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PAGE 6 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ March 29, 2006 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 Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 Œlje Canabmit Statesman Opinion | MARCH 29, 2006 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 EDITORIAL e-mail letters to ncwsroom@durliamrcgion.com Region must offer tax help to GM now It's time for Durham Region's politicians to take a reality check and realize they need to step up to the plate to help keep a healthy General Motors vibrant in this area. Many hundreds of millions of dollars in future earnings and tax revenues are at stake if the auto giant does not win a bid to develop a flex manufacturing . facility to produce a new vehicle once Plant No. 2 shuts down in 2008. • To make sure Plant No. 1 - - reborn as a flex manufacturing manufacturing facility - keeps on churning out a top-quality product and to guarantee it maintains employment employment for thousands and thousands thousands of workers, every incentive is necessary. To that end, the Region could provide some help by eliminating its large industrial tax rate in the coming tax year, instead of waiting until 2008. The issue came before the Region's finance committee just last week, but was defeated on a 4-4 vote. The motion to cut the tax in 2006 was not supported by finance commissioner Jim Clapp who argued the large industrial tax had been, on a downward reduction for the past eight years. And cutting the tax for. GM' would mean it would have to . be cut for other large industrial operations, like OPG in-Picker-. ' ing and Clarington. To cut it this year would add $12.06 to the average residential taxpayer on the regional portion of his bill. ; It's no secret General Motors is in crisis mode world-wide. The company has been lurching from issue to issue over the past nine 1 months in an effort to cut costs, streamline production and find its way out of a deep hole of red ink. Last year was a true rollercoaster rollercoaster ride for local residents, especially those who work at GM or those who work at supplier supplier plants totally dependent on GM production. Politicians and company men and women basked in the warm glow of the $2.5 billion Beacon Project last March. Then, there was the hard slogging of labour negotiations which wrapped up strike-free in September. But just a few months later, in November, the other shoe dropped and GM announced the 2008 closure of Plant No. 2 and a shift cut for later this year at Plant No. 1. But that wasn't all. In February, it was revealed that if Oshawa wanted to bid for a flex operation operation (where more than one model can be built in a plant at one time), Local 222 would need to make hundreds of millions of dollars in concessions. The union agreed to do that, and now awaits Detroit's decision on the flex facility, expected in June. To make sure Durham gets this facility, which is absolutely critical to GM's future in this country, all levels of government must be on board. The feds and Province need to offer incentives incentives to make doing business here competitive and the Region must help as well.. v . 1 To delay a planned tax cut for two years for no sensible rea- 'son will only kill the GM goose which lays all those golden tax- dollar eggs. GM is the No. 1 company in this Region and. à show of support is in order. DM dofighan.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR BACKWARD GLANCE Bowmanville H.S. 1924 A'is? * ». •*» < Photo supplied by Clarington Museum and Archives Bowmanville High School as it appeared in 1924. Child-care column flawed To the editor: Re: Child-care debate's an issue of national importance, Ian McMillan column, March 19. ' A few things should be clarified in Ian McMillan's article regarding regarding child care. He refers to the former Liberal Liberal government's "deal" with the provinces which to date has officially created zero child-care spaces. It is simply a transfer of Taxpayer funds to the provinces to be used as they see fit, even if it is not for child care. It is a "plan" "that the Liberals promised promised to bring forth after they won the election... in 1993! Furthermore, the Liberals inserted a clause that permits the federal or provincial government to withdraw from the plan after one year. Stephen Harper is not "scrapping" the plan, he is exercising exercising the government's right to opt out of the deal. The Conservative plan recognizes recognizes that the majority of families families cannot access a state-run child-care program because they live in rural areas or they have a stay-at-home parent (imagine that!). For these people the only difference difference between the Liberal plan and the Conservative plan is that they now receive $1,200 per year they didn't get before. For everyone else they can use the money to reduce their child-care expenses. The opposition parties parties should seriously consider the repercussions of voting down the Conservative plan. By .forcing another election they may just mobilize the parents parents within the 24-34 year-old demographic and reward the Conservatives with a majority in order to gel this plan passed. Adam Alehin Bowmanville e-mail letters to newsroom@durhamregion.com Allow free overnight parking in municipal lots To the editor: I rent an apartment in Bowmanville Bowmanville overlooking the main road and while I cannot park overnight overnight in the street I am now being told I cannot park overnight in the municipal lot unless I pay $11.50 per week or $40.25 per month (s>ame as day parking); ■ I ( workday tâxès'èvery' time I ' turn aroünd; Myç' never collected- employment insurance and support support this small town by buying my groceries and gasoline here. There are, at least, five or six tenants parking overnight in this lot who are in the same boat as I am. There is no large demand for parking overnight as in the day time. The Municipality is not held liable if a car is broken into while being parked there; so, why do they not allow us to park overnight without payment? The government gets enough of our small paycheques. What comes to mind is that commercial that always makes me laugh: "Hands in my pocket, hands in my pocket, hands in my pocket." But I'm not laughing now! We Canadians are sick of money-hungry grabbing politicians! politicians! Call 905-623-3379 Ext. 300' andprotest. ' Elsie