The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Orono Weekly Times. Wednesday. November 8. 2000 - 9 «ppeilll ou r air clean. At Ontario .Power Generation, it accounts for half of our overall generating mix. In fact, our unique mix of power emissions Nuclear energy. It's just one more way we're helping find better, wmmmm liMisïïiiâiïllâ, Touch by John O'Toole, MPP Please take two minutes at 11:00 a m. on Remembrance Day to honour the many sacrifices sacrifices made for us. Remembrance Day is about being grateful for the freedom and privileges that we enjoy. We are'so fortunate to live in this wonderful country and we owe a lot of this to the Canadians who fought in' the wars of the past century. ' On Sunday, November 5th, I participated in the annual Orono Cenotaph parade. Comrade Sterling Mather, members of the Royal Canadian Legion, the Legion Pipe Band, veterans, Cubs, Scouts, Guides and Brownies all participated in the ceremony ceremony with the Salvation Army Band and Lt. Doug Stevens providing a time for reflection. reflection. In my view, each of us owes a big thanks to the Royal Canadian Legion. All across the country, local branches have provided a structure and focus that we often take for granted. Legion members make us think about the importance of observing two minutes of silence for our fallen heroes. Standing in the bright sunshine at the Orono Cenotaph and seeing the bright-eyed members of our local Sea Cadet Corps, reminded me of the continuing continuing commitment to protecting and defending our freedom. We have to teach our children that the rights we enjoy come with many different responsibilities. responsibilities. Premier Harris has made a commitment to our young people '* on behalf of all Ontarians. On November 3rd, the Premier, along with other dignitaries that included American General Colin Powell, unveiled a five-point commitment called Ontario's Promise. This is a partnership involving corporations, not- for profit organizations and the Ontario government. Ontario's Promise will help to , secure a brighter future for our children. The five commitments commitments made in Ontario's Promise are: 1. A healthy start for every child, 2. An on-going positive relationship relationship with a caring adult, 3 . A safe place that offers positive, positive, meaningful activities outside of the home, 4. Marketable skills through effective education; 5. An opportunity to give back to your community. Over the next few weeks, I will be talking about commitments commitments like the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's, "Healthy Babies, Healthy Futures". Already organizations organizations like McDonald's Canada, Royal Bank, TD Bank Financial Services, Scotia Bank, Howard Johnson and Bell Canada have committed committed $22 million. Randy Williamson, president of Big Brothers ■ and Sisters of Canada, agrees and explained how this commitment complements complements the Big Brothers and 2002. If you want to find out more, call mv constituency office at (905) 697-1501/1- 800-661-2433 or visit the website at www.ontar- iospromise.com. Last week, Transportation Minister David Turnbull launched construction on the first of three interchange projects projects in Durham Region. The transportation and land use improvements are part of a joint project. ' agreement between the province and Durham Region; I must thank and commend the various. Chambers of Commerce and business communities for working with the Region and the province to allow these projects to move forward. We all know that we lag behind areas to the west of Toronto in highway infrastructure. Since 1995, we have made the commitment commitment on Highway 407 east, widening Highway 401 and its safety media in addition addition to doing resurfacing. There have also been improvements on Highways 12, 7 and 7A. These commitments commitments amount to close to 1 $100 million toward future infrastructure. The week of November 6- 11 is Constituency Week for Ontario MPPs. I will be taking taking this opportunity to talk with my constituents, visit schools and meet with several boards. I am also hosting free town hall meeting on the topic of, "Consumer Protection" on Tuesday, November 7th, at the Clarington Beech Centre starting at 7:00 p.m. I would encourage everyone to come and bring ideas on how to best improve consumer protection. For more information, please call, me at my constituency office. The benefits of our nuclear stations are quite clear.