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6- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, December 21, 1999 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" PUBLISHER... J. Peter Hvidsten GENERAL MGR... Don Macleod MANAGING EDITOR. Jeff Mitchell OFFICE MANAGER. Gayle Stapley ADVERTISING MGR... Deb McEachern REPORTER... . Chris Hall Freelance Writers Heather McCrae. John 8 McClellang PHONE (905) 985-7383 FAX (905) 985-3708 E-MAIL port perry star@sympatico ca Aocna Member Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc 1 Year - $37 45 (includes GST) Association Publications Mail Registration No 07881 Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Company Limited, 188 Mary Street - Port Perry, Ontario - LIL 1B7 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Six Months - $19 79 (includes GST) Member Canadian Community cna Newspaper BUSINESS OFFICE: Judy Ashby, Kathy Dudley, Janet Rankin, Lesley West ADVERTISING: Ginn Todd, Cindy Jobin, Gail Morse, Heather Mack, Linda Clarke, Janet Archer, Malcolm Lennox PRODUCTION: Trudy Empringham, Pam Hickey, Daryle Wright, Arlene Cheel, Robert Taylor, Richard Drew, Scott Ashby Foreign 1 Year - $96 30 (includes GST) > 4 ling reason to do so. Errors EDITORIAL POLICY: Opinions expressed by columnists. contributors and etter witers are not nec essanty those of The Fu Perry Star Letters must be signed and the telephone number ata hail not be published included Requests that a name be withheld will be honoured only it pers a Sor po or oiSSonS will be corrected if brought lo the edor s attention We reserve the nght to edit or retuse publicabon of any materal submitted ADVERTISING POLICY The publisher s not kabke for shight "hanges of Typographical errors that do nutlessen the value of an advertsement The publisher is ot 1a ° soso SION SOANSCUN WTV ANY A/ENISRINGIL 1) any subsequent issue or the refund of any momes pad tor the advertsement All clams of error in Public abon must be made ty Wednesday noon pros 1o the next week s publication and 1 not made will not be considered No claim will be allowed tor more thar one Editorial comment Trim excess, not representation Getting rid of politicians is all the rage these days. Just prior to the last provincial election in June we had the Fewer Politicians Act, which greatly reduced the number of MPPs elected to Queen's Park, and brought provincial electoral boundaries in line with federal ridings. And we all know about the forced amalgama- tion of Toronto. That created a city-wide council of more than 50 politicians. And now the province has slashed that number again, telling Toronto that it can function with fewer representatives on the payroll. And now along comes Joe Drumm, a councillor in Whitby, who proposes to cut the number of representatives on Durham Region council to 15. Such a move would mean smaller munici- palities like Scugog, Brock and Uxbridge would have a single representative -- as opposed to the mayor and regional councillor we send south now -- while corresponding reductions would be forced upon the larger southern entities. And while we're at it, we should be slashing local municipal councils, too, says Mr. Drumm. How earnest he is in his assertions we do not know. Maybe he is caught up in the trend of reducing seats; maybe he has some axe to grind. What is important to remember is that, while a certain amount of fat can certainly be cut from most municipal structures, there comes a point at which you've reached the limit. There is the possibility of a loss of representation on councils -- such as Durham Region council -- and that is an infringement on each person's democratic right to have a voice, and a vote. In fact, it can be argued that the per capita rate of representation on Durham council is inadequate now. Cut fat, sure. But not representation. Durham police qet an early Christmas present... WHAT COULD RL 2 W Ap 0 v, 4 => Ld Cd = 2 I= Cd / {2 ) o% IH -) 0 TT J q - 7%, a 7 Fr "yg, | oa Lidet 0) Vig -- 24 | 1 L(Y 4 7, ZL) Xr (& RapdA PorT Perry STAR nn) ) I / N 2» I | To the Editor: Prices rising, income shrinking, global warming, worldwide strife -- but I have the Christmas Spirit. Where did I get it? At the S.A. Cawker Annual Christmas Concert. In the midst of all the problems of overcrowding, teacher unhappiness and youth violence, here is a staff of teachers who produced an evening of music and laughter with costumes and actions that could not have resulted without many hours of work on their part. The best part was the joy on the chil- dren's faces. The imagination and effort combined for a show that thrilled and Show br ought on Chr istmas spir t delighted all who attended. And that's another thing that made me happy: Port Perry parents, grandpar- ents, aunts, uncles, friends filled the gymnasium to a standing room only audi- ence, proof that our children are important to us. So thank you, S.A. Cawker -- keep up the excellent work. We'll be there next year! Sincerely, G. Cameron (a.k.a. Nanna) Seagrave Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten GOVERNMENT DOCK REPAIRS WELCOMED For me, news that the town- ship, in co-operation with the Rotary Club of Port Perry, is about to begin repairs and improvements to the dock at the east end of Queen St., is good news. After doing considerable research over the past couple of years, it was interesting to learn it was the provincial government which began construction of the 210 foot long dock back in 1914, with work being completed in September the following year. A lot has happened along that dock over the past 85 years. In its early days it was used for embark- ment on steamboat excursions on Lake Scugog; it became a popular swimming hole in the the 1930s and 40s, complete with a diving platform (shallow dives only, | expect), and it's been a popular spot for fishing for decades. Over the years the pier has taken a pounding from old Mother Nature. Winds whip waves over its concrete walls during storms, ice tests the strength of the structure each spring, and on occasion, it's been completely covered with water during spring break-up. The old dock has withstood more than eight decades of wear and tear, and really it's not much wonder censidering the amount of material that went into its construction. An article in the Port Perry Star back in 1915 provided the following materials used in its construction... 958 loads of crushed stone, 381 loads of gravel and 4.405 bags of cement. No wonder it hasn't moved! But no matter how well it was built, time does have a way of weakening even the strongest of structures. The cement has cracked and the surface shifted, so the $40,000 project to straighten, level and refurbish the structure is well overdue. We look forward to seeing the work completed. IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME, AGAIN Well, here we are, only days away from the last Christmas celebration of this century. It just doesn't seem possible. Where has the time gone? There's little doubt the streets of Port Perry will be as busy as a beehive over the next few days, with shoppers running around trying to pick up those last minute gifts. It seems that no matter how long the stores stay open, there will always be those desperate last minute shoppers who almost have to be pushed out the door on Christmas Eve. Like most families, ours has had its ups and downs this year, but overall we have lots to be thankful for. As we get a little older, the material things don't seem quite as important as they did in the past. At Christmas, we begin to understand that It's health, happiness, family and good friends which are most important in our lives. In closing this last column before Christmas, | would like to extend sincere good wishes for a safe and happy holiday to the many people who read this column each week. Merry Christmas to one and alll