The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 7

The Ottawa Citizen, Sunday, November 20, 1994 A7 CITYLIFE Ex-addict leads drive to rehabilitate statue Two high schools to stay closed indefinitely i it 'i a i I i t- yA.V 7 fer- Jf the city going get cut most easily," said Cousineau, looking out his third floor office window at the statue. The statue is a copy of the original Faithful Virgin erected in Algeria in 1840 by the first Bishop of Algiers. The robes and crown of the statue were painted, but the bare bronze hands and face darkened under the sun, prompting the nickname "black virgin." Lamarche can't explain why she suddenly noticed the two-metre-tall statue that sits on a two-metre-high base. "I just noticed that on her right hand the thumb was off and her left hand was completely gone. I almost couldn't look because of the tears coming down my eyes," Lamarche recalled.

She describes it as a "spiritual experience," one she didn't want to tell too many people about for fear of being thought a religious kook. "I looked at her and got this feeling that she was sort of saying, 'Help me'." Lamarche, 37, is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who lives in a women's shelter. Raised Roman Catholic, she said she hasn't practised her religion for a long time, though she never lost her faith in God. After noticing the statue, Lamarche decided she had to find a way to have it restored. "I also want to see lights put in to discourage vandalism," said Lamarche.

"It's important for me to do this for the community." The city has agreed to set up a trust fund to collect donations to restore the statue and install lights. Cousineau is pleased the community is again taking interest in the statue. While it's a low priority at budget time, the black virgin is historically important and it's the first face that welcomes visitors to city hall. During the last restoration, Classes resume Thursday at new locations Citizen staff Franco-Cite" and the adjoining Charlebois High School, badly damaged by arson Wednesday, will remain closed this week, and 650 students will resume classes Thursday at other tions. Charlebois students will be moved to the former Cartier School building at 225 Donald St.

and. the Franco-Cite students will take classes at a school board building at 2360 Virginia Dr. School board officials say classes will begin at 8:50 a.m. and follow the regular schedule. Busing will be provided.

They say it is still impossible to know how long students will be out of their Smyth Road building, which houses both Charlebois, a French public high school, and Franco-Cite, a French Catholic school. They hope investigators won't find structural damage, which would close the two schools for months. Investigators confirmed Friday that arson caused Wednesday's fire. Ontario Fire Marshal investigators have taken samples to see what materials were used to set the fire, said Captain Marcel Rocque of the Ottawa Fire Department. The destruction is centred in the basement where the school's two wings join, underneath the main administration area.

Classrooms were not touched by the fire, though many were filled with smoke. Some classrooms suffered more smoke damage than others, said Robert Pilon, director of the French Public School Board. The building's heating plant was also flooded and its electrical conduit melted, knocking out power in the Catholic wing. Cleanup has already begun and is expected to take 12 days; with 40-member crews working around the clock. There is no estimate yet on how long it will take to repair the wiring and heating plant.

Engineers are now checking the building fori structural damage. The schools had just reopened after renovations in September, and an opening ceremony was! held last week. Classes have been cancelled since the fire. For Ottawa firefighters, the fire was one of the worst they have battled in recent years, said the department's executive offi-; cer, Bob Lambert. The fire was in a huge, win-; dowless basement room, measuring about 45 by 20 metres, and the only escape route for the heat and smoke was the stairwells.

"It (the heat and smoke) was starting to knock our boys down before they got near the fire," said Lambert. To make things worse, the room was filled with materials that acted like fuel: "Furniture, boxes, tables all of it flammable and chairs, desks and tables. "It was probably one of the worst in logistics, in relation to getting to the fire and putting it out, that I've seen in 25 years," he; said. Rocque said the firefighters were forced to work in 15-minute shifts because of the intense heat. Three were treated in hospital for heat and smoke inhalation and another 15 to 20 were treated at the scene by ambu; lance crews.

