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4 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Monday, December 30,1996 ®Ije Canabtan Statesman Former Publishers and Partners Rev. John M. Climie and W. R. Climie 1854 -1878 M. A. James, 1878 -1935 • Norman S. B. James, 1919 -1929 G. Elena James, 1929 -1947 • Dr. George W. James, 1919 -1957 Produced weekly by James Publishing Company Limited P.O. Box 190,62 King St. W., Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3K9 905-623-3303 Internet - statesman@ocna.org Fax 905-623-6161 For 142 Years, Our First Concern Has Been Our Community Publisher - John M. James Assoc. Publisher - Rick James Plant Manager - Rick Patterson Ad. Manager - Brian G. Purdy Editor - Peter Parrott Production Supervisor - Ralph Rozema, Suzanne Bennett, Sharon Cole, Laurens Kaldeway, Doug Lugtenburg, Barb Patterson, Jim Snoek, Vance Sutherland, Jim Tuuramo Advertising Editorial Laverne Morrison Brad Kelly, Lorraine Manfredo, Laura J. Richards Office Supervisor - Angela Luscher.Junia Hodge, Grace McGregor, Nancy Pleasance-Sturman, Marilyn Rutherford, Sharilyn Carnegie 1997 Predictions A s 1996 enters its final hours, it's only fitting that we look ahead to 1997 and try to predict what might lie in store. We take our crystal ball off the shelf, dust it off, and prepare to make our fearless predictions. If you agree with them, that's just great. If not, remember that most of these predictions never come true anyhow. Sometimes the future has a way of fooling everybody. If this were not so, we'd all make our fortunes at the stock market, the lotteries or predicting the outcomes of the Stanley Cup, World Series, or Superbowl. So, here goes. In 1997, we could very well be faced with a federal election. In such an election, the Liberals will attempt to see if they can dodge the trend towards voters soundly thrashing any incumbent incumbent politician for the simple reason that the incumbent is blamed for everything that's gone wrong over the past several years. The Liberals will be tempted to make a run for it now, given the fact that the Quebec referendum is behind us and there arc encouraging signs in the Canadian economy, including including some growth in employment and low interest rates. But, the treatment of Prime Minister Chretien at the nationally televised Town Hall debate a few weeks ago suggests Canadians are not in a friendly mood -- especially when you pronounce those three little initials known as GST. Could we see a resurgence of the Conservative Party? Or how about the possibility of big gains for the Reformers or the NDP? It could happen. Provincially, the Tories are bringing their Common Sense Revolution from theory to reality. We'd be willing to bet that much of their time in the first six months of 1997 will be spent selling the idea of amalgamating the seven Toronto municipalities. municipalities. And, while outlying regional municipalities are being encouraged to bring about their own government reforms, don't hold your breath. The kind of restructuring that is going on in Toronto won't be attempted by local politicians. It will probably take a provincial government edict to bring major reforms to Durham and other outlying regions. Nevertheless, you can expect local politicians to spend much of 1997 debating debating matters related to the restructuring of local government. No doubt, we'll hear more suggestions for some kind of amalgamation amalgamation between Oshawa and Clarington. Education Minister Snobelcn is slated to make a major announcement in January on school policies being set by his government. Perhaps he will introduce, in the educational realm, the kind of changes now set in motion at the municipal level. At the local scene, Clarington's mayor is talking about a possible tax increase in 1997 -- the first increase set by the Clarington municipality in about four years. The mayor suggests suggests the increase will be necessary, unless taxpayers opt for municipal staff layoffs or cutbacks in service. But, in an election election year, any kind of tax hike is an unpopular move. One of the biggest developments in Clarington will be the construction of additional shopping facilities on the western fringe of Bowmanville. The Canadian Tire Store, the arena complex and the new cinemas are already in place. Next comes the shopping plaza, slated for construction in 1997. The new year will also see the completion of the Courtice community complex, which has been eagerly awaited for at least five years. There are a number of longstanding issues which will reappear reappear in 1997. For example, there will be further debate on the ITER fusion research station proposed for a site alongside Darlington's nuclear plant. There will be more debate over outdoor outdoor music concerts at Mosport and, no doubt, a continuing effort to find a home for the new seniors' centre. There will probably be a continuing attempt to sort out the question of radioactive materials stored at the eastern edge of this municipality, municipality, in the Port Granby site. Under the category of unfinished business from 1996, we might add the quarry expansion on the Bowmanville waterfront, waterfront, the fate of the nursery lands in Orono, and the future of the old Newcastle Public School. All in all, it promises to be an interesting year. And that's the only iron-clad guarantee we can offer about the next 12 months. They will be interesting. Stay tuned! Taxes Hit Seniors Dear Editor: Regarding Alex Shepherd's Column in your paper December December 4, 1996. "SENIORS GETTING GETTING HIT WITH 50 PER CENT TAX RATES?" This apparently is a quote from the Garth Turner column. 1 wonder why the question mark at the end of the sentence. sentence. I read Mr. Shepherd's column several times and I can't find where he says "It ain't so". Could it be that Garth Turner is absolutely right on the mark? I make $1.00 and the government reduces my OAS by 500- Isn't this a 50% tax grab? Did I miss something in Mr. Shepherd's Column? Yours truly, Edward Wilson Downsizing Costs Jobs To the Editor: The Ontario Government is downsizing itself because big government is "not effective, is costly and people need less government." And they arc creating a mega city. As the Ontario Government downsizes itself, it is eliminating eliminating thousands of well-paying jobs with benefits. Now, as they create a mega city, the plan is to eliminate thousands of well paying jobs with benefits. benefits. Public sector workers do not produce cars, which earn a monetary, profit like private industry. industry. Public Sector workers provide services like hospitals and roads and water and education education in your community, Public sector workers provide a different different kind of value-added profit to our community. It is the profit that you cannot sec because because it is not the bottom line. It is service, it is quality of life, it is health. Things that can lie almost invisible and taken for granted by many Canadians. So, whatever the real agenda is here: cost reduction, power, the need to shift the responsibility responsibility to someone else, I believe believe we will all suffer with a reduction in the quality of community services we receive. receive. This will include a decrease decrease in the quality of education education received by our children, Joan Gales, Vice-President, OPS EU, Region 3 DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE - Janice, of King St. Bar and Grill, will be just one of many who will be reminding party-goers this New Year's Eve to "Leave the Keys" and take a taxi home following the annual celebration that will help ring in 1997. The Statesman would also like to remind all of its readers to please refrain from drinking and driving. Enjoy yourself, and we'll see you next year. Letter to the Editor Clarification Given On Workfare Vote Outlook Laura J. Richards Statesman Staff Christmas Angels Dear Editor: The article regarding the Region of Durham's debate and vote on the Ontario Works Programme was an accurate accurate account of what took place on the surface of that council meeting. As a person who was very much involved with the debate, I would like to elaborate upon those events and maybe clarify further further the meaning of the vote. The Region of Durham did not vote in favor of "workfare." Workfare is a term used to describe government-run government-run systems in which, to qualify for welfare payments, payments, welfare recipients are required to do unpaid work or lose their welfare payments if they do not cooperate. That is the way in which Ontario Works was first presented, presented, especially in regards to the community placement aspect of the program. It was against such a development development that persons, like myself, campaigned. Our campaigning was effective because the Health and Social Services Committee of the Region of Durham was not prepared earlier on to recommend recommend participation in such a programme to the full Council of the Region. It was at this point that the Minister of Community and Social Services intervened. Janet Ecker clarified the Ontario Ontario Works programme by saying two tilings. First, she said it was compulsory for every welfare administrating jurisdiction to operate the three parts of the programme: community placement, skills enhancement and job searching. searching. She also pointed out that the wording in the regulations relating to participation in the community placement aspect of the programme said that a supervisor "may" require clients clients to be involved in community community placement, not "shall" require. At the same time, the minister minister and her civil servants made it clear that they did not want the word "voluntary" to be used in any motion associated associated with any part of Ontario Ontario works. What the Minister seemed to be indicating was that the provincial government was prepared to live with ambiguity ambiguity whether Ontario Works has a voluntary or compulsory compulsory character as far as client involvement is concerned. concerned. In any case, the Region Region of Durham's Health and Social Services Committee realized that voluntary client participation was a possibility as long as it was not officially endorsed. Consequently, they deleted deleted any reference to voluntary voluntary participation for their final motion. This also removed removed the danger of financial threats to the welfare funding of the Region. The Region's Family Services Services Department will, however, however, be issuing memos to all front line workers stating that, in Durham, community Dear Editor: Can we afford to provide school bus services for Ontario's Ontario's school children? This is lire question school trustees are debating right now, as they prepare their 1997 budgets. But what they should be asking asking is this: can we afford not to? For decades, school buses have been the safest and most cost-effective way to transport children to and from school. In today's society, it's important for parents to know their children children arc safe on the way to and from school. Simply put, the need for that reliable yellow school bus exists today more than ever before. This fall, the provincial government government cut four per cent from the student transportation budget. budget. A further six per cent cut has been announced for 1997. The Ontario School Bus Association Association calculates that from 1991-92 to the end of 1997, $130 million will have been cut from Ontario's $600 million million student transportation expenditure, expenditure, placement of clients will be on a voluntary basis. Ontario works is, therefore, therefore, not going to be operated in the Region of Durham on a genuine "workfare" basis. To overcome this change in stance, the provincial government government is now calling the whole of Ontario works "workfare" and thereby creating creating the impression that, in agreeing to participate in the programme, the Region has accepted the policy of "work- fare." In fact, as a result of effective effective criticism, the rhetoric and the approach associated with the programme have changed significantly. Those responsible for those changes will do our best to keep it that This will affect dozens of communities across Ontario. Provincial and local governments governments arc facing a harsh fiscal reality. To deal with reduced funding, school boards are asking asking operators to do more with less. And they have. Operators have voluntarily responded by implementing cost efficiency measures and by co-operating with boards to dovetail the need for transportation service with available funding. Between Between 1991 and 1995, 21,800 more Ontario students have been transported on 2,000 fewer fewer buses. But, deepening service cuts and contract rate cuts threaten the viability of our safe, secure, secure, and cost-efficient student transportation network. School boards must continue to balance the goal of efficiency efficiency with the personal safety and transportation needs of 816,000 Ontario children who ride school buses every school day. It is our responsibility as parents, taxpayers, and members members of a community to encourage encourage and work with our school Thwack! "Did I get it?" "No, its legs are still wiggling." wiggling." Thwack! -- the rigid plastic plastic container came down on the cockroach again. "I think you got it that time." It was late last Friday afternoon, afternoon, Dec. 20, when I met with Anna (not her real name) at her apartment in Clarington, She had decided to call me after receiving her Christmas hamper from a local church. "I want people to know about the Christmas Angels," she told me over the phone on Thursday. So, on Friday afternoon, I drove over to see her. She lives an extremely cramped apartment with her son and daughter. The apartment consists of a bed-sitting room, a bedroom bedroom for her son, and an alcove alcove where her daughter sleeps. The bathroom has seen better days and the kitchen seems small, with the amount of storage boxes it contains. Anna offers a cup of herbal herbal tea. I accept. Anna lives on welfare, but she is not someone who hides the fact from people around her. It is upon the request of her children that she doesn't want her name used. Anna is different from others others on social assistance because because she is not too proud to go to the food bank, or to ask for help. She's anything but shy in that way. She is someone special and is not pretentious. "I've learned how to stretch things we get at the food bank," she explained as she fried up some hamburger from the food bank. She measured out some water from the tap and poured it into the electric fry pan. She added the Hamburger Hamburger Helper pasta, added some macaroni from a huge bag she took out of her cupboard, and then added the seasoning packet. She stirred the whole thing together, then left it to sit down to talk. To the Editor: I would like to respond to Laura J. Richards thoughts on Workfare, Wednesday, December December 18! 1996. First of all, I'd like to say there arc those in need of welfare welfare and those who don't need or deserve welfare. If workfare gets some of these undeserving bums off their butts out doing something for the community, then that's great! We the taxpayers, taxpayers, (reniemltcr us, the ones who pay their monthly welfare cheques?) don't care at all if these people are not "passion- Anna explained she gets $961 a month to pay her bills. Every so often, she gets a GST cheque and she still receives receives the Baby Bonus from the government. Rent costs $725, cable $45 and hydro $70 per month. After the bills, she has $21 for food and other necessities like toilet paper. Laughing, she noted, "as long as I never run out of toilet paper, I'm fine. I've never figured out how to make it." Late in the week before Christmas, she received her Christmas hamper from the church. "There was canned and boxed food, potatoes, carrots, fresh fruit and a frozen turkey." turkey." She had been worried she would not get one for this year's holiday meal. She noted, pointing to a bowl of polished, rosy red apples, apples, that fresh fruit is a luxury. luxury. There were also gifts in the hamper, some of which Anna wants to pass on to those who need them more titan her family. Asking for help is not something she wants to do, but has to do. She's a single parent without skills acceptable acceptable to this technologically- driven labour market. She does some volunteer work, but is not paid for it in a tangible way. However, she believes wholeheartedly in "divine intervention." intervention." "I have no choice. Without Without it I'm nothing." While her life may seem bleak, it has been enriched by good friends, her crafts, her work with children throughout throughout Clarington, and by "the Christmas angels" in her community. She thanks God for the "angels" who provided the food for her family during the Christmas season, and throughout the year. So, the moral of this week's OUTLOOK is this: All of us who can afford to give, should be angels throughout the year. Happy New Year! ate" about the jobs they arc given. The majority of working Canadians aren't "passionate" about their jobs, but do it all the same because wc have to support ourselves and our families families and want to provide the best possible standard of living we can without sponging off our government and fellow Canadians. Canadians. There is another answer to workfare. Eliminate welfare all together except for those who can't work due to extreme physical handicap. S. Lucchi Bowmanville way. Respectfully, Mervyn Russell Is End Near for School Buses? trustees to ensure our children get to school safely. Wc can't afford not to. Respectfully yours, Richard Donaldson Executive Director Ontario School Bus Association Reader Responds To Workfare Column