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PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 10,1982, WHITBY FREE PRESS whitby wr Voice of the County Town Published every Wednesda by M.B.M. Publishing and Photography Ilc. Phone 668-6111 The Free Press Buidin Michael lan Burgess, Publisher - Manag!ng Editor The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. y 131 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. LESLIE BUTLER Community Editor ELIZABETH NOZDRYN Advertlsing Manager Second Class Mail Registration No. 5351 Port a vicious circle with environment reeling in the centre Next time you have an hour or so (and a strong stomach) take a walk to Port Whitby near the rnouth of Pringle Creek. If you've been wondering what all the stink about Port Whitby is based on, this short jaunt will lnform your olfactory on the real Issue. To a newcomer to this fine town, it is astound- lng that talk about condominium development, yacht clubs, sailing slips, and luxury motels is even being considered when the most fundament- al services are denied the Port. Last week, the Ministry of the Environment on- ce again warned the region that its water pollution control plant is killing Pringle Creek (not to men- tion Port Whitby and Lake Ontario). It appears the plant was spilling black, metallic sludge from holding tanks into the waters of Pringle Creek, and by a slow stagnant flow, down to the Port. The region has been warned in the past that pollution controlon the creek is inadequate. Resi- dents have battled the region on the issue of sewers and pollution control as recently as two years ago. But the problem, like the black sludge, surfaces again. The Port is a disgrace. Thère appears to be no disagreement on that point. But the question is, or seems to be, how much does the region need to be offered (in terms of lucrative developers dollars) before It will put in a proper sewage treatment system to make the Port worth investing in? The region seems to be waiting for a firm offer by developers before it gives the Port basic ser- vices the rest of the town enjoys. The rationale seems to be that there aren't enough taxpayers in the Port to justify the multi-million dollar project that would re-route sewage to a better facility. So, the region waits for big bucks from develop- ers who are in all likelihood, walting for the region to clean up the sludge. How long can the stalemate go on before babb- ling brooks like Pringle Creek turn into billous brooks?n-Another two years of inadequate sewage treatment might kill the stream, and the visions of a brave new Port decked with shops, restaurants and tourist dollars. Try to envision the great plans for the Port as you sidestep the sludge. If you find the picture just doesn't present It- self, it's probably not a failure of your imagination. It's a failure of management. Make the Port worth looking at, and a few more developers might just look askance. Reader gets immediate response from Fennell Dear Sir: On October 13, you published an open letter from myself to The Hon. Scott Fennell M.P., in which I took him to task for not answering my let- ter and phone calis to him in which I was seeking his assistance, as our federal representative in Ottawa, with some problems which needed an- swers. On the day the Free Press published my letter I received a phone call from Mr. Fenneil in which he expressed concern that a constituent of his riding had reason to feel he, or she, was not receiving fair representation from him, as our elected representative. Through your paper and my letter, it became obvious there was a problem in com- munication somewhere in Mr. Fennell's end of the une. The next day Mr. Fennell phoned me and apolo- gized for the mix-up and accepted responsibility for the delay in having the matter brought to the attention of the authorities in Ottawa. He also referred the matter to the provincial authorities at Queen's Park and with his help and the help of The Hon. George Ashe, MPP, I am getting action on a very sérious matter that previously seemed hopeless. I have never been a supporter of Mr. Fennell and i sincerely hope this letter will cause him no em- barrassment. I publicly wish to thank him for his efforts on my behalf. I have always voted for party. In future, l'il vote for performance. i wish to personally thank The Free Press for the -~1,dQ14 679 ý/$L/'oI5rr efforts of its editor and staff for their help in tnis matter. It is not completely resolved as yet but a just solution is much nearer than it was prior to your publication of my letter of October 13. Yours sincerely Tom Doucette, 157 Hillcrést Drive, Whitby, Ontario. 1 ve often found myself wondering in the past few years where the country would be if John Robarts had gone into federal politics. If he had become the Leader of the Opposition a few years ago, before the rift between the East and the West had become so deep, i think it's fair to suggest that he might also have become Prime Minister. And I wonder if the West would have become so estrang- ed, or Rene Levesque so bitter, if John Robarts had been directing things f rom the Prime Minister's Office. I don't think Mr. Robarts was in Mr. Trudeau's league as a thinker, but I dornt think the divisions would have become as sharp as they are, if that gruff Robarts voice had been soundirng in the boardrooms and locker rooms of the na- tional establishment. I hope I'm not being chauvinistic when I suggest that Mr. Robarts always struck me as a man's man confident, easy, with a mixture of backbone and common sense. You could disagree with his partisan philosophy, but he would have been, a dif- ficult opponent to hate in any way. I think Quebeckers felt that, at the Provincial Conferences that Mr. Robarts hosted in Toronto. He was a bridge between French and English and I believe, in time, would have been just as effective a link between East and West. He was a Cana- dian and proud of it, a man who'd fought for his country in the Royal Canadian Navy - and having survived a war,, had the breadth of vision, perhaps, which made him realize that nothing could ever be that important again; that it wasn't worth making enemies for the kind of pet- ty differences that exit inside this confused country of ours. His death on October 18 was a tragedy not just for his family and friends, but for all Canadians He would not, however I am sure. have had us spend very much time lamentîng what mîght have been. That's not news but that too is reality. tg,