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nt | W05 > 8 -- zSeugng Citizen -- EE February 13, 1996 published by: os To Publishing Ld THE SCUGOG CITIZEN an independently owned and operated weekly community newspaper, is distributed, free of charge, to over 13,500 homes and businesses in and around Scugog Township. 54 WATER ST., PORT PERRY, ONT. L9L1J2 i ™ = OCNA Member CCNA Member *CNA CCNA Verified Ci hg ei CCNA co-publishers : Joh B. McClelland, Yalerie Ellis editor': John B. McClelland office manager : Sibylle Warren advertising sales representatives : Thom Doran, Jennine Huffman, Bob Osborne * . reception : Janet Rankin production : Tanya Mappin,; Valerie Ellis feature writer : Heather McCrae P "Proud Canadians, proud to call Scugog Township home." | Phone : (905) 985-6397 Fax : (905) 985-1410 Subscriptions sold outside Scugog Tc h EDITORIAL No sympathy It's not easy to have a lot of sympathy for that group of students that ran amok at the provincial legislature last week, smashing windows and spray painting slogans on the walls. The bill for the damage is $30,000. And we all know will The students mob, estimated at about 200, were at Queens Park to protest the spending cuts in education i d by the Conservative Government of Mike Harris. Protesting against government action (or lack of action) i isa fundamental right in a democracy, but when the protest turns violent and puts in danger property or human life, it becomes a matter for the police and the courts. Any sympathy these particular protesters may have hoped a garner for their cause has-been lost; likewise the eat; of the Government. Yes, there can be no denying the spending cuts in education go very deep, as they do in all public sectors in Ontario these days. But if everyone impacted by spending cuts reacted the way a handful of these so-called students did last week, society would be in chaos, a total shambles. Four students are being charged in connection with last week's violence under a little known section of Criminal Code which makes it an indictable offense to use an act of violence to "intimidate Parliament of the legislature of a province." This law, over 100 years old, has not been used before against violent demonstrators in Ottawa or elsewhere. It carries a maximum jail term of 14 years, and those charged are denied bail until they can prove detention is not necessary prior to trial. ' Pretty heavy stuff. Obviously, when the law came on the books back in 1892, they took intimidation of a parliament seriously. And so we should today. Violent demonstrations have absolutely no place in our society. Queens Park has been the scene of numerous demonstrations in the past few months and more are to come. Section 51 ought to be a not-too-subtle reminder of the consequences of demonstrations that turn violent. Thankless job Townghip Fire Department were presented with service' medals at a ceremony in the municipal chambers last Thursday evening. The medals not only recognize many years of service (20 and 30 years) but exemplary service as well. It is a fitting gesture to honour these 14 firefighters with a medal, although we would venture to say that each and every one did not join the department with the view to having a medal pinned to the jacket. That volunteer firefighters provide an invaluable service to their community goes without saying. But far too often their work is overlooked, or at best, taken for granted. As was pointed out by more than one person at the medal presentations ceremony, the job of a firefighter has changed considerably over the years. It is no longer just putting out fires. They are called to motor vehicle accidents to free injured victims trapped in the wreckage. Their skill with the extrication equipment has saved more than one life. They have been asked to put their own safety in jeopardy to rescue people who have fallen through the Lake Scugog ice into frigid waters; they are on the scene when hydro wires come down or there is a spill of a hazardous substance. They are called to an emergency at any hour on any day of the year, causing disruption to their family life and their jobs. This community owes these volunteers a huge thank-you for doing a tough job. who have to dip into the old pocket to come up with that $30,000. ~~ Fourteen members (current and retired) of the Scugog | WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE HARRIS GOVERNMENT] SELLS ONTARIO HYDRO... THANKS Mil Ley BBD! [\[0)"Melx 3} UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT Smilin' Joe's HYDRO Co. (Formally Ontario Hydro) NUCLEAR POWER 1 SALE! GET 'EM BEFORE PLANTS FOR I 4 Cy Dry, \. One Kilowatt at a Time" ADivsion of Big Bue Fens ic. THEY'RE HOT! J - | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR | < Tactics of union leaders To The Editor: Ford and General Motors in London are suing the CAW unions for millions of dollars for illegally shutting them down. They will probably win their case. As usual the union members because of the wrong tactics of their union leaders will pay for it. They will diminish their strike fund, and lose their bargaining powers at contract time during the collective negotiating process. The employer will then use it to their advantage, using it as a bargaining tool against employees for getting i Union Memb do _ not need this om OVET their heads when they bargain for a new contract. They end up losing. This month in Hamilton, Basil Hargrove, Gord Wilson and Sid Ryan 'fire mobilizing a rules of the game, and not do anything stupid beforehand. Herman van der Veen Local 494, 25 years, formerly Dunlop Tire Whitby. Local 222, Oshawa, 14 years. Ice on the sidewalks To the Editor: Is there some particular reason why the Snow and Ice Clearing By - law is 'NOT being enforced? It appears that the local by - law officer must be relying on the monthly "thaws" to eliminate the snow and ice from all the sidewalks in Port Petry. To say it has been treacherous to walk around Port Perry in the past few days, or all winter for that matter, is putting it mildly! I noticed that the Town Clerk placed a couple of ads in the "local papers a couple of months ago, reminding people that a by - law did cover the clearing of sidewalks. Why then is it not being enforced? Perhaps the local newspapers should be checking with Port Perry ity Hospital to find out two-day illegal shutd under -the ruse of calling it a protest. It is not by any means. It is to disrupt the citizens of the city hoping they will support their illegal actions. I as a Union Member of Local 222, believe in a legal strike to back up the negotiating team for the membership after giving them a strike mandate. However, I do not approve of those, who are encouraging disruptive and illegal actions against the public and to jeopardize the bargaining process of the union.members. On September 15th this year, Qeneral Motors workers in Oshawa will be negotiating a new contract. May they have a negotiating team who know the fo many people ended up'there due to their sprained:/ broken bones due to slipping on the ice and snow. Funny, but people used to clean the snow / ice from their sidewalks until that taxpayer funded sidewalk plow started to make the rounds (on school routes per M. Pearce for the safety of the, children). Not only does that machine destroy lawns ete. but it leaves a nice amount of snow, that freezes up quite nicely later on. Well guess what! I believe that ALL residents / visitors to town should be able to walk anywhere safely on cleared sidewalks! So get with it, save taxpayers dollars and get rid of the snow clearing machine, and enforce the by - law!! Just imagine how much money you can collect from the fines! : Yours truly IN. Thompson Port Perry, P.S. You can start with the MAYOR'S house first!!! Selling Ontario Hydro To the Editor: As an electricity customer in this province I object wy to any 1s that ider the pri of Ontario Hydrq, For 90 years Hydro has been providing reliable power for this province's homes and businesses. The most important concerns 1 have are: 1. The cost of my Hydro bill. 2. Reliability of service. 3. Safety . The experience of other places who have had their electricity privatized, Great Britain, Nova Scotia and the United States is, the customers bill went up, the reliability of service went down and the safety of the system comes second to the profits of the shareholders. «I do not want a board of directors in New York or Tokyo deciding when and if I will get Hydro servicés and How an I will pay for this service. When the voters of Durham York are casting their ballots by candlelight Pm sure they will remember who sold Ontario Hydro. Nora Richards Sunderland, Ontario