The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 34

E2 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2012 BREAKING NEWS AT OTTAWACITIZEN.COM THE OTTAWA CITIZEN cm Rescue: Injured man taken out by helicopter Overnight ordeal in Gatineau Park: Two people rescued A man and a woman were being treated in hospital for hypothermia Friday. They were rescued after spending a cold night trapped in the bush in Gatineau Park. Thursday afternoon: --N. -4 i-year-oia man ana jz-year-oia woman 0 HB- Difficult Difficult Easy Most difficult leave rAJ paiiiiig iul I VI a 31 iuwdi iucii lij LdC Meech excursion on the trails. Beaudin and his friend out of the park.

Lawrence Conway, a spokesman for SGI, said the couple handled themselves well throughout the ordeal. They stayed put and called out for help. "The way they reacted was perfect," he said. Around 6 a.m., the woman, Beaudin and his friend were taken out of the bush on snowmobiles to emergency response vehicles in the Pll parking lot, approximately two kilometres away. The injured man was airlifted out by a Surete du Quebec helicopter, which then took him and the woman to hospital in Hull, where they were treated for hypothermia.

Beaudin and his friend were checked by paramedics but were not hurt m- Ov I I Blanchet U3i--r Group found here at A 12:30 a.m. Friday. -1 I Des LoupsWolf trail 62 'T' VV Continued from page El He said that as a member of Rescue Global 1, he's worked with the NCC and MRC des Collines several times. There was no panic," he said. While they waited for help to arrive, Beaudin talked to the couple to keep them calm.

He asked them what they did for a living, and what they planned on doing when they got home. No snowshoeing, they told him. It wasn't until 4:45 a.m. that the main rescue party from Search and Rescue Global 1 (SGI) was able to reach the four. The rescue team built a fire to warm the stranded snowshoers, then worked with the MRC des Collines and NCC to get the couple and How to survive getting lost in Renee Bellehumeur, manager of visitor services and operations in Gatineau Park, says a survival plan is essential for hikers and others who visit the sprawling park in winter.

Bellehumeur offers these suggestions: I Always carry a good trail map of the park. I Only go on recommended trails trails are sometimes closed because 200 metres; v- .1 Source: National Capital Commission Chianello: Protocol expenses should be public Steep slope DENNIS LEUNGOTTAWA CITIZEN to warm up. There will also be heaters stationed outside, says Gagne. Hot chocolate, coffee, tea, and foods will be available to purchase. The highlight of the evening is expected to be a midnight surprise not fireworks, as the corridor does not allow them but organizers suggest it will be flashy.

In Times Square spirit, there will also be a large clock for the countdown. A tried-and-true New Year's Eve party at Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe' Nepean, is also celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, for which it has organized a Wizard of Oz theme. The evening of free activities, including fireworks, kicks off at 6 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m., offering a particularly family-friendly early and alcohol-free event. There is a rink for skating, which will also host a figure skating performance in Wizard of Oz theme.

Indoors, there will be magic shows, games, and face painting, among other activities. More than 6,000 people attended the event last year, which donates proceeds from food purchased to MADD Ottawa and Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving, according to host Councillor Rick Chiarelli's website. Wherever you and your family ends up on New Year's Eve, Ottawa's Operation Red Nose is committed to getting you home safely. This year, the free service, which picks you and your vehicle up and drives you home, will be serving the city's east and west ends, as well as Gatineau. OCTranspo is offering extended free service to all customers on all routes starting three hours earlier than previous years from 8 p.m.

on Monday to 4 a.m. on New Year's Day. jburpeeottawacitizen.com twitter.comjuliaburpee the winter debris or weather make them difficult to navigate. I Carry extra dry clothing, food and water in case you get stuck. I Know the National Capital Commission emergency number, 613-239-5353, in case you become lost or have a medical emergency.

I Remember that while a cellphone is handy, you can't always count on good reception. month. Let's hope so. Otherwise, it makes something of a mockery of the whole transparency thing. The mayor and councillors are certainly entitled to spend money on public events.

