$1.00 www.oshawaexpress.ca “Well Written, Well Read” Vol 4 No 33 Wednesday, June 10, 2009 Parkview Place resident shares words of wisdom Mabel celebrates 103 fun-filled years By Lindsey Cole floral printed dress and freshly painted nails. two brothers. Caring for her mother and The Oshawa Express These friends at Parkview Place aren’t just Read always had a passion for horseback sister throughout her life, Read giving her hugs and kisses because of her riding, something she says she would even never had any children. As Mabel Read walks into the room, sever- witty, charming personality. attempt to do to this day. But throughout her life she al friends run up and give her hugs and kisses. They have a number of reasons to celebrate Her family took a horse and cutter to has been surrounded by family “You’re going to have your face wore out this lady’s life – 103 to be exact. Toronto when she was younger, as there was and friends, whether she was with kisses and hugs,” one of them tells her. On June 5, 1906 Read was born in Ottawa, no Highway 401 at that time and her family out bowling or playing the flute and accordion. Another says how beautiful she looks in her the youngest in her family of three sisters and didn’t have a car. Now, she is celebrating a milestone that few Ripple effect See FRIENDS Page 8 will burden Train derails Oshawa By Lindsey Cole Oshawa The Oshawa Express Tony Pestano describes the noise as a terri- By Katie Strachan ble song. The Oshawa Express It was a roar that reverberated throughout his home. The sound of screeching metal Lakeridge Health against railroad tracks made his ears ring. Bowmanville’s (LHB) critical Kevin Empey Then there was nothing. care unit is in jeopardy, says CEO Silence. Dr. Phil Narini, a plastic sur- Lakeridge An eerie aftermath of a massive train geon and the president of the Health derailment, which saw 27 cars hurled off the Medical Association. track, resembling an accordion along the Narini along with Dr. Benj Fuller, chief of Canadian Pacific (CP) Rail corridor. emergency services at Lakeridge Health and It was just after 2 p.m. on Friday when the Dr. Anthony Stone, a physician at LHB spoke train, carrying 111 cars, skidded off the track, to council about their concerns with not only causing the evacuation of 107 homes in the Bowmanville hospital, but also the effect it area of Montrave Avenue and Park Road See DOCTORS Page 8 North in Oshawa. The South Oshawa Community Centre was opened to the public to help in the evacuation. Durham Region Residents: Transit also offered to take people to and from their homes. More than 1,000 people were affected by the derailment. We don’t want It was a miracle no one was hurt, Pestano says. His backyard is literally inches away from the CP line. another ghetto “Nothing came through the back fence or By Lindsey Cole anything. We had to leave for the night,” he The Oshawa Express says, as some of the cars affected in the acci- dent contained hydrogen peroxide. Steve Bowman says he may sound like a Though initially there was a fire within a ‘not in my backyard’ kind of guy, but he does- locomotive car, the City of Oshawa Fire n’t want tons of students living in his neigh- Emergency Services were able to put it out bourhood. and contain the other tankers. He feels passionate about Trent Now, the evacuation has been lifted, the University’s proposal to build a university on Park Road bridge reopened and the cleanup the northerly portion of the Oshawa Civic continues. Auditorium and on the former St. Michael’s Lives are slowly going back to normal. Catholic School site on Vancouver Court as he “I think the whole neighbourhood was lit lives nearby. Photo by Lindsey Cole/ The Oshawa Express up,” says Anne Hill, who has lived next to “There is not a university in Canada where CP crews continue to clean up the mess after a CP train carrying 111 cars derailed near the Park Road Pestano for more than 20 years. students haven’t turned it into a ghetto,” he bridge. Though no one was injured in the event, the accident happened in a residential area causing See TRENT Page 8 more than 1,000 residents to be temporarily evacuated from their homes. See CREWS Page 5 Durham College childcare centre to close College student concerns grow By Katie Strachan According to Lovisa, for the 2009 to 2010 in the event that something goes wrong or one growing, panic is now setting in. The Oshawa Express school year, the deficit was projected to be of them falls ill. The mother of two is concerned she won’t $280,000. Lovisa agrees the fees paid for use of the be able to find a reliable daycare before she is Sherri Upton thought she had everything