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Page 8, News, Wednesday, January 11, 1989 Plenty of enthusiasm by fans and The Longlac Petites jump all over each other after winning the gold medal at last weekends ringette tournament. players alike at ringette tournament Ths MVeCausland Hospital Would like to thank the following persons for their generous contributions to the "Christmas Tree Project" Jamie & Stacy Spadoni In Memory of Graig Spadoni Bobby & Stanley Spadoni Lisa & Danny Spadoni C. Desrosiers Construction Ltd. Julie Ronkainen, Olivia Ronkainen Estelle Wallwin, Gert Cotton Bev, Paul, Khris & Keli Turpin Stella Sadowich, Cory Walton, Mandy Ray Kathleen, Raimo & Phillip Mikkonen Phyllis MacParland & Grandchildren Nick & Elaine LaBarge, Mr. & Mrs. Don Keating & Family Bill, Linda, Deshayne & Brittan Fell, Keith Milne, Terry Falzetta Jesse Falzetta, Gwen Black , The Sigurdson Family, Maureen Baird Bill, Cathi, Angela & Ami Stachiw, Lisette & Paul Wenzel Jack Handel, May & Cliff Brown, Mary & Peter Vanderkam & Family Minnova Mines Inc., Henri Boivin, Terrace Bay Recreation Committee Olga Papineau, The Staff of the Schreiber Public School, Gail & Don Davey Myra Smilsky, Alex Furyk, Rev. David Sparks, John & Heather Vandergraaf Elaine, Dick, Mark & Alyson Mannisto, The Lalondes, Doug & May Caldwell Don, Jackie, Brian & Keith Reid, Denise Bolduc, Bill & Ann Kushnieryk Ron & Karen McBride, Kerry & Mandy McBride, Daphne Monks Rod Thompson & Family, Thursa Thompson, Carolyn Fretz, Jessie Wilkes Robert Wilkes, Fred, Geraldine, Kerri & Kim McColeman Dennis, Mary-Ellen, Corinne & Kristin Bouchie, Nicole Falzetta, John-Ray Falzetta Siobhan Falzetta, Eric Jean, Real Deschatelets, Max, Anne & Lindsay Miller Julie, Jan, Courtney & Meghan Miller, First Schreiber Brownie Unit First Schreiber Girl Guides, Linda, Lance, Hilary & Jordan Stewart Pat & Melanie McKenna, Dave & Cecilia Kaizer, The Fewers Jeremy & Travis Corrigan, Chris & Ann Ray, Katie, Ray & Jamie Figliomeni The A & W Restaurant, The Pyhtila Family, Walter & Betty Anne Klassen Kara, Kenton & Landon Klassen, Jamie Stachiw, Mrs. K. Verdone Margaret Phillips and her grandchildren lit the Christmas Tree Star by making the largest donation to this project. Your interest and support is appreciated by your generous donations totalling $818.00 Thank you kindly! Last weekend, Terrace Bay hosted a Petite and Novice ringette tournament with teams competing from Terrace Bay, Schreiber, Longlac, Nakina and Thunder Bay. The two-and-a-half days of competition was well attended with dozens of people watching the action at any given point in time. The final standings in the Novice division were: Bourkes from Thunder Bay, gold, MCA from Thunder Bay, silver, and Terrace Bay and Longlac picking up participation medals. In the Petite division, the final standings were: Longlac, gold, Thunder Bay, silver, Terrace Bay, bronze and Schreiber and Nakina finishing in fourth and fifth place respectively. The final Petite game between Longlac and Thunder Bay was Pouliot's Continued from page 1 most regressive forms of taxation available. Bill 121 will have a direct negative impact on the standard of living of northern res- idents and, thus, increases the burden on people who can least afford it since the average family income in the north is far below the provincial average." He also states the the supple- mentary revenue gained from the tax on gas is not being diverted to improve the infrastructure of the north. "Instead of improving roads connecting northern com- munities, the government is spending money on non-essential goods such as the SkyDome Stadium in Toronto," adds Pouliot. Pouliot calls the loss of $4 million in fuel taxes through export evasion schemes, "particu- larly galling". He adds, "the Ministry, either through inefficiency or negli- gence, has failed to monitor com- pliance with our tax laws which ensure that the taxpayer gets value for the money." He further States that it is the consumer who has to compensate for the govern- ment's lack of responsibility and control. four laning of highway 17 a priority Pouliot notes that truck traffic along highway 17 has