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PAGE 6 THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, AUGUST 21, 2002 Tim Whittaker Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor-in-Chief Chris Bovie Managing Editor Fred Eismont Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak Classified Advertising Manager Kirk Bailey Distribution Manager Lillian Hook Office Manager Barb Harrison Composing Manager Efje Canadian ü>tategman Phone 905-579-4400 Classifieds 905-576-9335 Distribution 905-579-4407 General Fax 905-579-2238 Newsroom Fax 905-579-1809 E-Mail newsroom@durhamregion.com 865 Farewell St., Oshawa ON L1H 7L5 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 ■August 21,2002 • Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. infodurhamregion.com EDITORIAL e-mail letters to ncwsi'oomt® (lurltamreyion.com PM must reveal his leadership timetable It's timC for helm and they want Mr. Mar- Liberals to return to governing Canada I t's summer, but perhaps it's time for Prime Minister Minister Jean Chretien to take his own 'walk in the snow' -- tall grass would do -- and announce just when he's stepping down. After leading the party to three consecutive majority governments, Mr. Chretien deserves credit, but also some of the blame for the internal tug-of-war going on in his caucus now as MPs choose sides between the prime minister minister and challenger Paul Martin. Mr. Chretien, in previously previously hinting he was contemplating contemplating handing over the reins, appears to have misled his colleagues and the country, country, prompting much of the infighting. He doesn't appear to be going anywhere, after all. Certainly, on the eve of a Liberal caucus . retreat in Chicoutimi, many MPs are not anticipating discussing many of the country's important important issues at the meeting. Instead, Instead, we can expect our elected representatives to square off in a battle over party leadership, with Chretien Chretien backers in one corner and Martin supporters in another. Many Liberals believe it's time for fresh blood at the tin. Public support is also said to be with Mr. Martin. The former finance minister, who delivered two balanced budgets after starting with a $42-billion deficit inherited by the Tories, has shown fiscal fiscal prudence while not forgetting forgetting the social fabric of the country. He's earned his stripes. The so-called loyalty letter released by Chretien supporters supporters this week and signed by 94 MPs isn't worth the paper it's written on. Many of those are cabinet ministers; if your boss asked you to publicly support him, what would you say? The letter is a public relations relations exercise that amounts to nothing. Some MPs have even said it was just a declaration supporting supporting the PM's right to depart depart at a time of his choosing. choosing. One thing the letter has done is ensure the leadership debate will be front and centre centre at the Quebec retreat, while issues of federal policy fall by the wayside. The prime minister now has to weigh what's best for the party, and best for the country. Rather than allow the internal struggle for power to continue, he should decide to go with grace and announce his timetable, well before the Liberal national convention in February. It's time for the party to turn its attention to governing the country. OPINION e-mail letters to newsroom@durlianiregioii.eoni Two careless kids might have been your own mi $6 » H v- T: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-ni Oshawa Marina needs to be saved TO THE EDITOR: Re: The proposal to fill in the Oshawa Marina. The announcement of the proposed future plans for the Oshawa Marina has put me, my family, friends and co-workers into a state of basic confusion. This emotion is not exaggerated. exaggerated. The common denominator reaction to this issue is 'Why fill in a functional marina?' Like all communities bordering bordering the Great Lakes, the shores were subjected to dumping dumping by local industries. These practices, fortunately, are not tolerated today. Industries that took advantage of this cheap and convenient practice should be held accountable, the same as all of our actions in life. This issue is at a scale of monstrous debate and study, which could not be solved in a nil letters to ncw.sr<>om@durliiiiiiregion.i timely and cost-efficient manner. manner. I forward this dump issue because Oshawa's marina is partly built on one of these industrial industrial dumps. This dump, of many ,years ago, is a factor in the plans to dismember Oshawa's Oshawa's marina. As a long time outdoorsman, and knowing many issues regarding regarding environmental policies, I ask the question, where are the environmental studies backing up a decision to fill in a