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Townhouses approved for Cobi site By Mike Kowalski A residential development proposed for the former Cobi Fooda canning factory has cleared a. maor hurdfle. Town council's p1anig and development committee recomnien9edappova Mondlay of a 125-unît townhouse complex on the Brock Street North site. The development, if endorsed by council next week will be slfightly smaller than the original proposai submitted by Cobi Foods Imc. almost one year ago. That proposai called for a 165-unît development consisting of 109 townhouses and two garden-style apartment buildings containing 56 units. But as about 30 neighbouring hoxneowners learned Monday, the original submission was revised due te comments area residents made during a public meetinglast December. Cobi Fbods bas filed rezong and official plan aniendinent applications for te 10-acre property, south of the Canadian Pacific rail lime. The rezoning would allow townhouses on the site of the former food processing plant and warehouse wbich bas sat vacant since it was losed by the company nearly four years ao While Cobi Fodsis the applicant, it intends to sell the property to a developer. Vthough comiittee members and most of those in attendance agreed that the revised proposai was preferable te the original, concerns were still raised about the project. Suse Eggert of Dunlop Street noted that Canadian Pacific is opposed te residentiai development near railway tracks. She asked how committee could support the application while turning down a previous proposai for an apartment building near the Garden Street tracks. Councillor Ross Batten, committee chair, explained that there were differences between the two proposais, plus a third application for housing near the tracks south of Burns Street. Although the outeome of ail three applications was different, the Town's plnnn department supported ail three, Batten notedanin SEE PAGE 20 1k il Il ONE 'GANGBUSTER' of a cookbook wili be sold by players on the Whitby Dundas Centre Guardian Drugs major atom AAA hockey teamn as a fundraising effort, with some proceeds to go toward food for needy familles. Above, players are shown around a 1932 Ford Coupe supplied by Fawcett Motor Carniage of -Whitby. Cookbooks, $10 each, can be ordered by calling Charlene at 430-6975, Kaye at 436-6157 or Denise at 430-2569. Photo by Peter Tombiln, Whtby Free Press Pharmac ists upset over Town drug plan By Mke Kowalokl A cost-cuatting move involving the drug plan for Witys muni- cia employees bas upset some' loalpharmacists. As of Nov. 1, ail ernployees whose benefits are paid by the Town, bave the option ofjýur- cbasing some types of duafo a mail order drug war0o ein Toronto. The move is expected te save the Town an estimated $10,000 te $15tOO0 if the majority of its approrimately 500 management, union and non-union workers enroîl in the new prograrn. Although employees are not obliged te participate, pharma- cists fear that cost advrantages of the prograni wilI attract most But while they may sufer Borne financial loss, pharmacists say that is net their main con- cern. They are worried that the employees' medical needs will net be adequately met by the new supplier. As a result of changes te its group benefits programi, which were prompted b the Ontario gevernment's social contract legislation, the Town recently contracted witb MediTrust Phar- macy, a direct delivery prescrip- tien service. Medirust will supply «main- tenance' drugs te Town employees at a lower cost te the municipalty andrecipient. (Maintenancedrg are those required for permanent or long- terni aictions such as thyroid conditions, wbereas antibiotics, for example, are for temporary problems.) Medirust can afford te pro- vide the cheaper service due te lower operating costs than tradi- tional pharmacies. But ]Richard Granville, owner of Whitby Clinic Pharmacy, asks, 'çSit what cost te the patient?» Granville. readily adinits that bis profession is worried about the "financial threat» posed by comnpanies such as MediTrust. <Foma pharmacist's perspec- tive, mail order represents a financial threat,» said Granville. «We (Ontario Pharmacists' Association) have formed cern- mittees te deal witb it," ble said. However, that is net their major concern, Granville insiste. «Aside frem the financial aspect, we feel there is a dis- advan tet it that would affect thc atent,»he said. <Tee is a strong case the pharmaceutical needa of people won't be met by mail order." As Granville explained, people often run eut of their medication on weekends. 'The law allows me te give them an emergency supply until I can contact their docter. What will mail order de?» be asked. "I work on a face-to-face basis, I know the . eple who corne in here,» Granvlle continued. "I can advise tbem te see their doctor. When will mail order fit tbem inr .Although the MediTrust plan is optional that fact is net speci- fialy spelied out in a letter to Whitby employees frem Town administrator Bill Wallace, Granville notes. «For the Healtb Plan te realize the projected savings, it is essen- tial fer your co-operation in pur- cbesng rugstbrughMedi- Trust- Pbarmacy," Wallace ME PAGE 9