Flu-shot school busing begins this
week

Youths five to 19 are now being urged to get vaccinated
immediately, either through their schools or with their parents.
(Gazette, Lorelei Reid)
by Nathalie Blais
VAUDREUIL-DORION - Beginning this week, some 20,000
elementary and high school students will be bused to the region's
only H1N1 vaccination clinic in a controversial move the regional
health and social services agency insists is the most efficient
way to give as many flu shots as possible in the shortest time.
Vaccination centres will be closed to the general public between
noon and 4 p.m. for the next two weeks, starting Wednesday, Nov.
18. During those hours, only students will be receiving the H1N1
flu shots.
To minimize the risks inherent in transporting thousands of students
outside regular transport hours, the CSSS de Vaudreuil-Soulanges
Monday announced a list of precautions, including banning traffic
from bus loading and unloading zones and a greater number of
volunteers and staff on hand.
Also Monday, the l'Agence de la santé et des services
sociaux de la Montérégie announced that effective
immediately, all youths aged five to 19 should get vaccinated,
either through their schools or by accompanying their parents.
The regional CSSS will continue to vaccinate according to its
previous priority sequence as of 4 p.m. weekdays and from 9-5
weekends. Vouchers will continue to be available as of 6 a.m.
The decision to bring the students to the vaccine rather than
vice versa puzzles Lester B. Pearson School Board chairman Marcus
Tabachnick.
"I am perplexed as to why we are not bringing the vaccinations
to the schools," Tabachnick told us last week. "Our
concerns for safety of the students are many: the number of buses
and number of trips, the number of students on and off the buses,
creating boarding safe zones at the vaccination centres.
"Schools offer a more controlled environment," Tabachnick
added. "No public centre is as safe as a school."
Many parents agree, citing the recent Oct. 22 vaccination blitz
at area schools, during which CLSC staff administered shots for
chicken pox and hepatitis to everyone and vaccine for the human
papilloma virus to girls.
The decision by the ASSS to mobilize students is being undertaken
to ensure better coverage of the vaccination in school-age children,
said CSSS de Vaudreuil-Soulanges spokesperson Sophie Boucher.
As well, the vaccination centres already have an established
protocol for dealing with adverse reactions to the vaccine.
"The crucial period is the 20 minutes following the vaccination,
allergic reaction being the greatest risk," says Dr. Jocelyne
Sauvé, director of public health for the Montérégie.
"Students will remain on site for those 20 minutes, after
which they will be permitted to go."
Tabachnick admits there is currently no protocol for dealing
with adverse reactions within the schools but he still believes
the most efficient way of administering the shots would be to
set up a clinic in a centrally located school, which would then
be responsible for administering the vaccine to students in nearby
schools.
"If we had six months to get full coverage of the 180,000
students to be vaccinated in 10 days time, the situation would
be very different," counters Dr. Sauvé. "We
cannot expect to deploy the number of nurses it would take to
each of the 400 schools to set up clinics and expect to get the
coverage [we need]."
Soulanges MNA Lucie Charlebois defended the busing of students
to the region's only flu-shot clinic. "Yes, it's exceptional,
but this influenza pandemic is also exceptional," she said
Friday.
Another question weighing heavily on the minds of school boards
is the cost. As it stands, the boards have to absorb the cost
of the additional busing. An average school trip on a bus transporting
50-60 students will cost $200-$300, so with 25,000 students,
the LBPSB is looking at another $100,000.
Tabachnick is pushing back, urging the government to take responsibility.
"LBPSB adopted a resolution last month sent to various government
ministries and other school boards requesting financial aid,"
he noted. "We've already spent an estimated $100,000 on
H1N1-related items six-month inventories of cleaning supplies,
soap, hand towels...There are also costs involved in substitutions
needed to replace teachers attending H1N1-related meetings."
Watershed council seeking public
input

