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- wl 14 -- -- Seugoy Citizen - Tuesdes, April 30, 1996 7 LETTERS To THE EDITOR Durham church leaders petition Premier "To The Editor: (The following is an open letter to Ontario Premier Mike Harris from several Christian Church leaders in Durham Region.) As representatives of various Christian bodies in the Durham Region, we wish to make known to you our concerns about various aspects of your government's policies. We do so in the understanding that we are speaking to another member of the Christian Church. We do so on the basis that God is the same God of justice and mercy in all areas of life, including the social, economic and political. We do so in the bold belief that "one of the r ibilities standing and security are affected by government policy, have a moral right to be consulted. We are concerned the the poorest and ost vulnerable in our ety have had to endure some of society and that, therefore, this taxation change will bring about a massive transfer of wealth from the poorer to the richer, with no adequate means to rectify the balance. We would urge you to r ider the d bility the severest exp of government restraints, for example, in cuts to welfare and disability payments, subsidies to day care, legal aid and in the planned introduction of compulsory , and prescribed work in order for persons to be eligible for goyernment welfare paymentd, which are paid out of general taxation, We would urge the government to balance its concern for financial ibility with concern of Christ's Church is to remind governments of the responsibilities "ob" righteousness. We are concerned that too many .important changes in the administration of our province are being made too quickly and without due consideration about how one change will impact upon another. We would urge you to make more gradual changes, particularly in the area of social welfare, education, justice, health and the environment. We are concerned that those who will be most affected by' important changds in policy are not 'being consulted and, in some instances)have lost the right to be donsulted. We would urge you to recognize that in a healthy and stable democratic society, all those whose 7 for "human dignity and to balance the need for reduction in government spending with specific inducements in private sector job creation. We are concerned at the weakening of legislation protecting the health and variety of e natural environméft. We would urge you to remember that we are inheritors of resources which we have the responsibility to bequeath in a condition as .good as or better than the condition in which they were placed in our care. The preferences of business must be balanced with the requirements necessary for the mutual sustaining health of the life systems of the natural world. We are concerned that the Government's proposed 30% tax cut will unduly favour those who are already wealthier in our of this measure and instead ofi increasing the separation in wealth and opportunities between members of our society, to promote policies which will increase the sense of belonging, dignity, confidence and 4 'poteptial mong all who live in . io. \ In general/ Mr. Premier, we are concerned at the manner in which your government seems to reduce all policy decisions to numeral abstractions. We would urge you to take the time to recognize the human faces represented by these figures and to act with the caution and" is in that consideration always necessary dealing ; With human lives. Please accept our Jpapectful best wishes. . Rev. Bill Tadeja, / Father Paul Lennon, ( ; Pastor Rick Bacchus, Rev. Mary Ranger, - Mrs. Wilma Brink. Questions about the casino To the Editor: On Friday, April 25 as many of us lined up at the Municipal office to pay our taxes we discussed the Mississaugas re-announced casino plans and were struck by the logic of it all. 1/ Mayor Howard Hall who says potable water and acceptable sewage systems will be in place despite his protestations earlier, that the municipality hes no jurisdiction over the Reserve. 2/ Sunrise Beach and * Gerrows Beach Roads are in terrible shape but the Region has several million dollars for the road leading to the casino. 3/ The $12 million building will pay no taxes. We, the neighbours will. What a deal. 4/ How will the PST be handled for food and tobacto? 5/ Does anybody know how much the Ontario government will receive from gross revenues? If 'none, what then? 6/ At what stage will slot machines be introduced. It is quite possible under the Bob Rae protogol signed i in 1991. 7/ Will beer, wine, liquor be supplied locally? 8/ We pretty well agreed that the BIA and Chamber" of Commerce are Queen Street oriented, and that: we are now a bad case of "taxation with representation." Joel Aldred DFC Chair-Save Scugog Island Committee N Gambling undermines work ethic To the Editor: Re: Scugog Casino When reading recent articles on the proposed casino for Scugog Island, I am reminded of a popular song by Dire Straits. "Money for Nothin'" is critical of the attitude that rock musicians don't really work for a living, that money and success is just given to them. Well, some attitudes toward a casino in Scugog Township follow the same logic. Sure, the casind"promises more than two hundred jobs and millions of dollars in revenue for th® provincial government, but it will not be "money for nothing." The price is ill-will between neighbours on Scugog Island, increased numbers of people addicted to' gambling within Durham Region, and a message to our young people that we all can "get something for nothing." It is contradictory to give this message to young people in Scugog Township when one of the schools, namely R.H. Cornish, cherishes its motto, "No Su Without Labour." 4 Region has been affluent because labour is GST explanation To the Editor: Our local M.P. Alex Shepherd's weekly column is constantly talking about what a nice person he is and what nice people his colleagues in the Liberal party are and How they are trustworthy and are for the little people. Perhaps Alex (Robin Hood) Shepherd could FORDER ATTENTION TO ALL Fs PERSONAL YOUR GENE RAL INSURANCE NE - PARKS INSURANCE as INC. 34 Water Street, Port Perry, Ontario L9L 1J2 985-8471 GO-FER IT! SAME DAY SERVICE (Call by 11 AM ) Serving Cobourg to Hamilton Call for Rates & Schedule GO-FER COURIER SERVICE [(oIVI{, ToT KN We fe T=1 RW Tel LHC 1-10) 520 TAU NTON RD. E., OSHAWA 05) 128-2755 1988 BUICK | 1991 FIREFLY | 1992 SATURN REGAL 2 door, automatic, 4 door, sid. 111 km, loaded, 19%, 113k., air, . 6.cyl. Low Price Save on gas! AMFM cass. $5,895. | $4,985. $9,735. 1988 JEEP 4x4 Cherokee Larado od., 5 speed, loaded. Fisherman's dream. J | - $7,995. PORT PERRY (905) 985-2573 4] Spring Service Specials 'YOUR ONE STOP AUTOMOTIVE SPECIALISTS'. + Nd 10 Filter _¥. Brake & & SAVE Exhaust flops, % explain to us common folk why he and the rest of the merry men and women of the Liberal Party voted for the budget and subs. uently went along with the retention of the G.S.T. Afterall us common folks were the ones that put them in Ottawa on the JK stays The Durham Region Roman Catholic Separate School Board has decided to keep the Junior Kindergarten Program for a period of one year. As a cost saving measure, the Board has eliminated noon hour transportation for both Junior and Senior Kindergarten students. Local schogls will now be given the option of choosing the traditional half-day program, with ng noon- hour tregnsportation or an alternate full day model. The Board reached its . decision after extensive Tad delib and strong and hard work is, cherished. The casino and legalized gambling undermine bur "work ethic" Beware the hidden costs! Sincerely Llewellyn Jones! Scugog Township S0ug promise from thjs trustworthy party that they would get rid of the G.S.T., not harmonize or disguise but get rid of. I was just wondering if Mr. Nice Guy could "plain it to us. \ Sincerely v Greg Saunders Greenbank for year financial restraints of the .. 1996.budget. The decision with respect to registration dates will be made by midyMay. The selection ofthe model that « each school will use is anticipated within the month of May. A decision with respect to_ continuing the program in' 1997 / 98 and future years will not be made until extensive review of alternate delivery systéms has been made. The _ reduced government funding means that the school board is not in a ition to continue the that this' is the most favourable option given the PN esi Lied | In our advertisement of April 23rd, 1996 the incorrect phone number was inadvertently printed, * Please note our comect phone number is 45 WINDOOW ww 01-555.946-3649) program beyond 1997 with + the same program costs. 2 (oo) iz] {opa fo] I [oh yfed btm sho ese