The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 21

Bus cuts could force cancer patient to move, B3 PATAFiE Moving Supplies Packaging Rentals FOR ALL YOUR PACKAGING NEEDS! LI RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL CUSTOM BOX SIZES 888 Belfast Ottawa (613)238-1222 Visit us at www patafies.com Monday to Satmtay 7i.m-5p.oi. www aignquinel! eemfeverett Editor: Rob Warner, 726-5981 crtythecrtizen.canwestcom THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2004 THE OTTAWA CITIZEN SECTION Iwfftop stalker puirsmes (OrleM teems INSIDE: Frightened girls report three incidents to police The stalker has been reports ed to police three times in two weeks but teens in the east end have long been cautious of the short young man who frequents the OC Transpo station at the Place D'Orleans mall. See STALKER on PAGE B8 and saw the prowler, but couldn't chase him down, police say. Earlier in the night, the girl and her friend noticed the stalker following them home and they ducked into a store at the Covent Glen strip mall on Jeanne d'Arc Boulevard in Or leans, said Sgt. Keith Patrick.

When the two girls felt it was safe to leave, they walked home and discovered the stalker standing outside one of their homes, Sgt. Patrick said. The stalker left, but returned later for his rooftop prowling. about 3:30 a.m. Saturday, when a teenaged girl and her older brother heard noises on the roof of their east-end home, Ottawa police say.

The brother went outside homes late at night and recently lurking on one girl's rooftop. The rooftop stalker, who has a reputation among high schoolers, was last spotted at QUEEN JEAN AT 80 Judge rejects party host liability in crash injury case Couple off hook because they didn't provide the alcohol I 'V Wv '41 1 $hcii 4 1 mi 4 In BY GREG MCARTHUR A stalker known and feared by teenaged girls in Ottawa's east end has escalated his tactics, waiting outside their COMMITTEE FAILS WITH QUESTIONS TO MAYOR Chiarelli shares blame for Hydro mess RANDALL DENLEY COMMENTARY It was a bad day for Mayor Bob Chiarelli Tuesday, but it would have been a lot worse if any of his council col- leagues had the guts to ask him the obvious question. Why did he approve what amounts to a substantial salary for Hydro Ottawa chairman Glen Short- liffe, and not tell other city councillors about it? Councillors danced around this key point for more than three hours at the corporate services committee, as they beat up Shortliffe for taking the money. Not that he didn't de-; serve the whipping, but Chiarelli is the person who should have borne most of it. The mayor even made matters worse by joining in the criticism of Shortliffe and Hy-; dro CEO Ron Stewart.

"Have they done a good job of politics?" Chiarelli asked. "No." But then you wouldn't neces-; sarily expect the two Hydro guys to do a good job of politics. You would expect it from the mayor of Ottawa. The manlv thine would have been to deflect some of the criticism from Shortliffe by accepting it himself. As Shortliffe made clear, the mayor authorized the extra pay deal that has created all the controversy.

Rather than admit his own error in judgment, Chiarelli used all his lawyerly skills to try to divert attention from the real issues at hand. The Hydro boys had brought Conference Board of Canada consultant Dave Brown in to show they were on the up and up. Brown had done a study of the way the board and its contracting works, and suggested changes. Specifically, he recommended that contracts for board members should be approved by a board committee, not by CEO Stewart, and that the contracts should be disclosed to the public. Nevertheless, defence counsel Chiarelli was able to get Brown to say that Hydro's previous procedures were "legal" and "ethical." Better questions by other councillors established that Hydro's secret contracts for board members met minimum legal and ethical standards for corporations, but not best practices.

That's why Brown proposed the changes. In an interview, Brown described the situation where Stewart was okaying Short-liffe's payments as "circular," and requiring change. Nothing further for that witness. Chiarelli also stressed the outstanding performance of both Stewart and Shortliffe. Despite all the chaos of the electrical industry, the company turned a profit for the city in 2003.

No doubt that's why a reported $2 million in bonuses was paid to Hydro managers. See DENLEY on PAGE B2 T-'tv, -i BY MARTIN PATRIQUIN TORONTO An Ontario court judge has dismissed an appeal by an Ottawa woman who was disabled by an intoxicated party-goer in the early hours of Jan. 1, 1999. But the judge added that hosts could still be held responsible for the actions of intoxicated guests in other cases. Zoe Childs, 23, was injured when drunk driver Desmond Desormeaux hit a car she was travelling in on a city road.

The impact killed Derek Dupre, 17, and injured five others in the two cars, including Ms. Childs. Ms. Childs had sued the car's driver, Mr. Desormeaux, as well as Julie Zimmerman and Dwight Courrier, the couple hosting a "bring your own booze" New Year's party the night of the accident, claiming the party's hosts are financially liable for her injuries.

