The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

A. 4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, May 5, 1987 Editorial Comments A Question of Value It is the month of May and across the massive grain belt of Western Canada, it is usually a time for optimism and rejuvenation. Why not? The grim winter on the plains is over, the spring air is warm and farmers are looking forward to putting yet another crop into the freshly turned earth. But not this May. There is a mood of deep pessimism across the wide prairie, a feeling of sinking despair, a sense of pending doom "that for many sturdy hard-working Western farmers, the crop they are planting now may be their last. | The moratorium on farm foreclosures has been lifted and this means with certainty that some farmers unable to handle the debt load will lose their land, their machinery and even the homes where their families have lived for three and four generations. Even more ominous for the Western farmer is the worid price of grain, which is so low in 1987 that a bumper crop this year won't yield enough cash to pay. for the cost of planting, fertilizing and harvesting. Some farmers are wondering whether to even bother put- ting a crop in this spring. One media report recently noted that cur- ~~ rent grain prices are lower than they were in 1917. The same cannot be said for the price of fuel, chemicais, labour and transportation. It is a curious paradox that the world price for such a precious commodity as grain is so low when so many millions on this planet are so miserably hungry. The reasons are complex, but basically the countries of the world where people are starving simply lack the cash to buy food and necessary infrastructure to transport and distribute it. For those countries which can buy; the world market is being flood- ed by a sea of subsidized grain. The United States and the Soviet Union recently concluded a large agreement for grain. The American farmers who grew that grain were heavily Subsidized by the U.S. Government. The Canadian grain farmer, like most farmer verywhors, § is a stubborn, proud and independent individual. Hg doesn't want han- douts from anybody and it is with a great deal of reluctance that he is turning to Ottawa for help. He has no choice when the price for his commodity is pushed down artificially. The federal government must respond with assistance. In times like this when world prices are depressed through no fault of the Cana- dian farmer, the government has a moral obligation to help guarantee the survival of those who work the land. "A Toronto newspaper this week suggested editorially that cur- rent assistance levels are enough. It suggested that farmers should not be exempt from debt load. It suggested that the Western farmer is somehow the architect of his own misfortune by virtue of the fact that he is so proficient at: growing grain. Talk is 'cheap when one is sitting in a comfortable newspaper office in downtown Toronto where the economy is booming atrecord, levels. But those kind of arguments don't wash on the prairies. if un- fair competition from abroad was killing the newspaper business in Toronto, the editorial writers might be singing a different tune. It the Western grain farmer was going down the tubes because . he'sa bungler, a poor manager, a lousy businessman or just a lazy slob, that would be a different story and no reasonable person might suggest assistance to prop up incompetence. ~ Butthat's not the case. Canada has spent decades building the * grain industry to sell abroad. When the rules by which the grain market -. functions are charged and tinkered with, our government must step in. True, the Western farmer already receives considerable help from Ottawa. But it's not enough, and it won't be until world prices move upwards again. (Tu urn to page 8) CAPITAL PUNISHMENT | Port Perry (0 STAR E =) 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY ONTARIO "-- Phone 985-7383 PO Box90 LOB INO J PETER HVIDSTEN Member of the Publisher ) } Canadan Commun tN Newspaper Associaton ind Ontaro Community Newspapes Assorasor Advertising Manager : Published every TuesSiy by She 1B McCLELLAND EE Editor Author red as second ¢ si mgd Dy the Post © CATHY OLLIFFE SE vr = core aan 4% News & Features Second Class Mag Regstraton Number 0265 Subscription Rate: in Canada $20 00 per year Elsewhere $60 00 per year Single Copy 50° Chatterbox : PHANTOM FITNESS FASHION DAY 'This Wednesday! May 6th! Tomorrow! Wednesday May. 6th is Phantom Fitness Fashion Day and as the: Participaction Challenge's official Roving Eye, I'm counting on each and every citizen of Scugog Township to - dress up in their finest fitness duds. Wear clothing to work, to school, to wherever, that you would normally only wear while exercising. So if your idea of exercising is