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

PAGE 6THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, NOVEMBER 21,2001 FOR 146 YEARS, OUR FIRS!' CONCERN HAS BEEN OUR COMM UNITY Publisher - Tim Whittaker Editor-in-Chief- Joanne Burghardt Managing Editor - Judi Bobbitt Advertising Manager - Brian G. Purdy Advertising - Lavernc Morrison, Christian-Ann Goulet Office - Junia Hodge, Nancy Pleasancc-Sturman Editorial - Brad Kelly, Jennifer Stone, Jaequic Mclnnes Œfce Canadian Statesman Former Publishers and Partners Rev. John M. Climie and W.R. Climie 1854-1878 M.A. James 1878-1935 e Norman S.B. James 1919-1929 G. Elena James, 1929-1947 e l)r. George W. James 1919-1957 John M. James, 1957-1999 Produced by Mctroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. Also Publishers of CLAR1NGTON 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: ncwsroom@durhamregion.com Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 EDITORIAL e-mail Idlers to newsraam@durhamregion.com Canada proud to welcome Mandela Heroic freedom-fighter an example for us all It's not often we get to meet and greet a true living legend, legend, a man respected around the globe for his beliefs and goals but, earlier this week, wc had that opportunity. Nelson Mandela, the man who did more than anyone to consign the system of apartheid to the dustbin of history, came to Ottawa and was installed as an honorary citizen of this country. Only the second person to be provided with this special achievement (Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who saved 20,000 Hungarian Jews from Nazi death camps in the Second World War, was the first, posthumously in 1985), Mr. Mandela honours us by accepting this award. Now 83, the Nobel Peace Prize winner spent most of the first 72 years of his life fighting injustice and inequality in his native land, South Africa. Jailed in 1963 for a 27-year term for terrorist activities against the white majority, upon his release from prison, Mr. Mandela worked with his onetime onetime opponents to create a new rainbow coalition. He demanded demanded and received full citizenship and voting privileges . for all South Africans and became the first black president of South Africa in 1995. He retired a few years ago, his legacy intact. "Your respect for diversity within your own society and your tolerant and civilized manner of dealing with the challenges challenges of difference and diversity have always been an inspiration," inspiration," said Mr. Mandela as he accepted the rare accolade. accolade. The offer of citizenship in Canada was especially moving moving for Mr. Mandela, who recalled the many decades when he was considered a non-person in his own native land. "For the greater part of my life, the government of my country of birth did not regard or treat me as a citizen. In fact, the main energies of the state apparatuses of my country country were directed towards stripping those like me, the majority majority of the population, from any vestiges of citizenship." It's hard for most of us to understand such a society and perhaps not difficult to see how intelligent people, like Mr. Mandela, would lash out at those who would deny freedoms freedoms we take for granted. South Africa today stands as one of the most progressive countries in Africa, an example to other nations of how co-operation between races might be achieved. Mr. Mandela said, "You have honoured me beyond anything anything that I might have deserved. I thank you." You're most welcome, Mr. Mandela. ,„sm EM MIEN i in mom moo, w «dm Km aim of LOOKING BACK-WITH THE STATESMAN 75 YEARS AGO Nov. 18,1926 Darlington's town treasurer acknowledged receipt of $5 from the Auditor General in payment for use of Town Hall for a recent election. 50 YEARS AGO Nov. 22, 1951 Twenty-seven teachers, including a principal and two "specialist faculty members" dividing their time equally between between schools, were employed by the Bowmanville Public School Board. 25 YEARS AGO Nov. 17,1976 The Town of Newcastle requested a formal government hearing to assess the proposed Darlington Nuclear Generating Generating Station. Information taken from the archives of The Canadian Statesman THAMKWJRje fWNfc'tmitr AND WXNIN& TUAT ÛMflmCNK AUVE-tNDWELL 1N TUE AIBUNE INDW/ eTWW.. www.dolIghan.