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

' wp 8-- Scugog Citizen -- Tuesday, January 26, 1993 <= EDITORIAL Recession over? You be the judge When does a recession end? Statistics Canada boldly declared in its monthly publication last week that it's over, and Statscan's director of current analysis, repeated this to Canadian Press that yes, "it's over. The Recession is done, history." And why does Statscan believe that the grinding recession that has dragged the economy down for nearly three years is indeed over? Well, the agency points to the fact that our economy added 57,000 jobs in the month of December, exports showed some nice increases in the last three months of 1992 and even consumer spending took an upward run in the same period. Interest rates have also drifted downward after showing a sharp rise back in October. All this is well and good, welcome news for a country that surely is in need of some encouragement and optimism for the future. However, Statscan throws some fairly hefty caveats beside its proclamation that the "recession is over." "While recovery appears to be securely in place, this does not imply that all our economic problems are receding. Neither employment nor output has returned to pre- recession levels. Nor would it be unusual for for unemployment to remain at high levels, layoffs to be announced, or for output to post an occasional reversal in a recovery." Statscan, or anybody else for that matter, can Wh about the "technical" reasons that signal the end to a recession. But does this mood of optimism filter down to average Canadians? Do they get "cranked up" as exports increase a bit, interest rates decline a bit and somebody \says the economy added 57,000 jobs in December? What really counts to most Canadians is whether they are working, and if they are working, whether the job will still be there on Monday morning. per cent. Some 2.5 million Canadians are either out of work, working part-time or have simply stopped looking for work. That's roughly the population of Toronto. The high unemployment levels in this country are a disgrace. For most of those out of work, there is no call- back; the jobs are gone forever. The announcement last week by General Motors in the end of March. The company will re-tool its car assembly plants at the end of this year and even when production swings into full gear in 1994, there will be about 1400 fewer people working there than today. Permanent. Numbers, statistics, percentage points don't measure the sorrow of unemployment in human terms. And there is a lot of sorrow in the land right now from the fishermen on the east coast to the factory workers in central Canada to miners &nd loggers in the west. Full employment in this day and age is for all intents and purposes an unattainable goal. But a country like work. That simply is too high. By all means, declare the recession "technically over." But until the unemployment rate comes down significantly, until most Canadians are working productively again, and until the threat of permanent lay- off is lifted, the recession is anything but over. J. MAHONEY The official unemployment, rate is hovering just under 12. Oshawa is a prime example. Some 1450 will be laid off at | Canada must do better than having 11.5 per cent out of ---- LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Writer is misguided and misinformed To The Editor: The writer of the letter entitled "Are you aware who's knocking at your door?" (Jan. 19, 1993) - regarding AIDS Committee of Durham - is misguided and misinformed about this organization and its functions. First of all, the AIDS Committee of Durham is not a "brother" organization of the AIDS Committee of Toronto; they are completely separate organizations, though both are members of the Ontario AIDS Network. It is disturbing that the writer quoted one particular hlet as an indi of the No", to name a few. To the statement, "This is a militant, well organized homosexual group using public funds to promote and glamorize their life style", I must state that the only truths here are that we are well organized and have access to limited government funding. As for wanting "access to schools in the Durham Region, access to our children under the guise of AIDS information," the AIDS Committee gives to or i schools and other institutions that request the information. These presentations are geared goals of the AIDS Committee of Durham. The pamphlet quoted in the letter entitled "Safer Sex Generation" is aimed at a specific group in the population - men who engage in risky sexual activities - and depicts young men with captions that are.gay positive and stress the importance of safer sex. The Ontario Human Rights Code stated that every person has a right to freedom from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation; the AIDS Committee of Durham prides itself on being non- discriminatory. If the writer would care to come to the office, instead of merely making "a few phone calls" she would also find pamphlets entitled "Women and AIDS", "AIDS and Street Youth", "Used Needles Spread AIDS", and "Teen Sex - How To Say to helping all people-regardless of chosen risk activities - to protect themselves from the HIV virus. Since the allegation was made that "they also get our tax dollars to do missionary work for homosexuality", I, think it is appropriate to offer our true mission statement. It is to provide HIV/AIDS related services to the infected, affected and general community in the Durham Region. ~ In keeping with this mission, the AIDS Committee of Durham provides community- based HIV education; provides peer support to individuals, families, and groups infected or affected by HIV in the Durham Region; advocated with and on the behalf of individuals, families and groups infected or affected by HIV; and works to create an organizational structure that will support the development and provision of HIV-related services in this region. AIDS is a serious societal problem and the AIDS Committee seeks only to fill the needs created by this di ; the by the writer are divisive and counter-productive. Fortunately, the writer's views are not widely held in Port Perry; we are pleased and greatful that, including those who were not home, 1 in 3 households in the Port Perry area purchased 'Thank You Packs' from our canvassers. Sincerely Yours, Judy Tobin Support Volunteer, AIDS Committee of Durham, Oshawa Ont. Missing jacket returned To the Editor: I would like to thank the "Scugog Citizen" for printing my letter January 12, concerning my son's missing jacket. The outcome was a positive one. I'd also like to thank the people that called me with information and the person who returned it. Lynda Shaw Blackstock 36 WATER ST., PORT PERRY, ONT. L9L1j2 Phone : 16) 935.6597 Fax : (416) 985-1410 Le advertising sales : Chris Hudson general manager : Darlene Hlozan feature writer : Heather McCrae "Proud Canadians, prod to call Scugog Township home." published by Scugog Citizen Publishing Ltd. co-publishers : John B. McClelland, Valerie Ellis editork John B. McClelland advertising manager : Valerie Ellis The Scugog Citizen, an independently owned and operated weekly community newspaper, is distributed, free of charge, to over 10,000 homes and businesses in and around Scugog Township. Subscriptions sold outside Scugog Township. rian oun OCNA Member, CCNA Member CCNA Verified Circulation Controlled ~, 0 es CITTRS > A