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The Pickering 24 PA GES ✦ Pressrun 46,600 ✦ Metroland Durham Region Media Group ✦ SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2005 ✦ Optional delivery $6 / Newsstand $1 ON THE STAND Jacobson testifies in his defence Page 3 LACROSSE Durham girls shoot for championship Page 14 WEB HEAD Suresh opens up for charities Page 7 Salary, prep time up, supervision down By Mike Ruta Staff Writer DURHAM — The Durham Dis- trict School Board this week rati- fied collective agreements with its teachers, ushering in an era of “labour peace and labour part- nership,” says board chairman Michael Barrett. Members of the Elementary Te achers Federation of Ontar- io and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, which together represent about 4,500 Durham teachers, are re- ceiving identical, 10.6 per cent cumulative salary increases by the end of the contracts. Teach- ers are in line for a two-per cent increase retroactive to last sum- mer, an additional two per cent in each of 2005 and 2006, 2.8 per cent in 2007 and 1.4 per cent ef- fective Feb. 1, 2008. The contracts end in August 2008, capping off a unique bar- gaining year that saw unprec- Pickering teachers make significant gains Harsh jail conditions warrant enhanced credit in manslaughter case, lawyer argues By Jeff Mitchell Staff Writer DURHAM — A defence lawyer is seeking enhanced credit for the time her client has served in pre- trial custody, claiming harsh jail conditions entitle him to a lighter sentence. Patrick Simaan, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Hugh Cave of Pickering, ought to be given three-for-one credit for the “dead time” he spent in jail prior to his conviction, law- yer Cindy Wasser argued in an Oshawa courtroom Wednesday. Judges in most cases typi- cally give two-for-one credit for pretrial custody; it is subtracted from whatever sentence is handed down upon conviction. Mr. Simaan should, at the least, be given enhanced credit for time he spent in locked down or over- crowded jail cells, as well as pe- riods during which he spent suf- fering from ailments that were not properly addressed by jail officials, Ms. Wasser told Ontario Court Jus- tice Joseph De Filippis. Crown counsel Frank Giordano argued that the 36-year-old Mr. Simaan ought to be entitled to no more than the customary two-for- one credit for the dead time he’s served since being arrested in Feb- ruary of 2003. Mr. Simaan, formerly of Toron- to, pleaded guilty in May to man- slaughter for his role in the death of Mr. Cave, a 60-year-old Picker- ing man he met on the Internet and arranged to meet for a sexual encounter. Mr. Simaan robbed Mr. Cave when they met on Jan. 17, 2003. He fled the man’s basement apart- ment with cash and credit cards, 35.2//-3 s 7).$/73 s 2//&).' 905-686-2445 Visit our showroom 239 Station St., Ajax Manufacturer of SUNROOMS & WINDOWS NEW WHITBY CAMPUS OPEN HOUSE www.blaisdale.com 12 mths - grade 8 5 Campuses in Durham Call Head Office 905-509-5005 Blaisdale MONTESSORI School SPACES AVAILABLE IN AJAX & PICKERING PRE-TODDLER PROGRAM (12 mo.-18 mo.) NEW Thursday, June 16 at 7:00 pm 200 Byron St. S, Whitby (Whitby Campus) Wed. June 22 at 7:00 pm 403 Kingston Rd, Ajax (Rotherglen Campus) FOR TODDLER & CASA OPEN HOUSE NEW WHITBY CAMPUS OPEN HOUSE YOU’VE GOTTA HAND IT TO HIM Ron Pietroniro/ News Advertiser photo PICKERING — Ryan Smyth is fingerprinted during Community Safety Day at the Pickering Recreation Com- plex recently. Durham Regional Police Volunteers were out with their Kidz Printz kits, a wallet-sized pack given to parents, along with a photograph, blood type and personal information in case it is ever needed. Pickering man’s killer seeking less prison time ✦ See Historic, Page 5 ✦ See Victim, Page 2 P PAGE 2 THE NEWS ADVERTISER, JUNE 12, 2005 durhamregion.com Carrier of The Week If you did not receive your News Advertiser/flyers OR you are interested in a paper route call Circulation at (905) 683-5117. Hours: Mon. - Fri. 9 - 7:30 Sat. 9 - 4:30, Sun. 10 - 1 Remember, all inserts, including those on glossy paper, can be recycled with the rest of your newspaper through your blue box Recycling program. For information on delivering your advertising flyers, call DUNCAN FLETCHER at 683-5110. IN TODAY’S News Ad vertiser ADVERTISING FLYERS Sunday June 12, 2005 News Advertiser * B.G. Schickedanz Home Pick. * Durham Parent Ajax/Pick. * Fairport Guardian Drugs Pick. * FM Windows Ajax/Pick. * Glenanna