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PAGE 4 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ January 19,2005 Tim Whittaker Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor-in-Chief Chris Bo vie Managing Editor Fred Eismont Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak Classified Advertising Manager Kirk Bailey Distribution Manager Lillian Hook Office Manager Janice O'Neil, Cheryl Haines Composing Managers Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 ®be Canabtan Statesman ■ ■ JANUARY 19, 2005 durhamregion.com 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 infodurhamregion.com EDITORIAL e-mail letters to ncwsroom@durhamrcgion.com Feds need to help with auto industry Border delay reduction, investment required The recent tour by the Conservative Conservative Party of Canada's Automotive Automotive Caucus was reminiscent of the old line -- and hit 80s song -- Don't you forget about me. Chaired by rookie Oshawa MP Dr. Colin Carrie, the caucus hit all the main auto production centres centres in Ontario, with a quick side-trip to the United States. . The short tour stopped in Detroit (Daimler-Chrysler), Cambridge (Toyota), Oakville (Ford), Allis- ton (Honda), and Oshawa (General (General Motors). Dr. Carrie, who is showing signs of being a. fast learner on Parliament Hill after his election just over six months ago, has been quick to listen to the concerns concerns of the automotive industry, the linchpin of his constituency. He has grasped the importance of GM, not only to Oshawa and to Durham, but to the entire province province and the country as well. The presence of Durham MP Bev Oda, who represents Clarington, Scugog and Uxbridge, is a testament testament to her concerns as well for the future of GM. Not only does GM employ 1 more than 11,500 at its massive : complex in south Oshawa, but it also creates spin-off jobs at a rate of over 5-1. Many people in Durham Region and beyond owe their jobs to General Motors and the health of the auto giant is a constant concern for those who live and work in the region. While GM spokesman Stew Low is quick to' point out his company is not interested in partisan partisan politicking, he's also concerned concerned that the long lineups at the clogged U.S.-Canada border be reduced. "For the.last 10 years we've had a just-in-time delivery system. system. Transit time is non-value- added time and, any way we can reduce it, that's good for us," said Mr. Low. ■ Dr. Carrie's caucus is hoping to pressure the feds to find a quicker, quicker, more efficient way across the border. The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist terrorist attacks didn't help the situation, situation, of course, but it's hoped Canadian and U.S. government officials can get the lines moving more smoothly so truckers don't sit for four, five and six hours while they wait. The need for a commitment by the federal government to assist with much-needed investment is always there. General Motors is a consistent consistent winner in the esteemed J.D. Power and Associates rankings of the best automotive plants in North America. Ranked against 82 competitor plants, GM's car and trilck factories factories have finished at or near the top over the last few years. It's important to keep our products at the pinnacle in a highly competitive competitive global market. The feds can do their part by helping to invest in research and development to make sure GM stays ahead of the curve. For the past decade, as the Liberals rolled up near unanimous unanimous federal Victories in Ontario, Ontario, there was little to keep the government honest. It's good to finally have some opposition opposition MPs who won't sit idly by and give the feds a free ride. BACKWARD GLANCE Statesman turns 77,1931 Photo supplied by Bowmanville Museum On July 15,1931, the Canadian Statesman entry rolled along in a parade sponsored by the Bowmanville Businessmen's Association. The newspaper was celebrating 77 years in operation. < DEAR, \T APPEARS ■ ■ . vïSfcïy i5zSï»î.*-:\A £ i Prill S!S : tIW TUE OU) WERANCÉ WMBMBMTUP6BW OWAfrUMED MMUKv. ; : vr CLICK AND SAY Today's question: Do you agree with the federal federal Conservative caucus that the federal Liberals should spend more on the auto industry? Yes No Cast your vote online at infodurhamregion.com Last week's question: Do you miss the National • Hockey League? LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-mail letlers to ncwsroom@durhamregion.com Orono- Bowmanville bus a waste of money To the editor:. '.r> I am a taxpayer with a Grade 8 education. I do not understand . computers and am not the best speller. But, I like and understand understand math. I wrote you a letter a year ago about busing and that Laidlaw runs a bus every Tuesday leaving Newtonville at-9:30 a.m. It runs to Crooked Creek, Starkville, Kendal, Kirby, Orono, Newcastle Trailer Park, and Wilmot Complex and then to Bowmanville. This bus can be flagged down anywhere along the way. The least we have had on the bus is five and the most is 16 and we all, pay full price and are thankful of it. - Why would council think of subsidizing a bus to come to Orono from Bowmanville for 1.5 people. This bus was supposed to be on a trial basis for six months. It has been running a year and it is not working. Cancel it and save the taxpayer some money for a change. Josephine MacDonald Kendal Student asks why no seatbelts on school buses To the editor: Why do school bus drivers wear seatbelts but not children when they are riding on a school bus? Parents will do anything and everything to protect their children. children. But why do they send them off on*:a school bus with no seat- .belts? ) K." W: We allkh'ow,that children u^To' the age of eight should be in a car seat or a booster seat. These rules are set out by the government. 