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NE a aa as hoa LSA tei pe ah i oh ade LL aah ai | "A Family Tradition for 128 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, September 12, 1995 -7 LE ITE RS from our readers MPP vows to help disabled kids To the Editor: Thank you for the opportuni- ty of responding to correspon- dence sent you by Marion Cook of Blackstock regarding mental health issues and Durham chil- dren, in particular those effect- ed by Fetal'Alcohol Syndrome. I would like to open my com- ments to you by saying that I will actively work on behalf of the Durham children to fight for their fair share of provincial funding. In addressing the concerns raised by Marion Cook pertain- ing to F.A.S. (Fetal Alcohol Syn- drome), I would like to acknowl- edge the current position of the Ontario Ministry of Health. I have been advised that a paper 1s presently being drafted by of- ficials of the Ministry of Health through internal consultation and is expected to be completed this fall. It deals with the pre- vention of alcoholic problems before and during pregnancy and children born with F.A.S. Another issue being dealt with by the paper is that of com- prehensive labelling, which is under federal jurisdiction. A meeting between representa- tives of the Federal and Ontario provincial governments was re- cently held on the labelling of products containing alcohol. This resulted in the Ministry of Health supporting Health Can- ada on comprehensive label- ling, that is labelling on alcohol- ism affecting all people, not just targeted at pregnant women. In a decision statement made by the Minister of Health on Dec. 1,1993, it was stated that: The responsibility for a healthy pregnancy does not lie solely with pregnant women. It is shared with the partners, family and society as a whole. Strategies to prevent alcohol re- lated birth defects should be ho- listic not merely presenting women in relationship to their reproductive role and not focus only on women as being respon- sible for a healthy reproductive income. The minister's statement fits the current goal of the Ontario Substance Abuse strategy who are responsible for the drafting ofthe Paperon F.A.S. Again, I would like to express my appreciation to Marion Cook for bringing this matter to my attention and sharing her concerns for the children of Dur- ham with me. I have also taken the liberty of communicating your concern to the proper chan- nel, which is the Children's Ser- vices Agencies. The input and involvement provide me with the guidance and direction for the work I do on behalf of my constituents. You can be assured that I will continue to actively work for you. Yours truly, John R. O'Toole, MPP Durham East Coaches made season a success To the Editor: Dear Coaches: This letter is to thank you for helping IGA - Hometown Proud Mites get through the baseball season. At the beginning of the year, the only thing I was kind of good at was running, but the first time I caught the ball, threw it in to my second baseman and got someone out, I knew it was from four things: One, team work. Two, supportive parents. Three, supportive coaches, and four, lots and lots of practice. And that is what led us to our undefeated victory, not being a stacked team like I heard some of the parents on the other teams call us. True, we won every game, but you made a policy to never tell us the score during a game. We went out there to play our best and to have fun. The other teams played great and we never knew who was You can fax your letters to the editor (905) 985-7383 More letters on page 9 winning or losing until after the game. When we won it was a bo- nus! There were many of us that didn't play well at the begin- ning of the season. But we learned from our mistakes and you taught us how to play as a team. Now I would like to end by saying thank you very much Coach John (McNamara), and Coach Dale (Newman) for teaching and helping us and be- Ing our coaches. I would also like to point out that my friend won the most im- proved player award and I had hoped to win it. But I cheered for him anyway because that's what teamwork is all about. Matthew Cerovich, Age 9, Blackstock Editor's Notepad WHAT WAS THE QUESTION? THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE: Well, Thursday, it appears, was the day we've all been waiting for. That's when we found out just what ballots would say when Quebecers go to the polls to vote in yet another separation referendum. Paraphrased, it goes like this: Are you in favor of a sovereign Quebec after negotiations on economic association with Canada, blah blah blah. Not taken into account in the wording is the possibility -- nay, the probability -- that the Rest of Canada will tell Jacques Parizeau and the Pequistes to stick it when they come talking about sovereignty