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Sports/15 St. Mike's ties Buzzers in OHL playoff series Wheels/lnsert Honda has a car for first-time buyers Statesman durhamregion.com ♦ Pressrun 24,150 ♦ Founded 1854 ♦ MARCH 29, 2006 ♦ 60 Pages ♦ Optional 3 Week Delivery $5/$1 Newsstand Farmers feeling snubbed by province Photo By Mike Pochwat TORONTO « Three generation; of farmers, from left, Tanner Haass, 6, Brian Haass, and Ed Haass travelled to Queen's Park in Toronto for a farmèrs' rally March 23. The farmers and supporters were demanding that the government invest more in the agricultural industry, as well as offer long-term support to farmers, because farming is no longer a viable business operation. Unfair trade laws with the United States, improper distribution of funding by the government, and high production costs contribute contribute to the problem, farmers said. Locally, Walter Pingle of Pingle's Farms also joined the rally. sides pleased to be back in class Despite days of demonstrations, farmers were left, out of the budget BY IZABELA JAROSZYNSKI Staff Writer DURHAM -- Walter Pingle has worked on the farm all his life. r Along with wife Colleen, Mr. Pingle operates. Pingle's Farm Market in Hampton, just a short drive northeast of Oshawa. Last week, he took time out from his business to join fellow farmers at a rally in front of Queen's Park. "We were asking for some assistance," assistance," he said of the four-day demonstration, which included a convoy of tractors circumnavigating circumnavigating the Legislature building. But as the budget was released on Thursday, it became clear assistance assistance was not coming. Despite recognizing the challenges faced by farmers - the rising Canadian /dollar, increasing international competition, subsidies in other jurisdictions, and trade disputes - the government did not increase funding for the sector. Finance minister Dwight Duncan Duncan did acknowledge farmers during his budget presentation, but stopped short of agreeing to provide the assistance for which they were asking. "Ontario's farming sector employs about 90,000 people and feeds our cities and towns," he said. "While prospects for the sector overall are positive, some farmers face serious challenges. Ontario farmers need our help and they are receiving it with more than $800 million over the last three years for farm income-stabilization income-stabilization and support programs." The funding represents the second straight budget in which funding for farmers decreased, this time falling from $1.4 billion to $896 million. "I'm not impressed with how they cut the funding for agriculture," agriculture," Mr. Pingle said. "It seems like agriculture is being ignored." The Ontario Federation of Agriculture Agriculture (OFA) slammed the budget budget saying it provided no incentive incentive for Ontario farmers to plant crops this spring. ' Ron Bonnett, president of the OFA, released a statement shortly after the budget was revealed. "We need proof the Province is serious about supporting agriculture agriculture in Ontario, and (this) budget offered none," he said. - With files from Torstar fNo one wanted' jl 8-day strike BY ERIN HATFIELD Staff Writer • DURHAM --.Durham College students were talking about classes classes Monday and not the recent strike, says Debbie Rautins. . "The students were the same as always," said the vice-president of Ontario Public Service Employees' Employees' Union Local 354. "I didn't sense any anger or hostility. From my point of view, everyone was very happy." ! Ms. Rautins said when the Oshawa campus of Durham College College (DC) once again fdled with students following an 18-day V strike by faculty, the mood was a positive one. Most colleges across the province province were scheduled to go back to class on Tuesday or Wednesday, Wednesday, but the Oshawa campus was in full operation. Gary Polonsky, DC president, said by Monday morning nearly all the students students were back in the swing of things and he couldn't be happier. "Everyone is just thrilled of course. No one wanted this," Mr. Polonsky said. "Students didn't want this, faculty didn't want this, management didn't want it, but Gary Polonsky these things happen." Staff worked hard over the weekend weekend to ensure students and faculty in Oshawa returned to classes Monday. All fulltime fulltime day programs at the. Whitby campus resumed on Tuesday, as did continuing, continuing, education classes offered at both the Oshawa Oshawa and Whitby sites. , Plans set in place during the strike enabled Durham Durham College to quickly get up and running again, according to Mr. Polonsky. Polonsky. "We have tremendous relationships relationships on campus," Mr. Polonsky said. "We were able to touch base with faculty leaders immediately, and as of 8 a.m. (Monday) we See DETAILS, page 4 were ready to roll." "I think we were supportive of the. decision to put students right back into classes," Ms. Rautins added. College management and the union bargaining team signed a March 24 agreement that will deal with issues through voluntary voluntary binding arbitration. Ms. Rautins Rautins said it is her understanding the arbitration process could take weeks pr even months. "Obviously they are working on it," 'she said. "But it is still important that the money comes forward to improve education." Exam week has been cancelled, she said, adding most courses have been extended to April 28 Fifty-car pile-up after train derails Cause of early morning mishap investigated BY JEFF MITCHELL Staff Writer OSHAWA - Approximately 50 vehicles were damaged when railway cars left the tracks at an automobile shipping yard in south Oshawa early Tuesday morning. No one was hurt in the incident, which occurred around 3 a.m. said GM spokesman Stew Low. He said the company is taking part in an investigation of the accident, which took place at the Gen-Auto shipping facility on Stevenson Road near Philip Murray Avenue. "Three empty rail cars derailed and struck some vehicles," Mr. Low said. "The best estimate was it was 50 vehicles in total." The vehicles sustained varying varying levels of damage, said Mr. Low. A dollar value for the cars affected hasn't been determined. CP Rail, which owns the rail cars involved, is leading the investigation into what caused the accident, and GM is also participating. participating. The incident occurred at Gen-Auto Shippers Ltd., a company contracted by GM to ship vehicles by rail and truck. Iy5c3x_ k--©- ONTARIO'S • 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 BOO THICKSON RD. S. WHITBY i 1-866 03) v 240-6192 / «mfW.honda1.com j Durham pleads guilty to water charges At no time was public safety at risk: Region lawyer BY ERIN HATFIELD Staff Writer DURHAM -- The Region pleaded guilty Monday to three charges under the Safe Drinking Water and the Ontario Water Resource acts. Appearing in Ontario Provincial Provincial Court, the Region faced four charges in total, but one relating to a Sunderland water supply system was dropped by Ministry of the Environment lawyer Paul Milbourne. Justice of the peace Jack Wiley fined the Region a total of $33,000 for the three convictions. convictions. Matt Gaskell, senior solicitor in the Region's legal department, department, explained although the Region pleaded guilty to the charges, at no time was public safety at risk. The first incident occurred between Jan. I and 31, 2003 in Blackstock, The Region failed to take monthly samples for analysis as required by its Permit Permit To Take Water (PTTW) for a well there. Mr. Gaskell said during that time the well was not connected to the water supply supply system, as it was only being used for groundwater monitoring. monitoring. "The water from this well was not supplying water into the Region's municipal water supply supply system at the time of the offence, so there was no risk to the public," Mr. Gaskell said. "In addition, of all wells in Durham's northern water supply supply system, it was the only well that had a PTTW that contained sampling requirements." A second occurred between July l and Dec. 31, 2003 and was related to sampling requirements requirements for wells in Cannington, where the Region failed to take weekly raw water samples from municipal wells. However the Region's position position is that the wells in question were not supplying water.to the Region's municipal water supply supply system during any given week. "These wells were operated on alternating weeks from another municipal well as production wells," Mr. Gaskell said. "Raw water samples were taken from the well actively providing water to the water supply system in any given week. However the charges related to Durham not sampling the raw water from wells not producing water for the system. Public safety was not at risk." The third related to an operational operational error at a water supply plant in Whitby on June 16, 2004. The charges were a result of a temporary stoppage of the alum supply. 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