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PAGE A4 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ October 11,2006 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 Todd Blayone Interactive Media Manager Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 Œfje Canabtan Statesman Opinion | OCTOBER 11, 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 c-mail letters to newsroom@(lurliamregion.com Let's get transit talks rolling again Thanksgiving weekend delivered delivered beautiful early fall weather, turkey dinners aplenty and the chance to sit down and catch up with friends and family. Unfortunately, what it didn't deliver was a new contract for Durham Region Transit employees employees and the chance to get the buses back on our highways and biways. The end to a nearly wceklong strike by more than 300 DRT workers would surely have been greeted with thanks by more than 30,000 students, workers and seniors who depend daily on the service. But, with the lone exception of Whitby, where transit workers are on a separate contract, the buses sit idle as the days and . nights go by. It's unfortunate talks haven't taken place since the buses pulled off the road shortly after 6 p.m. last Thursday. Both sides claim to be far apart and there seems little chance of a quick end to this standoff. 11 That's extremely unfortunate for the Region as a whole. In truth, labour trouble with the amalgamated Durham Transit concept could be seen coming, well, a very long bus trip away. The challenge was to somehow somehow co-ordinate four separate contracts into one. It was never going to be easy, But with the idea of one regionwide regionwide transit system- in play for many months, it's difficult to understand how some type of deal could not have been made. Perhaps a wiser course, at least for the many thousands of students students affected by this strike, would have been for DRT management management to do everything it possibly possibly could to get a deal over the summer. At least school attendance would not have been affected and parents, already busy enough with work and day-care schedules, schedules, could have been sure their children would get to school. And university and college students students - so dependent on transit sendee - would not have had their lives turned upside down. However, the time is long past for hindsight. Thé situation as it currently stands is intolerable for all who : are at the mercy of public transit. transit. Those without a viable transportation transportation alterative are stuck having to beg or borrow rides from friends or take the expensive expensive option of ordering a cab. Workers and management must get back to the table and continue talking so that a compromise can be reached. Nothing will be solved until serious attempts are made to solve this dispute. Let's get those buses back on the road so DRT can do what taxpayers and riders expect it to do: serve'the public. BACKWARD GLANCE Goodyear Plant, c. 1915 Photo supplied by Bowmanville Museum An early view of the Bowmanville Goodyear Plant, c. 1915. Only in recent years was the Goodyear spur line which ran along Hunt Street, dug up. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-mail letters to ncwsroom@durhamreyion.com Mayor can't build it all by himself To the editor: With the municipal elections in frill swing and nowhere more contentious than Clarington, I received the first correspondence at my door from the camp of Mayor John Mutton today. . The flyer maintains that, "John has built.J. the South Courticé Arena, the Courtice Fitness Centre, Centre, Bowmanville Indoor Soccer Soccer Facility, Clarington Fields, Courtice Fire and Police Station and numerous roads, bridges and sidewalks." Yes indeed, things that John has personally built, with our money of course. The information package further indicates that, "John is building... the Newcastle Aquatic Facility, New Newcastle Library, Courtice Ambulance Station, New Bowmanville Police Station, Station, another Bowmanville Twin Pad arena, Newcastle Fire Hall, frill time Firefighting for Newcastle." Newcastle." ' Surely the people of this municipality, or any other for that matter, realize that as the population grows by thousands each year, these type of services and facilities are built with taxpayers taxpayers money regardless of who is the mayor. The most humourous line in his plea to the voters is the self-congratulations for building building numerous roads, bridges and sidewalks. As new neighbourhoods are built, what else would one expect to -be there for the people: dirt paths for their horse carls and swinging vines? Will he tell us about the curbs, traffic lights and utility poles he put up, too? Finally, his missive indicates that, "Experience counts." If memory serves me well that's not what he indicated when he stood for elecliori for the first time. Then, of course, it was meaningless meaningless because he personally didn't have any. Larry Wood Bowmanville DRT staff don't want to be on strike To the editor: Re: Buses grind to a halt, Oct. 6. ' Garth Johns claims the union is asking for way too much such as benefits for retirees, Cost of Living Living Allowance and restrictions on contract workers. ■ The reality here is that the union isn't asking for these things because they already have them. They are trying to keep these benefits and save jobs. How can a party in negotiations be "asking"'for something they already have? Obviously, they cannot. Mr. Johns claims that what the union is demanding is "absolute