Gone South, Ewen Trail by Renee Leahy

Volume 7 No. 46 YOUR UNIVERSE Thursday, November 24th 2011

PARADE’S A-COMIN’ - Santa dropped by this week to show youngsters Josh McKenney (left) and Drake Horton, both 3, which way to watch thisSaturday morning for his big parade. Jeweller Scott Rutledge (with canine pal Chippy) knows his shop is one of the prime locations on the parade route,especially now that that those cool tin soldiers are standing guard out front. Photo by Renee Leahy.

Inside ThisWeek’sCosmos

Coffee with the GrandParade Marshall... 3

Ravenshoe: Movember mojo... 5

All about the noise... 7

Council faces majorbudget cuts... 8

Uxbridger arrested onporn charges... 13

Havana bound... 15

Thur sday, November 24 th 20112The Uxbr idge Cosmos

Uxpool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .905-852-7831

Arena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .905-852-3081

Historical Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . .905-852-5854

Animal Shelter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .905-985-9547

Chamber of Commerce . . . . . . .905-852-7683

Uxbridge Public Library 905-852-9747Mon.,Wed., Fri., Sat. 9:30 am - 5 pm

Tues., Thurs. 9:30 am - 9pm Sundays after Thanksgiving to May 24 weekend 1 pm - 5 pm

Zephyr Library905-473-2375

HOURS Tues., Thurs., 2 pm - 8 pmSat 10 am - 3 pm

Uxbridge Arts Association: www.uxbridgearts.comTownship Library: . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.uxlib.com

51 Toronto Street SouthP.O. Box 190, Uxbridge L9P 1T1

Tel: 905-852-9181Fax: 905-852-9674

The Corporation of

The Township of Uxbridgewww.town.uxbridge.on.ca

Council and Committee MeetingSchedule for November/December

Monday, November 28th6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.BUDGET OPEN HOUSE7:30p.m.COUNCILMonday, December 5thCommittee 9:30 a.m.Monday, December 12thCouncil 9:30 a.m.

UXBRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY

Program Director, Pamela Noble,905-852-9747,ext. 24

MOVIE NIGHT (PG13): The First GraderThur. Dec.1, 7-8:45 PM. Cost: 'Donation' for this “Give a day event”Check out www.giveaday.ca Drinks and snacks sold separately. Sign upsin ADVANCE not necessary!

WINTER PRE-SCHOOL CLASSES:REGISTRATION OPENS on MON. DEC. 12at 9:30am., with payment by cash or chequeonly, for the following programs. SPACESOFTEN FILL QUICKLY

WIGGLES 'N' GIGGLES'. Ages 2 1/2 - 3 1/2, 10-10:45 am. Cost: $20.00/child with adultStories, games and craft activities with stafferCathy Reesor. Lots of fun and a great way tomake new friends! Four classes to run alter-nate Mondays & Tuesdays, starting January9&10 (miss Feb. 20 & 21) Choose the day tobest fit your schedule.

'MUSICAL MOMENTS'. Ages 6-18mos., 10:15-10:45 am; Ages 19-36+ mos., 11-11:30 am.Cost: $50.00/child with adult. Kathy Reid-Naiman will conduct toe tapping,interactive activities to include fingerplays andsongs, along with various musical instru-ments. 8 Thursdays, January 12-March 1.

'IT'S MY TURN' Ages 1-2, 10-10:45 am. Thisprogram is offered free of charge throughOntario Early Years, Durham Region. Enjoysongs and various action games and stories,to enhance development skills for toddlers.Four Wednesdays, February 15-March 7.

COMING IN 2012…. UXBRIDGE LIBRARY

CELEBRATES 125 YEARS IN UXBRIDGE!Various projects are being planned for com-munity involvement. The first, already kickedoff, is a contest for children in grds. Jk-8 to'Design-a-Bookmark'. Entries close onMonday, December 19. Ask at the library fordetails or check our website at www.uxlib.co

2010 MUNICIPAL PERFORMANCEMEASUREMENT PROGRAM

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Ontario Government has man-dated a Municipal PerformanceMeasurement Program (MPMP)which requires municipalities to sub-mit financial and related performancedata to the Province and the Publicon a range of services. The Townshipof Uxbridge's MPMP data for 2010are available on the Township's web-site at www.town.uxbridge.on.ca.

WINTER REMINDERSOVERNIGHT PARKING

Please be advised that By-law 89-52 asamended prohibits overnight parking fromNovember 1 until April 1 between the hoursof 2 am and 7 am on roadways andMunicipal lots within the Township ofUxbridge.SNOW REMOVAL OBSTRUCTION

Did you know that in accordance with theTownship of Uxbridge Traffic By-law 89-52,it is an offence to stop any vehicle on ahighway in such a manner as to interferewith the movement of traffic or the clearingof snow from the highway?

Please make sure you park off any high-way or roadway so as to permit snowremoval equipment and vehicles to cleanthe streets during the winter season. SIDEWALK RESPONSIBILITIES

Snow Removal By-Law 2008-160 statesevery owner/occupant of any building orvacant lot within the Township of Uxbridgeshall clear all snow and ice from any side-walk(s) adjacent to their property within 24hours after the accumulation of snowand/or ice.SNOWMOBILE BY-LAW

Please keep the Township Snowmobile By-Law in mind while operating your motorizedsnow vehicle this winter season. You arenot permitted to ride your snowmobile onany sidewalks, park lands or any otherTownship property except to cross. Any per-son found in contravention of this By-Law isliable to a fine.

2012 BUDGET DEBATE

MONDAY NOV 286:30-7:30PM PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE

MONDAY JAN 16Finance Committee approval

MONDAY JAN 23Council adoption of budget

UXBRIDGE INDOOR WALKING TRAIL

Want to stay active during the winter months? Walk the Indoor Trail , in the halls of Uxbridge Secondary School

Monday and Wednesday evenings

November 2/11 April 30/12 Indoor Trail is open from 6:00 8:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

Volunteers Needed! Please call Rebecca at 905-852-7831

Annual fee of $25 - sign up at Uxpool or at the door No fee for children under 12

Please use the doors on the east side of the school

Bring comfortable indoor shoes for walking cloak room available All welcome children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult

No running, walking poles or strollers

JUST A REMINDER FROM THE TAX OFFICE…

Now is the time to complete and returnyour 2012 Pre-Authorized PaymentPlan Form. The deadline to submit yourApplication is November 30, 2011.Forms may be downloaded from ourWebsite at www.town.uxbridge.on.caUnder Departments', Treasury' or theform can be picked up from the TaxDepartment at the Municipal Office.

PURCHASE A COPY OF THE

TORONTO STREET MURAL

You can now purchase an 8”x10” copy ofthe original photograph of the TorontoStreet mural for $10 (incl. tax) from theUxbridge Public Library or UxbridgeTownship Office. This is a fundraiser forUxbridge Historical Centre, and all pro-ceeds from the sale of the mural will helpsupport future programming and exhibits.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - PART-TIME CUSTODIAN

• Person to be responsible for the cleaningof the Pool facility• 2 nights per week - may increase• Must be a self-starter and able to workon their own.• Successful applicant should have a pridein their work and the presentation of thefacility.• WHMIS and previous experience anasset but not necessary.

Resumes accepted until December 6th. Please forward to the attention of:Carolyn Clementson, 1 Parkside Drive,Uxbridge, ON. L9P 1K7 or by email atcclementson@town.uxbridge.on.ca - please reference custodian position insubject line.

All are welcomed to shop forunique new and vintageChristmas gifts at the Museum'sGift Shop, during the Past &Presents Gift Sale. We have agreat selection of home and gar-den décor, vintage jewellery,ceramics, children's classic toysand games, glassware, and localhistory books. The Museum GiftShop will be open for holidayshopping for one day only! We accept cash only.

Located in the Kydd House 7239 Concession Road 6

MUSEUM GIFT SHOP

Saturday December 3rd10am-4pm

SANTA CLAUS PARADEThe Uxbridge Fire Department will againbe participating in the annual Santa ClausParade on Saturday November 26th, 2011and would like to wish all the residents afire safe Christmas.

While looking for the perfect gift to putunder the tree the Fire Department wouldlike to suggest that you consider purchas-ing a Smoke Alarm or a Carbon MonoxideAlarm for those in your family who may nothave one of these life saving devices intheir home or apartment.

Looking for stocking stuffers? Why notpurchase batteries for your alarms andreplace the existing batteries, especially ifyou did not replace the batteries when youchanged the time on your clock. During the parade members of theUxbridge Fire Department will be walkingalong the parade route collecting dona-tions to “Fill the Boot”. All proceeds fromthis project are forwarded to local agen-cies here in Uxbridge. The agencies usethe funds to provide necessities to localfamilies.

Many families have Christmas tra-ditions, but it's unlikely they last asmany years and involve as manypeople as Angela Horne's. She andher family have been guiding theUxbridge Santa Claus parade fordecades. We thought it was time tohave a cup of coffee with the ladywho has brought so much cheer toUxbridge over the years.

The Santa Claus parade happensagain this Saturday. How manyhave you coordinated now?For me on my own this will be mysixth parade.Do you have a title?Grand Marshall or chairperson.That would indicate you have acommittee under you.In the past, when my dad (Bill Scott)was running it, we had a lot of vol-unteers, a committee of about 12people. A lot of dedicated peoplewho had been on it for a very longtime. But as time went on, peoplehad lives to get on with and it washard to get younger and youngerpeople to come up and help, so thecommittee has kind of dwindled.The last couple of years that my dadwas still alive, I picked up a lot of theslack. I'd been on the committee forabout 12 years prior to that.Organizing things was my forté. Butbefore you knew it, it was down to asmall four, five, six of us and now it'sabout four of us.Well, I don't know who the otherthree people are, but you do aremarkable job. Uxbridge has one ofthe best Santa Claus parades I'veever seen anywhere.Thank you.So, adding up the numbers, it seemsyou've been involved with the paradeas an organizer for 20 years now.Yes, but I remember being on a floatas a kid, on the Santa float, being anelf. When my dad had Scott Electric,my mom and dad and brotheralways put together a float. We neveractually got to watch the parade askids.I know it's great fun to be in theparade, but at the same time youkind of wish you were on the side-lines watching it go by.Some rotate, in it one year, on thesidelines one year.This year, are we looking at biggerand better or any surprises?There's no major surprises this year.We so far have collected 45 floatsand we're into the last week.Normally, we've never had thismany up to this point, but we alwaysknow there's at least another 20 or25 that will show up that day. Peopleshow up last minute on Saturday.So you could have as many as 60floats on Saturday?That's what we average every year.It's exciting. You know why: it'sbecause we're free. It's a free parade,it's all about the kids, it's about fun,it's about coming out for the day, it's

about community, it's about justbeing out with neighbours and lovedones.Does the Santa Claus parade receiveany funding?We receive funding from UxbridgeTownship and the BIA.Well yes, because it does bring busi-ness downtown. Or does it?Well . . .Is it part of your job as coordinatorto find out whether the paradebrings business downtown?We've been told by the BIA that itbrings no business that day. Peoplein some stores receive no business.There are other businesses that sayit's a great day for them. It dependson how much business owners par-ticipate. We've seen businesses thatput out hot cider, cookies, hot,chocolate, give out coupons, giveout balloons, put out tents. Thosepeople seem to do well. They're tak-ing advantage of the 5,000 to 6,000people that are in the downtown