Lambert said the firefighters did a tremendous job in preventing the fire from rising to the main floor of the building. Smoke was seeping up into rooms all over the school, but the fire itself never spread. Lambert confirmed that bar; rels containing PCBs (polychlori-nated biphenyls) were in a sealed room untouched by the fire. PCBs are industrial oils that can cause toxic byproducts if they burn. Now banned, these PCBs had been drained from old fluorescent lights during renovations.

The PCBs were hauled away Friday to a toxic waste disposal site, he said. Wayne Hiebert, Citizen Lucie Lamarche stands in front of the statue of Our Lady of Africa, which she wants to help repair Cousineau said, "then the more people contribute towards this project, the more it becomes a community project." Tie deteriorating "black virgin" is the first face visitors to Vanier City Hall see By Angela Mangiacasale Citizen staff writer For years, Lucie Lamarche walked around the circular drive-way outside Vanier's City Hall without noticing the tall, dark woman that welcomes everyone. A few days before Halloween this year, Lamarche was walking to the library next to city hall when she noticed the woman's deformed face and hands. It was an encounter that has given new meaning to her trou- bled life. "I always thought that there was a tree there or something.

But I looked up and saw her and thought, 'When did that get there'?" said Lamarche, who has lived in Vanier for 15 years. The "woman" is a statue called Notre Dame d'Afrique or Our Lady of Africa. Known as the "black virgin," the statue has stood on the site since 1955, when the religious order Peres Blancs operated a seminary there. In 1989, after 34 years of standing in sun, rain and snow, the victim of repeated vandalism, the statue was so unrecognizable that members of local service and community groups donated $5,000 to restore the black virgin. But now it needs work again.

Mayor Guy Cousineau, who sat on council at the time, said restoration of the statue has always been on the budget wish list, but never made the final cut. "These projects that are not essential to keep the operation of Accident toll By Tony Lofaro Citizen staff writer Another day. Another Hwy. 16 fatality. Here are the names to humanize the statistics: Joshua Baillie, Andrew Murray, Tracy Gourlay, Theresa Gagnon, Malcolm MacPherson, Christopher Kerscher, Brent Wimperis, Ramanathan Rajagopulan, Denis Brearton, Sandra Brearton, Ambrose O'Conner, Marie Poulos, Gerald Champaigne, Lynn Morris, Hayat Hussein, Waris Handulle, Abdirahman Adam, Viola Stafford.

Deborah Utman and Brian Miller. Two unknown dead. At least 16 people died on the narrow, winding highway between 1990 and 1993. Six more so far in 1994. This week, Theresa Gagnon's 1977 Ford strayed into the opposite lane and collided with Malcolm MacPherson's new station wagon.

They both died at the scene. It's more than deaths, of course. It is lost arms and legs, wheelchairs and steel pins in bones, damaged minds, scarred faces and destroyed careers and those who wake up at night screaming. Auto-accident injuries on the highway also increased, from 95 in 1990 to 121 in 1993. By this July, another 39 were hurt, according to the latest Ministry of Transportation figures.

And while the federal and provincial governments squabble over building a wider, improved Hwy. 416, the statistics will undoubtedly keep getting worse. The federal government says it will pull its construction funding if Ontario places tolls on the $400-million road. The federal government had promised in May to pay one third of the cost of the highway's southern portion if Ontario came up with the rest Earlier this month, the mounts as Hwy. 416 funding Mother gave selflessly to care for disabled son some of the money came thanks to a city regulation that requires any group that takes out a permit to run a bingo to donate 50 per cent of the profit to a community project in Vanier.

Lamarche hopes individuals as well as larger groups will make donations. "If someone has the courage to raise whatever it takes $3,000 or $4,000 through small amounts," Number of accidents on Hwy. 1 6 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994" 0 30 60 90 120 150 January July Source: Ontario Ministry of Transportation Citizen graphic respondents said they were concerned about safety on Hwy. 16," said Chris Knight, who led the "Pave The Dream" campaign for a four-lane road. He says the economic benefits to Ottawa of having a finished highway are obvious, but providing a safe road for motorists between Ottawa and Hwy.

