The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

a ---- RRR RE SRR RRR PSR Www PORT PERRY "WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2000-7 A harsh lesson in living | A routine check-up led to heart surgery for local woman By Chris Hall Port Perry Star A little more than a year after undergoing emer- gency heart surgery, Dorothy Forder is now feeling fine and living life to its fullest. The Port Perry resident believed she was in good health last January when she visited her physician for a checkup, and tests showed she was in fine shape. However, considering her family history of heart problems, the doctor ordered an angiogram as a pre- caution and Mrs. Forder agreed. They were stunned when the results came in. "We were quite surprised when it came back that | had severe blockages and that | would have to have a quadruple bypass right away," recalled Mrs. Forder. She was taken to Toronto General Hospital two days after recovering from the angiogram, and had surgery to clear out the blocked passages. It was later noted that high cholesterol was a main contributor to her problems. Mrs. Forder said that despite the urgency of the procedure, she remained calm and confident through- out. "I wasn't afraid at all, there's no need to be afraid. In this day and age with the technology and training... these people do the same operation every day. They know what they're doing," she said. "I had the procedure, and thanks to the doctors and God's guidance everything has worked out well," she said, noting that she had fully recovered nine months after the operation. But, the experience certainly opened her eyes to a disease that has brought sorrow to her family. "I've led a very healthy lifestyle throughout my life, and I think that helped disguise it," she said. "My family has a history of problems, but there is nothing you can do about your genes." Ms Forder lost both her father and sister to heart disease. But she was strengthened during her own ordeal by the support shown by others. "The prayers and support from all my community, township and family friends who shared my faith, hope and optimism was just incredible. This commu- nity is just wonderful," she said. And now, while she had always been a supporter of the Heart and Stroke Foundation and its fundraising efforts every February, Ms Forder has more of an appreciation for their cause. "I was certainly a supporter before, but now... it's more personal," she said. "Heart disease and stroke are Canada's number one killer, but it is not a losing battle if we all help." Canvassers will be out this month knocking on doors throughout Scugog Township asking for funds to help the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Please help make a difference with your contributions. Port Perry's Dorothy Forder was shocked when tests determined that she needed emer- gency bypass surgery to deal with blocked arteries. She had the surgery early last year, and is feeling just fine now. This story is printed as reminder to give generously as volunteers with the Heart and Stroke campaign in Durham conduct their annual February fundraising can- vass. Rs TEETER EE ---------------- a ---- Staying in Touch JOHN R. O'TOOLE MPP DURHAM EAST This past week, | was assigned to the Ontario Legislature's Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. Committee hearings began on' Feb. | with Finance Minister Ernie Eves giving an account of the year in review. The all party committee sits daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will be travelling to several cities and regions throughout Ontario. The committee is gathering input from all sectors of the province to compile a report in preparation for the provincial spring budget. I enjoy listening to and questioning the presenters before the committee. It is a privilege to have the experts and leaders from all parts of our economy appear before the committee, detailing how they see our future and how they would strengthen it. Deputy ministers, bank presidents, union presidents, uni- versity professors, social activists and concerned Ontarians are appearing before the committee in an attempt to influence committee members to their way of thinking. We are seeing the same performance in Ottawa trying to pressure our federal government prior to their spring budget. The old tactics of it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease, or those who yell the loudest get the most attention, are applied to try and influ- ence the government. It is an interesting process. It is worth noting that Canada has the highest personal income taxes of the G- 7 nations. The federal government now takes over 60 per cent of all the Personal Income Tax and as of January 2000, you are paying more in taxes than last year, indeed Ontario workers and employers are paying Ottawa $560 million more in payroll taxes than in 1999. Low income Canadians are further penalized by the failure of the federal government to address the issue of "bracket creek" in tax rates. This is where an individual's income might go up with inflation but the tax bracket categories are not adjust- ed for inflation and consequently, the individual pays more tax. Many economists believe that every $1 billion in payroll taxes costs our economy 40,000 jobs. Ontario, however, has had 99 tax reductions, including a 30 per cent cut in Provincial Income Tax. The message from Ontario and most of the provinces is clear - Ottawa must restore the $6.2 billion it cut from their annual Canada Health and Social Transfer payments. The federal govern- ment has savaged health care and they must be held accountable. Currently, the federal government pays only 11 cents out of every dollar spent in health care. Remember this was originally a 50 - 50 shared agreement between the fed- eral and provincial governments. Finance Minister Ernie Eves hinted that Ontario will move to a "tax on income" system. Ontario's Personal Income Taxes will no longer be linked to federal tax and subjected to hidden tax increases in the federal system. Ontario will not move to a duplicate collection system, instead the change will allow the province to control tax brackets, rates and credits. Our policy is premised on the theory that tax cuts create jobs and increase revenue. An examination of Ontario's financial statement reveals that revenue is up after reducing taxes. We are on track to balance our budget in 2000 - 2001 as promised. Talk », | ALEX SHEPHERD DURHAM M.P. Applications for the Summer Career placement program can be picked up at my office right now. All of us have a responsibility to invest in youth. Doing so improves the future prospects of all Canadians. To that end and to help young Canadians find summer jobs, the Government of Canada has launched the year 2000 Student Summer Job Action Program. The program is designed to give employers who hire students a wage - subsidy, as well as, loans for students to start summer businesses. Eligible employers include the pri- vate sector, public sector and not for profit. The wage subsidy for the private sector is a maximum of $3.40 per hour, the public sector is $4.25 per hour and not-for-profit is the adult minimum wage which is $6.85 per hour. Employer applications are assessed according to the ability of the job being offered to provide career-related expe- rience; prepare students for future labour market participation; the bene- fits the students derive from doing the jobs, and the contribution the employ- er is prepared to make to these ends. As well employers are encouraged to use the recruitment services avail- able through HRDC and the employ- ment centres set up for students. With the help of student business loans, young people with innovative ideas and drive - and intend- ing to return to school in the fall - are eligible for loans of run their own summer busi- ness. The loans are interest free until October, when payment in full is due. Students who repay the loans, with a value of $1,000 or more, between August and September are eligible for a cash rebate of $100. Completed applications can be sent to the attention of Claudia Taylor at Human Resources Development Canada and must be received no later than 4 p.m. March 10. You can direct any questions to - Claudia Taylor at 725-3562. I meet many young people in my job as federal member of Parliament for Durham. I find they know that in order to plan their careers they have to find out where tomorrow's career opportu- nities will be. Helping them with that process is becoming increasingly important. Young people have innovative ideas, energy, and flexibility. That's why they are so good at meeting chal- lenges. As | said we all have a responsibility to improve the country's future prospects. One of the ways we do this is through getting young people ready for the workplace. I remember once reading some- where that experience is a good teacher because it doesn't allow any dropouts. Employers can give the young peo- ple in Durham the opportunity to gain that all important work experience so they can move toward the future with confidence and optimism. up to $3,000 to start up and