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•mKUiiiàiUjiiüiiiiiiiiiiiiin! Orono Town Hall 163^ T LLELIBR A R Y i 163 Church Street ! Bowmanv/lle, Ont. L1C 1T7 Volume do, ..-- GST Included Wednesday February 18, 2004 Serving Kendal, Kirby, Leskard, Newcastle, Newtonville, Orono, Starkville and Tyrone since 7937 gspjj I ! II Si! iii;:!' II 111 ,, H ■: Jr .i,' 1 Just another "Hockey Day" in Orono! Mill Pond area residents can attest pond hockey is alive and well on Orono. Region eying public transit The Region of Durham has made a move to take over public public transit. A resolution from the Municipality of Clarington to transfer responsibility for transit to the Regional level of Government gained the necessary necessary support to move it on to the next stage. Lower tier municipalities have till April 14, 2004 to decide whether they are in agreement with the transfer of the transit system. Some councillors were hesitant to put the motion through without having a business case before them, however a move to delay the decision for 60 days till a business business case scenario could be presented to council was lost. "You are asking us to to go to our local councils saying trust that the regional people will do the right thing," said Oshawa councillor Brian Nicholson. "At the end of the day that is a hard sell." Regional staff will now go to the lower tier municipalities to present the plan. Before the Region can accept full responsibility responsibility for transit, they must achieve a triple majority. This means a majority of votes of Regional council, a majority of the eight lower tier municipalities, municipalities, and the total number of electors in the consenting lower tier municipalities must form a majority of electors in the Region. A draft by-law approved of by Council on January 21, provides for the transfer of transit responsibility by July first of this year. Whitby Councillor Joe Drumm said he felt that any municipality bold enough to vote for a regional transit system system has to be bold enough to pay for it. "I get the feeling this is not so much to get transit transit system across the Region as to get rid of the burden of REGION continué page 7 Major wage increase for regional politicians In a seventeen to nine vote Regional Councillors moved to increase their pay by close to 50 per cent last Wednesday. Durham Regional Councillors are now making $38,820, up from $27,264. Durham Region Region Chairman, Roger Anderson's salary has increased from $101,113 to $146,650. Clarington's Councillor Charlie Trim was one of the nine councillors who voted against the pay increase. Speaking to an Orono Times reporter Monday, 1 rim stated, he couldn't support the motion because "the amount seemed to me to be in access." Trim said he felt the increase could have been spread out a bit, to separate the increases for senior senior management from councillors. councillors. The pay package will bring Durham Regional councillors and upper management in line with 75 per cent of their GTA Regional counterparts. While the increase removes the 1/3 tax free portion of councillors salary, it includes an improved severance pay, health benefits and pensions. Councillor's pay will increase again on April 1st, when they receive the final installment of the three per cent over three year hike they voted themselves in 2001. This increase will add another $788 to the councillor's salary, and $2,977 on to Chairman Anderson's salary. This total pay package represents represents an almost 50 per cent wage increase for Regional politicians including Clarington's Clarington's Mayor John Mutton, and Regional Councillors Charlie Trim and Jim Schell, this year. i ; i I : 1 I I l"' -l • I