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V 2 The Canadian Statesman, Bowman ville, Wednesday, September 11.1991 Section Two Former Publishers Rev. W. R. Climie, 1854-1878 • M.A. James, 1878-1935 • George W. James, 1935-1957 Produced weekly by James Publishing Company Limited For 137 Years, Our First Concern Has Been Our Community Publisher - John M. James Assoc. Publisher - Richard A. James Plant Manager - Donald J. Bishop Ad. Manager - Brian G. Purdy Editor - Peter Parrott Production Rick Patterson, Julie Cashin-Oster, Laurens Kaldeway, Doug Lugtenburg, Sharon McMullen, Barb Patterson, Sean Pickard, Ralph Rozema, Jim Snoek, Vance Sutherland, Jim Tuuramo Advertising Laveme Morrison, Pat Patterson-Savage Editorial Brad Kelly, Lorraine Manfredo, Laura J. Richards Office Angela Luscher, Junia Carnegie, Grace MacGregor, Nancy Plcasancc, Marilyn Rutherford, Barb Schouten P.O. Box 190,62 King St. W., Bowmanville, Ontario, L1C 3K9 416-623-3303 Fax 416-623-6161 A New Look for An Old Friend Newspapers are more than the sum total of ink and paper. They are living, breathing, entities which seem to take on a life of their own. This means newspapers - much like people - have the capacity to grow and improve with changing times and a changing environments. And that's why, in this week's Statesman, you will see some major changes in the way we look. We have conducted some surveys -- both formally and informally -- in an attempt to better understand what our readers would like to see in their community newspaper. Based on that information, we have added some new features to The Statesman and we hope you enjoy enjoy them. We have also attempted to generally re-organize your newspaper in order to make it clearer to read and to ensure that the news and advertisements advertisements which affect your community get the visibility they deserve. deserve. You may have noticed that in the previous weeks we have advertised advertised our change in layout as "A New Look for an Old Friend." And we would remind you that while we are using the latest innovations in layout and typography to improve our product, the best things about The Statesman will remain unchanged. Since 1854, when the first editions of The Statesman rolled off a flatbed press, we have been this town's source of local news, information, information, and entertainment. We have been a part of this community for 137 years and our job is to keep neighbours informed about each other through good times and bad. These days, it seems.as though news is, almost by definition, something bad. Nobody has ever successfully successfully published a newspaper which focused only on good things that occur because life itself is not without its tragedies. Covering fires and accidents, confrontations, and controversies is part of our job. But we're glad to say that this is by no means the only thing we do. One of the great things about community newspapers is the fact that they cover something other than disasters and crises. And so, within our pages, you will also find plenty of examples of good people doing good things. For, you see, our coverage also chronicles the achievement of local students, athletes, environmentalists, environmentalists, businesspersons, farmers, artists, educators, politicians, community community leaders, and all the other folks who make up this town. Through our advertisers, you can learn about the latest products and prices. Through our classifieds, you can hunt down a bargain or turn into cash those odds and ends gathering dust in the basement. The Statesman Statesman is a reflection of the community it serves. And, although we may spruce up our pages a little, our objectives won't be changing. We will still be an independent community newspaper with a 137- year tradition of serving the area now known as the Town of Newcastle. Newcastle. No other publication can make that claim. Please keep in mind the fact that the job of improving this publication publication to meet the needs of the community does not end with the changes changes you see in today's edition. It's part of an ongoing process which will continue. We welcome your comments, your letters, your press releases, and your general participation in the process of providing this town with the information, news, and entertainment it needs. Since we are not part of somebody's far-flung publishing empire, we can readily respond respond to the feedback which we receive from our readership. And, based on that feedback, we'll be making additional improvements in the coming weeks and months. Consider this your invitation to join us in that process. BOWMANVILLE RECREATION MPLEX \ Llf FORMAT TWO LINE-UPS xi by Laura J. Richards y LETTERS TO THE EDITOR I spent part of my holiday holiday weekend looking at past issues of The Statesman Statesman and the backlog of dailies and weeklies that have been piling up at home. Every time my roommates roommates and I go to a different different place we always pick up the local paper to see what they are like. (This is what happens when you've got two journalists living in the same household.) household.) Almost all the local dailies remind me of the daily fish wrappers or cat litter liners back home. They all look so darn grey. Sometimes they lean towards too much color and that can be just as horrible as tod much grey! So I