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DORT Teachers outraged at Harris comments Premier pledges to force participation in extracurricular activities By Rik Davie Special to the Star Premier Mike Harris' pledge to force secondary school teachers to participate in extracurricular activities may help to end two years of labour strife in Durham Region, say officials here. 'Durham District School Board chair Doug Ross said that forcing teachers to spend more time in the classroom and take part in after school activities will cause consternation among the ranks across the province. But he said at least Durham won't be the only board facing such obstacles anymore. Durham has been largely without extracurricular activities for almost two years, since an arbitrated contract settle- ment forced teachers to increase the amount of time they spend in the class- room. Mr. Harris made his pronouncement on after-school programs shortly after his Education Minister, local MPP Janet Ecker, said forcing teacher participation was "a bridge | don't want to cross yet." But Mrs. Ecker did some tough talking of her own, promising to ensure teachers spend more time in the classroom, as required under the province's controversial Bill 160. Both statements have been met with outrage by teachers across the province, some of whom are already talking about strikes next fall. But Durham District School Board chair Doug Ross said a move such as the one promised by the premier would "create a level playing field between Ontario Please turn to page 17 COPY 75¢ (10¢ + 5c Gs PERRY STAR 28 Pages -- RRE-- 0. Visi 1 gg A Whim, p sl willis A " # . " oy a Mion it, ' de ZT oll, Wy 7m I IAN psi. 10s CHRIS HALL / PORT PERRY STAR TAKING A LOOK: The little ones from Utica Community Day Care took a tour of the Purple Woods Conservation Area last week, before making final plans for their pancake fundraiser which will be held at the maple syrup site on March 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Checking out one of the buckets during the tour was Rebecca, 2, with day care supervisor Teresa Hirschfeld. hopeful of a tax freeze By Chris Hall Port Perry Star Scugog councillors have their sights set on a tax freeze for 2000, a goal that's with- in their grasp, says Mayor Doug Moffatt. But to meet financial requirements out- lined in a preliminary list of costs, the municipality would have to hike taxes by almost 10 per cent. "We're pulling and pushing and fid- dling with the numbers right now, but we're aiming for a zero per cent increase," the mayor said last week. The summary budget, which would call for a 9.93 per cent tax hike, is more of a wish list than reality, he said. "Everything is on the table... if nothing was added or taken off then yes, we would have to raise taxes. But, that is a totally unacceptable number," said Mayor Moffatt. "We start out with everything and slow- ly make our way through thé list," he said, noting that Scugog has a "healthy reserve" which could be tapped, if necessary, to finance municipal services without raising taxes. A final budget for 2000 is expected to be completed by mid-April, but could be delayed depending on when Durham regional council puts its budget together. Despite the best efforts 'of township officials, a slight tax increase may not be out of the question. "If it came to it, | think we could work around a | or 2 per cent increase", said the mayor. "We should be looking at a | per cent decrease. We should be setting targets for aurselves; if you set a target for yourself you usually come close, but a big increase would not be acceptable." Please turn to page 20