Forum on future of hospital Page3 Beware c tow truc! )f 'bandit' Durham University Ringette teams <s on 401 Centre proposed brin home medal Page 4 page 2,M* Page 2 3 ]\4AYOR: Heaqdquarters will re m,,ain e 'n Whitby By 11.k.Kowaiaki Whatever form it evontuafly takes, Mayor Tom Edwarde is confident Durham Region's hoad- quarters will romain in WhitbyW. However, based on rocent fils- tory, anyý decision on a future homefor Durham' Reg*on bureauc , ats will likoly be contro- versial. This month's announcemont that thé Ontariogovernment will build a $100-million consolidated courthouse ini downtown Oshawa means that Durham Region offi- ciah wi1lfle&mtenly havetho-. entire Rowsland Road comPIezto thomeelvos. T he province currently rents haif the spoin the 32-year-old building from the Région for cDourtrooma and relatod facilities. But as Durham Region chair Gary Horrema told reporters at the courthouse announcent, staff are already studyngf the isue. Thore la no guarantee that the Region wfil move into the Pro- vine's prtio of the building for ovon a bref period. As Edwards told The Fre Prstho building, although "atrctveand sori?ablon doés have its shorteomina. "Itdoos not have the neoessary requiremonts te make it acces- sibleto the handicapped,» said Edwards. 'Ihe building la not equipped and functional te handie people ini wholchairs,»he snid. Edwards s*aid more olevators could be installed, but hoe does not know if that would be onough. Disabled persons could stili have difficulty moving about the various floors ho noted. "This was Iuji in the poriod beforo we becaine conscious of the neods of the handicapped,.» said Edwards. But regardiess of whether regional council opta for- a -new failty or improves the eisting building, Edwards -is optimistie that the Region's adnisu*trative offices will not leave Whitby. "I ozpect a healthy- response from' regional couneil te that position,"ho naid. qI would b. surprised if oven the residents of Oshawa did flot want te keep it in Whitby.' .Durhamn officiais have wanted to build a now facility for soveral years, but have had problemis deciding where it will go. Tho most recent proposaI cal- led for a new headiquarters in Whitby along with a complex in downtown Oshawa that- would bouse the planning, public works, health and social services departments. SEE PAGE 10 Fan...y demands tougher Concerns over -Garden enfo rcemet of safiet laws Street detour plan By John Dujay Town staff will be scrambling to organize a second information session for residents who nxay wish te voice concerns about the *7-million Gardon Street rail underpass construction project. Durnoperations committee mneeting onday evening, mana- ger of engineering Gary -Carrol asked councillors te authorize a workshop te be held as soon as possible. "It would be prudent to get public input,» ho naid. Carroli teld The Free Press that two main areas of concern uhould be stressed te local resi- dents. The firat, and probably moat disruptive, is that when con- struction is tentatively scheduled te go ahead in sprMg 1996, a deteur that will De established will last about 18 months. Carroll said this will cause a maorhadsipon some rosi- dents ho us the north/south street as a commuting route. An information meeting was hold Oct. il and only five resi- dents showed up. The other major concern ia the general esthetics of tbe struc- ture, said Carroll, who said this ishould be discussed and finalized bofore the application for funding la presented te the federal trans- portation department, scbeduled for late summer. Carroll said that if there are any compications involved with mediately rejected and the Town will bave te start over, thus ending Up at the end of tbe fundinglino. St wl a vertise the meet- ead hopefully more residents ~fl show up, said Carroll. By Mike Kowalski The family of a- Whitby womnan killed in a freak* accident on Highway 401 wants. tougber enforcement of truck safety laws. A petition demanding more frequent ispections. of transport orilrs is being. circulated by faxnily and frienids of -the late AngelaWorona. They intend te present the petition te the Ontarxo govern- ment later this year. The 31-year-old Worona died instantly of mas sive head in- jrefollowinig an accident near akerifdge Road on Jan. 31. 'The Dymond Drive resident was travellingz westbound when her Pontiac Grand Amn was hit by a truck wheel whicb flew acrossa the median and crusbed the front of the vehicle. The tire was one of two which snapped off an eastbound tracter trailer owned b Universal Can- Arn LtI. of Whitby. The other tire landed harrnlessly in a ditch. Theresa Worona, sister of the deceased woman said ber family plas t ak l5urhain Centre M!PP Drummond White te, pre- sent the petition i the Ontario legislature. Theresa, ber paen ts, two sis- ters and three -grothors, as well as relatives and frienda are al involved ini the petition cam- Thyhave collected more than 1,000 naines te date and hope te eventually obtain 20,000 signa- tures. "We're -not asking them (government) te make any laws, we just want them to enforce wbat's already there,» said Worona. «f there had been standard inspections, we tbink this could have been provented,» she said. According te orona, a Minis- try of Transportation spot cbeck last year found that 43 per cent Of the trucks inspected had potentially dangerous safety pro- blems. "There always will be defects, nothing's perfect,» she said. «But if it's almost 50 per cent now, are they going te wait until it 1st 75 per cent or more Worona claimed that financial cutbacks have resulted in fewer inspections and that the govern- ment is relyig on the trucking industry te police itself. However, this had led te more unsafe rips travelling the roads as unscrupulous operaters- take advantage of the less frequent checks. "This (more inspections) won't affect the good truckers at aIl,» she said. "IF thoy're (government) wor- iriod about. the cost of enforce- ment thon they can increase the Ministry of T7ransportation communications officer Anne McLaughlin 'conflrmed the in- spection figures cited by Worona. «Forty-thre per cent of the trucks plo over in a 72-hour * od wero taken out of service Cue to defects,» said McLaughlin. «B ut you can't extrapolate the fgures te say that 43 per cent of all trucks on the road are un- safe," she stressed. Although she had no im- mediate information on wbetber SEE PAGE il î7.