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J PAGE A6 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ May 31,2006 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 Janice O'Neil, Cheryl Haines Composing Managers Todd Blayone Interactive Media Manager Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 ®)e Canadian Statesman Opinion | MAY 31, 2006 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 c-mail letters to newsroom@durhamrcgion.com Needs of victims tops with DRIVEN A pair of Durham Regional Police detectives are absolutely DRIVEN in their desire to ease the burden faced by victims of domestic violence. The goal, as seen by detectives detectives Tracey Marshall and Cathy Bawden, is to significantly reduce the stress and hassle faced by women (the vast majority of domestic violence victims are women) who must visit a multitude multitude of agencies and profession- ■ als after they've been attacked. Some of those include medical professionals, police officers and a multitude of social services and advisers. Problem is, often with young children in tow, it can be extremely difficult to hit all those appointments, especially when they are-in disparate places. In addition, domestic violence victims victims may be without their own vehiçle, making the problem of receiving help even more troublesome. troublesome. That's where the, DRIVEN concept comes in. Durham Region's Intimate Partner Violence Violence Empowerment Network (DRIVEN) will try to offer a single site where all the possible possible needs of a domestic violence victim can be met. . For. instance, a woman could drop her children at a day care on site, visit a police officer, talk to a counsellor, apply for financial assistance, look at moving their children to a new school, and so on. The model for the program exists in San Diego where 100 domestic violence professionals work together under one roof. Victims feel comfortable and secure in such an environment knowing everything they need can be accommodated in one trip and on one day. Everything is co-ordinated around the needs of the victim, as opposed to the schedules of the professionals involved. Over the last eight months some 40 people from 25 local agencies have been meeting in Durham to try to make DRIVEN a reality here. A steering committee has been fonned and Catholic Family Services Services of Durham has applied for a grant of $300,000 over three years to set up a DRIVEN pilot project out of its Oshawa office. There will also be a community fomm on the DRIVEN concept on June 13 at Westminster United United Church in Whitby from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Members of the public are welcome welcome and can register to attend by e : mail at vcars@drps.ca before June 1. What started out as the dream of two detectives eight months ago is turning into reality. And that's welcome help to those who are victims of domestic domestic violence. BACKWARD GLANCE Goodyear Plant, 1915 Photo supplied by Clarington Museum and Archives An early view of the Bowmanvillc Goodyear Plant in 1915. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR e-mail letters to newsroom@durhamregion.com Press gallery of no importance these days To the editor: : Re: Controlling PM doing a dis- sernce to all Canadians, Ian McMillan column, May 28. Ian McMillan,, like most of the national press, appears to have an outdated opinion of the importance of the Parliamentary Press Gallery (PPG). While it may have served a useful purpose purpose in the past it has of late been relegated to simply reporting the easy stories. Serious investigative reporting is a thing of the past. Leaks, rumours, spin and innuendo rule the day. . Remember, "Do you love Canada?" Canada?" It was the blogs that broke open the sponsorship scandal. Any Canadian who has an interest interest in what is happening in the nation's capital need merely tune in to Question Period daily on CPAC to get debate of substance instead of the sound bites chosen by the media. Not enough? The Canada Gazette and Hansard Hansard are both readily available on government websites as are order papers and numerous sources of unfiltered information. The PPG in today's world is only of importance to the PPG. The current hand-wringing of what the PM might do if he doesn't like reporters' questions smells a lot like the empty claims of a hidden agenda that for years the .media helped the Liberals perpetrate. It is not so easy to disprove a negative. , The PPG should, instead of complaining, take the opportunity opportunity to do a little self-evaluation and return to serious reporting before they are made completely obsolete. Peter Baliunas Bowmanvillc Trash trip is no waste Re: Valuable or a wiaste?, Committee Committee . debates Region's European European trip, May 28. I am astonished at the petty politics being played over the urgent multi-billion dollar waste disposal issue. This issue requires a solution solution that is well-considered, researched, and a strategy developed developed that is no less than innovative innovative and cost effective. I would hope the decision makers (politicians) (politicians) become educated on a worldly spectrum of potential solutions. Their job is to put forward a plan to get us out of this mess without destroying the environment environment or adding