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"WEEKEND STAR" HAPPENINGS & OPINIONS Life in the fast lane - in Ashburn To the Editor: Once again the luxury and enjoyment of flying down this arrow straight road has been challenged by the stroke of nature. Apparently an old dog unfairly disabled an SUV, WOW, what next? x Well here is a partial history of the 1/4 mile stretch of road in front of my place that I alone recall. Q12 years ago in my field a 4WD-Audi crashed and burned just two hours after my precious family with baby carriages walked from the pond. The lucky 16-year-old driver success- fully blamed the gravel road. Q6 years ago an adult flipped his Fiero on it's top on a per- fect summer evening passing his girlfriend's car. Q 2 years ago a 19-year-old decapitated his buddy in a Baretta when it hit a tree at the pond. The now paved road again was questioned. Now, this latest show of road ballet in front of my place has even me questioning the provincial government. You see, all these drivers should know about the daily hazards on all roads. What if 'CUJO' was a 4-year-old child darting from its grandparent? If basic drivers education states 'Maintain control of the vehicle at safe speed at all times,' then perhaps a simple questionnaire must be suc- cessfully answered every time we get our driver's privileges renewed. Let's say, one that asks how many hands and eyes are required to read a grocery list, answer the cell phone or crack open another beer and drive at the posted speed on your own side of the road. Or perhaps another. Does share the road include wildlife at the pond, pedestrians with carriages and dogs, kids on bikes and horses, or, are these considered fair game for road kill? : What terrifies me most, is that all these crashers are neigh- bours not faceless commuters from afar. Now, I challenge all of you to something unthinkable in your haste. To take a nice leisurely walk to the Mud Lake pond and try to remember how to see, hear, smell and feel why you moved to this scenic serene rural area in the first place. It will be therapeutic. Gregg Bird, Ashburn Do MPs support raises for other public workers? To the Editor: I read Alex Shepherd's comments in The Port Perry Star about MP's salaries with great interest. | agree that he deserves a 20 per cent raise since his salary was frozen from 1991 to 1997 and between 1998 and 2000 he only received a 7.5 per cent raise. As well, 1 agree that a pay raise will attract more interest and probably more qualified people. As I read the article, | wondered how many government employees (teachers, nurses, civil servants, etc.) thought the pay raise "was not significant." These workers also had salaries frozen from 1991 to 1998, and received very small increases since. i I am a teacher in Durham, and received 1.5 per cent and 2 per cent accordingly in 1999 and 2000. As well, 'm sure MPs didn't lose 15 days of pay over three years during the Rae Days. I found it interesting that Mr. Shepherd used the indus- trial hike of 22.2 per cent as a comparison, but comparing pub- lic and private sectors is not usually govemment policy in con- tract negotiations. It was great timing for the federal goverment to pass the salary increases the day before the three month summer recess. As well, in the future, MPs will not be able to vote themselves a raise, so why not make the last opportunity a good one? I'm sure Mr. Shepherd will respond that the federal gov- emment doesn't make decisions on nurses and teachers and other govemment workers wage increases. 1 realize this, but he must be aware how this 20 per cent hike looks to all those workers who vote liberal. I had to write when Mr. Shepherd mentioned in the paper that there were few complaints. I guess in his mind that justi- fies the 20 per cent increase and $28,000 a year pension improvement. As well, it isn't surprising there were few com- 'plaints, since it was rammed through the House of Commons in three days with no public debate. I know our Durham MP is not in politics to "feather his nest," but to improve the standard of living of Canadians. So if he voted himself the raise (and who wouldn't if given the power?) he had better publicly support that all govemment employ- ees be given the same raise. Rob Scott, Port Perry FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 2001 - 7 BROOKLIN PROFILE- BY ROXANNE REVELER Strawberries in the Park coming The Brooklin United Church Women invite one and all to enjoy "Strawberries in the Park." Join in the yummy fun on Thursday, June 28 starting at 7 p.m. There will be cake with lots of fresh strawberries and cream washed down with tea or coffee. Entertainment will be once again provided by the Oshawa-Whitby Old Time Fiddle Club. And the cost is only $4 per adult, $2 per child and 12 and under with no charge for pre-schoolers. Tickets are available from any member of the U.C.W. or from the church office. Call 905-655-4141 for information. 