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4 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, January 3, 1979 Editorial Comment Ring in the New Year Another year is now underway, Courtice residents, or the reporter following a holiday season that was misquoted him and took his remarks filled with joy and celebrations for out of context. Frankly, we suspect many and sadness for others who the town manager by now has found themselves arranging probably told him that as a staff funerals for loved ones instead of en- member he sbould leave the political joying Christmas and New Year's comments to members of council. If festivities. he hasn't we'll be quite surprised. Probably the most successful This year will see many im- event of the New Year's period was provements along King St. with the the Holiday Star Telethon to raise Annis building restored and the funds for Cerebral Palsy, and in On- Stedmans store back in business at tario for Participation House projec- the old location following the c9stly ts. Those who watched the 20-hour fires that put them out of business program over either the Global net- last year. Probably a new Imperial work or on Channel 7 would probably Bank of Commerce building at the agree that it was well done with MC corner of King and Temperance will John Ritter doing a masterful job get underway soon now-tbat mostof over the entire show, aided by many the present tenants have found new excellent performers and commen- locations. Possibly too the second tators. The fact that more than $11 stage may be started at Bowman- millions were pledged speaks well ville Maîl, adding theatres locally for the well organized project. In On- and more retail outlets. We may see tario citizens really opened their ,other developments in the commer- hearts and pocketbooks, con- cial and industrial field because tributing $1,070,118 with more than there are several projects waiting to $40,000 coming from Durham region be approved. And once the new alone. Congratulations to the sewage disposal plant is completed, organizers and volunteers from this this community may again find it- area. self in an expansionist atmosphere Now we head into 1979 with the instead of a stagnant situation. economists arguing whether it will Frankly, we are looking forward be a good one or bad economically. to a good year for this community We'll know who was right a little and its residents with loads of-in- later on. Locally, controversy con- teresting items that we shah do our tinues at the Town of Newcastle best to bring to readers in our news whether or not the planning director columns. Let's be optimistic and was out of line in remarks he made make the most of the months that lie to an OshawamTimes reporter about ahead. The Good Guys are sWhlt inning Faster than a speeding bullet, a new movie is capturing the attention of viewers in North America. The movie is a straightforward story about the forces of good and evil and it features that famous man of steel called Superman. Chances are that you have already braved those ridiculously long lineups to see the movie and if you haven't seen it yet you probably will in the near future. You will find in Superman a very engaging, humorous story. As you watch this movie, you will discover no great truths about the meaning of life on earth and no vital issues are discussed. The story is a very simple one about a man of steel who can leap tall buildings at a single bound. So, where is the attrac- tion in Superman? The answer to that question has a lot to do with the way the movie has been promoted and advertised. But you cannot convince someone to watch a boring movie no matter how good your marketing or advertising techniques might be. It seems as though modern films, thank goodness, are going back to the simple values of the good story containing ingredients such as old- fashioned suspense and romance spiced with humor. With Superman and other similar movies, the emphasis is on enter- tainment with larger-than-life heroes taking up residence on the screen. A trend like this in' the cynical 70's appears to us as com- mendable because it seems as though our culture needs hero- figures whether they are Hercules, Ulysses, Flash Gordon or Super- man. Too long, the arts have been rid- dled with anti-heroes. These creatures, with their personality problems and other flaws amounted to characters who were smaller- than-life. In the Superman story, the hero has hardly the slightest shadow of a self-doubt or emotional problem. He's the personification of everything that is good and just and truthful and if you are going to have heroes surely that's the best kind to have. Perhaps, in a nutshell, the public is lapping up the newest creation of the film world because for once, the good guys are winning. That's an encouraging thought for the beginning of a new year. Investigates News Article Dear Mr. James; An article appeared in the Oshawa Times on December 21st, 1978 with the heading "Courtice's Bad Legacy, and Pioneers to Blame." Needless to say, this article caused members of council great concern and a number of telephone calls were received from citizens. I immediately drew this matter to the attention of the Town Manager and asked him for an investigation. Council members were informed and approved of such action. I have a report from the Town Manager addressed to members of council and myself which I am for- warding to you to have placed in your newspaper. Yours