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t PAGE 6 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ January 4,2006 Tim Whittaker Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor-In-Chief Chris Bovie 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 1854 Stic Canadian Statesman Opinion | JANUARY 4, 2006 durhamregion.com Phone 905-579-4400 Classifieds 905-576-9335 Distribution 905-579-4407 General Fax 905-579-2238 Newsroom Fax 905-579-1809' E-Mail newsroom@durhamregion.com 865 Farewell St., Oshawa ON L1H 7L5 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 infodurhamregion.com EDITORIAL e-mail letters to newsroom@durhanircgion.com Get informed about the local issues The leftovers from the Christmas Christmas turkey are probably gone, the New Year's Eve revelry is over and now, maybe, we can finally concentrate on the Jan. 23 federal election. With just 19 sleeps until E-day, it shouldn't be hard to take a thorough look at the party platforms platforms and get the opportunity to quiz your local candidates, This marathon of an election has really been fought in three parts. There were the first three weeks of sparring as the leaders criss-crossed the country sniping at each other and going toe-to- toe in a pair of national debates. Local candidates put up signs, knocked on doors and, in some cases at least, imitated their leaders leaders by slagging each other, Then, mercifully, we had the two-week holiday break where most candidates sensibly took a breath and left us alone to celebrate celebrate the most wonderful time of the year. There hasn't been a lot of election election news to report on recently and for that, we can be thankful. But now, we have the sprint to the finish arid you can expect the fur will be flying and the promises will be piling up in the countdown to the election. Now is your chance to really find out where your local candidate candidate stands. There are a number of very easy ways to do this: 1) Drop by the election offices of your local candidates. They are not difficult to find. You can look them up on the Internet by putting their name in a search engine and following miUM the links to their site. The address, telephone num \ \\ \ ber, e-mail address and fax num w\\ ber should be found on their ' VV' website. 2) Call or e-mail your candidates candidates and ask them the questions you want answered. 3) Attend an all-candidates debate and submit a question for candidates to answer. This gives you a chance to watch the candidates under fire and allows you the opportunity to see them think on their feet. 4) Follow media reports on the campaign. There is plenty of information in this newspaper and you can find much more at durhamre- gion.com. 5) If you meet a candidate at the door, engage him or her in conversation and press him or her on the issues that matter to you. We often discuss the candidates, candidates, the leaders, the parties and all the other stuff that makes up a campaign. Many voters are left thinking the election is about the politicians politicians and not about them. However, the election is about you. It's your democracy, your vote, that counts. Make an informed choice by getting the answers you want from the candidates. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-mail letters to newsroom@durhamregion.com BACKWARD GLANCE Castle Hotel, 1994 Statesman file photo The Castle Hotel is shown in this photo taken in downtown Bowmanville in 1994. Great to get courthouse but it should be in Whitby To the editor: Well, first off, let's congratulate congratulate Oshawa for getting some-, thing built near, to the til now useless parking garage at Mary and Bond streets. However, like anything in the "Shvya," who in their most infinite infinite wisdom thought about the neighbours at this location - the YMCA. If I'm correct, in addition to a day care, the "Y" runs many and varied children's programs. So why would anybody put a courthouse where you send all kinds of criminals including child molesters, right next door to the "Y." Was the purpose of this to deliberately endanger people? Or is it just that it's the Canadian Canadian way to look after criminals by providing them with more "opportunities." The best location for the new courts would be on the same piece of property in Whitby where they are now! Oshawa and Durham Region never cease to amaze me with their short-sightedness. . Brian Hele Bowmanville Why let cars idle when ice cap is melting? To the editor: After hearing a report on global global warming and the melting ice caps, a discussion with my young daughter Sabrina prompted her to ask me the following question. ."Where will Santa live if the North Pole melts?" The next day I made my way to the GO train station and counted no fewer than seven vehicles (mostly of the large variety) running running their engines while their drivers applied makeup, smoked cigarettes, listened to the radio or simply waited for the GO train. This practice is true both in . winter and summer months. I wonder which of those people would care to answer my daughter's daughter's question? - Henry Zaczek Ajax New transit service same as the old but higher fares To the editor: If nobody noticed, the new Durham Region Transit website is up, with information about the "new" routes and. "improved" service. Seriously, though, it seems to me more and more every day that this was an excuse to hike fares. , If you look at the schedule, you'll find that there are no new routes, and the routes that are there to connect between cities have always been there. ' It's the same horrible service with a new horrible price. Yuck. Aaron Doucet Oshawa Liberal answer to gun crime ineffective To the editor: I was saddened and horrified horrified to hear of the shootings in Toronto on Dec, 26. Paul Martin answers the call via a press release to the nation, serving as a