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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 Aid to Publishers - Canada Periodical Fund toward our mailing costs." Wednesday, August 18, 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. No place for bigoted signs in our village Even before man could write, signs were used as a communication tool. Many in Clarington will remember the proliferation of election signs four years ago, as the incumbent Mayor and first time mayoral candidate Jim Abernethy duked it out in an aggressive sign campaign. Apparently the number of signs sparked enough complaints that the municipality felt compelled to draw up a new sign by-law. In less than three weeks, candidates in this fall's election will be permitted to begin erecting election signs. With seven candidates running for local councillor, and five candidates for the Mayor's seat, we could be in an ocean of signs for a few months. Add to that the regular event signage, Orono Fair, Chilli Cook-off, Newcastle Fall Fair, the Terry Fox Run, and the splash of week-end yard sale signs; we might have trouble navigating our way around the ward for a few weeks. We have noticed a very disturbing sign on our local roadways this past week. It is a 16-inch by 12-inch corrugated plastic sign which reads, "Stop Illegal Migrants. Tuberculosis, Terrorism, Disease, Free Housing, Free Medical, Welfare Payouts. This is an insult to Tax Paying Canadians!" There is no name on the sign, so we do not know who or what organization is behind them, leaving us to assume the people placing these signs are too gutless to publicly own up to the sentiments they are promoting. The language on the signs is similar to language coming from government sources regarding the ship full of Tamil migrants who landed in Esquimalt BC on Friday. The 490 migrants came to Canada aboard a 59-metre cargo ship after spending almost 90 days at sea. CBC reports, "The Government has said it believes some of the migrants are members of the Tamil Tigers, which has been outlawed in Canada as a terrorist group since 2006." "Some reports indicate several passengers may be infected with tuberculosis," was another quote from a CBC report dated Friday, August 13th. Border officers donned surgical masks and gloves before boarding the ship, in light of reports there may be passengers with infectious diseases on board, according to the same report. In an earlier report, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews is quoted as saying, "The setup of the vessel suggests a 'broader criminal enterprise' involved including the Tamil Tigers." According to Toews, the ship carrying the migrants was well equipped with sanitation systems and had been extensively renovated to "maximize profits" by accommodating a large number of passengers. Last Thursday, Toews announced "that the 490 Tamil migrants aboard the MV Sun Sea include suspected human smugglers and terrorists." When the ship landed with a government escort last Friday, its passengers were escorted off, some were sent to hospital and the rest were detained in a Victoria Jail for processing. The migrants are claiming refugee status in Canada, claiming they are fleeing persecution as an ethnic minority in Sri Lanka. Tamils are an ethnic minority in Sri Lanka, the island nation off India's south-eastern coast. They claim discrimination by the Sinhalese majority. The Tigers waged a civil war for 25 years on their behalf in a quest for an independent state. More than 80,000 people died in the conflict that the government ended in 2009. As a signatory to the UN Convention on Refugees, Canada is obliged not to send migrants back to their own country if they face persecution there. According to a CBC News report Monday night, 30,000 refugee claimants come to Canada each year, most coming individually or in small groups by airplane, not by the boatload. As a tax paying Canadian, I am proud of the fact that Canada has a reputation for welcoming foreigners who seek asylum. Staying in Touch MPP John O'Toole Government Takes a Gamble with Online Casinos The McGuinty government is taking a gamble with its online casino announcement last week. But, in my view, the gamble doesn't involve inviting opinions on whether it's a good idea to for the government to let Ontarians turn their computers into slot machines. This government is really gambling that a new controversy will divert attention from lingering scandals such as eHealth, HST, Eco Fees, rising electricity rates, and more. It's another attempt by the McGuinty government to "change the channel." I don't think most Ontarians place a high priority on cybergambling. However, if we take the issue at face value, we can expect to hear claims that this is a way our cash-strapped province can make $400 million per year. There will be predictions that if the Province doesn't go ahead with online gambling, it will lose revenue to offshore competitors. We need to ask ourselves if we can trust this government to run casinos? Opposition Leader Tim Hudak pointed out last week that the McGuinty government had two consecutive major scandals at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. In addition, the OLGC has gone through five CEOs. If they are having difficultly with conventional casinos, how can they run internet gambling? In announcing the concept of provincially-operated online betting, the McGuinty government claimed it will spend 18 months consulting. If cybercasinos are coming to Ontario, they aren't expected to arrive until 2012. In my opinion, gambling is a tax, and jurisdictions like Las Vegas have found gambling revenues are difficult to forecast. Internet gaming will be an emerging issue for the 2011 provincial election. As with all provincial issues, your input is welcome. I may be reached at 905-6971501 or 1-800-661-2433 and by e-mail at john.otooleco@pc.ola.org . Ontario Provides Quarterly HST Cheques As of August 10, about 3.1 million Ontario families and individuals - including seniors - began receiving quarterly Ontario Sales Tax Credit payments. These are in addition to the existing federal GST credit and are available to eligible low-income and middleincome Ontarians. The payments provide up to $260 annually for each qualifying adult and child. For 2010, the income level at which the credit will begin to be reduced is $20,000 for single people and $25,000 for couples and single parents. . More information on the quarterly payments is online at the Province of Ontario web site, www.rev.gov.on.ca and at the Canada Revenue Agency site, www.cra.gc.ca/harmonization. Ombudsman Critical of LHIN Consultation Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin said last week that a Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) failed to live up to the provincial government's promise that LHINS would engage the community in their decision making and would meet in full view of the public. The Ombudsman was investigating Hamilton, Niagara, Haldimand Brant, which is one of 14 Ontario LHINS. Opposition Leader Tim Hudak has promised to O'TOOLE see page 14