,,-..'..-...--..--~---..-----~ PAGE 6.WHMTY PMEEPRESS,,WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, f1989 e LA> ~&ww VOUCE 0F THE COUNTY TOWN Published every Wednesday, By 677209 Ontario Inc. Phone: 668-6111 Doug Anderson Publisher The Free Press Building 131 Brock StrJfet North, P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. Maurice Plfher Editor Peter Irvine Advertisiflg Manager Alexandra Simon Production Manager Sue Blanciard Circulation Manager The only Whltby newspaper Independently owned and operated by Whtby residents for Whltby residents." The Red Cross Homemaker Service has been saved for anather year by the provincial goverment with a large bandaid ta caver the deficit of this operating year and the next. It is wonderful that the provincial Ministry of Community and Social Services has decided ta assist the Homemaker Service, and optim- istically, we can only hope-that this is a step in the right direction for better community health care. Make it ion gterm But the Hamemaker Service rieeds much more than a patch job ta keep it afloat. Homemakers are chronically underpaid, have no benefit.q. no paid travel time ta rural clients, ho training funds and no pay for in-service training. In order to keep the homemakers workinig, giving quality care ta the elderly and disabled, the Province must address these longterm issues. We hope that the promised study into home- making services wilI address these issues and assist in retaining this valuable'service for years ta corne. Council has responsibility to approve affordable housing To the editor: Once again the Town council of Whitby tries to skirt the issue instead of coming to grips with it. Now that the election is over and the rhetoric has died down, action is what counts. Ail the talk about affordabé housing and losing the opoportunities for affordable housing (ie. Perez townhouses at Brock St. and Manning) is just se much blowing in the vAnd for this group of municipal politicians. If they are se concerned about affordable housing opport.unitie,3 they would ensure these opprtunities are not lost. 1) They would follow the Officiai Plan and staff recommendations of both ToNvn and Regional planning departments who rejected the Otter Creek downzoning froni medium to low density. This fact has not been asserted enough. The parcel in question is designated in the Officiai Plan as medium density (townhouses). Both planning departments support that it is good planning te maintain and develop these lands as mnedium density. It is the councils who are changing the rules of the game (zoning), not the Province. 2) They would not allow detrimental zoning changes such as the mediumn density to commercial as is the case at the south ide of Dundas St., west of AnnesCochrane. 3) They would ensure that new large developmnents incorporate a percentage of afordale rentai. and ownership housing be built in the first stages of their development. 4) They would not cave in to every self-interested pressure group that makes a deputation and gathers a petition but would stand up for the longterm interests of the community as a whole. The Province's Housing Policy statement, jointly developed by Miistry of Housing and Ministry of Municipal Affairs is one of the Most thorough, rea]istic approaches to overcoming the barriers to affordable housing. t contains valuable information provided by planners, developers; those persons involved in the provision of housing. It highlights areas of concern and difficulty such as supply of land, land use regulations, streamlining the planning process, officiai plans and zoning bylaws, variety and mix of housing, development standards, development approval procedures and public involvement process. The provision o f affordable housing is a socially responsible, broad interest concern. It affecte the people who' reside in a municipa]ity now and the children who will one day want to live in the town they grew up in. t is as important an issue to the Wvelfare of a community as is the* provision of adequate hospital Ieds, schools, pîrk lands and openl space. Town council and even a local newspaper editorial and editoral cartoon now complain the Province is thrusting their affordable housing initiative "dowyn our throats" and planning the'town ofWVhitby. How ironic that on the saine page of that newspaper just above the article that cries foui about xneddling in planning matters os an individual municipality is an article announcing the opening of, a -ousing development, Hostel Services of Durhamn Region: "This is a facility of which the whole Region can be proud. In fact, the project becanie a reality through the help of the community. The Ministry of Housing, through Project 3000, ickced inxnost of the $2.1 million required for the work - except for about $300,000,000." Much of the councils' deliglit, they now have someone else te take the fail; someone else to point the finger at. Lets not let council or the media fool us on this issue. We are not really talking about "the public faith in the whole democètatic ýprocess." We are not taling about overcrowded schools or ýroads because ail sohools in Durham Rogion have portables; old ones, new ones, inexpensive, niiddle-income or modest-income communities.. This is the way school boards plan and build schools todav. What we are talking about is pure and simple discrimination, not based on race, religion, ethnie origin, but based on income. The proposed townhouses ini that area are not as desirable to the existing residents as 50 single faznily homes similar to their own. And council willingly jumped on this bltat discriminatory bandwagon. Now is the time to make approving aft'ordable housing the responsibility of th elected council! It is specifically because the Town council has repeatedly taken this ostrich attitude and continually fail to exercise sound planning principles in these niatters that has caused the Province to step in. This Christmas, let us al ponder this one as we oit around in our warm, cozy homes. And as we think about peace on earth, good will to nmen, ask ourselves what are we willing to do in the little Town of Whitby. I. Langer Whitby residant Thanks for coverage To the editor. Thank you for your coverage of our agency's relief provider appreciation dinner and tenth anniversary celebration. On behalf of the association, I* would like to express our great appreciation for the interest and enthusiasm you have shown in our prograzfl'5events. Thank you for your support. Yours very truly, Debby Blucher, Co-ordinator for volunteer services Durham Association for Faxnily Respite Services Support appreciated To the editor: We want ta say thank yeu te ail the people in the community of Whitby who have given us heir prayers and support since )ur son David was involved in a serious car accident. The love and concern shown ny our friends, neighbors, students, teachers and lots of people we hardly know has touched us deeply. Throughout ,hese past eight weeks, we have neyer felt alone but more like part nf ai huire, caring familv and it haL 5ustained us through the very rough tumes and strengthened us for the period of rehabilitation which lies ahead for David. We wish we could thank everyone personally for the support generously given in se, many wa ys. However, we trust that this simple "thank you" will express our appreciation. We neyer ceuld have done it alone. Neil, Diane, Andrew, David, Lyndsay Winchester Wbitby LETTERS The Whitby Free Press welcomes letters to the Editor on any subjeet of concern to our readers. Letters should be brief and to the point - rarely more than 300 words. Ail letters must be accomnpanied by the name, address and phone number of the writer; however, on request, your name may be withheld from publication if we agree that there is a valid reason. The .paper reserves the right to reject or edit ail letters. Send to: The Editor, Whitby Free Press, Box 206, Whitby, Ontario LiN 5S1 or drop through our mailsiot at 131 Brock St. N. "lHey! There's that emeli again!" 'q