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2 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Wednesday, June 9,1993 Section Two For 139 Years, Our First Concern Has Been Our Community Publisher - John M. James Assoc. Publisher - Richard A. James Plant Manager - Donald J. Bishop Ad. Manager - Brian G. Purdy Editor - Peter Parrott Production Rick Patterson, Julie Cashin-Oster, Ross Fisher, Laurens Kaldeway, Doug Lugtenburg, Sharon McMullen, Barb Patterson, Ralph Rozema, Jim Snoek, Vance Sutherland, Jim Tuuramo Advertising Laveme Morrison Editorial Brad Kelly, Lorraine Manfredo, Laura J. Richards Former Publishers ,ua Office Rev. W. R. Climie, 1854-1878 • M.A. James, 1878-1935 • George W. James, 1935-1957 Angela Luscher, Junia Hodge, Grace McGregor, Nancy Pleasance, Marilyn Rutherford Produced weekly by James Publishing Company Limited p.o. Box 190,62 King St. W., Bowmanville, Ontario, L1C 3K9 416-623-3303 Fax 416-623-6161 407 Compromise A solution to the Highway 407 controversy may be in sight. The compromise option which was presented by the Concerned Citizens' Committee at a recent Newcastle Council session seems to be a concept which will keep almost everybody happy. We say almost everybody because of the fact that there are two groups who will still oppose the project. Those who are against all new highways and those who want to sec the northern reaches of the ■ municipality opened up to rampant development will both oppose the plan. But, the compromise may be of interest to the wide number of interest groups in between. The Highway 407 compromise proposal goes something like this: Rather than extending the new freeway across the northern half of the municipality in a corridor to the north of Taunton Rd., the highway would traverse only a small part of the northern portion of the town where it enters the municipality to the west. Then it would bend sharply southward and link up with Highway 401 at a point a little to the cast of Courlicc. In other words, the 407 would by-pass most of the Town of Newcastle altogether. And yet, the town would still be served by the freeway and would gel many of the benefits as they pertain to improved transportation. This option does, however, represent an important change in development philosophy. If we decide that the 407 shouldn't extend across the northern tier of the municipality, we are saying that this part of the town should be protected from major development for the next 30 years or so. That's an idea which will sit well with the majority of those with an interest in this topic. In other words, villages such as Hampton or Enniskillen or Solina or Tyrone will be able to remain small. Farmland and grecnspacc can be preserved. And the lives of many landowners will not be disrupted by the freeway. At the same time, the elimination of llic northern leg of Highway 407 will not leave the municipality out of touch with the rest of the Greater Toronto Area. Under the compromise proposal, there would still be room for industrial and commercial development in the area along Highway .401 at Courlicc, which is .where the junction of Highway 407 and Highway 401 would be located. The Town of Newcastle has, for a considerable length of time, seen this site as an ideal location for future commercial development. Motorists wishing to go to Toronto via the 407 would still have relatively easy access to Highway 407, especially if they live in the western half of the municipality where much of the future growth is slated to occur. Those who fear that eliminating a stretch of Highway 407 across the northern part of the municipality would cheat us out of additional growth should keep in mind the fact that the municipality already has a population of just over 50,000. By the year 2000, that number is expected to climb to about 75,000 and growth will be concentrated in Newcastle, Bowmanville and Courlicc. Even without Highway 407, it can be argued that the municipality will get more than its fair share of growth. All we need is an upturn in the economy to sec that development materialize. Incidentally, the north/soulh highway to be built east of Courlicc would be required whether the original 407 plan was adopted or whether the new proposal was accepted; The plan put forward by the citizens last week merely calls for what had been previously labelled as a major north/soulh artery to be turned into the 407 highway itself. Yet another factor in the equation is the elimination of some 20 kilometres of highway, with all of the overpasses and interchanges and land purchases. This alone is a major consideration. About the only major flaw in the proposal is the fact that it eliminates a smooth link-up with Highway 115/35. This will be a drawback to cottagers and skiers who might have counted on Highway 407 as a quicker way out of Toronto. These travellers would, cither have to lake the old Highway 401 to Highway 115/35 or make some extra turns on Highway 407. That may not be a concern for the Town of Newcastle, since the cars in question arc just passing through and arc unlikely to slop here. But, it may be a concern to transportation planners. On the other hand, one has to wonder