very truly, Garnet B. Rickard, Mayor. By Albert Guiler, Town Mgr. Following the appearance of the article in the Oshawa Times on Decemoer 21st, 1978, regarding comments supposedly made by the Planning Director several calls were made by members of COUN- CIL AND THE PUBLIC REGAR- DING THESE COMMENTS. Since the appearance of this ar- ticle a thorough discussion was held with the Planning Director and I find that in fact Mr. Kristof did grant the reporter an interview which lasted approximately one and a half hours, during which time the bulk of the discussion was regarding the Cour- tice Heights Subdivision Access problem. The Planning Director also stated that he got involved explaining basic planning theory and planning problems in areas which started to develop on urban fringe areas before full planning controls were applied. The article which appeared in the newspaper does not reflect the comments made by the Planning Director because it was drastically Here we are staggering into another year, and nothing done, not a single resolution made. Ah, well, I don't believe in resolutions anyway, except for the fun of breaking them. A man does the best he can, and all the well-intentioned resolutions in the world won't make him do any better. Looking back over the last year, I find it was much like any other: ups and downs, topsies and turveys, ins and outs, sideways and backward, no real progress but no real retreat, either. My son managed to survive another year among the pirrhanas and pythons and poisonous snakes of Paraguay. He is now a graduate masseur and acupuncturist, hoping to make enough from his new trade to come home for a visit, after five years. I can hardly wait for him to arrive. My teeth and hair are still falling out, my arthritis is giving me hell, I have a bum back, and I could use a little free massage and acupun- etury. Even though I'd prefer a masseuse. And an acupuncturess. My daughter lurched from one crisis to another, as is her wont, but managed to chalk up another degree and charm or weasel her way into a job as a high school teacher, after six months of dearth. Any year, or any decade now, she won't be expec- ting handouts from the old man. Dear Sir, I am writing to you with respect to the new Hydro increase which is to take effect January lst, 1979, as I am sure that the citizens of Bowmanville do not realize just what is happening. My hydro bill is sent to me in January which is for hydro used during the months of November and December. Therefore, the bill that is given to me in January will have the new increase even though no hydro has been My grandboys got a year older, survived various fatal diseases, acquired some very colorful ex- pressions that I cannot repeat, and elicited from one beleaguered baby- sitter the statement that they were the worst kids she'd ever tried to handle. The Old Battleaxe and I battled it out for another 12 months, lost a lit- te skin here and there, each won a number of skirmishes, but neither won a decisive battle, and the war goes on, sometimes cold, sometimes hot. We had a great trip to Europe that lasted three weeks and cost me so much that I won't be able to retire until I'm 83, at last reckoning. Everything went up again: in- surance, taxes, heating. And ever- thing else came down: snow, ice off the roof, the Canadian dollar, the confidence of the Liberal party, branches off my big oak tree, and the number of years left to live. It was a year like any other: fraught with terrors and horrors and pain and misery and depression and loneliness all over the world and in our private lives. But also replete with simple joys and sudden hap- piness and special moments and over-whelming love and occasional peace. Wonder what '79 will be like. Heck, I don't have to ask. I know. It'll be the same as last year, only more so. consumed on that bill àfter the effective date. My primary concern is that in the Town of Bowmanville, hydro bills are sent out in two different months. I receive a bill for November and December in January with the new increase, while the other half of the town gets billed in February for December and January. The other half of the town does not receive the increase for November but I do. As my home is electrically heated, I am deeply concern- abbreviated and comments were taken out of context and some of the quotes reflected by the reporter were misquoted and in particular "Pioneers to Blame." The Planning Director also states that he did not mention any ratepayers or any members of coun- cil by name. The reference to Coun- cillor Cowman's appearance before the Ontario Municipal Board was strictly the reporter's own commen- ts. The Planning Director feels that the way the article was written is ed. This is not the first time this' has happened. Two years ago, I was busy building my house and had a lot of heat loss. The hydro increase was a whopping 20+ per cent which came in March of '76; my bill was a shocking $402. Here again hydro used in January and February, none in March, was billed at the new rate effective March lst, '76 Not having the time to bother last time it was forgotten. However, this time misleading and he is very apologetic to the council and the public for creating such havoc. In the short time Mr. Kristof bas been staff he has assisted Council in solving many planning problems in the municipality. Throughout my investigation, I ascertained that the. Planning Direc- tor did not express any policy