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2-Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, November 30th, -1977 Orono Weekly Times Second Class Mail Registration Number 636W Pubhshed Every Wednesday at the offrce of Publication Main Street. Orono Rov C. Forrester. Edito. Eric Patterson. Advertaieu LOSS OF AN OLD FRIEND As years pile upon years the tempo seems to quicken regarding the loss of old friends and this past week-end saw yet another to appear to pass into oblivion. The motivating force behind the Town clock has been stolen leaving the clock in a state of uselessness and without a heart to survive. Someone may ask just what is in an old clock anyways, it has no heart, no soul, no feelings. It's only a mass of metal and wood with no form of communication, it's inane. But that is not the case. It had its form of communiciations day in and day out throughout the years. It was always ready to serve and to shine out over the Town even during the darkest of hours. The clock was a sentinel in the centre of town and as if saying, 'I am looking after the town and providing a guiding light'. We doubt very much if anyone would pass through the town without the simple form of communication with the tower clock even if only to look up to see what time it was or to see if the clock was properly running. Being outside the office door it always reminded us when we were late for work or late going home to dinner. Unfortunately it was never through the years able to beam out a message, -"You're early today". There was always communication every time we passed the clock and now we are reminded that someone in the 1930's cared enough to provide this time piece for everyone in the community to enjoy. Yes the lock will be missed and it is doubtful that through the bussle of municipal affairs that consideration for restoration will be sought. Another of yesteryear features to be lost. A REFRESHING NOTE Premier William Davis bas presented a refreshing note to the political tune of today with his presentation to the Robarts-Pepin Task Force on Canadian Unity. From all we have read the presentation has been forthright and certainly non-political. This approach more than anything will help to bring some stability to a better approach to the problems facing this country of Canada today. Although Davis proposes some form of special status for individual provinces to keep Canada together he also strongly emphasises a great need for caution. "Canada must be careful not to allow individual provinces to develop separate relationships with Ottawa in such a way that they would create barriers to mobility and development across Canada", he said. Davis stated we must decide where to draw the line to prevent our entire system from becoming unworkable. AIl too often in the past minor change has developed into an avalanche with swings to the right or left going beyond the desirable point. The educational system may well be one such example and today people are calling for a return of basics which some claim went out with the wash water of the late sixties and early seventies. It may be easy in most cases to correct an over-kill but this would not be the case with changes in our constitution. Davis is right we must first decide where to draw the line and we must be assured that Canada is kept intack and that strength remains within the jurisdiction of the federal government. Certainly overlapping of authority, and duplications are a waste but let us not go too far. A Canadian rnust be able to move about the 'country as a Canadian and with continuing equal rights and1he or she must be assured that the Nation is to hold together. One must also applaud Davis for the view that Ontario has benefitted through confederation and also that Ontario bas played its part in contributing to other parts of the country. He also notes in his presentation that Ontario will continue to play its role within confederation. We need more of this from other leaders within tmns countrv from the governments, labour and business. ORONO SENIORS LODGE APPROVED On Monday the council of the Town of Newcastle formally accepted the ownership of the road giving entrance to the proposed Senior citizens lodge west of Orono. Council also approved in principal the complex which the Lodge hope to commence construction of early in the spring of 1978. The 40-unit complex is expected to be completed in the fall and ready for occupancy. The Senior Citizens Lodge bas now meet the deadline of November 30th in order to meet conditions of CMHC from whom a loan of $860,000 is to be arranged for the construction. The Senior Citizens Lodge was formed some years ago when the Durham County Medical Co-operative Medical Services had to disband. At that time a sum of over $100,000 was transferred to the Lodge for the pourpose of providing senior citizen dwellings in the area. PETERBOROUGH MAN DIES IN HIGHWAY ACCIDENT Derrick Stephen Davis of Peterborough is dead as a resuit of a two-car accident Friday north of the junction of Highways 115 and 35. The Davis car was travelling east when it apparently went out of control, crossed into oncomning tra ffic hitting a car driven by Bernard Charles Flood also of Peterborough who suffered minor injuries. Letter to Editor I have before me a report and the only objection made or sent to council re the Senior Citizens project in Orono, which has delayed the pro- ceedings or helped to of a non profit charitable organization in the village of Orono. Do you stop and think what this means, and the necessity of such in Orono, Newcastle and Bowmanville? The inc- rease in business and devel- opment of the village. I am ashamed of the stand you have taken. For your inform- ation I was in the office of our M.P.P. November 11, 1977, when the word came through from Queen's Park re the signing of the necessary papers that morning. I have seen the plans, the deed for 7/2 acres which no other bas, plus parking space necessary which covers the dump portion you speak of. The rest is pure gravel bed and tested. The water pipes will come in along the north side of Station Street plus a surfaced walk, when this portion is made a little wider. A developer owns five acres to the North of the project and intends to build when pos- sible. The old Armstrong farm is due for development and others in the same location. I think you owe the citizens of Orono and surrounding hanlets an apology for the stand you have taken, as we have about ninety applicat- ions for residence in this Senior Citizens Lqolge and have been waiting for nearly two years, and I don't think you have the guts to do it. Yours truly, W. Colville Evans. EXPENSIVE TO LIVE IN CLARKE TOWNSHIP (Continued from page 1) nal change stated Mayor Rickard would have to have council's approval and he pointed out that any change could well put taxes up in other wards of the Town. Mayor Rickard has aiso said that he would like to look at what would happen if some adjustment was made to the resource equalizing grant. He points out that the Region made adjustments through this grant from one munici- pality to another and wonders why this could not take place within the wards of the Town of Newcastle to bring about a better equalizing of taxes