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SECTION A THE HERALD Wednesday April IBM Pages WHERE THE CANDIDATES STAND ON THE ISSUES asked the four numloK te la Hilton BarllBon of Interest to voters Hers LIBERAL DON KNIGHT PC INDP IIAMIITO TRILLIUM PARTY All three parties have to mat of separate school In tight of aod lob move tan this be made la appease en parent aw 1 Justifiably there has been some concern on the part of those directly and even Indirectly affected by the decision to proceed with the extension of separate school funding These concerns have surfaced because the Progressive Conservatives announced that implementation was to proceed without the proper public debate needed to resolve those scorns Indeed the Government inept handling has led to sectorial which none of us want I piemen In lion must proceed must be and two things must occur There has lo be a full debate in the legislature prior to September and the question must be taken to the Court of Appeal under the Constitution Questions Act Meanwhile Implementation must proceed and if a result of the court decision changes must be made then the appropriate laws can be passed The first step in the transition is for the Government of Ontario present legislation and regulations to the Legislature for debate and to the affected parlies Tor Input The legislation should address the following concerns a how the funding two systems will place b how the transfer of teachers from one system to another will take place how the transfer of students will take place d how the transfer of properly will take place In certain geographi cal locations where will the public school students take their studies ft Will funding be given to any system that discriminates on the basis of sex religion origin etc 1 In must recognize that the current move concerning the funding of separate schools Involves the extension of aid through to Grade 13 Separate schools art already fully or partially funded Grade 10 Aid stopped at Grade 10 bet of an accident since separate were guaranteed In by the British North America Act Neiihir school system went lo Grade 13 in those The New Democrats have supported the extension of aid for some time bee use of the constitutional protection given to Roman Catholic schools It simply makes no sense to provincial assistance at Grade 10 The Conservative government failed to put Into place proper mechanisms for consultation with all affected parties before implementing the change Ilatlicr than Immediately to make the change by the next school year wc should have allowed for a longer period of consultation Furthermore the province must in law Ihe right of teachers in the existing public secondary schools to shift to Ihe separate school system wilh rights of security and which they now enjoy I We favor private school funding if and only If these two conditions arc met First off the quality of public schools must not deteriorate by funding private schools If existing programs offered in the public school system are dropped to com pen sate for the increased flow or public funds Into private schools then we must oppose this proposal Secondly if the private schools ore to receive public financing they should be forced to use these funds under strict provincial guidelines These funds should be offered to all schools not affiliated with the public school system regard less moral and religious teachings practised by these private institutions The funding each individual school receives should bear accordance to its respective numerical enrolment loan ova far Kale uM and lb not la my WmM yw the roameaUlry trite or The landfill site which has been selected In Burlington is for solid waste only and has been selected after an exhaustive process as required under the Environmental Assessment Act It is for garbage generated In Region In light of Ihe technical evidence presented it would be hard confirm another site as better On the other hand Ihe site selection process which has identified 3 of the sites for toxic waste disposal facilities for the entire province as being in Milton is wrong Because the selection is not being conducted under the Environmental Assessment Act we run Ihe risk of the site selection criteria being heavily weighted in favour of the proximity to waste generation In both cases I support the selection on the basis of appropriate scientific data In Ihe case of toxic waste however all sites must be weighed heavily as to their effect on the quality of life in Ihe surrounding area I would support the most environmentally sound sites and technologies I am opposed to a toxic waste site in Milton because it is close to populated areas 1 believe Ihe loxic waste treatment proposals should be reviewed by an Environmental Assessment Hearing and the full process applied to the Ontario Waste Management Corporation I believe the appropriate method of treatment for toxic waste should be reviewed first by a hearing under the Environmental Assess ment Act to assure that the safest treatment is adopted I believe the site hearings should stop immediately and the entire process return to establishing safest method of treatment eg treatment of toxic chemicals at source No sile should be as acceptable until this question is resolved Dealing with the problem of toxic wastes should start initially with a serious examination of whether or not a mega project of the kind envisioned by he Ontario Waste Management