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News/4 Doctor shortage felt by urgent care clinics CLARINGTON'S AWARD-WINNING NEWSPAPER SINCE 1854 Sports/11 Badger digging life in Wisconsin January 15, 2003 • 26 Pages • Optional 3 Week Delivery $5/$l Newsstand durhamregiyi.com WHAT'S ON Jan. 23: The Clarington Board of Trade and Clarington Business Group will be hosting a free information session for a new Toastmasters club, open to the board's members and employees. employees. The session will be held Jan. 23 from 8-9 p.m. at the Ontario Power Generation Darlington plant on South Service Service Road. Attendance at the information session is free for members who register before Jan. 22 by 1 p.m. A $5 fee will be charged at the door. For more information, contact the Clarington Board of Trade at 905-623-3106 or register online online at www.claringtonboard- oftrade.com Jail. 23: The library is offering offering free Internet training to help residents get online in 2003. The Search Techniques seminar is designed to help those who have basic Internet training conduct more effective searches of the Web and library databases. The session is on Thursday, Jan. 23 at the Bowmanville Bowmanville branch from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Space for the seminar seminar is limited and registration is required. Call 905-623-7322 to register for programs at the Bowmariville branch. INSIDE Wheels: Making its Canadian debut at the Canadian International International Auto Show will be t h e Hyundai HCD6 roadster, dubbed the "affordable exotic car." INDEX Editorial Page 4 Classified 7 Sports 11 GIVE US A CALL General 905-579-4400 Distribution 905-579-4407 Death Notices 905-683-3005 Sincerely Yours 1-800-662-8423 General FAX 905-579-2238 Newsroom FAX 905-579-1809 durhamiregion.com pq !T@--S" 1 " ; ONTABIO'S \m SERVICE • PARTS o NEW & USED SALES & LEASING I EXTENDED SERVICE HOURS } MON., TUES., THURS., FRI. i 7:30-6:00 WED.-7:30-9:00 SAT.-9:00-1:00 ! ACCREDITED TEST j & REPAIR FACILITY ' *An official nuuk of I he Vnnlm'c of Ontario used under licence. Whitby - Oshawa Honda 1110 DUNDAS. ST. E. WHITBY, LOCAL (MS) 666-1772 Hoxumv www.homla1.com Guess who came to dinner? A.J. GR0EN/ Statesman photo The entire University of Wisconsin women's hockey team stopped at Don and Gail Rickard's farm in Bowmanville for supper en route to Brampton last week. The Rickards' daughter, Karen (front row, blue coat), is in her third year of a scholarship at the school. Busload of hungry hockey players and staff make pit stop at Bowmanville farm BY BRAD KELLY Staff Writer BOWMANVILLE - Consistent Consistent with her generous disposition, disposition, Gail Rickard extended a dinner invitation that was graciously graciously accepted. But we're not talking about your ordinary dinner party where she and husband Don entertain entertain for an evening on their Bowmanville farm. The invited guests for this little soirée unloaded off a bus. After all, it's not every day you host the entire University of Wisconsin women's hockey team, coaches and support staff for supper. "Our family is very small," said Mrs. Rickard about any previous experience she's had in serving such a large contingent. contingent. "My guess was they wanted something hearty and healthy." The Rickards' daughter, Karen, 21, is in her third year of a scholarship at the university, where she is furthering her athletic athletic and academic endeavours by playing hockey and studying agricultural business management. management. When the hockey team planned a trip this season that included games in New York, Montreal and Brampton, Mrs. Rickard extended the offer to have the team over for supper en route to Brampton. The grocery cart had to be filled in preparation for the get- together. Included on the menu for the team meal was lnsagna (made from scratch), salad, oranges, oranges, chocolate cupcakes, two dozen chocolate drink boxes, one dozen white milk drink boxes, some Dr. Pepper pop, apple cider and apples - farm fresh, of course. "I tried to keep everything simple to serve," laughed Mrs. Rickard, who had to enlist the help of neighbour Sally Barrie, who offered her oven for the overflow of lasagna pans. Prior to the big feast, players were taken on a hayride around the farm just east of Bowmanville Bowmanville on Highway 2. The snowy and blustery weather conditions the team had to endure endure during the ride are not unlike unlike the conditions experienced in Wisconsin on a regular basis. The similarity in weather patterns limited the number of barbs the Rickards had to endure endure from the American team members about the harsh winter conditions in Canada. "The weather is so comparable," comparable," said Karen. "It's almost exactly the same. "Wisconsin is a big farming community as well, so I'm really really comfortable being where I am." 