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! CR © bb i ta ap GUE a 7 fio pd a abi CIR rs RT Le MD TE i Xa PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, November 17, 1987 -- 5 TTT ITI... - on Viewpoint by John B. McClelland SO YOU WANT TO BE A COUNCILLOR Scugog Township council will be facing a fair number of difficult decisions over the next few weeks and months, and one of those decisions relates to the West Shore Marina on Concession 9. The owner of the Marina, George Roadley, has ask- ed council to approve a zoning amendment to increase fe number of trailer campsites from the present ten 0 22. At a public meeting held in the council chambers November 9 to discuss this issue, Mr. Roadley said he bought the marina under the impression that it legally included 22 campsites for seasonal trailers. But an Ontario Municipal Board decision several years ago on this same issue limited the number of campsites there to ten. So what is the council to do? At the public meeting last week, several people who rent sites for their trailers praised Mr. Roadley and the way he is operating the marina and campground. They said very plainly he is doing a good job and should be allowed the additional campsites. And these people who maintain their trailers dur- ing the summer months, noted that they spend a good deal of money locally, which in turn is good for the Scugog economy. You can't argue with that. Tourism But if the council agrees to Mr. Roadley's request, this will be contrary to a decision from the Ontario Municipal Board which limited the sites to ten. And it probably would lead to yet another OMB hearing. Bill Cohoon owns the farm immediately to the west of the marina and campsite, and he told the public meeting last week that he is opposed to the 22 trailer sites. He fears that more summer residents could lead to complaints about his farm operations: noisé€, odour, etc. These are legitimate fears that every farmer has when he has to spread manure on hot summer days or run heavy machinery at all hours of the day or night to take advantage of favourable weather conditions to plant a crop or take a crop off. Farmers can't afford to work 9 to 5 these days. And he said, quite rightly, that he should not have to take this issue in front of the OMB once again4n light of the fact the OMB has already made one decision on this very matter just four years ago. On the one hand is a marina operator trying to run a tourist-related business. And on the other hand is a farmer who fears that those tourists may someday lodge complaints about his business of farming. Township council is caught in the middle, and no matter what decision the councillors make, somebody is going to be upset. Maybe there is room for some com- promise on the part of the farmer and the marina- It will be interesting to see what follows, and just what decision the Township council ultimately makes on this difficult issue. Speaking of Township council, just about a year from now, residents of Scugog will be going to the polls for the municipal election. Of the three levels of elections -- federal, provin- cial and municipal, I have always found the latter to be the most exciting. This is partly due to the fact that there are so many different spats up for grabs, and I get a great kick out of observing the would-be coun- cillors jockey for position in the weeks and days leading up to the nominations. Even though the next election is 12 months away, I would hazard a semi-educated guess that already there are a few people thinking seriously of taking a run for a seat on Scugog council. I have often wondered why anyone would want to run for local council. The pay, right off the bat, is lousy. Local councillors in Scugog earn less than ten grand per year, the Mayor earns slightly more. Yet the headaches are considerable. Local councillors are constantly in the hot seat, dealing with everything from dog complaints, zoning changes, subdivisions, pot-holes in the roads, broken sidewalks, snow removal, recreation facilities, flooded ditches, driveways and basements. Any citizen can phone the administrator and walk into the council chambers as a delegation, take a seat right at the end of the table and really tee off, face to face, against the council. And a lot of people do just that. Can you do that federally or provincially? Can you walk into the House of Commons- or the provincial Legislature and demand to have your say? Not a chance. is an important industry in the Township. campground operator. Maybe not. (Turn to page 6) Yesterday's Memories 70 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 15, 1917 Mr. William Nesbitt was re-appointed constable for the Village of Port Perry. It was agreed by Council that Mr. Nesbitt was a good constable. Mr. Roy O'Neill has purchased from Mr. John McMillan the pro- perty on Crandell St., formerly occupied by Mrs. Albert Stevens. 45 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 19, 1942 The Seagrave Young People put on a successful play called "Aunt Tillie Goes to Town" in the Port Perry Town Hall on Wednesday even- ing. Some of the cast of characters included Morley Bruce (Mervin Tucker), Everett Nicholls (Ronald Howland), and Alma Frise (Aunt Tillie). Twenty-five boys representing the Dairy Calf, Beef Calf, Swine, Potato and Grain Clubs from Ontario County, were royally. enter- tained by the Riverdale Kiwanis Club on Tuesday at the Broadview Y.M.C.A. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 20, 1952 Port Perry and District's new Community Memorial Hospital has been completed. Miss Frances G. Hicks of Bracebridge has been appointed superintendent and the date of the official opening will be set shortly. Port Perry's new quarter million dollar Public School will be hav- ing its cornerstone laid by Eunice Harris, a former teacher, on Fri- day. A copper document box will contain an issue of the '"'Star," a variety of 1952 stamps and coins, the names of 242 pupils, the teachers and the names of former students who died in World War I and II. 30 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 21, 1957 On Thursday, November 20, 1957, the vote for legal Warehouse and Liquor Store outlets was held. The outcome was in favour of both, 63 percent for Warehouse and Liquor Store 61 percent. The total number of votes recorded was 1,200. 