The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

WHITBY FREE PRESSe WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 16,1989, PAGE 13 WHITBY FREE PRESS A BUSINESS UPDATE INFORMATION FEATURE 4 .- '.-. h. ;% DONIKPAGE. owner of Horizon Computers. Covering all the computer bases By Trudie Zavadovics Horizon Computers has com- puter specialists who have all their bases covered with expert- ise. Owner Don LePage has wor- ked from his Whitby location at 128 Dundas St. W. since January '88 but has been in the computer business since 1983. "I worked as a consultant before going into retail," says LePage. "We are innovators in the com- puter industry and try to stay ahead of the game," says LePage. "We satisfy the needs of our customers instead of just trying to sell them something. "We listen to them, define their needs and then select the product best for them. 'We feel that we are leaders in the computer industry in Dur- ham Region," says LePage. "We can provide the complete net- work solution to corporations and in-users. We are service-, support- and sales-oriented." Horizon Computers has factory trained service representatives for Zenith and authorized net- work dealers for Novell and 3Com. "We also have our own product line of computers," says LePage. "We have integrated and chosen the best components into our (Horizon) computers." "We are hardware specialists and can fill any need in the mierncomputer line and arc al o software acco-unt specialists," says LePage. «We're even getting to the point of connectivities to minis and mainframes with micro-computers." "We have entered into a part- nership agreement and have developed a package called Med Help.It has been approved by OHIP and allows hysicians' offices to submit OHIP caims on computer disk. It also looks after the scheduling of patients' and insurance claims." Horizon Computers branch out from the computer line and sell a Fujitsu communications line in- cluding "the best cellular phones that exist today," and facsimile machines. NEWS Mixed reaction to loonie By Trudie Zavadovies July 1 not only . marked Canada's 122nd birthday, but officially marked the end,-of the traditional Canadian dollar bill and welcomed the 'loonie,' a not so small, brassy coin that carries more weight than ità predeces- sor. Canadians are accepting them, but they don't necessarilylike it. Banks seem to be the loonie's bi ggest fans. Scott McKibbon, assistant branch manager for the Toronto- Dominion Bank in downtown Whitby, knew they were coming for a long time. "We're not experiencing any problems. By and large, theyre being accepted although they're heavier than the dollar bill." The Bank of Montreal reports that theyre easier to handle because they don't tear although they have the odd customer that doesn't like them because of the weight and the bulk. Comments from the National Bank of Canada show customers are more and more accepting the loonie as time goes on. Reports from the business sec- tor are not necessarily as favor- able. "No one's happy with the poor little loonie," says Pamela Pad- den, an employee with Woolco. "I haven't heard anyone say that they really like them. They're too heavy, they take up too much room in purses and pants and they're not adaptable to most coin boxes." Lori March, mérchandise manager with Shoppers Drug Mart in Whitby is also critical. "They're terrible to handle and customers aren't too impressed with them. For bankir« they have to be rolled instealof fol- ded and they have to be taped because the rolling paper is not big enough." bI always think I'm getting the wrong change.," says Whitby shopper Sandra McLellan. 'I wish that the government would take the penny out of circulation because there's far too much change with these dollars. "I'm collecting them," says a local Whitby resident. "In two weeks I've collected $20. I'm sav- ingythem for my wedding next to buy something signifi- cant although I don't quite think of them as money yet.» Another Whitby resident simply said, "I wish they'd throw them in the garbage." But the transition is being made. Currency is currency, and no matter which way you toss the coin, the loonie is here to stay. ' WOW'ing them in the workforce By Trudie Zavadovices Eight Whitby students are richer in pocket and experience as they wind up the five-week WOW program through Durham Youth Employment Services. "WOW (work orientation work- shops) conibines job experience with in-class workshops," says program coordinator Shalene Hill. "It's funded by the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission and is delivered by the Durham Youth Employment Services in cooperation with the Durham Board of Education." Students aged 14 to 16 are interviewed for the program which places them each in a job for a five-week period. "I was. looking for students who were interested in the qinq áhw dsijtMI, i it through',_sys I went to Anderson, Henry Street, Harwood (high schools), West Lynde and E.A. Fairman (public schools) and presented the program at the beginning of June. I interviewed 40 students and selected 10." Hill then contacted prospective employers and tried to match students up with jobs that reflec- ted their interests. Cindy Smith, a 14-year-old student of West Lynde public school, loved her job. "I worked as a hospital atten- dant at the McKay Animal Clinic and I loved it," says Smith. "I assisted with the declaws and kept the clinic lean. I wat- ched two caesarians. I didn't like to see the dogs in cages but I loved working with the animals." The worst part for Smith was down. However, she says, "It was better than watching them suf- During the course of the five fer." week Hill kept in regular contact Eventually, Smith wants to be with employers and monitored a conservationist or a zoologist. the progress of the students. Laurinda Tooley, also ofWest There was a week of work- Lynde, worked at A&A Records shops before the jobs started. in Whitby. She priced merchand- Students learned skills in appli- ise, worked on cash and assisted cation and resume writing, customers. budgeting, interviews, and how "I put down I wanted to work to get a social insurance number. with music or children,» says All the students said they felt Toole "I liked the job but didnt more confident and better able to like SAperiods.» handle themselves in interview Clayton Long 15 also a West and work situations. Lynde student, worked at Cana- dian Tire as a stock boy and Hill said that most of the enjoyedit. employers were really pleased "The people there are nice enct with the students and would they've offered me a job there participate in WOW again. after school.". CLAYTON Long, Cindy In addition to the workshops Sandra Wade of BayvewS and their jobs, the students went Hehts publie school in Ajax smi on field trips to Tour of the stoc b.ed shelved at Shoppers and Sandra Wade of Universe the CN iTower, Casa Drug Mart in Whitby Mal and Whitby get together after "nodI thown I wante to work Loma, 107Tandohadeguest ey i thob bweeksin the work- 1sýéakeri talk ondrkga lk slack , periods." oClaytonong1n5,also.paoWest aivn nd orksitans. Lynd. eo stden.orkdt Cna