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MAYNARD The new Augusta Township Council was sworn in Monday night, with Reeve George Vail looking forward to teamwork and a little more laughter at council meetings in the future.
In his opening address, Vail said, "we'll all work together as a team and do what's best for the residents of this township.
"I have an open door policy," Vail stressed at the meeting. "My phone line and my door has always been and will continue to be open to this council and to every resident of this township."
He hoped the councillors would express themselves freely. "Our past reeve (Adrian Van Schie) had a way of keeping meetings in order and that's a good thing," Vail said. "We do need a system of order.
"But I would like to see some lighter moments. A little laughter never hurts.
"I know running a township is a serious business, and I take it seriously."
Vail referred to a friend of his who had said, "It is a poor day that we cannot take the time for a little lighter moment even at the most serious of times."
Councillor Jane Fullarton said she is proud to be back on council and looking forward to the new team. "I think we're going to complement each other very nicely, and things are going to work out very well for this township and the next term of office. I think this council is going to be raring to work come 2001."
Councillor Douglas Barton also stressed that a good team had been elected, and thanked voters for the strong show of support. "It certainly was a vote of confidence. "I think we have a good team here and we should be able to move ourselves forward into 2001, and bring our whole township up to par. We have some excellent staff that will be a direct benefit."
On the lighter side, and taking Vail up on his vow for more laughter at meetings, Barton bowed to the new reeve.
PRESCOTT The new town council has approved numerous appointments to municipal committees, boards and other agencies.
Councillor Jo-Anne Beckstead will serve as deputy mayor until the end of May. Beckstead will also chair the town's finance and corporate services committee.
Councillor Jim French will chair the community and protective services committee. Prescott's transportation and environmental services committee will be chaired by Councillor Terry McConnell, and Councillor Garry Dewar will lead the planning and development committee.
French will also serve on the police services board. Mayor Robert Lawn will also be a member of that board.
Councillor Seeley Pillar will be council's representative on the Prescott library board and the Walker House management board.
Councillor Nancy McFarland will represent the town at Tourism Prescott.
The mayor noted earlier this week that these and other appointments approved by council are not permanent.
Changes will be made at the end of the first year of council's three-year term, Lawn said.
PRESCOTT The regional unemployment rate decreased in November even though there were more Employment Insurance claims last month, according to Human Resources Development Canada.
The unemployment rate for the region that includes Prescott and Brockville was 4.6 in November; the rate in October was 5.2 per cent.
However, the number of persons collecting EI benefits as of the end of November rose significantly in some portions of Eastern Ontario. The Prescott HRDC office reported an increase of 4.9 per cent, one of the lowest percentage increases in the Kingston-Pembroke reporting area.
The claimant total at the Prescott office was 769 at the end of November and 733 at the end of October.
The Brockville office recorded an increase of 9.3 per cent in November. Claimants totalled 665 as of the end of October; the number had risen to 727 a month later.
It is noted in an HRDC news release issued Monday that the increase in EI claims was offset by a greater increase in the number of persons who found work last month. There were fewer jobs in the accommodation, food service and other service sectors, a reflection of normal seasonal trends. More people were employed last month in trade occupations, according to the release.
of the industry will also mean a new look on hydro bills in the future. Bills are now known as "bundled", Walsh explained, meaning all costs to the consumer were lumped together in one charge. The new unbundled bills will show each charge separately. Some of these costs would include taxes, distribution, transmission charges and an Hydro One debt recovery charge.
Any signed contracts do not take effect until the marketplace is officially open, Walsh said. If the choice is made to stay with RSL, the company will buy electricity on the customer's behalf and deliver it over its own poles and wires as it does now. RSL will continue to connect to homes and businesses, restore power in case of outages or emergencies, read meters and maintain a record of accounts, including any electricity retailer choices.
PRESCOTT The Prescott Police Service investigated 47 general incidents and two motor vehicle accidents between Nov. 27 and Dec. 2.
Town police investigated a rash of break and enters that occurred between April 2527 in the downtown business area. As a result of a lengthy investigation, Prescott police charged and obtained a warrant for the arrest of Antonio Riles, 26, of no fixed address.
The whereabouts of Riles is unknown. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Prescott Police Service at 925-4252.
Anyone with information about other offences in Prescott is asked to contact the town police service or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
PRESCOTT Public and Catholic school boards recently released the results of provincial testing for Grade 3 and Grade 6 students.
The tests, which were designed by the Education Quality and Assessment Office Ontario, were held in May over the course of five half days.
Overall, the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario's results for Grade 3 assessment are up four per cent in reading and five per cent in mathematics, while writing remained the same. However, the Grade 6 assessment showed a decline in reading by three per cent and six per cent in writing, while mathematics stayed the same.
"As a board, we did a little better when compared to the provincial results," said Paul Lattanzio, the board's superintendent of education.
Lattanzio said the schools are continuing to make progress. He added that the board will work to make improvements by learning from what is working well and identifying where improvements can be made.
Lattanzio said that while these results are important to the board the provincial results are only part of the teachers' assessment of students, which is ongoing throughout the school year. The provincial standard is level 3, although all levels are representative of the grade in which they are being tested.
The Catholic board showed 39 per cent of students in Grade 3 board wide were at levels 3 and 4. In writing, 43 per cent of students were at levels 3 and 4, and in mathematics 46 per cent of students were at these levels.
Board-wide results for Grade 6 students saw 40 per cent of students at levels 3 and 4. Thirty-seven per cent of students were at levels 3 and 4 in writing, while 36 per cent of students reached the top two levels.
