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• §tri, g r r^v, Mmm FS r life s.?P-p pSfS 1 W#-.Viïïr>-'-S i - $ *r 1 : ■issaasbi^ PAGE 6 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ August 10,2005 Tim Whittaker Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor-In-Chief Chris Bovie Managing Editor Fred Eismont Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak Classified Advertising Manager Kirk Bailey Distribution Manager Lillian Hook Office Manager Janice O'Neil, Cheryl Haines Composing Managers ®jjc Canadian Statesman ■ t AUGUST 10, 2005 durhamregion.com Phone 905-579-4400 Classifieds 905-576-9335, Distribution 905-579-4407 General Fax 905-579-2238 Newsroom Fax 905-579-1809 E-Mail newsroom@durhamregion.com 865 Farewell St., Oshawa ON L1H 7L5 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 infodurhamregion.com Clarinoton'e Award-Winnina Newspaper Since 1854 EDITORIAL e-mail letters to newsroom@durhamregion.com A long way towards a top system CLICK AND SAY Today's question: Is Mlchaelle Jean a good choice for Canada's next governor-general? Day-care dollars a welcome relief After a decade of disappointment, disappointment, the last year has been very good for the day-care system in Ontario. After all, with the recent announcement of a $1.1-billion federal-funded injection into the provincial system over the next three years, steps are finally being taken to create significant numbers of new day-care spaces, to reduce waiting lists and to further the quality of care for our children. The announcement of the 'Best Start Plan,' comes almost onè year to the day after the Province announced $58 million in funding funding for the system. All those hundreds of mill of dollars are in stark contrav with the decade previous, when the federal Liberals continually pledged to offer monetary help for the staggering system, but time after time failed to follow up on their election promises. So, the relief has been a long time coming. In Durham, the latest round of funding delivers $34.9 million and creates, an estimated 770 licensed day-care spaces. Provincewide, Provincewide, the number is 25,000 new spots. • • The world of today is much different than 30 years ago and increasingly both parents in a family are working outside the home. As a result, they are turning turning in greater numbers than ever to day cares for help, expecting their children to be entertained, educated and, above all else, well cared for. According to Statistics Canada, more than half of all Canadian children were in some form of , child-care by 2000-01, and one quarter of them were in a daycare daycare centre. So the new dollars will have a big impact at the feet of our children. But the announcement offered plenty of other reasons for optimism as well. .. While traditionally the Province Province and Durham Region share the cost of day care at 80-20 respectively, for the Best Start program, the Province will pay : the full freight. Child-care workers workers will see an additional $106 million in pay over the three years and a College of Early Childhood Educators is to be set up to establish professional standards for the industry. Further, a panel of experts will look at the recruitment and retention retention of educators and another will establish a learning program for preschoolers. While long overdue, the reforms and additions will have an immediate and lasting effect on our day-care system here in Durham and beyond. Continued cash'infusions going forward also ensure the system stays strong on its feet; can start to grapple with its staff retention . problem, and will mean more spots for parents who Have to work, which of course is essential essential for our economy. A safe, effective, and educational educational day-care system is not only good for parents, but for everyone across Durham. No . kidding. dolighan.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-mail letters to newsroom@durhamregion.com BACKWARD GLANCE Stephen's Mill New chief needs to show force leadership To the editor: After two, and a half years,of investigation, Durham Regional Police Chief Kevin McAlpine announced on July, 11 that none . of the 13 former members o^ the Drug Squad would be facing) any ■ charges --. criminal and/or joth- , erwise. While under investigation, investigation, .this period has been one of ordeal. Not only has it affected their careers as police officers, it has brought about great turmoil and stress in their family lives. The records will show that each and every one of the ex-DEU members had careers demonstrating demonstrating impeccable. performances receiving numerous awards such as "Officer of the Year 11 recogni- , tion. , • During his tenure as Durham Regional Police Chief, Kevin McAlpine has had his leadership questioned by way of a "no confidence" confidence" vote, during which the . DRP membership overwhelmingly overwhelmingly supported a "no confidence" motion. In my experience in the Armed Forces, an inefficient unit is due to the lack of ability of the commanding commanding officer.; The selection of a police chief ' should be one with exceptional experience and integrity who can lead, delegate, show and receive respect. Harry Elvins . Courtice Discipline should be left to parent's discretion Photo supplied by Bowmanville Museum George Stephen poses with a large group at Stephen's Mill just north of Bowmanville. To the editor: Re: What's the right course of action with spanking? Carly Fos tercolumn, July 31. I agree there are reasons to try and be anonymous when this subject subject is presented, but I feel I would have to be the face and voice of reason. I do believe discipline should be left to the discretion of the parent and not to the politician, but I also agree that a child who shows signs of abuse may require extra attention. I do agree there are times when a good, well-deserved spanking; will be . engraved into memory and will have you look back and think twice about repeating repeating the same offence. It is better than the "they can't touch me or I'll call fhe police" that we are subject to these days. There are a few undisciplined, rude, obnoxious, and sometimes ignorant youths out there who may . have done better and been delinquent, delinquent, if they had been introduced to the back hand across the behind when they were younger, Guy Lemire //, r - Oshawa Bank of Canada could provide needed money To the editor: Re: Water works require our support, support, Aug 