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Era Ainn Wed March THEERA Serving York County Since 1B52 vty At SI Newmarket Ontario by InUnd Co Subscriptions SW00 for two years for calendar year Single copies each The Newmarket Aurora Era one Inland Co Limited group of suburban newspapers which includes the byPickering Hews Ad vertiser Brampton Guardian Burlington Post Gazette Economist and Sun News Oakville Beaver This Week and Tribune Member Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association and the Audrt Bureau of Circulation Second Class Mail registration number Phone Newmarket W52331 Charles St DAVID ft HASKELL Publisher TERRY CARTER Editor in Chief ROBERT MARTIN News Editor Phone Aurora Trustees failed to face major issue of board control The deed is done York Region public school board has struck its 1977 budget Yet howls of protest still persist Reviewing the months leading up to last weeks final budget session there are valid reasons for some of that protest For all the latenight meetings energy bad- mouthing and headlinemaking the trustees put into the past few months theyve done very little The times they did talk budget they talked around the most important issue probudget faction stressed theres no way to avoid rising costs in the educational system Staff did a commendable job in both preparing 1977 estimates and holding 1976 costs down they argued Not so said the budget foes Any administrative group tends to protect itself by padding budget estimates they charged We cant accept that argument It starts with the basic premise that everyone is basically dishonest and sinks from there If York Region public school boards ad ministrative staff is incompetent or dishonest get rid of them But dont continually malign and undermine the part they are playing in the school system To tackle budget problems in the future school trustees will have to examine another area one that the current board withone or two exceptions mysteriously avoided this time around The real control of the education system rests with the teachers federations Teachers have tenure assuring them of what amounts to lifetime contracts once a two- year probationary period is up Theyve got a more than adequate salary level with an increment schedule that assures them of raises on top of raises The antibudget group this year pledged to cut costs without affecting the classroom That to us is another immunity for teachers But if were all being asked to tighten our belts teachers are going to have to do likewise With the lifetime contract under their arms teachers also have provincial authority to negotiate class size through the hotlydebated pupilteacher ratio Add the right to strike which teachers recently acquired and youve got the teachers controlling the school system So thats where future boards are going to have to look for budget cuts Let the trustees do their share by approving only those programs that dont put any undue burden on the taxpayers let the administration be forced to justify its programs but let the teachers share in the bulk of the cuts They are after all the major expense within the system By ROY GREEN Hey Fred did you know there is going to be a special meeting March 29 to explore ways to save Auroras downtown What downtown Commission did its job now lets have answers A half million dollars later Ontarios and hundreds of briefs the commission brought 3500000 property owners are still in the dark report about how they are going to pay their future Aft its presentation Ontario Treasurer municipal taxes said of it Theyll pay these taxes with cash Canadian ne a great deal more in- money but they still dont know how the formation and public response before we can countrywide effort to THE Readers ERA Horton blasts budget action A keystone in the democratic process is the right to dissent The York Region public school board has just hammered this home In the face of the payment will be based ft all started in 1970 when the provincial government took over the assessment function from the local municipalities Assessment the amount your tax bill is based on was to be at the propertys market value instead of the old pig in a poke method The market value assessment base is a good idea although when proposed raised fears that some property taxes would double And these fears are still prevalent The market value assessment method has been postponed twice from to and again to Somewhere in the middle of these post ponements the provincial government established the Blair Commission which everyone thought would bring down a report which would spell out how Ontarios property owners would pay their municipal taxes After months of hearings endless testimony proceed to implement any tax reform system keep increases from zero Does that mean another commission to study to six per cent federal the Blair Commission report and then present AID provincial freezes another report and councils holding the The feels BUT Commission did a thorough and methodical job ccnt increase last Predictably the opposition parties attacked year the school board the reports findings but as usual offered no went for 10 per cent solutions to their criticisms The reports suggestion that municipalities be given the option of imposing user fees on churches and convents for such things as gar bage collection is a good one while the proposal to tax private schools and then reimburse them with a grant is just robbing Peter to pay Paul These are only two aspects of the report which require a decision by the provincial government And a decision must be made Ontarios 3500000 property owners have been left dangling too long They bulldozed through a motion by Vaughans Don Cameron and East Dr John by a vote of to give the bureaucrats nearly everything they asked for on the first round as John Stephens so aptly put it Meanwhile those