PAGE~'r ~ r. 18,(WHITBY(e F P D rBr PAGE 1,9, WITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1988 FRUM PAGE 10 A lot of these so-called • empty plazas that you refer to is the very short terni. You will see a complete reversal of that in the next few short years. A good example of that is the Jeffrey/Dundas plaza where there are quite a few empty stores. But as soon as the Monarch subdivision is half full, there will be no problem filling that plaza. I'm not an advocate of strip plazas per se although there are areas where the plazas might make more sense other than the alternative. Free Press: What about the future of Port Whitby? .Do you suport high rise development? 1..:I think the development has a lot to offer. Whether I support the number of units or the height sugges- ted, it is really to early to tell. What's been proposed is no different than the soon-to-come hotels about which we have made seven or eight announcements. And some of them start off being 16 stories and end up being two stories. Free Press: What protections would you be inclined to give heritage buildings? J.B.: There's enough heritage building protection within the Ontario heritage Act. In the fiipal analysis, under that Act, you cannot deny the owner's right to dispose of his own assets as he or she sees fit. The encouragement should be there to somehow incorporate those type of edifices, if they are threatened by development, into the town. By vir- tue of the fact that we have now collectd an inventory of buildings that are worth some considerable protection, a policy is now in place that you don't get a demolition per- mit unless it's checked against this inventory list. So I think protection is being provided right now. Free Press: The municipality spends a lot of its budget on recreational facilities and a rela- tively small amount on clà tural facilties. Should that be changed? J.B.: The municipality provides support services for a lot of various culFtural and recreational needs. As to what involvement and what degree that should be, depends a lot on the local needs and requirements. If you have 10 per cent of the population active in sports obviously that per- centage carnes a lot more weight than an infinitesimal fraction of dif- ferent interest groups who might be interested in different things. I like the arts and the theatre myself but I also know to keep that kind of thing alive it's a very costly proposition. The municipality should and does provide some support. Free Press: The municipality has a policy of reducing grants to community groups in the past. Election '88 Do you agree with that? J.B. The policy council has been applying over the years has been to reduce support and at the sane time encourage self support. I don't neces- sarily think that's bad. The indicator was that we would reduce grant structure over a five-year period so it was not a shock treatment. And I don't think that at any point in time council said we would not look at specific situations where grants would be given out on a one-time basis. Free Press: The last few years have a seen a number of com- plaints about a closed govern- ment. Do you agree and what steps do you think should be taken to open it up? J.B.: I do not share the views that it is a closed government. It is a very open process. It's more apathy that seems to breed that kind of thinkin. Many issues are referred bacli until public input is received. If you're talking in terms of the availability of the agendas on Friday, I don't think so. The agenda is not put together until after closing hours and they are not delivered to us until sometimes 8 p.m. How can they be made available to the public when the offices are closed? The alternative to that is to push your deadlines back. As it is, activity ends on the Thursday noon of the dayprevious in order to get some kindof agenda put togèther.To be made available on Friday would mean that all activity of committees would end by the previous Wednes- day. So what you're doing then is push- ing anything from mid-week on, off for two weeks. Now is that an effec- tive and responsible way of doing things. Contrary te some statements being made, if any person is inter- ested in any issue, as long as that report is ready, it is in fact available to the public on a Friday. It's the agenda as a unit that is not. Free Press: What are your feel- ings on disclosure of holdings? J.B.: It seems to me that the issue has not been handled well. I think it has been used as a political tool in this election and in so doing has smeared the whole process and I take objection to that. I believe all mem- bers of council, or any member run- ning for public office, should be beyond reproach. And I've always issued that challenge to anybody. If they can at any point in time show one instance where I have not been more than honest and upfront, by all means take whatever action is necessary under the existing conflict of interest act which has consider- Joe Bugelli ably much more severe ramifications that the proposed code of conduct which has the same effective law as the poop-and-scoop bylaw. And I keep saying that because it's a good companison. Free Press: You don't feel then that the public should have prior access to the information as to what councillors own? J.B.: Do I ask you what you own or what you hold. If you were to ask me my holdings I would say to you my house on Lockridge St.,I'm a partner in a business which is building in Whitby, I draw my income from my business which is Computer Com- position of Canada, and I draw remuneration from a numbered com- pany. If that's what you need to know I have no difficulty telling you that. I am not so sure that under the constitution it's even legal to make it mandatory for the spouse of the candidate to disclose. . Free Press: Do you feel taxes in Whitby are too high? J.B.: It depends on where you live. If you live in the centre ward you should be laughing all the way to the bank and back. If you live in some of the newer areas of town you would say they are astronomically high. This is one reason that equalized assessment is going to become a very important issue. Free Press: Are there any areas in which the Town could be sav- Ing money? - J.B.: Well if you know where they are, let me know because I think that is the job of each member of council on an ongoing basis. There