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CASTOR REVIEW Vol. 1, No. 2 "One Canada" November 5, 1977 Millaire Miffed -- Council Patches Rift Russell Township council has given Roads Superintendent Lucien Millaire a vote of confidence in the wake of its motion prohibiting employees from using municipal equip- ment. The township has "complete trust and confidence in its roads superintendent and in his ability to carry out his duties", the motion of confidence reads. The same trust applies to Mr. Millaire's staff, the motion adds. The motion was sponsored by Deputy Reeve Albert Bourdeau who proposed the motion prohibiting employees using equipment for thier own pur- poses. Contravention is grounds for dismissal. In a statement to the Castor Review, Mr. Millaire said the deputy reeve's initial motion '"'cast a shadow on the road department." No municipal operator has used equipment this year and had one done so, he would have been charged full rate like any other taxpayer, Mr. Millaire insisted. Mr. Bourdeau claims employees have not always paid in the past. The superintendent expressed pride in the work of his staff and said his department had the best equipment among 'all the surrounding townships. " Russell Township's road net- work has improved considerably in recent years due to better equipment and a more substant- ial budget, he said. He pledged continued improvement in ser- vice provided by his department. In the future, only township- owned graders will be rented to Lucien Millaire the public when not in municipal use, the two community centres will have first priority for rental followed by farmers, other taxpayers, and contractors. Mr. Millaire noted rental requests up to three years old have not yet been filled. Russell, Embrun -- Police Status sticks... For Now Russell and Embrun will retain their police village status for a few more months. An Ontario Municipal Board hearing which convened Oct. 20 to consider dissolving the villages adjourned until early next year without reaching a decision. Hearing chairman Guy Char- ron felt the application for dissolution was premature. He told lawyer Jim Baribault township council should first resolve the municipal election and the fate of village hydro services. The police village status of Russell and Embrun has been a thorny issue for several years. There are those who maintain the three-member councils in the villages should be abolished because they do nothing more than duplicate administration provided at the township level; and there are those who insist the councils should be preserv- Council removed. Yank ugly Signs, Decrees The clutter of roadside signs should be a thing of the past under a new bylaw prepared by Russell Township council. Owners of existing commercial signs have five years to comply with the comprehensive bylaw or the fixtures must be In the case of the assortment of sign-boards at the intersection of the Russell-Embrun Road and the road leading to Highway 417, owners are being advised they must come down promptly, Township Reeve Gaston Patenaude explained during an interview. "Those signs are a safety hazard," Mr. Patenaude maintained. "They distract drivers' attention. There's no point in having them there anyway because nobody has time to read them.' Mr. Patenaude said erecters of the signs in question can't very well refuse to remove them because they're on township property. Under terms of the bylaw adopted by council during an October meeting, those wishing to put up any type of sign must now obtain a $10 permit from the township. All new signs must be of sturdy construction to withstand the effects of time and weather. No overhanging advertise- ments will be permitted in the future and signs with moving parts or flashing lights are banned. No sign can be located closer than 10 feet from a street line. No community service, election, or promotion notices can be erected longer than four weeks prior to the date of the activity in question. Such notices must be removed within 72 hours of termination of the event. Any one notified of breaching the bylaw will have 14 days to rectify the problem. Failure to comply could lead to that person's permit being revoked. The bylaw also carries provision for fines of up to $1,000 for major violations. ae ed because they give the villages an identity. The councils decided them- selves they were no longer ina financial position to carry out their mandate and _ passed bylaws seeking dissolution. They've asked -- township council to institute a ward system of municipal elections to guarantee Russell and Embrun adequate representation; each village would comprise one ward with the remainder of the township divided into three other wards. Trustees of the two villages also want local hydro services retained because they're more economical than purchasing power directly from Ontario Hydro - as done by residents of _the rural concessions. For example, Township Clerk Jean-Guy Bourdeau explained, rural residents pay $15 for 500 kilowatt-hours of power while Russell Village residents pay $9 and Embrun residents $11 for the same amount. The provincial government has felt for several years that police villages - the origin of designation is obscure - are redundant. Where regional gov- ernments have been implement- ed, police villages have been wiped out. For example, the police villages of Kenmore, Metcalfe, Navan, Sarsfield, Vars, and several others were dissolved after Ottawa-Carleton was reg- ionalized. Police villages have no corporate status, no contractur- al power, and are ineligible for provincial roadwork subsidies. Police village councils are responsible for street lighting, garbage collection, and general maintenance. Russell and Embrun village residents pay an additional 15 mills per $1.000 of assessment over and above township taxes for these services. Orgy of Destruction In the sad light of the morning after, the main street looked even more forlorn than the night before. A litter of cables, concrete sewer pipe, a hydro drum, and assorted other debris symbolized the aftermath of the Halloween orgy. This time, the police were ready, and young rowdies of Russell and surrounding communities were carried kicking to the cruisers as a handfull of adults on the street corner hooted insults. As it is year after year, Russell was once again the hot spot of Eastern Ontario this Halloween. Ontario Provincial Police Superintendent W. E. Mohns told the Castor Review he has ordered a full investigation into the fiasco. Corporal Roland Lahaie, of the Casselman detachment, said he was mystified as to why Russell has become the place for ruffians from all over to congregate once a year. Corp. Lahaie, who supervised the efforts of eight officers assigned to the village on Halloween, said charges would be laid against some of those involved in the rampage. The officer suggested a curfew established by Russell Township council would help alleviate the problem in future. Another possibility would be for a community service group to sponsor a dance for teenagers on Halloween to get many of them off the street. For Russell residents, Monday was just another Halloween. It was an invitation to those with nothing better to do to indulge in exhibitionism and destruction. To be fair, there was an element of good spirits, but this soon disappeared under the influence of mob bravado. Some 75 people milled about, defying efforts of police in four cruisers to clear the streets of dangerous debris. Concession Street, the village's main artery, was blocked with the familiar assortment of farm machinery. Castor Street was equally impassible as youths sealed off the central area from police interference. A youth menaced approaching motorists with a broken cement block and his cohorts rocked any car attempting to go through. Several tires and the cap off a parked truck were burned. Traffic signs were ripped up and thrown into the street. Russell firemen finally removed debris without interference as police, harassed by flying garbage and_ shouted obscenities, cleared the youths off the streets like sheepdogs herding unwilling sheep. It was not a triumphant night for Russell, nor one when the village showed its more pleasant visage. The police and firefighters did their duty with determination and restraint. But what of the citizens who remained behind closed doors while the young apostles of violence ran wild? As one discouraged policeman said: "We could soon clean up the problem if we had some support from the people of Russell. Mummy's Boy Russell, Review's photographer a taste of what he had in store for unsuspecting village residents on Halloween. Mummified Jeffrey was just one of countless spooks on the prowl for goodies last Monday night. Jeffrey Irven, 8, of gives the Castor