CORNWALL Ontario – Aurele Houle is not a happy camper. His neighbors across the street, the Vincent family, have spent hours building up a pretty and charming mini ice rink for their kids and the neighbors kids.
It’s a throw back to a time that rarely exists anymore. Instead of doing drugs and playing video games shouts of joy and blades biting into ice were the sounds on Monaco Crescent, a lovely slice of the city filled with higher end homes near CCH.
The family actually received a notice by a Cornwall By Law officer giving them until January 5th to deal with the rink!
Their notice says that if they don’t take the rink down the City will, but the Vincent’s point out that the rink is over 10 feet from the road and sure enough there’s a buffer of snow from road clearing and no sidewalk issue. Nor is the rink very high as it’s not full size, but big enough for some kids to get a healthy dose of Canadian Winter fun.
Laura Vincent and her family spent a ton of time building the small rink, and the ice is better than some city rinks I’ve seen.
The irony is that when the city is struggling to find volunteers to help take care of our door rinks a family is providing this facility for free for their neighborhood.
We tried to speak with the neighbor across the street as they drove up as I was interviewing Mrs. Vincent, but they refused to answer their door.
However Mr. Aurele Houle who runs the local Petro Can on Vincent Massey and National Car lot spoke with CFN via phone, and while not admitting to filing the complaint with City Hall admitted that he would not sign the petition and voiced his complaints.
What do you think dear CFN viewers? You can post your comments below and please vote in our poll and sign our petition.
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Un freakin’ believable! An idiot neighbour (Aurele Houle) doesn’t want kids skating on a rink across the street? And an idiot employed by the city issued a notice that the rink must be removed? I’m so glad that I live in the boonies.
Maybe a boycott of Houle’s business is in order.
Furtz Mr. Aurèle Houle is not an idiot I think that is what his name is. Monico Crescent or any other is not a place to put a rink in the front yard but I love it but in the back yard. Furtz you live in the boonies and the laws are different down there where you an make a bonfire and dance around it if you wish. I love their rink very much and had a tiny one in my backyard as a child to skate. I would tell the lady in question just move the yard to the backyard. Speak with City Hall and see if you can keep it there for the winter since it is already up but next year have it in your backyard. I live in an area that is very residential and would not allow any of that here in Ottawa and the back yards are like postage stamp size. Again I love it and this is the very best thing that you did but put it in the backyard the next time. Check to see if the city will accept to leave it in your front yard just now because everything is rock solid. Again this is an excellent idea.
Only in cornwall. Give me a break!! Mr.houle been sniffing to much petro
Jules it is a crescent. It is not a thoroughfare nor are some of the lots normal sized or shaped. The Vincent family should be thanked by their neighbors, not attacked.
It is great to see parents working with there kids to build a rink, as I was taught to do in elementary school at Sacred Heart School along side great teachers!!! The last I checked, the outdoor rinks are NOT up and running, at least not at broad view park or optimist park. I can understand mr. Houle if this causes excessive noise after hours, but please let children be children and play as you and your children once did.
It is shameful, that healthy kids and fun activity would be a profitable event, when these amazing people would provide our children with something money can not buy!!!!! I believe, I just lost hope, for our society!!!!!! If people do not want noise, move to the counteyside!!!! Sometime it is just stupidity that rules over common sense!! Just my opinion!!
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Cities should not act on a sole complaint, as now anybody can call up and voice a complaint, and it must be acted upon? If 3 or more neighbours complained, id see just cause, but just one? Too bad Mr. Houle didnt offer to pay for the boards and place a few painted advertising boards around..then the whole community benefits. Reading that letter I hope Mr. Houle does NOT place any snow on that community right of way as this would be an obstruction and in contravention also. So, remove the boards, and keep the ice..I surely hope the kids enjoy the ice and fresh air before its wrongfully removed.
I say as log as the kids are safe & having healthy fun & exercise,leave the rink where it is,nothing better than hearing the squeals & laughs of kids being kids.I cannot believe that one complaint started this B S
It makes sense.
If the rink is in the front yard there is the possibility of a puck hurting a pedestrian, car, or both.
