Page 6. Whtby Fee Press, Wednesday. March 29, 1995 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents! MEMBER 0F: ONTARIO, COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION CNA DIVISION - CANADIAN C OMMUNITY NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION CANADIAN CIRCULATIONS AUDIT BOARD ISSN#0844-398X The Whitby Free Press is distributed free to 99% of the homes in Whitby, Brooklin, Ashburn & Myrtie as well as numerous public and commercial outlets In Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering & Port Perry. 2 7,000 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE Canada $34 + GSI *- Outside Canada $80 + GSI Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Imc. Box 206, 131 Brock St. N., Whitby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Out of town: 1-800-668-0322 Fax: 668-0594, Doug Anderson - Pubisher .Maurice Pif her - Editor-' Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20% recycîed content using vegetable based inks. c Ail written material, illustrations and advertising contained herein isprotected by copyright. Any reproduction by any means for commercial purposes without the express permission of the newspaper is prohibited and is a violation of Canadian copyright iaw. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution should bear a credif uine to the Whitby Free Press. Mo the edTtor... Other options To theedItor: . Rocetly Thé Fse Piesse reported on thé Wédnssday pragiam attsiéd at Sinclair Hgh School ("Expérimental dstsndéd, a Feb. 22). One statemént made by thé principal. Kay Egan, was, vsry illuminating. Shé saM: "ff a few parents or students can't resolvé théir problémrs with Sinclair's way et doing things, thsy havé thé option eftrtanstériing ta another school.7 This statémént is a demonstratian et an inhérent princPé that 15 bscoming incrsasirçgly acknowlsdgéd wthin thé éducathonai systém. Parents havé thé responslbility ta détermfiiné thé best type of schooî toithoir childién. This principlé is not néw. For years, parents in atérnaté school systénis havé been exsrcising this right, et théir own cost. One such arganization is thé Ontaria Alliance of Christian Schools. In ths OshawalWhitby arsa thé alliance is rspréssntéd by Immanuel Christian Schools, an intérdenominationai éleméntary school éstablished almost 35 yéars ago. The schoîl is based on thé intématonally récognizéd pnin- ciple of parents choosing éducation for théir childién in conformity wth théir béliéfs and Saving lives To the édIter: Ré: March 15 lttér ta Thé Fiee Press by Donald M. Warne Only those who pay for tire insurance shauld gét service tram thé tiré départmont? Sa if a famnily has not pald for insurance thén thé childien and thé neighbours should bu lott ta tend for themselves? Havé you given any thought ta what you are saying? Thé tire departmént does a lot more than savé buildings, it savés thé ives of thosé Inside as wéll. Unida Laffsy Whltby tamily values. This choicé. is not ths respansibility, or right of thé govment. - Thé parents af Immanuel Christian Schoî believe wé aught ta be very closely associatéd with thé éducation of oui children. We also beliéve it is ta thé benêt it of aur society for gomérment ta support thé type of close contact betwsén ho-me and schoal that occurs in -a. schoal such as Immanuél. With ail thé choicés that are béing oftéîed ta parents in the public éducation system, shauld theré not alsa bu support af chaicé based on faith? G. Whltney Whltby To thé édIter: May I1 urge as many Whitby and Oshawa résidents as passible ta attend thé hospital forum on Tuesday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m. at thé Whltby mnunicipal building. Thé overcrowding of Oshawa General Hospital (OGH) which will resuft tram clasure of Whitby Gênerail Hospital (WGH) as an acute cars facility will sériously affect the hospitai health cars available ta résidents of Oshawa as weil as Whitby. Wé must stand on aur t est and maké aur voices heard now ta stop the Ministry of Health tram, rubéer-stamýuping thé acute cars recommendatian which thé Durham District Héalth Council has aiready - rubbei-stampéd. Wé must stop thém now wo oui vaices may bu heard in aur pénding provincial élection. Let thosé concernéd about hospital héalth cars cansider these. tacts: 1. Thé récamméndation against WGH is shart-sighted: Whitby is grwng, young community with obvious loa acute cars hospitai noéds <s»e thé population statlstlcS contalned In thé acute sT th edior. Health care concerns To the edftar: I have béen a résident of Whitby for 22 yéars. When needed, my family and I have used. Whitby Gênerai Hospital. The NDP government is on the verge of closing our Whitby hospital as an acute cars faciîity and oui hospital board has gone along with this idea. The NDP government, haspital board and Durham Region District Health Cauncil have totalîy ignored thé wlshes of 31,000 signatures on a petition to keep this hospital operating as an acute cars faciîty and ta put oui emergency dspartment back on a 24-haur basis. Thése groups say résidents