Guardian Drug Pick. * Little Caesars Ajax * News Advertiser Prospecting Ajax * Sears Ajax/Pick. * The Bay Ajax/Pick. * Thomas Cook Travel Ajax/Pick. * Town of Ajax 50th Anniversary Ajax * Westney Guardian Drugs Ajax * Delivered to selected households only Ajax and Pickering locations Ajax 10 Cinemas 248 Kingston Rd. East Kyle Sunday’s Carrier o f the Week is Kylel. He enjoys lacrosse & hockey. He will receive a dinner & movie voucher compliments of McDonald’s & Cineplex Odeon Ajax. Congratulations Ky le for being our Carrier of the Week. Your Carrier will be around to collect an optional delivery charge of $ 6.00 between June 8 - June 12/05 EXT SERVING DURHAM REGION SINCE 1970 725-9731 Call for details! FREE Estimate! AIR CONDITIONER 2 Ton $1,595 Installed SUPER “JUNE” SALE UMSC SOCCER PLAYERS NEEDED! UMSC U15 Premier girls soccer team need 3 players.Great trainer & excellent program. Will commit to the r ight players for 2 years. Call Patrick O’Hanlon, 905-887-0090x408. Metroland Durham Region Media Group NEWS ADVERTISER 905-683-5110 leaving him bound and gagged. Mr. Simaan took off in Mr. Cave’s car and was arrested a couple of weeks later on a charge of second- degree murder. Mr. Cave died of a heart attack after Mr. Simaan fled the apart- ment. The prosecution and defence agree an eight-year prison sen- tence is the appropriate term for the crime; what remains in dis- pute is the issue of credit for time served. A two-for-one credit would see that eight years reduced by more than four and a half years. If the judge agrees with Ms. Wasser’s argument, the time Mr. Simaan has yet to serve could be reduced even more. For instance, if the judge agreed to three-for-one credit for all of Mr. Simaan’s dead time, he would be free less than a year from the time sentence is passed, probably at the end of June. Ms. Wasser has sug- gested the judge may opt to allow the three-for-one credit only for the time Mr. Simaan spent locked down, in segregation, or ill while in jail; that amounts to more than 500 days to which the three-for- one credit would apply, she said. If the judge pursues that option, Mr. Simaan would face a two-year penitentiary term. Justice De Filippis is to pass sen- tence June 30. Victim died of heart attack after being robbed ✦ Victim, From Page 1 Accused testifies in own defence By Jeff Mitchell Staff Writer DURHAM — Cosmo Ja- cobson has flatly denied murdering Roy Jones, tell- ing a jury that he was stand- ing lookout the night the Ajax man was gunned down outside his home. Te stifying in his own de- fence Friday, Mr. Jacobson, 29, admitted he planned to intimidate Mr. Jones the night he and Sean Hall went to the man’s neighbourhood armed with a handgun. Mr. Jones was to be a witness against Mr. Jacobson, who faced several charges in connection with a violent home invasion robbery. Under questioning by his lawyer, Anil Kapoor, Mr. Jacobson, who is charged with first-degree murder, insisted he’s not a killer. “Did you shoot Roy Jones on Feb. 4, 2001?” Mr. Ka- poor asked his client. “No, sir,” Mr. Jacobson re- plied. “Did you plan to kill Roy Jones?” the lawyer asked. “No,” Mr. Jacobson re- sponded. “Not at all.” The Crown contends that Mr. Jacobson ambushed Mr. Jones on a cold, driz- zly night as the 28-year-old Mr. Jones returned to the Twilley Lane home he and his family had moved into just weeks earlier. Mr. Ja- cobson is also charged with conspiring with Mr. Hall to murder Mr. Jones. On Friday, Mr. Jacobson admitted that, while he wanted to scare Mr. Jones out of showing up for court or convince him to change his testimony, he never intended for a murder to occur. “The plan was just to intimidate him with a fire- arm,” he testified. It was Mr. Hall who was supposed to play the heavy hand, Mr. Jacobson said. “I was supposed to be just covering the area... I was going to let Sean know if somebody was coming.” Mr. Jones was shot four times and left to die on the street near his home just days before he was sched- uled to testify against Mr. Jacobson in court. The jury has already heard that Mr. Jones recognized Mr. Jacobson from their days in high school when the accused man showed up at the Metro East Trade Centre on June 16, 2000, looking for an automated teller machine. Mr. Jacobson withdrew cash using debit cards he had stolen during the home invasion at a Pickering home earlier that day, then left, urging Mr. Jones to deny seeing him if anyone asked. But later that day, Mr. Jones picked Mr. Jacobson’s pic- ture