The Gazette from Montreal, Quebec, Canada • 3

THE GAZETTE, MONTREAL, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1996 A 3 Montreal GKnanini Vendors irate as city somas in ja and pulled out jackhammers. ALEXANDER NORRIS THE GAZETTE The work is required because granite slabs in the street have not withstood climate changes, snowplows and salt, and are quickly developing cracks that could endanger pedestrians. The repair work has to be done before cold weather sets in, and is being performed by a contractor on a guarantee that expires this year, Bonin added. In protest, vendors moved their stalls into the market's entranceway on St. Paul St.

yesterday "We wonder if city hall really wants us here," said vendor Sylvain Lefebvre, who sells apples and melons from Dunham, in the Eastern Townships. "Do they want this place to succeed, or are they trying to clear us out to bring in big corporations to take our place?" Lefebvre asked, repeating a theory voiced by other vendors. "Or is this just happening because of total mismanagement and a lack of coordination?" construction of an in house grocery store that was supposed to have opened by now. The market is supposed to be self-financing eventually, and McNichols Tetreault suggested it's time for the Bourque administration to put an end to the dualadministrat ive structure. "This project is a very complicated one and you cannot have two administrations for the same project," he said.

He added that he is defending his tenants' interests publicly because "if we lose our clients, then we'll go broke and bankrupt. This is very serious for us." McNichols Tetreault insisted he and his cials were never warned about the road work. But Pierre Bonin, a public-works spokesman, said Gilles Robillard, the head of city road repairs, assured him that market officials had been alerted. In an interview, the market director, Gerald Mc-Nichols Tetreault, expressed concern that the road work and other unrelated foulups at the market could drive away the vendors as tenants, threatening the very viability of the market. McNichols Tetreault blamed the confusion in part on the decision in October by Mayor Pierre Bourque's administration to allow two separate organizations to run the Old Montreal landmark, which reopened this spring after a 33-year hiatus.

Although the market has its own board of directors, McNichols Tetreault explained, certain areas of responsibility like its construction budget are the exclusive domain of another public body, a corporation known as the Societe de Developpement de Montreal. McNichols Tetreault noted that the arrangement leaves him powerless to deal with delays in Fresh-produce vendors at Bonsecours Market are blaming city jackhammers for driving away their customers. And the municipal market's director said yesterday he should have been consulted before a public-works crew started chewing up the road last week a few metr.es away from the vendors' stalls. In what appears to be a classic case of the city's right hand not knowing what its left hand is do: ing, the director of the city market and a spokesman for public works gave differing accounts about the road repairs. Regardless, the vendors said 75 to 90 per cent of their business has vanished since a repair crew blocked de la Commune St.

in front of the market life ime to celebrate Revellers at Townshippers Day put aside politics Vaudeville veteran ILci Pon no Sex-bias hearings to continue Complaint against minister's company MAURICE CR0SSFIELD and PAUL CHERRY SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE ALEXANDER NORRIS THE GAZETTE I i I 1 Quebec comedian Rose Ouellette, better known by her stage name La Poune, died yesterday at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. She was 93. Mrs. Ouellette began her show-business career in the 1920s and became loved for her performances in music halls and theatres across the province. She was born into a working-class family in Montreal in 1903.

Of 21 children in her family, only four survived early childhood. Her father died when she was 6. She did not finish grade school, and got a job in a shoe factory. She was fired for playing an accordion at work. She began her singing and acting career at age 14, when an aunt entered her in talent shows in Ste.

pi. i 4 Rose Ouellette Started at age 14 STANSTEAD Townshippers Day yesterday was a time to enjoy country living and stay away from the politics of language in this tiny border community. "It's not political, it's not linguistic, it's just a day to celebrate being a Townshipper," Townshippers' Association president Nancy Beattie said. "We're Townshippers first and everything else comes second." At the association's annual general meeting, David Ross, a longtime member, proposed the group should discuss supporting Howard Galganov's crusade against the Parti Quebecois and its language policies. His motion was met with complete silence by the more than 100 people attending the meeting.

"We are not necessarily a very demonstrative association. We don't picket, we don't boycott. We have a tradition of working with the French community," said Beattie, who was reelected president yesterday. "In our minds, supporting that kind of movement would be a bit more aggressive a stance than we are used to taking." After the meeting, Ross said he was disappointed his motion was ignored. "I feel they're not being as aggressive as they could be, but if they take their actions beyond a certain point, the association can lose its effectiveness." Instead, the Townshippers' Association will keep working to change policies it sees as unfair to the Eastern Townships' English-speaking community, Beattie said.

