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Oron WeklyTimes, Wednesday, August 18, 1993-3 Stephenson SOth Anniversary QueeJ" 's Park- Report fr<oi Gord Milîs, MPP Durhamn East Last week, v1hile in Ottawa attending the 33rd Commonwealth Parliamentary CÈ!nfereflce, 1 had the opportunity tô discuss many of the issues facing Ontario MPP's, with other legisiators from around the Commonwealth. Not surprisingly perhlP was the fact that the problemns we face in Ontario are the 5gme ail oveIr the world. From my fiscussions with MPs from the Uiited Kingdlom,,it in fact appeared that their own problems are inleed, worse than ours. Much to mry surprise, 1 was told that the largest export fromn Britain today, (10-) is music. 1 have been aFked the purpose of these conferences. I suppose one purpose us to provide an opportunîty for eýeteran members to pass on the pearîs of their accumulated wisdom to the new eager legislators. Perhaps the most sought after bit of information was how to survive in politics, and how to bc politically correct! Discussion and debate are the essence of politWs, so the useful and interesting or-changes during both the formal business sessions and the informa1 portion of the conference, made the week of Oh how time flics. To Ken and Kay Stephenson it would probably seem like just- yesterday that they exchanged vows and rings. On Saturday, however, the Stephenson's celebrated their 5th Wcdding Anniversary. A celebration was held at the Stephenson home, where Ken and Kay were surrounded by family and friends. From A round HOME it seems like a long time since 1 have written a column from Around Home even, though it is only two or three weeks. 0f course it is holiday time and one has to take some timne to spend other than along the saine line of work, week after wcck. It was interesting te meet Bernie Martin downtown Orono as recent as Monday of this week. Bernie bas been busy this summer witb the 4th Line Theatre Group with Production at Uic Winslow Farm just outsidc Millbrook. The meeting was an opportunity te ask Bemnie as te the success of the now two plays, "The Cavan Blazers", and as of the first of August, "TMe Moodie Traili". As 1 have been hearing I was told, by Ber nie, that attendancc bas been great. In fact Bill Carman on attending Uic Cavan Blazers said they had te increase, the seating capacity by adding bales of bay te the existing bleacher seating. 1 t is pleasing te sec and hear that such ventures as undertaken by the 4th Line Theatre group doing se well after only two ycars in production. 0 f course a lot bas te do with thc quality of thc productions and it is present as far as Uic 4th Line Theatre Group is concerncd. On asking Bernie where al the quality performers corne from he said from the iîwmediatc area which was somnewhat surprising. Perhaps, I had thought some might at least come from the City te the West. Bernie explained that the Peterborough area was a rather bot area for performners and that therewas considerable work. available. He said that those pe rformers in the area could be cast in four or five showvs during the year while in Toronto one may be lucky te get a casting once during the year. Well the 4th Line Theatre group is flot standing still. The producer, Robert Winslow, bas received a provincial grant of $21 ,000 for additional work on the theatre barn and as well Winslow is off to lreland te study for a tbrcc month period. A recent article mak*es note of a possible event for next year being a life history of Signor Guillermo Farini, a famous tightrope walker who was raised in Hope Township, with the reai naine of William-Leonard Hunt. t is intercsting that one of the cast is already practicîng tight- rope walking in preparation for the launch in the summer of 1994. It is also noted that Farini was brought up in Bowmanville and made his debut in tightrope walking in 1859 walking a rope across the Ganaraska River. About the birdS There still ht's been time for bird watching over the pa st wccks which bas taken us to Frontenac- Park northof Kingston for four days and most recently for a Sunday event at Presquile Park. At Frontenac we spent perhaps two andl a haîf hours canoeing to the first campsite, a paddle of ten kilomfetres. From the cainpsite there are foot trails whicb takes one into the forest where wc expect to catch bird sightings. >Certainly the birds were there, at-times, but when they did appear they werc always on the move high in the leafed-out maples,. It might take some ten to fiftcen minutes for a host of mixed birds to pass through and then not to be heard from again. This mîght have happened on four occasions during our visit te the park. By the timec your binoculars are brought into focus the bird bas jumped to another limb in search of food. It is flot the bcst of conditions