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Page 6, Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, September 1, 1993 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby resîdents for Whîtby resîdents! MEMBER 0F: £'IONTARIO CANADIAN i1 COMMUNITY t çN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER C A NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION E~LEUCANADIAN CIRCULATIONS ONA DIVISION AUDIT BOARD 25,500 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Imc. Box 206, 131 Brock St. N., Whitby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Toronto Line: 427-1834 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Pubisher Maurice Pither - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimumn 200/%5 recycîed content usîng vegetable based inks. e Ail written material, illustrations and advertising cantained herein is protected by copyright. Ang reproduction by any means for commercial purpases without the express permission af tenewspaper is prohibited and is a violation aof Canadian copyrigtaw. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution should bear a credit line Iot heWhtby Free Press. Reform MPs' pensions To the Editor: Al ai a sudden, the leaders af the three major parties are scrambiing madly ta show who is the biggest and bust reformer ai the gald-pîated MPs' pension plan. Recentîy, Prime Minister Kim Campbell annaunced that she wil change the plan so thal MPs would have ta wait until age 55 before they can calIect benefits. At present, there is no age requirement. She also pledged ta end the obnoxiaus practice af edouble-dippingm that allows MPs ta, collect pension paymenls even if they have anather gavernrnent job. Not ta bu outdone, apposition leaders Jean Chretien ai the Liburals and Audrey McLaughlin ai the NDP stated that they nal anly support such retorms but want Pariament recalled bufare an elect ion ta, implement them. Before Canadians rush ta congratulae these politicians, hawever,.they should realize that the pension changes proposèd by themn are a very madesi f irst step in pension retorm. None of the leaders has prapased amending what is the rnast autrageaus feature of the pension plan, namely that MPs' pensions have unlimited pràion against inflation. R's the blank-cheque inflation- protection feature thal makes the pension plan sa lavish. h places retired MPs into an suite category. Who in the privale sectar couid affard such an inflaion-proa lan? Despite what the polilicians say, any propased pension retorm that tails ta scrap the unlimited protection against inflation tealure is littie mare than posluring. In the carning election, vaters shouId dernand that candidates pledge ta reform the MVPs' "cash for lufe pension plan. When we voters see that they're seriaus about putting their awn affairs in order, we can have more confidence that they will do the same for aur caunlry's affairs. David Somervîlîs President National Cltlzons' Coalition Try the alternatives To the editor: f's awn-spraying lime again, and neighbourhoads are f iled with the smelai pesticides used ta kili the ghaslly weeds whch seem la so off end aur delicate sensibilities. This habit has only buen in vague since World War Il, butors which arganic melhods were used for centuries. Spraying promises us a quick chemical fix that does away with weeds, fast. The dawn side is. long-termn health risks la wildiife, hurnan bings (especialiy children), and pets; run-af ia surrounding soils and water systsms; long-lermn damage ta soils badly depleted by the cycle of chemnical dependency. *Pesticides are poisons. Otherwise they wouldn't work.0 Sa admits Environrnenl Canada. I know that many ilînesses and even deaths can bu attributed ta pesticides, and aiso thal aur waterways are sck wilh the chemicai onsiaught wrought by industrial and farming practices. Naw we've developed this ridiculous hysteria over dandelians an Iawns. On the other hand, 've neyer once heard ai any harrn coming ta anyone as the resuil of a weedy lawn. Might à bu tirne ta re-think aur priorities? There are alternatives. Check with yaur local library for ý ublications such as 'How la Gel aur Lawn and Garden Off Drugs.' Farmers who want la re-think chemical rnethods can ses the video 'Revolution Down on the Farm,' available for borrowing in six Durham-area libraries. Environmental groups like Durham Environmental Network have heipful information on kicking the chernicial habit -- cali 985-9242 or 435-0497 (during the day) if you'd like more information. We need ta decide whelher preserving a safe future for aur children and this plantet is worth a uitile extra effort. Don't we ail agree thal aur kids are worth il? Janet Banting G re enba nk - ~ v v* u-M A dream corne true By Chandra Hunter 1 used ta dream of a world where everyans was treated equally and there was no discrimination; a warld where everyane's vaice was heard and every single persan was important. In my world, everyone enjoyed lite and everyane was f ull of spirit and enthusiasm. But, most irnportantly in my world, everyane lovsd Canada and was dedicated ta making it the bust country il cauld passibly bu. The Students' Commission turned my drearnmia a reality and changed imy