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Whitby Free Press, 20 Mar 1991, p. 17

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WH1TBY FREE PIRSS, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 1991, PAGE 17 Governmenta ccused ofslanting.,rindership,, costfiures FROM PAGE 16 trp9 rather than 550 différent drs, he added. As for Pagnue" lo'aim that the actual ndors ip onaPer borough-Toronto train would be 400 not 200, Donofrio disugeed. «Ân analysis habeen -done, if's my understanding it1s always ben used on 400 daily trips,» suid Donofrio. Wiie. Donofrio -conceded the initial $500,000 bus 'coat bas, increased, ho said this is unden- standable. "The original estimate was based on preliininary quotos from industry nopresentatives, specifics wero not conciuded," saidDonofrio. "Mfer the announcement we got into routing and acheduies, we got away from bail park ostimatesj." The now figure aiso iiicludes such coste, as advertising and ticet rodcton which were not part of the original estimate, said, ,Pagnuielo said the govennment is, mainga a bundor by wsilluset¶ie«As.passengers 'Trom 400 ridons the best you'll ;et la five' per cent, 20 pe"Ie, said Pagnuelo. Hesaid that *hile government studios indicatethe numnber of commutera, in the Toronto-Peter- borough corridor, there is notbiig te prove demand for buses. "Tho studios show the flow'of commuter traffic, thoy* don't show it warrants it (bus ser- vice)" »said Pagnuelo. Fohowin a meeting last Decomber, the association wrote Premier Bob Rae,' informing hM that it prefered no transit service te buses. Whiie botb Whitby and Scugog Township councilasiammed the« goveramentfor not- consulting^ aff'octed. munnicipalitios befone announcing the service. Councillor Ross Batten- who, moved the resolution at N<hitby council, was not awaro of a letter from the govorninent responding. te Whitbys concerns. However, Batten. pointed out' that a presentation on the bus proposai was recentiy made te councii's oporations conimittee. e Kinark: Servie heps.-children withemotional difficutie- By Trudie Zavadovlcs In Canada, childnen have a legal right te, medical troutment. It would appear that a child's right te, treatment for mental heaith 'disorders is.- somewbat leas of a priority iii Canada. According te,. Steven ý ýFinlay, director of tho Durham prograin of Kinark Child and Family Ser- vices, there are. 10,000 cldreni wuiting,,fortreatmnent for ,menztal, health disorders' througliout Ontario. Finlay saàys ,thatunderstaffing and undenfunding are the major neasons why .so muany .chiiren and. parents are forced te cogeo with montai, he alth disordersy theniselvos. It'a notben"a high -priority,» says Finluy «We have a lonIg way te go. Mental heaith ia realiy a community problem and we ail noed te work tegether.' "I arn optimistie that things are changing. Mental' ilineïs rsaliy. only, refers te a amul percentugo of chiidren. Most kida are emotionally troubled; rnany reluting te family distressos.» Finlaiy's father, the late Doug Finlay, was a pioneer in chani- pioning the neeèd for such ser- vcsfor chiidren, some 40 yeara Iii195a3 ho ran- the Chiidren's Village i Ottawa, a residential home for chiidnen wbo wero labeiied «hopeiess.' Ho opened other -tréatmont contres tbriougb-. out Canada and was aiosesnt Dy< the Ujnited Nations te Thuailund as an advisor te the govenment that were overwhelimoid by the increasing number of child pro- stitutes. Steven Finlay, wbo admita té eig somewhat of a rebel during bisyub is a bit suise*d, yt proud, te ho foliowing M rbis fathon's footsteps. "I bring wih mea fuir bit of lif experionce. rmn confident in Kinark Child and Farni1 Ser- vices is one of the largea chil- dren'a mental health centres in Ontario. For ovor a decade, the contre bas provided treatment KINARK CHULD AND FAIYSERVICES PURPOSE: STo respond to the mental health nedB of ,inclividuai children,ý adolescents and their familles by providing a range of high-quality treatment services. Tropromote public awareness about chiidrenWs meèntal health needa. COMSOC (Minlstry 0f Community And Social Services>. CONTACT:» Telephone (416) 433-0241' for children and adolescents with emotional difficuities., They provide residentiai, non residentiai, and day-school treat- ment programs. In the residential -program, children iive in one of the three tgrop omes m iDurham for up, to 18 months. There, chiid-care workers are responsibie, 24 hours a day, for the children in their cure. They manage the. chiidren's emotionai and physical needs as woll as -household duties, stili ensuring the children maintain a close -reiationship with their natural parentsý or guardians. The non-residential program aliows children to remain in the' famiiy. Tlhe program provides