By Bob Stewart

It’s safe to say most of the schoolchildren at LaSalle’s Remembrance Day ceremonies at Cenotaph Park don’t know anyone who fought or died in a Canadian War.

In one sense, they are blessed. But in another sense, it’s the younger generations who will need to be shown how to remember that this blessing came at a price.

The men and women who served in the Canadian Forces “were not superheros,” said Sandwich Secondary prime minister Dante Capaldi during the ceremony. “They were ordinary people just like us... but with extraordinary courage.”

A small group of veterans from Royal Canadian Legion Branch 459 were on hand for the wreath laying ceremony.

Mayor Gary Baxter said: “We owe a debt of gratitude we cannot repay,” and encouraged the children gathered to be inspired by the actions of those who served and continue to serve.

We’re all called on in different ways throughout our lives,” Baxter said. “The world has changed a lot over the years, but we still continue to face some of the same dangers.”  

By Bob Stewart

The Town of LaSalle has accepted an offer from a major retailer and will sell off the municipal lands on which town hall, aministration offices, the library, police and fire stations currently sit.

Mayor Gary Baxter made the announcement of the sale of the 4.4 hectare (11 acre) parcel of land on the northeast corner of Malden Road and Normandy Steet at the Nov. 11 town council meeting.

The announcement comes amidst a week of speculation as to whether rumours of such a move were true, and who the buyer might be.

Baxter said details of the sale could not be released until January 2009. Municipal buildings will be moving onto Vollmer Complex lands.

The plot of land where the former St. Paul’s Elementary School stood on Malden Rd.—where the new Rexall pharmacy has been built—sold for approximately $300,000 two years ago.

Rumours that town hall was for sale and slated for the wrecking ball began to circulate when the ongoing Malden Rd. improvement study showed the road being widened to five lanes between the Turkey Creek and Cahill Drain bridges, cutting right through town hall.

With questions of the suitability of the size of the LaSalle library, and outgrowing the current police and fire stations already on the table, the timing of the offer to buy the land and the widening of the road seem fortuitous.

Baxter couldn’t agree more. “The timing is right,” he said. “We have one hundred and eighty-nine acres at the Vollmer Complex we need to open up. We’ve got to bring energy to our town centre. It’s pretty significant for (the town) to even entertain this. It has to be a pretty good opportunity for us, because it’s going to be gruelling while the work is being done.”

While it remains to be seen how residents will respond to the sale and relocation of so many civic features, at least one business owner in the vicinity is thrilled at the prospect of a major retail development going up at the corner of Malden Rd. and Normandy St.

“That’s going to blow this whole corner open,” said a visibly happy Bryan Craner, owner of Schwab’s Meats and Deli in the LaSalle Centre plaza at Malden Rd. and Sprucewood Avenue. “It will draw people here and keep people out of Detroit. That’s great news.”