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RE -- A -- OT -- -------- PORT PERRY "WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2000 - 7 Provincial stance on moraine earns government applause By Chris Hall Port Perry Star The province has thrown its support behind municipal politicians across the Greater Toronto Area, including those in Scugog and Uxbridge, by saying no to development on the Oak Ridges Moraine. In a seven-page report filed with the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) on May 4, the province stated in the document that it would be "inappropriate" to urbanize the moraine. The announcement was met with sur- prise, but excitement, from local moraine supporters. "It sets the tone for how the OMB will react," said Barbara Karthein last Friday morning. "Up until this point, the OMB has been working on the basis of looking at the plan and trying to mediate between the developer and the plans... which meant, in the end, everyone loses. "Now, the government has made a pol- icy statement, which makes it clear that they have done a bit of scientific work. However, 1 think the OMB will still look at these things on a case-by-case basis." Scugog Mayor Doug Moffatt was less enthusiastic in his response. The mayor, who has called upon the province to protect the moraine, said the government ought to formulate specific policy which would guide the OMB in future hearings on development. "It's a tiny step, but I applaud them for taking it," the mayor said of the Tories' paper. "l hope they're serious about it." What concerns the mayor is how much weight the provincial stance carries. He dismissed the need for legislation declar- ing the moraine an environmentally pro- tected area, but insists specific policy aimed at guiding the OMB on zoning applications in the moraine, is needed. Developers throughout the GTA have bought up large sections of land on the moraine over the past few years, planning to build large subdivisions on what remains of the south central Ontario's few rural areas. The Oak Ridges Moraine stretches some 160 kilometres across southern Ontario, from Cobourg to Toronto's north end. It supplies fresh water to numerous lakes and rivers in the area, and is one of the few ecological areas left untouched in the GTA. Locally, a plan has been put forth by Jay-M Holdings to build a 2,500-home sub- division near Uxbridge, called Gan Eden. That proposal was shot down by Uxbridge council late last year, but could be over- turned by the OMB this summer. Scugog councillors voted last year to throw their own support behind their Uxbridge peers, knowing full well that it wouldn't take long for developers to start making plans here if the Gan Eden proposal gets the green light. Similar plans have been drafted up for the Richmond Hill area. Ontario Municipal Affairs Minister Tony Clement described the provincial docu- ments as "our best estimation of how to protect the ecological features." -With files from Jeff Mitchell [Straight Talk by ALEX SHEPHERD DURHAM M.P. It was with some disappointment that I learned of the retirement of Gordon Thiessen, Governor of the Bank of Canada for the last seven years. As chair of the government's econom- ic caucus | had him out to speak with MPs on many occasions. | know most members of parliament, regardless of their political affiliation, had the utmost respect for him. Born in South Porcupine, Ontario; Mr. Thiessen' grew up from humble begin- nings in various communities throughout Saskatchewan. Mr. Thiessen's goal was, and with regard to the band he led still remains, to keep inflation in a narrow band of between one and three per cent. Many of us can remember interest rates of over 21 per cent in the not-too- distant past. The central bank is not entirely responsible for inflation, but, govern- ments coming to their senses, coupled with the policies of the central bank under Thiessen's leadership, have given us economic progress and stability. Mr. Thiessen managed a prolonged period, which still exists, where interest rates are lower than those in the U.S. This isn't great if you are an investor but it is good if you want to do business in the U.S., expand your company and create jobs. Mr. Thiessen was a great believer in the independence of Canada's economy. He saw excess capacity in our economy and therefore believed we could main- tain an expansive economic policy with- out creating inflation. He argued the Americans already hit their industrial capacity ceiling. If they expanded they would run the risk of price increases, which leads to inflation. This in a small way illustrates, why he was a strong advocate of Canada main- taining its own currency and indepen- dent monetary policy. A quick recollection of the Asian cri- sis, which resulted in a reduction in our commodity exports, teaches the impor- tance of being able to put our individual monetary policy in place. Of course the U.S. is less reliant on commodities than is Canada so a mone- tary policy set in Washington would have caused greater hardship for resource- dependent areas of our country. This is why many others and Iare fierce defenders of an independent cur- rency and monetary policy for Canada. The downside? Well, if you venture outside of our borders it doesn't take long before you realize the dollar is low vis-a-vis other western currencies. But these are the kinds of choices governments have to make. We all understand that most foreign travel is discretionary and tropical fruit is a small part of our grocery bill. What Canadians need is increased production that means more jobs, con- sumer spending and confidence in our future. All politicians want to take responsi- bility for job growth, low unemployment and low interest rates. But a large portion of this is due to the dedication of an unelected official, Gordon Thiessen, Governor of the Bank of Canada. The mayor's on a roll! RR Murs e en T Wn - ala SHR ES = Brock Mayor Keith Shier and )xbridge Mayor Gerri-Lynn O'Connor were among the guests for the official opening of 450 slot machines at the Great, Blue Heron Casino on Scugog Island last week. The new area, which opened to the public last Friday, had a great opening weekend, averaging between 3,500 and 4,000 on the gaming floor for the first three days. Staying in Touch JOHN RK. O'TOOLE bh MPP? DURHAM EAST xX i This week, there will be additional changes introduced to amend the Education Act. As is the case with any legislation, | will briefly mention some of the points in my weekly article. I will also do a press release, there will be information on my web site and we will have hard copies of the informa- tion at our community office. When you read issues in the media or see them on television, it is my responsibility to provide you with the documents. | am also there to listen to your input. Please stay tuned, as you will need to listen to both sides of the issue. On May 2, Finance Minister Ernie Eves introduced the elusive balanced budget. I was very pleased by the number of interested people who came out to our budget breakfast at 7:30 a.m. The accounting firm of Hobb, Bakker, Bergin, Hill did an excellent job explaining the tax changes. The Clarington Board of Trade, along with the Clarington Business Group (CBG) and Peter Hobb, do a great service each year on the fed- eral and provincial budgets. The budgets for 1999/2000 as well as the 2000/2001 budget are balanced and, in fact, they. will produce a surplus. This marks the first back-to-back balanced budgets in the Province of Ontario since I was born in 1943. Some of the highlights include an additional $1.4 billion for health care with a budget now of over $22 billion annually. There are several new programs, including $100 million for primary care, $110 million for improving home care and psychiatric services, and $5 million for cancer care, cardiac care and end stage renal disease. There is free tuition for new doctors who will practice in under serviced communities and $45 million for telehealth, which will increase access to health care, especial- ly in remote communities. Investments in children include extension of medical requirements for special needs children in all denomina- tion schools. a $5 million for intervention and pre- vention for primary school children who may be at risk a $6 million for underprivileged chil- dren to participate in sports a $2 million for school nutrition pro- grams as well as other commitments to children The $1 billion committed to post-sec- ondary schools represents the largest capitai investment in over 30 years. This will create 73,000 new student spaces in Ontario's publicly funded colleges and universities. This investment is part of the strategy to deal with the two high school years graduating in one year in 2002-2003. There is a new apprenticeship inno- vation fund of $15 million to modernize classrooms, equipment and programs. There is also additional funding of $1.4 million to expand the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP). There are a number of important tax policy initiatives included in the budget that are designed to attract investment in Ontario. a ---- rn