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PARGq ý W Y PflJ, 9ý The only Whî.tby Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby.residents! Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Imc. at 131 Brock St. N, Whitby, OntarloLI'N 5S1 Phone 668-6111 Toronto Line 427-1834 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pilier'- Editor* Alexandra Martin - Production Manager 2nd Class Postal Registration #05351, Keeping i1n touch Ngew mayor.To. ,: Edwards bas 'served notice that things wiii b. different wth resm.ct3 Town mattbe durlng hNs terni. Not onlywili the miyor hlmelf be as accessible as bis predocessor Bob Attemsley, ML. Edwards wants to meach out into the community ta helpwlth the declslônî-maklng pcoces. Witbh a plan ta form citizen committees ta make recommendations on such matters as local urbanization and expansion of the tex base, he le miaking ýus. of the what -he calse Whitby's best resource - lKs residents, sanie of whom bave expert"seln those matters affectlng the communhtY. Mr. Edwards prmises ta be more open even It means 'Imeasuros that represent a- 180-orée tum tram previaus council clocisions." And he says that through t e offices of Town adminîstrator BiIh Wallace, he le determined ta keep the lunes of communctopnin -,bath directions. Our newi mayor has the authorty ta efffect Change that will make local residents feel-their local govemmont works for theni, and wRh thom. He now only, needs the wlll, ca-operation and encouragement of follow council momrbers and Town staff ta carry through on his admirable promises that would go a long way toward remnoving the cynicism with wlth many regard govemments and polticlans. Plenty, To th&. Editor: This ls ln responso ta the 'Viewpoint' givon by Groig Dorr in the Nov. 20 odition oif Whitby Free Prees. What's wrang with Sunday shopping? Pienty. it taes away any femily tume loft after a fivo- or six-day work week. it does not meen that peaple will shop more in the -stores if thoy are open Sundays. A pay choque spedovor six shopping days wil aimply bu spread ovor saven. There le no mare money ta spend given that thoro is on. mare shopping day. Shopping patterns will change, but the volume of goods sold MIi not. Stores wiil have ta hire more staff, use more loctricity and risk mare thetts, ail in the nae of having thoir star. open for bsines whon are thore not enough shopping hours Mlonday ta Saturday for single warking mothors ta go shopping? Aro not 72 ýôurs a weok onough for anyono ta make their nocessary = urches? Thoro have always n convenionco stores ta caler la those who need to purchase itoms beforo 9:30 a.m. or alter 9:30 P.m. It was montioned in Mr. Dorry's 'Viewpoint' that Sunda y shopping wil provide extra jobs. Will those extra costs incurred by tho rotailers not be refleclod in thoir C rices? Who wili f ilI these jobs? iI this be a new employmont pr o f the Ras govornment? What about the employoes cf the retail stores? Are they mit enltlod ta have a common pause day with thoir families or ta attend a church f they wleh ta? Employoos should mot be forcod or throatoned, mb oworking Sundays simply bocause the store thinks it can have ane up on its coimpotition. Threats cf lousy working hours, cutbacks in hours or uriempioyment show little respect for the empioyee as a m ron, and discouraeo company zaity. Wifth regards to cross-border shopping, unloss Canadiar rtairlor rthoirprices.on.such wrong items as clothing, toys and smal electronics, there is not incentive for people ta buy Qenadien. When the seme item in Canada le $10 or $20 more then in the United Stades, why would peaple pay more, even after the dollar diference le fectored in? Porhaps Wf Mr. Derry askoed those wha wented Sunday shoppingWi those same people wauldlrewilling ta work on Sundays for rogular waeos, not timo-and-a-half or double time, ho may find thomn singing a different tune. What's good for the gooso isn't always good for th. gander.. Amis Crusos Whitby To the EdItor: ln a letter ta the oditor in the Nov. 13 edition 0f The Free Press, Mr. Robert Rembosz articuiatod a rather misinformod and erroneous argument, about the costs 0f mon-profit houslng. Understending the concept is comipliiAed and the media robeas. tram which ho made bis ceiculations was not as accurete as it -should have ben. 1 would lk. tta ke this opportunity ta clarify some 0f the misconcoptions. 