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• SINCE 1854 • AMALGAMATED 1999 WITH CLARINGTON THIS WEEK • Press run 21,900 36 Pages Wednesday March 21, 2001 I A look at the » Dodge Viper Wheels Pull out Optional 4 week delivery $5/$l newsstand Playing cards for 25 years News, page 8 Clarington farmers take no chances Iioof and mouth disease prompts precautions BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer CLARINGTON - Local farmers raising cloven-hoofed animals arc taking precautions and reconsidering travel plans amid an overseas outbreak of hoof and mouth disease. "We're certainly worried about it," says Jacqueline VanEyk, whose family runs aTy- ronc-arca pig farm. "It's a concern concern because of all the travel these days, and it just takes one person not to be careful." Though there hasn't been a case of animal foot and mouth disease reported in Canada since 1952, Canadian farmers have been on guard since cases of the viral disease, which affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep and swine, were first repotted in Great Britain about a month ago. Since then, cases have cropped up in France and Argentina, prompting the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to suspend imports imports of anything susceptible to the disease from both the European European Union and Argentina. That's in addition to an already- implemented suspension of imports imports of live animals, beef and beef products from any nation not known to be free of the so- called mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, encephalopathy, another livestock illness, says the CFIA's fact sheet. And, since the hoof and mouth scare, a number of additional protective measures have been put in place at ports of entry, including airports, airports, to help ensure the disease does nol reach Canada. There is no cure for the disease; disease; although it is rarely fatal "the justification of the slaughter policy as seen in the U.K. at this time is that widespread disease throughout the country would be economically disastrous to the agriculture industry," according to Health Canada. "We're just hoping the government government looks after any person or machine or whatever that conies into the country" from anywhere the disease has struck, to ensure it doesn't spread to Canada, says Bowmanville sheep and goat farmer Jim Coombes. He says all See HOOF page 2 Bowmanville taxi driver's flat rate policy could fall flat BY JACQUIE MdNNES Staff Writer BOWMANVILLE - Free 'enterprise or unfair business ; practice? That is the debate surrounding surrounding one man's venture into ■a flat rate taxi-van service for .'Bowmanville. i Ralph Slender, who lias been 'in and out of the taxi business in 'Clarington since 1993, says he i has come up with an alternative 'to bus service in Bowmanville 'with his $5 flat-rate service for a 'one-way trip anywhere in town. Customers share the ride, he explains, explains, allowing him lo.-,offer a Hat rate for the in-town only-service. only-service. Mr. Slender is asking the municipality to give him a bylaw exemption to allow him to operate operate lire flat-rate fare, currently prohibited under Clarington's regulated system. The bylaw requires requires cab operators to follow a prescribed metered rate currently set at $2.50 upon pick-up and 15 cents for each additional tenth of a kilometre. "I don't think we need a bus service in Bowmanville, just a bit more co-operation on the part of the taxi indusüy," Mr. Slender told council Monday. His service will "appease the appetite of people in town," he said. "We don't need a big bus running around wasting emissions. I think you should try alternatives." alternatives." But, other cab operators in town are vehemently opposed to any flat rate system, suggests Woody Lawrence of Bowmanville Bowmanville Taxi. "We're all against it," he says referring to the other taxi operators. "It's bad for die taxi business. Town hall should never allow it. It will kill all taxi RALPH STENDER 'We don't need a big bus running around wasting emissions.' business." Dave Bate, co-owner of Deluxe Taxi, concurs. He says a flat rate system cannot work in the long run and while it is in existence existence it could jeopardize the livelihood of other sustainable taxi companies and their employees. employees. "I have six employees trying to make a living. A loss of revenue means a loss of work. Somebody is going to get laid off." Mayor John Mutton told council there should be a meeting meeting of all taxi operators before a decision is made. "I want to make sure we don't create a taxi war like we've seen in Oshawa," he said. The mayor noted Mr. Slender has already been operating operating in contravention of the bylaw for three weeks. Later, he added, "I support taking a look at everything. everything. I'll let tire market decide who does what in Clarington but I won't let government intervention intervention stop everyone from competing competing on a level playing field." DRIVE CLEAN ACCREDITED TEST & REPAIR FACILITY •An official murk of the Vrovlnce of Ontario used under licence. WHITBY - OSHAWA HOMDA 1110 DUNDAS. ST. E., WHITBY LOCAL (9(15) TOR. LINE (90S) 666-1772 686-1745 -it-, rrMaaillmUlitLSHflk^^r^ Inside Wtyt &att8mau WHERE TO FIND IT Editorial Page 6 Classified 10 Sports 16 GIVE US A CALL General 623-3303 Distribution .. .579-4407 Death Notices .683-3005 Sincerely Yours 1-800-662-8423 Web site durhamnews.net statesmn@durham.net General FAX .. .623-6161 Newsroom FAX .623-6161 A.J. GROEN/ Statesman photo ■ The Alligator Dance The Native Cultural Centre of Durham Region was the site of March break fun recently, with a presentation on First Nations culture by the centre and the Akwesasne Singers of Cornwall. Steven King helps Elodia Lagotte through the Alligator Dance, which originated in Florida. Florida. Bus operators plead their case to local MPPs Students aren't yet stranded at bus stops ■BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer School bus operators will wait for the outcome of a March 23 meeting with local MPPs before before determining whether they'll cut back services to local students. students. The area's operators' association association had set a March 8 deadline for the local public school board to help out transportation providers, who say they are struggling to stay afloat financially financially amid higher gas prices and increasing overhead costs. If .they. didn't have some help by then, operators warned at a February meeting of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, they would have to meet with board administration, to talk about cutting back on services for the rest of the school year. • The March 8 deadline "was put before (tmstees) to make them understand we need some short-term answers," says Ron Gerow, co-chairman of the Kawartha Pine Ridge Public Separate Bus Operators' Association. Association. "We will wait to see what comes out of the meetings with members of (provincial) parliament" parliament" which Durham MPP John O'Toole says is scheduled for March 23. But, Mr. Gerow says the clock is ticking for operators having financial difficulties. "Truthfully, the situation is MPP JOHN O'TOOLE \ Tm quite sympathetic. ; I believe they do need to have us look closely at their situation.' one of such a nature that we already already have one operator who has filed for bankruptcy and we have others that are a heartbeat away," he says. The operators' association has also approached the Peterborough Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board, seeking help with financial woes. Cutting back on services would mean operators would be contravening their contracts, says. Joe Hubbard, the public board's superintendent of administrative services. But Mr. Gerow argues operators haven't formally negotiated negotiated contracts with KPR in a number of years, and that the old See SCHOOL page 2 This year's flu bug appears to be bitten Health department gave out 158,000 doses of vaccine BY SUSAN O'NEILL Staff Writer The flu bug didn't take as big .a bite out of Durham this year as it has in the past, thanks to a provincial influenza vaccination campaign, reports the Region's associate medical officer of health. Although the flu season isn't quite over, Dr. Donna Reynolds confirmed the volume of cases this year has been "nowhere near the volume we had last year". The local health department offered free flu shots at clinics across the region last November and December as part of the Ministry of Health's universal influenza vaccination campaign, designed to reduce emergency room overcrowding during the flu season. The provincewide vaccination vaccination program was funded by the ministry to the tune of $38 million million in an effort to make approximately approximately 7.9 million doses of vaccination vaccination available lo Ontario residents. residents. . Here in Durham, Dr. Reynolds says 150,000 doses were distributed by the department department to various businesses and doctor's offices, while more than 8,000 shots were given out during the department's free clinics. She reported there were about 30 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza in the region this year. But, she noted, "All of the (people in that group which) we gathered information on had not been vaccinated this year... that's good news for the vacci nation, but not so good news for them." Dr. Reynolds said although there were approximately the same number of confirmed cases in Durham last year, "we had about 12 outbreaks in longterm longterm care facilities last year and there were no outbreaks of influenza influenza this year" in long-term care. She also reported there was increased testing this year, whereas last yetir the testing didn't didn't continue throughout the season. season. "It has not made its usual negative stamp," Dr. Reynolds said of the flu bug. "It never reached our long-term care facilities." facilities." Dr. Reynolds reported the health department is "planning to continue to promote influenza vaccination in the coming year." And, she said, "As far as we know, die Ministry of Health is committed (to the program). "This year a lot of people DR. DONNA REYNOLDS Flu 'has not made its usual negative stamp.' were introduced to the idea of the influenza vaccine," she said, adding she hopes the education campaign got "people thinking about vaccines and how effective effective they can be."