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High Winds Blow Through Clarington n Bowmanvil High winds on Sunday reached a brief, blustery peak in mid-afternoon and blew a 20-minute path of destruction through Clarington. The Clarington Fire Department received four emergency calls between 3:14 p.m. and 3:35 p.m. about fallen trees, power lines down and even a vehicle blown into the ditch. . Shortly after 3 p.m. the winds started to intensify. A line of cedar trees knocked out hydro lines along Bloor Street in Darlington. Minutes later, a falling tree took out the power lines at 3022 Regional Road 20, leaving residents in the dark near Mosport. At 3:29 p.m. a car heading north on Regional Road 57 was blown off the road and crashed in a ditch. And at 3:35, the fire department responded to yet another call of wires down in the east end of Clarington. Residents in Starkville lost power shortly after 3 p.m., when a tree knocked out lines on Concession 5. Celebrate the spirit of Christmas this Friday. December 6th in downtown Bowmanville ' where the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and Moonlight Magic event begin around 7:00 f p - m - i: The entire downtown will be closed to traffic from 6 o'clock til midnight. "It will be a pedestrian environment," says Garth Gilpin of the Downtown Business Improvement |i Area. Special features of the evening include Christmas music throughout the downtown, provided courtesy of carollers and a handbell choir. There will also be horse-drawn wagon rides and a visit from Santa. Merchants will be offering Christmas refreshments and other treats throughout the night. See Story on Page 3 Clarington Community Newspaper Since 1854 A James Publishing Community Newspaper Wednesday, December 4, 1996 142nd Year Issue 49 700 + 50 G.S.T. = 750 MR Has Questions Over ITER by Laura J. Richards Staff Reporter Durham's MP says, contrary to popular belief, he isn't opposed to a fusion research station in Canada. However, he does want concrete concrete answers to questions surrounding surrounding the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project. The Darlington Nuclear Station and the Bruce nuclear power complex complex have both been touted as possible possible sites for the facility if Canada . decides it wants to become a host nation. The international project would cost an estimated $10 billion and could create 3,000 new jobs over a 30-year period. The ITER task force has been involved in lobbying both the provincial and federal governments governments to make a bid for for the project. It is from this task force that Shepherd needs'information. Shepherd says he's been asking the hard questions that no one seems to want to answer. Questions like: -, "What if you get the building up and all of sudden you don't have any partners? "When it's time to decommission decommission the project, who pays for it?" Shepherd knows there are solutions solutions to the questions, but the task force members need to examine Continued on page 2 Popular Polkaroo Polkaroo, the loveable star of The Polka Dot Door, was at Cullen Gardens Miniature Village on Saturday night, Nov. 30, for the;kick- ■; off of the Starlight Foundation Canada's fundraising campaign. The event was co-sponsored by Cullen Gardens and Q107. The Starlight Foundation grants special wishes of thousands of seriously ill children children each year and provides other special entertainment activities. Photo by Laura Richards Spring Start for Plaza? If all things go according to plans, the building of the anchor stores for the Clarington Place Plaza could begin next spring. Mark Reid, a representative of Mârkborough Properties, told members of Clarington's planning committee, the company has already spent close to $1 million in the past few weeks in contributions contributions to the Hwy. Two reconstruction reconstruction and work on the site. Clarington Place Plaza will be located on the southeast corner of Green Road and Hwy 2. Clarington's General Purpose & Administrative Committee members members were told by Reid that a grocery grocery store (No Frills) and Zellers will be the anchor stores to the plaza on the 22.24 acre corner lot. However, a representative of the Bowmanville Mall asked councillors councillors to take another look at a bylaw bylaw "allowing the staged construction construction and occupancy of the shopping shopping centre." Details of the by-law were outlined in a planning report. Anti-Nuke Group Wants Four Reactors Shut Down by Laura J. Richards Staff Reporter It's time to pull the plug at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station's oldest reactors, says the spokesperson for Durham Nuclear Awareness. Dave Martin told The Canadian Statesman last Friday, Nov. 29, "we're calling for an early shutdown shutdown of four reactors at Pickering's Station 'A.' "The oldest is 25 years old, having having been started in the early 1970's," said Martin. Martin explained that on Thursday, Nov. 28, he told the ?• ; 1 members of the Atomic Energy Control Board the reactors "are not qualified to withstand earthquake damage." "There's been a litany of problems problems at the Pickering site. There were several non-compliance issues, and 13 fires in 1995." He stated Pickering was also never forced to retro-fit for a second second emergency shut down system. "Pickering was the first nuclear station built in Canada, and the ACEB has never forced Ontario Hydro to retro-fit it," Martin said. Continued on Page 2 Lyn Townsend told the members members of the GP&A Committee the Bowmanville Mall would "like the food store (No Frills) and the retailer (Zellers) to be up and operating operating at the same time." Townsend noted the two separate separate malls/plazas -- one on the east side of Bowmanville and the other on the west -- would "create "create two separate main central areas to feed off each other." This would mean that, instead of shoppers taking their dollars out of the municipality, the money would stay here. Townsend asked that new wording be added, and some old wording be deleted from the proposed proposed by-law which would set the building into action. During a discussion period, Clarington Councillors decided to table the report until next week's council meeting to give planning staff, the solicitor, Markborough Properties and Bowmanville Mall representatives a chance to examine examine the new wording for the by-law as suggested by Townsend. % Job Bank Helps Students Plan Careers by Lorraine Manfredo Staff Reporter The Rotary Club has just wrapped up a four- year project aimed at making the transition from school to work easier for local students. Since 1992, when the idea of a Clarington- based job bank was first dreamed up by the club, a team of tireless Vocational Service Committee volunteers has been plugging away, gathering vital statistics from the local business community. The end result is MAX, a computerized