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I PAGE A8THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, June 19,2002 Editorial&Opinions FOR 14 6 YEARS, OUR FIRST- CONCERN HAS BEEN OUR COMMUNITY Publisher - Tim Whittaker Editor-in-Chief - Joanne Burghardt Managing Editor - Chris Bovie Regional Editor - Judi Bobbitt Advertising Manager - Fred Eisniont Circulation Manager - Kirk Bailey Composing Manager - Barb Harrison Office Manager - Lillian Hook ®(je Canairiatr Statesman Former Publishers and Partners Rev. John M. Climic and W.R. Climie 1854-1878 M.A. James 1878-1935 • Norman S.B. James 1919-1929 G. Elena James, 1929-1947 • Dr. George XV. James 1919-1957 John M. James, 1957-1999 Produced by Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. Also Publishers of CLAR1NGTON THIS WEEK P.O. Box 481, 865 Farewell St., Oshawa, Ontario L1H 7L5 TEL: 905-579-4400 FAX: 905-579-2238 E-mail: newsroom@durhamregion.com Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 DROP OFFICE: James Publishing, 66 King St. W„ Bowmanville, 8:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. weekdays Jl e-mail letters to newsroom® <litrlmmregion.com Budget includes present for Durham New university part of Janet Ecker's bill While she certainly had many other concerns to wony about, Finance Minister Janet Ecker clearly remembered where she came from Monday. In delivering her first budget, only a month after being named minister of finance by Premier Ernie Eves, the Picker- ing-Ajax-Uxbridge MPP did Durham a big favour. She included included the bill to create the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) within her budget bill. U01T had Durham support at the highest level as it was Ms. Ecker's immediate predecessor as finance minister, Whitby-Ajax MPP Jim Flaherty, Flaherty, who introduced the bill to finance UOIT 13 months ago. When the budget passes in the legislature, as it easily will with the majority Tories backing it, the creation of UOIT is complete. complete. For Durham College/UOIT president Gaiy Polonsky, "this is sensational news... until the act (to create UOIT) is passed, we are unable to function as a true university. Now, we're one year away from accepting the first class of students." The "brilliant strategy", as Mr. Polonsky ternis it, to tie the UOIT bill to the budget, sidesteps the need to take the university university bill through the time-consuming process of committee hearings. Mr. Polonsky has been eager to open UOIT for students students in September 2003 to coincide with the increased demand demand for university spaces created by the 'double cohort', the combined graduation of Grade 12 and OAC students in the same year. Now that will happen. Otherwise, the type of budget Ms. Ecker delivered Monday is as different from recent Tory budgets as, well, Ms. Ecker herself is from all past finance ministers in Ontario. Time will tell if Ms. Ecker, the first woman to deliver a provincial budget, essentially came to the legislature to buiy the Common Sense Revolution or simply delay it. Of course, she had the full support of her boss, Mr. Eves, himself famous for his tax-cutting budgets of the late 1990s. In many ways, this was a tax-and-spend budget that would have been right at home alongside some of NDP premier Bob Rae and Liberal premier David Peterson's budgets. The one big difference is spending is exactly offset by revenues so no deficit results. -- An additional sin tax on cigarettes is a no-brainer guaranteed guaranteed to raise much-needed revenue without any political headaches to follow. More money for education, health care and, most significantly given the Walkerton disaster, for safer drinking water, should please many of the critics who have accused accused the Tories of insensitivity. The decision to put off by a year the second phase of the highly controversial private school tax credit could well sound the death knell of a plan Mr. Eves criticized heavily while on the campaign trail. It's also believed Ms. Ecker, who was education education minister when the plan was announced, does not favour the school credit idea. In addition, income tax and corporate tax reductions, promised for Jan. 1,2003 have been pushed back one year. Ms. Ecker's budget merely reflects the economic times she is forced to deal with. It's a responsible plan. CLARINGTON COMMENTS Question: How do you feel about the government raising taxes on alcohol and cigarettes? Sarah McDougall Mike Therricn "1 don't drink much and "As a non-smoker, it 1 don't smoke; I'm fine doesn't bother me about with it." the cigarette tax, but I think there's enough tax on alcohol already. 