The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, ,February 6, 1991-3 Happy l7th Cindy Self Preservation Frank McMulien of Toronto and formally of this area occasionally drops into the office for a word or two. This was the case last Saturday after having visited with his niece in Balieboro. Now, Frank knows 1 have some interest in birds and he did have a bird story - one of self preservation. Apparently his niece and her hus- band are avid bird-feeders during the winter and according to Frank they have a host of visitors from day 10 day, of the feathered type. On looking out the window ai one of their feeders they saw a Woodpecker hanging upside down under the feeder and motionless, in fact you would caîl it dead mo- tionless. They even questioned whether it was dead or alive. There was time to get out the video camnera and reel out some yar- dage on film. It turns out that as far as the Woodpecker was concerned it was self preservation - a hawk flew by on a couple of patrols and did in- fact snap-up one of birds around the feeder. For another hawk story I was driving up to the Post O ffice in Bowmanville when around the cor- ner camne a Starling at a high rate of speed with a Merlin hawk in close pursuit. Thse Merlin was closing in as tbey flew oui of sight around one of tise buildings in the area. This brought back memories of a visit 10 Pembrook some four years ago 10 view the Swallow roost. Some 200,00010o 300,000 come into the Pembrook harbour to roost over night in large Willow trees. There wouid bc thousands in each group, a swarm or a swiftly floating Cloud. About every twenty minutes a resîdent Merlin would fly into tise cloud of birds and take off with a Purple Martin. The Merlin is flot one of our mosi common hawks but they are around and years ago when we had chicken in the backyard one swooped in to attack one of the larger hens. It only lost a few feathers from its back. What else is new around the Village? Not much other than a re- cent question as to whether it would be alright to feed cals and dogs rab- bit food? There is some debate as to whether the GST applies to rabbit food with one source sayîng it does apply while another states if its over 25 kg no GST. The GST does apply to cat and dog food. Now if cat and dog owners are angry over the GST we just mnight have cals and dogs hopping around the Village while Michael Wilson is hopping mad in Ottawa. Andc you tan add one more thing eminaîing oui of the Village with us wondering if thse "Chainsaw Masacre- was about 10 be re- enacîed in Downîown Orono., A week ago lasi Saturday Murray Taylor walks south from the store carrying a big chainsaw. "Whaî now we thought." It ends up ihat Murray and Paul Staples were removing thse pine they had planted infroni of the Town Hall for the Christmas season. "Why no t Christmas has long gone To their surprise the act of removing the îree was somewhat more difficuli than planting il in the soft soil. Old mans winier wth ils penetratinrg frost had a mosi firm grip on thse trunk and iî jusi wouldn'i budge. To the rescue- the chainsaw. Another volunteer job under- taken by thse two as tisai of tise Christmas lights on tise hydro polis installed and removed by tise Chat- terton teani of Orville and David. Like myself, Im sure many of tihe constituents in Durhamn East are finding we have to get up a. little earlier these days. This is especially true for those of us who live i the country, where the roads can beco me quite treacherous in the witer. Aithougi w e may not have to worry about accidents with other cars, we can stili find ourselves swerving on the ice if we- go too fast. In the city where there are more vehicles on the roadways, accidents are.more likely and can cause a lot of problems for other motorists. Weather conditions cars play havoc with our roads botsh i the city and in thse country. This ieads me to the theme of ibis weeks colurun - winter safety (in particular winter driving). So, whether youre a motorist or enjoying winter sports, here is a checklist of tips that cars help keep you safe: 1) Don't be in such a hurry -- take the time to dean thse snow fromn windows and ligists, top up the washer fluid and adjust or replace wiper blades; 2) Keep the gas tank at least haif-fuil, more is better; 3) Maintain a safe distance from other vehicles. It takes three to 12 times more distance to stop on snow and ice than on pavement. To stop, pump brakes gently and intermittently. Slaniming the brakes on will lock the wheels, producing uncontrolied skids. In a skid, release the accelerator and steer in the direction you want to go. Don't break. Wisen you feel the car regaining traction, straighten your wheels; and 4) Always be prepared -- you should always have in your, car: ice scraper and snow brush; sand, kitty litter or traction mats; snsall snow shovel; dry cloths or paper