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an i pie by: Scuges Ci Publishing Lid 54 WATER ST., PORT PERRY, ONT. LIL1J2 Phone : (905) 985-6397 Fax : (905) 985-1410 is distributed, free of charge, to over 13,500 homes and businesses, in and around Scugog TowhsHip. Subscriptions sold outside Scugog Township. rd CCNA Cees | Circulation Controlled oT i co-publishers : John B. McClelland, Valerie Ellis' editor : John B. McClelland % s OCNA Member office manager : Sibylle Warren in Solghe CITIZEN CCNA Member advertising sales representatives; | weekly community Hewspipe, mconay Thom Doran, Jennine Huffman, Bob Osborne reception : Janet Rankin production : Tanya Mappin, Valerie Ellis feature writer : Heather McCrae "Proud Canadians, proud to calf Scugog Township home." r 4 x be EDITORIAL 'Country needs positive signals \ The sound of champagne corks popping could be heard up and down Bay Street last week. And why not. The Toronto Stock Exchange has been in a bullish mood lately, and last week the TSE's composite index of 300 leading stocks crashed through the 5008, level for the first time ever. That is more than enough to put a broad anils on the face of the most jaded floor trader and those fortunate investors cashing in on the upward spiral. hg The truck-loads df dough changing hands every minute in the financial district, however, remain out of the reach of most average Canadians. The record setting TSE index won't put much of a smile on the face of the furniture store owner staring at a showroom full of sofas and dish washers; or the car dealer with a lot filled with brand new vehicles, or the legions of tradesmen sitting home waiting to be called back to work on new homes. Consumer confidence remains at an all time low in this country. Indicative of this lack of confidence is the fact that Canadians with a few extra bucks kicking around are plowing them into mutuals or topping their RRSPs to the maximum levels, rather than spending on new cars, furniture and new homes. And even the daring move by the Bank of C anada last week to lower interest rates has done nothing (so far) to put any confidence into Canadian consumers. Until Canadians start buying again, our overall economy will remain mired in the moribund state it's been in the last several years, despite low interest rates, a low inflation rate and Bay Street traders crowing to the heavens about all the commissions pouring into their pockets. What this country, and more specifically the province of Ontario needs now is a positive sign, any kind of sign from Ottawa and Queens Park. The kind of signals we've been getting from Jean Chretien and Mike Harris have been anything but inspiring. It is no wonder the average joe/jill on the street is totally lacking in confidence and wants only to sock away any extra coin in a mutual, a rising stock or the favourite RRSP. . At Queerls Park, Harris in the span of about six months has shown Ontarians he's capable of cutting just about everything and scaring the heck out of just about everyone from doctors to teachers to municipal employees. And now, with talks broken off the largest civil service union ih the province could be on strike by the end of the month. Talk about positive signals to inspire confidence. Chretien shuffled his Cabinet last week and a Montreal academic who has not even been elected to the House grabs the lime-light in the never ending dance with Bouchard and the separatists. OK, somebody had to stand up to Lucien over what's divisible and what's not, so it might as well be Stephane Dion." But it's hardly the kind of stuff to send 1u$ out into the streets on a shopping spree. In fact, the signals coming out of Ottawa and Queens Park these days are having just the opposite impact by further weakening what little confidence remains. Mike Harris has proved that he can cut budgets to schools, hospitals and municipalities and left to his own devices he'll probably not have any trouble provoking a civil servants strike. : : Jean Chretien can shuffle cabinet ministers til the cows come 'home on their own, name academics to tangle with Bouchard and talk about divisions and partitions. But do they inspire confidence in the work-a-day people to get the economy turned around and humming again? The time is long overdue for a new tack-- some positive signals from the offices of the two most powerful politicians in the land: the Pritrie Minister and the Premier of Ontario. So far, it's been all gloom and doom, slash and burn, take no prisoners. province, "(GIVER "SHIVER) ¥-FREEZE!- * | KNOW WINTER IS HALF OVER , 'CAUSE IM , ! > | LETTERS To THE EDITOR | MPP O'Toole off the mark To the Editor: I' would like to take issue with a comment I read in the article "Bill 26 media field day says Durham East MPP" (Jan. 16/96). The article stated that the concerns of area citizens regarding Bill 26 are unfounded and the only thing that the Harris government is doing differently" . . . is that we are doing what we promised." It is with that last comment that I am taking issue. First, I would like to quote from A Blue Print For Justice = And Community Safety In Ontario - Team Harris; "The people of Ontario are rightly concerned about. community safety in our particularly the increasing incidence of violent crime. That is why funding for law enforcement and justice will be guaranteed . . . Again any savings we find in our justice system . through greater efficiencies will be reinvested to _ ensure public safety in our streets and in our homes." As one of the thirty new officers of #Athe D.R.P.S. facing termination upon the successful passing of Bill 26, I find the comment about the keeping of promises ironic, to say the least. As a member of the afore mentioned law enforcement community it is with a great sense of betrayal that I am writing this letter. Without going into detail, I can assure your readers that any cut in manpower to our. police service would"dangerously compromise not only the safety of our citizens but of our officers as well. I am a former member of our national basketball team. I am also university educated, do volunteer work, and have been trained exténsively in everything from conflict management and community policing to Thai boxing and semi-automatic weapons use..] do not eat donuts (maybe sometimes) and work very hard to keep fit. The training is rigorous and expensive, but in our increasingly complex and sometimes dangerous society, a police officer has to be at their best in order to serve their community. The best is exactly what the citizens of Durham should veceive day in and day out. After the passing of Bill 26, not only will we have hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of trained personnel collecting unemployment insurance, but it will become literally impossible for the D.R.P.S. to have the minimum number of officers on the street. In trying to cut away the "fat" in government what Mr. Harris is doing, in fact, is cutting right through to the muscles and bones of our society. Despite all of my background and training, as a new officer, I still have much to learn about policing., I accept the shift work, the violence and abuse this career entails because I sincerely want t6 help people. I was fortunate enough to be chosen out of a pool of over 3500 applicants for this position. I love my job, I think I'm good at it, and wish very much to keep it. It is being billed as "the common sense revolution". I would never pretend to understand the many nuances involved in today's political scene. However, like so many othr citizens of this province, | absolutely do not" see the common sense in any of this. Sincerely; P.C. John Karpis Seagrave, Ontario Oath to the Crown To The Editor: In your editorial of January 30th, I, Loitd take exception to your ° criticism of Lucienne Robillard, on i 's new citizenship minister, for her public remarks about new immigrants having to take allegiance to the British Crown in order to become Canadian citizens. Canada is a self-governing independent nation. British immigrants as well as those of all other countries must swear allegiance before being grantéd Canadian citizenship. Occupiers of the British throne are not Canadian citizens. Why should wg be swearing allegiance to the British Crown"any more than to the President of Fyance or the President of the United States. They are all foreign to Canada. We should be swearing allegiance to something that is truly Canadian such as our Canadian flag or our Canadian constitution. 1 applaud my fellow Canadians Lucienne Robillard, our Minister of Citizenship, and Susan Eng, the furmer. chairperson 'of the Toronto Police Commission for publicly addressing this Canadian citizenship aberration. Yours truly, Roy Grierson, Port Perry