Kenny Ertl didn’t have to look far for a reminder of the Nazi death camps he spent five years in during the Second World War.
He just had to lift the sleeve on his right arm to show the number that was branded into his fore arm.
His wife and 11-year-old son were among the millions of European Jews who died in the Nazi camps.
In July 1970, Ertl, a native of Czechoslovakia who ran a successful deli shop – Kenny’s Deli – at 258 Pitt St., said good-bye to his adopted city. He sold the business and was moving to Toronto. He said Cornwall and the outpouring of support he received during his 23 years in the city would not be forgotten.
He is believed to have been the only Holocaust survivor to take up residence in Cornwall after the war. In 1961, he was a witness at the trial of Adolph Eichmann, one of the Holocaust architects, he was found guilty and hanged.
Ertl arrived in Cornwall exhausted and penniless but determined to re-build his life, which led to opening the city’s first deli. He joked that he had to educated locals that salami was edible.
His only sad memory of Cornwall was the loss of his second wife whom he married shortly after arriving in the city. They had a daughter, Lynn.
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Rather than fill in historic Cornwall Canal, the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce in July 1970 said the canal should be retained and the canal lands re-invented as a recreation area.
Chamber director Neil Burke took the suggestion one step further and said the lands should be developed as a passive park.
In the end, the canal was filled in and Burke’s idea of a park became Lamoureux Park.
Incredibly, years earlier the unused canal and adjacent lands had been offered to the city for $1 with the condition that it be used for recreation,but council of the day turned down the offer. One proposal was to use the land for industrial development.
THIS MONTH IN 1970 – While nobody at the city’s welfare office was doing a victory lap, fewer residents collecting welfare was a good sign. Welfare Administrator Frances Flanigan said 3% of city residents relied on welfare, down from 6% between 1961 and 1964. … Five major city industries – Domtar, Courtaulds, C-I-L, Sylvania, Albatross Fertilizers – said they were getting hosed by the city when it came to landfill fees. Council approved a $1 ton increase for industrial waste to cover the extracost of operating the new landfill site. It was noted that industriesaccounted for 30,000 of the 72,000 tons of landfill waste. A spokesperson for the industries said they had to pay a private contractor to haul waste to the landfill. “What are we getting for our taxes?” asked one, who said the extra cost of operating the landfill should be shared by all taxpayers. … Domtar officials said the fact that its Cornwall mill did make the Ontario Water Resources Commission’s list of top pulp and paper mill polluters showed that pollution abatement steps were having an impact. The commission blacklisted 11 pulp and paper mills. … Allan J. McDonald Ltd. was given a five-year contract to collect garbage in the city at $510 a day. … The Atcheson home on Second Street East, built in 1881, was torn down to make a parking lot for the Masonic Lodge. In its last years, it was Meldrum Funeral Home. … ConvaLodge nursing home opened in the former St. Michael’s Academy on Eleventh Street East. Standard rooms were $10.50 a day. … In his first game with St. Regis Braves, Travis Cook scored four goals and had five assists to lead his team to a 19-16 win over Ottawa Vikings in a junior lacrosse game. … The job of handing out parking tickets in the downtown areas was turned over to CornwallParking Authority officers. City police had been responsible for policing parking.
IT’S OUT: After years of “threatening” to write the book – Stuck in Stupid – Brian “The Cat” Rouleau has done it with a lot of help from veteran crime author Andy Petepiece. Rouleau will be making the trip from his home base in Atlanta (aka Hotlanta) for a book launch/meet and greet on Aug. 1 at the Royal Canadian Air Force Association Wing on Water Street. It runs 5:30 to 8 p.m. Paper back editions will be on hand. The book is also available on Amazon.
HERE AND THERE How bad is the housing shortage in Toronto? The Toronto Sun reported that one landlord is getting $750 a month for a bed in a closet. … Gotta love the New York Post. Headline on a story that one of the winners in the annual hot dog chow down contest cheated was “Buns of Steal”. The story noted that it was the “wurst” kind of transgression. … Bad joke of the week: Hillary Clinton cautioned Dems they shouldn’t try to force Prez Joe out. “It would be like taking (car) keys away from an older parent,” she said. Ugh! … Last year drug overdoses killed more Americans than killed in the Vietnam War. … Justin Trudeau said the loss of a ‘safe’ Toronto seat to the Conservatives in recent by-election has given his government a loud message: that it needs to start listening to people. Oh, really. What a novel idea.
TRIVIA: In 1911, auto dealer/garage owner Ed Warner launched this first-ever business in Cornwall: 1) Motorized taxi service, 2) Car rental, 3)Liquor outlet, 4) Towing service, 5) Auto paint shop.
TRIVIA ANSWER: In 1930, Cornwall Kiwanis Club received approval to build a swimming pool in Central Park. In 1958 the park was renamed Horovitz Park. The park was home to the annual Mayor Aaron Horovitz Children’s Picnic.
QUOTED: Always be sincere, even if you don’t mean it. – Harry Truman