The association took part in recent hearings on PQ government proposals to harden language policies, and criticized the government for proposing to spend $5 million to enforce restrictions on the use of English on commercial signs. In her speech to the association, Beattie said she will meet with Language Minister Louise Beaudoin to go over the Townshippers' recommendations again. The association also started a petition to protest against cuts to the provincial education budget that have taken away loans and bursaries for post-secondary students who want to study out of the province. mmmmmm mmmsmm The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has agreed to continue hearing a sex-discrimination complaint against Voyageur Colonial the transport firm owned by federal Finance Minister Paul Martin's CSL Group. Lawyers for the Canadian Human Rights Commission, which investigated the complaint and brought it before the tribunal, asked it to consider dropping the case because of a deal reached between the commission and the firm.

But Roger Doyon, who presided over the three-member panel, ruled last week it would be wrong to abort proceedings on the basis of a deal to which the complainants were not a party, and which they had unanimously rejected. Lawyers for the commission and the company have refused to divulge contents of the proposed deal. But Lise Goyette, one of the telephone operators making the complaint, said it would have paid them $7,500 each. In return, she said, they would have had to agree to drop all complaints be-' fore the tribunal and labor boards, and consent to the lower wages they are being paid in a contract that was negotiated over their objections by their union, an affiliate of the Confederation of National Trade Unions. The operators contend they were denied thousands of dollars in lost wages over a 20-year period because of discriminatory practices by Voyageur and the union.

They maintain the pay gap between themselves and mostly male baggage and ticket agents violates the Canadian Human Rights Act. The operators were paid $609 a week in the last contract, while ticket-sellers were paid $675, she said. The new pact lowered both groups' wages to $540. Martin put his assets under the day-to-day control of a lawyer and Canada Trust Co. after being named to cabinet.

But Goyette charged Martin was informed of the discrimination complaints in a letter she sent him in 1987. The hearing continues Sept. 23. llllliiSlipSliii Catherine St. clubs.

In the 1920s, Mrs. Ouellette joined the comedy troupes that toured the vaudeville theatres of Quebec. She was one of the first Quebecers to sign a deal with RCA Victor to record French-Canadian songs. Mrs. Ouellette also became involved in live radio and television.

From 1982 to 1984, she had a regular role on the TV show Les Moineau et Les Pinson. In 1990, she was awarded the Order of Quebec by Premier Robert Bourassa. She was admitted to a hospital Sept. 1 when her health deteriorated. A memorial service is to be held Saturday at 1:30 p.m., at St.

Pierre Apotre Church, 1201 Visitation St. CANADIAN PRESS TEDD CHURCH, GAZETTE Sharon Misener takes her dog, Dylan, a boxer, through obstacle course during Townshippers Day celebrations at Stanstead. "I don't think it's fair to limit any person's access to education, whether they're French, English, Chinese, or Russian," Beattie said. "It's just not a democratic thing to do." She said the cool, cloudy weather had little effect on the 17th edition of the event, with attendance easily surpassing last year's Townshippers Day, which attracted more than 6,000 people toMansonville. "We didn't have any rain and it was wonderful," Beattie said.

"The turnout was tremendous, considering the weather." For many, Townshippers Day is a chance to get together with friends and neighbors. "It has been a really great day. I met tons and tons of people I hadn't seen in a long time," said Roy Mac-Laren of Ogden. Beattie said the day was an opportunity, above all, for the constantly dwindling English community to get together to celebrate more than 200 years of history "This is about a community getting together and celebrating life." All creatures, great and small: Pet-lovers gather with their animals at 3 p.m. at Beaver Lake in Mount Royal Park for the annual Blessing of the Pets, conducted by Canon Horace Baugh of the Church of St.

Francis of the Birds in Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts. ospital begins probe into surgery patient's death 25 years ago: A Bell Canada employee discovered a wiretap device while installing telephones in the offices of McGill University Student Society executives, The Gazette reported. The phones had been tampered with so that conversations could be tape-recorded. 50 years ago: Hundreds of curious teenagers invaded the cruiser La Argentina after the warship tied up at Laurier Pier, The Gazette reported. Administrators at Granby Hospital have launched an internal probe to find out how a 26-year-old patient ended up dead two days after he was released from the institution.

Christian Lizotte was found lying in a pool of blood in his apartment Wednesday. soon as possible. A coroner is probing Lizotte's death but Loyer said the hospital will not wait for the coroner's report before making changes. Hospital administrators said they have passed on condolences to Lizotte's family but declined further comment yesterday council of doctors, dentists and pharmacists its highest-ranking professional body will examine the case. All services and care given to Lizotte, "both during his hospitalization and during visits," will be examined, Loyer said, and any necessary changes in hospital procedure will be made as Lizotte, who had a history of problems after an operation to repair a hernia two months ago, had been leaking blood from a wound shortly before his death, his father said.

