking of a parcel off Ste. Angélique suitable for the construction of 75-80 condos and townhouses.
According to St-Louis, Laventure said he might be open to further discussion.
Laventure confirmed the idea of a land trade "had been brought up, but never seriously."
Last week, St-Louis said a land switch might still be the only solution, but wondered whether St. Lazare residents will agree to pay to acquire and maintain an area used by a relatively small number of residents. "We were ready to save it, but at what price? If people come there to swim, we'll need a lifeguard, a fence and public parking." ­ JD

Consultative committees:
St. Lazare: Kary appeals for citizen input

by Nathalie Blais

ST. LAZARE - Mayor Pierre Kary is resurrecting the municipality's moribund environment consultative committee and creating public security, recreation, and commercial revitalization committees in order to seek citizen input on future town policy.
At the forefront will be an ethics committee, to be chaired by Kary himself, with a mandate to draft a code of ethics for councillors. "Establishing a code of ethics was part of my mandate given to me by the citizens," he said in a Jan. 27 message to citizens.
"The goal is that councillors be made to act in the collective interest - no behind-the-scenes negotiations," Kary told the Hudson/St. Lazare Gazette.
None of the recommendations from any of the committees is legally binding until they're voted on by council.
Kary said the impetus for a code of ethics comes from Bill 48, adopted by the Quebec legislature last November. The bill promotes social justice, integrity, honesty, honour, prudence in the pursuit of the public interest, and respect among MNAs, public servants and citizens.
District 2 councillor Nathalie Richard supports a code of ethics, calling it an official document against which councillors can be measured. "The main objective is no back room deals...everything on the table," says Richard.
Richard and Jean-Pierre Giguère will sit on the public security committee; environment will be led by Pierre Kary and Jean-Claude Gauthier; recreation by Gilbert Arsenault and Nathalie Richard; and commercial revitalization by Michel Lambert and Pierre Kary.
Provincial legislation provides for councillors to be paid $100 per preparatory meeting, up to 16 meetings a year, including committees.
Each of the five committees will be made up of two members of council, two town employees and two citizens. "All applications will be considered, except those that represent a conflict of interest in the way of personal gain," the mayor added.
"Councillors will bring orientation and vision to the process, town employees bring knowledge of town regulations and procedure to the table, and the citizens bring their views, their opinions, their right to be heard."
However, Kary refused to commit to making committee minutes public. "Not everything discussed at these meetings will be of a public nature," he said. "What we can make public, we will."
The committees have the support of District 3 councillor Brigitte Asselin who, along with District 4 councillor Michel Lambert, is excluded from Kary's Shared Vision caucus meetings. "I am in agreement with Kary's position on consultations with third parties, promoters or pressure groups, and councillors," Asselin said last week.
But Asselin is adamant that minutes should be made public and doesn't think two citizens are enough representation from the community.
"The meetings should be [a matter of] of public record, especially if the aim is to increase transparency."
With the exception of the ethics committee, committees will begin meeting in March, once all applications have been considered and members assigned.
"The ethics committee has been delayed to September because a lot of homework has to be done on the topic," says Kary. "The timetable is not set in stone, but many legal possibilities need to be researched."

$250,000 moment

Stink clears Westwood Senior

Westwood High students got an early start to the weekend last Friday after a leak in one of the older septic tanks filled the school with a foul odour.
As the smell got stronger, school principal Alana Leroux decided to send everyone outside for some fresh air. An announcement was made for students to take what they needed and evacuate the school.
After being outside for about 15 minutes, students were moved into the gymansium and told that school was ending early that day. Buses took them to the junior campus where they were then able to catch their regular bus home.
The problem was fixed over the weekend and school resumed Monday morning. - SW

