The Ottawa Journal from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Page 3

THE JOURNAL 563-3731 HOME DELIVERY 563-38U CLASSIFIED 563-3711 RETAIL ADVERTISING 563-3842 NEWS 563-3788 SPORTS 563-3786 Bennett's job may stay open By RON CLINGEN The MPP for Ottawa South bowed out of municipal govern ment Monday night with a hand shake sendoff from city councillors and department heads. Claude Bennett, a controller until noon Monday, read his let ter of resignation to council then stepped back from his seat at the mayor's right hand, to be gin a round of hand-shakes, Mr. Bennett resigned after he learned a bill passed by the On tario legislature June 29 forbidding members to sit on munici pal councils had received official proclamation. But Alderman Michael Cas- sidy, MPP for Ottawa Centre, advised Mayor Benoit by tele phone from Vancouver, It "will take a court order to get me out." And before Monday's special session of council ended, Alder man Charles St. Germain had filed notice of motion for next Tuesday's meeting that Con troller Bennett not be replaced.

"We really have only about two-and-a-hal months before nomination day (Nov. 15) and I Bee no reason for appointing someone to fill the vacancy for the interval, the alderman In his farewell address to council, Controller Bennett sin- sled out former Mayor Char lotte Whitton as one who had "a great influence" on his career, "I hope I can take to Toronto some of the things I have learned from her," Mr. Bennett stressed. "Dr. Whitton always seemed to be able to get herself out of a corner and into the centre of the floor with the rest ending up In the "He goes to Queen's Park with a solid background of ex perience in municipal life and I wish him every success there," Alderman Whitton said.

"But I can't understand how royal assent slipped through on this bill but I guess some body has to surpass what's hap pening on Parliament Hill." The bill prohibiting members of the provincial legislature, Senate, House of Commons from simultaneously holding munici pal council seats bad not been expected to receive official proclamation until November. However, Controller Bennett learned the proclamation took place quietly on Aug. 19 and on one bothered to tell those af fected. Alderman Jules Morin a former MPP described Mr. Bennett's departure as "a great loss to council." "But I know, taxpayers will support you if you decide to come back to city council some day," he offered.

Alta Yista widening approved Widening and rebuilding of Alta Vista Drive from Randall Avenue to Smyth Road will cost $541,609. Regional executive committee Monday approved awarding the contract for the major roadwork and installation of a storm sewer, to Francon Limited. The firm submitted the lowest of four tenders for the job. High est bid for the work was $660,566. Total cost of the project, including new street lighting, engineering fees, interim financ ing and miscellaneous expenses is $739,000.

Th nrAnncA1 wirlaninrr stf Alta Vista Drive has been the subject of considerable dispute between homeowners and regional It took almost two months of meetings before agreement was finally reached to have the roadway widened from 33 to 36 feet, and the intersections of Pleasant Park Road and Kil- born Avenue widened to 39 feet. The entire project goes to re gional council for approval Sept. 13. At the meeting, council will also be asked to award an $81,991 contract to Concord (Ot tawa) Electrical Contractors Ltd. for installation of new street lighting on Greenbank Road from near Ash Grove Crescent to Irish Street To open next year The Ottawa Journal Tuesday, August 29, 1972 i eft ten- i 'TIIE HOLE' Work is progressing well on the future sunken Maisonneuve Street in Hull but angry residents say their children are in danger of.

falling into what they are now calling The (Journal Photo By The Canadlon Prejs) Hull residents act Street work labelled hazard to health By CLAUDE LEMIEUX Residents of the southside of Maisonneuve Street in Hull have formed an association to fight what they call the "dangerous and unhealthy hole" that is their street. Once the Maisonneuve Street rebuilding is completed in 1973, it will handle a large part of the Hull-Ottawa traffic using the future Portage bridge. So far, however, it has brought only misery to its resi: dents. Last year, residents on the north side of the street banded together to fight expropriation to widen the street They lost, but now all of them are said to be happy in new homes Monday evening, approxi mately 60 residents of the south side met with representatives of the city and the contractors to air their, complaints. 1 I And there were many.

