CFN – With MPs and Senators scattering across the country, Canadians are looking forward to our long Canada Day weekend. Political types would like to think that the topic of conversation will be politics and a cabinet shuffle, but outside of the Ottawa bubble I suspect it will hardly be mentioned.

Certainly if all the rumours are to be believed, a shuffle, supposedly a large one is due in the next few weeks. The signs are there with departments preparing ministerial transitional briefing books and talk about a cabinet retreat in the third week of July beginning to circulate.

However, no one except the Prime Minister and perhaps his Chief of Staff have any idea as to when and how large a shuffle it might be. Add in the fact that no one knows which ministers might have told the Prime Minister that they do not intend to run again and this particular shuffle really does become a guessing game. This does allow the rest of us to offer up endless speculation that can change on a moment’s notice based on the next wild rumour.

On that note here are my guesses.

The biggest question mark remains Jim Flaherty. Whether or not he could or should he be moved feeds a lot of the speculation in Ottawa and what happens to him will trigger much of the other movement around the cabinet table. My guess is that for the time being he will remain if only because a successor is so difficult to find. Ted Menzies has performed exceptionally well as the junior minister, certainly he is ready for a more senior role, but whether or not Harper has enough confidence in him to see Menzies in the Finance portfolio remains a question mark. Menzies could certainly do a good job at Industry or any of the other line departments such as Defence or Public works.

Assuming Rob Nicholson stays on; I can see him being moved to Foreign Affairs. A classy individual with excellent negotiating skills he would be a good fit in that department. Again, assuming Peter Mackay wants to remain (and the latest media reports are that he does) he is also due to be moved from Defence where he has spent a considerable part of his ministerial career. As a former Crown prosecutor, he has the background to take over from Nicholson at Justice or from Vic Toews at Public Safety. Toews being one of those that most people feel will be leaving politics.

The fisheries portfolio is a problem and with Keith Ashfield’s unfortunate illness, a replacement is quickly needed. Will the Prime Minister shake things up a bit and appoint someone from the west coast this time? Randy Kamp knows this file well and could certainly step up. If the PM stays on the east coast, Gerald Keddy has the ability and life experience in that field to make for a knowledgeable minister.

Two others that bear watching are Jason Kenney and James Moore. Both have been very successful in their present departments IE Citizenship and Immigration and Canadian Heritage and both are very able performers in Question Period. It is time for both to move and gain experience in another portfolio, especially as both are considered future leadership contenders. Either could go to Industry and Moore would also be a good fit at Citizenship and Immigration. Kenney could also fit into Natural Resources and with the Conservatives counting so much on the resource sector for economic prosperity, he has the drive, smarts and people skills to play a key role in that portfolio.

John Baird was comfortable at Foreign Affairs until the latest blowup about his vacationing at ambassador’s residences abroad. He has also been the PM’s point man to deal with tough political files. There are none tougher than Aboriginal Affairs and his considerable political and negotiating skills can be put to good use there if the government hopes to see some substantive progress in that area. Those same skills could be used at Natural Resources.

Those are just a few of the potential changes, there are many more, both senior and junior ministers that could be promoted and a host of parliamentary secretaries as well, but until we know who wants to run again and who prefers to retire in 2015, if not sooner, picking this next cabinet truly is a game of endless speculation.

Keith Beardsley is a senior strategist for True North Public Affairs in Ottawa, as well as a blogger and political analyst. He can often be found running or cycling on his favorite bike trails. To sponsor this column please  email jamie@cornwallfreenews.com!

CFN – Is Cornwall Ontario Mayor Bob Kilger ill?  That’s the big buzz question after Monday’s council meeting.

The mayor has been sporting an unkempt beard now and has been more publicly cantankerous than usual.

A medical professional suggested that the mayor may be wearing a colostomy bag which is fairly common after having the type of cancer and surgery that the mayor had previously had.

The mayor is under pressure from having three legal actions pending or live that he is at the centre of while also refusing to admit his conflict of interest over the hiring of his son on the Fire Department as legal documents testify to.

CFN has also learned that law enforcement are investigating a possible mail tampering involving councilors not receiving envelopes twice delivered to City Hall.  Sources said that the Mayor apologized to council during an in camera session.

Council recently went through a strategic planning session pr exercise, but things don’t seem to be changing much as the economy of Cornwall struggles to grow in spite of the perfect storm of positive factors that Cornwall has including no development fees for real estate.

High taxes and abusive and heavy handed government are the top reasons executives that CFN has spoken to state that they’d hesitate to relocate or invest in Cornwall.

At the beginning of the video below he savages Councilor Gerald Samson who is trying to advocate for some of the most needy of Cornwall; Seniors who are one of the largest demographic moving to Cornwall.

Many are speculating that the Mayor will not finish his term.

The mayor himself has publicly stated that he intends to run again in the October 2014 election emulating another mayor whose dealt  with conflict issues of her own, Hazel Mccallion of Mississauga, Ontario.

Citizens in Cornwall are upset at taxes going up 2.88% over allegations of spending of nearly $3M on settlements, investigations, and litigation triggered by actions stemming from former CAO Paul Fitzpatrick.

It also has come to light that the city itself paid for Mr. Fitzpatrick’s legal expenses in the  Diane Shay Whistleblowing case which the city pled guilty to while refusing to pay for Ms Shay’s as seen in this city supplied chart above.

Former Mayor Phil Poirier had an interesting take in a letter to the editor he wrote recently.

Do what’s right for city

The great City of Cornwall rests on the cusp of promise. Regretably, persistent negative issues at City Hall are creating an image of distrust and uncertainity which threatens growth.

There is a pall on the affairs of the city at present. Human resource issues alone are finding city taxes lining the pockets of out-of-town, high-priced lawyers.

The predominance of secret meetings coupled with the high incidence of wrongful dismissal claims suggests that city council wrestles more with cure than prevention. Teamwork appears to have quickly transcended towards in-fighting. Thankfully, some city councillors are true to their oat and maintain a high sense of integrity. We are greatful for their leadership under trying circumstances.

The time is ripe for experienced, hard-working and transparent representations. The good of the community must come before personal gain in every sense of the word. The great potential of our city must come before personal agenda.

 

Phil Poirier

Cornwall

Who would you vote for Mayor of Cornwall in the October 2014 Election?  You can vote in our poll below.

poll by twiigs.com

Mayor Kilger and his office did not respond to our emails regarding his health.

CFN – Nearly 100 protesters showed up at the St. Lambert Quebec IGA Friday night where 17 year old Meaghan Moran had quit her job after recording an exit interview where a manager suggested that the store could not tolerate English being spoken during breaks between staff.

