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%pagS , Whthy Fr. ,Paus,ýWedn.sday, juIlof10,"0 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whîtby residents! ~I . MEMBER 0F:(. Canadian Community Ontario Community Newspaper Association Newspaper Association ISSN#0844-398X Whitby Whitby Business Oshawa-Durham Home Chamber of Commerce in Action Builders' Association The Whitby Free Press is distnibuted free to 99% of the homes in Whitby, Brooklin, Ashbumn & Myrtie as well as numerçus public and commercial outiets in Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering & Port Perry. 28,500 COPIES DELIVEREED WEEKLY MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE Canada $36 + GSI - Outside Canada $85 +s GSI Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario mc. 900 Hopkins St. /Box 206, Whtby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: .668-611il Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pither - Editor -Donald G. Hinton - Sales Manager Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newspnnt with minimum 20% 41 recycled content using vegetable based inks. to CAil written material, illustrations and advertisîng 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 copyright law. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution should bear a credit line to the W hitby Free P ress. Revive the DBIA To the edltor:- Copy 0f loterlta Mayor Tam Edwards Wo are a group,0f downtawn businesses who- are concerned about aur downtown. W. bolieve dawntawn Whity la a diamond in the rough. Downtown Whitby is mors than just anothor majar Intersection ar rotailVommerclal area ... TliicksonifDundas; RassiandGarden; Thîckson Power Centre), if la the historlc centre of Whity, ln farct, of Durham Region. On that bass alone, -the Town shauld take a special interest ln ifs devekopment. A vibrant, hlstorlc downtown lsa.a key drawlng card ln aMtactlng new residonts, businesses and lndustry ta aur town, as wofl as proVlding a source of services and enjayment ta local rosidents. As downtown businesses, we are eager to work togothor with the Town 0f Whltby ln the fullment of ttus goal The current DBIA board of directors has choson not to lunction and are pressuning Town counicil ta v" otetadsand the DBIA. There wore numerous dîscrepandces and qusstions which arose when the survey ta dlsband the OBIA was conducted, and wifh the closeness 0f the vote, thore is an Indication that many downtown businesses sUi wish ta reain an active DBIA. Howevsr, our hands are tied. we cen noither force the DBIA board 0f diroctors ta act norto rssign. AIl wo can currently do la wait untIl their mandats la up and vote thom out ai office. ln the moantime, as indMvdual merchants and businesses we have worked tagothor to promote the downtown,. and asslst in the organlzlng of ths Wintsr Camlival and the County Tawn Camival for two years. Wo have devsboped a positive synergy -and gaadwlll towards the promoting 0f downtown Whifby (nons 0f the OBIA board members have indMvdualycontributed ta any of these actdm). Vet withaut an active and effectiv DBIA, we feel that we are oaperating wifh on. hand lied behlnd our bàck. A business.,,.Improvgment association, la ýan -Important toaol in warklng towards a collective business Improvemnent. That Is what aur OBIA should be doîng. Lot if be known that there are people who, through their active involvoment over the past couple 0f years, have provon a commitment ta this end. KI if wll take a restructurlng of the DBLA Io bring abaut ifs revival, thonft should b. dons as soan as feasibly possible. Beth ILlchiental Baby Shack - Kids Space anbd 20 other downtown merchants Community generosity appreciated To the edîtor: .On behaiffof the thausands of Canarlians touched by kldney disease, I woubd 1ke to thank the Whltby Fre. Press for continued support in publicdzing aur annual March Drive campaign. Over the month of March, 215 voluntsers canvassed homes, businesses and associations, organized tag days, held speclal avents and vohjnteered their services to maise funds for the Kldney Foundation of Canada. Thanks ta their hard work and the gsneraslty ai the Whifby communify, over $17.000 was ralsed, making aur Mardi Drive a success once again. SThe March Drive campalgn la the Kldnoy Faundation's most important national fundralslng Initiative, ralsing millions of dollars each yoar ta fund aur vital work. Vour cooperation in promoting aur message contributed immensoly ta aur succoss by supporting the efforts 0f aur canvassers In the Whifby community. Thanks to you, the Klidney Foundation ai Canada can continue ta lund medical research and provide services ta kidnsy patients and their familles across the country. Diane Truyenu 199 March Drive chair "fSo... who' up for a wedding?" Losing patience By Paul Pagnuelo A ilews report, publlshed ln May, quated a senior govemmenit offidal as sayng that the Harrns govemment plans to reduce the number of Ontario municdpalities from 840 to fewer than 350. The report also sald thae if some cost-consclous senior cabinet ministers have their way, the number of loal counails loft after the dust sottles may bo fewer than 200. This same report also dlaims