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New facility largest in Canada Orono Weekly imes. Wednesday, April 15, 1998 - 5 Community Care recognizes national volunteer week April 19 to 25, 1998 The largest service centre in Canada is being built on the 401 between Newcastle and Newtonville, at the former Burger King site. Julie Godel, Marketing Manager of Scott's Restaurants, says, "the center is expected to be busiest stop on the Highway 401, attracting an estimated two million travellers each year" According to a recent study by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Hwy 401 traf- Staying In Touch John O'Toole Durham East MPP Over the past couple of weeks, I have attempted to address a couple of very detailed issues. Perhaps those articles were as difficult to read as they were to write. If you want a copy of my weekly letters or the video tapes on Education Finance, Municipal Assessment or Municipal Provincial budgets, please visit your local library or our constituency office at 75 King Street East, Bowmanville. For your con- venience, callius at (905) 697- 1501 or 1-800-661-2433. We are there to respond to your inquiries. Over the past week, the Minister of Education has released the new Grade 1 to 8 Science & Technology Curriculum, as well as the new 2 year Kindergarten Program. I can advise you that I have had teachers from our area directly participate in the developments as well as the review of these new materials. The reaction has been very positive and I believe our children, our par- ents and our teachers will benefit from these initiatives. For anyone wanting to review these documents, I have a few copies and would be pleased to share them with you. With respect to the new Kindergarten Program, for the first time, all Ontario has a consistent program with real- istic expectations of what our children should know before they enter grade one. fic will increase more than 5% annually over the next 10 years in the Newcastle area. The new facility, which is on the north side of the 401 will open on May 1, 1998. The facility will house outiets for Tim Hortons, Wendy's, Mr. Sub, and a gift and conve- nience store called Nicholbys Express. For the business traveller, the location offers desktop payphones with com- puter connections. The facili- As part of the Secondary School Reform. a new pro- gram entitled "Bridges" has been announced. This sec- ondary school initiative is a "Structured Transition to Work" opportunity for stu- dents who plan to enter the world of work directly after high school. A co operative venture between the Durham District School Board, Durham Catholic District Board School Board, the Peterborough-Victoria- Northumberland-Clarington Catholic District Board, as well as District Board #14 ( P e t e r b o r o u g h - Northumberland-Clarington) have received a grant of $175,000.00 to administer the "Entrepreneur Internship Program." I am pleased to see these partnerships develop between the educational institutions and the future employers n our area. There was also an important announcement about the acquisition of Corel Corp. Education Software for our schools. There are many new and exciting changes that I believe will help to prepare our students for the future. The Grandview Children's Centre in Oshawa has been an important issue in the news recently. Over the years, Grandview has provided excellent services for families and children with special ty will have the most up-to- date washroom amenities, including separate family change rooms. The new location is good news for local residents, as it will create approximately 200 new job opportunities. "Scott's Restaurants say they will also work closely with the Newcastle communi- ty to ensure that Scott's is an active participant in commu- nity events and fundraising activities," stated Godel. needs. Over the past few weeks, I have attended meet- ings, responded to many con- stituent calls and have met with individuals and service providers to understand this specialized area. The $615,000.00 of additional funding for children's services like physiotherapy, occupa- tional therapy and social work/family support appears to have been re-distributed to other provider organizations. The families of these chil- dren are upset that this change will mean less service for their children, a parade of different service providers, no consistency in treatment and an upsetting experience for these vulnerable children generally. I agree with many of the parents' concerns and have written to all ministers involved to ensure that these parents' views are heard. I will continue to meet to listen and understand the wishes of the parents'. Today, I met with Ms. Janet Harris, the executive Director of Durham Access to Care (DATC) to ensure that the voices of the children are heard. Health care is a very large and complex ministry. Hospitals are only one of the service provider institutions. Community care or home care, as well as chronic care and long-term care facilities are growing as our popula- tion ages. Our government is working on an integrated vision of patient focused health care. We are commit- ted to not spending less in health care. We are moving more to a home care model. We have committed over $170 million dollars to the expansion of home care ser- vices. I am meeting with the Alliance for Community Care, as well as Durham Access to Care to ensure the minister Acce5s Durham Region Community Care is celebrat- ing Natiohal Volunteer Week, April 19 to 25 along with the many other community groups and agencies across Canada. Thanks to Community Care's 1800 plus volunteers, many services are provided and lives are made a little brighter for over 5000 Durham residents. Community Care is a not- for-profit organization that provides three distinct pro- grams in Durham Region, al of which benefit from the sup- port of volunteers. They are: the Home Support Program, which offers services such as meals on wheels, friendly vis- iting, transportation, yard- work, home help, telephone security checks, luncheon out, and foot care; the COPE Mental Health Program which provides support to people with mental health problems through one-to-one support- ive matches and support groups; and the Respite Program which provides in- home respite and adult day understands the needs right here in Durham. My view is that we must have the com- munity services in place as the hospitals discharge patients quicker. Regarding the recent announcement on Charity Casinos, the Peterson gov- ernment approved casino's; the Rae government intro- duced the Windsor Casino and the Roving Charity Gaming clubs. There were over 15,000 charity gaming days per year throughout Ontario. These temporary gaming events were virtually unregulated and were not easily secured. Our con- sultations have revealed that gambling exists already in the form of bingos, Nevada break- open tickets, lottery tickets, raffles and an estimated programs in Ajax and Newcastle. The Home Support Program volunteers continue to provide many hours of ser- vice to assist clients to live independently in the commu- nity. In the past year these volunteers have delivered over 64,000 meals, made 7,500 friendly visits, driven over one million kilometres, completed over 11,000 home help and home maintenance tasks and, in addition, they have assisted in Community Care offices, at foot clinics and with other services. The Community Care Adult Day Programs provide a break to caregivers of frail elderly and physically chal- lenged adults and those with some cognitive impairment. As well, they provide social and recreational programs for the Day Program partici- pants. Day Program volun- teers share their expertise in music, crafts, and pet thera- py to assist with programs and activities. During the (continued page 7) 20,000 illegal video lottery machines. Let us face the fact that gaming exists, it must be regulated and a significant share of the proceeds must go to charities and other ser- vices like health care. My own view is not supportive of gam- bling in every town and city. I also intend to ensure that the minister's commtment that any community that says NO to a casino is honoured. Good Friday, Easter, Passover, the Muslim feast of Eid ul-Adha and many other religious and cultural cele- brations occur at this time of year. Spring is a time of renewal and growth. I prefer to respect all religions as well as traditional values. My hope is that every person has a family to share with and enjoy their celebration. Brigitte Brown Gift Certificates d FIVm IERS available. Pedicures Manicures NEW Waxing Eyelash Tinting Nail Extensions Ear Candling ESTHETIC STUDIO 171 Mill St., Orono, Ontario LOB 1MO • 905-983-8169 Wedding Cakes Cakes for all Occasions 2 et e Pastries - Donuts - Pies Se liJJBread & Buns & Tea Room Proprietors: Gary & Carol Vreeker 8 Main Street, Orono Closed Sunday & Monday