PAGE 6, WHMTY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27,1991 ~L Jww The ont>' Whîtby Newspaper owned and operated >by Whîtby residents for Whitby residents! Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Imc. at 131 Brook St. N, Whiftby,, Ontario LI N 5S1 Phone,668-6111,Toronto Line 427-1834 Doug .Anderson, -; Publisher' MauricePilier -Editor Alexandra Martin - Production. Manager 2ndClass Postal,, Registratio.n -#05351 .WiIIing accomplices,- To the EdIfor: On Nov. 19,,Ontarlo treasurer Floyd Laughren made a statoment ta the Onitarloý' Legislaure concemning the, revenue shortfail *made public recently While Ontarlo's share of the shorffail in. personai incarne ta x recoipts totailed .$2.1 billion, varlous foderai adjustments under the established- program f!inancing *and stabilization provisions cut *this shortfall ta $670 million. Mr. Laughren plants ta mee« his. prîvious.financlal targef s through cost swings aruisng tram, freezing the discretionay spending for v ,ile furnifuro andconsulRig =erices ($50 millioôn saved); ieuton and deferral in' capital spending ($200 million); saleof; Skydorne $150 million);, additional ioderai funds under the eastablishend pragrams financing $200 million); sale of surplus, assets and cash transfers tram agencles and crawn corporations $70 million). , eonzda The treasurer rcgié,a well that the weaker-than- anticipadod economy will reduce the gavemrnent's financial flexibility in future and promised ta deal wif h this pressure ln his 1992 budget.- ln particular, ho has requested Ontario governiment. agencies, boards and commissions ta adopta saiary f reeze for ail executive positions. Ho also recagnized the Immportance of negatiating lower wage ettlements throughouf .the public sector." <Lower'then what?) H. is further asklng wmaor transfer ayent partnersu'- municipalities, achool boards, hospitals -. ta adopt similar restraints. He also warned theso 'f ransfer partners' nat ta, expect significant increases in funding in the next fiscalyoar. While boing critical of the federal governrnent's continuing high dollar and high interost rate policy, as well as fre. trade and the GST, Laughren has urgontly roquosfod that the federai povemrment retroactively reverse uspolucy ai caping contributions taocilp rgas The hamber appauds Mr. Laughren's swift actions ta maintain fiscal contrai aven thaugh wo romain concernoed'about the magnitude of the budget deficit as riinally projoctod for the current adfuture yoars. On. wonders whether Srovinciai unions will show Mr. aughren the saile co-operation as their federal brathers have shown the Ioderai governimont. If s curlous that Mr. Laajghron recagnizos his govomment's lack 09 fiscal flexibility without recognzng that the faderai povorrnmont has sufferod fram the ioiclprobleni for the last 10 yers Greater trensfer payrnents tm the federa governiment may roduce provincial dofuicits but only et the expenseof larger federal deficifs Wauld we b. botter Off? As we have statod on previaus occasions cufting govemmont ipnln n a recossion s .ffecIvoly'reverse- Kormsianism' corner by their -previous spending,ý indiscrotions. They bribe us with aur own monoy j ust, before elections. Rather than cut deficits, they use boom tirnes, and the rosulting increased tax revenues, as an, excuse ta expand and invent, new pragrarns. 1And we., the people, with cla ssical Orwellian doublethink, complan about increasod taxes ta pay for the services w. have corne ta expect. Through aur acquiescence, w. are willing accorn plics Wilfl r. 'Laughren and future Ontario governments remnember the prosent trials when we do eventually enjoy oconomic rocovery? H-opeull, if we are there ta remindhim. Whltby Chamber of Commerce 1- - ellTis the season Who needs Earth Day anyway? By Dsvld'G. Ron.y Every year in April there lsaa s=ecdaday callod Esif h Day. For -bout a.weolc many people consider changing their focus tram their own problenis ta those which face the oarf h and the sad condition that if la in. The onl probleni that 1 have found wifh Tackling environme'nt problems BRa.Stovonson Diurh.m Rldlng MP To most- of us, the environrnent lsa mjr esnal concern. Natural' foreets, with sparkling clean lakesan rivera and abondant w#ildlife, are very much a part of the Canadian image. Nat a long ago, we took ail that for granted. Thon there was a growing awareness of threats to aur environment tram industrial and dornestic wastes, and tram sorne of the new tochnological and scientiflo advances. Today, preserving and enhancing the enviranment has bocome a top priarity. Toý help find lasting solutions, the federal governiment has allotted $3 billion for The Green Plan. But no single governrnent or industry. however large, and no individual, however strongly committed, can tackle our environment prablems alan.. «That was the reasan Ottawa established the Enviranmenital Partners Fund - ta help people wark together an avercoming specific local problems and preventing new ones. Eauier this manth, the Minister of State for the Enviranment. -the Haèn. Pauline Browes, announiced this proga has worked so well thatit: is being extended until 1997, wth a further $20 million in furding. Since iR was established in 1989, the Environmental Partners Fund has pravkied more than $19 million for 491 enviranmental froiocts with a total value of $81 million. The pragram offers; i nancing for up ta 50 per cent of the total cost, ta a maximum of $200,000 over