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A OTTAWA REPORT Tflt Ottawa may well be one of the coldest capitals on earth but it is not as some suggest the dullest When Queen Victoria chose Bytown to be our main legislative centre the icons harsh climate was already legendary Since then however we have been wanning up the place most afternoons with a parliamentary tradition so lively that it has been known to thaw even those on the governments front benches on the coldest bays Question period a custom we inherited from the British is alive and well in Ottawa most afternoons at oclock It has become a Canadian institution Our parliamentary forebearers fed up with the godlike pretensions of their rulers decreed that once a day the government should be required to sit and answer questions put to them by other members in the House of Commons Neither side of course speaks directly to the other Centuries of parliamentary practice have found it prudent to have an impartial Speaker he decides who is to speak and all questions and answers are addressed to him a device which prevents the uncomely spectacle of two members throttling each other in the bear pit between the bleachers Some say it is Parliament at its best while others say it is Parliament at its worst Whichever view you share you must agree it is Parliament The word Parliament comes from the French to talk and that is cer tainty what they do on Parliament Hill The exchanges are usually between the cabinet ministers and those opposition members who would be cabinet ministers if their parties came to power Trie climate the political climate that is is ideal for animated af ternoons Those of you who have visited Ottawa may have taken in this freeforall but those who havent can for a year subscribe to Mansard the official publication of House proceedings painstakingly recorded for posterity It is one of the great bargains of our time or so closely printed pages of the activities in the House Missing of course is the House at mosphere of orderly mayhem but it can be reconstrted with just a few pointers on how to read Hansard Deskthumping applause is referred to as Some Honourable Members Hear Hear Jeers too numerous to record appear as Some Honourable Members Oh Oh And an audible off the cuff sally is attributed to An Honourable Member But you be the judge Who can say Parliament does not live when you have thrusts and counter thrusts like the following Trie Right Honorable member from Prince Albert Mr is a master It is difficult for the government to be overwhelmed by delusions of Divine Right as long as we have the lively thunder ings of Mr Diefenbaker who on October had the following exchange Mr Mr Speaker Some hon Members Stick around Pierre Mr I want to deal with him Mr Speaker Some Members Dont go away Pierre Some Members Shame it Mr Diefenbaker I have been here under three Prime Ministers and I have never wit a more contemptuous attitude than the one he showed here today Some Members Oh Oh Mr I hear a Moo over there Mr Speaker It just shows the degree to which he and others over there are being cowed today Similarly any tendency to grandeur on the part of Mr Gillespie might have been corrected by the following on Nov Mr I would like to ask the minister a very simple question I would like to believe he is an honest man Some Members Oh Oh An Member Certainly he is simple Some Members Oh Oh Mr Baker to a heckler across the isle You are a wind tunnel A wind tunnel Well not really Its all part of House procedure of course there is the Post Office Its good for a sally most days Take last Friday for example Hon Dinsdale led off Mr Speaker my question is for the Postmaster General I congratulate him for issuing a commemorative stamp honouring the Queen- Some Members Hear hear Mr and also for the ceremony which was held this morning at which the minister upheld the reputation of the Post Office by arriving slightly late Some Members Oh oh Mr In view of the high denominational value of the stamp and the popularity of the monarch is the Postmaster General planning to use this stamp to retire the deficit of the Post Office Hon JJ Postmaster General Well Mr Speaker that would be desirable and I appreciate the remarks of the hon I would like to add that if there was a slight delay it had nothing at all to do with the Post Office I was relying on the Ministry of Tran sport to bring me Some Members Oh oh Mr Blais However with reference to the high value of the stamp we felt that a cent issue coinciding with Her Majestys twentyfifth anniversary would go very well together I would like to that the silver foil was used in that stamp was not the result of any silver melt down from the coin program In case the gentleman might ask Mr Jarvis Is that going to be the postal rate next year The question period may not be as well known as skating on the Canal but it la certainly as entertaining Maple Leaf students hold winter festival FESTIVAL Students and teachers at Maple Leaf Public School in Newmarket hold their annual Festival last week Above teacher Judy Snedker holds a drama class on the floor during the festival from left Debbie Gall Kourglantakis and Cory Risttch Top right Lisa Cook works on a mural while in photo below right Sherry Lynn works on her painting Drum bugle pageant planned this summer pi NEWMARKET The Ambassador Drum and Bugle Corps hopes to host provincial junior C class competition here this summer an event which could become annual The corps is awaiting approval from the town for the use of Fairgrounds Park July before