Local candidates in the provincial election met for the second time for an all-candidates debate sponsored by the Greater Dufferin Area Chamber of Commerce - this time in Shelburne at Grace Tipling Hall.

Last Wednesday, about 130 concerned citizens attended with an opportunity to ask 20 questions during the 90-minute question period.

As in the first debate in Orangeville the previous week, public education and health care concerns were the leading issues. Each topic was raised in four questions, although a wide variety of other topics were raised by the audience.

The youngest inquisitor, a 12- year-old Shelburne girl, asked the candidates what the parties were doing to attract the youth to politics.

Green Party candidate Rob Strang said his party was in favour of reducing the voting age to 16 and it's possible to become a member of his party at 14.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Hall said she became interested in politics at a very early age and knows it is a challenge to interest the youth in politics. The Liberals, according to Ms. Hall, intend to increasing funding for civic education. Sylvia Jones, Progressive Conservative, said her constituency office has recently included a high school co-op student and it was a great way to learn from each other. NDP candidate Lynda McDougall said, "Everyone, especially youth, need to feel you are reflected in politics. As questions, it's something that you have to work on."

On the issue of education, the message was the same from each candidate as was stated in the first debate, when concerns were raised about the PC plan for funding of faith-based schools, which had Ms. Jones defending John Tory's plan.

She asked the audience to consider that Ontario already has publicly funded faithbased schools in the Catholic system and maintained it's unfair to other faiths to fund the schools of one religion to the exclusion of all others.

Besides that, she said a PC government would hike the education budget over three years to more than $15 billion. As an example she cited other provinces, such as Manitoba and Alberta, that successfully fund faithbased education.

Candidate Strang said he has every respect for the separate school system and its quality of instruction, but does believe there should be a single public system embracing all faiths, which would be more efficient.

Ms. McDougall, a longtime teacher in the Dufferin County and Upper Grand school boards, said the public system is already underfunded for its programs. She adamantly opposed taking any funds out of the public system. As well, she said children learn more tolerance for each other in the integrated public system.

Liberal candidate Hall said the province "has a system that's working." If funding were made available to all faith-based schools, "we would be talking about hundreds of school boards in Ontario," with more transportation and facilities required. She said it's wrong to compare Ontario with Manitoba and Alberta on the issue, since neither province is constitutionally required to maintain a separate school system.

Mayor Ed Crewson took his turn at the microphone on behalf of the Town to ask the candidates which party would step up to help Shelburne with increasing costs to improve the town's waste water treatment plant.

"Over the past decade Shelburne has had several 'crises of crap.'We spent $6 million on the sewage treatment plant and we've made several applications to both the Conservative and Liberal governments. We've never received a nickel from either one of them. I look around and I see my neighbours in Mount Forest, who pay half the tax rate we do roughly, pick up $12 million for its facility and deal with their 'crisis of crap.'... I would like a commitment and my council would like a commitment from all of you up there, that when you get to Queen's Park you will get the funding we need because now we are looking at $4.5 million for sewage," he said.

Each candidate said that if they were elected they would help Shelburne find the money needed for the required improvements for the plant.

"When I was on council in Orangeville, one thing that frustrated me was I didn't think municipalities could control development," Mr. Strang said. "We just had to deal with the rules that were imposed by the province and they normally favour developers."

On the issue of health care, wait times, privatization and two questions about funding the current system were entertained.

On funding, Ms. McDougall said the government "needs to make sure healthcare money is coming to the hospital." She said the funding system must be corrected now.

Ms. Jones said the area is $218 per person per capita behind in funding.

"Until growth in an area is considered in the funding, there won't be an improvement in the funding formula," she said.

Mr. Strang would support long-term care and a program for preventive health care. He said the Green Party believes the health care system would have the funds it needed if Ontarians stayed healthier.

Ms. Hall said the Liberals plan to fund an at-home strategy for seniors who elect to stay in their own homes and they have plans to improve funding over the next four years.

Ms. McDougall would seek "fair" funding for the area. She said, as a highgrowth area, more funding is needed here.

Two questions about agriculture were asked, the first enquiring about assistance for farmers in the face of the worst drought the province had seen in 50 years and the second looking for a commitment for assistance, which the speaker didn't hear in the answers.

Ms. Hall said the Liberal Party is completely committed

Tim Hortons Smile Cookie

Campaign to support

Family Transition Place

There's nothing like a Tim Hortons oven-fresh chocolate chip cookie, unless it's twice the size! Tim Hortons Smile Cookies are going on sale for $1 (tax excluded) at the stores across the Orangeville area this week, from Oct. 1 to Sunday, Oct. 7. The special double-sized chocolate chip cookies have double the meaning, because all proceeds from the cookie sales will go towards Family Transition Place (FTP).

Proceeds from the Smile Cookies will provide much needed funds for FTP's violence prevention programs for youth, men and women, programs which rely 100% on fundraised dollars. FTP also provides a 24-hour crisis line as well as an emergency shelter and counselling for abused women and their children, touching the lives of more than 9,500 people last year.

"We are thrilled to support Family Transition Place," said Paul Preuss, the local Tim Hortons store owner.

"The Smile Cookie program is a combined community effort because it's our customers who come in to buy the cookies and help us raise funds to support this worthy cause." to helping farmers and would move on their share of the compensation program, regardless of what the federal government did.

Ms. Jones said the PC team has modeled its commitment to farmers based on the federal "made in Quebec" agreement and they would move immediately on an audit of Agricorp to determine what the hold-up is when it comes to compensation.

Ms. McDougall said the NDP have a risk management strategy plan that addresses the problem and since the riding is home to one-quarter of all farming in the province and 98 per cent of those farms are owned by families, she understands the critical nature of proper compensation.

Mr. Strang said the Green solution in agriculture is moving toward a sustainable industry. Supporting agriculture was fundamental to the Green Party and he would work towards efforts that help farming industry become profitable by diversifying.

Advance polling closes today (Thursday) and polls open on October 10. Information about the election can be found at www.elections. on.ca .