PA W.~iII 'RERESWENSANO MBR6191 whitb bsies By Marlo Boucher A new 24-hour answering ser- vice for Durham Region recently opened in Whitby. A&L Answering Service is a state-of-the-art message service, according te assistant manager Brent Brathwaite. "It's ail about service because customers know they can caîl at anytime and get through,» he say's. «Its convenient, fast and accurate,» he says. "This service has increased businesses by at least 40 per cent for most of our clients.» A&L Answering Service offers a wie-ara pging. service with nolimit on cails. Brathwaite says business Uines are always answered on the first rite says ail cabîs get through at any time during the day or night. Ail messages are individually made for each company and help provide information for custo- mers who caîl.. 'For example, pressing "1» on a touch tone phone can give the company's rates, another numhar can give the company's hour of operation, and another can give out information on how te reach a certain individual,» he says. Brathwaite says he programs the computers te answer a client's pager within 30 seconds. "It usuallytakes about 10 seconds for the client te, get the response from the pager," he says. He says the a.nswering service provides 24-hour service for con- tractors or doctors who need their phone answered profus- sionalby when they are not in their ofce. He says it is difficuit te know how big or amaîl the business realby is. The computer takes the mes- sage for as bon g as necessar, with no limit tothe length of the caîl he satys. Then the computer dispatches the message te the location in- dicated by the client, at home, at the office, on a cellular phone or on a pager, he says. Because the computer is voice- activated, the client can enter his or her own passport âo nobody else can get the messages, he, says. Bsrathwaite says the messages can ha retrieved from, anywhere, in the world. .He says the computer cannot give a wrong message because of its voice-activated feature. Brathwa ite says the company wants te help, smail businesses in Durham Régon. «For a amali business, it's per- fect, he says. Its impossible te get a busy signal because we have usageof many ines simultaneously, he says. Brathwaite says the service can also hai another language such as French. He says th e compuiter wilb answer in French and give a message in French, al in a professional manner. Permanent job losses wil accelerate dramatically if the Ontario government proceeds with its proposed revisions te the Ontario Labour Relations Act according to a survey of 300 chief executives i the business community. 1The survey was conducted in September by Ernst & Young for the Ail Business Coalition (ABC), a group of 42 business associations whose member companies collectivey represent the majorit of the jobs in Ontario, and concludes that one in four jobs could disappear forever. ABC spokesman, Stephen Van H-outen, president of the Canadian Manufacturers' Association, conflrmed., - the business comxnunity'decpening concerns over Ontario's rapidly deterioratig business climate. "The survey shows- that the economic and social needs of our citizens wilI not ha satisfied until business confidence is restored and the province sends out ,a signal that Ontari o is open for business," he said. Among the survey's moot important conclusions were: e Eighty-six per cent of Ontario firms surveyed expect that the adoption of t"he proposed Highland helps to raise $9009000 With help from Highland Van & Storage of Whitby, a bike tour held i Toronto and area raised about $900,000 for research by the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Highland, under president DvdRockbrune and vice pre- sident Crystal GlaspelI, are kcey sponsors of the tour that hagan HiÎl dsand the faxnily of Atlas Van Line asenies supply tractor-trailer equipment and manpower for thé MS 150 Bike Tour. A total of $2.2 million was raised for the MS Society from, il bike tours across Canada. Highland will provide informa- - tion te anyone interested in volunteeringfor next year's tour. labour legisiation would resuit in the leu of some* or ail the jobs they currentlIy provide in Ontario. *- For the economy as a whoie, this could mean that as many as 480,000 Ontario jobs are threatened. * Nmnety per cent of respondents said that the changes would affect their investment Nov. 13 meeting to diseuse Tree of Hope Day Tree of Hope Day will be held i downtown Whitby on Dec. 14, and al interested organizations and clubs are invited to attend a Nov. 13 meeting to discue the annual promotion. On Tree of Hope Day, visitors te- the downtown purchase, froma local charitable organizations and service clubs, a coloured light bulb for a minimum dona- tion of $1. The coloured bulbs will ha exchanged with clear light bulbs lEt during the tree-lighting cere- mony. The trees will be located at the Whitby Public Librarjr.13 h The Wednesday, aNov. o b held at the Whitby Downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA) office at 101 Brock St. S. (second floor) at the four corners, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Chamber selis recycled mugis The Whitby Chamber of Com- mnerce is selling recycled muge. IThe mugs have the chaznber loo on one side and the recy- ding logo, 'Reduoe Reuse, Recy- cle' on the other side. Cost is $3.50 for each mug for one te 50 mugs, $3.25 for each mug from 51 to 100, and $3.10 each for 101 or more mugs. Muga are on displayr at the chamber office. Pre-païd orders cRn ha made hafore -Nov. 15 at the ch amber of fice, 12 8 Brock St. S. downtown Whitb. Mfugs will ha ready for pick-up begijnning Dec. 16. A <*ROUP of Australian business' WhitbyRotâary S$unrise'Club. [6we mecent guesta of thue Photo by Peter Tomblln, Whltby Free Prem AAGGIE CRISP, shown dragging her daughter talked her into buying murderer Alicia Off to jeul, won 200 a doil at 'Patches and Thr-eads' if she downtown doflars in the Whitby BIA won. "I guess Ilil have to stick to it -- Murder Mystery contest. Crisp says it might even cost $200!" she said. Photo by Mark Reemor, Whltby Free Prem The Future is REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE with Offff47ÀÀr WASTE SYSTEMS Cal Derrick 427-3253 SENIORS! 4g* Qualified, , rofessional focare %u Karen L. Brady, R.N. C PIEDICARE In homne/mn Institutioni Fboror Appoiniment CalI