At St. Mark Catholic School, 46 per cent of Grade three students were at levels 3 or 4 in reading, writing and mathematics. At St. Joseph Catholic School, 48 per cent of Grade 6 students achieved reading levels of 3 or 4. Forty-four per cent of students were at levels 3 or 4 in writing and 33 per cent of students were at levels 3 or 4 in mathematics.
The Upper Canada District School Board reported in its release that this year's results showed a marked improvement in all areas tested. For the third year in a row, more Grade 3 students met the provincial standard. However, Grade 6 students did not show the same improvements, although when compared to their Grade 3 results from three years ago, there was an improvement.
The public board's results were broken down by school.
The Grade 3 results for Benson Public School in reading was that 46 per cent of students were tested at levels 3 and 4. In writing, 37 per cent of students were at those levels, while in mathematics, 58 per cent achieved level 3 or 4 results.
The Grade 3 results from Boundary Street Public School showed 30 per cent of students achieved level 3 or 4 results in reading, 50 per cent achieved levels 3 or 4 in writing and 30 per cent in mathematics.
Grade 3 results at Centennial '67-North Edwardsburgh public schools, 69 per cent of students in reading tested at levels 3 or 4. In writing, 70 per cent tested at level 3 or 4, while in writing, 78 per cent reached these levels.
At Central Public School, 29 per cent of Grade 3 students achieved level 3 or 4 in reading. In writing, 33 per cent reached levels 3 or 4, while in mathematics 30 per cent reached these levels.
Meanwhile, at South Edwardsburg Public School, 54 per cent of Grade 3 students achieved level 3 or 4 in reading. Forty-seven per cent of students reached levels 3 or 4 in writing and mathematics.
At the Grade 6 level, at Maynard Public School, 31 per cent of students achieved level 3 or 4. In writing, 29 per cent tested at levels 3 or 4, while in mathematics, 41 per cent were at levels 3 or 4.
At South Edwardsburg Public School, 17 per cent of Grade 6 students in reading achieved levels 3 or 4. In writing, the percentage was higher at 25. In mathematics, 33 per cent of students tested at levels 3 or 4.
Neither Algonquin nor Maitland public schools had a Grade 6 class when testing took place.
PRESCOTT Expanded powers of arrest for customs officers working at the Johnstown border crossing near Prescott have gone into effect.
Customs officers can now arrest and detain anyone entering Canada who is found committing or having committed a Criminal Code of Canada offence such as impaired driving, possession of stolen property and child abduction. Anyone found to have outstanding warrants can also be detained by officers.
The change took effect Dec. 1 at the Port of Prescott. The federal legislation to expand the powers of arrest is being implemented by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) at 32 customs ports large and medium-size land border locations and the country's four busiest international airports where 82 per cent of traveller and commercial traffic entering Canada is processed.
Legislation to expand the powers of customs officers at ports of entry was passed by the federal government in May 1998.
Sue Primeau, communications manager at the CCRA office in Belleville, said in an interview that customs officers always worked co-operatively with police services such as the OPP when dealing with criminal offences at border crossings. Until now, customs officers could ask anyone suspected of committing a criminal act to stay until police arrived. The federal legislation expands the powers of arrest that officers had under Canada's Customs Act, she noted.
"This new power provides (customs) officers with first-response capabilities," Primeau said.
One of the purposes of the expanded powers is to "bridge the gap" between the time a customs officer detects an offence and the time it takes police to intervene, according to the CCRA.
Officers are being supplied with pepper spray, batons and handcuffs. Holding facilities have been set up or are in the works at participating border crossings. Customs officers are also being provided with roadside screening devices at border crossings to check motorists suspected of impaired driving.
The agency is not currently arming its customs officers, Primeau said. Bullet-proof vests are made available but are not required for use by the officers, she added.
Customs officers participated in a 12-day training program that provides information on the legislation and other related issues such as personal protection, according to Primeau.
Customs officers at the Port of Lansdowne in the Thousand Islands will implement their expanded powers Dec. 15.
The expanded powers have not resulted in an increase in pay. Primeau said a formal review of job classifications at the agency is underway.
The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario and its elementary and secondary teachers have agreed to mediation.
The board and its teachers, who are members of the Eastern Unit (OECTA) of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association, will meet on Dec. 7 and 8 in Ottawa. Mediators will be Roger Brideau and John Mather.
Teachers have not been participating in extra-curricular since their contract with the board expired on Aug. 31.
The eastern unit of the OECTA represents more than 750 elementary and secondary teachers in counties of Lanark, Leeds, Grenville, Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, Prescott and Russell.
Winter preparations have begun in the Maitland area.
Ray Avery and his team of volunteers have set up the boards for the skating rink at the Cedar Street park. Avery attended the last MERC Board meeting and requested $600 to purchase a snow blower for the rink. This request was approved. Brad Somers and Wayne Brohman and their team of volunteers have prepared the Maitland rink at MERC Hall.
Ken Millar has completed the excavation work needed; the deep hole has been filled and levelled, and a culvert has been installed that improves access to the rink. A grant from the township plus donations from DuPont and Nitrochem have helped the team pay for improvements.
The MERC Board is looking for volunteers to help work bingos. If you can help call Moira at 348-3140.
Taylor reports that a new gas furnace is being installed at the MERC Hall. New gas lines were placed this week.
