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BE ------ Nie aa 6 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, July 10, 1990 The Port Perry Star 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY, ONTARIO PHONE 985-7383 FAX 985-3708 The Port Perry Star is authorized as second dass mail by the Elsewhere $60.00 per year. Single Copy 50¢ EDITORIAL Publisher - J. Peter Hvidsten Editor - John B. McClelland News/Features - Julia Ashton News/Features - Kelly Storry Darlene Hlozan BUSINESS OFFICE Office Manager - Gayle Stapley Accounting - Judy Ashhy Billing Department - Louise Hope Post Office Department, Ottawa, for cash payment of postage. PRODUCTION ADVERTISING Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 Annabell Harrison Advertising Co-ordinator - Valerie Ellis Subscription Rate: In Canada $20.00 per year Trudy Empringham Advertising Sales Representative - Anna Gouldburn Retail Sales - Kathy Dudley, Linda Ruhl, Tracy O'Neil {in A BE Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association Ontario Community Newspaper Association Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co. Lid. Port Perry, Ontario Editorial Comment GROWING PAINS The Provincial government has estimated that over the next 30 years, the population of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) will increase by two million people, for a total of six mil- n. If you say two million in 30 years quickly, it doesn't sound like much, does it? But that is about the same as the number of people currently living in Metro Toronto, and we all know the problems Metro is experiencing in terms of transportation, services, etc. The GTA has been defined as the area that now encom- passes Metro Toronto, and four surrounding Regions: York, Halton, Peel and Durham. Yes, Durham Region is part of the GTA, and since Scu- gog is part of the Durham, it too is part of the GTA. If the projections are accurate and the population of the GTA does indeed hike up by two million people over the next 30 years, it is fair to assume that not too much of the increase will be in Metro, which is already straining with people. So where do these two million people live and work? In the other four Regions already mentioned. At the same time that long range planning is being started by the GTA, Durham Region is in the process of a review to its Official Plan. In fact, a public meeting was held in Port Perry late last month to give people a chance to hear what the review is all about, and where the planners think Durham is going over the next three decades. Not surprisingly, since this is pretty dry stuff, the meeting was not very well attended by the public. But there was a healthy contingent of realtors and developers, who are very in- terested in future growth. The Regional planners envisage Durham growing to a population of some 795,000 people in 30 years. That's just about double the present level. And the planners anticipate there will be about 450,000 obs in the Region, which sounds nice, but we wonder just ow realistic this projection is. We won't argue at all with the plan's suggestions that most of the new population growth in Durham will occur "be- low the Ridges" in a band along Lake Ontario, stretching from Pickering to Bowmanville. The planners want to make very sure that agricultural land and open space north of the Ridges remains pretty much the way it is now. We are certain that most people in Scugog, Uxbridge and Brock do not want to see their communities subjected to the kind of "urban sprawl" that has mushroomed along Highway 2 for example. In fact, the plan suggests that growth in the north will be quite limited. Port Perry's population might climb to 10,000 people, same as Uxbridge. And future growth in the many small rural hamlets will be subjected to stringent requirements on services: most notably the availability of water. And one can't argue with that. Many hamlets and rural developments in Durham are experiencing well water problems right now. Fu- ture development could only exacerbate those problems. So, we like the idea of limited growth in the small urban centres like Port Perry and Uxbridge, very slow growth in the rural hamlets, and the preservation of farmland and open space in the rural areas. But what if the population of Durham climbs to 795,000 over the next 30 years? Can Durham handle this kind of growth? At the Port Perry public meeting, one person called it a potential for "disaster." That may be a tad strong, but we have to wonder about the ability of Durham to house these people, educate them, employ them, transport them, and provide them with other es- sential services like police and fire protection, health care and hospital beds. And finally, where are they going to do for rec- reation? How many new schools, new hospitals, new roads, new (Turn to page 8) i ul | | '# ArrenTion Sunpay sHoppers I... ATTENTION JUNDAY SHOPPERS [~~ - ~na OUR SPECIAL TODAY I5 GENESIS 2, VERSES 1703 GOD ENDED H/E WORK wna' [4 THE SUNDAY DEBATE For the past eight to 10 years, residents and visitors to Port Perry have had the privilege of limited Sunday shopping. It's not that Port Perry had been given special status, it was simply that stores in Port Perry have been open on Sunday for so many years, nobody really thought too much about it. Merchants didn't advertise or flaunt the fact they were open, but every Sunday they unlocked their doors and welcomed residents and visitors to the community with open arms. If you were in the need for a birthday card, a gift, clothing, furnishings, medication or a loaf of bread, many of the stores along Queen Street were happy to be of service. But this was not the case across most of Ontario as the provincial Sunday closing laws prevented most retail outlets from opening. Man stores in the urban areas were charged, week af- ter week, in their attempts to have the laws changed to reflect the desires of the public. Wall, it did change a few weeks ago when the Ontario Supreme court struck down the Sun- day closing laws on the grounds it was unconsti- tutional. What isn't these days? A few stores stayed open on Canada day, but most said they would wait until the followin week. So in a last ditch attempt to stall the inevi- table, (ren Sunday shopping across the prov- ince), Attorney General lan Scott asked a three. udge panel to stay the decision. The stay would ave prohibited Sunday shopping until the case is appealed later this fall. But the panel of judges agreed with the On- tario Supreme Court decision and the province lost its bid to keep the flood-gates closed, Last Sunday the doors of most retail stores, and shopping malls in Metro and the surrounding areas were thrown wide open to the public. Large signs welcomed shoppers as retailers hoped to get their share of the anticipated ex- pendable cash supposedly burning holes in the pockets of their customers. Just what the full effect of open Sunday shopping will have across the province is yet un- known. Will it effect family life as we know it to- day? Will the churches lose much of their con- regations to open malls? Will employees be orced to work on Sunday against their will? Tings These are just some of the concerns and ques- tions that will have to be addressed during the next few months. The mere fact that stores can now open le- gally on Sundays is bound to create a much larg- er problem for the Joueininen. It is one thing to try to prevent Sunday shopping, but it is another to take away the privi once the public has had a taste of this new delicacy A privilege | am sure won't be given up without a fight. But the public may be forced to fight for their new found right, as Premier David Peterson has already announced he is prepared to battle all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada to uphold the province's Sunday shopping laws. If that be the case, and the public decides they want Sunday shopping, if an election is called this fall, Mr. Peterson may be out looking for a new job sooner than he thinks. On the local front, just what effect wide-open Sunday shopping with have on the retailers in Port Perry is debatable. But | believe it would be fair to suggest that the popularity of the down- town as a place to shop on Sundays will be af- fected to some degree. Presently, some of those merchants openin on Sunday indicate that about 15% of their busi- ness is done on that day. While there is little doubt that Port Perry merchants will continue to enjoy a brisk Sunday business, it would be too timistic to expect they will enjoy the same level of patronage in the future. But, Port Perry does have one advantage over many other communities and urban areas. Many families travel to our community, not only to shop, but to enjoy an afternoon on the lake boating and fishing, picnics and activities in our lakefront parks, or just to walk through our historical downtown and along the many beautiful streets in this community. In other words, visitors enjoy the things we, as residents of this pictu- resque community, take for granted. There is no reason to believe that anyone primarily interested in shopping, will trave fifty miles if they can shop closer to home. There will be an abundance of places to spend their money on Sunday, as every mall, shopping centre and small community will now be open for business. But if they're looking for more, Port Perry will still be here awaiting their arrival with open arms. TT Va aa ea ae