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L PAGE A4 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ September 20,2006 Tim Whittaker, Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor-In-Chief Chris Bovie Managing Editor Fred Eismont Director of Advertising Eddie Koiodziejcak Classified Advertising Manager Kirk Bailey Distribution Manager Lillian Hook Office Manager Janice O'Neil, Cheryl Haines Composing Managers Todd Blayone Interactive Media Manager Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 Ef)e Canadian Statesman Opinion | SEPTEMBER 20, 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 L1 H 7L5 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 infodurhamregion.com EDITORIAL e-mail letters to newsroom@durlmmregion.com Exciting times ahead at GM Canada The good news just keeps on rolling down at the General Motors autoplex in Oshawa. Hot on the heels of a move that revamps a past favourite, the Chevrolet Camaro, comes word in a published report that GM Canada has been chosen to play a key engineering role in the conversion conversion of more than 100 Chevrolet Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles at its Regional Engineering Centre Centre in Oshawa. The Chevrolet Equinox is currently manufactured manufactured in Ingersoll, Ontario. While both the Camaro and Equinox are part of GM's future, they offer an extremely intriguing intriguing and different look at how the auto giant is attempting to come to grips with market tastes. The Camaro is of course a muscle car, a rear-wheel drive attempt at capturing the boomer market which prized their 1960s and 1970s Camaros but now want a sleek new model. It comes out in 2009 and will be built at GM's new flex plant in Oshawa. It secures thousands of jobs for the future and the flex plant allows GM to build other models as market demands and tastes change. Arid they could well change to the Equinox SUV or models like it. That's because concerns about climate change and global warm ing will make it inevitable that auto emissions standards will markedly toughen in the coming years. . And the best thing about those 100 Equinox models that will come out of Oshawa next year? They produce no local' emissions; emissions; in fact the only byproduct of any kind they produce is a bit of water vapour. They offer all the necessary ingredients consumers are looking looking for in a vehicle: the handling, size and comfort of an SUV with no greenhouse gas producing producing einissions that are harmful to the environment. In addition, as we begin to mn out of the world's supply of oil and as we search for other ways I to operate machinery, fuel-cell technology will become vastly, more important. That's why it is so exciting that Durham Region is a central part of GM's future plans to build vehicles that will be in high demand and valued around the globe. General Motors must be a ■ leader in this technology to help secure automobile production for the long-tenn future. And with Oshawa's record as a place where quality and productivity productivity as well as low-cost production production is vaunted, there is no reason Durham can't be an automotive king for decades to come. BACKWARD GLANCE Goodyear balloon, 1920s Photo supplied by Bowmanville Museum The Goodyear helium balloon is featured in this fall fair scene from 1920-25. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-mail letters to ncwsroom@durhamrcgion.com Better way for child-care than Tory plan To the editor: Re: Toiy child-care plan defended, defended, Adam Alehin letter, Sept. 13. Government subsidies are about making life a little better for the hard-working/tax-paying families out there, not so that the government can raise our children. A successful• program, which 1 Adam Alehin probably isn't aware existed, has been running in Quebec for several years. Until recently the cost was $5/day p,er child. With families paying just $25/week per child, low-wage earners could cope with the high cost of living while providing a reasonable standard of living for their families. The Canadian Auto Workers have been running a campaign to try to get a national plan like the one in Quebec for all Cana-. dians. The Tory plan is taxable. The $100 per month per child (under the age of 6) Mr. Alehin raves about will be worth less than $50 for most families even though they will spend about $600 per ■month per child on child-care. How noble. A true plan would mirror the one in Quebec. One size does not fit all, especially not the Tory plan. Steve Conway Courticc Bowmanville BIA stance was reasonable To the editor: The Bowmanville BIA never stated it was opposed to the development of the Wal-Mart or the Real Canadian Superstore. What it did state was that developments developments of this size should be staggered in conjunction with population growth. Yes, allow new development, but not all at once. This seemed to me a. reasonable reasonable request. ■ These two stores alone, are 330,000 square feet. In the next few years, there is approximately one million square feet of commercial commercial development proposed for Clarington. Clarington's population population is growing, but is it growing growing at a rate that would allow.the BIAs to survive? The developers offered some | financial compensation to j. all three BIAs, with the Bowmanville Bowmanville BIÀ supposedly getting getting $400,000. This sum was over 10 years which amounts to $40,000 per year. These two stores are expecting to do, at least $100 million a year, so what is $40,000 a year? Faced with the possible future extinction of the Bowmanville BIA, what other . course was left? I have heard the compensation funds could have 1 been used for promotions, but in reality, how do you promote a BIA that doesn't have any stores, left open? , As the president of the Bowmanville Bowmanville BIA, Ron Hooper stood up and asked the difficult questions questions and. became the target of criticism which is not fair. The real issue may be the future survival