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PAGE 6THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, FEBRUARY 14,2001 FOR 147 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 - Laverne Morrison, Christian Ann Goulet Office - Junia Hodge, Nancy Pleasancc-Sturman Editorial - Brad Kelly, Jennifer Stone, Jacquic Mclnnes ®fle Canabtatt Statesman Former Publishers and Partners Rev. John M. Climic and W.R. Ciimic 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 Metroland 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 ri.m. until 5 p.m. E-mail: judi.bobbitt@durhamnews.net Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 EDITORIAL Why do parents have to lead fight? Correctional Service of Canada has some explaining to do We hope Glen and Brenda Copithorn are sleeping a little little better tonight. Nothing will ever bring their beloved daughter Jennifer back, but at least her killer, Robert Appleton, will be doing some hard time for a change. It took the Copithorns the better part of a year to get Appleton Appleton moved from the easygoing atmosphere of Fenbrook prison to Warkworth, a medium security facility. Appleton, 32, pleaded guilty in late 1999 to the Aug. 3, 1998 brutal slaying, of 24-year-old Jennifer. The former boyfriend of the young woman ambushed her while she was on her way to work at a Bowmanville bank and stabbed her 19 times. Caught not far from the scene and with several witnesses who watched the gory killing, Appleton Appleton was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced sentenced to 22 years without parole, the toughest sentence ever given in Canada for someone charged with second-degree second-degree murder. That should have been the end of the story. But just four months after going to jail, Appleton, who had been at maximum-security maximum-security Millhaven where the likes of Paul Bernardo do hard time, was suddenly transferred to Fenbrook near Bracebridge. Contrast the lockdown conditions of Millhaven with Fenbrook where Appleton and others have their own room key, television sets and access to a shared kitchen, a grocery grocery store and a bagel shop. That lifestyle is a good deal better than many of our poor face every day on the streets across our country. The Copithorns were shocked to hear about the change in Appleton's condition. The demanded to know why he had been transferred so soon into his sentence. They wanted wanted to question Solicitor General Laurence MacAulay about the move and had their case taken to Parliament by local MP Dan McTeague who wanted answers from the minister about the move. For months, nothing was done. But heavy publicity and the determination of the Copithorns prevailed arid earlier this week, Appleton was finally sent to Warkworth. Warkworth. '-'- '.'tv.".' The whole sad mess raises questions about Corrections Canada policies. Does the type of time fit the crime? Are criminals assigned to prisons based on their behaviour and their assessed risk in the system as opposed to what they did to be sent to jail in the first place. For their part, Corrections officials say they believe Appleton's Appleton's crime was a 'crime of passion,' something that didn't make him a threat in jail. But that's not good enough for the Copithorns. They know all too well just how dangerous dangerous this man really is. He deserves a tough sentence under difficult conditions. It's just that it shouldn't take the parènts of his victim to make the system work. We welcome your opinion. Please E-Mail your comments on our opinions to Judl.bobbitt@durhamnews.net. Submissions which Include a first and last name, as well as the community community of residence, will be considered for publication. THE STATESMAN 25 YEARS AGO Feb. 11,1976 Fearing Newcastle Town Council's integrity might be in jeopardy, councillors voted 6-1 to reject a $3 million gift from a developer. The developer had told council the gift would come with "no strings attached." 50 YEARS AGO Feb. 8,1951 The town constabulary reported to council that no major crimes had been committed in Bowmanville in 1950, though there had been six break and enters. Though there were 122 automobile collisions, only one proved fatal. 