The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

\ ! PAGE 6THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, OCTOBER 4,2000 Editorial&Opinions FOR 146 YEARS. OUR FIRST CONCERN HAS BEEN OUR COMMUNITY Publisher - Tim Whittaker Editor-in-Chief - Joanne Burghardt Managing Editor - Judi Bobbitt Advertising Manager- Brian G. Purdy Advertising - Lavcrne Morrison, Christian-Ann Goulet Office - Junia Hodge, Nancy Pleasancc-Sturman Editorial - Brad Kelly, Jennifer Stone, Jacquie Mclnnes Efje Canadian Statesman Former Publishers and Partners Rev. John M. Climic and W.R. Climic 1854-1878 M.A. James 1878-1935 • Norman S.B. James 1919-1929 G. Elena James, 1929-1947 • Dr. George W. James 1919-1957 John M. James, 1957-1999 Produced by Mctroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. Also Publishers of CLARINGTON THIS WEEK P.O. Box 190, 62 King St. W„ Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3K9 TEL: 905-623-3303 FAX: 905-623-6161 HOURS: Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. E-mail - judi.bobbilt@durhamnevvs.net Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 EDITORIAL Outpouring of emotion a surprise Even 16 years later, Pierre Trudeau has impact The death of any nation's leader and the subsequent funeral funeral is always a time for reflection. And Pierre Trudeau's serious illness a number of weeks ago, certainly paved the way for his passing late last week. However, Mr. Trudeau's death had an impact on our lives and our feelings which is hard to comprehend. The events of the past six days conjure up images so 'un-Canadian' that we can't help but realize he truly was a very special, very unique leader. Consider the hundreds of thousands of people who came from all parts of the country just to see the former prime minister's coffin as it lay in state for nearly three days in the halls of Parliament. Every one of them had a special memory memory of what Mr. Trudeau meant to them, of what he meant to Canada. They stood and waited, and waited, hour after hour. New Canadians said the multicultural policies Mr. Trudeau brought forth were directly responsible for bringing bringing them to this country, for making them feel at home in this strange, cold land. For making them proud to be Canadian. Canadian. A surprising number of westerners flew in to be on Parliament Parliament Hill, to pay their respects, to leave a rose by the eternal flame, to wipe back the tears as they signed the book of condolences. People applauded as the hearse took his casket away, his two surviving sons following for the train journey back to his hometown of Montreal, a city with decidedly mixed feelings about their native son. But still, the crowds came. They wished Justin and Sacha Trudeau well at crossings as the young men rode the train to Montreal. And in that Quebec city, almost as multicultural multicultural in makeup as Toronto, huge crowds waited and went through Montreal city hall for one last visit. Tuesday's funeral was an international event with Prince Andrew, Fidel Castro and Jimmy Carter among many other dignitaries_attending at the Notre Dame basilica. Pierre" Trudeau, during his long public life, certainly inspired inspired and infuriated many, but he left a memorable legacy and proved himself a champion foi; Canadian unity and for our country's profile on an international scale. In the end, it's clear few Canadians will ever have the long-term respect respect he engendered during his long life. As he was laid to rest in Montreal, it's left to all of us to think over what he did in his time and, just as importantly, what his passing meant to so many across this great and di- We welcome your opinion. Please E-Mail your comments on our opinions to statesmn@durham.net. Submissions which include a first and last name,, as well as the community of residence, residence, will be considered for publication. mm to vmj?$ poorest mm... LOOKING BACK WITH THE STATESMAN 75 YEARS AGO Oct. 1,1925 Hon. Vincent Massey, Liberal candidate for Durham, was given a rousing reception on the occasion of his maiden maiden political speech and opening address of his election campaign. Mr. Massey talked to his electors simply and directly directly as a businessman discussing the affairs of the nation. 50 YEARS AGO Oct. 5,1950 Frank Jamieson threw a bombshell before council when lie broached the subject of artificial ice for the Memorial Arena. Deputy-Reeve Jamieson told council that something had to be done to make the arena financially independent. Figures presented showed the cost of an artificial ice system to be in the neighbourhood of $35,000. 