The Ottawa Journal from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Page 49

Anti-smoking bylaw void? jA king-size headache He puffed, and he huffed Mayor Greenberg told CBC reporter Arthur Lewis Tuesday to call a policeman if he was serious in his demand to have controller Don Held refrain from breaking the anti-smoking bylaw at the board of control meeting. Lewis retorted by telling the mayor It was his responsibility to enforce the contentious bylaw that bans smoking in public places such as meeting rooms, banks, retail stores and stairways. "I don't see any smoke," said Greenberg. "My God, if that's all you've got on your mind. the pipe-smoking Reid told Lewis.

Reid then left the room to enjoy his pipe in legal territory. Lewis decided not to call for the police. He received political support from Sutherland, who told the mayor he had every right to demand enforcement of the bylaw. will find out," Hambling said Tuesday. But no test case is in sight.

An Ottawa police spokesman said people are complying with the bylaw. There have been complaints about persons smoking in public buildings, the police spokesman said, but the 'offenders stopped when told by a policeman to "cease and desist." "If anybody refuses (to stop smoking) the city solici By Nick Hunter Journal Reporter Ottawa's controversial anti-smoking bylaw has4n gathering dust for six months. Nobody has been charged with smoking in a public place since the bylaw took effect Jan. 1, which is probably just as well. City solicitor Don Hambling insists the city lacked the authority to enact the bylaw.

"If a test case comes up we tor would consider it and recommend whether to lay charges or not." Despite the controversy "over whether the bylaw is enforceable, a similar bylaw will take effect in Toronto in October. And Hambling said Toronto legal department officials are asking the same question he did: "Where do we get the authority?" But enforceability of the bylaw is not the issue, said ond offence is $75 and for a third offence $150. The maximum fine in all cases is $1,000. Fines against store owners for failing to post no-smoking signs are the same. May be city-run festyle change and it is going to take time." If anyone is ever found guilty of smoking in a public place in Ottawa the fine will range between $25 and $1,000.

The minimum fine for a sec west towards Printe of Wales Drive .1 iZL. s' 1 1 Spay-neuter clinic given a new boost By Michael Prentice Journal Reporter Prospects of a low-price animal neutering clinic in Ottawa received a boost Tuesday, when city hall finance department suggested it could be operated at little or no cost to the taxpayer. Alderman Don Kay, appointed by council to investigate whether 'the city could afford to run such a clinic, indicated he was impressed by the figures. Bob Cooper Journol-CP Dr. Edward Napke, president of the 1 Non-Smokers' Association of Ottawa-Hull.

"The purpose of the bylaw is to bring to the attention of people that there are smokers and non-smokers and both sides have rights." Members of the association have concluded that there is less smoking in public places since the bylaw took effect, Napke said. Napke said changes In smoking habits involve a "li- New Hogs Back bridge, looking When the $4.5 million Rideau link is completed, nine years of political infighting and re-routed traffic will end. Originally the Ottawa-Carlcton regional municipality owned the swing bridge right-of-way National Capital Commission operated the lock system allowing pleasure boats to make the historic trip along the Rideau Canal system. Parks Canada owned the dam and bridge top over the river. A long scries of debates between federal and regional politicans flared up when it was discovered in 1968 that the steel superstructure of THE HILL Brown care, don't Hogs Back bridge swings open the bridge needed extensive repairs.

"The dam bridge was also shifting and the cement end supports were sinking," said an official of C.C Parker, the consulting firm in charge of repairs since 1968. The swing bridge was closed to traffic sporadically starting in 1972 for repairs until the summer of 1974 when it was closed completely because engineers found it to be unsafe for traffic. But the political wrangles over financing delayed construction until the NCC bought out the regional interests in the spring of 1976 and ordered construction on a new three-lane swing bridge started last summer. The roads leading to the two bridges are now completed and an NCC official said Tuesday he hopes all of the bugs in the "mechanical, hydraulic and mechanical swing bcastie" will be worked' out by Tuesday morning. "We are having a test swing of the bridge this morning and hoping things will be all right," said the official.