of Whitby do not use aur hospital. I would suggest that if, the government of the day had aîîowed oui haspital (buift by manies raised by Whitby résidents) ta have a maternity ward when Rt opened 25 years aigo, the -young tamilies movirq into Whitby wouîd be using these- facilities ta greater advantage. These same thîse graups of peaple say flot ta warry, the 68,000 résidents ot Whitby can use the Ajax-Pickering or Oshawa hospitals . Howeveî, wIien yau taîk ta people at these hospitals, they say that due tai the Iack. af governmsnt funding they have ta close down beds. It certainly makes me wonder,. with ail the clasures of hospital beds in Durham Regian, how are residents of Whitby going ta gt propsi health cars. When I reaI Drummand White's 'Dateline Durham March 1995 re: Whitby Hospital,' it made me laugh. «A $250,740, (less money than was spent by the health council on their health study) project will give people entering an emergency department the option of getting 1apprapriate community-based cars, rather than being' admitted ta hospital. This tises bsds for mare seriously iII patients." Weil, Mr. White, when I go ta an ermergsncy department I arn sick enough ta warrant a hospitai bed immediately and not be- thinking about a community-based facility. If you are only sickç enough for cammunity-bassd cars, you might as well stay at home and tend ta, your own illnsss. Cutting health cars costs in Durham Région means closing Whitby- General Hospital as an ercute care facility. Uf the heatth counicil had praduced facts and financial figures backing up their studios, conclusions, I cauld buy thoir theories, for hsalth cars in Durham, but now their'reports fail ta: back Up any, of their recomme ndations. Strsamline the health cars system, reduce costs, but not at thé cost of 68,000 résidents of Whitby. People ai Whitby, thé NDP govsrnmsnt,. Durham hsafth caunicil and aur own hospitai board of directars are buying us and they are nat evon allawing us ta, attsnd our awn funeral. WilltFrank A concrnsd roidént cars study repart); 2. Thé recommendatian against WGH doesn't make comman sensé: Oshawa Gênerai Hospital anid Ajax-Pickering Hospital are closing bsds intermittently and do not havé thé resaurces ta serve thé issidénts of Whitby incîuding émergéncy roam cars; 3. The rscmmendatian against WGH was pre-plannéd: the ? averniment allocates insuff icient tunds ta WGH, wo WGH must limit services incîuding emergency roqm services, wo fewer Whitby residents use WGH, wo thé district health cauncil appainted by thé gavérnimént uses réducéd usage as a tounidation foi its recamméndation against thé haspital (ses page 26 of thé acuté care study); 4. Thé recommendation is another example af gavernment waste: WGH has acres af availablé land which should bu put ta god use in oui acuté hospital systém in Durham Région. Oui voices as a community together- can create real changé and bring sensible priorities and comman sensé ta governmerit. Jlm Flaherty Whitby To thé édIter: My wifé and I wsré iecently askéd ta valunteer aur Saturday afttrnoan fiée timé ta help save thé Lyndé Marsh, by brinping thé wholé mattér to thé pubîîc in thé confinés of a shopping mail. We handéd aut hand buis and solicitéd $2 donations' and answeréd questions as béat we could. One of thé main questions was "Why is Whftby)I allowing this ta happen?" Evéryone understoad why they wére askéd to pay $2 for théir buttons (so a lawyéi could bu hiîéd ta help thé cause), but no one undeistoad why thé Town of. Whitby, was allowing thé destruction of. such a gemn of nature when wé are supposéd ta bé énvironmentaily aware. Ws could not answer this question without béing palitical, wo wé réf rained. Hawévei, thé question romains. Likewise, we are ail puzzléd by thé fact that those whoar as opposed .ta this destruction are taicéd ta hué a Iawyér by méans af selling buttons. Thé Ontario Municipal Baard, thé Région and the Town of Whîtby wiIl bu wélI prssentéd by lawyéis paid for by taxpayers, yet thé marsh and ail it holds precious must beg manies ta f ight for its existence. W. know not thé outcomé of ail cf this. One thing Is for sure, the cards ssm ta bu stackéd. Thé odds am. v"r much in faveur that a highway and population will occupy thé area as soon as possible. Thée'Friénds of thé Marsh,' howsver, will continué in spite of thèse odds. Stili thé unanswered questions rémain: Why must we fight thrée layers of govérméent ta préservé nature? Why must wé séIl a button ta huée a lawyér when others can buy théirs wth aur tax dallais? John Belas WhItby Longer waits To the editor: Ré: Letter, 'Big effect on public services,' Fiée Press, Maîch 15. I wauld liké ta thank Joan Gates for wiiting this lettér and agréé with Rt totally. Wake up, Whitbyl You wil soan bu losing your Whitby Canada Employment Contré. "What does that méan ta me?n you ask. ht means a two- ta tour-hour wait at thé Oshawa Canada Employment Centre -- instead of six weéks ta rt'boneffts, it will také 10 weks. Imoans thé beginning ai thé end. J. walt. WhItby EwDc Stop them'now Why? +CNA