WHITBY FREE PRESS. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1977, PAGE 5 BV George Ashe, M.lPP Durhanli West AMENDMENTS TO THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS ACT On Tuesday, Novemnber I th, numierous aniendments were introduccd to the Legisiature on The Municipal Elections Act, somne of which will miake a noticeable change in voting during the 1978 municipal elections. The first of these, andi probably the mlost obvious, is the actual date for the election. Over thie years, many people have cornplained that the first Monday ini Deceniber is a very poor timie to conduct n election. mnainly because of' poor xeather conditions. To m-eet the demnands for a change, the Provincial Governm-ent lias amiended the Act to allow municipal elections to be held on the second Mon- day in November. Commencement date for Couincil will be the I st day of Decemiber, but the municipal fiscal year xiiicontinue to be January lst to Deceniber 31st. Previously legislation definied a polling place as the roomn in xvhich the poil is located. With tocday's trend to using school and churchi halls for voting, it macle more sense. to define a polling place as the area designated by the clerk, and the Act has therefore been changed accordingly. In the past, there have been many instances where electors have been forbidden to bring into the poli, election pamphlets for personal use in voting. The Act lias now been amnended to state that no campaign material or literature may be displayed in the polling place, but electors will be allowed to have such material for their personal use. The Act has been broadened with respect to handi- capped persons in that the legisiation will no longer refer to these persons as being "incapacitated", and a friend wil now be allowed to mark their ballot for them, rather than having the necessity of the deputy returning officer per- forming this task on their behaîf. In 1978, the Advance Poilis will be open from 9:00 arn to 8:00 pm, an increase of two hours, to allow electors ex- pecting to be absent or unable to vote on polling day to more easly cast a vote at the advance poilI. Stili being consîdered is the ruatter of the municipal term of office. Many people would like to see the terrn become three years, in order that councils might have more 1time to effectively implement their policies. However, the other side of the coin is that regular and frequent elections are a vital part of the democratic process in a systemn that does not have a parliamentary forrn of assembly. This mat- ter will continue to be discussed , but for the I1978 election, and maybe longer, the two year terrn will be retained. In addition to the above changes, many more technical revisions were made to the Municipal Elections Act, in order to make the job of the municipal clerks a little casier. If you would like a copy of the outline of ail amendrnents, please telephone my Riding Office at 683-6707. Robinson'S tires burning again would have burned tor days Last week Whitby fire had a fork lift truck not been fighters paid one of their used to rip flhc heap apart. regular visits to the Art The fire departmcent es- regular visits to the Art tirnated it used 50 to 60 Hi THERE We need your help to volunteer ini teaching programs with mentally retarded children Training Provided. Durham Centre for the DevelopmefltallY Handi- capped, 668-7745, ext. 453. C'll between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Day care provided in registered nuirseries. Gary Harding, President of the Whitby Kiinsmen Club recentîy presented a $500 cheque from the club to Mrs. Gillian Wood, chairîady of the 7th Whitby Boy Scout Com- mittee, which was formed ini West Lynde in September. The money wilî be used to heîp with start-up costs for pur- Reports are expected to corne to counicil soon on a two-day seminar on dlown- town developrnent, attendcd by representatives fromn Whitby. Counicillors Tomn Edwards and Joy Thompson. businessmen Bob Catton and AI Kirby, and representatives of the town's planning de- partm ient, attended the serniinar ini Toronto Nov. 1 and 2. Councillor Edwards reports that financing dlown- town developnient was a nmajor topic of discussion. lie expresscd concerra that ini some communities suchi as St. Thornas. thec municipality cornmlitted noney and the businessmen followed suit, but this lias not happened ini chasing regalia, flags and other equipment. The 7th Whitby Committee has one Beaver Coîony, two Cub packs and one Scout troop. Other committee members are: Lois MIcCuI- lough, secretary; Meridy Watt, treasurer; and Bob Doran paper drive chairman. Road work 10 be done when needed says region The Region of Durham is advising the Town of Whitby that certain road xvorks to facilitate access to the Otter Creek subdivision will be undertaken when the need arises and subject to appropriate budget approvals. These projects include reconstruction of Rossland Road to a two-lanc arterial standard fromi Brock to Cochrane Street, reconstruc- tion of Cochranc Strect to a two or four-lane arterial standard froni Bonacord Av- enue to Cochranc Street, and installation of traffic signais at Bonacord Avenue and Cochranc Street. Thc town is also bcing advised that its request for channelization of the Rossland Road-Brock Strcet intersectioni should be dir- ectcd to thc Ministry of Transportationi and Com- munications. The region is also in- forming the town that the installation of traffic lights at McQuay Boulevard and Dundas Street are not a regional responsibilitY becausc these are not rcgional roads. The regional works de- partmcnt reports that there arc currcntly no critical nceds MARCH BREAK Services of Talk Travel & Toui Includes: eCP Air 741 Toronto-Tampa Retdîn * Transfer f rom airpoît ta hotel - return and baggage * 7 nights accommodation at Holiday Inn, Clearwater Beach or Hilton (St. Pete's Beach)~ TaIk Travel & Tours RUSSELL TRAVELI 116 StOCK ST, So.r WHITBY 668-5000 HOURS mon. - Sot. p.m. on either Cochrane Street or Rossland Road, therefore re- construction would flot now be elîgible for provincial sub. sidies. The region, however should moniter the roads and make recommendations tor improvement only when the critical needs are evident, says the works department. The wor.ks department says that the Brock Street- Rossland Road interchange is a provincial responsibiity, but has informed the town that traffie lights are presently being installed at this inter- section. Whitby. He suggested that the town put money into a specific piece of property instead of spreading it around as in past years. Councillor Edwards, the town 's repre- sentative on the dewntown action cornmittee, says lie is determnîed to get somne kind of improvement under way. Mr. Catton said that the serninar indicated to hlm that special activities are needed to draw people to the to the downtown area, for alI Downtown sémin ar reports will corne to council soon then ill e pfonothing if the people don't come. Award wrnner Staff-Liner, the v Psychiatric Hospital letter received third Whiitby news- prize. letter were entered in four separate contest categories. They were judged on content, presentation, and appearance. REST YQUR *HEAD UPON* SOUR SHOULDERS! Your pretty hair issoniethiflg special to us. We'iI cut, sham- po & set, or completely restvl.e. treated with Ioving klan artistrv. skiI,-end LA, CONTESSA BEAUTY LOUNGE 119 Gireen St. 668-9262 * KINSMEN ASSIST WEST LYNDE SCOUTS FLORIDA from $389 rs. C.D.N. ir. per person D.O0. Mer. 16/78 RofWfl Mer. 24f78 Approx. 10 p.m. Approx. 7:30 Or.. $8.00 Canadien transport- ation fox end U.S. eirport departure fox Hotel state tax end service charges payable et hotel et choc kaut. Askobout@ur special departures to Jamaîca $419.00. Puerto Rico