http://www.journalletoile.com Articles : English section fr 2007 Medias Transcontinental Mon, 6 Sep 2010 21:08:27 -0400 60 http://www.journalletoile.com/imgs/logos/gif_thumb/VD.gif http://www.journalletoile.com/ http://www.journalletoile.com/article-467321-Tow-truck-drivers-fate-in-courts-hands.html Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:03:00 -0500 English section A twenty-three-year-old tow truck driver will learn on September 15 if he must stand trial in connection with the death of an 18 year old Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot woman. James Castonguay, of Très-Saint-Rédempteur, who was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, went before Quebec Court Judge Odette Perron in a Salaberry-de-Valleyfield courtroom on August 25 and 26. Catherine Blanchemanche, 18, died of her injuries after being run over by a vehicle in the parking lot outside of Bar Chez Maurice in Saint-Lazare on October 3, 2009. During the preliminary hearing, defence lawyer Donato Delle Donne requested and was granted a publication ban on testimony heard during the two days in court. The night she was killed, Blanchemanche's body was found by a distraught club patron at close to 2:30 in the morning... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-467319-Rain-barrel-information-session-tomorrow-night.html Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:02:00 -0500 English section As many as 200 Saint-Lazare residents must attend a rain barrel information session tomorrow night, or risk losing the chance to buy the vessels at a reduced cost. According to town communications officer Elaine Gadoury, the 200-litre (45-gallon) rainwater barrels sold out in a matter of minutes when registration opened on August 16 on Saint-Lazare's website. ?We have a long list of people wanting to buy more barrels, so we know how many to order if we do this again,? Gadoury said, adding residents can also purchase rain barrels at many local hardware stores, though not at a reduced price. Thanks to a material grant, the town was awarded from Fonds Écomunicipalité IGA and Jour de la Terre, registered residents will buy the Quebec made rain barrels worth $87 for just $15 tomorrow night. Saint-Lazare additionally contributed another $3,750 to the effort. Those registered must attend one of two 30-minute information sessions given by the Alter Eco Company starting at 6:30 p.m... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-467318-SaintLazare-bus-service-rolling-along.html Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:00:00 -0500 English section Saint-Lazare launched its first-ever public transit bus service at 4:59 a.m... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-466974-SainteAnnes-Community-Wellness-Day.html Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:21:00 -0500 English section More than 30 exhibitors will be on hand this Saturday in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue as the town hosts its third annual Community Wellness Day on August 21, from 10 a.m... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-466973-Free-courses-keep-seniors-safe-at-home.html Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:20:00 -0500 English section The Vaudreuil-Soulanges heath and social services agency is offering free a series of workshops aimed at helping those in their golden years stay active and healthy while living at home... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-466972-Changes-to-VaudreuilDorions-cloth-diaper-funding-program.html Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:19:00 -0500 English section A program offering a financial boost to Vaudreuil-Dorion parents willing to give cloth diapers a try is not taking off as well as the town had hoped. To date, some 13 families have applied for a refund after purchasing cloth diapers since the program debuted last April. Despite the slow start, which officials admit might be because not enough people know about the funding, Vaudreuil-Dorion's environment department will ask the town to continue it once a trail period ends early next year, said Hugues Charbonneau, Vaudreuil-Dorion Environment Director. ?I've spoken with some of the people who have received the rebate and they are very happy with the program,? Charbonneau said, admitting, ?so far it's not going as good as we had hoped, but maybe not enough people know about it.? Last spring, Vaudreuil-Dorion unveiled a diaper program allocating $10,000 in municipal funds for up to 1,000 families ? or $100 per family ? willing to switch from disposable to cloth diapers during the next year. The program, open only to Vaudreuil-Dorion citizens, was originally aimed at parents whose babies are 6 month-old or younger, or those born before February 1, 2011, when the trial will end... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-466971-Pincourts-free-boating-day-this-weekend.html Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:17:00 -0500 English section The town of Pincourt is rolling out the welcome mat this Saturday and showing off its water access and improvements to Bellevue Park at the same time. Pincourt's Boating Day, taking place from 10 a.m... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-466819-Teens-golf-tournament-scores-big.html Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:57:00 -0500 English section Saint-Lazare teen Marc Normandeau, who has become an outspoken advocate in the battle against children's cancer, raised a little more than $55,000 last week for a foundation bearing his name. Normandeau will work with doctors from the oncology department at the Montreal Children's Hospital to help decide how to best spend the money. In all, 84 golfers played in Marc's All-Star Celebrity Golf Tournament on August 2 at Whitlock Golf & Country Club in Hudson. Celebrities who golfed in the event included Pierre Bouvier, lead singer of the band Simple Plan, as well as Bouvier's brother Jay, who has also been treated for cancer, Serge Savard, Larry Smith, Ed Phillion, Rick Moffat, Joey Elias and Andrew Carter. Dr... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-466818-Art-fundraiser-keeps-patrons-guessing.html Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:55:00 -0500 English section Art aficionados, collectors and those who just like to look at a pretty picture will have equal opportunity to buy original works of art next week during a unique fundraiser designed to keep people guessing. The mystery surrounding the event, the Wildcard Art Sale, taking place along the Lachine Canal on August 21, is that patrons won't know who created their miniature piece of art until after the sale is final. All proceeds will help Le Nichoir, a Hudson based wild bird rehabilitation centre, build a new $1.2 million education and rehab centre near its current location. And with 560 works submitted by 240 artists ? some renowned national and international artists, as well as many local artists ? the stakes are high. Art works, which will all sell for the same price, $65, include original paintings, photographs and mixed media. Lindsay D'Aoust, Wildcard Art Sale organizer and a Le Nichoir volunteer, said they choose $65 as the uniform price as that's the average amount it costs to rehabilitate one bird and re-release it into the wild. D'Aoust says the idea behind the sale is that patrons walk away with pieces of art they love while helping wildlife. ?People could end up buying pieces submitted by artists whose works usually go for several thousand dollars, or they could buy something that's worth the price they paid for it,? she noted. Idea born in London According to D'Aoust, the concept for the sale is based on a similar model that's successfully run (and generated millions of dollars in profits) for the past 16 years at the Royal College of Art, in London, England. ?It's a huge success there,? D'Aoust said, adding, people in England line up a day before the event to be one of the early birds. ?We thought since it's worked there so well, why not try it here.? The format for next week's show is simple: Artists were asked to submit 5-inch by 7-inch works that are signed only on the back. Works, which could depict any subject of the artists' choosing, had to be unframed and could not be matted. Preview Last weekend, hundreds of people turned up at Galerie Ouest in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue for a free preview, where they were able to look at but not touch the more than 550 numbered works. Like a giant guessing game, potential buyers tried to identify individual artistic styles or simply locate art that most appealed to them. ?All weekend we heard the same comments about what an incredible, eclectic collection it is,? D'Aoust said, adding, ?We even had artists asking us how to contribute to the event next year.? Sale D'Aoust says the sale will be a carefully controlled event... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-466669-Trial-pending-in-hit-and-run-tow-truck-death.html Tue, 3 Aug 2010 15:50:00 -0500 English section A tow truck driver who was charged with hit and run and leaving the scene of an accident is expected to be in court later this month. Twenty-three year old James Castonguay of Très-Saint-Rédempteur faces charges in connection with an October 3, 2009 accident that clamed the life of 18-year-old Catherine Blanchemance of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot. Castonguay's preliminary hearing is set for August 25 and 26 in a Salaberry-de-Valleyfield courthouse. Castonguay is out on bail while awaiting trial. The accident that occurred on a warm but rainy Friday night last fall at Chez Maurice in Saint- Lazare left staff and patrons shaken. According to employees from Chez Maurice who spoke with reporters the day after the accident, Blanchemanche had allegedly gone to the club with her boyfriend and friends to see the band Young Soul. Chez Maurice owner Richard Chartrand said his employees told him a slender, blond young woman had left the bar alone at close to 2:30 in the morning. Witnesses at the time said she may have argued with her boyfriend before leaving the bar. No one knew her whereabouts until a distraught patron ran into the club. ?A man ran in screaming that someone was dead next to his truck? Joël Lalande, a doorman, had said the following day... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-466668-Music-street-festivals-rock-Hudson.html Tue, 3 Aug 2010 15:39:00 -0500 English section For Blair Mackay, the fourth annual Hudson Music Festival was all about taking chances and trying new things. ?That's what I tell the artists and what we try to do, to bring something new to the table no matter what,? he said the morning after the five day festival had wrapped. And it seems to have worked, based on the scores of people who crowded Hudson's downtown core last Saturday during the peak Hudson Music Festival day that included the Hudson Street Fair, which had been organized by a separate group. A Hudson resident, Mackay, who plays drums for Canadian Music Hall of Fame band April Wine, said he, his wife, Lynda Clouette, and a handful of volunteers spent the better part of a year planning the event. And they did it all for free. ?All the money we had went to the artists, to promotion or to the techs we used,? Mackay said, adding, ?This year everything went smoother so I guess we learned from the past.? Another success was keeping the music fest and street fair running until almost midnight Saturday. ?That was a first, in the past everything would close down around 5:00, and this year it went until 11:00 (p.m.).? Thriving town Whether it was to hear great music or find shopping deals, organizers of both events could not have asked for a better day Saturday in terms of sunshine and warm temperatures... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-466667-Hudson-fire-chief-resigns.html Tue, 3 Aug 2010 15:38:00 -0500 English section Hudson's fire chief Peter Milot ignited a firestorm Monday when he quit his long-standing job over political differences with the town's mayor and council... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-466013-Celebrity-golf-tournament-takes-a-swing-at-childhood-cancers.html Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:12:00 -0500 English section How does a 15 year-old boy celebrate completing 27 months of chemotherapy treatments? If you're Marc Normandeau, by holding a celebrity golf tournament to help raise money for the Montreal Children's Hospital. Normandeau, a Saint-Lazare resident, started The Marc Normandeau Fund in 2008 even though he had just found out the acute lymphoblastic leukemia he had successfully battled as a young child was back. ?The story is turning out to be a positive one... It looks like he has beaten this again and is looking forward to getting back to a normal life,? Marc's father, Pierre Normandeau, said of the treatments his son recently completed. Marc, an avid hockey and baseball player who maintains an honour roll grade point average at Westwood Sr... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-466012-Mayors-MNAs-oppose-airport-shuttle.html Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:06:00 -0500 English section A coalition of mayors, MNAs and citizens want the government to improve commuter rail service for the masses rather than support an airport shuttle that would serve fewer. That is the message the group Train de l'Ouest is putting out and asking the public to support too. Georges Nydam and Clifford Lincoln, a former West Island MNA, have garnered support from Vaudreuil-Soulanges and West Island mayors, as well as MNAs in both regions. The group opposes the creation of a $600 million rail link by Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) they say will serve only a small number of business travelers and airport employees... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-465419-Bear-spotted-in-SaintLazare.html Tue, 6 Jul 2010 15:19:00 -0500 English section Saint-Lazare residents are being asked to be cautious but not panic after a bear was spotted walking through the town on July 3. According to municipal communications agent Vicky Legault, at least one resident got a surprise when a bear wandered across his lawn last weekend near chemin Sainte-Angélique and route de la Cité-des-Jeunes. Clément Guérin told French television station LCN that the animal, estimated to weigh close to 175 pounds, came right up to his back porch as he and his girlfriend sat having coffee. The bear, that is believed to be about one and a half years old, took off with a bird feeder and came back the next day, supposedly for more food. Officers with Quebec's Natural Resources and Wildlife Agency searched the area during the weekend and again Monday morning but did not locate the animal. They additionally set up a cage near where the bear was spotted, baiting it with cake... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-465416-English-board-in-process-of-rezoning-area-elementary-schools.html Tue, 6 Jul 2010 15:17:00 -0500 English section Commissioners with the Lester B... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-465418-English-board-in-process-of-rezoning-area-elementary-schools.html Tue, 6 Jul 2010 15:17:00 -0500 English section Commissioners with the Lester B... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-465415-Rigaud-train-a-thing-of-history.html Tue, 6 Jul 2010 15:14:00 -0500 English section After more than 120 years of chugging along, Rigaud's train service was relegated to a place in history last Wednesday, when its final evening run pulled into the station. Service from Rigaud was terminated after the town said it could not pay about $300,000 a year to the AMT, Montreal's regional public transportation body... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-464776-High-tea-making-comeback-in-region.html Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:03:00 -0500 English section At least two area establishments are offering what has been a long-held tradition in many parts of the world. High tea, or a light afternoon meal, dates back to England in the 1600s but a Hudson tea shop and florist is offering the soothing experience, as is maison Trestler in Vaudreuil-Dorion. Linda Clifford of Mademoiselle Clifford's Floral Emporium was determined to include in her shop something that has been a tradition all her life. ?I grew up in Scotland and tea was always such an important part of everything in good times and bad,? she said. Her florist and gift shop also boasts a lovely little tea room where fragrant jars of loose teas are served and where patrons chose from a wide array of individual fine china cups before enjoying their tea. ?Selecting a cup is as much a part of the experience as choosing the kind of tea you want to drink from the cup,? Clifford said in her lilting accent. New culture Edda Barillaro has come three times to Clifford's store because she says she wants to experience traditions from another culture. ?I'm French Canadian and had not really ever tried high tea before because it's not a part of our French Canadian culture,? Barillaro said, adding, ?I wanted to experience something new.? On a recent rainy Saturday, Barillaro introduced her friend Rosie Cappa from Montreal to Hudson's tea experience... http://www.journalletoile.com/article-464773-Hudson-theatre-debuts-summer-season-with-hearttugging-winner.html Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:01:00 -0500 English section It could be the story of many fathers and sons, but the Hudson Village Theatre's summer season opener deals with one dad and his relationship, or lack thereof, with his now-grown son. Mending Fences, a play written by Canadian favourite Norm Foster, is a comedy that looks at the not-so-funny subject of absentee parenting and coming to terms with a past that can not be undone. The play, directed by Village Theatre Artistic Director Andrew Johnston, begins as Harry (Bill Rowat) gets ready to pick up his grown son Drew (Paul Van Dyck) from a train station in rural Saskatchewan. Harry and Drew have not seen each other in 13-years and the last time that they did, a 15 year-old Drew was being driven ?back east? after his city-loving mom Lori (Melanie Doerr) admitted that she could not hack it as a farmer's wife despite her best efforts...