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_- Scug i Cen -- Tied, A - oles VIEWPOINT/COUNTERPOINT' Cathy Olliffe Just a week before Christmas, and it is supposed to be a happy, jolly time of the year. So, why arg there a lot-ef people in Durham Regio with worried looks®on their faces right now? One big reason is the fate of General Motors Car Plant 2, a fate | understand could be made clearer by GM, perhaps by the middle of this week. There were reports last wegk quoting top level CAW officials which sad GM will be shutting the plant in 1994-95 and moving production of the Lumina and Regal to the United States. This was promptly denied by company officials in news reports the next day. Or should I say, company officials denied that a decision has already been made. The final decision will be made at Motors head office in Detroit, and if the production line is closed down in 1994-95 as some predict, about 3800 jobs in Oshawa could be lost. This is not the first rumours have been flying around about the possible closing of a prods line, or whole plant. The old hands at GM have heard them many times before. » But this one has been persistent and with GM head office in Detroit getting ready to make some kind of announcement this week "to improve the company's profit and cash flow in the coming year," well, who knows. And let's be honest. GM is in business for one reason: to make profit. If it's cheaper to build the a product in the States or Inner Mongolia that's where the capital (and the jobs will go) Still, there is hope. GM and CAW offi- cials have been negotiating for months on ways 10 keep the production line at Plant 2. The company wants more "co-operation" from the union, and the union says it has done just 1 suppose we'll find out soon exactly what is in store for GM's Car Plant 2 in Oshawa and the 3800 jobs that go with it. Twould be a cruel blow to Oshawa and all of Durham 10 lose those jobs in a couple of years. If that ever happens one would to wonder seriously abaut the future of all vehicle production in Oshawa over the next ~couple of decades. Another reason for gloom on faces the week before Christmas can be found in the stats report for welfare cases. In October, Durham had 10,289 cases (or about 18,000 people getting some kind of public assistance) This is the highest number ever, more than double the 4200 cases in October just Iwo years ago. And as you might have guessed, this is costing an enormous amount of money. From January 10 the end of October this] o year, Durham has spent $61.1 million for welfare, Over the same ten months last year, the total was $35.5 million. And in 1989, the January-October cost was $18.8 million. It doesn't wake a degree in rocket sci- ence to figure out that Durham is mired deep in this recession. And what's more, if «the current trends continue for the next year or so where will the money come from. Surely, things can't get much worse, but that's what they said a year ago. And even those financial wizards who are optimists by nature predict it will be another six months before the overall econ- omy perks up. Some pessimists shake their heads and say it could be years. So, who do you believe? I don't know, but I do believe this: there are over 18,000 people on welfare in Durham Region and so far this year, it has cost over $61 million. The net cost to Durham ratepgyers is $11.9 million, the rest comes fron federal and provincial cof- fers HOWEVER... .. As this is the last edi- tion of the Scugog Citizen before Christmas, let's end this piece on a bit of a brighter note. Here's a suggestion that just hight make you feel better. What better gift at Christmas than the gift of blood. There is a Red Ggpss blood clinic December 27 at the Masonic Hall in Port Perry. See ad in this edition of the Citizen for times. Or how about some volunteer work. The Scugog branch of the Cancer Society is always short drivers, but espociply SO this ume of the year when some of the reg- ular drivers head south for the winter. Volunteers drive local cancer patients for treatments in Oshawa or Toronto. The volunteers are paid vehicle expense only. But what a marvellous way to donate a bit of one's free time. If you'd like to be a driver, give Eileen Hodgins a call at 985- 2487. 1 know she'd be glad to hear from you. Medical science has come up with many ways to combat cancer, but they aren't much good if cancer patients can't get to the treatment centres. A volunteer driver can have a very important role 10 play in a patient's recovery. Think about it. IN CLOSING.....To all of you, my sin- cere best wishes for a Merry Christmas. It wasn't Christmas Eve, but close enough, if I remember right, 10 put fear in the eyes of John B.'s children, who were beginning 10 think they might never get a Christmas tree. That year, like this year, Christmas fell in the middle of the week and I think it was Monday when John asked me if it Jas too 1242 40 buy a Christina tree, Lhad the darkness, try- ing to scout out black ice and make sure we stayed in our lane Of traffic. After we arrived, skidded the car over 10 the side of the road and clambered over the fence, we paused to admire the beauty of the scene spread out before us. In the, been ds on a Christmas wee an and while I could have got John"B. a tree anytime on those weekends, the last Monday before Christmas was 100 late -- the farm was closed for the season. In fact, most all the Christmas tree vendors had already closed up shop, and it seemed like the McClelland children might be out of luck. But no. The owner of the farm took pity on John B.'s predicament and allowed us to go there that night and pick John out a tree, For free. That night was crystal clear and cold enough to freeze the mercury in the hardi- est thermometer. He picked me and my sister Whiz up-in his clunky«old brown car, which has long since died and gone 10 heaven. One headlight was gone and the defroster was shot, so we spent the half hour drive to the farm wiping frost off the inside of the windshield and' peering into daytime, the Christmas tree farm was a bustling "place, filled with the laughter of many families as they combed the woods for just the right tree."But at night, with a nearly full moon thrélying dark shadows on the snow which crunched under our boots, the place took on a dramatic new look, mysterious and still. So cold was it, the bigger pines in the forest cracked like gunshots, while the smaller ones creaked and groarfed. Silently, our breath white, my sister and | marched through the forest, up and down hills, following John in his quest for the perfect Christmas tree. While I have been involved in the search for many Christmas trees over the | years, there has never been a séarch, before or since, to match the priceless magic of that one cold December night. Has John got a Christmas tree yet? I'll always wonder. © to us - and Merry this old photo was taken, drop a note who'guesses the "who supply the photos) and all our Unsolved Mystery readers! it x wr OT OF THE WEEK = "ee 'Here comes Santa Claus, Herexcomes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus Lane... thank you very much, uh-huh." Elvis Presley Is obviously alive and well in the body oftnis young songster, who has for- saken high-tech reco equipment for the simplicity of Fisher-Price. | have a panel of judges choose | their favorite picture, and the pho- Send us your favorite snapshots -- of your family, your pets, your vacation, whatever photo you've taken and you're proud of! Citizen staffers will select their favorite snaps and run them in this space. Then, at the end of the year, we'll tographer will win a brand new 35mm camera. Our address is 36 Water St., Port Perry. This week's Citizen is Fern Williamsor.. Fern is recovering from a stroke she suffered a year ago. It's been a tough year but she's making good progress with lots of help from the people in physio at Community Memorial Hospital. She's been in Port Perry for 54 years now and loves it here. What she lovés the most, though, are visits from her + grandchildren! Happy Christmas, Fern! - oP 4 B= UnsiLvED MysTERY FA | This week we really don't have a mystery ~ just a guessing game. For once, we know were this photo was taken. It's a postcard, owned by Mrs. A. Bruce of Port Perry. If you'd like to guess where in Scugog off to the Citizen, 36 Water St., Port Perry, L9L 1J2 (no phone calls, please). We'll 508 Wo CaNV OIG Up Wil) Sore kin} of Eve for the pisrech to the Bruce family for bringing the postcard everyone at Scugog Shores Museum (the people