if it is fair to build à freeway through the muncipalily primarily for weekend cottage traffic. The 407 compromise is an idea which just might work. Citizens' Committee Offers 407 Planners a little "Guidance" Richards: *1/ Letter to the Editor "Falsehoods" Unlimited Column Attention Rick James: I would like to respond to your "unlimited thoughts" about the teaching teaching profession in the Wednesday, May 26, issue of your paper. There are several "thoughts" that I will correct for you: •A distinction needs to be made between between a Professional Development Day and a Professional Activity Day. A by Rick James What's the quickest way to get your name mentioned mentioned In this column? Shower me with gifts that I can't obtain myself. Two events In any year that pre-empt all other activities are the Masters golf tournament, and the Indianapolis 500. Although free tickets for either spectacle would be the ultimate gift, valuable souvenirs souvenirs from either event are gladly accepted. As of yesterday, I now have an assortment of paraphernalia paraphernalia from the world's most prestigious golf tournament. tournament. Seth "Snuffy" Hunt and his son, Darryl, have been working at the Masters as course marshals for many years and after each tournament, Snuffy brings back photos of himself chatting with Fred Couples and Jack Nicklaus at scenic Augusta National. Now keep In mind, tor golfing fanatics that's equivalent to waving a T-bone steak In front of a pack of wild animals. Alter I tried unsuccessfully to got tickets for the Masters last year, Snuffy consoled mo by dropping a Masters golf hat on my desk this week, along with the official Masters program, and a copy of the local newspaper. Thanks, Snuffy. Now, can you work on getting me a ride In an Indy car? MMMM Alter last week's column about family business heritage, I received some Interesting Information from Joyce Fitzgerald of Hampton who provided a number of documents detailing the James family tree. I had always wondered who came before M.A. James, and Joyce was able to provide the answer. According to her Information, M,A. James' lather's name was John. It appears ho died In 1910 at the ago of 85, two months before his namesake, and my father, John M„ was born. Stopping back an additional generation goto oven more Interesting. According to the documents, M.A. James' grandfather was a farmer named,.,Richard. Although I may bo his namesake, alter wiping out most of our vegetable gardon, I certainly certainly didn't Inherit hlo green thumb. !••••••• This editorial recently appeared In Tho Moalord Express. Just In case anyone thought I was the only taxpayer upset by government Interference, read on... Tax Protection A group call the Taxpayers Alliance has come out with a list of three collective demands that would go a long way towards taking control of the government away from politicians whose only goal Is to get elected, and special Interest groups that seem to dictate public policy In spite of what the majority thinks. The group says that every time the government of Ontario takes one more dollar In tax revenue from our pockets, It further erodes our freedom of choice and It deepens the malaise In our dwindling economy. The group's demands state: 1. Taxpayers do not accept the tax Increases and now taxos brought down by the government and they want them rescinded. 2. Tho government priority should bo to cut the size of government, reduce taxos to create a positive cllmato lor Job creation In tho private sector. 3. Taxpayors nood legislative protection from this government from abusive and punitive taxation and unrestrained Increases In spondlng programs. programs. Tho domand for a financial constitution that would Imposo limits on tho ability ofgovornmonts to Incroaso oxlstlng taxes, croato now taxos and tie In- croasos In oxlstlng spondlng programs to tho lallation lallation rato has morlt. It usod to bo that govornmonts roprosontod tho pooplo thoy worn taxing, but f/i/s Is no longor tho caso. Oovornmonls havo boon llstonlng to tho whining whining and complaining ol spoclnl Intorost groups and Implomonllng programs that Ignoro tho noods and wants ol tho majority of tho pooplo who aro looting tho bill, It may not bo roallstlc to rosclnd tho now taxos lolstod on us by Dob Hao, but wo can and should ask lor protoctlon from lurthor Incroasos. And wo can and should ask lor programs that sorvo no usa- fulpurposo, othor than lo stroko tho ogos ol spoclnl Intorosts, to bo cancollod. I couldn't Imvo cold It bolter myself. •Not all teachers are granted Professional Professional Development Days at least once a month. •Many private sector employees enjoy benefit packages that equal and often better our present package. •The employees in this Board who cam the $75,000 per year that you speak of arc administrators who are no longer in the classroom. These administrators administrators spend many extra hours in the school, including summer months. Beyond these inaccuracies, I object to the implication that because teachers teachers do so little, they arc deserving of the cutbacks of the kind suggested in the Social Contract. Although you arc correct that