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2 Orono Weekly Tlnes, Wednesday, February 25. 1998 ORONO ýWEEKLY TIMEs Subscriptions $21.50 + $1.50 G.S.T. = $23.00/year. Publications Mail Registration No. 000368 Publishing 50 Issues Annually at the Office of Publication 5310 Main Street, P.O. Box 209, Orono, Ontario LOB 1MO E-Mail Address: oronotimes@speedline.ca Phone/Fax (905) 983-5301 Publisher/ Editor Marg Zwart IT'S YOUR COUNTRY Canadians have been invited to what may be one of the most historic discussions to take place in this country. Begun last fall with a First Ministers' conference held in Calgary, out of which came seven principles for dialogue called The Calgary Framework, Canada's premiers are now asking their con- stituents for input. Durham East MPP John OToole arranged for a facilitator to travel to Bowmanville last week to gather and subsequently report the views of his constituents to the Premier. It was clear the exercise was not one of parochial pandering to any one outlook; it was an open invitation to Canadians to express their views of The Calgary Framework, and to involve the average Canadian in a visionary process: Where do you see Canada influe years? Listening to the frustrations expressed by participants, the vision of a united Canada is not a clear one. Canada has behind it but 130 years of history as a nation. And through this time it has been nothing less than a work in progress. Just four provinces made up Canada in 1867 and it wasn't until 1949 that the last province, Newfoundland, joined Canada. Robert Harris' famous painting of the Fathers of Confederation reminds us that not only women and Aboriginal peoples were absent from the discussions in the historie cre- ation of a nation, but there were no average citizens involved. Average Canadians now have a chance to speak our piece about our Canada. Perhaps your Canada includes Quebec. Perhaps your Canada recognizes Native Land Claims. Perhaps your Canada will continue to enjoy it's international status as a peaceable nation: as a leader among nations in crisis resolu- tion. But only if we can solve our own problems---only if we can keep open the dialogue which ensures all Canadians feel a sense of belonging and as active participants in the creation of our Canada---can we say there was genuine participatory dia- logue within the nation. But at the unity forum held last week in Bowmanville, less than forty Canadians came to talk about their country. And those who attended represented an overwhelming reminder of Harris' painting: mostly male, mostly middle-aged or older. To change the face of the nation-builders, we must hear from a cross-section of average Canadians. You have been invited to the table to talk about your vision of your country. Meanwhile, the federal government is arguing before the Supreme Court issues related to the possibility of Quebec seceding from Canada. And while the country alter- nates between argument and apathy, Heritage Day is over- looked! Few new flags were raised. What do you have to say about The Calgary Framework? About your Canada? Put yourself in the picture. Help paint the future of your Canada. To have your say, contact John OToole's office at 697-1501, or the Ontario Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs at: 1-800- 695-4045, or www.ontariospeaks.com. Or, contact our MP, Alex Shepherd at 721-7570. It's your country. Helen MacDonald Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, Canadians are angry over Senator Andrew Thompson's absence from work. From January to October of last year, this senator attended Parliament for only two days out of 99 Senate sittings. The Senate has acted to punish Mr. Thompson, by stripping him of certain "perks" such as paid travel and having a secretary. The Senate is in the process of taking away his salary. The trouble, however, is that Mr. Thompson has not been the only senator absent from work. Last year twenty- seven senators missed 40 percent or more of designated sittings. For example Senator John Buchanan -- a Brian Mulroney appointee -- showed up only half the time last year. We ask readers: what would happen if we were absent half the time from our place of work? Unlike sena- tors -- who are appointed by the Prime Minister and whose jobs are guaranteed for life -- we would be fired. We at WatchDog Newsletter have a list of the 27 truant senators and their Senate mailing addresses. We are asking interested people to write to us for the list, and to write to some of the sena- tors to ask them to attend all Senate sittings. To receive our list of truant senators, please contact us at our address below (or e-mail us at dmurrell@unb.ca or fax us at 506-454-82451. 'WatchDog Newletter, 247 Leeds Drive, Fredericton, NB E3B 4S7 Saturday, February 21, 1998 Dear Editor: These are definitely not good times for Andy Thompson, the erudite Kendalite, who, from time to time, has been known to pose as a senator in Ottawa over the past thirty years. Though he has been rumoured to be back in Canada, It hasn't actually been confirmed at this point. One anonymous source in the area saw him running the vacuum cleaner at a car wash in Stouffville late this week. No doubt look- ing for loose change, since his Ottawa buddies suspended him, without pay, for the cur- rent term. Anyway, now all of Senator Andy's constituents can be proud of him once again, though it would seem most of Andy's constituents drink tequila, wear som- breros, and, have a snooze in the early afternoon. And, a lot of them are named Jose. I think Senor Andy is a little confused (hey, he IS getting up there in years) and simply forgot he had been appointed a senator, rather