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« 6 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, January 17,1990 Wjt Cattafrtatt gtatmtatt Durham Region's Great Family Journal Established 136 years ago in 1854 Also Incorporating /N» I « The Bowmanville News I wl The Newcastle Independent The Orono News Second Class mail registration number 1561 Produced weekly by James Publishing Company Limited 62 King Street West, Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3K9 416-623-3303 Fax 416-623-6161 cn John M. James Editor - Publisher Richard A. James Associate Publisher Peter Parrott Associate Editor Brian Purd dy Donald Bishop Advertising Mgr. Plant Mgr. All layouts and composition of advertisements produced by the employees of James Publishing Company Limited are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Subscription Rates Six Months --$11.00 One Year--$20.00 Foreign -- $60.00 per year Allhough every precaution will be taken to avoid error, The Canadian Statesman accepts advertising In Its columns on the understanding that it will not be liable for any error In the advertisement published hereunder unless a proof of such advertisement Is requested In writing by the advertiser and returned to The Canadian Statesman business ofllce duly signed by the advertiser and with such error or corrections plainly noted In writing thereon, and In that case It any error so noted Is not corrected by The Canadian Statesman its liability shall not exceed such a portion ol the entire coet ol such advertisement as the space occupied by the noted error bears to the whole space occupied by such advertisement. Editorial Comment Here's Your Chance for Input into Official Plan It's time for some mid-course corrections corrections in the planning process. The Durham Region is in the midst of re-thinking its Official Plan in order to make the document relevant for the next decade. It's a process which will invite participation participation by the public and we hope that such participation does occur. One of the common complaints related related to the planning process has to do with the fact that too frequently it consists consists of various individual development development proposals which are looked at in isolation. In other words, elected officials and planners consider a particular subdivision, subdivision, but not the cumulative impact of all subdivision activities. They will consider a particular residential proposal proposal but not necessarily the philosophy philosophy of how and when development shall occur. When the Durham Region's Official Plan was' written 10 years ago, we were looking at a time when there was little growth occurring in the Town of Newcastle. Since we didn't have pressures pressures towards growth, we probably paid little attention to whether or not the planners believed that this municipality municipality would grow by 10,000 persons or 100,000 persons. The whole issue seemed remote and academic at the time. But, now we have had some experience experience with growth. And it's high time that we prepared future planning documents documents in the light of the experience that has been gained from coping with that development. The most disturbing part about our growth trend is the fact that it is still lop-sided and based more on housing than on industry and commercial activity. activity. Maybe it's time to link housing activity activity to job opportunities. If not enough local jobs are produced in a community, perhaps housing growth should not be allowed to run rampant. Traditionally, this town has been a balanced community in which people could live, work and play. Unfortunately, Unfortunately, there's a tendency today for the rise of the bedroom community. This sort of town attracts all kinds of housing, development because of the comparatively low costs of land. But without industrial and commercial growth, the residents of a community end up paying higher taxes for the services services they require - services such as schools, parks, police protection, firefighting, firefighting, etc. And that's just the economic side of the coin. It also stands to reason that a bedroom city suffers culturally because because its citizens have less time to contribute contribute to community activities. Just try to get involved in your local school, church or service club when you spend three or four hours each day commuting. commuting. And so, the bedroom community is a community of strangers who work in one municipality, shop in another one, and happen to live in a third. Any Official Plan changes should consider the need for communities to be balanced, especially in those instances instances where development is occurring occurring in an area that has a longstanding longstanding tradition of being a town in which people have had a sense of community spirit, There are many topics that must be addressed in any Official Plan review. One of these is the whole question of where growth should occur. The Durham Durham Region has before it an important decision to make with regard to the North Pickering lands known ns Sen- ton, There is room in this area for a new city almost the size of Oshnwn. But it remains to lie seen whether elected officials and the public believe in opening up a new area for development development or whether they prefer to see growth added on to existing communities. communities. Now that the public and elected officials officials have some knowledge of the pit- falls of rapid growth, it scorns to us that the beaton concept would be a major advantage for two reasons. First, it would lake pressure off of existing existing iown's and villages by opening up a whole now housing market, Secondly, Secondly, it would provide a homo for commuters that is much closer to downtown Toronto, Scarborough, Mississauga, Mississauga, and