Hudson area gets its first synagogue

by Elaine Steinberg

ST. LAZARE - Prior to this past December, the closest Jewish community centre for families living off island was in Kirkland. With the arrival in December of the Chabad Jewish Community Centre on Côte St. Charles, that has changed.
I have lived in the Hudson area since 1974. In fact, I brought up two children on the Cote Road, just two doors past where the new Chabad Centre is located. In the 70s, I dreamed of being able to buy a bagel at Poirier's. It came to pass. Never could I have imagined having a synagogue within walking distance, but that, too, came to pass when Chabad Lubavitch Organization sent Rabbi Nachum Labkowski and his young family to our area in response to an invitation from residents.
I am thrilled at the arrival of the Rabbi because I believe the Chabad philosophy is appropriate to our area. Why do I say that?
For the past twenty years I have been a member of the MTC, a Chabad Centre in Montreal. I love it. It beats any of my previous synagogue experiences: Modern Orthodox, Conservative, even Reform at one point. I wanted to have the option to decide on the degree of involvement my religion played in my life. Reform and Conservative had its obvious limits. Modern Orthodox expected me to be Orthodox. Although Chabad is Orthodox, my Rabbi had no expectations of me; never did he point a finger. Chabad is the only Orthodox group which is inclusive of all Jews.
Also, over the years I have come to know many Chabad Rabbis and their wives, the Rebbetzins. I feel they make themselves more available and are closer to their congregants than other Rabbis I have known. Their home is always open; an extra chair can always be squeezed in at their holiday table and the day is never too long for another shared moment. The warm atmosphere of a Chabad House/Centre is closer to what I remember of my grandparents' home. Imagine belonging to a synagogue where every Shabbat, after services, the congregation has a lunch ­ a kiddish ­ together. That is a Chabad custom. Imagine a Chanukah or Purim party or any celebration ­ a fabrengen ­ with a feast of food, wine, stories, song and laughter. Again, that is Chabad. Chabad is a Hasidic movement; Hasidism is founded on joy, not fire and brimstone.
Last Rosh Shoshanna (the Jewish New Year), Rabbi Labkowski held services at Auberge du Rigaud. After services, Rebbetzin Malki Labkowski served a Kosher home-cooked festival meal to forty people. I was not there but those who were tell me that by any stretch of the imagination, this feat was a miracle ­ and delicious. That is Chabad.
Born in France and with family and friends still living there, Rabbi Labkowski is fluently bilingual. He tells a story of being sent by Rabbi Ben Toli, the head Rabbi of the Congo, under armed guards to Abidjan, in the French-speaking Ivory Coast. His mission was to bring a Kosher High Holiday service to about fifteen travelling businessmen in the area. I guess Rigaud was an easy assignment!
Much is being planned at the JCC, with synagogue services, adult educational programs, a Jewish Women's circle, speakers and Bar/Bat mitzvah training. On Sunday, Feb. 28, for the joyous holiday of Purim there will be a Wild West Purim Party with a food feast, fun activities and a reading of Esther's scroll ­ the Migella.
They are in the midst of establishing a Hebrew School ­ and they're open to any ideas. For more information, visit their website, www.Jewishstlazare.com, or call 450-458-2530.

No Impact Man is a persuasive message

by Shane Kelley

Colin Beavan calls himself a guilty liberal who was fed up with his own complaints about the ills of the environment, while doing nothing to lessen his own footprint on the world. In November 2006, Beaven, his wife, their two-year-old daughter and their four-year-old dog went off the grid while living in the middle of New York City. They began what many considered an extreme lifestyle experiment of "doing without" to see if they could leave no impact on the environment for an entire year. Said Beaven, "I wanted to find out if it was possible that I could find myself a happier person by leaving no impact on the environment." After the year-long experiment, Colin's answer was a resounding "Yes!"
Last Wednesday night, Go Green Hudson hosted a screening of the documentary No Impact Man at the Hudson Community Centre. Approximately 75 people enjoyed the enlightening and humorous adventure of Colin and his family's year of living like "pioneers" in their Fifth Avenue Manhattan apartment. After the film, the event's host, Go Green Hudson, launched a live Skype video conference with Colin at home in New York and invited guests to talk to him directly to learn more about his experience and explore ideas on ways to reduce our own impact on the environment.
Beaven said he and his family started by "cutting out taxis, garbage, throwaway coffee cups, eliminating foreign tomatoes in January, bottled water from France, AC in the dead of August, and new clothing from who knows where." The biggest test was during the last six months of the project when they lived in their fourth floor apartment without electricity. Beaven said he found many advantages to this new lifestyle and "saved money, lost weight, gained energy, improved my health, spent more quality time with my family and friends, renewewed my relationship with my wife, discovered an overall sense of freedom, and learned that, yes, sometimes less is more."
I went to the event with the intention of staying just long enough to take a few photographs ­ not because I'm not interested in the environment ­ which I am ­ but because I had a large stack of work waiting for me. But after listening to Colin for a few minutes, I realized this was too remarkable to miss and stayed until the end. One of my favourite parts was watching Beaven, his wife and toddler washing their laundry in a bathtub of cold water by stomping on it like a harvest of grapes. What really caught my attention was learning how many positive changes we can all easily make to help the environment. What was most inspirational, was watching Colin and his family spend a lot of quality time with each other and their friends. No music, no television, no electric lights, but lots of joyful laughter, creating memories of an adventure they will never forget.
Colin says one of his main messages is that lots of people are finding that by living environmentally, they are actually improving the quality of their life.
To try out the No Impact lifestyle, visit Colin's blog for support, instructions and inspiration (www.noimpactman.typepad.com) and his main blog for more about No Impact Man himself (www.colinbeavan.com).

