The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

I>A(. M'?O'lMUI \.l)(NBIiR 10, I Q8O.WlIITI3YFRIT PRESS A Christmas Gift You'll Both Enjoy! Colonial Rocker N Reg. $149.°° Christmas Special $135.°0 e magazine racks acanister sets e children's chairs *wine racks clocks *down quilts amirrors e candle holders e pictures Report from Queen's Park ~u. By GEORGE ASHE. NIPP (PC-DURHAM WEST) The laying of tracks and pounding of rail spikes have ong been textbook images of the pioneer spirit characteristic of early Canadian settlement. Today, we are again looking forward toward railways in helping to meet perhaps the greatest national challen&.. of the decade. The price and availabilaity of fossil fuels are making railways potentially the most fuel efficient means of transportation. That challenge has not gone unheard in On- tario where we are graced with abundant supplies of elec- trical energy. Ontario's 17,000 kilometers of railway track help link people in isolated communities of northern Onta~rio to outside communities. They provide vital commuter services to southern Ontario. They act as a major source of employment and are essential to the transport of many products exported by Ontario industry. In all this, the Ontario Government shares a vested in- terest. While railways are not within provincial jurisdiction, Railways most fuel efficient the effect of railways on long planning and the environment as well as the safety of railways is of provincial concern. In light of Ontario's extensive involvement in railways, its key interest in developing a more efficient transportation system, one which is geared to today's changing circumstan- ces, the Provincial Task Force on Rail Policy was appointed last January to develop an Ontario rail transport policy in tune with the issues of the 1980's. This task force, chaired by Margaret Scrivener, the M.P.P. for St. David, recently released an interim report and plans on releasing the final report containing conclusions and recommendations in the new year. The interim report contains a statement entitled, "The Future Role of Rail in Ontario" which outlines the dominant issues faced today by Ontario's railways. Particular atten- tion is given to Ontario's rail network and infrastructure, rail equipment, operations and technology, inter-city passenger service, commuter services like GO Transit and the impact of railways on the economy, jobs and communities. The interim report does identify a number of rail-related issues of particular importance to Ontario and offers possible future directions. In order to provide the convenience and comfort afforded by passenger trains such as those available in Europe and Japan, the interim report advocates improvements to passenger rail through the upgrading of roadbeds, more grade separations to replace level crossings and not least, an improved attitude on the part of railways towards their passengers. The report also discusses the potential for the elec- trification of rail. Weighed against the high expenditure outlay necessary to implement such a change, the benefits of lower operating costs, Ontario's abundant supply of elec- trical energy and greater manoeuverability, would appear to make rail electrification a direction worth pursuing. The report identifies GO Transit as an obvious candidate for elec- trification provided an appropriate cost sharing formula could be developed. It is hoped that the findings of the task force will provide the base and the encouragement for which intergovernmen- tal initiatives may be developed to provide the people of On- tario and Canada with a safe and efficient rail transportation network. 25,000 trees to be planted by Boy Scouts and CLOCA SllJ\L Ur Come May 1981 the Whitby Boy Scouts and the Central 50 oK Sav up to on many new & used items ®v Music Gallery 95 Simcoe St. S. 579-5201 Lake Ontario Conservation Authority will work together to plant a projected 25,000 trees at the Lynde Sbqre Conservation Area. CLOCA approved the motion recently whereby they would participate in a "Trees for Canada" project with the scouts. Each boy will canvas people for pledges based on the number of trees he plan- ts. He will then bring his pledge card on the day of planting to certify the num- ber of trees he plants. Funds raised by this project will be divided up with approximately 25 per cent going to local groups, and after expenses, 30 per cent to provincial and national scout associations. -The remaining funds will be kept by the district. "Each boy's (sic) par- ticipation in such an en- vironmental project will give him a first hand association with the problems facing his coum- munity concerning forest coverage," said John Duffy, chairman of the "Trees for Canada" committee for the Whitby district. CLOCA will provide the trees, will prepare Lynde Shores for planting and supervise the actual plan- ting along with the scouts.