functional functional marina? ■ ' As a ' husband, father of 1 three, avid sailor for 12 years, first-time sailboat owner and having the privilege to grow up on the shores of Lake Ontario, this proposal is heartbreaking to my family and others. This announcement, at first, took the wind out of my family's family's sails. But we, and many others, will come about and point up wind to save this beautiful beautiful resource that complements our community. With a hectic pace of life and distractions challenging family time, it is my family's plan to have a long-term investment in Oshawa's lakefront. This commitment commitment from my family and others must include a fully functional marina. This letter is written with the true emotion and commitment to our community's marina. Marc Law Courtice (KIje Cimatiimi Statesman welcomes letters to the editor. editor. All letters should be typed or neatly hand-writ- ten, 150 words. Each letter must include the name, mailing address and daytime daytime telephone number of the writer. The editor reserves reserves the right to edit copy for style, length and content. We regret that due to the volume of letters, letters, not all will be printed. Fax letters to 905-579- 1809 or email to newsroom newsroom @ durhamregion.com OPINION It's always the right time for road safety reminders D ear parents of preschool children: please say an extra prayer when you tuck your little ones in tonight. 1 almost killed your daughter. I almost killed your son. You may have warned them to stay close to home when you sent them out to play that warm summer summer afternoon. You may have warned them about crossing the street. If so, you should know this is a lesson they haven't learned. It was a Friday; commuters were rushing home from work, minds on the weekend. The sidewalks were busy with people walking dogs, kids at play. Yours were among them. Driving home, 1 turned onto your street. I can't explain explain Ihe feeling of impending disaster that came over me, bill it did, and 1 slowed down, going well under the posted limit of 40 km/h. 1 saw your children when I was still quite a distance from them. They were on the sidewalk, sidewalk, facing the road, not moving. One sal in a children's children's ear, a Fred Flintstonc- lype model with a high, narrow narrow roof. A small blanket was draped over the roof of the Judi Bobbitt Regional Editor car. A little boy wearing nothing nothing but shorts and shoes stood beside it. I drove slowly up the street, and still they remained stationary, stationary, and I started to relax. Then, incredibly, when I was almost upon them, the child in the little car was on the move, headed for the opposite sidewalk. sidewalk. The blanket draped over the car's roof obscured the child's vision to the left and to the right; yet the child made no attempt attempt to check for traffic before heading heading out onto the road. And, far from shouting shouting a warning, the boy simply followed. Somehow, I'd been expecting them. They crossed four feet in front of my bumper, while I waited waited as one might wait for a waddling family of ducks. When they were right in front of me, the boy reached out and plucked the blanket off the ear, and 1 saw the driver was a little girl. When they had reached the opposite sidewalk safely, 1 rolled down my window and spoke gently, trying to solicit agreement that they would look both ways before crossing crossing the street from now on. They simply stared. Dear parent, I left with absolutely absolutely no confidence your kids even realized what they'd done wrong. Please go over the rules of the road with them again tonight. Please assume these children children were your own. c-miiil letters to ncw.sroom@ilurhamrcgion.com Premier seems prepared to change his style for votes H ow far Premier Ernie Eves will go to win an election is the biggest question in Ontario politics and he looks more and more ready to get rid of the family jewels. The new Progressive Conservative premier has shifted toward the centre and away from the policies of his predecessor, predecessor, Mike Harris, by acts including postponing postponing announced tax cuts, cancelling some planned privatizing and speaking civilly to labour unions. Premier Eves has now said he does not oppose marriages marriages between people of the same sex and his government is considering considering bringing back photo radar to catch speeding drivers. This is like Karl Marx renouncing renouncing 'Das Kapital,' Tiger Woods saying he never eared much for golf or Napoleon retreating retreating from Moscow. Premier Eves',s Tories have signified even their most fundamental beliefs are not sacred. When die Ontario Superior Court ruled the practice of refusing refusing same-sex couples the right to marry violates