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Page 6,WIItby'f r "I. ~ s~~ JI '7 io The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby resîdents for Whîtby resîdents!, MEMBER 0F:, Canadian Communit Ontario Community Newspaper Association Newspaper Association ISSN#0844-398X Whitby Whitby Business Oshawa-Durham Home Chamber of Commerce in Action Buiders' Association The Whitby Free Press is distributed free to 99% of the homes in Whitby, Brooklin, Ashbum & Myrtle as weiI as numerous public and commercial outlets in Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax,,Pickering & Port Perry. 28,500 -COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE Canada $36 + GSI *- Outside Canada $85 + GSI Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontaril c. 900 Hopkins St. /Box 206, Whitby, OntarioILiI N 5SI1 Phone: 668-6111il Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pither - Editor Donald G..Hinton - Sales Manager Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newspnnt with minimum 20% recycled content using vegetable based inks. ID AIl written material, illustrations and advertlsing 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 fine to the W hitby Free Press. s *he . so.. AVA flot fair To the editor: Re: Actual- vaiue assessmenît tx reform Now that the reportsare ln, the consultants have been paid off, people are thlnking more about vacation than property tax and the paliidians have but their pratective shieki, the plans for property tex change are 1Intraduced. .Homes are now assessed at a insignificent amount that has litte relation to true worth. This amount is the bass for the proportionate share of tax la ho pald, the ttaliof al laxpayers' payments beîng equal ta the budget set by the municlpality. In some munldipalities, the assessed value le 20 per cent of the real value, ln atiers il mayho 40 per cent. f y aur home le reassessed due 10 impravements, the value wiII tend ta ho higher Ihan a similar home lest assessd 25-yarega. This creates a greatinequalty hotween taxes pald ln a variely of municipalities and even wllhin different areas of the municdpality. AVA le a syslemn where the assessed value le a real amount that the land, buildings and improvements ýare worth on the open market. This value le used 10 d«termine the propartionate share ta be pald 0f the munldipal/reglalnal. budget, the sanie as in the existing system. The major difference le that the value for assesement has a relationship ta real worth, so taxes pald are more fairly essessed within the munIipality and lhroughout the province. As real estete pnices change, a computerfzed sysem adjusts the value for taxation, lncreasing or reducdng It on a yearly basis. Who gains from the AVA tax system? Overaîl, the taxpayer receives a fairer break on taxes in a sYstem that remains flawed. People that have no children and large houses pay a larger shere for education than familes with several children and smaller homes. Old people that have owned their home for many years tend ta pay mo)re tax. As they retire, it may become prohibitive ta keep the home, even lthough they have payed taxes for decadc& aer!h ybaught it.. I. le a better system f'tor local municipalities and regions. As ' the value of homes Increase each year, they cen hold the milI rate steady (no tax increase) and stihI increase the tex they receive., Il le additional to the amounts 'received fram lot levies, building permits and atier tees cherged to new home buyers whose taxes aiea add ta the tax taken in. Il coste the politiciens end bureaucrate nothlng. It will cost the taxpayers, as -the administration and assesement costs are ta be peld by them. The ongoing administration expense MIlaiea ho paid. by the home owner or-renter. Added coste will not ho controlled by rent controls of the present or the future. Buy any persan would ho fooling himself/herself ta, think- that the cost of operating a system wfith yeerly asseesment determination MIl be in any way cheaper than the existing. Uf the most benefit of AVA Is to the municipaJities, why are so many politiciens egainet implementing it in theirs? It Is not demonstratedas a oncemn for the welfare 0f the citizen, so Rl muet, ho a knee-jerk' reaction by people motivated by t he gresp for power.- they gain tram the system, b ut it le good palitical positioning ta stand egeinst iR when it is élear they wfilI loce. When AVA turne out la ho the biggest tex grab of the paet century, the local politicien will ho innocent of suppartlng Rl. We elected these people. The present taxation cystems In this country, the provinces and the municipalities needbërrectian. AVA does nat resuIt in a fair system. ft may be part of the solution, but the rest of it muet ho impased et the came lime to get everything righl. Part of the solution is no solution at ail. Donald Young Ajax Toit support To the editor: We wuld Ike ta take this apportunity 10 lhenk the public. and the management o? the Kendalwaod plaza and the Whitby MaIl for their generous suPport for the Uons' Toîl Day. Their cofltjlued *andi gen rous support le greatly apprecwed. Ulons Club of Whltby To the edtors Where are the tacts?