No airport anned Newmarket tells EG SHARON The town of East has been assured that their objections to an airport in Newmarkets proposed official plan have been duly noted and complied with At a special meeting attended by Mayor Angus Morton Clerk Jack Hopkins the provincial housing minister and regional planner Fred Johnson East was assured their one request con cerning Newmarkets plan would be granted Councillor Jean clarified the matter for the Era ex plaining We objected before and the meeting was held to clarify She noted that Newmarket is eager to get its plan approved They have agreed to remove the airport she told The Era explaining that the property is near the Green Lane where East ex tends one lot south proceeding with plans Paul Ransom corps organizer said Friday The competition would bring about eight corps to town for a total of about 800 people he noted Mr Ransom hopes will draw about 700 spectators Although the com petition would he scheduled for a Sunday evening in Newmarket Mr Ransom hopes involve Aurora by scheduling corps practice sessions at the Town Park on Wells St and Dr Williams Secondary School The competition would be the first of its kind in Newmarket Mr Ransom noted He ex pects a firsttime Win- grant will cover about half the expenses to be supplemented by advance ticket and gate sales The program would bring visitors by the bus load he said and the corps is hoping to hear from restaurants willing to handle large crowds Also the corps is looking for organizations and businesses to donate and present trophies Trophies to be awarded at the com petition are first second and third overall place best horn line best drum line best color guard best drum major and top general effect Once the town ap proves the date the corps will confirm with the Canadian Drum Corps Competition line up judges and solicit corps to compete He has already approached Wintnrio for funding Lions buy timer for rink SHARON The Mount Albert Lions are awaiting a Wintario grant to assist in the purchase of a new timer for East Gwillimbury arena At Mondays council meeting clerk Jack Hopkins indicated they will soon receive the cheque Later he explained to The Era that 25 per cent of the cost will be covered by a community centres grant with onethird of the balance from tario Mayor Angus Morton commended the Mount Albert Lions Monday for their splendid con tributions to the com munity We in the municipality appreciate all theyve done he added EG road crews terrific mayor SHARON Winter blizzards in East Gwillimbury have brought compliments for town road crews According lo favorable calls received by Mayor Angus Morton and members of council the roads department is doing a terrific job keeping on top of unusually bad conditions The mayor said Monday that his phone is not ringing as much as he anticipated it would this severe winter One caller was quoted by one councillor as suggesting the East roads crews should go down and give Newmarket a lesson Objection sent on to OAAB by King KING TOWNSHIP A letter from a resident on the 12th Concession of King Township will be sent to the Ontario Municipal Board The letter from Janet E Macdonald expressed disapproval of plans for a subdivision Coach Lane Estates lo be built near her home Mrs said water in the area is at a low level and claimed a hydrologists report stating that sufficient water will be available is incomplete The King Township woman told council that the road is overtaxed already and claimed the extra traffic homes will bring cannot be tolerated Mrs did not put much faith in Councillor Bill Longs stand that the developer will be responsible for all roads surrounding the area She claimed council must correct the developers road plan and must recover taxes and obtain grants this end Planned develop ment not a planned village is what Mrs Macdonald said she is interested in To insulate complex SHARON East Gwillimburys Queens ville complex should be cosier soon and much cheaper to heat At Mondays council meeting the firm of Walker Heating and Cooling was awarded the contract to insulate the complex at a total cost of 1798 total includes for the fire hall and 1214 for the community hall and library Council instructed the township engineer to investigate insulating costs because of ex cessive heating bills and Monday Mayor Angus noted that a recent charge for one months hydro was Engineer Jim noted that the time of construction there were no minimum in sulation requirements in the building code Ar chitects were told to come in at a set price lie ex plained to council Auroras Howard Johnson hotel out but how about a shopping mall Twinney answers critics of sewer rate increase Continued from page said is that the towns large institutional users the hospital homes for the aged nursing homes and government buildings pay their shares The hospital alone he said went from a flat rate to about this year If a homeowner is abusing the use of water then hes paying for it said Twinney He went on to say con servation will not only reduce water bills but be a big benefit to the town in the future We cant keep on using up our resources water is no different from gas and hydro he said Id like to be able to say I can do something to lower rates but theres no sense in lowering them now would Just come back to haunt you later both Mr Twinney and Mayor Bob emphasized is that Newmarket can start negotiating from a lower figure when it must meet Environment ministry officials in to work out a new rate A slowly escalating rate would finish at about cent per gallons