Page 6, Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, November 27,1996 The on/y Newspaper owned and operated by Whftby residents for Whitby residents! E :A MEMBER F: Me Canadian Community Ontaria Community Newspaper Association Newspaper Association Wllhitby Whitby Business Oshawa-Durham Home Chamber o! ommerce in Action Builders* Association The Whitby Free Press is distributed free to 99% of the homes in Whitby, Brooklin, Ashbum & Myrtle as well as numerous public and commercial oulets in Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering & Port Pery. 28,00 OPIS ELIVERED WEEKLy rî MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE Canada $36 + GST - Outside Canada $85 + GST ISSN#0844.3g8X Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario IiC. 900 Hopkins St. /Box 2Q6, Whitby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pifher - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Pninted on newsprint with minimum 20% #W recycled content using vegetable based inks. . SAtt written material, illustrations and advertising contained herein is protecteri by copyright. Any reproduction by any means for commercial purposes wthout the express permission ot the newspaper ls prohîbîîed and is a violation of Canadian copyright taw. Reproduction tor non-commerciat distnibution sfloutd bear a credit fie ta the Whitby Free Press. Io 'Busnessas sual.r in jail? Tro the editor: Re: Article, 'Hold-up spree continues,' Freg press, Nov. 20 Durham Regional Police Staff Sergeant Sandy Ryrle says lie cannot understand or explain the reason for the rise ln robberies this year. Maybe we don't keep these robbers iocked Up long enough. 1 know, Sandy, you don't make the rules or set the sentence that these people get if they're caught or apDrehended. But as you say, there were 13 k.ast year. That doesn't mean much if you don't keep these criminals ln Jail past the next day or so, and what kind of sentences are handed out by the courts? This là the problem wvith our courts (judges). Out of the 13 cases Las year, how many were cauglit and turned loose to continue their ways this year. Or what perCentages of these criminals, are actually ln jal today, or dld they actually see prison? Gordon Kerr Whtby Outages due to reconfiguration Tro the editor: As open letter to the Minister of Education and Training Parents, students, ratapayers and educators across Ontario are besiegad bv rumours and innuendo. What will be the Impact on students? Whio wilI be hled accountable for the quaUfty of education? Will thare be enougli funding? From where wAi lt come? How- will students benefit? CrIsis has indeed grlppad the educational community - a criais of confidence. In the absence of vision, oniy guesswork and worry rule the iandscapa Mr. Mînister, is this wliat you intanded to spur improvements ln learning-for Ontario's public school chldren? As the eiected municipal leaders wlio are directl accountable for the quality and cost of public education, we have grave concerns. Please, Mr. Ministar, ensure that any changes to public education: To the edItor: Re: Durham prôbiams Raglan tex Durham Ragianal Police must cut 80 people. That's the affect 0of a $4.2-million funding reduction ta maintain a proparty tex freaza. Haven't wa heard that story befara? About the sae time last year?. And again we have Jim Witty, the unalected Durham chair, teiling Jim Witty, appointed ta the police services board, that other people must be fired to maintain the budget. Lttie la said of the cost to other departments that wil get a reported reduction ln funding of $6 million, and more cuts. Comblned, the raductions total $10.2" million ta offset an expected reduction of grants from the province of $8 million. Why do the numbers not equal a'improve student ahievement, fl rst and foremost; *Put ail money raisad locally to use in local community schools; 'recognize that public schools have the mandate ta serve ail students; *,strangtlien access and accountabîîity ta parents and taxpayers; 'reinforce the need for shared services and cooperation among ail community partners. Quality doas exist inc public sdliools; so too doec quest for continuo improvement. We choolc liowever, ta build from c strengths. We want to wc together ta create a comm( vision and we believe th parents, students, teadlie and ratepayers shouid have voice in educational chang, Education is everyone business. Chairs of the public board of education, Greate Toronto Are, our sa »j< Fy Initiai concerns regardi nç on this matter started wlth a lette, lat 1 read in the Whltby Free Press rs in July. Nat belng awara of any )a announcement by the Ontario e. government regerding the ?- proposed changes ta aur prapertytaxes, I caiied aur sq MPP, Jim Flaherty, ta express er my concerns. Ha was not aavailable ta talk wlth me as lie was on vacation and lis staff ware not at that tUme tatally up ta data an the mattar, so 1 called Allan Williams, assistant ta Premier Harris. Ha advised me that a brochure lied been preared ta expiain the proposais undar 9considaration by the governmant and thet t was avaiiabia from the assessment -commissioner for Durham. The commissionar was on vacation 50 i spoke with Mort Slmington, acting assessmant commîssioner, who advised me that ha wes not awaeaof any sud brochure altliouglh tq couid be en route and his 1 office liad not, et thet time,% received any sudh brochure. 1 i have neye r raceived nor sean j any materiai ragarding thisE matter from my gavarnment. fi In talking witli Mr. Wiliiams. d and with variaus assistants ta e Mr. Flaherty; I was assured that k thare wes nothing ta be kc concerned about as -the a government lad no plans for ci an army of assessmant officers a] ta descend upon the goad citizens of Whitby, and that gt most certainly the private th sector wes not going ta be gt involved In the assessment mi the, sema? The raglan it grawing. Thare are two dlear points sean in ail this paliticai self. service: *Peaple M411 ba hurt aither way, ta achieva a paUitical end. 