> To the edîtor: Paul Pagnuelo of the Ontario TaWpaers Federation needs ta stop following the Iead of aur uneducateci minister 0f education, John Snabelen, and include same research along wih hic statements about Onlarios education system, as reported In the Viewpoint column in the JuIy 10 Free Press. Research shows that education ln Ontario is aplong the most inclusive ln the wôMrld. In other wards, Ontadans- have successfully labbied for ail children,- including those not wecoeme ln school systems in other countries, not only ta attend schaol, but also ta particopate in testing and ather activities fràm age two (for, chikiren who ar e'hearng lmpalred) ta age 21. In oCher countries, particularly during international tests, as many as 35 per cent of student populations were excluded' tram participating in tests ln aider ta boost reparted scores. Gerakdine Gàillss, a director of the Canadian Teachers' Federation Research and Information Services said: *It seems ta me that one of the problems ln aur socsety le not how Iterate students are, but how literate, politicians and media are. Al 100 oten bath show a tendency ta jump to conclusions based on limiting reading and oversimplified dala.u Ontario and Canada have recelved hugh rankings on United Nations' and other measures for qualtyof Ifle, havlng cities which attradt world business interests,' being inclusive, and being safe. Provinces and counitries do not croate these successes. People do. Many 0f the people in Ontario who have worked ta create safe, dlean, inclusive and financially successful enviranments have been educated in aur school system. Research shows that Canadian business spends less on training >workers than any industrialized nation in the world. In other words, il Is not the training done by business which contributes ta aur suoeess, but the headstart given ta chikdren in aur schools which paves the way toward a saciety of self-directed, critical thinklng problem-solvers. Pagnuelo goes on to make statements about school trustees. He obviously didn't read a previaus article 1 sent ta The Free Press that listed the kinds of school board sharings, and.,cost savings which have been ongoing around this province. Simply by calilng the financial officers ln 10.boards, as 1 did, resulted in lists to long ta pnint. The facis are there for anyone who would Ike bo take the Uime ta learn abouit the great stops -that are belng taken-by echool boards ta effildently Manag0 funds School trusteWs respansiblltes are aisa taa numerous ta autlne In this letter ta the editar. In Durham and nelghbaurlng boards, experlence shows (takdng June as a sample) thae they attend meetings at least lwice a week whlch run tram- 5 p.m often unlil il p.m. and then speak at schoal graduation exercises an the oCher nights. As communication is their main funiction, they are available an the phone WI ail haurs. They meet listen and respond ta parents, taxpayers with no children ln schools, students, boards of education staff, superintendents, the media and alher paliticians during any lime they have available. They offer warkshops ta patential school leadership candidates in order ta prepare them for school administration. They- are inserviced - about finances, curriculum, technolagy, educatioýnal * pra 'clice, ethnaculturaîlsm, anti-violence and assessment ta just mention-.a few areas about which they must be Infarrned before maklng decisions that determine aur educational directions. They are members of the public who believe that educatian In Ontario must continue ta provide wel raunded services, at a ime when global economies are chipplng away at educational programs and at job apportunities for aur graduates and their families. 1The Durham board, particularly, educates and expects echool administratars ta participate in meaninglul business -and communlty partnerships. ýA long.,Est :of these suoeessful 'links' forged bO ur elementàvy and secandary sIools avallable through the board office. - We, ln. educatian, continue ta do the best that we can for every child. Cali a trustee. Offer ta valunteer ln a schoal. See the difference we al mâke tagether. Maret Sadem-Thompson Vice president Federatlon of Women Teachers',AssociatIon of Ontario To the editor:- Re: 'There'll ho no- apology,' Free Press, July 3 COpyor leter ta Mayor Diamnaend Oshawa councilîlrs I am writing ta register my vehement apposition to yaur recammendations that Oshawa absorb Courtice and Whitby. 1 have been a proud Whitby resident for the lest.elght years and I am recpectfujlly requesting Ihat yau eallow my Whitby mayor and counaillors, whom I1 elected, ta speak.'for me in this matter.. Yau are mkitken In your belle? that reduding taxes le the only lhing that metters ta, those 0f us who live In Whitby. Did y au reed that 97 per cent 0f aur lovênspeople rejected the notion o? jalning the GTA, that we lke aur smal-to!wn character? When councillor Patticary 'sald, nAjax and Pickering shauki be joined. How do yau tell the difference between the, lwa?," did he ask the townspeople? l'm sure they could have informed hlm. Our decision ta move ta Whitby was driven, not by taxes, but by such. thînge as the respect aur tawn has for perservlng aur hlstarlc buildings and aur henitege;- by- the- care aur planning department tekes that aur buildings, large or smalî, homre or business, preserve Whtby's beeuty and charm; by, provldlng. plentitul -parks'.for.aur chldrin 10 play In; by refusing ta clutter aur streets with huge, unsightly signe; by the tact thet aur streets are plowed. Many emil thinge, 1 agree, but they're proof Ihat aur counat>llrs pay attention ta detail, somelhing that's possible wlth a smail own - ike ,Whitby. ltre commilment and 'prde eand community we wanted when loaklng for a home. That's eamethlng money cen't buy. I'm sure yau feel Ihet -bigger le. better. ltrs not. Toronto Is blgger. Ire aiea the reeson we moved ta Whltby. 1 thought my fight with the Golden report and the GTA was anly wlth Toronto. I see that 1 was mistaken. Empire-builders ive rlght next doar. lm with Clarngton's Mayor Hamre* ln saying, VYouWv got a heIl of e nerve " Yau think that amalgamation 'iýll save money, a hard-to-prove assumptian. Happinees Ir? bought with friends and family and a happy home, with a feeling* of community. Whitby has thaï. Some advice for yau, as you are poNtciens who depend on re-election - pleese leave Whitby- alone. lt's obviauc ta me that yau don't have a good read an the lowncpeople here. We like ta ho repreeented by aur politiciens and 'ta feel that aur opinions malter. For that reeson, I wouldn't ho interested in becoming part of Oshawa. I lhink youd be out of yaur depth. Mayor, Edwards speeks for me. Pleese Ucsten. Ileather O'Connor Whitb - -I Leave Whitby alone