The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Vol. 119 No. 7 Via service is back or track The Via Rail passen- ger service from Have- lock to Toronto will be back on the rails Juiié 1. Tom Van Dusen, press secretary to fed- eral: transport minister Don Mazinkowski, told There were plenty of flying feet, fists and elbows in three pieces of board by instructor Ted Clement of Port the Masonic Lodge in Port Perry Sunday afternoon for a demonstration put on by members of the Aiki Kempo, Perry. Classes have now started for men, women and children in both traditional forms of karate and street Karate Do Club. A large crowd was present for the defense techniques. (More Photos inside) demonstration which included this flying kick through Ridgeland estate housing and golf course project Cabinet appeal launched The Ontario Cabinet has been asked to over- rule the Ontario Munic- ipal Board's decision to approve the Ridgeland housing and golf course development proposed for 234 acres of land on the north 'side of the Chalk Lake Road. The proposed develop- ment was the subject of a lengthy OMB hearing held in Port Perry last spring, and in a judge- ment handed down Dec- ember 5, the board gave Ridgeland the green light for a nine hole golf course and 76 estate residential building lots. Opposition to the development came from the Rapsey Subdivision Lot Owner's Association, whose members own property and homes in the Chalk Lake area. David McQueen, president of the Assoc- iation said last week, the appeal to the Cab- inet will be based on the need to preserve the land in question which is part of the Oak Ridges Moraine. "It is supposed to be a green belt. This dev- elopment could be the thin edge of the wedge. How many more will - follow," he told the Star. He also said that both the Durham Region Planning department and the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority expressed reservations about the proposed development during the hearing last spring. Mr. McQueen told the Star the Lot Owner's Association is extreme- ly disappointed and angry that the OMB failed to send a copy of Trio face charges by Durham Police Following an inten- sive Durham Regicnal Police investigation, three local men and several juveniles have been arrested in connection with a quantity of Port Perry break-ins. Constables Fitzgerald and Richardson arrest- ed a *Bigelow Street residence on January 8th and two Seagrave brothers the next day. Charged with three counts of break and entering, theft under $200, and conspiracy to commit a break and enter is Edward Cole. Charged with theft and conspiracy to commit a break and enter is Murray Bane, 21, of R.R.2 Seagrave. Charged with conspir- acy to commit a break and enter is Stephen Bane, 18, also of R.R.2 Seagrave. The break-ins in question happened in the Port Perry area within the past few months, most of which involved local business- es. " Association's the decision to the lawyer immediately after it was released early in December. It was only by reading newspaper reports that the Association found out the decision had been handed down by the OMB, Mr. McQueen said. He has written. a strongly worded letter to provincial Housing Minister Claude Bennett about the fact the Board failed to forward its decision to the Assoc- iation's lawyer. "In no manner what- ever did the OMB communicate its decis- ion either to me or to my counsel Kathryn Robin- son of Goodman and Goodman, or to others associated with us. Goodman and Goodman obtained a copy (of the decision) only just in time to enter a notice of appeal to Cabinet within the stipulated time limit,""' said Mr. Mc- Queen in his letter to the Housing Minister. He went on to describe this as an "unpardon- ably cavilier attitude towards what I have always understood to be one of the fundamental principles of natural justice." Mr. McQueen said the Lot Owner's Association has spent about $20,000 in its fight to have the Ridgeland proposal stopped. He told the Star that members of the Assoc- -iation are not opposed to development and he understands that Scugog Township wants to bring new housing to the municipality. But-he said 76 lots is far too large a develop- ment for that area. "That plants a good- sized town right in the middle of what is supposed to be a green belt," he said. The OMB decision handed down December 5 said "the development proposal has been planned in the greatest depth over many years. Every effort was made by the developer to satisfy all the municipal and provincial author- ities as well as neigh- bouring residents.' the Star la:it Friday that the minister will make the official announce- ment this week (Jan. 18) in Ottawa. That welcome should be news for commuters all along the line, including those in Scugog Township as the train will be making stops in Burketon, Myrtle Station and Claremont. While confirming that the official announce- ment would take place this week, Mr. Van Dusen said details such as the fares to be charged, the number of cars and timetables have not been finalized. He did say, however, that the re-introduction of the service would be on an experimental basis to determine the viability. "We are going to take a serious look at the service over a reason- able period of time,' he told the Star. The Toronto-Havelock train was taken off the rails in the summer of 1981 by the previous Liberal administration, much to the disgust of the more than 200 regular commuters who used the train to travel - to Union Station each morning and home again in the evenings. A group called the Havelock-Toronto Pass- engers Association was formed and it waged a strong but, futile battle with Via and the govern- "ment to keep the train running. Les Parkes of Port Perry is a former presi- dent of that Association, and he predicted there will be strong public 'and three cars response when the ser- vice resumes on June 1. . Mr. Parkes said he hopes the round trip fare from Myrtle to Toronto will be kept at under $10, and that the | service will be well advertised to attract as many passengers as possible. Like other commut- ers, Mr. Parkes was forced to find alternate ways of getting to his Leaside place of employment, and he has been part of a provinci- ally sponsored van pool. But he welcomed the news that the passenger service will be re-introd- ~uced on June 1. When the serviee was taken off the rails in 1981, there were about 250 regular week-day commuters. The train consisted of two cars Monday through Friday wn the weekends, when as many as 600 passengers used the train on certain days. During their fight. 10 keep the train on the rails, members of the Passenger Association argued that the line could be self-sufficient if properly promoted and advertised. Bringing back the Via passenger line became a political issue in the summer federal election campaign: with area MP's Allan Lawrence and Bill Domm promising that the Conservative government would re- instate the service. Mr. Lawrence, MP for Dur- ham - Northumberland is out of the country and not available for comment at this time. Police nab suspect in armed theft Thanks to the quick thinking of Durham Regional Police and the cool nerves of a Scugog Island store clerk, a local man has been charged with armed robbery. It took police less than an hour to apprehend 23 year old Dwayne Freeman at his resid: ence on the 10th con cession - of Scugog Island, after a disguised man wearing a bala- clava hat held up Aldred's Store at gun- point January 10th. Store owner Joel Aldred credits the actions of cashier Kathy Taylor, a part-time employee who was working at the store when the robbery occurred, 6:48 p.m. Thursday. According to police, the suspect was wield- ing a handgun, which he used to threaten - Mrs. Taylor and steal a quantity of cash fron the register. Police say no shots were fired at the scene. Within minutes of the robbery heavily armed policemen set up-road- blocks on the Scugog Island Road, stopping passing motorists and: looking for a young, white male that would fit the suspect's descrip- tion. However, the road- blocks proved unnecess- ary because at 7:35 p.m., 47 minutes after the robbery had occurr- ed, three constables arrested Mr. Freeman without incident. JF