PAGE 40, WITBY FREE PIRSS, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1,18 BIA says dontwnmerchants have mixed reactos to freepakn By KIM Hawley-smith Downtown -merchants -aren't necessarily oppôsed to Whitby, council's decision to offer free municipal parking. But they are distraught that they were flot invited to offer their opinions in the matter. Chairman of the Business lmn- g~oeent Area board, Rob Mor- nwent before Town council Monday nightto express concorn over the laick- of communication between -ounil and the down- town store owners as council debated whether or not to offer free parking, in the municipally owned parking lots. Council voted in favor of a free* paring poliy at its last counc .il meetig on Nov. 29.,. The move,.which wull also see the rate 'for on-street' parking double, was made in an effort to avoid papig first-time taxes on muncipa ?arking lots, which the provincial government has ipro- posed under the goods and ser-* vices taxï(GST) . The Ontario veont is oxpected to paso egiation on the GST in the nert couple of weoks. By offerfingth freeuniia parking and duln the rate for on-street parking, council expects to save $70,000 in the process if. in fact, provincial lgslationise passed. -'we have received commenta from merchants of the downtown areaw said Morton. «And as you woulÎd oxpect, the commenta are rnixed. There is no consensus.» Speaking on behalf of the mer- chants and the BIA, ho added «We're not saying we're opposeci te (council's) resolution, but we are opposed tothe lack of input tho BIA had in the discussions." Ho said one of the concerns by merchants and the BIA is the potential of the misuse and abuse of tho froo parking.- Particularily, thoro is concr that the employees of the businessos will fill the lots, leav- ing mial spaces for shoppers. Healso said concern bas been raised about vehicles being par- ked in the lots for extended timo periods. Aerpresenting some of the cocen Morton said the BIA, would Ile te se. both the free p arking policy and the parking lot m'onitored "The fmger should be kept on the pulse of the process,» ho told council. When asked by councillor Mar- cel Brunelle te, give bis personal opinion on council's decsion, Mor- ton said ho «applauda" councillor Joe Bugelli for bis ingenuity in coming up witb. wbat is thougbt te be a loophole in the provincial government's GST proposal. qI like creativity. It's amusing, if not essential in this day and age," said Morten. Without offering specifice, ho also said there could bo benefits from free parking. "However, I am cautious," said Morton, suggesting the policy b. analyzed from everyone's point of view and not just the doWntewn vantage poit. AndMforton asked council what action the Town was. pro- pared te take if provincial taxin of parking lots isn't legislated causing the Town's free parking policy te backfire. Altbough no mention was made of the possiblities of res- cinding the. motion,- Bufflli did assure Morton and the IB that the process would be monitered on, -a regular basis, 'nuch 1ke Town staff is doing with Whitby <Bugelli indicated action can *and will be taken teticketogrtpw vehicles found te be parked in the lots for extended periods. -' Following the meeting, Morten rostated the concerns of-the mer- chants and the BIA, adding that free parking always poses the. problem of people takinig advan- tage. Reviewing the free. parking the Town bas offered dring the Christmas season for theé as several years, Mortn said Pthe problem. of employees parking in on-street spots all day, forcing customers te have te park further away from- the stores they wish te visit, has proven te ho a problem. In some cases, the customers would b. deterred from goinq te their original destination because ofth lack of free park- ing pots, suggested Morton. unthe other side of the argu- ment, Morton suggested that the new free parg policly, wbich also promotes off-sreetparking, could play a part in promioting business in the downtewn cor. with customers walking 4y and stopping in stores along the way to their intended sho p n lace. Morton conclud . Wa would 1k. tes..e is council seek input fron, us ( tho BIA) and the merchants of downtewn Whitby, te discuss probleins that are ains- ing (from the free. parkinjg policy).» Fr.. parkin1in muinci- pal parig lotse ec veas of Jan. 1, 1990. Ngew parking met ers, up to six months to instali By Kim Hawley-Smith Although parking in municipal lots will b. free as of Jan. 1, the Town may find its lots empty well inte t he new year. Town council bas approved a policy that will allow for vehicles te be parked free of charge in municipal lots, a policy wbich council believes will be a way te avoid paying $165 000 in tax under the popsegoods and service tax (~) Under the proposed GST, the provincial goverrnent would tax bohprivately owned and muni-' cipally owned parking lots that charge for parkirU Ini order for Witby te still realize any, revenue for parking, council bas aise approved the' doubling of on-street parking rates. Although at its Monda iht meeting, council was offéed a recommendation by the public works department te purchase. electronic meters at a cost of approximately $105,000, the nor- mal procedure is for a committe. to, first approve the recommenda- tion and thon recommend it te, council. As a result, the suggestion bas been referred back te tiie