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h4 0 4 CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE Stephanie Ball was joined by MP for On- tario 'riding, Scott Fennell, as she can- vassed in north Whitby last Monday. NDP CANDIDATE Sarah Kelly canvassed in 'downtown Whitby last week with some help for Hamilton Mp Marion Dewar, former mayor of Ot- tawa. Above, Dewar and Kelly (center) chat with a downtown merchant. LIBERAL CANDIDATE Allan Furlong hands balloons out in front of the 'Whitby Mall last Saturday Where he was can- vassing Free press photo Priorities named as voting day arrives By MIKE JOHNSTON With tomorrow (Thursday) elec- tion day in Ontario, Durham Centre candidates interviewed by the Free Press zeroed in on what they feel are the important issues in Durham Centre. Canvassing at the Whitby Mall on Saturday, Liberal candidate Allan Furlong said the extension of the GO train to Oshawa and acute care beds for Whitby General Hospital are two important issues. "Whitby General Hospital will not close down as long as I am the Durham Centre MPP. That will not happen," said Furlong, alluding to comments that the hospital, not receiving the 43 acute care beds it had requested, may have to close in the future. Furlong says if elected, he will approach the Minister of Health and lobby for the beds. Last week, the Province allocated 36 chronic beds for Whitby General Hospital but failed to allocate any acute, or short term, care beds. Hospital of- ficials have publicly condemned the decision. Conservative candidate Stephanie Ball also says the allocation is an important issue. "I can't understand why Whitby was left out," she said while can- vassing in north Whitby Monday af- ternoon. Ball, too, said she would lobby on behalf of the hospital. Teachers' strike averted The threat of a strike by Durham's 1,200 secondary school teachers was averted at the eleven- th hour and students returned to school after the summer recess on Tuesday morning as scheduled. A tentative agreement was reached at 4 a.m. Saturday mor- ning after a marathon 30 hours of non-stop bargaining. Terms of the agreement will not be released by either side until ratified by the Durham Board of Education on Monday, Sept. 14, and by teachers on Friday; Sept. 18. Contract talks between the two sides had dragged on for almost 18 months and the secondary teachers have been without a contract for more than a year. Last May, SEEPAGE2 Brooklin lacrosse seniors head west to national championship • see pages 18,19, 20 "I would put the needs of Whitby forward to the government." Bal also said transportation is an important issue to Durham Centre. She said the extension of the GO train was a. Conservative initiative but she would make sure the aover- nment of the day kept its promise to extend the GO train. She said, however, Premier David Peter- son's promise of extension by 1991 is not soon enough. She also called for a speed-up in construction of the 407 and expansion of the 401. NDP candidate Scah Kelly, as did the other two candidates, said education is -an important issue, "especially in Whitby." . Kelly said she would like to see special grants to build schools which would get rid of a number of portables and cut down on the need to bus students to schools outside their areas. "This is a high growth area and it should have some priority," she says. Kelly and Ball said the environ- ment is another important issue. Kelly stuck to her party line and said pollutors should be responsible for cleaning-up their "mess" no matter what the cost. She said company clean-up would go a long way to ensure that polluting would not happen again. Ball noted Conservative leader Larry Grossman has indicated second time wil ful offenders would be jailed. "The environment is one of the most precious issues we have to deal with. We have to take steps now before the problem gets wor- se," Ball said. While mentioning issues such as bilingualism and the deficit, Furlong said that for the most part, no issue has come up and "grab- bed" him. "People at the doors are not asking many questions, they are just talking politics," he said. But Ball disagreed. She said residents of Durham Centre are concerned about policies. Kelly also said driver-run auto insurance is an issue. She said many people have asked her about the plan, ad- ding that the NDP, by making it an election issue, have already done a lot to lower prices. Kelly said the party has stayed away from announcing the cost of the plan because "it is hard to give a blanket amount." No matter who wins in Durham Centre, all three candidates said they have learned a lot about the riding during campaigning. "There are a lot of problems here," said Kelly. Ball says Whitby residents have the same concerns as their coun- terparts in Oshawa who comprise Durham Centre. "People are concerned about the future," she said. Furlorig said he will remember the courteous response he has always received at doors while canvassing. However, he said that with summer almost over, it is only in the past couple of days that people are paying attention to the election. "I think most people have made up their minds by now who they will vote for and sitting here right now (Saturday afternoon) I think I am going to win," said Furlong. EAC members resign over PC advertisement Whitby's Education Action Committee, a parent group established earlier this year, is having problems after the resignation of the president and one of the two vice presidents because of a Durham Centre Conservative candidate advertisement.last week for the provincial election. Dennis Fox, president of the committee, had even been working on Stephanie Ball's campaign. But at a recent press conference atten- ded by Ball, PC organizers, and committee members, he says he asked that the committee's name not be used in affiliation with any party. The name was mentioned, to identify committee vice president Kathy Rowell, who, along with Fox, was included in a photo in the ad. Both attended the press con- ference. "What a joke! Did they ask me if they could publish my picture in the press? No. Did they use the-name Education Action Committee? Yes," states Fox, who says he has been "working like hell" for the other two candidates, NDP Sarah Kelly and Liberal Allan Furlong, since the advertisement. Mark Flewelling, who is vice president, has also resiened ALL THE WAY! REDMEN 1 1111111ii tr Heritage Month in Whitby 0 20 page pullout between pages 14 & 15 Little Theatre members prepare for new season See pages 14.& 15 Durham East candidates review See pages 12 & 17 1 1 SEE PAGE 16 m à& m à& àmàt