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PAGE 4, WHITY FME MMS, WEbJNESDAY, DEMBER 19,1990 Com muters,;rip GO bus ervi.,ce By Mike Kowalski Ontaryio's NDP, governmemit was biuntiy told iast week what it cO Id do wfth its, new, comi- muter bus service.I The oniy piobiem is that ný NOW OPEN'SATURDAYS FOR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING.. ~Excellent Selection of~ CHRISTMAS CRAFTS & GIFTS 20% oof f ALMERCHANDISE Ctosed December 25th to January 6h 151H pisS.snt3 Vîb Op en:mn-a.9m5m e e. - evein s apie nt n SPACE -AG.E .SHELVING SPACEPLUS 2- BASKET SYSTEM AVAILABLE AT A SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE 0F 0O THRU' JAN. 31STA MOr white Initial qunttls as Size 18112" X 191d'" X 41" 5 pull out bas 'kets Bulit-in stopà's Rouler track with nylon roi Cut away basket front High quality finish mmm - mmm - mmm VALU, I I'VAN T I Acoessories & Insi I I I I I I * VAN INTEF "j ~--167êe1Mc 1mmmmmmmmmmmm~u. one from the government heard themessage. About 60 people, attended a meeting inAi4 burnast Wednes- day to voice their disapprovai of an ail-day connecting bus service to, eisting GO train limes plan- ne4forFebur.. Themeeting waas pon sored by the, lrnt-ee rbrough-Have- lock Line Passenger Association, a 1obby group üIghting for GO trai service through northern Durham Region to Peterborough. Speaker after speaker panned the government's decision, noting that bus service has faiied twice before. They demanded to kinow why the former VIA Ral route is not receiving train service and accused the government of hav- ing a "secret agenda» for the line, eventualiy using it to haul gar- bage from Metro Toronto. But no government officiais were on hand ta provide answers or refute the aliegations. Seven area New Democrat MPPs, inciuding Drummond White (Durhamx Centre) and Gord Milis (Durham East), were inviTedas was a representative ofTasportation Minister Ed Philip. But 'according te association preaident Paul Pagnuelo, some' had previous commitmiemts, while others faiied te confirm or deny they wouid attend. Hlowever, the commuters did hear Liberai transportation critic Remo Mancini promise te raise their concerne in the legislatùre. The meeting was held in res- ponse te the announcement that ail-day bus service will be estabi- ished te serve severai communi- ties, including Peterborough, Port Perry, Oshawa and Toronte. The government viii megotiate with trivate bus carriers te pro- videt e service and is hopeful it Wii be in place by February. But the decision reflects a «sig- mificant lack of understanding» by the governmnent of the "com- mutershed» northeast -of Toronte, said Pagnuelo. By Mike Kowalski Durhaim East MPP Gord Mills dlaims he was unfairiy criticized for mot attending a pblic forum in hiesridingilastwýeelc. Mille saya Liberai MPP Remo Mancini was «piaying politica" forsetating in the legisiature that he and six other, NDP members failed te attend the meeting in Ashburn.- The seven area NDP MPPs were invited te the meeting te, discuse the government's pro- posed ail-day bus service. (See se aratotof). reiu mitments, none of the NDP members were able te partici- pst. Accordimg te Mille, he initially qUÃ"RS - * RUNNING BO .ARDS* BUG SHIELDS- *TRUCK CAPS* BOX LINERS don.-Thurs.9-6, Fr1..9-99 Sat. 10-3 MQE T-.,OHlA-WA -579-6888-. He said ý.Philip had «falien into the trap» Ã"f basing a decision on Peterborough service strictiy on demand ini that city atone. 1 «'What has been missed are the transportation probiems ,aad needà of commutersalaong the whole, corridor. northeast out of Toronto,» said Pagnuelo. Even with problema of late trains fare increases and equip- ment hzreakdown, Pagnuelo said the former VIA route eUhl attrac- ted aimost 170 daily passengers. A feasibility study into private service conducted hy the assoca- tion after VIA was canceiied iast January, found tijat «reliable' service wiii have an immediate ridership of 449 daiiy, Pagnuelo added. He cited figures from a 1986 study which indicated that 600 commuters from: Peterborough County -drive into Metro daily and more than 2,800 from Vic- toria County and morthern Dur- ham do the sanie. A Peterborough GO' train wouid mot oniy serve this group, but a projected' 12 000 com- mutera from Mlarklam, the future commumity of Seaton, Agincourt,' Leaside and Don Mlssaid Pagnuelo. MAI this has- been forgotten about by the minister,» hie said. Pagnuelo also disputed figures used te justifr the' coat of buses over trains. - (Accrdimg te the ministry, rail- service betweem Peterborough and Toronto would have an amnual cost of $8,000 te $14.,000 per rider. (The cost of a comprehensive bus system, serving more people over a broader ares, is one- quarter that of a single GO train, $500,000 per year versus $2.2 -$3.6 million, dlaims the minis- tiy.)-e. This compares te the former iàberal 'govei-nmemt's projection of a net operating ioss of-$2.5 million amdrthe still-borm private servicels total operating costs of $1.2-$1.6 million or net operating «prorit" of $300,000 te $700, 009 agreed te attend, and informed meeting organizers of his inten- tions. However, the' day before Wed- mesday's meeting, the govern- ment consented te a Liberai request te extend- the legisia- ture~s hours te midnight every day until Dec. 20 teailow debate of specific bille, explined Mills. Scheduied for Hlouse duty the ight of the meeting, Mille asked the NDP whipsç office for permis- sion te misa the sitting'lbut was denied. «I made an initiai, commitmemt te be there. I tried te get others te come but they coulc-'t make it, se I decided 1Iwould be there regrdess,"P said Mills. "Idon't mimd flack and con- béfore including advertisingÊ'nd' sponsorship revenues.aidPg mfuelo. 1 %VIA, «despite ail its inefficien- cies and"flaws," and whlch ran seven days a w;eek and air addi- tionai 39 km. te H[aveiock, recor- ded total operating costs of $1.4 million in 1988, said Pagnuelo. TIhis transiated inte a 'net operatingr losea<of $850,000, ,of whM,000 was used: to maintain «antiquated,' broken- dowm stock,» ,said Pagnuelo. «Something is -obviousi screwy with the nmnbers " he added:- Pagnuelo' sai4 government figures aise exciude subeidy costs for transportimg passengers the second leg of the trip by rail. Discussions, with a ministry officiai, faiied te provide informa- tion as te the frequency of bus 'runs and routes te be travelled, said Pagnuelo. He said the officiai had no answer when asked how costs. couid be determimed with&iut such pertinent data. "I canWt believe the, demand existe or else. the bus compamies wouid be doing it mow." Pagmuelo said two attempta at repiacmng VIA service with b uses «failed, miserabiy» in the past and predicted the saine fate for. this lateit endeavour. «It's appaiiing that the NDP are' now going te squander $500,000 ... for a venture which is' moat certainIZr doomed te neoam. aiethe possi- bility that the Peterborough lime may neyer again transport com- muter.. When association officiais dis- cussed acquiring the track for the proposed- .pnivate service, Canadian Pacific officiais «weren7t too keen on open ing 'the" line te commuter traffic again,» said Pgnelo Hewred te audience not t be «fooled" by Metroi'pt1duOS' osâ send its -garbage.,te irkland Lake.11 "CDo their (province) plans or: SEE PAGE 13 frontation. I wanted te be there but I couidnt be oxcused, my presence in the House was needed. The. mext day Mancini, who attemded the* meeting, made a point of raiing the matter in the legisiature. T'Seven out of seven NDP mem- bers who represent- the, re on did mot go te the public meetig,' Mancini is quotedlby Hansard as' statimg. «The people who were'at the meeting teid me te brimg the fioilowig message te the legisia- ture, ana on their behaif I quote. They said they wiii have a long memoiy of iast night's meeting, said Mancini. «Iwas -very cross whem, my nmre was .read out,» Mills teld The Free Press. He said NDP whip Shirley Coppen immediateiy informed the legisiature that ail seven were neéeded for House duty iast Wednesday. «I take exception te him (Man- cini) making political waves. To saty I was mot comcerned is a distertion of the truth." Inepnse te Macmso- menta ,eMille and fiveotheramem- bers iseued a press release on the gvnient'eprpoedbus ser- vic 5n futretanportation needs of the area. According te the release, the NDP members wiii be meeting with local municipal leaders next year te discus commun con- cerne. Th;e)MPPs «will work witk area reeves and mayors te- deve- ,bp ,ideas. and ' goals te better serve the, regicàmwith public. transportation," ,the' release MEE PAGE 13 Milis lires«back-at critilcs JP~td mmm m mmm m m - m m I I I I I I I I - 41 I 80 THICKSON RD. S. WHITBY a 430-1636 1