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1 2 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Wednesday, February 24,1993 Section Two For 139 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, Ross Fisher, Laurens Kaldeway, Doug Lugtenburg, Sharon McMullen, Barb Patterson, Ralph Rozema, Jim Snoek, Vance Sutherland, Jim Tuuramo Advertising Laverne Morrison • Editorial Brad Kelly, Lorraine Manfredo, Laura J. Richards Former Publishers P " D office Rev. W. R. Climie, 1854-1878 • M.A. James, 1878-1935 • George W. James, 1935-1957 Angela Luscher, Junia Carnegie, Grace McGregor, Nancy Pleasance, Marilyn Rutherford, Barb Schouten Produced weekly by James Publishing Company Limited p.o. Box 190,62 King St. W., Bowmanville, Ontario, L1C 3K9 416-623-3303 Fax 416-623-6161 More Taxation Highway 407, if it ever gets built in the Durham Region, will apparently operate as a toll route. The provincial government has announced that Highway 407 will be constructed between parts oi York and Peel Regions by the year 2000. And it was also noted that the highway will be funded by tolls. It's an odd notion that a government which prides itself on equal opportunity for everyone should decide that this stretch of highway is to be open only to those who can afford the fee. But, even more disturbing is the fact that the government is currently too short of cash to build the new superhighway in the same way that such roads were developed in the past. If you are like most Canadians, you arc already paying close to half your income in various forms of tax. But all dial taxation still isn't enough. Now, it would seem, that major new highways will have to be financed through tolls. And tolls arc, in reality, just another form of taxation. Cynics might wonder how, much longer it will be before governments realize that existing. highways can also be used to generate revenue. Will we, for example, eventually see tollgates on Highway 401 or the QEW? And will there be added fees for other government services? Will patients have to pay a small fee every time they visit a doctor or hospital? Will parents have to pay an additional user charger each year they send a child to one of our schools? If we sec tolls imposed on provincial roads, it would only be reasonable to expect that there will be reductions in tax rates because it will no longer be necessary to fund roads directly from government coffers. But, don't count on such a thing ever happening. Competing Views If you want to sec just how difficult it is to provide a community with effective local government, take a look at a recent survey from citizens who commented to the town's planning department on the topic of what sort of development they would like to sec in the future. The problem is that there are just so many competing views out there. And how can a government of any sort -- local, provincial or federal -- possibly address those divergent and sometimes contradictory interests? In the best traditions of democratic procedure, Newcastle's planning department is trying to get a reading on how the public wants the municipality to develop and grow. It's an exercise conducted in an honest attempt to understand the views of the grassroots citizens before putting into place planning regulations. After all, why not ask the people what they want? Unfortunately, there is not always a single, clear answer. Citizens speak, not with a single voice, but with the clamor of hundreds, if not thousands, of different voices with different views. Here is just a sample of some of the recommendations made by about 500 members of die public during four separate public meetings held late last year to try and gauge public opinion on planning matters. For instance, one comment suggests that more employment should be brought to the area to contribute to the tax base. Yet, another comment suggests that the Town of Newcastle should not become part of the Greater Toronto Area because of lire problems generated by rapid growth. Some citizens suggest that there should be improved parkland facilities along the Bowmanville waterfront, while another comment advised Town Council to preserve waterfront lands for the growing of specialty crops because the waterfront area has an ideal microclimate for certain plants. Some citizens see the need for more museums and libraries and culture or arts facilities. Others want to sec a public transit system. Yet, on the oilier hand, there was the predictable view that "taxes arc loo high!" In other words, citizens arc requesting more and more services, based on less and less money. It's a familiar problem. And one that no amount of planning surveys can entirely solve. The surveys can determine what citizens expect of their government. But, delivering on those expectations is another matter. Letter to the Editor Crombie to Address Meeting Dear Sirs: Wc would appreciate it if you could provide some publicity for our March meeting, as outlined below. The Canadian Federation of University University Women, Oshawa and District, has invited David Crombie to speak at our March 19th meeting. Mr. Crombie is presently Commissioner of the Waterfront Waterfront