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PAGE A4 THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, September 17. 2003 www.durhamregion.com Tim Whittaker Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor-in-Chief Tony Doyle Managing Editor Fred Eismont Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak Classified Advertising Manager Kirk Bailey Distribution Manager Lillian Hook Office Manager Janice O'Neil Cheryl Haines Composing Managers Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 185-1 Eljc Cflitflbtan Statesman Phone 905-579-4400 Classifieds 905-576-9335 Distribution 905-579-4407 General Fax 905-579-2238 Newsroom Fax 905-579-1809 E-Mail neivsroonif7durbamregion.com 865 Farewell St., Oshawa ON L1H 7L5 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 September 17,2003 Meiroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. infodurham, egioi3.com EDITORIAL v-mail letters to nu\vsmom(5'(lurliamrv|;ion.com Health care is always a hot issue No matter what the election, it's of critical interest M caltli cave is the one issue over which provincial governments governments have limited control but full responsibility. •The problem is the Canada Health Act. established and regulated regulated by the federal government, sets all the rules under which lh£ provinces operate. 'That was fine when the funding of health care, four decades ago. was a 50-50 federal-provincial deal. However, over the years, the feds have chipped and cut the amount they deliver to Ontario so that now the balance is lipped to 17 percent funding by!the feds, 83 per cent from Ontario. In other words. Ottawa niijkes the rules and Ontario pays the majority of the costs and face unhappy citizens who want more than can be reasonably delivered. •Since their election in 1995. the provincial Tories, first under Mike Harris, now under Ernie Eves, have struggled to deal with lilies funding dilemma. 'Yes. Mr. Harris and Mr. Eves have complained to Prime Minister Minister .lean Chretien more money is needed - in that they have been no different than nine other provinces and three territories. That combined effort and a push from the Romanow Report on Health Care has resulted in a slight funding increase from the feds. But problems still persist and the Province has to deah wilh them. The Tories have boosted funding to the point where health care eats up $28 billion per year, nearly half the provincial budget. budget. Work has been done, through the Health Services Restructuring Restructuring Commission, to maximize hospital bed spaces and make every dollar count. , . Here in Durham, the health-care concerns are clear. Nearly every city and town is underserviced when it comes to family doctors. There will be a growing need for larger hospitals and more health services as Durham gets bigger and older. The demand on budgets will not cease and new equipment will always be on the agenda for Lakeridgc Health and Rouge Valley administrators. The key thing voters will have to ask themselves is which party they trust to deliver the health-care services they need. Which leader will be able to deal with soon-to-be prime minister minister Rail Martin on an equal basis to'get the health care funding funding required by the provinces? Health-care will never be easy to deliver on a first-class basis no matter which party is in power in Ontario. But, given the performance performance by Health Minister Tony Clement during the recent SARS crisis and the commitment shown by Mr. Eves, voters across the province may be reluctant to turn over the responsibility responsibility to anyone else on Oct. 2. OPINION e-mail letters to iiewsroom@durhanireHioM.com PVNC must make tough decisions The needs of the few versus the needs of the many . A Peterborough school falls into disrepair, while in Claring- ton. population forecasts indicate indicate another new school may be necessary within the next few years. Maybe it doesn't sound like one has much to do with the other. But the two are intricately intricately related, under a provincial education funding formula that only allows new schools to be built if the entire jurisdiction has loti many students to lit in its buildings. And that's something the Peterborough Peterborough Victoria Northumberland Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board is going to have to figure out, and soon. While many other boards have adjusted to the new funding funding formula brought in by the Tories since they were elected eight years ago, PVNC seems to have resisted the change. Just look next door. The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board has made the difficult decision decision to close 10 schools - four of them in Clarington. Yet. the Catholic board has closcil only one. last year, in Peterborough. By doing so. KPR has ensured new schools can be built where necessary, and older, more dilapidated schools arc shut down to ensure the best learning environment for students. Now. PVNC parents in Peterborough, Peterborough, where enrolment is declining, are calling for a new school, to house about 201) students. students. to be built lo replace one tin,'re llial is in a disgraceful stale of repair. Some of the pur- Jen Stone Staff Writer jstone@ durluuiuviiion.com cuts have even called oiv the board to use money previously earmarked for Clarington to build a new school in Peterborough. Peterborough. Clarington is the board's highest growth area. Overcrowding Overcrowding is an issue here. A new school planned for Bow- manville in 2005 will help, but it's pretty clear, within a few years after that, population growth in Court ice is going to necessitate construction of another another school. Sure, Clarington gels most of the new schools being built in the board's jurisdiction. And that hasn't gone unnoticed by Peterborough parents. In fact, at last week's PVNC meeting, one complained, "The money is all being spent in Clarington." Well, yeah - that's because Clarington Clarington is growing. For Peterborough lo gel new schools, the board is going to have lo look at closing or consolidating consolidating existing, crumbling schools there. Peterborough may have to get used lo larger schools - Clarington has plenty of them. The Province's funding formula actually punishes boards for smaller schools, by only providing administration funding over certain thresholds. No one likes making such unpopular decisions, lo close neighbourhood schools, bill given the funding formula, they're going lo have lo be made, And, the sooner I he better better for siudcnls across the board. CLICK AND SAY Today's question: Will you base your vote in the provincial election on the party, its leader or your local candidate? □ Party □ Leader □ Local candidate Cast your vote online tit infodurham .com Last week's question: Are you in favour of a publicly-funded publicly-funded auto insurance program? □ Yes 61.2 per cent □ No 38.8 per cent Total votes: 552 HAVE YOUR SAY LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-mail letters to liens room (sdiiiluimieHiiHi.enm Question "Do you think the provincial election campaigns have been too negative?" Tories fail on education To the editor: Re: 'It's not quite us simple as A,B,C,' editorial of Sept. 10. 