The Mayor of Rhodes

Dear friends,

As we prepare for the millennium, I write to enlist your help and the help of all Greek Diaspora Organizations in a worthy project that will leave a lasting legacy for future generations on the city of Rhodes, Greece.
As you may know, Rhodes has a significant need for the planting of trees to replace dying ones, to beautify new development areas and to improve the environment.
We invite you to participate in the environmental improvement of Rhodes in the coming millennium year and help demonstrate our collective determination to preserve the beauty and environment of Greece!
For your contribution of $100 you will be recognized on a permanent plaque in the city of Rhodes commemorating the gifts of all donors to this project.
In addition, each contributor of $50 or more will receive a certificate, embossed with the official seal of Rhodes and suitable for framing.
Attached is a form to complete, which should be mailed with your cheque to the address on the form. Be sure to complete the portion that shows how the name should appear on the plaque and certificate. Please make extra copies of the form for your members who make individual contributions.
We look forward to your visiting us in the year 2000 so that you may see for yourself the trees you have made possible and enjoy the beauty and sincere hospitality of our island.
I thank you in advance for your support, and I extend to you and all your members my personal best wishes as well as the very best wishes of people of Rhodes for a Healthy and Prosperous Millennium Year!

The Mayor of Rhodes
GEORGE GIANNOPOULOS

New century dawns brightly on Ontario

By The Honourable Mike Harris, MPP
Premier of Ontario

These are exciting times in Ontario.
We stand not just at the dawn of a new year, but at the dawn of a brand new century as well; and the new millennium is dawning brightly on our province.
1999 has been a very positive year for Ontario. Our economy is booming. Last January, Ontario's unemployment rate was at 6.6 per cent. Today, it is down to 5.6 per cent.
We've seen the creation of 170,000 new jobs in Ontario this year. That is equal to the population of Barrie and Niagara Falls combined.
Ontario is once again a place of opportunity, offering people more chances to reach for their dreams.
I am especially pleased to see that these new opportunities are helping those people who wanted to work, but were trapped in the welfare system.
As more and more jobs were created, more people broke free from the cycle of welfare dependency. Compared to this time last year, over 100,000 fewer people depend on welfare. This did not happen overnight. Over the past four-and-a-half years, people across the province have worked hard to build the prosperity we now enjoy. This hard work has rebuilt confidence in our future.
At Queen's Park, our team has also worked hard, to help create a more secure future for middle class families. Here are just a few of the many changes we introduced over the last year:

Ї Taxes are lower. And we've passed a law to guarantee that no Ontario government will ever be able to raise taxes without first going to the people.
Ї High school students found more challenges in a new curriculum. Parents can now feel confident that their children will receive the education that they deserve.
Ї In health care, we've worked to reduce emergency room waits. Mothers are being offered longer hospital stays. And new long-term care centres are under construction.
Ї As well, we've put more police on the streets and taken more steps to make sure that people feel safer in their communities. These include a law to prevent squeegee people and aggressive panhandlers from harassing people and tough new penalties for drivers who flee from police.

These changes reflect a belief that is shared by everyone on our team at Queen's Park: that government exists to provide a real benefit to people. We always remember that we are not the government. We are the people who came to fix the government.
As we look ahead, and stand ready for the new millennium, our province is poised to take on the world - and win. This is a province full of energetic, hard-working people who can do amazing things, if given an opportunity.
That's what our government is all about - creating opportunity.
Lowering taxes, helping people escape welfare, introducing higher standards in education - all of these changes are giving the people of Ontario more opportunities to succeed.
We look ahead to even better days: to a balanced budget; a stronger economy; renewed infrastructure; and even more jobs and opportunity for our people.
As we move forward together, I remain confident - and I share the optimism of the many independent forecasters who predict - that in this new millennium, Ontario will be the envy of the world.

A message from Mayor Mel Lastman

It is a pleasure to extend greetings and warm wishes to all readers of this special issue of PATRIDES which commemorates the past century, and marks the approaching new millennium.
Publications such as this, that bring people together and strengthen the communities they serve, are encouraged and welcomed in Toronto. PATRIDES responds to the varied needs and interests of our Greek community and promotes the exchanging of information and ideas.
Our Greek community is an integral part of our City's success and has made a tremendous contribution to its growth and prosperity over the years. During the special time of year, it is important to remember how fortunate we are to be living in the most culturally diverse and greatest City in the world.
On behalf of Toronto City Council and the more that 2.3 million people of our great City, I congratulate the publisher, staff and everyone who has contributed to PATRIDES. To your readers and their families in our large and vibrant Greek community, I offer our best wishes for a Joyous Holiday Season and a Happy, Healthy New Year.

