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6-Te Canadian Champion, Frday June 14, 2002 THE CANADIAN CHAAzPION Bits 248. 191 Milton, On (905) 8V Editonial Fax: Advertising Fax: Classified: Circulation: Ian Oliver Neil Oliver Jili Davis Karen Smith Wendy McNab A. Steve CrozierB Teri Casas Tim Coles 1 1 Main Si. E., The Canadian Champion, published every Tuesday and Frday at 191 it L9T 4N9 Main St EF Milton, Ont ,L9T 4N9 (Box 248), s one o The Metoland Pining Publistnng & SstrilntnifiaUI group oi subuettan comparues wfinch 34L cudes AacPickerinq Nevis Atloeniser Aliston Heraid/Courier, Barrie 8-2341Ailarice, Barry's Bay This Week. Pollen Enterprise, Bramptlon Iloardian, Buri ngon Pos, Burlngton Shopping News, Cily Parent, Ciyniofnor Guardian, CnlnwoodfWasaga Connection, East York Mrror Erin 905-878-4943 Adocae/Conty Rotes, Eobicoke Gardiair Flamborough Post. Forever Young, Geogeown Independent/Actoci Fee Presallon Bsiness Times, 905-876-2364 Bronia Business Times. KngstonoThis Wenk. Lindsay This Week, Matkhann 9585300 Ecnomist B Son, Mdlad/Pentanguishene Miron Mime Singn News, 905-875-33 Mississauga Business Tirons, Mssssauiga News, Napane Soide, 905-878-5947 asagawnya News NewmarknlBotora Er-Baniner, Nrthumberland News, NorthYotte Mrrot, Sakolie Beanîr, Sakille Shopiîng News. ldtimres Publisher Hockey News, rîtia loday. shawafWitbiiiitingiun/Porn Perry This WeBl, PeerboroghThis Week, Pcion Couniy Soide, Ricmnd Aosoiaie Publîsher Hil/ThonsilliVaughan Lierai, ScarborooîO Mrror Siooiii5leUbridge Tibuone, Editor-in-Chie] BAdoeBrosin saccepted on iOe condton that. intlire nofnia type- Editor grapOîcai error hai portion ni the adoeBîisîng space occupied y theerio- neos ien, igeihet nîtO a reasonable allowance lot signature, iii not e Adu'ertinnng Manager carged for, botthie balance oi the ailonisemenet iii e pat on ai the appli- Circ'ulation Manager caSte tain. The publsher reserves the rigiri 10 categorron adorisenenis or __ .. dine. Office Manager Produiton Manager Tie MîBeon Cnadran Campon es a Recylabie Penducti Who's minding mint AL? Try as they migbt, Ontario Premier Emie Eves and bis govemment colleagues can't seem to escape from the muck and mire of Hydro One 's privatization. First they were overwhelmed by public opposition of the privatiza- tion of Hydro One, which was later compounded by a Supreme Court ruling calling the govemnment's intentions illegal. And now the provincial govemment is spinning its wheels with one empty explanation after another following the revelation that Hydro One's board of directors was going to benefit substantially from its pri- vatization. Last week, the board of directors of Hydro One resigned after the government introduced legisiation to remove members from their jobs ovrtheir failure to roll back executive salaries and benefits. Toesalaries included $2.2 million for president and CEO Eleanor Clitheroe, including a car allowance of $ 174,000 and a $6 million sev- erance package should she quit or be fired along with an indexed pen- sion of about $1 million a year. Needless to say, there was an uproar when these figures were made public a few weeks ago. But just when did these lucrative severance packages become known to Mr. Eves and bis govemment? They would like us to believe they were in the dark until mid-May, just a few days before the public uproar began. But Energy Minister Chris Stockwell says he made the matter known to Mr. Eves in April, shortly after he took over bis new Cabinet post. We find it hard to believe the govemment could have been totally in the dark about the hefty salaries and severance packages the Hydro One board of directors was ready to collect. OUR READERS WRITE Mr. Ganton 's letter about Exxxotica simply a bld to con vert others to his religlous belle fs: reader Dear Editor: Richard Ganton's letter concem- ing Exxxotica's influence on promiscuity was filled with nothing but emply rhetoric. He makes ludicrous and arbitrary dlaims, solely for the purpose of converting others 10 his strictly reli- gious point of view. l'Il make it clear ftom the begin- ning that 1 dont even care whether Exxxotica stays in business. But 1 do have an interest in pro- tecting everyone's freedom of expression, even if they don't agree with the values propagated by one's religion of choice. Mr. Ganton dlaims that pomogra- phy will lead 10 an increase in teenage promiscuily, thereby encouraging date rape and divorce. Teens are well aware of sex, and will continue 10 take part in the act, regardîes of pomography. Rape has always been a disgusting and deplorable part of human history, and the divorce rate has risen large- ly due 10 judicial activism, as well as the praise-worthy feminist move- ment of the second haif of the 2th century. If one were 10 ask teenage maies how they come mbt contact with pomnography, il would most certain- ly be found that mosl of them are waîching their own father's collec- tion. Do you have sons, Mr. Ganton? As for the AIDS epidemnic, the answer s education, not abstinence. To be educated s better than 10 simply be fearful. I won't even address Mr. Ganton's concemn that AIDS may 'break mbt the heterosexual popula- tion of North Amenica' as a resuit of promniscuily. His prejudice and ignorance on this matter speaks for itseif. 1 dread the emnergence of a North Amierica in which the tolerance of personal differences wilI be subju- gated by the Bcourge of religious monomania. Tired concemrs about capital pun- ishment, abortion, and pomnography drone on and on like an evangelical white noise, threatening to drown out any and ail differing opinions. The Crusades are over. Religious convictions should he used in a more mcaningful way, by being a truly positive force in society and by rising above clichéd hatreds and fears. Adam Gessner Milton This whole situation isjust a littie too taxing for me Gouge, gouge, gouge. Everywhere you tum. What I'm îalking about is fees, fees, fees, taxes, taxes, taxes. That's what came 10 mind when I first beard about the Town of Milton looking t0 start charg-1 ing a féee 1 busineses that use space on the side-i walk in front of their stores. I just îbougbt, give tbemn a break. Mercy! The' fee may nol be bank-busting - $ 100 per year t0 rent up 10 500 square feet of space and $300 for more than 500 square feet -- but is il really nec- essary? As if il isnt bard enough 10 keep a business going witboul another expense. I also understand the Town is considering charging organizations (except non-profit ones) a fee for closing roads for special events. I's another attempt at a gouge. Mayor Gord Krantz knows what I mean. He bit the nail right on the head at last week's commu- nity services commitee meeting where he called the proposal "nickel and diming." He went as far as 10 say i's another form of tax- ation, and he's night. And we wouldn't want a tax revoIt. Or would we? Isn'î il nice bow we're not cbarged to park downtown (please keep il that way) and we can visit a family member or fiend in thse bospital witbout worrying about the parking tab. From the editor's desk I tink about fonmer prime minister Bilan Mulroney resentfully every time 1 buy a product or service tIsaI bas an extra 7 per cent tax added on 10 the purchase price. "Prices for the consumer will come down," 1 remember Mr. Mulroney promising when he brought in the GST. Did that happen? Yeah, right. Tlhink about it. We're taxed a whopping 15 per cent on almost everyffhing we buy. We've come to accept il - let it roll off our backs. But really, paying an extra 15 per cent for purchasing a new outfit for work, cal food or toilet paper. It's not enough that we gel a good chunk of our pay cheques remnoved. Then we have 10 pay aI the cash register as well. 1 can't discuss this any longer. It's way too tax- ing.