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-~-~ -~ ~ 411 ews from ttw wth Atex Shepherd, Me Duram: Gavin Stephenson of Ganaraska Countryside ýgaze of visîtors curious about this Bowmanville was one of the Adventure. Stephenson workcd at technique and the tools of his many craftspersons sharing their bis hobby of leather carving at craft. time and talent during the Great Clarke Museum under the steady The room with the view This morning I look at the calendar, Monday, August 29. It was August 10 that I left Orono for a few days bolidays. My abode today continues to bc Uic roomn with a view of thc lakefront from the Kingston Gencral Hospital. It will remnain 50 well into Uic wcek of September 5 and possibly up to a five week stay. It is a definite now that I do require surgery for lung repair and tcntatively tbat surgcry is set for Septem-ber 8 or 9. The wbole tbing is a waiting gamne for an Tboracic Surgeon to become avaîlable and as I'm in Kingston to return from bolidays, there was no benefit in moving to another hospital wbcre Tboracic surgery could bc undertaken as the wait would bc as long. The Oshawa surgeon is also on holidays and Oshawa bas a major summer closing of beds. My problcm is a matter of timing - the wrong problcmn at the wrong time. A positive note is that there is no great pain - just at times a discomfort. But my activities are rather rcstricted being attacbed to what I cail the bubble machine, wbîcb bas a 20 foot hose wbereby 1 can get to the washroom and the doorway to Uic room. Even Uiougb I don't get around il- -qc bospital I bear there is a ..,ing backlog of patients for thoracic surgcry. I'm sure missing a lot of activity at home with Uic Countryside Adventure, the Clarington event at the EX and now likely Uic Orono Fair. The Clarington area and this includes Orono is gctting a lot of press of late even with two major items in Ufic Toronto Star, one for the Ganaraska Adventure and the other thc Clarington Day at the EX. You guessed it there is not too much in birdwatching these days and I'm afraid a Prince Edward Point outing for September 17 to 19 could be a wash out. I do sec Sea Guils roaming the skies and one or two appear to ha ve a favorite daytime perch on one of the bospital window sis. At first I tbougbt that perhaps someone was fceding themn but if that were the case they would bc there continually. A pair o f English Sparrows and a young do scurry around just outside thc window. Then I have also sighted House Finch feeding off the side of thc building. Just finisbed breakfast - stewed prunes, oatmeal, scrambled egg, basb potatoes, tea, milk, seasonings. It is intercsting that the, meals at ail tbrce Kingston hospitals are prepared in Ottawa and shipped daily. This, also happens at thc Belleville and Trento n hospitals. The Prince Edward in Picton stili favours their own homfe cooking and are dctcrmined to continue to do so. At the start I didn't bother to check off itemns desired on the menu and took what camne. Then I wondcred just how accurate are they in giving you wbat you ask for. With this in mind I took sometime to record my wishes s0 the next day I could make an accurate comparison. So far they have been right on with the exception of thc loss of a tea bag. What cisc do I have to do. There bas to bc a story on this meal operation w'hcn you realize that bundrcds of meals leave Ottawa early in the day for al tbrrec meais. Wben served there is both warmed and cbilled food. The warning bas to bc undertaken when on Uic tray for the plastic trays bas openings holding heat - tolerant china with cover in which the food is wanned. It scems to work good as far as I can sec. StiR looking for the teabag. Draw for Iibrary The sale of $1 .00 tickets for a draw to raise funds for the Cobourg library for a $1,000.00 shopping spree at the mal bas gone over s0 well that a second draw is now planned for Decemnber. Decision put off A, delay in court actions against a Coîborne pbarmacist charged witb two wcapons offences bas not deterred public interest in the case and support for the druggist. The trail has been beld over until September lst. Pleads guilty of 27 charges R.G. Newton, 22, of Port Hope, has pleaded guilty to 27 charges in, connection with break- mns in the Port Hope/Cobourg area. Wants to start commercial venture Clarke Dickinson, Lakeshore Road at Port Britain is hoping to have a number of animnais, including liamnas'on his farm, to start a small park-like facility. H1e intcnds to get bis projcct off and going in 1995. More women policing More womnen are bccomning Ontario police officers, but the numbers arecflot that great. 