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How Airport could aff-et you Most of us have been raised with the understanding that technical improvement is pro- gress. Probabiy Ronald Regan's words from the old GE Theatre out of the T.V. fifties." Progress is our most imnprtant Product," did much to align our thinking. This form of thinking has flot been with us long, perhaps a hundred years or so, only a fraction o! the measuring stick of history, and while technicaladvancement has served us well in many ways, it seems now to be push- ing us into staggering environ mental pollution and stifling overcrowding. It 'appears nov that we must see thinga on global tsrrns, rs-ascess our views of progress and decide nov wbether we wish our future generations to be multitude stacked in boxes watching what nature there is left, on colour T.V., or a greatly few- er rumbsr of people experien- cing the realities of a natural environnent. Perhaps progress could be dropping a few engineering and sconomics professors from our Universities, then hiring a fsw old Indians to teach us ways to live once again har- moniousiy with our Mother Earth. by William Lishrnan J ni * - 1~ ni -I ni by Norman Cafik, M.P. The Impact of the joint announ- cernent made by the Kederal- Provincial Governments regard- ing the location of an Airport in Pickering Township and the intended development of the region east of Toronto, viii have a prof ound and dramatic effect on deveiopment In our area,providing of course, that the ucheme ls actually implemen ted. These two announcements give me an opportunity to express some grave reservations as to the advisability of the Airport, and the new proposed Town of Cedarwood, with an estimated population potential of 200,000 people. Some people have Jumped for joy over this announcement but I think one has to carefully look at the overali implications of such phenomenal growth and to see if this kind of progress is really desirable. The prevaiiing visdom of 10 or 15 years ago that economic growth for its own sake vas a desirable thing is no longer an accepted dictuni by the masses of our people. We mu~st ask our selves vhat are the benefits of this grovth and what are its disadvantages. Municpalities seem to be constantly encourag- ing new industries in order to be able to provide services to existing and increasing popula- tion In a neyer ending circle. The process reminds me of a cat chasing its own tail. The bene- fits of such an exercise are not too clear. At the risk of sounding a little reactionary, I think ve must seriously ques- tion the advantages of this approach and begin to look at quality of life considerations as being far more important in the long run than the madness of economic developaient for its own sake. On' March 2nd the Provincial Government also announced that Metropolitan Toronto would flot be ailowed to expand eastward, yet in that same announcement 25,000 acres o! land in Picker- ing Township vere set aside for the creation o! Cedarwood. When 200,000 people are put into an area between Scarborough and the town of Whitby below #7 Hwy we simply have stated that Metropolitan Toronto in fact vili extend across that whole area. The question o! jurisdic- tion is irrelevant under such circumstances. The simple fact Airports and Agriculture FARMERS: Some 18,000 acres of Class 1 agricultural lands wi.ll be sacrificed to a new airport. An Airport that as yet has not been thoroughly plannsd. What is the attitude of farmers about to be expropriatsd? First those farmers who are struggling under an incrsasing burden of municiple taxes or dscreasing prices for their produets, ex- propriation is a gift from heaven (Ottawa). The money gained through the bas of their lands, vili sither hslp themn to relocate where taxes are lower, or retire to live the rsst o! their days in com- fort.* To the farmer who has sperit ysars and considerabîs capital to improve their f arms, expropriation cornes as a hard blow. Are they preparsd to start again elsswhere from zero? Would they flot rather take ad- vantage o! the improvements they have effected through years o! hard work and sacri- fice? ECONOMY: What is the long term effect o! diverting our best agriculturai lands to other uses? We have some examples. We nov import canned peaches from Australia, aliegedly fresh fruits and vegetables from California and Mexico. Dairy herds az4e nov entirely extinct in Scarborougji, North' York, Mississauga, the iower haîf of Markham etc. As we move our fluid mik supply farther from our consuming centres, prices to the consumer rise. The bas o! Pickering as a farming centre can oniy add to escalating, retail prIces. ECOLOGY: Society, including goverfiments, have become aware o! the threat to our environ- ment by industrial vastes, sevage and exhaust gases froni vehicles. The mont economical decontaminant of soil, air and water is vegetation. In sun- light, plants take on carbon dioxide, and release to the atmosphers oxygen. Plant roots absorb from the soul great