401 is more important. With the daily volume of traffic increasing on Hwy. 16, a new four-lane highway is desperately needed to ease the congestion and reduce the number of accidents, Knight says. On an average day even on the short stretch from Woodroffe Avenue to Merivale Road 18,500 vehicles travel the road, provincial figures show. And they travel fast.

In a recent Hwy. 16 traffic blitz, 1,141 drivers were charged with speeding violations, as well as more than 200 other highway infractions, ranging from impaired driving to improper passing. Even police were surprised by the results. A big problem with drivers is Donations are being accepted in person or by mail at Vanier City Hall, 300 Ave. des Pere-Blancs, Vanier, Ont.

K1L 7L5. For more information call Vanier arts and culture co ordinator, J. Louise feud endures adjusting to the slower speed of the two-lane road, especially after coming off Hwy. 401, say police. "People don't adjust to the two-lane road and they're driving in an aggressive fashion," says Ontario Provincial Police Sgt.

Joe Houston. They tailgate, scare slower drivers and pass at bad times. Most collisions occur near Kemptville, where traffic thins and drivers become more aggressive at passing. Traffic near the city limits moves slower and is more congested. With fewer opportunities for passing, there are fewer collisions, says Houston.

Police say there is little more they can do. The introduction of photo radar in the Toronto area has been successful. When introduced in Ottawa sometime next year it will be a deterrent, says Houston. Poor driving techniques can also cause accidents, say safety experts. Many collisions can be attributed to driver inattentiveness while on the road, says the executive director of the Ottawa-Car-leton Safety Council.

"A lot of the times, drivers are not paying attention to the road, or they lose concentration and don't anticipate things," says Beverly Leeks-Finkelstein. "It's the not-me-syndrome: People don't think anything could happen to them on the road," she says. Often drivers do not mentally prepare for an automobile trip, overlooking such important details as planning their route properly or leaving early enough to reach their destination on time, she says. "People have to pay more attention to some of the hazards of driving." to allow Williams another week to make the arrangements, said Tie. Immigration reviewed Williams's case under guidelines that allow Canada to give refuge to battered women who will not be protected in their home countries.

However, Immigration officials decided Williams was lying about being beaten in Jamaica. Williams has scars covering her arms, legs, wrist, forehead, and stomach. However, a "former acquaintance" of Williams told Immigration officials that Williams suffered some of the wounds in Trinidad, in circumstances "unrelated to domestic violence," according to a letter from Immigration official Robert Vineberg. Williams says those claims are untrue. Number of fatalities on Hwy.

16 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 0 1 2 3 4 5 This year to date province said no new money is going to the project. It was considering adopting tolls. The first leg of the highway, from the Queensway to Century Road, is expected to be finished in 1996. The funding feud is annoying the region's business sector and the thousands of motorists who regularly use the road. It also concerns a lobby group that since 1987 has pushed hard for the completion of the highway.

"When I collected signatures for a petition a few years ago, more than 90 per cent of the The human and financial toll of accidents on Hwy. 16 will undoubtedly keep getting worse as governments squabble over how to pay for a four-lane road. wife beating seriously and could not protect Williams if she were to return, says Tie. Williams says her ex-husband has warned relatives back home that he will kill her if she returns. Immigration has rejected Williams's claim for refugee status as well as appeals for her to remain in the country on humanitarian grounds.

Her last legal hope was dashed last week when the Federal Court refused to hear an appeal of the deportation order. Williams, 32, married a Canadian citizen in 1988. They have a five-year-old son born in Canada. But Immigration did not allow her husband to sponsor Williams as an immigrant because the department concluded the marriage was one of convenience. By Joanne Laucius Citizen staff writer At a time when many women her age are contemplating retirement, Rhoda Tasker took up a bitter job and tended it lov- ingly.

Tasker, now 69, has been rec- ognized by the Multiple Sclero-" sis Society of Canada for that job selflessly giving more than 30 hours a week for 16 years to caring for her son, Tom, who died in June. She has been awarded the first Opal Award for caregivers. But those who know her says it goes beyond making meals and arranging doctor's appointments. "I always said she was the best mother in the world," says her daughter, Kay Ruffo. Tom, then 26, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1978.

Some multiple sclerosis patients recover between bouts with the disease, which attacks the central nervous system and causes fatigue, impaired vision and paralysis. But Tom's condition deteriorated. He and his wife separated. First Tom used a cane, and then a wheelchair. He found an accessible apartment with on-site care at the Daly Co-op.

Tom clung to his independence and Rhoda became his lifeline to the outside world. Rhoda didn't know much about multiple sclerosis, but soon learned. She took a course at Algonquin College about caring for a person with a disability. Tom's speech failed, and the only communication he had with -family was a straw hooked up to a computer "sips" and "puffs" became the dots and dashes of the Morse code as he laboriously spelled out messages. Tom had been a electronics technician before his hands became shaky, and finally, paralysed.

He used the straw to spell out instructions for gadgets on the computer for his father, Mel. The apartment began to look like a cat's cradle of wires and strings, says Ruffo, recalling the contraptions he used to hook up his computers, printer, automatic door-opener and stero system. "Tom was a very private person," says Ruffo. "He had to be on his own. If it hadn't killed him physically, it would have killed Warrant issued for Ottawa woman fighting deportation to Jamaica Wayne Hiebert.

Citizen Rhoda Tasker became her son's lifeline to the world, him spiritually." In the last few years, maintaining his own apartment became next to impossible and he moved almost permanently to his bed. His eyes failed, and thie man whose apartment overflowed with books depended on the book-tapes his mother picked up at the public library. Eventually, he subsisted on baby pablum and found it painful even to laugh. Rhoda spent five to eight hours with Tom every day except Saturday, arriving at 8 a.m. to cook meals, do laundry, brush Tom's hair and teeth and hold the upper part of his body over a pan so phlegm could drain from his respiratory system.

Rhoda knew how much Tom's apartment meant to him. She and Tom were founding board members of Cardinus, a housing complex with accessible apartments. For Rhoda, the hardest part came about a year ago, when Tom gave up. "He knew he was n't going to get any better," she says. Her husband Mel credits Rhoda's devotion to her upbringing in a large and close knit family.

She has been equally close to her five children and eight grandchildren. "She has always been dedicated to the family. I was the one who went out and earned the dollar. She raised the family," he says. "I was just doing what every mother would do," insists Rhoda.

"I guess I was just lucky I was able to." Her husband is mentally ill, and the couple does not live together. Williams also has a 14-year-old daughter, born in Jamaica, who now lives with her in Canada. Saturday morning, Williams was holed up in her apartment, speaking in whispers and refusing to answer the phone. Her children are Canadian citizens, but she was unsure what she would do with them if she is deported. Her mother lives in Ottawa, and could perhaps care for them.

Tie said she was trying to arrange for Williams to go to a Commonwealth country as a visitor. Williams has a Jamaican passport and could travel to some Commonwealth countries, such as Trinidad or England, without a visa. However, Immigration refused By Jacquie Miller Citizen immigration writer A warrant has been issued for the arrest of an Ottawa woman who is fighting deportation back to Jamaica, where she fears her violent ex-husband will kill her. Ottawa police arrived at Joy Williams's apartment Saturday morning, but left when she refused to answer the door. Police could return any time to pick up Williams and hold her in detention at the local Immigration office, says her lawyer Chantal Tie.

Immigration has booked a flight back to Jamaica for Williams on Nov. 23. Williams says her ex husband in Jamaica nearly killed her with a machete before she fled to Canada in 1986. Jamaican police do not take.