0f the 206 delegates for a week-long conference only 26 arc womcn. Famous People Players expect to return The Famnous People Players with their blacklight theatre and who performcd for a montb in Cobourg this summer expect to retumn in 1995. It is esti mated they played before a 60 percent audience during ch four weeks. Thcy would also like to be part of the annual Canada Day festivities in the Town. The federal civil service is paid, on average, a salary 20 per cent higher - regardless of the job -than people in the private sector doing the samne job. What is it civil servants do at work that is any dîfferent than you or me working in the private sector? Frore my vantage point Canada's federal bureaucracy is top heavy witb aged management and outmoded'ways of doing things., SWbile industry bas been forced to seek new and innovative ways of looking after customers, the burcaucrats just plod along. What's worse is that titis stifles innovative managerial ideas at the Iower levels of the civil service. The younger talent gets fed up and leaves for the private sector. And of course the younger civil servants who are going to end up as the future dead wood, hide underneath their desks shuffling the paper work (and your problems) on to the next desk, satisfied they have done a good days work and deserve their accumulated sick days,, thecir'20 per cent bigher pay cheques, their flex bours, their Fridays off in the summertime and their professional development time while you, wbo pays for ail of this, stili doesn't have your problemr deait with. Do 1 sound too barsb perhaps. There are many fine people in the civil service 1 recognize this. I deal with them every day. Truc civil servants, not professional obstructionists. But the civil service has become too large and resistant to change and is failing to be responsive to the necds of the people it is there to serve. Govemnment should introduce practices which would remunerate civil servants based on ability, achievement, resuits, and most of ail public satisfaction. This doesn't mean government departments should have to make moncy. Tbey're not there to do that. But public satisfaction, ability, achievements, resuits these are goals no business wouid reject. Yet public servants seemed to have long deemced thesegoals irrelevant. In every aspect our government system is governed by sets of miles and regulations. And from my vantage point these miles and regulations become the objectives for civil servants.' Consequently it is irrelevant how inconvenienced a taxpayer is, in say trying to get his UlJ cheque, as long as several clerks at the UlI office have been unable to deduce that the paper work was flot fillcd out properly. 1This is a costly system. If a departmcnt gets bogged down trying to interpret rules to the public, then the civil services' answer is to bire more people to interpret them or get a machine and a 1-800 number that docsn't answer the questions when you (Continued page 8) The Northumberland -Clarington BOARD 0F EDUCATION TENDER #94-003D SALE OF RIDING LAWN MOWERS/WELDER/PIPE VISE Sealed Tenders for the above, addressed to the Manager of Central Services, The No rth u mberland -Clarin gton Board of Education, wili be received Up to 2:00 p.m., Monday, September 19, 1994. Equipment may be viewed at the Plant Department, Building #7, Northamn Industrial Park, 775 Division Street, Cobourg, September 7th and 8th, 1994, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. or by appointment. Equipment must be removed by 4:30 p.m. Monday, September 26,1994. Specifications may be obtained f rom: The Northumberland-Clarington Board of Education 834 D'Arcy Street North, Cobourg, Ontario K9A 4L2 (905> 372-6871) or at the site. Tenders must be returned in the envelope provided. The highest or any tender not necessarily accepted. The Board reserves the right to reject any or ail tenders. R. T. (Dick> Malowney Director of Education Judi Armstrong Chairperson of The Board Leather carving a hobby DRS. SPRUYT, JEFFERSON and NOTARANDREA are pleased to announce that JUDY A. THOMPSON,B.Sc., M.D., C.C.F.P. will be joining them in the practice of FAMILY MEIDICINE effective SEPTEMBER 1, 1994 87 Mill St. N., Newcastle BY APPOINTMENT ONLY 1-905-987-1896 wý