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_ Lisa O‘Connell‘s opinion last week, "Fight For St. Mary‘s", did an excellent job of focusing on the issues. MPP Wayne Wettlaulfer indicated that our community should not be lobbying the provincial government to save St. Mary‘s. O‘Connell has clearly corrected Mr. Wettlaufer by explaining that while it is a local decision, the need for restructuring is driven by a serious inderâ€"funding of health care in this province. he concludes "we need strong voices to carry his message from our streets to Queen‘s Park." I wish O‘Connell had continued on to discuss nore specifically how her last statement can be chieved. On October 26,â€"1996, we have an pportunity to carry this message to Queen‘s ark by joining the hundreds of thousarnids who ill travel to Toronto and participate in the letro Days of Protest. 1 know our teachers in Day of Protest chance to protest cuts to health care Of course, the Tories never would have sugâ€" gested this change without being certain that they would benefit from it. The regions of the province that lose the most representation under the riding redistribution are Northern Ontario Ontarios federal ridings. This change would result in a reduction of the number of seats at Queen‘s Park from 130 to 103. Harris actually campaigned on a promise to cut the number to 99. Even though he knew very well that the numbcro”edmlsauminae-in‘bylow,i juslsoundedmimprtsivelosaydmdzy would bring the number of MPPs under 100. It‘s wonhmfingt)milotha@ndhjmfidiaias followed this example, the Yukon would have eleaedzm-scakgshunhstmk.finih-ly, residents of PEl would choose four people to sit in their historic legislature. We need better politicians _ not fewer politicians The initial relief at the government‘s unusual forthrightness soon wears off, however, when one stops to consider the motives behind the legislation and the negative impact that it will have on the province. The bill now before the legislature would alter provincial riding boundaries to match those of LETTER S Its somewhat _ refreshing, therefore, to learn that Harris‘ latâ€" est brainchild is called The Fewer Politicians Act. The name, while a little bit too cute, is at least an accurate reflection of what the bill does. George Orwell‘s 1984, which feaâ€" tured slogans such as War is Peace and Ignorance is Strength. tiatives in the province‘s hist â€""'1â€"' have been sugarâ€"coated as an "mprovement" or "modernizaâ€" tion" of existing laws. Proposals that would, for example, gut rent control are dubbed "tenant proâ€" tection". It‘s Mike Harris must have someâ€" one in his office who does noth ing but think up clever names for his government‘s legislation. Some of the most draconian iniâ€" o0 County will be there to tell Mr. Harris eralieien that we will not aumd quredy Ourcomanityisveryup:amrdnpofi- ble closure of St. Mary‘s. On October 26 we have a unique opportunity to tell Mr. Harris that the current underâ€"funding of health care and public education in Ontario is unacceptâ€" government provide quality public health care in Ontario. mittees, with many sitting on three or four, Cutting the number of members would only increase their workload and lessen their ability to oflcrlrulyh‘omeddthc\%athqnfly of legislators goes down, so does the quality. Considering that the savings involved in the cut wfllhflyuflcndflhhww ing, the cost of the changes is too high. Cymical exploitation of the public‘s mistrust of pohmmllndcllmmwcpopuhm spite of its negative ramifications (just as the equally illâ€"considered cut in the size of Waterloo Coumflwfllliidyfilwmmnchoppoi- tion). Symbolic reductions in the number of politicians are the easy way out. It would be far more courageous for politicians to give people a reason to trust them again. In short, we don‘t need fewer politicians; we need betier ones. lhc!m,onthcnwholn (| | _ per cent of the vote. They would J hold 73 of 103 (or 71 per cent) in ~ a redistributed legislature. ie i you t mere hk ap ol on the services of your Member of Provincial Parliament, having kwao{xhanufiyvlnmmwbedmm_ wn.llyoudoneedyomm(ifywrwm Compensation claim is held up, for example, or if you‘re having trouble with provincial bureauâ€" crats), you might find yourself having to drive from Ayr to Ancaster or from the south end of Kudtncrzllth:wzylouswwdmplo(u constituency office. That doesnt sound like improved representation. Currently, most MPPs sit on at least two cor which the Tories are weakest. _ Cutting the nmumber of seats would also heighten the muchâ€" maligned exaggerated majorities that are a symptom of our "firstâ€" pastâ€"theâ€"post" electoral system. The Tories currently hold 82 of 130 seats â€" that‘s 63 per cent of and Metropolitan Toronto â€" not Chief Negotiator, OSSTF Tom Byers UEW â€" BUY _ Y L: in 30 an mg,fku;gwwlgyl ufl%\l:fi/ms f ] [G, whunbian > | 1997 _ C ramuy ownenp in glfl o $V § w1 COMMERCIAL OF ROLLS AND CARPETS g SHORT ROLLS mx‘n 5 "? QUALITY > price Millbank Old Cheddar $4.29ns Kolbossa Mini Black Forest Hams 47 King Street, S1. Jacobs 664â€"3610 Monday â€" Saturday 9â€"6 SELECTION PRICED TO WIDE $2.991 $3. 1 9/|b $4.79 & _ 886â€"8751 Mon Fri. $4; Set. 94 "Quality Buiiders Since 1969" 560 PARKSIDE DRIVE AT WEBER, WATERLOO NOT AT ALL! FALL POOL SALE on fall ‘%6 or spring ‘97 installations come into our showroum for all your pool & spa needs $14"°