for bird identifica tion. On one occasion we had likely1 spent an hour walking along a foot trail without any sound of a bird or sighting. Then ail of sudden the tTees were alive. It's a mad rush to catch themn ail and on this occasions a small lfamily group of young Baltimore Orioles, a considerable number of female Rose Breasted Gros-beaks, at lcast three warblers moving too fast to name, the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, a white breasted Nuthatch, Chickadees and others that will go nameless as thcy neyer perched long enough to tag-on a naine. t was ail over wîthin ten minutes. On two other occasions the same thing happened during our stay in the park. cross-partisan mingling, wîthout any defections or conversions, an interesting and very informative few days. This coming week (Aug. 16-19) I will be in Windsor as a memrber of the Finance & Economics Committee, to listen to- presentations fromn varied organizations, including business interests and members of -the public, in regard to Bull 8 Ontario Casino Corporation Act,.. The proposal te allow a casino in Windsor bas met with considerable crîticismn from several quarters, including somne religious denomînations. One member of the government decided to sit as an Independent member. over the issue! Perso nally, I can't see what ail the fuss. is about, but many do see a casino as the vehicle resulting in the onset of compulsive gambling. Some have singled out the poor as being the victims of thecasino. 1 refuse to buy into this argument. Poor people, in my opinion are not bad managers of their resources, in fact, speaking from some personal experience, by having less to work with, they are better managers of But it was différent down, Presquile Park way this last Sunday. There was well over a tbousand shorebirds busy flitting about and digging for food. At least you do get a clear and rather le isurely look at the- birds or at least enough of the birds to make idenification. t is not that either Bill Bunting or I kepta record of the sightings bu t there were the two small peeps, the Least and Semi- palmated Sandpipers, the Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, the, Dunlin, the Pectoral Sandpiper, the Sanderling, the Short-billed Dowitcher', the Black-bellied Ployer, the Ruddy Tumnstone and possibly one of two others'now forgotten. How much casier it is to sight in on shorebirds and water fowl than trying to keep up with those 1fast-moving warblcrs, and other birds ffecding in the tops of. the trees. what they have. A teenager becomes iii because she refuses to cat normally, tihinking she must continue to diet even though she is already underweighit. A journalist loses his Job because every night he goes te the bar and stays until closing. What does this have to do with casinos? Many people go on a diet or have a drink after work. And the vast majority do so safely and in moderation. Similarly, many people enjoy going to a casino for good 'fun. Unfortunately, just like' the, underweight teenager or alcoholic journalist,' some gamblers don't know when to stop. Today evidence of problem gambiin g can bc seen with al forms-of gaming, whether its illegal betting through a "bookie!' on the Stanley Cup or Super Bowl, or legal such as bingos, lotteries, or horse racing. The introduction of a casino in Windsor has niot created problem gambling, but it has focused attention on the issue. As a resuit, the provincial government has undertaken the very first in-depth study of problem gambling in Ontario. As gaming becomes an increasinglY accepted forai of entertainment in Ontario, problemn gambling is an issue that can't bc ignored. 1 believe it. best- addreslsed hy education and prevenion, rather than ineffective attempts at prohibition. Through the government's decision to introduce casino gambling it bas sered as a catalyst to at last, seriously address this long standing issue. This coming Sunday (August 22nd) ai 9:30 a.m. I wil be giving the sermon at Courtice United Church. Most times when 1 stand up to speak in the Legisiature it doesn't seem to take very long before someone decided te beekle me. However, 1 have faith that this type of behaviaur will flot occur at one of the friendliest churches in the area. If the churcb you attend during the summer is closed pleased consider a visit te Courtice United Churcb on the 22nd. The, titie of my sermon is quite topical - "Were Lazarus' welfare payments too low?" I hope to sec' you there. Until next week - its helpful to,. remember th ai theres notbing so comfortable as a small bankroll. A big one is always in danger. -CLARKE * CONNECTION MORE TH1AN A STORE * A UINIQ UE EXPERIENCE ONE OF A Kil1VD-HAND ADE CANADIAN CRAFTS POTTERY - WOOD - SILKS - TOYS AND MUCH MUCH MORE MAIN STRE2ET, ORONO 983-9314 TUES. -FRl 1to6 SAT 9to 5