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Orono W..kly T,.,~ damyj, /~g~av4%?~ *0*4 -* ~ Congratulations! To Mom and Dad - Terry and Darlene Hardy who celebrated their 25th Wedding A nniversary on July 26,1994 Ail Our Love Stephen, Shawn, Family and Friends Queen's Park Report from Gord Mdis, MPP Durhamn East from Gord Mils MIPP Durham East Last Thursday's Globe & Mail headlines read, "Prosperity returns". The story went on to say that manufacturers were showing unbridied confidence in their economic prospects. A survey of 135 reporting companies showed an increase of almost 139 per cent in after-tax corporate profits. Thie survey aiso showed that 40 per cent of manufacturers expect their volume of production to grow in the next three months. So much for those who had forecast a 'no'growth' situation ail the time our government was in power at Queen's Park. So much for those who hiad forecast business in Ontario was fighting like a man with one hand tied behind their back because of the s0 called anti-buisiness legisiation, Bill 40 and Bill 79. The truth is now out there, and those sanguine doom and gioomn thinkers and sayers, had better find a new angle in their attempts to discredit us as an anti-business govemnment, and to blamne us for the recession which we didn't create but inherited, when we took office in 1990. Also on anothier bright note. The Toronto Star of last Saturday caried dhe lheadiine, "Job growth soaring on business pickup." They went on to say that Ontario has chalked up its biggest single monthly job increase, with 28,000 new positions being created, 26,000 of these jobs were ful turne positions. Michael McCra cken, chef economist with Informetnica Ltd. said, "There is a great feeling of prosperity among employers these days. And the outlook hasn't been so bright since 1980." As a governiment we were harshly criticized for ietting the deficit rise during the worst part of the recession. I believe that it was the right thing to do then. The recession cost hundreds of jobs, and they cost every one of us in increased social assistance pwtvments. But what if we had ,I-ýed our backs on our friends and neighbours, in thecir timne of greatest need, when they were down and out, without money to buy even the basic requirements of life? 1 don't believe the majority of Ontarians wanted to live in that kind of uncaring socieîy. The principles of fainess and compassion, 1 believe have corne to characterize what our governiment is ail about. Now things have tumned the corner we are committed to reducing Ontario's deficit, and we are commnitted to doing it in the fairest possible way. It isn't going to be an easy task. The challenge we face in this province has partly been created by federal governinent policies. They have reneged on agreements to share the cost of post-secondary education, health care and social assistance while pursuing policies that have hurt Ontanio's economy, such as high interest rates, free trade and attempts to cail the GST by any other naine. 1 suspect even more bad news for Ontario once the federal governmrent brings down their early spring budget. Only lime wil tell! A recent article in the Toronto Sun claimed that the budget for the Premier's Office increased by nine per cent last year, while the rest of the public sector was feeling the effects of the Social contract. As usual the Toronto Sun story wasn't true. I'm convinced their idea of investigative joumnalism consists of finding a cab outside of Union Station. The facts are, spending in the Premier's Office has gone down by $300,000 compared to when Mr. Peterson was Premier. And there are no extra staff members hidden as due Liberals claimed. Much of the article centred over due Premier's driver being allowed to collect overtime pay during due Social Contract period. In fact, the Premier's driver accumulated a large number of overtime hours during the peniod prior to the Social Contract. Although the' driver took a number of days off in lieu of payment to reduce the total overtime accumulated, due total number of hours was just too large to completely eliminate with lieu ti me before due end of due last fiscal year. The driver was entitled to dlaim for the hours worked,,and due social contract co-ordinator of the Ministry of Transportation has stated that due collective agreement with the union requires that overtîme previously accumuiated and not taken by March 3lst, 1994 be paid out. As you can see, there is nothing inappropriate about paying due overtime. Second, due Premier's Office had no authority over due issue since due driver is an employee of due Ministry of Transportation, not due Premier's Office. This was a matter between