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WS TM EE EEE YT WET TY TT TYEE ESTE NE. HAle ¢51824 7 po é -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, June 13, 1989 The Pot Perey Sar 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY, ONTARIO PHONE 985-7383 FAX 985-3708 The Port Perry Star is authorized as second class mail by the Elsewhere $60.00 per year. Single Copy 50¢ EDITORIAL Publisher - J. Peter Hvidsten Editor - John B. McClelland News/Features - Cathy Olliffe News Reporter - Rob Streich BUSINESS OFFICE Office Manager - Gayle Accounting =; Ashby Billing - Louise Hope Retail Sales - ADVERTISING Post Office Department, Ottawa, for cash payment of 0. PRODUCTION i Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 Annabell Harrison ria ca-srdinuior . Valerie Ellis Subscription Rate: In Canada $20.00 per year uy Eiri ghom Anna Gouldburn {+ CNA Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association Ontario Community Newspaper Association Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co. Ltd, Port Perry, Ontario y Dudley, Linda Ruhl Editorial Comment MAKE IT WORK It was refreshing to see that a spirit of 'compromise was in the air June 5 as Township council held a public meeting over a proposed new by-law to govern the use of snowmobiles in the community. The meeting, which was well attended both by avid snowmobilers and people who have experienced prob- lems over the past winter, was punctuated by reasonable dialogue and discussion, rather then confrontation and anger. Many of the suggestions put forward at this: meeting were reasonable and deserve to be incorporated into the new snowmobile by-law the Township is now in the pro- cess of writing. : Clearly, a compromise is the way to go. Law abiding snowmobilers, almost all of whom are members of Clubs and have the utmost respect for private property and the rights of others, deserve the right to use the streets of Port Perry and Prince Albert'in a reasonable fashion to. run their machines from home to the lake or the trail sys- tem. They agreed that snowmobiles have no right on side- walks, and anyone on a showmobile who invades private property or endangers the safety of others should feel the brunt of the law. ~ And as one long-time member. of the Port Perry Snowmobile Club noted, banning the machines from most or all streets in Port Perry and Prince Albert just might turn law-abiding operators into law breakers. He said quite bluntly that he would look both ways and make a run for the lake, rather than load the machine on a trailer and transport it a short distance. And it was unanimously agreed that the problems en- countered by some residents last winter, were not caused by Club members, but a very small minority of very in- considerate people who would not pay heed to any new by-law. Clearly, however, the Township council has no choice at this time but to toughen up the by-law governing snowmobile use. The present by-law, nearly 20 years old is vague, completely out of date and lacking teeth. We would strongly suggest that any new by-law con- tain a provision whereby Snowmobile Club trail wardens can be "deputized" by the Township and thus have the authority to patrol the streets of the community and en- force the by-law. The by-law also should have some teeth in it to im- pose hefty fines on anyone convicted of breaking the law. Property owners have every right to protection from snowmobiles running over their lawns and shrubs. And citizens of the community must be free to walk the side- walks without fear of being forced into a snowdrift. Quite frankly, if a few of these renegade snowmobil- ers, or the owner of the snowmobiles, were hit with hefty fines, it just might have the desired effect. We also like the suggestion put forward at laast week's meeting about the need for public awareness and education when it comes to proper snowmobiling. Members of the Port Perry Club stated they are willing to conduct information programs, in the schools, if neces- sary to get the message across. All of these are positive steps. Hopefully, in the spirit of compromise and co-operation that was displayed at the meeting last week, the local Snowmobile Clubs will follow through on the suggestions. it is in their best interests to do so. Council Is willing to compromise this time. If the prob- lems persist, the by-law can always be amended. CNN ¥ Sev SEN . Ne all ; ANNU Satin rl ENN \ ANN aw EN SR - ER ANN THE Cass oF 89, Being U- 8 2 "6 --~/S NW CIERRA, Soa: £4 Ee N NAN AN re R\ FE Ad Np rm Doug and | were extremely busy last week- end and didn't have a chance to watch the news until Sunday night June 4. On Saturday Doug's little sister Shawna married longtime boyfriend Todd Milton. It was a beautiful wedding (I don't think I've ever seen a more lovely bride than Shawna) with all the fanfare and celebration that accompa- nies such special occasions. On Sunday, after we finally woke up, we had company for most of the day, enjoyed the sunshine and a backyard barbecue. In the evening, Doug and | hunkered down in front of the TV set to watch the Sky Dome celebra- tion. And what an extravaganza that turned out to be. Thousands of people dressed in colourful costumes, some of Canada's top en- tertainers, bazillions of balloons and fire- works--it was wonderful, but I've never seen . such an exercise in excess. And it all looked so foolish, when we com- ared it to what we saw 'when The National gan at 10 p.m. Violence, indiscriminate shooting, hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries of inno- cent people in China. The death of Ayatollah Khomeni. Eight hundred children and adults dead because of an explosion in the U.S.S.R. The sheer magnitude of the stories took our breath away. We couldn't believe what had been going on in the world while we were happily oblivious, celebrating a marriage, a fa gathering, and the opening of a stadi- um. To be honest, we felt guilty. | think Mrs. Earl Reader summed up our feelings best when she wrote in last week's Scu Island News, "As our area enjoys gentle rains and sunshine for the thirsty land and we count our blessings, we sorrow for other countries and areas esporiencing vio- lence, explosions, floods and loss of leaders (good or bad)." = "| don't think I'll ever forget watching The Na- tional that night. The CBC, in it's wisdom, ex- tended the normal time of the newscast to ful- by CATHY OLLIFFERE a TIT------ BB EE OE OOOO i THE CRISIS IN CHINA i , Re ly cover all the world-shattering events. An- chor Peter Mansbridge juggled story after sto- ry, each more impossible than the one before it. Of course, we were shocked by the acci- dent in Russia, a little flabberghasted by the death of Khomeni, and interested in the Polish election, but it was news of the crisis in China that really horrified us. up until last weekend, the massive demon- strations by students in Tiananmen Square were peaceful. Students were able to talk to soldiers, to turn them from their appointed du- ties. The news clips on nightly broadcasts re- minded me of the 1960's in North America, of. the Summer of Love. Perhaps that's why the world was so abso- lutely shocked when the soldiers turned their guns on the students, shooting indiscriminate- y into the crowds, making even foreign jour- nalists targets in their macabre bid to end the pro-democracy movement. And while that first spree of violence was bad enough, the situation in China is worsen- ing. Beijing isn't the only city involved any- more as other Chinese cities react with their own demonstrations. China Is in chaos. Businesses are closing and food Is increasingly difficult to find. No- body's safety can be assured and foreigners, including Canadians, are being flown out of the country daily. Worse still, the People's Liberation Army is splitting and rival factions are beginning to square off in what can only lead to more vio- lence, more killing. It is clear China is on the brink of a bloody civil war, and | can only hope other countries don't join into the frey. Watching what is going on Is like reading history books that detail how other wars were started, and while | hope Chinese democrat- ists have their way, | fervently hope democra- cy doesn't come as the result of war. , Never have | felt luckier to be a Canadian.