A press release stated that the manager had been suspended;

After listening to the entire audio recording broadcast by a number of media outlets today, Louise Ménard, the owner of IGA Marché Ménard, has decided to suspend the manager who mishandled the situation.  Louise Ménard acknowledged that some information had not been properly communicated in her store. She will meet immediately with the store’s management staff and employees to clearly reiterate the rules governing verbal communication in the workplace.Ms. Ménard emphasized that there is absolutely no rule prohibiting English (or any other language) from being spoken in her Saint-Lambert store.

.

According to Ms. Ménard, this unfortunate situation need not have occurred. “If this incident has in any way hurt or angered anyone, I sincerely apologize. I hope to now turn the page and continue to do what is most important to me   — provide our customers with excellent service in the language of their choice,” she concluded.

CFN – I know you’ve seen the picture above before but yesterday was a very wet day and I didn’t take any pictures worth showing you. It was raining pretty much all day but your local heroes braved the nasty weather so we would be ready for your shopping needs. There were a few vendors who didn’t make it because of a planned vacation or simply didn’t want to get all their delicious crispy baked goods wet.

The shoppers weren’t all that concerned about the weather either. There was still a lineup at Toi’s Thai To Go booth and people splashed across the grass to get locally grown strawberries, potatoes and tomatoes. It was a good day for Coffey’s Coffee as well. There is nothing like a cool wet day to encourage coffee drinkers to hold a nice hot cup of fresh roasted and fresh brewed coffee.

Our featured vendor of the week is CornerStone Organics. The whole family came out in the rain to man (should that be woman or person) their booth.

Unfortunately Benny the Bean did not put in an appearance. Coffee beans are best kept dry until you are ready to grind them and pour hot water over them to make a fresh pot……of coffee.

Benny the Bean in dryer times.

CFN – Cornwall Motor Speedway was host of the first of two night of a DIRTcar doubleheader as the Super DIRTcar Big Block Series was in town with a record setting 58 modifieds in attendance for the Evans Bus Lines 100 along with a full race program for the other regular divisions.

Bobby Varin and Matt Billings were on the first line of the Evans Bus Lines Super DIRT Big-Block 100-lap Series event. Varin to the lead with Billings and Billy Dunn in third, the Watertown, NY driver quickly jumped to second with 3 laps in. Caution came out on lap 5 as several cars slowed in the backstretch. Dunn jumped to the lead on the restart on lap 9 as Luke Whitteker was now in third spot. Dunn got into heavy traffic as we hit lap 18, he had built a sizeable lead over Varin. Jimmy Phelps cracked the top 5 after passing Billings on lap 30. Dunn had a full stretch lead with 40 laps in the books with Varin still holding on second. Carey Terrance was on the move passing Phelps and David Hebert and now sits in fourth as the feature got at halfway point. Dunn in the lead as Whitteker jumped to second with Terrance now third with 46 laps to go. Varin slowed on the back shoot and caution was out on lap 55. Dunn still leads the race with Hebert now in second; the Frenchman took the lead as Dunn seems to have issues slipping to third with Terrance in his bumper with less than 30 laps to go, Dunn brought the caution on that same lap. Hebert in the lead as the top 3 remained unchanged on the restart. Terrance used the top line to get by Whitteker on lap 77. As the leaders got into traffic, two cars tangled in turn 2 with only 13 laps to go. Hebert still in front with Terrance really strong on the outside and grabbed the lead on lap 88. Terrance pulled away and went on to win his first Super DIRTcar Big Block Feature over Hebert, Whitteker, Sheppard and Phelps completed the top 5.

In the 20-lap Tracy Wheeler Storm Realty Sportsman Feature, Louie Jackson jr led the field to the green as he was the leader for the first 7 laps, making a few nifty moves; Joey Ladouceur jumped into second and passed Jackson on lap 7. He led the last portion of the feature and resisted to charges from Jackson to capture his first Sportsman feature.

Brad Rouse managed several cautions to win the 12-lap Sportsman Novice Feature race, Rouse was here in preparation for tomorrow night`s DIRTcar Sportsman Series event.

Marc Lalonde led the way in the 20-lap Alexandria Home Hardware Pro-Stock Feature; Lalonde was in front as he got passed by Bruno Cyr. The Quebec driver led the major portion of the feature and got his first career win in Cornwall as Ghislain Valade finished second and Rob Yetman in third.

The Evans Bus Lines 15-lap Semi-Pro feature was the last race of the evening as Derek Cryderman was the leader on the first green. Cryderman had Kevin Fetterly jr on his backbumper, he held off several charges to win his first feature of the year over Fetterly and Bruno Richard.

The Baxtrom YIG 12-lap Mini-Stock was the first event of the evening with 21 cars starting taking the initial green lap. Justin Desrosiers was the early leader but got passed by Mike Gaucher in the early portion. Gaucher managed to survive several cautions during the halfway point and kept the lead for the remainder of the feature to capture his first event of the season in front of Joel Pilon and Justin Desrosiers.

The action continues tomorrow as the DIRTcar tripleheader will be presented with the presence of the DIRTcar 358-Modified Series in conjunction with the first race of the Canadian Nationals Series, the DIRTcar Sportsman Series and the DIRTcar Pro-Stock Series mixed with the Mohawk Race Parts Series. A total of 200 feature laps will be run.

For more information on the upcoming events at Cornwall, please visit the website at www.cornwallspeedway.com you can add us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cornwallspeedway or on twitter at @cornwalspeedway, we will use these two Medias for contests over the next few weeks.

Evans Bus Lines 100 Super DIRTcar Series Modified Feature Results (100 laps)

Carey Terrance, David Hebert, Luke Whitteker, Matt Sheppard, Jimmy Phelps, Erick Rudolph, Mat Williamson, Danny O’Brien, Stephane Lafrance, Dale Planck, Danny Johnson, Brett Hearn, Billy Decker, Mike Bowman, Bobby Varin, Randy Chrysler, Pete Britten, Jeff Sykes, Pierre Dagenais, Rich Scagliotta, Gary Tomkins, Laurent Ladouceur, Billy Dunn, Fred Gamache, Alan Therrien, Justin Haers, Joel Doiron, Brian McDonald, Zach Aubertine, Kyle Dingwall

Tracy Wheeler Storm Realty Sportsman Feature Results (20 laps)

Joey Ladouceur, Louie Jackson jr, Jon Mills, Steve Bernier, Mitch Primeau, Cory Winters, Devin Caron, Corey Wheeler, Chris Herbison, Ronnie Tyo, Jonathan Ferguson, Pat Dumouchel, Brian Comeau, Jenna David, Adam Rozon, Billy Cook, Boyd McTavish, Mathieu Boisvert, Jessica Power

Tracy Wheeler Storm Realty Novice Sportsman Feature Results (12 laps)

Brad Rouse, Jonathan Ferguson, Billy Cook, Boyd McTavish, Terry Ladouceur, Martin Thibert, Ryan Comeau, Justin Sharp, Mike Stacey,Thomas Cook, Bill Mullin, Robert Delormier, Ricky Thompson,  Sebastien Bourque, Jasmine David

