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"A Family Tradition for 132 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, June 1 1999 - 5 Don't count NDP out of race here: Morrison By Sally Cooke ort Perry Star NDP candidate Jim Morrison says his party is a force to reckon with the upcoming provincial elec- tion. He said his party has seen its fortunes climb here and across the province as the campaign for the June 3 vote has unfolded. "The response has been absolutely wonder- ~ ful, especially after the debate. We had a fairly good response before; there were a lot of people leaning my way and (Liberal candidate) Garry Minnie's way," said Mr. Morrison. "After the debate, vot- ers saw Howard Hampton as honest, gen- uine, someone they 'could vote for -- Howard brought a lot of credibility back to the party again." Mr. Morrison says the NDP platform addresses the issues that are of con- cern to the electorate. He pointed to the cuts intro- duced by the Conservative government as the leading concern. "The money they've cut out of education came to Morrison pay for the tax cut," the married father of two children said. Mr. Morrison says that rolling back the tax cuts for the provinces top wage earners will inject $1.5 billion back into the budget. A good portion of that would be directed to education by an NDP gov- ernment. The other hot issue in this election is health care, and Mr. Morrison says the NDP party posi- tion is very clear. "We need to hire back thousands of nurses. We would repeal the privati- zation of homecare, we believe people will be bet- ter served by the public sector," he said. "It's a tragedy, day after day, when you col- lapse in one hospital and have to be sent in an ambulance to another hospital," said Mr. Morrison. "Something's wrong." Mr. Morrison is quick to counter fears that an NDP administration would return to the tax- and-spend days of the past. "We won't overturn everything Harris has done," he said. "We don't want to add one cent to the deficit. We're keeping a sense of priority, and not making promises we can't keep." Small business has been let down by the province said Mr. Morrison, with larger property taxes leading businesses to pay more. "We want to work with small business to make sure their needs are met. I give them credit, they sink or swim on their own merits. Our government would help them out in any way we can." O'Toole 'confident' as June 3 vote approaches By Chris Hall Port Perry Star A confident incum- bent Tory MPP John O'Toole is anxious for Thursday's election to come. The shorter 28-day campaign introduced for this provincial vote has seen candidates adopt a hectic and crammed schedule, he said late last week. "It's been very gru- elling... the new 28-day campaign is very intense, but it's been - great with the help of all my volunteers," he said. "Before, when" the election call lasted some 40 days, you spent the first two weeks meeting and filling time," said Mr. O'Toole. "Now it is very intense and all the candidates are sensing it, and that keeps all the candidates focused." While candidates have a lot of ground to cover in Durham riding, they've seen a relatively quiet campaign, said Mr. O'Toole, who is seek- ing his second term as MPP. O'Toole "It's been kind of quiet around here; there hasn't been an issue emerge that has caused a big stir.... and I really don't know if that's a good thing or not," he said. Mr. O'Toole says that health care has topped the list of concerns he's heard while knocking on doors, with education coming a close second. "There's a lot of frus- . tration regarding educa- tion; the students are frustrated because they can't say anything (about the lack of extra- curricular activities and teachers' strikes) because they fear a backlash from teachers in the classroom," he said. "And, the teachers are frustrated because they want to be involved in the band and drama... but this is how they make their point." Mr. O'Toole is opti- mistic about his chances for re-election June 3. "Im just out there doing what I have to do: talking to people, door- knocking, coffee parties, debates. I'm taking nothing for granted," he said. "I'm not trying to look too far ahead; I'm taking it one door at a time," said Mr. O'Toole. "I hope I have the privilege to serve anoth- er four years... I don't think the job is done. We have yet to manage the changes we've made and nurture their growth." Mr. O'Toole was first elected MPP of the for- mer Durham East rid- ing in 1995. s\ GREAT BLUE HERON P24) CHARITABLE CASINO & BINGOIE - The best entertainment value in Durham - << MONSTER MONSTER BINGO Saturday, June 5, 7pm 3 -*1000 Jackpots $40 Advance * $45 at Door ~ INCLUDES 09 DINNER SHOW SERIES AIHEREG] fabulous All you can eat $499 Dinner & Show + tax Great Food. 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