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Page 6, Whitby Free Press, Wedriesday, January 10, .196 The only Newspaper owned and operated by WhÎtbJ4 residents for Whîtby resîdents!- MEMBER 0F: CANADIAN ONTARIO COMMUNITY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION ISSN#0844-398X The Whitby Free Press is distributed free to 99% of the homes in Whitby, Brooklin, Ashburn & Myrtle as weil as numerous public and commercial outiets in Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering & Port Perry. 28,000 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE Canada $36 + GSI - Outside Canada $85 + GST Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Imc. 900 Hopkins St. /Box 206, Whitby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-611il 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% recycled content using vegetable based inks. cAil written material, illustrations and advertising contained herein is 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 mie to the Whitby Free Press. Marina profitable To thé edltor: 1 write regarding thé article ln Thé Free Press Déc. 13 by Jim Piesi, ta thé effect ihat Part Whitby Marina is a "cancer," a burden an thé local taxpayer and should be sald ta private operators. Mr. Priesrs information is incorrect as thé marina has been a very protitable assél 0f thé Town for many yéars and has contributed la thé collers quité significantly. Thé new boat Iéunch« on thé wést aidéof thé bay off Gardon Street was brgelylinanbcéd fram thé pracééds of théenarina (about $650,000), a use of funds not ontirèly wrse4y spent ln thé opinion af this writer, nor enthusiastlcally supportéd by thé résident marina users whose fées have booncoentinuously increased ta ~sufpport thé many cher facilitiés wich doabse maney and must be subsidized. Due ta bowér fées afferéd by othér marinas, bath public and privaté (aoeording ta parks .départment information) grass revenues wéil dawn somewhat this yéar as some vesséls weré losita this compétition. Profits nevérthéless were stilI appraximaiely $95,000. per parks department Information. To offset thé drap in . revenue in 1995, fées were raised another fivé per 'cent for thé comning year. One would have thoughl that a lowéring of f ees wouldbé oeiled for ta offset thé trend ta shrinklng usage and rétum ta more activity and gréatér profits as beforé. Thé yachting fratérnhy is gradually being pricéd oui 0f thé adMivty as évidéncod by thé failure 0f so many of thé buiders in récent years. Thé vaue af used vessels has drapped drarri -ically as cosis 0f docking and storajé are becoming prohibitive and discourage wauld-bé boatérs. 1Fées for dacking and storing vessels ad Port Whitby Marina, fully cover thé cosi 0f opération and yield a gaod profit. Thé fées èIso ýare thé same whéthér a 'user is a non- by thé", taxpayers. Vêt thé feé structuré Is tiered; ihai is ta say that résidents are chargéd approxlmatéîy 17 per cent less than non-résidents and seniors approximatély 50 per cent léss. There is an inequity hère - thé marina users who are résidents are nal givèn thé sarne considération and thérefore carrying mare than their fair share of thé tax burden, rélatng ta recrealianal faciliteés. Immédiate steps are urged ta correct this Inequity. Alfred Shubert Whllby To the editor: Copyaof letter ta local MVPPs I arn writing ta yau bécause my suggestion ta athers has faléen on d"a ears. As you may b. aware, Go Transit has decided la delay thé firsi train in thé morning fromn Oshawa ta combiné it with thé second train (becausé 0f funding cutbackçs). Aftér haiÀng sent lettérs and. talked on thé phone ta officiais ai GO Transit, it seems théy are not vey sympaihetic ta their custamérs. Thé proposaI is ta start thé firsi train later in thé mnoming (GO doesnt think this will have any major impact). I have personally laken thé liberty of taîking ta sevéral ridérs boarding at Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax and Pickering, théy are ail in agreement that a déiay in thé train méans that several riders, lncbding myséif, will have ta go back ta dniving thé 401. Wé do noi want ta do that (traffic congestion is airéady sévère). GO Transit do noi seem ta reaizé thaï thé 7 a.m. startlimé is now véry papUar with hospital, mainténancs, construction and even office wrlcers. (This is 1995 and thé work day is na longer 9 ta 5). Thé propased 1 0-minute délay wilI cause GO tustomérs ta bé latefor wark on, a .dnily bas'il('h avé wtnéssed Toth dtr,, Listen to people, flot dollars To the edltor: I feel compelled ta réspond ta thé Whitby Free Press article Dec. 20 by Mke Kowalski, 'No mare privilèges for SLM.' AI efforts by SLM (considering thé extrêmne pressure samé mémbérs wére under at théelUmé pnor and during thé 0MB process) were intént upon lnformlng thé public 0f thé qualtyof the Lynde Créek wetland and teh cultural significance of thé adjacent .