Arts Sutton Gallery is pleased to presents a series of conferences giving by well-know leaders of the cultural world. Mr. Marc Mayer, general director of Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art), will give the first conference the 4th of May. Titled "What is contemporary art?", it will be held at the Sutton Gallery at 4:00pm.

Before leading the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, which he has done since September 2004, Marc Mayer was adjunct director for the arts at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. Its then, as project director, that he began the retrospective of Jean-Michel Basquiat, which attracted more than 180 000 visitors, a record never reached at this institution founded more that 180 years ago.

Marc Mayer was director of Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery of Buffalo from 1994 to 1998. From 1985 to 1993, he was the visual art officer first in New York, than in Paris for the cultural services of the Canadian Embassy, coupling with his journalistic writing of the monthly Rizzli's Journal of Art among other American periodicals. Mr. Mayer has a degree in Art History from McGill University and he was born in Sudbury, Ontario.

The tickets are only $10 and are for sale at Arts Sutton Gallery. Call for more information (450) 538-2563. The Gallery is located at 7 Academy in Sutton and is opens Thursday to Sunday from 11:00 am to 5:00pm. www.artssutton.com

Marc Mayer, formerly Deputy Director of the Brooklyn Museum, New York, is Director of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. He is a noted critic and curator of contemporary art. He is also well known for his landmark compilation book “Bisquiat” which he also edited.

A stunningly designed landmark publication celebrating the astonishing work of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988), whose meteoric and often controversial career lasted for only eight years until his death at the age of twenty-seven. Basquiat features spectacular reproductions of Basquiat’s work, including many rarely exhibited pieces from private collections and offers fresh new perspectives on Basquiat’s achievements, explored in the contexts of the key influences on his work, including Picasso, Matisse and Twombly; the development of hip-hop culture; and the emergence of a multicultural society. Explores many of Basquiat’s individual works in detail, with particular reference to his working methods and techniques and accompanies a major travelling exhibition. This is an indispensable book that will appeal to anyone interested in contemporary art. Buy the Book

Don’t miss this opportunity to encounter one of Canada’s finest art critics and take advantage of the hospitality and charm of Sutton.

posted by DestinationKnowlton.com on Monday, April 30, 2007 location.href=/2007/04/marc-mayer-at-arts-sutton-gallery.html#comment-form;>0 comments

As many regular readers of the letters to the editor in the "Brome County Snooze" have likely noticed the brouhaha over Town of Brome Lake officials has gotten under the skin of many long-time residents who are disappointed that elected officials choose to ignore feelings that bilingual signs may be justified on the Brome Lake Center and Medical Clinic since the majority of local funding apparently came from English donors and that Knowlton has a long history of English and French living together; accordingly, many people feel that the current administration has a hidden agenda operating under the pressure of a silent-majority to stamp out English and the heritage that built Knowlton.

DestinationKnowlton received a letter from Morris Croghan, an active taxpayer and long-time resident of Brome Lake and we are happy to print it now without any edits that may take away from the gist of the sentiment.

________________________________________________________________________________

"Carke foundation signs."
April 27 2009 - Letter to DestinationKnowlton.com from Morris Croghan.


"On the advice of our now “artful dodger” mayor, Richard Wisdom. I contacted the alleged perpetrator of the offensive uni lingual “Centre Lac Brome” sign on the community centre, the Carke Foundation Inc. Fund raisers and construction overseers, they freely admitted to composing and installing the “bilingual”signs.

Putting even the linguistic contortionists at TBL to shame, Carke volunteered the following exercise in verbal gymnastics, convoluted grammar and “ alice in wonderland” reasoning to prove their sign bilingual. QUOTE ( The sign itself is carefully designed to be simple and able to be read in two ways. “ Centre” sits on top with large periods either side of it while “Lac Brome” lies separately underneath. The sign can thus be read as Lac Brome Centre or Centre Lac Brome”. ) END QUOTE. Wow! If you read the sign from top to bottom “Centre Lac Brome” it’s French, but wait, cleverly, and on those occasions when we silly Anglos are inclined to read things from bottom to top, it reads “Lac Brome Centre” TBL English ! Simple, clever and bilingual!

An absolute insult to the intelligence of the English speaking community, “let them eat cake” gibberish, unworthy of the signature of any honourable Carke board member, disgraceful.

