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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNA2005_04_22P PAGE 6 THE NEWS ADVERTISER, APRIL 22, 2005 durhamregion.com LETTER TO THE EDITOR NEWS ADVERTISER Metroland Durham Region Media Group Tim Whittaker, Publisher Joanne Burghardt, Editor-in-Chief Tony Doyle, Managing Editor Duncan Fletcher, Director of Advertising Andrea McFater Retail Advertising Manager Eddie Kolodziejcak, Classified Advertising Abe Fakhourie, Distribution Manager Lillian Hook, Office Manager Cheryl Haines, Composing Manager Janice O’Neil, Composing Manager [ Contact us ] News/Sales 905-683-5110; Clas- sifieds 905-683-0707; Distribution 905-683-5117; News Fax 905-683- 0386; General Fax 905-683-7363; E-mail tdoyle@durhamregion.com; Mailing Address; 130 Commercial Ave., Ajax, Ont. L1S 2H5 [ About Us ] The News Advertiser is one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing group of newspapers. The News Advertiser is a member of the Ajax & Pickering Board of Trade, Ontario Community News- paper Assoc., Canadian Commu- nity Newspaper Assoc., and the Canadian Circulations Audit Board. Also a member of the Ontario Press Council, 2 Carlton St., Suite 1706, Toronto, M5B 1J3, an independent organization that ad- dresses reader complaints about member newspapers.The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse any advertisement. Credit for advertisement limited to space price error occupies. Editorial and Advertising content of the News Advertiser is copyrighted. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. Publications Mail Sales Agreement Number 1332791. [ Letters Policy ] We welcome letters that include name, city of residence and phone numbers for verification. Writers are generally limited to 200 words and one submission in 30 days. We decline announcements, poetry, open letters, consumer com- plaints, congratulations and thank you notes. The editor reserves the right to edit copy for length, style and clarity. Opinions expressed by letter writers are not necessarily those of the News Advertiser. Due to the volume of letters, not all will be printed. Fax: 905-683-0386; e-mail: tdoyle@ durhamregion. com. The newspaper contacts only those whose submissions have been chosen for publication. EDITORIALS & OPINIONS infodurhamregion.com Council serves night to remember To the editor: On Saturday, April 9, I was volunteered for kitchen duty at the annual Branch 606 Royal Canadian Legion Awards dinner in Pickering. The ladies’ auxiliary prepared a roast beef dinner and this year Joanne Dickerson was responsible for the preparation and serving of the meal. Joanne had arranged for the mayor and members of council to serve the dinner and asked my wife Bonnie to help with the preparation. That‘s how I was volunteered. When I heard the mayor and councillors were going to serve the dinner I figured these guys would blow in and out very quickly, but to my surprise the opposite was true. I have to say that all of their wives were class acts from serv- ing to washing up. There were other volunteers who helped, including my daughter Deneane and her two daughters, Kaela and Kasey, Robert White and cadets. It should be mentioned that it was not a press event or a photo opportunity. The dinner was a success and all of the volunteers went home tired but happy. Wayne Buksa, Pickering EDITORIAL Martin’s speech may not be enough Election call has become necessary I t will either save him or slay him. Paul Martin made, arguably, the most important speech of his political career Thursday night. It lasted just a few minutes but could have profound reverberations in the months ahead. Mr. Martin’s chief goal was to buy some time for his belea- guered minority Liberal government. Elected just 10 months ago, the Liberals have already had several defections over the sponsorship scandal and have suffered a steep nosedive in the public opinion polls as lurid details over payoffs and kickbacks have made Quebec Liberal federal politics look rife with cor- ruption. Mr. Martin swore it would not be him who would force a spring, summer or fall election. He guaranteed we will have a winter one though, as he promised he would call the next elec- tion within 30 days of the release of Judge John Gomery’s final report on the sponsorship program. The report is scheduled to go public Dec. 15 so we could be heading to the polls next February or March. The prime minister was strong but contrite over his govern- ment’s track record since 1995 in Quebec. He admitted the scandal, which involved paying hundreds of millions of dollars to Liberal-connected Quebec advertising firms for little or no work, took place while he was a senior member of govern- ment. What he did not say, but certainly inferred, was that the wrongdoing took place directly under his predecessor. And Ca- nadians, by and large, believe him. They blame former PM Jean Chretien, first and foremost for the scandal, then the Liberal Party, and finally, well down the list Mr. Martin. This speech is Mr. Martin’s way of saying, ‘I want to get to the bottom of this and I will.’ The Liberals, however, may not have the time to regroup. If the polls show a new appetite for an election and a sincere de- sire to change governments, the opposition parties, all of whom stand to gain from going to the polls, may pull the plug on Mr. Martin. An election, as unpalatable as it might be to voters, has be- come necessary to ensure this scandal does not continue to consume federal politics and hamper the running of our coun- try. Veteran Veltman back in the fold for a second season I t’s no wonder the Ajax-Pickering Rock is rolling into its third senior ‘B’ lacrosse campaign with plenty of confidence. First and foremost, the team has its signature player back on the rock pile again this season in the form of Jim Velt- man. For those not acquainted with Mr. Veltman, he’s been the rock of the To- ronto Rock’s foundation in the National Lacrosse League and is captaining that team once again this season. And, last season, the perennial NLL all-star was the catalyst behind the Ajax- Pickering Rock’s amazing run through the senior ‘B’ playoffs, which ended a win short of the league finals when they were ousted by the Owen Sound Woodsmen in the fifth and deciding game of a captivating best-of-five semi- final series last August. Make no mistake, the Ajax-Pickering Rock brain trust, namely head coach and GM Paul St. John and co-owner Rob Roche, are over the moon to have Mr. Veltman back. And, it was no small feat, as Mr. Veltman, better known as ‘Scoop’ for getting to almost every loose ball on the floor, was heavily courted by the newest Major Series team, the Barrie Lakeshores, which played in the senior ‘B’ loop last year. But, Veltman, true to his word, agreed to return to Ajax-Pickering this summer following the NLL season, and Roche couldn’t be happier. “He’s a great leader and we would like to keep him in-house for as long as we can,” says Mr. Roche. Mr. Veltman will certainly be the pil- lar of a current 26-member squad that started training camp in early April. Workouts continue over the next week in preparation for the league opener on the road against the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks on April 30. According to Mr. Roche, in addition to Mr. Veltman, the team has 14 players returning from last year’s squad. The defence — the cornerstone of the 2004 team — will be virtually intact, with the notable exception of starting goaltender Mike Miron. The goal-stopper, who’s currently playing with the NLL’s Arizona Sting, has opted instead to play for the Lakeshores. His loss, says Mr. Roche, will be less- ened with the return of last year’s back- up netminder Jay Preece, who’ll assume the starting chores this season. Mr. Pre- ece is also the backup to Bob Watson on the Toronto Rock roster. The Rock’s home opener is at the Pickering Recreation Complex on Sunday, May 1 against the Ennismore Shamrocks at 7 p.m. Al Rivett’s column appears every third Friday. E-mail arivett@durham region.com. Rock ready to roll into 2005 Al Rivett sports editor durhamregion.com THE NEWS ADVERTISER, APRIL 22, 2005 PAGE 27 P Pickering civic awards honour top citizens By Danielle Milley Staff Writer PICKERING — Doug Morden hasn’t quite been volunteering his whole life, but 50 years is still pretty impressive. Mr. Morden was one of three individuals presented with a Life- time Achievement Award Monday night at the City of Pickering’s 2004 Civic Awards ceremony. “I’m still up on Cloud 9,” he said. “You don’t think it about it, but when it comes down to it, it is an honour to be recognized.” The Greenwood resident began volunteering in 1955. His oldest son, who was about seven at the time, wanted to play baseball but there were no ball diamonds in the community. “I was renting a 25-acre piece of land (so I) put up a ball stand and organized a team,” Mr. Morden said. “Things went from there. “Being a small community, it just made you feel good to be doing something.” He went on to organize events for the Greenwood Public School centennial in the 1960s; he estab- lished the first Greenwood Boy Scout Troop and served as its leader for 16 years; and he helped in the building of the Greenwood Community Centre. Today, he is involved with the Greenwood Church, the Greenwood Senior Cit- izens’ Club and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Brooklin. Pat O’Brien and William Ain- sworth also received Lifetime awards. Mr. O’Brien has volun- teered with many community groups since moving to Pickering in 1997, including the Ajax-Picker- ing-Uxbridge United Way. He was the chairman of its fundraising campaign last year. In his 10 years in the commu- nity, Mr. Ainsworth has been in- volved with the Pickering Perenni- als, an entertainment troupe that performs at nursing and retire- ment homes, the South Pickering Seniors’ Club, and the South Pick- ering Lawn Bowling Club. In total, nearly two dozen in- dividuals and groups were recog- nized by the City this week. One award was presented for the first time. The Access Award for Disability Issues is for individu- als, groups or businesses making a significant contribution — going beyond legislative requirements — to the well-being and advance- ment of those with disabilities. The Special Children’s Swim Program was one of three recipi- ents. The program, which has been operating at the Pickering Recre- ation Complex for more than 20 years, offers lessons to physically- disabled children and teens who need one-on-one support. It cur- rently has 32 participants, as well as 32 volunteers. Judy Rynbeek, who oversees the program, and longtime volunteer Eira Martin were on hand to re- ceive the award on behalf of the group. “Its a group effort. We couldn’t do it without the young kids who volunteer their time,” Ms. Martin said, adding some of the volun- teers are as young as 12 years old. Ms. Martin has been volunteer- ing for 15 years. “I was bringing a special-needs child so I thought I better bring my bathing suit too,” she said. “She fin- ished with the program but I kept going.” Ms. Rynbeek began volunteer- ing more than 20 years ago when she was studying early childhood education. “I really enjoyed it and it was my one volunteer hour a week I thought that was