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tatesman • SINCE 1854 • AMALGAMATED 1999 WITH CLARINGTON THIS WEEK • Pressrun 21,900 30 Pages Wednesdax, Max 2, 2001 Ram tough Wheels Pull out Hydro customers could pay for projects Burying wires in Bowmanville could cost all Veridian users BY JACQUIE McINNES Stuff Writer CLARINGTON - Claring- ton taxpayers won't pay to bury hydro lines in old Bowmanville, but Veridian customers might have to - and they could finance similar projects in other neighbourhoods neighbourhoods as well. The municipality could be opening the door for all hydro customers to pay for improvements improvements in downtowns throughout their electricity provider's distribution distribution area, following a vote Monday. After refusing to bury hydro wires in historic downtown Bowmanville, Bowmanville, council endorsed a letter letter to the Ontario Energy Board by Veridian President John Wicrsma requesting hydro customers customers pay for capital improvements improvements in any area where it is deemed to be "in the public interest." interest." Mr. Wicrsma asks the OEB to allow electricity providers to bill "all electric customers" customers" in the local distribution company's service area for capital capital investments such as wire burial burial "in downtown areas and heritage heritage neighbourhoods." Veridian already services - or is awaiting final approval to service -- parts of Clarington as well as all of Ajax, Pickering, Uxbridge, Port Hope and Belleville. The Old Bowmanville Neighbourhood Neighbourhood Association had asked council to have the municipality pay for the burial of hydro lines, to protect the tree canopy, on Centre Street, Concession Street and other streets in the residential residential neighbourhood during upcoming upcoming road work. The cost for wire burial for four main streets in the neighbourhood was esti mated at about $1 million by the public works department. However, at the same time council turned down the association's association's request for municipal funding, council endorsed Mr. Wiersma's letter to have the corporation corporation approach the OEB for permission to "include the capital capital cost of such upgrades in the rate base." Until Veridian has an answer from the OEB, the wire burial will not go forward. Councillor Jim Schell said his understanding understanding is this could take about nine months. Bill Humber, spokesman for the Old Bowmanville Neighbourhood Neighbourhood Association, said the group would like the municipality municipality to postpone the Centre Street reconstruction until Veridian has an answer from the OEB. He said the group is concerned if the road work goes ahead without See CLARINGTON page 5 Former teacher pleads guilty to sex assault BY STEPHEN SHAW ; Staff Writer ■ DURHAM - Twenty-five 'years after a Courtice elementary elementary school teacher resigned • amid accusations of sexual iabuse, the 51-year-old man jpleaded guilty Monday to indecently indecently assaulting two former Istudents. *! Paul Alexander McCrae, a ■former resident of Bow- imanville and Oshawa, will be ^sentenced on June 13 in Superior Superior Court of Justice in Whitby. Mr. McCrae was charged in December 1998 after a 32- year-old man told Durham Regional Regional Police he was sexually fondled in the classroom by his Grade 2 teacher at Courtice West Public School between 1973 and 1975. Court heard Mr. McCrae would make the victim, who was seven years old at the time, sit on his lap behind the teacher's desk as a form of "discipline," and at that time sexually assault the boy during classes. A student witnessed an incident incident and a complaint was brought forward to school officials officials by parents, leading to Mr. McCrae's resignation soon after. The assaults, however, were not reported to Durham Regional Police at that time, a police spokesman said following following Mr. McCrae's arrest in 1998. Police said publicity surrounding surrounding recent cases of historical historical sexual abuse contributed contributed to die victim's decision decision to come forward two' decades later. See FORMER page 5 ONTARIO'S DRIVE CLEAN ACCREDITED TEST & REPAIR FACILITY *An official mark of the Province of Ontario used under licence. Whitby - Oshawa Honda 1110 DUNDAS. ST. E., WHITBY LOCAL (905) 1 666-1772 hortda www.honda1.com BOWMANVILLE - The greatest baseball player of the '50s is visiting Bowmanville High School this week, as students present the musical, Damn Yankees. The show runs May 2 to 5 with curtain at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students and seniors and can be purchased through the box office at the high school from 11 to 11:45 a.m. and 2:30 to 3 p.m. or at the door on performance night. Bowmanville High School is located at 49 Liberty St. N. Call 905-623-4416for more information. To leave a message, ask for ext. 418. Above, from left, Krystal Roth as Lola, Jesse Parsons as Joe and Craig Churchill as Mr. Applegate, the Devil, are ready for the show. WALTER PÀSSARELLA/ Statesman photo Those Damn Yankees Boy, 10, arrested in car theft BOWMANVILLE - Police arrested seven people - including a 10-year-old boy - as a result of two separate stolen car sightings in less than one day. The first incident started around 11 a.m. Monday, when police saw three young people near a van in a King Street East parking lot in Bowmanville. The van was reported stolen in the early morning hours from a Coleman Street home. The officers officers "stuck around, and the kids