MEL LASTMAN

Mayor of Winnipeg,Man

It brings me great pleasure to send my warmest wishes to all members of the Greek community here in Winnipeg and across North America.
I am incredibly fortunate to be Mayor of a City that was founded and built by immigrants from around the world. The energy, diversity, and entrepreneurial spirit of Winnipeg can be directly traced to our history, and the rich contribution of communities like yours. This common experience of building a better life in a strange place has fostered an attitude of tolerance and generosity that is very much alive in Winnipeg today. We are all richer because of the traditions and heritage you share.
On behalf of my colleagues on City Council, congratulations on the occasion of the millennium, and best wishes to all readers of Patrides.

TORONTO

Hellenic Studies Program

By James Mirkopoulos

The Hellenic Heritage Foundation is a charitable, non-profit, organization that was established in the spring of 1996 for the purpose of raising funds toward the preservation and promotion of Hellenic culture and heritage in Canada. Our first major objective identified in consultation with the Greek community at large was the establishment of a Hellenic Studies Program and Chair at a Toronto university.
The first step was taken on May 7, 1999 at our annual fundraising gala where the Hellenic Heritage Foundation and the Greek Community of Metropolitan Toronto Inc. signed a letter of intent with York University.
Now the Hellenic Heritage Foundation and the Greek Community of Metropolitan Toronto Inc. are pleased to announce the formal signing of the Memorandum of Agreement for the establishment of the Chair of Hellenic Studies at York University on Friday, January 28, 2000, at 3:00 p.m. The ceremony will be held at the Faculty Club, Ross Building at York University.

Greetings from the Governor of Illinois

As Governor of the State of Illinois, I would like to extend my greetings and thanks to the Greek community of North America for a successful century.
The many different cultures in North America give citizens a chance to learn about different ways of life. The Greek community has enriched the past century through the diversity it brings to America.
On behalf of the citizens of Illinois, I wish all Greek citizens of North America much prosperity and happiness in the coming millennium.

еккада

New business class takes off

The new Business Class product of Olympic Airways for its domestic jet network was launched on January 17. The new product is set to bring significant benefits for the airline, since it looks certain to become a favorite among travelers.
Olympic Club is a product which will attract new passengers due to the variety of the benefits it offers, which begin from the time of the reservation of the ticket and continue all the way to the moment the passengers pick up their luggage at their point of destination.
Olympic Club is available in all Olympic Airways jet aircraft serving to and from Athens the following destinations: Thessaloniki, Kavala, Alexandroupoli, Corfu, Rhodes, Kos, Iraklio and Chania. Mitilini will be added in April.
The main points of the new product in the ground are:

Ї Selection of seat Booking priority in relation to Economy Class passengers
Ї Free 24-hour parking in ten airports across Greece
Ї Exclusive check-in points in ten airports
Ї A bonus of 520 miles per leg of travel for the members of ICARUS FFP
Ї Complimentary use of VIP lounges in Athens and Thessaloniki
Ї Luggage priority through special tag

In the air

The middle seat of Olympic Club cabin remains empty in all Boeing 737, offering more space and comfort, whilst in-flight service includes chocolates, newspapers, refreshments, cold snacks, hot beverages and beer for flight after 11:00.

лчМУЛА ТОУ ДГЛэЯВОУ ТОУ Surrey

On behalf of the City of Surrey and members of Council, I wish the Greek-Canadian community a happy holiday and joyous new year.
May this festive season bring you joy, peace and prosperity.

еЙ ЛщЯОУР ТГР ПЭКГР ТОУ Surrey ЙАИ ТЫМ ЛЕКЧМ ТОУ ДГЛОТИЙОЩ СУЛБОУКъОУ ЕЩВОЛАИ СТГМ ЕККГМОЙАМАДИЙч ЙОИМЭТГТА ЕУТУВИСЛщМЕР ЦИОЯТщР ЙАИ ВАЯОЩЛЕМО ТО МщО ВЯЭМО.
еЩВОЛАИ АУТч Г ЦИОЯТАСТИЙч ПЕЯъОДОР МА САР ЖщЯЕИ ВАЯэ, ЕИЯчМГ ЙАИ ЕУГЛЕЯъА.