in 1980 they indicated He said residents north of Davis Dr were hit a little harder by the January rate increase because their flat rate was about below that used in the rest of town This was because in when the area was part of East Township township council paid cash for its portion of the treatment plant while Newmarket its part However the En vironment ministry assumed Newmarkets debt last year when it took over the plant thus equalizing the two rates AURORA Aurora Council found out Monday night what happened to a Howard Johnsons Motel proposed for a south St property its become a shopping mall The motel plan was scrapped because of high mortgage interest rates and low anticipated revenue according to Child who made new proposal Monday for owners Dodic Ernest and George The plan was rejected by Councillor Norm Stewart but council sent it on to the planning and develop ment committee I dont believe its an honest proposal and Im going to oppose it said Councillor Stewart Youve sold us down the creek couple of limes lie asked why the motel proposal was made persisting in a point about a feasibility study Mr Child indicated the proposal was made study had been completed However he claimed Dominion Stores Lid studied the market here and is interested in locating in a plaza at properly at Henderson Dr just north of the Canadian National Railway line A lot could be said for what Mrs has done for south end of Aurora Mr Child noted People remember what a dump it was Aurora Investments formerly Auroran Holdings Ltd proposes a fourlevel shopping mall of about 74000 sq ft with 28000 sq ft of shops A convention hall and recreation facilities might included Mr Child said He claimed Macs Milk had almost com- be offensive to residents itself to of development and establishing an outlet in could cause problems for the location Referring the Howard Johnsons proposal made two years ago he noted interest alone on the million plan would run per month council Inter Mr Child noted the problem occurs only one day per week noting prevailing winds run from the northwest What about the nursing home asked With Toronto hotels Mr of a nearby running per cent capacity at the time he claimed the proposal was scrapped If you propose a convention hall where do you propose the people will slay Mayor George Timpson A good point commented Mr Child A second plan for a unit stacked townhousc development on Mill St near licalhcr was also referred Hie committee property Is it because theyre aged and sick and cant make complaints Councillor Earl Stewart noted a recent indicates winds run as frequently from the northeast He said he did not want lo jeopardize the Leather industry with possible future complaints East interim tax bills out SHARON East residents will receive interim tax bills requesting a little under one half of their total 1976 taxes by Feb or 21 clerk Jack Hopkins told council Monday This allows residents between five and six However Councillor weeks before the Earl Stewart the payment is due by the end odor from plant would of March At last years mill rate of 3116 the interim bill of mills is just under per cent The clerk noted that last year he had com plaints when the interim billing was based on 13 mills People thought it was one half he ex plained and were upset when the last billing went out based on mills SECOND INCREASE WITHIN YEAR TORONTO An percent increase would eight percent GO Transit be required if mounting fare increase effective operating costs since March Is being sought were to be significantly by the Toronto Area offset The province Transit Operating which subsidizes up Authority chairman operating deficits said decided that such an GO Transit wants to raise fares by 8 delegation Newmarkets rates are no higher than those in any other municipality In the region Another advantage of the single rate until I960 wage settlements and a series of price increases In fuel have continued the cost squeeze on public transit said Mr Mc Nabb In year ahead GO Transit faces further increases in operating costs and the threat of heavy deficit charges Friday increase would be ex- GO Transit fares cessive in relation to the went up per cent last AntiInflation Board against public purse April the first increase in guidelines and the he said Years fare hike was held to On the brighter side that time percent patronage on the GO that a Since April new system continues to grow percent more fares were collected in 1976 than in 1975 The heavier volume of business permits some economies of scale which help im prove the revenue cost ratio he said The chairman said the Authority is also aggressively pursuing cost reduction programs Working with the and other area municipalities services are being integrated and rationalized to attract more riders to existing routes and to eliminate costly duplication of service Taking an op timistic view of these positive factors the increase will maintain policy guidelines yet not relationship between have too serious an rcvenue and operating pact on public transit costs within Government rider Frost breaking water mains SHARON East Gwillimbury has been Authority to having its problems with the Province that a fare broken water mains this increase at this time can harsh winter be held to an average of Reporting on one eight percent he said Monday Engineer Jim It is hoped that such an told council there was five and a half feet of frost underneath the road This he explained is one foot more than usual causing uneven pressure and creating the high number of broken mains i I I