core. People do come out early, theywant to get an early seat, but I don'tthink anyone leaves home withoutsome cash in their pocket or a purseon their shoulder or a wallet in theirback pocket. It's really about captur-ing for the merchants, an opportuni-ty for them before and after.When did you start organizing thisyear's parade?That can start as soon as the paradeis over, because people say: "Okay,book us in for next year."So for you it's a question of going allyear long?There are quiet months, likeFebruary and March, when we don'tget as much information, and maybeApril's quiet, but starting in Maypeople are starting to think aboutthe Santa Claus parade. Is there atheme coming up? What are youlooking for for 2012, what are therequirements? We have a web sitewith rules and regulations. It'swww.uxbridgesantaclausparade.com. We look for sponsorship. Somepeople have been extremely gener-ous, in town and out of town.Do you actually go after groups andorganizations to participate?I don't chase floats, but I have tocoordinate bands, because they'rebooked, usually, at least a year or twoin advance. There are three or four

bands that are very well knownthroughout Ontario and Canada soI have to book them ahead of time.There are two or three bands that arealways here, like the Lindsay PipeBand with their fuzzy pink bunny.And the band with the black andyellow uniforms.Yes, the Kawartha Cavaliers. Theyalways lead Santa. They're a bigband and they play well.Over the years, Angela, I've seensome wild things, from the fuzzypink bunny to live lions and I thinkI remember a camel or a llama.We had live deer a couple of yearsago. They were amazing.Do you got out and look for those?Yes. I have to go and look for themif we're going to do something dif-ferent one particular year. Thosekind of things do cost money so,depending on my budget and howmuch I can afford, there will besomething bigger for that year.How much funding do you get fromthe township and BIA?The township offers us $5,000 andthe BIA this year has offered up$2,500.But I imagine some of the bands andgroups don't come cheap.No they don’t. The deer were quitean expense a couple of years ago.High-end bands can cost up to$1,600.So you really have to be careful withyour budgeting.I do, I go after a couple of reallygreat big bands, the ones that aregoing to break up the parade andput the other bands in between andthen floats in between.This interview is about you, but it'simpossible to talk about the paradewithout talking about your dad,Bill. How long did he run theparade?A total of 36 years. Or it could havebeen 37. He did get an award as thelongest volunteer. That's the reasonfor the rock. (A large boulderinscribed with Bill Scott's name sitsalong a pathway through QuakerVillage common.)How did he fall into it?My Uncle Jack originally started upwith a couple of people and he gotbusy and my dad took over. He'djust started up his own business,Scott Electric, and decided that wasgoing to be one of his volunteerthings to do.So the Santa parade has been part ofyour life almost all your life.Yes, going on 46 years. I don't mindsaying it.Do you ever get to participate in theparade now?My job on the day of the parade is toshow up, organize Centre street. Mybrother, Don Scott, does the traf-ficking for the day. He has a groupof about eight guys who show up indifferent areas where we try to slowdown the traffic. I take the judges upand down Centre Street so they can

have a preview of the floats gettingready. And when the parade starts at11 a.m., I start directing. All thebands are on Brock, so I fit them inas the floats come down CentreStreet.So you don't get to stand and watchthe fruits of your year-long labourgoing by?No. In fact, people will say "Do youremember this? and I say "Oh, no."I don't, because I'm busy keepingthe flow of the parade going.Are there any floats over the yearsthat stand out in your mind?My brother built, years ago, this bigET float. He was made out of papi-er mache and he had this big fingerand, because they're electricians,they wired it at the end and he hadthis big red finger that kept lightingup and there was a voice recordingthat kept saying "ET go home." Ilove when the animals show up fromthe Port Perry exotic animal farm,the deer. It's a blur to go back andthink about the most spectacular.The Roxy Kids do an amazing job,they put in a year on their own. Onethat was memorable was when TimHorton's put a float up there withpolice officers in the chairs withdonuts. It was a controversy. Peopletalked about it for a while.Now apart from the Santa Clausparade, which occupies a lot of yourtime, you're also chair of theUxbridge Chamber of Commerce.How much time does that take?About half the time of the SantaClaus parade. It takes a lot. We hada new committee come up this yearafter the AGM. It takes time makingsure everything is running smoothlyand efficiently and making sure all

the businesses are looked after, plusrunning the breakfasts and gettingspeakers and being a spokesperson.And you're in the Chamber becauseof Scott Electric?No, I'm a transformation successcoach. I do personal coaching andbusiness coaching, so if you're hav-ing difficulty within your businessand it keeps reoccurring, there arecertain elements of why things aren'tworking. I look at your business andsit with you and go through it andI'm able to pick up where the blocksare or the difficulties are. There canbe aspects of you that are blockingthe business.The attributes for running a busi-ness like that would appear to beideal for heading up the Chamber ofCommerce.Yes, it's about being right brained,but having the logic of the left brainand being able to complete theprocess. I've learned from manymasters and teachers around theworld. I've learned to work withwhat comes through me, to workwith other people and allow them toevolve with their success, the powerto be the best that they can be sothey can move forward with whatthey know how to do best.With the parade, the chamber andyour own business, do you have anyspare time? And if you do, what doyou do with it?I do. I love just going out, gettingout of the house. My office in thesummer is on the back deck. I go outfor walks, the simple parts of life.Thank you, Angela.Thank you.

Thur sday, November 24 th 20113The Uxbr idge Cosmos

A Cup of Coffee... with Angela Horne by Roger Varley

Thur sday, November 24 th 20114The Uxbr idge Cosmos

our two cents

8,900 copies of the Cosmos are published each Thursday in the Township ofUxbridge: 8,200 delivered by mail, 700 available in stores and boxes.

Publisher/Editor Conrad Boyce 905.852.1900

38 Toronto Street North, Unit One, Uxbridge Ontario L9P 1E6e-mail: cosmosboyce@powergate.caweb site: www.thecosmos.ca

Office Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri. 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

EDITORIAL POLICY: Opinions expressed by columnists, contributors and in letters to the editor are not nec-essarily those of the The Cosmos. Letters must be signed and the telephone number provided (numberwill not be published). Requests that a name be withheld will be honoured only if there is a compellingreason. Errors brought to our attention will be corrected. The Cosmos reserves the right to edit or refuseto publish unsolicited material. ADVERTISING POLICY: The Cosmos reserves the right to refuse any adver-tisement. The Cosmos is not liable for slight changes or typographical errors in advertisements or anyother errors or omissions in advertisements. All material herein, including advertising design is copyright-ed, and may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

Hard decisions coming?Had any members of the public been in the council chambers on Monday afternoon, they wouldhave seen how much the Township's councillors agonize over the budget. The agony is even morepronounced this year because of the uncertain economic climate. No one wants to see taxes risemore than they have to - and it is a given that they have to go up - but at the same time no onewants to see services cut, facilities closed or promises broken. In order to keep the tax hike as lowas possible, however, councillors could be faced with the unpleasant task of making such cuts, orordering such closures or breaking promises.

As we report elsewhere in this edition, construction of the splash pad and the skate park - forwhich the township has promised a combined $300,000 - could be put on hold for at least a year.That would be a hard blow to the Bonner Boys and the township's youth, who have been workinghard to see these projects come to fruition. The possible closure of some community halls was alsoraised as a way to save money, but voting to close community halls could be a risky political move,especially for the councillors representing the rural wards. And when it comes to cutting services,just which segment of the township's population would council choose to suffer? On the last point,it would likely be library patrons, since the chief librarian has been asked to consider the savingsinvolved in reducing the number of hours of operation and the number of days the library is open.

Councillor Jacob Mantle, however, was the only councillor to raise the possibility of reducingwages or, to put it another way, reducing the number of township employees. With unemploymentstill high in this province, it is unlikely anyone would like to see someone lose their job. However,when over $500,000 of the library's $820,000 operating budget goes for wages, and its wagestructure is higher than at other municipal facilities, maybe Mr. Mantle has a point.

The Cosmos is not suggesting anyone be let go, but perhaps it is time for council to consider low-ering the municipal workforce through attrition. And perhaps when someone leaves the librarystaff, replacements should be paid on the same scale as employees at the arena or Uxpool. Butthat won't help with the 2012 budget.

By far the largest share of tax dollars is spent by the public works department. In its initial pro-posed budget, the works department calls for capital expenditures of $3.2 million, primarily forthe upkeep of Uxbridge's roads. Of course, the township is required to keep its roads in good con-dition, but sometimes one has to wonder about some of the projects the works department consid-ers to be a priority. For example, in its list of road works, the department proposes spending over$500,000 paving Concession 6 between Brock Street and Highway 47. In recent trips down thatstretch of road, we didn't notice any serious deterioration of that particular stretch, but councillorsrarely question Public Works Director Ben Kester when it comes to road maintenance. Perhaps it'stime they did. Perhaps they should ask Mr. Kester to explain what is the great need to spend$500,00 on that section.

Then there's $40,000 slated for a sidewalk on the west side of Main Street north of Lormick. Ifthe skate park is deep sixed in this budget, then what would be the need to build the sidewalk?

And then there are smaller items that council needs to keep an eye on, such as the retreat theyheld at Wooden Sticks a little while ago. That must have cost a couple of thousand dollars. The rea-son it was held there, we were told, was because the council chamber was unavailable as it wasbeing used for the Celebration of the Arts art show. Better scheduling, anyone?We don't profess to have all the answers, or even the right answers, when it comes to setting the

township's 2012 budget, but we do believe there are ways to keep that tax hike down other thanwith those proposed cuts and closures. It's a bit much to ask the taxpayers to pay more for less.

Letters to the EditorRe: The Moraine Act &Greenbelt Legislation

It is clear this legislation wasdesigned to protect the watertable, forests and viable, pro-ductive farmland. However,there are many areas that areincluded under theMoraine/Greenbelt designa-tion that could and should bedeveloped to produce a bet-ter, more balanced tax basefor Uxbridge Township andDurham Region. These prop-erties do not have the naturalfeatures nor would theirdevelopment effect the natu-ral features the legislation wasdesigned to protect and themajority would not be con-sidered good farmland.Many of these locations arefronting onto arterial roadssuch as Highway 47 or arewithin pockets of landsalready under commercialusage but are taxed with acheaper tax rate. These loca-tions are ideal for commercialor light industrial develop-ment. Their developmentwould create viable jobs forlocal citizens and result in ahigher direct tax base for theTownship's coffers. Thesecompanies would commit, Iam sure, to good corporatecitizenship, and participate inand support our localfundraising and charitableefforts.

It has been proven repeated-ly that housing developmentsare not self-sustaining.Housing subdivision createsdemand for correspondingsocial infrastructure forhealth facilities and doctors,schools. churches and com-munal water treatment,greater policing requirementsetc. Without the proper bal-ance of commercial andindustrial taxation to offerthe best tax return to theTownship, the Region andour citizens, taxes paid bylocal homeowners to main-tain local infrastructure andservices have nowhere to gobut up.

The Province merged theMoraine and GreenbeltLegislation, and their Reviewhappens in 2015. TheProvince is calling for com-ments now from communi-ties and landowners to have astake in the process.

We should not be sendingnew investors and land devel-opers away from thisTownship based on currentlegislation when it is comingup for review. We need somelong-range planning that willresult in a good balance forour tax base.

Anne HolmesSandford

I want to congratulate the

township on finally becom-ing fully accessible with theplanned installation of theelevator within the Townshipoffices.

As a member of the accessi-bility committee, I am veryproud of the work we did forseven years in making surefacilities and our local mer-chants and the high schoolwere fully aware of the acces-sibility issues through ourprograms during AccessibilityWeek in September.

Our council representativeBev Northeast was instru-mental in putting the pro-grams together each year forour Accessibility Week cele-brations at the Townshipoffices, at the High Schooland throughout the down-town. The Township shouldbe congratulated on makingsure our museum was com-pletely accessible and theThomas Foster Memorialand now the Township officeswill have an elevator to assistthose who are challenged andrequire their services.

