National Post from Toronto, Ontario, Canada • 43

The iTOAiAL'Posf1 Ontario Friday, November 6, 1992 43 et at risk Ontario 's deficit targ By Geoffrey Scotton Financial Post THE ONTARIO government's tax revenue will likely be almost $600 million less than forecast for fiscal 1992, calling into question the New Democrats' ability to meet their record $9.9 billion projected deficit. "Dealing with this revenue loss is one of the major fiscal challenges the government faces," Treasurer Floyd Laughren said yesterday in releasing the province's quarterly financial figures. Laughren then froze or restricted external hiring and government spending, and directed all ministries to review their spend ing to look for savings. The treasurer said the $595 million shortfall, which he attributed to lower retail sales and personal income tax receipts, will make meeting the deficit difficult. "The revenue outlook has put a lot of pressure on our fiscal target and we now have to do everything possible to find additional savings to help us meet our budget plan," Laughren said.

"We have a number of very tough decisions to make both this year and in coming years." But the treasurer also noted the government has managed to save about $355 million through lower than expected expenditures, and more savings are expected. But Laughren also said personal income tax revenue figures are based on "preliminary information recently received from the federal government," suggesting the final actual income tax shortfall may be different than yesterday's number. The revenue shortfall was not unexpected by Queen's Park observers and had been the subject of several weeks of questioning in the legislature by Liberal treasury critic Gerry Phillips. Figures released by the federal government covering the first five months of the fiscal year showed income tax receipts 9 lower than expected and goods and services tax revenue off 14. As well, while the New Democrats' April budget called for a 2.62 increase in corporate income tax for 1992, Laughren yesterday said that forecast was over by $60 million.

There are also expected shortfalls in the employer health tax. Laughren yesterday said April's predicted rise of 3.7 was also overly optimistic by $60 million. He also predicted liquor board fees and licence revenues will total $550 million for the year, $100 million below the April estimate. As well, Phillips and other analysts, including debt-rating agencies, believe the province may receive only a portion of $l3 billion in federal stabilization payments the New Democrats included ma Province approves BRIEFS Metro proposal Snow charged An Ontario man jailed in Brit on property taxes ish Columbia has been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of a Toronto couple whose bodies were Special to The Financial Post found the trunk of their car. David Snow, 37, will be transferred to Toronto in January to face charges in the killings METRO'S market value assessment plan won approval from the province yesterday.

WmK Municipal Affairs Minister Dave of Ian and Nancy Blackburn last April, police said yesterday. Ian Blackburn, 57, was asphyxiated and Nancy Black Cooke said necessary changes will be made to the Metropolitan Toronto Acf to allow Metro to implement its plan for property tax reform on Jan. 1. burn, 49, was strangled. Police, meanwhile, have found a human skeleton after renew ALEX UROSEVICTORONTO SUN But he stressed the government ing their search for a missing only went along with the scheme because the Metro plan limits increases for home and business owners.

"We have real concerns for both the business community and the residential community that if we went to full market value assessment it would have dramatic impacts on Toronto," Cooke said. Toronto home and business owners fiercely oppose Metro's MVA plan, which raises property taxes for some people and lowers them for others. By 1994, Toronto will chip in an additional $46 million to Metro's coffers while Etobicoke, Scarborough, East York, York and North York are to pay less than they do now. However, homeowners facine businesswoman. Police said Ozone layer over Metro Susan Eng, chairman of Police Services Board, says plan could go a long way to ending five-weeks of job action by officers on Toronto force.

New plan offered in police dispute they searched a rural area west of Toronto after questioning Snow. Caroline Case, the 47-year-old owner of a Toronto jewelry store, disappeared Oct. 2, 1991. The skeleton was discovered yesterday about 500 metres from where Case's blood-stained Mercedes was found last fall. depleting Special to The Financial Post OTTAWA Metro Toronto had record levels of ozone depletion in the "At this point in time we can't determine if it is Caroline hikes will have a 10 increase first nine months of this year, Environment Minister Jean Charest said yesterday.

Case," provincial police Supt. Bob Guay said. Caller's ID 'close' Charest said the ozone shield phased in over two years. Business owners due for hikes will see a 25 increase spread over three years. And people scheduled for decreases will only get half of what's over Metro and Edmonton declined by an average 4 since the A task force investigating the slaying of school girl Kristen late 1970s.

