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j By Mike Kowalski Ontarie government cutbacks have Whitb~ officiaIs scrambling te deal with a $433,000 biew te, Town coffers. Tewn council met behind closed doors Monday te consider its o?tions in ligeht of the pro- vinoe s slashing of funds te the municipality. Although hie would not com- ment directly on what was dis- cussed-during the meeting, ceun- ciller Dennis Fox said it dealt with the government's financial restraint program. As a resu it of measures con- tained in Iast month's provincial budget and other cutbacks, Fox said council le now faced with a deficit of at least $433,000. Also, this figure will almost eranyincrease when the full impctof the government's social contract legilation is known later this summer, hie added. (As part of its efforts to reduce the province's deficit, the govern- ment intends to eut a further $2 billion in spending by reducing its annual $43-biliion payroll coste (Pblic sector unions have until Aug. 1 to age to contract concessions or tfh e government will impose them on Ontario's 950 000 public empioyees.) Although ne deinie decisions on how to cope withlewer pro- vincial dollars have been made, council must decide soon, Fox said. He insisted ceuncil stili han «no plans to raise taxes" and that it will exploreother areas. In a speech to council last month, Fox, this year's finance chair, warned Whitby residents to prepare for.a possible reduc- tion in municipal services and more user fees. This may be the only alterna- tive te raising taxes, he said. Fox accused the government Monday of downloading its finan- cial problems onto municipalities by cutting transfer payments and the social contract leg sa- tien. The impat wii1 be felt at the local level, either through higher taxes or fewer services, Fox said. "The public should be phoning their provincial representatives to compflain," he said. 2-ye«Zar-old boi's death iestigated An autopsy was te, have been performed yesterday te doter- mine the cause of death of a two-and-a-half-yoar-old boy in Whitby on Monday night. In responso te, a 911 caîl, at 9 p.m. ambulance officiaIs trans- e rted Wayne Hudson from a ihlAve. apartment buildinf te, Oshawa General Hospita, attempting resuscitation along the route. Tho boy was pronounced dead on arrivai at hospital, and the parents were notified. Police say the bey was being lookod after by a 29-year-eid man. It was reported that the boy had drownod in a bathtub. "Thore's ail sorts of speculation around,» said Durham Regional Police Staff Sgt. Sandy Ryrie, who said he wouid net mako further comment pending further N charges have been laid. COL. J.E. FARE WELL Public Sohool stu- dents put -ail that hot air ta good use in a 'pingpn bi one af the many games at thesýchai's play day iast -Friday., The object of the game is ta 'biow away' your competitian by biowing the bail ta the CherI side af the table. Photo by Mark Reesoi', Whltby Free Prese Devloperupsetwith coimcil over plan for Brooklin growth ByMike Kowalski Alocal eveloper le upset ovor hie treatmnent by Town offliciais for oppoeing couniplsfe future growth near Brooklin. Bill Little dlaims a 200-name petitien, which demande that measuros te protect downtewn Brooklin be incorperated into Whitby's new official plan, should have been discussed at last weekes Town council meet- in stead, the pétition and a letter from ULt-Je which stemmed fremn a recent public meeting he or ani*edili Brookiin, were deerred t a future council ses- sion by Mayor Tom Edwards. Edwards did net permit ceun- ciller Don Mitchell te discuss the letter nor comment on the meet- ing wkich ho and councillor Rose Batten both attended. Edwards insisted hè was merely foliowing procedure in net allewing Mitchell te s peak since Little's letter had ony ben received that day. Te allow discussion wouid have given Mitchell an unfair advan- tage as most of councîl, including himself, had net read the letter, Edwards teid The Free Press. But while anr that Edwards prevented Mitchell fromn speak- îng, Littie le livid that the mayor "mnisrepresented" hie position on the sub:ject during an earlier council meeting. IàttIe charges that Edwards stated on May 10, that hoe (Little) was satisied with the outcome of a private discussion between himseif, tho mayor and Batten, held in responso te Little's con- cerns about the officiai plan. Little eaid hie feelings about the plan, epecifically a consul- tant's report which addresses Whitby's future commercial neede, rernained unchanged fol-- lowing tho meeting. Little was still worriod that extensive commercialization of, the Brock Street and Taunton Road area will detrimentally affect both downtown Bro.klin and downtewn Whitby. Edwards' commente, combined with the Town'e failure to, deliver a supposedly promised report which wouid address his con- cerns, foroed hlm te hold the Brookiin meeting, Little said. Edwards, howevor, donies Lit- tio's charges, claiming he only stated that Little "undorstood the Town's position, but did not agree with it. The object of Little's and other Brookiin rosidents' concerns ie a report adopted by council in March. The 'Commercial and Central Area Strategy' prepared by M.M. Dillon Ltd. will ho included in Whitby's officiaI plan. (An officiai plan is a document which specilles land use policies in a municipality. Whitby han been updating its existing plan the past three years andis expected te complete the proces by Nevember.) According te the Dillon report Whitby will need an additina 3.01 million sq. ft. of commercial floor spaoeby the year 20 11. Deducting pending applica- tions, designated develepment commitments and vacant lande, there is 1.6 million sq. ft. of floor sace remaining te be assigned byp 2011, the report states. YAlthough the report makes severai recommendatiens te meet thîs need, two p reposais in parti- cular have both Ltte and Mit- chell concerned. The study suggests designaLt. ing Brock Tanton as a mai commercial area with 400,000 Sq. ft. of floor spaoe and permittin4 iUp te 150,000 sq. ft. of commner. cial floor space in Brooklmn, eut- side fthe vil age's downtown area. At the March meeting, Mit- chell azýgued unsuccessfully againet the recommendations by claiming that dovelopers would bypasa Brooklin and down)tewr Whitby in faveur of the outsida areas. Little, whoe Whitby develop- mente include Pearson LaneE and the rofurbished Brooklir. Miil,, concurs. As a resuit of council's deel- sien, he wrote letters te arecE newspapers outlining biseobjec- tions. The letter prompted Batten tk respond te Lttils concerns durý ing the May 10 council sesior and led te, the meeting betweer Little, Baýtten and Edwards. "I receved tremendeus baéku; from my letter in the papers; Supiou No plans to raise taxes to fight deficit