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SECTION TWO WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1988 Canadian Statesman 623-3303 (*cKia JOHN M. JAMES Editor--Publisher GEO. R. MORRIS Business Mgr. Durham County's Greet Family Journal Established 134 years igo In 1 1 1854. 134 years ago k mcorporaeng The BowmenvWe News The Newcastle Independent The Orono News Second class mail registration number 1561 Produced every Wednesday by THE JANES PUBLISHING COMPANY LNETED 62-66 King SL W., BowmenvWe, Ontario L1C 3X9 RICHARD A. JAMES Assistant Publisher BRIAN PURDY Advertising Mgr. PETER PARROTT Associate Editor DONALD BISHOP Plant Mgr. layout» and composition of advertisement» produced by the employee» of The Canadian «man, The Newcastle Independent and The James Publishing Company Limited are protected ipyrlght and muat not be reproduced without permission of the publishers. foreign -- $60.00 a year All Statesmen, by copyright i $20.00 a year -- 6 months $11.00 strictly In advance Although every precaution will be taken lo avoid error. The Canadian Statesman accepts advertising in ils columns on Ihe understanding that it will not be liable lor any error in. the advertisement published hereunder unless a prool ol such advertisement is requested in writing by the advertiser and returned to The Canadian Statesman business office duly signed by Ihe advertiser and with such error or corrections • plainly noted in writing thereon, and In that ease it any error go noted is not corrected by The Canadian Statesman its liability shall,not exceed such a portion of the entire cost ol such advertisement as Ihe space occupied by the noted eripx bears to the whole space occupied by such advertisement. Many Faces of the 27th Annual Santa Claus Parade Elected Chairman Needed ■ • .Jf. : V t ' •r- r $ 7 Ip " f j ;.f m One of the first orders of business facing the new Durham Regional Council will be the election of the regional regional chairman. One of the anomalies of local municipal municipal government is the fact that the head of the Durham Region is chosen not by the people but by the indirect route-in which the regional councillors councillors cast their ballots for the chairman. chairman. This means that the regional chairmanship could go to virtually any citizen of the Durham Region who succeeded in gaining a majority of ballots from among the 32 members of regional council. Traditionally, however, the candidates for regional chairman have been either the previous previous chairman of the Durham Region or one of the regional council members. members. We suppose that in a world facing the possibility of an environmental cataclysm, nuclear warfare or free trade, the choice of a chairman of the Durham Region is a relatively minor issue. In fact, since Durham was founded in 1974, there has been only two regional regional chairmen: Walter Beath and Gary Herrema. Mr. Beath served capably as the first chairman of the Durham Region and the incumbent, Mr. Herrema, is a seasoned political veteran who is also doing a good job. It's possible that there may not even be a race for the regional chairman's post this year. But what we would like to know is this: Why should the position of regional regional chairman not be part of the municipal election process? In other words, why should we not elect the head of the Durham Region in just the same way that we elect mayors and councillors? It could be argued that the chief of the Durham Region is the most powerful powerful local municipal politician. And in any democracy, people who hold such a position should (ideally) achieve it by means of the ballot box. There are two reasons why the Region Region of Durham Act does not nave provisions provisions for electing a regional chairman chairman by public vote. There is the political reason and the practical reason. reason. The political reason is the fact that individual mayors and municipalities municipalities like to think of themselves as being being the final link in the chain of command. command. They would not like to think of themselves as playing second-fiddle to a "supermayor" who is head of the entire regional municipality. Indeed, it seems that some local local politicians would prefer to see the regional chairmanship as more of a ceremonial and administrative role - - a task similar to that of the Speaker of the House of Commons. If the task of regional chairman is to keep order at regional council sessions, kick off charitable campaigns, and deliver speeches at banquets then we shouldn't be too concerned over how he or she gets the job. But it appears to us that the role of the chairman goes beyond that of being being a mere figurehead. This is especially especially true wnen the chairmen are drawn from the ranks of the politicians. politicians. Like it or not, the office of regional regional chairman is an important one and it should be filled by someone elected by the public. The non-political reason for not having an elected chairman is a practical one. It goes like this: In some municipal campaigns, people have trouble knowing the council and mayoralty candidates on the ballot. How could a regional chairman be elected from an area as large as Durham? Durham? The electoral campaign would be too difficult and too expensive. We would respond by saying that getting elected is the candidate's problem. problem. And the importance of a public vote is by no means secondary to the logistical problems of an election, We also note that there are many federal federal government ridings that have a larger geographical area than the Durham Region and elections still take place. In lieu of an election at large, one could opt for the idea of a regional chairman chosen exclusively from among the members of regional council at the beginning of every term of office. This would mean that ' 'fe'-îCT,' ; 1 fteâj Ss$£S •Mil; SI;*:* iiSiSSSASSS M ' -, ' ilillfl ■ . • Parrott Something must be said about the new Bow- manville Town Hall. (Or is, as suggested by the sign above the front door, the Newcastle Town Hall?) Whatever the name, the building is, in my m9 re Imis-mafched. It humble ■ opinion,_ a disas- -t lô"oîcs ; "almost ' as •" If a For one thing, I don't like the fact that the new wing of the complex clashes with the original restored town hall. I could not imagine how the old building and the new building could be ny wishing to become the regional cm mean that anyone .. cnair- The exact method used to select the regional chairman is open to debate. But, in principle, this post should go to someone chosen by ballot in the municipal municipal elections. Rhetoric and Emotion A typical exchange during any newscast in Ontario in the past two months goes something like this: Anchor: Voters appear to be very confused this year because the municipal municipal and federal elections are only a week apart. Punait: Yes Al, I met one man yesterday yesterday who actually thought he could vote for his federal candidate on November November 14. Anchor: Well, that's terrible. People People are being asked to digest too much information all at once. Pundit: Absolutely. It's much too complicated for people to differentiate between the two levels of government. Anchor: While you're here, Susan, let's talk about Free Trade. Polls continue continue to demonstrate that Canadians feel they are uninformed about the deal. Pundit: That is certainly true. And I believe that if Canadians simply had the facts of the deal presented to them-they could make a rational decision. decision. Anchor: Yes, a clear explanation of the items in the treaty would certainly certainly allow Canadians to decide once and for all. Such was the discourse of the majority majority of the media during the two election campaigns from which we have just emerged. If we have discovered discovered anything about Canada in the past few months certainly it is that we are schizophrenic: capable of comprehending comprehending an intricate trade treaty in one instance, but unable to grasp the complexities of voting in two elections elections in the other. The truth, of course, is that voters are perfectly capable of understanding understanding both issues and that the media were speaking down to the public by raising the spectre of befuddled voters wandering around aimlessly with no clue about their municipal election. Insulting the public s intelligence is not an activity exclusive to the media, media, however. The three federal parties parties are just as guilty in the way they tried to sway opinion about Free Trade. No sensible Canadian believes: believes: A) that with Free Trade we will become the 51st state, ship all our oil and water to our brethren states, and dissolve the House of Commons; or B) that without Free Trade our dollar dollar will drop like a Soviet satellite, interest rates will rise to equal the dollar, and the rate of unemployment will balloon to match the percentage employed. Yet, the Liberals and the NDP persisted persisted in suggesting the former and the Conservatives continued to warn of the latter. In doing so, they all signalled signalled an unwelcome and troubling contempt for voters. To his credit, Ed Broadbent spent one day in early November trying to outline the specific clauses in the FTA which he fears. But by the next day he had abandoned that approach and was again ranting about the destruction destruction of Canada. Mr. Turner was not even on the shoulder of the high road when he made preposterous claims and predictions about the "birthright of Canada" and of "selling "selling out Canada." The Prime Minister decided before calling the election to sell the treaty without using or explaining the specifics specifics of the agreement. And he then unleashed Simon Reisman (a man pit bulls shy away from) to attack John Turner as a traitor and a liar. This federal election was one of the most interesting campaigns in our history. The middle ground disappeared disappeared as people staked out their claim on the truth. But ignored amidst the excitement of the race was the intelligence of the citizenry. Politicians Politicians and the media need reminding reminding that when it comes to issues which affect us directly, we are willing and able to grasp the facts if they are presented presented in a rational fashion. An intriguing campaign does not require simplistic and apocalyptic threats and claims. If the election was as important as many people felt it was, if we were deciding our future (when don't we in an election?), and if the stakes were so high then why, of all times, did the three parties offer so few facts and so much rhetoric and emotion? ter. No, I shouldn't say that. I ought to say that it is an unmitigated disaster. disaster. I suppose I should be more charitable now that the new town council is in office and there's a feeling of renewed optimism optimism in the Town of Newcastle - a feeling that begins with most newly-elected councils. Certainly I wish the new council all the best of luck. But councillors would do well to look around their surroundings very carefully as they occupy their offices in the new edifice on Temperance St. That's because this public building makes a very definite architectural architectural statement. I don't think most of us taxpayers taxpayers like what it is saying. saying. While sitting in the town hall on election night last Monday, I couldn't help but marvel at the inappropriateness of the building. Where can I begin? Perhaps, I should note that there are certain things I like about it. For one thing, I happen happen to like the downtown location. I know this is a point with which many citizens will take exception exception but I