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rm ------------ . > re ---- ~ 5 : £9 t i: aces SM ti 7 bi i : § Ii [a By Scott Anderson Port Perry Star If the attendance at a recent -all-candidates meeting is any indication; the people of Scugog are taking the upcoming elec- tion seriously. - More than 350 people packed the gymnasium at Port Perry High School on October 6 to see Durham Riding's political hope- fulsinaction. i= Unlike other debates in the area, all eight candidates par- ticipated in the debate which @lso. boasted the largest audi- encein the riding. sx."It's nice to see that Scugog is interested in the outcome of the plection," said moderator Dave binson. : He was also pleased with the response ' from thé audience which submitted more than 300 written questions for the candi- dates. Although the meeting lacked the flair and excitement of the national televised debates, with little debate between the candi- dates, it did give those who at- tended the chance to see the hopefulsin actions. t also gave them an opportu- nity to hear their views on topics ranging from women's issues, abortion, capital punishment and the Young Offenders Act to "GST and the Free Trade Agree- ments." "This election is about much more than getting rid of one po- litical party. It's about the need for real economic change. It's about protecting Canadian jobs. It's about determining whether Canada even has medicare four ntre line a { ; SCY Tam to paged KS hls dnd : - of large crowd years from now," said New Democratic Party candidate Lucy Rybka-Becker. - Ms. Rybka-Becker pointed to the NDP's strategy to improve the economic well-being of the country. This plan includes jobs through works projects, a na- tional investment fund for small businesses and a commit- ment for workforce training. "Canada works when Canadi- ans work," she said. The 30-year-old candidate from Bowmanville also at- tacked the free trade agree- - ments which she claimed iscost- ing the country 250 jobs per ay. FILE a "NAFTA doesn't just sell us down the river, it sells the riv- er;" she said in answering a question, adding that the NDP would not proceed with the agreement. Liberal candidate Alex Shep- herd, a Port Perry business man, called the upcoming elec- tion important for the country. "We are at the crossroads of our country economically and historically," he said. Mr. Shepherd noted that business will be conducted dif- ferently in the future with a fo- cus on smaller and more effi- cient companies seeking out business opportunites in medi- cal technology and environmen- tal research. He pointed to his party's "red book" which "offers a full guide to bring us into the 20th centu- ry." Turn to page 3 Mills pleased with survey results By Scott Anderson Port Perry Star A local MPP says he is pleased with the feedback from arecent constituency survey. Gord Mills, Durham East MPP, was encouraged by the re- sponse to an April survey con- cerning transportation links with southern portions ofthe re- gion. The survey was sent out to more than 10,000 households in the northern portion of the rid- ing. Fhe questionnaire solicited comments and suggestions on the need for improved transpor- tation links between the north- ern and southern communities. This survey was initiated af- ter the Minister of Transporta- tion announced plans to expand transportation links to the western portion in the Greater Toronto Area, ignoring the east- ern portions of the GTA. r. Mills said "an over- whelming number supported the need for transportation" in the area. : The MPP presented the find- ings to Transportation Minister Gilles Pouliot in August. In a letter to Mr. Mills late last month, the minister ac- knowledged the work of Mr. Mills, but pointed to the severe financial restraints of the present government. Although he noted a number of initiatives the government is undertaking in the area includ- ing expansion of GO Transit, planning for Highway 407 and improvements of Highway 401, he said limited funding restricts the speed of all needed improve- ments. But Mr. Pouliot noted that the Region of Durham was un- dertaking a regional transpor- tation study, funded partially by the province. He passed on the information to regional offi- cials. "This initiative should help in : EE i ------------ ae pe oT REISE ep defining requirements for such services as appropriate bus links to the GO rail facilities," the minister said in a letter to Mr. Mills. The MPP told the Port Perry Star last week that he was en- couraged by the response he got from the minister and the action taken by Mr. Pouliot. "I'm happy with the pro It's somet tng that has he happened before," he said. ere along way down the road than we've ever been before." Mr. Mills said no concrete de- cisions will be made until Dur- ham's study is complete.