'RICKARD DIGGING IN' See page 11 Kendal family seeks busing help School council goes to board committee BY NATALIE MILLER Staff Writer CLARINGTON - In just a few steps from the driveway, a Kendal mother loses sight of her small children trudging to their rural bus stop alone. 'Irish Boyd can't leave her home to make sure Alexis, 7, and Noah, 4,. board the school bus safely. She has a housebound 20- month-old baby, recovering from a bone marrow transplant. Her kids have missed a lot of school. And if it wasn't for a selfless gesture from the principal, they wouldn't he there at all. The Boyds and the Kirby Public School parent council arc requesting requesting a school bus pick up the children at the bottom of their Dell Road driveway. Tonight (Wednesday) Kirby Public School's school council is appealing to the board's resource committee to help the family. Kendra Allen, co-chairman of the school council, invites the community community to show their support by attending the meeting or by contacting contacting Iter or the school board. "We, as a council, arc distraught distraught about the whole thing," says Ms. Allen. "I don't think it's fair. Why can't they do it for this family? This is a special circumstance." circumstance." Kirby Public School principal Lisa Dunn became aware of the Boyds' dilemma when Alexis and Noah missed a week of school in November when baby Rhys came home from the 1 los- pital for Sick Children. She found out the children had no way to get there. Site chose to Sec FAMILY page 6 WALTER PASSARELLA/ Statesman photo Trish Boyd with sons Rhys, 20 months, who lias recently recently had a bone marrow transplant, and Noah, 4. Noah and his sister, Alexis, have missed school due to a busing conflict. Pricetag for new regional building set at $68 million BY JACQUIE MclNNES Staff Writer DURHAM - A proposed $67.7-million consolidated regional regional and police headquarters will, cost taxpayers less than leasing administrative space throughout Durham Region, the Region's finance commissioner says. But some business groups and municipalities are asking the Region to slow down the process that could see the building building approved as early as next Wednesday. Jim Clapp, the Region's commissioner of finance, says owning versus leasing will save taxpayers $500,000 in the first year, $14 million over 20 year's and $121 million over 35 years even if the Region put no down payment on the building. "It's affordable, it's doable, it doesn't impact our triple A credit credit rating and it doesn't impact any other projects," says Mr. Clapp, who adds the finance department department is recommending $ 13- million up-front financing from reserve and development charge funds to reduce interest costs further. The report, he says, has been reviewed by Moody's Investor Investor Services, which confirmed confirmed the Region's credit rating under the plan. In its business case analysis, the Region's finance department recommended EllisDon Corp. build a 334,155-square foot building at Rossland Road and Garden Street to incorporate a number of services currently located located at leased facilities around the region. If approved, it will be scheduled to open in 2005. Last June, despite opposition from Oshawa, Regional council approved a plan to invite five firms to bid on building a 250,000- to 350,000-square foot building, possibly including a police headquarters. The finance staff recommendations and business case analysis is to be presented today to a joint committee committee of regional politicians on the finance and works committees. committees. Next Wednesday, Jan. 22, the proposal will go before full regional council for final approval. approval. The new report suggests ownership will offer savings significantly significantly higher than preliminary preliminary reports prepared last spring by the finance department had suggested. That has raised red flags for some officials. Oshawa and Clarington are asking for more time to review the new information information and assess whether it presents an accurate picture. Ajax hits asked to have time to hold a public meeting. One question being raised is a discrepancy in the estimated leasing costs between the preliminary preliminary report presented to council in June and the new analysis. In June, leasing costs were listed at approximately $4.8 million. 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