'up on June 28 Summer Camp 2001 from July 3 to Aug. 10. There will be weekly themes for both regular and pre- camp and each day will be spent playing games, doing crafts, telling sto- ries, making music and participating in other special activities based on that week's particular - theme. Some camps are five days in duration, some four. Some are for kids age six to 13, others age three to five and oth- ers for the 14+ age brack- et. More information can be gleaned by calling 905-655-5136 and leaving a message for the camp director, or I'll have more detailed information next Camp Time week. Meadowcrest/St. Leo You can sign up at Community Centre board Meadowcrest P.S. of directors will be pre- Wednesday evenings senting - Meadowcrest from 6:30 to 8 p.m. ings concerning property and money in cases where the claim is up to $10,000 plus interest and expenses. (The maximum size of the claim for these civil cases increased from $6,000 as of last April.) In addition, the new Parental Responsibility Act 2000 enables victims to recover financial losses from the par- ents of young offenders through the small claims court. To find out more, | would recommend a 31-page brochure entitled How to Make Small Claims Court Work for You. We can provide a copy of this booklet at our Constituency Office, or you can read it by visiting the government web site at www.attormeygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca. Click on the heading Going to Court. There is also a new web site that posts provincial laws and can provide information on legislation that may apply to your case. It is located at www.e-laws.gov.on.ca. If you have questions about a legal issue, the Law Society of Upper Canada will provide a lawyer for a free half-hour consultation. Just call 1-900-565-4577. Please note: $6 referral charge will be added to your telephone bill. For further information, contact our Constituency Office at 1-800-661-2433/ 697-1501 Fighting Pollution One dirty car can create as much pollution as 20 clean ones, so it's only fair to responsible drivers to crack down on the heavy polluters. That's why Ontario's 'Smog Patrol' officers will be on the streets this summer, target- Staying in Touch B10) INNO MN NOI) PD MPP DURHAM EAST ing high-polluting vehicles on Ontario's roads. This year, the Smog Patrol will be expanded to at least 20 staff. Working with responsible drivers, we're making sure Ontario's cars are running clean, in good working order - for good health and clean air. Since 1998, the Smog Patrol has been monitoring highways throughout the province and has conducted over 9,000 vehicle pre-inspections. It has tested almost 1,500 cars and trucks and issued over 1,400 tickets. First- offence fines for violating emissions standards or tam- pering with emissions control equipment are $305 for light-duty and $425 for heavy-duty vehicles. Legislation Protects Victims Under. proposed legislation to be introduced last week by Attorney General David Young, profits criminals make from recounting their crimes would be forfeited. Small claims court may be the avenue for you Ontario's small claims courts offer simplified proceed- The Prohibiting Profiting from Recounting Crimes Act would permit the government to ask the court to freeze and seize assets from a convicted criminal acquired through retelling his or her crime in a media interview, book or movie. A fund would be established, using the seized proceeds, and would be available to the victims of the crime. Those who have been injured by a crime become vic- tims once again if criminals are allowed to profit from their actions. | trust that this legislation will receive prompt approval in the House. It is one more step we have taken to ensure the rights of victims are protected. Early Reading Strategy School turnaround plans, new funding and supports to students, parents and schools will help improve reading skills for JK to Grade 3 students. "The new Early Reading Strategy, which includes school turnaround plans, will help schools raise the level of student learning as measured by province-wide tests and report the results to parents," said Education Minister Janet Ecker in announcing the plans last week. This government is currently spending $70 million a year to improve the reading skills of students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3 - a commitment announced in the 2000 Ontario Budget. The additional support for the Early Reading Strategy will total approximately $24 mil- lion. This means that, in 2001-02, Ontario will spend $94 million to support primary student achievement in Reading.