лЕ ЕЙТъЛГСГ,
D.W. (DOUG) McCALLUM

MANITOBA

John Danakas
Director of Public Affairs of the University of Manitoba

According to an announcement of the University of Manitoba, Mr. John Danakas has been appointed as Director of Public Affairs.
Mr. John Danakas is a respected member of the Greek-Canadian community of Winnipeg.
This position involves the management of all internal and external communications programs of the University of Manitoba.
Mr. Danakas first joined the Department of Public Affairs in February, 1996, as Media Relations Officer. In July, 1999, he was promoted to Acting Director, in which capacity he coordinated several key communications initiatives.
Mr. Danakas brings to the Directorship an extensive background in journalism. As well as serving as a writer and editor with the Winnipeg Sun, he has published articles in several newspapers and magazines, including the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Master of Arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba. He is also a successful writer for children, with four books published.
Mr. Danakas is a longtime volunteer with Folklorama and the International Centre of Winnipeg.

лчМУЛА ТОУ АЯВГЦОЩ ТГР АМТИПОКъТЕУСГР ТГР ОЛОСПОМДИАЙчР ЙУБщЯМГСГР йАМАДэ

Greetings and best wishes for the New Year:
The New Year is traditionally a time to reflect upon our achievements and the events of the past and a time to look ahead with hope to the future. As we celebrate the beginning of a brand new century and the approach of the new millennium, I am pleased to extend a message of friendship to North America's Greek community and readers of Patrides.
As we look to the past, we see how our greatest successes as individuals, as communities, as countries, and as a global family have been when we have worked together. In Canada and the United States, we have good reason to reflect upon the tremendous contribution that peoples from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds have made in building strong and vibrant democratic nations.
Here, in North America, we can look to our future with confident hope that, in a spirit of cooperation and respect for diversity, we will continue to build and accomplish even greater things. In leading by example, let it be our confident hope that tolerance and understanding will be the cornerstones of a secure and lasting peace around the globe early in this promising new millennium.
My wife Sandra joins me in extending best wishes to all of you and your families for health, happiness, and prosperity in the Year 2000