Those in our communitywho struggle with accessibili-ty issues – wheelchairs, canes,crutches, blindness, deafness,and moms with strollers aswell, are most appreciative.

Maggie McCreathUxbridge

Thur sday, November 24 th 20115The Uxbr idge Cosmos

MovemberThe numbers don’t lie. One in seven Canadian men will be afflicted by it. Over

25,000 cases will be diagnosed this year with over 4,000 of them fatal. Prostate cancer is the most com-mon cancer to afflict Canadian men with rates comparable to those of breast cancer in women. However ifdetected early, about 90% of cases are curable. You would think, given the threat to us all, that prostatecancer would be a prominent topic of conversation. But until recently, it was the giant mastodon in the mid-dle of the room. Males of the species avoided the subject like the plague; it was the pariah of social conver-sation. Discussing your prostate was like admitting you had hemorrhoids or owned a copy of “ABBA’sGreatest Hits”.

“Movember” changed all that. The movement, which began in Melbourne, Australia, is now a global phe-nomenon. Its goals are simple: raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health issues, specifically prostatecancer. All participants have to do is grow a moustache for the month of November. Movember has becomeso popular that last year in Canada alone, nearly 119,000 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas raised $22.3 million formen’s health research.

At work, I joined a Movember team headed by a young lad whose dad is a prostate cancer survivor. Hemanaged to enlist a number of us “Mo Bros” to share in the journey.

I’d thought of growing a Mo after listening to Lanny McDonald and Wendel Clark spread the news aboutMovember. But I have to admit, I wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of growing a moustache. My last beardturned out to be an unruly tract of scrub that was more salt than pepper. The one and only time I grew amoustache was in high school. Pulling out the school yearbook I’m reminded why I’ve never had one since.But how could I refuse this time? It’s a great cause. And I’ve entered that particular demographic that can’tafford to stick its moustachioed head in the sand. I wouldn’t be alone, either. If you’re going to look like acastaway, it helps to have strength in numbers.So I showed up on Day One, ready to have my picture taken. A couple of the boys insisted on a head start.

“This is as good as it gets,” said one of my Bros. He sported a wisp of perma-fuzz under his nose that madehim look like a blonde Sidney Crosby. He wasn’t kidding. We compared his Mo in week 3 with the one heposted on the Movember website at the get-go. It actually appeared to be thinning. Blame it on genetics;he comes from a long line of occasional shavers.

At the other end of the spectrum is the Walrus. He opted in a few days late to give everyone else a headstart. With good reason. If you look closely, you can actually see that thing growing. At the three-quarterpost, he looks like he has a squirrel Velcro-ed to his lip.

Style is as varied as thickness. Handlebars are popular. Software developers are seldom accused of beingrugged or menacing. I’m sure the Marlboro Man probably didn’t spend his working hours behind a desk,crunching code. But with those slashes of stubble connecting the lip to the lower jaw, we look like extras offthe set of “Easy Rider”.

Others prefer addition by subtraction. Beards and goatees are verboten and run afoul of the spirit of themovement. Not wishing to appear as some sort of hairy hooligan, one goatee owner simply whittled awayhis chin hairs leaving behind a championship-calibre Mo that’s the envy of the shop.

And yours truly? Well, what my Mo lacks in elegance it makes up for in volume. I have always suspectedthat my ancestry goes back to the missing link. Growing hair is not a problem. But as in real estate, it’s allabout location, location, location. Over the years, as if by gravity, my hairline has shifted – mostly south.Being part wookie has allowed me to vault to near the top of the standings. I trail only the walrus when itcomes to Mo lushness. I’m actually getting used to the thing, too.

My wife - my Mo Sista – supports me in my hirsute journey through Movember, although I suspect I’ll bewatching a lot of hockey between now and December 1st.None of it really matters, of course: lushness, shade, style, volume. It’s all about just growing it. Movember

is a great cause and a lot of laughs. That’s as plain as the hair on your face.

the barris beatcolumn by Ted Barris

How to get thereEarlier this week, I paid a visit to Midland, Ontario. The Askennonia Senior

Centre had invited me to do a keynote speech for the annual Veterans' Luncheon there. Not a problem, exceptthat the Bruce Peninsula is not a region of the province through which I travel often. I wasn't familiar with theroads. To make matters slightly more challenging, travelling up Highway 400 and in search of Hwy 93 (theroute to Midland) that day I suddenly faced a problem.“Exit to Hwy 93 closed,” the sign read. “Follow detour signs.”That's OK, I thought. I figured I could just follow the construction signage and I'd be fine. But when I turned

off Hwy 400 and looked for those orange temporary route signs with the black “D” on them, of course, therewere none. As it happened, I hadn't thought to pack a map and I rarely use a GPS, preferring to follow mynose for direction.As handy as those global positioning systems seem to be, these days, I find them too often unreliable. What's

more, I find those who use them become so dependent on them that they never pay attention to landmarksand by the time the GPS has totally failed, they're totally lost. Case in point. A couple of years ago, I conduct-ed one of my scouting trips to Europe; I was planning my later group trip leading a tour to Eastern Europe. Mytrusty sidekick this test run was a terrific guide I know from Italy, Rene Thied. Now, Rene is a GPS junkie. Herelies on the device from the moment he drives from a parking lot to the moment he arrives at his destinationand turns off the car ignition. Anyway, at this point in our travels through Poland, we had set out from Krakowto Warsaw, a daylong trip. As usual, when we were leaving Krakow that day, he keyed in the address of our destination, our hotel inWarsaw.

“It's on Pope John Paul II Street,” he said.“Calculating. Calculating,” the GPS voice began repeating. I repeated to Rene, my now standard retort about the efficacy of these GPSs and when the calculation seemed

to stall over our destination in Warsaw, I added “Maybe this GPS is haunted by the ghost of Adolf Hitler.”Anyway, off we went, northbound on some of the worst highway I think I'd ever seen. The Polish highway

department - seriously underfunded between the end of the Second World War in 1945 and the fall of theEastern Bloc Communist states in 1990 - was clearly struggling to keep up with the other European Unionnations. Hours later we came to the outskirts of Warsaw. However, instead of heading downtown toward ourhotel destination, our GPS directed us off to the northwestern part of the city. Finally, as the skyline of Warsaw seemed to be fast disappearing in our rear-view mirror, I wondered out loud

to Rene where we might be headed. Trusting the GPS to the end, he drove our rented car to a street calledPope John Paul II, except that it was in a suburb of Warsaw still under construction. The city authorities, itturned out, had named two streets after the famous Polish pope. And we were lost. I repeated my nicknamefor the GPS, which Rene didn't appreciate. Still, it was my nose that led us back into the city to the originalJohn Paul II Street where our hotel was located. It's been like this (fortunately) for me all my life. I remember when my parents, my sister and I used to drive

through Buffalo en route to visiting relatives in Maryland. Whenever we entered what my dad referred to as“the Buffalo no man's land,” he would turn to me like an automatic pilot and say: “OK, Ted, lead us throughthis maze, please.”And I would. I always seemed to have an eye and a nose for directions and whether it was Buffalo or Warsaw,

I always found the way through. But the other day - en route to Midland, Ont. - was a bit different. I was off a major highway, looking for

non-existent detour signs to direct me and on the verge of panic at being nearly lost. However, in addition tomy innate directional skills, I had a Plan B. A few kilometres along the detour route, I did what no other red-blooded Canadian male would ever think to do. I stopped and asked for directions. And it worked. I took inthe information, made the quiet calculations in my head and came up with a route to my destination. I arrivedon location on time.

I had used the best global positioning device on the planet - the knowledge of a local resident.

ravenshoe ramblingscolumn by Roger Pires

Well I have a very excitingannouncement for those want-ing to see Community Radio inUxbridge. As you may recall,things came to a standstill whenI learned that a commercial sta-tion was submitting an applica-tion in Uxbridge. Since that timeI have been negotiating withthem, and they (Frank Torres,

Ed Torres, et al)have agreed to avery unusual

provision in their programming.Indeed I know of no other com-mercial station doing this.

In a nutshell, they're going toprovide eight hours of "commu-nity access" programming, risingto 12 if all goes well. They'regoing to allow me to organizethis - taking pitches, getting you

trained, getting you on the air,much as I did for WhiStle Radioin Stouffville.The amazing thing for us is that

we don't have to raise funds foran engineering study, studiospace, equipment, a tower and soon and so forth. Of course, if itturns out that we want to thenlaunch a full-fledged communitystation in a couple of years - wellwe'll have a track record, we'll be

organized and we'll know wherewe want to go. It will be mucheasier to raise the money at thatpoint, and we'll all be muchmore knowledgeable aboutwhat's involved.

I'm, frankly, ecstatic. In orderto help make this happen, we'regoing to need to write letters ofsupport to the CRTC, and ideal-ly we'll get letters from thelibrary, museum / historical soci-

ety, service clubs, Chamber ofCommerce. If this is somethingyou're willing to do, please con-tact me IMMEDIATELY. Wehaven't much time to get thesein. (You can contact Jim throughthe Cosmos).

What a great Christmas pres-ent!

Jim PriebeStouffville

Thur sday, November 24 th 20116The Uxbr idge Cosmos

Extra-Terrestrial Tidbitsby Stan Taylor

November marks the return of Orion the Hunter, in the Eastern sky. Ifyou look to the East at about 9:00 pm, just above the horizon, you willsee three bright stars in a row. These form the belt of the hunter. The red-dish star in the upper left is Betelgeuse (pronounced beetle-juice). It's asuper red giant. If you were to put Betelgeuse into our Solar System, itwould take up the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The star inthe bottom right is Rigel (pronounced regal) is a bluish-white star and itis 85,000 times brighter than our sun.

The three stars in the belt from left to right are Alnitak, Alnilam andMintaka. Just below Alnitak is one of the most famous objects in thenight sky: The Horsehead Nebula. It is a dark cloud of dust and gas sil-houetted against the incandescence of a brighter region of gas. You willneed a telescope to see this nebula. This nebula is so large that it wouldhold a billion solar systems. Astronomers believe that the HorseheadNebula is a birthplace of suns and planets, condensed by the gravity ofthe material in the cloud.

***Also this month look for Jupiter in the evening eastern sky. It will looklike a creamy star. Jupiter is closest to the Earth now. The next time itwill be this close is 2022. Look at the SW sky at Dusk to see Venus andMercury close to the horizon.

Letters to the Editor

A lot of noise in council

Brian Johns of Vince`s Marketchose an opportune momentMonday to appear before councilto ask for some relief fromUxbridge`s noise bylaw. It just sohappened that Chief Bylaw OfficeAndre Gratton was presentingcouncil with a proposed newnoise bylaw on the same day.Under the current bylaw, Vince`s

is prohibited from receiving anydeliveries to its Toronto StreetSouth store on Sundays. Mr.Johns pointed out to council thatVince`s business is built on thepremise that its produce is freshdaily.

"It is the produce departmentthat continues to be the hallmark

of who we are asa business," hetold council.

He was askingcouncil for per-mission toreceive ship-ments of pro-duce between 10

a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Hethen said he would be comfort-able with deliveries between 12p.m. and 2 p.m.

Mayor Gerri-Lynn O'Connorsaid there is "all kinds of noise"generated by the vehicles ofVince's customers, and suggestedall members of council take thetime to go to Vince's and checkout the noise. The mayor alsonoted that only one nearby resi-dent had voiced any concern overnoise from produce deliveries onSundays.

Later in the session, Mr. Grattonpresented his proposed new noisebylaw and ran into some opposi-tion. Councillor Jacob Mantlesaid he was concerned by anybylaw that sought to control

behaviour, and suggested Mr.Gratton’s proposed bylaw couldbe whittled down to one line con-tained in the bylaw's general pro-visions. That line would make itan offence to create or permit anynoise likely to disturb the peaceand enjoyment of any inhabitantsof the township.

