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Page <,~h1 Frea Pres, Wednesday, December 6..1995 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby resîdents for Whitby residents! MEMBER 0F: CANADIAN ONTARIO COMMUNITY VRFIDCOMMUNITY NEWSPAPER CRUAIN NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION ISSN#0844-398X The Whitby Free Press is distributed free to 99% of the homes iný Whitby, Brooklin, Ashburn & Myrtie as weIl as numerous public and commercial outtets in Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering & Port Perry. 27,500 COPIES DELIVERED WEE KLY MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE Canada $34 + GST e Outside Canada $80 + GSI Published every Wednesdayby 677209 Ontario Imc. Box 206, 131 Brook St. N., Whitby, Ontarlo Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-611il 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% 4k recycled conteant using vegetable based inks.%l C Ail written material, illustrations and advertising contained herein is protected by copyright. Any reproduction by any means for commercial purposes without the express permission of the newspaper is prohibited and is a violation of Caniadian copyright law. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution should bear a credit line to the Whitby Free Press. Time for a ch ange? To the editor: By Whitby's I-ydra's- own admission, 90 per cent ai aur electric bi s - td a Ontario Hydro which wilI have a zero per cent rate Increase ln 1996. Yf yvu do the math, the 3.5 per cent increase n aur Whitby Hydra newsletter realy means a 35 per cent Increase ln Whltby Hydr's opereting costs. Part of the blarne for the rate Increase s the miracle SCADA system which s designed ta serve you and I better. From what W' understand, the SCADA systemis a lancy comrputer that wîfl be mànned 24 hours a day, whlch cead'dentfy whet lne or substation has experienced a fault o r' interruption, and h w@U alw reouing af elactrldity. It wAU not pnpoInt the house or aven the street that has the prabîam; nat tel WhAiby.Hyro that yaur house s out 0f power (you wiDl stilI have ta cal); nat reduce the number of ouaes n Otter Creek or Brookiin or WetLynde or nat reduce the time t takes ta lex the problem. ht will cost et least $3 million; wl bak gaad on someane's resume; wil minimize the bad publlclty about the $500000 truckç; wi lîstilI require a Una crew to manually locate the prablem; vilIl stilI require a Ina crew ta vertfy the swtchlng (If safety procadures are followed); will still require a Une crew ta lix the prablam. Currentiy, the Une crew can determine, just lrom what areas ara out af power, what lina or substetion has been attected, and A.'t takes about 10 ta 15 minutes ta do manuel switching. Why didn't Oshawa or Ajax suifer the sae high levai of autages this summer? (a) Oshawa and Aax eren't ln the same jet-stream and were spared the severe weather; (b) luck; (c) l"cofaimaintenance programs et Whitby Hydro lat oqulpment more vulnerable. Whydaeosn't Ajax have a SCADA system? (a) they dan't have as many Important peaple living [n their town; (b) they are aéraid of computers; (c) thair analysAs demonstrates the money could be botter spent on maintenance pragrams ta prevent outages than on a system that can't tell them, n generel terms, where the prablem is. Why are Oshawa and Ajax hydrac ratas lower than Whtbys? (a) they dont have a $500.000 truck; (b) th~don't have an -eîectrc coffee or prlvata washroams; (c) they manage their resaurces effectlvely; (d) al i the aboya., What are, the commisslancirs' responslbllilies ta the ratepayars ot Whltby? (à) attend 12 meetings and collect $3,500; (b). status quo as long as Whltby Hydr coninues Io tum a profit; (c) ensure thet tha utility s managed elfectively and that monay .. 