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Vol. 134 No. 04 PORT PERRY - TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1999 Cory 75¢ (70¢+ 5¢ GST) rm (} TURRET CNY Gadsden calls red ink 'manageable' $50,000 budget deficit forecast for township By John B. McClelland Port Perry Star Scugog Township is looking at a deficit of just over $50,000 for 1999, according to a report submitted to the finance com- mittee this week. The status report, compiled by Scugog treasurer Kathryn McCann, shows that some departments are projected to report a deficit for the year that ends in two weeks, while others will be in the black. The largest deficit -- some $177,000 -- is projected in the roads department. Meanwhile, the planning and development department is also projected to be over budget this year, by about $20,000. The good news in the report is that general administration will spend some $70,000 less than its budget this year, the fire department is $12,890 under budget, the building department is $55,000 under budget, and parks and rec about $7,000 in the black. Commenting on the projected $53,000 total deficit (on a bud- get of over $6 million) finance committee chair Ken Gadsden said he would prefer to see it at zero, but said the projected amount is manageable. He pointed to some items not budgeted for, such as the pur- chase of land for the Cartwright Recreation - Committee in Nestleton, and up-front money for a subdivision on Scugog Island, as causes. "When you put these into the total mix, the $53,000 deficit is Please turn to page 25 Teachers still striking legally, board says By Rik Davie Special to the Star The head of the Durham high school teachers' union local is taking exception to the school board's announcement last week that both sides have withdrawn their labour board charges against each other. Shelly Page was address- ing a Durham District School Board (DDSB) news release last week that stated both sides had agreed to withdraw from Ontario Labour Board hearings. The hearing was called after the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) Local 13 charged the board with dis- criminatory labour practices against a teacher. The board counter-charged that teach- ers' withdrawal from extracurricular activities in Durham schools amounts to an illegal strike. The board announced last Wednesday that, because it will take months for the case to be heard by the labour board, both sides had agreed to withdraw from the proceed- ings. Ms Page doesn't agree with that statement. "We did not withdraw the charges," she said. "A settle- Please turn to page 14 *Mothers Against D Driving (MADD) orga zation has provide Durham : breathalyzers. committee member: ~~ Ted Green (left), Jan e+ Meldrum and David % Meldrum look on as units. We've got th story on page 8. JEFF MITCHELL/PORT PERRY STAR