"That's what a noise bylaw is,"he said. "You don't need the rest."

Councillor Bev Northeast coun-tered by asking what any Justice ofthe Peace would say if that was theextent of the bylaw and someonewas charged.

Mr. Mantle then asked Mr.Gratton about a provision whichwould prohibit the operation ofelectric of gas-powered tools andequipment between 7 p.m. and 7a.m. in rural areas.

"What about farms?" he asked.Mr. Gratton said such equip-

ment would have to be used as anormal part of the farm operationto be exempt.

Councillor Gordon Highet saidthe biggest noise makers inUxbridge are the gravel trucks

that travel through the down-town, but the bylaw officer said hewould not be able to address that.

Among other things, the pro-posed bylaw would make it anoffence to operate a gasoline-pow-ered model aircraft or boat foramusement at any time andwould prohibit anyone fromwhistling on the street between 11p.m. and 7 a.m. during the weekor at any time on Sundays andholidays.

"I have a real issue with this,"Mayor O'Connor said.The proposed bylaw was tableduntil early December.Going to the dogs, again: Councilreceived yet another deputationcalling for the establishment of anoff-leash park for dogs.

Melanie Thornber offered twopossible sites for an off-leash park.The first was east of Concession 7south of Elgin Park Drive. It isaccessed by a trail along a right ofway but would not accommodatecars or parking. The second pro-posed site is in the Countryside

Preserve.In requesting the dog park, Ms.

Thornber pointed out a dog parkin Stouffville is used by over 100dog owners. When asked byCouncillor Northeast who wouldmaintain the park, Ms. Thornbersaid that is done by the groupusing it. Councillor Highet saidhe is not a fan of off-leash dogruns, but admitted he hasn'theard of any problems associatedwith such parks. He added that hedidn't think either of the suggest-ed locations are appropriate.

Regional Councillor JackBallinger agreed, pointing out thesuccess of a trial in Elgin Parkwhich saw dog owners allowed tohave their pets off leash for a cou-ple of hours early in the morning.

Mayor O'Connor suggested avacant grassy area along ElginPark Drive, near the southentrance of Elgin Park, mightmake a good dog run and movedthat facilities manager BobFerguson produce a report on thesubject.

Thur sday, November 24 th 20117The Uxbr idge Cosmos

Uxbridge Farmers' MarketOpening Day Sunday June 4thUxbridge Arena 9am-1pm

Come outand enjoyour 5th year of the UxbridgeFarmers’ Market!

Crafts, Baked Goods, Artisans, Preserves, Frozen Meat, Plants, Vegetables, Fruit, and much more.

We are always looking to expand the marketif you Make it, Bake it, or Grow it, you might be a perfect fit. Call Lisa Cooper 905-473-9867for information.

Our tenthseason ofbringing

Uxbridge’sbest to

you!

OPEN SUNDAYS THROUGH DEC. 18

Fresh Fruit & Vegetables, Baked Goods,Preserves, Honey, Maple Syrup, Frozen Meat,Crafts, Artisans, Plants and much more...

NOW INDOORS!ARENA COMMUNITY CENTRE 10 AM - 2 PM

TOWN HALLby Roger Varley

Notes from the Nov. 21 Council meeting

FRIDAYS AT THE FOSTER SPECIAL PROGRAM

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27 - 2:00 P.M.

Thomas Foster Memorial9449 Concession 7 (Durham 1) 4 km north of Uxbridge

www.fostermemorial.comFor more information call 905-640-3966 or e-mail

bnortheast@powergate.ca

The Ladies of the Fosterpresent a dramatic reading of

Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”Featuring Denny Corbett, YvonneCarroll, Anne Wilde and more!

Don't miss our talented Ladies of the Foster!

Lucy Maud Montgomery organ-ized a bunch of ChristmasConcerts in her time.

The Leaskdale Sunday SchoolConcerts she describes includedtableaux and costumes andrecitations and skits. We're surethe audiences were thrilled, andin spite of grumbling a bit aboutthe time she spent withrehearsals, she must have beenpleased with the evenings.

This Saturday's concert at TheHistoric Leaskdale Church willbe no less entertaining. Amongother performers, Conrad Boycewill give his popular renditionsof poems by Robert Service. TheMonday Morning Singers andthe Tudor Consort will be onhand with music for the festiveseason, and the combinedMacdougall, Damus and Lukefamilies, “The Luke Madougalls”will fill the old church with theirrollicking tunes.

The evening will be a good fol-low-up to the Santa ClausParade, especially since SantaClaus has promised to make hisway from Uxbridge up toLeaskdale. For show times andticket info, see page 16.

A concertlike Maudused to give

Thur sday, November 24 th 20118The Uxbr idge Cosmos

Be Food Safe4 Your Family

DURHAMREGION

HEALTHDEPARTMENT

Environmental Help Line1-888-777-9613 ext. 2188

durham.ca

Budget requests would mean 11 per cent increase in taxesby Roger Varley

There is still a way to go beforeUxbridge council approves thenext budget, but there were rum-blings Monday that the proposedskate park and splash pad, and theZephyr branch of the publiclibrary, might be on the choppingblock.

Having received preliminarybudget proposals from all thetownship's departments over thepast two weeks, council would befaced with levying an 11.3-per-cent tax increase if those proposalsare not trimmed. But in calling forreductions that would lower theincrease to five per cent, council-lors were told that the township'scommitment of $150,000 to boththe skate park and the splash padwould probably have to be rescind-ed. Chief administrative officerIngrid Svelnis also cautioned itmight lead to closing some town-

ship facilities, including somecommunity halls. The Zephyrlibrary branch was not mentionedspecifically, but it hung in the air.

The library's budget - in fact, itoffered two proposed budgets: oneassuming the Zephyr branchwould stay open, the other assum-ing it would close - left a numberof councillors confused when itwas presented last week. MayorGerri-Lynn O'Connor had somany questions about the librarybudget that council is expectingchief librarian Alex Hartmann toreturn in January to answer thosequestions.In Monday's discussion, Regional

Councillor Jack Ballinger said hefound it hard to know where tomake cuts or how to make cuts,but added: "there has to be a hardline."Mayor O'Connor concurred, say-

ing: "We've got to look where wecan cut and what we can put onhold." She said if the skate park

and splash pad go ahead, councilwould be faced with deciding whatservices to cut.

"What services do we take outbecause (the skate pad and splashpad) are more important?" sheasked.

Councillor Bev Northeast coun-tered that maybe the townshipshould consider cut-down versionsof the skate park and splash pad.

Councillor Jacob Mantle alsoraised the spectre of cutting staff.

"If we're looking at closing facili-ties and cutting services, we've alsogot to look at reducing wages," hesaid.

The suggestion was also madethat the township might want toconsider selling the Leaskdalemanse to the Lucy MaudMontgomery Society.

As for the library, the councilchambers were packed on Nov. 18when Ms. Hartmann presented hertwo proposed budgets. With theZephyr branch remaining, Ms.

Hartmann's budget would see anincrease of almost $60,000 inexpenditures while there would beno increase in revenue.

Mayor O'Connor's questions forMs. Hartmann included queries asto whether the library shouldreview its hours of operation andthe number of days it is open, whatprogress has been made to increaserevenues and why library staff havedifferent levels of benefits thanother township workers. Shepointed out that Uxpool and thearena pay lower wages to part-timeworkers than the library.Permanent part-time staff at thosefacilities start out at $12 an hour,while they receive $17 an hour atthe library.

Mr. Ballinger noted that over$500,000 of the library's proposedexpenditures for 2012 - totalling$819,000 with Zephyr and$771,000 without - went to wages

Mr. Mantle said the library has acollection of 40,000 books and is

open 57 hours a week, which hesaid are both well above the guide-line for libraries serving a popula-tion of 35,000. The township'spopulation is about 20,000.

Mayor O'Connor told Ms.Hartmann that council "is nothard-balling the library (but) we'relooking at double-digit increasesand need to get down to a leveleveryone can live with."

Ironically, at the start of thatbudget hearing, council approved amotion put forward by financecommittee chair Pat Molloy torescind a motion council had madeearlier in the year to close theZephyr branch at the end ofDecember.

With the preliminary round ofbudget talks over, it is now up tothe various township departmentsto come back to council withrevised budgets.

Foster the perfect spot for ScroogeThe Tradition continues…once again The Ladies of

the Foster will return to The Foster Memorial for areading of Charles Dickens’ "A Christmas Carol". Forseveral years now The Ladies have gathered together tobring alive the varied and colourful characters of thistime honoured Christmas story. This year brings backactresses Denny Corbett, Patti Brady, Yvonne Carrolland newcomer Laura Pennington, with Anne Wildereading and playing acoustical guitar. The Thomas Foster Memorial is a unique experience,inspired by the Taj Mahal - a hidden treasure in therural Uxbridge countryside. The domed roof is of solid

copper pierced with 12 stained glass leaded windows,creating a perfect atmosphere for voices and music torise, amplify, and resonate. A perfect place for an oldfashioned Christmas story with ghosts!

The Foster Memorial is located 4 kms north ofUxbridge, on Main Street North. The reading will takeplace on Sunday November 27th at 2:00 PM. There isno charge for admission, although donations are grace-fully accepted, for the upkeep of the building.Further information can be found on the web site at

www.fostermemorial.com.

ss nn ii pp pp ee tt ss hh aa ii rr ss tt uu dd ii oo905-862-3633

170 B Reach St. Uxbridge, On, L9P 1L3

New Hours

Monday 10:00 - 2:00Tuesday 9:00 - 5:00

Wednesday 9:00-7:00Thursday 9:00 - 8:00

Friday 9:00 - 5:00Saturday 9:00 - 5:00

Walk-ins Welcome

• J e n n y w o u l d l i k e t o w i s h e v e r y o n e

a Mer ry Ear ly Chr i s tmas by g iv ing a

15% d iscount on Colours and Perms

unt i l December 1s t ! ! !

• M e r r y C h r i s t m a s f r o m S n i p p e t s a n d

its Staff , Jenny, Paul and Rebecca!!!

• N e w s t a r t i n g t h i s m o n t h w e

a r e n o w o p e n o n a M o n d a y f r o m

1 0 a m - 2 p m . D r o p in o r s chedu l e an

a p p o i n t m e n t !

• C o m e o v e r f r o m T h u r s - S a t a n d g e t

a f ree consul ta t ion wi th Paul ! ! !

Happy Ho l idays !

by Roger Varley

In one of the best games they haveplayed this season, the UxbridgeBruins dumped the Lakefield Chiefs8-2 at the arena on Friday. But twonights later, the Bruins went cold,losing to the Port Perry MoJacks 7-3.That brings the team's record so far

to eight wins and 10 losses.Granted, three were overtime losses,each worth a point, but they werelosses nevertheless.On Friday, the Bruins looked ready

to turn their season around, jump-ing to a five-goal lead before theChiefs hit the scoreboard. The scor-ing started early with the first goalcoming just as a Lakefield penaltyended. The Lakefield penalty - fordelay of game - was handed outbefore the game even started. MikeRamsey potted the goal, withBrendan Neville assisting. At themidway point of the first period,Kurt Batty converted a pass forSteve Posteraro to make it 2-0, withMatt Allen also assisting.

A second power play goal came at4:53, courtesy of Eric Wintjes,assisted by Blake Ertel and Battyand 40 seconds later, Neville made it4-0 on a classic two-on-one pass andshoot, with the pass coming fromRobert Posteraro. Josh Morin alsohad an assist.

The second period was a rarity inJunior hockey: no goals and not asingle penalty.

