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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, June 16, 2010 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 - Roxanne Johnston 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. My time at the Times by Maggie Savage Co-op Student Wow, where have these five months gone! My name is Maggie Savage, I'm a senior student at Clarke High School and have been a resident of the area my whole life. This co-operative placement at the Orono Weekly Times started in February 2010. I wanted to be placed at the Times to get hands-on experience in the field of journalism, but I have learned much more than that! In the beginning of my co-operative experience, I did not know how much went into this small yet, in my opinion, successful paper. The Orono Times is an independent newspaper business with a small group of loyal staff, who dedicate their time to make sure the paper gets published every week. There is Margaret, of course, manager and editor of the Orono Times. Sue is a writer and sports writer. Ann is a part-time writer and photographer for the Times. Roxanne does all the artwork for the paper. Andy, Margaret's dad, helps label all the papers every Wednesday, by hand. Jim Richards helps edit the paper every Tuesday night and adds his own personal touch. Of course there is Clifford, the well-known Orono man who will write for the Times when a great idea comes to mind. Although it's hard to believe, there is a lot of work done at the Orono Times to make sure the paper is put together by Tuesday night. Margaret does a lot for one person; she goes to Council on Mondays and reports Council news. She writes an editorial, takes pictures and attends countless events and then writes about them. To top it all off, she found the time to take me in and teach me the basic skills of a journalist. Sue writes for the paper, works on her own pages (sports and classifieds), and helps edit the paper. Roxanne does almost all the ad artwork as well as page layout for the Times, placing ads and stories in the paper. Jim Richards helps to proofread the paper and helps come up with catchy headlines and cut-lines. Clifford comes in quite a bit and always insists on treating the staff with goodies and sweets from the local bake shop. It takes a very patient, skilled, hardworking person to run an independent newspaper, but they also need a great staff to help them through it. The staff at the Times has given me such an experience; I never thought that I would be writing for the newspaper, attending events where I got to meet the Mayor and Councillor Willie Woo. Lastly I never thought I would be writing an editorial, but here it is! Through every journalist's career they will meet people who do not like what is published in the paper, whether it's for personal or other reasons. In the very short time of being a journalist-in-training, I have already experienced that. I had no intention of making anyone mad or upset; I was doing my job as a co-op student, to get out the important information our community deserves to know. Although dealing with a dissatisfied reader was not one of my most thrilling experiences, I was happy to learn what to do if it ever happens again. Hopefully, it will not. My over-all experience at the Times has been an amazing one; I have learned so much. I will never forget this great experience and everyone who helped me overcome some difficult situations and who helped me achieve all my personal and educational goals. I would like to thank Margaret for allowing my stories and pictures in her paper almost every week. I also want to thank everyone at the Times for teaching me the proper skills to become a journalist. I'm going to miss the experience and everyone who made it possible. I will go on and further achieve my goals, once I complete high school next year. Staying in Touch MPP John O'Toole Government Confirms HST Costs Us More With the Harmonized Sales Tax just a few weeks away, even the McGuinty government is finally admitting the HST will cost many Ontarians a lot more money in the long-run. Those government cheques that are in the mailbox or bank accounts won't offset the longrange impact of a 13 per cent tax on practically everything. Last week, the McGuinty government admitted that, for about 51 per cent of Ontarians, the tax will cost them more after the year 2012. In fact, the government's newest figures claim that it will cost households up to $480 annually, if we look beyond 2012. Keep in mind this estimate is based on claims that businesses will pass on to the consumers 90 per cent of savings that the businesses may receive through harmonization. Most Ontarians are skeptical about that prediction. This month, Ontarians are getting their first cheques aimed at offsetting the adverse impacts of the HST. Opposition Leader Tim Hudak describes them as "bribe cheques," and he's not alone in that view. There will be another cheque towards the end of the year. The final cheque just happens to be coming a few months before the provincial election campaign of 2011. After that, we're on our own. Province Gives Green Light to Hwy. 407 Extension Ontario's provincial government has given final approval to the Environmental Assessment for the eastward extension of Highway 407. As a follow-up to the EA approval, the provincial Infrastructure Ministry announced that the new extension will be a tolled road fully owned and controlled by the provincial government. The Ministry also is proceeding with a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on the first section of the extension. That's about 19 kilometres of highway from Brock Rd. to Simcoe Street North, in Oshawa. The next step will include the Request for Proposals (RFP), selection of the successful bidder, and the start of construction. Although the Province has approved the project, Highway 407 is also subject to federal scrutiny under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) Process. This new requirement was announced in March of 2010, following a ruling from the Supreme Court affecting a number of projects that were being processed under the federal environmental screening process. The 407 East transportation corridor will be continued as a comprehensive study. I will be seeking further clarification on exactly what the federal requirements are, and how long their approvals process will take. Funds for Library Access to Electronic Info The province is investing $2 million in the Southern Ontario Library Service and Ontario Library Service - North. Both agencies will support public libraries by offering electronic services, such as electronic databases, to Ontarians. Ensuring access to this information will support local skills development, including the research and technology skills needed to succeed in a knowledge economy. This investment will allow Ontario's public libraries to continue supporting families and in building strong, vibrant communities