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Editorial Comments Planning and Development 'Ward 1 councillor Yvonne Christie has on several occasions over the past 18 months lamented the fact that Scugog Township coun- cillors find themselves in the position of having to make crucial deci- sions in a vacuum of background information Specifically, she has complained about the lack of expert recom- mendations and comment on issues relating the overall planning, zon- Ings. subdivision approvals and traffic control At one point during this council term, she went so far as to say she will vote against development proposals as a matter of principle on the grounds that she simply does not know what the impact of those proposals might be. Similar sentiments have been expressed in public meetings by Ward 2 councillor Howard Hall. ; And they are right. Too often, it seems, over the past few years, when Scugog has been humming along with new development, there have been times when a proposal cried out for a hard, cold, detach- ed assessment and analysis on whether it would be a good one for the municipality. While members of Township council have acquired a lot of knowledge in planning matters (and likewise with the senior ad- ministrative staff) they are not professional planners. The problem is continuity. THe council does not ask the plann- ing consultant for reports on all issues because of the cost factor. And some planning issues crop up which on the surface appear routine, thus not requiring a report of recommendation from a professional Yet often, it is these seemingly routine planning issues that turn out to be veritable mine-fields of hidden problems, and in fact should be subject to ci~se scrutiny by an expert eye. ~ . In fact, itis probably fair to say that Scugog Township has reach- ed the point where virtually évery planning issue should be examin- ed by a professional before the council makes any decisions. Scugog is undergoing a substantial transition, a process that » started several years ago and appears to show little sign of abating. There are big developments and smaller ones on the drawing board nght now. Some are very routine, others will impact on the community in a vanety of ways: traffic, parking, soft services to name three. But there is a relationship between all planning and development proposals, from a five lot housing project to a major commercial mall. Sometimes, the details of the relationship between projects gets overlooked. Obviously it is not feasible or cost-efficient to have a planning consultant attend every meeting of council, every committee meeting, and take a look at every proposal for development or re-zoning. But. 1 1s quite possible that Scugog-Township, as a growing municipality, has reached the point whete this kind of expert, hands- on approach by a qualified and professional planner is necessary to assyst and advise councillors as they make important decisions for this community. Scugog recently had completed a Recreation Needs Study. it's a useful document, a tool for the future planning of recreation facilities One of the recommendations made in that study 1s the need for a tull ime recreation director, a professional, fully qualified. The coun- cil is expected to make a dec.3ion on hiring a rec director some time this year : Recreation 1s important in a vibrant and growing community Equally so 1s planning. Maybe it's time this municipality examined the possibilities of hiring a full ime professional planner as well BLOCK PARENT 'CHEATIN' HEARTS h) [ Port Perry STAR 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY. ONTARIO Phone 985-7383 PO Box 90 LOB INO J PETER HVIDSTEN Member of the . Publisher Canadian Community Newspaper Assocation Liss M and Ontaro Community Newspaper Association Ad L) \ 8 ger Published every Tuesday by the het Perry Star Co Ld Port Perry Ontar Oo JB MCCLELLAND Editor . a Shor red 3s sevond ass mas by the Post Office Department Ottawa and for cash CATHY OLLIFFE to a nd News & Features Second 35s Ma Reg .stratg Number 0265 Subscription Rate in Canada $15 00 per year Elsewhere $45 00 per year Single Copy 35° COPYRIGHT -- AY Layou! and COMPOS: Lon of adver hisements produced by He adver FSA Setar Tent OF The Port Perry Star Company Lem aed are protected ander cooyr eh? aE ™ Fv 500 He reg roduced wt out the ww' ree Der miss [] he Dud her + erbox by Cathy Olliffe I just want to offer my heartiest congratula- tions and admiration for those enormously lucky couples celebrating their golden anniversaries this year. Anybody who can get married and stay mar- ried for the rest of his or her life deserves a chest full of medals, as far as I'm concerned. How do these people do it? How do they sur- vive 40 or 50 or 60 or more years of marriage to the same person? Is it love that sustains mar- riage, or is it a combination of things that include trust, communication, honesty, religion and fidelity? I include religion in that list because statistics show consciously religious people have lower divorce rates. Maybe it is because they take The Ten Commandments seriously. Maybe because the words spoke to them on their wedding day, about forsaking all others, about loyalty and faithfulness, really sank in. : Whatever the secret is, I'd like to know it. As a person who has been married for only seven months, as a newlywed who is still dewy- eved and optimistic about the institution of mar- riage. | look to my elders for direction and guidance. "On the one hand. I see couples who have been through thick and thin, still able to share kisses and bear hugs on their 50th anniversaries. On thelother hand, I see families ripped apart by divorce. : Whatever happened to "till death do vou part?' In'some cases, divorce is understandable and even inevitable. Personally. I can excuse cases where alcoholism, violence or incest enter into a marriage. There's no reason on earth why a wife should remain with a husband who beats her. And, I'll admit, 'there are often other ex- tenuating circumstances that give just cause for marriage break-ups. But from where I sit. there's : one thing and one thing only that causes most divorces. | Hormones. To put it bluntly, I believe the biggest reason for divorce is infidelity. And I can find no logical excuse for it. As a person who has been married for seven Short months, this scares me. After all, I don't know anybody who got mar- ried with the intention of having an affair later on. 1 think everyone plans to stay married to the same person for the rest of their lives when they arrive at the altar. : So why then. do some people keep their pro- mise. while others break it? I read a recent survey the other day stating one out of every two married men have had af- fairs. That's fifty per cent For women. the __ statistics are one out of five. In other words, fifty per cent of the married men in Port Perry have cheated on their wives. Twenty per cent of the women in town have done the same to their husbands. Those statistics are frightening, but they're not really surprising. Just look around. There's bound to be someone in your family, your workplace, or your neighbourhood who has suf- fered through a divorce. Chances are, you also know someone who is actively in the process of cheating on a spouse. It might even be you who is doing the cheating, or you might unknowingly be the person being cheated on. The victim in this slimy little drama. Just recently, I've become aware of a whole slew of infidelity in this area. People who have been married for 20 years or more leaving their spouse to move in with a new flame. You'd think, after 20 years of marriage, you could relax and trust your spouse a wee bit. You'd think, after raising children to adulthood. you could look forward to growing old with your mate, travelling and enjoying life with the person who has been through your good days and your bad. After all, you've shared everything. No one knows vou better than your husband or wife of 20 years. You think. - : The moment you realize you don't know that person at all comes when he or she announces they're in love with someone else, and thev're leaving. At that moment, your life breath is sucked away. At that moment. 20 vears of hard work is tossed out the window. You feel like vour very heart has been ripped out. So what happens next? The person doing the leaving obviously doesn't find themselves in too bad a position. Maybe they feel guilty, maybe they ve done a lot of soul searching before walk- ing-out. but the fact is, they're moving into a new relationship with a new love. They have someone else. They needn't feel alone. What about the person who remains" What about their sense of isolation. their loneliness. the pain that sinks so deep they believe it will never dissipate? \ Let's say for example, that person is a homemaker, who for the last 20 years has spent all her time looking after her husband and her family. a Let's say, she hasn't held down a job since she first became pregnant. Suddenly she finds herself in a position where she must find a job with no ex- perience, and little chance off competing in a market that hires youth first. (Turn to page 6) um