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Region chair secs tax hike to maintain plolicmng Page à Budget fails to address GST, 2says local M]p Mud, Sweat and Gears at page 31 Henry page22 LR.ETTERS: Strike, GTA, education, banks m«es 63 105 115 13, 21 Residents to have Say GTA * By Mike Kowali Whitby residents wiii have an oPlortunity to, register their opinions about- proposais that could dramnatically impact on the municipality's future. Town council Monday endorsed a staff recommendation to survey local ratepayers on proposais contained in a contro- versial report noiw before the Ontario government. Residents.,will, b. asked their' opinion on three of the more contentious ' recommenidations ut forward b' the Gieaàtâr nto rea GTA)aakForce, chalredbyDr.,MineiGolden. A threepart questionnaire will bê- carried in a loca newspaper later this month and resuits of the informai survey will b. pre- sented to the government, local MPPs and a special panel appointed to review the Golden, repor9 eii cost of prepjarig, printing and distributing the survey ques- tionnaire is estimated to be about $7,000. «No matter what method is chosen, there could b. improve- ments to it,7 said Mayor Tom Edwards i referring to, a request from Durham Region. "h. most important thing is that we get the kind of response that wiii have an impact on the individuais representing this Snmmumty, i the provincial legisi;1ature, said Edwards. Ri oinal council has asked member municipalities to, obtain the views of their residents, either through a referendum or survey. Oshawa has opted for a city- wide vote, but a Town staff report states that the projected $756,OOO-to-$ 100 000 cost of a ref- erenýdumin hi &htby and the potential for a liniited voter tur- nout rule against a similar endeavour localy Staff proos>da quetionnaire outlining t e task frerpr' position on three key areas -- governance, property taxation and local autonomy. The questions Whitby resi- dents wil be asked to answer are the following: * Areoui favour of the Town of Wib continuing as a separate murmcipality witlh its present boundaries? * Are you prepared -to finan- ciliy assist other municipalities within.the,. GTA- throu-h-the, pooling of Whitby'inidustrial and-_ commercial assessment/ taxes for educational pu s? * Are you ifavoùr oM it y being part of a new larger regionai government known as the Greater Toronto Council (but) with limited indirect elec- ted rpresentation from the Ton of Whitb ? (The task force recommends scrappîng rregionai governments in favour- of one giant council. Smaller municipalities such as Whitby, for example, would have te, share their one seat on the prposed council on a rotating Residents wili have until April 12 -te drop off their compieted questionnaires at various muni- cipaài facilities and Town officiais as k that the forms be limited te, one per household. Edwards was confident that Whitby residents wiii welcome the opportunity te, express their views on the subject and predic- ted an outcome similar te that in Uxbridge, details of which were reiayed t council by Durham SEE PAGE 17 Spe c ial friend LAUREN GRIFFITHS, 3, hugs her doil during St. David's Day oerations recentl at the Whitby unicipal buildin9 St. David's Day is the elsh equiv"alent eSt. Patricks Daiy, "only better," according to Whitby Mayor Tom Edwards. Photo by Ma~rk Reosor, WhIbhy Fm Press 'Tool kit'pStpones School construction By Mark Réeesr Local reaction te the long- awaited 'tool kit' te help achool boards cope with provincial budget cuts ranges from luke- warm te hostile. The oft-delay.d "savings tr- tegy" wil post ne lpanned seoLI constructon, including one i Brooklin, more portables, and either deep spendifig cuts or increased taxes, or both. Announced iast Wednesday by, education and trainingmimater John Snobelen, the kit will reduce by about three er cent ($400 million) the $14 billion Ontario spends on education. Inciudedi the figure ore some $150 million i 'cuts the àoern ment has already announced. New measures include: * saving $167 million by insti- tuting a one-year freeze on al capita.poects that haven't yt reSvl: lmal. approvai --the niamter promises te have a report on alternative flnancing of new, scoo construction this fali. * cutting- money for out-of- classroom expenditures such as transportation, administration, custoa and maintenance by $81 million,. and providing trans- portation money as a block gr nchanging the official student count date, used te determine provicialfunding, from Se pt. 30 te, Oct. 31and from Feb.-28 to March 31 %t ensure that repor- ted figures accurately reflect enroiment patterns.» Snobelen also promises te ini- troduce legisiation ailowing boards te renegotiate sick leave plans, change administrative structures and enter inte coop- erative agreements with other boards.-11 Boards may also be allowed te--, hir. people without an Ontario teaching certificate to, work as librarians, career counisellors or i computer services if a amal "workinig group,» which- is te, make its recommendation this summer, approves. 1>> The tool kit ý announcement was 'lust as bad» .:as, separite board directer 'Grant Andrews feared. The capital Proet freeze hits. the boardparticuar hard, as it had aiready tenderedan addition te St. Matthew Catholic Schooi in Whitby and willalso have te postpone construction, of- new ichools i Brooklihi,4Oshawa and Vinta savinga, actualiy itrs an increased cot i~ e says. «We'll have te buy portables we wouldn't otherwise bave had te byand we'il have te provide traspotatonwe might other- wiuenot havehad te provide.» There are "'cnsiderable" cuts Strike seen a threat to psych patients' health Ontaio's pblicseco sie is beig!2amd or tretning the Wel of 'Patients at the WtbMental Health Centre. WihonIy a skeleton crew of managers ad some union epoyeo working because of th. two-week-old strls, WMHC paietsare bemng forcsd* teo0 wtot nscsssary medical treat- ment. In themost seVerecases, the UiVe"Of somepatets Oould .even béi rnkth'long«*treatment cocred that even toughesenia services stm.,ini place, ,there is no treâtment gogon," said CtyCréftchick, cair of'th;e HCcomunity «P*atietsned a lot more than bein cleaned, fed »and havig, theirbeds changed...after a cer- tanlength of tiie they will lose groun (* ing te treat- ment), » said Crafchick .,t's important te focus on the fact that tuis is' a hospital and there's no car. gig n»p h gotressed.li Normaiiy tere are about 900 WMHC..empioyesattending to the needs of app xateiyg230 patients. .But. less than 20 per cent of that number have been providing only the'most essential. of ser- vices since members of the Ontario Public Service Ernpioyees Union (OPSEU) waiked'off thejob Feb. 26. Craftchick, whose group is aphted by the Minitr* o Heaithn and covers the WMC's catchment area of Durham Regilon, York -Region,ý Victoria County and parts of Metro Toronte,emphasized that the board ha not taken sides in the. dispute. Sh. commended both mage ment and the union memer prevented froni. strlkig for doing the beat they can under trgn 9h.fi staff providg essential services have beeng knockting themseives out, but there's not enoughi of them,» she said. ' However, Craftchick faulted- both the government and OPSEU for losin ite of the. danger the strike p ose the patienta. 1.'here's no activities for thein and nothing for. them to, do," she said. 1