have been many an instance where I have suggested different ways of doing thngs in order to save tax dollars. I can say unequivocally, in any calen- dar year, I've saved this municipality more money than I've ever gotten from it in my whole terni of office. Free Press: How do you envi- sion Whitby in the year 2000. And will we be a city? J.B.: I believe Gerry Emm, five years ago, proposed that Whitby should be a city. Check the records and you will find that Gerry Emm introduced the idea to council. But when the public pulse was leit all of a sudden there was a complete about-face. I think city/town are just ternis to describe a commùnity. The Town of Whitby has twice the popu- lation of the City of Fredericton. The definition of a community, I don't think, is relative or important. How that municipality is run, handled and governed that differentiates between, at least in the public perception, of whether it is in fact a town or a citv. Free Pre: What special quali- ties would you bring to the posi- tion of councillor that sets you aside from your opponent? J.B.: The same qualities that have brought me to re-election the last few terms - my honest approach to things, my common sense approach to situations, my accessibilîty, my dedication to the position. 1have never abused the position. I'm'being challenged because I did not buckle to a particular interest group on an issue that I felt was very important to the community as a whole. And if I get challenged for making those kinds of decisions, I think the process is being well served. But it is also a compliment to me because it shows I am not going to sit back and be dictated to by a specific interest group. I stand to be re-elected on my record of fairness, equity and good judgment. 1 have no strong feelings one way or the other. The Town of Whitby has a nice ring, always has had. The public perception is just leave it as a town because as long as you leave it as a town it will never become a city, and that's fine. Free Press: Can Whitby main- tain a separate identity given the growth in the area? J.B.: Absolutely. A lot of it has depended on the involvement of the very active downtown business group who have worked and cooperated with the council. It should not be forgotten that councillor Tom Edwards has played a great role in keeping that group a esive. And also, Ed Buffett has done a great job in keeping the unit together. With that kmd of leadership, both at the municipal level and within the cham- ber and the business core itself, that identity will be maintained and expanded. Election '88 - Lloyd Wallen FROM PAGE 16 educating the children in the board, Wallen said. As to French immersion education, Wallen feels that "not everyone is capable (to learn French)." He would like to see the French immersion and regular French classroom teaching to continue, but on a voluntary basis. Overcrowding is another serious issue that Wallen would like to address if elected. "In schools just opened last year, there are portables. How could it not have been antic- ipated, the number of students?" Wallen said. He would like to see some allowances made in the construction of schools to allow for an increase in number of students from the original number estimated at the school's inception. Another solution to the problem of overcrowding is to share facilities. Wallen said, "Assuming we cannot get more from the Province, there has to be some way to pool resources between schools, for example, sharing a gym." Along with the board, if elected, Wallen will lobby the Province for a more equitable grant system.If the government will not fund the. schools now, Wallen feels that the government will eventually have to assist, in skills programs and welfare, the children that were not adequately educated in underfunded schools. "Eventually, the government will end up paying more money in skill development programs, etc. If we have more facilities, if education is made better in high schools, there will be less money spent further down the road. Instead of looking at the real problem, the Province has been making piecemeal attempts (to effect any solution)," Wallen said. Wallen believes that The Lord's Prayer imparts discipline, but that "no one religion should be at the expense of another. I like the (idea of) use of various prayers (of other faiths as well as Christian) but we, should not force anyone to do anv nf them." Jewelry stolen Two rings, valued at more than $5,000, were stolen from a residence on White Oaks Dr. recently. Police are investigating. McHappy Day a big success On Wednesday, Oct. 19, the seventh annual McHappy Day charity fundraiser was held at McDonald's Restaurants all across Canada, including Whitby's McDonald's at the Woolco Mall on Thickson Rd. McHappy Day churned the res- taurant into a bustling centre of activity, al to help needy chil- dren across Canada. McHappy Day, in its seventh year, strived to achieve the same goal as when it first began. cDonalds' outlets all across Canada take $1 fron every Big Mac sold and put this money toward the Ronald McDonalds Children's Charities ( RMCC). This money goes to children and a large part goes to various Ronald McDonald Houses all across Canada. Our local McDonalds raised more than $2,000 towards this charity fundraiser and contribu- ted to the cross-Canada total of more than $1,000,000, far exceeding this year's goal. Throughout the day, local cele- brities helped cook and serve, welcome patrons, and just plain showed their faces. Celebrities included people whose occupa- tions provide important services in our everyday life in Whitby, and their presence at the event certainly helped raise more money towards this good cause. For the children, there was face painting and balloons that brought many smiles, and, in general, brought the theme of the day, "Children," closer to everyone's heart. Employees and celebrities wor- ked hard together to make McHappy Day a true success. Although the work was at times hectic and the pace fast, all, like the children, wore a smile throughout. McHappy Day helps us remember that there are less fortunate children who need our help. So a big thank you is in order goes to all who organized, supported and participated in the event. Story by Michael P. Stein, George Hendry and Travis Lindgren. Photos by Greg Smith, John Shingler and Tonio Texiera.