Another dubious Carke QUOTE ( “ It has always been our intention to display additional signs, in English and in French, listing the names of the organizations which provide services in the building.” ) END QUOTE.

Carke’s present additional sign, “Clinique Medicale”, doesn’t lend much credence to their espoused bilingual “intensions”. Will a rumoured huge, new, CLSC centre sign also be “intension” free and “English” free ?

Regardless of the Carke Foundation Inc.’s former philanthropic role. Why would the mayor still defer to a private, third party corporation, a citizen’s complaint concerning a civic building? Who is in charge in TBL ? Our bon vivant, dysfunctional mayor, our derelict, inept counsel, our non-resident, Anglophobic town manager, or indeed the painfully, politically correct Carke Inc. Is the town becoming a unilingual, confused, rudderless, smokestack ,company town, high on art and opera, wine and cheese ? Where did Knowlton go ? Where is TBL going ?

Wisdom arrogance and indifference towards the English community, allowed the CARKE unilingual signs and those of other “chosen ones”, to dispense with council approval. Never approved, all of these signs are non compliant with stringent TBL sign bi-laws. All must be removed and submitted to council for public scrutiny and approval in the normal democratic fashion. All should be rejected because of their offensive, unilingual nature.

Included in the above is the expensive, new, sign at the former Foster “Welcome centre”, now the “Relais d’ Information Touristique” erected in part by local merchants who apparently want no part of incoming Anglo dollars. As further brilliant marketing strategies, they utilize French only greetings to telephone inquiries and French only downtown signs. Business signs in Knowlton “sans anglais” will definitely be “sans” my Anglo dollars.

Mr Wisdom, more English, not less is what the town needs, an asset not many Quebec towns can still claim. Unilingual French towns are not rare in Quebec , not hard to find and not in demand. Why would you try to eliminate one of the features that make us unique ? Why did you come here, was the prevalence of English not a factor ? Slow your town hall onslaught against English, dissuade Anglophobic agenda pursuers, enshrine bilingualism on town signs as law, translate all meeting minutes, defy Mr Bourret and hire an occasional Anglo at city hall, encourage English on private commercial signs.

Knowlton is not a hinterland Francophone community where never a word of English was ever spoken. We Anglos are not new comers here, trying to force our foreign tongue on the resident population. We are the resident population; English is the resident language, the towns only 200 year old resident. We’re here to stay and we don’t intend to be berated, isolated, intimidated or assimilated any further.

WE WILL NEVER ALLOW THOSE AMOUNGST US WILLING TO GIVE UP THEIR RIGHTS, SPEAK FOR THOSE OF US WHO WILL NOT !

Privileged and proud to be a lifelong English speaker and armed with the power of the global treasure, that the English language is. I consider it an honour to do battle with the small minded, dim witted, Anglophobic forces of ignorance who would see my fabulous “ truly world class” language relegated to insignificant, here in it’s native Brome county. It’s not going to happen.

Ancestors, grand children, contemporaries and fellow English speakers from William Shakespeare to James Joyce, Mark Twain to Margret Atwood, demand no less of me.

Did they never speak to you Mr Wisdom ? Perhaps when addressing the “ Mairie ville de Lac Brome” they must “ parlons en Francais seulment”.

Morris Croghan Fulford

PS BILINGUAL SIGNS ARE COMING SOON."

________________________________________________________________


Thanks to Morris for the letter that shoots straight from the hip!

What some folks find interesting is that apparently the Town of Brome Lake is actually managed and run by someone who doesn't even live or pay taxes in Brome Lake! Is this the case? It can't be? Is the Town Manager not even paying taxes in Brome Lake? It may explain why he seems rather non-plussed at council meetings when taxpayers of Brome Lake raise a stink about skyrocketing taxes!

If anyone has comments feel free to add them below or email the editor at

posted by DestinationKnowlton.com on Sunday, April 29, 2007 location.href=/2009/04/bilingual-signs-are-coming-soon.html#comment-form;>3 comments

A veritable spring cleaning is on the go in Knowlton and improvements are being made along Victoria Street and even more affordable housing is under construction continuing the long-term vision of the Town of Lac Brome to improve conditions and opportunities in our community.