Hudson's Viviry Creek after last summer's torrential
downpour caused it to overflow its banks.
The proposed regional watershed council would bring all stakeholders
to the table to ensure
that areas surrounding our rivers and streams can retain water
to limit runoff.
(Gazette, Jim Duff)
by Jim Duff
VAUDREUIL-DORION - According to the 1992 Rio de Janeiro
Protocol, the task of cleaning up the world's great rivers can't
proceed until we clean up their watersheds - the millions of
rivers, creeks and streams that discharge into them.
In Quebec, that translated into a 1992 water policy that identified
33 watersheds requiring intervention. In March, 2009, the Sustainable
Development, Environment and Parks ministry added seven new watershed
regions, including Vaudreuil-Soulanges.
As a result, the Centre local de développement (CLD) Vaudreuil-Soulanges
received $22,500 in seed money to create a Conseil du bassin
versant de la région de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, a Vaudreuil-Soulanges
watershed council to draft a water management master plan and
create a permanent participatory governance process to ensure
its application.
The CLD has named a provisional council that will explain the
process at an information meeting next Thursday, Nov. 26 at 7:30
p.m., at the St. Clêt Community Centre, 4 du Moulin.
Two weeks later, on Dec. 10, same time, same place, the founding
meeting will elect the 18-member board, split equally among municipalities,
the business sector and the community. Once the watershed council
is created, it will be able to draw on $125,000 earmarked by
the provincial government.
The new council faces a daunting challenge. The Rigaud, Raquette,
Delisle and Beaudette rivers drain a huge agricultural region,
with all the problems associated with fertilizer, pesticide and
farm waste runoff. More than 80 percent of their volume originates
in Ontario.
The Rouge, Quinchien, Chamberry, Viviry and dozens of smaller
creeks and unnamed watercourses drain an increasingly urbanized
region in eastern Vaudreuil-Soulanges, with septic-tank overflow,
industrial waste and parking-lot hydrocarbons running unchecked
into the Ottawa and St. Lawrence every time it rains.
The new organization will have no regulatory powers, provisional
president Gabriel Meunier emphasized at a briefing session at
CLD headquarters last week. "We're not a pressure group,
but a sensitization and concertation organism," said the
retired water engineer, now a committed environmentalist.
Using the example of a nine-hole golf course at the headwaters
of the Viviry, Meunier said the goal is to help everyone realize
that everything is interrelated - golf courses should not be
using pesiticides near watercourses that feed municipal water
supplies, even if they're in separate municipalities.
For more info or to confirm your presence at the information
session, contact the CLD at 450-424-2262, ext. 221 or e-mail
cpepin@cldvs.com.
MRC okays controversial beaver trapping
by Jim Duff and Matthew Brett
ST. LAZARE - As Regine de Blick recalls, it took the
Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC five years to take action against a Côte
St. Charles landowner diverting a stream so that he could drain
wetland for future development.
Yet it took them less than a week to assign a trapper to trap
the beavers and destroy a beaver dam blocking the stream.
MRC spokeswoman Elise Phoenix confirmed last month that they
had been asked to clear out the dams since the MRC has jurisdiction
over watercourses and a responsibility to keep them running to
prevent flooding. The beavers will be killed, since relocating
them would simply transfer the problem somewhere else, she added.
De Blick's property fronts on Côte St. Charles, but backs
on a parcel of land belonging to developer Renato Cervini. Cervini
is currently embroiled in a three-way court battle with the MRC
and the Town of St. Lazare. He's being accused of having illegally
redirected Rodrigue Creek into a drainage ditch running through
the centre of his land.
Neighbours claim Cervini is using the ditch to drain wetlands
to the east of Côte St. Charles cited in the 2007 Genivar
audit.
De Blick says she and her neighbours were upset when they learned
the MRC had contacted René Chevrier, the owner of the
land where the dam is situated, to ask him if they could go on
his land to trap the beavers.
"The beavers are trying to undo the damage to the wetland
done in 2004 when the waterway was moved and dug out much deeper
than originally [planned]. Is it not amazing how nature finds
a way to repair itself, after man's attempts to destroy it?"
De Blick said St. Lazare's urban planner, Annie Levesque, had
assured her that no development would take place in the area
as long as there was still land for development in the town's
urban perimeter, but De Blick was unconvinced.
"It's amazing that the MRC can react so quickly to this
when it has taken them five years to look into the illegal work
that was done here to begin with," she said.
St. Lazare: Kary establishes new
priorities

Development vs. quality of life: Kary listens at
the April, 2008 council meeting as angry
residents complain about not being informed of a subdivision
that would swallow up a major equestrian trail and greenspace.
(Gazette, Andrea Richer)
by Jim Duff
ST. LAZARE - Mayor Pierre Kary and his new council
must be thinking of that old adage 'when you're up to your ass
in alligators, it's hard to think about draining the swamp' following
this month's municipal election.
Kary was unable to attend last night's first post-election council
meeting (pro-mayor Nathalie Richard chaired the meeting), but
insiders say he's moving quickly with his vision for the municipality,
including stricter controls on development and adoption of a
clear municipal conservation plan.
St. Lazare, he noted prior to the election, has "the distinction
of being one of only a handful of municipalities across the province
to exclude itself from a well-researched plan."
At the same time, the new council has to draft and adopt the
2010 budget, master the files inherited from the previous administration,
and establish a working relationship with town manager Lucie
Gendron and her staff.
"This is a frantic period," Kary commented by e-mail
last week. "We are working hard on the 2010 budget which
must be finalized in an incredibly short period of time and must
reflect the new direction of the new council.
"The first council meeting will only deal with issues that
cannot be delayed," he added. "Although the direction
of the new council will be reflected in a couple of items on
the agenda, the December 1 council meeting will reflect more
of the priorities of the new council."
A year ago, Kary spoke of the need for more openness and citizen
input at council meetings, possibly with book-end question periods
as in Vaudreuil-Dorion and Hudson.
This week, council took their first step in that direction -
the posting of a provisional agenda on the town website 24 hours
prior to last night's meeting.
Many developers expect a showdown with the new administration
sooner rather than later. The last week of the campaign, Kary
criticized the outgoing council's claims they were powerless
to control the extent and the location of development, accusing
them of intentionally not introducing regulations with respect
to the environment and development.
"The law on municipal competencies clearly gives municipalities
the right and responsibility to regulate on issues of urban planning
and the environment," Kary said. "Political will has
been absent...The priorities have not been on preserving green
spaces, but rather on allowing unregulated suburbanization."
Developer Ivor McLeod, the man behind Saddlebrook and subsequent
developments, had a warning: "It's a must that municipalities
create a climate where business can flourish. The main employer
in St. Lazare is residential construction."
St. Lazare, McLeod added, is home to carpenters, bricklayers
and many other skilled artisans who specialize in residential
construction. "We risk losing those skills if we put a halt
to residential development."
McLeod and Aloes Investments co-owner Michael Laventure are sitting
on 62 properties in Lots 272-273 between Pine Ridge and du Domaine.
It's an area the equestrian community has already said it doesn't
want developed - the reason why the new English elementary school
isn't going there.
In the urban perimeter alone, developers are sitting on enough
land for an estimated 300 homes. While most are small-scale developments,
several await municipal resolutions petitioning Quebec's Agricultural
Lands Protection Commission to dezone the parcels.
It would be naive to think development can be stopped,?says Kary.
"However, it must be done in a sensible and structured manner
with total transparency with respect to residents."
Kary points out that the 2007 Genivar wetland audit has already
identified the green areas that are truly worth preserving within
the urban perimeter and is committed to continuing the mapping
throughout the nearly 7,000 hectares.
"Once mapping is completed, we must commit the necessary
finances to preserving targeted areas of conservation. Developers
cannot continue to be expected to be charitable since their priorities
are their own. Preserving our quality of life requires that the
municipality take responsibility."
Environmental and urban planning legislation involving conservation
is a progressive concept in line with the modern community that
his administration seeks to create, said Kary. "Change will
come and and it will be significant, but it will be done responsibly."
Hudson: TPAC deals with apartment
applications