out of a photo line-up shown to him by Durham police investigating the rob- bery. Mr. Jacobson described the planning and execution of the robbery, at the home of a drug dealer. And he said he formulated a plan to try and frighten Mr. Jones out of testifying against him. Mr. Jacobson has pleaded guilty to charges related to the robbery and, at the start of this trial, attempted to enter a plea of guilty to manslaughter. Crown coun- sel Paul Murray rejected that plea. The trial, before Superior Court Justice Donald Fergu- son, continues. durhamregion.com THE NEWS ADVERTISER, JUNE 12, 2005 PAGE 3 P Father’s Day has never l ooked better! Just redeem your receipts at the Guest Services kiosk to receive your FREE gift wrap. Receipts must be dated after June 12th, 2005. One gift wrap per person, per visit. Suggested retail value: $2 – $7.50. Boxes not included. Have your Father’s Day gift wrapped for FREE! On now until Sunday, June 19th, when you spend $50 or more (same day sales, before taxes) at one or more Pickering Town Centre stores or services. Steve from PICKERING Another great reason to keep coming round to Casey’s! $10.99$10.99 Casey’s Grill •Bar is a trade-mark of PRC Trademarks Inc. Used under license. © 2005 Prime Restaurants of Canada Inc. *With the purchase of any beverage. Cost of beverage not included. Sorry, no substitutions. Taxes and gratuities not included. OSHAWA 419 King Street West (905) 576-3333 OSHAWA 1155 Ritson Road (Five Points Mall) (905) 579-6877 AJAX 36 Kingston Road (905) 619-9048 * LIFE DOESN’T ALWAYS WAIT UNTIL PAYDAY! OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • PAYDAY LOANS • TITLE LOANS • NO CREDIT NECESSARY • BORROW UP TO 50% OF YOUR PAY Ajax 11 Hardwood Ave. S., 905-426-2331 Pickering First Pickering Place #14-1550 Kingston Rd. 905-831-0874 Jacobson takes stand, denies murdering Roy Jones Police investigate shopping centre incidents PICKERING — Durham Regional Police have re- leased images of a man suspected of taking photos of unsuspecting females at the Pickering Town Centre. The images were taken at an Orange Julius outlet in the mall around 3:15 p.m. June 3 and include images of potential victims who have yet to be identified, police said. Investigators are inter- ested in speaking to those people. Witnesses told cops that the man was seen edging toward girls and young women; police believe he took pictures up their skirts with a camera on his shoe. Anyone with information can call police at 905-683- 9100, ext. 2528, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222- 8477. Images of shoe camera suspect released H ospital delivers maternity relief Obstetrics schedule now filled through summer months By Danielle Milley Staff Writer DURHAM — The idea of moving obstetrics from the Ajax hospital to Centenary has been shelved by the Rouge Valley Health System — at least for the summer. Hume Martin, RVHS president and chief executive officer, sent a letter to affected staff and physicians June 7 to let them know the pediat- ric call schedule had been “nearly completely filled for July and Au- gust,” meaning the hospital would be able to maintain its current level of pediatric and obstetrical services at the Ajax site for the summer. The hospital was facing a pedia- trician shortage as of June 8 across both sites because three were leav- ing and one is on maternity leave. The options considered to deal with the shortage were having family physicians and other doctors cover the schedule, temporarily transfer- ring services to the Centenary site, or classifying Ajax as a Level 1 so it would only be able to handle low- risk deliveries. The June schedule was filled a few weeks ago. Obstetricians at the Ajax site have been receiving calls from people in the community who are worried about the service closing. Hospital officials want to reassure the public. “Women and their families should not hesitate to come to RVAP to have their babies,” said Dr. Terry Logari- dis, program chief of obstetrics and gynecology for RVHS. “We’re not closing the unit, we will continue to provide safe services.” Dr. Logaridis said the preliminary schedule for September underway. “We’re working very hard to re- cruit more pediatricians and with community support we feel we can build a long-term sustainable ser- vice for the communities of Ajax, Pickering and Whitby,” he said. The physician recruitment com- mittee, made up of Rouge Valley representatives, with support from the City of Pickering, Town of Ajax