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2 - Orono Weekly Times Wednesday, January 18,2006 Subscriptions $32.71 + $2.29 GST = $35.00 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." Canada ORONO WEEKLY TIMES - 5310 Main St., P.O. Box 209, Orono, ON LOB E-mail: 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 The Orono Weekly Times welcomes letters to the editor on subjects of interest to our readers. Opinions expressed to the editor and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Orono Weekly times. Letters must be signed and contain the address and phone number of the writer. Any letter considered unsuitable will not be acknowledged or returned. We reserve the right to edit for length, libel and slander. If your retail or classified ad appears for the first time, please check carefully. Notice of an error must be given before the next issue goes to print. The Orono Weekly Times will not be responsible for the loss or damage of such items. Exercise your duty It's been one crazy winter thus far, weather wise. All day the bitter east wind has been coming in through our ill-fitting front door, and the air conditioner above it which hasn't been winterized yet this season. The New Year's decorations (helium-filled balloons and inflated silver silver stars attached to the fly strips), have been dancing in the breeze across the ceiling all day. The freezing rain began this afternoon, as predicted, and right now the roads are slippery, making driving treacherous. Our proof readers from the outlying areas can't even make it into the office today. What if today had been election day? Many people in our immediate area would probably not have made it to the polls if today had been election day. In weather conditions conditions such as we are experiencing today, pedestrians in urban areas possibly have an easier time getting to the polls than rural residents, who have to drive to the poll to cast their ballot. Even if the weather cooperates here in our riding on Election Day, January 23, being the vast country that it is--Canada is sure to have areas where getting to the polls might prove to be very difficult.. It is possible that the weather alone could skew the entire election results. There have been calls for an overhaul of our voting system, as the 'first past the post' method of electing member to parliament is not a true representation of the percentage of votes cast for the parties running in any given election. Most democracies now use some form of proportional representation which would more closely reflect the, geographical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity of Canada. We're stuck with the system we have for now, with an election day in the dead of winter. But we are Canadian. It takes more than a little weather to keep us housebound. As citizens of a democratic country, we all have a duty to vote in parliamentary elections. Exercise your duty on Monday, and get out and vote. Letter to the Editor "Nobody wants to be told how to vote" To the Editor, As a former auto worker and CAW representative, I was outraged to leam that the Liberal candidate for Durham, Doug Moffatt, has been distributing distributing an endorsement from CAW President Buzz Hargrove, Hargrove, printed on CAW letterhead. letterhead. For Mr. Hargrove to personally personally endorse a candidate would be one thing, but this letter is just ludicrous, given the fact that the CAW in Oshawa has been clear with its members that it will no longer endorse any candidate or party. I spent the morning on the phone with my friends and former colleagues at the GM plant in Oshawa who are just as angry as I am that Mr. Hargrove would speak on their behalf. Several senior managers at the CAW have assured me that there has been no executive meeting of the union to discuss endorsing a candidate. I find Mr. Hargrove's letter dishonest and an outrageous misrepresentation of the facts. Mr. Moffatt should know that Mr. Hargrove does not speak for the CAW union members at the Oshawa plant. Nobody wants to be told how to vote. When I walk into the polling booth on January 23rd, I will be making my own decision about who to mark on the ballot and my friends at the CAW will do the same. Regards, Luke Prout Orono New Minimum Wage in effect February 1,2006 The Ontario government is raising the general minimum wage effective February 1, 2006, to $7.75 per hour. This in an increase from $7.45 per MPP John O'Toole hour. The rate is to rise again on February f, 2007, to $8 per $4.5 Million for New news for the Cancer Centre, hour. Regional Cancer Centre However, I believe there There are also increases in The Province of Ontario remains more to be done to other categories of work ctiv- has announced post-construc- restore the funding . gap ered under Ontario's minimum tion operating finding in the between GTA-905 area hospi- rates of pay. Students under amount of $4.5 million for the tals and the average provincial 18 years of age and employed McLaughlin Durham Region- healthcare expenditure. for not more than 28 hours a al Cancer Centre being built at week will, see their minimum Oshawa's hospital. When the New Rail Cars and Buses pay rise from $6.95 to $7.25 Cancer Centre is completed, it for GO Transit per hour. The minimum wage will provide 3,480 additional | The Province of Ontario for liquor servers will increase chemotherapy treatment visits will invest $73 million for from $6.50 to $6.75 per hour, and 13,887 additional assess- additional GO Transit rolling ment follow-up and other vis- stock and buses. A total of 20 Ontario offers information its. There will also be a fur- new bi-level rail cars will be for Entrepreneurs ther 13,374 additional radia- added to the fleet, along with If starting your own busi- tion treatment visits. (These 31 new buses. They will he ness is a resolution you made are being provided in Toronto made in Canada and the first for 2006, there are a number and Kingston until the new of the buses and rail cars will of local and provincial cancer centre space in be delivered later in the year, resources offering help. That Durham is ready.) Gridlock Task Force meetings help includes seminars and Regional Cancer Centres I have attended or chaired on-line courses available for provide a seamless process for show that improved transit is a prospective entrepreneurs, patients as they access servie- priority in Durham Riding and Whether you are still thinking es. The Centres are now part in Ontario. Improving equip- about going into business or of the Integrated Cancer ment is only the beginning. , whether you're ready to regis- Programs (ICP), which gives The Province must go further ter your company, there are systemic therapy, radiation and begin working toward the many federal and-provincial therapy* surgical oncology, expansion of GO Rail services , government web sites that can preventative oncology, pallia- east to Bowmanville. We also link you to > the information five medicine and supportive need expanded transit services you need, care services under a single for the northern areas of Locally, the Business leadership structure. Durham Riding. Advisory Centre Durham, This announcement is good O'TOOLE see page 3