GERRY EMM TRIES TO EXPLAIN IT Dr. Charles Godfrey (left) sits back, contemplating the situation, as Councillor Gerry Emm, (standing) attempts to explain the rationale behind the new regional water and sewer bills which have caused a pub!ic outcry in the past week. Councillor Emm is addressing about 400 ratepayers at a. public meeting held at R. A. Hutchison School Sunday night. Free Press Photo whintby Vol. 7, No. 9 Complain For two-and-a-half hours Monday night, council held a special meeting to hear con- plaints from about 70 residents regarding their sewer and water bills, and it turned out to be generally a repeat of the mass meeting held at Hutchison School Sunday. The council gave notice that any individual with a complaint such as an excessive bill can have it looked at through the town clerk's office. -Persons with problems are asked to write or call in with the account number. Councillor Joy Thompson informed the residents that for 1977 the bill for the first quarter (Jan.ito'March 31) will be sent out about May 10; for the second quarter (Aprîl 1 to June 30) the bill will be sent Aug. 10; for the third quarter (July 1 to Sept. 30) the bill will be sent out Nov. Voice of the County Town) Wednesday, March 2, 1977 16 Pages1 come to council 10; and for the fourth quarter (Oct. I to Dec. 31) the bill will be sent out Feb. 10,1978. Although the bills are based 'on water and sewer usage, she said, the average bil should be $35 to $45 per quarter. "You can appeal your bill to the region", said Councillor Thompson. "Write to the name on your water bill; then it's sent to the finance department and then it's tabled pending a finance and/or engineer's report and then to a committee". Councillor Gerry Emm. commented: "I think that that's the biggest amount of red tape ever, and I1think anyone who -has a question should approach their regional counicillor, who'l1 try and sort it out". Councillor Bob Attersley suggested that perhaps the people in different areas of I. the town could organize themselves and send a repre- sentative or two to speak to .the regional councillors or organize orderly meetings in dlifferent areas of the town to explain the situation. Une resutent at the Monday meeting asked why the sewer bills were higher than the water bills and suggested it should be on a one-to-one ratio of "one gallon going in and one gallon going out". At the public meeting Sunday night, Councillor Emm explained that more sewage is processed than water pumped in, because weeping tiles infiltrate mois- ture out c' the ground When hanother resident asked that the sewer and water rates be put back on the localttax bill, Councillor Emm replied that there is about a $60 saving per house- hold by being on the regional system. INSIDE CARNIVAL QUEEN.............. SEWER BILLS EXPLAINED ...... BROOKLIN BY LINES ............... HISTORICAL WHITBY, CORRIDOR CAPERS................. ROTARY DRAW................ CARNIVAL PLANS.............. SPO RTS..................................... COMING EVENTS............... PAGE 3 PAGE 5 PAGE 6 PAGE 7 PAGE 8 PAGE 9 PAGE 10 & il PAGE 14 .1 u M 400 angry residents lash ot t sewer bills More than 400 angry residents from all parts of Whitby jammed into the R. A. Hutchison School gymnasium Sunday night to express their mass indignation at the new water and sewer bills which arrived last week. Tempers flared as the residents sought an explana- tion of why theirbills ranged from $100 to more than $200 each in many-cases. Councillor Joe Drumm chaired the meeting, and questions were answered by Regional Councillors Gerry Emm and Joy Thompson, local councillor Bob Attersley, and Durham West MPP Dr. Charles Godfrey. Councillors Emm and Thompson attempted to explain the rationale behind the billing system (see Treasurer Forbes McEwen's report on page 5) but the residents seemed at a loss to find a way to obtain relief from the burden of paying the water and sewer bills. Councillor Emm pointed out that the regional water and sewer system actually costs the taxpayers less than the former municipal system. The total average yearly cost for water and sewers for a home assessed at $5,000 would be $270 under the old system, and $210 under the new regional system, he said. "The regional officials don't give a danin how much it's going to cost; they think it's a big joke", said Ron Heard, a resident of the Corridor area. "We are paying for sewers going in Uxbridge and Port Perry because they did not pay for the upkeep of their systems. We're going to fight back", he declared, as the crowd burst into loud applause. Mr. Heard said he did not want members of the appeal board "naid bv the region and told what to do. You can't get a fair hearing if they are paid by regional councillors", he said. He suggested the people should protest as a group rather than as individ- uals, and tell the region "to go to heIl". Mr. Heard and a number of other residents said they found no problem with the water bills, but were furious about the sewer bills. One resident said Whitby's rates are 70 per cent higher than Oshawa's, to which Councillor Emm replied that Oshawa had a lower cost system because of more houses closer together, and the presence of General Motors. He said that by 1980 the regional rate will be uniform, and Oshawa will be paying the same rate as Whitby, following a five-year phasing in of a uniform regional rate. Dr. Godfrey said the causé of the high sewer and water bills was the start-up costs of the region, and the province has not lived up to its commit- ment of paying these start-up costs. "There is no way they can expect to get that kind of money out of the ordinary taxpayer", he said. "You can fight or not pay, but you have to, through your repre- sentatives, go to the region and pound on the door and tell them to get the money from the provincial govern- ment". "We insist Dr. Godfrey get the noney from the province for us", declared one resident. "We don't ask; you get off your butt and get it; it's up to you to get it for us. If you don't, you don't deserve the vote of these people in the next election.". Cont'd on P. 2 FLAMES IN THE NIGHT Like ghostly silhouettes, these Whitby fire fighters work busily in the glow of flames to extinguish a $20,000 blaze at the Pal-O-Pak insulation plant on Colborne Street last Wednesday. The Ontario Fire Marshall is investigating the cause of the blaze. Threi times previously the lant has been the victim of an arsonist. Fire Chief Ed Crouch'say an explosion occurre at thetime of(last Wednesday's fire, Photo by ErieHùdsoi Pal-O-Pak fire being investigated The Ontario Fire Marshall's office is investigating the cause of a $20,000 blaze which destroyed the eastern portion of the Pal-O-Pak insulation company last Wednesday night. Fire fighters, inspecting their equipment at 11:48 p.m. behind the fire hall, noticed a glow in the sky, and took off to the fire before an alarni was even phoned in, said Chief Ed Crouch. Chief Crouch said an explo- sion occurred at the plant, on Colborne' Street East, but as yet, the cause has not been determined. Six trucks responded to the fire, and fire fighters had it under control within an hour. The western portion of the frame building, contain- ing the main machinery area was saved, and although the building burned, the insulation manufactured there did not. Six fire fighters were injured beçause of treacherous icy conditions. The most serious injury was a head cut requiring five stitches, and a concussion, suffered by John Visser when he fell on the ice. No workers were at the plant at the time of the fire, as a mechanical failure had resulted in the cancellation of the night shift. Company President Charles Rycroft said he did not know how long the 18 employees would be off work as a result of the fire. The Whitby Pal-O-Pak plant was the site of three fires in the past five years, all of which were the result of arson. A man was convicted for setting these fires. The fires occurred on July 7 and s Aug.1l1 ,1972, and April 9. 1974. I