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PÂG4 4, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1981 , WHLTBY FRI,,E PRESS P>ublîshed every Wednesday f i Phone 661-6i11 The Free Press Bui1diný Voice of the County Town Michael Ian Burgess, Publisher - Managing Editor 131 Brock Street.North, Thie onIv Whitbv newspaper independentiy owvned and operated by Whitby residenIt' for Whitby residents. Il.(. Box 206. Whitbv. (0 ig, 'nt. MICHAEL J. KNELL Communlty Editor MARJORIE A. BURGESS Advertisiflg Manager Mailing Permit No. 480 Membor.of the Whitby Chambor ai Commerce iquirry b<e Perhaps now ls the time to clear the air. Over the course of the last several weeks, charges and couniter-charges have been faithfully reported ln the press concernlng the level of ser- vice provided by the Ontario Humane Society. ln fact, the towns of Whitby, Ajax and Pickering are so unhappy with the level of animal control service 'provided that they have notified the society that they intend to terminate their con- tract as of July 15, 1982. In' a subplot, a former employee 0f the Ontario Humane Society has charged that the group's board of directors have littie or no understanding of its financial state. The humane society, on the other hand, has repeatedly defended itself saying that there Is nothing wrong wlth its operations and that its books are audited every year. It seems to us that there Is only one way out of this situation - a public inquiry. Last week, MPP Michael Breaugh (NDP - Oshawa) wrote a letter to Attorney-General Roy McMurtry asking that an inquiry be heid into the affairs of the society on the basis 0f the concerns raised not only by the municipalities, but by other organizations and individuals as well. A measure of support for Breaugh's request has .>*st way to0 vin dicate OHS corne from Durham West MPP and Ontario Minister of Revenue George Ashe and North Ward Councillor Ross Batten who sits as.Whitby's representatîve on the regional animal control comm ittee. A fluil and public inquiry'is probajly the only way that the Ontario Humane Society can vin- dicate itself and get back to doing the job that it has done so well in the past. One of the major reasons why an inquiry shouid be heid is simply this: the society Is the'only charitable organization in this' country that hasý legisiative authority to go about its business. The Ontario Humane Society has broad policing powers under the legislation that created it. The society has the power to lay ch rages, not only un- der Its statute, but under the Criminal Code'0f .Canada as well1. In this sense it represents a bridge or a hybrid between a private and a government agency. Although it is not a large measure, the society is partly funded by the taxpyaers and, therefore, their interests must be protected. However, the society relies heavily on private donations to operate and an inquiry might help to make these people more aware of the society's needs and problems. It is quite possible that an inquiry will be of help to the society. For, if indeed, there are probiems with the society in whatever area an inquiry would not only identify them but could probably give ad- Lvice as to how to conquer them. Then, the soc iety cou id turn around and say 'we now know what our'major probiems are and we willd o this, thisand this to solve them.' It will have then regalned its credibility with the public. It s also distinctly possible that the humane society wiii be cleared 0f ail the charges that have been leveled against it and then, once more, its credibility will have been regained.' Therefore, the society will be a winner no matter what the results of an inquiry are. In fact, ail ln- terested parties - the municipalities, the taxpayers and others - will benefit from an inqulry. It is th&ýbelief of this publication that none of the bodies or individuals involved in this situation are out to discredit or disgrace the Ontario Humane Society. They are simpIy out to set the record stralght and perhaps that is not such a bad idea. Since the provincial government gave themn the authority to operate, It is the provincial govern- ment who should be holding the inqulry and It should be held in a reasonable and fair-minded manner. It should not represent a "witch-hunt." This is one case where a public lnquiry would have no losers'- only winners. So, perhaps it is time to clear the air. Parent prai"ses Faitrman staff Dear Sir: I would like to congratu 'late the principal and staff of E.A. Fairman Public 'School for the professional and caring educa- tion they are giving our children. Admittedly they are working under adverse and crowd- ed conditions. Even the uncomfortable, peanut-sized staff room/kitchen is shared not only with parent volun- teers but with stu- dents receiving ex- tra hel p. Perhaps if we, the parents, offered' more support and assistance to the school we couid make things'éeasier for the teachers and our children ln a dif- ficult situation. Very Si ncerely, Sandra Suf rin, 27 Goldring Dr., Otter Creek A prime example of th e confusion that sometimes reigns between various leveis of government and your servant, the press. Reoently, Broadcast News moved a story from Queen's Park about an amendment to the highway traffic act which would allow Ontario municipalities to crack down on drivers who move into an intersection on the green light so that they can make a left turn when the light turns amber, or yellow. When 1 saw the story, my own inner light immediately turned red. I hope you'l1 excuse me if I get personal for a minute.,What occurred to me when 1 read the story was that when and if that law cornes mbt effect no one eastbound on Toronto's Eglinton Avenue would be able to make a left turn, northbound-on to Don Milîs Road, ever again. You could sit at that light, waiting for westbound Eglinton traffic bo clear on green, until you r#n out of gasoline. The only way to turn north at that intersection is to sneak mil on green, and risk sudden death on the amber light at the hands of some westbound creep who just has to get through before it turns red. If that gambit is outlawed, I'm going to miss a lot of news- casts, or drive a couple of miles out of my way. So I called the Metro Roads and Traffic Department to try to plumb their reasoning. As it turns out, either Broadcast News or the Ontario legisiature gave the story or the amendment the wrong emphasis. What the new regulation is aimed at is flot the driver who uses the amber to turn left. As a matter of fact Metro Roads and Traffic applauds the man- oeuvre, and times it's amber'lights so that three vehicles can trickle through per change. What the new regulation is designed 10, discourage is rush-hour me-firsters who aren't turning and who push int the intersection on the green knowing full well that the jam in the lane ahead isn't going t0 clear before the light turfis red. You know the type. They're part of that hostile, impatient breed that is forever standing on it's rights. They've paid their taxes, and when the ight îurns green they go, and to heck with the people in the cross street who are cut off when the light turfis red. So it's those guys they're after, flot us. We can continue 10 turn left on amber lights as the Lord and the traffic depart- ment intended. That's not news but that 100 is reality. whitby ir -'I 70 519'P c A0'R/,V CN496E /' . .................