Alexandria Home Hardware Pro-Stock Feature Results (20 laps)

Bruno Cyr, Ghislain Valade, Rob Yetman, George Renaud, Marc Lalonde, Dave Bissonnette, Jocelyn Roy, Daniel Desnoyers, Ryan Stabler, Charles-David Beauchamp, PJ Peters, Roch Aubin, Michel Desjardins, Rosco Garreau, Richard Bertrand, Stephane Lebrun, David Seguin, Claude Parisien, Chris Tremblay, Alain Brochu, Sean Johnson, Jocelyn Chicoine, Stephane Lemire, Sid Harmer jr

Evans Bus Line Semi-Pro Feature Results (15 laps)

Derek Cryderman, Kevin Fetterly jr. , Bruno Richard, Steve Billings, Steve Kearney, Nico Leblanc, Nicholas Gauvreau, Pascal Racette, Junior Delormier, Adam Delormier, Jonathan Galipeau, Anthony Perron, Marco Lalonde

Baxtrom YIG Mini-Stock Feature Results (12 laps)

Mike Gaucher, Joel Pilon, Justin Desrosiers, Pierre Robidoux, Scott McGill, Corbin Millar, Marc Reggentin, Francis Blanchette, Mooise Page, Danny Lefebvre, Kurtis Day, Marc Dagenais, Patrick Renaud, Francis Aborameh, Steve Morin, Marc Chartrand, Sebastien Raymond, Marc Matthias, Francis Desjardins, Chris James,Randy Tremblay

CFN – Thank you CFN viewers for your support in June!   It was an amazing month for us as we set CFN records with 62,095 Unique Visitors and 3,085,391 pageviews!

That’s a lot of clicks on our pages.   We keep listening to what you want to read about and you keep clicking.   As always you can email us at info@cornwallfreenews.com with your comments and tips.

July will be special for CFN as we just may finally unveil our new look and will be starting our Win with the Pin campaign.  If you’re seen wearing one of our CFN pins by our official spotter you get to win prizes!

We also will be having a special party on Sunday July 21st from 1-4 PM at the Air Force Wing here in Cornwall.   The Wing is one of the only Waterfront patios and there will be live entertainment.   More on that to come this week.

Over 94% of our visits came from Canada with over 75% in the Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal corridor .

Our Top 25 Cities for February!

1) Cornwall

2) Ottawa

3) Toronto

4) Montreal

5) New York, NY

6) Gatineau

7) Kingston

8.) Brockville

9) Morrisburg

10) Gatineau

11) London

12) Calgary

13) Mississauga

14) Austin TX

15) Hawkesbury

16) Alexandria

17) Edmonton

18) Vankleek Hill

19) Hamilton

20) Vancouver

21) Belleville

22) Brampton

23) Sudbury

24) Barrie

25) Guelph

Only 46% of visitors to CFN in 2012 were first timers!   We have a huge loyal following with a bounce rate in June of only 3.17% according to Google Analyticator!

Over 20% of you are using mobile devices and tablets.

Over 30% of you visit CFN 25 or more times per month!

Alexa Canadian Rankings of Eastern Ontario Media Online

1) CFN  4,392

2) Standard-freeholder.com   5,715 CDN traffic only 82.2%

3) theseeker.ca 7,764

4) thecornwalldaily.com  13,313

5)  Cornwallseawaynews.com  27,883

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WARRANT

            Cornwall, ON- A 15 year old Cornwall Youth was arrested on July 2nd, 2013. It is alleged that on June 27th, 2013 she failed to attend for court and a bench warrant was issued. She was held in custody until her bail hearing on the same date.

DRUGS

            Cornwall, ON- Members of the Cornwall Community Police Service Street Crime Unit executed a Drug Search Warrant shortly after 7:30 pm on July 2nd, 2013 at a Prince Arthur residence. As a result of the investigation one male was arrested and charged with 8 drug and criminal code offences. It is alleged that he was found in possession of controlled substances. Police seized a quantity of substance believed to be marijuana; Hydromorphone and Cocaine. Brass knuckles were also seized. The total value of seized drugs and property is estimated at $2100.

Vincent Joseph Brunette, 24 of Cornwall was bound by a weapons prohibition order for a period of 10 years. He was charged with Possession of Marihuana, Possession of Cocaine, Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking Cocaine, Possession of Hydromorphone, Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking Hydromorphone, Possession of Property Obtained by Crime, Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, Breach of Weapons Prohibition Order. He was held in Custody pending a bail hearing.

IMPAIRED OPERATION & OVER 80

            Cornwall, ON- Ashleigh Fogarty, 22 of Apple Hill was arrested on June 30th, 2013 at approx. 1:00 AM for Impaired Driving. It is alleged that she was operating a motor vehicle in the area of Ninth St and Pitt St. and was involved in a motor vehicle collision. Investigation revealed that she was under the influence of alcohol. She was charged with Impaired Operation of a motor vehicle and Over 80. She was released to appear in court on July 16th, 2013.

THREATS & BREACH

            Cornwall, ON- A 30-year-old Cornwall man was arrested on June 30th, 2013. It is alleged that on June 30th, 2013 at approx. 2:50 PM he attended his ex-common laws wife residence and began yelling threats to her male friend. Police were contacted and an investigation followed. He was charged with 3 counts of Utter Threats to cause bodily harm and 3 counts of breaching an OIC’s Undertaking. He was held in custody for a bail hearing on July 2nd. His name was not released as it may identify the victim.

ASSAULT

            Cornwall, ON- A, 29 year old Cornwall man was arrested on June 30th, 2013 for Assault. It is alleged that on June 30th, at approx. 8:45 PM he got into an altercation with his 31-year-old brother and assaulted him. Police were contacted and an investigation followed. The man was charged with Assault and released to appear in court on August 6th, 2013. His name was not released as it would identify the victim.

CRIMINAL HARRASSEMENT & PUBLIC MISCHIEF

Cornwall, ON- Melissa Degray, 22 of Cornwall was arrested on July 1st, 2013 for Criminal Harassment and Public Mischief. It is alleged that on June 30th, 2013 at approx. 11:30 PM she contacted CAS and complained that a female was at home intoxicated and could not take care of her 6 year old child. Police were also contacted and an investigation followed. The investigation proved that the allegation made by Degray was false. She was subsequently charged with Public Mischief and Criminal Harassment. She was released to appear in court on August 6th.

 DOMESTIC BREACH

            Cornwall, ON- An 18-year-old Cornwall Male was arrested on June 30th, 2013. He was bound by a Probation Order with the relevant conditions to keep the peace and be of good behaviour and to abstain from the use of alcohol or non-prescribed drugs. It is alleged that on June 30th, 2013 at approx. 11:00 PM in the area of Brookdale Ave and 15th St. he got into an altercation with a female companion and pushed her to the ground and punched her. Police were contacted and an investigation followed. He was charged assault and 2 counts of breach of probation. He was held in custody for a bail hearing on July 2nd. His name was not released as it may identify the victim.

