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«y 1 1 11 M i MJ 1.0 4* a 4/%& r% <v>f |z 44 i 11 /j i 1 r ri i § io 11 V /ÿ J f 4 9- 'M> £ W • SINCE 1854 • AMALGAMATED 1999 WITH CLARINGTON THIS WEEK • Tax /il' CINDY UPSHALL Staff Writer WHITBY - With stormy economic times on the horizon it seems only appropriate that Tuesday's economic statement created waves in the legislature. The statement on how Ontario Ontario will navigate the choppy economic waters caused by the events of Sept. 11 was delayed for an hour by opposition MPPs, who argued it was a full- Clarington could be forced to store nuclear waste JIM FLAHERTY Money given to poor, takes from surplus to balance budget. Mayors : complain they :• were unaware i of legislation i BY JACQUIE MeINNES ; Staff Writer DURHAM - Pickering and Clarington could be forced to permanently store nuclear waste under new federal legislation. legislation. The mayors of the munici- . polities say they have serious concerns if the waste is left on site and, they add, they were not even consulted by federal officials. "If Kincardine had not alerted Clarington to this legislation legislation it would have been passed before we found out," says Clarington Mayor John Mutton, who adds he's very concerned the municipalities involved were not informed by local federal representatives of Bill C-27, expected to receive final reading on Nov. 20. "This has caught all the nuclear communities by surprise. It looks like it's being rammed through very quickly." The legislation proposes the nuclear industry, including Ontario Power Generation, consider three options for permanent permanent storage of the waste: geological burial in the Canadian Canadian Shield; a central off-site facility; or permanent on-site storage at the generating sta- ACCREDITED TEST & REPAIR FACILITY •An (iMcItil murk of the Province of Ontario used under licence. Whitby - Oshawa 1110 DUNDAS. ST. E. WHITBY, LOCAL (90S) 666-1772 honda lions. Durham MP Alex Shepherd says the municipalities have a right to be concerned about the legislation and the proposal for on-site storage but does not feel the onus is on the MPs to inform the municipalities. "There is a multiplicity of legislation that affects, Durham," says the MP, noting there is cruelty to animal legislation legislation coming up too and questions questions if his constituents wouldn't wouldn't care more about that. Bill C-27 "has been sitting here for half a year. Is that the responsibility responsibility of a federal member of parliament?" he asks. Mr. Shepherd says he has spoken to the issue on behalf of his riding during caucus sessions. "I think it is a stopgap stopgap measure and I raised that concern," says the MP, who adds in his opinion the waste should be stored in the Canadian Canadian Shield without further options options being considered. Pickering Mayor Wayne Arthurs says he was surprised on-site long-term storage is being considered as an option. "On-site storage was never envisioned. envisioned. In any of the planning planning for the facilities it was never considered that a permanent permanent solution would be a local solution. It was always the premise it would be off-site." Mayor Mutton says the two Durham mayors and the See STORING page 4 Inside Wt/t Stattfman WHERE TO FIND IT Editorial Page 6 Classified 10 Sports 14 GIVE US A CALL General.. .905-623-3303 Distribution 905-579-4407 Death Notices 905-683-3005 Sincerely Yours 1-800-662-8423 Web site durhamregion.com email jbobbitt@durhamregion.com come earlier cuts blown budget disguised as a fiscal fiscal update. When Finance Minister Jim Flaherty finally began to deliver deliver the speech, it was often inaudible, inaudible, drowned out by heckling heckling from opposition MPPs. Mr. Flaherty, Whitby-Ajax MPP, was halted twice as the Speaker Gary Carr tried to regain control control of the legislature. But despite the drama, the statement contained little new information, with most of the highlights leaked to the media earlier this week. There was no decrease in sales tax as advocated by some opposition members, however Mr. Flaherty did announce legislation legislation that would see cuts to personal, corporate and capital taxes take effect Oct. 1, instead of Jan. 1 2002. He estimated this change would result in an additional $176 million for On tario's economy this