The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 16

B2: The Ottawa Citizen, Thursday, April 14, 1994 CITYLIFE EDUCATION French public schools win equal funds mnabrt 1 LE ft A 1 A xi' a MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS Regional councillors gut Ottawa's official plan Update The issue: Planning the development of Ottawa and the region. What's new: Ottawa Council lost a fight Wednesday when its cherished new official plan, which tries to steer development away from more major road-building, was changed at regional council. What's next: The decision means that big new regional roads on the books, such as the Vanier Parkway Extension, the Alta Vista Parkway and extra lanes on the Queensway, could be built if the money is found. By Patrick Dare Citizen municipal writer Ottawa was dealt a major political defeat Wednesday when the most crucial part of its new development plan was gutted at regional council. Councillors and planners came to the region hoping the city's award-winning official plan, five years in the making, would finally be approved.

But suburban politicians on regional council, backed by the advice of regional staff, changed the document to make it fit into the region's plan. Most important to Ottawa was the idea of "conceptual which are transportation corridors including anything from bike paths to six-lane truck routes. But the region's planners and a Adult students left stranded, officials say Citizen staff An increase in provincial funding for French-language education in Ottawa strands 800 adult students, representatives say. The funding agreement requires the public sector of the Ottawa-Carleton French-language School Board to sell Cartier school on Donald Street, which houses the adult students' school, Le Carrefour. "Le Carrefour is the black mark," sector chairman Denis Chartrand said Wednesday.

"The province wouldn't agree to anything about the adult students and they just said if we didnt like it, there would be no agreement at all." "But there will be classes for Carrefour students somehow, somewhere. As trustees, we will start making some decisions immediately." Adult students rallied outside MPP Evelyn Gigantes's office Friday to draw attention to the loss of their school. About 70 per cent of the students are new to Canada and range in age from 19 to 80. Le Carrefour is to close in June and the sector has suggested dispersing the adult students among several locations. "We're happy with what the province has done so far.

But we're not completely pleased yet," said Carrefour student Martine Pavia, 19. "We don't want classes scattered in different locations throughout the region. We think without the classroom atmosphere we have now that people will become discouraged and drop off." It 1 ft 'wSJ. By Pat Bell Citizen education writer Elementary and secondary students in Ottawa-Carleton French public schools will finally get the same financial backing as students at the region's English public school boards. A five-year dispute was resolved Wednesday in an agreement that acknowledged the province has been underfunding the public sector of the Ottawa-Carleton French-language School Board since it was established in 1989.

It has about 5,600 students. The province will pay $12 million retroactively for the period 1989 to 1993 and increase its annual grant to keep the public sector in line with neighboring boards. The sector will receive $6.4 million for its 1994 operating budget, $3 million more than it expected. Despite the funding increase there will be no immediate difference in the elementary and secondary schools, said Bernard Bareilhe, president of the council of parent advisory groups at the sector's 14 schools. The agreement between the education ministry and the sector requires the $12 million to be used to reduce a debt that stands at about $24 million.

Proceeds from the sale of two school buildings Belcourt on Church Street and Cartier on Donald Street and a 15-year debenture will be used to cover the balance. Students at the French board's public sector were in schools run by the Ottawa Board of Education and the Carleton Board of Education until 1989 when the province established the French-language i File photo FIGHTING MAD: Students of Cartier High School and Le Carrefour, along with officials of the French language school board protest the sale of the school earlier this month tor and withdrawing official supervisor Rosaire Leger after three consecutive years of balanced budgets, beginning in 1995. The province has agreed to pay for moving vocational students from Ecole secondaire publique Cartier to another (as yet unnamed) location, to pay all costs of completing the new Charlebois school site on Smyth Road and to make a new French public elementary school in Orleans a for underfunding our schools. In response, the province put us under official supervision in September of that year. "Since then there have been out-of-court negotiations and today's agreement eliminates the legal challenge.

It makes clear that whatever the OBE and CBE spend on their students affects the grants we get," Chartrand said. The agreement also sets out a schedule for ending the provincial trusteeship of the debt-ridden sec school board with a Catholic and public sector. This year the province introduced legislation to make each sector an autonomous school board. "We were assured (in 1988) that we could continue to offer the same services to our students that they had been receiving in their former boards," sector chairman Denis Chartrand said Wednesday. "But within the first year, we had a $2 million deficit.