all of" the other areas where people tend to work if they are not employed locally. A Seaton development would also be a project that could be more efficiently efficiently • planned because of the fact that the lands are owned by the government government of Ontario. There are fewer existing residents whose interests must be protected. The list of issues related to development development in this municipality is a lengthy one. But it should be noted for the record. No doubt, there are other points which could-be added, but the following represents many of the major major planning issues. They are as follows: follows: Should development occur in the rural rural areas and, if so, what steps should be taken to protect agricultural land and maintain the farmer's right to a livelihood? What development, if any, should occur in the town's hamlets and small communities outside the major residential residential areas? What should be the future of downtown downtown cores and under what conditions should new shopping areas be opened up? What improvements are required in the transportation network and where should future main streets and highways highways be located? What sort of development should established established along the municipality's lakefront and what principles and guidelines should there be for such development? development? How about the staging of future residential residential activity? Should it be allowed to proceed just as fast as developers receive approvals or should it be based on certain criteria such as the amount of industrial and commercial growth that is occurring or the availability of local school facilities? In short, the Official Official Plan should consider the option of allowing residential growth to occur in stages that are dependent upon other other activities in the municipality. For instance, growth might be tied to such things as the availability of jobs, schooling or hospitals. An official plan review should answer answer the question of what steps will be taken to provide adequate parkland and recreational facilities for new residents. residents. With the benefit of hindsight, we can see that such amenities should be in the final planning stages or under under construction as new residential activity activity occurs. This hasn't always happened happened in the Town of Newcastle. And, of course, any Official Plan should contain strong provisions which will ensure the protection of the environment and will guarantee that development does not destroy our environmental environmental resources. We're not sure about the best method method for soliciting public opinion on each of the above topics. Methods such as public open houses in the various communities, communities, open meetings, or surveys and questionnaires all have their merits. merits. But, one way or another, it's time for the public to make further comments comments on planning issues that have such an impact on this municipality. Elected officials considering the Durham Durham Region Official Plan will have plenty of work ahead of them and they need input from their constituents. They need the sort of input that can give a general guideline for future growth and development hero. It's the sort of help that is often lacking in the approvals process because such procedures procedures arc based on particular development development and not on general concepts. Or, you might say that it's time the planners and elected officials stopped looking at the individual trees and studied the forest itself. The planning process is not always the most exciting procedure in which the citizen can participate especially when the citizens arc not commenting on a particular building or development. development. But the planning process is a necessary one because it literally determines determines the shape of the town in which wo live. Planning is no longer a mere academic academic exorcise. It's time that persons other than planners and municipal officials officials started to take it seriously. by Andrea Adair ..This h*s seen AHofuotnst of THE EMBMOKY CARTOaU Vt&TtH... Ontario Hydro F aced with New Demands in the 90s The potential success of a multi-billion dollar proposal to meet Ontario's electricity needs for the next 25 years hinges on the effectiveness of such simple items as a $30 energy efficient shower- head. Ontario Hydro president and chief executive officer Robert Franklin used the showerhead as illustration when he announced the corporation's corporation's demand/supply plan, forecasting electricity demand to the year 2014 and offering solutions to answer answer that demand. Growth in requirements for electricity in Ontario is expected to increase from 1.5 per cent to 2.7 per cent per year between 1990 and 2014. During that same period, period, more than one-quarter of the existing generating facilities facilities in the province, over ------ - ,v ... When Ontario Hydro president and chief executive officer Robert Franklin 8,500 megawatts worth, will announced a multi-million dollar proposal to meet Ontario's electricity needs have been retired because ot f 0l . the next 25 years, lie emphasized the importance of energy conservation Ever notice how you don't pay too much attention attention to federal, provincial and local budgets until the moment when you get the first taste of how those budgets are going to effect you? I listen to the news and read news stories. But the contents of the budget never seem to sink in until I go to buy something, such as gasoline, gasoline, and feel the squeeze on my wallet. Such is the case concerning concerning an aspect of the provincial budget that kicked in this year. The new year is only two weeks old and al : ready I'm discouraged. Last week, a notice to renew my licence plates arrived in the mail. I vaguely remember when the budget was