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THE ERA Since 852 South Shore KESWICK SUTTON PEFFERLAW ONTARIO OCTOBER Mayor would welcome Novitiate investigation Mayor Joe Daks said last that he welcome a provincial inquiry into the townships recent purchase of the St Novitiate for its A citizens group protesting the township purchase The Committee for Democratic Government last week I the province for an the purchase and method used to finance the Novitiate Over Committee members and sympathizers jammed council chambers Wednesday night and heard the mayor say I would welcome such an inquiry with open arms I hope the province does the pros and cons of this matter And I am confident that an inquiry would vindicate and justify the decision made by this council In a Oyer mailed to households in the township last week The Committee for Democratic Government assailed the purchase of the Novitiate claiming That there should have been a plebiscite on the matter because it in reived such a large torn of taxpayers money That the decision to make on the matter That the mayor appointed That the negotiations were done hurriedly and in a secretive manner These charges were reiterated at the council meeting by Committee chair- conceived he maintained but rather was studied for six months and was the subject of an indepth report by planning consultant engaged by council for As far as the committee which never met was concerned the mayor said that certain members had seen fit to pre judge the possibility of buying By doing this they ab dicated their functions as committee members the Mayor declared Members of the mayors committee which never met included Regional Councillor Bob Pollock Councillor Jean Noble and Councillor Erik All three voted against he ate purchase in the He added that the townships settlement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees which cost more money ac counted for the other half mill With hostile spectators packing the council chamber lined up in the halls and peering through firstfloor windows from outside the mayor ex plained that the Novitiate building would enable council to better accommodate such large crowds Were going to have a chance to have council meetings in a chapel and 1 think it would do us all good he said Later in an interview with The Era Mayor Dales speculated that opposition to the Novitiate purchase was being spearheaded by a group of Sutton real estate men who want to see a new administrative centre built near an industrial park on the outskirts of Sutton Mr Hastings chairman of Commit which an ally her with The for Democratic Government Mrs Noble in troduced Mr Hastings for his Following Mr Hastings and the ensuing ap plause the mayor took the of fensive in what even his op ponents later admitted was a courageous political per- Citizen seeks hearing on overborrowing Up then turned to the matter of the townships overall financial position as many of the Novitiate crowd felt the township shouldnt put so much money towards new offices in a year of a big deficit and sizeable from the council chambers overflowing with antiNovitiate Before Mr Hastings presentation Mayor Dales the Novitiate decision deficit of was inherited from the council he said and did not come from cudgelling this year for the administrative centre They the council appeared to have made some mistakes he said But Im mayor in and Im not going to second guess them Thats all Im going to this Of the three and half drawing up the procedure by which a hearing can be applied for on the question of alleged by last years council Mayor Joe Dales said last week The mayor was responding to a letter published in The Community Communicator a weekly newspaper which called on the mayor himself to initiate such a hearing Written by schoolteacher Murray Brown of Keswick the letter said in part It is the considered opinion of several people with whom I have spoken on this subject and they are people with con siderable experience in Municipal Affairs that it is your duty Your Worship to initiate a hearing by the Municipal Board There are several groups of people in the Township and countless in dividuals who are awaiting your actions Many of these people have assured me that if you do not demand the hearing quite soon they will LOOK CLOSELY As of Saturday afternoon and Doug Dawson of Keswick didnt have a costume for the Optimist Club Halloween masquerade dance that night While standing beside their cedar got an Idea They came as trees and won first cole photo SCHOOL PAYMENTS Ontario Municipal Board the mayor said Mayor Dales also said it wasnt his job to initiate such a hearing Im not going to seek to chastise or embarrass members of past councils he added There is a procedure for getting such a hearing he added But would recommend that we avoid it However he said he would instruct the township solicitors to outline the procedure in response to the claim that there are those in the township who Novitiate for an administrative centre mark the first time the issue has been discussed publicily Since the townships audited financial statement noted that last years council exceeded borrowing limits set out in the Municipal Act the issue has been confined to the pages of newspapers and private discussions The Municipal Act also provides that those councillors who knowingly violate the borrowing limits are liable to disqualification from office for a period of two years Members of this years Bob Pollock and Councillors Erik Bruce Welch Ken and Gord Clark their actions on the basis that they werent advised by former treasurer Ted that they were exceeding the borrowing limits and that the borrowing was necessitated by matters beyond their control namely provincial restrictions on the West Park subdivision and the breakdown of the Sutton Arena ice machine Mr Sneath however maintains that he did in fact warn councillors of the financial situation and further that it was discussed at a special meeting council appears to have taken both courses It is 486 behind in payment of school Georgina scrapes for Council will learn Thursday whether it has the money to pay the 486556 it owes York County school levies As of Oct according to a board report the payed only of the it owes the board Councillor Jean Noble in troduced a resolution at council last week directing that the payments be made mimed Regional Councillor Bob Pollock added an amendment saying provided the money is available Mayor Joe Dales suggested the matter be referred to a finance committee meeting scheduled for Thursday at available to make the payments Finance Committee Chairman Bob Coles said he would report on Hie situation at the meeting If we have the money why do l pay it asked Coun cillor Noble Councillor added In light of the bad publicity weve received on the subject Im surprised that someone check to see if the money is available Mayor Dales has told The matter caused in part by the fact that council was late this year in setting a budget striking a mill rate and sending out its North Gwillimbury Township be late with its payments to the But he also admitted This is a serious situation Councillor Coles also reported that the new township treasurer takes up his duties as of Nov 1 and will be in at tendance at the meeting of finance committee BUT A ITER JANVAR Family Life Centres receive survival boost tres in financial jeopardy since early this year are once again teetering on the brink of extinction Staff at the centres should know by Dec whether theyll have jobs next year Regional council last week set that date as the deadline for establishing a formal policy on aid to family life centres Council voted an additional to enable the centres to operate through the end of the year And it authorized a flurry of activity on several fronts as a prelude to its final decision on councils health and social services committee will meet with Ontarios Minister of Community and Social Services Regional officials will huddle with directors of the centres to assess their budget needs for next year if there is a next And the subject of family life centres is expected to be a prior ly item when the council meets at an informal conference late in November to discuss regional policies and objectives whether family life centres 255 ratepayers oppose snowmobile clubhouse who live on the south side of in East Gwillimbury and received The centres located In Newmarket Belhaven Rich mond Hill and Markham offer family counselling and a wide variety of other related com munity programs They are being funded directly on a grant basis by the region for the first time this year The problem came to a head grant approved for the centres earlier this year would likely be exhausted in mid- November While council willingly granted the provincial government would snowmobile club headquarters on the north side of Ravenshoe in West Park snowballed last week petition signed by 255 BLOOD DONOR CLINIC chase y at Khi United Church in Greg hi students who i York County Board of persons living in the shouldnt become an issue and that he wasnt going to un dertake any witchhunts And Wednesday at council he said his concern was with this years council not last years He promised that the current to to the location for Georgina Trallnders clubhouse will be presented to Georgina Townships Recreation Com- The township has ten tatively agreed to l an acre of land in the municipallyowned park but when area residents got wind of the proposal it created a storm The petition was circulated by a group of homeowners support from the Channels Residents Association ard residents north and east of West Park The Ravenshoe ratepayers also petitioned East Gwillim bury Council which has sent a letter to Georgina Council saying there is a legitimate basis for their objections and asking the township to recon sider its decision According to Bruce Beck spokesman for the Ravenshoe see RATEPAYERS page 2 would chip in another When the province cut off funds in March council was stuck with the problem It decided to provide the as a grant to cover salaries for 1973 and put a long- range policy in limbo pending a report from Queens Park on future funding That report hasnt reached council yet But last week Ian Kerr associated medical officer of health told council provincial funding is definitely out fund famdy life