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-~ 4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tues. October 16, 1984 editorial comments | BAN Ea P= -- YI 2 ~~ Fe aT EN) Spas PERAY © ONS COME o oeo 2 ey GO... = oo, chatterbox by John B. McClelland MORE FISH WOES I had planned to devote this column to the bruhaha Scugog Township council currently finds itself in over proposed residential development which has raised the ire of residents already living in the area where the new homes may be built. It's not a unique situation by any means, and it is certainly interesting to watch the sparring between council, the developers and the ratepayers who oppose the projects. And I don't want to belittle the arguments and con- cerns being expressed. They are very real to those in- volved, and I suspect that things are just starting to heat up. However, on a matter of extreme personal impor- tance to me, one that has nothing to do with new houses, irate ratepayers, or members of good old Township council, I want to inform my dear readers that I am still living under the hex, curse, jinx or whatever else you might want to call it. Regular readers of this column (there are one or two of you out there, I just know it) may recall that yours truly has always been an ardent angler, a fisher- man par excellence. Give me a quiet trout lake or stream in the evening or morning, light tackle on the spinning rod, hot coffee in the thermos, or a cold beer in the cooler, and it's like going to heaven. But alas. I haven't caught a trout (or any kind of fish) for two years, and I want to tell you, it ain't from lack of trying. : Why, just a week ago Sunday, I was up at the crack of dawn and with three other ardent anglers, hit Lake Ontario in search of salmon, rainbows, brown trout, lake trout, anything that swims. And guess what? Nothing. A couple of maybe strikes, a balky motor, and a headache. The jinx is still with me. It's getting to the point where my fishing friends give me a wide berth. They are afraid it's going to rub off. I'm afraid I'm going to be fishing alone from now on. I mean, who wants to go fishing with a two year loser? To prove my point, the guys went out on Lake On- tario just a couple of days ago without me, and what happens? Let me tell you. Two nice fish; an t pound bow and a 12 pounder. Right in the bottom of the boat. What am I supposed to do? The only fish I've seen the past couple of years comes in a little tin at the grocery store. marked 'sockeye'. Now you, dear reader may be wondering just why the heck I'm writing another column about my lack of success in the fish pond. To tell you the truth, I'm wondering just what the heck I'm writing it. But no matter. I'd really like to hear from some fisherman who has suffered a similar "dry spell". How did you end it? How long did it last? How did you cope? Did you turn to strong drink to drown your sorrows? A little advice, please, for yours truly. Is there some organization where hapless fishermen can get together once a month and feed off each other's sorrow, boost our moral, maybe even swap tales of what it was like way back when the fish were biting like mad? If there is no such organization, there should be, and I could certainly qualify as the first president. We could call it Fishanon, first names only, absolute discretion and anonymity guaranteed. Maybe Phil from the Galley would let us hold our meetings in the back room of his shop. But before we get to all that, there is still hope, and where there's hope, there's life etc, etc. My fishing pals tell me the season on Lake Ontario stays open all winter, and there is no reason why we can't try our luck in January. Geez, I want to catch some fish, but Lake Ontario in January? How about Pangnir- tun or Griese Fiord? OK, I'll get the thermal long johns, snowmobile suit, gloves and hat, lots of coffee and a crock of Barbados finest rum; everything for winter fishing. I ain't giv- ing up this fight yet, not by a long shot. If my buddies are brave enough to ask me to go fishing (remember the hex, it's probably contagious) then I will not falter in the breach. Never say die. Fishing pole firmly in hand, tackle box in the other, I shall fight this hex, curse, jinx or go down swinging in the process. But should the winter fishing prove as fruitless as my efforts over the past couple of years, I have one trump card yet to be played: that big aquarium in the dining room at Crandells. It's just filled with all kinds of nicely-coloured tropical fish. Salmon they are not, but who cares. Enough said, Enough, enough, enough, already. There are more pressing problems in the world than the lack of angling ability on the part of yours truly. I can't think of any, but I'm sure there must be one or two. In the meantime, the charter meeting of Fishanon with me as self-appointed pres and general manager will be held anytime. Is there anyone el<e out there in the same boat? -- --- 3 ww ° bh. ga cOaba p= : = On The Horns Of A Dilemma Members of Scugog Township council found themselves squarely on the horns of a very thorny dilem- ma last Wednesday evening. With the chambers filled with spectators, councillors tried no less than six resolutions to deal with a propos- ed development for 21 building lots on the east side of Gerrow's Beach Road on Scugog Island. All six resolutions went down to defeat, as there was no seconder for three, and the others failed to get the required number of votes to carry. Council finally agreed to table the issue, which means it can be re-introduced at any future meeting. After thrashing and floundering around with the resolutions, acting Mayor Lawrence Malcolm in what had to be a classic understatement, suggested that "obvious- ly we (council) are not prepared to deal with this issue tonight."' This lack of ability to deal with the issue last Wednesday night left both the developers and the ex- isting property owners on Gerrow's Beach who oppose the development, shaking their heads in dismay. "Council sure doesn't look very good on this one," was the comment heard more than once as spectators filed out of the chambers after the meeting. And on the surface that comment would appear to have some truth to it. Six failed resolutions on one issue has to be something of a record. However, to be fair to members of council and to come to their defense, the fact that they could not reach agreement is an indication of the kind of problem they are wrestling with. On the one hand, council recognizes that any com- munity needs new development, be it residential, com- mercial or industrial. Any community where there is not pressure for new development is stagnating. On the other hand, the council must heed the con- cerns of existing property owners in an area of propos- ed new development, property owners who quite simp- ly do not want any further intrusion of new houses and people into their neighbourhood. They will argue about loss of farmland, potential drainage and well water pro- blems, further pollution of the lake, but the bottom line is the intrusion of more homes and people. This is the nuts and bolts of their opposition. And even though one may say that nobody has a right to slam the garden gate shut behind them when it comes to new development in their neighbourhoood, itis a factor that council must deal with nonetheless. Make no mistake about it. Even though the meeting last week appeared to be an exercise in futility, we would much prefer to see councillors doing their soul-searching at an open public meeting in front of a full audience, than simply rubber stamping an issue one way or the other. There are some municipalities where the decision to approve the development in principle (or deny it) would be made by a committee, ratified by council and neighbouring property owners might find out what's go- ing on when a drilling rig pulls up some morning to start punching test holes in the ground. Last Wednesday evening, the council voted in favour of 'throwing the meeting open' to allow members of the audience to ask questions and make statements. Council was under no legal obligation to do this. And in the case of this development proposal and two others, the municipality has even taken the step to notify con- cerned ratepayers when the issues will be on the agen- da, so that these ratepayers can make a point of atten- ding the meeting. It is not every municipal council that would take these kind of steps to accommodate the concerns of citizens. So even though the issue last week was left hang- ing in limbo and council appeared to stumble because of the indecision, this was an indication that councillors are not taking the matter lightly. In coming to this round-a-bout defense of council, we would suggest that this issue must come back to the table in the very near future for a decision one way or another. To leave it hanging would satisfy nobody. And if council decides that it wants development in that specific area, then all or almost all of the lots should get the green light, not just six or eight of the 21 on the ap- plication. If council doesn't want development there, say $0 and turn the application down. or