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~ opinion, it will be "nearly impossible" to ih ' Vol. 133 Number 15 PORT PERRY - TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 1999 COPY 65¢ wie secs Scugog's budget is slashed by $300,000 By John B. McClelland Port Perry Star Scugog Township's finance committee put in a long Monday this week, looking for ways to cut every extra dime from the 1999 municipal budget. The committee, which met for almost eight hours, was able to trim some $300,000 from the spending estimates. And chairman Ken Gadsden said the committee will meet again later this week to try to cut more. Even with the $300,000 reduction Monday, the estimates still remain about $241,000 higher than last year's budget. Councillor Gadsden said that in his avoid a budget hike in local government spending this year. © runt Just how much of a hike there will be is the big question. Councillor Gadsden said he'd prefer at this time not to put a number to any increase. "We are trying to minimize the dam- age," he told The Star. "We are looking at all options for cost cutting. We will con- tinue to try to get the (spending increase) down to zero." Even faced with the daunting task of finding more areas to trim, Councillor Gadsden said the committee is much Please turn to page 9 Region to By John B. McClelland Port Perry Star All land ambulance service in Durham will be operat- ed by the regional government, starting Jan. 1 next year. Durham Region council voted overwhelmingly (25-2) in favour of the move last week. It's estimated the service will cost upwards of $10 million annually. It is also a move in which Durham had very little choice, as ambulance service is just one of many functions downloaded by the provincial government onto the backs of the municipalities. The only choice councillors had was whether to create a new regional department, or form a partnership with private companies. The council decision last week means private ambu- lance operators like Rural/Metro Ontario will no longer Chm FU ES ACIS { A NAPOLEON BROWSING ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON: This past 'weekend, as usual, there was a crowd-of bargain hunters out looking for deals at the Port Perry Flea Market. it's a weekend ritual for many folks, who make operate ambulance service be in business in Scugog Township. Rural/Metro Ontario president Bob DeShane, who was at the meeting last week to ask that his company be given at least a chance to bid on the service, said he was not surprised at the way the voting went. "We were swimming upstream from the very start. That's certainly how it looked," he told The Star in an interview after the Feb. 24 meeting. While expressing his disappointment in the decision by regional council, he said his company will be "good sports" and do whatever they can to help the transition go smoothly. "Our commitment is to serving the people (of Port Perry and area) which we have been doing since 1953," he said, a reference to the date when ambulance service was started by the late Charlie Brignall. "JEFF MITCHELL / PORT PERRY STAR A time to stop by and check out what's up for grabs. Here, vendor Rob Murray prepares for browsers Sunday afternoon at his Booth The Card Shark located at the market. < Mr. DeShane said his company will also work to "look after" the employees who now work out of the Port Perry station. The resolution approved by councillors stipulates that paramedics now employed in Durham get a chance at ajob when the region takes over, "based on operational ne " Mr. DeShane said he is not fearful that any of his employees will be out of work when the region takes over Jan. 1. And he added that losing the Scugog area will not have a serious impact on his company, as it will continue to provide service to other municipalities and bid on municipal contracts when they come up over the next 10 months. He went on to say that while he recognizes the right of gp Please turn to page 10 OVERRIDGE FICE ETC TE 170 Casimir St, Eo PERRY (905) Lar, SS ele. aw D A emia RY