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PAGE 6 THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, OCTOBER 17,2001 4* Editorial&Opinions FIRST CONCERN HAS BEEN OUR COMMUNITY FOR 146 YEARS. OUR Publisher - Tim Whittaker Editur-in-Chief - Joanne Burghardl Managing Editor - Judi Bobbitt Advertising Manager - Brian G. Purdy Advertising - Lavcrne Morrison, Cbristian-Ann Goulet Office - Junia Hodge, Nancy Pleasancc-Sturman Editorial - Brad Kelly, Jennifer Stone, Jacquic Mclnncs Ef je Canabtau Statesman Former Publishers ami Partners Rev. John M. Climie and W.R. Climie 1854-1878 M.A. James 1878-1935 • Norman S.B. James 1919-1929 G. Elena James, 1929-1947 • Dr. George XV. James 1919-1957 John M. James, 1957-1999 Produced by Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. Also Publishers of CLARINGTON THIS WEEK P.O. Box 190, 62 King St. Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3K9 TEL: 905-623-3303 FAX: 905-623-6161 HOURS: Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.M. E-mail: jbobbitt@durhamrcgion.com Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 EDITORIAL e-mail Iaters to newsroom® durhamrcgian.com Has it really been only six years? Harris era featured action galore, changed Ontario He came, he cut, lie left. The verdict on the legacy of Premier Mike Harris, who decided Tuesday six years at the helm of Ontario was enough, won't be delivered until the next provincial election. election. If the voters like what the premier has done these last half-dozen years, they'll re-elect the Tories and the new premier. If not, we'll see a new party at the helm. It's really that simple. Consider, however, the state of Ontario in the spring of 1995 as we entered the election campaign which would shockingly vault the Harris-led Tories Tories and their Common Sense Revolution from worst to first. Under Bob Rac the NDP had run up a massive deficit, in part due to a brutal recession, and welfare spending was out of control. Tired of watching nothing work, Mr. Harris proposed radical change, was elected because of his message, message, and then delivered it. He vowed to slash provincial income taxes by 30 per cent. He pledged business lax cuts and a reduction of red tape. He said he would reduce welfare benefits and institute institute workfare. He pushed for one less year of high school saving" $350 million,. He talked of serious reductions of civil servants, of school boards and trustees, of leaner more efficient government. He made promises which he kept, especially during his first mandate. Not all appreciated the work of the Harris Tories. Civil service unions marched in anger when they felt wage offers offers were not sufficient. Teachers were less than thrilled over legislation which changed their working conditions, but which the government defended as fair, reasonable and in the best interests of students. Social activists felt Mr. Harris didn't care about the poor and downtrodden and that his moves would only worsen the plight of those who needed government to survive. The Harris record features the greatest period of economic economic growth in Ontario in decades. The Tories promised the creation of 725,000 jobs and beat that target. They also said they'would eliminate the deficit and did so. How much Mr. Harris can lake credit for all this is questionable. There was job growth and deficit elimination in every province across the country during his time as premier. But Ontario led the way. The tough love approach did not work for everybody. Child poverty in Ontario is still at miserable levels. Those cuts to welfare did drive many to find jobs but those stuck at the bottom are suffering more than ever. Food banks still work overtime, too many are homeless. The Province seems to have little inclination to help the least fortunate. Health care is in crisis here, but not because of a lack of spending. The problem of our hospitals and health centres, of our system in general is that it needs a thorough review. The feds are conducting one currently and it will be up to the next premier to address the ever-present problems. Mr. Harris elicited strong emotions from friend and foe. Blunt-spoken and without pretension, he delivered on his belief that less government and lower taxes are best for Ontario. Ontario. Our province was his province. His impact will be felt for decades to come. LOOKING BACK WITH THE STATESMAN 25 YEARS AGO Oct. 20, 1976 Courtice seeks volunteers to create a fire brigade. Those "fit and able" residents under the age of 60 are invited to consider volunteering to work out of a new station planned for the area. About 18 to 20 volunteers in all are required. 50 YEARS AGO Oct. 18,1951 Bowmanville children got to sec royalty up close when the Rotary Club treated 15 of them to a trip to Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto to see Princess Elizabeth and Prince Andrew. The Gardens was reportedly "quiet as a sleeping child" when the princess entered but soon reverberated to the rafters with cheers. 