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Child hciihiaes EC Gp, 6 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, May 1, 2001 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" PUBLISHER, GEN. MGR...Don Macleod MANAGING EDITOR . .Jeff Mitchell OFFICE MANAGER . . . Gayle Stapley ADVERTISING MGR ...Deb McEachemn PRODUCTION MGR . . .Pam Hickey REPORTER ......... *..Chris Hall PHONE (905) 985-7383 FAX (905) 985-3708 E-MAIL: editorial@portperrystar.com advertising@portperrystar.com Qecna Member Ontario Community Newspaper Assoc. PORT PERRY STAR % S Member Canadian cry (I CNA Association Publications Mail Registration No. 07881 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) towards our mailing costs. Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Company Limited, 188 Mary Street - Port Perry, Ontario - L9L 187 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 1 Year - $37.45 (includes GST) EDITORIAL POLICY: Opinions expressed by columnists, contributors and letter writers are not necessarily those of The Port Perry Star. Letters must be signed and the telephone number (which will not be publi brought to the editor's attention. We reserve the right to edit or refuse publication of any material submitted. ADVERTISING POLICY: The subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for the advertisement. All daims of err in publication must be made by Wednesday, noon, pir to the next week's pubbation, , if not made, will not be considered. No daim will be allowed for more than one insertion. Six Months - $19.79 (includes GST) ~~ Foreign 1 Year - $96.30 (includes GST) publisher is not liable for slight changes or aphical errors that do not lessen the value of an BUSINESS OFFICE: Judy Ashby, Kathy Dudley, Janet Rankin, Lesley West ADVERTISING: Ginni Todd, Cindy Jobin, Gail Morse, Sandra Spiers, Linda Clarke, Lisa Monk, Janet Archer, Malcolm Lennox PRODUCTION: Trudy Empringham, Daryle Wright, Arlene Cheel, Robert Taylor, Richard Drew freelance Writers- Heather McCrae, John B. McClelland, Rik Davie published) induded. Requests that a name be withheld will be honoured only if there is a compelling reason to do so. Errors will be corrected if i t. The publisher is not liable for other errors or omissions in connection with any advertisement in any Editorial Comment Taxes on the rise Rising fees for services and permits, slashed departmental budgets, and, in the end, some level of tax increase. Welcome to 2001, Scugog taxpayers. It's been some time since we've announced to you that your township taxes were actually going up. For several years, township councillors have managed to maintain a freeze on taxes, despite the mounting pressures of down- loading and rising costs. Keeping taxes at a constant level is a good thing, but it came at a price: The municipality did without in the capital cost department. For years, the roads department limped along in trucks that required costly repairs annually. Roads that needed attention were given mere surface treatment and maintenance, rather than the extensive repairs needed. And important municipal facilities, such as the pool, the sec- ond ice pad, and a new township office complex, were con- tinually pushed to the back burners, as township officials strove to deal with day-to-day matters, and do so within a tight budget. It was a situation that had to give at some time. And now the time for an increase has arrived. Township councillors and department heads have been working diligently to keep the increase to a minimum, because they are aware of the impact even the slightest tax hike has on household budgets here. But to move ahead, municipal reps had to face facts, and raise taxes. They've kept the increase to a minimum by seeking others sources of revenue, such as debenture issues, for the long list of road work to be done. Other rev- enues, such as the proceeds from the Great Blue Heron casino, will help. But the climate for municipalities has changed to the point where a tax freeze is impossible now. Maybe next year? WELL AT LEAST TM STILL HOLDING MY OWN! . A { HI CO | J ll) i One ReovA © PoRT PERRY STAR LETTERS TN AAAI 5 ad To the Editor: I see town councillors are in a flap over Reid's small garden centre, its proximity to the lake and the prospect of fertilizer runoff. They say they want to send a clear oy § message that they will protect the & lake. It's easy to pick on Reid's, whose fertilizer runoff is probably negligible (they're only watering pots) and yet to my knowledge, council has pre- cious little to say about the growing number of homeowners on this lake and the hundreds of thousands of pounds of fertilizer and chemicals ~ they and local farmers use each year. Where do you think it all goes? Might this have anything to do with the increasingly choking weed growth in the lake? Maybe this is all Reid's fault? It's illogical that a waterside devel- opment like the golf course and hun- dred-odd homes in Canterbury Common gets the go-ahead, yet Reid's gets the shaft. Runoff from Canterbury Common down the slope to the lake is so substantial that it erodes sections of the subdivision"s Reid's was unfairly targeted waterfront trail every year. In fact, the development of Canterbury Common coincided with the emergence of a huge weed bed facing Coulcliff Blvd. and Lakeshore Drive the last two years. Last summer for the first time, waterfront owners on these streets had to mark and prop-cut their own channel to get their boats through the stuff. It's arbitrary and unfair for council to make an example of Reid's and yet wimp out on the big battles to protect the lake. Council should allow Mr. Reid to come up with a management plan (i.e., careful han- dling of fertilizer bags and no over watering) to eliminate any threat to the lake. Even now, his garden centre likely creates less fertilizer runoff than one waterfront homeowner and his bags of Weed N' Feed. Councillors, if you're going to tut- tut over fertilizer runoff into the lake, you run the risk of being hoist on your own petard. Kay Langmuir, Port Perry Eta Tame" Ec mt ATCT AI ao Ga 6 Cu SX | at a eral: oop ---- ee ------------ ------ T_T A 2 ul S--