Page 6, Whitby Freu Press, Wednesday, June e. 1994 ~uwj kJiW The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whltby residents! MEMBER 0F: ___ONTARIO CANADIAN 1 ICOMMUNITY CMMUNITY I~INEWSPAPER e4CA NEWSPAPER Ira ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION E~U CANADAN CNA DIVISION AUDIT BOARD ISSN#0844-398X, 26,500 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario lmc. Box 206, 131 Brook St. N., Whitby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Toronto Line: 427-1834 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pither - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20% recycîed content using vegetable based inks. «D Ail written material, illustrations and advertising contained herein is protected by copyright. Any reproducion by any means for commercial purposes without the express permission of the newspaper is prohibited and is a violation af Canadiari copyiht Iaw. Reproduction for non-commercali distribution should bear a credit fine ta the Whîtby Free Press. Who's more socualist? By Al.x Shepherd Is Canada more socialist thon the Peopîe's Republic of China? 've thought about this question since meeting Chines. economists, business leaders and agricultural groups when 1 was in ons ider this. An economist, working for a type of Chinoe crown corporation set up by his country's ministry of agriculture, thlnks Canada is too socualistlo. 1 asked him what his organization does 10 market Chines. agriculture. H. said thait afthough initial funding came from China's central govemment, th. corporation mus make a profit. For a fe., h. sald, Ch ina export s agricult ural technology 10 Argentina, Brazil and Columbla 10 help set up rice operations. The economist said 1h. corporation is also establishing a mushroom farm in Hawaii, on a fee-for- prof il basis. *ff you would 1ke ta gel involved in our agricultural sectors we wilI direct you, once again, a fee wiII be charged," ho said 10, me. They want a base satary for their expertise and a percentage of 1he year-jend profits. That deal is set Up with any country they do business with. Asked about future development ho said Chinas main agricultural concern is migration of farm empîoyees from rural China 10 the cilles. Right now 60 per cent of 1he country's working population are employed on farms or in rural areas. 1 asked if his government was studying how 10 set up a social safety net such as unempîoyment insurance or wefare 10 deal with future urban problemrs. "Have you considered Canada's social wetf are system.w I asked. China started to, but discarded studying Canada's social wefarô system, concluding il is too sociaîistic, h. said. Now don't qat me wrong. The Chines. 5h11l impose restrictions on thew people. They control a person's movements throughout the count ry. They control media and the state owns al land. SOiI, when 1 toured a Beijing dairy 1 askçed workers how they were p aid. Th rough an interpreter they said they received a base salary and a percentage of profits at year's end. 1 visited a 5,000-cow dairy operation. There farmers are given plots of land and quotas to meet. Produco under quota and you are penalized, over and you receive a bonus. 0f cours. I was Ieery when told there is no capitalists' problem. 1 asked about workers injured on the job. Companies must continue support workers and deal directly with hospitals and doctors when fees are pald 1 was told. Average per capita income is $1000 a year and accommodation is paid for by government. Afthough not having a pay rent -or a mortgage is a help to any family, the Chines. stilI save 30 per cent of that $1.. Canadians, on average, save f ive per cent of total earnings. 1 walked mbt a f ive-storey department store and saw television sets selîing for $1000 Canadian and shirts for $16.. Obviously there is a rising middle class with money 10 spend and they want to spend it. So are we more sociaîist? They s.em 10 think we are. Are we botter off? 1 think so. Would 1 wanit their government andi economic systemn? Not at ail. Do I think this country should-be Iess sociaistcndeed I do. AlxShepherd is MP for Durham riding whichicue WAlyenrh fTano RaiTo reach l4 ostiue offie, ci721-570(Oaw) "Don't you think this 15 a safe workplace?" J Address the real-problem'Il To the editor: Copy of letter to Primo MInister Doar Mr. Chretien, A new age'? To the editor: wProvince again slammed over basement apartment bil," Whitby Fr. Press, June I, 1994. In the article there is a quote by Whitby counicillor Ross Batten that "the bill is not right, not