had a little fun while my laundry was chugging away in the washing machine in the basement. I cut The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail and several copies of other local local papers into lines of straight copy, headlines, boxes, advertisements, and fillers. I then started pasting the copy onto another sheet of a newspaper. Pretty primitive stuff, but it did the trick. I spent about four hours, between hanging clothes on the line ana putting clothes into the washer on my little project. project. The result- a two page proto-type of The Laval Drive Daily, named after my street. Sure, it looked a little rough around the edges. My fingertips were glued together, and my living room floor was a mess. But I had fun. When I looked at it, I began to think about the work that has gone into this week's new edition of The Canadian Statesman. Statesman. Each week, the news and sports are pumped out of our tiny newsroom into the slightly larger layout room where it is cut, waxed and pasted onto the non-repro blue layout sheets. (It might look easy, but there is a certain technique technique to it. I know. During During mÿ years at the St. Thomas University student student newspaper, The Aquinian, my diligent, masochistic friends, and I spent many hours working working with waxed pieces of paper and sharp knives. From there it is whisked away to the darkroom, shot, plated and then, sent into the press room. Each week, the miracle takes place and each week I am impressed with the miracle of our guys out back who handle tne press. I frequently look back to the times as a teenager when I realized that journalism journalism held a certain mystique for me. Having grown up in a household where journalism journalism was held in a high esteem, esteem, it just seemed right that I should go into one of the media. My Dad, who started out as an engineer, ended up as the Program Director Director at CFNB in Fredericton, Fredericton, New Brunswick. He spent 40 years in the business as he worked his way up from disc-jockey to the position he left about four years ago. He taugnt me that, to have a career, you must do something that you enjoy enjoy and is always a challenge. challenge. So, I have dabbled in television as a camera operator. operator. I have dabbled quite a bit in radio journalism journalism and with the technical technical end of radio. And then I studied print journalism. journalism. I think it is all great stuff. I have a love for media that has not been, and probably never will' be, wiped out. So when I have the opportunity opportunity to see changes happening in the paper I work for, I am tickled pink. I think the- changes at our paper are for the better. better. The paper will look different different to some people for a while. But, others will see the changes and say: "Now why didn't they do that before?" Another big change, besides the new look, is the idea of the reporters going out to get town folks' opinions for our We Asked/And You Said column. column. Many people don't want to stop to give an opinion, and that's okay. But if you do stop, please remember I didn't take shorthand in college. Nor can I take notes at superhuman speed. Hooper Responds to Bowmanville Boosters' Letter "Pressing Matters in One Small Town" by John E. James will return September 25th Dear Don: It was with disgust that I read your committee's letter to the local Editor in reference reference to my actions as a Councillor. Councillor. First of all, one would take from your letter that we only have freedom of speech if we agree with you and that, my N by Rick James friend, is not the case in this country. You and I have had à good number of telephone conversations conversations in the past 7 or 8 months in reference to the upcoming upcoming election. Some of these items which I accommodated accommodated you with were as follows, at your request: 1. a list of the Mayor's Campaign Donors 2. copies of motions of previous meetings 3. a list of the results of the last election etc., etc. As you know, Don, I also supported your committee with copies of correspon dence from Queen's Park in reference to the name change. In our discussions I advised advised you that the name change was an issue but also we have to take a look at the tax dollar and how it is being spent. If my memory serves me properly, you agreed and stated that as long as we had a leader at the top like we have, it will never change. It would appear to me, Don, that you are disturbed because I would not support Mrs. Cowman for Mayor but rather I would support Mrs. Hamre. My reason is simply this, I feel that Mrs. Hamre has the experience and knowledge to do the job in the interest of the taxpayer • and that is the person I could support. . In reference to my stand on Council, I have always made my decision based on my knowledge of the subject in the interest of the taxpayer and not because of what somebody asked or directed me to do. Don, my suggestion to you is this; start basing your decision for the better of the taxpayer and forget that the Mayor is your cousin. In closing, I would like to say this, you make reference to somebody running against me in the election. My comment comment to you, my friend, is that is why we have an election, election, it is called Democracy and in case you are not aware I have been advised by a