came back," says Constable John Payne of the Durham Regional Police Clarington Community Office. Two were arrested at the scene; the other was involved in a brief foot chase with police before before being caught. The 10-year-old boy is too young to be charged under the Young Offenders Act. However, a 16-year-old and a 14-year-old face a total of 16 charges, including including theft, possession of stolen property, and break-and-enter. Both older teens were held for a bail hearing. All three boys are from Bowmanville. Bowmanville. Police also got involved in a brief pursuit and foot chase after a vehicle reported stolen from the Quinte West area was spotted in Bowmanville early Tuesday morning. After a report of a possibly impaired driver on Freeland Avenue Avenue at about 12:30 a.m., police officers spotted the vehicle near See POLICE page 5 Police might collar big budget Committee says OK to budget of $82.4 million BY SUSAN O'NEILL Staff Writer DURHAM -- Durham councillors will be asked to approve approve a police budget of $82.4 million today when the Region gives final consideration to its 2001 budget. Durham's finance and administration administration committee last week asked the Durham Police Services Board to re-examine its budget prior to today's council meeting. The police were asked to provide the finance committee with a report on the level of service that could be provided for $80.2 million, which was the original target council set for police spending in 2001. But, after hearing from police police Chief Kevin McAlpine yesterday at a finance committee committee meeting, councillors were unable to agree on making any changes to the budget. Chief McAlpine told councillors councillors cutting another $2 million million from the budget would mean a delay in hiring all of the new officers planned for this year. The budget calls for 47 new officers for 2001 although although about 10 officers won't be hired until the end of the year. "I certainly can't say to the board that we can do that," he said, noting there is nowhere else the police can cut costs. The chief explained about $70 million of the budget is directed directed towards wages and benefits benefits for officers and civilians, while the remainder includes funding for vehicles, operating costs, uniforms, leases and various various other expenses. kevin mcalpine 'Policing is an expensive business.' "Policing is an expensive business," he said. "I don't think anybody here doesn't know that." Scugog Mayor Doug Mof- fatt, who serves on the police services board, noted, "If you take more money out of that budget you're really going to affect your local community.' However, Pickering Councillor Councillor Mark Holland said the committee should hold the police police to their original target of $80.2 million, which represents represents a 12-per cent increase in police spending over last year. "If we don't start meeting targets... we've got a real problem problem in our budget (in future years)," he said. Councillors voted against a motion by Oshawa Councillor John Gray to use some of the money Durham is contributing to the Ontario Municipal Employees Employees Retirement System (OMERS) this year to offset the impact of the police budget on the general levy. EDITORIAL See page 6 It's the time of year for the annual Maple Festival and All That Jazz Inside Statesman WHERE TO FIND IT Editorial Page 6 Sports 8 Classified 17 GIVE US A CALL General.. .905-623-3303 Distribution 905-579-4407 Death Notices 905-683-3005 Sincerely Yours 1-800-662-8423 Web site durhamregion.com E-mail jbobbitt@durhamregion.com FAX 623-6161 Yummy fun being served up in Bowmanville this Saturday BY JACQUIE McINNES Staff Writer BOWMANVILLE - 'Tis die season to celebrate widi the first downtown festival of the year in Bowmanville, this Saturday May 5. The Maple Festival and All That Jazz will feature live jazz entertainment through the downtown downtown area, along with lots- of activities activities for the kids and of course, sweet things to eat, says Garth Gilpin, BIA manager. "Obviously there will be flap- jacks and maple syrup without which you wouldn't have a maple festival," he jokes. In addition to the flapjacks, other tempting goodies will include include a sugaring-off demonstration, demonstration, a bake sale, maple candy and fudge and maybe even some maple fries and burgers, he says. Live entertainment will include include the Herb Knox Dixieland band, the Classic Swing Orchestra, Orchestra, Honky-Tonk piano, the Horseless Carriagemen barbershop barbershop harmony singers and 'Broadway,' a presentation by the Theatre Dance Academy. The 'All That Jazz' title is actually actually a double entendre, says Mr. Gilpin because beyond the music and the food, the festival will also feature hobbyists including the Metro Marine Modellers Club, a huge model railroad display, wood carving and quilting demonstrations, a military drum display, a boat display and other hobby-related exhibits. Children's Children's activities include kiddie rides in the lot at 20 King St. E., tire municipality's mobile skate park, a jumping castle, clowns and other amusements. Due to the popularity of the event, downtown was closed off to vehicle traffic for the first time last year. In past years, only Temperance Temperance Street was closed off for the festival. There is free parking and admission for the event which runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cowan PONTIAC-BUICK GMCTRUCK 166 KING ST. B., BOWMANVILLE 623-3396