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';gr., 1, S I odojSI , baenboW aam9 ,~ y. ldrW Page 6, Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, October 12, 1994 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents! MEMBER OF: COMMUNITY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER NEWSPAPER " ASSOCIATION E : ASSOCIATION CANADIAN CIRCULATIONS CNA DIVISION AUDIT BOARD ISSN#0844-398X The Whitby Free Press Is distributed free to 99% of the homes in Whitby, Brooklin, Ashburn & Myrtle as well as numerous public and commercial outiets in Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering &Port Perry. 27,00O COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE Canada $32 + GST - Outside Canada $75 + GST Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Inc. Box 206,131 Brock St. N., Whitby, Ontario LIN 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Out of town: 1-800-668-0322 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pifher - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20%0 recycîed content using vegetable based inks. e All wrtten materlal, Illustrations and advertising contained herein is protected by copyright. Any reproduction by any means for commercial purposes wthout the express permission of the newspaper is prohlbited and is a violation cf Canadian copyright law. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution should bear a credit fine to the Whitby Free Press. e she dior. Where's the vision? To the editor: With the municipal election day a mere four weeks away, this community has hardly heard what they should be hearing from the two candidates running for mayor. So meek and timid were their announcements for running for office it sounded like a run for student council. There are thousands of people and millions of dollars involved here and I for one would appreciate leadership and vision to make Whitby an appealing, comfortable and safe place to live. If I were running for mayor, the following would be my platform: 1) Work with the business and land owners of downtown Whitby- and downtown Brooklin to create a theme and style to attract shoppers, tourists and new business. There is a serious threat to the viability of downtown shops with the expansion of the 401 and the development of the 407 such that Whitby could fall victim to random urban and retail mail sprawl as seen to the west of Toronto. 2) Save the Lynde Creek marsh. It just does not make sense to have h laid out to be victimized. The soon-to-be-passed Bill 613 may be of great use here. 3) Change the face of new communities being built in Whitby so they are more people-friendly. To look down a street and see only garages butting their big noses out is not friendly or appealing. Maybe back alleys or wider lots need to be encouraged to tuck those garages away. Whitby is getting too large to have centralized community centres. Developers should contribute a community hall along wth their new neighbourhood. Community halls provide an opportunity for activities for all ages. I especially see a benefit for teens, such as those who seemed at such loose ends this past summer. 4) Develop a formai 'large tree' preservation and replacement program. The Byron Street fiasco was unforgiveable at the time and cannot be repeated. The large trees are an important part of the character of both Whitby and Brooklin. 5) This town needs to become pedestrian-friendly. More walking and cycling paths with safe pedestrian corridors for crossing streets are in order. 6) Study f lows of traffic neighbourhood by neighbourhood. And with your neighbours, figure out what speeds, crosswalks, sequences of stop lights, stop signs, yield signs and enforcement you want. Yes, enforcement will be there. 7) Problems with ice? Build two more pads at Iroquois Park. Four pads make economical use of ail the staff and equipment needed to maintain them. The Town could break even or even make money for other projects. 8) And last but not least, accept criticism for what it is -- an opportunity for improvement. Citizen participation and feedback are vital irgredients to the smooth running of a town. Upgrade the central library? Renovate the Centennial Building? These are inevitable projects. Where is the leadership? Where is the vision for this town? W. Keith Paynter, MBA Whitby Appreciated To the editor: I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the participants who contributed goods and gift certificates for the Oct. 2 silent auction in support of Whitby General Hospital. Thanks also goes to those who attended the event and to regional councillor Marcel Brunelle who sits on the hospital board and who helped with the auctions. Lynda J. Buffett Candidate for Durham Centre PC nomination To he di.r.9 Another mistake To the editor: I am writing this letter to express my belief that the people who made the decisions to build a dense subdivision in the perimeter of Lynde Marsh have demonstrated total disregard for nature. These wetlands and the sensitive areas surrounding them are extremely important to our ecosystem. As nature's