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Province won't pus change on the region By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star "The spectre of forced municipal' restructuring appears to have been exorcised, at:least for now. ; Municipal : officials in Durham "Region and throughout the 905 "area 'were breathing sighs of relief late last week after Ontario Premier Mike Harris ~ said: his government has no plans to implement forced amalgamations. a "It's good, good: . news," said Scugog .. Township... 'Mayor _|. .} Doug Moffatt. "He has among 'the politi- © cians to warn most "the | loudly ' that "region must look at ways of streamlin- ing services and EN cutting costs, in impose its view. Forced amalgamations have occurred in Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton, largely to the dismay of resi- dents and politicians. 'The amalgamation issue has been something of a bogeyman that's affect- ed everything from the way municipali- ties have looked at operations to the tone of the last municipal election. Here in Scugog, for instance, restructur- ing was the first thing out of candidates' mouths when they were asked about 'leading issues in last November's elec- tion. Ey: ; * Andlocal politicians have been hes- itant to commit to projects such as the construction of a new municipal office, for fear Scugog wouldn't even exist within a couple of years. Please turn to page 8 been "order to avoid hav- ing the province 4 lr a \ A » FR \ ) y J 2 /\ ITN P| COPY.75¢ mesos ak : 4 24 Pages 3%) CHRIS HALL/PORT PERRY STAR Every once in a while, we here at The Star like to offer some- significance (wink) in tomorrow's date, Feb. 14. Here's Michele thing in the way of community service. So we're urging all you Anderson, a designer at ves Florist in Port Perry, with a few gift guys to take a look at the calendar (nudge, nudge), and seek the ideas for your sweetie. Festival Days facing a major overhaul By Chris Hall Port Perry Star 'Changes could be on the horizon for Port Pefis annual mid- summer Festival Days event, if an agreement between the Scugog Chamber of Commerce and downtown merchants is reached. According to chamber director Ray Northey, Festival Days may have played its last venue last summer at 'the Port Perry Fairgrounds. Instead, the idea of a midsummer festival in Port Perry's down- town core is being considered, he said. It would be a joint effort by the chamber and the Business Improvement Area (BIA), The festival, tentatively called A Summer Celebration, will be somewhat similar to Festival Days, but there will be a few changes; said Mr. Northey. Festival Days has existed in some form or another for more than three decades. 28 The event will be moved back to Port Perry's downtown core, where it was staged for the majority of its nearly 30-year existence, said Mr. Northey. Please turn to page 15