Zurich Citizens News, 1973-06-28, Page 5THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 1973
ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS
Members of the Ontario Leg-
islature had a long, hard week
but the reward suited the effort.
After sitting until 4 o'clock
Tuesday and Thursday morning
in addition to the regular hours
of sitting Monday through Fri-
day, the House adjourned for
the summer recess at 4,30 p.m.
Friday.
The business to be completed
before the House adjourned was
the passing of the bills pertain-
ing to land use, regional govern-
ment and energy. Committees,
some meeting concurrently with
the House, gave important bills
detailed but not overlong exam-
ination before sending them bacl
to the Legislature for final app-
roval. The Government's energy
package was debated by the
House and given final, formal
approval. The three bills estab-
lish a Ministry of Energy, turn
Ontario Hydro into a Crown
corporation and enlarge and
strengthen the Ontario Energy
Board.
Rather a lengthy debate was
given the regional government
bills. Many ammendments were
proposed by opposition members
but voted down by the govern-
ment. The bills passed in their
original form on the strength
of the majority government. A
standing committee discussed
the Government's new planning
act clause by clause and several
ammendments proposed by opp-
Jottings
by
Jack
from
Queens Park
osition members were approved.
Plans to control development
in the Niagara Escarpment and
a proposal for a parkway belt
system to separate urban areas
were given lengthy and often-
times heated debate.
There will be summer work
for a large number of MPP's.
Select committees on every-
thing from land drainage to
economic and cultural national-
ism will be travelling, holding
hearings and writing reports.
The select committee invest-
igating the contract for Ontario
Hydro's new head office building
will almost certainly have to sit
well into July. In connection
with this investigation the com-
mittee learned that no study was
made of costs for maintenance
at the new building by Hydro
officials. Hydro's manager of
building office facilities testif-
ied that Ontario Hydro officials
haven't really studied whether
Hydro could maintain its new
headquarters building for less
than it will pay a private devel-
oper. His response surprised
committee counsel Richard Shi-
bley and some members of the
committee who noted that sup-
posed savings in maintenance
costs had been a major consid-
eration in Hydro opting for a
lease -purchase agreement under
which the developer would man-
age the building.
The image of the Ontario
Hydro- Electric Power Commis-
sion as a body that rubber stamp
decisions of its senior adminis- .
tratives emerged in a testimony
of one of the commissioner's
before the select committee
this week. The commission was
not consulted on a decision by
management to abandon a set
of architectural plans for the
head office building at a cost
of nearly 1.5 million. The com-
mission was not advised of the
likelihood of Hydro proceeding
with a lease -purchase agree-
ment rather than building the
structure itself. A 46 page
analysis of competitive bids
from four developers was never
submitted to the commission.
The contract to erect the build-
ing was let to Canada Square
owned by Mr. Moog, a close
personal friend of Premier Davis
Globe and Mail reporter Ger-
ald McCuiliffe testified before
the committee that Donald
Smith, president of Ellis- Don
Limited, of London, told him
not once but twice that "I was
told to keep my mouth shut or
I would never get another gov-
ernment job" in connection
with the deal to build Ontario
Hydro's new office headquarters.
Mr. Smith made the statement
in a telephone conversation
attributing it to an unnamed
source close to the Ontario
Cabinet and high in the Prog-
ressive Conservative Party, who
called to tell him the Globe and
Mail was investigating. Ellis -
Don Limited was one of the
three firms that lost out to Can-
ada Square Corporation Limited
on the Hydro job. Mr. Smith
flatly denied either making the
statement or being threatened.
John Cronyn, a director of
Ellis -Don and a senior vice-
president of John Labatt Limited
was identified as the caller.
In the period being investigated
Mr. Cronyn was also chairman
of Ontario's Committee on
Government productivity.
A committee of the Legislat-
ure tabled a report proposing
wide-ranging reforms to break
down the barriers it has found
between schools and the com-
bestho
Goodness,it's se
�
munities they are supposed to
serve. The Select Committee
on the Utilization of Education-
al Facilities would take the
responsibility for the use of
schools away from school boards
and hand it to local commun-
ity action councils. The com-
mittee would abolish the require
ments that teachers have formal
certificate and would encourage
the use of performing artists,
technical experts, professionals,
businessmen and the like in the
education process. It strongly
recommends child and infant
scare be made universal ly avail -
•able and part of the provinces'
'system of education. It would
cheerfully accept schools being
used for dances or wedding rec-
eptions at which liquor was
served. The committee critic-
izes stuffy attitudes that isolate
schools from their communities.
Opposition Leader Robert
Nixon criticized the provinces
regional government legislat-
ion for Hamilton- Wentworth
saying a sort of snobbery was
involved in keeping the town
of Burlington out of the region.
Mr. Nixon's speech was made
mostly to empty seats. At one
point only eight of the 76 gov-
ernment members were in the
Legislature and there wasn't
a single cabinet minister present
for most of the Liberal Leader's
remarks. Mr. Nixon noted the
lack of cabinet ministers includ-
ing John White, Minister of
Intergovernmental Affairs, who
sponsored the bill. He said it
was indicative of the arrogant
approach of the Government
and that Government Cabinet
ministers don't give a dam
about what is said in the Legis-
lature.
Michael Cassidy, NDP Ottawa
Centre, criticized Regional
Government in Peel County as
being tailored to the wishes
of developers rather than the
voters. He called the Province's
Peel proposal an unholy alliance
between the Conservative party,
developers and development -
oriented councils in the region.
Treasurer John White reply-
ing to opposition questions in
PAGE 5
the Legislature about former
premier John Robarts criticism
of Government housing policies
said that he could give no assur-
ance to the House that Robarts
suggestion would be adopted.
Robarts called for an end to
provincial and federal sales taxe
on construction materials which
total 19 per cent to help make
housing more affordable. Ontaric
Liberals last month tried un-
successfully to have construction
materials exempted from the
seven per cent sales tax.
The Ontario Government pres-
ented a green paper to the Leg-
islature outlining 18 major prop-
osals designed to give women
more job opportunities both in
and out of the public service.
If the proposals are accepted
the Government plans to appoint
more women to Government
boards, commissions and the
judiciary; improve equal pay
legislation and broaden the
interpretation of the equal
work concept; speed changes in
family law; take the initiative
in developing a province -wide
day-care program; and make
family planning and birth cont-
rol services more available.
However, since the green paper
is not Government policy, but
only a suggestion course of act-
ion, the Government has left
itself with an out.
During the question period in
the House no Government
member denied the disclosure
by NDP leader Stephen Lewis
that logging is to be allowed to
continue in Algonquin Park. He
said the government had decid-
ed to put an end to private log-
1ging in Algonquin Park but woult
permit logging under a govern-
' ment agency to protect jobs in
the area.
Leo Bernier, Minister of Nat-
ural Resources, announced in
the Legislature that Quetico,
• a 1794 square mile wilderness
park in the north western corner
of Ontario, is to be de -civilized
The Ontario Government is to
spend $2 million over the next
five years to make it more prim-
itive, preserve it for future gen-
(continued on page 6)
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