than Canada's Ambassador to Mexico. The senator's wife says he has been sick, and that is unfortunate, but it certainly isn't an excuse for totally dis- mal attendance record over thirty years. (Sorry, Andy, but appearances at the now- defunct Kirby Senate, in the back room of Reid's store, don't count). I'm not.sure how often the real Senate is in ses- sion, or sitting, or whatever the h--- it is they do in Ottawa, but I'm sure theyve got together more than 13 time since 1991. From what the news says, Andy bas only yelled "present" or "here" at roll call 47 times since he was appointed? Not good Andy, not good. So now Andy has been fin- gered by his pals, and, it's about time? But, I'm sure Andy isn't the only problem - one unnamed senator said this week "the entire senate is in total disarray" - and it's way overdue that this long- since outdated institution be completely overhauled. In fact, get rid of it entirely. This may seem unfair to those sen- ators who actually DO look after their constituents, but hey, in these days of govern- ment cost-cutting, poop hap- pens! In the time being, keep on cleaning those cars, Andy. How do you like worklng for minimum wage? It's nîce to have ya back! To change the topic, and, come up with a new, and fresh approach concerning The Lishman Proposal Wars .....I think Bill Lishman is missing out on something here that would maybe turn some of gloom and doom in letters to the editor in the Weekly Times, as well as other local papers (this con- flict knows no boundaries), he could do something that would create a more positive attitude. You know, lighten things up a little? Maybe even make it fun. I would suggest that lie take all the negative sounding letters, break them down into varilous groups, and, declare a winner in each category. The committee for the 100th cele- brations could get involved, and make it one of the many events they are staging during 1998. Say maybe April lst? That would be fitting, I think. Anyway, I'm sure Bill could get his wife to donate a few sweaters, hats, or whatever, as prizes for the contest. Lemmee see, there could be winners for The Most Original Letter; The Funniest; The Most Gut-Wrenching (the recent one from the family of seven, who fear their "dream home" is going to go up in smoke, no doubt along with the pollutants and smog from the "factory", comes to mind); The Most Environmentally Friendly; The Most Politically Correct; The Most Thoroughly Researched; and, finally, The Grand N.I.M.B.Y. Award. It could be quite a job sorting out all the entries, and it might be a good idea to get an impartial judge, such as Senator Andy, to look after the scrutinizing. Well, per- haps not him, but, I think they could give Dick Lovekin a call. To tie in with the 100th, the prizes could be awarded at the Town Hall, with all the local dignitaries there to help out. Should be quite a gala- event! Could need some crowd control, but, by the time this promotion gets rolling, almost everybody will have jumped off the anti- Lishman bandwagon, and, there would only be a handful of rowdy protesters on hand. But maybe instead of giving away fashion garments, Bill could present Canadian geese for each category. That way, each winner could get a free goose! Whaddya think? Call it poetic justice. Call it what you want. Hey, they've been giving him "the bird" for the past six months. Regards, Bob Rotz, Kirby, Ont. L Address to the Mayor and Councillors Feb. 22, 1998 Municipality of Clarington 40 Temperance St. Bowmanville LlC 3A6 ATIENTION: Mayor and All Members of Council - Re: PO- 12-98 I have been plagued by a persistant problem pertaining to the Lishman/Halminen property addressed by PO-12- 98. The solution would require the reason or reasons for the lack of an Environmental Impact Study in regards to the proposed Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-Law Amendment. Having lived beside the proposed severance for almost twenty-five years I believe I know the basic nat- ural physical characteristics of the land in question. The property has a cold water tributary to the Wilmot Creek running in a southeasterly direction on it, as well as adjoining table land wood lots. These prominent fea- tures are shown on page 20 of PO-12-98 and on Map C4 on the Natural Features and Land Characteristies North Clarke in the Official Plan. Section 4.3.8 of the Clarington Official Plan states that "An E.I.S. shall be under- taken for development appli- cations located within or adja- cent to any natural feature identified on Map C." Point (g) of the same section says "the study shall examine the cumulative impact of the pro- posed development and in particular the impact on ground water function." This point is extremely pertinent to this sandy recharge area in that any problem involving septic effluent would be detri- mental to the best cold water spawning habitat in Durham Region, the Wilmot Creek. Myself and other con- cerned residents have repeat- edly asked why the Lishman Proposal does not require an E.I.S. but sadly to date we have not been provided with a satisfactory answer to this very serious question. I repeat, once again, why is an E.I.S. not needed when the E.LS. is shown to be required in our new Clarington Official Plan? Another foreseeable prob- lem is that in the future will other development proposals be fast-tracked thru planning because in the past PO- 12-98 did not need all the required studies. Will multitudes of developers be able to say why should we pay for studies when Father Goose got by without footing the bill? Please rectify what I perceive to be a serious consequential error and request an E.I.S. Thanks Bill Woods.