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t PAGE 6 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ December 7,2005 Tim Whittaker Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor-In-Chief Chris Bovie Managing Editor Fred Eismont Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak Classified Advertising Manager Kirk Bbiley Distribution Manager Lillian Hook Office Manager Janice O'Neil, Cheryl Haines Composing Managers Œ! )t Canadian Statesman Opinion g DECEMBER 7, 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-Mall newsroom@durhamregion.com 865 Farewell St., Oshawa ON L1H 7L5 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 infodurhamregion.com EDITORIAL e-mail letters to ncwsrooni@durliamregion.com Province must lead way on waste You can't blame Greater Toronto Area municipal politicians politicians for worrying about what to do with the four tonnes of trash produced in the GTA each year. They realize the option of shipping the garbage to Michigan Michigan landfills is not a long-term solution to a problem that won't go away. In fact, the! Michigan garbage plan could be halted within a few months should U.S. legislators legislators decide to close the international international border to trash haulers. haulers. GTA politicians recently took their concerns about garbage to the provincial Ministry of the Environment, which has the final say when it comes to trash legislation. But a spokesman for the ministry, ministry, who attended a Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton Mayors and Chairs meeting at Durham Region headquarters in Whitby, had little to say abolît the issue. That didn't sit well with local leaders who feel the Province must show the way in helping to find solutions for the burgeoning burgeoning garbage problem. The issue is complex and so are the solutions. Local landfills have been filled by decades of trash ' dumping and the desire to find new sites is rife with "not in my backyard" strife. An attempt by Durham, in concert with York and Peterborough, Peterborough, to develop a new way to get rid of waste - such as through incineration - will take many years to implement. It will require the necessary environmental assessment in addition to many other approvals approvals and would be available by 2012 at the earliest. Even then, therè's no guarantee guarantee the Province would approve such an idea. . That's what it comes down to - getting direction from the Province that will provide clear guidelines for municipalities municipalities which are trying to deal aggressively with an ongoing problem. The Province, as it is now doing with Ontario's energy concerns for the future, must take trash seriously and prepare a report that deals with longterm longterm waste issues. Either new landfill sites must be developed or new ways found to dispose of waste. While it will be up to municipalities municipalities to follow through on any provincial guidelines, the local levels of government do neéd a sensible, practical longterm longterm plan. Only the Province can adequately adequately address that issue,. > CLICK AND SAY Today's question: Do you plan to use the new Durham regional transit system when it launches in the new year? Cast your vote online at infodurhamregion.com Last week's question: Do you feel 50 Cent should be banned from performing in Canada? No 39.3% Ys 60.7% Votes cast: 356 HAVE YOUR SAY Are you impressed with any of the federal party leaders so far? 1 : , dofighan.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-mail letters to newsroom@durhamregion.com BACKWARD GLANCE Castle Hotel, c. 1980s i ri. n- Statesman file photo A number of patrons stand in front of the Castle Hotel on King Street East in Bowmanville. The photo dates from the ,1980s. Newcastle Family Connection engenders pride To the editor: Re: Discovering the joys of dance, The Canadian Statesman, Nov. 30. As one of the three founding .mothers (along with Corrinne Allin and Linda Unsworth) of Newcastle Family Connection (NFC) I was thrilled to read your article on the dance program it offers. When NFC was merely a dream we hoped it would become a fixture fixture in our village. I have been proud to watch the growth and development of NFC over the years, as the drop-in centre became the YMCA Early Years Centre, and as the dance program continued to thrive. The well-established presence of Newcastle Family Connection in our village shows us all the importance of volunteers to our communities, and I wish them continued success as they keep the dream alive. Cathy Abraham Newcastle Don't ever give up on yourself To the editor: V Re: Don't give up on your soulmate, soulmate, Nov. 11. What if we give up on ourselves? ourselves? One thing I have been able to learn is that it is even more important not to give up on yourself. The inner strength that at times seems so illusive and unattainable unattainable is the very thing we need to find to pull ùs through the rough patches. Somedays, our troubles 'and the feeling of very little love in our lives just seems to take hold of us. Well, these are the days when you need not look for a miracle but just realize that the little things and the baby steps we take each day are what holds value, and we should be proud of all of our accomplishments not matter how small, even if no one else knows about them. Your inner strength will then find you and will carry you through your next seemingly insurmountable challenge. Gerrie Goulet Courtice f . • ■ r '* * ■ • H'v- ' Eagles support should be better To the editor:. I am writing to express my concern about the lack of support support our first-place Bowmanville Eagles are receiving this season. ; A check' of the attendance figures for the Ontario Hockey Association Provincial Junior A East division shows Bowmanville Bowmanville near the bottom, just ahead of Kingston and Peterborough. Both Kingston and Peterborough are farm teams .of Ontario Hock- . ey League franchises and therefore therefore have them as a resource. Teams in Bancroft and Cobourg are having terrible seasons yet are near the top of the division in attendance. Our town has a population of 32,000, larger than any other centre except Kingston and Peterborough. Most fans feel the main problem is scheduling Sunday games in the afternoons and not the evenings and want it changed. I respectfully ask the team to switch to Sunday evening for the rest of the season and playoffs. Come on Bowmanville, let's get out and support our team. Gary McCormick Bowmanville Lakeridge Health lottery should include Oshawa-built GM cars To the editor: I just picked up a brochure for the Cash for Cancer lottery. While I think it is greatithaLi;;;: the lottery is in its seventh year and that all the, vehicles being given away are GM vehicles, I have to wonder why, in the wake of GM's lay-off announcements, none of the GM cars being given away are not built in Oshawa. Since Lakeridge Health Oshawa Oshawa has canvassed GM workers to donate money out of their weekly paycheques for the last 10 years, I think it's time Lakeridge Lakeridge Health buy vehicles its neighbours build for this lottery. I won't be buying a ticket this year until I see Oshawa-built cars and/or trucks in next year's lottery., -, > L , '■ David W. Shmyr Hampton 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 x 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. How Jack sold soul to the grinches f v K Visions of more than sugar plums must have been dancing in his head Paul Martin may have put it best when, just after lie visited the Governor General to have Parliament dissolved and an election date set, lie uttered the following: "A minority Parliament means the opposition can force an election election whenever it chooses. In this case, I believe ambition has overwhelmed overwhelmed common sense." This may well be true. After all, the PM had promised an election by spring. It was going to happen, but the opposi- Jennifer Stone liqn simply couldn't wait. , And the NDP, led by Jack Lay- ton, who held the balance of power, in some ways seem the most impatient of all. Instead of waiting it out, the party joined forces with some unlikely allies - one party, the Conservatives so very far to the right of centre on the political spectrum relative to the NDP, and another, the Bloc Québécois, with its sights set on breaking up Canada. But those two, each with their ' own reasons for wanting an election election as soon as possible, managed to woo Mr. Layton, who behaved like the former schoolyard geek who suddenly found himself in possession of the thing all the cool kids were after. The swagger swagger was unmistakable. The Bloc and the Conservatives made strange bedfellows indeed for a party supposedly' valuing a relatively socialist,, left-wing agenda, and for a party very unlikely to do little more than hold the balance of power in yet another shaky minority government. government. Realistically, Jack Layton needn't start filling out Canada Post change-of-address cards with "24 Sussex Drive" any time soon. But yet, he felt the need to partner with two parties that hold values so distant from those of his own political stripe. And potentially, this could mean he will next hold the balance of power with a much less left-leaning left-leaning party in power, which could mean a much more uphill battle in bringing his party's wishes into legislation. That could also mean, if we wind up with a Conservative Conservative minority, a possibility of another swift trip to the polls, and there aren't many Canadians who relish that thought. Not only that, but he's forged this alliance at this time, knowing knowing full well that a winter election election could very well essentially disenfranchise some of those for whom his party fights - the poor and elderly, for whom transportation transportation may be an issue and lor whom a winter election could make getting to the polls very difficult. He could have left it till spring, when the weather might have been more forgiving. The timing of this election may also make it an issue. Let's face Roger Leetooze "I'm not impressed with any politician.When they promise promise something they should be held accountable for that promise." b Karen Kaiser "Even though I'm not a Conservative, Conservative, I like Stephen Harper's promise of financial assistance to mothers and children." David Brown "I'm not impressed with any of 'them. I think it's a bad time for an election" it - people have other things to think' about right now. No one really wants to focus pn federal politics, a subject matter matter that, at the best of times has difficulty attracting interest. interest. But, they couldn't wait, the opposition, including the NDP. And so, Jack made a deal with two grinches, bent on attempting attempting to steal Christmas when we would, regardless, have had an election by Easter, and here we are, mired in a federal campaign about which people, so far, at least, seem at best ambivalent. It seems that Jack Layton's ambition has indeed overwhelmed overwhelmed common sense, or at least, political acumen. Reporter Jennifer Stone '.v column appears every other Wednesday, Follow Jennifer's election BLOG durhamreglon.com/dr/fedelectlons/ Mike Palmer "I'm not impressed with the one that holds the prime minister's office now. I'd like to see Stephen Harper there. The Canadian Statesman is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. 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