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BEST AVAILABLE COPY Board acts quickly to ease concern Lead-free solder for new school The Durham Board of Educa- tion will be taking steps to ensure that the new public school now under construction in Port Perry will be built with lead-free solder in the water pipes. A board of education spokes- ARTHUR W. BROCK Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon in Port Perry for Arthur Brock, one of the com- person told the Star last week the contractor will be asked to use lead-free solder or solder with five per cent lead content, rather than the 50 per cent content in the sol- der now used to join the pipes which carry drinking water. 3 ES So SERRE CN munity"s best known and respected business- men. Mr. Brock, 83, passed away November 30 after a lengthy lliness. For nearly 60 years, he was devoted to the family owned department store on Queen Street. (see article on page ten) Low wages are causing shortage of Homemakers The Red Cross Homemakers Service in Durham Region is in a "crisis situation" over money, and needs a substantial budget increase this coming year to avoid cut- backs. Cathy Maw, supervisor of the Homemaker Service for Durham Region, said in an interview last week the non-profit organization is having a lot of trouble keeping homemakers and attracting new ones because of what she called "the extremely low wages." And she warned that when cut- backs in service are necessary, they will come first in rural areas like Scugog, Brock and Uxbridge Townships. "We (the Homemakers Ser- vice) are grossly under-funded," she said, and the result is low wages and a large staff turn-over. Homemakers employed by the Red Cross in Durham Region start at $5 per hour and receive in- crements over four years to a max- imum of $6.08 per hour. "That's a ridiculously low wage in this day and age," stated Mrs. Maw. She said the turnover rate among the homemakers is about 60 per cent, and virtually all who quit the organization do so be- cause of the low wages. This constant turnover costs money as well, because the organ- ization must pay for training new employees. Homemakers receive no bene- fits such as drug, dental or paid OHIP premiums, and they are not paid for the "travelling time" be- tween visits to the elderly and/or the disabled. And it was only in the last year that the provincial govern- ment came up with the money to allow the Red Cross to pay home- makers minimum wage while they took a four-week training course at Durham College. - Mrs. Maw said it is very iron- ic that while the provincial gov- ernment considers the homemak- ers service an essential part of the health care system, it won't come up with enough money to pay the homemakers a decent wage. "This essential program is be- ing subsidized on the backs of our homemakers," she stated. (Turn to page 2) Meanwhile, in light of tests last week on drinking water in some Durham schools which showed up higher than normal lead content, the Board will be testing the drinking water in 12 Regional schools (none in Scu- gog) and eventually all the schools in Durham will have the water tested for lead content. And the spokesperson said that all schools in Durham have been ordered to "flush" the water Vol. 123 No. 2 systems for several minutes each day before students arrive for class. Independent testing of drink- ing water in several Ontario schools, including three in Dur- ham Region by the CBC showed higher than acceptable levels of lead in drinking water. The three schools in Durham, in Whitby, Pickering and Ajax showed lead levels at 80-90 parts be billion. Federal health standards Port Perry, Ontario - Tuesday, December 6, 1988 set acceptable lead levels in drink- ing water at 50 parts per billion. The Board spokesperson said the problem seems to be showing up in recently built schools with the lead getting into the lead from the solder in the pipes. And the high lead levels are showing up in water samples tak- en after a weekend, when water has been sitting in the pipes for a (Turn to page 3) 60 Pages New Council Sworn-In Monday Many serious issues face The seven men and women who will guide the affairs of Scu- gog Township for the next three years were sworn to office at the ceremonial inaugural meeting of Township council Monday after- noon. Newly elected Mayor Howard Hall, Durham Region rep Yvonne Christie, and councillors Don Co- chrane (area) Neil Hunter (Ward 1) Marilyn Pearce (Ward 2) Al Gore- ski (Ward 3) and Glenn Malcolm (Ward 4) took the oath from Township administrator Earl Cud- die. It was a brief and dignified cer- emony attended by a large crowd of friends and relatives of the new councillors, and several guests of honour. After the official chain of of- fice was formally handed over by out-going Mayor Jerry Taylor to new Mayor Howard Hall, the lat- ter said there are "some serious and expensive issues in front of the council for the next three years." And one of the first priorities, said Hall, is to address the issue of a new municipal office. | 85 £ -council as they begin term He noted that the council chambers was jammed for the in- augural meeting, and said the en- tire municipal building is too small and cramped for the needs of the staff and the public. And he also mentioned that the need for recreation facilities in Scugog will also have to be ad- dressed over the next three years. Noting that four members of the new council have municipal experience while three are new- comers around the council cham- (Turn to page 2) All sworn In and now ready to get down to business. The newly elected mem- bers of Scugog Township council officially took office Monday afternoon at the ceremonial Inaugural meeting. At front from left, Reglonal councillor Yvonne Christie, Mayor Howard Hall and area councillor Don Cochrane. At back from left: Marilyn Pearce (Ward 2) Al Goreskl (Ward 3) Neill Hunter (Ward 1) and Glenn Mal- colm (Ward 4) The first regular business meetin cember 12. g Is slated for next Monday, De-