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4 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Wednesday, September 4,1991 s&t Cattair tatt Stausman Durham Region's Great Family Journal 0 Established 137 years ago in 1854 . i » Also Incorporating N A The Bowmanville News The Newcastle Independent The Orono News Second Class mail registration number 1561 Produced weekly by Jamee Publishing Company Umlted 62 King Street West, Bowmanville, Ontario L1C3K9 416-623-3303 Fax 416-623-6161 John M. James Richard A. James Editor - Publisher Associate Publisher Peter Parrott Brian Geo. Purdy Donald Bishop Associate Editor Advertising Mgr. Plant Mgr. All layouts and composition of. advertisements produced by the employees of James Publishing Company Limited are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Allhough every precaution will be taken to avoid error, The Canadian Stateeman accept» advertising In Ha columns on the understanding that It will not be liable lor any error In the advertisement puMshed hereunder unleel a proof ol euch advertisement I» requested In writing by the advertiser and returned to The Canadian Statesman business office duly signed by the advertiser and with such error or conetikms plainly noted In writing thereon, and In that case If any error so noted le not corrected by The Canadian Statesman He lability ehal not exceed euch a portion ol the entire coat ol euch advertisement as the space occupied by the noted error bears to the whole space occupied by euch advertisement. Endangered Species Think of an endangered species and the cuddly-looking panda will commonly commonly come to mind. Or you might think of the African Elephant or the Jaguar. Each of the above creatures is on the endangered list. But Canada also has its endangered or threatened plants and animals -- some of them right here in Ontario. In a recent news release, the World Wildlife Fund estimates that 211 species species of Canadian wildlife are now endangered. endangered. "The news is a sobering reminder reminder that Canada is not immune to the ongoing erosion of the rich diversity diversity of life on the planet," said Steven Price, vice president of Conservation for the World Wildlife Fund. The World Wildlife Fund has designated designated high arctic populations of the Peary Caribou as endangered, while the polar bear and grizzly bear populations populations were added to the category of "vulnerable." Birds on the list include the eastern population of the Loggerhead Shrike. Nor are plant populations exempt from threats. The white prairie gentian gentian from Ontario's Walpole Island has been listed as endangered and the golden seal plant of southwestern Ontario Ontario is considered threatened. The World Wildlife Fund also states that reptiles including the blue racer (endangered; the Lake Erie Wa- tersnake (endangered); and the Eastern Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake (threatened) (threatened) were added to the list this year. So was the Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle. Many of the plants and animals list- Goodbye If you are reading this, you should give yourself a pat on the back because you have made it safely through another another summer. We know that the calendar may still proclaim that there are a few more weeks before the start of autumn. autumn. But, for most of us, summer ends with the closing of the Canadian National Exhibition and the return of the kids to the classrooms. •Although summer, with its balmy climate and long hours of sunlight, has its advantages, it is a rather overrated overrated season. It's very difficult for anything anything to get done in those dog days of humidity and heat when almost half the world seems to have gone on holidays holidays and the other half wishes it could join them. The early autumn, with its invigo- ratingly cool evenings, is the time for new beginnings. Whether it's a school term or a fund-raising campaign or a session of the legislature, starting in the fall makes a lot of sense. That gives everyone everyone three full seasons to complete the tasks at hand. Three seasons before the summer reappears and everyone" seems to disappear into their swim- Teenage Electors A commission investigating changes to Canada's electoral process is seriously seriously considering a reduction in the voting age. According to one proposal, electors in the future will be able to mark their ballots at age 16 rather than 18. Is this a good idea? Who knows. At first, we thought that age 16 was too young for anyone to make a decision requiring the sort of maturity and thought which goes behind the electoral process. But, then we thought again. Electors Electors in recent years have all been over the age of 18. The governments they have elected have produced record- breaking deficits, high taxes, an inefficient inefficient civil service, and a long litany of other woes too numerous to mention, If we older and mature electors have selected competent and qualified governments, where is the evidence? So, why not lower the voting age to 16? Or, what the heck, maybe it should be six. Would the governments elected by these youngsters be any worse than the governments we've got? ed above do not have the popularity or appeal of the giant panda. But their disappearance is a sobering warning. The World Wildlife Fund notes that human activity is responsible for most of the decline of the species on the Canadian Canadian endangered list. Human activities activities destroys habitat and, with it, many species of plants and animals. What is, perhaps, most sobering about these statistics is the fact that although Canada is by no means a heavily-populated nation, we have 211 species on the endangered list. If Canada, with such a tiny population, population, is