and Town of Whitby, has been meeting to see what it can do to at- tract pediatricians to the area. Rouge Valley is also looking at different service models as a way to deal with the situation. “I strongly believe that the devel- opment of a long-term sustainable model will reduce the current in- stability and provide everyone with the security needed to remain com- mitted to the service and the imple- mentation of new service delivery models,” wrote Mr. Martin. P PAGE 4 THE NEWS ADVERTISER, JUNE 12, 2005 durhamregion.com CANADIAN TIRE PICKERING ONLY 1735 Pickering Parkway (at Brock Road), Pickering • 905-686-2309 REGULAR MAINTENANCE •Up to 5 litres of Castrol GTX motor oil •Check tires & fl uid level •Now Motomaster oil fi lter •Chassis lubrication * $2.50 enviro charge $1995 Most cars $1000Maintenance package with oil change Fuel Induction Flush •Cleans entire fuel system from tank to exhaust •Cleans air intake system from throttle to plenum •Cleans injectors, intake valves & combustion chambers •Increases power $9999 Power Steering Fluid Flush •Cleans gun & varnish from power steering unit •Removes old oxidized fl uid & replaces with new fl uid •Recondition seals $8999 Service Interval: every 50,000 km Service Interval: every 2 years or 40,000 km SAVE $20 OIL CHANGE PF801N PF803N LA 801N ®Registered trade-marks of Bank of Montreal. ®†Trade-marks of AIR MILES International Trading B.V.. Used under license by Loyalty Management Group Canada Inc. and Bank of Montreal. • Some restrictions apply TM When you drop into our Pickering West location, receive 25 AIR MILES ®† reward miles Full Service Branch • teller service • safety deposit boxes • 24 hour drive thru instabank machine • mortgages • investments • business loans • loans Featuring Teller Service Hours of Service Monday & Tuesday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Wednesday & Thursday 10:00 am to 8:00 pm Friday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturday 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Open House Week June 13 -18 We want to be your bank Gale Hanson Branch Manager New Branch Manager Gale Hanson and her team look forward to serving you. Front row: Heathere Corway, Payal Navaratnarajah, Marisa Amato, Sadia Patel , Denise Valleau. Back row: Cang Nguyen, Solomon Clements, Sylvia Nemisz, Daniel Fry. Front and Center is manager Gale Hanson. BMO Bank of Montreal Hwy. 2 and Whites Rd. North East Side Pickering, ON 905-839-3600 Youth at Work group here Wednesday to discuss workplace DURHAM — The Our Youth at Work Association is bringing Rob Ellis to Durham for two presenta- tions next week. Since the death on the job of his son in 1999, Mr. Ellis has become an outspoken advocate for work- place safety. His work with young people, parents, and businesses has been widely publicized across Canada and he has been a keynote speak- er at a number of international events. Both presentations are June 15, with the first at 10:25 a.m. at Henry Street High School, 600 Henry St. in Whitby. At 1 p.m., Mr. Ellis is at the Pick- ering Recreation Complex, 1867 Valleyfarm Road, Pickering. Both presentations are open to the gen- eral public. For more information, visit the website at www.ouryouthatwork. com. Fa ther brings safety message to Pickering NEWS ADVERTISER 905-683-5110 Metroland Durham Region Media Group Parity increase given to union DURHAM — Durham’s Catholic teachers are now on a level paying field. New four-year contract agreements between the On- tario English Catholic Teach- ers Association (OECTA) and the Durham Catholic District School Board have elementary and secondary teachers receiving 12.6 per cent more money by deals’ end in 2008. That includes a just slightly more than two per cent parity increase to align Catholic and public teacher salaries. The board ratified both deals at its meeting Monday. “Our current contract now provides an identical wage structure with that of the co- terminous board,” says Mi- chael Pautler, the Catholic board’s human resources superintendent. As a result of the par- ity increase, the salary of the board’s highest paid teacher rose to $76,000 per year, up from $74,508, retroactive to last summer. By the end of the agreement, the same teacher will be earning just over $84,000. Provincial frameworks or understandings between the government, the pro- vincial teachers’ unions and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association set a template for talks at the local level. The OECTA deal included a provision to in- crease Catholic teachers salaries to match those of comparable public teachers. “In each unit and each area, certainly parity with your coterminous board has been an issue,” says OECTA Durham second- ary president Bob McDonnell, noting for a time Catholic teachers here did make more. “It really gets rid of a sticking point.” Beyond the sal- ary increase, he pointed to the extra staffing lev- els as perhaps the most significant part of the deal, given the impact on teacher workload. “It looks like it will be about 16 teachers more next year and more the year after,” says Mr. McDonnell. “It will get all our teachers back to a six of eight (class per day workload), where we were before Bill 160, and it will lower the average class size.” Mr. Pautler says while it was hard in the past not to agree that the value of a teacher, public or Catholic, was the same, “the issue histori- cally has been the ability of Catholic boards to pay.” And pay the board will, as the salary hikes, with the parity increase, will cost an extra $3.75 million per year. Catholic teach- ers in both panels are receiv- ing a two-per cent increase retroactive to Aug. 31, 2004, a further two per cent Sept. 1, an additional 2.5 per cent in 2006, three per cent in 2007, and a further 0.7 per cent on the last day of the agreement, Aug. 31, 2008. durhamregion.com THE NEWS ADVERTISER, JUNE 12, 2005 PAGE 5 A/P Thank you from the YWCA The YWCA Durham would like to say a huge thank you to all our supporters this year for our 23rd Women of Distinction Awards. We couldn’t have done it without you! Scotia Bank Metroland Durham Region Media Group Ontario Power Generation Great Blue Heron Casino Kelley’s Cleaning Services Municipality of Clarington Region of Durham Social Services Department - Housing Services Rita Delaurentis Town of Uxbridge Patheon Inc. The Print Shop Deer Creek Golf and Banquet Facility Clintar Groundskeeping Services Angelica’s Flowers & Country Crafts Bell Canada Bibette 1161 Bloomingfield’s Florist Bowmanville Zoo Brooklin Redman Lacrosse Classic Flowers Colleen Hickling Deb Williams - Blue Sue Pitchforth Whitby Mall Florist Durham Regional Police Services Eva Reti Gladys Kenney Jane’s Day Spa & Salon Joanne’s Flowers and Gifts Johnny Bower Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Motor City Saturn Parkwood Estate Paula Lishman Professional Personnel Councilor Robert Lutczyk Room For Change Scugog Island Cruises Somcan Marketing and Sales Sweet & Savoury The Facial Place Towne Flowers Plants & Gifts Units 4 U Van Belle Floral Wiggers Custom Furniture Goodlife Fitness, Ajax Sisters Pace Fitness Imagine That Art Gallery WO MEN OF DISTINCTION COMMITTEE If a new 2006 Jetta doesn’t already make you look twice, an offer like this one surely will. • a powerful 2.5 litre, 150 hp engine • available 6-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic® • new electromechanical-enhanced steering • new 4-link fully independent rear suspension • refi ned styling •more passenger room and 20% more storage space than current Jetta models • luxury interior including a locking, air-conditioned glove box newjetta.ca Volkswagen Finance is proud to support recent college or university graduates with a $750 rebate off the purchase or lease of a new or certifi ed pre-owned Volkswagen vehicle.** *Offer applies to a 39-month lease for a 2006 Jetta, 2.5 litre gas engine, 4-door, 5-speed manual and includes freight, $2,542 down payment, $298 fi rst month’s payment required of time of transaction. PDI, insurance, licence, admin/registration fees and applicable taxes extra. Monthly payments total $11,622. Lessee responsible for insurance. At lease end, lessee responsible for $0.12/km over 65,000 km and damage and excessive wear. Requires Volkswagen Finance approval. Lease rate is based on 4.8% interest. See us for full details. Offer ends June 30, 2005. Supplies are limited. ®Triptronic is a registered trademark of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. **Must have graduated within 24 months of credit application. Offer valid on all new and used 2006, 2005 or 2004 Volkswagen vehicles, and Volkswagen Certifi ed pre-owned models that are delivered during the program period. Offer through Volkswagen Finance on approved credit. Rebate offer ends Dec. 31, 2005. ©volkswagen 2005. Nicely equipped for Now with $0 Security Deposit 39-month lease $298 /month* ¤ Pickering Volkswagen Inc. 905-420-9700 Fax: (905) 420-8550 503 Kingston