ope- rations committe., whicb doesn't meet again until Jan. 8. The. next full council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 15. Tii. new meters would accon- modate the appropriate requiro- mente for the doubling of on- street parking rates, fom50 cent per hour te, $1 per hour, if approved by committe. and council. Public works department has also recommendeci the. funding for these meters bo taken from the Town's municipal parking lot reserve find. Accord ing to' Mayor Bob Attersley, it could b. some tino before the process of approval, and increased parking rates for on-streeting parking, are impIe- mented. «ii. increase of on-street parking could b. up te six montbs down the path. The. metres cannot b. changed by Jan. l,» said Attersley. Council appeals to local service clubs It would seen the. only thing standing between youths getting te the homes of seniors te, shovel their driveways is a way te, get there. At the Monday night meeting of Whitby council, councillor Tom Edwards sent out a plea for local service clubs te consider offering transportation that would se. the 100 available youngq people get te the 100 seniors who need their driveways and walkways shovelled after a snowfall. According te Edwards, the. majority ofseniors are living in the downtewn Whitby area, wbile most of the studente live Min the newor dovelopments in town, most of which are north of the' downtown core. And while there are enough students redy and1 willing te, shovel snow, dwards also pre- sented a resolution te, have coun- cil contact the Durham Board of Eduction te expand the lists of students available, «se, that we might croate a more effective response te, this need and reduce the chance of adverse reaction te, seniorp who through infirrnity and ;n a sens. of civic respon- siblity, place thenselves at risk in attempting teshoe snow in the vinicnty of their homes." Town councill unanimously accepted the resolution, and sup- ~ tdEdwardsd suggestion te, d a local service club willing te help in tho transportation of the students. (below),, both of Whitby, received grand--prior'. badges, highest achievement for a St. John Ambu- lance cadet, from Lincoln AexNder, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, during a recent ceremoiny. To receive the honor, cadets between the ages of il and 21 and efficent members for tbree years, must have completed a total of 12 proficiency subjects such as health/safetyi sportW/physical lit- ness and community service.' Taxi fares increase It wiIl cost a little more te get around tewn in a taxi-cab now. * At the Monday meeting of Whitby council, councillors voted in favor of increases te both taxi-cab fares and taxi-cab licence fees. Effectively immediately, it will cost $2, plus 10 cents for each 1/12 kilometre travelled in a tai and another 10 cents for each 15 seconds of waiting tino wbile the. taxi is under engage- ment. Cost of a taxi-cab hroker's licence and tà -xi-cab drivers's licence will increase- te $30 per y ear. Tii. taxi-cab owner's lcence has been increased-te $50 per year, per vehicle. Wealthy get land at reasonable cost FROM PAGE 6 numerous: Iess disposable in- The. sida e êTects of tuis are corne for food and clothing, ngctd and abused cbildren, spus=abuse caused by -stress, increased welfare costs and wel- fare bousing, marital stress and family break-up, bealth endangerment from nuclear environinent, and bigher taxes for subsidized bousing and wel- fare. After nearly four years of re:view, the proposed îevisions will sbortly become public. This is the same staff wbich wrote the original law under wbich we now suifer. Since the original law, land owners hiave had greater restric- tions and more red tape to cope witb. Farmers now bave fewer rights to seil or* transfer witbin their own family. It is much more difficult for retiring far- mers to even sever a lot froin their own land. Present day owners and parents must weatch for changes whicb will give their children a better opportunity. Ordinary .people are now losing a funda- mental rigbt of equality to, own land. Favoring the influential and wealtby &t the cost of the. ordinary people must be sto-Pped. IJougt Wil"son Two pints whipping cream FROM PAGE 5' TIRED 0F VEGOIES THAT GO LIMP IN THE FRIDGE? LWKE SOMETHING TO TAKE THE DRUDGERY OUT 0F MAKING SALADS? - THEN TRY OUR NEW PLASTIC VEGETABLES, AISLE SIXý PRODUCE SECTION. EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED IN A VEGETABLE EXCEPT NUTRITION. Lucas backs up to the only exit, *an entrance in reverse, and points to the fattest leather jacket in the express lime. "Go long!" <le says. "Go long, aisle seven." And then he overbands the Crisco in a fiat arch catching the biker fiat in the face. "O0h, oh" says Lucas. "Exit, stage left." SHOPPE RS! TIRED 0F TREKKING ALL OVER TOWN TO FIND THE FOUR PURCHIASES YOU NEED? FRUSTRATED BY SNOTTY-NOSED CLERKS WHO WEAR BUTTONS THAT SAY 'OUR CUSTOMERS ARE TOPS' -- AND THEN IGNORE YOU? ARE YOU MAI) AS HELL AND NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE? THEN JOIN THE LINE-UP IN AISLE ONE, VIDEO RENTALS AND PLASTIC POPCORN. TODAY ONLY BY... The voice follows Lucas into the parking lot. Good King Wenceslas chases him into bis car. He swings out i nto the enari of trà iffic, the curse of drivers. Away in a Manager follows him on a voyage to find the at whlpping cream known to mankind.