the driver and his employer. There's no end towhere a Birder will go While ' Bunting and 1 may trip to Kirkfield a little e'er an hour from home, or to Prince Edward County for two hours, Jin Richards, the noted birder in Orono, trips off to Churchill, Manitoba. Richards returned froin the north a few weeks ago. This was his seventh tripto Churchill with the purpose of improving his studies on five species of birds. He reports a nest found of an Orange Crowned Warbler and made sightings of other Warblers, one being the Palm Warbler. Going back to, 1991 Richards said hie had then recorded a nestîng pair of Loons on one of the small lakes in the Churchill area. He had at that time determined they were of two different species, Arctic and Nevertheless, you can trust the Toronto Sun to make an issue out of nothing in their endiess pursuit, of bashing our govemrment. I must say 1 got rather amused when I recentiy read what various provincial government "nomination hopefuls" see as the most, important issues to right everything wrong in Ontario. Don't replace old road signs in a systematic manner, with new ones. Don't dare put anything French on them, and then there would be money to keep hospital's beds open. How easy it ail seems! Anyone who is elected to serve at Queen's Park needs to be a peculiar thick-skinned workaholic who has a populist's rapport with people but an intellectual's understanding of problemis and issues, if hie or she is to juggie ail the responsibilities the position entaîls and prosper ini the rough and tumble world of legisiative politics. To do, and bc ail of that, 'ain't that easy, believe you mie. In recent public forums where the Clarington Officiai Plan has been open to comment, 1 was surprised to hecar that some people want "affordabie" housing stopped because of the cost to taxpayers. There is a massive misinformation campaign being waged by wealthy private landiords which 1 suspect is infiuencing people to make such comments. This landiord organization is perversely known as the Fair Rentai Poiicy -Organization. This, group says th.at the cure-al is shelter allowances. In, fact, shelter allowances are part of social assistance, and they are by far the biggest housing expenditure by the govemnment of Ontario. Tory leader Mike Harris has been arguingfor a shelter allowance prograin. His proposed housing policy measures are rivailed only by th e worst excesses of the Thatcher regime in Great Britain. Harris proposais cali for a seil off of ail public housing to private owners and to end ail subsidies to non-profit housing. More about that in my next wee k's column. See you ail then m Gord. Pacific. The mating would be unusual in that the Arctic Loon is native lof the Alaska. Certainly flot native to the Churchill area. Richards explains the slight difference in the two species being the colour of sheen on the neck, and that it was the American Ornithologist Union that set the two species apart, Aretie and Pacific. Visiting the same lake this summer, Richards again found a mated pair of Loons on the sanie nest and once again determined they were of the two different species. Jim Richards however feels uncomfortable that the pair are of two species and states he intends to investigate this further with another trip to the area hopefully in 1995. To make the determination positive as to species the Orono birder will go equipped to be able to take samples of blood from the two birds for a DNA test To what end will a birder go to make a positive identification. Go wild at the Library Certificate Day The Clarington Public Library will be holding a special Certificate Day to wind up its "Go Wild at the Library« Summer Reading Club. Participants can pick up their certificate and join in activities on August 17 fromn 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. at ail three branches. The Bowmanville Branch will have activities fromt Vicki Cobb's book, Wanna Bet and a Spy Schooi game. Discover some magic tricks and street games, including ?eed the Spider' and 'Skully', at the Newcastle Village Branch. Sculpture balloons and have some fun with street garnes at the Clarke Branch. For more information eall 623-7322. Courtice resident seeks council seat Gary Majesky of Courtice has officially announced and filed his registration papers to represent Ward One, (Dariington/Courtice) in the November l4th election. He is seeking election to the local council seat now held by Mrs. Nancy Novak. SHOP ARQUND, GET YOUR BEST PRICE THEN CALL US FOR VOUR BETER *IC Weuetefl %GST.Cei ogv o h 1, t -geA s1- (ROLPH HARDWARE ok) MAIN ST, ORONO 983-5207 (-Husqvarna FOEST- ÂRD .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 5ik: