Page 6, Wednesday, August 1lth, 1971, WHITBY FREE PRESS COUNCIL AND CP REPS LOCK HORNS TOWN WILL FIGHT TO KEEP CP AGENT Apologies! In an exhaustive discussion period with town council Monday night, rep- r e s e n t atives from Canadian Pacific Express, proposing to shut down their W h i t b y d e p ot, learned that Whi tby council strongly oppose their intended action - and a lesson in geography as well. - Mr. C. Broad, regional manager of Northeastern Ontario briefed council on his company's proposal to remove the Whitby office from Brock Street North over to Oshawa, explaining that thisactionwas being taken because of apresent overlap created with the ex- istence of the Whitby office. The reg- ! on al manager told council that this arrangement would upgrade CP ser- vice in the municipal ity, and added that a fuil scale sales and information pro- gram would be undertaken as well. Mr. Broad, who hesitated when the question - "What is the population of the Town of Whitby ?I" was put to him .by Des Newman, was in turn informed by themayor that the population is 25, 000, and also informed that a town of that size could well support a CN ex- press office. Gordon Ellison, who is in charge of CP express in Oshawa said the pro- posed move to eliminate the Whitby of- fice was strictly an economic one, and explained that it was CP po1 icy to cen- tralize express offices to provide for efficiency, lower costs and less hand- ling. He said that if the offices were established in Oshawa, a truck could stay in Whitby to pick up shipments as late as 5 p.m. "Have you considered a~truck term- i n a I h ere ? ", asked Mayor Newman. "You say the service is not good en- ou g h he continued refering to CN allegations that the company is losing money inWhitby. "We say improve the service right here in the Town. Does an automatic stick shift make it more attractive? Our optional automatic stick shift doesn't have a clutch pedal. Just a stick you don't shift much. Drive 1 drives you ail over town. Drive 2 drives you up and down the highway. Stop by and shift for yourself. PICKERING CAR CENTRE LTU. Baseline & Pickering Beach Road Ajax 942-1881 Council1 lor Robert Attersley sa i d t h e express company shoul d h a v e a truck in W h i tby to operate out of the town, and asked why the sales promo- tion referred to by Mr. Broad had not been under taken for the Whi tby office. I t was pointed out to both Mr. Broad and Mr. Ellison that a survey prev- iously taken had proven that local businessmen and industries were satis. fied w i t h the service of the local CP agent. Deputy Reeve John Goodwin as com- mittee chairman and councillors Rob- ert Attersley and Vern MacCarl were as s igned by M ay or Newman to meet wi th representatives of Canadian Pacific Express for further discus- sion of the matter. Mr. Broad, who asked for counc il 's Iblessingi" on the company's move to Oshawa, i n d icated that t h e Railway Transport Committee of the Canadian Transport Commission ha s no juris- diction over the closing of express ag- encies. In a let ter to councilI las t February, he stated that the Town would have to agree with their proposed move to Osh- .wa, before the move could be made. NDP Public Forum On Satur day , August 14th, a public forum w i Il be held in the U. A. W. Hall 1 , Hunt Street Ajax. The topic, "What a n N D P govern- ment will do for Ontario" will in- c 1 u d e speakers: Stephen Lewis, MPP, leader of theOntarioparty , Bruce Kidd, can- didate in Beaches Woodbine, Cliff Pilkey, MPP for Oshawa, and Bob Wing, candidate in Ontario South. P r o c e e d i n g s start at 10:00 a. m. and will continue on into the after- noon. Bruce Kidd is a vice-president of the Metro Social P I anning Council as well as a for- mer champion run- ner. BobWing ran federally for the NDP, and is a strong challenger to the incumbent MPP, B ililNew- man. Top ics to be cov- ered are poverty and unemployment as w ell1 as labor and the NDP par- t y , Conservative g o v e rnment per- formance and other i s s ues. Refresh- ments willbe pro- vided and everyone is wel come to come Sis ten to the speak- ers and to partici- pate in the follow- ing question and an s w er periods. A large crowd is expected. 17 ss NOT I *l Apologies from the WHITBY FREE PRESS to visitors to the erroneous address published in our last issue. Our address is 301, and not 212 Byron Street South. Your visits are wel- come. Queen's Park Report By William Newman M.P.P. WELCH BOOSTS SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE - Ontario has revised its capital grant plan f or school construction to al low for i n c r e a ses in construction costs since the plan's introduction in 1967. The tables used to calculate the ex- penditure eligible for grant have been increased the equivalent of about 4% a year. The revisions coupledwith a higher Department g r a n t on debenture debt charges will part icularl y assist boards in fast growing areas in providing vit- al school facilities at a.minimal cost to the taxpayer. Mr. Welch stressed that boards will not be allowed to in- crease the maximum expenditure for school buil ding, but that a larger portion of this maximum cost will be eligible for grant. Thechangeswill apply to theboards 1971 construction programs. Under the revi s i ons the Department will pay grants averaging in excess of 90% of nine-tenths of construction costs. The basic plan covers new elementary and s e c o n d a r y school construction and renovations to existing buildings as w el I as sec on dary school portable facilities. The plan will be adjusted annually to keep pace with rising con- struction costs. PROVINCE'S SENIOR CITIZENS GRANTED FREE USE OF PARKS Senior ci tizens who reside in homes f o r t h e aged will be entitled to free d a y u s e of p r o v incial parksunder changes in the Provincial Parks Act. The present charge is $1 for aduits. The change applies to senior citi- zens from homes for the aged estab- 1 ished under the Charitable Institutions Act or the Homes for the Aged and Rest Homes Act, and from approved centres u n d e r t he Elderly Persons Centres Act. There are 184 such institutions in Ontario. The driver of a vehicle carrying a senior ci tizen will simpsy have to show a letter on an institution's letterhead s ta t ing the senior c it izen resides there.