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|Waterfoo Chronicle] 131st Year No. 29 â€" â€"Unfair Mark Bryson Chronicle Staff "Serious inaccuracies‘"‘ in allegations by its nearby neighbors and the willingness of local media to report the charges are being viewed as highly "objectionable‘"‘ by Mutuâ€" al Life, says a company spokesman. David MaciIntosh, senior viceâ€"president of investments and finance for the insurâ€" ance giant, made the charge Monday night while answering the accusations of nearby residents about the lateâ€"night construction routine at Mutual Life‘s 13â€"storey officeâ€" tower addition. The residents had requested Waterloo City Council put a 9 p.m. curfew on construction at the King Street South site which had previously been granted an 11: 30 p.m. exemption. A hero‘s welcome for Hiebert _ **We deeply resent the allegations made that staff safety is simply a smokescreen, Mutual Life unhappy with claims, media coverage and that we are carrying on work during the day that is dangerous to our employees. Mutual Life finds equally objectionable the actions of the media in lending credibility to these allegations by publishing them, thus creating apprehension and concern in the minds of our staff members,""‘ said Mcinâ€" tosh in a prepared speech referring to allegations that hoisting of heavy steel structure was going on while the building below was occupied. Council, as was expected, sided with Mutual Life and chose to ignore the residents‘ presentation which included an occurence report from the Waterloo Reâ€" gional Police which apparently points out a violation of the 11 p.m. diesel generator curfew. The report stated that "the crew hoisted a steel beam after 2300 hr. and welded it in place. This has been conâ€" firmed." Kitchener‘s Carl Hiebert waves to ftans at a reception Monday in his honor at the Waterlooâ€"Gueliph Reâ€" gional Airport. Melodee Martinuk photo Melodee Martinuk Chronicle Staff A brass band played. Nearby, signs had been taped to a chainâ€"link fence. "Hurray Carl. We‘re behind you all the way." "Go for it. The sky is the limit. Or is it?" "Fly high in the sky. You‘re an ace to all of us." In front of a hangar at Waterlooâ€"Guelph Regional Airport, some 75 peopleâ€"â€" young and old, many in wheelchairsâ€"â€" waited, their eyes turned to the sky. This was the scene that greeted Carl Hiebert Monday afternoon as he banked his blue and white Beaver RX 550 ultralight arnd broughf it in for a gentle landing, "officially‘" bringing his coastâ€"toâ€" coast Gift of Wings flight home to Kitchenerâ€"Waâ€" terloo. It was a hero‘s welcome for the 38â€"yearâ€"old Kitchener man, disabled five years ago as a result of a hangâ€"gliding accident, who is attempting the firstâ€"ever transâ€"Canada flight in an ultralight in a bid to set a Canadian aviation record and raise $1 million for research into spinal cord paralysis. "I‘m elated...this is great. I love it. How can you get tired with this kind of response?"* said Hiebert, who spent much of his two days in Kâ€"W catching up on his rest and visiting with friends. He returned to the skies Tuesday morning to continue his odyssey, with stops in Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa planned for the remainder of this week. Dave Luft, project manager at the site, claimed the report was incorrect and that the residents and police had actually seen a cutting torch, not welding. The diesel generator must be used to weld. â€" Following the meeting, Mcintosh said Mutual Life would be willing to sit down with the residents, something they requestâ€" gd, and talk about any concerns they may ave. ‘"We‘ll definitely meet if they feel it would be of any value. We‘re always prepared to sit down and discuss matters with our neighbors," said MciIntosh. Kitchener Ald. Mark Yantzi, speaking on behalf of the residents, said he would try to continue the dialogue with the company. The bylaw exemption will run until Dec. Since taking off from Halifax July 1, Hiebert has spent 20 days airborne and travelled approximateâ€" Iy 2,000 km. of his 8,000â€"km journey. He expects to conclude his flight August 24 at Expo 86 in Vanâ€" couver. Speaking to his fans, Hiebert recalled his first twoâ€"hour ultralight flight following the accident which left him paralyzed below the waist; he told of looking down on his empty wheelchair and realizing that "there is a place for me in the world despite the fact that my body had been broken. ""That flight was the beginnings of reâ€"establishâ€" ing a new sense of selfâ€"worth," he said. Hiebert said that today some 20,000 Canadians are permanently disabled because of traumatic spinal cord injury. Until recently little research was done to find a cure for such injuries because it was believed that the spinal cord could not regenerate. Research over the past five to 10 years, however, has shown that the spinal cord does show regenerative capability. "It‘s not a question of if a cure can be found. It‘s a question of when. The only thing standing between us and a cure for spinal cord injury is dollars," he said, urging those present to "share in my dream"‘ of making wheelchairs obsolete. With "several thousand dollars‘" in donations already received, Hiebert said his flight is "well on its way‘‘ to achieving its goal. But it‘s clear that the Gift of Wings is about more than moneyâ€"his message is that people must focus on the abilities of others, not their disabilities. "I hope it (the flight) inspires physically challenged people in situations like mine to focus on what they can do, not what they can‘t,"" he said. During the month of August donations to The Gift of Wings can be made to five Canadian banks: The Bank of Montreal, Toronto Dominion Bank, National Bank of Canada, Royal Bank of Canada and Continental Bank of Canada.