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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNA1998_12_24Curriculum crisis,faces schools PICKERING NEWS ADVERTISER P I C K E R I N G' S C O M N1 U N I T Y N L W is 1) A 1) L R S 1 ti C L 1 96 5 PRESSRUN 44.000 36 PAGES THURSDAI DECEMBER 24, 1998 %L 4 \% I I K DFLIVFRY S5/ $1 NEWSSTAND Teacher Botched bank mAM1ei. in Pickering Bandit takes teller hostage BY STEPHEN SHAW' Staff Writer A bandit armed with a loaded sawed-off rifle stormed a Pickering bank. terrorized staff. took a teller hostage and tried to car -jack a seven-year- old girl and the child's grand- father during a botched heist Tuesday morning. The girl and grandfather then watched in horror as the suspect was taken down at gun -point outside the CIBC branch at 376 Kingston Rd. A 55 -year-old Toronto man is in custody. What was described by one detective as a "nightmare" began at 9:45 a.m. when a masked man rushed the bank and forced his wav through the doors as employers were being let in prior to opening. "He rounded up staff and basically took control of them... They were placed in a confined area." said Doug Denniston, senior manager of corporate security for CIBC crisi. prorrams. He said about five employ- ees were in the branch and the bandit pointed the rifle "at all times," demanding they free UP money. After receiving a "substan- tial" amount of cash the rob- ber enlisted one of the tellers for his getaway. Durham Re- gional Police Detective Jim Griepsma said. He decided he was going to get her to drive him out," Mr Denniston said. The teller. described as ex- perienced. was instructed to retrieve a vehicle and was then marched from the bank at gun- point. However, the bandit appar- ently was unaware the branch was surrounded by police, in- cluding members of the Tacti- cal Support Unit, who were tipped off to the robbery in progress by an off-duty bank employee. A bank security employee on a'•vacauon dav'- was visit- ing the bran:h on personal business when one of the tellers motioned to him from inside. "It was a discreet hand sig- nal. He was in the ATM vestibule and he picked up right away what was going on. He called police from a cell phone. He did an excellent job:' Mr. Denniston said. Moments after the teller emerged from the bank with a colleague. the suspect fol- lowed. Carrying a duffel bag to conceal the rifle, he rushed the car in which the child and grandfather were parked and opened the driver's dxr. There were demands made' said Detective Chris Ostler of the robbery unit. It was then the suspect was taken down by armed officers. "He tried to force his way into the car... Obviously the situation had a serious poten- tial for either a hostage -taking or a cur jacking," Det. Grieps- ma said The money and the lorded sawed-off weapon were recov- ered. Det. Ostler of the rubbery unit said the experience trau- matized the victims, both in- side and outside the bank. The best gift of all... Tvler Wilson is ready for Christmas tomor- and his reindeer will be busy tonight putting row and is presenting himself as, well, a gifts under the tree for children across ' r bon red undo !te San Du bora R See ROBBERY Pbae A2 gre— gift n fou r t tree. to r rgron. Fees for Pickering services climb in January PICKERING —As of Jan. I the Pickering Fire Deparunent deparnmem will charge a $300 parmiem, no charge to S 125 PICKERING PUBLIC for the actual cost of responding. "penalty- for responding to false - fireworks permits and fire dis- build a pool, put up a sign or LIBRARY alarms, "malicious false alarms" play inspections, from no charge have the fire departrment respond the provincial Ministry of Trans- CENTRAL. BRANCH Massive reform too much' to implement by next September: Separate board consultant BY SUSAN OWL&L Grate board trustees heard Mon- curriculum) will be up and run- 8 will be the first to test the wa- as academic or applied, which rent Grade 8 students who will Staff Writer The Province's to intro- day. ning by September 19'14" ter% in the revamped secondary means pupils will have to select also be the first group required plan duce the new high school In a report to the Durham But that's the plan under the system which has cut five years a career path at the beginning of to complete 40 hours of con- cur- riculum next September Catholic District School Board. Ministry of Education and of curriculum to four and re- high school. munity service and to pass a "They're pre- sents educators "tow much do secondary education consultant Training's high school reforms duced a choice of more than going to be the Grade 10 literacy test to receive to in the time frame we have:'sep- Rick Tow vend told trustees, "It's announced last January. A.O(l0 courses to approximately guinea pigs." Pickering trustee their diploma. trance, to S 135 per metre plus as- naive to think (the new Students currently in Grade 00. Courses are also streamed Jim McCafferty said of the cur- See BOARD Page A2 PICKERING NEWS ADVERTISER P I C K E R I N G' S C O M N1 U N I T Y N L W is 1) A 1) L R S 1 ti C L 1 96 5 PRESSRUN 44.000 36 PAGES THURSDAI DECEMBER 24, 1998 %L 4 \% I I K DFLIVFRY S5/ $1 NEWSSTAND Teacher Botched bank mAM1ei. in Pickering Bandit takes teller hostage BY STEPHEN SHAW' Staff Writer A bandit armed with a loaded sawed-off rifle stormed a Pickering bank. terrorized staff. took a teller hostage and tried to car -jack a seven-year- old girl and the child's grand- father during a botched heist Tuesday morning. The girl and grandfather then watched in horror as the suspect was taken down at gun -point outside the CIBC branch at 376 Kingston Rd. A 55 -year-old Toronto man is in custody. What was described by one detective as a "nightmare" began at 9:45 a.m. when a masked man rushed the bank and forced his wav through the doors as employers were being let in prior to opening. "He rounded up staff and basically took control of them... They were placed in a confined area." said Doug Denniston, senior manager of corporate security for CIBC crisi. prorrams. He said about five employ- ees were in the branch and the bandit pointed the rifle "at all times," demanding they free UP money. After receiving a "substan- tial" amount of cash the rob- ber enlisted one of the tellers for his getaway. Durham Re- gional Police Detective Jim Griepsma said. He decided he was going to get her to drive him out," Mr Denniston said. The teller. described as ex- perienced. was instructed to retrieve a vehicle and was then marched from the bank at gun- point. However, the bandit appar- ently was unaware the branch was surrounded by police, in- cluding members of the Tacti- cal Support Unit, who were tipped off to the robbery in progress by an off-duty bank employee. A bank security employee on a'•vacauon dav'- was visit- ing the bran:h on personal business when one of the tellers motioned to him from inside. "It was a discreet hand sig- nal. He was in the ATM vestibule and he picked up right away what was going on. He called police from a cell phone. He did an excellent job:' Mr. Denniston said. Moments after the teller emerged from the bank with a colleague. the suspect fol- lowed. Carrying a duffel bag to conceal the rifle, he rushed the car in which the child and grandfather were parked and opened the driver's dxr. There were demands made' said Detective Chris Ostler of the robbery unit. It was then the suspect was taken down by armed officers. "He tried to force his way into the car... Obviously the situation had a serious poten- tial for either a hostage -taking or a cur jacking," Det. Grieps- ma said The money and the lorded sawed-off weapon were recov- ered. Det. Ostler of the rubbery unit said the experience trau- matized the victims, both in- side and outside the bank. The best gift of all... Tvler Wilson is ready for Christmas tomor- and his reindeer will be busy tonight putting row and is presenting himself as, well, a gifts under the tree for children across ' r bon red undo !te San Du bora R See ROBBERY Pbae A2 gre— gift n fou r t tree. to r rgron. Fees for Pickering services climb in January PICKERING —As of Jan. I the Pickering Fire Deparunent deparnmem will charge a $300 parmiem, no charge to S 125 it will c st more in Pickering to for the actual cost of responding. "penalty- for responding to false - fireworks permits and fire dis- build a pool, put up a sign or The department already charges alarms, "malicious false alarms" play inspections, from no charge have the fire departrment respond the provincial Ministry of Trans- or garbage container fires. to $125 each when your car crashes on a Town portation for the cost of amending Fees were also increased for: - liquor licences, from no charge road. mishaps on Hwy. 401 and Hwy. - pool enclasurc permits, to SI 50 to 5125 Increases in the user fees the 7, and will also start to charge from S25 - maintenance of secured key Town charges for a number of Durham Region for responding - sign permits, to $150 from S25 containers for emergency re - services. as well as new fees for to accidents on Regional roads. - fire inspection reports, usually sponse by the fire department. sen ices that were previously A report to Council from dee for insurance purposes, to 5125 from no charge to S80 per box free. were approved by Council Town clerk noted, however, that from $80 - constructing a driveway en - Monday night. The hikes are ex- the fire chief would use some - inspections for overcrowding of trance, to S 135 per metre plus as- pected to generate Stt5.750 in ad- discretion in asking people to commercial, industrial, multi- sociaed costs from 5135 ditiorwl revenue for Pickering in pay fire department costs when residential and day care facilities - a municipal consent permit is - 1999. For the first time ever. in- the accident involved a death or by the foe department, from no sued to utilities undertaking d4iduals involved in an accident serious injury. charge to $125 work on Town -owned lands, on a Tow n road w ill have to pay Also for the first time, the fire - fuel tank inspections by fire de- from no charge to 5.300. shortage `very serious' The current teacher short- age will continue for a number of years unless "corrective ac- tion" is taken. separate board trustees were told Monday. Calling the shortage a "very serious problem'. Durham Catholic District School Board director Grant Andrews said the lack of qualified teachers is anticipated to continue for five to 10 years unless something is done to attract new educators. 'There is a meed to increase the stature of the teaching pro- fession and encourage teachers to teach in the Province of On- tario - he said in a report to the board. ''17here is a need to ex- amine incentives for attracting teachers to areas of high need. Thcre is a need to recognize the specific needs of the Catholic and French language school boards'w Mr. Andres said it's al- ready a problem "1t is ex- tremely important to note that the teacher stuwuge i. with us n.. In a recent report, the On- tario CWkge of Teacher esti- mated more than 100M) edu- cators will retire this )car and 41.11(1() will leave the profes- sion by 2003. The sthrtage "will continue to escalate unless proactive cortstructive steps arc taken to address it:' Mr. Andrews said. "This is particularly true with respect to the Catholic educa- 11:n system.*' The director reported board staff -have taken positive steps to address the situation', like establishing recruitment teams that are currently visiting fac- ulties of education and partici- pating in the Ministry of Edu- cation and Training's provin- cial work groups which arose from the Task Force on Teacher Recruitment and Re- newal. An action plan is expected within the next month, he added. Environmenta monitoring vowed at nuclear plant Inside the News Advertiser Ontario Hydro officials pledge to improve monitoring and control emissions its part of an environmental action plan submitted to the Atontic Energy Control Board. A 10 -point action plan was drawn up to address the issues. BY MARIANNE TAKACS Staff Writer PICKERING — Improved environmental monitoring at the Pickering nuclear station, actions to control emissions, better waste management and improved protection and en- hancement of the local ecosys- tem are among dee measures proposed by Ontario Hydro in its Environmental Action Plat (EAP) submitted to the Atomic Energy Control Board. An environmental review of the Pickering station and a plat to address the problems identi- fied by it were required by the AECB as a condition of renew- al for the station's licence this past March. The AECB re- quired the rcciew at least par- tially in response to community demands here for an en%iron- mental assessment of the plant. The EAP outlines a 10 -point scheme for addressing the is- sues raised by the environmen- tal review and by a community working group of citizens es- tablished by Hydro to provide input on the review. It does not address some "non -biophysi- cal" issues identified by the working group which 'Hydro did not consider to be within the scope of its work for the AECB, such as the potential ef- fect on the environment of an accident at the Pickering plant, or the station's economic and social impact on the communi- ty. But Hydro has committed to examining those issues as well in the longer term. in a presentation on the EAP HAEME Tllm ff EtIlstrI PW ......A6 Eek lhmd ........ A6 *wft ............81 EalwtoinoW ......B6 C_I s=lbll ..C1 Cbsd W ........C17 CIMS W A CAL Nawd ......683-5110 NbtatblN...683-5117 Do@& Nedom .683-3005 Astt4 a Lien ..683-7545 Niuw y► Twos 1-800-662-8423 Endl ............... news room®durham.net MINI sib durhamnews.net FAX .........683-7363 See NUCLIAR Pug, A4 MERRY CHRISTMAS! TERNITY pins Mau ;&r o 11 DOM � DIrYE! IM�Mbrr:n t'b1n t rttllh 1110 1's r' *W fits Ona "d Can" 837-11-11 PICK -N -GO TAXI P PAGE A2 VEINS ADVERTISER TM116DAY, DECE 1124, IM Pickering residents urged to make this winter one for the birds PICKERIIG — Make it a hoh- Cranberries can he strung on daN and winter season 'for the birds' florist's wire to make festive wreaths. by participating in some local pro- Pine cones dipped in peanut butter grams tocused on our feathered also make a tasty snack for birds. friends. Hang the feeders on a tree in your On Boxing Day Saturday, Dec. 26 garden. you can join the Pickering Naturalists Winter is also a good time to build as then conduct their annual Picker- bird boxes and a great excuse to try ing Christmas Bird Count. Members out all those power tools Santa of the group. their families and brought. friends rise at 7 a.m. that day to list Plans to construct a simple box and observe the winter bird popula- that will house black -capped chick - tions here in Pickering. adees, tree swallows. eastern blue - The information they gather col- birds or great -crested flycatchers are lectively becomes part of an interna- available from the Frenchman's Bay tional Christmas census of birds. For Watershed Rehabilitation Project. more information call the Pickering Call 420-4660 ext. 2155 for 'birds in Naturalists' Stuart Kenn at 905-729- the kitchen' recipes and bird house 04.34. plans. The Frenchman's Bay Watershed if you have some time available, Rehabilitation Project urges residents you can register as a volunteer with I,, participate in its initiatives to im- Project Feeder Watch. prove habitat for bird species that As a 'feeder watcher', the infor- live in Frenchman's Bay and sur- mation you gather at your bird feeder rounding area. People can participate will help scientists better understand right in their own back yards. North American bird population One good project is helping the trends. birds get through winter with a feed- For more information call 1-888- cr stocked with bird food. Or, minia- 448 -BIRD (2473). ture feeders can be made at home For information on feeders, bird from a halved orange, lemon or seed and keeping out squirrels, call grapefruit with the juice removed and Oshawa -based Wild Birds Unlimited filled with seeds. at 905-728-3905. Pickering man held in jail RON PIETRONIROI News Advertiser photo Durham Regional Police investigators record the evidence, believed to be a duffel bag. following a botched bank mbbery in Pickering yesterday. A hostsre was briefly taken, police say, but a suspect was arrested at the scene. Pre-trial hearing in highway death to start Feb. 15 1 BY STEPHEN SHA% sraf venter A Pickering man charged in the death of an Oshawa man killed In a police pursuit Lw month will remain be - land ban for the ht"- y sea- son after being found men- tally fit to stand trial. David Franklin Doerfler. 35. of Claremont, waived his right to a hatl hearing Tues- day and agreed set his dcten- tion during an appearance in Oshawa provincial court He Is charged with cnmi- nal negligence causing death. criminal negligence causing bodily harm. posses- sion of a controlled sub- stance. criminal harassment and breach of probation in connection with the event% of Nov 15. Mr. Doerticr was the dri- ver of a pickup truck which reportedly sped through a red light at the intersection of highways 7A and 12 and slammed into a car carrying an Oshawa couple. Father of six, John Michael Gibbons, 47, was killed in the crash and wife Loma. 35, injured. Moments before the colli- sion, Durham Regi(m al Po - bee called off a tugh-speed pursuit after the pickup's headlights were shut off as it travelkd west at high speeds along the dark stretch of Hwy. 7A. The incident began when a frightened wtxnan placed a call from an emer- gency h!xline at the un- manned Port Perry police of- fice about 1:40 am. When officer. arrived at the station. the suspect, Idenufied as the victim's estranged husband, drove off and the chase was launched. The- officers involved, meanwhile, were cleared in a report released last Friday by the Province's Special I.Ives- tigatiorls Unit. Mr. Doerfler appeared in court Tucsdav for the first time since being remanded to the Whthy Mental Health Centre for a 30 -day psychi- atnc assessnxnt. He will be back in court for a pre-trial heanng our Feb. 15, 1999. Board faces tough agenda in implementing new curriculum BOARD Fran page A I "It's a massive reform:' said Mr. Townend, noting school boards are still wait- ing to receive policy docu- awnts and resources to train teachers and inform parents of the coming changes. "Currently we have the Grade 9 and 10 (curricu- lum) in draft form and teachers are being (trained):' he said. Howev- er, that draft, which is avail- able on the Internet, has not received final approval from the Education Ministry. "The detailed curriculum won't be out until the end of February," says ministry spokesman Daniele Garvin. Only the Grade 9 and 10 curriculum will be available at that time. "We're still working on the Grade I I and 12: she says. noting that portion of the curriculum won't be un- veiled until early in the year 2000. The new curriculum will be phased in over four years and Mr. Townend ex- pects "As the years go on it will become easier. This time next year we will have the Grade 9 to 12 curricu- lum in our hands:' Another concern. W. Townend reports, is the fact that the last group of stu- JIM McCAFFERTY 'They're going to be the guinea pigs.' dents to finish Grade 13 under the current system and the first group to pass Grade 12 under the revised curriculum will all graduate at the same time. "It's a big issue," he told trustees, as the two groups of students will also be graded differently because the Province is introducing a new standardized report card as pan of its secondary school reform plan. So, stu- dents now in Grade 9 will continue to receive the old report cards and those en- tering high school next fall will be marked using the new evaluation forms. Robbery `nightmare' ends in armed take-down ROBBERY From page A I "It really was a nightmare. It's just fortunate it all worked out and no- body got hurt:' Bank staff received crisis coun- selling following the holdup and will be offered time off if needed, Mr. Denniston said. "They arc holding up pretty well. but obviously they are a little shook up:' he said. Mr. Denniston credited staff for co-operating during the robbery and following their training. He praised the teller enlisted for the getaway for keeping her cool despite "trying cir- cumstances.' Raymond Albert Ferrier, 55, of Toronto is charged with two counts each of armed robbery. wearing a disguise while committing an of- fence, using a firearm %pile commit- ting an offence and single counts of possession of a prohibited weapon. weapons dangerous and forcible con- finement. anon i _soi •: III • J 1L I • ' •I 1:1:;:�-71; • 2 3.01- DONC 1904IP VB ENGINE • 4 -SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION • AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL AIR CONDITIONING • i6- ALLOY WHEELS • SPORT TUNED SUSPENSION • CRUISE CONTROL • POWER ANTENNA MMMOMS. WIN00VOS AND DOOM LOCV • fEATED SPORT SEATS • a -WAY POWER DRIVER'S SEAT• �`�'• TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM • ANTI -LOCI BRAKING SYSTEM •KEYLESS REMOTE ENTRY AND ANTI -THEFT SYSTEM • PREMIUM AMVFM CD W" CASSETTE ANO MMUCN MORE S-WAi&-W-W i I. Pot r MA dolt � O..ii I R M. nM Ott w a m& aOACns1.•to U4 Yamt—+M—*Wbm"m wsilk S.Miw ink rllreW. Woo r M 4 OAC M.. j IBM roma M— A..Y 1..f I. tM ttrww.bA.s q*wcom CLUB MONACO warehouse Pickering Metro East Trade Centre December 26 - 27 . Great prices on fall and winter Items to wear now. Club Monaco Men and Women; Bogs and Girls .11011111'1 Lecaltl" Saturday and Sunday 9am — 5pm Metro East Trade Centre 1899 Brock Road CLUB MONACO www.clubmonsco.00111 MM1 Battling the bottle Holidays a dangerous time for BY MARIANNE TAKACS Staff Writer Christmas is supposed to be a time of good cheer, but it can also be the time of too many 'cheers' with glasses of every- thing from spiked eggnog in the company of friends to soli- tary beers in a lonely apart- ment for those who have no one to celebrate with. "The risk for crossing that line into addiction at this time of year is really high." says Sandi Partridge, program con- sultant for Durham Region with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Almost every holiday gathering in- volves the consumption of al- cohol, she notes, and it be- comes very easy to overdo it. And for those who are already addicted, the holiday season frequently makes things worse. "You see all these pictures everywhere of cozy family gatherings around the fire- place," says Ms. Partridge. The contrast with their own lives exacerbates the alcoholics' feelings of inadequacy, loss, loneliness and depression that torment them. "Chis time of year we cer- tainly don't have any problem with newcomers:" says Bruce, office manager for the Alco- holics Anonymous Intergroup Office of Durham Region. (AA counsellors, who have all been alcoholics, prefer not to use their surnames in media interviews.) The Christmas season usually brings an influx of new people to meetings of AA and its associate group for family members of alcoholics. AI -Anon, and more frantic pleas for help on its telephone hotlines. "I've had a lot of calls from women close to Christmas just in tears wanting to do urne- thing for their (alcoholic) hus- bands:* says Bruce. Because the holiday season can push the problem drinker over the line into alcoholism, and the alcoholic over the edge into despair, bah Bruce and Ms. Partridge nae it's the time of year they really want to get the message out that there is CEL/A BRONKHORST/ News Advertiser photo The holiday season creates a particularly difficult time for those battling alcohol addiction. Bruce, a member of Alco- holics Anonymous, notes there is no shortage of newcomers to AA from across Durham Region during the Christmas season. help available in the communi- ty. "It's important for people to know they're not alone:' says Ms. Partridge:'that there are resources out there and places they can reach for help" AA is probably the best- known organization providing peer support and counselling to those who want to free themselves from the tyranny of the bottle. Bruce estimates there are 2.000 to 3,000 active AA members in the 73 AA groups spread across nearly every community in Durham Region. Anyone can join at any time and attend as many or as few meetings as they think they need. It's better if they stop drinking before they join, but that isn't a prerequisite. "The only requirement for membership is the desire to stop drinking;' says Bruce. He notes most members have "hit bottom' before they attend AA meetings, which is also an im- portant step to recovery. "For me, I guess 1 had to lose my family. my marriage. my relationship, all my money" to hit rock bottom. says Bruce. Not every alco- holic loses exactly those things. Rather, the common thread is losing their sense of self-respect and dignity. Newcomers to AA are urged to find a 'sponsor' — another AA member they re- spect, someone they feel they can talk to freely and turn to in times of crisis. They're also encouraged to attend meet- ings, which usually include discussion of the 'Big Book' written by the founders of AA to guide recovery, and the ' 12 Steps' and '12 Traditions' members consider essential to their recovery. The most im- portant of the 12 steps is the first, explains Bruce, which calls on the person to admit they are powerless over alto- hol and that their lives have become unmanageable be- cause of it. An essential part of each meeting is the "second half'. Help is available for alcoholics here at home The following are some of the or- - Destiny Manor in Whitby. Resi- ganizations in Durham Region which dential treatment facility for women, provide addiction counselling and with some out-patient services. services: Phone 6h8-1858 for more infor- mation. • Pinewood Centre in Oshawa, with offices in Ajax, Bowmanville and Port Perry. Assessment, detox, out-patient treatment. support groups. also pro- grams for youths witb alcohol prob- lems and children of alcoholics. 23 - hour crisis support and information line Phone 723-8195. - Renascent Treatment Centre in Brooklin. Residential program for men. Phone 328-9731 for more infor- mation. Alcoholics Anonymous. AA groups across Durham Region offer peer support and counselling. Inter- group office. Phone 728-1020. The News Ad- vertiser wel- comes letters to the a tor. Your letters should be YnMed to 150 words and SOW with a turd fast and Iasi dame OR two ini- tials and a 69 rwm. Letters must include a tele- phone number for confirmation purposes. Un- signed letters will not be printed. FAKthem: 683-7363 EMAIL them: newsroom* durham.net AWL them: 130 Commercial Ave., Ajax, Ont., LIS 2H5. Will ADVElrflgEllTMWAR AY, D�i 1K 1t PAGE A3 All• problem drinkers where members discuss their situations one-on-one or in small groups, providing the support to each other so essen- tial to recovery. All this support and guid- ance, notes Bruce, is provided in a non -authoritarian way by it mm -hierarchical organiza- tion, which he says is key to AA's success. "There are no rules in AA, there are a lot of 'you betters' and 'maybe you shoulds'. We call them suggestions because alcoholics are very uptight about being told what to do" According to Bruce, about 35 per cent of those who join AA are successful in achieving a year of sobriety. For others it may take sev- eral tries. AA considers alco- holism to be a lifelong disease that can only be "attested" by abstention, and that can be jeopardized by having just one drink. "That happened to me with a little glass of champagne at a wedding:' recalls Bruce. "I was off (the wagon) again for another six years" He recovered from that episode and has not had a sip for 13 years now, but still at- tends meetings three to four times a week. He says he has had to make many lifestyle changes, princi- pally avoiding heavy -drinking friends and past habits associ- ated with excessive alcohol consumption. Sometimes, Bruce points out, people also need help out- side AA, such as when they're suffering from depression. But he also notes that problem often disappears when people stop drinking, since alcohol is a depressant. "I can remember just after getting into the drinking you're so low and so de- pressed. "Nobody