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\ 1 The Canadian Statesman. Bowmanvillc, June 11, 1986 Section Two Et)e Canabian Statesman 623-3303 Durtism County's Greet F amity Journal EataWehad 132 years ago in 1B54. Aieo Incorporating Tka »- n i w fjvwIiwmthw The Newcaetle IndepanOent The Orono News Second daaa maM regleti adon number 1561 Produced every Wadnaaday by THE JAMES PUBLISHING COMPANY LASTED 62-06 King SL W„ BowmanvWe, Ontario UC 3KB JOHN M. JAMES Editor--Publisher GEO. P. MORRIS Business Mgr. RICHARD A. JAMES Assistant Publisher BRIAN PURDY Advertising Mgr. PETER PARROTT Associate Editor DONALD BISHOP Plant Mgr. All layouts and composition of advertisements produced by the employees of The Canadian Statesman, The Newcastle Independent and The James Publishing Company Limited are protected by copyright and must not be reproduced without permission of the publishers. S15.00 a year--6 months U.00 foreign--$50.00a year strictly In advance Although every precaution will be taken lo avoid error, The Canadian Statesman accepts advertising in ils columns on the understanding lhal il will nol be liable lor any error in the advertisement published hereunder unless a proof of such advertisement is requested in writing by the advertiser and returned to The Canadian Statesman business office duly signed by the advertiser and with such error or corrections plainly noted in writing thereon, and in that case it any error so noted is not corrected by The Canadian Statesman its liability shall not exceed such a portion of the entire cost ol such advertisement as the space occupied by Ihe noted error bears to the whole space occupied by such advertisement. Awareness Might Cut Claims Those climbing rates for municipal insurance appear to have reached their peak. The Durham Region, according to a report considered by its finance committee last week, will pay approximately approximately $750,000 for various insurance insurance policies this year. And despite the fact that costs had risen by close to 45 per cent over last year, some elected officials seemed to be happy to hear that the rate wasn't any higher. In other words, it seemed for a while, as though there was just no end in sight to skyrocketing costs of insurance insurance protection. These costs were spurred upwards by huge damage awards in liability cases before the courts in recent years. The solution, so far as the Durham Region is concerned, is to move towards towards self-insurance. The finance committee which considered the problem last week, was told that the trend is for municipalities to pay smaller claims themselves and to insure insure against the really big disasters where multi-million dollar claims occur. But it seems to us that the long- range solution is to be found outside the realm of local municipalities with individual policies to protect them against liability. It's time for the provincial govern ment to step in and arrange some kind of safety net which would protect protect a municipality from a horrendous horrendous claim which could lead to bankruptcy. bankruptcy. In other words a combination of self-insurance or insurance policies for the lower range losses combined with protection from the Province in the event of a heavier loss would seem to be the best route to go. And, of course, there's one other novel suggestion which came to light during Durham's discussion of its insurance insurance needs last week. Regional administrators and elected officials are suggesting that greater public awareness could help cut claims. This may, at first, seem difficult to believe. But the Region estimates that some savings would occur if the public were simply to report hazards to the appropriate regional authorities. authorities. By notifying Durham of dangerous washouts in a roadway, a missing traffic traffic sign or a break in a fence surrounding surrounding regional property the public public could help prevent future insurance insurance claims. This would, in turn, keep municipal taxes down. More importantly, such an action would help ensure that the personal safety of regional residents is guaranteed. guaranteed. Pensions Catch Up to Reality At long last, the country's pension laws seem to be catching up with reality. reality. Word from Ottawa last week indicates indicates that the Canada Pension Plan may soon be available (in a reduced amount) for those who retire early at age 60. In addition, Ontario is initiating initiating legislation to make pensions more portable. In other words, the money which an employee had invested invested in a plan could be transferred when he or she changed jobs. That's provided, of course, that the employee had remained at a particular particular post for a reasonable number of years. Both of these moves indicate that Ottawa and Queen's Park are attempting attempting to meet the social realities of today. For the fact of the matter is that people are living a wide variety of different different lifestyles and a single, inflexible inflexible pension plan is bound to ignore huge segments of the population. At present, pensions are designed in favor of the individual who works 35 years at the same firm and then retires with the gold watch and handshake handshake at exactly age 65. No doubt many workers will continue continue to fit this pattern and their stable employment record is commendable. commendable. But facts indicate that more and more people will opt for a career and lifestyle that doesn't exactly fit the mold described above. For example, some will decide to retire early. Others may stay in the workforce beyond age 65. Many will follow several career paths and work for a number of employers during their lifetimes, either from choice or from necessity. And, of course, there are hundreds of thousands who will elect to work part time rather than full-time. Pension reforms, it seems, will recognize recognize the diversity existing in the job world. Flexibility in the retirement age will assist a growing population as it approaches the exit from the workforce. workforce. Those who rèmain gainfully employed after 65 will ease the drain on the pension funds. Those