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Cause for Concern For the next few months, keep your eye on the western side of the Durham Region. Indications are that this is where most of the policital action is going to be as Durham enters the 1980s. The development of a community called Seaton containing 75,000 to 90,000 persons is scheduled to begin in 1982. And the Province of Ontario which would develop the community is already doing the advance work that is needed to make this new city a reality. The installation of a new city in the North Pickering area would not likely have happened had it not been for the proposed-'onstruction of the international airport at a site in Pickering. While it appears as though the controversial airport is dead at least for the time being plans to build a massive housing and industrial project in this area are very much alive. You don't have to be a particularly astute observer of the game of politics to realize that the development of North Pickering is probably the biggest issue that has faced the Durham Region during its short history. By funnelling development into the community of Seaton, the Province of Ontario is setting the pace for development in the Durham Region during the rest of the century. One can easily grasp the Province of Ontario's reasoning behind proceeding with the development to the east. First of all, Ontario, through the Ontario Land Corporation (OLC) owns 21,000 acres in Pickering. Purchased at a time when there was a grandiose scheme to develop a community of over 100,000 alongside the new international airport the land has been lying fallow through most of the 1970s. Naturally, the Province of Ontario could be criticized if it did not act soon to either develop or dispose of these landholdings. The new community in Pickering would put about 7,000 acres of this property to use. It should also be noted that development close to Toronto may be preferable at this time in order to keep the population of that city close to its centre of work and recreation. With high gasoline costs, it's unlikely that we will see as many commuters living in the country and travelling to the city in cars each day. Another advantage to development of Pickering is the fact that it would make use of the massive York/Durham underground servicing system Together The weekend train derailment at Mississauga represents a small scale disaster, at least by Canadian standards. Amid fiery explosions, evacuation confusion, and a looming threat to human life caused by burning toxic gases, it was refreshing, though not surprising, to hear news of how Canadians came to the aid of one another. Many families were billeted in alternate quarters such as school auditoriums and churches. Though they were anxious to return to familiar surroundings, some people good naturedly compared the experience to a giant slumber party. While firemen fought around the clock to control propane gas fires and worked toward the ultimate goal of removing the number one hazard which was a potentially dangerous tank of leaking chlorine, the victims were unselfishly attended by those unaffected by the mishap. Large grocery chains supplied food. Service organizations helped in various ways, supplying vehicles, i which have recently been completed in the Pickering area. However, from a local political point of view, the development of the Ontario Land Corporation's holdings in Pickering may be a bitter pill to swallow. When you develop the Pickering area it seems as though you cannot help but upset the balance in the Durham region from a political point of view. Instead of Oshawa serving as the main centre of Durham, the Pickering area will no doubt become equally important. And a huge population in Pickering will be centred on not the Durham Region but the City of Toronto with further economic and political consequences. Finally, if new industry and housing in the Region is centred in North Pickering, what will this do to the development expected in nearby municipalities such as Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax and Newcastle. To put the issue a little more bluntly, will development of industry and housing in Bowmanville, Newcastle and Orono suffer because of the Provincial Government's efforts to locate a massive development in Pickering. It is true that Seaton would not be built in a day. It is a long range project which would begin with a few hundred homes in 1982 and continue for the rest of this century. But there is only so much growth which can be expected in the next 25 years. If development here were to just stand still as a result of the growth in Pickering, perhaps things wouldn't be so bad. But it appears to us that we could actually lose industry and residents as a result of the Pickering project. What would happen, for example, if local industries were lured to industrial parks in the Seaton community because of provincial incentives or because the area is so much closer to the Toronto market? Furthermore, it is possible that residents who live in the Town of Newcastle and commute to Toronto may decide to move closer to their jobs and choose to live in the new Pickering development. If this should happen, the development of Seaton would be a backward step as far as the Town of Newcastle is concerned. We could have a small- scale recession on our hands. If development is localized in far- off Pickering near the rim of Metro Toronto, then where does that leave the r'emainder of the Durham Region? Only time will tell. But the prospects do not look encouraging. n Tragedy blankets, coffee, etc. Doctors and nurses donated their medical expertise. Ambulance and fire departments offered emergency equipment and volunteer staff. In a nutshell, Canadians responded. While Alberta's Premier Peter Lougheed holds his own country over a barrel in connection with his province's oil resources and Premier Rene Levesque threatens Quebec's separation from Confederation, when the chips are down, Canadians pull together. Seeing an opportunity to even the score for what they consider years on the short end of the country's stick, these provinces are putting the squeeze on their own countrymen. It's sad to think our reputation as a unified nation known throughout the world for our conservative and equitable approach to any given situation could become tarnished. Compared to some, we are a "fat cat" nation and this comfortable Turn to Page 6 Michelle and Friend Brutus GAR and SPICE Retire or Not STo be or not to be? Retired, thit is. This is the question that many codgers of my age or near it grapple with in those lonely dark hours of the night when you've had too much coffee and can't get into the ravelled sleeve of care, as Shakespeare put it. Or get to bloody sleep, as some of his less flowery countrymen would put it. It's a question that has also stirred a great deal of agitation among sociologists, medical reporters, and old guys who are healthy as trout and are about to be kicked out at the age of sixty-five with a speech, a copper watch, and a pension that will have them eating dog food by the time they are sixty-eight. It used to be a gold watch. Not no more, not with gold hovering around the $400- an-ounce mark. In fact, just the other day, I dug out my father's gold watch, which was