Rd. Pickering Service/Sales/Parts/Bodyshop/Rental Sales Hours Mon-Thurs 9-8 pm Friday 9-6 pm Saturday 9-5 pm HWY. 401PORT UNION RD.WHITES RD.HWY. 2 View us virtually at pvw.comOver 50 VW Certifi ed Pre-Owned In-Stock edented provincial involve- ment. “They’re very historic be- cause they are for the four years,” says Mr. Barrett. “They’re historic because of the Ontario template that was established by the Education Ministry, and certainly there are some historic breakthroughs, 200 minutes (of preparation time) for elementary teach- ers and increased staffing.” As part of provincial framework agreements be- tween the unions and the Province, both panels will see staff numbers increas- ing over the life of the con- tract, an estimated 45 high school and 33 elementary teachers at the public board next year. That means prep- aration and planning time is going up while supervi- sory time will decrease. Elementary teachers, who currently receive 150 minutes of preparation time per teacher per week, will get 160 minutes this coming school year, 180 minutes in 2006, 190 minutes the fol- lowing year and 200 min- utes in June 2008. A cap on supervision time will be put into effect, of no more than 100 min- utes per teacher per week starting this fall. Next year the board will endeavour to keep lunchtime, recess, hall, yard and bus duty su- pervision at no more than 80 minutes per week. Rachel Gencey, the Dur- ham ETFO president, says supervision time gener- ally ranges from 45 minutes to more than three hours in schools at present. She says the prep time increase won’t make an immedi- ate difference in schools, but that by deal’s end the extra time could translate into another teacher for a school. She agreed the deal is a win-win-win for teach- ers, students and parents. Effective this Septem- ber, she says the deal gives teachers’ a dental coverage increase, coverage to see a psychologist or psychiatrist go up from $225 to $1,000 per year, and coverage of a range of paramedical services, such as massage therapy, rises from $225 to $400 per year. Further ben- efit increases take affect in other years of the deal. At the high school level, all teachers will be assigned six teaching periods over the school year, down from 6.67. Catholic board ratifies deals, teacher salaries match peers Historic deals for public board, chairman says ✦ Historic, From Page 1 Bob McDonnell P PAGE 6 THE NEWS ADVERTISER,JUNE 12, 2005 durhamregion.com EDITORIAL LETTER TO THE EDITOR Durham needs to work together Smart Commute program is sensible step to curb reliance on cars While the automobile has brought untold prosperity to Durham Region, it’s also responsible for prob- lems ranging from air pollution to road rage. And, with more cars and trucks hitting the road as growth contin- ues here, solutions that cut down the number of vehicles on our roads are necessary. Durham Region has a huge commuter community, and there is a mass exodus from the area each morning. Often when leaving Durham, they do so alone while cars all around are doing the same thing. Some of those commuters they leapfrog on the way to work actually spend eight hours in the same facility. Te amwork on all fronts is needed by business and com- muters to combat our reliance on the automobile. We all need to find ways to cut down on the poisoning of the environment, and one of the most important steps being initiated is the Smart Commute program. This idea, which is based upon successful ones already established in Rich- mond Hill, Vaughan, Markham and North Toronto, would mirror the others by offering shuttle buses from GO trains to offices, GTA-wide ride matching and in-Durham carpooling. These elements will ultimately see more carpooling through shared rides among workmates. There will be an Internet- based system that will offer people the opportunity to log in and find others in their area heading to a similarly located office. This system is a no-brainer. All it takes is buy-in from com- muters and businesses. We need our large workplaces to en- courage workers to share rides whenever possible, because if you cut down the number of cars on the road, you will cut down on the stress associated with traffic congestion. This cutting-edge program will make Durham the envy of other municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area and the leader in turning this region into a better place to live. If not, and should we keep driving down this road to destruction, we can only blame