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TEA 00m oer As: ro orisy . I -------------- HOSPITA After a three-year delay, plans for a major expansion at Community Memorial Hospital are back on track. Hospital officials were pleased last week when Ontario Health Minister Elinor Caplan announced that $2.4 million in provincial money has been allo- cated for the expansion. The total cost of the project is estimated at $3.7 million, with the hospital responsible for $1.3 million of the total. What it all means, said ad- ministrator David Brown in an interview last week, is that the hospital can get moving on the two phase expansion. The first phase calls for construction of a new area on the west side of the building for a larger emergency depart- ment, obstetrics unit, ambula- tory care, kitchen and cafeteria. Once this has been com- pleted, the second phase, cost- ing about $500,000 will involve extensive renovations to exist- ing areas of the hospital (admit- ting, health records, day sur- gery, physiotherapy, pharmacy and the business offices) While he said that officials are pleased to finally get the green light to move ahead with this expansion, the original plan to add 22 new beds for long term (chronic care) patients are still on hold and "under review" by the Health Ministry. The hospital has been ac- tively raising funds in the com- munity for the last couple of years, and Mr. Brown said the $1.3 million local share of the approved plans will come from the fund. That fund, he said, now stands at just over $2.5 million. He said hospital officials are still hopeful that the Minis- try will eventually approve a further expansion for chronic care beds. "We will have a good idea in a year or so in which direction we are moving in development of long term care," he said. In the meantime, he said, the hospital will move ahead with preparation of detailed plans for the approved expan- sion, and the target date to start construction is next summer. The announcement by Mrs. Caplan last week was greeted warmly by Hospital Board chairman Rodd Foster. Turn to Page 3 L EXPANSION BACK ON TRACK Volume 124 Number 31 3 a PORT PERRY, ONTARIO - TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 1990 Copy 50¢ 60 Pages CAUT says taxes could double in next five years Nearly 200 people turned out last Thursday evening to question local politicians and school board reps about proper- ty taxes, and why the tax in- crease in Durham Region has been in double numbers for the last couple of years. The meeting, in the audi- torium at PPHS, was organized by CAUT (Citizens Against Un- justified Taxes) a ratepayers group in Scugog formed last year. "CAUT has a membership of about 1500 Scugog ratepayers. Joel Aldred served as guest moderator for last Thursday's meeting and at the outset he stressed it was an "information meeting" and he urged the pub- lic to "keep the debates to a min- imum." And for the most part, they did just that. The meeting was low-key with the questions cov- ering a wide range of issues on taxation, municipal and school board spending and budgets. In his opening remarks, CAUT chairman Dave Frew noted that in 1990, the average tax increase for Durham prop- erty owners was 13.2 per cent. Broken down by sector, the increases were 7.9 per cent at the local (Scugog) level; 11.2 per cent for the Region of Durham; and 14.7 per cent for the boards of education. CAUT has calculated that if the current increase for taxes (13.2 per cent) continues for the next five years, taxes for most property owners will be double what they are in 1990 (see graphic with this article) The majority of the ques- tions from the floor last Thurs- day evening were directed at reps from the public and separ- ate boards in Durham. And the trustees several times stressed that the provin- cial government must take some of the share of the blame for spending hikes due to legis- lation which forces boards to implement programs. Junior Kindergarten was one example cited by public board chairman Ian Brown. He said it will take 100 portable classrooms at $34,000 each to bring Junior K to schools in Durham. "We can't say no to the Min- istry of Education. Boards that have tried (to say no to Ministry regulations) in the past have been penalized by reductions in their grants," said Mr. Brown. Separate Board chairman Catherine Tunney told the meeting the Ministry of Educa- tion "tries to please the voters" with new programs, but the Ministry is not granting school boards enough money to carry out those programs. - Mrs. Tunney, along with Mr. Brown and Scugog trustees Joyce Kelly and Bobbie Drew several times during the meet- ing urged ratepayers to let their MPP know that they are not happy with provincial policies on education. In fact "write your MPP" was a suggestion made several times during the evening by the boards of education reps. Turn to Page 12 be 2 This group of local cadets are practicing for an u be held In Pickering. The group practiced by shootin bridge. Pictured are Jason Shewchuk, Jim Tow Hill. See story on page 5 for more details enactment. 2 3 iF fp RoE pcoming Civil War re-enactment to g a real canon, made by Jack Bain- er Jr., Captain Jack Bainbridge, and Ken on the group's preparations for the re-