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WIJITBY FREE. PRESS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMJ3EA' 2,1988, PAGE 15 f ~1 - MI - W 1 - ew&'w- MUNI CIPAL ELECTION_'gg8 MEET 111Em CANDIDATES IjE AST WA RD g CATHIY ROWELL -34 years old -Resident of Whitby, -8 years Housewvife, former sales rep for medical supplies -Chairperson, Heart & Stroke Foundation -Nursing Education, Toronto Western Hospital, George Brown Colege, Durham College -Married, 2 children' Free Prese: What do you think are the major issues of this election? 0.11.: There are a lot of major issues in the election. rve been around to about three-quarters of my ward so far, and by knocking on doors, I would say the number one question has been conCerning taxes,, with regard to how high they are. As rve gone to doors, rve explained the statistics over the past five years, how the town (taxes) had gone up four per cent, the region 8.3 and the (sohool) board 8.2, which seems to make absolutely no difference. People are very concerned about their taxes doubling in the last eight years. Free Pi-eus: Do you think they're too high? C.R: Well, I don't think that they're too high at this point, but I wouldn't want to see them increase at the rate that they have been. We have paid double since we rnoved into our place cight years ago. I really think that cight years frorn now I don't want to see them double again. I would like to see them put on hold - a nice average one per cent a year would be wonderful. Free Pr-esa: So you're looldng at an increafe below inflation? 0.11.: Yes. Just for a while. I realize that we have a lot of catching up ta do, with services, recreation facilities, and I know our schools are really lacking, not in facilities within the school but facilities in general. We have ail these new developments and Sand the lack of schools so I realize thhat our school taxes are going to increase. There's no getting around it. Ileritage is a big anc (issue), which surprised me ini my ward. It's not an issue with me as much as an interest because our ward really doesn't have the heritage homes and building that the centre ward. But rve really been impressed by people at the doors who have said rve seen your literature and you have heritage on it. (They say) "The reason we movcd to Whitby is because we're really interested in the smail town, the comxnunity, the heritage, the aId buildings - juat a micc place ta live." Sa rvc been getting tremendous support and interest in heritage. The LASCO bermi is a big ocr in our arca, A lot of people are a bit confused. They'vc read what the bcrm. is ail about, tbcx'vc reccived information from LASCO. A lot of times I thiùk that people theyve talked ta haven't had ail the information right sa they get the impression theWes going to piles and piles of toxic waste dumped itaa bcrmi that's ail going ta leak into our water. Sa I have told them to go down and talk ta the people at LASCO, find out the information and get it as accurate as possible, talk ta people and make your decision. I would like ta sec a full environmiental hearing just ta put our minds at case, just (for LASCO) ta, say we'vc donc this and in our minds it's as safe as it possibly could be. Housing is another big concera, whether it cornes in the formi of housiag developments, lack of cotinuity throughout the town. We have a lot of people in aur aresa concerned about the number af strip plazas gaing in. rm woring with a lot af people aow an the proposed anc on Garrard Rd. at Manning. The people are very, very concerned and I understand their concernanad share it. There is absalutely no justification ta put a strip mail there. Free Press: So youlre saying if you vwere on council, you would vote against ail these rezoning applications? C.R.: Not al af them. I would have ta look at the whole area. 1(Other issues) I have mare - interests that are persanal to me. rm very interested in the Whitby hospital. Education is a prime concern with me and always has been. Fm very intercsted in fllowing through and expanding on the cammunity school prograins because it handles the overflow on aur recreational services which we are i dire need af. Free Pres: Do you think the east ward needs its own recreational facility? 0.11.: Yes, I do think that itfs big enough now ta handie it. I have had more inquiries about a pool in aur' area, and I say ]Pm with you on this one, because I reaily think wc could use anather pool, separate from the anc that's goiag in the major complex. I thought I was quite within the guidelines, when I made anc af my deputatians, when I asked for a pool in cvey ward, which I don't think is a bad idea. If you've ever tricd ta get your kids into swimming lessons at Iroquois Park, you know what's it's like and it!s certninly in hcavy demand. Utilizing the schaols, ta me, is a logical approach. You have a multi-million-dollar building sitting there, used during the day, and la the evenings and weekends is closed up tight. Id like ta sec a pool ajacent ta a sehool. Free Press: Where would you get funding? 