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Migtilaa fu "0 hd Get your wallets out... a a AN AV, Fae dy » aft i . -y ¢ Fret Nar SA v2 . . vie ' 4 RES BY Rr RE i PLA 31 . . 4 Ve 4 ) | Ay t : oF 2 2% A 34 AY TY 2 PEER ERC RTOR EATER REY ESERIES eve my Aetrenie SE ETERS Bs Ye 7% REGIONAL TAX HIKE? Brace yourself. Regional property taxes will be going up by as much as 17 per cent in 1981. That was the gloomy prediction from the Durham council finance committee last week which issued budget guidelines to all Regional departments call- ing for an estimated "net increase of no greater than 17 per cent in Regional taxes on the average (property) ratepayer." Scugog Mayor Jerry Taylor, vice chairman of the Region's finance committee adr 40. gs Winter Carnival Time Have you got your Winter Carnival ribbon yet? Cheryl Moore, 8, and Deborah Munson, 9, of Prince Albert display the ribbon for the Port Perry Carnival which kicks off this Friday evening and continues through the weekend. There is family skating on the Water Street out-door rink, a variety of games and activities, cross-country ski races and snowmobiles drags. told the Star last Friday that even to bring in a 17 per cent increase means there will be no new programs or expan- sion of existing programs or facilities in 1981 other than those to which the Region is already committed to. Mayor Taylor said the Check the posters in the downtown area for times, etc., and come on out and have some winter fun. substantial increase is due to several factors. One is the loss of revenue from lot levies of about $750,000. Another is the loss of a special assistance grant from the provincial govern- ment of $780,000 which Durham received last year on a one year basis. And Mayor Taylor admitt- ed that the Region's budget in 1980 may have been trimmed "too close to the line" to hold the tax hike at under seven per cent in an election year and now the council is faced with "'catch- ing up" in 1981. About 20 per cent of the total property tax goes for legional purposes, so if the final budget comes in at the 17 per cent increase leve, it will mean about $20 more on a home paying $700 total in taxes last year. The Board of Education budget takes about 55 per cent of the property taxes from every home in the Region, while the local municipal budget accounts for the remaining 25 per cent. There are indications that the Board of Education budget will increase about 10 per cent in 1981, and Mayor Taylor says there will not be much leeway when Scugog Township council gets around to setting the local budget some time in March. In an effort to keep the budget down, the Regional finance committee last week recommended that over $2 million worth of capital projects be cancelled this year, and also asked the public works to see if it can be put on the shelf for another year, at least. One item that is in the 1981 capital budget is a new well for residents of Blackstock on the municipal water system at a cost of $40,000. However, there is a strong possibility that a new Regional Works department garage slated to be built this year at the corner of Durham Roads 23 and 1 in (Turn to page 13) Nol. 115 No:11 Wednesday, February 11, 1981 36 Pages Sex education under fire from parents by Debbie McEachern Sex education has become a controversial issue during recent months in Ontario's public school system, and Scugog Township has been no exception. : A course, entitled the Family Life Series, which is being taught in the public schools across Durham Region, has provoked increased attention and concern among some parents of children enrolled in these schools. Their concerns were brought to the attention of Ten year old youngster lost on Lake Scugog for 2 hours The son of former National Hockey League player Mike Pelyk spent two very cold and miserable hours late Sunday afternoon after he got lost on a snowmobile on Lake Scugog. Ten year old Chris Pelyk was ice fishing with his uncle Tim on the east arm of Lake Scugog when he got cold and set out by snowmobile for the Pelyk residence about half a mile away. According to his uncle, young Chris somehow got disoriented on the way back and clad only in light pants, a windbreaker and helmet without face guard, he travelled for almost two hours around the tip of the island before asking for help at a home near Goreski"s Marina on the west side of the lake, nearly six miles from the fish hut. Tim Pelyk told the Star that he set out behind Chris on another snowmobile about five minutes after the youngster left the fish hut. He was travelling much slower than Chris because he was pulling a sled behind the snowmobile. Mr. Pelyk said the house is about half a mile from the fish hut and in clear view, and he guessed Chris' lack of experience on a snowmobile and knowledge of the area were probably the reasons why he lost his way. When Mr. Pelyk returned to the house and found that Chris was not there, he start- ed a search and notified members of the Port Perry Snowmobile Club. "I can't say enough about the response from the members of the Snowmobile Club," said Mr. Pelyk. "We are very thankful for the way they reacted after we called them," he stated. As it turned out, Chris eventually knocked on the door of a house near the marina and the residents there notified Mr. Pelyk. Chris was taken to hospital for observation, and fortun- ately he was not suffering from frostbite. Mr. Pelyk told the Star that Chris stopped earlier at one house asking for help, but was turned away at the front door. Saying that he is a bit embarrassed by the whole incident, Mr. Pelyk added he is just very happy that Chris came through the experience without serious harm. Rev. Stuart McEntyre, during the November 1980 municipal election campaign. As Scugog's Board of Education trustee, Rev. McEntyre met with a group of parents in Novem- ber last year and advised them to form a committee to review and evaluate the contents of the Family Life Series. He suggested at that time that they present a brief on their findings to the Durham Board of Educat- ion's Advisory Committee for a full-committee assess- ment. The Advisory Committee was set up by the Board and has received a mandate to evaluate and comment on resource material, films, etc. in the curriculum of the course offered, and hear comments from the public. They are to advise the board of their observations. There are no terms of reference in the mandate regarding who may or may not provide input to the Family Life Education Advisory committee and they are accepting view- points from individuals and organizations within the boundaries of Durham Region. Concerns of area parents include the absence of moral values teaching in the sex education course of the General Health program, and they feel Kindergarten to Grade 3 students are not emotionally ready for the information contained in the curriculum set out for their level. A public meeting, organ- ized by the Scugog Concern- ed Parents Committee (SCPC) was held last week at the Latcham Centre in Port Perry. A committee was seeking support of a brief which they will submit to the Advisory Committee, and about 200 people attend- ed the meeting. Guest speakers were Rev. McEntyre of Port Perry and Rev. Frank DeVries of Beaverton. The agenda included a film called "Humanism", as well as a complete review of the contents of the brief. A question-answer period followed. Within the text of their brief, the Scugog committee expressed that while they believe 'some of the Family Life Series has useful content and recognize a need for it, many of the topics within the curriculum lack moral guidance." The brief dealt with the obligation of society to teach moral values to children and explained that 'humanism' values are contrary to the laws of this country as well as Judeo- Christian ethic. Objections to the program related, "Throughout the Family Life program, children will be developing their values on topics such as masturbation, dating (Turn to page 3) a -- = a IAN Rb SS ER a oe Vel oy BRA RE Sn a3 -~ NS a a #4 3 h &h , Tag wi a RENAE NR Som Rac Ne TI? 5 oh Sis SoS ERAS y--- e Brot 4) Vv