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Page 6. Whltby Free Prsa, Wodnesday, Januazy 31, 1996 ~~à ww The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby residenits for Whitby residents! MEMBER 0F: CANADIAN ONTARIO COMMUNITY VRFI COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATIONASO IT N ISSN#0844-398X ASCITO The Whitby Free Press Is distributed free to 99% of the homes in Whitby, Brooklin, Ashbumn & Myrtie as well as numerous public and commercial putiets in Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering &, Port Perry. J28,000 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABL E Canada $36 + GST - Outside Canada $85 -+ GSI Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Imc. 900 Hopkins St. /Box 2069 Whitby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-611il Out of town: 1-800-668-0322 Fax:* 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publisher. Maurice Pither, - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20% recycled content using vegetable based inks. cAil written material, illustrations and advertising contained herein is 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 copyrigh law. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution should bear a credit line to the Whitby Free Press. To he ditr.. Viepon Golden mistake By Paul Pagnuelo The Harris government WUD be makng a'golden' mîstake f Ik aocepts the GTA task forces recommendatlons for actual value assessment -and -a single reglonal goverment for the Greater Toronto aiea. That's not to, say that there's na need ta reform rmunicipal govemment structures and pmoperty taxation throughout Ontario. Major reform Is long --overdue 'and necessauy. But in overhaulng the system, le«a make sure w. get the rlght fix lnstead of making an already baS situaton -even worse. The task fiorce's recorn- Keep Cathollo JK To the edftor: k has corne to oui attention that the Durham separate chool board Is consldertng cancelllng the junior kîndeigarten piagram as a way to meet ts ieduced budget. Atter conversations wtth several of the trustees, Rtapears that unlesa they recelvea large amount of support foi the program (bath wrtten and verbal, by telephone), It WHNnat be oninud.This would be a great lastaoOui childien, as h has been shown that early schoolIng accelerates a chlld's leamlng and enhanc'es social development. Unlike the publie achool system, that has only recently begun to set up a junior kindeigarten piogram, junior kindergarten has been runnlng suoessfubl n the separate board for a great- many years. As such, the- fadiules and progiama for ht alresy exiat, classrooms are fully equlped and the juniors share busing wlth the seniors, so h wuld seem there are no savinga ta b. made ln thîs aiea. Wlth t he pîaposed elîmînation 0f Grade 13, it becomes even more Imperative that oui childien recelve this Important year of early educatian. We appreclate that money Is ln llmited supply, but surety there must b. other places where savinga could be. made ln non- classroom areas. Trustees can b.coentacted, or Tom Oldman (668-4104 or Matt SImmons 576-8539) ta Infoim themn of support for Junior kindergarten. Jane Canavan Parent Advlsory Conmmltee St. John the. Evangellst School, Whltby Article biased To the edtor: Statemont by HosphaL Whitby General Whitby General Hospital (WGA), ~ nalionally recognîzed for ha qualty prag organizoion and patient care, wShes whkc ta correct a misconceptian created wfth ocy an apparentl blased article ln the part Jan. 24 edition of the WhltyFis Hei PrensVan. 31 meetngabu îp hoapital servces*TI The article, wrtton withaut a byline rang and wthout the knawledgeo0f the rehâ hosphtal, suggests ta readers that 0& patiE plan" put forwai.d by a communhty sust group lsan altematve ta h erohabiltaion-only faclhty that wauld cont offer no acAs cars or omergency appi services. bey The uplanu put forward la not an mou alternative Io any p mramn for the misE hospWItl, su-"nomre le npý lE ms any InVolvement Iln Step down To the. edîtor: Over the past Nie years, Ontario Hydro bas kept the power rate ai a zero Increase and even ieduced ha rate ta rural custamors. At the prosontation ta the Macdanald Commission whlch ia loolclng Into pivatizatian, ht was Tapayers. won t forget To the. edltor: Copy of later ta Durhami Board of Educatian trustees Deai Trustees: la. Il Andler mIlffonc nAiLr i millont AIGHsÏ board of dîrectors voted W . rilrously, Includîng Save Oui back, neiaî Hospital supporters Gerry m, Shirley Scott, Peauurlhf and .k Hutchînsan, ai the Oct. 25, col 95 board meeting, ta support a rnvi gram descriptions document, servng Ih lsa aframework for discussionsefctv hather health car. providors as Tha rt f the Durham Regian District ta malt dlth Caundîls cacute care lIementation planning process. Cthe fa he hospital document colla for a ere ie of I-patient and aut-pallent aimce lu aÊiltabion servies, a range of out- servea lnt acute caro, and, YIf ool taInable, 24-haur urgent caro. Fund tla regrettable that an article extiavaý itaining misinformaltion would the boa >eai eit this time which goes Trauntai fond meiely InforMîng corParate new se nmbera 0f a meeting, but through Andrs staement can only Inflane an not b. 1 mdy sensitive situation. Duraf Marc K.aI.y dollais, *Vice prsIldenitcommunlty relation & d.v.bopm.nt ttrue that the unnamed un schol la funded wtth $3.6 0f oui local money and $2.3 Of ravial money -, $5.9 could tum the hand 0f Ulie 1 would suggest gMvng the id ndack and spreadîng . 