WInTBY FREF 1PRESS, WEDNESDAY. MARCH 2P. 1989. PAG,'E - PAGE. SEVEN "GEE,LOOKAI ALL TflESE BUTTONS AND PRIORITEES As governments are increasingly unable to meet the demands upon them, the pressure is transferred to charitable and voluntary organizations to pick up the slack. But as taxes go up, charities find it harder and harder to raise their own funds. Where the limes between the public, private and voluntary sectors should be drawn depends Iargely on your political philosophy but in general, most would agree that goverrnments should provide those services that are essential for public health, safety and order and those that -canlie efficiently supplied by the private sector should be. Unfortunately things are rarely that orderly. There is a lac ofovraWh itb ibegi.- Iackofmoeritbpriorities. construction this year of a $14 million recreation facility, ail at taxpayers' expense. Item:. Whitby Hospital will shortly begin a -multi-million dollar public campaign to expand their facilities. Without passing any value judgements on the importance of recreational facilities, I think most would agree that hospital facilities are. more deserving of direct government funds than recreation. Councillors would argue that hospitals are a provincial ______________________________________ matter and it isn't their prone. Quite right! It's ours -__________________________________ whichever government is spending the money, it came from our pockets.M Itemw When the Canadien Red Cross complained it wes running home care at a bas and threatened to pull out, Queenl Park increased its funding ...on an interimbesis. Item: Acute care hospital beds are choked by patients weiting to get into chronice care facilities. Item: In Canada, nursing homes are mostly privately owned and run for profit. Item: Canada institutionalizes its elderly at a rate almost double that of the U.S. or Britain. Item: The town recently turned down a resident's application to build a "granny fiat" for her parents. Aithough we are ultimately responsible for our own destinies, we are strongly incined to let somebody else, usually the government, do everything for us. What awaits us, though, is a hodge podge of public, private and volunteer services with no overaîl plan. The system has been patched and propped through the years te the point that the red tape is the only thing holding it together. We finance it - through taxes (via several ministeries and three levels of government) and charitable donations - yet we have virtually no say in howit is spent. Charitable organizations can provide services much more efficiently than governments; but, as the needs increase, goverrnents have to recognize that these organizations need increased aid themselves - it is unreasonable to expect them HENRY STREET PUBLIC SCHOOL, 1919 te provide more and more service AND raise the additional This brick school was built in 1854 on the site of the present R. A. Sennett Public School. For money needed to support it.. years the Board of Education tried to, get funds to make necessary repairs. It conveniently More and more organizations are caiivassing a population burned down on July 4, 1920, just after school has closed for the summer, forcing the Board that considers itself grossly overtaxed. Medical research and to, construct a new school. htyimvepoo support groups rely heavily on private generosity. MultipleWhtyAhvepoo sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, alzeimers, cancer, heait disease, 10 YEARS AGO artriis dabte, usulr-d- topymeta4h- lhfrom 'theaWedlnesday, March 928, 1979 edition of the campaign by giving coverage fo the needs of local groups. But it will take more. There 'needs te be a recogntion that 75 YEARS AGO goverrmnent (ail three levels), volunteer groups and private from the Thursday, March 26, 1914 edition of the enterprise are in this together.. - that only through WITBY GAZETITE AND CHRONICLE cooperation and coordination will ail the needs lie met.* Many Whitby residents are appealing the new assessments they have received on their On a national level, the Centre for Philanthropy, properties. goverrnments and national organizations need te develop the* One hundred men are wanted te attend a lecture on 'T7he Caîl of the New Day" at the strategies that will get us through the 1990's. Baptist Church.1 On a local level we need te form a council of local* The Town Council is taking steps te stop residents driving over boulevards along the organizations, business leaders and government officiais te town's streets. develop coherent and logical funding stategies for such* A new school should lie built to replace the 60-year-old Henry Street Pùiblic School, says disparate projects as the hospital, recreational facilities and Public School Inspecter R. A. Hutchison. the cultural requirements of the people of Whitby. ______________________________________