home to so many endangered species, how much larger is the threat in countries that are heavily populated and either developed or hoping to develop develop in the near future? By now, the environmental messages messages are so common that many people's eyes glaze over when they hear them. While non-naturalists may not get too excited over the demise of a certain kind of water snake of the Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle, their disappearance disappearance sends out an important signal. signal. It tells us that the earth, which has supported such a diversity of life is no longer a safe place for many species. species. And much of the problem is our own fault. We must somehow learn to have a high standard of living without sacrificing sacrificing any more of our natural environment. environment. And we must attempt to reverse some of the damage that has already been done. Otherwise, we may very well see the name homo sapiens on a future press release outlining yet another another list of endangered species. Summer ming pools and cottages to recover. We're not certain how those folks in parts of the world without easily- defined seasons manage to divide their year. But we're lucky to have the season season of autumn and the month of September September to mark the starting gate for so many new projects. For squirrels getting ready to hibernate hibernate or geese getting set for their flight south, autumn may be the end of something. But, since we're neither geese nor squirrels, we can see the autumn autumn in a different light. School starts in the fall, of course. Büt so do the programs offered by the many sports and cultural groups in this community. Adult interest courses begin in various night schools. Various Guide and Scout groups resume their meetings. Local town councils resume their meetings, parliaments go back into session, and even a whole new set of television shows make their debut on the tube. As we look into the fall of 1991, we see room for optimism, No one can deny that the economy has been a.major a.major headache during the past 12 months. But, if there's going to be any sign of recovery, we'll certainly notice it in the next few months ahead. Most of the pundits are now declaring that the 1990/91 recession has ended and that there's a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. We tend to agree with them, but we wish the tunnel were a little shorter and the light were a little brighter. On the international scene, the fall of 1991 will be a time for re-building the republics of the former Soviet empire. empire. Who could have predicted, even a year ago, that communism would be virtually outlawed in the Soviet Union and that the people of that country would be making a new bid for freedom freedom and self-determination. Although things in the Town of Newcastle won't be nearly as dramatic, dramatic, we do have our own political battles in the weeks ahead. Don't forget, this is a municipal election year. And September September really marks the start of the serious campaigning. Here at The Statesman, we will be spending the first few weeks of autumn autumn making some exciting new changes to The Statesman and launching launching some other interesting projects as well. So, enough of summer. It was nice while it lasted, but it's not the time for really serious action. But here comes another autumn, bringing a new sense of energy, opportunities, opportunities, and excitement, Now is the time to roll up the sleeves and get back to work. Committee Objects to Name Change Flip-Flop Dear Editor: A couple of weeks ago, you referred to a recent press conference called by Ward 2 (Town of Newcastle) regional councillor, Ken Hooper, as a unique move. "We think you were too kind, the word 'bizarre' would have been more appropriate. In 1988, the electorate within the Town of Bowmanville chose to elect Ken Hooper as one of two individuals from Ward 2 to represent them on council for the ensuing 3 years. The "Name Change" issue was prevalent in 1988 as it is in 1991. Let's examine Councillor Hooper's name change stance then and since. Councillor Hooper's rhetoric has embraced the need for a name change ever since the election of 1988. It was Councillor Hooper who presented a motion to council respecting the name change question, provoking an opposition vote of 5 to 2. Following the presentation of our name change petition to council on February 26, 1990, Councillor Hooper met with our committee April 1, 1990, offering advice and counsel regarding our correspondence with the then Minister of Municipal Affairs, John Sweeney. Just as late as The Statesman issue of June 26, 1991, he reiterated his position and we quote from the press statement! The councillor said he is committed to pushing for a change in the name of the municipality. "I still cannot buy the Town of Newcastle name," he explained. explained. He also believed that all towns, villages and hamlets should retain their own names and identities. We now find Councillor Hooper orchestrating a press conference wherein he pledges his support to colleague Diane Hamre for Mayor, who has not only previously opposed the name change, but has publicly announced her , rejection of it. Not only is he supporting a mayoralty candidate who is saying to 6,000 petitioners: "Go Away Bowmanville," Bowmanville," but he states he urged her, to run 2 years ago. Some kind of supporter, wouldn't you say? Some kind of representative for the town! This "is the same representative for the town who was going to resolve the purchasing practices of the Fire Department, but once the tree was shaken, opted to resign rather than continue to pursue the tax payers' interests. This is the same representative for the town who saw fit to oppose the Downtown