announced announced that those persons persons living within the Greater Toronto Area would see the cost for their plate renewal increase. increase. It was a big surprise, all the same, when I opened the letter and saw $90 under the column listing cost of renewal. It is a fairly big increase increase over last year. To me it's gargantuan. One should not have to be excessivley rich to be able to drive a car. I need to have a car for what I do. There isn't a transit system in Newcastle Newcastle to get me out to Orono or Hampton or Kendal and I certainly can't walk to those places. places. If I really felt like getting getting in shape I suppose I could ride a bike around with my camera bag slung over one shoulder. But if I did that I would spend most of my day getting getting to places rather than writing about what is happening in those places. places. Hence I need a car. And when the car was acquired I knew there would be costs associated with it. I have car payments each month. I can count on repair bills for servicing servicing the car every couple of months. I pay insurance insurance twice a year and purchase gas every week. I could sell my car and buy something cheaper but, after already having a car that was more than ten years old, I know I will be replacing my car payments with larger repair repair bills. My insurance may go down but I may instead be faced with something not very dependable ana may find myself stranded on the Third Concession some winter night. I'm beginning to wonder wonder if nearly $100 a year is too much of an extra expense though. I'm still living at home because I don't feel I would be able to do otherwise. otherwise. Rent is fairly high in the area and, as it is, I haven't been able to save as much money as I thought I would after I started working. Maybe in 10 or 20 years I will begin to see the benefits of going to school and learning to do a job I like doing but I've never met a "rich" reporter reporter and I'm beginning to wonder if I should have studied business or learned a trade where I might have made more money. Let's face it, I will never never be able to afford a house in this area unless by the time I'm ready to buy, the market breaks and houses are in a better better price range. An article in the Globe and Mail last week did little to ease my fears. A reporter wrote that the average price of a house in Metro Toronto increased by 6 per cent in the past year. I'm not an expert on real estate or on financial matters but I have a feeling feeling that, belonging to the GTA as we do, high costs in Metro mean high costs in areas surrounding Metro. Metro. What, then, should I do to try to meet my debts and save' money? I don't go out any more on weekends because it costs too much. I don't buy much for myself any more because I can't afford it. I could take a part- time job but it's difficult to commit to any other work because my job here is my first priority and I frequently cover events at night. I haven't complained that much about the GST. I haven't whined about taxes going up. And I haven't complained about gas going up every time I buy it. But this is just about it. I'm discouraged because because no matter how hard I try, I'm not getting ahead. The same Globe and Mail article indicated that housing was far cheaper in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Alberta. Don't be too surprised if, in a few years, I'll be writing this column from my home somewhere in the west. age. While new facilities are essential, Ontario Hydro hopes to meet some of the need for electricity by encouraging encouraging customers to use electricity more efficiently. If a household switches to an energy efficient shower- head, water use will be re using a $30. energy efficient showerhead to illustrate what the proposal is all about. duced by 70 per cent and about $175 will be saved on annual hot water costs based on average family consumption. consumption. "Ontario Hydro is committed committed to doing everything to reduce demand through economic conservation measures," measures," says Franklin. "Over the next 10 years, we are depending on 61 per cent of electricity growth to be met by conservation and energy efficiency initiatives. To that end, we will be spending $3 billion by the year 2000 on demand management management programs. "This commitment to conservation conservation is among the most ambitious in North America," America," he said. Social Assistance Plans are Modified Hydro Seeks Public input The release of Ontario Hydro's Demand/Supply Plan in December, and the public information centres now being held throughout Ontario, have brought the expected reaction from the groups dedicated to opposing opposing the construction ol now electricity supply facilities, particularly nuclear power plants. Missing in much of the public debate to date is a view from Ontario's industries industries which depend on a reliable reliable supply of reasonably priced electricity to produce competitively priced goods. Industry is also very concerned concerned about Hydro's Plan. Not with respect to the mix of alternatives proposed by Hydro. But because wo believe believe the Plan is already too Into to avoid serious supply shortages in this decade and the implications this lias for employment and for the health of the Ontario economy. economy. Ontario industry has made largo strides in making making improvements in overall energy efficiency. However, savings of electricity have boon more than offset as industry industry has changed how It manufactures products. More and more electricity is now used to do work that use to ho carried out by hand and for replacing the use of less efficient fossil fuels. Wo have had six years of continuous growth in our economy and we have opportunities opportunities for continued growth. But wo will miss these