The Rideau link will join the West End to the ajrport parkway and provide a major east-west arterial for traffic. By Sheila Brady Journal Reporter After nine years of political haggling the new Hogs Back swing bridge will officially open to traffic next Tuesday morning. But motorists will be unable to make the entire trip from the Prince of Wales Drive across the Rideau Canal and Ridcau River to the Brookfield Road until the end of July and the completion of the fixed bridge over the Hogs Back falls. Motorists will be able to drive down Colonel By Drive from Prince of Wales Drive for the intervening month. BELOW by Dave People who others who Kay had been leaning heavily towards an alternative plan under which private veterinarians would do the neutering operations at fees lower than they now charge.

But Kay told The Journal he may now change his mind in favor of a city-run clinic if a survey of Ottawa pet owners shows there is sufficient demand for one. At Kay's request, the city's finance department conducted an impartial survey of the cost of neutering clinics in seven other cities, including Vancouver. Its tentative conclusion was that an Ottawa clinic could be fully self-supporting, once start-up costs were met. But finance department suggested and Kay agreed $6,000 should be spent on a survey of the city's pet population before any decision was made by council. For now, Kay remains committed to the veterinarians' plan to offer cut-price operations, but he said it will be up to board of control to decide whether to investigate further the possibility of a city-run clinic.

Finance department estimated the start-up cost of a city clinic could be as low as $51,500 if the accommodation was rented. If the land and building was purchased, the cost could be $206,500, finance department estimated. Once the clinic was operating, the annual expenditure would be about $150,000. Assuming its two hired vets performed 7,000 operations a year, the annual expenditure would be fully covered by fees paid by pet owners. These fees a maximum of $25 for a female dog including vaccination would be substantially lower than private veterinarians are offering.

Finance department suggested initial capital borrowing could be reduced by voluntary donations and grants from other municipalities interested in joining the scheme. Contributions from private groups would probably be matched by grants from Wintario funds, finance department Kay tried unsuccessfully Tuesday night to persuade his spay-neuter clinic sub-committee to recommend the spending of $6,000 to carry out the survey advised by the finance department. But he was thwarted by representatives of Pet Owners United, the lobby group lhat has led the fight for a city-run clinic. Its two representatives on the committee said they wanted to put thf choices before board of control ithout further delay, and that no More study was necessary. The matter could go before board of control next week.

Kay expects board of control to approve the $6,000 study recommended by finance department. And, if the results arc favorable, Kay indicated he may then be prepared to recommend the city set up its own clinic. 1 Firemen scale salary ladder Board of control Tuesday approved a general 7.5 per cent salary increase for members of the Ottawa Professional Fire Fighters' Association. The total $693,000 salary increase for all levels of firemen, will raise a first- class firefighter's salary to $18,700 from $17,280. City finance commissioner Syd Baldwin said the agreement appears to be within Anti-Inflation Board guidelines.

The salary range for firemen this year will be from $12,896 for group one probationary to $27,310 for group nine, the city has agreed to pay 100 per cent of OHIP and Blue Cross supplementary hospital plan premiums for all members of the fire department. Sewer attack continues Nepean Township is continuing its sewer-based attack on federal government plans to shift 15,000 public servants to Hull. Council Tuesday passed a resolution condemning the government "for its planned pollution of the great Ottawa River." The resolution charges Ou-taouais sewage facilities are inadequate and result in Ottawa River pollution. The public service shifts will only worsen the pollution, the resolution states. "Such irresponsible, shameful and wanton conduct by tbe federal government is appalling.

it adds. Nepean Reeve Andy Haydon has also asked the Ontario government to get a court order blocking the transfers until OutaoUais sewage treatment is improved. New shopping centre planned Residents of Ncpean's growing Barrhaven community are slated to get a new shopping plaza. Towslilp council Tuesday approve rl a proposal by Tristan Inc. to build the plaza on a 6.2-acre site at Grecnbank Road and Larkin Drive.

