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Page 16, Whltby Free Press, Wodnosdav. November 3, 1993 A 1ýt4-year-old Whitby bey was around 10:30 p.m. when a car The car turned around and and went over te talk te hlm gave him the finger. trae or a soeajw scrapos with about five young mon went came back, Fishley says. The when ho was approached by the "The victim said ho was only and bruises after leini beaton by. victim knew one of the occupants driver, "who asked hlm why he kidding and the next thing ho up Saturday night Oct. 3, while uSome of the maies in the car e mbriswknupwta wligta reâbos. 'gave hlm the fin er' and ho soe face.» Th itm odplice ho was Local inrbc ay n The victim was taken to walking north on Glon Hill Drive specter Jim shley. L c lw omfen o i a k Whitby General Hospital, where _____________________________________ ho was troated and released. An ... -10'- .' -.wn... à+.. nf ujsie at investigation is contlnuing. A 'Women Against Violence' forum will be held in Bowman- ville on Tuesday, Nov. 9. Guest speaker will be wife assault survivor Francine Tardif- Nicholas. Participants in the forum will include Dfenise House outreach worker Lisa Laflamme, Nancy Desiardins of Durham Regional Police, lawyer Valerie Mutton, and counsellors Keith Marlow and Ruth Farquhar. All are welcome and encoura- ged te comment. The forum will be held at the Flying Dutchman Hotel, from 1 te 3:30 p.m. For more information call 905- 697-1216. among 31 nommnes for this year's YWCA Women of Distinc- tion awards. Eve Heaver was nominated by the Whitby Courthouse Theatre; iÀsa Laflatmme by the Denise House/Sedna Women's Shelter & support Services Inc.; Margaret Primeau by Whitby General Hes- pial Joan Ransberry by Deb MLhn; Doreen Smyth by Audrey Macean and Penny Simth; Mary Wood by Innushare. Gloria Tuck Whitby General Hospital, was aise nominated. The YWCA l2th annual Women of Distinction awards and fundraising dinner will be held on Thursday, Nov. 4, 6 p.m., at Sikorsi Polish Veterans Hall, Stevenson Road, Oshawa. Tickets are $45 and may be purchased by calling the YWCA at 576-8880. There will be raffle prizes and a gift shop. Pepa A Whitby, England resident wants te correspond with resi- dents of Whitby, Ont. The reý uest for a pen pal 15 made by John Sullivan, 10A Well Close Square, Whitby, North Yorkshire. RESPONSES TO DAVID JOHANN'S 'OPEN LETT ER'5 Petition wiII show how businesses feel To the EdItar: Re: Acivertisement 'Open letter te people in the Town et Whftby,' The Free Press, Oct. 27. David Johann is a smart business person. 1 give him full marks. He paid for and got a ful-page adivertisement for his business. However, his facts are wrong. There is no nanti-BIA group* that 1 know et, small or large. Al of the businesses and professionals whe work and pay taxes here are located in dowvntown Whitby because they choose te bu here. They aIse love downtown Whitby. When he suggests that they are an extremnely selfish and narrew-minded* group of people, he has unfortunately insufted every doctor, lawyer and retail operator that has signed these letters of petition who simpîy just objeot te paying an extra tax levy. These same people, contrary te his opinion, stilI feel that the downtown is and will continue te maintain a "safe feeling" and that Whitby will stilI bu a place in which ethey weuld like te raise.a family.* Just because others have a diff erent view, ho aIse suggests that they want te see downtown Whitby's character deteriorate into a place uet crime, vacant stores and dirty and run-down buildings," te quote him further. The building owners who have renovated and improved their buildings have and are doing se on their own, with their own money, because they are proud te bu here. Se the character et the downtown will continue te improve as long as they have an investment here. It won't deteriorate j ust because an extra tax is removed. Hertage Day will continue as long as LACAC wishes te continue working with retailers. Satety will continue te bu a priority, while Durham Regienal Police walk the buat dewntown. The police force is paid by the Region, net the BIA, se Mr. Jehann's fearmongering is unwarranted. Why sheuld a collection et people. seme more than five blocks from the four corners and some on the fith and sixth floors et professienalbuildings, bu forced te pay an additions] tax just te allow them te de business in dewntewn Whitby? Why, for example, should a food chain that has at least three stores within the town limits be penalized for having one store within the BIA boundary, to the tune of $3,954 (plus an extra $629 for their parking lot>, while the other two stores are not required to pa". What could they gessibly receive for their BIA tax of $4,583 when they are five blocks from the four corners? We not only have the support from their parent company in the U.S., we have been advised that they will now start looking at al stores operating in Ontario (other corporations are doing the same.) When our petitien is complete and presented to council, it will clearly show how businesses, professionals and corporations feel. Maybe then Mr. Johann will want te eat his words. Another matter of the BIA relates te a letter on BIA letterhead dated Oct. 18 and signed by David Johann, board of management newspaper commit- tee, and addressed te me. The letter shows funds 'to be received' from Vour Downtown advertisement during the months of August, September and October, totalling $15,317. The BIA board has contracted for this newspaper and his letter shows a cost fer the f irst edition te be $9,185 (ne figures shown for September and October). Play with these figures any way yeu want and it will show there is net enough advertising revenue te be received te, cover the cost of publishing a newspaper for the three months. The costs, however, te publish the newspaper will have te drop from $9,185 te an average of $3,065 per menth for September and Octeber te, break even. f it coesn't. it wÎll mean al businesses, prof essionals and corporation that did net advertise wilb usdizhrig these costs for those that did advertise. Are they really getting the inexpensive advertising they thought they were? 1 have paid residential tax in the Town for more than 22 years. For the last 16 years. 