Folks have noticed along Knowlton Road that the old blue warehouse, which has been closed for several months now, is being renovated. Recent requests for construction permits have been sought and issued for the renovation of the old commercial building into housing units. Centrally located near LEK and the center of Knowlton, this multi-unit apartment building will be opening soon allowing the many new workers coming to Knowlton to have affordable housing in the rapidly growing commercial market environment of Lac Brome.

The recent building boom in the region is a testament to the belief that land and business owners have that new opportunities in the Eastern Townships will bring more and more small families and young residents into Knowlton. The soon to be completed project on Chemin Knowlton and the lovely new apartment complex on Victoria street, which is now advertising apartments for rent in Knowlton for $675, are a prime indicator that the future of Knowlton is bright!

This picture shows the construction progress on the newest housing unit being built in Lac Brome. The central location and proximaty to the Coldbrook made it a logical choice for an investor and for anyone looking to leave the hustle and bustle of a city like Montreal to enjoy the peaceful life in Knowlton this sort of housing unit is ideal. With the employment situation in The Eastern Townships improving it is the perfect time to create such housing units to ensure the growth of our community and once word gets out about such choice rental units we will be seeing many new, and happy, faces in the village very soon.

Beyond the private investors belief in the growth of Knowlton we are also seeing the Mayor and Town Officials making the business of improving the town a priority. Recent public announcements regarding spending show a concerted effort to not only solve the issues of Brome Lake but also to put tax dollars into the upkeep, promotion and beautification of the town. Last weeks restoration of the wooden fence on one of our favorite streets was a prime example and just a first step in many improvements planned by the Mayor and Town of Brome Lake!

Victoria Street, one of the loveliest streets that winds past the newly inaugurated Community Center, has been targeted by council to be improved upon and the recent fixing up of the classic wooden fence along the H. Ernest & C. Louise-Williams Wildlife Refuge is proof that the Mayor and elected officials are taking the job of improving Knowlton very seriously.

The vintage wooden structure that lines Victoria Street has seen a toll over the years but the recently planted fence posts and repaired fence rails are now gleaming and sturdy. Last summer Flannigans General Store saw some major renovations to restore the building to her former 19th century glory and now, with the fence being refurbished, residents are seeing more affirmative action by the town to keep our town in good shape while not forgetting the Victorian history of the early settlers.

Victoria Street is one of Brome Lakes more scenic drives, intersecting Lakeside and Knowlton Road, which has some of the more beautiful properties featuring stunning homes and large trees as well as monumental stone fencing and classic architecture dating back over 100 years.

Recently the Mayor announced that major improvements along Victoria Street were in the works and residents are already seeing the improvements coming to fruition. Ensuring Victoria Street is a secure passage is critical not only for traffic but also for tourism as the thoroughfare passes the newly built Community Center and also brings people towards the Marina, Brome Lake Duck Farm, and Knowlton Academy and onwards to Lakeside Drive.

With summer just around the corner and the home improvements going on fast enough to make our heads spin it will be surely one of the best summer seasons in Knowlton for businesses and residents! Let’s not forget, with all the work the Town is doing we should do our part to keep our yards and properties clean and tidy! The tourists soon to be flooding into Knowlton deserve to see us in our Sunday best!!

posted by DestinationKnowlton.com on Sunday, April 29, 2007 location.href=/2007/04/knowlton-dedicated-to-future.html#comment-form;>0 comments

The warm weather last week was such a welcome change and we could feel Spring in the air again and with it all the wonderful feelings that come with spring in the Eastern Townships. Seeing the grass again and smelling the earth as it comes out from under the ice is visceral sensation and being able to walk outside with only a light jacket and hear the birds chirping is a truly uplifting feeling. Of course this is Spring in the Eastern Townships and even with temperatures rising above freezing, this is early April it’s not yet time to remove the snow tires!

We’ve seen the grass get covered again with more fluffy snow and a few snowmen have sprung-up around Knowlton to put a little smile on our faces after the snowfall. With Easter bringing out the chocolaty best in all of us it is only a matter of time before Spring is in full force and the bulbs are blooming and the buds on the trees will start peeping their heads towards the sun. The Maple Syrup is flowing and the Sugar Shacks are filled with families singing and sharing fellowship in the upcoming season of re-birth when we celebrate having lived through another long cold Canadian winter!

Knowlton really comes alive with the warm weather and the past few warm sunny days have shown that the village is the perfect place for strolling and window shopping or going for lunch or to visit The Knowlton Gallery on Lakeside and Knowlton Road. Many businesses are getting ready for the upcoming tourist season and are doing their spring cleaning and renovations to make Knowlton brand-new again.

To better celebrate spring what could be better than to leave it to the children who can say things in such a special way:

Spring

A Poem by Karla Kuskin

I'm shouting
I'm singing
I'm swinging through trees
I'm winging sky-high
With the buzzing black bees.
I'm the sun
I'm the moon
I'm the dew on the rose.
I'm a rabbit
Whose habit
Is twitching his nose.
I'm lively
I'm lovely
I'm kicking my heels.
I'm crying "Come dance"
To the freshwater eels.
I'm racing through meadows
Without any coat
I'm a gamboling lamb
I'm a light leaping goat
I'm a bud
I'm a bloom
I'm a dove on the wing.
I'm running on rooftops
And welcoming spring!

posted by DestinationKnowlton.com on Saturday, April 07, 2007 location.href=/2007/04/beauty-of-spring-in-brome.html#comment-form;>0 comments

Good news for all of us who have been driving around with mud caked cars since the Esso Gas Station and the car wash closed; the car wash will soon be open for business! No longer will we have to drive to Cowansville, Waterloo, or Foster to get the dust off our cars.

It will be great to once again be able to have a quick car wash on Saturday morning and be able to drive about on errands in a gleaming car and not a dust covered vehicle that looks like an off-road rally car! Since the car wash closed residents have been forced to drive far and wide in the quest for a power sprayer and then usually by the time they drove back to Lac Brome the car had accumulated more dirt.

Having a car wash open again is great news as it was always a fairly cheap, heck, having the chance to not look like I’m driving a Jalopy will make me happy to pay double for a carwash if I have to!

Not only is the car wash opening but a new quick take-out café will be opening in the old Esso Station, offering residents and visitors a place to stop in a grab a hot coffee to go.

Richard Pilon, owner of the Star Café, is opening a new coffee shop in the old Esso station on Knowlton Road. The Star Café Express O will occupy the old gas station cash office on the corner of Knowlton Road and Victoria Street. The location is a perfect spot to make sure visitors arriving from Cowansville and Sutton on highway 104 can be fully caffeinated before heading into Knowlton’s central village.

The downtown Star Café is known for more than delicious specialty coffee; hot soups, pannini, pies, muffins and cookies are also enjoyed especially during summer when the outdoor terrace is full of people enjoying the weekend in Knowlton. The new Express O Café is perfectly located so drivers can quickly stop in and grab a coffee to go, something Knowlton needs and since it doesn’t look like we’ll have a Tim Hortons any time soon we should be happy that a Knowlton business owner is taking a chance at something new.

Having a take-out coffee counter right beside a car wash is kind of a good idea as well! While the husband is inside ordering a coffee and a doughnut...the wife can be scrubbing the hubcaps in the carwash! Come on! We'reWe hope to see everyone driving cleaner cars soon!

posted by DestinationKnowlton.com on Saturday, April 07, 2007 location.href=/2007/04/car-wash-cafe-opening.html#comment-form;>1 comments

Brome Lake is taking a somewhat novel approach to selling off some prime real estate on Knowlton Road, the main thoroughfare in Lac Brome. The former Legion Community Center will be auctioned off to the highest bidder in a silent auction! With the recent construction of several condos nearby and the imminent explosion of the Brome Lake economy it would seem that this is a juicy piece of real estate and not a candidate for a silent auction which are typical of charity fundraising events and notorious for bringing in low offers.

Anyone keeping track of the Knowlton real estate market has seen properties remaining on the market for months and in some cases years. Sellers who have seen their properties listed for over a year remain positive that Knowlton will increase her population and their properties will eventually be sold. The fact that the Town has unceremoniously announced that the Legion Community Center and land it sits on will be sold in less than two months in a silent auction doesn’t seem to parallel the existing market reality or even any precedent but it is certainly a good way to ensure the land can be sold rapidly.

The Town has set the minimum bid at $200,000. If someone has one dollar more than that minimum bid and they were the only bidder they could potentially walk away with a piece of real estate worth five times that. But what is the real worth of the local real estate? Recent property listings of houses and buildings for sale on Knowlton Road have shown prices well beyond $200,000. A search of the Coldbrook Realty website (a Knowlton real estate company: ColdBrook Realty) lists two properties within 2 km of this property for sale at prices ranging from $987,000 to $1.2 million so this seems to be quite a deal! Of course the Legion Community Center is quite a decrepit building that may be better suited to being torn down so hopefully a developer will acquire this land for a song and tear down the existing structure and build a nice condo unit for a very decent price.

Some feel that selling the land by auction is a great idea as it will get the property sold quickly and the funds raised can then be used by the Town. Bringing in new housing and new businessess means more people and a livlier economy...so it's all a step in the right direction!

The last evaluation of the property was over $280,000 and the minimum bid on the property is $200,000. This year’s evaluations of surrounding properties in the vicinity have gone up but this particular property has had the last evaluation go down making this an even better deal for a prospective buyer. The fact that the one property that seems to defy evaluations is being sold at a silent auction in a rather accelerated process gives some folks food for though and any conspiracy theorists who also have seen cigar-shaped crafts hovering over Brome Lake might also wonder if this is being arranged for the benefit of someone in particular. Typically such auctions are held in the sale of properties that have been negligent in payment of taxes and then are usually sold at the market evaluation. This “fire sale” seems to put the minimum bid well below the last evaluation which itself was not necessarily in tune with surrounding evaluations… is this better than a going out of business sale? Some think yes, but again; by selling at an auction with a time limit at least the parcel of land will be sold quickly and the money can be used by the Town for improvements in Knowlton.

The winning bid will be announced May 22nd 2007 by the Town of Brome so anyone interested in picking up some good land should open up their piggy banks!

While some hope the property will become the new home of a Tim Horton’s or a Kentucky Fried Chicken the popular polls are betting on a condo development being built. Whatever pops up on the busy corner it will surely be remembered in Knowlton history as the one piece of property that sold in the style of Ebay…actually, when you think about it, listing the land for sale on Ebay or LesPac wouldn’t be a bad idea!

posted by DestinationKnowlton.com on Saturday, April 07, 2007 location.href=/2007/04/going-once-going-twicesold.html#comment-form;>0 comments

Things around Brome Lake are heating up and it’s not just the spring temperatures that have people getting a little hot under the collar. A recent news story sent a large wave through the town as the engineering firm who is to help decide on solutions for Brome Lakes phosphorous problems did a study for another private group and determined that motor boats are to be added to the list of causes of yearly blue green algae problems. Many people did a double take, including the town that have mandated Teknika to do an action plan for them and even more so, concerned boat owners who feel they are being unfairly targeted as culprits in this story. With Brome Lake being of major importance for tourism and recreation it would be damaging to the local economy to eliminate motorized boats from the lake but would such a move solve the problem?

The town has discussed enforcing permits for boats on the lake and other ideas to control the boats but there doesn't seem to be much evidence to prove that this is a real solution to preventing algae blooms but perhaps the engineering firm’s final report will give some new data. Some feel boats are a being used as a convenient scapegoat and cursory investigation into existing studies doesn’t reveal a wealth of support for the theory. Certainly it has been remarked that thinking that eliminating boats from a lake will stop blue green algae is definitely rowing with only one paddle!

So…it looks like Brome Lake is going to be a big topic of discussion again this summer as various groups begin to present their cases for what can be done to stop the closing of the Lake by cyanobacteria blue-green algae; problems that have plagued Lac Brome for years. Groups like Renaissance Lac Brome are undertaking their own plan to remedy the problem, unwilling to stand idly by and wait for officials to decide on affirmative action. Renaissance Lac Brome has advertised for some part time help in their need to help deal with the problem in their own way and, as was noted. the Town of Brome Lake has commissioned a study by Teknika, a local engineering firm, to evaluate the best strategies for cleaning up the lake which is due in May.

