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Letters to the Editor Section Two The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Wednesday, October 5,1994 3 No Wonder Welfare's an Issue Dear Sirs: I am writing in defence of single mothers who work with some assistance assistance from Social Services. After being separated for 3 years with two small children, no financial support from my ex husband I applied applied for some social assistance. This is wherein lies my problems: 1. I cannot afford to live without the assistance. 2. Constantly being burdened with overpayments, which have to be repaid. repaid. Government Should Be Ashamed After Mental Health Cuts Re: The $52 million cuts to the Ontario Psychiatric Hospitals System. The last twenty years or so have seen Ontario straggling to reform the manner in which psychiatric services are provided in our communities. Mental Health Reform has placed people together from different interests interests and backgrounds with one common common cause. To create a system of Quality Mental Health Services for the people of Ontario. A service that in the words of the last Government Report "Puts People First". The announced $52 million reduction reduction to the operating budgets of Ontario's Ontario's ten Psychiatric Hospitals is an ATTACK on services currently provided provided for the Mentally 111. The dollars removed from the budgets represent permanent service cuts to our communities. Money saved by this service reduction will, be returned to the provincial Treasury. Treasury. It will not be transferred to community-focused community-focused mental health services. services. That means serious trouble for those who find themselves in need of psychiatric support. Once again, Government betrays those who suffer from mental illness. They should be ashamed. Joan Gates, RN President O.P.SE.U. Local 331 Whitby Mental Health Centre Tel: (905) 435-3003 3. In home visits every six months (which means a day off work, if necessary). necessary). 4. Having to prove my children are actually attending school. 5. Proof of payment for rent, hydro, hydro, babysitting, heat, etc. every month. As I am . working and trying to make ends meet, but do need some help, I feel that the social service department department keeps harassing me to make sure I am not getting one more penny than necessary. Whereas mothers on MOTHER'S ALLOWANCE alone, with no job, remain on the system for their whole lives and are not harassed or made to make any attempt to find a job. (It has become their way of life). It makes one wonder if I would not be better off quitting my job and stay at home with my two children and collect Mother's Allowance totally. totally. Also, to add insult to injury my ex husband petitioned the court to have all his child support arrears erased, as he was fired from his job and is now on Welfare. This was granted "ARREARS "ARREARS ERASED, NO FUTURE CHILD SUPPORT AS LONG AS HE LIVED IN A ROOMING HOUSE AND IS ON WELFARE." Making the father off scott free from paying child support and definitely no incentive to get off Welfare. No wonder every election year, "WELFARE" is such an issue. It never never gets any better for the working person. person. Please don't print my name for obvious reasons. by Laura J. Richards Letter Writer Concerned Over Use of Pesticides Dear Editor: It's been lawnspraying time again, judging by the distinctive, unpleasant smell around so many of our neighbourhoods. neighbourhoods. I wonder how many people realize even Environment Canada has admitted, admitted, "Pesticides are poisons - otherwise, otherwise, they wouldn't work"? A pamphlet from the American Cancer Society which says right on its front cover: "WARNING: The use of pesticides may be hazardous to your health!" reveals that, "Most pesticides pesticides are associated with some risk to human health or the environment". It also states, "A National Cancer Institute Institute study indicated that children are as much as six times more likely to get childhood leukemia when pesticides pesticides are used in the home and garden". garden". An information sheet entitled "Lawn Care Pesticides and Safety: What You Should Know" from the Attorney General of New York State says: "Some of these (six named pesticides) pesticides) and other pesticides have already already been found to cause long-term health effects in laboratory animals or humans, including birth defects, gene mutations, nervous system damage damage or liver and kidney damage". In answer to the questions, "Are pesticides pesticides safe?", it replies "No one can give you that assurance". Personally, I'm inclined to agree with the comment in the Cancer Society's Society's pamphlet that, "The benefits of a healthy family and populace outweigh outweigh the cosmetic benefits of a picture picture perfect lawn". Isn't this just common sense? People are welcome to give me a call (985-3225) for copies of the materials materials I have quoted, or to hear about the CAP (Citizens for Alternatives to Pesticides) group in the Montreal area and its phenomenal efforts to educate educate citizens about pesticides. Janet Banting Phone: (905)985-3225. Friends of the Farewell The Friends of the Farewell Creek have been angered by- what believe to be a total disregard for the creeks and their water recharge areas areas in Courtice. In anticipation of future development development along creek valleys, the Friends have begun petitioning Clar- ington Council to care about the environment environment in Courtice. A couple of weeks ago, this reporter reporter talked to Libby Racansky, a Courtice resident and one of the driving forces behind the Friends of the Farewell. This Hancock Road resident is concerned that the building of medium medium density housing units along the tributaries and the Farewell and Black creeks themselves will cause problems in the future. "As it is, the Farewell is drying up," Libby noted. Its recharge area is in the area where medium-density housing is being planned. Libby said according to the Official Plan of Clarington, lots 3a, 3b, and 3c have been designated designated as growth areas in Courtice. For those of us who are not familiar familiar with the township lots, the area takes in the territory from Too- ley Road to Hancock, south of Pebblestone Pebblestone Road in Courtice. It is in this area that "there are underground pools, aquifers, springs and seepage zones," Libby said. Building on this area would be "building on a floodplain," she said. She says Frank Wu, Director of the Planning Department for Clarington, Clarington, has told Friends of the Farewell, Farewell, that the creek will eventually dry up. As it is now, "few residents have quality wells" in this northern area of Courtice, Libby said. Accordingly, Libby, her family and other residents want to know why council has not acted in a more responsible manner. They also want to know why the By-law Enforcement office has not been dealing with their complaints when more forested area is being cut and the land is left to erode. This is not how Libby