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r r-M- -Pag ý,» tbe-Frpq IOWÃ"Wday.,Mahî30, 1114 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whltby residenits for Whftby residents! MEMBER 0F: ONTARIO CANADIAN COMMUNITY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER @IA NEWSPAPER ASOCIATION Er ASSOCIATION I~ CANADIAN CIRCULATIONS CNA DIVISION AUDIT BOARD ISSN#0844-398X 26,500 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Inc. Box 206, 131 Brook St. N, Whitby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Toronto Line: 427-1834 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pif her - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20% recycled content using vegetable based inks. 0Ail wrtten materiai, illustrations and advertising contained herein la protected by copyright. Any reproduction by any means for commercial purposes without the express permission of the newspaper is prohibited and is a violation of Canadian copyright law. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution should bear a credit lune to the Whitby Free Press. , so h eo. DBIA no benefit to Athol St. business Not 50 "ree"99money Ontr ?rexpayrs Faderation Infrastructure. When you hear it mentioned, what's the first thing that cornes to your mind? What's the second? For most of us. government infrastructure projects mean asphait, concret. and steel -- as ln new raads, sewers and bridges. t aiso means money. Big money .-.lots of it. Something that none of aur gavernments have much of taday. Throughout Ontario, municipal politicians everywhene are running around like five-year-olds lot lbase in a candy factory. l's a d rearn too good to b. true. Ater ail, this is municipal election yerin Ontario. And f or Premier Bob Ra. and his battered NDP caucus sitting at the bottom of public opinion polis, the countdown is also on for the next provincial election. For mast politicians, the last three years have been far tram pleasant. But because i's election ear, everybody's on their best Thanks to our new federal povernment, there's a silver lining in the dark storm cbouds overheadi. Far those paliticians who fig ured this is the year they'd f inally get the boot tram public office, it could bu their polit ical salvatian. Their maglo solution ta turning around a cnanky electorate lies in the much touted $6 billion federal Infrastructure prog rani. The Waest spending frenzy is ta bu f unded equally by fedleral, provincial and municipal governments. The push is on ta divert our attention fnom the hard choices that should bu made, ta making us feel goad again about ourselves. t's back ta the aid ways of doing politics. The promise of jobs, jobs, jobs ail created by governimenl. The promise of no new taxes. Thot age-old practice of -,anning us with our own money and that of' aur children and grandchildren has been resur- ected from the ashes once again. The wishlists are so long, they're enough ta make even poor old Santa go dlzz. For the purpose af piigthe election pump. the dfnit ion* of infrastructure hs taken on a whole new meaning. ht includes everything tram new trade and convention centres, ta new subway lines, arenas, baiiparks, municipal offices, you namne il. ln fact, if you look hard enough, you'II prabably even find the kitchen sink has buen thrown in someone's priarlty lisi around the province. For many ai the smaller municipalities, local reeves and mayors are doinq a lot of head-scratching, trying to think up ways of spending aur money. Even though many of their plans are stili pretty foggy, one thing is for certain. T he so-calied Ifree' money won't go unspent by anybody. What's particuiarly aiarming about the whole situation is the tact that all levels of governiment are telling the public that none of this is gaing to cost themn an extra cent in taxes. In quiet whispers, they usuaily add the caveal -- "at least not this year.0 Because none of themn coilectively have $6 billion sitting in the bank, masi plan ta pay for their share by either cutting spending elsewhere, drawing on reserves earmarked for.other proj ects or by borrowing ... in sorne cases aven a 30-year periad. And once safety back in off ice for anather tern, taxpayers shouid not bu surprised when, ail of a sudden, the hype of no tax increases is found ta b. unsustainable. The great infrastructure plan. Polit icians who buy into it are like reformed alcohoiics who just felI off the wagon. Opinions expressed are those of 1ho author. The Whîtby Free Press welcomes letters to the editor on any subject of conoer to our readers. Letters should be bief and to the point - rarely more than 300 words. Ail letters must b. acompanied by the name, address and telehone number of the writer. However, on request. your naine may be wthheld trom publication if we agree there is a vald reason. The newspaper reserses the right ta reject or edt ail letters. Send to: The Editor, WVhitby Free Press, Box 206, Whitby, Ont. LON 5S1, or drap through our mail siot at 131 Brock St. N. To the Edîtor: We are the owners of a small business on At hol Street in Whitby. Thraugh this, blng and depressing recession we have worked hard to ensure the success of OUI business. Hard work, goad com mon sense, and listening ta the needs of aur customers, has seen us through some difficuli times. Our dearest wish 