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- i - Orono WeeklyTimes. Wednesday~ August 27, 1997 Staying In Touc-h John O'Toole Durham East MPP The flrst week back at Queen's Park was business as usual. On Monday, August 18th there was a demonstra- tion by the thrcc central union leaders, Gord Wilson from the OFL, Sld Ryan from CUPE and Earl Manners from the- Ontario Secondary Teachers Federation (0551F). Al three union leaders made their protest for the media and were asked ta leave the legisiative galcry. Bill 136 Is the legislation required ta restructure the public sector haspital and municipal work- ers includlng police and fire fighters. The debate is in sec- ond reading and will eventu- ally go around the province far public Input. The rlght ta strike is not belng elinated. Furthermorc, healthcare workers, police and fire fight- ers prcscntly do not have the right ta strike. 1 amn sure there wffi be valld amcndments rec- onixended and I arn confi- dent the govrnment wfll lis- ten and amend Uhc legisiation ta refiect the fairness that is requtred ta have harmony as municipalIties and hospitals restructure. Gord Wilson said that "the Premier or the Minister of Labour would not met wth him. I have a letter from the Mfinister of Labour which clearly states,-."I amn dlsappolnted that you decllned ta meet wth me." The letter goes on ta invite Uic OFL ta meet wth Uic minis- ter. If you would like a copy of this letter, please caîl my office at 697-1501 or 1-800- 661-2433., There are two sides ta every story. The Associations of Municipalities of Ontario, (AMO) are holding their annual general meeting in Toronto this week. The main toplc Is going ta be Uic disen- tanglement. or "Who Does What" exercise. Who pays for thc service we recelve. This debate has been gong on for several years. Briefly, the province is going to fund most of education and exchange a range of services to the municIpalities. On average, 60% your municipal bill goes toward education. The province is going ta remove 50% of this education levy from your tax bil in echangc for other services now pald for by the province. Provinclally, this amaunts ta' same $2.5 billion dollars. The province is maving ta munic- ipalities the cost of ambu- lance service, public health, social housing. some of the cost of chlld care and Go- Transit. We have a.promise from the Premier that this exchange wlll be revenue neutral. A permanent transi- tion fund of sorne $550 mil- lion is avallable to assist mucnlclpaltlcs wlth low assessment in this transition. Over the next few weeks, there will be plenty of nega- tive news on this issue and 1 will attempt ta put forward the numbers. I must admit that same of the confusion results from the elimination of the MAP or municipal assistance grants which was annaunced In aur first year and phased in. aver three years. Ta complicate xnatters, the province is in the midst af attempting ta pool some of the social assistance and social housing across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). This amounts to some $270 million dollars for four Regions including Durham as well as Mýetro Toronto. There is a faint argument for this, but I amn not convinced that Durham is in favor of this option. 1 recommend thiat you read the article by Joan Skelton, President of the Durham Children's Aid Society, in the Toronto Star August 21.97. We do not now enjoy the sarne level of fund- As far a birders are concerned the attention at this time of year is drawn to those birds that are returning from the far north. We have gone through the early 1997 spring returu of waterfowl, shorebirds, warblers and ail the others. Now It is time for the reverse trip for our feathered friends. Along with Bil Bunting and the young eyes of David lng and service as other parts of the GTA. How Is poolng going to help? Mandatory vehicle emis- sions testlng was announced last week. For Durham resi- dents, this means that in 1998, ail vehicles bctwecn four years and nineteen years old wlll have to be testcd every second year at the time of your vehcllc icense rencw- al. The cost will be $30.00. The province will contract pri- vate sector service locations who will buy the cqulpment and do the checks. The province wlll not fund this and will recelve only sufficlent revenue to pay for their cost of compliance personnel. I thlnk this is good news for everyone's health, especiafly children and elderly people with1 breathing problems. Other provinces have this testing and the resuits of a 30%+ reduction in pollution have proven that vehicle emission can be controlled. The Blackstock Fair held this past weekend was busy, despite the odd rain shower. This coming Labour Day weekend is the Port Perry Fair. In a couple of weeks, the Durham Central Fair in Orono and the Plowing Match in Simcoe will signal the end of summer. When the chul- dren and teachers retumn to school next Tuesday, this is ,Just one maore sign that the summer holiday is over and fali is one the way. "If you worry, will it change the future?" Mudd we trekked off to the Port Perry sewage lagoons last week. We were rewarded by a good assortment of young shorebirds in the mud flats and ducks in the the open water sections. I amn to understand that the aduit shorebirds have alre ady passed through this area having ralsed their young in the far north. It is the young we were seeing at the lagoons. We put on our list Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpipers and Plovers, Least Sandplper and much to our delight a 'Golden Ployer and three Short-billed Dowitchers. In the open waters-we found bath Bluewing and Greenwlng Teals along with the ever present Mallards and Canadas. David spotted a young Shoveller duck for US. It was a delight to view Pied-billed Grebes, especially one aduit with her clutch of two puffy-black young. In this category Were also Amnerican Coots and a Purpie Gallinule. Uniknown to us the best was yet to corne. It happened'on the trek to the north end of the lagoons wlth the mnixed woods in the background. A female Northem Hfarrier (Marsh Hawk) flashed its white rump marking as it glided along the shoreline. An easy identification for al three of us. The Northerrn Harrier did have company in is search for any unaware shorebird that may be dinner. Deciding that it was not a Kestrel it was David who identlfled the hunter as a female Merlin falcon. Again. like the Hanrier, it was on the hunt for a shorebird. It is not that often that elther Bull or 1 have seen a Merlin, a bird whlch is one- step short of the renowned Peregrine Falcon. It was Davld's first sightlng. We found David to be maost cxacting as to detail of the birds and as a resuit was able to put the handle on the falcon as a Merlin. If you're looking forfriendship, fun, challenge and adventure -- then, the lst Orono Colony, Pack & Troop are looking for you! This yoar marks Orono's first co-ed programs in: Beavers - 5 ta 7 years cf age Cubs - 8 ta 10 years of age &Scouts - 1l to 14 years of age Registration nights are scheduled for Monday, September 8th and Tuesday, Septemnber 9th from 7 to 8 p.m. in the basement of the Orono United Church. Weekly meetings wiII be held Monday nights, beginning September l5th. Corne see our booth at the Orono Fair for more information and early sign-up or Cali: PAUL SEGORD 786-2687 CATHY or DOUG STEWART 983-8276 or SANDY COOK 983-8117 AC 13,27 ~*iIL'/z1I 3-Day Motorsport Feast! Camp for the weekend or corne for a high octane day. International and celebrity drivers Ron Fellows and Jason Priestley. PLUS aFEATUR1NG Tom Cochrane, Saturday Ail-Day The Goo Goo Dolils, Music Festival Sass Jordan, Marcia Balil and more... .: * à