PAGE 4,W-EDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1985,WIITBY FREE PRESS whitby r Voice of the County Town Michael lan Burgess, Publisher - Managing Editor The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated hy Whitby iresidents for Whitby residents. Published every Wednesday by MV.ll.M. Publishing and Photography Inc. Phone 668-6I 11 The Free Press Building. 131 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206. Whitby. Ont. MICHAEL KNELL Community Editor VALERIE COWEN Advertlsing Manager Second Class Mail Registration No 5351 Bugelli's proposal deserves support West Ward Coun. Joe Bugelli deserves a warm round of applause and a tip of our hat for his recent suggestion that Whitby Town Council take action to ensure that builders construct houses of acceptable and suitable standard before the oc- cupancy permit is Issued. à weekiy news comnTary fro oeu of Canada's outateidIng news personalities ZEST OF P.ETER ' ANnnu|u ar OR GLOBAL EWlB Surely Canadians understand by now that the Reagan administration takes a pretty simplistic view of the surrounding universe. There are the guys with white hats and the guys with the black hats, and there is no room for shades of gray. Yet gray is what Mr.. Trudeau wore, and in Ronald Reagan's eyes, his hat must have looked pretty near charcoal at times. i think we should ask ourselves precisely what that gray hat actually achieved. Did it make the world a safer place? Did it soften Mr. Reagan's at- tacks on the "evil empire"? Did the Foreign In- vestment Review Agency give us our country back? Did the National Program ensure self- sufflciency? Did tweaking the Americans' nose firm up our dollar? Did it create Canadian jobs? Did it put Canadian programs on Canadian television? Did it give us a better sense of aur national ldentity? If the gray hat dld any of those things, it certainly didn't do them very well. Mr. Mulroney has made it clear from the begin- nlng that he would burn the gray hat and wear a white one, so that in Washington there would be no mistake about whose side we were on. And there is no hard evidence ta date that we're any worse off because of t. The recent media and opposition panic about the erosion of Canadian sovereignty reminds me of decision-making between a man and his wife. As the husband explains it: "I decide aIl the im- portant things: the Middle East; the economy; who should be Prime Minister. My wife handles the domestic stuff: where we are going ta live; what kind of car we buy; where the kids go to school; that sort of thing". In Canada, we have been deciding the important things for years. But in terms of most of the issues that affect our daily lives, the United States have been in charge of the household for some time. This is not something that can be negotiated at a summit meeting. It is simply a fact that we have to live with. Mr. Muironey's decision ta change hats, to be friendly, may be dangerous politically. Traditionally, much of ur nationalism has been rooted in a contradictory kind of anti-Americanism and pooping on Washington is almost a national pastime. It helps us get over our national in- feriority complex. I think the time has come toa give Mr. Muroney's approach a chance. Perhaps we can get more things done ta our Ilking as friends than we couid as critics. And if it doesn't work, we'll have nothing to lose by becoming a squeaky wheel again, looking for grease we rarely get. Under Bugelli's proposal, a builder would be required to post a $3,000 bond (of five per cent of the home's retali price, whichever is greater) for each house that is built to ensure that it is up to snuff. The councillor toid Whitby Town Council at Its meeting last week that they all know of cases where buliders have left homes in varying states of Incompletion or have used such shoddy work- manship that things begin to go wrong soon after they are purchased and occupied. Often, the resident then has a very difficult time trying to get these problems corrected. Bugelli pointed out that under the town's current policy, new homes are only inspected for structural insufflencles prior to the home receiving its occupancy permit. The inspectors have no power to ensure that kitchen cupboards, for example, are installed properly or to order that a warped floor in the living room be repaired. There is nothIng the town can do presently if a resident complains that two months or so after moving in that the drywall is falling down or the plaster has developed huge cracks that are dif- ficult and costly to repair. People in situations such as these often have no where to turn for help in getting their problems solved and if the builder has an out of town ad- dress, they are often difficult to track down. For people such as these, getting their problems resolved is often an act off utility and frustration. While Bugelli and other members of council were quick to point out that not ail builders behave in such an irresponsible fashion, they also said that those who do are a black mark on the town's otherwise excellent record. Bugelli, also noted that Whitby is a great place to live and the town has gone to considerable lengths to promote itself-as such. "I don't want any developer or builder to marr that Image," he told council, "I don't want people to say they are sorry they came to Whitby." Bugelli's proposai will go a long way to ensure that Whitby remains "a place to live, work and play." This newspaper also thinks that it is about time some level of government took steps to ensure that homes are built to an acceptable standard. After ail, cars, appliances and other consumer products must be guaranteed by the manufacturer to meet an acceptable standard of quality. These standards must be even more important when one considers new homes because that home will be the major and most important in- vestment of its occupants life. For more people, the biggest asset they possess is their home. They put their life savings and every spare dollar they have into it. For most people, its the pride of their existance. A home should be a quality place. A place to rear children and live out one's life without having to worry about the acts of a few Irresponsible builders who simply take out money and run. Bugelli's motion ls also in the builders' self- Interest. Since they have not shown an inclination to police themselves, then we have to police them. While it can be said that a bulider who con- structs shoddy homes won't be able to sell them, it is often after they are built that their poor work- manship becomes evident. If Bugelli's proposai Is made officiai town policy it will not give proper protection to the home buyer but will probably cause an substantial Improvement in house construction ln Whitby. r 1