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P.iec ■! I lk' (';iii;idi;in Slatosnian. Bov. m;mvillc, Wednesday, March 10, 1999 file Cminbiati tatesiman m Former Publishers and Partners Rev. John M. C'limii* and VV. R. Climie 1854 - 1878 M. A. James, 1878 - 1935 • Norman S. B. James, 1919 -1929 (B.lena James, H29 - 1947 • Dr. George W. James, 1919-1957 ■ r cJ^\ w Produced weekly fiy James Publishing Company Limited Also Publisher* of The ClariugtonlCourtice Independent I'.O. Box 190, 62 King St. VV., Bowmanville, Ontario L1C3K9 Tel: 905-623-3303 HOURS: Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Fax:905-623-6161 lnternet-statesman@ocna.org. Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 For 145 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, Tim Bowers, Kevin Britton, Suzanne Christie, Sharon Cole, Roy Gray, Laurens Kaldeway, Steve Kraayvanger, Barb Patterson, Sean Pickard, Tyler Sellick, Jim Snoek, James Stephenson, Vance Sutherland, Matt Syer, Jim Tuuramo Advertising Editorial Laverne Morrison Brad Kelly, Jennifer Stone, Michelle Wyton Office Supervisor - Angela Luscher, Junia Hodge, Grace McGregor, Nancy Pleasance-Sturman, Marilyn Rutherford, Michele Rutherford Durham Regional Police have estimated they will need 30 additional officers next year. And similar increases in the staff complement arc predicted predicted in the years ahead. In fact, policing is a major component of the Durham Region budget and is one of the reasons why regional spending increases. On the other hand, it's probably probably the last area where elected officials would consider cutbacks. cutbacks. It seems to us that some of those expenses wouldn't be necessary if average citizens would just obey the basic traffic traffic rules. It's unfortunate that the police must devote badly needed time, money and resources to -- of all things -- traffic offences. A campaign currently under way is designed to nab speeders. speeders. In fact, in the first two days of March, nine speedsters were nabbed. ' ! Earlier in the winter, there was a campaign to catch those who fail to come to a stop at stop signs. That yielded over 60 charges in Clarington alone last month. The fact that such driving infractions arc all too common is obvious to any motorist. Travelling 10 kilometres over the speed limit on major freeways will only keep you in pace with the rest of the traffic. And, in most cities, the days are long gone when people stopped on the yellow caution lights. The result is that police who arc trained in investigating and preventing "real" crimes find themselves baby-sitting motorists who should know better. It's not the fault of the police. They'd be open to criticism if they stood by and allowed rampant red light running or speeding. The people who should be criticized are ourselves. Or, at least those of us who have been guilty of driving infractions. And who isn't in that category? So, here's one more reason to obey the laws: If it isn't for the sake of safety or to avoid fines or demerit points, why not look at it this way? It's a way of saving tax dollars. If average motorists drove according to the rule books read by every teenager taking his or her first driver's test, police wouldn't have to waste their time enforcing common-sense common-sense rules of the road. That would mean cither the better deployment of existing police officers or a reduction in the amount of money necessary to spend on the police budget. Either way, we'd come out ahead. gna The creek valleys were originally the site of our municipality's municipality's industry and commerce. Much of our development in the earliest days was based on local creeks, which provided provided power for the mills and water IV;r local homes and industries. With the coming of the modern era, the valleys were more or less ignored. Experience with spring Hooding tells us that .it's unwise to build in the valley. But, that doesn't mean that it can't be an important part of the community. An architectural study of the town conducted in 1991 pointed out that the geography of Bowmanville offers unique possibilities in outdoor recreation so long as it is carefully considered and responsive to the delicate environment. environment. A system of hiking trails and bike trails for both the Soper Creek and Bowmanville Creek valleys was suggested. The development of Rotary Park at the foot of Temperance St., with a stairway into the creek valley, has become the first step in that process. And now. with the Valleys 2000 millennium project, the work can continue. MPP John O'Toole presented Frank Lockhart, Chair of Valleys 2000 with a cheque for $25,000 towards the project on Monday night. These funds will finalize a feasibility study, including a consultant's report and proposals. We should also point out that any plan to open up the valleys valleys to the public needs to be careful of preserving the green space these sites offer. Certainly, the objective is not to over-develop these spaces. But. on the other hand, in an increasingly urbanized environment, valleys may he the only reminder of our lies to a rural past and gel us off the busy streets and highways. They are a way for people to connect, in some way, to the natural world around us. They could he a refuge for w ildlife and plants. The valleys of Clarington arc an important part of our heritage. heritage. Making them more accessible to the public is an idea long overdue. However, as the architectural study of 1991 remarked, such actions must be "carefully considered." The announcement of funding for Valleys 2000 marks the beginning of a larger project which needs participation from the public in order to create the best environment lor communities communities fortunate enough to be located near our natural treasures. Why Not Wear School Uniforms? Dear Till tor; I couldn't believe the altitude towards school uniforms in the letter to the lidiloi column (Mark b'allis). I leinemhei seseial years ago, my mother telling me about "altitudes" when she attended Oak wood Collegiate. She said that some ol the gills came to school dressed almost in evening gowns. As loi myscll, I wme a uniloim at m> High School, Weston Collegiate It appals me when I see kids in $?()().00 jackets and expensive shoes. "Eamnus" ht.nul names that ate piohably made in poorer commies, with almost slave labour. Instead ol piomoimg jealousy and gieed, wouldn't it not he hetlei to eoncenliate on lenining? M\ itmloini consisted ol a black tunic, white blouse, navy hluumcis an black stockings I lems had to he so many inches abuse the knee. Kids can do then "social climbing" when they gel home limn school ot Intisli school A voting hov told me a lev. weeks ago, that lie would quit 1 school tl in it I oi ms weie etiloii'ed Nothing like being dictated to In a tcenagei. Hv the wav. dtop outs ate now welcome in the nuny free uni- lot ins. Become a Policeman ' Went a uminim. IInckey I'layet? Wear a uniloim ( Ti.impion basketball playei' 1 Weal a uniloim, /) Kmlileeii (Km') I'ijier • jjr / < V ' .,,.4.1 ...... ; . si 1 ! .jStitil-.v jJt*^ » Child's Play? Clarington firefighters Frank Azevedo (back) and Dwayne Torrens try to make their way through a sea of balls at the Clarington Kids Day Care Centre at the Courtice Complex last week. Members of the fire department used the playground equipment during a training exercise. During much of the exercise, the firefighters donned blacked-out masks, to help them get accustomed to working in darkness, with oxygen packs. Letter to the Editor Time To Control : Marauding Wildlife Dear Sir; I am writing this letter as a concerned Ontario taxpayer. taxpayer. I was born in Canada and have farmed all my life. Our family farm has grown from one hundred acres in 1928 to 1200 acres now, plus we rent 4000 acres in a large area cast, west and north of Hampton. We operate a large dairy and cash crop operation and we sec a terrific terrific amount of damage that wildlife are doing to our crops. We pay our fair share of taxes and feel we should have a say on hunting rules and regulations. In 1980 I planted 50 acres of red kidney beans on land, in south Whitby and when I harvested this field there was only five acres to harvest because the ducks and geese had completely stripped the rest of the crop. I called the appropriate ministry ministry and they told me they could do nothing to compensate compensate for the forty-five acres I lost. Since this time, the geese population has completely got out of hand. In 1992, we rented two hundred acres in the Blackstock area. In the fall, when we were harvesting the corn there was about five acres of corn along the bush which had been completely completely stripped by deer. In our area in the past two years a group of farmers farmers have killed approximately approximately 40 wolves and there arc still a lot around which we hear howling at night. They have killed many calves and^ sheep in our area, which is about two miles from the city of Oshawa. 5 I feel that environmental; issues, gun issues and ani-' mal rights have gone too fan In regards to animal rights, L feel that the people that are- pushing all these new rcgu-i lations arc not feeding and 1 , putting up with these wild! geese and animals. ; I do not agree that the! taxpayers should not be having to compensate the outfitters and the tourist trade in the north because of the cancellation of the spring bear hunt. I feel this expense should be charged to the animal -rights and environmental groups. I attended a rally in Ottawa to try and convince the government not to pass the new gun control laws but they would not listen to us. We need crime control and new laws for young offenders, not gun control. We have an over-population over-population of geese, wolves, foxes and deer and if we arc not careful we will also be ovci- run with bear if they try and stop the spring bear hunt. I feel the Progressive Conservative Party whom I support should respect what the farmers have to say when it is the farmers that are feeding these animals that arc in the farming area and should have longer hunting seasons so they can be kept under control. AngusI Geisberger MP Voted With Party Dear Editor, It didn't take Alex Shepherd long to respond to my Letter to the Editor of February 24th., that took Mr. Shepherd and his merry band of Liberal backbenchers to task for not supporting a resolution that would have the Government evoke the "nrvtwithstanding clause" to strike down the decision of B.C. Supreme Court Justice Duncan Shaw, who tossed out ;f section of the Criminal Code which makes it illegal to possess child pornography. ; In your publication of March 16th, Mr. Shepherd uses his "Parliamentary Report" column to deliver a dissertation to the unwashed masses as to why the "notwithstanding clause" is undemocratic and "is an abomination and as Canadians we should be ashamed of it being part of the constitution." ; It's interesting to note that when the Liberal Government brought in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Jean Chretien spoke on the subject matter in the House of Commons in November of 1981, and was quoted in Hansard as saying that an override clause acted as a "safety valve to correct absurd situations without going through the difficulty difficulty of obtaining constitutional amendments." ; I can't think of anything more absurd than Judge Shaw's decision that said it's alright to own child pornography in this country of ours. What we have here is a Liberal backbencher voting the way he's told to vote by the party whip, and then attempt-, ing to justify his actions by being condescending to his constituents by telling us that we really don't understand the finer points of the issue. Well, I believe that most of us do, Mr. Shepherd. And that is why I say, one more time, shame on you. You just don't get it, do you? W.H. Stockwell Thoughts Unlimited by Rick James Totally Radical Dude Okay, enough talk. - It was lime to put up or shut up. No more comments about skateboarders on snow. No more stinging abuse about their reckless attitude and lack of respect for others on the same ski hill. Snowboarding aficionados demanded that I quit criticizing their beloved sport unless I had given it a try and lived the experience. So, I did. And you know what, it still sucks! After watching the phenomenal growth of the snowboarding craze, Kim finally persuaded me to rent the necessary gear to lock my feet on a snow-bound surfboard and test my athletic abilities. She had never tried it either, but if it's some type of sport to test my skills against hers, you can bet she's game. Just like the first time I ever took her skiing and assured hcr I was capable of teaching her the proper technique. By the end of the day she was an accomplished accomplished skier, other than that broken ankle she suffered after crashing crashing into the trees. I guess I forgot to teach her the part about slopping slopping at the end of the run. True story. Back to snowboarding. After filling out all the legal disclaimers, dropping a $700 deposit on something I would never think about stealing and getting fitted with the beginner gear, we were off for our first lesson. Nick the 1/3-my-age snowboard instructor greeted us with "Hey dudes, lime for some sick tricks. Let's go stokin';" I assumed that was some type of snowboardcr lingo so I countered countered with, "Hey Nick, aren't we supposed to gel a 12 ounce bottle of snowboard attitude with this lesson?" He looked at me with a perplexed, "Hull?" Oh, I know why he didn't understand. Considering his youthful age, I guess I should have said millilitres. Nick's next question just about had me put him on his own butt. "Arc you Goofy?" he asked. "What?," I exclaimed. "You're obviously mistaken, I'm Mickey, she's Minnie, our dog is Pluto, and Huey, Duey and Lucy are wailing wailing in the car." He didn't even crack a smile. Again, remembering his age, maybe I should have said I was Tinky Winky. "Are you right or left foot forward?" he asked, obviously growing growing impatient with me and wondering what he had done wrong to end up with us that day. After determining that I was left foot forward and that Kim was "Gooly," (That's probably the only time you will ever see that sentence sentence appear safely in this column.), we were strapped in our boards. It only took about ten seconds before Kim and I were on our butts, It was a toss up as to who fell first, hut regardless, it was the first of about three hours of hutt-hruisiiV tumbles for both of us. We started on the baby hill and struggled with staying vertical on our sliding pieces of 1x12, Three and four-year-olds were telling us to get out of their way as we fought to keep upright. For two skiers who prefer nothing hut double black diamond runs, the baby hill at Kirby was proving to be quite a challenge. We must have impressed Nick enough with our natural ability to have him suggest we try the chairlift and a green run. Or, there were enough complaints from the toddlers about us on their hill. Either way, we concurred and we climbed on board the chairlift. At we approached the summit, it occurred to me that getting off could be our greatest challenge yet. Sure enough, as we got off the chairlift, Kim went down hard. I managed to miss her but performed performed my first "Sick Trick" by landing on the shoulder I injured while playing hockey two years ago. She managed to land squarely on her tailbonc on the only piece of ice in sight. We hadn't even started yet and we were both injured. The only thing more impressive impressive was the domino effect we created as more skiers and boarders piled into us at they got off the chairlift. For the first time in my life, I was the reason the chairlift had to be stopped. Forget the injuries, my pride had been devastated. After collecting ourselves and receiving the basic principles of boarding from Nick, we started down the hill. It wasn't pretty. I hit the trees first, and Kim arrived about 10 seconds later. We climbed out of the evergreens to try again. This time she stuck with Nick while I took the bull by the horns and started down the hill. Finally, the sensation clicked and 1 had control of the hoard. Or, at least I thought I did. It was now time to learn how to turn 180° and stay in control. Nick explained how you're supposed to shift your weight from heel to toe as you make the turns. No problem. I started out and performed performed my first 180° turn flawlessly. Unfortunately, it quickly turned into another, and another, and another. 1 assumed my nonstop nonstop 180° turns could now he classified as 360°s and I was performing performing some really cool "sick tricks." As I picked up speed I knew it was lime to throw out the anchor before I rocketed into the trees. Remembering Nick's heel to toe weight transfer method, 1 dug in to stop. Oops, wrong way and whnmo, there goes my right shoulder. Kim wasn't fairing much better as the injuries started to pile up. We took two more runs before deciding enough was enough, We had both mastered the basics of boarding, but neither one of us was getting the thrill from it that so many people rave about, It was made even more clear for us that evening at bedtime when we had to help each other up the stairs. Her backside was so tender she couldn't walk, and my shoulders were sending S.O.S. messages to my brain about the merits of not trying snowboarding again. Okay, so we've tried it. We didn't like it and won't be trying it again. There's too much hopping around to get anywhere and there's something very uncomfortable about having both feel locked in the bindings. Plus, from a spoiling purist point of view, snowboarding doesn't have the elegance, romance or refined style of skiing. As I've always maintained, it's nothing more than skateboarding on snow.