loves you and you don't love yourself." Whether an alcoholic turns to AA or one of the many other community resources avail- able, says Ms. Partridge, get- ting help is essential. "You can't do it alone. You need support because it takes such a toll on a person's whole self and being. You need sup- port and help and guidance to get past some of the distorted thinking and perception" Ms. Partridge recommends starting with an assessment at one of the addiction services organizations in Durham or with a mental health profes- sional, and then going into some kind of peer counselling and/or professional addiction counselling program. "Each individual is differ- ent so the approach should be:' she says. In some cases, for example, a history of spousal or parental abuse may have a role to play in alco- holism and that would need to be dealt with. Whatever course to recov- ery is chosen, notes Ms. Par- tridge, it's never easy. But the rewards of sobriety are rich. "It opens a door to a life people had no idea they could experience:" she explains, a life that includes a "peace of mind and serenity" a person tormented by alcohol addic- tion never enjoys. BOXING DAY SALE! 2 DAYS ONLY Sun. Dec. 27 12-5pm Mon. Dec. 2S 9-6pm CfaS rFOU`rW As 7950n bnri,. Aan,e tNodN$ CASTINGS, C_ M+l' mi SANTA LEAVES AS GREAT SAVINGS ARRIVE! It's BOXING DAZE at Pickering Town Centre Didn't get everything you wanted this holiday season? Then visit Pickering Town Centre during our Boxing Daze savings event. Satumby,Deom3brr 261h &30 am - 7 00p m. StWay; Dmmlber 27th 11 a)Oa m, - 6 00p.m Boxing Daze at PickeringTown Centre will leave you starry-eyed! PICKERINOWN•CENTRE WHERE ALL YOUR WISHES COME TRUE MMOF Y NEM A0Y0IIYd11MI1tlOAV. RCBMllG f41M Big Brothers, bank join forces to aid kids in Ajax and Pickering Students in elementary Schools throughout Ajax and confidence and self-esteem through activities such as In addition to the bank's dons- tion. 13 bank employees have "The overwhelming response ship they need to get a head start ployees share our commiunent as from Royal Bank staff means on building productive lives" well. We encourage other Ajax - Pickering are getting a help- ing hand thanks to the Big games, crafts, sports and reading. signed up as volunteers with the we're almost halfway to reaching Royal Bank area manager Pickering businesses to get fin- Brothers of Ajax-Pickering's "Royal Bank's donation program, "Our original goal was to re- our goal. And that means we're Blake Butler says, "Our financial volved. Nothing is more important closer than ever to helping 30 support is just rc part of Royal than ensuring our children have a ci mentoring program and a $20,000 donation from the has enabled us to hire a co- ordinator for the In -School cruit an additional 30 male and fe- male volunteers:' Mr. Colton says. more Ajax -Pickering boys and Bank's commitment to Big Broth- bright future " For more infixma- girls to get the support and friend- ers. We are very proud that our em- tion, call 686-2871. Royal Bank of Canada. Mentoring Program:' says Pickering nuclear station. The program• which aims to encourage at -risk students aged seven to 10 to in Paul Colton, past president of Big Brothers of Ajax - Pickering. "This is member of the citizens' stay school• pairs volunteer men- a staff re- source we haven't had the 'working group' advising SmITTY�S Hydro on it% environmental tors with a child. The men- funding for in the past. This establishment of a citizens' task force similar to the tors meet with the youngster once a week at the child's funding will enable io to bet- ter promote In-Schox>I Men - DAVID STEELE 'T onh structure HE ULTIMAT public input on the future of school to help build their toring - not included in the Hydro -��ES review. force process would start "It's just an idea that I've with the formation of a put forward," says Mr. steering committee consist- Steele, noting he's sent a ing of community represen- short memo about it to tative-s, perhaps some local Hydro and other working PACT urges citizens group members. Hydro of- aBEITER!4 5ra .Y •1 o.7 task force on nuclear monitoring proposal PICKERING — Pick- ering-Alax Cmiens To- ExcmNG gether ( PACT) for the Envi- �' LAM ronment chairman Dave �. . �• Steele has come up with a .s�►Y, - To fir, DEc 27TH -12 NoaN m proposal for the next phase -13 BUT of Ontario Hydro's environ- ^t' mental review and environ- .i mental action plan for the Pickering nuclear station. %Ir Steele. who's also a member of the citizens' 'working group' advising Hydro on it% environmental review, is recommending establishment of a citizens' task force similar to the Pickering 2001 Waterfront DAVID STEELE Task Force appointed by]/re onh structure the Town in 1997 to provide that will work public input on the future of Pickering's waterfront. not included in the Hydro In this case• the task review. force process would start "It's just an idea that I've with the formation of a put forward," says Mr. steering committee consist- Steele, noting he's sent a ing of community represen- short memo about it to tative-s, perhaps some local Hydro and other working people with technical ex- group members. Hydro of- pertisc on the issues to be ficials have said they'd like addressed. and at least one to discuss it with him fur - official from each of Hydro ther. and the Town of Pickering. Mr. Stccle maintains The steering committee something similar to his would review Hydro's envi- task force approach is "the ronmental review and ac- only structure that will tion plan, and make recom- work" because it will allow mendations as to how the for citizen control. plan should be implement- He says he's not worried od- citizens might lack the cx- It would also establish pertuse to take cm .uch a sub -committees, perhaps job. with members including '-We're not dealing with any citizens who are inter- the operation of the plant. ested. to investigate the we're just dealing with the `non -biophysical" issues environment:' he notes. Nuclear officials pledge 10 -point environment plan NUCLEAR f •om page Al based management tcxila to provide early identification to the citizens' working of unusual trends and spills. group. Judy Ryan, Picker- • Improved public commu- ing stauon manager for en- tucauon and consultation. vironment. safety and • Dtvelopment of a five- bealth, conceded the plan is year plan to address the bio - probably -rat perfect" but physical issues within the turned out better than it scope of the review, and an - would have without their other plan to address the input. She vowed Hydro non -biophysical issues would eventually address identified by the working all the issues raised by the group. group and the community, • Training programs to raise `so we will be a business awareness among station you want in your communi- staff of the importance of ty:' environmental issues. The review documents • Implementation of an en - submitted to the AECB in- vironmental management clude a disclaimer signed system at the plant. by the majority of wincing Neither the citizens' group members, stating working group troy the inde- they do not endorse the re- pendent reviewer appointed port or its conclusions be- by Hydro to assess its re - cause many issues were not view and action plan have adequately addressed in the yet responded to the final draft versions and group two -volume report Hydro members were not given the submitted to the AECB in opportunity to review the late November. final documents. At their recent meeting, Hydro has set aside working group members, about 190 million over five most of whom represent years for implementation of local community associa- the EAP, including 174 mil- tions, said they wanted to lion for the replacement of see the independent review - copper condenser tubes on er's report and consult with the 'A' side of the Pickering their associations before re- plant. However, it's yet to sponding. be determined precisely They did tell Hydro offh- what will be done in what cials, however, they don't order. Community input is think a new citizens' com- being sought on how the ac- mittee should be formed, as tion plan should be imple- suggested by Hydro, to pro- mented. vide public input on imple- The major components mentation of the EAP and of the EAP include: on how the non -biophysical • Improvements to environ- issues not addressed in the mental data gathering and review should be dealt with. monitoring systems, such as They said the existing and groundwater monitoring. now experienced working • Actions to reduce and fur- group should be kept in ther control station emis- place to fulfill that role, cions. with perhaps a few addi- • Improved management of tional members. Group radioactive and other waste members also wanted clear from the plant. terms of reference for the • Enhancement of the continued role of the work - ecosystem around the sta- ing group and how the re - tion. maining issues will be dealt • Introduction of new, risk- with. i LE ` 0 1 OF FINE tt'll F..U.RN� - �.f_A u i 1 i s FR�_Fygl'. , kI Sumo HouRs Fat THIS "END-0F=THE- iH °F� � s ExcmNG IINYTINNIG �' LAM YEAR" SAv�NGS EvENT! 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Santa exists in the man who shovels the driveway of a senior citizen in your neighbourhood, not for money or even thanks. His reward is knowing he has helped someone in their time of need. Santa lives inside the woman who prepares meals for someone on your block who's lost a loved one or is convalescing at home after a hospital stay. Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might not see Santa. unless you get out to the annual parade in his honour in Pickering. or get a glimpse of him at the local mall. But even if you did not see Santa Claus... what would that prove.' He might not dress in a bright red uniform, or sport a big white beard. But. he lives inside the men and women who belong to the service club that puts on the annual Santa Claus parade in your town — men and women who belong to service clubs to help make your community the great one it is. And, they are legion. Then there are the people who volunteer for various agencies and causes in the place you call home. They are the men and women who selflessly work for orga- nizations that deliv:r nutritious meals to shut-ins in your community. give up their spare time to lead Guide and Scout troops, man distress centre phone lines in the wee hours of the morning to help out peo- plc in a crisis. Santa Claus exists in each and every one of them. Just as he lives in the people who knock on doors in the dead of winter to raise money to help those with heart disease and victims of stroke, the individuals who give up time with their family to take cancer pa- tients for treatment, your fellow townsfolk who com- fort the sick and the elderly. Santa Claus is alive in the Block Parents who offer their homes as safe havens to children feeling threat- ened, in the St. John Ambulance brigade members who come to the aid of people who are injured or fall ill at public events, in the Community Care volunteers who drive the elderly to medical appointments. Santa exists in people who arc paid to do what they do — in the police officers who face death every day to serve and protect you, in the firefighters who put their lives on the line to save complete strangers, in the ambulance attendants who bring dead people back to life. He lives in the doctors and nurses, many of whom will staff your local hospital on Christmas day. Santa Claus exists in those average people who be- come extraordinary heroes, thrust into action by ex- traordinary circumstances. They are the Good Samar- itans who rush into a burning home to save someone they don't know, pull an accident victim from a crum- pled vehicle, jump into a lake to save a drowning child. Santa lives in all of us. really — when we help someone across the street, when we give up a train seat to a person who's tired or weak, when we open a door for a stranger whose hands are full. Yes. Virginia. there is a Santa Claus... Thank God he lives and lives forever. Season's greetings. — with t baaks to Francis P. Cbatrh, who wrote the fam eats edits rial `Yes, Vtrgiaia, there is a Santa Clans' in the New York Sam in 1817. He was responding to eight -real' -old Virginia O'Hanlon who wrote a letter to the editor questioning the existence of St. Nick. Extcerpts from that editorial have been italicized. YOU SAID IT The question was: What does the Christmas season mean to you? Zachary Lee -Anne Larry Swallow Cluett says, Jones says, says. "Christ - "It's all about "Christmas mas means one the birth of means spending thing -- family." !esus" time with fami- ly, giving and sharing" ADVERTISER DEC. OUR LETTERS V SANTA WERE EVEaYDAY IS RECURNED UNOPENED..- n SEEMS WE'RE ON CNRISTM / ND sus Nau6uN usT... MERE. INIONS . - 2 4 1'9 9 8 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Grade 3 test year for example it reported the av- bah men what they would do in his erage performance for Grade 3 stu- place, and neither one had an idea 11 in reading was 2.7. This is not on what to do except to say they results mislead possible! It was using nominal data would do it differently than Mr. or ranks and not ratio data. You can Harris. If solving the health care To the editon not calculate an average of ranks. problem in this province were easy. Re recent letter by Frank It's like vying the average "rank" the Liberals and the NDP would Threlkeld regarding Durham's poor at a military base is "Sergeant point have done it when they had the results in the second annual Grade seven". Ask anyone at the EQAO to chance. We now have people doth - 3 Education Quality and Account- show you a reaming paper at a sated to making things belt" for all ability office assessments: "Some of 2.7. They can not as the people of this province and the Mr. Threlkeld nunmates about none of the tested students were media only report the negative. the poor results of Durham Grade 3 ranked at that level. Ms. Sears goes on to say thatwe students on the recent EQAO test- While there are many good need nurses back in the hospitals ing. hie challenges Durham District things about attempting to evaluate and the patients back in hospital School Board superintendent of students' achievement in a beds. Long before Mr. Hams and ms prograBev Freedman to resign province -wide fashion so parents his government were were eleted, poo - if she can not fix this "problem" kno% where their individual child plc were being driven to and from PDQ. He accuses almost everyone stands. it is inappropriate to con- Princess Margaret Hospital so peo- at the board for the problem. demn the system for the results of plc from farther away could stay in What Mr. Thrclkcld missed was the testing as the EQAO has a long the hospital. She could have found an question of the accuurraxcyy of the MAO in its testing It way to ggcc�i before prc�v�ng that its re- this out if she had called the Cana - pmcednurcs. salt. reflect teaching effectiveness than Cancer Society. (As a firmer ciaums its test is a valid measure of and truly represent the achievement cancer patient 1 can assure her that student achievement on the curricu- of a gnxup as a whiffle. going home as soon as possible fol- ium but does not make public its Brooks %lasterton, lowing braatinew was appreciated.) validity studies. It claims high rch- PickerirrR Perhaps she is unaware there are ability rates for its markers but does The party asked other, less-dhs- home care providers available to not de It has Place blame for 1 - they — be horife with sale` rpublicdized no standardized demographically romp ridings so Mr. Rae could run for the their families. surrourided by famil- variables for socio-economic. edu- health care woes iar people and familiar things. Peo - Pic who are in the caregivmg b usi- cational or cognitive effects. In the end Mr. MacDonald, after 27 mess agree that the sick heal better other wimp the EQAO only thanks years, gave up a riding he could surrounded loved ones. Atte n is testing what it says it is testing. where It belongs Finally, federal Liberals This agency claims it is at arm's Mr. MacDonald, now 85, still have not kept their promises to length from the Mints" of Educe To the editor: scrap the GST and pay the two yet when I asked when the re- Re Diane Scan letter in the Dec. provinces the amoumLs cwvod. So if wits would come out (last year) 2 News Advertiser: you we going to place the blame on they said they had to go to the gov- She states that Premier Mike someone, please make sure you eminent first. Hams has somehow discredited place the blame on the right some - Questions of statistical sophts- Dalton McGuinty and Howard one. citation of the EQAO results are a Hampton. I assume the discrediting R.T. Witaka, i teal concern. Consider that lass was done when Mr Hams asked Piekerinw Long-time leader made big sacrifices ', Donald C. MacDonald did right thing for his party The most unselfish politician in own patty to get him out would the Ontario legislature in memory make him appear a leader trying to —and this is a good time of year to hang oro beyond his day. remember it — is finding life hard- ERC The question that li even rigors cr. today is whether New Democrats Donald C. MacDonald was�OWd would have been better off keeping leader of the Cooperative Com Mr. MacDonald. Mr. Lewis told moawealth Federation and tat" At Queen's Park them picking hits was their best New Democratic Patty from 1953. and probably list chance in a long when Leslie Frost was premier. time to beak trough. until 1970. When be took ova it highly organized public relations But in tree elections Mr. Lewis had only two seats, so it cannot be staffs. But it meant he got to an- managed to raise the NDP's vote said he jumped on a bandwagon. swer their questions, giving bis by at most three percentage points, The Progressive Conservative party's spin and ensuring that the a small gain compared to what Mr. government had 22 ministries and NDP got splice in media out of pro- MacDonald had given it as leader, Mr. MacDonald was his party's portion to its numbers. aid subsequent leaders were un - critic on 18 of them. He kept a file Mr. MacDonald led the New able to raise it even to the level at on each, into which be *brew any Democrats to 25.9 per cat of the which Mr. MacDonald left until the its= and research his patty turned vote by the late I %Os, bit was m public became disgusted at Tory rip — although for a time its only his 50s that and younger politi- and Liberal governments in quick staff was a part-time secretary — cians were thought to have all the succession and turned to the NDP and clippings from newspapers, virtues and there was some demand at last in 1990. and grabbed that file and was ready for ashore contemporary leader. Mr. MacDonald's second big to speak on any at a moment's no- Mr. Renwick ran against him in act of self-sacrifice was in 1982 tice. 1968 and Mr. MacDonald beat hien when the Ontario NDP picked Bob His riding of York South was off. But in 1970 — although Mr. Rae, then the federal party's fi- paved over and miles from a farm, MacDonald glosses over it in a nance critic, as lead". but he drove around enough to be new, updated version of his biogra- The party asked other, less-dhs- as informed a critic on agriculture phy, 'The Happy Warrior,' presum- tinguished MPPs to give up thea as his rivals. ably trying to avoid reopening old ridings so Mr. Rae could run for the When Mr. MacDonald later had wounds — Mr. Lewis and his sup- legislature, but none would and in the luxury of leading eight MPPs, porters quietly gathered strength the end Mr. MacDonald, after 27 including brilliant orator Stephen for thea run. years, gave up a riding he could Lewis, economist Kenneth Bryden On learning of it, Mr. MacDon- still be holding today. and lames Renwick, who turned ald announced he would step Mr. MacDonald, now 85, still his back on corporation law and down. He claimed he could have works at all levels in the party in - provided legal depth, his tiny party won again and there is no doubt he cluding heading a committee to was more effective than the 24 could have put up a good fight. elect a New Democrat in his former MPPs of the rival opposition Liber- But he said this would first di- riding and is president of a commu- als and may have been the most vert his party from its top priority nity centre he founded, but is not withering opposition of all time. of preparing for an election due in quite as busy as he was because he Mr. MacDonald was the only 1971 against an expected new Tory has prostate canter. party leader ever to deliver his Premier, who turned out to be the He is spechal because pditicians thews releases personally to every indestructible William Davis. do no like to give up their mo - reporter in the press gallery, which Mr. MacDonald also conceded ments of glory, but Mr. MacDonald could not happen with today's accurately that two attempts by his did — twice. PICKERING NEWS ADVERTISER A Metroland Community Newspaper Tim Whittaker Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor -in -Chief Steve Houston Managing Editor Bruce Danford Director of Advertising Duncan Fletcher Retort Advertising Manager Eddie Kolodziejcsk Classified Advertising .Man- ager John Wilkins Real EstateAutomotive Ad- vertising .Manager Abe Fakhourie Distribution Stanger Lillian Hook OfficeManager Barb Harrison Co -posing Manager News (905)683-5110 .51111122 (905)683-5110 clanifick (905)683-0707 Distribution (9051683-5111 General Fa: (903)683-7363 E -Mail amsroonra:durhamnct Web address www.durhamncws.nct 130 Commercial Ave.. Ajax. Om. L IS 2113 The News Advertiser is one of Cie Mctroland Printing. Publishing and Distributing Stoup of ricoVapem The News Adv rtna is a maaba of the Ajax et Pickering Board of Trade. Ontario Commun dy Newspaper Assoc.. Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc.. Canadian Circulations Audit Board and Cie Ontario chess Council. The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse any advertisement. Crede for ad- vatiserriem limited to space price ata occupies. r ; The News Advertiser ac- cepts Icness to the editor. All letters should be typed or neatly hand-written, 130 wads. Each letter must be signed with a first and last time or two initials and a last name. Please include a phone number for verifica- tion. The editor reserves the right to edit copy for style, length and content. Opin- ions expressed in levers are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the News Advertiser. We regnet that due to the volume of letters, not all will be prkw ed. AJ GRol % %,­ 1 ! , ANDREW IWANOWSK!/ News Advertiser photo An eye on the news In a year that saw extreme weather credited the use of a bicycle helmet patterns, unprecedented civil un- with saving his life after colliding rest in the province, tragedy and with a car in south Ajax. He says villainy, Ajax -Pickering News Ad- his black eye could have been vertiser photographers have had much worse, but for the use of his their eyes on it. cycling helmet. ABovF.: The hot summer created RIGHT: Earl Manners, provincial great leisure opportunities for peo- president of the Ontario Secondary plc like Daniel White, who floated School Teachers Federation, joined freely along the shore of Lake On- Durham picket lines in the ongoing tario. But intense summer storms dispute between educators, admin - swept through Ajax and Pickering istrators, politicians and parents marc than once this past stinitner. ,%er r,ur education system Strikes �a�in_• pnperts d:nna�c m their Ice' thousands of studcr', in in Rr2111n Aith„., NEWS ADVERTI6ERTINIMM. DECEMOER 24.7911011 PAGE A7 AIP R(A p1E7RONIR0/ lbw i :1 dcertiser photo ANDR,FW tWANOtVSKt/ News Advertiser photo Auna: A Pickcnng Village stand-off in Au- dexcover. gust brought heavily armed Tactical Support Br:t.tnv: When Dunbarton High School Unit members of the Durham Regional PoIKx wrestler Ryan Brown hauled schoolmate Euan Service into action. The stand-off ended when McKay last January, he likely dxin't realize the suspect police were seeking was deemed to high schixA sports were in jeopardy. But a dis- have left the area. There were no injuries re- putc between teachers and the Province effec- pored. tively killed high schxxl sports this school year. Aw)%F, Rt am Police officers from across the Boym)m Rlt;wr October saw two men killed ctwtntry gathered Aug. 10 to mourn the loss of when a van stolen in Ajax crashed into a car at Det. Const. Bill Hancox in Pickering. The Gibbons Street and Manon Asenuc in Os - Toronto Police officer was stabbed to death in hawa. The dnver of the car, a h' Near -old a Scarborough parking lex while working un- woman, was seniu,1N injured. JASON IJEBREGTS / News Advertiser photo tIli I I1 ' ` t ` t 'k ` t P, 11 P■ III meetiys ' . WORDS FROM DURHAM REGION THE WISE I!ioVL0*4 ��� may, Jon. 5, 10 aAL - Planning Committee, Planning Department Boardroom, 4th Floor, pOlitlCs, Points Of Vew and Parodies Lang Tower, Whitby Mall, 1615 Dundas St. E., - Whitby. ber of new job seekers for management occu- of study have good work prospects for the Year 7iumday, Jan. 5, 1:30 p.m. - Works Committee, pations and occupations requiring postsec- 2001: Auto mechanic, auto body. business; Works Department Boardroom, 105 Consumers ondary education. computer science; dental hygiene; dentistry; Dr., Whitby. Examples of occupations in these two cate- engineering technologies; law; medicine; ma- gories include financial managers, human re- chinist and veterinary medicine. Wednesday, Jan, 6, 10 &AL - Finance and Ad- source managers, chemists/chemical technolo- ministration Committee, Room B-15, Durham gists, geologists/geological technologists, ma- what's It mean? Region Headquarters. 605 Rossland Rd. E., chinists and electrical trades and telecommuni- Whitby. cations workers. Letter writer J.A. Wraight sent us reaching For those without a high school education, for the dictionary this week for a definition of future labour market continues are expected to 'sop'. Webster's defines 'sop' as a conciliatory worsen for such occupations as mail and mes or propitiatory bribe, gift or advance. Points to Pooder sage distributors; cashiers; attendants in travel. RE: abolishing the monarchy Wraight accommodation and recreation. and machine wrote:'/n this season of peace and lore why do JOB FUTURES, a career counselling operators and related workers in metal and the Liberals decide to raise an issue xhich will product of HLman Resources Development mineral products processing. raise the hackles of monarchists, those cog - Canada predicts the next two years will see the If you're looking at post -secondary educa- nizant of our hisrorv, those who will see this as number of new job openings exceed the num- tion, Job Futures suggests the following Gelds one more sop to Quebec?' o~ WALTER PASSARELLA/ News Advertiser photo AOP PAGE " NEws ADvEnTawk TNURSDAY UNTM, DECEMBER 24, IM I End-of-the-Yetirr, One -Day -Only Boxing Day Blow-(?ut! o7l A, Nil" A IS 11 hMAVWftM,Qa�k Y Nk' QUANTITY & SELECTION MAY VARY BY STORE. 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Sorry, no rainchecks, substitutions or delivery _ -_a -: on e �items �a are ova Valid in-store only, not with phone-in/fax-in orders. We reserve the right to limit quantities. Some items may not be exactly as shown. In this interest of safety and fairness to all our customers, some controls will be in place. Personal shopping only,. Look Out for Hundreds of End -Of -Season Clearance Items! NM AWAMTI/EII TINJIt1R M Et MK DECEUMM 24. 119111111 PAGE In Ali FRN THE SportS& EISURE' YEAR rI•th !!I MEM PEAR! EWE All INlttitt Itrft • kind Rlltft1f • �tttlt • 11 t Opt Il!ir N E W S A D V E R T I S E R D E C. 2. 4. 1 9 9 8 « ... 002-321 c Oh, what a year, BY BRIAN LF.GREE Staf *Editur Take a rest, Durham Region sports community. Enjoy the holiday season. Untie your Nikes and put all that winning on hold for a few days. Can't shake that constant 'eat. sleep. sports' lifestyle? Try some non- competitive reindeer games. And if you get a chance, take a few moments and reflect on all that you have achieved this year. It's a large and impressive list of sporting success. 