0.11.: This is why I made a deputation about community schools. I féel that the building is there, it's very inepensive ta set up pragramas within the building. And recreation complexes involve enormous amaunts af maney. Sa I said use the schools, you have the gyms there, put a multi-purpose roarn on the school that the Town and the board could share. And put a pool on. I would probably have ta say that the board would pay for the pool, maybe with the Town paying a lesser arnaunt. Free Pre«s: What do you think ivili b. the most contentious items of the next three years? C.R.: Dcvelopment, housing, taxes - the same things. Free Press: Do you think there should lie limits to growth? 0.11.: At fir-st I thought we should try to have a more acceptable level of growth ... I don't think we should say we can only have this much growth per year and that's it. I feel that if we bring in an official plan for the whole of Whitby where we have identified the areas whcre we would like to se growth happening, where before the builder puts up the houses we know there are proper facilities for education and recreation, then there is no reason ta limit the amount of growth ...We do have to look at creating an officiai plan that works Free Press: As Whitby grows, traffe wiil become an increasing problem. What initiatives/changes would ycNi advocate to reduoe the problem? C.R.: Trafice is already a problem, il you've ever tried ta go ýalong Hwy 2 during the day. We have to bring in cretain certain bylaws regarding traffic flow - things like dealerships along Dundas. Ail day long there is at least one dealership at any given time unloading their cars which is stopping traffic. I don't know how we can go about, at this ,point 'in tinie, cutting back on the flow of traffic that goes along Hwy 2. There are no other routes reall1y. Manning will take some traffic into Oshawa and Rossland is being widcned which will eliminate some of the traffic in the northemn part of tr'wn. Free Press: What about the future of Port Whitby? O.R.: I was renlly excited when I heard the Town council plans for Port Whitby. I thought, they learned from Toronto's mistakes, they're going to build n harborfront for the people... I was impressed with Coscan's proposai for the town, but I don't #gree with the 22-story height and I would like ta see that brought down to between eight and 12. 1 wnsn~t impressed with the no access. I would like to access around there. But I wns really impresscd and rm probably n little impatient. I would like tasece it al happen within rive ycars, although I know it cannt possibiy, but I wouid like to see Coscan start. I know it's BOB WIHTE - Resident of Whitby, 36 years - Employed at General Motors, 36 years - Witby Councilior, 1968 -1974 -Married, 3 oblIdren Free Press: What do you thlnk are the major issues of this elec- tion? B.W.: 1 think it's development within the town. A lot of people seem to think that development is growing at such a rapid pace that it needs more contrai. The plans that were made 15 years ago (in the officiai plan of 1973 that went to the minis- ter) to provide the servioed areas of the town for future plans at that time is just about used up. Sa 1 would say, on the whole, that plan- ning is the basic issue now. 1 think the plan, and other people have said otherwise, up until the present day has been basically good for the tawn. There have been spasmodic com- ments from some people here and there about pockets that have been mpylained about, made issue of, or de some suggestions for. But 1 think basically we have a moce littie town. Nows the time ta further plan it because there's no way you're going to stop development ... What we have ta do is plan it and make sure our people can live lu it. Theres caviroamental issues. I may be more aware ai it than sarne other people arc because 1 was on the conservation (authority) for many years and chairman for three ycars, I arn an environmientaiist ta a certain degrcc, and I also fly. If -you ever waat ta sec environimental crap in thc air, you go Up ta 3,500 feet and look dowa and yau'll sec it, especially along that lakefront as you go up to Toronto and Niagara Falls. It's just enough ta make you sick. 1 thinli we can do aur share, but the Province and federal goverament are the main bodies ta dlean up aur enviroament. Another issue is aur sehool sys- teins, although councillors, ail they can do, is kee p