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2 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanvillc, Wednesday, February 9,1994 Section Two Editor - Peter Parrott 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 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 Production Rick Patterson, Ross Fisher, Laurens Kaldcway, Doug Lugtenburg, Sharon McMullen, Barb Patterson, Ralph Rozema, Jim Snoek, Vance Sutherland, Jim Tuuramo Advertising Laveme Morrison Editorial Brad Kelly, Lorraine Manfredo, Laura J. Richards Office CCNA PAID Angela Luscher, Junia Hodge, Grace McGregor, Nancy Pleasance-Sturman, Marilyn Rutherford P.O. Box 190,62 King St. W., Bowmanville, Ontario, L1C 3K9 905-623-3303 Fax 905-623-6161 Deep Freeze for 0MB Hearing The Ontario Municipal Board hearing into the proposed 200,000 square foot shopping plaza belonged in Bowmanville. The outcome of the OMB proceedings will shape the future of this town. And the hearing ought to have been held here so that local individuals had the opportunity to attend the proceedings. Input from citizens can play a part in hearings such as this one. Now, anybody who wants to speak for or against the plaza will have to drive to Whitby and back. And why was the hearing moved? Apparently it was all because of a lack of heat in the municipal council chambers at the Town Hall in Bowmanville. Why was it that nobody foresaw the heating problem prior to the OMB proceedings? Why could the municipality of Clarington not have arranged for an alternative location within the town? We have no shortage of public meeting space. There is, for example, the Baseline Community Centre, the Lions Centre, the old council chambers in the fire hall building, the Bowmanville Recreation Complex, the Newcastle Village Community Hall, and probably several other spaces suitable for public hearings that remain unoccupied during the daytime. Or, for that matter, what would be wrong with bringing in portable heaters until the weather warmed up or the problem could be corrected? Surely if other rooms of the Town Hall lacked heat, the municipality would not solve the problem by sending everyone to a new location 20 miles out of town. Tough Call on Cigarettes Most pundits are expecting the federal government to announce a steep reduction in cigarette taxes, so that smuggling can be curtailed. The reasoning behind the cutback goes something like this: Cigarettes are expensive, mainly because of the taxes imposed on this product Smugglers can only make big profits if taxes are high and they can smuggle untaxed tobacco products into Canada from the United States. So, one might think that by removing some of the taxes on cigarettes, the profit margins from smuggling will be reduced and most smuggling will stop. Health groups "are generally against the plan because they fear that lower-priced cigarettes will encourage more people to smoke. Or, in the case of young persons, there is the belief that a reduction in the price of cigarettes will encourage teens and children to take up the habit. This strikes us as one of those no-win situations in which legislators frequently find themselves. It boils down to a question of whether the greatest harm caused by tobacco is the danger to health or the danger to law and order posed by smuggling. Or is there another danger to the federal government coffers caused by lost revenue? There are no clear-cut answers. For example, there is no proof that cheaper cigarette prices will cause more people to start smoking. Youngsters quite often start because of peer pressure. It is unlikely that they do a cost analysis before purchasing cigarettes; they smoke them because their friends do. Low prices alone won't prompt them to start, especially in view of the ongoing campaign to make certain that young people understand the danger of smoking. / j For years we have had high-priced cigarettes and people have continued to pay the price because cigarettes tend to be an addiction. Smokers will pay whatever it costs. If higher cigarette prices could stop smoking, the habit would have been eradicated a decade ago. Also, the fact remains that smuggling has become so widespread that the cigarette prices have effectively been reduced already. Only perfectly honest smokers are paying all the taxes on legal cigarettes. And, increasingly, they are in a minority. So, if the federal government does nothing whatsoever, the public still has access to cheap cigarettes. And, if cheap cigarettes mean a greater health risk, that risk is already here -- with or without reduced taxes. |ti nice io jV a. It -ikf j$ qooÙ (hr after alW by Laura J. Richards News Item: Council chambers too cold for Ontario Municipal Board hearing. Lawyers debating the fate of a proposed plaza in West Bowmanville try to beat the chill. Letter to the Editor Dear Madam Mayor: Your response to my letter of December December 8th, 1993 requesting a copy of the specific action plan of our new Economic Development Officer, included included surprisingly little information. I find it impossible to comprehend the hiring of a Senior Manager to help local business succeed, without of Plan of Action The government