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Clarington Community/7 Coming up roses in Bowmanville Canadian Sports/11 Cold War freezes Eagles durhamregion.com ♦ Pressrun 24,150 ♦ Founded 1854 ♦ JANUARY 4, 2006 ♦ 34 Pages ♦ Optional 3 Week Delivery $5/$1 Newsstand Jack Layton cruises into area to motivate Durham NDPers ► -1 s. V i ,< I ij ^ --raw (Warns voters j$f 'Oshawa effect' p- BY JULIAN FOLLERT Staff Writer /OSHAWA -- NDP leader Jack Layton had his work cut out for him Tuesday when he descended on Oshawa for the second time in just over a month - this time tackling voting trends and seniors tissues instead of the auto industry. '/^Xn early morning chat with residents •of Sunrise Seniors Place yielded tougher Questions than the media frenzy that followed, followed, with attendees demanding answers tori everything from health care to pensions. pensions. '/Dorothy Morrow, 82, moved to Sunrise in'April and still hasn't found a family physician in Oshawa. As a native, she is (also concerned that the federal government government isn't doing enough for the First Nations. "Well, you'd better," was her half-joking response after Mr. Layton promised to get her a copy of the NDP program to support First Peoples. The mood was decidedly more celebra- tory at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery across the street, where a crowd of local NDP supporters gathered to meet Mr. Jtoyton and Oshawa NDP candidate Sid Jfcyan, at their second stop of the morning. morning. §fhe NDP leader used the opportunity to a^ain warn voters of the "Oshawa effect" a£term coined during the last election to tjcscribe the last-minute shift of NDP support to a Liberal candidate, to avoid a Conservative victory . •. . . . Jason Liebregts/Metroland Durham.Region Media Group NDP leader Jack Layton visited the Sunrise Seniors Residence on a.campaign stop in Oshawa and shook hands with Pat- McNally along the way. "We almost had change for the better better here in Oshawa last election. But ' then Paul Martin said we all had to be very, very scared and that all progressive people needed to vote Liberal to protect the Canada we all love," he said. "Well in Oshawa, that helped elect a Conservative." Conservative." According to the Canadian Press, a Décima Research survey released this week indicates that many voters support the NDP but won't necessarily vote for the party if it means splitting the results and getting a Conservative win. Mr. Ryan said he is confident that this trend will reverse -- at least in Oshawa - this time around. "I've beaten the Liberals into third place twice now. It's not a Liberal-Conservative race here, it's a classic three-way race," he explained. "We've seen that'65 per cent of Oshawa votes against the Conservatives." Mr. Layton also used his Oshawa stop to tout his party's record in the last parlia- . ment, stressing the budget deal with the Liberals that pumped $4.6 billion into NDP priorities like housing and foreign aid. He was equally eager to slam the Liberal "culture of entitlement," pointing to the Gomery inquiry, Scott Reid's "beer and popcorn" comment, and a blog by Liberal official Mike Klander that compared his wife, Olivia Chow, to a dog. Despite painting the Conservatives as "just plain wrong" and the Liberals as "promise breakers," Mr. Layton assured the crowd that his party would be able to work with any government that wins power after Jan. 23. "When we show up to work, we get to work," he said simply. ■ There is talk that Mr. Layton could return to Oshawa for a third time before election day. Clarington woman wins Canadian Lions award BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer CLARINGTON - Work aimed at ensuring local residents don't fall victim to Type 2 Diabetes has earned Clarington resident and Gourtice Lion Evelyn Fisher the first Harry A. Newman Diabetes Award. "Shortly after I joined (the Lions), I found out I had it," said Ms. Fisher of the disease. At an international Lions' convention convention in Hawaii in 2000, Ms. Fisher learned more about "what a worldwide epidemic is was. "They were talking about what Jqson Liebregts/Metroland Durham Region Media Group QSHAWA - Hannah Elizabeth Abbott was born Jan. 1 at Ji:29 a.m. to proud parents Crystal and Chris at Lnkeridge Health Oshawa. a large number of young people were getting it," she said. Armed with a nursing background, Ms. Fisher decided to get involved at the local level with diabetes prevention. prevention. "I thought, I have to do something something to prevent people from getting getting it," she said. Hannah in time to BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer DURHAM -- Hannah Abbott's first Christmas present for her big brother Nolan was to wait to be born until the New Year. The baby girl's Christmas due date had her mom and dad, Crystal Crystal and Chris, a little worried that mom might be in the hospital with baby, putting a damper on the four-year-old's Christmas. But, the baby girl stayed put until the next holiday, making her debut as Lakcridge Health Oshawa's first baby of 2006, bom at 12:29 a.m. on Jan. 1. She's worked with public health, to get out into the schools to, by a variety of means, promote healthy diet and active lifestyle as a way to avoid developing Type 2 diabetes. diabetes. That's helped Ms. Fisher control the disease, in her case. "I'm fortunate that I've beén able to control mine through diet and walking," she said. She's also arranged diabetes awareness and testing days at a number of public places, including including one at last September's Durham Durham Central Fair, at which at least a dozen people were found to See COURTICE, page 5 debut be Baby N ew Year Mayor predicts strong growth in 2006 BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer CLARINGTON - This should be a year of "prosperity for Clarington" Clarington" with vast commercial, industrial and, as a result, job growth, predicts Mayor John Mutton. "Commercial and industrial building permits will be at an all-time high," said the mayor, predicting 700,000 square feet of commercial construction will occur, including the RONA Hardware Hardware site on Martin Road and Hwy. 401, and the big box retail proposed for the west end of Bowmanville, near Green Road and Hwy. 2. As well, the Holburn Group . will open its new 40,000 square- foot building, where the company, company, which specializes in research into gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory diseases, diagnostic pathology, and biotechnology products, is expected to expand. The Holbum expansion is to be the impetus behind a Municipal initiative aimed at building the Clarington Research and Technology Technology Park in the Bennett Road - Hwy. 2 area. Also, the mayor is hopeful that 2006 will mark, the beginning of the process which could eventually eventually see new nuclear reactors in Clarington. The Ontario Power Authority released a report in December, advising the Province on.how best to deal with'future power shortfalls. The report recommends recommends nuclear continue to supply supply about 50 per cent of Ontario's power, which means building new reactors and, perhaps, refurbishing refurbishing existing units, which will begin reaching the end of their lifespan within 7-10 years. Though the report does not detail when or where new nuclear should be built, there has been broad speculation that the Province Province will choose to build two new reactors on OPG-owned property next to the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station in Clarington. Clarington. Mayor Mutton said he's hopeful more specific information will be available by April. "If we can at least get the environmental environmental assessment process started, then you know it's just a matter of time," he said. The industrial and commercial ' growth will result in more jobs See PROSPERITY, page 5 "It worked out great, especially with a four-year-old," said Ms. Abbott of her healthy 6 lb., 15 oz. bundle of pink's'arrival. "We were hoping we wouldn't have to be in here for Christmas." Ms. Abbott said she'd been having having contractions off and on for four days, but her water didn't break. She was scheduled for induction at 8 a.m. New Year's Day, but by 8 p.m. New Year's eve, she was feeling significant pain and pressure, and the couple went to the hospital, so she could be assessed, At 11 p.m., her water was broken, and, to everyone's surprise, "1 had her an hour-and- a-half later. The doctor had to rush in" to be there in time to deliver the baby, she recalled. Another mom was' in labour when Ms. Abbott arrived in hospital, but gave birth about a half-hour before the New Year ■ arrived. The count-down to the New Year was a bit of a blur, said the Oshawa mom of two. "1 kind of remember them saying, saying, "Happy New Year," but 1 wasn't quite with it," she said. So far, her big brother is thrilled with his New Year's present. "He loves her," said Ms. Abbott, "l ie's tickled pink." • SERVICE • PARTS MON., WED., FRI. 7:30 am - 6:00 pm TUES. & THURS. 7:30 am - 8:00 pm SAT. 9:00 am - 4:00 pm ACCREDITED TEST & REPAIR FACILITY WHITBY OSHAWA Honda 300 THICKSON RD. S. 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