the people advised, Region advised and council advised ai what they know ...I1 just see taa maay of these little units on the school grounds, and yet I dont have the answer. Another issue ln our tawn 'm V ute luterested lu is aur hospital. e have had in the last 15 years doubled the population ai Whitby, and instead ai dfoubling the facilities and care for people they have actually deereased it. That's a crying sharne. Its obvious Ajax and Oshawa are sa busy that if we ever had sorne kiad ai a bus accident or somethiag on the highway, we could only take so rnany. They do not have the care la that haspital, thcy have the room thcy're not even using, but don't have the care. They have ta pressure the Province. 1 have neyer seen a proper explanatian from the Province as ta why they are dawngrading the Whitby hospital and not upgrading it. 1 think thcre's a certain amouat ai politics involved. Fr.. Press: What do you thlnk were the mnajor accomplishments/ failures of the Iast three years? B.W.: I have a banc af contention. la 1974, whea the minister signed the ncw officiai plan for the tawn, it was stated lu there that there were areas lu the aid township, at the tirne af amalgamation in 1968, the old township bylaws had neyer been brought in lime with the town bylaws. That 19 anc thiag causing difficulty here taday. That issueh as neyer been addressed by any council from 1974 ta this date. Free Press:' What do you think wil b. the most contentious items on councfi's agenda for the next three years? B.W.: High density development is going ta lie very difficuit ta pass in the towa because a lot ai people are watching that closely. 1 dont think they've very been prepared for it. The development ai the lakeiront is going ta be very canteatiaus. 1 hope an d pray we dont go dowa there and croate high risc al ever the place 50 people are literally shut off from the shore ai the lake. There's room for high risc but I just hope they dont have a Toronto Harborfront scene. And I just don't know how far council has rcached in their thinking about what developmnent is caming and what they hve planned for ...I1 think the Town officiais and civic servants in the planning area ai the tawn knaw damn well that it is a very castly and sensitive area ta get into when you have ta start replanning an officiai plan and bring la mnore terri- tory inta that development stage. I think it could be donc probably withia a year and a year and a haif, and I mnena the whale rewriting ai aur officiaI plan. Free Press: Do you thlnk Whltby la growlng too fast? What are the limits to growth? B.W.: 1 dont know if we caa do that (limit growth). There are stili areas within the tawn suliject ta dcveiopmcnt. I ar nont anc who likes ta tell anybody what ta do with land they awn themselves. I believe in the right for anybody, if yau owa a pieoe ai land, if its residential, ta build a house on that land. But if you féec, kaowing theres iurther devciopmcnt comiag aloag, that yau want ta rezone that, that yau don't need a house and you want ta seli it, yau have a perfect right ta go ahead and do that and make your application. Our job, as council people, is ta make sure that if you do that, we fuliy uaderstand the exact position you'rc in, and wc fuliy uadcrstand the complete planning ai the area yau're in, sa that wecaeaither endorse it or tura it dawn. It's just that simple. Fr.. Press: As Whltby grows, traffc will become an increaslng problem. What initiatives/ changes would you advocate to redue. the problem? B.W.: The malu arteries, which ame Provincial, are belug worked on now. But it seema ta be the Provinoe's habit ta came lu a littie bit late ta fuIfill their obligations. It's my per- sanal theory the Province makes very sure their services are needed before they spend the money ta put them la. It's the sarne as the GO train which is about two years late in getting here. But nobody's going ta yell at them for spending the moaey ta put it in because it's sa badly needfed, that's good politice. But 1 don't think it's good for the people sitting on the land. 1 think a lot of the traffic routes have got ta be upgraded. A lot af thern have ta be made safer. And 1 think some af aur north-south roads, such as Garrard Rd., it's tirne that the Region took them over. Free Press: How would you deal wlth the question of affordable housing9 B.W.: Affardable housing is a won- derful thing, it's used throughout the United States. And 1 sec it now in Trenton and Belleville, they have lovely little cominunities, well plan- ned, well set out, with standards ...JI say there is a place for it. la future planning in the town af Whitby, that should be looked at very seriously as ta location and how rnuch might be needed... Free Press: Do