Regenerative Trust, and agen cy of the provincial government estab- at 8;00 p m mec ting will be held lished to implement the ; n q, c auditorium of the McLaughlin recommendations of the Royal Com- p ubl ; c Library, 65 Bagot St., Oshawa. mission on the Future of the Water- ...... „ front. These recommendations will af- , If y° u , w ' sh feet economic and environmental please contact me at 723-3590, or 11 development along the Lake Ontario our president, Monica Lancaster, at 71 Flesherton School to Hold 25th Anniversary From June18th-20th Dear Editor: Grey Highlands Secondary School In Flesherton, Ontario is celebrating its 25th anniversary on the weekend of June 18th, 19th and 20th of 1993. Activities begin with a pub night on Friday June 18th followed by an open house on Saturday June 19lh. It concludes concludes with a Praise Service on Sunday Sunday afternoon. For further details, please contact Ron Pcgg, Box 213, Flesherton, Ontario, Ontario, N0C 1E0 (519-924-3538). Yours truly, Ron Pegg, waterfront from Burlington to the mouth of the Trent. The general public is cordially welcomed welcomed to attend;. Mr. Crombie's address will begin 576-5861. Thank you for your consideration.- Yours truly, Lyndy Kolodzie Publicity Officer Prevention Versus Promotion by Rick James "Politically correct." Two dangerous words that arc rapidly destroying productivity and common common sense for the sake of satisfying'vocal special interest groups Last week, I was interviewed by a woman who was writing a feature on small finns coping in today's today's tough economy. After the usual courtesies cause of my abilities, not because I'm a woman." I've never possessed a "poker face" and it was obvious that her answer caught me off guard. She went on to say that in her interviews, many employers employers arc blaming employment equity as one of the biggest reasons for lost productivity and poor morale. Workers arc being displaced, or not even To the Editor: I was veiy interested in the article regarding the Aids Committee of Durham, Durham, as I obtained from that same clinic on Simcoe St., North in Oshawa, two fee gay magazines. The one titled "Xtra," (Aug. 12) invites homosexuals to a "best buns contest" at a local Gay Bar in Toronto. The ad showed a totally nude male, bent over at the waist, exposing his "buns." My question is this: What has this got to do with Aids Prevention? It looks more like Aids Promotion to me, as rectal sex is the most effective way to spread the HIV vims. To date, 93 per cent of those who have died of Aids in Toronto were homosexual homosexual men. Why then, would an organization which is supposedly concerned concerned with the prevention and control of Aids hand out free Gay Magazines that advertise what bars to go to, where to find the "hottest" men and room rates by the hour. ! Perhaps the Aids Committee of Durham is actually keeping itself in business. S.G.Hillis Oshawa, Ontario 40th Anniversary Dear Sir!Madam: This year, 1993, marks Brock District District High School's 40th anniversary. To celebrate this milestone, a reunion is planned. Wc arc trying to contact as many former students/graduates as possible. Would you please include the following following information in your "Upcoming "Upcoming Events" calendar: - Brock District High School (Can- nington, Ontario) celebrating 40 years. - Reunion will be held May 15th and 16th, 1993. - for more information, call Brock District High School 705-432-2311. Thank you for your assistance! Yours truly, Mrs, Jane Davidson (Advertising Committee) Canada Post Let's face facts. We all grumble about our favorite federally-owned crown corporation every so often. Take me, for instance. There have been times that I have wanted to wring a scrawny neck or two over the price of stamps rising. I can remember mailing letters for 17 cents each way- back-when. As the cost of stamps increased, I started writing fewer letters. Sure, I know that stamps cost less than a phone call. But, it's the principle of the thing. Two weeks before Christmas, my father put an envelope into the mailbox mailbox back home in Fredericton for me. The envelope contained a Christmas Christmas card and two gift certificates from my favorite clothing store. I am still waiting for it. My dad has had to notify the store from which the gift certificates came and they, in turn, have had to put a stop payment on them. To do so, they have had to contact all their stores within the chain. When police found oodles of mail in a Pickering home back in January, I had hoped my envelope would somehow somehow show up. However, that has not been the case. This is not the first time I have had problems with Canada Post. The second Christmas after my Grandmother Furlought. died, I received received a squashed film canister from Canada Post that contained the last photos taken of her. The canister, which had been mailed to a photo developer developer in Halifax, Nova Scotia, had to be traced. When I finally received the smashed canister and film container, container, Canada Post wrote to tell me lit would refund the cost of the film. ; Big deal! * It wasn't the money that was important important