75 YEARS AGO Oct. 21, 1926 A petition of 328 citizens was presented to council requesting requesting ratepayers be given the option to vote during the municipal election on a decision about daylight savings time. hijbnnation taken from the archives of The Canadian Statesman Ballplayers must watch out for others To the editor: While watching my daughter's daughter's soccer game - at George Reynolds Park in Courtice, 1 saw several people nearly get hit by fly balls. Several were small children. One of them was my son. Several teenagers were playing on the diamond clearly unconcerned about the safety of anyone around them. When several parents and I pointed it out to them, rather than apologize or even reconsider reconsider their behaviour, they took the attitude since it was a ball diamond and they were playing ball we should talk to the Town util letters to iwwsroomf&durluimregion.c ■ if we had a problem about it. They "punctuated their stance with a discouragingly common use of profanities and insults. This is not a new problem in this park. Since my yard backs onto this park, numerous times a. year 1 sec "kids," many as full grown as any adult, deliberately' hitting baseballs out of this diamond. diamond. Their intent is doubly clear when they post several of their group well outside the outfield outfield fence, occasionally leaning leaning against the fence between the park and my yard, to retrieve retrieve the balls. A number of times they have hit balls into my back yard and those of my neighbours, occasionally striking striking kids' play equipment, houses houses and coming awfully close to windows. A municipal official sympa thized with the situation and pointed out those using public areas like this arc responsible for any damage or injuries they cause. He also noted the laws now hold the parents or guardians responsible. He assured assured me appropriate signs and - possibly a change to some of the diamond fencing would be considered. While posting appropriate signs may solve some of the problems it can never completely completely prevent irresponsible behaviour. Perhaps more of these "kids," as well as their parents, should become more aware of their own responsibilities. responsibilities. It would be a terrible and costly shame if someone has to get hurt before these responsibilities responsibilities are taken seriously. Mike Thompson Courtice Government reassessment needed People look to elected leaders when terrorists strike Governments are suddenly becoming more respectable and this poses a problem for Premier Mike Harris. The Progressive Conservative premier, who is down to 35 per cent in polls, won two elections largely on the claim government was too big, inefficient, wasteful and pervasive and needed to be cut and the savings used to reduce reduce taxes. He said Ontarians were the world's most over-governed people, people, paying more for government while receiving less value. Private Private employers could do many jobs cheaper, faster and better and bureaucrats would never voluntarily surrender their power. Mr. Harris never missed an opportunity to belittle government, government, bringing in laws such as his Fewer Politicians, Government Government Efficiency and Cutting Red Tape Acts and imposing "business "business plans" on all its branches as if they were selling cars. The premier resembled Republican Republican candidates for president in the United States, who he much admires, who invariably declare their first job will be to go to Washington and get rid of all that bureaucracy that is ruining ruining the country. Mr. Harris has cut some government government which needed to be trimmed because it was wasteful, as well as unfortunately parts that should have been kept on such duties as preventing pollution, pollution, and this has helped him reduce reduce taxes, but in doing it lie made government a dirty word. Government at its best is people people joining to provide necessary services they cannot provide individually individually and Mr. Harris's view Eric Dowd At Queen's Park of it began to be questioned by many in Ontario when a contaminated contaminated water supply at Walkerton caused deaths and illnesses. The Province recently ordered ordered many other local water suppliers to raise their operations to safe standards. The one sure outcome of a judicial enquiry whose findings will be announced announced soon is that it will ask government to assure better protection protection is in place - who else but a government could do this? The Harris government had handed over responsibility for improving public transit around Toronto to municipalities, but retreated retreated and said this is too big a task for them and it will do it itself. itself. It planned to give hospitals much of the work of Cancer Care Ontario, its agency which