PAGE 2, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 1979,WirBYFREE PRESS BARBADOS WEEK FOR JUST $20. EXTRA ** VIA WARDAIR 747 Includes: Round trip air transportation from Toronto to Barbaous; 7 or 14 nights accomrnqdation; in-flight meals and bar service; transfers; beach bag; etc. Coconut Court Golden Palm Sandhurst 1 WEEK 2 WEEKS ONLY $349.00 $369.00. $369.00 $389.00 $399.00 $419.00 Applicable to the May 25 to June 22 and August 24 to September 28 departures only. 185 BROCK ST. N. 4 easi 8 WHITBY Corner of Brock & Mary World 668-7955 Travel Inc. Stay Young..... Have Fun.....Travel! Whitby's senior citizens had an opportunity to speak their minds last month when former councillor Joy Thompson conducted a sur-. vey of seniors' needs for the Whitby' Chamber of Commerce. Mrs. Thompson visited the seniors' apartments on Green and Colborne Streets and obtained a number of suggestions on how condi- tions in Whitby could be improved for its older residents. Transportation figured prominently in the com- ments, said Mrs. Thompson. The seniors said they wanted a bus system, and found that a round trip for groceries could cost as much as $3.20 by taxi, compared with $1 for bus. There seems to be a need for a bus shelter near the Colborne Street apartments, said Mrs. Thompson, but the esidents at the Green Street apartments are complaining that their bus shelter is dirty and is never cleaned at all. The Colborne Street resi- detfts would like to have a mail hox outside their building as sometimes they are unable to walk to the post office to mail their letters. "The biggest beef of all at both apartments seems to b the clearing of the snow, or lack of it," said Mrs. Thompson in her report to the Chamber. "They cannot walk on the sidewalks for ice and snow. If you can spare the time, you should take a walk up to the front of the Colborne aparthnents, maybe take a camera with you and see what they mean." Mrs. Thompson reported that the seniors all seem to be treated with kindness and courtesy by the downtown merchants, and most don't shop anywhere else. However, Mrs. Thompson discovered that the majority of the stores do not.cater to shopping for one person living alone on a fixed budget. She pointed out that in one food store potatoes sold loose at 19 cents a pound while a five pound bag cost 17 cents a pound. In another case, a three-pound bag of onions cost 25 cents, while a pound cost 17 cents. The seniors mentioned that cheese packages are so large that the cheese goes mouldy before it can be used up. Mrs. Thompson suggested that perhaps the Chamber could approach the stores to seeif accommodation can be made for "senior pack- aging" so these problems could be eliminated. "Another large problen for the senior section of the population seems to be the lack of a "dime store" or "Woolworth" type estab- lishment," Mrs. Thompson reported. "They (the seniors) cannot get such things as a spool of thread, elastic, buttons, darning wool, a cheap sweater or merchandise in the category of habada- shery. They all miss the Chainway store. Has the Chamber approached any of the hairdressers, restau- rants, clothiers, etc. and asked them to have a "senior discount day" maybe once a month?" A number of seniors also questioned how they will be able to get to -the new Oshawa Fair site near Brooklin, and complained about not being able to cross Brock Street at the activity centre. It was explained to them that a light will be put in at Burns Street in the next few months. Mrs. Thompson disco- vered that some businesses cater to the needs of senior citizens. A cheese store will deliver any amount of cheese or other merchandise stocked, free of charge to seniors, she reported, and one lawyer interviewed, gears his fees to senior citizens. Ope local business donated a large supply of food to Fairview Lodge last Christmas, Mrs. Thompson reported. *Mrs. Thompson also rioted that the seniors would like someplace to sit and rest for a few minutes when they shop downtown. She sug- gested that consideration be given to installing benches along the routes between the ** SECOND' downtown and the seniors' apartments. Industries want local contracts Some Whitby industries are disgruntled, to say the least, that the Town of Whitby and the Region of Durham prefer to go to Toronto or elsewhere for their contractual work, even though the tenders fromi local merchants are in some instances only a few dollars different from outside of the area. This is what former Whitby councillor Joy Thompson discovered when she conducted- a recent survey of local industries for the Whitby Chamber of Commerce. One new industry sug- gested that the Chamber send out a brochure listing the subcontractors that are local to the Town of Whitby, for the Region of Durham and some local businesses use subcontractors in their work. The Durham Board of Education, it seems, always uses Toronto architects, who in turn, use Toronto subcon- tractors, Mrs. Thompson reported. Some industrial firms noted that the Chamber of Commerce seems to be more oriented towards commer- cial members and not enough emphasis is put on the industries of the town. They would attend more meetings and participate a lot more if the keynote addresses were not always slanted to problems of down- town renewal, parking and the small business, she said. Bus service Cont'd from P. 1 At the time of writing he "is on the mend." Councillor Gerry Emm was the Town's representa- tive at the Good Roads Con- vention. in Toronto, while Councillor Bobby Attersley was absent "on some unex- pected business." All three Councillors were opposed to the loss of the Brock Street South bus- route and "the profound impact it would have on the residents of the Town." Seniors tell Chamber of Commerce their needs THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF WHITBY TENNIS INSTRUCTORS WANTED The Whitby Récreation Department requires qualified instructors to teach the fundamentals and advanced skills in tennis during the months of May, June and July. Please apply immediately to: Whitby Recreation Department, 575 Rossiand Road, East, Town of Whitby