way of filtering the water, these disappearing- wetlands can no longer protect our beaches, streams and creeks from pollution. Our excuse for the dam'ae we have inflicted on this planet in the past can be attributed to ignorance. We did not realize the chain effect one mistake can have on everything around it. But what is our excuse now? This area was investigated in 1988 and a report was filed by the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Area informing the Town that any development in the perimeter of Lynde Marsh would have a devastating effect on all animal and plant life. I realize that the population is expanding and, as a mother of two young children, I know that we need to secure space for their future. Building a dense subdivision in the perimeter of Lynde Marsh is not the way to achieve this. There must be an alternative, let's learn from our mistakes and not repeat them. Our job is to foster these special places that nature provides us, not abuse them. They are not only beneficial to creatures *that rely on the natural environment for their home and breeding ground, but they are instrumental in Distressed by plan To the editor: As a resident of Whitby and a concerned citizen, like many others, I am distressed about our marsh land (the only marsh land that Whitby owns outright or probably will ever own). Destroying the marsh for high density development housing should no longer be an issue. It should not be tolerated to even consider driving over or killing harmless little creatures of our hometown marsh. Holly Rickard Whitby creating the air we breathe and the water we drink. This issue is obviously important to everyone, not just the citizens of Whiby. After ail, many Canadians worry about the depletion of the rainforest in South America. I was shocked to learn that government representatives can proceed with the development of this subdivision and deny that there will be any damage to the marsh and its inhabitants. My grandparents built their home and raised their family here and when t came time for me to do the same, I chose to live in Whitby because of its charm, character and wealth of pristine areas, but I am af raid we are slowîy losing these. I hope that my children won't have to pay a high price for the mistakes that we have made, all in the name of progress. Crystal Dawson Whitby To the editor: Copy of letter to Don McKay Clerk, Town of Whitby Dear Mr. McKay: The proposed Lynde Shores development raises crucial issues concerning development and land planning use in the municipality of Whitby. There are significant differences in opinion between members of the community, Town council and the proponents of the development on the nature and the approprnateness, of the proposed development, whether it is in the public interest and conserves natural resources. Save Lynde Marsh and many other residents believe the proposed development is not in the public interest and will not conserve an important natural resource, because of the environmental impact on Lynde marsh resulting from the scope, location and nature of the development. Because the matter of Lynde Marsh is of prime importance to residents of the whole town and because of the great number of unresolved questions and concerns concerning this matter raised at numerous Town council meetings, it is the opinion. of SLM that, pursuant to Part 8 of the Municipal Act, the people of Whitby should be given the opportunity to vote on this important matter by way of a referendum during this fall's election. We request therefore that you ask council that the following questions be added to the ballots: "Are you in favour of the proposed Lynde Shores development? If not, are you in favour of preserving the Lynde marsh area, currently slated for development, as part of a nature sanctuary?" To meet the deadline for 'a referendum in the fall election, we respectfully ask that council, at the Oct. 11 council meeting, make their decision regarding the referendum. Johanna M. Tito Spokesperson Save Lynde Marsh" A done deal? To the editor: An open letter to Durham Centre MPP Drummond White Re: Financial questions Lynde Shore development Dear Mr. White: I could get into a lot of rhetoric about the environmental disaster about to take place adjacent to the CLOCA lands which provide a major staging area for migrating birds on the north shore of Lake Ontario. However, I will not make further mention of environmental concerns. My question to you is strictly financial. Taxpayers, in my opinion, are entitled to know what kind of deal - has been struck between theRose Corporation and the province. A brochure delivered to my door is identified as 'Whitby Lynde Shores Community News, Issue 2, Fall 1994.' It contains the following: The three principal developers -- the Rose Corporation, the government of Ontario through the Ontario Realty Corporation (ORC), and the Re ion of Durham -- had all submitted plans for their respective lands, etc. It sounds like a done deal to me. Could you give taxpayers some details of this deal? Richard Woolger Whitby Referendum wanted aboiut