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Levac new CAO for city of Cornwall
CRIME SCENE
has held various positions, including design engineer, assistant manager engineering and manager of engineering. Levac also spent approximately three and a half years with the National Research Council in Ottawa where he was respon- sible for the National Guide to Sustainable Municipal Infrastructure. Mayor Bob Kilger, in a press release issued late Friday afternoon, welcomed Levac to his new position. “I am very pleased that Mr. Levac has agreed to take on this very important posi- tion with the corporation and I, along with the rest of council look forward to working with him.” Levac is a fluently bilingual native of Corn- wall and graduate of the University of Ot- tawa who attended primary and secondary schools in the city.
More fraud charges Two more people face charges in con- nection with a major fuel fraud in Corn- wall early this year. Satnam Singh Purba, 28 of Brampton and Manjit Singh Brar, 42 of Caledon were arrested on Nov. 26. They are accused of obtaining fuel from a Brookdale Avenue gas station by using a reportedly stolen credit card in March and April. They are facing charges of fraud, using forged credit card data and possession of credit card data. The arrests follow the arrest of nine men in July and August by Members of the Cornwall Community Police Service Fraud Unit after $125,000 in fuel was ob- tained through the use of stolen credit cards between February and May. Stolen property The Cornwall Community Police Service Community Patrol Division arrested two men with possession of stolen property, break & enter and possession of break & enter tools during the early hours of Nov.28. It is alleged that Kyle Shaver, 26 and Philip MacDonald, 43, both of Cornwall, were found in possession of stolen cop- per wire and break and enter tools after someone gained entry to a Marlborough Street business and removed property. Further investigation revealed that Shaver was also wanted under the strength of an outstanding warrant for possession of a drug and a bench war- rant for failing to re-attend court on June 7, 2011. MacDonald was released to appear in court on Jan. 8, 2013. Shaver was held in custody until court later that day. Parole warrant Shane Cook, 24 of Akwesasne was ar- rested on Nov. 27 under the strength of a parole warrant issued on Oct. 11. He turned himself in to the Canadian Border Agency Service and was turned over to the Cornwall Community Police Service. He was held in custody until court on Nov. 28. Pushed store employee A Cornwall man faces an assault charge after he was accusing of pushing a store’s loss prevention officer during a shoplifting incident on Nov. 26. Ahmed El Kerim, 31, was arrested on Nov. 27 after he was accused of shoplift- ing from a Water Street store and then pushing the store’s loss prevention offi- cer when she tried to detain him. El Kerim is charged with assault and theft under $5,000. He was released to appear in court on Dec.18. The employee was not injured in the incident.
GREG KIELEC greg.kielec@eap.on.ca
A long-time city public works employee will be Cornwall’s next chief administra- tive officer. Norm Levac, manager of the city’s public works department, has been selected to re- place former CAO Paul Fitzpatrick. Levac was one of two senior managers in the running for the position which became vacant when Mayor Bob Kilger announced Fitzpatrick’s troubled tenure was over on June 29. City planner Stephen Alexander has been acting as interim CAO while the city searched for Fitzpatrick’s replacement. Levac is a professional engineer who has been employed by the city for 25 years. He
File photo
Norm Levac, the city’s manager of public works, has been named Cornwall’s new chief administrative officer.
Condo proposal for Lamoureux Park dead
committee turned its attention back to a plan to develop the historic Pointe Maligne which was dropped last year, shortly before the committee began pursuing the condo plan. Rivette has asked that the study on the
sessions this past summer to gauge the public’s response to waterfront develop- ment. “The waterfront will always be a hot topic, always. And it is always a hot topic because
An 18-month-old proposal to allow the construction of condos in Lamoureux Park east of the Cornwall Civic Complex will not get off the ground floor. Cornwall city council accepted the ad- ministration’s recommendation not to pro- ceed with the controversial proposal at a meeting last night at city hall. “In the end, there was clearly no support for that and no support overall from the Committee to proceed,” saidWaterfront De- velopment Committee chair Lee Cassidy in a letter included with administration’s rec- ommendation. The idea – first raised by committee mem- ber Roy Perkins in June 2011 -- was soundly rejected by respondents in both public and online surveys conducted earlier this year by the city. The committee had proposed the site be- cause it is the only city-owned waterfront land immediately available for develop- ment. Councillor Andre Rivette said it is time the Cornwall pigeon keepers can feel a little cockier after a ban on their pastime was delayed three months at a city council meeting last Monday night. Council postponed the implementation of the pigeon-keeper ban to gather more information after it was urged by Mike van der Jagt of the Canadian Racing Pigeon Union, backed by a gallery packed with pi- geon fanciers, to overturn the measure at a Nov. 13 council meeting. An Aug. 13 amendment to the city’s ani-
site near the old oil tank lands east of Marina 200, which is essentially the birthplace of Cornwall, be referred to coun- cil in January for review. “I want it to come before council in January. I think it is important we take a look at this study. Half the work has been done,” Rivette told The Journal. He also said the waterfront committee is wasting its time trying to push through devel- opment in Lamoureux Park.
it’s a powerful economic driver – tourism, economic develop- ment – and also a social devel- opment driver – recreation, ex- ercise and because it’s beautiful and it’s ours.” She said such public feedback exercises are important to city council. “They get people fired up and they get people talking about what they want to see for their city. We got some clear messages … but we also got a lot of ideas.” Some key themes, like the
Clement
“You’re wasting your … time. You’re wast- ing administration’s time. If they want a big push, then let them push Point Maligne.” Councillor Bernadette Clement, speaking at last week’s council meeting, said pub- lic consultations are “messy, awkward and tense,” referring to the public information mal control bylaw would have made the keeping of domestic pigeons in city resi- dential areas illegal as of this Friday. A mor- atorium approved by council last Monday delays the ban’s implementation until Feb. 28, 2013. Some council members are concerned about health issues resulting from drop- pings from the racing pigeons. But van der Jagt said at a Nov. 13 council meeting that the droppings causing complaints are most likely from feral pigeons. Van der Jagt has forwarded documenta- tion from various sources and government ministries in backing his argument to allow
creation of a boardwalk and whether light commercial development should be al- lowed along the waterfront, came out of the discussions with the public, Clement said. Council must also consider whether the current waterfront plan is still relevant in light of the consultations, she said.. domestic pigeon keeping in Cornwall resi- dential areas, according to an interim re- port on the issue from city administration. Among the information forwarded to the city are excerpts of animal control by- laws from Ajax, and the cities of Ottawa and Hamilton. “This information, together with ongoing Bylaw Division research, will be the essence of the subsequent 2013 com- prehensive report to council,” reads the re- port to council. “Paramount in this report will be domes- tic pigeon keeping with reference and con- cern to community health and well-being,” the report reads.
Pigeon fanciers get three-month reprieve from city council
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