quantities o! nitrates and phosphates. These are the major pollutants o! rivera lakes and streama. Plant leaves absorb many industrial pollutants such as ozone, lead, and sulphur. This admittedly ls to the detriment o! plant life, but selfishly, better them than us. Thus, If permitted, our farm crops o! corn, wheat, alfalfa, are as Important to our environ mental quaiity, as to our supply of food. It is not in the best long term intereat o! people to destroy forever our plant producirig capability, and replace it with pollution of air, soil and water. Thers ls ample space In this province for airports, in areas where there le no Capa- biiity o! growing crops. A decision must be taken to pre- serve our food producing lands and irsure a future for ail. by K.E. Fallis, P.Agr. A wi 7 is that they are going to create an extension of Toronto that viii reach over to Oshawa. la this an Intelligent thing to do? Imn't Toronto too bliai- ready? Where wiii our chi idren and future generations find a blade of grass ln that immense area? Where are the much needed recreational facilities? Do ve not need a greenbelt betveen Toronto and Oshawa? Do ve in fact vant to create another -Los Angeles? When"one looks at the long-terni needs of our region., ve muet bear ln mmnd the consequences of our actions, not only today, but ln the future. These Ivory Tower Planners are anything but expertst and to prove that point,h is only necessary to have a look at the fruits of their labours in other areas. It is simply not good enough for those Ivory Tover bureau- crats to make decisions respec- ting our area and our land development without our having a meaningful voice in vhat wiii take place. Even the question of a need for a second Airport needs to be ansvered. Some experts have es timated that air traffic wiii expand from 6 million passenger per year to 60 million by the year 2000. I daresay that one could find experts on the other side of the coin who vould pro- ject far different figures and perhaps even project the obsol- escence of the present type of Airport itself. If this kind of growth is going to happen, then in my viev ve are flot plan ning very veli. To me it is short o! absurd to anticipate continuing air traffic for the flights of lesa than 500 miles. What is needed is the develop- ment o! proper and adequate rapid transit systema between our major centres, which vould be more effective and les costly. If development o! the region east of Tforonto is required, then surely it vould make more sense to have it begin in the Oshava-Whitby region vith a greenbelt in between. It may be said that we cannot stop the kind of development that the Province has in mind for the region, but I believe thatas long as we live in a democracy ve can and viii have our say and that ve are not the blind victims o! uncontrolled forces. The decisions ve reach in the next year or two regarding these essential questions shall set in motion forces which vili be difficult if not impossible to control. Our decisions to- day are as close to being irre- versible as anything I can imagine, and if ve are not care fui vs, in years to come wiii have to answer to quir children as to why ve alloved the crea- tion o! a concrete jungle acroas our area. Dr. Charles M. Godfrey,, Chairmani People Or Planes Cornittoe. taking stops to avoid unnocessary hardship or inconvenience. pavwe (D® taiey Flyway for BIRDS- NOT PLANES by Edgerton and Betty Pegg As Naturalisa we are very concerned about a proposed airport near Claremont. Pickering Township vith its heavily wooded areas, its valleys and strsams has long been a Mecca for birds. The influx of birds to this re- gion has been partly brought about by the large number of people who enjoy feeding them, the numerous vater fowl san- ctuaries created and by con- servation areas establfshed in the district. The airport site would be surrounded by vaterfowi sanc- tuaries such as the Kort- right, at Claremont, Secord. at Goodwood, Cranberry Marsh east o! Ajax and the Corner Marsh at the mouth o! Duf!ints Creek. Flying from one san- ctuary to another ducks, gesse etc., would be passing over the airport. Also des- troyed would bs the nesting sites for more than ons hun- dred species of land birds. A Pickering Township bird count taken on December 27 1971 and compilsd by Dr. M. Spiers, showed that 73 spe- cies totalling 12,633 indiv- iduals vers wintsring in Pic- kering Twp. at that time. 0f these 273 vers gesse, 2859 ducks, and 678 were gulîs. It vas reported to us last year that a guil which col- lided vith a plan at Malton caused $60,000.00 in damages. Canadian Forces say they havs bast ten CF 104#s through bird strikes in recent years. (V.F.Solman, Canadian Wildlife Service>. It is difficult to understand vhy the Department of Transport vould issuseiaps An airport in Pickering Tovn- ship vouid be a hazard flot only to planes but to human h!.e. An airport that would destroy everything meaningful to us muet be stoppsd. Letts begin by getting involved and by positive thinking. biids