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l PAGE 6 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ APRIL 20,2005 durtiamregion.com 'ÜÜ v.(>\0H z TOW. BUODWD TOPE MOVIN' totoentpe I flV2l39l . ■ : 'L. 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 Hpok Office Manager Janice O'Neil, Cheryl Haines Composing Managers ®f)c Cmtabtan Statesman Opinion | APRIL 20, 2005 Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 CLICK AND SAY EDITORIAL e-mail letters to newsrooni@durliamregion.com Dr. Polonsky has left great legacy 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 infodiirhamregion.com Today's question: What should the provincial government's top priority be in its upcoming budget? Top college, skills centre and university achieved under his leadership If you build it, they will come -- and the house that Dr. Gary Polonsky built has them coming in spades, classroom after classroom. classroom. Dr. Gary Polonsky (lie was just Gary Polonsky when he arrived at the Durham College campus in 1988) has decided to retire from his dual role as president of Durham Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Technology (UOIT) when he turns 65 in 2006. While it's virtually impossible to imagine Durham or UOIT without the presence of the good doctor -- he has a PhD in education education -- the importance of his role should be realized in that he will be replaced by two people next year. When lie first came to Durham Durham 17 years ago, Dr. Polonsky did what any newcomer should always do: He asked the community community what it wanted. He was told two things: a skilled trades centre centre and a university. Both were ambitious goals, and the college president could be excused if he tried but failed to succeed. But succeed he did, and how. : The skilled'.trades "centre canie first and has established itself as one of the best facilities of its kind in the province. Dr. Polonsky Polonsky chose the Whitby location to make his retirement announcement announcement Friday, a clear indication of the pride he feels in the centre. The establishment of UOIT will be Dr. Polonsky's legacy. The effort to get the university university built spanned a decade and included many Durham College executives, political persuasion by the area's MPPs, a push from many citizens in the community and a full out media blitz. The end result is a magnificent, state- of-the-art facility, still under construction. construction. When complete, UOIT will be among the finest universities of its kind in Canada, with a wide range of programs, terrific equipment and tremendous professors professors and researchers. While it all looks fabulous now, it's important to remember .how difficult difficult it was to make it happen. Dr. Polonsky and his team faced opposition from many in the Ontario university community, and in government, but perseverance perseverance won the day and Durham has, not one, but two outstanding post-secondary institutions to be proud of. His energy, positive attitude, ability to fundraise and his vision make Dr.' Polonsky one-of-a- kind. Durham has been lucky to have him and we look forward to great things in his 'final year at v Vtlie "helm.i8£' vS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Health Debt repayment Education Other Cast your vote online at infodurhamregion.com Last week's question: Should the federal government government fall and an election be called due to the testimony made public recently from the Gomery Inquiry? No 30.1% ■ Yes 69.9% Votes cast: 539 HAVE YOUR SAY ' GiVen the publicity over the Gomery Inquiry, do you favour a federal election right now? e-mail letters to ncwsroom@durhamregion.eom BACKWARD GLANCE Standard Bank, Orono Photo supplied by Clarington Museums and Archives Orono's branch of the Standard Bank opened during the early 1900s. In 1928, the Standard Bank was absorbed into the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce'. Regional chairman should be chosen by us To the editor: There is no way that the taxpayers taxpayers of Durham Region are getting value for their tax dollars. dollars. Take our unelected regional chairman, Rogej - Anderson, who gets puiytight b:lck in every time there is h'néWClection cal led," T~ ■ His cronies wild sit with him on council haven't got the backbone to kick Mr. Anderson back to Joe Citizen because they are scared of losing their cushy lineup at the trough. The job of regional chairman should be put to a vote and let the people decide who they really want to have that important job. Anyone but Roger Anderson. His paycheque and his expense account are'an outrage arid an insult to us Durham taxpayers. Whatever happens between now and the next election," let us make sure that the office of ■ regional chairman will be put to a taxpayers' vote and not just appointed as it is now. 1 Remember this when we go to place our vote in our next election. election. The taxpayers are mad as hell, and ready for a change. Mr. Anderson does not deserve $155,000 in income plus another $20,842.42 on conference free- ' hies. W.S. Bartlett Bowmanville Resident complains about plan To the editor: Re: Clarington needs housing mixture, Jennifer Stone column, April 13. The question was, if not in Aspen Spring, then where? 1 can think of many places; how about in the same neighbourhood as the mayor or the councillors or even the planning committee. I agree that a housing mixture is needed, but there is a place for everything and the proposed land in Aspen Springs is not the place. It's easy to say, well it's only . ■ three apartment buildings, but Jennifer Stone did not mention the recently built condominiums (now six in total) that have been built in this area, along with the new school that is slated,for the ■ ' same area,! along;, with the new station/fast-food restaurant that is proposed -- again in this same area. All of this in a neighbourhood that was told only .