Cornwall’s best-kept secret on Saturday, April 5 was former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to the city.
In a classy move, Trudeau arrived from Ottawa to attend the funeral for RCMP officer Keith McCready who was a member of Trudeau’s protective detail.
McCready was a Cornwall Police Service veteran before he switched to the Mounties and was assigned to help protect the prime minister.
Former Liberal candidate Denis Sabourin, who spent several years working on the Hill, isn’t surprised Trudeau came from Ottawa to attend the funeral.
Sabourin said genuine concern for staff and the men and women given the job of protecting him was one of the former prime minister’s qualities that the public didn’t see.
“When one of his staffers had a baby, he was one of the first to visit her in the hospital,” said Sabourin. “He really cared for those who worked for him.”
Trudeau’s plan to attend the funeral was not made public, for obvious reasons, so his presence at St. Columban’s Church turned heads.
It was his first public appearances since stepping down as prime minister.
On his way back to Ottawa, he made another unannounced stop … at the McDonald’s Restaurant at Brookdale Avenue and Thirteenth Street.
It was one of those, ‘Oh my gosh, is that really him?” moments.
A handful of staff and patrons got the chance to meet the former PM and have pictures taken with him, something the Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry Liberal candidate missed out on.
THIS AND THAT: This week’s political heresy award goes to former NDP federal leader Thomas Mulcair who called on NDP faithful to back Liberal candidates in ridings where the people’s party has no chance of winning. The thought of it must have some of the party saints – Tommy Douglas, David Lewis and Stanley Knowles – spinning in their graves and is a slap in the face of NDP candidates who have put their lives on hold to spread the gospel. … Remember when a local bank branch manager was one of the best-known people in town who belonged to a service club and played golf at the country club. … If anybody is interested, I know how to take six strokes off your score: Skip the last hole. … The not-very-good Toronto Raptors gave a fan two season tickets for sinking what was called an impossible half-court shot during a contest. Season tickets! Hell, sign him up. … Groceries have become so expensive grocery store shoplifting is moving into the felony from misdemeanor category. … When I see more than one large election sign on a property, it tells me the campaign has more signs than places to put them.
APRIL 1953: For the first time in memory, a mild winter didn’t allow for an ice bridge connecting St. Regis and Glen Walter. John Thompson of St. Regis, who for 56 years cared for the bridge, said ice was too thin to allow horse-pulled sleighs and vehicles to travel across the St. Lawrence River. … According to the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, there were more radios (3,970) than telephones (3,420) in Cornwall’s 4,100 households. There were 3,480 washing machines and 1,780 vacuum cleaners. There were 1,725 passenger cars. Of the 4,100 households, 1,450 were owned by the occupants. In Stormont, 6,510 homes were owned, while 5,195 were rented. In Glengarry, 3,405 homes were owned with 900 rented. … St. Lawrence High School board signed up six new teachers for the 1953-54 school year. They were Yolande Chevrier, Joseph Riel, Ronald Sullivan, Carmen Labrosse, Hubert Lalande and Jacques Lamothe. … Cornwall Sea Cadet Corps was officially established with 51 cadets. Home base was the Navy House on Augustus Street. … Local Boy Scouts collected 22 tons of waste paper in the first monthly paper drive of the year. … Cornwall OCOT dropped a 4-3 decision to Brockville and lost the two-game total goals ODHA bantam final 7-5. Roma Labrecque, two, and John Phillips score in the 4-3 loss. … Cornwall native Rudy ‘Beezy’ Filion of the Seattle Bombers finished sixth in Western Hockey League scoring with 74 points on 28 goals and 46 assists. … Local maple syrup was selling for $1 a quart. … Moose Head Snack Bar in Glen Walter re-opened for a new season. … Cornwall’s first and only chiropractor, J. P. Beaumont, had his office at 219 Augustus St. … The Standard-Freeholder set a circulation record with 12,037, an increase of 5,000 over 10 years. In the early 1990s, circulation peaked at 20,000 and was one of the most profitable dailies in the Thomson chain. … The Children’s Aid Society increased the daily foster parents allowance to $1.18, up from $1.17. … Ulric Lalonde marked 42 years with the Alexandria fire brigade. … E. Howard Smith, president of Howard Smith Paper Mill, was guest speaker at the mill’s long-service dinner at Hotel Cornwallis. D. F. McTavish and J. J. Dorie were presented with 40-year service pins.
TRIVIA: After batting .464 for his high school baseball team, Harold Jenkins was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies. He didn’t make it to the majors but he did become a country singing legend using this stage name. He once played in a Massena night club.
TRIVIA ANSWER: Elon Musk spent two years at Queen’s University in Kingston before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania. His mother was from Regina. In all, he spent seven years living in Canada.
QUOTED: You know horses are smarter than people. You never heard of a horse going broke betting on people. – Will Rogers