In June 1991, the sector sued the province Don't Need What You A Lot Of Money. 1 IB Z. i majority of council said roads are roads. They said being vague about road routes would just confuse matters and delay growth. Goul-bourn Mayor Paul Bradley said the Ottawa people talking about conceptual links are the same people who don't want trucks downtown.

Chair Peter Clark accused Ottawa councillors of trying to slide in changes to the region's plan that already have been decided by regional council and confirmed by the Ontario Municipal Board. While Ottawa politicians battle big new regional roads planned for the future, the Ontario Municipal Board has approved several of these projects including the Alta Vista Parkway, the Vanier Extension and more lanes for the Queensway. The vote was 17 to 14 to delete "conceptual links" from Ottawa's plan. There will be a second vote on the same matter at the next council meeting, but it's expected Ottawa will lose once again. An official plan is a city's vision of future development.

It sets out the rules for building and routes for roads, the Transitway and parks. The official plans at the region and Ottawa are so complicated that staff at Ottawa city hall gave out "cheat sheets" to councillors Wednesday so they would vote for Ottawa's interests in each stage of the meeting. Coun. Alex Cullen, who led Ottawa's charge Wednesday, came armed with 26 motions. The defeat left some Ottawa councillors complaining that the two-level local government system isn't working for the city's interests.

Under the existing two-tiered system, the region delivers some services, such as transit and sewers, and the municipal level delivers other services such as libraries. Ottawa Coun. Jim Watson said it was similar to the defeat over market-value reassessment, when a new tax system was approved by regional council that dramatically increased taxes in downtown Ottawa neighborhoods. Ottawa taxpayers are paying most of the region's taxes but losing important votes to the suburbs, said Watson. "It's a Monty Python exercise," said Coun.

Peter Harris, who said it's absurd to have one level of local government approving the plans of another, burning up money and staff time in a battle of bureaucracies. Harris agreed with Watson that it's time to look at one-tier local government. 17 charged in Smiths Falls stolen goods ring Citizen staff Smiths Falls police have charged 17 people, including a mother and her two sons, with 97 counts of break enter and theft after uncovering a stolen property ring operat-' ing in the town. Thieves stole an estimated $50,000 worth of televisions, VCRs, stereo equipment, cameras, cloth-' ing, jewellery, coats and purses from homes, businesses and cars. Police recovered stolen goods worth about $5,000.

The thieves began selling the merchandise in Ottawa, Toronto, Kingston and Montreal in 1993. Deputy Chief Tom Kaye said the theft ring was the largest he has seen in Smiths Falls. The suspects charged include five juveniles who cant be named under the provisions of the Young Offenders Act Police are still investigating and more arrests are expected, Kaye said. $7,988 '94 Excel cx This fun-filled Excel hatchback offers you more standard features than any car in its class including: All season steel-belted radial tires Power brakes 4-wheel independent suspension Rack pinion steering Intermittent windshield wipers with interval adjustment $10,888" $11,388 urn nL 5 KM WARRANTY' 24 HOUR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE Includes: fuel delivery service flat tire changing lock-out service towing service '94 Elantra GL The Elantra family sedan delivers sporty performance and stylish good looks along with: A responsive, high technology DOHC engine with 16 valves and multipoint fuel injection 4-wheel independent suspension 6040 split fold down rear seats ETR AMFM. audio system '94 Scoupe The spirited Scoupe gives you more thrill for your money than anything on the road.

Its features include: High energy "Alpha" M.P.I, engine All season steel-belted radial tires 6040 split fold down rear seats ETR AMFM audio system 4-wheel independent suspension Limited lime offer from April 4. IM4. 'l4 Lxeel CX from lilanira CiL from KI.SS8, Scoupe hase from $1 UK.X. License, freight, P.D.S. and tuxes extra.

Prices arc M.S.R.P. less promotional discount. tSee dealer for details. HYUrtDfll Where The Smart Money Goes. Bank Street Hyundai 2818 Bank Street Gloucester 739-7530 Cassclman Hyundai 998 Route 500 West Casselman 764-3444 Otto's Hyundai Sales Service 225 Richmond Road Ottawa 725-3246 Acacia Motors Ltd.

595 St. Laurent Blvd. Ottawa 745-2311.