Dr. Michel Loyer, director of professional services at the hospital, said in a statement yesterday that the facility's iOoEcsIiod vandals win on cording to the law, cultural institutions, like bookstores, are permitted to post bilingual signs. Levine used to be a mellow man, never raising his voice louder than the background music in his shop. Ambience is, after all, everything in this biz. But that ambience was eyed Levine, while watching the rains stream down outside his shop.

"We love nothing better than to crawl between the leaves and retreat. "I've never been remotely active in politics, but now I'm fit to be tied." His voice rises a few decibels. "I've got this hollow feeling my life and livelihood are being threat fHifr ill Mtar ri vafc BILL BRO WNSTEIN "Sure, when it suits them, they talk about pluralism and tolerance in front of big audiences. But do they mean it?" Yet in spite of the threats, Levine has no intention to split town. "Montreal is still home sweet home for me even if others don't entirely agree." He removes the Mahler, drops a baroque disc in the CD player, and forces a faint smile.

"I really do love it here. Life is so rich and culturally diverse. I could never be happy in Toronto." Ironically, Levine's father faced similar prob-; lems when he set up a greeting-card shop in Place Versailles two decades back. Provincial authors ties, acting on an anonymous complaint, took ex-' ception to the fact that a box of sealed Tarot cards contained English-only instructions. At the time, Levine was studying music at McGill University and didn't want to know about a world caught up in such seemingly petty prob-; lems.

"Just my luck." He rolls his eyes. "Fate has now thrust me front and centre on the cultural firing line. The funny thing is that I'm totally sympathetic to francophones trying to preserve theif culture. I've been trying to do that all my life, too. "But if history has taught us anything, it's that you don't preserve someone's culture by sup-: pressing someone else's." Levine just hopes there are enough people out there who still read books with those kind of Plop a Mahler disc on the platter.

Give him an illustrated volume on Paul Klee to leaf through. And Simon Levine soars off into fantasy land. But Levine has been finding it increasingly difficult to escape these days. He has been unwittingly thrust into the never-ending debate on culture in Quebec. A former classical pianist, Levine would sooner debate the merits of Bach than Bouchard.

But that is no longer possible. Not after vandals urinated all over the doorway to his bookstore, plastered stickers telling him to go home, and spray-painted "101" on his windows. For the record, Levine doesn't push inflammatory literature about language rights or political nutbars. He sells handsome books about theatre and art and opera. Classical music forever wafts through his cozy Stage bookstore on Ste.

Catherine St near Chomedey St, offering much-needed solace for both browsers and area residents. Levine started Stage Books 10 years ago in the La Cite complex on Park Ave. He moved to Crescent but fire gutted that store. So he set up shop a stone's throw from the Forum a year ago. City officials ought to be paying Levine for bringing some semblance of life to an area that's been awfully bleak since the Forum shut down.

The vandals clearly don't concur Levine's crime, according to their twisted logic, is posting bilingual signs on his storefront, despite the fact that Bill 101 says they are legaL Ac- shattered when Levine returned to work after the Labor Day long weekend. First, he noticed the two stickers on the window: "Canadians go home!" Then, there were the gobs of saliva all over the windows and door. Finally, there was the stench of the urine at the entrance. That marked the third time in a year Levine's bookstore had been targeted by vandals. He attempted to rationalize the first two attacks, but this one he couldn't.

Levine also had company this last time. The nearby Westcott Books, too, had been sticker: in the dark of night by the desperados. These days, the 45-year-old bookseller raises his voice frequently in both official languages. Although he was born in Chalk River, Ont, Levine moved to Montreal with his parents who were born here- in 1962. He is perfectly bilingual "Booksellers are a gentle breed," says a sad- ened.

First, I thought that maybe because I'm Jewish I was over-reacting. Then, I came to the frightening realization that I wasn't." Levine feels the language issue is just a smokescreen. "What vandals like this really want is a monolithic French society. It seems that it's no longer enough just to speak French well to live here. The message I'm receiving is that I should get out of here, that I don't belong here, that they don't want what I'm selling.

"But if being an English bookseller sends a political message to some people, that's pretty scary. All this time I thought I was just a businessper-son, simply dealing in ideas." What really angers Levine is that he hasn't received reassurances, much less condolences, from the provincial government. He feels a government that doesn't distance itself from extremists is "part of the problem.".