The next meeting of the MERC Board is Dec. 19 at the MERC Hall and it will be a social. The next Seniors' Luncheon will be held at the MERC Hall on Dec. 13. The menu will be a traditional Christmas dinner. Jennifer Kellar's Grade 1-2 class from Maitland School will join the luncheon for dessert. Ruth Vincent will lead the group in a Christmas Carol singsong. Approximately 25 people attend the Seniors' Luncheon every month and all local seniors are welcome to attend. If you plan to attend call Cheryl Battams at VON Home Support at 342-3693.
PRESCOTT Ontario residents, including customers of the new Rideau St. Lawrence Utilities, (RSL) now have the power to choose who will supply them with electricity.
And the CEO of the new corporation hopes he can shine a light on the situation that already has some people feeling like they're in the dark.
John Walsh, whose office is at the former Prescott PUC building, said RSL has received increased traffic and phone calls from customers concerned about direct energy marketers.
The electricity industry is being opened up to competition, much like the natural gas and long distance telephone services were, Walsh explained. Hydro OneOne and local electrical utilities will no longer be the only companies providing electricity in the province. It is expected this move from the monopoly-based electricity system to a competitive market will happen sometime in 2001.
In the meantime, direct energy marketing people are going door-to-door locally, attempting to sign up customers to sell power.
There are now 38 licensed retailers in the province, with 18 more applications pending with the Ontario Energy Board, Walsh explained. People could be approached by any one of these companies, including Canadian Niagara Power (CNP). RSL is a product of a utility merger between Prescott, Cardinal, Westport and South Dundas that came into being in November. The merger includes CNP of Fort Erie.
"As a customer, you will be able to buy hydro electric power from anyone," Walsh said. Previously, customers had no choice but to buy power from the local utility, which in turn bought power from Hydro One.
The new Energy Competition Act opens the market to other suppliers. The government expects this to reduce energy costs to the customer and encourage the use of alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind power. "The premise behind the whole thing is the government wants the consumer to be able to buy from anyone and introduce competition."
However, customers do not have to sign up with another supplier. "You will be supplied power regardless," Walsh said.
Customers do not have to fear they will hurt the local utility company by signing up with another company. RSL does not mark up prices on supplying power, so therefore does not make a profit on this service, Walsh said.
"The local utility is bound to supply power at cost," Walsh said. "It won't make money on selling power." There will not be any interruption of service whether the customer switches or stays with RSL.
RSL owns the poles and wires, so the core of its business is the distribution of power, or the delivery of electricity to the door. The local utility also makes its money on the rental of hot water tanks, sentinel lights, water and sewer billing for municipalities and some fibre optic installations.
"We are not competing with the electrical retailers," Walsh noted.
RSL is interested in helping customers make an informed decision. "We don't want to see anybody sign up for something they're going to regret," Walsh said. "People should shop around and find out the best price. There is no rush to sign up today. Wait to see what the price is closer to the opening up of the market.
"Our message is to get informed to see what the best deals are. Do your homework. Don't sign up until you feel comfortable."
If approached by a direct energy marketer, Walsh advised a thorough reading and understanding of the terms and conditions of the contract. People should ask to see the retailer's licence to verify it is an approved company. Contracts offer a 10-day grace period to terminate a contract; however, there may be penalties for cancellation of the agreement after that.
RSL does not yet know its costs for supplying power, as the rates have not been set. Energy marketers may be offering a guaranteed price for five years, since they may have purchased contracts of power ahead of time from generating companies in Ontario. They may also be offering service options, annual rebate options and packaged utility services that include electricity along with gas and long distance telephone.
"They're in it to make money. Remember, they buy smart and sell smart."
The government's deregulation
of the industry will also mean a new look on hydro bills in the future. Bills are now known as "bundled", Walsh explained, meaning all costs to the consumer were lumped together in one charge. The new unbundled bills will show each charge separately. Some of these costs would include taxes, distribution, transmission charges and an Hydro One debt recovery charge.
Any signed contracts do not take effect until the marketplace is officially open, Walsh said. Customers are under no obligation and there is no deadline to choose an electricity retailer.
If the choice is made to stay with RSL, the company will buy electricity on the customer's behalf and deliver it over its own poles and wires as it does now. RSL will continue to connect to homes and businesses, restore power in case of outages or emergencies, read meters and maintain a record of accounts, including any electricity retailer choices.
PRESCOTT The new town council has officially taken office.
Three weeks after the Nov. 13 municipal election, Mayor Robert Lawn was sworn in and took his seat at the helm. The councillors Jo-Anne Beckstead, Garry Dewar, Jim French, Nancy McFarland, Terry McConnell and Seeley Pillar were then sworn in one by one.
Former mayor Doug Hayes and councillor Craig Worden were among the members of the public who attended the inaugural meeting.
The new council's first regular meeting was relatively uneventful. One item of note was the approval of a resolution that paves the way for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation to conduct a detailed business case involving Prescott and a charity casino.
Following a positive referendum vote in November and a recommendation by the previous council, members of the new council agreed to support a charity casino and any rezoning necessary to locate a site requested by the corporation. Council also agreed to a revenue-sharing arrangement that would see the town receive five per cent of gross slot machine revenues.
Councillor Jo-Anne Beckstead explained that by passing the resolution council was taking another step in the process. The corporation, the provincial minister responsible and the local MPP are to be advised in writing of the town's position; council will await the corporation's response.
Council also adopted a list of appointees to town committees, boards and other agencies. Beckstead will serve as deputy mayor until the end of May 2001.