Hudson's Town Planning Advisory Committee recommends
approval of a proposed second apartment building behind the existing
building at the foot of Elm, but doesn't like the plans for a
multi-unit structure on this lot on Lower Maple.
(Gazette, Jim Duff)
by Jim Duff
HUDSON - A proposal to build a two-storey apartment
building on Lower Maple was unanimously rejected by the Town
Planning Advisory Committee at their October meeting.
"The architectural appearance and building volume...are
completely out of context with the neighbourhood," the TPAC
minutes state.
However, the same developer's proposal for a second apartment
building to the rear of 542 Main was unanimously recommended
to council, provided certain changes are made to soften the visual
impact of the building.
Meanwhile, the owner of a property on Cameron is reportedly assembling
a land package with the aim of building an apartment building
next to the Hudson Post Office.
"We'll be getting more of these proposals, now that the
new sewage treatment system is on stream," said mayor Michael
Elliott.
· · ·
The architectural appearance of the proposed new Carambola Café
on Cameron Avenue was also unanimously recommended after urban
planning manager Nathalie Lavoie confirmed the written parking
agreement with St. Thomas Aquinas Church exceeds the minimum
requirement by one space. The developer will be required to ensure
handicapped access and provide detailed landscaping plans showing
tree size and species, signage (including directional signage
for parking), lighting, and hardscaping (including material for
the pathway to the parking).
· · ·
TPAC chairman Frank Royle and Dennis Gobeil have been replaced
on the committee by Marcus Owen and André Bourassa. "Frank
and Dennis were the two senior members of the TPAC...it was time
for new blood," Elliott said as he thanked both for their
input over the years.
Dave Croydon, Brian Grubert, Suzie Aird, Dianne Laheurte, Rob
Gale and Joyce Galliker stay on. Councillor Rob Spencer has been
named chairman, with fellow councillors Madeleine Hodgson and
Tim Snow representing the town on the planning advisory body.
The Demolition Permit Committee will consist of Madeleine Hodgson,
Diane Piacente and Rob Spencer.
The outgoing TPAC recommended that its successors continue to
press for the acquisition of land to complete the east-west nature
trail corridor and plan for the establishment of an agricultural
zone.
As well, it urged the new council and committee to make light
pollution a priority by seeking input from Luna-tics Astronomy
Club president Pierre Tournay to come up with recommendations
as soon as possible.
As for downtown core revitalization, the TPAC recommended "better
coordination between all the groups involved, perhaps by having
one or two key people as members of all the groups."

Pardi to go to
trial
VALLEYFIELD - A Quebec Court judge has ruled that L'Île
Perrot teenager Brandon Pardi will stand trial for the Oct. 31,
2007 death of three-year-old Bianca Leduc. Pardi, free on bail
since the accident, will be back in court Jan. 25 to set a trial
date.
Judge Marie-Chantal Doucet's ruling ended a day-long preliminary
hearing Monday which heard testimony from the 20-year-old Pardi
and his 19-year-old buddy, who can't be identified because he
was 17 at the time of the crash. Pardi, who turned 18 that day,
fought unsuccessfully all the way to the Supreme Court for the
right to be tried as a juvenile.
Pardi had only a learner's permit when he took his birthday present,
a standard-shift Volkswagen, for a drive. He was following his
friend when he lost control, sideswiped the other vehicle and
drove into the yard where Bianca and her daycare provider were
hanging Halloween decorations.

AMT briefing and
consultation session Monday
Nobody wants a repeat of last year's delays, breakdowns
and unshovelled platforms, so next Monday night they'll be asking
AMT president Joël Gauthier what he proposes to do to improve
service
on the Montreal-Rigaud line.
(Gazette, Andrea Richer)
by Jim Duff
VAUDREUIL-DORION - With near-term promises of additional
trains fading like winter daylight for Hudson and Rigaud residents,
Metropolitan Transportation Agency president Joël Gauthier
is making a long-promised appearance to discuss the service currently
being offered.
The briefing and consultation takes place next Monday, Nov. 23
at the Opti-centre St-Jean-Baptiste, 145 Harwood Blvd. in Dorion,
beginning at 7 p.m.
The session was scheduled to keep a promise Gauthier made last
winter to disgruntled riders, some of whom went so far as to
file a class-action lawsuit. According to AMT spokesperson Martine
Rouette, users will be updated on what the AMT is doing to improve
service and given the opportunity to voice their opinions. There
will also be a question period.
The major issue for rail commuters is the AMT's deteriorating
on-time record. Although last winter's delays and cancellations
set a new low for dependability, ridership on the Rigaud-Montreal
and Vaudreuil-Montreal service continues to decline, with riders
complaining they can no longer depend on the train. Lower gas
prices, the H1N1 scare and alternative modes of transportation
such as the CIT La Presqu'ile's A40 Express buses have all drawn
ridership away from the AMT.
Meanwhile, 10 major modernization projects to improve punctuality
will reportedly cost nearly $1 billion, more than twice their
original estimate, according to the AMT's 2010-2012 improvement
plan made public Monday.
More trains to and from Rigaud and Hudson can't happen until
the AMT buys and rebuilds the Rigaud-Dorion rail line - an estimated
$10 million investment. The cost of reconstruction alone is $3.5
million, with 75 percent of the cost covered by the Ministère
du Transport.
According to Gauthier, the AMT has to acquire the line from CP
to add more trains because CP crews must work to union rules,
making adding trains prohibitively expensive.
The single most important project is the addition of maintenance
centres in Lachine and Pointe St. Charles to service and maintain
the new locomotives and cars expected from Bombardier any day
now. Originally estimated at $123 million in the spring of 2008,
the costs have been estimated as high as $355 million.

Omni Centre hosts Intercultural Week
closing gala
Denise Stilmann and Eric Bardet of Sphere Multiculturelle
flank Pincourt mayor Yvan Cardinal.
(Gazette, Cindy Penny)
PINCOURT - The temperature may have been unseasonably
warm outside, but inside the Omni Centre it was sizzling hot,
as people of all cultures danced the salsa together to the tunes
of the Cuban trio "Caliente Son".
More than 180 people showed up to take part in the many activities
throughout the day. The lucky children who attended had their
choice of face painting, soccer, and even a circus workshop!
For everyone there was eating, dancing, draws for prizes from
local merchants and lots of fun.
The activities officially began at 12:15, with Pincourt's new
mayor Yvan Cardinal greeting the crowd in eight languages, which
was met with a hearty round of applause. This was Cardinal's
first appearance in his official capacity since the Nov. 1 municipal
election.
His wife Francine baked a traditional Quebecois dish pouding
chomeur to contribute to the sumptuous buffet, which consisted
of platters of different foods from many cultures and countries,
including Peru, Argentina, Senegal, Venezuela, Paraguay, Mexico
and Iran, to name just a few. Lineups were long, but they moved
fast, as everyone was hungry and everything looked and smelled
great!
Sunday's event capped off a week of celebrating multiculturalism
in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region. All events were organized
by director Eric Bardet and coordinator Denise Stilmann of Sphere
Multiculturelle, which offers services in French, English and
Spanish, welcoming new arrivals to the area, promoting integration
activities such as Intercultural Week, and informing newcomers
of the many local services available.
Organizers of this year's event decided to invite only those
from the
Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC since the objective was to attract more
people from the immediate area. Participants wore labels with
their names, country of origin and the city where they live,
which helped many connect with others who live near them.
Prizes were provided by the many sponsors and included six gift
certificates from Dr. Lepage Chiropratique at St. Lazare, 10
gift certificates from Restaurant Le Spot at Les Coteaux, one
gift certificate form Flora Passion at St. Lazare, one dance
workshop or one Spanish workshop at La Librairie El libro espagnol
at Vaudreuil-Dorion, one gift certificate form Le Petit Atelier
du Boulevard at St. Lazare, one toy and one gift certificate
from La Ribouldingue in Vaudreuil-Dorion, one basket of different
things from Pensée pour vous in Vaudreuil-Dorion, five
gift certificates from ND Bijouterie Nilufar Design (from Iran).
Tabachnick:
Nothing new on new school
ST. LAZARE - Two weeks after the municipal election
that swept Pierre Kary and four of his six candidates into power,
the location of a new English elementary school is still unresolved.
LBPSB chairman Marcus Tabachnick expects a response from the
municipality after their next caucus meeting Nov. 24. "The
new council has requested information that we have provided...we
are in communication with each other." he said last week.
"I don't know if the choice has been narrowed down or if
there are more choices on the table."
The pressure to find a site is heightened by Vaudreuil-Dorion's
refusal to extend permission for the portable classrooms at Pierre
Elliott Trudeau Elementary School beyond July 15, 2011.
"[Mayor] Guy Pilon and the city of Vaudreuil-Dorion have
been very supportive but it seems the school board committed
to the new school being in the St. Lazare area long ago,"
said Roch Gamache, former chair of the PETES governing board.
Gamache, who would prefer to see the new school closer to Vaudreuil
and Ile Perrot, wonders at the wisdom of placing all the LBPSB's
eggs in one basket. "Vaudreuil is basically saying why should
we let you have the portables if you are not willing to collaborate
with us?" said Gamache.
"A property near Westwood Junior never officially
identified was a done deal before the election," Gamache
added. "What has happened since then, I don't know."
A source close to Paul Carzoli said the former mayor identified
a site just west of Westwood Junior a week before his last municipal
council meeting. Asked point-blank about the deal during his
last council meeting, Carzoli denied it. - NB
Changes aim to improve French instruction

Mount Pleasant supporters gather for a school fair.
Programs should be up to us, say parents.
by Nathalie Blais
Ten years ago, when Quebec received permission from the federal
government to replace region-based school boards with language-based
boards, the new English boards inherited a hodgepodge of programs,
styles and classes teaching French in English schools. What emerged
were three different models: French Immersion, Bilingual, and
English. The English program died through attrition, leaving
Early Immersion (85/15 French/English up to Grade 3, then 53/47)
and Bilingual (50/50 French/ English).
The time has come to reassess the decisions made nearly a decade
ago, says Daniel Olivenstein, LBPSB's off-island school commissioner.
"The end goal is to improve our educational system and produce
students who can live and work in both languages. There may be
no need for change," Olivenstein said Monday.
The LBPSB says the impetus for change is coming from parents
concerned that the current level of French instruction isn't
sufficient to ensure their kids are truly bilingual.
Olivenstein says the amount of French instruction varies from
one secondary school to the next. "Parents want choice and
in general they seem to want to increase if not the quantity,
then the quality of French being taught in our schools."
On the other hand, some parents may prefer bilingual programs
if they do not have the skills to help a child with advanced
French homework. "We don't have a preconceived notion of
what is right here. Our minds are completely open," said
Olivenstein.
LBPSB?chairman Marcus Tabachnick insists the decision to review
current programs has nothing to do with off-island overcrowding
even though Mount Pleasant is the only off-island elementary
with a bilingual program running below capacity.
Overpopulation in off-island English schools is a complex situation
and language is just one of the factors, says Mount Pleasant
governing board member Chris Buddle, who has three children attending
the school.
"Zoning, overpopulation of immersion programs in area schools,
busing kids to off-island locations...these are all much bigger
issues," said Buddle. "Parents want the best education
for their children, and in Quebec that means being bilingual.
There is a perception among parents that early immersion is beneficial.
If it is a priority for parents and it will increase our enrolment
then it's the right thing to do."
Roch Gamache, former chair of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary
School governing board, cites a 2006 survey of parents who expressed
preference for early immersion over bilingual programs.
Gamache believes a universal program should be the long-term
goal.
"We are heading there, but it is not in the short term.
A universal program presents challenges from a pedagogical standpoint
with evaluations and work force aspects like unions."
The research indicates students achieve a level of proficiency
in French depending on the exposure they get in school. McGill
psychology professor Dr. Fred Genesee, a specialist in early
childhood bilingualism, conducted a study several years ago for
what was then known as the Lakeshore School Board, now LBPSB.
"In that evaluation, we found that students in immersion
programs extended to Grade 4 that is, all instruction from
K-3 in French and only 30 to 45 minutes of English per day from
Grades 4 to 6 actually scored better on a number of English
language tests than students in all-English programs. There is
quite a bit of research that enriched forms of bilingual education
result in net gains or advantages for students," Genesee's
study found.
"If one were to go for a total immersion program only, then
the school board needs to provide resources to help train teachers
in immersion to work effectively with a broad range of students.
They need to provide support services for special needs students
(which is not always the case now), and so on. In other words,
this kind of change [requires] other changes in the system."
Patient load dropping at flu-only
clinic
VAUDREUIL-DORION - The regional flu-only clinic at
401-4 Harwood opened its doors last Thursday in an effort to
relieve some of the overcrowding at ERs and doctors'
offices in the MRC.
"On its first day, the clinic saw 60 people and reported
no emergencies," said Vaudreuil-Soulanges CSSS spokesperson
Sophie Boucher. Including the weekend, the total number of patients
seen was estimated at 250, but the average daily patient load
has begun to drop off.
"Everyone has been seen the same day," Boucher added.
She could not confirm the number of Tamiflu prescriptions issued,
but said the majority of cases were sent home or given a prescription
for an antibiotic for infections unrelated to the flu virus.
(Please note that antibiotics are only effective against bacterial
infections, not viral infections. The inappropriate use of antibiotics
helps promote antibiotic resistance, so trust your doctor if
you're told that you or your child does not need an antibiotic.)
All medical clinics in the MRC are referring suspected flu patients
to the flu clinic, with only Rigaud opting to treat people on
site. Priority is given to patients with fever and/or respiratory
difficulties, children seven months to two years of age, elderly
patients, pregnant women, and people with a history of chronic
illness.
Those suffering from an emergency situation are urged to go straight
to an emergency room at the nearest hospital.
Opening hours for the flu clinic are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday
to Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. The number
to call for further inquiries is 1-877-644-4545.
Would Ekomini have averted
Wall St. meltdown?

