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r • SINCE l^t • ^AL^IATED 1999 WITH CLARINGTON THIS WEEK Pressrun 21,900 34 Pages Eagles hand out hardware Sports, page 14 mw Wednesday, May 15, 2002 Optional 3 week newsstand T sa 1 Ï 2 ft i Racing heritage meets technology Wheels Pull out I am Canadian Clarington students get close-up look at citizenship ceremony BY CRYSTAL CRIM1 Staff Writer CLARINGTON - A citizenship citizenship ceremony was taken out of the federal courtroom Monday and brought into St. Joseph's French Immersion Centre in Bowmanvillc. Grade 5 students hosted an official Canadian Citizenship Citizenship Ceremony which provided provided 30 immigrants from countries such as Poland, Africa, Tobago, and Italy the title of Canadian. It was a chance for students to relate their class social studies unit to real life. "It was really exciting," said Natasha Iantomasi, a Grade 5 student involved with the ceremony. "I never imagined in my wildest dreams this would happen in my school. "Kids, especially my age, don't get to experience that kind of thing. Our teacher always'says always'says we won't remember remember math tests because they're boring, but we'll remember remember the big things like this," she added. The class welcomed the new Canadians by singing folk songs entitled 'Canada Is,' and 'Canada In My Pocket.' Pocket.' Dessert and photo oppor tunities followed the ceremony ceremony with police officers, Mayor John Mutton, and MPP John O'Toole in attendance attendance to congratulate the new Canadians. Grade 5 teacher Donna Paquette, said the ceremony helps students remember what they learn in their social social studies unit about democracy, the Canadian government and citizenship. She believes it also creates pride and gratitude for the gift of being born in Canada. She said often, Canadians take their citizenship for granted. To see the ceremony and the work immigrants have to do to become Canadians, Canadians, can make students appreciate appreciate it more. "Our Canadian citizenship citizenship is not based on blood or soil; our citizenship is based on shared ideas and values... these values are the practises of Canadian citizenship," said Citizenship Judge Syg- mund Reiser who works out of Scarborough for the Order of Canada, the body which performs citizenship ceremonies. ceremonies. "Canada has shown how around the world people from diverse backgrounds could put aside their differences. differences. Canada has become a haven for safety and security for all those who live within." within." The judge shared with the students stories of when he came to Canada after the See STUDENTS page S WALTER PASSARELLA/Statesman'photo BOWMANVILLE - A proud new Canadian, Azza Pye, who emigrated front Egypt, was all smiles after being sworn in at a citizenship ceremony held at St, Joseph's French Immersion Immersion Centre. It was a chance for students to relate their studies to real life. Festival in our backyard CLARINGTON - With a little help from Mother Nature, Clarington's third annual backyard backyard festival will kick-off this Sunday, May 19 at 5 p.m. The annual event includes fireworks,' hot-air balloon rides, thrill rides front the Bridgestone/Firestone Racing Team (weather permitting) and many more activities from organizations organizations across the municipality. municipality. "It's the people who make up the backyard of Clarington," says Jennifer Cooke, manager of communications and tourism. The day was made possible, in part, by dozens of corporate sponsors who donated funds, time and effort to help pay for all the activities including Mo- sport International Speedway, 'The Canadian Statesman/Clarington This Week,' Ontario Power Generation Generation - Darlington Nuclear and Enbridge Gas. The municipality municipality pays for the fireworks at a cost of $25,000 and the community community partners pay for the rest, says Ms. Cooke. Entertainment will be provided provided by local musicians and bands including Tlmced, Ra- diom (winners of Firehouse Youth battle of the bands), Charles Street and guitarist Eric Lambier. "It will be a great weekend in conjunction with Mosport and the largest, fireworks display display cast of Toronto tops it off," says Mayor John Mutton. The event is free although there are some community organizations organizations doing fund-raising activities. The event will go rain or shine. "We're asking everyone to put on their sunshine caps," says Ms. Cooke. If the fireworks fireworks are cancelled due to high winds on the Sunday, the fireworks fireworks alone will be changed to Monday, May 20 at dusk. Mosport