PÀÃ"Eö, W[ITBY ?REEIPRESS, WEDNESDAYlBRUARY1*'1999 VOICE OF THE COUNTY TOWN The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. lu Iblished every Wednesday By 677209 Ontario Inc. Phone: 668-6111 668-6112 668-6369 e mp Maurice Pifher Editor Peter Irvine Advertising Manager Alexandra Simoni Production Manager 2nd Class Postal Registration #05351 The commuters who daily used the Peterborough-Havelock to Toronto train aren't giving up just because the Mulroney government has axedVia Rail. They are sèriously looking at privatization. Good for theml Many of them live in Durham Region and used the Myrtle Station in north Whitby in their daily trips to Toronto and back. The Peterborough-Havelock Une Passenger Association is trying to persuade Bombardier Inc. to take over and run this line, as well as four others which served commuters into Toronto, for profit. The association is undertaking a $30,0000 feasibility study to determine costs and potential revenue. To their credit, Durham Region has agreed to contribute $3,000. Considering that GO Transit turned the line down, this, may be no more than a pipe.dream, but nevertheless, a private operator may have a number of advantages that the govertnment didn't. For starters, a private operation would promote itself. And lack of promotion was Via's biggest fallure. Successful Keeping the trains alive rail operations have to run at or near capacity and to do that, people have to know i's there., We suspect that only a tiny fraction of people f rom Toronto who have contemplated a move out to the"boonies" have been aware that the Peterborough Une ever existed. A private operator would make dam sure that they did. We can see the proposed Canadian Commuter Rail Company negotiating agreements with land developers to provide new home buyers along the line free commuter pas- ses for a year in order to promote their new homes as well as fill the seats on the train. A private operation would not be subject to the same de- gree of regulation as Via was either. The bus companles would not be in aposition to interfere with there prtice structures as they did with Via. Commuter rail plays a vital role in the future of the Toronto-centred region. It is far more relaxing, energy-efficient, and less polluting than the automobile. These are all issues that will have an increasing importance as the nineties progress. When GO transit was started as an experiment in the late sixties, it caught on much faster than expected. People showed that, given the option, they would leave their cars at home. Over the years, it has been expanded beyond its originators wildest dreams. And every time it expands, the trains are full from the first day of operation. With that backdrop, It seems incredible that Via Rail could not fill its trains too. We are not sure why GO turned down the opportunity to operate the Peterborough-Havelock line and the others but it may have bee pthat its current passenger load has it stretched to ca acity already. Like Via, GO Is also a government entetprise and as such is subject to a different set of priorities thân a private corporation. We hope that the proposed study will prove the project's viability and failing that, perhaps GO will reconsider its posi- tion. ---------------- -------------------- ---------- --------------- ---------------- ------------- ------------------- ----- --------------- Professional daycare should not be botto mline decision To the editor. I am writing this letter out of sheer frustration with hopes this will allow me to vent spme of my feelings ·regarding daycare and perhaps see if others have similar feelings. Food banks not a seasonal concern To the editor: Daily Bread Food Bank officials said 1989 was the best year ever for donations of non-perishable food. That's great news, since it is estimated that one in seven children in the Toronto region belongs to a food bank family, that is, a family which relies on a food program at least three times a year. The Toronto Home Builder? Association held its first-ever food drive in support of the Daily Bread Food Bank and I am delighted to report that many of our 885 member companies -- from Burlington to Oshawa to Barrie -- participated and, in the spirit of sharing, collected 4,324 pounds of food. A number of people visiting new home sales offices between Nov. 20 and Dec. 20 also donated food. Sincere thanks to everyone. We must all remember, however, that hunger did not end with the hoilday season and that the food collected by food banks will soon be depleted. With our campaign, Where Will Your Children Live? our association tries to build an awareness of the need to create more affordable homeownership opportunities. There are also thousanas of hungry children in our midst. Please, remember them throughout the year, not only during restive occasions. Chris Mullin President Toronto Hoint Builders' Association Publicity most appreciated To tho editor On behalf of the Whitby Iroquois Soccer Club, I would like to thank you for your support in publicizing our soccer score results and special events we have had over the past year. We appreciate the publicity you have given us and our sponsors and we hope this will continue in the future. Many thanks . from the executive of the Whitby Iroquois Soccer Club. Yours in Soccer, Sam Coppoino Publicity Director I am a mother of three children (age 5 and under) who worked full time as a registered nurse until appriximately four months ago. Finding proper in-home daycare had always been difficult for us but we were fortunate to find some very qualified people for several years u4til recently. Some bad experiences ' with babysitters led me td the decision to stay home with my children. This was, of course, the only alternative even though it left us with a reduced income. Providing daycare in my home seemed a viable way of supplementing this loss of income. After advertising my availability, I received several calls with the opening question of, 'How much do you charge?" Following many inviews with the so-called professinal parents, I found it didn't niatter if you provided a safe, clean, loving, smoke-free and stimulating environment for their chil4. The bottom line is dollars and cents. Today's þoiety appears to be auctioning their cldren off to the lowest bidder. Why is it these same parents can afford to dress their children in nothing but Osh Kosh clothes, buy extravagant Christmas presents, drive expensive new cars, own state-of-the-art stereo and computer euipment yet only afford to pay $ . for daycare? One wonderâ if the self-centered, superficial yuppies of teday are going to raise spoiled, self-oriened, obnoxious children as future adults of tomorrow. My next questibn is1 why is home daycare available at such a low cost? I realize government-subsidized programs are needed for many single parents and low income families. But, quality private home daycare is largely underpaid. Why are womeri sellint their services for $2/hr.? It's no wonder women are fighting for equal pay for equal work in the workforce against men, if we are viewed and view ourselves to be worth less than minimum wage. I believe children are our main reason for living and working. Parents should be looking for and providing the best quality home daycare available for them within their budget. One thing Ive learned over the years is that you get what you pay for in this world. The $2/hr. rate quite often ives you a roof over the childs' haa TV set and some food. Is that all our children deserve? How many go out daily for fresh air, exercise, do crafts and learn basic life skills from their babysitter, who, by the way, is with them approximately 50 hours a week in many cases? Think about it. Nancy Blain Whitby Doug Anderson Publisher 131 Brock Street North P.O. Bo* 206, Whitby, Ont. L1N 5S1 2 LETTERS The Whitby Free Press welcomes letters to tne Editor on any subject of concern to our readers. Letters should be brief and to the point - rarely more than 300 words. All letters must be accompanied by the name, address and phone number of the writer; however, on request, your name may be withheld from publication if we agree that there is a valid reason. The paper reserves the right to reject or edit al letters. Send to: The Editor, Whitby Free Press, Box 206, Whitby, Ontario LlN 5Si or drop through our mailslot at 131 Brock St. N. -7 M