Hudson resident Cam Gentile, president & chief
executive officer of Ekomini Inc.,
posing with the interactive piggy bank.
(Gazette, Lorelei Reid)
by Lorelei Reid
HUDSON - Cam Gentile believes toys should be educational,
so he's come up with Ekomini, an interactive money-management
game for kids.
Ekomini is a financial literacy platform that teaches kids, aged
five to 12, the fundamentals of managing money.
Through games and interactive story-telling, kids learn the basics
of managing their money, including saving (setting goals), spending
(learning to buy), sharing (giving to causes they believe in),
as well as investing and earning interest.
As children learn the meaning of money they also discover how
important it is to donate to causes they believe in. There are
various charities featured on the Ekomini website that children
can choose from.
The toy itself is an interactive piggy bank, with the ability
to read all coins dropped into it. It also has a small chip inside
to keep track of funds. Upon connecting it to your computer and
connecting to the website, the piggy bank syncs with your computer
and provides a balance.
One is immediately connected to Ekominiville, a small interactive
town with buildings to visit and characters to meet. There are
challenging activities that kids can play throughout the town.
One game provides a number for example, $1.96 and
the child has to choose how many toonies, loonies, quarters,
nickels, dimes and pennies will have to go in to create that
number.
The game also encourages kids to help out around the house or
do extra chores to receive a small sum of money to go towards
their piggy bank.
Parents can closely monitor what is done with the child's money.
There are many different settings parents control, one of them
allowing them to select how much of the child's money will be
spent, invested and shared using a pie chart.
For example, the child's overall budget can be set to 70% spending,
20% investing, and 10% sharing. If the child wants to buy a T-shirt
for $10, they must have $14.30 in their account. This is because
$1.43 will be shared, $2.86 will be saved, and the remaining
$10 will go towards the purchase.
The game is a fun way to help teach kids financial responsibility
and independence, since saving money gives them a sense of freedom,
recognition and responsibility.
The game is now available at both A Temps Perdu in Hudson, as
well as the St-Lazare IGA. It will also be available at various
superstores.
A Remembrance Day to remember

Lindsay Peets and Sam Fleury place a wreath on
the National Cenotaph in Ottawa during last Wednesday's Remembrance
Day ceremony.
by Sam Fleury annd Lindsay Peets
The charter buses have been rolling in and out of Westwood
Senior these past few days as students take part in a wide range
of special events.
Last Wednesday, Grade 10 History and Citizenship students spent
the day hobnobbing with royalty in Ottawa along with thousands
of others as the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall
paid the capital a visit for Remembrance Day. Below, a special
report from Sam Fleury and Lindsay Peets.
This past Tuesday, some 300 off-island high school students were
among the hundreds of Lester B. Pearson School Board students
attending Tuesday's Career and Education Fair at Pierrefonds
Comprehensive High School.
There, they were able to learn first-hand from the nearly 70
presenters about various career choices while exploring the educational
pathways required to achieve these goals.
On hand were universities, colleges, vocational schools and organizations
like Katimavik and Carrefour Jeunesse-Emploi as well as the Canadian
Armed Forces.
Last Wednesday, Nov. 11, the Secondary IV students of Westwood
Senior High School went to Ottawa for the annual Remembrance
Day ceremony. From the singing of our national anthem to the
21-gun salute, it was an incredibly moving and life-changing
experience. With dignitaries such as the Governor-General of
Canada, Prime Minister Steven Harper, the Prince of Wales and
the Duchess of Cornwall, it was, without a doubt, a day to remember.
As the students climbed onto their coaches Wednesday morning,
they knew they were in for a powerful and moving event. The ceremony
started at 10:57 with the singing of O Canada, followed by the
playing of the Last Post. At 11 o' clock, there were two minutes
of silence. After the ceremony two students from Westwood, Lindsay
Peets and Sam Fleury, were chosen to lay a wreath as representatives
of the school.
After lunch, the students went to the Canadian War Museum, where
they learned many fascinating aspects of Canadian military history.
Veterans were also available to answer questions.
The outing had a powerful impact on many of the students. It
was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness this ceremony
first-hand. Students went home with an enriched perspective of
our nation's history and the impact it has on today's society.
The trip to Ottawa is one that Westwood hopes to continue for
many years to come.
Westwood launches new website
The site to bookmark in your browser favourites is http://westwood.lbpsb.qc.ca.
Newly designed for a warmer look and surfing ease, Westwood's
new site offers expanded information: notices to parents, school
rules, staff websites, Governing Board members, Home & School
membership, athletics, and the library, to name a sampling. More
importantly, Westwood's new website is a work in progress with
new material being added as events occur. Both principals, Alana
Quinn-Leroux at Senior and Hans Bulow at Junior, recognize that
the website has to reflect school life and culture, which are
never static. Please note that earlier versions of Westwood's
websites still reside on the Internet despite best efforts to
have them removed. So if you lose Westwood's address, it's easiest
to find them through the Lester B. Pearson School Board site.
St. Lazare: Hydro substation tests
begin