survival of the small family-run business against the onslaught of large corporate retail giants. Tenzin Gyaltsan Newcastle Tougher sentences needed To the editor: Re: We ham to eliminate child pornography, Dennis Keefer column, column, Sept. 10. A recent W-Fivc program also focused on the world of pedophiles and the production of child pornography. Both Dennis Dennis Keefer and the W-Fivc program program bring to light that every day, children, including babies in diapers, are raped by monsters who record the act and put it on the Internet for 'other monsters to view. Our law enforcement officers have the heart-wrenching heart-wrenching job of viewing as many of these images as they can find, in the hopes of detecting some clue to lead them to the individuals who commit these abominations against innocent children. Many of these criminals are caught but when they face trial their sentences do not reflect the lifelong damage they did to their victims. Mr. Keefer admits' to being puzzled by these "weak sentences" as are many, other people, especially parents like myself. The W-Five program had a compelling, explanation for this situation: The evidence which is used to arrest child pomog- raphers, the Internet images themselves, are so unspeakably disturbing that many lawyers and judges cannot bring themselves to view them. As a result, the crime must be described verbally in court which sanitizes it greatly. How could words ever give a true picture picture of the brutality committed against the tiny, helpless victims of child pomographers? i Lana Maingot Bowmanville 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. newspaper. contacts only those people people whose submissions have been chosen for publication. FAX: 905-579-1809; E-MAIL: Newsroom ©durhamregion. com. Time's running out for nominations If you've been thinking about taking a shot at a council or school board scat in this fall's municipal election, there's still time to run - barely. In fact, you've got just nine days to gel your nomination papers in or wail a long four years before you have another opportunity, So it's literally now or nearly never. The official dcadlyie is 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29. If you arc a candidate and want to withdraw or switch wards or go from a local councillor race to a regional council battle, you actually have another 72 hours but zero hour is Monday, Oct. 2 at 5 p.m, 'fhal's when all bets are off and the race is officially and totally Tim Kelly on for the Nov. 13 municipal election. Those arc the basic dry as bone numbers and they don't really tell much of a story. The political process is all about people, all kinds of people. Some will want to get on board and help you win, more will likely want to see you lose and go hack to where you came from whether you're an incumbent or riot., Choosing to run is a big decision, decision, one that is worthy of respeef and admiration. It involves sacrifice on the part of any candidate who throws his or her hat in the ring. Having the guts to pul your name out there for public consumption consumption is something many talk about but few actually follow through on. It's assumed most who run believe they have a chance to win. But time is tight for those who haven't taken the plunge just yet, For instance, you can't raise money until you have officially been nominated. That means you can't have literature literature or signs printed up and the opportunity to gel your name out there is limited. You're behind dozens of other local candidates, some of whom have been raising money, knocking knocking on doors and campaigning for months now. Certainly the odds arc stacked ilgaiilsl you if you haven't yet filed your papers. But that shouldn't stop you from taking a chance, if you really believe in making a difference. difference. Take a look around your municipality and look at all the issues that are impacted by local representatives, The operation of your child's schools; that brand new local arena or recreation centre; battles over grecnspace and development; development; the condition of your local roads. Citizens need good local rcprc- sentatives who really care about what is happening in their communities communities and want to listen to and work with business owners, taxpayers and the ordinary people people who make up our cities and towns, If you're tired of the way things are being done in your municipality and believe you can do better, stop talking about it and take action on it, You only have nine days left to decide, so if you want a voice at the council table act now or be prepared to live with the consequences consequences for the next four years. Copy editor Tim Kelly's column appears every other Wednesday. E-mail thelly@durhamregum.eom. CLICK AND SAY Today's question: What should be the top issue on Parliament's agenda this fall? Mission in Afghanistan Environment Hospital wait times Cast your vote online at infodurtiamregion.com Last week's question: Do you think enough is being done to ensure we don't have another catastrophic terrorist terrorist attack? No 66.7% Yes 33.3% Votes cast: 162. ' HAVE YOUR SAY What do you think can be done to stop school shootings? Tess Image "If you find someone with a website like that, help them get counselling right away." Bill Dodd "I don' know what can be done." Kaleigh Smith "I think they should just get rid of all guns." Ron Hooper "I heard the guns were registered. registered. Registering does nothing. What on earth do you want a machine gun for except to kill people." The Canadian Statesman is a of Metroland Media Group newspaper. The Statesman is a member of the Bowmanville Clarington Board of Trade, the Greater Oshawa Chamber . of Commerce, Ontario Community Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Community Newspaper Newspaper Assoc., Canadian 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 the Canadian Statesman is copyrighted. Unauthorized reproduction reproduction Is prohibited. a A ocna (+CNA MÉÉi V,