who opt for early retirement will leave openings openings for younger job-seekers. In both cases, some benefits will result. Portability of pensions will make certain that those who have been employed employed all their lives but never in any one specific place will not be discriminated discriminated against. They will receive the pension they are entitled to and, therefore, will not have to rely on public support in later years. Portability also recognizes the fact that some businesses will close and employees will be retrained as the economic and technological climate changes. Persons affected by these changes should still be entitled to a return on pension contributions made throughout their career. There's even a proposal in which long-term part time employees would receive at least a partial pension from their company. As we understand it, none of these reforms is a certainty. But they do indicate indicate a greater sensitivity on the part of the government to social change. The changes will not necessarily cost more money for the participants or for the government. But they will bring pensions in line with present- day reality. Letter to Idiot Who Threw Eggs June 7, 1986 R.R. #4, Bowmanville, Ont. L1C 3K5 This is a letter to the IDIOT or IDIOTS who, while travelling east on Taunton Road near M.J. Hobbs Senior Public School on Friday, June 6th at approximately 3:35 p.m., in a beige Camaro, threw raw eggs at the school bus I was driving. I do not know how the driver of this car got his driver's license since he cannot have too much intelligence to permit people like you to ride around in his car. You may not realize you put the lives of 28 children between the ages of 5 and 12 in jeopardy by your stupid behavior. When the raw eggs hit the windshield directly in front of me my first thought was that someone had thrown large rocks because on impact the noise was so loud. I could have very easily gone off the road or been rear-ended by the traffic behind me, because I could not see ahead. Even when I put the windshield wipers on it would not clear the mess. STOP AND THINK about how you would feel if you had been the guilty party if a serious injury or the death of one child, let alone 28 had to be on your conscience. There are enough hazards to delivering these children to and from school safely without fools like you making it extra hazardous. Mrs. Shirley E. Bickle Fearless Seagull Lands on Car's Hood at Cobourg Lakefront / BylinB ... by Peter Parrott s A y There are a certain advantages advantages to gaining a few years in age. Not many, mind you, but they compensate compensate for the slowing of reflexes and the adding adding of weight. The process of aging gives you a chance to see wheels of change come full circle. To cite a small exam- • pie, I've lived through a cycle in which short haircuts were acceptable, acceptable, unfashionable, and now back in fashion again. But something I found really fascinating the other day is a news release release which revealed that CHUM, the elder statesman of rock and roll radio in Toronto is changing its format. CHUM was the station which frightened par ents of kids who had transistor radios glued to their ears in the sixties. sixties. The station has decided decided that it won't be playing the latest of the top 40 tunes any more. Or, at least, it will alter its programming so that it will combine the best of the new releases plus all of the mellow oldies from the sixties and seventies. Fascinating stuff. In other words, this important important Toronto area cultural institution is aging along with the baby boom. The baby boomer, as he polishes the car in the driveway on a weekend afternoon will be able to re-live the sounds made popular in the era of hippies, coffee houses, and sit-ins at the university. Ironically, many of the songs were written in protest against the kind of lifestyle in which people polished their cars in the suburbs on a weekend. But, then again, the ability to hold two contradictory philosopies in one's head at the same time was never a problem with those of us born in the Baby Boom era. I think it has something to do with attending university. university. The other day, I read a remark which said, in effect, effect, that the baby boomers boomers will change every institution institution into which they come in contact. It's pretty obvious that the generation of the 50s and 60s revolutionized the educational system. You can tell from the numbers of schools and colleges built during that time and from increasing increasing enrollments in these institutions. The theory is that the baby boom generation is currently at work, in revolutionizing revolutionizing business world -- both as consumers consumers and as workers. And that's why CHUM has opted for a change in its radio format. Radio stations, as in the case of all media, are attempting attempting to attract advertising revenue. And who can imagine a better audience audience target group than this vast number of middle middle age individuals approaching approaching the prime years of purchasing products and raising a family. Baby boomers have the weight of numbers on their side. And that gives them a decided advantage advantage in areas such as marketing or voting. Of course, the final chapter in the baby boom generation has yet to be written. But it will occur when this age group hits the retirement retirement cycle. There are some prophets of doom who estimate that we'll overburden overburden the hospitals and rest homes or drive the Canada Pension Fund into bankruptcy. Personally, I feel that the generation will manage manage to put its own unique stamp on the so-called "sunset years". (One of the first things they'll probably do is not choose to call them sunset sunset years.) They'll find a way to make being over age 60 popular and downright fun. People will find themselves trying to look older and when they lie about their age, they'll add a few years rather than subtract them. Eventually, of course, there will be no more baby boomers to set trends and change things. The world will be less colorful without them. But possibly the one ray of hope is the fact that this generation has, itself, . had children. Given today's smaller families, they won't have the numbers to make quite the same mark on society. But I suspect that they will inherit certain certain traits from their parents parents and will carry on their traditions well into the next century. 