Federal scientists said the figure was 6. owed them during a two-year French is very close to find ing the man who made a 911 call about the abduction, a po period. Cooke described Metro's package as an interim measure and added he wants local politicians to de lice spokesman in St. Catharines said yesterday. vise a "fair" property tax system Special to The Financial Post METRO Toronto's Police Services Board's use-of-force review committee last night unveiled a new plan that would require police officers to file reports only when they point their weapons.

Reports would also be required if a member of the public is injured or if an officer believes someone is going to complain about the use of a weapon. Otherwise officers would simply make a note in their memo pads each time they unholster their weapons. "We don't think it serves any purpose" keeping track of each un-holstering, said Supt. Joseph Hunter, head of the review committee. "We feel that this would meet the province's needs" as well as meeting the concerns' of the officers in the street, he said.

Board chair Susan Eng said this plan "could go a long way" to ending a five-week job action. New provincial policy set to come into effect Jan. 1 requires officers to file reports each time they unholster their weapons. Opposition to the law triggered the bitter job action that Metro police started Oct. 5.

and that has now spread to 18,000 police officers across the province. Metro Police Association president Art Lymer expressed reservations about the new plan but did not dismiss it outright. He warned that officers could still be disciplined under the plyi for drawing their weapons. "Clearly this is a large factor underlining the job action," he said. Central traffic cop John Goodman, a 16-year-veteran, said the plan is a start, but there are still a lot of concerns.

"The people on the street don't have any confidence in you, absolutely none," Goodman told Eng. "Everything looks great on a piece of paper but unless you've been there, you don't know." The model plan will likely be discussed at next Wednesday's meeting between Lymer, Ontario Police Association head Bob Morrison and Solicitor-General Allan Pilkey. Investigators have narrowed the list of people suspected by 1998. "During the next several years, and hope to confirm the call the province will work with Metro er's identity "in the very near future," Insp. Bill Bowie told a and other communities to examine the full impact of any future property tax reform," Cooke said.

"The average stratospheric depletion over Edmonton and Toronto are almost 6 lower than the pre-1980 normal," Dr. John Reid told reporters. In Toronto, ozone values were 5 to 10 lower between January and May than the pre-1980 levels while Edmonton's was 10 to 15 lower. Charest said the depletion is partly due to natural causes, such as the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, but commercial ozone-destroying compounds such as CFC are another big factor. He pointed to air conditioners and foam as major contributors to ozone depletion.

news conference. Retraining program Up 10,000 workers in On "The Ontario government will work with Metro on a social and economic impact study of future property tax changes. tario's auto parts industry will be retrained under an $18-mu- lion program, Minister of Cooke also urged Metro council to reconsider a provision that will set property taxes at their full market value at the time of the sale of a Skills Development Richard Allen announced yesterday. home. Upgrading job skills of workers in such a key sector is "vital" to improving Ontario's competitiveness in the global Racist group seeking out new members economy, he said.

New president James Downey, a former Uni versity of New Brunswick president, has been named to the University of Waterloo's top job. The 53-year-old En Canadian Press NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. The white supremacist Heritage Front is organizing a chapter in the Niagara area and actively advertising for members. "They are the key white supremacist group in Canada," said Rodney Bobiwash, a Toronto man who filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission against the group in September. Wolfgang Ejroege, founder of the Toronto-based Heritage Front ana a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan in Canada, won't say how many have signed up.

"We're not denying the fact that we're racist or racialist," he said, defining racialist as being proud of one's own race. "We're fighting here for racial survival. If present trends continue, we will become the minority in this country. When we become the minority in this country look out. Then we will become the oppressed." 'The.

group posted flyers' 'advertising for members at the local library until the chief li brarian took them down. Bobiwash's complaint centred around a hotline run out of Droege's Toronto home that was carrying racist messages until Droege was ordered in a court injunction to change the message. The Ontario anti-racism secretariat of the Ministry of Citizenship has been keeping an eye on the Heritage Front for several years, and last week began monitoring its organizing drive in Niagara, spokesman Georges Tremb-lay said. glish professor replaces Doug las Wright, who retires next June after 12 years as presi dent, school officials said..