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PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 6, 1983, WHITBV FREÉ PRE§S whitby Volce of the County Town Michael lan Bu The only Whltby newspaper independently owi -ir - --- .7y -- "y aicbiu-si,4 urvvniIuy riaents Publlshed every Wednesday urgess, Pubilsher - Managing Edi tor and Photography imc. >Phone 0'68-6111l The Free Press Building, 1:11 Brock Street North. P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. Registration No. 5351 TIMOTHY BAINES Communlty Editor ANDY THOMSON Advertising Manager Second CIass Mail Creek pollution problem., hould"'t, be seeondarv The Port Whltby sewer extension wlll soon be a reailty but flot before it resulted ln a fight amongst regional counciliors last Wednesday. What should have passed through Council with nary a negative whisper stili managed to spark some negative comments saying that the proposed sewer extension between South Blair St. and the Harbour St. Pumplng Statilon was a bad idea. As we pointed out ln last week's editorial, the real issue at stake was beling bypassed., Pringle Creek residents have for years been for- ced to live in the shadows of a stink hole. Their creek has been severely polluted by an overf low of No Thanksgîving for this turkey "DY W Roger Worth The bureaucratic con gamc goes on. The latest in -a long list of Iearned reports, surveys, analyses and other mulîl-million dollar govern- ment marvels that purport to tell ordinary Canadians what we should be doing, or how we should be living, is something called "Part-time Work in Canada--Report of the Commission of Inquiry mbt Part-time Work." A former federal Labor Minister, Charles Caccia, says in the introduction: "The views and recommendations expressed in this report do nol necessarily reflect those of Labor Canada' (or, hopefully, the government of Canada). Nevertheless, it was the federal government that appointed a lady named Joan Wallace to lead this multi- million dollar investigation into the state of the nation's part-time workers. While Ms Wallace's tille of Comrnissioner is impressive, the 218-page report is such a turkey that, with proper basting, it would make a nice centrepiece for the Thanks- giving repast. The basic problem, and it is fundamenlal indeed: neither Ms Wallace nor the highly paid academics, professionals and other experts she hired t0 produce the ponderous tome have any real understanding of the small business sector, which is the sector that will be affected most if any of the report's recommendations are accepted. lndeed, these smaller com- panies that are even now pro- ducing most of the country's new jobs, are also the firms that make the greatest use of part-lime workers. Yet lime afîer time, the Commission studies use statishics and averages that relate to large firms and organizations. The wriîers, researchers and Ms Wallace herseif seem to care less about the problems their recom- mendations will create for tiny manufacturers with 8 10 10 employees, or even the couple that scrimped and saved t0 operate a corner store, with the help of part-timers. So it is understandable that smaller firms and the people they employ are going to suf- fer badly _if any government legislates the report's recom- mendations. For example: 0Administration costs for smaller firms will rockeî if Ms Wallace has her way. The amount of red tape and paper- burden wilJ grow dramnaîically as companies are forced to comply with new government rules and regulations. e The principle of equal pay for work of equal value, which Ms Wallace supports, may seem reasonable to an academic. But in practice, who decides what jobs are equal, or unequal? Should a part-time clerk filling in for an employee with 10 or 15 years of service 10 a smnall business receive the same rate of pay for the several weeks he or she may be needed? Ms Wallace contends such decisions would be made by somne form of "auditor."' Anoîher expensive bureaucrat 10 ýoversee what the rest of us are doing. Nevertheless, Ms Wallace's report includes one good sug- gestion: "The federal govern- ment... .should do away with mandatory retirement to enable older wiorkers 10 work part-lime. " Such a suggestion is a move in the right direction, and it's about the only good thing in the whole report. CFIR feature Service sewage water. On occasion, the sewage had no place to go but directly Into Pringle Creek. If that lsn't enough Lake Ontario has aiso been the beneficiary of corne of this lovely-smelîîng sludge. And to think sorne people actually have the guts (or just don't know how unsanitary the water really le) to swim lh this unmarked septIc tank. How çan politicians avold this issue? This should be a major consideration ln any decision of the magnitude of the proposed $3.4 million extension. But what did the debate centre around? Does Whitby have a developer who can guarantee deveiopment ln the Port Whitby area? Local councillors Bob Attersley, Gerry Emm and Tom Edwards did concede the pollution problemn was bad and needed rectifying but many councillors let this fact drift through their heads and got back to their concerns - money* and development. Councillors voted 17-11 in favor of the sewer project but why was the vote eve-n that close? Perhaps part of Councll's itlnerary should have been a gulded tour of (and a swlm In) our crystal- clear Prîngle Creek. If they timed the, tour rlght they could even walk on water, llterally. So Regional Council now has to borrow $1.4 million for the project. This seems like a drop in the pan when It le considered that the safety and good heaith of many people are Involved. Besides, the money will likely be recouped In a much shorter time than expected. Given Bob Attersiey's track record durinig his term as mayor, it will no doubt be soon aninounced that a major developer (possibly Kesmark) has been inked to begin a multi-million dollar projeat In Port Whitby. So why do counicillors argue over such a necessary project? Your guess le as good as ours, Sewer charges unjustifiable says reader Editor's note: The following is a copy of a letter sent to the manager of Durham Region's Water Billing Section by a concerned citizen. Dear Sir, In common with the other residents of the Durham Region, I have recently received the Water and Sewer Billing for the past ninety day period, and in view of the extreme weather we have --experienced during this period, it camne as no surprise to find that the total con- sumption and sub- sequent cost was vastly inflated over the normal amount. We have been advised by varlous sections of the local press that the Municipality has en- joyed healthy surplus over budget in the revenue it has received this year from the Water Billing Section, and varions suggestions have been proposed for the use of this windfall. I doubt whether many residents have any ob- jection to paying for the water they used during the summer in their at- tempt to maintain their parched lawns and gar- dens, as this was their individual choice and they were aware of the cost involved, but to have to face the iniquitous sewer charges, which inciden- tly are tied to the water consumption figures, is perhaps -flot only unreasonable, but probably totally un- justified. It is safe to say that the main volume of water used by residents during the summer, neyer found it's way into the sewage system, and it is less than moral for the Municipality to charge for a service neither received nor used. It would perhaps have been more honest to have averaged out the sewage charges based upon the individual household's normal Whitby usage rather than benefit from people's misfortune. As an added thought, it is My understanding that if I had pumped a similar volume of water into a swimming pool on My property, I« would have been entitled to a rebate based upon the assumption that this water would flot have been discharged into the sewerage system. It 18 ironical that the majority of swimming pool owners empty their Pools into the roadside drains as soon as the frost appears with the approach of Winter, Peter G. Consens ~?~ ~ (~/7Tt~f ~c~E7~q/iV6 /P'C-V~v t/P iiV~'e' ~Lq4/p5 /' j - 4' ~. - - ý -%W- -ý MOPIOR. M#qW.ý ai 1 Dý5 ;ýýEeA &717àÉe .1O-ME7;qIW6 1 1 - - - - - . .- - . .ý . 9 ,,%a ned and operated b