grown very rapidly since the highway was first opened in 1961. "Local traffic, particularly in the movement of forest products to and from Southern Ontario, can be extremely heavy. The increase in truck traffic represents one of the most important reasons for twinning of the Trans Canada Highway," says Pouliot. He admits the Ontario Ministry of Transportation has spent some money widening the highway at certain points to cre- ate passing lanes for motorists who want to pass trucks, but little has been done to improve safety at intersections and turn-offs. "Heavier truck traffic through semi-urban areas, where intersec- tions are uncontrolled and high- way shoulders are narrow, is cer- tain to be the cause of more deaths this winter. Understandably, parents are anx- ious about the safety of their chil- dren who have to board school buses on the narrow shoulders of these highways." Fifty per cent of Ontario's highway are located in the north, an area with about eight per cent of the province's population, and Pouliot says, "those highways are not comparable to most others in the province. The highway that is supposed to be Canada's major closely fought all the way. With seven minutes remaining in the final period, the game was tied 4-4. At the end of regulation time the score was tied 6-6 which led to a five minute overtime. Thunder Bay score first one minute -in to over time to take the lead 7-6. But Longlac responded 46. seconds later to tie the game once again. Thunder Bay scored a short handed goal after a hooking penal- ty to take the lead once again at 8- 7, but, with only 31 seconds left, Longlac tied the game. Then, in the closing seconds of the game, only 18 of them left, Longlac took the lead and held on to win 9-8. "That's the way it should be, the girls fighting it out with all their hearts for the gold," said Ron Jowitt, coach of the Terrace Bay Petite team. priorities connecting link is nothing short of an embarrassment in compari- son with what is standard in Southern Ontario." Pouliot says the Ontario gov- ernment only provided an addi- tional $12 million in funding for the province's highways. | He notes that $12 million will buy about 12 miles of double- lane highway, or about six miles of four lane highway. Pouliot says across Northern Ontario close to 1,000 miles of four lane highway are required. In a series of questions and answers with the Minister of Transportation, Ed Fulton, in mid-November, Fulton reminds Pouliot that a number of other communities and groups across Ontario feel their area should have priority for four-laning. Fulton does say his ministry has been in touch with the federal minister, and he now has an indi- cation that, "at least the federal minister of the day might be will- ing to sit down with the province of Ontario to address this very real, necessary and needed pro- sect. health care a major concern this year Pouliot chaired the NDP's Task Force on Health Care in Northern Ontario last year, which toured a number of communities in the spring and fall of 1988. Presentations made by doctors, mental health workers, patients, Native organizations and other practitioners, "painted a disheart- ening picture of hardships caused by a lack of services and by the long distances that people must travel for essential health needs," says Pouliot. While on the tour, the task force did find many creative com- munity initiatives, some of which will be summarized in a report to be published in the new year. The problem of attracting and retaining medical professionals, "will only be solved when these practitioners are trained in the north," says Pouliot. He adds, "the problem of a sparse popula- tion spread over large distances will only be solved by developing more community based delivery of services. This also requires the training of more paramedical pet- sonnel." Pouliot says caregivers such as ambulance drivers, mental health counsellors and home care work- ers must be paid an adequate wage. The task force continues its hearings across the north with one scheduled for Jan. 28 in Terrace Bay. Details on the time and place will be published in upcoming issues of The News. & _~ a