r Hearing hi, More than a few Whitby residents were no doubt dismayed to hear that the Environmental Assessment Board recommended last week that the Decom application be approved. Although the final word in the matter must still corne from the Ministry of the Envirornent's director of environmental approvals, it appears unlikely that he will see fit to overturn that decision. If his decision, expected in the next few weeks, suppor- ts the EAB's conclusions, the only avenue of ap- peal open to the town will be the courts and even that is a slim hope according to a lawyer with the MOE. There is, in other words, every likelyhood that Decom Medical Waste Systems Inc. will be set- ting up shop on Sunray St. in the very near future and there's not very much any of us can do about it. While this may be a difficuit pill to swallow, the people of Whitby have, in a sense, played a role in their own undoing and perhaps this en- vironiental drama, by virtue of the fact that it happened in our own backyard, will cause some, at least, to sit up and take notice. There are some serious problenis inherent in the present system established by the province for dealing with the environînent and as voters and taxpayers we must ail share some respon- sibility for that system. The EAB's hearing this -etr Io Th EitoI To The ditor:, It is interesting to see the municipalities in Durham one at a tirne be confronted by our new forai of welfare housing. The rnost ridiculous part of ail this is the dlaim that it is non-profit when in effect the corporations who gain the contract to build these houses are making phenornenai profits. An example of this is the Conant development wbicb is a bunch of townhouses crowded onto a smali piece of land - eacb one of those units costing over $71,0O a house (tbat's a townhouse). Our present poicy of forcing high-standard services at higb cost on bousiqg in Oshawa and Whitby, is what has caused the shortage of affordable ,housing. Only tbe Councils of Whitby or Oshawa can change this by changing their policy, rnaking their dernands lesa, and spacing thern in years so that no horneowner is bit with high mortgage costs. The double deficit that Our present horneowners have is a burden that moat of them will not be able to carry in the future. By double deficit I mean the oversized rnortgage and interest rates wicb they rnust pay because of the high cost of lot servicing and the extra cost tbey must pay in Provincial and Federal taxes to pay the high subsidy which will be required in future years to pay for ail these welfare houses which are now being built. As a member of the Regional Planning Committee, 1 arn most annoyed with the situation we have whereîn the members of staff at Region are con- stantly recommending that we refuse develop- ments and private en- terprise which will be seif-sufficient and no cost ta the taxpayer and on the other hand, that samne staff is bustling busy to coordinate and build as many of these welfare houses as they can, putting that much more tax and stress and neighbourhood disrup- tion on the present tax- payera who are paying more than their fair share. It is my sincere hope that the future year will see us reasseas our high costs and start developing land instead of curtaiing private en- terprise. It la also my hope that in short order we will no longer have need of these welfare housing ghettos whicb will be a constant social disruption. - Doug Wilson, Counillor Region of Durham Bluegrass Letter To The Editor: As a residept of Whit- by and the former Whit- by Township, I arn im- pressed with the quality of people who have op- ted to becorne part of our community. Many of us remember Bluegrasa Meadows as rolling hilis and a hay- .ghlighted flaws in system spring has made that quite clear and there are a number of questions that we as citizens should be asking about the way that system operates. While space does not permit anything resem- bling a full assessment of that system, we would like to raise at least, a few of those questions here. To begin with, there is the question of why the province has seen fit to establish two separate acts underwhich applications with an environ- mental impact may be heard. One is called the Environmental Act, the other the Environniental Assessment Act. The Decom application was heard under the EPA and as we understand it this act was established for hearing applications from the private sector and is considerably less stringent than the EAA which was set up to govern hearings into applications made by government agencies. If our interpretation of the differences between these two acts is correct, one is tempted to conclude that coddling industry was more important to the provincial Conser- vatives - who established the acts - than protec- ting the environnient. fever bey-day. Today, we aee neat lawns, lovely homes and enjoy the friendship of caring, sensitive people. Ail this was not luck, but good planning. Back ln the 70's, the area residents worked diligently with the Town and the developer to create a compatible at- mosphere wthin the Corridor Area of Wit- by. We wanted the new residents to enjoy op- portunities afforded existing borneowners. We didn't want tbem to be stacked up, grouped, piled high or put in a row. Ail this required boura of our precious time and on November 10, 1975, the Council of the Town of Whitby ap- proved the plan of sub- division for Bluegrasa Meadows. The final result was a mix of bousing witb bigh den- sity - apartaient building, medium den- sity - link and detacbed cluster bousing and low density - single family detacbed and semi detacbed housing, ahl to be owner occupied. Prospective home buyers purchased their bornes under these con- ditions, and more likely because of these con- ditions. Tbey had the right to choose wbere tbey wisbed to reside and paid a premiurn price for their property because of that choice. Notbing was lef t to chance, ail areas were zoned accordingly and the type of borne was clearly defined. Many residents bad problerna with developers going into receiversbip, leaving unfinisbed bornes or not SEL G.* .7 Another point which would seem to bear this conclusion out was raised by former Whitby Mayor Des Newman in an interview last week. Newman questioned whether it was in the best interests of the environment to have the MOE appearing at the EAB hearing as an advocate for the Decom application. Surely anenhightened system would not permit such a thing. As Newman aptly pointed out, the MOE should be objectively proposing appropriate sites for such a faiity instead of showing up in support of the site proposed by a private business which plans to profit from its ultimate approval. Lastly, it is worth noting that the EAB report mentions that there is an "indisputable lack" of adequate incineration facilities in the province. While this. may be the case, it should not have been a factor in the EAB's considerations. The long range environmental implications of the province's actions should neyer neyer take a back seat to more immediate considerations and any system of sound environmental management will have to recognize this or pay the price. THE GURU oý L~/~oX How can a plane which travels at supersonic speeds always be late ? Poliey The Whitby Free Presla always iookIng for letters to the edîtor and welcomes letters on any Issues that coficern its readers. While the paper reserves the right to reject or edit any Jettera for publication, a letter that la short and to the point la mostlilkeiy to appear on our editorial page In- tact. Aithough not ail Issues can be addreased la a short letter, the best la one of about 300 words or less. Ai lJettera to the editor must be slgned and accompanled by a phone number for the edltor's Information. Lettera may be sent to: The Edîtor, Whtby Free Press, 131 Brock Street Nor- th. Whtby. Ont., LIN 5SI. PAGE 4. WEDNESDAY. AUGIJST 27.1I986, WHITBY FREE PRESS mIî%iIcd every We<nesday w hi tb 'B - 29Otrl n.BILL MCOUAT FfI z Kmp Phono 688-6111 VALERIE COWEN u u>4Ii q"ý 3 ' " ~ ih l 'heFre rss lluillitig, Advertlslng Manager Voie f heCont TwnDoug Anderson- Publisher 1:11 1h ock Street North, Second Class Mail Michael Ian Burges- Managlng Editor 11.0. IBox 200. Whitby. Ont. Rgsrto a55 The oniy Whitby newspapcr independently ow-ned and operated by Whit1hy resideiîts for Whithy residents.