Hydro-Québec's new substation will have
cost almost $30 million when it opens early next year.
(Gazette, Jim Duff)
by Nathalie Blais
ST. LAZARE - Close to 800 residents of the sectors
surrounding the new Hydro-Quebec substation off Bédard
spent the weekend waiting for an anticipated power outage.
Last week, 782 households and 12 businesses were notified that
their power would be cut for 10 hours to allow final hook-up
and calibration of the $30 million facility, due to come on line
early next year.
Because of the heavy rain forecast for Saturday afternoon, Hydro
said Friday it might have to delay the blackout until Sunday
or later.
Irate residents wondered why Hydro couldn't do the work on a
weekday, when fewer people are at home, but Hydro said it had
no choice if it is to meet a January start-up deadline.
"This phase of the project required the meeting of 22 teams
from various sectors to come together," Hydro-Quebec spokeswoman
Hélène Lacroix told the Hudson/St. Lazare Gazette
last week.
"Each of the teams has other commitments and projects during
the regular work week. The weekend was the only time possible
for the teams to come together."
The substation was originally scheduled for completion this month
to meet the growing demand for electricity in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges
MRC. Essentially, the facility is a massive step-down transformer,
converting 120 kV power from the regional power corridor to the
25 kV used in neighbourhood power lines. It is required to meet
the surging demand for electricity in St. Lazare, Hudson and
Vaudreuil-Dorion.
With an estimated cost of $29.7 million, the project began in
October of 2008 once the Quebec Agricultural Lands Protection
Commission had okayed the rezoning of farmland between Chemin
Sainte-Elizabeth and the subdivision to the north. While the
entrance road will be closed to vehicles, plans indicate that
equestrians, cyclists and pedestrians will have the right of
passage.
Lacroix says construction should be completed by December and
the new facility on-line by early next year. All inquiries or
complaints related to the project can be directed to Info Project:
1-877-653-1139.
Thieves
saving for Christmas
Three people, two of them minors, have been arrested in connection
with a series of thefts from vehicles throughout Vaudreuil-Soulanges
over the past two months. More arrests are expected, according
to the Sûreté du Québec.
Burglars were busy as well, breaking into an Ile Perrot home
and stealing a $2,200 computer and causing $200 damage to a door.
In Vaudreuil-Dorion, thieves made their way through a window,
stealing a computer worth $750.
The SQ reports making 10 drunk-driving arrests over the past
week, signalling an early start to the holiday season. Revellers
are reminded that the services of Nez Rouge will be available
for 11 of the busiest evenings during the holiday period - Dec.
4-5, Dec. 11-12, Dec. 17-19, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and
Boxing Day as well as New Year's Eve. To reserve, call 450-424-2011.
Hudson begins holiday countdown

