Swift action by police in the wake of a brawl between the Loners and Outlaws motorcycle gangs on Brookdale Avenue may have headed off a turf war in the city.
It is no coincidence that with-in 48 hours of the Cornwall dust-up, the Outlaws club house in Brockville burned down.
Just days after the “dispute” that left one biker stabbed and two with gunshot wounds, the cops raided five Cornwall residences.
One source, an expert on mafia and biker gangs, said the Cornwall meeting between the Outlaws and Loners was probably a planned meeting that went bad.
“It’s not surprising that the brawl took place in the open on a busy area of the city,” he said. “It shows what little regard they have for public safety.”
He said for the raids to happen so fast indicates police had good intelligence collected before the parking lot brawl. The raids, he said, probably put the damper on any immediate public retaliation.
Any retaliation might be kept below the public radar – in house so to speak – so not to attract more heat from the police.
Few years back the Outlaws established a chapter in Cornwall – meaning it had more than six members – with a club house in the Le Village district.
The gang’s website still lists a Cornwall chapter but doesn’t provide the location. It may have been one of the five places raided by police.
CBC reached out to the Outlaws website for comment on the Cornwall and Brockville incidents. The club’s public relations department said it would not comment while the (police) investigation was under way.
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Ald. Angelo Lebano didn’t pull any punches when it came to giving his view on how welfare cheques should be handed out to able-bodied persons.
At a July 1975 council meeting the outspoken veteran alderman (as they were called) said able-bodied recipients should be given a choice: Work for the money or be cut off.
He suggested they perform tasks such as cleaning parks and cutting grass.
“Some people are on welfare for a lifetime, just because they don’t want to work,” said Lebano. “They aren’t contributing to society.”
Ald. Brian Lynch said Lebano‘s idea was not realistic.
Instead, he proposed the province adopt an annual guaranteed income program for families in need. He called the welfare system a “jungle.”
ALSO IN JULY 1975 – Ontario Provincial Police reached out to the public in hopes of identifying a woman whose body was found in the Nation River southeast of Ottawa on May 3. Police said she had been murdered. (Earlier this month she was identified and a man was arrested in Florida and charged with her murder). … Canadian citizenship certificates were handed out to 25 new Canadians at the county court house. They came from Italy, Germany, France, Spain, China, Greece and Holland. … SD and G County Board of Education hired 41 new teachers for the 1975-76 school year, bringing the number of teachers in the system – secondary and elementary – to 948. … The 21 Cornwall Transit drivers, members of the Amalgamated Transit Union were on strike. The city offered 70 cents an hour more but the union was holding out for a $1 an hour increase. The end of July marked week three of the strike. … The 86 union employees at MCA Records were on strike. The average hourly rate was $3 and hour. The union demanded $4.50 an hour. … The centre section of Cornwall Collegiate, built in 1937, was torn down. Lost in the demolition was the school’s splendid 400-seat auditorium complete with balcony. … Lloyd Gallinger, who served one term as mayor (1947-48), passed away at age 69. He founded Gallinger Electric and was part owner of three hotels: The Lloyd-George, Northway and Grand Central in Brockville. … Three city boy scouts – Greg Reid, Randy Crites and Paul Meldrum – were at the World Jamboree in Norway. … An armed robbery was the second in less than a year at the Royal Bank branch in Eastcourt Mall. While one of the masked men armed with a shotgun stood at the entranced, two men grabbed money from teller cash drawers. The entire event took about 30 second, which led police to conclude they were professionals. … Const. Jim Burke, a 17-year veteran of Cornwall Police Department, was promoted to sergeant. … The Olympic Flame restaurant at 1121 Brookdale Ave. opened. … Ed Broadbent was elected national leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP). Cornwall MPP George Samis had backed Lorne Nystrom who finished fourth. … Ray Montroy hurled a no-hitter as Ponderosa downed Canadian Tire 8-0 in a Sportsmen’s Softball League game. … Former Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa was missing. He was last seen on July 30. (They are still looking for him).
HITS AND MISSES – Soul-saving has become big business. A recent study showed that dozens of evangelical leaders have become multi-millionaires. Self-made, of course. Joel Osteen’s net worth is put at $100 million. Benny Hinn is worth $60M, while with a personal wealth put at $760M, Kenneth Copeland tops the list. Some of the bottom-feeders are Paul White $5M, Joyce Meyer $8M and Rick Warren $25M. …
TRIVIA – In November 1947 this was Cornwall’s wedding gift to Princess Elizabeth: 1) A silver tea set, 2) Royal cotton blankets made at the Stormont Mill, 3) Canned goods for the people of England who were still recovering from WW2, 4) A colour photograph of the Rapids Prince navigating the Long Sault Rapids, 5) Blocks of Stormont cheese.
TRIVIA ANSWER – Tom Cruise, who was born in Syracuse, N.Y., lived four years in Ottawa while attending public school. He moved back to the U.S. when his parents divorced.
QUOTED – “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it.” – W. C. Fields