The plaza is to include a major food-chain outlet, 26 mall stores, a restaurant, a bank and second-floor office space. The plaza is expected to open next spring. the horizon, the kid then turned and added, sure, they had a tow truck, but there wouldn't be anyone to drive it for at least a few hours. Worrying that my uncle, sitting back in the car would have a heat stroke, I called the OPP to go check on him, and also told them we needed water for the rad. A little while later, a man named Romeo Levac of Casselman, breezed into the garage and though his steering was shot, he drove me back to my car at about 15 miles an hour.

We were greeted by my purple-faced uncle baking inside the car. The OPP hadn't arrived yet. Levac fiddled with the carb and got the engine running. Then the OPP turned up, about three hours after we had broken down. They didn't have any water, and neither did we, because I honestly expected they would be there first, and bring some with them.

They did say there was plenty in the ditch if we had a container, and then drove off, spewing pebbles into a bone-dry culvert running along the road. So, Levac followed as we limped to the first gas station that had refused water, wrangled some out of them, and we were on our way. Funny thing is, Levac wants to get a licence to drive a truck along the 417, because he's aware the whole road isn't serviced, and very few stop to help. But town 'council (Casselman) won't give him a license, he says, because he hasn't got the money, and they're afraid he'll take business away from existing stations (which are all located miles off the highway). To my mind, if this guy, or anyone else, wants to ride a 10-speed along the 417 with a water canteen and a thimble of gas, they should be permitted.

Right now there's nothing but flies, dust, noxious fumes and little in the way of OPP highway patrols along that road." NICE GUY DEPT: Recently a gal we know was walking her dog along the Rideau River in the Beechwood Avenue area. Her dog loves water. During the many dips and dives the dog took, it badly cut a front paw. The animal bleeding badly and she had to carry an 80-pound dog several blocks looking for help. It was a weekend and she wasn't prepared.

She didn't have money in her pocket. She carried the injured animal into a restaurant on Beechwood near the St. Patrick Street bridge. She didn't have the money to cover a telephone call. But the owners and patrons of that establishment moved in to help.

A man in whites came out of the kitchen and applied a pressure bandage. The owner of the place spent a lot of time on the telephone. He offered to lend her money. While everybody was trying to help she managed to get a call through to a friend. He has a car.

He used it to get her and the injured dog to a specialist. The dog is fine. "I just want to say thanks to all those people who tried to help. Especially a man in a red Volkswagen who stopped to help." CAPITAL CAPERS: This brings to mind the old line: "How far do you live from the corner store? Oh, about one gum wrapper." With that little barb in mind, there's one corner grocer who's doing something about it. Guy Ilutt, of Hull's Groceteria on MacKay Street in New Edinburgh, has taken it upon himself to clear up that bad At any given time, you can see him out with a paper spike cleaning up his neighbor's lawns.

"I know where the litter comes from and so do they," he says, referring to local residents. "If I have time, I like to get out and clean up a bit. Think of it as public relations." was coming back from Montreal on Sundayon Highway 417 with my great-uncle (in his late 70s) when the radiator hose blew off, and overheating caused the carb to jam. Between myself and my elderly uncle even with the car hood up it took one and a half hours and 500 passing cars before Raymond and Irene Lalonde of LOrig-nal, stopped to offer help. They made room -for me among their three kids and crowded auto to bring me to a gas station some miles off the highway, and threw in French translation as needed.

The gas station wouldn't even give us water for the rad, so they drove on to the next station in the next town, where the kid assured us there was towing service. With that, they continued on their way to the Civic Hospital to Visit a sick relative, even though I think the time they took out made thciu too late for visiting hours. As the kindly Lalondes disappeared over PARTING SHOT: "As an nder, to let you know how apathetic people can be, I was late for work two weeks ago, because I stopped to help a woman change her tire. She was alone, had a baby In a car chair by the side of the road, and was struggling with the jack. She said she'd been there over an hour trying to flag somebody down, and finally decided to attack the job herself.".