The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Pr EEE PORT PERRY "WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2000 - 7, Young musicians shine brightly at festival finale Follwing are results from the Sunderland Lions Music Festival's Stars of the Festival concert, held Feb. 28 I. Melissa Lane and Kristy McCourt, Port Perry - Beginners/Pre-Grade | Piano Duet - "First Waltz" -Ross and Marion Miller Trophies. 2. Sarah Williams, Port Perry - Beginners Piano Solo, 7 yrs. and under - "Recycling" - Marilyn Rogers Trophy. 3. Isabella Lauwers, Beaverton - Grade | Piano Solo - "Mist," Poole - Anne and Ron Link Trophy. 4. Eric Piil, Port Perry - Grade | Piano Solo - "Bourree in A Minor," ].S. Bach - In Memory of Keith Davis Trophy. 5. Uxbridge Montessori School - Grade 1/2 Choir - "If The Sun Could Sing" - Reg and Marion Johnson Award. 6. Epsom Public School - Unison Choir - "Sing Me A Song" - H.W. Knight School Staff Award. 7. Cory Williams and Cayle St. John, S.P.S. - Gr. 5/6 Vocal Duet - "Ballad of Terry Fox" - Brock Citizen Trophies. 8. Rory Taillon, Uxbridge - Vocal Solo, trained voice, 14 yrs. and under - "Gloria Deo" - Sunderland Home Furniture Trophy. Melissa Lane and Kristy McCourt of Port Grade 1 Piano Duet category at the Sun Festival Concert. They were awarded the Ross an Grade 2 Piano Solo - "Study in D Major," Czerny - Arlene and Leonard Coates Trophy. 10. Katrina Joosten, Uxbridge - Grade 8 Piano Solo - "Important Event," Schumann - Just A Trim Trophy - In Memory of Donalda J. McGeachy Trophy - Grade 8 Piano Solo - ***Margaret Andrew Scholarship. 11. Bridget Petric, Uxbridge - Grade 3/4 Piano Pop Solo - "Frankie and Johnny" - Catherine and Tom Millar Trophy. PHOTO BY JEFF BOWER Perry played "First Waltz" in the Beginners/Pre- . derland Lions Music Festival's Stars of the d Mario Miller Trophy for their efforts. 12. Epsom Public School - Grade 3/4 Choir - "Bibbidi- Bobbidi Boo" - George Durward Family Award. 13. Epsom Public School - Grade 5/6 Choir - "Mango Walk" - Uxbridge Lions Club Award. 14. Mike Bakker, Cannington Public School - Brass Solo - "Minuet" - Bethesda/Reach Women's Institute Trophy. 15. Eryn Oag, Sunderland - Piano Solo, studying less than 4 years - "Russian Cradle Song," Berlin - Gary Hill Auctions Trophy. 16. Cory Williams, Sunderland - Grade 6 Piano Solo - "Minuet in E Major," Kirnberger - Larry O'Connor Trophy - In Memory of Enid Martin Trophy - Grade 6 Sonatina - ***Don McCaskell Memorial Scholarship. 17. Curtis Hadden, Sunderland - Broadway Vocal Solo - "The Baseball Game" - Dr. PH. Schlag Trophy - Ross Doble Inc. Trophy - 10 yrs. Vocal Solo. 18. James DeJong, Sunderland Public School - Vocal Solo, 7 years - "Donkey Riding" - Dr. ].G. Green Trophy. 19. Jill Hunter, Greenbank - Broadway Vocal Solo - "Tomorrow" - Bev and John Thorne Trophy. 20. Sarah Rogers, Beaverton - Grade 5 Piano Solo - "Sonatina in C Major," Spindler - Stan and Karen Durward Trophy - Bill Lowry Metals Trophy - Grade 5 Piano Solo. 21. Brooke Beatty, Cannington Public School - Broadway Vocal Solo - "My Heart Will Go On" - Distinctive Flooring, Roger and 9. Jerikka Nahibuan, Zephyr - | Staying in Touch JOHN R. O'TOOLE \% 053 SN 018538 3 VaN\% (OVI N A Last week, I had the privilege of meet- ing with constituents at the Newcastle Ratepayers Association meeting as well as the Clarington Business Group pre- budget consultation. These are absolutely critical opportu- nities for me to meet face to face with the people | am elected to represent. In both instances, the interaction with people in their own community setting allows both of us to exchange views informally. Topics of interest included: the Hwy. 407 easterly expansion, the Oak Ridges Moraine development, municipal restructuring, the new Veridian Municipal Electric Utility and the deregulation of our Ontario electricity generation, distri- bution and services. Other points discussed included the Hwy. 401 improvements through Durham, the rapid growth in our communities, and agricultural industry challenges and the age-old question of taxes. | respond- ed to many questions informally and was impressed with the public's level of awareness on. many issues. Grass roots organizations are very important forums to deal with issues like, youth activities, community safety as well simply provid- ing a place for people to meet and get to know their new community and its history. | was upset to learn of the closing of the Avery Dennison plant in Bowmanville. Some of the employees have been offered positions at another Ee: location but these job losses and . changes are difficult for families as well as this community. As usual, we will assist in whatever way we can. The Bereaved Families of Ontario, Durham Chapter and organizer Susan Hendricks had their annual walk-a-thon fundraiser this past Sunday. The volun- teers, mostly families who have experi- enced first hand the sudden loss of a. loved one, are helping themselves by helping others. It encourages me when I see individ- uals taking the leadership to provide a service voluntarily without a government subsidize. These are the very groups that we should be helping. 