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"WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2000 - 7 Hall, Moffatt duel again at Port Perry forum By Jeff Mitchell Weekend Star There were no knockout punches, and just a few well- aimed jabs, when the candi- dates for mayor met once again Wednesday night in an all-can- didates' forum in Port Perry. In fact, decorum was the order of the day when mayoral candidates Doug Moffatt, the incumbent, and Howard Hall, as well as those vying for other council and school board seats, . gathered for the meeting at the Scugog Community Centre. There wasn't much chance, really. The two-hour program, sponsored by the Scugog Chamber of Commerce and moderated carefully by Chamber president Les Gower, allowed each candidate just two minutes of opening comments and a minute to close, with questions from the floor taking up the major portion of the evening. Scugog residents could be forgiven for looking out for a ver- bal brawl between the mayoral candidates, given the tone the campaign assumed from the start. Mr. Hall, a former mayor who was ousted by Mr. Moffatt in a bitter 1997 campaign, came out swinging in October, aiming criticism at the incumbent rather than focusing on his own strengths. Mr. Hall was reigned in by the audience when he attempted to take the same tack Wednesday night. When asked by an audi- ence member to describe the differences between himself and Mayor Moffatt, Mr. Hall launched into his assertion that he is more community-minded and involved than Mr. Moffatt. He noted he's accessible to people on the street and at local ball parks and hockey rinks, places he doesn't see Mr. Moffatt. "Over the years I've shown the public I care about the com- munity," said Mr. Hall. "Doug has not been here long enough to do that." } He was met by a chorus of moans, and even a few boos. But he pressed on, stressing his involvement in business, poli- tics and community initiatives over the years. "I've been here to do it," he said. "Doug hasn't." Mr. Moffatt chose to recite his background in education, busi- ness and politics, and point to his credentials in management. "I hold myself to a high stan- dard, and | will continue to do that," he said. He was met with applause. For the most part, civility was displayed by candidates, and those asking questions from the floor. About the only other instance in which a candidate was put directly on the spot was when an audience member tar- geted school board trustee hopeful Martin Demmers, ask- ing if he felt he held religious beliefs that might affect the way in which he did the job. Mr. Demmers at first side- stepped the question, prefer- ring to go back to a question about extracurricular activities that had been discussed earlier. But when pressed, he said his Christian beliefs would not hin- der him, but would in fact help him do the job well. "I'm a Christian," said Mr. Demmers. "I don't think my belief as a Christian would have an effect at the board level, because I wouldn't push my reli- gion down anyone's throat." In fact, he cited qualities he's developed as a Christian - including honesty and integrity - that he said would make him a good trustee. "I would be. working for all students in the township," said Mr. Demmers. Both his rivals, Carolyn Haugen and John Smith, said they view religion as a personal matter, and that they support appropriate sex education for students when they're young adults. "When they're of the right age, they have the right to be informed. And with their par- ents' permission, so be it," said Mr. Smith. And Mrs. Haugen weighed in on the Harry Potter controversy, which exploded at the Durham board this fall when some trustees made moves to have the popular childrens' books restricted. "Any kid of any age who is enthused about completing a 700-page book, more power to them," she said, to loud applause. Some other highlights from the evening: : a Waste disposal was an issue presented to the regional coun- cil candidates, Ken Carruthers and Bobbie Drew. Mr Carruthers focused on the need to divert more rubbish from landfill through recycling and other initiatives. ~ "We must divert more garbage from the stream. If we can't do that, we're going to drown in our own garbage," he said. Mrs. Drew agreed with the need for more waste diversion, and said also that manufacturers should be pressured to elimi- nate excessive packaging. She also called for research on incin- eration as an alternative waste disposal mechanism. "We do have the technology, | believe, that we can come up with alternatives to landfill," she said. a Development was foremost on voters' minds. They wanted to know what to expect in terms of expansion, particularly in Port Perry and Prince Albert. Mayor Moffatt assured audi- ence members that there won't be an explosion of subdivisions and strip malls any time soon. "l keep telling people that Port Perry 20 years from now is going to look very much like it does today, because we have limited sewage capacity," he said. : He said the boundaries of Port Perry are defined in official plans, and "as long as | have anything to do with it, there will be no expansion of that bound- ary." Marilyn Pearce, a candidate for councillor in Ward 2, weighed in with the opinion that devel- opers can be pressed for more contributions to parks and recreation facilities. "I think we can negotiate for more than we are now," said Mrs. Pearce. Election day is Nov. 13. Cash flowing to area hospitals for deficits, services A significant injection of cash is flowing to area hospitals. On Friday, Oct. 26 hospitals across