1998 will go down as one of the most memorable years in Durham's sports history, with everything from Olympic medals to national titles. Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the achievements is the wide range of sports in which area athletes ex- celled — curling, lacrosse, gymnas- tics, racing, track and field, baseball, softball — you get the idea. In this season known for wise men, ranking the sporting achievements would not be wise. How do you com- pare Olympic silver with Canadian gold, without factoring in frankin- cense or myrrh'? As a result, in no particular order, here are the top -10 sporting achieve- ments by Durham Region athletes in 1998: - The Olympic silver modal won by Pickering curlers Richard Hart and Collin Mitchell at the Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. The pair were members of the rink skipped by Mike Harris, who were disappointed mit to finch in the premier position, but still pleased with their Olympic expen- erice. "For me it was a chance of a life- time." says Hart. Mile neatest thing was normally you're a member of a four -man team, it's neat to be a mem- ber of a ISS -member team, and meet all the other athletes, they're all so supportive. That was, to me. the nwist special part of it:' `It's neat to be a member of the 155 -member team, and meet all the other athietes...That was, to me, the most special part of it.' RICHARD HART, CANADIAN MEN'S OLYMPIC CURLING TEAM • O%hawa's Danielle Hicks and Whitby's Michelle Totz both wore na- tional crowns after the Gemini gym- nasts won at the Canadian Gymnastics Championships in Hamilton at the end of May. Hicks, 12 at the time of her win, was concise in what it takes to become a champion. "It wasn't easy, you have to work hard for it:' she said. Totz, 16, also touched on the work involved to stand tall on the medal podium: "1 pushed myself the whole week. Now that 1 think of it, whoa, na- tional champion of Canada; it's kind of scary.., - The Clarington Green Gaels — a team with players from all over Durham Region — captured the Founders Cup championship, as the top Junior B lacrosse team in Canada. Clarington defeated the host team rep- resanting the Iroquois Lacrosse Asso- ciation (ILA) 13-6 in the champi- onship final. Shortly after returning to their hotel in Cornwall, a box of vic- tory stogies was brought out for team members. At one point we had 42 cigars going in the one room:' said Claring- ton's Stefan Hewak, the most valuable player at the four -team tournament. "It was quite the hotbox in the room there for awhile.' In fact, hotel securi- ty arrived and asked club members to smoke their cigars outside. The Green Gaels complied. Besides the stench of cigars, the Green Gaels' hotel was also filled with some boisterous rendi- tions of the national anthem. The Clarington entourage was upset tour- nament organizers didn't play the Canadian anthem before any of the thatches. "We didn't hear it all week," Hewak said of the anthem. "It wasn't right. So when we went back to the hotel (after the final) we sang it to our hearts' content" - The retirement of legendary jock- ey Sandy Hawley, who called it a ca- reer during the summer to take a job with the Ontario Jockey Club. The classy Hawley, whose roots run in both Oshawa and Whitby, retires a winner. Just consider the numbers — more than 6,400 victories, four Queen's Plate victories, nine Canadi- Durham athletes dazzled us in 1998. Here are our top 10 sporting moments Durham .Some of Durham Region's top athletes of 1998 were (top photo) Ohmpic silver medal winning curler Collin Mitchell. of Pickering, who vs -as a member of the Mike Harris team: (right photo) Canadian gym- nastics champions Michelle Tatz (left) and Danielle Hick and (bottom photo) the Pickering Trojans high school baseball team, which ruptured the Prentice Cup championship at Toronto'% Sk%Dome. an jockey titles, five North American tides, almost $89 million in purse money won. It may have been Al Davis who coined the catch phrase 'Just win, baby', but it was Hawley who brought the philosophy to life. • Remember high school sports'? Although the future of high school athletics remains in limbo. Durham athletes certainly made their mark during the first-half of 1998, before LOSSA activities were suspended. Of all the outstanding achievements at the high school level, a couple merit extra attention. The Pickering Trojans proved to be 'he top high school baseball team in the Greater Toronto Area, winning the Prentice Cup at Toronto's SkyDome, heating Thornhill 3-2 in the final. - LOSSA athletes were fabulous at the Ontario track and field champi- ,,nships. Perdita Fehcien. 17, a Grade 11 student at Pine Ridge Secondary School in Pickering. ,mashed a Cana- dian interscholastic record for the se- nior girls' 100 -metre hurdles en route to two gold medals and a silver at the OFSAA championships. Felicien ran the I(X)-metre hurdles in 13.41 sec- onds which not only eclipsed the pre- vious best at OFSAA, but was also the best for that event by a high school athlete ever. The previous mark was set 18 years ago. Felicien's other gold medal came in the 200-mctre race in a time of 24.67 seconds. She also rarncd a silver medal in the 100 me- rr. R-;s.y Liphardt. of Ajax, helped .^narton High School of Pickering •ne „vcrall senior girls' crown at the f SAA championships with three ld-medal performances and a -nrozc. The Grade 12 student ran to _Old in the 4(X) -metre hurdles in a me of 1:1.02 ,ecoids, in the 400- -ictre race in 55.2 and as part of Dun- -anon's 4 -x -100 -metre sprint relay *_,am. Her bronze medal came in the (0 -metre hurdles. Kcsin DeSousza of Whitby's An- :crson Collegiatc, was a double-guld- • cdal winner, in senior men's long .-np and triple Jump. • I lementary school athletics in tia n continues to be unparalleled . here in Ontario. More proof was ned up at the Provincial Cup ele- cntary volleyball championships in iirampton, which featured an all- : iurham affair. W'hithy's Glen Dhu .,on the boys' title, topping Oshawa's Kedron in the final. while Pickering', William Dunbar claimed the championship, heating Glen Dhu in the final. - P. n Perry's Devon Powell con- inue.l his racing anent by capturing I.X 12 -event Motorola Cup racing se- : ics. Powell oNercame controversy losing some points in a race after being caught with illegal parts in his engine 1 to win the drivers' title with Doug Goad. It's the second straight year Powell has won a dri%cr,,' title. having claimed the EnduroSeries :hampwnship in 1997. Whuhy'sTerry %I.w Donald -Cadieux also haki a strong season in the Motorola Cup, finishing .n tourth place. • It may be old hat, but the Durham Lady Lords clearly aren't tiring of winning. They claimed their eighth OCAA women's softball title, includ- ing third in past five years, blanking Conestoga 10-0 in the final in Octo- her. After losing its first game of the year at a tournament in Rochester, the Lords won 20 straight games. The team was led by Shannon Tabb, Amandy Jeffrey and Orono's Lesley West. Coach Jim Nemish says he's coached many talented teams, but this year's squad was "the best of the best." - Does Bo or Deion know Joanna Van Dyke'? Bo and Deion, known as two sport talents for playing both baseball and football, have nothing on Van Dyke, who plays volleyball, bas- ketball and softball at Durham Col- lege and who was named Ontario Col- leges Athletic Association female ath- lete of the year and was also named Canadian Colleges Athletic Associa- tion all-star. Her hardware haul also included being named Durham Col- lege female athlete of the year. Van Dyke, who is taking business adminis- tration. began her athletic career at Pines Public School near Newcastle, participating in soccer, track and field, basketball and volleyball. A tried everything:' she says. "1 wanted to keep busy and have fun:' She still is. Honourable mention goes to: • Whitby's O.J. Santiago, having a strong season with the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL • Oshawa's J.P. Davis, a standow at Guelph University named the Canadi- an university hockey player of the year. P PAM 82 IOW AWAMT E M THW1l8 W EWICK DEC01sER 24, 11911111111 SCOREBOARD DEC. 24. 1998 011111101111110 PROWDIC" MOW W NOCM LEA= Stendlrgs rot Deo 21 TEAM Gw L T Ort. F A PTS OGA Tremor 32 211 8 1 2 1188116 45 3.63 Lindsay% 20 9 3 2 143 97 45 285 Kingston 33 20 9 3 2 143 97 45 3.61 Pckermg 31 211 10 0 0 141 9B 42 3.16 wellington 33 19 13 0 1 144 la"39 4.33 Oshawa 32 16 14 2 0 1381129 34 4.03 Auburn 32 15 15 2 0 142 135 32 4.22 Cobourg 34 13 15 5 1 14612532 3.66 PalerbnrouO23 11 15 5 3 1121141 30 415 Pon Hope 30 112 13 3 2 113 147 29 490 Alex 33 ,/ 17 4 11 103 145 27 4 39 Bowmamrdle 32 10 17 3 2 114 136 25 425 Bannon 33 8 23 1 1 83 147 18 445 EAST CONFERENCE SCORING LEADERS Ektr►Frgus As w Dec. 21 7 2 25 PLAYER TEAM GP G A PTS PM Donald P.11,* Auburn 29 27 35 62 4 , Ben Blakeray Tion 28 20 33 53 25 Kur,is McLean Trer:ton 29 21 31 52 35 Adam Rivers Welknglon 29 22 26 48 31 Roo Gordon Lmosay 31 21 24 45 32 Rot) McLean CoWwg 30 17 2744 26 Tom Paoln, Auburn 27 22 21 43 60 Troy Thompson Cobou,g 30 19 24 43 33 Tomas Mannar Pon Hope 27 12 30 42 27 Jell Pemenck Fttr, Hope 28 16 26 42 43 Todd Bowler Trenton 29 20 20 40 30 Snare DiamonoCobourq 30 13 24 37 24 Rot) Marin Port Hope 24 17 119 36 69 Ryan Jack—Bowniamnlle 27 15 20 35 55 Gary Sage weangton 29 7 28 35 64 George, Tn,on Pickering 26 14 20 34 8 Joel Johnston Pckarng 24 12 21 33 64 DOW C411ml7berhiWington 24 21 12 33 67 Stacey Bratonaoshake 31 13 20 33 28 Paul Matucc, Lindsay 29 11 20 31 65 Janes RoberiscrWingston 30 15 17 32 50 Robert Chapmar,Wellmgton 31 14 18 32 24 Ryan S,k'_23 11 20 31 6 Man Sikora Pen Hope 27 16113 311 2 A.— Lee Trenton 28 10 21 31 21 Jason WaketyK099M 30 9 22 31 28 Cameron LvalI Alex 31 11 20 31 31 Joeh Sano. Wallington 31 12 19 31 42 EASTERN CONFERENCE GOALTENMRS 2 0 4734 As of Ow, 21 Kambon PLAYER TEAM IM GP GA AV SO Jared Rushi- Lindsay 618 'C 30 28 2 72 1 Nate BedloM Lindsay 1264 2107 66 3 13 JOIN Cameron PrJtamg 877 1462 46 3.15 1 Bryan Strortgmenlingsron 1167 1945 63 3.24 1 Paul Gu l -e Pickering 604 10 07 33 3.28 0 Drew Macintyre Tran :x, 727 12.12 42 347 1 And— Sim Cobourg 1446 2410 64 349 1 Paul SChordaiderWeulpOn 1056 1763 63 3 57 0 Josh Ross AM, 93? •s 55 56 3 60 0 RM4 PICKEG MEN'S BASKETBALL LEAGUE 12 2 MASTERS DIVISION Pay � Dae ' 6 75 { GAME ONE ORkM Bobs 57 w Etwoy Bu.ness Sint— 27 " 2 I Wile SCORERS ♦ O DWoa BOOP Ao,,ArA4r 11, Per Roach 10. KO Van 62 0 rJ—Ker,. p•Jwak.,eon 10 Ex oy Baaaare SYelaras Eir• Amer Manx, 9. Fred Dever 6. Roger `b,n0 F TEAM GAMETIIO L T F Mud Hens 37 h. Ver, Kam w, insuranca 27 Mlookwcr TOP SCOTERS 2 1 67 Mud Nen st St— Laanv • a L ike LJer,er.,er, 7. Owe M Van (. ON x_ Espos to 13 Tom Pbry 7. LML- ae..Kes 6 O 0 b A.J. GROF_N/ News Advertiser photo A helping hand Leonore Palmer -Milson is helped on the ice by Pick- ering Panthers' captain Bill Duncan during a skating GAMETHREE pain' hosted by the OHA Ontario Provincial Junior EI'Rdd Holdings S6- Mivanie � 36 A' Hockt v Club at the Pickering Recreation Cz7mplex 13~" ,6',610,11 Scott 18 Raw Fd. 14 Maw Jov rnOv M/Jndav afternoon. 13 Melar-a Prni}a Cary Sherdon 9 Bntca Bram 7 Brad Howe• ' K4.n WaAr. • I GATE FOUR MrINye 98 n k,srx— P. "_ 55 No SCOTERS eexry. R.y Johns 20 Don Lee,ty 12 Barry Wood '1. Al B~.asses PWOMO Roy Chr.aare-r 14. Karl muiia.neor •2 a» BMs - CENTRAL 011TAPSO RINGETTE LEAGUE Stard.,gs as of 'Jac '5 TEAM G M L TF A PTS Ow - 13 110 2 n 27 21 uh—uge 10 9 0 S3 23 14 eah4py 11 9 1 0 82 15 14 Iya, 12 9 3 / w 27 17 Cx,rwrdge 14 { 7 1 % N 13 Pasarnp 12 3 { 1 311 % 7 Ektr►Frgus 111 2 7 2 25 38 6 K4Okina, 10 2 6 0 27 41 4 WaMr00 11 0 11 0 7 92 0 Country Club. BELLEMS Op16fOte terherough Curling Club. rtm G w l T F A PTS Camdoq. Baas '0 ,G 0 74 30 A C emaag. Dao 14 f 3 2 06 53 20 ab ssarbe Oso 11 3 3 1 % 45 11 poke, Ir,rerrr,sdlarr { 4 3 1 M p 9 Ealacdaa Dao is 1 S 0 21 51 2 wtlwyr Bees 12 1 11 0 43 70 2 DESIMrAWDTATE or4ism TEAM G W L T F A FTS mai"IN 13 tri 2 65 .3 2' Camtr'oge t t 9 % 23 119 1akyOL.cJ, 1s 7 5 3 M S2 n M6lwi.. 9 7 2 0 4734 14 Kambon 11 3 5 1 5,: 45 11 5< Ceslpxrs 431 3 0 31 27 10 Ata„ 11 4 7 0 32 SI . E106COee 12 2 9 2 44 75 { SOWOWO-W0 7 2 31 " 2 I Plying ♦ O 9 0 23 62 0 rw'Ele auris N TEAM G W L T F A PTS Mlookwcr '4 2 1 67 :5 23 lame 9 9 O 0 b x /S K4a,ena 11 { 1 4 46 24 /{ Ale. 12 7 ♦ 1 46 34 15 "an don 13 7 { 0 47 M 14 F.soercpke s0 S 5 0 50 S9 /0 Landon 13 3 { 4 So ed 10 WADW o 10 4 { 0 27 38 8 Elora-FMg1q 14 4 1d 0 42 % 6 -k A-r^D 9 0 a 1 26 51 1 r,p Bwoi, 9 0 9, 17 43 1 TEAM aBAOR DlhsloN G WL T F A FrS P iarng 9 9 v 49 22 18 MGxn Forest 8 5 3 0 36 25 10 App 10 4 6 0 27 31 6 MamAon • 3 s 0 26 36 6 Bunting- 9 1 BELLE 6 0 21 48 2 TEAM OMBIOM GW L T F A FTS Her— 8 6 C C 58 14 16 Pry,areg 9 6 1 2 42 31 14 Ape 15 S 8 2 47 53 12 Mississauga 10 5 4 13D 35 11 What 12 5 6 1 47 61 11 tkooniarm 10 5 5 0 56 47 10 Kitchener 12 3 81 41 63 7 Waterloo 10 2 7 1 37 54 5 ONTAMO CENTRAL 11*01011 AINGETTE s ear re STANDBIGS As 01 Dec 19 FE1RE WI' 011,1111" WANG W L T F A FTS Richmond Isall 6 6 1 1 62 25 13 Markham 9 6 2 , 40 20 13 pouvng 7 5 0 2 31 17 12 Ala. 9 5 4 0 ed 32 10 Whaby 7 3 3 1 40 29 7 Elobicake 7 2 5 0 25 42 4 Newm~ 9 / B 0 26 82 2 Richmond MM2 6 0 5 1 16 42 1 TWEEN'S' DWISWN TEAM G WL T F A PTB Oshawa 7 7 0 0 51 17 14 Port Parry 6 51 0 32 22 10 Wh-py 7 5 2 0 35 17 10 Markham 6 3 3 0 24 19 6 Sunderland 6 3 3 0 17 21 6 pow.1g 4 1 2 1 13 18 3 Nowrwrket 6 0 7 1 21 55 1 Alen 6 0 6 0 15 39 0Milt .[Milt's' 0110110101111 TEAM G WL T F A FrS Oshawa 7 6 1 0 32 11 12 Sunderland 7 6 1 0 29 11 12 Picker.lg-1 6 6 2 0 32 21 12 Whipy 7 5 1 1 29 16 11 Ajax 6 4 4 0 35 28 6 Port Party B 3 3 2 29 30 8 Markham.l 7 2 4 115 20 5 Markham -2 6 1 3 2 15 22 4 hawmirkat 7 2 5 0 16 23 4 Manvers 6 1 5 0 13 33 2 Palermg.2 7 0 7 0 14 44 0 BELLE V, MASON TEAM G W L T F A PTS Berne 8 B 0 0 53 10 16 Sunoe,a-'d B 6 22 0 48 29 12 Pickering 7 3 3 1 27 33 7 Markham 5 3 2 - 19 11 6 Mariposa 6 2 3 1 14 33 5 Rr I'mono Hill 5 2 3 0 15 29 4 Nawmarkel 5 2 3 0 27 51 3 Ala, 9 1 7 1 28 45 3 PEIFTE'O' DIVISION TEAM G IN L T F A PTs Sunde,'mnd 98 0 1 69 14 ,7 Whdoy.l 10 J 2 , 62 33 ,5 Port Perry 7 6 0 1 52 12 13 Vmdby-2 9 5 4 0 69 33 10 Mariposa 7 4 2 1 53 26 9 A)axa2 6 4 3 1 33 41 9 Enn,snlon 7 43 0 41 31 8 Alexa1 9 3 5 1 34 51 7 Markham 7 2 3 225 24 6 Pickering 6 3 5 0 39 55 6 Richmond HA 6 1 S 0 18 29 2 Bra nploh 5 1 3 1 19 20 3 Maness 5 0 5 0 11 M 0 Area curler swept from regionals heads to national mixed event BYJIM EASSON husband Bob are members of a Turcottes and Lawes. It's the Special it, the News Advertiser rink which will represent On- first national event for AJAX — An Ajax curler tario at the 1999 AT&T Canadi- Weigand, but he played at the Vias 'wept aside at the regional an Mixed Curling Champi- 1981 Labatt Brier and has two pla%downs in Peterborough this onship in Victoria Jan. 9 to 17. Canadian seniors titles to his I,aSt l%eekend. The Turcottes. along with Roy credit. Kristin Turcotte's Bayview Weigand and Andrea Lawes, Annandale curlers had some Curling Club rink, which ad- earned a berth in the national success at the first Curling for %arwcd to the Ontario Ladies' mixed event after winning the Ducks mixed fun honspiel pre - Curling Association Hearts Re- Ontario Mixed Curling Cham- sented by Ducks Unlimited 0101131 Playdowns after winning pionship at St. Thomas in April. Canada at the Oshawa Golf !hc 'A' side of the zone event The Turcotte rink curls out of Club on Dec. 13. Dan Stencil earlier this month, was defeated the Scarborough Golf and and his Annandale team fin - in the: 'B' semi-final at the Pe- Country Club. ished second and clubmate Bob terherough Curling Club. This will be third trip to the Evans placed third. Both teams Meanwhile. Kristin and her national mixed event for the won framed prints as prizes. Denis menaces opposition goalies to pace peewees PICKERING — The Pickering Panthers Bay Cycle/Tacc Construction major peewee select hock- ey team notched two more wins in recent games to bring its regular -season record to 8-l. The peewee Panthers scored a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Vaughan Rangers at the Don Beer Arena. Chris Macilwain was the hero for Pickering, scoring with only 22 sec- onds left on the clock. Earning assists were Bren- dan Bowes and Chris Walsh. The forward line of Adam Markew, Andrew Hackett and Paul Denis dominated the scoresheet. Team captain Markew had two goals and an assist. Hackett chipped in with three assists and Denis added a goal and an assist. Also scoring was Jesse Se- ward. The Panthers also recorded a 3-1 win over the Stouffville Clippers thanks to a three -goal effort by Denis. John Kenthol and Michael Dhaliwal each earned two assists. Markew had one helper. The Panthers' impres- sive 13-2 record in league and exhibition play is in large part due to the superb goaltending of Andrew Wilcox and Ken Saunders. Other team members are Zak Durnan. Craig Burrell, Ryan Rogatinsky, Brian Walders, Jean-Paul Lambert and Colin Frizzell. The team is coached by Al Macilwain, assisted by Matt Seward. The trainer is Ken Saunders and the manager is Stephen Ken- thol. © Your Toronto Ford & Mercury Dealers Year End 0% Event 3 ,\�,IIIJ,, o \ '\ I =9 3= ;8 4; 5 \\ 6 /1/ / / l I 1 1 ` % There's still time to get a great deal on a '98 Make your best deal and get 0%. 48 month purchase financing on most'" Ford & Mercury models. cd AM oar Jas y speduh '� � n�s37-jajs -4(TERO- aa%EstenSE a a"% Comm SEMarmy oea NWTaetlsSESW Jba1WwdF4rsissW swW Q w"M yin ow llrsfim LS yes Imdil /N=" STYE IS vett aW sgEstri yeti Hotter Save$3,661` sTo$4t57T i55,493` o$6,409* Up To In interest compared to 8.5% financing 7W EW Offer Ends December 31st. Hunting Clothing y 1 aintball Supplies Camouflage Clothing VM NUTERS NEAD THE LEGaAL CC" *0% ,llorlthl P-Yrr,-nt %M 66r7K• V W =stock 19M Ford xW Mercury model for a maaimum of M months on approved credit to qualified retail customers. 1.9. $20,000 financed at 0% annual Percentage rate J'Alift') for 46 ng rC.O.e') is 50 and total to be repaid is 520,000 with 50 clown payment. 19% in -stock Ford Escort SE Sedan or wagon with $20,000 financed at O% APR for 46 month, C.O.S. is % compared to a finxKing rife of 8.5% for 49 months, C, O.B. n 53.662.08. 1998 in -stock Contour SE/Mystique LS Spore with $25,000 financed at 0% AM for 48 months, C.O.B. n 50, compared to a financing rate of 8.5% for Oft si onthL GO.1. is $41ST7.60. 1998 in4tock Ford Taurus SE Sport7Mercury Sable LS with 530.000 financed at 0% APR for 48 months, C.O.B. b $0, cornperad to a RllarKirg rale of 35% for 48 months, C.O.B. 1s $5,493.12. 1996 in -cock F -Series SILT Supencab 4th with $35.000 finariced at 0% APR for 41 months. Co B. ,s $0, compared to a finarxing rate of 8.5% for M months, C.O.B. n 56A09.12. This ogee doe not include Econolme. F�Series 85001bs Grow vehicle weight (GVNO p U1KOIn modals. Gown pwnwK may fat required 0It above firlxlring offer These N fasgFa 4akldalFOK1 *IFF Mew 1999 Taurus/Sable GS/Sf monlflly {ease prynerlt o1 5453.26 based on 36 month lease from Ford Credit to gwlified Faun Maine, an approved aedit. Some conditions and a mileage cask` on of 60,000 km oar 3,6tmorlths apply. Add = charge for lahkles apply. Down paymarm a eglawlent It may be reguned. First month's payment and F4aPKy deposit (5500) required. line,, Mcatice, hnurance and all applicable tam are addlMorsM. New 1999 F -Ser es under 6500 GVW mmlhly leve payment of 5461,67 based on 30 month lease from Ford Credit to qualified retail 9eleolif apProvnd�d Fni�m � wndIt Via ! restriction of 50,000 Fun acral i0 mail apply, Additional charges for vehkle apply. Down Payment or equivalent trade may be reiluirad first months payment " aecu tty 500) applicable axes are adQlllWlel. Thee w uslRb ealndeBOKF oKIF Offers carrot be contbfrted. Dealer may sell or lease for Mss. All Offen may, change without notice. IJtrstad isle off4n. Sae deeMr for IuM deals Toronto FMOA, P.O. Box 2000, Oakville, Ontario L6) SE4 NEWS ADVERTISER THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24. 1990 PAGE B3 MP in pictures .Spirit Day at Maple Rids,e Public School led to the collection of fix,�d jiir hun- t;ry families being helped bti• the Salvation Army this Christmas. Studentsleff CondNt Alexandra RIr hards'on, Judie Caner, Shamim Premji, Leigh Coftei. Danielle Edwards and Blair Quigley prepare the boxes for their donation. Claremont Public School students had the distinction last week of malting the first un and foul donations to the new North Picker- ing Fcxxl Bank. At the front is Jocelvn Blandford Back mw, from left is Caroline Bickerton. Melanie Paterson and Amanda Brock. Waste not, want not Mind the Christmas Day 3Rs challenge Waste not, want not' Christmas day 3Rs chal- lenge Next year at this time a four -bag garbage limit will be in place for Pickering, so this is a good year to practice getting below that limit. When we begin to tidy away some of the Christ- mas morning clutter, think Reuse and Recycle. You will be surprised to see how much is rccy- clable. Instead of a green garbage bag, put out sever- al boxes to gather the recy- clables. With most of our Christmas waste being reusable ribbons and recy- clable paper there should not be much garbage. Ask which family member would like to he in charge of this most important task of separation. ❑ Firstly open each gift carefully to reuse the paper. If paper and tag are not reusable again, don't crunch them up, rather leave flat and put into a paper box. On recycling day be store to weigh loose paper down with newspapers. Also a Blue Box of glass, tin, !fl plastic, and alu- minum pie plates can be placed on top to prevent any loose paper from blowing away. O Save greeting cards to be reused as tags, make into little boxes, cut in half to be used as post cards for the next year, or send to a day-care centre for crafts. D Save ribbons, bows, and cloth gift bags for next year. O Recycle all flattened boxboard with corrugated cardboard. Be sure to re- move any plastic bubble, elastic, etc. 0 Reuse plastic blister packaging for crafts or use as moulds for melted chocolate treats. D Gather corks, poly- styrene, and other items that could he used for crafts or send to a day-care centre. O Collect all clean plastic film bags, includ- .. Larraine .1 ? Roulston Recyrler s Garner ing the plastic on pop and juice bottle cases, for recy- cling at some supermar- kets. Pickering's Amberlea Plaza is one location where plastic bags can be taken. Look for the blue and white recycling box between the two main doors at the Dominion Sav-A-Centre. Avoid putting plastic bags in your Blue Box. J Wrap up all turkey and food leftovers for casseroles. J Compost all food scraps and any wilted flowers. The family's 3Rs hero can be spared after-dinner dish duties. This may be a good year to begin looking be- yond the jangled commer- cialism that Christmas has become and focus on spir- itual events, simple family traditions, and experience holiday music and other joys with your family and friends. Pickering councillors received several calls re- garding their four -bag garbage limit. Most were in favour and wish to see an increase in Blue Box materials. Concerns were raised about rural dumping and people adding bags to their neighbours' trash. The few that felt they could created as much garbage as they wished need reminding that with decreasing space at landfill sites, society can no longer view garbage as a right or luxu- ry. Practising the 3Rs is a small sacrifice to make for future generations. JJ❑ WANTED: Single parent needs all household fur- nishings and items — 471- 4802. Roland Michener Public School stu- dents (from left) Noelle Trianc•e. Si- mone Zabik and Devon Bruce helped make .sure their schools eighth annual Angel Fond Drive was a success. photos by Andrew 1w•anowski, Little Shaniece Manle.v didn't mind the company of Santa and Mrs. Claus dur- A.J. Goren and Ron Pietroniro ing the YMCA Pickering Christmas pan. Haring Jun with .Shuniec-e is her mother, Sharaln EXTRA EXTRA EATON'S $50 MILLION DOLLAR BOXING WEEK BLOW-OUT ..OW! 1 ' s...g. on wew►�i+iwr paw are. vr0 cnil.rr� A 1tMY, « rw,d. quammes wt. offers e.cWft F#a" oww wwt G"M Orrettoe vrW bratm.. wn«,r Shoppr^9 Orw. 1 AM M1 W 84 NEM AMERTME" THMIW""• °ECEAE" 24, IM Block Parents need helpers to provide havens Programs in Durham meet differm*glevels of success RON PIETRONIRO/ News Advertiser photo Natalie MacDonald, a Block Parent in Ajar, and her son. Travis, are familiar with the need for their pro- gram. Some groups in Durham have been hai mQ trouble recruiting nen, members. Durham College % ants you to Drive Clean Ontano is ready to moll cut its Drive Clean program in the new year. Tits program will require nx> tormts to have their vehicle emi%- siert, tested before tbev can renew dear licence plata — a practice al- ready in place in Brittsh Columbia and numerou% American stales. Durham Col- kge 1% one of three community colleges in the provirce offering a Drive Clean training program for automotive technicians and others who will be dealing with con- sumers. Dealership and Wage staff inter- acting with the public, but not in- volved in testing and repairing ve- hicles, are re- quired to attend a half-day or evening Drive Clean orientation. they will learn how to respond to motorists' ques- tions and con- cerns. The fee is $149. A full-day in- spector orienta- tion certification program teaches safe and proper operation of the test equipment to yield accurate re- sults. An Automo- tive Service Tech- nician (AST) cer- tificate is not re- quired, but appli- cants must have first completed a dyno equipment manufacturer's training program. The inspector ori- entation costs b 199.Applic:ations for the Drive Clean Training Program are avail- able at Durham College forms and fees are sent directly to the Drive Clean Training Depart- ment in Missis- sauga. For infor- mation call (905) 677-7007. BY SUSAN O'NEILL SrafjWnter The familiar red -and -white sign depicting a youngster holding a w onian's hand has become a na- tional symbol for a safe haven where children, teens and seniors can go for help. The Block Parent program is the largest, volunteer -operated. child safety and crime prevention program in the country today. But in some communities across Durham. Block Parent pro- grams are at risk due to a lack of funding and volunteers. "It's frustrating the program is not attracting the volunteers it needs:' says Ajax Block Parent Natalie MacDonald. "The pro- gram has a lot of' potential - Founded in London. Ontario in 1968. the program is designed to provide a network of easily recog- nizable safe homes where people can go in a crisis — whether it's a child being followed, a teen being bullied or a senior who's fallen ill. Block Parents also work with po- lice and arca schools to educate children about safety. 1 believe it's the community's responsibility as a whole to take care of our children and youth:' says Ms. MacDonald. "When peo- plc take ownership of their com- munity. criminal acts go down ..children need to see com- munity memher% committed to helping them" But. %1. '%tarUonald, like other dulrtcrr or,•.irvrr­t Bl�sk Par- . ... - c• ;,_ ., . � - _ r says the number of participating individuals has decreased over the years. She reports there used to be more than 1.000 active members in Ajax. But, that number has dropped to roughly 250, reports Durham Regional Police Constable Al Mc- Dougall, whose force screens po- tential Block Parents. That problem's also being en- countered in Whitby, says Whitby Block Parent chairman Lori Ros- dobutko. Ms. Rosdobutko points out, with an increase in two -income families, parents mistakenly tend to believe that because they're not home all day they can't volunteer. "Being a Block Parent is easy," Ms. Mac•Ihinald says. "It's the eas- iest volunteer job possible" Marianne MacBride, chairman of the Block Parent Program of Ontario, agrLcs. "It takes very little to put a sign in your window and help someone if they come to your door." She mriorts there are approxi - match 300 registered Block Par- ent communities in the province with roughly 100.000 members. But, in towns across Ontario, "it's the same faces" that have been running programs for years. Some communities, such as Port Perry, no longer have active groups because long-time Block Parents "are getting burned out". Ms. MacBride reports between April I. 1947 and March 31. 