1 am very pleased with our premier's appointment of Dan Newman as the new Minister of the Environment. Dan has been my seatmate at Queen's Park for the past few years and | have gotten to know him very well. Besides graduat- ing from the same university, we are both on the Ontario Gas Prices Review Task Force and have shared many duties. | have already congratulated our new minister and shared with him my top issues: the Newcastle landfill applica- tion, the use of paper sludge on agricul- tural land and the Oak Ridges Moraine development. Dan is married with two children and a very capable young man. This week, | am travelling to cities across Ontario as a member of an all- party committee reviewing the proposed amendments to the Franchise Disclosure Act legislation. There are many franchise businesses today in operation. Usually, there are complicated legal contracts, which some franchises have found very restrictive. There are numerous examples of good franchises such as McDonald's while there are also less successful fran- chises. If you want to have input into this legislation, please call my office. Sherry Spence Trophy. Talk by ALEX SHEPHERD DURHAM M.P. Premier Harris has shortchanged Ontario's sick and disabled. While he chastises the federal gov- ernment for not giving him more funding, a look at the province's financial records reveals a far different story. | want the people of Durham to know the facts. On page 38 of the provincial budget Harris said he would increase new healthcare spending by $1.6 billion during the 1999- 2000 fiscal year. The federal government last year increased its base level of new funding for transfers to Ontario, known nationally as the Canada Health and Social Transfer (CHST), by $190 million. In addition, in last year's budget, the federal government gave a one-time allotment of $3.5 billion to the provinces establishing a trust account specifically for the use of healthcare. Ontario's share of this was $1.3 billion to be spent over a three-year period. The order of things would be to spend the $190 million before one drew on the $1.3 billion. The Harris government drew down on the trust fund to the tune of $755 mil- lion during 1999-2000. That amount, added to the $190 million, accounted for $945 million of new federal dollars in the hands of the Harris government. Why couldn't that money have gone to finance the re-opening of hospital beds, to hire staff for emergency rooms, to get people out of hospital hallways and to get children transported by ambu- lance to the hospitals closest to them? The Harris government took the accounts of the province for the 1998-99 fiscal year and restated them in different ways. When you look at it, it reveals that total program spending on healthcare by the Harris Tories for the 1998-99 fiscal year was $19.5 billion. Harris' recent third-quarter projections for 1999-2000 show total spending on health amounts to $20.4 billion. This is an increase of $887 million and only half of the $1.6 billion new healthcare spending Harris promised. Furthermore it doesn't even equal the total amount the federal gov- ernment gave the province. Not only did Harris fail to take on any new spending out of provincial funds for health in 1999-2000, he didn't even spend the money taken out of the federal trust account set up for that purpose. The people of Ontario who wanted more spending on health care, and the federal government gave money for that purpose, were short-changed by the Harris Tories to the tune of $58 million. (That's $190 million new allotment to base funding by the federal government add $755 million withdrawn from the special trust account set up by the federal government subtract $887 million actual new increases in 1999-2000 over 1998-99 healthcare spending). Imagine if you and | took maney out of a trust account and didn't spend it on the purpose the account was designed for. We have lawyers and CAs who have lost their license to practice because of that sort of activity. | suppose the money went into gen- eral revenues to be used for the provin- cial Tories all-important tax cut which is costing Ontarians healthcare system. By the way the provincial Tories even increased their deficit, which means you and I, have to spend more money in interest carrying costs.