75 YEARS AGO Feb. 11,1926 The law practice of the late D. B, Simpson was purchased by W. R. Strike, senior member of the firm of Strike and Rogers, Barristers and Solicitors, in Perth. Infommtion taken from the archives of The Canadian Statesman Perception is important LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Child pom law flawed To the editor: Re: Supreme Court's ruling on child pornography. How is it our Supreme Court can rule that for someone to be caught with perverse images of innocent children for no other,, purpose than to satisfy same twisted sexual fantasy is OK, yet if someone is caught with marijuana whether it be for medical use or otherwise, they can be fined, have a possession charge on their record or even put in jail? It amazes me something as damaging (not only to the children children themselves but our society as well) as exploiting children for pornography can be ruled as legal to have in possession and yet something like marijuana - which is not only proven to have a good medical purpose but hurts no one anymore than alcohol does - is still illegal. Jamie Dart Hold the you whole story To the editor: Re: 'Alexander case is ridiculous,' letter to the editor from Catherine Henderson, Jan. 21, 2001. It is so easy for people who are not involved with turmoil in their lives to read an article so extremely one-sided and to then make judgments based on these "facts." Without all the facts, no one can know exactly what drove Christine to act the way she did. Obviously, in normal relationships, relationships, people don't get this physical with one another. After 22 years of marriage, this break-up must have been a severe severe blow psychologically for Christine. If the court decided Chris- i tine-did not deserve any more - than three years, then there are definitely more facts than Stephen Shaw saw fit to include in his article. Many women have been scorned and put down and made to feel worthless, worthless, but each woman responds differently. Passion and anger can consume some people but that doesn't make them a criminal. criminal. I'm sure Christine has her story to tell and until we hear her side, no one has the right to be judgmental. Ann Kukemueller Premier must get to work Image of Ontario leader takes a beating Premier Mike Harris has given his cabinet its biggest-ever shakeup and he now has to start shaking up himself. The Progressive Conservative premier has tried to make his government perform and look better by dropping ministers as a warning to those who lag, bringing bringing in new ones to encourage those ambitious for promotion and shuffling around most of those remaining to give them fresh targets to aim for. But Mr. Harris has to work on something he has shied from, brushing up his own image. He starts with the big advantage that many still think of him primarily as the premier who cut taxes like none before him, but the downside downside of poorer services is hurting him. The Tory leader needs first to look like a working premier who is serious about his job and committed committed to staying in it.' For several several years he has spent more time away from the legislature than earlier premiers and this at long last has caught on as an issue. When Mr. Harris supported increasing MPPs' pay by 42 per cent last fall, many in the public said not only were they against it but he does not attend the legislature legislature enough even to deserve his present salary. When a newspaper revealed last month the Province dropped planning restrictions on land owned by a Harris friend who had appealed to the political level in government, the premier could not be reached to answer legitimate legitimate questions because lie was, almost typically, playing golf in Florida, his second trip there in a month. His absences and failure to come up with enough substantial Eric Dowd At Queen's Park new policies to justify his claim he is still engaged in a revolution, have kept a debate running over whether he plans to retire before the next provincial election in about 2003. Mr. Harris's latest attempt to smother it was to say he has committed to his party he will mn in at least one and perhaps two more elections. He also has started sounding like a huckster selling get-rich-quick schemes on TV infomercials and declared 'it,s time to dream again,' and he will hold visioning exercises and conferences for seizing tomorrow's tomorrow's opportunities. But Mr. Harris would do more than all the rhetoric to convince convince he is interested in his job and intends to stay merely by showing up more at the office. The premier needs to recognize recognize some of the mistakes that have hurt his government and caused it to drop in polls were made by himself, not his cabinet. These included endorsing a 42 per cent pay raise for MPPs and then stubbornly defending it for days, when he should have known the public would be and was outraged, Mr. Harris can acknowledge acknowledge it best by getting advisers advisers more in touch with the public. The leader should recognize also lie sometimes has let down ministers, He said publicly he was frustrated an environment minister, Nonn Sterling, had not come up more quickly with a program to test car emissions and upset a health minister, Elizabeth Witmer, had not produced funds for hospitals sooner. Mr. Harris wanted to suggest his own hands were clean, but it is difficult to recall a premier