Ramsey opened the third periodwith his second goal of the game,assisted by Neville and RobertPosteraro, before Lakefield finallyscored on a power play. But Battyanswered back less than a minutelater on a beautiful passing play

from Allen and Wintjes. JaysonHayden scored goal number sevenon a great rush from his own end,with assists going to Phil Wood andMorin. Ertel made it 8-1, assisted bySteve Douitsis and Hayden.Lakefield notched their second scoreduring four-on-four play.

"I'm extremely happy," coach andgeneral manager Matt Muir saidafter the game. "We could have won1-0 and I'd still have been happy."

He said there was a closed-doormeeting with players and coacheslast Tuesday and he had a one-on-one with every player before theyleft the arena and implementedthree systems.

"They bought into it and when westuck to it the other team had trou-ble scoring," he said. "We''ll stay thecourse and move on to Port Perry."

However, somewhere along ReachStreet, the team lost the systems.Most noticeable was the Bruins'inability to make many good passes,even of just a few feet, and theirseeming lack of verve. Port Perrytook a one-goal lead in the first peri-od on a power play, while the Bruinswasted a two-man advantage lastingone minute and 43 seconds.

The MoJacks moved ahead 2-0early in the second period but theBruins seemed to come alive at themidway point, scoring two quickgoals. The first came on a power-play with Ertel taking a great passout front from Batty in the corner.Wintjes also received an assist. Lessthan a minute later, Allen, picked upthe puck in his own zone and racedthe length of the ice to score anunassisted short-handed goal.

But somehow the two goals failedto lift the Bruins out of the dol-drums and the MoJacks scored twomore before the period ended.

In the third period, the MoJacks'Nick Job marched down the ice,passing through the Bruins playerslike Sherman marching throughGeorgia to score another power-playgoal. Two minutes later, it was 6-2for the MoJacks. Steve Posteraroscored the Bruins second unassistedgoal of the night before Port Perrynotched the final marker, anotherpower-play goal.

The Bruins are in action againtomorrow at 7:45 p.m. againstGeorgina Ice, followed by a returnmatch in Keswick on Sunday at 7p.m.

Thur sday, November 24 th 20119The Uxbr idge Cosmos

JUNIOR C STANDINGS - as of Tuesday, Nov. 15

Team Wins Losses OT Losses Points

LITTLE BRITAIN MERCHANTS 13 2 2 28

PORT PERRY MOJACKS 11 5 22

LAKEFIELD CHIEFS 10 6 1 21

UXBRIDGE BRUINS 8 7 3 19

CLARINGTON EAGLES 5 12 1 11

GEORGINA ICE 5 12 1 11

Hot Bruins win, cold Bruins lose

The Dragon Flies, organizers of the annual Scugog Lake Dragon Boat Festival, havedonated over $189,000 to the Uxbridge Cottage Hospital in just six years, all of thosefunds being allocated to the fight against breast cancer through the hospital’s digitalmammography unit. Earlier this month, several members of the Dragon Flies were onhand to present this year’s cheque of $31, 250 to Hospital Foundation head Jo-AnneGray (second from left in the first row). Top row (L to R) are Anne Barrett, Sonja Parkerand Muriel Blaine. In front are Elaine Harvey, Marion Martin and Judy Froats.

Photo by Conrad Boyce

Based on the beloved, timelessfilm, UYT’s White Christmas fea-tures seventeen Irving Berlinsongs and a book by David Ivesand Paul Blake. Veterans BobWallace and Phil Davis have asuccessful song-and-dance actafter World War II. Withromance in mind, the two followa duo of beautiful singing sistersen route to their Christmas showat a Vermont lodge, which justhappens to be owned by Boband Phil's former army com-mander. The dazzling score fea-tures well known standardsincluding Blue Skies, I Love APiano, How Deep Is the Oceanand the perennial favorite,White Christmas. WHITECHRISTMAS is an upliftingmusical worthy of year-roundproductions.Uxbridge Youth Theatre is in its

10th season of providing youthfrom Uxbridge and surroundingareas with the opportunity tobecome involved in manyaspects of stage production.UYT is a non-profit organiza-tion that is split into Juniors(Grades 4 - 8) and Seniors(Grades 9 - 12). Profits from pastshows have gone to supportmany local charities includingSalvation Army, Loaves & FishesFood Bank and Project JumpStart. As well, UYT contributesan annual $1000.00 scholarship

to a graduating student atUxbridge Secondary School.

This year's production runs atthe Uxbridge Music Hall fromThursday December 1st toSaturday December 10th. Showsare 7:30 pm Thursday toSaturday with an afternoonmatinee Sunday December 4that 2:30 pm. Tickets are availableat Presents, Presents.

Youth Theatrepresents Berlin’sWhite Christmas

by Charlotte Damus and Maggie Anderson

Do you think you have what ittakes to become a leader? Doyou enjoy helping others out,and directing them in the rightdirection? There are opportuni-ties within Uxbridge SecondarySchool that can help you takethe right path to becoming agreat leader.The leadership committee con-

sists of about 30 USS students.They meet weekly and togetherthey discuss events such as grade9 orientation day, SLAM train-ing days, and dances. Each year,different event ideas arise, andthe students all help with theorganization of them. For exam-ple, the committee took part inthe planning of the semi-formaldance coming up on December8, from 5:30-9:30 pm. TheLeadership students also raiseawareness of issues like bullyingand discrimination, trying tomake the school a better place.

Their biggest event is theLeadership camp that takes placeat the end of the year.

“I think leadership camp ispretty amazing because you getto learn about yourself, meet

new people and make newfriends. It's a wonderful experi-ence, being at the camp, and youwalk back into school feelingmuch more confident aboutyourself,” says Mallory Simpsonwho attended the camp last year.Leadership camp is student run,open to grades 9-12. Each yearapproximately 150 of our stu-dents attend, participating inworkshops that focus on teambuilding and leadership skills.

“We have a super, great time,”says Heather Sweatman, a mem-ber of the committee. To get onto the leadership com-

mittee you must apply at the endof the year. You can receive anapplication form from the guid-ance office. Once that is done,you will be given an interviewand the committee chairs fromthe previous year will decide onwhether or not you are in. Thechairs will be looking for peoplewith positive attitudes, a goodsense of humour, and creative,outgoing individuals who show areal interest for what they aresigning up for. Another groupyou can join to hone your lead-ership skills is SLAM.

Every Tuesday and ThursdaySLAM (Student Led Advisory

Meetings) students make theirway to grade 9 homerooms toinform the classes about what'sgoing on, upcoming events andto get them excited about partic-ipating in the different clubs andsports teams. The students,grades 10, 11, and 12, are therefor about 15-20 minutes, askingquestions, and reciting meaning-ful quotes. On full period SLAMdays, the leaders conduct a vari-ety of games and exercises tohelp the students get to knoweach other and to encouragethem to come out of their com-fort zones every once in a while.SLAM's main goal is to makethe grade 9 students feel wel-come and accepted in their newschool.

School is a great place toexplore yourself and decidewhere you want to be amongstyour peers. There are manyopportunities where you canexperiment, discover and makemistakes in a friendly environ-ment.

The Tiger Beat - What else ishappening at USS?FASHION FOR A CAUSE -Reminder of this neat event tak-ing place December 1 at theschool (doors open 6:00 pm).Fashion show, silent auction,food and more, with proceedsgoing to Precious Minds. Tickets

are $10 or $5 for seniors and stu-dents and available at StrawberryThreads or at door.USS WINTER CONCERT -Wed. November 30 in the Caf at7 pm. Tickets available nowfrom students or at the door.Call school for more info!

Nov. 24-27 Cat and Kitten Adopt aThon, Pet Valu, 4 Banff Plaza, Uxbridge, forinformation # 416 989 7005.

Sat., Nov. 26, 7:00 a.m. The OakRidges Trail Association is hosting a loophike on the Al Shaw side Trail. This is a 1+ hr.,4 km moderate pace hike. There are somehills. No dogs please. Meet at the trailentrance on the west side of Conc. 6, 1.5 kmsouth of Durham Rd. 21. Russ Burton 905-830-2862.

Sat., Nov. 26 “Christmas in theHamlet” Art Sale 11:00 - 5:00 p.m.at Siloam Hall, Green Number 7040Concession # 2 (At Regional Road # 8,)Siloam, Uxbridge, Ontario (10 minutes west,on Brock St.) . For more details see page 14.Rich’s Famous Gourmet Coffee, ToonieArtwork Draw, Free Admission.

Sat., Nov. 26 Santa Claus ParadeStarts at 11 a.m., goes from the Arena to theLegion along Brock Street.

Sat., Nov. 26 Leaskdale Old-Fashioned Christmas Concert seedetails on page 7 & 16.

Sat., Nov. 26 Warm up with a pancakebreakfast – before the Santa Claus Parade:The Uxbridge Curling Club is hosting aPancake Breakfast from 8:00 am to11:00 am $6.50 for a regular size breakfastand $5.00 for a small size breakfast.Everyone Welcome.

Sat., Nov. 26 After the ParadeLuncheon, 11:30 - 2, A family tradition:warm up and enjoy a delicious homemade hotlunch after Uxbridge's Santa Claus Parade in

the lower hall of St. Paul's Anglican Church.Bake sale, prize tables, silent auction, kid stuff& "loot for a loonie" plus our popular menuof homemade soups, chili, rolls, and desserts.Hot dogs too! Everyone welcome. Sponsoredby St. Paul's ladies' Take-A-Break Group.

Sun., Nov. 27 A Christmas Tea will bepresented by the Pineridge Chorus of SweetAdelines Int’l, from 2 – 4 pm at the UxbridgeSenior Centre at 75 Marietta St. Cost is $10for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.Tickets are available from members, or call905-852-6327, or at the door. The chorus willserve tea, sandwiches and tasty treats, sing 4part harmony and lead a sing-a-long. Dressin your finery and join us as we kick off theChristmas Season.

Sun., Nov. 27 Udora-Leaskdale LionsBreakfast with Santa Udora Hall8:30am-12:00pm, please call to register yourchild 705-437-2773. Children free 0-10years $5.00 per adult.

Sun., Nov. 27 Ladies of the FosterPresent Charles Dickens A ChristmasCarol with Seasonal Music Sing along. 2:00pm, Foster Memorial. Donation for admission.See pages 7 and 8 for more.

Wed., Nov. 30, 9:30 a.m. The OakRidges Trail Association is hosting a 2+hr. hike in Durham Forest. Join us for lunch atScrambles afterwards. No dogs please.Meet at the Durham Forest parking area onthe east side of the 7th Conc., 1 km south ofDurham Rd. 21. Joan Taylor 905-477-2161.

Thurs., Dec. 1 Pine Grove ChurchChristmas Carol Service Special musicand readings. 7 p.m. All welcome.

Fri., Dec. 2 Monday Morning SingersCeltic Christmas Concert at St. Paul'sAnglican Church, 65 Toronto St. South,Uxbridge, 7:30 p.m. Tickets at Blue HeronBooks and Presents Presents $15.00.Children Free. See page 11 for more. Call(905) 852-3693 or www.mmsingers.org

Fri., Dec. 2 WINTER’S HERE YOUTHDANCE for Grades 4-8 at the UxbridgeArena – 7-10 pm. Admission at the door is$7.00 which includes a chance to win greatprizes! This fundraiser is hosted by theUxbridge Youth Choir.

Sat., Dec. 3 Third Annual Past &Presents Holiday Sale. UxbridgeHistorical Centre-Schoolhouse, 10am-4pm.Come support local artisans with one of a kindideas for your holiday gift giving & decorneeds. Free Admission. Donation appreciat-ed for the Uxbridge Historical Society.