Mayor Lawn indicated that council would soon revert to holding committee meetings on the second and fourth Mondays of the month. This will replace the committee-of-the-whole meetings that had been taking place on those dates between regular council meetings.
In noting his attendance at a recent Leeds and Grenville community action coalition meeting, Lawn noted that council sometimes tends to think that its role is focused on such things as infrastructure and economic development. But the mayor pledged to make social services a personal priority.
"The human issue in our community is every bit as important," he said.
Prescott council also awarded tenders for the purchase of an electric arc welder as well as tree maintenance and the rental of snow removal equipment.
Council also supported a Howick township resolution calling on the provincial environment ministry to provide 100 per cent funding for additional testing and inspections of water systems mandated by the ministry.
McConnell noted the estimated cost to the municipality of meeting the new regulations is in the range of $15,000$20,000.
At a committee-of-the-whole meeting held prior to the regular council session, the new council agreed to have the old boiler at town hall inspected. Dewar said the municipality should see if the unit can be returned to service at a low cost.
BROCKVILLE The close federal election outcome in Leeds-Grenville may continue to be the source of speculation.
A judge conducted a hearing Tuesday in Brockville court on a request for a judicial recount of the votes cast in the local riding as part of the Nov. 27 federal election. No information on the outcome of that hearing was available at press time. Check The Journal's web site (www.prescottjournal.com) for more details later this week.
Incumbent Liberal MP Joe Jordan was credited with a 63-vote victory over Canadian Alliance candidate Gord Brown based on election results validated last Wednesday. Those results gave Jordan a total of 18,610 votes; Brown trailed with 18,547.
The unofficial totals in the vote counts reported hours after the polls closed Nov. 27 gave Jordan a margin of 72 votes.
Brown submitted a recount request Monday in Brockville court. The judge has four days to rule on the request.
The Alliance candidate said in an interview Monday that his team had documented 22 instances in which there may have been "voting issues" involving the counting process.
Based on information provided by party scrutineers who observed the counting process in ther riding, Brown contends there may have been situations in which polls were not counted properly or in which ballots may have gone missing.
Given the slim margin indicated in the official results and other information that has come to his attention, Brown was hopeful the judge would look favourably on the request.
"We feel the judge will grant the judicial recount," Brown said Monday.
The recount would not simply be a case of adding vote totals, according to Brown. Each ballot would be recounted and any questionnable ballots could be reviewed.
Brown also noted that Jordan had indicated he would expect a recount given the close vote.
An automatic judicial recount would have been ordered if the difference in votes had been less than one one-thousandth of the vote total.
Brown pointed out that the reported difference between the Alliance and the Liberals was only 15 votes outside the margin required to trigger an automatic recount. Approximately 47,000 ballots were cast in Leeds-Grenville.
Any elector could have filed a recount request within four days of the validation of the election results. Requests are to include reasons for a recount and a deposit of $250.
The official Leeds-Grenville riding results indicated that John Johnston of the Progressive Conservatives placed third with just under 8,000 votes. Martin Hanratty of the NDP placed fourth with less than 1,000 votes, followed by Jerry Heath of the Green party and Jane Scharf of the Canadian Action party.
The 2000 federal election results in Grenville County were the closest in recent memory. The closest federal election was in 1878 when Liberal J.P. Wiser defeated Conservative John Dumbrille of Maitland by only 25 votes, 1,152 to 1,127.
PRESCOTT Downtown Prescott will be full of holiday spirit this Saturday.
The Downtown Business Improvement Area is once again hosting a big Christmas party from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The whole family is invited to visit downtown and share the joy of the holiday season.
Santa will be available for photos from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be a nominal fee for the photos. Santa's Workshop is located beside the clock tower and will be open all day Saturday. The workshop will also be open daily for the next few weeks.
Santa is not the only attraction downtown this Saturday. Free wagon rides from the clock tower will run from noon to 2 p.m.
Free candy canes will also be handed out downtown. There will also be plenty of free in-store draws. Fill in a ballot to win $500 in gift certificates; the draw will take place Christmas Eve.
Extended holiday shopping hours go into effect this weekend. Most stores will be open weekday evenings until Christmas.
George Vail in his opening address to Augusta Township Council
For those of us who are somewhat apprehensive about the arrival of the holiday season, it is less than reassuring to see that the season appears to be getting longer every year. The Christmas rush seems to be in high gear the day after Halloween, and trying to find a parking space at Bayshore on a Saturday in November never used to be that scary. Don't get me wrong; I know that many businesses need the holiday season in order to survive. I just wish there were two sets of aisles in stores one for holiday shoppers, and the other for those of us who would like to put off thinking about "the big day" until we have eaten most of the chocolates from the Advent calendar.
Even though I have been a bit of a "Scrooge" in recent years, there are certain elements of the holiday season with which I am somewhat comfortable. The one event that can prove to be interesting is midnight mass. Scores of people gather late Christmas Eve to worship, watch local young people recreate the story of Jesus' birth and sing a few carols. I ended up being the designated book-holder at the most recent mass I attended; my cousin had helped polish off a bottle of two of wine and she was having trouble keeping the carol book steady.
Communion time signalled the beginning of a unique form of bonding for some of us at the service. As most of the worshippers headed up to the front of the church, the non-Catholics who were left in the pews began to communicate quietly. In some cases a gentle nod was all that was required; the bold ones would actually strike up a quick conversation usually an exchange of pleasantries if they knew each other and were close enough to make it happen. We knew that we could not participate in that portion of the mass, but some of us may have felt better about it because there were others in the same position.