Business Improvement Association by putting forth a motion to discontinue the closing of Temperance Street, thus preventing such time Honoured community functions as Heritage Week, the Sidewalk Sale Days, Apple Fest, Christmas Lighting, Remembrance Day ceremony, with the subsquent curtailment of the local Fire Fighters fund raising efforts on behalf of the Cystic Fibrosis organization. Fortunately, his disruptive efforts were defeated later. We repeat this is the Councillor that the voters within the Town of Bowmanville elected to serve their constituency of Ward 2. We trust the citizens of our community will take a long, hard look at such a performance. We recognize that at this point in time, Councillor Hooper has no opposition to his seeking re-election as Regional Councillor in Ward 2, however, perhaps another press conference will be called in the not too distant future and the electorate of our town will have the opportunity to elect a true representative of the people. We don't believe future generations should be saddled with the confusion that exists by having two Newcastles. Surely, another non-conflicting name would be a big improvement. We've been told it can be done with minimal expense. All it needs is somebody with enough drive to get it done. Apparently, Mr. Hooper has changed sides for some reason and, regrettably, is no longer the one to sponsor such a move. Sincerely, Bowmanville Boosters Name Change Committee by, Laura J. Richards Today's column is full of odds and ends. They are some of the things that have irked me or given given me a couple of laughs over the summer, including including my vacation in July. *** My roommate, Gillian, became a statistic last Tuesday, but on a positive positive note--she was one of many cyclists who wears a helmet when she goes biking. She and a car collided on a busy intersection in Oshawa. Thank goodness, she was wearing her helmet! Every time I see a youngstér or an adult on a bike, or skate board or roller skates without a helmet, I cringe and get. angry. I know that head injuries injuries happen. But preventing preventing them is easy. When participating in activities where collisions can happen, happen, be safe and wear an improved helmet. *** I saw the most adorable adorable puppies last Monday afternoon. I just wanted to pick one up, slide it into my huge camera bag and take off quickly before before they noticed one missing. But I refrained from doing that. But, now I definitely want a dog. The sports guy wrote an article about dogs during during July which missed the Alaskan Malamute breed. What a shame! Now this breed rates high on my list next to English * Sheepdogs. *** Oh yes, the summer vacation. What did I do on my summer vacation? Well let me see, what do I remember remember doing? My roommate and I took Tigger (one of the long haired cats we have custody of) to the vet. We decided to do this after he had begun behaving behaving rather un- Tiggerish around the house. In fact, he was un- . der the weather in a really really bad way. So off to the vet we went. Gillian, Tigger and moi -- I have to tell you just how much I love these little trips to the vet, but I can't seem to get my tongue away from the inside of my cheek. Yessireebob, I just love the claws and paws rou tine associated with those trips. Poor Tigger had crystals crystals in his urine again. So it is back to the expensive cat food for the rest of his and his sister's life. Thank goodness my roomie finally landed a job! *** I am à firm believer in sticking up for what you believe in. My mother instilled instilled that virtue in me and so did my older brother. That is why I got a wee bit upset when people would make fun of John Veldhuis during his fast and then his hunger strike. I have no problem with people who do not like the method he chose to deal with his frustration, but to make light of the situation he thought was important is what got to me. How many of those people would actually stand up to Big Brother to say: "I don't like what you're doing -- or not doing doing -- so I'm going to do something." Many people think that John was taking a temper tantrum. Well, I suppose it all depends on how you look at an issue. Does that mean that women who take part in the annual "Take Back The Night" marches are taking temper tantrums because they want our parks, streets and jogging paths to be safe after, dark? V ,-< , Does that mean people who are opposed to kiddie pornography are taking a tantrum when they speak out against the influx of this material across our borders? Or does that mean that when someone like myself gives an opinion on an issue that I am out- of-line or throwing a temper tantrum? I don't think so! *** Someone is trying to change our ideas of ice cream. That lovely fruit-laden frozen confection is one of my favorite summèr treats. Yummy! In one of the big city dailies came an article that caught my eye last week regarding "guilt free indulgence"--Ha! They mix cooked egg whites'with skim milk to formulate a fake fat. That sounds gross and icky!.. . I realize that many folks will just eat this up, but frankly I just can't see myself going out of my way to buy it. The thing is, I make my own ice cream at home. I can make it with skim or one per cent or with two per cent milk. Or I can spend a mint on table or whipping cream. I like both kinds of ice cream; the low-fat or the heavy-fat. But to buy stuff that has fake fat--what a sacrilege! sacrilege! That isn't what a treat is all about! •" *** One of the other things that I did during my vacation vacation in July was to go to Ottawa with a friend.