Sat., Dec. 3, 7:00 a.m. The Oak RidgesTrail Association is hosting a hike on the AlShaw side Trail. This is a 1.5 hr. 4.5 km mod-erate pace hike. Meet at the trail entrance onthe west side of Conc. 6, 1.5 km south ofDurham Rd. 21. Joan Taylor 905-477-2161.

Sat., Dec. 3 Oh Susannah GreenbankFolk Music Society 7:30 p.m. Tickets atBlue Heron Books.

Sun., Dec. 4, 10:00 a.m. The OakRidges Trail Association is hosting a hikean 8 km moderate pace hike in DurhamRegional Forest and Walker Woods. Bringwater and snacks. Meet at roadside parkingon Huston Rd. (north of Chalk Lake Rd.), westof Lake Ridge Rd. Grace Moores 905-263-4340.

Sun., Dec. 4 Authentic Scratch 'ComingHome for Christmas Open House' 10a.m. to noon at Reachview Village. We areinviting all those who've contributed musicallyand/or creatively in the past to join us.

Sun., Dec. 4 - 7:30 pm - CandlelightService at Sandford United Church. All wel-come.

Mon., Dec. 5, 9:30 a.m. The Oak RidgesTrail Association is hosting a 2 hr. slow tomoderate hike on the Walker Tract. Well man-nered dogs welcome. Some moderate hills.Bring water, snacks and icers, if needed.Meet at trail parking on the west side ofUxbridge Conc. 7, 2.1 km south of DurhamRd. 21. Brian or Wilma Millage 905-853-2407

Fri., Dec. 9, 9:30 a.m. The Oak RidgesTrail Association is hosting a 2+ hr., 10+km loop hike on the Brock Tract. There aresome hills. Meet at the parking area on theeast side of Uxbridge Conc. 6, 0.6 km northof Uxbridge Town Line or 5.5 km south ofDurham Rd. 21. Russ Burton 905-830-2862.

Sat., Dec. 10 7:30 p.m. Men of NoteConcert, St. Paul's Anglican Church, TorontoStreet South. This 35+ voice all male choir,described as a subtle mix of baritone andtenor voices to underscore the richness of res-onant bass notes, will perform in Uxbridge forthe first time. Special guest soloist SusanRyman. Tickets $15, seniors and under 16,$12. Tickets 905-852-7016.

Sat., Dec. 10 One Voice ChristmasConcert Joyous Noel. See page 11 for more.

Sat., Dec. 10, 7:00 a.m. The Oak RidgesTrail Association is hosting a 1+ hr., 4 kmmoderate pace loop hike on the Al Shaw sideTrail. There are some hills. No dogs please.Meet at the trail entrance on the west side of

Conc. 6, 1.5 km south of Durham Rd. 21.Russ Burton 905-830-2862

Sun., Dec. 11, 2:00 p.m. The OakRidges Trail Association is hosting a 7km, 3 hr. slow to moderate pace loop hike inWalker Woods. Well mannered dogs wel-come. Bring water and snacks. Meet at theparking lot west side of the 7th Conc., 2 kmsouth of Goodwood Rd. Brian and KathyClark 905-841-9757.

Uxbridge Seniors Shuffleboard runsMonday and Wednesday mornings at 9 a.m.till the end of April at the Seniors Centre. Allwelcome.

Join in the fun and fitness of Line DancingThursday evenings from 6:30 to 8 at TrinityUnited Church, 20 First Ave. Call 905-852-4655 for details.

North House and CommunityChurches will be holding a soup lunchon Wednesdays from 12 - 1:30pm at St.Andrew's-Chalmers Presbyterian Church. Thelunches run through until March. Come enjoysome healthy, delicious soup! Pay what youcan.

Uxbridge Farmers’ Market Fresh pro-duce and much, much more. Every Sunday tillDec. 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. indoors atUxbridge Arena.

Hospital Auxiliary “Chances Are”Store on Bascom Street accepting good win-ter clothing. Proceeds to Cottage Hospital.

If you have a community event you’d like us tomention, please contact us atcosmosboyce@powergate.ca or 905-852-1900. The deadline for our next issue is 6p.m. Sunday.

Thur sday, November 24 th 201110The Uxbr idge Cosmos

Coming Up

ONGOING

THIS WEEKEND

UPCOMING

SING WE NOW OF CHRISTMAS

MEN OF NOTE40-Voice Male Choruswith Guest Soloist Susan Ryman

Saturday, Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m.St. Paul’s Anglican Church59 Toronto Street South

Adults $15, Seniors or Children Under 16 - $12Tickets - At the Door, or call 905-852-7016

NEXT WEEK

Tiger Talk Tom DohertyBA, MDiv

Counselling and PsychotherapyIndividual, Couples and Family

tom@dohertycounselling.comwww.dohertycounselling.com

905.640.4839416.910.7284

The Monday Morning Singersare starting off the Christmaschoral season in Uxbridge with aCeltic celebration! This is thefirst concert of the tenth seasonof the Monday Morning Singers,who are made up of women froma big circle in and aroundUxbridge. The choir will be per-forming Christmas music fromWales, Ireland, Scotland andCornwall. The choir is directedby Anne Mizen and accompa-nied by pianist, DorothyJovkovic.

There are always special guestmusicians at these popular con-certs and this Christmas severalfriends of the choir will be join-ing in. Michelle Charleton,acclaimed fiddle player, alongwith accomplished guitarist,Chris Saunders and DanSimmonds, bass, PatrickHayward, bodhran will presentCeltic jigs and reels. BrynHopper will add some sparklingIrish dancing. And well-knownharpist Gwyneth Reid will enter-tain with her beautiful instru-ment.

Good friend of the choir, actorKenneth Welsh, will be there,reciting Celtic poems and tellingstories of traditional IrishChristmases past. As always,there will be carol singing by

everyone.All this happens on Friday, Dec.

2, 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul’sAnglican Church, Uxbridge.Tickets are $15 and are availableat Presents, and Blue HeronBooks.

I’ve been curling for about 10 yearsnow and often wonder what it isabout this sport that keeps me com-ing back. I think of the physical fit-ness benefits, the friendly competi-tion, and the camaraderie. But thereal answer is much more than that.It’s the people, and the spirit of vol-unteerism. Steadfast friendships are developed

in curling. During the season theclub almost seems like a home awayfrom home, and friends take on thefeeling of an extended family. As aresult many people volunteer forthings - to run a league, build awebsite, cook meals, organize abonspiel, and much more. Andcurlers do it because they have funtogether, and enjoy keeping the clubrunning smoothly. People and vol-unteering. To me that’s what curlingis about, and there can hardly be abetter representative of that spiritthan Bob Timbers.

Bob joined the Uxbridge CurlingClub in 1961 just after the club wasformed in 1960. The banners,

plaques, and pictures that adorn thewalls of UCC reveal that he wasprominent in every decade over thepast fifty years. He has played everyposition in the game, in Men’s andMixed leagues, and in virtuallyevery curling club in the regionfrom Haliburton to Unionville andRichmond Hill to Whitby.

He has been a league Convenorand has held almost every positionon the Executive Committeeincluding President from 1966 –1967 and again from 1996 - 1997.The depth of his experience isreflected in the honour that he sitson the Board of Directors for theclub. He played a prominent role inhelping the project team organizethe clubhouse renovation last yearas part of our 50th anniversary cele-bration. Having just celebrated his85th birthday he throws with a sticknow and anyone who has curledwith him will tell you he is one ofthe best in the game at it. Seventeenyears ago he founded the UxbridgeMasters Bonspiel which is held

twice a year for men over 60. Withsome help from curlers AndyHemphill, Ron Gould, and GerryCollyer, and his wife Lea he stillkeeps it running. This month’s spiel,his 34th, was held November 1stwith a full complement of teamsfrom Unionville, Beaverton, PortPerry, Tam Heather, Whitby,

Oakwood, and ofcourse Uxbridge. Eachteam played twogames. There were

four first prize 2 game winners -Garnet Warriner’s team from PortPerry, Andy Hemphill’s fromUxbridge, Bill Harwood’s fromUxbridge, and Paul Barnett’s fromWhitby. All two and one game win-ners received a prize pack of cowboysteaks. Lunch was a delicious roastbeef dinner with coffee and freshpie. Bernice Montgomery, LoisMcGinn, Lorraine Mann, DebraKenna, Tina Ruhl, and VirginiaGould handled the kitchen, sellingraffle tickets, and serving the tables.Keith Rodd tended bar.

Bob Timbers has an easy goingstyle with a wry smile, a strong senseof humour and a warm intelligence.He is known and respected as a truegentleman. To me he answers thequestion why people curl – the loveand challenge of friendly competi-tion, the spirit of friendships, andthe rewards of volunteering. As hesays, “when you become involvedthere’s always something that needsto be done”.The other major event at Uxbridge

Curling Club since our last reportwas the Plum Pudding MixedBonspiel sponsored by Ron Noble

Insurance on Saturday November12th. The Plum Pudding too wasfull with sixteen teams. Eight of theteams were from Uxbridge, andeight from out of town. There weretwo draws and each team playedtwo games. The Plum Pudding wasorganized and run by Cheryl andGlen McClymont, Ashley Duffy,Peggy Roy, Dan and Brenda Kelly,and Sharon Marshall with help onthe day of the spiel from Jean Pilkeyand Deb Kenna. Prizes consistingof Black Forest Ham, a plum pud-ding, and a bottle of wine wereawarded to the top-three teams ineach draw. The winner of the firstdraw was Bill Harwood’s team of(Vice) Elaine Stephenson, (Second)Andy Hemphill, and (Lead)Suzanne Murphy from Uxbridge.The winner of the second draw wasCraig Chipp’s team from Thornhill,(Vice) Bobbi Wright, (Second)Stephen Hackney, and (Lead)Annies Pinteric.

Congratulations to all the winnersand a big thanks to all who partici-pated.

If you would like more informa-tion on curling visit uxbridge-curlingclub.com

Thur sday, November 24 th 201111The Uxbr idge Cosmos

Last Rock by Malcolm Thistle

Choir provides a Celtic look at Christmas

Thur sday, November 24 th 201112The Uxbr idge Cosmos

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For more details, please call

Agnes Lobbezoo at 905-852-5067.

COSMOS CLASSIFIEDSClassifieds are now $5 plus HST per week for up to 20 words,

$10 plus HST for up to 40 words.Payable in advance by cash, cheque or credit card.

Contact: cosmosboyce@powergate.ca or 905-852-1900Deadline: Monday 5:30 p.m.

