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Wednesdqv, /May-12, 2Q04 Subscriptions $29.91 ♦ $2.09 GST = $32.00 pe, year. ffr ORONO WEEKLY TIMES - 6310 Main St, to Box MtaftOIJ LOB 1M0 Publications Mail Registration No. 09301 • Agreement No. 40012366 Emai: oronot.mes@rogers.com or Phone/Fax 906-983-5301 Publishing 48 issues annually at the office of publication. Publisher/Editor Margaret Zwart "We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through Sports and Display Advertising - Donna Battersby XT t i i rp« the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. Front Office and Classified Advertising - Rosey Bateman -jj-- weekly 1 mes Canada Tbe Orono Weekly Times welcomes letters to the editor on subjects of iinteresttoaur «I terighUo" edit for length IW and stands'. If your retal cmSTNoTeof an error must be given before the next issue goes to print. The Orono Weekly Tires will not be responsible for the loss or damage of such items. ^ The greatest Canadians The hunt is on for the "Greatest Canadian . The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has launched a project whereby they are looking for the greatest Canadian. Canadians from across the country are being asked to think of that one Canadian who rises above the others (like for example Terry Fox) and deserves to be called the "Greatest Canadian." Nominations can be called in on the toll-free phone line at 1-866-303-VOTE (8683). CBC will create a new TV series based on the nominations for the fall. The show will pit the Top Ten Greatest Canadians again each other, and the audience gets to vote for one of the Top Ten after each episode till one Canadian is selected the c Greatest 5 When looking for the best, brightest, noblest, smartest Canadian, many names come to mind. We've got our obvious sports heroes like Wayne Gretzky, skater Kurt Browning, and skier Nancy Green, or Marilyn Bell the first woman to swim across Lake Ontario, Then, there are those Canadians who have achieved our respect because of their outstanding achievement in other fields like Dr. Roberta Bondar, Canada's first female astronaut or David Suzuki our watch dog on environmental concerns. We also have our political greats like Pierre Elliott Trudeau and former former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson who won the Nobel Peace - Prize and gave us our maple leaf flag. We also have a full slate of medical heroes like Dr. Frederick Banting who discovered insulin, and Dr..Norman Bethune, a committed social activist whose work as chief medical officer in Mao's Red Army made him a hero in Revolutionary China. Canada has it's film stars and music stars though they never quite seem to attain the celebrity status in Canada that our American neighbours seem to lavish on their stars. Our entertainment entertainment heroes seem to have to go south of the border to make it big. Greatness comes in many shapes and sizes, and this country is full of people who are worthy of top billing. Those are the people who strive everyday to be the best they can be. The greatest people I know are my parents who like so many other Canadians came to this land as immigrants and embraced this country. They became the very best parents they knew how to be. Congratulations to my mom and dad, Andy and Pat Hiem- stra of Bowmanville, Great Canadians who today are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary Letter to the Editor Lack of government approval/funding approval/funding for Community Health Centres 117 nurse practitioners in specific specific under-serviced areas. The second phase of this program program (The Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program) was cut short by a provincial election and so Orono is still on the Ministry of Health's list of communities requesting a nurse practitioner. Our model is not based on the community community health center (CHCC) model because our provincial government no longer funds new centers. This is not my opinion but rather the facts as we were told by the staff of our provincial member of parliament. parliament. The reason given to us for discontinuation of funding funding was the expensive nature of this type of setup. 1 examined the website (www.aohc.org) that Cathy Graham referred to and 1 found some interesting information. information. Linked to this website FUNDING S9*p*g*3 Viewpoint by Alex Shepherd, UP Durham Dear Madame Editor, Cathy Graham's article about the Orono Medical Foundation's proposal brings to light some very interesting points. I agree with her in that ideally, ideally, the health centre would include a multi-disciplinary based team. To this end, we have contacted two physiotherapists, physiotherapists, one dentist and a nurse practitioner to come and practice in the center. The dentist told us that Orono was too small to support a fulltime fulltime dentist. One physiotherapist physiotherapist might come on a part-time basis only because GM no longer pays for physiotherapy as an employee benefit. The nurse practitioner would like to come as her family lives in the area but without any government government funding, it would be impossible to practice. In 2002, the government of Ontario allocated funds for As I take time to reflect... As my exit from federal politics draws near in the wake of the federal election call I want to take the time to reflect on my ten-plus years as your member of Parliament. When I think back on my decision to run in 1993 I realize realize now I had not the slightest idea of what was involved in the job. Driven by sheer determination determination and the feeling that I owed my country something for the years of personal success success I had, I wanted to use the skills and experience 1 developed developed to do many things, paramount paramount of which was the job of setting Canada's fiscal house in order. 1 well remember some of the comments from experienced experienced members when 1 got to Ottawa. "No one person can cause a lot of damage around here," one MP said. The comment sticks out in my mind because, simplisti- cally put, the MP meant that it was impossible to act independently. independently. You need to work as part of a team and you need to spend a lot of time winning people over to your side. Often the same arguments are fought over and ovèr. For some one from the private sector, who is use to running his own business and making his own decisions, the whole milieu of life in the House of Commons comes as quite a shock. Many take their frustration frustration to heart often quitting in a short time. There is the personal abuse as well. Partially because politicians are held in such low esteem, and partially because they are seen as public public servants, some people think they have the right to verbally abuse politicians and their stall; I've always had tough skin but sometimes 1 think it is pretty hard on my staff. 1 have been blessed with three very professional people who have always been able to roll with the punches. After you have been in office for awhile you think the majority of the public is phoning phoning your office on a daily basis. Now I can see, and I suspect most people would agree, that very few people phone their member of Parliament. I've never phoned my member of Parliament. But you soon realize that the people in your riding aren't much different than yourself. Their concerns are your concerns. concerns. I've always thought the people of Durham are fair and wise. They are willing to listen listen to reason and are prepared to compliment as well as criticize. criticize. The constant trek back and forth to Ottawa in all kinds of weather, and being away from your family, does take a toll on the MP. But these are the costs one has to pay. VIEWPOINT sw ptg* 6