3.. The reference to the $34 billion ■ needed to be spent in Ontario on water works has not gone unnoticed. unnoticed. I must applaud your comment that "You can't do much without air, water and electricity," and the comment that they are essential essential services. I hope that those - comments are compatible with, and editorially editorially endorse, the proposal of having those essential services, the urban infrastructure of a civilized civilized society, remain in the public public domain and not as a 3H or, 4P. (Private, Public Partnerships or, Public Property for Private' Profit). That raises the all-important question: Where do we get the money? Here's where public ignorance comes into play. Most people are not aware that we, Canadian citizens, own a perfectly capable bank, the Bank Of Canada. It can fund the necessary infrastructure infrastructure projects just as easily as the chartered banks, or the corporations, which also work only with borrowed money. „ The added bonus is that the" interest paid on the borrowed money goes directly to the Federal Federal Government as revenue and thereby reduces our income tax. burden. Lest another armchair econo : mist claim that the funding would cause inflation, the simple answer is that all money borrowed borrowed from chartered banks is "newly created credit money" and is cancelled upon repayment. The .generally accepted myth is that the banks lend their depositor's depositor's savings. , , • The key question for taxpaying voters is do ,we want the private sector, operating on the basis of supply management to maximize profits, to own our infrastructure? infrastructure? Ed Goertzen Oshawa LETTERS We welcome letters that include name, city of residence, and phone numbers for verification. Writers are generally limited to 200 words and: one submission submission in 30 days. We decline announcements, poetry, open letters, consumer complaints, congratulations and thank you notes. The editor reserves the right to edit copy for length, style, and clarity. The newspaper newspaper contacts only those people people whose submissions have been chosen for publication. FAX: 905-579-1809; E-MAIL: Newsroom ©durhamregion. com. Governor general just right for now The most interesting thing about the appointment of Mlchaelle lean as our next governor gen- sral is that absolutely nobody saw it coming. For one thing, Ms. Jean is only 48, extremely young for what has traditionally been an honour that goes to a politician or diplomat diplomat to cap off a career. Presumably Ms. Jean, an awardwinning awardwinning journalist honoured for her documentaries, will continue to work well after her five-year term as governor general is up. ' It also might have been expected expected that Prime Minister Paul Martin would have turned over the keys to Rideau Hall to a French-Canadiun man (like the leaders of the federal Liberal party, the tradition, of Canadian Tim Kelly govcrnors-gcncral has been to, rotate between anglophones and francophones), Ms. Jean has a francophone background as a Haitian immigrant immigrant but also speaks English, Spanish and Italian. She has a varied background as a teacher, broadcaster and journalist. journalist. Like current Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, who came from Hong Kong to Canada as a child, Ms. Jean knows well what it feels like to grow up as part of a minority culture and what the barriers to success can be in Canada. Through her diligence ' and brilliance, she has succeeded splendidly and serves as a fine example to others in this nation of many cultures and constant immigration. What's refreshing about Ms. Jean's appointment, and that of -Ms, Clarkson before her, is that they have seemingly been so non-political. Take a look back at our gov- , ernor generals and you'll find, I hat, whether il was Romeo Leblanc Leblanc or Jeanne. Sauve or Ray Hnatyshyn.'that the appointment • was largely a political favour for services rendered to the party in power at the time. Sort of like getting a Senate slot, but not for life. However, being the governor general should be more than a patronage post. Depending on your point of view of the monarchy and of our parliamentary traditions, the governor governor general's job is either totally totally unnecessary or an essential part of our federal government. Most of us would fall somewhere somewhere in the middle between these extremes. It's true that in recent years, while Ms. Clarkson has received plaudits for her desire to reach out and spread Canadian values Cast your vote online at infodurhamregion.com Last week's question: Should Canada follow the; United States' lead if it decides to move ahead with changes to daylight saving, time? No 26.8% Yes 73.2% Votes cast: 153 , HAVE YOUR SAY Will the Air France crash in Toronto make you less likely to fly? u , ,!'/! Gloria Osborne "No. When was the last time if ever happened?" Anne Williamson "No. I don't fly very often. It wouldn't bother me." . V! ' Tt Alan Bridges "No, because I rarely fly. I've;,' 1 ' only been on a plane once. If j" I had to fly, it wouldn't bother '.jj beyond our borders, she has also been heavily criticized for spending spending far more than, any of her predecessors. Ms. Jean would be wise to learn from Ms, Clarkson's mistakes. While Canadians want her to be a visible and vital presence in her role, we also want her to take care when it comes to spending public funds. The new governor general can be a positive force in her role, a true model for the young people of today. Her youth, enthusiasm and media-savvy abilities should serve Canada well. Copy editor Tim Kelly's column appears every other Wednesday,, E-mail tkelly@durhainregion. com, Susan Duczmalewskl "No, because the rescue pie were on top of things, pilot and the crew did a job. I'll have no problem in the future." The Canadian Statesman is one of the Metroland Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. The Statesman is a member of the Bowmanville Clarington Board of Trade, the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, Commerce, Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Circulations Circulations Audit Board and the Ontario Press Council. The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse any, advertisement. Credit for advertisement advertisement limited to space price error occupies. Editorial and Advertising content of the Canadian Statesman is copyrighted. Unauthorized production is prohibited. Aocna ÉÉ6