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Clarington Communities/? Eighty-five years and still growing Wheels/Insert Saturn's new concept car durhamreglon.com ♦ Pressrun 24,150 ♦ Founded 1854 ♦ APRIL 26, 2006 ♦ 64 Pages ♦ Optional 3 Week Delivery $5/$1 Newsstand Radioactive waste liner debate heats up .'il\ 'V&v 1%. \> a-(y/'V-f • M/ H'v' • - • v\ia<vtte >• ■ ■f 1 -: ■' i . ' • t « 'Y ' < # î C -1 • nvr:î* *m£v «*r.v.•?. ' & Final decision \yill not come until all options explored BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer PORT GRANBY - The Municipality's peer review team says the new enhanced design of the storage facility to handle low level radioactive waste in the Port Granby area is "superior". to the double-liner system some residents in the area continue to advocate. Though the Municipality's peer review team had originally advocated the double liner system, system, "we feel that the new design ^proposed by the Low Level Radioactive Waste Management Office) does address our original •design issues," Dave Hardy told fclarington's General Purpose and 'Administration committee Monday. Monday. "Compared to what we were recommending earlier, the new, design is superior to the doyble- •liner system." ; '• The Low Level Radioactive • Waste Management Office has, on behalf of the federal government, government, been looking at ways to deal with the 500,000 cubic metres of low-level radioactive waste, left over from operations at Eldorado Resources. The waste and some marginally contaminated soils were placed in the Port Granby Waste Management Facility on the Lake Ontario shoreline from 1955 to 1988. Contaminants from the waste are said to be leaching into both Lake Ontario and the area groundwater. The organization has come up with a preferred option to deal with the waste, which includes moving it across Lakeshore Road, and building an engineered, lined and capped storage mound. But, members members of the South East Clar- i u m » i n g t o n John Mutton Ratepayers' Ratepayers' Association Association continue to call for the double base liner, representative John Stephenson told councillors Monday. The group has passed a resolution, calling on the municipality municipality and the federal government to direct the LLRWMO to include the double-liner. But, that's not up to the Municipality, Municipality, notes Mayor John Mutton. "This council is hot going to make the decisions on double liner or single liner," said the mayor. Those decisions will come out of the Environmental Assessment Assessment process and will be made by the Canadian Nuclear Safety See RESIDENTS, page 4 Ja^on Liebregts/Metrolahd Durham Region Media Group in at Hampton Pond HAMPTON -- Cory Peeters, left, and Gordon and Wesley Moore were out planting trees around Hampton Pond. Hampton residents have raised money to restore the pond to its former former glory. Hwy. 407 public meeting formats criticized Community will be overwhelmed says committee member BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer CLARINGTON - The drop- in format planned for upcoming upcoming information sessions about the possible extension of Hwy. 407 through. Clarington has the potential to leave residents confused confused and overwhelmed, says a community member who has followed followed the process extensively. Linda Gasser, a member of the Community Advisory Committee, Committee, says the plan by the Ministry Ministry of Transportation's project team to hold only drop-in public information centres to update the public on the Environmental Environmental Assessment on the potential Hwy. 407 extension isn't appropriate. appropriate. "It is my view that drop-in formats for the PICs effectively isolate stakeholders, and put the onus on individuals to identify issues or concerns," she said. "It is very daunting for the average person to digest a huge amount of technical material in a short time, then have to hunt down and approach project team staff, and 'People need to get clear information, through a formal presentation and question and answer session, rather than just via a drop-in.' - Linda Gasser hope that he'or she could understand understand and respond to less than perfectly formulated questions." People need to get clear information, information, through a formal presentation presentation and question and answer session, rather than just via a drop-in, said Ms. Gasser. "Lack of meaningful public involvement early in the EA study will inevitably result in confusion and resentment later as the study moves to the phases when lines start to be drawn on maps - lines that may be going right through people's yards, houses and farms," she said. But, Clarington council opted not to ask the Ministry to alter the format, though they have asked that a formal presentation be made to council prior to the PIC. That presentation is set for May 29, the day before the Public Public Information Centre is to be held. Not requesting a formal presentation presentation at the public session represents a "missed opportunity opportunity to help people understand the major issues that will affect their communities for decades to come," said Ms. Gasser. It's especially especially problematic, she believes, because there is room within