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NEW CLASSES STARTING IN NOVEMBER

Free

FREE PICKUP OF ANY TYPE OF METAL, GOODOR NOT: Appliances, AC, microwaves, batteries,propane tanks, any type of wire, BBQs, computers,plumbing fixture, pianos, cars, trucks, boats, trailers,farm machinery, skidoos, lawnmowers, motorcycles,etc, etc. NOTHING TOO BIG OR SMALL, WE TAKE ITALL. We also clean out sheds, barns, garages, stores,factories. 905-952-9844 or 905-473-1907. 11/24

Services

MATURE, RELIABLE CLEANING LADY available,weekly or bi-weekly. For free estimate call 905-852-7375. 11/24LIVE IN CARE GIVER/ NANNY Looking for a job,1 1/2 years working experience in Uxbridge. Call 647962 8218, ask for Cory. 11/24PET PHOTOS WITH SANTA Sunday, December11th, 12-4pm by appointment. Pets/Family PhotoK9’S in KAHOOTS. 6389 Main Street, Stouffville.(905) 642-8289.www.k9sinkahoots.com 12/8

Vehicles for Sale

FOR SALE: HYUNDAI SANTE FE 2005. 165,000 km.Standard, winter tires on rims. $5000. Call 905-852-4969 evenings. 11/24FOR SALE: 1993 SR5 Toyota 4x4 Ext. Cab Pickup. 5speed manual transmission. 325,000 km. $850.Phone 905-640-6982. 11/24FOR SALE: 1999 Olds Intrigue, 4dr, V6, loaded, air,leather, new fuel pump, new front & rear brakes, newrotors, new muffler and tail pipe, new gas line filter.Good clean running car. $1350. Call Russ 647-273-7193. 11/24FOR SALE: 1999 Ford Windstar van, runs well, bodyin good condition, 253,000 km, original owner, sold as

is, $1300 obo 905-852-9641. 11/24

Wanted

CALLING ALL FOSTER HOMES - Rescue isswamped and we need foster homes to save animals.If you can offer any kind of help, please call urgentlyNicola # 416 989 7005. 11/24WANTED: New cedar rails. 905-852-7634. 12/8

For Sale

FOR SALE: Dry hay, page wiring, heavy gates, lawnflattener. 905-852-7634. 12/8FOR SALE: Hand-made quilt tops - queen size $185,crib size $30. Crib quilts $85. 705-357-2626. 11/24FOR SALE: Honda generator, $200. 6 ft. patio doorwith internal grills, $350. Culligan water softener,$200. Walnut hardwood flooring, 9 boxes, $300.905-852-6738. 12/8FARM EQUIPMENT FOR SALE: Cattle headgate,$200. 4 triangular corner pig feeders, $200. 905-986-0520. 11/24FOR SALE: Snapper lawn/Snowblower good condi-tion,$950.00, 2 welders, table saw, and hydraulic sys-tem best offer, plus red car float as is, $700.00 or payme to fix it 905-649-1645 (p.m.). 11/24FOR SALE: 4 Pirelli Scorpion Ice snow tires on alu-minum rims 235/60R17 $ 350. 4 Steel Rims for235/70R16 snows $ 125. Yakima Rocket Box SkiCarrier, including rails $ 300. 905-852-4556. 11/24FOR SALE: NINTENDO DSi XL !! (like new) bur-gundy, original box and all instructions, hard carryingcase, 8 gb memory card, games incl. (ATV,MonsterTrucks,Fossil Fighters, Lego Battles,Bolt,etc..)$140.00-905-852-4275. 12/8FOR SALE: 3-pt. hitch logsplitter, bought new, neverused, perfect condition. Asking $750. 905-986-0520.11/24FOR SALE: 1961 Mercury outboard motor, 22 HP,

good original condition. $275. 905-852-3484.11/24FOR SALE: Dog Kennels: one 10x10, one 8x8, $100each. Dog house available, needs repairs, free for thetaking. 905-852-9217. 12/8

For Rent

FOR RENT: Wooden stables. 905-852-7634. 12/8ROOMS FOR RENT: Clean Quiet Neighbourhoodin Uxbridge. Choice of two rooms available in 3-bed-room setting. Shared Kitchen, Bath & Large LivingRoom. Rent: $500/month includes heat, hydro,water, parking. Separate side entry. AvailableDecember 1, 2011. Call 905-852-5785. 11/24FOR RENT: Two bedroom apartment by conservationarea. Ski and hike from your door. No smokers, PetsOK, Available Jan 1. $950.00 includes utilities. 416799-8011. 12/1FOR RENT: Downtown Uxbridge, Large, Clean 2 bed-room Apt, Main Level, Parking, Appliances, Separateentrance, $1300/mo. Inclusive. Call/text 647-220-6093. 12/1APARTMENT FOR RENT IN HISTORIC DOWN-TOWN UXBRIDGE: Unique and “One-Of-A-Kind”Loft Apartment, Available January 1st, 2012. ThreeLevels with Kitchen, Dining and Living on 1st Level,Bedroom on 2nd Level and walk-out to roof top,south-facing private deck on 3rd Level. First and lastmonth’s rent required. No smokers or pets please.References required. $950.00 per month plus hydro.Call 905-649-0094. 12/1

by Nancy Melcher

Cosmos readers are interest-ed in what may happen tothe First Leaside Group ofCompanies. Many haveemailed the office askingfor a follow-up to lastweek's news about theCease Trade order, in co-operation with theOntario SecuritiesCommission and theInvestment IndustryRegulatory Organizationof Canada. When contact-ed by the Cosmos for acomment on the situation,the company representa-tive directed us to lastweek's press release and thecompany's web site. Whenasked if they had anythingto add, especially regardingthe construction at the oldCo-op site, we were told,“Absolutely not!”

Local politicians do nothave any more informa-tion to pass along. MayorGerri Lynn O'Connor wassorry that she had nothingto add. In her conversa-tions with First Leaside,they have simply told herthat individuals seekinginformation should referto the letter to investors ontheir website. While nothappy about being kept inthe dark, MayorO'Connor, speaking forthe Township, is hopefulthat “This is a bump in theroad and we hope we willsee a continuation of theconstruction in the spring.In these times wedon't like to seeanything badhappen to any-body.”

Ward FourCouncillor JacobMantle feels thatFirst Leaside “hasmade a greatinvestment in thecommunity. I amexcited that theychose to locatetheir head officein Uxbridge.” Headds, “We are allconcerned aboutthe future of the

building at Victoria andBrock.”

What is known is that asof press time, the buildingwas still under construc-tion, the crane was in useand workers, althoughfewer in numbersthan in recent weeks,were busy continuingwith their tasks at thecorner of VictoriaDrive and BrockStreet West. We hopeconstruction contin-ues to full completionof the First LeasideGroup of CompaniesUxbridge Co-op

Head Office building. Itwould be reassuring toeveryone if we could get acommitment from all ofthe parties involved thatthis will indeed be so.

Members of the Durham Police InternetChild Exploitation Unit (ICE) executed asearch warrant last week in Uxbridge, arrest-ing a 24-year-old resident for child pornog-raphy related offences.

On Wednesday November 16, investiga-tors with the ICE Unit executed a searchwarrant on Oakside Drive in Uxbridge andseized a total of 11 computer hard drives,storage devices and drugs. It is alleged theaccused was uploading images of childexploitation to a web site called MicrosoftSkydrive. The resident was arrested with-out incident.

Tyler Curran, age 24 of Oakside Drive inUxbridge is charged with: Possession ofChild Pornography; Accessing ChildPornography; Possession of a ControlledSubstance (Marihuana) and Possession of aControlled Substance (Magic Mushrooms).The accused was held for a bail hearing.

The DRPS is committed to the ProvincialStrategy to Protect Children from Sexual

Abuse and Exploitation on the Internetwhich was created in August 2006 inresponse to the McGuinty government’srequest that police develop a coordinated,multi-disciplinary province-wide approachto combating Internet crimes against chil-dren. The provincial strategy is jointly sup-ported by the Ministry of CommunitySafety and Correctional Services and theMinistry of the Attorney-General forOntario.

Anyone with new information regardingthis investigation is asked to contact Det.Randy Norton or D/Cst. Brian Vickers ofthe Major Crime SAU/ Child ExploitationSection at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5363 or ext.5349.

Anonymous tips can be made to CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) oronline at www.durhamregionalcrimestop-pers.ca and tipsters may be eligible for a cashreward of up to $2,000.

Thur sday, November 24 th 201113The Uxbr idge Cosmos

UXBRIDGE MEMORIAL COMPANY108 Brock Street West, Uxbridge L9P 1P4

Dave & Lori Tomkinson

Tel: 905-852.3472 • 1-888-672-4364 • Fax: 905-852-0085uxmemco@interhop.net

Ashley Armstrong 416.671.3249 asharmstrong676@hotmail.com

~Colour Consultation ~Space Planning ~Blinds and Shutters ~Custom Draperies

~Furniture and Finishes ~Kitchen and Washroom Design

Interior Design Services

Energy from Waste Public Open House

WORKS DEPARTMENT PUBLIC NOTICE

You are invited to attend a public open house on Dec. 7, from 5 p.m. until

6:30 p.m. at Durham Regional Headquarters in room LLC. Covanta Energy

Corp. and the Region of Durham will have panel displays on the energy-

from-waste (EFW) facility design and construction and the Integrated

Waste Management Program. Covanta representatives and Durham staff

will also be on hand to answer questions.

Meeting of the Energy from Waste – Waste Management

Advisory Committee The first meeting of the Energy from Waste – Waste Management Advisory Committee (EFW-WMAC) will follow the public open house from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. All EFW-WMAC meetings are open to the public.

As part of the Clarington Host Community Agreement, the Region of

Durham and the Municipality of Clarington have developed the Energy

from Waste – Waste Management Advisory Committee. The EFW-WMAC

is comprised of Durham residents and acts in an advisory capacity to the

Regional Works Committee on issues or concerns which arise with waste

diversion, waste management, and environmental performance and

monitoring of the EFW facility, including the construction and operational

phases. For questions, please contact the Regional Municipality of Durham Works Department at:

Lyndsay Waller

905-668-7711 ext. 2803

lyndsay.waller@durham.ca

If this information is required in an accessible format, please contact 1-800-372-1102 ext. 2803

The Regional Municipality of Durham Works Department 605 Rossland Rd. E., Whitby, ON L1N 6A3 Telephone 905-668-7711 or 1-800-372-1102

www.durham.ca

www.facebook.com/regionofdurham www.twitter.com/regionofdurham

Uxbridge man faces child porn charges

Still nobody talkingat First Leaside Group

Pumpkin Puree

I am not computer savvy. I bake.So, when I write a column forConrad and it has to be sent bycomputer, I can very easily lose itin Cyberspace - wherever thatis... (It must be full of columnsby now.)

Thus a few weeks or so ago,when there were lots of freshpumpkins around forThanksgiving and Halloween, Iwrote a column on makingpumpkin puree. The idea for thiscame from the abundance oforange around the countrysideand at the grocery store and frommany people who complainedthat the grocery stores were outof canned pumpkin puree andpie filling.

Well, nothing beats fresh as weknow and this is no exception.

So, if there are still some pump-kins in your pantry, gather themtogether and roast them off for“Pumpkin Puree.”

The smaller pumpkins - two tofive pounds - are better but youcan use the larger ones also. Washthe pumpkins and split into twohalves. Scoop out the seeds andsave for roasting for snacks.Place the pumpkins - cut sidedown - onto parchment linedbaking sheets and roast thepumpkins in a 350 F oven untilthey are tender. That's it!

Let the pumpkin cool and thenlift the skins off to reveal softpumpkin flesh. Puree four halvesin a food processor or blenderwith a half-cup of brown sugar, ateaspoon of Allspice andCinnamon and a quarter tea-spoon of ground Clove. Use inpumpkin pie, muffins, pumpkincheesecake or cookies.

The puree can be used in a soupwithout the sugar - just add adiced onion, some garlic andvegetable or chicken stock.Simmer until hot and flavourful.

Freeze the pumpkin puree inbatches for baking at Christmas.Or, use some now for PumpkinMuffins.3 cups of flour1 1/2 cups of sugarpinch of salt3/4 cup of vegetable oil3/4 cup of water4 eggs

Mix the above together in amixing bowl or stand mixer. Addtwo cups of sweetened pumpkinpuree and mix.

Spoon into muffin pans andbake at 350 F. for 30 minutes(for large muffins).

Pumpkin puree, delicious inmany recipes for the coming hol-idays, like, maybe, PumpkinCheesecake? Stay tuned.

Thur sday, November 17 th 201114The Uxbr idge Cosmos

• Free Range Poultry• Farm Fresh Beef• Ontario Lamb• Preservative-Free Deli Meats• Hormone-Free Meats

3 Brock Street WestOPEN SUNDAYS 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

ORDER YOUR TURKEYS, HAMS, PRIME RIB OR OTHER SEASONAL SENSATIONS NOW!