25 YEARS AGO Oct. 1,1975 The Rice Brothers presented a development plan for a Wilmot Creek area mobile home village, and councillors for the Town of Newcastle received rough handling at a public meeting to discuss the proposal. The meeting was a lively one, with many members of the audience voicing hostility to the Rice proposal and Mayor Garnet Rickard. The gathering attracted more than 60 people. Informa lion taken from llw archives of The Canadian Statesman LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Property taxes not place for hospital funds To the editor: In regard to your editorial on life, death and taxes. • How much more in taxes'do' you think people can pay? The head of Lakeridge Health who come up with this bright idea must be from outer space. Let me remind you the health cuts come from Ottawa then from Ontario, not in the Region of Durham. So let's send the problem back where it started - to Ottawa. Ottawa. Health costs are paid out of our income taxes as you well know. There is a surplus of $12 billion, which was picked from our pockets by the Liberal government government and hurt one helluva lot of people in doing so. So put the blame where it belongs and leave our property taxes alone. '? H v Ernie Roberts, Bowmanville Entertainment editor missed mark on show To the editor: Re: 'Who wants to be a Canadian millionaire?' col umn by John Duarte, This Week, Sept. 15, 2000. We certainly do not agree with your entertainment editor John Duarte. As far as he is concerned the show was a bust. Could he do it any better? better? He sure sounds like sour grapes to us, we enjoyed both shows very much and congratulate congratulate Pam Wallin. She is a smart lady every bit as capable as Regis Philbin. We hope to see more Canadian Canadian Millionaire shows as they are a breath of fresh air in comparison to a lot of shows on TV. Keep them coming as they are best for both young and old. Millie Leeds, Bowmanville Where has all the colour gone? Legislature misses those good old fun days An MPP has asked why there are no 'characters' left in the legislature legislature and the answer is the system system gets rid of them. Liberal Sean Conway, the longest-serving MPP, was among those paying tribute in the legislature legislature to Dr. Morton Shulman, an MPP from 1967-75, who died recently recently and whom he called probably probably the most colourful and controversial in half-a-century. Dr. Shulman was a contradiction contradiction in that he was a stock market millionaire and Progressive Conservative Conservative who wrote a book 'Anyone 'Anyone Can Make A Million,' was fired as chief coroner by the Toiy government and elected for the New Democrats to whom the stock market was a gambling hell, and thereafter never ceased embarrassing the Tories and his own party, which often apologized apologized for him. Mr. Conway lamented the legislature legislature once had outrageous, colourful, iconoclastic and independent independent politicians such as Dr. Shulman, Eddie Sargent, Elmer Sopha and Frank Drea, but is now "a very antiseptic, some would even say banal, place." Mr. Sargent, a Liberal, holds the record for being ejected most, usually because he refused to sit down when ministers gave answers answers he did not like, but lie unvaryingly unvaryingly left with good humour on all sides. He also was an eccentric and joker. He often climbed into his ground-floor office through the window to save walking to the door and, as a pilot, once alarmed the Speaker when he phoned to say he was landing on the legislature legislature lawn by helicopter while running his electric razor as a sound effect, Liberal Sopha wittily attacked almost anything, the Tory government, government, the legislature he said Eric Dowd At Queen's Park was "unworthy of reasonable adults, full of sham, artificiality, mythology, trappings and antiques antiques and a gulf between us and the people we serve," and occasionally occasionally some in his own party as "a bunch of hypocrites." Mr. Sopha even look on those who voted for him and a highlight highlight was his annual speech praising praising wolves and denouncing the bounty on them which his northern northern constituents overwhelmingly approved. Mr. Drea, a Tory, was a hard- living former newspaperman and minister under premier William Davis, who found the proprieties weighing on him and among other misadventures started addressing addressing a group of condominium condominium owners as if he thought they were grape-growers (or maybe he just wished it.) But Mr. Drea quickly admitted admitted "I just fell off the wagon," and Mr. Davis, who felt Mr. Drea was competent and showed a human side to his mostly plastic cabinet, kept him on. Opposition leaders and news media concurred and Mr. Drea spent a decade longer in largely productive public life. Mr. Conway could have chosen chosen from scores who provided colour. NDPcr Elie Martel, one of the most able parliamentarians but runner-up for being most ejected, once fell off his chair while being ordered out and claimed leader Bob Rae pulled it from under him, while opponents chortled "boozer, boozer." Tory Lome Henderson had his riding association hold a nomination nomination meeting in the basement of his home where, not surprisingly, none dared run against him. Liberal Liberal