.вАИЯЕТИСЛОЩР ЙАИ ТИР ЙАКЩТЕЯЕР ЕУВщР ЦИА ТО мщО ╦ТОР.
тО МщО щТОР ЕъМАИ ПАЯАДОСИАЙэ ЕПОВч СУККОЦИСЛОЩ ТЫМ ЕПИТЕЩНЕЧМ ЛАР ЙАИ ТЫМ ЦЕЦОМЭТЫМ ТОУ ПАЯЕКХЭМТОР ЙАИ ЙАИЯЭР МА ЙОИТэНОУЛЕ ЛПЯОСТэ ЛЕ ЕКПъДА ЦИА ТО ЛщККОМ. йАХЧР ЦИОЯТэФОУЛЕ ТГМ АЯВч ЕМЭР ОКОЙАъМОУЯЦИОУ АИЧМА ЙАИ ТО ПКГСъАСЛА ЛИАР МщАР ВИКИЕТГЯъДАР, ЛЕ ЕУВАЯъСТГСч ЛОУ АПЕУХЩМЫ ЛчМУЛА ЖИКъАР ПЯОР ТГМ ЕККГМИЙч ЙОИМЭТГТА ТГР бЭЯЕИАР аЛЕЯИЙчР ЙАИ ТОУР АМАЦМЧСТЕР ТГР ЕПИХЕЧЯГСГР ╚пАТЯъДЕР╩.
яъВМОМТАР ЛИА ЛАТИэ СТО ПАЯЕКХЭМ, БКщПОУЛЕ ПЧР чТАМ ОИ ЛЕЦАКЩТЕЯЕР ЕПИТУВъЕР ЛАР ЫР АТЭЛЫМ, ЫР ЙОИМОТчТЫМ, ЫР ЙЯАТЧМ ЙАИ ЫР ПАЦЙЭСЛИАР ОИЙОЦщМЕИАР ЭТАМ ЕЯЦАФЭЛАСТАМ ЭКОИ ЛАФъ. сТОМ йАМАДэ ЙАИ СТИР гМЫЛщМЕР пОКИТЕъЕР щВОУЛЕ ЙАКЭ КЭЦО МА СУККОЦИФЭЛАСТЕ ТГМ ТЯОЛЕЯч СУМЕИСЖОЯэ ПОУ щВОУМ ЙэМЕИ эМХЯЫПОИ ДИАЖОЯЕТИЙчР ЕХМИЙчР ЙАИ ПОКИТИСТИЙчР ЙАТАЦЫЦчР СТГМ ОИЙОДЭЛГСГ ИСВУЯЧМ ЙАИ ФЫМТАМЧМ ДГЛОЙЯАТИЙЧМ ЕХМЧМ.
еДЧ, СТГ бЭЯЕИА аЛЕЯИЙч, ЛПОЯОЩЛЕ МА АТЕМъСОУЛЕ ТО ЛщККОМ ЛАР ЛЕ БщБАИГ ЕКПъДА ЭТИ, ЛЕ щМА ПМЕЩЛА СУМЕЯЦАСъАР ЙАИ СЕБАСЛОЩ ЦИА ТГМ ПОКУЛОЯЖъА, ХА СУМЕВъСОУЛЕ МА ОИЙОДОЛОЩЛЕ ЙАИ МА ЕПИТУЦВэМОУЛЕ АЙЭЛГ ЛЕЦАКЩТЕЯА ПЯэЦЛАТА. йАХЧР ГЦОЩЛАСТЕ ЛЕ ТО ПАЯэДЕИЦЛэ ЛАР, АР ЕъМАИ Г БщБАИГ ЕКПъДА ЛАР ЭТИ Г АМОВч ЙАИ Г ЙАТАМЭГСГ ХА ЕъМАИ ОИ ХЕЛщКИОИ КъХОИ ЛИАР АСЖАКОЩР ЙАИ ДИАЯЙОЩР ЕИЯчМГР СЕ ОКЭЙКГЯГ ТГМ УДЯЭЦЕИО СТИР АЯВщР АУТчР ТГР АъСИАР МщАР ВИКИЕТГЯъДАР.
г СЩФУЦЭР ЛОУ, сэМТЯА, ЙИ ЕЦЧ АПЕУХЩМОУЛЕ ТИР ЙАКЩТЕЯЕР ЕУВщР ЛАР СЕ ЭКОУР САР ЙАИ СТИР ОИЙОЦщМЕИщР САР ЦИА УЦЕъА, ЕУТУВъА ЙАИ ЕУГЛЕЯъА СТО щТОР 2000.

PRESTON MANNING

лчМУЛА ТОУ ПЯЫХУПОУЯЦОЩ ТОУ сАСЙэТСОУАМ

On behalf of the Government of Saskatchewan, I am pleased to extend warm greetings to the Greek community of North America.
Saskatchewan is home to people of many different ethnic backgrounds, and we are proud of the contributions our citizens of Greek heritage have made to the richness and cultural diversity of our province. The turn of the century and millennium provides an excellent opportunity for all Canadians to reflect on our past achievements, and to set goals for the future.
Once again, warmest greetings, and best wishes for ongoing happiness and prosperity.

