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Page 4 The Clarington/Courticc Independent, Bowmanvillc, Saturday, February 21,1998 PONTIAC ^ BUILT FOR DRIVERS' Get what you want front your Central Ontario Pontiac Performance Team PONTIAC BUICK BMC The GM Card' rtiSMARTLEASE You could yil lowir monthly piymenti on *ny CM i«f or truck, «II 1-800-32 SMART f 0 % tl El GRADUATE PROGRAM You should know this: 'Based on n 30 month loaso lor Pontine Sunfiro Coupo ISA/Ponliac Sunliro GT Coupo ISA. A clown payment or Irndo ol S1,G00/$t,G00 and $300/$300 r.ocurily deposit nru required. Total obligation is $0,720/$ 10,1 GO. Annual kilomotro limit: 20.000 km, $0.00 per oxcoss kilomotro. Other toaso options avmlahlo. Freight nr. indicated, liconco. msurnneo and taxes not included. Dealer ' may toar.o lor loss. Olfors apply to 1090 now or demonstrator models Æ I eciinppod as doscrihod, and applies to qualified retail customers in I3nm Central Ontario only. Dealer order or trade may he nocossaiy Limited ' -- time oilers which may not ho combined or used with other oilers. See your Dealer lor conditions and details, www (imcanada.com is a trademark ol General Motors Corporation "Graduate rebate subject to program rules. Registered Trade mark ot General Motors Corporation, TD Dank licensed user ol Mark. February 15th was Canada Flag Day. As I watched some of the Olympics from Nagano, Japan. I was thrilled to see Canadian athletes doing so well. Family Literacy Week is celebrated February 21 to the 28th. Local schools and libraries will mark the occasion to reinforce the "Freedom to Read" theme. The freedom to read and literacy arc fundamental to a just and democratic society. society. Each one of us must stress the importance of reading by setting an example for our children. Turn off the TV, read to your children or visit a library. This past week, I participated participated in the pic-budget consultations at Queen's Park. I was surprised when Liberal finance critic, Jerry Phillips insisted that there should be a uniform educational properly tax for industrial and cominer- .cial properties. I have a lot of respect for Mr. Phillips but this is unacceptable. This approach to lax fairness fairness would mean dramatic property tax increases for all municipalities outside Toronto. Moving to a uniform tax rate on industrial and commercial educational tax would mean an immediate immediate 50% or more tax increase for most municipalities. municipalities. This is unacceptable unacceptable to our government. MPP Phillips represents a Toronto riding and perhaps perhaps this explains why he supports the view that the rest of Ontario should fix Toronto's tax problems. Our ultimate goal is to move toward a uniform educational tax rate for business as Toronto adjusts its spending in line with areas like Durham. Between 1985 and 1995, the Liberal and NDP gove rn me ills allowed business educational property property tax to increase 87%. At the same meeting, the Ontario Secondary Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) president challenged challenged the government on its spending on education. I reminded Mr. Manners that we are spending more now than the previous government. 1 reminded him that we are spending more as a result ol' our obligations to the Ontario Teachers pensions fund. I reminded him that all revenue revenue to finance education comes from taxes, either local municipal taxes or from provincial taxes. We spend $ 14.4 billion; there arc two million students and to me that is over $7,000.00 per student. We are the second highest spending province in Canada after Quebec! The $40.00 per day relief for parents due to the educational protest is now being distributed. The province will make up any shortfall by a board. There will not be any student or classroom burdened with this expenditure. The $40.00per day relief for parents due to the protest is now being distributed In my riding, Durham Public has a surplus of $384,000.00, Durham Separate has a surplus of $468,000.00 and Victoria County surplus is $567,000.00. The Northumberland and Clarington Board has a shortfall of $233,356.00 and the Peterborough, Victoria, Clarington Separate Board shortfall was approximately $131,707.00. The total savings due to the educational educational protest was approximately approximately $397.7 million. The estimated cost of the $40.00 per day parent support support will be $316.1 million. million. The province is paying paying boards a Hat administration administration Ice to process the claims. There may be a surplus of some $50 million. I am recommending that we do not cut this from the educational educational grants hut rallier reinvest in our classrooms. I would like to see cacli parent school community council make suggestions. Wednesday, February I8lli, at 7 p.m. a forum on Canadian Unity will he held at the Strathavcn Nursing Home in Bowmanvillc. Everyone is welcome to attend and participate. In the llie coming weeks, I am very interested interested in meeting constituents. Any school, church or community group or individuals individuals interested in speaking lo me on any issue, please call our office at 697-1501 or 1-800-661- 2433. Special Delivery For Seniors Last week, the good folks at Avery Dennison received 300 small pots of crocuses crocuses from the CNIB's Area Manager, Iris Milne, and lier helper, Kelly McDonald. Aubrey Ferguson and Sue Davie, of Avery Dennison, look delivery of the Bower pots on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 11. The Bowmanvillc company company ordered the plants from the CNIB and delivered one to