playing hockey, wear your hockey sweater! If it's golf, put on a golf shirt. If it's tennis, wear shorts. If it's aerobics, pull on your leotard, and if it's jogging, _ try a sweat suit. | - ©. Whatever your interest or sport, wear something that is appropriate to that activity on Wednesday. And wear it everywhere you go. Even people who normally wear uniforms to work will ~ be breaking the rules and wearing fitness fashion. Hospital staff will throw out the white stuff for a day, lawyers will leave their three-piece suits at home, and who knows, maybe even policemen will wear baseball caps instead of the standard uniform hats. Wouldn't it be great? ~ Everyone, and I mean absolutely everyone, should forget current trends for 24 hours and en- joy the fringe benefits of sweats and sneakers. Complete, one hundred per cent participation by the community is important. Why? Well, the whole idea of Phantom Fitness Fashion Day is to generate enthusiasm and pro- ote awareness of THE BIG DAY, Wednesday May 27, Scugog's chance to prove two things: 1.) That we're the most spirited community in Canada, and 2.) That we're the fittest communi- ty in Canada. THE BIG DAY is Participaction Challenge Day, all over Canada. On May 27th, in.com- munities across the country, individuals will be spending 15 minutes of their time doing some type of exercise, any type of exercise, whether it's walking, swimming, running, whatever. Each individual will call in their 15 minutes of activity to a phone-in station in their communi- ty. The community with the highest percentage of participation will be crowned the fittest Place in Canada. Now, to spark even more interest, various communities are entitled to challenge other com- ~ munities. Scugog being such a popular place, we've been challenged by two already (Newecas- tle and jax) and possibly three (rumour has it we're going to be challenged by Uxbridge as well). I KNOW we can rise to the challenge. | KNOW- we can beat out Newcastle, Ajax and Uxbridge. Scugog has more community spirit than those three places combined. But in order to win, everyone, and | mean everyone, has to commit themselves to 15 minutes of exercise on May 27th. by Cathy Qtie To help get everyone into the spirit, organizers have set aside three special days in ad- vance of Challenge Day. May 13 is Vanish Your Vehicle Day, a day to leave your car at home or park it a block from work and walk the rest of the way. May 20 is Leapfrog Your Way To Fitness Day, and teams from various organizations in the community will be literally leapfrogging their way down Queen Street, which will be closed off for the occasion. And, of course, May 6th is Phantom Fitness Fashion Day. All you have to do on Wednesday is wear something sporty. That's it. How much simpler can an event be? And think how neat it'll be to see everyone in 1 Scugog dressed up (er, down). To make makiers more interesting, I'll be ac- ting as the official 'Roving Eye," taking pictures of, and handing out pins to people I happen to see 'who are participating. Everyone I bump into will be eligible to enter the Challenge's Fittest People Contest. The Contest is strictly a fun thing and in no way is it a true reflection of who is fit'and who isn't. Shucks, even I could qualify for the contest! To vote, or to qualify, all you have to do is par- ticipate in the upcoming Challenge events. Voting takes place when you register your 15 minutes of activity on Challenge Day. And you can vote for whoever you want in any of three categories: Fit- test Man, Fittest Family, or'Fittest Woman. + If you are nominated, by me or someone else, make sure to drop a photo of yourself (to be used at the voting booth on Challenge Day) and your name to me at the Port Perry Star. Or phone 985-7383. Speaking of Challenge Day, there's a whole slew of special events taking place, mostly at Port Perry's lakefront, on May 27th. - A parade will start the ball rolling, followed by a grand opening with remarks by Mayor Jerry Taylor in front of the Post Office. From that point on, the action doesn't stop with events such as a car tug, dancercize, filling a bathtub (in front of the post office, with teams relaying the water from Lake Scugog in a paper cup), boat tug, magic, a "rock-a-tha-lon' (similar to a triathalon, but using one of the Phantom's famous white. . rocks), barbecue, a fitness fashion show, frisbee toss, water balloon toss, hula hoop contest, tug of war, obstacle course, music by the Port Perry contest and a Rock Dance. = In the meantime, phones and a booth will be open so everyone in the community can register their 15 minutes of physical activity. It sounds like it's going to be a great day, and representatives of nearly every organization in (Turn to page 6) High School Concert Band, a Phantom Air Band |. v 1 RN wi ii gS Loto A Rh te