еЙ ЛщЯОУР ТГР ЙУБщЯМГСГР ТОУ сАСЙэТСОУАМ ЛЕ ЕУВАЯъСТГСч ЛОУ АПЕУХЩМЫ ХЕЯЛОЩР ВАИЯЕТИСЛОЩР СТГМ ЕККГМИЙч ЙОИМЭТГТА ТГР бЭЯЕИАР аЛЕЯИЙчР.
тО сАСЙэТСОУАМ ЕъМАИ ПАТЯъДА АМХЯЧПЫМ ЙАТАЦЫЦчР АПЭ ПОККэ, ДИАЖОЯЕТИЙэ щХМГ, ЙАИ ЕъЛАСТЕ ПЕЯчЖАМОИ ЦИА ТИР СУМЕИСЖОЯщР ПОУ щВОУМ ЙэМЕИ ОИ ПОКъТЕР ЛАР ЕККГМИЙчР ПОКИТИСТИЙчР ЙКГЯОМОЛИэР СТОМ ЕЛПКОУТИСЛЭ ЙАИ ТГМ ПОКИТИСТИЙч ПОКУЛОЯЖъА ТГР ЕПАЯВъАР ЛАР. г АККАЦч ТОУ АИЧМА ЙАИ ТГР ВИКИЕТГЯъДАР ПАЯщВЕИ ЕНАИЯЕТИЙч ЕУЙАИЯъА ЦИА ЭКОУР ТОУР йАМАДОЩР МА СУККОЦИСТОЩМ ТА ПЯОГЦОЩЛЕМА ЕПИТЕЩЦЛАТэ ЛАР ЙАИ МА ХщСОУМ СТЭВОУР ЦИА ТО ЛщККОМ.
йАИ ПэКИ ТОУР ХЕЯЛЭТЕЯОУР ВАИЯЕТИСЛОЩР ЛОУ ЙАИ ТИР ЙАКЩТЕЯЕР ЕУВщР ЛОУ ЦИА СУМЕВч ЕУТУВъА ЙАИ ЕУГЛЕЯъА.

ROY ROMANOW

A New Year's message from Howard Hampton and the NDP

Turning the page to a new century can have the effect of waking up after a long nap, thinking back on the images left behind and giving our head a shake. No one moment better captures the cynicism of 1999 as when Premier Mike Harris dismissed the reality of child poverty in Ontario as "hogwash".
It's not enough to have banks registering record profits, multinational corporations expanding and CEOs receiving fatter salaries and bigger bonuses. These indicators don't really measure how successful we are. A more apt comparison is to look at the lives of the very wealthy in relation to everyone else's. Thanks to the government policies that give tax cuts and write-offs to the well-off, affluent people have dramatically increased their wealth. But the flip side shows that lower, modest and middle income families face more insecurity and risk than ever.
The well-off can absorb the flurry of new user fees, the higher property taxes, the cost of private health care and the increase in tuition fees and still come out ahead. Mike Harris and Jean Chretien have given them generous tax cuts that more than cover the higher cost of living.
But, for most families, rocketing rent increases and evictions, more user fees, increased property taxes and tuition fees, serious fractures in our health and education systems create unbelievable pressures. Too many people are struggling on contract work with no benefits or juggling two or three part-time jobs that have been frozen at the minimum wage for five years. Or fighting for health care in under-staffed, quality-eroded and cash-starved public hospitals that are forced to turn patients away. Or agonizing over endless waiting lists for child care and affordable housing while the provincial and federal governments' privatization programs continue to sell our public assets to the highest corporate bidder.
If we look for comfort to the American economy to the south, we should note that much of the newly found prosperity there is happening because governments in the US have made massive public investments in education and to restore public services in their cities. Even the new millennium phenomenon of the Internet is a result of $45 billion in public investment. The Americans are making the thoughtful public investments that help people and communities succeed in the so-called new knowledge economy. Meanwhile, as the Americans are building a bridge to the 21st century, Mr. Harris and Mr. Chretien have been busy cutting and crippling the very public investments that we all need if we are to be more successful.
The growing gap between the well-off and the rest of us is not evidence of foresight for the 21st century, but shows that Mr. Harris and лr. Chretien have more in common with the 18th century. It is on the troubling trend of the growing gap that the New Democratic Party will focus much of its effort. If, at the dawn of 2000, we as a society are truly concerned about the public good, we must face the hard truth that tax cuts of Conservatives and Liberals help relatively few, whose incomes don't need the help, at the expense of the less fortunate.
With my colleagues of the NDP Caucus in Queen's Park, I will be relentless in continuing to expose the long term impact of homelessness and the long-term impact of policies that champion corporate greed over public good. Guaranteed access to good public health care, affordable housing, learning, training and development opportunities that come from thoughtful public investment benefit all of us. And if we want to ensure that the next one hundred years are better than the last, that's where our money will need to go, for a promise of many happy new years ahead.

"Time For Action"

An exclusive conversation with the Hon.Dalton McGuinty, MPP, Leader of the Official Opposition and the Leader of the Liberal Party of Ontario.

By Thomas S. Saras
Editor-in-Chief

" We must develop the brainpower and we must find ways to give access to our tradesmen and professionals, engineers and doctors, who are driving cabs and delivering pizzas in the cities of Ontario..."

