Page 6, Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, August 3, 1994 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whltby residents for Whitby residents! MEMBER 0F: - ONTARIO C f CANADIAN E~1 COMMUNITY fdrnA COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER * NANEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION L;rm U CANADIAN CIRCULATIONS CNA DIVISION AUDIT BOARD ISSN#0844-398X 26,500 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontarlo Ic. Box 206, 131 Brook St. N., Whitby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-611il Out of town: 1-800-668-0322 .Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Pubisher Maurice Pither - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20%/ #W_ recycîed content using vegetable based inks.%1 0 Ail written material, illustrations and advertising contained herein is protecteci by coepynght. Any reproduction by any means for commercial purposes without the express permission af the newspaper is prohibited and is a violation oft Canadian copyright aw. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution should bear a credit line ta te ~v itby Free Press. mko the edritor.. More bad news, Aie To the edîtor: I read Durham ridingd MP Alex Shepherd's interview with the Whitby Free Press (July 27 edition) and instinctively telt that the honeymnoon with our newly elected MP is over as new we're being Iectured wto expect less.w Let me outline un accouniting terms (your profession) a number of significant reductions in the balance sheet assets and increases in liabilities et Canadian taxpayers (in the seniors' categery) that have recentîy occurred due to tax increases imposed in the February 1994 federal budget. The litetime capital gains tax is being eîiminated. Sure, capital gains that have accrued up te budget day wiII be exempt. However, those whe report their accrued capital gains may suddenîy tind that they will have te reimburse the governiment for the old age security payments they have been receiving. In addition, the govemrment is reducing the aid age tax credit which will significantly increase the tax burden et Canada's 3.4 million seniors. We seniors thought we had an aId age security asset that would pay us about $400 per month. Our empleyees toek this into accounit when they established aur pension plan. Now it is being eliminated for many et Canada's seniors. There are a great number et seniors in your riding, Alex, who enjoy spending their winters in the SeUK h.Ater a litetime et working and pyn taxes, they certainly earnedthis.trip. They now ind, however, that the value et their Canadian dollars purchases significantly tewer U.S. dollars (almest 10 per cent less). In addition, due ta provincial and tederal cost restraînt pregrams, they must now pay significant premiums te purchase health coverage for their trip. Her's how I see the balance sheet for Canada's seniors: Assets have been reduced by Iess et old age pension; by weak toreign exchange value ot Canadian dollar; by increased taxes fer items isted below; by increased costs for insurance. Liabilities have irî more taxes are payai: et the cancellation of tax credit; more taxes te elimination et c, exemption; more taxe et the eliminatian oetht pension income ta a sr privilege. Seniers tradition, heavily in Canadian bonds as part et thEi income planning. If continue ta be erodec above, the governmei signticant market,c the bond sale problen the international comr et confidence in th dollar. This is the bottemn seniors' viewpolnt,J keep it in focus whei reconvenes and begir lesse deliberations. Senlo 'rulir ail ovi To the edîtor: While in a drugstoi was standing behind the checkout line w citizen stepped in tror' I said 'Excuse me,' line, and she said she lady in front et mé. What I didn't knom had a can et hairspra) and she proceeded tc really needed the iten or I would have Ieft thi on the counter. The cashier didn'tb say te me. I am realîy getting et these senior sitizE ever. I hate te go sh, they're eut in full force Next time they go wish they'd stop anc are other people ai th emselves. Ji To th e Sr., Discussion paper 'deficient' To the odîtor: Having had the oppertunity te x? review the discussion paper issued by the Durham Region Acute Care Study on the future of hespital travel cost services in Durham Region, and rcreased as forum sponsored b V htby ile as a resuft counicil, 1 wouîd like to effer the fthe eld age foîîowing. s payable due The discussion p> er is apitl ginsseriousîy deticient. It offers ne -ai a .aiestsubstan tive evidence in support et De tasf ret the preterred solution, and ne peas RSP insight into the censideratien et pousa RRSP options that should have preceded ially invest the adoption et a f inal government recommended solution. Dir retirement The discussion paper taîks et their assets addressing four objectives in the I as indicated conduct et the study, namely, rt may lese a quality et care, accessibility, cempeuniding equity, and cost effectiveness. ns related te Nowhere in the paper s t muCnilack solution meets those ob:jectives. ie CaadianIndeedl, it couîd be concluded Uine tram the that the absence of this data Alex. Please means that nene et the ebjectives n Parliament wilI be met if the proposed solution ns ts exectisimplemented. ~s is exect On the subject et the public Art Murcott forum, a number et conclusions Ashburn can be drawn tram the information presented. It is abundantly clear that the people et Whitby oppose rs the proposed ceurse of action.th representat ives et rganizations i g such as the Royal Canadian Legion, the Hospital Auxiliary and the Knights et Columbus should re r make it perfectly clear where the people stana. Should anyone harbeur any doubt en this peint, -they shouîd re recently, I simply reter te the more than 1a woman in 15,000 signatures obtained by the hen a senior Save the Hospital Committee nt et me. volunteers. that: I was in Throughout this debate, I have was with the been particularly disappointed by our elected representatives at ail w is that shne levels. Notwithstanding the tact y.un her hand that Town counicil is on record that ) check eut.- I acute care services sheuld be is in my hand maintained, I would be far more em right then im pesed if the counicil members, col lectively and individually, were knew what te more pubîicly in the vanguard et this fight. sick and tired As far as local MPP Drummond :ens ruîing ail White is cencerned, Rt would be iopping when more reassuring if he were te ýe. emulate his colleagues tramn o shopping, I Trenton and St. Catharines. In id think there those instances, Messrs. O'Neill round except and Bradley were, leaders in the tight to preserve hospital services anice Brown in their respective communities. Whltby The positions et the Whitby General Hospital board et directers conicern me greatly. By accepting the rehabilitation role and arguing for a minimum presence in the acute care service tfield, I fear that they give credence te a very bad recommendation, foundatian for disappearance et Hlospital. and Iay the the eventual Whitby General N. E. Mealng Whitby To the édîtor: Like Town councillor John Daîstra, I was appalled and outraged that Elizabeth Barten, administrator of Whitby General Haspital, has req uested the assistance et the public works directer ta remove the 'H' hospital signs. The emergency department has buen closed for months tram 10 p.m. ta 8 a.m. and suddenly this has become an urgency. If these signs are remeved, how will anyene know that the emergency department is open for the rest et the day? This is yet another in a series et actions taken by this administration ta thwart the efforts et the community ta save aur hospital. ht is abviaus that they are more cencerned about their ewn wefare rather than the weltare et the cemmunity they serve. Then there is Marc Kealey, on record as saying that the hespital is incapable et taking care et coronary patients. Vet we have a tunctioning coronary care unit. He also states that remnovai et the 'H' signs' s the law, and the resuli et a direct erder received frem the Ministry et Heafth. The Ministry et Health does net make Iaws. Or is this according ta the teaching et the Gospel et St. Marc? Dees the board really need his services as its spekespersan? I am also disappointed with the attitude et the board et governors who have accepted the change ot the hospital te a rehabilitation centre provided certain assurances are given by the Ministry et Health. Is the board se naïve as te believe in any such assurances? h seems that the board and administratierj are atraid et a minister who, âs the poils indicate, taglether with the rest et her ce e ues, will bu blasted inte eblivion at the next election. They are aIso running scared et a ministry which sees menit in sacrificing lives for dollars. With t he typical heroism et the ministry, the sacrifice has ta bu made by the citizens et Whitby. M. R. Rayman Chiet of Surgery Whîtby GeneraI Hospital Fi refighters are, not sol iciting To the edîtor: R has ceme te our attention that one or mare businesses in Whitby may have been solicited for advertIsing in a "Whitby' Fire Fighters Yearbook.0 Our association is net soliciting for any cause at this time, and any suggestion te the contrary is untrue. Hf anyone in the Town is contacted, we wouîd suggest that the simply ignare the canvasser and please report the occurrence te the undersigned. Dave Chalmers, PrésIdent Whîtby Protesslonal Fîre Fighters' Association The Whitby Free Press weîcomes letters to the editor an any subject af conoem ta our readers. Letters shouîd be brief and to the point - rarely more than 300 words. Ail letters must be accoempanied by the naine, address and telephone number et the writer. However, on request, your narne may be withheld tram publication if we agree there is a valîi reason. The newspaper reserves the right to reject or edit ail letters. Send ta: The, Editor, Whitby Free Press, Box 206, Whitby, Ont. Li N 5S1, or drap through aur mail slot at 131 Brock St. N. Why remove signs?