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2 - Orono Weekly Times. Wednesday. February 23, 2000 J fXRO VVlI.Kl.1 NO Weekly Times 'mm Subscriptions $23.36 + $1.64 G.S.T. = $25.(X)/year Publicatibns Mail Registration No. 09301 Publishing 50 Issues Annually at the Office of Publication' 5310 Main Street, P.O. Box 209, Orono, Ontario LOB 1M0 E-Mail Address: oronotf mes@speedline.ca Phone/Fax (905) 983-5301 Publisher/Editor Marg Zwart High gas prices hit us all Letters to As a concerned citizen I have a concern about the welfare of the Wilmot Creek. It is my understanding that trailers and debris around the creek are doing considerable considerable damage to the creek. There were letters submitted submitted to the by-law office in June of 1999 stating our concerns but as yet nothing has been done about them. For the welfare of the creek I believe further investigation investigation should be done and a process taken to restore the creek to its original setting. Betty Power Bowmanville Dear Marg: The Community Christmas Feast 1999 was once again a resounding Division . 16, Clarington Fire Hall No. 1, and l.akeridge Health Bowmanville. It is through the support of our community family that we were able to reach out and touch the hearts, souls, and stomachs of many within our Clarington neighbourhood community. Heart-felt thanks go out to the many individuals and many service organizations and corporate ' sponsors. We would like to highlight the participation made by the youth of our community community who came out Christmas Day. to help set up, and decorate decorate the auditorium, serve and clean up. The enthusiasm enthusiasm shown by the Cool Kendal Kids • group of Kendal United Church who The high price of gas at the pumps has hit us all in the pocket book. In a country as expansive as ours, we've increasingly become dependent on motor vehicles to move goods and people, and the fuel that drives them. Six months ago, the farmers were saying it was costing costing them to plant and harvest a crop. Now it's the truckers saying they can't afford to keep their trucks on the road. Though many of us are not intimately familiar with the costs of farming, we all know it costs us more each time we pull up to the gas pumps. The trucker I spoke to at Tim's Fifth Wheel in Bowmanville, stated they -- independent truckers, aren't trying to get rich, they just want to stay in business. How many of us understand market forces at play anymore? When the weather in the American mid-west is conducive to a great growing season, our crop prices nose dive. When a cold winter is predicted on the eastern seaboard, seaboard, our fuel prices skyrocket. Since home heating oil and diesel come from the same product stream, as success. put aside money to pur- We had approximately chase, a turkey for the 150 people at the Community Christmas Community Christmas Feast. , Newcastle Family Feast who shared together Connections for setting up the fine turkey dinner and a cra ft centre for tlie young all the trimmings, harmo- children to exercise their niously sang chorus after, creative talents. The youth chorus of Christmas are our future -and wë Carols, and shared the pres- would like to acknowledge ence of good company. and reinforce their contri- Nothing went to waste; tuition to the Community. over 200 . prepared meals Christmas Feast. It is were provided to shut-ins, . gratifying to know that Parkview Lodge Seniors with inter-generational Residence, Compassion interaction as shown by House, and Community their contribution to' the Care. ■ Prepared meals and Community. Christmas desserts were also provided 'Feast, the spirit . of to' those who serve our Community and the spirit Community in a quiet, of the season will continue unassuming way 24 hours a **" on- day, seven days a week, Also due to the positive Durham Regional Police /and generous press cover age by the likes of the Orono Weekly Times, we were able to promote awareness of the Community Christmas Feast. The Orono Weekly Times is the last of the community newspapers in Clarington focusing in on grassroots community news and events. Thank you Marg and your staff for reporting the "SUCCESSES" "SUCCESSES" of the community ! ! ! !. Until the next Community Christmas Pot Luck, Thank-You again! ! ! ! Sincerely, Isobel Rappaport Donna Metcalf-Woo Willie Woo Clarington Fire Calls The Clarington Fire Department responded to the following calls during the period of February 13 to February 20, 2000: 3 property property fires; 2 false fire calls; 10 public hazard callls; 18 rescues; 10 medlcal/rësus- cltator calls and 3 other responses. SUBSCRIBE! TO THE ORONO TIMES $25.00 > a year. explained to me by John O'Toole, that doesn't explain why gas prices are so high. As governments move to deregulate markets, we look to thein for leadership when the cold economics of those deregulated markets hit home. We need something more concrete than government studies on pricing. We need relief from forces beyond our control, ultimately putting 'honest to goodness,' hard working people out of work. Truckers (continued from page 1) home heating fuel, and trucking trucking is up 20%. All these factors factors combined are creating a demand for fuel that is outstripping outstripping supply, said O'Toole. Local fuel prices fluctuate around the 70 cents per litre price, and in Quebec are over 80 cents per litre in some places. Last year diesel-was selling for 35 cents per litre. It's more than fuel prices that are causing the hardship for truckers. "It's everything from the condition our dollar is in, to what it costs us to buy our trucks," said Waterhouse, "all our costs are way up." "What we're trying to do is get - the attention of shippers who are paying our rates, provincial and federal governments, governments, the oil companies, all of them combined, either directly or indirectly, have resulted in our costs skyrocketing, skyrocketing, and our wages not skyrocketing," skyrocketing," Waterhouse stated. stated. "Their message is being heard," stated O'Toole, "They are aware of this at the highest level," he stated.