The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Se tiers Ore.tinjs h was Whitby's j'Blackest day,' says Wallace OLYMPIC fever hit Whitby Monday night as the arrival of the torchbearers attracted an estimated 5,000 people along Dundas St., including an excited crowd in front of the Whitby public library. Lori Williamson of Pickering, with a little help from run organizers, is shown just as she reaches the stage area where ceremonies were held. More pictures, story on page 24. Free Press photo 50-metre pool wanted in complex By MIKE JOHNSTON , Various sports groups had an op- portunity last week to express what they would like to see in the new rec complex to be fuilt beside Whitby's municipal building on Rossland Road. Council began the process in Oc- tober when it approved the com- plex, expected to cost $15 million. The first stage of the complex would include a leisure pool, fitness area and squash courts and all necessary changerooms, washrooms and administrative areas. The second phase would in- clude a gymnasium and a mufti- purpose room that could also serve as a banquet facility. Those facilities will be situated on 15 acres of Town-owned land located to the west of the municipal building. More future phases in- clude dual ice pad with baseball diamonds and soccer fields on Rossland Rd. W., west of Cochrane St., also on Town-owned land, said Jean Monteith of Jean Monteith and Associates to sports represen- tatives. The consulting firm will recom- mend what should be built first and what the cost will be. A report is expected to go to council in January. The swimming pool is needed in the first phase because of a "tremendous" demand for swim- ming in the community, according to Monteith. "Our surveys show 42 per cent of the public find recreational swim- ming is their most popular ac- tivity," said Monteith, noting the new pool will be designed as a leisure pool capable of supporting swim meets for the Iroquois Swim Club. But Gerry Dainty, president of the club, did not like the recom- mendation. He asked that the Town SEE PAGE 4 For the second time in four mon- ths, Whitby General Hospital has been told it will not get more acute care beds, now or in the future. And hospital chairman Bill Wallace says one way to protest the decision would be a mass resignation by members of the board. A meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 16 between members of the board and Minister of Health Elinor Caplan proved futile as the board was unable to convince Caplan to recon- sider a September announcement which saw Oshawa and Ajax/Pickering hospitals receive additional acute care beds but none for Whitby. Whitby did receive 32 chronic care beds and the board has been trying to get the Minister to recon- sider the acute beds, fearing Whit- by will become known as a chronic care facility. The ministry's ad- visory board, the Durham Region District Health Council, had recommended Whitby receive 43 acute care beds. "Wehave, had our faces slapped by the Ministry of Health," Wallace told a press conference on Thur- sday, the day after the 45-minute meeting. "Dec. 16 is Whitby's blackest day. There was no reversal and no regard for our submissions. There was no response in any way, shape or form," said Wallace, adding he believed the Minister had her mind made up before the meeting began. "It is beyond our comprehension how and why we didn't get the beds," he said, adding the population figures back up the request. When the hospital was built in 1969 it served a population of 15,000 with 65 beds. The town's population is now 48,000 and it still has 65 acute care beds, noted Wallace. "That population increase didn't No Paper next Week THE WHITBY FREE PRESS will not be publishing next week on December 30. Our next issue, January 6 will indude our annual year-end review. See page 4 for our holiday schedule. seem to matter to the Minister," said Wallace. He said discussion was based on the population of Durham Region. And while noting the ministry had given additional beds to both Oshawa and Ajax/Pickering hospitals which are less than 10 kilometers from Whitby, he did not think that was "a fair reason" to deny Whitby. "The Oshawa General Hospital is reaiching its optimum size," he said, noting the ministry is' discussing another hospital for Durham Region. But he questioned the wisdom of building a new hospital when Whit- by General was designed to grow to a height of 11 floors. For now, Wallace said the board will allow the decision to "per- SEE PAGE 4 A Whitby Christmas story See page 6 An artist's rendition of heritage See page 21