1 ■ Now, why can they not make a rule and install seatbelts on school buses all over Canada? .We all know it is much safer for children to wear seatbelts. If the police find you without a seatbelt on they will give you a ticket. So when are they going to install . seatbelts on school buses? Jonathan Zavitski, Age 8 Courtice Minimum increase compared to slave labour To the editor: •' Re: Durham businesses leader says wage increase will cause strain, Jan. 9. Bob Malcolmson, general manager of the 700-member Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, says that the recent 1 minimum wage increase is going to adversely affect some independent independent business owners. Simply put, if this huge 30-cent an hour increase is going to cause strain on those businesses who effectively rely on slave labour to exist, then maybe, just maybe, it's time they folded their tent and started working for someone else! After all, that's a $2.40 increase per person for an eight-hour day! Mike Harris, where are you? Bill Gotro Trudeau Would have .•?. stood up to premier To the editor: If Pierre Elliott Trudeau had been prime minister when Newfoundland Newfoundland premier Danny Williams Williams ordered the removal of all Canadian flags from all federal government buildings in Newfoundland, Newfoundland, not- only would it have been put back up immédi- ately, he (Mr. Williams) would be flying on the pole beside it. As P.E.T. would say, "Just watch me." Discuss this with a vet. I rest my case. Don Degree LETTERS We welcome letters that include name, city of residence and phone numbers for verification. Writers are generally limited to 200 words and one submission submission in 30 days. We decline announcements, poetry, open letters, consumer complaints, congratulations and thank you. notes, The editor reserves the' right to' edit copy for length, style and clarity. The newspaper newspaper contacts only those people people whose submissions have been chosen for publication. FAX: 905-579-1809; E-MAIL: Newsroom ©durhamregion. com. Maybe big box stores keep it local More than $250 million was driven out of Clarington in 2003, and f think we could, have kept some of it. .According to a market analysis as part of the commercial policy policy review the Municipality has undertaken, Clarington residents spent almost all their department store dollars -- all but 17 per cent -- outside the municipality in 2003. The same year, only 12.3 per cent of home improvement improvement dollars were spent here. Meanwhile, one of the key points of study in the review is whether the Municipality should loosen up their policy on how much retail floor space can be built, lo allow for a Wal-Mart and a Home Depot. Jennifer Stone The answer seems so obvious. Yes, yes, yes! Build 'cm! There is, of course, concern for the downtowns, especially in Bowmanville, But, first of all, most downtown stores arc specialty-type specialty-type shops. Most really aren't in competition with stores like Wal-Mart. Take a long- established downtown business like Hooper's Jewellers as an example. Does anyone really use this line of thought: "I'm going to pick out an engagement ring. Should 1 go to Hooper's or Wal- Mart?" Very unlikely. But the other side of it is the fact that when those department store dollars march out of town, they take with them any incidental incidental shopping dollars that might be spent in downtown stores. My family provides a prime example, of how this occurs. On a fairly regular basis, we pack our kids in the van, leave our Clarington home, and go lo the Wal-Mart in Cobourg. We do our shopping, and often wind up stopping for lunch. Occasionally, we might even seek out a specialty shop at which to pick out a gift for a special occasion. If we were in Clarington,. we might be more likely to stop at a local restaurant to eat, we might be .more likely to pop into a local gift shop to pick, up that special and unique gift. But since we're in Cobourg anyway, our incidental shopping frequently happens there, I can't imagine, we're all that different different from other young Clarington families. When the draft report of the review was presented at Clarington's Clarington's General Purpose and Administration committee last week, Councillor Don MacAr- thur blustered about how dollars dollars spent at large multinational stoics don't stay in the commu nity anyway. But that's just not the point of the study. . The point is, those dollars are leaving anyway. Some of them might be retained if choice is offered, to local residents. Clarington Clarington shoppers are more likely to stop into a locally owned store if they're doing their shopping here anyway. The dollars are being spent regardless, and established Clarington businesses could be retaining some of them simply by having shopping choice closer closer to home. Reporter Jennifer Stone's column appears every other Wednesday. E-mail jstone@durhamregion.cpm ; ;* Yes 23.9% .. Somewhat 7.6% No 68.5 % Votes cast: 343 HAVE YOUR SAY Are you concerned that tsu-, nami relief will take away * from other worthy causes? . Tyler Hetherington "It will definitely take away from them." Greg Zwier "Not at all. I don't think it will take.away from any other causes." Phil Stott . "I think they have already been affected." Dan Palmèr "No, I don't think so because this is a one-time special think people are looking at." The Canadian Statesman is ; one of the Metroland Printing, ; Publishing and Distributing , ; group of newspapers. The Statesman is a member of the Bowmanville Clarington Board of Trade, the Greater ; Oshawa Chamber of Commerce,. Commerce,. Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc., Canadian Circulations Circulations Audit Board and the Ontario Press Council. The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse ahy advertisement. Credit for advertisement advertisement limited to space price error occupies. Editorial and Advertising content of the Canadian Statesman is copyrighted. Unauthorized reproduction reproduction is prohibited. A°cna <*CNA ODE