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PAGE 6, WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 1988 VOICE OF THE COUNTY TOWN Published every Wednesday By 677209 Ontario Inc. Phone: 668-6111 Doug Anderson Publisher The Free Press Building 131 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. Maurice Pifher Editor Peter Irvine Advertising Manager - Alexandra Simon Production Manager The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby'residents. It is unfortunate that accidents, and even death, must occur before the hazards of construction are fully assessed and the remedies prescribed. Such was the case surrounding the death of Robert Baxter, who died when the crane he was operating fell over at the non-profit housing apartment project on Nichol Ave. in Whitby last fall. The jury at the.recent inquest into the tragedy found that he was not responsible when the crane fell over while backing down a dirt access ramp from a raised dirt platform on which the crane had been' operating. However, it was apparent that human error, as is usually the case in construction mishaps, was involved. Recommendations that were made by the five-person inquest jury would go a long way toward eliminating the chances for human error. The crane landed on top of the cab when fallen, crushing it and thus causing Mr. Baxter's death. One . For safety's sake of the jury's three recommendations was that the cabs of new cranes be reinforced, and it followed testimony that although there was nothing mechanically wrong with the crane which fell, a structural improvement such as reinforcement would be a safety asset. The recommendation also came after testimony that other construction macninery does have such reinforcement around the operator. A second recommendation was the designation of a signalman on construction sites. Much of the testimony given last week by workers on the construction site concerned the signals given to Mr. Baxter as he manoeuvred the mobile crane - it was evident that some confusion surrounded the signal procedure at that time. A third recommendation was to have the Ministry of Labor arrange guidelines for work on man-made temporary platforms. Again, much testimony at the inquest involved the platform, and, in particular, the access ramp on which the crane moved to and from that platform. According to testimony, the removal *of some dirt from the ramp made it unsafe and led directly to the accident. We might also add that some of those who were at the construction site testified that they had some concern about the ramp but, for one reason or another, didn't express those concerns. Some communication about what may seem as only an insignificant concern is preferable to no mention at ail, would make for a safer workplace and thus diminish the human factor that is ultimately respon- sible for accidents. LETTERS FROM OUR READERS Town hall leaves candidate with more questions than answers To the editor, Over this past week, I have witnessed several events taking place up at our Town hall, which have left me with more questions than answers. While on the surface, these events appear to be separate, in reality, they are not. Each of these issues has a direct impact on our environment, our quality of life and on the decision- making process within our town. Unfortunat.ely, it appears that neither the OMB nor the Town of *Whitby seem to care about any of these concerns. The first point of concern is the OMB decision allowing yet another gas bar within our town. I have sat through too many of these hearings and unfortunately I am now of the opinion that the concerns of the taxpayers really do not matter to them. This community, and particularly the residents on Bowman Ave., have once again found themselves in the position of having to prove why certain kindis f dëvelopment could damage their neighborhood. It seems that the developer has to do nothing more than show up to these meetings and they usually get what they want. Neither our councillors nor our planning dept. came prepared to really fight this proposal. Instead, it was the residents who were left to take on the lawyers and the OMB. It was obvious, that as far back as a year ago, our Town planners gave initial approval for this gas bar. Which leads me to ask if this is part of their job description. Al too often, i have seen and experienced the situation where the developer is given the information, initial approval, and the right to participate in council meetings, while at the same time, the taxpayers were refused. Uàfortunately, this situation reminds me all too much of the Decom hearings --where promises were made before the public was evon made aware. In response to the OMB decision, councillor . Edwards comes up with the foolish idea of keeping "sensitive" information secret. He claims that the information concerning this gas bar was sensitive and that in his opinion, "we often lose cases ~be?6re the board because the other side can and does use staff information súbmitted publicly to council." Let's be honest here, the developer is given this information long before it is ever We need more like Sue To the editor: Re: Letter to the editor, May 4, "Keep sex habits where they belong." If "our youth" is in an "emotional and moral turmoil," it is because of ignorance and fear &and "hampster-brained" people who write letters like that, and who are more to be pitied than condemned. I won't get into a debate about abortion, but there certainly should be more people like Mrs. Sue Johannsen ("Talking Sex with Sue") who give of their own time, to help and explain, and it's not just "our youth" who need it. Yours truly, D. Skinner Oshawa made public and the notion that the information connected with a gas bar is so "sensitive" that it shouldn't be discussed publicly, only makes me wonder what direction Whitby council may be heading towards. This same council is guilty of changing their agenda policy -- where neither the press nor the public are allowed to have access to the agendas until the day of the meeting. However, the developers are often given this information and, at times, approval, prior to public knowledge. The solution to this is to have a policy where both the press and the public can obtain information well in advance of the meeting and that no decisions be made until the public has a chance for imput, and that the Town staff follow this policy to the letter . Perhaps if fewer decision were made behind closed doors, then we might have a better chance of winning a few OMB rulings. Another recent event which has made me question the motives of at least two councillors, is the Metro dump site issue. Fortunately the other members of council stuck to their guns and pushed through' a motion, protesting the idea that a dump site be placed in Whitby. Both councillor Drumm and Mayor Attersley voted against this motion because we would be paid $28 per ton for Metro's garbage. Is the public to assume that these two councillors would be willing to trade our environment, our health, as well as our quality of life, for $28 per ton? This mentality of getting more money at any cost has already placed' this community in the position of losing our atmosphere and identity. I think that it is time for Whitby council and its planning dept. to begin to reflect the values of this community. I, for one, intend to do just that. Dennis Fox East Ward Candidate Whitby 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. All 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 LiN 5S1 or drop through our mailslotat 131,Brock St..- Taxing f empu w