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Tracy Juck Nathan Pauline Lauren Grace Edward Gary Karen Norm Suzanne Larry Janet Tonkinson Coughlin Jankowski Taylor Solicit Stevenson Darker Valcour Houston Jezioranski Kahler Noonan McGeacitie Here's our lineup of Opinion Shapers for 2000 And the lucky 13 arc... We had nearly 100 submissions submissions to sort through hut in the end, picked the best 13 columns we received and will have each of our selected writers publish a col umn at three-month intervals. Tracy Tonkinson, 39, lives in Brooklin with her husband and 10-year-old son. She says she "has degrees in ironing, vacuuming vacuuming and cal wrangling but the cooking still needs work." Jack Coughlin, who retired from teaching in 1991, is 73 and lives in Uxbridge. He has published published several non-fiction books including 'The Irish Colony of Saskatchewan,' 'Wir Sind Frci - We Arc Free' and 'Rescue the Perishing.' Twenty-year-old Nathan Jankowski is in his second year in journalism at Durham College. The Pickering resident is a part- time grill cook with many interests. interests. Pauline Taylor, 51, calls herself herself an 'auction freak.' From Os- hawa, the mother of two and grandmother of three just loves to write. A Grade 9 student at Sinclair Secondary School, Lauren See READERS'page 2 ■ V■>: VI '««azyy w • SINCE 1854 • AMALGAMATED 1999 WITH CLARINGTON THIS WEEK • Pressrun 20,000 12 Pages Wednesday, January 5, 2000 Optional 4 week delivery $5/$l newsstand Clarington was Y2K OK, too CLARINGTON - The new year has come and gone without any glitches for the Municipality Municipality of Clarington, says a local official. official. But Chief Administrative Officer Officer Frank Wu isn't jumping to the assumption that there will be no problems at all as a result of the computer date-code roll- . over. "Mind you," lie says, "we're only (a few) days into the new year. It may take a month or so because there arc some things on monthly cycles." Until all procedures done during a regular month are complete, complete, it's hard to say if all municipal municipal systems escaped unscathed, unscathed, he adds. Mr. Wu says it's difficult to assess how much staff time and municipal money has gone into ensuring the century change didn't cause problems with Clarington's computer systems, because staff were making adjustments adjustments whenever they got the Oliuilce G v Cl tllC p.ib, CüUp V,' G I years. "It's over," he says, "We're glad it's over. It only happens once every 1,000 years, so we- won't have to be around for the next one." The new year arrived without a hitch anywhere in Durham Region, Region, Y2K co-ordinator Dave McMullen reports. Other than some prank calls and a watermain break in Bow- manvillc, 2000 arrived without incident, lie adds. "Not a one. There were no issues issues reported at all," Mr. McMullen McMullen reports. Regional Chairman Roger Anderson was at the Durham headquarters for a time on New Year's Eve. "It was very, very quiet. Everything went well. I was happy and staff was happy," Mr. Anderson says. "The only thing we had was a water break in Bowmanvillc and that happens every day." There may be some "issues throughout the year, but they won't affect services," Mr. McMullen McMullen says. "For all intents and purposes, the project is complete. complete. We'll keep our eyes on it." 2? Œna \ ACCREDITED TEST & REPAIR FACILITY •An nllli'ial mark of Hit* Vrmliuctif Ontario ustil under llveiuv, WHITBY - OSHAWA H IMP* .1 k_lda \ül tciüVuij t* ll 1110 DUNDAS. ST. E., WHITBY I.OCAI. (90S) TOR, LINK (905) 666-1772 686-1745 www.honda1.com CARL F ERENCZJStatesman photo Brianna Nicole Parkin was welcomed into the world at the Bowmanville hospital New Year's Day by parents Doug and Eden Parkin, formerly of Bowmanville and now of Osltawa. She is the first baby of the century to be born at the local hospital. Meet the first baby born in Bowmanville this century BY JENNIFER STONE ttiry. Brianna is welcomed by her manvillc. "We knew there was Ul -" " lel two-year-old brother Tyler. nobody else there (in labour) at BOWMANVILLE - The Though media reports indicat- the time," recalls Mr. Parkin, new- century was only 53 minutes cd many couples were attempting Brianna, who weighed in at 9 old when Brianna Nicole Parkin to gel pregnant in time to have a pounds, two ounces, and her made her way into the world. new year's baby this year, that mom are "excellent," says Mr. Brianna, the second child of wasn't the case for the Parkins. Parkin. ' former Bowmanville residents "We were actually trying to have The family was presented Doug and Eden