Cornwall, ON- A 20-year-old Cornwall Male was arrested on July 2nd, 2013. He was bound by two Probation Orders with the relevant conditions to keep the peace and be of good behaviour. It is alleged that on July 2nd, 2013 at approx. 12:15 AM in the area of Guy St and Walton St. he got into an altercation with his girlfriend and struck her. Police were contacted and an investigation followed. He was charged assault and breach of probation. He was held in custody for a bail hearing on July 2nd. His name was not released as it may identify the victim.

FOOD FRAUD & BREACH

            Cornwall, ON- Blandine Mukuna, 31 of Cornwall was arrested on July 1st, 2013.She is bound by a Probation Order with the relevant condition of keep the peace and be of good behaviour. It is alleged that on July 1st, 2013 at approx. 6:30 PM she attended a local restaurant and ordered food. She was not able to pay for the meal and police were contacted.  She was charged with Food Fraud and Fail to comply with her probation order. She was released to appear in court on July 23rd, 2013.

 From the SIU in Toronto;

SIU Investigating Vehicle Death in Port Hope

Case Number: 13-OVD-148

Mississauga (29 June, 2013) —

The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. Under the Police Services Act, the Director of the SIU must

• consider whether an officer has committed a criminal offence  in connection with the incident under investigation
• depending on the evidence, lay a criminal charge against the officer if appropriate or close the file without any charges being laid
• report the results of any investigations to the Attorney General.

From the OPP:

Ontario Provincial Police News Portal [STORMONT DUNDAS and GLENGARRY] Domestic Incident /Charges Laid/Traffic Stop Nets Drugs/Racing Law Infractions 2013-07-02

We’ve all wanted to go postal (all pun intended) at some time or another.  The type of day where you regret even leaving your front door to face the day.  The sort of day where you know that whatever you do, you just cannot make any headway nor win your cause in the least bit.   We’ve all had those kinds of days whereby, ’ The Shirelles’ invented the song, “Mama Said” to describe them.

And so it was a normal, cool, crisp and sunny Northern Ontario morning last April whenever I left the house to mail a letter at the Post Office.  I had not much to do that day; and figured I would take complete advantage of the time I had to run a few errands.  My first step was the Post Office.

There was no lineup when I arrived and felt blessed that my luck was so far, so good.  I was wrong though.  As I approached the mid-age woman working behind the desk I greeted her and wished her a good morning and requested to purchase a stamp in the language of my choice, which happens to be English.  She obliged by producing the stamp and not returning the greeting in English nor French.  The remainder of our exchange during the few minutes had me requesting my service in English whereby her portion of the exchange was conducted in French.

Now, normally this situation wouldn’t be a problem for me as everyone knows I’m bilingual.  But on this particular day, I couldn’t get over the fact that I showed absolutely no inclination at all as to being bilingual.  Why wasn’t I served in English when clearly I greeted the worker in English upon the beginning of our exchange?  Further, why didn’t the Postal Worker switch to English whenever I was communicating in said language?  I could have switched to French but I decided not to.  My idea in this decision had to do with the fact that I felt that the worker was obligated to provide me with the service in English simply because I was the customer.  This would have been different if at any time she had informed me that she couldn’t speak English and would try to accommodate me by other means.  One such solution she could have sought out would be to perhaps seek out the services of another Postal Worker to serve me if she didn’t speak English herself.

In any case, I didn’t complain.  That is, I didn’t file a complaint at the Post Office.  As an aside, I have come across instances like this a few dozen times during the course of business transactions with civil service workers throughout the years and even some in the private industry.  And, after all was said and done, I never complained.  I had simply grown accustomed to situations like the one above and there is an argument to be made that I had become somewhat conditioned by these scenarios over the years.

Until now…

Perhaps it’s my newfound sense of fairness and pride that has awakened within me during these past two years.  Perhaps now that I’m a little longer in the tooth, I have decided that I no longer will take things lying down as it were.

I’m tired…

It’s one thing to learn a minority language and to enjoy the privileges of being able to read, write and speak in French.  But for what purpose and intent?  And to who’s benefit is it that I am bilingual?  Myself or to those whom I communicate with who have French as a first language?  I can honestly state that being bilingual hasn’t furthered my career options nor has it had the desired effect of garnishing career advancement opportunities for me in the job that I do have.  Moreover, I get the feeling that being bilingual for many of us Anglophones simply equates to making it easier for the Francophones to not have to learn English in order to communicate with us – such as in daily merchant transactions.

Enough…

It was with all of these thoughts swirling within my consciousness that April day that I made the conscientious decision to file a complaint with Canada’s, ‘Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages’.  Before doing so, however, I ensured that I had a valid complaint to begin with and checked out the ‘Filing a Complaint’ section, sub-section, ‘In what situations can I file a complaint’.  After reviewing the information, I determined that I did in fact have a valid complaint and filed an online complaint the day of my Post Office visit and an initial response was forthcoming from a representative within a week of filing the complaint.

The representative advised me that in order to solve the dilemma of what had occurred an investigation would take place as to the incident itself. Having said that, keep in mind that my complaint was well documented and filed only after a few hours of the incident taking place.  Everything that happened was written succinctly on the initial report!

So, after e-mail and playing telephone tag to which more than a half dozen e-mails and a half dozen telephone calls were sent between myself and the representative detailing what had occurred; I emphasized and re-emphasized that I wanted only one question answered – and that was the following:

Why, was I spoken to in French whenever I clearly communicated in English?

All of this to say that as month 3 was coming around the corner subsequent to the initial incident; I was informed that the investigation was completed and that the results would soon be forthcoming.  I have a few questions as to this entire affair after having gone through this experience.  One being why haven’t I been provided with a response yet after 3 months?  Certainly this is a cut and paste situation?

Why?

Exactly what justifies the creation of an, “Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages” to begin with.  As of 2011, there were 518 complaints that the office dealt with having to do with language issues.   On October 16, 2012 a Globe and Mail article reported that,

“Almost half of the 518 complaints came from the area around Ottawa and adjacent Gatineau, Que., …” (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/budget-cuts-are-hurting-bilingualism-official-languages-watchdog-warns/article4616263/).

Are Canadian taxpayers being led to believe that 518 language-related complaints warrant a full-time staff being paid civil service wages to investigate this?  I cannot help but comment that more work is done during an 8 hour shift by a half dozen or less call centre employees who themselves individually handle on average a little more than 100 calls a day.  It seems as though by comparing stats, we’re not exactly getting a great bang for our buck.  So, I would argue that what we have here is but another example of government incompetence; a type and kind of federal government language police make-work project that our taxes are paying for.

