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a Mental halth agency strike contine B yMik Kowalskl A stak by emplyees"of aWhitby mental health agenc shows no sign of being settled i the near future. Mebers of Local 2936 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) are into the fourth week of their strike for a first contract with Whitby Ail Saints ResidenceCop But no talsare planned at ending the strike and both sides have dug ini their heels i the dispute which threatens te iniolve the Ontario government. CUPE officiais say they wull not return te tth. bargainin.g table until the governinent launches a ful-scale inquury into the agenc's operations. Mangment insists the union's dlaim of «impropri.- ties"at AlSaints inmerely abargaining ploy toàbtain a better contract. Ail Saints, a non-profit agency uddbterovInce operates three homes i Whitbry for people with menta health problems and provides support services te about 100 clients i Durham Rtegion. roie0. khst The 32 strâking employees proielf kletaing and other services te the grup home residents and agency clients. Insan effort te resolve the impasse with Ail Saints, the union has focused its attention on the provincial government. Sid Ryan, president of CUPE'. Ontario division, bas written Health Minister Ruth Grier and requested a meeting te discuss allegations contained in material submitted tethe ministry by agency employees. The 37-page document, a cop f whic was aise delivered te -Durham Centre P Drum mond White, cites several incidents that the union feels warrants further investigation by the ministry. Among their accusations, the employeas charge that there have been cases of clients being impr-oi.y discharged; an abortive attempt te «cover UP,»" oe assault of a female client by a maie resident; ofca documents taznpered with, and provincial heaith and safety laws ignored. In addition te seeking a meeting with Grier, the. union is planning a demonstration outaide Wbites Dundas Street East office on Friday to protest the. government's Iack of action in responding te the allegations. Although a heafth ministry spokesperson said the union'a complainte are a concern, the ministry cannot SEE PAGE 5 llomesiyle A H~OMO Deil and implovement teature See Pages 19 t021 THE WHITBY Ice Ekusions aduit precision skating team Saturday, wînning their third straight gold modal this season. brought spectators to their feet wit a fine performance See story on page 22. min by Je"uic nmmi. W*tyFm sProu MPP charged, quits cacus Durham Centre MIPP D)rummond White resigned frein the governiment yesterday afier being charged with assault asat week. White says h.e hasn't decid.d whether he'll continue representig the riding but will ne lenger sit iwîth the NDP. DurhamRlegi*onal Police sajr they received a complaint about White Friday at 9:30 a.m. White turned himself in to plice that afternoon and was charged ana released. They refuse te #ive any more details. Te charges involve a miner, se, White is alse tight-hpped, notmng theres a ban on publication. An assistant in White's constituency office in Whitby sayu they were surprised the case was made public. 'ecause a miner is involved, they (police) had said that it wouldn't be relesed'» «The matter before court does net in any way relate te, nor is it derived frein my pubci re e,» White said in a press release issu.d Tuesday. "Névertheless, I do net wish te, have my persenal difficulties in any way refiect upon our government. "I-Yevxusly,i was aavîsed by the police and by legal counsel that it was mnappro- priate te make any public statement. -For that reason, my first public statement was made this merin while my course of action waa decidef upon Friday through Monday.» White is schedul.d te, appear in Oshawa provincial court Feb. 18 at 11 am. He says hopes the matter «will b. dealt with Staffsergeant Sandy Ryrie, head of the media services unit cf Durham Regional Police, says information about the chae wasn't released earlier because it was ony oeof some «500 occurrences handled by police since friday. Ryrie says police investigate four or five cases of assault each day and sketch reports given te the police communications départ- ment oftern don't include naines. Ryrie says heolcnew nothing of the charge until Mon day. Council suipports DBIA 1and tax By Mike Kowald An attempt te kil the tai wbich funda Whitby's downtewn business association has been rébuffed by Town counciL. By unamimous vote, council last week pledged its continued support of the. Down- town Business Improvement Area (DRIA). In so doing, council rejected a denmand biy disqrmntled merchants that a special tai levîed against businesses in the. downtown cor be held i abeyance for two years. Despite recelvn a three-inch thick binder of petitienssindb 86 per cent cf the more than 400 DBIEA members, ouncil voted to, rgt ain ]b th the association and the, tai. Even though counéilors admitted there are problené with the. DBIA, thev* lwere net prepared te leave the downtowný without soin. forin cf association. Instead, council agreed te enouag» 'the DBIA management board and meers mte devise a method of ch nmgthe board's structure te ensure that it à m-ore represen- tative of the membership. The board, which st year had a $155,974 bugt, han been appointed by council since the. DBIA was formed in 1978. lhe current board's term expires in November. Councl's decision, foilowing nearly thre., heurs of oflen heatéd debate last Tuesday, infuriated DBIA opponents. "h ws aforeon.conclusion before we cam e te the meetin&" said Gene Peaceck, an izer of tiibetîinCMpan wond.r hw teiu«M lanswer .wben the. RE PAGI? 18 MU"