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Page 4 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanvillc, September 23, 199S ®I)e £aitnb(ait Statesman ^ Former Publishers and Partners Rev. John M. Climie and W. R. Climie 1854 -1878 M. A. James, 1878 -1935 • Norman S. B. James, 1919 -1929 G. Elena James, 1929 -1947 • Dr. George YV. James, 1919 -1957 Produced weekly by James Publishing Company Limited Also Publishers of The ClaringtoiilCourticc Independent P.O. Box 190, 62 King St. W., Bowmanvillc, Ontario L1C 3K9 Tel: 905-623-3303 HOURS: Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Fax: 905-623-6161 Internet - statesman@ocna.org Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 For 144 Years, Our First Concern Has Been Our Community Publisher - John M. James Assoc. Publisher - Rick James Plant Manager - Rick Patterson Ad. Manager - Brian G. Purdy Editor - Peter Parrott Production Supervisor - Ralph Rozcma, Suzanne Bennett, Tim Bowers, Kevin Britton, Sharon Cole, Laurens Kaldcway, Barb Patterson, Sean Pickard, Tyler Sellick, Jim Snoek, James Stephenson, Vance Sutherland, Jim Tuuramo Advertising Editorial Lavcrne Morrison Brad Kelly, Lorraine Manfredo, Jennifer Stone Office Supervisor - Angela Luscher, Junia Hodge, Grace McGregor, Nancy Plcasancc-Sturman, Marilyn Rutherford, Libby Smithson Queen's Park Must Take Action Sooner or later, the provincial government is going to have to step in and resolve the impasse between teachers and their school boards. Such action would seem only reasonable because the dispute is the result of decisions at the provincial level. It was, after all, the Province of Ontario that intervened with its Bill 160 education reforms. It was the Province of Ontario that eliminated half the school boards of Ontario. It was the Province of Ontario that decided all teacher contracts would be up for renewal at the end of August. And that has led us to the situation in which we find ourselves today. In Clarington, we are fortunate enough to have high schools still in session, although teachers have withdrawn withdrawn voluntary services and a rotating walk-out in our public board was set for today, Wednesday, September 23. Elementary schools seem to be functioning as usual, although it's unlikely any school in the province can avoid feeling the effects of the controversy. Local catholic high schools, on the other hand, have had only one day of classes since the new school year began. Ontario is, in itself, a hodge-podge of lock-outs, strikes, work-to-rulc campaigns, negotiations and only a few settlements. Parents arc naturally wondering if any learning can occur in this setting. And, keep in mind, it was less than a year ago that all Ontario teachers left the classrooms for two weeks to protest Bill 160. Remember, also, that major changes in the school curriculum are being introduced against a backdrop of labor strife in the educational system. Since Ontario seems intent on calling the shots in this province's classrooms, it's about time the provincial government stepped in to solve the labor impasse. Queen's Park wasn't in any way reluctant to take the leadership in introducing education reforms a year ago. So, it should be equally interested in assuming a leadership leadership role to solve the controversy resulting from implementing implementing educational reforms. Such a move would be in the best interest of Ontario's students, if anybody cares about them any more. Agri-Tourism Tourism and agriculture. They're two of the more overlooked industries in Durham Region and perhaps in Canada. But, on the weekend, they came together for a successful Durham Countryside Adventure. Many people arc under the impression that trade and commerce automatically means big smokestacks and big office towers. And, although big corporations remain important, they are not the only game in town. At a luncheon at the Durham Central Fair in Orono earlier this month, local business leaders and politicians were reminded of the importance of tourism. They were told that fall fairs alone result in $127 million worth of employment dollars in Ontario annually. They are another another example of agri-tourism. Incidentally, agriculture is described as the second- biggest industry in the Durham Region. On Saturday and Sunday, people from across Durham Region and beyond came to sample the best of life in rural Clarington and Scugog. The attractions included everything from rural churches to estate wineries, dairy farms, gardens, orchards and craft displays. Tourism and agriculture both arc businesses in which ownership belongs to small entrepreneurs and family units. The Countryside Adventure put these businesses in the spotlight and allowed guests from far