Archive
Lettres - Letters
|
2 avril / April 2
|
Guy Benoît named Civitan’s Citizen of the Year
Julie Murray
During the March 29 Steak-Out dinner at the Aydelu Centre, Guy Benoît of the Aylmer Health Co-op was named Civitan’s Citizen of the Year for his efforts to improve the quality of health care for Aylmer residents. “Mr Benoît is a visionary,” commented Marcel Vachon of the Civitan Club. “In 2001, he met with citizens at a time when the population of Aylmer was skyrocketing and medical services were in crisis. They founded the Health Co-op, the success of which has surpassed all expectations. We now have three new doctors in Aylmer, over 9,000 people belong to the Co-op, and we’re getting close to achieving the goal of establishing a front-line emergency clinic.”
“It’s an honour,” Mr Benoît said during his acceptance speech. “It was my personal challenge to create this co-op, but I didn’t do it alone. I share this honour with the citizens who gave us support, the members of the Co-op, employees, and of course our doctors.” Noting that last year, there were 22,000 visits to the Co-op, he thanked the service clubs for their support and said, “I want to thank the people who donate to the Co-op, particularly those who give anonymously through their paycheck deductions. Your support is appreciated and we thank you.”
Hull-Aylmer MP Marcel Proulx, Pontiac MNA Charlotte L’Ecuyer, Mayor Marc Bureau and Councillor Frank Thérien attended the event. “Over a half a million dollars has been given to community groups since the founding of the Civitan Club. Your devotion and work, mean so much to the community,” noted Mr Proulx, who then appealed to Mayor Bureau. “I’d like to take a moment to tell the mayor that Councillor Thérien has a brilliant idea. Listen to him when he talks about the roadblocks and their importance to service clubs. These roadblocks must stay.”
Ms L’Ecuyer joined in the appeal. “We’re behind Frank, Mr. Mayor. If you take away the roadblocks, find a way to provide these groups with the $115,000 they raise annually from these blocks. If we have such a vibrant community in Aylmer, it’s because of the work these service clubs do.”
After congratulating Mr Benoît and the Civitan Club, Mayor Bureau assured everyone that the city would find a solution to keep the roadblocks. The following day, Mayor Bureau and Councillor Thérien met with members of the Interclubs and resolved to maintain the status quo regarding the roadblocks, until the Interclubs members can meet with the police and with the director of the Aylmer Service Centre, Gilles Sabourin.
From left, former Citizens of the Year Gerald Croteau, Sharon Young, Jacques LaFlamme, Dennis Foran, Ed Leblanc, Michel Beaudry, Don Farley, Estelle Verreault, and the newest member, Guy Benoît and his wife, Martine Brunet.
Photo: Julie Murray
|
Marcel Proulx est-t-il encore du côté de l’abstention officielle?
Comme le candidat du Nouveau Parti démocratique (NPD) dans Hull-Aylmer, je demande au député libéral Marcel Proulx pourquoi il n’a pas appuyé la motion de non-confiance envers le gouvernement Harper déposée par le NPD, motion portant sur l’environnement.
La motion, débattue et votée, se lit comme suit : « Que la Chambre regrette l’incapacité de ce gouvernement à respecter les engagements internationaux du Canada en matière de changements climatiques et son refus de soumettre à un débat et à un vote la Loi canadienne sur la qualité de l’air et les changements climatiques, le plan de lutte contre les changements climatiques réclamé par une majorité de voix à la Chambre et que, par conséquent, la Chambre n’a plus confiance en ce gouvernement ».
Pierre Ducasse
Candidat NPD
Le dépistage
Je suis l’ennemi de la drogue. Aux grands maux les grands remèdes : pour contrer la consommation de stupéfiants de ses élèves il y a une école secondaire qui a decidé de leur imposer des tests de dépistage de drogues après le 18 mars. L’école a obtenu les meilleurs résultats de son histoire aux examens, environ 20 élèves sont testés au hasard chaque semaine. Jusqu’ à présent, un seul test s’est avéré « positif ».
Je suis fier d’être le dépisteur donc, enlève toi de mon chemin la drogue laisse les jeunes étudiants tranquilles. Ils sont là pour étudier, ils sont intelligents et en santé. Ne leur brise pas la vie, car elle leur appartient. Adieu la drogue, je suis plus fort que toi car je suis Optimiste, je m’occupe des jeunes.
Club Optimiste Aylmer
Un livre vert décevant à bien des égards
Une consultation du Réseau québécois des groupes écologistes (RQGE) auprès de ses groupes membres des régions forestières révèle que les orientations mises de l’avant par le ministre Béchard dans son livre vert ne répondent pas aux avancées attendues dans la protection de la biodiversité et à la gestion des ressources forestières, ni au processus de consultation que l’on est en droit de s’attendre en une telle situation.
