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4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, June 17, 1986 Editorial Comments 'Through The Roof How would you like to pay 65 per cent more in property taxes for municipal services this coming year, and in return get the level of service cut in half? To say the least, we suspect there would be a few angry tax- payers knocking on the doors of the Township council chambers. Pro- bably, there would be a "tax-payers revolt." But that's exactly what Durham Region is facing in 1986-87 for insurance premiums. A detailed report which will go before the Regional council this week shows that premium costs for the many policies carried by Durham will increase from $520,000 to $861,000 this coming year. But the total liability coverage will be decreased from $25 million to $13 million. It's further indication that something is going way out of line in * the insurance industry, spurred on by the unbelievable settlements that have been handed out by the courts in recent years. The most famous, of course, was the $6 million claim against the City of Bramp- ton for a teen-ager left a paraplegic after he cracked up a dirt bike on municipal property, despite the presence of "No Trespassing" signs. The topic of liability insurance has a lot of people very jumpy these days. And little wonder. The Port Perry Minor Hockey Associa- tion recently incorporated itself so that individual officers, coaches, managers and so on could not be sued as individuals in the event of a mishap. (God willing, it will never happen, of course, but who knows). 'Still, the thought of a volunteer coach winding up in court in the middle of a multi-million dollar damage suit is unsettling, to say the least. The fate of the annuly July 1 fireworks display on Scugog, put 'on by the Chamber of Commerce is still up in the air. The reason? The guy who sets off the firecrackers (which celebrate the birth of our nation each July 1) can't get insurance for his day's work. We have heard of a community in Durham Region which cancell- ed its annual Boy Scout-Girl Guide parade because of lack of in- surance and the fear of a suit should there be an accident. We have heard grumblings from individuals who have devoted countless hours of volunteer time to worthwhile organizations now thinking of *'getting out' because of similar fears. These fears may not be totally valid in some cases. But the point is, some people just don't want to take a chance on winding up in the middle of something that could ruin them financially. It's easier and safer just to give up volunteer work for community organizations. Is this country going law suit crazy? Some of the recent court decisions that have received wide-spread publicity would indicate yes. A further example is that Durham Region must now deal with some 500 claims each year. A decade ago, the number of claims was between 50 and 100 annually. : Municipalities, school boards, community organizations, and of course certain professions like doctors and lawyers seem to be fac- ing the brunt of law suits. a. The insurance industry and a lot of people who are footing the bills for this thing can't help but wonder where it will all end. We are not suggesting for one minute that all the claims settled 'In and out of court these days are out of line or unreasonable. But surely, settlements in the millions go beyond that. Surely, it is time for the courts to take a cold, hard look at some of the set- tlements and put the brakes on. When the annual insurance premium for a municipality like Durham goes up 65 per cent and the level of liability goes down nearly 100 per cent, something is sadly amiss. -- a the (ecin I = #0 00190 Cu sowie 3 (49) 995.730) J. PETER HVIDSTEN Member of the Publisher Canadian Community Newspaper Association and Ontario Community Newspaper Association. Advertising Manager Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co Ltd, Port Perry, Ontario J.B. MCCLELLAND | | Editor Authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for cash CATHY ROBB payment of postage in cash News & Features Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 " A. Subscription Rate: In Canada $15.00 per year. 2200000 ays0 lied Elsewhere $45.00 per year. Single Copy 35' ©COPYRIGHT -- All layout and composition of advertisements produced by the adver tising department of the Port Perry Star Company Limited are protected under copyright and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher A BIZARRE THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE CHURCH . .. Chatte rbox by Cathy Robb EVERYONE SUFFERS It will be interesting to see how many people show up at the 1986 Port Perry Fair. From what I've been hearing lately, those fairgrounds might be empty. Too many people are upset about the Fair Board's decision not to break the lease with Scugog Township, which would have allowed construction of a new public school "to begin on the site in the fall of this year. Because of that decision, many parents who would normally take their kids to the Labour Day- fair to enjoy the sights and sounds of a fabulous country experience, won't be going. And that's too bad. For kids, there's nothing like a fair. Check- ing out all the exhibits, patting the animals, wat- ching the horse races, inhaling the sweet aroma of caramel corn and tasting that melt-in-the- mouth heaven of candy floss -- it's all so special to a wee tyke. : But what's more special is a quality educa- tion and knowing how crowded R.H. Cornish and Prince Albert schools are right now, I'm not sure students are getting it. I can't stress enough how badly a new public school is needed in this town and I think it's un- forgiveable how members of the Agricultural Society turned their backs on the education and future of these youngsters. No problem, they Said. Let the Board of Edjcation find another site for the school, they said. And look what happened. Last week the School Board pulled the plug on a new school for Port Perry in 1987 (when it could have been ready if the Fair Board had co- operated). The $2.1 million ear-marked for the new school in our town, for our children, will go instead to a school in Pickering. Other sites were considered, but none of them proved appropriate. Who knows how long it will take to find another site for the new school, even half as good as the Fairgrounds? It might take five years or more and until that time, the students of this town will suffer. The Fair Board, worried that it might be short-changed if the fair was moved, still has its horse racing track, its barns and every other facility intact. Which is what it wanted. Hopeful- ly, those facilities won't be empty as ghost towns when the Labour Day weekend rolls around. I can't blame some parerits for wanting to boycott the fair because of the Fair Board's deci- sion, even though it was the actions of a few who put the ki-bosh on everything. But it still saddens me. What really makes a successfull fair isn't the race track, or the barns, or the midway. It's the people-who pay their admittance fee, bring their kids and fill the grounds with smiles, laughter and money. Without people, the fair doesn't amount to much. But you know what really kills me about this mess? Had the Agricultural Society agreed to break the lease, the school could have been opened by the fall of 1987, and the fair could have had a new site ready to go by 1987 (with financial and other support, guaranteed from the Township and the community), probably a bigger and better site than the old one. I used to live in Markham, the home of the country's second largest fair (next to the Cana- dian National Exhibition) -- at least it is now. When I lived there, it wasn't much bigger than the Port Perry Fair. Situated at the corner of Highway 7 and 48, two major highways, the fair was locked into a. small chunk of land with no room for growth. Everything was jam-packed into that small area, but that wasn't the worst part of it. The worst part was trying to get in and out of the fair on the busy roads and attempting to find parking where none existed. : When the Town of Markham suggested mov- ing the fair, in order to make room for a new library, all heck broke loose. The situation in Markham was much the same as it was here, with Fair Board members dead set against the move. Like it or not, however, the fair was moved to a new location north of Markham on McCowan Road. As it turned out, the move was the best thing that could ever have happened to the fair. It grew to a point of excellence unsurpass- ed by any other country fair and its facilities are now used year round by car shows (like the one held this past weekend) and a variety of other special exhibitions. Even the old-timers had to agree the move was a good thing. And library patrons couldn't have been any happier with their new building, an unbelievably beautiful example of architecture and the subject of endless compliments. Why couldn't the same thing happen in Port Perry? Students could have a new school. The Fair Board could have bigger, better grounds, attract more people from all over, and even rent out some of the facilities when the fair isn't in progress. The town could continue to grow, with a larger (Turn to page 7) TN POT ENT oo wr ----y Ld amos aS. a au nai in =o wo Race a en . kK i Viet 3%