Corporation Is even desirable The recent spill of highly toxic in northwestern Ontario once again point to the obvious of transporting dangerous wastes over long distances by road and rail The establishment of a single site anywhere Ontario would increase the potential for accidents which could do irreparable damage to our environ men Further a serious accident at a single huge facility would obviously have much more serious effects than anything we could not contemplate New Democrats believe that much more serious efforts should be made to reduce waste at the source to change industrial processes as to minimize the production of toxic wastes and to research disposal methods which could be d tied to the sites which produce waste Very simply environmental assessment and effects on people are Ihe same thing We believe that the mishandling of toxic materials will produce an environment in the near future which is beyond repair If society a ongoing technical advances are to continue it should not be at the expense of our environment and Its preservation We believe that Increased research and developing is needed immediately to provide an ultimate solution to our waste disposal problems We should not be satisfied th temporary measures While this research Is tally sound place If It happens to be in Holton Burlington then so be it The cost of storing this waste should draw off existing programs with the government providing compensation for those required to relocate Do yon Jot fcofare attempting Mr There is no greater or more Important challenge confronting our governments today than the issue or how to create jobs In fact in terms of job creation our economy is stagnant The Ontario Liberal Party proposes an Employment Tax Credit program for small businesses to create a minimum of new jobs We also propose an increase in expenditure for road Improvements and capital funding for universities These initiatives would create at least 12 new jobs Being recognized cognisant of the fact that Initiatives cost money and so as not to Increase the provincial deficit and hopefully to reduce it the Liberal Government would sell our share of Suncor sharply curtail use of public opinion polls and advertising sell off the Tory landbank holdings 3 Itlsnotaquestionofeitheror Reduction of the provincial deficit can be realized by more jobs being created by the private sector As the private sector becomes stronger the dependency upon government sponsored Jobs will diminish That is what Enterprise Ontario is all about It is about creating more jobs through the private sector by ensuring companies have the latest technologies by encouraging new investments in small companies by Improving access to private sources of capita and by providing people with the information they need to make a success of new ventures The stronger our economy becom the faster the deficit can be reduced 3 the modern age government has a fundamental responsibility to intervene in the economy in ways which produce jobs There is a great deal which can be done in Ontario to generntenevcmploment For example sign if ant parts of our infrastructure are in decline from roads extended care hospitals In each case the Ontario government should move to commit funds to generate work which will produce Jobs New Democrats have set a target of a reduction or two per cent in the unemployment rale In the first year of an government will mean an increase in the Ontario deficit in short term However the Increased economic activity which would be created will have the effect of generating growth in several sectors or the economy including small business and will have the obvious effect of generating greater tax revenue for Ontario The Ontario deficit is relatively low and has been covered without any need for borrowing outside the province Most of the funds intact come from the pension funds of 3 The government should allocate funds to fledgling industries to be used strictly for research and development Through technological break roughs new better production methods will be developed These new production methods will provide an increased flow of capital In the business society These businesses must be mode technologies and shying away from existing stagnant programs New jobs will be created as a result and eventually the deficit will be reduced by the Increased amount or capital available in the system Part politic la fat Ontario aid at tiwZiaMPPbeiBod policy Which may tot to Ik Met eat f Um or bar WovMyw foOow parly or Ik of your An MPPhas an obligation lo support policies that are In the best interests of his or her constituents and also to strongly lobby within his or her caucus against those policies which are not in the constituent best interests On local issues of Importance I would put the interests of my constituents first If my constituents disagreed on the broader Issues of government policy it would be my job as the representative of the people of Ha lion Burlington take those concerns to the govcmmenl and try loresolvethe issue lo both parties satisfaction As Progressive Conservatives we arc always open to new approaches We welcome the opinions and suggestions of Ihe general electorate As your elected representative for Ihe past nine years I have dedicated myself to serving your needs and resolving your concerns This same representatl on will continue when I go to work for you at Queen Park You are correct In suggesting