of us with young families large or senior citizen allowances arc left with smaller paychecks lopay a bigger school tax bill Since the school board was forced by the to keep all salary increases to seven per cent and the principals budgeted school supplies at per increase the only way the board could think of to get to a per cent overall increase was to pad the administration of the system So they did You have to admire the dogged determination to spend our money of trustees like Dr John Are the Russians fooling around with the weather again There must be some explanation for the incredible turn of weather are now ex periencing It must be nuclear testing that has blown the snow and cold clouds right out of the stratosphere I suspect its spring I dont need babbling brooks or warbling birds to tell me that the worst of the winter is over I dont go groundhog spotting or looking for robins The signs of spring are all around me in my little domicile Just look outside The grass is a lovely shade of brown and the neighbors snowmobile is mired in muck halfway up its track I can actually see people outside Walking standing talking trying to pull the snowmobile out of the muck The dog is no longer content to lie down in the hallway where I will trip over him He wants to He on the porch and sneak up on cats and newspaper boys There goes a clown with his convertible top down His girlfriend is frozen even though he has the windows up but he doesnt care There is a motorcycle too Lawns are covered with debris that had lain hidden under layers of snow and now repose in the mud brown grass and road sand A childs toy shovel a rubber carrot that my dog has pined for since early January Muddy brown waters swirl down the storm ditches and sometimes right up on the road Kids wade right in and emerge with the water pouring out of bright red and blue boots Out back the picnic table stands dripping and steaming in the unexpected warmth one last blotch of snow where the neighbors cats had tramped it down slowly fading away It will need another coat of that red stain In fact the entire back yard in its coat of red stain on the fence deck steps doors and shed will have to be done again Is it a conspiracy by the lumber companies century suburbia will be known for all time by its redcoated back yards If enemy planes ever attack theyll pass us by assuming that weve rusted away to nothing Thats the plan of all suburban backyard gar deners make the grass lush green and everything else stain red Right now the grass and the stain are competing for the worst shade of Yech the of- color of early spring And the dog drop pings Im sure our dog must have told all the neighbors canines that our back yard was the official place How did they all get in over that high fence Surely our little mongrel couldnt A He brushed aside a countywide petition from hundreds of citizens to cut administration costs and keep the increase to seven per cent He even have done ail that by himself Shoes on other foot readersays of mayor It was with a sense of council under Mayor Joe for the writ Did deep disappointment in Dales proposed you not think you of the the announced just before the vote that he would hand over the whole bundle despite entreaties from the East Gwillimbury Council who called a special meeting to urge him to vote for restraint Kings Margaret and Dorothy managed to squeeze in motions to actually increase ad ministrative costs by more before spearheading the drive to muzzle the eight trustees who had budget cut suggestions and Stephens of A film on die universal product code ap pearing on most grocery items will be screened Tuesday March at the St Johns parish hall on Ontario St in Newmarket at pm The film is being sponsored by the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Workers Union and the Canadian Food and Allied Butchers Union Admission is free and everyone is welcome to attend 26 Mars St Johns Hall Newmarket Vins fromage dance a minuit cotisation A Joliucl The Veterans Association Ladies Auxiliary will hold its annual spring frolic Saturday April in the Veterans Hall on Millard Ave at pm A disc jockey from CKBB radio will provide the music and spot and door prizes will be awarded Tickets are per couple and a cold beef buffet will be included For more information and tickets call Mrs Williams or Mrs The Canadian Cancer Society will hold Its annual display in the Upper Canada Mall from Thursday March 31 to Saturday April 2 A sale of daffodils with proceeds going to the societys continuing research will be held on the Satur day The Newmarket Minor Baseball Association will hold its registrations for the coming season at the Upper Canada Mall all four Saturdays in April Club will stage a wine and cheese dance at St Johns parish Hall in Newmarket Saturday March 26 from 7 pm to midnight Tickets for the evening are and family membership in the club for the year is AH Francophones in the Newmarket area are welcome For tickets and more information call Mr A maintenent en Club reunion mensuelle Young Adults for Police Protection is a new organization geared to fostering better relations between young people and the police If youre concerned about such a problem and can provide time energy or ideas contact Annette Semchyshyn at Arc you physically disabled and interested in social recreation activities sports or taking action on issues such as transportation em ployment and housing If so contact the Realization of Ideas for the Disabled in York Region at for more Information Goorgina Mayor George Burrows when I read his comments about a dictatorship by a few of the professional agitators in reference to the taxpayers who voiced their desire to lake legal steps through a writ to Investigate the conduct of the Dec 6 elec tion Mayor Burrows reference to Mr Garden and his hardcore of professional agitators is a personal castigation of a citizen who is following the legal processes of the law to settle in the courts what he and others consider were illegalities in the administration of their electoral rights Such remarks In my opinion arc disgracefully unworthy of the office of a mayor May I recount to the taxpayers of my experience of par ticipation in a writ against the township of Georgina in together with Dr Burrows Councillor Jean Noble Councillortobe John Hastings and six other citizens I had resided here only six months when the amalgamation Keswick and township administration Sutton offices by pur- when you wrote articles chasing the novitiate weekly in the press properly Civic Centre criticizing mayor and A newspaper article council on nearly any and which stated it was every issue proposed to pay the cost Would you now deny of by the tax- your fellow citizens of this payers In two consecutive township their years on their taxes democratic rights to seek prompted me to write a legal means letter to the paper vestigate incidents they on the method and a few consider were serious days later I was asked in the Dec meet with a small group election to discuss means of You availed yourself stopping purchase of tin legal methods to Of this group I was attempt to stop the acquainted previously novitiate purchase Do with only Councillor you now declare all Noble and John Hastings others are professional The meeting con- hardcore agitators sisted of nine persons and because they arc it was decided to seek an emulating your example injunction or a writ of joining in issuance of a against the township to writ against your ad- stop the purchase to ministration contribute each Come on Mayor toward a solicitors Burrows give everyone retainer fee and to call else the same rights you the group The Committee seem consider were a for Democratic Govern- privilege for only you men I Now Mayor Burrows do you not consider you were a professional agitator when you joined this group gave your counsel to it and didnt you donate If he did his patterns of favorite places causes one to wonder Whole large patches of lawn and patio remain untouched while three or four areas resemble a bombing and strafing pattern that would do justice to World War strategic bombing Blitzkrieg in the backyard It will take I reckon four grown men with shovels and gas masks to clean up the yard I glance askance at this animal who merely wags his hairy tail and manages to look proud of himself Inside the house there are also many signs ofj the end of winter and the beginning of spring Instead of six pairs of boots blocking the front door there are six pairs of loafers running shoes tracktype shoes and dress shoes There are only three people in my family but Markham were cut off we have always had six sets of footwear blocking midsentence and Norm the front door This figure does not become of Aurora was seasonally adjusted cobu o The sun indicatcs calling the question on the windows when you cleaned just before the But there are two Christmas decorations went up How can you do consolation prizes a good job on the windows in midwinter down lo on run the system The the radio in the afternoon and a hockey game in trustees gave them the evening Without changing the station Is million and they still had there any better sign of spring than photos and some left over So maybe of those spring training games in this year they sock paper away even more of our u r hardearned tax dollars a catchers mitt now joins the hockey in the pot Mind you we equipment which also blocks the front door For USC re are still hockey games and now there are And second even baseball practices at the gym budSed Spring means leaving the house a little later school programs at least in the morning No more scraping ice off the j were assured that the windshield and skin off your knuckles No more administrative empire is sliding cautiously along the frozen vinyl car seat strong Or is that the The day is not far ahead when the boiling vinyl car seat will send you screaming out of your oven of a car In town here baseball and Softball and soccer registrations are beginning Sutton Reader TO AND PROTECT OR TO STOP ANO COLLECT to some IHTO MULE PEOPLE ITS WHITE lauds play May I through your paper thank the cast and crew of Newmarket Theatre Centre for a truly enjoyable evening on Saturday March 5 To me whole play of was a really good performance and was worth the journey from Toronto to sec and hear May I wish them all good luck in their coming Oliver MARSHALL booby prize A big bouquet to the eight trustees who did their homework were responsive to their people and had positive suggestions to make of budget cuts without af fecting the classroom Hob McMonagle chairman of finance Harry Bowes Whitchurch StouffvIUe Hooray Harry Norm Weller Aurora John Stephens sep seh Spring always seems to come early to Newmarket hockey teams The Flyers are out of it and the minor hockey teams most of them are now playing consolation consolation consolation playoffs You can actually stand in the arena for a whole hockey game without needing treatment for frostbite The regular round of service club dances rep Keiih become Spring Frolics and Spring Dances I Georgina Terry The Optimists announce their annual Spring Art sept sen rep show then there is the final ultimate note of SStl spring area Hill it comes on the day you leave the house in a ftS first time since October heres a spring elected them Dr John in your step because you are a few pounds lighter East without the overshoes j Gwillimbury Donald Cameron Vaughan Bill On your third step down the steps you realize I Laird Georgina weve been hit with six inches of snow and you I Margaret Coburn King the car Then and only then can Dorothy King y0U with grim satisfaction and say Yes its official its spring Markham Donald edfor Monroe Richmond Hill joy on 5 i I