the study to look at alternatives to building a highway across the municipality. "This environmental assessment assessment gives the alternatives for a highway corridor to be looked at. What better time to look at alternatives than now, when gas prices are over $1 a litre?" she said. Auto giant ready to weather the storm GM exec says' company will be a comeback story BY I2ABELA JAROSZYNSKI Staff Writer OSHAWA - Despite industry industry predictions, General Motors Canada will rebound from its current current troubles, the company's vice- president of government relations said. Speaking to the Rotary Club of Oshawa on Monday, David Paterson said that although 2005 was the equivalent to the "perfect storm" for General Motors, the company's future is promising. "We are getting into a position position to surprise many people," he said. The company is currently implementing implementing its four-point turnaround plan, which includes an acceleration acceleration in cost reduction as well as a renewed focus on design and delivery of vehicles. Mr. Paterson says the plan is working, pointing to GM's preliminary preliminary first quarter results, which although still in the red, show a remarkable improvement over the first quarter results of 2005. He highlighted the company's technological innovations, such as OnStar and fuel-efficient vehicles, as its strongest pull. Allaying fears that the Oshawa plants might not have a future in GM's new structure, Mr. Paterson said the Oshawa Autoplex has always been a leader in technology technology and will continue to play a vital role in the company's future. Although the company has made some recent investment into the Oshawa plants, future security lies in it being transformed into a flexible manufacturing facility, a decision that is still up in the air. Mr. Paterson, however, thanked Oshawa Mayor John Gray and Durham Region chairman Roger Anderson for their work in getting getting regional tax relief for the large industrial class, a move that he says will make the Oshawa Autoplex even more attractive for future product allocation and ensure that money will be invested invested in a flex facility. "We are all now pulling together to attract that beautiful car to See BETTER, page 4 lyScK Iv (v ONTARIO'S •SERVICE • PARTS MON., WED., FRI. 7:30 am - 6:00 pm TUES, A THURS. 7:30 am * 8:00 pm SAT. 9:00 am - 4:00 pm ACCREDITED TEST A REPAIR FACILITY WHITBY OSHAWA Honda 300 THICKSON RD. S. WHITBY 1-866 (Q) 240-6192 honda. Health care now in the hands of the public LHINs seek input on health services BY CHRIS HALL Staff Writer SCUGOG - The future of health care delivery across Ontario is now, to a small extent, in the hands of the public. And, for those within the Central Central East sector of the Local Health Integration Network - which encompasses about 1,4 million people from Haliburton west to Scarborough, including Durham Region - the process of introducing LHINs,.their purpose purpose and soliciting public input began Monday evening in Scu- g°g. Created by the provincial government, government, the 14 LHINs across the Province have replaced former former district health councils and arc responsible for planning, coordinating, coordinating, integrating and allocating allocating funding for health-care services at the local level. Each LHIN is responsible for creating an Integrated Health Services Plan (ISHP) by this September to outline the direction they wish to take and, beginning April I, 2007, the networks are to be entrusted with overseeing health care across the province and doling doling out funds to agencies, such as hospitals, as an intermediary for the Province. The only groups the LHINs do not oversee funding for are physicians, physicians, public health and ambulance ambulance services. "District health councils were always advisory groups, so they didn't have the ability to follow follow through on planning recommendations recommendations with funds. LHINs have that authority," said Foster Loucks, chairman of the Central East LHIN. In order to create community- oriented and transparent service agreements between agencies and LHINs by next April, the Central East group has embarked on a series of public information information sessions to introduce LHINs and recruit interest in what officials call collaboratives - groups comprised of seven to 12 members who are advisory bodies representing a diversity of health-care providers, consumers and relevant stakeholders in each area. It is expected those groups will focus on areas such as access and wait times, family health teams and primary care reform, mental health and addiction services, services, seamless care for seniors, and opportunities for cost savings savings through volume purchasing and consolidated services. While he acknowledges that the,new system "will not please everyone," Mr. Loucks noted that "there are a lot of sensible and fair-minded people in the community and there is only one health-care dollar, and we have to look at the best use of that health-care dollar." Upcoming public sessions are planned for the Tosca Banquet Hall in Oshawa on May 3, the Best Western in Cobourg on May 15, and the. Ajax Community Centre on May 18. 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