The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Vol. 131 Number 19 COPY 65¢ (61¢+ 4¢ GsT) 32 Pages New CEO assumes duties at hospitals By Chris Hall Port Perry Star After months of planning and preparation, Community Mem- orial Hospital and Uxbridge's Cottage Hospital are finally one as of today. In an effort to save money, the two hospitals have formed an alliance which will see them gov- erned by one board, and serving the medical needs of northern Durham. Leading the two medical insti- tutes in their transition is recent- ly hired Guy Kirvan, the amalga- mated hospital's new Chief Executive Officer. While there are no spectacular plans for Mr. Kirvan's first day on the job today, he does say that he will be taking time to look around both hospitals. "I won't be doing much except for spending time in both hospi- tals and meeting with the depart- ments as well as trying to meet some of the physicians individu- ally," said Mr. Kirvan, adding that he wants to have a staff meeting over the next couple of days to meet everyone. "Over the next week or so I want to try and meet as many people as I can. I really want to take some time and orientate myself with the hospitals and the staff; make sure they know who I am and I know who they are," said Mr. Kirvan, who arrived last night. He's made two trips since January, and says that he's eager to begin his new job. "(Former Community Memorial CEO) Dave Brown was gracious enough to introduce me to some folks but I still have: to get to know the area more. I want to get acclimatized to the places and talk to the people. "I'm really looking forward to starting to work here. I think both communities are great and Please Turn to Page 18 Winter's tough JEFF MITCHELL / PORT PERRY STAR THE HUNT IS ON: Hundreds of kids converged on Queen St. in Port Perry Sunday afternoon; when The Nutty Choclatier hosted its ninth annual Easter Egg hunt. A record number of hungry little ones showed up for the fun, which saw them searching for numbered rocks, then colicting treats. Here, Alexis Ross, 4, takes part in the fun. 95 Includes: on your car! Most «Front End Alignment Check GM * Tire Rotation * Radio Cassette and Antenna Service * Fill Windshield Washer * Lube, Oil and Fitter n SePeEeColeArl * 50 Point Safety and Maintenance Inspection The party's over; taxes jump by $38 By John B. McClelland Port Perry Star Property owners in Scugog will feel a tax hike this year of about $38 on an average home with an assessmert value of $3600. The increase breaks down this way: An extra $17 for the Durham Board of Education; $15 for Durham Region; and $6 for local government (Scugog Township) purposes. That $38 represents an increase of 1.6 per cent on the average residential property in the Township. Durham Region council approved its 1997 budget last week, which will add another $15 (3.3 per cent) to the total tax bill on an average home in Scugog. Ratepayers in the city of Oshawa are getting away with a much smaller hit in their regional tax bill; .08 per cent, or about $3 per average home. Oshawa councillors have been very vocal recently in their desire to take the city out of the regional government structure, claiming the city pays too much to be part of Durham and does not get a fair return for its regional tax contributions compared with the seven other municipalities. Scugog Mayor Howard Hall, who voted in favor of the budget along with Regional Councillor Marilyn Pearce, said there are two major reasons for the increase in Durham taxes this year: Q The main reason is an additional $2 million in the police budget. Mayor Hall, who is a member of the Police Services Board, told the Star that without that $2 million in the budget, Durham Region Police would have been forced to lay off about 35 people, most of them front line officers. QO And regional council approved $350,000 towards a capital fund for the creation of a university at Durham College. That money is the first installment of a $1.7 million commitment by Durham Region for the university, to be paid over a five year span. While the mayor voted in favor of the regional budget increase, he told the Star, "it's unfortunate Please Turn to Page 19 BPER TI, PONTIAC BUICK LIMITED 10 Vanedward Drive, Port Perry 3 AE) PHYSICA Eh , wh gg AN