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I L P|- \*i Sports/12 Eagles cut down by Buzzers in five Wheels/Insert The thrill of a Cadillac Et)t CanaMan Statesman durhamregion.com ♦ Pressrun 24,150 ♦ Founded 1854 ♦ APRIL 5, 2006 ♦ 62 Pages ♦ Optional 3 Week Delivery $5/$1 Newsstand KPR board rejects changes at Hampton P.S. Parent unhappy with changes to programming BY PEGGY FOSTER Staff Writer PETERBOROUGH - A Hampton parent is looking at options foi - educating her young children after a failed attempt to stop programming changes at Hampton Junior Public School. Brenda Jeffs addressed the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board (KPR) Thursday night. While she says she is happy Top public sector salaries released the school was saved from closure in 2005, Mrs. Jeffs adds she is disappointed "a balanced spread sheet is more important than good education." The KPR plan is to transfer Grade 4 and 5 students from Hampton Junior Public School to M.J. Hobbs Senior Public School, also located in Hampton. The junior school would become the board's only Kindergarten to Grade 3 school, Mrs. Jeffs said. Currently the junior school is overcrowded and the senior public public school has empty classrooms. "This is about money," she told the board trustees. "This is about statistics. This is about a balanced spreadsheet. This is proposed for the wrong reasons. Up to this point, the best interests and well-being of our students is not guiding guiding the decisions and actions made." Hampton Junior Public School students have the highest rating in the KPR for EQAO testing, Mrs. Jeffs said. She questioned one of the school board's values: values: to provide a balanced balanced education that includes success in student learning learning and in personal, social and citizenship development. Bruce Shaw "Without (Grade 4 and 5) student student helpers, the success of the students' learning will be hindered," she said. "Without student helpers, helpers, it will be impossible impossible to offer the kindergarten kindergarten . program at the level it is being offered now." -Following the meeting Clarington trustee Nancy Coffin explained the board does not have input into programming and could only receive Mrs. Jeffs's presentation as information. "We have bçen assured K to Grade 3 schools do work and we won't be the first board to have one," Mrs. Coffin said. Superintendent Bruce Shaw has been a principal in a Kindergarten to Grade 3 school and he will conduct the community meetings, she added. ' "I tried my best to say the public public trustees don't have input into program changes when the original original school review was stopped in December," Mrs. Coffin said. "There weren't many comments during the meeting because all we can do as trustees is receive it for information." The board will establish a transition transition committee to manage the change of programming and is working on plans to modify the MJ. Hobbs Senior Public School property. New fencing will be added for the back playground area with an opening for access to walkers and board staff will review areas for a potential "kiss and ride" area, The program re-organization will begin with the transfer of students to M.J. Hobbs Senior Public School in September 2006. A community meeting will be announced in the near future when KPR staff will talk with parents of students in both affected schools and Enniskillen Public School about the imminent changes. ;OPG lists more ;than 5,000 employees . learning more than 100K CLARINGTON - Top paid public sector employees' salaries were released by the Province last week. Clarington's list was topped by Chief Administrative Officer Franklin Wu, whose 2005 earnings earnings were listed at $171,681.68. Mayor John Mutton topped the list of politicians, with a total salary, including including local, regional, and committee positions of $130,414.26. . The Kawartha ' Pine Ridge District School Board list was headed up by former director of education education Avis Glaze, who was on secondment to the Province, at $239,977.11, while current director Sylvia Terpstra made $178,378.55. At the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board, education director John Mackle topped out at $143,895.71. Ontario Power Generation had more than 5,000 employees top the list earning more than $100,000. A few of the top paid employees included: • Andrew Barrett, VP, Regulatory Affairs and Corp. Strategy, $233,251.66 • Robert Boguski, Vice-presi- ' dent, Nuclear Supply Chain, $206,666.72 • Bruce Boland, Sr. Vice-president, Corporate Affairs, $366,585.60 •Giselle Brànget, Vice-president/ Treasurer, $252,116.64, • J.R. Burpee, EVP, Corporate Development, $537,248.44 • Pierre Charlebois, EVP/Chief Nuclear Officer, $763,886.56 • Andy Chen, Vice-president, Nuclear Systems, $202,276.53 • John Coleby, Senior Vice-president, Vice-president, Pickering A, $455,674.00 • Richard Dicemi, EVP and Corporate Secretary, $866,562.30 • Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Vice-president, $293,047.17, •Janice Dunlop VP, Corporate HR and Employee Safety, $215,512.56 • J.P. Froats, VP, Eng'g. and Mods./ Chief Nuclear Eng., $355,610.32 In 1996, the Province passed the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Disclosure Act, which requires municipalities municipalities to disclose each year the names, positions, salaries and taxable taxable benefits of employees paid $100,000 or more a year. Below are the municipal employees who topped the $ 100,000 list: See 100K, page ««« "t- Mi Springtime game of fetch CLARINGTON - Clarington residents Daryl Cook, Greg Stephenson and Melissa Allin came for a walk down to the Darlington Darlington Waterfront Trail with labs Thicker and Charlie who were playing "fetch" with a stick. Have a look at Hwy. 2, says resident Several serious accidents on his property over last several years BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer BOWMANVILLE - For more than'30'years, Alan Vaillancourt lived at the northwest comer of Solina Road and Hwy. 2 without many problems. But especially in the last six years, Mr. Vaillancourt told Clarington Clarington council Monday, the area has become "accident-prone," with a number of serious accidents.ending accidents.ending up on his property. The road was fine when it was two lanes, but since it was wid ened to five lanes, the number of accidents has increased dramatically, dramatically, he said. In one case, "I was cutting the grass on my front lawn, when a car traveling east on Hwy. 2 See FIVE, page 6 ONTARIO'S • SERVICE • PARTS Legion branches launch Operation Homefires 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 WHtTOV OSMAWA Honda 300 THICKSON RD. S. WHITBY 1-866 (Q): 240-6192 HOtVDA www.honda1.com j Letter-writing campaign to Canadian troops BY DAVID BLUMENFELD Staff Writer DURHAM - Somewhere along the way, it seems we've stopped caring for the modern day solider, Robert Rohrer says. In some cases, they're thousands thousands of miles away, representing representing our country in places like Afghanistan and Haiti and facing facing danger on a daily basis. Yet the same remembrance the public public invests in Korean and Second World War veterans seems to be lost on today's soldiers, said Mr. Rohrer, 36, an associate member of Whitby Legion Branch 112. "It just seems the men and women who are still doing it to this day, were not getting the same kind of respect and concern. They're going through exactly the same thing they did in the Second World War, if not worse. Some veterans have told me they look on today's military as having a harder job because they don't know who they're fighting," he said. Three years ago the Whitby Legion decided to gather a box of thank you letters and other rations and send it to troops in Afghanistan. Mr. Rohrer said the idea went over so well that he decided to expand the project, project, dubbed Operation Home- fires, to other legion branches. Approximately 500 kilograms worth of gifts and cards were ultimately shipped overseas. This year, Operation Home- fires is reaching out to students and the school system in an effort to gather even more letters letters - not only to send to troops in Afghanistan - but others in places like Cyprus, Haiti and the Sudan. "We've gotten the blessing from the Durham school board and separate school hoard to go ahead with it, and to approach the principals. We'd like to open it up to everyone who would like to get involved in it," Mr. Rohrer said, Any classrooms, students, schools, community groups or members of the public wanting to participate are being asked not to mention where troops are stationed, but simply to give thanks for the job they are doing. They are also encouraged to mention anything that will make the soldiers feel a part of Canadian life, Mr. Rohrer said. The deadline for letters and cards -- which should remain unsealed because they must past security checks -- is Monday, May l. The goal is to have all mail received by Canadian troops in time for Canada Day, July 1. "Sometimes it can be a little confusing for people if they want to send something over there. We will happily take it at the legion, and make sure it will make it over there," Mr. Rohrer said. Approximately 55 legion branches arc taking part in the project this year, from Pickering to Kingston, and as far north as Huliburlon. "It really seems to make a difference difference to them. It's just so they know we're here... that we still See LETTER, page 6 -v I l ft pkietaxea, lloene», #Siis i : V Ask for the Cowtm USED CAR BIRTH CERTIFICATS!! BMCKlBSABRmo yt.. 4 door, overdrive, ABS, power >es, windows, wets, mirrors, , sir am duel nlr tags, It*, cruise, A'114'|6ipl l eSuF4S18A.' y i s is, i Here at Cowan's we want everyone to know what they are purchasing. Our vehicle Birth Certificate for every General Motors product Includes, full warranty history, the vehicle's build, original warranty start date, original selling dealer! All completely documented! IVt 1 pride ourselves in not stocking or selling out of