AU M6WH1TBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRU4YW121992 The only Whitby Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents! Publishéd every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Inc. at 131 Brock St. N., Whitby, Ontarió LIN 5S1 Phone 668-6111 Toronto Line 427-1834 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurce Pifher - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager 2nd Glass Postal Registration #05351 To the editor... Townhouses: tax burden falls on local ratepayers Letter to the Editor: On Monday, Feb. 3 I attended a Town planning session to discuss the imminent construction of affordable co-op townhouses in the established Otter Creek subdivision. The general consensus à f the concerned, residents was opposition to affordable housing. We would welcome the building nf either semi-detached or single family dwellings to be purchased by the general public. The townhouses wili be constructed and the tax burden will be placed on the shoulders of Whitby taxpayers. The builder, Victoria Wood Construction, and the architect get richer and again the taxpayer loses. Take a drive along any Whitby street and 'House For Sale' signs dominate the landscape. In many cases the homes are vacant, power of sale, a sign of the economic times. Surely the Sheriff and the OMB Dept. of Municipal Affairs could seize this opportunity to provide homes for those less fortunate. This would alleviate the construction of affordable townhouses ln existing neighbourhoods. I left the meeting with a feeling of complete frustration as did most of the other residents. Town council heard oùr concerns, smiled nicely and agreed to do nothing to cancel this project, it was evident that the Ontario governmént had dictated teris to the Town of Wfiitby, As councillor Joe Drumm stated, "Our hands are tied.w As a 43-year resident of Ontario, 18 years in Durham and 13 years in Whitby, I believed in the bemocratic process. I admit now that 1 have lost all faith in this process. The elected officiais of this town should listen to the voters, and react to their concerns to resolve the issues. This same scenario is carried out daily in all regions of Ontario. Students a for. Sake of To the Editor: it is a sad commentary on our local Catholic school system when the children are being punished for the sake of their elders. Whatever happened to teachers who were committed to their profession, motivated by their desire to educate and aspire students to become the best that they can be. The students who participated in the picketing of the Catholic board headquarters in Oshawa should be proud that they are doing their part by demandîng to receive the education that it is their right to receive. I feel that any teacher who abadonstheir udents for the No town, city or village can escape this reality. The provincial bureaucrats dictate, local government acquiesces and the silent majority pays for the ultimate outcome. Just rewards for failing to stand up and be counted. ViewDoint DraW thelilneon rowth By Stephen G. Leahy Richard Coulter Is the debate -about the Whitby development at Lick Pond yet another "not in ry backyard" ,Offended by argument by local residents? The y developer dlaims that the proposed development will b. ghairoperson's od for thetown. It will bring the co m e tsmany benefits 0f jobs, mny com m ntstaxs an pepleinto the town. The developer proposes to pop Letter tothe EdItor: in 39 townhouses and, later, a 27,000 sq. foot plaza on a few An open letter to Durham acres that currently consist of Cathoîic school board chairperson marsh, grassland and Lick Pond. Tom Oldman No one has proposed to eliminate Dear Mr. Oldman: the pond as it is planned to become the centrepiece of new eIt is with deep sadness that i parkland and residential pen this letter in response to a development. quotation attributed to you (Free Those opposing the Press, Feb. 5). development believe that the To have the chairman of the wildlife, some 92 different species Catholic school board suggest that of birds plus fish, amphibians and teachers would attempt to small mammals, alòng with much control/punish students through of the narshland meadow, will be examination marks is ludicrous. seriously threatened. In a few You have no right whatsoever years, they believe that most of questioning my-or my colleagues' natural areas surrounding the pond prof essional integrity. will be gon. pro take offence to the su ggestion To nbsure, local residents are that (In your words) T ey are not happy about having their certainly not as concerned as to neighbourhood turned into a what the board is going to.do to construction zone. Nor are some of then as they would be their own then happy about the increase in teachers." traffic. Understandably, few Whitby While you admire and, rightfully residents want another plaza. so, give credit to the students for Many have concerns that they will standing up for what they believe lose access to the pond area. in, I would hope that in future you Selfish concerns? Perhaps, but do think twice before yoù speak. not the citizens of a community Comments such as this do little to have a right to determine the further the cause of a true Catholic' shape of their community? Do education, let alone encourage an they not also have the right, even amicable settlement. a' duty, to protect the natural spaces and the life that these R. Boissoin places sustain? However, the development' group has a much stronger P.S. 1, too, react to things that, argument, one that is designed to to quote you, "just aren't right." appeal to town councils, municipal boards, officials and responsible people of ail types., an oAdeveloper may argue that it bandoned is unreasonable to value a pond and a tangle.of trees and grassland the dollar more than the need for.people to have houses and jobs; for developers and builders to work sake of the dollar does not have and make a profit; for the Town to the moral and Christian values grow and collect more taxes. required to fulfill the The developer may argue that responsibilities entrusted upon while the pond hs value to the them by the public. small group of local nature lovers, . To think that a student would be it's only because they can walk afraid of reprisais from their there and see birds, animais and teachers for airing their opinion plants they would not find in their regarding this matter is alarming. 