you think taxes in Whltby are too hlgh? Where would you save money? B.W.: 1 wish I knew mare about whaf their services cost, but 1 think so. 1 think that they could lic held a littlc bit over a pcriod ai may be a ycýar or two, and the complete econo- mie and financial position oi the Town completely exarnined, and rnaybe the finances redistributed. I say that as a layman, because I havea't been on council for a while and I'm nat sure where al aur expenses are going. But 1 still say that you could tighten the beIt and you could hoîf off and take a good look at wherethese manies are going. I think we're higher than Oshawa, why shoulda't we be? 1 know General Motors subsidizes Oshawa and al that. But we've got an awiul lot of industry in this town over the last 10 years. Free Press: This municlpallty spends a large part of Its budget on sports/ recreational facilties but very littie on cultural facil- ties (except for the library). Would you chang that at ail? B.W.: Absolutely. Not everybody plays basebaîl, lacrosse or hockey, not everybody pïays tenais. There'a lot ai people who like ta read, research., etc. The budget should reflect what the percentage ai inter- est is... Free Press: Whiit protection do you think we should give to heri- §-..: tinkwehave to sec where they'rc located and exactly what they do need. I really believe in tradi- tion.. thiak tradition really menas a lot in aur culture. But when a build- ing is aid, and is draining your tax dolar, and you kaow there s no way you're going ta save it, eventuallv it's going ta have ta go. Free Press: The last few years have seen complaints about "4closed"l government? What would you do to open it up? B.W.: I reallybelieve lu open pub- lic meetingsthat are properly con- ductcd and that the proper ment ai those meetings are recarded so that they can be properly considered and looked at... Free Press: How do you envi- sion Whitby i, say, the year 2000? Can we maintain a separate identity, or should we? B.W.: We should have a separate identity because wc always have been th couaty seat and we have a lot of folklore, too. But economically, and eventually, as we can sec today in Canada as far as aur frec trade pact is caacerned, finances cause things ta happen. 1 think if the day ever cames that Oshawa can ever prove that they can properly afford ta take us over and hald the line, it's going ta be hard (to keep separate identity). Free Press: What special quali- ties do you bring to the position that sets you aside from your opponents? B.W.: Experienoe. I'vc had the experience. 1 know municipal, I know provincial, 1 know federaL Ive been on the Centrai Lakce Ontario Conser- vation Authority for a good many years. 1 was the Centrai Lakce Ontsrio joint planning board before SEE PAGE 31 going to be absolutely w-onderful for WhitbýY. Free Press: The last few years have brouget complaints about "telosed' government. What would yoei do to open It up? 0.11.: I have neyer had any prablemi personally. I know of other groups, CARA for one, who feel that they don't have access to information, but I have not had that problem. I would 'love to see the agendas corne out a littie bit earlier for the meetings. rd like to see them corne out on Friday. Free Press: Doyou think that couneiflors should b. prepared to disclose what they own? 0.11.: I do not believe that they have ta disclose what~ they malce ini a year - it!s no one's concern what you earn. But if you own a property ini Whitby other than the home - rental properties or property you are holding for the future as an investmeènt, - I think there should be disclosure on that. Going through the code of ethics and disclosure of intercst would alleviate any concern someone might have. ? Free Press: Sports and recreation facilities are a major item in the municipal budget, while, on the whole, littie la spent on cultural facilties.* Would you advocate any changes? CAR: When I look at outside interests, in recreatian and culture, they do seem to ail meld together. But I arn interested in procuring -property for the rnuseum, in the next couple of years. I would like to see expanded cultural. facilities. I would like to see just a general consensus in the area that we Would like to support cultural programs just ns much as recreation. Not evcryone pinys hockey or is into swirnring. There are a lot of people who - are very niuch into muscums, art galicries, classical guitar, painting, so Id like to e sornething for everyone. Free Press: What criteria would you suggest for funding eommunity groups? 0.11.: I think you just have to look at each individual group and organization and their needs. Free Pres: How dio you envisage Whitby in. say, the year 2000? 0.11.:. Just going by what's SEE PAGE 31