'Politiciens cannot manage the Ragion's operatian witliout thraatening service cuts or tex increaes ta residents. Thay won't Ive within means, ours or theirs. We naed goad managers, not PoUiticians. It cen oniy be our fauit. As taxpayers, we eiectad mast of tham. Perhaps naxt elaction we shouid check for business competence instaad 0f dherisma. Or aise we couid request AI Leach, Minister of Municipal Affaire, to create a Working single levaI governiment, for Durhiam Ragion. Ether way we win. Don Young Ajax Re: Letter, 'Outages continue,, Free Press, Nov. 20 Thank you to Mr. Woiff for his letter concerning the power interruptions lie has been recently eXperienclng. There have been a number of Outages in lis area since October and 1 share the frustration t lias caused lie and lis neiglibours. Many of tlie Interruptions recently affecting his area are reiaed to extensive work being carried out on Micliael Bo0ulevard-to reconfigure tlie elect-ricai system and bring it Up to date. During this type of construction, our priority is the protection of our Une crews and the publc. For this reason, lie protection is put in place so that any fauit' on the Une deactivates the main feeder, preventing a potentially nazardous situation for our warkers. Line faults-occurring when this essential Une protection is In place cause an outage to be more wlidespread, increasing the frequency of interruptions for each customer. In about Lack of consultation on AVA Michael vwiii be Ot her projects.in progress to help improve dependablity of power are the construction of a new substation at Tliickson and Columbus roads, infrared studies to identify areas 0f weakness in the system, as weil as new distribution Uines aiong Hopkins, Victoria, Burns and Brock streets. These Projects will heip reinforce the electrical system throughout the town and ail have been a To: Ate ed leitor: men prOcess. An aggressive private sector assessment officer paic on the basis on liaw much ta> tliey can axtract from a 9.omowner, is not a good r tnor about Ju.y 31, i receiveci a responise(trom Mr. Fiaherty regarding my letter(s) Dta him in July. 1 liad axpressed rstrong concern regarding the rImpact Of these tax changes on aur senior aitizens and the potantiai for them to lasa thair homes bacause they may not be able ta pay the new taxes. 1 indicated that thase peaple wlio fouglit two MAorld wars for aur freedom and strugglad througli some of the toughest ecanomîc times in our history, have most certainîy paid their "fair shara." To suggest that they have not, by uslng this "buzz- Word" to Increase taxes, is not a goad thlng. Graduaiy incraasî taxes over a short or long term and thereby making it impossible for people to keep1 their home, Is not fair. 1 have strang reservations about the lack of public c consultation on these new( proposed property taxes. 1 amn È vary concerned about My V rights as a citizen when thîs s >roposed army of tax i assessment officers start E ilexlng their muscles and vi demancj continuous entry to fe vety part of mylhome. 1do ~nom :now my rights and have no, I' dea of what the criteria for. N ssessment wil be so that i hii an keep my taxes to an cc ibsolute minimum. 1 amn very concernied thatmy 0f loverniment had told me thapr ýe private secor was not even mi'% jong lte consldered In this fin iatteri and Vat Paul Pagnuelo -wa of the Ontario Taxpayers' Association says (Whltby Free Press, Nov. 13) they have' been- approached and encouraged to paricipate but have refusad. Mr. Pagnuebo seems to have accss to information that our elacted rapresentativa are not sharfng with us. He also seems to have some better ideas than botli Our elected reprasantativas and the CrOmbi sFore Thena e To the editor: Re: Latter, lt's stili porno,' Free Press, Nov. 13 1 reaUize this saams ta be aimost a sarialization or novaila, but it is Important the issues that appiy be addrassad ,as opposed to simple rhetoric. 1 wlll give to the dictionary definltion thet Opornogrephy: (is) the depiction of aratic >ehaviour <as ln pidtures or vnrting) intended to cause 3exual excitement.- The point, aera is the Word "lntended." lut what if it doesn't? And what can be said about the ashlon Industry, or for that natter, atletic or sWimwear? rn not sure if the writar of this lov. 13 issue latter is not imseif stereotyping regarding c>mmants on sax. 1 arn takan to task because f raferences * to -A& E mogramming, ln particular an vestlgative ý report of, F81 idings ln sex.crimes. Itoo ttched that program: These projects as weli as future pianned work Wlli eip Improve system reliablity. Unfortunateîy, any Improvements to the system require extensive labour and money and must be carrled out over extended periods of timne. With the IJpgrades that have been made this year and those planned for the future, Mr. Wolff' YWII-notice an Impravement ln the reflability of power to his home. Don MacMaster Chair Whltby Hydro just not listening. Why? 1.s ha right that the bureaucrats are ramming this tlirough and that aur elected representatives are blinded ta any other aternatives and f so, why? t is time ta wake Up and esk some painted questions before this AVA becomnes a done deal. David Barber Whitby Manson was into Power and drugs; Daimer was homosexuai1 with cannabeîism: Gacy lad chldren ln the main; Son 0f Sam and Albert Disalvo primarily enjoyed the klllng and not Playboy magazine. As for a Young man antering puberty, - using porn as a iearnlng tool - i shown ln a reaiistic. liglit, inciuding 'how many sea it as negatve, and $0 proclaimed - i do nat sea this as so terrible. The Indication that porn leeds ta rape is so far:out o'f Une as ta be ludicrous. 9f Young, sensuel bodies or nudity were the. cornerstone of rapa or sexuai assaut, -why tlian are rapa victims 80-year-, oid w'omen or lO-month-oîd babies? Thare is no corralation. Rape is -violence, not sex. And if males have somehow mlssed their control- of-self gene, then they need training, not the, females. - Carl Clark Oshswa Acrisis Politicai self-service .1 1 "Business as usual ..0 1 lro the editor: cOmplete and notice an service. To the edit'or: a a m . -