that *Queen's Park plans to take over the full cost and control of education, now funded jolntly by both municipal property taxes and the province. In essence, this would miean that the Pink Palace in Toronto wouId take over the dally administratiôn of al sohools in the province, leadlng to the abolition of Most of the bocally elocted school boardis.' Taxpayem Who arecoencernod about the high cost of education are flot a bunch of mlndless penny pînchers. Most are only too weil aware that qualty cornes wlth a pÈice. But without quaity one has nothing, rsgardloss of the cos. Empty bromides about Ontarlo's sohools providing affordable qualty, education are not enough. The harh tth lsthetOntario has one of the hlghest per-pupil cosi, klowest quality school systems ln the wrld. IVas clear that Ontartos oducation system la long overdue for a complote top-ta-bottom shakeup. One of Educallon Mnlster John Snabelen's declarsd objectives is ta reduce costs by ellmlnailng a lot of administration, romoving fundlng from the responsibirities of the boards, and Installlng sohool councals. And so, ln a couple of years, we. may have school boards - ifany are bit - with Mei to manage. With funciing having been taken over by Quoen's Park, curriculum being provlded by some unknown gonkjses in the Mowatt Block, testing and evaluation being carrned -out by an Independent agency, and school gavernanco belng handled by school councils, what's Ieft for the boards? There are a number of areas, such as buslng, purchaslng, printing, vehiclo and facility maintenance and office services, whers school boards and munkcialties can work together to save money and maise the qualty of the services which they clelver. School board trustees should set measurable objectives for lmproved qualty and reduced cost. There are world-class consultants here ln Ontado Who can assist themi by facilitating a cost and quality imprOvement drive. Trustees need the oulside vlew, the numbers' person, Who can help them, ldently the savings from reduced àebt Service charges to high-tech Course materlal deluve<y. They won% be educadon exerts, and ltrs better that theyre not. Now knowing somethlng cant be dons le a big hslp ln doîng if. Trustees should aiso tum to the private sector as a resource, using competitve oentractlng for the 'kInd of experise, flexlbllty and cost effidendles that often* are not available- wifh In-house service provision. Properly deslgned and monltord, contacts between school boards and primae service providers can hesp them do more wth less, while iocuslng on their core responslbiRty - educating students. The qestin lswhwil anythlng, schýl bard ruseesare dolng ta realiz on these possibilities and to, achieve meai hard dollar savlngs. ln deallng wth the spending cuiss, It's Coming up roses To the edItor: We woubd 1ke ta* thank everyone who Ilndly donated many beautiful Rfems ln response ta our newspaper rsquest for nsw baby Items ta be used ln stater kits for new moms, an angalng need af ours. As always, we are nevor dlsappolntsd wth the generous response of aur community. Rose of Durham Oshawa not the effort that counits, rs the resuifs. Taxpayers and the provincial govemment are loslng patience. 9 trustees want 1» prove that aur public school boards are worth keeplng, savlng' money wlthout Increaslng taxes or compromising services has got Io bet#Mirtop, immediate priority. Paul Pajnueb là a memrber of the Ontario Taxpayers FedertIon. Stand Up for Whutby To the edltor: Re: Oshawa supports amalgamation, Free Pross, July 3. Congratulations ta Tom Edwards for standing up for Whitby. W. WhIfby-ites dont want amalgamation wtth Oshawa - just ask us. I can agres wfth belng willng to share some services if if helps ta bower costs, but I suspect R if l be Oshawas costs, not Whifby's that wlll be bowered. We are not lnterested ln becomlng. Oshby or Whitawa. In spite of what Jim Potticary and. Brian NichoLson wouki Ike, please keep aur Whltby borders Inviolate and aur own council ln charge of aur own dsstlny and accountable to aur, own t-'xpayers. RIta Cane Whftby By John OToolo On JuIy 15, the Ontario Drug Beneft program WlU see changes. Ali senior dltizens are automatldcally entitled to drug benefits Uf they are over age 65, Ove ln Ontario and have a valid heahth card., The changes MiI require a co-payment. Uf your Income Is kes than $1 6.018, you wlll now pay $2 per prescription. If your Incarne Is over $16,018, you MuI pay $100 per year plus the dlspenslng fee of $6.1 1. . 1I9 you have a retirement drug plan, you should check with your company. Long-term Care residents wAlllpay only the $2 co-payment for each prescription. These changes wI alow Ontario to extend drug benefht coverage ta an addltional 144,000 of Ontarlo's Worklng poar. Overithe next whibe, we must examine the number of prescriptions and the process could perhaps be changed sa those on lfe-long medîcation» can have thor dispenslng quantities extended. With the lncreaslng costs and use of drugs, this hs become one, 0f the fastest grawth areas of health costs. >John O'Toole is MPP for Durham East dding that includes Whltby' noth of Taunon Road To rea.ch Ns onstituency office, cati, 1-800-661 - 2433.