There are usually one or two lighter moments during the service. Youngsters re-enacting the story of the birth of Christ may be wearing sneakers or boots that the inn-keeper would never have allowed inside his establishment. The odd stuffed animal may continually fall over despite the actors' best efforts to keep it upright. Sometimes the animals are dragged along as if they were stuffed animals.
There is also a sense of anticipation as the soloist begins singing "Oh Holy Night." Will she or he hit those high notes? A miss can be slightly painful, but a hit can be absolutely invigorating and moving. You end up rooting for the soloist who is in some cases experiencing one of the most significant moments in his or her young life. Catholic or not, you've got to admit that singer's got chutzpah.
To those of you who are looking forward to the holiday season, I offer best wishes. To those of you who for whatever reason find the holidays to be something that must be endured rather than savoured, I bid you peace.
Our usual carriers for our annual Thanksgiving trip to Texas have been via Canadian or Air Canada from Ottawa to Toronto, then Canadian, Air Canada or American Airlines from Toronto to Dallas. This is a great schedule with great service, except that on both departing and incoming flights we have had to retrieve our luggage and go through Canadian or U.S. Customs. This is a pain in the lowest part of our back.
We decided to do things differently on our latest trip to Dallas
a couple of weeks ago. We booked on North Western Airlines out
of Ottawa, travelling directly to Detroit before changing planes
for Dallas. This meant clearing U.S. Customs in Ottawa
and being able to check our luggage right through to Dallas, and
we had a full 90 minutes between flights in Detroit.
It didn't take us long to find out that we had booked ourselves on the "Airline From Hell", also known, as we found out enroute from U.S. passengers, as "The Airline That Hates Passengers".
We finally found the North Western check-in counter, tucked into a corner on the second floor of the Ottawa terminal, at the extreme east end of the building. Most other flights from Ottawa have passengers check in on the first floor, and then depart from the second floor.
How convenient we thought. Everything is right here on the second floor.
Our first inkling that everything might not be according to Orville and Wilbur came when we found out the initial part of our trip was booked on Mesaba Airlines, a NW affiliate. When you pronounce it Mesaaawba, you get the feeling you are not going to be flying in a 747.
Because of our malfunctioning hind legs we asked for wheel chair assistance in boarding because sometimes it is a couple hundred feet from the departure lounge to the airplane. No problem. Our check-in guy disappeared around a corner, came back with a wheel chair, showed us the way to U.S. Customs and security, and said we would be departing in about 45 minutes.
About 15 minutes past our scheduled departure time the Mesaaawba man told us to start boarding, took our boarding pass and directed us through a door and into a room whose only exit was an elevator that only went down, putting us on the level of the runway.
After going through what seemed like the England-France Chunnel, our worst fears were realized. We had to be wheeled across about 100 feet of ice-covered runway and climb a ladder into a twin propeller, 25-seat Saab aircraft. It was at this juncture that our pre-boarding attendant caught up with us and relieved Beth of her 250-lb. burden.
With considerable effort and agony we climbed the ladder and found seats 3B and 3C, directly across the aisle from seat 3A. After stowing our luggage and walking stick we eased into one of the smallest, hardest, uncomfortable airplane seats we have ever sat in. It was so small, in fact, that we couldn't get the seat belt buckled and had to stretch our arms out to rest on the seat in front of us or there would not have been enough room for the two of us to sit side-by-each.
We had a brief flashback that Mesaaawba should have a sample seat beside the carry-on sample luggage holder at the check-in counter, and if you couldn't get into the seat and get your seat belt fastened then you should take another airline.
After about 15 minutes of testing the engines and spinning the propellers, which were located about eight feet from our seat, the blocks were pulled and we taxied down the runway. And we taxied, and we taxied, and we taxied. And then we turned around and taxied back past the place where we boarded and stopped. We had to be de-iced which made us wonder if maybe the pilot hadn't forgotten this detail when he took us runway cruising the first time.
Two hours later we were in Detroit with, what we thought, would be only 15 minutes to catch our commercial flight to Dallas. It turned out our Dallas flight would be delayed for at least an hour, so we had time to kill. So far, an hour and thirty minute flight had consumed four hours.
When we first squeezed our substantial form in the Saab's seats on the first leg of our trip we had no idea all the other comforts on this Mesaaawba flight would be constructed on the same scale.
This realization came true about one hour into the flight when nature called. We had noticed that the lavatory was at the front of the plane, in the middle of the stewardess's tiny galley from which she would dispense four ounce drinks and mini bags of mini pretzels.
She stepped out of the galley to allow us access to the lav (the first passenger to have had to answer nature's call). We figured out the door latch and when we pulled the door open, realized there was no way we would be able to get through this 12-inch-wide door, and there was certainly no way we were going to be able to contort our frame into such a position that we would be able to use the miniature facilities contained in this lavatory.
With a considerable heave we extracted ourselves from the doorway, nodded very embarrassingly at the stew, took the three necessary steps back to our tortuous seat, and made it to Detroit in considerable agony.
Our unsuccessful trip to the lavatory opened the floodgates (poor choice of words) for several of the passengers, all of whom were able to squeeze into the tiny Saab's Salle de Peepee.
When our North Western connecting flight was over an hour late arriving in Dallas, the airline removed it from the arrival list entirely, leaving our son in a considerable quandary as to where we might be. Fortunately, we found him in the arrival area trying to reach us on our cell phone which we had left on the kitchen table back in Prescott.
