Page 6, Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, September 15, 1993 The onfy Newspaper owned and opereted by Whitby residents for Whitby residns MEMBER 0F: ~'IONTARIO CANADIAN *'ICOMMUNITY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER :NA NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION E cASSOCIATION [@;M CANADIAN ZICIRCULATIONS ONA DIVISION AUDIT BOARD 25,500 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Imc. Box 206, 131 Brock St. N., Whitby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Toronto Line: 427-1834 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Pubisher Maurice Pifher - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Ndnager Printed on newsprint with minimnum n20% 4#b recycled content using vegetable based inks. % 0i Ail written material, illustrations and advertising coniaunied herein is protected by copyright. Any reproduction by any means for commercial pupsswithout the express permission of the newspaper is prohibited and is a violation o f Canadian copyrigh law. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution should bear a credit lie to the Whitby Free Press. mko th[ ediI[or. 'Blatant waste and. nonsense' To the Edtor: Re: 'New downtown newspaper publishod by DBIA,' The Free Pross, Aug. il issue. I wauld like ta comment on the publishing and distribution of the DBIA's new 'Vour Downtown' newspaper. This whole issue is ridicubous from start ta finish. The DBIA makes such an issue of having its own separate newspaper with its awn separate delivery. Mr. Hogue of the DBIA is quoted as saying that uthe board fet it was critical* that the paper be delivered separately s0 ît daesn't got mixed (or) rnashod with any other fVor or advertisement that will be discarded. Thoy wanted the priority that people would pick ki up and expect to get it. WolI, we did get the paper. The delivery peoplo and theo papers were brought ta aur noigh- bourhood in no loss than a limousine. The paper that was deliverod ta aur house (and the other houses on aur streot) didn't get mixed or mashed and kt almast didn't get picked up efthor. Thoy wore doivered ta the foot of aur driveways -- b mean the piece on the other side af the sidewalk beside the road. This area has large lots, so this places the papers a long way from the hoses. The papers were rolled and tied and these littîe rolîs were blowing in the wind, onto the road. When I retrieved one and glanced at it, like ail other papers blawring around the neighbourhood, R was put in the blue box -- another unwanted contribution ta the already aver- loaded recycling system. As you are spokesperson for the DBIA, Mr. Hogue, I address you. It is appalling ta see this kund of blatant waste and nonsense at a time of cutbacks, job lasses, spending restraints and wage cuts. Rt would appear that there wasn't very much cammon sense put inta this silly venture. I hope no public tax revenue is involved. We are really tired of hearing and reading about this group. They are always undor a coua ai one cor or another. Give us a breal if The Free Press stopc. about them, they'll disappf We're talking, now lîsten To the edItor: Re: 'Little Pays Big Prico for Criticisrn, Fre Press, Sept. 8) I read wth internat al of counciblor Rase Batten's commente, and 1 was .speci*l intrigued by hie accusation thet I wa Johnnycx>me Ilely on 1h. if 1 am'late, thon maybe al the residents of Broolin are. b have been involved in 1h. new official rlan praess smo. stage b and 1 have« attended 1he. public open bouse held al each stage. 1 wrote letters in 1992 ta 1h. mayor and councillors including Mr. Batten (chair of 1he planrdng committee). exprossinj concerns for the future downtown Whitby and1 Until b spake out publucby, the Whitby Free Pros, received as much as a ph from any of thein. Oh yes, PA. Batten, rm so are the rest of the p Brookfln (over 400) wl sned 1h. petition tc Frtunatoly for us unfattunately for yau, we =enouha have a say in Now that we are finallyi adspeaing t in a proc allows public input, would 1 listeing. Wlilam1 -, B s.n Shallering the trust By PaùI Pagnuélo, Ontario Taxpayers Foderatîon Dennis Drainville is right when ho says Canadians have been betrayed by the traditional party system of government. But 'm flot convinced that lus alternative -- stting__as an independent member - is the solution to what's wrong with provincial and federal politios. The rebel MPP for Victoria- Haliburton who quit the provincial NDP caucus earlier this year to sit as an independent is quitting agaln. This time he's doing so in the unlikely gamble of winning a seat as an independent in the upcoming federal election. Drainville spîit with his party in April in pratest over the Rae government's decision on casino gambîing and its reversais on Sunday shopping and public auto insurance. Drainville says ho became bîindfoîded and gagged when 'ho sat as a member of the provincial NDP. What he's hit on in this statement is the root of what's gone wrong with our parîiamentary system. Voters today are more than just cynical. They're