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'PÇ~ ~W~F4N1RE IR&~ WP~SDY4WAW7, mo CCNA"5 VOICE 0F THE COUNTY TOWN The on/y Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. LiN 5S1 2nd Class Postai ~egIstratIon ~O5351 Maurice Pifher Editor Peter irvin -e Advertising Manager Alexandra Simon Production Manager .,It would appear that the Town of Whitby is finaily taking action to have businesses remove the mobile signs that are so.numerous in the municipality. We have heard councliior Joe Drumm complain In the pagt about the mobile slgns, and-the outrageous solutions he has proposed for their disposai. It would seem that the Town has aiways had a bylaw that regulates use of such slgns, but only recently has Mobiles on the move decided to enforce that bylaw. Letters have been. sent to Whltby businesses about removing mobile, or portable, signs - many businesses won't be pieased about the ioss of that mode of advertising. However, Rt might encourage businesses ta, use more attractive signs that more properly fit the "counity town" image of Whltby, and brlng an end to the "Disneyland" that Drumm descnibes on Dundas St. E. We awalt wlth lnterest the overali response by business to the Town request to remnove signs that don't meet bylaw requirements. And we encourage the Town to continue such effiýrt ; better late than neyer. Mrnistry devaluates care worker's worth To the edito,-. 1s the Mfinistry of Healti, promoting employee absenteeism through sickness and increased compensation claims? Both OPSEU and the Ministry of Health agree that staff morale in provincial psychiatric hospitals has hit an ail-time low. What the provincial goverinent refuses ta recognize are the effects this undesirable psychologcal "tte is having on their employees, patients and the taxpayer. Working in a psychiatric hospital is stressful, but for those employees working in direct patient care the stress is far greater.' Burnout amon g registered nurses and institutional care workers runs Comment was "disturbing" To the. editior: COPY Of letter to Boen. Soetenso Ontario riding MP Mr. Soetens: Yaur particular view an politics concerna me. While reading an article describing your support Of the GST in the Jan. 17, 1990 issue of the Witby F'ree Press, I came acroas a disturbing comment you made ta the attending audience. I will naw recap: 'In closing, a businessman asked Soetens if he wanted ta seS a show of hands as ta whether the group was in favor of the proposed GST.' ' Soetens replied, "Regardless of the show of, hands, this government is committed ta this prograin."' Obviously, dictatarship at its democratic finest. Gorbachev was right, even democracies with multi-party systems have dictatarships. It is unfortunate that we do not have a say in aur future. However, we will have aur say at the next federal election. It might be too late, but we will have aur say! PU yho Whitbyý Donl't demean profession far higher than any other jobs. Eligb standards of therapeutic patient care are constantly expected of us, regardless of aur own inner turrnoil. Some undesirable conditions caused by low staff morale are low self-esteem, depresson, alcohol and drug abuse, increasd sick time, increased compenisation PM. speak Inth "forked tongue" To the editor: Mr. Mulroney. spoke ýwith "forked tangue"t when he expressed outrage at Sault Ste. Marie's. English-only logos appearing on retailers' windows. But he had no compunction about Mr. Bourrassa's French.,only caxnpaign in Quebec as Mr. Mulroney had subsidized Quebec with *allkidnds af little goodies (including monetary contributions ta thousands) in order ta get the Quebec vote. What's good for the gpose is good for the gander. By rights, as the North American Indians were Canada's firat inhabitants, iaur first, or albeit,$ second language. should be Cree. 0f coursei Brian is well Icnown for his poor judgment as at least six of his Cabinet have been politely given the boot for indiscretionary acta which do not enhance Mr. Mulroney's image wearing Daks or Florsheim (shoes) soon to be enhanced by the new GST af 7 per cent which now covers foatweair. Via Rail has been axed by Mr. M. and now the plot thickes.. . it turns out one of Brian's henchinen (Brian Gallery, a close frxend of the P.M. and chairman of the Tories Executive 500 Club) has been forcefùlly removed from the executive of C.N. who were planning a private takeaver of some of Via's routes ..-. the mot The Whitby Free Press welcomes letters to the Editor on any subject of concern to our readers. Letters should be brief and to the point - rarely more than 300 words. Ail letters must be TIPTLaccompanied by the name, address and phone number of the writer; however, on request, your name may be withheld from publication if we agree thàt there is a valid reason. The paper reserves the right to reject or edit ail letters. Send to: The Editor, Whitby Free Press, Box 206, Whitby, Ontario LiN 5S1 or drop through our mailsiot at 131 Brock St. N. Mulroney web thckens and Joe Public becomes a defenceless fiy at the mercy of its captar. Our Prime Mînister talks constantly of eliminating unnecessary costs but he must be blind as a bat. For instance, at the oeremaony for the induction of the new Covernor General, Ray Hnatyshyn, it was aimoit shocking for the public ta, learn we support flot only one To the editor. I wish ta address J. A. Jones of Oshawa with regard toaa particular statement made in a letter ta the editar on Jan. 31 regarding eyecare facilities in Whitby and Oshawa. I can understand the frustration and can sympathize with the backlog af appointment times with eye surgeons and the overloaded facilities at Oshawa. However,' in your anger and frustration, please don't demean my profession with an unfoupded and false statement that "... an optometrist is not a qualified eye doctor." As an optametrist, I have spent six years in university in order ta obtain my degree (O.D. - Doctor of Optometry.) and I arn a licensed and fally qualified practitioner wth the mandate to provide primary eye and vision care. This includes, among other things, diagnostic and preventative health care services, spectac le and contact lens therapy, and referral services ta appropriate specialists when necessary. As such, I arn not an eye surgeon and I do not treat eye disease, yet I arn fully qualfied and licensed ta examine, diagnose and treat the visual system exclusive of surgery and prescription pharmaceuticals. As a primaxy care practitioner, an optametrist is such like a family physician providing routine eye examinations anc4 treatments within the realm of an optametric practice. Those circumstances outside the realm of an optometric practice (eg. surgery) are referred ta, an ophthalmologist who has been trained as an eye surgeon, much as a family physician would refer a patient with heart problems ta a cardiovascular specialist. As a practising optametrist in this area, I routinely refer patients ta, several local ophthalmologists when the patient's ocular condition warrants and, in turn, routinely receive referrals fram local ophthalmologists and physicians. As mucli as I niay agree that the, current availability of aphthalmnologfic surgical 'services is not optimal, in making your point, please don't demean my profession with an unfaunded and false statement degrading the qualifications, training and role of the optametrist, and imffplying that optametry is not an integral part of the eye and vision care deliverysystem. Yours truly, Dr. ]EL David Stone Optometriet w1hitbe - Media or mediation - matter of priorities a JPublished every Wednesday By 677209 Ontario Imc. - Phone: 668-6111 668-6112 668-6369 J Doug Anderson Publisher 131 Brock Street North, Ro; Box 206, Whitby, Ont. -1.- 1