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PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1985, WHITBY FREF PRESS Published every Wednesday by..M. Publishing Communlty Editor and Photography Inc. Phone 668-6111 VALERIE COWEN W J 'yd The Free Press Building, Advertlslng Manager Editor î:îî~13 Brock Street North, eodCaoMi Voice of the County Town Michael Ian Burgess, Pubisher - Managing Ed P.O. Box 206, whitby, OiNtleon No 53ai The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Witbyesidents for Whitby residents.itio And keep Durham Centre op Government should keep Despite a pledge made by Premier David Peter- son before he assumed the mantle of power last month, it seems that the new Liberal provincial government is not going to delay (or even cancel) the closure of Whitby's Durham Centre for the Developmentally Handicapped. Earlier this year, then Opposition Leader Peter- son toured the facility with Durham West Liberal Party candidate Brian Evans. After the tour, Peter- son pledged support for Evans' position which was to delay the closure until a study of its impact could be completed. However, the new Minister of Community and Social Services, John Sweeney told the Free Press in a recent interview that the closure will go I came across a fascinating series of articles in the current "National Geographic" magazine recen- tly about the exploration of three sunken Basque galleons in the waters off Labrador. The wrecks have not yet been precisely dated, but their presence makes It at least possible that there was a thriving Basque whallng station at Red Bay, 15 miles across the Straits of Belle Isle from Newfoundland's nor- thern tip, before Jacques Cartier made his so-called voyage of discovery In 1534. Most of what we hear about the Basques these days has to do with the violence of extremists who want to create an independent Basque state. And so I read a companion article on Basque history with mounting lnterest. I knew that the Basque homeland straddles the crest of the western Pyreness between France and Spain, and that there are about three million of them. I didn't know that they themselves Euskaldunak, their country Euskal-Herria, and their language Euskara. I didn't know that they have been in the Pyrenees for at least 5,000 years and that they have preserved their identity through a political and military maelstrom that has swirled over them since they got there. No one knows where they came from, but scholars who have studied their unique language say that although they are obviously Caucasian, they are a distinct ethnic group, not related in any way to the Indo-Europeans who inhabit the rest of the con- tinent. Scientists point out that type B blood is prac- tically nonexistent among Basques, and they have one of the highest incidences of 0 type blood in Europe. More important, according to the experts, they have the highest Rh-negative factor of any of the world's peoples. There is no one else like them, anywhere. And it was this unbending, unyielding little race which routinely set off from the Bay of Biscay to cross the howling Atlantic in cockleshell galleons perhaps even before Jacques Cartier. As far as I know, I have no Basque blood in me, but I arn type 0 and Rh- negative, so I dare to hope. ahead as planned next March 31. During that interview, Sweeney indicated that reports submitted to him have indicated that five other similar facilities across the province have not had any detrimental impacts on the mentally handicapped persons who were placed into the community or on the community Itself. "The response from parents (and others) seems to be fairly positive," the nminister told us while adding that 17 former residents of the Durham Centre have been placed In group homes operated by the Ajax-Pickering-Whitby Association for the Mentally Retarded without any major problems. Sweeney also re-affirmed his government's support for the principle of de-institutionalization and doesn't see any reason to delay Durham Cen- tre's closure at this time. "My sense is this is the right direction to go," he said, "and unless I get some evidence to the contrary, I'm going to support It." That's fair enough. However, Durham Centre's closure still leaves many unanswered questions. The minister couldn't say what the future of Brock Stop - a vocational workshop operated by the centre in downtown Whitby - was, although to his credit, Sweeney did say he didn't know of any reason why it should close. Elsewhere in today's edition, Ken Thibeau, president of Local 332 of the Ontario Public Ser- vice Employees Union (OPSEU) - which represents the 90 people employed at the centre - has ex- pressed fears that group homes will not be available for many of the residents before the March 31 closure date. His local is also concerned that many of the centre's residents are simply not able to live in a community setting. The closure, he maintains, means that people living in Durham Region will not have a facility to care for their mentally retar. ded family members in this area. en its proLise Thlbeau Is also angry at the government for what he believes Is a backtracking of their pre- election promises. Well, so are we. There are still far too many unanswered questions surroundIng the closure. Too much Is unknown at this time and with the closure scheduled to take place In only eight months time they had better be found quickly. This newspaper would also like to point out that the familles of centre's retarded residents have yet to come out publicly and support the plan. Last we heard, they still oppose it and are afraid that their loved ones will not receive the care they need and deserve. We do not think that any individual or group op- poses the concept of de-institutionalization. Developmentally handicapped persons have a right to live In the community and to be part of the community. No one is denying that. (So maybe they could purchase some houses in West Lynde, Otter Creek and Bluegrass Meadows to start.) But these people do need special care. They need to have, in place, proper support services before they are ready to become part of the com- munity. Whether those services are available or will be available prior to the closure is still a matter of public debate. It would be in the best interests of not only the developmentally handicapped residents of Durham Centre but of the community as a whole if the closure was delayed until the government can guarantee publicly that the services and care they need is in place. That was the essence of David Peterson's promise - let's ail hope that his government finds itself in a position to carry it out. But then promises are easily made by politicians, when they don't think they will ever have to be asked to carry them out. L-