Brome Lake was front page news on the regional newspaper "La Voix de l'Est" as it was announced that the levels of phosphorous were at very high levels. This wasn't really a breaking news story as it has been well known for years that the levels of phosphorous in the lake we're high and lead to yearly algae blooms. What was shocking to some residents is that the news came from a 2006 Teknika report they we’re paid to complete for a group called "L'association pour la conservation du Lac Brome Inc". Apparently, as reported in the newspaper, Teknika blamed motor boats on Brome Lake for augmenting the problems because waves left from the wakes of boats eroded the shoreline which allowed more sediment into the lake which contained the nutrients causing cyanobacteria.

The last council meeting saw a group of boat supporters present their side of the story; the boat traffic on the lake is not the source of the problem. Indeed if we look at other lakes in the Eastern Townships and the surrounding Quebec, Vermont regions we can see that not all lakes that restrict boats are free from blue-green algae and not all lakes that allow boats are plagued with blue-green algae.

"L'association pour la conservation du Lac Brome Inc" apparently asked Teknika-HBA to determine if there was a link between motorized water craft on the lake and the degradation of water quality and Teknika did their study and determined that, while not being absolutely conclusive, yes indeed waves from boats did influence the sediments in the lake. In eloquent consultation fashion, the vice president of Teknika-HBA, Pierre Bertrand, when asked by journalists what he thought of the subject of boats on Brome Lake, preferred to say it was up to the residents of Lac Brome. Some people are grumbling that Teknika are just re-enforcing the anti-boat position of "The Association for the Conservation of Lac Brome Inc."

Other reports said the mayor of Brome Lake, Richard Wisdom, was understandably upset with the Association and the report from Teknika. Lac Brome had asked Teknika to study recent information on the lake and to provide a plan of action and requested all residents and groups concerned with saving the lake to gather any pertinent information and to present it to Teknika so they could assimilate data and new technological advances in lake pollution control into a formal plan of action for the town. The fact that Teknika, while having a mandate from the town, is also preparing studies for groups with, what some residents argue, have an agenda leaves the impression that Teknika-HBA are more serious about the consulting business and not the environment business and solving the problem. Hopefully before too many theories abound level heads will prevail and the recipe for success will be understood.

The news caused some concern and even embarrassment to the town and the Mayor wondered why The Association wasn't working alongside the town instead of running on a tangent, but some residents wonder the same about Teknika now. Will the upcoming report for the town from the engineering firm be a valid outline of actions to be taken or will it be full of vaporous conclusions and ephemeral recommendations. Some vocal residents are betting that the firm's report will involve large scale water diversions and the construction of storm basins as this, big construction projects, are what engineering firms are best known for.

Some point to comments by the engineering firm and feel they prove that Teknika is missing the boat when it comes to Brome Lake. According to the article in the newspaper Pierre Bertrand from Teknika-HBA, said that there was nothing that could be done with the phosphorous already in the lake and all they could do was decrease new sources of phosphorous from entering the lake! Many saw that as an admission that the engineering firm may be best left to design bridges and concrete storm basins as such statements are tantamount to saying “nothing can be done.” What will Teknika recommend for our Lake if already there seems to be the admission that nothing can be done to help the existing problems in the lake. If a patient was told “nothing can be done” by a doctor the patient would likely get a new doctor, one who knows more about the symptoms and treatment. Of course the patient needs to ask the proper kind of doctor and maybe in the case of our poor ill Brome Lake; we need studies from those who fully understand the healing of living aquatic-ecosystems. Is Teknika the right choice for the job? The jury of public opinion is still hearing the evidence!

Mr. Bertrand, according to the journalists report, then explained how low oxygen in the deep waters caused the phosphorous in the lakes sediment to solubalize and rise to the surface where it would become an algae bloom. If this is the case then certainly there are things that can be done! According to the Government of Canada one solution would seem to be aeration as this would raise oxygen levels in the deep areas of the lake and basically “seal” the sediments into place. Theeir website shows a good demonstration of the process: http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/flash/dugout/en/dugout_e.htm . Oxygen is obviously key in maintaining life and health in any living entity and a lake is no exception.

Aerating of lakes seems to be an idea slow to come to Quebec "experts" in the environmental field which is unfortunate; Waterloo had maintained an aeration system for years and recently replaced their aeration system in Waterloo Lake in 2003 for under $50,000 dollars. The Town of Waterloo understands that their current aeration system should be enlarged but at least they took the initiative towards a solution. Some residents of Lac Brome see thousands and thousands of dollars going towards paying for studies and plans to be just as good as avoiding taking control of the situation and taking action. Aeration of Lac Brome seems to not be an idea favorable with “experts” but maybe this is because it is more lucrative to study how to solve a problem than it is to actually solve it.