and her family want Courtice to grow. She would like to see developers being responsible for how they treat the environment But her beef doesn't lay only with the developers. She wants area residents to be more thoughtful when they make changes to the property they own. A drive around Courtice shows that one creek is not apparently moving as it crosses under Hancock Road. It, in fact, looks like it is not moving at all. It appears as if it has been mixed with gelatin. Libby and her family and friends want councillors who represent them and own property in the area to wake up and smell the coffee. Documents the Friends of the Farewell have gathered from the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority and a number of other sources note that the recharge areas of the creeks should not be tampered tampered with. Libby said there are few areas left where there are forests like those that the first settlers saw when they came to Darlington Township 200 years ago. Libby added that, to save the creeks, "one has to save the entire area." A document from CLOCA recommends: recommends: "no building unless very careful planning" is put into place. While she is fearful for the creeks, their flood plains and recharge recharge areas, she also fears that abuse of them now will cause taxpayers taxpayers pain in the future. "Down the road there will be problems, and money will have to go from our taxes to fix them," she said. She does not think that has to happen in the future, but it will take planning now to ensure that tomorrow's tomorrow's tax dollars are not spent to fix the present-day mistakes. by Rick James "Time for a Curfew?" We are constantly receiving complaints at our office about the number of young people hanging around the downtown core at night. A recent caller was outraged when his tail-lights were smashed by a group of teenagers as he passed by the cenotaph on Temperance Street. Another person had two of his vehicles damaged extensively by vandals after exchanging words with several skateboarders who refused to move from the entrance to his driveway. It still amazes me that when I'm out at four in the morning on a fire or accident ; call, dozens of youngsters are roaming the ; streets. I first noticed it happening only on week-ends, but now, it occurs nightly. Even the students' return to school doesn't seem to havè made a significant change in the late night loitering problem. After receiving the latest complaint, I called Durham Regional Police to get its impression of the situation. After speaking with Acting Staff Sergeant Charles Leailch from 16 Division, it's easy to sec that the public's frustration with today's youth is tiny in comparison to the challenge challenge police officers face in their attempt to keep kids off the street at night. The bottom line...since the Young Offenders Act replaced the Juvenile Delinquents Act, the police arc virtually powerless to do anything until a crime has been committed. For example, Sergeant Leailch cited an instance when uniformed officers approached approached a group of youngsters late at night and told them to go home. The next day, the parents of the teens phoned police headquarters to complain that the officers had no right to question their children. Technically, the parents were right. In many people's minds, the easy solution solution would be to impose a curfew. But, enforcement enforcement of such imposed time restrictions restrictions would be next to impossible. Municipal legislation is being considered considered to address the problem, but again, enforcement enforcement will be difficult. No matter how many police cruisers are on patrol, they can't be everywhere 24 hours a day. It's also a terrible waste of resources for police police officers to be responsible for babysitting babysitting someone else's kids. The solution needs to come from parents parents who have to také responsibility for their children. They have to become involved involved and show some pride in the community. community. They have to take the time to ensure ensure their children are kept busy and interested interested in something other than wandering the streets at night looking for trouble. They also have to leach their children to respect other people's property, a value that has deteriorated drastically in the past few years. I remember a friend of mine was criticized criticized for having her daughter involved in dancing, figure skating and a host of other activities. When asked how could she afford afford the time, she said, "It's cheaper than drugs." Great answer. As for the police department's impression impression of a curfew...Sergeant Leailch thinks it's great. But, that curfew needs to start at home. "Income Splitting Idea" Here's an income splitting proposal that's probably wèll overdue. It's known as Bill C-256 and was introduced introduced on June 7, 1994 to compensate spouses working in the home and caring for pre-school children. This bill allows one spouse to split their income up to $25,000 with the other spouse who is managing managing the family home and caring for at least one dependent child who has not commenced full-time attendance at school. Although the tax reasons for such a proposal proposal are obvious, I was thinking more of the recognition and reward owing to the parents of very busy pre-schoolers. After spending the week-end doing that "parenting thing" with two-year-old Morgan "Hurricane" James, I'm surprised such a proposal wasn't passed years ago. Gceezzzz, she's busy. r** k>i "Rick...You're snoring" Snoring is one of the most annoying nocturnal distractions in any relationship. In England, a couple actually sued their neighbour for keeping them up at night with her snoring. The Noise Abatement Society said that the woman's snoring was "louder than the legal legal limit set for motorcycles." motorcycles." Snoring primarily affects people 35 or older, and more men than women. In the general population, 40% snore to some degree degree and 25% have serious snoring problems. problems. But, according to a doctor from Scarborough, "Today's new laser technology technology can completely cure snoring in 90% of cases." To understand how snoring occurs, Dr. Steven Cohen explains that during sleep, the muscles in the walls of the throat relax, allowing the walls to partially collapse. The tongue falls backward, causing the back end of the palate and the uvula to vibrate vibrate which creates the snoring sound. Using Dr. Cohen's technique, the laser is used to reconstruct the back of the palate and remove a portion of the uvula. By the end of the treatments, the snoring is either gone, or a hole has been burned through the back of your head. Sorry, I just had to add that. Case histories from Dr. Cohen's files have shown an assortment of experiments his patients have tried to eliminate snoring. snoring. For example, they've sewn tennis balls to the snorcr's pyjamas, worn head caps, chin straps, and electric shock devices devices to make the snorcr turn over or wake up. I'm just glad I never snore. Well, almost almost never.