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wl FEN RAN ar AN war pp -- A 5 a AR & wil RIB Re od » 4 ' yoda, Vol. 128 No. 19 PORT PERRY, ONTARIO - TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 1994 Copy 65¢ 61¢ + 4eGsT) SCOTT ANDERSON / PORT PERRY STAR Norman Phillips thinks Sheba is the cat's meow. The female tiger made headlines - recently after showing up at a Caledon farmhouse. Mr. Phillips, owner of the "Northwood Buffalo and Exotic Animal Farm in Seagrave, adopted the animal after the original owner agreed to give up the pet. See story. Man escapes lake safely after ATV takes a plunge By Kelly Lown Port Perry Star A Port Perry man escaped un- harmed after his four-wheel drive ATV plunged through the ice of Lake Scugog last Thurs- day afternoon. Ross McDuff was wet, but happy to be ashore after break- ing through the ice a few hun- dred feet off the shore of Lake Scugog near his Coulcliff Boule- vard home. Mr. McDuff, who regularly rides his four-wheel vehicle and takes walks across the ice was shocked when his vehicle broke through. "I was just out there walking earlier today, as I do every day, and had no problems," he told the Star a little after 4 p.m. on Thursday as the emergency ve- hicles began to pull away. "I guess it has deteriorated quite a bit since then," he added. Mr. McDuff had set out on his ATV a few minutes earlier, rid- ing along the shoreline. He said the rough ride along the side in- clined him to take a shortcut back across the lake. His wife, Mary-Ann, who happened to look out her bedroom window, noticed what she thought was a snowmobile stranded on the lake, unaware her husband had left the house. Mrs. McDuff said she called 9- 1-1 and enlisted the help of her neighbor Dean Kelly. When the two realized it was Mrs. McDuffs husband Mr. Kelly called to him to stay put and not Turn to page 5 | Tiger finds new home 48 Pages in Scugog By Scott Anderson Port Perry Star Last week she was without a home and her future uncertain. But what a difference a week makes. . Sheba, a 35-pound hybrid ti- ger, has not only found a home, she's also found a mate at Northwood Buffalo and Exotic Animal Ranch in Seagrave. - The Siberian and Bengal ti- ger-cross made headlines re- cently after wandering onto the doorstep of a farmhouse in Bol- ton after escaping from a han- dler. She spent the next week in a Caledon animal shelter while her owner was found and her identity was revealed. As it is against municipal by- laws to keep exotic animals in Bolton, a search was conducted to find a new home for the five- month-old tiger. At one point of- ficials feared Sheba would have to be destroyed. But Northwood owner Nor- man Phillips offered to adopt the cat and provide her with a home -- and a mate -- at his farm. Sheba is now resting comfort- ably in her new home north of Port Perry and getting ac- quainted with Augustus, a male Siberian tiger six-weeks her junior. The two are now inseparable as they begin their life together. "It's a perfect match," Mr. Phillips said. "It's quite ironic how it happened, but it's kind of nice for her now that she's got company." Fate brought them together as Mr. Phillips was seeking a mate for his cat. Although he has decided She- ba will be spayed, Mr. Phillips said the two will be companions nonetheless. Sheba has also seen the last of the limelight. Although North- wood's animals are regularly used in movies and television, Mr. Phillips has no plans for Sheba to getinto the business. Instead, she'll spend her time relaxing on the farm with her new found mate. Scugog gets both good and bad news regarding Ont. transfer payments By Scott Anderson Port Perry Star Hospital and municipal offi- cials received good news and bad news concerning transfer payments last week. The good news was the pay- ments would not be cut. The bad news was the grants would remain at last year's lev- el. After a week of meetings, the Ontario government chose to hold the line on transfer pay- ments to hospitals and munici- palities. There was fear earlier that transfer payments would be cut in an effort to make up for a $2- billion shortfall with which the province is faced. Colleges and universities were not as lucky however, as tuition hikes of 10 to 20 per cent were announced over the next two years. The news was greeted with mixed feelings by local munici- pal and hospital officials. "It's kind of odd to say we're pleased we're not getting any- thing," said Dave Brown, Com- munity Memorial Hospital's ad- ministrator. But Mr. Brown feels some- what lucky the grants have been flatlined. He feared a re- duction of two to three per cent. Last year the hospital re- ceived approximately $6 million in transfer payments. Had there been a reduction in transfer payments, Mr. Brown said cuts to services would have been inevitable. "There's already enough stress from the Social Contract and being faced with another two to three-per cent reduction is just too much." The hospital is still adjusting to operating with $140,000 less as a result of the Social Con- tract. This is putting a strain on the hospital as no additional mone is coming into the hospital, while the cost of supplies and operating costs continue torise. With the level of transfer pay- ments known, hospital officials can now put the finishing touch- eson its annual budget. Mr. Brown expects to com- plete the document in three weeks time. "With the transfer payments being flatlined, we can produce a balanced budget without af- Turn to page 5 Give generously to the Spring Food Drive this weekend