Justice Karen Weiler dismissed the appeal yesterday, saying Ms. Zimmerman and Mr. Courrier didn't serve alcohol to guests the guests brought their own or know "how much alcohol Desormeaux drank while at the party" and were, therefore, not at fault. The Ontario Court of Appeal judge made it clear that party hosts could still be held responsible if their drunken guests cause injury to innocent people, even as she dismissed Ms. Childs' claims yesterday.

"I do not foreclose social host responsibility, particularly when it is shown that a social host knew that an intoxicated guest was going to drive a car and did nothing to protect innocent third parties," said the judge. To Ms. Childs, this is the only solace in an otherwise disappointing judgment, said her lawyer, Barry Laushway. "It's not a victory for Zoe Childs, but it's a victory for you and me and our children who might get hit by a drunk driver FIELD OF DREAMS A SPECIAL REPORT How planners say they intend to steer clear of gridlock in the new LeBreton Flats, B6-7 -1- 'K 1 1 Mil I Ex-cabinet minister, former NCC chairwoman and beloved philanthropist, Jean Pigott acknowledges the cheers and applause of well wishers yesterday in a celebration of her 80 years. Jean Pigott sets sights on giving still more to city she loves JEAN LEVAC, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN Zoe Childs was left paralysed and a teen was killed in a 1999 New Year's crash.

this weekend," he said. The court "is saying that it does not foreclose social host liability, and that's a major victory for the innocent people." Mr. Laushway has indicated he will seek to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. In the early hours of New Year's Day 1999, Mr. Desormeaux left the party, along with two passengers.

His car crossed the median and crashed head on into a vehicle carrying Ms. Childs, her boyfriend, Mr. Dupre, and two other passengers. Mr. Dupre was killed, while Ms.

Childs was paralysed from the waist down. Mr. Des-ormeaux's blood-alcohol level was found to be more than double the legal limit. He has a history of alcohol-related offences, something Mr. Laushway argued should have prompted Ms.

Zimmerman and Mr. Courrier to take special care at their BYOB party. The court disagreed, saying the defendant's prior history doesn't "form the basis for imposing any duty on a social host to monitor a guest's drinking," since the hosts weren't providing alcohol to their guests. NATIONAL POST NCC to consider experts' offer on GatineauPark BY MOHAMMED ADAM After more than a decade of lobbying, the National Capital Commission says it will consider a proposal from a group of renowned scientists to establish a permanent expert committee to advise it on the future of Gatineau Park. But the University of Ottawa biologist who has been pressing for such a committee doesn't believe it.

Scott Findlay says NCC officials have been making that statement for years, but "absolutely nothing" has been done. It is all lip service, he says. "I could have predicted that this is what they'll say, because that's what they've been telling me for 10 years," said Mr. lay, director of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Ottawa. See NCC on PAGE B8 BYTONYLOFARO "Queen" Jean Pigott and her husband "King" Arthur held court yesterday at the Congress Centre where nearly 600 family, friends, community leaders and politicians paid tribute to a woman celebrating her 80th birthday and who said nobody should count her out just yet.

It was a schmaltzy affair, full of loving words from friends, presentations of tulip bouquets from NCC staff, the key to the city from A WAYNE CUDDINGTON, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN away, I couldn't use my legs or my hands," said Ms. Pigott, who suffered a stroke two years ago and is in a wheelchair. Her birthday is today. "But if there ever was an event fit for a queen even an old one like me this is it I thought my 75th (party) was wonderful and I didn't think it could be surpassed. I want you to know that Tve already started to plan my 85th and the 90th," she said to a roomful of applause.

See JEAN on PAGE B2 with limited resources to mount a rescue, the two climbers had no choice but to leave the man, said Mr. Webster. "They packed him up in clothing and (left) a flask and tried to communicate to him that they would try to get back or get help to come back. He was unresponsive." Since then, no climbers have attempted to mount a rescue effort from Camp Four, the closest rest stop at 8,000 metres. See EVEREST on PAGE B2 Mayor Bob Chiarelli and a short video that showed the feisty former MP and NCC chairwoman may be down, but she's certainly not out.

Sitting on a red throne and flanked by her husband and grandchildren, Ms. Pigott reminisced about her good fortune, her life spent serving Canadians and her wish that she may once again be able to contribute to the community she loves so much. "The last two years have not been easy for me and when my strength went metre peak, Ottawa resident Ben Webster said yesterday. Little is known about the climber except that he was reportedly registered with a Nepal-based outfitter Cho Oyu Trek. "He hasn't returned under his own power.

Nobody has seen him in two days so he's presumed dead at this point," said Mr. Webster. According to the Sherpa who relayed the incident to Mr. Webster, the climber may have lost consciousness while those around him tried to help. But A SEASON ON EVEREST Climber feared dead from altitude sickness No one has seen man in two days BY PAULINE TAM The leader of a Canadian expedition to Mount Everest says he believes a U.S.

climber is dead after the man collapsed from severe altitude sickness near the summit Tuesday. The unidentified male climber was last seen at 8,500 metres near one of the final obstacles before Everest's.