And I’ll say this much.  We already have a set of language police in this country.  We don’t require the services of another; let alone the foundational Office quebecois de la langue francaise.

Ask yourselves this much:  Will it take over 3 months to solve your next computer or cell phone issue by someone making minimum wage?  Probably not.  So why would something so trivial take so long to conclude by someone being paid so much?

(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of this site, their staff, or sponsors.)

Poverty is nothing new to Canada, the Province of Ontario or the City of Cornwall. Philippe Morin wrote an article in the Toronto Star in 2009, which stated that low-income households are one in four in certain parts of Cornwall.

We understand it is discouraging for those living in poverty; there are so many obstacles to overcome and they cannot be overcome quickly or easily. It takes time, planning and a lot of help. The efforts of the Social Development Council and numerous local organizations and resources, are planning and doing what we can to improve the situation for individuals living below the low income cut off.

Our desired state of community wellness is reflected in the following existing conditions:

• Personal and public health

• Satisfaction of basic material needs

• Economic security and opportunity

• Protection from violence, abuse, threat, and discrimination

• Sense of identification and belonging with others (social inclusion)

• Availability of choices and self-determination throughout one’s life path

• Active participation and decision-making in the larger societal processes

• Access to knowledge and personal skill development

• Sustainable natural and physical environments

Community Voices SDG, organized by the Social Development Council, will hopefully bring assistance to some of those conditions, and  issues.

This will now be the second official Community Voices SDG activity. Community Voices SDG is planning on hosting a bilingual community forum to gather information to  help guide our work towards relieving poverty and building stronger communities in Cornwall and SDG.

Community Voices SDG will be hosting at the Army, Navy, Air Force Club of Cornwall, 14 Marlborough St. N. Cornwall, ON, from 5:00pm to 6:30pm on July 24, 2013. It will be a bilingual event and light refreshments will be provided.

Community Voices SDG is about you having your say about what living in poverty means to you. We will be asking community members to share their thoughts on issues surrounding poverty and related topics in our community. We are looking for community members who are concerned about poverty or who have lived experience with matters concerning food security, homelessness, social inclusion (sense of belonging), poverty and employability.

All are invited!

The goal of this forum is to collect data which will help guide our future efforts; Building stronger, resilient, sustainable communities.  Your voice is important to us.

There is still so much work left to do in our community and this is just the beginning. Join us in making a difference in your community.

If you wish to volunteer or would like more information please contact the Social Development Council at info@sdccornwall.ca or call us: 613-930-0211

CFN – Flyers GM Paul Holmgren is not a popular man in Montreal this week as he’s foiled poor Montreal GM Marc Bergevin twice in one week.

First at the draft selecting 6’6 Samuel Morin, Quebec born Defenseman who Mr. Bergenvin was about to trade up in the draft for.

Next up was snatching Vincent Lecavlier who signed a 5 year $4.5M contract with Holmgren.

While some are playing it down in Montreal the reality is that the Habs lost out on a key player that they have missed for over a decade; ie a big centre with some offensive push still.

While Vinny is not in his prime any longer, with no serious injury history the 6’4 centre who usually has over 100 hits per season to go with his 50 to 60 points would fill a gap that is desperately needed in Montreal where Tomas Plekanec has been overused and abused in situations that have hurt his own productivity.

For those that argue that Vinny played with Stamkos and St. Louis it could be argued that they in fact played with Vinny too.   As a number two or 1B centre other teams can load up against one player as easy without being burnt.

As for the value of his contract, if you can sign up diminutive David Desharnais for $3.5M how hard would it be to cough up $5 for Vinny?

A 5 year deal would take Vinny to the ripe old age of 38.  Jean Beliveau, whom many compare Vinny to, played until he was 40.

While buzz is now shifting to Danny Briere (hope not unless its for a really low salary) or 3 year older Jarome Iginla the bottom line is that Mr. Bergevin failed to fill a critical need for the team.

And Montreal benefitted from the shortened season last year.    First off with their younguns getting off to a quick start before the older players got back into game shape.  As the season got closer to its finish and teams started to amp up playoff style hockey the Habs crumbled including their route in round one.

Mr. Bergevin really has to right the ship fairly quickly as Hab fans will not tolerate failure.

As for the draft, Trevor Timmins had an interesting day.   Michael McCarron has some potential to be a power forward and Zach Fucale was the best goalie on the boards.   Not sure what they saw in Jacob De La Rose or Artturi Lehkonen?    It was a weird draft overall this year with much less movement than expected by many.

What do you think Hab fans?  Does Bergevin looking better or worse to you?  You can post your comments below.

Screen cap

CFN – My wife and I had the pleasure of first meeting the incredible Celeste Levis; a young and talented bilingual Francophone Northern Ontario singer/songwriter in the fall of 2010.  Ironically, at the time, our chance meeting had nothing to do with music at all.  Instead, we had decided to start taking karate lessons and Celeste was a fellow student at the time (and still is) at Timmins Karate-do.

Over the course of the three years that we have attended karate with both her and her jubilant older brothers Phil and Alex, we have come to know all three siblings quite well and are proud to call them friends.

Celeste is well-known around the music scene in Timmins; performing in all things music.  She has been regularly performing in charity concerts, music events and has had her music playing on local radio stations for years; performing most recently in Timmins at Christopher’s Coffee House during the evening of Saturday, March 23, 2013 in support of Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer.

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Both Julie and I were fortunate enough to have attended the two and a half hour packed concert in it’s entirety; witnessing Celeste perform cover songs as well as a few of her originals including her new song, “So-Called Hero” and her older, “The Ghost of you and I”; both of which are available on i-Tunes for purchase.  Because of time constraints, she was unable to perform her third i-Tunes hit, “Here without you.”  And as of 6 o’clock this evening, Wednesday July 3, 2013, the music video of “The Ghost of you and I” has been released on Youtube.

It’s a rarity today to see such homegrown talent in such a young person.  At just 18 years of age, Celeste embodies the vigour of youth; minus the trappings and perils.   Indeed, Celeste’s talents aren’t restricted to her musical abilities.  Once again, at just 18, she has managed to already obtain a black belt in the Goju-Ryu karate style and has been accepted to study at the University of Ottawa; where she will begin studying music and math this coming fall.

It hasn’t always been sunshine and success for the young Levis, however.  Apart from the regular ‘Rights of Passage’ that a young person experiences during their formative years, Celeste has had the additional stress of having had already experienced a life debilitating event.  Suffering from a rare disorder named, ‘Chiari Malformation’; she had to undergo brain surgery on April 1, 2009.  This disorder leaves her unable to physically perform full-contact karate sparring and specific exercises designed to garner strength.  One of the most remarkable stories I heard from Celeste one time having to do with her condition, was how she relayed to me how she would regularly experience hallucinations; such as seeing people in her bedroom on numerous occasions whenever they weren’t really there.  A frightening prospect to say the least, I’m ecstatic to report that since her surgical procedure, these types of hallucinations have stopped entirely.  After all is said and done, she has endured and still strives, taking life one day at a time.