Analysis
LBPSB teachers adjusting to French competency shift

by Nathalie Blais

Teachers are understandably nervous in light of the Lester B. Pearson School Board's goal of raising the level of French-language competency among its graduates.
Raising the bar on the quantity and quality of French at the high school level could mean imposing French language training on teachers hired to teach in English.
Adopted by the Council of Commissioners at the 2010-2011 Major School Change (MSC) consultation last December, the changes will see French language requirements at the secondary level increase to 50 percent in Cycle II by September, 2011. The long-term intention is to maintain the initiative into Cycle III.
Most agree the implementation process will be gradual, depending on collective agreements, availability of teachers in each school, and loss of staff to retirement or a move out of the school board.
"We are currently at 33 percent French instruction," says Westwood Junior principal Hans Bulow. "The art teacher will be retiring next year. It might be an opportunity to replace her with a bilingual teacher to bring us up to 40 percent."
LBPSB vice-chair Angela Nolet shares Bulow's view. "There are teachers retiring every year," says Nolet. "Relying on attrition to make room for teachers with qualifying French language skill should be a reasonable expectation."
The reality is that schools have little control over how fast the new French language requirements will be met. It all depends on how many qualified teachers are available to teach. "We can't force a teacher to teach in French, no more than we can ask a math teacher to teach English," says Bulow.
"Our primary concern is job security. No teachers in tenured positions will be impacted," Pearson Teachers Union (PTU) head John Donnelly told the Hudson/St. Lazare Gazette. "It says nothing for those hired on contract.
"Even in absence of permanency, English instructors hired on contract were at least assured there [would] be demand for English teachers prior to the MSC resolution," he added. " Opportunity for teachers not qualified to teach in French is rapidly diminishing."
The PTU is currently in preliminary talks with the LBPSB to develop French competency tests that will determine if a teacher is qualified to teach in French.
"If a teacher presently teaching in English says he/she can handle teaching a French class, then we'll have to decide if a competency test is needed," says Donnelly, adding the decisions will be made on a case by case basis. Teachers educated in French will likely not be required to take the test.
"We are working with the PTU to institute a French language competency certification program," says LBPSB chairman Marcus Tabachnick. Although there's no set timetable, he confirmed the LBPSB is stepping up recruiting from French universities. Other initiatives to increase both the quality and quantity of French include establishing guiding principles for the teaching of French as a second language, and professional development activities for teachers.
Currently there is no French Immersion model at the secondary level. In addition to the English program, each school has its own form of Enriched and/or Immersion program in place. The amount of French a student might be exposed to largely depends on the school of choice. The new MSC ruling will ensure students will receive at minimum 50 percent of instruction in French across the board.
The only two courses exempt from the new language requirements are math and English. Everything else is open for discussion and each school is to look at instituting the 50 percent minimum through a combination of offerings including ethics, science, history, geography, drama, gym, and art.
"We may decide to split the curriculum of one course into half-French, half-English," Bulow says. "We may decide to give students options by offering [blocks of] French and English classes per subject and cap the English classes." Plans will have to meet school council and governing board approval before implementation.
His one big concern is that too much focus will be on language, rather than on the subject being taught. "I'm concerned about the kids who have a tough time with language as it is," Bulow adds. "How will the introduction of more French affect them?"
Donnelly believes the changes will be slow-moving, with the 2011 deadline giving everyone plenty of time to adjust. His priority right now is mergers and closures on the West Island. "We are in the midst of school visits to inform teachers of process and rights."

Legion News

Talk about great music. A small but appreciative crowd was on hand last Friday to be entertained by Hudson's finest musicians. There's nothing else to say except thanks to all of the musicians on hand. They ranged in age from mid-30s to 92. Dennis Connolly at 92, never took a break from his drum playing. Cheers Dennis. This all followed dinner prepared by Joan, Marge and Sharon who has graciously joined the team. The next dinner is chicken which will be served on the Feb. 12. RSVP 450-458-4882.
Jim Markham came up with the idea of having a stick only spiel and this event will be played over the next two Mondays winding up with a pot luck lunch. Jim has been very creative with new events. He has done a remarkable job as liaison of the Hardy Rocks.
It is nice to see Mike Sheppard back on the ice after a few weeks off. His magical laughter is a welcome sound at the club.
The winter carnival cash spiel is on this Saturday. Sign up sheets are up the the Legion hall. Anyone is welcome to play in this carnival event.
A belated Happy Birthday to Barbie who celebrated her ?0th last Thursday.
Lest We Forget

