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Sports/B1 Clarington Communities/A7 Dropping in on local youth centre Jr. A Eagles handcuff Predators durhamreglon.com ♦ Pressrun 24,150 ♦ Founded 1854 ♦ DECEMBER 20, 2005 ♦ 50 Pages ♦ Optional 3 Week Delivery $5/$1 Newsstand Clarington gets a little character Council votes to adopt program to better community BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer CLARINGTON The Municipality Municipality officially has a little character, character, Clarington council voted last week to become a Community of Character, a take-off on the Character Education program of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. The character education program program .began under Dr. Avis Glaze, in 2003, when she was KPR's director of education. Through community consultation, consultation, 10 attributes were decided upon -- respect, responsibility, honesty, integrity, empathy, fairness, fairness, initiative, perseverance, courage, and optimism -- and the program was implemented, stressing the practice and application application of those attributes in the board's schools. The board also implemented a program called 'Character in the Workplace' whereby the attributes attributes became part of board staff culture. "It's always a focus in the workplace and we see changes in the way people treat each other," explained Clarington KPR trustee trustee Cathy Abraham. "It becomes a way of life." The Communities of Character program takes it a step further, she said. "For some, they look at it as just a youth thing. It's not just about that. It's a way for adults to treat adults, too. And it's a way to role model for kids," she said, citing examples like picking picking up trash, and treating store clerks well, as tangible ways the Character attributes could be put into play. "It's an excellent way for all the people to work together for the common interest," John M. James Public School principal Fred Mandryk told Clarington council Monday. The purpose, he said, "is to make our communities communities a better place to live, work and play by championing these 10 attributes." The idea is to focus on the residents residents of the community, said Mr. Mandryk. "It's about the people, not the place," said the principal, who has committed to the program for the next two years, even though he plans to retire at the end of this year. "The place is great ... but what's important is the people." In unanimously passing the motion naming Clarington a Community of Character, the Municipality becomes the third in the board to do so. Port Hope and Havelock-Belmont-Methuen are also Communities of Charac-. ter. Since implementing Character Education at the school level, Mr. Mandryk said he's seen a significant impact, with incidents in the schoolyard dropping off by about 60 per cent, and he's hoping hoping it could be the same in the community. "It provides a recipe with the. 10 attributes, for solution, and this is to celebrate our differences," differences," said Mr. Mandryk. The message could be put out to the community by having attributes listed on the municipal website, or in business windows, suggested Ms. Abraham. See MUNICIPALITY, page A8 House one step closer to gaining heritage status Developer to donate house to municipality BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer NEWCASTLE - The wheels jtre in motion to save Newcastle's Newcastle's oldest house from demolition. demolition. [/Developer Dunbury Homes has mjlicated it is willing to donate tQé building or sell the property, property, with Wallbridge House on ft* to the Municipality, or else gét a demolition permit for the King Avenue East building, says a motion passed by Clarington council last Monday. The motion begins the heritage designation-process, designation-process, which allows the Municipality time to negotiate with the developer for the house. It's located just east of Arthur Street on the south side of Hwy. 2. The house, which currently serves as Dunbury's sales office is not only Newcastle's oldest, but it's "one of the oldest houses on its original foundations in Durham Region," said Myno VanDyke, of the Newcastle and District Historical Society. The house was first built in either 1818 or 1819, and was the site of the first organized reli- _ giôus services to be held here, when Methodist circuit preacher Anson Green held a service in 1824, according to research done by Mr. VànDyke. According to information from the Ontario Heritage Foundation, it's one of only about 90 homes in Ontario of similar vintage. "Normally, we wouldn't get too involved (in asking for such a designation), but we always felt Wallbridge House was a pretty important historical artefact in the