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www.durhamregion.com THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, OCTOBER 8, 2003 PAGE 7 The race for a Clarington regional councillor seat Jim Charlie Arnot Schell Trim Wotten Charlie Trim is a part of the team on Clarington council - .1.Charlie Trim is running to retain his seat on council for Regional Councillor Wards 3 'and 4. He supports expanding Taunton Road to four lanes through Clarington. " The Statesman has askeil the three regional councillor candidates 10 questions on issues that will have to be addressed in the coming term of office. Watch for their responses on Wednesdays leading up to the Nov. 10 municipal election. Clarington elects two regional councillors, one each for Wards 1 and 2, and Wards 3 and 4. Jim Schell has been acclaimed. Do you feel it's important to extend Hwy. 407 all the way to Hwy. 35/115? With the continuous and projected population growth within the GTA and surrounding areas, the 407 expansion expansion to 35/115 is now critical. Clarington Clarington is situated in the heart of the transportation corridor along the north shore of Lake Ontario. Are you in favour of widening Taunton Road to four lanes (plus turning lanes) all the way from the Oshawa-Clarington border to Hwy. 35/115? Should Clarington taxpayers taxpayers share the cost with the Region for such a project if it means it will be constructed much sooner? 1 supported the motion to expand Taunton Road to four lanes through Clarington. The necessary municipal roadwork required to undertake this expansion would be costly for the municipality, thus its share of the project. project. Does Clarington belong in Durham and the GTA or would you rather see the municipality linked to N<)rthumherland;County? k - • "■ ti\: ' As growth continues throughout the GTA, areas such as Clarington have more in common with neighbours neighbours to the west. The list of core services services are very similar throughout the populated areas of the GTA. The tax dollars to move Clarington from the 0TA to the east would be extremely high. Some of the towns and villages in Clarington believe they don't get a fair shake when it comes to services and the spending of taxpayers' money. How can you assure all taxpayers taxpayers are treated equally? chase such land to ensure public access access in the future. What measures will you take to try to keep Clarington's delicate rural- urban balance in place for years to come? What measures are necessary to " mprove public transit in Claring- ;„ d link the municipality with 1 f the region? " Public transit is always HUG I lUiTqgton's cautious solid WED. OCT. 15 A cl1, its Partnership ds and gradual ex- Consignment Sale ,t Creek and Orono Household items, Cl we il- p lanned and ".tract 0 ;a^-muchmorr service. The September September 2003"launch of the GO and special student passes points out the teamwork of municipalities along the lakeshore. Clarington has a solid mixture of rural and urban areas which require constant attention. Clarington council has been quite aware of the different needs in all parts of the municipality and in the budget process has addressed addressed many of these needs. Has Clarington properly developed its waterfront? What would you do to encourage more - or less - development? development? This council has given priority to acquiring the right lakefront property. Council has and will continue to pur- Our official plan must continue to provide council and all citizens with a guide to proper development. With the municipal and regional official plans, all of Clarington will be served. Should Clarington be trying to make a bigger splash on the international international stage. Win or lose, can the International Thermonuclear Experimental Experimental Reactor (ITER) bid be the start of better things? As the need arises Clarington council will play an active leading role whether on local or world issues. The ITER project has given Clarington Clarington world attention and proven that our mayor, staff, council and community community partners are qualified to work in partnership with upper levels of government government within and outside of Canada. Canada. Would you be willing to go ahead with a major sports/entertainment complex if Oshawa does not proceed proceed with its fledgling plans? Clarington has created a solid recreation work-business plan which is well under way. When opportunities knock, council must always be prepared prepared to explore financially sound and needed projects. Why should Clarington voters choose you on Nov. 10? It's essential council be composed of active, accountable, proven leaders willing to work as a team in order to best serve the citizens of Clarington and Durham Region. I have been such a team member and leader. Charlie Trim campaigning on his experience After six years on council, Charlie Trim is hoping his experience will get him elected for another three. "I feel that with my experience, leadership as a volunteer ftjy many, years in Clarington, work record in , management decision making.. .wij^; help me continue to make wise decisions decisions on behalf of the public," Councillor Councillor Trim says. Mr. Trim was first elected as Local Ward 4 councillor, then as Ward 3 and 4 regional councillor, the position for which he is again running. running. He believes that a leader must be active, accessible, involved, accountable accountable and able to work in a team environment. Some of the important issue he says are facing his ward at the regional regional level include growth management, core services like highways, policing and transit, and how tax dollars are spent. Making sure infrastructure and services grow along with the community community is a concern as well. Mr. Trim retired from Goodyear Canada three years ago to focus on his regional post. Married with two children and two grandchildren, he lives in Newtonville. Contact Mr. Trim at 905-623- 3379. Elsewhere in the region... Challengers attack Oshawa Mayor's stand on downtown arena Two-hour debate focussed solely on merits of plan BY MARTIN DERBYSHIRE Staff Writer OSHAWA - Plans for a new downtown downtown sports and entertainment complex took centre stage Monday night when Oshawa's five mayoral candidates had a chance to debate the merits of the project. project. While each candidate tried to make it clear their support for the idea of building building a new rink to replace the Civic Auditorium, Auditorium, just how strongly Mayor Nancy Diamond is behind the plan was called into question. Early in the two-hour event at the CAW Local 222 Hall, Mayor Diamond reminded the crowd of almost 200 that council had unanimously supported ■moving forward with the new arena. She indicated council had designated downtown as the preferred location and had asked consultant Jonathan Hugged to prepare a draft request for expression of interest this fall. However, as the evening