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LETTER TO THE EDITOR French Immersion should be scrapped To the Editor: Taxes are on the minds of almost everyone these days From income taxes to municipal taxes, people are feeling the pinch. With education taxes ever on the increase, taking close to 60 per cent of the taxes paid by property owners, ratepayers are looking for measures to hold the line. Published figures Pancakes flippin! With the approach of Spring a person may be sure of several things; birds will be singing and pancakes flipping at Purple Woods Conservation Area The Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority will be hosting their Annual Pancake Weekend on March 27 and 28 at Purple Woods Conservation Area. This 1s a weekend filled with fun for the whole family (weather permitting). In the case of inclement weather please contact the CLOCA Bulletin Board (416) 579-0411 for up-to-date information on the day's activities. If your call 18 not answered within 3 rings please try again in a few minutes Authonty staff will be located along the sugar bush trail and in the sugar shack from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to describe the different stages of maple syrup production. Discover how maple syrup was made over 300 years ago to the modern methods of today The Durham A.M. Kiwanis Club will be serving delicious hot pancakes at the picnic Port Perry County Mare shelter by the sugar shack. The Kiwanis will start serving at 9:30 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m A small charge for pancakes apples with all proceeds going to local causes Needless to say, these pancakes will be topped off with yummy 100% pure maple syrup. Maple syrup and other maple products will be available for sale at the sugar booth Nothing tops off the day better than a horse-drawn wagon ride. The wagon rides start at the sugar shack. Ticket price 18 $1.00 per person per ride. Big Sisters will also be painting clown faces for anyone who wishes a new look A shuttle will be available upon request for transportation from the sugar shack to the parking lot for people that find the uphill walk to the parking lot too difficult. Purple Woods Conservation Area is located south of Port Perry at the southeast corner of Simcoe Street and the 10th Concession Road Free admission and parking EN last week show that the Durham Board of Education will increase 6.9 per cent this year, despite cuts already made. Scugog trustee Bobbie Drew has been quoted in the local press as saying trustees are in a quandry because there is nothing else to cut Ian Brown, past chairman of the Board told me that French Immersion alone taxes ten per cent of the entire budget some $33 mllion per year. A luxury we can no longer afford Replacing French Immersion with skills oriented learning 1s vital to gain jobs in this highly competitive market. A survey of 360 companies for the National Association of Manufacturers showed that the average manufacturer screens six applicants for each one hired The leading causes for rejection were inadequate reading and writing skills, deficient calculation skills and poor verbal abilities. The last cause was for a failed medical More money is spent on education that anything else. It is time we got value for the tax dollars. French Immersion with its $33 million budget in Durham is where trustees should be looking for major cuts. Anglophones who learn French rarely get the jobs They go to Francophones. Ontario French language law, Bill 8, has already cost us $400 million Erik Neilson, former Conservative deputy prime minister once told the Commons in 1986 that "regulations and absurd laws regarding official bilingualism occupy some 30,000 bureaucrats and cost the nation some $30 billion annually." That 18 enough to cover our current deficit It's costing taxpayers $43 billion a year in interest payments on the federal debt, a debt so large the C7 nations are considering dumping Canada because of our huge debt which in relation to the US debt on a per capita basis is from two to seven times Ly greater. The economy of Spain has surpassed Canada's. The combined federal and provincial debts, according to the C.D. Howe Institute stands at $650 billion, Ottawa's debt alone is $457 billion Without fiscal responsibility in the education field, we are doomed to fail as a nation. We can no longer afford the luxury of French Immersion, especially in view of Quebec's unilingual position None are so blind as those who will not see reality Dean Kelly, Association of Dedicated Canadians, Port Perry, Ont The Uxbridge-Scugog Pony Club members were treated to an old fashioned country sleigh ride recently, thanks to John Leask of Seagrave and his two prize Belgian horses Sliver and Penny. Following the sleigh ride Mr. Leask toured the Pony club members around his stables where they got a good look at the two champion Belglan horses. KOLBASSA BARGAIN 3 BILL'S $ales 'N' The Meat That's A Treat to Eat. SMOKED MEATS HAMBURGERS WIENERS NOVA SCOTIA SEAFOOD Service SALAMI Cooked Black Tiger Shrimp Ring Orange Roughy Filets Ib. ... $4.99 Farm-raised Oysters each ... 49¢ EXPERIENCE THE COUNTRY MARKET featuring ... : Over 90 Different Vendors : A Wide & Exciting Collection of Quality Merchandise : Antiques, Collectables, Crafts, Furniture, Videos, Carpet, Books, Ceramics, Clothing. : FREE Admission & FREE Parking OPEN YEAR ROUND Saturdays & Sundays 9 AM to 5 PM 1540 HWY. 7A, WEST of PORT PERRY 416-985-8424 BACON HAMS STEAKS FRESH MAPLE SYRUP Now Available Scallops - Mussels - Sole Cod - Salmon - and More! 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