Santa and Marilyn (aka Scot Gardiner and Martine
Pilon) were true to the Hollywood Christmas theme
of last year's Santa parade.
(Gazette photo)
HUDSON - There may be no snow on the ground yet, but
it's already that time for everyone to start thinking of decorating
for the annual Twelve Days of Christmas holiday season.
The Festival of Lights countdown begins Friday evening, Nov.
27, at the Town Hall, 481 Main. The event starts at 6 p.m. and
will feature community choirs, guests and residents singing Christmas
carols by candlelight, with all candles sold benefitting our
Le Pont-Bridging food local food bank. Non-perishable food items
are also being collected.
Horse-drawn wagon rides and the many store specials will also
be part of this magical evening. A pony carousel ride will be
added to the Hudson IGA Poirier & Fils Christmas Petting
Zoo and the first 125 kids will receive a Christmas chocolate
calendar & an IGA activity booklet. Many stores and businesses
will offer you special holiday deals.
Hudson's annual Christmas Craft Fair will take place Saturday
and Sunday, Nov. 28 and 29, at the Stephen F. Shaar Community
Centre, 394 Main. Doors will open at 10 a.m., offering visitors
an opportunity to get a jump-start on holiday shopping. Exhibitors
offer a variety of tempting handmade crafts. In addition, there
will also be a raffle table, with proceeds going to equipment
for the Hudson Recreation Department's nursery and playschool.
Our Twelve Days of Christmas holiday season activities will include
activities such as the Blessing of the Animals & Adoption
Day organized by Wags & Whiskers pet services, the Santa
Claus 'Olympic Christmas' Parade, the Hudson Olympic Torch Relay,
the Hudson Legion Holiday Season Farmers Markets, and the Breakfast
with Santa activity. A flyer is available at the Hudson Stephen
F. Shaar Community Centre, our local post offices and IGA Poirier
& Fils.
We encourage everyone to participate to the popular Hudson Village
'Shop Local and Win' event once again this year, organized by
Hudson Core Marketing Group and running from Nov. 23 to Dec.
23.
Interested in joining our annual Santa Claus Parade or the Hudson
Lights Competition? Call Jean Chevalier at the Hudson Parks &
Recreation Department at 450-458-6699.
Hudson's Twelve Days of Christmas
Le festival des lumières
Friday, Nov. 27, 6:00 8:00 pm
Hudson Town Hall, 481 Main
Christmas Craft Fair
Saturday, Nov. 28 & Sunday, Nov. 29, 10:00 am 4:00
pm
Stephen F. Shaar Communty Centre
Hudson Senior Travel Annual General Meeting & Social
Friday, Dec. 4, 2:00 pm 4:00 pm
Stephen F. Shaar Community Centre
Blessing of the Animals
& Adoption Day
Saturday, Dec. 5, 11:00 am 4:00 pm
Stephen F. Shaar Community Centre
Hudson Legion Holiday Season
Farmers Market
Saturday, Dec. 5, 11:00 am 4:00 pm
Hudson Legion Branch 115, 56 Beach
Santa Claus Parade
"An Olympic Christmas"
Sunday, Dec. 6, 1:00 pm 4 :00 pm
Au Cur du Village, Main Road
Hudson Olympic Torch Relay
Tuesday, Dec. 8, 4:00 pm 5:00 pm
Hudson Town Hall
Generations Christmas Tea
and Carolling Social
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 3:00 pm 5:00 pm
Stephen F. Shaar Community Centre
Hudson Legion Holiday Season
Farmers Market
Saturday, Dec. 12, 11:00 am 4:00 pm
Hudson Legion Branch 115
Breakfast with Santa
Sunday. Dec. 13, 9:00 am 12:00 pm
Stephen F. Shaar Community Centre
Annual Hudson Lights Competition
Wednesday, Dec. 16, 6:00 pm
Hudson Legion Farmers Market
Saturday, Dec. 19, 11:00 am 4:00 pm
Hudson Legion Branch 115
Christmas Charity Fitness Class
Monday, Dec. 21, 9:00 am 10:30 am
Stephen F. Shaar Community Centre
Hudson Community Craft Fair
Nov. 2829
The Stephen F. Shaar Community Centre will be hosting the
annual Hudson Community Craft Fair on Saturday and Sunday, Nov.
28-29. Doors will open at 10 a.m. both days and run until 4 p.m.
Visitors will have an opportunity to get a jump-start on holiday
shopping, with exhibitors offering a variety of tempting hand-made
crafts such as painted boxes, soaps and bath products, baked
products, handcrafted holiday accents, jewellery, pet supplies,
warm cozy pyjamas, homemade jellies and jams, art work created
from recycled materials, stained glass articles, custom pens,
Celtic crosses and so much more! There will also be refreshments
sold to benefit the Hudson Nursery and Playschool programs. In
addition, there will also be an extensive raffle table, with
proceeds going to materials and equipment for the two schools.
So gather up your friends and family, and stop by 394 Main to
rekindle your Christmas Spirit.
New SAAQ service counter

Our regional Quebec Automobile Insurance Board
service counter has moved a kilometre east of its current location
to a new building at 937 Cité des Jeunes in Vaudreuil-Dorion.
The new location immediately to the east of the intersection
of de la Gare and Cité des Jeunes offers the same
licence and registration services, larger waiting area and other
amenities.
(Gazette, Abbie Bennett)
BluesVille Express CD launch party
Nov. 21
RIGAUD - Hungry for some Chicago-style swingin', jumpin'
blues, a good meal and a great table-thumping setting? St. Lazare's
Craig Miller and his BluesVille Express sidemen will be serving
up their jump-blues originals at a dinner concert and CD album
release party at the Sucrerie de la Montagne next Saturday, Nov.
21.
The band's new CD, That's The Stuff, captures a full year's worth
of passion-powered live shows, professionally recorded at some
of the region's best music venues, including the Sucrerie's Great
Lodge.
"The best recording acoustics we experienced were at Sucrerie
de la Montagne," said Miller, "and the concert turned
into a spontaneous dance fest. After dinner, everyone had so
much fun and almost everyone asked about a copy of the album."
The new CD delivers several originals penned by Miller, including
an infectious, recession-inspired, jump-blues anthem, whimsically
titled, My Take Home Pay Won't Take Me Home, as well as the title
track, That's The Stuff, written about Chicago's legendary musical
nightlife back in 1977 when Craig led the travelling Full Swing
Ahead band with Bob Egan, Blue Rodeo's pedal steel guitarist
since the 90s.
"We all had a blast last year with the big audience dancing
and carrying on, but our 600 pound Mass of Brass horn section
mostly just can't wait for dinner!" quips the Chicago-raised
harmonica player and lead vocalist for the seven-piece blues
band.
BluesVille Express comprises some incredible musicians and world
travellers, including sidemen with other Montreal-area musical
luminaries. St. Lazare-based drummer Dave Devine is widely recognized
as one of the very best in Montreal, and his list of performance
credits reads like a 'Who's Who' of Canadian recording artists
and musical legends! Bass guitarist Carl Rufh of Ormstown regularly
appears with stellar guitarist Jimmy James, a 2009 Lys Blues
Society Lifetime Achievement Award winner. The Mass of Brass
saxophone duo of Rico Royale Berniker and Van Doren Murphy have
both been broadcast on Montreal's 91.9 Planète Jazz. NDG
guitarist James Loon has been heard on radio broadcasts across
Canada, with BluesVille Express and his former band, Memphis
Soul Stew. And South Shore keyboardist Danny Bossa's incredible
flying fingers have brought him into occasional contact with
the jealous husbands of beautiful, swooning single women!
Tickets cost $25 and include the Sucrerie de la Montagne dinner
and concert. Concert-only tickets cost $15.
Find out more at www.bluesvilleexpress.com.
St. Mary's Moms & Tots: A family's
gift

