'CM rPSyd@ Nfillif fPrehsWedNesday'?AugUst10r1994 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents! MEMBER OF: ONTARIO CANADIAN COMMUNITYA COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER ATNEWSPAPER ASCATIONASSOCIATION r: U CANADIAN CIRCULATIONS CNA DIVISION AUDIT BOARD ISSN#0844-398X 26,500 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Inc. Box 206, 131 Brock St. N., Whitby, Ontario L1N 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Out of town: 1-800-668-0322 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pifher - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20% recycled content using vegetable based inks. © All written material, illustrations and advertising contained herein ls protected by copyright. Any reproduction by any means for commercial purposes without the express permission of the newspaper is prohibited and is a violation of Canadian copyright law. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution should bear a credit line to the Whitby Free Press. To the editor... Tumn off the whistles To the editor: Re: 'We like train whistles' I understand the historical significance of the Canadian railways. I can relate to travel by train. (l've done my share). I love Lightfoot and his 'Railroad Trilogy.' But when Iifind myself wandering around a store looking for ear plugs, hey, that's where it stops. Sorry, but sleep is important to this apartment dweller beside the tracks. Susan Oliver Whitby Parole rules strengthened By Dan McTeague As part of the Liberal Party's election commitment to public safety, the federal government tabled legislation in June to reform Canada's corrections and parole system. The reforms are intended, in part, to deal more effectively with convicted sex offenders who victimize children. They would make it easier for the National Parole Board to keep convicted sex offenders in prison until the end of their sentences. New measures would also be implemented to strengthen existing treatment and rehabilitation programs for sex offenders. The reforms add to the list of offences where convicted offenders can be imprisoned until the end of their sentences. These include serious drinking and driving offences, criminal negligence resulting in bodily harm and death, criminal harassment (stalking) and conspiracy to commit serious drug offences. To increase the accountability of members of the National Parole Board, the legislation proposes a formal mechanism for removal or discipline of board members if they do not meet acceptable standards. To assist board members in performing their duties, increased training will be provided in risk assessment and management of high-risk sex and violent offenders. The reforms also broaden the authority of Correctional Service Canada to collect payments from convicted offenders to offset room and board costs. Another amendment would automatically return to custody offenders who commit another crime while on parole. Amazingly, this is not always the case in the present system. Another measure would ensure an offender serves at least one-third of a new consecutive sentence before again being eligible for parole. These proposals are a part of the government's reform of Canada's justice system. Amendments to the Young Offenders Act, the sentencing system and the Criminal Code have already been introduced. A Crime Prevention Council has also been established. additional measures are pending on gun control along with the -restoration of the Law Reform Commission and Court Challenges Program. A federal-provincial-territorial task force is currently studying the issues surrounding high-risk violent criminals, including long-term detention for inmates who have completed their original sentence, and will make recommendations to the government on ways to further improve public safety. On Aug. 10, I will host a Town meeting on justice issues. The meeting will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Whitby Town council chambers, 575 Rossland Rd. E. I encourage constituents of Ontario riding to attend this meeting and discuss these and other measures introduced by the federal government to make our streets and communities safer. Dan McTeague is MP for Ontario riding which includes the area of Whitby below Taunton Road. To reach his constituency office,;cali 905-427-6203. To the editor: The latest caper for Whitby councillors is to attend the Association of Municipalities of Ontario convention at the Royal York Hotel Aug. 21 to 23. Six out of eight Whitby councillors plan to attend the shindig. While there, they will attend a baseball game (among other pleasures). tt's somewhat reminiscent of the controversial Belleville trip to sort out the budget in March of 1992. Only three of 32 regional councillors will attend or (not counting mayor Tom Edwards and councillor Marcel Brunelle who will be among those from Whitby). The City of Oshawa, with about twice the population of Whitby, donsiders two people to be suff icient to bring back ail necessary information from the meeting. Six from Whitby? Records obtained from the Whitby Treasurer reveal that east ward councillor Dennis Fox