given me on his death by my mother, because I was her favorite., I have never worn it, because I don't wear vests, and it's a big, heavy brute that must be slipped into a vest pocket. You can't wear it on your wrist, or put it in your hip pocket. It's as big as an alarm clock. I took a long look at it, and if it hadn't been Sunday, might have hustled down to my friendly gold buyer. But Roots, or Conscience, or Common Sense, took over, and I sadly put it away again, with such other memorabilia as my war medals, my hip waders, and a fading picture of my first real girlfriend, in a box in~i basement. Roots told me it was a precious symbol that should be passed on to my eldest son, of which I have only one. Conscience told me it was a rotten thing to do. And Common Sense ' told me that there was probably about one-eighth of an ounce of gold in it. I am, however, holding in reserve a broken tooth with a gold inlay. When I came back from overseas and was discharged, I was given a form to present to my own dentist, listing the dental work to be done, at government expense. He was a typical WASP. He looked at the list of work, which was quite extensive, after a term on short rations in prison camp, and laughed. "Ho, ho, Bill. You don't want all that gold cluttering up your mouth. This was signed by a French- Canadian. They're great for gold in the teeth." If that dentist is alive today, I would be quite happy to strangle him. I went along with him, while noting his prejudice, and instead of having a mouthful of gold, I got one littie inlay. "If he'd followed directions, and counting the teeth that have been pulled, or fallen out, or broken, my mouth would have been worth about $4,000 today, instead of maybe $6.00. Well, this hasn't much to do witlr retirin&g;ihich we started on away back 3e, but it does show what inflation can do to a man. What about retiring? I look around at colleagues who have chosen early retirement, or who have been forced to retire because of that magie, arbitrary number, 65. Some are nappy as hummingbirds and swear they would not even put their noses back into the old shoe factory (high school). Others are miserable, plagued by illness and a feeling of being useless. The latter drive their wives out of their respective nuts, hanging around the house, getting in the way, edging into senility. Thus I waver, I thought some years ago that I would soldier on until sixty. Surely forty years of work is enough. Then I am swayed by my father-in-law, who recently retired at eighty-six, and my wife, who can barely stand me at home for a weekend. If we lived in a decent climate, I'd probably be retired and happy. There's nothing I would like better than to saunter down to the square, play a game of chess with some other old turkey, drink a little vino, and watch the girls go by, with cackling remarks. Try that in the local square, and they'd be carting you off to the last resting-place, frozen solid in a sitting position. Why don't we all give up, we old gaffers? You know why? Because we are not old gaffers at all. In my chest beats the heart of a fifteen- year-old maiden (who has been smoking since she was two.) In the old davs. we'd be retired, happily playing chess or shooting pool, because our sons would be looking after us, and bur wives would feed us well, and know their place, and our daughter-in-law woud e producmg hordes of grandchildren to light us on our way. These days, we are still looking after our sons, and our wives are avaricious and spoiled, and our daughters-in-law are already separated from our sons and not keen on having more than one and a half children. Oh, I keep my staff on its toes. One day I announced firmly that I'm going to retire next June. Their faces light up and they say, "Oh, chief, how can we get along without you?" Another day I say, "Well, haven't decided yet. What with inflation and all, y'know.. . " And their faces drop into feet, and they say "that's great, chief. How could we get along without you?" And I smile. To myself. I've finally figured out the solution. Retired men, unless they have some insane hobby, like making rose trellises, drive their wives crazy. If my wife will sign a written agreement, duly witnessed, that she will go out and get a job (she once was a waitress, shouldn't be any trouble) the moment I retire, Ill do it. I don't wait her hanging around the house, spoiling my retirement. By Donna Faire y Setting is Ottawa's Sherwood Forest, time is the present and the actors are our federal Doliticians playing the roles of Robin Hood and his band of merry men. As the fable tells it, Robin's motto was "take from the rich to give to the poor." His maxim is appealing only if you happen to be on the lean side of the phrase. The next question is what level of wealth constitutes "rich." Is it Howard Hughes rich or is it just being well heeled enough to drive a new model car each year? The Sherwood Forest gang have decided if your income exceeds $35 thousand, you are indeed in an affluent racket. Robin, Friar Tuck and the rest of the boys are seriously toying with the idea that those who fall in this "rich" category should no longer receive a familv allowance cheque, better known to us mothers as the baby bonus. Obviously, Maid Marion was never consulted on this campfire discussion or she may have told Robin that giving to the poor is a fine idea except when it involves sacrificing a principle which reflects on the rich. Despite their admirable intentions, Robin and his merry men could be tripping precariously close to a socialistic precipice. Though it's an elementary deduction some famifies have a greater need for this monthly cheque than others, that's hardly the point. We are all Canadians and citizens of a "glorious and free" country. You're doing it all wrong, Robin! The rich don't benefit from the baby bonus anyway. Since family allowance became a taxable income, the cheque- is little more than so much paper work for those in high income brackets. Although they receive their family allowance cheque like everyone else, at year end theirs goes right down the income tax tube and back into government coffers. Now, why would the gang in Sherwood Forest want to upset such a balanced applecart? Not content to alienate the Arabs and Israelis, Robin and his men are daring to antagonize a large chunk of Canadian motherhood. A spokesman for the band of do- gooders contends the restructuring of the baby bonus system to exclude the rich is a step toward a more even dispersal of funds to its electorate. Maybe I can't see the forest for the trees but to legislate the "rich" into a category which subsequently leaves them with less privileges than the guy next door seems like a blow to Canaaa's free entierprismg system and equal rights. If Robin and his band push this one through, somebody in Sherwood Forest better be prepared to yell "timber." Our "rich" population may come out swinging some pretty heavy lumber if they feel their rights as Canadians are being trod upon. Hike the tax on hiquor and cigarettes or offer tax breaks to the marginally economic population but don't tamper with something as traditional as the maple leaf or Mom's apple pie. You might do well, Robin, to put this family allowance arrow back in your quiver and research another target. SMALL TALK