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2 - Orono Weekly Times Subscriptions $38.09 + $1.91 GST = $40.00 per year. No Refunds. 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, December 16, 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 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. All ye faithful With Christmas a mere nine days away, we at the Times are looking forward to our annual two-week holiday shutdown. First of all, we would like to thank all our supporters for helping to bring us through another year. Without our faithful subscribers and advertisers, there would be no Orono Weekly Times, and we want you to know we deeply appreciate all your support. We had a very successful subscription drive this past spring, where many regular subscribers took advantage of the special offer to sign on for another three years. Some of our subscriptions go back more than 50 years. We were also able to sign up many new readers. It is always encouraging to see new people move into the area and discover that there is a local newspaper in Orono. It has been a particularly difficult year for many businesses, dealing with the global downturn in the economy. We have not been exempt from the downturn, and have had to take steps over the past year to address some business hardships. One of the philosophies of doing business is, if you are not growing, you are dying. Simply put, a business has to grow a certain percent each year just to keep up with the rising costs of doing business. This presents a unique challenge when you are operating in a village like Orono, which is not allowed to grow. While all the communities surrounding Orono are experiencing growth and development, our lack of a municipal sewer system and the Provincial Green Belt legislation have put Orono's population in an indefinite holding pattern. While the lack of development is precisely what many who live here appreciate about the community, it does create a hardship for the business sector. I know many readers have noticed that the paper has paid more attention this year to events and activities in Newcastle, our near neighbours to the south. This year we have embarked on a new initiative where the first issue of every month has been our "Newcastle Edition." This initiative has been extremely well- received by the growing population and business sector in that village. There are many reasons besides zero growth that make this community unique, one of them being that Orono still has a local paper. The big reason why communities the size of Orono, and many much larger communities, no longer have a local paper is because it is not financially viable to operate a paper in such small markets. When you look back at old copies of the Orono Weekly Times from 20 or 30 years ago, there were many thriving businesses in this town: hardware stores, clothing stores, appliance stores, grocery stores, gas stations and auto repair shops, all advertising in the local paper. Most of those bigger stores are gone now, and the few that remain choose not to support the local paper. In its attempt to cut back expenses, the Municipality has also withdrawn most of its advertising support, which was another hit we have had to absorb this year. This town has survived many ups and downs, and will continue to do so well into the future. However, for this paper to continue to not only survive but to thrive, we had to embrace the community of Newcastle in our coverage area. The short and long of it is, if we don't expand our coverage area, we won't exist. Though I have been made aware of the long-standing rivalry between the communities of Orono and Newcastle, as a relative newcomer to the area, I haven't seen much evidence of those old rivalries, other than the location of the Clarke High School. Apparently when it was time to build a new high school to serve the two communities, it had to be built on the border because no agreement could be made as to in which of the two communities the new high school would be built. Having the youth from both Orono and Newcastle attend The Pines Senior Public School and then Clarke High School has probably brought the two communities closer together, and has done more than anything else to reduce the rivalries. On the eve of a new decade, we are looking forward to bringing you all the coverage we have in the past, and more. Our next edition will be published on January 6, and with 2010 being a municipal election year, we are confident there will be many hot issues to cover. Merry Christmas and a Happy New year from all of us at your local newspaper. Staying in Touch MPP John O'Toole lion was spent to buy these devices. Auditor Critical of Provincial Spending The Auditor General of Ontario's annual report proves the government's fiscal accountability problems go millions of dollars beyond the eHealth scandal. For example, an estimated $1.2 billion in overpayments went to recipients in the Ontario Disability Support Program and to individuals receiving Ontario Works benefits. A few other examples of the need for greater diligence and oversight include: · The collection of $500 million per year in user fees that may be judged unlawful unless the necessary legislation is passed. (Too often, government user fees are simply another name for a tax.) · Due to inadequate oversight, the provincial health ministry was paying excessively high prices for many assistive devices such as scooters and home oxygen systems. A total of $347 mil· The government's claim that it saved $45 million in savings through a group purchasing program could not be substantiated. · Unless the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) starts to address its $11.5-billion unfunded liability, it may not be able to meet its financial commitments to injured workers. In releasing his annual report, Auditor General Jim McCarter called on the Ontario government to "spend taxpayer money like it was their own." However, in passing its controversial HST legislation last week, the provincial government appears to be ignoring that advice. It's looking for more taxes to feed a growing spending habit that's made worse by a lack of accountability. The complete report from the Auditor General is available online at www.auditor.on.ca. Government Uses Majority to Impose HST Even the family Christmas tree will cost more next year as the result of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) legislation imposed last week by the McGuinty government. The final vote on the HST legislation was 56-29. All opposition MPPs in attendance voted against it. That being said, government used its majority to impose a sales tax that will cost an estimated $3 billion. It's the largest single sales tax increase in Ontario's history. The McGuinty government rejected a call for public hearings across Ontario. It also rejected exemptions in the HST for other goods and services such as home heating fuel, children's camps and sports registrations. With the HST not starting until July 1, 2010, Ontarians have more time to fight the tax. The Official Opposition will continue to stand with the vast majority of Ontario citizens who know that we cannot afford the HST. Unfortunately, the McGuinty government still hasn't got the message. Province Falling Short on Emissions Targets Ontario's Environmental Commissioner warns that the O'TOOLE see page 4