giving giving ministers such a dressing- down in public and they could have made cases less harmful to the govemmerit if he had allowed them to fight their own battles. The leader also publicly overruled overruled ministers who had rejected allowing a municipality to compensate compensate victims of a shooting in one of its workplaces and an opposition opposition proposal for restrictions on replica guns. A premier always gets the last word, but it should not be beyond Mr. Harris to set up some sort of consultative process so he and and Iris ministers can avoid baring baring their differences in public. Mr. Harris sets a poor example example for ministers and government when he expresses disagreement in such antagonistic terms as telling Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty he stinks and is a disgrace disgrace to the profession of politician, politician, for which the Speaker almost almost made him the first premier thrown out of the legislature. It was not surprising the labour minister, Chris Stockwcll, would feel it totally in order to belittle Toronto mayor Mel Last- man as being only 5-feel-tall and recalling he had a hair transplant. Mr. Harris also hurts his claim to defend family values when after two broken marriages lie is seen quickly with a new girlfriend girlfriend at events including an official official trip to China - there are a lot of ways he could look better. Jennifer Stone Staff Writer The Copithorn family has won a small victory in a battle that shouldn't have been theirs to fight in the first place. After months of trying to have the . man who murdered their daughter Jen-, nifer sent back to what they saw as a more suitable facility from the brand- new, swanky (as jails go) Fenbrook Institution Institution near Gravenhurst, Glen and Brenda Copithorn got the phone call they'd been waiting for Monday morning. morning. They received word that Robert Appleton, Appleton, serving a 22-years-to-life sentence sentence in the brutal August 1998 stabbing death of their 24-year-old daughter as she arrived at work at a Bowmanville. bank, will be sent to Warkworth Institution. Institution. Warkworth, though like Fenbrook a medium security facility, is "more of the prison setting" than was Fenbrook, says. Mr. Copithorn. Insult was added to extraordinary injury injury for the Copithorns when they, learned last year that Mr. Appleton had, after a four-month classification process at Millhaven Correctional Institution near Kingston, been deemed a suitable inmate for Fenbrook. They began .writing .writing letters to thé .pqwçijSrJljat-be,, jjjj-, ■ searching, .contacting' lpcalMPs,' doing all they could to ensure their daughter's killer wasn't getting the light sentence, they thought he had been granted by virtue of his transfer. Those in the know have said Fenbrook Fenbrook is a long way from cushy. Still, public perception is that prisons like the one Mr. Appleton has inhabited since last March do make for easier time for convicts. And the perception of justice is sometimes as important as justice itself. Has Correctional Services learned nothing from the Karla Homolka situa-' tion, when the media was barraged with pictures of her lolling about at a seemingly seemingly not-so-bad Quebec prison? And, what about the fight the family of slain Toronto police officer Bill Hancox had to wage to ensure his murderers were not allowed to live in the same jail setting? setting? The prisons may not be cushy, and offenders may not be a threat to the public public as a result of being in the less prisonlike prisonlike setting,- but public outrage comes through loud and clear when it appears some of the country's more infamous criminals are being given any soit of break. Media reports indicate Canada's' Solicitor-General Lawrence MacAulay has asked for a review of Corrections', offenders' placemént policy. And it's about time. Families like the Copithorns,: who are already dealing with the horrèn-, dous, unfathomable grief of losing a child, should not have to enter into ari ! emotional battle to ensure justice, or even what seems like justice, for the perpetrator perpetrator of the crime. . :\ra It's up to the system to ensure justice •;! - perceived and otherwise - is served, f! THE CANADIAN STATESMAN is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. The Statesman is a member of the Bowmanville Clar- ington Board of Trade, the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Circulations Circulations Audit Board and the Ontario Ontario Press Council. The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse any advertisement. Credit for advertisement limited to space price error occupies, Editorial and Advertising Advertising content of the Canadian Statesman is copyrighted. 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