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PAGE 6, WHITBY FRER PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 1987 DOUG ANDERS' Published overy WodnesdaY ON Publisher w mp r e Published every Wednesday By 677209 Ontario Inc. Phone: 668.6111 VOICE OF THE COUNTY TOWN eic oll hith n14 spaper in4ependetl i on ned an,îd oin-run• lN b h lii b re..idleI., for '4h lii b re%<len 1 -- Does it matter now? Regional council may decide this week on whether to allow a large strip plaza in east Whitby - a proposal opposed by Town and Region planners but supported by Whitby council. Planning interest would seem more pronoun- ced than public interest in the application by Commercial Administrators Inc. for 29,000 sq. ft. of retail floor space at Dundas St. E. and Garrard Rd. No comments were made by the public at a meeting last November in the Town of Whitby and it remains to be seen whether a public meeting this week in regional council chambers will attract much more attention. With the amount of commercial development already along Highway 2 between Oshawa and Whitby, residents may regard the newest proposal as having littie impact on an already busy corridor. But planners say the "proliferation of strip commercial plazas in the Region" hurt develop- ment in the central areas and limit areas for "special purposethecommercial development, such as auto dealershiPs and garden centres. Another strip plaza also addstraffic to an already busy road with complex traffic patternsu. The newest commercial plaza would locate on the existing site of the existing Holiday World DOUG AN DERSC Publisher MAURICE PIFH Editor PAdTER IRVI Advectislflg Mar ON ER NE Lnager Boat and Trailer Sales and would be beside "an, existing commercial plaza. Already across Dun- das St. is the Kendalwood plaza. Half a kilometre east on Dundas is the nearly-completed Thronton Centre plaza (45,000 sq. ft.) which the Region says will meet the retail potential forecast in a retail analysis taken of the area. Unfortunately, planners are only now calling a halt to development along that stretch of High- way 2. Whatever additional impact on traffic and commercial land use the newest proposal might have posed, the real impact has already taken place thanks to previous developments permitted. Why not add another? . . . **'.~ To the editor: Copy of letter to councillor Joe Drumm I am a resident in your ward and am very concerned about the lack of bylaws controlling dog owners and their pets, particularly where it concerns the fouling of our parks with dog excretment. Living ,across from the park at the northwest corner of Rossland and Anderson Streets, I have been able to make first hand obser- vations of dog owners allowing their pets to run free in the park. In civilized centres such as Metro Toronto, this type of behavior To the editor: The citizens of this community have a right to expect some straightforward answers' from the Premier. His refusal to clarify the Governinent's intentions concer- ning the extension of GO-rail ser- vice to Oshawa is simply unaccep- table.' Let us not delude ourselves. The decision has, in all probability, been made. We have simply become pawns in a game that Mr. Peterson appears to delight in playing. We have a right to exepect more from the premier of this province. If the decision is affirmative, one suspects that Mr. Petersoli will make his announcement when it is politically advantageous to do so, i.e. during an election campaign. If the decision is negative, the carrot will be left dangling and should Mr. Peterson be returned to power, we will then be given the bad news. would be deemed unacceptable and heavily fined. As a parent, ,I had hoped to enjoy walking and playing with my daughter in the as yet un- completed park; however, it is ap- parent that if the present practice continues it will not be an area fit for children. Therefore I would like to see you take the initiative to introduce 'Poop and Scoop" and other animal control bylaws which have enough teeth to prevent spoiling these recreational areas. Shirley Howard Whitby In the interim, a great number of people in this community have been placed in the difficult Dosition of having to make some rather im- portant decisions without the benefit of ail of the facts. Do com- muters who reside in this area con- tinue to fight the traffic on the 401 in the hope that a GO-rail service will be extended? Does one give up in exasperation, the 401 having taken its toll, and move to a community which offers direct GO-rail service to Metropolitan Toronto? If Mr. Peterson has decided not to extend the services, we deserve to be told no matter how unpalatable that might prove to be. On the other hand, if the answer is yes, as it should be, it's time the premier ceased playing politics with our lives. Sincereiy yours, Stephanie Ball Progressive Conservative Candidate Durham Centre Riding How about cat license? To the editor: I recently received a notice in the mail stating that the dog licenses were due. That got me to thinking. Why is it that only dogs require licenses? Cats do far more damage than dogs. Dogs are required to be leashed or restrained at all times. Cats can rove at will. In our neighborhood there were a pair of mourning doves. They came back to our area every year. A woman across the street from us said that she found one of the doves dead in her neighbor's yard, a vic- tim of a cat. The cat didn't want it to eat, merely something to kill: As I believe it the case, mourtiing doves mate for life. Now this will end a family of doves from retur- ning to the area. Why are victims charged? To the editor: working to make self protection I don't understand why there are unnecessary. so many charges being laid against Now we have a police officer victims who choose to fight back. charged for refusing to guard a Although I'm not for violence, clinir that is used for illegal neither do I believe in robbery and operations. We have a father such. Rather than charge those charged with wounding one of two people who choose not to be willing victims, law enforcement should be SEE PAGE 23 We had approximately eight cat roaming around our area.- Several homeowners have complained about these animals which are ap- parently half wild. But someone .must be trapping them because lately I have oniy seen one in the area. And I haven't seen it in the last several days. Hopefully, now I won't have the animal urinating against my front door, and leaving its droppings in the holes it digs in my garden. Why aren't cats controlled and licensed similar to dogs? To say that it is impossible to control cats is riduculous. When in campgroun- ds, people keep their cats on leashes otherwise they would wan- der off and become lost. That would be a great income for any municipality. Barney Tomkins Whitby, Ont. LETTERS The Whitby Free Press welcomes letters to the Editor on any subject of concern to our readers. Letters should be brief and to the point - rarely more than 300 words. Al letters must be accompanied by the name, address and phone number of the writer; however, on request, your name may be withheld from publication if we agree that there is a valid reason. The paper reserves the right to reject or edit all letters. Send to: The Editor, Whitby Free Press, Box 206, Whitby, Ontario LN 5S1 or drop through our mailslot at 131 Brock St. N. i i Need dog bylaws We should expect more tý rhe Free.Press Building 131 Brock Street North P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont.