- - -~- - - PaJW The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents! MEMBER 0F: FONTARIO CANADIAN COMMUNITYCMMNT INEWSPAPER + N N EWSPAP ER m "_ ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION r;un 01 CANADIAN CIRCULATIONS ONA DIVISION AUDIT BOARD ISSN#0844-398X 26,500 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Imc. Box 206, 131 Brock St. N., Whitby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Toronto Line: 427-1834 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pither - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20% Ob recycîed content using vegetable based inks.to C Ail written material, illustrations and advertising containeci herein is protected by copyright. Any reproduction by any means for commercial purposes without the express permission of the newspaper is prohibited and is a violation of Canadian Copyiht law. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution should bear a credit line to the Whitby Free Press. Toth edor.. 7o the Editor: Switzerland is a prosperous country whose citizens enjay an average încome more than one and a half times that of Canadians. Rl has 1111e paverty and unemployment, il is an arderly society and ils trains run on lime. ht is a very democractic country with low tax raies, that can only bu raised pursuant la a constitutional aniendment passed by a national referendum. Twice Swiss voters have turned down a proposai for a GST type tax. An ordinary citizen can propose a new Iaw and have il put ta a referendum by callecting 100,000 signatures. Government legislat ion is subjected toaa referendum if 50,000 signatories demand il. Being a politician in Switzerland is not being "in power* as il is in Canada. Come ta think of it, does anybody know the name of the president or the prime miniser ai Switzerland? The country has no natural resources and onîy marginal farmland, yet it is a heaven for foreign capital. There have been times when the Swiss, rather than paying interest on deposits, charged fareigners for keeping their maney. Hong Kong is a go-getting sort af place. Il has one-fffth the population af Canada, but it daes four-fifths as much foreign trade. An ordinary working persan pays no income tex. There is little unemployment. Hong Kong has no natural resources or farmland. ht has spawned many millionaires, same af whom have came la Canada ta have an escape route in case sameihing goes wrong, when China takes aver. But it is not unusual ta see them, as soon as they get their Canadian passporls, go back ta Hang Kong, because there you can do business. Canada, with more natural resaurces and farm land per capita than any other country in the world, shouîd bu the mast prosperous, instead ai being mired in debt and depression. Can ihere bu any daubt thai if we adoped the constitution and banking rules ai Switzerland and the commercial code of Hong Kong, that in lime we wauld resaîve aur debt problemis, have low taxes, litile unemployment, a dollar worth twa, and foreigners banging an our doors ta bu aîîawed ta invest here? Peter Sîmonsen Ajax Why a subdivision? To the Editor: 1 was very disappoinied to learn that the Town of Whiiby is going ta allow someihing as ordinary, and patent ially environmentaly damaging, as a subdivision ta bu buift ei Lynde Shores. Surely this is the last place we need a subdivision and 6,000 people. R is such a shame that our town, iR seems, is f ast becoming ust a "bedroom community* for Met ro Toronto, ail part of same egreat" provincial plan that, according ta counicil, is unstoppable. Just the increase in motor vehicle iraffic alone is greatly hurting aur quality of life. Ail this in the name of progress. Progress ta wha? 1 would like la cangratulale the two cartoonists that The Free Press employ. Their work last Wednesday was brilliani, but alas, a sad commentary on what we are doing ta aur natural environment. Peter Bramma W h tby Volunteers appreuà ciated To the Edîtor: The Literacy Council af Durham Region realizes that without volunteers we would be unable t0 ieach adults reading, writing and numeracy skîls. We wish ta express aur apprecialion toaail our volunteers not anly during National Volunteer Appreciation Week April 17-24, but throughout the whole year. Carole Glggey Student/Tutor co- ordinator To the Edîtor: Copy of letier ta Drummond White, Durham, Centre MPP Sir: 1 received your brochure, and repîy cards regarding GO train service and the proposed Highway 407 ink. You are attem pting ta act out a farce that is wel-pîanned by the NDP government in this province. I wili expect the GO train service ta be reinstated ta what il was before the service was drastically cut by this government. You state you were not in favour of the cuts in service, yet when they were made your pratests were deafening by their silence. You have stated in some of yaur supporters' letters ta the local papers that ou were responsible for the GOr train service in Oshawa. The fact is there has neyer been GO train service to Oshawa. We had a very goad GO train service ta Whitby, and GO bus service ta Oshawa prixr ta your election as an MPP in 1990. Since you were elected in 1990, we have had a reduction in GO train service ta Ajax and Whitby. You have littîe or nothing ta be proud of regarding the GO train service y au did not bring ta Oshawa. PIease don't use GO as an election goodie. Because of the reduction in GO train service,' people living in Whitby and Ajax who formerîy could leave their automobiles at home and walk ta or use the local bus service ta gelta the GO 'Sour Grapes' To the Edîtor: I believe I read in the Whitby Free Press last year that Louis S. Allore had been expelîed from the Reform Party and had his membership revoked. I alsa believe that I read in your newspaper that Louis S. Allore was suing Preston Manninig and the Reorm Party. It would seem ta me that until this suit is settled, any comments from Allore regarding the Reform Party are simply "Saur Grapes.1 David Barber W hitby An NDP farce stations must now drive to Pickering ta çet the GO train. I beieve this s a NDP-planned, money-grabbing tactic. The people who are forced ta use their automobiles are farced ta pay the gasoline tax increase your governiment has imposed on themn since coming ta power. Ta make matters worse, they wiII naw be forced ta pay taxes on parking that' your government has also forced on them. Because these same people are forced ta drive a longer distance ta park their cars ta go ta Toronto or even Pickering in some cases, their nsurance companies will increase their insurance premiums because of the extra distance. Vour NDP governiment couîd not resist getting their grubby fingers on the extra premiums, s0 they are taxing them. When wiIl your government tax the water used in automobile cooling systems? Since N'e been watching this new session of legislature N'e onîy seen you speak once. While a seriaus debate was in progress you arase ta congratulate another member on the lovely tartan he was wearing. Is this what you were voted in for? But perhaps I shouîd congratulate you for at Ieast being there. During the same debate, the Speaker had ta caîl for a quorum quite oflen because there were not enough NDP members in the chamber. Where were they, asîeep or in the lounge enjoyîng their iquid lunches? Until a quorum was abtained I saw the elected members came waddling in as if the whole thing was an absolute bore, but as soon as a quorom was announced they slowîy slithered out ta renew their private pastimes. This is how you and your f elîow NDP members conduct t hemselves? Couîd your time flot have been1 used for better purposes, such as pushing your sef-centred1 members to pass Bill 21? Thisi wouîd be of great help ta thei people who live in the trailer park1 in your riîng, who have been wereÎn f ir for heîp since you1 wer f rstelect ed.9 I believe the NDP government is1 favouring the trailer park owners who in most cases are developers,1 or will be developers if the trailerr park tenants are Ieft unprotected.f f I amn mistaken, then prove mef wrong by having Bill 21 passed ast quickly as possible. Don't wait uni il an election is calîed so you can use il as an elect ion gçoodie. Your party is p3romising ta spend ane and a haif billion dollars af taxpayers money on iow cost hauslng, yet it cannai pass Bill 21 at no cosita protect the many low-income owners who live in trailer parks, and other situations where people own iheir homes, but not the lands on which the homes are situated. Could it bu that the developers who build the Iaw-cost homes wiII make a large profit, especialîy if the lands are now used as traler parks? 1 regret that the ielevised portion of the legisiature sessions are noi shawr,ýin full view. We are not permitted tb see how some of aur elected members act like a bunch of buffoons. I also regret there is not enough TV time allotted in ail the schoolrooms in aur province so aur children can see the non-democractic system we have in aur legislature ai the present time. Tom Doucette Whltby A family farm boost To the EdItor: t's necessary ta use ail aur resources more efficienily, espe- cially public resources. We have hundreds of miles of unused roads in Durham Region, cosiing millions of dollars yearly in maintenance. For decades now, we have subsidized the few residences on these roads. The tax loss of the pasi can easily become a multi- million-dollar gain if our Wmagmn starts more wisely. W must aîlow people ta live along these roads. This wilI allow more people ta live outside aur endangered cil ies near the nuclear plants. The plan wilI increase the available building lois and reduce the high pricing. Most importaritly, this will increase aur tax base in the community -- eliminating further tax increases. Many family farms will receive a boost from Ihis step jusi when it is needed. The comîng years under free t rade and GATT speîl doom for these families if they don't gel the boosi. Douglas W. Wilson Port Perry The Swiss example To the editor,,,. 1