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"A Family Tradition for 131 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, February 4, 1997 -7 - I _ETTERS NR Highway cuts put us in jeopardy To the Editor: As acasualty of the Mike Har- ris common sense revolution, | still can't believe what is hap- pening on our highways regard- ing the trucks. The government has had two years to correct this problem, but instead they choose to make surplus staff, and cut costs, thinking that the problem will go away. With the increase in truck traffic and the competition for business at an all-time high, truckers are cutting rates to get business. This means equip- ment will be neglected, or not fixed. Responsible trucking compa- nies who are complying with the laws and running safe equipment are losing out to these rates cutters, but no one seems to care as long as the goods get delivered. The companies who choose to cut rates and operate unsafe ve- hicles do so because they know there is very little enforcement, scales are rarely open, nothing to go around if they are open, and the staff on patrol and scales work mostly days, leav- ing nights and weekends for the trucks to run. Even if they get caught many will not pay the fines, as the government does not go after unpaid fines. And a lot of these trucks travel daily on our high- ways; great system we have. The government must realize what course of action to take. But if they choose to do nothing, as in the past, more innocent people will loose their lives on Ontario highways because of budget cuts. L.S. Hollister, Port Perry Motorist follows through on near-accident To the Editor: On Nov. 5, I was almost killed by 9,000 lbs. of steel which fell from a truck. Today (Jan. 20) I went to court to hear the charg- es against the driver and com- pany for having an "insecure load." They were both going to plead guilty but I had the prosecutor on my side. He told them before court started that he had a wit- ness and I was also prepared to say what I saw, and how it has 1st class care To the Editor: Last April I wrote a letter to the Port Perry Star compli- menting the community on their local hospital. Recently my daughter, Shelley, was ad- mitted again, and passed away with terminal cancer. Again she received excellent and compassionate care from all the staff at the hospital. Spe- cial thanks to the nursing staft and Doctors A. Brown, S. Rus- sell and J. Forster for constant- ly being there for Shelley and her family. Thanks also to the Durham Region Home Care Program, Oxy-Med of Lindsay, and Hos- pice Uxbridge Scugog. The people of this area are fortunate to have such a first class facility as well as support services for the ll. A.J. Noble M.D. FRCPC impacted my life. He said he was seeking a $1,000 fine for the driver and a $10,000 fine for the company, the biggest fines I have heard so far. They both stepped back and realized that they were in over their heads. All of this because 1 showed up and was prepared to speak up. They then adjourned their next court appearance to April, and I will be there also. Hopefully now they are just as scared as I was on that day it happened. They thought they would just walk into court and get the minimum fines by plead- ing guilty. Well, erprise. I am still alive and able to speak up and I will see this through to the end. I need to have some peace of mind in knowing that someday we will all be safe on our roads. Sandra Tkaczuk, Oshawa We don't have say in Tory agenda To the Editor: Ifthere was ever any lingering doubt in my mind about how the present Ontario government operates, the ugly truth has been forcefully driven home for me. When I called my MPP last night to express my frustration and concern over some of the sweeping changes outlined during "megaweek," I was immedi- ately yelled at, told to "get stuffed," and bombarded with derog- atory terms like "pathetic" and "stupid," to name but a few. Admittedly, this is not quite what I had expected from my elected representative. After calming down and answering some of my questions, he did, to his credit, apologize or his rude tirade. It wasn't long into our discussion, however, that I was yet again struck by this government's "We are right, and you don't know anything" attitude. His arguments tended to imply that the average Ontarian didn't know what was best for the prov- ince, was ignorant of the issues facing the government, and. was therefore woefully inadequate to contribute anything: meaningful to important government policy decisions. The message I got was that Ontario's electorate does not have a say in this government's divisive agenda. I look forward to the next election. Michael Strahl, Courtice "endeavors. by Jeff Mitchell LOOK OUT FOR THAT WHEEL! KEEP ON TRUCKIN': Another surprise safety blitz, another sad result: When Durham police joined Metro police, the ministry and the OPP in a truck safety blitz near the 401 in Pickering