The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

the HERALD Editorial Wednesday August Home Newspaper of Hills Established 1866 A Division of Canadian Newspaper Company Limited Georgetown OnUno L7G sue script ion K ROBERT MALCOLMSON Publisher and General Manager 8772201 COLIN GIBSON Managing Editor DAN TAYLOR Manager A thorny issue To borrow quite liberally from the Bard to develop or not to develop that is the hydraheaded question which will be facing Hills voters when the November municipal elections roll around As witnessed by the responses from those citizens polled in this weeks Herald Community Forum featured below development is a thorny issue with hidden barbs which can prick the skin of the unsuspec ting or naive and leave scars on a community which might never heal Is development a boon or a bane To a community it can expand the tax base and ease the burden on the resident taxpayer Commercial development can also provide jobs in a community always desired and can also attract new residents These new residents and commercial developments in turn can similarly benefit a community on a strictly monetary basis More tax revenue flows into the community govern ment coffers and at the same time local businesses benefit with more people willing to buy local wares There is a downside however and it is on this issue that the majority of the antidevelopment crusaders adamantly stand their ground To a certain degree they have an arguable point Unplanned or poorly planned development can radically change the character of a community for the worst it should be noted One only has to look at the mess that is referred to as Bramalea for a prime example of development gone awry However properly conceived regulated and super vised development can enhance a community to a degree where it not only retains its historical roots and sense of character but adds immeasurably to the con ception of what a true community catering to all within its environs should really be about With the municipal election on the horizon the future of Halton Hills should be discussed and those running for elected office should be required to answer questions relating to this concern If they cant provide answers dont waste your vote If you dont want to ask the questions and demand answers move to Community Forum Is development needed in Halton Hills Eve Martin Speyside I think we need more nice affordable housing not row houses but something that looks better A lot of people really need it these days Debbie Titus Georgetown I think Hills needs it but 1 would prefer to keep Georgetown as a place with a small town at mosphere A smaller place is nicer for the kids to grow up in Tom Georgetown Careful wellplanned develop ment is needed Affordable hous ing mixed in with other developments is something that could work well if done proper ly- Terry Hardman Georgetown No I grew up in a small town and Id like Georgetown and the area to stay the way it is Peoples Forum Disappointed with town visit Dear Editor My childrens annual visit to their grandparents in Georgetown is always a great week for both kids and grand parents alike I wont bore you with the details of their exciting week but 1 would like to pass on some thoughts regarding one outing that was not so happy On August my children were taken to the community high school swimming pool for an afternoon of public swimming Shafted by town Dear Editor A while ago someone wrote in about the lack of ball fields in the area and the recreation director wrote back saying they are ade quate I suppose it all depends on how you look at it I play for the Radical Car Club in a slopitch league in on Satur days We are supposed to have the park every Saturday for the season If the Town does book it for a tournament our league is supposed to be rescheduled elsewhere at another diamond thats suitable The Town has taken July Aug and Aug 17 Our league doesnt play on long weekends and the only date they gave us another field was on the 17th of August and the Held there is not large enough for adults That means our league last played on July 29th and wont play gain until August 17 in a park that isnt fit Our league pays for the park but we get shafted every season by the Town in a similar manner as this I would like to see our league re imbursed by the Town for Satur days we didnt play because they couldnt schedule the diamonds properly Imagine the whole league shut down for a month because of it Sounds pretty ade quate to me Bill Maveal Radical Car Club Baseball Team and Georgetown TntcrPlantSloPitch During their swim my son age 13 had his threeweek old expen sive running shoes stolen plus a gold chain and a purple LA Lakers basketball team hat I guess its a sign of the times but I dont think it makes it any easier to understand nor do I in any way condone it What really confuses me is how these kids can still pass the stolen goods past their parents Do parents not ask where did you get those new shoes hat or gold chain I guess the biggest message I take from what happened to my son that respect for others and their belongings is long gone amongst many of todays kids teenagers and adults So remember when you go out in public dont leave anything around you value because it will disappear almost before your eyes Signed Disappointed Jeff McKechnie PS This is not meant to con demn all kids only to point out that times really are changing Crossborder shopping not helping Canadians Dear Editor I dont quite understand why Canadians are shopping in the States as opposed to here at home Has the Canadian consumer ever taken the time lo think that retailers are the very people who hire their children hire lawyers computer programmers mechanics brokers and freight companies to name a few They also plug their money into adver tising agencies buy media in newsprint magazines radio and TV pay corporation business and realty taxes for their business establishments It does not stop here They pay business insurance for all locations vehi cle insurance inventory in surance and in most cases a high rent to the landlord This is just a small piece of the pic have a great idea Why doesnt the Canadian public wake up as to how their wage would drop if employed in the Slates and how without medical costs would skyrocket It is so ob vious that it is much cheaper to operate a business there what with the tax structure and other expenses being less financially draining than ours I really feel sorry for any small business retailer to have to put up with all of this undeserved negative stress With business closing daily due to low consumer spending surely we should be supporting local businesses rather than helping shut down their doors for good It is a myth that owning a retail business will make you wealthy Most owners I have spoken to are barely able to pay their staff let alone themselves They are drained physically mentally and financially As more retailers are forced to close because they cannot pay their bills it will have a negative affect on many other businesses families and government ser vices Have you ever heard the ex pression What goes around comes around Think about it A Concerned Citizen Crazier Georgetown Write us a letter The Herald wants to hear from you If you have an opinion you want to express or a comment to make send us a letter or drop by the office Our address Is Street Georgetown Ontario AH letters must be signed Please include your address and telephone number for verification The Herald reserves the right to edit letters due to space limitations