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As alderman John Shortreed said, what is needed is not another report on the dental effects of fluoridation but one on its effects on the human metabolism in general. Even so, it is worthwhile for council to pursue the matter and it has every right to ask the government to provide more than blan- ket endorsement and the opinions of dental consultants. Perhaps the government might respond to reports by the Na- tional Research Council, which suggests that fluoride in the en- vironment on the whole may be reaching unsafe levels, and an advisory committee to the Quebec government, which has caused the Parti Quebecois to suspend plans for compulsory fluoridation. ' Rather, those doubts should call for the suspension of fluorida- tion until it is proved, without a doubt, that it is harmless and a safe method 0f controlling tooth decay. Last November 12th, Housing Minister Paul Cosgrove suddenly announced that the Government had decided to discontinue the Community Services Contribution Program. Shared programs for water supply. sewage disposal and local industrial zones were called into question without any warning, by this abrupt unilateral decision. Letters have come to me expressing deep disappointment from the Township Councils of Wilmot and Woolwich as well as from Kitchener and Waterloo city councils. In December. mayors of 13 Ontario cities charged that the end of the Program could cost the province more than 20.000 jobs! The Minister calmly stated that _ the Government is concerned about the size of the federal deficit, and this resulted in the decision not to renew the Program .. While there is obviously a need to reduce Federal spending. discontinuation of this program will likely cause a rise in municipal taxes, It will mean unemployment, Not only will the construction industry be affected. but also the industries which supply ma- terials for the cancelled schemes Woolwich Township Council is particularly concerned about the future of the proposed expansion of the Elmira Sewage Treatment WALTER McLEAN IQLE WE LMYAM19 "'T'here is a strong possibility that the $640,000 federal contribution to this $4 mil- lion project will not be available now. The Council says that, "The expansion to the Se- wage Treatment Plant has been on the 'drawing board' for many years. Plant It finally appeared as though the project would commence either in will or 1982. but now, who knows?" The Minister has stated in the House that ".., the non-renewal of the Program will have no impact on municipalities until 1982. .. I will be interested to read his response to Woolwich Township Council! In replying to a question from my collea- gue Doug Lewis, WP, tPC-Simcoe Northl. Mr. Cosgrove justified the cancellation by in- dicating that 50 per cent of the budget from this Program went for ‘soft services' such as recreation centres But. statistics prepared by his own Department. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. indicate that in 1979 only ll per cent of the budgd went to- ward soft services. In 1980, that figure was 7 per cent! While I certainly applaud the Minister and his colleagues in their new-found concern for the size of the federal budget. I must call into FEQRQAHY Decision threatens municipalities LL"! questiorrlhe manner in which they are going about 'selective' budgetary cut-backs. Is it the responsible course of action to axe a program that provides communities across the country with thousands of jobs and a level of municipal services they cannot oth- erwise afford? Jobs create taxpayers. Taxes increase the general revenues of every level of govem- ment. Unemployment, with its necessary support programs. puts an increased demand on already tight government monies, What is the reason for chopping a scheme like the Community Servicves Contribution Program? Why not cancel the government advertising campaigns? Wilmot Township is nearing completion of a sewage and water study for New Dundee There is already evidence of some well- water contamination there. As a direct re- sult of the discontinuation of the Community Services Contribution Program. the future pmspects for the study's recommendations seem dim without a large local tax increase. Zoned as a growth area, the Township is de- pending, in part. on a dependable supply of clean water. and expanded sewagetreat- ment facilities to draw new Jobs to Wilmot. Above all. the Region, in its capacity as Through this programme the cost has not been solely on the backs of municipal rate payers. but part of a national quality-of-ur- ban-life focus. We all have reason to protest this unilateral high-handed action. The Federal Government's long-standing tradition of assisting major Canadian muni- cipalities has saved the inner core of our large cities and permitted a revitalization of small towns. Do we want our cities to resemble Cleve- land, Ohio? planning body for water supply projects. is very uncertain about available funds. How can they draw up long range plans. when the federal government withdraws its substan- tial share of the funding with only one year's notice? The Province was led to believe that the Program was to be extended by at least one more year. The manner' in which this Pro- gram was terminated has resulted in a rush of applications from many Ontario com- munities for inclusion. This was dont at the invitation of Mr, Cos- grove. The result is that the Province is now short $13 million in matching federal funds to assist qualifying communities.