teachers do get a lovely summer holiday holiday and technically arc required to be at work from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., you will find that a majority of teachers spend many extra hours in the school building giving remedial help, coaching coaching athletic teams, producing the quality quality journalism seen in our school yearbook, yearbook, directing school performances, meeting with parents and marking pa pers. Some teachers choose to go home and take the preparation and test papers with them. Quality education inspires the youth of this country to achieve excellence. excellence. Our students are the entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs, managers and leaders of the future. future. This profession needs to offer salaries and benefits comparable to those in the private sector in order to attract high calibre individuals into the educational system. If you arc voting for lower wages for teachers, you arc in turn voting for mediocrity in the ranks and mediocrity in our future leaders. I believe that most people agree that cutbacks need to be made in the public sector. However, I find it difficult difficult to understand your omission of the positive aspects of teaching, while at the same time you stale falsehoods about the profession in order to make your point. As a quality journalist, Rick, I am sure you know better than that. As a teacher, I lake this very personally personally and feel that you have denigrated denigrated the people who helped you at- Contlnued on Page 3 MADD It is a rare time when this reporter is moved to sadness and tears at a meeting. However, when it does happen, happen, I am still unsure how to deal with it. Last Tuesday evening, June 1,1 attended attended an evening sponsored by the Newcastle Village Optimist Club. The guest speaker, Ginny Hather- ly, talked to a small group of people about what it is like to bury a grandchild grandchild due to a collision caused by a drunk driver. Her story of how her daughter and son-in-law became involved in the accident accident was pretty much par for the course; their car was crunched by a drunk driver who was behind the wheel of a catering truck. Her son-in-law, Gord, sustained injuries injuries to the left side of his body. Her daughter, Gail, "took the car's dashboard dashboard in the face." Their son, Adam, "took a window in his face." The couple's daughter, Laura Jean, died in hospital from a number of injuries. injuries. She was so young that she was still being bottle fed. Putting a name to a death caused by a drunk driver is always the most effective way to get a message across. Putting emotions to a death caused by a drunk driver, hits home. When I was 16, a friend of mine who lived in Mazcrolle Settlement, near Fredericton, New Brunswick, was killed by a drunk driver. iffcrry and I had attended the same school together and were always in the same classes from Grade 4 on up through junior high (Grade 7 to 9). He was killed on a Friday night, so many of us did not find out about his death until the following Monday morning when we climbed aboard the school bus. He was the first person I knew who was killed by a drunk driver. • Just , a couple of years ago, Saul, the son of a friend of mine, was in a car driven by a drunk driver who hit a hydro pole. Saul had just celebrated his 17th birthday when the collision took place in Fredericton. He had just found out that the university he wanted to attend would take him. He was finally going places! So many young lives are taken by somebody's stupidity. While some people still believe themselves to be invincible, once you're dead, the party is definitely over. Ask Saul -- he lost his girlfriend and best friend to a hydro pole. Eye Test On Thursday afternoon, I went to sec Dr. Karen McPherson, an optometrist optometrist in Bowmanville, to take a picture and get some information, At least, that is what I started out to do. Instead, I ended up taking a Threshold Test using a computerized perimetry machine which measures a person's field of vision. Dr. McPherson explained the test would not hurt and could be done in as little as eight minutes for each eye. Since I had only my right eye tested, the test was quickly over. The machine has two functional sides. One has a computer screen that is manipulated with a pen rather than a mouse. The screen shows the quadrants quadrants of the patient's eye, along with an image of Inc eye. On the other side, the patient sits with her chin on a lift and a patch over the eye not being tested as she stares Continued on Page 3 n 0 HO We Asked... What is your opinion about the Heritage Week celebrations in the Town of Newcastle? .. .And You Said Shcra Hastings Bowmanville Clinton Brown Bowmanville Sherri Leach Hampton Phil Woodcock Bowmanville "1 didn't see any of "I didn't go to see any, "Yes, 1 knew about "1 guess 1 missed it. them. I wasn't so I don't know." them. I think it is a Didn't know about it." around, but I'm sure great reminder of how they were great." our town developed." \e\l xvvvk s question I )o uni think the I ligltw.iv -IH7 should bypass the northern portions o| the inunn ipalilv' ~ o. rr-jr, ait