- We had perfect weather weather and camped insidé the city on property owned by the National Capitol Commission. > " * We walked up and around Parliament Hill and took in some sights and book shops. ; We barbequed chicken at a park near the Governor Governor General's residence and next to the French Ambassador's residence. It was a pleasant stay. One of the other things that I did during my holiday holiday was to get bored. ; I never knew until then just how much I depend depend on my job to keep me intellectually stimulated stimulated (or is that simulated?). simulated?). . ; PR Chief Retiring From GM N.M. (Nick) Hall, manager manager of media relations, General Motors of Canada Limited has elected to retire after 33 years of distinguished distinguished service in the Public Relations Department. D.S. (Stew) Low, formerly manager of public relations services for GM Canada will assume the media relations responsibilities previously performed by Hall, in addition addition to his present responsibilities responsibilities for charitable contributions contributions and external publications. publications. Low can be reached at (416) 644-6786. M. (Marc) Osborne, assistant assistant manager, Quebec media and government relations relations has relocated to the Ste. Therese, Quebec Assembly Assembly Plant to better serve the Quebec media. w ih Pressing Matters In One Small Town - by John E. James - "Jose, can you see? Will the PM be Mul-roon-ee?" The good news is that George Kell was back in the broadcast booth a week ago Tuesday, in time for the Tigers' dismal road trip. The bad news is that the Tigers- played so poorly during that span, George (or his Aunt Fanny) could have made a significant contribution on the field. How badly did they play? There were suggestions the franchise should be moved to Iraq, and renamed the Baghdad Bengals. Man, did they stink! No matter. Thanks to the amount of talent still waiting to be discovered in the American League East, the Tigers remain in contention. Correct, Abner. We are saying the door ain't shut, and the Tabbies aren't dead. Mention of the Jays brings a couple of thoughts to mind: A) Have you folks up in Central Ontario undergone adequate mental preparation for the ugly, but unavoidable fact that Tarontow ends the season with a home and home series against the Minnesota Twins? Prior to that, the Jays follow the same path Detroit just travelled. Good luck, eh? B) Of course, this situation pales in comparison to the real stuff citizens of Ontario are concerned about. The world awaits breathlessly for Comrade Poorbob and his NDP brethren /sistern to bring Pay Equity to Ontario's only major league baseball team. Never mind the pennant. Who will be the first million dollar clerk/typist? Will she/he be eligible for a full share of the series pot? Who keeps the trophy? This could be the first year the 'team' photo gets taken with a wide angle lens from the Goodyear Blimp. To compensate for the increased payroll costs, a box seat for the Jays in 1992 will cost $400 per game. (For those mathematically inclined: $346.25 plus 7% GST plus 8% PST, and yes, the province does tax the GST tax.) ***** That brings us to the subject of "Your Government (s) in Action," which is a lot scarier than "Your Government's Inaction," which is scary enough, but usually nowhere near as expensive. Didja see last week's news about the current year's budget problem in Ontario? To fight the recession, Comrade Poorbob 'bumped' up the current year's deficit from $3 billion to $9 billion. But sonofagun, Poorbob forgot to leave room for all those eggs laid by Dave Peterson (Pink Peter?) before the peasants got revolting. Amongst those 'surprises' was an increase in payroll costs for government employees of over 14%. Most of the incredible jump was caused by Pay Equity adjustments. Forget about whether or not there was a legit reason for pay equity; does the alleged imbalance need to be remedied in one fiscal wallop, especially during a horrendous downturn? And how come, only the guys who pay the bills get to have bad years in.tough times? Another Targe dose of deficit dollars came courtesy of snowballing costs for Full Funding at the secondary school level. Has any Ontario government ever attempted to spell out exactly how much Full Funding will cost us? The answer is "No," because nobody has been able to figure it out. The bottom Tine is simple: the bloody thing is too expensive. Full Funding should never have passed the starting gate. Too many politicians with no guts is the real problem; that's true for Full Funding and everything else. Finally, we leave you with something that should get your K acemaker pumping: the next Prime linister will be Brian Mulroney. (Kinda makes our Tigers prediction fade into the twilight, huh?) Believe it not, Lyan Brian's Boys and Girls have this thing figured down to the last stroke. Somebody in Toryland plays one hekkuva game of chess. Consider the timing. Sure, last week's public opinion poll indicates Mulroney has only 12% of the country on his side. No big deal. No surprise. They want it that way, for now. The Tories have lumped it to us good over the last couple of years. But, most of the bad news is out of the way, or will be by the time the next federal election is called. The man has two more years before that is necessary. Look at what's happening. The poor old Posties have been duped into another tremendously unpopular strike. Victims are seniors and disabled citizens. Guess who rides up on a white horse to save them? You betcha. He might even fire the whole bunch, and bring in the army to deliver the mail forever. This week the rest of the federal civil service goes on strike, and could theoretically shut down the entire country. Brian must be licking his chops in anticipation. A career in the army looks better all the time, doesn't it? That's it for a couple of weeks. We're heading for Vancouver and won't be back in time to catch the next issue.