towels; jumper cables; winter grade windshield washer; flashlights; blanket; and emergency warnrng triangles and lights.1 WVhile motorists dread this time of year, snowmobile enthusiasts and cross-country skiers love it. Unfortunately, fatalities ofien occur when snowmobilers and skiers enter unfamiliar areas. Neyer assume ice thickness is the same al over. If you dont know - dont go. If you are plunged ito icy water - remain calm. Exîend your arms across the ice. Use a belt buckle 10 di~g i. DragyoiurseIfoui. Roll awa from the hole. Rush to a warm place. If you are rescuing someone, lie down. Hang on. Use a jacket to pull the victim to safety. Mark dangerous spots with a branch. If your snowmobile breaks down, build a shelter. Wait for rescue. Avoid alcohol. Why not even take a safetv course. As a grandfather, I know how muchour children love to play outdoors in the snow. Keep i mid that an approaching car is mucis quieter in a snow covered roadway. Snow forts are fund. But a plough flinging snow against a roadside fort, or the sudden collapse of a snowbank cari lead to suffocation. Before toboganning, check for hidden dangers i the snow. Well, I hope ihese winter Queen's Park Report Plan large development North-east by Gord Milis o ecsl recreation and travelling safety tips come i handy. Many of them are just based on plain common senise. Additional information cars be obta ined through the Policing Services Division of the Ministry of thse Solicitor General (at wisich I amn Parliamentary Assistant), or tise Ontario Provincial Police. On a different, but very important note, I would like to say that as your MPP, I want my office to serve the needs of ail the people throughout Durhamn Fast. Although we have a toîl free number, it is somnetimes difficult for constituents in other areas to travel to the constituency office in Bowmanville. So, in the future I wîll be coming to you! This Thursday, (February 7th) I look forward to seeing you at a constituency clinic at Manvers Arena (corner of Hlighway 35 and 7A i Manvers) from 4 to 8 p.m. For Port Perry area residents, a consîituency clinic wili be held on Friday (February 8th) at the Church of ths Ascension, (Anglican Church), 274 Norths Street (at John St.) from 4 to 8 p.m. If you have a consîituency problem you would like to discuss, please dropby and see me at; one of these clinics. They will be held regularly in- different parts of the riding to ensure that al cons tiluents' needs are better served. Finally, Pd like 10 share some of the highlights of the past week with the residents of Durham East: I was pleased to-participate at a ceremony marking the opening of the Dr. Emily Stowe Public School in Courtice. Judging from the great turnout of parents and residents ai the opersing, ihere is obviously a gootu deal of community support for this new school. It will undoubtedly be a focal point for ie community and I look forward A proposai for development of 64 acres north-end of Newcastle Village has been referred to plann- ing staff for further processing following a public hearing on Mon- day. The proposai is located north of the CPR tracks and east of Arthur Street just outside of the urban area in the Village of Newcastle. __ The devel oper -proposes 294 single family homes and 77 street townhouses on the site along with a 1.3 ha. park. The land is presently zoned Agricultural Exception (A-1) with a request that it be rezoned 10 Urban Residential. Such as C.P. Rail have submitted objections to the proposaI along with, the, Ministry of Agriculture pointing out that the land is of high agricultural capacity.. It is noted in the planning report that the subj ect lands have not been proposed for inclusion in the Newcastle Village Urban area and that Regional staff has recommend- ed that the application be denied within the context of their review of the Durham Regional Official Plan. Further processing of, the pro- posal will be completed and submit- ted to the general purpose commit- tee. Proponents of the plan submit that they had been encouraged to make a submission and felt that the plan should be considered. They asked that it be referred back to staff in order that they might work with staff over the objections. to attending many functions there i the future. 1On Thursday evening 1 met with Manvers Coundil 10 discuss the possible extension of the Janetvile communal water system.' I know ibis is of great importance to the residents of the Janetville area, and I will be working with the appropriate officiais to try axa resolve die situation. ANNUAL 12%1.5 2%1.5 INTEREST i YR. 2 YR. : i. 5YR@ .R.S.P.'s 1.5 0~ 02% ¶.5 WILLIS FINANCIAL Huggies and Love Mom, Bill Dan, Melissa and Jake SAd Ha wkins DANCEu Orono Town, Hall Friday, February 15 Featurlîng WARREN SUTCLIFFE Tickets $1 0.00 Each (Lunch Included) Trickets by Phoning 983-9245 or 983-5903'