the Canadian Charter Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Mr. Eves accepted it without quibbling, quibbling, I le said he has no objection to same-sex couples marrying, explaining: explaining: "If two people decide they want to be in union, why should I interfere with that?" The premier said he would not appeal the decision and leave that issue to the federal government, government, which lias jurisdiction jurisdiction over the law saying who is eligible to get married. This is a giant reversal because the Tories, particularly particularly under Mr. Harris, Harris, when Mr. Eves was second-in-command, long battled against rights for gays, especially especially when it could help them win elections. Mr, Harris exploited the issue to win a notorious notorious byclcction in 1994 which gave him his first step to power. Liberal leader Lyn McLeod had urged the New Democrat government to change the law to provide family and survivor benefits to same-sex couples. The Liberals were far ahead in hyelcclion polls, bill Mr. Harris ran advertisements claiming their first priority was taking care of homosexual homosexual couples instead of creating creating badly needed jobs and enough voters swallowed this and Ihe Liberals Liberals collapsed. The NDP later brought in legislation legislation that would have given same-sex couples even more rights including full rights to adopt children. Mr. Harris was uncompromisingly uncompromisingly against it and Ihe Liberals Liberals were scared to support it and seen as llip-lloppcrs, which made some contribution to Mr. Harris's winning his first general election. When the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 1999 Ontario was violating the Charter by not giving its same-sex couples the same rights as couples of opposite sexes living together under common law, and ordered it to do so, Premier Premier Harris retorted defiantly same-sex couples were not his definition definition of a family. Mr. Harris insisted, "My family family is Janet and I and our two great kids," which seemed a ringing defence defence of family values until a couple couple of months later lie split from his wife. Mr. Harris also made it clear lie was passing the required legislation legislation against his will by giving it a title staling it had been forced on him by the court, and not a single Tory MPP spoke in favour of it. Public Safety Minister Bob Runciman says he is considering reintroducing photo radar in some areas to catch drivers who increasingly increasingly are racing and causing accidents accidents and deaths, Mr. Harris shut down the NDP's photo radar system, which used cameras in moving, unmarked unmarked police vehicles, only nine days after taking office, which showed the high priority he placed on it. The Tories made halting photo radar a symlxil of how they were stopping government interfering in residents' lives and, if they can go into reverse gear on this one, they can backtrack on almost anything. Eric Dowd Queen's Park CLICK AND SAYj^ Today's question: Would you be willing to make lifestyle changes to reduce smog? □ Yes □ No . □ Not sure Cast your vote online at infodurhamregio|i.com Last week's question: Given a number of beaches are regularly posted for high E. coli counts, would you swim at Durham's public beaches? □ Anytime 1.3% □ Never 80% □ Only when not posted 18.7% Votes cast: 75 HAVE YOUR SAY Question Are you planning to test out Bowmanville's new transit system while it's free? Mario Russo "I have other means of getting around. I don't need it; I'm walking or driving. I'll probably go on it eventually, but not anytime soon." Elizabeth Furlong "I just think it's a good idea. I'm not driving right now; I'm having eye surgery so it will be convenient." Jennifer Barras "It's more accessible and a lot cheaper than taking a taxi. It's something that the town needs. I used it yesterday. I got on the bus to see where all the stops are while it's free." Laura Urquhart "It's fun. Instead of taking the taxi, we can take the bus and it's going to be free for the next two weeks and it's good for the environment." Œljc Cminbinii Statesman is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. The Statesman is a member of the Bow- manvllle Clarington Board of Trade, the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, Ontario Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Circulations Audit Board and the Ontario Press Council. The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse any advertisement. advertisement. Credit for advertisement advertisement limited to space price error occupies. Editorial and Advertising content of the Canadian Statesman is copyrighted. copyrighted. Unauthorized reproduction reproduction Is prohibited. a°™ rrei=i (•mi mette»**,