to me. The last photos of my Grandmother were. I'm not the only one who has an axe to grind with the post office. An acquaintance of mine has hadia problem with Canada Post recently. She owns a small business in rural Ontario and decided to send flyers out through the mail for complete coverage. coverage. Before, she and her husband plus.a gang of teenagers, would walk the flyers flyers around their area neighborhoods and stuff them between doors and in(o mail boxes. J She had thought going through Canada Post would take some of the work out of the job. Alas, though, that was not the casf. She has figured out that she has lost not only most of her flyers, but also business because someone fouled up. Not all of the flyers were delivered. ; Someone had found bundles of the flyers between his home and his neighbor's house. J Canada Post is willing to pay her for the cost of the flyers, but nothing else. ; Some people, when they talk about Canada Post, do a lot of complaining. I must admit I do, but not all the timci I remember when I was a teenager and had several penpals in Asia. Their mail always got to me in two weeks no matter if it went by surface or air. <• I even received mail without stamps from my friends in Malaysia {• - and that's pretty amazing! > Continued on Pages JÜ1 VIII 1 » |\/HUI « W W U11V/111 I I • »»»»*• ---- -- - e - , « | . were exchanged, wc sat down to talk turkey and given an opportunity to be interviewed, because address some of the issues that arc making it diffi- they arc white males. cult to keep die red ink off the balance sltccl. "An even greater problem awaits us some- Wc talked about computers, tltc environment, where in the future, site said. When enough vis- the government, and, of course, the weather. Tltc iblc minorities have been lured to meet equity interview was going quite well, or so I thought, guidelines, how will the government ever'remove until site popped tltc big question, "What is your tltc legislation to allow while males to be lured • • • -- • --"- *- ,7" again without creating riots among the vocal vist- company doing about Employment Equity?" My immediate reaction was to think "politically "politically correct" and say what I thought she wauled to hear. But, I didn't. My brain quickly jumped the tracks and a list of options appeared before me. I could... A: Lie like Pinocchio. B: Pretend I didn't hear her. C: Puslt the secret button on my desk that signals our receptionist to call me to tltc front office, or... D: Tell the truth. Just like little George Washington, I could not tell a lie. "At the risk of offending you, 1 am not a supporter supporter of the concept of mandatory employment equity," I muttered in the hope she might move on to the next question. "Why would that he?" she asked. "Because, 1 believe an applicant lor any position position should be judged by ability alone, not skin colour or gender." I sat and waited for the response response and the usual lecture that accompanies anything Unit is not "politically correct." "I couldn't agree more," she said. "1 little this government attitude that makes it sound like women are disadvantaged ami need a helping hand lo compete with men, I want to he hired he- tgti blc minorities? Can you imagine someone Dudley Laws agreeing to such a change?" She handed me a newspaper clipping citing a report from the respected Fraser Institute which states, "Affirmative action or employment equity should mean equal access to a new job for everyone. everyone. And in tltc end, the person with the best qualifications qualifications suited for the job, should gel the job. The notion that historic discrimination can he righted with new discrimination is nonsense. In the end, you only make more animosity between groups. You don't solve anything." It was refreshing to talk to someone who agrees witli my views about the damaging effects of policies like employment equity. The Kitchener Kitchener and Toronto Fire Departments have turned hiring hiring practices Into a "politically correct" charade that benefits nobody. On a bright note, the prestigious Royal Canadian Canadian Mounted Police have reversed their earlier decision decision lo only accept applications from visible minorities. minorities. Effective April 1st, the Mounlies will permit all candidates, regardless of race, (Usability or gender, to write a standardized qualification test. Apparently, the old guidelines made il very difficult difficult for the Motilities lo "always get their man," We Asked-- 1 Do you think that McDonalds should locate a restaurant in Bowmanville? .. .And You Said Hank Vandorp Enniskillen Bill Wensink Bowmanville Ev Greengrass Bowmanville "Sure. It would be "I don't really care. It "Sure if they could hire convenient on a might be good." Friday night instead of going to Oshawa for everything. However, a Wendy s or Arby's would have food that is easier to digest." Justin Archambault Bowmanville a lot of students as the «Ycs. I definitely think town is lacking jobs for there should be a them." McDonald's close lo my house." \rxl nirl ■■ 11m--Inhi I >o \ im tlunk |'.u kmv, i 1 - ,i pinhlvm .it I low m.nn illc I liyji l n huul.'