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Plans for h rromotion ocly ealth page 4 Co-gener*ation gatit construction egins v" page %W' Cancer mc activity Sunderway inth pagel4 Angels irise above the rest hi ee17 goes ByMieKowewdk WitbY councillors are spend. mg les Of your money. For the firet time in recenl memory, Town council lias adop- ted a budget~ that calls for fewe: expenditures than the previous year. Laut Tuesdar council ap pro. ved a current (operating)bude of 1$26.7 million for 1996 aniýa ca~ia works -budget of $19.3 mË2,which is almost $300,00 rleas than in -1995.. The. budget also holds the Une on taxes in 1996, but this is becomingoldhat for counil as il marked the fourth straight year that Whitbyr residents have beeri spared an mecrease in the Town'a portion of the municipal property txbill. (Durham Rqego' share wiUl increase about 91 for the average Whitby homeowner in 1996. Tfii jury is still out on whether the public and .separate school boards will hike taxes this year.) Since another tax freeze had been announced a week earlier W bnorth ward councillor and oen chair Don Mitchell, the only reai surprise was the drop in expenditurea. «I didn't exect ano-tax in- crease budget, Mitchell teld his colleagues fobllowing a nearly three-hour meeting that drew but a handful of residents Noting that council had to contend with a nearly $1-million reduction in provincial transfer paymenta from the Ontario goernent, Mitchell commen- dfed Town staff for drafting a budget which contained no major user fees or employ. layoffas. Aithougli 17> full- and part- timewere chopped at a savings of $550,000, this was achieved largely through attrition and not fillhng previously approved posi- tions. However, what was "particu- larly .noteworthy» te Mitchell is down the fact that the budget con- tained fewer expenditures, which according to Mitchell was the tflrst time this had occurred in 'treasurer AI Claringbold's 16 r years with the Town. 8 1But Mitchell warned that council may flot be able to deli- >- ver a similar budget neit year. t He pointed out that Whitby will b. hit with another $650,000 ireduction in provincial ýfundig in 1997 and wag worried abouit Municipal- Affair Minister AI Leach's recent "musinga" about 3 changig theý criteria for develop- tment levies. r Undercurrent rules, municipa- 1lities ýare allowed to levy addi. 3tional chr against developers rand usethemoney to provide both "liard' and 'soft" services im Inew developments. Leach, however, lias suggested >that only hard services sucli as roads and sewers will b. funded in this fashion and that munici- pal politicians must look else- where for money te pay for ibraries, arenas and other soft services. Such ' a scenario "would b. devastating, devastating te thus community if it were te occur," said Mitchell. While spending was down in almost ail areas of the current budget -- funded largely fr-om prto tae and user fees -- a go0contribution te the Town's reserve funds was needed te offset a subsidy in the capital budget. Two poects, meanwrhile, account o h lion's share of the $19.3-million capital budget, which is funded chiefly through reserve funds, development charges and debentures. The $7.5-million Garden Street bridge and $7 million te add three more arenas te Iroquois Park represent about three-quar- SER PAGE 2 Spen ding Decision tonight on separate board JK By Mark Reesor Durham separate school board trustees will decide tonight whether to eliminate, modify or leave untou- chedf its junior kindergarten program. Board staff are to make a recommendation on the program's future at a special prsonnel and finance committe. meeting, set for 5.xn. (Wednesday) at the board's 650 Rosisland Rd. W. headquarters. Board chair and Wh=itby truste.m Tom Oldman says the board has been akeinto a corner, having already cut $5 7niMUon from this yeaes budget. "W. have a long way to go (though); there's an incredible amount of cuts we stili have to make,» he' sa!tys, noting that another, $3.4 million has to be ehmninated tocope with povincial grant reductions. Despite that, "I willr not support cutting that progra unless I cannot find one more cent outside the classroom." Fellow Whitby trustee Judy Morris aise supports the programn but saym "I know a lot of people don't want to h ave an increase in their taxes... «I cant say unequivocally that I would agre. with a huge increase to keep the statua quoin JK - I cnt say that I could go along with that." Buýt Morris doesn't support -a proposaI to p ut JK students on an all-day-every-te-day'acheule, which would save an estimated $175,000 either. «I think full-day kindergarten is not tue way to go; I don't think it would be in'the- best interest of our children and their families.» The province has made the.program oti 'onal and cut grants it will- pay to sup>ot Kwhel-9prompted the Durham publié boards decision to drop-the SERPAGE2 Council warned of Possible demilse-of Community sehools program By Mike Kowaleki Budget cuts are threatening the future o Wibyscom- muntyschol prgrmTown cuclhas been warned. Aendig$-fee increase will bethe frs of many if council continues to reduce its financial support of the program, the chair of the community shools- execu- tive committee claimed last week. jAdditional increasesi will - drive away participants n ltmtl resitin hedemseof the nine- year-old progam, Keèith'«Steven- son charged. «We are saddened that our elected representatives don't seem to share the smre vision of community schools as do the volunteers,' Stevenson mmid dur- m atTuesday's budget meet- "^rhe failure of Town staff and council to pursue other options to ensureit survival has sent a devastat*ng message to this group,» he said prior to council's approvai, of Whitby's 1996 budget (se separate story). "I prédict that ýsome, if not al (individual prograins), Winlsuf- fer.-" Stevenson's gloomy forecast was rmted by a budfetgr- C trialcoets the Durham i3ard of Education charges the Town for using its schools on Saturdays. The board does-waive the $50' fee normally assessed to groups which rent school facilitiesz but board policy stipulates th-at a custodfian must lbe present when activities occur after hours. Since five of the meven schools involved i thé project offer Saturdayproams, the Town always absobetiie overtime Costa. However, effective Sept. 1, this JACKSON'S TOUCH 0F CLASS Catering.general mana- ger Roger Tessier (left) and owner Graham Jadksn wiIl be serving royalty later this month -- the fourth time the Whitby company h as catered for a royal visitor. Photo by Mak Rousor. WMIiyFrm.Prou Jackson 's touch of ro yalt y By Mark Reesor Preparing and serving meals to royalty on their visita to Canada has become aimost routine for Wlutby caterer Graham Jackson. Jackson, owner of Jackson's Touch of Clasm Catering, and his staff will b. serving up their fourth royal meal, a luncheon for Prince Charles in the offioers' mess at the royal regiment at Fort York on April 27. Jackson says this one should b. relatively easy - "I think he's only scheduled for three hours» - but hes already lookingz ahead to Prince CharlesW return visitý to Fort York, scheduledl for early neit year, when the-Yll be handling a "big, big affafr. 8EE PAGE 3