20-by 40-foot backyards; but their As a taxpayer in both Oshawa hobby shouldn't result in the needs, and Whitby, I think that the of their communhy being seriously Cathoîic board should bring this impaired by leaving this matter to an end *as soon as rough-looking land in an possible. I'm sure there are many undeveloped state. unemployed teachers out there The pond will still be there. t who would jump at the chance.ta isn't going to be paved over, only, use the skills they have worked so the lands supporting and hard ta obtain. surrounding it will be. The experts say there is nothing to wrry Richard J. McLeod, president about, the wildlife will be ll.AAt_.tejaleAIAcLu ogcheddyAisp naturalists and nature lovers may disagree, but they are amateurs, t may b. argued. So the development will go forward. The main reason it will is because of the way we view ourselves and pur place in nature. SEEPAGE9 The budgetary challenge By Drummond White Durham Centre MPP For the first time in our province's history, the premier spoke on television, about the economy. Bob Rae opened the books before the budget is finalized to share with you a complete r.port. The recession is having a devastating-effect upon our community here in Whitby and Oshawa. In these tough times, Ontario is adapting and taking maximum advantage of new opportunities as they arise. The fiscal affairs of our government and province seem remote to most of our daily lives. Yet, the state of our province andtransfer ayments have a very direct impact upon ail of us in Durham. We blieve in open government. It's important that all of us understand the economic challenges we face. Only with-full participation will we. achieve the most that we possibly can in these times. Many people have spoken to me about their ideas and their concerns in a spirit of real involvement. I appreciate these calls. We are wrestling with and meeting some of the hardest challengesihat we've ever had to face. Part otour solution involves each person making a contribution to help the pravince. All transfer agencies -- such as municipalities, schools and hospitals -- are looking at, their budgets to see where changes.can be made. I have spoken to several local facilities and I am impressed-that they are dealing creatively with tough demands. The 'Whitby General Hospital, for example, is looking at merging administratively with another local hospital. These agencies, such as the hospitals and school boards, deliver services that are essential to our well being. Slashing their services would be unacceptable. That's why ,reconstructing these services is our goal. We're helpin9 in two important ways toadapt and deliver affordable, quality public services. We've set aside $160 million to help them adjust. in the first year. This money is specifically, ear-marked.to encourage the development of innovative plans that meet financial targets. In addition, to give transfer agencies a better opportunity to .plan ahead, we've set out a three-year plan rather than the traditional one-year announicement. 41 1ý- l On our part, we are chang ing the way we work. In October, we froze all our own salaries as MPPs and those of senior civil servants. We also cut operating budgets for ministries by 10 per cent. The government has a tentative agreement with its employees that dalls for a one-per cent wage increase ih 1992. We have shown that we can make real in-roads while remaining fair in negotiations. But building a fairer society with good public servicès must not be put on hold especially in rough tîmes. We will not forget our commitment to helping the people of Ontario. Thé services t at the provincial government offers are the basic infrastructure to the economy. Durham has many needs that have still to be met. Roads, health care, schools and job training are necessary both here and throughout the province. So is research and development and direct encouragement of financial investment. We have creative new worker ownership and investment fund strategies that are already proven boosts. We are proposing changes to RRSP reg ulations thatwould promote home ownership and improvements. We have shown real flexibility in negotiating with major industrial concerns by changing overy-rigid previous legislations. I know that there are several moves afoot locally that will produce state-of-the-art technologies. These are good examples of business and government co-operating toward our common good. Where necessary, we may also make direct investments in protecting high-tech industries such as DeHavilland. There are still challenging times ahead. But our province has many strengths and the chief economic forecasts are for-an improving economy and for Ontario to lead the rest of the country. As Premier Rae said, "Let's get ready for the recovery, trainingour youth, investing in our province. I stll have confidence that, if we pull together. th e greatest years for Ontario, and for Canada, are still ahead." la a ira M.-MMMIi