thorughout the whole of the Town. It was pointed out at the news conference that the equalizing factor was establi- shed through comparison of actual property sales within the wards with actual asses- sed values of the properties. In speaking of the transit- ional mill rate which is applied on a ward basis the Mayor said that council had opted to use seventy-five per cent of the difference rather than one hundred per cent. This, he said, has acted to give Bowmanville an advant- age over Clarke Township. The Transitional grant runs out after 1978. Unless council pushes for an internal revision of the taxation base between the wards in the Town of Newcas- tle borne owners in Clarke Sam Cureatz, M.P.P. Durham East Recently I introduced a Private Members' Bill entit- led, The Planning Amend- ment Act which would have assisted a Committee of Adjustment or a Land Divi- sion Committee in their local planning. As I said in the legislature, the purpose of the Bill was to place emphasis on the import- ance of severances in rural communities and to once again bring to the attention of the Land Division Committee that they are indeed respect- ed for their responsibilities to their communities in dividing up land. In this respect my Bill was initiated to give those concerned some guidelines. I feel that land division is different from land planning, and that such an important issue as that should be considered separately under the Planning Act. Further my amendment included a clause which read that the commun- ity's needs for housing and commercial and industrial development should be part of the consideration in land dividing. This I felt would give greater scope when considering severances and allow recognition of the fact that severances are different from subdivisions. This is not to suggest, however, that I am not sympathetic to those who argue that land should be protected for- agricultural use. What I stated is that property rights are a vital issue and concern that are just as legitimate. I believe we should allow the availabil- ity of some severances, particulary when referring to bush lots and ravine lots. My proposed amendment to the Planning Act would not have hampered the preser- vation of our farm land but would have allowed for some flexibility which I believe is much needed. When a vote was taken in the House, the Amendment lost by three votes. The N.D.P. were adamantly op- posed to the bill and opposed to any assistance that the Bill would have given to the Land Division Committee as noted by N.D.P. member Mr. Mak- woula appear to have no relief from the unequitable positon they are now in regarding taxes. Market value assess- ment which is promised for 1978 to.be used for 1979 taxes may alter the present position some but here again some politicians point out that higher housing cost will pay a greater portion of taxes. If this holds true home owners in Clarke Township still may find themselves carrying a larger portion of the taxes on an individual basis. Mayor Rickard aiso pointed out that a one percentage change in any of the factors made a large difference in the end tax amount. He stated that a factor change from 9.2 in Clarke to 10.1 could resuit in a reduction of taxes on the average home of $67.84. archuck. He stated, "Gener- ally, these (Land Division Committees) are appointed hacks of a municipality . . who have no depth and no understanding of planning in many cases." The Liberals had mixed feelings about the Bill and the Liberal member for Grey, Mr. McKessock stated "it appeared to me that Mr. Cureatz was trying to do something that is of interest to me, that is freezing up severances in an area where they won't do any harm and are needed". Presenting this Bill allowed me the opportun- ity to bring to the attention of the Ontario Legislature the concerns of rural people that at times there seems to be a lack of responsible under- standing regarding land divi- sion. For the past couple of weeks there has been a flurry of headlines in the papers over another Private Mem- bers' 13ill introduced by a Liberal member to raise the legal drinking age from 18 to 19. As a lawyer and as a member of the Legislature, it's not hard to feel the pressure which bas been mounting for a return to a higher drinking age. Much of this is in response to the marked increase in drinking which has spread to those under 18 and a sharp increase in alcohol-related traffic acci- dents involving teenagers. These two facts were re- viewed respectively by the Government's Youth Secre- tariat and an all-party com- mittee on highway safety. Both recommended the drink- ing age be increased to 19. Aithough this Bill received approval in principle, it will be allowed to die on the Order Paper,-that is, the govern- ment will bring the Bill before the House. The government will be introducing a package of proposals in the Spring which will address ail aspects of alcohol and youth. Simply raising the drinking age itself is not going to be the magic cure-all to resolve these complex problems. In drawing up new propos- als for legislation on the rights, liberties and responsi- bilities of young adults in Ontario, the government will Seeking seclusion for a sip? Try the new COPPER BOILER ROOM provide the opportunity for them to contribute their points of view to Members of the House. In this respect I would like to have your comments on the drinking age. Tasteful tall tales told in the new COPPER BOILER ROOM Ganaraska accepts Port Hope land offer The Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority has accepted an offer from the Town of Port Hope to pur- chase 9.6 acres of land for the price of $1.00. The offer made by Port Hope is conditional that the Conservation Author- ity only use the land for the construction of a new admini- strative building and that such construction is to take place within the next five years. A committee of the Author- ity has over the past two months been studying the desirability of either renting office space or building their own. The community has reported that it would be more feasible for the Author- ity to build rather than continue to rent and to spread the cost over a four year period. It has been noted that adequate quarters for renting is just not available in the area. The Authority presently has rented facilities in two locations in Port Hope. The land being donated by the Town of Port Hope is located in Hope Township on the north boundary of Port Hope. The site is west of Highway 28 just north of 401 highway. The western bound- ary of the land abuts on the Port Hope Conservation area through which runs the Gan- araska River. es...... Oee*SSeeeOOeO.e.e.,. NOTICE Town of Newcastle Public Works Department Commencing December lst, 1977, the following are telephone numbers for your use during the 1977-1978 winter season. After hours and weekends 623-3391 During hours 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Division 1 (Darlington) 263-2292 Division 2 (Bowmanville, Village of Newcastle) 623-3391 Division 3 (Clarke, Orono, Newtonville, Kendal) 983-9178. e e e e e e e s e e a e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e J. Dunham, e Director of Public Works, e Town of Newcastle. * SAM AT QUEEN'S PARK -Mr.