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^ 2 - Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, February 19, 2003 ^ Subscriptions $29.91 + $2.09 GST = $32.00 per year. Publications Mail Registration No. 09301 • Agreement No. 40012366 Publishing 48 issues annually at the office of publication. "l¥e acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. " Orono Weekly Times 5310 Main Street, P.O. Box 209, Orono, Ontario LOB 1M0 Email: oronotimes@speedline.ca • Phone/Fax 905-983-5301 Publisher/Editor Margaret Zwart The Orono Weekly Times welcomes letters to the editor on subjects of interest to our readers. Opinions expressed to the editor and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily necessarily reflect the opinions of the Orono Weekly times. Letters must be signed and contain the address and phone number of the writer. Any letter considered unsuitable will not be acknowledged or returned. We reserve the right to edit for length, libel and slander. If your retail or classified ad appears for the first time, please check carefully. Notice of an y^error must be given before the next issue goes to print. The Orono Weekly Times will not be responsible for the loss or damage of such items. Tooting each other's horn In a time when many organizations are asking for community community support, it is refreshing to find one that continues to give to the community while seeking very little in return. Last fall, the Clarington Concert Band brought smiles to the faces of residents in the Strathaven Nursing Home with their traditional Christmas concert in the institution's auditorium. Joint concerts in December with the Hampton United and Newcastle United Churches also helped to further the ongoing work in both parishes and of course, there were the fund-raising fund-raising concerts for St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Bowmanville, in . aid of World Youth Day last year January and Bethesda House in Rotary Park last summer. This year, the band has actively recruited students from the area in an effort .to help them achieve their educational goals. The Clarington Concert Band now offers these students the chance to accumulate the minimum 40 hours of community volunteer service required before graduating at the end of Grade 12, through rehearsals and performances with the band. The Clarington Concert Band also provides an avenue for music students at all levels to become involved in the music making experience. High school students who take instrumental instrumental music in school rarely stick with it because the experience at school is never fun, says CCB President Colin Rowe. Students practice playing their instrument always within the context of school work, he says. Students can 'loosen up' at the Concert Band and can turn to their peers for coaching if needed. Rowe indicated that there are equal opportunities for nonmusic nonmusic students to earn their hours by volunteering to help with the band's library. As a recent music graduate himself of the Humber College Jazz Studies program, Colin feels that with a membership that includes a number of graduates from university university music programs and several music educators, the Concert Band is also an ideal place for nurturing young musicians looking looking at pursuing music studies at the post secondary level. According to Mr. Rowe, the band plans to have an even more visible presence in Clarington this year and as the place where the band has had its rebirth, Orono holds a special place in its music schedule. Plans are already underway for two showcase concerts this year at a local venue. In addition, the band will make its annual appearance at the Great Canadian Town Band Festival and a public performance at the museum bandstand is already on their calendar. Interested students may contact the band at (905) 697-8956 or visit their website at www.geocities.com/claringtonconcert- band. Peace Rally Dear Editor, I haven't been to a peace rally in over thirty years, but on Saturday, February 15th I joined one in Cobourg. The last time we were trying trying to stop a war that was already underway. This time we are trying to stop one before it gets started. Funny thing; the same gang that brought you that war, and others since, want to bring you this one as well. Some of their names have changed but not all. The meeting point for this rally was in front of Victoria Hall on the main struct of Cobourg. A large crowd had already gathered when we arrived and a number of teenaged boys and girls were j beating drums and dancing j around. My friend Rob had his drum and joined right in. ! There were several speak- ! ers who made short speeches • including the local M.P. Paul ! Mack 1 in. A peace petition was passed around and signed by | the participants. This will be : passed on to the P.M. Mr. ! Chretien. Between the various commentaries, commentaries, the insistent drumming created some- i thing of a tribal atmosphere j which was much more fun. Two of the young girls look ; over the microphone and ; made a passionate plea for Continued page 3 1 Dear Minister Manley, Re: $1 billion Fusion Subsidy Request You may be aware that ITER Canada's original bid to build the $18.7 billion (CDN) International Thermonuclear Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Canada was rejected late last year by the ITER parties. ITER Canada now hopes to keep its bid alive with a massive government subsidy. It is seeking about $1 billion from the federal and Ontario governments - $500 to $700 million from the federal government government and $300 to $500 million from the Ontario government. The Canadian bid to build the experimental fusion reactor reactor at the Darlington nuclear site in Clarington, Ontario, is competing against three oth- , ers from Rokkasho in Japan, ; Vandellos in Spain, and Cadarache in France. A siting siting decision by the ITER ' partners was scheduled for June 2003, but like many other previous deadlines, this decision will also likely be delayed. It is unfortunate that the details of the ITER Canada bid are being kept secret, and there should be full public disclosure. However, there is no reason to delay a Canadian decision about subsidizing ITER. We ask you to continue the government's prudent policy against fusion research and deny any additional additional funding requests for the ITER reactor. Federal support for the ITER reactor would be a complete waste of public funds, and an ill-advised direction for Canadian energy energy policy. Valuable Canadian tax dollars would be far better better spent on health care, or meeting our Kyoto targets with a practical commitment to renewable energy and efficiency. efficiency. Shawn-Patrick Stensil National Coordinator, Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout Jim Fulton Executive Director, David Suzuki Foundation Peter Tabuns Executive Director, Greenpeace Canada Elizabeth May Executive Director, Sierra Club of Canada