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Wednesday. November 3, 2004 Subscriptions $29.91 + $2.09 GST = $32.00 per year. Publications Mail Registration No. 09301 • Agreement No. 40012366 Publishing 48 issues annually at the office of publication. "We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs." CanacEt A ocna ORONO WEEKLY TIMES - 5310 Main St., P.O. Box 209, Orono, ON LOB 1M0 Email: oronotimes@rogers.com or Phone/Fax 905-983-5301 Publisher/Editor Margaret Zwart Sports and Display Advertising - Donna Wood Front Office and Classified Advertising - Rosey Bateman Hie Orono Weekly Times welcomes letters to the editor on retmeTw? retail carefui'ly^Not^eof a°n ", ^1™^, is^e 9 oes ,o pr W . ^e O- Weekly Hmes will no, be response tor the ,oss o, dama 3 e o, *,ch items. ^ Freed from the pipe As with any new legislation, there are winners and losers. Clarington is perceived to be a winner in the new proposed Greenbelt Protection Plan. The municipality still has an inventory of land that can be developed, yet our rural heritage will be maintained maintained as 80 per cent of Clarington is in the Greenbelt. What this protection plan will do to the price of farm land in the Greenbelt remains to be seen, but it is probably safe to say there are some farmers out there not that thrilled with the plan. Under the plan, retirement lots will also no longer be permitted permitted on farmland. Permission will still be.granted for the creation of a new lot around a surplus farm dwelling when farms are amalgamated. . . ' . The Province has now defined where urbanization can take place and where it can not. In the past, the province's policy has required municipalities to provide a 20-year supply of land for future developments, while protecting prime agricultural land. The Greenbelt Protection Plan removes much of the conflict m the planning process. , . While the new plan protects the majority of this municipality which is farmland, it does allow for urban sprawl along the lakeshore and the transportation corridors. What the Greenbelt Protection Plan will do for Orono, once the discrepancy of whether we are a village or a hamlet is cleared up, could be interesting. For years politicians have told Orono residents there will be no development in the village till the sewer pipe comes up from Newcastle. The sewage treatment plant in Newcastle, was built oversized--we were told, to accommodate Orono. Because of the exorbitant cost of bringing the pipe to Orono, it wouldn't happen till development was occurring north of Newcastle--probably not for another 20 years. This new Protection Plan has nixed the pipe dream. . . , A , Now that future growth for Orono is no longer tied to the high cost of bringing the sewer pipe up, we're ready for another round of discussions on whether we want development or don't want development. Any new sewage treatment system will have to be stream based, and we do have a stream running through the village. If the political will is present to allow some development in Orono, it could happen now. We've been freed from the curse of the pipe. Letter to the Editor A fond farewell Message from the Hill MP Bev Oda To the Editor, As you may already know, I will be leaving my position as Director of Education of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board to serve our province as Chief Student Achievement Officer of Ontario and CEO of a new Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat at the Ministry of Education. I wanted to seize this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all members members of the KPR community with which 1 have had the great pleasure to work with over the last two and-a-half years. As educators, our success success is only made, possible through the commitment and support of our community partners. This strong partnership partnership has allowed our school district to achieve a great deal together with our strong focus on continuous improvement. W<'. have seen steady improvement in student achievement, our relationship relationship with community, the media, school councils and our federations federations and unions. Our character education program is taking root. We have strengthened our relationship relationship with local Colleges and Univer-sities, expanded our anti-bullying programs, and established new strategic directions for the board, in consultation with our community. community. We have also instituted instituted a number of internship programs for future leaders and staff development to ensure our future goals will be met. Against this backdrop, we have made every effort to be accountable to the public we serve, and communicate our progress through our annual report and Community Report Card. In closing, I would like to thank everyone: stall, parents parents and community incm- h.-ix who have worked tire lessly to make these accomplishments accomplishments a reality. I would also personally like to thank the communities of our district, district, for your unconditional acceptance during my tenure as Director of Education, and for your willingness to work cooperatively towards student success. With your continued support, I know that we will soar to new heights of attainment. I will cherish my years at KPR as one of the most rewarding and memorable experiences of my life and career. Sincerely, Avis Glaze Director of Education Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board Making government accountable The House of Commons has been sitting for one month in the Thirty-Eighth Session of Parliament. It has been a busy and exciting time in Ottawa for all Members in their expanded role in this minority Parliament. As a Member of the Official Opposition I have been working working hard to make government accountable to the taxpayers of this Country. As the Member of Parliament Parliament for Durham, I have been busy ensuring that the concerns concerns of my community are brought to the attention of my colleagues in caucus and all Members of the House of Commons. The Official Opposition has been busy driving this government to debate issues which are of importance to all Canadians. The following arc two key examples of many Opposition accomplishments in the first month. Emergency BSE Debate Over $4 billion and thousands of jobs have been lost since May 20, 2003, when bovine spongiform encephalopathy was diagnosed in one Alberta cow. The U.S. closed its border border to all beef products and live cattle, as did more than 30 other countries. Some cuts of beef are now allowed to flow south, but live cattle are banned. For the most part, the government's efforts to get our border reopened for exports of Canadian beef have been ineffective. ineffective. Although the Conservatives Conservatives have been demanding a plan for support for months, government action was delayed for over a year. The recent announcement of $488 million in new aid for farmers severely impacted by the BSE crisis has already been criticized criticized by farm groups and other third parties. The announcement lacks details, is insufficient, and many believe will only serve to increase debt loads among farmers. , ODA seepage 3