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ARNPRIOR
Chronicle Guide Proudly serving Arnprior and surrounding area since 1879
132nd Year, Issue 9
March 1, 2012 | 40 Pages
www.yourottawaregion.com
Gallant mum on possible scandal Former Liberal candidate unaware of robo-calls to riding voters BY DEREK DUNN derek.dunn@metroland.com
The McNab-Braeside Fire Department is dealing out playing cards. Learn why the fire chief is keen on the idea. – Page 2
EMC News – No Liberal supporters in Renfrew-Nippissing-Pembroke have contacted the party over the socalled robo-calls scandal, but a former candidate says nothing less than Canadian democracy itself was compromised if the allegations from some 40 other ridings are true. Christine Tabbert ran for the Liberal party in last year’s federal election, finishing a distant fourth. She harbours no illusions that possible voter suppression measures by the Conservative Party cost her the win. But she said free elections are paramount and
an emergency debate in the House of Commons is needed to secure the credibility of the federal system. “I find the reports very disturbing. The right to freely cast a ballot is the foundation of our democracy,� said Tabbert, a corporate lawyer now living in Toronto. “The reputation of Parliament is at stake.� She encourages anyone who recalls getting calls supposedly from Elections Canada directing them to the wrong voting outlet last May, or claiming to be with the Liberal party but speaking rudely, to call Elections Canada. The allegations of voter suppres-
sion – what some commentators are calling Canada’s Watergate - first emerged late last week when Elections Canada documents were revealed to newspapers, including the Toronto Star. Its investigation examines the link between the Conservatives and an Edmonton-based company that made tens of thousands of automated phone calls, known as robo-calls, to homes throughout the country. All parties use robo-calls, but the charge by opposition parties against the Conservatives is that they may have impersonated Elections Canada officials and deliberately misdirected targeted voters – those likely to vote
See’INDEPENDENT INQUIRY’ Page 3
Smoke alarm alerts neighbour to fire
Arnprior and area communities will play host to an international broomball tournament. See the details. – Page 17
Rev. Dr. George Richardson penned a book, What is Christianity?, that was discussed at the Villa recently. Read about his ideas. – Page 37
Liberal, according to Conservative data - away from their ballot stations. That exceeds typical “dirty tricks� that parties are routinely accused of. If true, the result could be fines or jail time or even the deregistration of MP Cheryl Gallant’s party and liquidation of its assets. Gallant did not return repeated calls from Metroland Media. However, a longtime NDP insider from the riding has joined the growing chorus of those calling for an inquiry, similar to that which exposed the Liberal sponsorship scandal.
Sherry Haaima sherry.haaima@metroland.com
Photo by Evan Campbell
CRUSHED ’EM Arnprior Junior B Packer Dan Weir tumbles onto the Renfrew Timberwolves goalie during first round playoff action at the Nick Smith Centre Feb. 25. The Packers swept the Wolves in four straight games and are awaiting the winner of the Almonte-Perth series. For more see Page 13.
EMC News- The importance of working smoke alarms has once again been underscored following a fire in McNab-Braeside Feb. 23. McNab-Braeside Fire Chief Ken Walton says a Thursday evening fire on Burnstown Road caused $45,000 in damage, but could have been much worse. Fortunately, the tenants of the home at 1198 Burnstown Rd., located between Burnstown Road and White Lake, were not there at the time of the fire, said Walton. A neighbour heard the alarms sounding and called 911 immediately. Firefighters got the call around 9:30 p.m. “We had all three stations responding, with about 29 firefighters on-scene for a couple of hours,� said Walton. “We made entry to the house, we went in and con-
ducted a search,� said Walton. Once inside, firefighters confirmed no one was inside, located the fire in the basement and worked quickly to extinguish it. It was lucky the neighbour was outside to hear the smoke alarms, said Walton. “If it weren’t for working smoke alarms there’s a good chance we wouldn’t have gotten there until it was too late.� Firefighters spent about two hours on the scene. The cause is still being investigated, said Walton, adding it is not considered suspicious. DEPARTMENT DISCOUNT
A new department initiative is designed to make it a little easier for residents to keep themselves protected, said Walton. See ‘SMOKE’ Page 2
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