140 Ontario St., Bowmanville June 4,1986 Dear John: Well, your headline this week (Double Duty for Town Clerk) is in my opinion misleading to say the least. Am I to believe that the clerk will be working harder and longer after the council appointed him Acting Administrator? (If my information is right and it usually is, his salary will jump from $39,000 to 51,900). Also, you say that other people will get an increase on the basis of the extra work that this change has made, so I ask you where is the double duty that you refer to? The council are true to their word as follows: They said they were not going to hire a replacement for the administrator and I finally figured we were on our way, but they did not tell us that they were only talking about one weekend. The only thing that was accomplished in my opinion in having an administrator was (we have had a total of 4) that it has cost the taxpayer a lot of money. I am now wondering if we had consultants in to advise us in this matter. As I am given to understand that a motion was made at a special meeting (and if I am correct, it was called in violation of the procedure By-law) by Councillor Cowman who had a written motion (lengthy) which I now question as to who drafted the motion and maybe she will be so kind as to advise us of this fact. It would appear that it was a cut and dried idea for some reason or another. Now, the reason could not be as one councillor told me, that he was not qualified to handle the problems that confront council. That is not what he said when at the first meeting approx, the same person said we have to have higher salaries for the decisions that we have to make (or something to that effect). Then, I read in the paper where another councillor says that they prefer the Town's business to be held in the open and I feel that a statement like that is better served on the garden where at least it has a chance of producing. How many times has this person voted against going into camera? (NONE). At the last council meeting I attended when the issue of staff evaluations came up and it was no secret as it was listed on the GPA recommendations but lo and behold the same people who want (or say they do) all the issues to be in the open, voted to go into camera and how did they vote? (I am told that those people supported the huge raise in salaries but there is no way that we will know for sure as it was in camera. Then an issue came on the floor which the mayor wished to discuss so he vacated the chair and Councillor Cowman took over. During the debate at one point the mayor challenged the decision of the chair and Coun. Cowman called for a seconder for the challenge (which in my opinion is unheard of). Then, after getting a seconder, she immediately called for the vote on whether the decision of the chair was upheld. At no time was the mayor given an opportunity to state his reason for the challenge. These are the people who say they are qualified to act for you and me as taxpayers. As a bystander, I must draw my conclusions as follows: It would appear that there are those who would like to unseat the mayor, whether it be for one reason or another for personal gain and this is not making this council work in the interest of the taxpayer. I feel that I have the solution as follows: Mayor Winters was voted in by a majority of the taxpayers (not me) but he is the mayor. I wanted the job but did not receive enough votes and I say to the members of council who appear to be jockeying that way, the proper way is to put your name on the ballot and take your chances. (Bear in mind we as taxpayers cannot hold your present seat to see how you make out).Mayor Winters was duly elected and the council were duly elected now until the next election. I suggest to you that you work as a team in the interest of us taxpayers and do the job that you were elected to do and then if at the next election you feel that you can do a better job as mayor, put your name on the ballot (as the saying goes if you have the guts) and take your chances). But if your performance continues in the same manner don't expect my support. Well, John, I guess I have let off enough steam for this week but if my facts are not accurate then I suggest that the members of Council write back and give us the true facts. There are a lot of other things going on that you might be interested in, but I promised her that I would not reveal them as my word is good I will close. But, in doing so, I must in all fairness advise you that it is my understanding that Coun. Hamre was absent at the special (No press or public) meeting, so did not vote. So, maybe in the interest of keeping her electorate in the know, maybe she will reply and advise us taxpayers how she would have voted on this issue. So long for now Ken Hooper DearSir: At the Sandaraska Park this year we will be holding for our first time, four Blue Grass - Country-Folk festivals. The festivals will be held on four different Sundays, June 15th, June 29th, August 3rd and August 31st. We will be having such bands as Whiskey Jack, Koncho, The Post Family, Ventura and Rev. Ken And His Lost Followers and many, many more. The events are being held by Wolf Cry Sound IBs* Productions and Sandaraska Summer. The music starts at noon on each day and goes until six each night. There will be food, beverages, beverages, arts and crafts displays along with many other activities activities on these dates. For more information please feel free to contact me at the above address or phone numbers. We have enclosed some information information on the park along with some flyers on the festival, festival, we have also included two complimentary passes for you and your family. Hope to meet you there and enjoy our festivals. Thank you and have a Sandaraska Sum mer. Yours truly, William Henderson Wolf Cry Sound Productions