happen to believe believe that the restoration of a major building downtown is much better than a flight by the municipal municipal administration to suburbia. The only problem is that the Town Hall was not designed in conjunction conjunction with improvements adjacent to tne building. Specifically, there's going going to be a whopping need for parking facilities - something that the elected elected officials ought to have looked at before building the town hall, It cannot function in isolation. I also like the idea of restoring the original town hall structure. Too much of our architectural architectural heritage is being demolished demolished in the name of E rogress. Town council as ensured that the old town hall will survive well into the 21st century. century. But there's much more that I dislike about the building. brand-new 21st-century structure was proceéding eastward on Church St. when it made a premature premature right hand turn and rear-ended the old town hall. The old building is warm red brick and white trim while the new one emphasizes concrete, jlass, and curving or cy- indrical shapes which just don't match the spirit of a heritage buildiqg. It's a case of collision between between the style Pioneer Village and the style of Star Trek. Furthermore, the red, yellow, white and blue color scheme is acceptable acceptable to no one. All I can say about the paint job is that it proves that being color blind is no barrier to getting work as a designer designer of modern buildings. buildings. And the outdoor staircase staircase which leads nowhere nowhere has to be as ugly as it is expensive. When you enter the building, the shortcomings shortcomings become even more apparent. It was always my understanding understanding that the purpose purpose of the new town nail was to bring municipal employees under one roof. In other words, the building was intended to create office space. But a quick examination examination of the structure reveals reveals that less than half of it is actually devoted to offices. Rather, it is a collection of meeting rooms and corridors. The floor-to-ceiling atrium is not only a massive waste of space but also an architectural feature that dwarfs individuals individuals using the town hall. It must be close to 90 feet from the skylights to the ground floor. And all that space conveys the impression that the building is not built to human scale. The central central lobby has all the charm of a football stadium. stadium. It is also dark. The number of corridors corridors is equally incredible. incredible. Corridors flank the large atrium on each of the floors. There's a big corridor bisecting the lower level of the old town hall building where councillors' offices and the mayor's offices are located. And then, there's another corridor and flight of stairs leading leading to the council chambers. chambers. And let's also consider consider the council chambers themselves. As I said earlier, the original purpose of the town hall was supposed to be to provide office space for employees. But the new council chambers serve to further create the delusions of grandeur that are introduced by the three-floor atrium. It is my opinion that the town didn't even need a new council chamber because of the fact that there's a perfectly good meeting room in the Bowmanville Fire Hall and Court Building. Thanks to the new town hall, Newcastle has one surplus council chamber which (I presume) presume) it must plan to rent out to other municipalities municipalities that need a spare. What is worse, the new council chamber is built on a grandiose scale. Take, for example, example, the crescent-shaped black granite council table. It's big enough to seat an entire football team but will, in the foreseeable foreseeable future, be used by only six councillors. Only half of the council council chamber is actually devoted to a seating area for the public. And the rest is a monument to the grandeur of local government. government. Now, I know from a dozen years of watching council proceedings that the typical meeting of town council or a town committee has fewer than 10 spectators. Occasionally, Occasionally, council encounters encounters a major issue when several hundred people wish to attend. But these times are rare. So, for the most part, 20 people will be meeting in a room the size of an aircraft aircraft hangar. There may be some who think this is a wise use of space but I'm not one of them. (I can imagine some people saying that the committee room of the Fire and Court building was too small for many gatherings and this is true. But if council were to change its meeting dates to times when the larger council chamber was available, the problem problem would have gone away. The town of Newcastle Newcastle had no lack of meeting space. It merely had a problem of organizing organizing that space for maximum use.) I might also note that the town hall contains two new committee rooms in addition to the aforementioned council chamber. The general appearance appearance of the building, with its yards of white metal railings and concrete and windows has been described as being representative representative of the "International" "International" style of architecture. architecture. I submit that the town is in danger of being being in the position of someone who bought a Nehru jacket or an Ed- sel. There's no proof that the latest architectural fancy will stand the test of time, whereas certain conservative types of architecture architecture are always in fashion. I would go so far as to predict that in 100 years' time, the old town hall will be perfectly acceptable acceptable but the new building will look (at the very best) eccentric. Yes, the new Bowmanville Bowmanville town hall makes a definite architectural statement. Here's what it says: With its vast central