1 don't think there's any reason to raise it more." Jane Johh "I just think that's awful - of course I'm a smoker, wlial else is there to say?" ICd Johnson "It wouldn't mailer to me, I don't smoke and I don't drink." LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-mail letters to newsmom@ditrhamregioii.com year. In layman's terms these chemicals contribute to the breakdown of our immune systems! systems! For the more scientific minded, each pollutant's adverse adverse side effects are explained. explained. This site is put out by 'Pollution 'Pollution Watch' an umbrella group for the 'Canadian Environmental Environmental Defence Fund,' the Canadian Environmental Law Association, etc. In other words, a group with no secret or hidden agenda agenda than to make our environment environment more livable? . OTW would do well to keep monitoring this site and to continue to help readers become become aware of what we breathe in this area. Keep up the good work. Bill Fox Oshawa Tory invites NDP, Liberal to board Premier Ernie Eves has invited invited representatives of the two opposition parties to join him in governing, but this is not exactly the equivalent of a free trip to the Caribbean. The Progressive Conservative Conservative premier has appointed former former New Democrat premier Bob Rae and former Liberal health minister Murray Elston to the board that oversees the giant, provincially-owncd electricity transmission network, which had been criticized particularly for lavish payouts to senior staff. Mr. Rae is respected for his intellect even by many who had no time for his policies and Mr. Elston has been almost a party leader, starling several months after other candidates in a race in 1993 and still losing by only nine votes on the final ballot, so both have status. Mr. Eves invited the pair as his way of trying to show he is open-minded and will listen to all sides. He has made it clear he will continue to make the key decisions and Tories still dominate dominate the hoard anyway. He also will hope - it has been done before - bringing in opponents will lake away some of the heal the Tories have been feeling over the hoard. Liberals and New Democrats may feel slightly more restrained in criticizing criticizing decisions by a body that includes some of their own. When the opposition parlies next criticize the hoard, the Tories Tories also will be able to eotmler, "are you knocking Hob Rae," and "don't you agree with Murray Murray Elston?" The Tories will have difficulty difficulty convincing the public they genuinely waul to hear all sides, however. They had many opportunities opportunities before to appoint opponents opponents to the hydro board and waiting until now suggests they arc doing it only because they arc in trouble. The Tories also make hundreds hundreds of appointments a year to boards, agencies and commissions commissions and opponents criticize them often for naming too many of their own and few Liberals and New Democrats. Now, when the opposition parlies complain more generally too many of the jobs go lo Tories, Tories, die government will be able to demand "what about Mr. Rae and Mr. Elston?" Mr. Eves's predecessor as premier, Mike Harris, also appointed appointed opposition politicians when he felt it would do him good, Mr. Harris wooed over Dave Cooke, one of the most capable and hardest-hitting of the New Democrats, to he co-chairman of a commission he set up to help push through his reforms of education. education. Mr. Cooke had been education education minister and government house leader and was about as severe a critic of the Tories as anyone in the legislature, Hut he leaped into his assignment assignment for the Tories with zest, saying teachers' unions the NDP supported were mired in the past and urging them to get on side with Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris also brought in Floyd Laughren, who had been finance minister in Mr. Rae's government, and made him chairman of the Ontario Energy Board, and whenever an opposition opposition party complained only Tories Tories are appointed, Mr. Harris countered with the names of Mr. Cooke and Mr. Laughren. Politicians who accept jobs from another party also bestow some approval on it and this is the case with Mr. Rae and Mr. Elston. But their own parties rarely complain, because they are sensitive sensitive about reproaching a former former colleague and being seen ns wounded. Why do politicians accept posts from opponents they have reviled? Mr. Cooke was feuding with the