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PAGE 8, WHITB FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23,1991 lV itles1willcontinebown>tGadnSreet cros sing ByMike Kowalk East Wtb"y residents 'u'pset over lenagthy train whistle blasts must continue suffering in the interest of safetz. 1Town' council s operations com- mittee '-was told Monday that trains passing through the Gar- den St. railway crossing willflot stopýý blowing whistles. A train engineer who chooses flot to sound bis whistle would subject Canadian «Pacifie Rail to <sevreW penalties if caught, the committéeeheard.- And both the Company ,and, municipality would b. the reci-'ý pients of substatial litigation shudan accidn occur, the committee was warned. Bob Pelland, manage r a cýcm- munfity and regulatory affaire for CP "Rail,, gave commi*ttee mem- bers an oute of the regulations governing train, whistles at rail- the rules in light of recent com- plaints from area, residents. 1Accoýrding to Pelland, CP ile bounid byana an âlRailOperat- igRUles wbih stpulate.that whistles muet sound at least. one-quarter "mile from, every Exc4pt for specific cases, the whistle will sotmd ýrepea,tedy until the crossng,,is occupied by the engine orcars sid Pelland. "MTe length 'of 'the whistle is directly related to the speed of the train,» said Pellànd. "Even if it goes five mn.p.h. the engineer- muet .,start .the whistle one-9 artermile away." gh. adheres to'this ruePeladdid uaÈy ,ccmpan ofcasare c onidering adopting a new policy which mayelter he accepted-practice. *As he explained; the former Canadian Transport G<zmmission (CTC) could issue *orders to rail companies to cease whistling at Sueh an order followed a muni- cipality passing an, anti-whistling bylaw and requesting a ruling from the regulatingbody (TeCity of Chatham, for example passed a bylaw in the early. 1 Os which affects 30 c rossings witlin the city, statesa staff- report. prepared for the meeting.) But with the replacement of the CTC 4y the National Trans- portation Agency ( NTA) in 1989, Transport Canada assumed res- ponsibility forthe CTCs afety. TA,Ïe .Railway Safety--Aet o',f January, 1989, _no l onge reurdTansport Canada.to issue.safety.orders, leié'*g rail'- ways and municipalities fre to arrange «anti-whistiine 'policies, boeter. M~Tis left CP Rail in a legai vacuum," said Pelland. 1There.*as no set procedure and CP's liability, and goten- tially the, municipalities, 'In-> creased in the event of an unfor-, tunate incident at a crossing.» Although Transport Canada bas issued guidelinies on how a municipality nd' railway sliouid handie spe cifie -,anti-whistlingý- cases,, a àdefinitive ruling ,was- e. a Pelland. rea raultthe City of Hamil-, ton, alo-ng. with CP,, applied' to the'NA ast yafr a-ruling. But just las t welthe NTA ruiedUtat s'afety atcrossings isa, Transport Canada' matter and- refused ta, issue an anti-whistling order to CP. M~Te-NTA-doEsnt want to deal with ýit - the& assed thedbuck t Transport Canade Bsaid eland. SThe company muet now deve- op itsow policy i:n light of the NTA's ru ling, said PeIland. «It could be tbe policy is that we don't entertain an anti-whis- tling policy or there may b. some exceptions, i'm not sayrng yes or no.» .Councillor Tom Edwards said that while there is no gtu whistles prevent accidents. necçssary sfeyineasure. Arson blamedý for majority of f ire'dama ge ByMike Kowaild Arson was, re sponsible for moait of tbe major firo damage in Whitby last year. Whitby fire chief- Ed Crouch told Town council's operations cornmitteeé Monday he could not recaîl as bad a year for arson as 1990. "I reported we had an arson proôblem last year (1989), that's minor compared ta now,» oaid Crouch. Ont 'of seven major fires caus ed, by arson last year, CrO,-éauc seulnly one bas se far r 'esùlted_,in the successful pro- secution of the perpetrator. Crouch's commenta were made during-presentation of the fire dementlt's annual report. boss iînVWitby last year was $4.4 million, an increase of $2.2 mil- lion oveér 1989. Altbougb -a *3-million fire at a .Garden -lSt.. ýapartment ,buildig 'last"Octoàber eccounted fiorasg ~nificant.pori, thé. increase in eroperty damag from ail otber fi wstilI $200,000. Arson was to blame for not only the Garden St. fire, but'six other major fires, witb a toýtal loss of $3.3 million. In- 1990i the..departmien ponded t61116, fires can aýsrse,,compared ta five thi vmous year. Additionally, ten firefil were injured While battling ME~ PAGE 14 l reonition-of National Non-Smoking Week, Jan. 21-27, tbe Durbam, Medical, Society commends those -pharmacies in tbe coxnmunity that have discon- tinued the. sale> of tabacco, products, 1 and bopes that ..other pharmacies soon'ý follow their example. '1welve thousand.poi i every year in Ontario from. tobacco-rebated *ibînesses,' «sa>ys- W .C. OW irantee ' However, he'asked Peliand if iit is a anything can'be,,done about the whistles duration. qIt' notsfo: much the intensitY of- the wbistle but' its length,» said Edwards. ;Pelland replied that CP, bas no choice blut-te follow the <etter of the -law" as crossings are close... monitaredby federal officiais.- ,.* While Edwards has neo problema wýith the wýhistles, heý-niited that most f -tii. complainite tend ito corne from resdidentswbo bave only recently moived to Wbitby h People wbo bave.,lived: bLe forz.yeýars are used ta it, " said Edwards, «*hat'bothèes me, are itres- planes flying by, at nfight.»ý 'e-b pr- oundill;Joe ,-Bugeili, 'Peiland se"r-iaid ýne municipality bhas passedi an nti-wbistling bylaw sinice the ýgbters RPaiiway Safety&ct became law.ý these «Mucipalites aresae u .franýkly,so aire w, said Peiland. Dr. MeGuirepedntoth Durham MedcalSociety, ae *toîitorîia division ,of the Onitaro medical Association. 'These illnesses include diseaseà such as lung cancer, cancer of* the esophagus, and coronary vascularî diselase. -By .not. selling ,tobacco prdcts, Pharaisemhs' ther cmmtent toproetn the. h ath* and well-being,- of the. public.'! The .Ontario Medicdl easoition has advocatejib produçts since 1964.To el fuifil this health-proi2otiongoal, the OMA has, vrteyas made severa 'trecoer ndations regarding the use of tobâcco. A member of the, Ontario Council on Smoking ad Health, the OMA bas also %n inolve d in physicien and public education campalgns. Local society suports,. no-ptobacco,.phar macies Trent at urhm Cllge Spring Session: 2 jauary -30 Aprl ftvtienings pvr ~ek eErÎgli>sh 120: Varietit-stir h'~o~ @* Hiory 120: %Vest t Lir<it'Ji1l ttrs * %tooy101:1nr tpl hkg *So%.iolop v100: Ilîtru> s i) l.ii I (1 i ru .-cýu li u îr iislti ilul UcIItî Iin t dll (~I 4161 t2V'7