Georgia, Mark and Allan Jared: St. Mary's Moms
& Tots owes its success to their love.
by Jill Chard
Georgia, Allan and Mark Jared have been giving a valuable
gift to moms and caregivers in Hudson and surrounding communities:
their time. For the past four years they have been running the
St. Mary's Moms & Tots group every Tuesday between 9:30 and
11. The kids are free to run around (or crawl) and play with
the numerous toys and books provided. Meanwhile, moms get to
sip coffee, shoot the breeze and enjoy watching their little
ones have fun. "It's an opportunity for my son to interact
with others and for me to exchange ideas and info with other
moms," says Genevieve, a newcomer to St. Mary's. Joanne,
who brings her two granddaughters, adds, "I love seeing
my grandkids interact with other children and learn basic skills
like sharing and playing in a group, which is necessary before
they go to school."
While Moms & Tots is important for the little ones, it is
equally important for moms and caregivers. Véronique,
the mother of two boys, has been coming since the beginning,
"It saved my sanity. You know you have a place to go where
mom and baby are both happy.
"I've met great people here," says Adele, "tapped
into some of the greatest people in the community."
Everyone at Moms & Tots seems to agree that the group's success
is mostly because of Georgia, Allan and Mark. They create a warm,
friendly environment and lend a sympathetic ear that has a big
impact. As Alison, who has returned with her new baby, says,
"Their generous spirit is contagious and is an example of
how to live in a community, how to give and receive just because
we can."
St. Mary's Moms & Tots welcomes all caregivers (not just
moms) and their children. The group meets at St. Mary's Parish
Hall and is a free playgroup thanks to the generous donation
of the hall rental and coffee by St. Mary's Church and, of course,
Georgia, Allan and Mark's time.
Rod's latest book a blast
Well-known Hudson historian Rod L. Hodgson has completed his
third book this year, his 10th on local history. Entitled Steam,
Fire, Ice & TNT!, this latest work is a republication of
a 1991 book called Historic Hudson Part II. This time he has
added a chapter written by another local historian and writer,
Martin Hofton, on the 1917 explosion at the Dragon munitions
plant. Martin helped Rod in a previous book entitled Historical
Industries of Hudson and Area, written a couple of years ago.
The book is now at the local publisher, Clò Communications.
Rod hopes to have the book out by Christmas for distribution
at the Hudson Historical Society's Museum at 541 Main Road and
at May's Studio. Both places currently sell all of the books
available from the Hudson Historical Society as well as Rod's
three personal publications: Defenders of the Flag, A Frontier
Adventure and Les Auberges de Hudson - The Inns of Hudson.
St. James and St. Mary's
welcomes new rector

Eleanor M.?Caruana will be installed as the new
rector of St. James and St. Mary's Parish Tuesday, Dec. 1 at
St. James church. Reverend Caruana comes to the parish from London,
Ontario.
by Michael Legg
HUDSON - For the first time in its combined 160-year
history, St. James's and St. Mary's churches in Hudson are welcoming
a female minister as their new rector.
The reverend Eleanor M. Caruana was appointed to the post by
The Right Reverend Barry B. Clarke, Bishop of Montreal, on October
15. She will be formally inducted as rector in a grand age-old
ceremony conducted by the Bishop and assisted by several clergy
of the diocese on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at St. James's Church, 642
Main Road, Hudson at 7:30 p.m.
The entire community is being invited to attend this colourful
and historic ceremony.
In order to accommodate the large numbers expected, a live feed
will be provided in the adjoining church hall so that no aspect
of the pageantry of the ceremony will be missed.
A reception will follow. No reservations are required, but those
planning to attend are advised to arrive in good time.
Rev. Caruana comes from the Diocese of Huron where she has been
in charge of various parishes, most recently as Honorary Assistant
Priest at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in London, Ontario. Since
June 2007, she has been the Diocese of Huron's Gift Planning
and Stewardship Consultant. She has served on several diocesan
committees and task forces as well as being active as board or
committee member for several community organizations.
Ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Huron in May 2001,
Ms. Caruana, in her secular life, was active mostly as barrister
and solicitor in London, focusing her work on real estate, estate
and poverty law and created a mobile practice to meet a niche
market shut-ins, elderly, disenfranchised. She holds a
Master of Divinity degree with Distinction from Huron University
College as well as a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University
of Western Ontario.
WOOT welcomes Bob Sirois

St. Lazare councillor J.P. Giguère, left,
gets an autographed copy of Bob Sirois's book, Le Québec
mis en échec: Les faits sur la discrimination des québécois
dans la LNH, as owner of Woot Sports Pub, David Joseph, right,
looks on.
(Gazette, Abbie Bennett)
Out of
Hand at Whitlock
Close to a thousand visitors dawdled their way
through this past weekend's two-day Out of Hand artisan show
and sale at Whitlock Golf and Country Club. Co-organizers Nancy
and Joanne Hagberg, lower left, have been running the event for
the past five years. Nancy says she has twice as many applications
as spaces for the 26 artists and artisans who make this a much-anticipated
pre-Christmas event in Hudson. Although some feared traffic would
be down as a result of the H1N1 scare and the economy, many said
they made up in quality what they lacked in quantity.
It wasn't all about sales, either. L'Esprit du Bois sculptor
Jules Beauregard, right, was offered a massive beechwood log
that had washed up on Pat Roberts's waterfront. Everyone had
to stop and gape at insect artist Jack Ip's fantastic collection,
lower right. Carolina Pla, alias Jasper's Mom (left), didn't
stop working as she talked with passersby about her mosaics.
Gabrielle Castonguay's fired-copper art and jewelry (front cover)
drew a steady stream of oglers and buyers both. Below centre,
The Songroom's Vivianne LaRiviere lets out a whoop as she injects
a little group therapy with her drums and talking sticks.
That
was Then
A great winter photo of the westbound Canadian,
Canadian Pacific's iconic transcontinental passenger train.
This was taken in 1971 by R. Ian Stronach, an avid train buff
all his life, on Cote d'Azur Road near the bottom
of Reid Ave. The westbound Canadian was usually on time when
going through Hudson so local residents
knew exactly what time it was when she blew for the Hudson crossings.
And blow she did as well as
highball through Hudson at a good clip.
(Photo courtesy of Rod Hodgson)
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