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On top of these considerations, it is somewhat disingenuous for the Tories to be widening the scope of the issue covered by the referendum vote. If people were really voting no to more than just the megacity, it can hardly be considered good news for the Harris government. in fact, if they want to argue that the seventyâ€"five per cent no vote was a me. dums (which the Tories favor when it‘s convenient for them). The megacity issue would appear to be the classic situation in which a refâ€" erendum is called for â€" a huge public outcry against something that a government had said it wouldn‘t do. The real reason that the Tories never wanted a referendum on this issue slipped out last December when Leach appeared on CBC‘s Radio Noon Phoneâ€"In: "It would be impossible to get a yes vote." * If its difficult to know how many people voted yes or no in this referendum, then it must be equally difficult in other kinds of referen * If it wants to accuse the no side of introducing other issues into the campaign, the yes side should take a look at its own record. When I attended the Tory convention in October, all of the talk was about how a megacity merger would really "get" Toronto City Council for endorsing the Metro Days of Action. And, at the hearings, Tom Jakobek (the sole megacity supporter on Toronto City Council) tried repeatedly to refight the battle over the building of the SkyDome and mmw-hmmmwmw nent John Sewell. These concerns notwithstanding, the results of the votes are nothing if not conclusive. The government is trying to confuse the issue by saying that "this wasn‘t just about unification. It was 2+ about a wide variety of issues. We will J never know for sure how many people C voted yes or no to the only issue on the table, because so many other issues were introduced during the campaign by the no side." The statement is laughâ€" able in so many ways that it‘s difficult to know where to start, but here are a.lew of the major holes in the government response: * The government claims that the proposal to create a Toronto megacity is unrelated to other government initiatives such as Who Does What (the downloading of services to municipalities). If that‘s the case, why did it‘s daily press releases summarizing the megacity hearings come on Who Does What letterhead? As Ottawaâ€"Carleton Councillor Alex Munter correctly points out, municipal amalgamaâ€" tion is integral to creating local governments large enough to handle the province‘s massive downloading. Scott Piatkowski able in so many ways that i aire a lew of the maior hole: As the saying goes, "What part of ‘no‘ don‘t you understand?" While the phrase originates from women‘s longstanding (and laudable) camâ€" paign against sexual violence, it‘s hard not to see its applicability to the results of last week‘s megacity referendums in Metropolitan Toronto. Over seventyâ€"five per cent of voters said "no", but the Harris governâ€" ment still seemed to be having difficulty understanding the results. To be fair, the referendum process was less than stellar and the turnout â€" partiqularly in Etobicoke â€" was unimpressive. But Harris and Al Leach, his Minister of Municipal Affairs, have placed far too much emphasis on these factors. Concerns about cost led to the mailâ€" in and phoneâ€"in balloting and the inaccurate Voters Lists are mainâ€" tained by the provincial government itself. The relatively low turnout (though not compared to lmzq-l i elections) can be attributed to the fact Am that Harris and Leach had clearly indiâ€" . A megaâ€"vote against Mike Fax No. Waterloo Town Square 75 King St South, Suite 201 Waterloo, Ontario N2J 1P2 886â€"2830 cated their intention to ignore the regults of the referendums and plow Maureen McNab Gerry Mattice Pete Cudhea Tim Gardner Deborah Crandall Carolyn Anstey Lynn Mitchell Waterloo Region has refused to install lights or a crosswalk, and now Waterloo council will be lobbied to lend a hand. in 100â€"Â¥ard Dash: You‘d hate to see a student hunzwrwom, but it‘s still galling that St. David Catholic secondary school fludemm\phyhde'mqm@ngv&m. Whohuus?Omd:ylh:yznwnnyalsobtnwmnglh hwn,fizrigfl!bdsyzndhkingo\utlwm, There‘s mendwdnpthachzvsionohhpmmml.Mm nll.