then newly-chosen NDP leader, Howard Hampton, who would not find him a role befitting his ability, and may have wanted to gel revenge by helping the hated Tories. Mr. Laughren is capable and there has been no belter-liked member of the legislature in recent recent years. A government of any stripe would have been glad to help him and itself. Some, including Mr. Rae and Mr. Elston, will he motivated motivated partly by the satisfaction they can get from still contributing lo public life, the power and prestige prestige that often goes with it and the implication they are so valuable valuable government keeps calling them back. It also looks good on their resumes and they may get further further calls to serve and more directorships directorships elsewhere - there is even some money in it. Pollution site provides snapshot of company numbers To the editor: Congratulations to Natalie Miller on her report (June 9, This Week) about the improvement improvement in the pollution put out by Co-Steel Lasco in Whitby. Unfortunately Lasco Whitby Whitby remains in the top ten percentage percentage rate for WORST polluters polluters of 'Total Environmental releases' and 'Non-cancer air and water releases' in Canada. By going to the following Web site any local citizen can input their postal code and find out who are the major polluters polluters in their area and what these pollutants do to the environment: www.score- card.org/pollutionwatch. I was shocked to see that in Oshawa, from General Motors, there arc over 1 million kilos of suspected reproductive toxicants toxicants released, almost 2 million million kilograms of suspected respiratory toxicants released each year. As well, if you have kidney problems, gastrointestinal gastrointestinal or liver problems, neurological neurological or skin problems, be aware GM gives off over 1 million kgs. of toxicants that contribute to those problems. As a local teacher, and parent parent of four, I was also disturbed disturbed to see almost 1 million kgs. of suspected 'Immuno- toxicants' are put into our breathing air by GM every Judi Bobbitt Regional Editor )bitl@(iurhamregion.com Getting rid of the body isn't easy We stood in the kitchen, my : friend and I, discussing how to get rid of the body. I had the best idea. We'll put it' in a box, I suggested, and drive to the nearest city dumpster. "Your car then," my friend 1 added helpfully. * The corpse, at that point, was wrapped in a green garbage bag. It' was tiny - a little squirrel that had 1 been fished out of the pool's skim-' mer basket. It was the third squirrel ; to have a misadventure in the pool in the past year, but the first casu-' ally. Foul play wasn't involved. But the problem was the once- weekly garbage pickup had been 1 done the day before, and a squirreL carcass languishing in the heat in- , side the garage for six days was unappealing. unappealing. Furthermore, I argued, 1 we couldn't leave the green ■ garbage bag at the side of the house like a tasty doggy bag treat for the' neighbourhood skunks and rae- 1 coons. And so it was settled: the body would be driven at once to the nearest dumpster at the nearest plaza. Only neither of us did it. I left the unsavoury, errand to the male, party, and he merely left it. f The next day I noticed the little bundle of green plastic still beside the house, atop a pile of neatly stacked tree branches, like a little sacrifice on a funeral pyre. We were just asking for trouble. I complained, complained, but there was no way I was ; going anywhere near that bag. Four days later, the squirrel was still there, untouched. I grit my teeth. Unbelievably (knock on wood) if that little body makes it through one more night without attracting the attention of marauding nocturnal nocturnal wildlife, it will make it intact to the curb with the rest of the garbage. This is my solemn vow, even though I still have no intention intention of touching it myself. And if it's not intact... it's still going straight to the curb. Or there might be another body to get rid of. Incidentally, even though our municipal works department put out a brochure indicating small dead animals shouldn't be put out for curbside collection, that's exactly exactly what we were advised to do by the same department with a dead bird found on the lawn earlier this spring. So any dead bodies we conic across, that's wlial we do. Unless of course, we leave them' at the side of the house. That's not recommended. THE CANADIAN STATESMAN is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. 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