on Thursday, nearly 60 per cent of the trucks checked were detained because of safety problems. That's 45 out of 78, folks. That's a failing grade. What the hell is going on here? Why does this story keep going on? And before anybody blames the media, here's an argument: What's wrong with giving prominence to a story about how heavy trucks are losing parts with frequency, and smashing cars on the roadway to bits? And killing people? We've got a couple of letters about this during the last week, and people are righteously outraged by what they see as a continued flouting of safety regulations by some -- underline the some -- truckers and trucking companies. The government has to start hitting them where it hurts, and that's right in the wallet. A few criminal negligence charges here and there would help the cause, as well. That's time in the slammer when you, through inaction or ignorance, put someone else's life in danger. BIG BAND ERA: Big news from Big Entertainment. The local promoter has landed | Mother Earth as headliner for a show here in early March. That's quite a coup, and a show modern music fans ought to be busting down the doors to attend. And it's just one of the efforts in the works. We'll keep you posted on this show, and future LET IT SNOW: It was great this weekend to see Old Ma Nature finally -- finally! -- cooperate with the Port Perry Kinsmen, who hosted the Canadian National sled dog championships south of Port at Trillium Trails over the weekend. The boys are to be congratulated for their tenacity, after having less than successful outings for the past couple of years. Good show. WHAT'S THAT SOUND? The wheels were spinning and cards hitting the table this weekend at the Great Blue Heron casino on Scugog Island. The gaming hall is finally open, and the public got a glimpse of the structure that's been the subject of so many stories here and in the Toronto papers for so long. Now it's time to see how the bird flies. Cha-ching! WHAT TO DO?...Does Sunday now seem relentlessly empty and dull to you? Does the living room echo eerily of better times? Does the presence of golf on television irritate you to no end? Strength, Friend: You've got NFL withdrawal. It'll pass. lom Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten ent world. with spotlights cutt BETTING ON THE GREAT BLUE HERON Like many other area residents, my curiosity peaked this week- end knowing that the Great Blue Heron Casino had opened,... and | couldn't resist dropping by to view the $15 million facility. While there are those who feel there are still areas of concern regarding the casino, this column is going to deal only with the facility, not the issues. Heading north on the Island, as we approached "we could see a large white glow over the tree line PO! ng into the black, night sky. ; } d the parking lot we were stounded by the number of cars (our estimate atleast 25 snowmobiles. Passing through the front doors of the huge tent- like structure is like being transported into a differ- Immediately you're greeted by music from a live band; colorful laser lights dancing high across the ceilings; people crowded around the emerald green tops of the gaming tables; patrons chatting at the bar or having dinner in the pit, and out back a cav- ernous bingo hall filled close to capacity. The glitz of the facility seemed a little strange and out-of-place for Scugog at first, but within minutes its easy to forget you're only minutes away from home, rather than in some far-off exotic place. Our group was given a quick tour of the facility by a very happy Chief Gary Edgar before settling in to try out the gaming tables. The first thing we noticed, because of the size of the crowd, finding a empty seat at one of the tables was not easy. Eventually we slid up to a Blackjack ) table and settled for some entertainment. 'Our table had a cross section of people. | was ~ flanked by a man who lived on Scugog Island who the night before had won $5,000 from the Nevada tickets and an older woman of Asian decent who sat the entire time without speaking. Next to her was a friend of mine and next to him a woman from Oshawa who we came to realize, through her con- versation, spent a lot of time in casinos from the Caribbean Islands to Scugog Island. Our dealers were local people who had landed jobs with the casino and their inexperience showed as they occasionally erred with payouts or counting cards. But the people at our table were very forgiv- ing and only too pleased to assist the novice deal- ers. No one took advantage of the opening day jit- ters our dealers were experiencing. Starting with $40, | vowed to quit when it was gone. Luckily for me, | played for about an hour and walked away with my seed money, plus another $40 in winnings from the casino. : So what's my assessment of The Great Blue Heron Charitable Gaming Facility? i Cautiously | say it will be great for the area. But only time will tell.