disillusioned with the reaîism of traditional party paîitics. k. oers When elected ta public offi!ce, L.Mayb we expect aur politicians ta s writing represent the" majority view of ,ear. their constituents. But the sad S. Little trullu is what tne party brass wants Whîtby il gets, and what you and I as vaters might thir.k rarely mattors. With Drainvile's case, il seems the canfîict ith his party was mare a result of his own personal abjections ta the issues. There certainîy is nio supporting evidence that the majorkty of his constituents ether were consulted or that they agreed with his beliefs. g mn This particular situation raises of botK the question as ta just haw botter Brooklin. off, f at aIl, vaters would be f through represented by an independent 1 nover member. 10110 cal The only guarante. of responsible and representative lOt anld government wilb be the day when Oople in voters gel a direct say in how their ïo have governments are run. ýo date. If Drainville and other à , and reform-minded poîkticians truly are early want ta change the systein, the aur own solution is not in sitting as an independent but in logislative informfed change onshrining taxpayer cm5 that protection. balancod budgets, you mind citizen-iniitd referenda and recall. D. Uitile Ho certainly doserves points for Brookdlfibeing so outspaken on the need for parliamentary retorm. But cashing in his chips before the game is over so ho can move to a new betting table is like dealing a losing hand to Ontario taxpayers. His resignation beaves us wth the unnecessary cost of an expensive by-election and his constituents without a repre- sentative until one is held. As a palitical eite, ho aiso enjoys the privilege of recivna severance alîowance of six=mnh salary. Those entrusted to elected offi!ce are expected ta lead by example. And not unlike marriage, in politics there's a responsibibity and commitment ta stick it out until death or divorce do us part. Drainville's decision to walk out with a golden handshake worth $22,337 jaid for by aur hard-sarne tax dollars shatters that trust. But it's a great way ta finance an election campaigni if you're running as an independent. Cal itR his hidden ace-up-the-sleeve. To 1h. Editor: People of Whitby, i's time ta take action. We no longer can bury aur heads in the sand and allow the politicians and goverfiment ta ride roughshod over us, the People. We no longer can trust the politicians and aur gavernment ta make enlightened decisions when à t cornes ta welness care. They are too preoccupied in trying ta bail themselves out of a f inancial mess which they have been instrumental in creating in the f irst place. Our hospital is on the edge of the chopping block. Do you know that one complote wing has been closed down, a further Wing is ta bephased out of approximately il beds and the emergoncy department will now function between 10 p.m. and 8 am. each day? Al this in the naine of fiscal restraint. Do you think this is a good onough reason.? Think k through. The mare the service is reduced, the overhead and administration then bases its cost- offectiveness. Result: the hospital will close as being economicaily non-viable. At a time when the ranks of people an unemployment and wefare are bursting at.the seains, à doos nqt make sense ta further add ta this catastrophe. Who wiIb eventuaily pay the bibI for unemployment and weltare -- we. the people, through a further series of tax demands? Whitby Genoral Hospital is probably the f inest in the area whon i cornes ta wellness care. Whtby boasts a population of mare than 60.000 people. Can wo afford not ta have aur awn hospital? How do you feel, and not ta mention the inconvenionce you wilb have ta endure, ta have ta take someono in your family, someone you lave ta an emorgency department in Ajax or Oshawa? f you think the waiting periad ta be attended ta now is excessive, just think of how hopeloss it will became. People of Whitby, the timo has corne ta take action. Put your pratosts in the newspapors, gut forward practical suggestions, ut above ail, let's rattle the paliticians' chains and tell thomn enough is enouglu. Wo can save our hospital from a monetary point of view. I don't think any business or household would abj ect ta a f ew extra dollars on aur tax buils, collected by the Town of Whhby, ta go ta the oporating costs 0f aur hospital. We clon't need gavornments of r liticians ta corne up with saine half-bralned schemo which, fram oxperience, only leads us more inta the mire. W. can help ourselves. f thore is a majority consensus among the people of Whitby, make it known, folks, and let's gel the show on the road. Wrein Whitby should take pride that aur hospital has endured an excellent record. We probably have on the team the most qualified of doctors, nursing care personnel and a diligent and cost-conscious administration. Let's not albow Queen's Park ta tel us diff erent. Let's save aur hospktal. Drummond White. take note please. Glynn Culpeper WhItby Enough is enough r à /Àr 01, À7Ã4e. 1 1 "To the editor..,,