Braham Bowmanville Remember, innocent until proven guilty To the editor: How sickened I am that there are child molesters out there preying on our children. I have my own ideas how to deal with them which I won't get into here. However, I do wonder what ever happened to innocent until ; proven guilty? . When someone under the age of 18 is proven guilty of murder, his name cannot be published. However, an adult suspected of molesting a child has his name and address all over the media. Where is this person's constitutional constitutional rights? The man is guilty before his trial. ; There have been incidents of accusations of this nature withdrawn withdrawn because the child/parent/ wife had lied just to get "even" for something. In the meantime, the accused person's life is in shambles. He will always be the man who was accused. Let's do this accusation thing fairly. If he's guilty, tattoo his forehead, forehead, put his name everywhere, point at him, whatever you like - but give the man a chance. Lynn Cummins Newcastle 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. Time for Mayor Mutton to grow up Ladies and gentlemen, welcome welcome to Muttonville where all things begin and end with His Worship, John Mutton. Just take a look around. . You can't miss him. He's everywhere: smack dab in the middle of the municipality's website; not once, but twice now with his mug plastered on the Town's information page in local newspapers; and in TV commercials commercials plugging the municipality. It's here a John, there a John, everywhere a John-John. Perhaps all the "face lime" has gone to His Worship's head. That certainly seemed ihe case at last Monday's Clarington council meeting where Hizzoncr bullied and berated a resident, Poor Libby Racansky, who appeared to protest the municipality's municipality's 4.08 percent tax increase for 2006, left minutes later, head howed after Ihe tongue-lashing tongue-lashing she got from Ihe hectoring mayor. Tim Kelly After being welcomed, Ms. Racansky was told she had the standard l() minutes to speak. As if. About live minutes in, the interruptions interruptions by Ihe mayor began. Upset by an error Ms. Racansky made, he blurted: "Hold on a second.,. No.,, you stop talking... (Ms. Racansky attempts to go on).., No, you stop talking. That absolutely was a recommendation recommendation from our staff... if you want me to I can ask our treasurer," Ms. Racansky tried to continue. "Let me finish," The mayor cut her off again and said, "No, I'm not going to let you make erroneous statements, statements, Ms. Racansky... I'm not going to do that." Finally, Ms. Racansky started speaking again. A few minutes latçr, she referred to Internet reports which, she says, make "our tax increase one of the highest highest in Durham Region." 1 Cue Mayorus Interuptus. "No it isn't. You're making a false statement again and I'm not going to allow it. No, it is not... finish your delegation without making these types of statements please." The mayor asked the treasurer to clarify a few items - all during during Ms, Raeansky's lime - and then, when the speaker wished to continue, he lost it. "Please, do not talk - please do not talk when I'm talking," Huh? When Ms. Racansky after all it was her speaking lime - tried to get a word in edgewise, the mayor got all high and mighty on her. "That's because I chair this council," he intoned, Just to clear the air he stated, "I'm the mayor and I will be the one who's directing parliamentary parliamentary procedure." Now, thoroughly beaten down, Ms. Racansky could only stand there and take it as the mayor went on a two-minute rant about all Ihe "erroneous statements," she had made. He reminded her that, "to make statements like you have is unacceptable." lie then wrapped up with, "That's «ill I got for you," leaned back in his chair, gave a quick, "Are there any questions for Ms. Racansky, seeing none, thank you very much." Mayor Mutton was asked about his behaviour and said he was merely defending his staff, He fell he was actually doing Ms. Racansky "a favour." He said he will 'interrupt any delegation if they engage, "in libel and slander." Trouble is, Ms. Racansky, errors or not, was entitled to say her piece, When done, the mayor could have calmly questioned her on her information, pointed out inaccuracies, and cleared the air - in a respectful, reasonable, responsible manner, I here was no need for him to throw his weight around, to act the school yard bully. Members of the public are nervous nervous enough when going before, council. They don't heed to be hammered hammered 'at and belittled by then- mayor as part of the bargain. Mayor Mutton, after five years with the chain of office, should surely know better. Copy editor Tim Kelly's column column normally appears every other Wednesday. E-mail tkellylsttdurhamrcyion.com. I CLICK AND SAY Today's question: Do you feel Durham Region was slighted in last week's provincial budget? Yes No Cast your vote online at infodurhamregioii.com Last week's question: Do you think General Motors should get a regional tax break to encourage the auto giant to remain in Durham Region? No 51.4% Yes 48.6% Votes cast: 416 HAVE YOUR SAY Do the Leafs still have a ; chance to make the playoffs? Alex Papageorgiou "Absolutely not, they are running running out of games. They jüst look old. It's.a different league now. They have no defence! and no goaltending." ! Bill Howes j "Hell no. They suck, it's as 1 simple as that. It's time to ! make a major change." Mir tSBP-* •ST "'5- fHH ■ Dylan Stainthorpe "Yes, because Mats Sundinjis awesome and Tie Domi fights for the Leafs. I still believe they can make it." Michael St. Croix "Sure, I'm a diehard Leaf faji. I still believe they can make. 1 it." j ■i The Canadian Statesman i^ one of the Metroland Printing Publishing and Distributing j group of newspapers. The i Statesman is a member of 3 the Bowmanville Clarington) Board of Trade, the Greatei) Oshawa Chamber of Com- < merce, Ontario Community* Newspaper Assoc., Cana- \ dian Community Newspapefr Assoc., Canadian Circula- lions Audit Board and the Ontario Press Council. The publisher reserves the right) to classify or refuse any ' advertisement. Credit for advertisement advertisement limited to spac^ price error occupies. Edltorte and Advertising content of 3 the Canadian Statesman Is) copyrighted, Unauthorized (e production is prohibited. AocnamEl (*CNA «ÉB 1 ^V ™ m...-- »