A fitting climax to this leg of our journey came when we started to unpack our suitcase in Dallas. It was here that we noticed the locks had been cut off our suitcases and that all the locking hardware on one of them had been cut off, thus ruining a very expensive piece of luggage.
The contents of the suitcases had been rifled, but as there was nothing of value in the luggage, nothing was stolen. When we packed to come home we put all our dirty laundry in the top layer of our suitcase.
The trip down to Dallas was the better half of the trip. On our return we were enroute for 20 hours to catch about four hours of flying time, getting home at least six hours behind schedule.
Needless to say, our next trip will not be on Mesaaawba nor North Western.
THE JOURNAL WELCOMES
CARDINAL The summertime Communities in Bloom Committee members have put their woollies on, and are encouraging everyone to join in a festive Christmas lighting and decorating contest.
Organizer Marj Kempffer said Cardinal's Garden of Lights contest already has the village looking wonderful.
"People were so supportive and excited about our gardening contest that we carried it through the year," she said. "It keeps up community spirit and gets people in the mood" for the festive season. "It keeps up the profile in the off-season."
Kempffer said she co-ordinates the annual holiday decorating in memory of her friend and local businesswoman.
No entry is required, and judging will take place the evening of Monday, Dec. 18. Kempffer noted the judges are not bloom committee members.
Prizes for the contest include gift certificates to the winners' choice of business for $100, $50 and $25. There will also be five honourable mentions.
CARDINAL This year has gone by very quickly at the Walter Baker Building and at the Cardinal and District Resource Centre, but a lot of things have been accomplished at the centre.
We have a diabetic support group that meets every Monday night with Lorraine Cameron as the co-ordinator. As well, we had a diabetic group meeting on Friday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The group will commence again in March. It is organized by the Tri-County Diabetes Association, and co-ordinated by Hellen McGuire.
In November, the foot clinic got started and was very successful. Helen Lewis, RN, from Brockville, is running this foot clinic. There is a charge for each visit; however, the centre picks up a portion of the cost.
If you are interested in foot care, please call and make an appointment, as each visit takes about an hour per person.
The Cardinal Sea Cadets are still housed in the centre on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings. As well, the Navy League holds its meetings there.
This year, we held a children's Halloween party. There were 21 children and parents for each child. The support from the parents was very impressive.
The Navy League has been running a thrift shop at the centre, but is having a hard time getting volunteers or someone from Ontario Works to run the store. After the holidays, it will be open full time.
We had a person working as custodian through Ontario Works, but the contract expired on Nov. 30. Therefore, we are waiting to get someone else who is willing to work.
This Saturday, Dec. 9 and Sunday, Dec. 10 from 1 to 3 p.m., the Navy League will be hosting a picture time with Santa. If you would like to have your children, your family or your pet have their picture taken, please call Carol at 657-1134, Davie at 657-1515, or Mary at 657-1110. Or, just come to the centre and have your photo taken.
Also on Sunday, Dec. 17 from 1 to 3 p.m., the centre will host a Christmas party with Santa, so come and enjoy. For more information, call 657-1110.
WINCHESTER Sunday school teacher, scholar, lawyer, soldier, magistrate, politician and powerful provincial cabinet minister, Frederick M. Cass died Saturday, Nov. 25, at the age of 87 at the Woodland Villa retirement home in Long Sault.
He was the son of the late Wm. J.M. Cass, KC, and his wife, the former Agnes I. McIntosh. He was predeceased by his wife, the former Olive Cassleman of Chesterville, and is survived by his sister Patti and his brother Ronald and his wife Barbara, as well as several nieces, nephews and grand nieces and nephews.
Born in Chesterville and raised in Winchester where he attended elementary and secondary schools, he received his BA from Victoria College, U of T, in 1933 and his Masters in 1935. He graduated from Osgoode Hall law school, was called to the bar in 1936, and joined his father in his law practice in Chesterville and Winchester known as Cass and Cass.
He served in the Second World War as a major with the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders and was posted to London and then the Mediterranean and north-west European war theatres.
Upon the retirement of Grenville-Dundas MLA George C. Challies in 1955, Mr. Cass was coaxed by the former premier Leslie Frost to enter provincial politics. Three years later he was named Minister of Highways by Frost and given the mandate to modernize the department. One of his first steps toward achieving this was to reduce staff by 20 per cent.
Three years later, in 1961, he was made minister of municipal affairs. Frost retired in 1961 and his successor, John Robarts in the ensuing cabinet shuffle, made Cass the attorney general in 1962, another department that needed Cass's administrative discipline. Concerned that organized crime was becoming too deeply-rooted in Toronto, especially in the construction industry, Cass introduced Bill 99 which would give the police commission powers to secretly question suspects and jail them indefinitely without access to a lawyer if they refused to co-operate.
Bill 99 was dubbed the Police State Bill by the opposition and in particular by the Toronto Star and the Conservative Toronto Telegram. The Telegram used Bill 99 to cut short Cass's career in retaliation for his refusal, when he was minister of municipal affairs, to allow the owners of Maple Leaf Gardens to expand their facility by building a balcony out over Carlton St. The owners of the Telegram had a financial interest in Maple Leaf Gardens at the time.
Premier Robarts supported Cass for the first few days of raucous debate on Bill 99, but finally pulled the support of the Tory caucus allowing him to sink with his infamous legislation, effectively ending his political career.
In 1966 Cass was named speaker of the legislature, a posting he held until his retirement in 1971. Following his retirement he returned to his law practice in Chesterville and Winchester.