a three-year period, ta intiate conservation or dlean-up activities. The aim is ta achieve a partnership through communty groups, businesses and other levels of government working together and sharing the casts. Many 0f the projects promote recycing and compSting, ta divert waste tram lhdf«ill sites. Others have restored or enhanced the naeural habitet for fish and wildiffe. Program proposais are reviewed every six months, with application deadlines every Dec. 1 and June 1. Environment Canada is also accepting applications for assistance ta speciâl community projecta planned during Environrnent Weok 1992 that will b. held J une 1 ta 7. Next year's therne, %l's up toaail 0f us," emphasizes that, while each 0f aur own individual contributions ta the environrnont rnay seemn insignifiat, 26 million Canadians acting together cari have a massive impact. One million dollars are lalocated ta help non-pofit organizations et the local level - such as smail rnuniceahties, schools, libraries, social groupa - ta organize Environment Weok P rajocts invoMvng their community in specific practical actMvties. Deadline for these applications is Jan. 15. For further information and application kits for either 0f these" programs, contact Paul Bt*>eis Environment Partners Fund, phono <416) 973-1076ý Maureen Martinulc, Environment Woekt 192. phone (416) 973-6481, ai write ta Environmont Canada, 25 St. Clai Ave. E, Toronto, Ont. M4T 1M. Working togother for- the e.nvironment, we can ail malce a difference. designating just one day or weok 0f the yoar for such an important concern i s that the emotions that talcs place araund Earth Day are short-livod. What is wrong wth considorung enviranmentai rspnsibility 365 days of the year? From buying products which use bs packagin g, ta rocycling, ta displacirîg water in your toifot tanks by' adding empty pop bottles ira swving of ovor 600 gallons of resh drinking water a year with an eq aly good f lush); tram wrapn gifs in Ws week's comic sections, ta reuslng your.old shopplng bags two -or throe times; tram turning down your thermosta t t walking ta the store instead af driving ta woll 'm sure you're getting the picture cloarly. Sp what cen yau do? You can' sither dot what many Canadians do when if cornes ta things like politics: buvy your head in the' san. Or you can do thinps like: organize and or participate in amall <or large) neiglhbourhood garbage c.lean-ups; fîght for stranger, pollution lagislation by writing aven, a afraphaor two ta your locatl, You cen malco a difference (and the postade is free toaail provincial and -federaI govermont mlaistnos). You can phono Enviroriment Canada. Iý tol f ree t -800-668-6767 oôr The Ministry of Energy a0 1-800-Energyl and ask thernita :mail you any o& thoir pamphlets, on Ibocoming mare enviranm4ntapy active." Chale yourself ta impbement et least one ai the suggestions. You cmn talc. your hazardous wastes ta a hazardousi waSte deot (n WhftbyR'if l located on Taunton Rd.). You'can talc. your aId clothes ta places like Goodwill or the Salvation Army, instead of jusf throWing thern ouf. Yau cen start an office 1rocycling program where' each weok a diffeirent employee is. respansible for taking home, the pop cens and nowsppersthat would othorwise en =up un aur landf ill sites. Uf you live in *an, apartment building, you cen, talc. your rocyclablo mat orià ls .ta ,the recycling deot instead of thrawing thomn down the garbage chute, or put themn out wth one of your trionds recyclable et their home. Nf you are. a studont, find -other people In -your schoal; who feel strongly about' making a difforenice and start an environmont club. You cen sharo this article wi h a friand or do whet 1I did by writing, this loUter ta my, local newspaper. You cen fe çood about contribufing ta the solution instead 'of feeling, liko you are part of 'the problemr. Or you can donothinig. It really is up to yau., -1 fee.1 that this »la one rosponsbilify that we can't put on the. shoulders af any. levol aio gavommrrent. This is aur prablemr <aven ifl some of the mess, was hero boforo we came along), -and we need ta bamn how ta deai with if on an- individual basis. 'm rà sure that 1lam not alonewenl1feel'a little overwhelrned et times by il the changes 1in lifostyle that I hiave had ta male <end will continueta make) in order, ta ýsavethspae of ours. - 1Though Irnay-: sometîm1es evelights on, in Marris.thet 1 hae'ben in for hours and still drive'short distances thatI1 could easily walk, and occasionaletI store koopors give me plastic ags for jiiet a feif lernis that 1 could as easily carry, 1 arn Iearninq 'ta appreciato thedffoeronce that cen make. Uniortunately,RIfi not' very SEE PAGE 23 so the ed r.0 Overwhelming success To the Edlfor: quality of Ite for aur, loalkidnoy patints thrug - resarch, On boalt of The Kldnoy du ari 'o n a tiet tsOflfls. Foundation,' Durham Unft, ma 1 W. have amanyunsu ng talc, thus apport unity in extending heroos' wfhln aur commurtiis, rny . incere approclation toald ordinary citizens activoly lrwoived volunteers and citizens of, Durham I ralsing funds and awarenes0f %egion fà r theur -support TheKkin.y FowuridflL You are a trUghout ourpeenut cmpig vital part of aur societrikeeplg I ami pIeaSeta inform yofa alive the values of va ritensm. atm' overwhlmongThe heartfoflthe past, help af the $41u50.ta your eçor MMargaretCrees gsaslf»y, w -have mmonme'U~'II hIi qain Ot ot@Iu !t~the~~ iQlSIUPIO rv.iewpoint --- - --- - ---