Region will send five on garbage tour in Europe By Mike Johnston Whitby regional councillor. Marcel Bunelle will be one of five representatives from Dur- ham Region soon traveling to Europe for a week on a fact- finding garbage tour. The trip was organized by Metropolitan Toronto at a cost of $5,000 for each person and will include trips to Germany, Aus- tria and Switzerland. Three Region politicians, including Brunelle, and two Region staff members will attend. Regional councillors argued the merits of the trip before agreeing to send the five repre- sentatives. Oshawa mayor Allan Pilkey voted against the trip which will cost $25,000. He noted the Ontario govern- ment was holding a conference on waste management in Toronto (the same day as council was holding its meeting) sponsored bythe~University of Nova Scotia, "And is there anvone at it from here?" asked Pilkey. He was informed that no Dur- ham Region representative was there. "Why is that? Is it too close?" said Pilkey, noting the Region can't afford to have its expert on waste, Art Leitch, away from the Re 'on for a week. ' don't have the man time and the timing is also inappro- priate," he said~ Brunelle defended the trip, saying elected representatives should attend. "There needs to be elected representatives there. They talk to the people," he said, adding it was "petty and small thinking" to argue about the number of people that should go on the tour. Whitby Mayor Bob Attersley said he preferred that two politi- cans and two staff members attend while Oshawa councillor Nancy Diarnond suggested that just one politican and one staff member go. In the end, council voted 22-8 to send all five. Whitby councillor Joe Drumm voted against the trip while Whitby councillors Brunelle, Tom Edwards and Attersley approved. SEE PAGE 3 Region taxes up 19% By Mike Johnston Dig deeper into those wallets - Durham Region council last week approved a 19 - per cent tax increase. That represents an average tax increase of $48.52 for region residents this year. Each municipality is assessed at a different level and each pays a percentage of the Region's budget according to population, so t he increase is different for every municipality. In Whitby, for a home assessed at $5,500 (average), the increase represents an additional $52.85, bringing the regional bill this year to $377.63. Last year, the average Whitby resident paid $324.78 in regional taxes. The highest increase is in Pickering where, because homes are assessed at the highest level in the region, residents will pay an additional $65.75. During debate, councillors did not discuss any cuts to the budget, with the exception of $2-million earmarked for the Region's waste- disposal reserve fund account which after discus- sion was left in the waste reserve fund. "No councillor can be proud of this, but...," said Edwards, who then listed items in the budget he would be voting against if h e was to turn down the increase. "If I vote against this I will be voting against 911, more police officers and air conditioning for the homes for the aged. So I am compelled to support the budget," said Edwards. Some councillors wanted the $2-million amount for a landfill site reduced while some wanted it used for roads. Oshawa mayor Allan Pilkey suggested the decrease because he felt the tax increase was too high. «You build reserves at a time you can get an acceptable mill rate. But you don't tax simply to build reserves," said Pilkey, whose motion to reduce the $2- million reserve was defeated. Newcastle mayor Marie Hub- bard and Newcastle councillor Diane Hamre also attempted to have the money used for roads, not just left in a bank as part of a reserve fund. "Our taxpayers are saying roads are a mess and they want them repaired," said Hamre, who was also defeated in her attempt. Council voted 24-7 to approve the increase. One of those voting against was Whitby councillor Joe Drumm who said he did not wlecome the 19 per cent in- crease. "It's un-Christian to Ro and SEE PAGE 3 Stabbing at Whitby home A Whitby man was taken to Oshawa General Hospital with stab wounds to his chest, back and hand after he struggled with an intruder in his Harrison Crt. home early Saturday morning. Durham Regional Police say Richard Cowper was awakened in his home at approximately 3:55 a.m. by an intruder. When Market value ass essment rejected By Mike Johnston Whitby councillors are split on their view of market value assessment, but the make-up of council means a further study on an updated assessment for Whitby won't take place. Council voted 4-4 on the study. The tie vote defeated the motion by west ward councillor Joe Bugelli to ask the Ministry of Revenue for a detailed impact study of the new assessment in Whitby. Mayor Bob Attersley, Bugelli and councillors Ross Batten and Dennis Fox favored the study while councillors Lynda Buffett, Marcel Brunelle, Joe Drumm and Tom Edwards opposed the study. "I'm disappointed. A terrible mistake was made tonight," said Bugelli after the meeting. It was Bugelli who brought the subject to council's attention in April when he asked for a review by the ministry. Council voted 7-1 in favor of that motion, with only Buffett in opposition. The regional assessment department then looked at 2,200 random homes in the area and reported to a confidential meet- ing of council three weeks ago. According to Buffett, some older properties in town would see taxes increase 10 per cent to 100 per cent while she also said three homes she looked at built between 1984 and 1987 would see tax decreases of 0.1 per cent, 2.4 per cent and three per cent. SEE PAGE 14 he confronted the intruder, a struggle ensued with Cowper receving several stab wounds. Cowper's wife Nancy, seeing the struggle, struck the intruder on the head with a brass orna- ment and managed to escape to a neighbor's house where she phoned the olice. Neither she nor her 2-year-old daughter were hurt. When police arrived, they found a man on the lawn of the residence. They also seized a knife. Police said the man had entered the house through a ground floor window. Roger Cowper is recovering in Oshawa hospital after surgery for his stab wounds. Charged with attempted mur- der, breaking and entering, pos- session of a dangerous weapon and aggravated assault is James Russell Tripp, 21, of Brock St. N. Public school tax increases 13.6% see page 2 Whitby swinmer wins 7 gold see page 23