Water intake impact study presented

This Saturday afternoon, bring your five iron down to the Chunky Skunky Ice Golf Club in the bay opposite Quarry Point to raise money for Haitian disaster relief. Organized by Erin Metcalfe and Grahame Dorcas, the tournament takes place from noon until 4 p.m., or until everyone plays through.
The six-hole course set up by Derek Halbert, John Coutts and Al Rothdram is maintained by a pool of volunteers.
"The Quarry Point Open will be in fine form with glistening greens and frosted fairways," says Metcalfe. "To use the course, we will ask for a donation ­ whatever they can afford to give ­ we hope people will be generous. All the money we raise will go to the Red Cross."
If you're not into golf, there's ice fishing as well as hot dogs, soft drinks, hot chocolate, and other refreshments, and raffle tickets for some great prizes.
"It was something I thought up Friday after watching footage of these poor innocent children suffering while my two girls were happily playing," says Metcalfe. "Grahame and I talked about it Friday night, and Saturday he went to play ice golf, and as soon as he said others were keen I set up the Facebook page."
Local stores and other Hudsonites have been graciously donating soft drinks and food to be sold the day of. People are bringing out their barbecues and tents, while others promise to bring their wallets. If you are interested in helping out in any way, contact Erin Metcalfe at metcalfe.erin@gmail.com. If you can't make it on Saturday, then please donate online. Donations can be made at www.redcross.ca/helpnow.

Honda Ile Perrot thanks firefighters

VAUDREUIL-DORION - With a growing population that has just topped 30,000, Vaudreuil-Dorion's water filtration plant is being taxed to the max.
That's why the town is proposing to instal an additional water intake pipe from Vaudreuil Bay to the filtration plant on the Cité des Jeunes campus.
Before work can officially begin, Quebec's environmental protection laws require the municipality to inform citizens of the work required and the possible impact on the environment.
Engineers will present a study of the environmental impact of the proposed intake tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 4 at the Opti-Centre on Harwood Blvd, beginning at 7 p.m.
"We will submit to the people the main challenges of the project and the measures that will be taken," said mayor Guy Pilon. "This new intake is essential to our city's development. Since this work will be done on both land and the river bottom, an environmental assessment is necessary."
In the past few years, Vaudreuil-Dorion has expanded the water filtration plant and built a larger reservoir. This latest project would increase the maximum water intake and increase the amount of water available to meet the future needs of the city. - SW

Ease access to English schools
LBPSB parents launch Bill 104 petition

by Nathalie Blais

The Lester B. Pearson School Board Central Parents' Committee (CPC) is urging parents to sign an online petition pressuring the Charest government to ease access to English public schools in the wake of last October's Supreme Court ruling striking down Bill 104.
The court ruled that Quebec's restrictions on English public schooling violated both the provincial and federal charters and gave Quebec a year to redraft the law to make it constitutionally compliant.
"The petition has been forwarded to all governing boards who in turn will hopefully send it out to all parents in the English school board," Lori Derry, Vice Chair of the CPC, told the Hudson/St. Lazare Gazette last week.
"We are just waiting to get feedback from the governing boards before we start actively getting the word out," she added.
Bill 104, a seven-year-old law passed by the previous Parti Québécois government, closed a loophole whereby children ordinarily not eligible for English public schooling would gain access by enrolling in a non-subsidized private English school for one year.
The CPC fears the redrafted law will not favour giving the choice to immigrants and francophone families who do not currently qualify for the certificate of eligibility.
"We started the petition just last week," says Derry. "We want as many francophone and immigrant families as possible who are directly affected to sign the petition."
The petition comes at a time when the LBPSB is closing or merging West Island schools. The board has lost 2,300 students since 2005, mainly to private schools.
The petition will be sent out to MNAs in the LBPSB district, to the Minister of Education and to the Premier of Quebec.
To access the petition, go to www.ipetitions.com/petition/lbpsb.

---

Thieves profit from inaction, carelessness

Residential break-ins and thefts from unlocked vehicles continue to top the list of crimes committed in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC - and the problem has become serious enough to come to the attention of regional and municipal councils.
Monday's Hudson council meeting heard of a letter from the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC urging the region's municipalities to warn their citizenry to lock their vehicles, even in their own driveways. Again last week, thieves found easy pickings in a vehicle left unlocked, stealing various articles and small change.
One St. Lazare resident got a quick lesson in the dangers of leaving his car idling with the keys in the ignition and the doors unlocked when a joyrider hopped into the 2001 BMW 325i and drove off with the car.
Hudson council is urging the SQ to publicize crime waves following a series of residential break-ins committed by thieves who park their getaway vehicles on one street, then burgle a house the next street over. If you see a suspicious vehicle parked on your street or in a driveway, call 911.
Burglars also broke into seven trailers in a Vaudreuil-Dorion campground, stealing televisions and various other articles of value.

---

Obituary

Passed away Jan. 31, 2010, after a short battle with cancer. Loving husband of Linda Mackinnon and father of Christina, Julie, Patrick and grandchildren. Memorial services will be held at St. Thomas d'Aquinas, Hudson on Sat. Feb. 6 at 11 a.m. Condolences 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Canadian Cancer Society in his name.