20 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 16, 1967 The Ontario Hospital Services Commission plans have been ap- proved and heavy equipment has been moved to the new hospital site to begin excavation. Mr. Tony Vandervoort, Manchester, left for Holland for a three week visit. Tony will be bringing his bride back to Canada. 10 YEARS AGO Wednesday, November 16, 1977 : A first step towards revitalizing the downtown core of Port Perry was taken when Scugog council agreed to pay half the cost (up to $1500) of a preliminary report to see what was needed. Dr. Cam MacMaster received thc Citizen of the Year Award from Scugog Ratepayers Association president John Kingstone at the general meeting of the group. Mrs. Doreen Adam has resigned as the curator for Scugog Shores Museum and Mrs. Jane Baird has been appointed as new curator. George Crozier, Bill Pearson and Vince McNenly attended the Remembrance Day banquet at the Legion Hall in Port Perry. Letters Postal system steping backwards To The Editor: A massive advertising campaign by Canada Post, costing millions of dollars, has recently been launched to sell Canadians on the Corpora- tion's Plans for the future. It is ironic that emphasis is being put on the theme of '"Taking Canada Post into the 21st Century" when the plans for rural Canada will take those citizens back to the 19th Century. The early history of rural postal service shows the struggle that rural postmasters went through pro- viding service to the community, while being paid a pittance, in the form of commission, for their ef- forts. Service had to be provided far in excess of any normal workweek ; even on Sundays and Holidays. When assistants were needed to per- form the work, their wages were paid by the postmaster out of a meagre commission, or as a subject from the postmaster's pocket. Ad- ditional responsibilities or workloads were added by the Government without consultation or additional remuneration. Despite the postmaster's dedication to ser- vice and acceptance of these hard- ships, he was never sure of keeping his job. Jealousy, competition and political patronage resulted in the turnover of many postmasterships. It only required an accusation by a Member of Parliament that a postmaster had engaged in "political partisanship' to bring about a dismissal. In 1938, there were 363 dismissed across Canada, for this reason. Smaller postmaster- ships were recognized as part of the spoils of political victory. It took sixty years for the Govern- ment to finally realize the value of the rural post offices and the people who staffed them. Far-sighted men, like Deputy Postmaster-General walter Turnbull, recognized this. He said, "postmasters should break away from the notion of being retail merchants, selling on commission, and become full-time, salaried employees." Others, like Wilham Hamilton, followed that example He stated, "The postal service has been built, and will always remain based, on human beings - people. We can never get a machine to go down the street and deliver letters to in- dividual houses. We can never find a machine which will stand behind the wicket in a revenue office and do the variety of work which you do in your everyday routine." More recently, Andre Ouellet stated, "In villages and small towns across Canada, the Post Office remains one of the most frequently visited places by citizens of the community. The Post Office has, over the years, become a much needed resource centre. Members of the community know where to go in order to obtain information on a variety of subjects. The federal Government is everywhere in Canada and the post office is still the most familiar place which brings information to people. The Postmaster is foremost, a per- son of trust, goodwill and one who is willing to listen to everyone's needs. The post office is a meeting place for all and creates a bond bet- ween the members of the communi- ty. It is a unifying force which gives one the feeling of belonging." Yet today, as we approach the 21st century, Canada Post plans to take you back to the 'good old days." Bowing to the pressure from the Government to balance the budget, their answer is to abandon the responsibility of providing this vital service. It will be franchised out to a local business, which will be paid a small commission to do the job. No longer will the dedicated postmaster be there to serve a variety of func- tions, in addition to the postal duties. Instead, an overworked store clerk or corner-store owner will try to serve your postal needs while managing the main business, which pays the bills. In many towns, the only representative of the Federal Government will disappear, as have all the other government services, like the railroad, the airport and small schools. Rural Canadians do not expect to receive all the benefits enjoyed by city residents. However, they pay the same federal taxes as do their counterparts in those cities. The postal system is one federal service used by all Canadians. Is it asking too much to insist that this one ser- vice be maintained as a public, Government service in rural Canada? Canada Post and the present Government say "Yes, you expect too much." What do you say? Yours truly, H.L. Johnson National President Canadian Postmasters & Assistants Association ol ter to the editor. Letters to the Editor ... our policy It has always been the policy of this newpspaper Lo encourage our readers to make use of the letters to the editor column. Our readers have a right to freely express their opinions and view- points on just about any subject, and we feel that a lively letters col- umn helps make a better community newspaper. We insist, however, that a letter writer sign his or her name. On rare occasions, we will agree to with-hold publication of a letter writer's name, if we feel there are very good reasons to do so. Under no circumstances will this paper print an anonymous let- While we enjoy receiving letters from our readers, we must con- tinue to insist on knowing the identity of the writer. --------