V I E W P O I N T S

How well do you know the highways and byways ofUxbridge Township? The first person each week to callinto our office number, 905-852-1900, and correctly

identify the location of our photo, will receive a prize; thisweek, it’s two tickets for an Uxbridge Bruins game. Lastweek’s viewpoint was the sign at High Spruce Farms on DavisDrive. It was guessed by Julia Ott of Uxbridge. We’ll have theanswer to the upper photo next week.Photos by Renee Leahy.

GAME NIGHT WITH THE BRUINSSupport Uxbridge’s Team!Hockey Night in Uxbridge

7:45 p.m., Uxbridge ArenaSports Entertainment At Its Best!

Fri., Nov. 25BRUINS vs.

GEORGINA

Check out allthings Bruin at:

www.uxbridgebruins.com

Walter Campbell - WatercoloursTracy May - Jewellery

Stuart Blower - PhotographyIan Ball - Watercolours

Jennifer Zsolt - Postcards

David Bolender - PhotographyWendy Lewis - Fibre Art

Stuart Blower - Stone CarvingKatherine Gibson Kurck - Watercolour

Siloam Hall, Green Number 7040 Concession # 2 (At Regional Road # 8,)Siloam, Uxbridge, Ontario (10 minutes west, on Brock St.,)

November 26, 2011 11:00 - 5:00 p.m.Participating Artists

“Christmas inthe Hamlet” Art Sale

“Christmas inthe Hamlet” Art Sale

"Siloam Hall" Art Exhibition and Sale Nov. 26

You’re Invited To TheUAA Siloam Studio Stop’s

Rich’s Famous Gourmet CoffeeFree AdmissionToonie Artwork Draw www.uxbridgearts.ca

Cookin’with Donna van Veghel-Wood

Sandford Newswith Tracee Sheldrake

Scott Central Public School had a great night last thursday (Nov17th) as they welcomed parents to their annual Parent-TeacherNight. Scott Central has a great relationship with the communitypartners and wanted to give them an opportunity to talk to the par-ents about their upcoming initiatives and programs. The Schoolwould like to thank Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Durham,Uxbridge Youth Centre, Uxbridge YMCA, Precious Minds,Uxbridge / Zephyr Library, Uxbridge Pool / Take Time for takingthe time to come out and speak to the parents; and the Scott CentralSchool Council for organizing the night.

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This travelogue is an account ofthree weeks as independent touristsin Cuba, starting and ending inHavana but visiting Vinales,Cienfuegos and Trinidad de Cuba,using local buses to move from placeto place. This trip has been more dif-ficult to recount than any others,because many of our impressionsand experiences have been so differ-ent from any we have previouslyencountered. How do you fairly andobjectively record your impressions,especially your first ones, of a newcountry whose culture, and moreimportantly whose political system,is so very very different from any-thing you have previously experi-enced? Almost everything is Stateowned and operated, at times veryrigidly, and our passports were need-ed for many quite ordinary activitiessuch as use of the Internet. Much ofthis account was initially written inCuba, but reviewed with the benefitof reflection a few weeks later whilewe were in Florida. Some sections,which we felt might be sensitive ifseen by Cuban authorities, were

intentionally not put on my laptopwhile in Cuba. This account there-fore, has unintentionally become apolitical commentary as well as atravelogue, simply because we foundthe political system of the countryaffected us, almost on a daily basis.

On arrival in Havana, the scrutinythat we expected at the airport didnot materialize, and we were clear ofimmigration and customs in no timeat all, although we did see one poorsoul whose suitcases were beingtaken apart. Even so, a stern facedimmigration officer carefullyreviewed our passports, and pho-tographed our faces. On the drivefrom the airport, in a clapped outdecrepit Lada, we saw street afterstreet of drab buildings, brownboulevards, some near derelict build-ings, no flowers, no well dressed peo-ple, nor indeed anything in any wayattractive. Not a good first impres-sion.

An acquaintance in Canada, hadarranged for us to stay at a casa par-ticular, sort of B&B, in the Vedadodistrict, a once upscale area, which is

where we directed our driver. Ourintended host's room was occupied,and we were taken round the cornerto a friend who offered us a bedroomwith en suite, and breakfast in hisapartment, for CUC35 (about $50)a night. Let me put right any misun-derstandings about B&Bs in Cuba,as they bear little resemblance tothose in first world countries, withwhich we are very familiar.

More later, but even most “good”Cuban homes are drab, poorly fur-nished and sorely in need of decorat-ing, simply due to the limitedresources of the owners, and theabsence of materials needed formaintenance. By the time wereturned to Havana nearly threeweeks later, we had learnt that ourquarters could have been better, asindeed they were second time round.We were close to the Hotel Nacional(in the photo), the swankiest inHavana, which has a less thansavoury history, as it was once thegathering place of Meyer Lansky andother like mobsters from the NorthAmerican mafia. Clearing that char-

nel house was one ofthe better achievementsof Fidel Castro's revo-lutionaries.

For breakfast on ourfirst morning, we weregiven some bread, but-ter and jam of somekind, along with strongcoffee and hot milk,(made from powder).You might wonderwhat in heaven's namewere we doing there,and we did wonder, butwe had decided to takea look a Cuba andthat's what we intend-ed to do. Later in thetrip, breakfasts becamevery much better, andour host, a single sixty-ish guy, was doing hisbest. As we were to dis-cover later on so manyoccasions, manyCubans quite simplydo not understand howto accommodate theneeds of tourists frommore prosperous coun-tries. They were trying

hard, and perhaps more importantly,we were being much better fed thanthey were.

A few words to explain convertiblepesos (CUCs) which tourists use,and the Cuban peso which is the dayto day currency of Cuban nationals,which is worth 1/24 of a CUC.Because of the relative high value ofCUCs, as much as possible, Cubanstry to get their hands on them, asthis gives them a chance to buy con-

sumer goods, which would otherwisebe out of their reach. This is themain reason why so many look foropportunities to share their homeswith tourists.

Time to start exploring, and aftercashing some traveller's cheques, wetook a look around our neighbour-hood including the now Hotel Libre,formerly the Havana Hilton. Thishotel had only recently been openedwhen the revolutionary forces tookcontrol of the country in 1959. FidelCastro occupied a whole suite on the24th floor, and ran the country fromthere for some time. On a nearbystreet, we saw a once lovely housethat was quite literally in a state ofcollapse and temporary supports hadbeen installed in an effort to arrestcomplete failure. We then hailed ataxi to take us to old Havana, theoriginal Spanish colonial district.Our trusty Lonely Planet guide sug-gested a walking tour and we fol-lowed most of it, including of coursethe plaza mayor and cathedral,always important features of Spanishsettlements. Many of the buildingswere in need of attention and it wasrather saddening to see historic

buildings deteriorating for lack ofcare. We made an interesting stop atthe Hotel Ambos Mundos, (BothWorlds) where the downstairs lobbypiano bar was once frequented byErnest Hemmingway, and where hestayed while writing For Whom theBell Tolls. He appeared to have beena much liked figure, and photo-graphs of him with various othercelebrities graced one wall of thelobby. On another walking tour next

day, in central Havana, we saw amuch nicer part of the city, someattractive buildings, and very nicehotels. In the Hotel Telegrafo, whichhad interesting art deco décor, weenjoyed a very welcome snack whilewatching people around us. A littlelater quite by chance, we came uponthe museum dedicated to the revolu-tion, which occupies the whole of asquare, and where aircraft, tanks andmakeshift armoured vehicles, are dis-played, which presumably were onceused by the revolutionary forces.That night we dined in LeMonseigneur, an upscale and muchflunkied restaurant, just across thestreet from Hotel Nacional. Iordered a steak in a wine sauce, andfound myself trying to cut and chewa piece of meat that was so toughthat I finally gave up after manytries, and my unfinished meal wastaken away. When we later discov-ered that Cubans are not legally evenpermitted to be in possession of beef,and that they are subject to foodrationing, we wondered what theymust have thought about my behav-iour.

TO BE CONTINUED

Thur sday, November 24 th 201115The Uxbr idge Cosmos

SOFA Smiles with Fred Bendell

Wow, hard to believe we have completed fiveweeks already! Time does fly when you arehaving fun. Held an executive meeting lastnight and completed a few trades to try andbalance the teams, nothing major but itshould help the Light Blue team win a gameor two and the Dark Blue team. We havehad a few long time players move on (for avariety of reasons the least of which wasbeing too old) and we have some new play-ers join us. We even have a few Uxbridge

Oilies players join us this year, welcome toRob Croxall and John Vanderlee who arenow regulars and Pete Scriven and TedBarris who are spares. Wes Bonner andGerry Roberts are doing a great job as ourPresident and Treasurer, never seen so muchattention to detail and it's a big help.Thanks gentlemen on behalf of the league.Next SOFA Smile we'll have some stats toshare with you.

OUR MAN IN HAVANA WITH TOM FOWLE

by Jane Alexander

Bev Oda, Minister ofInternational Cooperation andMP for Durham and GaryGoodyear, Minister of State(Science and Technology) haveannounced federal governmentsupport for four Durham busi-nesses, three of them inUxbridge, through the NationalResearch Council's Industrial

Research Assistance Program.This program supports business-es to excel in new technologies.

"I am pleased that ourGovernment is investing in sci-ence and technologies that willhelp strengthen local businessesin Durham" said Minister Oda ina release. "This support to fourlocal companies shows the rangeof innovative and growing busi-nesses we have here in Durham.”

The three companies inUxbridge to receive the grant areNortek Solutions, a privatelyowned Canadian software com-pany, Oasys Healthcare, a com-pany that provides innovativeaudio and video solutions for themedical marketplace, and JeffreyRoss Jewellery, a jewellery store.

Money was granted towardseach company in Uxbridge forimproving and adding new tech-nology to their business.

Nortek Solutions was given$30,000 to support a researchand development project for itssoftware publishing business. "We sent in a proposal to get the

grant" said Linda Woolley, presi-dent of Nortek Solutions. "Weneeded to hire a web graphicsdesigner to help develop our newproduct, the people managementproduct." The National Research Council

(NRC) grant enabled them tohire a young graphics designgraduate who is helping themwith the presentation layer oftheir new "CUROS" peoplemanagement software product.CUROS is a new generation ofpeople management softwarethat will help companies stream-line their business, increasing

productivity and reducing cost.As well as that the graduate helpswith web site designs and sales.Jeffrey Ross Jewellery was grant-

ed $35,750 to support an inno-vated process of silver jewellerydesign and manufacturing.Jeffrey Ross Jewellery has beenworking on a product calledDimples for the past two years.The grant went to the develop-ment of a brand new material inthe jewellery world that allows afingerprint to be imprinted.

"We are extremely fortunate"said Jeffrey Ross, the owner ofthe store. "It's a dream cometrue in the jewellery world."The final company in Uxbridge

to get the grant was OasysHealthcare Corp. receiving$13,000 to support adoption fornew technology in its medicalequipment and supplies manu-facturing enterprise. The grantgiven to Oasys was to furthertheir development in a newpiece of technology to improvesafety efficiency in the operatingroom. With having this grant,Oasys' goal is to become themain supplier worldwide andmake an easy device to workwith and use in the workplace.

"We want to make a difference

in people's lives" said directorand systems engineer at Oasys,Gary Schissler.

This new product Oasys isdeveloping will make the job eas-ier for nurses and doctors, allow-ing them to see more patients ina day and helping save lives.Each company will further their

business and continue to help thecommunity and world with thegrants they have received.

Thur sday, November 24 th 201116The Uxbr idge Cosmos

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