Parkin, now of a second child, but we weren't with a gift basket by the hospital, Oshawa, was born at 12:53 a.m. planning the January 1 date," as well as a book on babies from at Lakeridgc Health Bow- says Mr. Parkin. The baby didn't Tom Cowan, of Cowan Pontiac manvillc, making her the first make mom and dad wail--like Buiek in Bowmanville. baby born at the hospital this ceil- her older brother. Brianna was New Year's celebrations for born on the dale predicted by the Parkins were somewhat over- 1 ' j doctors. taken by labour pains this year, 1llMllC Mrs, Parkin went into labour says Mr. Parkin. rtf** ft i , , in the early evening hours of Dec. "We were in the room waiting dL'w 3ytmê0îtï$Ü 31, and it was clear, when they for (Brianna) to come" at mid- ™ arrived at the hospital, that the night, says Mr. Parkin. "The UIUPRF Til FINI! IT Parkins would be the proud par- nurses said 'Happy New Year,' cuts of the first baby born in 2000 and tried to make it a nice time Editorial Page 6 Lakeridgc Health Bow- for us." Sports 8 Classified 10 t-vtx 1 , * i Entertainment 12 ER d'UUCh COÜtinUCS Sit JASON LIEBREGTS/ Statesman photo Downhill, uphill Mary Wild makes her way uphill toward the parking lot after a good day of skiing at the Oshawa Ski Club, Kirby. The weatherman, however, luisît 't co-operated of late for those waiting to see more of the white stuff before heading for the slopes. Bowmanville hospital Charges down, fewer drivers stopped RIDE statistics 'disappointing' say police BY STEPHEN SHAW year's program police stopped Staff Writer 41,675 vehicles and charged 79 The number of drinking and motorists, driving-related charges laid by Constable Jean Hinds, the Durham Regional Police dur- traffic management unit officer ing the past holiday season in charge of the RIDE program. RIDE campaign dropped said the reason fewer vehicles slightly from last year, but there were checked was police l'o- werc 5,000 fewer vehicles cuscd this year's campaign on stopped. the region's rural "back roads," "The numbers arc very dis- where although the volume of appointing. Although we traffic is lighter, the majority of stopped a considerably higher deadly alcohol-related colli- number of vehicles last year, sions have been occurring, the total number of drivers "The results speak for them-' charged is quite ' similar," selves," said a frustrated Const;' Sergeant Jim Grimlcy, police Hinds. "We stopped fewer mo- spokesman, said Monday. torists and arrested and charged He said police conducted only six persons less for over. 36,500 roadside spot-checks 80 mgs." across the region and charged' •■■■ Const. Hinds said the dc- 73 drivers with exceeding the partaient increased the size of, legal alcohol limit of 80 mgs the RIDE team the last couple; pèr^l 06'fn"ls"dfbloocTT - , ... .... In comparison, during last See NO page 2 GIVE US A CALL General 623-3303 Distribution .. .579-4407 Death Notices ,683-3005 Sincerely Yours 1-800-662-8423 Email statesmn@durham.nel General FAX. .623-6161 Newsroom FAX .623-6161 Lakeridgc' Health Corporation Corporation officials arc hoping the holiday holiday emergency crisis that hit the Greater Toronto Area is weakening. "It's still very busy but we're holding our own at the moment," moment," said Jane De Jong, spokesman for Lakeridgc Health Corporation. "It was extremely extremely difficult to keep Up. We're still treating a lot of flu, particularly amongst the elderly. elderly. We're hoping that with the doctors' offices and clinics reopening, reopening, it will give us a little bit of a break." ERs in Oshawa, Bowmanville, Bowmanville, Port Perry and the Uxbridge sites have frequently had to turn away some or all ambulances over the holidays. It's been the same story at almost almost all hospitals in the GTA in the days before and after Christmas and New Year's, Reports Reports indicate almost all 25 GTA hospitals at times had to turn away ambulance patients due to overcrowded conditions. A combination of factors, including including a lack of monitored beds, the flu outbreak and holiday holiday closure of doctors' offices and walk-in clinics, is being blamed for this most recent ER crisis. Monday, Lakeridgc Bowmanville Chief Operating Officer Chris Kooy said the hospital remained as crowded as ever. "Today has been every bit as busy as it was from Dec. 21 on," said Ms. Kooy. "We're still receiving a lot of traffic from the Toronto area out to us, and emerg is inundated with stretchers with people who are acutely ill." wrnmmm QnPcw't o 'sjf f Plzza/ 2 Fresh Toppings ^ 12 Chicken Wings 2 1L Cokes æ 6 Cheezzie Bread |,A 2 Dipping Sauces V* I !