1 began by reflecting back to the early days of the Harris government government when then Minister of Education and Training, and high-school dropout, John Sno- belen stated his intention was to 'really bankrupt how it is' and - 'create a crisis' in education. The Harris government of the time was successful beyond imagination. imagination. There has been more strife and labour disruptions during the last eight years of Tory government government than ever before in our education education system. I also reflected on Bill 160 and the ensuing two-week teacher walkout to protest the Harris government's removal of hundreds of millions of dollars from the education system. This led me to think about the lack of resources now in our schools and the poor state of repair of many schools. I reminded myself Ernie Eves was Finance Minister at the time. I thought back to the high school experiences of my two children. I reflected on the loss of extracurricular activities they experienced, experienced, the new curriculum implemented without textbooks or resources, and the caring teachers who got them through it. I then pulled their recent education education files and reviewed the tremendous costs - second highest highest in Canada - we are presently incurring to send one to university university and the other to college. 1 simply couldn't help but wonder if Premier Eves's promise to "put $2 billion immediately immediately into the school system" would be a revenue-neutral situation situation similar to the one we experienced experienced in our municipalities. Finally. I reviewed the promises being made by each party and I asked myself who I believed could be trusted most to do the right thing for our education education system. Thank you for stimulating stimulating these reminiscences. It has indeed been good .for the soul. I agree, it is not quite- as simple as A.B.C but F have done my homework and reached a conclusion about where I am going to place my X on Oct. 2. Lyle Goodin Bowmanville food. The only reason the dog would ever hurt my nieces would be if she knocked them over with her big butt and tail! The dog would definitely hurt someone who looked to be attacking attacking or hurting anyone in the family. That's her nature and the same goes for most breeds. Let's start investigating these situations before we automatically automatically assume the dog or its breed are not to be trusted. Carol Reid Bowmanville Rebecca McGill TSfp "The nega- 7:'j live ads L ; don't speak well for p them, I don't ». •r-r ? ,iti like the ffv T$2<. direction lisi-T-T'- politics is - gome. Natalie McFarlane Dog attacks need more investigation To the editor: Re: 'What me need is a new breed: Thinking brain dog.' column column by Neil Crone of Sept. 7. I am getting sick and tried of people labelling certain breeds of dog. I understand the hurt people have when a dog bites a child. Do we really know the background background of the situation? Children should never be left alone with any animal.' Certain breeds arc labelled with every single incident or frustration from adults. I am a dog lover myself. If I do not know a dog, then I do not go lo it. I wait for the dog lo come lo me. Every breed, 1 don't care how small, could do this to any child. Stop blaming the animals and start reviewing the situations where these incidents have occurred occurred and fluid out why. My husband and I have a German German shepherd, who at one time was abused by its family, and who was trained lo protect its surroundings. 1 have two young nieces who she adores, especially especially when they are handing her Canadians deserve better To the editor: A Canadian citizen (William Sampson) has recently been released released from a Saudi Arabian jail (with added thanks to the British Government). He tells of torture and a confession that was basically basically beaten out of him. The torture torture of a Canadian citizen abroad is an offence against all Canadians. So what has our government done about this? In typical Liberal Liberal apathy - nothing. Our federal federal government's primary job is to protect its citizens. Saudi Arabia's Arabia's denial of this torture is offensive offensive and disgusting, to our sense of justice and cannot be tolerated. As Canadians we should insist insist that we officially cease all diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia. The Saudi ambassador should be immediately sent home. A lack of action will be taken as acceptance of this behaviour. behaviour. When will this Liberal government begin to take its obligations to Canadians here and abroad scriously'.'O Dr. Colin Carrie Oshawa "No it doesn't bother me, they are informative and are giving out factual information." information." Markco Hunter "The negativity negativity doesn't bother me, they can say what they want as long as thiiy fix the school and health care systems." Karina Isert "It does (bother me). Its not mown up, I'd like to think that people can see through it." TRUE GRIT By Tim Dolighnn YOU DON'T SEEM \ TOO EXCITED \ ABOUT COING BACK TO SCHOOL / wwiv.iluliglian.com ^ . " ' \ ...YOU AND I BOTH KNOW BACK TO SCHOOL IS NOTHING MORE THAN A DEVIOUS PLOT By CORPORATIONS TO MARKET THEIR BACK TO SCHOOL PRObUCTSI (a o '■) -H f ...JUST LIKE ^ CHRISTMAS AND EASTER,THE TRUE MEANING OF BACK TO SCHOOL IS LOST IN RAMPANT \ CONSUMERISM --v x • f FORSAKEN \ (<;) cpoyrnjlil Uo|i<)ltmi Cartoons 2003 dir Ciinntjian Silnlrsiimn is ono of the Meiroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. 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