Whitby Free Press, 23 Jul 1986, p. 4

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PubIislîed every Wednesday whitby r BILL MCOUAT 1)* b M. B.M. Publlshing Comrnunhty Editor ami Photography mc. w zPIi<l>hue(,668-611IlVALERIE COWEN u u'ThereelPress Building, Advrtsng Manager Vleoth onyTown Michael Ian- Burgess, Publisher - Managing Editor 1:11 Brock Street Nortih, Second Class Mail Volc oftheCouny.0.>*Box 206, Witby, ()nt. > Regisiratlon No. 5351 The only Whitby newspaper independently owned andi operateti by Wiitby residents for Whithy residents. Province should intercede for Whitby The fact that Oshawa has again managed to squelch a move by regional councl to endorse the proposed provincial legisiation providing Whitby and Ajax with one new regional coun- cillor each is just one good reason why it's high time the legisiation was passed. The minister of municipal affairs and housing has been waiting in vain several months now for a sign from the region that it supports the legisiation. Without an indication of the region's support, he may decide to drop Whitby and Ajax from his bill al together. Oshawa Mayor Alan Pilkey maintains that, barring a complete revision of the province' s formula for allocating representation on regional councils, it is only fair that Oshawa also gains another councillor. However, his reasoning is rather transparent. Obviously the mayor wan- ts to maintain something close to a controlling share of regional council but that ambition is rooted in the interests of his city only and Oshawa is but one of 'the region's eight mufficipalities. It has been many years since Whitby, one of the fastest growing communities anywhere in this province, was granted additional represen- - . s o heEitoS To The Editor: RE: ProposaI for sub- sidizeti housing in Bluegrasa Meadows. As a resident of Whit- by for 31 years, I wonder about the Bluegrass newcomers who have corne to live in our lovely olti town. At a recent meeting chair- man Hamre asked a relevant question to these people, 1 Were you screeneti before buying your property? " 0f course they weren't but now they have establisheti thernselves they assume they have a right to do just that to others. 1 wonder just how many of these angry residents have always had more than enough money for housing, how many have mortgages, how many hati to use credit to furnish these houses - remember, mortgages andi credit mean not sufficient fun- ds at a particular time to cover costs. Yet because some people have only enough money to pay a minimum rent (therefore wiIl be sub. sidizeti) in some mysterious mariner they will change a whole "good" neighbourhood to a bad one. Just who are the hati apples I wonder. A few of these angry residents have moveti from countries where it is almost impossible to own a home because of high taxes and costs yet in their 'I'm alright Jack attitude' they want to deprive others mne right to even live in their presumably nice neigh. bourhood. If this is nice who would really want it! Does Whitby have its own South Africa, not black vs. white but af- fluent vs. subsidizeti? I amn asharnet for visitors to our town to read about the type of sorne of our citizens. I arn ashamed to think that Whitby, which has welcomed so many frorn foreigri landis andi other Canadian communities irregardless of financial wealth, is now being portrayeti as a finan- cially exclusive club. I arn asharnetiwe 'od Whitby. people, who have seen so many changes in our town to accomrnodated new corners, allowed in the segregationists 80 they coulti buy their casties. For heavens sake if you don't like the people in your neighbourhood pull up your draw- bridge and stay safe in- side. Actually, a lot of us always preferreti the open rolling fields that we enjoyed long before you in Bluegrass Meadows even heard of the place. But you were alloweti to buy houses and ruin a "nice" neighbourhood. Sincerely, Carol Kaeslog. T rueck traffie To The Editor: The shoppers anti pedestrans in Whitby wUl be a thing of the past and the trees, pot. ted flowers anti tation. Even a brief glance at the numbers should be sufficient indication that it is time for a change. With a population of some 45,000 we have only three regional councillors while Oshawa, with approximately 119,000, has il members. In other words we have barely more than a quarter the councillors that Oshawa bas despite having nearly haîf the population. Mayor Pilkey states that it is simplistic to compare only Oshawa and Whitby and that the formula must consider eacb community's population as a percentage of Durham's total population. In this way the mayor comes off sounding as if he bas the interests of the whole at heart buit it doesn't lay to rest the fact that Whit- beautification of Down- town Whitby will have been "an effort in futiity" if the 18 wheeled monsters are not diverted frorn the main core, namely the commercial cargo carriers, the trucks 1 Schneider's Meats just about madie mince meat out of two elderly ladies crossing Brock St. today anti the block- long car trailer exten- ding from Coîbourne St. to Dundas would have prevent any 'Tire Ernergency" vehicle from reaching a burning building even 100 yards away as the Fire Hall driveway was blocketi. The roar of the engines and the screaching of the pneumatic brakes woulti prevent a "frien- diy hello" from being heard even at close range and the pleasant, relaxeti atmosphere of promotion in Downtown Whitby becomes a dangerous nerve- wracking experience as at times, often spending four or five minutes trying in desperation to dotige these gigantic vehicles, is worse than crossing Fifth Avenue, New York in the mid- Christmas rush!1 These trucks making right. hand turns from by has far fewer regional councillors for the size of its electorate. Thanks to Mayor Pilkey's procedural antics at last week's regional council meeting, the matter will now have to wait until September before it receives another airing. Even then it is clear that any motion supporting new seats for Whitby and Ajax will be defeated. Instead, Whitby and Ajax should be taking their case directly to the minister of municipal affairs and housing who has the power to push through the legisiation without the assent of the majority of Durham council. It is the only way we will receive the representation that bas long been over due. Brock to Hwy. 2 (Dun- das> are constantly blocking the west lane as their size and the width of Dundas St. are incongruous, thus holding up trafficý and creating chaos, aside frorn erdangering pedestrians caught mid- way on lights that have turneti red. These commercial monsters do not bring trade or business to Downtown Whitby, they are merely using Hwy. 12 (Brock St.) and Hwy. 2 (Dundas St.) as a con- venient, quick shortcut to Oshawa or Peter- borough and Lindsay. Dundas and Brock are comparable to Queen and Yonge in Toronto and If Whitby is to be a commercial, cultural and culinery centre, the trucks must be legally SE E PAGE 12

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