foyer, it speaks of the bigness bigness of government and the insignificance of the individual. With its devotion to corridors and meeting room, it suggests endless motion and endless meetings but very little productive work. Its jumbo-sized council council chamber hints at delusions delusions of grandeur. And finally, the overall overall appearance and style of the building are indicative indicative of a council which has (at least on this occasion) occasion) fallen seriously out of touch with its electorate. electorate. I say that the Town of Newcastle is still a relatively relatively small, conservative, conservative, homey community "of traditional values closely related to its rural rural heritage. For reasons known only to the members of the past council, we have been given a building which is slick, urban and sophisticated. It could belong to Paris or Rome or Toronto but it doesn't belong to us. I'm enraged by the new town hall because it speaks of pompous institutionalism institutionalism and questionable questionable taste. But most of all, I'm angry be- ernment out of touch with its people. It's interesting to note that while the new Bowmanville Bowmanville Arena was produced after careful consultation with the public, the town hall project project was created chiefly by Town council and its staff, in consultation with out-of-town experts. (Unless you count a perfunctory perfunctory meeting with the public more than five years ago when the possibility possibility of a town hall reno vation program was first mentioned.) I realize that the new council can't dismantle this cathedral of local government, but it can work a little harder at keeping in touch with the public. Every time councillors councillors pass through those doors in the yellow cement cement walls of the Town of Newcastle Administrative Administrative Centre, they should keep that message in mind. Letters to the Editor Dear Sir: This letter is written to ad- .vise you that CIBC, Newcastle Newcastle Branch have been very successful in raising funds for the United Way. On Wednesday, November 9 we held "United Way Day" and during Banking hours we sold tne entire, inventory of our Beans and Brown Bread with all proceeds going to this very good cause. Later that day at 5:30 p.m. a cake auction was held and we had the pleasure of having having Mr. Frank Stapleton auction auction off the 15 cakes. Each of these'cakes was made by individual individual staff members at the branch and after 20 minutes minutes Mr. Stapleton had sold them all and we netted $544. During this auction we had the pleasure of the attendance attendance of such local dignitaries dignitaries as Marie Hubbard, Irwin Hamilton, Doug Moffat, Marg Wilbur, Ann Cowman, Debbie Nowlan, Pauline Storks, Bill Lover, Peggy Mullen and Tenzin Gyaltsan of the Newcastle IGA. The total funds received to date are approaching $700. right now and we have one last event which is to occur occur on November 28, and 'that is a draw for the food basket which is on display in this Branch. We would like to thank all the participants in these events and we have found that they truly live by the creed - "The way to help the most". Yours truly, J.J. McLaughlin. Manager. To the Editor: Last Friday was Remembrance Remembrance Day. It was the 11th of November, the day on which, at 11 a.m., the armistice armistice agreement was signed to end the First World War. It is the day and the time which people from a groat number of countries of the world stop whatever they arc doing, doing, remove their hats and remain silent for two minutes minutes while thoughts and memories go through their minds; thoughts of friends, brothers, sisters, fathers and grandfathers who died in the First, Second or Korean War. It is the day of the year that I clearly remember from schooldays in northern Saskatchewan over 50 years rum whnn ns f.hn hrmr nn- proached, teachers stopped our classes and sent us traipsing down the steps and out into the yard, regardless of wind or weather, to stand in a circle around the flagpole. flagpole. With heads bowed, we would listen to the whipping of the flag-pole against the tall, wooden pole and hear the loud snapping of the Union Union Jack in its position at half mast. We all knew why we were there. We were keenly aware of the loss that our own country had suffered; the young men and women who had not returned, and the debt that we owed to their memory. As children do now, we memorized the immortal verses of John McCrae, speaking eloquently from his resting place in Flanders Fields. Many of us who stood in that schoolyard were not to come back from the Second World War. Their names and others like them are inscribed in stone on cenotaphs in central courts and town squares of communities from coast to coast in Canada as are countless others in cities and towns all over the world. Last Friday morning I went to the cenotaph in Bowmanville. I was one of about 10 or 12 local people who were there at 11 a.m. to pay respect to the dead. There were wreaths neatly placed around the base of the monument. A group of children from one of the local local kindergartens had been brought by their teachers to be told the meaning of the date and the hour. At the appointed appointed hour those who were there doffed their headgear to stand in silence for the traditional two minutes. minutes. The ropes flapped against the poles,and the flags, flying high at the top, snapped sharply in the breeze. When the interval was over, wo each stood alone, saddened not only by our memories, but by the fact that at this time of times, while all the world was paying paying tribute, here in Bowmanville Bowmanville the sound of the Last Post was not to be hoard. That had been relegated to a memorial service held on some other, more convenient convenient date. Les Jones November 13th, 1988.