Donald Trump’s border czar appointee isn’t pulling any punches when it comes to kicking out illegal border crashers: “Pack your bags. We’re coming after you.” As mentioned here last month, this could cause another wave of what is soft-sold as asylum seekers fleeing to Canada, via the express lane called Roxham Road, with hundreds ending up in Cornwall. However, the illegal border crossing problem has two lanes going in different directions. The Americans complain that the Trudeau government is not doing enough to keep illegals from crossing into the United States from Canada, mostly in what is called the Swanton Sector, along the St. Lawrence River that includes the Cornwall area. Last year the U.S. arrested 20,000 illegals who came from the Canadian side. Homeland Security says 300 were suspected terrorists.
Coming in new year: Dougie Dollars. The Ford government plans to give every Ontario resident who files an income tax statement a $200 post-Christmas bonus. Of course, it’s a not-too-subtle pre-election gimmick. But you can bet that the critics won’t be returning their Dougie Dollars.
THINGERS: When Les Canadiens struggled out of the gate, head coach Martin St. Louis’ job evaluation numbers started to slip and Laval Rocket coach Pascal Vincent started getting more attention. He ticks off the biggest box for Les Habs. He is bilingual…The Yates Cup/La Coupe Yates, awarded to the best university football team in Ontario (this year Laurier) is the oldest still-in-existence football trophy in North America. It was first awarded in 1898…Two stats that don’t jive: jobless rate is at 6.6% and employers say they have trouble finding workers…Not sure what this means. My birthday and my wife’s birthday are a week apart. I got two birthday wishes, she got 140…Queen’s Park jungle telegraph reports that local MPP Nolan Quinn is highly respected and if D. Ford returns with the troops after anticipated spring election, he is on track for a promotion…When John Cleary was up against Noble Villeneuve (Cleary won by 640 votes) in 1999, his campaign team came up with a short, snappy, hard-to-attack slogan: “John Cares.” It stuck.
THINGERS (part two): Belleville is using its version of Cornwall’s Progress Fund to finance medical recruitment. Using dividends from its stake in Elexine Energy, it has spent $7 million on recruitment over the last 10 years. According to the Belleville Intelligencer newspaper, the fund has helped bring 53 doctors and eight nurse practitioners to the city…They share the same island but Haiti and Dominican Republic are worlds apart. Haiti is smothered by poverty and violence, while life is much better in the DR…Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is the daughter of former NFLer and TV broadcaster Pat Summerall….A strong case could be made that Gaylord Powless, who came from Six Nations near Brantford, is the greatest box lacrosse player of all time. The media nick-named him the “Marvellous Mohawk.” Historians say he was the Wayne Gretzky of lacrosse. Yet, unlike No. 99, Powless, who died in 2001 at age 54, made very little money playing the game. So banged up, he was forced to retire at age 30.
TRUMP TAKES: Scene from Mar-a-Lago: Mr. Trump, it’s Rudy calling…again. Tell him I’m busy. Once glorified as “America’s Mayor,”, Rudy Giuliani has hit rock bottom. His assets that included a $5M condo, his bank accounts and high-end car were seized after he lost a defamation lawsuit…Melania will become the first First Lady not to live full-time at the White House. She will divide her time between Florida and Washington…Trump’s appointments got off to a good start when he made Susie Wiles the first female chief of staff then went off the rails with the crowning of the creepy Matt Gaetz, once investigated for sleeping with an under-age girl, as attorney general. Talk about putting the fox in the hen house.
THIS WEEK IN 1964: Much respected city family physician Dr. J. A. Tallon told a medical conference in Cornwall that the air pollution problem in Cornwall was a disgrace and a major health issue that needed to be resolved. However, Mayor Nick Kaneb said the “problem” was hard to solve…Popular local singer and musician Nancy Ruffo died at age 28 after a short illness. At the time of her death she had made the second round of auditioning for the Ted Mack Amateur Hour on CBS TV…Exotic dancer Noora was appearing at the Parkway Hotel’s Cafe Gaiety….”The Count Downs” and “The Cyclones” were playing at Cap’s Inn in Massena…Cornwall native Brian Rouleau, 18, was taking basic training at U.S. Army’s Fort Dix in New Jersey. He was slated to advance to specialized training…Arnold Kelly was promoted to superintendent of education for the Cornwall Public School Board. He replaced Fred MacMillan who retired after 40 years as an educator…Rev. M. J. O’Brien, pastor of St. Raphael’s Roman Catholic parish, celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination…The cost of renting a typewriter from City Office Machines was $5 a month…New York Cafe, 129 Pitt St., offered free delivery on orders of $4 or more…A 250-pound safe was removed in an overnight break-in at Penny’s Record Bar two doors from the Pitt Street police station…Guaranty Trust, 254 Pitt St., was offering 4% interest on savings accounts…IGA had rib steaks on sale for 77¢ a pound…Lean ground chuck was 59¢ a pound at Fern’s Grocery, 27 Leona St. It was open Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and offered city-wide free delivery.
TRIVIA: This comedian was always in the centre square of the celebrity-driven TV show Hollywood Squares
TRIVIA ANSWER: Ralph Kramden (played by Jackie Gleeson) in the Honeymooners worked as a Gotham Bus Co. driver.
QUOTED: “I think I’m almost too honest to be a politician.” – Donald Trump
