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f Citizens, committees to be formed Edwards urges more. public inp..ut NEW H]TBYs MAYOR Tom Edwards and thé members of Town council held thefr inaugural meeting Monday nlght. Photo by Mark Eeunor, Whltby Fr.. Pro. * By Mi Boucher Whitby's new mayor Tom Edwards wants to form three cm ttes of private citizens to make recommendations on coun- ciliors' salaries, on1 ways to expand thi. tax base, and on the problem of incred urbaniza- tion. In a packed council chamber at the Whitby municipal bui*lding Mondy eenin, Eward sad i was impotn for residents to get involved.in i wn nattors. «It is -of vital imnportance that there b. optimum public input,» he said, aiso mentioning ho would like council agendas made available earlier.-,., I1 Edwards said the. committee of private citizens, after receiving up-to-date information aZut other municipalities in Ontario Uwiil make recomniendationý about the. amount of stip.nd the. council shouldireceive.' Tiie new mayor said another committes, would b. appointed with the. task of expioring «ways and means of expanding our tai base and provide more -.mploy- ment opportunities in Whitby.» Edwards said -social servie such as, a recently opened sexuaf abuse dlinic, are needed in Whitby, and another committe. will b. formed "of citizons know- ledgeable about, and prepared to assist. in dealing wit the pro- bieme of in*creased urbanization.» Council agendas may b. avail- abi. on Fridays prior ta Monday meetmngsta help the public with, the appropriate information about T.own matters, h. said. After the. 1988 municipal eiec- tion, newiy-elected councillors Dennis Foi and Lyvnda Buffett attempted, ta maxe agendas availabie oanhier buttii. pro- posai was reject.; by council. Edwards said the. most diff- cuit responsbili in the' next year vwiii1be"tat of -budget chair.' Ho appoint.d Fox r.-eiected as .ast ward councihlor, as the new treasury departrnent chair- Person bocaus. "'councilior Fox *id not-flincii.» "In fact, his only response w'as to iquire wiiat more ho couid do frthe. Town of Whitby » iie said. Regionai councîflor Joe, Drunun wiii b. plAngdepart- ment ciiairperson for he noît year wiue newiy eiect.d centre ward councillor John Doîstra will b. clerk's department ciiairper- son. 0 Regional councillor Marcel Bruneil. wili b. public workg. committe. chiiirprsrnewnl1 eiected west war ouc lJui Liongfield is the. fire departmenti chairperson, and newiy eiected' SFEE PAGE 2 ....... . . . . .... ~ ~:~ Goernent plan to promote non-prft centres,«.:; ~ '.:.~Me By Mari. Boucher Independent day-care opera- tors i Whitby fear closings and oblsses becaus. of the Ontario governments plan to furnisii $67 million over the next five years ta pramote non-profit day-care centres. "It' a catastrophie," says Joan Slyrett, co-owner of the. Read- A-Long Day Care Centre. "The governnient is aiming ta. put us but of business because tiiey have no plan for commercial centres,» siie Baye. «I don't know what we are ring ta do rigiit now,» says Ken vr ett, co-.wer of Read-A-Long. H. says- six years of hard wo&~ will b. wasted because the guvernment's "approacii is totaily wronw. "Ih ti. tii ougiit of lettini any empioyee out on the streét, iie says. "I just won't be, ahi. ta pay them as mucii as the non-profit centres," iie says. 1 The N DP goverument will spend $30 million to increase the salaries 'of about 10,,000. non- profitchiùld-care wýorker from tii. current $19,000 average. Appr-oimately 6,000 workers in private centres earn about $5,000' a year leus tian non- profit employees. "Wiiatà's oing tu happen,,is that some centre will close or go private,' says Base Siiewnarin, owner of Perry House Day Care. Ho says tiiere will b. twoô types of day-care centres: government- owni;d centres for which only lower-income people- will ho able ta qualify, and rvt-wned centres e eared for towealtIiy The big la'ser will, ho middle- incarne pople wiio won't ho ahi. toqDUALe flor.gvrmn ete and wiio will h unahble ta pay for the private centres, ho Baye. wIMeyre using mioney for the. creation of day-care'centres that are already there," he oays3. Fern' Noftle, supervisor at Perry Houa. Day Car., says tiie government is roviding tiie money "so we can e" taken over.. «Tii bottom lino is ta get rid of independent day-care operators,' she says. «We have tiie option of turning aur business ta, non-profit, wch is essentially iianding it out ta te government,» aays Sandra Barriault, ownor of the. Kinder, CornerDay Car.. Sh. says it's «fight.ninr that «a quarter of million of mnvest- ments and thousads an4l thou- sands of hours may just, be gone Heather Watts, diroctor of Kids Campus, says the. main conceru is ta, maintain tii. high quality of service ta the children. Siiewnarain says it will be almoot impossible ta compete witii commercial day-car. centres.' "It î~enaw. are goi;ig to las. goodstf 939"ho ýsays. It ÏilI coat at least 3,000 jobs,» iie says. Siiewnarai*nf ystaxpayers will pay mare frsomething tiat alroady eisatand worka Well. «Tiere is a growk shift of repnsibilities for welfare and orthfer social services from -tii. foderal governemnt-ta the. pro- vince and on ta the. municipal loývoilieh.aya.