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Volume 124 Number 34 PORT PERRY, ONTARIO - TUESDAY, JULY 17,1990 Copy 50¢ 52 Pages i More than one way to get pi The rain held off until Saturday, but this Me- tro Police officer ended up wet on Friday night. - The Knights of Columbus dunk tank was a very popular spot at Festival Days once George Gladish hopped on board. Pictured at left, a dry Mr. Gladish eggs on the spectators. Above, he plummets into the water. At right, he pulls him- self out of the water. Mr. Gladish is a member of the Knights of Columbus. Marilyn Pearce intends to seek Liberal nomination Scugog Township council- lor Manlyn Pearce will be seeking the Liberal Party nomi- nation for the provincial riding of Durham East. The nomination meeting is scheduled for August 14 at the Blackstock Recreation Centre. Mrs. Pearce will face oppo- sition from one other candidate; Donna Fairey, who was unsuc- cessful in a nomination bid for the Liberals in 1987. MARILYN PEARCE In an interview with the Star last week, Mrs. Pearce said there are several reasons for her decision to attempt to enter provincial politics at this time. One was the surprise resig- nation last week of Tory Sam Cureatz who has held the riding for 14 years. She said she feels that with Mr. Cureatz out of the race, the ridingof Durham East is winna- ble for the Liberals. And as somebody who has worked for the Liberals provin- cially since 1972, taking a run at a seat in the Legislature was something that had always been in the back of her mind. She also said that after 18 months as a Township council- lor in Scugog, she has come to realize that a lot of decisions that impact municipalities are made at Queens Park. "I feel that I can be effec- tive for the people (of this rid- ing) and this Township at the Provincial level," she stated. Mrs. Pearce was elected to Township council as the Ward 2 (Port Perry) rep in November 1989. She has devoted herself full time to local politics, and has developed a reputation for hard work, doing her homework, and for not being afraid to take a stand and speak up on conten- tious issues. She concedes that the 18 months in office was a learning experience in many ways, and initially she was impatient to "get things done quickly." As a member of the parks and recreation committee, she's proud of the programs that have been implemented in Scu- gog to spruce up and improve the parks and publiclands. If she is successful in win- ning the nomination to carry the Liberal banner in the elec- tion this fall (a likely date is September 13) Mrs. Pearce said she will campaign on several lo- cal issues. She strongly believes that there must be commuter rail service from Peterborough to Toronto. "The studies show that this can be successful," she said. She is also very concerned Turn to Page 10 wet Festival Days assistance on the rise One regional councillor is neither startled nor shocked by a dramatic increase in the number of Durham resi- dents seeking general welfare assistance (GWA).- "The situation is neither startling nor sh one who has been watching the economic tren ing for any- or who owns a business," Pickering councillor Doug Dickerson told council. Durham's health and social service Jepariment handled 6,197 caseloads last mont! an increase of 3.8 per cent since May (5,999 caseloads) and a tremendous 51.9 cent since June 1989 (4,081 caselcads). ; - Over 10,400 people lived on welfare in June, up 4.1 per cent since May and 58 per cent since June 1989. ¢ Staff noticed anincrease in demand for welfare in Janu- ary and began watching the situation carefully, At first, regional staff hoped the increase was due to a "glitch in the system" but as the year the num- her of e dependant on "Although the per cen caseloads did not jump as dra- y GWAincreased rapidly. costs of matical from May toJune as it has in previous months, health and social service com- missioner Garry Cubitt is not optimistic that the problem is easingup. ; fad "The base in May is so high that a 3.3 per cent increase is a problem," he told council, "Previously well smploved rsons now find themselves Snir service department," adding that tradesmen an established businesspersons - are seeking assistance. -. And the extra demand is creating serious financial im- : lications for Durham which 8 legislated to cover 20 per cent of the region's GWA The commissioner warmed Turn to Page 10 ¥ I wa -- | 1 TEN NC A I. p--