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PAGE 6. WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 27,1I986. WHITBY FREE PRESS Board superi >s Backs uei n- At Monday night's ento business nd meeting of the board urer to the Backus beard the direc- iam Board of tor of education, the ation, wlll retire chairman 0f' the board, May. and the vice-chairman PUTALLYOUR'BA'ITERY EATERS' ON THE SANYO DIET WITH SANYO RECHARGEABLES Sb ANyvO Ra tendE treas Durh Educ next1 lisROOKLIN FLOUR MILLS _ "Country Store Atmosphere"l CHOCOLATE CHIPS 'N BRAN A LUNCHBOXTREAT! *5 tsp. baklng powder * 3/ tsp. sait * 1 cup white sugar * 1/ cup chocolate ch ips (or butterscotch), *2 eggs, weii beaten 1 cup miik * 1 tsp.vanila *'1/2 cup vegetabie oil Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet Ingredient.c Add wet ta dry to blond (12 large muff Ins) Bake 375 for 20 min. 'ingredients and "Muffins" cookbook 655-4851 avaiiabieiln Miii store. 23 CASSELS RD. E., BROOKLIN BROOKLIN CASSELS RD E. 12 1WHITBY retitres ail voice their regrets at bis approacbing retirement. "My respect for Ross bas steadily increased over the years," Ian Brown, vice-chairman said. "The board will not be the same witbout Ross around," Chairman Ruth Lafarga said. "Ross is a quiet gen- tleman who's always there wben you need him. I wish hlm well in retirement." Backus bimself ad- mitted, <It will be dif- ficuit to drive by this building (board office) and realize I have no further connection with "I've been fearful of this day," Stephen Saywell, a long-time trustee and former chairman of the board, said. "I was one of tbe three who interviewed Ross for tbe job. I've ilways adrnired hlm, and V'I miss hlm very rnuch." On Marcb 1, 1987, Backus will have been with the board 37 years. BrSk1 in By lines ByBE T-JEAN BLYT Ê&1 CaIi 65-3679 1lth items for this ceolumn Last fail David Peterson Ioosened restrictions in the conflict of lnterest guidelines for members of the provincial cabinet. Under Peterson's system, private companies are allowed to deal with the goverument despite the fact that a minister and his or ber spouse may own an interest inx the concern. Ministers and tbeir spouse may own an interest in the concern. Minsters and their spouses are, of course, expected to put their holdings in a blind trust. Haif a year later, Peterson's guidelines have been called into serious question. Two Liberal cabinet ninisters have resigned. Peterson bas called on former Lieutenant Governor John Aird to conduct a review of his conflict of interest regulations. Ontario's conflict of interest guidelines were first set up inx 1972 by then Premier William Davis. Under the Davis gwidelines any private company in wbicb a cabinet minister or spouse bad an interest were prohibited from doing business with the Ontario Government. ln 1984 aFederal task force co-chaired by Michael Starr and Mitchell Sharp recommended the creation of an Office of Public Sector Ethics, headed by an independent adjudicator to oversee conflict rules. Even 'the pro-liberal Toronto Star bas suggested that this kind of organization may benefit Ontario. But studies, and the creation of an office of Public Sector Etbics does not remove the fact tbat two members of David Peterson's cabinet have been Stump costs Board $5,500 By JAN DODGE Free Press Staff An old tree stump will raise the cost of the ad- dition to R.A. Sennett Public School by more than $5,5W0. At Monday nigbt's meeting of the Durham Board of Education trustees approved an additional cost of $5,676.23 to cover tbe removal of a huge stump found under the floor and part of the footings of the General Purpose Room addition. After removal it was necessary to use con- crete as fill to improve bearing support. However, Jim Russell, superintendent of plant, says the ad- dition and renovations to the old building in- cluding equipment will still not go above the budgeted cost of $685,200. The stump removal will be taken care of by the three per- cent contingency fee in- cluded in budgeting for the project. Besides the addition of the 3,100 square foot general purpose room to the King St. school, extensive renovations to the old building are in progress. A new office, a staff room, and an academic resource room are just part of the changes. "There bas been a lot of work in the classrooms and througbout the building to update the fire àtan- dards to meet requirements for the fire marshall and the building code," Russell said. "We bave to get the classrooms and corridors done, and free up the exits for the children by September 2."1 Russell says that can be done, but it will be tight. "We may bave to work ail weekend. " The general purpose rooni sbould be open for use by mid October, Russell said. Low aleohol pop By JAN DODGE Free Press Staff Dont worry about the sale of low alcoholic beverages to children, Monte Kwinter, Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations says. In a reply ta the Durham Board of Education's letter of concern over the availability of low alcoholic beverages (those containing less than one percent alcohol by weight) to children, Kwinter referred to the Addiction Research Foundation. He said the foundation pointed out extreme circumstances such as very rapid con- sumption on an empty stomacb would bave ta ha present in order for small cbildren ta have problems. It would be SEE PG. 7 NEW & USED OFFICE FURNITUREI -BUY-RENT-SELL-LEASE- forced to resign because of allegations of conflict of interest. When Mr. Peterson became Premier, be changed the rules for conflict guidelines. In January he boasted that bis guldelines were much tougber than those set up by tbe Davis government. He sald bis goverrnent was "1squeaky dlean". Less than six months later two members of bis cabinet had resigned, and a cloud of suspicion hangs over the Peterson government. (How did this hap- pen?) It bappened because Mr. Peterson loosened the confiict of interest guldelines and then did not take the time to ensure that these guldelix'es were properly enforced. Inx addition some mnembers of the Peterson cabinet apparently ignored the guidelines and continued to pursue their own business in- terests. Revlews and task forces wiil not excuse wbat bas bappened. Peterson's poor judgement i not checking to ensure that bis ministers were com- pletely free of any possible conflict bas tarnished the reputation of bis government. To support Rene Fontaine's contention, as Peter- son bais, that by seeking re-election lin bis riding of Cochrane North ail will be forgiven is simply to wink at a bendlng of guidelines that bis own gover- rnment hast put in place. In the Interval you, the tax- payer, wlll pay the significant cost of a by-election. Honest administration and tbe determination to be tough, even wltb your own coleagues, wil en- sure a government is dlean of any conflict of ln- terest violations. William Davis was able to set guidelines and ensure tbey were enforced. David Peterson, it seems, wlll not or cannot. PUBLIC INFORMATION NOTICE The Ontario Task Force on Roomers, Boarders and Lodgers Wlll old a public meeting ln the City of Oshawa on Tuesday, July 22, as part of its study into low-cost accommodation for single persons. The meeting, wbich begins at 7:30 p.m. in the City Hall, Coundil Chambers, 50 Centre St. S., is one of 10 public meetings the task force will conduct lin cities across the province tis summer.