Pay raise for Pontiac councillors challenged but not defeated: At Luskville Town Hall Monday night 88 irate ratepayers in the amalgamated municipality of Pontiac registered their objections to a by-law passed April 5th which raises the pay for the mayor from $2400 to $3800 annually and
the pay for councillors from $1200 to $2000.

Although the Council provided notice in nine public places throughout the municipality that the by-law was to come into effect and that a meeting of ratepayers was to be held to register any objections, most of those who came to do so had not seen the notices. They felt that a public notice should have been placed in the newspapers read by the property owners. Most were there because some public spirited citizens had seen the posted notice and asked the Ottawa daily papers and radio stations to give it some free publicity on the day of the meeting.

However, despite these last ditch efforts on the part of a few, the objectors fell far short of the needed number to kill the by-law. According to a formula in the Municipal Act, there have to be not less that 13 plus 10 per cent of the eligible electors, minus 25 people objecting to a by-law before it can put to the voters in a referendum. As there are 2421 eligible electors in the Municipality of Pontiac the formula comes out to a needed 230.

Car plunged into Quyon, one man still missing: Monday night at about ten thirty a 1974 Pinto carrying Randy Young, Kevin Trudeau and Terry Leach, left the slippery road at Quyon near the mill bridge, broke through the guard rail and plunged into the Quyon River.

By press time on Tuesday the Quebec Police Force, Hull Detachment, was still looking for the body of Terry Leach. The other two men were rescued immediately after the accident and taken to the Pontiac Community Hospital in Shawville.

Government recognizes value of private “old folks homes”: A new program has been set up by the Provincial Government which will assist families wishing to provide room and board and care for elderly or handicapped people.

Eventually there will be three categories of accommodation for these people who need special care. There will be the large homes, called “Centre d’Acceuil” such as we have in Fort Coulonge and at Campbell’s Bay, and there will be smaller centres called “Pavillons d’Acceuil” which will house up to 29 people, and the smaller units will be called “Familles d’Acceuil” and will be limited to ten people.

This new policy reflects some feelings on the part of the Department of Social Affairs about the real needs of elderly and handicapped people. They have realized the fact that care in a private home can and does provide a better atmosphere in many cases than can be achieved in a larger institution.