If I had to sum up Celeste Levis in one descriptive word it would be ‘humbling’.  Despite her incredible talents, gifts and busy scheduling, she always takes the time to visit with friends and fans, alike.  Both Julie and I were lucky enough to have caught up with her during the concert on that Saturday night back in March where she personally thanked us for our support and we caught up on old times.

After the concert, I thought about how lucky both my wife and I are to be affiliated with a talented young woman in the form of Celeste Levis.  It’s truly captivating to see and experience the brilliance of a young musician just on the edge of stardom.  As Celeste herself would attest,

C’est la vie!

Cory Cameron

Timmins

Featuring The Artists of ArtScene Spencerville

CFN – Elsie Gallinger, who lives in Morrisburg Ontario, is a wife, a mother, a grandmother and an amazing painter.  She has also been a teacher and a quilter, both of which she left behind to follow her desire to paint.  The first was her profession and the second, a hobby that could not compete with the urge to paint.

Artists find their inspirations in many and varied places; what inspires one artist makes no impression on another.  I had not heard of, or met, Elsie before she joined ArtScene Spencerville in May of 2012, even though she has an extensive following in the Ottawa and Eastern Ontario areas.

My first encounter was not with Elsie, but with her work. That first time, I wondered whether we had somehow managed to attract one of the Group of Seven. The painting was a landscape, mostly earth tones, and it invited you to stop, look and feel.  It was an incredible introduction to a charming and talented artist.

Elsie works with several different media, including pen and ink, watercolours and mixed media, but her favourite is oil on canvas, applied with a palette knife.  She prefers earth tones accented with white, but on occasion will create wonderfully delicate floral groupings that are very reminiscent of the Victorian era.  She readily admits that the Group of Seven are her inspiration and she considers her work to be impressionistic.

Elsie was educated at the University of Waterloo and St. Lawrence College and is a member of ArtScene Spencerville as well as several other artists’ groups.

If you would like to see more of Elsie’s paintings, please visit ArtScene Spencerville during regular working hours, or visit our website at www.artscenespencerville.blogspot.com.

You can also see more of Elsie’s work by visiting her website at: http://www.elsiegallinger.com

ArtScene Spencerville is located in Spencerville, at 11 Spencer Street.

Our hours of operation are Monday to Wednesday, by chance or appointment, Thursday to Saturday, 10:00 am to 5:00pm and Sunday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

For more information please visit our website at www.artscenespencerville.blogspot.com

Ontario Provincial Police News Portal [STORMONT DUNDAS and GLENGARRY] OPP Need Help Identifying Person of Interest 2013-07-04

In the interest of community safety, Chief Daniel Parkinson of the Cornwall Community Police Service, under the authority of the Police Services Act of Ontario, discloses the following information regarding Stephen Neil MARTIN.

Stephen MARTIN was recently released from custody after having served a 114 day jail sentence for luring a person under the age of 16 for the purpose of facilitating the criminal offence of sexual interference.  He has convictions that date back to 1982 for a variety of offences, none of which involve children.

He is described as a white male, 5’7”, 169 lbs, balding with short brown hair, brown eyes and glasses with eyebrow and ear piercings.

He is subject to numerous conditions as a result of a court ordered Prohibition Order and a Probation Order that include:

• Not to attend a public park, public swimming area where persons under 16-years-old are present or expected to be present, or daycare centre, school ground, playground or community centre.

• Not to be in the company of any children/child under 18 unless a parent who is aware of his charges and conditions is present.

• Not to possess any device capable of texting or e-mailing including computers, tablets or smart phones.

Stephen MARTIN will be residing within the community and the Cornwall Community Police Service is advising the public to use caution at all times and to practice sound crime prevention and safety measures at all times.  Information on crime Prevention is available on the Cornwall Community Police Service web site at www.cornwallpolice.com.

The Cornwall Community Police Service will continue to closely monitor the conditions of this release in an ongoing effort to ensure public safety and security.

SAFETY ON THE STREET

There are ways in which you can reduce the risk of being a victim:

• Walk assertively and in well-lit areas.

• Avoid being alone if you can.

• Exercise caution when communicating with anyone using an electronic device.

• Walk in the centre of the sidewalk, away from alleys and doorways.

• If you suspect you are being followed, cross the street, go to the nearest home, a service station or a business and call the police.

• Be aware of your surroundings and avoid areas that increase your chances of being a victim. ( Unlit areas of parks, vacant land and parking lots)

• Report problems to the police, we welcome the information and can advise you on prevention methods.

CFN – I had the opportunity to learn more about the new Telestroke program at CCH in Cornwall Ontario.   Chief of Staff Dr. Lorne Scharf sat down and explained the program more in a one on one video interview.   Dr. Scharf also gives more information about strokes and some of their symptoms.

Dr. Scharf’s power point presentation on Telestroke.  LINK  More information on Telestroke.   LINK

CCH Press Release

Cornwall Community Hospital (CCH) is proud to be designated as a licensed Telestroke site authorized by the Ontario Stroke Network (OSN). Telestroke is a two-way audiovisual linkup between a neurologist in a stroke centre and an emergency room physician. It is an approach to treating vascular strokes that allows a neurologist to provide remote treatment (from a tertiary site at a hospital in Ontario) for a stroke patient. The goal is for the neurologist to be able to talk to the patient and the physician about what symptoms they have experienced, evaluate the patient’s motor skills, view a computed tomography (CT) scan, make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

According to a 2011 study presented at the Canadian Stroke Congress, the use of long-distance video and data hookups to link remote community hospitals with stroke neurologists in large centres provides the same level of care as having everyone in the same room. This integral technology uses eHealth Ontario’s Emergency Neuro Image Transfer System (ENITS), a centralized web-based picture archiving and communication system for head scans that can be accessed and viewed by participating neurologists. “Telestroke makes it possible for a neurologist to be at the patient’s bedside, even when that patient is hundreds of miles away, and assist the local physician in determining the most effective therapy possible,” said Dr. Frank Silver, Neurologist and Medical Director, Telestroke.

With an estimated 50,000 new reports each year, strokes are the third leading cause of death in Canada and are the leading cause of adult disability with 300,000 Canadians living with the aftereffects of an attack. A stroke is an emergency situation where time is of the essence. Early recognition of the five warning signs of a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) may very well save a life if they are noticed and treated quickly enough. Sudden weakness, dizziness, trouble speaking or understanding, vision problems, and severe headaches are all symptoms of a potential stroke. If you notice yourself or someone else experiencing these symptoms do not hesitate to call 9-1-1 for immediate medical attention.