lunacy." Compared to the wages of DRT employees, his and Roger Anderson's salaries are the real, testament to absolute lunacy. The drivers chose to strike at 6 p.m. so as not to strand their commuters. They offered to operate the HandiTransit buses for patients requiring regular medical appointments so as not to endanger endanger their customers - on a voluntary voluntary basis during the strike - but the Region denied the offer and is going to hire cabs. DRT employees are not demanding wage increases and do not want to be on strike. Put yourself in their shoes: If your boss decided to pillage your contract, vvliat would you do? Steve Conway CAW Loeal 222 Courtice Close calls a nightmare To the editor: Here's a nice little side note for today's transit strike stories. Over the years since we've had our phone number we've gotten the odd phone call for Taxi Taxi (an Oshawa area cab company). Wow, well this morning was hoppin' and now by 10:18 a.m., I've had 12 phone calls so far for (thé first was at 7:11 a.m.) people requesting cabs not realizing realizing they slipped on a digit. ; But the last phone call took the cake. I was greeted with a really rude man asking me, "Where the f-- is my cab?" and when I told him he had the wrong number, I was met with more expletives .and cursing that it was his last quarter all wasted on me. Then, he had the audacity to ask me to call the cab company for him to inquire about his taxi. This, after he swore at me. I have a sense of humour about it but I really hope this does not go on for much longer. Thought you'd find this interesting. interesting. Cindy Smith Oshawa LETTERS We welcomeletters 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. It's October so think about breasts It is October, and for many, October means one thing: breasts. Yes, I said breasts. Get over it. October is breast cancer awareness awareness month. Nol only that, but the first week of the month, Oct. l-7, was World Breastfeeding Week, For a woman like me, who is botli a laclavist and the daughter of a breast cancer survivor, survivor, that makes for a big month. Next month marks 14 years since my mother's initial diagnosis. diagnosis. It is the type of activities that take place each October, when money and awareness are raised through nil array of events, lo which I nl least partly credit her current good health. For awareness awareness and public discussion of a Jennifer Stone disease once not mentioned in mixed company has brought with il belter rales of recovery. As Samantha King said in a column in the Toronto Star last week, "The development of the women's health movement in the 1970s lay important groundwork lor speeilie issues that breast cancer activists would address in the decades to come. "Heightened polilical activism dedicated to changing surgical practices and increasing funding for breast cancer research jn the 1980s and 1990s, coincided with the emergence of large, well- funded organizations, such as (lie Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Foundation devoted lo the struggle against the disease." More awareness should mean more fundraising, more research and eventually, 1 hope, a cure. As Breast Cancer Awareness Month began, so, loo, did World Breastfeeding Week. This year, the Region of Durham Durham targeted ils campaign ill fathers. Thai makes sense -- fathers may not be the feeders during (lie breastfeeding relationship, relationship, but by a number of means, they can help support the mother in ways that help ensure success. Anecdotally, 1 can say that was certainly the case in my home. Without my husband's support, we never would have made il past the three-week mark. Willi his support, we gol lo about a year (just under with one, just, over with Ihe oilier) mark with both kids. "Fathers may nol physically be breastfeeding, but that does not 1 mean they are excluded from (lie opportunity lo establish a bond with their babies," said Tirzali Cluing, a public health nurse with the Durham Region Health Department. "Fathers can care for the newborn newborn baby in between feedings by bathing or changing the baby's diaper, and by simply holding the baby skin-lo-skin." There's plenty a dad can do in those early days and breastfeeding breastfeeding can really be a family experience, experience, Greater awareness and education education has made for both better early detection and treatment of breast cancer, and increased breastfeeding rales. October serves as a great time lo think about both, Reporter Jennifer Stone s column appears every other Wednesday. E-mail jstoiw(ti}durhamregion. com. CLICK AND SAY Today's question: Do election signs have any influence on your vote? Yes No Cast your vote online at infodurhamregion.com Last week's question: Which Canadian NHL team do you think will have the best season? Calgary 29.7% Toronto 29% Ottawa 17.9% Edmonton 12.1% Montreal 7.9% Vancouver 3.4% Votes cast: 290 HAVE YOUR SAY What do you think of the provincial Liberal government after three years in office? Phyllis Zabudsky "I am not very happy because they brought in the health tax." Vincent Nguyen "They should do something about the waiting times in hospitals." Kevin Montgomery "My work hours have been cut back from 21 to 11 hours.. rumour going around is that it has something to do with the provincial government." Bill Lynch "I think the Liberal government government has been fair." 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 the Canadian Statesman Is ' copyrighted. Unauthorized reproduction reproduction is prohibited. Jpcnagj <JCNA jggjE