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8 - PORT PERRY STAR - Wednesday, August 4, 1999 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Township lenient on illegal a By Chris Hall Port Perry Star Basement apartments 'are illegal in Scugog, but the township allows them to exist, says a Port Perry man. Dale Forsythe claims that while Scugog Township has a bylaw for- bidding basement apart- ments, there are large -- and obvious -- loopholes available to get around the municipal law. Citing concerns for his son's safety, Mr. Forsythe says he asked the town- ship to look into the base- ment apartment where his ex-wife lives. The boy vis- its the apartment fre- quently. A fire inspection was conducted on the home, which is located on Hwy. 7A, and the lower apart- ment failed, he said. But the home was test- ed as a single family dwelling and not as two separate homes, claims Clerk says municipality acts only on complaints Mr. Forsythe. Over the next few weeks steel self-closing doors, fireproof drywall and other changes were made to bring the home up to adequate safety stan- dards, he said. A few weeks later, Mr. Forsythe says he placed another call to Bill Henshall, Scugog's bylaw officer. "My son goes there so I want to know that he's safe," said Mr. Forsythe. He says he was told that anyone living in a basement apartment would be evicted, but that the owners of the house could go before council and ask for a rezoning to allow a-basement apartment. "I phoned four council members including the mayor and all four, includ- ing the mayor, said base- ment apartments were illegal. When I called Mr. Henshall again and asked him what was going on he & LEGER: 0A) A PORT PERRY, ONT. 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While he stresses that safety is his main concern, Mr. Forsythe doesn't agree with the township's defini- tion of an apartment. "It really bothers me that they bring the big guns out and threaten eviction, but once someone moves a stove out every- thing's fine," he said. "I don't have anything against basement apart- ments, I just want them to be safe." Scugog clerk-adminis- trator Earl Cuddie said that while basement apartments are illegal, he admits that they are out there. "There's a lot of them out there. Some are legal and some are non-con- forming, but we only enforce upon a complaint," he said. Mr. Cuddie said the owners of the home on Hwy. 7A did not circum- partments, man says Dale Forsythe vent the bylaw. "There's no loopholes, there's no way to get around it. We know most basement apartments out there are illegal, but we're not here to raise a fuss... we don't want to kick any- body out on the street," he said. "If someone takes a stove or fridge out, they are now living as a single family dwelling; they must live together, they must share. "They can't be living in a separate and distinct independent accommoda- tion if they have to go upstairs to cook. It is not a self-contained unit any- more." Grandview Centre happy with Trillium funding The Grandview Children's Centre will receive $205,000 over three years from the Trillium Foundation. The provincial fund- ing 1s to be used to help provide recre- ational therapy and life skill programming for children and youth with special needs liv- ing in Durham Region. "It 1s wonderful news", said Linda Watson, Executive Director of Grandview. "The lack of pro- gramming for special our fundraising efforts in the community, we will now be able to pro- vide such things as camps in the summer and after school pro- gramming." 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