somehow spent $1,240.05 the last time he attended the AMO party in 1992. That's $413 a day of taxpayers' money. Ail of this follows the big bash put on by council under the guise of some ridiculous thing called Twinning (with Longueuil, Que.). That irresponsible blank cheque cost the taxpayers of Whitby almost $22,000. And, as comedian Red Buttons used to say ... "they didn't even get a dinner." Figures for the 1994 junket to Longueuil for Whitby politicians, their friends and relatives were not available for this writing. People care To the editor: In this day and age, it is comforting to know that in time of tragedy, people still care. On Tuesday evening, July 26, we lost our six-month old dog in a car accident at the corner of Burns and King streets, Whitby. Our two dogs are never allowed to run loose -- it was a case of a puppy playing follow-the-leader through an unknown hole in our fence. Our family would like to say thank you to aIl the people who stopped at the scene to offer their assistance. In addition, special thanks to the kind lady who stopped and stayed to comfort our pup, to the driver of the Ramnor Gas cube van who offered to take her to the clinic and to the two teenaged girls who stayed and then came back later that evening to ask how she was. Thank you, once again, to everyone. The Porter Famlly Whitby Not only at this time, when taxpayers are furious at the rate of taxation, but at any time, this kind of mismanagement of tax dollars To the editor: (Re: 'MPP accuses foes of politicizing hospital issue,'Free Press, July 27) I was amazed at the accusations by Drummond White that my attendance at the Town-sponsored meeting to hear from the leaders of community groups was politicizing the Whitby General Hospital issue. Mr. White tried to justify his absence by saying if I had been invited I would have beeh pleased to attend" (Drummond, you should have been there), and going on the offensive to criticize my attendance. As a candidate in the next provincial election, I believe that it is imperative for Durham Centre's MPP to forcefully and To the editor: I wrote a letter to David Suzuki concerning the development beside Lynde Shores. I was extremely happy to receive a handwritten reply from him. The only solution - he could suggest was to educate the public. So we elect politicians with different environmental values than they have now. He said that, otherwise, even if we win this one, we won't be any further to changing the way we live. This is because with the same To the editor: From the first moment that I thought of holding a bake and yard sale in town to raise money for the Rwandan relief effort, I knew it would be a huge success. I never doubted for a moment that it would not succeed. On the few occasions that I was allowed to step out on the street on Friday, July 29, I was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people who turned out to support this event. May I take this opportunity to by local politicians unacceptable. is totally Jim Priest Whitby knowledgeably relay the views of this constituency to the government before a decision is made. To that end it is necessary to listen to those views ... (I was also at the public meetings of the acute care steering committee). As Mr. White is well aware, at some paint the provincial minister of health will have to make the final pronouncement on the fate of Whitby General Hospital. If Drummond White'sexample as it pertains to the GO train is the norm, then I have to assume that he will wait until. the Whitby General Hospitl's acute care services are gon before he starts a petition to reiniate. You have a critical role to play now, Drummond. Get on with itl Allan Furlong Oshawa politicians, poor environmental decisions will continue to be made. David Suzuki was sad to say that he gets dozens of these letters every year and that the Lynde Shores story broke his heart. We must not let this issue die, or our future will suffer. I'd like to hope that Lynde Shores will be here for generations to come for my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Claire Bramma Age 15 Whitby thank the hundreds of people who baked, the hundreds of people who contributed yard sale items, and the thousands of people who kindly bought and contributed to the fund. Your generosity is so much appreciated and I am happy to announce that we contributed $5,021.72 to the Red Cross, and I am still receiving contributions to the f und. Thank you, again. Sincerely Pamela Palmer Ashburn The Whitby Free Press welcomes letters to the editor on any subject of concern to our readers. Letters should be brief and to the pdint - rarely more than 300 words. All letters must be accompanied by the, name, address and telephone number of the writer. However, on request, your name may be withheld from publication if we agree there is a vahd'reason. The newspaper reserves the right to reject or edit all letters. Send to: The Editor, Whitby Free Press, Box 206, Whitby, Ont. LN 5S1, or drop through our mail slot at 131 Brock St. N. 1 ote e*'to., 1. Whitby politicians party on MPP under attack Suzuki responds to plea Sale benefits Rwandans