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6 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, December 12, 2000 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" 4ocna RT P Member Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc BUSINESS OFFICE: Judy Ashby, Kathy Dudley, PUBLISHER J. Peter Hvidsten Janet Rankin, Lesley West GENERAL MGR ....... Don Macleod MANAGING EDITOR Jeff Mitchell OFFICE MANAGER Gayle Stapley ADVERTISING MGR .. .Deb McEachern Member Canadian Community J CNA Newspaper Association AR ADVERTISING: Ginni Todd, Cindy Jobin, Gail Morse, Sandra Spears, Linda Clarke, Lisa Monk, Janet Archer, Malcolm Lennox EA SE -- -------- PRODUCTION MGR Pam Hickey REPORTER Chnis Hall PHONE (905) 985-7383 FAX (905) 985-3708 E-MAIL editonal@portperrystar.com advertising@portperrystar.com subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for the advertisement. All dams of error in publication must be made by Wednesday, 1 Publications Mail Registration No. 07881 Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Company Limited, 188 Mary Street - Port Perry, Ontario - L9L 1B7 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 1 Year - $37 45 (includes GST) EDITORIAL POLICY: Opiruons expressed by columnists, contnbutors and letter winters are not necessarily those of The Port Perry Star Letters must be sw brought to the editor's attention. We reserve the nght to edit or refuse publication of any matenal submitted. ADVERTISING POLICY Th Six Months - $19.79 (includes GST) gned and the telephone number (which wall not be published) included Requests that a name be withheld will be honoured only if there 1s a compelling reason 10 do so Errors wall be corrected if e publisher 1s not kable for shght changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement The publisher 1s not lable for other errors 0 vmIssons Nn connection with any advertisement in any We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) towards our mailing costs Foreign 1 Year - $96 30 (includes GST) 00n, por 10 the next week's publication, and, if not made, wall not be considered. No dam wall be allowed for more than one insertion Trudy Empningham, Daryle Wnght, Arlene Cheel, Freelance Winters Heathieo McCrae, John B McClelland, Rik Davie PRODUCTION: Robert Taylor, Richard Drew Editorial Comment Farmers must be heard The federal government's continuing reluctance to offer more assistance to the country's farmers is not only troubling, it's downright mystifying. Farmers across the nation have put forth a consistent and compelling case: They are being battered by low commodity prices and in some cases poor yields, and contend that safety net programs in place are either insufficient, or inaccessible. Adding to the troubling scenario are the farm subsidies offered to the agricultural sector in other countries, but discon- tinued in Canada. The farmers argue that this inequity makes it even tougher for them to survive, let alone compete on a global stage. Yet the government remains firmly opposed to subsidies, and insists that safety net programs now in place can help farmers over lean times. There has been the odd injection of . cash to supplement incomes for farmers facing crisis, but no i sustained commitment from the feds. And during the recent federal election, agriculture didn't even show up on the screen. Only Joe Clark and the Progressive . Conservatives paid attention to agriculture in any significant way in their policy documents. It would seem that now Canadians and their politicians are . more concerned with issues like health care and tax cuts, at . the expense of agriculture. But in taking this approach, we . forget the most fundamental of facts: You can have low taxes and nice hospitals, but without food on the table, none of it really matters. Farmers rightly contend that they are in danger of becoming a dying breed. And what a shame that the major threat to their _ industry is neglect. MP Alex Shepherd and his colleagues should listen to the farmers. Their case is too compelling to ignore. 1 WAS TRYING TO READ THE SIGN! PorT PERRY STAR Remember When? This section of Queen St. in Port Perry has changed dramatically in the past 50 years. The above photo was taken about 1950, and shows Stephen's Shoe Repair shop in fore- ground, and next to it is the building occupied by Ted Jackson Appliances. Both of these buildings are now gone, and have been replaced by Henshall's Clothing store, The Kid's Cupboard, and Framer's Gallery. » NG {hi Cid 5 bs Port Perry Star Letter of the Week °. % Pras loon A | We need an indoor pool | To the Editor Re: "Question of the week - Pool Issue" - Nov 21 In my youth I swam competi- tively upwards of 20 hours per week | miss the accessibility of acommunity pool to use per- sonally, as well for the rest of my family, instead of driving a distance to utilize a pool Swimming is an activity that is beneficial for all ages Whether you are learning to swim, getting some exercise, swimming com- petitively or just using it to relax, cool off and enjoy A pool would offer a facility for learn to swim programs, senior aquatic fitness, disabled swim programs, public swim- ming and adult lane swimming, as well as jobs for those inter- ested in lifeguarding and teach- ing swimming lessons As the population of Scugog continues to grow, a facility with an indoor 25 metre pool would be a tremendous asset to the community In the surrounding communi- ties of Uxbridge and Bowmanville it is only possible to participate if spaces are still available after their own resi- dents register. There are two indoor pools in Port Perry that are private and both are useful, but limited Yes, an indoor pool is much more expensive, but is available for year round use throughout the day and evening, not just summer days Swimming is an ideal and healthy year round activity for all Margo Larmer Port Perry