PAGE 4. WEDNESDAY., JULY 18, 1984. WHITBY FREEVPRESS whitby w Voice of County Town Michael Ian Burgess, P Put ublisher - Managing Editor blished every Wednesday By M.B.M. PUBLISHING and Photography Inc. Phone 668-111 The Free Press Building, 131 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. MICHAEL J. KNELL Community Editor CONWAY DOBBS Advertising Manager second Clais Mail Registration No.5351 The only Whitby newspaper Independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. Durham YMCA merger plan is a serious nistake Sometime thîs year, the Region of Durham will lose control over a most important community organization. For some reason that has yet to be adequately explained, the Durham Region FamlIly YMCA has voted to merge with, and become part of, the Metropolitan Toronto YMCA. From what this newspaper has been able to ascertain, the move was prompted by a belief on the part of some members of the board that greater financial support could be had If the local organization was part of Metro's. It seems to us that the Durham Region Family YMCA has been doing an excellent job over the past few years. It has experienced growth and ex- pansion without surrendering financially stability. Information given to this publication says that The Canadian Press, our national news agency, has managed to get its hands on a 1983 poil on culture commissioned by the federal government. So the Freedom of Information Act is good for something, although I must admit that this is a poli I would rather not have known about. The poil was done by Goldfarb Consultants of Toronto in March of 1983, and sixteen hundred people were questioned. What it showed was that four out of five Canadians think they should be allowed access to any American signals they want. Ac- cording to Canadian Press, even when those surveyed were told that federal control of American signals pro- tects Canadian broadcasters, 74% maintained their op- position to restricted access. I suppose that if I were not deeply involved in Canadian broadcasting, I would agree with the majority. I don't need the government to do my thinking for me or to protect me f rom myself. There is already far too much of that. But I don't see how we would survive as an independent country if we had unlimited cable access to American programming. The broadcast regulations, it is true, protect Cana- dian broadcasters, but they protect something far more important than that. To some extent, they protect the national identity. They protect the country. We could hardly hope for more benevolent neighbors than the people who live to the south of us. They have no desire to own us or run us, by and large. They respect our na- tional feelings, when they're reminded of them. And they tend to pay us the compliment of feeling at home when they. are among us. But we are not Americans, although I think we're growing more like them all the time, and there are still a few of us around who treasure whatever differences remain. Most Americans probably do not know that through television they are beginning to exercise a form of mind control over us. If the government should be tempted to follow the dictates of the poli and open up the cable systems to American broadcasters, I think Canada would become the first country in modern history to be conquered without force of arms or a whimper of protest. Under the circumstances, it is hardly surprising that two-thirds of those polled were highly satisfied with the CBC. It pumps a lot of American programming at us. Not surprising, then, that a third of those polled said developing the Canadian identity would be a primary role for the CBC, or that fully a third believed the CBC should be self-supporting. I suppose in a democracy that governments have some sort of responsibility to legislate the way the peo- ple want them to. But if the people prevail in this in- stance, I hope the government will give us some ad- vance warfioriaSa of us wil yvant tostart lookin f or "b e dhèd to t the Durham YMCA has grown into a $1 million a year operation. It is providing a wealth of com- munity services on a "pay-as-you-go" basis. If this information is accurate, and we have no reason to believe that it isn't, any financial reason put forward for the merger is without foundation. A $1 million a year operation is not "Mickey Mouse." It is an organization to be dealt with seriously. We would point out that many suc- cessful businesses in Whitby and throughout Durham Region don't earn $1 million a year in gross revenues. However, the major thing that concerns us is that if Durham becomes part of the Metro organization we will get lost in the shuffle. We are afraid that the valuable services provided by the YMCA will not continue to be offered at the same high standard we currently enjoy. Metropolitan Toronto has 2.6 million people. Durham Region has only 260,000. Will an organization as large as Metro deal fairly*with so small a group of people? Besides which, how could Metropolitan Toron- to know what is needed and wanted in Durham Region? How could they respond favorably to our needs. We would point out that if this merger is not stopped, Durham will have only one seat on a 50-member board. We will probably not be represented on Metro's powerful executive com- mittee. Durham will literally be a voice in the wilder- ness. We cannot find a rational reason for the Durham Region Family YMCA's decision to merge with its Metro counterpart. This merger will be permanent. Once done, it cannot be undone. The Durham board will have to surrender its charter. Gary Valcour, a lawyer and a past-president of the Durham YMCA, has said that he Is prepared to fight the merger if he can secure some community support. If enough people say they are willing to back his fight for an independant 'Y' that meets the needs and concerns of Durham residents then he ls willing to lead the fight. This newspaper would like to encourage all residents of this community to get involved in this issue. We are about to lose a valuable community organization. When it ls gone, we will be subject to the whims and desires of a larger organization who must determine. what Is best for the vast majority of people it services. As a result, the people in Durham will suffer. No good reason has yet corne forward to sup- port the merger and this newspaper belleves that the decision should be reversed before it's too late. Letter to the e ditor.... Lawson colonel of RCR, reader says Dear Sir; In your edition of 5 July, you stated that Colonel T.F.G. Lawson, Colonel of The Royal Regiment of Canada will of- ficiate at the opening of the memorial cairn at Camp X on 9 August. May I point out that Colonel Tom Lawson is Colonel of The Royal Canadian Regiment; not The Royal Regiment of Canada which is an entirely different unit of the Canadian armed forces. The Royal Regiment of Canada is a Toronto based militia unit with a proud history which includes the Dieppe raid of 1942. The Royal Canadian Regiment is the senior pèrmanent force infantry regiment consisting of four battalions and an airborne unit. It also has a proud record dating back to the Northwest Rebellion. The infantrymen of The Royal Canadian Regiment were .among the few Canadians who went to France in 1940, they were also part of the lst Canadian Division who established the first permanent foothold on enemy.held Europe at Pachino in Sicily on the 10th July, 1943. The infantrymen of The Royal Canadian Regiment proudly served in the Korean War of 1951-1954. I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate the Camp X memorial committee for a lot of hard work, and a job well done in getting the memorial cairn. Thomas Doucette, CD EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Doucette, a holder of the Canadian Forces Decoration (CD)- is a former member of the Royal Canadian Regiment. We wish to apologise for our error. THI NKlING «rWINKJI4& I.