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20- PORT PERRY STAR - Wednesday, May 20, 1998 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" The Wizard awaits R.H. Cornish Public School will present its pro- duction of The Wizard Of Oz starting tonight (May 20) and will run through to and including May 22. The shows, which will all begin at 7 p.m. will star, from left, Meredith Gray as the Mayor; Rachel ° 'Scugog Hydro chief From page 1 chambers. "(Pickering Hydro man- ager) John Wiersma expressed an-interest in working with the north and, in my opinion, I think it would be for the better- ment of all if we did." Scugog Hydro will be too small to operate on its own if and when Ontario Hydro breaks apart, he said. "We don't have the staff to buy and sell hydro; we don't have the resources to + go on our own when the time comes, and that will put us out of the market. But, if we counteract and partner up, that could and probably would enable us to stay together," said Mr. Adderley. Scugog Hydro, which serves approximately 2,200 customers in the Port Perry area, employs two linemen, two office staff and one manager full-time, and one person on office staff part- time. CHRIS HALL/PORT PERRY STAR White as Dorothy; Chris Davies as the Tin Man; and Tess Gray as the Wicked Witch. The cast has been rehearsing the play for quite some time, and promise all in attendance will enjoy the show. Teacher cuts are 'unavoidable' local MPP O'Toole says From page 1 upset over possible lay- offs. "The figures that resulted in notices going out to teachers are from the first draft of the (school board) budget," she told The Star. "We expect those fig- ures to change. Some of the numbers that the province used to calculate our funding are incorrect, and we are applying to the (education) ministry to adjust them." Mrs. Drew said the board will do everything In its power to keep teach- ers in the classroom. "We had a similar lay- off scare under the NDP's social contract and in the end we kept all our teach- ers," she said. "The board wants the same outcome here." Mr. Robinson said both the board and the province are lacking in the kind of commitment to education teachers want. "If the board is so bent looks to future of local utility And, while he says that no one is sure yet how or what changes will be made, Mr. Adderley does promise that the customers will be the main priority of the utility. "We don't know what changes will occur here. (Ontario) Hydro is over $30 billion in debt so we don't know what they're going to do. "Our concern is that the changes benefit everyone. It's hard to say if the rates will go up or down; when REFILL YOUR Star Office Centre LEXMARK APPLE EPSON Black Kits - $29.99 each Color Kits - $45.99 each *SAVE UP TO 80% each time you refill CARTRIDGE *FAST & EASY to use with step-by-step illustrated instructions *NO MESS with easy refill methods *HIGH RESOLUTION INKS 188 Mary Street, Port Perry Phone (905) 985-7383 this goes through the large corporations may benefit and the residents may not. It's really hard to say." One thing that will not change, he says, will be the ownership of the wire sys- tem throughout Port Perry. "We're going to make sure we control our own wires; we will control the condition of the system," he said, adding that like everything else, he will look at "privatization because "if it benefits the customer, then sure we'll Fax (905) 985-3708 see what's there". A few ideas being tossed around, he says, is the amalgamation of the three northern townships' utili- ties; the three including Clarington; and the com- plete joining of all the util- ities in Durham. That move, he explains, is prob- ably the least likely to hap- pen. The cost of purchasing the Scugog area from the province's hydro company would be approximately $8 million -- including 25 per cent equity -- or about $2,000 per customer. If Uxbridge and Brock were to join with Scugog Hydro in buying and selling electricity, they would be looking at a purchase price of approximately $29.4 mil- lion, while adding Clarington to the mix would bring the total pur- chase price up to roughly $57 million. ' These prices, he stress- es, are based on previous customer sales are book value. "We're seeking the right solution for the community here and we're going to put a good deal of effort in for a good system," said Mr. Adderley. "Hydro will still flow here but how that will happen is anyone's guess. In the end we will make sure the system continues in good shape." on the high quality of education in the region, then why are they cutting 17 per cent of the Port Perry High School teach- ing staff while the cuts to administration at the board have been zero per- cent?" he asked. "And why, if John O'Toole truly cares about education in the region, does he not rise in the house to ask the really tough questions about the education funding plan instead of to trying to proclaim an Irish Heritage Day?" he added, alluding to the private member's bill Mr. O'Toole is pushing to officially recognize St. Patrick's Day in Ontario. Mr. O'Toole was quick to respond to the stance. "By reducing prep time for teachers and putting more teachers in the classroom more of the time,the number of teach- ers needed is reduced," he said. "Well, that's unavoidable." The board had been hoping that some of the potential layoffs could be offset by teachers taking advantage of an early retirement package, but so far only a few have shown an interest, said Mr. Robinson. Mrs. Drew, meanwhile, urges teachers to wait until all the figures are in before reacting. "We had to tell teach- ers who might be affected just in the worst case sce- nario, by contract we had to tell them," she said in explaining the notices. "But personally I believe it was premature, until we sees about funding adjustments. "This may wind up being a scare, nothing more." Mr. O'Toole is in agree- ment that teacher reac- tion may be too swift. "Their reaction is pre- mature on this," he said. "It's the first draft (of the budget); let's see what develops." Mr. Robinson is not waiting. Port Perry teachers intend to take out a full page newspaper ad this week to present their con- cerns over how the loss of teaching staff could affect school activities. There are already rum- blings from both the board and teachers groups of possible job actions as a result of the job loss scare. What's your group up to? Call the Star at 985-7383