18 that our duly elected counicil wilI listen to what we have to say regarding the Downtawn Business Improvement Area. Our DBIA contribution each year is a mer. $250. We agre. that's not an exorbitant aniaunt. However, on the DBIA special promotion days in the downtawn cor., our business drops off considerably. In other words, Iess dollars find their way inta aur tili, with the result we are actually, paying out (according, taaur estimates Of cash f low) in excess of $1.250 per year. This we find a bitter pili ta swalaow, as our extra DBIA dollars, are supposed to b. promnoting al af the, DBIA taxpayers. W. have no quarrel with the merchants on Brook Street, indeed we ho pe these special promotions bring in losof extra revenue for them. If our business was in the true downtawn care we might benefit from this extra tax, but as it stands right naw, we are not, and furthermore we f eeî wre are beirig ignored by bath the board, and the council wha elected them. It was depressing last week ta read the samne aid dogmatic rhetaric tram Mr. Hogue regarding aur response ta their questionnaire dealing with the amaunt of budget the downtawn merchants wanted for the upcorming year. This earless binkered attitude has ta stop. We were not coerced inta signing any petitians, but as aduts did sa willingly, knowing full well the brick wall we have faced regarding these important issues ta the busnesses on the perimeter of the taxation area. Indeed, Shirley Scott picked up aur questionnaire, a f ull five days before it was due back at the DBIA office, and we are grateful ta her for doingso. W. fear this unseeing attitude towards the majarity of OBIA taxpayers who requested a temparary abeyance of this tax, is in essence a personal vendetta against Gene Peacock, who has been a t home in cauncil's sie for some time now regarding this part icular issue. I attended a meeting in February in the council chambers, and according to Mr. Mitchell one of aur illustriaus councillors, he gives no menit ta, petitions. Sa it appears a case of shut up and do what you are told, Big Brother knows what Is beet. According to Mayor Edwards, he was instrumental in 1978 of intîoducing and gettlng passed the municipal bylaw governlng the downtown business association. This, as we see it, is part af the stubborn unseeing attitude of this cauncil. Nathing is written in stan., and please don't tell me that yau To the Edîtor: This is an apology ta 1h. persan or pensons unknown that walked up ta my car in my diveway aven the weekend af Manch il ta 13 and faund it unlocked. 1 am sorry. When yau opened the unlocked door and lifted oui my briefcase, I am sorry i tempted yau. Yau carried my treasured briefcase ta Willow Park and there opened it, as i had lefI it uniocked. i arn sarry. Vou then, with patience, studied every piece of paper, but there was nothing of warldly value ta yau. I am sonry. Then yau threw the briefcase into the waten in the park so i would hot know wha you are. I arn sonry. 1 arn sarry you did not knock on KflOW what is best for the downtown businesses. Hf you were at al sincere an that Issue, you would not eleot onta Uthe DBIA board people who are not even business owners in Whitby. Couldn't sommae for once in this potitical morass of today have the guts or initiative to stand up f or om mon ses and decency. We thank you for the opportunity to air our views. K.thy McCrory DManne Raynsr The Old Country Tsaroom Economic committee silO needed To the EdItor: Re: 'Mayor's ecanomic devebopment committee, Some memburs question their rote,' The Free Press, March 23. During the 1991 election capin ln which I ran as a cadiat for mayar, I conceived of the idea ta establish a committee of prominent Whitby businesspeaple ta work throug h the Mayo's office and bring forth ideas ta help the Town attract new industry and jobs. With mass merchandising becoming more prominent and the diversity of technology within the Region, I cauld se. reasons which might cause a radical change in how the Town penceives its econamic growth. The Town had ta work hard ta bring in measures ta protect aur established entrepreneurs. It was encouraging that the Mayor, following the election, brought in a gnoup of competent people ta sit on that committee. I do nat understand what couid have gone wrong within the committee ta cause a possible concern with its raIe of advising the Mayor who would, in turn, channel the information ta the econamic deveiopment director for research and eventual prospects. We do- need a strategy for the nineties and i would urge the econamic deveiopment committee ta, continue with its raIe or cite new directions in which it could help. Last year, the economic develapment directar was in Las Vegs on behaif of the Town, ok ng for prospects for business groth.Maybu soon we can receive an update of the resuits tram that trip. Gerry Emm W hitby my door and explain ta me that I live in Whitby and I should lock up evenything so I don't tempt you, ar your associaI es. A v.ry sorry 20-yoar rosident of Whltby Wm. A. Stahlbaum Thanks To the Edîtor: The Holy Famuly Hockey Association would like' ta thank Whilby-area businesses for t hein support. Because of their generous donations, aur 'annual fundraîsing dance was a great success. Jo-Anne B.ntley Dance commIttes chair Apology to a thief Viewpoint