WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 1985, PAGE 7 It 's the "right direction"9 9to go....a Durham Centre stille The Durham Centre for the Developmentally Handicapped will not get a reprieve from the new Liberal provincial governiment of Premier David Peterson. Community and Social Services Minister John Sweeney told the Free Press in a telephone interview last week that the centre will still be closed on March 31, 1986. The previous Conser- vative administration had adopted a five year plan un 1982 aimed at closlng Durham Centre and five similar faciities across the province. The program was designed to bring developmentafiy han- dicapped people out of the Institution and into the commumity. During the last provincial election campaigix, ahl three par- ty candidates supported the concept of de- institutionalization of mentaily retarded people. However, Durham West Liberal candidate Brian Evans called for a post- ponement of Durham Centre's closing un order to give the government time to review the im- pact other closings have had on their respective communities. It seems that the new Liberal government and the new minister responsible for Durham Centre bas rejected this position. In a telephone inter- view from his Queen's Park Office, Sweeney said that all reports hie has seen to date indicate that the previous closings have gone smoothly and received support not only from residents' familles but from the community as well. "The response from parents (and others) seems to be fairly positive," Sweeney said. The minister noted The Church Speaks Sponsored by the WHITBY MINISTERIAL ,4~. ASSOCIATION Pas tor's farewell By THE REV.ý KEITH A. ELFORD Pastor Whitby Free Metbodist Churcb How does one say goodbye to a community after being part of it for ten years? Yet that is what I must do in this column for by the time you read it, 1 will be enroute to a church assigned to me in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. I amn very thankful to God for the friends 1 have made in Oshawa-Whitby. I leave enriched by the experiences I have shared with others in this com- munlty. To the members of the Whitby Ministerial, I say thank you for your fellowship. May God bless you individually and corporately. To the staff of Oshawa General Hospital I say thank you for the excellent care you have given my loved ones. In particular, I arn indebted to the Chaplaincy Department for friendship'and training. To the members of Durham Right to Life, I want. to say farewell, keep encouraged in your efforts on behalf of the Unborn. To the other volunteer chaplains at the Whitby Jail, I say thank you for your team work. Keep up our Lord's work among the imprisoned. To the Mayor and members of Whitby Council, thank you for a nice community in which to live. Thank you for your help and co-operation in our building project. To fellow columnists on the religion page, keep your pens sharp and your messages helpful. And finally to the congregation of Whitby Free Methodist Church, I want to say thank you for alI that you have been to me over the last decade. You are a wonderful group of people and I have been proud to have been your pastor. To Oshawa-Whitby then, farewell. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you ail. My love to alI of you in Christ Jesus. Type writer RENTALSI also SALES & SERVICE that 17 residents of Durham Centre have already, been placed with the Ajax- Pickering-'Whitby Asso- ciation for the Mentally Retarded in a com- munity group home set- ting and that no major problems seem to have surfaced. Sweeney said that he supports the concept of de-institutionalization and doesn't see any reason to stop the processat Durham Cen- tre at this time. 