statement, because it is a standing rule in this municipality that policy statements aremade by council not by staff. My two rotten old rusty cars will be even rottener and rustier, and I'll have to buy a third-hand turkey to replace them. My students will be even thicker in the thatch than this year's crop, and Il have to reach even further into the well to try to motivate them. There's only so much water in that well. Then it turns to mud. So be it. My wife will go on thinking that listening to her worry about her daughter, her son, her brother, her father, her grandchildren, her sister-in-law, are more important than my reading the paper. My grandboys will go on being a source of utter delight and utter despair to me, sapping my strength at the same time as they give me new life. My pay will go up six per cent and inflation will go up 13 per cent. So IL stop eating beef, which is hard to mangle with a partial plate anyway. 'll make about 800 decisions. Based on past performance, 738 of them will be wrong, according to my wife. She will make 400 decisions and 400 of them will be right on. My son will wind up with a total of $24 profit from his new profession and wire me for air fare home for a visit. I'll lose a few more chunks of my corpus. This past year it was a few teeth and a piece of nose. In '79 it could be anything: gall bladder, 1 went to see Morley Watson of the Bowmanville P.U.C., who could not give me a complete answer, and accordingly he set up an appointment for me with a Mr. Glenn R. Broom- head, Consumer Service Supervisor. Mr. Broomhead explained to me that if I consider the length of time between billings which was 22 months. Then the other half of the town must be billed at the same rate for 22 months. Mr. Broomhead admitted that two years ago I was "shafted ", but doesn't seem to think so this time. Further- more, he went on to tell me the increase is not and will not be as bad for at least 10 more years. Mr. Watson who was also at this meeting suggested another method of billing which was to pro-rate. I asked why this wasn't donc and Mr. Watson said they would have to up the rate a little more to pay to have the computers changed. I asked how much it would cost to change the computers and he replied approximately $800. If this is so, why don't they set the computer up this time so it will be capable of pro-rating liver, prostate, or other unmen- tionables. I've got lots of parts. The ice will back up on my roof this winter, and crash through the new plaster on the living-room ceiling. I'l tell my wife it's a mercy we weren't sitting there when the roof came in. The picture tube on my TV will expire right in the middle of the Stanley Cup final. I'll hustle over to my neighbour's. My daughter will be fired from her teaching job for making certain ac- curate, but colorful remarks about the ancestry of the school superin- tendent. I'Il tell her she was ab- solutely right, they're all the same, and send her money to assuage the loss. I hope you don't think this is a pessimistic column. I am never a pessimist; merely a realist. That's life, and that's the way the bright new year will go. People are scared of another big hike in the price of oil. Not me. Energy crisis? We don't have one. If all the politicians in Canada were laid end to end, they'd produce enough hot air to heat every house in the country. See? It's simply a matter of at- titude. Think of the worst things that could happen in the New Year. And they probably will. But you can cope with them. Have a happy. without any additional cost next time? A lousy $800 is peanuts when you consider the cost of the Wesleyville Hydro plant which I hear could be shut down permanently in March. I still disagreed with the' way things were being done and I left it at that. A few nights later I was thinking about what Mr. Broomhead had said. If people stopped to consider the 22 months of my rate and compared them with the same 22 months of the other half of the town's rate, they would see I would have to pay two months at a higher rate than they do. So to me this is not fair, and I think if enough people complained, it might not happen again. Yours truly, John Geboers. Dear Editor: On December 6, 1978, I commented that I felt the procedure used in allowing Walter Beath to cast a tie-breaking vote for himself as Regional Chairman was in error. I also stated at that time that'l would confer with tnose who voted for me as to what action should be taken. Notwithstanding the fact 1 sought and obtained a legal opinion that the procedure used was likely to be declared invalid, and notwithstanding my personal willingness to proceed with an action, I shall not be doing so. The reasons for this decision are based on the position taken by a minority view of my supporters in that some could not guarantee continued support if the action took many months to obtain a decision. If the decision was in my favour another election would have to be held. In the absence of a commitment of complete support which would be necessary if another elec- tion were held, and consider- ing the time, potential disrup- tive effect on Council and the cost involved. this action is not being undertaken. I will. however, be pressing the Provincial Government to re-draft Provincial legislation prior to the next Regional Chairman's election in an effort to restore true democracy to our elections. Alderman Allan Pilkey Snow Covered Gravel Pit Sugar and Spice Another Year