good they (the provincial government) have 10, sit back and listen to the people who are cbos.st to the public." Does this mean that Mr. Batten wil now apply this reasoning towards Whitby businesses, 85 per cent of whom have written 10 Mr. Batten asking hlm 10 p ut. the Whitby downtown business association in abeyance for two years (through their petition), and have received no satisfaction from council. Furthor on in the same article Whitby counicillor Marcel Brunelle recalled a meeting with housing minister Evelyn Gigantes in which he states wthe minister was more Interested in having a cigarette outside than istening 10 us." 1Weil, aI a Whitby operatians committes meeting on May '16 during which Whitby's business community gathered to discuss the proposed DBIA. budget, members of councfl no less than four limes referred 10 gotting home 10 watch the hockey game. Is this a "do as 1 say, not do as i do" attitude on the part of members of Our Whitby governiment toward Whitbys business community, or is il the dawn of a new age of enlightenment in Whitby government/business community relations? Paul Savage Try'd & True Hobbies Whitby 1 amn a Iaw-abiding citizen about 10 get int the sport of target shooting. t is with great concemn that I write 10 you regarding your government's plans for increased gun control. 1, along with most other Cariadians, would certainly agree that firoarms, particularly handg uns, have no place ln the streets of our cilles and schoolyards. The increasing trend în the number of weapons being used in the commission of a crime must stop immediately. This, however, cannot and wilI not b. accomplished by placing tighter restrictions on mnyseff and other law-abiding citizens who legaîîy own and responsibly use firearms. The problem is the criminal element, which is what must b. addressed. Permits, safety courses, and al the other red tape which Is required ta legally obtain ,a rosI ricted f irearm in Canada wilI not affect this criminal element. Plling up law upon Iaw only harasses the law-abidig citizen. Criminals wouldn't be criinals f they obeyed the Iawsl The solution is in the deterrence of committing a firearm-reîated crime, and more importantly, the punishinq of offeders. Through the admission of various high-ranking policy off icers who have been intervewed hy varous media personalities, itlis indantly clear that Iaws already exIst 10 punish offenders. Why are these laws neyer used? Law ors plea-bargain,, judges recdue sentences, and offenders only gel asîapped on 1h. wrist." This has 10 stop now. Your governiment must uerstand the seriousness of firearm-related crimes, yet nothlng ls don. Make it clear that while the Canadian people accept the legal, ahd responsible use of firearms, we MI not tolerale firearm-related crimes and the violence associated,, with them. 1 urge you and your government ta consider and recognize the seriousness 0f Ihese1 firearms-related crimes' and criminals who perpetrate them. Make il clear ta th. courts lhrough the Solictor-Genera's office, bath at the federal and provincial levels, that such offonces wili not be * tolerated and offenders are 10, be punished 10 1th. fullest extent of the Iaw. Hait handing out laughable sentences and use 1h. laws which are in place 10 punish offenders In a mariner which they des.rve. I implore you and your feîlow ministers 10 bring in legislation which will appropriately deal with firearm offenders. At the sanie lime, however, ithis legIslation should continuis 10 allow myself, and 1he many cther Canadians who legally own and res;pansibly use firearms, 10 continue-t10 do se. Michael J. Clarke Whltby Know when to stop To the editor: 1 arn opposed t10 1h. proposed development at the Lynde Shores site. This is one of the most environmentally sensitive areas in 1h. region and there is other available land. Also, there have been sanie native artifacts found, in this area, and therefore a f ull archealogical investigation must be completed before any disturbance bof ails this site. The notice of the plan for the proposed deve lopment gave residents too littIe lime 10 respond. As in the past, provincial and municipal- governments have changed 1th. character of Whitby without much regard for th. natural integrity which enriches our communities. From the- Oak Ridges Moraine 10 oLynde Shores lies -a watorshed which supports' an, abondance of plant and animal Ife. lt's Up 10 us 10 se. that aut children grow 10, appreciat, their hberitage and gavernments 10 know when and where 10 develop. Margaret Cornfooî W h ilby