Indeed, ceremonies and festivals and street parties help bring us all together, fostering a sense of community. Disclosure rules aren't meant to stop politicians from organizing parries, but they do let us know how many tax dollars were spent doing so. The protocol office budget is available through access to information requests, and certainly employees there have been forthcoming when I've requested information. But if councillors have to post how much they spent on celebrations in their wards, why shouldn't the mayor have to automatically disclose the costs of his events along with the names of those who sponsored the event, and for how much? Putting the entire protocol budget online might, not be feasible as it's likely outside the purview of the integrity commissioner's office, which is overseeing the new disclosure guidelines. It is, however, well within the commissioner's right to recommend that expenses for all events be posted online, whether they're paid for from an office budget or the protocol budget (and the source of the funds duly noted).

Anything less than that sets up a two-tiered system of disclosure one for councillors, and another for the mayor. And surely that can't be what Watson had in mind when he proposed a new era of integrity. jchianelloottawacitizen.com twitter.comjchianello The Barra MacNeils will ring in the New Year, local time, by singing the traditional Scottish song Auld Lang Syne at Hogmanay, a traditional Scottish-style street party to celebrate New Year's Eve, at City Hall. Festivities: Many locations BARRA MACNEILS Street Mall corridor, from Elgin to O'Connor streets, will be lit up and festive for the evening, with an outdoor stage at the corner of Sparks and Metcalfe streets, according to organizers. The night of free music and light shows will start at 7 p.m., early enough for Ottawans of all ages to enjoy performances from local bands Autumns Cannon and Three Little Birds.

The headlining band, Arkells, a Juno-winning rock group from Hamilton, will hit the stage later in the evening, says Les Gagne, executive director of the Sparks Street Mall and its Business Improvement Association. Although the bands will perform outdoors, several restaurants along the corridor will be open for people Continued from page El Nor are the payments likely to end there. City officials have reported that Boxfish's role will be "continuing for the foreseeable future." So it's all well and good for Watson to trim his own office budget by $80,000 a year, but it's hardly a net savings to taxpayers when the mayor has his own man quasi-perma-nently installed in the light-rail office at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars. There's likely nothing in the integrity package that can bring more clarity to situations like the mayor's and Guest's relationship. But there are ways to make the new guidelines on disclosure more transparent, in particular when it comes to the mayor's expenses.

Watson, like all councillors, has an annual office budget to spend more or less how he sees fit And he dutifully posts all his monthly office expenses online, a new practice that came into effect under Watson (to his credit). Councillors are required to disclose how they spend their budgets, whether it's on fun fairs for their communities, the purchase of tickets to fundraisers, or coffee and Timbits for an information open house on a new city policy. Unlike other councillors, the mayor also has access to the protocol budget Protocol has an unwieldy mandate to deal with all the official events of the city, such as flag raisings and lowerings, visits from diplomats and other VIPs. But the protocol budget is also used for city-wide events that Watson hosts, such as the Mayor's Annual Christmas Celebration held last month. Last year, rather outrageously, the mayor used $10,000 of the protocol budget to throw a retirement party for two outgoing MPPs.

How is this city business? So far, it's unclear whether the costs of these mayor-led events run through the protocol office will be included in the new disclosure package being put forward next Continued from page El The band has drawn big crowds in Ottawa before, so organizers say they hope having them for a free concert will attract a lively audience to the inaugural event. Other Canadian Celtic bands performing earlier in the night include Sprag Session and local group Ecosse. "The event is not going to cost anyone anything, unless they want a drink," said Mson. In fact, there will be free hot chocolate for party-goers. There will also be beer tents and Scotch-tasting available for purchase, as well as Scottish foods sold inside City Hall.

Sparks Street Mall is also offering a new way for Ottawans to ring in the New Year with a local Times Square. Two blocks of the Sparks Ottwa Sill! 1 OTTAWA-CARLETON DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD I LEARNING for LIFE Discover our maty offerings for Winter and Spring 2013 in this combined issue! Please call 613-239-2751 for information or to register for General interest courses, Check www.ocdsb.cacontinuweb for details on all Continuing Education programs. IS SI MMk. mass kuhk fcss eiiiu uaulio -i Watch for our flyer this Wednesday FREE DAY PASS $0 JOINING FEE Pool Fitness Centre Personal Training Join the by Jan. 3113 and save up to $75 Offer expires Jan.

311 3, Photo ID required Valid for tip AntMcfiildien Services vary by location, Some conditions OHo. empires Jsa 3113. Sumecondltionsapply. 1-w i J4 OTTAWA' Citizen (selected areas only) ymcaywca.ca.