important,” she said of why she kept with it. Neil Killens, deputy general manager of the Ajax-Pickering Transit Authority, and the Pick- ering Accessibility Advisory Com- mittee also received the award. Other winners were: Jan de Vries (special citation); Anna Mariani, Philip Morgan and William Soules (individual volunteer); Rotary Club of Pickering (service group); Al- tona West Community Association (community group); Terry Gariba and Beth Hurren (amateur sports); Jessica Kearon (youth volunteer); Sara Barclay (youth leadership); Pickering Community Concert Band (arts); Ajax-Pickering Toast- masters (cultural diversity); Har- mony Logistics Inc. and Runny- mede Development Corporations Limited (economic development); Andrew Chung and James Skent- zos (local business); and Gail Law- lor (environment). Jason Liebregts/ News Advertiser photo Learning the ABCs PICKERING — Pickering Mayor Dave Ryan discusses the importance of education with Ajax resident Nadine Bon. The two were taking part in Sylvan Learning Centre’s 25th anniversary celebrations, and Nadine was curious about the mayor’s job and how one gets elected. If he builds it, Greenwood will come Find city safe, clean and organized By Mike Ruta Staff Writer PICKERING — Grilled cheese sandwiches, hot tubbing while it’s snowing outside, and friendly peo- ple. Those are some of the memo- ries 10 students from Mexico City took back to their homeland after spending an Easter vacation in Pickering. The students came from the Si- erra Nevada private school system, which has four campuses offering half a day of English instruction every day. They visited Niagara Falls, learned how maple syrup was made and hit some of the tourist stops in Toronto, namely the CN Tower, Eaton Centre and the Air Canada Centre. Their school-away- from-home was E. B. Phin Pub- lic School, where the Mexican flag flew and the national anthem was played every day in their honour. Three of the students, all aged 11, talked about their impressions of school and life in general in Picker- ing, and how it differs from Mexico City which, with almost 30 million people, almost as many as in all of Canada, is the world’s largest city. “It’s very different, in a good way, not in a bad way,” said Carolina Paez. “I like it here because it’s like the schools in the movies.” Asked to explain, she said “It’s very organized; all the teachers are nice.” Fernanda Solorio was impressed with the school’s large gym and that there was a microwave in the class where students could heat up their lunch. Going to school in Pickering, the students said, is much easier than at home. Carolina said “there’s little homework” compared to what she deals with. And while the Mexican students are in school from 8 a.m. to 2:10 p.m., they only get one, half- hour break to eat their lunch. They enjoyed having two recesses and a longer lunch at E.B. Phin. Spencer Voglewede said there’s a lot of pollution in his city compared to Toronto and area. And at home, Spencer said the public schools are “ugly” and in disrepair. Teacher Ann Templeton, who accompanied the students to Canada, confirmed Spencer’s assessment, saying the public schools are “very poor” and underfunded by the government. She found the E.B. Phin environ- ment very safe compared to home, where the school is surrounded by a wall topped with barbed wire because kidnappings are always a concern. “Beyond the facility and the services that are available, there is a feeling in this school that is very warm and very receptive,” Ms. Templeton said. While classes in her school aver- age 20 students, she said the class- rooms themselves are physically larger at E.B. Phin than in Mexico. She said the students had a won- derful time. Apart from improving their English, the main goal of the trip, Ms. Templeton noted the stu- dents all come from affluent fami- lies where a lot is done for them. “They’re learning to pick up after themselves and be independent,” she said. The Mexicans stayed with E.B. Phin students and staff members’ families. Fernanda was introduced to the grilled cheese sandwich and the novelty of soaking in a hot tub while it’s snowing. Spencer said his host family was “really cool” and he hoped to visit again. Carolina says her father gave her permission to return the favour by inviting her hosts to her place in Mexico. They weren’t looking forward to returning home because they liked it here so much. E.B. Phin principal Brian Jones said the students easily adapted to the classroom environment at his school, participating and showing a lot of interest. Mexican students take in local sights, Pickering life A.J. Groen/ News Advertiser photo On their first day in Canada, a group of Mexican students visited E.B. Phin Pub- lic School. The students found the Pickering school like ‘those in the movies.’ PICKERING — The Pickering Horticultural Society is planning three upcoming events. The first is Saturday, May 7, when the society holds its annual plant sale at the Gazebo in Pickering’s Es- planade Park. This event is to raise funds for the club and begins at 8 a.m. The plant sale allows anyone to bring their surplus plants and to buy someone else’s. On Tuesday, May 10, the soci- ety gathers at 8 p.m. for a ‘create a planter’ workshop at its monthly meeting, in the O’Brien Room at the Pickering Recreation Complex, 1867 Valley Farm Rd. Bring an eight-inch pot and transform it. On Tuesday, June 7, guest speaker Sandy Spearing discusses the topic of ground cover plants. The meeting is in the O’Brien Room at 8 p.m. For more information, e-mail asquire8347@rogers.com or visit www.pickeringhorticulturalsociety. com. Get growing in Pickering