Dalton McGuinty

Portrait of the Politician

Dalton McGuinty was born in Ottawa on July 19, 1955 into a family with a long tradition in Ontario Liberal politics. His father, Dalton James McGuinty Sr., held the Ottawa South riding before passing away in 1990. His mother, Elizabeth McGuinty, currently resides in Ottawa where she works as a nurse.
After graduating from St. Patrick's High School in Ottawa, McGuinty worked as an orderly at Rideau Veterans' Hospital. His experience as a caregiver would later form the basis of his values about health care.
McGuinty went on to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at McMaster University in Hamilton and a law degree from the University of Ottawa. Before entering politics, McGuinty practised law and founded the law firm McGuinty and McGuinty. He also taught business law at Carleton University.
Following in his father's footsteps, McGuinty won the Ottawa South seat in the 1990 election. McGuinty served as Opposition Critic for Energy, Colleges and Universities, and Native Affairs. He was also chair of the Caucus Committee on Resources Management, and served as chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. An active MPP, McGuinty also introduced several private member's bills, two of which are now law. One of his bills made it toughter for kids to get hooked on cigarettes, the other helped increase donations to Ontario food banks.
His dedication and commitment to public service resulted in his election on December 1, 1996, as Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party and Leader of the Official Opposition.
Sooner after becoming leader, McGuinty struck a task force on children's issues. In February 1998, McGuinty produced his plan to improve the lives of our children, called First Steps. It contains 41 recommendations, including calls for giving mothers and their newborns the right to stay in hospital for at least 48 hours after childbirth; providing job-protected, unpaid family leave for medical emergencies; setting up on province-wide home visiting program for new mothers and their babies; and restoring junior kindergarten.
McGuinty and his wife, Terri(nee Taylor), a schoolteacher in Ottawa, were married in 1980. They have four children, Carleen, Dalton Jr., Liam and Connor.

Q. The elections are now over, I expected to be interviewing the Premier, but I am interviewing the Official Leader of the Opposition. Can you tell me what went wrong?

A. Well Tom, it would have been a pleasure to be able to speak with you today in a different capacity, but apparently I am going to have to wait until 2002. We did not succeed, but we laid down the strongest foundation that we have had in our Party here in Ontario in ten years. Mike Harris received 45% of the vote; we received 40% of the vote. When we went into the elections we had 1/5 of the seats now we hold 1/3 of the seats and we picked up 9 new members. This is more new members than the other two parties combined. On top of that we just had our Annual General Meeting in Ottawa. It was our best attended Annual General Meeting in the history of our Party. The media were going around asking me, "...we are trying to figure out Dalton, did you win or lose the election? Why is everybody here so enthusiastic?", and at that time obviously, I had a leadership review and I was very honoured to receive 81.1% of the support of the members. This was the highest support ever received by any leader of my Party. What does this mean? It means that we are strong, we are united, and we are building on the foundation that we established in this convention. We laid out a number of our strategic plans and now we intend to follow up on. I could speak about those and tell you how we are going to win the next election.

Q. Today, we can say that the economy of Ontario is moving well and things seem to be improving. The main problem that anyone can claim, is that we left the little guy out there alone. In our preoccupation to improve the economy or improve the administration of the Province, we left the average citizen behind. Do you have any plans to push the cause of the working Canadian?

