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Page 24, Whltby Free Press, Wednesday, May 11, 1994 Slight icrease lu school tax PROM PAGE 1 Cain aise pointed out that for the firet time in several years, the. board's assesement base le smailer. H. cited three, reasons for the. decline: Generai Motors' success- fui appeai to reduce its annual tax bibi the recession, and hav- ing to s lare business and indus- triai asseesment with the The Lipizzvn'r Staliions artliorses of njobîtiý - difln itah L ressiffli Of al artfbri wiihdates lback tb the l6th centr ry. Tilse ,niasnificeeîîfstallijons perforin acrobatie înan'iwers thaf no of ler brvecd of hiorse eau equai. Anti noui, fiîeiy are, lien' for ail fo allin'eîah'. Don't miîss ibis rare chance fo.secthon per forai, 1 .icludiingfinir AIRS ABOVE THE GROUNU T-' Ptiilbae il[ttr ail, lcl ;inn ft îin' fo)r flic, iasf 400) iean' separat e chool board. «Overaîl we lest haîf a per cent in the assesment base,» s3aid Cairx. For Whitby trustee and Loard chair Patti Bownian, the '«bottom line» le that the board muet make do with $20 million lese from the Ontario government. Provincial assistance will drop to $129.6 million in 1994 from $149 million in 1993, Bowman The WONI ROY/ STAI "A PECA EQU EST RI Tomoi IDERFUL WORLD of HORSES' \L LIPIZZANER LLION SHOW' kL ANNIVERWAY FOulON 0F IHE : AN IREAI 0F IHE CEN VJRY" Iw.Row!* a7:30 Pm [C Aoe)rroRmui Oshawa, Ont. Tickets are available at the: Auditorium Box Office &. A TICKETMASTER oudtes or Charge By Phone:: (416) 870-8000: SUBJECT TO SERVICE CHARGES.a Adults $ 13.50: Chidren $ i .5o . Limited VIP Seats Available (No Discounts on VII», ~~ GOOD SEAS' AT THE DOOR! said. As a resuit, local taxpayers muet pay more andthe board spend leas, eh e noted. A total of 132 positions, includ- ing 90 leacherb and 1Wie trustées, have been chopped from the board'M payroll. The social contract accounts for the. reduction in teaching jobs and wiii resuit in a five per cent increase in the ptkpil-teacher ratio. However, next. September's student enrolment will deter- mine the exact number of teach- ing positions to be cut. The board projects a two per cent annual increase in the num- ber of students over thie next five years. The board currently has 5,193 employees (both teachers and other staff) and a student enrol- ment of more than 58,000. In addition to the staff reduc- tions, trustees have also made more than $600,000 ini programi cuts or revisions. Included in this figure is the controversial proposal to impie- ment full-day, every-other-day kindergarten programs in the. fail. The measure ilexpetedto save the board $259,500 in trans- portation costs fromn September to Deoember. Other significant reductions include the deletion of 40 por- tables for a savings of $1.4 mil- lion. Proposais for a $1.4-million general purpose room at Scott Central Public Schooi in Uxbridge and a $110,000 1 eva- tor a t Brock HighSc ho1/have been put on the. board'Fs et for funding from the joint féderal- provincial-municipal infrastruc- tùre %program., Altliough the board tradi- tionally bringe in a higher tai increase than local municipali- ties and Durham Région council, Bowman denied that trustees feit any pressure to follow the lead df their council colleagues this year. (During the past two years, Most local councils have either frozen or reduced taxes. Last year, the board had a 4.65 per cent increase and as recently as 1990, trustees hiked taxes more thair 14 per cent.) "When we come to you with a on. per cent increase, it's because w. can't do any beýtter,» said Bowman. "The pressure's on us, but it'e not fromn municipal or regionai governmnt, but ratepayers," se said. Since this year's budget, and those over the neît 15 years, ailocates money for a new high achool and administration office in Whitby, Bowman was foroed to defend the board's decision to build the joint project in a reces- sion. The $24-million education centre and $22-miilion Sinclair Seondar Schooi on Taunton Roa wilopen in September. Bowman noted that another high school was needed in Witby regardiess, go trustees o pted te reduce costa by building t he two facilities together. At «$94 per square foot"r cont struction coste were «ex.tremel; low," se.said. ii. board now pays almost $600,000 annually in rentai fees to house its staff in varlous locations in Durham Region, BoWman skid. "Do you continue to - ?ent 4 house, when for roughly the saine money you can buy a house.? she asked. The project created 780 person years of employment and 75 per cent of the work went to local contractors, Bowman said. "If you can create jobs and save money I think xt's an excel- lent idea.» seeaid. ..Ch*ge Wd ......l.e.. .. A z52-year-old Whitby man was charge Sunday morning in con- nection with a theft of hambur- ger patties from Oshawa General Hospital. A supervisor at the hospital toid policehle noticed a man acting suspiciously in the kit- chen. The. supervisor followed the man out to the parking lot and confronted hlm. The. man was found to have a gackage containing 10 pounde of ambugerpatties, worth about A Muir Crescent man has been charged with theft under $1000o. SCon cern over proposed rehab rote FROM PAGE 1 In 1991, Branch 112 donated $50,000 to tue hospita1 and recently gave another $316000 as part ofan additionai Ï74,000 commitment, Hiliyard said. While he in no way ciaimed that an.y mon.y was ever given under fais. pretenses, Hillyard conceded that the possible hospi- tai restructuring has caus.d dis- gruntiement. "We're more and more ques- tioning the reasons why we're doing these thinge,» h. said. "We're hoping we have an opportunity to voice our opinon." LclKiwanis club members are aise, seeking clarification about the hospital s future robe. The club paid off its $50,000 piedg. in two y.ars, much sooner than expect.d, not.d past-pre- sident and now secetary Don Motum. "It'e been a bit depr.ssing for the (Whitby) boys,» said Motum. "The feeling is that it's not what we put our work into,» h. said. Motum added that club mem- bers had discussed funding a special chidren's room in the. hos pitai, but that has been put off for now. "We gave $45,000 to the. Town for playground equipment at Heydenshore Pavilion. Some of tue guys are saeng that penhaps we sh ubd have given thie $50 000 to them as weli," he saici. While the hospitai's future role je still to b. determined, the Rotary Club of Whitby le wiiling to listen to any overtures for additional funding. The club donated more than $80,000 in recent years for dif- ferent programe, said president Barrie Lennox, but heid back until speculation could be confir- nied or denied. "Now that the future direction of the hospital has been resoived somewhat, we're quite approach- able," he said. FUNDRAISING CONTINUE S Despte the. study proposais, Wh itbSy G e ner.- officiais are con- tînuing with their fundraisingg efforts. More than $5 million bas been 1rais.d locally for the. expansion and the Ontario goernment le standing by its $2Million com- mitmeni;. The current hospital n.wsiet- ter liste 10 «priority needs» rang- ing from 97 new bede at $5,000 each to a $165,000 ultrasound unit. But as Marc Keaiey, vice-pre- sident of community relations and development, points out, the hospitai's statue has no bearing on its requirements. «W. need -new bede, whether it's a chronic care hospital, acute care or rehabilitation,» sajd Kea- ley. "Most of the equipment needs aIl deal with portable equipment that can b. used in acute care or rehabilitation » he added. However, I4aley stressed that Whitby residents muet under- stand that the study recommen- dations.are just that -- recom- mendations -- at this time. «I want it made clear that it's business as ~jsua1 until we g et. the. propr approvals from the propçr channels,» he said. "This is a long-term proces which I expect could take two, three years. Until such timne as it happens, we won't bury our heads in the sand." Meanwhile, the hospital must respond to the study, said Kealey and he encouraged Whitby resi- dents to do likewise.' "We think as a hospitai, this is a good thing, a resp onsible thing, that will put Whitby on the map," hie added. Although Whitby General's medical staff is "basically un- happ" with the proposai, local physicians wîll co-operate to ensure their patients' future heaith care needs are addressed, said Dr. Anthony D'Angelo. "But I think it shouid b. made clear to the town that the doctors didn't do it, it was the health council,» said D'Angelo, chief of medicine and head of the emer- gency department. Doctors met with board chair Ed Buffett last week and further sessions of the hospital's mi-dical advisory committee are pàanned, D'Angelo said. -we co-operate with tue L1. coverage flor our patients,- lhe scid. Cathy Crouch, former pre- sident of the Whitby General Hospital Auxiiiary, expressed disappointnient with the pro- pos.d changes. "I'd 1k. to see it remain as a general hospitai in the true con- text of the. word, which was Dr. Ruddy's dream " said Crouch. (Until the. bat. 1980s, Whitby Generai was known as Dr. J.O. Ruddy Hospitalinii honour of one of its founders. The namne was changed to give it more identity with the comniunity.) "That's uppermost in most people's minds. We need it, the comuniy'sgrowing by leape and ouns,»said Crouch, auxibi- ary president from 1982-84.. Current auxiiiary president Cory Fournier stressed that wha- tever transpires, there wili aiways b. a need for the auxili- ary and the. volunteer services its 200 members provide. "We've aiways been involved to ensure quality programs and we're aiways prepared to accept new challenges," se said. Liberal leader meets with staff of hospital Ontario Liberal leader and Opposition leader Lyn McLeod was scheduled to meet today (Wedn esday) with administ- ration and staff at Whitby Generai Hospital. According to a Liberai Party press release, McLeod was to "seek input" from hos pital staff on the current proposal totrans. form six hospitals in Durham Region, including the Whitby hospital, into rehabilitation centres. McLeod was to have a private lunch at noon and then hold an open forum on the second floor of the hospital to discuss health i'.< ssiws wwth staff, according i Ion't cook for tte Gar,#/ Let t& doit for you1 * D; ~$ PlktpontyI I ~ GST &PST included9 i15 "x21'l 20 Suice, 3topings OM I ENJOY A 'Szmpfiony i < /i ite"'WITH THE "WORLD FAMO1J LIPIZZANER STALLIONS"Tm - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -