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Candidates square off Whltby Fme Prees, WoedayMY.y Si,319-05, Page 27 at forum PROM PAGE 1 Drummond White was almost, but not quito, ignored by the two challengers. It was largely left ta the 150 people who attended the Whitby Chamber of Commerce event ta put White on the spot for bis record as MPP during the past five years. about hard choies,sd hite in his opening remarks. «In 1990 w. camne ta power because the. previous (Liberal) government chose ta avoid those choices.» "We were able ta preserve and maintain services in spite of federal cutbacks, the recession and free trade.» Admitting that his party made mistakes, White cautioned the audience ta be wary of "magie" solutions ta Ontario's financial woes. "I this campaign you've heard eut and slash and Santa Claus corne early promises,» he said. "It Iust can't be done. You can't Debate 011 medicare Doctors, provincial election candidates and an economist will give Ontario medicare a check-up on Thursday night in Whitby. Local physicians and the Canadian Council on National Issues will hold a public debate on 'Talii the pulse: is medicare Durham Centre candidates Drummond White (NDP), Allan Furiong (Liberai) and Jim Fia- herty (PC) wil take part in the debate. Two pysicians and author- economist Hrr Pope will pose the questions. Moderatar is John-Frederick Cameron, spok- esperson for the council and debate organizer. "Alparties dlaim that health care Jil h proteeted, but some- how they are unable ta outline specifies,» says Cameron. "A debate may clarilYX each party's stand as well as give the perspectiïves Krm physicians and non-ph sicians." The debate wil ho heid in the %eal Boom of the Centennial Building, 416 Centre St. S., starting at 8p.m. Whitby voters unhappy with candidates from themao r.litical-parties wiIl have a difficult decision ta make onmJune For the firat time i recent memoly, both Durham Centre and Durham East ridings will only be contested by candidates repreeenting the three traditional parties -- Progrssive Conservative, Liberal and New Democrat. As of last Thursday's filing date, no other. parties or independent candidates had registered ta run i the two <IDurham Centre, which includes Whitby south of Taunton Road, the candidates are NDP MPP Drummond White, former Liberal MPP Ailan Furlong and Progressive Conservative Jim Flaherty. In Durham East, Whitby north of Taunton, New Dernocrat MPP Gord Mille is beig challenged by Liberal Mary Novak and Progressive Conservative John O'Toole. Five year ago, candidates from other parties collected 3,130 votes i Durharn Centre and 3,773 votes in Durham East. Thome not wisbing ta, vote for either the NDP, Tories or <kits, do have the option of declining the ballot, however. In 1990, 232 votersai Durham Centre chose this option, while i Durham East the figure was 173. Hi-tech electioneringhas corne ta, Whitb. Ini addition ta, the usual pamphlets and fiyers, canvassers for Durham Centre Tory candidate Jim Flaherty are distriuthi 6,000 videotapes ta selected homes tbroughout the riding. The 12-mmnute tapepoies both Flaherty and prt leader Mike Harris and bighlights some of the major issues the Conservativs are stressing in thiecampaign. h~ ta also pasa it on ta a neighbour or friend or ta cati Flaherty's campign office and it wil[-be picked up. Aèccording acmaign manager Jerry Moskaluk, PC candi- dates in abiout 45 ridinigs acrosa the province are employing this new techniq . sceainteCnevaie'19 It was used great ucsinteCsrvted19 hbelection victory inVictoria-Haliburtan riding. Pimentas Restaurant is quickly becoming a favourite stap for politicians. Kfarlir tbis month, the downtown Whitby restaurant was the location for a meeting between federal Fiance Minister Paul Martin, area Laiberal candidates and members of the Whitby Cham;ber of Commerce. The followig week, Premier Bob Rae and the media entourage accompanynghùm on the campaign trail had dinner at the Brock Street North establisbhment before beading off i soarch of votes. Accordingto sources, Rae had been in neighbouring Durhamn West riding for a fundraising event for New Democrat MPP Jim Wiseman. But rather than dining in Ajax or Pickerig, the premier's handiers called ahead ta Durham Centre MPP Drummond Whit's carnpaign office and iquired about a good 'Place to eat in Whitb.. Since Wiîte is a frequent patron of Pimentos, the restaurant was recommended. Owner Penny Angelopoulos now has an authographed menu plus a snapshot of ah. and Rae ta complement a letter she recently ecived from Martin. The letter was ta thank Angelopoulos, for a gift certificate she presented Martin on the earlier occasion. DRUMMOND WHITE take $9 billion out of the provin- cial budget and preserve health servies education services and still provide the compassion that this province bas gown used ta.» If re-elected on June 8, an NDP government wiil "enhance» health care services and continue working with the private sectar through such prograins as job- sOntario ta create «ýmeanmi1ful» employmexxt, White promiseà According ta former MPP Fur- long, the "most important single povincial issue» is Ontario's deficit and long-term debt. "OnIy when we get it under contrlYcan we croate jobs, pro- tect health care