A. Let me tell you from my perspective what it means to be a Liberal. A Liberal means that you fight for everybody to ensure that they find everything they need to be successful. As a Liberal I never say, " I owe you a job", or to a young person, " I promise to get you employment". I never say that, what I say is, "I will make sure that you have good healthcare, that you have good education, and if you are a parent and you need help with a child with special needs, I will make sure that you have everything you need". My message to Ontarians is this: life is a race, and it is a competition, let us not pretend it is anything different. I want everybody on their feet and in the race. I want you competing and doing the very best that you can. I want you to be successful; I want you to look after yourself and your family. If you can't because you are poor or you are sick, or you're disabled, or if you're just a child or if you're old and frail, as a Liberal we feel the responsibility to make sure you get whatever it is that you need. So as Liberals, our focus is to ensure that we are all moving forward together. I do not know if I told you this story before Tom, but when we were growing up, my mother used to say to me because when I was sixteen, I had a two year old sister and a three year old brother and mother used to say to me, "you are walking to fast, you can see your sister can't keep up, your brother can't walk that fast." Well, I said, "why should I, I am bigger, I am stronger, I am faster". She always used to say, "because this is a family and as a family we stick together, in a family nobody gets left behind and in a family, if just one of us is in trouble that means we are all in trouble". I see Ontario as one big family and right now some of us are in trouble. I think we all have a responsibility to help. It is very easy to get caught up now in some of the traditional economic indicators. According to the banks and the economists, this economy is doing well, but on the other hand we have never had more poor people living in Ontario than we have today. We have never had more people living on the streets than we have today; we have never had more families living in shelters than we do today. We have never had such a high incidence of ambulances being turned away from emergency wards than we have today. We never had our teachers so demoralized in Ontario, as we have today. Those things are real problems, those are challenges affecting all of us, it does not matter what your position in life is, I think you have a responsibility to help.

Q. You just mentioned the disabled. I would to ask you one question regarding people with disabilities. There was some action of the government in order to help these people. It is the opinion of the Premier that his government has done whatever they could for the disabled. Today every disabled person receives an allowance of about $500 a month. If this person goes out of his home to work in order to show that he is able to contribute to society and he works about 160 hours per month, at times he will receive $165 per month for 160 hours he puts in. The government then deducts $10.00 from that person's allowance. This reminds me of slavery, do you not think this is a form of slavery? Someone who works 160 hours and receives $165 in pay then gets punished with a deduction of $10.00 from his living benefits he is receiving. This is just unbelievable, what are your comments on a situation like this?

A. Mike Harris has now been given five full years to prove that he has a genuine interest in advancing the cause of the disabled community in Ontario and in helping out their families. Over the course of the last five years he has done absolutely nothing. It is true that he introduced a bill at one time, but it was hollow, it was gutless, it was toothless, it had no real meaning whatsoever in terms of helping out the disabled community and their families. What we have done, is we first put forth a resolution in the House, which was passed by the House. Steve Peters tabled the private members bill, which would commit the government to moving forward over a specified period of time and helping out people in a real way. We have got to be able to find ways Tom, to enable our disabled people. We should not be punishing them for showing initiative and ambition. Do you know what it would be like if everyone in Ontario said to the government, you are not helping me I cannot look after my child anymore? Here is my disabled child. This one is three years old, but someone else will say here is mine, he is forty-nine years old, my wife and I are too old we cannot pick him up and move him in and out of the bed. You are not giving us enough help. If all the Ontario families stopped loving their children and caring for their children and turn them over to us, we could not cope. I think our responsibility is to help those families and to help those young people.

Q. We face basic challenges in the structure of the economy. We do not know how the economy will change in 10 to 15 years from today. Do you think as a Province, as a Government we have to take specific actions to ensure our position in the future society?

A. Absolutely, and if we are not taking those steps right now which means we are vulnerable to economic barriers. We can't have economic barriers for stituations taking place in the Far East, which like the virus can travel across the ocean and infect our economy and suddenly find that we have rising unemployment. Yes I agree, but, there are certain kinds of actions that we can take to shelter ourselves, to inoculate ourselves against those external economic diseases. First of all we have to be able to understand that today we have to invest in our people. We have to make sure that we are giving them the best possible skills and education so that we can compete at the highest levels. We cannot afford to compete at the lowest, because there is always going to be another country, another jurisdiction, where they will not care about environmental restrictions, not care about labour laws and pay people much much less than we do. So we have to invest in our people, we have to invest in our post-secondary institutions, which today are in a real state of crisis. They are the lowest funded today when it comes to public systems, we rank 48 out of 50 jurisdictions (including the states and provinces). We cannot lead from the back of the pack. Let me give you an example. Ireland was the basket case for Europe until about ten years ago. My ancestors came from Ireland, the only thing you bothered to do when you lived in Ireland was get the hell out, because there was no opportunity there and there was all kinds of fighting. Well now they have the fastest growing economy in Europe. One of the reasons why, is because the education is free, your university or college is free. Suddenly they are developing the brainpower. Now we have Canadian businesses which are setting up plants in Ireland because of the brainpower that is available there. Do you know the other thing we must to do, Tom? In addition to grooming our own people making them strong and educated and skilled? We have to start tapping into all of the people who come here from other countries whose education has been financed by taxpayers living in other jurisdictions. These are gifts here for us and we are not realizing that potential. So one of the things I have been working very hard on, is making sure that we can find ways to give access to our tradesmen and professionals who are engineers and doctors, and who are driving cabs or delivering pizzas in the cities of Ontario. We need engineers right now; we need doctors almost in every community it seems these days in Ontario, especially family doctors. So lets start capitalizing on our existing brainpower and lets make sure that we cultivate our brainpower in our young people and in people who need re-skilling because their employment sector has been shut down with this evolving economy.

