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Aurora KnwkkC THE ERA Serving York County Sine 1852 HASKELL TERRY CARTER I LOT I BARRY WALLACE Phone Newmarket Charles St Phone Aurora Delegation of powers has a hollow ring The Region of York will get new planning powers if councillors agree to go along with the Ontario Housing Action Program This was revealed last week by Planning Commissioner Murray Pound who said he had received some new criteria for the delegation of plan from the province to the region While this caught some councillors by surprise it should not have- Council was discussing an OHAP plan for the Town of which could mean homes for another people In that municipality Council took umbrage at the way in which it learned Dig deal Ontario Housing Minister Donald Irvine had already signed a preliminary agreement with the developer without consulting either the town or the region Mr Irvine in a letter to council stressed that the preliminary agreement was only an agreement to agree on the proposal But he left no doubt that he wanted the project to proceed To its credit council approved a letter from Chairman Garfield Wright stating that the Ir vinedeveloper agreement represents a form of pressure on the region and the town The letter also asks Mr Irvine not to engage in further agreements with developers without first consulting the affected municipal council and the region Regional councillors recognized the provinces new criteria for additional regional planning powers in exchange for a carle blanche approval of projects as in the least a form of blackmail and in the most the epitome of contradiction If the province is going to ram housing projects down the throats of municipalities without prior consultation and ultimate ap proval then the province might just as well do away with all municipal and regional planning power Supposedly the province created regional governments to vest more planning power with the municipalities We wonder Seniors housing a more enlightened view The first steps were taken last week which could lead York Regions senior citizens to remain in the rural communities in which they lived all their lives Social Services Commissioner Owen proposed to the Health and Social Services Committee that a former nursing home in Mount Albert become a satellite to York Manor a home for the aged operated by the region in Newmarket The committee liked Dr s proposal and passed it on to regional council with instructions for him to pursue the matter further with provincial officials The satellite home was proposed as a result of a new government policy regarding the location and type of homes for the aged Previously provincial policy was that homes for the aged and senior citizens apart ments be located in urban areas and no govern mentsubsidized homes operate unless they were in areas that could be connected to municipal water and sewage services Another policy imposed such stringent nursing home standards that many small homes were forced to close Judging from the recent approval of a senior citizens housing project to be served by septic tanks In King City and the new satellite home program the government appears to have taken a more realistic and enlightened view of the needs of the aged It is hoped that approval of the Mount Albert satellite project is quickly forthcoming and that Queens Park will continue to look favorably on senior citizens housing which can be adequately serviced by septic tanks NEWSROOM NOTES What goes on behind closed doors Oh theyll occasionally take a few careful out on a limb provided they know beforehand that its sufficiently sturdy to sup port their hulk But when it comes running their own shop they feel the old way is he best way open its committee meetings to the public There Were two reasons for their standpat decision one thinly veiled the other quite overt regard Councillor Roths presence tin result of temporary insanity on the part of the electorate last month They view him as a raving radical who needs to be put in his ijM ill in li In J It Nil Inn- Ins nilili catches on with the public His colleagues remember how Bob whin hi was writing bis weekly vitriol in a column for the Aurora Banner know hes heavily bearded young and inexperienced none of which will win points on a council dominated by veterans They seem to discount the fact that Councillor Ruth appears to have at least a modicum of credibility with the electorate He fourth among the eight elected in first quest for public office last Dec 2 Councils second reason for retaining the privacy of its committee discussions is simply that it doesnt want to break up the old Family Compact way of doing things nothing scandalous In this type of Ive viewed that august body as effective ef ficient and illy responsive to the people Full debate often to the point of tedium has been a hallmark of that council Another is that bitter philosophical winch emerge within the council chambers arc quickly forgotten when the meetings end In short theyre a friendly and usually reasonable hunch So its natural they dont want to change Rut to me their reaction to Councillor Roths motion smacks of paranoia and condescension towards the very people who elected them On the matter of admitting public and press to committee meetings the essential is Why not Why shouldnt the public have the opportunity to witness the way in which their votes are being used Why shouldnt the often agonizing deliberation which precedes a decision be open to public scrutiny Instead of