Oct. 27, 1993

25 Years Ago

Liberal sweep takes Pontiac-Gatineau-Labelle: A smile lit up Robert Bertrand’s face Monday night when the candidate was told he was the first Liberal MP in Quebec declared by the CBC to have been elected.
Mr. Bertrand won the riding of Pontiac Gatineau-Labelle, defeating Claude Radermaker of the Bloc Québecois by fewer than 3,000 votes.
Conservative incumbent Barry Moore came in a distant third in keeping with a national trend that saw his party reduced to two seats in the House of Commons.
On election night, a jubilant atmosphere prevailed at Liberal headquarters in Fort Coulonge even before the candidate arrived.

Flood stalls hydro project: The Coulonge River is a hard river to tame.

Last week, the Hydro Pontiac project at the Coulonge Chutes ran into temporary trouble from high water.
Rainy weather caused the water level in the river to rise two metres.
When workers with the Kiewit construction firm arrived at the Mansfield site on the morning of Oct. 19, there was a flood underway. The water was said to have risen 22 inches in 27 hours.
The mouth of the 2,000 foot long tunnel that leads to the power house was flooded but a bulkhead located 30 feet into the tunnel held water back, keeping the five metre by six metre tunnel relatively dry.
Kiewit spokesman Louis Chapdelaine explained the Coulonge River has a small watershed area and is susceptible to flash flooding.
Construction on the site was halted for three days.
Nov. 7, 1968

50 Years Ago

Two Pontiac tree farmers honoured: Percy Belsher and James McMillan were honoured at a banquet in Thurso and presented with tree farm certificates on Oct. 25.
Percy’s tree farm is at Green Lake and has 60,000 pine trees planted on 100 acres over the past eight years.
Jim’s farm is in Bristol with 56,000 trees on 150 acres.
Each of these outstanding foresters will also received a plaque to place at the entrance of their wood lots to indicate that these are certified forests.
Mr. J.A. Larrivée of the Dept. of Forests was at the banquet and congratulated these two Pontiac conservationists.

Students parade in school yard to demonstrate their dissatisfaction: On Friday afternoon the teachers of the Catholic High School in Shawville invited various news reporters to tour the interior of their school.
While the pupils walked around the school yard carrying placards they chanted “we want a school”.
It was a well organized peaceful demonstration arranged by the newly elected students’ council to bring the inadequacies of their rented premises to the attention of the Outaouais Regional Catholic School Board.
The school was built in 1913, added to in 1926 and renovated in 1960 to meet the standards of the times.
It was first an academic school for grades one to eleven.
Then it was an elementary school until this year when it was rented as a high school.
The staff and students have found it impossible to carry on an up-to-date curriculum for high school students in the building.
Nov. 4, 1943

75 Years Ago

Missing from our files

Oct. 31, 1918

100 Years Ago

Local news: The first district Camp Meeting of the Standard Church of America convened in Mr. George Dagg’s grove, five minutes’ walk from Shawville with Bishop R.C. Horners, B.O., in charge and an able staff of ministers.
The Victory Loan is a vital factor in the creation and continuance of our prosperity. The great bulk of our chief products are bought by Great Britain for the use of her civilian population at home and her armies in the field.
The Victory Loan campaign was launched in Ottawa on Monday by Premier Borden who purchased the first bond from the Minister of Finance.
The armistice Germany have is one, the conditions of which will be dictated by the Allied military heads whose armies in France are adding victory to victory as the days go by; Foch, Haig, Pershing who alone are best qualified to deal with the enemy in the field of action.

Nov. 2, 1893

125 Years Ago

Local News: We regret to learn of a serious accident which happened to Mr. Joseph Wyman at Quyon on Thursday forenoon of last week. The sufferer was an old man eighty years of age, and is one of the best known characters in the county. It seems that Mr. Wyman was as usual working on his farm and while drawing corn shucks into his barn, the horse suddenly bolted. Mr. Wyman was thrown out and at first it was thought he had broken his neck in the fall.
Although aged, the old gentleman is very vigorous. His condition, however is critical.
A large number of hogs, sheep and cattle were brought into the village for shipment last week.
The first squall of snow of the season came on Sunday morning last.
Some of the boys left on Friday last for a few days hunting on the Kazubazua.
Shortly after 2 o’clock on Tuesday afternoon, a loud explosion occurred at the storehouse of Messrs. Dunlop and Chapman of Pembroke and in a few minutes the building was enveloped in flames. The storehouse contained a quantity of gunpowder, hence the loud report.
The Pembroke Lumber Company’s fire brigade and the town brigade were soon on the ground and did good work. The fire was contained to the storehouse.
Mr. Calvin Morrison, road inspector was engaged last week with a staff of men in widening Picanock
St.
The fence has been moved in off the road which adds much to the improvement of the road to the village.
The ball given at the Pontiac House on the evening of the 10th ult. was not so largely attended as had been expected.
Mr. Robt. McCredie of this village sold his 50 acre farm at Maple Ridge a few days ago to Mr. Robt. Cutherbertson for the handsome sum of $2,150.
We learn on going to press that Mr. S. McNally of Calumet Island has been appointed sheriff of the county.