PA39 à . Witbv pFiee PrM"'Wednegclay, Febwiy 21, 1M9 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents! MEMBER 0F: CANADIAN ONTARIO COMMUNITY VRFE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER CnU INNEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION ISSN#0844-398X The Whitby Free Press is distributed free to 99% of the homes in Whitby, Brooklin, Ashbum & Myrtie as well as numerous public and comme rcial outiets in Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering & Port Perry. 28,000 CO PIES DELIVERED WEEKLY MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE Canada $36 + GST Outside Canada $85 + GSI Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Imc. 900 Hopkins St. /Box 206, Whtby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Out of town: 1-800668-0322 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Pubisher Maurice Pifher - Editor Donald G. Hinton - Sales Manager Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newspnnt with minirflum 20% recycled content using vegetable based inks. e Ail written material, illustrations and advertlslng contalned herein ls protected by copyright. Any reproduction by any means for commercial purposes without the express permission of the rnewspaper is prohibted and is a violation of Canadian copyright law. Reproduction for non-commercial dstnibution should bear a credit line to the Whitby Free Press. Leave my child alone To the editor: As a parent of a chIld affected by the new baundarles of the unnamed Andersan achool, I atrangly abject. i do nat abject ta the maodlfled calendar. In fact, I wiah the baard of education Cauld get the enroiment necessary ta fil11 this achool on a modified calendar. t is a program whth merits for those who wlsh ht. . however, do not. I abject ta the boundary change that has been required ta 'top up' th enrolment ta f111 the school - the same baundary change that makea it neceasar for my child ta change schools haffay through his education. My husb and attended numerous schools when in the public systemn and can attest ta the detrimental- effecta aof the adjustments that were necessary. Consequently, we baught a hause in an area where a kindergarten-ta- Grade-8 school vas within a five- minute walk, thus allowing aur children a stable education environment. Now lm informed that afthough we haven't moved, aur child shahl have ta - leavng ail his frienda 0f six years behind as they al live west of Garden Street. As a past president of the Lesile McFarlane Public School parent cammitte. for three years, I was rosponsible for a group af volunteers wha ralsed approximately $30,000 for the sohool. Some of that money was apent on building the children a playground. Wy husband and I organlzed a group of valunteers and installed the playground equlpment an ane very roa gweekend. The remalnlng money was spent on those thinga that sohoola ail seem ta need - computera, basketball standards, education aida, etc. We fek that we had truly become a part of aur new communlty and that we had ensured aur children a place ta grow and flourlsh wihln that communlty. The Durham Board of Educatlon has decided that my child's place in this cammunity is Incansequential. Their first and faremost concern Is fillng this school that h as badly falled the modified caiendar test. Please, fi11 this schaal wth other programa and leave my child alone. I would like ta have same say In any changes that could b. detrimental ta the deveîopment of my son. Meureen Clark Whitby Durham-'s folly To 1he edItor: (To the. lune of Mary Had a Little Lamb) Durham planned a Mtte schaol, Ifttie schoaI, Ittle schooi... Durham planned a lIttIe achool, the project sure ta go... But ery lime the plan was se plan was set, plan was set...< But every ime th. pan was set, h didn't seem ta grow... Il becamne a quest for some, quest for same, quest for somne... Il becameia qusat for some, ta se. this prajeat mn... It made most people cM and cry, cry and cry, cry and cry... It made most people cry and cry, ta se. such falîy flo0w... They set out ta shut il:dawn, shut t down, shut II down... They set out ta shut R dawn, but stilI It ingered an... It goes on ta aur dismay, aur dlsmay. aur dismay... Rt goos on ta aur dismnay, diI students can be found... William Burns Whltby To the editor: Il la impassible ta c ut $400 million from one year's education budget wlhout hurtlng the ciassroom. It la not that we do not need ta addres the deficit, but we must not move so quickly and cut so deepIy that we have a devastating Impact on the lives'of aur chldren, and uftimf *ately on aur whole soctety and economy. Il la patently unfair ta cut fundlng, programn.s and services for children ta tryto reduce the deficit. Anyone who cares about aur future knowas that programa for children are much more Important ta aur future socielies than tax cuta that benefit the weaithy. To th. edîtor: Save Lynde Marsh (SLM) wants ta work together Wlth any persan or graup or atjthorlty wllling ta factor ln the need for protecting aur naturai environment that les Wlthin the boundarlesof Whhy. In daing sa we cannot Ignore that whatever develops wlthin the town must be done wtth aveyone's knowledge and la endarsed and la beneficial ta, the prosperhty of ail the people 0f Whitby. SLM la flot agalnst deveîopment, anly that il not have adverse impacts on natural areas. Here la the dilemma. Lynde Shores (Qe Rose Corporation) has approval ta begin construction. This la ail legtimate. But what la it castlng the people 0f Whitby? I arn told (by Whftby Hydro) that a $464 Iey charge wi corne ln for each single family unht from the developer. The original proposai caîîed for 560 units., Athough Whitby Hydro has spent $21 8,000 ta date ta upgrade services ln the area (much 0f it ta improve the security of the overali service, they will stilI need ta invest $1 .3 milan ta add a transformer that wlU service the area when iR exceeda the first 300 units. We don't know when, but we do know than the financlal support for thos e Impravements was ta have been borne proportionately With the athertwo developers (Ontario Reaity Carp. and Region of Durham). Since the province plans ta, sel ORC lands ta, pnivate develapers, wha -knows haw long ilwiMI be befare they ÀIlI, contribute ta the Hydro coff ers. And as for Region industriai lands, Indications are that'any deveiopment there will be a long way off. As Lynde Shares la aneconomical I beleve titat the best lnvestmnent a communlt can make ln its fuiture ecanomic prosperity and has social stabllt Is. an investmnent In Is children. The search for ways of pravldlng servic more effedlively and effidiently la increaslngly Important, but it la Imperative that governments and citizens ahouki remnain absolutely committed ta protecting the, Interests of, chlldren. Education is aur. foundation; childien are aur future. I timp ask thatwe pause to cansider the- scars that may neyer heal ffwe refueeIo pay heed tothese concerna ýand Implore aur gove mment ta provide leadership tet is truiy based on the needs of ail adventure at beat, when Rt doean't develop together, the people of Whltby wl continue to subaldize Hydro rates (and the 3.51 par cent increase), for a long lime - somnethlng that they don't need ln these tough econamlc times' and shauldnt happen. (Whitby Hydra la ane 0f the few uliltes over the past number of years that has lncreased ita rates). f thîs deveîopment. area cannot justify itaetf on has own economlc merits, then the deveIopment should not proceed at thîs lime, ai Ieast until the whoîe area praceeda as a unit. (Thia doesn't say anything about the cost 0f other services such as sewer and water, roads, et. that wIlI also be needed antd are common ta ail the areas). Ask your local councilior for an explanaton of' the impac o f this ta yau an yaur taxes and other service rates. Tom Moore Whitbyr Outdoor ice appeiated To the edîtor: W. wauld Ike ta thank ail the flreflghters ai the Taunton Road fire station who spent so much ime creatlng and maintaining an 10e rlnk ln their front yard. W. had hours of fun ieamIng ta skate there this year and we hope that you wifl continue maklng a rink there ln future years.1 Rebecca, 4, and Jonathan, 3,.oww people af this aur children. province, ospedalý Jen1mr Cormior Prosidont Durh.m Women Toucher' AssocIation Money, To th. editor:. For many weeks' 'naw i have kept the fallawing comrmenta ta myself. This maornlng (Feb. 14) I was hoplng- for the Whitby sander'nat ta make its nsaky run on my street...but- In vain. AÀt preclseIly 9:30 h was paurIng bl contents on what I measured as one- half centimetreof anowl, In an era 0f budget constraints w. have the Town 0f Whitby sipending aur taxpayers' money ln what can be regarded as Inilamanagement 0f public funds. Iln cities ln Northem Ontario and In snowbound provinces eîsewhere ln Canada,, such a amal amount of snow deserves -a slight removal fram the wlndshlelcd and. an we go. But not ln ncash-rich Whitby.w There have been ather Instances when the sun, such as an Feb. 10, came ouI and mefted the amal amount of snow that f911 an aur streets. But once again the sanders wete out (w. are prabably paylng those employees overtime ... ) and doan their environmentalîy unfrlendly Not only la hI bad for the environment but also for the street surface that *is beln eroded by the powerful action of sait and water and sub-freezlng temperatures ... and the Town *has ta repair the damages ln the- summer whlch ln tum' costa, more money., Itruly question the wi.sdom of the Tawn's works management..;. do they Usten the weather chiannel à r at lems ta the radia forecasts? I doubt II or we wouldn't have to put up-with such unwise dedisions. 1 suggest that w. brlng ln,-a consultant for Wlnter raad clearance fram Narth Bay or Thunder Bay ta tell 1he Town'p administration that, if need b., sand Is a much better akemnative ta sait, h prevents sllpplng and lasafWe for the environment and aur cars. Can we not Iys wfth a few centirnetres of snaw wlthout having h automaically remaved as if hI were bad for aur heahth. Paul J. Roiland Whitby. Totese'to.. Chidren are our future, At what cost?