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PAGE6, WFBYFREE PRESS, 'WEDNESDAY, JULY 10; 1991 The ont>' Whîtby Newspaper owned and operatedA b>' Whitby residents for Whitby residents! Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Imc. at 131. Brook St. N., Whftby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone 668-6111 Toronto LUne 427-1834 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pither - Editor Alexandra Martin,- Production Manager 2nd lass Postal Registration #05351 -- -- - - -- Home for a museum Renovetion Plans for the Centennial Building would flot only upgrade and preserve one af the grendest of Whitby's historlo buildings, but go a long way towerd enriching culturel ectMvty ln the town. In what would b. a "1quelity faclity," Whitby would again have a museum; the theatre would be enlarged, lncluding increesed seating capaclty; much-needed extra space would properly eccommodate the Whitby archives. The price tag for the full renovation project is $5.2 million. Much af that capital tunding would be available from govemment grants and trom a, special "trust" fund earlier establlshed by the Town (donations. ta date, apparently approach $1 million), so that the Town portion of the cost is estimated at $1 .74 million over four years. Meanwhile annuel opereting coste would be $1 80,000 to, $1 90,000, compared to current costs of $94,000 ennually. Mem-bers af the current municipal council set the wheels in motion on refurblshIng the old county courthouse and proposing that it be used ln the fulest and most complementary way possible. It wlili be up to a future council whether or when f unds wilI b. given to go ahead'on the project. Given the boost to Whitby's cultural lite that wouid resuit, we wouid hope that future council members and Town staff find every available means to fund and begin the redevelopment of the Centennial Building. Delive ring the message To the Editor: Please convey aur thanks ta each and every ans ai yaur staff for the tremerndous jb they did in pramnoting the Gaad Neighbours progrem in WhitbY. Their articles and pictures truly conveyed the 'Good Neighbours' message ta the reeders. 1 arn sure thet it ws because ai the press aforded us, that the launch day an Saturdey, June 15 was such a wonderful success. Thenks agein for yaur assistance and support ai the seniors in your community. PeggyKlrby Cha irperson Good Nolghbours Committes Ontario rlding MP You've told us nat to use the GST ta pay for new spending, and we've listened. As part of aur plan for economic recovery, the money we get trom the GST will only be used to bring the public debt under control. Bringing the debt under contrai is one of the most important things we can do to ensure a better future for Canadians. That is why we've tntroduced a new law that says GST proceeds have to b. paid into a debt servicing and reduct ion f und. This new accounit wîil b. an important weapon in our continuing battis with the deticit. The maney we get frorn selling Crown corporations will also go into this account, and individual Canadians will be able to make persanai contributions to the i und. This accounit may only b. used to pay interest on the debt, and as revenues grow over time, to pay down the net debt. This is clearly set out in the law which is now betore Parliament. To ensure camplience, thie accounit wilI be audited annuelly by the Auditor General. Meny Canadiens ecknowledged the need for the GST, but were worried that the money would be used ta pay for new.progremns and services. We are determined to stop this tram happening. To reinforce this initiative, we wiIl table a taugh law ta control spending. For a five-yeer period, there will be a limit an how much Ottawa cen spend an pragrams. Borrawing on increeses in taxes, including the GST, would not be albowed ta fund excess spending. lnstead, cuts would have ta be made ta stey within the spending ceiling. These are chalienging meesures. They are matched by the toughness of the fis-al challenge, facing Canada. They reilect aur commitment ta, win-t e battle egainst the deficit and the debt, and th.y reflect the views ai the many Canadians who have toldi us ta ,"d the way and talcs the decisive action necessery ta get the job -don. '.- GORD FOUNTAIN and daugliter eCare Centre picnic held -on the* Enîily enjoyed lunch during the Gor- weekend. don St. Children's Cottage Child Free Prem photo Viwpoint ,~ Look at hidden costs of 407 By Stephen G. Leahy In 1988, enather in a long linsot provincial government reports recommended a lO-lane hghway, ceil 407, should be constructed from Markhemn to Newcastle. This massive highway would be needed to get the estimated one million people in 2011 living in Durhamn from the east part ta the west part of the region. The plenners sey that the additionai tour lanes now being constructed an the 401 and e doubling ot the lenes on the existing Hwy. 7 would nat be enough for the number of vehicles. So the 407 must b. built for the goad af the regian. Both the regional council and Whitby council agree -and fully support the proj ect. The official estimated cost for the 407 ta go through Durham is $1 billion. There are lots of other costs -- such as the thousends of acres of prime iermlend that wlll b. peved over. Hundreds af homes will b. destroyed, hundreds, if not thousands, of people will be forced ta move. The peacetul country lite for thousands of residents, who will now fi d themselves living a few hundred metres -away from the highway, will be shattered. There will also be an impact on the local enviranment, the river valîsys, wildlite and so an. Al aur politiciens and planning experts say we nesd the highway. The grawth ai the regian and Whitby demands it. These same people have insisted that Whitby is not going ta be a bedroom cammunity. They have seid that their goal is Il'ta match auïr population growth with jobs right here in the region. If that is ta b. aur future, then why do we nesd 407? A 10-ian. highwey ta get ta Newcastle tram Whitby, even if the population ai Whitby is 120,000, is a little over-engineered. Before this project goes ahead, we should look et aIl the hidden costs ai another superhighway. The sterting place is ta look et al the costs ai automobile transportation. More then 96 per cent ai homeowners in Whitby own at least one car. Look down the street in eny residential area in Whitby this Saturday morning and yau'll se. driveways and streets iilled with parked cars. At an estimate, there are probahly 30,000 cars in Whitby. The CAA estimates that it casts around $6,000 a year ta operats the average car (inclupJes gas, repairs, payments, insurance, depreciation, etc.). That means those af us who. liv. in Whitby spend eround $18 million a year an aur cars. Those are just the costs for operating aur cars. There are lessobvious ways w. pay for aur cars. We have also spent millions of aur tax dollars on building roads, on road maintenance,- policing, snow maintenance, policing, snow removal and so an. A. vsry high percentege ai aur municipal taxe s goes tawards these arees. Our provincial taxes also pay for the haspital care for those who are injured in traffic accidents. Since the automobile was invented, nsarly three million Americens have dod in auto accidents. Another 90 million have suftered disabiing injuries. W. pey directly et the supsrmarket and thraugh aur ioderai taxes for crops that are demaged by car and truck traffic. This is e-resuit ai their dernaging exheust gases, as weil as the run-iff tram selted raads. One estimate for the U.S. reports there is b.tween $2 billion and $4.5 billion in crop damage eech year. There is more. For exemple, you drive your child ta swimming lessons or ta the arene. You drive an average car and the distance there and back is 10 kms. Cars give off aIl sorts ai gases as a result of the" cobustion ai SEE PAGE 24 S-not offw