But for Upton and about 300 students who campus daycare centre are steep. supposed to start school again in September. It figured out. have signed her peti- “If you compare fees can take up to three months on a waiting list She’s currently studying business adminis- tion to keep the cen- with other providers, before getting accepted, she says. tration at Durham College and is making the tre open, not enough ours are already at the “At this point, I really don’t know,” she switch to nursing in September. is being done. “Not everyone upper end. Not says when asked what her plans are. After being on a waiting list for months, “We’re concerned can afford to pay everyone can afford to The letter outlined the college was giving Upton finally got her two children accepted about where we are pay higher fees,” he students two months notice to find another and settled into the Durham College childcare going to put our higher fees.” says. daycare centre. centre. kids,” she says. -Don Lovisa While Upton under- “To get a good daycare provider you need But her dreams crashed last week when she “Finally I got a President of stands that Lovisa is more than two months,” Upton says frustrated. received a letter from the president of the col- spot and now they’re Durham College sympathetic for the stu- Lovisa says while the college is optimistic lege, Don Lovisa, stating the daycare centre closing.” dents, she is upset with that another company will see this as an oppor- would be closing. Upton says she the college’s decision. tunity to open a daycare, they’re not pursuing “It’s been an ongoing deficit and it is a pays a high fee to have her children, ages two “I’ve planned for it and now my plans are it at this time. growing deficit,” says Lovisa. and four, in the campus daycare but that it’s all screwed up,” she adds. No one from the childcare centre was avail- “It has been for the past five years.” worth the price for having them so close to her While frustration among the parents is able for comment. Region suffering in economic climate By Katie Strachan than half of these job losses were in With all of these job losses comes rate in the region at the time of fil- couldn’t. The Oshawa Express Ontario. a spike in those applying for ing. The Canada Mortgage and Oshawa alone has lost about Employment Insurance (EI). The housing activity in Durham Housing Corporation doesn’t expect The global economy continues to 11,500 jobs since October last year. This is particularly evident in Region is down drastically as well. the housing starts to return to the fall at the sharpest rate since the However, as of April 2009, the Oshawa, which has been hit hard by During the first quarter of 2009, pace of past years for at least four Second World War, a regional eco- unemployment rate in Oshawa at 7.7 manufacturing job losses. actual housing construction in the years. nomic update states. per cent was lower than the federal The region’s report shows that the region dropped by about 76 per cent, “Given a global negative eco- Since October 2008, 321,000 and provincial rates of 8 per cent and latest EI statistics are from from 903 in 2008 to 219 in nomic outlook, the Region of Canadians have lost their jobs. More 8.7 per cent respectively. February 2009. 2009. Durham will face some challenging At that time, 6.470 peo- Three key factors can times ahead in 2009,” states the ple were receiving regular be blamed for those dwin- report. benefits under the EI pro- dling numbers. It will take some time to feel the gram in Oshawa. First and foremost it positive effects of the restructuring That’s an increase of can be attributed to the going on in the automotive business, more than 22 per cent from weakening domestic econ- and the manufacturing sector will last year. omy. Secondly, the steady face even more hardships, explains But, not all of the unem- job losses and lastly, the report. ployed people are receiving tighter lending conditions The region of Durham releases an EI. Some plan to return to from banks and other economic update on a monthly basis University for retraining, financial lenders. because of the turmoil the economy live in multi-income households, Mortgage rates will continue to has faced in 2009. live off of savings or have access to stay at all-time lows until the end of While the outlook is not positive, credit, are seasonal workers or they the second quarter of 2010, which the region is typically characterized live in Oshawa but receive EI in forecasts that housing starts will as having a close proximity to mod- another economic region they reside moderate into the second half of the ern infrastructure, energy sector in.