8 (Population Buildup Around Metro). Site COUNTER TO, REGIONAL PLAN POP -Organization by Brian Buckles In its summary of the Toronto Central Region Plan the Pro- vincial Goverrnment states that the plan was based on threo fundamental objectives: (1) the encouragement of a more even distribution of people in Ontario, (2) the improvement of the quality of if e for those people, (3) botter use of the nat- ural environment. In order to achieve these objectives the Toronto region was divided into 3 "planning zones". Zone 1 was an urban- ized area extending front Ham- ilton to Oshawa along Lake Ontario. Zone 2 was the "comzmutershed", the area f rom which it was f elt possible to commute to and from Toronto. Zone 3 was the peripheral area beyond easy commuting distance. The proposed airport and sur- rounding noise lands are in zone 2. The regional plan states that their policy for zone 2 "is to retain it to the maximum degree in recreational agricultural and open space uses." trees BULLY In a speech on May 5, 1970 introducing the Toronto region plan, Mr. Charles McNaughton the thon treasurer of the Gov- ernment of Ontario stated that zone 2."is urgently needed for purposes of recreation, con- servation, open spaco, and agriculture - our intention is to provent large scale devel- opinent and excessive damage to the environinent there" * How can one reconcile this state- ment with a decision to ex- propriate 18,000 acres of land in this area for an airport and further affect another 80,000 acres of what the Gov- ernment labels "noise-land"' It las beon argued that the airport conforma with the Toronto Region Plan because it promotes - growth to buhe North and East of the city. A reading of the Toronto Region plan, however , indicates that it is in zone 3 and especially in the Barrie-Midland and Port Hope-Cobourg areas that the province wanted to stimulate economic growth and develop- ment. How an airport in Pick- ering achieves this is rather lard to understand. gilss DOZ Thore are an increasing number of critics who say, although the plan paid some attention to the need for decentraliza- tion and for agricultural and recreational areas near the city it still put far too much emphasis on the desirability of stimulating population and industrial growth in the immediate Toronto area. Who wants Toronto to becomne another New Yorkc? Yet at a time when more and more citizens are questioning the need for the growth envis- aged in the Toronto Region Plan, the Airport decision goes in the opposite direction. It encourages, substantially more growth and less recrea- tiona]. and open space in areas immediately adjacent to the city than advocated by the Toronto Region Plan. Al. of this in a metropolitan area that is even now growing at a faster rate than any other large city in North Aierica. The important question, how- ever, is not whether or not the airport decision conforms with the Toronto Region plan. It is more relevant to ques- tion the suitability of the Region Plan itself. flowers EuS TEACHERS, HOUSEWIVES, DOCTORS, ENGINEERS, FARMERS, LABORERS, STUDENTS The organization called "People or Planes" is made up of teachers, engineers, doctors, farmers, housewives, lawyers, students, laborers. They are of ail political parties. Many are leading figures in their commu ni- ties. It is a responsible organization, demo- craticalty created f rom the grass roots. Full support is being given it by the Federal M. P. and the provincial M.P.P., both of whom have stated their "unalterable opposition"i to the airport scheme. Members of the "People or Planes" organization share the belief that "thetruly loyal subjectwill neither advise nor submit to arbitrary measures". r-----------------------i PEOPLE OR PLANES COMMITTEEI BOX 159, CLAREMONT, ONTARIO. 1 enclose my cheque for $________ to support P.0.P. NAME STREETi 1 TOWN/CITY___________I L-----------------------------I1