1 have paid property tax and business tax. «The BlA tax is a fourth tax that started in 1978 with a set limit et $10,000. ht is now over $150,000 and has been fer the past three years. This is now a penalty tax for doing business downtown. We(members) have voiced our concerns te the BIA and Town council betore, and they have net responded. We then asked counicil to survey ail the members as to their satisfaction with the BIA, to find out for themselves what the feelings mee, and counicil flatly ref used. It is for this reason alone that we have gone ahead with the petition. The councillor representing our ward (John Doîstra), the BIA board and the paid BIA employees should have gathered mnis information if they were truly representing their members' interests. When we go before council, the position of these BIA members and their interests will be very clear. Their lack of proper communication and this tax are causinq i11 feelings and working in reverse. Take a look around. There are many businesses moving away from the downtown and stores closing Up as we speak. There are more facts on file and 1 would gladly discuss them with anyone. Gene Peacock Downtown Whltby BIA member Who's self ish now? To the Edîtor: Re: Letter from Whitby Audie's David Johann, Whitby Free Press, Oct. 27. I was tetally disgusted by the comment about Gene Peacock. D. Johann doesn't know Gene Peacock. Peacock Sports has served Whitby fer more than 15 years. I guess trying te make a living and raise a tamily, in Johann's eyes, makes Gene Peacock a self ish man. N'e lived in Whitby fer 10 years. I met the Peacocks three years ago, shopping for basebaîl supplies Peacock positive, unselfish To the Edîtor: Re: Whitby Audio 'Open letter te the people in the Town et Whitby,' The Free Press, Oct. 27. The Oshawa and District Ladies Sotball League has operated in this area for 25 years. During that time a variety et community-minded businesses have contributed te aur success. Peacock Sports one et them. Like many other businesses in your community, Mr. Peacock supports a variety et activities through sponsorsh p. We believe this is a positive, unself ish approach towards community support. ht aise brings dividends te the community and te businesses within the community. His support ef us and others like us is just one et mariy ways te help a community. The Oshawa & District Ladies Softbal L ague for my team. They were the most friendly and hoîptul people I have encountered in business. Having a banner f lying or f lewers Scare tactics To the EdItor: Re: D. Johann's letter, The Free Press, Oct. 27. Mr. Johann's letter dees a total disse ie te bath dewntown businLss and te Gene Peacock.. Further, the community at large should bu ottended by such inprpiate scare tactics concig the lack et a DBIA with crime, etc. I have persenally spoken with about 275 members et the OBIA over the past four weeks, regarding a petition te place the DBIA in abeyance for two years. Over these past twe weeks it has become increasingly cloar te me that the OBIA board has little appreciatien with respect te the inherent problems and prevailing opinions et dewntown business ewners. The vast majority et ofBIA memburs echeed the concerns et Mr. Peacock and other concerned memburs in expressing their regrettable feelings et alienation with the beard. Simply put, they de net want te bu forced ta belong te the DBIA and pay a "special tax levyw in addition te the regular business tax. ht is unfortunate that the board has become se completely eut et touch with its membership. Incentives. net penalties, wil attract long-term substantial businesses te "our downtewn.* ShIrley ctt WhîItby planted in differ my there. the town isn't going te opinion from shopping Why sheuld store owners pay. $700 extra tax a year for something they can do themselves. If every store owner looks atter their own storefront and keeps it clean, they don't need a BIA . Taxing themn more will enîy force them te close down or increase prices. As a taxpayer, 'd rather have a store open than a flewer planted for beauty. Se, D. Jehann, don't tell me Gene Peacock is self ish. A page-long letter te the people et Whitby with your letterhead on it -- real tacky. Wh's self ish new? D. Johann, it's net j ust the spirit that binds the community together, but the peeple. Let's keep the people and stores here. l'm totally against the BIA and ln support ef Gene Peaceck. Taxpayer and basebaîl coach of Lui's Llghtning Lulgîna Alola Disg usti ng effort To the Editor: Re: Open letter by Whitby Audio ewner, The Free Press, Oct. 27. One can only intorprol this disgusting effort to discredit the flow of free theught from one, but very significant, segment ef our business corumunity as perhaps resulting in a negative reactien tram your own buyingpblic. Shame on you, DVd Jehann. William Brant Whitby 'Violence' forum Nov. 9