reminder of how, if re-elected, his handgun ban will cure what ails us. Beyond this blatantly opportunistic opportunistic electioneering are the people hurt by this, who have had taken what can never be returned. The Liberals have been in charge for 12 years and-have- yf allowed incidents like this to. continue by not stepping up to effectively deal with the root causes of crime'arid not legislating legislating stiffer punishment. If the Liberals are permitted to continue with their policy . of doing as little as possible, Toronto will soon become Canada's Canada's murder central, with other urban centres not far behind. In the days ahead, Canadians have a chance to effect a change in government that would bring in stiff sentencing, more money for front-line law enforcement and outreach to help prevent more kids from turning to a life of crime. It would be a horrible waste if we failed to make good use of that chance. -. Mike Dines Oshawa LETTERS We welcome letters that include name, city of residence and phone numbers for verification. Writers are generally limited to 200 words and one submission submission in 30 days. We decline announcements, poetry, open letters, consumer complaints, congratulations and thank you notes. The editor reserves the right to edit copy for length, style and clarity. The-newspaper The-newspaper contacts only those people people whose submissions have been chosen for publication. FAX: 905-579-1809; E-MAIL: Newsroom ©durhamregion. com. Durham candidates face off tonight We're less than three weeks from the January 23 federal election, election, and tonight, for the first time since the writ was dropped, Durham's candidates will face off at a debate. Tonight's debate is run by the Courlice Area Ratepayers' Association, Association, and will he held at Faith United Church, 1778 Nash Rd„ Courlice, beginning at 7:30 p.m. It's the first of a few. We're hosting one, along with our partners Rogers and CKDO, at the Garnet 13. Rickard Recreation Recreation Complex in Bowmanville, on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. Our sister paper, The Pori Perry Slur, will host another Jan, 11, in llie northern area of the riding, at Scugog Community Centre, Jennifer Stone 1655 Reach St., in Port Perry. It's slated lor 7 p.m. Though it's been weeks since the election was called, campaigning campaigning has really not yet begun in Durham riding, so these debates present, really, the first opportunity lor the public to get an idea of where local candidate* stand on the issues near and dear to Durham. Arguably, the top issue for Durham Durham riding is health care. There is growing sentiment in some quarters that the Lakeridgc model, imposed by the Province almost a decade ago, is simply not working. That's in part because the funding funding model doesn't make allowances allowances for multi-site hospitals, At least one candidate has publicly publicly called for the hospitals and Bowmanville and Port Perry to go it alone, budget-wise, while still co-operating with Oshawa's hospital in terms of provision of service. This is something all the candidates candidates should he asked to state their positions on, given the vast central importance of (lie hospitals hospitals within the communities that make up Durham riding. . Another issue voters should be hammering away at local candidates candidates about is the dearth of family family doctors. Far too many people in local communities are being forced to rely on walk-in clinics or, worse yet, emergency rooms, to receive regular health cure for which they should be able to go to a regular family doctor. But, due to a shortage, they simply do not have one. So, candidates should he asked what they propose to do to get more family doctors trained, or, even better, ensure physicians trained elsewhere but not yet deemed qualified here arc last- tracked so they could he providing providing much-nccdcd service to the community. As much as this is an issue being dealt with at the local and provincial level, it is a federal issue, and the local MP, whoever that is post-January 23, should help provide a solution on the matter. As we inch closer to voting day, the campaign should bent up. Reporter Jennifer Slone s column appears every oilier Wednesday, E-mail jslone(ti)durliamreyion.eoin. Follow Jennifer's election BLOG durhnmroglon.com/dr/lodoloctlons/ CLICK AND SAY Today's question: Will you be attending a local all-candidates debate or watching one involving your local candidates on TV prior to voting? Yes ;2 No Cast your vote online at infodurhamrogIor5.com ' Last week's question: . \ Do you make New Year's 1 Resolutions? Yes 76.8% No 23.2% Votes cast: 151 -j r O HAVE YOUR SAY a Are you getting interested in the federal election? :-j Andy Brown "You are dealing with Harper j who is unproven and Martin : ! who is disgraced. Who will ; ! win is interesting." -! A.N. Groen "In another week I will be looking at what everyone's political issues are." James Street "I am always into politics, more so this time because I think it's time for a change." ,VI ■X, Lloyd Wilson "I am interested in seeing if anything will come out of all the taxpayers' expense and all the effort people are putting putting into the election." ■j I The Canadian Statesman is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. The Statesman is a member of the Bowmanville Clarington Board of Trade, the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, Commerce, Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc,, Canadian Circulations Circulations Audit Board and the Ontario Press Council, The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse any advertisement. Credit for advertisement advertisement limited to space price error occupies. Editorial and Advertising content of tho Canadian Statesman is copyrighted. 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