'My sense is this is the right direction to go," he said, "and unless 1 get some evidence to the con- trary, I'm going to sup- port t" While Durham Centre is being cîosed, D'Arcy Place in Cobourg is being renovated and kept open because some developmentally han- dicapped people will need to live in an in- stitutional setting. "'There is always going to be some developmentally han- dicapped people who will need an in- stitutional setting," the minister said adding that his government believes that, wherever possible, these people should be full members of the community. He pointed out that even the so-called 'mega institutions" such as the Huronia Centre in Orillia have been placing its people ln the community. Over the last ten years, its live-in population has declined from 2,700 to 800. The minister also believes that Durham Centre is not in the best possible location. He doesn't think that such an institution should be s0 close to a psychiatric hospital - after ail, he says, their functions and services are completely different. The ideal means of caring for these people, he added, was in a community living situation that had com- plete support services in place. "iMy philosophical bent is communitY living with suitable slip- port services is the more desirable situation whether the centre Whitby bridge The following are the results of last week's play at the Whitby Curling Duplicate Bridge Club as reported by Mrs. Jim Wharrie. North and South: Bill Nelson and Frank Mac- Neilil, 66/; Mrs. C.E. Stewart and Mrs. W.C. Ristow, 60/; Mr. and Mrs. Ken Cunliffe, 42; and, Harold Smuck and Art Conrad, 41. East and West: Bill Leslie and AI Leslie, a tie with Mr. and Mrs. Elwin Smyth, 54½ý; Mrs. Johanna Flannagan and Georgia Bovay, 48; and, Mrs. Harold Smuck and Mrs. Art Conrad, 471/. The results of each week's play at the club will be reported in the following issue of the Whitby Free Press. J. TURMBERG KENNELS REG'D Where They Get Tender Loving Care FALI TRAINING CLASSES Starts Aug. 13185 Reglster Now! ALSO PET FOOD - 100% Frozen Beet (Govt inspected . 30 Ibs. in 32 i 5-oz. blocks) $15.65 655-4721 843 KING ST., OSHAWA 433-0055 DEALER FOR 7-11 POOL PRO DUCTS CANADA'S LARG EST POOL MANUFACTURER FEATURES:I *25 YEAR LINEAR WARRANTY eLIFETIME WARRANTY ON STEEL PRODUCTS *HAYWARD SUPER PUMPS 93,500 LB. STRENGTH CONCRETE IN ALL DECKS *ALI. FORMING 0F DECKS WITH 2x6 MATERIAL SHOP & COMPARE SHOP QUALITY 15x30 ABOVE G ROU ND POO L $19,840U96 VAC HEAD CLEARANCE WE SERVICE;WHAT WE SELL Losing: closes or not, " he said. Sweeney also main- tains that the previous government's position that the five-year program will mean more money being pumped into care for the developmentally han- dicapped. He notes that while the government is saving $23 million a year because of the closures, it is spending $33 million on new living situations and programns for the retarded. Aside from the direct impact on the residents, there are some other issues surrounding the closing of Durham Cen- tre. The centre's per- manent, classified staff will not necessarily be Sweeney thrown out of work. "It is my understanding that these people wilI be offered a minimum of at least one other position," the minister said adding that most will be offered two or three others. However, Sweeney did not know what was going to be done for the centre's unclassified employees - some of whom have worked for the govermnent for a number of years and are stili considered to be Iltemporary" workers. Durham Centre also operates a vocational workshop in downtown Whitby called, Brock Stop. Here, residents manufacture ceramics and other articles that are sold in a shop in front. While the minister said that he didn't know whether or not it will also be closed he did add he "could see no good reason" why it should be. Sweeney also said that fears that the government will attem- Pt to shift at least some of the financial burden for caring for the retar- ded to the local municipalities is un- founded. Care for the develop- mentally handicapped, he said, is a provincial responsibility and the governent will provide 100 per cent of the money needed to, care for them. ejWee q FBijins 10H BBLI 0918 aw'oIIBuB) JJeOO9Ie8 c 1d'4O 6s ON(IIlOS>S6 oivqOd1 H lins>ISDI (St, fl1V) BB11 dii LSLOOi669s(au Ok NflijuBdI iisnJ0Ites y utu1 mu ao pop-o f ,,6h Oi sauv Pip &aift s1boppw SOLID OAK & PINE FURNITURE STORE WIDE flflIVt SEl ((t Rff1011 NsWHELDVRNIAU.1H8 DOOROCRASHER'! SSAVES$100 - SOLID PINE OVAL FLOOR TILTING MIRROR REG. '356 NOW$ ONLY L256 MANY OTHER GREAT SAVINGSI 10DUNLOP ST. E., WHITBY 666-1331 iJOPEN MON.-WED. 106, THURS FR1 109. SATUROAY 105. 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