Q. In the current session of the Assembly and the new legislation that will be introduced, do you think there will be any change of the previous philosophy of the government?

A. No, as far as this government is concerned it is steady as she goes, only this time they are more dangerous because they feel that since they have been given a second term, that everything they have ever done in the past has been supported. They have been vindicated, saying I got into the government again that must mean we are supported, they forget the majority of Ontarians were against Mike Harris. 55% of Ontarians said to Mike Harris, No, I do not like what you are doing. The problem is that Mike Harris is missing that part. And what we see today in our government, is a government that is very very arrogant. Which makes Mike Harris even more dangerous. What did he do when he was first elected? He doubled the size of his personal staff and gave them all a 30% pay raise. Now he shows up one day a week for a question period. We seat four days a week, he shows up one day every week. That is just is an example of the kind of things he has been doing.

Q. Within the framework of our institutions, do you think you have the power and the ability in the Assembly to face the government and bring them down to reality to show them what happens exactly outside the walls of this building?

A. I have as much power as I need and the power comes from the people. I did not get into politics to represent the interest of the strong. They are very capable and very successful of representing their own interest. This is not the reason why I got into politics. I got into politics to represent those people who need the help of government and there are a lot of them. I see them everyday and they are telling me, keep fighting for me, I cannot climb up and down the stairs, but you help me sir. My daughter cannot afford to go to university, it is too expensive, I am a single parent and I cannot afford it. Yes, I can help you. I can bring all those issues to the legislature and I will go to the business community, I will talk to the strong and say, you know it is not right to satisfy the demands of the strong at the expense of the needs of the weak. That is what is happening today. What makes me feel good Tom, is inspite of this negativity coming from this government, the overwhelming majority of Ontarians have a heart and they want to do the right thing. They do not feel right about much of what has been going on. So we will continue to fight for the people who continue to need our help. You heard it here first; we are going to win the next election.

Q. As we are approaching the new century, politics are going to change, the face of the international community is changing, Ontario is part of the international community in the global village. Can you give us your vision of the politics of Ontario towards the 21st Century?
A. As we move into the 21st Century I believe that Ontarians are going to start to sense that there is something fundamentally wrong with the path we are travelling down together. They are going to say I never signed on for a growing number of people to be living on the streets, I never signed on for emergency wards that are so full that I cannot get my mother admitted when she had a heart attack. I just read, in Halton, a fairly prosperous community, they can not afford junior kindergarten. People are going to say that this is not what I signed for. Not only is our physical infrastructure deteriorating and being neglected, but also I am, especially, concerned about our social infrastructure. So I think people are going to say, listen, there has got to be a better way for our province to enjoy prosperity, we have got to be able to enjoy prosperity in a way that everyone can move forward. It bothers me, I go to work everyday on Bay Street making $280,000 net per year, but I do not like it when people have to sleep on the streets. So I believe that people are going to say, I am going to listen to what my father and mother used to tell me, I think they are going to say, there is just more than just me in this world, there is all of us. I think there is going to be a greater sense, a greater appetite for a real community strength in looking after each other.

Q. The interview will appear in our January issue, do you want to give our readers a message?

A. Yes please, to all the Members of Greek-Canadian community I want to wish you the very best for this new millenium. I want you to continue to make the magnificent contributions that you have made so far to our society. If I had one special request, it would be to the parents. I would like for you to continue to ensure that your children cherish the Greek culture, the Greek language and the Greek history, because if you lose sight of that, we lose a very special dimension here in Ontario because nobody can replace the Greek influence in Ontario. If your children do not keep this alive, we will lose something that makes us strong.

Q. Thank you very much and I wish you all the best.

A. Thank you, the same to you.