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PAGE 4 WEDNESDAY JULY 16 1986 WHITBY FREE PRESS Published cvcry Wednesday whitby BILL MCOUAT hy M.B.M. Puhlishing CmuIy Editor and Photography Inc. Advsrtlslng Manager The Free Press Building, Volce of the County Town Michael Ian- Burgess, Publisher - Managing Editor P.O. Biox 206,Whitby, ont. Flegislration No. 5351 The only Whitby newspapcr independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. Shrug ging off subsidized housing On Monday night at the last meeting of Whitby council and committees' until September, the members of the administration committee chose to table an application for-site plan approval of the proposed subsiclized housing scheme in Bluegrass Meadows. That decision was made by coundillor members Tom Edwards, Joe Drumm and Mayor Bob Attersley with the full under- standing that the Durham Region Non-Profit Houslng Corporation (DRNPHC) has a deadline of August 1 after which the corporation's provin- cial funding may be withdrawn. According to Diane Hamre, the corporation's .chairman, the province has a long list of com- munities waiting for such funding. Although it may be possible to convince the province to ex-, tend the deadline, Hamre said the province is under considerable pressure and it's only a mat- ter of time before the funding wil be passed on to a community that is prepared to make use of it. Clearly the town.has pressures of its own. Last week 150 Bluegrass Meadows residents showed LeItes ToT eE ir To The Editor: B e: a) Reidents proteat la self-centred and b) the Crow's Nest. This letter la ln response to the a/m atores. I must take both of you to task for belng too shâiplistlc and se poorly informed. If you are golng to print materlal It should be ebllgatory that the in- formation be resear- ched and then bascd on that research. It would appear that neltheryýou, the editor, nor Mr'. Kneli dldao. Where you, the editor, gathercd your infor- mation I have no way of knowlng whereas Mr. Knel clalmed his in- formation came from "Ia newa account"'. If the "Inewa account" came from the Oshawa Times, he foollsbly took it as gospel. It so hap- peus that the Oshawa limes lgnored the corridor Area Ratepayera presen- tation completely. - This isaue la a mothcrhood issue and the sad part la that your paper as weJl as ail others only jump on the band wagon whcn prlmed by councils or their representative groupe. The problem, as 1 aee t, la that you ncvcr pay attention te the problemn except whcn t la of advantage te a town counil. Where were your investigative reportera when the town counil wu' closlng eut blocks of houslng fer medum ranged homes ln the Bluegrasa development and per- mlttlng the develeper te substitute only single famlly homes? Do you know the background of thls developmnent? For the benefit of ail and sundry the plan of subdivision was drawn Up by the Corridor Aiea Ratepayers ln 1974-1975. It was acoepted by the developer, the Town et Whtby and the Reglon ef Durham. Reglonal Ceuncileor Eau» and Dr. M. Mlichales both were active ln helplng te pas the plan at that time. The plan called for the following mlx: 426 single famlly - 68.61 acres. 86 semi- detached - 7.70 acres; 88 cluster homes - 11.00 acres; 120 apartmnents - 3.00 acres; and school - 6.00 acres. It was agreed that ne tewnheuses would be permltted because cluster homes weuld be built lnstead. A sample site plan of cluster homes was ferwarded te the Ratepayers by Markborough. Since then the developer was hit by hard times, se the town e4,dently decided te permit the developer te develep the plan la the moet econemlcafly ad- vantageous manner. The town permltted the removal Of ap- proxlmataly 74 smm- detached and 33 cluster homes plus 6.0 acres of school land, ail of which were changed te single famlly detached homes. Councllors Emm and Edwards stated that Uiey have a social responslbility, as se Uiysahould, but just as 1 asked them I ask you - whcre was your social conscience when thc tewn cancelled the 100 plus medum prlced homes? Who profitted from this lapse et con- science? Further te this mat- ter, the aiea la question was slated te ho developed as cluster homes. It la an agreement accepted by Markborougis, the Town Up at a public information session to badger council members and representatives of the DRNPHC. While the housing corporation people were looking for some constructive input from the community, (something few other developers would be prepared to do) what they received instead was a lot of abuse and invec- tive. Obviously the juvenile behaviour of many of the residents at that meeting offered little in the way 0f meaningful input for the housing cor- poration but it appears these boors at least suc- ceeded in influencing their elected represen- tatives and that is too bad for Whitby. Although the residents of Bluegras s Meadows may have a contract with the developer precluding the construction of townhouses in the subdivision, there is a much larger principle at More of Whtby and Uic Bluegraos Reglon of Durham. It la not a matter ef whether To The Editor: it la publicly or I must thank Michael prlvately financed. Thc Knell for polntlag eut are s laslated as cluster Uiat 1 am «I... suffering homes and wlil h fromn an acute case et devcloped Uiat way or blgotry..." According te thc Town, Markborough Wcbter's Dlctienary a and Uic Reglon can be bigot la one "..eb- called te acceunt for ItL stlnately.. dcvoted te his own church, Party, Patrick Dooley belle! or opinion" Hazelweod Dr. Mr. Knell seema te, Whltby. hilnk that 1, and-all residents ef Bluegrasa Meadows who are op- posed te subsidlzed housing are «'... mlsguiden Sic), even lnslpid and stupid." Yes, Mr. Kneii, we probably are bigots te our belefs - Uicsaime beiefs that made Canada a great Country ln Uic first place - thcy have been otten referrcd te as Uic 'work ethie' and thc privilege in a free Country 0f en- joying Uic fruits ef one's stake here, one the Town 0f Whitby has been shrugging off for many years in its race to ac- cummulate record breaking single family housing starts. That principle is the provision of decent shelter for those who, for a variety of reasons, are unable to obtain such accom- modations. And according to Hamre, there is a serious shortage of this kind of housing right across the region. One can't help but suspect that the town's ad- ministration committee tabled the site plan ap- plication in hope that the problem would just -disappear. It will not. If the DRNPHC loses the funding for tis project, there will be others and sooner or lnter our town councillors wil have to face the issue and make their positions known. honest labour. But wc are NOT insipid (Web- sters - "lacklng la qualities that interest, stimulate, or challenge") as you and oui' local politiciana wll surely discover. If we are "stupid". It la only for allowlng ourselves te ho, as yeu said "..misgulden.. " by Uic 'bleedlng hearta' who have encouraged -the misues et public funda for tee, long - net for Uic half-bakcd reasons you se gllbly misquete. 1 ca enly speak for myself but if Mr'. Knell took Uic time to leara fromn more experlcaced and prestigleus Jeurnallats, iastcad et attacklng Uic peple who have a genuine latcrest i ir- provlag tUir ewn com- munlty, Uic Town and Uic Reglon, he would flnd eut the real reason la Uiat Uic people who SEE PAGE 33