is, no doubt, hoping that lower taxes will merely end the a strategic plan of action. Your re illegal cigarette trade without changing Canadians' smoking habits. The sponse stating "I believe that Mr. eradication of smoking will depend on the efforts of ongoing education and Letts comes to us with a plan of ac- : " . ° r lion is an insult to my request for information campaigns. . ,, specific information and leads me to But, if you are in the shoes of those who oppose cigarettes, you would b £ lieve is nop i an ! shudder at the idea of making a dangerous product more affordable. As taxpayers, we have a right to For federal legislators, it will be a very tough call. know what specific action will be taken by this office to aid in the development development of existing businesses in Doymtown Bowmanville. If Mr. Letts spends his one year contract simply as research assistant, Down- ; town Bowmanville will very likely become "Ghosttown Bowmanville." What is Mr. Lett's ancillary budget, budget, with what allocations, and what will he do for our friends, neighbours and taxpayers who operate Businesses Businesses downtown? This issue will not go ■ away until we get the answers to these questions, upon which we can evaluate the merits of this position and its continued existence. Thank you very much for your help with this matter. I anticipate a much more specific response the second second time around. Sincerely, Eugene Dupuis Bowmanville P.S. If you are looking for a place to start, the revitalization of Downtown Downtown appears to qualify for Infrastructure Infrastructure funding. Builders Upset by Bid Process by Rick James With the invention of the TV remote control came a new problem for maintaining peace In the household. I'm sure everyone is familiar with the late 20th century plague known as Chronic Channel Changing. The remote control is a staple of life for couch potatoes, and in the wrong hands it can be an instrument instrument of death. With more specialty channels coming on stream, the Chronic Channel Changer will have to run through the dozens of choices éven faster during commercials to be able to return return to the show being viewed without missing a single frame. But with every piece of new technology comes a piece of counter-technology. When radar detectors detectors were invented, police departments were quick to implement radar detector detectors. In response response to that, speedy drivers started using radar detector detector detectors. And so on... Using that philosophy, a company from the U.S. has created a device called "Stop It." It resembles resembles a remote control, but instead of changing channels, when fired at the TV remote control, It temporarily zaps the circuitry of the channel changer. Sort of like an electronic version of Clint Eastwood's .357 magnum. Go ahead, make my day. Just picture It, sitting in your living room pointing pointing remote controls at each other blasting family members with your Star Trek phaser set on stun. How long before one of these devices goes flying across the room in an attempt to really immobilize a Chronic Channel Changer? Maybo daughter Morgan had the right Idea. Take all the remote controls and hide them. It might bo a lot safer for those of us guilty of chronic channel changing. For those In any type of business, It's very Important Important to have an accountant who Is creative, yet stays within the limits of the law. Juggling is a prerequisite, prerequisite, which Is why wo only hire bean counters who liavo spent lime working the sideshow at the circus. To bo really good, an accountant has to bo resourceful, resourceful, Innovative, and a little bit devious. Which brings us to the story of Andrew Chan. Andrew came to Canada from Hong Kong in the mid-seventies, unable to speak a word of English. He was determined to stay in Canada, but had some trouble mastering tne language. After several months, his student visa was nearing expiration, and unless he was able to convince the government that he could speak one of Canada's two official languages, he'd be on the first junk back to China. In a desperate attempt to stay, Andrew went to a university professor and asked for help. The professor agreed and offered his support if Andrew could read a book and present a report in English. The book could be Andrew's choice, and the two agreed on a report of Edgar Snow's "Red Star Over China." Here's why he looks after our books. Knowing full well that he would never be ready In time, Andrew jumped on the first bus to Toronto. Specifically...Chinatown. There he entered entered a specialty book store and purchased "Red Star Over China," the Chinese version. The book was read, from left to right, and right to left. Because of an alleged shortage of of time, the report was presented orally. The professor bought in to the story, and Andrew made Canada his new home, Yep, all the qualifications to be a great accountant. accountant. Now, if I could Just get him to use a calculator instead of that darn abacus. The Hon, Mayor Diane Hamrc Municipality of Clarington 40 Temperance Street Bowmanville, Ontario L1C3A6 : Dear Mayor Hamre, I am writing to