When a severe stroke is imminent, a drug known as a tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a protein involved in breaking down blood clots, can be prescribed, and is most effective when administered within 4.5 hours of noticing symptoms. Over the past 12 months at CCH, 28 patients were assessed through Telestroke to determine if they should receive tPA.  Of the 28 patients, 7 patients received the medication.

The best medicine for a stroke is still prevention. Studies show that up to 80 per cent of strokes can be prevented by working to reduce personal risk and modifying lifestyle activities such as: maintaining a healthy weight and diet, monitoring cholesterol and blood pressure, moderating alcohol use, abstaining from smoking, and exercising regularly.

As this program evolves it should be interesting to see besides how it impacts patients how it can help save our health system money.

CFN – The Montreal Canadiens may not have landed their “Big Man” in Vinny Lecavlier, but they did manage to replace  Michael Ryder with a aging star by signing Danny Briere for two years with a buzzed number of $8M.  While not getting bigger Briere does have a history of actually scoring in the playoffs, can play some centre, and is a…Francophone!

It’s a good deal for Montreal in that Montreal.  With Brian Gionta a question mark on Right Wing it’s a good fit.

With Free Agency starting officially on the 5th teams have used more buy outs and the names added to the lists of available players such as former Hab Hal Gill, and Mikhail Grabvoski who the Leafs appeared to have Buyer’s remorse over as did the Bruins who traded star former Leaf draft pick Tyler Seguin along with Rich Peverly and Ryan Button to Dallas for  Loui Eriksson, Joe Morrow, Reilly Smith, and Matt Fraser.

If you subscribe to the winner of a trade is the team that gets the best player new Dallas GM Jim Nill wins the cookie on this whopper of a deal especially as Peverly is a huge support asset who can kill on face offs and adds enough defense to be a very valuable player.

David Clarkson is the Belle of the Ball this year but there are some other interesting players like D man Rob Scuderi, Jarome Inginla, Nathan Horton, and Ryan Clowe.

One of the more intriguing dramas playing out is whether Daniel Alfredsson will leave the Ottawa after playing there his entire career to join the Boston Senators Bruins.

Now if Montreal can nab Jaromir Jagr for a year to play with Tomas Plekanec who deserves at least one good compatible winger to play with during his Montreal years….

What do you think Hockey fans?  Will there be more trades and surprises tomorrow?  Will the Leafs land any free agents other than possible signing Tyler Bozak?  Would you rather have Bozak than Grabvoski?

And will there be more RFA offer sheets?

You can post your comments below.

CFN –  With the buzz that Sens Captain Daniel Alfredsson is leaving O Town many fans are hurling epitaphs, but looking at the numbers Alfie played for only $1M in 2012/13.  Could he not be justified in balancing the numbers by getting his golden loyalty contract as cash strapped New Jersey just did with Elias?   $1M+$6M divided by two equals $3.5M.

Ottawa is not in cap jeopardy so the villain in this story certainly isn’t looking like the Sens Captain.

What do you think Sens fans?  You can post your comments below.

BREACH

Cornwall, ON- A 14 year old Cornwall youth was arrested on July 4th, 2013. She was bound by a J.P Recognizance with the conditions of not to be away from my residence between the hours of 1000 pm and 0600 am except in the presence her adult surety. It is alleged that on July 2nd, 2013 she left her home alone and did not return breaching her condition. Police were contacted and an investigation followed. She was charged with Failing to Comply with Recognizance and held for a bail hearing.

BREACH & MISCHIEF

Cornwall, ON- A 15 year old Cornwall youth was arrested on July 4th, 2013. He was bound by two probation orders with the condition to keep the peace and be of good behaviour.  It is alleged that on June 25th, 2013 at approx 9:00 AM he was shooting BBs and struck a passing vehicle causing damage under $5000.00. Police were contacted and an investigation followed. He was charged with mischief under $5000.00 with Failing to Comply with Recognizance and two counts of failing to comply with probation orders. He was released to appear in court on July 25th, 2013.

THEFT SHOPLIFTING & ASSAULT POLICE

          Cornwall, ON- On July 4, 2013 Cory Sabourin, 34 of Cornwall was arrested for theft under $5000.00 and assault police officer.  On July 4, 2013 at approx 1:00 PM, police responded to a shoplifting incident at a Ninth Street East store.  Investigation revealed that the male had allegedly stole property from the store with a value under $5000.00. While the police where speaking with the man he picked up a stick and other debris and threw it at the officers. He was subsequently placed under arrest and charged for theft under $5000.00 and assault police.  He was released to attend court July 24th, 2013.

BREAK AND ENTER & ASSAULT

            Cornwall, ON- Kristen Hewitt, age 20, of Cornwall, was arrested on July 4th, 2013 for Break and Enter and assault. It is alleged that at approx. 2:00 PM she broke into a Second St West residence and assaulted the female occupant by slapping her across the face.  Police were contacted and an investigation followed. She was charged with Break and Enter, and Assault.  She was released to appear in court on July 24th, 2013.

THEFT SHOPLIFTING & BREACHES

            Cornwall, ON- Chantal Wolfe, 27 of Cornwall was arrested on July 4th, 2013. She was bound by a Recognizance with the conditions to reside in Winnipeg, not to possess, consume alcohol, illegal drugs or use prescription drugs unless prescribed or other intoxicating substances. She was also placed on probation with the conditions to abstain from the purchase, possession, consumption of alcohol or other intoxicating substances and keep the peace and be of good behaviour.

On July 4, 2013 at approx 9:30 PM, police responded to a shoplifting incident at a Brookdale Ave. store.  Investigation revealed that the female had allegedly stole property from the store with a value under $5000.00.  Police were contacted and an investigation followed. She was charged with theft under $5000, two counts of breach of JP’s Recognizance and two counts breach of probation. She was held in custody pending a bail hearing.

 From the OPP:

Ontario Provincial Police News Portal [STORMONT DUNDAS and GLENGARRY] Charge Laid 2013-07-05

CFN – Free Agent Frenzy 2013 is alive and kicking.

I’ll review each signing and its upside and downside.

