Special section: half-year of real estate transfers - Westmount ...

12 – WESTMOUNT INDEPENDENT – May 4-5, 2010Police beatUnhappy homecoming for recently widowed tenantBy David GoldbergA woman returning to her apartmentafter a lengthy trip to get over the loss ofher husband was met with more badnews.The tenant had been away from January29 to April 26. On the day she returnedto her apartment at 4200 de MaisonneuveBlvd., the tenant noticed there had beensome water damage in her kitchen. Thenshe discovered something far more troubling.“The victim realized she was missingsome jewelry,” said Constable Adalbert Pimentel.“Two watches, two pairs of her latehusband’s cufflinks and two pins weregone. The total value for these items isover $5,000.”Police say there was no sign of forcedentry, and they believe that the robbery hasa connection to the work that was done inthe kitchen while the woman was away.“There was a leak in the kitchen anddamage to the tiles, so there is a goodchance that whoever was in the apartmentCompiled by Philip Cutler andMichelle WarnerWe asked students who live or go toschool in Westmount to answer the question:What makes a better pet: cat or dog?Here is what some students had to say.I would have to say dog. I have a nineyear-olddog at my house named Peter.Peter is awesome! Cats are more for calmpeople and dogs are more for people wholike going wild. For kids, dogs are betterbecause cats are just too calm. They are reallysoft outside and on the inside! Theydon’t want to play as often as dogs do.Dogs are able to communicate better thancats and are way better for families.Malich A., grade 7, Lower Canada College.Man’s best friendA dog makes a very nice pet. The dog isman’s best friend. It protects its master. Ithelps blind people and works for the police.The dog is not stupid except for mydog!Yann P., grade 7, Vanguard InterculturalHigh SchoolI don’t like cats. They are really lazy. Myfavourite pet is the dog because they areat that time had something to do with thistheft,” said Pimentel. “We spoke withbuilding’s administration and they assuredus that whoever did the work onlywent into the kitchen and nowhere else inthe apartment. But there is an active investigationongoing as to what happenedhere.”Pimentel said the case was similar toone he handled on Sherbrooke St.Unsafe safe“The woman went to Florida and lefther valuables in the safe. She had a cleaninglady who would come over while shewas away, and the woman had left a key tothe safe in her home,” he said. “When shereturned, the key was gone and so werethe items in the safe.”While the cleaning lady was notcharged in that case, Pimentel said that ifyou live in an apartment where the administrationcan enter your unit, or youhave people in your home while you’reaway, then proper precautions must betaken.When the Bell Rings:Westmount Students Speak Upreally cute, fun and intelligent. I like toplay with my dog because he has a lot ofenergy and never gets tired. My favouriteactivity is walking him.Annie B., grade 7, Vanguard InterculturalHigh SchoolThis week’s question: Should Westmountimprove its arena and pool facilities?And, if you have seen the latestdesign proposal, what do you think aboutit?Send your answers to this week’s question,along with your name, grade andschool to whenthebellrings@ymail.com.The deadline is Saturday, May 8 at noon.ExploringMontrealwith Kidsis backwith a NEWEDITION!Available at:Indigo • Chapters Coles • Kidlink“If you have valuables, like jewelry ofmonetary or sentimental value, then youshould consider keeping these items in asafety deposit box in your bank,” he said.“If you have a safe in your residence, donot leave the key in the home. Either takeit with you or leave it with a trusted familymember or friend.”Through the backdoor windowA female resident returned to herhouse on de Maisonneuve Blvd. on April15 only to discover that someone had ransackedher home.The victim told police she left her houseat 8 am and returned at 3:30 pm. Whenshe got home, she noticed her backdoorwindow had been smashed.“The suspect used a rock to break thewindow, then unlocked the door and enteredthe home,” said Pimentel. “Once inside,he searched the entire home beforeleaving through the same door.”Pimentel said the neighbourhood wascanvassed, but that no one saw or heardanything. Taken from the home were threewatches, one laptop computer and somejewelry, all with a value under $5,000.“One of the things we did after thecrime was to check with local pawn shopsto see if any of the items have been sold,but so far none of them have been,” saidPimentel. “Every month, area pawn shopssend receipts of all the items they buy toour analysis department, so we can verifyif any of the items have been stolen.”Meanwhile, Pimentel said residentsshould get out their digital cameras andtake some preventive measures.“On a rainy day, get out your cameraand take pictures of all your valuables, andinscribe the serial numbers of these itemsonto the photos,” he said. “Then if you arethe victim of a break-in, these pictures canbe extremely useful when it comes to recoveringyour property.”Anyone having any information aboutthe break-in in this case is asked to callInfo-Crime at 514.393.1133.Dutch queen and well-wisherscelebrate her birthdayThe Queen’s Birthday, a national holidayobserved each year in the Netherlands,was celebrated on April 30 in the lobby ofone of the towers at Westmount Square. Areception was hosted by Michael Polak, aProspect St. resident, who was recently appointedhonorary consul for the Netherlands.Among the guests were diplomatsOKKathryn OsborneDESIGN D’INTÉRIEUR INC.from many countries who are stationed inMontreal. The RCMP, whose Quebecheadquarters is only a block away, was representedby four officers, two of whomwere in full dress uniform. As traditiondictates, many of those attending wore orange,in honour of the royal House of Orange.See p. 1 for photo.Furniture tailored to your t aste and budgetWe custom-make sofas, love seats, armchairsand ottomans in your choice of our fabrics.ROBERT ALLEN WAVERLY®OSBORNE & LITTLEC O L E F A XA N D F O W L E RWe have 20 years of home decoratingservice specializing in slipcovers,upholstery, draperies, bedspreadsand duvet covers.So furnish your homeat Kathryn Osborne’s.Monday – Friday:9:30 am – 5:30 pmSaturday byappointment only.1357 avenue Greene, 2 e étage, Westmount, Québec H3Z 2A5Tél.: (514) 931-1357 • Fax: (514) 931-0101 • www.kathrynosbornedesign.com®