and near to explore our rural traditions. We arc sure that they liked what they saw. And, no doubt, they'll be back. An Ounce of Prevention Seeing the Clarington Fire Department's big pumper truck in your neighbourhood is not necessarily cause for concern. The truck may be responding to an alarm, of course. But, it also may be parked on the street as part of the new "Alarmed for Life" program. The focus of this program is prevention of fires and the promotion of safety. Your municipality and your fire department arc concerned enough with the safety issue that the fire department staff arc going door-to-door in an effort to ensure all homes have working smoke alarms and an emergency escape plan. They even carry spare batteries and alarms for those households that need them. It all adds up to a powerful message about the importance importance of lire safety. Please listen. The Advantages Of Parliament Canadians might be forgiven for feeling a little smug these days. That's because, although we may have a 65-ccnt dollar, dollar, we're unlikely to see the same kind of soap opera being played out on the TV networks as the latest revelations revelations about President Bill Clinton unfold. The problem is that our friends to the south have opted for a form of government consisting of three powerful powerful factions: The Senate, the House of Representatives and the Presidency. Most Canadians are familiar with the first two. But, Americans have opted for a system in which the office of the presidency is a power unto itself, This can also lead to a situation in which the American president can belong to a political party that controls neither of the two legislative bodies in the United States. And that can make him an easy political target. It's a sharp contrast to Canada, where power tends to be shared among the politicians, the party in power and the ministers, In our system, the Prime Minister is more like the first among equals. Editor's Utter Older Adult Ail Aboard! Matthew McHugh views the fields and orchards of Ted Watson Farms from his perch on a vintage vintage tractor displayed in the playground. He was among the many folks attending a fun-fair and pumpkin hunt held for the benefit of Memorial Hospital at Ted Watson Farms Sunday, September 20. ' -- Photo by Nancy Plcasancc-Sturman Centre Thanks Supporters Dear Peter: The Clarington Older Adult Association is most appreciative for the cooperation cooperation and participation participation of many people in the municipality to ensure a successful opening of the Clarington Beech Centre on September 19. It was decided three months ago to hold this event and, although it's not yet completely completely finished, we were pleased to hear many favourable comments about the centre. To your newspaper for the advance publicity and the anticipated coverage of the opening events, we extend our thanks. In the months ahead we look forward forward to your reporting the many activities scheduled. Community Care have moved into their offices in the facility and very shortly shortly we trust everything will be operating smoothly. The nursery school will be arriving in two or three weeks. We appreciate the understanding of these two tenants during this transition. Many participated in the opening day's activities activities depicting some courses courses that will be available if adequate interest is shown. We appreciate their efforts. To those attending the opening ceremonies, dinner dinner and dance we say thank you. As with any new venture, there were some glitches that must be corrected and hopefully when you return all will be satisfactory. Continued on page 5 Proposal Would Resolve Impasse To the Editor: I am sick and tired of hearing Provincial Tories, John O'Toole included, spouting information which is geared to inflame anger and distrust toward teachers. They have successfully successfully engaged in a campaign of misinformation misinformation to slide through a program program that is designed to save money. It is not pri marily intended to increase teacher-student contact time or to improve the quality of the education that Ontario's students receive. It all starts with their assertion, which Mr. O'Toole regurgitates in the September 18 edition of your paper, that teachers arc balking at a paltry 25 minutes extra teaching time per day. After all, most of the other provinces in Canada do it, so why not in Ontario? Most teachers wouldn't mind doing that but they do object to the format which the Tories have pushed and which the Boards in Ontario have felt obligated to pursue. This model means switching from teaching 6 of 8 classes (3 of 4 in each semester) to 7 of 8 classes (3 of 4 one semester, 4 of 4 in the other semester). This has been the model of choice and this will (has) resulted in the loss of hundreds hundreds if not thousands of positions across Ontario. Instead, the same objective of more time for teachers, and more contact with students students could very easily be Continued on page 5 Letter to the Editor Thoughts Unlimited by Rick James Where You Been Hiding? We're back at the keyboard alter missing a couple weeks of conjuring conjuring up some Unlimited Thoughts. Most of the last month has been spent implementing the Year 2000 accounting system I've been working on for the last 18 months. As of September 1st, it's alive and kicking. And, so arc all the bugs that come with any new system. To give you an idea of how particular a computer's mind operates, some of our customers' data included names with apostrophes. Unfortunately, some of the names used typographic apostrophes that look like a six (') or a nine ('). Others names were entered using the keyboard slash apostrophe ('). Just like oil and water, the two don't mix. It only took me about a week to track down that problem. Along the same line, some of the coding included a script that used a lower case "L." The process would freeze when it reached that part of the program. I reviewed that program for weeks trying to determine determine the Haw. Finally, I gave up in frustration and c-mailed the program program to a colleague in Ottawa to let him have a fresh look at it. Turns out I used a one (1) instead of a lower case L (1) in my coding. He picked it out within a lew minutes, only because he had a similar experience with the two characters. I have to blame that one on my father who insisted that I learn to type on an old Underwood manual typewriter that didn't have a key for the number 1. Old habits arc hard to break, hut unfortunately, the computer's mind is not very forgiving. Free to a Good Home I'll be interested to see if anyone calls to take advantage of this offer. With the introduction of our new Macintosh-based system, our old IBM PC computers will be going in the trash. At this point, there is an IBM XT preparing to take a swan dive into the dumpster. If you want it, it's yours, Phone our office at 623-3303 if you need a new anchor for your boat. First come, first served, Speaking of Father... No, lie's not free to a good home, hut, for everyone who's been asking, Pa lias been enjoying the hospitality of nurses and doctors at Memorial Hospital, Bowmanvillc, Actually, the new name is Lakeridge Health, Bowmanvillc. lie's been having some trouble after a cold got into his chest and decided to take up residence there. But, thanks to everyone at the hospital, he should be coming home in the next few days. The care has been fantastic and Pa says the food isn't that bad cither. Not sure what that says about Mother's good home cooking? We'll keep you posted as to his progress. Thanks again to everyone everyone who has enquired about "Johnny." Good Day Benefits the Hospital One thing I did make time for was the Hospital Foundation's golf tournament last Friday. I had the pleasure of meeting LPGA hall of lamer Sandra Post and playing golf with CFTO Sports anchor Joe Tilley. As you will read elsewhere in this issue, Sandra Post is a very classy lady. It was a long day for her that included a number of interviews, interviews, a golf clinic, hitting shots with each group on the third hole, plus a dinner and speech in the evening. She had to he tired at the end of the day, but maintained her professionalism throughout the entire event. Well done. By the luck ofihc draw, 1 was teamed with Joe Tilley. A few weeks earlier in another charity event, I was teamed with his colleague, Lance Brown. Despite their celebrity status, both of these sports nuts arc simply "great guys" that would fit in with any Sunday morning foursome. The only difference between them in their approach to the game was that Lance could putt, He drained a 20 footer on the last hole that won us the tournament. Joe, on the other hand, must have been using his kid's Nerf putter on the greens. I don't think he got a hall half-way to the hole all day. His jokes, however, made up for his putting deficiencies. It was interesting to see how many people spoke to Joe and Lance as though the sportscaslers could see the viewers sitting in their living living rooms just as easily as the viewers could see Joe and Lance. On more than one occasion, people said, "Hi you know me, I watch you every night." It was very strange, but was also handled very well by the CFTO crew, It was a great day all around and more than $14,000 was raised for the hospital. Congratulations to all the organizers for a job well done and I'm looking forward to matching wits with next year's CFTO entry.