Nabakov resigning with the Islanders for $3.25M.  Great veteran keeper with the option of trading at the deadline for an asset.   No lose deal for Garth Snow.     Grade A

Andrew Ference to Edmonton – 4 years at $3.5M.   No real upside for Ference.  With the cap rising in the future this deal isn’t the worst, but 4 years was a premium.   Grade B-

Peter Regin to Islanders – Why?  Hasn’t shown he’s a full fledged NHL’r yet.   Waiting on the salary numbers but a filler move with not enough upside.  Grade

Joey Crabb to Florida – 2 years at $600K – Grade C

Daniel Alfredsson to Detroit – 1 year $5.5M – Good pick up for Detroit and Alfie should put up 50–60 points and kick it in the playoffs as long as he doesn’t wear down or get hurt.    Grade A-

Ray Emery to Philly – 1 year at $1.65M – Back up now with potential to fill in as starter.   Good contract number.  Grade B+

Mike Komisarek to Carolina – 1 year $700K – Great value pickup for big bruising D man that has something to prove.  Grade B+

Mike Ribeiro to Phoenix – 4 years at $5.5M per!    Grade C-

Andre Benoit to Colorado – $900K 1 year – Depth move.   Grade C

Boyd Gordon to Edmonton – 3 years   Grade

Jason Labarbera to Edmonton – 1 year Grade

Pierre Marc Bouchard to Islanders – 1 year $2M – blech – Grade C-

Nathan Horton to Columbus – 7 years –  $5.3 M –  Odd player that seems to not want to play on winning team – Long term with his injury history – Grade C+

Pittsburgh brings Rob Scuderi back –   Grade

Ryan Clowe to Devils – 5 years at $4.85M – Desperation move after losing Clarkson – Grade D

Clarke MacArthur to Ottawa for 2 years at $3.25 per.   Ok for Frenzy price.  Grade C

Yann Danis to Philadelphia for 1 year.   Grade

Mike Mottau to Florida for 1 year  Grade

Keith Aucoin to St. Louis for 1 year at $625K  Grade C

David Clarkson to Toronto     7 years  $5.25 per – If Clarkson can put up 20-25 goals per year not a bad contract.  Grade B

Tyler Bozak resigned to Toronto for 5 years at $4.2M –   A lot of coin for a 3rd line shut down guy.   Grade C

Stalberg to Nashville 4 years at $3M per – Typical Nashville forward – big with some scoring and grit – Great value – Grade B+

Mason Raymond to Calgary 2 years  Grade

Matt Cullen to Nashville – 2 years at $3.5M per – Interesting pick up of wiley veteran – Grade B+

Weiss to Detroit 5 years at $4.9M per. – Kinda pricey but with Detroit signing Alfie it’s a roll of the dice.  Grade C+

Matt Hendricks to Nashville – 4 years at $1.85M per – Big body with a bit of offense – Grade B

Dan Ellis to Dallas – 2 years at $900K per – Good value pick up for Dallasa – Grade B+

Filppula signs with Tampa for 5 years at $5M per – Really?   Not a great signing.  Too much money and too long a term.   Can you say buyout?  Grade C-

Khudobin to Carolina – 1 year at $800K  - Boston’s back up last year put up good numbers – Very solid pick up – Grade B+

Eric Nystrom to Nashville – 4 years at $2.5m  per – Veteran mucker who scores a few goals – Grade B

Yannick Weber to Vancouver – 1 year at $650K What is it with Mike Gillis and his love of Hab hand me downs?  - Grade C-

We will keep updating during the day.  What do you think Hockey fans?  You can post your comments below.

CFN – This is my first article here on CFN.  I hope to find a lot of opinionated and engaged commenters plus some new friends . I’ve always enjoyed writing but for me it really started with my blog and has led me to places like Cape Cod, MA and Danbury, CT on road trips to cover local hockey. I am honored to now be a part of the CFN team. Thanks in advance for reading and I look forward to some great conversations.

Lets start with Daniel Alfredsson. 18 year veteran and now former captain of the Ottawa Senators. The heart and soul of Ottawa. He walks away and signs with the Detroit Red Wings. The outrage is apparent surrounding Sens army with many fans cancelling season tickets. It’s clear it’s a fan base stunned. In the end though there are those who appreciate the captains contributions and understand his decision to take a shot elsewhere and in the end they are the fans who are right at the end of the day.

Ottawa signs Clarke MacArthur out of Toronto and sends a clear message to fans by trading for Anaheim power forward Bobby Ryan. Ryan is a solid acquisition and it’s clear that Bryan Murray wanted to make it up to Ottawa fans going forward and show that Ottawa is not going to roll over just because Alfie is gone. Ottawa ships Silfverberg who is a good young player with good hands but they also send Stefan Noeson who is a former 1st rounder in 09′ and their first round selection in in 2014. On the surface both teams win as Ottawa gets a big name to help people forget Alfie while Anaheim gets three good pieces for the future and in the long run it looks like the Ducks win this trade(Sorry Sens fans). Bobby Ryan has a chance to change that though and will likely be featured on the wing of All-Star Jason Spezza so stay tuned as the East just got a lot more interesting.

TSN touted David Clarkson as their top available free agent. A big gamble with guys like Jarome Iginla and Stephen Weiss floating around. For the first time in a long time Toronto has landed one of the big fish in the market. The Leafs are continuing to pile up on grit and toughness. Nearly a week ago they acquired Dave Bolland from Stanley Cup Champ Chicago and today added another Toronto native. A seven year deal at $5.25 million anually is a steep price to pay for a guy who will likely challenge for a second line spot but is more suited to the third line but a price Toronto was in good position to pay. His heart and toughness are what likely endeared him to Toronto brass and that grit will make him an automatic favorite for coach Randy Carlyle. Look for Clarkson and Bolland to likely play with Nik Kulemin in a shutdown role to take on opposing top lines.

Toronto also ended the Tyler Bozak stalemate. Five years around $4 million per season. Bozak is best friends with Phil Kessel and even lives with him so it’s clear that this move not only helps bridge the lack of top line center issue but also goes toward re-signing Phil Kessel. It’s clear Bozak is well liked and it’s no surprise that both sides were able to find common ground going forward despite Toronto management playing hardball in the early going.

Nathan Horton signs a 7 year pact with Columbus. A risky deal but if it pays off Jarmo Kekalanen is quicky becoming one the best GM’s in the league. Jarmo has been a revelation in Columbus and is making huge strides in improving this team in a short period and I would not be surprised if he lands GM of the year in the near future. Horton is yet to have offseason shoulder surgery though  and also has concussion history so barring any lingering effects he will be a great addition to a team that traditionally hasn’t scored a lot of goals.

The day isn’t over but let’s close for now with a trade from Montreal to add enforcer George Parros. Far from the biggest deal of the day but certainly a smart one. The Habs have long been a small team often bullied by teams like the Boston Bruins. By adding Parros they now carry a one-two punch(pun intended) of George Parros and Brandon Prust to protect what has been the smallest team in the league and now ensures that scenes like Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren bullying the Habs top line wont happen again.

Some big fish left include: Tim Thomas, Ilya Bryzgalov, Jarome Iginla to name a few

Are you happy with what your team has done? Discuss below

A die hard hockey fan whose first taste of hockey at age 4 was a combination of Sega’s NHL 94′ and the Cornwall Aces. Joe has been exposed to the sport for 20 years and it’s a bond that grows stronger every year. Joe can also be found at youcallthathockey.blogspot.ca