you on behalf of i our member companies that did not prequalify on the Clarington Fire Department Department Headquarters project. It is my understanding that no local local Contractors prequalificd for this • project. I am a little confused as to the selection process that was used. It is hard for me to comprehend that local local contractors did not prequalify on [0 And finally...did you see the Kurt Browning special on Sunday night, which featured a figure skating Interpretation of Gene Kelly's "Slngln 1 In the Rain." It was extremely entertaining and must have cost a fortune to re-create the Broadway sot with an Ice surface. Kurt mentioned that his skating style has often been compared to Gone Kelly's graceful dance steps. In a weak attempt at tonguo-ln-chook humour, humour, I said to wife Kim, "Isn't that strange, my dancing has often been compared to Gone Kelly, tool" She fired back with, "You must have boon sitting sitting down at the time." That's It, no mercy. Where's my remote control killer? m a local project. I am quite sure that if there arc no local General Contractors to bid on the above project, there will be no local local sub trades on the project as well. I would very much like to discuss with someone, the process that took place when a list of prequalified General General Contractors was chosen. What is hard for me to understand, is that there is not even one local Contractor that prequalified to bid on the Fire Station, a project that is funded by the tax payers of the Durham Region. Regards, Durham Construction Association Kevin Cahill, President A bone to pick On Saturday night, on the way home from Toronto, two friends and I got stuck in the worst bumper-to- bumper traffic I have ever seen. The reason was a collision near Lakcridge Road, on Hwy. 401. We were just past Harwood Ave when we stopped for what was to become become a two-hour break. During this time, we listened to the all-news station for continual updates. In the news clip about the traffic jam, the reporter stated the Durham Regional Police were positioned at Harwood Ave. to redirect drivers. Ha! When we drove by Harwood, there was a cmiser at the side of the road. That was it. No blinking signs, no blinking top lights on the cruiser. It was just sitting there. I immediately thought that was strange and mentioned it to the driver. . Then we hit a river of red tail lights. . . When one minute stretched into five, then 10 minutes, then 15 minutes, minutes, we decided it was time to find out what was going on. It is always better to know than to be completely left in the dark. Now this kind of traffic jam is different different from others. We noticed there were a lot of people walking up and down between the rows of traffic, trying trying to find out what was going on. However, the stretch between Harwood Harwood Road in Ajax and Brock Road in Whitby is one of the longest stretches in our area without an off ramp in between. So, the walkers did not reach the collision location, The three of us got to know each other a little better during the delay. When the traffic started moving again around 2 a.m., we travelled by the . crash scene. Being the worrier I am, when I saw a vehicle like that of a another friend who was part of the group of folks who had gotten togeth- .cr on Saturday night, I took a double look.,, ,. I found out soon enough that I didn't need to worry about her. She and the others caipooling out from the city were behind us. To the Durham Regional Police, I would suggest there has to be a way to actually close down the highway when needed. Especially on times like Saturday night. A cruiser sitting on the side of the road, without its warning lights blinking, blinking, is not enough. Louise Breaugh A woman of strength, full of teasing teasing and laughter, died last week. A phone call at 6 o'clock on Thursday morning told me Louise was finally without pain in her life. While I walked around like a zombie zombie Thursday, I kept thinking about the first time I met Louise. It was Christmas of 1989. Before I had even really introduced myself to her, she was teasing me about going to the journalism course in Woodstock, New Brunswick. While she did not put down my ambitions, ambitions, she did a lot of wondering out loud about the government that put the program out in the boonies. (Frankly, I had often wondered that myself.) Louise was full of fun, had a wonky sense of humor, and made people people laugh. She will be missed. We Asked... Do you have any advice for the new federal government as they plan for their first budget? .. .And You Said Chuck Cattran Bowmanvillc Barry Tellford Bowmanville Ruby Weston Hampton Beth Hamblin Bowmanville "Cut down on their "Cutting the cigarette "Get big businesses "Welfare recipients expenses; there's too j ax j s a bad idea; we and wealthy people to could work for their much duplication of nccc t the revenue. And pay their fair share of benefits if they arc g?™™ 1 ™ n scrv, , c - wo need a fair replace- the taxes." able." cs. And tell them to ., .. nova act on the Auditor men * f° r GST. General's Report." ext week's question: Is lowering tin- cigarette tax a good idea? m