Ontario Community Newspapers

Port Perry Star, 28 Nov 1989, p. 7

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PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, November 28, 1989 -- 7 SHOCKING! When is a strip-club not a strip-club, but a dis- co bar? That's obvious. When officers with the Federal Business Development Bank (that's a Crown Corp., by the way) approve loans worth about $1 million for a joint in downtown-Hull, which is just across the Ottawa River from the House of Commons. Hard to believe that the FBDB minions were not aware that club le Lido is a place where (gasp) iachog remove their clothes in front of the paying patrons. They thought le Lido was a disco bar where those trendy civil servants could dance and boogey til the wee hours of the morning after a tough day at the office. At least that's what a red-faced Industry Minis- ter Harvey Andre tried to foist off on the Commons last week when the loans for such a nefarious en- terprise as stripping came to light. Bureaucratic bungling, said the good Minister of the Crown. But the next day, there were more al- legations that a now-bankrupt place in St. Cathe- rines, Ont may have received a loan thanks to the largesse of FBDB, along with a spot in Gatineau Good grief, hard-earned tax dollars being loaned to business people to open places like this. What next hp there in la-la land known as the na- tion's capital What bothers me about this latest furor is not so much whether tax dollars in the form of loans were used to finance clubs where women and men Viewpoint by John B. McClelland Luresicealic bungling, according to the good Min- ster Harvey Andre) on the part of federal officials. | mean, just how easy is it to get one of these loans? Can anybody walk in off the street, fill out oi apy cation form and walk out with a suitcase full of money to spend on any darn thing at all? Does nobody follow these loan applications through to see exactly where the money is gol ? After all, FBDB guidelines state loans are not to granted for enterprises which may be legal, but generally offensive. And another thing. The loans for the strip clubs apparently were in the $500,000 to $1 million range. That is a lot higher than the average FBDB loan of $180,000. This is bureaucratic bungling? Sore oh, Mr. Andre. Somebody has some answer- ng to do. AFFORDABLE HOUSING The Ontario government has come up with a blueprint to ensure that at least 25 per cent of new residential development falls into the "affordable" category. it's an honourable goal. We all know that for many residents of this good province, housing of any kind is no longer "affordable." But will it work. Reading through the policy statement, | can't find where it states who will pay, the provincial government or the municipalities. What it does say is that "affordable" in terms of a single family home would cost in the $150,000 range in areas like Toronto, York and Durham, as- suming a down payment of 25 per cent, which is $45,000. | can't help but wonder how many people Gs for a down payment. As | see it, those who need "affordable hous- ing" are not those with the resources to come up with these kinds of down payments. The real need in the "affordable housing" mar- ket is for decent accommodation for seniors at a cost that does not totally kill their pensions. Same for single mothers, struggling to raise young children on their own, or the wo poor, those hundreds of thousands of people who are employed in low paying jobs who can't afford the going rate for an apartment, never mind the down payment for a house. The province seems to be suggesting that the onus for providing the land for "affordable" housing is on the municipalities? That's fine, but who pays for the services. And even if the land becomes available, who pays to build the low cost homes or apartments? In my view, it should be the province. There are lots of ways "affordable housing" can be generated. Zoning laws, for example, can be relaxed to allow basement apartments in single family homes. Parking requirements in commercial zones can be eased to allow for apartments above plazas, perhaps subsidized by the province to en- sure better quality. Municipalities are nervous about this latest fo- ray by the province into the tricky field of "afforda- ble housing." They fear, that like so many other things, the province will set all the rules, but leave them holding the bag for the cash. take their clothes off, but the apparent sloppiness in need of "afford le" housing can rustle up $45 If the provincial government sees a need for af- (From page 10) Remember When? 45 YEARS AGO Thursday, December 14, 1944 Miss Gloria Harding gave the Valedictory Address at the 1944 Commences, Exercises at Port Perry High School. Miss Irene MacDonald, who is attending the College of Phar- macy in Toronto, is home with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gor- don MacDonald, Port Perry, for a few weeks. Mr. and Mrs. Geo. A. McMillan, attended the wedding of - their son Robert, in Mimico on Saturday. Storm stayed - nearly all roads are blocked, schools are clos- ed, mail is delayed. There is plenty of milk in town, but it can- not be delivered. It can be had at the dairy, Taylor's Restaurant or Palmers. . 