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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 FLOWER AND VEGETABLE PLANTS for your garden this year, come and brouse through our Green Houses, at HURON®RIDGE ACRES David Steckle and Family R. R.2, Zurich Phone 262-5442 Our business was formerly owned by Mr. Mrs. Samuel Huber 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. 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