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6 - Orono Weekly Time. Wednesda.April 22, 1998 Grand opening at The Wooden Carousel Councillor Troy Young cut the ribbon at Clarington's newest business on Saturday morning. Burt and Sandy McDonnell have laboured many years getting their century home ready for this venture. The century home "Rosevath" at 905 Reg. Rd. 42, features a gift shop of hard crafted pine fumishing, period reproduction, folk-art, custom woodworking & restorations and home enhancement tours. Burt and Sandy are joined by their children Jordan and Brittany. Staying, In Touch John O'Toole Durham East MPP Do we belong to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)? This question has been before us for most of the past decade. There have been local referendums and polls taken on this subject over the past couple of years and clearly, the idea has been rejected, locally. There have been reports on the Greater Toronto Area since the "2020 Report" In 1990. In the early 90's, the GTA Mayors and Regional Chairs committee were the first to propose the idea of better coordination and inte- gration of service within this Greater Toronto Area. The previous NDP government commissioned the Anne Golden Report, which further recommended the GTA con- cept. The Libby Burnham Report, the David Crombie "Who Does What Report" and, the Milt Farrow "Getting Together Report" all recom- mended some form of GTA coordination. Not all reports were exactly the same but the current consultations led by Alan Tonks consolidates a proposed piece of legislation after a decade of consulta- tions. The GTA is composed of The City of Toronto, along with the Regions of Peel, Halton, York and Durham. The concept is that the GTA municipalities govern coin- munities with common inter- ests. Over 30% of Ontario's population resides in this GTA. For the past number of years, the GTA Mayors & Chairs have been meeting to resolve inter-regional issues. There Is no doubt that we are linked in many ways by hard services like transportation, water & water treatment and to greater extent by econom- ic development. We have all witnessed the fight for jobs and economic development by the advertisement from' The City Above Toronto." Regions were raiding each other for the industrial commercial assessment and jobs. If we do not learn from his- tory, we are doomed to repeat it. In this regard, about 25 years ago, the Region of Durham was formed. There are many today who still believe that this was an unnecessary level of govern- ment. Even today, within the Regions, the urban and rural parts coexist with reservation. The issues are exactly the same today with the proposed GTA, as they were with the, formation of the regions. How much representation on Regional Council do, smaller communities have? The' Region levies (taxes) on local communities but do we all share in a common service levels like policing, water, waste management and roads? Is the rural part of the regions adequately under- stood and represented? We continually hear of overlap and duplication between local services and reglanai services like plan- ning, raad maintenance, tax collection etc. We must ask ourselves can we afford to replicate the current munici- pal structures and services ar is there a better way? I believe that the local level of govern- mentis usually smaler, more accessible and more account- able. A great politician once said that, all government is local. The closer the elected person is to the people and their issues, the more they are accountable. I have served as a school trustee, local coun- cillor, regional councillor and now as your MPP. I can hon- estly tell you that when I was a local councillar, I had direct contact with people and their concerns. If there was a pot- hole in the road or a broken sidewalk in front of my con- stituent's house, then I was their contact person to have the problem addressed. As Imoved to other levels, I am less able to solve rny con- stituent's problems. In fact, I sought the provincial mem- ber's position so we could address these same jurisdic- tional problems. I was sick of each level of government blaming their lnability to solve their problens on some other level of government. You might say that David Crombie's Report, "Who Does What" asks the question, which level of government pays and provides what ser- vice?The changes by our gov- ernment are about disentan- gling levels of government. We have a discussion paper on a new Municipal Act which fur- ther devolves powers to local levels of government. Each of us must ask the questions, do we really care who plows the roads or picks up the garbage or provides the services so long as the services are provided in a safe, reliable and efficient manner? Local councils must have the ability to choose who provides their services. How many departments do we need for economic develop- ment, planning, works and other services. Should we not concentrate decision making locally and streanline com- mon service delivery in some areas? Our proposal for a Greater Toronto Services Board (GTSB) is not a new level of government and it will not have a direct taxation power. Representation would be by population and there would be sub committees with addi- tional representatives from local levels of council. I understand our local mayors and council and their resolu- tions to oppose the current proposal for the GTSB. However, we must be pre- pared to bring forward options to eliminate duplica- tion and ensure co-operation on high cost infrastructre. As I drive or take the Go- T ---- - Mich Liam Bi Your C Real Esta I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1, 1' I I I L Liam s "I keep telling Dad he work with him. Butfor s( clients don't want a 3- appointment! Ijust can't f you are thinking about buying a new home and r Buyer Agency, contact: MICHAEL1 at Re/Max Reflecti (905) 434-5222 at home in Orono e-mail cehart@ Clip this adfc Comparative Market Ana --un-m- Train to Toronto every day, I see many of my constituents going in the same westerly directions. We all want jobs close ta where we live. We all want great people-friendly communities. Each of us wants all the urban services, and lower taxes. It would appear that in the next 20 years, our current growth rate wlll change many aspects of our communities. I believe that we must look to the future and make choices. Claington Fire Cals The Clarington Fire Departinent responded to the following calls during the perlod of April 14 - 20, 1998: 1 vehicle fire: 1 chimney tire; 4 grass tires; 3 fires; 7 motor vehicle accidents; 14 medical assistance calls and 1 alarn activation call. ael & à'wn... )rono te Team. ays: needs to take me to -ome reason, Dad says ye ar old at, a listing_ 'figure it out/" selling your home, 'or need to find out about BROWN on Realty Inc. 22 (24 hrs) )983-5756 or n1etcom.ca 'or a free liysis of your home