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B Mike Johnston Gary errema was elected to his fourth term as Durham Region chairman at the in- augural meeting of regional council last week. Herrema was first elected chairman in 1980 and was un- challenged in this year's election. "This will not be an easythree years," he said of the upcoming term of office for regional council members. "We have been able to stall and say no on a lot of issues that we wil now have to deal with," said Herrema in his opening address to council. He cited an interim location for a landfill ite as the most publicized issue but noted the 'real" issues will be roads finrance, housing, and sewer an< water. "Roads and housin will be our greatest priority. eousing ý costs are way out of hand," said GARY HERREMA Herrema. He said a special committee, comprised of members of the Region's four standing commit- tees, will be established to deter- mine the best interim location for a waste disposal site. Herrema said the committee will work in-camera until it reports to works committee with its recommendation. He expects the findings to be made public by March 1. Herrema also wants the Region to establish a task force to study the effects of free trade on thé Region. "There will be dramatic changes due to free trade and we have to research those changes." He said the task force will identify what markets the Region could target to attract businesses as a result of free trade. He expects the study to cost between $50,000 anß' $60,000. «While General Motors is one of the greatest companies in Canada, we don't want to be dragged into a region that has only one industry." Herrema said a food process- ing company, providing approxi- mately 1,000 jobs will be moving into the Region somewhere along the lakefront. He also wants to see the 911 emergency system operating within the next three years. Whitby's regional councillors all gained positions on their pre- ferred committees. Tom Edwards returns to social services committee but was un- successul in his bid to chair the committee. He lost to Newcastle councillor Diane Hamre, who chaired the committee last term. Mayor Bob Attersley returns to SEE PAGE 4 MARK JACKSON was one of the children decorat- ing cookies as. part of the downtown BIA's Vie- torian Christmas children's party at the library last Friday, one of the events held thus far. Future events include a presentation of "The Nutcracker" by the Studio of Performing Arts and Dance, Brock St. N., on Friday, Dec. 16, at 5 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., carolling by community groups and Santa's Workshop at the four corners. Frec Press photo Red Cross Homemakers Woman dies when struck by train A 57-year-old Whitby woman died last Friday afternoon when she was hit by a freight train on the CPR tracks at the east end of Otter Creek. It took police until Saturday, Dec. 10 to fdentify the body. Police say the woman was struck by a train on the tracks between Coronation Rd. and. Cochrane St. Dead is Jean, Taverner, 57, 45 Goldring Dr. Brooklin resident ies in acci ent A 54-year-old Brooklin woman, was killed in Ajax last Frida ·morning when the car in whic she was a passen ger collided with a Town of Ajax dumptruck. Durhan Regional Police say the car was heading westbound on Taunton Rd. at 11:40 a.m. when the accident occurred. Alice Morrin, 54, of 6743 Coch- rane St., was pronounced dead at the Ajax/ Pickering hospital. Her husband, John Joseph Morrin, 64, was also treated at the hospi- tal for minor injuries. The driver of the dump truck, William John Pelky, 46, of Cedar St., Ajax, was charged with care- less driving and failing to yield. Lack of funding could end local service By Debbie Luchuk Many Durham Region resi- dents requiring home care may be without necessary services if the Red Cross Homemaker Ser- vice is allowed to die an untimely death by the Ministry of Health. Homemakers provide in-home assistance with essential daily activities to seniors, the disabled and individuals recovering from acute or chronic conditions. Current provincial funding levels threaten the future of the service. The Red Cross Home- maker Service is projecting a deficit of $1.5 million as a result of government set service rates that do not reflect the actual costs to provide service, accord- ing to the Red Cross. Locally, the Red Cross Home- maker Service is already operat- ing in a deficit situation, accord- ing to supervisor Cathy Maw. "As ofright now, we will not be accepting cases where we do not break even ( financially)," Maw said. "This (lack of funding) is going to influence a lot of people in rural areas where it costs more (to have homemaker services)." "As of Jan. 20, if we are not able to ensure that we will break even we will start an orderly withdrawal of service until our doors are closed by the end of June of 1989." The government, individuals Christmas 0 Carols inside todays issue and organizations purchase Homemaker services on an hourly basis from $7.90 to $10.03 per hour. Approximately 80 per cent of services are purc ased by the government. Approximately 90 per cent of the rate is paid in wages, salaries and benefits. Hospital care for such persons requiring chronic care is expen- sive to both the ill person and the Ontario health system. Director of finance at Whitby General Hospital, Eric Hanna, told The Free Press that even with an increase in chronic eare beds by 1991, the ever increasing, number of seniors requirng chronic care will not have their needs met in a traditional hospi- tal setting. The chronic care co-payment is $671 per month, or 8,052per annum, and Hanna said that private or semi-private accommo- dations cost more. The cost of chronic care at Whitby General each year is approximately $110,000 per year. "It costs $305 per day, and this is not what the patient is billed," Hanna said. "Hospitals have been allocated chronic care beds. But with the population aging, we're iot going tob e able to cope." Whitby General will have an additional 36 beds by 1991-92 to cope with the chronic care popu- lation, and other Durham hospi- tals will also receive more fund- ing for a few more chronic care beds by the same time. "There are definitely not going to be enough (beds)." However, in an address to the Durham District Health Council on June 24 of this ar, Health Minister Elinor Caplan said that the objective of reforms in the Ontario health system was to emphasize community health services. "This is our agenda for the future -appropriate care for the chronically ili, the effective use of technologies and procedures, pro- per roles for the care providers, the effective use of institutional resources and the development of community based resources," Cap an said. "Recognizing the tremendous potential new technology holds to SEE PAGE 4 Fourth term for Herrema Junior Citizen award nominee Page 20 AADD gives harsh message Page 30 'i