'lspntwlisely If tacomissiners aie not dalng the, job they were elected -ta, do, should yau: (a) walt until the next election and re-elect themn; (b) do nothing; (c) oeil your councillors, mayar and commissianers and express your concerns. .Whitby Hydro's problems have nat matenialized avarnight. h has takan years of hard work ta kaep the customer An the dark whlle keepAng the ights an. Rts Just finally catching up tothem. In today's economy, you just carfl keep managing a company the same way yvu dld 10 years ega. Meybe lVs time for an effective change. Ann Brooks Whftby Thanks for cadng To the edItor: Wy tamlly and I have the Impassible task af edequately expressing aur thenks and gratitude for the magnitude af sympathy extended ta us tram tha Durham Regian and beyand. Regian emplayees, acquaintances, friands 'and poldcians - municipal, provincial and fedaral as welI as aur Prime Mnister -- have efther written or verbally expressed the respect and esteemn they held for Gernit (Gary). I YI l aways remember the kindness shawn ta me et poltical and regianal functians. I WîiI misa thase contacts but wvilI continue ta chenish the memnonas 0f GarrnVs (Gary's) and my tIme shared with yau. My family and I1 MI remnember wth pride tha meny tributas ta thaîr fether and my husbend. On behif aof my temily, thanks ta ail for your caiing and kindnass ta Sincerely HWln Herromna To thé edîtor: -, The Durham Board af Educatian has talçen R upon themsehies ta build their 'pilot prajecV modlfled calendar school wlth $4 million ta $5 million of taxpayers' maney. *When titis concept was introduced ta sevaral schools ln Durham four yeais ago, apposition was overwhelming and the pilot praject cauld nat gat att the graund. Even recent surveys by the boaindicate minimal interest (18 per cent). There s no mandate. However, h seems they have devised a way ta sneak through the back door, under the guise af easing avercrowdlng at three local schools. The propased baundary area for the new sohoal (which has a 450- student capacity) ,has just 260 aftected public schoàl age students. To the editor: A group ai parents got togather recently with concerns regarding the new public school being built behind Anderson CVI. We hava tried many times ta gat the answers ta questions and wa can't seemn ta break thraugh the bureaucracy ai aur local schoal board or the new principal. The fact that aur chiîdren are being tarced nta this naw sohoal against aur wAill s a sore spot with us ail, espaaially since we ail moved wlrthin the boundaries ai the schoaîs nearast ta aur homes. Our children wMIlnat be forcad ta enroîlArt the modified school year, but if the schaal registration faîls short af ispraposed numbers n ordar ta aperate under the proposed yaar, e two-tract (bath regular and modifAed) system s being discussed. If the numbers are Insufliclent, we ara off the hook and aur chiîdren can stay at their current schoals. But if the two- tract sysfem proves necessary, wa wiII be requlred ta enroîlaur chikiren n the new schooî. We have been fald that if we want aur chiîd ren ta stay at their current schaol, we wilI be foroed ta filîlaut a cross-baundary form and that wa wil ikely be turned down. What is the critéria (L.e. enrolment levaIs) required ta Amplement the modilied vs. dual tract vs. standard calendars? Since th e new boundaries> have been set by the board (ahthough they have yef ta be voted on), and since we MIlba forced ta comply wvith these boundarles, we would lke ta make sure that ail the chiîdren now crassing school boundaries wvill alsa be forced ta go ta the schoal An their own boundaries. What s unbelievable s that this baundary includes thetownhause complex across the street f rom Leslie McFarlane -- imagine not being allowed ta attend a sohool right across the road. For many af us, the wak ta the new schooî s a lot further than thé walk ta aur current schooî, and a lot more dangerous. Il bath tracts are Implemenfed et This a mature Whitoy aiea wlth minimal raom for grawth. Voîuntary registratian tram the boundary area for the. madifled sohool should net appraxlmately 26 students (accordlng ta aur poilI, 9.2 per cent are Interested ln registration). That leaves 424 enrolment spaces whlch MlI be available regian-wkle. If lnterest is, ln fact, great enaugh tofil thlsschaol, then we have a fully funded experiment ln the warks. In this scenanio, the avercrowvding Issue of the three local schooîs is nat been addressed. The klds tram the boundary area may continue ta attend their current schools. Hawever, f enralment Is nat sufficiently hlgh ta run the schooî modified only, then a two-track the apening 0f the school and aver the years interest increases n the modified systemi, what wilI happen ta the chiîdren on the regular sohoal calendar year? Will the new scoaol become taally madified and the. 'other" chiîdren be sent off ta yet another sohool? What happens ta the teachers An this regard - job stablity wilI be quite an issue with those on staff - would we get weli respected teechers or waul we end up with a schaal full oi wet-behind-tha-ars, can't-get-a-job- anywhere-else graduates? Experi- mnentlng.,An the, educatior- oa. aur childre.. has failed ln the pest,- we don't went t repeated. Also, Af theanumbars do nataxist ta fill the sohool the way the board hapes, what wiIl we have, a school fllled wvith spllt classes? Haw vwilI the schaol operate with same teachars on the modified yeer and others an the ragular calandar? What kind of sparts and music pragrams and what about sohool concert, plays etc.? The chiîdran wAill greatly suifer wvith the apening of a totally disarganized program - What s the board going ta do ta make sure that ýdoesn't heppen? And why exactly s this school being bulit where t s? We gre toîd As bacause the land was there? But word As that Brooklin's Meadowcrest s horriby over-crowded, Glen Dhu, Pringle Creek and* Thornton overcrawdad, and on and on. Why snt a school being built ta the north and baundaries changed accordingly? The board admits they own land An Brooklin, why build An the middle ai Whitby where the numbers. really don't maka sense. Our aiea As maturing, it consists mastly af French immersion and Catholic school studants or, in the big pictura, s ih just an excuse t0 bring a modltied schaol yaar calendar Inta the centre of tawn whara it would be asly accessible ta the mejarity? C. Graham, H. Honol, L Joucas, B. Mago, D. McRoss, P. Peins, C. Robinson, A. Silk, L Stanfleld et aI. system, alsa lncorporating the traditional calendar, wlif be lmplemented. This Is where the kids living ln the boundary aiea become pawnsIn a palitical game. This s where the ktds lvng ln the boundazy area become pawns in a polticai game. Suddenîy there Is na raam for them en their current -schaols. Suddenlythey aie the Justification for this schaai's existence. In the. event that miodifi ed enrokrient s sa law that the pragram cannot run, tiisschoat wiII use. a traditional calendar and nill be an overtlaw sohoal since the boundary aiea cannat fully populate t. Are we now golng back ta buslng? What s the board reaily dalng? This school Is an experiment at the best, *and a white elephant at the warst. In these tough, ecanomic times, I1 submit ta al taxDayers that the Durham Board af Educatian has Iost ts facus. Instead of meeting the. needs of aur communîties, they aie fulfilllng poDltical agendas. North Whftby Aexperlending extreme growth and this maney could have been put ta, much better use there. I wauld Ike ta see the baard acknowledge- that this school s an experiment and as such they should be willng ta put their money where thelr mauth Is and leave registration et this school on a voîuntaïy basis onty, regardîess of its operatlng calendar. ,Surely the board can substantiate the support they dlaim ta have for this schooî as welI as the expense- thoy are wAlîing ta Incur wlthout hljacklng kids from the boundary aiea who aie nat willlng ta reglister. Laurle Joucas ',Whltby Most don't want sohool To the editor: Isn't Rt nice that Petty Bowman s sa concernied with a $1 2-million cut ta the education budget"for Durham Raglan. Naw's the tUme? After spandlng $50 million on the Taj Mahal af board buildings? WelI, she could oertainly save almost hait af that $12 million by canceîllng the ostuto a publc school at the corner of Pringle Drive and Crawforth, commanly known as the unnamed Anderson school. lTe majarity af the residents ln this area do not want this school built. Our children wilI be tarced ta, leave the school An which they aie already established. How many music programs, sports prograrns, art and drama programs wilI be able ta continue wth a sum af $5 millon? Just think, ail that waste, just sa thai a modifled programn can be brought into Durham Reglan. The residents af Durham Reglan shouki be autraged et thls bâatant waste af taxpayers dollars. Mr. and Mrs. P. Roblnson WNhltby No-speed zone, Through the back door Against our wiII