It seems to more than a few citizens that Teknika blaming boats is, well…completely missing the boat! Some previously published studies available on the Internet seem to differ somewhat from the summarized findings of Teknika as reported by the newspaper. One U.S. Department of Interior funded study saw two-weeks of boat damage assessment by environmental experts on lakes up to 40 feet in depth where they placed instruments to measure water velocity and turbidity on the bottom of each lake, then ran different types of boats over them at a wide range of speeds. Data was gathered as the boats traveled at different speeds and at different depths and after testing boats with both outboard and inboard motors and personal watercraft (jet skis), they came up with a surprising result: it was mainly at depths between two and seven feet, with boats cruising at medium speeds that caused the most damage.

Most boats in Brome Lake seem to cruise in deeper waters and at speeds that actually reduce wake effects as the US study showed that higher speeds caused fewer wakes because the boats were higher out of the water! Teknika seemed to pass over any association with speed of watercraft and instead focused on the size of the motors and implied damaging effects in much deeper waters than the US study indicated.

It seems to some critics that “L’association pour la conservation du Lac Brome Inc” got from Teknika a report that says exactly what they wanted to hear and are now going to use it to influence decisions regarding the lake. A Similar analogy or self-fulfilling prophecy would be like Imperial Tobacco hiring a consultant to prove that cigarettes aren’t really so bad…the final consultants report, costing thousands of dollars, will concretely prove the hypothesis of the client who can then lobby for their cause based on "expert opinion"! In the case of our Lake some are asking if this sort of politics is acceptable.

It will be difficult for someone to take control of the project and bring all sides together in harmony what with so many groups seeming to know what is best for the lake; until everyone gets united for the sake of the Lake and the community it is likely to be a divisive issue for some time.

Maybe it’s time for the entire population to use "The Secret"…

posted by DestinationKnowlton.com on Saturday, April 07, 2007 location.href=/2007/04/is-teknika-missing-boat.html#comment-form;>0 comments

The Town of Brome Lake are doing double duty as fashion police, enforcing new regulations that prohibit residents from wearing regular clothing and forcing all residents to wear colorful duck costumes at all times.

The Town is going what some feel is one step too far by stipulating that all residents must wear duck costumes whenever they are in public. The town leaders are taking the measure to boost tourism in the area and to put everyone who lives here in “a better mood”.

The new rules are on a sign posted on Knowlton Road. Not only are pants, skirts and overalls completely forbidden and see-through tops, mini skirts and short shorts are out, and underwear is required to remain invisible under the duck costumes. Hats also are banned unless they are completely made of feathers.

"A lot of people have gotten away with inappropriate clothing in the past. Hopefully this will prevent it," said one of Knowlton’s business operators who is in favour of the new laws.

The new by-law also stipulates that all dogs and cats who are pets must wear duck costumes as well. Town officials said, "we can't have dogs and cats appearing as dogs and cats when everyone else is a duck...it doesn't make sense so all pets will be required to wear mini-duck costumes! My dog loves it...he's been wearing it around the house for a week already!" Plans to include cattle and horses in the bylaw were dropped as the cost of making such large duck costumes was determined to be astronomical.

Warm weather brings out more bare skin, and sometimes visitors bare even more, officials say. By forcing everyone who lives in Brome Lake to wear duck costumes the town is hoping that tourists will be more inclined to Knowlton as it will be a village filled with ducks!

"The kids will love it and it will be good for business!" someone said.

"I don't know how to put it delicately, but some folks who live in Knowlton just don’t have any fashion sense and seeing poorly dressed residents can cause tension for visitors. That's not a good thing in this kind of environment," he said.

The duck costumes will be delivered door-to-door starting April 15th and a charge of $300 per costume will be collected so have your cheque books ready. Also note that today is April 1st! ;)

posted by DestinationKnowlton.com on Sunday, April 01, 2007 location.href=/2007/04/knowlton-imposes-strict-dress-code.html#comment-form;>0 comments