Malgré un vocabulaire nouveau, la protection de la biodiversité fait figure de parent pauvre dans ce livre vert. Non seulement les vieilles forêts ne font pas l’objet d’une protection particulière, mais les prochaines aires protégées pourraient être créées sur des territoires qui représentent mal nos forêts. Il reste à souhaiter que le bilan sur le réseau des aires protégées corrigera cette incohérence. Par ailleurs, « les aires protégées actuelles et à venir doivent bénéficier d’un réel encadrement financé par le fonds d’investissements sylvicoles afin d’en assurer la pérennité » soutient Henri Jacob, président de l’Action boréale de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue (ABAT).
En Gaspésie, le groupe Environnement Vert Plus se réjouit que l’état puisse retirer et redistribuer 25% des bois provenant des forêts du domaine de l’État. Selon lui, « cette démarche peut être bonne pour les régions si ce 25% est assorti de critères d’écoconditionnalité et de socioconditionnalité. » Toutefois, l’intention du ministre d’accorder un droit de premier preneur aux bénéficiaires de CAAF l’amène à conclure que le livre vert ne changera rien à la mainmise des industriels sur la forêt publique du Québec.
Michel Goudreau, président du RQGE, est également déçu du processus de consultation. Selon lui, la période de consultation est trop courte pour que la population puisse réellement prendre part à cet important exercice de démo cratie : « Le gouvernement Charest n’accorde que quelques semaines pour permettre au public de se manifester, alors que celui-ci se donne jusqu’à 2013 pour mettre en place le nouveau régime forestier.» Ces délais ne peuvent servir qu’un agenda politique voulant que le projet de loi soit adopté dès décembre prochain. Le RQGE exige la publication d’un livre blanc qui soit soumis à des consultations exhaustives par le Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement afin que se concrétisent les changments qui s’imposent dans la gestion forestière au Québec.
Yves Claveau
Le Réseau québécois des groupes écologistes (RQGE)
www.rqge.qc.ca
|
|
French full course, English to go
I’ve been meaning to write this letter for about 5 years now.....so here it goes........Why is the city’s French “Culture et Loisirs” magazine 5 times thicker than the English “Culture and Recreation” magazine? I know that French has a different word for everything, but I didn’t know it took so many words to say the same thing. No wonder I’m having such a hard time learning French. I feel like there is something that they don’t want us to know.
Steve Hambling
Gatineau
Cell phone law aimed at French-speakers only?
In the last issue of the Bulletin, I noticed an announcement from Société de l’assurance automobile du Quebec talking about new highway laws regarding the fines - monetary & point loss - for using cell phones and for excessive speeding in different speed zones. The announcement was in French only. Fortunately for me, I can read French. I looked throughout the paper and could find no English announcement from SAAQ. My concern is for those who don’t understand French since they, too, drive Quebec roads. This change starts April 1st which is just days away. I realize the authorities will start assessing fines starting July 1st. The French notice says they will warn motorists for the first three months, so no one will be “out of pocket” for that time period for not being aware of the new law.
I’ve noticed in previous issues of The Bulletin such announcements conducted in French only. Is this because the Quebec government only gives you notices in French ? If so, it’s a shame.
Steve d’Eça
Aylmer
(Editor’s note: This is the choice of the government of Quebec, despite our requests for English notices, as well as French. This is a problem we have had for years, under both PQ and Liberal governments, who, we must conclude, show little interest in Anglophone quebecers.)
Cats need homes
Cats Diana, Ryan and Cinnamon need a home and should, ideally, be placed together. If this is impossible, Ryan and Diana, a mother and son especially attached to each other must go together. Cinnamon, a timid cat, could be adopted separately; but he would mourn for Ryan who has nurtured him since he was taken in as a stray kitten.
Diana is a lap cat and the friendliest of the trio. A stunning, affectionate cat, she loves people, but is also very attached to her son, Ryan. Diana is five to 7 years old and very affectionate; Ryan is a large, gentle cat, 4 years old. Cinnamon is a beautiful three year old who was taken in as a stray kitten and is still fearful of strangers. In a safe and familiar environment, he is very friendly.
All three cats have been sterilized and are up to date with their vaccinations.
Cat Rescue is looking for a quiet home willing to accept three, or at least two of them.
To inquire about adopting contact flora_louise@yahoo.ca. Other CRN cats can be seen at www.catrescuenet
work.petfinder.org
Acronyms
I couldn’t agree more with Fred Ryan’s earlier column on acronyms.
As an immigrant, MCC to me means Marylebone Cricket Club, home of Lords Cricket Ground, near Regents Park in London, England. We have to explain to the folk from Nature Conservancy of Canada (Montreal) that NCC in this area means something else.
It’s even worse when they translate acronyms, so MRC becomes RCM (or something), CCU becomes URC for “urban renewal committee” as if our rural municipalities are replacing slums with new communities, instead of just doing some town-planning. If we all say “local clinic” instead of CLSC maybe it would become or stay local.
Mo Laidlaw
Breckenridge
|
|
