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PAGE 6 THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, JULY 31,2002 <6 Opinions FOR 146 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 Eismont Circulation Manager - Kirk Bailey Composing Manager - Barb Harrison Office Manager - Lillian Hook Eiit Canadian Statesman Former Publishers and Partners Rev. John M. Climie and VV.R. Climie 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 Lid. Also Publishers of CLAR1NGTON THIS WEEK j 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 EDITORIAL e-mail tellers to aewsroom@ilarluimrenion.com Program gives students head start Most high school and university students are happy to flip burgers, cut grass or, if they're really lucky, work in an automobile automobile plant or on a construction crew during the summer. But for some fortunate students, there's a dream to be followed, followed, a passion to play out. All they need is a little money and just a bit of encouragement. Melissa McKnight, only 18, is getting a great opportunity thanks to the Business Advisory Centre Durham's (BACD) Summer Company: Student Entrepreneurship Experience. The long-winded name, in short, awards start-up costs and business training to help launch a fledgling company. In Ms. McKnight's case that would be Relaxing Thymes, a spa accessory retailer which she runs out of her Oshawa home. The experience is all the better for the teen since she has as her mentor famed fur fashion designer Paula Lishman,' world- renowned for her ability to market her clothing. Mrs. Lishman has been there to help Ms. McKnight fine-tune her business plan and offer her real-world expertise. Ms. McKnight is just one of six students in Durham taking part in the program. She's joined by Matthew Blanche of Whitby, Whitby, who has created Epic Interlock and Landscape; Graham Greenland of Whitby with Greenland Home Exterior; Carla McLaughlin of Blackstock, with Backyard Splash; Brock Baker of Bowmanville, who runs Up-A-Grade Tutoring; and Jennifer Hayman of Whitevale, whose business is the Garden Planner. For Mr. Greenland, who is receiving business advice from Xtreme Water president Paul Valdstyn, the program has provided provided him an opportunity to get a first-hand taste of the business world. "I'm extremely happy I did this. Being my own boss is in my future and I'm having a great time." Time and again, small businesses have been shown to be the bedrock of our national economy. The creation, growth and ongoing success of small films is the lifeblood of Canadian business. While the chance to run a business for these young students will only last a summer, the experience of being an entrepreneur will last a lifetime, making it far more than a summer job. Such young minds and hands will chart the future course for our country and with this innovative program, they're getting an excellent excellent head start. CLICK AND SAY* This week's question: Should the federal government make same-sex marriages legal? □ Yes □ No Cast your vote online at infodurhamregion.com * Last week's question: Who should pick Durham Region's chairman? Voters at large 76.2% Regional councillors Local councils 3% I don't know Votes cast: 101 CLARINGTÔN COMMENTS Question: What was the significance of World Youth Day _ and the Pope's visit to Toronto for you? 16.8% 4% Tara Branigan "I watched some of it. World co-operation, Everyone Everyone getting along, young people becoming more involved involved in world activities." Dan Walters "It was nice to see Toronto, although it didn't get the Olympics, got something something a little more spirited. I was listening to US stations and they were all talking about it. The rest of my family family watched (the Sunday mass) but I was too sleepy." Kalelynn Bellows "It had a good Impact for youth. I just learned we're opening a new St. Vincent do Paul's store In Bowmanville at mass on Sunday and wo are trying to got youth Involved, Involved, I think this could have an Impact on how young people see life and got more intorosl In community sor- vice," Melissa Dalton "Willi all Hie controversy controversy In the (Catholic) church right now I think It was a good tiring for the Pope to come. It reaffirms tho beliefs beliefs of youth and Catholics." ,.M> APEM mm www.dolighan.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-mail Idlers to aewsroom@clurliamregioa.com New expensive headquarters not needed To the editor: Re: 'Region gives the nod to new headquarters,' June 21, 2002. I agree, this is not the time to be spending up to $70 million for a new headquarters. Restraint Restraint is the order of the day. If owning is so great, why are. large corporations leasing? For example, the Royal Bank has sold most of its highrise buildings in Toronto and leases a new headquarters at Hwy. 401 and Hwy. 10. General Motors also leases its main office in Oshawa, so why does the Re gion think it is better to own? Jake Fleming Courtice New ideas needed for young people To the editor: r So, the Municipality is concerned concerned regarding an increase in vandalism caused by bored young people. Well, if they had somewhere to go and something something to do that they can afford, this issue would not occur. Drop-in clubs can only do so much and are costly to run and maintain. The cost of going to a show, play or concert is prohibitive for anyone on an allowance allowance or minimum-wage summer job. This means that, not only do people miss out on many cultural events, but also have no access to them. For example: the Promenade Promenade concerts of classical music in the UK will cost between between $10 and $30 maximum! Many shows and plays also have very reasonable ■ charges for off-peak tickets aimed at younger patrons. Take a look at what the cost is for these types of events in Canada and you will see that they are charging ticket prices that often drive younger people away. No wonder wonder that people become bored during summer breaks, other than TV, movies and hanging out in malls (hardly calculated to raise the cultural level), what is there to do? Laurence Cutner Courtice Tories, business don't always mix Ontario's Progressive Conservatives Conservatives boast they are the only party that protects taxpayers' taxpayers' money, but they are failing to deliver. The Tories, first under premier premier Mike Harris and now under Ernie Eves, have talked more than any other party about safeguarding the public purse. This theme runs through almost every line of their Common Sense Revolution program that won them two elections. They keep passing laws with such names