dealing directly with the issue winch is essentially a matter of their respon sibility to the publiccouncillors immediately deflected the bouncing ball to the press table last The press CAN attend our meetings they piously proclaimed Reporters can sit and bear everything they can get valuable background In depth stuff Councillor Pete Miller called it thinking Neanderthal Scandalous I years I meetings Councillor himself a journalist was bang on when be said reporters attending Aurora committee could find tliem- but not selves in a conflict interest A reporters first responsibility is to the public If I attend a Ted Aurora Council committee meeting ami observe something which I believe the public should know caught and council knows it So I seldom go because 1 believe theres nothing in a committee meeting winch the public is not entitled to know Ive belter things to do than waste time being parly to a council policy which is essentially oppressive Aurora councillors are fond of it everything discussed in committee is fully discussed in council Thais folly and they know it As mentioned earlier Aurora Council can point with pride to its record of debate in open council especially compared to other municipal councils Bui theyre not fooling anyone when they say they re enact the entire committee debate for the benefit of tin press and public in open council 1 think Councillor Roth was indulging hyperbole when he called his gutless for allegedly fearing public scrutiny I in Iln ii nil I in substantiate such a charge What un derstand is council reluctance to recognize the idvanlages of open meetings Most citizens the slightest idea how bird politic lan works about Ihe factors involved in council decisions about the lime energy and ability needed to fulfill a public mil lit Why not cave the citizens the opportunity to find out and understand I doubt that the quality of local government will substantially deteriorate because of Auroras decision to keep committee meetings closed But the decision and reasoning behind it is unsettling to say he least Churchill said that all wo have to fear is fear itself If Aurora Council has nothing lo fear and nothing to bide then why does it lock its com mittee doors to the electors keep the population of Queens Park ultimatum sounds like mild form of blackmail By ROY GREEN I wonder if Gordon Howe Regional Coun cillor from Richmond Hill is feeling the egg on his face or least feeling jusl a little sheepish following Ihe events of last weeks regioral council meeting provincial government which is a complete utter disregard of the historical and proper right of municipalities The province through its beleagured housing ministry had the gall to write a letter to York advising our leaders that Ontario had decided to agree to an agreement concerning a housing development in This has been done without one bit of input vice from York other step in t hewing schemes and that nothing could be done without the of MarUum and York Region Yerk to their Immense Matured and voted to write to Mr Irvine expressing a mild for and rebuke Mr Howe spoke on the- public debate council Had earlier and expressed his displeasure with Yorks stance Councillor made noises about the problems in housing being Die fault of municipalities and it wis lime He made it very clear that he though whereby government will be with a few inure powers that in currently held by Ontario There are a number these powers which lioyclonmcnls for are supposed to be given assuming municipalities want them and lit the plan and I neednt go into them now Suffice to say that the powers is not appeals unconditional learned of cue particular condition lasl week what the various housing schemes the is now pulling forward Ontario inns fill lo sec anyone even can honestly propose that should step in and handle our housing Council learned last week that along with the return of certain powers is least one very big catch 1 he big snow a is still scheduled for Ibis column weekend Snowmobiles all the province will be doing thin with He did not see the point of sending letter It was to my mind a patently idiotic point of view And thats why I had great difficulty suppressing giggles at a later point in the same meeting when another matter was being If that la the kind of guidance provided by the Last year hundreds of travelled from Bradford to via Lake to raise funds for the Watson Appeal for the therapeutic pool for York County Hospital This weekend that oneshot marathon is being duplicated in a number of centres across the province with all funds sent to crippled childrens appeal hardy snow going types or by getting out on your own machine and grabbing a few pledges of your own And by way of advance notice The York Regional Police hockey team a rough and tough bunch of guys who more than hold their own in the Southern Ontario Police hockey league may meet their match here in Newmarket come Saturday Feb Thats the day when an equally tough group of individuals arrive here for a of puck chasing They are the Six Nations Indian Reserve Redmen and they are known across the length and breadth of the land as a top notch intermediate level hockey team that seems to thrive in heavy bumping On the same card is another game between broadcasters from CKVR Channel 3 in Barrie and CFTO CTVs flagship station in Toronto Sounds like a good night and the money from game goes to the financially troubled Big Brothers of York You can help here too help by pledging funds for these Just buy a ticket from your local cop