Board may eut programs due to liability hikes By JAN DODGE Free Press Staff Skyrocketing premi- ums for liability in- surance may force the Durham Board of Education to curtail certain programs. Ajax trustee Sandy Lawson, chairman of the finance committee said the board increased its coverage last May from $10 million to $20 million. For that $20 million coverage the board paid $63,000. This year the board's agents have w been able to obtain only $7 million coverage, and at a cost of $67,000, thus tripling the cost to the board for each million dollars of coverage. Board chairman Ruth Lafarga said, "We are fully covered until Mar- ch 31." Recent high awards by the courts, such as the $6 million settlement awarded a Brampton man are being blamed for the increase in premiums. Duncan Read, Ajax trustee, said. "There Vol 16, No. 2 After two months of prepar finally here and Friday night at ds Night ceremonies Whitby'sc 1985 will be named. In honou Bob Attersley has declared t Week in Whitby. Volunteers li members of the Whitby Chamb been very busy in recent we everything will run smoothlI Marion, who is in charge of pu has to be some law passed that says in- surance settlements may not exceed x dollars. "In 1978 the Supreme Court said a person could not receive more than $100,000 for loss of enjoyment of life. And recently they have fac- tored in inflation," he said. In many cases Read said, awards are being given such that the vic- tim's family is better off financially than it would ever have been had the accident not happened. He said schools need to provide coverage but they also need to have a financial imit. Lawson said the Ministry of Education requires the board provide "adequate in-, surance protection." If the board is unable to obtain $20 million coverage by April 1, they will have to deal with the problem. One way might be to cut some programs. Lawson said the physical education program, and in par- ticular its associated ex- tra curricular sports is the most obvious one. In support of - a resolution by the Huron- Perth County Roman Catholic Separate School Board the board will send letters to the Attorney General and local MPPs asking the legislature to alter or remove existing legislation responsible for excessive lawsuits and court awards. Merchants angered by poor planning Merchant Barry Alt- man feels there is a serious parking problem downtown, a problem he believes is symptomatic of the kind of planning decisions he says are "killing the 24 Pages Peter Perry week ation the big week is was out doing some last minute promotion work. the Peter Perry Awar- You probably recognize that blank face she is pin- outstanding citizen of ning to the wall of the Free Press offices. It's a ir of the event Mayor sillouette of Peter Perry himself, one of the botter his week Peter Perry known heads about town. The award night wiIl be ike Marion Irwin and held in the Centennial Building Friday evening. For erof Commerce have more information cail the Whitby Chamber of Com- eks making sure that merce at 668-4506. y Friday. Last week ublicity for the event, Free Press Staff Photo downtown core." After working as a merchant for forty years, Mr. Altman moved to Whitby two months ago and opened up Paddy's Foods on Brock St. The store he said last week, is cat- ching on but business is nothing close to what it could be and Mr. Alt- man thinks Whitby's politicians must share some of the blame. "I guarantee you there are more businesses starving down here than people are willing to admit. Just take a walk down the street and see for yourself. There are vacancies, people working alone or with very little staff and at five o'clock the whole downtown shuts down because there is nothing to attract people down here. "I tell you somebody is really trying to kill the downtown core ... If (any merchants) try to tell you that they're doing all right it's because they're success has been so limited they just don't know what it could be," said Mr. Altman. The merchant's con- cerns came to a hee 1 last month when town council lifted all parking charges in the down- town core to encourage business during the Christmas rush. The move was a "fiasco" according to Mr. Alt- man. Instead of attrac- ting business, he said the gesture drove shop- pers away because the metered parking along Brock and Dundas Sts. was taken Up by tennan- ts who live over the stores, downtown em- ployees and even some of the merchants them- selves. "I've got nothing against free parking but it should be,three blocks from the core, not right downtown. I've never seen anything like it in my life," said Mr. Atlman shaking his head. His concerns prom- pted hin to make a study of the parking situation downtown and what he found was not encouraging. West of Byron St. which has two public parking lots there are no signs which in- dicate to people driving SEE PG. 9 Big industrial start for 198< A Kitchener based within the company will begin con- weeks. struction this week on a $2 million plant to However, I assemble automotive tersley said seats on Forbes St. in plant would Whitby. omploy betwc Mayor Bob Attersley, 200 people who has been promising begins opera that a big industrial added that the start was in the wind, hopes to coni made the announ- struction by cement Monday. mer. "It's a great way to The $2 n start the new year. dustrial build We're really pleased. issued to Lear It's going to be a good for a 100,000 s corporate citizen and structure to b should really add to the on 18 acres community," said the Forbes St. a Mayor. road from The company, Lear Power Tools. Siegler Industries tersley said t Limited, has its head of- no concession fice in Kitchener and is the town to a a wholly owned sub- new business sidiary of Lear Siegler just a matter Incorporated of Santa cing them tha Monica, California. "is the placeti Company president Bill Douglas confirmed The Mayor that construction would that the permi probably start this week to nearly 45 ç but was unable to reveal the value of further details about the dustrial starts new plant. He said there "It's a goo would be information said a jubilai released to the press Attersley. 6 next two Mayor At- the new probably en 100 and when it tions. He e company plete con- late sum- nillion in- ing permit r Siegler is quare foot be located of land on across the Makita Mayor At- here were s made by attract the and it was of convin- at Whitby Lo be." estimated t amounts percent of f all in- last year. d start," nt Mayor If election called in '86 Durham West remains intact- Ashe Legislation which would redistribute the province's voters could go before the legislature as early as this-spring but if the Peterson government decides to call an election during 1986 it will probably be run within existing elec- toral boundaries, Durham West MPP George Ashe told a small gathering of Progressive Conser- vatives last Thursday. Population growth in Durham Region has necessitated the creation of a new riding and one proposal would see Whitby split with the southern part of town sharing representation with western Oshawa in the new riding of Durham Centre while the north would go either to Durham East or remain in Durham West. During represen- tations to the province on redistribution however, Mr. Ashe said he heard no one speak in favour of the move to split Whitby into two ridings. Addressing the annual meeting of the Brooklin and area Progressive Conservatives, Mr. Ashe said he would prefer to see ail of Whit- by and a smaller corner of Oshawa form the new riding of Durham Cen- tre. It will probably be 1987 however before redistribution, what- e- er the boundaries, is completed. "The final draft legislation should -be finished in a couple of months and it may be delt with in the legislature this spring I think it's safe to say if there is an election in '86 it will probably be with the old boundaries," said Mr. Ashe. The prospect of an election in 1986 is not one the Conservative MPP rèlishes. The combination of a strong economic climate, largely created by policies of the former Conservative gover- nment according to Mr. Ashe, and the fact that the Liberals will have a lot of money to spend on popular programs like job creation because they have put off dealing with the provin- cial deficit, will make the Peterson gover- nment hard to beat in the near future, said Mr. Ashe. In fact, if there was an election today, Mr. Ashe predicted that the SEE PG.l 11 Wednesday, January 15, 1986 r rr El E Ai