If desired, donations can be made in his name to the Winchester District Memorial Hospital or to a charity of choice.
Norma Madeline Sayeau, 443 Linda Street, Prescott, died Nov. 18, 2000 at Brockville General Hospital. She was 63.
She was born April 10, 1937 at Kingston, Ont., the daughter of Norman Graham and Evelyn Green. She married Capt. Howard Sayeau Jan. 15, 1982 at Collins Bay.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Sayeau is survived by her daughters Kim (Mrs. Larry Hutt) and Lyn Gallagher; son James Sayeau; brother Ted Hosler; sister Betty Jackson and grandchildren Haley Forrester and Kale Gallagher-Crowley.
She was predeceased by her parents and son Guy Gallagher.
Knitting and crocheting were her favourite hobbies, and she had been employed by the Corps Commissionaire at the coast guard base in Prescott.
Visitation was held at the Chris Slater Funeral Home, Prescott, Nov. 20, from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. The funeral service was held in the Chapel on Nov. 21 at 11 a.m. A Royal Canadian Legion memorial service was held Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at the funeral home.
Cremation took place Nov. 21 at the Cataraqui Crematorium.
Honourary pallbearers were Reg McIlvenna, Bob and Larry Hutt and Ted Hosler.
Donations to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Diabetes Association would be appreciated.
Harold Hilliard Ritchie, 275 Water Street, Prescott, died Nov. 25, 2000 at Brockville General Hospital. He was 80.
Mr. Ritchie was born May 14, 1920 at Almonte, Ont. He married Lillian Ritchie (nee Kovanen) Sept. 23, 1955 at St. John Lutheran church in Sudbury. He had been employed as a postmaster at Erin Center Post Office.
He is survived by his wife and a nephew, Carl Hanninen of Sudbury.
A memorial service was held Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 97 in Prescott.
The body was donated to the Department of Anatomy at the University of Ottawa Nov. 29.
Good team play led the South Grenville Peewee 'C' Rangers to an 11-1 win when they traveled to Morrisburg on Nov. 28 to the play the Lions.
Rangers' Matthew Hayes earned a hat trick. Ryan Landon and William Minish each contributed two goals and two assists. Shane McNeely had a goal and three assists. Braden Dukelow had a goal and two assists. Matt Deeks had a goal and an assist. Wes Polite also had a goal.
Team members Michael Lawrence added four assists, Derrick Lavery two and Josh Joudoin and Tyler Halladay each had one. Kevin Beach played in net.
Team spirit continued to run high as the Rangers faced the Brockville Warriors on Thursday, Nov. 30 in Prescott at the Leo Boivin Community Centre. The Rangers skated to a 3-2 win. Rangers' goals were scored by Braden Dukelow, assisted by Michael Lawrence and Derrick Lavery, assisted by Matt Deeks and Shane McNeely, assisted by Wesley Polite. Corie Toye took care of traffic at the net.
On Saturday, Dec. 2, the Rangers hosted a six-team peewee tournament at the Leo Boivin Community Centre in Prescott and captured the 'A' championship by defeating Smiths Falls 6-2.
The first game of the day was a match up between the South Grenville Rangers and the Morrisburg Lions. The Rangers skated to a 2-0 win, with goals by William Minish, assisted by Matt Deeks and Josh Joudoin and Michael Lawrence, assisted by Ryan Landon. Kevin Beach earned the shut-out in net. Michael Lawrence was named Hustler of the Game.
The next game for the Rangers was against the North Dundas Demons, which ended with another 2-0 win for hosts. Goals were scored by Matthew Fox, assisted by Wesley Polite and William Minish, assisted by Josh Joudoin. Corie Toye earned the Hustler of the Game award.
The 'A' championship game was between South Grenville and Smiths Falls, which ended in a 6-2 win for the Rangers.
Rangers' Matthew Fox had two goals, while singles went to Wesley Polite, Matthew Hayes, Josh Joudoin and William Minish. Matt Deeks and Shane McNeely added two assists, with Matthew Fox, Wesley Polite and William Minish adding one each. Minish earned the hustler award. Kevin Beach played in net.
The 'B' side of the tournament saw a match up between the Brockville Warriors against the North Dundas Demons. The Warriors took home the trophy.
The Rangers organization said it would like to say a special thank you to Dean and Laurie Montroy for all their hard work and help and to all the parents and volunteers that contributed to a very successful tournament.
The Rangers traveled to Brockville on Monday, Dec. 4 to play the Warriors and will see action in Kemptville on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 4 p.m.
PRESCOTT The season is still early, but they have been labeled as too big, too aggressive and too stingy.
For sports buffs, they may be reminiscent of the characters associated with the likes of the '70s Philadelphia Flyers, or the Disney film "The Mighty Ducks" or if you are really a hockey fanatic, they may find comparisons with the characters in the film "Slapshot."
They are this season's version of SGMHA's Atom House League Team 1 a.k.a. the Dogs. In reality, however, they are simply a close-knit group of kids with each one bringing their own unique style of hockey to the rink.
The task of transforming these characters into a competitive and successful hockey team lies squarely on the shoulders of coaches Toni Cicinelli and Allister Brown, and if the early season results are any indication, the coach/player match ups were made in heaven.
Up front, the team is lead by senior forwards Mike Campbell, Denis Heldens and Travis Stephenson. This trio provides a strong and talented nucleus for a very aggressive offensive attack. Mix in the speed and sometimes cockiness of Brodie Somerville, Colin Grant and Tyler Darling and garnish it with the grit and determination of Orry Thorpe, Kristopher Maloney and Jordan Daw and you have the key ingredients to this team's explosive offense and smothering forechecking capabilities.
