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PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1984. WHITBY FREE PRESS whitb} Voice of the County Town The only Whitby newspaper independently ow 'P rPublished every Wednésday Michael Ian Burgess, Publisher - Managing Editor 'ned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitbv residentç ned ad -ra b- W i-re. .l'ilry va&hithpyà r st. by M.B.M. Publishing and Photography Inc. Phone 668-6111 The F'ree Press Building, 131 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206, -Whitby, ont. P.O. Box 266, Whitby, Ont. Registration No. 5351 MICHAEL KNELL Communlty Editor Second Class Mail Registration No. 5351 Whitby doesn't need more gas stations Over the course of the last several months there have been at least two applications for the development of new gas stations in the Town of Whitby. Both of these were turned down by Whit- by Town Council. after it was discovered that neighbouringresidents simply didn't want them. These applications - one at the corner of Brock St. N. and Manning Rd. and the other at Anderson St. and Manning Rd. - ran into heavy opposition not only because of traffic, noise and other en- vironmental problems but because the residents correctly pointed out that there are already far too many gas stations in the Town of Whitby. Ribblesdale Dr. area residents pointed out thaý there are 12 gas stations within a one-mile radius Injured workers and the cost pain By Tony Carlson The grisly television com mercials talk about preventing accidents on the job. But mis haps do happen, and it's at tha point that The System clicks into gear. The System is workers' com- pensation, separate provincial programs which, like a patch- work quilt, are showing signs of wear around the seams. At least six provinces - British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island - have introduced new legisla- tion or are reviewing existing laws for aid to injured workers. Those changes will likely mean higher benefit levels which, in turn, mean in- creased rates for employers who pay 100 per cent of the premiums for the no-fault in- surance plan. The debate over The System has produced a welter of data and a host of buzzwords - un- funded liabilities, wage ceil- ings, meat charts. But it has also brought to light evidence that more than quick-fix mending is needed. Over the last few years, the number of claims filed by injured workers has dropped, but the amount of benefits paid has increased. Why?- In- flation accounts for part of it, but the crucial point is that workers tend to stay on benefits longer now than they used to. In Ontario, for instance, the average stay on compensa- tion has risen from seven weeks in the period 1975 to 1979, to 10 weeks in 1983. Thus, although claims de- creased 8 per cent last year, the province paid out $943- million more in benefits. Does it take longer to heal now than nine years ago? That is what employers refer on too great a social responsi- bility. The people who foot the bills are concerned that compensation is seen by the t boards as a way to ride out s tough economic times. No one disputes the worthy principles behind workers' compensation. But with people collecting benefits for longer periods, costs escalate dramatically. That's why Ontario has a shortfall of $4.9-billion in its compensa- tion budget. In B.C. it's $430- million. And that's why busi- ness is concerned that new op- tions be explored. Clouds such as industrial disease (silicosis, cancers and the like) are gathering on the horizon, fur- ther obscuring The System's ability to support itself. One key, says Jason Mandlowitz of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, . which has been spearheading an employers' group examining the issues, is to provide more incentive for workers to return to the job more quickly, not only restor- ing their feeling of usefulness, but reducing the strain on the board's finances. Furthermore, governments should begin to consider a pro- posal to allow companies to provide compensation protec- tion through private insurance firms. That approach was supported by 59 per cent of those CFIB members respond- ing to a survey this year. They reasoned that such a move would provide two things: bet- ter rates for employers be- cause of competition and tighter controls on benefit costs than governments can provide. The bottom line is this: business people are quite pre- pared to support a fair plan for compensation. But if it is to work, The System must to when they Ita-çabout tlleir .alsd 66 afferdableJ fear thai The Systèm ifs ta<jn i of Anderson St. and Manning Rd., therefore, in their view there was no pressing need for a new one. More evidence of Whitby's overabundance of gas stations was heard I st week at council's ad- ministrative committee m eting. It seems as though at least three major oil com- panies want council's blessing to develop new gas stations at the corner of Thickson Rd. S. and Champlain Ave. The companies believe that the expansion of the GO-ALRT system will increase the traffic flow through that part of town to the point where these new gasoline retailing facilities will become necessary. This newspaper would like to use the com- panies'own evidence to dispute this view while at the same time advocating a prestige industrial and commercial development for the area, which by the way, is part of Special Study Area Five. According to the oil companies making the ap- plications, in order for a gas station to be economically viable in the 1980's it would have to pump one million gallons (not litres) of fuel every year. According to Coun. Joe Bugelli there are already 32 operating gas stations in the Town of Whitby, serving a population of about 44,000 people. That.means there is one gas station for every 1,375 people. Furthermore, Statistics Canada believes that the average Canadian home consists of three people. Using that assumption,.we have one gas station for every 458 homes. If we further assume that each household has 11½ cars, which does not appear to be unreasonable, we have a gas station for every 687 cars. In this age of fuel efficient automobiles, it would probably not be unreasonable to assume that each of these cars would consume 20 gallons (again, notlitres) of gas a week. That gives a total annual sales figure for each gas station of 13,740 gallons per week or 714,480 gallons a year. Most businessmen agree, and service station operators are small businessmen, that the vast majority of their business comes from their own community. So, if we assume that 25 per cent of their business comes from transient or commer- cial customers, each gast station in Whitby is only pumping about 893,100 gallons a year. While we would admit that the figures we have given are only estimates based on the figures given by the oil companies, it appears the last thing the Town of Whitby really needs is another gas station. As far as the gas stations proposed for the Thickson/Champlain intersection are concerned, we would like to point out that there are already four such facilities located at the corner of Thickson Rd. and Dundas St. E., not a mile from these applications. No matter which way you slice it, it becomes more and more obvious that Whitby is not suf- fering from any kind of energy crisis. We would also point out that there is at least one empty shell where a gas station used to be on Brock St. S. In his report to council, planning director Bob Short has advocated that a prestige in- dustrial/commercial plan be put in place for the Thickson/Champlain Intersection. He believes that the expansion of the GO-ALRT presents unique planning opportunities. Since the GO- ALRT station will become one of the many entran- ce points into the town, the area surrounding It should give the best possible impression. Prestige industrial/commercial development is not, in this newspaper's view, consistant with gas stations. A hotel complex would be much more suitable to this area. Since we have already proved that the gas stations already in operation are just barely making it, according to the criteria of the oil com- panis, let's scrap their proposais and get on wlth A something really worthwhile. . - ý à- - ', ". , ý ', ".. r, ýý. ýý ý ý ": l' ý' - - ý'