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' La wm" 8 -- Scugog Citizen -- Tuesday, November 21, 1994 = ' published by Scugog Citizen Publishing L.td. co-publishers : John B. McClelland, Valerie Ell 4 a] 3 BLO 2 dg Sion MeClalland, Valerie Bll out Motions THE SCUGOG CITIZEN advertising manager : Valerie Ellis CCNA Memb an independently owned and operated advertising sales : Chris Hudson (Gol cena weekly community newspaper, accounting : Sibylle Warren is distributed, free of charge, reception : Janet Rankin on to over 13,800 homes and businesses production : Tanya Mappin a ---- in and around Scugog Township 36 WATER ST., PORT PERRY, ONT. L9L1J2 feature writer : Heather McCrae . CCNA Verified Phone : (905) 985-6397 Fax : (905) 985-1410 "Prod Canadians, prowd to call Scugog Township home." Circulation Controlled Subscriptions sold outside Scugog Township wor a J EDITORIAL Children must be protected The series of events surrounding the release from prison of convicted pedophile Wray Budreos should be a clear indication that thé federal corrections service must come up with some kind of firm policy on matters such as these. Budreos was released last Friday morning from a federal prison in Kingston where he had served six years for molesting three young children in Brampton. Over the last 20 years or so, he has been convicted on at least 20 similar charges. Based on this alone, the chances | of him repeating this horrible crime again appear to be good. When he was released federal corrections officials said they were powerless to make public where he would be living. But somehow, through an unidentifiéd tip, police and the media found out he would be staying with a sponsor in a residential neighbourhood in Peterborough, Ontario. Needless to say parents in that small city some 40 miles east of Port Perry, were alarmed and shaken when they heard this information. Indeed, the house were he was to stay is close to parks and schools Budreos finally went on a local TV station and gave other press interviews (heavily disguised) asking that people leave him alone and give him a chance to become a useful member of society. ' Sorry, not good enough. His arrest record in which he repeats time and again demands that society know when he is being released from custody and where he will be going. - Those released from custody after paying their debt to society have rights, to be sure. But what about the rights of young children (and their parents). They are the most vulnerable, the most helpless members of society and least able to defend themselves against this heinous kind of crime. Is it not time we put their rights ahead of the rights of those who repeatedly abuse them? We say it is time and the circus that developed from the release of Budreos on Friday morning is ample proof that some very significant changes are long over-due. : When a repeat pedophile is released from custody to live in a residential area close to schools and parks, the police in that community must be notified, and likewise parents 80 that they can take all appropriate measures to protect their children. The repeat offender released back into society must be required to check in on a regular basis with local police, l.inform them of what he's doing each day and if he changes address. And police should keep schools, parents groups and local organizations informed. In the case of a 20-time repeat offender like Wray Budreos, our justice system should have decided a long time ago that his chance of recovery is nil at best, and kept him in some kind of custody for the rest of his days. If our law makers and those who set policy in this country can't protect the most innocent and the most vulnerable from the likes of a pedophile with a record as long as Budreos, just who the heck can we protect these days? Most Canadians are tolerant folks, but their tolerance has been far over-stretched by the rights of the convicted over the rights of the innocent. The Budreos charade this past weekend should tell us all that big changes are needed. In fact, the entire justice system (plea bargaining, bail, early release, length of sentencing; the Youthful Offenders Act, etc.) is in dire need of a complete overhaul from top to bottom. The innocent, the vulnerable and the law abiding have rights, too, in this country, but one would never know it. WITH THE VAMPIRE... JOB INTERVIEW ACTUALLY BEING A BLOOD SUCKER \S AN ASSET WHEN WORKING FOR REVENUE CRANADRA/ SLEEP WELL TONIGHT KNOWING OUR TAX DOLLARS WELL SPEN ARE BEING v4, | | | | | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Fal] Gord takes Alex to task over column on pensions To The Editor: In his last weekly Report from Parliament Hill our federal MP, Mr. Alex Shepherd made a feeble attempt to explain the imperiding failure of the Canada Pension Plan, by saying the plan was badly managed, and as he put it, "Canada's population is aging and more people are collecting then paying." If indeed it is so poorly d who is r ible for that? Might I suggest the culprit has been the successive Tory and before them, the Liberals who governed for many moons in Ottawa. Many seniors, including myself, paid escalating Unemployment Insurance premiums over the last forty years without ever drawing a nickel. Our C.P.P. contributions were increased more than once, and if we paid into another pension fund, our C.P.P pension was reduced considerably at age 65, even though we had paid full premiums all along. If we saved for that rdiny day, as our generation did, we suffer now with the effects from the claw- back of even our Old Age Pension, through our own thrifty habits. If anyone should have any sense of injustice, over C.P.P, cuts and suggested cuts to the Old Age Pension it should be seniors. The trouble with the angry young people who, complain about having to pay off the debts accumulated by our generation is the Liberal's failure while they were the government of many moons, a failing to fund the plan properly and soundly when they set it up during the Lester Pearson reign in' Ottawa. As a senior I'm fed up to the teeth being dumped on by the present Liberal Government in Ottawa, while I pay more to them in taxes than I ever would hope to receive back in my lifetime. I also like the crafty way Mr. Shepherd implies that the provincial governments are obtaining some sort of subsidy through C.P.P funds. Own up Mr. Shepherd, you and your kind in Ottawa are looking for a scapegoat, and it matters least if that scapegoat happens to be a senior, on whose aging back the guilt for Ottawa's past mistakes can be piled high Sincerely, Gord Mills C.D, MPP Durham East. Trough Day as 52 MPs cash in To The Editor: November 21st was Trough Day. On that day 52 MPs, elected just six years ago, qualified for gold-plated pensions worth $53 million. : Of course, they are not really pensions. Getting an MPs' pension is like winning cash- for-life lottery. After all, what pension pays out after only six years regardless of age? What pension has unlimited protection against inflation? And what pension can legally late 2 1/2 times faster than allowed in the private sector? % The rest of us can only dream about a pension so lavish! Over the years, Canadian taxpayers will have to fork out millions of dollars to fund the pensions of these 52 MPs, but that's not the worst part. : What's worse, it that Prime Minister Jean Chretien even allowed Trough Day to happen He couid have easily reformed the pension play before November 21, but he chose not to and that speaks volumes about his credibility. How can Canadians trust Chretien to reform Canada's finances when he won't even reform MP's pensions? How can we Canadians be expected to tighten our belts when our leaders won't tighten theirs? What Canada needs are leaders who are willing to do what's best for their country. What we have, unfortunately, are leaders who seem willing only to do what's best for themselves. That's a disgrace and our wonderful country deserves better. Sincerely, David Somerville, President, National @itizens Coalition. '