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

WPdnfisdav. October 26, 2005 2 - Orono Weekly Times Weekly Times Subscriptions $32.71 + $2.29 GST - $35.00 P e [ Y e ^ 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. QCIlcl CanacE ORONO WEEKLY TIMES - 5310 Main St., P.O^Box 209, Oron° 0 N L0B1M0 E-mail:. oronotimes@rogers.com or Phone/Fax. 905-983 5J31 Publisher/Editor Margaret Zwart Sports and Display Advertising - Donna Wood \ Front Office and Classified Advertising - Rosey Bateman .• Confucius say, "No budget, no trip" ; It was said in the Times a few weeks ago, that it is really easy to sit back and criticize, and that's the case this wee The Mayor and Councillor Schell are off to China ma few weeks to tag along with the Premiers' Trade Mission and take a side trip to the site of the advanced CANDU reactors m Qinshan, China. _ . The reason given for the trip from November 5 to 12 is to support and promote Atomic Energy Canada Limited, and t e future possibility of an advanced CANDU reactor m How does one make the coimection that a trip to China and to the CANDU reactor site there,, will help Clarington land a CANDU reactor at some future date? ' . , The Premier's Trade Mission is to showcase Ontario s manufacturers and service providers. The focus is on what we can sell, as we currently have a huge trade deficit with China The Mayor and Schell's reasons for going to China do not tall within the purview of that trade mission. Besides there being no clear reason for this Clarington mission mission to China, there is also no clear budget for the trip. In tact, there has been no budget established, just a reserve account from which to draw the trip expenses from. The resolution that was passed unanimously by Council on Monday concerning the trip, stated, "Council considers it advantageous to send a delegation to China... This may we be the case. However, we're not so sure the electorate wi find the trip so advantageous. Letter to the Editor Trade mission to China To the Editor: Mayor Mutton and Councillor Schell are going on a trade mission to China at the Clarington taxpayers' expense, expense, with the Premier and other provincial officials. . The purpose of the trip is to promote trade with China, as if that needed further encouragement, encouragement, everything we buy today is made there. The other reason is that they can be close to the Premier to bend his ear, to influence him to build more nuclear reactors in Clarington. It is doubtful that the Premier can be persuaded to build any more of those huge provin- cially run nuclear dinosaurs that would take years to build, at enonnous costs, and overruns, overruns, that would sky rocket our rates and provincial taxes (the same ones he wasn't going to raise before). Simply put, there is no money, we arc still paying on the thirty eight billion debt the old Ontario Hydro lelt us, check your bills--it's on there. My guess is that new energy energy generation will come from much smaller privately owned regional plants that arc powered powered by natural gas, or plants that have co-gen capabilities. These plants arc much mniv» unm'ii \/ fill cient, non-polluting, they can be built in a fraction of the time it would take to build a nuclear reactor. We would not have the transmission towers that we see on the south side of the 401 highway, no billowing billowing smoke stacks as at the Hearn plant, no pollution of the environment or landscape. „ These medium sized regular regular industrial plants produce only a low steady hum, and electricity. The rates and production production would be regulated and controlled by the Provincial Energy Board. Other sources of energy would come from conservation, conservation, time of use of meters (cost of energy will be higher at peak'times), windmill farms and solar. Existing hydro-electric facilities that are environmentally environmentally friendly like Niagara Falls will be expanded. Production of'Green Energy' will be encouraged and, will be sold at higher rates with tax incentives for the producers. producers. Most of these energy sources arc already in place or are presently being built. Canada is not on the leading edge. Many other countries have taken the lead in these areas. I think the trip by the Mayor and the Councillor is a nice perk for them---but a CHINA soo oacio 3 Ihl >Sw WEASEL ST/T !** |MHR s& <\ Iff|.V y, % % Staying in Touch MPP John O'Toole Time for Property Assessment Check-up Ontario's Ombudsman, André Marin, has taken on the task of reviewing Ontario's property assessment process. Frankly, I welcome an independent look at how properties are assessed. Often, governments and bureaucracy are too close to the process to be objective. There are many assessment inequities that need to be addressed. Agricultural property property and the taxation of trailers used on a seasonal basis at parks and campgrounds are just two examples. However, it is my understanding that the Ombudsman will confine his report to a review of two issues: how MPAC arrives at its assessment figures and the complaint that property owners owners who successfully fight for lower assessment often find that the property values arc raised to former levels in the next year's assessment. The provincial government would do well to look at the big picture of assessment in Ontario and not wait for the Ombudsman to complete his study. For example, it may no longer he necessary to reassess properties every year. One nossihililv is an assess ment cycle in which valuation of properties occurs every three to five years. Perhaps assessment increases could be phased in during that cycle or whenever property was sold or substantially improved. What is most important is for government policies to develop develop and grow in response to the advice of Ontario's citizens. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening on the assessment question. The Ombudsman is expected expected to table his report in about six months' time. In the interim, interim, anyone who is concerned that their assessment is incorrect incorrect should make full use of the opportunity to discuss their situation with MPAC or do an online comparison of their property with other similar similar properties. You also have the option of filing a Request for Reconsideration or, if necessary, necessary, applying to the Assessment Review Board. As always, your views arc welcome. Please contact the Constituency Office at 905- 697-1501 or 1-800-661-2433 or by e-mail at: john_otoolc- co@ontla.ola.org. Congratulations to Volunteer Service Award Recipients This week, I look forward to attending award ceremonies for 130 Durham Riding residents residents who are being honoured for their hard work and dedication dedication as volunteers. The Ontario Volunteer Service, Awards recognize 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40 and, 50-plus continuous years of service to a single organization. Youth are recognized for two or more years of service. Congratulations to the following following Durham residents who have achieved 50-plus yeas of service as volunteers: Lloyd Ayre, Isabell Hamm and Francis Jose 'of the Durham Central Agricultural Society; Jozef Lasek, of the Polish Veterans' Association; and Marion Broome and Jessie Tink of the Solina Women's Institute. Some Thoughts from Gridlock Meeting The need for completion of Highway 407 eastward to Highway 35/115 was one of the key recommendations from a public meeting on gridlock gridlock that I was pleased to cohost cohost last week with MPP Laurie Scott (Haliburton- Victoria-Brock). Not everyone everyone agrees with the 407 extension, extension, but in my view there is growing acceptance of the project. There is also a need for improving the highway infrastructure infrastructure throughout Durham. Interchange improvements O'TOOLE see page 9