career search program for youth. MAX is a unique compilation of 700 company company profiles and over 8,000 existing jobs with in Clarington. The program includes employer expectations as well as advancement prospects and academic requirements for all positions. The system is not a help wanted listing, Rotary members are quick to point out. MAX is a tool to help kids map out a scholastic direction direction that will lead to work. Ruth Sorely, from the Co-operative Education Department at Bowmanville High, says the new program will be used in conjunction conjunction with present guidance material so teens can maximize their career choices. MAX not only provides information about traditional jobs, she said, but it also indicates futuristic and specialized occupations within local industries that students may not have considered, considered, or even known about. It will also convince students to remain in school, she predicted. Superintendent of Schools with the Northumberland Clarington Board of Education, Chuck Kennedy, predicts MAX will prove useful as the education system undergoes major reform. Kennedy said schools may be expected to follow through on provincial recommendations requiring all students to have work experience or co-operative education experience in order to qualify for their diplomas. Continued on Page 3 STILL THE.FLYING DUTCHMAN -- An article in our sister publication, The Independent, on the weekend stated that the Flying Dutchman Hotel is under new- ownership and that the name will be changed. The new owners do plan to introduce a new name, but not immediately. For the short-term, it will continue to be known as The Flying Dutchman. The name change will come later in the new year, in connection with the completion of planned renovations renovations both inside and out. STATESMAN TOY DRIVE -- It's the season for giving. And, once again, The Canadian Statesman and Clarington/Courtice Independent are inviting our readers to bring in a new, unwrapped toy for our Toy Drive. The toys will be turned over to the local Salvation Army for distribution in the community at Christmas. Drunk Driving Blitz Continues Until January 5th by Jennifer Herr Staff Reporter 'Tis the season to nab impaired drivers. Durham Regional Police started the holiday holiday Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (R.I.D.E.) program last Friday, introducing a special team of seven officers who will be running Christmas spot checks across the region. They will continue until January 5. According to Sgt. Rick Bates, Christmas is the most likely time of year for incidences of drinking and driving to increase. "It's the time of year that more people who don't normally drink are celebrating the festive season, and we know there are other people who may be tempted to drink and drive more than at any other time of year. That's why you see the increased efforts during the Christmas season," he said in an interview outside Police Headquarters in Oshawa last Thursday. Officers will be distributing 'Passport to R.I.D.E.' coupon books to sober drivers when they are stopped. Proceeds from the coupon book will go to the youngsters at Variety Club. Sgt. Bates says new legislation that came into effect November 28 will help stop impaired driving. The legislation allows for an immediate 90 day licence suspension for drivers having over 80 mgs of alcohol in their bloodstream, or'for those who refuse a breathalizer test. The suspension will begin Police Constable Rob Moore checks cars daring the opening of the Durham Regional Police annual Holiday R.I.D.E. program last Thursday at Police Headquarters in Oshawa. before the individual even has his or her day in court, and is separate from any other suspension suspension the individual receives upon conviction. conviction. "Somebody's going to lose their license for 90 days from the minute they get arrested arrested now, and that's going to convince people that it's pretty serious," Sgt. Bates says. Although there's been a drop in the number number of drinking and driving accidents, Sgt. Bates says it's still a problem. "We know that we've had less drinking and driving fatalities this year, but no matter how we look at it, there are still too many accidents that are caused by drinking drivers," drivers," he says. Over 700 people were arrested and charged with drinking driving offences in Durham Region in 1995, and 10 people were killed in accidents involving alcohol. So far this year, the numbers are a little better, better, with four impaired drivers involved in fatal collisions. Last year, police checked almost 30,000 cars during the holiday R.I.D.E. program, resulting in the arrest of 57 impaired drivers. Bring your donation to our office at 62 King St. W., in Bowmanville, and in return we'll give you a free, three-month subscription subscription to The Canadian Statesman. SENIORS' CHRISTMAS LIGHT TOUR -- The Bowmanville Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs will sponsor the annual tour of Christmas lights for seniors this Sunday, December 8th. Buses leave Trinity United Church at six p.m. Those wishing to go and who are in need of transportation to the bus should call McGregor Drugs at 623-5792 or Wayne Hodge at 623-5258. Home owners with Christmas lights installed are requested to turn on their lights Sunday evening so that the seniors can enjoy them. NEED A BIG CHRISTMAS TREE? -- The Visual Arts Centre has a nine-foot tree available to the public in return lor a donation. The tree was given to the VAC for its Yuletide festivities. Last year, the Centre's big tree was purchased by Paul Morris at Morris Funeral Chapel with a $100 bid. He then donated it to the Salvation Army, where it was used as a Christmas fund-raiser to help purchase purchase turkeys for needy families. Perhaps a similar spirit of generosity generosity exists this year. If you need a big tree for a home, business or organization, call the Visual Arts Centre and place a bid on then- tree. The phone number is 623-5831. The fax number is 623-0276. CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS BAZAAR -- The annual pre Christmas bazaar at Knox Christian School is quite likely the largest event of its kind in Clarington and possibly the Durham Region. It is set for this Saturday, December 7th, in the gymnasium and classrooms of Knox Christian School on Scugog Rd. It includes crafts, baked goods, games for the children and an auction later in the day. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. For details, see the advertisement advertisement inside this edition. WORKSHOP SEEKS ACTORS -- Auditions for the Bowmanville Drama Workshop's upcoming comedy called "All in the Timing" will be held Thursday, December 5th, at the Bowmanville High School Auditorium. They begin at seven p.m. The Stork Market Report Vv Harris - It's a Boy! Wells - It's a Girl! Wilson - It's a Girl! 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