association, passports, use of the Loonie, and all the rest of it. But -- shucks. If they're going to have to vote Yes or No to something, it might as well be some figment of Parizeau's fevered imagination. Still, The Question as it is to be presented troubles me, because it is misleading. | think a better referendum question might run something like this: "Do you really want to live in an isolated, semi-sovereign state with a pompous flaming gasbag like Jacques Parizeau as King?" That ought to make the choice just a tad simpler. CAL RIPKEN UPDATE: ...Heard some radio guy attempting lamely to play down the magnificent accomplishment last week by Cal Ripken, baseball's next Iron Horse. Andy Berry, new to the CBC, joked Wednesday morning that everybody's making a fuss over Ripken simply doing what he's paid to do: Show up at the ball park and play. But it's far from that. Wednesday night when the top half of the fifth had elapsed, making the game official, fans rose to show their admiration in the form of a standing ovation that lasted more than 20 minutes. Why, even the President had tears in his eyes. Let's see Andy Berry show up for every day of work for 13 years; then we'll pay him some heed. SPEAKING OF BASEBALL: A couple of weeks ago | had the pleasure of attending a game at the venerable Tiger Stadium. It was wonderful to sit in the stands, under a soft summer night, amid the ghosts of greats who have played there since1901. What a ball park. Maybe, 80 years from now, The Dome will feel that way, too. HERE WE GO AGAIN: Another expensive report on 'education, another load of baloney any parent coulda told you. Former Liberal MPP John Sweeney came in with his $250,000 document, commissioned by the province, last week. His chief recommendation? ...Spend less money on trustees and board officials, and more on in-class initiatives. Welll I'm sure every parent with kids in the public system is thanking their stars that Mr. Sweeney came along to share his thoughts on the issue. Think: Spend money on kids, not bureaucrats. Why didn't we think of that? J Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten Palmer is honored. Anyone who isn't sure who D.D. Palmers, hasn't been reading this paper over the past few months, or have ignored the refurbished memorial which has been sitting in Palmer Park forthe past 50 years. Palmer is the founder of chiropractic, and Sept. 18 'marks the 100th anniversary of the first recognized EXCITING WEEKEND IN SCUGOG y There are two significant events | taking place in Port Perry this Sunday, and both are worthy of the attention of local residents. Those who enjoy historic events should consider taking in the celebrations in Palmer Park this Sunday afternoon when Port Perry's Daniel David chiropractic procedure. (See more inside this issue of the Star) To celebrate this important moment in our history, as well as two other significant events, more than S00 chiropractors are expected to attend a special ceremony atthe Palmer memorial this Sunday. Scugog Township, the Chamber of Commerce and B.I.A. are also involved and members of this community are invited to attend. Itis hoped the park will be filled for this important milestone in the pro- fession of chiropractic and our community. Also taking place is the unveiling, by Canada Post, of commemorative stamps. These special stamps, to mark the founding of chiropractic by Daniel David Palmer, willgo on sale in the park at about 2 p.m. Three important events in the history of chiroprac- tic are being celebrated this Sunday. First the birth of Daniel David Palmer who was born 150 years ago in this town... the first chiropractic adjustment by D.D. Palmer 100 years ago... and the 50th anniversary of the Ontario Chiropractic College. Why not join the festivities in Palmer Park for this once in a lifetime celebration. I'm sure Daniel David Palmer would approve! RUN ORWALK FOR TERRY A few hundred yards to the north east of Palmer Park, another very important event will take place on Sunday, beginning at the Port Perry Fairgrounds. It's the second annual Terry Fox Run for cancer and hard-working organizers are hoping to better their firstyear results... which will be very hard to do since they raised close to $20,000 last year. The Terry Fox Run... which is somewhat mislead- ing because everyone is invited to take part by walk- ing, riding a bike, roller blading, pushing a wheel- chair, skateboard, etc. along one of the courses. The TFR gets underway at9 a.m. this Sunday so anyone wishing to take part can do so by getting a pledge sheet. The forms are available by calling Laura Elliott at 985-2571 or Leo Plue at 986-4241. When Betty and Rolly Fox were in town recently, they praised this community for it's fantastic effort lastyear in raising money for cancer research. Let's show them we can do even better this time.