The most serious concerns are safety and what residents claim is a health hazard. Maisonneuve is now about 30 feet below its previous level in some places and local residents claim safety measures are in adequate. Francon the general con tractor, has installed sni fences along most of the construction site but these are in bad condition and easily crossed by children, claim residents. "We fix the fences each night" a company spokesman said, "but children break them the following day." Another complaint concerns sewers, that have been broken by construction work. Sewers crossing Maisonneuve Street were cut because they were at a higher level than the Lnew roadbed.

A spokesman for Normandin Construction, the sewer con tractor, said little could be done until the new sewers are com pleted. He promised to do something to lessen the smell. Sewers also have backed up in many homes. "You couldn't stay ten min utes in my basement," one woman said. Others complained of wide cracks in their basement walls caused by blasting'.

The construction spelesman admitted there had been mistak es and one man had been fired for having used too much dynamite in one blast He said the blasting would end in two months. Mayor Marcel D' Amour said the city -was not directly in volved in the construction. He said the work was contracted by the Quebec highways department, but he told resi dents fearful that fire fighting equipment could not get through in an emergency, he would see the fire chief about this. "I'm sure all precautions have been aken," he said, "but I'll double check in the morn ing." A recent poll revealed that, of approximately 70 ratepayers on Maisonneuve Street, 57 are afraid for their children's safety, 54 find safety supervision inadequate, S3 are afraid of fire dangers, 52 feel oil delivery will be impossible this fall, 47 have had their water service cut off without warning, 45 are bothered by the smell and 41 can't find room to park their cars. Crippled children's project given $50,000 by Rotary A $50,000 cheque was turned over Monday by Ottawa Rotary Club to the Ottawa Crippled Children's Treatment Centre.

But that's only an instalment. The club has made a total pledge of a whopping $120,000 toward the centre. Total cost of the project is about $900,000. Gordon Switzer, president of the centre, accepted the $50,000 cheque presented by Fred. Fin- lay on behalf of Rotarians.

"This (the cheque) will be put to good use, I believe this after noon," said Mr. Switzer. The treatment centre, slated to open September 1973, will provide rehabilitation, medical and education services. It will be part of the $18-mil- lion Eastern Ontario Children's Hospital on Smyth Road in Alta Vista, where a huge medical centre is being built The medical complex will eventually include the Ottawa General Hospital and University of Ottawa Health Science Centre. The National Defence Medical Centre is already on the site.

The treatment centre will-share some facilities with the children's hospital, such as speech, physiotherapy, and food services. Crippled children are now accommodated in the Riverview and Centennial elementary schools through a special arrangement with the Ottawa board of education. The new treatment centre will have facilities for about twice as many children, said Mr, Switzer. It also will provide services for children with deformities, amputations and hemophilia. Fell under tanker truck, cyclist killed A 20-year-old Metro Toronto cyclist was struck and killed Monday by a gasoline tanker on the Base Line Road.

Dead is Harry Ostener of Downs view. Police said Mr. Ostener was cycling with a friend, Ruth Mill-son, 20, of Willowdale, Ont, when the accident occurred about 3.25 p.m. Mr. Ostener.

a student of York University, apparently lost control of his bicycle and fell beneath the rear wheels of passing Shell Canada Ltd. tank er. He was killed instantly. Driver of the tanker was Rob ert Walker, 44, of RR 3, Ottawa Mr. Ostener had been in the Ottawa area for the past three months.

Coroner Dr. Roger Hughes will decide if en inquest will be held. Constable Bruce Quigg is investigating the accident 4. Council supplied material A group of impatient Orleans homeowners staked out their claim to a one-acre lot in the centre of Dupuis Street for a park Monday by fencing it jiff, with Gloucester Township's tac it approval. Gloucester council last month issued a building permit to Lawrence Peplinski to construct a house on the lot at the northern end of the cres cent.

There are three other such lots on the crescent. Homeowners are enraged be cause they insist Orleans is desperately short of parkland About 65 Dupuis Street children use the crescent as a play ground. "Last week, Fred Charron, representing 16 residents whose homes front on the- crescent, warned Gloucester council he was taking the issue to court. Monday, Mr. Charron decided "to speed up the issue." He said he intended to sue the owner of the Dupu's Street sub division, Adelard Potvm, for allegedly selling land under false pretences.

In 1955, Mr. Potvin sold him his lot, assuring him the cres cent would remain parkland, said Mr. Charron. In 1958, he Mr. Potvin sold the northern lot to a man who tried in vain to, get a building permit from the township.

He eventually sold the land to Mr. Peplinski. Monday, when he not ced con struction of foundations for a house on the lot were proceed ing, Mr. Charron concluded the best way to establish residents' squatting rights wais to fence off the crescent. as a representative of 16 people, could put up that fence," said the 39-year-old painting contractor in his bun galow at 729 Dupuis Stret.

"After all, we ve used that is- land as a playground for 17 years." Mr. Charron said he tele phoned Gloucester councillor Fred Barrett yesterday to find out bow much fencing would do the job. The councillor, said Mr. Charron, put him on to roads superintendent Norman Pyper who welcomed him to rolls of wire gable fence stockpiled at7 the municipal hall. "I said he could take two rolls," said Mr.

Pyper at Monday's council meeting. "He said he'd leave a blank cheque for them." Mr. Charron said he left the cheque as a deposit on the fencing. He would return it to the township) he said, when the crescent issue was resolved. Did the township council, $1.25 million to be refunded to Minto.

Most of that amount about $1 million would come from Nepean, with the remain der being spread indirectly to then, support his action? Mr. Charron was asked. "They gave. us the fence and the posts. Draw your own conclusions," he replied.

"He told me Its lawyer advised him to fence it in," said Mr. Pyper. Later, at his home, however, Mr. Charron refused to say whether his lawyer counselled him to take the action. When Mr.

Charron was ready to drive off wjth four rolls of fencing and 80 metal posts, two Gloucester police of icers stopped him, demanding to know what he was doing. "But Barrett was there and he assured them everything was okay," said Mr. Charron. At about 9 p.m., while the 16 homeowners and their children hurried to erect the 2,000 feet of fencing, two other police officers appeared. other municipalities through larger regional and educational tax levies.

Monday night the Carleton board met behind closed doors for an hour-and-a-half with its solicitor Walter Baker to discuss the matter. At a regular, open meeting that followed, the board approved a motion put forward by trustee William Dakin. It read: "That in respect of the and prospective appeals by the Township of Nepean, the regional municipality of Ottawa- Carleton, the Carleton board of education et al, in respect of as I sess merits for the years 1968, 1969 and 1970, that the board iiTumMTCiMjL Angry Orleans homeowners fence off lot for parkland "They wanted "To" charge us for blocking a person from en- tering his property," said Mr. Charron. "I called my lawyer who advised me to say nothing." The officers disappeared.

But before the determined residents had finished their job two hours later, one bricklayer working on the Peplinski site threatened to shoot them, he "No, he wasn't laughing." At midnight, three of Mr. Charron's 10 children had pitched a tent on the island. Their father insisted they too, help' safeguard their squatters' rights. Mr. Charron expects to hear from Mr.

Peplinski and his building contractor, Hamel Construction, sometime today. Board plans to aid Nepean in OMB tax decision appeal The Carleton board of educa tion Monday voted to support Nepean Township if the municipality appeals a recent Ontario Municipal Board tax appeal decision that favored a local And if the township doesn appeal, the board will do so on its own. Last week the OMB upheld i Construction's appeal against Nepean's assessment for of its multi-family dwellings. The OMB calls for support the township of Nepean in all further actions which the township takes in these matters, subject to the provision that if the township files no appeal, the boards solicitor be instruct ed to do so within the appeal pe- Asked later how much money is at stake for the board, chairman Mrs. Louise Mcintosh said the board staff hadn't finished calculating the amount Mrs.

Mcintosh described the reckoning of the amount as a "very complicated matter." She noted, however, that if the appeal is lost it would mean some increases in school taxes for other municipalities under the board's jurisdiction. Great wru? ends soon THIS OFFER Will KETO, EVER BE REPEATED! DON'T BE MISS NOW AND RESERVE! "iirV 1 ft 1 i.