6 nW among sevorai s for much ne.ded dons and additions, thus joui community ln a far more re way. whool board should b. trylng w al achooila as attractive ta riMes they serve as Pringle Pubic SchoL. The achool has 1Raelf a superlor roputation tsopening ln 1987 and could as a standJard. by whîch al sshould strlve ta achieve. la b.Ing ,wasted on kgant offIce baiklnga such as ard of education btildîng on in Road and undorpopulated ýhola such as the unnamed ;on school are Issues that wII forgtte bythe toxpayers 0f m. eban value for oui no rs9g. . Parent and taxpaya statd tihet by stayng publcly owned, Ontario Hydro would b. able ta keep rate Increases ta zero and aven reduce Industral rates by 20 per cent ta the year 2005. At the sarne ime, Hydros debt would b. reduced and rellable, sale service malntalned. Would a prlvaoly owned, profit-, drlven hydro company b. able ta offer the sanie ta the people 0f Ontario? Even our own prlvte-styled Whltby Hydro cannot offer that for 1996, lot alone ta the year 2005. Maybe Irea"lime for' the mismanagement of WhItby Hydro ta stop down and make way for someone who can give the custorner what we want - a zero-ride Incroase and zero power cuts. WiII Luchford Whltby Priorities? To the editor: I satI and watched a ioomfuî of junior kindoigarton teacheis lose their jobs Jan. 22.- Despito *the crowded cliambeissat the muli-rniIIon-dollar board offic, the Durham Board of Education cut the JK program due ta budget cuts. While our faur-year-olds bast thoir education, the. board continues ta support the building 0f a $5-milHon schaal In Whltby ln aider to brlng the mocllfled school year calendar Into Durham Reglan. This acholle b.ing buift ln a maturlng aiea already choked wth schools, and boundarles aie beîng changed ln ëalidrta fill the échool ta has 450-student capaclty. 1 arn suie alithe unernplayed junior kindergarten teacheis and disappolnted parents wIlI b. wondorlng just Mhore their board's. priantdesle. mendations, run contrary to the International trend ln pubic opinion andthe onrsistér0imessgewe'va been héardng from, Ontario homeowners and businesses. SReforrn must resait I n. sraller gowernent , fot a smaller number of govemments as Anne Golden, chair of the t.I< forc, has reconimencled. Tb he r rzainby the Golden task force thats a new GTA reglonal govemment wuid mean lma govorrnmont bcause Rtreplaces the area's liv. regional govemments la ridiculous. The 'proposed GTA reglonal government wIU clhjte democratia controI of _orement by citizens, lncrase he ower0ftspodial Interests,.and provide economiles of scale ln public sector unions. A GTA govemment vwIb.amre costly, lecng to hlgher taxes. And ht wIII Maiwd serice qaiy make the OTA Iess Copetwead wlstifle Innovation Raierihan reglonal consolIdation, the province should elmrinate the upper lier -level, 0f municipal govemment _'altogether, and repatriate responslbllules to bla municipal coundils and the province. The trend ln goomment globallyl toward docentralizamo, not consolidatIon.' London and Copenhagen have dismantied their regional governments, and reglonal govmment 19 the exception rather than the nile In the developed world.. Aiso fawed bs the task foes proposed that pîmperty taxes b. eermlned uslng a system that Market value lsaUasfahpoint with taxpayerabecause a. R bcosty dl9rknlateyregressive and unfair.. Market vailue no reflection 0of the ally of ao me neor businesseto p or the amount 0f services used. Hrswants to save big bucica and at the sanie lime bdIng ln a new system that be easy to understand, easy to administer, fairly distributed, transparent and more closely relaied to the cost 0f services used by each property and clame, what the province should b. movinglto lthe unit asseasment system- based. on squarefootage of the building anîd lot size. Different mnIN rates would b. PremIder Harris and lW&nicipaI Affaira IMInister AI Leach PwhU b. Ignorlng the demands of provincial tapy= for less govmment and- taxalnes I the govemment moves ahead with the recommendations of' the Golden task force. The roue the province should b. taklng la clear. The decision the govemment must make la whether ht listens to txpayers or the Golden task force and other advocates of , ger and more costly goverfment. 7- 7- To the editor...