35 YEARS AGO. . . ....* Thursday, December 9, 1954 Miss Jean Samells, a student of Port Perry High School, has been announced as the winner of the Third Carter Scholarship by the Department of Education, Toronto. a Mrs. Crozier has as her guests this week, two student teachers, Miss Ila Johnston and Miss Mary Jeronyn, both of Toronto. : A Port Perry lawyer, Thomas Harris, was named Liberal . banner carrier for the new riding of Ontario County. 30 YEARS AGO . Thursday, December 17, 1959 Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. R. Carter, Prospect, who "celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary on Sunday. Congratulations to Miss Ethel Thomspon, Blackstock, who celebrated her 86th birthday on Wednesday, December 10. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, Decémber 17, 1964 Bro. N.P. Aldred of Port Perry was installed as Worshipful Master of Fidelity Lodge A.F. & A.M., Port Perry at installa- tion ceremonies recently held in their lodge rooms on Queen . Street. Ed Mulholland was elected President of Branch 419 Royal Canadian Legion at the elections held for 1965-66 on December 13, 1964. : ; The demand for Peel's Poultry Farm broiler breeders abroad has influenced Peel's to establish a breeder hatchery in Northern Ireland, which will be started in early 1965, Mr. Joe Draper, formerly of the Royal Bank in Port Perry, has accepted the position of Business Manager with Peel's Poultry Farm Ltd. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Henry of Port Perry, celebrated their 55th Wedding Anniversary on December 1. Mr. and Mrs. Henry, (Turn to page 10) Letters to the editor = Are pre-occupied with Quebec To the Editor: I read with interest Dean Kel- ly's letter of Nov. 14 and I am sure from the very tone that he is suf- fering from frustration as many of us are, the seeming constant preoccupation over Quebec by our governments while many urgent issues within our country go unanswered. From what I have read about Meech Lake Accord and special status for Quebec it doesn't sound like a good thing for our country, to the point of being divisive. Some three years ago Bourassa proposed legislation providing English services for essential re- quirements, health care, etc. The Attack prompts reply To the Editor: In reply to the attack on credibility in a letter to the edi- torin last week's (Nov. 21) issue of the Port Perry Star about my views of Meech Lake. The fact that Derek Nelson . of the Queens Park News Bu- reau says that 92 per cent of Ca- nadians don't understand Meech Lake leads me to reply. As for the attack in the let- ter on our Association of Dedi- cated Canadians of which I am founder and president, it was formed as a Centennial pro; in 1967 with the slogan "One (Turn to page 8) } bill never reached the order paper before being cried down. As I recall some 20,000 people march- ed on the National Assembly in- protest. Then there is bill 101 that bans the use of English on any - public signs. I have read in fact that the law is so strict that even a flag man on a construction site must be able to speak French. For a time it appeared as though Bourassa might relent and allow some English sign concessions. At - this a crowd of 50,000 to 60,000 demonstrated for French language rights in Quebec. Where was the support for the English speaking of Quebec (numbering some 600,000) through all this? Not a sound from our politicians, the Anglophones were totally abandoned. Meanwhile in Ontario millions and millions of dollars are being provided for French language Smile For The Day services for approximately 1 per- cent who need this. Please note Mr. Editor, I said need, not demand. I think we have all tried to take a fair approach regarding bi- lingualism and a lot of us believe that adoption of policies pro- moting more French speaking services throughout the country would unite the nation. This seems to be getting further away. Witness the intransigence on Bourassa's part re Meech and the support he receives in his pro- vince when the English language is an issue. "If indeed Bourassa decides to take his province out of con- federation unless Meech is adopted totally and unaltered then I say regretfully ' "Good Bye." Yours very truly, E.W. Saunders, Greenbank "You are 'in excellent shape for a man of sixty-five. What a pity you're only forty,"' pn pe

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