went on, several candidates attacked the mayor and some members of council's com mitment to see the project come to fruition. "Council started out by removing our signs. Then, at the last meeting they said they wanted to work with us and just a few hours later they were voting against letting us collect signatures for our petition at the Civic," said mayoral candidate Ed Kowalcz.yk, also the vice- chairman of the community group fighting to see the complex built. "We don't know what's what with this council." council." John Gray, current Ward 2 Regional Councillor who is running for mayor, said the latest attack on the committee's campaign is a clear case of "a lack of leadership at the top." He says Mayor Diamond has created a situation where City staff are forced to throw up "roadblocks" to the project. But, Mayor Diamond reiterated her position there is no secret battle against the group's campaign to see the complex complex built. She says staff is simply doing its job enforcing the sign bylaws, "Staff is working under council's direction direction to proceed towards a new building," building," she said. "Every provincial candidate candidate had some of their signs taken down too, our bylaw people are just enforcing the bylaw." Conn. Gray suggested Mayor Dia mond would show her true stripes and kill the project if elected. And, while Mayor Diamond stood on her track record claiming she is delivering delivering the $38-million north end recreation recreation complex, she was again criticised by Conn. Gray for not originally supporting supporting the $60-million debenture for recreation facilities that will pay for the north end complex and a part of the new arena. While Coun. Gray said the mayor should not take credit for a project she voted against, Mayor Diamond said that is her job. "No, 1 didn't want to borrow the $60 million and put that burden on the taxpayers, taxpayers, but when there is a majority vote at council I have to support that position," position," she said. "That's what I've done." Mayoral candidate Michael Clarke said when it comes to financing the new rink, he would like the City to avoid entering entering a public-private partnership or raising taxes. He said the project can be built with local fund-raising, $17 million of the recreation debenture originally set aside for Civic renovations, and whatever provincial and federal dollars there may he available. "I don't agree with a public-private partnership in this case because I don't want to see a private company taking advantage of what we've built," he said. Coun. Gray seemed to agree, adding that naming rights, club seats and private private boxes can help with the cost of the new building, But, Mayor Diamond said the City is "short on dollars" for the project and needs to seek private investment rather than rely on sales for boxes and naming rights, the kind of numbers she said "have no basis in reality. "I want to make sure council proceeds proceeds in a rational way," she said. "We have to ensure the City can afford to do this thing." Mayor Diamond also said with 2,100 municipal parking spots downtown, parking would be one of the biggest issues issues in planning the construction of the building. She said people in Oshawa will not want to walk several blocks from municipal municipal lots to the new rink and will not want to pay more than the price of admission admission to the game just to park. Mayoral candidate Darlene Hovland suggested parking in downtown should be free. "We need to move those meters up to places where the rich people are, like Wal-Mart and the Oshawa Centre," she said. "Give the poor people a break." People power will be what shapes the future Residents can impact development decisions BY DANIELLE MILLEY Staff Writer CLARINGTON - People in this municipality must decide just how developed developed they want the area to get, according according to Clarington's director of planning. Development is a constant topic at council chambers, whether it is the latest latest big-box store or a new subdivision of homes - and with development comes growth as clearly shown by Clarington's jump from 60,000 people in 1996 to 75,000 today. David Crome, Clarington's director of planning and development, said if people don't like the current rate of growth, they need to speak up. "The community has to decide what sort of future it wants and the comniunity needs to speak out on whéthér it wants ' Clarington to grow rapidly, slowly or not at all," he said. With the land currently designated for urban use in the Municipality's official official plan there is room for Clarington's Clarington's population to eventually reach a top end of 140,000. Mr. Crome did say growth has slowed with the number of building permits hovering around the 750 mark per year for nearly a decade now, down from a high of 1,400 in the late 1980's. One way Clarington is trying to curb urban sprawl is by encouraging .multi-residential units such as town- houses or apartment buildings. Mr. Crome said those opposed to growth need to make their case when the official plan is in preparation. As Durham Region prepares its official plan, which will lay out growth for the next 20 years, residents can voice their concerns to councillors who will take the message to the region. "The Municipality will have a big impact in the Region's official plan," Mr. Crome said. One group with a vested interest in seeing growth slow down are farmers as rapid growth and development eats up farmland. "Unless there are really.strong policies, policies, development tends to be relentless relentless and moves out to the easiest land to develop, which is usually farmland," Mr. Crome said. But the concerns of farmers do not fall on deaf ears. In the latest term of council the Clarington Agricultural Advisory Committee was created, a signal to farmers the Municipality is listening to them. "That was superb," said farmer Dave Davidson about the creation of the committee. "It gives us an idea of what planners arc doing and we're able to lobby." Mr. Davidson has been raising cattle cattle on his Hampton-area farm for more than 30 years. He is a member of the advisory committee, as well as the regional regional and provincial cattlemen's associations. associations. He also has a farm in Scugog. Through the advisory committee farmers are able to work together with the planning department on smart planning decisions. "We're doing a lot of work with the planning department in saving farmland farmland and making it easier to farm," Mr. Davidson said. According to the 2001 census there were 529 farms in Clarington and the industry contributes $208.2 million a year to the local economy. Besides saving farmland because of its importance to the local economy and because so many farms have already already been lost in southern Ontario, Mr, Davidson has another reason he wants his farm to continue. "It means a lot to us," he said. "It's a way of life."