itfe torever. ht is nal only a six-day nati onal conference in Ottawa, but il is a year-Iang prograrn involving students tram across Canada. Some 250 students, coming frorn every province and terrilory, jain tagether in the capital ta learn fram each ather, ta have tun and ta make a dfference. No ans dwells an the problerns that aur country is facing. lnslead we carne up wilh solutions. Our recammendatians are included in a national report which is then presented ta tederal, provincial and local governiments. The report is alsa used by the student del.eg ates themseîves as they make a dfference in their awn communities. The Students' Commission realizes that the governmenl cannai salve al af aur problems. You need ta start with yourself and make improvements and/or changes in yaur awn actions bufore any progress can bu made. The national report, theretare, alsa includes recommendations for us, the students, an changes that we can make* in rurselves and aur cammunilies. Frarn my awn experiences with the commission, I have learned rnore in the past lhree years than I have learned in 13 years ai schooling. Nal only have I gained knawledge about many cultures, languages and traditions, but I have earned a greater under- standing of Canada as a whole. I have also learned a lot mare about important issues such as educalion, , drugs and alcohol, racism, violence and crime, the enviranment and native issues. Through the Sludent's Commission, 've developed a definite career path while meeting a lot aifarnazing people from across the country. l's hard ta bulieve that triendships I made in the six days at the conterence are btter than the friendships 've made in the 13 years that I've lived in Whilby. That is the resuit af peaple who are apen-minded and willing ta accepi everyone for who they are and not how they look. The Students' Commission has made my drearn came true and given me hope for Canada's future. Every year 1 anxiously await the arrivai ai August because I know that the conference wilI bu the bust six days of my year. ht keeps me, and others, positive and pushing foward when ifegâets tao stressful. h is my personal recom- mendation (I cauld get 249 others f needed) that every student in Canada attend ans of these canferences at some point in their high school career. I's truly amnazing what kind of difference these six days can make in a student's Ife. I have dedicated a large part af My f. ýta the Students' Commission and afthoiugh 1 can't ask the same of everyone. I can anly ask that others get invalved somehow. Wouldn't you like ta be a part of a dream came true? Chandra Hunter of Whitby, a 1992 Ontario Junior Citizen of the Yea,; attended the A ug. 12- 18 Students' Commission conference in Ottawa for a third tîmfe. For more information, cail 487-3204. To the Edîtor: On behalffof Big Brothers af Oshawa-Whitby, 1 wauld like ta thank al af the businesses af Oshawa and Whitby who have helped aur agency with the many summer events. Everyone's support and dona- tions are výry much appreciated by aur Big and Litile Brothers. Without* the support ai the community, we would nat be able ta provide aur services ta the chidren from maIe-absent homes. JulileParker Sunmr events co-ordînator By Drummond White Durham Centre MPIP f there's one thing with which everyone agrees, it's that Ontario's welf are system isn't working. ht isn't helping unemployed people to Iearn new skills and find jobs. II isn't helping parents -- flot only those receiving social assistance, but also parents who are working ful-time at low-wage jobs -- ta provide for their children's basic needs. And its an expensive system. Over the past lew years, the number of people needing weîf are has skyracketed. The recession and f ree trade have put more people out af wark and an weti are than at any time in the province's hitory. Today, one in nine Ontarians -- more than 12 million people -- relies on welf are. Now, for the f irst time since the wefare system was created In the 1950s and 1960s, we are going ta focus on helping people get back to work. We are gçing ta continue providing f inancial support ta people in need, but we wiIl do so in a way that takes away the barriers ta work that are now in the system. And, we wiII provide adequate and reliable support ta those people who are unable ta wark. We are also going ta pravide parents with the f inancial support they need ta provide for their children's basic needs without having ta rely an wefare. Again, we are going ta provide these benefits in a way that supports parents who do work. The Ontario Chiîd Incarne Program will take children's benefits out af the wefare system. ht will provide a rnonthiy cheque toalal low-income families In Ontario -- including 10w-incarne families with parents working fuli-time. Families with the Iowest incarne will receive the Iargest 'benefits. No more important investment in aur future couîd bu made than in aur children and in eradicating child poverty. The changes Mill bu the subject of some consultation and debate over the next several months. Hopeiuliy, there will be legistation presented as early as next f ail and the changes can occur early next year. mko the edito[sI Support for Big Brothers