opportunities unless wo have an adequate electricity electricity supply. We've seen some recognition recognition of our concern in the recent recent move by Hydro to purchase purchase new hydro power from Manitoba. And the government government is also encouraging the private sector to produce proposals which might bring a number of privately owned generating facilities on stream. But despite the fact these projects are being given given the go ahead without scrutiny under the Environ- mental Assessment Act, those additions won't bo in place much before the year 2000. And that will bo loo little too Into. Why Imvo wo failed to convince Hydro and the government government to move urgently? One reason is that no matter matter what choices oro proposed, proposed, each comes with its own particular sot of uncomfortable uncomfortable issues. And, if you don't like the thought of now supply you might bo easily persuaded to lean towards the views of a persistent lob by of activists who claim that more supply would not be needed if the province would just get serious about energy efficiency and conservation. conservation. In fact, in a somewhat futile futile attempt to appease this lobby, Ontario Hydro, prodded prodded by the government, has already embarked on a "very ambitious" program of providing providing incentives to improve efficiency and thus curtail demand. But the most worrisome concern of industry is simply the failure of both government government and Hydro to properly forecast the province's growing growing need for electricity. Forecasts Forecasts have been low by a factor factor of two in recent years, a fact not only acknowledged but used as an explanation ol the troubles Hydro faced during the Christmas sea- son. Wlmt can you do? Accept Hydro's invitation to become informed. Lot your views bo know to both Hydro and your local MRP. Don't wait for tho lights to dicker ho- foro you react. Don't allow Hydro and the government to lot electricity reserves which fuel tho economic engine engine of tho province run nil the way down to EMPTY. Russell M. Ilarnnowskl Two major changes, part of Ontario's $415 million reform reform of social assistance programs, programs, came into effect on January 1,1990. The first improvement, announced in May 1989 will provide a 6 per cent increase m the basic allowance for recipients recipients of Family Benefits and General Welfare Assistance. Assistance. The second improvement, in shelter allowances, will assist renters and homcowri- Month Set Aside President, Federal Pioneer Limited and Chairman, Joint Industry Task Force The Task Force represents represents tho interests of major industrial power consumers, municipal utilities, consul- sywxci oiim*1*6! tnnts, and electrical equip- rQI H imeSlOppei S ment manufacturers, distributors distributors and contractors. Reader Enjoys Editor's Letters Dear John: May I compliment your ninny On behalf of the people and the Government of Ontario, Ontario, I nm please to extend by best wishes to all those B ' with Crime Stoppers itionnl in marking "Crime Stoppers Month" in North America. npl: contributors who make such nn interesting paper to nil renders, In particular particular I mention Peter Parrott's Parrott's Christmas Stories, (ho should soon have n book), and Robert Kent's patriotism patriotism of tho Town of Bowman- ville. That subject is controversial controversial but I'd like to see it won by his supporters. Good luck to tho Stales- man Staff for another fine year. Sincerely, Marg Hawthorne. To those who pay lor our Parking Lots, How about following Whitby's load to avoid the parking lot tnx--make nil parking lots Free Parking lots. Wo'ro ns good as Whitby, any day-oven better, old M.ti.Ymmg Crime Stoppers is now established established in many communities communities throughout Ontario, and tho Program is widely accented accented ns n successful tool in helping police forces fight crime. I commend nil those who nro involved in Crime Stoppers Programs in Ontario Ontario for their commitment to this important cause. Special recognition must go to tho founder of Crime Stoppers, Mr. Grog MncA- loose, for Ills vision mid foresight. foresight. It is my hope Hint Crime Stoppers will, long continue to ho nn olloclivo moans of safeguarding our communities. Every good wish to all for tho success of "Grime Stoppers Stoppers Month". , Sincerely, David Peterson, The Premier of Ontario. ers who receive social assistance. assistance. Shelter costs will be covered 100 per cent up to now, higher ceilings. Previously, Previously, only 80 per cent of the cost of shelter was covered. These changes will benefit most individuals and families families who receive social assistance. assistance. Other significant changes were implemented in October October 1989. The Supports to Employment Program (STEP) ensures that social assistance recipients have financial financial incentives to take employment nnd nro increasingly increasingly better off with each dollar earned in the workforce. In addition, to recognize the costs of raising children, $54 million was provided to improve the rates for families on social assistnneo, Recipients can revive substantial increases ns n result of tho October 1989 nnd Jnnunry 1990 improve- monts. For example, n single parent witli two children under under ton yonrs of nge, on Family Benefits, nnd paying rent of $600.00 nor month will receive $206.00 more in Jniuinry 1990 compared to the snmo month one year ago. Tins represents nn increase increase of 20.6 per cent. A two-adult family on Gonornl Welfare Assistance, with throe children ages 7, 0, and 13, paying $700.00 B nonth rent will receive .00 more per month or 30.4 per cent more over Jnn- limy 1089. Those changes rolled the government'll priorities to nddroHs the problems of child poverty mill affordnblo housing.