(Rase Carp.) land. SLM mémbers continued ta bring évidence forward aW thé 0MB ln hapés that thé concerns for W>Mitby's netural and cultural héritage. would be acknawlédged. AI SLM was doing was voicing thé public's concern 0f how we are lasing aur waterfront and aur heritagé. b Town. counail saying they don't wanlta hear f rom thé people by saying théy don't want ta hear from SLM? Native people wéré neyer off Kdally tld of t he plans of subdivision évén though Lyndé Shores covers théewhois spéctrumn of nativ occupation since humnans first éntered Ontario. and 1996 marks 200 years since. thé Mssissaugas were rémnoved from this région. Whèré wvill native people do ceremonies to honor this place? How can Whltby cou *ncil continue to Ignore thé résidents. néd for a natural and cultural waterfr ont? It Is unfortunate that success- Is measured- by thé value of building permits issued. s this really what residents want? SLM. has enriched Whitby. As I speak in the sohools, ibrary anidother community-based organizations, doing spirit stone workshops or creek cleanups, people ask, *why do they have to destroy overythingn People-should know the truth, that this subdivision MiI' encroach upon wildlfe by displaclng it. Nomore Wil deer and coyote co-exist here. Turties MIl fot lay egges on the sunny east bank as they once did. Birds of prey Will have ta go samewhere elsé to lind a field to humt in. If we don't save Lynde Shores f rom having a subdivision encroach upon Its shores, ai leasi we did our best. Develapers target the most sensitive areas, then advertise *at home wiith nature,* while the Town mistrusis and misunderstands SLM and other residénts who act for other than monetary' reasons. There are many heritage. groups, native and non-native, . naturalists and devélopérs watching this Issue, as whal happens hère .iMI set a précèdent for.ail the creek valleys. Politicians -must begin listening more ta people instead of dollars, If measures were taken while the province is selng its land adjacent ta this sensitive creek valley and Lynde Shores. récognized for what Rl Is, pérhaps there would bé a land swap betwèen thé highly pnzed provinoial lands and Rose Corp lands. Dévelopménts that have taken place upstream on the Lynde Creek valley have atered thé natural Sick minds To the editor: The Sunrisé Rotary Club providéd funding to the Town of Whitby ta purchase Christmas lighting for Rotary Park a couple 0f years ago. When thé ights did not appear aftér thé lirst year, we were advised by thé Town that thé lig hts had been damaged and would not b. replaced. As Rotarians, we were disappolnted that ou r project contributing 10 thé community at Christmas time fell ta the hands of a few véry sick people roaming throughout aur parks at night. I noticed this year two of the posts that dispiay the Chrî 'stmas, thème were destroyod. Once again. sick minds are ai work. - cosystem and remnoved thé Lyndé house ta a location where résidents have to pay to see their history. Our town must continue to strive towards a Whitby muséum, and a north/south Ink on the Lynde Creok Valley connecting the Oak RiUdges Trail ta the waterfront trail, as mnapped out ln the 1991 CLOCA mast plan. Rediscovoey for future generations ln a historical natural setting Is worthy 0f not only saving but honouring with longhouse and, loghouse side by, side. Thé wampum boIt shows native and non-native culture evMng together aW Lynde Shores, livng and dying -together ln a battle, in 1812ý for Canada.' Now ,we -ýflndoui thaï Amtenicans wlhave' their way anyway, holding three quarters of thé shares. Putting, this issue ta bed is an attempt ai burying this, issue -forever but bDsing natural habitat and cultural héritage MilI neyer be a déad issue in Whitby, privilèges or flot.* Margaret Cornfoot Whitby No Increase To the editor: Sa Mayor Edwards has invited any cré ative financlal mncis ta step forward wlth Ideas on how to déal with the Town's fiscal cuisis braught on by provincial fundlng culs. There sééms'ta bé no alternative ta user fées and tax Increasés. I. thînk mosi people can -rationalizé acceptable user fées, but tax Increases are not an acceptable alternative. Councllor Mitchell has also statéd thai thèse culs certainly iokad liked tax incréases.' Beforé counail throws ln the towéî and maisés taxes, théy had botter look at thé populations abllty ta pay. if théy thlnk aIl thoso, people walKlng the mail, etc. are on théir day off, they shauld think agaln. If they havé not heard thé expression 'taxéd ta thé limit," they havé mi béeen listéning.< If they havé forgotten that iR was thèse samé folks who votéd for this govémmént, in thé last élection, théy shouki bé rémindéd once more, and if théy thi nk it's easier for us* to dig a Rtie deeper than for thém ta find $1 million ln a opération costlng $32 million, théy shouldthink again.. Every commercial opération ln thé country has had ta, make unpopular, controvérsial and difficult déaisions ta survive^ thèse last féw yéar., The province has made a few and now.il is councillors' turn ta déal with realt and utilize their leadérshilp skIls ln counali in accordancé with thé ishés of thé vatersi which protty well eliminates tax increases. Bob Blrkstt passengers running f rom the train ai Union Station trylng ta gét ta wark on limé). I havé suggestéd léaving thé flrst train as kt is and changing the second train ta thé earliértimre, or, it that's not accptable, arrange for a GO bus ta transport those affectéd ridérs (l'm sure thé numbers would jusiify this). Thé thing that annoyed me thé mosi with GO Transit was thé fact that they did not consult or get opinions fram any 0f théeaflcted ridera. I thought ihis systéin was ownéd by and operatéd for thé people 0f Sauthern Ontario. I also explainéd thai thé people along thé lakeshare liné from Rouge FU11 anward, ai least have thé option of. using TTC. Wé do not. GO Transit was originally set up ta service thé outiying aréas 0f Toronto. Durham Région has alréady feft thé éffect of cutbacks with no daytime service béyond Pickering and lwo increases in fares in récent months. I hope you will be ableé ta help in répresenting us if and when any talks. or conversations corne about in thé néar future. By.thé way, this is not due, ta take efféct until April, so we stilI have some lime ta hopéfully sort it ouI. Back to the 401,9