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-mail le iters to newsmoin@tlurhaiHregioH.cam Show us the books To the editor: Re: 'How much will you pay in 2002,' Nov. 11, 2001 and 'Doom and gloom budget woes predicted for taxpayers,' Nov. 16, 2001. Our local government is setting setting us up again! Show us the numbers! Show us how the obviously increasing increasing residential and commercial tax base has not kept pace with expenses. We demand full disclosure on how much and from where tax dollars are coming and where they are going! Let's see both sides of the ledger and percentage changes over the last few years and hear explanations for swings. How our tax dollars are being spent is quite simply our business as shareholders and I am concerned with management. management. Kelly Adams Orono Just butt out To the editor: Further to current editorials and letters regarding additional legislation on the seemingly eternal topic of an effeclive ban on smoking (a subject which I feel eminently qualified to comment, having recently borne witness to the demise of a loved one afflicted by this accursed accursed scourge on mankind), before introducing additional laws, why not enforce those already already on the 'books.' For example, the only place in Oshawa where I have seen a notice posted advising those addicted to smoke to not do so within nine metres of a doorway doorway is on the north side of our esteemed hospital. Otherwise, this particular reminder might just as well not exist. No matter where one does business, a veritable miasma of fug, cancer-causing fog and hot ash must be threaded through as soon as the weather becomes a little crimpy around the edges - to quote the late great Damon Runyon. In addition, one has to tippy-toe through a burning bog ' of discarded butts, often as not between double-doors as well as on adjacent sidewalks. And of course, when the weather is warmer, outer walls and windows become festooned by smoking chimney pots, similar similar to London rooftops in Mary Poppins, sans high-kicking dancers. Or, more likely, lines of clay pigeons await their turn to be picked off by Big Tobacco's smoking shotgun. James Scott Premier won't miss the media Harris's last shot was to criticize the press The thing Premier Mike Harris will miss least in retirement retirement is opening up his newspaper newspaper each morning. The Progressive Conservative Conservative premier has had cross words particularly for opposition opposition parties, unions and community community activists over the past six years. But he reserved his last shot, before announcing he is leaving, to criticize news media. Mr. Harris was asked by reporters reporters if he was retiring, at a time when he had made up his mind to do so, and replied angrily, angrily, "Most of what you guys come up with is false. "1 don't know what you guys talk about and I don't know where you make it all up from." Since then he has chortled his party was, "dismissed and written off by all the so-called experts," meaning the news media before it won the 1995 election, but the party understood understood what voters wanted. A couple of former premiers, premiers, questioned when Mr. Harris resigned, also could not resist using rare opportunities back in the public eye to get in similar shots. Tory William Davis said he missed the excitement excitement of being premier, but "I did not miss the business with the media much." Mr. Davis, when premier, constantly urged the media to be "positive," which meant more appreciative of all the good works his government did. Former Liberal premier David Peterson told a reporter his advice to Mr. Harris would be, "Don't worry about stepping stepping down and don't read the stuff that guys like you write." New Democrat Bob Rae restrained restrained himself this lime, but when premier lie complained Eric Dowd At Queen s Park papers went out of their way to find fault with him and if he trained his dog to walk on water, they would run headlines headlines scoffing 'Rae's dog can't swim.' Tory premier Frank Miller never objected when media called him a used car salesman, because he had been one and regarded it as an honourable profession, but his family complained complained this misrepresented him, because he had a chemical engineering degree from McGill. Mr. Harris has had particularly particularly strained relations in recent recent months with reporters covering the legislature and sometimes refused to hold or cut short the scrums in corridors. corridors. These impromptu press conferences had become almost almost mandatory for premiers in the past decade and a half. The outgoing premier is accurate accurate in saying most media commentators wrote off his chances in 1995. At that time polls could not measure how voters would feel when exposed exposed in an election to Mr. Harris and his promises to cut taxes and government and media did not see the huge change coming. The only reporters reporters who saw him winning were the partisan who were guided by their hope for it. Mr. Harris is angry at media particularly because they will not give up publicizing demands demands for it public enquiry that would show whether he played a part in the police shooting and killing of a native Indian demonstrator at Ipperwash provincial park after government government memos showed he asked for them