Phil Givens, on disagreeing with a policy laid down by leader Robert Nixon said "leaders come, leaders go." Wally Downer, an Anglican priest and Tory MPP for 38 years, ran the most successful floating poker game in the legislature building. John Brown, a New Democrat, Democrat, built a huge network of highly praised youth homes helped by government money, lived like a king with his own plane and silk shirts and tliou- sand-dollar suits (and eventually went to jail for defrauding the government). Not all these events are worthy, worthy, of course, but they enlivened some otherwise prosaic moments. moments. Today's MPPs contribute little in the way of personality or colour or individualism. Premier Mike Harris and at least three .of his ministers have left their wives for other women, but this hardly counts as colour and neither do the stunts the government and other parties contrive to announce announce policies, Parties increasingly lake power from backbenchers, promote promote only their leaders and prefer the rest of their caucus merely to keep their noses clean and conform. conform. They have even less tolerance for any who rock the boat - the only Tory who really stood up to Mr. Harris, Toni Skarica, has gone and was replaced last month (September) in a byelcction, The parlies have not made individuals individuals welcome in the legislature legislature and apart from depriving it of some original thoughts and lessons in life they have made it a lot duller, Jacquie Mclnnes Staff Writer Votes in the mail, we hope Political hopefuls have a wild card to contend with in this year's election and it has nothing to do with the competence competence of the competition. For die first time, Clarington residents residents will be able to go to the mailbox i instead of the local polling station to cast their vote. In order to take part in the mail-in system, voters must have their minds made up, their envelope licked and in the post a full ten days before election day which eliminates the possibility of acting on any last-minute change of heart. The new system, which boosted voter turnout elsewhere, was put in place here as a cost saving measure. Clarington's clerk Patti Barrie is estimating estimating a $25,000 savings from this system system over the traditional poll. While tax payers are always grateful to those who save them a buck, there is some concern in the community. Councillor Charlie Trim, who has held some information meetings on the system, says some people believe the voting kit, due to come out at the end of October, could be mistaken for junk mail and land in the recycling bin accidentally. accidentally. If voting kits do end up flying down the street on a windy garbage day, one \ has to wonder what is to stop an enter- V prising ballot stacker from using the l unused kits. { And, as one reporter in this newsroom newsroom put it, "I don't trust Canada Post ' with my bills, why would I trust them , with my vote?" There is an option for those who don't want to take any chances, says Ms. Barrie. Skeptical voters are welcome welcome to drop off their envelopes at any time at the municipal centre in person. This may be fine for those who live in Bowmanville, but could be a serious inconvenience inconvenience to someone in Orono or Courtice. Under the new system, there will be no local polling stations in any of the communities outside Bowmanville. Bowmanville. But perhaps the biggest danger of mail-in voting is not the possibility the vote will get lost in the mail or even a scavenger could inadvertently vote for you. With the traditional system of voting, voting, it was easy to vote your conscience regardless of what your mate, parents or siblings espoused. It's much easier to ignore the political ideals of those stronger personalities in the household at a polling station where it is impossible impossible for them to look over your shoulder as you mark your X. The greatest challenge challenge to true democracy could be sitting sitting next to you at the dinner table. On the advantages of mail-in voting, I remain, undecided. THE CANADIAN STATESMAN is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. The Statesman is a member of the Bowmanville Clarington Clarington Board ofTrade, the Greater Os- hawa Chamber of Commerce, Ontario Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Circulations Audit Board and the Ontario Press Council. The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse any advertisement. Credit for advertisement limited to space price error occupies. MM The Canadian Statesman welcomes letters to the editor, All letters should be typed or neatly hand-written, 150 words. Each letter must include the name, mailing address and daytime telephone number of the writer. The editor reserves the right to edit copy for style, length and content. We regret regret that due to the volume of letters, not all will be printed. Fax letters to 623-616lor emailed to stntcsmn@durhnm.net