\hictws]umhtrsleepytown until someone let the bathtub run over. Emyfl!mcoulddbvaeopkwvtwonlhcu Wmnhwmthmgy-flmdwir!wnnxsusing and to pay for them using their TV‘s remote. The plan will use wireless technology to link (}unplikcmwkzdcmmsmdhydro,psmd water meters directly to fire stations and utility offices Goodbye, meter readers; hello, savings. Home with an IQ: How‘d you like to live in a house that‘s smarter than you are? That‘s the prospect Waterloo home owners face, thanks to o ive thinks Some gnat, some navel. Say, there‘s a fearful rumor going around. It claims that the more larâ€" cenous welfare claimants have a club. You pay $5 a week and if officials find you a job the club fights the case. Afleul.ilm\solon&agollnwclfmofluâ€" cials were poohâ€"poohing the prospect of any major loss. The amount stolen wouldn‘t fill a gnat‘s navel, they more or less said. Hmvslx?Wnâ€"erloochonisma(;uwzylo';coupa record $2.7 million from welfare fraud and overâ€" payments, and that‘s a surprise, ch? I ya Any time now, the politicians will crank up the rhetoric because there‘s a municipal election coming, In some ways they‘ve begun. Take the fuss they made over clamping down on pitbulls. f The reason Kâ€"W councillors made such a hullabaloo about it is because it‘s one thing they did right. Politicians are funny. They‘ll do anything for a vote and nothing after they get it. Goodbye to meter readers; hello to savings <al Chery! McMenemy Darlene Royle Matt Saddington Millie Martin Jerry Fischer Trust ma.... With this new updated 90‘s treatment, _ agood/leaching willleare you tealing fi even better then before. mmsncrmerscs M\ s incioy s rememnuaioneismeinntâ€"ieagent 6 ies sc «, !” The Waterloo Chronicle is published by The a division of Southam Inc. § By 75 King St. S., Suite 201, Waterloo ON. N2J 1P2 886â€"2830 Waterloo Chronicle is published every Wednesday by <<> S ob donsidkiins ONCE over LGHTY Surprise! How are Canadians supposed to feel when they‘re up lznh:'r ... ahem... elbows in snow and Christmas bills? 1 don‘t know why politicians rely so much on the polls. They do absolutely nothing. Wait a minute. 1 think 1 just answered my own question. | ;roup Publisher: C s i fi'g;@_b,fi%mm, The Fairway Group 240 Holiday Inn Dr., Unit F Cambridge, On. N3C 3X4 But 1 get lost in the swirl of figures. I‘ve given up. They say talk is cheap. Baloney. And I‘ve got the phone bills to prove it. Poll Cat: Sometimes you have to wonder whether too many pollsarm\dedmadtoundamh‘lkm.hhdn poll limloundendimnmdc&nppqlhm You know what we mean. If it isn‘t Candace m Bergen flogpngllnmcrilsofsmm,u‘sdx varâ€" ious spiels for Bell and a bevy of companies nghldownwmflmtdxwrvepvmuptmng to figure which is which and who has the cheapest rates to Boraâ€"Bora. Our household has reason enough to figure costs Boraâ€"Bora. Our household has reason enough to figure costs what with two outside phone lines and a car phone, a fax, a portable phone and sundry other gadgets. _‘ Suill, the thing that‘s galling is the attitude of the students. 1f the interviews on TV are any example, the students feel they shouldn‘t be asked to walk to a corner. They‘re entitled to lights or a crosswalk, they implied. the youthful belief that they‘re immortal, students prefer to make midâ€"block dashes to fastâ€"food restaurants and a strip mall rather than use the lights at either Columbia or Weber Streets. ment. Sooner or later, the kids would be comâ€" plaining that the bus is stopping too many inches from the curb. Wrong Numbers: This is Alexander Graham Bell‘s anniversary, and 1 wonder if he foresaw the battle of the TV commercials by phone But what of the cost? Never mind. It‘s on the school_bo-d. Suill, there‘s a big fly in the ointâ€" If they persist in that atu.ade as they grow older, they‘re in for some rude awakenings. Say I‘ve an idea: Hire a shuttle bus and run the stuâ€" dents across to the cafes, strip mall and bus stop. Subscription rates $45 yearly in Canada $90 yearly outside Canada +GSC ! during ou