HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1973-06-25, Page 13THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1973
ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS
PAGE 13
Jottings
by
Jack
from
Queens Park
The Ontario Government's
proposed Planning and Develop-
ment Act was severly criticized
by Opposition members in the
Legislature this week. Deputy
Liberal Leader, Vernon Singer,
called the bill abhorrent and a
complete denial of the principle
of democracy. He questioned
whether any minister should be
supplied with the powers in this
bill. Liberal Leader, Robert
Nixon, said the bill proves
the Conservative Party is a
party of centralization. "This
bill is a Conservative Party is
a party of centralization. "This
bill is a Conservative assertion
of naked central power." The
bill would allow Mr. White to
designate any area of Ontario
a development planning area.
When a plan was developed the
Government could require
a municipality to make its by-
laws conform to the plan.
N. D. P. Leader, Stephen Lewis,
called the consultative aspects
of the proposal a fraud and said
the Government doesn't under-
stand what consultation in the
planning process means. With
every member of the Opposition
present in the House at the t ime
voting against the bill, the
House approved second reading
and the bill will now go to a
standing committee before third
and final reading.
The Legislature's select com-
mittee inquiring into the new
headquarters project for Ontario
Hydro learned that developer
Gerhard Moog, a close personal
friend of Premier Davis, was
given shelved plans for the new
office building about four month;
before Hydro began asking the
other developers to submit prop-
osals for a lease -purchase agree-
ment on only verbal specificat-
ions from Hydro architect,
Kenneth Candy. Original plans
for the Hydro headquarters
costing $1, 485, 000 had been
shelved 17 months earlier for
economic reasons.
The committee is pressing to
learn how much advantage Can-
ada Square, the company owned
by Mr. Moog, gained over
competing developers. Mr.
Candy, trying to make clear
the reasons for choosing Canada
Square Corporation Limited ovet
three competing developers,
told the select committee that
Ontario Hydro wanted a Buick
rather than a Datsun of a devel-
oper for its new office headquart
ers. He maintained that the
other developers are in the
speculative field whereas Can-
ada Square is more in the luxury
field.
Margaret Birch, Ontario Min-
ister without Portfolio, respon-
sible for the youth secretariat,
told the Legislature that more
than 7000 young people have
been placed in Provincial job -
projects for the summer. The
Government received more than
30, 000 applications for jobs
on the 17 Provincial programs.
The Ontario Government's
proposal for a parkway belt
northwest of Toronto was given
approval in principal this week
with both opposition parties
voting against the measure.
Stephen Lewis, criticized the
proposal, which envisages a
series of parks and green spaces
from Hamilton to Markham,
linked by parkways and utility
corridors, on the grounds that
it contradicts the Government's
own policy for the Toronto
Centred Region. The Toronto
Centred Region plan was design-
ed to slow down growth to the
west of Toronto and encourage
it to the east. A number of the
Opposition member said the belt
system included very few new
parks and was mostly roads and
service corridors which would
encourage growth to the west,
just as Highway 401 was to act
as a barrier between commun-
ities to prevent sprawl, but
rather than halt development
the highway encouraged it.
Last week the Government
unveiled its plans for the Niag-
ara Escarpment calling for the
establishment of a commission
made up of representatives from
the municipalities on its route
from Niagara to Tobermory at
the top of the Bruce Peninsula,
and Government appointees.
Stephen Lewis, N. D.P. Leader,
For a wide selection in
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speaking during second reading
of the Niagara Escarpemtn Plan-
ning and Development Act,
said the bill is the obituary not-
ice for the escarpment. He
said the plans will do nothing
to save the escarpment for rec-
reational use, but will hand it
over to developers and quarry
operators. Mr. Lewis accused
the Government of being more
concerned with protecting priv-
ate enterprises on the 200
mile long escarpment than with
preserving it for the people of
Ontario.
Legislation providing for
Regional Government in Durham
and Hamilton=Wentworth tras
introduced in the Ontario Leg
(continued on page 15)
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