1First, referring ta a mon-profit housing projoct in Scarborougb, Mr. Rembosz asserts, wAn annuai opeialng subsldy for each goared-to-incomo epertment works ouita $31,965.51 or an i ncredible -2,6- 9 a month, plus tho tenent's ront.7 Wrong. ln Metro, tho actual averag e subsldy for a unit ws $1,095 per month for the f irst year. This numbur rofiocts f irst-year Initiai investment and would be recouped over a period of lime. A significant amount of the subsidylepeld back ovor the amortizatian period of 1h. mortgage. lncreasing rents, together wfth fixod mortgage payments, resuit in doclining sbiyatter the f irst yoar and ovuly in repayment of a sizeable portion of the subsidy. Second, Mr. Rembosz states *the pnivate dovoloper hes boon forcod out of the apartment construction business by regrossive NDP government leglelaion.7 Wrong. The sponsoringgop in con unction win th he Govornment of Ontariocil o bids tram. private dolopers to build mon-profit housing.- The selection critorion is the same as Rl would bu in the private soctor -- the developer who can offer the most competitive *prlce and commit ta the most reasonable schedule ta buiid the prai oct wins the compotitian. In tact, during this recession, the building 0f non-profit housing has been the largest single benofactor ta an - ailing construction industry. Non-profit housing construction accounits for 25 per cent of ail starts in residential construction. The 35,000, mn-profit homes under devoloprnent plus the 10,000 new homes announced in the NDP gvemnment's budget sarlior this C ear wil resut in thousards of jobs r workers is the constrÛction Industry Thir, Mr. Rombasz spoaks about govomment housing programs that ho thinks wcast twice as much as what the private sectar cen provide them for.7 Wrong. The costs ta, build mon-profit housing are comparable ta building privato housing -- the same builders, architects, etc., are employod, land is purchased at market value, and construction materiels came tram the same suppliors. We don't see a lot of prvae rentai stock being bulf CrIflSTfmA tre. sales by the let Warehoumeini Wbitby. Spruce and Wbitby boys scouts ame imderway in -pin.. troe are $15 each. the -parIdzl ot at Jçrry thpDrg PwubPhTIU ht- v. right now because of this expenso -but thal does not eliminato the need for affordeble h9using.. In' tact, it suggests quite the opposite. Where we dosoe new prïIvately-ownod buildings ronting f0o market rent,, it is safe ta assume the privato owner is subsidizng the., rent, on, the expectation s/ho will make a profit over the long-ternri as property values increase. Perhap the most absurd assertion Mr. Rembosz makes is 'lit wouid b. less expensive ta the taxpayer ta buy eat~h tenant a house." Wrong. This les not true ln the short run, and ludicrous in the long> run. Non-profit housing cannot b. ý soid forr individual profit Surely. MEEPAGE2:5 Outrageous figures To the Edhto: Copy of letter ta Ontario Premier Bob Rae, Whftby, Mayor Tom Edwardé and Durharn Centre MPP Drummond White. Re: Article, lotter regairding costa 0f subsidized housing ln Whitby and Scarborough, takon tram the Whtby Fre Press, Nov. 1, 1991, also the subsequent answer an Nov. ^20 tram the Ontario Ministry 0f Housing. Gentlemen: Mr. Zanotte of the housing ministry detonds its subsidy policies. However, to the thinking persan, it w not acceptable. ln my humble opinion, if the govornmenit sees fit ta subsidizo these units ta the tune of $20-$25,000 per year, with thoso subsidizod paying 25 per cent of thoir incarne on top for ront, it would bu fer more economical ta pay thom diroctly and lot themn find their own accommodation. Alsa, it is very uniikoly thoy would have ta pay much more then $600 ta $800 per month for very edequato accommodation. There are many people paying their way' on incomes of $25-$30,000 a year, no subseidios. In view of the curront financial crunch in alarmas, provincial, regional, and municipal, what action are yau each prprd ta take ta reduco such s 1sides? These articles are startii 'ng ta sythe ieast, and 1 would liko oach ofyu ta comment as to the velidity of theso outrageous figures. To the-.Whitby Free -Press, thank you for publishing these ltters - but 1 do think a subject such as dosorves an in-depth study. John W. Fawcett To the ior. MPP clarifies 'musconceptions'