Region," said Mr. VanDyke. There are a number of ideas about what could be done with the home, should it come in to the Municipality's hands, said Mr. VanDyke. The house was originally built by Asa Wallbridge, and remained in the hands of his descendants until not long ago said Francis Jose, great-great-grandson of ■ Asa Wallbridge, "My younger brother, who is at the University of Nebraska, inherited the house after my parents parents were gone, and he sold it to a private family, which I thought was reasonable at that point, ' since he wasn't planning to live See HOME, page A8 Jason Liebregts/Metroland Durham Region Media Group Seasonal singalong Students launch book to celebrate veterans COURTICE - A chance to speak to those who created history history has given local students a chance to create a text of their own. Passing the Torch: Our Youth Remembers, a book put together by students who travelled to Juno beach in France with a group of Second World War veterans, was launched last week at Courtice Secondary School, one of the schools involved in the 2004 journey. "This book is a labour of love, honour and respect on the part of students from three secondary schools, who had the privilege of travelling to Juno Beach with Second World War veterans," said CSS teacher Mike Strahl. Students talked to relatives, family friends or acquaintances to get stories that were "touching and personal" for the book, said Mr. Strahl, during the launch. The stories are not just part of the book - they were also buried as part of a time capsule at Juno Beach, during the official 60th anniversary D-Day ceremonies in which the students participated participated on June 6, 2004. Student Clark Morawetz wrote his piece in the book about his grandfather, a mechanic in the Second World War. Juno Beach, he said, w.as "the most moving place of all" during the trip. But the trip to a cemetery in France was a real reality check, he noted. See TRIBUTES, page A8 service) PARTS MON., WED., FRI. 7:30 am - 6:00 pm TUES. & THURS. 7:30 am - 8:00 pm SAT. 9:00 am - 4:00 pm ACCREDITED TEST & REPAIR FACILITY WHITBY OSHÀWA Honda 300 THICKSON RD. S. WHITBY 666-1772 honda www.hoode1.eem see numc, page ho Council wants Veridian to buy Hydro One But idea seems, to be a non-starter for Hydro One BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer . CLARINGTON - Residents of the municipality should receive seamless electricity service, service, and that means Veridian should be able to buy the Hydro One assets in Clarington, says council. Clarington council passed a motion Monday night, calling for Veridian, which supplies electricity to much of Clarington, Clarington, to purchase the Clarington- based assets of Hydro One. Buying the assets would provide provide equivalent reliability at equitable rates, something politicians politicians say is not happening under the current system. Veridian distributes electricity in Ajax, Beaverton, Belleville, Bowmanville, Cannington, Newcastle, Orono, Pickering, Port Hope, Port Perry, Sunderland Sunderland and Uxbridge, and is owned by shareholder municipalities. According to the motion passed by Clarington council, the Municipality "has received numerous complaints relating to service reliability reliability and inequitable electricity distribution rates within the Hydro One areas of Clarington." Clarington." "The only way we're going to get a seamless, stable level of service for all the shareholder communities is to get this type of resolution. out of our shareholder councils," said Clarington Mayor John Mutton. John Mutton The regular process is that Veridian would make an offer to Hydro One, which would review the offer to determine what was best for ratepayers, said Energy Ministry spokesman Ted Gruetzner. So far, that has not happened. happened. But, currently, currently, Hydro One is under direction by its shareholder, the Province, not to buy or sell any asset, said Al Manchee, a spokesman for Hydro One. Should an offer be made, it would be up to the Province to decide how to tell Hydro One how to proceed, said Mr. Gruetzner. Gruetzner. The Province must first promise promise to waive the transfer tax for Veridian to buy the assets, before Veridian can make an offer, said Mayor Mutton, who is also the chairman of Veridian. Veridian. "Once we find out what Hydro One territories are going to be made available, you're darn right we're going to make an offer," he said. HWY. 12 s y s I s 5 " *. NICHOLS g 1 EE 401 o 905-436-2227 Service 905-436-2228 Body S hint903-436-2229 2728 Courfitt Rd„ HWY. #2 Courtice 905-436-2222 : Toll Free 1-866-885-8822 roynkholimotors6gmconodo.com * www.roynkholimoteri.com 6ee dealer tor (Maw. CHEVROLET fÉteitte HggWNKtl 1 OptiOMU twewwctll Conor* 6