PAGE 10, WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 28, 1976, WHITBY FREE PRESS Whitby's Planning Director is agûinst rural seve rances A total of 32 grade five and six students,. aecornpanied by teacher Mike ntlmber of student teachers from the Ontario College of Education and some enrolled in General Vanier Secondary School's institutional eooking course, sr week at Camp Samac in Oshawa, participatiflg in Outdour Education. 1The students combined their regular lessons with outdoor activities. In toï John Pratt, Supervisor of Outdoor Education lends assistance to a hooded studt a compasS. ln bottom photo. the studen.is try their hands, er feet at snowshoeing Free Pre:;t' Photos by Blake Purd) by BLAKE PURDY P Staff ritrri Whitby's Director of Planning Keiti Birelh has l cauIttîied the Town ugainst c allowing randorn individuialr sever-anCes of ruiral lots f'ors residen tial ptirposes. ln a report te comicil's administrative commiit tee last week, Mr. Birch put forth tive reaseils for luis ri n -le said tha t allowing suich separations wotild lead te, amnong othier things, "'a precedent lcading te the fuiture separations ofl net only existing l arge residential acreages bu t t o smnalle r farmi- iing nits; reinoviflg more land frein agrictltural produiction wuuild seriouisly affect the operaitîinand produictrivity of i fle reunaining viable farming uinits; destroy tie natural aineulities and aesthetic quLalities of thie ruiral areas; lead . te iincrased servicing denuands and standards which can not he stipporteci by the Town; anrid remnove the oppertunity for the Town te find suiitable locations for 44ruiral estate dlevelopmient" which can be developed with suiitable land uise controls and in a maniner which would net jeapordize the additional loss cf productive farin land". NEED FOR FARNILAND In the first section cf bis report, Mr. Birch pointed out the need fer preserving cBible, a agricuiltural lands. stufdents cfFaruiliand, with rapid pent last uirbanization, is not being recognized a s a natuiral ýp photo, reseurce or as an iniportant ent using induistry 1ote tis country which mlust be protected now and in the fuiture by ývell disci- eported. Mr. t3irch said "agricultural ands, in areas surrouridmng ieveloping urban centres, are ~iorc often seen as th e speculator's playground. and aa future reserve t'or con- tinuing urban develo)pn t". "Frmlndlike cil, hov- ever. is a non-renewable resource. The avaîlability of agricultural lands in the future will net only be needed by a growing Ontario, but the greater world miarket", lie reperted. Mr. Birchi said "unfortun- ately, argumntts against the further fiagmnenta tion cf agricuiltural lands and the develepment cf decisive laýnd use pelicies and controls for the protection and conserva- tion cf' the good quality agricultural lands may net be recalized withiin the forseeable futuLire ". RURAL SEVERANCES Mr. Birch then turned luis attention te the direct issue cf seve rances. "The creation of lots foi residential purposes lias threatened die viability of the rural area's productivity, marred the natural am1enitieý cf the rural landscape, in. creased the servicing cestst( rural areas because of greatei demnands froni new resident! and often led te healtf problenis due te soil's inabilit' te handle effluents over Ioný periods of tirne", lie reported Mr. Birch said "for thesi reasons, among others, w now find sophisticated cor trois such as the land divisiei 1committee, plans cf subdivi sien, restricted area zo.-Iin 1bylaws and officiaI plar created by the randomi sever- îng of parcels in, rural areas led the town's council to pass bylaw 337-70 under hylaw 1784",he reported. Mr. Birch said "this bylaw, prohibiting the construction cf single family detached dwrHi1,'ngs on lots created after March 16, 1970, went to the Ontario Municipal Board for CONT'D PG. 17 Cancer goal i s $20G goal will be S'20,000 when the campaign is carried eut in April. Plans are already being made for the canvass, as Whitby Branch Chairnian John Visser attended a two-day canpaign conference in Toronto last weekerld at Toronte's Inn on the Park. The conference was atten- ded by delegates of Cancer Society units and districts froni across Ontario who are organizing the province's S6.5 million campaign for funds, and 8.5 per cent increase over' the actual ameunit raised last yea r. This surn will be raised by volunteers and used te sup- port cancer research in Canada and te finance programs in pu 'blic education and service to cancer patients.