that the tradition of party politics Is very strong in Ontario In fact this tradition is very strong in all societies which have a parliamentary system of govern modelled on thai in Great Britain Very simply parliamentary government does not work well unless there are political parties and unless these parties exercise some discipline over their members Individual members of the Legislature do not often have a choice on the question of whether or not they vote wilh their party The structures in place make that mandatory much of the lime Ills is a sound approach whenever we are dealing wilh questions which involve confidence in Ihe government ils tax policies spending plans and general economic direction However 1 would personally favour the possibility of many more free votes in the Legislature on questions which lie outside these basic areas When free votes occur I would Strive to represent the opinions of people in Ha I ton Burlington as faithfully If elected it shows the people supported myself and my party view Thus their support must be justified by my actions My constituents and their needs must come first The views I have expressed and you have voted for will not change Being a regional group wo would not be subjected to pressure from other distant groups acting In the interest of party unity laws and procaoWta S Until the current Federal legislation Is changed women In Ontario must have equal access to the best health care allowed under the current legislation Although this Is a federal jurisdiction I believe In the existing abortion laws The accessibility Issue should be solved so that the law can be applied equally and evenly in all regions of Ontario No one in this country favours abortion For sometime Canada hashed in place a system which allows accredited hospitals to set up committees for the approval of abortions On the whole this approach has met with the approval of most people While I personally do not favour abortion I do believe that the question is ultimately one in which a woman has to make a very profound and personal decision in consultation with her physlcl anb As such real question here is whether or not we favour the right of individuals to moke very personal and profoundly moral choices New Democrats favour choice as the only fair way of putting In place institutions which serve Me needs of people This question is not one which divides people along the partisan lines of the main political parlies There are opponents of the prescnl system in all the political parties both pro choice and pro life Our Job as people ought to be to find the acceptable possible consensus which serves women effectively There is a definite need to revamp existing abortion laws But the actual abortion laws ore not Ihe main concern The real problem lies in the situations leading up to where the abortion is needed We propose that birth control be made more accessible and that the public a altitude to teenage pregnancy be more relaxed If a young person Is to be subjected to the anguish of a pregnancy not be accentual by the feelings of distrust they experience at home The decision on abortion should not be directly affected by pressure groups who condemn young people for their so called irresponsible behavior As I have campaigned throughout Halton- in the past three weeks I have been struck by common thread In the concerns that most people have In all cases those concerns demonstrate clearly that people want an MPP who can speak out an MPP who will fight on their behalf who cannot be told by his party to be quiet There ore different concerns throughout the riding but It is clear whether concerns are Ihe aggregate Industry toxic waste jobs healthcare or education that people want someone to speak out I am that person Through my experience of being a smalt business man I understand the requests of the small business community As a local councillor mayor and Regional Chairman 1 understand tho issues facing Ihe people of Hal ton Burlington I have consistently demonstrated my dedication to serving their needs I have demonstrated my commitment to tackling the tough issues and finding best solutions I have the proven ability gel the job done My experience will provide strong and effective voice at Queen Park decided to seek the nomination In Ha II on Burlington because I believe lhat the time come Tor some change In Onlario The Conservatives have been in power for almost 42 years and there can be no doubt in anyone mind a long stretch in power by a party is unhealthy for our province ant tor the dimocrailc system Itself The refusal of Frank Miller to even debate other two party leaders speaks lo this concern Such a long time in power breeds arrogance and on altitude which takes the people for granted 1 was born and brought up in this area My family have farmed In Hal ton County since Ihe This is a great community lo llvt in but there are concerns which need to be addressed If wc arc not to be buried by toxic uncontrolled development destructive expansion onto first quality farm land I a New Democrat because believe our government has put people first Too often In the past decisions have been made which helped very limited interest groups and which had terrible effects on community as a whole believe that I can work wilh all people of Helton Burlington to get action In areas of major concern let the voters decide on May just exactly who is the best candidate for job