1448 BlowJ i'.ucnt, acro.. the pm%incc in 256 incidents, the most frequent of which was bullying. "Bullying is the biggest, fol- lowed by children who are lent" Ms. MacBride reports there have been a couple of incidents where youth who had been as- saulted and raped have gone to Block Parents for help. And while the program has tra- ditionally been aimed at W- ping young children, Ms. MacBride notes the Block Parents organiza- tion has recently expanded its focus to include teens and seniors. She reports the national organi- zation has launched a video geared toward teenagers. And. a new pub- lic service announcement will begin airing in the new year with the hope of raising awareness of the program and increasing volun- teers. "Hopefully it will make people think.' In the wake of incidents where a child goes missing or is murdered, "our phones start ring- ing off tlx: hook. When it dies down it goes back to the status quo. Notxxly thinks about us until something happens:' The Pickering program, which was in danger of being cancelled earlier this year, has been revived with the help of new volunteers, reports Block Parent.% vice-chair- man and Pickering Councillor Mark Holland, who's been in- volved lir the oust two -and -a -half years. "I think we've come a long want' hr .a%. 'w'c tool ,.I .J* an thr %_.ir n,! thi tutor mzation now.,' Mr. Holland says an "infusion of new blood" earlier this year gave the Pickering program a boost, but the inability to attract many new volunteer% is "some- thing that's afflicting organizations across the region. "It's important lir the commu- nity to watch out fir our children:' he adds. " f` c program needs to be community -driven." As the new year approaches. some Block Parent programs in Durham have plans in the works as volunteers try to breathe new life into them. Const. McDougall hopes to es- tablish a satellite Block Parent pro- gram in every school in Ajax. "1'd like to see the Neighbourhood Watch and Block Parent programs combine. It's a logical marriage" Meanwhile. Mr. Holland says the next foetus in Pickering will be getting more involved with teens at area high schools. "I'd like to see a stronger vol- unteer has--:' says Ms. MacDon- ald, who believes the "community needs to be educated about all the wonderful opportunities the Block Parent program would provide them. "I'd like to see every school have a person assigned to the school to tach the Block Parent program and I'd like to sec a kr more Block Parent homes:' she adds. For more intorniation about the Bhak P,irrm pngnun �.;II i klwi NEWS ADVERIMPTHIL111INDAY, IM OS AJP When food becomes a crutch .0 � By LINDA WHITE Staff Writer Three days after her first grandchild was born, Pearl final- ly admitted to herself that she was a "compulsive overeater' and decided it was time to do something about it. "I had to get healthy:' she re- calls. "1 had to live long enough so I could he there for my grand- son:' Her husband had died three years earlier. and Pearl (not her real name) realized she was eat- ing out of loneliness. "I'd sit down to have dinner, but the meal would really last until bed- time. 1'd make one trip after an- other to the kitchen, for an apple. for a peanut butter sandwich, for whatever." She turned to Overeaters Anonymous and attended week- ly meetings for five years. "For the first time in months and months, 1 didn't go to the refrig- erator between meals:' she re- calls. While Pearl was pleased to lose weight, she was happier still with her new attitude. -I had to learn to deal with situations in lite without fool:' but found it dilficult to do that without the nt mcetmi--,s :\Iter .. Overeaters Anonymous helps food-aholics overcome addiction 000 For years, Carolyn (her name has also been changed)tried to lose weight. She went to weight loss clinics, but "1 only thought of deprivation when 1 was there — that I'd have to cut down and eat rabbit food" She even saw a Psychologist. But it wasn't until she attend- ed her lint Overeaters Anony- mous meeting that she realized .'my disease is a disease of de- nial...) did not want to give up my comforts in life, which were my favourite foods. It made me feel good to have my comfort foods. They helped me numb out and not have to feel:' Still, Carolyn wasn't ready to recognize her problem until she hit "rock bottom. My hinge fools — sugar and sweets — tumed on me:' recalls Carolyn, a diabetic who also has high blood pressure and high cholesterol. "Quite often, people don't do something unril they hit rock bot- tom. 1 realized. 'I am slowly killing myself'. And then, eating became an intense fear" OJJ Both Pearl and Carolyn credit Overeaten Anonymous with giv- ing them a new beau on life — yuite hterall Ili gn,up rs hawd Members of Overeaters Anonymous in Durham follow a 12 - step program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. Food-aholics exhibit some of the same behaviours as those battling alcohol addiction, notes 'Carolyn', a local member. "Foxl-aholics have the same behaviour- as alcoholics" ex- plains Carolyn. '11hey just choose food instead of alcohol" Among the group's tools is sponsorship of new memhers. so they have someone to call if they're h:cvmg a difficult time fighnnt the urec n. rat The eating', under which members are urged to limit their eating to three meals a (lay. Overeaters Anonymous also encourages members to keep a journal. "It's to get your feelings out on paper, because- those feel- mgs are hidden under fiwKl" ex- rl;un, ( .err, kn whether it's setting up chairs at a meeting or picking someone up who wouldn't otherwise he able to attend. As well, the group calls for anonymity. "We tell anyone at- tending, 'Who you see here. what you hear here, leave it here':' explains Carolyn. "This is a safe environment... It's not a judging group:' Participants are invited to sham their stories if they choose. but many may attend a number of meetings before they feel comfortable doing s). The group aims to support one another and offers such coping skills as the following slogans: 'Let go and let God' (let God work in your life): 'Hunger for peace of mind' (because overeating has nothing to do with being hungry): and 'One bite is too much and a thou- sand is not enough' (because it's difficult to stop after one bite, vet even a thousand couldn't fill the void). 661 use the slogans every day:' admits Carolyn, who has lit about 30 pounds with the pro- gram. -It makes me feel good! to lie the weight, but it's the seren- ity I have achieved that pleases me the must " Her tartly is "delighted" lith the _han,,c "'A'hen I dieted. ings:' says Carolyn, who was able to identify her 'character de- fect though the 12 steps. Those 'defects' — sell' -pity, fear, shame, guilt and seeking ap- proval — "used to rule my life. I made my decisions around my fears and tried to control things 1 feared:' Carolyn realized she "had to become humble and learn to work on me and not on other people ... It's within myself that I had to find serenity" Pearl agrees. pointing to a "better relationship" with each of her four children since attending Overeaters Anonymous. "My whole family is coming together again, and I think it's because of my attitude toward them. I'm let- ting go of the control I wanted to have over them and I've gotten rid of my anger. You have to lel go and let them be." Each week. Overeaters Anonymous focuses on one issue. At a recent meeting, mem- hen were encouraged to remem- ber the things in their lives for which they are grateful. "Instead of thinking, 'pox me', we focus on the blessings we have in our lives:' explains Carolyn. For more information on Overeaten Anonymous. which rnects Thursdav afternoons in Pickering, call Mary at 428- -1,60 r Family New Year's Eve Parte has fun for all AJAX — You're :ne:ted to ring in the new year with your family at the Ajax rccre- aaon depart- mcnl's third an- nual Family Ncw Year's Eve Party. Activities in- clude ice skat- ing, face paint- ing, children's games. a youngsters' craft room, magic shows, games room with billiards and video games. a barbe- cue and a dis- play of the 1992 and 1993 Toronto Blue Jays World Se- ries trophies. The event will he held Thursday. Dec. 31 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Ajax Community Centre, 75 Cen- tennial Rd. It is support- ed by Coca- Cola, Tim Nor- ton's and M & M Meats. Tickets are $2.50 for adults, $1.50 for children and no charge for those aged three years and younger. The fee in- cludes all activ- ities except the barbecue and games room, for which there will he a nomi- nal charge. There are a limited number of tickets avail- able for the event. They can be purchased at the Ajax Communi- ty Centre or the McLean Com- munity Centre at Magill Drive and Westncy Road. For more in- formation on the event, call 6x3-4550. Ai► fMOE O ill N ADVOIT1fd1 T"URSDAY, OECHNER K 19.9 Entertainment NEWS ADV ERT 1 S E R DEC Prose pros and like minds... Durham Writers' Circle helps story tellers open new chapters BYAL RAT7T Staff Editor A chance to meet other writers and get feedback on her work from peers. Gwvnn Schcltema couldn't have written a hotter script. Since its inception four years ago. the Writers' Cir- cle of Durham Region has come to be an invaluable resource for literary hope- fuls and veteran writers ac- customed to seeing their work in print. Through monthly meet- ings and frequent work- shops. the Writers' Circle has successfully brought together a diverse array of people from across the re- gion under one umbrella group. Writers Circle members represent all facets of the literary com- munity — fiction and non- fiction authors, journalists and technical writers. poets and songwriters. Ms Schcltema. an Os- hawa resident and budding fiction author. is one of more than 150 members of the Writer' Circle, which promotes the written word in all its fors. For her. in- teracting with and learnmg from other writers has been the biggest benefit of be- longing to the circle for the past year. "Writing is such a soli- tary occupation and this was a chance to meet other writer and network with them" says Ms. Schcl- tema. who alsa serves on the board of directors. -You find out what's going on with other writer. At the workshops, you learn who's publishing what and all the news of the writing and publishing industry.- The ndustry"The Writer' Circle was founded four years ago by journalist and Ajax resi- dent Marjorie Green. who felt there was a void for people who lose to write. Ms. Green recalls hear- ing from a mother interest - Gospel music rings in new year You're invited to join several area congrega- tions at a New Year's Eve cele- bration that fea- tures gospel music performers. Bayfair Bap- tist Church, Christian Life Centre and St. Paul's Anglican Church will host the event, which begins at 10:30 p.m. at Bayfair church at 817 Kingston Rd., east of Whites Road, Pickering. Performers in- clude Lloyd Knight, Marlene O'Neill and the Friends of the Gospel Quartet. A devotional to mark the end of the year and the beginning of the new year will be led by Pastor Dave Imler of Christian Life Centre. There is no charge and all are welcome to attend. For more information call 839-4621. ed in knowing if there were any writers' groups in the area for her daughter. Ms. Green's search in Toronto and area proved futile. ' "There was nothing for kids or adults. I just came up empty. 1 was so upset about it that I said it was about time I did something about it." `Writing is such a solitary occupation and this was a chance to meet other writers and network with them' — Gwynn Schellema With the help of several friends, she organized the first breakfast meeting of the Writer' Circle in De- cembcr of 1994. The re- sponse was tremendous, as more than 100 attended that first meeting. Within a month, Ms- Green received more than 300 inquiries about the group. -1 had a feeling that there were an awful lot of writers out there who weren't being served by anything,' she says. -I re- alized thine was a real op- portunity to start an organi- zation:' The greatest strength of the Writers' Circle is the mentoring that experienced wordsmiths provide to those just learning the craft, says Ms. Green. -People arc willing to mentor and give assistance to one another. Writers tend to guard their work jealously and 1 hoped to break that down. It'y such a solo spurt, but how can you grow and improve without help from other writers''" The Writer Circle cur rentls h,,,.t. a wide cro,%- section iii pc,,r!c ,+I- all ages and backgrounds. "One of the nice things about it is that it has at- tracted members from every age and strata of so- ciety which is really neat:' says Ms. Green. And, Writers' Circle president Ruth Walker stresses the non-profit group is not just for pub- lished writers. It caters to anyone who wants to learn more about all aspects of writing. "We have a senior writer with Maclean's Magazine and literary writers who've won awards to those whom we term 'yet-to-be-pub- tished'. We're not an elitist See BUDDING Page B7 2 4 1 9 9 8 loea/�d In Wal-Wrt Ajax OPEN: Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m. -6 p.m. Sun. 12 - 6 p.m. RUN PIF_TRONIRU/ News Advertiser photo Ajax resident Majorie Green is the driving force She became one of the founders four pears ago behind the Writers' Circle of Durham Region. and has watched the group grow. • ,rastnoua Kr R/NG feati n STEPMOM (PG) -Sat.-Thur. 1:00-4:00.7:05-10:10, Fri. 4:00-7:05-10:10 STAR TREK: INSURRECTION (PG) 'Sat. -Thur*. 12:15-2:40-5:05-7:40- 10:15. 2:15-2:40-5:05.7:4010:15, Fri. 2:45-5:05-7:40-10:15 THE WATERBOY (PG) •10:00 THE RUGRATS MOVIE (F) -Sat.-Thurs. 12:00 JACK FROST (PG)2:05-4:40-7:35 A BUG'S LIFE (PG) -Set.-Thurs. 12:05-2:15-4:306:45-9:00, Fri. 2:15- 4:30-6:45-9:00 PRINCE OF EGYPT (PG) 'Sat -Thum 12:30-340-7:10.9:30, Fri. 3:00-7:104:30 MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (PG)'Sat.-Thur*. 12:45-3:307:20-9:45 Fri. 3:307:204:45 ENEMY OF THE STATE (AA) —at -Thum 1:204:15-7:05-9:55, Fri. 4:15.7:064:55 YOU'VE GOT MAIL (PG) -Sat-Thurs. 1:004:007:00-9:50, Fri. 4:00740.9:50 � •1 A BUG'S LIFE (PG) -5•t-Thurs. 2:2012:05-4:30.6:509:00, Fri. 4:304:509:00 ENEMY OF THE STATE (AA) -10:10 JACK FROST (PG) -Sat.-Thurs. 1:25-4:00-7:25, Fri. 4:007:25 ENEMY OF THE STATE (AA) *Sat --Thum. 1:35-4:25-7:15-10:00, Fri. 4:25- 7:15-10:10 STAR TREK: INSURRECTION (PG) 'Sat-Thurs. 2:3012:005:007:35- 10:00. Fri. 5:007:35-10:00 THE RUGRATS MOVIE (F) 'Sat.-Thurs. 2:35-12:20-4:45, Fri. 4:45 STAR TREK: INSURRECTION (PG) '7:209:45 PRINCE OF EGYPT (PG) -Sat-Thurs. 1:30-4:104:45-9:15. Fri. 4:104:459:15 MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (PG) -Sat.-Thurs. 1:20-4:207:109:55, Fri. 4:20- 7:10-9:55 YOU'VE GOT MAIL (PG) *Sat.-Thurs. 1 15-4:15-7:3010:15, Fri. 4:15-7:3010:15 Write on... The Writers' Circle of Durham Region has a number of upcoming workshops and a breakfast meeting planned for the new year. The Writers' Circic will hook at the business of writing in its work- shop headed by freelance writer Dorothea Helms, the owner of a free- lance writing business. It's slated for Jan. 16 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The venue, however, is not yet known. Cost is $4p for members; $45 for non-members. The Writers' Circle hosts the workshop 17 Secrets for Writing Great Fiction on Saturday. Jan. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pickering Central Library, One The Esplanade. Led by fiction editor and teacher Brian Henry, the workshop will take an advanced look at dia- logue, character interaction and scene development. Cont is $27 for members: $32 for nom -members. The next monthly Writersand Ed- itors Dialogue Breakfast is slated for Jan.9 at Jackson's Touch of Class, 104 Consumers. Whitby from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Guest speaker is sci-fi writer Edo van Belkom, who'll calk about selling fiction. For more information about the workshops or the breakfast meeting, contact Gwynn Schcltcma at 720- 2172. NEWS ADVERTISER THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 19M PAGE 87 A/P ijuming wrters have a place to turn in Durham Region BUDDING PYrnn page H6 Speakers in the past have included It W group whatsoever;' says Ms. Walker, an Oshawa resident and Circle mem- ber the past two years. Ms. Walker took up writing seri- ously late in life, several years after studying creative writing in universi- ty in her early 40s. That sparked her to submit a short Story to a Canadian Living Magazine contest. She won, beating out 900 other entrants, which inspired her to keep writing. "I never thought I could call my- self a writer." she says. "1 find that most writers have a fair degree of insecurity, and for me to walk in that meeting room and be made to feel welcome was a great feeling. To know that what I had to say was as interesting as someone who's written a copious number of barks was great" On the second Saturday of every month, Writers' Circle members gather for a breakfast meeting in Whitby where a guest speaker talks about some aspect of the craft. t? Alp- JAI; K/CA' ""11R N JN l rUtYI.MS Kl(YUrS YU1`lX`: nh'II/R •rlXl/IS1 rU(HJS VV(K1c� N -I MAX 0% FEATURING ctF> x " RUSSELL PETERS I i • 1 s VOTED "BEST COMEDY CLUB" - SUN, EYE, NOW & THE NEWS ADVERTISER � • I 1 1 1 �6 1 91 11 award-winning Durham Region fic- tion writers Suzanna Kearsley. Ra- hindranath Maharaj and Ted Wood. Writers' Circle workshops cater to a wide variety of interests, says Ms. Walker. In the past, the circle has held workshops on romance writing led by an editor at Harlequin, fiction writing and children's literature. The work- shops provide members information on a number of interesting topics which lend valuable insights into the art of writing. "It's a profession, so to develop my skills as a writer. I've taken a lot of courses through the WCDR:' Ms. Walker says. "1 can't say I've walked out of one where 1 wasn't more in- formed than when I went in." The Writers' Circle also has its own newsletter. The Word Weaver, a bi-monthly publication sent to each member. reports r tors Circle news, provides information on the literary world and prints suhmissions from circle members. Every second Monday. the circle also hosts an Open Stage Poetry Night at the Different Drum Cafe in Oshawa from 7 to 9 p.m. when poets and songwriters gather to share their work. As well. next year will mark the fifth anniversary of The Word is Out Writers' Festival at the Pickering Mu- seum Village in July. It has grown dramatically since its first ,year, and now attracts many of the best and brightest authors from Toronto and vicinity. And, the family event pro- vides activities for people of all age groups. For more information about the Writers' Circle call Ruth Walker at 728-7823. Let us entertain you! The News Advertiser s�j�, A Grzcs�r 1--I��LIU/\Y Gat -r S�7Lun��7�3 c4p.e - c{ dr£t� e�n+Eraex OoEo9�r MOVE M011VEY mov p=520f SI 3 GOOD FOR ANT iR M, ANY TIME. ANl'WiQItE AvaYapl� 1n SS b O �t At- os a 8- Am— c. •'f, i 55 5K Tu '.22.6'. ' 719.55 ✓ EMBOY Of M STAR 4 c.. sY, I5: -v1 ^,r -2 !. ✓ A MMS UPS 11051 in.7:45.9:45.51411. 82.914 9170. 2.' S 5 V. 156 ..45. 1 10 r A SM'S LM !1051 Fn 6.55. t15. SP..Tlt6 1200.220. M0. ✓ STM TIIEd: �CTMO r►G, F 7:1L" SK -Th. 6:%.9115 2'00120 -15,455 ✓ STM TIIE[: Mf11MECT101110Gr Fn..T. 711►11 ✓ All" P7aR,PGr F,. 733564i•r 171291 X1171 ✓ PIMP= OF EGYPT 10G•rcii. Fn 7ats6S1-T. ✓ VOW" OOT UALL STC) FAIL 715,►4 54T.IG 4,& 12.15.216 500. 720. t15 'IS 9165 ✓ YOWS3 OOT MALL STC, IIIc 72L 455 St T A 215.4:4 ✓ P1wc3 OF EGYPT KFo F � TO 01t 11190 Sl.Th. 7'15.f% '200 2 •5 6'20.6.45.9100 ✓STKPMN W. F • 011.10.." WIN, 1 10.4117911100 ✓ PATCo AOMM ,FG, tru9.01-012S,. ,F,. 6'S17:U, r PATCH "AM 9G Al F0114 Fn 7 95. 0,111 Sit rN 14 3 25. 10-M $a Ta ' 00. 2012A 4416:51 7.70.9175. lolo 4.00. 196,10411 ✓ST/PUON rw, Fn rq ly 5147.1:15 g1.7p, li r TIE PAC LLTT AA, 'yr 2 SOon1 F1 6.70.7:1a So. 9170 ✓ UgNTT JW YCtME'FG, Fn 721 kl SK -Th. US. SO Th, -2.10.116.4:50.671 7:10. to, 9110 2 20, 5 00. 125. t% ✓ &saw" '603 YOTMO 1061 Fn 6.4120 Sn-T. t2-71 ✓ M FAC6LLrv'AAI in 14 M. ILUL47A, 17:42!,2'0 566 9120 $ 15.7 4 9163.1005 r JACS. Pam M SK TIAL 1M 271 ✓ am&, P13 13 M CITY iFl so 1f6. Ito ✓ 3A33: PIG M M CITY )F S11.TtM11200 ✓ M 6IY00Un 01011E VG, SA n. ltm ✓ M IUORATS UOYE R SP. TA. MW 210 This; weekend the entire ELRAOET" A4 :. ' X ;n '•o - 6c 125 - i ✓ PATC1A ADAMS PG '60 F001 062 ST Ft 791 Ri ✓ PATCH ADAMS r, ' 100116.On 2 S1t6•w Ft 6:10. R11f SF.-Mv '2 K 7 v 5 p, y05 ✓ 370.1066 V. c 5 45.9120 Set -Tb. 12:20.3116.45.9120 W M FACULTY U ?, 2 SpA, m F,. 71S, 850 SK-ts,, 100. 225 "5 1 sC M FACOITY U. A 2 5,vi 1 Fn. 74 101 Sa.T4 120. 255.'65.'; T. PSYCHO w h Ali. 1006 GREA7 GIFT IDEAS FROM SINEPLEX ODEON (:.ft o1 NiRht Out E."Twjtmew at the %11-s 6 GIFT CERTIFICATES f91TEAT1IaM phCKAU A1r016p16 m SS and 0 - Whole Home store is on sale Nil, } ..3 Vii. ... CHRISTMAS HOURS MON* TOES• WED. 9:30 - 9:00 THURSDAY 9:30 - 5:00 FRIDAY CLOSED SATURDAY .9:30 - 6:00 V4W fr r Sok pFiroS All dW SEWN/,, December 26 and Sunny. DerzmEer 27.1996 Copynghl 1998. Sears Canada Ir[ Plus, Beat the GST & PST` on all furniture. get comfortable. Span will Optician aIl01SS epulvalerit to ft(USI 6 PST hon your purcrkise price Dlkr applies to rrlerCtlall(lise ,n Spars Wltok Home Furniture $!ores and Goes not appty to deferral Ives deuverr, rnamlenari(E agreement of Instal a)�rur ;;naljt5a Excludes CaWlapc pL,(dQ es Chet ergs Sunday. Daceirlper 27, 1998. Ash toi It-9ft W6ithy w6le Home Furniture Store, 1650 Victoria Vit., Unit #7, W6ithy, Ontario,. Phone: (911:) 679-4048 M FAGS M NEWS ADVERT MTHUROMY. DECMWR M tees Scholarship recipients like to help Young Durham natives have big ambitions BY RF -NAE JARRE7T Special to the Nets Advertiser Two Durham residents were recent1v earned among this year's Harry Jerome Scholarship recipients, a distinction which recognizes outstanding academic achievement and civic contributions made to the black community. Dwight Silvera of Oshawa and Uche Iroaga of Pickering received their schol- arships along %%ith eight others at a pre- sentation ceremony held in Toronto last month. And needless to sav, they were both overwhelmed by news of their win. "We were so happy, and my mom was so proud:" said Miss Imaga, 23. "1 was just elated for the rest of the day' •' The scholarship's namesake. Harry Jerome, set six world records at three Olympics in the 1960s while represent- ing Canada in three different events. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Harry Jerome Scholarship and in its 10 years, 60 scholarships have been awarded. 1n order to he eligible for the scholarship, each candidate must be pur- suing their post -secondary education while also demonstrating a financial need. UCHE DWIGHT IROAGA SILVER4 'Mv mam was so 'Something that proud.' was much-needed.' Mr. Silvera, also 23, graduated this year from the University of Waterloo with his Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Kincsidogy. Then in August, he entered McMaster University's Un- dcrgraduate Mcdical Program. And in light of this year's hefty tuition fees, this scholarship couldn't have come at a bet- ter time. -it was something that was muc-h- aixded," said Mr. Silvera "I'd been praying that God would provide because tuition is huge here" In fam since last year, tuition for his program has increased jumped from $7,000 to 511,000. Mr. Silvcra's schol- arship. sperosored by Canada Trust, awarded him 53,000 a year for up to four years. Miss Ir aga's $4,000 schol- arship was 4xmLA red by the Untvcmty of Toronto, when: she is in her finial year of the Pharmacy program for her Bach- elor of Science degree. This pvarticular scholarship is actually named the Dr. Andersm Abbott Award. Dr. Abbott was the first black Canadian to graduate from medical school in this country. -1 really appreciate his contribution to the academic future of the students, said Miss Iroaga. Throughout their post -secondary suldies. both students have been recog- nized by their professors for their acad- emic abilities. Last year Mus Iroaga sur- passed her class average by receiving four A's and five B's. And at the Univer- sity of Waterloo, Mr. Silvera made the Dean's Honour List with a grade point average of 3.83 out of 4.0, ranking him 7th in a class of 40. Harry Jerome Scholarships arc "awarded to encourage academic excel- lence in black youth but it takes much more than high scholastic achievement to be chosen and this years recipients are certainly no exception. .1 iese are not just bookworms:' said Vedyn Francis, chairman of the board of trustees for the Scholarship. "Very rarely does anybody who's a bookworm win thea scholarships. We look for not just bright people, but bright people who recognize that with that: asset comes (the) responsibility to give back:' Mr. Silvera has volunteered in a van- ety of ways over the years. He worked on the Board of Directors of the Malvern Community Association in Scarborough and served as a senior youth counsellor and soccer coact in their Youth Day Camp. And through the co-op program at the University of Wa- terloo, he worked at different physio.- therapy hysio-therapy clinics. In addition, he was a part of the First Aid Brigade for St. John's Ambulance. In terms of his service, though, the event that most impacted his life was a trip to 71WIand in the summer of 1996. He went there with Overseas Mission- ary Fellowship International for six weeks. And because the organization knew of his interest in the medical field, they put him to work at various hospitals in the area. Together with the doctors there, he would go around, assisting in the care of stroke and leprosy patients. "I found the experience stretched rm:' said Mr. Silvera. "You know, you kind of go there expecting to contribute, and I hope that I did. But I know that I received so much from the experience in terns of the way I see the world:' For Miss Iroaga, volunteering has also redefined her views. Through her work as an academic tutor, games room supervisor, aerobics and health program instructor at the Neighbourhood Youth Club in Scarborough, she has gained new insight into the needs of young peo- ple. In fact, it was as an aerobics in- structor that she helped young girls face the emotional issues associated with low self-esteem and weight -related con- cerns. Miss Iroaga took volunteering to a new level, though, when she co-founded the Kids and Youth Ikvelopmental Ex- perience Program. As part of the Native African Inmates and Families Associa- tion, the program was aimed at uniting young people whose families had been separated. With Miss Iroaga and Mr. Silvera planning for futures in the health care profession, getting involved in commu- nity service has been both beneficial and practical. "It's just a great way to put you in the community you plan to take care of:' said Miss Iroaga. And she also feels that awards like the Harty Jerome Scholarship end up benefitting more than just the recipients. "I think when you recognize people that contribute a lot back ti- the commu- nity, it encourages those people to do more and it also encourages those peo- ple who aren't doing anything at the time:' said Miss Iroaga. NO PAYMENTS ill And according to Mr. Silvers, for those who do volunteer, the reward is al- ways greater than the sacrifice. "Giving of yourself only makes you richer as a person:' said Mr. Silvera. And it's funny how that works because you're giving yourself away, giving your time away But it's kind of like love — if you give it away, it grows" APRIL RFordExplorerl 94 i- -* Sunfre Caravan Tau s5SH0 Grand9Prlx SE 93 '97 Cutlass LeSabre '96 Windstar tou 76 Silvera o '95 Chev Lumina Pick U 1999 V ld94 Taurus GL SJ 94 '92 92 Chev Explorer Grand 4454 SS XLT Ma uis % % 11!C s 95 Suzuki 97 Ford 96 Taurus 91 Sidekldt EswA Sedan LX 94 GMC Toyota Tredter amry LE 95 '96 o's SHO Misti zee LS ILIP '95 Firebird ;089 Beretta '95 ;0"95 SaturnVW Jetta 91 Spirit, 94 Civic Geo Metro Uwe 81 IV. '""' '94 Grand 90 Tyoh Prix SE Daytona '89 Grand Marquis Pick Up 4x4 -CONSUMERmol""'T