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I 1 4 1 t'.-r' -.ri* i> Orono Town Hall Wnhima tîQ fJumhp.r 6 ***BOWMANVILLE LIBRARY 163 Church Street l.i.Q6ac Bowmanville, Ont. L1C 1P7 Wednesday February 8,2006 Serving Kendal, Kirby, Leskard, Newcastle, Newtonvillej Orono, Starkville and Tyrone: since 1937 TT-- Photo by: Sgt Eric JoHn,• Rideau, Hall, Photographer to, the Governor General of Canada Durham Member of Parliament Bev Oda, being swo'rn-in by Alex Himelfarb, Clerk of tFie Privy Council at Rideau Hall, Monday. heritage Clarington's Committee of Council have made it nearly impossible : to create a Heritage Conservation District District in this municipality. An amendment made by Mayor John • Mutton, - at Monday's General Purpose and Administration Committee Committee Meeting, requiring 100 per cent sign off from potential district members ' was approved approved by a majority of coun- • cillors. • Residents ofthe Beech Avenue block have offered to act as a pilot area, to show the benefits of a Heritage Conservation Conservation District. If after a three year, trial period, resi- ■ dents. are unhappy with the designation, Jeff Wills, who" put forward the proposal, said ' he would be back to council to ask for the repeal of the heritage heritage designation. ' ' ; ' ' Beech Avenue residents were responding to an . attempt, made in 2002, by the Old Bowmanville Neighbour- . hood Association to designate an area bounded by Concession, Wellington and Liberty Street as a Heritage Conservation District, under the Ontario Heritage Act. Beech Ave. is in the heart of this district - According to Wills, who spoke at Monday's meeting, hé has signed letters of agrees ment from 11 of the 13 residents residents on Beech Avenue. There is one vacant house on the Avenue which is currently up for sale, and the other home is owned by an elderly lady who is living with her son while "If we set the bar ...I can guarantee we will never have a heritage district • in >)■ --Jim Schell Clarington Councillor she deals with health issues. The only other property on Beech Avenue is the Municipality owned Beech Centre. Two homes on Beech Avé. are currently designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, and are primary examples of their architectural style in Clarington. Clarington. Six other homes on the street are secondary examples of their architectural style, and three homes are of heritage merit. According to the Staff Report, "The diversity of housing stock on the block, from large estate homes to double houses, is one of the specific characteristics and charm of the Old Bowmanville Bowmanville Neighbourhood. Councillor Jim Schell, Chair of the Planning Committee said at Monday's meeting that it seemed almost ludicrous to require 100 per cent sign off after the Municipality already spent $70,000 of municipal money on Heritage Designation. "If we set the bar that high, 100 per, cent must sign up, I . can absolutely guarantee. we will never have a heritage district district in Clarington," he stated. "It flies in the face of going through the process in the first place," Schell said. - When he made his amendment, amendment, Mayor Mutton stated, "One thing I've been HERITAGE see page 3 Durham MP Oda appointed to cabinet According to Member of Parliament, Bev Oda,' Monday was a "roller coaster of a day." Newly re-elected Durham Conservative MP Bev Oda was named to Stephen Harper's Cabinet on Monday. Oda had served as Heritage Critic during the last Parliament, be-came Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Status of Women now. "It is truly' exciting to be part of the government now, and realize you can actually do something," she said on the phone with thé Orono Times Monday evening. / In her portfolio, Oda says •. she will try and assess- the needs of the arts and culture communities, and look at different different programs. "The copy- write legislations will have to be reintroduced," said Oda. She will also be looking- at the CBC, with a mandate established established decades ago. Oda says she will have to look at what role the public broadcaster plays in'today's world of 200 TV channels. "Do the people feel they are getting good value for their dollars?" Oda asked. The biggest challenge will be in the area of english language TV. In her capacity as the head of the Status of Women Canada, the federal government government agency which promotes gender equality, and the full participation of women in the economic, social, cultural and. political life of the country; Oda says she will begin by the recognition personally of wo-, men entrepreneurs. "A number number of our businesses are led. by women, and that should be recognized," she stated. The issue of violence against aboriginal women, and the added challenges women seniors have to face, are also on the top of Oda's list. After having attended her first cabinet meeting on Monday, Oda said, "it was pretty overwhelming and exciting. It was quite awesome awesome to hâve attended my first cabinet meeting." ODA see page 3 School's out at Port of Newcastle As the School Board no longer intends to build a school in the Port of Newcastle Development, the developer would like to build homes on the block formerly designated for a school. At the public meeting held Monday, only one resident spoke publicly of her regret with the removal of the.future school site from her neighbourhood. neighbourhood. The resident, Ms. Jill Watson, said, "As a school teacher 1 realize the importance importance of having a school in the area." She. also said .she was representing a number of neighbours, concerned over the cancellation of the school site. Mayor John Mutton said he'd had discussions with Kawartha Pineridge School Board a number of times in regards to the removal of the. school site at the Port of Newcastle. "They ran the numbers a couple of times in SCHOOL see page 3 What's inside... Mi iy y, -V How do l love thee? Let me count the ways! See page 7 V.