{MODERATED} Isn’t it funny that the comments I’ve had to moderate from pseudonyms are hateful?
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What country do we live in. As a kid almost everyone had access to some sort of family rink. Now our lovely laws have prohibited street hockey and now they are probably going to outlaw family rinks. They may even have to prohibit lakes from freezing as well.
I use to make rinks in the island in the crescent that we lived on and seems all neighbours took advantage of it. I would do the boards and water and others plowed.
I agree with Mike M. It should be more than one complaint to activate the process. We had a “visit” from the bylaw guys in August because our dog was barking. He barked at our new vacuum cleaner for about two minutes. I guess one of the neighbours thought that was too much. We’re pretty sure we know who it is. Arghh!!!
Good on the Vincent Family for being active, involved parents. Makes you wonder if the complainant ever approached them to voice any concerns (although I can’t imagine any logical concern).
How often do we hear about our children not getting enough excercise or playing too many video games? How often do we hear about parents not having enough time (or desire) to be involved in their children’s extra-curricular activities?
This is shameful indeed. Good on you for starting this petition and good on those that have signed up. Hopefully common sense will prevail. Although it seems less and less common these days.
This insane for the city to make these people take down a homemade rink. This is what we grew up with in the old town of Iroquois, homemade rinks in the back yards and it didn’t hurt anyone!!
How sad is this children cant have fun anymore , cause of a crusty anti social neighbor, if the city sides with this neighbor theirs something seriously wrong lol what a bad message to send to the community don’t be kind to kids lol just side with crusty anti social people instead !!!!!!!! lol
Shame on the neighbour and City of Cornwall. More children need fitness activities. Hockey rinks are our past time and should remain.
Funny how I called the Bylaw Officer re: resident watering the lawn, resulting in the water reaching the sidewalk, causing mothers with strollers and children to use the road to avoid getting wet. NO ONE CALLED BACK! Priorities…hmm. We pay taxes and want the rink to stay
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{MODERATED} Isn’t it funny that the comments I’ve had to moderate from pseudonyms are hateful?
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I encourage more people to make rinks but in your backyard. A very healthy exercise. I had one as a child and I remember this engineer in Cornwall who had his own business and lived in Riverdale back in the 50’s, 60’s, etc. until he died. His little girls had a rink in the backyard and it was great – people lived healthy back then.
Hugger are you serious about a bylaw officer at your door because your dog barked for a couple of minutes at your vacuum cleaner? LOL LOL. I have a little furry friend Rudy the pomperanian dog who would bark at my daughter and I going by and the neighbors never complained. The owner had us to go over and introduce ourselves and the dog has been quiet ever since. Cornwall must be gone completely bats to complain about every little thing. The neighbors here do not complain about frivolous things unless of course it would be a rink in the front yard because that is against by laws. Build rinks in your backyards folks and I encourage that – a very healthy living. Best of luck to the lady involved here you have tons of people backing you up. I said before many times go and participate in what is going on at City Hall.
Open letter to Mr. Andre Houle.
We the people of Cornwall suggest that make a big cup of hot coffee, preferably Tim Hortons as they also support small family rinks and go over and cheer on kids you dont even know. When you meet parents from the street…smile and wish them a Merry Christmas. More smiling and shaking hands would be a great gesture also.When you walk back home Mr. Houle..the warm feeling you have inside is not from the coffee
SHAME ON YOU MR. AURELE HOULE – hope your business suffers on account of this – humbug 🙁
ALRIGT FIRST OF ALL BOYCOT THE “GRINCH’S BUSINESS”. Second of all it’s built on someone’s personal property, let them build what they what. The city takes everything else away from the kids and I mean everything else, what happened to all the outdoor pools at local parks? What happened to all the other outdoor activities that children in our city used to be able to do for free? Now it’s you wanna swim go pay money at the aquatics center or navcan. Money that some parents can’t afford, now they wanna take away these boards protecting cars, people and other person property of others all because of ONE COMPLAINT?! There are a lot of things I’d like to say to that. Let this family keep their rink. In the spirit of Christmas. Rumors are is that this family will move if the city makes this happen, are you Scrooges really going to do it?! Think of all those memories you and ur friends/family had skating on outdoor rinks. DONT TAKE IT AWAY FROM THE KIDS. THEY NEED TO BE MORE ACTIVE RIGHT? Or are all those obseity reports of growing numbers suddenly way down because too may kids are glued to technology indoors?
