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' PORT PERRY "WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 2000 - 7 Tournament raises funds for charity More than 70 players came out to Canterbury ich rals- Board okays Mariposa's new chlorine analyzers The transition board for the City of Kawartha Lakes approved a request from the Township of Mariposa that will allow that munici- pality to purchase and install Chlorine residual analyzers in all six of its water well facilities. The cost will be $8,325 per facility plus installa- tion and taxes. In a letter from Clerk Sandra Lloyd the board was informed that the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) will also install Bell lines and an alarm dialer on each unit at no cost to the munici- This means that if the analyzer detects low chlo- rine levels the OCWA will be notified immediately. Ms Lloyd noted that the township has sufficient funds in its "Water Reserve" account. -. However it was not an item for which the town- ship had budgeted in 2000. According to the Kitchen Commission Order to the Transition Board, all expenditures over $10,000 that had not been budgeted for, must come before the board for approval. How much are politicians worth? 3 Talk 033] ALEX SHEPHERD DURHAM M.P. "1 know people are sick of the bashing going on between federal and provincial politicians. For this reason | hesitate to get into the debate about politicians salaries but feel | must comment since the provincial member for Durham says he's entitled to a 33 per cent pay hike and uses my office as an example of why. | don't know if I should be flattered. But, his pay hike would be well in excess of what federal politicians are paid. All politicians are more than reason- ably remunerated for what they do. And if any politician gets involved in public service for the salary maybe they should choose another job. I might add that it's unfortunate our press would not ask for my comment when writing a story based on what someone else said but so much for bal- ance and professionalism. In any case politicians shouldn't even be determining their own salaries. A tri- bunal with public representation should determine salaries. Now enough of that. Canada Day is coming and | want to wish everyone the very best on this first holiday of the sum- mer and the first Canada Day of the mil- lennium. There's plenty to do. I have organized a Citizenship Court to take place in Port Perry's Palmer Park at 10 a.m. on Canada Day. I'll have hot dogs, cake and soft drinks on hand donated by Reid's Independent and the Port Perry IGA. Orono will be hosting the Great Canadian Town Band Festival July 1. On Saturday morning there will be a pan- cake breakfast followed by what organiz- ers are calling a "Callithumpian Parade" put on by the town's folk with bands and cavalry. At | p.m. there will be a Canada Day presentation at Orono Park and Saturday night is devoted to the sounds of the "Big Band Era" on the town's main stage. The Bowmanville Museum will host games for the children and a Canada Day flag raising ceremony at noon on the museum grounds. On Canada Day evening Liberty Pentecostal Church will be celebrat- ing with a picnic and fireworks dis- play. The church is located on the northeast corner of Highway 57 and Highway 2. I will have the honour on Canada Day to present Port Perry High School student, Sarah Beimess, with a $1,000 bursary for her essay "My Vision for the Future of Canada," as part of our citizen- ship ceremony. My personal vision for the future of Canada would be a more inclusive soci- ety. One that recognizes our evolution as a knowledge and non-knowledge based society. | would want to build bridges between these two groups, which would allow everyone to be part of our evolv- ing society. I also want to eliminate inefficiencies in our health care system. Our weakest citizens are at risk. We mugt all attempt to work hard at making the system whole again. We should work harder binding ties with Canada's native populations, as well as, the English and French cultures. Canadians should realize the country, as we know it, has changed significantly. Non-traditional populations now make up a significant portion of our popula- tion. To this end we would seek new symbols of national identity and work together to reconcile differences. People should be able to continue practicing their traditions. But we have to work toward creating a new Canadian identity and find ways to live together within our massive boarders. Canadians are custodians of a good portion of the world's natural resources. We must find ways to be environmental- ly sensitive to ensure that generations to come have a chance to share in this. We must also recognize that families are the focus of community values but, at the same time, recognize that families can have many definitions. Canada should evolve toward being a tolerant society, not by stamping our opposition, but by attempting te recon- cile and illuminate its weaknesses to build a stronger social and economic fabric that's all inclusive. | invite everyone in Durham to take time out on Canada Day to think how they would make this country even bet- ter in the 21st century. pality. Another legislative session ends Staying in Touch JOHN R. O'TOOLE MPP DURHAM EAST On Thursday, June 22, the most recent session of the Ontario Legislature drew to a close. At this time, it is my under- standing that the Legislature will retum in late September. While some con- stituents have suggested that we are now on holidays, my community office is open for business and I will be meeting with constituents and a variety of other stakeholders. Your calls and messages left will be responded to promptly. In case of an emergency, please call our office at 697-1501 or 1-800-661-2433. As the government moves into the new mandate, | believe that we must provide a stable vision of what to expect over the next three years. We have prac- tically achieved many of the original commitments made in 1995. We have balanced the budget and have had to make many difficult decisions. Tragedies like Walkerton and incidents of domestic violence indicate that we must be pre- pared to protect the vulnerable and ensure public safety. As | reflect on the debate and the role of government, | am convinced that we need a strong econo- my so that our government will have resources to help people. With the rising of the Legislation, there are still pieces of legislation remaining on the order papers, one of which is Bill 42, the Technical Standards and Safety Act. This important legislation combines seven separate pieces of legis- lation under one Bill, regulating every- thing from elevators to amusement rides to the stuffing in your furniture. The Technical Standards and Safety Association will be overseeing and regu- lating these industries to ensure public safety. Upon reflection, I'm glad that we are patient enough to delay the legisla- tion in the public interest. Last week, | had three items in the news. First, | introduced two Private Member's Bills, one that proposes to allow antique vehicle. owners to use an antique licence plate to register their vehicle. Many car clubs and vintage vehi- cle owners have wanted to use registra- tion plates matching the year of their restored vehicle. My second bill proposes to restrict the use of cellular phones while driving. The legislation encourages the use of a hands free phone device, which can include a voice-activated dialing fea- ture. For some time now, | have been observing what people are doing while they're driving, like talking on a cell phone, doing their makeup or taking notes. | want to hear from my con- stituents on these proposed changes as | intend to follow up on these bills in the fall session. Your input and suggestions are important and | want to say that it was constituents who brought both ideas to my attention. The final issue in the news was the provincial consultants' report on MPP salaries. One report in a local paper gave the impression that we were receiving a 33 per cent Ray raise. This is absolutely wrong - there is no pay increase. When | responded to the reporter's question, "Do you think you deserve a raise?" | told them that | believe that | deserve a raise. Serving in public office is not a job in the normal sense. We have a serious job appraisal every four or five years and it is called an election. This question was brought forward due to a report made public last week. In 1996, all three parties in the Legislature unanimously passed a Bill getting rid of MPP pensions, eliminating the tax-free portion and delivered a 5 per cent salary reduction. Also included in the Bill was the provision that the Speaker of the Legislature could, after the budget was balanced, engage an out- side independent consultant to bring for- ward recommendations for MPP remu- neration. In their study, the three consul- tants compared our pay to that of the fol- lowing: 0 *Federal MP ($145,406 annually) a Ontario Engineers ($95,301) a School Principal ($90,560) 0 *Toronto City Councillor ($82,303) a *Provincial MPP ($81,907) Amounts marked with an asterisk include all tax-free benefits as well as pension entitlements. It is worth poting that your Federal Member of Parliament receives more than a provincial minister and even the Premier of Ontario. IIIT --_--"