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SAAR a ER RO RY Se LETAN di EVR) i AREY 3 AVERAGING A ERE RR RR GRR BAERANY iE) 3 (PRINS IORY RAAT VAT Tr Con RACES LR EAT EST RRRR, 4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday June 8, 1982 p . AN a i LY A REE RC OY AS TARTS el NETRA ERIN Ne M RERE er EA 3 comments RS CRT Ri SEU EARY J 20 SERRE Lo mn editoria = THINGS Wirt you ? 2 oY * chatterbox by John B. McClelland LOCAL HISTORY Culture and heritage are words we all are familiar with but few of us really pay much attention to them. One Port Perry citizen who takes local culture, history and heritage very seriously is Paul Arculus. Paul has done considerable research into the history of this community, and he has compiled a collection of slides which is outstanding. Last week, I had the good fortune to be present when Paul presented his historical slide sHow of Port Perry and found it fascinating. } Actually, Paul's presentation contains a double set of slides: one shows scenes of Port Perry from the 1850's to about the turn of the century, and the other, which is shown simultaneously, has the exact same scenes taken by Paul over the past year or so. The effect of seeing two slides of the same scene is dramatic. Much of the architecture on Queen Street has not changed over the years, and Paul has compiled numerous examples of historic homes which today look much as they did.70 to 100 years ago. And one slide Paul has in the collection was truly startling. It was made from a photo taken of the Great Fire of 1884, which devastated both sides of Queen Street. I was aware that there had been a bad fire, but the extent of the damage captured in that old photo was shocking. Aside from the fact the slide presentation is immensely interesting, it struck me that Port Perry is a community with a very rich heritage, and as Paul said in his commentary, some of the finest examples of historical architecture from before the turn of the century can be found right here. . I know that Paul presents this slide show publicly from time to time, and I would recommend it to anyone. It doesn't matter if you have lived in Port Perry all your life, or are a relative newcomer like myself. You will find it And if you have never accompanied Paul on one of his walking tours of the community, you have missed The history and the heritage of any community is a treasure that can hever be , Paul has done much to ensure that Port Perry's history and heritage is recorded and made relevant to the present. His interest and dedication is most commendable. D COUNCIL Durham Region cquncil has been accused of many things over the years, [not the least has been parochialism. This trait of 's own municipality first to the detriment of others within the Region surfaces in strange ways from time to time, It doesn't always appear to be . blatant, mainly because certain Durham councillors are very skilled at masking their true interests. For the most part, Regional council will approve resolutions and by-laws which specifically to a planning matter within an individual municipality, if that planning item has the support of the area or local council and if it does not impact greatly on the finances of the Region as a whole. ; For example, an official plan amendment for a new subdivision usually will get Regional council's approval with little or no debate or opposition. The opposition would occur if that new subdivision needed $1 million worth of water and sewer services, or up-grading of Regional roads in the area. ; Sometimes, the parochialism turns to sheer hypocrisy. Such was the case two weeks ago when several Regional councillors argued against an issue that has the full support of Scugog Township council. At issue was an official plan amendment to permit the Ridgeland develop- ment of a golf course and 76 expensive homes in the Chalk Lake area of Scugog Township. : When the item came up for a vote and debate at Regional council, three of the four councillors: from Newcastle argued against it. So did some from Oshawa and a couple from Whitby. The proposal will have no financial impact on the Region as a whole. It is essentially a local issue to be argued and fought at the local political level in Scugog Township. : When the item came up for a vote and debate at Regional council, three of the four councillors from Newcastle argued against it. So did some from Oshawa and a couple from Whitby. The proposal will have no financial impact on the Region as a whole. It is essentially a local issue to be argued and fought at the local political level in Scugog Township. Hie hypocrisy of the Newcastle councillors was very evident. They argued against the Scugog development (which has the support of the local council here) while at the same meeting, they had urged and pleaded with Regional council to allow Newcastle council to handle a very controversial matter pertaining to that municipality. They wanted the Regional council to let Newcastle council sort out an issue in that municipality, but they eluied 15.101 3 Scugog matter be sortenl out al afig Joa) level. : It was quite a show, quite a performance.' And they wonder Am ol members of council get a bit upset with their colleagues from other munigipalities. x Ironically, the development proposal for Scugog which met with resistance from some councillors, would add tax revenue to the Region. The issue in Newcastle, which the (Turnto page 6) ~~ Fa rm Safety Farm safety is everyone's business. Each year, the Farm Safety Association sets aside one week to promote safety on the farm. This year, Safety Week Is July 25-31. But, as the Association points out in its literature, farm safety is an issue every week and every day of the year. Farming continues to be a dangerous occupation, and the Association says the number of lost time injuries and deaths is still unacceptably high. For example, the number of lost time injuries in 1981, was 2573, a slight decrease over 1980, but still well above the average for the last ten years. Those injuries resulted in $9.6 million in benefits paid by the Workmen's Compensation Board last year. The amount of disruption and grief to the families of Injured farmers and workers can never be cal- culated. And last year in Ontario, 40 persons lost their lives in farm related accidents. That is the lowest number since 1975, but as the Safety Association points out it is still unacceptably high. It is often said that farms are the backbone of this country, and there are few people who can quibble with that. Aside from the obvious fact that farms put food on everyone's table, the contribution of agricul- ture to the overall economy is substantial. The next three or four months is the time of highest activity on most farms. While farmers do not need to be reminded of the hazards of their occupation, the Association says that fatigue and working long hours. in 'hot weather can result in carelessness and accidents. Although Farm Safety Week is next month, farm safety Is an Issue-every hour of every day. To our friends on the farms who are now getting ready for "work safely and be careful at all tinpes." A Sad Day They were calling It Black Friday. And the'economic news for Canada was more dismal last week than it has been since the Great Depressiori of the 1930's. The dollar closed under 80 cents U.S. for the first time; Stats-Can told us there are 1.25 million Canadians out of work; interest rates began to nose upward again; and our: rate of inflation (which Is supposed to be coming down) is still hovering at over 11 per cent. If there are people who still believe Canada-is not in the worst economic condition in 50 years than they have their heads in the sand. ~3 fh all liklihood, the unemployment figures re- ported by Stats-Can are much worse as they do not take into account the so-called "hidden unemployed' those who have simply given up their search for work and are no longer reporting to Manpower centres across the country. But statistics are nothing more than numbers on a computer print-out. The real human tragedy of unemployment can never be measured, but it shows its ugly face in; family break-downs, alcoholism, despair, crime in the streets, and a loss of dignity and respect. / What made the economic news of last week even more poignant was the fact that Liberal leaders Pierre Trudeau, Allan MacEachen and Marc Lalonde were telling Canadians that the Versailles summit might result in some new directions. Of course, the Americans have declined to budge from their current economic policies, so what is really showing up Is the sad fact that. Canada is nothing more than a branch plant of the U.S. tied so totally to the, Americans that we are virtually helpless to come up with'made.in Canada solutions. There are hints that Mr. MacEachen may come up 'with a new federal budget before. the end of the month. Surely, that might be a start, but the real cause for Many of our problems in. Canada's utter dependance on the United States. : Many years-ago, a politician of note once said the 20th century will belong to Canada. Here It is 1982, and we are still "ing 2 er busy summer season, we would like to say, iii oe na ----------------------------"