to be removed as soon as possible. He is irritated because media suggested, legitimately, his government appeared to favour a personal friend by easing easing building restrictions after the friend complained to the political side of government. Mr. Harris is furious media publicized he left his wife for another woman (he has since returned to her) and argues this intruded on his private life, but it was fair for them to report this when Mr. Harris tried hard to portray his as the only party trying to maintain family values. values. But Mr. Harris does fairly well out of the four Toronto daily papers, two of which support support him through thick and thin, their only complaint being he is not far right enough at times. A third paper is sometimes sometimes with him and sometimes against, and only the fourth regards regards it as one of its main purposes purposes to give him a hard time. All four papers also constantly constantly accept his leaks of information information on coming programs in which he provides only self- serving details so they arc reported reported the first time looking better than they arc and get reported reported twice, before and after they arc announced. This happened happened with recent announcements announcements on helping the disabled, saving the Oak Ridges moraine from developers -and a Christmas Christmas cash bonus for children. The media do make mistakes mistakes and too many for them to be complacent, but when they make so many premiers uncomfortable, uncomfortable, they are doing their job. Jennifer Stone Staff Writer jstoncfâ (lurluinnvi'ion. com Survey isn't necessary Any day now, Ontario residents will be opening their mailbox to find the winter edition of ON Magazine. The magazine, a provincial government government publication aimed at keeping keeping Ontario's residents up to date, will include a special feature this time around. Stakeholders in the education education system (read: parents) will be asked to fill out a questionnaire, to help the government determine how people arc feeling about the current state of education in Ontario. Ontario. The $700,000 survey shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has watched television lately - after all, it's pretty clear some serious advertising advertising dollars were sunk into letting letting people know the survey was eh route. Seven hundred thousand dollars seems like an enormous amount of money to be spending, especially as the Province turns its eye to the 2002-2003 fiscal year, a year which doesn't look as healthy as some in recent memory. A downturn in the economy, combined with recent world events making all things economic economic look even gloomier, has the Province not feeling quite as flush for cash as it has in the past. Reports indicate that, as a costcutting costcutting measure, all ministries may be asked to slash as much as five per cent from their overall budgets, in an effort to keep the Province from running a deficit in 2002-2003. And that could mean cuts to education. ; The funny part is, the Province is conducting an extremely expensive survey to ask parents how they feel about the state of education in Ontario. Ontario. And there's a pretty strong chance many parents are going to tell the Province they have concerns about lack of resources in schools, about the fact that students are often sharing textbooks, that facilities are often not in the best of shape. After all, parents have been pretty vocal over the last several years, and these have been some of their concerns. They want the absolute best for their children, and the absolute best costs money. That being said, there are most likely ways the ministries can cut spending. There are probably ways despite protests to the contrary - boards of education can trim a little more fat to help in the effort, without without necessarily affecting quality in the classroom, even though some cuts may seem a little painful. But, as Durham MPP John O'Toole says, "To sort out what is absolutely needed needed from what's nice to have is what this exercise is all about." And that's what you do when you're having budget trouble. But, maybe, a $700,000 survey at this particular point in time isn't exactly exactly what's needed. THE CANADIAN STATESMAN is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. The Statesman is a member of the Bowmanville Claring- ton Board of Trade, the Greater Oshawa Oshawa 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. Editorial and Advertising content of the Canadian Canadian Statesman is copyrighted. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. prohibited. mmm 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. Wc regret regret that due to the volume of letters, not all will be printed. Fax letters to 623-6161 or emailed to newsroom@durhamrcgion.com