in- tensive support,, training and treatment to> assist 'parents. or guardians i caring for their children. The sehool day programs serve bilidren who are unabe te func- tion in thé regIar school systom by assisting them with thefr aca- demie, social and emotional deve- lopment. This is done in collabo- ration with local school boards. «We try to service kids in their homes," says Finlay. "Our goal is te, koep the family togethor. Our 'primaiy, focus is. heljping the cbild With problems. We i fentify strength and help- buiid on those. *e try te empowor parents. Some parents just need "" Talk. Have a talk about miakmng gmg a family affairn When you save for your 1 ee hoidays, mortgage or new car, put some away for gving too. Let everyone in on the decision of which causes to belp ând youHl be a real Local Hero family ~ nwpnogvn~~ COUNSELLORS AT Kinark Child and.. Family Services sit down with parents or families andl oPep isusspo blems and'.causes ',to fnsolutions. Chl Dai bOtO heip getting unstuck, how te flow of therapists and social wor- uppropriateiy respond te changes kers., i the chifld' deveiopment."_ It was not until she was ugo Often, when a famuly reaches 11, that Iàsa disclosed thatshe the point of contactihg Kinark, it had been sexuaiiy abused by a ba eon dysfunctionui for many famiy member. yeans and ha exhausted other d1ie continued to go for âailuble nesounces.. thorapy and continued te have "By the time they, get te using hehaviorai. problonis. Sho'- wouid our services> the famiy is feeling disnupt classes, ho holligerent te painn, ays lfiniay. touchers, nun :away, frequont Such was the case with a bars., Whitby fumily w ho share theïr When Usa was 15, hon mom, story but choose te romain thnough a friend's recommenda- anonymous. tion, got in teuch with Kinark. By the tim Alice (not hon real "The dinector thon was Bob name) contacted Kinark Family Kern, one of thoeniceatersons and Chiidren's Services four I'dovor met,' says Afce. "I years ugo, she was at hon wita thought my God, hers's someone end. She had been everywheire. who will roally belp me with my She wa at 'the point of not kid.» And s was night. ý knowing where te turn. Ail she' Usa was sent te a treatment knew is ah. needed hei.p. centre for nino montha. «It was A singis parent she balane a gt-wrenching. Lake aonding hon family of tbree and a career. But tjail,' Baysie.S thinga wene not weil on the homo For the finat montb, LUsa wont front. Uisa (not hon real. name), te Kinark's outdoor camp pro-> her youngest daughter, wus a gram, and. nan awaLy whfle hený gomng concern. mom was viaiting for the wsek- «SIx. walked -at nine months. ond. She just took off. The worid ha «Afler that I -did noIe play on not ben tbe sanie aines,' says gettingin*teuc with mangen Ale joking. «Sho ran away from aar lce . 9 had te tell hon homo for the fInat timo when ase (Lisa) I wouid not ses b er, for' was thnee, years old. Hon basic thnos wesks .und I' wouldn't peraonulity wa -trong-wil!ed aceept ber hbavieur.' and indopendont." Thon Usa went te a reaiden- At age 9Lisa was prone te tial home i Oshawa. She went violent outLznsts, It wa thon home weekends. And finally abs that Alis finat sought beip. 5:h. returnsd -bonms for good whicb went te ber docter who, aayhi was acaxy for hotb moter'and that Usa was dej>esd poei lau~ghter. b.d xzqediation. Bu Usa refue 15nn otaaswah to takelieiineîlicatiôn. . remidéiéesothv -Usa- and' ber ~ md~skfisau ni kti thmn cope with problema as tbsy arnse. ,1- 1 0 «There have been a few out- burata asine, but nothing 111w there were," aays Alice. «Kinark aaved us hoth. W. wouidnt bath. feel. as good as ýws do now if it weren't for them' Alice'a message to other parents in "Nevergive upo your ,kid.,l've always feit'(Usa> wus a winnen.. ]rvs always belle- yod -in ber. Shes prett excep- tionai. rmi very prcud of lio.' Uàsa says what as earned mont from Kinurk was, «how te deal .with my anger and how te coewitb probleme." doea conta wbo are aving noblema lan to «Work as bard .as you can te work out'the probiomas.' Both mother and daughter-agree it's wortb it. - According te Steve FïnIay, the majority o f the 1.0,000, children waiting for treatment are ugo 12, or under. Kinark la actively lobbying or more funding and mors staff. «Thore's heen-very l--ittis new money over the past 10 yeara in tie, chiidren'a mental bealth field. Politicaiiy, it'a not a high pniqrity.7 Howevièr, Finlay la o cptimiatie about thé fuiture. «A lot ofcange ia in the air. T7he ministry is -looking at- new poiiydfirections. Thons lan an initiai nreason for optimism.' "When the NDP was in opposi- tion. they1 advoeated chlden's ,inentalihealthiàsue. I hdie tbey -tu < WMULAWM .. 1 -- --

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