and education and have safe neighbourboods,» ho said. Furlong thon wasted littie time mi comparing the monits of bis party's plan ta the Tories'. Unveiled shortly after the elec- tion was called, the Liberal plan bas been endorsed by "ieading» economists, hospitai administra- tors and other professionals across the province,-ho said. Hisjartyi poosing a "modest tidecrease of one per cent per year over five years, Furlong noted. "(However) the Conservative plan has been out for over a year. "Surely, it must be curious that not on.e eonomist camne out in support of it except the person who wrote it.» Furlong insisted the Tories' proposed 30-per cent cut in the mncorne tax rate will add $30 billion ta the provincial debt and criticized Harris for misrepre- senting bis party's position on different issues. "Ontario Liberals do not sup- port quotas or hiring targets,» hoe said in reference ta the contro- verisal employment equity issue. "Contrary ta the Conservative commercials, w. will make sure employers can- hire based on merit. A Iàberal government will also reduce bene itst welfare reci- pients who refuse ta enter retraining prograins and will freeze transfer payments ta municipalites and school boards at current levels for the noît four MIM ALLAN FLAHERTY FURLONG years, Furlong added. A need for «real change" was stressed by Flaherty. The Con- servatives are the oniy party putting forward a plan which creates jobs while "significantly» cutting taxes and ireducing the deficit, ho said. For example, a family of four with a total income of $50,000 can oxpeet more than $4,000 in tai avings xntbree years under the Toryplan, Flaherty noted. "But how can you cut taxes and balance the budget?" ho aéked. IA go question. You do it by cuttingspendig, that's sometbing the Liberals and NDP can't fathom." A Conservative. governmènt will eut "non-prionity- spending by $6 billion ta pay for the *4-billion tai eut and another $2 billion earmarked for deficit reduction, Flaherty xplaied. While almost ai spendig will be exarnined, tbree areas that wili not bo tauched 'are law enforcement, health care and "classroom» education, ho said. 'That's what people teli us are their prionities and wo will main- tain that funding.» But two areas that will definitély feel the Tory knife are welfare and Ipoliticians' perks, Flaherty promxsed. "W. will abolish MPPs' gold- plated pension plan. We won't tinker with it . ke Mr. Chretien mnOttawa, it will be gone.» As for weifare reform,, Flaherty decried the Liberal approach. "We won't givo bass benefits if someone chooses not ta partici- pate» ho said. Able-bodied recipients muet enter mandatory «workfare» and *'earnfare programs or las., their benefits, Flahorty said. Following their opening remarks, the candidates fiele questions on a variety of topioe. Audience members were not allowed ta question the candi- dates direqtIy but had ta, submit their queris to chamber mem- bers sationed tbroughout the chambers. It wesduving this part of the evening that Faherty and Fur- long challonged the other's credi- Making a point HEATHER CRAWFORD was one of three C ri sipale mothers who met with Durham Centre MP Drummond White recently to ask for assistance with housing and dlaycare. Theytold White they'd be better off on welfare but prefer to continue working instead of being dependent on the.govemment. Photo by Mrk Reoo, MWhy Free Pres bility on economnic issues, whiIe White said neither party could be trusted with the books. A membor of the Liboral overniment, from 1987 to 1990, rlong was asked about spend- ing and tax increases durig those years, and replied that the Iargest single deficit incroase befqore- the NDP took power occuirred under the Conserva- tives. «We had 15 straight years of deficits. The Liberals were the first to redue it in the last year that we had full control of the budget,"»lho said. "We did have a balanced budget and a surplus. The estimate was the deficit would only be $1 billion if we stayed ini office.» White, however said the NDP discovered that t1e deficit was actually $3 billion when it took over. 'Mhat didn't occur between the time the election was called and we took office. That was con- tained i the previous budget" Flaherty chipped in with'the observation that whether it was $1 billion or $3 billion- neither represented a balanced budget. On issues pertaining to Whitby, ail three candidates roi- teratedtheir support for reten- tion of acute car. services at Whitby General Hospital. They were aiso opposed ta the preferred route for the propoded freeway link i west Whiitby bet- ween Highway 401* and the future Highway 407. Answers to Whitby Trivia from page 12 1. T. Aird Murray died in' Regina, Sask., on Nov. 5, 1918, a vîctim of the great Spanish influenZa epidemic. 2. The cernent walk leading to the white frame house at 301 Centre St. S. is the one of the oldest in Whitby. It dates from about 1900 to 1911, and bears the name *of the original owner of the- house, 'W. Hood.' 3. The North Star was published in.Brooklin in1855 as the community's.first newspaper. No copies are known to have survived. 4. William John Elliott won the off ice of mayor in 1951 with no council experience because he had been a very popiular police chief of Whitby in the 1940s.