each of the seniors at Strathavcn February 12 and 13. Proceeds from the sale of the Bowers support CNIB services in Durham Region. Marilyn Musliinski, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier, has announced the creation of a new provincial award to recognize outstanding achievements by young people in the volunteer sector. "Recognizing the contributions of volunteers is one of many important steps the Ontario government is taking to strengthen the volunteer sector," Ms. Musliinski said. "By creating awareness of what volunteers arc able to achieve in our communities, we help ensure the valued tradition of voluntarism in Ontario continues". The Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers will be presented annually, by the Lieutenant Governor, to a maximum of ten young people, ages 15-24, who have made a significant contribution to the community as a volunteer. The first awards will be given in the Fall of 1998. 98 Pontiac Sunfire Coupe 2.2 litre engine, 5-speed transmission, 4-wheel ABS, dual air bags, PASSLock'" theft-deterrent system, rear spoiler, reclining front bucket seats, full pci monlli/36 months/ SI,600 down payment/ t . ... , > 5300 security deposit/ folding rear seal, tinted glass S620 height required The Year 2000 Computer Challenge Picture if you will, air traffic control systems malfunctioning, accounting accounting systems failing and putting companies out of business and pension cheques terminated. These are some of the possibilities if industry and government fail to meet the challenge of having their computers ready for the calendar change that will occur at the start of year 2000. The problem is occurring because programmers and hardware designers designers failed to consider consider the millenium calendar change The uncertainty of the "Year 2000 problem", is occurring because progammers and hardware designers failed to consider consider the likelihood of the millenium calendar change. When you first consider the problem you think there must be a simple solution but there isn't. Many Canadians arc being duped into thinking something something is being done when many government and business organizations arc just being lethargic about getting on with fixing the problem. In a report commissioned commissioned by Industry Canada, that was delivered last week, it was discovered discovered that over half of the small and medium-sized businesses in Canada haven't even thought of addressing the problem. Imagine something as significant as your information information system going down and you haven't even considered considered the problems it will create for you, and more importantly, your customers. But this is the norm in Canada. The report predicts bankruptcies as those companies companies who did deal with the problem take the business business of the companies who did not. The report suggests that banks refuse to lend money to businesses who arc not gearing up for year 2000, and in addition, that insurance companies not insure those businesses since they will incur significant significant liabilities. Even financial markets have failed lo make ready at this point. The Industry Canada report estimates that over $12 billion will have to be spent by Canadians before they arc even close lo solving solving the problem. Re-Invest Surplus in the Classroom Report from Queen's Park by John O'Toole Parliamentary Report by Alex Shepherd - This will mean reallocating reallocating resources from areas which companies deem more productive. And some companies simply simply won't have those resources. Don't be fooled into thinking that if you buy a new computer everything will be just ducky. Unfortunately while more computer manufacturers now talk about hardware which is year 2000 ready, there isn't anyone who will warrant that their machines arc, in fact, year 2000 compliant. There arc still noil- compliant computer chips slipping into the manufacturing manufacturing process. You should also be leery of software purchases. purchases. There is loo much software software out there which is non-compliant and dumping dumping of inventory is going to be a great temptation. So what can government government do about protecting the public? First government government can get its own systems systems fixed. Imagine the hardship for Canadians who collect Old Age Pension and CPP, or the problems for government government if Revenue Canada can't function because computers can't recognize the year 2000? Some progress is being made hut budget restraints, and computer programs written in ancient languages, languages, are a couple of the obstacles that have to be overcome. It is unlikely that governments governments will gel into the certification game. The fact is there is no sure way to know whether systems arc 100 per cent compliant and the legal liability arising arising out of someone saying so would be enormous. I discussed these issues with a highly respected technologist who worked on the task force. He predicted predicted that, not only would air traffic control systems in the U.S. fail but that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service computer system is set to fail as well. I am lobbying the Department of Finance to provide small and medium-sized medium-sized businesses with some sort of tax relief to aid in getting the business community ready for year 2000. Remember there arc approximately 500 business business days left until then. Now is the time to ask questions because the repercussions, left unattended, unattended, arc going to have a dramatic effect on us all. New Award For Young Volunteers