Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44FOCUS - JANUARY 2017 27 Letters to the editor continued from page 2 Mailbox Gift Giving Program a success Dear Editor On behalf of “The Community Gift Giving Program” we would like to send out a big heartfelt thank you for your generosity and support once again this year. You have helped make it possible to spread Christmas cheer to all the residents at Port Perry Place. This would not be possible without the support of our wonderful community. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2017, filled with happiness and good health.! Sincerely, Joan Elliott and Jillian Howsam G-Moms Making a Difference! This time moving to the music! Dear Editor To all of our wonderful supporters out there.....here is a little something to bring a smile to your face in this grand new year. Well it might actually make you laugh uproariously but it will also make you very aware of the strong group of Canadian Women who work to help the Grannies and Orphans in Sub Sahara Africa. Please visit http://www.grandmotherscampaign.org/ flashmob. Feel free to share it with family and friends. This group of women have raised over $25 million to date and we stress that 90% of every dollar raised is guaranteed to go directly to the projects. Grannies are empowered to become self-sufficient, kids get nutritious food and get to go to school. These are the things that will make a difference. Tinie Evans on behalf of G-Moms of Port Perry Appeal to Durham Transportation Dear Editor How does a 40-minute walk sound four times a day with a 2, a 4 and a 6-year-old in this weather? How about if it could be replaced for no extra cost with just stepping out the door instead? To most of us, this is a no- brainer. Not so to the Durham Student Transportation Services. The DSTS picked a community stop for our street. However, my kids are the only ones taking the school bus here and it drives right by our house. They attend two different schools, so we go to the stop four times a day. That is over 2.5 hours every single school day! DSTS’s reasoning is “what if someone moves into one of the other houses and wants to take the same bus”? My logic would dictate to reassess the situation if that ever happens. I appealed to several levels within the DSTS and above, with no success. Unless there is a safety reason, there would be no change. So it is their official policy to not care about the families and their lives. The fact that our street has no sidewalk or shoulder and I’m walking right where the cars go with my three kids on a steep, often icy road is not enough of a safety reason for them. The lady in charge told me there were “lots of other families” in the same situation. I think that is all the more reason I should keep pressing this issue, and I promise I will go to all levels, including appealing every single year for the next 14 years at all levels of the DSTS, the school board, our MP and whatever other ways I can find so that the senseless, bureaucratic approach of the DSTS could finally change towards our families. Viktoria Brown Second chance to attend symposium Dear Editor The Scugog Housing Advisory Committee would like to thank Focus on Scugog for the excellent coverage of the second annual Housing Symposium held on Saturday October 22. We would also like to thank the many Scugog citizens who contributed to the discussion about the Draft Housing Plan that the committee will finalize and present to the council early in the New Year. We had an excellent turnout of “more mature” Scugog residents, but we are also very interested in hearing from the under 40 crowd regarding their needs for affordable and suitable housing. Therefore we are holding a second event to present the Draft Plan on Wednesday January 18 between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Old Flame Brewing Co., 135 Perry St., Port Perry. Early RSVP confirmation of individuals between 18 and 39 will result in an Old Flame “surprise”, which will be donated by a local resident, to the first 40 callers. To RSVP please contact Lindsay Burnett by telephone at 905 985 7346 x 120. ID will be checked to validate age, however, anyone who wishes to attend will be welcome at the presentation. Thank you again to the editor and staff of Focus on Scugog for your continuing support of the Scugog community. You do a great job! Martha Casson Chair, Scugog Housing Advisory Committee 48 Water St., Port Perry, ON (905) 985-3767