or I’m sorry do we want to have a higher crime rate? taking this away from the kids is wrong at least it’s keeping out of trouble, and out side where they need to be. Technology isn’t everything and it’s all kids are glued to these days, get out of the house enjoy the outdoors like us old people did when we were kids. Heck dust off your skates and go join them. It’s fun!!
We made CTV news sadly. A shame they didn’t point to the petition. http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ontario-family-told-to-get-rid-of-hockey-rink-on-front-lawn-1.2160818#commentsForm-592515
Let me remind you that this is “CANADA”. The neighbour is bad enough. Laws don’t replace common sense. Cornwall city counsel should apologize. Leave the kids alone. A local lawyer should be jumping all over this one.
I just listened to the interview tonight. As much as I respect that each person is entitled to their own opinion, as is the neighbour who was interviewed, I only had one comment about the phone interview. In my own opinion, I disagree with the fact that people will not want to buy property in that area. If anything, the value of the surrounding area’s home would INCREASE for any young family with children who enjoy hockey. If I was a family with school-aged children who played hockey, looking for a home to buy in a beautiful area, close to the hospital, close to local schools but with no access to a rink and there was a house for sale on this street, I may even consider paying more than the property’s worth to be able to befriend the Vincents and know that my children are safe, close to home and playing outdoors… Just my opinion…
This is absolutely absurd what the city is doing.My wife and I were planning on moving to Cornwall, as it’s my birthplace. But after reading this I am seriously contemplating on not moving back to Cornwall. I think I’ll be moving to Newington instead.
{MODERATED} Isn’t it funny that the comments I’ve had to moderate from pseudonyms are hateful?
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I guess the city is in a tough spot on this. They pretty much have to enforce all bylaws, especially if someone files a complaint. Judging from the amazing number of names on the petition, I imagine Mr. Houle will see a decline in business at least for a while.
Furtz…we agree again. Jeez I`m starting to agree with you almost as much as I agree with Jules. Is that a good thing?
Yes, as soon as a complaint is filed they have to take corrective action. Just ask our neighbour, whom I call the bylaw neighbour. She called the bylaw office in August because our dog was barking for two minutes. The good thing is her house is up for sale. But she didn`t call the bylaw office on all the other dogs on the street that bark “èxcessively.”
Furtz even though Aurèle Houle became the grintch of Christmas past I don’t want to see anybody’s business wrecked. Nobody knows what I know that is coming and nobody can live the way we live here in Ottawa. I pray the Good Lord. It is a year that my husband lost his eldest sister and we are crying here. I am wetting my keyboard. Good health is the most important of all.
From what I’m reading, it’s the stakes driven into the ground to support the boards that the city objects to. Maybe sandbags would solve the problem.
I’m sorry to hear that Jules. Losing a sister must be hard. As far as Houle is concerned, I gather he has already made his fortune, and he won’t go hungry if business slows down for a few weeks.
Careful Hugger. You don’t want to become a commie pinko like me. 🙂
Unfortunately…the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Let’s just hope the other three get more squeaky. The by-law officer is just a policy pusher with no gumption about what is just a silly waste of tax payer money to even have him acknowledge the complaint. As long as this rink does not pose a danger to the community at large and the owners understand their risk and liability I say – let it be and Merry Christmas! In my community their is also a family Houle and they are both eerily similar in being a family of jerks. Too bad commonsense doesn’t play a role to know that if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck then chances are it is a duck! Good-luck to the community. (MODERATED}
Wise descision Wayne Scott……..Why would you move your kids to \pedville …..idiotville…..