is located north of Bowmanvillc up Hwy. 57 at Cone. 10. JENNIFER COOKE Large fireworks display . tops off weekend. ACCREDITED TEST & REPAIR FACILITY ♦An wllkltil mark iil'lhv INiivImv »r Ontario list'd under Ik'vmv, Whitby - Oshawa 1110 DUNDAS. ST. E., WHITBY fO) LOCAL (905) (MJ 666-1772 i-jcoiuew | www.hondn1.com Inside He Statesman WHERE TO FIND IT Editorial Page 6 Classified 9 Sports 14 GIVE US A CALL General 579-4400 Distribution .. .579-4407 Death Notices .683-3005 Sincerely Yours 1-800-662-8423 Web site cliirhamregion.com General FAX .. .579-2238 Newsroom FAX .579-1809 Municipal bonds get lukewarm reception from Mayor Mutton CLARINGTON - Municipal Municipal bonds to fund infrastructure infrastructure will not address the need for municipalities to receive revenue from alternative sources besides property taxes, says Mayor John Mutton. Mutton. In his throne speech last week, Premier Ernie Eves said municipalities would he allowed allowed to sell bonds to raise needed capital dollars. But that does not address the real issue, suggests the mayor. 1 Municipalities must have access access to a stable funding source beyond property taxes - not just another way to borrow money, says the mayor. "It's a small step in the right direction," direction," he says of the Premier's announcement. "We're waiting waiting for the big leap." Mayor Mutton would like municipalities to he apportioned apportioned part of provincial sin taxes and gas taxes since the local level of government has inherited some of the expens es, such as road infrastructure, once paid for by the Province. "If we received a certain part of every bit of alcohol sold in the municipality that would be very helpful," says the mayor. As for the bonds, the mayor says he doesn't expect Clarington will be selling them anytime soon. "We're going to get treasurer Nancy Taylor to do a funding analyse analyse Cl A KINGTON page S Nuclear mayors get positive reaction BY JA CQUIE McINNES Staff Writer DURHAMI - Nuclear communities communities could have a say in the long-term storage of nuclear nuclear waste despite being shut out of legislation late last year. In a meeting with mayors from Clarington, Pickering and Kincardine, May 10, Energy Energy Minister Herb Dhaliwal gave the municipalities some assurances their concerns would be addressed, says Clarington Mayor John Mutton. Mutton. Specifically,- the minister said the Canadian Association of Nuclear Host Communities (CANHC) could have a member member on the board of directors of the Waste Management Organization Organization (WMO), the mayor says. The WMO will be the body determining the longterm longterm fate of nuclear waste from generating stations including including those in Pickering and Clarington after a steering committee makes a report on its findings, to the federal government, a couple of years from now. The CANHC is a fledgling organization whose members include five municipalities - including Pickering and Clarington Clarington - hosting nuclear reactors reactors in their communities. "I feel a lot more comfortable comfortable about the process," says Mayor Mutton who raised serious serious concerns about the legislation legislation when it was proceeding through the House of Commons Commons last fall. Bill C-27 created created the process to find a final resting place for the nuclear waste, including spent fuel bundles. The steering committee will investigate three options for long-term storage of the waste: geological burial in the Canadian Shield, a central offsite offsite facility or permanent onsite onsite storage at the generating stations. This is the first time on-site storage has been considered as an option for permanent- storage although plans have always included keeping the waste on-site until decommissioning decommissioning of the generating stations. stations. In the fall, Mayor Mutton and Pickering Mayor Wayne Arthurs both expressed concern concern with the permanent onsite onsite option. The mayors argued argued if the waste docs remain in the communities permanently, permanently, the municipalities should receive compensation. Their requests were rejected and the legislation passed without any inclusion of compensation compensation or any municipal representation in the process. However, notes Mayor Arthurs, "Membership of the municipalities is not precluded precluded by the legislation." He believes believes the municipalities can be included in the decisionmaking. decisionmaking. "We expressed our interest to be actively involved in the process and to have a place on the board of directors," says See ENERGY page S