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COURTICE LIBRARY 1L ° 2 62 Temperance St. g Bowmanville, Ont. L 150 RONO Weekly Times Volume 66, Number 16 $1.00 GST Included Wednesday, April 24,2002 Serving Kendal, Kirby, Leskard, Newcastle. Newtonville, Orono, Starkville and Tyrone since 193 ill fcl * mSbbb» «B iiiiüii „i Region passes a 3.5% tax increase Durham Regional Councillors approved a 3.5% property tax increase at their regular council meeting last Wednesday. This increase equates to a $47 rise in regional taxes on a home assessed at $200,000. The increase also represents a total $255 million regional budget for 2002. The single largest factor contribution to this year's increase comes from the Police Services Board. Their 2002 budget increased by $8.7 million resulting in an average increase in property taxes of 2.69%. The Police Services' annual budget for this year is 91.1 million. The hiring of 25 new constables and the construction of a new police station in Whitby are the main factors impacting this year's police budget. The 2002 Regional Capital Budget includes expenditures totalling $103.3 million comprised comprised of items such as new homes for the aged - $66 million, million, regional roads - $15.9 million, Durham's share of Hwy. 401 interchanges - $5.6 million, new ambulance station station - $5 million. Oshawa Councillor Claire Aker made a motion to reduce the 3.5% tax impact by taking $2.2 million out of the $42 million rate stabilization fund. This would further reduce the tax increase by an additional 1% to 2.5%. "I do have a concern that these funds were surplus from years gone by. It's money taxed for and not used," stated Aker. "We have an obligation to return those dollars back to the ratepayers." ratepayers." The motion did not get the support needed to pass. The 3.5% increase was unanimously approved by the councillors. The Regional increase comes on the heels of an 2.5% increase in Clarington's tax rate approved two weeks ago. Local school boards receive $17 million for textbooks « s . A «/ln 4-/-x 4-Vi a The blessed animals. Shifzu/Poodles Saddle and Kelly held by Jamie Stewart (L) and at the Fairgrounds. A rabbit, guinea pig, baby cougar, and a snake joined the vari ety of cats and dogs at the service. TB case prompts testing April 12 to undergo further. Care Unit (NICU) from Jan. ' O/C ^ 8 lift VP! n SO been Tuberculosis testing clinics were to be held earlier this week for children and'families and'families who may have been exposed after a Durham Region baby was diagnosed on April 17th. The unidentified infant was admitted to Lakeridge Health Oshawa on April 8th and was transferred to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto on treatment. Durham Region Health Department have notified patients and their families who may have been in the Oshawa hospital's pediatrics and emergency departments during the time that exposure may have occurred. Patients who were in Lakeridge 's Neonatal Intensive 26 to Feb. 8 have also been contacted. "TB is rare in infants and the risk of transmission from person to person is extremely low," explains Dr. Donna Reynolds, Durham Region Associate Medical Officer of Health. "If contracted, children children less tlmii six-years-old (continued page 11) Clarington's two local boards of education will each get their share of the $65 million million additional textbook money announced by the province. Ontario Premier elect Ernie Eves announced last Wednesday that school boards across the province will receive a $65 million grant to buy textbooks and technology-based technology-based learning materials. The funds will also go to support support learning resources for children with special needs. The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board has been allocated $1,291,891 while the Peterborough, Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board will receive $451,948. "Parents, students and staff agree textbooks are a priority," priority," said Durham MPP John O'Toole in a press release following following the announcement. "This announcement responds to the need, and ensures that our students have the tools necessary to achieve excellence and reach their full potential." The money is much appreciated, appreciated, said Kawartha Pine Ridge Board Chair Bob Willsher in a phone interview with The Times on Monday, "Especially when we are so short of dollars for things like text books." "However, with a one-time grant we don't know yet if these are brand new dollars that the province hasn't thought of before, or whether these are dollars they already had in education and put them in a new pot." "This new funding brings our total one-time investment in textbooks to $240 million," states O'Toole in his press release. Since 1995 funding for education has increased from $12.9 billion per year to $13.8 for the current year.