year. Mr. Flaherty said Ontario is still on track for a balanced budget in 2001/2002, but it will be achieved using $300 million of the $1 billion reserve fund from the spring budget, leaving $700 million in reserve. Although he announced the government's intention to table its fourth consecutive balanced budget, it will be more difficult to achieve. Forecasters estimate Ontario's economy will grow by a mere 1.1 per cent this year and 1.3 per cent next year. It's a dramatic drop from earlier predictions predictions of 2.3 per cent and 3.6 per cent. Mr. Flaherty made no promises for future increases in health care spending saying "to date we have been able to pick up the slack for Ottawa. But, in See ONTARIO page 4 Drug lab uncovered inside Courtice home DURHAM -Three people were arrested after police found two indoor hydroponic labs in residential luxury homes in Courtice and Ajax, each capable of producing over $1 million a year in drugs. On Friday Nov. 2, at 11:35 a.m. Durham Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit used a search warrant for Tooley Road in Courtice and found a sophisticated sophisticated marijuana growing operation operation in the home. Officers seized 490 plants in various growing stages and $35,000 worth of equipment used to manufacture street drugs. Less than an hour later at 12:25 p.m., police used a second search warrant, this time for a house in Ajax on Morden Crescent Crescent where officers found another another growing operation. Police found 290 plants in different growing stages as well as street drugs production equipment. Both houses allegedly contained a unique below ground method of stealing hydro to operate the indoor systems. Drug enforcement enforcement brought in a qualified electrician electrician to safely shut down the operations. Wing Ping Leung, 35-years- old from Tooley Road in Courtice, Courtice, Tsz Fai Chong and Amy Pui Lo, also 35-years old, from Morden Crescent in Ajax, are charged with conspiracy to produce produce a controlled substance, conspiracy to traffic a controlled substance, production of a controlled controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and theft over $5,000. A.J. GROEN/Statesman photo In remembrance CLARINGTON - Linda Lazenby of the 279 Bowmanville Sea Cadets is all smiles as she pins a poppy on a customer outside the Beer Store on King Street East in Bowmanville. Clarington residents can attend Remembrance Day sendees Nov. 9 and Nov. 11 in the municipality. For more on Remembrance Day, see pages 8 and 9. Helicopter to fly skies over Clarington Low-level radioactive waste data being collected B Y JEANNE BENETEA U Staff Writer Residents shouldn't be alarmed to hear and see a black helicopter hovering over the skies of Port Hope, Hope Township and Clarington in the Newtonvillc, Port Granby area over the next couple of weeks, says the communications officer officer for the Low-Level Radioactive Radioactive Waste Management Office (LLRWMO). "In view of the tragic events of Sept. 11, we want to assure residents the helicopters are collecting data required for the clean-up of low-level radioactive radioactive waste in the Port Hopc/Clarington area," says Sue Stickley. Doug McConnell, senior geophysicist with Fugro Airborne Airborne Surveys, the firm performing performing the data collection, says starting this week the black twin-engine helicopter, call letters CF-I1NB, will fly a search pattern parallel and perpendicular perpendicular to the Lake Ontario shoreline. "In populated areas, the helicopter helicopter will fly at an elevation of 90 to 100 metres," says Mr. McConnell. McConnell. "The altitude will be approximately 50 metres over farmland." The helicopter is equipped with a gamma-ray spectrometer system designed to detect radioactive radioactive isotopes; data collected collected during the flights will help identify the location of low- level radioactive waste contamination, contamination, he explains. "The collectors, located in white baskets mounted outside the helicopter, are passive detectors," detectors," says Mr. McConnell. "There is nothing being emitted and other than the noise from the helicopter, there is no impact impact on residents." The helicopter will be in the air from dusk to dawn; howev- See HELICOPTER page 5 GLENN CASE 'Residents will... see the program is moving forward.' i t