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durhamrcgion.com THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ April 19,2006 ♦ Page 7 A Clarington Community uvu Jr.-, { àSA VvELC'OME. TV.) ' : :: sv/CASTLE A weekly in-depth look at the communities that shape Clarington i : POPULATION ;0250 'v S3E?®?S| Sylvia Vanhaverbeke in some select company Municipality of Clarington nominates World Day:of Prayer chairwoman for prestigious award BY BLAKE WOLFE Staff Writer NEWCASTLE -- Sylvia Vanhaverbeke, Vanhaverbeke, the recently elected chairwoman for the International Committee for World Day of Prayer, has been nominated as a YWCA Woman of Distinction. "I'm very honoured and humbled," said Mrs. Vanhaverbeke of her recent nomination. nomination. ; Mrs. Vanhaverbeke, of Newcastle, was nominated by Clarington town council on March 6. She described herself as feeling "shocked and thrilled" when she heard the news from her husband, Ed, who answered the call announcing her nomination. It was Clarington Ward 3 and 4 Councillor Councillor Charlie Trim, who originally brought the idea to town council. Despite having many possible nominees in Clarington, Mr. Trim Said Mrs. Vanhaverbeke "came instantly to mind. "I nominated her and fellow councillors ' agreed," he said. "Sylvia has, and does, devote much of her time to her church, her community and worthy causes. Her actions, kindness and smile speak volumes." Mrs. Vanhaverbeke was previously awarded a medal for being a Canadian of Distinction, as part of the 1992 celebration celebration of Canada's 125 th anniversary. For'Mrs. Vanhav^-beke,. the Woman of Distinction nomination is a symbol of hometown recognition for. both the World : Day of Praye'r organization and her con- -,,i tributions to iti f "This opportunity is important because- it generates publicity for the work we do," she said. • f' As part of her duties as chairwoman, Mrs. Vanhaverbeke represents the World Day of Prayer committee at various meetings of Christian organizations. Her most recent trip in February took her to Porto Alegre, Brazil for the World Council of Churches 9th Assembly. The assembly was also attended by Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Peace laureate who is known for his social activism in his home country of South Africa. "It was a great opportunity to hear how other cultures are dealing with social justice justice issues," she said, describing the event as a celebration of the similarities shared by various Christian churches throughout the world. "To have all those people come to that service was a very unique thing." For Mrs. Vanhaverbeke, the trip was highlighted by a march against domestic violence and the focus on concerns of the aboriginal people of Brazil. In the near future, Mrs. Vanhaverbeke's travels will take her to New York at the end of May for the executive meeting of World,Day of.Prayer members, which will also be attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. In October, she will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for a meeting of the Asian council of the World Day .of Prayer. Another duty for Mrs. Vanhaverbeke is overseeing the distribution of the organization's organization's grant money, which various groups in member countries apply for each year. The money, usually around $5,000, is given to projects which are seen by the organization as beneficial to a community, such as the purification of well water in developing countries. "It's never given for property," she said. Each year, World Day of Prayer is observed by members on the first Friday of March. A particular theme is chosen for each year, by a predetermined member member country; The members ithen incorpo--. Tate the; theme into'their observation.'This ' year's theme, titled Signs Of The Times*, was chosen by South Africa. 'This year, we had a focus on AIDS," Mrs. Vanhaverbeke said, in keeping with a priority issue in that particular country. ..... ri 1 : v..,S v v M ;■ . :.'ʧmm*ïriï-?n Walter Passarella / Metroland Durham Region Media Group Sylvia Vanhaverbeke has been nominated by the Municipality of Clarington for the 2006 YWCA Woman of Distinction award. Finance committee pushes accelerated GM tax break i j J ■■ Recommends council drop large class in 2007 ï BY ERIN HATFIELD Staff Writer , /, • . • DURHAM - Durham's large industrial industrial tax clajs could be eliminated sooner sooner than' originally planned if regional council accepts a recommendation by the finance and administration committee. committee. ' The bommittee passed a motion this week stating that in order for General Motorjs iii Oshawa to incorporate into its business case for new products, and as a signal of support to the auto sector, finance staff has been directed to set the ratio for the Region's large industrial tax class as the same as the industrial tax class, starting in 2007. Durham council will vote on it Wednesday. A motion to eliminate the large industrial class in 2006 was lost at council March 29, but it had been referred back to the committee to investigate investigate its harmonization with the industrial class in 2007. GM had expressed urgency in the elimination of the tax as it is pursuing a designation as the plant to build a new Camaro. A new product would mean a complete modernization of the car plant. The strategic property tax plan origi Jim Clapp nally would have seen the elimination of the large class by 2008. Finance commissioner commissioner Jim Clapp made a presentation to committee,, about the impact of the harmonization harmonization of the industrial classes in 2007. He urged the finance committee to consider consider reviewing the large class in 2007 and to not commit to setting it the same as the industrial class in 2007. "This is not an anti- GM presentation," Mr. Clapp said. "The resolution before you says, 'do it in '07.' My plea to you is consider it in '07." The impact of getting rid of the large class will not only apply to GM but to all businesses in that class. He pointed out that transit and the Region's seven- year transit phase-in plan would also be affected as a'result.- It will also have effects on planned reductions reductions for multi-residential and farmland taxpayers, on matching provincial education education taxes, and settlements on outstanding appeals. "In '07, hopefully we will have more cards to play with," Mr. Clapp said. "If GM is really going to make this decision then I think it is appropriate we offer as much as we can," Regional Chairman Roger Anderson said. \ , He said three weeks ago he was Roger Anderson comfortable with the harmonization in 2008, but his view had changed. . "I hope (the motion) carries the way it is and GM can go to Detroit and come back with a car," Mr. Anderson said. Oshawa Councillor Brian Nicholson said he would prefer prefer the harmonization in 2006 but would accept 2007 as the bare minimum. "I have a grave concern that ■2008 would send a negative message," Mr. Nicholson said. He added he was sure when the large industrial class is harmonized harmonized the Region will see growth in businesses that had held themselves back because of the tax implications. 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