Ontario were given an additional $471 million from the amounts announced last June, bringing hospital funding to $8.1 bil- lion - the most money ever invested in Ontario hospitals. Lakeridge Health received $17.3 mil- lion and Rouge Valley Health System (Ajax-Pickering) received $7.9 million. These funds will address hospitals annual operating deficits as well as strengthen front line services, which means more nurses and other patient care enhance- ments. There are increasing incidents at our hospital emergency departments. As the weather gets colder and flu season begins, hospital emergency rooms are often seen as alternatives when doctors are off-duty or in areas where there are no walk-in clinics. As part of the province's strategy. to avoid an emergency room backup this year, we have introduced the Influenza Vaccination Program. This $38 million investment will provide 7.9 mil- lion doses to the public for free and began in early October, focusing on high- risk groups, like senior citizens. The sec- ond phase of this new initiative is starting in November. | would recommend that you call your doctor. Last week, Health and Long-Term Care Minister Elizabeth Witmer committed $4 million in annual funding to develop a Plan of Action for Asthma, designed to help asthma sufferers. Asthma is a serious problem that can reduce quality of life and may, in some cases, cause death. Staying in Touch NICS "SOI EOIOI MPP DURHAM EAST Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Colin D'Cunha has been working on a plan and the committee will be making a full report by March 2001. Minister Witmer also committed $15 million to the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute to increase being done on rehabilitation methods. With sur- gical techniques improving steadily, patients today need rehabilitation ser- vices that will improve their quality of life. People who have had head or back injuries, heart attacks, strokes or who suf- fer from osteoporosis and arthritis all need treatment and there is an enormous demand. Premier Harris is calling on a new part- nership involving everyone in the province to make sure that no child in Ontario "falls through the cracks." The province's program is modeled after ini- tiatives in other jurisdictions and consists of five challenges: 1. A healthy start to life, 2. An ongoing positive relationship with a caring adult, 3. Safe places to play and grow that offer positive, meaningful activities out- side the home, 4. Marketable skills gained through effective education and, 5. An opportunity to give back to the community. A healthy beginning provides a real opportunity for every child in Ontario. In today's society, stress can effect our work and home lives. We must not let our chil- dren come in last amongst all of the hus- tle and bustle. I was pleased to attend the official launch of the new Community Care bus on Friday, Oct. 27. The new bus can accom- modate 12 passengers plus four wheel- chairs. Individuals will be able to travel comfortably to the Adult Day Program in Newcastle, as well as other activity loca- tions. The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care made the funding possible, as part of its Alzheimer Strategy. Durham Region Community Care offers a number of programs throughout our area. For more information, please call my commu- nity office at 697-1501 or 1-800-661-2433. Active living promotes a healthy life. Two weeks ago, | was privileged to rep- resent Economic Development and Trade Minister Al Palladini at the official open- ing of Whitby's Small Business Entrepreneur Centre. Located at the Business Advisory Centre in Whitby at (905) 665-6402, it offers free consulting services to business persons before they invest in a new venture or an expansion. There are many new technology jobs here in Durham. Both the Business Advisory Centre of Durham, as well as Durham College and University Centre are good places to "catch the wave" on the new economy. : Technology played out in the stock market last week. Nortel and Research in Motion (RIM) are part of the new Ontario economy. Just to give you an example, high-tech companies accounted for 21 per cent of Ontario's growth. In addition, we are home to 19 of the top 25 Canadian software companies, 14 of the top 25 IT professional services companies and 23 of the top 25 multinational software and services companies in Canada. Dianne Cunningham, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, announced new legislation affecting col- leges and universities last week. The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Statue Law Amendment Act, 2000, would allow colleges of applied technology to grant applied degrees and offers post-secondary students more choice. All programs at private institu- tions must pass the Post-Secondary Education Quality Assessment Board standards to ensure certification and transfer of credits between institutions. This proposed legislation would provide greater flexibility in a new age, with dis- tance and distributive learning enabling more students to access learning. On Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Clarington Beech Centre, I'm hosting a meeting to hear your views on how consumer protec- tion can be improved. Issues like phone scams, high pres sure sales tactics and failure to live up to ordered services are problems that can effect us all. Please plan to attend - | wel- Some Your suggesions. on how we can strengthen and improve existing laws. For more information, please contact me at my constituency office at 1-800-661- 2433. mam _ re LF A AL SAL A Aa