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PAGE 6, WH1TY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19,19 VOICE-0F THE COUNTY TOWN The only ty newspaper indepenen, Whîtby =eiet for Whitby r esiets. Published every Wednesda By 677209 Ontario Imc. Phone: 1.1 1 8 I I .~.UToronto. Line Doug Anderson, 131 Brook Street North, ownedancioperaed b P.O. Box 206, Whitby, On~t. tlyondnoeae y LUN 5Sl 'y Maurice Pif her Edftor Alexandra Simon Production Manager 2nd CMMBPosta RoguatnfO5351 Lick Pond Is a good exampleof a natural envlronmient area thmeatened by encroaching development. So Rf was an encouraglng step taken on Monday nlght when *Town planning Icommittee declded to deny a rezonlng application that "would pave 'the way for commercial and residential building on the 12-acre site. Llck and Scott ponds are among the few remalning natural areas left-In that part of east Whitby. However much of an "leyesore" the area may be, as one counclilor sees R, when referrlng to garbage strewn about theme, at'least one dlean-up effort, by Anderson CVI students has taken place, and Cthers will follow. Keep it natural The developer, Whltby Estates Ltd., has addressed several concemns and would leave much of the area as open space. But any developmnent could nevertheless pose a -threat to the numerous specles of blrds ln the area. Development would also mask one cf Whtby's historical sites - the farm property 0f the Llck famlly ln Whitby for 90 years. And how often* have we heard the refrain, "Do we need another shopping plaza?" After rejectlng outrlght the. shopping plaza, committee men*ers should be applauded for golng $0 f ar as to reJect .a townhouse deveomnt- south cof the pond. As. *much as Whltby needs some form of affordable houslng, ln this case of the Llck Pond area, we would suggest another location. Orlglnally the- Whltby Eâtates, Ltd. application was for 19 townhouse units. The latest Is.for 39 units. Thus far, commlttee has a nswemid the concerns cf many residents who opposed development ln the- area. We hope councll'.s next Monday follows the same, natural Path.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. --------------. . . . . . SmsYs golodbye to Ds3iirharn East To the. oditSe An open letter There is so much that I could say mn an attempt te cover ail the things that should b. covered ove r my «Mst14 years as MPP for Durham East. The immediate item that cornes te mm*d is a "thank you" te ail of you froni myself, Kathryn and our L By Terry Ã"'Shaughnessy Small business owners are worried Resùlts-of a recent survey, compiled by the èanadian Federation of -Independent Business, show that t4ie c6untry's small bus iness community is pessimistic, and getting more so, every day. The 'Snmall Business Barometer" survey, conducted at six- month intervals, attempts to measure the overail economic outlook of small andmedium-sized businesses. With fully 71 per cent of'respondents expect- ing the economy to get weaker (a starting increase from Novemnber 1989 which showed 47 per cent of respon- dents pessimistic about the economic future), the June 1990 survey is an important signal that the economy is, at the very least, in trouble. Catherine Swift, CFIB vice presi- dent of research and chef eçonomist, says that although small business owners' views on the ecotïomy have been growing increasingly -pessimis- tic since the first survey was conducted in 1988, this recent survey shows the most abrupt decline to date. And, adds Swift, as smaller firms tend to feel the pinch of adverse economic conditions earlier than. their larger counterparts, the implications of these resuits for Canada's .economic outlook are not promising. "For example," says Swift, "last November 31 per cent of small busi- - ness owners said they expected to increase fuli-time employment in the following six mionths. However, this has now dropped to only 15 per cent who have similar plans for the last hall of 1990." Swift points out that the three top reasons-cited by respondents for their pFssimism are: lower sales' expecta- three children Draydon, RMon and. Collin, for your continued support and confidenoce over these many years. . , of course, would be foolish to presume that ail of you voted for me. However, I arn an ardent supporter of the democractic proceis, and as good fortune would have it, 'I was always victorlous at election time. A good part of the electoral -j interest rate policy; and the federal government's proposed Goods and Services Tax. "While high interest rates are a traditional enemy of small l5usiness," says Swift, "this survey marks the first time that the GST has been amnong the top three coneerns for small business owners. The state of small and mediumn-sized business expectations as outlined in this survey indicates that there could not be a worse time to introduce such a sweeping tax change as the GST. " Swift adds that it's always signifi- cant when the small business commif- nity becomes pessimistic about the future state of the economy. *"These people are by nature optimistic-a key factor in making this sector the major job creation force in the country, " she says. "Hlow these men and women perceive the state of the economy lias a large bear- ing not only on the future employ- ment situation, but on the health of the economy overaîl." And while it's true that some of the economic variables damaging business prospects-notably interest rates and the exchange rate-are not completely under the control of Canadian policy- makers, there is one important excep- tion: the GSI. A delay of one year, Swift points out, would permit eco- nomic.conditions to stabilize, enable consumers and businesses to become better inforrned about the tax, and allow for the maximum'degree of har- monization between the GSI and provincial sales tax regimes. Business owners are signaling their distress. lt'.s -now- up to the fedéral CFiB FeatureSe success belongs to the Durham East PC Association, who were, and still are, a strong team, and without their help my luck would have been différent.- I have been a Progressive Conservative, but, generally speaking, I neyer took a bard partisan approach to polems. I sincerely made my Judgents, be they on major policy issues or individual constituent concerns, on the lýasis of what would be fair to enhance our community, or assist individuals in the realms of practicalities. I1 would often ask myseif, when 'faced with a problem, "In -what way would I exp9ct a member of parliament to solve this problem?" Often, the answer was not forthcoming and when that was the case, I would seek people's opinion across the riding and, yes, cali upon my spouse for input. As a resuit, I always felt comfortable that my final decision was reached after my prospectives were canvassed, and more importantly, I prided myself in maldng a decision, be it for better or worse. This process takes its toli. Many people I consider as friends often were alienated and their rebuif would hurt me personafly. Alas, a politician does learn te deop aftIcék sidnand I began ne drd the phrase "That's politics." I cannot, in so brief a space, relate te you my-kaleidoscope of political experiences. For me, political experiences really means :'People," because politics is 'people.#$ lIn any event, all of those stories 111l save for the book. In general, let me say that I, attempted te take ail things in good humor, with serious concerns seriously, but *myself, not too seriously. As a representative at Queen's Park, I was proud teplay asmall part in Ontarioes histoiyý. My experiences tell me that minority governments are a balance4 government in which every elected1 representative has. an important stake in the process. If my decisions resulted in some demoralization (for instance, I was neyer succesaful in picing our partys new leader), I would find -refuge in workIng with' my riding. However, recently, even that haven had become fleeting and it' was apparent that political fatique had set, upop1 me. There was no. 'one* particular item that persuaded me te end my political career, .although Kathryn'sreminder te me that when I was first elected at age 28, my oldest son was age on., and now is 15, and that none of my children have known me othier than through political demands., The continued nioteriety, of a local olebrity who is a father and a husband, weighs heavily ini favor of havoc when -one, Mattep te create soniekidnd of famly bife. Hail and farewell te ail of you in Durham East, and I wiil b. looking forward te dealing with people in a différent capacity, at my law practioe. Sincerelyi, Sam Cureatz 1E~~t To thi.e <itor Fairvew Lodge would 1ke te grateffilly acknowledge thd service clubs and other organizations who generously contributed te the f rst annual Summer Fest held Saturday, Aug. 25. The . day was a tremendous success, thanks te, their support. W. look forward to next year's festival with great anticipation. Fafrview Lodge Mainstream Canada Storm warning -ý i a.VLJI i