council aSked to oppose icar. insurance bliH BASKIN RORBINS introduced the new 'Girl Guide Cookie' flavor of ice cream to help guides in thefr fundraising efforts, and Jennifer Martel, a ment- ber of the Sparks chapter of Whitby guides, wiellingly tested the newest ice cream treat. Peter Tomblin-Fre. Prom photo B Mk Rowali The Tw of Whitby is being asked te oppose the Ontario governxnent's proposed no-fault auto insurance scheme. By. a 2-1 vote, Town council'e operations committee recommen- ded Monday that the municipa- lity officiaily oppoete govern- mèets controversial plan. Bill 68, the Ontario Motoniet Protection Plan,.is slâted te corne before the provincial legislature later this month. It has drawn the wrath of many groupe who daim its stated aim of reducing exorbitant auto insurance pre- miums will actually benefit the, insurance industi by severely" restnicting the rights of accident victime te sue. The committee's recommenda- tion yending approva from, Ior Lynda Buffett. Apreviusmtion ,bj Buffett which alle:dontevem t te exempt mumicipalities fromi thé bill was defeatedt by the' committee on. a tie vote last month. When she attempted te bring her oriai motion before coun- cil, Bueett- could not find the necessary two-thirds vote requred teintroduoe it. P.ior to debate on Buffett's motion, the committee heard from two speakers with vastly different opinions about the bill. Durham Centre MPP Allan Furlong defended hie govern- ment's - lem*8lation as the best Method of stopping soaring i- surance premiums.. Whitby resident and litigation lawyer James Flaherty argued that it was being' donie at the expense o innocent accident vic- tirns8. Both men were invited te sqe-- ciflcally discues how the legia-- tion would affect the municipa- lity but the meeting often drifted, into a political and philosophical debate about the overaîl merits of the bill. (Under Bill 68 public cor- porations are responsible for pay- mng the full benefits of their employees who are injured i motor vehicle accidents. Costa te, the public body can no longer be recovered from a third party such as workers' compensation or group insurance.) Furlong told the comniittee it was difficuit te, determine the bill's impact on municipalities. "Your reduction in auto in- SEE PAGE 8 Dorothy McPherson, quilt wins grand With the «Boston Gommons' she tiret displayed at the Brooklin Fair, Dorothy Mdehrsn of Whitby recently won the grandchar=pionhip or the Canada Packers ui omeiin Mchrson an er mnaster work were honoe ttercn annual convention of the, Ontario Association of Agricutural Societies, scene of the l2th annual provincial championship of the qult c ptition Mftr the BrooklnPair, McPhereon's quilIt went on town the district 4 competition where best of show quilts from 14 faire were entered. The winning quilt is purchased by Canada Packers and added to its corporate quilt collection, available free on a pre-bookingbasis. The competition annually attracts about 5,000, entries at more than 225 faire. Work delay not expected to increase rec centre coet' By Mike Kowaleki Although construction etarted a few monthe later than forecast, the coet of Whitby's new recrea- tion complex is not expected te increase. Panks and recreation directer Larry Morrow says that even with the delay, builders of the Roasland Road facility are stili working within the original $1.5-million budget. "Production of the (design) drawinge took longer than anti- cipated,» eaid Morrow, "but I have no problem with that, y ou muet have proper plans before you can start building." Morrow said construction had been forecast to begin last Novembor but with the delay,, work was llmited te the parking area. FulI-scale construction did not get underway until mid-Febru- Weloet 2 D/2 nonthe and that will delay the opening date," said Morrow. "We were saying the epring of 1991 but now we're lookig at the latter part of, spring, or eanrly summer.» Morrow said that even with the additional heating costs in- volved i winter construction, Town oflicials felt it would be more economical te begin work last November rather than wait- inutlspring. t even with the delay, Mon- row is optimnistic costs wll flot nise. "There seeme te be a little more competition in the con- struction mndustiy than i the past couple years. This should e1 te tendening rocese.» Morrow said tgat with an apparent slowdown in new con- struction starts locaIll builders may submit lowen bid1 for ten- dered work. He explamned that every aspect Of construction is being tendered separately, rather than lumpig several together and awarding te only a few firme..t About 50 différent projecte connected with building t he com- plex will be tendered. The recreation centre is being SER PAGE 8 comit iN .p[trO LAN DOMYMPesno Wih eevsh prz Crm ura Sewrt ubiereaios aia ger or Cinad Pacerf Chambaer' 'Student of the Year' See page 32 'Peak' bus service likely to be redueed SSe page 15