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Randa LR a 6 - "WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2001 PUBLISHER. en J. Peter Hvidsten _-- _ og " - BUSINESS OFFICE: Judy Ashby, ERAL MGR.......... Don Macleod \ ; > "~ er Janet Rankin, Lesley. West MANAGING oriGH om acl oo Aocna WEEKEND STAR Caradon Kathy Dudy. Ja soy OFFICE MANAGER... Gayle Staploy --_-- High) --- Community (de CNA ADVERTISING: Ginni Todd, Cindy Jobin, ADVERTISING MGR... Deb McEachem Member Ontario Community tia er WEA All You Real fy ANE papel Gail Morse, Sandra Spears, Linda Clarke, REPORTER... _ Chris Hall Newspaper Assoc. > . Janet Archer, Malcolm Lennox, Lisa Monk reelance PHONE (905) 965 730%" fl Dele Published every Friday by the Port Perry Star Company Limited, 188 Mary Street - Port Perry, Ontario - LIL 1B7 PRODUCTION MANAGER: Pamela Hickey FAX (905) 985-3708 Distributed free in the following communities: Port Perry - Uxbridge - Sunderland - Little Britain - RR Lindsay Janetville Production Staff: Trudy Empringham, E-MAIL: editorial @portperrystar.com Oakwood - Manilla - Seagrave - Greenbank - Brooklin - Ashburn - Columbus - RR Oshawa Daryle Wright, Arlene Cheel, Richard Drew advertising @ portperrystar.com Zephyr - Udora - Leaskdale - Sandford - Caesarea - Blackstock - Raglan - Nestleton - Yelverton - Prince Albert EDITORIAL POLICY: Opinions expressed by columnists, contributors and letter writers are not necessarily those of The Port Perry Star. Letters must be signed and the telephone number (which will not be published) included. Requests that a name be withheld will be honoured only if there is a compelling reason to do so. Errors will be corrected if brought to the editor's attention. We reserve the right to edit or refuse publication of any material submitted. ADVERTISING POLICY: The publisher is not liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. TH publisher is not able for other errors or omissions in connection with any advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for the advertisement All aims of error in publication must by Wednesday, noon, prior to the next week's publication, and, if not made. will not be considered. No claim will be allowed for more than one insertion. OPINION Farmers make an appeal Farmers here and across the country spoke loudly and clearly Wednesday, when they held a 'Day of Action' to call the federal government's attention to their financial plight. Here in'Ontario, farmers converged on Pickering, Guelph and ¢ Ottawa to declare their dissatisfaction over what they see as gov- w ernment inaction on the agricultural sector's concems. We certainly heard them. What remains to be seen was whether or not the feds did. The federal government's response to the crisis in farming has been, at best, half-hearted. When farmers across the nation told Ag Minister Lyle Vanclief they needed $900 million to help them cope with plummeting commodity prices, the-minister was able to respond with only $500 million. Mr. Vanclief said at the time he wished it was more, and there's no reason to believe he wasn't sin- cere. What has to change is not so much the minister's response as it is the government's overall view on the priority this issue ought to be given. In addition to immediate aid to help cover losses, a national farm policy is needed in'this country. It could address issues such as safety net funding, farm subsidies, technology and others. Farmers' backs are against the wall, and many, here and across the nation, are wondering how long they'll be able to hold on when it costs more to put a crop into the ground than sales at the end of the season will generate. A nation that can't feed itself is a Third World country. Is that the direction the government wants to go in? By Walt Radda ~ QKAY YOU LAZY BONES! T'D LIKE SOME \ HELP CLEANING UP AROUND HERE! 'D DOT MOMNT'D DOT, BUT 71D po, BUT I'M BUT ITM INTHE | TM WATCHING [\JATCHING NICOLE M\DDLE OF TS LOUISE PLAY WATCHING LOUISE! VIDEO GAME! ATHE GAME! Jor ET TM WATCHING beh s, MICHELLE see { * <9 . e® oo ole ee . * eo o,.° 4 oo * 0%. (IT'D GET HOPPING \F 1 WERE YOU! PHoTO OF THE WEEK This beagle pup lets out a how! at the Uxbridge-Scugog Animal Shelter. Call 985-9547 if you're looking to adopt a cat or dog. If you have an interesting picture we could use for Photo of the Week, please drop it by The Star office, or give us a call at 985-7383. LETTERS Want to save downtown? Think big To the Editor: The issue of keeping the downtown corri- dor of Port Perry vibrant economically has plagued the community for years, and yet, in spite of all the wringing of hands and heated debate, it seems to me to attract many visitors daily. In fact, it has become a weekly destination to many péople living in Durham and the GTA. ; We need more lodgings in Port Perry for visitors to town, the casino and the area's golf and ski facilities. Many people have said to me that it is always difficult to have more then one visitor to their homes at a time, due to the lack of accommodations up here. We have prime space in our downtown that could be quite attractive to a large hotel or resort corporation. Their investments could make Port Perry's downtown an icon in Southern Ontario. What if we sold them or leased them the ball park and tennis facilities adjacent to Palmer Park for 99 years, and, in return, received a modern new hotel complex on the lakefront, new state of the art ball diamonds (in a more appropriate area, com- pletely financed by the hotel/resort corpora- tion, and equipped with change rooms, showers, bleachers, and lighting, etc.), and a more aesthetically pleasing addition to our beautiful park and lakefront? I think it could end the great downtown economic debate, add another great busi- ness to our tax base, and eliminate the worry of having another shopping plaza situated on prime lakefront town-owned property. Donald Trump uses this success model in his opportunistic business life. Ask any politician from New York if he has been wrong. Because of Trump, New York's down- town has never been more vibrant. Let's all start thinking big. It works. Toronto 2008? Paul McDermott, Port Perry To the Editor: Here's wishing John Foote a complete recovery from his terrible accident. ~~ Idrive 40,000 km. a year. | know too well the dangers of winter driving condi- tions. And I'm sure we've all had that feel- Here's wishing John Foote a complete recovery ing of it just as easily could have been me instead of him, upon seeing an accident. Good luck John, the future needs you. (and of course I miss reading the column). Frank Mroz, Sandford