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WIIITBY FREE PRESS, MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1985, PAGE 9 Grant will create 273 local Jobs for young people Some 273 jobs wîll be cr'-ted for young people between the ages of 15 and 24 over the next six to eight months thanks to a $615983 grant (rom the provin- cial government ta the Durharn Regiori Youth Employment Service. In presenting the cheque to the service last Saturday, Durham West MIPP George Ashe said that the mogiey represents the first in- stalîment of a $900,000 committment from the govemnment during the 1985-86 fiscal year whch begins Apr;l 1. Ashe said that this program is an impor- tant one because the Whitby must altraci more job creating in- dustry if it is to continue to enjoy growth and prosperity, Reg. Coun. Tom Edwards says. In an interview with the Free Press lasI jweek, Edwards said that in 1968, Whitby's assessment base was 64 per cent residential BY 1978, 70 per cent of the town's assessment was resident while in 1985, it has grown Wo 74 per cent. But he's afraid that substantial growth in the industrial seclor isn't forthcomîng. 11I don't sec in the immediate future the balance o! job producing assessmnenl increasing," he said. While he points out that one o! the benefîts o! regional government was supposed to be a shared industrial base. heiîsafraid thal the per- centage o! residential assessment is just gong to climb. Edwards says thal planning officiais and other staff note that residential development produces tax income and other levies for the municipalily. "But the dollars they produce don't produce jobs"he says. The councillor says that Whitby and the region should consider going back to the old in- dustrial credit systeni that was employed during the 1960's. Under tat system, a developer had Wo create a set amount of in- dustrial space before it could receive per- mission 10 build homes and apartments. young people who enter the program will be em- ployed by the private sector in real jobs - flot goversiment make-work jobr. The program provides ful-time and part-time positions offering young people practical on-the- job experience and the chance to learn new skills. The positions are created in the com- munity through the par- ticipation of local businesses. Participants in the 'Y#iuth Works- programn are paid the minimum wage. 'Youth Works ic:;igned to help young people facing special ei-rp;oyment dif- * Il was a measure that produced jobs," Edwards says. Residential growth also puts additional demands on the town for increased service such as garbage collection, public transit and ref.ý.eation. The big tax dollars earsied from in- dustrial property owners help subsidize these kinds of services. And if the town gels too heavy or lop-sided with residential assessmeflt, then the homeowner will begin to pay ever in- creasing taxes. "If we have the residents here, we have t0 provide services for themn,- Edwards says, ..and that costs money . The: long time municipal politician also says that Whitby may be hurting its chances at long termn prosperity because it has been concentrating ils efforts on the con- struction of higher prced housing. He notes thal Whitby is building many $200000 houses, but is not building as many homes for low and moderate income workers as it should be. And if these types of homes aren't builI and occupied, there is a strong possibilîty that Witby wil lose poten- liaI job creating in- dustries. "We have got to have the $M0,000 homes," Edwars says, "but we also need to produce the lower incomne jobs. "ln addition, we have to have the moderate priced homes for the people who will staff the faclonies. " ficulties," Ashe says, It provides them with access to training and actual job oppor- tunities."- John Bartel, director of the Youth Em- ployment Service (Y.E.S.) says that his program attempts to make young people em- ployment ready. It even goes as far as to teach them living skills and such things as how to get up for work every morni ng. "Many o! these peuple are not able ir> be comn- petitive in the: job "-iarket," Bartel says, "For the majority of our kids its the,.. first full time job." An~d if these homes aren't produced, Whitby could suffer f rom a depressed labor pool. "If we don't provide housing i rorn moderate wage earnuv we're not going to have a skilled and unskilled. readily accessible labour market and then we will lose job oppor- tunities," Edward-s And this is the dif- ference, he says bet- ween his agency and the Canada Employmnent Centre. C.EC. deals wth the job ready. we deal with the non-job ready," Bartel says, 'We have to make themn job ready, we have to teach themn to be competitive." Ashe noted that il' "luding the $615,983, the: provincial government has infused a total of $1 .3 million into this program and already bas created sorne 200 Residential assesment base luis grown to 74 per cent.... Whitby needs industry Higher priced nousing certainly provides good assessment and helps pay the bills," he adds, "but what we don't have is a good supply of reqsonable priced bouse for lower and middle wage ear- ners, especially young married couples with children. jobs. And according to Diana Deakin-Thomas, co-ordinator of the Youth Works program in this area, well over 50 per cent of the young people placed in local private industry are being kept on after the six month prugram runs out. Employers par- ticipating in the program do flot have to pay the yoting people placed with them. They, however, are respon- sible for giving them skills and on-the-job training. ~ _ Make way for a great new beginning! May 1986 take you to more happiness and success than ever before. PRO DODGE WHITBY HYDRO Your Local Chrysler-Dodge f ELECTRIC COMMISSION Sles and Service Parts & Service - Thursdays tllii9gp.m. eW IB 209 Dundas St. W.,,Whltby 666-3000P Du* 668-5878 March..