I grew up in the City of Nepean and played road hockey along with just about every other kid in the neighbourhood. When a car came we cleared off, let the car(s) go by and then with hardly a missed beat were back at it. Great times! Several years ago road hockey was banned in Ottawa.
I guess this situation is a sign of the times and indicative of how if we look for things to complain about invariably we can find something. Damn kids can’t they just grow up get fat and lazy and complain about nothing like the rest of us?
Marc Carriere….it’s attitudes like the one you just stated “Wise descision Wayne Scott……..Why would you move your kids to \pedville …..idiotville…..” that keeps Cornwall from moving forward.
No more gas for me from Aurele Houle and…
PetroCan
1520 Vincent Massey Drive
Cornwall, ON K6H 5R6
Another fine member of Cornwall’s Chamber of Commerce.
(http://web.cornwallchamber.com/Gas-Stations/Massey-Place-Petro-Canada-1087)
Hugger, Cornwall’s government and community leaders are either backward or don’t know which way is forward… that’s it, that’s all.
Simon no more gas from Petro and I am boycotting Farm Boy because of one of their siblings putting down Jamie and CFN. We shop elsewhere and just as good. The culprit who brought it down is Pierre Bellemare and they own all the Farm Boy Stores. No tanks I shop elsewhere and believe me we used to spend a lot of money at their store nearby but no more. No tanks. I went to high school with Daniel. Non merci Daniel.
Simon since when has Cornwall’s government and community leaders knew which way is up. Cornwall stayed way down for good reasons. Cornwall has a huge dump that Domtar left them as a going away present full of the worst kinds of chemicals for their ground water and to breathe. Take a good deep breath folks now breathe in and enjoy it. Enjoy plenty of cornholing while you can.
Jules Domtar only did what the city of Cornwall permitted or enabled them to do. The location and type of dump was granted by the province to the city of Cornwall for the benefit of Domtar or its assignees. The mayor and councilors of the day passed approval for the dump it was not forced on the city by the province.
People forget the truth conveniently and wrongly bash an industry which provided above average wages to over a thousand families for decades.
Anyone planning to be on Monaco Crescent January 5th to witness one of the councils first decision making capabilities in action?
Sure, I’ll be on Monaco… and I trust that CFN will have a twitter network to warn us if a city works crew shows up early… CTV coming?
I’m agreeing with David Oldham here. Domtar only did what they were allowed to do by city / provincial laws. Now, whether that was the right thing ethically then and now is a different story. As for that monstrosity Big Ben. I do not understand how the MOE and the city can allow it to continue to exist and grow. At some point it is going to have to be removed and cleaned up. As well the cleanup will involve any and all side effects of it.
In regard to the rink I don’t think anything will happen tomorrow, Jan. 5, the date given by the city for the rink to be removed.
It was said long, long ago that…
“”Everything is permissible” — but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”–but not everything is constructive.”
“Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.”
Domtar employees at head office and others working at the Cornwall mill were reckless and negligent in how their poisonous actions would affect the men women and children of Cornwall, then and now.
There is no excusing their actions then, nor their refusal to take responsibility now.
Sure enough, the provincial government has also been negligent, allowing the continued dumping of toxic waste in Cornwall’s Big Ben dump, knowing full well that toxic runoff and leachate is flowing from the dump — and more worrisome — that PARIS Holdings and Gerry Rose (on record for illegally dumping waste) are running the dump for Domtar.
(http://home.cogeco.ca/~vote/pageLoveCanal.html)
Jamie look at what Simon posted and click on everything and you will get plenty of material for your book(s). I knew about this for many years and have cliqued on everything and it will open your eyes to some of Cornwall’s realities. Anybody who worked for Domtar making those humoungous wages for just being a trained chimp pressing buttons all day but are subject for an early grave. My own brother-in-law who worked for Courthauls in the lab died early of lymphoma. Yes it is a death sentence and Domtar left a little gift behind to the people to remember them by.
Sometimes concessions are given to get an employer to operate in your town. Federal, provincial and municipal governments give concessions all the time to get a company to come into a country / province / city, etc. The problem with Domtar and Courtaulds, etc. was that we didn’t know what the lingering effects would be. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but….