On the "back side", the team continues to be as impressive. Anchored by veteran Cody Baker, who can dazzle you with finesse or grind it out with the best of them, the supporting cast of Colin Leger, Jonathan Arcand, Jamie Graham and Joel Smylie give the Dogs a mobile and stable defence.
The unenviable task of protecting the goal lies solely on the shoulders of rookie Trent Blanchette. Blanchette has proven invaluable to the team's early success with his timely saves and his jovial character.
To date, Nov. 27, the team's record is 5-4-1 in league play, which is impressive considering the parity of the teams in the division.
Already rivalries have developed both with their cross-country counterparts Team 3, with whom they have split two games, as well as Ogdensburg.
Against the Americans, Team 1 was soundly beat 5-2 early in the season at home but in a game at the Ogdensburg Dome, Team 1 battled back to get the 2-2 draw. This was perhaps Team 1's best game to date.
The team is capably managed by Mike Stephenson, with Mike Campbell Sr. as the team's rookie trainer.
The Dogs promise an exciting and enjoyable brand of hockey and extend an invitation to everyone to attend their games.
Perhaps by the time the season is over, the opposition will be wondering "Who let the Dogs out?"
CHAR-LAN The South Grenville Rangers Midget 'B' Rangers won in Char-Lan on Sunday with three impressive wins.
The first game the Rangers beat the Vankleek Hill Cougars 3-1 with Adam Lawrence picking up one goal and two assists. Ted Livingston put in a pair of goals with Ricky Dennis picking up the other assists. In the next game, the Rangers were up against the Char-lan Rebels. The South Grenville Rangers came on top again with a 2-0 win. Joel Stone stoned the Rebels' offence, getting the shutout. Goals were scored by Jeff Condie and Ted Livingston. Picking up assists were Eric Rougrik and Josh Kirkby.
This put the Rangers into the 'A' final against Clarence Creek. The Rangers skated hard and deserved the win of 4-2 to win the 'A' championship. The goals were scored by Derek June with two and Adam Lawrence with two. Assists went to David McKinnon, Eric Rougrik and Matt Hands.
The Rangers came off a win 3-1 over the Brockville Warriors on Wednesday before the weekend. Derek June picked up two goals and Ted Livingston picking up the third. All three assists went to Dustin Swan.
The Rangers have had a strong start to the season, with a league record of 6-1-1.
"The boys are doing really well," said Tracy Swan, who compiles the statistics for the team. He added that the team as a whole is starting to gel, although with 13 of the 17 players having played together on the South Grenville Bantam 'B' team that dominated the league last year, and won the Silver Stick in Pembroke, it may be more a matter of fine tuning.
One adjustment made by Coach Kevin Harrison recently is the re-jigging of the Dustin Swan, Josh Kirkby and Adam Lawrence line by switching Lawrence with Ted Livingston, which restores the line last year's make up.
On Monday, the Smiths Falls Bears were no match for the red hot Rangers.
The Bears scored the first goal but the Rangers went up six from there. The Rangers won 6-3.
PRESCOTT Daniel Norton's favourite player on his favourite team is Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators. When asked why he was his favourite player, the response was that they shared the same first name, which is as good a reason as any.
Daniel, 10, can't remember if he was able to get Alfredsson's autograph on either the Senator's jersey or baseball cap he received when he arrived at the Corel Centre in Ottawa, where he, his father Brent and his mother Annette were to watch the Senators play the New York Rangers on Nov. 12. The jersey and cap had a number of Senators' signatures scrawled on them from the two autograph sessions where Daniel was able to get Senator's paraphernalia signed. He did however get Rob Zamuner's hockey stick.
Daniel's name was drawn at Beach Home Hardware in Prescott to be the stores Stick Kid this year. Beach Home Hardware is among the participating stores that sends children between the ages of seven and 12 to a Senators' game to be Stick Kid for the night. Lewis Beach, who along with his wife Lynn own the Prescott store, said they have been participating in the Stick Kid draw for four out of the five years it has been running. Also, four pairs of tickets are drawn from the store over the course of the season.
"We feel it's a good program," Lewis Beach said. "You get to see the benefits of it from the kids faces....Some of the kids get really excited, and so do some of the parents."
Daniel, who's a student at St. Joseph's Catholic School, said he was pretty excited about being Stick Kid, which not only included getting all those autographs but also filling up the team's water bottles between periods. He used a cooler that was behind the team's bench to get the job done. When he wasn't filling up water bottles, Daniel also had himself up on the screens hanging over centre ice, or he was getting the injured Senators' to sign his jersey or cap. Following the game, he was able to get the autographs of the players who skated in the team's 6-4 win over the Rangers.
"It's an excellent program," Brent told The Prescott Journal. "It's nice for the kids from a small community to have a chance to participate in it."
Brent said it was great having Lewis and Lynn involved with the Stick Kid draw.
Brent said that upon hearing the news that Daniel's name had been drawn, his family was ecstatic.
He also added he was impressed with the way he, Annette and Daniel were treated by the Senators.
"They are a pretty classy organization," he said.
There aren't any plans by Daniel to use the Senators jersey to cover his hockey equipment. Although he plays for the South Grenville Team 3 Atom Rangers, and has one goal and three assists this season as of Nov. 12, Brent said that the jersey is going to be kept as a collector's item to be a reminder of that night.