-single family housing was to be built. If council would like to see into the future and these plans are approved, then look no further further then north Oshawa along Taunton Road and Mary Street as this is what Aspen Springs will become. Don't get me wrong as we lived in that area (north Oshawa) for many years. However, when it came time to purchase a home, we wanted to buy in a quiet single home neighbourhood. We are now fighting to save this neighbourhood and our pride of ownership. If council allows the builder to move forward with these proposed proposed changes, then shame on them and with shame comes lost votes. Charlie Willett Bowmanville Lakeridge Health management decried To the editor: 1 Once again, the axe has fallen; this time Lakeridge Health Corporation Corporation has laid off over 300 , health-care workers in its efforts to fix a $42-million budget deficit. deficit. Manyj will blame this on government government cost-cutting, but this would be a mistake. The overwhelming overwhelming reason for all of this is, simply put, extremely poor management of our community's hospitals. As a result of the Health Services Services Restructuring Commission, Commission, the province's very large hospitals, like Oshawa General, were given a licence to strip their smaller neighbours, like Whitby, Bowmanville, Uxbridge and Port Perry of precious resources. The first casualty was the Whitby Whitby site, which was built in good faith and immediately scrapped after the amalgamation. The next victim was in the north where, faced with the prospect prospect of all of their funding and services disappearing down the gaping maw of the Oshawa site, the Uxbridge site switched allegiances. allegiances. Now, the Bowmanville site, which had always balanced its budget and behaved responsibly, is laying o^f staff and curtailing services. The 'inability to control Lakeridge Lakeridge Health Corporation is the result of a fundamental failure in leadership. Norm Ferrier Whitby Jim Vaughan-Evans "No. I believe the expense that taxpayers will incur for probably another minority government is not appropriate Bruce Barrett "No. I don't think we have heard the full story yet." 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. Tammy Clancy ! "No, just leave everything the way it is." Let's elect like the cardinals do Maybe it's time to put all our voters into a private space until they pick our new.MP In the wake of revelations made at the Gomery Inquiry into the Liberal sponsorship program, _ you'd really have to be living under a rock to have missed the battle drums pounding in preparation preparation for an upcoming election. The Liberals are sounding the air-raid sirens, and have gone into full-blown damagc-con- Jennifer Paige trol mode, with a plethora of announcements planned for the coming week on everything from international policy lo immigration immigration changes to gas-tax roll-outs, in hopes of diverting media, and by extension, the public's attention attention from the ndscnm debacle. Bui despite the Liberals' best efforts, polls are showing. the ruling party is in a free-fall, with the Conservatives and the NDP quickly closing in. The fact is, though, that Canadians Canadians are suffering from a collective collective case of voter ennui, and the thought of going back to the polls this spring is about as enticing as a root canal without anesthesia. If voter apathy has been a problem before, wc ain't seen nothin' yet, The situation gives rise to the thought that maybe'the Vatican has it right, that Elections Canada Canada should lock members of the electorate in each riding into an enclosed space until they choose from among a list of candidates. And, unlike the College of Car dinals, Canadian voters wouldn't have to contend with such pesky distractions as elaborate ceiling frescoes. And, barring foreseeable objections objections by local fire departments, over the hazards presented by smoke signalling the election of an MP, the whole process could prove to be considerably more efficient, not to mention more reflective of the will of the riding as a whole. First, once all the voters have been sworn in and have meditated meditated on their choice to hold the scat for their riding in the House of Commons, the election begins immediately, with no outside communications permitted of any kind, including radio or tele phone (not even text messages or images of your best friend's dog wearing sunglasses sent to your Blackberry are to be allowed). All the better to get cjown to the business of democracy. It goes without saying, of course, that in most cases Canadian Canadian politicians bear little resemblance resemblance to the cardinals of the Catholic church but maybe, just maybe, the introduction of a little old-fashioned ritual would help Canadian voters to understand the importance of the process itself, and how vital each voter's role is in shaping our future. News editor Jennifer Paige '.v column appears every other Wednesday. E-mail jpaige@diirhamregion.com. Shawny Cameron ' "No, the way I look at it, who! knows what the next person} will do?" ; . i I The Canadian Statesman isj one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing i group of newspapers. The | Statesman is a member of | the Bowmanville Clarington j Board of Trade, the Greater} Oshawa Chamber of Com- I merce, Ontario Community ! Newspaper Assoc., Cana- | dian Community Newspaper] Assoc., Canadian Circula- i lions Audit Board and the Ontario Press Council. The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse any advertisement. Credit for ad vertisement limited to space price error occupies. Editorial and Advertising content of j the Canadian Statesman is ! copyrighted. Unauthorized reproduction reproduction is prohibited, j A ocna (£?na ztf'™