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6-Tha Canadian Champion, Tueaday, September 23, 1997 COMMENT Bo 248 191DIA MaA PIO MiE 7 Milton, Ont. L9T 4N9 (905) 878-2341 Fax: 876-2364 Classified: 875-3300 Publisher A.ssociexoe Pubh.oher Geoertil Manaeger Editeor Circulation Meanîager Office Mxanager Prodoction Manager Th1e Canadian Champion. publishet twice weekly at 191 Main St Et., Milton, Ont., 19T 4N9 (Box 248), is one of The Metnoland Printing. Publisning & Olitibuting Ltd. gnose of suburban compa- nies mIlicA inctuden: Ajax / Pickening Ndews Advertise,; Alliston llenaId/Courien: narnie Adoance. Bnampton Guardian; Bunlinaton Post; City Panent: Coilingwood 1 Wasaga Connection tEast York Mirr,: Etobicoke Guardian, Georgetown lnntependent Acton PFree Press; Kingston This Week: Lindsay This Week: Markham tcooomist & Sun: Midland 1 Penetanguishene Minror Mississauga News; Newmarket I Aunora Ena nanner, Northnumberland News; North York Minror; Oakoilie Beaven: Onillia Today Oshawa / Whity / Clarîngton / Pont Penty Tis Week: Peterborooghn This Week; Richmnond Hli / Thornili / Vaughan Liserai: Scarbonougn Minror: Uotnnidge / Stouttoille Tribnune.' Today's Serions. Advennislng ns acceptnd on thno conitin that, in the nonot nI a typognaphicai tOron, that portion ot the adverlising space occupie Ay tht ennooxoon item, togethon with a neasonable aiiowanice ton signature, wi not be chargeit ton. bot the balance of theo aitontisement wiii be paint tonal the atpplicable rate. Tht pubioben resenven the night to categonlon adoeOînsemeots o, decline. A chliine solution? One of the matters that keeps cropping up in debates about chiorine in Milton's water is the question of iiabiiity. Who is liable if something goes wrong because of tainted water, shouid chiorine be removed? Who wiii take that responsi- biiity? Ciearly, no level of government wishes to do so. Queen's Park says that if somebody cisc wiil assume the risk of getting sued over removing the chiorine, fine, then the Town of Milton can do what it wants with its water suppiy. Ted Chudieigh, Miiton's MPP, says Haiton Region is respon- sibie for water quaiity and so it is not reaiistic to expect Milton to carry the legai bail, so to speak. Haiton Region, thanks in no smaii part to medicai advice from Dr. Bob Nosai, who works for the Region, is in iockstep with provincial environment ministry officiais who say chiorine is a must because that's the way the rules read, period. Uniess, of course there is movement somewhere cisc on the iiability issue. But what if the people of Milton voted themseives to take on the iiability, and purchased any insurance necessary to back up that risk? What if, by a majority vote in what amounts to a referendum, the citizens of the municipality decided that they don't want chiorine in their water, andi approved a smail ievy to cover insur- ance in case of iawsuits? According to some in the anti-chiorine camp, the risk associ- ated with such insurance wouid be minimal, and therefore the insurance quite affordabie. Couid not the citizens, by their ballot, in one feul swoop both get rid of chionine and become the de facto force that absolves the province of any liability? For that matter, they could absolve Halton Region too, couldn't they? Any storefront lawyer could probabiy draft a legal document clearly putting the legal risks associated with ending the chiorine dosage upon the people who have purchased the insurance poli- cy. The referendumn could simply direct municipal council to foi- low the wishes of the majority, the undersigned, so to speak, and purchase the policy from the carrier with whomn the Town of Milton now does business - Frank Cowan and Company. The Town of Milton would in effect be saddied with the risk, but since in the final analysis the Town is the citizens, there seemns littie wrong with that. The provincial government and Haiton Region wouid cleariy have a strong legal position with regard to the chiorine matter. The Town of Milton would be the policy holder, at the direction of a majority of its citizens who so stated in the referendum, and the policy would constitute the reasonable degree of protection those citizens require in getting rid of chiorine, somnething very few of themn apparently wanted in the first place. The only thing that could derail the process would be if Milton counicil refused to follow through, assuming the referen- dumn turned out the way it looks like it would judging from the 4,000 anti-chiorine signatures. Perhaps that in and of itself would make an interesting municipal election issue. Rob Kelly It's a numbers game Dear Editor: I have jusi retumed from the Mayor's Breakfast sport- sored by the Milton Chamber of Commerce and tbougbî this missive migbt be timely. The subjeci of the rnoring's meeting had 50 deal with tbe way the provincial governrnent as antendîng to spread around the responsibility for education and social services, etc. and the Town's response to the proposai on the sable. In the past few weeks, 1 have been privy to meetings that 1 would characterize as dueling statistics. The Town bas their numbers, the Region bas ibeirs and the province is supposed to share their interpretation laser in October. Regardless of bow the pie is divided, 1 believe the con- sumer, you and I, wiIl neyer complesely undersiand the process oiice we know the end resuli. The questions of "who sbould own which cosis and which pocket should tbey corne oui of" are the intellectual arguments ibat polisicians have tbe lime to delve into. The ordinary citizens will determine the success of the process by one yard stick. "Wbat did I psy lasi year and wbat 1 arn going to pay now?" 'Mis poins was aptly personified by one long-lime retailer standing up and telling us that ber business received a tas increase of more than 300 per cent lasi year. Wben sbe asked for the rationale, ber memory suggested that the response was, "Srnile, lady. Jusi psy it." I believe that our elecled representasives truly bave ibeir constituencies' interesis ai heari. When Mr. Chudleigh tells me thai the net effect wiII be revenue neutral, I wonder if he is talking to Bourgon, the citizen witb a vote, oor Bourgon, as the small business owner withoul the right lix franchise. Il would truly be a shame to sec the recens prosperily that the Milton business communisy is enjoying stitled by a knee jerk increase in the business assessment tu make up the slack. 1 arn confident that this will nos happen. But, then agais, 1 picked the Blue Jays for ai leasi a wild card spot ibis year. Michael Bourgon Milton Milton hospftal our hero Dear Editor: Jusi after danner on August 19, rny wife and 1 were relax- ing with some company, which had dropped by for a visit. Our son Adrian was on the lower level playing with his two-and-a-half-year-old brother Gabriel, which is quise a normal routine in our house. They had been playiog a game where Adrian chased Gabriel across the room aod Gabriel ran toward the Storm door of the rear entranice tci the house. Nobody acîually saw Gabriel put bis arrn through the glass, but everyone that was in the bouse heard the Ioud crash. Within seconds, we were on our way to the hospital for medical attention. Thanks to your expedient and professional staff, Gabiel ese. OUR READERS WRITE on page 8 Pud by Steve Nease Ian Oliver Nel Oliver David Baos Rob Kelly Karen Huisman Teri Casas Tim Canles OUR READERS WRITE -6-The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, September 23, 1997 moud