huge tax increases. increases. Oshawa Regional Councillor Brian Nicholson states that he is facing tax increases and we're sending people to Europe! I find this statement very ill-considered and lacking in thought. In the real world (industry), (industry), the scope of your research is directly related to the scope of the,project. The scope of this project is among the largest in the Region. Getting' out and understanding the big picture and resolution concepts are not only expected, they're absolutely necessary. Coun. Nicholson, get on board. Doug MacDuff Courtice Councillor picks spots when it comes to trips To the editor: Re: Valuable or a waste? Committee Committee debates Region's Euro- ■ pean trip, May 28. So, Councillor Brian Nicholson Nicholson is upset that three regional councillors, one from Oshawa; ; and regional employees went to ' Europe to study altpmàtive solutions solutions for our expanding waste disposal problem. His comment was, "I have a 10.5 per. cent increase in my regional taxes and we are sending people on a trip ; to Scandinavia." Personally, from what I have heard, this trip was worth every penny, not like the trip that Coun. Nicholson took to Thailand a number of years ago. And what did Coun. Nicholson bring back from his Asia "vacation" "vacation" at taxpayers' expense? Gord Reid Oshawa LETTERS We welcome letters thatinclude. 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. Did you know we're stinking rich? Local area has bragging rights as wealthiest in Canada There's a willy television commercial that recently made the rounds during RSP/tax season. season. After showing an ordinary joe the wonders of what can be done for him by the financial institution doing the advertising, advertising, the punch line kicks in: "You're richer than you think." It would be hard to find a more apt phrase to describe a typical local reaction to the news that, for the second year running, the Oshawa census metropolitan area (which includes Oshawa, Whitby and Clarington) has the highest, total median family family income in the country, for urban populations of I ()(),()()() or more. Tim Kelly That means little old cast Durham Durham beats out oil-rich Calgary, fancy pants Toronto, even tea- . swilling Victoria. The money is just flowing round here friends, even though it's not exactly obvious to the naked eye. For the record, the Oshawa CM A rates first with a median median income -- the point where half the earners are higher, half lower - of $75,000 for all families. families. Ottawa-Gatineau (all those highly paid civil servants) came second at $73,500 while oil gushing Calgary, where the provincial government sends cheques back to taxpayers it's so flush with cash, is third at $71,100. The same trends hold true for Iwo-incomc (couples) families: Oshawa is No. 1 at $83,100, Ottawa-Gatineau is second at $82,100 while Calgary is well back in third at $77,800. This isn't just a one-time fluke either. It was the second year in a row the Oshawa CMA ranked No. 1 in the nation among large urban areas. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I first heard this statistic last year. The concept of Oshawa and wealthiest in Canada was hard to wrap one's head around. A trip through downtown Oshawa doesn't exactly scream stacks of dough. Where arc the Gucci shops, the diamond merchants the high-fashion boutiques? Let's face it, Oshawa is far more Wal-Mart than Blooming- dales. . Sure, Oshawa is doing well. Look at all the recreation projects projects (lie City has launched in the past few years, at the development development at Durham College/ University of Ontario Institute of Technology, at the consistent consistent growth in housing in New Oshawa. But, let's face it, (he Oshawa CMA benefits greatly by the inclusion of wealthy homeowners homeowners in Whitby and Clarington too. Growth in Whitby and Clar ington over the past decade or so has been astounding and those moving here arc usually of the high-incomc variety. And let's not forget the scads of high-paying jobs provided by the Region's two largest employcrs:Gencral Motors and Ontario Power Generation. Many residents of Oshawa- Whitby-CIarington owe their. living to GM and OPG where the wages are high and the work has been, so far at least, plentiful. This is one of those times when it's nice to stand up, be proud and say it loud: Oshawa's No. I. At least until next year's survey survey results come out. Copy editor Tim Kelly's column appears every other Wednesday. E-mail tkelly@durhamregion.com. CLICK AND SAY Today's question: Do you plan to contribute to help the disaster victims in Indonesia? Yes No Cast your vote online at infodurhamiregion.com Last week's question: Are you in favour of changes being made to the greenbelt in Durham Region? No 75.3% Yes 24.7% Votes cast: 154 HAVE YOUR SAY Do you want the greenbelt maintained in Clarington or should more lands be opened for development? Michael Black "It depends on how they develop develop the greenbelt." ■ ' j ' \ , Connie Diamond "I think the greenbelt should be maintained. It is beautiful." Betty McLenon "I like it the way it is." Susan Woodley 'The imposition of the greenbelt greenbelt is a punitive measure and affects farmers' rights to freely deal with their own property." 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