as the Taxpayer Protection and Government Government Efficiency Acts. They have imposed so- called "business plans" on every branch of every ministry detailing almost hovV to sharpen sharpen the pencils. i Mr. Harris tried to suggest the Tories arc more prudent than others by claiming "we arc not government -\we arc the guys who came to fix government." government." Tory businessmen in government government have long jeered their Liberal and New Democrat opponents opponents have "never met a payroll," the cardinal sin, and their latest cry is government must be "accountable" with public money. But all the talk has not prevented prevented spending excesses like those revealed in Hydro One, the provincially-owned electricity electricity transmission network. According to government, the chief executive had an annual $2,18 million salary and perks including $214,000 in ear allowances allowances plus $110,000 for limousines (you could run a Formula One racing team for less) and membership in seven expensive clubs, The utility also spent $360,000 to sponsor yacht racing, racing, the CKO's favourite sport, Eric Dowd At Queen s Park and the elected Tories supposed supposed to keep an eye on things appeared to know none of this until news media and opposition opposition parties blew the whistle. There have been other spending abuses that taxpayers struggling to pay groceries can readily appreciate. Two ministers, ministers, Chris Stockwell and Tim Hudak, and their staffs had hefty bills for late-night drinks paid by the government, despite despite its policy of not reimbursing reimbursing for alcohol, and others even billed for a fishing licences licences and chewing gum. Health Minister Tony Clement was found paying an aide $300,000 a year, four times what such assistants normally normally arc paid, the only explanation explanation being he is a longtime Tory party worker. The Tories have not been reasonably alert in business dealings. They sold a piece of land for $1,27 million which the purchaser promptly resold for $3.9 million, and another for $1,92 million which the lucky buyer resold for $4.39 million. They also privatized a stretch of the loll road Highway Highway 407, part of which the purchaser resold for more than three limes that amount. The Conservatives promised to make Ontario a good place for business, hut did they have to make it this good? Hut no one should he surprised surprised by these misjudgments by Tories who claim to be businesslike. The last long- lived Tory government under William Davis, premier from 1971-85, started building a domed sports stadium in Toronto maintaining it would cost taxpayers only $30 million, million, but they wound up contributing contributing $300 million before handing it over to private enterprise. enterprise. Mr. Davis invested $800 million of taxpayers' money including interest buying shares of an oil company, supposedly supposedly to get an inside view of what was going on in that industry at a time when he was worried about rising oil prices, but they had to be sold in a depressed depressed market for a loss of $410 million. Mr. Davis put another $140 million in an agency he set up to design and sell innovative, high-tech rail commuter systems systems around the world, but packed this in and sold it for a mere $30 million. lie also took over a bankrupt bankrupt resort and poured $40 million into it trying to make it workable, but eventually it was sold to private enterprise for a paltry one-tenth that amount. Tories, when they get in power, prove not as smart at business as they claim and in business dealings they often gel stung. They tend to want to help out business, whose donations donations help pul them in government, government, and they are more tolerant tolerant of big-business types they hire to help run government and fail to keep watch on them. The Tories, for a lot of reasons, reasons, have not been the defenders defenders of the public purse they claim to he, You would not want them as your financial financial advisers, Bobbitt Regional Editât jbobbitt@durhantregion.\ As we liked it onci l There was a cartoon where, at the end of a Shake spearean play, an enthusiastic bit illiterate theatre-goer leaped to hi feet shouting, 'Author! Author!' While no one made that gaffe a a recent Driftwood Theatre, pro duction of Shakespeare's 'As Yoi Like It', there were plenty of othe opportunities to laugh. I absolute ly love Driftwood Theatre. Lovi it, love it, love it. Judging from the crowd the night I went, so do lots of others. I have always enjoyed theatre) from the time my aunt dragged me! as a little girl dressed in an embar-| rassing floor-length skirt, to Neptune Neptune Theatre in Halifax. Since then, I've enjoyed performances at dinner theatres, town halls, high schools, university theatres and well-known venues such as the Shaw Festival. But a lawn chair lugged to the local park to watch the cast of Driftwood under the stars remains a favourite. It's just a great sum mertime thing to do with family and neighbours. Not having to dress up at all is) one advantage. But the best thing about Driftwood is the innovation and talent of the young cast. ) They're good, you can tell they're having fun, and they can really entertain. entertain. The sets are simple and re- j main constant throughout a performance, performance, forcing the audience to use its imagination. In the first Driftwood performance I saw years ago, a group came charging up on 'horses' that were actually bicycles. The simple use of props and set works for me. And I also like the donate-what-you-can concept concept when the 'hat' is passed at intermission. intermission. This year, Driftwood has turned Shakespeare into a musical, musical, incorporating several a cappella cappella performances into the storyline, storyline, and some of those numbers alone were worth the trip to the park. Even though one can't always always follow Shakespeare's convoluted convoluted language on stage or catch the double entendres that might not be missed in print, the gist of the story unfolds and you don't have to be a theatre veteran or a Shakespeare fan to appreciate the talent on stage. Now in its eighth season, Driftwood Driftwood gives young, aspiring actors experience and gives residents of Durham a seasonal treat in the fresh outdoors. The final performance performance in Durham this summer is set for 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11 at Oshawa's Lakevicw Park. THE CANADIAN STATESMAN is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. 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