organizes treatment for 225,000 patients. The Province then abandoned the idea because some supervisory body needs to adjudicate between hospitals' competing demands and government government is best suited. But the most powerful stimulus stimulus to recognizing there are roles only government can play has been last month's terrorist attacks attacks in the United Stales. Citizens Citizens looked to government to defend defend them and Canada made its initial commitment in armed forces and the vast majority have said they support it. Airlines and the tourism industry industry turned to government, not private enterprise, for cash to keep their operations going. The biggest heroes have been public workers, firefighters killed rushing rushing into buildings to save lives while occupants who could were fleeing them. The mayor of Toronto had been turned down by his council earlier when he asked to hire more firefighters, but it is a safe bet they will be approved now. Experts on the economy in : eluding such bastions of free enterprise enterprise as banks, who normally argue governments should reduce reduce their spending, have called on them in this emergency to increase increase it, particularly on infrastructure, infrastructure, military and security, and even go into debt to stimulate stimulate stalled economics. One. even uttered the heresy that government spending, because because it adds directly to output, is more effective and quicker than tax cuts, the lack Mr. Harris has taken. Private enterprise meanwhile has not looked as reliable. Investors Investors have seen their stocks fall to their lowest value in three years. Business leaders are no longer trumpeted as today's heroes. heroes. While investors in many companies have lost money and employees their jobs, their chief executive officers have been seen revelling in increased salaries and stock options sometimes running into tens of millions of dollars. Government has looked by comparison solid and steady and it will not be as easy for Mr. Harris Harris to win another election running running it down. Jennifer Stone Staff Writer jstonc@dttrhaniregfon.com Lit test not meant to be? If I were the Province, I'd almost be questioning whether the Grade 10 Literacy lest was meant to be. The test, slated for yesterday and today, is postponed for the time being after copies of the test were reportedly stolen and portions posted posted to the Internet. First, rumours swirled that, as part of a campaign against the Harris Harris government, a Toronto-based group was suggesting students boycott boycott the test. Though the beef didn't seem to be clearly with the test itself, itself, but rather with the Provincial Tories, it was clear there was some dissention when it came to whether students should take the exam. Now, there's the test theft, purportedly purportedly perpetrated by students at a school in Toronto. Not only were they able to illegally obtain copies of the supposedly confidential test, but, over the weekend, portions of the test were apparently posted on the Internet. The Education Quality and Accountability Accountability Office, the group responsible responsible for administering the test, has determined giving the test this . week "would be,unfair to students across the province, and the decision decision has been made to postpone the (exam) until further notice." EQAO says the new date for the test will be announced as soon as arrangements can be made. The test, which students from , this year forward must pass in order to receive a high school diploma, has come under fire from many. Some indicated a one-size-fits-all , test wouldn't work for a system that ■ caters to students of such a wide va- , riety of needs and abilities, leaving , it virtually un-passable by a certain segment of the student population. Others said the must-pass nature of the exam may lead to some student, anxiety, though they get as many opportunities opportunities as they need to pass. Undoubtedly, the test will require some tweaking to ensure those students students with difficulties causing them to require more support are treated fairly. The test, after all is brand new, administered for the first time as a pilot project last year, and counting for the first time this year - there is plenty of room for improvement. improvement. But, if students are working toward toward one standard diploma, they should all be able to meet some predetermined predetermined standard of literacy. It only makes sense that we ask students students to be able to show some level of proficiency in reading and writing writing before deeming them high school graduates. Boycotting the test, or even posting posting portions of it to the Internet for all the world to see, isn't going to change that. It just delays it. THE CANADIAN STATESMAN is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. 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