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6 - Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, Augus Staying In Touch John O'Toole, MPP Durham East You are invited to a free BBQ on August 28th. The Honourable Robert Runciman, Minister of Correctional Services and the Solicitor General of Ontario will be the guest speaker. The Durham East PC Association will host the event at the Blackstock Arena from 4:00 to8:00 p.m. Please come out and talk to me as well as members of my staff and share in a friendly, interesting evening. I look forward to seeing you there. Premier Harris had announced some changes to cabinet this past Friday. I arn pleased that Janet Ecker, MPP for Durham West has been recognized for her talent and hard work on child care, by being appointed as Minister of Community and Social Services. Minister David Tsubouchi has been appointed as Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations. The Hon. Norm Sterling has been appointed Minister of the Environment and Energy. Rob Sampson has been appointed as a new Minister without Portfolio with Responsibility for Privatization. The Hon. Cam Jackson has been appointed as Minister without Portfolio with Responsibility for Seniors Issues. I can honest- ly tell you that there are many capable individuals from all parts of Ontario, who are will- ing to accept the challenge and make the commitment to serve in a ministerial position. A cabinet position is perhaps, the pinnacle of politics but, from my observation, it is extremely demnanding and you need the support of everyone around you. Other small changes I an sure you will read in the press. This past week, the Attorney General, Charles Harnick, announced signifi- cant changes to the Family Support Plan (FSP). The pre- sent systeni of managing parental support payments for children is broken. There are over 146,000 cases or court orders for parents to pay support. Only 23% of these orders are in compli- ance and the amount owed is in excess of $1 billion dollars. There are 1,400 new cases every month and the present system handles over 50,000 phone calls and some 8,000 pieces of mail in 8 regional offices every day. The system is in grd lock. Parents call my constituency office in frustration because they can- not get past the FSP c voice mail. To enh. administration, the min is consolidating all funcj of the lan in Toronto putting more front line p< on the phones. He is sp ing ove $1 million oni technology to improvei important service to si parents and children. on side of collection, the mini announced previouslyt there will be license" sus sions and other measure encourage those in defau; family support payment get on board. I have c stantly agreed with thei ister on these changes have discussed with him importance of fairness reasonableness in the c orders. Part of the rea only 23% of the cases ari compliance is that the i vidual may have lost thei or had other hardships m family breakup and divo and are simply unable top Think of the situation w] one parent dies. The ot now single parent, musts vive on a very small Can Pension death bene Compare this with some co awards well over $1,00( per month. Both parents responsible for their chid and the balance of soc: should not have to policet situation in so many case an confident these chan will improve the system, The Orono Tree Nurs has not been sold yet. I h met with and spoke to gro and some individuals completely support that 1 jewel should remain acce ble to the public. I must a agree that the municipa cannot sit back, as was I haps the case some yearsi when the boys train school, (now St. Stephc High School) was sold fc ridiculously low price. ' municipality is a key part with whom ever takes o this facility. I would prefti partnership of plivate andr for. profit uses witht municipality working to cc dinate planning and landi opportunities. Your provi cial government is faced u! choices like surplus land a health care costs. Unliket past, we are not going increase your taxes to sc our problems. I an v interested in hearing yo wishes or suggestions what you think aboutt Orono Nursery property. For the next month, I api ogize that I will not be1 ffice mce ister ions and ople end- new this ngle i the ister that >en- ,s to lt in ýs to non- nin- but the and >urt son e in ndi- job vith orce >ay. here ler, sur- ada fit. ourt .00 are ren ety his s. I ges ery ave 1ps nd his Ssi- Ilso lity er- igo ing n's r a 'he rer ver r a not the or- Ise 'in- ith nd .he to lve ery ur on he ol- as accessible alS usual. I am travelling the province as part of the Standing Committee on Resources. We will be receiv- ing input on 13ill1 49, *An Act to improve the Employment Standards At.' There will be no changes t current level employment ' -ncdards. The administrative changes will allow the ministry to meet its' budget reductions while re- focusing their resources where they are most needed. Much of what this bill does is bring us in to line with most other provinces. Changes to claim limits and appeal peri- ods, will speed up a process which is now court driven and delay ridden. In the com- ing weeks, I will keep you posted piece by piece of the debate. I want to hear from you, my constituents. In one of our briefing sessions, the Minister of Labour, the Honourable Elizabeth Witmer, indicated that she will recommend an important amendment on Monday, August 19th at the opening session at Queen's Park. I arn pleased to hive been asked by the minister to par- ticipate in these hearings. As a previous General Motors employee, I know the impor- tance of unions and a fair bal- ance in the work place. The Associations of Municipalities of Ontario are having their annual meeting Corner Chad Petherick Have you ever heard of the movie BIG with Tom Hanks? If you have and you liked it, then the new movie w.ith Robin Williams will delight you. Williams plays a 10 year old who has a rare disease that causes him to grow at a drastic rate, making him look forty instead of a normal 10 year old. What is surprising in this film is that Robin Williams contains himself and doesn't explode with his out in Toronto from August 18th to the 2lst. I arn going to try and attend at noon on Monday when the Minister of Municipal Affairs, the Honourable AI Leach, will address the delegates. I am sure his comments will address the GTA, assess- ment and governance agen- da of the 'Who Does What' panel. Most of the Councillors, Mayors and Regional chairs will be in attendance. I hope to meet my municipal partners and share ideas and solutions for our collective futures. 'The cure should neyer be worse than the disease'. of control attitude which makes this film quite different from his others. The story is heartwarming, and teaches us the value of living one day at time, and to its fullest. Even though Robin Williams is restrained he is still very entertaining and very comi- cal. Director Francis Ford Coppola has done films such as Apocalypse Now, and The Godfather trilogy but his turn to the comedy genre is a suc- cess and don't be surprised if Coppola comes out with more heartwarming tales. Rating *** Now Available on Video From Dusk Till Dawn - Quentin Tarantino, George Clooney; Blacksheep - Chris Farley, David Spade; Down Periscope - Kelsey Grammar, Lauren Holly MOM Trhis Pàd ccost conly sC>-OO st 21. 1996