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PORT PERRY, ONTARIO - TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 1998 / WN BEAR WITH ME: Dr. Paul Puckrin was on hand Teddy Bears Picnic at Scugog Shores Museu "here with a new-born patient, spent six hours ¢ brought in by their owners. Bandages and suckers w de required, and the youngsters treated their dads to a Fathers Day ba where bode. ded COPY 65¢ (o1¢+ 1¢ GST) 32 Pages By John B. McClelland Port Perry Star Some Scugog property owners are in for a severe jolt when they see their final tax bills this year. Changes in the method of assessing properties could result in tax hikes of 30 to 40 per cent for some, and township staff are bracing for a rash of angry phone calls when the final tax bills go out in August. The issue came under extensive debate Monday morning during a meet- ing of the township's finance committee. And one councillor, David Dietlein, tried unsuccessfully to get the municipality to ask the provincial government to extend the time period for appealing assessment changes beyond the Aug. 30 deadline. Other councillors felt extending the deadline would just hold out false hopes J Brace yourself: tax m= Nikes could be u J ly to homeowners, since the only basis for an appeal is an assessment change, not an increase in the amount of property taxes. And because the new assessments are based on June, 1996 market value of pro- perties, councillors felt extending the deadline will set off appeals that will be turned down by the assessment review court and just add another delay to the tax collecting process this year. Councillor Dietlein said he believes there will be assessment problems for some property owners in his own Ward 4, and that people should have the extend- ed period to launch an appeal as a matter of principle. Ward 2 Councillor Ken Carruthers said the revised assessments will result in "terrifying" tax hikes, especially on Please turn to page 19 Nursing strike has Impact at hospital By Rik Davie Port Perry Star Local hospitals have been warned to expect increased volume in their emer- gency wards as a result of the strike Thursday morning by members of the Ontario Nursing Association Local 57. The nurses provide services to chron- ic and acute care patients through St. Elizabeth's Health Care. The company is under contract with Durham Access to Care. About 130 members of the ONA walked out on strike after a final round of negotiations broke down late Wednesday. The nurses have been unionized since 1996, and have not had a pay raise since 1992. Rae Robson, director of patient care for the North Durham Health Services in Port Perry and Uxbridge, said that the impact of the strike is already being felt at the two facilities. "As of Friday both hospitals were full," she said. "We have had to delay sending home patients who would have normally been discharged because of the strike." Ms Robson said in-patient depart- ments are being more careful whom they release. Please turn to page 13 Port Perry's annual festival promises lots of fun By Chris Hall Port Perry Star Plans for this year's Festival Days cel- ebrations are already under way, and, says committee chair Jayson Callan, the focus of the event's 26th year will be on family. One year after Port Perry's mid-sum- mer break celebrated the quarter-cen- tury mark with much fanfare, Mr. Callan says the 1998 edition of Festival Days, which are organized by the Scugog Chamber of Commerce, will offer a much better family atmosphere at the July 10- 12 event with this year's theme being A Journey Through Time. All Napoleon gas grills are available in natural, gas or = yopane proj aid POLEON) 170 Casimir Gt., (905) WHEE TA RS OVERRIDGE [Vg Fireplace Warehouse "We're asking people to try and re-live past Festival Days," Mr. Callan said last Thursday from his store, Jayson Callan Music. "We want the owners to decorate their stores in past themes; over the years we've had Western Days, the 50s, 60s, Caribbean, and British years. They cah'decorate in that fashion or they can J Pa ~ Ee i = AE ARR N- do something about the history of Port Perry." All participants will be judged and the winning store will receive a free office . party catered by a local restaurant. With no headline entertainer sched- uled for this year -- Kim Mitchell will not Please turn to page 18 REMOTE #RIT of 49 oo EE ----