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2 - Orono Weekly Times Subscriptions $38.09 + $1.91 GST = $40.00 per year. No Refunds. Publications Mail Registration No. 09301 · Agreement No. 40012366 Publishing 48 issues annually at the office of publication. "We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs." Wednesday, September 30, 2009 ORONO WEEKLY TIMES - 5310 Main St., P.O. Box 209, Orono, ON L0B 1M0 E-mail: oronotimes@rogers.com or Phone/Fax: 905-983-5301 Publisher/Editor Margaret Zwart Production and Display Advertising - Donna Anderson Wood Classified Advertising - Sue Weigand The Orono Weekly Times welcomes letters to the editor on subjects of interest to our readers. Opinions expressed to the editor and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Orono Weekly times. Letters must be signed and contain the address and phone number of the writer. Any letter considered unsuitable will not be acknowledged or returned. We reserve the right to edit for length, libel and slander. If your retail or classified ad appears for the first time, please check carefully. Notice of an error must be given before the next issue goes to print. The Orono Weekly Times will not be responsible for the loss or damage of such items. Fall Festival brings ABBAmania and more to Newcastle ABBAmania will be the highlight of the Newcastle Fall Festival which runs this weekend from Fri., Oct. 2 to Sat., Oct. 3, as organizers bring a mix of new and old features to the annual event. The festival in its current form is now in its tenth year, says events co-ordinator Karen Bastas. Things kick off Friday evening with all your favourite rides at the Midway, running from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and starting up again at 9 a.m. Saturday, in the lot right beside the CIBC in downtown Newcastle. Hot dogs, sausages and pop will be for sale on the grounds of the Midway. The Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast makes for a good start Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Newcastle Town Hall. At 8:30 a.m., the Running Maniacs get things moving with a 5 km and 10 km run at the Newcastle & District Recreation Complex. Returning again this year, the Lions Club Walk for Guide Dogs begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, with registration starting at 8 a.m. at the Town Hall. (See story on page 8.) Saturday will also bring the return of the Craft Show and Street Vendors, including the Lions BBQ, and featuring live alpacas, along King Ave. in downtown Newcastle, starting at 10 a.m. and running all day. Also starting at 10 a.m., the Town Hall will have lots of activities for the whole family. There will be a new feature this year, all-day Pumpkin Face Painting hosted by Algoma Orchards, as well as an old favourite, bingo, hosted by the Clarington Older Adults Association. Newcastle resident Gina Gallacher, who is helping promote the festival this year, has been attending the fall event with her son every year for the past ten years. She says the festival is meant for young and old alike. "This is a real family event," she says. "There are lots of kids' activities, but there are also things for older people, like bingo, the old-fashioned cars and the antique tractors." Another popular attraction, Jungle Cat World, will be making a return visit to the Town Hall on Saturday, at noon. "Jungle Cat World has been coming to the Fall Festival for as long as I can remember," says Gallacher. "We get them every year," confirms Bastas. "They do a fantastic job." In past years, Jungle Cat World has brought a wolf, a couple of large cats, a tarantula, a snake and other reptiles, according to Bastas. There will be plenty of live entertainment on Saturday, starting with the band Friendly Fire over at the Newcastle Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Meanwhile, the Ganaraska Country Cloggers will perform at 1 p.m. at the Town Hall, and the band Hoppy's Heroes will play from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in front of the Old Newcastle House (formerly the Black Knight Lounge). The festival culminates with ABBAmania on Saturday evening at the Town Hall. ABBAmania is a tribute band that plays ABBA songs the whole family can enjoy (children are welcome). According to Bastas, the band played Newcastle last February and was a huge hit. "They are the next best thing to ABBA," she says. "They're really good." The MC for the show will be Dan Carter of CHEX TV, and there will be a cash bar with proceeds going to the Newcastle Walk for Dog Guides. It will be reserved floor seating, with advanced tickets available at the Massey House Restaurant in Newcastle. Tickets for the show, which is partially sponsored by Lindvest Investments and H&R Developments, cost $30 and will also be available at the door. Letter To The Editor Ongoing If it is not safe... not safe, the Province won't Dear Editor, saga approve it." Yet, it is the Dear Editor: I have been watching council and reading reports in the Orono Times about the ongoing saga (charade) between Council and Clarington resident Luke Prout et al regarding the Mutton campaign financial audit review. I am no doubt not alone in thinking this fiasco has gone on long enough. In last week's paper, Mr. Prout suggested in no uncertain terms that his councillors (Trim and Robinson) have been more than negligent in their duties, and I for one would agree. They appear to be lacking commitment to not only one of their constituents, but I dare say, to all taxpayers. In my humble opinion, they are also lacking dedication to the dilemma facing Clarington: a major impending tax increase. While they have the unmitigated gall to ask staff and CUPE workers to take unpaid time off to help make up the nearly $3M shortfall in the budget (due to their gross mismanagement), FIASCO see page 6 Like so many injured workers, Jeremy Woodcock believed industrial safety protocols were in place to protect him. Now Jeremy sees that the system failed him and his family. Meanwhile, Clarington residents are being told by Mayor Abernethy that "if it is Mayor himself who led the charge to dismiss Clarington's peer reviewers in July, after they had reviewed the draft Environmental Assessment report, but before the study was complete and the final report submitted to the Province. By the same SAFE see page 3 Exposure to risks To the Editor: The Editorial of Sept. 23 about the Precautionary Principle is absolutely correct, but there is something else that I would like to caution the readership about concerning exposure to risks... In the case of ingested materials, such as lead, cigarette smoke and emissions from incineration, the quoted "risk" only deals with one particular outcome, namely the probability that death will eventually follow as a result of exposure. This, however, is a "yardEXPOSURE see page 3 Cautionary tale Re: Sept. 23, 2009 Editorial Dear Editor, Many of us learned about what happened to Jeremy Woodcock when he attempted to tell his story to Durham Regional and Clarington councillors last year. Jeremy suggested regional councillors consider what happened to him to be a cautionary tale to remember when voting on the proposed incinerator for Courtice. Some Joint Waste TALE see page 11