ourselves for not grabbing on to answers like Smart Commute. Same-sex marriage bill should pass To the editor: Re: ‘With uncertainty over, let’s hope same-sex marriage bill can pass’, Carly Foster column, June 5. I just wanted to congratulate Ms. Foster for the article sup- porting the passing of Bill C-38. I am totally in favour of it and am frequently at a loss as to the negative attention it receives. Sometimes it seems that there is no support for gay and lesbian rights in these areas east of Toronto and in reading this article I am glad to see that I am not alone in my community. My sister is gay and I feel very strongly that she has the right to marry whomever she loves as the rest of us do. As Ms. Foster stated, it is all about choice. I despair sometimes read- ing the negative and hateful comments I frequently see and I was thrilled to open my community paper and see someone supporting it for a change. Bravo. Job well done. Cheryl Cullis Ajax NEWS A DVERTISER Metroland Durham Region Media Group Tim Whittaker, Publisher Joanne Burghardt, Editor-in-Chief To ny 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 Av e., 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 Tr ade, Ontario Community Newspa- per Assoc., Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc., and the Cana- dian Circulations Audit Board. Also a member of the Ontario Press Council, 2 Carlton St., Suite 1706, To r onto, M5B 1J3, an independent organization that addresses reader complaints about member news- papers.The publisher reserves the right to classify or refuse any advertisement. Credit for advertise- ment limited to space price error occupies. Editorial and Advertising content of the News Advertiser is copyrighted. Unauthorized repro- duction 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 complaints, 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 cho- sen for publication. They change lives for the better every day W hat an education. When the News Advertiser asked for student submissions for the best elementary teachers in Ajax and Pickering, we were expecting to learn of some pretty impressive educators. We did and then some. Quite frankly, we were blown away by the 35 letters. We’ll intro- duce our Teacher of the Year in an up- coming edition, sharing his or her magi- cal touch in and out of the classroom. For now, however, consider some of the stories: We heard about a number of teachers, knowing they can’t assist students with the writing of Education Quality and Ac- countability Office tests, doing whatever it takes to settle any rattled nerves. One brought in bagels and muffins “so our brains would work better,” while another cheered up the class “with a few wise words.” We heard about another who made several trips to a student’s house after he was seriously injured in a car accident. She made sure he didn’t fall behind in his studies and when her student returned, she changed her class and routines to ac- commodate him. We also heard from a young boy who noted his single mother is working so hard to raise him on a limited budget. Imagine his pleasure when his teacher presented him with clothes that had out- grown her own son, along with skates and a helmet. It’s fair to say we send our children to school each day with an understanding they will receive an education in the ‘3Rs,’ some science, gym, geography and a few others as well. But judging by the collection of teach- ers we’ve read about, so many of our kids are also being taught that compas- sion for others is what really enriches not only our schools, but our communities too. They’ve learned you don’t write off someone because they’re sick or behind in their learning; it’s much tougher to go the extra mile, but it’s the right thing to do. They’ve learned a teacher sets goals high and then helps his or her students hit pay dirt. Best of all, they’ve learned that school should be fun. Laughing, jokes, funny faces and silly sounds can be as common as reading through a textbook and doing one’s homework. As the last few days of another school year wind down in the coming weeks, I hope every student in Ajax and Pickering will think about their teachers and the im- pact they’ve made this year. I hope they’ll pick out at least one example and then share it with their teacher. Let them know how they’ve made a dif- ference in your life. To ny Doyle’s column ap- pears every third Sunday. E-mail tdoyle@durhamregion.com. 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