member of your committee who that person will be, so you see it comes as no surprise. surprise. Finally, Don, I will mention mention a statement attributed to Mrs. Cowman, as follows: "Cowman said she welcomed Hamre as an election opponent." opponent." Don, I again say to you I have always been in favour of a name change and still am, but I also have to consider consider the tax dollar and your committee have never in three years ever mentioned the item. Yours truly, Ken Hooper P.S. We got the Town of Newcastle name some 17 years ago, so I ask you where have you been for all that time and how many times did you or any of your committee ever voice your concerns in all the years I wrote letters or attended as delegation at Council? m More than 10 years ago, about 300 of us stood in line at 5:30 in the morning to register for business courses like Taxation 100, Business Law 200 and Labour Relations Relations 101. With our name finally on the official class list, we left the registration hall and prepared to be educated. We entered the lecture hall and opened our blank notes, waiting for the sage words of university professors to lead us into the world of business. The expert approached approached the lcctcm and stared at the freshman audience. Without so much as a "good morning," he blurted out..."Why are you people here?" The roomful of puzzled puzzled faces looked back. He followed with, "By the time . you people graduate, all this legislation will have changed. You're wasting your time here." With that, he closed his notes and walked away. Never have truer words been spoken. Who could have predicted the G.S.T.? Ten years ago, Pay Equity and Employment Equity were unheard of. And would you have believed that some day Ontario would be led by an N.D.P. government? But the N.D.P. is in power, using a majority stranglehold stranglehold on a lot more titan just those 300 business students who hoped to make industry grow in Ontario. Bob Rac is proposing changes to the Labour Relations Act that will push industry so far south of the border, even a new government will be unable to gel it back. Proposed changes include... 1. Outlawing the use of management and non-union employees during a strike. In other words, the business must close during a strike. 2. Prohibiting employers from communicating with employees during contract talks without giving the union equal, in-plant time. . 3. Forcing employers to reveal information on profils, costs and future planning. • 4. Allowing unions to target a business for organizing without a request from employees. 5. Forcing employers of a targeted business to produce confidential employee information and allow them unlimited access to the work area for the purpose of recruitment. 6. If an employee grieves a dismissal, the employee will receive full pay until the grievance is settled, and even if the grievance is settled in the employer's favour, the pay does not have to be returned or refunded. 7. Permitting certification of employees if only 20% vole in favour of a union. That is one in five employees. In case nobody has noticed, there have not been very many new industries opening...and surviving...in Ontario. Ontario. With changes like those proposed above, investors will quickly scratch Ontario from tire list. Business is suffering and has been saddled with new burdens like the Employer Health Tax, and our favorite, a proposed payroll payroll tax to help fund employees of bankrupt companies. Would it not be more wise to create a labour relations climate that encouraged growth and survival of a business business and its employees rather than preparing policy for their demise? Something is terribly backward in our policy makers' minds. We arc constantly told by government leaders dial small business is the backbone of Ontario's prosperity. prosperity. Then why is Bob Rac proposing such sweeping changes that will break that backbone and force small business to seek medical attention south of the border? Why, because the N.D.P. is the party representing labour, labour, and naturally its policies will be aimed in this direction. direction. We only hope Dial Premier Rac and his M.P.P.s remember that although labour is their first interest, it is business that determines whether there will be any jobs left in Ontario. We started this column by lining up at 5:30 in tire morning with 300 other business students. Given the new set of rules for business in Ontario, we would be interested interested to know how many would line up today? m We Asked... How is the postal strike affecting you? ..And You. Said " 1 /; . i v isM ' •• • M.- u 4'v Bruce Bryant Bowmanville I don't even pay attention to it. Nancy Clements Bowmanville It is just a plain annoyance since I'm forced to take bills to companies. For me, it is not affecting me the same as it would a business person. I can't get the nursery school materials that I want. Lorna Davey Oshawa I live in Oshawa and work here. I'm not getting any more mail. At work we're using a lot more faxes and courier services. Reg Bowen Bowmanville It isn't affecting me. It ticks me off since I have bills in the mail and I like to pay them the day I get them. I get fed up with the number of strikes, People have to learn to be happy with what they've got. Next week's question: Should Federal Civil Servants be allowed to strike? m