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PAGE' Wl ITPFREE PRESS. WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 1987 ~I12J2~•S r Published every Wednesday DOUG ANDERSON Published every wednesday By 677209 Ontario Inc. Phone: 668.6111 VOICE OF THE COUNTY TOWN DOUG ANDERSON Publisher MAURICE PIFHER Editor PETER IRVINE Advertising Manager Th. nhtli l-g for~.rii<.>1 ei in a i ~IEa ai »~ li »r.alI o ii I e.<tii Summer, and school is still a distant thought for many but for some Whitby parents, trustees and a councillor who met last week to discuss various concerns relating to student safety and school planning. t's encouraging to see at least some dialogue between the Town and trustees - two 'sides often at odds over who should provide what to make walks to and from school safer. And trustee John Buchanan explained the board's difficulty in recommending. school sites for growth areas - problems such as undetailed subdivision ap- plication rnaps, or development plans that differ Media unobjective m To the editor: The awesome and frankly somewhat frightening power of the press to shape and mould the opinions of its readers has never been more evident than is the case today. As the Liberal/NDP accord becomes part of this province's history I marvel yet feel despair when reviewing the political analysis which purports to objec- tively address this unique period in our history. It is somewhat disconcerting to conclude that style has taken precedence over substance in the assessment of our leaders. Let us examine the performance of our premier. Here is a man who has suggested that the former premier of this province has the capacity to become a criminal; has referred toa histreasurer as a "retard," a tasteless and insen- sitive remark; and has resorted to the lowest form of politics in spreading rumor and innuendo concerning the marital status of the leader of the opposition. Mr. Peterson's penchant for misleading the public is a well' documented fact. The examples are legion. He publicly decried the imposition of the softwood lumber tax while at the very same time one of his ministers was authoring a let- ter in support of this measure to his federal counterpart. Publicly the premier claims to have little or no knowledge concerning the free trade negotiations. He went to great lengths to position himself as the protector of the auto pact. Con- trary to this impression, Mr. Reisman, Canada's chief trade negotiator, has confirmed that Mr. Peterson has been made aware of all of the items which are on the table vis-a-vis free trade and has been kept abreast of developments on an ongoing basis. It would seem that the truth and Mr. Peterson are not constant companions. Here we have a man who in 1983 crusaded on behalf of McClure Crescent residents referring to the Tory Government as "callous" for Continue dialogue from the board as to where a school should locate. Buchanan also stated what may become a more strict board policy: it is the parent's responsibility to get a child to school. Without more bussing,; that means more requests to the Town to provide crossing guards. The Town has been reluctant to hire too many guards to meet what they feel is a portrayal they failed to spend less than a third of that amount. They promised to increase the province's share of educational funding and in fact they have reduced their share from 48% ta 46%. We have a premier who has made a commit- ment that no educationally qualified student would fail to find a place in an Ontario university. Two thousand such individuals have felt the personal despair associated with the letters of rejection which they have received from univer- sities throughout this province. One must seriously question the value of the premier's word. Oh yes, we have had legislation dealing with equal pay for work of equal value. Pension legislation nat having compensated these residents for the presence of radioactive soil. Four years later as premier of this province his government has gone ta caurt ta fight paying the very compensation he urged while serving as leader of the Opposition. One must conclude that Mr. Peterson is a man without personal integrity, an opportunist of the worst kinds. The premier was party ta a con- stitutional accord which many feel will seriously weaken the nation. As a result of publicand political pressure, Mr. Peterson has agreed to hold hearings yet he has publicly stated that he has absolutely noin- tention of altering one ward of this accord.' despite the arguments which may be brought forwa'rd during the course of the hearing process - the ultîmate flim-flam! Three of Mr. Peterson's Cabinet ministers have resigned for various iridiscretions. His government con- tinues to refuse to rlease the report by consultant Jack Biddell into the defunct WEA Corp. This, despite the fact that Mr. Biddell has confirmed that his report was com- plete in February and could be .ma4e public. T Minister of Housing has rio idea as to the number of publicly assisted housing starts initiated during his government's tenure. The Minister for the Disabled ap- parently has no knowledge of the poverty line in Ontario. Mr. Peter- son's government promised beer in the corner stores, a dubious measure at best, and then demon- strated its lack of political will and then proposed foisting the ultimate decision onto the shoulders of municipal politicians. We have a government which identified education as a maior challenge, a challenge requiring innovative, creative approaches to prepare our children for the demands of the 21st century. This government was going to address these needs and yet, after having identified the need for $900 million of educationally justified expenses, LETTERS The Whitby Free Press welcomes letters to the Editor on any subject of concern to our readers. Letters should be brief and to the point - rarely more than 300 words. All letters must be accompanied by the name, address and phone number of the writer; however, on request, your name may be withheld from publication if we agree that there is a valid reason. The paper reserves the right to reject or edit ail letters. Send to: The Editor, Whitby Free Press, Box 206, Whitby, Ontario LIN 5S1 or drop through our mailslot at 131 Brock St. N. To the editor: I read Roxanne Reveler's column about ber garden. I also have a large garden in Brooklin and thought it might be interesting to Write about what I found in mine. Last year wbile digging through my sunflowers I found a U.S.A. one- cent piece, dated 1849. It has 13 stars on it. I found this on July 10, school concern. Communication between councillors and trustees should continue just as the growth con- tinues in Whitby that is bringing more students, more traffic and increased concern by parents about accommodation and safety. The Education Action Committee, a parent group, has planned another get-together for Sep- tember when, again, both Town and board wil be fully back in action. Let's'hope for more par- ticipation from Town councillors and some suggestions as to our representatives can better work togetherto adapt to growth in Whitby. of Premier Peterson has been improved and safety standards in the workplace have been upgraded. Mr. Peterson will claim credit for all of these initiatives but in fact they are.due to the persistence of Mr. Rae and his NDP colleagues. Mr. Peterson's public acceptance is due in large part to the failure of the media to present an objective portrayal of his performance and the performance of his gover- nment. On balance, this 'is not a man to be trusted with the future of this province. He has demon- strated a woeful lack of integrity, an inability to address the citizens of this province- in a forthright, direct manner; he is, for the most part, surrounded by incompetents. Yet, despite his many shor- tcomings, the man has style and it is a sad commentary on our society that style, rather than substance, has become the measure of the man. You sir, the guardians of truth, have failed the citizens of this province. You have allowed your- selves to become mesmerized by style and have. failed to note the alarming absence of substance associated with this man to whom we have entrusted the destiny of our province. We have failed our- selves'and you, in turn, have failed your readers. In the end, we will get the government that we deserve which will be much less than is in fact required. Ed Buffett Whitby, Ont. Old coins found in garden 1986. This year in the sunflowers, on July 2, 1987, I found a one-penny Quebec bank token dated 1852. On the other side it says Province du Canada, deux sous. My garden is at the back of 1 Princess St., Brooklin and thought you and your readers might be in- terested in these coins. Roxanne mentioned ber tall tomato plants in ber column. I have three pumpkin plants which I got from Nova Scotia. They are sup- pose to reach 600 lbs. I'l know in October, as they have a good start. Last year I got one up to 100 lbs. R.M. Preston Whitby 1 ........... rhe Free Press Building 131 Brock Street North P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont.