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a MI a rn an a Ta i ey Wa eT ti Sau Malina ROE by FPG Je. Abide saat vg 6 - "WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2000 PUBLISHER................ J. Peter Hvidsten GENERAL MGR.......... Don Macl.eod MANAGING EDITOR.. Jeff Mitchell OFFICE MANAGER.... Gayle Stapley ADVERTISING MGR... Deb McEachem REPORTER................. Chris Hall Freelance : Heather McCrae, John B. McClelland, Rik Davie PHONE (905) 985-7383 Aocna Member Ontario Community EE ---- Newspaper Assoc. Published every Friday by the Port Perry Star Company Limited, 188 Mary Street - Port Perry, Ontario - LOL 1B7 FAX (905) 985-3708 Distributed free in the following communities: Port Perry - Uxbridge - Sunderland - Little Britain - RR Lindsay Janetville E-MAIL: editorial @portperrystar.com Oakwood - Manilla - Seagrave - Greenbank - Brooklin - Ashbum - Columbus - RR Oshawa advertising @ portperrystar.com Zephyr - Udora - Leaskdale - Sandford - Caesarea - Blackstock - Raglan - Nestieton - Yelverton - Prince Albert onion Wo reser tg poh vee ste nt necessary hase of Tho Port Pry Sar. Later must bo signed nd he tlephone amber (whch wll not b published) inchuded. Requests ha name bo witihed wil be honoured ony hae i a compeling reason do so. Eras : l . - 9 ri i i i itted. : changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher is not liable for other errors or omissions in STocTOn wih any advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of any monies pai for the advertisement. AN claims of eur in publication must be mado by Wednesday, noon prior 0 11 next weeks pUbMcaton, and, not meds, tl mot amcor i iui a pusher i not abl bor other errors or BUSINESS OFFICE: Judy Ashby, Kathy Dudley, Janet Rankin, Lesley West ADVERTISING: Ginni Todd, Cindy Jobin, Gail Morse, Sandra Spears, Linda Clarke, Janet Archer, Malcolm Lennox, Lisa Monk PRODUCTION MANAGER: Pamela Hickey Production Staff: Trudy E . Daryle. Wright, Arlene Cheel, Richard Drew ne cis gi overdo ad OPINION We do need the SIU The acquittal this week of three police officers in a Whitby court will nc doubt raise questions about the validity of the charges laid, and the integrity of the body that laid them, the Special Investigations Unit. ~ Three officers - Durham Const. Al Robins and York Region officers Randy Martin and Mike Hoskin - were cleared on a variety of charges, including, in the case of Const. Martin, second degree murder. SIU investigators who were called in after the death of Tony Romagnuolo and the wounding of his son Rocco concluded the charges were justified. And so began a legal odyssey that brought into question the actions of the officers, the response by the Romagnuolo family, and aspects of the legal system under which we all live. The jury concluded that the officers responded appropriately, under the circumstances. We do not quarrel with their finding. ~ But we hasten to remind those who would dismantle the SIU that although it is far from perfect, it is a completely necessary and potentially effective agency. The mission of the SIU is legitimate: To investigate police actions that lead to serious injury or death of civilians, and decide whether or not charges against officers volved are appropriate. Most of the time, charges are not laid. On the occasions they are, they are bound to be scrutinized... and Rarshly criticized. i » hust be done. | The province needs to find a way to make the SIU work. ] i $ -- Seg LER a office, or give us a call at 985-7383. >A, It's a job not many of us would want, policing the police, but it Cente rego Eric Lauzon doesn't care what you say: He's not eating it. This photo is from grandmother Gail Fairman.If you have an interesting picture we could use for Photo of the Week, please drop it by The Star To the Editor: Re: Snowmobiling. I just read the last two letters on snow- mobiling in your paper. I wish all the parents would take time in their busy lives to inquire about riding safely. It is the same as driving a car; you must have a valid driver's license and insur- ance, and it is only a phone call away. We at the Port Perry Snowmobile Club have an excellent program on safe riding. It takes only one day, and we also babysit for you. Great eh? The student takes home an MTO license and a lot of knowledge they can teach their parents. With 28 years of experience, we in the Port Perry club are very fortunate to have the very best instructors; | cannot say enough good about them. Maybe some of you older people should drop in to a class and learn what we teach, RQ i = 4 ergy Chvigimas ( a Take the time for snowmobile instruction; it's really worth it especially the critical ones. With winter just beginning (hopefully it'll be a good one), this is just the right time to join us at the club house. : So why not phone me in the evening, 7 to 10 p.m, preferably weeknights (985- 3598). Another class is being held during the holiday week. Remember, we are only volunteers and we do not make you wait one year. We accept students aged 12 tol6 years old, without a valid D License. It could save a life. So let's all have a Merry Christmas with no serious accidents. We teach the best, you do the rest. Master Instructor for OFSC & MTO Marion Lee Port Perry ll From the rt ferry \> editorial@portperrystar.com hh.